Cooperative group optimization with ants (CGO-AS): Leverage optimization with mixed individual and social learning

We present CGO-AS, a generalized ant system (AS) implemented in the framework of cooperative group optimization (CGO), to show the leveraged optimization with a mixed individual and social learning. Ant colony is a simple yet efficient natural system for understanding the effects of primary intelligence on optimization. However, existing AS algorithms are mostly focusing on their capability of using social heuristic cues while ignoring their individual learning. CGO can integrate the advantages of a cooperative group and a low-level algorithm portfolio design, and the agents of CGO can explore both individual and social search. In CGO-AS, each ant (agent) is added with an individual memory, and is implemented with a novel search strategy to use individual and social cues in a controlled proportion. The presented CGO-AS is therefore especially useful in exposing the power of the mixed individual and social learning for improving optimization. The optimization performance is tested with instances of the traveling salesman problem (TSP). The results prove that a cooperative ant group using both individual and social learning obtains a better performance than the systems solely using either individual or social learning. The best performance is achieved under the condition when agents use individual memory as their primary information source, and simultaneously use social memory as their searching guidance. In comparison with existing AS systems, CGO-AS retains a faster learning speed toward those higher-quality solutions, especially in the later learning cycles. The leverage in optimization by CGO-AS is highly possible due to its inherent feature of adaptively maintaining the population diversity in the individual memory of agents, and of accelerating the learning process with accumulated knowledge in the social memory.     

Design optimization of resource combination for collaborative logistics network under uncertainty

Collaborative logistics networks (CLNs) are considered to be an effective organizational form for business cooperation that provides high stability and low cost. One common key issue regarding CLN resource combination is the network design optimization problem under discrete uncertainty (DU-CLNDOP). Operational environment changes and information uncertainty in network designs, due to partner selection, resource constrains and network robustness, must be effectively controlled from the system perspective. Therefore, a general two-stage quantitative framework that enables decision makers to select the optimal network design scheme for CLNs under uncertainty is proposed in this paper. Phase 1 calculates the simulation result of each hypothetical scenario of CLN resource combination using the expected value model with robust constraints. Phase 2 selects the optimal network design scheme for DU-CLNDOP using the orthogonal experiment design method. The validity of the model and method are verified via an illustrative example.     

Ant colony optimization with dynamic parameter adaptation based on interval type-2 fuzzy logic systems

A dynamic parameter adaptation methodology for Ant Colony Optimization (ACO) based on interval type-2 fuzzy systems is presented in this paper. The idea is to be able to apply this new ACO method with parameter adaptation to a wide variety of problems without the need of finding the best parameters for each particular problem. We developed several fuzzy systems for parameter adaptation and a comparison was made among them to decide on the best design. The use of fuzzy logic is to control the diversity of the solutions, and in this way controlling the exploration and exploitation abilities of ACO. The travelling salesman problem (TSP) and the design of a fuzzy controller for an autonomous mobile robot are the benchmark problems used to test the proposed methodology.     

An improved fruit fly optimization algorithm for solving the multidimensional knapsack problem

This paper presents an improved fruit fly optimization algorithm (IFFOA) for solving the multidimensional knapsack problem (MKP). In IFFOA, the parallel search is employed to balance exploitation and exploration. To make full use of swarm intelligence, a modified harmony search algorithm (MHS) is proposed and applied to add cooperation among swarms in IFFOA. In MHS, novel pitch adjustment scheme and random selection rule are developed by considering specific characters of MKP and FOA. Moreover, a vertical crossover is designed to guide stagnant dimensions out of local optima and further improve the performance. Extensive numerical simulations are conducted and comparisons with other state-of-the-art algorithms verify that the proposed algorithm is an effective alternative for solving the MKP.     

Cooperation and profit allocation in two-echelon logistics joint distribution network optimization

Collaborative two-echelon logistics joint distribution network can be organized through a negotiation process via logistics service providers or participants existing in the logistics system, which can effectively reduce the crisscross transportation phenomenon and improve the efficiency of the urban freight transportation system. This study establishes a linear optimization model to minimize the total cost of two-echelon logistics joint distribution network. An improved ant colony optimization algorithm integrated with genetic algorithm is presented to serve customer clustering units and resolve the model formulation by assigning logistics facilities. A two-dimensional colony encoding method is adopted to generate the initial ant colonies. Improved ant colony optimization combines the merits of ant colony optimization algorithm and genetic algorithm with both global and local search capabilities. Finally, an improved Shapley value model based on cooperative game theory and a cooperative mechanism strategy are presented to obtain the optimal profit allocation scheme and sequential coalitions respectively in two-echelon logistics joint distribution network. An empirical study in Guiyang City, China, reveals that the improved ant colony optimization algorithm is superior to the other three methods in terms of the total cost. The improved Shapley value model and monotonic path selection strategy are applied to calculate the best sequential coalition selection strategy. The proposed cooperation and profit allocation approaches provide an effective paradigm for logistics companies to share benefit, achieve win–win situations through the horizontal cooperation, and improve the negotiation power for logistics network optimization.     

