Operational Concept Research Articles

Military Decision Support with Actor and Critic Reinforcement Learning Agents

While the recent advanced military operational concept requires an intelligent support of command and control, Reinforcement Learning (RL) has not been actively studied in the military domain. This study points out the limitations of RL for military applications from literature review and aims at improving the understanding of RL for military decision support under the limitations. Most of all, the black box characteristic of Deep RL makes the internal process difficult to understand in addition to complex simulation tools. A scalable weapon selection RL framework is built which can be solved either by a tabular form or a neural network form. The transition of the Deep Q-Network (DQN) solution to the tabular form makes it easier to compare the result to the Q-learning solution. Furthermore, rather than using one or two RL models selectively as before, RL models are divided as an actor and a critic, and systematically compared. A random agent, Q-learning and DQN agents as a critic, a Policy Gradient (PG) agent as an actor, Trust Region Policy Optimization (TRPO) and Proximal Policy Optimization (PPO) agents as an actor-critic approach are designed, trained, and tested. The performance results show that the trained DQN and PPO agents are the best decision supporter candidates for the weapon selection RL framework.

Human-autonomy collaboration in supervisory risk control of autonomous ships

This paper presents a method for developing and testing a risk-based control system, as a first step towards including the human supervisor explicitly in the design of the system. The result is a control system with improved decision-making capabilities compared to existing control systems. The methodology presented in the paper uses the Systems Theoretic Process Analysis (STPA) to analyse the risks of an autonomous ship within its concept of operations (CONOPS), and a Human-STPA (H-STPA) is used to analyse human responsibilities and involvement. The STPA results are then used to construct a Bayesian belief network (BBN)-based risk model to assess the operational risk of the ship. This is represented as a risk cost, describing the expected cost of consequences caused by potential hazardous events. This cost is combined with fuel costs, operations costs, and the potential loss of income if new missions are not undertaken using a supervisory risk controller (SRC). The SRC is capable of making decisions about how the ship should be safely operated and notifies the human supervisor in due time when it is necessary for them to take control. The last part of the methodology presented in this paper is testing the control system using a set of verification objectives based on results from the STPA and H-STPA. A case study involving an autonomous cargo ship with a human supervisor located in a remote operation center (ROC) is included; it shows that the proposed control system can operate the ship safely in different conditions and situations. By designing the SRC to notify the human supervisor before it reaches its operational limit, the ship is able to operate in a wider range of conditions compared to when just the autonomous control system is in charge. Hence, the proposed methodology shows promising results and provides useful insights related to shared control for autonomous ships.

Implementing and Testing a U-Space System: Lessons Learnt

Within the framework of the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program, one of the main goals of the Labyrinth project was to develop and test the Conflict Management services of a U-space-based Unmanned Traffic Management (UTM) system. The U-space concept of operations (ConOps) provides a high-level description of the architecture, requirements and functionalities of these systems, but the implementer has a certain degree of freedom in aspects like the techniques used or some policies and procedures. The current document describes some of those implementation decisions. The prototype included part of the services defined by the ConOps, namely e-identification, Tracking, Geo-awareness, Drone Aeronautical Information Management, Geo-fence Provision, Operation Plan Preparation/Optimization, Operation Plan Processing, Strategic Conflict Resolution, Tactical Conflict Resolution, Emergency Management, Monitoring, Traffic Information and Legal Recording. Moreover, a Web app interface was developed for the operator/pilot. The system was tested in simulations and real visual line of sight (VLOS) and beyond VLOS (BVLOS) flights, with both vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) and fixed-wing platforms, while assisting final users interested in incorporating drones to support their tasks. The development and testing of the environment provided lessons at different levels: functionalities, compatibility, procedures, information, usability, ground control station (GCS) integration and aircrew roles.

