Algorithmic Solutions for Combinatorial Problems in Resource Management of Manufacturing Environments

This thesis studies the use of heuristic algorithms in a number of combinatorial problems that occur in various resource constrained environments. Such problems occur, for example, in manufacturing, where a restricted number of resources (tools, machines, feeder slots) are needed to perform some operations. Many of these problems turn out to be computationally intractable, and heuristic algorithms are used to provide efficient, yet sub-optimal solutions. The main goal of the present study is to build upon existing methods to create new heuristics that provide improved solutions for some of these problems. All of these problems occur in practice, and one of the motivations of our study was the request for improvements from industrial sources. We approach three different resource constrained problems. The first is the tool switching and loading problem, and occurs especially in the assembly of printed circuit boards. This problem has to be solved when an efficient, yet small primary storage is used to access resources (tools) from a less efficient (but unlimited) secondary storage area. We study various forms of the problem and provide improved heuristics for its solution. Second, the nozzle assignment problem is concerned with selecting a suitable set of vacuum nozzles for the arms of a robotic assembly machine. It turns out that this is a specialized formulation of the MINMAX resource allocation formulation of the apportionment problem and it can be solved efficiently and optimally. We construct an exact algorithm specialized for the nozzle selection and provide a proof of its optimality. Third, the problem of feeder assignment and component tape construction occurs when electronic components are inserted and certain component types cause tape movement delays that can significantly impact the efficiency of printed circuit board assembly. Here, careful selection of component slots in the feeder improves the tape movement speed. We provide a formal proof that this problem is of the same complexity as the turnpike problem (a well studied geometric optimization problem), and provide a heuristic algorithm for this problem.

ALLOMETRIC MODELS FOR ESTIMATING ABOVEGROUND BIOMASS AND BIOMASS ALLOCATION OF CAPIXINGUI TREES (Croton floribundus Spreng.) IN AN AGRISILVICULTURAL SYSTEM

ABSTRACT The objective of this study was to select allometric models to estimate total and pooled aboveground biomass of 4.5-year-old capixingui trees established in an agrisilvicultural system. Aboveground biomass distribution of capixingui was also evaluated. Single- (diameter at breast height [DBH] or crown diameter or stem diameter as the independent variable) and double-entry (DBH or crown diameter or stem diameter and total height as independent variables) models were studied. The estimated total biomass was 17.3 t.ha-1, corresponding to 86.6 kg per tree. All models showed a good fit to the data (R2ad > 0.85) for bole, branches, and total biomass. DBH-based models presented the best residual distribution. Model lnW = b0 + b1* lnDBH can be recommended for aboveground biomass estimation. Lower coefficients were obtained for leaves (R2ad > 82%). Biomass distribution followed the order: bole>branches>leaves. Bole biomass percentage decreased with increasing DBH of the trees, whereas branch biomass increased.

Biomass allocation and water use efficiency in fertigated sweet pepper

The use of productivity information and efficiency of water use is important for the economic analysis of production and irrigation management, and also helps the economy of water use, which is essential to plant life. The objective of this study was to evaluate the biomass allocation, the water use efficiency and water content in fruits of sweet pepper cropped under the influence of irrigation blades and potassium doses. The statistic design was a completely randomized factorial scheme (5 x 2) and four replications, with five irrigation blades (80; 90; 100; 110 and 120% of crop evapotranspiration) and two levels of potassium (80 and 120 kg K2O ha-1 ), applied according to phenological phase, through a system of drip irrigation with self-compensated drippers, installed in a battery of 40 drainage lysimeters cultivated with sweet pepper (Maximos F1), at Federal Rural University of Pernambuco (UFRPE), Recife, state of Pernambuco, Brazil. The dry biomass production of sweet pepper was influenced by fertigation regimes; when it was set the lowest dose, estimates of the efficiency of water use and moisture in the fruit occurred with the use of irrigation depth of 97 and 95% of ETc, respectively.

Soil chiseling and fertilizer location in sugarcane ratoon cultivation

While the pre-harvest sugarcane burning is a disused practice, green harvest requires changes concerning ratoon cultivation due to the presence of a thick layer of straw. The experiment, conducted in a mechanical green harvesting area cultivated with sugarcane, consisted of two stages: in the first stage, the mechanical straw cutting performance of flat disks with different geometry edges was evaluated, considering two types of disks and 10 replications in a completely randomized design; in the second stage, the effect of soil chiseling on both sides of planting lines, using shanks with straw cutting flat disks, was assessed, as well as fertilizer deposition form. The experimental design in the second stage was completely randomized, with seven treatments and five replications. Treatments consisted of a combination of two straw cutting disks (smooth or toothed edge), chiseling presence or absence, and fertilizer deposition forms (broadcast, on the planting line, and incorporated into chiseling furrows). The toothed disk differed from the smooth one, presenting lower values of horizontal and vertical forces, and torque. The agroindustrial variables pol (%), brix (%), fiber (%), and ATR (kg Mg-1) were not influenced by the fertilizer deposition form and soil chiseling. However, the localized fertilizer deposition increased crop yield when compared with broadcast fertilization.

