Effective Hybrid Teaching-learning-based Optimization Algorithm for Balancing Two-sided Assembly Lines with Multiple Constraints

Due to the NP-hardness of the two-sided assembly line balancing （TALB） problem, multiple constraints existing in real applications are less studied, especially when one task is involved with several constraints. In this paper, an effective hybrid algorithm is proposed to address the TALB problem with multiple constraints （TALB-MC）. Considering the discrete attribute of TALB-MC and the continuous attribute of the standard teaching-learning-based optimization （TLBO） algorithm, the random-keys method is hired in task permutation representation, for the purpose of bridging the gap between them. Subsequently, a special mechanism for handling multiple constraints is developed. In the mechanism, the directions constraint of each task is ensured by the direction check and adjustment. The zoning constraints and the synchronism constraints are satisfied by teasing out the hidden correlations among constraints. The positional constraint is allowed to be violated to some extent in decoding and punished in cost fimction. Finally, with the TLBO seeking for the global optimum, the variable neighborhood search （VNS） is further hybridized to extend the local search space. The experimental results show that the proposed hybrid algorithm outperforms the late acceptance hill-climbing algorithm （LAHC） for TALB-MC in most cases, especially for large-size problems with multiple constraints, and demonstrates well balance between the exploration and the exploitation. This research proposes an effective and efficient algorithm for solving TALB-MC problem by hybridizing the TLBO and VNS.

Constrained Multi-Objective Optimization With Deep Reinforcement Learning Assisted Operator Selection

Solving constrained multi-objective optimization problems with evolutionary algorithms has attracted considerable attention.Various constrained multi-objective optimization evolutionary algorithms(CMOEAs)have been developed with the use of different algorithmic strategies,evolutionary operators,and constraint-handling techniques.The performance of CMOEAs may be heavily dependent on the operators used,however,it is usually difficult to select suitable operators for the problem at hand.Hence,improving operator selection is promising and necessary for CMOEAs.This work proposes an online operator selection framework assisted by Deep Reinforcement Learning.The dynamics of the population,including convergence,diversity,and feasibility,are regarded as the state;the candidate operators are considered as actions;and the improvement of the population state is treated as the reward.By using a Q-network to learn a policy to estimate the Q-values of all actions,the proposed approach can adaptively select an operator that maximizes the improvement of the population according to the current state and thereby improve the algorithmic performance.The framework is embedded into four popular CMOEAs and assessed on 42 benchmark problems.The experimental results reveal that the proposed Deep Reinforcement Learning-assisted operator selection significantly improves the performance of these CMOEAs and the resulting algorithm obtains better versatility compared to nine state-of-the-art CMOEAs.

Multi-objective optimization based optimal setting control for industrial double-stream alumina digestion process

The operation variables,including feed rate of ore slurry,caustic solution and live steams in the double-stream alumina digestion process,determine the product quality,process costs and the environment pollution.Previously,they were set by the technical workers according to the offline analysis results and an empirical formula,which leads to unstable process indices and high consumption frequently.So,a multi-objective optimization model is built to maintain the balance between resource consumptions and process indices by taking technical indices and energy efficiency as objectives,where the key technical indices are predicted based on the digestion kinetics of diaspore.A multi-objective state transition algorithm(MOSTA)is improved to solve the problem,in which a self-adaptive strategy is applied to dynamically adjust the operator factors of the MOSTA and dynamic infeasible threshold is used to handle constraints to enhance searching efficiency and ability of the algorithm.Then a rule based strategy is designed to make the final decision from the Pareto frontiers.The method is integrated into an optimal control system for the industrial digestion process and tested in the actual production.Results show that the proposed method can achieve the technical target while reducing the energy consumption.

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.

An improved multi-objective optimization algorithm for solving flexible job shop scheduling problem with variable batches

In order to solve the flexible job shop scheduling problem with variable batches,we propose an improved multiobjective optimization algorithm,which combines the idea of inverse scheduling.First,a flexible job shop problem with the variable batches scheduling model is formulated.Second,we propose a batch optimization algorithm with inverse scheduling in which the batch size is adjusted by the dynamic feedback batch adjusting method.Moreover,in order to increase the diversity of the population,two methods are developed.One is the threshold to control the neighborhood updating,and the other is the dynamic clustering algorithm to update the population.Finally,a group of experiments are carried out.The results show that the improved multi-objective optimization algorithm can ensure the diversity of Pareto solutions effectively,and has effective performance in solving the flexible job shop scheduling problem with variable batches.

