Non-destructive soluble solids content determination for ‘Rocha’ Pear Based on VIS-SWNIR spectroscopy under ‘Real World’ sorting facility conditions

In this paper we report a method to determine the soluble solids content (SSC) of 'Rocha' pear (Pyrus communis L. cv. Rocha) based on their short-wave NIR reflectance spectra (500-1100 nm) measured in conditions similar to those found in packinghouse fruit sorting facilities. We obtained 3300 reflectance spectra from pears acquired from different lots, producers and with diverse storage times and ripening stages. The macroscopic properties of the pears, such as size, temperature and SSC were measured under controlled laboratory conditions. For the spectral analysis, we implemented a computational pipeline that incorporates multiple pre-processing techniques including a feature selection procedure, various multivariate regression models and three different validation strategies. This benchmark allowed us to find the best model/preproccesing procedure for SSC prediction from our data. From the several calibration models tested, we have found that Support Vector Machines provides the best predictions metrics with an RMSEP of around 0.82 ∘ Brix and 1.09 ∘ Brix for internal and external validation strategies respectively. The latter validation was implemented to assess the prediction accuracy of this calibration method under more 'real world-like' conditions. We also show that incorporating information about the fruit temperature and size to the calibration models improves SSC predictability. Our results indicate that the methodology presented here could be implemented in existing packinghouse facilities for single fruit SSC characterization.Funding Agency CEOT strategic project UID/Multi/00631/2019 project OtiCalFrut ALG-01-0247-FEDER-033652 Ideias em Caixa 2010, CAIXA GERAL DE DEPOSITOS Fundacao para a Ciencia e a Tecnologia (Ciencia)info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Seepage criteria based optimal design of water retaining structures with reliability quantification utilizing surrogate model linked simulation-optimization approach

The safety of hydraulic water retaining structures (HWRS) is an important issue as many instances of HWRS failure have been reported. Failure of HWRS may lead to catastrophic events, especially those associated with seepage failures. Therefore, seepage safety factors recommended for HWRS design are generally very conservative. These safety factors have been developed based on approximation calculations, unreliable assumptions, and ideal experimental conditions, which are rarely replicated in real field situations. However, with the development of the numerical methods, and high speed processors, more accurate seepage analysis has become possible, even for complex flow domains, different scenarios of boundary conditions, and varied hydraulic conductivity. On the other hand, because construction of HWRS requires a significant amount of construction material and engineering effort, the construction cost efficiency of HWRS is an issue that must be considered in design of HWRS. This study aims to determine the minimum cost design of HWRS constructed on permeable soils, incorporating numerical solutions of a seepage system related to HWRS, utilizing linked a simulation–optimization (S-O) model. Due to the complexity and inefficacy of directly linking a simulation model to the optimization model, the numerical simulation model was replaced by trained surrogate models. These surrogate models can be trained based on numerically simulated data sets. Therefore, trained surrogate models expeditiously and accurately provide predicted responses relating to seepage characteristics pertaining to HWRS. The optimization model based on the linked S-O technique incorporated different safety factors and hydraulic structure design requirements as constraints. The majority of these constraints and objective function(s) were affected by the responses of predicted seepage characteristics based on the developed surrogate models. To improve the safety of HWRS design, the effect of non-homogenous and anisotropic hydraulic conductivity were incorporated in the S-O model. Obtained solution results demonstrated that considering stratification of the flow domain due to different hydraulic conductivity values or anisotropic ratios can significantly change the optimum design of HWRS. Low hydraulic conductivity and anisotropic ratios resulted in more critical seepage characteristics. Consequently, the minimum construction cost increased due to an increase of dimensions of involved seepage protection design variables. Furthermore, uncertainty in estimating hydraulic conductivity is incorporated in the S-O model. The reliability based optimal design (RBOD) framework based on the multi-realization optimization technique was implemented using the S-O model. The uncertainty in seepage quantities due to uncertainty of hydraulic conductivity was represented using many stochastic ensemble surrogate models. Each ensemble model included many surrogate models trained in utilizing input– output data sets simulated with different scenarios of hydraulic conductivity drawn from diverse random fields based on different log-normal distributions. Obtained results of this approach demonstrated substantial consequences of considering uncertainty in hydraulic conductivity. Also, the deterministic safety factors, especially for those pertaining to the exit gradient, were insufficient to provide prescribed safety in the long term. Although surrogate models are utilized in S-O approaches, each run of the S-O model takes a long time as developed S-O models are applied to complex and large scale problems. Hence, efficiency of the S-O model was a key factor to successfully implement the methodology. Three main techniques were utilized to increase the efficiency of the S-O technique: using parallel computing, utilizing nested function technique, and using a vectorised formulation system. These strategies substantially boosted efficiency of implementing the S-O model. The S-O models were implemented for many hypothetical scenarios for different purposes. In general, results demonstrated that optimum design of the seepage protection system relating to HWRS design must include two end cut-offs with an apron between them. The dimensions of these components were augmented with an increase of upstream water head, and reduction of anisotropic ratios or hydraulic conductivity value. The main role of the downstream cut-off was to decrease the actual exit gradient value. This impact is more pronounced if the inclination angle of the cut-off is toward the downstream side (>90 degrees). The role of the upstream cut-off was to decrease uplift pressure values on the HWRS base. Consequently, this partially contributed to decreasing the exit gradient value. The effect of the upstream cut-off in reducing the uplift pressure was more when the inclination angle was toward the upstream side (<90 degrees). Moreover, the apron (floor) width helped to increase the stability of HWRS. This variable provided the required weight to improve HWRS resistance to external hydraulic forces and to uplift pressure. Incorporating the weight of water (hydrostatic pressure) at the upstream side in counterbalancing momentum and hydraulic forces showed improvement in the safety of the HWRS. Also, all conditions and safety factors pertaining to HWRS design were satisfied. The exit gradient safety factor was the most important critical factor affecting optimum design as obtained optimum solutions satisfied the minimum permissible values of the exit gradient safety factor, i.e., at the minimum permissible value. Also, the eccentric load condition played a crucial role in resulting optimum solutions. Finally, applying the S-O model to obtain reliable and safe design of HWRS at minimum cost was successfully implemented for performance evaluation purposes. This technique may be extended to incorporate more complex scenarios in HWRS design where the impact of dynamic and seismic load could be incorporated. The effect of unsteady state seepage system could be another interesting direction for future studies. Further, incorporating more sources of the uncertainty associated with design parameters could achieve a more accurate estimation of actual safety for the HWRS design

