Evolutionary Computation Algorithms Research Articles

Improving the artificial bee colony algorithm with a proprietary estimation of distribution mechanism for protein–ligand docking

The protein–ligand docking problem plays an essential role in structure-based drug design. The challenge for a protein–ligand docking method is how to execute an efficient conformational search to explore a well-designed scoring function. In this study, we improved the artificial bee colony (ABC) algorithm and proposed an approach called ABC-EDM to solve the protein–ligand docking problem. ABC-EDM employs the scoring function of the classical AutoDock Vina to evaluate a solution during docking simulation. ABC-EDM adopts the search framework of the canonical ABC algorithm to execute conformational search. By further investigating the characteristics of the protein–ligand docking problem, a proprietary search mechanism inspired by estimation of distribution algorithm, i.e., estimation of distribution mechanism (EDM), is designed to enhance the performance of ABC-EDM. To verify the effectiveness of the proposed ABC-EDM, we compare it with three variants of the ABC algorithm, three evolutionary computation algorithms, and AutoDock Vina. The experimental results show that ABC-EDM can effectively solve the protein–ligand docking problem, and it can achieve a success rate 5% higher than AutoDock Vina on the GOLD dataset. This study reveals that taking advantage of problem-specific information about the protein–ligand docking problem to enhance a docking method contributes to solving this problem.

COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF FAULT DIAGNOSIS IN POWER SYSTEM USING EVOLUTIONARY COMPUTATION AND MACHINE LEARNING

This paper provides a comparative analysis of fault diagnosis in power systems using evolutionary computation and machine learning techniques. Power system faults, including line-to-ground, line-to-line, and three-phase faults, pose significant challenges to the stability and reliability of electrical grids. Efficient and accurate fault diagnosis is crucial for minimizing downtime and maintaining optimal power delivery. This research evaluates the performance of various evolutionary computation algorithms such as genetic algorithms, particle swarm optimization and differential evolution alongside machine learning methods including decision trees, support vector machines, and k-nearest neighbor, in diagnosing power system faults. The study compares the accuracy, speed, and reliability of these methods in detecting and classifying faults under different system conditions. The findings highlight the strengths and limitations of EC and ML-based fault diagnosis techniques in power systems, providing valuable insights for researchers and practitioners in the field. Key Words: Fault diagnosis, Power system, Genetic Algorithm (GA), Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO), Differential Evolution(DE) , Support Vector Machine (SVM) , Decision Tree (DT), K-Nearest Neighbors (KNN).

Evolutionary Computation in bioinformatics: A survey

Bioinformatics is a subject that studies life phenomena by using mathematical and information science theories and techniques. Its main tasks, such as DNA sequence comparison, protein structure prediction and cell metabolism analysis, can be regarded as complex optimization problems with different characteristics. Evolutionary computing is a kind of global optimization algorithm inspired by nature. Over the years, scholars have accumulated fruitful results in solving complex optimization problems such as large-scale, dynamic, multi-modal, multi-objective and multi-constrained problems by using Evolutionary Computation algorithms, and have successfully applied to the above optimization tasks in bioinformatics. This paper mainly summarizes the work of Evolutionary Computation technologies in bioinformatics from 2019 to 2023 at multiple levels, including Genomics, Proteomics, metabolomics and molecular networks related optimization tasks, as well as further applications in disease diagnosis and drug development.

MorphVAE: Advancing Morphological Design of Voxel-Based Soft Robots with Variational Autoencoders

Soft robot design is an intricate field with unique challenges due to its complex and vast search space. In the past literature, evolutionary computation algorithms, including novel probabilistic generative models (PGMs), have shown potential in this realm. However, these methods are sample inefficient and predominantly focus on rigid robots in locomotion tasks, which limit their performance and application in robot design automation. In this work, we propose MorphVAE, an innovative PGM that incorporates a multi-task training scheme and a meticulously crafted sampling technique termed ``continuous natural selection'', aimed at bolstering sample efficiency. This method empowers us to gain insights from assessed samples across diverse tasks and temporal evolutionary stages, while simultaneously maintaining a delicate balance between optimization efficiency and biodiversity. Through extensive experiments in various locomotion and manipulation tasks, we substantiate the efficiency of MorphVAE in generating high-performing and diverse designs, surpassing the performance of competitive baselines.

