Design and pricing of maintenance service contract based on Nash non-cooperative game approach

Nowadays manufacturers are facing fierce challenge.Apart from the products,providing customers with multiple maintenance options in the service contract becomes more popular,since it can help to improve customer satisfaction,and ultimately promote sales and maximize profit for the manufacturer.By considering the combinations of corrective maintenance and preventive maintenance,totally three types of maintenance service contracts are designed.Moreover,attractive incentive and penalty mechanisms are adopted in the contracts.On this basis,Nash non-cooperative game is applied to analyze the revenue for both the manufacturer and customers,and so as to optimize the pricing mechanism of maintenance service contract and achieve a win-win situation.Numerical experiments are conducted.The results show that by taking into account the incentive and penalty mechanisms,the revenue can be improved for both the customers and manufacturer.Moreover,with the increase of repair rate and improvement factor in the preventive maintenance,the revenue will increase gradually for both the parties.

Problematic Use of Video Games in Schools in Northern Benin (2023)

Objective: To study the problematic use of video games among secondary school students in the city of Parakou in 2023. Methods: Descriptive cross-sectional study conducted in the commune of Parakou from December 2022 to July 2023. The study population consisted of students regularly enrolled in public and private secondary schools in the city of Parakou for the 2022-2023 academic year. A two-stage non-proportional stratified sampling technique combined with simple random sampling was adopted. The Problem Video Game Playing (PVP) scale was used to assess problem gambling in the study population, while anxiety and depression were assessed using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS). Results: A total of 1030 students were included. The mean age of the pupils surveyed was 15.06 ± 2.68 years, with extremes of 10 and 28 years. The [13 - 18] age group was the most represented, with a proportion of 59.6% (614) in the general population. Females predominated, at 52.8% (544), with a sex ratio of 0.89. The prevalence of problematic video game use was 24.9%, measured using the Video Game Playing scale. Associated factors were male gender (p = 0.005), pocket money under 10,000 cfa (p = 0.001) and between 20,000 - 90,000 cfa (p = 0.030), addictive family behavior (p < 0.001), monogamous family (p = 0.023), good relationship with father (p = 0.020), organization of video game competitions (p = 0.001) and definite anxiety (p Conclusion: Substance-free addiction is struggling to attract the attention it deserves, as it did in its infancy everywhere else. This study complements existing data and serves as a reminder of the need to focus on this group of addictions, whose problematic use of video games remains the most frequent due to its accessibility and social tolerance. Preventive action combined with curative measures remains the most effective means of combating the problem at national level.

A Value for Games Defined on Graphs

Given a graph g=( V,A ) , we define a space of subgraphs M with the binary operation of union and the unique decomposition property into blocks. This space allows us to discuss a notion of minimal subgraphs (minimal coalitions) that are of interest for the game. Additionally, a partition of the game is defined in terms of the gain of each block, and subsequently, a solution to the game is defined based on distributing to each player (node and edge) present in each block a payment proportional to their contribution to the coalition.

Value Iteration-Based Cooperative Adaptive Optimal Control for Multi-Player Differential Games With Incomplete Information

This paper presents a novel cooperative value iteration(VI)-based adaptive dynamic programming method for multi-player differential game models with a convergence proof.The players are divided into two groups in the learning process and adapt their policies sequentially.Our method removes the dependence of admissible initial policies,which is one of the main drawbacks of the PI-based frameworks.Furthermore,this algorithm enables the players to adapt their control policies without full knowledge of others’ system parameters or control laws.The efficacy of our method is illustrated by three examples.

