A comparative study on the performance of dissortative mating and immigrants-based strategies for evolutionary dynamic optimization

In any traditional Genetic Algorithm (GA), recombination is a dominant search operator and capable of exploring the search space by sharing genetic information among the individuals in the population. However, a simple application of recombination alone is insufficient to guide convergence to an optimal solution. The selection of parents for recombination operation has a significant role in guiding the evolution towards the optimal solution and also for maintaining genetic diversity to avoid getting trapped in local minima. A non-random mating mimics the mechanism of reproduction in nature and is effective in maintaining diversity in population. This paper proposes a new strategy for selection of mating pairs based on a type of non-random mating called as assortative mating. The proposed mate selection scheme conserves the merits of both positive and negative assortative mating in a controlled manner by allowing mating between individuals having both similar and dissimilar phenotypes. For effective cross-over, it maintains genetic diversity in population by distributing the recombination among dissimilar individuals. Furthermore, it ensures the preservation and propagation of useful genetic information to the later stages of search by the selection of mates having similar phenotypes. Experimental results, using not only the five widely used benchmark functions but also twenty newly developed modified functions, are reported. The results show significant improvements in the convergence characteristics of the proposed mating strategy over existing nonrandom mating techniques.

Genetic algorithms (GAs) are general-purpose heuristic search algorithms that mimic the evolutionary process in order to find the most fitting solutions. The algorithms were introduced by Holland in 1975. Since then, they have received growing interest due to their ability to discover good solutions quickly for complex searching and optimization problems. The traditional GAs have been converted to multi-objective GAs to solve multi-objective optimization problems successfully. However, GAs require parameter tunings (such as population size, mutation probabilities, crossover probabilities, selection rates) in order to achieve the desirable solutions. The task of tuning GA parameters has been proven to be far from trivial due to the complex interactions among the parameters. It takes trial and error experiments to obtain the optimal GA parameter settings for an arbitrary real-world problem, Many researchers have been trying to understand the interdependencies of GA parameters in order to determine their optimal settings. The objective of this research is to develop the elitist non-dominated sorting GA (NSGA-II) for multi-objective optimization as a parameter-less multiobjective GA. The research then evaluates and discusses the performance of the parameter-less NSGA-II against the original NSGA-II with optimal parameter settings using the experimental result for a test problem borrowed from the literature.

With the increasingly fierce market competition, optimizing the construction time-cost of deep and large foundation pit construction projects has become one of the key factors for construction enterprises to remain invincible. By dynamically optimizing the time-cost, the optimal time corresponding to the lowest engineering cost can be found. Based on a comprehensive transportation hub project, considering the time value of capital and the reward and punishment of construction time, a time-cost dynamic optimization model is constructed. Relying on BIM technology, the feasibility of construction plan is analyzed from both qualitative and quantitative perspectives, and the project parameters and resource information is obtained accurately and quickly. Using the MATLAB program, time-cost optimization based on genetic algorithm is carried out, and the static and dynamic optimization results are compared. The results show that the dynamic optimization scheme reduces the total cost by 1.68% while reducing the total construction time by 8.47%. The dynamic optimization scheme extends the construction period by 2 days while reducing the total cost by 89,500 yuan compared to static optimization. The peak value of the fund demand curve before and after optimization has decreased from 128,000 yuan to 127,000 yuan. The time-cost dynamic optimization, considering the time value of capital is more in line with engineering reality, and the optimization results are more reliable and accurate. BIM technology can accurately and quickly obtain project parameters and resource information, solving problems such as complex processes in super deep excavation and huge engineering data statistics. The genetic algorithm can efficiently and accurately search for the optimal solution within the global domain. This study combines BIM technology with the genetic algorithm to solve the dynamic optimization problem of construction period cost for deep and large foundation pits. The research results of this study provide a theoretical reference for the optimization of schedule cost for similar projects.

This paper presents a crowding niche cellular genetic algorithm (referred to NCGA) aiming at solving the problems of local convergence and non-uniform population distribution in traditional genetic algorithm. The selecting operation in traditional genetic algorithm is improved by bringing in the concept of neighbors of cellular genetic algorithm, and the population distribution is greatly enhanced by introducing crowding niche mechanism, which betters the ability of global searching and helps to avoid the population local convergence. Meanwhile, the paper describes the crowding niche cellular genetic algorithm in details and compares it with simple genetic algorithm （SGA） and simple niche genetic algorithm （NGA）; the comparison results reveal that, NCGA outperforms the other two algorithms in terms of convergence rate and population diversity.

