Metaheuristics, and evolutionary algorithms in particular, are known to provide efficient, adaptable solutions for many real-world problems, but the often informal way in which they are defined and applied has led to misconceptions, and even successful applications are sometimes the outcome of trial and error. Ideally, theoretical studies should explain when and why metaheuristics work, but the challenge is huge: mathematical analysis requires significant effort even for simple scenarios and real-life problems are usually quite complex. In this book the editors establish a bridge between theory and practice, presenting principled methods that incorporate problem knowledge in evolutionary algorithms and other metaheuristics. The book consists of 11 chapters dealing with the following topics: theoretical results that show what is not possible, an assessment of unsuccessful lines of empirical research; methods for rigorously defining the appropriate scope of problems while acknowledging the compromise between the class of problems to which a search algorithm is applied and its overall expected performance; the top-down principled design of search algorithms, in particular showing that it is possible to design algorithms that are provably good for some rigorously defined classes; and, finally, principled practice, that is reasoned and systematic approaches to setting up experiments, metaheuristic adaptation to specific problems, and setting parameters. With contributions by some of the leading researchers in this domain, this book will be of significant value to scientists, practitioners, and graduate students in the areas of evolutionary computing, metaheuristics, and computational intelligence.

Profiles in Operations Research: Pioneers and Innovators recounts the development of the field of Operations Research (OR), the science of decision making. The book traces the development of OR from its military origins to a mature discipline that is recognized worldwide for its contributions to managerial planning and complex global operations. Over the past six decades, OR analyses have impacted our daily lives: when making an airline or hotel reservation, waiting in line at a bank, getting the correctly blended fuel at the gas station, and ensuring that the book you are holding arrived at its destination on time. OR originated in the late 1930s when British scientists from various disciplines joined Royal Air Force officers to determine the most effective way to employ new radar technology for intercepting enemy aircraft. During World War II, similar applied research groups were formed to study, test, and evaluate military operations on both sides of the Atlantic. Their work resulted in great improvements-OR helped the Allies win the war. The scientific field that emerged from these studies was called operational research in the U.K. and operations research in the U.S. Today, OR provides a broad and powerful science to aid decision making. Profiles describes the lives and contributions of 43 OR pioneers and innovators and relates how these individuals, with varying backgrounds and diverse interests, were drawn to the nascent field of OR. The profiles also describe how OR techniques and applications expanded considerably beyond the military context to find new domains in business and industry. In addition to their scientific contributions, these profiles capture the life stories of the individuals-interwoven with personal tales, vivid vignettes, family backgrounds, and views of the mission and future of OR. Collectively, the profiles recount the fascinating story of the growth and development of a field enriched by the convergence of different disciplines. The Editors: Arjang A. Assad is Dean of the School of Management, University at Buffalo, State University of New York. Saul I. Gass is Professor Emeritus, Department of Decision, Operations & Information Technologies, Smith School of Business, University of Maryland, College Park. From the Reviews Profiles In Operations Research: Pioneers and Innovators. Book Review by Nigel Cummings: U.K. OR Society's e-journal, Inside OR., Sept 2011. "I can thoroughly recommend this book. I found it both enlighteningand undeniably gripping, so much so in fact, you may find it difficultto put it down once you have commenced reading it. Arjang A. Assad and Saul I. Gass have created a masterwork whichwill serve to immortalise [stet] the pioneers of O.R. for many years to come." *For a list of all known typos, plus further discussion on the book, please visit http://profilesinoperationsresearch.com.

This volume contains a selection of contributions that were presented at the Modeling and Optimization: Theory and Applications Conference (MOPTA) held at Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, USA on July 30-August 1, 2012. The conference brought together a diverse group of researchers and practitioners, working on both theoretical and practical aspects of continuous or discrete optimization. Topics presented included algorithms for solving convex, network, mixed-integer, nonlinear, and global optimization problems, and addressed the application of optimization techniques in finance, logistics, health, and other important fields. The contributions contained in this volume represent a sample of these topics and applications and illustrate the broad diversity of ideas discussed at the meeting.

