Query: EvoloPy: An Open-source Nature-inspired Optimization Framework in Python

Relevant passages:
No free lunch theorems for optimization <=SEP=> A framework is developed to explore the connection between e ective optimization algorithms and the problems they are solving A number of no free lunch NFL theorems are presented that establish that for any algorithm any elevated performance over one class of problems is exactly paid for in performance over another class These theorems result in a geometric interpretation of what it means for an algorithm to be well suited to an optimization problem Applications of the NFL theorems to information theoretic aspects of optimization and benchmark measures of performance are also presented Other issues addressed are time varying optimization problems and a priori head to head minimax distinctions between optimization algorithms distinctions that can obtain despite the NFL theorems enforcing of a type of uniformity over all algorithms

The Whale Optimization Algorithm <=SEP=> This paper proposes a novel nature-inspired meta-heuristic optimization algorithm, called Whale Optimization Algorithm (WOA), which mimics the social behavior of humpback whales. The algorithm is inspired by the bubble-net hunting strategy. WOA is tested with 29 mathematical optimization problems and 6 structural design problems. Optimization results prove that the WOA algorithm is very competitive compared to the state-of-art meta-heuristic algorithms as well as conventional methods. The source codes of the WOA algorithm are publicly available at http://www.alimirjalili.com/WOA.html © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Genetic programming - on the programming of computers by means of natural selection <=SEP=> Page ii Complex Adaptive Systems John H. Holland, Christopher Langton, and Stewart W. Wilson, advisors Adaptation in Natural and Artificial Systems: An Introductory Analysis with Applications to Biology, Control, and Artificial Intelligence, MIT Press edition John H. Holland Toward a Practice of Autonomous Systems: Proceedings of the First European Conference on Artificial Life edited by Francisco J. Varela and Paul Bourgine Genetic Programming: On the Programming of Computers by Means of Natural Selection John R. Koza

Evolution strategies – A comprehensive introduction <=SEP=> This article gives a comprehensive introduction into one of the main branches of evolutionary computation – the evolution strategies (ES) the history of which dates back to the 1960s in Germany. Starting from a survey of history the philosophical background is explained in order to make understandable why ES are realized in the way they are. Basic ES algorithms and design principles for variation and selection operators as well as theoretical issues are presented, and future branches of ES research are discussed.

A Fast Elitist Non-dominated Sorting Genetic Algorithm for Multi-objective Optimisation: NSGA-II <=SEP=> Multi-objectiveevolutionaryalgorithmswhichusenon-dominatedsorting andsharinghave beenmainly criticizedfor their (i) computational complexity (where is thenumberof objectivesand is thepopulationsize), (ii) non-elitismapproach, and(iii) theneedfor specifyingasharingparameter . In this paper , we suggesta non-dominatedsortingbasedmulti-objective evolutionaryalgorithm(wecalledit theNon-dominatedSortingGA-II or NSGA-II) which alleviatesall theabove threedifficulties.Specifically, a fastnon-dominatedsorting approachwith computationalcomplexity is presented. Second,a selectionoperatoris presentedwhich createsa mating pool by combiningthe parentandchild populationsandselectingthe best(with respectto fitnessand spread) solutions.Simulationresultson five difficult testproblemsshow that theproposedNSGA-II is ableto find muchbetterspreadof solutionsin all problemscomparedto PAES—anotherelitist multi-objective EA which paysspecial attentiontowardscreatinga diversePareto-optimalfront. Becauseof NSGA-II’s low computational requirements, elitist approach, andparameter -lesssharingapproach,NSGA-II shouldfind increasingapplicationsin theyearsto come.

Pre- and post-processes for automatic colorization using a fully convolutional network <=SEP=> Automatic colorization is a significant task especially for Anime industry. An original trace image to be colorized contains not only outlines but also boundary contour lines of shadows and highlight areas. Unfortunately, these lines tend to decrease the consistency among all images. Thus, this paper provides a method for a cleaning pre-process of anime dataset to improve the prediction quality of a fully convolutional network, and a refinement post-process to enhance the output of the network.

