Application Of Heuristic Methods Research Articles

Efficient Route Planning for Flour Distribution: A Heuristic Approach

This company operates in the Food and Beverage sector, selling Martabak, an Indonesian snack. The company needs to deliver flour to 25 branches spread across Bandung, Indonesia, every day, with varying demand capacities at each branch. Each day, the total amount of flour to be delivered is 377 boxes. Currently, the company has 12 distribution routes with a total distance of 271,16 km, with each route covering only two stores. However, these routes are too many and vehicle capacities need to be optimized, resulting in a high total travelled distance. The aim of this research is to optimize the delivery routes to reduce the total travelled distance and number of routes. To address this issue, known as the Vehicle Routing Problem (VRP), heuristic methods were employed, specifically the nearest neighbour method for initial route construction and Intra-Route (1-0) Insertion for improvement. Implementing these heuristic methods resulted in a final total of 6 distribution routes with a total distance of 160,90 km. This method successfully reduced the total travelled distance by 110,26 km and reduced the number of routes by 6. In conclusion, the application of heuristic methods in solving the VRP for this company proved to be effective in reducing both the total travelled distance and the number of routes, thereby enhancing the operational efficiency of the delivery process.

Particle Swarm Optimization with a Simplex Strategy to Avoid Getting Stuck on Local Optimum

Heuristic methods, for global optimization, have been receiving much interest in the last years, among which Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) algorithm can be highlighted. However, the application of heuristic methods can lead to premature convergence. In this work, the addition of a step on the PSO algorithm is proposed. This new step, based in Nelder–Mead simplex search method (NM), consists of repositioning the current particle with global best solution, not for a better position, but away from the current nearest local optimum, to avoid getting stuck on this local optimum. There are other PSO-NM algorithms, but the one we are proposing, has a different strategy. The proposed algorithm was also tested with the repositioning strategy in other particles beyond the current global best particle, depending on the repositioning probability. To evaluate the effectiveness of the proposed methods, and study its better parameters, were used various test functions, and for each test function, various number of particles were used in combination with various probabilities of particles repositioning. A thousand runs were performed for each case, resulting in more than two millions runs. The computational studies showed that the repositioning of of global best particle increases the percentage of success on reaching the global best solution, but better results can be obtained applying the repositioning strategy to other particles with repositioning probabilities between 1–5%.

Operating Rooms Scheduling for Elective Surgeries in a Hospital Affected by War-Related Incidents.

Hospital scheduling presents huge challenges for the healthcare industry. Various studies have been conducted in many different countries with focus on both elective and non-elective surgeries. There are important variables and factors that need to be taken into considerations. Different methods and approaches have also been used to examine hospital scheduling. Notwithstanding the continuous changes in modern healthcare services and, in particular, hospital operations, consistent reviews and further studies are still required. The importance of hospital scheduling, particularly, has become more critical as the trade-off between limited resources and overwhelming demand is becoming more evident. This situation is even more pressing in a volatile country where shootings and bombings in public areas happened. Hospital scheduling for elective surgeries in volatile country such as Iraq is therefore often interrupted by non-elective surgeries due to war-related incidents. Hence, this paper intends to address this issue by proposing a hospital scheduling model with focus on neuro-surgery department. The aim of the model is to maximize utilization of operating room while concurrently minimizing idle time of surgery. The study focused on neurosurgery department in Al-Shahid Ghazi Al-Hariri hospital in Baghdad, Iraq. In doing so, a Mixed-integer linear programming (MILP) model is formulated where interruptions of non-elective surgery are incorporated into the main elective surgery based model. Computational experiment is then carried out to test the model. The result indicates that the model is feasible and can be solved in reasonable times. Nonetheless, its feasibility is further tested as the problems size and the computation times is getting bigger and longer. Application of heuristic methods is the way forward to ensure better practicality of the proposed model. In the end, the potential benefit of this study and the proposed model is discussed.

A heuristic method for transmission design

The application of heuristic methods in the design of transmissions is investigated. The structure of heuristic methods is revealed and the heuristic techniques that compose them are established. These techniques are combined into one generalized method, which allows replacing all the considered methods. A heuristic method specially allotted for the design of transmission is also developed. This method contains, among other things, the following heuristic techniques. Search for all possible variants of elements location corresponding to one of the same graph. Introduction nodes to the graph that corresponding certain function, for the implementation of which a node can be added to the design or vice versa, a node can be removed from the design, and the function it has implemented will be implemented by other elements.The advantages of a heuristic search on the example of designing a double row thrust bearing are evidenced. The bearing contains a node through which the speed of the intermediate ring is always equal to half the speed of the shaft. Due to this, the distance that the rolling element path is reduced, and the bearing has greater durability.

Improving the performance of the mass transfer-based reference evapotranspiration estimation approaches through a coupled wavelet-random forest methodology

Among different reference evapotranspiration (ETo) modeling approaches, mass transfer-based methods have been less studied. These approaches utilize temperature and wind speed records. On the other hand, the empirical equations proposed in this context generally produce weak simulations, except when a local calibration is used for improving their performance. This might be a crucial drawback for those equations in case of local data scarcity for calibration procedure. So, application of heuristic methods can be considered as a substitute for improving the performance accuracy of the mass transfer-based approaches. However, given that the wind speed records have usually higher variation magnitudes than the other meteorological parameters, application of a wavelet transform for coupling with heuristic models would be necessary. In the present paper, a coupled wavelet-random forest (WRF) methodology was proposed for the first time to improve the performance accuracy of the mass transfer-based ETo estimation approaches using cross-validation data management scenarios in both local and cross-station scales. The obtained results revealed that the new coupled WRF model (with the minimum scatter index values of 0.150 and 0.192 for local and external applications, respectively) improved the performance accuracy of the single RF models as well as the empirical equations to great extent.

