Operations Research Methods Research Articles

DEVELOPMENT OF HUMAN POTENTIAL: DESIGN THINKING AS A WAY OF IMPROVING PROFESSIONAL COMPETENCIES OF ECONOMISTS

In a post-industrial society, the quality of professional education becomes a leading factor in the formation of human potential. One of the ways to ensure the effectiveness of this process is the use of innovative educational technologies aimed not only at the formation of professional competences, but also at the development of creativity which, in the future, will contribute to the search for non-standard ways of solving real problems. The purpose of the work is to study the influence of interactive educational technologies based on the concept of design thinking on the success of students of economic specialties and their internal motivation to study mathematical disciplines. The format of a business game has been chosen as a method of implementing the concept of design thinking. It involved the construction of a mathematical model of a real economic problem and the use of a mathematical apparatus to solve it. In order to evaluate the effectiveness of gamification it has decided to distribute students according to academic performance and students ranked classes according to their preferences using the method of hierarchies analysis. The experience of implementing business games demonstrated by the example of the discipline “Operations Research and Optimization Methods” confirmed the effectiveness of this technique in the process of studying the disciplines of the mathematical cycle precisely due to the increase in students’ internal motivation. Compared to traditional teaching methods, the formation of students’ professional competencies has been enriched by the experience of solving transdisciplinary tasks. The results of the study allow us to conclude that the professional competencies of future economists are significantly improved thanks to the use of a business game in the learning process where a real economic problem is adapted to the topic of the discipline.

The development of community learning center ‘Bue Ban’ in driving the smart city policy in Khon Kaen, Thailand

<span lang="EN-US">This research studied the contextual conditions of Khon Kaen Urban Community for developing the community learning center (CLC) as a part of smart city development. It also aimed to develop ‘Bue Ban’ CLC model based on the public participation and digital advancement. This study was carried out employing the qualitative and operational research method with its tools as an in-depth interview, academic seminar, and fieldwork. The data were obtained from 66 participants, chosen by purposive sampling, and were interpreted by descriptive content analysis. From the study, the models of Bue Ban development and knowledge management, identity, development, publication, utilization or ‘KID-PU’ have been used to develop CLC as a part of smart city development.</span>

Cancer Clinic Redesign: Opportunities for Resource Optimization.

Ambulatory cancer centers face a fluctuating patient demand and deploy specialized personnel who have variable availability. This undermines operational stability through the misalignment of resources to patient needs, resulting in overscheduled clinics, budget deficits, and wait times exceeding provincial targets. We describe the deployment of a Learning Health System framework for operational improvements within the entire ambulatory center. Known methods of value stream mapping, operations research and statistical process control were applied to achieve organizational high performance that is data-informed, agile and adaptive. We transitioned from a fixed template model by an individual physician to a caseload management by disease site model that is realigned quarterly. We adapted a block schedule model for the ambulatory oncology clinic to align the regional demand for specialized services with optimized human and physical resources. We demonstrated an improved utilization of clinical space, increased weekly consistency and improved distribution of activity across the workweek. The increased value, represented as the ratio of monthly encounters per nursing worked hours, and the increased percentage of services delivered by full-time nurses were benefits realized in our cancer system. The creation of a data-informed demand capacity model enables the application of predictive analytics and business intelligence tools that will further enhance clinical responsiveness.

THE USING OF OPERATIONS RESEARCH METHODS TO OPTIMIZE FREIGHT ROAD TRANSPORTATION IN THE AGROINDUSTRIAL COMPLEX

An optimization model has been developed using linear programming and network analysis methods to determine the route of trucks for the transportation of homogeneous mass cargo. The study was carried out by means of economic and mathematical modelling of flows of a homogeneous mass cargo between a supplier and several consumers (using the example of transporting solid organic fertilizers from a storage facility to crop rotation fields and between them). It has been established that the volume of road transport of organic fertilizers for delivery from storage sites to crop rotation fields in agricultural regions of the country is very large. In agricultural production, the process of determining the optimal transportation route, including large volumes of fertilizers, is very laborious and complex in terms of organization, material, financial, and labour costs. The costs associated with transporting such a quantity of fertilizers is very high, which necessitates the optimization of this process. The study of generalized flow problems in a network setting was carried out on the example of road transport of solid organic fertilizers to crop rotation fields using the methods of operations research. It is possible to optimize the parameters of this transport process by developing its model using the methods of linear programming and network analysis and performing calculations on it. The route of transportation, in which the total costs of road transportation will be minimal, will be optimal for the considered transport process. The criterion for the effectiveness of the choice (the objective function of the mathematical model) is the total costs of transporting a given volume of cargo from the supplier to several consumers, subject to their minimization. The factors that determine these costs are highlighted and calculated dependencies are developed to determine them. A comprehensive method for optimizing the technology of transporting organic fertilizers by road on farms has been further developed. The developed model can be used by enterprises-suppliers of road transport services, farms, to increase the volume and improve the efficiency of road transport of fertilizers and other bulk cargo. It seems promising to develop an algorithm and a program for this model to determine the optimal route of movement of vehicles for the distribution of a given volume of cargo

