Search

Cloud computing delivers practical solutions for long-term image archiving systems. Cloud data centers consume enormous amounts of electrical energy that increases their operational costs. This shows the importance of investing on energy consumption techniques. Dynamic placement of virtual machines to appropriate physical nodes using metaheuristic algorithms is among the methods of reducing energy consumption. In metaheuristic algorithms, there should be a balance between both exploration and exploitation aspects so that they can find better solutions in a search space. Exploration means looking for a solution in a wider area, while exploitation is producing new solutions from existence ones. Artificial bee colony optimization, which is a biological metaheuristic algorithm, is a sign-oriented approach. It has a strong exploration ability, but a relatively weaker exploitation power. On the other hand, tabu search is a popular algorithm that shows better exploitation in comparison with ABC. In this study, cloud computing environments are detailed with an allocation protocol for efficient energy and resource management. The technique of energy-aware allocation splits data centers (DCs) resources among client applications end routes to enhance energy efficacy of DCs and also achieves anticipated quality of service (QoS) for everyone. Heuristic protocols are exercised for optimizing the distribution of resources to upgrade the efficiency of DC. In the current paper, energy-aware resources allotment technique is employed and optimized in clouds via a new approach called Tabu Job Master (JM). Tabu JM claims the benefits of some variables and also rapid convergence speeds. Results are duly achieved for energy consumption—the count of virtual machines (VMs) migration and also makespan. The results shown by Tabu JM are benchmarked by using genetic algorithm (GA), artificial bee colony (ABC), ABC with crossover and technique of mutation, the basic tabu search techniques, and Tabu Job Master. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Artificial bee colony (ABC) algorithm has been successfully applied to solve constrained optimization problems (COPs). However, it is noteworthy that when using ABC to deal with COPs, the commonly used constraint-handling technique is the Deb’s feasibility-based rules. To our limited knowledge, the present ABC and its variants with augmented Lagrangian (AL) multiplier method have not been found applications to the COPs. In this paper, a novel constrained optimization method, named IABC-MAL, which integrates the benefit of the improved ABC (IABC) algorithm capability for obtaining the global optimum with the modified AL (MAL) method to handle constraints. This paper presents the first effort to integrate ABC algorithm with the AL method. To verify the performance of the proposed IABC-MAL, 24 well-known benchmark test problems at CEC2006, 18 benchmark test problems at CEC2010, and 5 engineering design problems are employed. Experiment results demonstrate that the proposed IABC-MAL algorithm shows better performance in comparison with other state-of-the-art algorithms from the literature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates a meta-heuristic (MH) for the Pareto-optimal dissimilar path problem (DPP) (PDPP) whose solution is a set composed of at least two different paths. The objective vector of a PDPP includes some conflicting objectives: on the one hand, the average path measures such as the length and risk of paths in a solution must be kept low and, on the other hand, the dissimilarity among these paths should be kept high. The dissimilarity of the DPP is a measure of a paths set with cardinality no less than two. However, just one path can be extracted from a chromosome in the existing MHs for various path problems. This results in a great difficulty to evaluate the chromosome in the existing MHs when we apply them to solve DPP and, consequently, there exists no MH for solving the DPP so far. In this paper, a new decoding approach of a chromosome is first explored and, with this approach, a set of paths can be extracted from a chromosome. By combining the simulated annealing (SA), in which the new decoding approach is adopted, with the well-known greedy randomized adaptive search procedure (GRASP), a SA-based GRASP for the PDPP is proposed. The proposed algorithm is compared against a most recent heuristic, whose performance is better than all of the early approaches, for the PDPP and the experimental results show that the proposed algorithm is able to quickly create superior approximation of the efficient set of the PDPP than the existing solution approaches for the PDPP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Least squares twin support vector machine (LSTSVM) is a relatively new version of support vector machine (SVM) based on non-parallel twin hyperplanes. Although, LSTSVM is an extremely efficient and fast algorithm for binary classification, its parameters depend on the nature of the problem. Problem dependent parameters make the process of tuning the algorithm with best values for parameters very difficult, which affects the accuracy of the algorithm. Simulated annealing (SA) is a random search technique proposed to find the global minimum of a cost function. It works by emulating the process where a metal slowly cooled so that its structure finally 'freezes'. This freezing point happens at a minimum energy configuration. The goal of this paper is to improve the accuracy of the LSTSVM algorithm by hybridizing it with simulated annealing. Our research to date suggests that this improvement on the LSTSVM is made for the first time in this paper. Experimental results on several benchmark datasets demonstrate that the accuracy of the proposed algorithm is very promising when compared to other classification methods in the literature. In addition, computational time analysis of the algorithm showed the practicality of the proposed algorithm where the computational time of the algorithm falls between LSTSVM and SVM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes a new hybrid method for training high-order Takagi–Sugeno fuzzy systems using sparse regressions and metaheuristic optimization. The fuzzy system is considered with Gaussian fuzzy sets in the antecedents and high-order polynomials in the consequents of fuzzy rules. The fuzzy sets can be chosen manually or determined by a metaheuristic optimization method (particle swarm optimization, genetic algorithm or simulated annealing), while the polynomials are obtained using ordinary least squares, ridge regression or sparse regressions (forward selection, least angle regression, least absolute shrinkage and selection operator, and elastic net regression). A quality criterion is proposed that expresses a compromise between the prediction ability of the fuzzy model and its sparsity. The conducted experiments showed that: (a) the use of sparse regressions and/or metaheuristic optimization can reduce the validation error compared with the reference method, and (b) the use of sparse regressions may simplify the fuzzy model by zeroing some of the coefficients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The classification accuracy of a multi-layer perceptron (MLP) depends on the selection of relevant features from the data set, its architecture, connection weights and the transfer functions. Generating an optimal value of all these parameters together is a complex task. Metaheuristic algorithms are popular choice among researchers to solve complex optimization problems. This paper presents a hybrid metaheuristic algorithm simple matching-grasshopper new cat swarm optimization algorithm (SM-GNCSOA) that optimizes all the four components simultaneously. SM-GNCSOA uses grasshopper optimization algorithm, a new variant of binary grasshopper optimization algorithm called simple matching-binary grasshopper optimization algorithm and a new variant of cat swarm optimization algorithm called new cat swarm optimization algorithm to generate an optimal MLP. Features play a vital role in determining the classification accuracy of a classifier. Here, we propose a new feature penalty function and use it in SM-GNCSOA to prevent underfitting or overfitting due to the selected number of features. To evaluate the performance of SM-GNCSOA, different variants of SM-GNCSOA are proposed and their classification accuracies are compared with SM-GNCSOA on ten classification data sets. The results show that SM-GNCSOA gives better results on most of the data sets due to its capability to balance exploration and exploitation and to avoid local minima. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Salp Swarm Algorithm (SSA) is a new type of metaheuristic and has shown superiority over other well-known algorithms such as Particle Swarm Optimization and Grey Wolf Optimizer in solving challenging optimization problems. Despite its superior performance, SSA still has problems such as insufficient convergence speed. Moreover, its local optima avoidance ability is not as good as those evolutionary algorithms using crossover operators. In this paper, we propose a modified Salp Swarm Algorithm (m-SSA) which improves the exploitation and exploration of SSA by integrating random walk strategy and especially enhances exploration by adding a new controlling parameter. In addition, a simulated annealing-type acceptance criterion is adopted to accept the fittest follower position as the new best leader position. The performance of the proposed algorithm is benchmarked on a set of classical functions and CEC2014 test suite. The proposed algorithm (m-SSA) outperforms SSA significantly on most test functions. When compared with other state-of-the-art metaheuristics, it also presents very competitive results. Besides, we apply the proposed algorithm on training feedforward neural networks (FNNs) and the results prove the effectiveness and efficiency of m-SSA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nature has been considered as an inspiration of several recent meta-heuristic algorithms. This paper firstly studies and mimics the behavior of Scottish red deer in order to develop a new nature-inspired algorithm. The main inspiration of this meta-heuristic algorithm is to originate from an unusual mating behavior of Scottish red deer in a breading season. Similar to other population-based meta-heuristics, the red deer algorithm (RDA) starts with an initial population called red deers (RDs). They are divided into two types: hinds and male RDs. Besides, a harem is a group of female RDs. The general steps of this evolutionary algorithm are considered by the competition of male RDs to get the harem with more hinds via roaring and fighting behaviors. By solving 12 benchmark functions and important engineering as well as multi-objective optimization problems, the superiority of the proposed RDA shows in comparison with other well-known and recent meta-heuristics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Differential evolution (DE) is a population-based metaheuristic algorithm that has been proved powerful in solving a wide range of real-parameter optimization tasks. However, the selection of the mutation strategy and control parameters in DE is problem dependent, and inappropriate specification of them will lead to poor performance of the algorithm such as slow convergence and early stagnation in a local optimum. This paper proposes a new method termed as Joint Adaptation of Parameters in DE (JAPDE). The key idea lies in dynamically updating the selection probabilities for a complete set of pairs of parameter generating functions based on feedback information acquired during the search by DE. Further, for mutation strategy adaptation, the Rank-Based Adaptation (RAM) method is utilized to facilitate the learning of multiple probability distributions, each of which corresponds to an interval of fitness ranks of individuals in the population. The coupling of RAM with JAPDE results in the new RAM-JAPDE algorithm that enables simultaneous adaptation of the selection probabilities for pairs of control parameters and mutation strategies in DE. The merit of RAM-JAPDE has been evaluated on the benchmark test suit proposed in CEC2014 in comparison to many well-known DE algorithms. The results of experiments demonstrate that the proposed RAM-JAPDE algorithm outperforms or is competitive to the other related DE variants that perform mutation strategy and control parameter adaptation, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Intelligent video analytics for pedestrian detection plays a vital role for enhanced and effective surveillance system. Since smart city projects are gaining momentum in most of the countries nowadays, enhanced pedestrian detection plays a vital role in the field of security and surveillance. Various classification models were in existence for detecting the pedestrians which suffers from variety of challenges like illumination, pedestrian outfits, gestures, occlusion, lighting, etc., that affects the accuracy of detection. A strong feature vector describing the pedestrian is developed to enhance the accuracy of detection. In this paper, a novel hybrid metaheuristic pedestrian detection (HMPD) approach is proposed to enhance the accuracy of the classifier. HMPD extracts the working principles of support vector machine and genetic algorithm. The proposed model is trained using a set of human and non-human images. The accuracy of the proposed model is tested with benchmarking video data available at VISOR repository. The result clearly shows that HMPD approach produces the maximum accuracy than any traditional approaches. HMPD approach can further be applied in other domains for enhanced security and surveillance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the last 3 decades, metaheuristic algorithms have received more popularity because of their superior performance to solve large and complex optimization problems. Most of these algorithms are inspired by biological phenomena, social behavior of animals, science and art. Among these four sources, the last one is utilized only by one algorithm. In this paper, we propose another novel art-inspired population-based metaheuristic, called color harmony algorithm (CHA), for solving the global optimization problems. The proposed method models its search behavior through combining harmonic colors based on their relative positions around the hue circle in the Munsell color system and harmonic templates. We utilize simultaneously four different fitness information to construct the hue groups, which improve search ability of the algorithm. CHA has two different phases including the concentration phase and the dispersion phase which are employed to explore and exploit the search space. The performance of the proposed method has been examined using several benchmark test functions commonly used in the literature. To show the effectiveness and robustness of the proposed method, the results are compared with those obtained using ten well-known metaheuristic algorithms. Also, the Wilcoxon Signed-Rank test is conducted to measure the pair-wise statistical performances of the algorithms. The results indicate that besides the simplicity of the proposed algorithm, CHA can outperform the other considered algorithms in terms of the convergence speed and the number of function evaluations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Inventory control is one of the most critical issues in corporate management. Many mathematical models have been developed to optimize control strategies for the companies' inventory. Economic production quantity (EPQ) is one of the classic models for inventory control, which is widely used. To deal with the uncertainty in the real world, we need to develop new and useful models for modeling systems of inventory management. In such cases, fuzzy models play a unique role in the field of inventory management. The main contribution of this study is to apply some well-known metaheuristic to solve an extended EPQ model based on fuzzy numbers considering multiple deliveries. This study aims to develop an EPQ model by considering demand as triangular fuzzy numbers and multiple deliveries (delivering in multiple packages) and by considering limitations in warehouse space as well as the total number of orders. Given these conditions, EPQ costs are calculated, and new modeling is presented. The obtained fuzzy model has been simplified by using the α -cut and changing the variables, and finally, the most well-known metaheuristic algorithms, GA, PSO, GWO, and ICA, are applied in different problem sizes, and obtained results are analyzed