MPDCGA: a real-coded multi-population dynamic competitive genetic algorithm for feature selection

Abstract Feature selection constitutes a fundamental component of machine learning and Genetic Algorithms (GAs) are extensively employed in feature selection. However, conventional GAs are afflicted by premature convergence and difficulty in preserving population diversity. To mitigate these limitat...

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Main Authors: Chuantao Li, Chen Huang, Ruihan Chen, Zhuohong Yu, Sheng Li
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2025-08-01
Series:Journal of King Saud University: Computer and Information Sciences
Subjects:
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1007/s44443-025-00112-4
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author Chuantao Li
Chen Huang
Ruihan Chen
Zhuohong Yu
Sheng Li
author_facet Chuantao Li
Chen Huang
Ruihan Chen
Zhuohong Yu
Sheng Li
author_sort Chuantao Li
collection DOAJ
description Abstract Feature selection constitutes a fundamental component of machine learning and Genetic Algorithms (GAs) are extensively employed in feature selection. However, conventional GAs are afflicted by premature convergence and difficulty in preserving population diversity. To mitigate these limitations, this study proposes a real-coded multi-population dynamic competitive genetic algorithm (MPDCGA) for feature selection. In this innovative framework, the population initialization mechanism based on mRMR and cosine similarity furnishes a diverse initial solution, the dynamic competition operator explores the optimal feature subset through coevolutionary processes, and the adaptive similarity crossover operator improves the global search efficiency while augmenting the capability to extract potentially salient features. To comprehensively evaluate the performance of MPDCGA, adequate experiments were conducted on 16 UCI datasets. The experimental results demonstrate that MPDCGA effectively circumvents the limitations of local optimality, achieving superior feature selection accuracy and robustness.
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institution Kabale University
issn 1319-1578
2213-1248
language English
publishDate 2025-08-01
publisher Elsevier
record_format Article
series Journal of King Saud University: Computer and Information Sciences
spelling doaj-art-ecc918bf629441b0b1c80c679a2a47012025-08-24T11:53:57ZengElsevierJournal of King Saud University: Computer and Information Sciences1319-15782213-12482025-08-0137712910.1007/s44443-025-00112-4MPDCGA: a real-coded multi-population dynamic competitive genetic algorithm for feature selectionChuantao Li0Chen Huang1Ruihan Chen2Zhuohong Yu3Sheng Li4School of Mathematics and Computer, Guangdong Ocean UniversitySchool of Mathematics and Computer, Guangdong Ocean UniversitySchool of Mathematics and Computer, Guangdong Ocean UniversitySchool of Mathematics and Computer, Guangdong Ocean UniversitySchool of Mathematics and Computer, Guangdong Ocean UniversityAbstract Feature selection constitutes a fundamental component of machine learning and Genetic Algorithms (GAs) are extensively employed in feature selection. However, conventional GAs are afflicted by premature convergence and difficulty in preserving population diversity. To mitigate these limitations, this study proposes a real-coded multi-population dynamic competitive genetic algorithm (MPDCGA) for feature selection. In this innovative framework, the population initialization mechanism based on mRMR and cosine similarity furnishes a diverse initial solution, the dynamic competition operator explores the optimal feature subset through coevolutionary processes, and the adaptive similarity crossover operator improves the global search efficiency while augmenting the capability to extract potentially salient features. To comprehensively evaluate the performance of MPDCGA, adequate experiments were conducted on 16 UCI datasets. The experimental results demonstrate that MPDCGA effectively circumvents the limitations of local optimality, achieving superior feature selection accuracy and robustness.https://doi.org/10.1007/s44443-025-00112-4Genetic algorithmMulti-populationDynamic competitionCoevolutionaryFeature selection
spellingShingle Chuantao Li
Chen Huang
Ruihan Chen
Zhuohong Yu
Sheng Li
MPDCGA: a real-coded multi-population dynamic competitive genetic algorithm for feature selection
Journal of King Saud University: Computer and Information Sciences
Genetic algorithm
Multi-population
Dynamic competition
Coevolutionary
Feature selection
title MPDCGA: a real-coded multi-population dynamic competitive genetic algorithm for feature selection
title_full MPDCGA: a real-coded multi-population dynamic competitive genetic algorithm for feature selection
title_fullStr MPDCGA: a real-coded multi-population dynamic competitive genetic algorithm for feature selection
title_full_unstemmed MPDCGA: a real-coded multi-population dynamic competitive genetic algorithm for feature selection
title_short MPDCGA: a real-coded multi-population dynamic competitive genetic algorithm for feature selection
title_sort mpdcga a real coded multi population dynamic competitive genetic algorithm for feature selection
topic Genetic algorithm
Multi-population
Dynamic competition
Coevolutionary
Feature selection
url https://doi.org/10.1007/s44443-025-00112-4
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