Non-Cooperative Game of Coordinated Scheduling of Parallel Machine Production and Transportation in Shared Manufacturing

Given the challenges of manufacturing resource sharing and competition in the modern manufacturing industry,the coordinated scheduling problem of parallel machine production and transportation is investigated.The problem takes into account the coordination of production and transportation before production as well as the disparities in machine spatial position and performance.A non-cooperative game model is established,considering the competition and self-interest behavior of jobs from different customers for machine resources.The job from different customers is mapped to the players in the game model,the corresponding optional processing machine and location are mapped to the strategy set,and the makespan of the job is mapped to the payoff.Then the solution of the scheduling model is transformed into the Nash equilibrium of the non-cooperative game model.A Nash equilibrium solution algorithm based on the genetic algorithm(NEGA)is designed,and the effective solution of approximate Nash equilibrium for the game model is realized.The fitness function,single-point crossover operator,and mutation operator are derived from the non-cooperative game model’s characteristics and the definition of Nash equilibrium.Rules are also designed to avoid the generation of invalid offspring chromosomes.The effectiveness of the proposed algorithm is demonstrated through numerical experiments of various sizes.Compared with other algorithms such as heuristic algorithms(FCFS,SPT,and LPT),the simulated annealing algorithm(SA),and the particle swarm optimization algorithm(PSO),experimental results show that the proposed NE-GA algorithm has obvious performance advantages.

Peer-to-Peer Energy Trading Method of Multi-Virtual Power Plants Based on Non-Cooperative Game

The current electricity market fails to consider the energy consumption characteristics of transaction subjects such as virtual power plants.Besides,the game relationship between transaction subjects needs to be further explored.This paper proposes a Peer-to-Peer energy trading method for multi-virtual power plants based on a non-cooperative game.Firstly,a coordinated control model of public buildings is incorporated into the scheduling framework of the virtual power plant,considering the energy consumption characteristics of users.Secondly,the utility functions of multiple virtual power plants are analyzed,and a non-cooperative game model is established to explore the game relationship between electricity sellers in the Peer-to-Peer transaction process.Finally,the influence of user energy consumption characteristics on the virtual power plant operation and the Peer-to-Peer transaction process is analyzed by case studies.Furthermore,the effect of different parameters on the Nash equilibrium point is explored,and the influence factors of Peer-to-Peer transactions between virtual power plants are summarized.According to the obtained results,compared with the central air conditioning set as constant temperature control strategy,the flexible control strategy proposed in this paper improves the market power of each VPP and the overall revenue of the VPPs.In addition,the upper limit of the service quotation of the market operator have a great impact on the transaction mode of VPPs.When the service quotation decreases gradually,the P2P transaction between VPPs is more likely to occur.

Coordinated Scheduling of Two-Agent Production and Transportation Based on Non-Cooperative Game

A two-agent production and transportation coordinated scheduling problem in a single-machine environment is suggested to compete for one machine from different downstream production links or various consumers.The jobs of two agents compete for the processing position on a machine,and after the pro-cessed,they compete for the transport position on a transport vehicle to be trans-ported to two agents.The two agents have different objective functions.The objective function of the first agent is the sum of the makespan and the total trans-portation time,whereas the objective function of the second agent is the sum of the total completion time and the total transportation time.Given the competition between two agents for machine resources and transportation resources,a non-cooperative game model with agents as game players is established.The job pro-cessing position and transportation position corresponding to the two agents are mapped as strategies,and the corresponding objective function is the utility func-tion.To solve the game model,an approximate Nash equilibrium solution algo-rithm based on an improved genetic algorithm(NE-IGA)is proposed.The genetic operation based on processing sequence and transportation sequence,as well as the fitness function based on Nash equilibrium definition,are designed based on the features of the two-agent production and transportation coordination scheduling problem.The effectiveness of the proposed algorithm is demonstrated through numerical experiments of various sizes.When compared to heuristic rules such as the Longest Processing Time first(LPT)and the Shortest Processing Time first(SPT),the objective function values of the two agents are reduced by 4.3%and 2.6% on average.

