Parallel partitioning method (PPM): A new exact method to solve bi-objective problems

In this paper, we propose a new exact method, called the parallel partitioning method (PPM), able to solve efficiently bi-objective problems. This method is based on the splitting of the search space into several areas leading to elementary exact searches. We compare this method with the well-known two-phase method (TPM). Experiments are carried out on a bi-objective permutation flowshop problem (BOFSP). During experiments the proposed PPM is compared with two versions of TPM: the basic TPM and an improved TPM dedicated to scheduling problems. Experiments show the efficiency of the new proposed method.     

多服务中心设置问题局部搜索算法的分析与实验

讨论了多服务中心设置问题的局部搜索近似算法及其在实际计算中表现出的新性质。首先对局部搜索算法求解多服务中心设置问题的实际近似性能比给出了一个针对性分析结果,然后编程实验对局部搜索求解算法的求解时间和求解质量进行了探讨。     

OPTSHIP: a new optimization framework and its application to optimum design of ship structure

This paper proposes an optimization framework called OPTSHIP (OPTimization for SHIP) by integrating NASTRAN external analyzer with some global optimization algorithms to enhance optimum design for vibration reduction of ship structure. The merits of this framework are used for global searching and selection of various objective functions and design variables. It is especially relatively easy to apply for optimum design of a big and complex structure such as a merchant ship. The global optimization algorithms used here are random tabu search method and genetic algorithm. Moreover, an example of optimum design to reduce the vibration level of a deckhouse according to the strict vibration criteria is presented to verify the performance of the proposed algorithm. The results show that the reduction of vibration velocity reaches 33.5%, which indicates that the proposed method is relatively effective and can be applied in real-world optimization.     

Coach design for the Korean high-speed train: a systematic approach to passenger seat design and layout

Proper ergonomic design of a passenger seat and coach layout for a high-speed train is an essential component that is directly related to passenger comfort. In this research, a systematic approach to the design of passenger seats was described and the coach layout which reflected the tradeoff between transportation capacity and passenger comfort was investigated for the Korean high-speed train. As a result, design recommendations and specifications of the passenger seat and its layout were suggested. The whole design process is composed of four stages. A survey and analysis of design requirement was first conducted, which formed the base for designing the first and second class passenger seats. Prototypes were made and evaluated iteratively, and seat arrangement and coach layout were finally obtained. The systematic approach and recommendations suggested in this study are expected to be applicable to the seat design for public transportations and to help modify and redesign existing vehicular seats.     

Optimal pressure sensor placement and assessment for leak location using a relaxed isolation index: Application to the Barcelona water network

Water distribution networks are large complex systems affected by leaks, which often entail high costs and may severely jeopardise the overall water distribution performance. Successful leak location is paramount in order to minimize the impact of these leaks when occurring. Sensor placement is a key issue in the leak location process, since the overall performance and success of this process highly depends on the choice of the sensors gathering data from the network. Common problems when isolating leaks in large scale highly gridded real water distribution networks include leak mislabelling and the obtention of large number of possible leak locations. This is due to similarity of leak effect in the measurements, which may be caused by topological issues and led to incomplete coverage of the whole network. The sensor placement strategy may minimize these undesired effects by setting the sensor placement optimisation problem with the appropriate assumptions (e.g. geographically cluster alike leak behaviors) and by taking into account real aspects of the practical application, such as the acceptable leak location distance. In this paper, a sensor placement methodology considering these aspects and a general sensor distribution assessment method for leak diagnosis in water distribution systems is presented and exemplified with a small illustrative case study. Finally, the proposed method is applied to two real District Metered Areas (DMAs) located within the Barcelona water distribution network.     