Sustainability and the new genesis of constitutionalism in the 21st century

Despite the advances that constitutionalism and humanism have made, the 20th century also saw an increase in individualism and anthropocentrism, resulting in a potentially irreversible global environmental crisis. It is in this context and in order to tackle these issues that the ethical and legal-political paradigm of sustainability has emerged. The general aim of this paper is therefore to characterize it as the structuring principle of the new genesis of constitutionalism. The specific objectives are to demonstrate its influence on the entire legal-political system, the overcoming of its anthropocentric concept, the re-reading of dignity and the new ownership of rights and the emergence of the Sustainable State. The new constitutional pact must go beyond the limitation of state power that benefits only the human person, conferring dignity on the entire ecosystem. The methodology used was the inductive method, with the techniques of reference, categories, operational concepts, fiching and bibliographical research.

On Equivalence Operators Derived from Overlap and Grouping Functions

This paper introduces the concept of equivalence operators based on overlap and grouping functions where the associativity property is not strongly required. Overlap functions and grouping functions are weaker than positive and continuous t-norms and t-conorms, respectively. Therefore, these equivalence operators do not necessarily satisfy certain properties, such as associativity and the neutrality principle. In this paper, two models of fuzzy equivalence operators are obtained by the composition of overlap functions, grouping functions and fuzzy negations. Their main properties are also studied.

Pendidikan Koperasi dalam Memahami Konsep Dasar Operasional Koperasi Syariah pada Koperasi Simpan Pinjam dan Pembiayaan Syariah Baitul Maal Wattamwil Forsitama Kabupaten Sleman Daerah Istimewa Yogyakarta

Sharia cooperatives in carrying out operations must be in accordance with sharia principles, this is the basic operational concept for Sharia cooperatives so that every business carried out does not conflict with Sharia principles so that it brings blessings to cooperative managers, members, and the community. This is what administrators and managers of Sharia cooperatives need to understand, namely through cooperative education, one of which is organized by the Sharia Savings and Loans and Financing Cooperative (KSPPS) Baitul Maal Wattamwil (BMT) Forsitama, Sleman Regency, Yogyakarta Special Region. The aim of implementing this cooperative education is to provide an understanding of the basic operational concepts of sharia cooperatives for administrators and managers of KSPPS BMT Forsitama, Sleman Regency, Special Region of Yogyakarta so that they are able to increase knowledge for managing sharia cooperatives. The method used in cooperative education is the lecture method which is assisted by showing visual material, followed by questions and answers and discussions to solve problems that arise, accompanied by solutions. Through this cooperative education, the administrators and managers of KSPPS BMT Forsitama, Sleman Regency, Yogyakarta Special Region have been able to understand the basic operational concepts of sharia cooperatives, namely using contracts. musyarak muwafadhah with the principle of ta'awun or mutual cooperation which refers to the sources of Islamic Law (the Al-Qur'an and Hadith), the Fatwa of the National Sharia Council of the Indonesian Ulema Council and the laws and regulations in force in Indonesia.

Fuzzy counterparts of partial hull operators in the theory of L-convex systems

In this paper, we provide some new characterizations of L-convex systems. For this purpose, we first introduce the concept of partial hull operators and establish the categorical relationship between partial hull operators and convex systems. Then we abstract the relationship between a subset and its partially convex hull in convex system to a binary relation, called enclosed relation. Moreover, we prove that the enclosed relations are equivalent to convex systems. Subsequently, we generalize the concept of partial hull operators and enclosed relations to the fuzzy case, which will be called L-partial hull operators and L-enclosed relations respectively. Finally we explore the categorical isomorphisms between them.

