On Conducting Simultaneous Versus Sequential Engineering Activities in Risky R&D

We consider development projects in which the activities can be classified in two types: uncertainty resolving R&D efforts that accumulate in the form of knowledge to eventually give rise to a discovery; and routine technical investments which aim at improving the profitability of the project once the discovery has been made. The advantage of initiating routine preparatory activities prior to the achievement of a technological breakthrough in such projects, sometimes termed as 'concurrent engineering', is analyzed within a suitable dynamic optimization framework. The optimal double expenditure policy is compared with the conservative delayed investment policy, under which all the routine engineering activities are delayed until the risky R&D efforts culminate in a breakthrough. A criterion for the optimality of the latter policy is developed on the basis of the probability distribution of the discovery date. The application of the criterion is illustrated for a variety of specifications regarding the uncertainty associated with the R&D process. We find that simultaneous investment is the optimal policy for a large class of probability distributions. However, if the conditional probability of immediate discovery is always below some critical value, it is optimal to delay the preparatory activities until the discovery.     

On hypercube packings,blocking sets and a covering problem

Consider sets S of hypercubes of side 2 in the discrete n-dimensional torus of side 4 with the property that every possible hypercube of side 2 has a nonempty intersection with some hypercube in S. The problem of minimizing the size of S is studied in two settings, depending on whether intersections between hypercubes in S are allowed or not. If intersections are not allowed, then one is asking for the smallest size of a non-extensible packing S  ; this size is denoted by f(n)$f(n)$. If intersections are allowed, then the structure S is called a blocking set. The smallest size of a blocking set S   is denoted by h(n)$h(n)$. By computer-aided techniques, it is shown that f(5)=12$f(5)=12$, f(6)=16$f(6)=16$, h(6)=15$h(6)=15$ and h(7)≤23$h(7)\le 23$. Also, non-extensible packings as well as blocking sets of certain small sizes are classified for n≤6$n\le 6$. There is a direct connection between these problems and a covering problem originating from the football pools.     

Error Detecting Dual Basis Bit Parallel Systolic Multiplication Architecture over GF（2^m）

An error tolerant hardware efficient verylarge scale integration （VLSI） architecture for bitparallel systolic multiplication over dual base, which canbe pipelined, is presented. Since this architecture has thefeatures of regularity, modularity and unidirectionaldata flow, this structure is well suited to VLSIimplementations. The length of the largest delay pathand area of this architecture are less compared to the bitparallel systolic multiplication architectures reportedearlier. The architecture is implemented using Austria Micro System＇s 0.35 μm CMOS （complementary metaloxide semiconductor） technology. This architecture canalso operate over both the dual-base and polynomialbase.     

Ku-band antenna array feed distribution network with ferroelectric phase shifters on silicon

This paper presents the design, fabrication, and experimental results of a 1 : 4 monolithic power distribution network for Ku-band array antenna applications. The network integrated on a high-resistivity silicon (HRS) substrate surface stabilized by polysilicon consists of three Wilkinson power dividers, four dc blocking filters, and four coplanar waveguide (CPW)-to-microstrip (MS) transitions. Each output ports are fed with a barium-strontium-titanate phase shifter. It is found that the introduction of the polysilicon layer between the oxide and HRS reduces RF losses significantly, which will enable the monolithic integration of high-power controller modules onto silicon because of the existence of the oxide layer, preventing any degradation of RF performances. The individual components show insertion losses ranging from 0.4 to 2.6 dB at 15 GHz, and the interconnecting CPW lines result in a loss of 0.064 dB/mm. This network was successfully integrated with MS patch antennas monolithically, showing good performance of 32-dB return loss at 14.85 GHz, and 10/spl deg/ beam-steering capability.     

Experimental investigation of a cook-off temperature in a hot barrel

The experimental investigations of the effect of contact time/temperature on initiating the cook-off using 7.62 mm calibre cartridge cases （CC） were conducted previously. These cartridges were filled with commercial off-the-shelf （COTS） double based （DB） propellant （Bulls Eye） and were loaded in a hot chamber. The thermal explosion temperature is of great significance to both weapon designers and safety inspectors as it provides the operational limit and safe operating temperature. For CC under test, it was found that the cook-off temperatures of this propellant were encountered with the heat transfer profile of the simulated gun barrel between 151.4 ℃ and 153.4 ℃, with a reaction occurring in less than 300 s after the round was chambered. Usefully, each experiment was found to be consistent and repeatable.     

Gated MaxWIP: A strategy for controlling multistage production systems

This study considers serial production systems with exponential processing times. The systems are balanced, i.e. all resources have the same production rate capacity. Preceding the system there is a 'gate' set to regulate the flow of material into the system. A control strategy directs each resource when to work or stay idle. The trade-off is between throughput (TP) and work-in-process (WIP). G-MaxWIP is a production control strategy allowing resources, except for the gate, to work unconstrained. The gate 'shuts' once the system's WIP reaches a maximum allowable level. We study the properties of G-MaxWIP and compare it to 'simple pull' and CONWIP. Our main findings are: G-MaxWIP is superior to simple pull. For any simple pull system operating a fixed set of resources it is possible to find G-MaxWIP systems that operate the same resources with less WIP while maintaining the same (or higher) TP. G-MaxWIP is superior to CONWIP. For any CONWIP system operating a fixed set of resources it is possible to find G-MaxWIP systems that operate the same resources with less WIP while maintaining the same (or higher) TP.     

Optimisation of maintenance strategy for rural road network using genetic algorithm

The objective of this paper is to develop an optimised maintenance strategy for the rural road network of Kerala state. This is accomplished with the development of a bi-objective deterministic optimisation model which simultaneously satisfies the objectives of both minimisation of total maintenance cost and maximisation of performance of the road network. The model is capable of planning the maintenance activities over a multi-year planning period. The performance of the road network is accounted using the composite index, namely Pavement Condition Index. The constraint-based genetic algorithm was used as the optimisation tool since it very well takes care of the combinatorial nature of the network-level pavement maintenance programming. The applicability of the model is illustrated using a case study for the rural road network of Kerala state in India. The effort made through this research work to develop a suitable Pavement Maintenance and Management System for rural road network can lead to the proper maintenance and upkeep of the rural roads, thereby triggering a positive impact on the Indian economy.     

Coercivity Control of Variable-Length Iron Chains in Phthalocyanine Thin Films

The magnetic characteristics of iron phthalocyanine thin films are studied with a vibrating sample magnetometer, identifying a ferromagnetic transition temperature at 4.5?K. The metal ions at the center of the molecule are self-assembled along chains producing quasi one-dimensional magnetic chains of variable length in the thin films. The average chain length is varied from 20 to 300?nm via substrate temperature during deposition. Below the critical transition temperature, the magnetization curves have the shape of wasp-waisted or constricted loops. The in-plane chain length modulates the coercivity and saturation field and larger grains increase the coercivity significantly. First-order reversal curves of the wasp-waisted hysteresis loops reveal a long narrow strip that suggests a broad distribution of coercive fields and weak intergrain magnetic interactions. These findings are also supported through simulations based on the Preisach model.     

A characterization of partial blocks in weighted graphs

Some of the classical connectivity concepts in Graph theory are generalized in this article. Strong and strongest strong cycles are introduced. Partial blocks are characterized using strongest paths. Some necessary and sufficient conditions for a weighted graph to be a partial block are also presented.