Design and computational support for the binding stability of a new CCR5/CXCR4 dual tropic inhibitor: Computational design of a CCR5/CXCR4 drug

The human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infects healthy human cells by binding to the glycoprotein cluster of differentiation 4 receptors on the surface of helper T-cells, along with either of two chemokine receptors, CC chemokine receptor type 5 (CCR5) or C-X-C chemokine receptor type 4 (CXCR4). Recently, a pyrazolo-piperdine ligand was synthesized and the corresponding biological data showed good binding to both chemokine receptors, effectively blocking HIV-1 entry. Here, we exhaustively assess the atomistic binding interactions of this compound with both CCR5 and CXCR4, and we find that binding is driven by π-stacking interactions between aromatic rings on the ligand and receptor residues, as well as electrostatic interactions involving the protonated piperidine nitrogen. However, these favorable binding interactions were partially offset by unfavorable desolvation of active site glutamates and aspartates, prompting our proposal of a new, synthetically-accessible derivative designed to increase the electrostatic interactions without compromising the π-stacking features.     

A new flexible and reliable interval valued fuzzy VIKOR method based on uncertainty risk reduction in decision making process: An application for determining a suitable location for digging some pits for municipal wet waste landfill

Facility location selection problem is one of the challenging and famous kinds of MCDM problems including both quantitative and qualitative criteria. For each Multiple Criteria Decision Making (MCDM) problem, when the ratings of alternatives with respect to the criteria and/or the values of criteria’s weights are presented by Interval Valued Fuzzy Numbers (IVFNs), the conventional fuzzy MCDM methods (Type-1 fuzzy MCDM methods) tend to be less effective. Therefore, the IVF-MCDM (Interval Valued Fuzzy MCDM) methods should be applied for solving such fuzzy MCDM problems. In this paper, we propose an IVF-VIKOR (VlseKriterijumska Optimizacija I Kompromisno Resenje) method based on uncertainty risk reduction in decision making process. By using such method, the reliability of the captured decisions in an IVF decision making problem is significantly increased. The proposed method is applied for solving two numerical examples that the former of which is a real application problem related to selecting a suitable location for digging some pits for municipal wet waste landfill in one of the largest cities in Iran. The second numerical example is presented with an aim of comparing our method with the two other IVF-MCDM methods. As a result, we found out the proposed method is reliable and practical for the facility location selection problems and other MCDM problems. Moreover, the proposed method has a considerable accuracy and is flexible and easy to use.     

SODA: A new method of in-scene atmospheric water vapor estimation and post-flight spectral recalibration for hyperspectral sensors: Application to the HyMap sensor at two locations

A new method of estimating per-pixel atmospheric column water vapor (ACWV) and potential differences in the reported band center wavelengths of the HyMap sensor has been developed. The new method uses variations of a second order derivative algorithm (SODA) to assess the impact of atmospheric residual features on calculated surface reflectance spectra after atmospheric compensation. The SODA method provides an alternative to the current band ratio techniques of ACWV estimation and also allows the same form of algorithm to be used for the estimation of possible band shifts. A comparison of in-situ measured surface reflectance at two field sites in Western Australia demonstrates improvement in the resulting spectra when post-flight updates are made to the reported HyMap band center wavelengths and applied during the atmospheric compensation process. The same SODA methodology was varied to estimate the ACWV on a per-pixel basis and found to significantly reduce the appearance of the underlying surface structure on the resulting ACWV images as well as improve the overall accuracy of the estimation. The ACWV estimated from the HyMap imagery at the two field sites was found to agree with in-situ atmospheric ACWV measurements to within 2% and represented a two fold increase in accuracy over a 3 band ratio Continuum Interpolated Band Ratio (CIBR) technique of ACWV estimation.     

