Best value concessionaire selection through a fuzzy logic system

Best value is the ultimate goal in the development of infrastructure projects through public private partnerships. This necessitates a best value approach in selecting the right private partner (i.e., the concessionaire) that involves evaluating alternative concessionaires against multiple conflicting criteria of varying degrees of importance and uncertainty. Correspondingly, this paper has developed a quantitative best value concessionaire selection system. The essence of this system lies in (1) the establishment of four-package evaluation criteria that can effectively measure the concessionaire’s capability and “predict” its future performance toward achieving the government’s best value objectives and (2) the development of a fuzzy-composite scoring and ranking method that ensures the right “tradeoff” between these criteria by relatively weighting fuzzy scores and logically aggregating evaluation results. This system would not only provide the government integrated assessments of alternative concessionaires so as to award the contract to the right concessionaire whose proposal is perceived to be able to maximize the outcome of the project, but also satisfy the requirements of the legal decision in order to withstand legal challenges concerning the public contract awarded in a best value approach. A hypothetical case study is provided to demonstrate the application of this best value concessionaire selection system.     

An interactive approach based on a discrete differential evolution algorithm for a class of integer bilevel programming problems

This paper presents an interactive approach based on a discrete differential evolution algorithm to solve a class of integer bilevel programming problems, in which integer decision variables are controlled by an upper-level decision maker and real-value or continuous decision variables are controlled by a lower-level decision maker. Using the Karush--Kuhn–Tucker optimality conditions in the lower-level programming, the original discrete bilevel formulation can be converted into a discrete single-level nonlinear programming problem with the complementarity constraints, and then the smoothing technique is applied to deal with the complementarity constraints. Finally, a discrete single-level nonlinear programming problem is obtained, and solved by an interactive approach. In each iteration, for each given upper-level discrete variable, a system of nonlinear equations including the lower-level variables and Lagrange multipliers is solved first, and then a discrete nonlinear programming problem only with inequality constraints is handled by using a discrete differential evolution algorithm. Simulation results show the effectiveness of the proposed approach.     

A two-stage approach in solving the state probabilities of the multi-queue M/G/1 model

The M/G/1 model is the fundamental basis of the queueing system in many network systems. Usually, the study of the M/G/1 is limited by the assumption of single queue and infinite capacity. In practice, however, these postulations may not be valid, particularly when dealing with many real-world problems. In this paper, a two-stage state-space approach is devoted to solving the state probabilities for the multi-queue finite-capacity M/G/1 model, i.e. q-M/G/1/K_i with K_i buffers in the ith queue. The state probabilities at departure instants are determined by solving a set of state transition equations. Afterward, an embedded Markov chain analysis is applied to derive the state probabilities with another set of state balance equations at arbitrary time instants. The closed forms of the state probabilities are also presented with theorems for reference. Applications of Little's theorem further present the corresponding results for queue lengths and average waiting times. Simulation experiments have demonstrated the correctness of the proposed approaches.     

ADRC Law of Spacecraft Rendezvous and Docking in Final Approach Phase

This article addresses the high-precision coordinated control problem of spacecraft autonomous rendezvous and docking, which couple the relative position and attitude in the final approach phase. The coupled dynamics equations of the tracking-target spacecrafts is derived by using dual quaternions. Then, a cascade Active Disturbance Rejection Controller is proposed, by which the extended state observer and nonlinear error feedback law is designed, the virtual value on which the actual control volume tracking is calculated to ensure the finite time convergence of the relative position and attitude tracking errors in spite of parametric uncertainties and external disturbances. Finally, numerical simulations are performed to demonstrate that the proposed approaches, which can avoid the coupling effect and restrain the interference, can track the target spacecraft in a relatively short period of time, and the control precision can satisfy the requirements of docking.     

An iterative approach for sparse direction-of-arrival estimation in co-prime arrays with off-grid targets

This paper addresses the problem of direction of arrival (DOA) estimation by exploiting the sparsity enforced recovery technique for co-prime arrays, which can increase the degrees of freedom. To apply the sparsity based technique, the discretization of the potential DOA range is required and every target must fall on the predefined grid. Off-grid target can highly deteriorate the recovery performance. To the end, this paper takes the off-grid DOAs into account and reformulates the sparse recovery problem with unknown grid offset vector. By introducing a convex function majorizing the given objective function, an iterative approach is developed to gradually amend the offset vector to achieve final DOA estimation. Numerical simulations are provided to verify the effectiveness of the proposed method in terms of detection ability, resolution ability and root mean squared estimation error, as compared to the other state-of-the-art methods.     

