SummaryComputational intelligence techniques have widespread applications in the field of engineering process optimization, which typically comprises of multiple conflicting objectives. An efficient hybrid algorithm for solving multi‐objective optimization, based on particle swarm optimization (PSO) and artificial bee colony optimization (ABCO) has been proposed in this paper. The novelty of this algorithm lies in allocating random initial solutions to the scout bees in the ABCO phase which are subsequently optimized in the PSO phase with respect to the velocity vector. The last phase involves loyalty decision‐making for the uncommitted bees based on the waggle dance phase of ABCO. This procedure continues for multiple generations yielding optimum results. The algorithm is applied to a real life problem of intercity route optimization comprising of conflicting objectives like minimization of travel cost, maximization of the number of tourist spots visited and minimization of the deviation from desired tour duration. Solutions have been obtained using both pareto optimality and the classical weighted sum technique. The proposed algorithm, when compared analytically and graphically with the existing ABCO algorithm, has displayed consistently better performance for fitness values as well as for standard benchmark functions and performance metrics for convergence and coverage.

Gene-gene interactions are often regarded as playing significant roles in influencing variabilities of complex traits. Although much research has been devoted to this area, to date a comprehensive statistical model that addresses the various sources of uncertainties, seem to be lacking. In this paper, we propose and develop a novel Bayesian semiparametric approach composed of finite mixtures based on Dirichlet processes and a hierarchical matrix-normal distribution that can comprehensively account for the unknown number of sub-populations and gene-gene interactions.Then, by formulating novel and suitable Bayesian tests of hypotheses we attempt to single out the roles of the genes, individually, and in interaction with other genes, in case-control studies. We also attempt to identify the significant loci associated with the disease. Our model facilitates a highly efficient parallel computing methodology, combining Gibbs sampling and Transformation based MCMC (TMCMC). Application of our ideas to biologically realistic data sets revealed quite encouraging performance. We also applied our ideas to a real, myocardial infarction dataset, and obtained interesting results that partly agree with, and also complement, the existing works in this area, to reveal the importance of sophisticated and realistic modeling of gene-gene interactions.

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Present day bio-medical research is pointing towards the fact that virtually almost all diseases are manifestations of complex interactions of genetic susceptibility factors and modifiable environmental conditions. Cognizance of gene-environment interactions may help prevent or detain the onset of complex diseases like cardiovascular disease, cancer, type2 diabetes, autism or asthma by adjustments to lifestyle. In this regard, we extend the Bayesian semiparametric gene-gene interaction model of Bhattacharya & Bhattacharya (2016) to detect not only the roles of genes and their interactions, but also the possible influence of environmental variables on the genes in case-control studies. Our model also accounts for the unknown number of genetic sub-populations via finite mixtures composed of Dirichlet processes, which are related to each other through a hierarchical matrix-normal structure, incorporating gene-gene and gene-environment interactions. An effective parallel computing methodology, developed by us harnesses the power of parallel processing technology to increase the efficiencies of our conditionally independent Gibbs sampling and Transformation based MCMC (TMCMC) methods.Applications of our model and methods to simulation studies with biologically realistic casecontrol genotype datasets obtained under five distinct set-ups of gene-environment interactions action yield encouraging results in each case. We followed these up by application of our ideas to a real, case-control based genotype dataset on early onset of myocardial infarction. Beside being in broad agreement with the reported literature on this dataset, the results obtained give some interesting insights to the differential effect of gender on MI.