An Application of Tabu Search Heuristic for the Maximum Edge-Weighted Subgraph Problem

The purpose of this article is to describe an efficient search heuristic for the Maximum Edge-weighted Subgraph (MEwS) problem. This problem requires to find a subgraph such that the sum of the weights associated with the edges of the subgraph is maximized subject to a cardinality constraint. In this study a tabu search heuristic for the MEwS problem is proposed. Different algorithms to obtain an initial solution are presented. One neighborhood search strategy is also proposed. Preliminary computational results are reported for randomly generated test problems of MEwS problem with different densities and sizes. For most of test problems, the tabu search heuristic found good solutions. In addition, for large size test problems, the tabu search outperformed the local search heuristic appearing in the literature.     

Approximation of Boolean Functions by Local Search

Usually, local search methods are considered to be slow. In our paper, we present a simulated annealing-based local search algorithm for the approximation of Boolean functions with a proven time complexity that behaves relatively fast on randomly generated functions. The functions are represented by disjunctive normal forms (DNFs). Given a set of m uniformly distributed positive and negative examples of length n generated by a target function F(x ₁,...,x _n), where the DNF consists of conjunctions with at most literals only, the algorithm computes with high probability a hypothesis H of length m · such that the error is zero on all examples. Our algorithm can be implemented easily and we obtained a relatively high percentage of correct classifications on test examples that were not presented in the learning phase. For example, for randomly generated F with n = 64 variables and a training set of m = 16384 examples, the error on the same number of test examples was about 19% on positive and 29% on negative examples, respectively. The proven complexity bound provides the basis for further studies on the average case complexity.     

An Application of a Multi-Objective Tabu Search Algorithm to a Bicriteria Flowshop Problem

This paper proposes a new tabu search algorithm for multi-objective combinatorial problems with the goal of obtaining a good approximation of the Pareto-optimal or efficient solutions. The algorithm works with several paths of solutions in parallel, each with its own tabu list, and the Pareto dominance concept is used to select solutions from the neighborhoods. In this way we obtain at each step a set of local nondominated points. The dispersion of points is achieved by a clustering procedure that groups together close points of this set and then selects the centroids of the clusters as search directions. A nice feature of this multi-objective algorithm is that it introduces only one additional parameter, namely, the number of paths. The algorithm is applied to the permutation flowshop scheduling problem in order to minimize the criteria of makespan and maximum tardiness. For instances involving two machines, the performance of the algorithm is tested against a Branch-and-Bound algorithm proposed in the literature, and for more than two machines it is compared with that of a tabu search algorithm and a genetic local search algorithm, both from the literature. Computational results show that the heuristic yields a better approximation than these algorithms.     

Tabu Search Based Procedure for Solving the 0-1 MultiObjective Knapsack Problem: The Two Objectives Case

We consider in this paper the solving of 0-1 knapsack problems with multiple linear objectives. We present a tabu search approach to generate a good approximation of the efficient set. The heuristic scheme is included in a redu tion decision space framework. The case of two objectives is developed in this paper. TS principles viewed into the multiobjective context are discussed. According to a prospective way, several variations of the algorithm are investigate. Numerical experiments are reported and compared with available exact efficient solutions. Intuitive justifications for the observed empirical behavior of the procedure and open questions are discussed.     

Protein Conformation of a Lattice Model Using Tabu Search

We apply tabu search techniques to the problem of determining the optimal configuration of a chain of protein sequences on a cubic lattice. The problem under study is difficult to solve because of the large number of possible conformations and enormous amount of computations required. Tabu search is an iterative heuristic procedure which has been shown to be a remarkably effective method for solving combinatorial optimization problems. In this paper, an algorithm is designed for the cubic lattice model using tabu search. The algorithm has been tested on a chain of 27 monomers. Computational results show that our method outperforms previously reported approaches for the same model.     

Parallelizing Tabu Search on a Cluster of Heterogeneous Workstations

In this paper, we present the parallelization of tabu search on a network of workstations using PVM. Two parallelization strategies are integrated: functional decomposition strategy and multi-search threads strategy. In addition, domain decomposition strategy is implemented probabilistically. The performance of each strategy is observed and analyzed. The goal of parallelization is to speedup the search in finding better quality solutions. Observations support that both parallelization strategies are beneficial, with functional decomposition producing slightly better results. Experiments were conducted for the VLSI cell placement, an NP-hard problem, and the objective was to achieve the best possible solution in terms of interconnection length, timing performance (circuit speed), and area. The multiobjective nature of this problem is addressed using a fuzzy goal-based cost computation.     

Tabu Search When Noise is Present: An Illustration in the Context of Cause and Effect Analysis

In the field of combinatorial optimization, it may be possible to more accurately represent reality through stochastic models rather than deterministic ones. When randomness is present in a problem, algorithm designers face new difficulties which complicate their task significantly. Finding a proper mathematical formulation and a fast evaluation of the objective function are two major issues. In this paper we propose a new tabu search algorithm based on sampling and statistical tests. The algorithm is shown to perform well in a stochastic environment where the quality of feasible solutions cannot be computed easily. This new search principle is illustrated in the field of cause and effect analysis where the true cause of an undesirable effect needs to be eliminated. A set of n potential causes is identified and each of them is assumed to be the true cause with a given probability. The time to investigate a cause is a random variable with a known probability distribution. Associated with each cause is the reward obtained if the cause is really the true cause. The decision problem is to sequence the n potential causes so as to maximize the expected reward realized before a specified time horizon.     

基于模式搜索的渴求函数法在多响应优化中的应用

渴求函数法是处理多响应参数优化的常用方法之一,它通过最大化总体渴求值获得因子的最佳水平组合.然而,随着因子个数和响应个数的增加,渴求函数往往变得多约束、多峰分布、高度非线性,传统的基于梯度的优化算法不适用.根据因子及响应个数等问题复杂程度不同,提出了以模式搜索算法为基础,用重叠等值线图或遗传算法设定模式搜索的起始点,对总体渴求函数进行寻优的新方法.算例验证了该方法的有效性.     

群体多目标决策联合有效解类的不变凸充分条件

对于群体多目标决策问题，文[1]引进它的联合有效解类的概念，并给出这类解的最优性必要条件，在对于问题的目标函数和约束函数附加凸性的条件下，文[2]又给出了联合有效解类的最优性充分条件，本文进一步在目标函数和约束函数具不变凸和不变广义 凸的情况下，分别给出了联合有效解类的若干最优性充分条件。     

基于“奖优罚劣”的区间数多指标决策的TOPSIS方法

针对区间数多指标系统的决策特点,对指标数据初始化处理时,利用"奖优罚劣"原则,提出了一种易于计算且实用的[-1,1]线性变换算子,然后定义正、负理想方案,给出了区间数多指标决策问题的TOPS IS方法.该模型为区间数多指标决策提供了一种科学、实用的方法,并利用现有的实例来证实此方法的科学性与可行性.