scholarly journals On the Effectiveness of Sampling for Evolutionary Optimization in Noisy Environments

2018 ◽  
Vol 26 (2) ◽  
pp. 237-267 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chao Qian ◽  
Yang Yu ◽  
Ke Tang ◽  
Yaochu Jin ◽  
Xin Yao ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Negative Impact ◽  
Fitness Function ◽  
Evolutionary Optimization ◽  
Function Evaluation ◽  
Noisy Optimization ◽  
Running Time ◽  
Analysis And Design ◽  
True Value ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
The Impact

In real-world optimization tasks, the objective (i.e., fitness) function evaluation is often disturbed by noise due to a wide range of uncertainties. Evolutionary algorithms are often employed in noisy optimization, where reducing the negative effect of noise is a crucial issue. Sampling is a popular strategy for dealing with noise: to estimate the fitness of a solution, it evaluates the fitness multiple ([Formula: see text]) times independently and then uses the sample average to approximate the true fitness. Obviously, sampling can make the fitness estimation closer to the true value, but also increases the estimation cost. Previous studies mainly focused on empirical analysis and design of efficient sampling strategies, while the impact of sampling is unclear from a theoretical viewpoint. In this article, we show that sampling can speed up noisy evolutionary optimization exponentially via rigorous running time analysis. For the (1[Formula: see text]1)-EA solving the OneMax and the LeadingOnes problems under prior (e.g., one-bit) or posterior (e.g., additive Gaussian) noise, we prove that, under a high noise level, the running time can be reduced from exponential to polynomial by sampling. The analysis also shows that a gap of one on the value of [Formula: see text] for sampling can lead to an exponential difference on the expected running time, cautioning for a careful selection of [Formula: see text]. We further prove by using two illustrative examples that sampling can be more effective for noise handling than parent populations and threshold selection, two strategies that have shown to be robust to noise. Finally, we also show that sampling can be ineffective when noise does not bring a negative impact.

scholarly journals Impact of food availability on child mortality: a cross country comparative analysis

2017 ◽  
Vol 63 (No. 6) ◽  
pp. 283-297 ◽  
Author(s):  
Agboola Mary Oluwatoyin
Keyword(s):  
Food Security ◽  
Child Mortality ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Panel Data Analysis ◽  
Social Indicators ◽  
Policy Option ◽  
Dynamic Panel Data ◽  
African Countries ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
The Impact

The study examined the impact of food security on child mortality (infant mortality and under-five mortality), using a dynamic panel data analysis for 114 countries for the period 1995–2009 by considering a wide range of controlled variables such as income, social indicators and policy variables. The result suggests that food security has a negative impact on child mortality for all countries and even more impact on child mortality within the food insecure African countries. Therefore, based on the findings of the study; it is recommended that an increase in food security is indeed a positive policy option, particularly within the food insecure African countries, since it ensures a decrease in child mortality within these countries.  

scholarly journals The Assessment of the Impact of Sanctions on Russia for Oil & Gas Industry and Defence Industry Complex of Russia

2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 46-57 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. V. Kazantsev
Keyword(s):  
Oil And Gas ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Financial Economic ◽  
Gas Production ◽  
Gas Industry ◽  
Oil And Gas Production ◽  
Foreign Earnings ◽  
Defence Industry ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
The Impact

The article presents the results of the author’s research of the impact of a wide range of restrictions and prohibitions applied to theRussian Federation, used by a number of countries for their geopolitical purposes and as a means of competition. The object of study was the impact of anti-Russian sanctions on the development of Oil & Gas industry and defence industry complex ofRussiain 2014–2016. The purpose of the analysis was to assess the impact of sanctions on the volume of oil and gas production, the dynamics of foreign earnings from the export of oil and gas, and of foreign earnings from the sale abroad of military and civilian products of the Russian defence industry complex (DIC). As the research method, the author used the economic analysis of the time series of statistical data presented in open statistics and literature. The author showed that some countries use the anti-Russian sanctions as a means of political, financial, economic, scientific, and technological struggle with the leadership ofRussiaand Russian economic entities. It is noteworthy that their introduction in 2014 coincided with the readiness of theUSto export gas and oil, which required a niche in the international energy market. The imposed sanctions have affected the volume of oil production inRussia, which was one of the factors of reduction of foreign earnings from the country’s oil and gas exports. However, the Russian defence industry complex has relatively well experienced the negative impact of sanctions and other non-market instruments of competition

scholarly journals ECONOMIC SECURITY MANAGEMENT OF FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS AS OBJECTS OF THE STATE CRITICAL INFRASTRUCTURE

