General terms and rigidity: another solution to the trivialization problem

In this paper I am concerned with the problem of applying the notion of rigidity to general terms. In Naming and Necessity, Kripke has clearly suggested that we should include some general terms among the rigid ones, namely, those common nouns semantically correlated with natural substances, species and phenomena, in general, natural kinds -'water', 'tiger', 'heat'- and some adjectives -'red', 'hot', 'loud'. However, the notion of rigidity has been defined for singular terms; after all, the notion that Kripke has provided us with is the notion of a rigid designator. But general terms do not designate single individuals: rather, they apply to many of them. In sum, the original concept of rigidity cannot be straightforwardly applied to general terms: it has to be somehow redefined in order to make it cover them. As is known, two main positions have been put forward to accomplish that task: the identity of designation conception, according to which a rigid general term is one that designates the same property or kind in all possible worlds, and the essentialist conception, which conceives of a rigid general term as an essentialist one, namely, a term that expresses an essential property of an object. My purpose in the present paper is to defend a particular version of the identity of designation conception: on the proposed approach, a rigid general term will be one that expresses the same property in all possible worlds and names the property it expresses. In my opinion, the position can be established on the basis of an inference to the best explanation of our intuitive interpretation and evaluation, relative to counterfactual circumstances, of statements containing different kinds of general terms, which is strictly analogous to our intuitive interpretation and evaluation, relative to such circumstances, of statements containing different kinds of singular ones. I will argue that it is possible to offer a new solution to the trivialization problem that is thought to threaten all versions of the identity of designation conception of rigidity. Finally, I will also sketch a solution to the so-called 'over-generalization and under-generalization problems', both closely related to the above-mentioned one.

Finnisch-ugrisches Substrat in der Toponymie des Russischen Nordens : eine neue Einstellung zum alten Problem

Kirjallisuusarvostelu

Generalized Differential Evolution for Global Multi-Objective Optimization with Constraints

The objective of this thesis work is to develop and study the Differential Evolution Algorithm for multi-objective optimization with constraints. Differential Evolution is an evolutionary algorithm that has gained in popularity because of its simplicity and good observed performance. Multi-objective evolutionary algorithms have become popular since they are able to produce a set of compromise solutions during the search process to approximate the Pareto-optimal front. The starting point for this thesis was an idea how Differential Evolution, with simple changes, could be extended for optimization with multiple constraints and objectives. This approach is implemented, experimentally studied, and further developed in the work. Development and study concentrates on the multi-objective optimization aspect. The main outcomes of the work are versions of a method called Generalized Differential Evolution. The versions aim to improve the performance of the method in multi-objective optimization. A diversity preservation technique that is effective and efficient compared to previous diversity preservation techniques is developed. The thesis also studies the influence of control parameters of Differential Evolution in multi-objective optimization. Proposals for initial control parameter value selection are given. Overall, the work contributes to the diversity preservation of solutions in multi-objective optimization.

