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A high‐speed railway system is one of the sustainable alternatives to other modes of transportation and may connect the most congested urban cities with minimum carbon emissions. However, the vibration intensity increases as the train's operating speed increases, resulting in deteriorated ride comfort and stability. Hence, this article investigates a 27‐degree‐of‐freedom (DOF) dynamic model of railway vehicles with an improved active suspension system. The decentralized control structure performs the controlling action with five optimized Proportional Integral Derivative (PID) controllers that suppress the vehicle body's vertical, lateral, pitch, roll, and yaw motions. Further, to optimize the PID parameters, three metaheuristic optimization techniques, Genetic algorithm (GA), Grey Wolf Optimization (GWO), and Flower Pollination Algorithm (FPA), are utilized, and their simulated results are compared with the passive system as well as other conventional tuning technique. Moreover, the performance of the proposed control strategy is evaluated in the frequency domain under random track irregularities, and the results are characterized in terms of power spectral densities (PSDs). The simulated results show that among the proposed metaheuristic algorithms, FPA outperforms with a significant reduction in vehicle vibration compared to other tuning methods. The percentage reduction of the vertical, lateral, pitch, rolls, and yaw accelerations is 71.4%, 35.1%, 52.8%, 48.1%, and 38.2%, respectively, ensuring enhanced vehicle ride comfort. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Metaheuristic algorithms have garnered much attention among researchers owing to their robustness, adaptability, independence from a predetermined initial solution, and lack of reliance on gradient computations. The flower pollination algorithm (FPA) and the slime mould algorithm (SMA) are efficient methodologies for addressing global optimization challenges. Nonetheless, tackling large-scale global problems using a single algorithm often proves challenging due to inherent limitations in its mechanism. One effective approach to mitigating this limitation is to hybrid the two algorithms employing suitable strategies. We proposed a hybrid algorithm (GFPSMA) based on FPA and SMA. First, to address the global exploration issue of FPA, a method was proposed that utilized the golden section mechanism to enhance information exchange between random individuals and the best individual. Second, to improve the reliability of the random search phase in SMA, an adaptive step-size strategy was introduced. Furthermore, a dual-competition mechanism, inspired by gaming concepts, was introduced to enhance the integration of the two algorithms. Finally, an elite learning method with adjustment conditions was employed to refine the localization of the best individual. To assess the performance advantage of GFPSMA, 39 benchmark functions were employed, comparing GFPSMA with FPA and SMA along with their six variants, six variants of other metaheuristic algorithms, three CEC competition algorithms, totaling 17 algorithms, and strategic algorithms for testing. Experimental results demonstrated the favorable performance advantage of GFPSMA. Additionally, the feasibility and practicality of GFPSMA were demonstrated in four engineering problems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents the operation of a remotely controlled, wheel-legged robot. The developed Wi-Fi connection framework is established on a popular ARM microcontroller board. The implementation provides a low-cost solution that is in congruence with the newest industrial standards. Additionally, the problem of limb structure and motor speed control is solved. The design process of the mechanical structure is enhanced by a nature-inspired metaheuristic optimization algorithm. An FOC-based BLDC motor speed control strategy is selected to guarantee dynamic operation of the drive. The paper provides both the theoretical considerations and the obtained prototype experimental results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Power losses (PL) are one of the most—if not the most—vital concerns in power distribution networks (DN). With respect to sustainability, distribution network reconfiguration (DNR) is an effective course of action to minimize power losses. However, the optimal DNR is usually a non-convex optimization process that necessitates the employment of powerful global optimization methods. This paper proposes a novel hybrid metaheuristic optimization (MO) method called the chaotic golden flower algorithm (CGFA) for PL minimization. As the name implies, the proposed method combines the golden search method with the flower pollination algorithm to multiply their benefits, guarantee the best solution, and reduce convergence time. The performance of the algorithm has been evaluated under different test systems, including the IEEE 33-bus, IEEE 69-bus, and IEEE 119-bus systems and the smart city (SC) network, each of which includes distributed-generation (DG) units and energy storage systems (ESS). In addition, the locations of tie-switches in the DN, which used to be considered as given information in previous studies, are assumed to be variable, and a branch-exchange adaption is included in the reconfiguration process. Furthermore, uncertainty analysis, such as bus and/or line fault conditions, are studied, and the performance of the proposed method is compared with other pioneering MO algorithms with minimal standard deviations ranging from 0.0012 to 0.0101. The case study of SC is considered and the obtained simulation results show the superiority of the algorithm in finding higher PL reduction under different scenarios, with the lowest standard deviations ranging from 0.012 to 0.0432. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent, various metaheuristic algorithms have shown significant results in control engineering problems; moreover, fuzzy sets (FSs) and theories were frequently used for dynamic parameter adaption in metaheuristic algorithms. The primary reason for this is that fuzzy inference system (FISs) can be designed using human knowledge, allowing for intelligent dynamic adaptations of metaheuristic parameters. To accomplish these tasks, we proposed shadowed type-2 fuzzy inference systems (ST2FISs) for two metaheuristic algorithms, namely cuckoo search (CS) and flower pollination (FP). Furthermore, with the advent of shadowed type-2 fuzzy logic, the abilities of uncertainty handling offer an appealing improved performance for dynamic parameter adaptation in metaheuristic methods; moreover, the use of ST2FISs has been shown in recent works to provide better results than type-1 fuzzy inference systems (T1FISs). As a result, ST2FISs are proposed for adjusting the Lèvy flight (P) and switching probability ( P ′ ) parameters in the original cuckoo search (CS) and flower pollination (FP) algorithms, respectively. Our approach investigated trapezoidal types of membership functions (MFs), such as ST2FSs. The proposed method was used to optimize the precursors and implications of a two-tank non-interacting conical frustum tank level (TTNCFTL) process using an interval type-2 fuzzy controller (IT2FLC). To ensure that the implementation is efficient compared with the original CS and FP algorithms, simulation results were obtained without and then with uncertainty in the main actuator (C V 1) and system component (leak) at the bottom of frustum tank two of the TTNCFLT process. In addition, the statistical z-test and non-parametric Friedman test are performed to analyze and deliver the findings for the best metaheuristic algorithm. The reported findings highlight the benefits of employing this approach over traditional general type-2 fuzzy inference systems since we get superior performance in the majority of cases while using minimal computational resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, the β -hill climbing optimizer is hybridized with the flower pollination algorithm (FPA) as a local refinement operator for global optimization problems. The proposed method is called HyFPA β -hc. Such hybridization aims to enhance the balance between exploration and exploitation processes during the search, thus improving the quality of the outcomes. β -hill climbing optimizer is a recent trajectory-based algorithm with a powerful digging the niche to search and find the local optimum, while FPA is a recent population-based algorithm with robust mining several niches in the search space without proper concentration. The proposed HyFPA β -hc is evaluated using 15 unimodal and multimodal test functions established in IEEE-CEC2015. The results show significant improvement in the convergence behaviour of the proposed HyFPA β -hc over FPA using different dimensions of the test function. The comparative evaluation is also conducted against 26 state-of-the-art methods. The experiments consider three problem sizes (with dimensions 10, 30, and 50) to show the proposed HyFPA β -hc performance against all comparative methods, where the proposed method outperformed all compared methods in optimizing 8, 7, 4 out of 15 test functions for 10, 30, 50 dimensions, respectively. Accordingly, the achieved results prove the efficiency of the proposed HyFPA β -hc in optimizing various problem dimensions. In conclusion, the proposed hybrid metaheuristic method can search powerfully in the niches of optimization problems search space and produces very fruitful outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper is focused on issues related to the control of electrical drives with oscillations of state variables. The main problem deals with the construction of the mechanical part, which contains elastic elements used as a coupling between the motor machine and the load. In such cases, strict tracking of the reference trajectory is difficult, so damping of the disturbances is necessary. For this purpose, the full state vector of the object is applied as the feedback signal for the speed controller. This method is efficient and relatively easy to implement (including the hardware part). However, the control accuracy is dependent on the quality of the parameters identification and the invariance of the object. Thus, two adaptive structures are proposed for the two-mass system. Moreover, selected coefficients were optimized using metaheuristic algorithms (symbiotic organism search and flower pollination algorithm). After presentation of the preliminaries and mathematical background, tests were conducted, and the numerical simulations are shown. Finally, the experimental verification for the 0.5 kW DC machines was performed. The results confirm the theoretical concept and the initial assumptions: the state controller leads to the precise control of the drive with a long shaft; recalculation of the parameters can improve the work of the drive under changes of time constants; modern design tools are appropriate for this application. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Electric energy demand forecasting is very important for electric utilities to procure and supply electric energy for consumers sufficiently, safely, reliably, and continuously. Consequently, the processing time and accuracy of the forecast system are essential to consider when applying in real power system operations. Nowadays, the Extreme Learning Machine (ELM) is significant for forecasting as it provides an acceptable value of forecasting and consumes less computation time when compared with the state-of-the-art forecasting models. However, the result of electric energy demand forecasting from the ELM was unstable and its accuracy was increased by reducing overfitting of the ELM model. In this research, metaheuristic optimization combined with the ELM is proposed to increase accuracy and reduce the cause of overfitting of three forecasting models, composed of the Jellyfish Search Extreme Learning Machine (JS-ELM), the Harris Hawk Extreme Learning Machine (HH-ELM), and the Flower Pollination Extreme Learning Machine (FP-ELM). The actual electric energy demand datasets in Thailand were collected from 2018 to 2020 and used to test and compare the performance of the proposed and state-of-the-art forecasting models. The overall results show that the JS-ELM provides the best minimum root mean square error compared with the state-of-the-art forecasting models. Moreover, the JS-ELM consumes the appropriate processing time in this experiment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many important problems in engineering management can be formulated as Resource Assignment Problem (RAP). The Workers Assignment Problem (WAP) is considered as a sub-class of RAP which aims to find an optimal assignment of workers to a number of tasks in order to optimize certain objectives. WAP is an NP-hard combinatorial optimization problem. Due to its importance, several algorithms have been developed to solve it. In this paper, it is considered that a manager is required to provide a training course to his workers in order to improve their level of skill or experience to have a sustainable competitive advantage in the industry. The training cost of each worker to perform a particular job is different. The WAP is to find the best assignment of workers to training courses such that the total training cost is minimized. Two metaheuristic optimizations named Whale Optimization Algorithm (WOA) and Flower Pollination Algorithm (FPA) are utilized to final the optimal solution that reduces the total cost. MATLAB Software is used to perform the simulation of the two proposed methods into WAP. The computational results for a set of randomly generated problems of various sizes show that the FPA is able to find good quality solutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. The most common and successful technique for signal denoising with nonstationary signals, such as electroencephalogram (EEG) and electrocardiogram (ECG) is the wavelet transform (WT). The success of WT depends on the optimal configuration of its control parameters which are often experimentally set. Fortunately, the optimality of the combination of these parameters can be measured in advance by using the mean squared error (MSE) function. Method. In this paper, five powerful metaheuristic algorithms are proposed to find the optimal WT parameters for EEG signal denoising which are harmony search (HS), β-hill climbing (β-hc), particle swarm optimization (PSO), genetic algorithm (GA), and flower pollination algorithm (FPA). It is worth mentioning that this is the initial investigation of using optimization methods for WT parameter configuration. This paper then examines which efficient algorithm has obtained the minimum MSE and the best WT parameter configurations. Result. The performance of the proposed algorithms is tested using two standard EEG datasets, namely, Kiern's EEG dataset and EEG Motor Movement/Imagery dataset. The results of the proposed algorithms are evaluated using five common criteria: signal-to-noise-ratio (SNR), SNR improvement, mean square error (MSE), root mean square error (RMSE), and percentage root mean square difference (PRD). Interestingly, for almost all evaluating criteria, FPA achieves the best parameters configuration for WT and empowers this technique to efficiently denoise the EEG signals for almost all used datasets. To further validate the FPA results, a comparative study between the FPA results and the results of two previous studies is conducted, and the findings favor to FPA. Conclusion. In conclusion, the results show that the proposed methods for EEG signal denoising can produce better results than manual configurations based on ad hoc strategy. Therefore, using metaheuristic approaches to optimize the parameters for EEG signals positively affects the denoising process performance of the WT method.

