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Summary: The sector stability theorem is an intuitive condition for the stability of feedback loops that unifies many lines of research including robust control and the theory of passive and dissipative systems. Applying this theorem typically requires checking or enforcing sector bounds on linear time‐invariant systems. This article discusses practical and efficient numerical methods for performing these tasks. We derive a frequency‐domain test for sector boundedness and use it to develop O(n3) numerical algorithms for computing the relative or directional indices of sector bounds. We also discuss how such algorithms can be combined with nonsmooth optimization techniques to enforce sector bounds while designing and tuning controllers. Several application examples illustrate the potential of these tools and techniques. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract This paper presents an exploratory review on various attempts made in the literature for improving the performance of diesel engine, since last decade. The review explains the evolution of various performance improvement methods followed by explaining the modeling techniques, state-of-the-art metrics that define the performance of the diesel engines. Subsequently, the review is confined to artificial intelligence methodologies for improving the performance improvement. This review addresses an important challenge for enhancing the performance of the diesel engine by exploiting the optimization algorithms. The significant challenges are the noisy experimental scenario, robustness, imprecise and temporal variations of approximations of fitness models. Since these challenges still exist in the optimization algorithms and diesel engine modeling, there is an extensive scope for researchers who are working on a diesel engine. This contemplates the reporting of various advancements in the optimization models for further enhancement of engine performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The optimum design of a cam mechanism is a very interesting problem in the contact mechanics today, due to the alternative industrial applications as a mechanism of precision. In this paper, a new evolutionary algorithm called modified adaptive differential evolution (MADE) is introduced for multi-objective optimization of a cam mechanism with offset translating roller follower. The optimization procedure is investigated for three objectives among them minimum congestion, maximum efficiency, and maximum strength resistance of the cam. To enhance the design quality of the mechanism in the optimization process, more geometric parameters and more design constraints are included in the problem formulation. In order to validate the developed algorithm, three engineering design problems are solved. The simulation results for the tested problems indicate the effectiveness and the robustness of the proposed algorithm compared to the various existed optimization methods. Finally, the optimal results obtained for the case study example provide very useful decisions for a cam mechanism synthesis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Compressed sensing (CS) is an important research area of signal sampling and compression, and the essence of signal recovery in CS is an optimization problem of solving the underdetermined system of equations. Greedy pursuit algorithms are widely used to solve this problem. They have low computational complexity; however, their recovery performance is limited. In this paper, an intelligence recovery algorithm is proposed by combining the Bat Algorithm (BA) and the pruning technique in subspace pursuit. Experimental results illustrate that the proposed algorithm has better recovery performance than greedy pursuit algorithms. Moreover, applied to the microseismic monitoring system, the BA can recover the signal well. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present a novel dual-mode MPC scheme that significantly reduces the computational effort of robust MPC (RMPC). Specifically, we propose a method for the computation of a large set C on which no optimal control problem (OCP) needs to be solved online. The method is motivated by the trivial observation that, for classical MPC, no optimization is required for the states in the terminal set T , because the unconstrained linear–quadratic regulator is optimal there. While this observation cannot be directly transferred to RMPC, we show that suitable sets C exist in the neighborhood of T and state an algorithm for their computation. We stress that the resulting sets C are significantly larger than robust positively invariant sets that are typically exploited in RMPC and on which it is well-known that no OCP needs to be solved online. The approach is illustrated with three examples for which we observe a reduction of the numerical effort between 22.36% and 95.60%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Herein, the sample complexity of general weighted $\ell _1$ minimization in terms of support recovery from noisy underdetermined measurements is analyzed. This analysis generalizes prior work on $\ell _1$ minimization by considering arbitrary weighting. The explicit relationship between the weights and the sample complexity is stated such that for random matrices with i.i.d. Gaussian entries, the weighted $\ell _1$ minimization recovers the support of the underlying signal with high probability as the problem dimension increases. This result provides a measure that is predictive of relative performance of different algorithms. Motivated by the analysis, a new iterative reweighted strategy is proposed for binary signal recovery. In the binary sparsity-Promoting Reweighted $\ell _1$ minimization (bPRL1) algorithm, a sequence of weighted $\ell _1$ minimization problems are solved where partial support recovery is used to prune the optimization; furthermore, the weights used for the next iteration are updated by the current estimate. bPRL1 is compared to other weighted algorithms through the proposed measure and numerical results are shown to provide superior performance for a spectrum occupancy estimation problem motivated by cognitive radio. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Controllable building loads have the potential to increase the flexibility of power systems. A key step in developing effective and attainable load control policies is modeling the set of feasible building load profiles. In this paper, we consider buildings whose source of flexibility is their HVAC loads. We propose a data-driven method to empirically estimate a robust feasible region of the load using coarse data, that is, using only total building load and average indoor temperatures. The proposed method uses easy-to-gather coarse data and can be adapted to buildings of any type. The resulting feasible region model is robust to temperature prediction errors and is described by linear constraints. The mathematical simplicity of these constraints makes the proposed model adaptable to many power system applications, for example, economic dispatch, and optimal power flow. We validate our model using data from EnergyPlus and demonstrate its usefulness through a case study in which flexible building loads are used to balance errors of wind power forecasts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Variations in the concentrations of biomolecular species in vivo are inevitable, but regulation systems will act to maintain concentrations of certain species within proper levels. Such a ubiquitous trait in biological systems is the so-called concentration robustness. In this work, we study the concentration robustness of glycerol metabolism system, in which some mechanistic details are not clearly known and the true metabolic system need to be identified from all possible ones. We give a quantitative index to measure the concentration robustness of the considered system, which is characterized as the maximum relative variation in certain entries of steady state caused by the perturbations of operating parameters. Based on the proposed robustness index, a minimax dynamic optimization problem is developed for identifying the kinetic parameters as well as the unknown metabolic mechanisms. A scheme based on Monte-Carlo method is proposed to evaluate the robustness index approximately and convergence result is obtained. An algorithm is constructed to solve the dynamic optimization problem and numerical results are presented to show that the proposed robustness index could measure concentration robustness of the considered system properly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we present a pattern development method for soft product design. We utilize a surface fattening method based on a mass-spring model to create 2D patterns unfolding from a three-dimensional (3D) model. Multilevel meshes are proposed to expedite the flattening process, and a boundary optimization method is employed to guarantee 2D patterns can be sewn well. We apply the proposed method to the design of real soft products. Experimental results show that it can deal with complex surfaces efficiently and robustly, and manufactured products are satisfactory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, the exponential weighted square-of-error functions are exploited for controller design. It is reported that the exponential weight in square-of-error objective function is related to the maximum sensitivity of the process. Therefore, it is possible to control the maximum sensitivity of the process without measuring the frequency response. Moreover, the existing integral-square-error- and integral-time-square-error-based proportional-integral-derivative (PID) tuning rule is modified with the proposed exponential weighted square-of-error functions that allow the user to further tune the maximum sensitivity of the process. The proposed theory is corroborated with the help of a gain optimisation example by the traditional minimisation approach and a PID controller design example by the proposed tuning rule (for the stable/unstable process) and stochastic optimisation approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents an efficient and reliable evolutionary-based approach to solve palletization problem. The proposed approach employs particle swarm optimization (PSO) algorithm for minimization of cycle time of palletizing robot i.e. IRB-1600. The operator of algorithm are reviewed, focusing on how each affects search behaviour in the problem space. This paper first analyzes the impact of the parameters i.e. population size and maximum run on the performance of the particle swarm optimizer. Numerical results show that the different algorithm perform optimally for the tested instances in a reasonable computational time. The proposed approach results have been compared to those that reported in the literature recently. The results are promising and show the effectiveness and robustness of the proposed approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We treat uncertain linear programming problems by utilizing the notion of weighted analytic centers and notions from the area of multi-criteria decision making. After introducing our approach, we develop interactive cutting-plane algorithms for robust optimization, based on concave and quasi-concave utility functions. In addition to practical advantages, due to the flexibility of our approach, we prove that under a theoretical framework