MEST Journal ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 216-223
Author(s):  
Nataliia Zachosova ◽  
Zinaida Zyvko ◽  
Oleksii Koval
Keyword(s):  
Financial Institutions ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Financial Institution ◽  
Security Management ◽  
Economic Security ◽  
Security System ◽  
Management Decisions ◽  
External Threats ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
The Impact

The need to form a system of economic security for the effective operation of financial institutions is determined. Peculiarities of ensuring economic security of different types of financial institutions are found out, characteristic features of functional systems of economic security of financial intermediaries are revealed. It is offered to understand the management of economic security of financial institutions as a direction of management activities aimed at achieving a high level of protection of the institution's resources from the negative impact of internal and external threats by implementing a wide range of management decisions to use available opportunities and resources while providing financial services. The basics of the mechanism of economic security management of financial institutions are formed. It is assumed that the organization of the economic security system of a financial institution is carried out in several stages, such as the formation of the economic security system, ensuring the economic security system, identification, assessment, ranking of threats, and development of countermeasures; assessing the level of readiness of institutions to implement a mechanism for managing economic security; assessment of the level of economic security, development of management decisions. It is determined that the purpose of economic security management is to achieve the maximum possible level of realization of the institution's interests and meet the interests and needs of clients with optimal resource costs to minimize the impact of threats that accompany the activities of institutions.

scholarly journals Soil Degradation Assessment in Europe, A Review of Status, Interaction and Remediation

Proceedings ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 30 (1) ◽  
pp. 18
Author(s):  
Jannes Stolte ◽  
Gudrun Schwilch
Keyword(s):  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Soil Degradation ◽  
Expert Knowledge ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Natural Capital ◽  
Soil Functions ◽  
Soil Biodiversity ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Almost All ◽  
The Impact

As soil formation is an extremely slow process, soil can be considered a non-renewable resource. Soils should thus be adequately protected and conserved to ensure that soil functions are not lost or diminished. Soil functions are, however, threatened by a wide range of processes. Europe’s soil resources may continue to degrade due to changes in climate, land use and other human activities. The challenge is to prevent degradation and its adverse effects on soil functions and ecosystem services, and even improve the ability of soil to perform its functions. The soil degradation processes are complex and all parts of Europe are affected by one or more soil threats to some degree. There is a lack of knowledge on, a large uncertainty in, and lack of quantitative information on understanding the interrelationships between soil threats, soil threat and soil functions, and soil and ecosystem services. A major challenge in clarifying these relationships is how to integrate information and to analyse the key interactions. To bridge this gap, we have made an approach based on a review and expert knowledge to understand and describe those interrelations. This has been described in qualitative terms, and showed that the soil functions ‘biomass production’ is affected by almost all threats, whereas the threat ‘biodiversity decline’ has a major negative impact on all functions. It also showed that both soil biodiversity and soil erosion are more or less affected by almost all other soil threats. In the RECARE project, various prevention and remediation measures were trialed. Changes in manageable soil and other natural capital properties were measured and quantified, and a methodology to assess changes in ecosystem services was developed. Overall, the results showed positive on the impacts of the measures on ecosystem services. Although methodological challenges remain, the assessment served as an input to a stakeholder valuation of ecosystem services at local and sub-national levels. Although these activities are steps towards a soil remediation strategy, there is a need for further research on the mentioned issues in order to achieve an improved overview of existing information on soil degradation at the European scale, their interactions, and effects on ecosystem services. In addition, the lack of legally binding targets limits the impact that existing policies have on reducing soil threats and protecting soil function, although various EU policy instruments have shown positive impacts even in absence of binding targets for Member States.

“Physically defective children” and their care in the first third of the 20th century: the regional aspect

2019 ◽  
pp. 140-148
Author(s):  
Pavel Shcherbinin
Keyword(s):  
Social Security ◽  
20Th Century ◽  
Children With Disabilities ◽  
Social Protection ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Legal Aspects ◽  
Soviet Period ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Special Children ◽  
The Impact

We systematically study the practice of social protection of children with hearing and vision disabilities, as well as other categories of “physically defective” children and adolescents in the Tambov Governorate in the first third of the 20th century. On the basis of a wide range of primary materials, first of all, periodicals, archival sources, memories, statistical data, various little-known aspects of the claimed scientific problem were studied. We summarize the domestic and foreign experience of studying the social security system of “special” children in provincial Russia. The variants of social care for children with disabilities, including in the context of charitable activities, have been clarified. The legal aspects of the regulation of physical and social defectiveness during the Soviet period are specially considered. The main stages of the charitable and public initiative to support children with disabilities are identified. Attention is drawn to the impact of the First World War of 1914–1918, revolutionary upheavals, Civil War, regional specificity and the specific historical manifestations of the care of these “special” children at the level of a particular region – Tambov Governorate. The influence of regional trends on education and training, as well as the subsequent socialization of children with hearing and vision disabilities is clarified. It is proved that the new economic policy has had a powerful negative impact on the entire system of social security of orphans, children’s homes, in fact eliminating all the positive developments and experience that has developed in the Tambov Governorate.