In this study, multi-story structures with different combinations (on each floor and only the first floor) of active tendon control systems driven by a proportional–integral–derivative (PID) controller were actively controlled. The PID parameters, Kp (proportional gain), Td (derivative gain), and Ti (integral gain) for each structure, were optimally tuned by using both the harmony search algorithm (HS) and flower pollination algorithm (FPA), which are metaheuristic algorithms. In two different active-controlled structures, which are formed according to the position of the PID, the structural responses under near-fault records defined in FEMA P-695 are examined to determine the appropriate feedback which was applied for displacement, velocity, acceleration, and total acceleration. The performance of the different feedback strategies on these two active-controlled structures is evaluated. As a result, the acceleration feedback is suitable for all combinations of the active control system with a PID controller. The HS algorithm outperforms the optimum results found according to the FPA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Feature selection (FS) in data mining is one of the most challenging and most important activities in pattern recognition. In this article, a new hybrid model of whale optimization algorithm (WOA) and flower pollination algorithm (FPA) is presented for the problem of FS based on the concept of opposition‐based learning (OBL) which name is HWOAFPA. The procedure is that the WOA is run first and at the same time during the run, the WOA population is changed by the OBL. And, to increase the accuracy and speed of convergence, it is used as the initial population of FPA. To evaluate the performance of the proposed method, experiments were carried out in two steps. The experiments were performed on 10 datasets from the UCI data repository and Email spam detection datasets. The results obtained from the first step showed that the proposed method was more successful in terms of the average size of selection and classification accuracy than other basic metaheuristic algorithms. In addition, the results from the second step showed that the proposed method which was a run on the Email spam dataset performed much more accurately than other similar algorithms in terms of accuracy of Email spam detection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As an alternative structural analysis method, total potential optimization using metaheuristic algorithms (TPO/MAs) has been demonstrated to be very effective, especially in nonlinear cases, for trusses and trusslike systems such as tensegric structures and cable networks. A recent study showed that TPO/MAs also can be applied successfully to plane-stress problems with linear constitutive equations. The present study enlarged the application area of TPO/MAs to the analysis of plates for plane-stress cases with nonlinear stress–strain equations. A relevant formulation was developed and used to solve five problems. Because TPO/MAs can be applied by using different metaheuristic algorithms, a number of them, some hybrid, were used, and they were compared among themselves and with finite-element solutions. The final example was a tunnel problem with 150 nodes, i.e., with 265 unknowns. This problem also was solved via hybrid algorithms. Several proposals for future research are listed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

By finding the minimum total potential energy of a structural system with a defined degree of freedoms assigned as design variables, it is possible to find the equilibrium condition of the deformed system. This method, called total potential optimization using metaheuristic algorithms (TPO/MA), has been verified on truss and truss-like structures, such as cable systems and tensegric structures. Harmony Search (HS) algorithm methods perfectly found the analysis results of the previous structure types. In this study, TPO/MA is presented for analysis of plates for plane stress members to solve general types of problems. Due to the complex nature of the system, a novel hybrid Harmony Search (HHS) approach was proposed. HHS is the hybridization of local search phases of HS and the global search phase of the Flower Pollination Algorithm (FPA). The results found via HHS were verified with the finite element method (FEM). When compared with classical HS, HHS provides smaller total potential energy values, and needs less iterations than other new generation metaheuristic algorithms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, multi-story structures with different combinations (on each floor and only the first floor) of active tendon control systems driven by a proportional–integral–derivative (PID) controller were actively controlled. The PID parameters, Kp (proportional gain), Td (derivative gain), and Ti (integral gain) for each structure, were optimally tuned by using both the harmony search algorithm (HS) and flower pollination algorithm (FPA), which are metaheuristic algorithms. In two different active-controlled structures, which are formed according to the position of the PID, the structural responses under near-fault records defined in FEMA P-695 are examined to determine the appropriate feedback which was applied for displacement, velocity, acceleration, and total acceleration. The performance of the different feedback strategies on these two active-controlled structures is evaluated. As a result, the acceleration feedback is suitable for all combinations of the active control system with a PID controller. The HS algorithm outperforms the optimum results found according to the FPA.

