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High-performance concrete (HPC) is commonly utilized in the construction industry because of its strength and durability. The mechanical properties of HPC, specifically its compressive and tensile strength, are crucial indicators. Accurate prediction of concrete strength is crucial for optimizing the design as well as the performance of concrete structures. In this investigation, a novel approach for strength prediction of HPC is proposed, employing the Support Vector Regression (SVR) algorithm in conjunction with three optimizers: the Slime Mold Algorithm (SMA), Adaptive Opposition Slime Mold Algorithm (AOSM), and Equilibrium Slime Mold Algorithm (ESMA). The SVR algorithm is a robust machine-learning technique that has displayed promising results in various prediction tasks. The utilization of SVR allows for the effective modeling and prediction of the complex relationship between the strength properties of HPC and the influencing factors. To achieve this, a dataset comprising 344 samples of high-performance concrete was collected and utilized to train and assess the SVR algorithm. However, the choice of suitable optimization algorithms becomes crucial to enhance prediction accuracy and convergence speed. Through extensive experimentation and comparative analysis, the proposed framework’s performance is evaluated using real-world HPC strength data. The results demonstrate that combining SVR with AOSM, ESMA, and SMA outperforms traditional prediction accuracy and convergence speed optimization methods. The suggested framework provides an effective and reliable solution for accurately predicting the compressive strength (CS) of HPC, enabling engineers and researchers to optimize the design and construction processes of HPC structures.

This paper suggests five new contributions with respect to the state-of-the-art. First, the optimal tuning of cost-effective fuzzy controllers represented by Takagi–Sugeno–Kang proportional-integral fuzzy controllers (TSK PI-FCs) is carried out using a fresh metaheuristic algorithm, namely the Slime Mould Algorithm (SMA), and a fuzzy controller tuning approach is offered. Second, a relatively easily understandable formulation of SMA is offered. Third, a real-world application of SMA is given, focusing on the optimal tuning of TSK PI-FCs for nonlinear servo systems in terms of optimization problems that target the minimization of discrete-time cost functions defined as the sum of time multiplied by squared control error. Fourth, using the concept of improving the performance of metaheuristic algorithms with information feedback models, proposed by Wang and Tan, Improving metaheuristic algorithms with information feedback models, IEEE Trans. Cybern. 49 (2019), 542–555, Gu and Wang, Improving NSGA-III algorithms with information feedback models for large-scale many-objective optimization, Fut. Gen. Comput. Syst. 107 (2020), 49–69, and Zhang et al., Enhancing MOEA/D with information feedback models for large-scale many-objective optimization, Inf. Sci. 522 (2020), 1–16, new metaheuristic algorithms are introduced in terms of inserting the model F1 in SMA and other representative algorithms, namely Gravitational Search Algorithm (GSA), Charged System Search (CSS), Grey Wolf Optimizer (GWO) and Whale Optimization Algorithm (WOA). Fifth, the real-time validation of the cost-effective fuzzy controllers and their tuning approach is performed in the framework of angular position control of laboratory servo system. The comparison with other metaheuristic algorithms that solve the same optimization problem for optimal parameter tuning of cost-effective fuzzy controllers suggestively highlights the superiority of SMA. Experimental results are included.

Feature selection (FS) methods are necessary to develop intelligent analysis tools that require data preprocessing and enhancing the performance of the machine learning algorithms. FS aims to maximize the classification accuracy by minimizing the number of selected features. This paper presents a new FS method using a modified Slime mould algorithm (SMA) based on the firefly algorithm (FA). In the developed SMAFA, FA is adopted to improve the exploration of SMA, since it has high ability to discover the feasible regions which have optima solution. This will lead to enhance the convergence by increasing the quality of the final output. SMAFA is evaluated using twenty UCI datasets and also with comprehensive comparisons to a number of the existing MH algorithms. To further assess the applicability of SMAFA, two high-dimensional datasets related to the QSAR modeling are used. Experimental results verified the promising performance of SMAFA using different performance measures.