Comparative Exploration of Psychological Health and Subjective Well-being among Fertile and Infertile Females

2019 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 73-92
Author(s):  
Ruqia Safdar Bajwa ◽  
Hamida Bibi
Keyword(s):  
Life Satisfaction ◽  
Psychological Health ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Past History ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Satisfaction With Life Scale ◽  
Subjective Well Being ◽  
Infertile Women ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
The Impact

Psychological health directly affects life satisfaction especially to those women who face social and family pressure about their infertility. A wide range of research studies comparing fertile and infertile women documented that there is negative impact of infertility on subjective well-being and global life satisfaction (Abbey et al., 1991, 1992; Callan, 1987; Callan& Hennessey, 1988). The present study was aimed to investigate the impact of psychological health on life satisfaction among fertile and infertile females. Through the convenience sampling technique, a sample of 310 (N=310) fertile and infertile women was selected whose age ranged between 25 to 50 years. Demographic variables included age, employment status, level of education, duration of marital life, type of marriage and family system for both fertile and infertile females. To be included in sample, Women must have been diagnosed with infertility (primary or secondary), they must not have adopted any child, and marriage duration must be at least 2 years and must not have past history of psychiatric illness. General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-28) was used for current psychological health and Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS) was used to measure life satisfaction. Data was analyzed by using SPSS version 21. Descriptive statistics, Regression analysis, ANOVA and t-test were used to analyze the data. Results have shown that psychological health has impact on life satisfaction in both fertile and infertile groups of women. Furthermore, results show that level of life satisfaction and psychological health is more prevalent in educated and employed women as compared to uneducated and unemployed women. To conclude, this study will be helpful in resolving psychological problems of the infertile females. Education can increase awareness about infertility and infertile females can meet the challenges of the society and can stand with better health and emotions.

Children and war: Risk, resilience, and recovery

2012 ◽  
Vol 24 (2) ◽  
pp. 553-558 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emmy E. Werner
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Longitudinal Research ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Multiple Informants ◽  
Risk And Resilience ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
The Impact

AbstractThis article reviews and reflects on studies that have explored the effects of war on children around the world. Most are cross-sectional and based on self-reports. They describe a range of mental health problems, related to dose effects and to the negative impact of being a victim or witness of violent acts, threats to and loss of loved ones, prolonged parental absence, and forced displacement. The more recent the exposure to war, and the older the child, the higher was the likelihood of reported posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms. Especially vulnerable to long-term emotional distress were child soldiers, children who were raped, and children who had been forcibly displaced. In adulthood, war-traumatized children displayed significantly increased risks for a wide range of medical conditions, especially cardiovascular diseases. Among protective factors that moderated the impact of war-related adversities in children were a strong bond between the primary caregiver and the child, the social support of teachers and peers, and a shared sense of values. Among the few documented intervention studies for children of war, school-based interventions, implemented by teachers or locally trained paraprofessionals, proved to be a feasible and low-cost alternative to individual or group therapy. More longitudinal research with multiple informants is needed to document the trajectories of risk and resilience in war-affected children, to assess their long-term development and mental health, and to identify effective treatment approaches.

scholarly journals Role of Growth Temperature in Freeze-Thaw Tolerance of Listeria spp.

2009 ◽  
Vol 75 (16) ◽  
pp. 5315-5320 ◽  
Author(s):  
Reha O. Azizoglu ◽  
J. Osborne ◽  
S. Wilson ◽  
S. Kathariou
Keyword(s):  
Growth Temperature ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Processing Plant ◽  
Virulence Determinants ◽  
Freezing And Thawing ◽  
Freeze Thaw ◽  
Food Borne ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Different Temperatures ◽  
The Impact

