A Chart for Evaluating Product Research and Development Projects

A method of evaluating research and development projects is described. The method is based on the use of an evaluation chart. The main purpose of the chart is to calculate a project score which is a measure of a selected evaluation criterion. A method of constructing a chart is illustrated using a project index as the evaluation criterion. The chart contains a list of twelve questions, the answers to which are assumed to be the main determinants of the variables in the formula of the index. Each question is followed by a set of answers from which a choice is to be made, and underneath each answer is a numerical score. The numerical scores are logarithmic functions of the answers to which they relate, and when added together give a project score which is a logarithmic function of the index. Various methods of using the chart, and a suggested evaluation procedure, are also described.     

A Study on Abnormality in Variational and Optimal Control Problems

In this paper, a variational problem is considered with differential equality constraints over a variable interval. It is stressed that the abnormality is a local character of the admissible set; consequently, a definition of regularity related to the constraints characterizing the admissible set is given. Then, for the local minimum necessary conditions, a compact form equivalent to the well-known Euler equation and transversality condition is given. By exploiting this result and the previous definition of regularity, it is proved that nonregularity is a necessary and sufficient condition for an admissible solution to be an abnormal extremal. Then, a necessary and sufficient condition is given for an abnormal extremal to be weakly abnormal. The analysis of the abnormality is completed by considering the particular case of affine constraints over a fixed interval: in this case, the abnormality turns out to have a global character, so that it is possible to define an abnormal problem or a normal problem. The last section is devoted to the study of an optimal control problem characterized by differential constraints corresponding to the dynamics of a controlled process. The above general results are particularized to this problem, yielding a necessary and sufficient condition for an admissible solution to be an abnormal extremal. From this, a previously known result is recovered concerning the linearized system controllability as a sufficient condition to exclude the abnormality.     

Subspaces and quotients of Banach spaces with shrinking unconditional bases

The main result is that a separable Banach space with the weak* unconditional tree property is isomorphic to a subspace as well as a quotient of a Banach space with a shrinking unconditional basis. A consequence of this is that a Banach space is isomorphic to a subspace of a space with a shrinking unconditional basis if and only if it is isomorphic to a quotient of a space with a shrinking unconditional basis, which solves a problem dating to the 1970s. The proof of the main result also yields that a uniformly convex space with the unconditional tree property is isomorphic to a subspace as well as a quotient of a uniformly convex space with an unconditional finite dimensional decomposition.     

Evolution to a steady state for a rarefied gas flowing from a tank into a vacuum through a plane channel

A kinetic equation (S-model) is used to solve the nonstationary problem of a monatomic rarefied gas flowing from a tank of infinite capacity into a vacuum through a long plane channel. Initially, the gas is at rest and is separated from the vacuum by a barrier. The temperature of the channel walls is kept constant. The flow is found to evolve to a steady state. The time required for reaching a steady state is examined depending on the channel length and the degree of gas rarefaction. The kinetic equation is solved numerically by applying a conservative explicit finite-difference scheme that is firstorder accurate in time and second-order accurate in space. An approximate law is proposed for the asymptotic behavior of the solution at long times when the evolution to a steady state becomes a diffusion process.     

Forcing sparsity by projecting with respect to a non-diagonally weighted frobenius norm

This note deals with the computational problem of determining the projection of a given symmetric matrix onto the subspace of symmetric matrices that have a fixed sparsity pattern. This projection is performed with respect to a weighted Frobenius norm involving a metric that is not diagonal. It is shown that the solution to this question is computationally feasible when the metric appearing in the norm is a low rank modification to the identity. Also, generalization to perturbations of higher rank is shown to be increasingly costly in terms of computation.     

