Mohd Nizam Mohmad Kahar

The examination timetabling problem at Universiti Malaysia Pahang: Comparison of a constructive heuristic with an existing software solution

This paper presents a real-world, capacitated examination timetabling problem from Universiti Malaysia Pahang (UMP), Malaysia. The problem has constraints which have not been modelled before, these being the distance between examination rooms and splitting exams across several rooms. These constraints provide additional challenges in defining a suitable model and in developing a constructive heuristic. One of the contributions of this paper is to formally define this real-world problem. A further contribution is the constructive heuristic that is able to produce good quality solutions for the problem, which are superior to the solutions that are produced using the universitys current software. Moreover, our method adheres to all hard constraints which the current systems fails to do.

Solving the Traveling Salesman's Problem using the African Buffalo Optimization

This paper proposes the African Buffalo Optimization (ABO) which is a new metaheuristic algorithm that is derived from careful observation of the African buffalos, a species of wild cows, in the African forests and savannahs. This animal displays uncommon intelligence, strategic organizational skills, and exceptional navigational ingenuity in its traversal of the African landscape in search for food. The African Buffalo Optimization builds a mathematical model from the behavior of this animal and uses the model to solve 33 benchmark symmetric Traveling Salesmans Problem and six difficult asymmetric instances from the TSPLIB. This study shows that buffalos are able to ensure excellent exploration and exploitation of the search space through regular communication, cooperation, and good memory of its previous personal exploits as well as tapping from the herds collective exploits. The results obtained by using the ABO to solve these TSP cases were benchmarked against the results obtained by using other popular algorithms. The results obtained using the African Buffalo Optimization algorithm are very competitive.

A great deluge algorithm for a real-world examination timetabling problem

The examination timetabling problem involves assigning exams to a specific or limited number of timeslots and rooms with the aim of satisfying all hard constraints (without compromise) and satisfying the soft constraints as far as possible. Most of the techniques reported in the literature have been applied to simplified examination benchmark data sets. In this paper, we bridge the gap between research and practice by investigating a problem taken from the real world. This paper introduces a modified and extended great deluge algorithm (GDA) for the examination timetabling problem that uses a single, easy to understand parameter. We investigate different initial solutions, which are used as a starting point for the GDA, as well as altering the number of iterations. In addition, we carry out statistical analyses to compare the results when using these different parameters. The proposed methodology is able to produce good quality solutions when compared with the solution currently produced by the host organisation, generated in our previous work and from the original GDA.

A comparative study of African Buffalo Optimization and Randomized Insertion Algorithm for asymmetric Travelling Salesman's Problem

In this study, a comparative study of the African Buffalo Optimization algorithm and the Randomized Insertion Algorithm to solving the asymmetric Travelling Salesmans Problem is made with the aim of ascertaining a better method to solving the asymmetric Travelling Salesmans Problem instances. The choice of the Random Insertion Algorithm as a comparative algorithm was informed by the fact that it has the best results in literature. The Randomized Insertion and African Buffalo Optimization algorithms employ two different methods in attempting solutions to ATSP: the African Buffalo Optimization employs the modified Karp-Steele approach while the Randomized Insertion uses random insertion approach. After attempting 15 benchmark ATSP cases out of the 19 datasets available in TSPLIB, it was discovered that the African Buffalo Optimization achieves slightly better result to the problems and at a much faster speed.

Parameters-tuning of PID controller for automatic voltage regulators using the African buffalo optimization

In this paper, an attempt is made to apply the African Buffalo Optimization (ABO) to tune the parameters of a PID controller for an effective Automatic Voltage Regulator (AVR). Existing metaheuristic tuning methods have been proven to be quite successful but there were observable areas that need improvements especially in terms of the system’s gain overshoot and steady steady state errors. Using the ABO algorithm where each buffalo location in the herd is a candidate solution to the Proportional-Integral-Derivative parameters was very helpful in addressing these two areas of concern. The encouraging results obtained from the simulation of the PID Controller parameters-tuning using the ABO when compared with the performance of Genetic Algorithm PID (GA-PID), Particle-Swarm Optimization PID (PSO-PID), Ant Colony Optimization PID (ACO-PID), PID, Bacteria-Foraging Optimization PID (BFO-PID) etc makes ABO-PID a good addition to solving PID Controller tuning problems using metaheuristics.

