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.

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.

Assembly Unit Resource Balancing Strategy based on Discrete Production Mode

Aiming at the characteristics of obvious block division and strong discreteness in the assembly production mode of electronic products,this paper proposes a composite U-shaped flexible assembly line model,and establishes a multi-objective optimization mathematical model on this basis.According to the characteristics of the model,the improved ranked positional weight(RPW)method is used to adjust the generation process of the initial solution of the genetic algorithm,so that the genetic algorithm can be applied to the block task model.At the same time,the adaptive cross mutation factor is used on the premise that tasks between different blocks are not crossed during cross mutation,which effectively improves the probability of excellent individuals retaining.After that,the algorithm is used to iterate to obtain the optimal solution task assignment.Finally,the algorithm results are compared with actual production data,which verifies the validity and feasibility of the assembly line model for discrete production mode proposed in this paper.

Energy Balance in Crop Production

The most appropriate method of energy balancing in crop production is the process analysis where fossil energy input is considered rather than manpower or solar energy. In our approach, fossil energy input is split to direct and indirect input components. Direct energy input includes the consumption of diesel fuel required for field operations taking into account the influences of location and management conditions. Moreover, energy consumption for construction of agricultural machines is also considered as direct energy input. Indirect energy inputs include seed material, plant protection agents, fertilizers and operation of machines. Production and utilisation of nitrogen （N） fertilizer represents by 50% of energy consumption in agricultural systems. Data from a field experiment conducted during 1995-2000 on a fertile sandy loess in the Hercynian dry region of central Germany were used to determine the energy efficiency of winter oilseed rape （Brassica napus L.） as affected by nitrogen （N） fertilization. Our results show that different N management strategies affect the energy balance of the seed oil. Lowest energy input and energy output occurred in the unfertilized crop. The energy efficiency was determined using the parameters energy gain （net energy output）, energy intensity （energy input per unit grain equivalent GE; term GE is used to express the contribution that crops make to the nutrition of monogastric beings）, and output/input ratio. The most favourable N rate for minimum energy intensity was 80 kg N hal while that needed for maximum energy gain was 160 kg ha1. Output/input ratio was the highest at 80 kg N ha-l.

Effect of Biofertilizer on Biomass Productivity, Nutrient Balance and Soil Fertility in Rainfed Organic Ginger Production System

Farmers of North-Eastern India grow ginger organically and obtain low yield. Biofertilizer may help in increasing yield and maintaining soil fertility. An investigation made with different biofertilizers showed that seed treatment with biofertilizer increased biomass by 18.3%, enhanced N, P and K removal and improved short-term soil fertility status by increasing N and P balance and reducing negative K balance over control plots. Use of high dose （5.0 kg haL） of Azotobacter （a3） and medium dose （3.75 kg hal） of both Azospirillum （b2） and Phosphotica （c2） increased rhizome biomass by 6.8%-12.5% and shoot biomass by 5.6%-14.3% over other levels. They enhanced N, P and K removal by both rhizome and shoot when compared with other levels. The above biofertilizer treatments improved organic carbon and available N and P status of the soil by increasing N and P balance. The result showed overall strong negative K balance; but biofertilizer treatments greatly reduced the negative K balance in soil as compared to the control plots. Seed treatment with high level of Azotobacter along with medium level of Phosphotica （a3c2） produced the highest biomass yield （7.4 t hal）, increased N and P balance and fertility status in spite of hizh N, P and K removal.

2013 Production of China's Shale Gas Reaches 200 Million Cubic Meters and the First Transportation Pipeline Constructed

Results of the global shale gas resources show that minable resources of global shale gas are 187 trillion cubic meters （tern）, of which China accounts for 36 tcm （about 20% of the total amount）, which is mainly distributed in the Sichuan Basin, Yangtze Terrace, and Ordos Basin. From 2009 to 2012, China completed an accumulative number of 129 drilling wells related to shale gas, including 46 investigated vertical wells, 55 exploration wells and 28 evaluation wells, with 2012 production ranging from 25 million cubic meters （mcm） to 30 mcm.

