Single machine scheduling problems with uncertain parameters and the OWA criterion

In this paper a class of single machine scheduling problems is discussed. It is assumed that job parameters, such as processing times, due dates, or weights are uncertain and their values are specified in the form of a discrete scenario set. The Ordered Weighted Averaging (OWA) aggregation operator is used to choose an optimal schedule. The OWA operator generalizes traditional criteria in decision making under uncertainty, such as the maximum, average, median or Hurwicz criterion. It also allows us to extend the robust approach to scheduling by taking into account various attitudes of decision makers towards the risk. In this paper a general framework for solving single machine scheduling problems with the OWA criterion is proposed and some positive and negative computational results for two basic single machine scheduling problems are provided

Ordered Weighted Average optimization in Multiobjective Spanning Tree Problem

Rework adversely impacts the performance of building projects. In this study, data were analyzed from 788 construction incidents in 40 Spanish building projects to determine the effects of project and managerial characteristics on rework costs. Finally, regression analysis was used to understand the relationships among contributing factors and to develop a model for rework prediction. Interestingly, the rework prediction model showed that only the original contract value (OCV) and the project location in relation to the company’s headquarters contributed to the regression model. Project type, type of organization, type of contract, and original contract duration (OCD), which represents the magnitude and complexity of a project, were represented by the OCV. This model for rework prediction based on original project conditions enables strategies to be put in place prior to the start of construction, to minimize uncertainties, to reduce impacts on project cost and schedule, and, thus, to improve productivity.Peer ReviewedPostprint (author's final draft

Mathematical models for the design and planning of transportation on demand in urban logistics networks

Falta palabras claveThe freight-transport industry has made enormous progress in the development and application of logistics techniques that has transformed its operation, giving raise to impressive productivity gains and improved responsiveness to its consumers. While the separation of passenger and freight traffic is a relatively new concept in historic terms, recent approaches point out that most freight-logistics techniques are transferable to the passenger-transport industry. In this sense, passenger logistics can be understood as the application of logistics techniques in urban contexts to the passenger-transport industry. The design of an urban logistic network integrates decisions about the emplacement, number and capacities of the facilities that will be located, the flows between them, demand patterns and cost structures that will validate the profitability of the process. This strategic decision settles conditions and constraints of latter tactical and operative decisions. In addition, different criteria are involved during the whole process so, in general terms, it is essential an exhaustive analysis, from the mathematical point of view, of the decision problem. The optimization models resulting from this analysis require techniques and mathematical algorithms in constant development and evolution. Such methods demand more and more a higher number of interrelated elements due to the increase of scale used in the current logistics and transportation problems. This PhD dissertation explores different topics related to Mathematical models for the design and planning of transportation on demand in urban logistics networks. The contributions are divided into six main chapters since and, in addition, Chapter 0 offers a basic background for the contents that are presented in the remaining six chapters. Chapter 1 deals with the Transit Network Timetabling and Scheduling Problem (TNTSP) in a public transit line. The TNTSP aims at determining optimal timetables for each line in a transit network by establishing departure and arrival times of each vehicle at each station. We