A Novel Evolutionary Algorithm With Column and Sub-Block Local Search for Sudoku Puzzles

Sudoku puzzles are not only popular intellectual games but also NP-hard combinatorial problems related to various real-world applications, which have attracted much attention worldwide. Although many efficient tools, such as evolutionary computation (EC) algorithms, have been proposed for solving Sudoku puzzles, they still face great challenges with regard to hard and large instances of Sudoku puzzles. Therefore, to efficiently solve Sudoku puzzles, this paper proposes a genetic algorithm (GA)-based method with a novel local search technology called local search-based GA (LSGA). The LSGA includes three novel design aspects. First, it adopts a matrix coding scheme to represent individuals and designs the corresponding crossover and mutation operations. Second, a novel local search strategy based on column search and sub-block search is proposed to increase the convergence speed of the GA. Third, an elite population learning mechanism is proposed to let the population evolve by learning the historical optimal solution. Based on the above technologies, LSGA can greatly improve the search ability for solving complex Sudoku puzzles. LSGA is compared with some state-of-the-art algorithms at Sudoku puzzles of different difficulty levels and the results show that LSGA performs well in terms of both convergence speed and success rates on the tested Sudoku puzzle instances.

A Constrained Competitive Swarm Optimizer With an SVM-Based Surrogate Model for Feature Selection

Feature selection (FS) is an important data preprocessing technique that selects a small subset of relevant features to improve learning performance. However, it is also challenging due to its large search space. Recently, competitive swarm optimiser (CSO) has shown promising results in FS because of its potential global search ability. The main idea of CSO is to select two solutions randomly and then let the loser (worse fitness) learn from the winner (better fitness). Although such a search mechanism provides a high population diversity, it is at risk of generating unqualified solutions since the winner’s quality is not guaranteed. In this work, we propose a constrained evolutionary mechanism for CSO, which verifies the quality of all the particles and lets the infeasible (unqualified) solutions learn from the feasible (qualified) ones. We also propose a novel local search and a size-change operator that guide the population to search for smaller feature subsets with similar or better classification performance. A surrogate model, based on support vector machines, is proposed to assist both local search and the size-change operator to explore a massive number of potential feature subsets without requiring excessive computational resource. Results on 24 real-world datasets show that the proposed algorithm can select smaller feature subsets with higher classification performance than state-of-the-art evolutionary computation (EC) and non-EC benchmark algorithms.

A Cooperative Evolutionary Computation Algorithm for Dynamic Multiobjective Multi-AUV Path Planning

Multiple autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) are popular for executing submarine missions, which involve multiple targets distributed in a large and complex underwater environment. The path planning of multiple AUVs is a significant and challenging problem, which determines the location of surface points for AUV launch and plans the paths of AUVs for target traveling. Most existing works model the problem as a single-objective static optimization problem. However, the target missions may change over time, and multiple optimization objectives are usually expected for decision making. Thus, this paper models the problem as a dynamic multiobjective optimization problem and proposes a cooperative evolutionary computation algorithm to provide diverse and high-quality solutions for decision makers. In the proposed method, solutions are represented using a bi-layer encode scheme, in which the first layer indicates the surface location points and the second layer represents the traveling sequences of target missions. Multiple populations for multiple objectives (MPMO) framework is adopted to efficiently solve the dynamic multiobjective AUV optimization problem. In addition, a recombination-based sampling strategy is developed to improve convergence by fusing the information of multiple populations. Once a change occurs, an incremental response strategy is adopted to generate high-quality solutions for population evolution. Based on the dataset of New Zealand bathymetry, six complex underwater scenarios are constructed with a size of 50 km×50 km×10 km and 400 target missions for tests. Experimental results show that the proposed method outperforms the state-of-the-art algorithms in terms of solution diversity and optimality.