Hyperparameter Tuning for Deep Neural Networks Based Optimization Algorithm

For training the present Neural Network(NN)models,the standard technique is to utilize decaying Learning Rates(LR).While the majority of these techniques commence with a large LR,they will decay multiple times over time.Decaying has been proved to enhance generalization as well as optimization.Other parameters,such as the network’s size,the number of hidden layers,drop-outs to avoid overfitting,batch size,and so on,are solely based on heuristics.This work has proposed Adaptive Teaching Learning Based(ATLB)Heuristic to identify the optimal hyperparameters for diverse networks.Here we consider three architec-tures Recurrent Neural Networks(RNN),Long Short Term Memory(LSTM),Bidirectional Long Short Term Memory(BiLSTM)of Deep Neural Networks for classification.The evaluation of the proposed ATLB is done through the various learning rate schedulers Cyclical Learning Rate(CLR),Hyperbolic Tangent Decay(HTD),and Toggle between Hyperbolic Tangent Decay and Triangular mode with Restarts(T-HTR)techniques.Experimental results have shown the performance improvement on the 20Newsgroup,Reuters Newswire and IMDB dataset.

Multi-objective optimization for draft scheduling of hot strip mill

A multi-objective optimization model for draft scheduling of hot strip mill was presented, rolling power minimizing, rolling force ratio distribution and good strip shape as the objective functions. A multi-objective differential evolution algorithm based on decomposition （MODE/D）. The two-objective and three-objective optimization experiments were performed respectively to demonstrate the optimal solutions of trade-off. The simulation results show that MODE/D can obtain a good Pareto-optimal front, which suggests a series of alternative solutions to draft scheduling. The extreme Pareto solutions are found feasible and the centres of the Pareto fronts give a good compromise. The conflict exists between each two ones of three objectives. The final optimal solution is selected from the Pareto-optimal front by the importance of objectives, and it can achieve a better performance in all objective dimensions than the empirical solutions. Finally, the practical application cases confirm the feasibility of the multi-objective approach, and the optimal solutions can gain a better rolling stability than the empirical solutions, and strip flatness decreases from （0± 63） IU to （0±45） IU in industrial production.

Hybrid heuristic algorithm for multi-objective scheduling problem

This research provides academic and practical contributions. From a theoretical standpoint, a hybrid harmony search(HS)algorithm, namely the oppositional global-based HS(OGHS), is proposed for solving the multi-objective flexible job-shop scheduling problems(MOFJSPs) to minimize makespan, total machine workload and critical machine workload. An initialization program embedded in opposition-based learning(OBL) is developed for enabling the individuals to scatter in a well-distributed manner in the initial harmony memory(HM). In addition, the recursive halving technique based on opposite number is employed for shrinking the neighbourhood space in the searching phase of the OGHS. From a practice-related standpoint, a type of dual vector code technique is introduced for allowing the OGHS algorithm to adapt the discrete nature of the MOFJSP. Two practical techniques, namely Pareto optimality and technique for order preference by similarity to an ideal solution(TOPSIS), are implemented for solving the MOFJSP.Furthermore, the algorithm performance is tested by using different strategies, including OBL and recursive halving, and the OGHS is compared with existing algorithms in the latest studies.Experimental results on representative examples validate the performance of the proposed algorithm for solving the MOFJSP.

Parameter Optimization of Amalgamated Al2O3-40% TiO2 Atmospheric Plasma Spray Coating on SS304 Substrate Using TLBO Algorithm

SS304 is a commercial grade stainless steel which is used for various engineering applications like shafts, guides, jigs, fixtures, etc. Ceramic coating of the wear areas of such parts is a regular practice which significantly enhances the Mean Time Between Failure (MTBF). The final coating quality depends mainly on the coating thickness, surface roughness and hardness which ultimately decides the life. This paper presents an experimental study to effectively optimize the Atmospheric Plasma Spray (APS) process input parameters of Al2O3-40% TiO2 ceramic coatings to get the best quality of coating on commercial SS304 substrate. The experiments are conducted with a three-level L18 Orthogonal Array (OA) Design of Experiments (DoE). Critical input parameters considered are: spray nozzle distance, substrate rotating speed, current of the arc, carrier gas flow and coating powder flow rate. The surface roughness, coating thickness and hardness are considered as the output parameters. Mathematical models are generated using regression analysis for individual output parameters. The Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) method is applied to generate weights for the individual objective functions and a combined objective function is generated. An advanced optimization method, Teaching-Learning-Based Optimization algorithm (TLBO), is applied to the combined objective function to optimize the values of input parameters to get the best output parameters and confirmation tests are conducted based on that. The significant effects of spray parameters on surface roughness, coating thickness and coating hardness are studied in detail.

