A block-based evolutionary algorithm for flow-shop scheduling problem

Combinatorial problems like flow shop scheduling, travel salesman problem etc. get complicated and are difficult to solve when the problem size increases. To overcome this problem, we present a block-based evolutionary algorithm (BBEA) which will conduct evolutionary operations on a set of blocks instead of genes. BBEA includes the block mining and block recombination approaches. A block mining algorithm is developed to decompose a chromosome into a set of blocks and rest of genes. The block is with a fixed length and can be treated as a building block in forming a new chromosome later on. To guide the block mining process, a gene linkage probability matrix is defined that shows the linkage strength among genes. Therefore the blocks can be further evolved during the evolutionary processes using this matrix. In the block recombination approach, the blocks along with the rest of genes are recombined to form a new chromosome. This new evolutionary approach of BBEA is tested on a set of discrete problems. Experimental results show that BBEA is very competitive when compared with traditional GA, EA or ACGA and HGIA approaches and it can largely improve the performance of evolutionary algorithm and save a fair amount of computational times simultaneously.     

A rock-paper-scissors evolutionary algorithm for the TDMA broadcast scheduling problem

In wireless ad-hoc networks, the broadcast scheduling problem (BSP) is commonly viewed as a well-known NP-complete combinatorial optimization problem. The purpose of the BSP is to achieve a transmission schedule with collision-free time slots in a time division multiple access ad-hoc network. The transmission schedule is optimized by minimizing the frame length of the node transmissions and maximizing the utilization of the shared channel. In this work, we propose a new evolutionary algorithm to solve the BSP by adopting the rock-paper-scissors dynamics found in natural systems. We use three types of species with strategies of different levels of intensification and diversification to simulate the rock-paper-scissors dynamics. Based on this evolutionary game, in which the success of one species relies on the behavior of others, the dynamic coexistence of three species can be achieved to control the balance between intensification and diversification. The experimental results demonstrate that our algorithm is efficient and effective at solving large instances of the BSP.     

A multi-objective evolutionary algorithm to exploit the similarities of resource allocation problems

The complexity of a resource allocation problem (RAP) is usually NP-complete, which makes an exact method inadequate to handle RAPs, and encourages heuristic techniques to this class of problems for obtaining approximate solutions in polynomial time. Different heuristic techniques have already been investigated for handling various RAPs. However, since the properties of an RAP can help in characterizing other RAPs, instead of individual solution techniques, the similarities of different RAPs might be exploited for developing a common solution technique for them. Two RAPs of quite different nature, namely university class timetabling and land-use management, are considered here for such a study. The similarities between the problems are first explored, and then a common multi-objective evolutionary algorithm (a kind of heuristic techniques) for them is developed by exploiting those similarities. The algorithm is problem-dependent to some extent and can easily be extended to other similar RAPs. In the present work, the algorithm is applied to two real instances of the considered problems, and its properties are derived from the obtained results.     

用多目标演化优化算法解决约束选址问题

约束选址问题是一个多目标约束优化问题,传统算法（加权法）一次只能得到一个候选解,用多目标演化优化算法对其进行求解,可以一次得到多个候选解,给决策者提供更多的选择余地,以期获得更大的利益,数字试验表明,该方法优于传统多目标优化方法。     

Multi-objective genetic algorithm for berth allocation problem considering daytime preference

Maximization of operational efficiency and minimization of cost are pursued by terminal operators, whereas daytime preference is increasingly emphasized by governments, terminal operators and workers. Daytime preference in berth allocation schedule refers to schedule the workloads in nights as fewer as possible, which improves working comfort, safety, and green and energy-savings degrees, but may decrease the throughput and total operational efficiency. By extending existing dynamic discrete berth allocation model, a bi-objective model considering daytime preference is established to minimize the delayed workloads and the workloads in nights. Based on the well known NSGA-II algorithm, a multi-objective genetic algorithm (moGA) is developed for solving the bi-objective model by using a two-part representation scheme. The sensitivities of the algorithmic parameters and tradeoffs between daytime preference and delayed workloads are analyzed by numerical experiments. The algorithmic aspects of the proposed approach and the effects of daytime preference on solutions are all examined. Finally, the managerial implications are discussed.     