With the development of science and technology, there has been growing the grid size, the growing demand for electricity and the extent of increasing the electricity market.In this paper, a mathematical morphology and genetic algorithm based dynamic reactive power optimization method for distribution network is proposed.By means of constructing mathematical morphology filter, the binary image composed by allelic genes of chromosome is filtered and the problem that deals with the action times of voltage regulating devices for compensation is turned into filtering problem of discrete binary image.With further automate scheduling, distribution automation and unmanned substation reactive power optimization of distribution line running made an urgent request.Reactive power optimization can improve the voltage passing rate, increasing the reliability of the system, the power quality, and the system runs the security and economy of the perfect combination, very broad application prospects.

A new genetic algorithm (GA), called intelligent GA, is proposed by the inclusion of a fractional factorial design in the crossover operator to determine the best combination of design variables. That is, in the proposed GA, the chromosomes of children are generated via an intelligent crossover process with factorial experiments after completing the selection of GA operators. This gene mating process differs from the traditional GA, where the child chromosome is generally generated via randomization. Accordingly, the traditional GA incorporating the technique of fractional factorial design into the crossover operator markedly enhances the performance in terms of evolutionary efficiency. Another GA, called Taguchi-GA, that incorporates the Taguchi orthogonal arrays into the crossover operator is also developed to compare the performance of the presented intelligent GA. Four representative test cases, including two multimodal functions, a nonlinear dynamic control function, and a profile fitting of a high lift airfoil are performed via the traditional GA, micro-GA, Taguchi-GA, and present GA to assess the capacity and efficiency of the proposed GA. The computational solutions of the convergence history and optimal objective function for the test cases demonstrate that the proposed intelligent GA outperforms the other three GAs. Moreover, the presented new intelligent GA and the other three GAs are applied to the aerodynamic optimization of two airplanes, namely, an advanced defense airplane and an F-16A fighter. The redesigned wing planform is obtained by computations made with an aerodynamic flow solver, and the present GA depicts the optimal swept angle, aspect ratio, and taper ratio. The drag distribution and convergence history show that the proposed intelligent GA has a high evolutionary efficiency when applied to practical engineering problems.

Solving the green reverse logistics problem in e-commerce using a reinforcement learning based genetic algorithm

The timetabling problem is well known to be an NP-complete combinatorial problem. The problem becomes even more complex when addressed to individual timetables of students. The core of dealing with the problem in this application is a timetable builder based on mixed direct-indirect encoding evolved by a genetic algorithm with a self-adaptation paradigm, where the parameters of the genetic algorithm are optimized during the same evolution cycle as the problem itself. The aim of this paper is to present an encoding for self-adaptation of genetic algorithms that is suitable for timetabling problems. Compared to previous approaches we designed the encoding for self-adaptation of not only one parameter or several ones but for all possible parameters of genetic algorithms at the same time. The proposed self-adaptive genetic algorithm is then applied for solving the real university timetabling problem and compared with a standard genetic algorithm. The main advantage of this approach is that it makes it possible to solve a wide range of timetabling and scheduling problems without setting parameters for each kind of problem in advance. Unlike common timetabling problems, the algorithm was applied to the problem in which each student has an individual timetable, so we also present and discuss the algorithm for optimized enrollment of students that minimizes the number of clashing constraints for students.

To overcome the disadvantages of traditional genetic algorithms, which easily fall to local optima, this paper proposes a hybrid genetic algorithm based on information entropy and game theory. First, a calculation of the species diversity of the initial population is conducted according to the information entropy by combining parallel genetic algorithms, including using the standard genetic algorithm (SGA), partial genetic algorithm (PGA) and syncretic hybrid genetic algorithm based on both SGA and PGA for evolutionary operations. Furthermore, with parallel nodes, complete-information game operations are implemented to achieve an optimum for the entire population based on the values of both the information entropy and the fitness of each subgroup population. Additionally, the Rosenbrock, Rastrigin and Schaffer functions are introduced to analyse the performance of different algorithms. The results show that compared with traditional genetic algorithms, the proposed algorithm performs better, with higher optimization ability, solution accuracy, and stability and a superior convergence rate.