After truth, after shame … after information politics? Rethinking the epistemologies of human rights in the digital-authoritarian conjuncture

ABSTRACT Since the contemporary, mainstream human rights movement rose to prominence in the late-1970s, both knowing about and doing human rights has been marked by a very particular mode of activism, information politics, which mobilises ‘brute' facts with the aim of shaming governments into reform. However, this article suggests that the global rise of the far-right has intertwined with reactionary forms of digital culture, engendering both the retreat of shame as an operative concept in global affairs and nourished a growing ‘post-truth' suspicion of facts. The article theorises this problem as a conjunctural shift that represents both a political and epistemological crisis for human rights. Following the lead of debates within Science and Technology Studies (STS) and media studies, I contend that the present conjuncture requires us to consider what comes after information politics by re-imagining its epistemological basis. The article brings together Donna Haraway's theoretical work on ‘Situated Knowledges', with Maurizio Lazzarato’s political epistemology to develop a more perspectival, combative approach to human rights knowledge-making. I argue this epistemic framework is able not only to navigate key problems posed by the digital-authoritarian present but also to address many issues with information politics identified by earlier critics.

A hybrid mixed‐cells DC‐DC modular multilevel converter with balanced arm energy and DC fault blocking capability for high voltage direct current systems

SummaryDC‐DC converters play a vital role in the integration of renewable energy sources. Modular multilevel converter (MMC) has emerged as a highly promising option for high‐voltage high‐power applications, for DC‐AC and DC‐DC conversion, thanks to its distinctive characteristics. An inherent limitation of using traditional MMC in DC‐DC conversion is the occurrence of arm energy drift, leading to imbalanced voltages across capacitors of submodules (SMs). Many approaches have been presented in the literature to address the energy drift issue during DC‐DC conversion process. In this paper, a novel bidirectional hybrid modular multilevel DC‐DC converter with balanced arm energy has been proposed. The proposed converter consists of one high‐voltage valve and two legs. Each leg is equipped with half‐bridge submodules (HB‐SMs) in the upper arm and full‐bridge submodules (FB‐SMs) in the lower arm. The proposed architecture enables the parallel connection between series‐connected capacitors of the upper arm and series‐connected capacitors of the lower arm during the equalization period. The parallel connectivity enables the energy transfer between the upper and lower arms in the same leg, hence preventing energy drift issues. A detailed illustration of converter operational concept, mathematical analysis, design, and efficiency estimation are presented. The presented simulation and experimental results show the bidirectional power flow ability and the promising behavior of the proposed converter during normal operating conditions with balanced arm energy. Finally, a comparison between the proposed converter and other existing topologies has been made to show the superiority of the proposed converter over the other alternatives. The proposed converter has a lower count of insulated gate bipolar transistors (IGBTs) and eliminates the usage of isolating transformers when compared to the energy equalization modules approach. In addition, unlike the other alternatives, the proposed converter has a DC fault blocking capability.

Application of Linear Mixed-Effect Modeling for the Analysis of Human-in-the-Loop Simulation Experiments

A real-time human-in-the-loop (HITL) simulation is a crucial validation activity in the life cycle of air traffic management operational concept development. When planning HITL simulations, however, researchers face a series of experimental design constraints that often limit the application of advanced statistical data analyses. Linear mixed-effects modeling (LMEM) is a multiple regression analysis technique that is comparatively flexible in considering the covariance present in repeated measures data. This paper aims to make LMEM better known to applied researchers in the field of aviation research, particularly those applying HITL. For this purpose, the building steps of LMEM, the output, and model-fit tests are explained based on data obtained from an Airbus 320 flight simulation study that examined the impact of two different wake separation schemes on either a final approach or a departure path on the pilots’ perceived severity of a wake-vortex impact. The experimental setup involved six experimental factors that were not fully crossed, had an unbalanced number of repeats per pilot, and contained missing data. This prevented the use of the more traditional repeated measures analysis of variance. The LMEM was able to handle this and could explicitly test the study hypotheses with statistical confidence.

