Although greedy algorithms are important, nowadays it is well assumed that the solutions they obtain can be used as a starting point for more sophisticated methods. This paper describes an evolutionary approach which is based on genetic algorithms (GA). A constructive heuristic, so-called fuzzy...

A major challenge faced by hospitals is to provide efficient medical services. The problem studied in this article is motivated by the hospital sterilization services where the washing step generally constitutes a bottleneck in the sterilization services. Therefore, an efficient scheduling of...

The network design problem with relays arises in telecommunications and distribution systems where the payload must be reprocessed at intermediate stations called relays on the route from its origin to its destination. In fiber-optic networks, for example, optical signals may be regenerated...

Disasters are extraordinary situations that require significant logistical deployment to transport equipment and humanitarian goods in order to help and provide relief to victims. An efficient response helps to reduce the social, economic and environmental impacts. In this paper, we define and...