Optimal pricing and quantity of products with two offerings

This paper analyzes the decision of a firm offering two versions of a product, a deluxe and a regular. While both products satisfy the same market, the deluxe version is sold at a high price relative to its cost and is aimed at the high end of the demand curve. The regular version is sold at a low price relative to its cost and is targeted to customers at the low end of the demand curve. This two-offering strategy is especially popular with book publishers where a paperback book is introduced some time after the hardbound version is introduced. The time between the introduction of the two versions of the product is accompanied by a downward shift in the demand curve due to customers losing interest in the product or satisfying their demand from a secondary used market. We solve a profit maximization model for a firm using a two-offering strategy. The model is solved for linear and exponential deterioration in demand, which is assumed to be deterministic. Also, a model with linear deterioration in demand, which is assumed to be stochastic, is solved. The results indicate that substantial improvements in profit can be obtained by using the two-offering strategy. Numerical sensitivity analysis and examples are used to illustrate the results.     

Power-series approximations for the optimal feedback control of noisy nonlinear systems

Power-series methods are developed for designing approximately optimal state regulators for a nonlinear system subject to white Gaussian random disturbances. The performance index of the control is an ensemble average of a quadratic form. A perfect observation of the system state is assumed. When the system nonlinearity is small and it is characterized by a polynomial function of the state, a definite method is presented to construct a suboptimal feedback control of a power-series form in a small nonlinearity parameter. If the variance of noise is small, an alternative method is also applicable which yields a suboptimal control in a power series with respect to a variance parameter. A simple one-dimensional problem is examined to make comparison between controls of the two different forms.     

Optimal detection of a recurring tuple of reference fragments in a quasiperiodic sequence

An a posteriori (off-line) approach to solving the problem of maximum-likelihood detection of a recurring tuple containing reference fragments in a numerical quasiperiodic sequence is studied. The case is analyzed where (1) the total number of fragments in a sequence is unknown; (2) the index of a sequence term corresponding to the beginning of a fragment is a deterministic (not random) value; (3) a sequence distorted by additive uncorrelated Gaussian noise is available for observation. It is shown that the problem under consideration is reduced to testing a set of simple hypotheses about the mean of a random Gaussian vector. The cardinality of this totality grows exponentially as the vector dimension (i.e., the length of the sequence under study) increases. It is established that searching for a maximum-likelihood hypothesis is equivalent to finding arguments that yield a maximum for an auxiliary objective function. It is shown that maximizing the objective function reduces to solving a special optimization problem, which is proved to be solvable in polynomial time. An exact algorithm for solving this problem, which underlies the optimal (maximum-likelihood) detection algorithm for a recurring tuple, is substantiated. The kernel of the exact algorithm is an algorithm for solving a special (basic) optimization problem. Results of numerical simulations are presented.     

A comparison of two sourcing tactics for a new component

We compare two sourcing tactics for a manufacturer to purchase a new component to be used in a one-time production run of a new product with uncertain and price-elastic demand. One alternative is to issue a request-for-quote (RFQ), which is where the manufacturer requests a price-quantity schedule from suppliers. The manufacturer uses this information to determine a production quantity and the number of components to purchase from each supplier. The other alternative is to post a bid specifying how the manufacturer’s purchase quantity will depend on the supplier’s component price. The suppliers use this information to compete on quantity.We find that relative to RFQ, which is more challenging for the manufacturer to characterize the supplier response due to the possibility of supplier interaction, the benefit to the manufacturer from posting a bid increases with the number of suppliers due to increased intensity of competition. If the new component is from an emerging industry where there is little mutual awareness among candidate suppliers, then regardless of number of suppliers, expected manufacturer profit is higher under RFQ. Posting a bid is more likely to benefit the manufacturer when the new component is from a more established industry with a high degree of awareness among candidate suppliers.     

