An Immune-Inspired Approach with Interval Allocation in Solving Multimodal Multi-Objective Optimization Problems with Local Pareto Sets

In practical engineering,multi-objective optimization often encounters situations where multiple Pareto sets(PS)in the decision space correspond to the same Pareto front(PF)in the objective space,known as Multi-Modal Multi-Objective Optimization Problems(MMOP).Locating multiple equivalent global PSs poses a significant challenge in real-world applications,especially considering the existence of local PSs.Effectively identifying and locating both global and local PSs is a major challenge.To tackle this issue,we introduce an immune-inspired reproduction strategy designed to produce more offspring in less crowded,promising regions and regulate the number of offspring in areas that have been thoroughly explored.This approach achieves a balanced trade-off between exploration and exploitation.Furthermore,we present an interval allocation strategy that adaptively assigns fitness levels to each antibody.This strategy ensures a broader survival margin for solutions in their initial stages and progressively amplifies the differences in individual fitness values as the population matures,thus fostering better population convergence.Additionally,we incorporate a multi-population mechanism that precisely manages each subpopulation through the interval allocation strategy,ensuring the preservation of both global and local PSs.Experimental results on 21 test problems,encompassing both global and local PSs,are compared with eight state-of-the-art multimodal multi-objective optimization algorithms.The results demonstrate the effectiveness of our proposed algorithm in simultaneously identifying global Pareto sets and locally high-quality PSs.

Even Search in a Promising Region for Constrained Multi-Objective Optimization

In recent years, a large number of approaches to constrained multi-objective optimization problems(CMOPs) have been proposed, focusing on developing tweaked strategies and techniques for handling constraints. However, an overly finetuned strategy or technique might overfit some problem types,resulting in a lack of versatility. In this article, we propose a generic search strategy that performs an even search in a promising region. The promising region, determined by obtained feasible non-dominated solutions, possesses two general properties.First, the constrained Pareto front(CPF) is included in the promising region. Second, as the number of feasible solutions increases or the convergence performance(i.e., approximation to the CPF) of these solutions improves, the promising region shrinks. Then we develop a new strategy named even search,which utilizes the non-dominated solutions to accelerate convergence and escape from local optima, and the feasible solutions under a constraint relaxation condition to exploit and detect feasible regions. Finally, a diversity measure is adopted to make sure that the individuals in the population evenly cover the valuable areas in the promising region. Experimental results on 45 instances from four benchmark test suites and 14 real-world CMOPs have demonstrated that searching evenly in the promising region can achieve competitive performance and excellent versatility compared to 11 most state-of-the-art methods tailored for CMOPs.

Energy-Saving Distributed Flexible Job Shop Scheduling Optimization with Dual Resource Constraints Based on Integrated Q-Learning Multi-Objective Grey Wolf Optimizer

The distributed flexible job shop scheduling problem(DFJSP)has attracted great attention with the growth of the global manufacturing industry.General DFJSP research only considers machine constraints and ignores worker constraints.As one critical factor of production,effective utilization of worker resources can increase productivity.Meanwhile,energy consumption is a growing concern due to the increasingly serious environmental issues.Therefore,the distributed flexible job shop scheduling problem with dual resource constraints(DFJSP-DRC)for minimizing makespan and total energy consumption is studied in this paper.To solve the problem,we present a multi-objective mathematical model for DFJSP-DRC and propose a Q-learning-based multi-objective grey wolf optimizer(Q-MOGWO).In Q-MOGWO,high-quality initial solutions are generated by a hybrid initialization strategy,and an improved active decoding strategy is designed to obtain the scheduling schemes.To further enhance the local search capability and expand the solution space,two wolf predation strategies and three critical factory neighborhood structures based on Q-learning are proposed.These strategies and structures enable Q-MOGWO to explore the solution space more efficiently and thus find better Pareto solutions.The effectiveness of Q-MOGWO in addressing DFJSP-DRC is verified through comparison with four algorithms using 45 instances.The results reveal that Q-MOGWO outperforms comparison algorithms in terms of solution quality.