Integrating forecasting in metaheuristic methods to solve dynamic routing problems: Evidence from the logistic processes of tuna vessels

Based on cerebellar model articulation controller (CMAC), this paper attempts to propose a new chromosome representation scheme for representing real number parameters in genetic algorithms (GAs), which is termed CMAC-based GAs. The central idea of CMAC-based GAs is that each memory unit in a CMAC network is regarded as a real-valued gene in GAs. By this way, a chromosome is represented as those memory units addressed by a specific state and each gene involves partial information about a potential solution, not a potential solution as the conventional GAs. In addition, the corresponding crossover and mutation operators are also derived for the proposed GAs. The proposed CMAC-based GAs is applied to optimize the parameters of the proportional-integral-derivative controller. Simulation results are compared with several previous findings to demonstrate the search performance of the proposed method.

Improved random selection strategy, self-adaptive crossover and mutation operators, population co-evolution algorithm are adopted in this paper to set up a new genetic algorithm(GA), guaranteeing the universality of population, the thoroughness of solution and the execution efficiency of algorithm in solving multi-process, process crossover, work-piece flow and other condition based scheduling problem of flexible manufacturing system(FMS). The problem of GA in solving FMS scheduling is summarized in this paper, reasons and countermeasures for GA's pre-maturing are studied, longitudinal and transverse comprehensive state-based correlative self-adaptive crossover and mutation operators are raised according to the analysis on GA to avoid local optimization and pre-maturity, the co-evolutionary GA is designed to solve the scheduling model for FMS, and the algorithm is validated for the scheduling of box-type parts for precise machine tools.

Genetic algorithm is heuristic searching algorithm which based on nature selection of mechanism and nature genetic. The basic concept that inspires the genetic algorithm is that evolution theory. In the process of searching the best solution on classic genetic algorithm often occurs optimum local. Optimum local is a common problem which is often occurs in genetic algorithm, and one of the reasons is that because of the population diversity. If population diversity is too low is led to optimum local, and if it is too high caused more times to look for the best solution. Mutation operator plays an important role in the process of genetic algorithm to manage that population diversity and an important element of mutation operator is mutation rate. On classic genetic algorithm that mutation rate is set in the beginning while the process of genetic algorithm depends on how many generations are. Therefore is needed to control mutation rate in generation. Controlling mutation operator, especially mutation rate based on Fuzzy Logic Controller (FLC) to manage population diversity, not too high or too low, in order to get optimal result. Evaluation is done 10 times execution by comparing the performance of standard genetic algorithm (GA), IAG and genetic algorithm based on Fuzzy Logic Controller (FLC) and experimental results show that there is an improvement on genetic algorithm performance based on FLC. Keywords: Genetic Algorithm, Fuzzy Logic Controller (FLC), Mutation Rate

Aiming at the single-guided path network in e-commerce storage system, we proposed an improved genetic algorithm. The model considered loaded travel distance searched by Dijkstra and A* algorithm, and the guide-path network was preprocessed to reduce the complexity of the algorithm. The genetic algorithm used binary coding, which chromosome represented the direction of the path and adopted the Hamming distance to maintain population diversity when forming a new generation of populations. In order to improve the convergence speed of genetic algorithm, neighborhood search operations were added after selection, crossover, and mutation. Experimental results showed that the improved algorithm had better overall performance compared with the traditional genetic algorithm.

Genetic Algorithms (GAs), a successful approach for optimization problems, usually fail when employed in the standard configuration in the protein structure prediction problem, since the solution space is very large and the population converges before a reasonable percentage of the possible solutions is explored. Thus, this work investigates the effect of increasing the diversity of the population on this problem by using Hypermutation and Random Immigrants, two traditional population diversity control schemes, in the structure prediction of the proteins Crambin (PDB 1CRN), Met-Enkephalin (PDB 1PLW), and DNA-Ligand (PDB 1ENH). Results show a significant reduction of the minimal energy found, thanks to the diversity, but this does not necessarily means a higher similarity to the original structure. Keywords: evolutionary computing, genetic algorithms, hypermutation, random immigrants, protein structure prediction.