METHODOLOGY FOR ASSESSING THE EFFECTIVENESS OF THE AIR DEFENSE SYSTEM

This academic article introduces a pioneering methodology for the comprehensive assessment of air defense systems, addressing existing shortcomings in evaluation approaches. The subject of this study revolves around the development and implementation of an advanced methodology for assessing air defense systems. еThe primary aim is to rectify existing evaluation shortcomings by introducing a holistic model that significantly enhances both efficiency and effectiveness in the evaluation of air defense systems. This methodology incorporates critical elements such as system description, mission, objectives, combat environment, threat, and concept. By explicitly considering factors like system flexibility, survivability, and operational concepts, the study surpasses traditional evaluations, providing a nuanced understanding of the capabilities inherent in air defense systems. The methodology places particular emphasis on the importance of threat analysis, addressing uncertainties related to enemy forces and tactics. Additionally, the study introduces an innovative evaluation model employing tactical scenarios to assess system reliability, availability, and durability, integrating combat environment factors and potential adversary combat options. The research contributes to the academic discourse by providing a systematic and thorough approach to air defense system evaluation, tailored to the complexities of modern warfare and in alignment with the evolving military and technological landscapes. The article suggests avenues for future research to delve into nuanced criteria selection and aggregation methods, aiming to further refine the proposed evaluation methodology.

Circular supply chains in manufacturing—Quo vadis? Accomplishments, challenges and future opportunities

AbstractCircular approach in manufacturing supply chain (SC) operations yields multiple benefits through optimal utilisation and consumption of resources. This study maps the scope and structure of circularity in the manufacturing SC discipline and explores the evolution of the domain over time. We review 946 journal articles published between 2013 and September 2023. Our study identifies key drivers and barriers to circular economy (CE) deployment in manufacturing SC operations, bibliometric parameters, emerging research themes, decision support tools, theories and applications. Using the theory extension approach, we propose a strategic framework to fortify the deployment of circularity in SCs. This comprehensive study renders a methodological contribution through combined descriptive content analysis and bibliometric and network analyses to evaluate the circular manufacturing SC operations concepts, theories and applications. We posit that manufacturing firms require to deploy innovation‐led approaches to embed the CE strategies in their SC operations. We find that the studies investigating green skill development and circularity‐culture adoption can facilitate manufacturers to understand the efficacy of circularity in their SC operations. The findings of this study can facilitate the practitioners to identify the links between the CE approaches and their strategic implications and examine CE implementation at the strategic level.

ON THE CARTESIAN PRODUCT INTUITIONISTIC FUZZY RELATION

In this paper we study the intuitionistic fuzzy relation and the operations on the intuitionistic fuzzy relations. We first define theCartesian product of intuitionistic fuzzy sets, then introduce the projection and the cylindric extension of intuitionistic fuzzy relation and show the relation between them. The concept of a composition operator for the intuitionistic fuzzy relations, which represents a generalization for those of fuzzy sets is also discussed in this paper.

Gravity Investigation to Characterize Enceladus's Ocean and Interior

A key objective for the future exploration of the icy moon Enceladus is the characterization of the habitable conditions in its internal ocean. Radio science instrumentation on board a spacecraft in a low-altitude orbit about Enceladus would enable gravity measurements that are fundamental to providing constraints on its internal structure. We present here the concept of operations and expected results of the gravity investigation for a New Frontiers–class mission. Numerical simulations are carried out to determine the gravity field in spherical harmonics to degree and order 30 and the Love number k 2 and its phase. By combining Enceladus’s shape measured by Cassini and the geophysical constraints obtained through the processing of the simulated radio science data, a Bayesian inference network is used for the interior model inversion. Our results indicate that the gravity investigation would enable tight constraints on core radius and density, ocean depth and density, and ice shell rigidity. By assuming a high core rigidity and a preliminary modeling of dissipation in the ice shell, our interior model inversion also yields information on the ice shell viscosity. Further data on the hydrosphere properties might be gathered through optical navigation data by accurately measuring Enceladus’s orientation model.