A Robust and Efficient Ensemble of Diversified Evolutionary Computing Algorithms for Accurate Robot Calibration

A Robust and Efficient Ensemble of Diversified Evolutionary Computing Algorithms for Accurate Robot Calibration

A Hybrid Extreme Gradient Boosting and Long Short-Term Memory Algorithm for Cyber Threats Detection

The vast amounts of data, lack of scalability, and low detection rates of traditional intrusion detection technologies make it impossible to keep up with evolving and increasingly sophisticated cyber threats. Therefore, there is an urgent need to detect and stop cyber threats early. Deep Learning has greatly improved intrusion detection due to its ability to self-learn and extract highly accurate features. In this paper, a Hybrid XG Boosted and Long Short-Term Memory algorithm (HXGBLSTM) is proposed. A comparative analysis is conducted between the computational performance of six established evolutionary computation algorithms and the recently developed bio-inspired metaheuristic algorithm called Zebra Optimisation Algorithm. These algorithms include the Particle Swarm Optimisation Algorithm, the Bio-inspired Algorithms, Bat Optimisation Algorithm, Firefly Optimisation Algorithm, and Monarch Butterfly Optimisation Algorithm, as well as the Genetic Algorithm as an Evolutionary Algorithm. The dimensionality curse has been mitigated by using these metaheuristic methods for feature selection, and the results are compared with the wrapper-based feature selection XGBoost algorithm. The proposed algorithm uses the CSE-CIC -IDS2018 dataset, which contains the latest network attacks. XGBoost outperformed the other FS algorithms and was used as the feature selection algorithm. In evaluating the effectiveness of the newly proposed HXGBLSTM, binary and multi-class classifications are considered. When comparing the performance of the proposed HXGBLSTM for cyber threat detection, it outperforms seven innovative deep learning algorithms for binary classification and four of them for multi-class classification. Other evaluation criteria such as recall, F1 score, and precision have been also used for comparison. The results showed that the best accuracy for binary classification is 99.8\%, with F1-score of 99.83\%, precision of 99.85\%, and recall of 99.82\%, in extensive and detailed experiments conducted on a real dataset. The best accuracy, F1-score, precision, and recall for multi-class classification were all around 100\%, which does give the proposed algorithm an advantage over the compared ones.

A review of recent advances and future prospects in calculation of reference evapotranspiration in Bangladesh using soft computing models

Evapotranspiration (ETo) is a complex and non-linear hydrological process with a significant impact on efficient water resource planning and long-term management. The Penman-Monteith (PM) equation method, developed by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), represents an advancement over earlier approaches for estimating ETo. Eto though reliable, faces limitations due to the requirement for climatological data not always available at specific locations. To address this, researchers have explored soft computing (SC) models as alternatives to conventional methods, known for their exceptional accuracy across disciplines. This critical review aims to enhance understanding of cutting-edge SC frameworks for ETo estimation, highlighting advancements in evolutionary models, hybrid and ensemble approaches, and optimization strategies. Recent applications of SC in various climatic zones in Bangladesh are evaluated, with the order of preference being ANFIS > Bi-LSTM > RT > DENFIS > SVR-PSOGWO > PSO–HFS due to their consistently high accuracy (RMSE and R2). This review introduces a benchmark for incorporating evolutionary computation algorithms (EC) into ETo modeling. Each subsection addresses the strengths and weaknesses of known SC models, offering valuable insights. The review serves as a valuable resource for experienced water resource engineers and hydrologists, both domestically and internationally, providing comprehensive SC modeling studies for ETo forecasting. Furthermore, it provides an improved water resources monitoring and management plans.

Learning-Aided Evolution for Optimization

Learning and optimization are the two essential abilities of human beings for problem solving. Similarly, computer scientists have made great efforts to design artificial neural network (ANN) and evolutionary computation (EC) to simulate the learning ability and the optimization ability for solving real-world problems, respectively. These have been two essential branches in artificial intelligence (AI) and computer science. However, in humans, learning and optimization are usually integrated together for problem solving. Therefore, how to efficiently integrate these two abilities together to develop powerful AI remains a significant but challenging issue. Motivated by this, this paper proposes a novel learning-aided evolutionary optimization (LEO) framework that plus learning and evolution for solving optimization problems. The LEO is integrated with the evolution knowledge learned by ANN from the evolution process of EC to promote optimization efficiency. The LEO framework is applied to both classical EC algorithms and some state-of-the-art EC algorithms including a champion algorithm, with benchmarking against the IEEE Congress on Evolutionary Computation competition data. The experimental results show that the LEO can significantly enhance the existing EC algorithms to better solve both single-objective and multi-/many-objective global optimization problems, suggesting that learning plus evolution is more intelligent for problem solving. Moreover, the experimental results have also validated the time efficiency of the LEO, where the additional time cost for using LEO is greatly deserved. Therefore, the promising LEO can lead to a new and more efficient paradigm for EC algorithms to solve global optimization problems by plus learning and evolution.