Kahden merkkijonon pisimmän yhteisen alijonon ongelma ja sen ratkaiseminen

Tämä tutkielma kuuluu merkkijonoalgoritmiikan piiriin. Merkkijono S on merkkijonojen X[1..m] ja Y[1..n] yhteinen alijono, mikäli se voidaan muodostaa poistamalla X:stä 0..m ja Y:stä 0..n kappaletta merkkejä mielivaltaisista paikoista. Jos yksikään X:n ja Y:n yhteinen alijono ei ole S:ää pidempi, sanotaan, että S on X:n ja Y:n pisin yhteinen alijono (lyh. PYA). Tässä työssä keskitytään kahden merkkijonon PYAn ratkaisemiseen, mutta ongelma on yleistettävissä myös useammalle jonolle. PYA-ongelmalle on sovelluskohteita – paitsi tietojenkäsittelytieteen niin myös bioinformatiikan osa-alueilla. Tunnetuimpia niistä ovat tekstin ja kuvien tiivistäminen, tiedostojen versionhallinta, hahmontunnistus sekä DNA- ja proteiiniketjujen rakennetta vertaileva tutkimus. Ongelman ratkaisemisen tekee hankalaksi ratkaisualgoritmien riippuvuus syötejonojen useista eri parametreista. Näitä ovat syötejonojen pituuden lisäksi mm. syöttöaakkoston koko, syötteiden merkkijakauma, PYAn suhteellinen osuus lyhyemmän syötejonon pituudesta ja täsmäävien merkkiparien lukumäärä. Täten on vaikeaa kehittää algoritmia, joka toimisi tehokkaasti kaikille ongelman esiintymille. Tutkielman on määrä toimia yhtäältä käsikirjana, jossa esitellään ongelman peruskäsitteiden kuvauksen jälkeen jo aikaisemmin kehitettyjä tarkkoja PYAalgoritmeja. Niiden tarkastelu on ryhmitelty algoritmin toimintamallin mukaan joko rivi, korkeuskäyrä tai diagonaali kerrallaan sekä monisuuntaisesti prosessoiviin. Tarkkojen menetelmien lisäksi esitellään PYAn pituuden ylä- tai alarajan laskevia heuristisia menetelmiä, joiden laskemia tuloksia voidaan hyödyntää joko sellaisinaan tai ohjaamaan tarkan algoritmin suoritusta. Tämä osuus perustuu tutkimusryhmämme julkaisemiin artikkeleihin. Niissä käsitellään ensimmäistä kertaa heuristiikoilla tehostettuja tarkkoja menetelmiä. Toisaalta työ sisältää laajahkon empiirisen tutkimusosuuden, jonka tavoitteena on ollut tehostaa olemassa olevien tarkkojen algoritmien ajoaikaa ja muistinkäyttöä. Kyseiseen tavoitteeseen on pyritty ohjelmointiteknisesti esittelemällä algoritmien toimintamallia hyvin tukevia tietorakenteita ja rajoittamalla algoritmien suorittamaa tuloksetonta laskentaa parantamalla niiden kykyä havainnoida suorituksen aikana saavutettuja välituloksia ja hyödyntää niitä. Tutkielman johtopäätöksinä voidaan yleisesti todeta tarkkojen PYA-algoritmien heuristisen esiprosessoinnin lähes systemaattisesti pienentävän niiden suoritusaikaa ja erityisesti muistintarvetta. Lisäksi algoritmin käyttämällä tietorakenteella on ratkaiseva vaikutus laskennan tehokkuuteen: mitä paikallisempia haku- ja päivitysoperaatiot ovat, sitä tehokkaampaa algoritmin suorittama laskenta on.

The knapsack problem approach in solving partial hedging problems of options

En option är ett finansiellt kontrakt som ger dess innehavare en rättighet (men medför ingen skyldighet) att sälja eller köpa någonting (till exempel en aktie) till eller från säljaren av optionen till ett visst pris vid en bestämd tidpunkt i framtiden. Den som säljer optionen binder sig till att gå med på denna framtida transaktion ifall optionsinnehavaren längre fram bestämmer sig för att inlösa optionen. Säljaren av optionen åtar sig alltså en risk av att den framtida transaktion som optionsinnehavaren kan tvinga honom att göra visar sig vara ofördelaktig för honom. Frågan om hur säljaren kan skydda sig mot denna risk leder till intressanta optimeringsproblem, där målet är att hitta en optimal skyddsstrategi under vissa givna villkor. Sådana optimeringsproblem har studerats mycket inom finansiell matematik. Avhandlingen "The knapsack problem approach in solving partial hedging problems of options" inför en ytterligare synpunkt till denna diskussion: I en relativt enkel (ändlig och komplett) marknadsmodell kan nämligen vissa partiella skyddsproblem beskrivas som så kallade kappsäcksproblem. De sistnämnda är välkända inom en gren av matematik som heter operationsanalys. I avhandlingen visas hur skyddsproblem som tidigare lösts på andra sätt kan alternativt lösas med hjälp av metoder som utvecklats för kappsäcksproblem. Förfarandet tillämpas även på helt nya skyddsproblem i samband med så kallade amerikanska optioner.

Chelyabinsk CHP-3 “locked power” problem solving

All over the world power systems become bigger and bigger every day. New equipment is installed, new feeders are constructed, new power units are installed. Some old elements of the network, however, are not changed in time. As a result, “bottlenecks” for capacity transmission can occur. By locked power problem the situation when a power plant has installed capacity exceeding the power it can actually deliver is usually meant. Regime, scheme or even technical restrictions-related issues usually cause this kind of problem. It is really important, since from the regime point of view it is typical decision to have a mobile capacity reserve, in case of malfunctions. And, what can be even more significant, power plant owner (JSC Fortum in our case) losses his money because of selling less electrical energy. The goal of master`s thesis is to analyze the current state of Chelyabinsk power system and the CHP-3 (Combined Heat and Power plant) in particular in relation with it`s ability to deliver the whole capacity of the CHP in it`s existing state and also taking into consideration the prospect of power unit 3 installation by the fourth quarter of 2010. The thesis contains some general information about the UPS of Russia, CPS of Ural, power system of Chelyabinsk and the Chelyabinsk region itself. Then the CHP-3 is described from technical point of view with it`s equipment observation. Regimes for the nowadays power system and for the system after the power unit 3 installation are reviewed. The problems occurring are described and, finally, a solution is offered.