Advanced Sensing, Fault Diagnostics, and Structural Health Management

Advanced sensing, fault diagnosis, and structural health management are important parts of the maintenance strategy of modern industries. With the advancement of science and technology, modern structural and mechanical systems are becoming more and more complex. Due to the continuous nature of operation and utilization, modern systems are heavily susceptible to faults. Hence, the operational reliability and safety of the systems can be greatly enhanced by using the multifaced strategy of designing novel sensing technologies and advanced intelligent algorithms and constructing modern data acquisition systems and structural health monitoring techniques. As a result, this research domain has been receiving a significant amount of attention from researchers in recent years. Furthermore, the research findings have been successfully applied in a wide range of fields such as aerospace, manufacturing, transportation and processes

Advances in Evolutionary Algorithms

With the recent trends towards massive data sets and significant computational power, combined with evolutionary algorithmic advances evolutionary computation is becoming much more relevant to practice. Aim of the book is to present recent improvements, innovative ideas and concepts in a part of a huge EA field

Robust Geotechnical Design - Methodology and Applications

This dissertation is aimed at developing a novel robust geotechnical design methodology and demonstrating this methodology for the design of geotechnical systems. The goal of a robust design is to make the response of a system insensitive to, or robust against, the variation of uncertain geotechnical parameters (termed noise factors in the context of robust design) by carefully adjusting design parameters (those that can be controlled by the designer such as geometry of the design). Through an extensive investigation, a robust geotechnical design methodology that considers explicitly safety, robustness, and cost is developed. Various robustness measures are considered in this study, and the developed methodology is implemented with a multi-objective optimization scheme, in which safety is considered as a constraint and cost and robustness are treated as the objectives. Because the cost and the robustness are conflicting objectives, the robust design optimization does not yield a single best solution. Rather, a Pareto front is obtained, which is a collection of non-dominated optimal designs. The Pareto front reveals a trade-off relationship between cost and robustness, which enables the engineer to make an informed design decision according to a target level of cost or robustness. The significance and versatility of the new design methodology are illustrated with multiple geotechnical applications, including the design of drilled shafts, shallow foundations, and braced excavations