Random Bits Regression: a Strong General Predictor for Big Data <=SEP=> * Correspondence: momiao.xiong@gmail.com; Momiao.Xiong@uth.tmc.edu; yin.yao@nih.gov; lijin@fudan.edu.cn Equal contributors Human Genetics Center, School of Public Health, University of Texas Houston Health Sciences Center, Houston, TX, USA Unit on Statistical Genomics, Division of Intramural Division Programs, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Contemporary Anthropology, Collaborative Innovation Center for Genetics and Development, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433, China Full list of author information is available at the end of the article Abstract

How Not to Do a Mindset Intervention: Learning from a Mindset Intervention among Students with Good Grades <=SEP=> The present study examined the effectiveness of a Growth Mindset intervention based on Dweck et al.'s (1995) theory in the Hungarian educational context. A cluster randomized controlled trial classroom experiment was carried out within the framework of a train-the-trainer intervention among 55 Hungarian 10th grade students with high Grade Point Average (GPA). The results suggest that students' IQ and personality mindset beliefs were more incremental in the intervention group than in the control group 3 weeks after the intervention. Furthermore, compared to both the baseline measure and the control group, students' amotivation decreased. However, no intrinsic and extrinsic motivation change was found. Students with low grit scores reported lower amotivation following the intervention. However, in the second follow-up measurement-the end of the semester-all positive changes disappeared; and students' GPA did not change compared to the previous semester. These results show that mindset beliefs are temporarily malleable and in given circumstances, they can change back to their pre-intervention state. The potential explanation is discussed in the light of previous mindset intervention studies and recent findings on wise social psychological interventions.

Information Theoretic Learning with Infinitely Divisible Kernels <=SEP=> In this paper, we develop a framework for information theore tic l arning based on infinitely divisible matrices. We formulate an entropy-lik e functional on positive definite matrices based on Renyi’s axiomatic definition of en tropy and examine some key properties of this functional that lead to the conce pt of infinite divisibility. The proposed formulation avoids the plug in estimation of density and brings along the representation power of reproducing kernel Hilbe rt spaces. As an application example, we derive a supervised metric learning algo rithm using a matrix based analogue to conditional entropy achieving results co mparable with the state of the art.

Cyber Security and Power System Communication—Essential Parts of a Smart Grid Infrastructure <=SEP=> The introduction of “smart grid” solutions imposes that cyber security and power system communication systems must be dealt with extensively. These parts together are essential for proper electricity transmission, where the information infrastructure is critical. The development of communication capabilities, moving power control systems from “islands of automation” to totally integrated computer environments, have opened up new possibilities and vulnerabilities. Since several power control systems have been procured with “openness” requirements, cyber security threats become evident. For refurbishment of a SCADA/EMS system, a separation of the operational and administrative computer systems must be obtained. The paper treats cyber security issues, and it highlights access points in a substation. Also, information security domain modeling is treated. Cyber security issues are important for “smart grid” solutions. Broadband communications open up for smart meters, and the increasing use of wind power requires a “smart grid system”.

Trustworthiness Attributes and Metrics for Engineering Trusted Internet-Based Software Systems <=SEP=> Trustworthiness of Internet-based software systems, apps, services and platform is a key success factor for their use and acceptance by organizations and end-users. The notion of trustworthiness, though, is subject to individual interpretation and preference, e.g., organizations require confidence about how their business critical data is handled whereas end-users may be more concerned about usability. As one main contribution, we present an extensive list of software quality attributes that contribute to trustworthiness. Those software quality attributes have been identified by a systematic review of the research literature and by analyzing two real-world use cases. As a second contribution, we sketch an approach for systematically deriving metrics to measure the trustworthiness of software system. Our work thereby contributes to better understanding which software quality attributes should be considered and assured when engineering trustworthy Internet-based software systems.

