Using stochastic optimization to determine threshold values for the control of unreliable manufacturing systems

A manufacturing system with two tandem machines producing one part type is considered in this work. The machines are unreliable, each having two states, up and down. Both surplus controls and Kanban systems are considered. Algorithms for approximating the optimal threshold values are developed. First, perturbation analysis techniques are employed to obtain consistent gradient estimates based on a single simulation run. Then, iterative algorithms of the stochastic optimization type are constructed. It is shown that the algorithms converge to the optimal threshold values in an appropriate sense. Numerical examples are provided to demonstrate the performance of the algorithms.The research of these authors was supported in part by grants from URIF, MRCO, National Science Foundation, and Wayne State University. The authors would like to thank Dr. X. R. Cao, Digital Equipment Corporation, for the valuable initial discussion and Dr. X. Y. Zhou, University of Toronto, for his helpful comments.     

On the greedy solution in integer linear programming

A version of the greedy method not using any knapsack relaxation of the integer programming problem is considered in this paper. It is based on a natural partial ordering of the vectors. Our aim is to determine a large class of problems where the greedy solution is always optimal. The results generalize some theorems of an early paper of Magazine, Nemhauser and Trotter and at the same time show a connection between two different notions of combinatorics: the greedy method and the Hilbert basis.

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Zusammenfassung In dieser Arbeit wird eine Version des Greedy-Algorithmus zur Lösung ganzzahliger linearer Optimierungsprobleme benutzt, die kein Rucksackproblem als Relaxation verwendet. Das Verfahren basiert auf der natürlichen partiellen Ordnung von Vektoren. Ziel der Arbeit ist es, eine möglichst große Problemklasse zu beschreiben, für die die Greedy-Lösung optimal ist. Die Ergebnisse verallgemeinern Sätze einer früheren Arbeit von Magazine, Nemhauser und Trotter und zeigen gleichzeitig einen Bezug zwischen zwei verschiedenen Gebieten der Kombinatorik auf: des Greedy-Verfahrens und von Hubert-Basen.

     

鬼成像中一些数学问题

鬼成像是一种与传统成像方式不同的通过光场涨落的高阶关联获得图像信息的新型成像方式。近年来,相比传统成像方式,鬼成像所拥有的一些优点如高灵敏度、超分辨能力、抗散射等,使其在遥感、多光谱成像、热X射线衍射成像等领域得到广泛研究。随着对鬼成像的广泛研究,数学理论和方法在其中发挥的作用愈显突出。例如,基于压缩感知理论,可以进行鬼成像系统采样方式优化、图像重构算法设计及图像重构质量分析等研究工作。本文旨在探索鬼成像中的一些有趣的数学问题,主要包括:系统预处理方法、光场优化及相位恢复问题。对这些问题的研究既可以丰富鬼成像理论,又能推动它在实际应用中的发展。     

Generative Art with Swarm Landscapes

We present a generative swarm art project that creates 3D animations by running a Particle Swarm Optimization algorithm over synthetic landscapes produced by an objective function. Different kinds of functions are explored, including mathematical expressions, Perlin noise-based terrain, and several image-based procedures. A method for displaying the particle swarm exploring the search space in aesthetically pleasing ways is described. Several experiments are detailed and analyzed and a number of interesting visual artifacts are highlighted.     

The Application of Fractal Transform and Entropy for Improving Fault Tolerance and Load Balancing in Grid Computing Environments

This paper applies the entropy-based fractal indexing scheme that enables the grid environment for fast indexing and querying. It addresses the issue of fault tolerance and load balancing-based fractal management to make computational grids more effective and reliable. A fractal dimension of a cloud of points gives an estimate of the intrinsic dimensionality of the data in that space. The main drawback of this technique is the long computing time. The main contribution of the suggested work is to investigate the effect of fractal transform by adding R-tree index structure-based entropy to existing grid computing models to obtain a balanced infrastructure with minimal fault. In this regard, the presented work is going to extend the commonly scheduling algorithms that are built based on the physical grid structure to a reduced logical network. The objective of this logical network is to reduce the searching in the grid paths according to arrival time rate and path’s bandwidth with respect to load balance and fault tolerance, respectively. Furthermore, an optimization searching technique is utilized to enhance the grid performance by investigating the optimum number of nodes extracted from the logical grid. The experimental results indicated that the proposed model has better execution time, throughput, makespan, latency, load balancing, and success rate.     