A parallel double-level multiobjective evolutionary algorithm for robust optimization

Robust optimization is a popular method to tackle uncertain optimization problems. However, traditional robust optimization can only find a single solution in one run which is not flexible enough for decision-makers to select a satisfying solution according to their preferences. Besides, traditional robust optimization often takes a large number of Monte Carlo simulations to get a numeric solution, which is quite time-consuming. To address these problems, this paper proposes a parallel double-level multiobjective evolutionary algorithm (PDL-MOEA). In PDL-MOEA, a single-objective uncertain optimization problem is translated into a bi-objective one by conserving the expectation and the variance as two objectives, so that the algorithm can provide decision-makers with a group of solutions with different stabilities. Further, a parallel evolutionary mechanism based on message passing interface (MPI) is proposed to parallel the algorithm. The parallel mechanism adopts a double-level design, i.e., global level and sub-problem level. The global level acts as a master, which maintains the global population information. At the sub-problem level, the optimization problem is decomposed into a set of sub-problems which can be solved in parallel, thus reducing the computation time. Experimental results show that PDL-MOEA generally outperforms several state-of-the-art serial/parallel MOEAs in terms of accuracy, efficiency, and scalability.     

蚁群算法求解分布式系统任务分配问题

蚁群算法是受自然界蚂蚁觅食过程中,基于信息素的最短路径搜索食物行为的启发提出的一种智能优化算法.研究表明,在求解复杂优化问题方面该算法具有一定的优越性.任务分配问题是一类典型的组合优化问题.应用蚁群算法来解决多处理器分布式系统上的任务分配问题,一个任务只能分配给一个处理器处理,而一个处理器可以处理多个任务,其中每个处理器都有固定成本和能力限制.仿真结果表明,该算法比禁忌搜索和随机方法具有更好的求解能力.     

A hybridization of an evolutionary algorithm and a parallel branch and bound for solving the capacitated single allocation hub location problem

In this study, we propose a hybrid optimization method, consisting of an evolutionary algorithm (EA) and a branch-and-bound method (BnB) for solving the capacitated single allocation hub location problem (CSAHLP). The EA is designed to explore the solution space and to select promising configurations of hubs (the location part of the problem). Hub configurations produced by the EA are further passed to the BnB search, which works with fixed hubs and allocates the non-hub nodes to located hubs (the allocation part of the problem). The BnB method is implemented using parallelization techniques, which results in short running times. The proposed hybrid algorithm, named EA-BnB, has been tested on the standard Australia Post (AP) hub data sets with up to 300 nodes. The results demonstrate the superiority of our hybrid approach over existing heuristic approaches from the existing literature. The EA-BnB method has reached all the known optimal solutions for AP hub data set and found new, significantly better, solutions on three AP instances with 100 and 200 nodes. Furthermore, the extreme efficiency of the implementation of this hybrid algorithm resulted in short running times, even for the largest AP test instances.     

一类工作调度问题的回溯解法

回溯法是解决组合搜索问题的重要方法,该方法的搜索通过一个多阶段的确定过程来实现,在每一阶段都需要从一些选择中选择一个分支,一旦发现前面的选择不可能获得一个解,则算法进行回溯,即重新回到刚搜索过的选择点,并选择该结点另一个没有被试过的分支,如果该点处所有的分支都已试过,则算法回溯到该结点之前被选择的点.首先对一类分配调度问题进行了分析,然后提出一种基于回溯法的解决方案,并给出了算法的具体实现过程,最后对所提出算法的复杂度进行了分析.实验结果验证了方法的有效性.     

A multi-objective evolutionary algorithm for examination timetabling

This paper considers the scheduling of exams for a set of university courses. The solution to this exam timetabling problem involves the optimization of complete timetables such that there are as few occurrences of students having to take exams in consecutive periods as possible but at the same time minimizing the timetable length and satisfying hard constraints such as seating capacity and no overlapping exams. To solve such a multi-objective combinatorial optimization problem, this paper presents a multi-objective evolutionary algorithm that uses a variable-length chromosome representation and incorporates a micro-genetic algorithm and a hill-climber for local exploitation and a goal-based Pareto ranking scheme for assigning the relative strength of solutions. It also imports several features from the research on the graph coloring problem. The proposed algorithm is shown to be a more general exam timetabling problem solver in that it does not require any prior information of the timetable length to be effective. It is also tested against a few influential and recent optimization techniques and is found to be superior on four out of seven publicly available datasets.     