ABSTRACT The food-borne pathogen Listeria monocytogenes can grow in a wide range of temperatures, and several key virulence determinants of the organism are expressed at 37°C but are strongly repressed below 30°C. However, the impact of growth temperature on the ability of the bacteria to tolerate environmental stresses remains poorly understood. In other microorganisms, cold acclimation resulted in enhanced tolerance against freezing and thawing (cryotolerance). In this study, we investigated the impact of growth temperature (4, 25, and 37°C) on the cryotolerance of 14 strains of L. monocytogenes from outbreaks and from food processing plant environments and four strains of nonpathogenic Listeria spp. (L. welshimeri and L. innocua). After growth at different temperatures, cells were frozen at −20°C, and repeated freeze-thaw cycles were applied every 24 h. Pronounced cryotolerance was exhibited by cells grown at 37°C, with a <1-log decrease after 18 cycles of freezing and thawing. In contrast, freeze-thaw tolerance was significantly reduced (P < 0.05) when bacteria were grown at either 4 or 25°C, with log decreases after 18 freeze-thaw cycles ranging from 2 to >4, depending on the strain. These findings suggest that growth at 37°C, a temperature required for expression of virulence determinants of L. monocytogenes, is also required for protection against freeze-thaw stress. The negative impact of growth at low temperature on freeze-thaw stress was unexpected and has not been reported before with this or other psychrotrophic microorganisms.

scholarly journals Iteration Bayesian Reweighed Algorithm for Optical Carrier-Based Microwave Interferometry Sensing

Sensors ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (11) ◽  
pp. 3079
Author(s):  
Yuxiao Li ◽  
Ciming Zhou ◽  
Dian Fan ◽  
Sijing Liang ◽  
Li Qian
Keyword(s):  
Measurement Data ◽  
Measured Data ◽  
Frequency Fluctuation ◽  
Average Error ◽  
Optical Carrier ◽  
True Value ◽  
S Parameter ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Microwave Interferometry ◽  
The Impact

This paper proposes a novel iteration Bayesian reweighed (IBR) algorithm to obtain accurate estimates of a measurement parameter that uses only a few noisy measurement data. The method is applied to optimize the frequency fluctuation in an optical carrier-based microwave interferometry (OCMI) system. The algorithm iteratively estimates the frequency of the S-parameter valley point by collecting training samples to rebalance the weights between prior samples, which reduces the impact of noise in the system. Simulation shows that the estimated result of this algorithm is closer to the true value than that of the maximum likelihood estimation (MLE) using the same amount of measured data. Under the influence of system noise, this algorithm optimizes the frequency fluctuation of the S-parameter and reduces the impact of individual measured data. In this study, we applied the algorithm in the strain sensing experiment and compared it with the MLE. When axial strain changes 240 με, the IBR algorithm yields a deviation of 36 με, which is a significant reduction from 138 με (using the MLE method). Moreover, the average error rate decreases from 25% to 3% (with the MLE method), suggesting that the linear fitting degree of the estimated results and accuracy of the system are improved. Moreover, the algorithm has a wide range of applicability, for it can handle different application models in the OCMI system and the systems with frequency fluctuation problems.

scholarly journals Electronic Waste, an Environmental Problem Exported to Developing Countries: The GOOD, the BAD and the UGLY

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (9) ◽  
pp. 5302
Author(s):  
Samuel Abalansa ◽  
Badr El Mahrad ◽  
John Icely ◽  
Alice Newton
Keyword(s):  
Developing Countries ◽  
Environmental Problem ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Raw Materials ◽  
Electronic Waste ◽  
Developed Countries ◽  
Management Options ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Laws And Policies ◽  
The Impact

Electronic waste (e-waste) is a rapidly developing environmental problem particularly for the most developed countries. There are technological solutions for processing it, but these are costly, and the cheaper option for most developed countries has been to export most of the waste to less developed countries. There are various laws and policies for regulating the processing of e-waste at different governance scales such as the international Basel Convention, the regional Bamoko Convention, and various national laws. However, many of the regulations are not fully implemented and there is substantial financial pressure to maintain the jobs created for processing e-waste. Mexico, Brazil, Ghana Nigeria, India, and China have been selected for a more detailed study of the transboundary movements of e-waste. This includes a systematic review of existing literature, the application of the Driver, Pressure, State, Impact, Response (DPSIR) framework for analysing complex problems associated with social ecological systems, and the application of the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) for evaluating the environmental impact of electronic devices from their manufacture through to their final disposal. Japan, Italy, Switzerland, and Norway have been selected for the LCA to show how e-waste is diverted to developing countries, as there is not sufficient data available for the assessment from the selected developing countries. GOOD, BAD and UGLY outcomes have been identified from this study: the GOOD is the creation of jobs and the use of e-waste as a source of raw materials; the BAD is the exacerbation of the already poor environmental conditions in developing countries; the UGLY is the negative impact on the health of workers processing e-waste due to a wide range of toxic components in this waste. There are a number of management options that are available to reduce the impact of the BAD and the UGLY, such as adopting the concept of a circular economy, urban mining, reducing loopholes and improving existing policies and regulations, as well as reducing the disparity in income between the top and bottom of the management hierarchy for e-waste disposal. The overarching message is a request for developed countries to help developing countries in the fight against e-waste, rather than exporting their environmental problems to these poorer regions.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document