Reconcilement of conflicting goals: a novel operations research-based methodology for environmental management

The elements of the supply and environmental chain are identified and connected through an operations research process. A framework is developed to include these chains into a process that deals with operations research problems within two different, complex areas: economic (supply) and natural systems (environmental), and emphasizes the influence of the solution on both systems and their performance. The framework helps researchers to get a better insight into the issues considering both environmental and industry aspects. The study proposes a causal relationship between the supply chain and environmental chain and begins to make a bridge between these two chains using operations research methods and techniques. In this context, a multi-period scenario-based stochastic model is developed. To deal with the uncertainties and to investigate the trade-offs between the objective functions, an interactive fuzzy multi-objective method is performed. In the case study section, reconcilement of the conflicting objectives in a waste management case is questioned and the future recommendations are highlighted.

Construction Operations Practices and Operations Research Tool Application in a Hypothetical Construction Project

This study aimed to assess the construction operations practices of three contractors; apply the construction operations practices for each company to a hypothetical construction project; and use an operation research tool in the hypothetical construction project. The results showed that the majority of contractors have similar organizational delivery systems with functional departments such as business development, finance, human resources, and construction operations, and they fall into the PCAB group. According to respondents, efficiency in resource use, avoidance of non-conformance works, elimination of wastes or non-value-added activities, value engineering, bulk order discounts, listing of different suppliers, double shifting of work scheme, prioritizing activities suitable for weather conditions, delegating work packages to subcontractors, resequencing the project schedule, application of value engineering are all important factors in optimizing project costs. The study concludes that operations research methods are important in project management, particularly in terms of reducing construction costs and increasing project profit. The findings indicated how the operations research tool, in conjunction with the QM for Windows application, made determining project schedule priorities to manage large and complicated project operations appear simple.

The Use of the Permutation Algorithm for Suboptimising the Position of Used Nozzles on the Field Sprayer Boom

The worn-out nozzles of field sprayers cause agricultural treatment to be uneven and therefore ineffective. Spray nozzles are consumable elements of the field sprayer that are subject to inspection and in the event of their excessive wear should be replaced with new ones to ensure the proper execution of agricultural treatment. The aim of the study is to propose, using operational research methods, an expert methodology allowing further operation of worn-out and often expensive sprayer nozzles, including standard, universal, anti-drift, or ejector nozzles. The previous attempts, performed with the use of the random computer optimisation method, did not guarantee a global solution in the entire population of all possible permutations without repetitions of 24 worn-out nozzles (for a field boom with a width of 12 m) or even estimating approximation to this solution. The process of measuring the wear of nozzles, the simulation of the entire virtual field boom, and the permutation algorithm proposed here allow you to specify a suboptimal solution of an NP-hard problem separately for each sprayer, i.e., to indicate in a very short time such a permutation out of 24! ≈ 6.20448 × 10+23 permutations of nozzles with variable degrees of wear, which is close to the optimal permutation of used nozzles on the field sprayer boom, in terms of the coefficient of variation. The use of expert methodology allows for reducing the operating costs of sprayers by using a relatively cheap automated expert service instead of the costly purchase of a set of new nozzles for field sprayers. Many areas of application of this methodology have been indicated.

COST-EFFECTIVENESS OF USING THE LOCAL SEARCH METHOD FOR THE TASK OF OPERATIONAL PLANNING

A modification of the local search algorithm is considered using tournament selection for the task of operational planning in the production of plastic products. A comparative analysis of the results of the algorithm showed a direct dependence of the results on the presence of tournament selection and population size.
 The program is designed for operational planning in the production of plastic products, where it is necessary to take into account the volume and period of production of each type of product with the minimum number of changes in equipment settings. The objective of optimization is to minimize the number of product shifts in the production plan. It is proposed to modify the genetic algorithm using tournament selection for the task of planning types of products at production facilities. This algorithm is a local search method that allows you to gradually improve a certain result in some vicinity of the known solution.
 Purpose. The goal is to minimize the number of product shifts in the production plan.
 Methodology of work: the article used methods of system analysis, operations research, optimization theories, economic and mathematical methods and statistical methods of analysis.
 Results: on average, the solution is most quickly found with an initial population size of 100 individuals, and this time is less than the largest average values by 2 times. Tournament selection, reducing time costs, reduces the likelihood of finding an optimal solution.
 Practical implications. Results are useful on production lines to distribute capacity loads.