유전 알고리즘을 이용한 다중스케일/다목적 공간계획 최적화모델 구축

학위논문 (박사)-- 서울대학교 대학원 : 환경대학원 협동과정 조경학전공, 2019. 2. 이동근.공간계획 과정에서 다양한 이해관계자와 결부된 목표와 제약 요건을 만족시키는 것은 복잡한 비선형적 문제로서 해결하기 어려운 것으로 알려져 왔다. 그러나 최근 이러한 문제에 유전 알고리즘 (genetic algorithms), 담금질 기법 (simulated annealing), 개미 군집 최적화 (ant colony optimization) 등의 다목적 최적화 알고리즘이 응용되고 있으며, 관련 연구 역시 급증하고 있다. 이 중 유전 알고리즘은 공간 최적화 부문에 가장 빈도 높게 적용된 최적화 알고리즘으로 exploration과 exploitation의 균형으로 합리적인 시간 내에 충분히 좋은 계획안을 제시할 수 있다. 그러나 공간 최적화 연구가 보여준 좋은 성과에도 불구하고 대부분의 연구가 특정 용도 혹은 시설의 배치에 집중되어 있으며, 기후변화 적응, 재해 관리, 그린인프라 계획과 같은 최근의 환경 이슈를 다룬 사례는 매우 미흡하다. 따라서 본 연구에서는 유전 알고리즘과 비지배 정렬 유전 알고리즘 (non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm II)에 기초하여 기후변화 적응, 재해 관리, 도시의 녹지 계획 등과 같은 환경 이슈를 공간계획에 반영할 수 있는 일련의 공간 최적화 모델을 제시하였다. 개별 환경 이슈에 따라 공간 해상도, 목적, 제약요건이 다르게 구성하였으며, 공간적 범위가 좁아지고 공간해상도는 높아지는 순서대로 나열하였다. 논문의 첫번째 장에서는 행정구역 도 규모 (province scale, 해상도 1㎢)에서 미래의 기후변화에 적응하기 위한 토지이용 시나리오를 모의할 수 있는 공간 최적화 모델을 제안하였다. 기후변화가 먼 미래가 아닌, 현재 이미 진행되고 있으며 관련한 다수의 피해가 관찰되고 있기 때문에 공간적 관점에서 기후변화에 대한 적응의 필요성이 지적되어 왔다. 그러나 구체적으로 기후에 대한 회복 탄력성을 향상시키기 위하여 토지이용의 공간적 구성을 어떻게 변화시켜야 할지에 대한 방법론 제시는 미흡하다. 지역계획에서 기후변화 영향을 고려한 토지이용 배분은 매우 유용한, 기본적인 중장기 적응 전략에 해당한다. 본 연구에서는 다목적 유전 알고리즘 (MOGA, multi-objective genetic algorithm)에 기초하여 9,982㎢에 350만의 인구가 거주하는 한국의 충청남도 및 대전광역시 일대를 대상으로 기후변화 적응을 위한 토지이용 시나리오를 제시하였다. 지역적인 기후변화 영향과 경제적 여건을 고려하여 재해 피해 및 전환량의 최소화, 벼 생산량, 종 풍부도 보전, 경제적 가치의 최대화 등 다섯 가지의 목적을 선택하였다. 각 목적 별 가중치를 변화시키며 여섯 가지 가중치 조합에 대한 17개의 파레토 최적 토지이용 시나리오를 생성하였다. 대부분의 시나리오는 정도의 차이는 있으나 현재의 토지이용에 비해 기후변화 적응 부분에서 더 좋은 퍼포먼스를 보였으므로, 기후변화에 대한 회복탄력성이 개선할 수 있을 것으로 판단하였다. 또한 공간 최적화 모델의 유연한 구조를 고려하였을 때, 지역의 실무자 역시 가중치와 같은 모델의 파라미터, 기후변화 영향 평가와 같은 입력자료를 변경함으로써 효율적으로 새로운 시나리오를 생성 및 선택하는 것이 가능할 것으로 예상하였다. 논문의 두 번째 장에서는 행정구역 군 규모 (local scale, 해상도 100m)에서 기후변화에 따른 재해 피해를 관리하기 위한 토지이용 시나리오를 모의할 수 있는 공간 최적화 모델을 제안하였다. 산악지형에서 폭우로 인한 산사태는 인명과 재산에 심각한 피해를 초래할 수 있는 것으로 알려져 있다. 더욱이 기후변화에 따른 강우의 변동성 증가로 이러한 산사태 빈도 및 강도 역시 증대될 것으로 예상된다. 일반적으로 산사태 리스크가 높은 지역을 피해 개발지역을 배치하는 것이 피해를 저감 혹은 회피할 수 있는 가장 효과적인 전략으로 알려져 있으나, 실제공간에서의 계획은 매우 복잡한 비선형의 문제로서 이것을 실현하는 데 어려움이 있다. 따라서 본 연구에서는 비지배 정렬 유전 알고리즘 II에 기초하여 산사태 리스크 및 전환량, 파편화의 최소화 등의 다양한 목적을 만족시키는 종합적인 토지이용 배분 계획을 제안하였다. 대상지는 2018년 동계올림픽 개최지인 한국의 평창군으로서 2006년에 산사태로 인한 대규모의 피해를 경험하였으나, 올림픽 특수 등의 개발압력으로 인한 난개발이 우려되는 지역이다. 최종적으로 한번의 모의를 통해 현재의 토지이용 보다 적어도 한가지 이상의 목적에서 좋은 퍼포먼스를 보이는 100개의 파레토 최적 계획안을 생성하였다. 또한 5개의 대표적인 계획안을 선정하여 산사태리스크 최소화와 전환량 최소화 간에 발생하는 상쇄 효과를 설명하였다. 본 연구결과는 기후변화와 관련된 공간 적응 전략의 수립, 보다 향상된 개발계획을 위한 의사결정을 효과적으로 지원할 수 있을 것으로 예상하였다. 논문의 세 번째 장에서는 블록 규모(neighborhood scale, 2m)에서 도시 내 녹지계획안을 모의할 수 있는 공간 최적화 모델을 제안하였다. 녹지 공간은 도시민의 삶의 질에 결정적인 영향을 미치기 때문에 다양한 도시 재생 및 개발계획에는 녹지와 직 간접적으로 관련된 전략이 포함된다. 녹지 공간은 도시지역 내에서 열섬 현상 완화, 유출량 저감, 생태 네트워크 증진 등 다양한 긍정적 효과가 있음이 알려져 있으나, 공간 계획의 관점에서 이러한 다양한 효과를 종합적, 정량적으로 고려된 사례는 매우 미흡하다. 따라서 본 연구에서는 비지배 정렬 유전 알고리즘 II에 기초하여 녹지의 생태적 연결성 증진, 열섬 효과 완화와 같은 다양한 효과와 설치에 따르는 비용을 종합적으로 고려하여 적절한 녹지의 유형과 위치를 결정한 녹지계획안을 제시하였다. 블록 규모의 가상의 대상지에 본 최적화 모델을 적용함으로써 30개의 파레토 최적 녹지계획안을 생성하였으며, 각 목적 간 퍼포먼스를 비교하여 녹지의 열섬 완화 효과와 생태적 연결성 증진 효과 간의 상승 관계 (synergistic relationship), 이러한 긍정적 효과와 비용 절감 간의 상쇄 효과 (trade-off relationship)를 분석하였다. 또한 다양한 계획안 중 대표적인 특성을 지니는 계획안, 다수의 계획안에서 공통적으로 녹지 설치를 위해 선택된 주요 후보지역 역시 규명하였다. 