Mongolian Traditional Game-“Shagai”Features of Mongolian Traditional Games

In today’s interconnected global society,a crucial aspect that defines the identity of an independent country is its distinctive national heritage and values.Every country has many different cultures,and children’s games exist in every culture.Every culture has unique characteristics and norms that have been agreed upon by the members of the culture(Usman&Yusuf,2022).Mongolians believe that the future of their nation can be discerned through the toys that children play with.These toys reflect Mongolia’s nomadic culture,rich heritage,customs,precious belongings,and unique playthings.Mongolian culture and mentality are nurtured in children through play,and an essential aspect of Mongolian games is their close association with people’s work and way of life.The Mongolian toys stand as a significant intellectual contribution of the Mongolian people to human history.

The Impact of Sports Games on the Psychological Health of Middle School Students

This study conducted a 16-week comparative experiment with 160 students from Jinan No.5 Middle School in Shandong Province as the experimental subjects.During the implementation of the experiment,the subjects were divided into two groups:an experimental group and a control group.The experimental group was subjected to physical exercise interventions using sports game teaching methods during physical education class,while the control group followed traditional physical education teaching methods.The results showed that the psychological health status of the students in the experimental group was significantly better than that of the control group after the experiment.The application of sports games helps to improve the psychological health of middle school students in the course of physical education,promoting a positive and forward direction in student psychology and is an effective means to enhance the psychological health level of middle school students.

Coverage and capacity optimization in LTE network based on non-cooperative games

expenditures and operational expenditures （OPEX） （CAPEX） for operator, the coverage and capacity optimization （CCO） is one of the key use cases in long term evolution （LTE） self-organization network （SON）. In LTE system, some factors （e.g. load, traffic type, user distribution, uplink power setting, inter-cell interference, etc.） limit the coverage and capacity performance. From the view of single cell, it always pursuits maximize performance of coverage and capacity by optimizing the uplink power setting and intra-cell resource allocation, but it may result in decreasing the performance of its neighbor cells. Therefore, the benefit of every cell conflicts each other. In order to tradeoff the benefit of every cell and maximize the performance of the whole network, this paper proposes a multi-cell uplink power allocation scheme based on non-cooperative games. The scheme aims to make the performance of coverage and capacity balanced by the negotiation of the uplink power parameters among multi-cells. So the performance of every cell can reach the Nash equilibrium, making it feasible to reduce the inter-cell interference by setting an appropriate uplink power parameter. Finally, the simulation result shows the proposed algorithm can effectively enhance the performance of coverage and capacity in LTE network.

Distributed Nash Equilibrium Seeking for General Networked Games With Bounded Disturbances

This paper is concerned with anti-disturbance Nash equilibrium seeking for games with partial information.First,reduced-order disturbance observer-based algorithms are proposed to achieve Nash equilibrium seeking for games with firstorder and second-order players,respectively.In the developed algorithms,the observed disturbance values are included in control signals to eliminate the influence of disturbances,based on which a gradient-like optimization method is implemented for each player.Second,a signum function based distributed algorithm is proposed to attenuate disturbances for games with secondorder integrator-type players.To be more specific,a signum function is involved in the proposed seeking strategy to dominate disturbances,based on which the feedback of the velocity-like states and the gradients of the functions associated with players achieves stabilization of system dynamics and optimization of players'objective functions.Through Lyapunov stability analysis,it is proven that the players'actions can approach a small region around the Nash equilibrium by utilizing disturbance observerbased strategies with appropriate control gains.Moreover,exponential(asymptotic)convergence can be achieved when the signum function based control strategy(with an adaptive control gain)is employed.The performance of the proposed algorithms is tested by utilizing an integrated simulation platform of virtual robot experimentation platform(V-REP)and MATLAB.

