bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Control Variate Remedies
Authors: Nelson Barry L.
Published: November 2008

Other than common random numbers, control variates is the most promising variance reduction technique in terms of its potential for widespread use: Control variates is applicable in single or multiple response simulation, it does not require altering the simulation run in any way, and any stochastic simulation contains potential control variates. A rich theory of control variates has been developed in recent years. Most of this theory assumes a specific probabilistic structure for the simulation output process, usually joint normality of the response and the control variates. When these assumptions are not satisfied, desirable properties of the estimator, such as unbiasedness, may be lost. A number of remedies for violations of the assumptions have been proposed, including jackknifing and splitting. However, there has been no systematic analytical and empirical evaluation of these remedies. This paper presents such an evaluation, including evaluation of the small-sample statistical properties of the proposed remedies.
A Multistage Linear Array Assignment Problem
Authors: Kincaid R. K. , Nicol D. M. , Shier D. R. , Richards D.
Published: November 2008

Implementation of certain algorithms on parallel computing architectures may involve partitioning contiguous elements into a fixed number of groups, each to be handled by a single processor. We wish to find an assignment of elements to processors that minimizes the sum of the maximum workloads experienced at each stage. This problem may be viewed as a multiobjective network optimization problem. Polynomially-bounded algorithms are developed for the case of two-stages, whereas the general problem, for an arbitrary number of stages, is shown to be NP-hard. Heuristic procedures are therefore proposed and analyzed for the general problem. Computational experience with one of the exact algorithms, incorporating certain pruning rules, is presented for a variety of test problems. Empirical results also demonstrate that one of the heuristic procedures is especially effective in practice.
Natural Resource Land Management Planning Using Large-Scale Linear Programs: The USDA Forest Service Experience with FORPLAN
Authors: Kent Brian , Bare B. Bruce , Field Richard C. , Bradley Gordon A.
Published: November 2008

FORPLAN (FORest PLANning) is a large-scale linear programming system used to support national forest land management planning. It is available in two versions, and is used extensively to help interdisciplinary planning teams develop forest-wide plans as dictated by the National Forest Management Act of 1976. Nine years of experience clearly show that while the system is working in a technical sense, troublesome issues remain. This paper begins with an overview of how USDA Forest Service planning has evolved. We then give mathematical formulations for portions of FORPLAN models and examples of how the system is used to aid planners on national forests. We present an evaluation of the use of FORPLAN that addresses five criteria including, problems associated with large-scale models and systematic, comprehensive planning, Forest Service organizational issues, the role of foresters in national forest management, and conflicts over competing land uses. We then consider lessons for operations research practitioners. Finally, we discuss a number of conclusions and recommendations, the most important being the need for the Forest Service to more clearly specify the role of forest planning in the overall agency planning hierarchy and the role of FORPLAN in forest planning.
The Line Segmentation Problem
Authors: Ahmadi Reza H. , Matsuo Hirofumi
Published: November 2008

This paper describes a line segmentation problem in a multistage, multimachine production system. The production facility can concurrently produce several types of circuit boards because each production stage consists of multiple machines. The items produced are categorized into families, and items belonging to the same family share the common major setup, while switching over from one family to another requires a major setup. The line segmentation problem determines an allocation of machines at each production stage to families so as to minimize the time to complete all jobs. As a result of segmenting the line, several minilines are formed which are dedicated to the production of items in each family. Forming dedicated minilines and producing the items in a family on the same line captures the benefits of group technology and focused factory. We first formalize the line segmentation problem as a quadratic integer programming problem, and establish its NP-completeness. Since the problem is NP-complete, we propose several heuristics to find a good solution. Lower bounding procedures are developed to show the quality of the feasible solution. We also provide bounds on the performance of the heuristic solutions, and then empirically evaluate their performance.
Knowledge and Economic Development
Authors: Cyert Richard M.
Published: November 2008

The theme of the October 29–31, 1990, ORSA/TIMS meeting in Philadelphia was “Productivity and Global Competition.” This paper, which is an address given there, pursues this theme by emphasizing the importance of knowledge in contrast to natural resources as the critical ingredient in economic development in the future, and stresses the rapidity with which knowledge is transferred across national boundaries and the impossibility of restraining it, It forecasts that the competition among nations will lead to a situation in which no notation dominates international trade the way the United States did from the end of World War II until the early 1970s. Rather, the leadership will change in a pattern in which one nation innovates and others begin to follow and erode that innovation. Thus, in the long run, the critical ingredient will be the proportion of the GNP that a nation is willing to devote to research.
Optimal Pacing of Trains in Freight Railroads: Model Formulation and Solution
Authors: Kraay David , Harker Patrick T. , Chen Bintong
Published: November 2008

