This paper presents our work on decomposing a specific nurse rostering problem by cyclically assigning blocks of shifts, which are designed considering both hard and soft constraints, to groups of nurses. The rest of the shifts are then assigned to the nurses to construct a schedule based on the one cyclically generated by blocks. The schedules obtained by decomposition and construction can be ...

Mass spectrometry (MS) data provide a promising strategy for biomarker discovery. For this purpose, the detection of relevant peakbins in MS data is currently under intense research. Data from mass spectrometry are challenging to analyze because of their high dimensionality and the generally low number of samples available. To tackle this problem, the scientific community is becoming increasing...

This work presents three multi-objective heuristic algorithms based on Two-phase Pareto Local Search with VNS (2PPLS-VNS), Multi-objective Variable Neighborhood Search (MOVNS) and Non-dominated Sorting Genetic Algorithm II (NSGA-II). The algorithms were applied to the open-pit-mining operational planning problem with dynamic truck allocation (OPMOP). Approximations to Pareto sets generated by t...

In this paper, we compare three multi-objective algorithms based on Variable Neighborhood Search (VNS) heuristic. The algorithms are applied to solve the single machine scheduling problem with sequence dependent setup times and distinct due windows. In this problem, we consider minimizing the total weighted earliness/tardiness and the total flowtime criteria. We introduce two intensification pr...

We suggest a new heuristic for solving unconstrained continuous optimization problems. It is based on a generalized version of the variable neighborhood search metaheuristic. Different neighborhoods and distributions, induced from different metrics are ranked and used to get random points in the shaking step. We also propose VNS for solving constrained optimization problems. The constraints are...

In this paper, a detection strategy based on variable neighborhood search (VNS) and semidefinite relaxation of the CDMA maximum likelihood (ML) is investigated. The VNS method provides a good method for solving the ML problem while keeping the integer constraints. A SDP relaxation is used as an efficient way to generate an initial solution in a limited amount of time, in particular using early ...

This paper is concerned with the development of intelligent decision support methodologies for nurse rostering problems in large modern hospital environments. We present an approach which hybridises heuristic ordering with variable neighbourhood search. We show that the search can be extended and the solution quality can be significantly improved by the careful combination and repeated use of h...

We consider the generalized version of the classical Minimum Spanning Tree problem where the nodes of a graph are partitioned into clusters and exactly one node from each cluster must be connected. We present a Variable Neighborhood Search (VNS) approach which uses three different neighborhood types. Two of them work in complementary ways in order to maximize search effectivity. Both are large ...

In this work we consider the 3-staged 2-dimensional cutting stock problem, which appears in many real-world applications such as glass and wood cutting and various scheduling tasks. We suggest a variable neighborhood search (VNS) employing “ruin-and-recreate”based very large neighborhood searches (VLNS). We further present a polynomial-sized integer linear programming model (ILP) for solving th...

This paper introduces a hybrid metaheuristic, the Variable Neighborhood Particle Swarm Optimization (VNPSO), consisting of a combination of the Variable Neighborhood Search (VNS) and Particle Swarm Optimization(PSO). The proposed VNPSO method is used for solving the multi-objective Flexible Job-shop Scheduling Problems (FJSP). The details of implementation for the multi-objective FJSP and the c...