본 연구에서 제시된 모델은 계획안의 수정에서부터 정량적 평가, 계획안 선택에 이르는 일련의 긍정적인 피드백 과정을 수없이 반복함으로써 기존의 녹지계획 과정을 개선하는 데 기여할 수 있을 뿐만 아니라 모델의 결과 역시 다자간 협력적 디자인 (co-design)을 위한 초안으로서 활용될 수 있을 것으로 예상하였다.The meeting of heterogeneous goals while staying within the constraints of spatial planning is a nonlinear problem that cannot be solved by linear methodologies. Instead, this problem can be solved using multi-objective optimization algorithms such as genetic algorithms (GA), simulated annealing (SA), ant colony optimization (ACO), etc., and research related to this field has been increasing rapidly. GA, in particular, are the most frequently applied spatial optimization algorithms and are known to search for a good solution within a reasonable time period by maintaining a balance between exploration and exploitation. However, despite its good performance and applicability, it has not adequately addressed recent urgent issues such as climate change adaptation, disaster management, and green infrastructure planning. It is criticized for concentrating on only the allocation of specific land use such as urban and protected areas, or on the site selection of a specific facility. Therefore, in this study, a series of spatial optimizations are proposed to address recent urgent issues such as climate change, disaster management, and urban greening by supplementing quantitative assessment methodologies to the spatial planning process based on GA and Non-dominated Sorting Genetic Algorithm II (NSGA II). This optimization model needs to be understood as a tool for providing a draft plan that quantitatively meets the essential requirements so that the stakeholders can collaborate smoothly in the planning process. Three types of spatial planning optimization models are classified according to urgent issues. Spatial resolution, planning objectives, and constraints were also configured differently according to relevant issues. Each spatial planning optimization model was arranged in the order of increasing spatial resolution. In the first chapter, the optimization model was proposed to simulate land use scenarios to adapt to climate change on a provincial scale. As climate change is an ongoing phenomenon, many recent studies have focused on adaptation to climate change from a spatial perspective. However, little is known about how changing the spatial composition of land use could improve resilience to climate change. Consideration of climate change impacts when spatially allocating land use could be a useful and fundamental long-term adaptation strategy, particularly for regional planning. Here climate adaptation scenarios were identified on the basis of existing extents of three land use classes using Multi-objective Genetic Algorithms (MOGA) for a 9,982 km2 region with 3.5 million inhabitants in South Korea. Five objectives were selected for adaptation based on predicted climate change impacts and regional economic conditions: minimization of disaster damageand existing land use conversionmaximization of rice yieldprotection of high-species-richness areasand economic value. The 17 Pareto land use scenarios were generated by six weighted combinations of the adaptation objectives. Most scenarios, although varying in magnitude, showed better performance than the current spatial land use composition for all adaptation objectives, suggesting that some alteration of current land use patterns could increase overall climate resilience. Given the flexible structure of the optimization model, it is expected that regional stakeholders would efficiently generate other scenarios by adjusting the model parameters (weighting combinations) or replacing the input data (impact maps) and selecting a scenario depending on their preference or a number of problem-related factors. In the second chapter, the optimization model was proposed to simulate land use scenarios for managing disaster damage due to climate change on local scale. Extreme landslides triggered by