Benchmark Tests on Heuristic Methods in the Darts Game

Games are among problems that can be reduced to optimization, for which one of the most universal and productive solving method is a heuristic approach. In this article we present results of benchmark tests on using 5 heuristic methods to solve a physical model of the darts game. Discussion of the scores and conclusions from the research have shown that application of heuristic methods can simulate artificial intelligence as a regular player with very good results.

Analysis of matrix and graph models of transmissions for optimization their design

The application of heuristic methods in the design of transmissions is investigated. The entire path that the designer passes from the development of the design requirements, then the preliminary design and finally the development of the detailed design is considered. Heuristic methods are divided into three groups according to three design phases. For each phase, one generalized heuristic method that includes all heuristic techniques of the known methods referred to a particular group should be used when designing transmissions. Special attention is paid to the methods that use matrix and graph models. These methods are the most suitable for analyzing complex technical objects. Search for design features that are not used in right-angle gearboxes is performed by the method of creativity enhancement. Using the method of studying the structure of the problem based on the use of matrix and graph models at the phase of preliminary design, it was found that the power split in the bevel stage is possible at an angle between the axes of the bevel gear not equal to 90°. A comparative analysis of the found design with the existing gearbox at the phase of detailed design using the method of evaluating the variants for a design solution is made. Evidence of the effectiveness of heuristic methods is the development of a new gearbox design with better technical characteristics: smaller weight and dimensions. The developed heuristic methods are aimed at solving the tasks of designing transmissions; they can be used by designers, inventors and are interesting for experts in the field of heuristics.

The Application of Heuristic Method in Images Pseudo Coloring

In this paper, we use the surface of the analytical sample image recognition color histogram and adaptive modeling, black and white image are doing pseudo shading. Choose a different value in the layer R, G, and B is the most important achievement, of the technology in this method based on the analysis of the image histogram in characteristic value of different colors in the designated, different levels of image, we take action. The implementation results concept for this article to improve compared with other similar methods.

Formation of creative abilities with application of heuristic methods

Basic problems of application of heuristic methods for teaching at higher school are considered. Basic descriptions of creative thought are presented. It is shown that development of creative thought and heuristic methods is the important task of pedagogical process.

Die Wahrheit entdecken. Garcia da Orta und die ‚Gespräche über die einfachen Heilmittel‘ (Goa 1563)

The ,Colloquies on the simples and drugs of India' by Garcia da Orta, published in Goa in 1563, are an inquiry into South Asian materia medica and an important Portuguese contribution to Renaissance herbal literature. The dialogue indicates a fundamental interest in the quest for truth, emphasizing the separation of true from false or vague statements in the description of various plants and vegetable, animal and mineral products of the East Indies. As lectures on the writings of Aristotle and his commentators formed the bases of education at Spanish universities in the 16th century, the current scholar concept of truth at that time derived from Aristotelian philosophy in which scientific truth is taken to arise mainly from syllogistic proof, definition and noetic intuition. Simultaneously another notion of truth emerged, referring to itself in terms of ,discovery' and ,experience'. The abundance of unknown phenomena and the strangeness of the exotic flora and fauna had demonstrated that the ability to make true statements in the field of natural history depended largely on sense perception and the collection of information. Both of these two ways to knowledge are required to characterize, compare and classify new objects or processes by differentiating them into their accidental, specific and diagnostic properties. This kind of truth gains its validity from authentic and documentated observation of individual beings; it has to be detected by research on nature's morphological diversity and by application of heuristic methods. After giving an outline of Orta's life, the structure of the ,Colloquies' and their reception in Europe, the article tries to identify the plants and drugs discussed and finally concentrates on an exposition of the Aristotelian and the discovery-oriented concept of scientfic truth.

Reconfiguration of radial distribution networks: application of heuristic methods on large-scale networks

Heuristic methods for the reconfiguration of radial distribution networks have been presented by several researchers. The objective of the studies involved is either to minimise resistive line losses during normal operation, or to balance load and relief overloads, e.g. during service restoration procedures. In the paper the two basic strategies employed and the adequate methods developed for both objectives are presented, improved and generalised. An efficient approach to the load balancing problem, using switch exchange operations, is presented. An overall algorithm for the reduction of the size of the network model without decreasing computations accuracy of all methods is also presented. The adequate computer programs are applied on a real, large-scale 20 kV Greek network, for the optimisation of its operation under normal operating conditions and after the occurrence of an outage. General conclusions are drawn regarding the comparison of the two strategies as modelled in the paper and the opportunities network reconfiguration offers for operation improvement.

An Application of Heuristic Method of Assembly Line Balancing in an Indian Industry

In designing a completely automatic factory we must appreciate the basic philosophy behind the line system of production and the proper method of balancing the progressive assembly line. An actual case problem on line balancing, the solution of which has been done by heuristic approach, has been dealt with in this paper. The method suggested by the authors is a simple but logical one and gives near-optimal solutions for balancing progressive assembly lines, consisting of a number of work stations of varying cycle times, in a short period of time.

An application of heuristic method of assembly line balancing in an Indian industry

An application of heuristic method of assembly line balancing in an Indian industry