Multiobjective Linear Model Optimize Water Distribution in Mexican Valley

A multiobjective optimization model is developed for the Mexican Valley to find optimal water distribution scenarios for three water users: agriculture, industry and domestic. Surface, ground, treated and imported water supplies are considered. The model with three objectives and 15 constraints was solved by the distance based method with distance l ₁. Three scenarios and two priorities were analyzed for this problem. In Scenario 1, actual aquifer overexploitation and treated water usage were allowed. Scenario 2 considered the reduction of water extraction from the aquifer to one billion m³ (59%), and increased usage of treated water in agriculture by 50%. In Scenario 3, we assume aquifer sustainability and increasing surface water usage by 857 mill m³/year. The last scenario is the best because, in the worst case, the farmers can cover one season and also some crops in the second season, and the domestic users can get more water than their minimum demand. In addition, aquifer sustainability is implemented, which can reduce aquifer overexploitation. The waste water disposal problem, which is critical in this area, also can be reduced.     

Playing with models and optimization to overcome the tragedy of the commons in groundwater

Groundwater is the natural resource most extracted in the world. It supplies 50% of the total potable water requirements, 40% of the industry take, and 20% of agriculture groundwater is a strategic resource for every country. That common‐pool resources are highly susceptible to lead to a tragedy of the commons is a well‐known fact. We claim that a combination of groundwater modeling, optimization, and a game theoretical analysis may in fact avoid the tragedy. A groundwater model in MODFLOW from Zamora aquifer in Mexico was used as input of a basic but instructive, optimization problem: extract the greatest possible volume of water, but at the same time minimizing the drawdown and drawdown velocity. The solutions of the optimization problem were used to construct the payoffs of a hypothetical game among the aquifer users, the resource's administrator, and a resource protector entity. We show that the success of the optimal management program depends heavily on the information that the users have about the resource. Therefore, better decision‐making processes are a consequence of sustainability literacy. Particularly, water literacy could lead to the usage of water considering it as a part of an ecosystem and not only as a natural resource. Additionally, a new non‐classical equation for underground flow was derived, that may be specially important to understand and predict the groundwater flow in highly heterogeneous conditions as in karstic aquifers or fractured media. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Complexity 19: 9–21, 2013     

Effects of Centralization on Expected Costs in a Multi-location Newsboy Problem

This is a single-period, single-product inventory model with several individual sources of demand. It is a multi-location problem with an opportunity for centralization. The holding and penalty cost functions at each location are assumed to be identical. Two types of inventory system are considered in this paper: the decentralized system and the centralized system. The decentralized system is a system in which a separate inventory is kept to satisfy the demand at each source of demand. The centralized system is a system in which all demands are satisfied from one central warehouse. This paper demonstrates that, for any probability distribution of a location's demands, the following properties are always true: given that the holding and penalty cost functions are identical at all locations, (1) if the holding and penalty cost functions are concave functions, then the expected holding and penalty costs in a decentralized system exceed those in a centralized system, except that (2) if the holding and penalty cost functions are linear functions, and for any i≠j, P_ij, the coefficient of correlation between the ith location's demand and the jth location's demand is equal to 1, then the expected holding and penalty costs in a decentralized system are equal to those in a centralized system.     

Impact of productivity on cross-training configurations and optimal staffing decisions in hospitals

Cross-training of nursing staff has been used in hospitals to reduce labor cost, provide scheduling flexibility, and meet patient demand effectively. However, cross-trained nurses may not be as productive as regular nurses in carrying out their tasks because of a new work environment and unfamiliar protocols in the new unit. This leads to the research question: What is the impact of productivity on optimal staffing decisions (both regular and cross-trained) in a two-unit and multi-unit system. We investigate the effect of mean demand, cross-training cost, contract nurse cost, and productivity, on a two-unit, full-flexibility configuration and a three-unit, partial flexibility and chaining (minimal complete chain) configurations under centralized and decentralized decision making. Under centralized decision making, the optimal staffing and cross-training levels are determined simultaneously, while under decentralized decision making, the optimal staffing levels are determined without any knowledge of future cross-training programs. We use two-stage stochastic programming to derive closed form equations and determine the optimal number of cross-trained nurses for two units facing stochastic demand following general, continuous distributions. We find that there exists a productivity level (threshold) beyond which the optimal number of cross-trained nurses declines, as fewer cross-trained nurses are sufficient to obtain the benefit of staffing flexibility. When we account for productivity variations, chaining configuration provides on average 1.20% cost savings over partial flexibility configuration, while centralized decision making averages 1.13% cost savings over decentralized decision making.     