rainfall in hilly regions frequently lead to serious damage, including casualties and property loss. The frequency of landslides may increase under climate change, because of the increased variability of precipitation. Developing urban areas outside landslide risk zones is the most effective method of reducing or preventing damageplanning in real life is, however, a complex and nonlinear problem. For such multi-objective problems, GA may be the most appropriate optimization tool. Therefore, comprehensive land use allocation plans were suggested using the NSGA II to overcome multi-objective problems, including the minimization of landslide risk, minimization of change, and maximization of compactness. The study area is Pyeongchang-gun, the host city of the 2018 Winter Olympics in Korea, where high development pressure has resulted in an urban sprawl into the hazard zone that experienced a large-scale landslide in 2006. We obtained 100 Pareto plans that are better than the actual land use data for at least one objective, with five plans that explain the trade-offs between meeting the first and the second objectives mentioned above. The results can be used by decision makers for better urban planning and for climate change-related spatial adaptation. In the third chapter, the optimization model was proposed to simulate urban greening plans on a neighborhood scale. Green space is fundamental to the good quality of life of residents, and therefore urban planning or improvement projects often include strategies directly or indirectly related to greening. Although green spaces generate positive effects such as cooling and reduction of rainwater runoff, and are an ecological corridor, few studies have examined the comprehensive multiple effects of greening in the urban planning context. To fill this gap in this fields literature, this study seeks to identify a planning model that determines the location and type of green cover based on its multiple effects (e.g., cooling and enhancement of ecological connectivity) and the implementation cost using NSGA II. The 30 Pareto-optimal plans were obtained by applying our model to a hypothetical landscape on a neighborhood scale. The results showed a synergistic relationship between cooling and enhancement of connectivity, as well as a trade-off relationship between greenery effects and implementation cost. It also defined critical lots for urban greening that are commonly selected in various plans. This model is expected to contribute to the improvement of existing planning processes by repeating the positive feedback loop: from plan modification to quantitative evaluation and selection of better plans. These optimal plans can also be considered as options for co-design by related stakeholders.1. INTRODUCTION 2. CHAPTER 1: Modelling Spatial Climate Change Land use Adaptation with Multi-Objective Genetic Algorithms to Improve Resilience for Rice Yield and Species Richness and to Mitigate Disaster Risk 2.1. Introduction 2.2. Study area 2.3. Methods 2.4. Results 2.5. Discussion 2.6. References 2.7. Supplemental material 3. CHAPTER 2: Multi-Objective Land-Use Allocation Considering Landslide Risk under Climate Change: Case Study in Pyeongchang-gun, Korea 3.1. Introduction 3.2. Material and Methods 3.3. Results 3.4. Discussion 3.5. Conclusion 3.6. References 4. CHAPTER 3: Multi-Objective Planning Model for Urban Greening based on Optimization Algorithms 3.1. Introduction 3.2. Methods 3.3. Results 3.4. Discussion 3.5. Conclusion 3.6. References 3.7. Appendix 5. CONCLUSION REFERENCESDocto