A Survey of Evolutionary Algorithms for Multi-Objective Optimization Problems With Irregular Pareto Fronts

Evolutionary algorithms have been shown to be very successful in solving multi-objective optimization problems(MOPs).However,their performance often deteriorates when solving MOPs with irregular Pareto fronts.To remedy this issue,a large body of research has been performed in recent years and many new algorithms have been proposed.This paper provides a comprehensive survey of the research on MOPs with irregular Pareto fronts.We start with a brief introduction to the basic concepts,followed by a summary of the benchmark test problems with irregular problems,an analysis of the causes of the irregularity,and real-world optimization problems with irregular Pareto fronts.Then,a taxonomy of the existing methodologies for handling irregular problems is given and representative algorithms are reviewed with a discussion of their strengths and weaknesses.Finally,open challenges are pointed out and a few promising future directions are suggested.

CHARACTERIZATION OF EFFICIENT SOLUTIONS FOR MULTI-OBJECTIVE OPTIMIZATION PROBLEMS INVOLVING SEMI-STRONG AND GENERALIZED SEMI-STRONG E-CONVEXITY

The authors of this article are interested in characterization of efficient solutions for special classes of problems. These classes consider semi-strong E-convexity of involved functions. Sufficient and necessary conditions for a feasible solution to be an efficient or properly efficient solution are obtained.

Novel electromagnetism-like mechanism method for multiobjective optimization problems

As a new-style stochastic algorithm, the electromagnetism-like mechanism（EM） method gains more and more attention from many researchers in recent years. A novel model based on EM（NMEM） for multiobjective optimization problems is proposed, which regards the charge of all particles as the constraints in the current population and the measure of the uniformity of non-dominated solutions as the objective function. The charge of the particle is evaluated based on the dominated concept, and its magnitude determines the direction of a force between two particles. Numerical studies are carried out on six complex test functions and the experimental results demonstrate that the proposed NMEM algorithm is a very robust method for solving the multiobjective optimization problems.

Enhancing Evolutionary Algorithms With Pattern Mining for Sparse Large-Scale Multi-Objective Optimization Problems

Sparse large-scale multi-objective optimization problems(SLMOPs)are common in science and engineering.However,the large-scale problem represents the high dimensionality of the decision space,requiring algorithms to traverse vast expanse with limited computational resources.Furthermore,in the context of sparse,most variables in Pareto optimal solutions are zero,making it difficult for algorithms to identify non-zero variables efficiently.This paper is dedicated to addressing the challenges posed by SLMOPs.To start,we introduce innovative objective functions customized to mine maximum and minimum candidate sets.This substantial enhancement dramatically improves the efficacy of frequent pattern mining.In this way,selecting candidate sets is no longer based on the quantity of nonzero variables they contain but on a higher proportion of nonzero variables within specific dimensions.Additionally,we unveil a novel approach to association rule mining,which delves into the intricate relationships between non-zero variables.This novel methodology aids in identifying sparse distributions that can potentially expedite reductions in the objective function value.We extensively tested our algorithm across eight benchmark problems and four real-world SLMOPs.The results demonstrate that our approach achieves competitive solutions across various challenges.

A new evolutionary algorithm for constrained optimization problems

To solve single-objective constrained optimization problems,a new population-based evolutionary algorithm with elite strategy(PEAES) is proposed with the concept of single and multi-objective optimization.Constrained functions are combined to be an objective function.During the evolutionary process,the current optimal solution is found and treated as the reference point to divide the population into three sub-populations:one feasible and two infeasible ones.Different evolutionary operations of single or multi-objective optimization are respectively performed in each sub-population with elite strategy.Thirteen famous benchmark functions are selected to evaluate the performance of PEAES in comparison of other three optimization methods.The results show the proposed method is valid in efficiency,precision and probability for solving single-objective constrained optimization problems.