The foreign-language effect: thinking in a foreign tongue reduces decision biases. <=SEP=> Would you make the same decisions in a foreign language as you would in your native tongue? It may be intuitive that people would make the same choices regardless of the language they are using, or that the difficulty of using a foreign language would make decisions less systematic. We discovered, however, that the opposite is true: Using a foreign language reduces decision-making biases. Four experiments show that the framing effect disappears when choices are presented in a foreign tongue. Whereas people were risk averse for gains and risk seeking for losses when choices were presented in their native tongue, they were not influenced by this framing manipulation in a foreign language. Two additional experiments show that using a foreign language reduces loss aversion, increasing the acceptance of both hypothetical and real bets with positive expected value. We propose that these effects arise because a foreign language provides greater cognitive and emotional distance than a native tongue does.

Fixed budget quantized kernel least-mean-square algorithm <=SEP=> We present a quantization-based kernel least mean square (QKLMS) algorithm with a fixed memory budget. In order to deal with the growing support inherent in online kernel methods, the proposed method utilizes a growing and pruning combined technique and defines a criterion, significance, based on weighted statistical contribution of a data center. This method doesn’t need any apriori information and its computational complexity is acceptable, linear with the center number. As we show theoretically and experimentally, the introduced algorithm successfully quantifies the least ‘significant’ datum and preserves the most important ones resulting in less system error.

On Extracting Structured Knowledge from Unstructured Business Documents <=SEP=> Efficient management of text data is a major concern of business organizations. In this direction, we propose a novel approach to extract structured knowledge from large corpora of unstructured business documents. This knowledge is represented in the form of object instances, which are common ways of organizing the available information about entities, and are modeled here using document templates. The approach itself is based on the observation that a significant fraction of these documents are created using the cut-copy-pastemethod, and thus, it is important to factor this observation into business document analysis projects. Correspondingly, our approach solves the problem of object instance extraction in two steps, namely similarity search and then extraction of object instances from the selected documents. Early qualitative results on a couple of carefully selected document corpora indicate the effective applicability of the approach for solving an important component of the efficient text management problem.

Automated Image Annotation based on YOLOv3 <=SEP=> A typical pedestrian protection system requires sophisticated hardware and robust detection algorithms. To solve these problems the existing systems use hybrid sensors where mono and stereo vision merged with active sensors. One of the most assuring pedestrian detection sensors is far infrared range camera. The classical pedestrian detection approach based on Histogram of oriented gradients is not robust enough to be applied in devices which consumers can trust. An application of deep neural network-based approach is able to perform with significantly higher accuracy. However, the deep learning approach requires a high number of labeled data examples. The investigation presented in this paper aimed the acceleration of pedestrian labeling in far-infrared image sequences. In order to accelerate pedestrian labeling in far-infrared camera videos, we have integrated the YOLOv3 object detector into labeling software. The verification of the pre-labeled results was around eleven times faster than manual labeling of every single frame.

STUDENTS ACCEPTANCE OF MOBILE LEARNING FOR HIGHER EDUCATION IN SAUDI ARABIA <=SEP=> Mobile learning is the next step in the development of distance learning. Widespread access to mobile devices and the opportunity to learn regardless of time and place make the mobile learning an important tool for lifelong learning. The research objectives are to examine the possibility of acceptance in mobile learning (m-Learning) and study main factors that affect using mLearning that focus on higher education students in Saudi Arabia. The researcher used a quantitative approach survey of 80 students. The modified acceptance framework that based on the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) model is adopted to determine the factors that influence the students’ intention to use m-Learning. The results from statistical analysis show that the acceptance level of students on m-Learning is in the high level.

Integrated microstrip and rectangular waveguide in planar form <=SEP=> Usually transitions from microstrip line to rectangular waveguide are made with three-dimensional complex mounting structures. In this paper, a new planar platform is developed in which the microstrip line and rectangular waveguide are fully integrated on the same substrate, and they are interconnected via a simple taper. Our experiments at 28 GHz show that an effective bandwidth of 12% at 20 dB return loss is obtained with an in-band insertion loss better than 0.3 dB. The new transition allows a complete integration of waveguide components on substrate with MICs and MMICs.