Particle Swarm Optimization

Particle swarm optimization (PSO) is a population based stochastic optimization technique influenced by the social behavior of bird flocking or fish schooling.PSO shares many similarities with evolutionary computation techniques such as Genetic Algorithms (GA). The system is initialized with a population of random solutions and searches for optima by updating generations. However, unlike GA, PSO has no evolution operators such as crossover and mutation. In PSO, the potential solutions, called particles, fly through the problem space by following the current optimum particles. This book represents the contributions of the top researchers in this field and will serve as a valuable tool for professionals in this interdisciplinary field

Evolutionary Computation 2020

Intelligent optimization is based on the mechanism of computational intelligence to refine a suitable feature model, design an effective optimization algorithm, and then to obtain an optimal or satisfactory solution to a complex problem. Intelligent algorithms are key tools to ensure global optimization quality, fast optimization efficiency and robust optimization performance. Intelligent optimization algorithms have been studied by many researchers, leading to improvements in the performance of algorithms such as the evolutionary algorithm, whale optimization algorithm, differential evolution algorithm, and particle swarm optimization. Studies in this arena have also resulted in breakthroughs in solving complex problems including the green shop scheduling problem, the severe nonlinear problem in one-dimensional geodesic electromagnetic inversion, error and bug finding problem in software, the 0-1 backpack problem, traveler problem, and logistics distribution center siting problem. The editors are confident that this book can open a new avenue for further improvement and discoveries in the area of intelligent algorithms. The book is a valuable resource for researchers interested in understanding the principles and design of intelligent algorithms

Development of a multi-objective optimization algorithm based on lichtenberg figures