Optimization of multi-objective integrated process planning and scheduling problem using a priority based optimization algorithm

For increasing the overall performance of modem manufacturing systems, effective integration of process planning and scheduling functions has been an important area of consideration among researchers. Owing to the complexity of handling process planning and scheduling simultaneously, most of the research work has been limited to solving the integrated process planning and scheduling （IPPS） problem for a single objective function. As there are many conflicting objectives when dealing with process planning and scheduling, real world problems cannot be fully captured considering only a single objective for optimization. Therefore considering multi-objective IPPS （MOIPPS） problem is inevitable. Unfortunately, only a handful of research papers are available on solving MOIPPS problem. In this paper, an optimization algorithm for solving MOIPPS problem is presented. The proposed algorithm uses a set of dispatch- ing rules coupled with priority assignment to optimize the IPPS problem for various objectives like makespan, total machine load, total tardiness, etc. A fixed sized external archive coupled with a crowding distance mechanism is used to store and maintain the non-dominated solutions. To compare the results with other algorithms, a C-matric based method has been used. Instances from four recent papers have been solved to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm. The experimental results show that the proposed method is an efficient approach for solving the MOIPPS problem.

An integrated framework utilizing machine learning to accelerate the optimization of energy-efficient urban block forms

Urban block form significantly impacts energy and environmental performance.Therefore,optimizing urban block design in the early stages contributes to enhancing urban energy efficiency and environmental sustainability.However,widely used multi-objective optimization methods based on performance simulation face the challenges of high computational loads and low efficiency.This study introduces a framework using machine learning,especially the XGBoost model,to accelerate multi-objective optimization of energy-efficient urban block forms.A residential block in Nanjing serves as the case study.The framework commences with a parametric block form model driven by design variables,focusing on minimizing building energy consumption(EUI),maximizing photovoltaic energy generation(PVE)and outdoor sunlight hours(SH).Data generated through Latin Hypercube Sampling and performance simulations inform the model training.Through training and hyperparameter tuning,XGBoost’s predictive accuracy was validated against artificial neural network(ANN),support vector machine(SVM),and random forest(RF)models.Subsequently,XGBoost replaced traditional performance simulations,conducting multi-objective optimization via the NSGA-II algorithm.Results showcase the framework’s significant acceleration of the optimization process,improving computational efficiency by over 420 times and producing 185 Pareto optimal solutions with improved performance metrics.SHAP analysis highlighted shape factor(SF),building density(BD),and building orientation(BO)as key morphological parameters influencing EUI,PVE,and SH.This study presents an efficient approach to energy-efficient urban block design,contributing valuable insights for sustainable urban development.

A Multi-Period Constrained Multi-Objective Evolutionary Algorithm with Orthogonal Learning for Solving the Complex Carbon Neutral Stock Portfolio Optimization Model

Financial market has systemic complexity and uncertainty.For investors,return and risk often coexist.How to rationally allocate funds into different assets and achieve excess returns with effectively controlling risk are main problems to be solved in the field of portfolio optimization(PO).At present,due to the influence of modeling and algorithm solving,the PO models established by many researchers are still mainly focused on single-stage single-objective models or single-stage multiobjective models.PO is actually considered as a multi-stage multi-objective optimization problem in real investment scenarios.It is more difficult than the previous single-stage PO model for meeting the realistic requirements.In this paper,the authors proposed a mean-improved stable tail adjusted return ratio-maximum drawdown rate(M-ISTARR-MD)PO model which effectively characterizes the real investment scenario.In order to solve the multi-stage multi-objective PO model with complex multi-constraints,the authors designed a multi-stage constrained multi-objective evolutionary algorithm with orthogonal learning(MSCMOEA-OL).Comparing with four well-known intelligence algorithms,the MSCMOEA-OL algorithm has competitive advantages in solving the M-ISTARR-MD model on the proposed constructed carbon neutral stock dataset.This paper provides a new way to construct and solve the complex PO model.

