In order to solve the flexible job shop scheduling problem with variable batches,we propose an improved multiobjective optimization algorithm,which combines the idea of inverse scheduling.First,a flexible job shop pro...In order to solve the flexible job shop scheduling problem with variable batches,we propose an improved multiobjective optimization algorithm,which combines the idea of inverse scheduling.First,a flexible job shop problem with the variable batches scheduling model is formulated.Second,we propose a batch optimization algorithm with inverse scheduling in which the batch size is adjusted by the dynamic feedback batch adjusting method.Moreover,in order to increase the diversity of the population,two methods are developed.One is the threshold to control the neighborhood updating,and the other is the dynamic clustering algorithm to update the population.Finally,a group of experiments are carried out.The results show that the improved multi-objective optimization algorithm can ensure the diversity of Pareto solutions effectively,and has effective performance in solving the flexible job shop scheduling problem with variable batches.展开更多
Human origins have always been a hot topic of research in academia,focusing on the controversy between“single African origin”and“multiregional evolution.”The evolution from ancient ape to modern humans was a compl...Human origins have always been a hot topic of research in academia,focusing on the controversy between“single African origin”and“multiregional evolution.”The evolution from ancient ape to modern humans was a complex process,which required the co-existence of diverse favorable factors.Based on a review of existing research findings,this paper argues that modern humans originated in the Himalayas and presents multi-dimensional evidence from the perspectives of geology,seismology,climatology,archaeology,biology,genetics,and others.The evolution from ape to man may have also existed in regions other than the Himalayas.However,such evolution falls under“invalid origin”due to the lack of essential conditions for evolution,and particularly,the evolutionary process was interrupted by the erosion of frequent Quaternary glaciations.The homo sapiens originating in the Himalayas gradually migrated and settled down across the world several times during the interglacial periods,creating local cultures and colorful civilizations in parallel.The findings of this paper provide new orientations and approaches for the studies of human origins and the development of civilizations.展开更多
Purpose: To design and test a method for normalizing book citations in Google Scholar.Design/methodology/approach: A hybrid citing-side, cited-side normalization method was developed and this was tested on a sample of...Purpose: To design and test a method for normalizing book citations in Google Scholar.Design/methodology/approach: A hybrid citing-side, cited-side normalization method was developed and this was tested on a sample of 285 research monographs. The results were analyzed and conclusions drawn.Findings: The method was technically feasible but required extensive manual intervention because of the poor quality of the Google Scholar data. Research limitations: The sample of books was limited and also all were from one discipline —business and management. Also, the method has only been tested on Google Scholar, it would be useful to test it on Web of Science or Scopus.Practical limitations: Google Scholar is a poor source of data although it does cover a much wider range citation sources that other databases. Originality/value: This is the first method that has been developed specifically for normalizing books which have so far not been able to be normalized.展开更多
The Lotka-Volterra predator-prey model is widely used in many disciplines such as ecology and economics. The model consists of a pair of first-order nonlinear differential equations. In this paper, we first analyze th...The Lotka-Volterra predator-prey model is widely used in many disciplines such as ecology and economics. The model consists of a pair of first-order nonlinear differential equations. In this paper, we first analyze the dynamics, equilibria and steady state oscillation contours of the differential equations and study in particular a well-known problem of a high risk that the prey and/or predator may end up with extinction. We then introduce exogenous control to reduce the risk of extinction. We propose two control schemes. The first scheme, referred as convergence guaranteed scheme, achieves very fine granular control of the prey and predator populations, in terms of the final state and convergence dynamics, at the cost of sophisticated implementation. The second scheme, referred as on-off scheme, is very easy to implement and drive the populations to steady state oscillation that is far from the risk of extinction. Finally we investigate the robustness of these two schemes against parameter mismatch and observe that the on-off scheme is much more robust. Hence, we conclude that while the convergence guaranteed scheme achieves theoretically optimal performance, the on-off scheme is more attractive for practical applications.展开更多
