Uncertainty quantification plays a vital role in facilitating the practical implementation of AI in radiology by addressing growing concerns around trustworthiness. Given the challenges associated with acquiring large, annotated datasets in this field, there is a need for methods that enable uncertainty quantification in small data AI approaches tailored to radiology images. In this study, we focused on uncertainty quantification within the context of the small data evolutionary strategies-based technique of deep neuroevolution (DNE). Specifically, we employed DNE to train a simple Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) with MRI images of the eyes for binary classification. The goal was to distinguish between normal eyes and those with metastatic tumors called choroidal metastases. The training set comprised 18 images with choroidal metastases and 18 without tumors, while the testing set contained a tumor-to-normal ratio of 15:15. We trained CNN model weights via DNE for approximately 40,000 episodes, ultimately reaching a convergence of 100% accuracy on the training set. We saved all models that achieved maximal training set accuracy. Then, by applying these models to the testing set, we established an ensemble method for uncertainty quantification.The saved set of models produced distributions for each testing set image between the two classes of normal and tumor-containing. The relative frequencies permitted uncertainty quantification of model predictions. Intriguingly, we found that subjective features appreciated by human radiologists explained images for which uncertainty was high, highlighting the significance of uncertainty quantification in AI-driven radiological analyses.

When addressing the challenge of complex multi-objective optimization problems, particularly those with non-convex and non-uniform Pareto fronts, Decomposition-based Multi-Objective Evolutionary Algorithms (MOEADs) often converge to local optima, thereby limiting solution diversity. Despite its significance, this issue has received limited theoretical exploration. Through a comprehensive geometric analysis, we identify that the traditional method of Reference Point (RP) selection fundamentally contributes to this challenge. In response, we introduce an innovative RP selection strategy, the Weight Vector-Guided and Gaussian-Hybrid method, designed to overcome the local optima issue. This approach employs a novel RP type that aligns with weight vector directions and integrates a Gaussian distribution to combine three distinct RP categories. Our research comprises two main experimental components: an ablation study involving 14 algorithms within the MOEADs framework, spanning from 2014 to 2022, to validate our theoretical framework, and a series of empirical tests to evaluate the effectiveness of our proposed method against both traditional and cutting-edge alternatives. Results demonstrate that our method achieves remarkable improvements in both population diversity and convergence.

Machine learning models are increasingly being adopted across various fields, such as medicine, business, autonomous vehicles, and cybersecurity, to analyze vast amounts of data, detect patterns, and make predictions or recommendations. In the field of cybersecurity, these models have made significant improvements in malware detection. However, despite their ability to understand complex patterns from unstructured data, these models are susceptible to adversarial attacks that perform slight modifications in malware samples, leading to misclassification from malignant to benign. Numerous defense approaches have been proposed to either detect such adversarial attacks or improve model robustness. These approaches have resulted in a multitude of attack and defense techniques and the emergence of a field known as `adversarial machine learning.' In this survey paper, we provide a comprehensive review of adversarial machine learning in the context of Android malware classifiers. Android is the most widely used operating system globally and is an easy target for malicious agents. The paper first presents an extensive background on Android malware classifiers, followed by an examination of the latest advancements in adversarial attacks and defenses. Finally, the paper provides guidelines for designing robust malware classifiers and outlines research directions for the future.

Pareto front learning is a technique that introduces preference vectors in a neural network to approximate the Pareto front. Previous Pareto front learning methods have demonstrated high performance in approximating simple Pareto fronts. These methods often sample preference vectors from a fixed Dirichlet distribution. However, no fixed sampling distribution can be adapted to diverse Pareto fronts. Efficiently sampling preference vectors and accurately estimating the Pareto front is a challenge. To address this challenge, we propose a data-driven preference vector sampling framework for Pareto front learning. We utilize the posterior information of the objective functions to adjust the parameters of the sampling distribution flexibly. In this manner, the proposed method can sample preference vectors from the location of the Pareto front with a high probability. Moreover, we design the distribution of the preference vector as a mixture of Dirichlet distributions to improve the performance of the model in disconnected Pareto fronts. Extensive experiments validate the superiority of the proposed method compared with state-of-the-art algorithms.

