A heuristic algorithm for a dial-a-ride problem with time windows,multiple capacities,and multiple objectives

The paper describes a system for the solution of a static dial-a-ride routing and scheduling problem with time windows (DARPTW). The problem statement and initialization of the development project was made by the Copenhagen Fire-Fighting Service (CFFS). The CFFS needed a new system for scheduling elderly and disabled persons, involving about 50.000 requests per year. The problem is characterized by, among other things, multiple capacities and multiple objectives. The capacities refer to the fact that a vehicle may be equipped with e.g. normal seats, children seats or wheel chair places. The objectives relate to a number of concerns such as e.g. short driving time, high vehicle utilization or low costs. A solution algorithm REBUS based on an insertion heuristics was developed. The algorithm permits in a flexible way weighting of the various goals such that the solution reflects the user's preferences. The algorithm is implemented in a dynamic environment intended for on-line scheduling. Thus, a new request for service is treated in less than 1 second, permitting an interactive user interface.     

A stochastic model for a vehicle in a dial-a-ride system

We consider a stochastic model for a system which can serve n customers concurrently, and each accepted and departing customer generates a service interruption. The proposed model describes a single vehicle in a dial-a-ride transport system and is closely related to Erlang’s loss system. We give closed-form expressions for the blocking probability, the acceptance rate, and the mean sojourn time, which are all shown to be insensitive with respect to the forms of the distributions defining the workload and interruption durations.     

Routing by ranking: A link analysis method for the constrained dial-a-ride problem

The dial-a-ride problem involves the dispatching of a fleet of vehicles in order to transport a set of customers from specific pick-up nodes to specific drop-off nodes. Using a modified version of hyperlink-induced topic search (HITS), we characterize hubs as nodes with many out-links to other hubs and calculate a hub score for each pick-up and drop-off node. Ranking the nodes by hub score gives guidance to a backtracking algorithm for efficiently finding feasible solutions to the dial-a-ride problem.     

Testing integer knapsacks for feasibility

We present a new approach for determining whether there exist nonnegative integers x₁, x₂, …, x_n satisfying a₁x₁ + a₂x₂ + ? + a_nx_n = b, where a₁ < a₂ < ? < a_n and b are nonnegative integers. case time complexity is analyzed and compared with dynamic programming techniques. Computational results are given.     

Comment on “A fuzzy soft set theoretic approach to decision making problems”

The algorithm for identification of an object in a previous paper of A.R. Roy et al. [A.R. Roy, P.K. Maji, A fuzzy soft set theoretic approach to decision making problems, J. Comput. Appl. Math. 203(2007) 412–418] is incorrect. Using the algorithm the right choice cannot be obtained in general. The problem is illustrated by a counter-example.     

A note on “A new local and global optimization method for mixed integer quadratic programming problems” by G.Q. Li et al.

In this comment, we preset a minor mistake in typing which is made in “A new local and global optimization method for mixed integer quadratic programming problems” by G.Q. Li et al.     

A note on “Extensional PERs”

In the paper “Extensional PERs” by P. Freyd, P. Mulry, G. Rosolini and D. Scott, a category C of “pointed complete extensional PERs” and computable maps is introduced to provide an instance of an algebraically compact category relative to a restricted class of functors. Algebraic compactness is a synthetic condition on a category which ensures solutions of recursive equations involving endofunctors of the category. We extend that result to include all internal functors on C when C is viewed as a full internal category of the effective topos. This is done using two general results: one about internal functors in general, and one about internal functors in the effective topos.     

Note on “A note on single-machine group scheduling problems with position-based learning effect”

In a recent paper, Lee and Wu [W.-C. Lee, C.-C. Wu, A note on single-machine group scheduling problems with position-based learning effect, Appl. Math. Model. 33 (2009) 2159–2163] proposed a new group scheduling learning model where the learning effect not only depends on the job position, but also depends on the group position. They investigate the makespan and the total completion time minimization problems on a single-machine. As for the total completion time minimization problem, they assumed that the numbers of jobs in each group are the same and the group normal setup and the job normal processing times are agreeable. Under the assumption conditions, they showed that the total completion time minimization problem can be optimally solved in polynomial time solution. However, the assumption conditions for the total completion time minimization problem do not reflect actual practice in many manufacturing processes. Hence, in this note, we propose other agreeable conditions and show that the total completion time minimization problem remains polynomially solvable under the agreeable conditions.     