Today the Earwig, Tomorrow Man? <=SEP=> Kirsh, D., Today the earwig, tomorrow man?, Artificial Intelligence 47 (1991) 161-184. A startling amount of intelligent activity can be controlled without reasoning or thought. By tuning the perceptual system to task relevant properties a creature can cope with relatively sophisticated environments without concepts. There is a limit, however, to how far a creature without concepts can go. Rod Brooks, like many ecologically oriented scientists, argues that the vast majority of intelligent behaviour is concept-free. To evaluate this position I consider what special benefits accrue to concept-using creatures. Concepts are either necessary for certain types of perception, learning, and control, or they make those processes computationally simpler. Once a creature has concepts its capacities are vastly multiplied.

A digitally compensated 1.5 GHz CMOS/FBAR frequency reference <=SEP=> A temperature-compensated 1.5 GHz film bulk acoustic wave resonator (FBAR)-based frequency reference implemented in a 0.35 ¿m CMOS process is presented. The ultra-small form factor (0.79 mm × 1.72 mm) and low power dissipation (515 ¿A with 2 V supply) of a compensated FBAR oscillator present a promising alternative for the replacement of quartz crystal frequency references. The measured post-compensation frequency drift over a 0-100°C temperature range is <±10 ppm. The measured oscillator phase noise is -133 dBc/ Hz at 100 kHz offset from the 1.5 GHz carrier.

A Lightweight Virtualization Solution for Android Devices <=SEP=> Mobile virtualization has emerged fairly recently and is considered a valuable way to mitigate security risks on Android devices. However, major challenges in mobile virtualization include runtime, hardware, resource overhead, and compatibility. In this paper, we propose a lightweight Android virtualization solution named Condroid, which is based on container technology. Condroid utilizes resource isolation based on namespaces feature and resource control based on cgroups feature. By leveraging them, Condroid can host multiple independent Android virtual machines on a single kernel to support mutilple Android containers. Furthermore, our implementation presents both a system service sharing mechanism to reduce memory utilization and a filesystem sharing mechanism to reduce storage usage. The evaluation results on Google Nexus 5 demonstrate that Condroid is feasible in terms of runtime, hardware resource overhead, and compatibility. Therefore, we find that Condroid has a higher performance than other virtualization solutions.

Why an Intelligence Explosion is Probable <=SEP=> If a future Artificial Intelligence were to reach the level of human intelligence there is a possibility that it would be able to rapidly redesign itself until its own capabilities far exceeded those of human beings. We analyze the principle factors that might govern the rapidity of this ‘intelligence explosion’ process. We argue that if degree of intelligence is defined using a relatively uncontroversial measure that involves only the relative speed of thought with respect to that of the human mind, and if an intelligence explosion is defined as a thousandfold increase in speed, then there are compelling reasons to believe that none of the barriers to this process look plausible, and therefore an intelligence explosion is highly likely.

Combined Star-Delta Winding Analysis <=SEP=> The combined star-delta winding has been attracting the attention of industry because of its potential to improve the efficiency of electrical machines. In order to show the efficiency benefits of this type of winding, many authors have used methods to determine the improvements in winding factors, published in different papers, which have not been validated yet. Some of these methods contradict each other. Furthermore, as a demerit of this winding, a unidirectional rotation has been reported. In this paper, a set of new formulas to calculate the winding factors for combined star-delta windings is proposed. In order to check the validity of the proposed formulas, a 2-D FEM and experimental tests on a salient pole synchronous machine are presented, which allows different combined star-delta winding connections. In contrast to other publications, the measurements show that combined windings can be applied for both directions of rotation without any problems.