Simulation and optimization tools in paper machine concept design

The last decade has shown that the global paper industry needs new processes and products in order to reassert its position in the industry. As the paper markets in Western Europe and North America have stabilized, the competition has tightened. Along with the development of more cost-effective processes and products, new process design methods are also required to break the old molds and create new ideas. This thesis discusses the development of a process design methodology based on simulation and optimization methods. A bi-level optimization problem and a solution procedure for it are formulated and illustrated. Computational models and simulation are used to illustrate the phenomena inside a real process and mathematical optimization is exploited to find out the best process structures and control principles for the process. Dynamic process models are used inside the bi-level optimization problem, which is assumed to be dynamic and multiobjective due to the nature of papermaking processes. The numerical experiments show that the bi-level optimization approach is useful for different kinds of problems related to process design and optimization. Here, the design methodology is applied to a constrained process area of a papermaking line. However, the same methodology is applicable to all types of industrial processes, e.g., the design of biorefiners, because the methodology is totally generalized and can be easily modified.

Qualitative Characteristics and Quantitative Measures of Solution's Reliability in Discrete Optimization: Traditional Analytical Approaches, Innovative Computational Methods and Applicability

The purpose of this thesis is twofold. The first and major part is devoted to sensitivity analysis of various discrete optimization problems while the second part addresses methods applied for calculating measures of solution stability and solving multicriteria discrete optimization problems. Despite numerous approaches to stability analysis of discrete optimization problems two major directions can be single out: quantitative and qualitative. Qualitative sensitivity analysis is conducted for multicriteria discrete optimization problems with minisum, minimax and minimin partial criteria. The main results obtained here are necessary and sufficient conditions for different stability types of optimal solutions (or a set of optimal solutions) of the considered problems. Within the framework of quantitative direction various measures of solution stability are investigated. A formula for a quantitative characteristic called stability radius is obtained for the generalized equilibrium situation invariant to changes of game parameters in the case of the H¨older metric. Quality of the problem solution can also be described in terms of robustness analysis. In this work the concepts of accuracy and robustness tolerances are presented for a strategic game with a finite number of players where initial coefficients (costs) of linear payoff functions are subject to perturbations. Investigation of stability radius also aims to devise methods for its calculation. A new metaheuristic approach is derived for calculation of stability radius of an optimal solution to the shortest path problem. The main advantage of the developed method is that it can be potentially applicable for calculating stability radii of NP-hard problems. The last chapter of the thesis focuses on deriving innovative methods based on interactive optimization approach for solving multicriteria combinatorial optimization problems. The key idea of the proposed approach is to utilize a parameterized achievement scalarizing function for solution calculation and to direct interactive procedure by changing weighting coefficients of this function. In order to illustrate the introduced ideas a decision making process is simulated for three objective median location problem. The concepts, models, and ideas collected and analyzed in this thesis create a good and relevant grounds for developing more complicated and integrated models of postoptimal analysis and solving the most computationally challenging problems related to it.

Situational awareness concept in a multinational collaboration environment : challenges in the information sharing framework

