Abstract: With the development of a new generation of information technology, smart elderly care plays an important role in promoting the construction of elderly care services. The emerging application tools provide door-to-door meal service for urban elderly groups, solving meal problems for special and ordinary elderly with different priority levels and penalty costs of violating time windows. Based on this, considering the personalized needs of the elderly group, this study examines the route optimization problem of cooperative delivery of elderly meals by trucks and robots, and builds a mixed integer programming model to minimize the total cost of the system. For large-scale problems, this study designs an improved adaptive large neighbourhood search algorithm that incorporates simulated annealing algorithm and artificial bee colony algorithm to avoid falling into local optimality. Experiments have proved feasibility and effectiveness of the algorithm and proposed the corresponding management insights from the aspects of delivery efficiency and service quality.

Abstract: Here, we consider the generalized travelling salesman problem (GTSP), which is a generalization of the travelling salesman problem (TSP). This problem has several real-life applications. Since the problem is complex and NP-hard, solving this problem by exact methods is very difficult. Therefore, researchers have applied several heuristic algorithms to solve this problem. We propose the application of genetic algorithms (GAs) to obtain a solution. In the GA, three operators—selection, crossover, and mutation—are successively applied to a group of chromosomes to obtain a solution to an optimization problem. The crossover operator is applied to create better offspring and thus to converge the population, and the mutation operator is applied to explore the areas that cannot be explored by the crossover operator and thus to diversify the search space. All the crossover and mutation operators developed for the TSP can be used for the GTSP with some modifications. A better combination of these two operators can create a very good GA to obtain optimal solutions to the GTSP instances. Therefore, four crossover and three mutation operators are used here to develop GAs for solving the GTSP. Then, GAs is compared on several benchmark GTSPLIB instances. Our experiment shows the effectiveness of the sequential constructive crossover operator combined with the insertion mutation operator for this problem.

Abstract: On the production side, blockchain is being widely applied to agricultural product supply chains (APSCs), which can effectively improve circulation efficiency and reduce transportation losses. On the sales side, many companies are utilizing key opinion leaders (KOLs) to promote and sell agricultural products. The combination of the two enhances the farm-to-fork transparency of agricultural products and stimulates consumer purchases. Based on these, we construct four theoretical models to study blockchain investment and livestreaming mode strategies in the APSC. The results show that investing in blockchain always stimulates consumer purchases of agricultural products, while KOL livestreaming increases consumer purchases only when the increase-traffic power is greater than a certain threshold. There is a win-win situation where the fresh product supplier (FPS) and the e-retailer can benefit from investing in blockchain and introducing KOL livestreaming, respectively. Investing in blockchain is always beneficial for the KOL, and there is free-riding behavior in the APSC. Interestingly, the enhanced increase-traffic power within a certain interval may become a negative driving force, seriously harming the FPS. In addition, we find that investing in blockchain and introducing KOL livestreaming does not always benefit consumer surplus and social welfare, which depend on the KOL’s increase-traffic power, commission rate, and unit cost.

Abstract: This paper addresses the problem of activity scheduling and operator assignment in workstations of aerospace assembly lines. The problem is modelled as a new variant of the Multi-Mode Resource Constrained Project Scheduling Problem (MRCPSP), which incorporates practical features from aerospace workstations in assembly lines. These workstations have a substantial number of activities to be scheduled within a given assembly cycle time. It introduces particularities which are not usually addressed such as considering additional workers for performing activities, different workers’ proficiency, and spatial limitations in work zones. The objective is to schedule the activities of an aerospace workstation, minimising the total labour cost, while satisfying the cycle time and the zone’s limitations. The problem is initially formulated by employing mixed-integer linear programming methods with mathematical modelling and solved using two different algorithms: an Ant Colony System (ACS) and a memetic ACS. Given the novelty of the problem presented, new sets of benchmark cases of different sizes for this problem are also proposed and solved. To assess the performance of the algorithms, the solutions for the small-sized instances are compared in terms of deviation with the results obtained by an optimisation modelling software. Further experimentation with the algorithms is carried out with medium and large instances, showing good performance and providing reasonably good results in realistic problems.

