Enhancement of speech signals separated from their convolutive mixture by FDICA algorithm

This paper presents a novel method for the enhancement of independent components of mixed speech signal segregated by the frequency domain independent component analysis (FDICA) algorithm. The enhancement algorithm proposed here is based on maximum a posteriori (MAP) estimation of the speech spectral components using generalized Gaussian distribution (GGD) function as the statistical model for the time–frequency series of speech (TFSS) signal. The proposed MAP estimator has been used and evaluated as the post-processing stage for the separation of convolutive mixture of speech signals by the fixed-point FDICA algorithm. It has been found that the combination of separation algorithm with the proposed enhancement algorithm provides better separation performance under both the reverberant and non-reverberant conditions.     

A new hybrid feature selection approach using feature association map for supervised and unsupervised classification

Feature selection, both for supervised as well as for unsupervised classification is a relevant problem pursued by researchers for decades. There are multiple benchmark algorithms based on filter, wrapper and hybrid methods. These algorithms adopt different techniques which vary from traditional search-based techniques to more advanced nature inspired algorithm based techniques. In this paper, a hybrid feature selection algorithm using graph-based technique has been proposed. The proposed algorithm has used the concept of Feature Association Map (FAM) as an underlying foundation. It has used graph-theoretic principles of minimal vertex cover and maximal independent set to derive feature subset. This algorithm applies to both supervised and unsupervised classification. The performance of the proposed algorithm has been compared with several benchmark supervised and unsupervised feature selection algorithms and found to be better than them. Also, the proposed algorithm is less computationally expensive and hence has taken less execution time for the publicly available datasets used in the experiments, which include high-dimensional datasets.     

Obstacle avoidance extremum seeking control based on constrained derivative-free optimization

A new control scheme based on extremum seeking control (ESC) which employs a constrained derivative-free optimization algorithm has been proposed in this paper. A theorem has been formulated to prove the convergence result of ESC based on constrained derivative-free optimization. Generalized pattern search method with filter algorithm for constraint is used to generate a sequence of ESC control state. Since generalized pattern search (GPS) method does not require continuously differentiable and Lipschitz conditions, noise cancellation algorithm is added to the proposed ESC algorithm which is then used for multi-agent robot system. The obstacles are expressed as constraint functions instead of the traditional way of calculating the performance function of obstacles. Simulation results illustrate a multi-agent obstacle avoidance system which utilized the control algorithm to avoid obstacles that appear on the path of multi-agent robots. Based on the simulation results, it can be observed that multi-agents maintain their formation as per initial condition and follow the target without colliding into obstacles while navigating in a noisy environment. Performance comparison of the proposed algorithm with a reference algorithm shows the efficiency of the proposed algorithm.     

Identification of errors-in-variables state space models with observation outliers based on minimum covariance determinant

In this paper, a subspace system identification algorithm for the errors-in-variables (EIV) state space models subject to observation noise with outliers has been developed. By using the minimum covariance determinant (MCD) estimator, the outliers have been identified and deleted. Then the classical EIV subspace system identification algorithms have been applied to estimate the parameters of the state space models. In order to solve the MCD problem for the EIV state space models, a random search algorithm has been proposed. A Monte-Carlo simulation results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm.     

Detecting community structure in complex networks using genetic algorithm based on object migrating automata

Community structure is an important topological feature of complex networks. Detecting community structure is a highly challenging problem in analyzing complex networks and has great importance in understanding the function and organization of networks. Up until now, numerous algorithms have been proposed for detecting community structure in complex networks. A wide range of these algorithms use the maximization of a quality function called modularity. In this article, three different algorithms, namely, MEM-net, OMA-net, and GAOMA-net, have been proposed for detecting community structure in complex networks. In GAOMA-net algorithm, which is the main proposed algorithm of this article, the combination of genetic algorithm (GA) and object migrating automata (OMA) has been used. In GAOMA-net algorithm, the MEM-net algorithm has been used as a heuristic to generate a portion of the initial population. The experiments on both real-world and synthetic benchmark networks indicate that GAOMA-net algorithm is efficient for detecting community structure in complex networks.     