Estimation of the algal colonization growth on façade structure can provide useful information for the task of building maintenance. This research proposes a machine learning method based on the least squares support vector regression (LS-SVR) for modelling the growth time of the green alga Klebsormidium flaccidum on mortar surfaces. Furthermore, to identify an appropriate set of the LS-SVR hyper-parameters, the flower pollination algorithm (FPA) is employed as an optimization technique. The characteristics of the mortar samples, including surface roughness, porosity, surface pH, carbonated condition and type of cement, are employed as input factors for the analysing process. This study relies on a dataset that records 539 laboratory experiments to establish a hybrid model of the LS-SVR and the FPA. The cross-validation process reveals that the proposed method can successfully capture the functional relationship between the algal colonization growth and its influencing factors with a satisfactory outcome (the coefficient of determination R = 0.94 and the root mean square error RMSE = 4.55). These facts demonstrate that the hybrid model is a promising tool for assisting the decision-making process in building maintenance planning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Flower pollination algorithm is a recent metaheuristic algorithm for solving nonlinear global optimization problems. The algorithm has also been extended to solve multiobjective optimization with promising results. In this work, we analyze this algorithm mathematically and prove its convergence properties by using Markov chain theory. By constructing the appropriate transition probability for a population of flower pollen and using the homogeneity property, it can be shown that the constructed stochastic sequences can converge to the optimal set. Under the two proper conditions for convergence, it is proved that the simplified flower pollination algorithm can indeed satisfy these convergence conditions and thus the global convergence of this algorithm can be guaranteed. Numerical experiments are used to demonstrate that the flower pollination algorithm can converge quickly in practice and can thus achieve global optimality efficiently. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Petroleum is the live wire of modern technology and its operations, with economic development being positively linked to petroleum consumption. Many meta-heuristic algorithms have been proposed in literature for the optimization of Neural Network (NN) to build a forecasting model. In this paper, as an alternative to previous methods, we propose a new flower pollination algorithm with remarkable balance between consistency and exploration for NN training to build a model for the forecasting of petroleum consumption by the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC). The proposed approach is compared with established meta-heuristic algorithms. The results show that the new proposed method outperforms existing algorithms by advancing OPEC petroleum consumption forecast accuracy and convergence speed. Our proposed method has the potential to be used as an important tool in forecasting OPEC petroleum consumption to be used by OPEC authorities and other global oil-related organizations. This will facilitate proper monitoring and control of OPEC petroleum consumption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Flower Pollination Algorithm (FPA) is a recently proposed continuous metaheuristic that was claimed to give promising results. However, its potential in binary problems has been vaguely investigated. The use of mapping techniques to adapt metaheuristics to handle binary optimisation problems is a widely-used approach, but these techniques are still fuzzy and misunderstood, since no work thoroughly studied them for a given problem or algorithm. This paper conducts a consistent and systematic study to assess the efficiency of the FPA and the common mapping techniques. This is done through proposing four Binary variants of the FPA (BFPA) that have been got by applying the principal mapping techniques existing in the literature. As benchmark problem; an NP-hard binary one in advanced cellular networks, the Antenna Positioning Problem (APP), is used. In order to assess the scalability, efficiency and robustness of the proposed BFPAs, the experiments have been carried out on realistic, synthetic and