In this paper, information theoretic methodology for system modeling is applied to investigate the probability density function of the busy period in M/G/1 vacation models operating under the N-, T- and D-policies. The information about the density function is limited to a few mean value constraints (usually the first moments). By using the maximum entropy methodology one obtains the least biased probability density function satisfying the system's constraints. The analysis of the three controllable M/G/1 queueing models provides a parallel numerical study of the solution obtained via the maximum entropy approach versus “classical” solutions. The maximum entropy analysis of a continuous system descriptor (like the busy period) enriches the current body of literature which, in most cases, reduces to discrete queueing measures (such as the number of customers in the system).

The purpose of this article is to show the great interest of the use of propagation (or pruning) techniques, inside classical interval Branch-and-Bound algorithms. Therefore, a propagation technique based on the construction of the calculus tree is entirely explained and some properties are presented without the need of any formalism (excepted interval analysis). This approach is then validated on a real example: the optimal design of an electrical rotating machine.

We propose a variational model for one of the most important problems in traffic networks, namely, the network equilibrium flow that is, traditionally in the context of operations research, characterized by minimum cost flow. This model has the peculiarity of being formulated by means of a suitable variational inequality (VI) and its solution is called “equilibrium”. This model becomes a minimum cost model when the cost function is separable or, more general, when the Jacobian of the cost operator is symmetric; in such cases a functional representing the total network utility exists. In fact in these cases we can write the first order optimality conditions which turn out to be a VI. In the other situations (i.e., when global utility functional does not exist), which occur much more often in the real problems, we can study the network by looking for equilibrium solutions instead of minimum points. The Lagrangean approach to the study of the VI allows us to introduce dual variables, associated to the constraints of the feasible set, which may receive interesting interpretations in terms of potentials associated to the arcs and the nodes of the network. This interpretation is an extension and generalization of the classic Bellman conditions. Finally, we deepen the analysis of the networks having capacity constraints.


The notion of treewidth is of considerable interest in relation to NP-hard problems. Indeed, several studies have shown that the tree-decomposition method can be used to solve many basic optimization problems in polynomial time when treewidth is bounded, even if, for arbitrary graphs, computing the treewidth is NP-hard. Several papers present heuristics with computational experiments. For many graphs the discrepancy between the heuristic results and the best lower bounds is still very large. The aim of this paper is to propose two new methods for computing the treewidth of graphs: a heuristic and a metaheuristic. The heuristic returns good results in a short computation time, whereas the metaheuristic (a Tabu search method) returns the best results known to have been obtained so far for all the DIMACS vertex coloring / treewidth benchmarks (a well-known collection of graphs used for both vertex coloring and treewidth problems.) Our results actually improve on the previous best results for treewidth problems in 53% of the cases. Moreover, we identify properties of the triangulation process to optimize the computing time of our method.

Dans cet article on modélise le système de la pêche de la sardine au Maroc par la méthode de la programmation dynamique. On montre comment les éléments de la programmation dynamique tels que les étapes, états et actions sont utilisés. Le modèle proposé calcule la quantité de sardine à pêcher durant chaque saison de pêche dans le but de maximiser la récolte totale sur un certain nombre de périodes. Des tests, dans le cas déterministe, sont présentés et leurs résultats montrent que l'approche proposée est prometteuse. Notre modèle peut répondre à des problèmes intéressants tels que l'impact d'introduction de nouvelles technologies de pêche, et la détermination des meilleures périodes et dates du repos biologique. Ceci peut être fait par une analyse paramétrique des données appropriées du modèle. Enfin, on mentionne des données sensibles à la validité du modèle et qui nécessitent un traitement spécial.

In applications such as airport operations, military simulations, and medical simulations, conducting simulations in accurate and realistic settings that are represented by real video imaging sequences becomes essential. This paper surveys recent work that enables visually realistic model constructions and the simulation of synthetic objects which are inserted in video sequences, and illustrates how synthetic objects can conduct intelligent behavior within a visual augmented reality.

The problem of embedding graphs into other graphs is much studied in the graph theory. In fact, much effort has been devoted to determining the conditions under which a graph G is a subgraph of a graph H, having a particular structure. An important class to study is the set of graphs which are embeddable into a hypercube. This importance results from the remarkable properties of the hypercube and its use in several domains, such as: the coding theory, transfer of information, multicriteria rule, interconnection networks ... In this paper we are interested in defining two new classes of embedding trees into the hypercube for which the dimension is given.

This paper considers an M/M/R/N queue with heterogeneous servers in which customers balk (do not enter) with a constant probability (1 - b). We develop the maximum likelihood estimates of the parameters for the M/M/R/N queue with balking and heterogeneous servers. This is a generalization of the M/M/2 queue with heterogeneous servers (without balking), and the M/M/2/N queue with balking and heterogeneous servers in the literature. We also develop the confidence interval formula for the parameter ρ, the probability of empty system P0, and the expected number of customers in the system E[N], of an M/M/R/N queue with balking and heterogeneous servers. The effects of varying b, N, and R on the confidence intervals of P0 and E[N] are also investigated.

In this paper we study the existence of subharmonic solutions of the Hamiltonian system $$ J\dot x+ u^* \nabla G(t,u(x)) =e(t) $$ where u is a linear map, G is a C1-function and e is a continuous function.

