Automatic design for shop scheduling strategies based on hyper-heuristics: A systematic review

Against the background of smart manufacturing and Industry 4.0, how to achieve real-time scheduling has become a problem to be solved. In this regard, automatic design for shop scheduling based on hyper-heuristics has been widely studied, and a number of reviews and scheduling algorithms have been presented. Few studies, however, have specifically discussed the technical points involved in algorithm development. This study, therefore, constructs a general framework for automatic design for shop scheduling strategies based on hyper-heuristics, and various state-of-the-art technical points in the development process are summarized. First, we summarize the existing types of shop scheduling strategies and classify them using a new classification method. Second, we summarize an automatic design algorithm for shop scheduling. Then, we investigate surrogate-assisted methods that are popular in the current algorithm field. Finally, current problems and challenges are discussed, and potential directions for future research are proposed.     

Defining Dry Eye from a Clinical Perspective

Over the past decades, the number of patients with dry eye disease (DED) has increased dramatically. The incidence of DED is higher in Asia than in Europe and North America, suggesting the involvement of cultural or racial factors in DED etiology. Although many definitions of DED have been used, discrepancies exist between the various definitions of dry eye disease (DED) used across the globe. This article presents a clinical consensus on the definition of DED, as formulated in four meetings with global DED experts. The proposed new definition is as follows: “Dry eye is a multifactorial disease characterized by a persistently unstable and/or deficient tear film (TF) causing discomfort and/or visual impairment, accompanied by variable degrees of ocular surface epitheliopathy, inflammation and neurosensory abnormalities.” The key criteria for the diagnosis of DED are unstable TF, inflammation, ocular discomfort and visual impairment. This definition also recommends the assessment of ocular surface epitheliopathy and neurosensory abnormalities in each patient with suspected DED. It is easily applicable in clinical practice and should help practitioners diagnose DED consistently. This consensus definition of DED should also help to guide research and clinical trials that, to date, have been hampered by the lack of an established surrogate endpoint.     

A bi-layer optimization approach for a hybrid flow shop scheduling problem involving controllable processing times in the steelmaking industry

A steelmaking-continuous casting (SCC) scheduling problem is an example of complex hybrid flow shop scheduling problem (HFSSP) with a strong industrial background. This paper investigates the SCC scheduling problem that involves controllable processing times (CPT) with multiple objectives concerning the total waiting time, earliness/tardiness and adjusting cost. The SCC scheduling problem with CPT is seldom discussed in the existing literature. This study is motivated by the practical situation of a large integrated steel company in which the just-in-time (JIT) and cost-cutting production strategy have become a significant concern. To address this complex HFSSP, the scheduling problem is decomposed into two subproblems: a parallel machine scheduling problem (PMSP) in the last stage and an HFSSP in the upstream stages. First, a hybrid differential evolution (HDE) algorithm combined with a variable neighborhood decomposition search (VNDS) is proposed for the former subproblem. Second, an iterative backward list scheduling (IBLS) algorithm is presented to solve the latter subproblem. The effectiveness of this bi-layer optimization approach is verified by computational experiments on well-designed and real-world scheduling instances. This study provides a new perspective on modeling and solving practical SCC scheduling problems.     

井下套管阀研究及室内试验

随着欠平衡钻井技术的深入研究和推广应用,全过程欠平衡钻井技术已成为研究热点。除了常规的欠平衡装备外,全过程欠平衡钻井还需配备井下套管阀,为此,研制了一种双液控井下套管阀。为检验该阀的使用可靠性,进行了全面的室内试验和测试,试验内容包括压力密封能力,高压、有流动情况下阀板关闭的动作准确性,模拟现场阀板下憋压时打开阀板的作业程序,检测在各种密封压力时阀的微泄漏量。试验结果表明,该阀达到设计要求,能够满足全过程欠平衡作业的工艺要求。     

Driver detection and recognition of lineside signals and signs at different approach speeds

A study was carried out using simulation to investigate driver responses to lineside signals and signs at various approach speeds. The objectives of the study were: (1) to find out whether train speed would significantly affect signal/sign reading; (2) to examine at which point certain types of signs or signals could be detected or recognised, and (3) to determine a speed cut-off level above which certain types of signs or signals are no longer recognisable or detectable. Fifty-seven train drivers from 12 Train Operating Companies in the UK participated in the trials. Twenty different types of lineside signs and ten types of signals were tested under six different approach speeds ranging from 100 to 350 km/h (62–218 mph). Driver performance measures were ‘time remaining to the signal/sign’ at the point of detection or recognition, and reading error rate. The results showed a significant influence of train speed on driver responses to lineside signals/signs and demonstrated a non-linear relationship between driver responses to signals/signs and approach speed. This has been used to estimate a maximum approach speed limit within which a specific signal or sign can be correctly detected or recognised. The findings and implications of the study are discussed in the paper.     

长湖水电厂监控系统更新改造特点

介绍了长湖水电厂原有计算机监控系统的运行情况,分析了原系统经常死机、修改程序困难、人机界面不好、模块采集点数较少、扩展困难等问题的原因。采用主要由SunBlade2000工作站SJ-600智能型分布式现场控制装置组成的NC2000新一代监控系统代替原系统,消除了存在的问题。改造过程中,采取了多种措施保证新、旧监控系统同在一个系统中运行和平稳过渡,不影响电厂设备的正常运行。     

剑江化肥厂销盐蒸发系统的改造

本文对硝盐蒸发系统的工艺改造作了系统阐述，并分析了改造后所取得的经济效益。     

热力系统节能技术改造方案介绍

针对热电厂热力系统存在的浪费能源和设计不合理现象作了浅析 ,介绍了几种对热力系统进行改造的方案 ,并对取得的经济效益进行了计算。     

应用底饲回燃循环流化床技术改造东锅DG35/3.82-7型流化床锅炉

采用飞灰循环底饲回燃技术改造西南合成制药总厂热电分厂、天府矿务局磨心坡发电厂2台东方DG35/3.82-7型低倍率循环流化床锅炉。改造后运行结果表明,锅炉可长期、稳定运行,尾部飞灰可燃物含量大幅度降低,锅炉蒸发量提高20％左右,节煤效果明显。为燃用贫煤、无烟煤和煤矸石等劣质燃料且锅炉炉膛高度较低的电站技改,提供了一种切实可行的方法。     

基于基因表达式的克隆选择算法求解JSP问题

针对作业车间调度问题的特征,提出一种基于基因表达式的克隆选择算法。在这个方法中,采用基因表达式编程算法中的编码方式来表示调度方案,同时为了提出的方法具有更强的全局搜索能力,运用克隆选择算法作为搜索引擎。最后,验证提出的方法的有效性,对7组Benchmark实例进行测试。实验结果表明,基于基因表达式的克隆选择算法在求解作业车间调度问题中是非常有效的。