Solving the optimal power flow problems (OPF) is an important step in optimally dispatching the generation with the considered objective functions. A single-objective function is inadequate for modern power systems, required high-performance generation, so the problem becomes multi-objective optimal power flow (MOOPF). Although the MOOPF problem has been widely solved by many algorithms, new solutions are still required to obtain better performance of generation. Slime mould algorithm (SMA) is a recently proposed metaheuristic algorithm that has been applied to solve several optimization problems in different fields, except the MOOPF problem, while it outperforms various algorithms. Thus, this paper proposes solving MOOPF problems based on SMA considering cost, emission, and transmission line loss as part of the objective functions in a power system. The IEEE 30-, 57-, and 118-bus systems are used to investigate the performance of the SMA on solving MOOPF problems. The objective values generated by SMA are compared with those of other algorithms in the literature. The simulation results show that SMA provides better solutions than many other algorithms in the literature, and the Pareto fronts presenting multi-objective solutions can be efficiently obtained.

This paper aims to represent a multi-objective equilibrium optimizer slime mould algorithm (MOEOSMA) to solve real-world constraint engineering problems. The proposed algorithm has a better optimization performance than the existing multi-objective slime mould algorithm. In the MOEOSMA, dynamic coefficients are used to adjust exploration and exploitation trends. The elite archiving mechanism is used to promote the convergence of the algorithm. The crowding distance method is used to maintain the distribution of the Pareto front. The equilibrium pool strategy is used to simulate the cooperative foraging behavior of the slime mould, which helps to enhance the exploration ability of the algorithm. The performance of MOEOSMA is evaluated on the latest CEC2020 functions, eight real-world multi-objective constraint engineering problems, and four large-scale truss structure optimization problems. The experimental results show that the proposed MOEOSMA not only finds more Pareto optimal solutions, but also maintains a good distribution in the decision space and objective space. Statistical results show that MOEOSMA has a strong competitive advantage in terms of convergence, diversity, uniformity, and extensiveness, and its comprehensive performance is significantly better than other comparable algorithms.

Recently, the slime mould algorithm (SMA) has become popular in function optimization, because it effectively uses exploration and exploitation to reach an optimal solution or near-optimal solution. However, the SMA uses two random search agents from the whole population to decide the future displacement and direction from the best search agents, which limits its exploitation and exploration. To solve this problem, we investigate an adaptive approach to decide whether opposition-based learning (OBL) will be used or not. Sometimes, the OBL is used to further increase the exploration. In addition, it maximizes the exploitation by replacing one random search agent with the best one in the position updating. The suggested technique is called an adaptive opposition slime mould algorithm (AOSMA). The qualitative and quantitative analysis of AOSMA is reported using 29 test functions that consisting of 23 classical test functions and 6 recently used composition functions from the IEEE CEC 2014 test suite. The results are compared with state-of-the-art optimization methods. Results presented in this paper show that AOSMA’s performance is better than other optimization algorithms. The AOSMA is evaluated using Wilcoxon’s rank-sum test. It also ranked one in Friedman’s mean rank test. The proposed AOSMA algorithm would be useful for function optimization to solve real-world engineering problems.

In this paper, damage detection, localization and quantification are performed using modal strain energy change ratio (MSEcr) as damage indicator combined with a new optimization technique, namely slime mould algorithm (SMA) developed in 2020. The SMA algorithm is employed to assess structural damage and monitor structural health. Two structures, including a laboratory beam and a bar planar truss are considered to study the effectiveness of the proposed approach. Another recent algorithm called marine predators algorithm (MPA) is also used for comparison purposes with SMA. The MSEcr is utilized in the first stage to predict the location of the damaged elements. Single and multiple damages cases are analysed based on different number of modes to study the sensitivity of the proposed indicator to the total number of modes considered in the analysis. Next, this indicator is used as an objective function in a second stage to solve the inverse problem using SMA and MPA for damage quantification of the elements identified in the first stage. Experimental validation is conducted using a 3D frame structure with four stories that have damaged components. It is demonstrated that the proposed approach, using MSEcr and SMA, provides superior results for the considered structures. The effectiveness of this technique is tested by introducing a white Gaussian noise with different levels, namely 2% and 4%. The results show that the provided approach can predict the location and level of damage with high accuracy after introducing the noise.