The electron capture processes in collisions of Li3+ion with Li(1s22s)and Li(1s22p0,1)are investigated by using the two-center atomic orbital close-coupling method in the energy range from 0.1 keV/u to 300 keV/u.The i...The electron capture processes in collisions of Li3+ion with Li(1s22s)and Li(1s22p0,1)are investigated by using the two-center atomic orbital close-coupling method in the energy range from 0.1 keV/u to 300 keV/u.The interaction of the active electrons with the target ion is represented by a model potential.The present results for the Li3+–Li(1s22s)system are compared with the available theoretical data and general agreement is obtained for the high collision energies.It is also found that the total and partial electron capture cross sections are sensitive to the initial charge cloud alignment in the low energy region.展开更多
This paper describes an innovative adaptive algorithmic modeling approach, for solving a wide class of e-business and strategic management problems under uncertainty conditions. The proposed methodology is based on ba...This paper describes an innovative adaptive algorithmic modeling approach, for solving a wide class of e-business and strategic management problems under uncertainty conditions. The proposed methodology is based on basic ideas and concepts of four key-field interrelated sciences, i.e., computing science, applied mathematics, management sciences and economic sciences. Furthermore, the fundamental scientific concepts of adaptability and uncertainty are shown to play a critical role of major importance for a (near) optimum solution of a class of complex e-business/services and strategic management problems. Two characteristic case studies, namely measuring e-business performance under certain environmental pressures and organizational constraints and describing the relationships between technology, innovation and firm performance, are considered as effective applications of the proposed adaptive algorithmic modeling approach. A theoretical time-dependent model for the evaluation of firm e-business performances is also proposed.展开更多
This paper studies the electricity generating capacity of microbial fuel cells (MFCs). Unlike most of MFC research, which targets the long term goals of renewable energy production and wastewater treatment, this paper...This paper studies the electricity generating capacity of microbial fuel cells (MFCs). Unlike most of MFC research, which targets the long term goals of renewable energy production and wastewater treatment, this paper considers a niche application that may be used immediately in practice, namely powering sensors from soils or sediments. There are two major goals in this study. The first goal is to examine the performance characteristics of MFCs in this application. Specifically we investigate the relationship between the percentage of organic matter in a sample and the electrical capacity of MFCs fueled by that sample. We observe that higher percentage of organic matter in a sample results in higher electricity production of MFCs powered by that sample. We measure the thermal limits that dictate the temperature range in which MFCs can function, and confirm that the upper thermal limit is 40℃. The new observation is that the lower thermal limit is -5℃, which is lower than 0℃ reported in the literature. This difference is important for powering environmental sensors. We observe that the electricity production of MFCs decreases almost linearly over a period of 10 days. The second goal is to determine the conditions under which MFCs work most efficiently to generate electricity. We compare the capacity under a variety of conditions of sample types (benthic mud, top soil, and marsh samples), temperatures (0℃, 40℃, and room temperature), and sample sizes (measuring 3.5 cm × 3.5 cm × 4.6 cm, 10.2 cm × 10.2 cm × 13.4 cm, and 2.7 cm × 2.7 cm × 3.8 cm), and find that the electricity capacity is greatest at 0℃, powered by benthic mud sample with the largest chamber size. What seems surprising is that 0℃ outperforms both room temperature and benthic mud sample outperforms marsh sample, which appears to be richer in organic matter. In addition, we notice that although the largest chamber size produces the greatest capacity, it suffers from efficiency loss. The reasons of these observations will be explained in the paper. The study demonstrates that the electricity production of MFCs can be increased by selecting the right condition of sample type, temperature, and chamber size.展开更多