An estimate of the attraction domain with a specified exponential stability index in a wheeled robot control problem

The problem of synthesizing a law for the control of the plane motion of a wheeled robot is investigated. The rear wheels are the drive wheels and the front wheels are responsible for the turning of the platform. The aim of the control is to steer a target point to a specified trajectory and to stabilize the motion along it. The trajectory is assumed to be specified by a smooth curve. The actual curvature of the trajectory of the target point, which is related to the angle of rotation of the front wheels by a simple algebraic relation, is considered as the control. The control is subjected to bilateral constraints by virtue of the fact that the angle of rotation of the front wheels is limited. The attraction domain in the distance to trajectory - orientation space, is investigated for the proposed control law. Arrival at a trajectory with a specified exponential stability index is guaranteed in the case of initial conditions belonging to the given domain. An estimate of the attraction domain in the form of an ellipse is given.     

A New Definition of A Priori Knowledge: In Search of a Modal Basis

In this paper I will offer a novel understanding of a priori knowledge. My claim is that the sharp distinction that is usually made between a priori and a posteriori knowledge is groundless. It will be argued that a plausible understanding of a priori and a posteriori knowledge has to acknowledge that they are in a constant bootstrapping relationship. It is also crucial that we distinguish between a priori propositions that hold in the actual world and merely possible, non-actual a priori propositions, as we will see when considering cases like Euclidean geometry. Furthermore, contrary to what Kripke seems to suggest, a priori knowledge is intimately connected with metaphysical modality, indeed, grounded in it. The task of a priori reasoning, according to this account, is to delimit the space of metaphysically possible worlds in order for us to be able to determine what is actual.     

Higher order numerical differentiation on the Infinity Computer

There exist many applications where it is necessary to approximate numerically derivatives of a function which is given by a computer procedure. In particular, all the fields of optimization have a special interest in such a kind of information. In this paper, a new way to do this is presented for a new kind of a computer—the Infinity Computer—able to work numerically with finite, infinite, and infinitesimal numbers. It is proved that the Infinity Computer is able to calculate values of derivatives of a higher order for a wide class of functions represented by computer procedures. It is shown that the ability to compute derivatives of arbitrary order automatically and accurate to working precision is an intrinsic property of the Infinity Computer related to its way of functioning. Numerical examples illustrating the new concepts and numerical tools are given.     

On stability of switched homogeneous nonlinear systems

In this paper, the problem of stability of switched homogeneous systems is addressed. First of all, if there is a quadratic Lyapunov function such that nonlinear homogeneous systems are asymptotically stable, a matrix Lyapunov-like equation is obtained for a stable nonlinear homogeneous system using semi-tensor product of matrices, and Lyapunov equation of linear system is just its particular case. Following the previous results, a sufficient condition is obtained for stability of switched nonlinear homogeneous systems, and a switching law is designed by partition of state space. In particular, a constructive approach is provided to avoid chattering phenomena which is caused by the switching rule. Then for planar switched homogeneous systems, an LMI approach to stability of planar switched homogeneous systems is presented. Similar to the condition for linear systems, the LMI-type condition is easily verifiable. An example is given to illustrate that candidate common Lyapunov function is a key point for design of switching law.     

Dynamical analysis of a game network

In this paper, our purpose is to establish a direct dynamical relationship between payoffs of players in a game. A network dynamical model is first proposed to describe the direct dynamical relationship. A Markovian chain is also introduced in the given network model to show the mixed strategy property in a game. As a result, a direct dynamical relationship between payoffs of players in a game can be illustrated through a network model with a Markovian chain. In addition, a sufficient condition is addressed to guarantee that the discussed network model has a unique and stable Nash equilibrium. Finally, a numerical example is shown to illustrate the effectiveness of the obtained criterion.     

Decision-making in a fuzzy environment with fuzzy termination time

The multistage control of a deterministic and stochastic system in a fuzzy environment is considered. The fuzzy environment is meant as fuzzy constraints imposed on subsequent controls and a fuzzy goal to be attained. The fuzzy decision is assumed to be the intersection of fuzzy constraints and a fuzzy goal. The problem is to find a maximizing decision. The termination time is given as a specified fuzzy set in the space of control stages. For solving the problem, the dynamic programming is applied.     

