Models, Solutions and Relaxations of the Asymmetrical Capacitated Vehicle Routing Problem

In this thesis, we take a look at the Asymmetrical Capacitated Vehicle Routing Problem (ACVRP). We will take a look at different possible formulations for the problem and choose one based on the ease of implementation, the computation speed of solving it, and the available relaxations. The problem, and its relaxations, will be modeled and solved...

Creating an optimal OR schedule regarding downstream resources

A high percentage of hospital admissions is due to surgical interventions. The operating theatre, which holds the operating rooms (ORs), is therefore one of the key resources in hospitals. Managing the operating theatre and finding an optimal OR schedule is complex due to the many factors that influence it. Scheduling a surgery in an OR...

Density Tapering for Sparse Planar Spiral Antenna Arrays

Increasing demands for mobile internet access have led to exponential developments in mobile communications technologies. The next generation mobile technology is expected to exploit electronic beam steering and to have a higher operating frequency to facilitate a higher bandwidth. This places a heavy burden on the base station antenna arrays,...

Optimizing truck driver schedules with dependent working shifts, drivers' legislation, and multiple time windows

In logistics, minimizing the resource expenses can be done by minimizing the total number of hours that each truck driver has to work. This sum of working hours is referred to as the total schedule duration for all truck drivers. Minimizing this total schedule duration is the main goal in the optimization problem that we consider. The considered...

Solving the open day timetabling problem using integer linear programming

The timetabling problem is known as a large class of problems that fall under the mathematical field of scheduling. A widely used method to solve timetabling problems is the integer linear programming method, which we have used to solve the open day timetabling problem. In this thesis we have addressed a timetabling problem for the open day at...

The Heston model with Term Structure: Option Pricing and Calibration

This thesis addresses the calibration of the Heston model with term structure (i.e. with piecewise constant parameters) to a set of European option prices from the FX market. Several option pricing methods are discussed and compared, among which the COS method, Lewis' method and the Andersen QE Monte Carlo scheme. Several modifications are...

A Computational Intelligence Approach to Voltage and Power Control in HV-MTDC Grids

An ever increasing interest in renewable energy sources (RES) in order to reduce global carbon emissions and alleviate problems posed by climate changes has lead to dramatic increase particularly in offshore wind energy projects. Several different projects are currently being executed and so many are being planned for the future. The location of...

Parallelizing the Linkage Tree Genetic Algorithm and Searching for the Optimal Replacement for the Linkage Tree

The recently introduced Linkage Tree Genetic Algorithm (LTGA) has shown to exhibit excellent scalability on a variety of optimization problems. LTGA employs Linkage Trees (LTs) to identify and exploit linkage information between problem variables. In this work we present two parallel implementations of LTGA that enable us to leverage the...

Online learning algorithms: Methods and applications

In this research we study some online learning algorithms in the online convex optimization framework. Online learning algorithms make sequential decisions where there is no information about the future events in time. To measure the success of a decision there is a (bounded) cost for each decision, which is revealed after every time step. The...

Weight and Volume Optimization of a Three-phase Inverter

Three-phase inverters are widely used in industries. Due to the advancements in semiconductor technologies, researchers have witnessed a continuous increase in the power density of inverters over the decades. Meanwhile, on the basis of such advancement, designers are also pushing the power density to its limit by minimizing the weight and volume...

ORM Optimization through Automatic Prefetching in WebDSL

Object-Relational Mapping (ORM) frameworks can be used to fetch entities from a relational database. The entities that are referenced through properties are normally not fetched initially, instead they are fetched automatically by the ORM framework, when they are used by the application. This is called lazy-fetching and can result in many...

Waveform Optimization for Compressive-Sensing Radar Systems

Compressive sensing (CS) provides a new paradigm in data acquisition and signal processing in radar, based on the assumptions of sparsity of an unknown radar scene, and the incoherence of the transmitted signal. The resolution in the conventional pulse-compression radar is foreseen to be improved by the implementation of CS. An unknown sparse...

Porting GCC to a Clustered VLIW Processor

A clustered architecture is a viable design choice when aiming to increase the performance of a VLIW processor while avoiding the hardware complexity and increased access times associated with a centralized register file. However, this places additional responsibility on the compiler: the production of an efficient cluster assignment. In this...

An optimization model for a Train-Free-Period planning for ProRail based on the maintenance needs of the Dutch railway infrastructure

The thesis reports on the Dutch railway infrastructure manager ProRail, on the literature study, on the determined Top 10 of maintenance activities that are determining the maintenance schedule, on the developing of the optimization model that finds such a maintenance schedule, and finally on the results and conclusions.

Statistical analysis of newspaper headlines with optimization

Non-Invasive Electromagnetic Ablation of Female Breast Tumors

Breast cancer is the most common malignant tumor among women today. Available techniques for treating breast cancer often introduce strong side effects. The non-invasive electromagnetic ablation of breast tumors has a lot of potential, because it can provide a quick treatment modality without introducing harmful side effects. In this project we...

Automated Implant-Processor Design

As we move towards an aging population, it is likely that an increasing number of people will require an increasing diversity of implants, but at a lower cost to the society. Also, as computer technology progresses, smaller, more powerful, and less battery intensive implants can be designed. However, present implant design methodology is highly...

The speed optimization of a printing press

PCM Uitgevers is van de grootste uitgeverijen van Nederland. Ze produceert de Volkskrant, het NRC Handelsblad, het Algemeen Dagblad, de Trouw en diverse kleinere kranten. Voor het drukken van de kranten heeft PCM een vestiging in Amsterdam.Iedere ochtend wordt in Amsterdam een groot aantal kranten gedrukt, waarna zij door vrachtwagens worden...