Finnisch-ugrisches Substrat in der Toponymie des Russischen Nordens : eine neue Einstellung zum alten Problem

Kirjallisuusarvostelu

Siirtohinnoitteluperiaatteet johtamisen apuvälineenä: case-tutkimus

Tämä tutkimus tarkastelee siirtohinnoittelun periaatteita ja sen taustalla vaikuttavia tekijöitä. Tutkielman tavoitteena on tutkia kohdeyrityksen nykyistä siirtohinnoittelua ja laatia sille periaatteet sen yksiköiden väliselle sisäiselle kaupalle. Tarkoituksena on kehittää siirtohinnoitteluperiaatteet, jotka auttavat johtoa liiketoiminnan eteenpäin viemisessä niin, että nuo periaatteet ovat samalla oikeudenmukaiset kohdeyrityksen eri osapuolille. Tutkimus on luonteeltaan kvalitatiivinen, teoreettinen ja kuvaileva case-tutkimus. Se tuo esille teoriaosuudessa eri siirtohinnoitteluvaihtoehtoja ja pohtii analyyttisesti niiden hyötyjä ja haittoja. Teoriaosuus perustuu kattavalle kirjallisuudelle, jonka avulla otetaan huomioon tekijöitä, jotka vaikuttavat siirtohinnoitteluprosessin taustalla. Tutkielman empiirinen aineisto kerättiin haastattelemalla kohdeyrityksen ylintä johtoa. Haastatteluiden rakenne oli luonteeltaan puolistrukturoitu. Lisäksi käytiin aiheeseen liittyvää keskustelua useaan otteeseen kohde-yrityksen talouspäällikön kanssa sekä tehtiin tutustumiskäynti erääseen osuuskuntaan, jossa kohdeyritys on osakkaana. Vierailu perustui osuuskunnan talouspäällikön pitämään esitykseen ja sen aikana käytyyn keskusteluun. Haastattelut tehtiin kevään 2012 aikana. Tutkimuksen perusteella siirtohinnoittelu on monimutkainen prosessi, jossa samanaikaisesti ei voida saavuttaa kaikkia siltä vaadittuja tavoitteita. Siirtohinnoitteluperiaatteita laadittaessa tulee ottaa etenkin huomioon 1) organisaation liiketoiminnan luonne 2) yksiköiden luonne, 3) vaihdettavien tuotteiden luonne, 4) erilaisten hintojen saatavuus sekä 5) suorituskyvyn mittaus ja arviointi. Tämä tutkimus suosittelee kohdeyrityksen tulos-yksiköille yleisesti mukautetun markkinaperusteisen siirtohinnoittelu-vaihtoehdon käyttöönottoa. Jalostustoimintaa vaativien tuotteiden sisäiselle kaupalle tutkimus suosittelee kustannusperusteisen vaihtoehdon noudattamista.

The knapsack problem approach in solving partial hedging problems of options

En option är ett finansiellt kontrakt som ger dess innehavare en rättighet (men medför ingen skyldighet) att sälja eller köpa någonting (till exempel en aktie) till eller från säljaren av optionen till ett visst pris vid en bestämd tidpunkt i framtiden. Den som säljer optionen binder sig till att gå med på denna framtida transaktion ifall optionsinnehavaren längre fram bestämmer sig för att inlösa optionen. Säljaren av optionen åtar sig alltså en risk av att den framtida transaktion som optionsinnehavaren kan tvinga honom att göra visar sig vara ofördelaktig för honom. Frågan om hur säljaren kan skydda sig mot denna risk leder till intressanta optimeringsproblem, där målet är att hitta en optimal skyddsstrategi under vissa givna villkor. Sådana optimeringsproblem har studerats mycket inom finansiell matematik. Avhandlingen "The knapsack problem approach in solving partial hedging problems of options" inför en ytterligare synpunkt till denna diskussion: I en relativt enkel (ändlig och komplett) marknadsmodell kan nämligen vissa partiella skyddsproblem beskrivas som så kallade kappsäcksproblem. De sistnämnda är välkända inom en gren av matematik som heter operationsanalys. I avhandlingen visas hur skyddsproblem som tidigare lösts på andra sätt kan alternativt lösas med hjälp av metoder som utvecklats för kappsäcksproblem. Förfarandet tillämpas även på helt nya skyddsproblem i samband med så kallade amerikanska optioner.

