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Different Objectives (different + objective)
Terms modified by Different Objectives Selected AbstractsFlexible enforcement and fine adjustmentREGULATION & GOVERNANCE, Issue 4 2007Christopher S. Decker Abstract This paper considers the level of, and changes in, optimal noncompliance penalties under the following conditions: (i) where the regulator responsible for setting policy parameters, such as a penalty, is different from (and thus may have a different objective from) the regulator responsible for enforcing existing regulations; and (ii) where enforcement behavior changes from one in which enforcers are unresponsive to overtures on the part of firms to increase compliance to one in which enforcers are responsive to such overtures. The model developed shows that when enforcers "switch" from unresponsive to responsive enforcement, the optimal penalties for noncompliance need to be reduced. The analysis also gives insights as to what variables dictate the degree of penalty reduction. [source] Optimal seismic design of steel frame buildings based on life cycle cost considerationsEARTHQUAKE ENGINEERING AND STRUCTURAL DYNAMICS, Issue 9 2003Min Liu Abstract A multi-objective optimization procedure is presented for designing steel moment resisting frame buildings within a performance-based seismic design framework. Life cycle costs are considered by treating the initial material costs and lifetime seismic damage costs as two separate objectives. Practical design/construction complexity, important but difficult to be included in initial cost analysis, is taken into due account by a proposed diversity index as another objective. Structural members are selected from a database of commercially available wide flange steel sections. Current seismic design criteria (AISC-LRFD seismic provisions and 1997 NEHRP provisions) are used to check the validity of any design alternative. Seismic performance, in terms of the maximum inter-storey drift ratio, of a code-verified design is evaluated using an equivalent single-degree-of-freedom system obtained through a static pushover analysis of the original multi-degree-of-freedom frame building. A simple genetic algorithm code is used to find a Pareto optimal design set. A numerical example of designing a five-storey perimeter steel frame building is provided using the proposed procedure. It is found that a wide range of valid design alternatives exists, from which a decision maker selects the one that balances different objectives in the most preferred way. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] A critique of the World Health Organisation's evaluation of health system performanceHEALTH ECONOMICS, Issue 5 2003Jeff Richardson Abstract The World Health Organisation's (WHO) approach to the measurement of health system efficiency is briefly described. Four arguments are then presented. First, equity of finance should not be a criterion for the evaluation of a health system and, more generally, the same objectives and importance weights should not be imposed upon all countries. Secondly, the numerical value of the importance weights do not reflect their true importance in the country rankings. Thirdly, the model for combining the different objectives into a single index of system performance is problematical and alternative models are shown to alter system rankings. The WHO statistical analysis is replicated and used to support the fourth argument which is that, contrary to the author's assertion, their methods cannot separate true inefficiency from random error. The procedure is also subject to omitted variable bias. The econometric model for all countries has very poor predictive power for the subset of OECD countries and it is outperformed by two simpler algorithms. Country rankings based upon the model are correspondingly unreliable. It is concluded that, despite these problems, the study is a landmark in the evolution of system evaluation, but one which requires significant revision. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] A fuzzy-based multimodel system for reasoning about the number of software defectsINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF INTELLIGENT SYSTEMS, Issue 11 2005Marek Reformat Software maintenance engineers need tools to support their work. To make such tools relevant, they should provide engineers with quantitative input, as well as the knowledge needed to understand factors influencing maintenance activities. This article proposes an approach leading to multitechnique knowledge extraction and development of a comprehensive meta-model prediction system in the area of corrective maintenance. It dwells on elements of evidence theory and a number of fuzzy-based models. The models are developed using an evolutionary-based approach with different objectives applied to different subsets of data. Evidence theory,based Transferable Belief Model and belief function values assigned to generated models are used for reasoning purposes. The study comprises a detailed case for estimating the number of defects in a medical imaging system. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Int Syst 20: 1093,1115, 2005. [source] Adaptive multiobjective optimization of process conditions for injection molding using a Gaussian process approachADVANCES IN POLYMER TECHNOLOGY, Issue 2 2007Jian Zhou Abstract Selecting the proper process conditions for the injection-molding process is treated as a multiobjective optimization problem, where different objectives, such as minimizing the injection pressure, volumetric shrinkage/warpage, or cycle time, present trade-off behaviors. As such, various optima may exist in the objective space. This paper presents the development of an integrated simulation-based optimization system that incorporates the design of computer experiments, Gaussian process (GP) for regression, multiobjective genetic algorithm (MOGA), and levels of adjacency to adaptively and automatically search for the Pareto-optimal solutions for different objectives. Since the GP approach can provide both the predictions and the estimations of the predictions simultaneously, a nondominated sorting procedure on the predicted variances at each iteration step is performed to intelligently select extra samples that can be used as additional training samples to improve the GP surrogate models. At the same time, user-defined adjacency constraint percentages are employed for evaluating the convergence of iteration. The illustrative applications in this paper show that the proposed optimization system can help mold designers to efficiently and effectively identify optimal process conditions. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Adv Polym Techn 26:71,85, 2007; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/adv.20092 [source] Scheduling dispensing and counting in secondary pharmaceutical manufacturingAICHE JOURNAL, Issue 5 2009Michele Ciavotta Abstract In this article, we describe a general methodology for operations scheduling in dispensing and counting departments of pharmaceutical manufacturing plants. The departments are modeled as a multiobjective parallel machines scheduling problem under a number of both standard and realistic constraints, such as release times, due dates and deadlines, particular sequence-dependent setup times, machine unavailabilities, and maximum campaign size. Main characteristics of the methodology are the modularity of the solution algorithms, the adaptability to different objectives and constraints to fulfill production requirements, the easiness of implementation, and the ability of incorporating human experience in the scheduling algorithms. Computational experience carried out on two case studies from a real pharmaceutical plant shows the effectiveness of this approach. © 2009 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 2009 [source] Multiobjective optimization of semibatch reactive crystallization processesAICHE JOURNAL, Issue 5 2007Debasis Sarkar Abstract The determination of the optimal feed profiles for a reactive crystallizer is an important dynamic optimization problem, as the feed profiles offer a significant control over the quality of the product crystals. Crystallization processes typically have multiple performance objectives and optimization using different objective functions leads to significantly different optimal operating conditions. Therefore, a multiobjective approach is more appropriate for optimization of these processes. The potential for multiobjective optimization approach is demonstrated for semibatch reactive crystallization processes. The multiobjective approach usually gives rise to a set of optimal solutions, largely known as Pareto-optimal solutions. The Pareto-optimal solutions can help the designer visualize the trade-offs between different objectives, and select an appropriate operating condition for the process. A well known multiobjective evolutionary algorithm, the elitist nondominated sorting genetic algorithm, has been adapted to illustrate the potential for the multiobjective optimization approach. © 2007 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 2007 [source] From Plant Variety Definition to Geographical Indication Protection: A Search for the Link Between Basmati Rice and India/PakistanTHE JOURNAL OF WORLD INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY, Issue 4 2008Delphine Marie-Vivien Geographical indications (GIs) deal with local issues. Their protection generates an original scheme of governance. GIs were first protected in France and they were later harmonised in the European Union (EU) and then included in the TRIPS Agreement, which was the basis for the enactment of the GI Act in India and GI protection in Pakistan. The Basmati rice example will illustrate the different objectives of GI protection in these two countries and in Europe. Europe is an emerging market for Basmati, and therefore the EU is setting rules of importation based on its tradition of food quality. Such an increase in exports of Basmati raises the issue of a protection that is efficient in the international market, but still is adapted to Indian and Pakistani needs. On the one hand, Basmati has been defined for a long time as the name of plant varieties which now includes evolved varieties. On the other hand, Basmati is still not yet registered as a GI, because the concept of GI is a very recent development in India and Pakistan. The Basmati case raises general issues for GIs protection worldwide: tradition versus modernity, product definition versus method of production and geographical environment. [source] Translation and articulation in the organization of coalitions: the Great Whale River caseCOMMUNICATION THEORY, Issue 2 2001François Cooren This article presents a new method of analysis that enables us to study the strengths and weaknesses of the associations created during the organization of coalitions. Based on a case study, this model shows that organizing a coalition consists of making different agendas compatible by establishing a series of translations between them. As illustrated in this article, these translation activities are enacted through narrative forms in which actors (individual or collective) construct points of articulation between their different objectives. It is therefore the narrative embedding of a series of actions that ultimately structure social and physical reality and constitute what we call a coalition. To illustrate this new approach to organizational communication, the analytical model presented is applied to analyze the associations involved in the organization of coalitions during an environmental controversy, the Great Whale River project. [source] | |||||||||||||