Non-dominated Sorting Advanced Butterfly Optimization Algorithm for Multi-objective Problems

This paper uses the Butterfly Optimization Algorithm(BOA)with dominated sorting and crowding distance mechanisms to solve multi-objective optimization problems.There is also an improvement to the original version of BOA to alleviate its drawbacks before extending it into a multi-objective version.Due to better coverage and a well-distributed Pareto front,non-dominant rankings are applied to the modified BOA using the crowding distance strategy.Seven benchmark functions and eight real-world problems have been used to test the performance of multi-objective non-dominated advanced BOA(MONSBOA),including unconstrained,constrained,and real-world design multiple-objective,highly nonlinear constraint problems.Various performance metrics,such as Generational Distance(GD),Inverted Generational Distance(IGD),Maximum Spread(MS),and Spacing(S),have been used for performance comparison.It is demonstrated that the new MONSBOA algorithm is better than the compared algorithms in more than 80%occasions in solving problems with a variety of linear,nonlinear,continuous,and discrete characteristics based on the Pareto front when compared quantitatively.From all the analysis,it may be concluded that the suggested MONSBOA is capable of producing high-quality Pareto fronts with very competitive results with rapid convergence.

A Multi-Objective Optimal Evolutionary Algorithm Based on Tree-Ranking

Multi-objective optimal evolutionary algorithms (MOEAs) are a kind of new effective algorithms to solve Multi-objective optimal problem (MOP). Because ranking, a method which is used by most MOEAs to solve MOP, has some shortcoming s, in this paper, we proposed a new method using tree structure to express the relationship of solutions. Experiments prove that the method can reach the Pare-to front, retain the diversity of the population, and use less time.

Time variant multi-objective linear fractional interval-valued transportation problem

This paper studies a time-variant multi-objective linear fractional transportation problem. In reality, transported goods should reach in destinations within a specific time. Considering the importance of time, a time-variant multi-objective linear fractional transportation problem is formulated here. We take into account the parameters as cost, supply and demand are interval valued that involved in the proposed model, so we treat the model as a multi-objective linear fractional interval transportation problem. To solve the formulated model, we first convert it into a deterministic form using a new transformation technique and then apply fuzzy programming to solve it. The applicability of our proposed method is shown by considering two numerical examples. At last, conclusions and future research directions regarding our study is included.

A Multi-Objective Scheduling and Routing Problem for Home Health Care Services via Brain Storm Optimization

At present,home health care(HHC)has been accepted as an effective method for handling the healthcare problems of the elderly.The HHC scheduling and routing problem(HHCSRP)attracts wide concentration from academia and industrial communities.This work proposes an HHCSRP considering several care centers,where a group of customers(i.e.,patients and the elderly)require being assigned to care centers.Then,various kinds of services are provided by caregivers for customers in different regions.By considering the skill matching,customers’appointment time,and caregivers’workload balancing,this article formulates an optimization model with multiple objectives to achieve minimal service cost and minimal delay cost.To handle it,we then introduce a brain storm optimization method with particular multi-objective search mechanisms(MOBSO)via combining with the features of the investigated HHCSRP.Moreover,we perform experiments to test the effectiveness of the designed method.Via comparing the MOBSO with two excellent optimizers,the results confirm that the developed method has significant superiority in addressing the considered HHCSRP.

Solving Multi-Area Environmental/Economic Dispatch by Pareto-Based Chemical-Reaction Optimization Algorithm

In this study, we present a Pareto-based chemicalreaction optimization(PCRO) algorithm for solving the multiarea environmental/economic dispatch optimization problems.Two objectives are minimized simultaneously, i.e., total fuel cost and emission. In the proposed algorithm, each solution is represented by a chemical molecule. A novel encoding mechanism for solving the multi-area environmental/economic dispatch optimization problems is designed to dynamically enhance the performance of the proposed algorithm. Then, an ensemble of effective neighborhood approaches is developed, and a selfadaptive neighborhood structure selection mechanism is also embedded in PCRO to increase the search ability while maintaining population diversity. In addition, a grid-based crowding distance strategy is introduced, which can obviously enable the algorithm to easily converge near the Pareto front. Furthermore,a kinetic-energy-based search procedure is developed to enhance the global search ability. Finally, the proposed algorithm is tested on sets of the instances that are generated based on realistic production. Through the analysis of experimental results, the highly effective performance of the proposed PCRO algorithm is favorably compared with several algorithms, with regards to both solution quality and diversity.