proposed by Bertsimas and Sim (Oper Res 52:35-53, 2004), which establishes the existence of certain convex formulation of robust optimization problems, the robust optimal solutions generated by our algorithms are at least as desirable to the decision maker as any solution generated by many other robust optimization algorithms in the theoretical framework. We present some probabilistic bounds for feasibility of robust solutions and evaluate our approach by means of computational experiments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A method for structural damage identification based on a modified Artificial Bee Colony algorithm is presented. A new formula is introduced to the onlooker bee phase to improve the convergence rate and the Tournament Selection Strategy is adopted instead of roulette to enhance global search ability of the algorithm. Test functions are introduced as benchmarks to verify the proposed algorithm. And then two numerical examples, including a supported beam and a plate, are conducted to investigate the efficiency and correctness of the proposed method. Final estimated results show that the present technique can produce more accurate damage identification results, comparing with other evolutionary algorithms, even with a few noise contaminated measurements. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Summary: In optimization of multiple tuned mass dampers (MTMDs), certain restrictions or preconditions such as uniform distribution of stiffness, mass, or frequency spacing had been applied for simplification, but in turn, solution of individual stiffness and damping parameters are not the true optima. The main purpose of this paper is to obtain the true optima of individual stiffness and damping parameters of MTMD system. In the proposed method, parameters of TMD units are treated as free search optimization variables, and an efficient optimization algorithm, namely, artificial bee colony algorithm has been utilized in obtaining optimum parameters of MTMDs. Performance proposed method with respect to uncontrolled structure is verified through numerical analyses and compared with other reported methods. Comparisons show a superior performance of proposed approach. The basic properties of optimum design, the effectiveness, and robustness with respect to number of dampers are also discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we study risk-averse models for multicriteria optimization problems under uncertainty. We use a weighted sum-based scalarization and take a robust approach by considering a set of scalarization vectors to address the ambiguity and inconsistency in the relative weights of each criterion. We model the risk aversion of the decision makers via the concept of multivariate conditional value-at-risk ( CVaR). First, we introduce a model that optimizes the worst-case multivariate CVaR and show that its optimal solution lies on a particular type of stochastic efficient frontier. To solve this model, we develop a finitely convergent delayed cut generation algorithm for finite probability spaces. We also show that the proposed model can be reformulated as a compact linear program under certain assumptions. In addition, for the cut generation problem, which is in general a mixed-integer program, we give a stronger formulation than the existing ones for the equiprobable case. Next, we observe that similar polyhedral enhancements are also useful for a related class of multivariate CVaR-constrained optimization problems that has attracted attention recently. In our computational study, we use a budget allocation application to benchmark our proposed maximin type risk-averse model against its risk-neutral counterpart and a related multivariate CVaR-constrained model. Finally, we illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed solution methods for both classes of models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to take a step forward to enhance the performance of the optimization kernel of electronic design automation (EDA) tools by coping with the existing challenges in the analog circuit sizing problems. For this purpose, a novel co-evolutionary-based optimization approach, called Co-AGSA, is proposed. In the Co-AGSA, a self-adaptive penalty technique based on the concept of the co-evolution model is incorporated into a powerful optimization algorithm, named advanced gravitational search algorithm (AGSA), to efficiently solve more realistic constrained optimization problems. The performance of the Co-AGSA approach is first evaluated by solving three constrained engineering design problems. Then, the optimization capability of the Co-AGSA-based IC sizing tool is validated using three different case studies, i.e., a two-stage op-amp, a folded-cascode op-amp and a two-stage telescopic cascode amplifier, to show the applicability of the proposed approach. The results demonstrate that the Co-AGSA gives better performance compared to other approaches in terms of efficiency, accuracy and robustness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, an anti-jamming method, which turns the single objective optimization problem into a multi-objective optimization problem by utilizing 2-norm, is proposed. The proposed jamming suppression method can reduce the wide nulls and wrong nulls problems, which are generated by the common adaptive nulling methods. Therefore a better signal-noise-ratio (SNR) can be achieved, especially when the jammers are close to satellite signals. It can also improve the robustness of the algorithm. The effectiveness of the proposed method is evaluated by simulation and practical outdoor experiments with the GPS L1 band C/A signals. The experimental results show that with the dedicated method, the