Recent developments in location systems technology for railroads provide a train dispatcher with the capability to improve the operations of a rail line by pacing trains over a territory; i.e., to permit trains to travel at less than maximum velocity to minimize fuel consumption while maintaining a given level of performance. Traditional railroad dispatching models assume that the velocities of the trains moving over a dispatcher's territory are fixed at their maximum value and, thus, are incapable of dealing with a pacing situation. This paper presents a mathematical programming model for the pacing problem and describes alternative solution procedures for this model. Analytical and numerical evidence are presented that confirm the applicability of a heuristic solution procedure for this problem, as well as providing evidence that a pacing approach versus the traditional dispatching approach is an efficient and potentially cost effective method for the control of train movements.
An Existence Theorem for OR/MS
Authors: White John A.
Published: November 2008

This paper, which is based on the Omega Rho lecture given at the 1990 ORSA/TIMS meeting in Philadelphia, states the author's necessary and sufficient conditions for effective OR/MS. Then it describes the changing character of this field, considers some opportunities for it, addresses some human resources concerns facing it, and offers a view of what it will do in the 21st century. After addressing some concerns about the higher education culture, it then provides some conclusions about the future of OR/MS.
Decision Analysis Applications in the Operations Research Literature, 1970–1989
Authors: Corner James L. , Kirkwood Craig W.
Published: November 2008

In order to provide a guide to source material for practitioners interested in applying decision analysis methods, this paper surveys applications of decision analysis published from 1970 through 1989. In addition, it presents references for useful decision analysis methods that are often omitted from introductory textbooks. As used in this article, the term decision analysis refers to a set of quantitative methods for analyzing decisions which use expected utility as the criterion for identifying the preferred decision alternative. To be included in this survey, an application had to explicitly analyze alternatives for a decision problem using judgmental probabilities and/or subjectively assessed utility functions. The paper classifies the applications into five areas: energy, manufacturing and services, medical, public policy, and general. It further subclassifies energy applications into bidding, product and project selection, regulation, site selection, and technology choice. Those in manufacturing and services are subclassified into budget allocation, product planning, strategy, and miscellaneous. Applications in public policy are subclassified into standard-setting and miscellaneous. The paper notes articles that present significant detail about methodological and implementation issues, including problem structure/formulation, decision trees, probability and utility assessment, communication/facilitation, and group decision making.
Optimal Scheduling of Inspections: A Delayed Markov Model with False Positives and Negatives
Authors: Özekici Suleyman , Pliska Stanley R.
Published: November 2008

A system subject to catastrophic failure deteriorates according to a delayed Markov process and is subjected to a series of binary tests that may yield false negative and false positive outcomes. A corrective action is carried out when a true positive is observed, thereby reducing the chance of system failure. Costs of inspections, false positives, the corrective action, and failure are incurred, and dynamic programming is used to compute the optimal inspection schedule. Two tractable computational methods are developed. The model, which is suited for medical screening, is applied to the problems of post-operative periumbilical pruritis and breast cancer.
Minimax Resource Allocation with Tree Structured Substitutable Resources
Authors: Klein Rachelle S. , Luss Hanan
Published: November 2008

We examine an allocation problem in which limited resources are allocated among competing activities. Certain substitutions among resources are possible. The substitutional relations are formulated using tree structures, where a node (resource) can substitute for all its descendants. Potential applications with such resources are found, for example, in the manufacturing of high technology products. The objective is to minimize the maximum weighted relative deviation of the activity levels from given demands. Our formulation of this problem involves a large number of possible resource constraints. We develop an efficient minimax algorithm that is based on an iterative solution of relaxed problems, where each such problem considers at most one aggregated constraint from each tree. The algorithm is extended to minimize lexicographically the nonincreasingly sorted vector of all terms in the objective, each of which represents an activity's deviation. Computational results show that the algorithm solves large problems using relatively small computation time.
Simultaneous Product-Mix Planning, Lot Sizing and Scheduling at Bottleneck Facilities
Authors: Hum Sin Hoon , Sarin Rakesh K.
Published: November 2008

Planning and scheduling of bottleneck operations is a fundamental problem in production management because bottleneck facilities control the output and profitability of the entire system. We develop optimal solutions for the product-mix planning, lot sizing, and scheduling of such bottleneck facilities. The integrated product-mix planning, lot sizing and scheduling problem yields a nonconvex, mixed-integer nonlinear program which is difficult to solve for global optimality. Our strategy is to characterize the optimal solution and reduce the overall problem to a series of smaller, single variable, constrained optimization problems which can be solved relatively easily. We provide results for the two-product case for both the single-stage and two-stage production systems and for two types of production environments. Optimal solutions are also provided for the single-stage multiproduct case when all products are produced under a common-cycle restriction. Our work represents an extension of classical product-mix models to include the economic lot sizing and scheduling model.
Brownian Networks with Discretionary Routing
Authors: Wein Lawrence M.
Published: November 2008