Cost Prediction in Blockchain-Enabled Pharmaceutical Supply Chain under Uncertain Demand

Cost prediction can provide a pharma supply chain industry with completing their projects on schedule and within budget. This paper provides a new multi-function Blockchain Technology-enabled Pharmaceutical Supply Chain (BT-enabled PSC) mathematical cost model, including PSC costs, BT costs, and uncertain demand. The purpose of this study is to find the most appropriate algorithm(s) with minimum prediction errors to predict the costs of the BT-enabled PSC model. This paper also aims to determine the importance and cost of each component of the multi-function model. To reach these goals, we combined four Supervised Learning algorithms (KNN, DT, SVM, and NB) with two Evolutionary Computation algorithms (HS and PSO) after data generation. Each component of the multi-function model has its importance, and we applied the Feature Weighting approach to analyze their importance. Next, four performance metrics evaluated the multi-function model, and the Total Ranking Score determined predictive algorithms with high reliability. The results indicate the HS-NB and PSO-NB algorithms perform better than the other six algorithms in predicting the costs of the multi-function model with small errors. The findings also show that the Raw Materials cost has a more substantial influence on the model than the other components. This study also introduces the components of the multi-function BT-enabled PSC model.

MOEA/D vs. NSGA-II: A Comprehensive Comparison for Multi/Many Objective Analog/RF Circuit Optimization through a Generic Benchmark

Thanks to the enhanced computational capacity of modern computers, even sophisticated analog/radio frequency (RF) circuit sizing problems can be solved via electronic design automation (EDA) tools. Recently, several analog/RF circuit optimization algorithms have been successfully applied to automatize the analog/RF circuit design process. Conventionally, metaheuristic algorithms are widely used in optimization process. Among various nature-inspired algorithms, evolutionary algorithms (EAs) have been more preferred due to their superiorities (robustness, efficiency, accuracy etc.) over the other algorithms. Furthermore, EAs have been diversified and several distinguished analog/RF circuit optimization approaches for single-, multi-, and many-objective problems have been reported in the literature. However, there are conflicting claims on the performance of these algorithms and no objective performance comparison has been revealed yet. In the previous work, only a few case study circuits have been under test to demonstrate the superiority of the utilized algorithm, so a limited comparison has been made for only these specific circuits. The underlying reason is that the literature lacks a generic benchmark for analog/RF circuit sizing problem. To address these issues, we propose a comprehensive comparison of the most popular two evolutionary computation algorithms, namely Non-Sorting Genetic Algorithm-II and Multi-Objective Evolutionary Algorithm based Decomposition, in this article. For that purpose, we introduce two ad hoc testbenches for analog and RF circuits including the common building blocks. The comparison has been made at both multi- and many-objective domains and the performances of algorithms have been quantitatively revealed through the well-known Pareto-optimal front quality metrics.

Decision tree-based prediction approach for improving stable energy management in smart grids

Today, the Internet of Things (IoT) has an important role for deploying power and energy management in the smart grids as emerging trend for managing power stability and consumption. In the IoT, smart grids has important role for managing power communication systems with safe data transformation using artificial intelligent approaches such as Machine Learning (ML), evolutionary computation and meta-heuristic algorithms. One of important issues to manage renewable energy consumption is intelligent aggregation of information based on smart metering and detecting the user behaviors for power and electricity consumption in the IoT. To achieve optimal performance for detecting this information, a context-aware prediction system is needed that can apply a resource management effectively for the renewable energy consumption for smart grids in the IoT. Also, prediction results from machine learning methods can be useful to manage optimal solutions for power generation activities, power transformation, smart metering at home and load balancing in smart grid networks. This paper aims to design a new periodical detecting, managing, allocating and analyzing useful information regarding potential renewable power and energy consumptions using a context-aware prediction approach and optimization-based machine learning method to overcome the problem. In the proposed architecture, a decision tree algorithm is provided to predict the grouped information based on important and high-ranked existing features. For evaluating the proposed architecture, some other well-known machine learning methods are compared to the evaluation results. Consequently, after analyzing various components by solving different smart grids datasets, the proposed architecture’s capacity and supremacy are well determined among its traditional approaches.

