The multi-item capacitated lot-sizing problem with setup times and shortage costs

We address a multi-item capacitated lot-sizing problem with setup times and shortage costs that arises in real-world production planning problems. Demand cannot be backlogged, but can be totally or partially lost. The problem is NP-hard. A mixed integer mathematical formulation is presented. Our approach in this paper is to propose some classes of valid inequalities … Read more

An efficient algorithm for the earliness-tardiness scheduling problem

This paper addresses the one-machine scheduling problem with earliness-tardiness penalties. We propose a new branch-and-bound algorithm that can solve instances with up to 50 jobs and that can solve problems with even more general non-convex cost functions. The algorithm is based on the combination of a Lagrangean relaxation of resource constraints and new dominance rules. … Read more

Topology optimization of a mechanical component subject to dynamical constraints

This paper is concerned with the optimization of continuum structures under dynamic loading using methods from topology design. The constraint functions are non-linear and implicit, their evaluation requires the resolution of a computation-intensive finite-element analysis performed by a black-box commercial structural mechanics software such as MSC/Nastran. We first present a brief overview of topology optimization … Read more

Constructing Risk Measures from Uncertainty Sets

We propose a unified theory that links uncertainty sets in robust optimization to risk measures in portfolio optimization. We illustrate the correspondence between uncertainty sets and some popular risk measures in finance, and show how robust optimization can be used to generalize the concepts of these measures. We also show that by using properly defined … Read more

A Random Key Based Genetic Algorithm for the Resource Constrained Project Scheduling Problem

This paper presents a genetic algorithm for the Resource Constrained Project Scheduling Problem (RCPSP). The chromosome representation of the problem is based on random keys. The schedule is constructed using a heuristic priority rule in which the priorities of the activities are defined by the genetic algorithm. The heuristic generates parameterized active schedules. The approach … Read more

Non-Linear Stochastic Fractional Programming Models of Financial Derivatives

Non-Linear Stochastic Fractional programming models provide numerous insights into a wide variety of areas such as in financial derivatives. Portfolio optimization has been one of the important research fields in modern finance. The most important character within this optimization problem is the uncertainty of the future returns on assets. The objective of this study is … Read more

Optimal Information Monitoring Under a Politeness Constraint

We describe scheduling algorithms for monitoring an information source whose contents change at times modeled by a nonhomogeneous Poisson process. In a given time period of length T, we enforce a politeness constraint that we may only probe the source at most n times. This constraint, along with an optional constraint that no two probes … Read more

Compact linearization for bilinear mixed-integer problems

We present a compact linearization for a broad class of bilinear 0-1 mixed-integer problems subject to assignment constraints. We apply the linearization to three classes of problems: quadratic assignment, multiprocessor scheduling with communication delays, and graph partitioning, and show that it yields faster solution times. CitationDEI, Politecnico di Milano, Working paper, April 2005.ArticleDownload View PDF

A Lagrangean Relaxation and Decomposition Algorithm for the Video Placement and Routing Problem

Video on Demand (VoD) is a technology used to provide a number of programs to a number of users on request. In developing a VoD system, a fundamental problem is load balancing, which is further characterized by optimally placing videos to a number of predefined servers and routing the user program requests to available resources. … Read more

Preemptive scheduling with position costs

This paper is devoted to basic scheduling problems in which the scheduling cost of a job is not a function of its completion time. Instead, the cost is derived from the integration of a cost function over the time intervals on which the job is processed. This criterion is specially meaningful when job preemption is … Read more