Inherently a discovery-based pedagogy, Disassemble/Analyze/Assemble (DAA) activities start with the artefact, an instance of a typically well-engineered solution. Through systemized disassembly and the subsequent analysis of components, students engage in an iterative process of observation and follow-up probing. In-turn, this process helps students understand the function of the artefact’s com...

The goal of this paper is to address the problem of evaluating the performance of a system running under unknown values for its stochastic parameters. A new approach called LAD for Simulation, based on simulation and classification software, is presented. It uses a number of simulations with very few replications and record the mean value of directly measurable quantities (called observables). ...

W consider the optimal production and inventory control of an assemble-to-order system with m components, one end-product, and n customer classes. A control policy specifies when to produce each component and, whenever an order is placed, whether or not to satisfy it from on-hand inventory. We formulate the problem as a Markov decision process and characterize the structure of an optimal policy...

We study the stochastic optimal control for an assemble-to-order system with multiple products and components that arrive at the system in random batches and according to renewal reward processes. Our purpose is to maximize expected infinite-horizon discounted profit by selecting product prices, component production rates, and a dynamic sequencing rule for assembly. We refine the solution of so...

Retroviral capsids are composed of hexagonal arrays of the viral CA protein. In this issue of Cell, Ganser-Pornillos et al. (2007) provide a molecular model of the hexagonal HIV-1 CA lattice obtained from a new electron cryomicroscopic reconstruction. This study reveals the three principal stabilizing interfaces in the capsid lattice and explains how two different classes of inhibitors can bloc...