Motivated by scheduling problems that arise in flexible manufacturing systems, we develop a heuristic procedure to obtain effective flow control (sequencing, routing, and input control) policies for multiclass queueing networks. The procedure employs a Brownian model of J. M. Harrison that approximates a multiclass queueing network with dynamic scheduling capability, if the total load imposed on each station in the queueing network is approximately equal to that station's capacity. In this paper, each customer class may be served at any of several different stations, and thus dynamic routing decisions are added to the sequencing and input control decisions already present in Harrison's model. Using previous heavy traffic results as a guide, we observe that, under heavy traffic conditions, a queueing network routing its customers to the queue where they will incur the shortest expected delay behaves very much like the reduced queueing network formed by pooling the appropriate servers. This observation leads to a proposed reduction of a Brownian network with discretionary routing to a simpler Brownian network without discretinary routing. Computational results indicate that combining this reduction with previous analysis of Brownian networks without discretionary routing leads to effective flow control policies for many moderately sized queueing network scheduling problems.
Decision Support for Supercomputer Acquisition
Authors: Burd Stephen D. , Kassicieh Suleiman K.
Published: November 2008

This paper reports on a decision support system (DSS) for computer capacity planning. The system was developed for Sandia National Laboratories (SNL) to support planning in an environment characterized by large-scale scientific computing needs, governmental budgetary limitations and specific planning documentation required by the funding source. The implementation of the system is based directly on the concepts of relational model management and logic-based model representation and manipulation. The implementation vehicle for this system is an extended version of Prolog, which allows interactions with externally defined computational routines and sources of data. This vehicle provides for the integration of various data sources with a set of models for estimating capacity requirements and optimizing different objective functions subject to budgetary constraints.
Sufficient Conditions for Coincidence in Minisum Multifacility Location Problems with a General Metric
Authors: Lefebvre O. , Michelot C. , Plastria F.
Published: November 2008

It is a well observed fact that in minisum multifacility location problems the optimal locations of several facilities often tend to coincide. Some sufficient conditions for this phenomenon, involving only the weights and applicable to any metric, have been published previously. The objective of this paper is to show how these conditions may be extended further and to obtain a more complete description of their implications, in particular, in the case of certain locational constraints.
Parallel Savings Based Heuristics for the Delivery Problem
Authors: Altinkemer Kemal , Gavish Bezalel
Published: November 2008

The delivery problem consists of finding a set of routes for a fleet of capacitated vehicles to satisfy the cargo delivery requirements of customers. The vehicles are located in a central depot, and have to fulfill the delivery requirements in a sequence that minimizes total delivery costs. Each vehicle tour starts and terminates at the central depot, and each node is supplied by exactly one vehicle. All vehicles have the same cargo carrying capacity. The paper presents parallel savings algorithms (PSAs) for generating feasible solutions to this problem. The new algorithms combine the savings approach, with matching based procedures. In computational tests the heuristic produces better solutions than the best known solutions for six problems out of a standard set of 14 difficult test problems. Augmented Lagrangian based lower bounding procedures are developed, and used to evaluate the quality of the solutions generated by PSAs. The lower bounds generated by the augmented Lagrangian are the tightest bounds known for delivery problems. The performance of the PSAs is also compared to tour partitioning based heuristics which have better worst case error bounds. The average quality of solutions generated by PSAs is shown to be significantly superior on large sets of test problems.
Off-Day Scheduling with Hierarchical Worker Categories
Authors: Emmons Hamilton , Burns Richard N.
Published: November 2008

A work force includes workers of m types. The worker categories are ordered, with type-1 workers the most highly qualified, type-2 the next, and so on. If the need arises, a type-k worker is able to substitute for a worker of any type j > k (k = 1, …, m − 1). For 7-day-a-week operation, daily requirements are for at least Dk workers of type-k or better, of which at least dk must be precisely type-k. Formulas are given to find the smallest number and most economical mix of workers, assuming that each worker must have 2 off-days per week and a given fraction of weekends off. Algorithms are presented which generate a feasible schedule, and provide work stretches between 2 and 5 days, and consecutive weekdays off when on duty for 2 weekends in a row, without additional staff.
Optimal Manufacturing of a Two Product Mix
Authors: Kella Offer
Published: November 2008