Cooperative Hybrid Networks with Active Relays and RISs for B5G: Applications, Challenges, and Research Directions

Among the recent advances and innovations in wireless technologies, reconfigurable intelligent surfaces (RISs) have received much attention and are envisioned to be one of the enabling technologies for beyond 5G (B5G) networks. On the other hand, active (or classical) cooperative relays have played a key role in providing reliable and power-efficient communications in previous wireless generations. In this article, we focus on hybrid network architectures that amalgamate both active relays and RISs. The operation concept and protocols of each technology are first discussed. Subsequently, we present multiple use cases of cooperative hybrid networks where both active relays and RISs can coexist harmoniously for enhanced rate performance. Furthermore, a case study is provided which demonstrates the achievable rate performance of a communication network assisted by either an active relay, an RIS, or both, and with different relaying protocols. Finally, we provide the reader with the challenges and key research directions in this area.

Numerical Assessment of a Rich-Quench-Lean Staging Strategy for Clean and Efficient Combustion of Partially Decomposed Ammonia in the Constant Pressure Sequential Combustion System

Abstract In a future energy system prospective, predictably dominated by (often) remote and (always) unsteady, nondispatchable renewable power generation from solar and wind resources, hydrogen (H2) and ammonia (NH3) have emerged as logistically convenient, chemically simple and carbon-free chemicals for energy transport and storage. Moreover, the reliability of supply of a specific fuel feedstock will remain unpredictable in the upcoming energy transition period. Therefore, the ability of gas turbine combustion systems to seamlessly switch between very disparate types of fuels must be ensured, aiming at intrinsically fuel-flexible combustion systems, i.e., capable of operating cleanly and efficiently with novel carbon-free energy vectors like H2 and NH3 as well as conventional fossil fuels, e.g., natural gas or fuel oils (back-up feedstock). In this context, a convenient feature of Ansaldo's constant pressure sequential combustion (CPSC) system, resulting in a fundamental advantage compared to alternative approaches, is the possibility of controlling the amount of fuel independently fed to the two combustion stages, depending on the fuel reactivity and combustion characteristics. The fuel-staging strategy implemented in the CPSC system, due to the intrinsic characteristics of the auto-ignition stabilized reheat flame, has already been proven able of handling fuels with large hydrogen fractions without significant penalties in efficiency and emissions of pollutants. However, ammonia combustion is governed by widely different thermo-chemical processes compared to hydrogen, requiring a considerably different approach to mitigate crucial issues with extremely low flame reactivity (blow-out) and formation of significant amounts of undesired pollutants and greenhouse gases (NOx and N2O). In this work, we present a fuel-flexible operational concept for the CPSC system and, based on unsteady Reynolds-Averaged Navier–Stokes (uRANS) and large eddy simulation (LES) performed in conjunction with detailed chemical kinetics, we explore for the first time full-load operation of the CPSC architecture in a Rich-Quench-Lean (RQL) strategy applied to combustion of partially-decomposed ammonia. Results from the numerical simulations confirm the main features of ammonia-firing in RQL operation already observed from previous work on different combustion systems and suggests that the CPSC architecture has excellent potential to operate in RQL-mode with low NOx and N2O emissions and good combustion efficiency.

Modeling of a Biomass-Based Energy Production Case Study Using Flexible Inputs with the P-Graph Framework

In this work, a modeling technique utilizing the P-Graph framework was used for a case study involving biomass-based local energy production. In recent years, distributed energy systems gained attention. These systems aim to satisfy energy supply demands, support the local economy, decrease transportation needs and dependence on imports, and, in general, obtain a more sustainable energy production process. Designing such systems is a challenge, for which novel optimization approaches were developed to help decision making. Previous work used the P-Graph framework to optimize energy production in a small rural area, involving manure, intercrops, grass, and corn silage as inputs and fermenters. Biogas is produced in fermenters, and Combined Heat and Power (CHP) plants provide heat and electricity. A more recent result introduced the concept of operations with flexible inputs in the P-Graph framework. In this work, the concept of flexible inputs was applied to model fermenters in the original case study. A new implementation of the original decision problem was made both as a Mixed-Integer Linear Programming (MILP) model and as a purely P-Graph model by using the flexible input technique. Both approaches provided the same optimal solution, with a 31% larger profit than the fixed input model.