Decision Trees with Continuous Distribution

Decision trees are often used as a convenient way to visualize, and then solve, a decision problem. A standard problem approached in this way is a decision as to whether or not to sample, followed by a decision whether or not to engage in an activity. This approach has been limited to a small number of sample outcomes to be practical. This paper develops an approach which permits a continuous distribution of sample outcomes to be used. A new distribution, the "skewed parabolic distribution" is introduced as a flexible way of representing the judgemental (probabilistic) beliefs of the assessor. This new distribution is compared with the beta distribution. An algorithm, which is easily programmed and is practical for hand computation with a calculator and logarithm tables, is developed for the complete solution of a decision tree problem using this skewed parabolic distribution. An example is given. It is concluded that the skewed parabolic distribution makes use of continuous distributions practical for decision trees, and has advantages over the beta for this purpose.     

An Open-loop criterion for the solvability of a closed-loop guidance problem with incomplete information: Linear control systems

The method of open-loop control packages is a tool for stating the solvability of guaranteed closed-loop control problems under incomplete information on the observed states. In this paper, a solution method is specified for the problem of guaranteed closed-loop guidance of a linear control system to a convex target set at a prescribed point in time. It is assumed that the observed signal on the system’s states is linear and the set of its admissible initial states is finite. It is proved that the problem under consideration is equivalent to the problem of open-loop guidance of an extended linear control system to an extended convex target set. Using a separation theorem for convex sets, we derive a solvability criterion, which reduces to solving a finite-dimensional optimization problem. An illustrative example is considered.     

The base of the intersection of two free submonoids

Given two free submonoids of a free monoid, one wishes to find a specification for the base of the intersection. An algorithm to construct a graph-theoretic specification of the base is presented. From this specification it can easily be determined whether the base is finite. In addition, a a polynomial-time algorithm to determine if a regular set is a circular code is presented.     

A Valley Following Method

We present a procedure to follow the "path along the valley floor" of a hypersurface. The aim is either to find minima, or to go from a minimum to a saddle point of index one, if the saddle is at the top of the valley floor. The motivation is that of taking into account local nonconvexity of the hypersurface and possibly to determine valleys. The method uses a projector technique where the projector is built by the tangent of the valley floor line. The projector is applied to the gradient and Hessian matrix of a given function, and it is used for predictor and corrector steps in path following. The resulting path is the "valley floor gradient extremal" which corresponds to the smallest (absolute) eigenvalue of the Hessian. Convergence properties are analysed.     

Interface of global and local semantics in a self-navigating system based on the concept lattice

If the syntax–semantics interaction is driven by the interface, it also interrupts the interaction on its own right. Because the syntax is verified to be isomorphic to the semantics, the interaction is open to the diagonal argument leading to a contradiction. That is why it is necessary to introduce a particular interface to drive the interface to make the interaction possible despite the contradiction. In this context we propose the system implemented with the syntax–semantics loop by using a concept lattice and a particular weak quantifier. This system is expressed as the self-navigating system which wanders in a two-dimensional space, encounters some landmarks, constructs the relationship among landmarks to which decision making with respect to the move is referred. The syntax of this system is defined as two-dimensional move and the semantics is defined as a concept lattice [B. Ganter, R. Wille, Formal Concept Analysis, Springer, Berlin, 1999] constructed by the binary relation between landmarks and some properties of landmarks, and by Galois connection. To implement the interface driving and interrupting the interaction between syntax and semantics, we divided semantics into local and global concept lattices, and introduce a weak quantifier to connect a local with a global lattice. Because the contradiction results from diagonal argument or using a normal quantifier ∀, the use of a quantifier is restricted dependent on the situation to avoid a contradiction. It is shown that due to the role of a weak quantifier our self-navigating system is both robust and open to the emergent property through simulating studies.