PEBBL is a C++ class library implementing the underlying operations needed to support a wide variety of branch-and-bound algorithms in a message-passing parallel computing environment. Deriving application-speci c classes from PEBBL, one may create parallel branch-and-bound applications through a process focused on the unique aspects of the application, while relying on PEBBL for generic aspects of … Read more
We present in this paper a new model for robust combinatorial optimization with cost uncertainty that generalizes the classical budgeted uncertainty set. We suppose here that the budget of uncertainty is given by a function of the problem variables, yielding an uncertainty multifunction. The new model is less conservative than the classical model and approximates … Read more
This paper introduces a new bio-inspired algorithm for optimal discrete decision making, able to incrementally grow and explore decision graphs in multiple directions. The heuristic draws inspiration from the idea that building decision sequences from multiple directions and then combining the sequences is an optimal choice if compared with a unidirectional approach. The behaviour of … Read more
We study the runtime performance of three types of random-key genetic algorithms: the unbiased algorithm of Bean (1994); the biased algorithm of Gonçalves and Resende (2011); and a greedy version of Bean’s algorithm on 12 instances from four types of covering problems: general-cost set covering, Steiner triple covering, general-cost set K-covering, and unit-cost covering by … Read more
Many optimal decision problems in scientific, engineering, and public sector applications involve both discrete decisions and nonlinear system dynamics that affect the quality of the final design or plan. These decision problems lead to mixed-integer nonlinear programming (MINLP) problems that combine the combinatorial difficulty of optimizing over discrete variable sets with the challenges of handling … Read more
In this paper we discuss two particular layout problems, namely the Single-Row Equidistant Facility Layout Problem (SREFLP) and the Single-Row Facility Layout Problem (SRFLP). Our aim is to consolidate the two respective branches in the layout literature. We show that the SREFLP is not only a special case of the Quadratic Assignment Problem but also … Read more
We study scheduling as a means to address the increasing energy concerns in manufacturing enterprises. In particular, we consider a flow shop scheduling problem with a restriction on peak power consumption, in addition to the traditional time-based objectives. We investigate both mathematical programming and combinatorial approaches to this scheduling problem, and test our approaches with … Read more
The quadratic traveling salesman problem asks for a tour of minimal costs where the costs are associated with each two arcs that are traversed in succession. This structure arises, e. g., if the succession of two arcs represents the costs of loading processes in transport networks or a switch between different technologies in communication networks. … Read more
A greedy randomized adaptive search procedure (GRASP) is a metaheuristic for combinatorial optimization. GRASP heuristics are multistart procedures which apply local search to a set of starting solutions generated with a randomized greedy algorithm or semi-greedy method. The best local optimum found over the iterations is returned as the heuristic solution. Path-relinking is a search … Read more
In this paper, we describe brkgaAPI, an efficient and easy-to-use object oriented application programming interface for the algorithmic framework of biased random-key genetic algorithms. Our cross-platform library automatically handles the large portion of problem-independent modules that are part of the framework, including population management and evolutionary dynamics, leaving to the user the task of implementing … Read more