in terms of minimizing cost function and CPU time. The result of this paper shows that GWO has superior performance in terms of various parameters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a novel metaheuristic algorithm named as life choice-based optimizer (LCBO) developed on the typical decision-making ability of humans to attain their goals while learning from fellow members. LCBO is investigated on 29 popular benchmark functions which included six CEC-2005 functions, and its performance has been benchmarked against seven optimization techniques including recent ones. Further, different abilities of LCBO optimization algorithm such as exploitation, exploration and local minima avoidance were also investigated and have been reported. In addition to this, scalability is tested for several benchmark functions where dimensions have been varied till 200. Furthermore, two engineering optimization benchmark problems, namely pressure vessel design and cantilever beam design, were also optimized using LCBO and the results have been compared with recently reported other algorithms. The obtained comparative results in all the above-mentioned experimentations revealed the clear superiority of LCBO over the other considered metaheuristic optimization algorithms. Therefore, based on the presented investigations, it is concluded that LCBO is a potential optimizer for engineering problems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, a new optimization algorithm called the Hitchcock bird-inspired algorithm (HBIA) is proposed. It is inspired by the aggressive bird behavior portrayed by Alfred Hitchcock in the 1963 thriller "The Birds." It is noteworthy to emphasize that the bird's behavior as shown in the movie is itself inspired by a considered natural birds behavior when faced with extreme conditions. HBIA is a stochastic swarm intelligence algorithm that captures the essence of the fictional behavior of the phenomenon of birds throughout the Hitchcock's film and model an optimization mechanism. The algorithm is based on the attack pattern of birds in the film, which has the stages of lurking, attack and reorganization, defined by the initialization, movement strategies in the search space and strategy of local minimum escape, respectively. The technique has as differential the use of adaptive parameters, a discretized random initialization and the use of the beta distribution. In contrast to the existing ones, the proposed technique provides an efficient optimization in high-dimensionality cost functions, using adaptive parameters, a discretized random initialization and the use of the beta distribution. Its performance is analyzed and compared to classic techniques, such as PSO, ABC and CS, as well as to the existing adaptive techniques, such as sine cosine algorithm, whale optimization algorithm, teaching–learning-based optimization and vortex search. HBIA's performance is investigated by several experiments implemented through eight cost functions. The results show that the HBIA can find more satisfactory solutions in large search spaces and high dimensionality of the evaluated cost functions when compared to the existing optimization methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The simplicity and effectiveness of a recently proposed metaheuristic, butterfly optimization algorithm (BOA) have gained huge popularity among research community and are being used to solve optimization problems in various disciplines. However, the algorithm is suffering from poor exploitation ability and has a tendency to show premature convergence to local optima. On the other hand, the mutualism phase of another popular metaheuristic symbiosis organisms search (SOS) is known for its exploitation capability. In this paper, a novel hybrid algorithm, namely m-MBOA is proposed to enhance the exploitation ability of BOA with the help of mutualism phase of SOS. To evaluate the effectiveness of m-MBOA, thirty-seven (37) classical benchmark functions are considered and the performance of m-MBOA is compared with the performance of ten (10) state-of-the-art algorithms. Statistical tools have been employed to observe the efficiency of the m-MBOA qualitatively, and obtained results confirm the superiority of the proposed algorithm compared to the state-of-the-art metaheuristic algorithms. Finally, four real-life optimization problem, namely gear train design problem, gas compressor design problem, cantilever beam design problem and three-bar truss design problem are solved with the help of the newly proposed algorithm, and the results are compared with the obtained results of different popular state-of-the-art optimization techniques and found that the proposed algorithm is more efficient than the compared algorithms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The identification of linear dynamic systems in the delta domain has been proposed in this paper with the help of a hybrid metaheuristic algorithm combining chaotic firefly algorithm (CFA) and grey wolf optimiser (GWO). GWO performs the global search, while CFA fine-tunes the solutions through its local search abilities, thereby balancing exploration and exploitation features. Linear systems with static nonlinearities at the input are termed as the Hammerstein model, whereas linear systems with static nonlinearities at the output are known as the Wiener model. A test case with continuous polynomial nonlinearities has been taken up for Hammerstein and Wiener system identification in the delta domain. Delta operator parameterisation unifies identification of continuous-time systems with the discrete domain at a higher sampling rate. Pseudo-random binary sequence (PRBS), polluted with white Gaussian noise of fixed signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), has been considered as the input signal to estimate the unknown model parameters as well as static nonlinear coefficients. The hybrid algorithm not only supersedes the parent heuristics of which it is constituted but also proves better in comparison with some standard and latest heuristic approaches reported in the literature. Nonparametric statistical tests are performed to validate the results. The plots of fitness function (normalised value) against the number of iterations also support the convergence speed and accuracy of the results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the presented paper, the functioning and the results of the work of two metaheuristic algorithms, namely cuckoo search algorithm (CS) and firefly algorithm (FA), are described using the apparatus of generalized nets (GNs), which is an appropriate and efficient tool for describing the essence of various optimization methods. The two developed GN-models mimic the optimization processes based on the nature of cuckoos and fireflies, respectively. The proposed GN-models execute the two considered metaheuristic algorithms conducting basic steps and performing optimal search. Building upon these two GN-models, a universal GN-model is constructed that can be used for describing and simulating both the CS and the FA by setting different characteristic functions of the GN-tokens. Moreover, the universal GN-model itself can be transformed to each of the herewith presented GN-models by applying appropriate hierarchical operators. In order to validate the proposed universal GN-model, numerical experiments are performed for the operating of the universal GN-model (CS and FA) on benchmark mathematical functions. The obtained results are compared with the results of the GN-model of CS, GN-model of FA, as well as the results of the standard CS and FA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In high-dimensional data, many of the features are either irrelevant to the machine learning task or are redundant. These situations lead to two problems, firstly overfitting and secondly high computational overhead. The paper proposes a feature selection method to identify the relevant subset of features for the machine-learning task using wrapper approach. The wrapper approach uses the Binary Bat algorithm to select the set of features and One-pass Generalized Classifier Neural Network (OGCNN) to evaluate the selected set of features using a novel fitness function. The proposed fitness function accounts for the entropy of sensitivity and specificity along with accuracy