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Evolutionary algorithms (EAs) are successfully employed to solve complex optimization problems such as network design problems, path finding problems, scheduling problems and social and economic planning. By using intelligent strategies, EAs iteratively improve the initial solution to produce new solutions. Particularly in genetic algorithms (GAs), one of the most known EAs, selection mechanism, has crucial importance due to its effect on the diversity of a population and convergence ability to optimal solution. As most of the selection methods of GAs favor the good solutions for reproductions, average or poor solutions are overlooked. Recently, we proposed a new selection method, called Bipolar Mating Tendency (BMT), that is based on Standard Tournament (ST) selection. Unlike the state-of-the-art selection methods of GAs, BMT diversifies the mating process with the inclusion of less favorable solutions. In this paper, the performance of BMT was compared with the performance of ST and prevalent selection methods that are also based on ST: restricted tournament selection, unbiased tournament selection, fine-grained tournament selection and cooperative selection. For the comparison, twenty-one well-known benchmark optimization functions and sixteen IEEE CEC 2018 test functions were utilized. Also, nonparametric statistical tests were performed to demonstrate the significance of the results. In order to test the effectiveness of GA-BMT (GA that uses BMT as a selection method), three real-world engineering problems were used. In addition to showing predominant results comparing to the other methods in test functions, BMT has also provided successful results in the problems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The self-organizing map (SOM), which is widely used in economics and engineering applications, is a type of artificial neural network trained without supervision. SOM is used to represent multidimensional data in much lower dimensional spaces-usually in two dimensions (2D)-while preserving the topological properties of the input space. In this study, 2D maps were produced by using SOM to display the relationship between seasons, length, weight, and isopod infestation of goldblotch grouper ( Epinephelus costae Staindahner, 1878). This is first study of gnathiid isopod praniza larvae infesting goldblotch grouper ( E. costae Staindahner, 1878) in the northeast Mediterranean Sea (36°36′ N-36°07′ E, 35°52′ N-36°25′ E) in Iskenderun Bay. Fish were sampled monthly from Iskenderun Bay for a period of 12 months from 2006 May to 2007 April (Nt = 331, $$ {\hbox{Wt}}\pm {\hbox{SD}}\left( {\hbox{range}} \right) = {392}.{92}\pm {72}.{76}\,{\hbox{g}}\left( {{169} - {927}\,{\hbox{g}}} \right) $$, $$ {\hbox{TLt}}\pm {\hbox{SD}}\left( {\hbox{range}} \right) = {3}0.{85}\pm {3}.{88}\,{\hbox{cm}}\left( {{17} - {48}.{3}\,{\hbox{cm}}} \right) $$). Gnathia sp. was only extracted from the epithelium of the buccal cavity and internal side of the gills arch. The monthly patterns in infested fish samples (Np = 109, $$ {\hbox{Wp}}\pm {\hbox{SD}}\left( {\hbox{range}} \right) = {349}.{25}\pm {182}.{79}\,{\hbox{g}}\left( {{169} - {853}\,{\hbox{g}}} \right) $$, $$ {\hbox{TLt}}\pm {\hbox{SD}}\left( {\hbox{range}} \right) = {26}.0{5}\pm {12}.{68}\,{\hbox{cm}}\left( {{18}.{2} - {45}.0\,{\hbox{cm}}} \right) $$) infestation rates (mean prevalence, P = 28.12% (0-60) and mean intensity $$ \left( {{\hbox{MI}}\pm {\hbox{SD}} = {23}.{69}\pm {14}.{78}\left( {{4} - {82}} \right)} \right. $$, the relationship between length-weight and infested/non-infested fish were calculated. Although the gnathiid parasite high intensities were observed in fish, there was no significant effect on the growth and general health condition of infested fish. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]