Unlocking The Potential of Lidar: Principles, Applications, And Future Prospects

Light Detecting and Ranging (LiDAR) has been experiencing a surge in popularity within the realm of high-tech innovations. This article elaborates on the operational principles, structural intricacies, and scanning methodologies of contemporary LiDAR devices. Additionally, this article provides a comprehensive overview of the diverse array of applications that LiDAR technology finds utility in, ranging from remote sensing and transportation to geography, atmospheric science, and astronomy. In the context of Time of Flight (ToF) LiDAR, the underlying operational concept revolves around measuring the temporal delay of the laser beam's journey from the device to the target. Conversely, Frequency Modulated Continuous Wave (FMCW) LiDAR operates by quantifying alterations in the wavelength of the reflected laser in comparison to the originally emitted laser, leveraging the Doppler effect. LiDAR products serve as invaluable tools for geologists, enabling them to generate 3D maps for researching various targets such as forestry, coastline morphology, and river bathymetry. Meanwhile, atmospheric scientists harness LiDAR products to delve into studies concerning atmospheric composition and meteorological phenomena. In the foreseeable future, it is anticipated that LiDAR products will witness widespread adoption across an array of applications, including autonomous vehicles and beyond.

Exploring the Characteristics of Δh Bivariate Appell Polynomials: An In-Depth Investigation and Extension through Fractional Operators

The objective of this article is to introduce the ∆h bivariate Appell polynomials ∆hAs[r](λ,η;h) and their extended form via fractional operators. The study described in this paper follows the line of study in which the monomiality principle is used to develop new results. It is further discovered that these polynomials satisfy various well-known fundamental properties and explicit forms. The explicit series representation of ∆h bivariate Gould–Hopper polynomials is first obtained, and, using this outcome, the explicit series representation of the ∆h bivariate Appell polynomials is further given. The quasimonomial properties fulfilled by bivariate Appell polynomials ∆h are also proved by demonstrating that the ∆h bivariate Appell polynomials exhibit certain properties related to their behavior under multiplication and differentiation operators. The determinant form of ∆h bivariate Appell polynomials is provided, and symmetric identities for the ∆h bivariate Appell polynomials are also exhibited. By employing the concept of the forward difference operator, operational connections are established, and certain applications are derived. Different Appell polynomial members can be generated by using appropriate choices of functions in the generating expression obtained in this study for ∆h bivariate Appell polynomials. Additionally, generating relations for the ∆h bivariate Bernoulli and Euler polynomials, as well as for Genocchi polynomials, are established, and corresponding results are obtained for those polynomials.

The Use of Mother Tongue in Communicating Mathematics: Implication for Teaching and Learning of Mathematics

Mathematics as a school subject is designed to solve the everyday problem created by human activities; these problems are domesticated in the different cultures of man all over the world. However, the performance of students keeps dwindling due to the westernize approach of teaching and learning mathematics. In other to solve this precarious situation this paper advocated the use of mother tongue in the teaching of mathematics. Mother tongue approach here refers to first-language education as a medium of instruction. The use of mother tongue in the teaching and learning of mathematics is meant to address the high functional illiteracy of Nigeria where language plays a significant factor. Using mother tongue to teach the basic concepts of numbers, operations and other concepts of mathematics helps build a strong foundation for the understanding and learning of higher mathematics. This approach is effective not only in getting the interest of students in the lesson but as a springboard in teaching new mathematical concepts, principles and in deepening student understanding on how mathematical operations or processes work. The mother tongue concepts of teaching and learning mathematics in this work shall be based on the following sub-topics: Numeration/Counting System, Basic Arithmetic Operations, Rhymes and Geometric Concepts. The paper completely reduced the Eurocentric mathematics beliefs of students and make them discover how best mathematics can be learning from their mother tongue. The paper recommended amongst others that teachers of mathematics should adopt the use of mother tongue in teaching mathematics in order to improve students understanding of the subject.