Relaxation-strategy-based Modification Branch-and-Bound Algorithm for Solving a Class of Transportation-production Problems

In this paper,a new algorithm relaxation-strategy-based modification branchand-bound algorithm is developed for a type of solving the minimum cost transportationproduction problem with concave production costs.The major improvement of the proposed new method is that modification algorithm reinforces the bounding operation using a Lagrangian relaxation,which is a concave minimization but obtains a tighter bound than the usual linear programming relaxation.Some computational results are included.Computation results indicate that the algorithm can solve fairly large scale problems.

Evapotranspiration Estimation Based on MODIS Products and Surface Energy Balance Algorithms for Land(SEBAL) Model in Sanjiang Plain,Northeast China

In this study,the Surface Energy Balance Algorithms for Land(SEBAL) model and Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer(MODIS) products from Terra satellite were combined with meteorological data to estimate evapotranspiration(ET) over the Sanjiang Plain,Northeast China.Land cover/land use was classified by using a recursive partitioning and regression tree with MODIS Normalized Difference Vegetation Index(NDVI) time series data,which were reconstructed based on the Savitzky-Golay filtering approach.The MODIS product Quality Assessment Science Data Sets(QA-SDS) was analyzed and all scenes with valid data covering more than 75% of the Sanjiang Plain were selected for the SEBAL modeling.This provided 12 overpasses during 184-day growing season from May 1st to October 31st,2006.Daily ET estimated by the SEBAL model was misestimaed at the range of-11.29% to 27.57% compared with that measured by Eddy Covariance system(10.52% on average).The validation results show that seasonal ET from the SEBAL model is comparable to that from ground observation within 8.86% of deviation.Our results reveal that the time series daily ET of different land cover/use increases from vegetation on-going until June or July and then decreases as vegetation senesced.Seasonal ET is lower in dry farmland(average(Ave):491 mm) and paddy field(Ave:522 mm) and increases in wetlands to more than 586 mm.As expected,higher seasonal ET values are observed for the Xingkai Lake in the southeastern part of the Sanjiang Plain(Ave:823 mm),broadleaf forest(Ave:666 mm) and mixed wood(Ave:622 mm) in the southern/western Sanjiang Plain.The ET estimation with SEBAL using MODIS products can provide decision support for operational water management issues.

The Supply and Demand of Agricultural Products in China Based on Balanced Diet

Promoting agricultural production and ensuring the supply of agricultural products has always been the main task of agricultural development in China,but the agricultural production in China has not yet been combined with the Chinese residents' dietary needs to formulate reasonable development goals,with a certain blindness in production. According to the dietary standards in The Dietary Guidelines for Chinese Residents developed by the Chinese Nutrition Society,we calculate the demand of various types of agricultural products in China under the conditions of balanced diet. In comparison with the output of various types of agricultural products in China at present,we find that the output of most of agricultural products in China has exceeded the reasonable demand of the Chinese residents under the conditions of balanced diet. Therefore,adjusting the agricultural production structure in China and advocating balanced diet has become an important way to solve the problem of balance between supply and demand of agricultural products.

Productivity and energy balance of forest plantation harvesting in Uganda

The study evaluated the productivity and energy balance of the harvesting and the extraction of wood in plantation of exotic tree species, i.e., Pinus patula （Schiede ex Schlectendahl et Chamisso） and Cupressus lusitanica （Mill.）. The harvesting and extraction operations concerned clear-cut felling on two different types of terrain （gentle and steep terrain） and two levels of prun- ing. The results show that cutting is not affected by the terrain gradient whereas the pruning condition shows a significant effect on the delimbing operation. The productivity of cutting is evaluated at 28.1 m3.d-1 for unpruned trees and at 30.2 m3.d t for pruned trees. For the extraction phase, rolling was significantly affected by terrain conditions. On steep terrain, the gross productivity can be evaluated at 22.5 m3.d 1 for an extraction distance of 40 m, while for the same distance on gentle terrain the productivity decreases to 14.1 m3.d~. As a result, the steep terrain condition showed higher energy efficiency, suggesting that it is the more efficient system of extraction. The productivity model and the energy balance resulting from the study provide a better understanding of the variables af- fecting motor-manual cutting and rolling extraction in exotic plantations in Uganda.