Groundwater response to tidal fluctuation in a sloping leaky aquifer system

The effect of tidal fluctuation on groundwater flow is an important issue from many aspects in coastal areas. This paper develops a new analytical solution to describe the groundwater fluctuation in a sloping coastal aquifer system which comprises an upper unconfined aquifer, a lower confined aquifer, and an aquitard in between. The solution is allowed to investigate the effects of bottom slope and leakage as well as aquifer parameters on head fluctuations in both unconfined and confined aquifers. The research result indicates that the effect of the bottom angle on the groundwater fluctuation and time lag is significant in the unconfined aquifer and not negligible if the leakage in the confined aquifer is large. In addition, the joint effects of aquifer parameters and bottom angle on groundwater fluctuation and time lag are also discussed.     

Hydrogeochemical modeling for groundwater management in arid and semiarid regions using MODFLOW and MT3DMS: A case study of the Jeffara of Medenine coastal aquifer,South-Eastern Tunisia

The study of water quality and the quantification of reserves and their variations according to natural and anthropogenic forcing is necessary to establish an adequate management plan for groundwater resources. For this purpose, a modeling approach is a useful tool that allows, after calibration phase and verification of simulation, and under different scenarios of forcing and operational changes, to estimate and control the groundwater quantity and quality. The main objective of this study is to collect all available data in a model that simulates the Jeffara of Medenine coastal aquifer system functioning. To achieve this goal, a conceptual model was constructed based on previous studies and hydrogeological investigations. The regional groundwater numerical flow model for the Jeffara aquifer was developed using MODFLOW working under steady-state and transient conditions. Groundwater elevations measured from the piezometric wells distributed throughout the study area in 1973 were selected as the target water levels for steady state (head) model calibration. A transient simulation was undertaken for the 42 years from 1973 to 2015. The historical transient model calibration was satisfactory, consistent with the continuous piezometric decline in response to the increase in groundwater abstraction. The developed numerical model was used to study the system's behavior over the next 35 years under various constraints. Two scenarios for potential groundwater extraction for the period 2015–2050 are presented. The predictive simulations show the effect of the increase of the exploitation on the piezometric levels. To study the phenomenon of salinization, which is one of the most severe and widespread groundwater contamination problems, especially in coastal regions, a solute transport model has been constructed by using MT3DMS software coupled with the groundwater flow model. The best calibration results are obtained when the connection with the overlying superficial aquifer is considered suggesting that groundwater contamination originates from this aquifer. Recommendations for water resource managers

• The results of this study show that Groundwater resources of Jeffara of Medenine coastal aquifer in Tunisia are under immense pressure from multiple stresses.
• The water resources manager must consider the impact of economic and demographic development in groundwater management to avoid the intrusion of saline water.
• The results obtained presented some reference information that can serve as a basis for water resources planning.
• The model runs to provide information that managers can use to regulate and adequately control the Jeffara of Medenine water resources.

     

Equilibria for networks with malicious users

We consider the problem of characterizing user equilibria and optimal solutions for selfish routing in a given network. We extend the known models by considering malicious behavior. While selfish users follow a strategy that minimizes their individual cost, a malicious user will use his flow through the network in an effort to cause the maximum possible damage to the overall cost. We define a generalized model, present characterizations of flows at equilibrium and prove bounds for the ratio of the social cost of a flow at equilibrium over the cost when centralized coordination among users is allowed. An extended abstract of this work appeared in the Proceedings of the 14th Annual International Symposium on Algorithms and Computation (ISAAC) 2003. G. Karakostas’ research was supported by an NSERC Discovery research grant and MITACS. Part of this research was done when Viglas was a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Toronto, Canada.     

On convergence of finite volume schemes for one-dimensional two-phase flow in porous media

This paper deals with development and analysis of finite volume schemes for a one-dimensional nonlinear, degenerate, convection-diffusion equation having application in petroleum reservoir and groundwater aquifer simulation. The main difficulty is that the solution typically lacks regularity due to the degenerate nonlinear diffusion term. We analyze and compare three families of numerical schemes corresponding to explicit, semi-implicit, and implicit discretization of the diffusion term and a Godunov scheme for the advection term. L^∞ stability under appropriate CFL conditions and BV estimates are obtained. It is shown that the schemes satisfy a discrete maximum principle. Then we prove convergence of the approximate solution to the weak solution of the problem. Results of numerical experiments using the present approach are reported.     