random data with different dimensions, and several statistical tests have been carried. Two of the top-ranked algorithms designed to solve the APP; the Population-Based Incremental Learning (PBIL) and the Differential Evolution algorithm (DE), are taken as a comparison basis. The results showed that the normalisation and angle modulation are the best mapping techniques. The experiments also showed that the BFPAs have some shortcomings but, they could outperform the PBIL in 4 out of 13 instances and the DE in 6 out of 13 instances and no statistical difference was found in the remaining instances. Besides, the BFPAs outperformed or gave competitive technical results compared to the PBIL and DE in all problem instances. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Expert and intelligent systems try to simulate intelligent human experts in solving complex real-world problems. The domain of problems varies from engineering and industry to medicine and education. In most situations, the system is required to take decisions based on multiple inputs, but the search space is usually very huge so that it will be very hard to use the traditional algorithms to take a decision; at this point, the metaheuristic algorithms can be used as an alternative tool to find near-optimal solutions. Thus, inventing new metaheuristic techniques and enhancing the current algorithms is necessary. In this paper, we introduced an enhanced variant of the Flower Pollination Algorithm (FPA). We hybridized the standard FPA with the Clonal Selection Algorithm (CSA) and tested the new algorithm by applying it to 23 optimization benchmark problems. The proposed algorithm is compared with five famous optimization algorithms, namely, Simulated Annealing, Genetic Algorithm, Flower Pollination Algorithm, Bat Algorithm, and Firefly Algorithm. The results show that the proposed algorithm is able to find more accurate solutions than the standard FPA and the other four techniques. The superiority of the proposed algorithm nominates it for being a part of intelligent and expert systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The flower pollination algorithm (FPA) is a recently proposed metaheuristic inspired by the natural phenomenon of flower pollination. Since its invention, this star-rising metaheuristic has gained a big interest in the community of metaheuristic optimisation. So, many works based on the FPA have already been proposed. However, these works have not given any deep analysis of the performances of the basic algorithm, neither of the variants already proposed. This makes it difficult to decide on the applicability of this new metaheuristic in real-world applications. This paper qualitatively and quantitatively analyses this metaheuristic. The qualitative analysis studies the basic variant of the FPA and some extensions of it. For quantitative analysis, the FPA is statistically examined through using it to solve the CEC 2013 benchmarks for real-parameter continuous optimisation, then by applying it on some of the CEC 2011 benchmarks for real-world optimisation problems. In addition, some extensions of the FPA, based on opposition-based learning and the modification of the movement equation in the global-pollination operator, are presented and also analysed in this paper. On the whole, the basic FPA has been found to offer less than average performances when compared to state-of-the-art algorithms, and the best of the proposed extensions has reached average results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, a modified flower pollination algorithm (MFPA) is proposed to improve the performance of the classical algorithm and to tackle the nonlinear equation systems widely used in engineering and science fields. In addition, the differential evolution (DE) is integrated with MFPA to strengthen its exploration operator in a new variant called HFPA. Those two algorithms were assessed using 23 well-known mathematical unimodal and multimodal test functions and 27 well-known nonlinear equation systems, and the obtained outcomes were extensively compared with those of eight well-known metaheuristic algorithms under various statistical analyses and the convergence curve. The experimental findings show that both MFPA and HFPA are competitive together and, compared to the others, they could be superior and competitive for most test cases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]