Research on Vehicle Routing Problem with Soft Time Windows Based on Hybrid Tabu Search and Scatter Search Algorithm

With the expansion of the application scope of social computing problems,many path problems in real life have evolved from pure path optimization problems to social computing problems that take into account various social attributes,cultures,and the emotional needs of customers.The actual soft time window vehicle routing problem,speeding up the response of customer needs,improving distribution efficiency,and reducing operating costs is the focus of current social computing problems.Therefore,designing fast and effective algorithms to solve this problem has certain theoretical and practical significance.In this paper,considering the time delay problem of customer demand,the compensation problem is given,and the mathematical model of vehicle path problem with soft time window is given.This paper proposes a hybrid tabu search(TS)&scatter search(SS)algorithm for vehicle routing problem with soft time windows(VRPSTW),which mainly embeds the TS dynamic tabu mechanism into the SS algorithm framework.TS uses the scattering of SS to avoid the dependence on the quality of the initial solution,and SS uses the climbing ability of TS improves the ability of optimizing,so that the quality of search for the optimal solution can be significantly improved.The hybrid algorithm is still based on the basic framework of SS.In particular,TS is mainly used for solution improvement and combination to generate new solutions.In the solution process,both the quality and the dispersion of the solution are considered.A simulation experiments verify the influence of the number of vehicles and maximum value of tabu length on solution,parameters’control over the degree of convergence,and the influence of the number of diverse solutions on algorithm performance.Based on the determined parameters,simulation experiment is carried out in this paper to further prove the algorithm feasibility and effectiveness.The results of this paper provide further ideas for solving vehicle routing problems with time windows and improving the efficiency of vehicle routing problems and have strong applicability.

Tuning the Microstructural and Magnetic Properties of ZnO Nanopowders through the Simultaneous Doping of Mn and Ni for Biomedical Applications

Undoped and Mn＋Ni doped ZnO nanopowders were synthesized using a simple soft chemical route by varying the Ni doping level （1, 3, 5 and 7 at.%） and keeping the Mn doping level （10 at.%） constant, X-ray diffraction studies reveal that the incorporated Ni^2＋ ions form a secondary phase of cubic NiO beyond the Ni doping level of 3 at.%, which is also confirmed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The band gap of the nanopowders increases （from 3.32 to 3.44 eV） up to 3 at.% of Ni doping and decreases with further doping. ZnO：Mn：Ni nanopowders with 3 at.% of Ni concentration exhibit good antibacterial efficiency. The variation in the size of the nanoparticles, as observed from the TEM images and hydroxyl radicals as evidenced from the photoluminescence results, clearly substantiate the discussion on the antibacterial efficiency of the synthesized nanopowders. Magnetic properties of the synthesized nanopowders were studied using a vibrating sample magnetometer, and the results showed that the doping of Mn and Ni largely influences the magnetic properties of ZnO nanopowders.