Data-driven maintenance of military systems:Potential and challenges

The success of military missions is largely dependent on the reliability and availability of the systems that are used. In modern warfare, data is considered as an important weapon, both in offence and defence. However, collection and analysis of the proper data can also play a crucial role in reducing the number of system failures, and thus increase the system availability and military performance considerably. In this chapter, the concept of data-driven maintenance will be introduced. First, the various maturity levels, ranging from detection of failures and automated diagnostics to advanced condition monitoring and predictive maintenance are introduced. Then, the different types of data and associated decisions are discussed. And finally, six practical cases from the Dutch MoD will be used to demonstrate the benefits of this concept and discuss the challenges that are encountered in applying this in military practice

Special oils for halal and safe cosmetics

Three types of non conventional oils were extracted, analyzed and tested for toxicity. Date palm kernel oil (DPKO), mango kernel oil (MKO) and Ramputan seed oil (RSO). Oil content for tow cultivars of dates Deglect Noor and Moshkan was 9.67% and 7.30%, respectively. The three varieties of mango were found to contain about 10% oil in average. The red yellow types of Ramputan were found to have 11 and 14% oil, respectively. The phenolic compounds in DPKO, MKO and RSO were 0.98, 0.88 and 0.78 mg/ml Gallic acid equivalent, respectively. Oils were analyzed for their fatty acid composition and they are rich in oleic acid C18:1 and showed the presence of (dodecanoic acid) lauric acid C12:0, which reported to appear some antimicrobial activities. All extracted oils, DPKO, MKO and RSO showed no toxic effect using prime shrimp bioassay. Since these oils are stable, melt at skin temperature, have good lubricity and are great source of essential fatty acids; they could be used as highly moisturizing, cleansing and nourishing oils because of high oleic acid content. They are ideal for use in such halal cosmetics such as Science, Engineering and Technology 75 skin care and massage, hair-care, soap and shampoo products

Problemas de localização-distribuição de serviços semiobnóxios: aproximações e apoio à decisão

Doutoramento em Gestão IndustrialA presente tese resulta de um trabalho de investigação cujo objectivo se centrou no problema de localização-distribuição (PLD) que pretende abordar, de forma integrada, duas actividades logísticas intimamente relacionadas: a localização de equipamentos e a distribuição de produtos. O PLD, nomeadamente a sua modelação matemática, tem sido estudado na literatura, dando origem a diversas aproximações que resultam de diferentes cenários reais. Importa portanto agrupar as diferentes variantes por forma a facilitar e potenciar a sua investigação. Após fazer uma revisão e propor uma taxonomia dos modelos de localização-distribuição, este trabalho foca-se na resolução de alguns modelos considerados como mais representativos. É feita assim a análise de dois dos PLDs mais básicos (os problema capacitados com procura nos nós e nos arcos), sendo apresentadas, para ambos, propostas de resolução. Posteriormente, é abordada a localização-distribuição de serviços semiobnóxios. Este tipo de serviços, ainda que seja necessário e indispensável para o público em geral, dada a sua natureza, exerce um efeito desagradável sobre as comunidades contíguas. Assim, aos critérios tipicamente utilizados na tomada de decisão sobre a localização destes serviços (habitualmente a minimização de custo) é necessário adicionar preocupações que reflectem a manutenção da qualidade de vida das regiões que sofrem o impacto do resultado da referida decisão. A abordagem da localização-distribuição de serviços semiobnóxios requer portanto uma análise multi-objectivo. Esta análise pode ser feita com recurso a dois métodos distintos: não interactivos e interactivos. Ambos são abordados nesta tese, com novas propostas, sendo o método interactivo proposto aplicável a outros problemas de programação inteira mista multi-objectivo. Por último, é desenvolvida uma ferramenta de apoio à decisão para os problemas abordados nesta tese, sendo apresentada a metodologia adoptada e as suas principais funcionalidades. A ferramenta desenvolvida tem grandes preocupações com a interface de utilizador, visto ser direccionada para decisores que tipicamente não têm conhecimentos sobre os modelos matemáticos subjacentes a este tipo de problemas.This thesis main objective is to address the location-routing problem (LRP) which intends to tackle, using an integrated approach, two highly related logistics activities: the location of facilities and the distribution of materials. The LRP, namely its mathematical formulation, has been studied in the literature, and several approaches have emerged, corresponding to different real-world scenarios. Therefore, it is important to identify and group the different LRP variants, in order to segment current research and foster future studies. After presenting a review and a taxonomy of location-routing models, the following research focuses on solving some of its variants. Thus, a study of two of the most basic LRPs (capacitated problems with demand either on the nodes or on the arcs) is performed, and new approaches are presented. Afterwards, the location-routing of semi-obnoxious facilities is addressed. These are facilities that, although providing useful and indispensible services, given their nature, bring about an undesirable effect to adjacent communities. Consequently, to the usual objectives when considering their location (cost minimization), new ones must be added that are able to reflect concerns regarding the quality of life of the communities impacted by the outcome of these decisions. The location-routing of semi-obnoxious facilities therefore requires to be analysed using multi-objective approaches, which can be of two types: noninteractive or interactive. Both are discussed and new methods proposed in this thesis; the proposed interactive method is suitable to other multi-objective mixed integer programming problems. Finally, a newly developed decision-support tool to address the LRP is presented (being the adopted methodology discussed, and its main functionalities shown). This tool has great concerns regarding the user interface, as it is directed at decision makers who typically don’t have specific knowledge of the underlying models of this type of problems