We consider a machine that works constantly and produces two types of fluid products, one type of product at a time. Whenever there is a positive amount of both types of products, the products are mixed immediately and shipped away. Whenever mixing is infeasible the product that is currently being produced accumulates inventory. The goal is to minimize the long-run average as well as the discounted costs of running such an operation. Inventory incurs a linear holding cost for each type of product. Also, whenever switching from the production of one type of product to the other, a fixed switching cost is incurred. It is found that a stationary periodic policy is optimal. The optimal solution for the long-run average cost criterion is described by closed form formulas. As a special case, we show that the (s, S) policy for the textbook EOQ inventory model is indeed optimal over the class of all policies. Also, a theorem that proves the optimality of cyclic policies within a particular set of policies is introduced in a very general setting.
Value Functions When Decision Criteria Are Not Totally Substitutable
Authors: Sounderpandian Jayavel
Published: November 2008

A necessary condition for the widely used additive value function is total preferential independence, or somewhat equivalently, total substitutability among the decision criteria. We consider cases where total substitutability is absent, and study the value functions that are applicable to such cases. First we take the case of total nonsubstitutability, and prove that the maximin value function is appropriate for it. This result easily extends to the closely related maximax value function. Next we consider the case where there is neither total substitutability nor total nonsubstitutability, and show how a minsum value function can be applicable. A minsum function is one that uses only addition and minimum extraction operations. We explain how the structure of a minsum function can be inferred from substitutability information. In the process, we encounter certain subsets of criteria which we call chains and cuts.
A Lagrangian Based Approach for the Asymmetric Generalized Traveling Salesman Problem
Authors: Noon Charles E. , Bean James C.
Published: November 2008

This paper presents an optimal approach for the asymmetric Generalized Traveling Salesman Problem (GTSP). The GTSP is defined on a directed graph in which the nodes are grouped into m predefined, mutually exclusive and exhaustive sets with the arc set containing no intraset arcs. The problem is to find a minimum cost m-arc directed cycle which includes exactly one node from each set. Our approach employs a Lagrangian relaxation to compute a lower bound on the total cost of an optimal solution. The lower bound and a heuristically determined upper bound are used to identify and remove arcs and nodes which are guaranteed not to be in an optimal solution. Finally, we use an efficient branch-and-bound procedure which exploits the multiple choice structure of the node sets. We present computational results for the optimal approach tested on a series of randomly generated problems. The results show success on a range of problems with up to 104 nodes.
C.P.M. Scheduling with Small Communication Delays and Task Duplication
Authors: Colin J. Y. , Chrétienne P.
Published: November 2008

This paper addresses a machine scheduling problem that arises in the case of scheduling tasks over an idealized distributed multiprocessor. Precedence constraints with small communication delays have to be taken into account and task duplication is allowed. A critical path-like algorithm is presented, which is shown to construct an optimal schedule in polynomial time.
Introducing Students to Community Operations Research by Using a City Neighborhood As A Living Laboratory
Authors: Bajgier Steve M. , Maragah Hazem D. , Saccucci Michael S. , Verzilli Andrew , Prybutok Victor R.
Published: November 2008

This paper describes a course taught in the College of Business and Administration at Drexel University in which students undertake real-world projects in an inner-city neighborhood. The course is an elective for students who have been exposed to the traditional techniques for problem solving in such courses as management science, operational research, statistics, organizational behavior, marketing, and economics. They address such public sector problems as people moving, traffic flow, trash removal, market promotion, and surveys. Typically, the students discover that these problems are complex and have many stakeholders with competing interests, so that they do not fit neatly into one of the problem types encountered in traditional course work. Thus, the students are encouraged to bring to bear a variety of traditional and nontraditional techniques from many disciplines. The work on large-scale problems is pursued in directed project teams that simultaneously offer the students a unique learning experience and real service to the community.
An Assessment Procedure for Simulation Models: A Case Study
Authors: Fossett Christine A. , Harrison Dale , Weintrob Harry , Gass Saul I.
Published: November 2008

The objective of this study was to develop and test a method for evaluating simulation models and to illustrate how it can provide insights into a simulation's strengths and weaknesses, especially in terms of identifying areas for improvements. To this end, our resulting evaluative methodology was systematically applied to three Army simulation models that were used in the acquisition of air defense systems. We describe the evaluative framework and the results of our analysis.
Computing Cournot-Nash Equilibria
Authors: Kolstad Charles D. , Mathiesen Lars
Published: November 2008

This paper examines convergence criteria of an algorithm for the computation of Cournot-Nash economic equilibria. The method is based on formulating the equilibrium problem as that of finding a solution to a nonlinear complementarity problem, solved by sequential linearization and Lemke's algorithm. Conditions for local and global convergence are developed and the technique is applied to homogeneous, segmented and differentiated product markets.
A Cutting Plane Approach for Chance Constrained Linear Programs
Authors: Weintraub Andrés , Vera Jorge
Published: November 2008