The EU data protection reform and the challenges of big data: remaining uncertainties and ways forward

As the first broad reform of the EU data protection legislation is being achieved, and notwithstanding EU institutions’ confident discourse, scepticism remains about the reform’s ability to safeguard the fundamental right to data protection in the face of evolving data processing techniques underlying so-called big data. Yet, one might wonder whether the cause for this difficulty should be ascribed mainly to technological progresses that the law finds it hard to deal with or rather to the policy choices embedded in the legal reform itself. Indeed, a new data protection enforcement model is being adopted, which relies heavily on risk assessment and management by the data controllers themselves. Likewise, data protection authorities see their supervisory role significantly weakened. These developments and the underlying rationality are discussed. Given the limitations of the risk-based approach as currently devised, we suggest that it be reappraised in consideration of risk regulatory experiences in other domains.     

Set-membership estimation from poor quality data sets: Modelling ammonia volatilisation in flooded rice systems

A set-membership (bounded-error) estimation approach can handle small and poor quality data sets as it does not require testing of statistical assumptions which is possible only with large informative data sets. Thus, set-membership estimation can be a good tool in the modelling of agri-environmental systems, which typically suffers from limited and poor quality observational data sets. The objectives of the paper are (i) to demonstrate how six parameters in an agri-environmental model, developed to estimate NH₃ volatilisation in flooded rice systems, were estimated based on two data sets using a set-membership approach, and (ii) to compare the set-membership approach with conventional non-linear least-squares methods. Results showed that the set-membership approach is efficient in retrieving feasible parameter-vectors compared with non-linear least-squares methods. The set of feasible parameter-vectors allows the formation of a dispersion matrix of which the eigenvalue decomposition reflects the parameter sensitivity in a region.     

面向系统能力的形式化分析和测试方法

国内软件业界实施系统测试时,大部分采用对系统规格说明描述的功能点进行逐一测试的方法,很少从系统能力的角度进行测试,难以充分说明系统软件产品满足系统能力需求的要求。同时,系统规格说明使用自然语言进行描述,存在语义不准确的现象,直接影响系统测试的质量。针对上述问题,提出了一种面向系统能力的形式化分析和测试方法。通过该方法,测试工程师可得到语义清晰的系统能力需求描述,并实施面向系统能力的系统测试,有效地提高系统测试的充分性和准确性,从而提高系统软件质量。     

A second-order maximum principle for discrete-time bilinear control systems with applications to discrete-time linear switched systems

A powerful approach for analyzing the stability of continuous-time switched systems is based on using optimal control theory to characterize the “most unstable” switching law. This reduces the problem of determining stability under arbitrary switching to analyzing stability for the specific “most unstable” switching law. For discrete-time switched systems, the variational approach received considerably less attention. This approach is based on using a first-order necessary optimality condition in the form of a maximum principle (MP), and typically this is not enough to completely characterize the “most unstable” switching law. In this paper, we provide a simple and self-contained derivation of a second-order necessary optimality condition for discrete-time bilinear control systems. This provides new information that cannot be derived using the first-order MP. We demonstrate several applications of this second-order MP to the stability analysis of discrete-time linear switched systems.     

A fuzzy reasoning and fuzzy-analytical hierarchy process based approach to the process of railway risk information: A railway risk management system

Risk management is becoming increasingly important for railway companies in order to safeguard their passengers and employees while improving safety and reducing maintenance costs. However, in many circumstances, the application of probabilistic risk analysis tools may not give satisfactory results because the risk data are incomplete or there is a high level of uncertainty involved in the risk data. This article presents the development of a risk management system for railway risk analysis using fuzzy reasoning approach and fuzzy analytical hierarchy decision making process. In the system, fuzzy reasoning approach (FRA) is employed to estimate the risk level of each hazardous event in terms of failure frequency, consequence severity and consequence probability. This allows imprecision or approximate information in the risk analysis process. Fuzzy analytical hierarchy process (fuzzy-AHP) technique is then incorporated into the risk model to use its advantage in determining the relative importance of the risk contributions so that the risk assessment can be progressed from hazardous event level to hazard group level and finally to railway system level. This risk assessment system can evaluate both qualitative and quantitative risk data and information associated with a railway system effectively and efficiently, which will provide railway risk analysts, managers and engineers with a method and tool to improve their safety management of railway systems and set safety standards. A case study on risk assessment of shunting at Hammersmith depot is used to illustrate the application of the proposed risk assessment system.