of classifier and fraction of selected features. The fitness function is compared using four classifiers (Radial Basis Function Neural Network, Probabilistic Neural Network, Extreme Learning Machine and OGCNN) on six publicly available datasets. One-pass classifiers are chosen as these are computationally faster. The results suggest that OGCNN along with the novel fitness function performs well in the majority of cases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Given an edge-colored graph G, a tree with all its edges with different colors is called a rainbow tree. The rainbow spanning forest (RSF) problem consists of finding a spanning forest of G, with the minimum number of rainbow trees. In this paper, we present an integer linear programming model for the RSF problem that improves a previous formulation for this problem. A GRASP metaheuristic is also implemented for providing fast primal bounds for the exact method. Computational experiments carried out over a set of random instances show the effectiveness of the strategies adopted in this work, solving problems in graphs with up to 100 vertices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Stochastic Fractal Search (SFS) is a novel and powerful metaheuristic algorithm. This paper presents a Multi-Objective Stochastic Fractal Search (MOSFS) for the first time, to solve complex multi-objective optimization problems. The presented algorithm uses an external archive to collect efficient Pareto optimal solutions during the optimization process. Using dominance rules, leader selection and grid mechanisms, MOSFS precisely approximates the true Pareto optimal front. The MOSFS is implemented on nine multi-objective benchmark functions (CEC 2009) with multimodal, convex, discrete and non-convex optimal Pareto fronts. Performance of the proposed algorithm is compared to well-known algorithms. In addition, different performance measures are considered to evaluate the convergence and coverage abilities of the algorithms including Inverted Generational Distance, Maximum Spread and Spacing. Furthermore, statistical analyses are utilized to determine the superior algorithm. The results revealed that the MOSFS performs significantly better than other algorithms in both convergence and coverage and it is able to approximate true Pareto front precisely. In the end, MOSFS is implemented to solve a real-world engineering design problem called welded beam design problem and efficiency of the algorithm is compared to recently developed algorithms. The results of simulations and the Wilcoxon rank-sum test showed that the MOSFS is able to provide the most promising Pareto front for the problem considering various performance metrics at a 95% confidence level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Designing an ANN is a complex task as its performance is highly dependent on the network architecture as well as the training algorithm used to select proper synaptic weights and biases. Choosing an optimal design leads to greater accuracy when the ANN is used for classification. In this paper, we propose an approach multilayer perceptron-lion optimization algorithm (MLP-LOA) that uses lion optimization algorithm to find an optimum multilayer perceptron (MLP) architecture for a given classification problem. MLP-LOA uses back-propagation (BP) for training during the optimization process. MLP-LOA also optimizes learning rate and momentum as they have a significant role while training MLP using BP. LOA is a population-based metaheuristic algorithm inspired by the lifestyle of lions and their cooperative behavior. LOA, unlike other metaheuristics, uses different strategies to search for optimal solution, performs strong local search and helps to escape from worst solutions. A new fitness function is proposed to evaluate MLP based on its generalization ability as well as the network's complexity. This is done to avoid dense architectures as they increase chances of overfitting. The proposed approach is tested on different classification problems selected from University of California Irvine repository and compared with the existing state-of-the-art techniques in terms of accuracy achieved during testing phase. Experimental results show that MLP-LOA performs better as compared to the existing state-of-the-art techniques. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper deals with hybrid flow shop scheduling problem with unrelated and eligible machines along with fuzzy processing times and fuzzy due dates. The objective is to minimize a linear combination of total completion time and maximum lateness of jobs. A mixed integer mathematical model is presented for the problem. The most challenging parts of hybrid evolutionary algorithms are determination of efficient strategies by which the whole search space is explored to perform local search around the promising search areas. In this study, a clustering-based approach as a data mining tool is introduced to identify the promising search areas. A repetitive clustering with an evolutionary algorithm is simultaneously employed to determine more promising parts of the solution space. Then, the searches in those parts are intensified with a local search. Here, two clustering-based meta-heuristic algorithms are applied to solve the problem, namely particle swarm optimization and genetic algorithm. The parameters are tuned by Taguchi experimental design, and various randomly generated test problems are used to evaluate the efficiency of the proposed algorithms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bat algorithm (BA) is a powerful nature-inspired swarm algorithm which finds applicability to a diverse range of problem domains. Though it is efficient, it suffers from two handicaps: possibility of being trapped in local optima and lost convergence speed as the algorithm progresses. This paper proposes swarm bat algorithm with improved search (SBAIS). SBAIS gains superior exploration capabilities by employing swarming characteristics inspired by shuffled complex evolution (SCE) algorithm. Best bats of the population are kept in a super-swarm, while all other bats are partitioned according to SCE. The super-swarm uses the search mechanism of bat algorithm with improved search to perform refined search around the best solution, which makes sure that the convergence speed of the algorithm is not lost. Every other swarm gets one solution from the super-swarm before starting their evolution process. These swarms evolve using standard bat algorithm, helping the algorithm to escape any possible local optima. SBAIS further keeps a check on the overall diversity of the population. If the diversity drops below a given threshold value, new random solutions are added to the population. Performance of SBAIS is validated by comparing it to BA and fourteen recent variants of bat algorithm over 30 standard benchmark optimization functions, CEC'05 and CEC'14 function sets. Results established the superiority of SBAIS over the compared algorithms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Up to now, many different methods (e.g., dispatching rules, metaheuristics) have been proposed to solve the job shop scheduling problem (JSSP), but the application of data mining approaches in the literature is limited. In this paper, we propose a data mining-based approach to generate an improved initial population for population-based heuristics/metaheuristics solving the JSSP. First, we apply a combination of 'attribute-oriented induction' and 'association rule mining' techniques to extract the rules behind the optimal or near-optimal schedules of JSSP. Then, a novel method called 'Assignment Procedure' is proposed to heuristically solve the JSSP using the extracted rules. The proposed method is able to generate numerous schedules for a given JSSP instance, and consequently, the generated solutions can be considered as the initial population for population-based solution methods. To evaluate the effectiveness of the proposed method, the two well-known metaheuristics are considered, i.e., genetic algorithm (GA) and particle swarm optimization (PSO). Extensive experiments were carried out on 35 benchmark problem instances, and Friedman test with post hoc Nemenyi test was performed to statistically analyze the results. The results revealed that using the initial populations generated