One approach for solving linear programs with random coefficients is chance constrained programming. For the case where the technical coefficients are normally distributed, we present a convergent cutting plane algorithm to solve the equivalent nonlinear program, which takes advantage of the characteristics of the problem. The algorithm requires a moderate computational effort and compares favorably with a general nonlinear code and other approaches proposed for solving this problem.
Joint Optimal Planning of Industrial Cogeneration and Conventional Electricity Systems
Authors: Kwun Y. H. , Baughman M. L.
Published: November 2008

This study presents a model that integrates the supply planning of potential cogenerating industries with that of the host electric utility suppliers. It provides a tool for electric utilities and potential cogenerators to analyze the effect of cogeneration on their energy supply plans. The model can analyze how much the potential benefits of cogeneration might be and how the benefits might be distributed among the participating industries.
An Operation Partitioning Problem for Automated Assembly System Design
Authors: Ahmadi Reza H. , Tang Christopher S.
Published: November 2008

This paper presents an operation partitioning problem (OPP) that arises from the design of an automated assembly system. To reduce the traffic flow of the system, the OPP assigns operations to machines so that the total number of movements of jobs between machines is minimized. This problem has applications in flexible manufacturing and VLSI design. In flexible manufacturing, OPP relates to a part grouping problem in which different parts are grouped into families. In VLSI design, this problem is related to a VLSI design problem in which a large circuit is partitioned into layers of small circuits. In this paper, we develop a simulated annealing heuristic that finds a near-optimal solution. Random problems are generated for examining the effectiveness of this heuristic.
Earliness-Tardiness Scheduling Problems, I: Weighted Deviation of Completion Times About a Common Due Date
Authors: Hall Nicholas G. , Posner Marc E.
Published: November 2008

This paper and its companion (Part II) concern the scheduling of jobs with cost penalties for both early and late completion. In Part I, we consider the problem of minimizing the weighted sum of earliness and tardiness of jobs scheduled on a single processor around a common due date, d. We assume that d is not early enough to constrain the scheduling decision. The weight of a job does not depend on whether the job is early or late, but weights may vary between jobs. We prove that the recognition version of this problem is NP-complete in the ordinary sense. We describe optimality conditions, and present a computationally efficient dynamic programming algorithm. When the weights are bounded by a polynomial function of the number of jobs, a fully polynomial approximation scheme is given. We also describe four special cases for which the problem is polynomially solvable. Part II provides similar results for the unweighted version of this problem, where d is arbitrary.
Habitual Domains
Authors: Yu P. L.
Published: November 2008

This paper offers an introductory view of the concept of habitual domains. It describes how they affect behavior, discusses their formation, dynamics, stability, and application, and points out how to expand and enrich them. Finally, this concept is related to the operations research profession to suggest how its habitual domains can be expanded and enriched to make OR workers more effective, both individually and collectively.
A Taxonomy of Discrete Manufacturing Systems
Authors: Dietrich B. L.
Published: November 2008

This paper proposes a classification scheme for discrete manufacturing systems. It also includes a brief discussion of modeling, analysis, and optimization techniques that have been applied to manufacturing. This taxonomy is intended to be a first step in fitting existing environments to models. This will indicate directions for future manufacturing modeling and analysis.
Letter to the Editor—Comments on “Evaluating the Adequacy of Airport Parking Lots”
Authors: Waldron Stephen , Steinhardt Jacinto
Published: November 2008

This paper by F. V. Hurst, Jr., which appeared in the November 1955 issue of this Journal, deals with a useful and interesting problem: what number of parking spaces is required to cope adequately with the maximum inventory of parked cars? Here “adequate” and “inventory” are used as defined in the paper. Several comments about Hurst' paper follow.
Statistics and Operations Research
Authors: Morse Philip M.
Published: November 2008

Usually when one thinks of applied mathematics, one thinks of applications in the physical sciences—physics or chemistry—or in the various branches of engineering. But there are other fields of applications, more closely related to the life sciences, where mathematics is also being applied. One small part of this new field of application is in what is coming to be called operations research. Paper presented to the meeting of the International Institute of Statistics, at Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, August, 1955.
Approaches to Operational Problems in Street and Highway Traffic—A Review
Authors: Gerlough D. L. , Mathewson J. H.
Published: November 2008

Recently developed techniques for traffic operational changes involving traffic signal control equipment are discussed. Present practice is very largely based on intuition and qualitative analysis. Quantitative analysis is limited because a general theory of traffic flow has not yet been developed Studies aimed at the eventual formulation of a theory of traffic flow are being conducted at the Road Research Laboratory (British), Brown University, the University of Michigan, and the University of California. In combination with the flow theory the greatest promise appears to be in the simulation approach, some aspects of which are discussed.
Criteria for the Selection of Water-Resource Projects
Authors: Mckean Roland N.
Published: November 2008