Abstract: Order picking (OP) is a critical yet time-consuming and labor-intensive warehouse operation within the supply chain. In picker-to-part systems with high demand, pickers are exposed to fatigue due to the excessive repetition of picking activities, which results in high human energy expenditure. The literature indicates that energy expenditure depends on the picking activity and the worker’s attributes, such as pickers’ weight, gender, and age. Studies have shown that as the weights of individuals increase, the energy consumed for the same task increases. This study proposes a two-stage stochastic programming model that minimizes assignment and overtime costs while avoiding excessive fatigue levels for pickers by incorporating rest allowance into the picking tour time. In the first stage, the number of pickers required is decided. In the second stage, orders are assigned to pickers considering uncertain energy expenditure. The two-stage stochastic programming model is solved by the sample average approximation algorithm. Results show that both OP cost and the number of pickers required to fulfill an order increase when the picker’s weight exceeds 80kg. In allocating orders, pickers weighing less than 80kg should be assigned to orders with more items, such as those containing 4- or 5-items. Conversely, pickers weighing more than 80kg should be assigned to orders with fewer items, like those containing 2- or 3-items, to avoid fatigue side effects.

Abstract: One of the primary goals of optimization approaches is to strike a balance between exploitation and exploration strategies, thereby enhancing the efficiency of the search process. To improve this balance, considerable research efforts have been directed towards refining these strategies. This paper introduces a novel exploration approach for the Black Widow Optimization (BWO) algorithm, termed Improved BWO (IBWO), aimed at achieving a robust equilibrium between global and local search strategies. The proposed approach tracks and remembers the effective research areas during the research iteration and uses them to direct the subsequent research process toward the most promising areas of the search space. Consequently, this method facilitates convergence towards optimal global solutions, leading to the generation of higher-quality solutions. To evaluate its performance, IBWO is compared with five optimization techniques, including BWO, GA, PSO, ABC, and BBO, across 39 benchmark functions. Simulation results demonstrate that IBWO consistently maintains precision in performance, achieving superior fitness values in 87.2%, 74.4%, and 69.2% of total trials across three distinct simulation settings. These outcomes underscore the efficacy of IBWO in effectively leveraging prior search space information to enhance the balance between exploitation and exploration capabilities. The proposed IBWO has broad applicability, addressing real-world optimization challenges in pilgrim crowd management and transportation during Hajj, supply chain logistics, and energy distribution optimization.

Abstract: The 531 New Deal has gradually transitioned the photovoltaic market policy from industrial policy to competition policy. This paper considers the two policy orientations of the photovoltaic supply chain: industrial policy and competition policy. Based on differential game theory, the profit models of photovoltaic supply chain entities under the two policy orientations are constructed, and the optimal solutions of each model are solved. The research finds that policy guidance factors affect the strategic choices of photovoltaic supply chain entities; Compared to industrial policies, competition policy orientation can increase the profits of various entities in the photovoltaic supply chain to varying degrees.

Abstract: Blockchain technology has attracted widespread attention due to its advantages of decentralization, as well as non-tampering, transparency, and traceability of information. Fourth-party logistics systems that do not use blockchain incur transaction costs and service quality losses due to the inability to fully control the delivery process, whereas the use of blockchain eliminates the transaction costs and quality losses, but the use of blockchain needs implementation and marginal use costs. To study the conditions for the use of blockchain technology, consider the fourth-party logistics system does not use and uses blockchain technology, and the equilibrium strategies in the two cases are compared. Numerical experiments show that there exists a certain range of blockchain costs which leads to a Pareto improvement in profits for both fourth-party logistics and third-party logistics and an improvement in the quality of logistics services when using blockchain.