The slime mould algorithm (SMA) is a metaheuristic algorithm recently proposed, which is inspired by the oscillations of slime mould. Similar to other algorithms, SMA also has some disadvantages such as insufficient balance between exploration and exploitation, and easy to fall into local optimum. This paper, an improved SMA based on dominant swarm with adaptive t-distribution mutation (DTSMA) is proposed. In DTSMA, the dominant swarm is used improved the SMA's convergence speed, and the adaptive t-distribution mutation balances is used enhanced the exploration and exploitation ability. In addition, a new exploitation mechanism is hybridized to increase the diversity of populations. The performances of DTSMA are verified on CEC2019 functions and eight engineering design problems. The results show that for the CEC2019 functions, the DTSMA performances are best; for the engineering problems, DTSMA obtains better results than SMA and many algorithms in the literature when the constraints are satisfied. Furthermore, DTSMA is used to solve the inverse kinematics problem for a 7-DOF robot manipulator. The overall results show that DTSMA has a strong optimization ability. Therefore, the DTSMA is a promising metaheuristic optimization for global optimization problems.

The smooth path planning for mobile robots is attracted particular research attention. In this paper, an enhanced slime mould algorithm called HG-SMA is proposed to solve a new smooth path planning model based on the Said-Ball curve. Firstly, the enhanced algorithm is constructed by adding a hierarchical guided strategy. This strategy considers the characteristics of individuals with different fitness values, and divides the slime mould population into two hierarchies. And corresponding strategies are applied to different hierarchies to improve the quality of solutions. To validate the performance of the proposed HG-SMA algorithm, it is compared with other improved slime mould algorithms and classical meta-heuristic algorithms on test functions of CEC2017 and CEC2019 suites. Results show HG-SMA performs best on 74.36 and 79.49% of all 39 functions when compared with other improved SMA algorithms and classical optimization algorithms, respectively, which illustrates it is superior to others in solution accuracy, stability and convergence speed. Secondly, by regarding the control points as variables, a novel smooth path planning model based on Said-Ball curve is established to generate the feasible path for mobile robots. Compared with other traditional path planning approaches (A*, RRT and Informed RRT*), the Said-Ball curve-based approach can construct paths with higher smoothness, and has advantages in calculation speed compared with Bézier curve-based approach. Finally, the proposed HG-SMA is employed to solve the established optimization model based on Said-Ball curve, named the Said-Ball + HG-SMA approach. In three designed workplaces, HG-SMA also has advantages in generating feasible paths with shorter lengths and higher smoothness when compared with the original SMA and other classical algorithms.

This study presents a multi-objective optimization of a hybrid microgrid (HMG) targeting the energy trilemma goals—energy security, affordability, and sustainability—using the Slime Mould Algorithm (SMA). The proposed HMG integrates renewable energy sources, diesel generators, and electric vehicle (EV) batteries as distributed energy resources (DERs) with bidirectional vehicle-to-grid (V2G) capabilities. Compared to conventional metaheuristic such as Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) and Genetic Algorithm (GA), the SMA achieves a power loss reduction of 12.3% and a levelized cost of energy (LCOE) improvement of 9.8%. The loss of power supply probability (LPSP) is reduced to 0.012, outperforming benchmark results from HOMER and Salp Swarm Algorithm (SSA), which reported LPSP values of 0.021 and 0.017, respectively. The superior performance of SMA is attributed to its dynamic balance between exploration and exploitation, leading to faster convergence and enhanced computational efficiency. The novel integration of EV batteries as DERs, with explicit modeling of bidirectional V2G operations, distinguishes this work from previous studies that considered only unidirectional or static EV participation. While the proposed approach demonstrates significant improvements, scalability to larger microgrid networks and the computational demands of SMA in real-time applications remain challenges for future research.