20 search hits
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The Integrated Size and Price Optimization problem
(2012)
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Miriam Kießling
Sascha Kurz
Jörg Rambau
- We present the Integrated Size and Price Optimization Problem (ISPO)
for a fashion discounter with many branches. Based on a two-stage
stochastic programming model with recourse, we develop an exact
algorithm and a production-compliant heuristic that produces small
optimality gaps. In a field study we show that a distribution of
supply over branches and sizes based on ISPO solutions is
significantly better than a one-stage optimization of the
distribution ignoring the possibility of optimal pricing.
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Das Optimierungslabor – ein Erfahrungsbericht
(2012)
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Miriam Kießling
Tobias Kreisel
Sascha Kurz
Jörg Rambau
Konrad Schade
Cornelius Schwarz
- Seit mehreren Jahren besuchen uns Schülerinnen und Schüler an der
Universität zu Anlässen wie dem Tag der Mathematik, dem Girls’ Day,
der MINT-Universität oder einfach auf Initiative ihrer
Klassenleitungen. Sie möchten einen Einblick in die Welt der
Mathematik über die Schulmathematik hinaus bekommen. Doch wie lässt
sich die Brücke vom Schulstoff zu den Inhalten der
Universitätsmathematik schlagen? Und: findet man einen
Themenschwerpunkt, bei dem ein aktives Mitmachen trotz fehlender
Vorkenntnisse in Anbetracht begrenzter Zeit möglich wird?
In der diskreten Optimierung lassen sich Problem-Modellierung und
Problem-Lösung sehr gut trennen. Selbst forschungsnahe Modelle der
ganzzahligen linearen Optimierung (MILP-Modelle) basieren auf sehr
elementaren Überlegungen, wie die Entscheidungsmöglichkeiten, Ziele
und Restriktionen eines Alltagsproblems in Variablen,
Bewertungsfunktionen, Gleichungen und Ungleichungen ausgedrückt werden
können. Wie dann optimale Lösungen gefunden werden, erfordert zwar
tiefergehende Mathematik, es gibt aber Software dafür, in der das
Wissen aus Teilen des Mathematik-Studiums und der mathematischen
Forschung kondensiert vorliegt.
Unser Vermittlungsziel: Schülerinnen und Schüler wissen nach dem
Besuch, dass man verschiedenste Probleme angreifen kann, indem man sie
in die Sprache der Mathematik übersetzt, denn in Software gegossenes
mathematisches Know-How kann dann diese Probleme lösen, ohne etwas
über die Probleme selbst zu wissen. Unsere Idee für eine Maßnahme:
Ein Optimierungslabor. Die Schülerinnen und Schüler isolieren in
Teamarbeit die wesentlichen logischen Merkmale von Sudokulösen,
Rucksackpacken, Routenplanung u.v.a.m. Dann übersetzen sie die
Problemstellungen in die Sprache der Mathematik (hier: MILP-Modelle)
und lassen sie (unterstützt durch unser Team) von Computerprogrammen
lösen (MILP-Löser), die nichts anderes als diese Sprache verstehen.
Schließlich übersetzen sie die mathematischen Lösungen wieder in die
Sprache der Problemstellung. Erfahrungen mit der Modellierung auf
Basis linearer Gleichungssysteme können dabei aus dem Schulunterricht
eingebracht werden.
In diesem Bericht wollen wir unsere Erfahrungen mit konkreten Details
der Umsetzung schildern.
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An exact column-generation approach for the lot-type design problem
(2012)
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Sascha Kurz
Miriam Kießling
Jörg Rambau
- We consider a fashion discounter distributing its many branches with
integral multiples from a set of available lot-types. For the problem of
approximating the branch and size dependent demand using those lots
we propose a tailored exact column generation approach assisted by fast
algorithms for intrinsic subproblems, which turns out to be very efficient
on our real-world instances.
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Bounds for the minimum oriented diameter
(2008)
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Sascha Kurz
Martin Lätsch
- We consider the problem of finding an orientation with minimum diameter of a connected bridgeless graph. Fomin et. al. discovered a relation between the minimum oriented diameter an the size of a minimal dominating set. We improve their upper bound.