Survey of Reinforcement Learning based on Human Prior Knowledge

At present, task planning is mainly solved by rules or operational research methods. The time complexity and space complexity of these methods increase exponentially with the growth of problem size. Thus, it is challenging to solve large-scale problems. Moreover, it is helpless to solve dynamic task planning problems. Reinforcement learning (RL) is often used to solve the dynamic planning problem of continuous decision making. RL agent constantly interacts with the environment to achieve the expected goal. However, the RL method meets challenges when handling the problem with ample state space. More sampling and exploration are needed to update the strategy gradient, and the convergence speed is slow. Humans ensure a quick start of learning by using prior knowledge, which reduces the exploration time of problems. Thus, we review the methods which combine human prior knowledge with RL through temporal node classification of human prior knowledge combined with RL. In this way, agents effectively reduce the sampling and exploration of the environment and eventually get the optimal strategy faster. Finally, we propose the development direction.

Capacity utilization of the container terminal as multiphase service system

A container terminal can be defined as a mass service system in which a multiphase service processes takes place. The terminal consists of three subsystems: quayside, yard and gate. In this paper, queuing theory as one of the operational research method is been used, to determine indicators of functioning the service system on the example of the container terminal of the port of Rijeka. Applying the queueing theory, the service phases that represent a bottleneck can be determined, as well as the phases in which the largest capacity surpluses are located. Finally, based on the current capacities the optimal turnover of the terminal was provided, without congestions and with the highest degree of terminal utilization. The basic conclusion is that the capacity of the system is limited by the capacity of the subsystem that has the smallest capacity, and in this case it is gate/truck and train operation area.

Integrated care concepts and multidisciplinary process chains in aradiological context

Modern patient-centered and cost-efficient care concepts in hospitals require the mapping of multidisciplinary process chains into clinical pathways. Clinical decision support systems and operations research methods use algorithms to classify patients into homogeneous groups and to model acomplete clinical pathway for scheduling individual procedures. An improvement of the economic situation of the care facility can be achieved through improved resource utilization, reduced patient waiting times and ashortening of the length of stay. The interdisciplinary use of centrally stored interoperable information and comprehensive care management via information technology (IT) services lay the foundation for the dissolution of traditional IT system architectures in medicine and the development of flexibly integrable modern system platforms. New IT approaches such as the semantically standardized definition of procedures and resource properties, the use of clinical decision support systems and the use of service-oriented system architectures form the basis for the deep integration of radiology services into comprehensive interdisciplinary care concepts.

Are project managers ready for the 21th challenges? A review of problem structuring methods for decision support

Numerous contemporary problems that project managers face can be considered as unstructured decision problems, characterized by multiple actors and perspectives, incommensurable and/or conflicting objectives, and important intangibles. This work environment demands that project managers to possess not only hard skills but also soft skills with the ability to take a management perspective and, above all, develop real leadership capabilities. In this paper, is presented a family of problem structured methods for decision support, aimed at assisting project managers in tackling complex problems. Problem structured methods are a family of soft operations research methods for decision support that assist groups of diverse composition to agree on a problem focus and make commitments to consequential action. Project management programs are challenged to implement these methodologies in such a way that it is organized around the key competences that a project manager needs in order to be more effective, work efficiently as members of interdisciplinary teams and successfully execute even a small project.