An Adaptive Classifier Based Approach for Crowd Anomaly Detection

Crowd Anomaly Detection has become a challenge in intelligent video surveillance system and security.Intelligent video surveillance systems make extensive use of data mining,machine learning and deep learning methods.In this paper a novel approach is proposed to identify abnormal occurrences in crowded situations using deep learning.In this approach,Adaptive GoogleNet Neural Network Classifier with Multi-Objective Whale Optimization Algorithm are applied to predict the abnormal video frames in the crowded scenes.We use multiple instance learning(MIL)to dynamically develop a deep anomalous ranking framework.This technique predicts higher anomalous values for abnormal video frames by treating regular and irregular video bags and video sections.We use the multi-objective whale optimization algorithm to optimize the entire process and get the best results.The performance parameters such as accuracy,precision,recall,and F-score are considered to evaluate the proposed technique using the Python simulation tool.Our simulation results show that the proposed method performs better than the conventional methods on the public live video dataset.

An Experimental Investigation into the Amalgamated Al2O3-40% TiO2 Atmospheric Plasma Spray Coating Process on EN24 Substrate and Parameter Optimization Using TLBO

Surface coating is a critical procedure in the case of maintenance engineering. Ceramic coating of the wear areas is of the best practice which substantially enhances the Mean Time between Failure (MTBF). EN24 is a commercial grade alloy which is used for various industrial applications like sleeves, nuts, bolts, shafts, etc. EN24 is having comparatively low corrosion resistance, and ceramic coating of the wear and corroding areas of such parts is a best followed practice which highly improves the frequent failures. The coating quality mainly depends on the coating thickness, surface roughness and coating hardness which finally decides the operability. This paper describes an experimental investigation to effectively optimize the Atmospheric Plasma Spray process input parameters of Al2O3-40% TiO2 coatings to get the best quality of coating on EN24 alloy steel substrate. The experiments are conducted with an Orthogonal Array (OA) design of experiments (DoE). In the current experiment, critical input parameters are considered and some of the vital output parameters are monitored accordingly and separate mathematical models are generated using regression analysis. The Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) method is used to generate weights for the individual objective functions and based on that, a combined objective function is made. An advanced optimization method, Teaching-Learning-Based Optimization algorithm (TLBO), is practically utilized to the combined objective function to optimize the values of input parameters to get the best output parameters. Confirmation tests are also conducted and their output results are compared with predicted values obtained through mathematical models. The dominating effects of Al2O3-40% TiO2 spray parameters on output parameters: surface roughness, coating thickness and coating hardness are discussed in detail. It is concluded that the input parameters variation directly affects the characteristics of output parameters and any number of input as well as output parameters can be easily optimized using the current approach.

Multi-objective evolutionary optimization for hardware-aware neural network pruning

Neural network pruning is a popular approach to reducing the computational complexity of deep neural networks.In recent years,as growing evidence shows that conventional network pruning methods employ inappropriate proxy metrics,and as new types of hardware become increasingly available,hardware-aware network pruning that incorporates hardware characteristics in the loop of network pruning has gained growing attention,Both network accuracy and hardware efficiency(latency,memory consumption,etc.)are critical objectives to the success of network pruning,but the conflict between the multiple objectives makes it impossible to find a single optimal solution.Previous studies mostly convert the hardware-aware network pruning to optimization problems with a single objective.In this paper,we propose to solve the hardware-aware network pruning problem with Multi-Objective Evolutionary Algorithms(MOEAs).Specifically,we formulate the problem as a multi-objective optimization problem,and propose a novel memetic MOEA,namely HAMP,that combines an efficient portfoliobased selection and a surrogate-assisted local search,to solve it.Empirical studies demonstrate the potential of MOEAs in providing simultaneously a set of alternative solutions and the superiority of HAMP compared to the state-of-the-art hardware-aware network pruning method.

DeepSurNet-NSGA II:Deep Surrogate Model-Assisted Multi-Objective Evolutionary Algorithm for Enhancing Leg Linkage in Walking Robots

This research paper presents a comprehensive investigation into the effectiveness of the DeepSurNet-NSGA II(Deep Surrogate Model-Assisted Non-dominated Sorting Genetic Algorithm II)for solving complex multiobjective optimization problems,with a particular focus on robotic leg-linkage design.The study introduces an innovative approach that integrates deep learning-based surrogate models with the robust Non-dominated Sorting Genetic Algorithm II,aiming to enhance the efficiency and precision of the optimization process.Through a series of empirical experiments and algorithmic analyses,the paper demonstrates a high degree of correlation between solutions generated by the DeepSurNet-NSGA II and those obtained from direct experimental methods,underscoring the algorithm’s capability to accurately approximate the Pareto-optimal frontier while significantly reducing computational demands.The methodology encompasses a detailed exploration of the algorithm’s configuration,the experimental setup,and the criteria for performance evaluation,ensuring the reproducibility of results and facilitating future advancements in the field.The findings of this study not only confirm the practical applicability and theoretical soundness of the DeepSurNet-NSGA II in navigating the intricacies of multi-objective optimization but also highlight its potential as a transformative tool in engineering and design optimization.By bridging the gap between complex optimization challenges and achievable solutions,this research contributes valuable insights into the optimization domain,offering a promising direction for future inquiries and technological innovations.