This work is devoted to the late Ukrainian computer scientist V. M. Glushkov on the 90th anniversary of his birthday. Dr. Glushkov is known for his contribution to the world computer science and technology and this volume analyzes the ideas and paths of development of informatics formulated by him and demonstrate their important role in constructing computer technologies of basic research in the fields of applied mathematics, theories of computer programming and computing systems. A significant portion of the monograph is devoted to the elucidation of new results obtained in the field of mathematical modeling of complicated processes, creation of new methods for solving and investigating optimization problems in different statements and development of computer technologies for investigations in the field of economy, biology, medicine and information security in systems. The monograph will be of particular interest to informatics specialists and experts using methods of informatics and computer technologies to investigate complicated processes of different natures and developing new information technologies. It may also be useful for both graduate students and postgraduates specializing in Computer Science.

With this book, distinguished and notable contributors wish to honor Professor Charles S. Tapiero's scientific achievements. Although it covers only a few of the directions Professor Tapiero has taken in his work, it presents important modern developments in theory and in diverse applications, as studied by his colleagues and followers, further advancing the topics Tapiero has been investigating. The book is divided into three parts featuring original contributions covering the following areas: general modeling and analysis; applications to marketing, economy and finance; and applications to operations and manufacturing. Professor Tapiero is among the most active researchers in control theory; in the late sixties, he started to enthusiastically promote optimal control theory along with differential games, successfully applying it to diverse problems ranging from classical operations research models to finance, risk and insurance, marketing, transportation and operations management, conflict management and game theory, engineering, regional and urban sciences, environmental economics, and organizational behavior. Over the years, Professor Tapiero has produced over 300 papers and communications and 14 books, which have had a major impact on modern theoretical and applied research. Notable among his numerous pioneering scientific contributions are the use of graph theory in the behavioral sciences, the modeling of advertising as a random walk, the resolution of stochastic zero-sum differential games, the modeling of quality control as a stochastic competitive game, and the development of impulsive control methods in management. Charles Tapiero's creativity applies both in formulating original issues, modeling complex phenomena and solving complex mathematical problems.

This book integrates socially responsible investment into modern portfolio theory from a multi-criteria perspective. Socially responsible investment is a "new deal" championed by the institutional investment and bank sectors, agents that influence mutual funds and other collective investment schemes and which fear that financial strategies without ethical constraints can harm sustainable growth and prosperity. The book shows how to combine financial criteria such as profitability and risk with non-financial criteria such as the protection of the ecosystem, responsible consumption of energy, and healthcare campaigns. The book's first part presents critical issues in ethical investment, while the second explains in detail the application of goal programming techniques for SRI funds, illustrating their use in actual cases. Part three demonstrates how compromise programming can be applied in the contexts of portfolio selection and risk management. Finally, in its fourth part the book examines the application of other decision-making support methods like the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) framework, the Reference Point Method, and soft computing techniques for portfolio selection.

This book presents practical approaches for facilitating the achievement of excellence in the management and leadership of organizational resources. It shows how the principles of creating shared value can be applied to ensure faster learning, training, business development, and social renewal. In particular, it presents novel methods and tools for tackling the complexity of management and learning in both business organizations and society. Discussing ontologies, intelligent management systems, methods for creating knowledge and value added, it offers novel insights into time management and operations optimization, as well as advanced methods for evaluating customers' satisfaction and conscious experience. Based on two conferences, the AHFE 2018 International Conference on Human Factors, Business Management and Society, and the AHFE 2018 International Conference on Human Factors in Management and Leadership, held on July 21-25, 2018, in Orlando, Florida, USA, the book provides both researchers and professionals with new tools and inspiring ideas for achieving excellence in various business activities. Chapter "Convolutional Gravitational Models for Economic Exchanges: Mathematical Extensions for Dynamic Processes and Knowledge Flows" is available open access under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License via link.springer.com.

Florian Brauner addresses the risk reduction effects of security measures (SecMe) as well as economic and social effects using terrorist threats in public transportation as use case. SecMe increase the level of security but cause interferences and restrictions for customers (e.g. privacy). This study identifies the interferences and analyzes the acceptance with an empirical survey of customers. A composite indicator for the acceptance of different SecMe is developed and integrated into a risk management framework for multi-criteria decision analysis achieving the right balance of risk reduction, costs, and social acceptance.

Putting forward a unified presentation of the features and possible applications of probabilistic preferences composition, and serving as a methodology for decisions employing multiple criteria, this book maximizes reader insights into the evaluation in probabilistic terms and the development of composition approaches that do not depend on assigning weights to the criteria. With key applications in important areas of management such as failure modes, effects analysis and productivity analysis - together with explanations about the application of the concepts involved -this book makes available numerical examples of probabilistic transformation development and probabilistic composition. Useful not only as a reference source for researchers, but also in teaching classes of graduate courses in Production Engineering and Management Science, the key themes of the book will be of especial interest to researchers in the field of Operational Research.