assume that customers know departure times of line runs offered by the system. However, each user, traveling later of before their desired travel time, will give rise to an inconvenience cost, or a penalty cost if that user cannot be served according to the scheduled timetable. The provided formulation allocates each user to the best possible timetable considering capacity constraints. The problem is formulated using a p-median based approach and solved using a clustering technique. Computational results that show useful applications of this methodology are also included. Chapter 2 deals with the TNTSP in a public transit network integrating in the model the passengers' routings. The current models for planning timetables and vehicle schedules use the knowledge of passengers' routings from the results of a previous phase. However, the actual route a passenger will take strongly depends on the timetable, which is not yet known a priori. The provided formulation guarantees that each user is allocated to the best possible timetable ensuring capacity constraints. Chapter 3 deals with the rescheduling problem in a transit line that has suffered a eet size reduction. We present different modelling possibilities depending on the assumptions that need to be included in the modelization and we show that the problem can be solved rapidly by using a constrained maxcost- ow problem whose coe_cient matrix we prove is totally unimodular. We test our results in a testbed of random instances outperforming previous results in the literature. An experimental study, based on a line segment of the Madrid Regional Railway network, shows that the proposed approach provides optimal reassignment decisions within computation times compatible with real-time use. In Chapter 4 we discuss the multi-criteria p-facility median location problem on networks with positive and negative weights. We assume that the demand is located at the nodes and can be different for each criterion under consideration. The goal is to obtain the set of Pareto-optimal locations in the graph and the corresponding set of non-dominated objective values. To that end, we first characterize the linearity domains of the distance functions on the graph and compute the image of each linearity domain in the objective space. The lower envelope of a transformation of all these images then gives us the set of all non-dominated points in the objective space and its preimage corresponds to the set of all Pareto-optimal solutions on the graph. For the bicriteria 2-facility case we present a low order polynomial time algorithm. Also for the general case we propose an efficient algorithm, which is polynomial if the number of facilities and criteria is fixed. In Chapter 5, Ordered Weighted Average optimization problems are studied from a modeling point of view. Alternative integer programming formulations for such problems are presented and their respective domains studied and compared. In addition, their associated polyhedra are studied and some families of facets and new families of valid inequalities presented. The proposed formulations are particularized for two well-known combinatorial optimization problems, namely, shortest path and minimum cost perfect matching, and the results of computational experiments presented and analyzed. These results indicate that the new formulations reinforced with appropriate constraints can be effective for efficiently solving medium to large size instances. In Chapter 6, the multiobjective Minimum cost Spanning Tree Problem (MST) is studied from a modeling point of view. In particular, we use the ordered median objective function as an averaging operator to aggregate the vector of objective values of feasible solutions. This leads to the Ordered Weighted Average Spanning Tree Problem (OWASTP), which we study in this work. To solve the problem, we propose different integer programming formulations based in the most relevant MST formulations and in a new one. We analyze several enhancements for these formulations and we test their performance over a testbed of random instances. Finally we show that an appropriate choice will allow us to solve larger instances with more objectives than those previously solved in the literature.Premio Extraordinario de Doctorado U