Celebrating 15 years of Pan African Thoracic Society Methods in Epidemiological Clinical and Operations Research: Research capacity building changing African lives

Celebrating 15 years of Pan African Thoracic Society Methods in Epidemiological Clinical and Operations Research: Research capacity building changing African lives

The Pan African Thoracic Society Methods in Epidemiologic, Clinical and Operations Research Program: A story of success told through a history of publications

Objectives: Despite bearing a substantial burden of respiratory diseases, low- and middle-income countries in Africa contribute little to the research literature. Since 2007, the Pan African Thoracic Society’s Methods in Epidemiologic, Clinical, and Operations Research (PATS-MECOR) program has been working to strengthen capacity in lung health research in Africa. The aim of this study was to assess the research productivity of previous PATS-MECOR participants. Materials and Methods: A systematic review of publications attributed to past PATS-MECOR participants up until 2018 was carried out using a systematic search strategy based on their names on PubMed database. Results: A total of 210 participants drawn from 21 African countries attended PATS-MECOR between 2007 and 2016, of which more than three-quarters (76.7%) had ever published. Of the total 1673 included publications, 303 (12.7%) had multiple course attendees as coauthors. The median publication per published participant was 5 (IQR 2–13) articles. The percentages of the first author, second authors, or last authors publications were 371 (22.2%), 239 (14.3%), and 99 (5.9%), respectively. The top three journals published in were PLOS One 108 (6.6%), Lancet 80 (4.9%), and the International Journal of Tuberculosis and Lung Disease 52 (3.2%). The median citation of their publications was 11 (4–26). There was approximately a double-fold rise in the publication output of participants in their 1st year following attendance to PATS-MECOR compared to the year before the course (123, 68.0% vs. 58, 32.0%). Conclusion: The PATS-MECOR training program has been successful in research capacity building for African investigators as evidenced by a growing publication track record. There is a need to ensure sustainability and for increased collaboration and networking among the trained critical mass of researchers in the continent.

Recognizing Uncertainty in Forest Planning: A Decomposition Model for Large Landscapes

AbstractMultiple ecological, economic, social, and political facets influence forest-planning decisions. Decision models have been widely used in forest management planning, but most are deterministic models. However, long-term forest planning problems are surrounded by potential uncertainties. To begin to account for uncertainty surrounding growth and yield under climate change conditions, a stochastic forest planning model was developed and tested. The intent of the model is to help identify potential current forest management actions that will perform well over a range of plausible climate change scenarios (futures). The stages of the model address how uncertainty about the future might unfold, with model solutions providing immediate management actions plus detailed contingency (recourse) plans for each future. The use of specialized decomposition methods of operations research has allowed for testing the model in a detailed and large application. Results from the case study showed that planning for an average deterministic case produces a misleading solution, underestimating the potential impact of climate change. On the other hand, only planning for a worst-case scenario ignores the potential value of management opportunities under other likely futures in which harvesting benefits could be greater. Overall, results advance our understanding of recognizing forest-wide uncertainty in forest management planning models.Study ImplicationsStand-level decisions often have forest-wide implications. Forest planning helps coordinate management of stands to address ecological, economic, and social aspects. Decision models are often used, but most assume all the information is known. However, long-term forest planning is surrounded by potential uncertainties, such as climate change. We developed a model to identify current forest management actions that will perform well over a range of plausible climate change scenarios instead of just one. The novelty lies in how we solve the problem. Breaking it into smaller subproblems allows us to include more stand-level details while still tackling a large problem.

A testimonial of how The Pan African Thoracic Society Methods in Epidemiologic, Clinical, and Operations Research has impacted my career path: celebrating 15 years

A testimonial of how The Pan African Thoracic Society Methods in Epidemiologic, Clinical, and Operations Research has impacted my career path: celebrating 15 years

The birth and life of the Pan African Thoracic Society Methods in Epidemiologic, Clinical and Operations Research (PATS MECOR) program: celebrating 15 years

Suggested read for related articles:Better lung health for all: A British Thoracic… May 25, 2021 Bridging the gap in respiratory medicine: How a… January 23, 2021 Management of lung cancer in Africa: Underdiagnosis… September 28, 2021

A sociotechnical approach to vaccine manufacturer selection as part of a global immunization strategy against epidemics and pandemics.

These are unprecedented times while the world weathers the highly infectious respiratory pandemic caused by coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19). Humanity has experienced other cataclysmic events, but something as novel as this pandemic cannot be easily described. A safe COVID-19 vaccine is often hailed as the only effective public health method to prevent the further spread of this virus. New vaccines’ cost has increased even as policymakers struggle with limited resources and budget constraints. Thus, more decision-support tools are needed to facilitate the selection of vaccine manufacturers as part of a global immunization strategy against COVID-19 or other epidemics and pandemics. This study sought to address this issue by combining three well-established operational research methods (i.e., cognitive mapping, decision-making trial and evaluation laboratory, and the Choquet integral). Based on the insights provided by a panel of experts on vaccination and infectious diseases, a vaccine manufacturer selection mechanism was developed that incorporates the World Health Organization’s guidelines. This approach facilitated the identification of multiple selection criteria regarding vaccine manufacturers, their allocation into six major clusters (i.e., soundness of scientific approach and technology used; speed of delivery; cost; liability and risk sharing; ability to supply sufficient quantities through production capacity development; and global solidarity), and subsequent analysis of the respective cause-and-effect relationships. The results of a real-life application of the proposed selection system were further consolidated by a member of Saint Francisco Xavier Hospital Infectious Diseases Unit in Lisbon, Portugal. The mechanism’s advantages and limitations are also discussed.

