Performance evaluation of increasingly complex human-made systems requires the use of simulation models. However, these systems are difficult to describe and capture by succinct mathematical models. The purpose of this book is to address the difficulties of the optimization of complex systems via simulation models or other computation-intensive models involving possible stochastic effects and discrete choices. This book establishes distinct advantages of the "softer" ordinal approach for search-based type problems, analyzes its general properties, and shows the many orders of magnitude improvement in computational efficiency that is possible.
Performance evaluation of increasingly complex human-made systems requires the use of simulation models. However, these systems are difficult to describe and capture by succinct mathematical models. The purpose of this book is to address the difficulties of the optimization of complex systems via simulation models or other computation-intensive models involving possible stochastic effects and discrete choices. This book establishes distinct advantages of the "softer" ordinal approach for search-based type problems, analyzes its general properties, and shows the many orders of magnitude improvement in computational efficiency that is possible.
Discrete event systems (DES) have become pervasive in our daily lives. Examples include (but are not restricted to) manufacturing and supply chains, transportation, healthcare, call centers, and financial engineering. However, due to their complexities that often involve millions or even billions of events with many variables and constraints, modeling these stochastic simulations has long been a “hard nut to crack”. The advance in available computer technology, especially of cluster and cloud computing, has paved the way for the realization of a number of stochastic simulation optimization for complex discrete event systems. This book will introduce two important techniques initially proposed and developed by Professor Y C Ho and his team; namely perturbation analysis and ordinal optimization for stochastic simulation optimization, and present the state-of-the-art technology, and their future research directions.
An original look from a microeconomic perspective for power system optimization and its application to electricity markets Presents a new and systematic viewpoint for power system optimization inspired by microeconomics and game theory A timely and important advanced reference with the fast growth of smart grids Professor Chen is a pioneer of applying experimental economics to the electricity market trading mechanism, and this work brings together the latest research A companion website is available Edit
This book consists of one hundred and twenty-five selected papers presented at the 2015 International Conference on Applied Mechanics, Mechatronics and Intelligent Systems (AMMIS2015), which was held in Nanjing, China during June 19-20, 2015.AMMIS2015 focuses on seven main areas, namely, applied mechanics, control and automation, intelligent systems, computer technology, electronics engineering, electrical engineering, and materials science and technology. Experts in this field from all over the world contributed to the collection of research results and development activities.AMMIS2015 provides an excellent international exchange platform for researchers to share their development works and results in these areas. All papers selected for this proceeding were subjected to a rigorous peer-review process.
The Handbook of Simulation Optimization presents an overview of the state of the art of simulation optimization, providing a survey of the most well-established approaches for optimizing stochastic simulation models and a sampling of recent research advances in theory and methodology. Leading contributors cover such topics as discrete optimization via simulation, ranking and selection, efficient simulation budget allocation, random search methods, response surface methodology, stochastic gradient estimation, stochastic approximation, sample average approximation, stochastic constraints, variance reduction techniques, model-based stochastic search methods and Markov decision processes. This single volume should serve as a reference for those already in the field and as a means for those new to the field for understanding and applying the main approaches. The intended audience includes researchers, practitioners and graduate students in the business/engineering fields of operations research, management science, operations management and stochastic control, as well as in economics/finance and computer science.
Comprehensive guide on learning automata, introducing two variants to accelerate convergence and computational update speed Learning Automata and Their Applications to Intelligent Systems provides a comprehensive guide on learning automata from the perspective of principles, algorithms, improvement directions, and applications. The text introduces two variants to accelerate the convergence speed and computational update speed, respectively; these two examples demonstrate how to design new learning automata for a specific field from the aspect of algorithm design to give full play to the advantage of learning automata. As noisy optimization problems exist widely in various intelligent systems, this book elaborates on how to employ learning automata to solve noisy optimization problems from the perspective of algorithm design and application. The existing and most representative applications of learning automata include classification, clustering, game, knapsack, network, optimization, ranking, and scheduling. They are well-discussed. Future research directions to promote an intelligent system are suggested. Written by two highly qualified academics with significant experience in the field, Learning Automata and Their Applications to Intelligent Systems covers such topics as: Mathematical analysis of the behavior of learning automata, along with suitable learning algorithms Two application-oriented learning automata: one to discover and track spatiotemporal event patterns, and the other to solve stochastic searching on a line Demonstrations of two pioneering variants of Optimal Computing Budge Allocation (OCBA) methods and how to combine learning automata with ordinal optimization How to achieve significantly faster convergence and higher accuracy than classical pursuit schemes via lower computational complexity of updating the state probability A timely text in a rapidly developing field, Learning Automata and Their Applications to Intelligent Systems is an essential resource for researchers in machine learning, engineering, operation, and management. The book is also highly suitable for graduate level courses on machine learning, soft computing, reinforcement learning and stochastic optimization.
* Unique in its survey of the range of topics. * Contains a strong, interdisciplinary format that will appeal to both students and researchers. * Features exercises and web links to software and data sets.
Mathematical Optimization Terminology: A Comprehensive Glossary of Terms is a practical book with the essential formulations, illustrative examples, real-world applications and main references on the topic. This book helps readers gain a more practical understanding of optimization, enabling them to apply it to their algorithms. This book also addresses the need for a practical publication that introduces these concepts and techniques. - Discusses real-world applications of optimization and how it can be used in algorithms - Explains the essential formulations of optimization in mathematics - Covers a more practical approach to optimization
Optimal Control and Optimization of Stochastic Supply Chain Systems examines its subject the context of the presence of a variety of uncertainties. Numerous examples with intuitive illustrations and tables are provided, to demonstrate the structural characteristics of the optimal control policies in various stochastic supply chains and to show how to make use of these characteristics to construct easy-to-operate sub-optimal policies. In Part I, a general introduction to stochastic supply chain systems is provided. Analytical models for various stochastic supply chain systems are formulated and analysed in Part II. In Part III the structural knowledge of the optimal control policies obtained in Part II is utilized to construct easy-to-operate sub-optimal control policies for various stochastic supply chain systems accordingly. Finally, Part IV discusses the optimisation of threshold-type control policies and their robustness. A key feature of the book is its tying together of the complex analytical models produced by the requirements of operational practice, and the simple solutions needed for implementation. The analytical models and theoretical analysis propounded in this monograph will be of benefit to academic researchers and graduate students looking at logistics and supply chain management from standpoints in operations research or industrial, manufacturing, or control engineering. The practical tools and solutions and the qualitative insights into the ideas underlying functional supply chain systems will be of similar use to readers from more industrially-based backgrounds.