Method of Searching for Earthquake Disaster Evacuation Routes Using Multi-Objective GA and GIS

This study treats the determination of routes for evacuation on foot in earthquake disasters as a multi-objective optimization problem, and aims to propose a method for quantitatively searching for evacuation routes using a multi-objective genetic algorithm (multi-objective GA) and GIS. The conclusions can be summarized in the following three points. 1) A GA was used to design and create an evacuation route search algorithm which solves the problem of the optimization of earthquake disaster evacuation routes by treating it as an optimization problem with multiple objectives, such as evacuation distance and evacuation time. 2) In this method, goodness of fit is set by using a Pareto ranking method to determine the ranking of individuals based on their relative superiorities and inferiorities. 3) In this method, searching for evacuation routes based on the information on present conditions allows evacuation routes to be derived based on present building and road locations.?Further, this method is based on publicly available information;therefore, obtaining geographic information similar to that of this study enables this method to be effective regardless of what region it is applied to, or whether the data regards the past or the future. Therefore, this method has high degree of spatial and temporal reproducibility.

Improved MOEA/D for Dynamic Weapon-Target Assignment Problem

Conducting reasonable weapon-target assignment( WTA) with near real time can bring the maximum awards with minimum costs which are especially significant in the modern war. A framework of dynamic WTA( DWTA) model based on a series of staged static WTA( SWTA) models is established where dynamic factors including time window of target and time window of weapon are considered in the staged SWTA model. Then,a hybrid algorithm for the staged SWTA named Decomposition-Based Dynamic Weapon-target Assignment( DDWTA) is proposed which is based on the framework of multi-objective evolutionary algorithm based on decomposition( MOEA / D) with two major improvements: one is the coding based on constraint of resource to generate the feasible solutions, and the other is the tabu search strategy to speed up the convergence.Comparative experiments prove that the proposed algorithm is capable of obtaining a well-converged and well diversified set of solutions on a problem instance and meets the time demand in the battlefield environment.

GREEDY NON-DOMINATED SORTING IN GENETIC ALGORITHM-ⅡFOR VEHICLE ROUTING PROBLEM IN DISTRIBUTION

Vehicle routing problem in distribution （VRPD） is a widely used type of vehicle routing problem （VRP）, which has been proved as NP-Hard, and it is usually modeled as single objective optimization problem when modeling. For multi-objective optimization model, most researches consider two objectives. A multi-objective mathematical model for VRP is proposed, which considers the number of vehicles used, the length of route and the time arrived at each client. Genetic algorithm is one of the most widely used algorithms to solve VRP. As a type of genetic algorithm （GA）, non-dominated sorting in genetic algorithm-Ⅱ （NSGA-Ⅱ） also suffers from premature convergence and enclosure competition. In order to avoid these kinds of shortage, a greedy NSGA-Ⅱ （GNSGA-Ⅱ） is proposed for VRP problem. Greedy algorithm is implemented in generating the initial population, cross-over and mutation. All these procedures ensure that NSGA-Ⅱ is prevented from premature convergence and refine the performance of NSGA-Ⅱ at each step. In the distribution problem of a distribution center in Michigan, US, the GNSGA-Ⅱ is compared with NSGA-Ⅱ. As a result, the GNSGA-Ⅱ is the most efficient one and can get the most optimized solution to VRP problem. Also, in GNSGA-Ⅱ, premature convergence is better avoided and search efficiency has been improved sharply.