Improving Performance of Differential Evolution Using Multi-Population Ensemble Concept

Differential evolution (DE) stands out as a straightforward yet remarkably powerful evolutionary algorithm employed for real-world problem-solving purposes. In the DE algorithm, few parameters are used, and the population is evolved by applying various operations. It is difficult in evolutionary computation algorithms to maintain population diversity. The main issue is the sub-population of the DE algorithm that helps improve convergence speed and escape from the local optimum. Evolving sub-populations by maintaining diversity is an important issue in the literature that is considered in this research. A solution is proposed that uses sub-populations to promote greater diversity within the population and improve the algorithm performance. DE, heterogeneous distributed differential evolution (HDDE), multi-population ensemble differential evolution (MPEDE), and the proposed improved multi-population ensemble differential evolution (IMPEDE) are implemented using parameter settings; population sizes of 100 NP, 150 NP, and 200 NP; and dimensions of 10D, 30D, and 50D for performance comparison. Different combinations of mutations are used to generate the simulated results. The simulation results are generated using 1000, 3000, and 5000 iterations. Experimental outcomes show the superior results of the proposed IMPEDE over existing algorithms. The non-parametric significance Friedman test confirms that there is a significant difference in the performance of the proposed algorithm and other algorithms used in this study by considering a 0.05 level of significance using six benchmark functions.

A tutorial-based survey on feature selection: Recent advancements on feature selection

Curse of dimensionality is known as big challenges in data mining, pattern recognition, computer vison and machine learning in recent years. Feature selection and feature extraction are two main approaches to circumvent this challenge. The main objective in feature selection is to remove the redundant features and preserve the relevant features in order to improve the learning algorithm performance. This survey provides a comprehensive overview of state-of-art feature selection techniques including mathematical formulas and fundamental algorithm to facilitate understanding. This survey encompasses different approaches of feature selection which can be categorized to five domains including: A) subspace learning which involves matrix factorization and matrix projection, B) sparse representation learning which includes compressed sensing and dictionary learning, C) information theory which covers multi-label neighborhood entropy, symmetrical uncertainty, Monte Carlo and Markov blanket, D) evolutionary computational algorithms including Genetic algorithm (GA), particle swarm optimization (PSO), Ant colony (AC) and Grey wolf optimization (GWO), and E) reinforcement learning techniques. This survey can be helpful for researchers to acquire deep understanding of feature selection techniques and choose a proper feature selection technique. Moreover, researcher can choose one of the A, B, C, D and E domains to become deep in this field for future study. A potential avenue for future research could involve exploring methods to reduce computational complexity while simultaneously maintaining performance efficiency. This would involve investigating ways to achieve a more efficient balance between computational resources and overall performance. For matrix-based techniques, the main limitation of these techniques lies in the need to tune the coefficients of the regularization terms, as this process can be challenging and time-consuming. For evolutionary computational techniques, getting stuck in local minimum and finding an appropriate objective function are two main limitations.

Multiobjective sparrow search feature selection with sparrow ranking and preference information and its applications for high-dimensional data

To reduce the dimensionality of high-dimensional data and enhance its classification accuracy, feature selection can be regarded as a multiobjective optimization problem that can be addressed by evolutionary computation algorithms with promising results. However, balancing the convergence and diversity of nondominated solutions remains challenging. To address these issues, this paper proposes a multiobjective sparrow search feature selection approach with sparrow ranking and preference information and its applications for high-dimensional data. First, during the population updating process, the updating formula of observers is combined with the mutualism phase of the symbiotic organisms search algorithm to design a location updating formula of observers in the sparrow search algorithm, balancing the local development ability and global search ability of sparrow search algorithm and increasing the possibility of moving closer to the optimal solution. Second, based on the dominant and nondominated sparrow individuals of each sparrow, the dominant and nondominated distances are defined, and the sparrow ranking is proposed. The feature ranking is then designed by using the definition of sparrow ranking. Following the definition of sparrow ranking and feature ranking, the selection strategy and location updating formula of the producers in the sparrow search algorithm are proposed. Finally, a preference information-based mutation algorithm is designed to augment the diversity of the nondominated solutions and more effectively guide the whole sparrow population to a better solution. The experimental results on 14 high-dimensional datasets show that the proposed algorithm outperforms different single-objective and multiobjective optimization feature selection algorithms in terms of classification efficiency and diversity of solutions.