This doctoral dissertation presents the most important concepts of multi-objective optimization and a systematic review of the most cited articles in the last years of this subject in mechanical engineering. The State of the Art shows a trend towards the use of metaheuristics and the use of a posteriori decision-making techniques to solve engineering problems. This fact increases the demand for algorithms, which compete to deliver the most accurate answers at the lowest possible computational cost. In this context, a new hybrid multi-objective metaheuristic inspired by lightning and Linchtenberg Figures is proposed. The Multi-objective Lichtenberg Algorithm (MOLA) is tested using complex test functions and explicit contrainted engineering problems and compared with other metaheuristics. MOLA outperformed the most used algorithms in the literature: NSGA-II, MOPSO, MOEA/D, MOGWO, and MOGOA. After initial validation, it was applied to two complex and impossible to be analytically evaluated problems. The first was a design case: the multi-objective optimization of CFRP isogrid tubes using the finite element method. The optimizations were made considering two methodologies: i) using a metamodel, and ii) the finite element updating. The last proved to be the best methodology, finding solutions that reduced at least 45.69% of the mass, 18.4% of the instability coefficient, 61.76% of the Tsai-Wu failure index and increased by at least 52.57% the natural frequency. In the second application, MOLA was internally modified and associated with feature selection techniques to become the Multi-objective Sensor Selection and Placement Optimization based on the Lichtenberg Algorithm (MOSSPOLA), an unprecedented Sensor Placement Optimization (SPO) algorithm that maximizes the acquired modal response and minimizes the number of sensors for any structure. Although this is a structural health monitoring principle, it has never been done before. MOSSPOLA was applied to a real helicopter’s main rotor blade using the 7 best-known metrics in SPO. Pareto fronts and sensor configurations were unprecedentedly generated and compared. Better sensor distributions were associated with higher hypervolume and the algorithm found a sensor configuration for each sensor number and metric, including one with 100% accuracy in identifying delamination considering triaxial modal displacements, minimum number of sensors, and noise for all blade sections.Esta tese de doutorado traz os conceitos mais importantes de otimização multi-objetivo e uma revisão sistemática dos artigos mais citados nos últimos anos deste tema em engenharia mecânica. O estado da arte mostra uma tendência no uso de meta-heurísticas e de técnicas de tomada de decisão a posteriori para resolver problemas de engenharia. Este fato aumenta a demanda sobre os algoritmos, que competem para entregar respostas mais precisas com o menor custo computacional possível. Nesse contexto, é proposta uma nova meta-heurística híbrida multi-objetivo inspirada em raios e Figuras de Lichtenberg. O Algoritmo de Lichtenberg Multi-objetivo (MOLA) é testado e comparado com outras metaheurísticas usando funções de teste complexas e problemas restritos e explícitos de engenharia. Ele superou os algoritmos mais utilizados na literatura: NSGA-II, MOPSO, MOEA/D, MOGWO e MOGOA. Após validação, foi aplicado em dois problemas complexos e impossíveis de serem analiticamente otimizados. O primeiro foi um caso de projeto: otimização multi-objetivo de tubos isogrid CFRP usando o método dos elementos finitos. As otimizações foram feitas considerando duas metodologias: i) usando um meta-modelo, e ii) atualização por elementos finitos. A última provou ser a melhor metodologia, encontrando soluções que reduziram pelo menos 45,69% da massa, 18,4% do coeficiente de instabilidade, 61,76% do TW e aumentaram em pelo menos 52,57% a frequência natural. Na segunda aplicação, MOLA foi modificado internamente e associado a técnicas de feature selection para se tornar o Seleção e Alocação ótima de Sensores Multi-objetivo baseado no Algoritmo de Lichtenberg (MOSSPOLA), um algoritmo inédito de Otimização de Posicionamento de Sensores (SPO) que maximiza a resposta modal adquirida e minimiza o número de sensores para qualquer estrutura. Embora isto seja um princípio de Monitoramento da Saúde Estrutural, nunca foi feito antes. O MOSSPOLA foi aplicado na pá do rotor principal de um helicóptero real usando as 7 métricas mais conhecidas em SPO. Frentes de Pareto e configurações de sensores foram ineditamente geradas e comparadas. Melhores distribuições de sensores foram associadas a um alto hipervolume e o algoritmo encontrou uma configuração de sensor para cada número de sensores e métrica, incluindo uma com 100% de precisão na identificação de delaminação considerando deslocamentos modais triaxiais, número mínimo de sensores e ruído para todas as seções da lâmina

Artificial Neural Networks in Agriculture

Modern agriculture needs to have high production efficiency combined with a high quality of obtained products. This applies to both crop and livestock production. To meet these requirements, advanced methods of data analysis are more and more frequently used, including those derived from artificial intelligence methods. Artificial neural networks (ANNs) are one of the most popular tools of this kind. They are widely used in solving various classification and prediction tasks, for some time also in the broadly defined field of agriculture. They can form part of precision farming and decision support systems. Artificial neural networks can replace the classical methods of modelling many issues, and are one of the main alternatives to classical mathematical models. The spectrum of applications of artificial neural networks is very wide. For a long time now, researchers from all over the world have been using these tools to support agricultural production, making it more efficient and providing the highest-quality products possible