Optimal control of coupled spin dynamics: design of NMR pulse sequences by gradient ascent algorithms

In this paper, we introduce optimal control algorithm for the design of pulse sequences in NMR spectroscopy. This methodology is used for designing pulse sequences that maximize the coherence transfer between coupled spins in a given specified time, minimize the relaxation effects in a given coherence transfer step or minimize the time required to produce a given unitary propagator, as desired. The application of these pulse engineering methods to design pulse sequences that are robust to experimentally important parameter variations, such as chemical shift dispersion or radiofrequency (rf) variations due to imperfections such as rf inhomogeneity is also explained.     

Finite element acoustic simulation based shape optimization of a muffler

This paper describes a methodology which combines finite element analysis and Zoutendijk’s feasible directions method for mufflers shape design. The main goal is to obtain the dimensions of the acoustic muffler with the transmission loss (TL), being maximized in the frequency range of interest. The improved four parameters method is used for TL evaluations and the Helmholtz’s equation is solved numerically with the finite element method (FEM). The quadratic triangular finite element meshes are adequately constructed to control the pollution error and the optimization problem is solved using the Zoutendijk’s feasible directions method due to robustness and efficiency for problems with nonlinear constraints. Numeric experiments performed with circular expansion chambers with extended inlet and outlet show results for constrained and unconstrained shape optimization.     

基于实时双光路校正的分光测色仪优化设计

设计了一种基于实时双光路校准的分光测色仪结构,在现有双光路设计中加入校准光源对主光路和辅助光路进行实时双光路校准.构建算法对由温度变化引起的传感器响应效率变化进行修正,并设计实验在不同温度下对仪器采样稳定性进行评价.实验表明,采用了实时双光路校正仪器的工作温度从10℃变化至30℃后,测量数据稳定性标准偏差小于等于0.03,最大偏差小于等于0.04,相对于现有技术方案有显著改善.     

测发控系统方舱结构研究

把航天装备送入空间的快速发射,对测发控系统提出了便捷、移动要求;目前现役运载火箭测发控系统状态是系统复杂、难以移动,已不适应当前航天装备快速送入空间的发展,为此提出一种新型移动式测发控系统方舱结构模式;该模式采取了遵循设备集成原则,通过使用方舱、线缆铺设、人机工程优化等先进设计理念与方法来实现测发控系统快速、可移动的要求,同时解决了该系统原先存在多方面存在的问题;通过长期对系统方舱结构的研究工作,研发出通过采用“设备集成、线缆集中铺设、人机工程优化、方舱结构为平台”等先进技术的新型移动快速测发控系统方舱结构系统,为实现系统快速、可移动要求提供了技术基础;该系统经过工程使用,实现了新一代运载火箭快速简易测发控的目标。     

Beiträge der Radiotracertechnik zur Rationalisierung einer großtechnischen Anlage zur Caprolactamproduktion

This paper reviews ways in which radioactive tracer techniques can he used to improve the efficiency of a caprolactam production plant, Residence time spectra and material distributions in different parts of the plant were measured by application of sodium 24, bromine 82 and technetium 99m. The investigations led to improved cumeneoxidators and gave useful informations on the catalytic decomposition of the phenolic tar and the hydrogenation process of phenol. It could he shown that the construction of the lactam extractor must he varied and the results of the tracerexperiments made in the distillation unit contributed to a higher quality of the final product.