This book reports on cutting-edge research carried out within the context of the EU-funded Dicode project, which aims at facilitating and augmenting collaboration and decision making in data-intensive and cognitively complex settings. Whenever appropriate, Dicode builds on prominent high-performance computing paradigms and large data processing technologies to meaningfully search, analyze, and aggregate data from diverse, extremely large and rapidly evolving sources. The Dicode approach and services are fully explained and particular emphasis is placed on deepening insights regarding the exploitation of big data, as well as on collaboration and issues relating to sense-making support. Building on current advances, the solution developed in the Dicode project brings together the reasoning capabilities of both the machine and humans. It can be viewed as an innovative "workbench" incorporating and orchestrating a set of interoperable services that reduce the data intensiveness and complexity overload at critical decision points to a manageable level, thus permitting stakeholders to be more productive and effective in their work practices.

This book reports on cutting-edge research in innovative systems interfaces, with an emphasis on both lifecycle development and human-technology interaction, especially in the cases of virtual, augmented and mixed reality systems. It describes advanced methodologies and tools for evaluating and improving interface usability and covers new models, as well as case studies and good practices. The book reports on considerations of the human, hardware, and software factors in the process of developing interfaces for optimizing total system performance, especially innovative computing technologies for teams dealing with dynamic environments, while minimizing total ownership costs. One of the main purposes is to discuss forces currently shaping the nature of computing and systems including: the needs of decreasing hardware costs; the importance of portability, which translates to the modern tendency of hardware miniaturization and technologies for reducing power requirements; the necessity of a better assimilation of computation in the environment; and social concerns about access to computers and systems for people with special needs. The book, which is based on the AHFE 2016 International Conference on Human Factors and System Interactions, held on July 27-31, 2016, in Walt Disney World (R), Florida, USA, offers a timely survey and practice-oriented guide for systems interface users and developers alike.

As operations research (OR) applications continue to grow and flourish in a number of decision making fields, a reference that is comprehensive, concise, and easy to read is more than a nicety, it is a necessity. This book provides a single volume overview of OR applications in practice, making it the first resource a practitioner would reach for when faced with an OR problem or application. Written by leading authorities in the field, the book covers functional and industry specific areas of OR applications. Ideally suited for practitioners in business, industry, and government, the book can also be used as a supplemental text in undergraduate or graduate OR courses.

This book explores economic concepts related to disaster losses, describes mechanisms that determine the economic consequences of a disaster, and reviews methodologies for making decisions regarding risk management and adaptation. The author addresses the need for better understanding of the consequences of disasters and reviews and analyzes three scientific debates on linkage between disaster risk management and adaptation to climate change. The first involves the existence and magnitude of long-term economic impact of natural disasters on development. The second is the disagreement over whether any development is the proper solution to high vulnerability to disaster risk. The third debate involves the difficulty of drawing connections between natural disasters and climate change and the challenge in managing them through an integrated strategy. The introduction describes economic views of disaster, including direct and indirect costs, output and welfare losses, and use of econometric tools to measure losses. The next section defines disaster risk, delineates between "good" and "bad" risk-taking, and discusses a pathway to balanced growth. A section entitled "Trends in Hazards and the Role of Climate Change" sets scenarios for climate change analysis, discusses statistical and physical models for downscaling global climate scenarios to extreme event scenarios, and considers how to consider extremes of hot and cold, storms, wind, drought and flood. Another section analyzes case studies on hurricanes and the US coastline; sea-level rises and storm surge in Copenhagen; and heavy precipitation in Mumbai. A section on Methodologies for disaster risk management includes a study on cost-benefit analysis of coastal protections in New Orleans, and one on early-warning systems in developing countries. The next section outlines decision-making in disaster risk management, including robust decision-making, No-regret and No-risk strategies; and strategies that reduce time horizons for decision-making. Among the conclusions is the assertion that risk management policies must recognize the benefits of risk-taking and avoid suppressing it entirely. The main message is that a combination of disaster-risk-reduction, resilience-building and adaptation policies can yield large potential gains and synergies.