by the proposed approach is very promising compared to the randomly generated population for both GA and PSO. Moreover, the experiments verify the significant amount of FEs that can be saved using the proposed approach and the superiority of the proposed method in comparison with the method of Koonce and Tsai (Comput Ind Eng 38:361–374, 2000) and four well-known dispatching rules in the literature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a critical research topic toward the new era of big data, how to develop a high-performance data analytics system has received significant research attention from different disciplines since the 2000s. In the literature, many recent works attempted to develop a high-performance data analytics system to handle the large amount of data (i.e., volume) from different information systems (i.e., variety) that typically will be created very quickly in a short time (i.e., velocity). In particular, several recent studies have shown that metaheuristic algorithms can be applied to many data mining optimization problems to provide a better way to find a high-quality result than traditional deterministic algorithms. A high-performance clustering algorithm for big data analytics system will be presented in this paper. The proposed algorithm is designed based on a new kind of metaheuristic algorithm, coral reef optimization with substrate layers (CRO-SL), to get a better cluster result. To improve the effectiveness and efficiency, the proposed CRO-SL scheme has been applied to a cloud computing platform as well to reduce the response time of a data analytics system. The simulation results show that the proposed algorithm is able to provide a better clustering result than the other clustering algorithms compared in this research, including k-means, genetic k-means algorithm, particle swarm optimization, and simple coral reef optimization algorithm in terms of the sum of squared errors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, a new bat algorithm (BA) based on dynamic control parameters selection is presented. The dynamic BA (DBA) uses a new mechanism to dynamically select the best performing combination of the pulse rate coefficient, the pulse frequency coefficient, and the population size. A fractional-order PID (FOPID) controller based on the DBA is implemented to improve the performance of a distillation column process. The proposed FOPID controller is used to control the distillate and bottom mole fractions. The influence of the feed rate disturbance is considered for this model. The efficacy of the DBA-based FOPID is compared with the performance of the controllers based on the conventional BA, directional BA, enhanced BA, genetic algorithm, and particle swarm optimization algorithm. The analyses and simulation results show the superiority of the proposed method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Plenty of problems are related to the calculation of edges and nodes in the realistic networks. It also influences the realization of shortest path problem (SPP) because of its essential fuzziness. This paper presents a fuzzy-based modified particle swarm optimization (fuzzy-based MPSO) algorithm for resolving the shortest path issue. The proposed work also evaluates the uncertainties of this shortest path problem through the utilization of offered algorithm. Actually, the normal PSO algorithm is altered and estimated to tackle the fuzzy-based SPP (FSPP) with uncertain edges. The performance of the planned algorithm will be improved; also the results are compared with the existing methodologies. The early convergence of the PSO technique can be alleviated and travelled via the dynamic operation of fuzzy method. And the proposed method is compared with other metaheuristic algorithms such as evolutionary random weight networks (GA-RWNs), grasshopper optimization algorithm with evolutionary population dynamics (GOA-EPD), levy weight grey wolf optimization (LGWO) and PSO in terms of cost and time consumption. The related results and discussion is performed in the working platform of MATLAB tool for the demonstration of the proposed work to manage the FSPP in indeterminate networks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The consideration of this study is devoted to deal with the straight and U-shaped assembly line balancing problems (ALBPs). The ALBP involves allocation of required tasks to a set of workstations, so that objective functions being optimized are subjected to set of constraint. While many efforts have been dedicated in the literature to develop deterministic model of the assembly line, the attention is not considerably paid to those in uncertain circumstances. In this paper, along with proposing a novel fuzzy model for ALBP, triangular fuzzy numbers are deployed with to respect vagueness and uncertainty subjected to the task processing times. For this purpose, two conflicting objectives are considered simultaneously with regard to set of constraints, so that the efficiency of the line has to be maximized. To solve the problem, a modified NSGA-II, which utilized a new repairing mechanism, is proposed in response to the need of appropriate method treating such complicated problems. The validity of the proposed model and algorithm is evaluated and proved though a benchmark test problem. The obtained results reveal that in contrast to benchmark that applied an exact solution procedure, the proposed algorithm is capable of delivering the astonishing solutions in a more effective procedure. Along with the use of NSGA-II, in this study, three well-known meta-heuristic algorithms, namely PESA-II, NSACO and NPGA-II, are also employed for solving the problem in order to evaluate the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm, so that the results demonstrate the high performance for the NSGA-II over them. Finally, in light of the obtained results, this study offers an efficient framework enabling the decision maker to handle uncertainty in ALBPs along with the use of an efficient algorithm to solve them. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper addresses the problem of fault diagnosis performed on a mechanical system, based on acquired vibrations from bearings. In this aim, an optimization algorithm resulted from the alliance between a time–frequency–scale signal processing method (the matching pursuit) and an evolutionary computing technique (mainly, a genetic algorithm) is introduced. The matching pursuit method itself leads to a NP-hard procedure, but, with the help of a metaheuristic, the procedure becomes computationally efficient. A generalization of Baker's procedure implementing the stochastic universal sampling mechanism, as well as a new concept, namely the Boltzmann annealing selection, is introduced, in order to design the genetic algorithm appropriately. This latter not only plays an important role in convergence speed, but also constitutes the basis of a (self) adaptive mechanism aiming to keep in balance the exploration and exploitation features. Based on the optimal solution found through the genetic matching pursuit procedure, the bearings fault diagnosis can successfully be performed, even in case of multiple defects and without prior training of some defect classification model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Longest common subsequence (LCS) is a well-known NP-hard optimization problem that finds out the longest subsequence of each member of a given set of strings. In computational biology, sequence alignment is a fundamental technique to measure the similarity of biological sequences, such as DNA and genome sequences. A high sequence similarity often applied to molecular structural as well as functional similarities and can be used to determine whether (and how) sequences are related. Finding the longest common subsequence (LCS) is one way to measure the similarity of sequences. It has also applications in data compression, FPGA circuit minimization, and bioinformatics, etc. Exact algorithms are impractical since they fail to solve this problem for multiple instances of long lengths in polynomial time. There are some approximations, heuristic, and metaheuristic methods proposed to solve the problem. Chemical reaction optimization (CRO) is a new metaheuristic method that mimics the nature of chemical reaction into optimization