Multiobjective evolutionary pruning of Deep Neural Networks with Transfer Learning for improving their performance and robustness

Evolutionary Computation algorithms have been used to solve optimization problems in relation with architectural, hyper-parameter or training configuration, forging the field known today as Neural Architecture Search. These algorithms have been combined with other techniques such as the pruning of Neural Networks, which reduces the complexity of the network, and the Transfer Learning, which lets the import of knowledge from another problem related to the one at hand. The usage of several criteria to evaluate the quality of the evolutionary proposals is also a common case, in which the performance and complexity of the network are the most used criteria. This work proposes MO-EvoPruneDeepTL, a multi-objective evolutionary pruning algorithm. MO-EvoPruneDeepTL uses Transfer Learning to adapt the last layers of Deep Neural Networks, by replacing them with sparse layers evolved by a genetic algorithm, which guides the evolution based in the performance, complexity and robustness of the network, being the robustness a great quality indicator for the evolved models. We carry out different experiments with several datasets to assess the benefits of our proposal. Results show that our proposal achieves promising results in all the objectives, and direct relation are presented among them. The experiments also show that the most influential neurons help us explain which parts of the input images are the most relevant for the prediction of the pruned neural network. Lastly, by virtue of the diversity within the Pareto front of pruning patterns produced by the proposal, it is shown that an ensemble of differently pruned models improves the overall performance and robustness of the trained networks.

Artificial Intelligence Based MPPT Techniques of Photo Voltaic System

In this paper, Particle Swarm Optimisation (PSO) investigates the global optimal solution by taking advantage of the memory of the particle and the swarm. PSO has evolved into one of the most significant Swam Intelligence techniques and Evolutionary Computation algorithms due to its characteristics of low constraint on the continuity of goal function and joint of search space, and capacity to adapt to dynamic environments. The development of algorithms over the years is then discussed, along with applications in multi-objective optimisation, neural networks, electronics, etc. The remaining issues and potential prospects for PSO research are then examined. One of the concepts of swarm intelligence introduced in the field of computing and artificial intelligence is particle swarm optimisation (PSO). PSO is a novel collective and distributed intelligent paradigm for problem solving, primarily in the field of optimisation, without centralized control or the provision of a global model. In this work, the basic PSO, its improvements, its applications to various systems, including electric power systems, and its premature convergence as well as its combination with other intelligent algorithms to enhance search capacity and shorten the time required to exit local optimums are all thoroughly reviewed.

Conceptual scheme of intelligent vessel traffic control system with the human factor included

The subject of the research is the development of technologies for automated and automatic ship traffic control systems, which is of great importance in modern shipping conditions. At the same time, special attention is paid to intelligent control systems based on artificial intelligence methods, such as artificial neural networks, fuzzy logic, machine learning, evolutionary computing and genetic algorithms. As a result, integrated information navigation systems, which provide decision-making on all aspects of navigation tasks, primarily where reception, processing, storage and transmission of navigation information is required, are being created and widely used in practice. However, in such developments, due importance is not given to the human factor, namely, it is often not taken into account that the control system of a moving object is a man-machine and consists of a regulator, which includes a human operator (navigator). The inclusion of the navigator in the vessel control link leads to the need to simultaneously take into account the human factor and the characteristics of the vessel controllability, i. e. human and machine factors in their unity. In connection with the development of artificial intelligence, the concept of “human-machine symbiosis” is becoming increasingly relevant in the study of human-machine systems. The problem is that there is still no single point of view on this issue due to the lack of reasonable methods for taking into account the human factor in the process of controlling the movement of moving objects. The results of the theoretical research on the formalization of some aspects of human mental activity and their implementation in the conceptual scheme of an intelligent vessel control system are reflected in the paper. The results obtained may be of interest to specialists in vessel traffic control automation, artificial intelligence, the creation of intelligent control systems and navigation safety.