Estimates of the cost and gain attributable to water-resourcp projects (e.g., irrigation or flood-control measures) are often used to help winnow out the ones that should be undertaken. This sort of comparison, which is usually called “cost-benefit analysis,” is closely related to systems analysis and operations research, all of these activities pose problems of formulating analyses and devising tests of preferredness. In this connection, three points are discussed and illustrated. (a) With a given water-resource budget, maximization of the present value of net benefits is a better test than the maximization of the conventional benefit-cost ratio. (b) The alternatives that are compared should be water-resource “systems”—each consisting of a proposed project added onto existing watershed features and projects. As new projects are approved and constructed, the other proposals added onto the original watershed features may no longer be the relevant alternatives. (c) The alternatives that are compared should include project-increments, not just huge “lumps.”
The Traveling-Salesman Problem
Authors: Flood Merrill M.
Published: November 2008

The traveling-salesman problem is that of finding a permutation P = (1 i2 i3 … in) of the integers from 1 through n that minimizes the quantity [Formula: see text] where the aαβ are a given set of real numbers. More accurately, since there are only (n − 1)′ possibilities to consider, the problem is to find an efficient method for choosing a minimizing permutation. This problem was posed, in 1934, by Hassler Whitney in a seminar talk at Princeton University. There are as yet no acceptable computational methods, and surprisingly few mathematical results relative to the problem.
Prediction of Odd-Lot Stock Transactions
Authors: Weiss Herbert K.
Published: November 2008

Operations-research problems sometimes involve the prediction of time series. An interesting process against which to demonstrate the prediction of multiple time series is the buying and selling of odd lots of stocks on the New York Stock Exchange. The process also offers the opportunity of observing how customer buying is affected by price changes. Examination of data published by the Securities and Exchange Commission reveals that customer response tends to lag behind market changes by about half a year, with customer behavior reflected in dealers' inventories with an additional three months lag. The capabilities of several linear prediction functions applied to dealers' inventory are compared, and a simple two point predictor is shown to be nearly as efficient as a more complex form.
A Monte Carlo Model of Lanchester's Square Law
Authors: Driggs Ivan
Published: November 2008

F. W. Lanchester published, in 1916, the book entitled Aircraft in Warfare, the Dawn of the Fourth Arm (Lanchester, F. W. 1916. Aircraft in Warfare, the Dawn of the Fourth Arm. Constable, London.). In the course of the development of this work. Lanchester suggested equations, based upon probability analyses, that express various types of tactical situations. In the simplest form as proposed by Lanchester the theory, theorem, or law for a multiple-element engagement states “The over-all effectiveness of a given force equals the average effectiveness of the individual units multiplied by the square of the number of units engaged”. By multiple-element engagement is meant a situation in which each element of one force can fire on any or all elements of the other, as distinguished from a series of individual duels such as were experienced in early sword to shield warfare.
Multiple Factor Break-Even Analysis: The Application of Operations-Research Techniques to a Basic Problem of Management Planning and Control
Authors: Weinberg Robert Stanley
Published: November 2008

To date published operations-research studies have dealt exclusively with a wide range of specific and somewhat narrow business problems. Such specific operating problems as machine loading, inventory control, production and transportation scheduling, product and quality control, market analysis of products or product lines, the allocation of specific effort (advertising, sales promotion, etc.), and the lower-operating-level problems of selected public utilities. The present paper will discuss the application of operations-research techniques to a more general and higher-order (organizationally) class of business problems. It will be demonstrated that operations-research techniques may be successfully applied to a wide range of aggregate top-level problems of business planning and control. The planning and control models discussed below have, for the past three years, been successfully applied to a wide range of problems posed by top-level business executives. The planning situations described are those generally proposed at the board of directors, finance committee, or operating vice-president level. Selecting operating profits as the primary measure of effectiveness, it will be shown that a company's profits are dependent upon four basic factors the level of general economic activity, the level of total industry sales, the company's competitive strategy and the counter strategies of their competitors, and the company's policy toward and control over their own cost structure.
A Brief History of the Development of Canadian Military Operational Research
Authors: Morton N. W.
Published: November 2008

Invited paper presented to the session on Historical Development of Operations Research at the Ottawa Meeting of the Society on January 4, 1956.
The Determination of Requirements for Warehouse Dock Facilities
Authors: Schiller Donald H. , Lavin Marvin M.
Published: November 2008

One of the characteristic problems undertaken by operations research is a prediction of the extent of new facilities required to meet contemplated changes in a company's business operation. Such a problem—recently presented to Caywood-Schiller, Associates by Wieboldt Stores, Incorporated of Chicago—is the subject of this article.
On Operations Analysis
Authors: Roy Robert H.
Published: November 2008

Among the staff elements of organization which have multiplied in recent years are those engaged in the analysis of operations. Their tasks are described variously as operations research, industrial engineering, operations analysis, operations evaluation, etc., terms which are not quite synonymous nor altogether acceptable to jealous practitioners in one or another of these fields. Here, however, they will mean the same thing staff engaged in the analysis of operations with the mission of improving performance. Their goal is research rather than service.

