Computing Aviation Sparing Policies: Solving a Large Nonlinear Integer Program

Deployed US Navy aircraft carriers must stock a large number of spare parts to support the various types of aircraft embarked on the ship. The sparing policy determines the spares that will be stocked on the ship to keep the embarked aircraft ready to fly. Given a fleet of ten or more aircraft carriers and a cost of approximately 50 million dollars per carrier plus the cost of spares maintained in warehouses in the United States, the sparing problem constitutes a significant portion of the Navy’s resources. The objective of this work is to find a minimum-cost sparing policy that meets the readiness requirements of the embarked aircraft. This is a very large, nonlinear, integer optimization problem. The cost function is piecewise linear and convex while the constraint mapping is highly nonlinear. The distinguishing characteristics of this problem from an optimization viewpoint are that a large number of decision variables are required to be integer and that the nonlinear constraint functions are essentially “black box” functions; that is, they are very difficult (and expensive) to evaluate and their derivatives are not available. Moreover, they are not convex. Integer programming problems with a large number of variables are difficult to solve in general and most successful approaches to solving nonlinear integer problems have involved linear approximation and relaxation techniques that, because of the complexity of the constraint functions, are inappropriate for attacking this problem. We instead employ a pattern search method to each iteration of an interior point-type algorithm to solve the relaxed version of the problem. From the solution found by the pattern search on each interior point iteration, we begin another pattern search on the integer lattice to find a good integer solution. The best integer solution found across all interations is returned as the optimal solution. The pattern searches are distributed across a local area network of non-dedicated, heterogeneous computers in an office environment, thus, drastically reducing the time required to find the solution.     

保险管理决策中的两个问题

本文运用风险决策理论建立了分保限额与红利分派两个保险管理决策问题的数学模型,从理论和实践两个方面讨论了最优管理策略,并给出了计算实例。     

Photoelastic stress freezing analysis of total shoulder replacement systems

Photoelastic stress freezing analyses in the orthopaedic literature have, in the past, been limited to studies where bone-on-bone, bone-on-metal or ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE)-on-metal constructs are modeled. In these cases photoelastic plastics are used to simulate either bone or UHMWPE as it interacts with a metal implant. In joints such as the shoulder, a UHMWPE component is often cemented directly into the scapula's glenoid concavity using polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA). While a photoelastic material can be used to simulate bone with proper load scaling, UHMWPE and PMMA have very different mechanical properties at elevated stress freezing temperatures as compared within vivo body temperature. In this study, materials were identified such that proper scaling of elastic properties at elevated temperatures was utilized to simulate the metal-UHMWPE-PMMA-bone construct. Stresses on orthogonal planes throughout the glenoid were compared for two different UHMWPE component anchoring geometries (keeled and pegged). High stresses were found at the neck of the glenoid and also at the component-bone interface beneath simulated PMMA inclusions.     

Optimal inspection and perfect repair

Models are developed for decision making about monitoring andmaintenance of systems whose performance through time is describedby a general stochastic process. The system is monitored andpreventive and corrective maintenance actions are carried outin response to the observed system state. The decision processis simplified by using the maximum process as a decision variable.The models developed generalize age replacement models and othersimple maintenance strategies. The approach can deal with failuresthat prevent the system functioning further, and also failuresthat are defined by regulation or economic considerations. Attentionis restricted to perfect repair and inspection, but the structureprovides the framework for further developments.     

随机需求条件下的延迟发运策略模型及性质

本针对随机需求条件下物流配送中心的库存和运输联合决策问题，在基本库存和自身运输能力不足的情况下，提出对剩余客户订货需求采取部分延迟到下一期与部分利用第三方物流立即发运两相结合的策略，并在具有一般惩罚(损失)费延迟发运量限制的条件下，建立运输和库存相关总成本数学期望最小的优化模型，论证了该模型的主要性质，在此基础上很容易构造求解该类问题的优化方法。     

Bellman最优性原理——论动态规划(Ⅰ)

对于Bellman最优性原理,本文举出实例表明:(1)策略不一定有(合理的)子策略;(2)子策略不一定存在最优子策略;(3)最优策略不一定有最优子策略;(4)用最短路与反证法来论述最优性原理的正确性,不能肯定成立;(5)Bellman最优性原理与其递推公式并不等价。 讨论四类最优策略之后,给出最优性原理与递推公式等价的一个充分性定理。     

基于三维矩阵重构争论有向图的域间路由振荡检测算法

边界网关协议(Border G atew ay P rotoco l,BGP)是当前In ternet域间路由协议的事实标准,基于策略的路由选择过程使它不再是严格意义上的距离矢量协议,也不再具有距离矢量协议的收敛性.V aradhan指出,自治系统各自为政的策略配置方式会导致全局策略冲突,引起永久性的路由振荡.针对该问题,G riffin利用稳定路径问题(S tab le Path P rob lem,SPP)模型形式化的抽象出BGP协议行为,并以此为基础提出了一种分布式的策略冲突检测算法,尽管该算法完全避免了传统方法的缺陷,但仍然存在泄漏策略信息和对BGP协议改动太大以及浪费网络资源的问题.本文提出了一种基于安全多方计算的检测路由策略冲突的方法,用于在怀疑BGP路由发生振荡时,动态的检测系统中是否存在策略冲突.该方法采纳了G riffin的理论基础,同时由于巧妙的运用了安全多方计算协议,可以完全解决G riffin算法的问题,具有很好的实用性.     

Highly Effective Phenol Hydroxylation over Ti-ZSM-5 Catalyst Prepared Using B-ZSM-5 as Precursor 以B-ZSM-5为母体合成Ti-ZSM-5高效苯酚羟基化催化剂

 以改进方法合成的B-ZSM-5为母体,采用气固相同晶取代法合成了较小晶粒的Ti-ZSM-5分子筛. 考察了样品的物化性能和催化苯酚羟基化性能. 结果表明: 所合成的小晶粒Ti-ZSM-5具有较高的结晶度,尺寸为100~200 nm,且不含锐钛矿型TiO2,对苯酚羟基化反应的催化性能优异.     

检测实验室如何开展管理评审工作

详细论述了管理评审的基本概念、如何开展管理评审工作以及中国实验室国家认可委员会的有关政策。     

Statistical replacement for systems with delta-correlated fluctuations

Nonlinear systems with stochastic parameters are approximated by simpler systems using a method that we call statistical replacement. This method is an extension of the previously developed AGREE which was restricted to systems with additive fluctuations. Statistical replacement incorporates the distinctions between globally stable thermodynamically closed systems and thermodynamically open systems that can be unstable.