Productivity Growth in the Transportation Industries in the United States: An Application of the DEA Malmquist Productivity Index

This study reviews productivity growth in the five major transportation industries in the United States (airline, truck, rail, pipeline, and water) and the pooled transportation industry from 2004 to 2011. We measure the average productivity for these eight years by state in each transportation industry and the annual average productivity by transportation industry. The major findings are that the U.S. transportation industry shows strong and positive productivity growth except that in the years of the global financial crisis in 2007, 2008, and 2010, and among the five transportation industries, the rail and water sectors show the highest productivity growth in 2011.

Soil Carbon Balance in a Native Temperate Grassland in the Xilin River Basin of Inner Mongolia

Based on historical data and field investigation, some major fluxes and reserves of carbon were estimated, and a tentative analysis of the soil carbon balance was made in a native grassland community in the Xilin River basin of Inner Mongolia. Major results were reported as follows: 1) Annual average carbon input from above-ground biomass production was 79.8 g C(.)m(-2.)a(-1), and from root biomass to 30 cm. depth averaged 311.9 g C(.)m(-2.)a(-1). The summed mean annual carbon input of shoot and root materials in the study site was approximately 391.7 g C(.)m(-2.)a(-1). 2) The annual amount of above-ground biomass consumed by insects averaged 14.7 g C(.)m(-2.)a(-1), and the carbon output by leaching or light-chemical oxidation was 3.2 g C(.)m(-2.)a(-1) The annual evolution rate of CO2 from net soil respiration averaged 346.9 g C(.)m(-2.)a(-1), and the summed mean annual output was approximately 364.8 g C(.)m(-2.)a(-1). 3) A mature, steady-state system could be assumed for the community for which growth and decay were approximately in balance, with a net carbon accumulation of about 26.9 g C(.)m(-2.)a(-1). Based on the soil organic carbon density of the field, the turnover Irate of soil carbon in 0 - 30 cm depth was calculated to be 6.2%, with a turnover time of 16 years.

Nuclear dynamics and particle production near threshold energies in heavy-ion collisions

Recent progress of the quantum molecular dynamics model for describing the dynamics of heavy-ion collisions is viewed, in particular the nuclear fragmentation, isospin physics, particle production and in-medium effect, hadron-induced nuclear reactions, hypernucleus, etc.The neck fragmentation in Fermi-energy heavy-ion collisions is investigated for extracting the symmetry energy at subsaturation densities. The isospin effects, in-medium properties, and the behavior of high-density symmetry energy in medium-and high-energy heavy-ion collisions are thoroughly discussed. The hypernuclide dynamics formed in heavy-ion collisions and in hadron-induced reactions is analyzed and addressed in the future experiments at the high-intensity heavy-ion accelerator facility(HIAF).

SCHEMES OF GAS PRODUCTION FROM NATURAL GAS HYDRATES

Natural gas hydrates are a kind of nonpolluting and high quality energy resources for future, the reserves of which are about twice of the carbon of the current fossil energy (petroleum, natural gas and coal) on the earth. And it will be the most important energy for the 21st century. The energy balance and numerical simulation are applied to study the schemes of the natural gas hydrates production in this paper,and it is considered that both depressurization and thermal stimulation are effective methods for exploiting natural gas hydrates, and that the gas production of the thermal stimulation is higher than that of the depressurization. But thermal stimulation is non-economic because it requires large amounts of energy.Therefore the combination of the two methods is a preferable method for the current development of the natural gas hydrates. The main factors which influence the production of natural gas hydrates are: the temperature of injected water, the injection rate, the initial saturation of the hydrates and the initial temperature of the reservoir which is the most important factor.

Phosphatidylglycerol-containing ER-transport vesicles built and restore outer mitochondrial membrane and deliver nuclear DNA translation products to generate cardiolipin in the inner mitochondrial membrane