nulls targeting at the corresponding jammers become narrower and the wrong nulls can be eliminated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Effectiveness is the most important factor considered in the ranking models yielded by algorithms of learning to rank (LTR). Most of the related ranking models only focus on improving the average effectiveness but ignore robustness. When a ranking model ignores robustness, the effectiveness for many queries is possibly very poor although the average effectiveness for all queries is relatively high. Therefore, Wang et al. first consider robustness in their ranking models. However, the robustness formula defined by Wang et al. cannot characterize those queries whose effectiveness are hurt seriously in comparison with the baseline model. In order to overcome this shortcoming, we propose a novel formula of characterizing robustness based on portfolio theory, and construct a multiobjective optimization model of the robust LTR in which the formula is used. Based on this model, we propose an approach of risk-sensitive and robust LTR, named as \textR^ 2 Rank, which is based on the framework of archived multiobjective simulated annealing algorithm and the idea of preference ranking organization method for enrichment evaluation. The experimental results show that the ranking models produced by our proposed \textR^ 2 Rank approach are better in both effectiveness and robustness than those produced by three state-of-the-art LTR approaches. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Many real-world optimization problems are actually of dynamic nature. These problems change over time in terms of the objective function, decision variables, constraints, and so forth. Therefore, it is very important to study the performance of a metaheuristic algorithm in dynamic environments to assess the robustness of the algorithm to deal with real-word problems. In addition, it is important to adapt the existing metaheuristic algorithms to perform well in dynamic environments. This paper investigates a recently proposed version of Bees Algorithm, which is called Patch-Levy-based Bees Algorithm (PLBA), on solving dynamic problems, and adapts it to deal with such problems. The performance of the PLBA is compared with other BA versions and other state-of-the-art algorithms on a set of dynamic multimodal benchmark problems of different degrees of difficulties. The results of the experiments show that PLBA achieves better results than the other BA variants. The obtained results also indicate that PLBA significantly outperforms some of the other state-of-the-art algorithms and is competitive with others. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a robust satisficing decision-making method for Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) executing complex missions in an uncertain environment. Motivated by the info-gap decision theory, we formulate this problem as a novel robust satisficing optimization problem, of which the objective is to maximize the robustness while satisfying some desired mission requirements. Specifically, a new info-gap based Markov Decision Process (IMDP) is constructed to abstract the uncertain UAV system and specify the complex mission requirements with the Linear Temporal Logic (LTL). A robust satisficing policy is obtained to maximize the robustness to the uncertain IMDP while ensuring a desired probability of satisfying the LTL specifications. To this end, we propose a two-stage robust satisficing solution strategy which consists of the construction of a product IMDP and the generation of a robust satisficing policy. In the first stage, a product IMDP is constructed by combining the IMDP with an automaton representing the LTL specifications. In the second, an algorithm based on robust dynamic programming is proposed to generate a robust satisficing policy, while an associated robustness evaluation algorithm is presented to evaluate the robustness. Finally, through Monte Carlo simulation, the effectiveness of our algorithms is demonstrated on an UAV search mission under severe uncertainty so that the resulting policy can maximize the robustness while reaching the desired performance level. Furthermore, by comparing the proposed method with other robust decision-making methods, it can be concluded that our policy can tolerate higher uncertainty so that the desired performance level can be guaranteed, which indicates that the proposed method is much more effective in real applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel infill sampling criterion is proposed for efficient estimation of the global robust optimum of expensive computer simulation based problems. The algorithm is especially geared towards addressing problems that are affected by uncertainties in design variablesandproblem parameters. The method is based on constructing metamodels using Kriging and adaptively sampling the response surface via a principle of expected improvement adapted for robust optimization. Several numerical examples and an engineering case study are used to demonstrate the ability of the algorithm to estimate the global robust optimum using a limited number of expensive function evaluations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper addresses the robustH∞control problem with scaled matrices. It is difficult to find a global optimal solution for this non-convex optimisation problem. A probabilistic solution, which can achieve globally optimal robust performance within any pre-specified tolerance, is obtained by using the proposed method based on randomised algorithm. In the proposed method, the scaledH∞control problem is divided into two parts: (1) assume the scaled matrices be random variables, the scaledH∞control problem is converted to a convex optimisation problem for the fixed sample of the scaled matrix and a optimal solution corresponding to the fixed sample is obtained; (2) a probabilistic optimal solution is obtained by using the randomised algorithm based on a finite numberNoptimal solutions, which are obtained in part (1). The analysis shows that the worst case complexity of proposed method is a polynomial. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Integration of renewable energy sources in microgrids can be achieved via demand response programs, which change the electric usage in response to changes in the availability and price of electricity over time. This paper presents a novel control algorithm for joint demand response management and thermal comfort optimization in microgrids equipped with renewable energy sources and energy storage units. The proposed work aims at covering two main gaps in current state-of-the-art demand response programs. The first gap is integrating the objective of matching energy generation and consumption with the occupant behavior and with the objective of guaranteeing thermal comfort of the occupants. The second gap is developing a scalable and robust demand response program. Large-scale nature of the optimization problem and robustness are achieved via a two-level supervisory closed-loop feedback strategy: at the lower level, each building of the microgrid employs a local closed-loop feedback controller that processes only local measurements; at the upper level, a centralized unit supervises and updates the local controllers with the aim of minimizing the aggregate energy cost and thermal discomfort of the microgrid. The effectiveness of the proposed method is validated in a microgrid composed of three buildings, a photovoltaic array, a wind turbine, and an energy storage unit. Comparisons with alternative demand response strategies reveal that the proposed strategy efficiently integrates the renewable sources; energy costs are reduced and at the same time thermal comfort of the occupants is guaranteed. Furthermore, robustness is proved via consistent improvements achieved under heterogeneous conditions (different occupancy schedules and different weather conditions). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper develops a new framework to analyze and design iterative optimization algorithms built on the notion of integral quadratic constraints (IQCs) from robust control theory. IQCs provide sufficient conditions for the stability of complicated interconnected systems, and these conditions can be checked by semidefinite programming. We discuss how to adapt IQC theory to study optimization algorithms, proving new inequalities about convex functions and providing a version of IQC theory adapted for use by optimization researchers. Using these inequalities, we derive numerical upper bounds on convergence rates for the Gradient method, the Heavy-ball method, Nesterov's accelerated method, and related variants by solving small, simple semidefinite programming problems. We also briefly show how these techniques can be used to search for optimization algorithms with desired performance characteristics, establishing a new methodology for algorithm design. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

TheL1-type regularization provides a useful tool for variable selection in high-dimensional regression modeling. Various algorithms have been proposed to solve optimization problems forL1-type regularization. Especially the coordinate descent algorithm has been shown to be effective in sparse regression modeling. Although the algorithm shows a remarkable performance to solve optimization problems forL1-type regularization, it suffers from outliers, since the procedure is based on the inner product of predictor variables and partial residuals obtained from a non-robust manner. To overcome this drawback, we propose a robust coordinate descent algorithm, especially focusing on the high-dimensional regression modeling based on the principal components space. We show that the proposed robust algorithm converges to the minimum value of its objective function. Monte Carlo experiments and real data analysis are conducted to examine the efficiency of the proposed robust algorithm. We observe that our robust coordinate descent algorithm effectively performs for the high-dimensional regression modeling even in the presence of outliers. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

A new trust region method is presented, which combines nonmonotone line search technique, a self-adaptive update rule for the trust region radius, and the weighting technique for the ratio between the actual reduction and the predicted reduction. Under reasonable assumptions, the global convergence of the method is established for unconstrained nonconvex optimization. Numerical results show that the new method is efficient and robust for solving unconstrained optimization problems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To solve the problems of tracking errors such as target missing that emerged in compressive tracking (CT) algorithm due to factors such as pose variation, illumination change, and occlusion, a novel tracking algorithm combined angular point matching with compressive tracking (APMCCT) was proposed. A sparse measurement matrix was adopted to extract the Haar-like features. The offset of the predicted target position was integrated into the angular point matching, and the new target position was calculated. Furthermore, the updating mechanism of the template was optimized. Experiments on different video sequences have shown that the proposed APMCCT performs better than CT algorithm in terms of accuracy and robustness and adaptability to