Satisfying flexible due dates in fuzzy job shop by means of hybrid evolutionary algorithms

This paper tackles the job shop scheduling problem with fuzzy sets modelling uncertain durations and flexible due dates. The objective is to achieve high-service level by maximising due-date satisfaction, considering two different overall satisfaction measures as objective functions. We show how these functions model different attitudes in the framework of fuzzy multicriteria decision making and we define a measure of solution robustness based on an existing a-posteriori semantics of fuzzy schedules to further assess the quality of the obtained solutions. As solving method, we improve a memetic algorithm from the literature by incorporating a new heuristic mechanism to guide the search through plateaus of the fitness landscape. We assess the performance of the resulting algorithm with an extensive experimental study, including a parametric analysis, and a study of the algorithm’s components and synergy between them. We provide results on a set of existing and new benchmark instances for fuzzy job shop with flexible due dates that show the competitiveness of our method.This research has been supported by the Spanish Government under research grant TIN2016-79190-R

Knowledge aggregation in people recommender systems : matching skills to tasks

People recommender systems (PRS) are a special type of RS. They are often adopted to identify people capable of performing a task. Recommending people poses several challenges not exhibited in traditional RS. Elements such as availability, overload, unresponsiveness, and bad recommendations can have adverse effects. This thesis explores how people’s preferences can be elicited for single-event matchmaking under uncertainty and how to align them with appropriate tasks. Different methodologies are introduced to profile people, each based on the nature of the information from which it was obtained. These methodologies are developed into three use cases to illustrate the challenges of PRS and the steps taken to address them. Each one emphasizes the priorities of the matching process and the constraints under which these recommendations are made. First, multi-criteria profiles are derived completely from heterogeneous sources in an implicit manner characterizing users from multiple perspectives and multi-dimensional points-of-view without influence from the user. The profiles are introduced to the conference reviewer assignment problem. Attention is given to distribute people across items in order reduce potential overloading of a person, and neglect or rejection of a task. Second, people’s areas of interest are inferred from their resumes and expressed in terms of their uncertainty avoiding explicit elicitation from an individual or outsider. The profile is applied to a personnel selection problem where emphasis is placed on the preferences of the candidate leading to an asymmetric matching process. Third, profiles are created by integrating implicit information and explicitly stated attributes. A model is developed to classify citizens according to their lifestyles which maintains the original information in the data set throughout the cluster formation. These use cases serve as pilot tests for generalization to real-life implementations. Areas for future application are discussed from new perspectives.Els sistemes de recomanació de persones (PRS) són un tipus especial de sistemes recomanadors (RS). Sovint s’utilitzen per identificar persones per a realitzar una tasca. La recomanació de persones comporta diversos reptes no exposats en la RS tradicional. Elements com la disponibilitat, la sobrecàrrega, la falta de resposta i les recomanacions incorrectes poden tenir efectes adversos. En aquesta tesi s'explora com es poden obtenir les preferències dels usuaris per a la definició d'assignacions sota incertesa i com aquestes assignacions es poden alinear amb tasques definides. S'introdueixen diferents metodologies per definir el perfil d’usuaris, cadascun en funció de la naturalesa de la informació necessària. Aquestes metodologies es desenvolupen i s’apliquen en tres casos d’ús per il·lustrar els reptes dels PRS i els passos realitzats per abordar-los. Cadascun destaca les prioritats del procés, l’encaix de les recomanacions i les seves limitacions. En el primer cas, els perfils es deriven de variables heterogènies de manera implícita per tal de caracteritzar als usuaris des de múltiples perspectives i punts de vista multidimensionals sense la influència explícita de l’usuari. Això s’aplica al problema d'assignació d’avaluadors per a articles de conferències. Es presta especial atenció al fet de distribuir els avaluadors entre articles per tal de reduir la sobrecàrrega potencial d'una persona i el neguit o el rebuig a la tasca. En el segon cas, les àrees d’interès per a caracteritzar les persones es dedueixen dels seus currículums i s’expressen en termes d’incertesa evitant que els interessos es demanin explícitament a les persones. El sistema s'aplica a un problema de selecció de personal on es posa èmfasi en les preferències del candidat que condueixen a un procés d’encaix asimètric. En el tercer cas, els perfils dels usuaris es defineixen integrant informació implícita i atributs indicats explícitament. Es desenvolupa un model per classificar els ciutadans segons els seus estils de vida que manté la informació original del conjunt de dades del clúster al que ell pertany. Finalment, s’analitzen aquests casos com a proves pilot per generalitzar implementacions en futurs casos reals. Es discuteixen les àrees d'aplicació futures i noves perspectives.Postprint (published version

Multicriteria pathfinding in uncertain simulated environments

Dr. James Keller, Dissertation Supervisor.Includes vita.Field of study: Electrical and computer engineering."May 2018."Multicriteria decision-making problems arise in all aspects of daily life and form the basis upon which high-level models of thought and behavior are built. These problems present various alternatives to a decision-maker, who must evaluate the trade-offs between each one and choose a course of action. In a sequential decision-making problem, each choice can influence which alternatives are available for subsequent actions, requiring the decision-maker to plan ahead in order to satisfy a set of objectives. These problems become more difficult, but more realistic, when information is restricted, either through partial observability or by approximate representations. Pathfinding in partially observable environments is one significant context in which a decision-making agent must develop a plan of action that satisfies multiple criteria. In general, the partially observable multiobjective pathfinding problem requires an agent to navigate to certain goal locations in an environment with various attributes that may be partially hidden, while minimizing a set of objective functions. To solve these types of problems, we create agent models based on the concept of a mental map that represents the agent's most recent spatial knowledge of the environment, using fuzzy numbers to represent uncertainty. We develop a simulation framework that facilitates the creation and deployment of a wide variety of environment types, problem definitions, and agent models. This computational mental map (CMM) framework is shown to be suitable for studying various types of sequential multicriteria decision-making problems, such as the shortest path problem, the traveling salesman problem, and the traveling purchaser problem in multiobjective and partially observable configurations.Includes bibliographical references (pages 294-301)