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Integral point sets over Z_n^m
(2007)
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Axel Kohnert
Sascha Kurz
- There are many papers studying properties of point sets in the Euclidean space or on integer grids, with pairwise integral or rational distances. In this article we consider the distances or coordinates of the point sets which instead of being integers are elements of Z_n, and study the properties of the resulting combinatorial structures.
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On the minimum diameter of plane integral point sets
(2007)
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Sascha Kurz
Alfred Wassermann
- Since ancient times mathematicians consider geometrical objects with integral side lengths. We consider plane integral point sets P, which are sets of n points in the plane with pairwise integral distances where not all the points are collinear. The largest occurring distance is called its diameter. Naturally the question about the minimum possible diameter d(2,n) of a plane integral point set consisting of n points arises. We give some new exact values and describe state-of-the-art algorithms to obtain them. It turns out that plane integral point sets with minimum diameter consist very likely of subsets with many collinear points. For this special kind of point sets we prove a lower bound for d(2,n) achieving the known upper bound n^{c_2loglog n} up to a constant in the exponent.
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The Top-Dog Index: A New Measurement for the Demand Consistency of the Size Distribution in Pre-Pack Orders for a Fashion Discounter with Many Small Branches
(2008)
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Sascha Kurz
Jörg Rambau
Jörg Schlüchtermann
Rainer Wolf
- We propose the new Top-Dog-Index, a measure for the branch-dependent historic deviation of the supply data of apparel sizes from the sales data of a fashion discounter. A common approach is to estimate demand for sizes directly from the sales data. This approach may yield information for the demand for sizes if aggregated over all branches and products. However, as we will show in a real-world business case, this direct approach is in general not capable to provide information about each branchs individual demand for sizes: the supply per branch is so small that either the number of sales is statistically too small for a good estimate (early measurement) or there will be too much unsatisfied demand neglected in the sales data (late measurement). Moreover, in our real-world data we could not verify any of the demand distribution assumptions suggested in the literature. Our approach cannot estimate the demand for sizes directly. It can, however, individually measure for each branch the scarcest and the amplest sizes, aggregated over all products. This measurement can iteratively be used to adapt the size distributions in the pre-pack orders for the future. A real-world blind study shows the potential of this distribution free heuristic optimization approach: The gross yield measured in percent of gross value was almost one percentage point higher in the test-group branches than in the control-group branches.
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Lotsize optimization leading to a p-median problem with cardinalities
(2007)
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Constantin Gaul
Sascha Kurz
Jörg Rambau
- We consider the problem of approximating the branch and size dependent demand of a fashion discounter with many branches by a distributing process being based on the branch delivery restricted to integral multiples of lots from a small set of available lot-types. We propose a formalized model which arises from a practical cooperation with an industry partner. Besides an integer linear programming formulation and a primal heuristic for this problem we also consider a more abstract version which we relate to several other classical optimization problems like the p-median problem, the facility location problem or the matching problem.
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Inclusion-maximal integral point sets over finite fields
(2007)
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Michael Kiermaier
Sascha Kurz
- We consider integral point sets in affine planes over finite fields. Here an integral point set is a set of points in $GF(q)^2$ where the formally defined Euclidean distance of every pair of points is an element of $GF(q)$. From another point of view we consider point sets over $GF(q)^2$ with few and prescribed directions. So this is related to Redeis work. Another motivation comes from the field of ordinary integral point sets in Euclidean spaces. In this article we study the spectrum of integral point sets over $GF(q)^2$ which are maximal with respect to inclusion. We give some theoretical results, constructions, conjectures, and some numerical data.
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Integral point sets over finite fields
(2007)
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Sascha Kurz
- We consider point sets in the affine plane GF(q)^2 where each Euclidean distance of two points is an element of GF(q). These sets are called integral point sets and were originally defined in m-dimensional Euclidean spaces. We determine their maximal cardinality I(GF(q),2). For arbitrary commutative rings R instead of GF(q) or for further restrictions as no three points on a line or no four points on a circle we give partial results. Additionally we study the geometric structure of the examples with maximum cardinality.