We consider whether conditions exist under which block-coordinate descent is asymptotically efficient in evolutionary multi-objective optimization, addressing an open problem. Block-coordinate descent, where an optimization problem is decomposed into $k$ blocks of decision variables and each of the blocks is optimized (with the others fixed) in a sequence, is a technique used in some large-scale optimization problems such as airline scheduling, however its use in multi-objective optimization is less studied. We propose a block-coordinate version of GSEMO and compare its running time to the standard GSEMO algorithm. Theoretical and empirical results on a bi-objective test function, a variant of LOTZ, serve to demonstrate the existence of cases where block-coordinate descent is faster. The result may yield wider insights into this class of algorithms.

It is a well-known story that theoretical computer science and biology have been drawing inspiration from each other for decades. While computer science has tried to mimic the functioning of living systems to develop computing models, including automata, artificial neural networks, and evolutionary algorithms, biology has used computing as a metaphor to explain the functioning of living systems.4 For example, biologists have used Boolean logic to conceptualize gene regulation since early 1970s, when Jacques Monod wrote the inspirational statement "… like the workings of computers."40 This article contends that information processing is the link between computer science and molecular biology. In computer science, a model of computation such as finite state machines or Turing machines defines how to generate output from a set of inputs and a set of rules or instructions.

Clustering in dynamic environments is of increasing importance, with broad applications ranging from real-time data analysis and online unsupervised learning to dynamic facility location problems. While meta-heuristics have shown promising effectiveness in static clustering tasks, their application for tracking optimal clustering solutions or robust clustering over time in dynamic environments remains largely underexplored. This is partly due to a lack of dynamic datasets with diverse, controllable, and realistic dynamic characteristics, hindering systematic performance evaluations of clustering algorithms in various dynamic scenarios. This deficiency leads to a gap in our understanding and capability to effectively design algorithms for clustering in dynamic environments. To bridge this gap, this paper introduces the Dynamic Dataset Generator (DDG). DDG features multiple dynamic Gaussian components integrated with a range of heterogeneous, local, and global changes. These changes vary in spatial and temporal severity, patterns, and domain of influence, providing a comprehensive tool for simulating a wide range of dynamic scenarios.

Real-world optimization problems often involve stochastic and dynamic components. Evolutionary algorithms are particularly effective in these scenarios, as they can easily adapt to uncertain and changing environments but often uncertainty and dynamic changes are studied in isolation. In this paper, we explore the use of 3-objective evolutionary algorithms for the chance constrained knapsack problem with dynamic constraints. In our setting, the weights of the items are stochastic and the knapsack's capacity changes over time. We introduce a 3-objective formulation that is able to deal with the stochastic and dynamic components at the same time and is independent of the confidence level required for the constraint. This new approach is then compared to the 2-objective formulation which is limited to a single confidence level. We evaluate the approach using two different multi-objective evolutionary algorithms (MOEAs), namely the global simple evolutionary multi-objective optimizer (GSEMO) and the multi-objective evolutionary algorithm based on decomposition (MOEA/D), across various benchmark scenarios. Our analysis highlights the advantages of the 3-objective formulation over the 2-objective formulation in addressing the dynamic chance constrained knapsack problem.

The paper presents an experimental study of resilient path planning for con-tinuum robots taking into account the multi-objective optimisation problem. To do this, we used two well-known algorithms, namely Genetic algorithm and A* algorithm, for path planning and the Analytical Hierarchy Process al-gorithm for paths evaluation. In our experiment Analytical Hierarchy Process algorithm considers four different criteria, i.e. distance, motors damage, me-chanical damage and accuracy each considered to contribute to the resilience of a continuum robot. The use of different criteria is necessary to increasing the time to maintenance operations of the robot. The experiment shows that on the one hand both algorithms can be used in combination with Analytical Hierarchy Process algorithm for multi criteria path-planning, while Genetic algorithm shows superior performance in the comparison of the two algo-rithms.

Molecular generation, an essential method for identifying new drug structures, has been supported by advancements in machine learning and computational technology. However, challenges remain in multi-objective generation, model adaptability, and practical application in drug discovery. In this study, we developed a versatile 'plug-in' molecular generation model that incorporates multiple objectives related to target affinity, drug-likeness, and synthesizability, facilitating its application in various drug development contexts. We improved the Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) in the context of drug discoveries, and identified PSO-ENP as the optimal variant for multi-objective molecular generation and optimization through comparative experiments. The model also incorporates a novel target-ligand affinity predictor, enhancing the model's utility by supporting three-dimensional information and improving synthetic feasibility. Case studies focused on generating and optimizing drug-like big marine natural products were performed, underscoring PSO-ENP's effectiveness and demonstrating its considerable potential for practical drug discovery applications.