Abstract: Nowadays, online social networks play a crucial role in shaping human communication in various life activities. Social Network Analysis (SNA) provides valuable insights for businesses, authorities, and platform owners. One of the challenging tasks in SNA is detecting sequential change points in observed events in social networks when the parameters of statistical distribution of post-change networks are unknown. This challenging problem is particularly prominent in various real-world network systems, especially when the events in the networks can be modeled through a Hawkes process. Identifying change points in the stream of social network data, where the underlying statistical properties undergo significant changes, necessitates the development of adaptive online algorithms. Additionally, in cases where the use of maximum likelihood estimators is impractical or when no exact recursive function for likelihood is available, addressing this issue becomes more complex. This paper proposes likelihood estimators using online convex optimization methods, incorporating the adaptive moment estimation (ADAM) algorithm. The proposed method is seamlessly integrated into the sequential anomaly detection procedure for events in social networks. Experimental results on monitoring time between events demonstrate lower Expected Delay Detection (EDD), indicating the superiority of the proposed algorithm in both synthetic and real-world datasets such as Facebook and contact networks of individuals causing disease transmission. The proposed robust solution provides an efficient practical tool in situations where traditional methods face limitations in swift detection with high accuracy.

Abstract: Robust supply chain network design that considers supply resiliency, plays vital role in supply chain risk management in dealing with various operational and disruption risks. This study developed a novel three-stage decision approach to consider two echelons robust and resilient supply chain networks. We present a mixed-integer non-linear programming model with two objective functions. The objectives are maximization of SCN profit and maximization of resiliency, where robustness, agility, leanness, flexibility, and integrity can be defined as the five resiliency criteria. Fuzzy Simultaneous Evaluation of Criteria and Alternatives (FSECA) and Simple Multi-Attribute Rating technique (SMART) have been used to obtain the supplier resiliency and weighted importance of resilience criteria. Then, a robust optimization model is built based on uncertainty parameters considering supplier resiliency. A Non-dominated Sorting Genetic Algorithm (NSGAII) and Multi Objective Particle Swarm optimization (MOPSO) were used to solve the robust model on a large scale. parameters calibrated by the Taguchi method and five metrics of performance evaluation were considered to compare the meta-heuristic algorithms. We demonstrate the proposed NSGAII algorithm over a competing method based on five performance metrics. The research findings reveal the optimal level of robust supply chain networks based on algorithm performance and Taguchi analyses. Moreover, the results indicate that when profit increases, resilience can increase simultaneously.

Abstract: To meet consumer replacement needs, the free replacement extended warranty (FREW) is born and becomes popular in the extended warranty (EW) market. In this context, firms need to consider whether to introduce the FREW. Given the limited resources of the firms and cannibalism caused by the FREW, firms need to decide how to introduce the FREW. To address these issues, we construct theoretical models and obtain some managerial insights. We find that the optimal introduction strategy is related to the development cost and the expansion effect on the product market. Moreover, the optimal bundling strategy is affected by the unit maintenance cost and the cost discount caused by the FREW. Only when the benefit of the FREW is great enough, is bundling always better. An interesting result is that the price of the bundled EW is higher than the sum of the EWs’ prices when selling EWs separately.

Abstract: With a decentral and global economy, distributed scheduling problems are getting a lot of attention. This paper addresses a distributed flexible job shop scheduling problem (DFJSP) with minimizing makespan, in which three subproblems, namely operations sequencing, factory selection and machine selection must be determined. To solve the DFJSP, a novel mixed-integer linear programming (MILP) model is first developed, which can solve the small-scaled instances to optimality. Since the NP-hard characteristic of DFJSP, a hybrid algorithm (GA-VNS-CP) of genetic algorithm (GA), variable neighborhood search (VNS) and constraint programming (CP). Specifically, the GA-VNS-CP is divided into two stages. The first stage uses the hybrid meta-heuristic algorithms of GA and VNS (GA-VNS), and the VNS is designed to improve the local search ability of GA. In GA-VNS, the encoding only considers the factory selection and the operations sequencing problems, and the machine selection problem is determined by the decoding rule. Because the solution space may be limited by the decoding rule, the second stage uses the CP to extend the solution and further improve the solution. Numerical experiments based on benchmark instances are conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of the MILP model, VNS, CP and GA-VNS-CP. The experimental results show effectiveness of the MILP model, VNS and CP. Moreover, the GA-VNS-CP algorithm has better performance than traditional algorithms and improves 6 current best solutions for benchmark instances.