Solving Capacitated Location Routing Problem by Variable Neighborhood Descent and GA-Artificial Neural Network Hybrid Method

This paper aims to find the optimal depot locations and vehicle routings for spare parts of an automotive company considering future demands. The capacitated location-routing problem (CLRP), which has been practiced by various methods, is performed to find the optimal depot locations and routings by additionally using the artificial neural network (ANN). A novel multi-stage approach, which is performed to lower transportation cost, is carried out in CLRP. Initially, important factors for customer demand are tested with an univariate analysis and used as inputs in the prediction step. Then, genetic algorithm (GA) and ANN are hybridized and applied to provide future demands. The location of depots and the routings of the vehicles are determined by using the variable neighborhood descent (VND) algorithm. Five neighborhood structures, which are either routing or location type, are implemented in both shaking and local search steps. GA-ANN and VND are applied in the related steps successfully. Thanks to the performed VND algorithm, the company lowers its transportation cost by 2.35% for the current year, and has the opportunity to determine optimal depot locations and vehicle routings by evaluating the best and the worst cases of demand quantity for ten years ahead

Fit between humanitarian professionals and project requirements: hybrid group decision procedure to reduce uncertainty in decision-making

Choosing the right professional that has to meet indeterminate requirements is a critical aspect in humanitarian development and implementation projects. This paper proposes a hybrid evaluation methodology for some non-governmental organizations enabling them to select the most competent expert who can properly and adequately develop and implement humanitarian projects. This methodology accommodates various stakeholders’ perspectives in satisfying the unique requirements of humanitarian projects that are capable of handling a range of uncertain issues from both stakeholders and project requirements. The criteria weights are calculated using a two-step multi-criteria decision-making method: (1) Fuzzy Analytical Hierarchy Process for the evaluation of the decision maker weights coupled with (2) Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) to rank the alternatives which provide the ability to take into account both quantitative and qualitative evaluations. Sensitivity analysis have been developed and discussed by means of a real case of expert selection problem for a non-profit organisation. The results show that the approach allows a decrease in the uncertainty associated with decision-making, which proves that the approach provides robust solutions in terms of sensitivity analysis

Passenger Flow Prediction Based on Newly Adopted Algorithms

Passenger flow forecasting is an essential part of transportation systems. Neural networks in the transportation field have been applied to passenger demand prediction. In this paper, we developed two hybrid methods, known as parlimentary optimization algorithm-artificial neural network (POA-ANN), and intelligent water drops algorithm-ANN (IWD algorithm-ANN). In addition, we applied the proposed algorithms to illustrate the effect of precise prediction for passenger queues. We mainly focus on predicting passenger demand by comparing the genetic algorithm-ANN (GA-ANN) with POA-ANN and IWD-ANN. The results of prediction methods suggest that both POA-ANN and IWD-ANN provide a better forecasting performance, which is obtained via mean square error (MSE), than GA-ANN in the field of passenger flow prediction. This study illustrates that the newly adopted algorithms exhibit good performance for passenger prediction

A multi criteria group decision making approach for collaborative software selection problem

Today, operational managers are experiencing difficulties in selecting the software that best suits their increasing number of requirements. These decision makers need to clarify what their needs are, what these packages offer and which software packages best fit their needs. Among the available tools, collaborative software is used to manage teams of people and different types of communication resources. This paper proposes a multi-criteria decision making technique for the selection of collaborative software. The technique is applied to a software company that develops business management solutions for Small and Medium sized Enterprises. The proposed group decision-making methodology is designed to handle both quantitative and qualitative criteria. Criteria weights are calculated using a two-step multi-criteria decision making method: Fuzzy Analytical Hierarchy Process for the experts' and criteria weights, and Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution for ranking the alternatives. Results show that the presented methodology reduces the uncertainty in decision-making and provides robust solutions

Modelling ships main and auxiliary engine powers with regression-based machine learning algorithms

Based on data from seven different ship types, this paper provides mathematical relationships that allow us to estimate the main and auxiliary engine power of new ships. With these mathematical relationships we can estimate the power of the engine based on the ship’s length (L), gross tonnage (GT) and age. We developed these approaches using simple linear regression, polynomial regression, K-nearest neighbours (KNN) regression and gradient boosting machine (GBM) regression algorithms. The relationships presented here have a practical application: during the pre-parametric design of new ships, our mathematical relationships can be used to estimate the power of the engines so that more environmentally friendly ships may be built. In addition, with the machine learning methodology, the prediction of the main engine (ME) and auxiliary engine (AE) powers used in the numerical calculation of ship-based emissions provides data for researchers working on emission calculations. We conclude that the GBM regression algorithm provides more accurate solutions to estimate the main and auxiliary engine power of a ship than other algorithms used in the study

The life of Thomas Edward Taylor, M.P., 1863-1911.

The thesis I advance for his place in the political life of this democracy is that he, essentially a self-taught man, entered the political life of the country from a strong sense of public duty and served as a spearhead for the humanitarian legislation of the Seddon Government as well as in local government. Then, I examine the reasons that impelled Taylor to enter public life and become drawn into ever widening activities. I submit that his restless energy, stirred by an intense religious experience in his youth, caused him to try to help those closest at hand. More often than not these people were drunkards. Frustrated by their continual lapses, Taylor girded himself to battle for the removal of all licences to sell liquor in the district of Sydenham. Success seemed to have been attained when a legal technicality nullified his efforts. To change the law became a necessity for him. He entered the political world and served his fellows with a much broader outlook than was first expected of him. There is evidence to support the contention that Taylor was a spearhead for the Liberals, but because of the lack of information as to the precise time Seddon became committed to any particular reform, I cannot say that Taylor provided the underlying ideas. But he did educate public opinion as to them, and saw those ideas written into the Statute Book by Seddon. But any view of Taylor as a politician is incomplete that ignores his stimulating effect upon political integrity. Friends and opponents alike agree that he followed his conception of right fearlessly and was ever alert to denounce anything that smacked of intrigue or jobbery. It is to be regretted that this work was not undertaken ten years earlier when most of those who were intimately associated with Taylor were still alive. L. M. Isitt made a collection of letters intending to write a life as Taylor, but these were destroyed by fire and the work was put aside