Multi-objective discrete water wave optimization algorithm for solving the energy-saving job shop scheduling problem with variable processing speeds

For the job shop with variable processing speeds, the aim of energy saving and consumption reduction is implemented from the perspective of production scheduling. By analyzing the characteristics of the workshop, a multi-objective mathematical model is established with the objective of reducing the total energy consumption and shortening the makespan. A multi-objective discrete water wave optimization (MODWWO) algorithm is proposed for solving the problem. Firstly, a two-vector encoding method is adopted to divided the scheduling solution into two parts, which represent speed selection and operation permutation in the scheduling solution, respectively. Secondly, some dispatching rules are used to initialize the population and obtain the initial scheduling solutions. Then, three operators of the basic water wave optimization algorithm are redesigned to make the algorithm adaptive for the multi-objective discrete scheduling problem under study. A new propagation operator is presented with the ability of balancing global exploration and local exploitation based on individual rank and neighborhood structures. A novel refraction operator is designed based on crossover operation, by which each individual can learn from the current best individual to absorb better information. And a breaking operator is modified based on the local search strategy to enhance the exploitation ability. Finally, extensive simulation experiments demonstrate that the proposed MODWWO algorithm is effective for solving the considered energy-saving scheduling problem.

‘Messy’ Processing of χ-conotoxin MrIA Generates Homologues with Reduced hNET Potency

Integrated venomics techniques have shown that variable processing of conotoxins from Conus marmoreus resulted in a dramatic expansion in the number of expressed conotoxins. One conotoxin from C. marmoreus, the χ-conotoxin MrIA, is a selective inhibitor of human norepinephrine transporters (hNET) and therefore a drug candidate for attenuating chronic neuropathic pain. It has been found that “messy” processing of the MrIA transcripts results in the expression of MrIA analogs with different truncations of the pro-peptide that contains portions of the MrIA molecule. The aim of this study was to investigate if variable processing of the expressed peptides results in modulation of the existing hNET pharmacology or creates new pharmacologies. To this end, a number of MrIA analogs found in C. marmoreus venom were synthesized and evaluated for their activity at hNET receptors. While several of the analogs exhibited norepinephrine transporter inhibitory activity comparable to that of MrIA, none significantly improved on the potency of conotoxin MrIA, and those analogs with disrupted pharmacophores produced greatly reduced NET inhibition, confirming previous structure-activity relationships seen on χ-class conopeptides. Additionally, analogs were screened for new activities on ion channels using calcium influx assays, although no major new pharmacology was revealed.