In this paper we present the image space analysis, based on a general separation scheme, with the aim of studying Lagrangian duality and shadow prices in Vector Optimization. Two particular kinds of separation are considered; in the linear case, each of them is applied to the study of sensitivity analysis, and it is proved that the derivatives of the perturbation function can be expressed in terms of vector Lagrange multipliers or shadow prices.

We consider a G-network with Poisson flow of positive customers. Each positive customer entering the network is characterized by a set of stochastic parameters: customer route, the length of customer route, customer volume and his service length at each route stage as well. The following node types are considered: Negative customers arriving at each node also form a Poisson flow. A negative customer entering a node with k customers in service, with probability 1/k chooses one of served positive customer as a “target”. Then, if the node is of a type 0 the negative customer immediately “kills” (displaces from the network) the target customer, and if the node is of types 1–3 the negative customer with given probability depending on parameters of the target customer route kills this customer and with complementary probability he quits the network with no service. A product form for the stationary probabilities of underlying Markov process is obtained.

Cet article introduit une nouvelle transformation des réseaux de Petri généralisés appelée l'abstraction généralisée. C'est une réduction dont nous montrons qu'elle conserve les invariants du réseau de départ et les propriétés structurelles les plus importantes. Une fonction de transformation de marquages nous permet d'introduire l'étude de la conservation des propriétés comportementales.

The problem of minimizing the maximum edge congestion in a multicast communication network generalizes the well-known NP-hard multicommodity flow problem. We give the presently best theoretical approximation results as well as efficient implementations. In particular we show that for a network with m edges and k multicast requests, an r(1 + ε)(rOPT + exp(1)lnm)-approximation can be computed in O(kmε-2lnklnm) time, where β bounds the time for computing an r-approximate minimum Steiner tree. Moreover, we present a new fast heuristic that outperforms the primal-dual approaches with respect to both running time and objective value.

Les distributions non paramétriques de survie trouvent, de plus en plus, des applications dans des domaines très variés, à savoir: théorie de fiabilité et analyse de survie, files d'attente, maintenance, gestion de stock, théorie de l'économie, ... L'objet de ce travail est d'utiliser les bornes inférieures et supérieures (en terme de la moyenne) des fonctions de fiabilité appartenant aux classes de distribution de type IFR, DFR, NBU et NWU, présentées par Sengupta (1994), pour l'évaluation de certaines caractéristiques. Nous utilisons certaines de ces lois pour l'évaluation des bornes du temps moyen d'attente dans la file d'un système d'attente de type GI/GI/1, en actualisant celles trouvées par Stoyan (1983). Comme application à la théorie de renouvellement et de fiabilité, nous utilisons les propriétés qualitatives des temps de réparation pour borner le temps moyen de vie d'un système à deux éléments réparables.

We consider a Markov decision process for an MX/M/1 queue that is controlled by batches of negative customers. More specifically, we derive conditions that imply threshold-type optimal policies, under either the total discounted cost criterion or the average cost criterion. The performance analysis of the model when it operates under a given threshold-type policy is also studied. We prove a stability condition and a complete stochastic comparison characterization for models operating under different thresholds. Exact and asymptotic results concerning the computation of the stationary distribution of the model are also derived.

We consider a multiobjective optimization problem with a feasible set defined by inequality and equality constraints such that all functions are, at least, Dini differentiable (in some cases, Hadamard differentiable and sometimes, quasiconvex). Several constraint qualifications are given in such a way that generalize both the qualifications introduced by Maeda and the classical ones, when the functions are differentiable. The relationships between them are analyzed. Finally, we give several Kuhn-Tucker type necessary conditions for a point to be Pareto minimum under the weaker constraint qualifications here proposed.

A single-server queueing system with a batch Markovian arrival process (BMAP) and MAP-input of disasters causing all customers to leave the system instantaneously is considered. The system has two operation modes, which depend on the current queue length. The embedded and arbitrary time stationary queue length distribution has been derived and the optimal control threshold strategy has been determined.

Dans cet article, nous proposons une nouvelle méthode de purification pour les problèmes de complémentarité linéaire, monotones. Cette méthode associe à chaque itéré de la suite, générée par une méthode de points intérieurs, une base non nécessairement réalisable. Nous montrons que, sous les hypothèses de complémentarité stricte et de non dégénérescence, la suite des bases converge en un nombre fini d'itérations vers une base optimale qui donne une solution exacte du problème. Le procédé adopté sert également à préconditionner l'algorithme de gradient conjugué lors du calcul de la direction de Newton.

In this paper we consider the operational planning problem of physical distribution via a fleet of hired vehicles, for which the travelling cost is solely a function of the sequence of locations visited within all open delivery routes, while vehicle fixed cost is inexistent. The problem is a special class of vehicle routing and is encountered in the literature as the Open Vehicle Routing Problem (OVRP), since vehicles are not required to return to the depot. The goal is to distribute in an optimal way finished goods from a central facility to geographically dispersed customers, which pose daily demand for items produced in the facility and act as sales points for consumers. To solve the problem, we employ an annealing-based method that utilizes a backtracking policy of the threshold value when no acceptances of feasible solutions occur during the search process. Computational results on a set of benchmark problems show that the proposed method consistently outperforms previous algorithms for solving the OVRP. The approach can serve as the means for effective fleet planning in real-life problems.