Spatial kernel K-harmonic means clustering for multi-spectral image segmentation

The problem of image segmentation using intensity clustering approaches has been addressed in the literature. Grouping pixels of similar intensity to form clusters in an image have been tackled using a number of methods, such as the K-means (KM) algorithm. The K-harmonic means (KHM) was proposed to overcome the sensitivity of KM to centre initialisation. The use of a spatial kernel-based KHM (SKKHM) algorithm on the problem of image segmentation has been investigated. Instead of the original Euclidean intensity distance, a robust kernel-based KHM metric is employed to reduce the effect of outliers and noise. Spatial image information is also incorporated in the proposed clustering scheme, derived from Markov random field modelling. An extension of the proposed algorithm to multi-spectral imaging applications is also presented. Experimental results for both single-channel and multi-channel images demonstrate the robust performance of the proposed SKKHM algorithm.     

Optimal job sequence determination and operation machine allocation in flexible manufacturing systems: an approach using adaptive hierarchical ant colony algorithm

In this paper, an Adaptive Hierarchical Ant Colony Optimization (AHACO) has been proposed to resolve the traditional machine loading problem in Flexible Manufacturing Systems (FMS). Machine loading is one of the most important issues that is interlinked with the efficiency and utilization of FMS. The machine loading problem is formulated in order to minimize the system unbalance and maximize the throughput, considering the job sequencing, optional machines and technological constraints. The performance of proposed AHACO has been tested over a number of benchmark problems taken from the literature. Computational results indicate that the proposed algorithm is more effective and produces promising results as compared to the existing solution methodologies in the literature. The evaluation and comparison of system efficiency and system utilization justifies the supremacy of the algorithm. Further, results obtained from the proposed algorithm have been compared with well known random search algorithm viz. genetic algorithm, simulated annealing, artificial Immune system, simple ant colony optimization, tabu search etc. In addition, the algorithm has been tested over a randomly generated problem set of varying complexities; the results validate the robustness and scalability of the algorithm utilizing the concepts of ‘heuristic gap’ and ANOVA analysis.     

A hybrid ant colony optimization algorithm for optimal multiuser detection in DS-UWB system

A hybrid ant colony optimization algorithm is proposed by introducing extremal optimization local-search algorithm to the ant colony optimization (ACO) algorithm, and is applied to multiuser detection in direct sequence ultra wideband (DS-UWB) communication system in this paper. ACO algorithms have already successfully been applied to combinatorial optimization; however, as the pheromone accumulates, we may not get a global optimum because it can get stuck in a local minimum resulting in a bad steady state. Extremal optimization (EO) is a recently developed local-search heuristic method and has been successfully applied to a wide variety of optimization problems. Hence in this paper, a hybrid ACO algorithm, named ACO-EO algorithm, is proposed by introducing EO to ACO to improve the local-search ability of the algorithm. The ACO-EO algorithm is applied to multiuser detection in DS-UWB communication system, and via computer simulations it is shown that the proposed hybrid ACO algorithm has much better performance than other ACO algorithms and even equal to the optimal multiuser detector.     

Application of mutation operators to flower pollination algorithm

Flower pollination algorithm (FPA) is a recent addition to the field of nature inspired computing. The algorithm has been inspired from the pollination process in flowers and has been applied to a large spectra of optimization problems. But it has certain drawbacks which prevents its applications as a standard algorithm. This paper proposes new variants of FPA employing new mutation operators, dynamic switching and improved local search. A comprehensive comparison of proposed algorithms has been done for different population sizes for optimizing seventeen benchmark problems. The best variant among these is adaptive-Lévy flower pollination algorithm (ALFPA) which has been further compared with the well-known algorithms like artificial bee colony (ABC), differential evolution (DE), firefly algorithm (FA), bat algorithm (BA) and grey wolf optimizer (GWO). Numerical results show that ALFPA gives superior performance for standard benchmark functions. The algorithm has also been subjected to statistical tests and again the performance is better than the other algorithms.     

Regression-based weight generation algorithm in neural network for solution of initial and boundary value problems

This paper introduces a new algorithm for solving ordinary differential equations (ODEs) with initial or boundary conditions. In our proposed method, the trial solution of differential equation has been used in the regression-based neural network (RBNN) model for single input and single output system. The artificial neural network (ANN) trial solution of ODE is written as sum of two terms, first one satisfies initial/boundary conditions and contains no adjustable parameters. The second part involves a RBNN model containing adjustable parameters. Network has been trained using the initial weights generated by the coefficients of regression fitting. We have used feed-forward neural network and error back propagation algorithm for minimizing error function. Proposed model has been tested for first, second and fourth-order ODEs. We also compare the results of proposed algorithm with the traditional ANN algorithm. The idea may very well be extended to other complicated differential equations.