Organizational and technological solutions for managing the processes of building transport systems using economic and mathematical methods

Purpose. The study analyzes the formation of indicators and criteria for the effectiveness (quality) of the use of certain modes of transport. A feature of this group of criteria is the same element base for all transport modes. The graphic and mathematical models for the development of a methodology for substantiating the economic efficiency of improving the certification system aimed at creating a database for predicting the inter-maintenance period of asphalt concrete pavements, the contradiction between the needs of the practice of the integrated use of the transport system and the state of the scientific and methodological base of the road industry are considered. Methods. Research has been carried out on the development of the concept of an integrated transport system for the judicious mix of general transport infrastructure using general scientific methods - system analysis, logical and mathematical modeling, systems theory, as well as methods of operations research, economic and mathematical methods, economic and visual modeling, research methods of operations. Results. Development of criteria for assessing intelligent systems of economic efficiency of the use of information modeling technology in the organization of construction production of transport systems (automobile and road complex). The necessity of the problem of efficiency criteria and restrictions is substantiated to be reduced to a system-target model based on the hierarchy of the structure of the transport system and the corresponding modeling of the reconstructed system of transport support goals, the contradiction between the needs of the practice of improving the certification system for the integrated use of the transport system and the state of the scientific and methodological base for predicting the inter-maintenance period of asphalt concrete pavements. The scientific task of developing methods and models of the economic efficiency of the organization and technology for the construction of access roads with asphalt concrete pavement during the preliminary construction period is being formed. Conclusion. The problem of assessing the quality and choosing a system of requirements for the technology of preparing any material in order to improve quality is one of the cardinal tasks of construction. Compliance with technical standards and technological regulations guarantees the quality of materials and constructions. The considered method of substantiating the economic efficiency of calculating the inter-maintenance period of asphalt concrete pavements includes: substantiation of the rational volume of samples from the standpoint of statistics to obtain reliable results; principle of forming a database for each parameter obtained during testing and inspection of specific construction sites and asphalt concrete plants (ACP); statistical method of data processing; substantiation of control time points for determining inter-maintenance periods; method of calculation based on the proposed methodology of time intervals, which will provide an opportunity to develop recommendations for its development in the interests of strengthening economic and environmental security. The results are described by a mathematical model in the form y(x)=a·ln(x)+b. The methodology allows balancing the interests of enterprises of the economy and citizens, transport organizations and enterprises with the interests of investors. These interests are often contradictory and even opposite. In similar situations, a system of state regulation is recommended for managing the joint activities of all participants in the functioning of the unified road transport system.

Некоторые особенности обеспечения готовности пожарных автомобилей при долгосрочном планировании деятельности подразделений

Introduction. The process of operation of fire trucks is investigated. A graph has been constructed that reflects the possible states of the car depending on age. A mathematical description of the possible states of the car is given and the well-known Bellman equation is adapted to describe the function of minimizing the cost of maintaining fire trucks. An algorithm has been developed that describes the conditions for the stay of fire equipment in the category of operation, which ensures the possibility of its use for its intended purpose. Goals and objectives of the study. The goal is to manage the readiness of fire trucks by defining a strategy for their operation and improving the quality of service and repair. To achieve the goal, the tasks were solved to determine the conditions for the stay of a fire truck in the I or II category of operation, a mathematical description of these conditions and an algorithm for the stay of the vehicle in the required category of operation were given. Research methods. In the course of the study, methods of operations research and the method of dynamic programming were used. Results and its discussion. An algorithm has been developed that allows, in the course of long-term planning, to ensure the serviceability of fire trucks and their readiness for use for their intended purpose. Conclusion. The results of the study can be used as practical recommendations for officials of the logistics authorities in the long-term planning of the operation of fire trucks of fire and rescue units in modern conditions. Keywords: planning, costs, year, fire trucks, equipment operation, technical condition category, failure, replacement, step.