pose variation, illumination change, and occlusion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A robust fault detection scheme for a class of nonlinear systems with uncertainty is proposed. The proposed approach utilizes robust control theory and parameter optimization algorithm to design the gain matrix of fault tracking approximator (FTA) for fault detection. The gain matrix of FTA is designed to minimize the effects of system uncertainty on residual signals while maximizing the effects of system faults on residual signals. The design of the gain matrix of FTA takes into account the robustness of residual signals to system uncertainty and sensitivity of residual signals to system faults simultaneously, which leads to a multiobjective optimization problem. Then, the detectability of system faults is rigorously analyzed by investigating the threshold of residual signals. Finally, simulation results are provided to show the validity and applicability of the proposed approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

More and more MPPT (Maximum Power Point Tracking) algorithms are in competition to maximize energy extracted from PV systems. This paper shows how to get the best algorithm (the most simple, fast and robust). VSAS (Variable Structure Automatic Systems) control methodology is applied to develop the control algorithm, to clarify the rationale behind and get the best optimization algorithm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Traveling Salesman Problem (TSP) is one of the typical NP-hard problems. Efficient algorithms for the TSP have been the focus on academic circles at all times. This article proposes a discrete invasive weed optimization (DIWO) to solve TSP. Firstly, weeds individuals encode positive integer, on the basis that the normal distribution of the IWO does not change, and then calculate the fitness value of the weeds individuals. Secondly, the 3-Opt local search operator is used. Finally, an improved complete 2-Opt (I2Opt) is selected as a second local search operator for solve TSP. A benchmarks problem selected from TSPLIB is used to test the algorithm, and the results show that the DIWO algorithm proposed in this article can achieve to results closed to the theoretical optimal values within a reasonable period of time, and has strong robustness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Assessment of the components of a solution helps provide useful information for an optimization problem. This paper presents a new population-based problem-reduction evolutionary algorithm (PREA) based on the solution components assessment. An individual solution is regarded as being constructed by basic elements, and the concept of acceptability is introduced to evaluate them. The PREA consists of a searching phase and an evaluation phase. The acceptability of basic elements is calculated in the evaluation phase and passed to the searching phase. In the searching phase, for each individual solution, the original optimization problem is reduced to a new smaller-size problem. With the evolution of the algorithm, the number of common basic elements in the population increases until all individual solutions are exactly the same which is supposed to be the near-optimal solution of the optimization problem. The new algorithm is applied to a large variety of capacitated vehicle routing problems (CVRP) with customers up to nearly 500. Experimental results show that the proposed algorithm has the advantages of fast convergence and robustness in solution quality over the comparative algorithms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We investigate the trade-off between the robustness against random and targeted removal of nodes from a network. To this end we utilize the stochastic block model to study ensembles of infinitely large networks with arbitrary large-scale structures. We present results from numerical two-objective optimization simulations for networks with various fixed mean degree and number of blocks. The results provide strong evidence that three different blocks are sufficient to realize the best trade-off between the two measures of robustness, i.e. to obtain the complete front of Pareto-optimal networks. For all values of the mean degree, a characteristic three block structure emerges over large parts of the Pareto-optimal front. This structure can be often characterized as a core-periphery structure, composed of a group of core nodes with high degree connected among themselves and to a periphery of low-degree nodes, in addition to a third group of nodes which is disconnected from the periphery, and weakly connected to the core. Only at both extremes of the Pareto-optimal front, corresponding to maximal robustness against random and targeted node removal, a two-block core-periphery structure or a one-block fully random network are found, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a deterministic global optimization algorithm for solving minimax linear fractional programming (MLFP). In this algorithm, a new linearization technique is proposed, which uses more information of the objective function of the (MLFP) than other techniques. By utilizing this new linearization technique, the initial nonconvex programming problem (MLFP) is reduced to a sequence of linear relaxation programming (LRP) problems, which can provide reliable lower bound of the optimal value. The proposed algorithm is convergent to the global minimum of the (MLFP) through the successive refinement of the feasible region and solutions of a series of the (LRP). Compared with the known algorithms, numerical results show that the proposed algorithm is robust and effective. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