A self-learning TLBO based dynamic economic/environmental dispatch considering multiple plug-in electric vehicle loads

Economic and environmental load dispatch aims to determine the amount of electricity generated from power plants to meet load demand while minimizing fossil fuel costs and air pollution emissions subject to operational and licensing requirements.These two scheduling problems are commonly formulated with non-smooth cost functions respectively considering various effects and constraints,such as the valve point effect,power balance and ramprate limits.The expected increase in plug-in electric vehicles is likely to see a significant impact on the power system due to high charging power consumption and significant uncertainty in charging times.In this paper,multiple electric vehicle charging profiles are comparatively integrated into a 24-hour load demand in an economic and environment dispatch model.Self-learning teaching-learning based optimization(TLBO)is employed to solve the non-convex non-linear dispatch problems.Numerical results onwell-known benchmark functions,as well as test systems with different scales of generation units show the significance of the new scheduling method.

Optimal Site and Size of Distributed Generation Allocation in Radial Distribution Network Using Multi-objective Optimization

Distributed generation(DG)allocation in the distribution network is generally a multi-objective optimization problem.The maximum benefits of DG injection in the distribution system highly depend on the selection of an appropriate number of DGs and their capacity along with the best location.In this paper,the improved decomposition based evolutionary algorithm(I-DBEA)is used for the selection of optimal number,capacity and site of DG in order to minimize real power losses and voltage deviation,and to maximize the voltage stability index.The proposed I-DBEA technique has the ability to incorporate non-linear,nonconvex and mixed-integer variable problems and it is independent of local extrema trappings.In order to validate the effectiveness of the proposed technique,IEEE 33-bus,69-bus,and 119-bus standard radial distribution networks are considered.Furthermore,the choice of optimal number of DGs in the distribution system is also investigated.The simulation results of the proposed method are compared with the existing methods.The comparison shows that the proposed method has the ability to get the multi-objective optimization of different conflicting objective functions with global optimal values along with the smallest size of DG.

Reinforcement learning based dynamic distributed routing scheme for mega LEO satellite networks

Recently,mega Low Earth Orbit(LEO)Satellite Network(LSN)systems have gained more and more attention due to low latency,broadband communications and global coverage for ground users.One of the primary challenges for LSN systems with inter-satellite links is the routing strategy calculation and maintenance,due to LSN constellation scale and dynamic network topology feature.In order to seek an efficient routing strategy,a Q-learning-based dynamic distributed Routing scheme for LSNs(QRLSN)is proposed in this paper.To achieve low end-toend delay and low network traffic overhead load in LSNs,QRLSN adopts a multi-objective optimization method to find the optimal next hop for forwarding data packets.Experimental results demonstrate that the proposed scheme can effectively discover the initial routing strategy and provide long-term Quality of Service(QoS)optimization during the routing maintenance process.In addition,comparison results demonstrate that QRLSN is superior to the virtual-topology-based shortest path routing algorithm.

A novel hybrid estimation of distribution algorithm for solving hybrid flowshop scheduling problem with unrelated parallel machine

The hybrid flow shop scheduling problem with unrelated parallel machine is a typical NP-hard combinatorial optimization problem, and it exists widely in chemical, manufacturing and pharmaceutical industry. In this work, a novel mathematic model for the hybrid flow shop scheduling problem with unrelated parallel machine(HFSPUPM) was proposed. Additionally, an effective hybrid estimation of distribution algorithm was proposed to solve the HFSPUPM, taking advantage of the features in the mathematic model. In the optimization algorithm, a new individual representation method was adopted. The(EDA) structure was used for global search while the teaching learning based optimization(TLBO) strategy was used for local search. Based on the structure of the HFSPUPM, this work presents a series of discrete operations. Simulation results show the effectiveness of the proposed hybrid algorithm compared with other algorithms.