Sequential quadratic programming-based non-cooperative target distributed hybrid processing optimization method

The distributed hybrid processing optimization problem of non-cooperative targets is an important research direction for future networked air-defense and anti-missile firepower systems. In this paper, the air-defense anti-missile targets defense problem is abstracted as a nonconvex constrained combinatorial optimization problem with the optimization objective of maximizing the degree of contribution of the processing scheme to non-cooperative targets, and the constraints mainly consider geographical conditions and anti-missile equipment resources. The grid discretization concept is used to partition the defense area into network nodes, and the overall defense strategy scheme is described as a nonlinear programming problem to solve the minimum defense cost within the maximum defense capability of the defense system network. In the solution of the minimum defense cost problem, the processing scheme, equipment coverage capability, constraints and node cost requirements are characterized, then a nonlinear mathematical model of the non-cooperative target distributed hybrid processing optimization problem is established, and a local optimal solution based on the sequential quadratic programming algorithm is constructed, and the optimal firepower processing scheme is given by using the sequential quadratic programming method containing non-convex quadratic equations and inequality constraints. Finally, the effectiveness of the proposed method is verified by simulation examples.

Non-Cooperative Differential Game Based Energy Consumption Control for Dynamic Demand Response in Smart Grid

In this paper, we conduct research on the dynamic demand response problem in smart grid to control the energy consumption. The objective of the energy consumption control is constructed based on differential game, as the dynamic of each users’ energy state in smart gird can be described based on a differential equation. Concept of electricity sharing is introduced to achieve load shift of main users from the high price hours to the low price hours. Nash equilibrium is given based on the Hamilton equation and the effectiveness of the proposed model is verified based on the numerical simulation results.

Resource Allocation for Network Security Risk Assessment：A Non-Cooperative Differential Game Based Approach

In this paper, we propose a non-cooperative differential game theory based resource allocation approach for the network security risk assessment. For the risk assessment, the resource will be used for risk assess, including response cost and response negative cost. The whole assessment process is considered as a differential game for optimal resource control. The proposed scheme can be obtained through the Nash Equilibrium. It is proved that the game theory based algorithm is applicable and the optimal resource level can be achieved based on the proposed algorithm.

A Non-Cooperative Differential Game-Based Security Model in Fog Computing

Fog computing is a new paradigm providing network services such as computing, storage between the end users and cloud. The distributed and open structure are the characteristics of fog computing, which make it vulnerable and very weak to security threats. In this article, the interaction between vulnerable nodes and malicious nodes in the fog computing is investigated as a non-cooperative differential game. The complex decision making process is reviewed and analyzed. To solve the game, a fictitious play-based algorithm is which the vulnerable node and the malicious nodes reach a feedback Nash equilibrium. We attain optimal strategy of energy consumption with Qo S guarantee for the system, which are conveniently operated and suitable for fog nodes. The system simulation identifies the propagation of malicious nodes. We also determine the effects of various parameters on the optimal strategy. The simulation results support a theoretical foundation to limit malicious nodes in fog computing, which can help fog service providers make the optimal dynamic strategies when different types of nodes dynamically change their strategies.

Fuzzy Nash equilibrium of fuzzy n-person non-cooperative game

The fuzzy non-cooperative game with fuzzy payoff function is studied. Based on fuzzy set theory with game theory, the fuzzy Nash equilibrium of fuzzy non-cooperative games is proposed. Most of researchers rank fuzzy number by its center of gravity or by the real number with its maximal membership. By reducing fuzzy number into a real number, we lose much fuzzy information that should be kept during the operations between fuzzy numbers. The fuzzy quantities or alternatives are ordered directly by Yuan＇s binary fuzzy ordering relation. In doing so, the existence of fuzzy Nash equilibrium for fuzzy non-cooperative games is shown based on the utility function and the crisp Nash theorem. Finally, an illustrative example in traffic flow patterns of equilibrium is given in order to show the detailed calculation process of fuzzy Nash equilibrium.

