A Hybrid-coded Human Learning Optimization for mixed-variable optimization problems

A human learning optimization algorithm with competitive and cooperative learning

Human learning optimization (HLO) is a simple yet powerful metaheuristic developed based on a simplified human learning model. Competition and cooperation, as two basic modes of social cognition, can motivate individuals to learn more efficiently and improve their efficiency in solving problems by stimulating their competitive instincts and increasing interaction with each other. Inspired by this fact, this paper presents a novel human learning optimization algorithm with competitive and cooperative learning (HLOCC), in which a competitive and cooperative learning operator (CCLO) is developed to mimic competition and cooperation in social interaction for enhancing learning efficiency. The HLOCC can efficiently maintain the diversity of the algorithm as well as achieve the optimal values, demonstrating that the proposed CCLO can effectively improve algorithm performance. HLOCC has been compared with other heuristic algorithms on CEC2017 functions. In the second study, the uncapacitated facility location problems (UFLPs) which are one of the pure binary optimization problems are solved with HLOCC. The experimental results show that the developed HLOCC is superior to previous HLO variants and other metaheuristics with its improved exploitation and exploration abilities.

Differential Human Learning Optimization Algorithm

Human Learning Optimization (HLO) is an efficient metaheuristic algorithm in which three learning operators, i.e., the random learning operator, the individual learning operator, and the social learning operator, are developed to search for optima by mimicking the learning behaviors of humans. In fact, people not only learn from global optimization but also learn from the best solution of other individuals in the real life, and the operators of Differential Evolution are updated based on the optima of other individuals. Inspired by these facts, this paper proposes two novel differential human learning optimization algorithms (DEHLOs), into which the Differential Evolution strategy is introduced to enhance the optimization ability of the algorithm. And the two optimization algorithms, based on improving the HLO from individual and population, are named DEHLO1 and DEHLO2, respectively. The multidimensional knapsack problems are adopted as benchmark problems to validate the performance of DEHLOs, and the results are compared with the standard HLO and Modified Binary Differential Evolution (MBDE) as well as other state-of-the-art metaheuristics. The experimental results demonstrate that the developed DEHLOs significantly outperform other algorithms and the DEHLO2 achieves the best overall performance on various problems.