A Bayesian approach is proposed to quantitatively identify damages in beam-like structures using experimentally measured guided wave signals. The proposed methodology treats the damage location, length and depth as unknown parameters. Damage identification is achieved by solving an optimization problem, in which a hybrid particle swarm optimization algorithm is applied to maximize the probability density function of a damage scenario conditional on the measured guided wave signals. Signal envelopes extracted by the Hilbert transform are proposed to minimize the complexity of the optimization problem in order to enhance the robustness and computational efficiency of the damage identification. One of the advantages of the proposed methodology is that instead of only pinpointing the multivariate damage characteristics, the uncertainty associated with the damage identification results is also quantified. This outcome provides essential information for making decisions about the remedial work necessary to repair structural damage. The experimental data consist of guided wave signals measured at a single location of the beams. A number of experimental case studies considering damages of different scenarios are used to demonstrate the success of the proposed Bayesian approach in identifying the damages. The results show that the proposed approach is able to accurately identify damages, even when the extent of the damage is small. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, a new robust optimization technique with the ability of solving multi-objective constrained design optimization problems in aerodynamics is presented. This new technique is Multi-objective Territorial Particle Swarm Optimization (MOTPSO) algorithm in which diversity is actively preserved by avoiding overcrowded clusters of particles and encouraging broader exploration. Adaptively varying 'territories' are formed around promising individuals to prevent many of the lesser individuals from premature clustering and encouraged them to explore new neighborhoods based on a hybrid self-social metric. Also, a new social interaction scheme is introduced which guided particles towards the weighted average of their 'elite' neighbors' best found positions instead of their own personal bests which in turn helps the particles to exploit the candidate local optima more effectively. The MOTPSO algorithm takes into account multiple objective functions using a Pareto-Based approach. The non-dominated solutions found by swarm are stored in an external archive and nearest neighbor density estimator method is used to select a leader for the individual particles in the swarm. Efficiency and robustness of the proposed algorithm is demonstrated using multiple traditional and newly-composed optimization benchmark functions and aerodynamic design problems. In final airfoil designs obtained from the Multi Objective Territorial Particle Swarm Optimization algorithm, separation point is delayed to make the airfoil less susceptible to stall in critical operating conditions and it also reveal an evident improvement over the test case airfoil across all objective functions presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes the design of robust repetitive control with time-varying sampling periods. First, it develops a new frequency domain method to design a low-order, stable, robust, and causal IIR repetitive compensator using an optimization method to achieve fast convergence and high tracking accuracy. As such, a new stable and causal repetitive controller can be implemented independently to reduce the design complexity. The comprehensive analysis and comparison study are presented. Then, this paper extends the method to design a robust repetitive controller, which compensates time-varying periodic signals in a known range. A complete series of experiments is successfully carried out to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed algorithms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper introduces a novel hybrid control strategy, namely an optimal adaptive fuzzy sliding mode (OAFSM) control scheme, to realize the synchronization of general uncertain chaotic systems in master-slave configuration. The proposed controller not only guaranties the stability and robustness against the lumped uncertainties caused by unmodeled dynamics and external disturbances, but also significantly reduces the control chattering inherent in conventional sliding mode control. The chaos synchronization is obtained by optimal proper choice of the control parameters including the sliding surface and the reaching law parameters. To achieve this, a bio-mimetic algorithm namely bacterial foraging optimization algorithm (BFOA) is employed. An illustrative example is given to demonstrate the validity and confirm the performance of the proposed scheme. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: [•] This paper presents TLBO and OTLBO to solve combined heat and power dispatch problem. [•] The proposed methods are implemented on three standard test systems. [•] The effectiveness of the proposed methods are compared with other reported algorithms. [•] Robustness of the proposed methods are checked through statistical analysis. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

