Abstract: This research study focuses on the optimization of multi-item multi-period procurement lot sizing problem for inventory management. Mathematical model is developed which considers different practical constraints like storage space and budget. The aim is to find optimum order quantities of the product so that total cost of inventory is minimized. The NP-hard mathematical model is solved by adopting a novel ant colony optimization approach. Due to lack of benchmark method specified in the literature to assess the performance of the above approach, another metaheuristic based program of genetic algorithm is also employed to solve the problem. The parameters of genetic algorithm model are calibrated using Taguchi method of experiments. The performance of both algorithms is compared using ANOVA analysis with the real time data collected from a valve manufacturing company. It is verified that two methods have not shown any significant difference as far as objective function value is considered. But genetic algorithm is far better than the ACO method when compared on the basis of CPU execution time. PubDate: Wed, 20 Dec 2017 09:16:29 +000
Abstract: Carbon emissions play the central role in global warming. Manufacturing firms are significant contributors to carbon emissions. In many countries, regulatory authorities are taking actions to reduce emissions. Carbon taxation and cap-and-trade schemes are two mechanisms implemented in many countries. In the present paper, the author analyzes a production-inventory model under a carbon tax system. The production rate is assumed to be a decision variable and can be set at any level within machine limits. A proportion of items produced are defective, and this proportion depends on the production rate. Demand depends on the selling price. Unit price is a decreasing function of the production rate. Emissions can be reduced to some extent by capital investment on green technology, and this capital investment amount is a decision variable. Customers are categorized as retail customers and wholesale customers. A discount is offered to the wholesale customers on the regular selling price. The results are illustrated by a numerical example and a sensitivity analysis is performed. PubDate: Wed, 13 Dec 2017 09:03:31 +000
Abstract: Given a graph , a connected sides cut or is the set of edges of linking all vertices of to all vertices of such that the induced subgraphs and are connected. Given a positive weight function defined on , the maximum connected sides cut problem (MAX CS CUT) is to find a connected sides cut such that is maximum. MAX CS CUT is NP-hard. In this paper, we give a linear time algorithm to solve MAX CS CUT for series parallel graphs. We deduce a linear time algorithm for the minimum cut problem in the same class of graphs without computing the maximum flow. PubDate: Sun, 10 Dec 2017 09:44:15 +000
Abstract: Objective. To compare the Business process management and the analytic hierarchy process as the tools of process performance assessment. Instruments and Methods. Case study of the attention process of rheumatology patients. Business process management and analytic hierarchy process were applied to assess the redesign of the attention process. The two methods were compared. The data were obtained through personal observations, an interview with a Colombian health insurer’s senior executive, and retrospective documentary analysis. Results. Both methods assessed the process redesign as an improvement. While Business process management made a qualitative evaluation, the analytic hierarchy process allowed for a quantitative approach. Conclusions. Business process management is helpful in process performance assessment because it offers a conceptual foundation. Analytic hierarchy process is a complement which makes the intuitions based on business process management rigorous. PubDate: Sun, 26 Nov 2017 00:00:00 +000
Abstract: In many practical situations the decision-maker has to pay special attention to decision space to determine the constructability of a potential solution, in addition to its optimality in objective space. Practically desirable solutions are those around preferred values in decision space and within a distance from optimality. This work investigates two methods to find simultaneously optimal and practically desirable solutions. The methods expand the objective space by adding fitness functions that favor preferred values for some variables. In addition, the methods incorporate a ranking mechanism that takes into account Pareto dominance in objective space and desirability in decision space. One method searches with one population in the expanded space, whereas the other one uses two populations to search concurrently in the original and expanded space. Our experimental results on benchmark and real world problems show that the proposed method can effectively find optimal and practically desirable solutions. PubDate: Wed, 08 Nov 2017 00:00:00 +000
Abstract: This paper presents a framework based on merging a binary integer programming technique with a genetic algorithm. The framework uses both lower and upper bounds to make the employed mathematical formulation of a problem as tight as possible. For problems whose optimal solutions cannot be obtained, precision is traded with speed through substituting the integrality constrains in a binary integer program with a penalty. In this way, instead of constraining a variable with binary restriction, is considered as real number between 0 and 1, with the penalty of , in which is a large number. Values not near to the boundary extremes of 0 and 1 make the component of large and are expected to be avoided implicitly. The nonbinary values are then converted to priorities, and a genetic algorithm can use these priorities to fill its initial pool for producing feasible solutions. The presented framework can be applied to many combinatorial optimization problems. Here, a procedure based on this framework has been applied to a scheduling problem, and the results of computational experiments have been discussed, emphasizing the knowledge generated and inefficiencies to be circumvented with this framework in future. PubDate: Tue, 17 Oct 2017 00:00:00 +000
Abstract: This paper presents a biobjective problem for a solid waste collection system in a set of islands in southern Chile. The first objective minimizes transportation cost and the second one reduces the environmental impact caused by the accumulation of solid waste at the collection points. To solve this problem, biobjective mixed integer linear programming is used. In the model, an itinerary scheme is considered for the visit to the islands. The model decides which collection points are visited per island, the collection pattern, and quantity of solid waste to be collected at each site. The quantity of solid waste is obtained dividing the solid waste generated in the island by the number of collection points selected in that same island and the frequency of visits. For this problem, we considered that the environmental impact function varies through the days during which solid waste is accumulated at each collection point. We present an instance based on real data for a set of islands in Chiloe and Palena regions in southern Chile, in which the deposit node is Dalcahue. We used the epsilon-constraint method and the weighted sum method to obtain the Pareto front, using commercial optimization software. PubDate: Thu, 10 Aug 2017 07:22:36 +000
Abstract: Consider the problem faced by a purchaser of solid waste management services, who needs to identify waste collection points, the assignment of waste generation points to waste collection points, and the type and number of receptacles utilized at each collection point. Receptacles whose collection schedule is specified in advance are charged a fixed fee according to the number of times the receptacle is serviced (emptied) per week. For other receptacles, the purchaser pays a fee comprised of a fixed service charge, plus a variable cost that is assessed on a per-ton-removed basis. We develop a mathematical programming model to minimize the costs that the purchaser pays to the waste management provider, subject to a level of service that is sufficient to collect all of the purchaser’s required waste. Examining historical data from the University of Missouri, we observed significant variability in the amount of waste serviced for nonscheduled receptacles. Because this variability has a significant impact on cost, we modified our model using robust optimization techniques to address the observed uncertainty. Our model’s highly robust solution, while slightly more expensive than the nonrobust solution in the most-optimistic scenario, significantly outperforms the nonrobust solution for all other potential scenarios. PubDate: Sun, 29 Jan 2017 00:00:00 +000
Abstract: In this paper, we study a project scheduling problem that is called resource constrained project scheduling problem under minimization of total weighted resource tardiness penalty cost (RCPSP-TWRTPC). In this problem, the project is subject to renewable resources, each renewable resource is available for limited time periods during the project life cycle, and keeping the resource for each extra period results in some tardiness penalty cost. We introduce a branch and bound algorithm to solve the problem exactly and use several bounding, fathoming, and dominance rules in our algorithm to shorten the enumeration process. We point out parameters affecting the RCPSP-TWRTPC degree of difficulty, generate extensive sets of sample instances for the problem, and perform comprehensive experimental analysis using the customized algorithm and also CPLEX solver. We analyze the algorithm behavior with respect to the changes in instances degree of difficulty and compare its performance for different cases with the CPLEX solver. The results reveal algorithm efficiency. PubDate: Tue, 10 Jan 2017 00:00:00 +000
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