Pyramids,symbols of the Ancient Egyptian civilization,are visited by tourists and studied by researchers from all around the world.However,the techniques used by Ancient Egyptians to construct the pyramid,specifically...Pyramids,symbols of the Ancient Egyptian civilization,are visited by tourists and studied by researchers from all around the world.However,the techniques used by Ancient Egyptians to construct the pyramid,specifically,how such a tall structure could have been constructed from huge blocks of stone with the limited productive forces at the time,remains a mystery to the world.Though numerous theories,such as the use of ramps,levers,pulleys,fluid buoyancy,and cast-in-place concrete,have been proposed in academia,no consensus has been reached to date.Based on mechanical principles and the productive forces available at the time,the famous Pyramid of Khufu is used as a case study in this paper to propose a theory of pit-aided construction.The main steps include the digging of the pit,the transportation of stone blocks into the pit,the layer-by-layer construction,and the layer-by-layer filling of soil until the top of the pyramid is completed.The main idea of the pit-aided construction was to use the self-weight of the stone material to achieve the transportation of stone blocks by converting potential energy to kinetic energy,thereby avoiding the large amounts of work that must be done to elevate the huge blocks of stone.The proposed theory of pit-aided construction is consistent with the cultural custom of burial that is associated with tomb construction,namely laying the deceased to rest through burial,and is also consistent with the productive forces available in Ancient Egypt at the time.展开更多
Numerous maintenance strategies have been proposed in the literature related to reliability.This paper focuses on the utilization of reliability importance measures to optimize maintenance strategies.We analyze mainte...Numerous maintenance strategies have been proposed in the literature related to reliability.This paper focuses on the utilization of reliability importance measures to optimize maintenance strategies.We analyze maintenance strategies based on importance measures and identify areas lacking sufficient research.The paper presents principles and formulas for advanced importance measures within the context of optimizing maintenance strategies.Additionally,it classifies methods of maintenance strategy optimization according to importance measures and outlines the roles of these measures in various maintenance strategies.Finally,it discusses potential challenges that optimization of maintenance strategies based on importance measures may encounter with future technologies.展开更多
规模收益(Returns to Scale)是组织绩效分析所关心的一个重要问题.它可以帮助决策者决策是应该扩大还是减少组织规模,从而提高组织运行的绩效.经济学中传统规模收益的定义是基于生产要素按相同比例变化而引起的产出的变化率(径向变化)....规模收益(Returns to Scale)是组织绩效分析所关心的一个重要问题.它可以帮助决策者决策是应该扩大还是减少组织规模,从而提高组织运行的绩效.经济学中传统规模收益的定义是基于生产要素按相同比例变化而引起的产出的变化率(径向变化).但对于多投入多产出的非传统生产过程(例如公共部门)来说,往往并不是按相同比例扩张各类投入要素.在这种情况下,如何描述生产过程规模变化的过程中的规模收益情况是一个重要的问题.针对这种现象,在帕累托(Pareto)偏好下,从全局和局部视角定义了方向规模收益和方向规模弹性的概念,并给出具体函数表达.展开更多
基金supported by the National Key R&D Plan(2020YFB1712902)the National Natural Science Foundation of China(52075036).
文摘In order to solve the flexible job shop scheduling problem with variable batches,we propose an improved multiobjective optimization algorithm,which combines the idea of inverse scheduling.First,a flexible job shop problem with the variable batches scheduling model is formulated.Second,we propose a batch optimization algorithm with inverse scheduling in which the batch size is adjusted by the dynamic feedback batch adjusting method.Moreover,in order to increase the diversity of the population,two methods are developed.One is the threshold to control the neighborhood updating,and the other is the dynamic clustering algorithm to update the population.Finally,a group of experiments are carried out.The results show that the improved multi-objective optimization algorithm can ensure the diversity of Pareto solutions effectively,and has effective performance in solving the flexible job shop scheduling problem with variable batches.