Non-Cooperative Behavior Management in Large-Scale Group Decision-Making Considering the Altruistic Behaviors of Experts and Its Application in Emergency Alternative Selection

Emergency decision-making problems usually involve many experts with different professional backgrounds and concerns,leading to non-cooperative behaviors during the consensus-reaching process.Many studies on noncooperative behavior management assumed that the maximumdegree of cooperation of experts is to totally accept the revisions suggested by the moderator,which restricted individuals with altruistic behaviors to make more contributions in the agreement-reaching process.In addition,when grouping a large group into subgroups by clustering methods,existing studies were based on the similarity of evaluation values or trust relationships among experts separately but did not consider them simultaneously.In this study,we introduce a clustering method considering the similarity of evaluation values and the trust relations of experts and then develop a consensusmodel taking into account the altruistic behaviors of experts.First,we cluster experts into subgroups by a constrained Kmeans clustering algorithm according to the opinion similarity and trust relationship of experts.Then,we calculate the weights of experts and clusters based on the centrality degrees of experts.Next,to enhance the quality of consensus reaching,we identify three kinds of non-cooperative behaviors and propose corresponding feedback mechanisms relying on the altruistic behaviors of experts.A numerical example is given to show the effectiveness and practicality of the proposed method in emergency decision-making.The study finds that integrating altruistic behavior analysis in group decision-making can safeguard the interests of experts and ensure the integrity of decision-making information.

The Confidentiality of Coding Video Games with Cheat Code and Bots for Cheating in a Virtual World

Video games have been around for several decades and have had many advancements from the original start of video games. Video games started as virtual games that were advertised towards children, and these virtual games created a virtual reality of a variety of genres. These genres included sports games, such as tennis, football, baseball, war games, fantasy, puzzles, etc. The start of these games was derived from a sports genre and now has a popularity in multiplayer-online-shooting games. The purpose of this paper is to investigate different types of tools available for cheating in virtual world making players have undue advantage over other players in a competition. With the advancement in technology, these video games have become more expanded in the development aspects of gaming. Video game developers have created long lines of codes to create a new look of video games. As video games have progressed, the coding, bugs, bots, and errors of video games have changed throughout the years. The coding of video games has branched out from the original video games, which have given many benefits to this virtual world, while simultaneously creating more problems such as bots. Analysis of tools available for cheating in a game has disadvantaged normal gamer in a fair contest.

Effects of a closed-loop system against SARS-CoV-2 at the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games:a descriptive and modeling study

BACKGROUND:To assess the efficacy of the epidemic prevention measures of the“closed-loop”system adopted by the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games(BOWG).METHODS:We retrospectively collected and analyzed information,including age,sex,nationality,vaccination status,date of diagnosis,and date of entry,from 280 SARS-CoV-2-positive individuals identified during the BOWG.A susceptibility-exposed-infectious-remove model was employed to evaluate the effectiveness of epidemic prevention strategies on controlling the spread of SARS-CoV-2 under different scenarios during the BOWG.RESULTS:Regarding SARS-CoV-2-positive cases,97.9%were imported,and 96.4%were asymptomatic.The median age was 37 years(range:29–47 years),and 73.9%were male,with the majority of cases being broadcasters and European attendees.Regarding vaccination status,93.5%were fully vaccinated,and six cases were considered to have been infected in the closed-loop system during the BOWG.Assuming that the BOWG adopted a semi-closed-loop management system,the cumulative number of confirmed cases would be 1,137 for quick quarantine measures(3 d later)implemented and 5,530 for delayed quarantine measures(9 d later)implemented.This modeling revealed that stringent pandemic prevention measures and closed-loop management effectively controlled the spread of SARS-CoV-2 during the BOWG.CONCLUSION:Imported cases are considered the main risk factor for SARS-CoV-2 transmission during mass gatherings,but a comprehensive closed-loop system could minimize transmission among attendees and general personnel.

QoS awared power and admission controls based on non-cooperative game theory in wireless networks

In order to better accommodate heterogeneous quality of service (QoS) in wireless networks, an algorithm called QoS-aware power and admission controls (QAPAC) is proposed. The system is modeled as a non-cooperative game where the users adjust their transmit powers to maximize the utility, thus restraining the interferences. By using adaptive utility functions and tunable pricing parameters according to QoS levels, this algorithm can well meet different QoS requirements and improve system capacity compared with those that ignore the QoS differences.