problems. In this paper, we have proposed chemical reaction optimization technique to solve the longest common subsequence problem for multiple instances. Here, we have redesigned four elementary operators of CRO for LCS problem. Operators of CRO algorithm are used to explore the search space both locally and globally. A novel correction method has been designed to correct the solution. Correction method works after each search operator to ensure the validity of the changes made by operators. Both solution quality and execution time are considered while designing the operators and the correction method. Thus proposed system brings robustness, efficiency, and effectiveness while solving MLCS problem. Our approach is compared with hyper-heuristic, ant colony optimization, beam ant colony optimization, and memory-bound anytime algorithms. The experimental results in lengths of the returned common sequences show that our proposed algorithm gives either same or better results than all other algorithms in less execution time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Differential evolution (DE) is one of the most powerful and effective evolutionary algorithms for solving global optimization problems. However, just like all other metaheuristics, DE also has some drawbacks, such as slow and/or premature convergence. This paper proposes a new subset-to-subset selection operator to improve the convergence performance of DE by randomly dividing target and trial populations into several subsets and employing the ranking-based selection operator among corresponding subsets. The proposed framework gives more survival opportunities to trial vectors with better objective function values. Experimental results show that the proposed method significantly improves the performance of the original DE algorithm and several state-of-the-art DE variants on a series of benchmark functions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores rule decomposition for solving the MAXSAT problem. Four approaches are proposed to steer a bee swarm optimization metaheuristic. Two decomposition methods are proposed: direct and indirect. The first one applies the Kmeans algorithm, while the second one transforms a MAXSAT instance into a transactional database before performing decomposition using the Apriori algorithm. Several experiments conducted on DIMACS benchmark instances, and some other hard and large SAT instances have been carried out. Results show clear improvement compared to the state-of-the-art MAXSAT algorithms in terms of the quality of the obtained solutions. They show that the proposed approaches are stable when dealing with hard instances such as Parity8 from DIMACS. Results also demonstrate the superiority of the proposed approaches for medium and large instances. The proposed approaches could be applied to other optimization problems such as the weighted MAXSAT problem, the MAXCSP and coloring problems. They may also be adapted for other metaheuristics and decomposition methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Driving trucks in a queue behind each other and in close proximity, called platooning, has been recently under consideration as a novel and promising approach to reduce fuel consumption, which provides environmental and financial benefits. This method works since driving in the slipstream of another vehicle reduces the aerodynamic drag, and as a result, less energy or fuel is consumed. This paper addresses this problem with the realistic assumptions of existing time constraints for trucks to depart from the origin and arrive at their destination, and waiting as well as detour possibility. As this problem is NP-hard even in its very simplified forms, a new meta-heuristic solution methodology inspired from ant colony optimisation is proposed to deal with it. Some sample problems of small to large size are generated and solved with our solution approach. The analysis of results shows the satisfactory performance of this meta-heuristic and its superiority over the exact and our previous approach with genetic algorithm. In addition, we analyse how the final result is affected by changing the main inputs and configurations of the problem. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes a hybrid algorithm based on Water Cycle and Moth-Flame Optimization algorithms for solving numerical and constrained engineering optimization problems. The spiral movement of moths in Moth-Flame Optimization algorithm is introduced into the Water Cycle Algorithm to enhance its exploitation ability. In addition, to increase randomization in the new hybrid method, the streams in the Water Cycle Algorithm are allowed to update their position using a random walk (Levy flight). The random walk significantly improves the exploration ability of the Water Cycle Algorithm. The performance of the new hybrid Water Cycle-Moth-Flame Optimization algorithm (WCMFO) is investigated in 23 benchmark functions such as unimodal, multimodal and fixed-dimension multimodal benchmark functions. The results of the WCMFO are compared to the other state-of-the-art metaheuristic algorithms. The results show that the hybrid method is able to outperform the other state-of-the-art metaheuristic algorithms in majority of the benchmark functions. To evaluate the efficiency of the WCMFO in solving complex constrained engineering and real-life problems, three well-known structural engineering problems are solved using WCMFO and the results are compared with the ones of the other metaheuristics in the literature. The results of the simulations revealed that the WCMFO is able to provide very competitive and promising results comparing to the other hybrid and metaheuristic algorithms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a novel direct solution approach for fully fuzzy transportation problems in which all of the model parameters as well as decision variables are considered as fuzzy numbers. In detail, a fuzzy decoding procedure based on constrained fuzzy arithmetic operations and a fuzzy ranking technique is first introduced for solution of the problem directly without any fuzzy to crisp transformation process. Then, this decoding procedure is embedded into a metaheuristic, namely priority-based PSO algorithm for generating new solution vectors and seeking for better fuzzy acceptable solutions. By making use of the constrained fuzzy arithmetic concept, the proposed approach is also able to handle the decision maker's attitude toward risk. In order to show validity and applicability of the proposed approach, numerical examples on both balanced and unbalanced fully fuzzy transportation cases are generated and solved. The computational results have shown that relatively more precise and information efficient solutions can be obtained from the proposed approach for "risk-averse" and "partially risk-averse" decision makers. Furthermore, the proposed approach is also able to produce fuzzy solutions for "risk seekers" with high degree of uncertainty similar to the other methods available in the literature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we propose a multi-objective imperialistic competitive algorithm (MOICA) for solving global multi-objective optimization problems. The MOICA is a modified and improved multi-objective version of the single-objective imperialistic competitive algorithm previously proposed by Atashpaz-Gargari and Lucas (IEEE Congr Evolut Comput 7:4661-4666. doi:10.1109/CEC.2007.4425083, 2007). The presented algorithm utilizes the metaphor of imperialism to solve optimization problems. Accordingly, the individuals in a population are referred to as countries, of which there are two types—colonies and imperialists. The MOICA incorporates competition between empires and their colonies for the solution of multi-objective problems. To this end, it employs several non-dominated solution sets, whereby each set is referred to as a local non-dominated solution (LNDS) set. All imperialists in an empire are considered non-dominated solutions, whereas all colonies are considered dominated solutions. In addition to LNDS sets, there is one global non-dominated solution (GNDS) set, which is created from the LNDS sets of all empires. There are two primary operators in the proposed algorithm, i.e., assimilation and revolution, which use the GNDS and LNDS