Public evaluation of large projects : variational inequialities, bilevel programming and complementarity. A survey

Large projects evaluation rises well known difficulties because -by definition- they modify the current price system; their public evaluation presents additional difficulties because they modify too existing shadow prices without the project. This paper analyzes -first- the basic methodologies applied until late 80s., based on the integration of projects in optimization models or, alternatively, based on iterative procedures with information exchange between two organizational levels. New methodologies applied afterwards are based on variational inequalities, bilevel programming and linear or nonlinear complementarity. Their foundations and different applications related with project evaluation are explored. As a matter of fact, these new tools are closely related among them and can treat more complex cases involving -for example- the reaction of agents to policies or the existence of multiple agents in an environment characterized by common functions representing demands or constraints on polluting emissions

Modeling and Analysis of Multicommodity Network Flows via Goal Programming

In this research we focused on the mobility system modeled by the AMC mobility planner\u27s calculator (AMPCALC). We developed AMPCALC as a user-friendly tool and allow the user to easily carry out strategic airlift, air refueling and aeromedical evacuation calculations that are covered in Air Force Pamphlet 10-1403. In this study, Excel software and its macro language, Visual Basic for Application, are our two main tools. In the methodology of the thesis we examined fundamental aspects of the mobility system in AMPCALC. We discussed formulation logic of the mobility cycle. We presented ramp use optimization and tanker optimization processes. We also conducted verification and validation of AMPCALC. Sensitivity analysis of the model includes a response surface study. To be able to investigate the main effects and interaction effects of the input factors on closure time, we performed a 26 factorial design. No linear relations are observed, but some relations between inputs and closure time are observed

An interactive heuristic for financial planning in decentralized organizations.

Planning and controlling overall performance in decentralized organizations is a complex task for central management because it is contronted with incomplete information on organizational opportunities and possible conflicts of interest with local managers. Many formal procedures for the support of planning processes in decentralized organizations are based on decomposition methods for mathematical programming. Most of these procedures assume organizational decision models with a single overall goal that is supported by all decision makers involved. In this paper, a framework for an interactive heuristic planning procedure is proposed for decentralized organizational decision models with multiple goals that may be conflicting within and between decision levels. This procedure aims at solving the planning problem straightforwardly in a low number of information exchanges between the decision levels, which makes it more acceptable for decision makers in practice

Systems Analysis by Multilevel Methods: With Applications to Economics and Management

This book presents a survey of usable multilevel methods for modeling and solving decision problems in economics and management. The methods are largely extensions of linear programming and fall within the realm of column generation and decomposition. About one third of the book is concerned with methods and the rest describes case studies where these methods have actually been used. They are taken from areas such as national and regional economic planning, production planning, and transportation planning

On-Line End-to-End Congestion Control

Congestion control in the current Internet is accomplished mainly by TCP/IP. To understand the macroscopic network behavior that results from TCP/IP and similar end-to-end protocols, one main analytic technique is to show that the the protocol maximizes some global objective function of the network traffic. Here we analyze a particular end-to-end, MIMD (multiplicative-increase, multiplicative-decrease) protocol. We show that if all users of the network use the protocol, and all connections last for at least logarithmically many rounds, then the total weighted throughput (value of all packets received) is near the maximum possible. Our analysis includes round-trip-times, and (in contrast to most previous analyses) gives explicit convergence rates, allows connections to start and stop, and allows capacities to change.Comment: Proceedings IEEE Symp. Foundations of Computer Science, 200

A model for regional analysis of carbon sequestration and timber production

The greenhouse effect is one of our most severe current environmental problems. Forests make up large ecosystems and can play an important role in mitigating the emissions of CO2, the most important greenhouse gas. Different management regimes affect the ability of forests to sequester carbon. It is important to investigate in what way we best can use forests to mitigate the greenhouse effect. It is also important to study what effect different actions, done to increase carbon sequestration, have on other offsets from forestry, such as the harvest level, the availability of forest biofuel and economic factors. In this study, we present an optimization model for analysis of carbon sequestration in forest biomass and forest products at a local or regional scale. The model consists of an optimizing stand-level simulator, and the solution is found using linear programming. Carbon sequestration was accounted for in terms of carbon price and its value computed as a function of carbon price and the net carbon storage in the forest. The same price was used as a cost for carbon emission originating from deterioration of wood products. We carried out a case study for a 3.2 million hectare boreal forest region in northern Sweden. The result showed that 1.48–2.05 million tonnes of carbon per year was sequestered in the area, depending on what carbon price was used. We conclude that assigning carbon storage a monetary value and removal of carbon in forest products as a cost, increases carbon sequestration in the forest and decreases harvest levels. The effect was largest in areas with low site-quality classes

Short-term generation scheduling in a hydrothermal power system.

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