Examining Alignment of Frames Using Actor-Network Constructs: The Implementation of an IT Project <=SEP=> IT projects often cannot succeed without bridging different stakeholders’ perspectives on system design and function during implementation. These perspectives often start as competing technology frames consisting of different beliefs, interests, technology evaluation routines and artifact characteristics. For successful implementation of IT, these competing frames usually need to be stabilized into a dominant frame which is widely accepted. Prior research has offered few clues on the mechanisms that are at work in aligning competing frames. This paper uses a case study to propose mechanisms for aligning frames—namely, two actor-network theory constructs of “black-boxing” and “obligatory points of passage”—that aid in translating the competing frames into a truce frame. The examined properties of these mechanisms are described and analyzed, thereby extending the literature on technology frames by providing evidence of generic aligning mechanisms.

Swearing, Euphemisms, and Linguistic Relativity <=SEP=> Participants read aloud swear words, euphemisms of the swear words, and neutral stimuli while their autonomic activity was measured by electrodermal activity. The key finding was that autonomic responses to swear words were larger than to euphemisms and neutral stimuli. It is argued that the heightened response to swear words reflects a form of verbal conditioning in which the phonological form of the word is directly associated with an affective response. Euphemisms are effective because they replace the trigger (the offending word form) by another word form that expresses a similar idea. That is, word forms exert some control on affect and cognition in turn. We relate these findings to the linguistic relativity hypothesis, and suggest a simple mechanistic account of how language may influence thinking in this context.

Game-Enhanced Second Language Vocabulary Acquisition Strategies: A Systematic Review <=SEP=> This paper is a synthesis of 17 qualitative, quantitative, and mixed-method studies published over the last decade. The synthesis suggests that game-enhanced learning provides a set of effective strategies such as language repetitions, contextual clues, interaction with native speakers and peers, and imagery to practice and use second language vocabulary in the authentic context. Some of the strategies such as word lists, dictionaries, and vocabulary exercises are more beneficial when combined with native speakers or peers’ interactions. Due to high interactivity of games, note taking and media strategies provide less support for vocabulary learning. The lack of high quality studies and empirical data makes it difficult to draw conclusions about which video games strategies provide the most benefit. The synthesis of research identifies that generally game-enhanced practices are helpful for second language vocabulary enhancement.

Development of wearable and flexible ultrasonic sensor for skeletal muscle monitoring <=SEP=> A wearable and flexible ultrasonic sensor was developed for monitoring of skeletal muscle contraction. The sensor was constructed using a PVDF piezoelectric polymer film without a matching layer or backing material. Due to its lightness (less than 1 gram), thinness (200 μm) and flexibility, this sensor was wearable and enabled non-invasive and continuous muscle monitoring without restricting muscle movement, which is not feasible using a conventional handheld ultrasonic probe. The developed sensor was used to monitor muscle contractions in the index finger by ultrasonic pulse-echo measurements and in the forearm by through-transmission measurements. It was successfully demonstrated that the tissue thickness variations were measured in accordance with the muscle contraction performed.

The attention system of the human brain. <=SEP=> The concept of attention as central to human performance extends back to the start of experimental psychology (James 1890), yet even a few years ago, it would not have been possible to outline in even a preliminary form a functional anatomy of the human attentional system. New developments in neuroscience (Hillyard & Picton 1987, Raichle 1983, Wurtz et al 1980) have opened the study of higher cognition to physiological analysis, and have revealed a system of anatomical areas that appear to be basic to the selection of information for focal (conscious) processing. The importance of attention is its unique role in connecting the mental level of description of processes used in cognitive science with the anatomical level common i neuroscience. Sperry (1988, p. 609) describes the central role that mental concepts play in understanding brain function as follows:

Overcoming the Bell-Shaped Dose-Response of Cannabidiol by Using Cannabis Extract Enriched in Cannabidiol <=SEP=> Cannabidiol (CBD), a major constituent of Cannabis, has been shown to be a powerful anti‐in‐ flammatory and anti‐anxiety drug, without exerting a psychotropic effect. However, when given either intraperitoneally or orally as a purified product, a bell‐shaped dose‐response was observed, which limits its clinical use. In the present study, we have studied in mice the anti‐inflammatory and anti‐nociceptive activities of standardized plant extracts derived from the Cannabis sativa L., clone 202, which is highly enriched in CBD and hardly contains any psychoactive ingredients. In stark contrast to purified CBD, the clone 202 extract, when given either intraperitoneally or orally, provided a clear correlation between the anti‐inflammatory and anti‐nociceptive responses and the dose, with increasing responses upon increasing doses, which makes this plant medicine ideal for clinical uses. The clone 202 extract reduced zymosan‐induced paw swelling and pain in mice, and prevented TNFα production in vivo. It is likely that other components in the extract synergize with CBD to achieve the desired anti‐inflammatory action that may contribute to overcoming the bell‐shaped dose‐response of purified CBD. We therefore propose that Cannabis clone 202 (Avi‐ dekel) extract is superior over CBD for the treatment of inflammatory conditions.

TSC-DL: Unsupervised trajectory segmentation of multi-modal surgical demonstrations with Deep Learning <=SEP=> The growth of robot-assisted minimally invasive surgery has led to sizable datasets of fixed-camera video and kinematic recordings of surgical subtasks. Segmentation of these trajectories into locally-similar contiguous sections can facilitate learning from demonstrations, skill assessment, and salvaging good segments from otherwise inconsistent demonstrations. Manual, or supervised, segmentation can be prone to error and impractical for large datasets. We present Transition State Clustering with Deep Learning (TSC-DL), a new unsupervised algorithm that leverages video and kinematic data for task-level segmentation, and finds regions of the visual feature space that correlate with transition events using features constructed from layers of pre-trained image classification Deep Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs). We report results on three datasets comparing Deep Learning architectures (AlexNet and VGG), choice of convolutional layer, dimensionality reduction techniques, visual encoding, and the use of Scale Invariant Feature Transforms (SIFT). We find that the deep architectures extract features that result in up-to a 30.4% improvement in Silhouette Score (a measure of cluster tightness) over the traditional “shallow” features from SIFT. We also present cases where TSC-DL discovers human annotator omissions. Supplementary material, data and code is available at: http://berkeleyautomation.github.io/tsc-dl/.

Effects of concurrent endurance and strength training on running economy and .VO(2) kinetics. <=SEP=> PURPOSE
It has been suggested that endurance training influences the running economy (CR) and the oxygen uptake (.VO(2)) kinetics in heavy exercise by accelerating the primary phase and attenuating the .VO(2) slow component. However, the effects of heavy weight training (HWT) in combination with endurance training remain unclear. The purpose of this study was to examine the influence of a concurrent HWT+endurance training on CR and the .VO(2) kinetics in endurance athletes.


METHODS
Fifteen triathletes were assigned to endurance+strength (ES) or endurance-only (E) training for 14 wk. The training program was similar, except ES performed two HWT sessions a week. Before and after the training period, the subjects performed 1) an incremental field running test for determination of .VO(2max) and the velocity associated (V(.VO2max)), the second ventilatory threshold (VT(2)); 2) a 3000-m run at constant velocity, calculated to require 25% of the difference between .VO(2max) and VT(2), to determine CR and the characteristics of the VO(2) kinetics; 3) maximal hopping tests to determine maximal mechanical power and lower-limb stiffness; 4) maximal concentric lower-limb strength measurements.


RESULTS
After the training period, maximal strength were increased (P < 0.01) in ES but remained unchanged in E. Hopping power decreased in E (P < 0.05). After training, economy (P < 0.05) and hopping power (P < 0.001) were greater in ES than in E. .VO(2max), leg hopping stiffness and the .VO(2) kinetics were not significantly affected by training either in ES or E.


CONCLUSION
Additional HWT led to improved maximal strength and running economy with no significant effects on the .VO(2) kinetics pattern in heavy exercise.