Reconstrução da parede torácica nos defeitos adquiridos

Acquired chest wall defects present a challenging problem for thoracic surgeons. Many of such defects can be repaired with the use of local and regional musculocutaneous flaps, but larger defects compromising skeletal structure require increasingly sophisticated reconstructive techniques. The following discussion will review the options for repair acquired chest wall defects based in literature. The authors searched the Pubmed (www.pubmed.com) and found citations from January 1996 to February 2008. By reading the titles and the abstracts most of the citations were discharged because they focused in congenital chest wall defects or were cases report. However, many papers were found describing the outcome of large series of patients with acquired chest wall deformities. A review of recent literature shows that the repair of chest wall defects with soft tissues, if possible, remains the treatment of choice. Large chest wall defects require skeletal reconstruction to prevent paradoxical respiration. The selection of the most appropriate flap is primary dictated by the location and the size of the defect. It is important to transfer tissue with good vitality, so understanding the vascular supply is imperative. Autogenous grafts have been used in the past for skeletal reconstruction but a combination of synthetic materials with musculocutaneous flaps has been used lately. Based in the literature, the use of prosthetic material in chest wall reconstruction does not significantly increases the risk of wound infection.

Chelyabinsk CHP-3 “locked power” problem solving

All over the world power systems become bigger and bigger every day. New equipment is installed, new feeders are constructed, new power units are installed. Some old elements of the network, however, are not changed in time. As a result, “bottlenecks” for capacity transmission can occur. By locked power problem the situation when a power plant has installed capacity exceeding the power it can actually deliver is usually meant. Regime, scheme or even technical restrictions-related issues usually cause this kind of problem. It is really important, since from the regime point of view it is typical decision to have a mobile capacity reserve, in case of malfunctions. And, what can be even more significant, power plant owner (JSC Fortum in our case) losses his money because of selling less electrical energy. The goal of master`s thesis is to analyze the current state of Chelyabinsk power system and the CHP-3 (Combined Heat and Power plant) in particular in relation with it`s ability to deliver the whole capacity of the CHP in it`s existing state and also taking into consideration the prospect of power unit 3 installation by the fourth quarter of 2010. The thesis contains some general information about the UPS of Russia, CPS of Ural, power system of Chelyabinsk and the Chelyabinsk region itself. Then the CHP-3 is described from technical point of view with it`s equipment observation. Regimes for the nowadays power system and for the system after the power unit 3 installation are reviewed. The problems occurring are described and, finally, a solution is offered.

Strategic outsourcing of R&D: The location-specific advantages of India to the pharmaceutical industry

Companies are increasingly under pressure to be more efficient both in terms of costs and overall performance and thus, they seek new ways to develop their products and innovate. For pharmaceutical industry it can take several decades to launch a new drug to the markets. Since pharmaceutical industry is one of the most research-intensive industries, is outsourcing one way to enhance the R&D processes of such companies. It is said that outsourcing to offshore locations is vastly more challenging and complicated than any other exporting activity or inter-company relationship that has evoked a lot of discussion. By outsourcing strategically, companies must also thoroughly focus on transaction costs and core competences. Today, the suppliers are looked for beyond national boundaries and furthermore, the location of the outsourcing activity must also be thoroughly considered. Consequently, the purpose of this study is to analyze what is known of strategic outsourcing of pharmaceutical R&D to India. In order to meet the purpose of the study, this study tries to answer three sub-questions set to it: first, what is strategic outsourcing, second, why pharmaceutical companies utilize strategic outsourcing of R&D and last, why pharmaceutical companies select India as the location for outsourcing their R&D. The study is a qualitative study. The purpose of the study was approached by a literature review with systematic elements and sub-questions were analyzed through different relevant theories, such as theory of transaction costs, core competences and location advantages. Applicable academic journal articles were comprehensively included in the study. The data was collected from electronic journal article databases using key words and almost only peer-reviewed, as new as possible articles were included. Also both the reference list of the included articles and article recommendations from professionals generated more articles for inclusion. The data was analyzed through thematization that resulted in themes that illuminate the purpose of the study and sub-questions. As an outcome of the analysis, each of the theory chapters in the study represents one sub-question. The literature used in this study revealed that strategic outsourcing of R&D is increasingly used in pharmaceutical industry and the major motives to practice it has to do with lowering costs, accessing skilled labor, resources and knowledge and enhancing their quality while speeding up the introduction of new drugs. Mainly for the above-mentioned motives India is frequently chosen as the target location for pharma outsourcers. Still, the literature is somewhat incomplete in this complex phenomenon and more research is needed.