Towards a data-driven military: a multi-disciplinary perspective

Towards a data-driven military. A multi-disciplinary perspective assesses the use of data and information on modern conflict from different scientific and methodological disciplines, aiming to generate valuable contributions to the ongoing discourse on data, the military and modern warfare. Military Systems and Technology approaches the theme empirically by researching how data can enhance the utility of military materiel and subsequently accelerate the decision-making process. War Studies take a multidisciplinary approach to the evolution of warfare, while Military Management Studies take a holistic organisational and procedural approach. Based on their scientific protocols and research methods, the three domains put forward different research questions and perspectives, providing the unique character of this book

Determining optimal police patrol deployments: a simulation-based optimisation approach combining agent-based modelling and genetic algorithms

One of the most important tasks faced by police agencies concerns the strategic deployment of patrols in order to respond to calls whilst also deterring crime. Current deployment strategies typically lack robustness as they are often based on tradition. As police agencies are encouraged to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of their services, it is essential to devise advanced patrol deployments that are based on recent scientific evidence. Most existing models of patrol deployments are too simplistic, and are thus unable to provide a realistic representation of the complexity of patrol activities. Furthermore, past studies have tended to focus on individual aspects of patrol deployment such as efficiency, reactive effectiveness or proactive effectiveness, rather than consider them all together as part of the same problem. This thesis proposes to develop a decision-support tool for informing better patrol deployment designs. This tool consists of a simulation-based optimisation approach combining two key components: (1) an agent-based model (ABM) of patrol activities used to evaluate the performance of the system under a given deployment configuration and (2) a genetic algorithm (GA) which seeks to speed up the search for optimal deployments. While the developed framework is designed to be applicable to any police force, a case study is provided for the city of Detroit in order to demonstrate its potential. The developed decision-support tool shows considerable potential in informing more cost-effective patrol deployments. First, the ABM of patrol activities allows for exploration of the impact of various deployment decisions that police agencies are unable to experiment with in the real world. Second, the GA makes it possible to optimise patrol deployments by identifying 'good' solutions, which provide faster responses to incidents and deter crime in key areas, in reasonable time

An Empirical Investigation Of Information Technology Mediated Customer Services In China

Information technology mediated customer service is a reality of the 21st century. More and more companies have moved their customer services from in store and in person to online through computer or mobile devices. Using 208 respondents collected from two Chinese universities, this paper investigates customer preference over two service delivery model (either in store or online) on five type of purchasing (retail, eating-out, banking, travel and entertainment) and their perception difference in customer service quality between those two delivery model. Results show that a majority of Chinese students prefer in store and in person for eating out. For ordering tickets for travel and entertainment, they prefer computer/mobile device. For retail purchasing and banking, less than half of the students prefer in person services. In general, the results show that ordering through computer/mobile devices has become more popular in China and has received higher rating for most of customer service quality except security compared to ordering in store. In addition, it is found that there exist a gender difference in purchasing preference and perception in service delivery quality in China