Malware Detection using Artificial Bee Colony Algorithm

Malware detection has become a challenging task due to the increase in the number of malware families. Universal malware detection algorithms that can detect all the malware families are needed to make the whole process feasible. However, the more universal an algorithm is, the higher number of feature dimensions it needs to work with, and that inevitably causes the emerging problem of Curse of Dimensionality (CoD). Besides, it is also difficult to make this solution work due to the real-time behavior of malware analysis. In this paper, we address this problem and aim to propose a feature selection based malware detection algorithm using an evolutionary algorithm that is referred to as Artificial Bee Colony (ABC). The proposed algorithm enables researchers to decrease the feature dimension and as a result, boost the process of malware detection. The experimental results reveal that the proposed method outperforms the state-of-the-art

Optimization of discrete wavelet transform features using artificial bee colony algorithm for texture image classification

Selection of appropriate image texture properties is one of the major issues in texture classification. This paper presents an optimization technique for automatic selection of multi-scale discrete wavelet transform features using artificial bee colony algorithm for robust texture classification performance. In this paper, an artificial bee colony algorithm has been used to find the best combination of wavelet filters with the correct number of decomposition level in the discrete wavelet transform.  The multi-layered perceptron neural network is employed as an image texture classifier.  The proposed method tested on a high-resolution database of UMD texture. The texture classification results show that the proposed method could provide an automated approach for finding the best input parameters combination setting for discrete wavelet transform features that lead to the best classification accuracy performance

An Evolutionary Optimization Algorithm for Automated Classical Machine Learning

Machine learning is an evolving branch of computational algorithms that allow computers to learn from experiences, make predictions, and solve different problems without being explicitly programmed. However, building a useful machine learning model is a challenging process, requiring human expertise to perform various proper tasks and ensure that the machine learning\u27s primary objective --determining the best and most predictive model-- is achieved. These tasks include pre-processing, feature selection, and model selection. Many machine learning models developed by experts are designed manually and by trial and error. In other words, even experts need the time and resources to create good predictive machine learning models. The idea of automated machine learning (AutoML) is to automate a machine learning pipeline to release the burden of substantial development costs and manual processes. The algorithms leveraged in these systems have different hyper-parameters. On the other hand, different input datasets have various features. In both cases, the final performance of the model is closely related to the final selected configuration of features and hyper-parameters. That is why they are considered as crucial tasks in the AutoML. The challenges regarding the computationally expensive nature of tuning hyper-parameters and optimally selecting features create significant opportunities for filling the research gaps in the AutoML field. This dissertation explores how to select the features and tune the hyper-parameters of conventional machine learning algorithms efficiently and automatically. To address the challenges in the AutoML area, novel algorithms for hyper-parameter tuning and feature selection are proposed. The hyper-parameter tuning algorithm aims to provide the optimal set of hyper-parameters in three conventional machine learning models (Random Forest, XGBoost and Support Vector Machine) to obtain best scores regarding performance. On the other hand, the feature selection algorithm looks for the optimal subset of features to achieve the highest performance. Afterward, a hybrid framework is designed for both hyper-parameter tuning and feature selection. The proposed framework can discover close to the optimal configuration of features and hyper-parameters. The proposed framework includes the following components: (1) an automatic feature selection component based on artificial bee colony algorithms and machine learning training, and (2) an automatic hyper-parameter tuning component based on artificial bee colony algorithms and machine learning training for faster training and convergence of the learning models. The whole framework has been evaluated using four real-world datasets in different applications. This framework is an attempt to alleviate the challenges of hyper-parameter tuning and feature selection by using efficient algorithms. However, distributed processing, distributed learning, parallel computing, and other big data solutions are not taken into consideration in this framework

Hybrid feature selection method based on particle swarm optimization and adaptive local search method

Machine learning has been expansively examined with data classification as the most popularly researched subject. The accurateness of prediction is impacted by the data provided to the classification algorithm. Meanwhile, utilizing a large amount of data may incur costs especially in data collection and preprocessing. Studies on feature selection were mainly to establish techniques that can decrease the number of utilized features (attributes) in classification, also using data that generate accurate prediction is important. Hence, a particle swarm optimization (PSO) algorithm is suggested in the current article for selecting the ideal set of features. PSO algorithm showed to be superior in different domains in exploring the search space and local search algorithms are good in exploiting the search regions. Thus, we propose the hybridized PSO algorithm with an adaptive local search technique which works based on the current PSO search state and used for accepting the candidate solution. Having this combination balances the local intensification as well as the global diversification of the searching process. Hence, the suggested algorithm surpasses the original PSO algorithm and other comparable approaches, in terms of performance

EEG-based brain-computer interfaces using motor-imagery: techniques and challenges.

Electroencephalography (EEG)-based brain-computer interfaces (BCIs), particularly those using motor-imagery (MI) data, have the potential to become groundbreaking technologies in both clinical and entertainment settings. MI data is generated when a subject imagines the movement of a limb. This paper reviews state-of-the-art signal processing techniques for MI EEG-based BCIs, with a particular focus on the feature extraction, feature selection and classification techniques used. It also summarizes the main applications of EEG-based BCIs, particularly those based on MI data, and finally presents a detailed discussion of the most prevalent challenges impeding the development and commercialization of EEG-based BCIs

A Hybrid Metaheuristics based technique for Mutation Based Disease Classification

Due to recent advancements in computational biology, DNA microarray technology has evolved as a useful tool in the detection of mutation among various complex diseases like cancer. The availability of thousands of microarray datasets makes this field an active area of research. Early cancer detection can reduce the mortality rate and the treatment cost. Cancer classification is a process to provide a detailed overview of the disease microenvironment for better diagnosis. However, the gene microarray datasets suffer from a curse of dimensionality problems also the classification models are prone to be overfitted due to small sample size and large feature space. To address these issues, the authors have proposed an Improved Binary Competitive Swarm Optimization Whale Optimization Algorithm (IBCSOWOA) for cancer classification, in which IBCSO has been employed to reduce the informative gene subset originated from using minimum redundancy maximum relevance (mRMR) as filter method. The IBCSOWOA technique has been tested on an artificial neural network (ANN) model and the whale optimization algorithm (WOA) is used for parameter tuning of the model. The performance of the proposed IBCSOWOA is tested on six different mutation-based microarray datasets and compared with existing disease prediction methods. The experimental results indicate the superiority of the proposed technique over the existing nature-inspired methods in terms of optimal feature subset, classification accuracy, and convergence rate. The proposed technique has illustrated above 98% accuracy in all six datasets with the highest accuracy of 99.45% in the Lung cancer dataset