文摘Human origins have always been a hot topic of research in academia,focusing on the controversy between“single African origin”and“multiregional evolution.”The evolution from ancient ape to modern humans was a complex process,which required the co-existence of diverse favorable factors.Based on a review of existing research findings,this paper argues that modern humans originated in the Himalayas and presents multi-dimensional evidence from the perspectives of geology,seismology,climatology,archaeology,biology,genetics,and others.The evolution from ape to man may have also existed in regions other than the Himalayas.However,such evolution falls under“invalid origin”due to the lack of essential conditions for evolution,and particularly,the evolutionary process was interrupted by the erosion of frequent Quaternary glaciations.The homo sapiens originating in the Himalayas gradually migrated and settled down across the world several times during the interglacial periods,creating local cultures and colorful civilizations in parallel.The findings of this paper provide new orientations and approaches for the studies of human origins and the development of civilizations.
文摘Purpose: To design and test a method for normalizing book citations in Google Scholar.Design/methodology/approach: A hybrid citing-side, cited-side normalization method was developed and this was tested on a sample of 285 research monographs. The results were analyzed and conclusions drawn.Findings: The method was technically feasible but required extensive manual intervention because of the poor quality of the Google Scholar data. Research limitations: The sample of books was limited and also all were from one discipline —business and management. Also, the method has only been tested on Google Scholar, it would be useful to test it on Web of Science or Scopus.Practical limitations: Google Scholar is a poor source of data although it does cover a much wider range citation sources that other databases. Originality/value: This is the first method that has been developed specifically for normalizing books which have so far not been able to be normalized.
文摘The Lotka-Volterra predator-prey model is widely used in many disciplines such as ecology and economics. The model consists of a pair of first-order nonlinear differential equations. In this paper, we first analyze the dynamics, equilibria and steady state oscillation contours of the differential equations and study in particular a well-known problem of a high risk that the prey and/or predator may end up with extinction. We then introduce exogenous control to reduce the risk of extinction. We propose two control schemes. The first scheme, referred as convergence guaranteed scheme, achieves very fine granular control of the prey and predator populations, in terms of the final state and convergence dynamics, at the cost of sophisticated implementation. The second scheme, referred as on-off scheme, is very easy to implement and drive the populations to steady state oscillation that is far from the risk of extinction. Finally we investigate the robustness of these two schemes against parameter mismatch and observe that the on-off scheme is much more robust. Hence, we conclude that while the convergence guaranteed scheme achieves theoretically optimal performance, the on-off scheme is more attractive for practical applications.
基金Project supported by the National Key Research and Development Program of China(Grant No.2017YFA0402300)the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant No.11774037)+1 种基金International Atomic Energy Agency,China(Grant No.23196/R0)the Science Challenge Project of China(Grant No.TZ2016001)
文摘The electron capture processes in collisions of Li3+ion with Li(1s22s)and Li(1s22p0,1)are investigated by using the two-center atomic orbital close-coupling method in the energy range from 0.1 keV/u to 300 keV/u.The interaction of the active electrons with the target ion is represented by a model potential.The present results for the Li3+–Li(1s22s)system are compared with the available theoretical data and general agreement is obtained for the high collision energies.It is also found that the total and partial electron capture cross sections are sensitive to the initial charge cloud alignment in the low energy region.
文摘This paper describes an innovative adaptive algorithmic modeling approach, for solving a wide class of e-business and strategic management problems under uncertainty conditions. The proposed methodology is based on basic ideas and concepts of four key-field interrelated sciences, i.e., computing science, applied mathematics, management sciences and economic sciences. Furthermore, the fundamental scientific concepts of adaptability and uncertainty are shown to play a critical role of major importance for a (near) optimum solution of a class of complex e-business/services and strategic management problems. Two characteristic case studies, namely measuring e-business performance under certain environmental pressures and organizational constraints and describing the relationships between technology, innovation and firm performance, are considered as effective applications of the proposed adaptive algorithmic modeling approach. A theoretical time-dependent model for the evaluation of firm e-business performances is also proposed.