This paper was presented as an invited address to the session on Operations Research and the Firm at the Fourth Annual Meeting of the Society, Washington, D.C., May 10, 1956.
The Theory of Search. I. Kinematic Bases
Authors: Koopman B. O.
Published: November 2008

In the conventional search situation, there are three general features. I The kinematic bases, involving the positions, geometrical configurations, and motions in the searchers and targets, with particular reference to the statistics of their contacts and the probabilities of their reaching various specified relative positions. II The probabilistic behavior of the instrument of detection (eye, radar, sonar, etc) when making a given passage relative to the target. III The over-all result—the probability of contact under general stated conditions, along with the possibility of optimizing the results by improving the methods of directing the search.

The present paper is devoted to the first feature, and is intended to provide the kinematic bases of the theory. It studies fairly simple cases of relative motion and draws inspiration from the kinetic theory of matter. The second paper, entitled Target Detection, will deal with the second feature. It is based on the methods of survival probabilities familiar in actuarial studies, and is, it must be emphasized, confined to the case of independent trials. A third paper will deal with an important aspect of the third feature, and will be entitled The Optimum Distribution of Searching Effort. It represents the continuous extension of a paper of a similar title published by the author in Operations Research in February 1953.
Education for Operations Research
Authors: Brothers LeRoy A.
Published: November 2008

Education for Operations Research must meet two distinct and important challenges: (a) how to provide a continuing flow of new young scientists, in rapidly increasing quantity, to meet the needs of the fast-growing number of operations-research groups developing in industry and the somewhat more slowly expanding demands from the government departments of this country and others, and (b) how to provide opportunities for scientists who have worked continuously as operations analysts for many years to acquaint themselves with the advances in their own fields of science. I would like to discuss these two aspects of education for operations research briefly with you this evening (Address of the Retiring President at the banquet of the Fourth Annual Meeting of the Operations Research Society of America, Washington, D.C., May 10, 1956.).
A Two-Phase Method for the Simplex Tableau
Authors: Wagner Harvey M.
Published: November 2008

A version of a two-phase simplex technique is given for manually solving those linear-programming problems in which artificial vectors are introduced and subsequently driven out. The first phase of the method determines feasibility, provided it exists, the second phase, which follows, searches for optimality.
The Relevance of Costs in Operations Research
Authors: Hoag Malcolm W.
Published: November 2008

Operations research may be divided into studies in which (1) costs are largely irrelevant, because the problem is the maximizing of one objective subject to specific fixed constraints, (2) a measure of real cost internal to the analysis is required, because multiple objectives compete for specific inputs whose supplies are fixed, and (3) real costs must be approximated by money costs, because the form and amount of many inputs can be altered. The scope of the analysis undertaken and the time available for adjustment of the operations in question determine into which group a particular study falls. As an illustration, the context of a hypothetical allocation problem is changed to make it fall successively into each group. Gross misuse of cost measures can result from a failure of operations analysts to discriminate among these groups and to apply tests of efficiency appropriate to each.
The Need for Basic Research in Marketing
Authors: McKitterick J. B.
Published: November 2008

Mr. McKitterick is in the process of organizing a group to perform fundamental and long-range research in marketing. He is incorporating operations-research personnel into his group because of his conviction that traditional marketing research alone is not adequate for the job. In this talk given to a group of trainees in the General Electric Company he discusses the types of marketing problems with which he hopes to become involved and indicates why he believes traditional approaches are not adequate R.L.A.
On The Determination of Optimum Reserve Generating Capacity in an Electric Utility System
Authors: Arnoff E. Leonard , Chambers John C.
Published: November 2008

For any electric utility system, a prime requirement is the ability to be able to fulfill customer demands for power with some prescribed measure of reliability. Since future customer demands can only be estimated and since generators and auxiliary equipment (boilers, turbines, etc.) are subject to forced outages (i.e., breakdowns), a utility system is required to maintain a reserve of installed generating capacity in the form of “extra” turbo-generator units. An important problem area, then, is that associated with the determination of a proper (or optimum) installed reserve generating capacity. Failure to have a sufficient reserve (sufficient, as measured by some criterion) leads to customer shortages with resulting customer dissatisfaction and loss of revenue, both direct and indirect. On the other hand, a surplus of generating capacity means additional “inventory” costs—costs associated with direct charges on idle or unnecessary capital equipment.
Training Tomorrow's Managers: A Note to Today's Managers
Authors: Hollister Clay H.
Published: November 2008