A note on functional a posteriori estimates for elliptic optimal control problems

In this work, new results on functional type a posteriori estimates for elliptic optimal control problems with control constraints are presented. More precisely, we derive new, sharp, guaranteed, and fully computable lower bounds for the cost functional in addition to the already existing upper bounds. Using both, the lower and the upper bounds, we arrive at two‐sided estimates for the cost functional. We prove that these bounds finally lead to sharp, guaranteed and fully computable upper estimates for the discretization error in the state and the control of the optimal control problem. First numerical tests are presented confirming the efficiency of the a posteriori estimates derived. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Numer Methods Partial Differential Eq 33: 403–424, 2017     

A note on “A LP-based heuristic for a time-constrained routing problem”

In their paper, Avella et al. (2006) investigate a time-constrained routing problem. The core of the proposed solution approach is a large-scale linear program that grows both row- and column-wise when new variables are introduced. Thus, a column-and-row generation algorithm is proposed to solve this linear program optimally, and an optimality condition is presented to terminate the column-and-row generation algorithm. We demonstrate by using Lagrangian duality that this optimality condition is incorrect and may lead to a suboptimal solution at termination.     

A note on Constrained Total Least-Squares estimation

It is shown here how - similarly to the unconstrained case - the Constrained Total Least Squares Estimate (CTLSE) can be generated by solving a certain sequence of eigenvalue problems iteratively. For this, the normal matrix from the constrained (standard) least-squares approach has to be suitably augmented by one row and one column. Further modification of the augmented row and column allows the treatment of “fiducial constraints” for which the RHS vector is affected by random errors, but not the constraining matrix itself.     

A note on “Optimal resource allocation for security in reliability systems”

In a recent paper by Azaiez and Bier [Azaiez, M.N., Bier, V.M., 2007. Optimal resource allocation for security in reliability systems. European Journal of Operational Research 181, 773–786], the problem of determining resource allocation in series-parallel systems (SPSs) is considered. The results for this problem are based on the results for the least-expected cost failure-state diagnosis problem. In this note, it is demonstrated that the results for the least-expected cost failure-state diagnosis problem for SPSs in Azaiez and Bier (2007) are incorrect. In addition relevant results that were not cited in the paper are summarized.     

A note on aggregating constraints in integer programming

To aggregate constraints is a technique for solving the integer programming problem. In this note we modify a result of Zionts (1974); without this modification, there is a counterexample for Zionts' result. Further, we give an elegant theorem which considers the aggregation of nonlinear constraints.This work was partially supported by the Chinese National Science Council.     

A note on: “Relaxation oscillators with exact limit cycles”

In this note we give a family of planar polynomial differential systems with a prescribed hyperbolic limit cycle. This family constitutes a corrected and wider version of an example given in the work [M.A. Abdelkader, Relaxation oscillators with exact limit cycles, J. Math. Anal. Appl. 218 (1998) 308-312]. The result given in this note may be used to construct models of Liénard differential equations exhibiting a desired limit cycle.     

A note on “Location of hubs in a competitive environment”

This note suggests modifications to two models for locating hubs in a competitive environment introduced by Marianov et al. [European Journal of Operational Research 114 (1999) 363–371]. They make it possible to provide optimal solutions much faster. It is also shown that the implementation of the heuristic proposed by Marianov et al. contains a flaw. Yet the heuristic itself is correct.     

A note on alternating projections for ill-posed semidefinite feasibility problems

We observe that Sturm’s error bounds readily imply that for semidefinite feasibility problems, the method of alternating projections converges at a rate of \(\mathcal {O}\Big (k^{-\frac{1}{2^{d+1}-2}}\Big )\), where d is the singularity degree of the problem—the minimal number of facial reduction iterations needed to induce Slater’s condition. Consequently, for almost all such problems (in the sense of Lebesgue measure), alternating projections converge at a worst-case rate of \(\mathcal {O}\Big (\frac{1}{\sqrt{k}}\Big )\).     

A note on “New travelling wave solutions to the Ostrovsky equation”

In a recent paper by Ya?ar [E. Ya?ar, New travelling wave solutions to the Ostrovsky equation, Appl. Math. Comput. 216 (2010), 3191-3194], ‘new’ travelling-wave solutions to the transformed reduced Ostrovsky equation are presented. In this note it is shown that some of these solutions are disguised versions of known solutions.