Propellant-powered actuator for gas generators

Hydrazine operated monopropellant generators are used for spacecraft rocket engines and propellant pressurization systems. Measured work output of monopropellant actuators compares favorably with output of squib-type actuators

Ferromagnetic-fluid logic devices

Logic element switches flows of low pressure process control fluid in fluidics assemblies. Device operates both electrically and fluidically and is controlled by passing permanent magnet or electromagnet over elements, thus providing proximity switching functions

Selected Issues of Design and Implementation od Decision Support Systems

The paper presents selected issues related to design and implementation of model based Decision Support Systems (DSS). For over ten years the SDS Program has been involved in cooperation with various projects at IIASA and in collaborating research institutes. This cooperation has resulted in the development of many DSS, which in turn stimulated research on the theory and methodology of decision analysis. An overview of selected DDS developed within the cooperation with IIASA is presented. Different concepts of DSS are briefly discussed and one specific type of DSS, namely model based, aspiration-led DSS is characterized. Finally, selected problems of designing and implementation of a DSS are discussed in more detail. A short description of software packages developed within the cooperation with the MDA Project is provided. The paper also gives a short summary of recent activities of the Methodology of Decision Analysis Project and of the DSS software available from the MDA Project

A Structured Modeling Technology

This paper presents the methodological background and implementation of a structured modeling environment developed to meet the requirements of modeling activities undertaken to support intergovernmental negotiations aimed at improving European air quality. Although the motivation for the reported work came from the actual complex application presented in the paper, the actual scope of the paper covers a wide range of issues related to model-based decision- making support. The paper starts with a summary of the context of modeling composed of: the role of models in decision-making support; modeling paradigms; and state-of-the-art aspects of modeling complex problems. The modeling process is then characterized, and the requirement analysis for implementation of structured modeling is specified. The main part of the paper presents the structured modeling technology which was developed to support the implementation of the structured modeling principles for modeling complex problems

User Guide to a Mathematical Programming Package for Multicriteria Dynamic Linear Problems Hybrid Version 3.1

This paper is one of the series of 11 Working Papers presenting the software for interactive decision support and software tools for developing decision support systems. These products constitute the outcome of the contracted study agreement between the System and Decision Sciences Program at IIASA and several Polish scientific institutions. The theoretical part of these results is presented in the IIASA Working Paper WP-88-071 entitled "Theory, Software and Testing Examples in Decision Support Systems", which contains the theoretical and methodological backgrounds of the software system developed within the project. This paper presents the HYBRID system for solving linear multiple criteria optimization problems, utilizing the reference point technique. This method, originally developed by the authors, is the non-simplex one and is based on the augmented Lagrangian technique with conjugate gradient optimization. Due to special properties of the method it was possible to make the implementation especially efficient for solving dynamic problems. In such cases the HYBRID outperforms such known packages, like MINOS. Since the method does not require to store large amount of information (like basis matrix in standard Simplex formulation) it is especially valuable for microcomputer applications, allowing to solve problems a magnitude bigger dimensionality than with standard methods