This note is directed to those managers who are likely to appreciate the fact that the practice of management is rapidly becoming the application of science and technology to organization problems, or put in other words, that management is becoming a technical profession.
The Operations Research Society of America—Report of the Secretary
Authors: Ernst Martin L.
Published: November 2008

Report of the Secretary of The Operations Research Society of America about activities of the Society—status on April 30, 1956.
Estimation of Reliability Growth in a Complex System with a Poisson-Type Failure
Authors: Weiss Herbert K.
Published: November 2008

Many modern complex systems, especially those involving numerous electronic components, are subject to failures with operating time that follow a Poisson-type distribution. In the course of development of such a system engineering changes are made, with the object of improving system performance or reliability. As a result, no two successive assemblies are alike in all components, although only a few changes may have been made across assemblies. It is nevertheless desirable to know at the earliest possible time in the development program (1) the level of reliability of the system, (2) whether reliability is increasing, and if so, how rapidly, and (3) the expected reliability at the end of the projected development program. In this paper, methods are developed for fitting typical reliability growth curves to experimental data by the method of maximum likelihood. Mathematical models are also developed for an idealized engineering development process to provide a basis for the selection of a suitable growth curve.
A Reply to Comments by James M. Dobbie
Authors: Edie Leslie C.
Published: November 2008

Author's response to the comments from Dobbie, James M. 1956. Letter to the editor—Comments on “Expectancy of multiple vehicular breakdowns in a tunnel”. Oper. Res. 4 609–614.
Three Applications of Operations Research in a Large Electric Utility
Authors: Sandiford P. J. , Bernholtz B. , Shelson W.
Published: November 2008

The studies described are (1) the development of a “self-correcting” system for estimating, up to twelve months in advance, the future monthly mean levels of Lake Erie, which control the flow available for power generation at Niagara Falls, (2) the development of a system for forecasting daily peak loads up to twenty-four hours in advance, based on a new model of load behavior, whose input is a normal weather forecast and whose output has a median error of less than 1 per cent, (3) the development of a method for determining the optimum replacement point for trucks in a large fleet under changing economic conditions.
The Output of a Queuing System
Authors: Burke Paul J.
Published: November 2008

For a queuing system with Poisson input, a single waiting line without defections, and identically distributed independent (negative) exponential service times, the equilibrium distribution of the number of service completions in an arbitrary time interval is shown to be the same as the input distribution, for any number of servers. This result has applications in problems of tandem queuing. The essence of the proof is the demonstration of the independence of an interdeparture interval and the state of the system at the end of the interval.
Use of Transfer Functions for Company Planning
Authors: Johnson Gordon K. , Turner Inez M.
Published: November 2008

In the aeronautical industry as in other manufacturing industries, one of the problems associated with planning an engineering program is to determine the amount and timing of engineering effort needed to support the sales forecast. In an effort to understand this problem better, a study was made of the relation of engineering effort to sales. It was found that this problem was analogous to that of a servomechanism system for which mathematical techniques have been developed and applied successfully. The study resulted in the development of a “transfer-function” formula which has proved to be a useful tool for measuring the relation between engineering effort and sales. The method employed to obtain the transfer function and the results obtained by its use are presented herein.
Training in Operations Research at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Authors: Morse Philip M.
Published: November 2008

Two contributions: (1) Training in Operations Research at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology by Philip M. Morse, and (2) Operations Research at the Johns Hopkins University by Rogert H. Roy.
Lot Sizing Policies for Finite Production Rate Assembly Systems
Authors: Atkins Derek , Queyranne Maurice , Sun Daning
Published: November 2008

An assembly production system with n facilities has a constant external demand occurring at the end facility. Production rates at each facility are finite and nonincreasing along any path in the assembly network. Associated with each facility are a setup cost and positive echelon holding cost rate. The formulation of the lot sizing problem is developed in terms of integer-ratio lot size policies. This formulation provides a unification of the integer-split policies formulation of L. B. Schwarz and L. Schrage and the integer-multiple policies formulation of J. P. Moily, allowing either assumption to be operative at any point in the system. A relaxed solution to this unified formulation provides a lower bound to the cost of any feasible policy. The derivation of this Lower Bound Theorem is novel and relies on the notion of path holding costs, which is a generalization of echelon holding costs. An optimal power-of-two lot size policy is found by an O(n5) algorithm and its cost is within 2% of the optimum in the worst case.