New approach for the analysis and design of negative‐resistance oscillators: Application to a quasi‐MMIC VCO

This article proposes a new approach for the analysis and design of negative‐resistance oscillators using computer‐aided engineering tools. The method presented does not require any special probe and makes the oscillator design similar to the methodology applied to amplifiers. It speeds up convergence and avoids uncertainties in the solution. The negative‐resistance oscillator is split into two parts: an active‐amplifying part and a resonator part. A chain is constructed by linking both parts and repeating them several times, which is known as the repeated circuit simulation procedure. This method allows the separation of the signal flowing between them. Small‐signal AC‐sweep and harmonic‐balance techniques, both available in several commercial software packages, are applied. This method is theoretically justified and shows convergence with less iteration. Furthermore, it is more robust than standard harmonic‐balance probes in the case of multiple frequencies of oscillation. It has been demonstrated in the design of a quasi‐MMIC VCO. This VCO has an external resonator circuit (coaxial resonator and varactor) and a MMIC negative‐resistance circuit, which was manufactured using ED02AH p‐HEMT technology (OMMIC). © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J RF and Microwave CAE, 2006.     

A methodology and a software tool for sensor data validation/reconstruction: Application to the Catalonia regional water network

In this paper, a sensor data validation/reconstruction methodology applicable to water networks and its implementation by means of a software tool are presented. The aim is to guarantee that the sensor data are reliable and complete in case that sensor faults occur. The availability of such dataset is of paramount importance in order to successfully use the sensor data for further tasks e.g. water billing, network efficiency assessment, leak localization and real-time operational control. The methodology presented here is based on a sequence of tests and on the combined use of spatial models (SM) and time series models (TSM) applied to the sensors used for real-time monitoring and control of the water network. Spatial models take advantage of the physical relations between different system variables (e.g. flow and level sensors in hydraulic systems) while time series models take advantage of the temporal redundancy of the measured variables (here by means of a Holt–Winters (HW) time series model). First, the data validation approach, based on several tests of different complexity, is described to detect potential invalid or missing data. Then, the reconstruction process is based on a set of spatial and time series models used to reconstruct the missing/invalid data with the model estimation providing the best fit. A software tool implementing the proposed data validation and reconstruction methodology is also described. Finally, results obtained applying the proposed methodology to a real case study based on the Catalonia regional water network is used to illustrate its performance.     

A systematic method for 3D mapping of mangrove forests based on Shuttle Radar Topography Mission elevation data, ICEsat/GLAS waveforms and field data: Application to Ciénaga Grande de Santa Marta, Colombia

Mangrove forests are found within the intertropical zone and are one of the most biodiverse and productive wetlands on Earth. We focus on the Ciénaga Grande de Santa Marta (CGSM) in Colombia, the largest coastal lagoon–delta ecosystem in the Caribbean area with an extension of 1280 km², where one of the largest mangrove rehabilitation projects in Latin America is currently underway. Extensive man-made hydrological modifications in the region caused hypersaline soil (> 90 g kg^− 1) conditions since the 1960s triggering a large dieback of mangrove wetlands (~ 247 km²). In this paper, we describe a new systematic methodology to measure mangrove height and aboveground biomass by remote sensing. The method is based on SRTM (Shuttle Radar Topography Mission) elevation data, ICEsat/GLAS waveforms (Ice, Cloud, and Land Elevation Satellite/Geoscience Laser Altimeter System) and field data. Since the locations of the ICEsat and field datasets do not coincide, they are used independently to calibrate SRTM elevation and produce a map of mangrove canopy height. We compared height estimation methods based on waveform centroids and the canopy height profile (CHP). Linear relationships between ICEsat height estimates and SRTM elevation were derived. We found the centroid of the canopy waveform contribution (CWC) to be the best height estimator. The field data was used to estimate a SRTM canopy height bias (− 1.3 m) and estimation error (rms = 1.9 m). The relationship was applied to the SRTM elevation data to produce a mangrove canopy height map. Finally, we used field data and published allometric equations to derive an empirical relationship between canopy height and biomass. This relationship was used to scale the mangrove height map and estimate aboveground biomass distribution for the entire CGSM. The mean mangrove canopy height in CGSM is 7.7 m and most of the biomass is concentrated in forests around 9 m in height. Our biomass maps will enable estimation of regeneration rates of mangrove forests under hydrological rehabilitation at large spatial scales over the next decades. They will also be used to assess how highly disturbed mangrove forests respond to increasing sea level rise under current global climate change scenarios.