This book is the result of a special session on constraint-handling techniques used in evolutionary algorithms within the Congress on Evolutionary Computation (CEC) in 2007. It presents recent research in constraint-handling in evolutionary optimization.

The use of evolutionary computation techniques has grown considerably over the past several years. Over this time, the use and applications of these techniques have been further enhanced resulting in a set of computational intelligence (also known as modern heuristics) tools that are particularly adept for solving complex optimization problems. Moreover, they are characteristically more robust than traditional methods based on formal logics or mathematical programming for many real world OR/MS problems. Hence, evolutionary computation techniques have dealt with complex optimization problems better than traditional optimization techniques although they can be applied to easy and simple problems where conventional techniques work well. Clearly there is a need for a volume that both reviews state-of-the-art evolutionary computation techniques, and surveys the most recent developments in their use for solving complex OR/MS problems. This volume on Evolutionary Optimization seeks to fill this need. Evolutionary Optimization is a volume of invited papers written by leading researchers in the field. All papers were peer reviewed by at least two recognized reviewers. The book covers the foundation as well as the practical side of evolutionary optimization.

Evolutionary computation, a broad field that includes genetic algorithms, evolution strategies, and evolutionary programming, has proven to offer well-suited techniques for industrial and management tasks - therefore receiving considerable attention from scientists and engineers during the last decade. This monograph develops and analyzes evolutionary algorithms that can be successfully applied to real-world problems such as robotic control. Although of particular interest to robotic control engineers, Evolutionary Computations also may interest the large audience of researchers, engineers, designers and graduate students confronted with complicated optimization tasks.

Many machine learning tasks involve solving complex optimization problems, such as working on non-differentiable, non-continuous, and non-unique objective functions; in some cases it can prove difficult to even define an explicit objective function. Evolutionary learning applies evolutionary algorithms to address optimization problems in machine learning, and has yielded encouraging outcomes in many applications. However, due to the heuristic nature of evolutionary optimization, most outcomes to date have been empirical and lack theoretical support. This shortcoming has kept evolutionary learning from being well received in the machine learning community, which favors solid theoretical approaches. Recently there have been considerable efforts to address this issue. This book presents a range of those efforts, divided into four parts. Part I briefly introduces readers to evolutionary learning and provides some preliminaries, while Part II presents general theoretical tools for the analysis of running time and approximation performance in evolutionary algorithms. Based on these general tools, Part III presents a number of theoretical findings on major factors in evolutionary optimization, such as recombination, representation, inaccurate fitness evaluation, and population. In closing, Part IV addresses the development of evolutionary learning algorithms with provable theoretical guarantees for several representative tasks, in which evolutionary learning offers excellent performance.

From the contents: Neural networks – theory and applications: NNs (= neural networks) classifier on continuous data domains– quantum associative memory – a new class of neuron-like discrete filters to image processing – modular NNs for improving generalisation properties – presynaptic inhibition modelling for image processing application – NN recognition system for a curvature primal sketch – NN based nonlinear temporal-spatial noise rejection system – relaxation rate for improving Hopfield network – Oja's NN and influence of the learning gain on its dynamics Genetic algorithms – theory and applications: transposition: a biological-inspired mechanism to use with GAs (= genetic algorithms) – GA for decision tree induction – optimising decision classifications using GAs – scheduling tasks with intertask communication onto multiprocessors by GAs – design of robust networks with GA – effect of degenerate coding on GAs – multiple traffic signal control using a GA – evolving musical harmonisation – niched-penalty approach for constraint handling in GAs – GA with dynamic population size – GA with dynamic niche clustering for multimodal function optimisation Soft computing and uncertainty: self-adaptation of evolutionary constructed decision trees by information spreading – evolutionary programming of near optimal NNs

This text examines how multiobjective evolutionary algorithms and related techniques can be used to solve problems, particularly in the disciplines of science and engineering. Contributions by leading researchers show how the concept of multiobjective optimization can be used to reformulate and resolve problems in areas such as constrained optimization, co-evolution, classification, inverse modeling, and design.

A clear and lucid bottom-up approach to the basic principles of evolutionary algorithms Evolutionary algorithms (EAs) are a type of artificial intelligence. EAs are motivated by optimization processes that we observe in nature, such as natural selection, species migration, bird swarms, human culture, and ant colonies. This book discusses the theory, history, mathematics, and programming of evolutionary optimization algorithms. Featured algorithms include genetic algorithms, genetic programming, ant colony optimization, particle swarm optimization, differential evolution, biogeography-based optimization, and many others. Evolutionary Optimization Algorithms: Provides a straightforward, bottom-up approach that assists the reader in obtaining a clear but theoretically rigorous understanding of evolutionary algorithms, with an emphasis on implementation Gives a careful treatment of recently developed EAs including opposition-based learning, artificial fish swarms, bacterial foraging, and many others and discusses their similarities and differences from more well-established EAs Includes chapter-end problems plus a solutions manual available online for instructors Offers simple examples that provide the reader with an intuitive understanding of the theory Features source code for the examples available on the author's website Provides advanced mathematical techniques for analyzing EAs, including Markov modeling and dynamic system modeling Evolutionary Optimization Algorithms: Biologically Inspired and Population-Based Approaches to Computer Intelligence is an ideal text for advanced undergraduate students, graduate students, and professionals involved in engineering and computer science.