Phosphatidylglycerol (PG) an important membrane phospholipid required for the synthesis of diphos-phatidylglycerol (DPG) commonly known as cardiolipin (CL) was identified in the fraction of endo-plasmic reticulum (ER)-derived transport vesicles which had no affinity for Golgi. The vesicles were produced in the presence of Brefeldin A (BFA), the agent known to inhibit ER-Golgi transport, and found to display affinity to mitochondria. The analysis revealed that their cargo was not containing proteins that are transported to Golgi, and that their membrane was free of phosphatidylinositol (PI) and ceramides (Cer). The incubation of PG-containing transport vesicles with mitochondria afforded incorporation of their membrane into the Outer Mito-chondrial Membrane (OMM) and formation of lyso-phosphatidylglycerol (LPG). In turn, upon further incubation with fresh transport active cytosol, the mitochondrial LPG was converted to PG. The results of analysis of the OMM, Inner Mitochondrial Mem-brane (IMM) and Inner Mitochondrial Space Components (IMSC) strongly suggest that PG-containing transport vesicles deliver nuclear DNA translation products to the IMSC and thus facilitate CL synthesis in the IMM. In summary, our studies provide evidence that ER-generated PG-enriched transport vesicles represent the general pathway for restitution of mitochondrial membranes and the delivery of nuclear DNA translation products that generate CL, and thus sustain the mitochondrial matrix CL-dependent metabolic reactions.

Reduced protein diet with near ideal amino acid profile improves energy efficiency and mitigate heat production associated with lactation in sows

Background:The study objective was to test the hypothesis that 1)lowering dietary crude protein(CP)increases dietary energetic efficiency and reduces metabolic heat associated with lactation,and 2)excessive dietary leucine(Leu)supplementation in a low CP diet decreases dietary energetic efficiency and increases metabolic heat associated with lactation.Methods:Fifty-four lactating multiparous Yorkshire sows were allotted to 1 of 3 isocaloric diets(10.80 MJ/kg net energy):1)control(CON;18.75%CP),2)reduced CP with a near ideal or optimal AA profile(OPT;13.75%CP)and 3)diet OPT with excessive Leu(OPTLEU;14.25%CP).Sow body weight and backfat were recorded on day 1 and 21 of lactation and piglets were weighed on day 1,4,8,14,18,and 21 of lactation.Energy balance was measured on sows during early(day 4 to 8)and peak(day 14 to18)lactation,and milk was sampled on day 8 and 18.Results:Over 21-day lactation,sows fed OPT lost body weight and body lipid(P<0.05).In peak lactation,sows fed OPT had higher milk energy output(P<0.05)than CON.Sows fed OPTLEU tended(P=0.07)to have less milk energy output than OPT and did not differ from CON.Maternal energy retention was lower(P<0.05)in OPT and OPTLEU compared to CON sows,and did not differ between OPTLEU and OPT sows.Sows fed OPT had higher(P<0.05)apparent energy efficiency for milk production compared to CON.Heat production associated with lactation was lower(P<0.05)or tended to be lower(P=0.082),respectively,in OPT and OPTLEU compared to CON sows.Conclusion:The OPT diet,in peak lactation,improved dietary energy utilization for lactation due to less urinary energy and metabolic heat loss,and triggered dietary energy deposition into milk at the expense of maternal lipid mobilization.Leucine supplementation above requirement may reduce dietary energy utilization for lactation by decreasing the energy partitioning towards milk,partially explaining the effectiveness of OPT diet over CON diets.

Spatiotemporal patterns of the forage-livestock balance in the Xilin Gol steppe,China:implications for sustainably utilizing grassland-ecosystem services

Understanding the spatiotemporal patterns of the forage-livestock balance is imperative for regionally arranging animal husbandry production while ensuring sustainable grassland-ecosystem service use.The Xilin Gol steppe is an important native grassland resource in Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region,China.This study aimed to elucidate the dynamics of the forage-livestock balance in the Xilin Gol steppe during the period 2000–2015.We evaluated the forage production and corresponding livestock carrying capacity(LCC)in the growing seasons of 2000–2015 using remote sensing data and field surveys.The spatiotemporal patterns of the forage-livestock balance were then assessed at regional,city(including city,county and banner),and village scales using statistical and household survey data.The results showed that both forage production and LCC decreased in the Xilin Gol steppe from east to west.During the period 2000–2015,the regional average forage production and corresponding LCC fluctuated without following a distinct trend,but were consistent with the variations in precipitation.The forage-livestock balance varied with time,space,and scale.At the regional scale,steppes were overgrazed in the early 2000s,but a forage-livestock balance or even grazing potential was achieved in other years.At the city scale,approximately half of the region exhibited a"forage-livestock balance"since 2000.However,about half of the region still experienced overgrazing,which mainly located in the southwest sandy zones.Such changes may have been affected by the variations in grassland quality,forage production,compensation payment,and so on.We suggest a location-specific management scheme for grazing constraints,ecological compensation payment,and industry development to aid in harmonizing animal husbandry and environmental restoration,while promoting sustainable development goals by 2030.