SUMMARY Based on recent papers that have demonstrated that robust iterative learning control can be based on parameter optimization using either the inverse plant or gradient concepts, this paper presents a unification of these ideas for discrete-time systems that not only retains the convergence properties and the robustness properties derived in previous papers but also permits the inclusion of filters in the input update formula and a detailed analysis of the effect of non-minimum-phase dynamics on algorithm performance in terms of a 'plateauing' or 'flat-lining' effect in the error norm evolution. Although the analysis is in the time domain, the robustness conditions are expressed as frequency domain inequalities. The special case of a version of the inverse algorithm that can be used to construct a robust stable anti-causal inverse non-minimum-phase plant is presented and analysed in detail. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The aim of this paper is to introduce a novel prototype generation technique for handwriting digit recognition. Prototype generation is approached as a two-stage process. The first stage uses an Adaptive Resonance Theory 1 (ART1) based algorithm to select an effective initial solution, while the second one executes a fine tuning designed to generate the best prototypes. To this end, the second stage deals with an optimization problem, in which the objective function to be minimized is the cost function associated to the classification. A naive evolution strategy is used to generate the prototype set able to reduce classification time, without greatly affecting the accuracy. Moreover, as the ART1 based algorithm has incremental learning capability, the first stage is also useful for selecting the prototype set according to variations in handwriting style. The classification task is performed by the k-nearest neighbor classifier. Experimental tests on the MNIST dataset demonstrated that our technique represents a good trade-off among accuracy, classification speed and robustness to handwriting style changes. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Highlights: [•] FLICM was proposed as robust image segmentation algorithm derived from fuzzy c-means. [•] A deep insight is given, into the theoretical foundation of FLICM algorithm. [•] Several critical issues of FLICM’s objective function are revealed. [•] FLICM is identified as a non-optimal clustering algorithm related to suppressed FCM. [•] Solutions are proposed to improve FLICM’s accuracy in image segmentation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: [•] We developed an optimization algorithm for low-dimensional black box simulations. [•] We compare this new algorithm to existing optimization algorithms. [•] STO uses more computational effort per iteration to reduce overall required iterations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Railway freight center location problem is an important issue in railway freight transport programming. This paper focuses on the railway freight center location problem in uncertain environment. Seeing that the expected value model ignores the negative influence of disadvantageous scenarios, a robust optimization model was proposed. The robust optimization model takes expected cost and deviation value of the scenarios as the objective. A cloud adaptive clonal selection algorithm (C-ACSA) was presented. It combines adaptive clonal selection algorithm with Cloud Model which can improve the convergence rate. Design of the code and progress of the algorithm were proposed. Result of the example demonstrates the model and algorithm are effective. Compared with the expected value cases, the amount of disadvantageous scenarios in robust model reduces from 163 to 21, which prove the result of robust model is more reliable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper firstly introduced FastICA and RobustICA algorithms, and then researched the objective functions and optimization algorithms of these two algorithms. Furthermore, it analyzed and compared the performance of these two algorithms about robustness and computation complexity. As a result, the general performance of RobustICA is better than FastICA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The part-based method has been a fast rising framework for object detection. It is attracting more and more attention for its detection precision and partial robustness to the occlusion. However, little research has been focused on the problem of occlusion overlapping of the part regions, which can reduce the performance of the system. This paper proposes a part-based probabilistic model and the corresponding inference algorithm for the problem of the part occlusion. The model is based on the Bayesian theory integrally and aims to be robust to the large occlusion. In the stage of the model construction, all of the parts constitute the vertex set of a fully connected graph, and a binary variable is assigned to each part to indicate its occlusion status. In addition, we introduce a penalty term to regularize the argument space of the objective function. Thus, the part detection is formulated as an optimization problem, which is divided into two alternative procedures: the outer inference and the inner inference. A stochastic tentative method is employed in the outer inference to determine the occlusion status for each part. In the inner inference, the gradient descent algorithm is employed to find the optimal positions of the parts, in term of the current occlusion status. Experiments were carried out on the Caltech database. The results demonstrated that the proposed method achieves a strong robustness to the occlusion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: [•] Origin and types of process variations in nanoscale circuits are discussed. [•] Nanoscale variability aware architectural-level optimizations that improve yield are presented. [•] A methodology is proposed to characterize nanoscale components accounting for variability. [•] An algorithm is proposed for the reduction of total power accounting for leakage. [•] A total power reduction up to 70% with no performance penalty is obtained. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]