Extension of dynamic programming to nonseparable dynamic optimization problems

AbstractThe use of dynamic programming is extended to a general nonseparable class where multiobjective optimization is used as a separation strategy. The original nonseparable dynamic optimization problem is first embedded into a separable, albeit multiobjective, optimization problem where multiobjective dynamic programming using the envelope approach is used as a solution scheme. Under certain conditions, the optimal solution of the original nonseparable problem is proven to be attained by a noninferior solution

Hierarchical Modeling for the Planning and Management of a Total Regional Water Resource System : Joint Consideration of the Supply and Quality of Ground and Surface Water Resources

Executive Summary -- Table of Contents -- List of Figures -- List of Tables -- Chapter 1 Introduction -- Chapter 2 Modeling of a Complex System of Surface Water Pollution Control and Management -- Chapter 3 Multiobjective Integrated Planning Model for Surface Water Pollution Control -- Chapter 4 Modeling for a Complex, Large-Scale Groundwater System - The Decomposition and Superposition Approach -- Chapter 5 Identification of Groundwater Parameters in a Multicell System -- Chapter 6 An Optimal Control Analysis for the Management of a Groundwater Aquifer-Stream System -- Chapter 7 Example Problem - A Conjunctive Use of Ground and Surface Water Systems -- Chapter 8 A Tax Quota Model in a Multicell-Multistream System -- Chapter 9 Summary, Conclusions and Recommendations -- Reference

Integrated System Identification and Optimization for Conjunctive Use of Ground and Surface Water : Phase I

This research was supported in part by the Office of Water Resources Research. U.S. Department of the Interior under Project B-045-OHIO(print) xv, 154 p. charts, maps. 28 cm.Project Staff -- Acknowledgements -- Executive Summary -- Table of Contents -- List of Tables -- List of Figures -- Chapter I: Problem Definition and Data Collection -- Chapter II: Modeling and Identification of Aquifer Systems -- Chapter III: Groundwater Identification Model - Model Three -- Chapter IV: Computational Results Analyses -- Chapter V: Extension of Aquifer Model Development: A Multicell Model -- References -- Appendice

Decisional Conflict and User Acceptance of Multicriteria Decision-Making Aids *

Despite the development of increasingly sophisticated and refined multicriteria decision-making (MCDM) methods, an examination of the experimental evidence indicates that users most often prefer relatively unsophisticated methods. In this paper, we synthesize theories and empirical findings from the psychology of judgment and choice to provide a new theoretical explanation for such user preferences. Our argument centers on the assertion that the MCDM method preferred by decision makers is a function of the degree to which the method tends to introduce decisional conflict. The model we develop relates response mode, decision strategy, and the salience of decisional conflict to user preferences among decision aids. We then show that the model is consistent with empirical results in MCDM studies. Next, the role of decisional conflict in problem formulation aids is briefly discussed. Finally, we outline future research needed to thoroughly test the theoretical mechanisms we have proposed.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/73461/1/j.1540-5915.1991.tb00371.x.pd

Attitudes on the donation of human embryos for stem cell research among Chinese IVF patients and students

Bioethical debates on the use of human embryos and oocytes for stem cell research have often been criticized for the lack of empirical insights into the perceptions and experiences of the women and couples who are asked to donate these tissues in the IVF clinic. Empirical studies that have investigated the attitudes of IVF patients and citizens on the (potential) donation of their embryos and oocytes have been scarce and have focused predominantly on the situation in Europe and Australia. This article examines the viewpoints on the donation of embryos for stem cell research among IVF patients and students in China. Research into the perceptions of patients is based on in-depth interviews with IVF patients and IVF clinicians. Research into the attitudes of students is based on a quantitative survey study (n=427). The empirical findings in this paper indicate that perceptions of the donation of human embryos for stem cell research in China are far more diverse and complex than has commonly been suggested. Claims that ethical concerns regarding the donation and use of embryos and oocytes for stem cell research are typical for Western societies but absent in China cannot be upheld. The article shows that research into the situated perceptions and cultural specificities of human tissue donation can play a crucial role in the deconstruction of politicized bioethical argumentation and the (often ill-informed) assumptions about “others” that underlie socio-ethical debates on the moral dilemmas of technology developments in the life sciences