UTF: Upgrade transfer function for binary meta-heuristic algorithms

BGOA-TVG: Binary Grasshopper Optimization Algorithm with Time-Varying Gaussian Transfer Functions for Feature Selection

Feature selection aims to select crucial features to improve classification accuracy in machine learning and data mining. In this paper, a new binary grasshopper optimization algorithm using time-varying Gaussian transfer functions (BGOA-TVG) is proposed for feature selection. Compared with the traditional S-shaped and V-shaped transfer functions, the proposed Gaussian time-varying transfer functions have the characteristics of a fast convergence speed and a strong global search capability to convert a continuous search space to a binary one. The BGOA-TVG is tested and compared to S-shaped and V-shaped binary grasshopper optimization algorithms and five state-of-the-art swarm intelligence algorithms for feature selection. The experimental results show that the BGOA-TVG has better performance in UCI, DEAP, and EPILEPSY datasets for feature selection.

Challenging the Limits of Binarization: A New Scheme Selection Policy Using Reinforcement Learning Techniques for Binary Combinatorial Problem Solving

In this study, we introduce an innovative policy in the field of reinforcement learning, specifically designed as an action selection mechanism, and applied herein as a selector for binarization schemes. These schemes enable continuous metaheuristics to be applied to binary problems, thereby paving new paths in combinatorial optimization. To evaluate its efficacy, we implemented this policy within our BSS framework, which integrates a variety of reinforcement learning and metaheuristic techniques. Upon resolving 45 instances of the Set Covering Problem, our results demonstrate that reinforcement learning can play a crucial role in enhancing the binarization techniques employed. This policy not only significantly outperformed traditional methods in terms of precision and efficiency, but also proved to be extensible and adaptable to other techniques and similar problems. The approach proposed in this article is capable of significantly surpassing traditional methods in precision and efficiency, which could have important implications for a wide range of real-world applications. This study underscores the philosophy behind our approach: utilizing reinforcement learning not as an end in itself, but as a powerful tool for solving binary combinatorial problems, emphasizing its practical applicability and potential to transform the way we address complex challenges across various fields.

Binary Restructuring Particle Swarm Optimization and Its Application

Restructuring Particle Swarm Optimization (RPSO) algorithm has been developed as an intelligent approach based on the linear system theory of particle swarm optimization (PSO). It streamlines the flow of the PSO algorithm, specifically targeting continuous optimization problems. In order to adapt RPSO for solving discrete optimization problems, this paper proposes the binary Restructuring Particle Swarm Optimization (BRPSO) algorithm. Unlike other binary metaheuristic algorithms, BRPSO does not utilize the transfer function. The particle updating process in BRPSO relies solely on comparison results between values derived from the position updating formula and a random number. Additionally, a novel perturbation term is incorporated into the position updating formula of BRPSO. Notably, BRPSO requires fewer parameters and exhibits high exploration capability during the early stages. To evaluate the efficacy of BRPSO, comprehensive experiments are conducted by comparing it against four peer algorithms in the context of feature selection problems. The experimental results highlight the competitive nature of BRPSO in terms of both classification accuracy and the number of selected features.

Mutation-based Binary Aquila optimizer for gene selection in cancer classification

Microarray data classification is one of the hottest issues in the field of bioinformatics due to its efficiency in diagnosing patients' ailments. But the difficulty is that microarrays possess a huge number of genes where the majority of which are redundant or irrelevant resulting in the deterioration of classification accuracy. For this issue, mutated binary Aquila Optimizer (MBAO) with a time-varying mirrored S-shaped (TVMS) transfer function is proposed as a new wrapper gene (or feature) selection method to find the optimal subset of informative genes. The suggested hybrid method utilizes Minimum Redundancy Maximum Relevance (mRMR) as a filtering approach to choose top-ranked genes in the first stage and then uses MBAO-TVMS as an efficient wrapper approach to identify the most discriminative genes in the second stage. TVMS is adopted to transform the continuous version of Aquila Optimizer (AO) to binary one and a mutation mechanism is incorporated into binary AO to aid the algorithm to escape local optima and improve its global search capabilities. The suggested method was tested on eleven well-known benchmark microarray datasets and compared to other current state-of-the-art methods. Based on the obtained results, mRMR-MBAO confirms its superiority over the mRMR-BAO algorithm and the other comparative GS approaches on the majority of the medical datasets strategies in terms of classification accuracy and the number of selected genes. R codes of MBAO are available at https://github.com/el-pashaei/MBAO.