A Parameterized Complexity Analysis of Bi-level Optimisation with Evolutionary Algorithms

Bi-level optimisation problems have gained increasing interest in the field of combinatorial optimisation in recent years. With this paper, we start the runtime analysis of evolutionary algorithms for bi-level optimisation problems. We examine two NP-hard problems, the generalised minimum spanning tree problem (GMST), and the generalised travelling salesman problem (GTSP) in the context of parameterised complexity. For the generalised minimum spanning tree problem, we analyse the two approaches presented by Hu and Raidl (2012) with respect to the number of clusters that distinguish each other by the chosen representation of possible solutions. Our results show that a (1+1) EA working with the spanning nodes representation is not a fixed-parameter evolutionary algorithm for the problem, whereas the global structure representation enables to solve the problem in fixed-parameter time. We present hard instances for each approach and show that the two approaches are highly complementary by proving that they solve each other's hard instances very efficiently. For the generalised travelling salesman problem, we analyse the problem with respect to the number of clusters in the problem instance. Our results show that a (1+1) EA working with the global structure representation is a fixed-parameter evolutionary algorithm for the problem

Analysis of Evolutionary Algorithms in Dynamic and Stochastic Environments

Many real-world optimization problems occur in environments that change dynamically or involve stochastic components. Evolutionary algorithms and other bio-inspired algorithms have been widely applied to dynamic and stochastic problems. This survey gives an overview of major theoretical developments in the area of runtime analysis for these problems. We review recent theoretical studies of evolutionary algorithms and ant colony optimization for problems where the objective functions or the constraints change over time. Furthermore, we consider stochastic problems under various noise models and point out some directions for future research.Comment: This book chapter is to appear in the book "Theory of Randomized Search Heuristics in Discrete Search Spaces", which is edited by Benjamin Doerr and Frank Neumann and is scheduled to be published by Springer in 201

A Parameterised Complexity Analysis of Bi-level Optimisation with Evolutionary Algorithms

Bi-level optimisation problems have gained increasing interest in the field of combinatorial optimisation in recent years. In this paper, we analyse the runtime of some evolutionary algorithms for bi-level optimisation problems. We examine two NP-hard problems, the generalised minimum spanning tree problem and the generalised travelling salesperson problem in the context of parameterised complexity. For the generalised minimum spanning tree problem, we analyse the two approaches presented by Hu and Raidl (2012) with respect to the number of clusters that distinguish each other by the chosen representation of possible solutions. Our results show that a (1+1) evolutionary algorithm working with the spanning nodes representation is not a fixed-parameter evolutionary algorithm for the problem, whereas the problem can be solved in fixed-parameter time with the global structure representation. We present hard instances for each approach and show that the two approaches are highly complementary by proving that they solve each other’s hard instances very efficiently. For the generalised travelling salesperson problem, we analyse the problem with respect to the number of clusters in the problem instance. Our results show that a (1+1) evolutionary algorithm working with the global structure representation is a fixed-parameter evolutionary algorithm for the problem

Parameterised complexity analysis of evolutionary algorithms for combinatorial optimization problems

Evolutionary algorithms are general problem solvers that have been successfully used in solving combinatorial optimization problems. However, due to the great amount of randomness in these algorithms, theoretical understanding of them is quite challenging. In this thesis we analyse the parameterized complexity of evolutionary algorithms on combinatorial optimization problems. Studying the parameterized complexity of these algorithms can help us understand how different parameters of problems influence the runtime behaviour of the algorithm and consequently lead us in finding better performing algorithms. We focus on two NP-hard combinatorial optimization problems; the generalized travelling salesman problem (GTSP) and the vertex cover problem (VCP). For solving the GTSP, two hierarchical approaches with different neighbourhood structures have been proposed in the literature. In this thesis, local search algorithms and simple evolutionary algorithms based on these approaches are investigated from a theoretical perspective and complementary abilities of the two approaches are pointed out by presenting instances where they mutually outperform each other. After investigating the runtime behaviour of the mentioned randomised algorithms on GTSP, we turn our attention to the VCP. Evolutionary multi-objective optimization for the classical vertex cover problem has been previously analysed in the context of parameterized complexity analysis. We extend the analysis to the weighted version of the problem. We also examine a dynamic version of the classical problem and analyse evolutionary algorithms with respect to their ability to maintain a 2-approximation. Inspired by the concept of duality, an edge-based evolutionary algorithm for solving the VCP has been introduced in the literature. Here we show that this edge-based EA is able to maintain a 2-approximation solution in the dynamic setting. Moreover, using the dual form of the problem, we extend the edge-based approach to the weighted vertex cover problem.Thesis (Ph.D.) -- University of Adelaide, School of Computer Science, 2017

Improved runtime results for simple randomised search heuristics on linear functions with a uniform constraint

In the last decade remarkable progress has been made in development of suitable proof techniques for analysing randomised search heuristics. The theoretical investigation of these algorithms on classes of functions is essential to the understanding of the underlying stochastic process. Linear functions have been traditionally studied in this area resulting in tight bounds on the expected optimisation time of simple randomised search algorithms for this class of problems. Recently, the constrained version of this problem has gained attention and some theoretical results have also been obtained on this class of problems. In this paper we study the class of linear functions under uniform constraint and investigate the expected optimisation time of Randomised Local Search (RLS) and a simple evolutionary algorithm called (1+1) EA. We prove a tight bound of Θ(n2) for RLS and improve the previously best known bound of (1+1) EA from O(n2 log(Bwmax)) to O(n2 log B) in expectation and to O(n2 log n) with high probability, where wmax and B are the maximum weight of the linear objective function and the bound of the uniform constraint, respectively.Frank Neumann, Mojgan Pourhassan, Carsten Wit