Intermodal Freight Network Design for Transport of Perishable Products

The amount of perishable products transported via the existing intermodal freight networks has significantly increased over the last years. Perishable products tend to decay due to a wide range of external factors. Supply chain operations mismanagement causes waste of substantial volumes of perishable products every year. The heretofore proposed mathematical models optimize certain supply chain processes and reduce decay of perishable products, but primarily deal with local production, inventory, distribution, and retailing of perishable products. However, significant quantities of perishable products are delivered from different continents, which shall increase the total transportation time and decay potential of perishable products as compared to local deliveries. This paper proposes a novel optimization model to design the intermodal freight network for both local and long-haul deliveries of perishable products. The objective of the model aims to minimize the total cost associated with transportation and decay of perishable products. A set of piecewise approximations are applied to linearize the non-linear decay function for each perishable product type. CPLEX is used to solve the problem. Comprehensive numerical experiments are conducted using the intermodal freight network for import of the seafood perishable products to the United States to draw important managerial insights. Results demonstrate that increasing product decay cost may significantly change the design of intermodal freight network for transport of perishable products, cause modal shifts and affect the total transportation time and associated costs.

Reducing Sharp Fluctuations in Body Temperature and Optimizing Production Index of Broilers Using Dietary Electrolytes

A degree centigrade fall or rise in body temperature of broiler chickens is sufficient to reduce performance, alter sound physiological state and divert nutritional metabolism in quest for ensuring thermal balance. Thermoregulatory mechanisms of newly hatched chicks are poorly developed, and fluctuations in brooding temperature coupled with severe environmental temperatures in the tropics could threaten the survivability, production and economic integrity of fast-growing strains of broilers. However, information on the effect of sharp fluctuations in body temperature on nutrient intake and European production index (EPI) of broilers fed dietary electrolytes is scanty and thus investigated. Using a total of 300, one-day-old unsexed broiler chicks (Arbor Acre) that were randomly allotted to six dietary treatments (T1-210, T2-240, T3270, T4-300, T5-330 and T6-360 mEq/kg electrolyte balance), data on performance characteristics and their correlations with body temperature and EPI at prestarter, starter and finisher phases were determined using standard procedures. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics and ANOVA at α = 0.05. At prestarter phase, feed intake (FI) had a strong and positive relationship with protein intake (r = 1.00;p < 0.01), EPI (r = 0.96;p < 0.01) and potassium (K) intake (r = 0.66;p < 0.01), but was negatively correlated with temperature change (r = ?0.39;p < 0.05). However, FI was not significantly correlated with body weight (BW), body weight gain (BWG), sodium (Na) and water intake. At starter phase, EPI was positively correlated to K intake (r = 0.38;p < 0.05), but not Na and chloride (Cl) intake. European production index of starter chicks could be enhanced by increasing the level of K intake through dietary supplementation up to 1.02%. Weight gain was adversely affected by sharp changes in temperature at finisher phase. Increase in water intake may not be a remedial tool in lowering sharp fluctuations in body temperature. However, sharp fluctuation in body temperature of broilers was reduced with DEB of 330, 270 and 240 mEq/kg at prestarter, starter and finisher phases, respectively.

Production Scheduling and Distribution in Downstream Sector Using Block-Structured Linear Programming Solution Technique ： A Comparative Analysis

The aim of this paper is to compare block-structured linear programming （LP） models against other practical optimization methods for solving downstream product refinery problems using a solution method different from the existing ones （like mixed integer linear programming （MILP） method）. The work X-rays the Nigerian petroleum refining industries and their channel of distribution in the local setting and identifies the critical features of scheduling and allocation of refined crude products; either for distribution within the country or for exportation to the international market. Applying our model to the distribution model, the computational results reveal a better route with lowest transportation cost for the scheduling problem and the best optimal blend with higher revenue for the production problem.