授权制造下碳交易对制造/再制造影响及协调机制研究

在授权制造下,为分析碳交易对制造/再制造供应链影响和研究供应链协调机制,基于授权制造分别构建由一个原始制造商和一个再制造商参与的分散决策博弈模型和集中决策博弈模型,对比分析政府碳交易政策对两种决策模式最优解影响,并针对制造商分散决策导致的边际损失问题,给出固定授权费的协调机制。研究主要得到:无论分散决策还是集中决策,当碳交易价格大于某一阈值时,碳交易不仅可以降低两种产品对环境的影响,还增加消费者剩余;分散决策时,在碳交易下原始制造商可以通过降低单位授权再制造费用来增加利润;原始制造商和再制造商可以签订固定授权费的契约来协调供应链利润。     

Complete tree subset difference broadcast encryption scheme and its analysis

The subset difference (SD) method proposed by Naor, Naor and Lotspiech is the most popular broadcast encryption (BE) scheme. It is suitable for real-time applications like Pay-TV and has been suggested for use by the AACS standard for digital rights management in Blu-Ray and HD-DVD discs. The SD method assumes the number of users to be a power of two. We propose the complete tree subset difference (CTSD) method that allows the system to support an arbitrary number of users. In particular, it subsumes the SD method and all results proved for the CTSD method also hold for the SD method. Recurrences are obtained for the CTSD scheme to count the number, N(n, r, h), of possible ways r users in the system of n users can be revoked to result in a transmission overhead or header length of h. The recurrences lead to a polynomial time dynamic programming algorithm for computing N(n, r, h). Further, they provide bounds on the maximum possible header length. A probabilistic analysis is performed to obtain an O(r log n) time algorithm to compute the expected header length in the CTSD scheme. Further, for the SD scheme we obtain an explicit limiting upper bound on the expected header length.     

Effects of sourcing structure on performance in a multiple-product assemble-to-order supply chain

This paper addresses the strategic pricing decisions of a decentralized assemble-to-order system, and the effects of sourcing structure on system performance. We consider an assemble-to-order system consisting of two substitute products and three components manufactured by different suppliers. Demand for the products is price-sensitive. The selling prices for the products are jointly determined by firms in the system. We study the system under both centralized and decentralized decision-making situations. For the centralized system, we demonstrate that there exists a unique optimal pricing solution. For the decentralized system, we show that there exists a unique Nash equilibrium in the players’ pricing game. We further analyze the effects of different sourcing structures on the system performance and the assembler’s performance. We find that reduction of suppliers in the system does not guarantee improvement of system performance. Different sourcing structures have different impacts on performance. When the two dedicated components are sourced from a single supplier and the common component is sourced from another independent supplier, the system and the assembler’s performance become worse. We show that the decentralized system can be effectively coordinated and the system performance can be improved with a simple profit-sharing contract. Finally, we provide comprehensive numerical examples to demonstrate some important managerial insights.     

Linear spaces and transversal designs: k-anonymous combinatorial configurations for anonymous database search notes

Anonymous database search protocols allow users to query a database anonymously. This can be achieved by letting the users form a peer-to-peer community and post queries on behalf of each other. In this article we discuss an application of combinatorial configurations (also known as regular and uniform partial linear spaces) to a protocol for anonymous database search, as defining the key-distribution within the user community that implements the protocol. The degree of anonymity that can be provided by the protocol is determined by properties of the neighborhoods and the closed neighborhoods of the points in the combinatorial configuration that is used. Combinatorial configurations with unique neighborhoods or unique closed neighborhoods are described and we show how to attack the protocol if such configurations are used. We apply k-anonymity arguments and present the combinatorial configurations with k-anonymous neighborhoods and with k-anonymous closed neighborhoods. The transversal designs and the linear spaces are presented as optimal configurations among the configurations with k-anonymous neighborhoods and k-anonymous closed neighborhoods, respectively.     

Consumer environmental awareness and channel coordination with two substitutable products

This paper focuses on the impact of consumer environmental awareness (CEA) on order quantities and channel coordination within a one-manufacturer and one-retailer supply chain. The manufacturer produces two types of products: the environmental and the traditional products. These two products differ in their price and environmental quality. Based on the multi-product newsvendor model, this study compares three decision scenarios: the centralized model (M1), the decentralized model (M2), and the decentralized model with the coordination of a return contract (M3). The closed-form expressions of optimal order quantities, wholesale prices and return credits are derived for each scenario. Extending these models, we incorporate a production capacity constraint of the manufacturer. Finally, sensitivity analyses on model parameters are performed and numerical examples are provided.     

Inventory control of supply chains: Mitigating the bullwhip effect by centralized and decentralized Internal Model Control approaches

In this paper, a two-degrees-of-freedom Internal Model Control structure is incorporated in production inventory control for a supply chain system. This scheme presents an intuitive and simple parametrization of controllers, where inventory target tracking and disturbance (demand) rejection in the inventory level problems are treated separately. Moreover, considering that the lead times are known, this scheme presents a perfect compensation of the delay making the stabilization problem easier to handle. This control structure is formulated for a serial supply chain in two ways (by using a centralized and a decentralized control approach). The behavior of these inventory control strategies is analyzed in the entire supply chain. Analytical tuning rules for bullwhip effect avoidance are developed for both strategies. The results of controller evaluations demonstrate that centralized control approach enhances the behavior with respect to the inventory target tracking, demand rejection and bullwhip effect in the supply chain systems.     