This book explores how enterprises adapt to challenges in their business environments. It focuses on the critical elements within organisations that every executive must address in order to remain competitive. It takes a pluralist approach in trying to broaden our knowledge on organisational adaptations. It also offers an exploratory delve into existing literature of organisational study. This is biased for content, context and process framework and processual analytic approach in order to identify, determine, understand the intricacies of adaptations going on in various business organisations. The book also includes a case study of how Kodak and Fujifilm responded to digitalisation of photographic film industry, which is an example of major adaptation change. Many global brands are often contending with similar issues and real life challenges. Simply put, today's business environment demands a new way of doing business that challenges brand's existing core business philosophy. Organisations are 'individual' entities in their own rights. Businesses have devised ways of surviving their environments. They do this by downsizing, merger and acquisition, business ecosystems, other forms of collaborations and strategic alliances. While this is true, current research works into generic predictors and/or concepts that enhance the transformation process are scarce. It is particularly important to align the theories and concepts of organisational adaptations with realities in the business environment. This book delves deep and explains adaptations in organisations, but also offers insight for how executives can adapt and thrive in their dynamic business environments.

This work aims to increase the service level and to reduce the inventory costs by combining the forecast and inventory model into one consistent forecast-based inventory model. This new model is based on the prediction of the future probability distribution by assuming an integer-valued autoregressive process as demand process. The developed algorithms can be used to identify, estimate, and predict the demand as well as optimize the inventory decision of intermittent demand series. In an extensive simulation study the new model is compared with a wide range of conventional forecast/inventory model combinations. By using the consistent approach, the mean inventory level is lowered whereas the service level is increased. Additionally, a modern multi-criteria inventory classification scheme is presented to distinguish different demand series clusters.

Alexander Hubl develops models for production planning and analyzes performance indicators to investigate production system behaviour. He extends existing literature by considering the uncertainty of customer required lead time and processing times as well as by increasing the complexity of multi-machine multi-items production models. Results are on the one hand a decision support system for determining capacity and the further development of the production planning method Conwip. On the other hand, the author develops the JIT intensity and analytically proves the effects of dispatching rules on production lead time.

The main focus of this book is on presenting advances in fuzzy statistics, and on proposing a methodology for testing hypotheses in the fuzzy environment based on the estimation of fuzzy confidence intervals, a context in which not only the data but also the hypotheses are considered to be fuzzy. The proposed method for estimating these intervals is based on the likelihood method and employs the bootstrap technique. A new metric generalizing the signed distance measure is also developed. In turn, the book presents two conceptually diverse applications in which defended intervals play a role: one is a novel methodology for evaluating linguistic questionnaires developed at the global and individual levels; the other is an extension of the multi-ways analysis of variance to the space of fuzzy sets. To illustrate these approaches, the book presents several empirical and simulation-based studies with synthetic and real data sets. In closing, it presents a coherent R package called "FuzzySTs" which covers all the previously mentioned concepts with full documentation and selected use cases. Given its scope, the book will be of interest to all researchers whose work involves advanced fuzzy statistical methods.

The competitiveness of firms, regions and countries greatly depends on the generation, dissemination and application of new knowledge. Modern innovation research is challenged by the need to incorporate knowledge generation and dissemination processes into the analysis so as to disentangle the complexity of these dynamic processes. With innovation, however, strong uncertainty, nonlinearities and actor heterogeneity become central factors that are at odds with traditional modeling techniques anchored in equilibrium and homogeneity. This text introduces SKIN (Simulation Knowledge Dynamics in Innovation Networks), an agent-based simulation model that primarily focuses on joint knowledge creation and exchange of knowledge in innovation co-operations and networks. In this context, knowledge is explicitly modeled and not approximated by, for instance, the level of accumulated R&D investment. The SKIN approach supports applications in different domains ranging from sector-based research activities in knowledge-intensive industries to the activities of international research consortia engaged in basic and applied research. Following a general description of the SKIN model, several applications and modifications are presented. Each chapter introduces in detail the structure of the model, the relevant methodological considerations and the analysis of simulation results, while options for empirically validating the models' structure and outcomes are also discussed. The book considers the scope of further applications and outlines prospects for the development of joint modeling strategies.

