A unified set of proposals for control and design of high speed data networks

In this paper we articulate our philosophy and approach to the design and control of high speed data networks. The object is to put into perspective and to explain the coordination of various isolated pieces of detailed technical analyses that have been reported in several recent papers. In the process we summarize what we have learnt in our recent work and, also, we give indications of the direction of our future work. Our scheme integrates feedback and open loop control. The feedback control is exercised by sliding windows; access controllers regulate bursty sources. All our design proposals are rooted in asymptotic analyses; the justification for asymptotics comes from the largeness of the parameters, such as propagation delay, speed, window size, buffer size, and the number of virtual circuits. This analysis makes a strong case for operating in a specific moderate usage regime, and adaptive dynamic windowing algorithms are given that make this happen; moreover, when in this regime, buffers may be sized aggressively small without jeopardizing performance and the simplicity of the retransmission protocol. The topics in the paper are: model of communication, results on the steady-state behavior of the basic model, access control, small buffers and retransmission protocols, dynamic adaptive windows, bursty sources, and contrast with previous work.I. Mitrani's work was done while AT&T Bell Laboratories.     

Protective effects of vitamin E against CCl<Subscript>4</Subscript>-induced hepatotoxicity in rabbits

The influence of CCl₄ on the activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GPx), glutathione reductase (GR), the value of the total antioxidant status (TAS), and the concentration of malonic dialdehyde (MDA) and glutathione (GSH) was monitored in plasma or whole blood of rabbits. The administration of CCl₄ caused the increase of the SOD activity to approximately 150 % and the decrease in the activity of GPx and GR by about 50 %. These changes were accompanied with the increase in TAS value and MDA concentration and the decrease of GSH concentration. The effect of CCl₄ was suppressed by the previous 7 days lasting or simultaneous administration of vitamin E. Oxidative stress caused by CCl₄ was accompanied by the development of reactive oxygen forms, especially superoxide radical anion.     

物理实验管理系统的构建与实现

介绍了通过运用网络平台构建物理实验中心的管理系统,以实现学生选课、成绩管理、教学信息管理和发布、教学资料的上网及仪器管理等一系列的功能,使物理实验中心的各项工作有序而高效.     

‘New mathematics’ and teaching

Inside the scientific world it is not always understood that the mood of mathematics, which is a product and a part of culture, can change with time. This is partly why many have been surprised by the coming of the so‐called new mathematics.

In the truly creative mathematical mind two opposite tendencies coexist: the logical and the imaginative. Apparently it seems that new mathematics can be reduced to a purely logical machinery. In fact it contains as much imaginative contributions as classical mathematics. But it is difficult to show simultaneously the logical sequence of propositions and the clumsy progression of research itself. Mathematical exposition does not always follow the ‘ most natural slopes’ of the mind. Unfamiliar presentations often give an impression of ‘ abstraction ‘, more familiar ones an impression of concreteness ‘.

So it appears that difficulties with new mathematics are mostly of psychological origin. Misuses of it can easily raise up intolerance reactions and emotional blocks. Perhaps insisting upon the fact that, here as elsewhere, it is important to be able to guess, to realize that intuition and imagination are essential, could help to make new mathematics better understood, more useful and more able to be considered as a unifing element among sciences.     

基于OKRs思想的研究生科研管理模式——以油水分离网膜相关研究为例

OKRs（objective&key results，目标与关键性成果）是目前较为先进的企业管理模式，它与传统的KPI（key performance indicator）管理模式最大的区别就是重过程、重沟通、重自律。这些特点使得OKRs管理模式非常适用于研究生的科研管理。在目前国内高校研究生招生规模不断扩大的大背景下，利用OKRs提高研究生管理效率，激发研究生自主学习和科研的热情与激情，进而提高研究生教育质量显得尤为重要。构建了基于OKRs思想的全新研究生科研管理模式，并以“油水分离网膜相关研究”为例进行了案例分析，为研究生的科研管理提供了有效的借鉴与参考。     

Supplier quality improvement: The value of information under uncertainty

We consider supplier development decisions for prime manufacturers with extensive supply bases producing complex, highly engineered products. We propose a novel modelling approach to support supply chain managers decide the optimal level of investment to improve quality performance under uncertainty. We develop a Poisson–Gamma model within a Bayesian framework, representing both the epistemic and aleatory uncertainties in non-conformance rates. Estimates are obtained to value a supplier quality improvement activity and assess if it is worth gaining more information to reduce epistemic uncertainty. The theoretical properties of our model provide new insights about the relationship between the degree of epistemic uncertainty, the effectiveness of development programmes, and the levels of investment. We find that the optimal level of investment does not have a monotonic relationship with the rate of effectiveness. If investment is deferred until epistemic uncertainty is removed then the expected optimal investment monotonically decreases as prior variance increases but only if the prior mean is above a critical threshold. We develop methods to facilitate practical application of the model to industrial decisions by a) enabling use of the model with typical data available to major companies and b) developing computationally efficient approximations that can be implemented easily. Application to a real industry context illustrates the use of the model to support practical planning decisions to learn more about supplier quality and to invest in improving supplier capability.     

Two-stage financial risk tolerance assessment using data envelopment analysis

Typical questionnaires administered by financial advisors to assess financial risk tolerance mostly contain stereotypes of people, have seemingly unscientific scoring approaches and often treat risk as a one-dimensional concept. In this work, a mathematical tool was developed to assess relative risk tolerance using Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA). At its core, it is a novel questionnaire that characterizes risk by its four distinct elements: propensity, attitude, capacity, and knowledge. Over 180 individuals were surveyed and their responses were analyzed using the Slacks-based measure type of DEA efficiency model. Results show that the multidimensionality of risk must be considered for complete assessment of risk tolerance. This approach also provides insight into the relationship between risk, its elements and other variables. Specifically, the perception of risk varies by gender as men are generally less risk averse than women. In fact, risk attitude and knowledge scores are consistently lower for women, while there is no statistical difference in their risk capacity and propensity compared to men. The tool can also serve as a “risk calculator” for an appropriate and defensible method to meet legal compliance requirements, known as the “Know Your Client” rule, that exist for Canadian financial institutions and their advisors.     

Well adjusted: Using expediting and cancelation to manage store replenishment inventory for a seasonal good

We consider an inventory problem that can be translated into a two-period newsvendor setting where the day prior to sales, the newsvendor places an initial preliminary order—a semi-binding forecast—with the publisher. At the beginning of the actual day of sales, the newsvendor has a better forecast for the day’s demand: based on knowing the actual content of the paper, he knows whether it will be a high-demand day due to breaking news or a low-demand day due to slow news. He then can revise the preliminary order quantity by expediting additional papers or canceling all or part of the order, but each of these activities has an associated cost.     

Surplus division and investment incentives in supply chains: A biform-game analysis

In this paper, we use a biform-game approach for analyzing the impact of surplus division in supply chains on investment incentives. In the first stage of the game, firms decide non-cooperatively on investments. In the second stage, the surplus is shared according to the Shapley value. We find that all firms have inefficiently low investment incentives which, however, depend on their position in the supply chain. Cross-subsidies for investment costs can mitigate, but not eliminate the underinvestment problem. Vertical integration between at least some firms.yields efficient investments, but may nevertheless reduce the aggregated payoff of the firms. We show how the size of our effects depends on the structure of the supply chain and the efficiency of the investment technology. Various extensions demonstrate that our results are qualitatively robust.