Fine structures for the solutions of the two-dimensional Riemann problems by high-order WENO schemes

The two-dimensional Riemann problem with polytropic gas is considered. By a restriction on the constant states of each quadrant of the computational domain such that there is only one planar centered wave connecting two adjacent quadrants, there are nineteen genuinely different initial configurations of the problem. The configurations are numerically simulated on a fine grid and compared by the 5th-order WENO-Z5, 6th-order WENO-??6, and 7th-order WENO-Z7 schemes. The solutions are very well approximated with high resolution of waves interactions phenomena and different types of Mach shock reflections. Kelvin-Helmholtz instability-like secondary-scaled vortices along contact continuities are well resolved and visualized. Numerical solutions show that WENO-??6 outperforms the comparing WENO-Z5 and WENO-Z7 in terms of shock capturing and small-scaled vortices resolution. A catalog of the numerical solutions of all nineteen configurations obtained from the WENO-??6 scheme is listed. Thanks to their excellent resolution and sharp shock capturing, the numerical solutions presented in this work can be served as reference solutions for both future numerical and theoretical analyses of the 2D Riemann problem.     

Incorporating quantity discounts and their inventory impacts into the centralized purchasing decision

Multi-site organizations must balance conflicting forces to determine the appropriate degree of purchasing centralization for their respective supplies. The ability to garner quantity discounts represents one of the primary reasons that organizations centralize procurement. This paper provides methodologies to calculate optimal order quantities and compute total purchasing and inventory costs when products have quantity discount pricing. Procedures for both all-units and incremental quantity discount schedules are provided for four different strategic purchasing configurations (scenarios): complete decentralization, centralized pricing with decentralized purchasing, centralized purchasing with local distribution, and centralized purchasing and warehousing. For ordering decisions under local distribution, procedures to determine optimal order quantities and costs are presented in a precise form that could be easily implemented into spreadsheets by practicing managers. For the more complicated multi-echelon scenarios, we introduce a single-cycle policy with a tailored aggregation refinement step that performs very well under experimentation when compared to a conservative bound.     

One-cohomology and the uniqueness of the group measure space decomposition of a II1 factor

We provide a unified and self-contained treatment of several of the recent uniqueness theorems for the group measure space decomposition of a II₁ factor. We single out a large class of groups Γ, characterized by a one-cohomology property, and prove that for every free ergodic probability measure preserving action of Γ the associated II₁ factor has a unique group measure space Cartan subalgebra up to unitary conjugacy. Our methods follow closely a recent article of Chifan–Peterson, but we replace the usage of Peterson’s unbounded derivations by Thomas Sinclair’s dilation into a malleable deformation by a one-parameter group of automorphisms.     

A non-Schurian coherent configuration on 14 points exists

For a few decades the smallest known non-Schurian coherent configuration was the association scheme on 15 points, coming from a doubly regular tournament. Last year the second author, using a computer, enumerated all coherent configurations of order up to 15. A consequence of the enumeration is that all coherent configurations up to 13 points are Schurian and a unique non-Schurian rank 11 coherent configuration of order 14 exists. This coherent configuration has two fibers of sizes 6 and 8, and an automorphism group of order 24 isomorphic to SL(2, 3). We provide a computer free interpretation of this new object, relying on some simple interplay between group theoretical and combinatorial arguments.     

基于预售的生鲜供应链销售模式选择与定价研究

研究预售下由供应商与零售商构成的生鲜供应链的销售模式选择与定价策略,其中包括分散与集中两种销售模式,撇脂与渗透两种定价策略。结果表明,在网络消费者对实体渠道偏好较低时,分散与集中模式均会选择撇脂定价,反之选择渗透定价。撇脂定价下,集中模式中零售商可以通过调节两个渠道的价格占有更大的市场,获取高于分散模式下的利润。而分散模式中,由于两个零售商会存在竞争,因此为了获得竞争优势该模式下的定价会存在低价销售的情形。比较销售模式可知,在网络消费者占比少或占比多但对实体渠道偏好越小时,供应商在分散模式下能获得更高的利润,反之,集中模式对供应商更有利。但是,对零售商而言,分散模式更有利于实体渠道,而集中模式更有利于网络渠道。     

Numerical simulations for a seawater intrusion problem in a free aquifer

We simulate a sharp interface model issuing from a seawater intrusion problem in a free aquifer. We model the evolution of the sea front and of the upper free surface of the aquifer. We use a P1 finite element method for the space discretization combined with a semi-implicit in time scheme.