Technological capabilities are built to support different types of collaboration, and this gives the justification to widely observe, how activity environments are influenced by technology. Technology as an enabler can be addressed from different perspectives, other than merely technological. Dynamic, evolving environment is at the same time interesting but also challenging. As a multinational collaboration environment, the maritime surveillance is an good example of time critical and evolving environment, where technological solutions enable new ways of collaboration. Justification for the inspiration to use maritime environment as the baseline for understanding the challenges in creating and maintaining adequate level of situational awareness, derives from the complexity of the collaboration and information sharing environment elements, needed to be taken into account, when analyzing criticalities related to decision making. Situational awareness is an important element supporting decision making, and challenges related to it can also be observed in the maritime environment. This dissertation describes the structures and factors involved in this complex setting, found from the case studies that should be taken into account when trying to understand, how these elements affect the activities. This dissertation focuses on the gray area that is between a life threatening situation and normal everyday activities. From the multinational experimentation series case studies, MNE5 and MNE6 it was possible to observe situations that were not life threatening for the participants themselves, but not also basic every day activities. These case studies provided a unique possibility to see situations, where gaining of situational awareness and decision making are challenged with time critical crisis situations. Unfortunately organizations do not normally take the benefit from the everyday work to prepare themselves for possible emerging crisis situations. This dissertation focuses on creating a conceptual model and a concept that supports organizations – also outside the maritime community – to improve their ability to support gaining of situational awareness from the individual training level, all the way to changes in organizational structures in aiming for better support for decision making from the individual level to the highest decision making level. Quick changes and unpredictability are reality in organizations and organizations do not have the possibility to control all the factors that affect their functioning. Since we cannot be prepared for everything, and predict every crisis, individual activities inside teams and as a part of organizations, need to be supported with guidance, tools and training in order to support acting in challenging situations. In fact the ideology of the conceptual model created, lies especially in the aim of not controlling everything in beforehand, but supporting organizations with concrete procedures to help individuals to react in different, unpredictable situations, instead of focusing on traditional risk prevention and management. Technological capabilities are not automatically solutions for functional challenges; this is why it is justified to broaden the problem area observation from the technological perspective. This dissertation demonstrates that it is possible to support collaboration in a multinational environment with technological solutions, but it requires the recognition of technological limitations and accepting the possible restrictions related to technological innovations. Technology should not be considered value per se, the value of technology should be defined according to the support of activities, including strategic and operational environment evaluation, identification of organizational elements, and taking into account also the social factors and their challenges. Then we are one step closer to providing technological solutions that support the actual activities by taking into account the variables of the activity environment in question. The multidisciplinary view to approach the information sharing and collaboration framework, is derived especially from the complexity of decision making and building of situational awareness, since they are not build or created in vacuity, but in the organizational framework by the people doing it with the technological capabilities, enabled by the organizational structures. Introduced case studies were related to maritime environment, but according to the research results, it is valid to argue, that based on the lessons learned it is possible to create and further develop conceptual model and to create a general concept to support a wider range of organizations in their attempt to gain better level of situational awareness (SA) and to support decision making. To proof the versatile usage of the developed concept, I have introduced the case study findings to the health care environment and reflected the identified elements from the trauma center to the created concept. The main contribution to complete this adventure is the presented situational awareness concept created in the respect to NATO concept structure. This has been done to tackle the challenge of collaboration by focusing on situational awareness in the information sharing context by providing a theoretical ground and understanding, of how these issues should be approached, and how these elements can be generalized and used to support activities in other environments as well. This dissertation research has been a several year evolving process reflecting and affecting presented case studies and this learning experience from the case studies has also affected the goals and research questions of this dissertation. This venture has been written from a retro perspective according to ideology of process modeling and design rationale to present to the reader how this entire journey took place and what where the critical milestones that affected the end result, conceptual model. Support in a challenging information sharing framework can be provided with the right type of combination of tools, procedures and individual effort. This dissertation will provide insights to those with a new approach to war technology for the organizations to gain a better level of awareness and to improve the capabilities in decision making. This dissertation will present, from the war technology starting point, a new approach and possibility for the organizations to create a better level of awareness and support for decision making with the right combination of tools, procedures and individual effort.

Contact with friction using the augmented Lagrangian Method: a conditional constrained minimization problem

This work presents a formulation of the contact with friction between elastic bodies. This is a non linear problem due to unilateral constraints (inter-penetration of bodies) and friction. The solution of this problem can be found using optimization concepts, modelling the problem as a constrained minimization problem. The Finite Element Method is used to construct approximation spaces. The minimization problem has the total potential energy of the elastic bodies as the objective function, the non-inter-penetration conditions are represented by inequality constraints, and equality constraints are used to deal with the friction. Due to the presence of two friction conditions (stick and slip), specific equality constraints are present or not according to the current condition. Since the Coulomb friction condition depends on the normal and tangential contact stresses related to the constraints of the problem, it is devised a conditional dependent constrained minimization problem. An Augmented Lagrangian Method for constrained minimization is employed to solve this problem. This method, when applied to a contact problem, presents Lagrange Multipliers which have the physical meaning of contact forces. This fact allows to check the friction condition at each iteration. These concepts make possible to devise a computational scheme which lead to good numerical results.

Lagrangian multipliers for coast-arcs of optimum space trajectories

Some properties of generalized canonical systems - special dynamical systems described by a Hamiltonian function linear in the adjoint variables - are applied in determining the solution of the two-dimensional coast-arc problem in an inverse-square gravity field. A complete closed-form solution for Lagrangian multipliers - adjoint variables - is obtained by means of such properties for elliptic, circular, parabolic and hyperbolic motions. Classic orbital elements are taken as constants of integration of this solution in the case of elliptic, parabolic and hyperbolic motions. For circular motion, a set of nonsingular orbital elements is introduced as constants of integration in order to eliminate the singularity of the solution.

Inverse convection problem of simultaneous estimation of two boundary heat fluxes in parallel plate channels

This paper deals with the use of the conjugate gradient method of function estimation for the simultaneous identification of two unknown boundary heat fluxes in parallel plate channels. The fluid flow is assumed to be laminar and hydrodynamically developed. Temperature measurements taken inside the channel are used in the inverse analysis. The accuracy of the present solution approach is examined by using simulated measurements containing random errors, for strict cases involving functional forms with discontinuities and sharp-corners for the unknown functions. Three different types of inverse problems are addressed in the paper, involving the estimation of: (i) Spatially dependent heat fluxes; (ii) Time-dependent heat fluxes; and (iii) Time and spatially dependent heat fluxes.