This handbook for the Methodology of Societal Complexity describes the theoretical development of the field and lays the foundation for the application of the Compram Methodology in the context of addressing complex societal problems. As such, it offers a valuable resource for scientists, practitioners, politicians, master and PhD students in the fields of methodology, the social sciences, operational research, management and political science and for all others who are professionally involved in handling complex societal problems. These problems are the kind that fill the front page of quality newspapers; they have a huge impact on society, involve a variety of phenomena and actors, and are therefore difficult to handle. The structured Compram Methodology provides sound guidelines for handling real-life societal problems democratically, sustainably and transparently. Examples of the use of the Compram Methodology are provided in the domain of global safety with regard to healthcare, economics, climate change, terrorism, large city problems, large technological projects and floods. Complex societal problems must be treated as multi-disciplinary, multi-actor, multi-level and often as multi-continental issues. As such, they call for a multi-disciplinary and multi-actor approach that takes into account the emotional aspects of the problem and the problem handling process, including the micro, meso and macro level, which can be accomplished using the methods, models and tools from the field of the Methodology of Societal Complexity. The Compram Methodology improves the problem handling process and increases the quality of interventions and therefore the quality of life. Handling complex societal problems can reduce conflicts, save money and ultimately even save lives. Dorien J. DeTombe is an internationally recognized expert and founder of the Theory of the Methodology of Societal Complexity and the Compram Methodology.

This book constitutes revised selected papers from the 5th International Conference on Operations Research and Enterprise Systems, ICORES 2016, held in Rome, Italy, in February 2016. The 14 papers presented in this volume were carefully reviewed and selection from a total of 75 submissions. They are organized in topical sections named: methodologies and technologies; and applications.

This book investigates the trends and challenges that ports, logistics and supply chains have tackled in recent decades and the way forward. A new concept, port focal logistics is introduced which appreciates the efforts by previous studies in this field, but simultaneously recognize the limitations, and the need for further improvements.

Very little has been published on optimization of pharmaceutical portfolios. Moreover, most of published literature is coming from the commercial side, where probability of technical success (PoS) is treated as fixed, and not as a consequence of development strategy or design. In this book there is a strong focus on impact of study design on PoS and ultimately on the value of portfolio. Design options that are discussed in different chapters are dose-selection strategies, adaptive design and enrichment. Some development strategies that are discussed are indication sequencing, optimal number of programs and optimal decision criteria. This book includes chapters written by authors with very broad backgrounds including financial, clinical, statistical, decision sciences, commercial and regulatory. Many authors have long held executive positions and have been involved with decision making at a product or at a portfolio level. As such, it is expected that this book will attract a very broad audience, including decision makers in pharmaceutical R&D, commercial and financial departments. The intended audience also includes portfolio planners and managers, statisticians, decision scientists and clinicians. Early chapters describe approaches to portfolio optimization from big Pharma and Venture Capital standpoints. They have stronger focus on finances and processes. Later chapters present selected statistical and decision analysis methods for optimizing drug development programs and portfolios. Some methodological chapters are technical; however, with a few exceptions they require a relatively basic knowledge of statistics by a reader.

This book is the first easy-to-read text on nonsmooth optimization (NSO, not necessarily differentiable optimization). Solving these kinds of problems plays a critical role in many industrial applications and real-world modeling systems, for example in the context of image denoising, optimal control, neural network training, data mining, economics and computational chemistry and physics. The book covers both the theory and the numerical methods used in NSO and provide an overview of different problems arising in the field. It is organized into three parts: 1. convex and nonconvex analysis and the theory of NSO; 2. test problems and practical applications; 3. a guide to NSO software. The book is ideal for anyone teaching or attending NSO courses. As an accessible introduction to the field, it is also well suited as an independent learning guide for practitioners already familiar with the basics of optimization.

This book focuses on the predictive capabilities derived from digital representation of humans in simulation or virtual environments. It reports on models that facilitate prediction of safety and performance, and describes both innovative visualization techniques as well as the underlying mathematics and science. Contributions cover a wealth of topics, including simulation tools and platforms, virtual interactive design, model optimization methods, ontologies and knowledge-based decision support, human-computer interaction, human augmentation, and many others. The book gives special emphasis to cutting-edge simulation applications of human system modeling and optimization, including aviation, manufacturing and service industries, automotive design, product design, healthcare, sustainability, and emergency management. Based on the AHFE 2016 International Conference on Digital Human Modeling and Simulation, held on July 27-31, 2016, in Walt Disney World (R), Florida, USA, it is intended as timely survey for researchers, engineers, designers, applied mathematicians and practitioners working in the field of Human Factors and Ergonomics.