Improved hybrid Strength Pareto Evolutionary Algorithms for multi-objective optimization

Purpose–The purpose of this paper is to design an improved multi-objective algorithm with better spread and convergence than some current algorithms.The proposed application is for engineering design problems.Design/methodology/approach–This study proposes two novel approaches which focus on faster convergence to the Pareto front(PF)while adopting the advantages of Strength Pareto Evolutionary Algorithm-2(SPEA2)for better spread.In first method,decision variables corresponding to the optima of individual objective functions(Utopia Point)are strategically used to guide the search toward PF.In second method,boundary points of the PF are calculated and their decision variables are seeded to the initial population.Findings–The proposed methods are tested with a wide range of constrained and unconstrained multi-objective test functions using standard performance metrics.Performance evaluation demonstrates the superiority of proposed algorithms over well-known existing algorithms(such as NSGA-II and SPEA2)and recent ones such as NSLS and E-NSGA-II in most of the benchmark functions.It is also tested on an engineering design problem and compared with a currently used algorithm.Practical implications–The algorithms are intended to be used for practical engineering design problems which have many variables and conflicting objectives.A complex example of Welded Beam has been shown at the end of the paper.Social implications–The algorithm would be useful for many design problems and social/industrial problems with conflicting objectives.Originality/value–This paper presents two novel hybrid algorithms involving SPEA2 based on:local search;and Utopia point directed search principles.This concept has not been investigated before.

基于双分类器辅助进化的多目标优化算法

在昂贵多目标优化问题中,常采用代理辅助进化算法以减少真实目标函数的评估次数,但传统的代理辅助进化算法因代理模型计算复杂而运行时间较长.为缩短运行时间,提出基于双分类器辅助进化的多目标优化算法(DC-MOEA),利用两个随机森林分类器,分别预测解的多样性优劣和解的收敛性优劣,选出同时具备优秀收敛性和多样性的解进行真实评估和环境选择.DC-MOEA对决策变量分类并用分类后的数据训练分类器,降低整体复杂度,减少运行时间.通过仿真试验,利用基准测试函数比较在不同问题上的性能,验证本算法在多样性探索和收敛性增强方面的能力.

山河纵横交错的工业园区能源多目标优化模型

由于山河纵横交错的工业园区受复杂地形影响大,导致其能源配置优化难度高。现面向山河纵横交错工业园区,提出将以园区能源配置成本最低为目标函数构建多目标线性优化模型。该模型既考虑传统的多能源约束条件,如供电系统的线路负荷、供水系统的水管网压降等,还考虑了工业园区复杂地形带来的阻隔限制。实验以某工业园区水电能源数据为输入求解模型,结果表明,所提方法能高效获取山河纵横交错的工业园区能源配置最佳方案。

A hybrid genetic algorithm for multi-objective flexible job shop scheduling problem considering transportation time

Purpose–Flexible job-shop scheduling is significant for different manufacturing industries nowadays.Moreover,consideration of transportation time during scheduling makes it more practical and useful.The purpose of this paper is to investigate multi-objective flexible job-shop scheduling problem(MOFJSP)considering transportation time.Design/methodology/approach–A hybrid genetic algorithm(GA)approach is integrated with simulated annealing to solve the MOFJSP considering transportation time,and an external elitism memory library is employed as a knowledge library to direct GA search into the region of better performance.Findings–The performance of the proposed algorithm is tested on different MOFJSP taken from literature.Experimental results show that proposed algorithm performs better than the original GA in terms of quality of solution and distribution of the solution,especially when the number of jobs and the flexibility of the machine increase.Originality/value–Most of existing studies have not considered the transportation time during scheduling of jobs.The transportation time is significantly desired to be included in the FJSP when the time of transportation of jobs has significant impact on the completion time of jobs.Meanwhile,GA is one of primary algorithms extensively used to address MOFJSP in literature.However,to solve the MOFJSP,the original GA has a possibility to get a premature convergence and it has a slow convergence speed.To overcome these problems,a new hybrid GA is developed in this paper.