An improved multi-objective evolutionary algorithm for the vehicle routing problem with time windows

The vehicle routing problem with time windows is a complex combinatorial problem with many real-world applications in transportation and distribution logistics. Its main objective is to find the lowest distance set of routes to deliver goods, using a fleet of identical vehicles with restricted capacity, to customers with service time windows. However, there are other objectives, and having a range of solutions representing the trade-offs between objectives is crucial for many applications. Although previous research has used evolutionary methods for solving this problem, it has rarely concentrated on the optimization of more than one objective, and hardly ever explicitly considered the diversity of solutions. This paper proposes and analyzes a novel multi-objective evolutionary algorithm, which incorporates methods for measuring the similarity of solutions, to solve the multi-objective problem. The algorithm is applied to a standard benchmark problem set, showing that when the similarity measure is used appropriately, the diversity and quality of solutions is higher than when it is not used, and the algorithm achieves highly competitive results compared with previously published studies and those from a popular evolutionary multi-objective optimizer.     

A differential evolutionary based algorithm for multiuser OFDMA system adaptive resource allocation

In this paper, the problems of radio resource allocation for Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access （OFDMA） systems are addressed. The main goal of this paper is to present and analyze base station allocation of subcarriers and adaptive modulation. We impose a set of proportional fairness constraints to assure that each user can achieve a required data rate. Since the optimal solution to the fairness problem is extremely computationally complex to obtain, we propose an adaptive radio resource allocation method based on differential evolutionary algorithm for multiuser OFDMA system. The performance of the described schemes is further evaluated in numerical experiments. We improve the convergence of the differential evolutionary algorithm through the method of elitist selection and adding some individuals with ＇good＇ genes to the initial population. Simulation results show that out proposed algorithm better than static subcarrier allocation schemes TDMA in muhiuser OFDMA system.     

求解合作伙伴选择问题的高效蚁群算法

敏捷制造中的合作伙伴优化选择问题属于组合优化领域的NP-hard问题,随着规模的增大,应用传统的方法求解非常困难,甚至不可能.对敏捷制造中的合作伙伴选择问题进行了分析,建立了数学模型,设计了一个适合求解该问题的蚁群算法.实验结果表明,该算法求解效率高,性能稳定.     

遗传算法采用进化方向算子的几种策略

提出了采用实数编码情况下应用进化方向算子的几种策略,包括单亲进化方向算子、双亲进化方向算子以及无轮盘赌选择的双亲进化方向算子策略,并进行了数值仿真。仿真结果表明,灵活使用方向进化算子以及遗传操作可大大提高遗传算法的全局搜索能力。     

A heuristic approach for allocation of data to RFID tags: A data allocation knapsack problem (DAKP)

Durable products and their components are increasingly being equipped with one of several forms of automatic identification technology such as radio frequency identification (RFID). This technology enables data collection, storage, and transmission of product information throughout its life cycle. Ideally all available relevant information could be stored on RFID tags with new information being added to the tags as it becomes available. However, because of the finite memory capacity of RFID tags along with the magnitude of potential lifecycle data, users need to be more selective in data allocation. In this research, the data allocation problem is modeled as a variant of the nonlinear knapsack problem. The objective is to determine the number of items to place on the tag such that the value of the “unexplained” data left off the tag is minimized. A binary encoded genetic algorithm is proposed and an extensive computational study is performed to illustrate the effectiveness of this approach. Additionally, we discuss some properties of the optimal solution which can be effective in solving more difficult problem instances.     

求解TSP问题的多线程演化算法

提出了一种基于单处理器的多线程演化算法。该算法着重于发挥线程之间通讯高效的特点,充分利用演化线程之间大量的通讯,避免演化计算的过早收敛。求解TSP（traveling salesman problem）问题的实验结果表明,该算法大大地提升了原简单演化算法解的质量,而且该算法的解也明显优于使用相同简单演化算法实现的基于孤岛模型的分布式演化算法所得到的解。     

A simple simulated annealing algorithm for the maximum clique problem

Simulated annealing technique has mostly been used to solve various optimization and learning problems, and it is well known that the maximum clique problem is one of the most studied NP-hard optimization problems owing to its numerous applications. In this note, a simple simulated annealing algorithm for the maximum clique problem is proposed and tested on all 80 DIMACS maximum clique instances. Although it is simple, the proposed simulated annealing algorithm is efficient on most of the DIMACS maximum clique instances. The simulation results show that the proposed simulated annealing algorithm outperforms a recent efficient simulated annealing algorithm proposed by Xu and Ma, and the solutions obtained by the proposed simulated annealing algorithm have the equal quality with those obtained by a recent trust region heuristic algorithm of Stanislav Busygin.