文摘This paper studies the electricity generating capacity of microbial fuel cells (MFCs). Unlike most of MFC research, which targets the long term goals of renewable energy production and wastewater treatment, this paper considers a niche application that may be used immediately in practice, namely powering sensors from soils or sediments. There are two major goals in this study. The first goal is to examine the performance characteristics of MFCs in this application. Specifically we investigate the relationship between the percentage of organic matter in a sample and the electrical capacity of MFCs fueled by that sample. We observe that higher percentage of organic matter in a sample results in higher electricity production of MFCs powered by that sample. We measure the thermal limits that dictate the temperature range in which MFCs can function, and confirm that the upper thermal limit is 40℃. The new observation is that the lower thermal limit is -5℃, which is lower than 0℃ reported in the literature. This difference is important for powering environmental sensors. We observe that the electricity production of MFCs decreases almost linearly over a period of 10 days. The second goal is to determine the conditions under which MFCs work most efficiently to generate electricity. We compare the capacity under a variety of conditions of sample types (benthic mud, top soil, and marsh samples), temperatures (0℃, 40℃, and room temperature), and sample sizes (measuring 3.5 cm × 3.5 cm × 4.6 cm, 10.2 cm × 10.2 cm × 13.4 cm, and 2.7 cm × 2.7 cm × 3.8 cm), and find that the electricity capacity is greatest at 0℃, powered by benthic mud sample with the largest chamber size. What seems surprising is that 0℃ outperforms both room temperature and benthic mud sample outperforms marsh sample, which appears to be richer in organic matter. In addition, we notice that although the largest chamber size produces the greatest capacity, it suffers from efficiency loss. The reasons of these observations will be explained in the paper. The study demonstrates that the electricity production of MFCs can be increased by selecting the right condition of sample type, temperature, and chamber size.
文摘Pyramids,symbols of the Ancient Egyptian civilization,are visited by tourists and studied by researchers from all around the world.However,the techniques used by Ancient Egyptians to construct the pyramid,specifically,how such a tall structure could have been constructed from huge blocks of stone with the limited productive forces at the time,remains a mystery to the world.Though numerous theories,such as the use of ramps,levers,pulleys,fluid buoyancy,and cast-in-place concrete,have been proposed in academia,no consensus has been reached to date.Based on mechanical principles and the productive forces available at the time,the famous Pyramid of Khufu is used as a case study in this paper to propose a theory of pit-aided construction.The main steps include the digging of the pit,the transportation of stone blocks into the pit,the layer-by-layer construction,and the layer-by-layer filling of soil until the top of the pyramid is completed.The main idea of the pit-aided construction was to use the self-weight of the stone material to achieve the transportation of stone blocks by converting potential energy to kinetic energy,thereby avoiding the large amounts of work that must be done to elevate the huge blocks of stone.The proposed theory of pit-aided construction is consistent with the cultural custom of burial that is associated with tomb construction,namely laying the deceased to rest through burial,and is also consistent with the productive forces available in Ancient Egypt at the time.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant No.72071182).
文摘Numerous maintenance strategies have been proposed in the literature related to reliability.This paper focuses on the utilization of reliability importance measures to optimize maintenance strategies.We analyze maintenance strategies based on importance measures and identify areas lacking sufficient research.The paper presents principles and formulas for advanced importance measures within the context of optimizing maintenance strategies.Additionally,it classifies methods of maintenance strategy optimization according to importance measures and outlines the roles of these measures in various maintenance strategies.Finally,it discusses potential challenges that optimization of maintenance strategies based on importance measures may encounter with future technologies.
文摘规模收益(Returns to Scale)是组织绩效分析所关心的一个重要问题.它可以帮助决策者决策是应该扩大还是减少组织规模,从而提高组织运行的绩效.经济学中传统规模收益的定义是基于生产要素按相同比例变化而引起的产出的变化率(径向变化).但对于多投入多产出的非传统生产过程(例如公共部门)来说,往往并不是按相同比例扩张各类投入要素.在这种情况下,如何描述生产过程规模变化的过程中的规模收益情况是一个重要的问题.针对这种现象,在帕累托(Pareto)偏好下,从全局和局部视角定义了方向规模收益和方向规模弹性的概念,并给出具体函数表达.