Universiti Malaysia Pahang examination timetabling problem: scheduling invigilators

This paper presents a real-world examination timetabling problem from Universiti Malaysia Pahang (UMP), Malaysia. The problem involves assigning invigilators to examination rooms. This problem has received less attention than the examination timetabling problem from the research community partly because no data sets are available in the literature. In modelling, and solving, this problem we assume that there is already an examination timetable in place (this was the subject of our previous work) and the task is to assign invigilators to that timetable. The contributions of this paper are to formally define the invigilator scheduling problem and to present a constructive algorithm that is able to produce good quality solutions that are superior to the solutions produced when using the universitys current software. We also include additional constraints taking into account the comments made by the invigilators, which the current system fails to capture. The model we present, we believe, accurately reflects the real-world problem, capturing various aspects of the problem that have not been presented before in the scientific literature. Moreover, the proposed approach adheres to all hard constraints, which the universitys current system fails to do.

Characterizing Current Features of Malicious Threats on Websites

The advance growth of cybercrime in recent years especially in high critical networks becomes an urgent issue to the security authorities. They compromised computer system, targeting especially to government sector, ecommerce and banking networks rigorously and made it difficult to detect the perpetrators. Attackers used a powerful technique, by embedding a malicious code in a normal webpage that resulted harder detection. Early detection and act on such threats in a timely manners is vital in order to reduce the losses which have caused billions of dollars every year. Previously, the detection of malicious is done through the use of blacklisting repository. The repository or database was compiled over time through crowd sourcing solution (e.g.: PishTank, Zeus Tracker Blacklist, StopBadWare.. etc.). However, such technique cannot be exhaustive and unable to detect newly generated malicious URL or zero-day exploit. Therefore, this paper aims to provide a comprehensive survey and detailed understanding of malicious code and URL features which have been extracted from the web content and structures of the websites. We studied the characteristic of malicious webpage systematically and syntactically and present the most important features of malicious threats in web pages. Each category will be presented along with different dimensions (features representation, algorithm design, etc.).

Network Intrusion Detection Framework Based on Whale Swarm Algorithm and Artificial Neural Network in Cloud Computing

Cloud computing is a rapidly developing Internet technology for facilitating various services to consumers. This technology suggests a considerable potential to the public or to large companies, such as Amazon, Google, Microsoft and IBM. This technology is aimed at providing a flexible IT architecture which is accessible through the Internet for lightweight portability. However, many issues must be resolved before cloud computing can be accepted as a viable option to business computing. Cloud computing undergoes several challenges in security because it is prone to numerous attacks, such as flooding attacks which are the major problems in cloud computing and one of the serious threat to cloud computing originates came from denial of service. This research is aimed at exploring the mechanisms or models that can detect attacks. Intrusion detection system is a detection model for these attacks and is divided into two-type H-IDS and N-IDS. We focus on the N-IDS in Eucalyptus cloud computing to detect DDoS attacks, such as UDP and TCP, to evaluate the output dataset in MATLAB. Therefore, all technology reviews will be solely based on network traffic data. Furthermore, the H-IDS is disregarded in this work.

A Comparative Evaluation of Swarm Intelligence Techniques for Solving Combinatorial Optimization Problems

This article presents a critical evaluation of swarm intelligence techniques for solving combinatorial optimization problems. Since, unarguably, the traveling salesman’s problem is the most developed, studied, and popular combinatorial problem, this study uses it as a benchmark. After a number of experimental investigations involving 24 popular but complex benchmark symmetric traveling salesman’s problem instances and 15 asymmetric traveling salesman’s problem of the 19 instances available in TSPLIB95, the African buffalo optimization proved to be the best algorithm in terms of efficiency and effectiveness in solving the problems under investigation.

Performance Analyses of Nature-inspired Algorithms on the Traveling Salesman’s Problems for Strategic Management

This paper carries out a performance analysis of major Nature-inspired Algorithms in solving the benchmark symmetric and asymmetric Traveling Salesman’s Problems (TSP). Knowledge of the workings of the TSP is very useful in strategic management as it provides useful guidance to planners. After critical assessments of the performances of eleven algorithms consisting of two heuristics (Randomized Insertion Algorithm and the Honey Bee Mating Optimization for the Travelling Salesman’s Problem), two trajectory algorithms (Simulated Annealing and Evolutionary Simulated Annealing) and seven population-based optimization algorithms (Genetic Algorithm, Artificial Bee Colony, African Buffalo Optimization, Bat Algorithm, Particle Swarm Optimization, Ant Colony Optimization and Firefly Algorithm) in solving the 60 popular and complex benchmark symmetric Travelling Salesman’s optimization problems out of the total 118 as well as all the 18 asymmetric Travelling Salesman’s Problems test cases available in TSPLIB91. The study reveals that the African Buffalo Optimization and the Ant Colony Optimization are the best in solving the symmetric TSP, which is similar to intelligence gathering channel in the strategic management of big organizations, while the Randomized Insertion Algorithm holds the best promise in asymmetric TSP instances akin to strategic information exchange channels in strategic management.