A cooperative negotiation embedded NSGA-II for solving an integrated product family and supply chain design problem with remanufacturing consideration

Product family design is a popular approach adopted by manufacturers to increase their product varieties in order to satisfy the needs of various markets. In recent years, because of increasing environmental concerns in societies and strict regulations of environmental protection, quite a number of manufacturers adopted remanufacturing strategy in their product development in response to the challenges. Remanufacturing of used products unavoidably involves a closed-loop supply chain system. To achieve the best outcomes, the supply chain design should be considered in product family design process. In this research, a multi-objective optimization model of integrated product family and closed loop supply chain design is formulated based on a cooperative game model for minimizing manufacturer’s total cost and maximize suppliers’ total payoffs. Since the optimization problem could be a large- scale one and involves mixed continuous-discrete variables, a new version of nondominated sorting genetic algorithm-II (NSGA-II), namely cooperative negotiation embedded NSGA-II (NSGA-CO), is proposed to solve the optimization model. Simulation tests are conducted to validate the effectiveness of the proposed NSGA-CO. The test results indicate that the proposed NSGA-CO outperforms NSGA-II in solving various scale of multi-objective optimization problems in terms of convergence. With the formulated optimization model and the proposed NSGA-CO, a case study of integrated product family and supply chain design is conducted to investigate the effects of environmental penalty, quantity of demand and marginal cost of remanufacturing on used product return rate, manufacturers’ and suppliers’ profits and joint payoff.     

Robust optimization using Bayesian optimization algorithm: Early detection of non-robust solutions

Probabilistic robustness evaluation is a promising approach to evolutionary robust optimization; however, high computational time arises. In this paper, we apply this approach to the Bayesian optimization algorithm (BOA) with a view to improving its computational time. To this end, we analyze the Bayesian networks constructed in BOA in order to extract the patterns of non-robust solutions. In each generation, the solutions that match the extracted patterns are detected and then discarded from the process of evaluation; therefore, the computational time in discovering the robust solutions decreases. The experimental results demonstrate that our proposed method reduces computational time, while increasing the robustness of solutions.     

A credit ranking model for a parafinancial company based on the ELECTRE-III method and a multiobjective evolutionary algorithm

Credit rating is an assessment performed by lenders or financial institutions to determine a person’s creditworthiness based on the proposed terms of the loan. Frequently, these institutions use rating models to obtain estimates for the probabilities of default for their clients (companies, organizations, government, and individuals) and to assess the risk of credit portfolios. Numerous statistical and data mining methods are used to develop such models. In this paper, the potential of a multicriteria decision-aiding approach is studied. As a first step, the proposed methodology models the problem as a multicriteria evaluation process with multiple and in some cases, conflicting dimensions, which are integrated to derive sound recommendation for DMs. The second step of the methodology involves building a multicriteria outranking model based on ELECTRE III method. An evolutionary algorithm is used to exploit the outranking model. The methodology is applied to a small-scale financial institution operating in the agricultural sector. We compare loan applications based on their attributes and the credit profile of the customer or credit applicant. Our methodology offers the flexibility of combining heterogeneous information together with the preferences of decision makers (DMs), generating both relative and fixed rules for selecting the best loan applications among new and existing customers, which is an improvement over traditional methods The results reveal that outranking models are well suited to credit rating, providing good ranking results and suitable understanding on the relative importance of the evaluation criteria.     

PSO-GP中文文本情感分类方法研究

中文文本的情感倾向分析是网络舆情信息挖掘和分析的关键技术之一。提出了一种粒子群-高斯过程算法(PSO-GP)的中文文本情感倾向分类方法,采用粒子群优化算法(Particle Swarm optimization,PSO)进行高斯过程(Gaussian Process)超参数的最优搜索,解决了传统高斯过程中共轭梯度法迭代次数难确定、对初值依赖性强和易陷入局部极小值等问题。首先采用多线程网络爬虫技术采集文本数据组成语料库,构建特定领域情感词典,然后通过情感词匹配选择最有效的特征,降低数据维度,并利用TF-IDF算法计算特征词的权重以生成特征向量。最终,将测试样本输入PSO-GP分类模型。实验结果表明,与传统GP方法相比,提出的改进高斯过程分类模型的分类准确率提高了近15%。     

结合初始中心优化和特征加权的K-Means聚类算法

为了提高传统K-Means聚类算法的聚类准确性,提出一种结合初始中心优化和特征加权的改进K-Means聚类算法。首先,根据样本特征对聚类的贡献程度获得初始特征权重,构建一种加权距离度量。其次,利用提出的初始聚类中心选择方法获得k个初始聚类中心,并结合初始特征权重进行初步聚类。然后,根据聚类精度来调整特征权重并再次执行聚类过程。重复执行上述过程直到聚类精度不再变化,获得最终的聚类结果。在UCI数据库上的实验结果表明,与现有相关K-Means聚类算法相比,该算法具有较高的聚类准确性。