sets, respectively. The significance of this study lies in a notable feature of the proposed algorithm, which is that no special parameter is used for diversity preservation. This enables the algorithm to prevent extra computation to maintain the spread of solutions. Simulations and experimental results on multi-objective benchmark problems show that the MOICA is more efficient compared to a few existing major multi-objective optimization algorithms because it produces better results for several test problems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Most of the meta-heuristic algorithms are based on the natural processes. They were inspired by physical, biological, social, chemical, social-biological, biological-geography, music, and hybrid processes. In this paper, artificial atom algorithm which was inspired by one of natural processes was applied to traveling salesman problem. The obtained results have shown that for small-scale TSP, artificial atom algorithm is closer to optimum than the other compared heuristic algorithms such as tabu search, genetic algorithm, particle swarm optimization, ant colony optimization, and their different combinations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Behavioral teaching procedures can be used to promote the individualized learning of reading skills for children, and computational processes can assist instructors in the generation of a set of tasks. However, the automatic generation of these tasks can be unfeasible due to the high-order search space for the possible combinations of tasks; this complexity increases when considering the possible constraints as well as adapting the tasks to the individual characteristics of each student. This paper presents a new method to automatically generate teaching matching-to-sample tasks, adapting the difficulty by using bio-inspired optimization metaheuristics. Genetic algorithms, ant colony optimization, and integer and categorical particle swarm optimization were evaluated to determine their stability and capacity to generate adapted tasks. A comparison of the results between the algorithms showed a better rate of convergence for the genetic algorithms, which were able to generate tasks at an adapted level of difficulty to students. These tasks were applied to a group of students at a Brazilian public school in the early stages of a literacy course indicating satisfactory effects in the individual learning process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, a novel meta-heuristic search algorithm inspired by rhinoceros’ natural behaviour is proposed, namely rhinoceros search algorithm (RSA). Similar to our earlier version called elephant search algorithm, RSA simplifies certain habitual characteristics of rhinoceros and stream-lines the search operations, thereby reducing the number of operational parameters required to configure the model. Via computer simulation, it is shown that RSA is able to outperform certain classical meta-heuristic algorithms. Different dimensions of optimization problems are tested, and good results are observed by RSA. The RSA is also implemented on permutation flow-shop scheduling problem (PFSP) with some representation method. Four different problem scales are used. Compared with partible swarm optimization (PSO) on PFSP, the RSA outperforms PSO on different problem scales with a 3% improvement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Data clustering is one of the most popular branches of machine learning and data analysis. Partitioning-based type of clustering algorithms, such as K-means, is prone to the problem of producing a set of clusters that is far from perfect due to its probabilistic nature. The clustering process starts with some random partitions at the beginning, and then it attempts to improve the partitions progressively. Different initial partitions can result in different final clusters. Trying through all the possible candidate clusters for the perfect result is computationally expensive. Meta-heuristic algorithm aims to search for global optimum in high-dimensional problems. Meta-heuristic algorithm has been successfully implemented on data clustering problems seeking a near optimal solution in terms of quality of the resultant clusters. In this paper, a new meta-heuristic search method named elephant search algorithm (ESA) is proposed to integrate into K-means, forming a new data clustering algorithm, namely C-ESA. The advantage of C-ESA is its dual features of (i) evolutionary operations and (ii) balance of local intensification and global exploration. The results by C-ESA are compared with classical clustering algorithms including K-means, DBSCAN, and GMM-EM. C-ESA is shown to outperform the other algorithms in terms of clustering accuracy via a computer simulation. C-ESA is also implemented on time series clustering compared with classical algorithms K-means, Fuzzy C-means and classical meta-heuristic algorithm PSO. C-ESA outperforms the other algorithms in term of clustering accuracy. C-ESA is still comparable compared with state of art time series clustering algorithm K-shape. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Deep learning-based approaches have been paramount in recent years, mainly due to their outstanding results in several application domains, ranging from face and object recognition to handwritten digit identification. Convolutional neural networks (CNNs) have attracted a considerable attention since they model the intrinsic and complex brain working mechanisms. However, one main shortcoming of such models concerns their overfitting problem, which prevents the network from predicting unseen data effectively. In this paper, we address this problem by means of properly selecting a regularization parameter known as dropout in the context of CNNs using meta-heuristic-driven techniques. As far as we know, this is the first attempt to tackle this issue using this methodology. Additionally, we also take into account a default dropout parameter and a dropout-less CNN for comparison purposes. The results revealed that optimizing dropout-based CNNs is worthwhile, mainly due to the easiness in finding suitable dropout probability values, without needing to set new parameters empirically. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The selection mechanisms that are most commonly adopted by multi-objective evolutionary algorithms (MOEAs) are based on Pareto optimality. However, recent studies have provided theoretical and experimental evidence regarding the unsuitability of Pareto-based selection mechanisms when dealing with problems having four or more objectives. In this paper, we propose a novel MOEA designed for solving many-objective optimization problems. The selection mechanism of our approach is based on the transformation of a multi-objective optimization problem into a linear assignment problem, which is solved by the Kuhn-Munkres’ (Hungarian) algorithm. Our proposed approach is compared with respect to three state-of-the-art MOEAs, designed for solving many-objective optimization problems (i.e., problems having four or more objectives), adopting standard test problems and performance indicators taken from the specialized literature. Since one of our main aims was to analyze the scalability of our proposed approach, its validation was performed adopting test problems having from two to nine objective functions. Our preliminary experimental results indicate that our proposal is very competitive with respect to all the other MOEAs compared, obtaining the best results in several of the test problems adopted, but at a significantly lower computational cost. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, a new meta-heuristic algorithm is presented, which is a new bio-inspired optimization algorithm based on the self-defense mechanisms of the plants. In the literature, there are many published works, where the authors scientifically demonstrate that plants have self-defense mechanisms (coping strategies) and these techniques are used to defend themselves from predators, in this case herbivorous insects. The proposed algorithm considers as its basis the predator prey model proposed by Lotka and Volterra, which means that when the plant detects the presence of an invading organism, it triggers a series of chemical reactions, which products are emitted into the air to attract the natural predator of the invading organism. The performance of the proposed approach is verified with the optimization of a set of traditional benchmark mathematical functions and the CEC-2015 functions, and the results are compared statistically against other optimization meta-heuristics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, hybrid ant colony optimization (HAntCO) approach in solving multi-skill resource-constrained project scheduling problem (MS-RCPSP) has been presented. We have proposed hybrid approach that links classical heuristic priority rules for project scheduling with ant colony optimization (ACO). Furthermore, a novel approach for updating pheromone value has been proposed based on both the best and worst solutions stored by ants. The objective of this paper is to research the usability and robustness of ACO and its hybrids with priority rules in solving MS-RCPSP. Experiments have been performed using artificially created dataset instances based on real-world ones. We published those instances that can be used as a benchmark. Presented results show that ACO-based hybrid method is an efficient approach. More directed search process by hybrids makes this approach more stable and provides mostly better results than classical ACO. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Clustering Search ( *CS) has been proposed as a generic way of combining search metaheuristics with clustering to detect promising search areas before applying local search procedures. The clustering process may keep representative solutions associated with different search subspaces. In this paper, new approaches are proposed, based on *CS, as an Artificial Bee Colony-based one, which detects promising food sources alike *CS approaches. The other new *CS approach is based on Differential Evolution (DE) algorithm. The DE is just a CS component (the evolutionary algorithm), different from ABC-based approach, called Artificial Bee Clustering Search (ABCS). ABCS tries to find promising solutions using some concepts from CS. The proposed hybrid algorithms, performing a Hooke and Jeeves-based local, are compared to another hybrid approaches, exploring an elitist criteria to apply local search. The experiments show that the proposed ABCS and Differential Evolutionary Clustering Search (DECS) are competitive for the majority continuous optimization functions benckmarks selected in this paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study focuses on the reactive scheduling in manufacturing systems. In practical situations, the predetermined schedule often changes under the influence of the unpredictable or variable environment in the factory. The reactive scheduling (RS) is a methodology to modify the predetermined schedule to cope with variable situations without suspending the proceeding of the processes on the schedule. Therefore, the RS requires a method to improve the schedule with fast computational time. To obtain an effective method for the RS, this paper proposes a novel RS method using local clustering organization. Also, this paper examines its effectiveness by a numerical experiment. Our results suggest that the proposed method is more effective than the method using genetic algorithm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, multiplier-less nearly perfect reconstruction tree structured non-uniform filter banks (NUFB) are proposed. When sharp transition width filter banks are to be implemented, the order of the filters and hence the complexity will become very high. The filter banks employ an iterative algorithm which adjusts the cut off frequencies of the prototype filter, to reduce the amplitude distortion. It is found that the proposed design method, in which the prototype filter is designed by the frequency response masking method, gives better results when compared to the earlier reported results, in terms of the number of multipliers when sharp transition width filter banks are needed. To reduce the complexity and power consumption for hardware realization, a design method which makes the NUFB totally multiplier-less is also proposed in this paper. The NUFB is made multiplier-less by converting the continuous filter bank coefficients to finite precision coefficients in the signed power of two space. The filter bank with finite precision coefficients may lead to performance degradation. This calls for the use of suitable optimization techniques. The classical gradient based optimization techniques cannot be deployed here, because the search space consists of only integers. In this context, meta-heuristic algorithm is a good choice as it can be tailor made to suit the problem under consideration. Thus, this design method results in near perfect NUFBs which are simple and multiplier-less and have linear phase and sharp transition width with very low aliasing. Also, different non-uniform bands can be obtained from the tree structured filter bank by rearranging the branches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over the last decade, several metaheuristic algorithms have emerged to solve numerical function optimization problems. Since the performance of these algorithms presents a suboptimal behavior, a large number of studies have been carried out to find new and better algorithms. Therefore, this paper proposes a new metaheuristic algorithm, namely the car tracking optimization algorithm; it is inspired by observing the programming methods of other metaheuristic algorithms. And the proposed algorithm has been tested over 55 benchmark functions, and the results have been compared with firefly algorithm (FA), cuckoo searching algorithm (CS), and vortex search algorithm (VS). The results indicate that the performance of the proposed algorithm surpasses FA, CS, and VS algorithm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, a recently proposed metaheuristic optimization technique called hybrid flower pollination algorithm (HFPA) is applied to design wideband infinite impulse response digital differentiators (DDs) and digital integrators (DIs). In recent years, benchmark nature-inspired optimization algorithms such as particle swarm optimization (PSO), simulated annealing, and genetic algorithm have been employed for the design of wideband DDs and DIs. However, individually, these algorithms show major drawbacks such as premature convergence, thus leading to a sub-optimal solution. HFPA, however, is a hybrid approach which combines the efficient exploitation and exploration capabilities of two different metaheuristics, namely PSO and flower pollination algorithm (FPA), respectively. The HFPA-based designs have been compared with real-coded genetic algorithm, PSO, differential evolution, success-history-based adaptive differential evolution with linear population size reduction (L-SHADE), self-adaptive differential evolution (jDE), and FPA-based designs with respect to the solution quality, robustness, convergence, and optimization time. Simulation results demonstrate that among all the algorithms, the HFPA-based designs consistently achieve superior performances in the least number of function evaluations. Exhaustive experimentations are conducted to determine the best values of the control parameters of HFPA for the optimal design of DDs and DIs. The proposed designs also outperform the recently reported designs based on non-optimal, classical, and nature-inspired optimization approaches in terms of magnitude response. The lower orders of the proposed designs render them suitable for real-time applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper deals with the pollution-routing problem with simultaneous pickup and delivery, where the goal is to minimize fuel consumption and emissions by scheduling and routing customers. A nonlinear mix integer programing model is presented for this problem, and an adaptive large neighborhood search heuristic is proposed for the solution method including new removal and insertion operators. Also a heuristic algorithm is proposed to construct the initial solution. The proposed method is validated by computational experiments conducted on two classes of benchmark instances. The experiments further show that our proposed heuristic outperforms related heuristics and improved the results of existing literature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]