Abstract
This work describes a real-world industrial problem of production planning and cutting optimization of reels and sheets, occurring at a Portuguese paper mill. It will focus on a particular module of the global problem, which is concerned with the determination of the width combinations of the items involved in the planning process: the main goal consists in satisfying an order set of reels and sheets that must be cut from master reels. The width combination process will determine the quantity/weight of the master reels to be produced and their cutting patterns, in order to minimize waste, while satisfying production orders. A two-phase approach has been devised, naturally dependent on the technological process involved. Details of the models and solution methods are presented. Moreover some illustrative computational results are included.

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Sectorisation refers to dividing a whole into smaller parts, the sectors, to facilitate an activity or achieve some goals. The paper proposes a new matrix form genetic encoding system, called matrix form binary grouping (MFBG), specifically designed for sectorisation and related problems. In MFBG representation, the columns and rows represent sectors and nodes, respectively. As a solution procedure, we followed NSGA-II by contemplating adapted measures for three commonly used criteria (equilibrium, compactness, contiguity) for sectorisation problems. The performance of the MFBG within the NSGA-II is tested from two perspectives: 1) through several experiments on the set of instances; 2) by its comparison with the group-oriented genetic encoding system under the grouping GA. Results showed that the MFBG could find good quality solutions and outperforms the GGA. This confirms that the MFBG is an innovative procedure for dealing with sectorisation problems and an excellent contribution as an alternative encoding technique. © 2023 Inderscience Enterprises Ltd.

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Martial arts (MAs) are a global training system that goes far beyond physical preparation and self-defence. They have been known for a long time, and their wisdom and impact are impressive. The paper illustrates matters about MAs which are relevant to decision making (DM). The recognition of the limitations of the sole dependence on physical ability (hard approaches) is a breakthrough in MAs. The pillars of body and technique are not enough to reach a global vision and overcome severe problems. MAs are committed to mastering faculties linked to intuition, emotions, and thought-free operations, signifying the pillar mind. These revelations have insightful implications for DM and the promptness in approaching the growing complexity of decision problems. Special attention is devoted to the mind, representing a soft paradigm, emphasising the human dimension, integrating intuition and complying with ethics. Finally, the paper delineates a MAs way to improve DM as science and art. © 2023 Inderscience Enterprises Ltd.. All rights reserved.

Abstract
Sectorization problems, also known as districting or territory design, deal with grouping a set of previously defined basic units, such as points or small geographical areas, into a fixed number of sectors or responsibility areas. Usually, there are multiple criteria to be satisfied regarding the geographic characteristics of the territory or the planning purposes. This work addresses a case study of parcel delivery services in the region of Porto, Portugal. Using knowledge about the daily demand in each basic unit (7-digit postal code), the authors analysed data and used it to simulate dynamically new daily demands according to the relative frequency of service in each basic unit and the statistical distribution of the number of parcels to be delivered in each basic unit. The sectorization of the postal codes is solved independently considering two objectives (equilibrium and compactness) using Non-dominated Sorting Genetic Algorithm-II (NSGA-II) implemented in Python.