Evolutionary Computation 2020

Intelligent optimization is based on the mechanism of computational intelligence to refine a suitable feature model, design an effective optimization algorithm, and then to obtain an optimal or satisfactory solution to a complex problem. Intelligent algorithms are key tools to ensure global optimization quality, fast optimization efficiency and robust optimization performance. Intelligent optimization algorithms have been studied by many researchers, leading to improvements in the performance of algorithms such as the evolutionary algorithm, whale optimization algorithm, differential evolution algorithm, and particle swarm optimization. Studies in this arena have also resulted in breakthroughs in solving complex problems including the green shop scheduling problem, the severe nonlinear problem in one-dimensional geodesic electromagnetic inversion, error and bug finding problem in software, the 0-1 backpack problem, traveler problem, and logistics distribution center siting problem. The editors are confident that this book can open a new avenue for further improvement and discoveries in the area of intelligent algorithms. The book is a valuable resource for researchers interested in understanding the principles and design of intelligent algorithms

Patent analysis as an input to strategy: case of electric vehicle industry

This research work examines technological developments of an emerging field from the perspective of patented innovations and major industry players. The selected domain of the study is the electric vehicle (EV) industry, which represents an emerging technological field driven by innovations. Patent-to-patent citation information and entities associated with each patent (i.e. patent holder, technology field, country) were utilized for the visualization of the relationship between patents in the form of a network. Bibliographic coupling (BC) is the methodology used to establish these relationships. From the viewpoint of companies, this relationship indicates similarities in the technological development direction and areas of R&D activities, suggesting for possible competition or cooperation. From the perspective of patented technology, the association indicates that the technologies or their applications are closely related. The focus of the study is placed on the possibilities and limitations provided by patent analysis based on BC, so to facilitate further exploration and application of this methodology as a valuable tool for the support of managers' assessment of technological environment in real time and planning of the R&D projects within an emerging field. Managers can use patent maps as an additional source of information and communication support in the strategic decision-making process. Using the bibliographic information of patents, the technological landscape and recent developments in EV sector during the recent six years were analyzed based on the statistical examination and the graph theory provided by social network analysis. Citation networks were divided into clusters, the patent assignee in each cluster were tracked, and citation networks with characteristic technology field for each cluster were analyzed. Overall structural changes of the EV industry were explored by categorizing patent assignees into four main groups, i.e. automotive OEMs, suppliers, infrastructure providers and other players, and exploring the changes in patenting activities between these groups. Analysis of patent network dynamics reveals the changes in the structure of innovation landscape within an emerging field of EVs. Expert opinion of a Finnish automaker was included in the analysis of this study. Limitations of the methodology and suggestions for further research directions are discussed

The Impact of the Internationalisation of Higher Education on Scientists’ Multimodal Communication: A case study from Catalonia

Les universitats de tot el món són instades a participar en el procés d' ‘internacionalització’ com a distintiu de qualitat i com a reclam per atraure estudiants. Aquest estudi aborda aquesta qüestió des del context de les institucions catalanes d’educació superior, que afronten el dilema de donar suport a la/les llengua/gües local/s i, alhora, abraçar el multilingüisme i, sobretot, l’anglès. L'objectiu principal d'aquest estudi és examinar l'impacte de la internacionalització de l'educació superior en la comunicació diària dels científics. Les dades etnogràfiques s’han recopilat al llarg d’un període d’11 mesos d’observació de dos grups de recerca (RGs) multinacionals amb seu en una universitat catalana, i s’han contrastat amb dades extretes d’un RG amb seu a Alemanya i amb idees inspirades en les pràctiques del RG de la pròpia investigadora. De l'objectiu empíric n’ha derivat un objectiu teòric, que consisteix a dissenyar i provar un marc teòric adequat per estudiar el fenomen proposat de manera integral. Aquest estudi té l’objectiu de contribuir a la limitada literatura que descriu aquelles pràctiques comunicatives "informals" i inèdites dels científics, així com a la literatura sobre la internacionalització de l’ensenyament superior. A nivell pràctic, aquest treball pretén contribuir a la millora de les polítiques d’internacionalització de les institucions d’ensenyament superior de Catalunya, d’Europa i potencialment d’altres contextos arreu del món.Las universidades de todo el mundo son instadas a participar en el proceso de ‘internacionalización’ como distintivo de calidad y como reclamo para atraer estudiantes. Este estudio aborda esta cuestión desde el contexto de las instituciones catalanas de educación superior, que afrontan el dilema de apoyar la/s lengua/s local/es y, a la vez, abrazar el multilingüismo y, sobre todo, el inglés. El objetivo principal de este estudio es examinar el impacto de la internacionalización de la educación superior en la comunicación diaria de los científicos. Los datos etnográficos se han recopilado a lo largo de un período de 11 meses de observación de dos grupos de investigación (RGs) multinacionales con sede en una universidad catalana, y se han contrastado con datos extraídos de un RG con sede en Alemania y con ideas inspiradas en las prácticas del RG de la propia investigadora. Del objetivo empírico ha derivado un objetivo teórico, que consiste en diseñar y probar un marco teórico adecuado para estudiar el fenómeno propuesto de manera integral. Este estudio tiene el objetivo de contribuir a la limitada literatura que describe aquellas prácticas comunicativas "informales" e inéditas de los científicos, así como a la literatura sobre la internacionalización de la enseñanza superior. A nivel práctico, este trabajo pretende contribuir a la mejora de las políticas de internacionalización de las instituciones de enseñanza superior de Cataluña, de Europa y potencialmente de otros contextos en todo el mundo.Universities worldwide are urged to engage in the process of ‘internationalisation’ as a hallmark of quality and as a lure to attract students. The current study approaches this issue from the context of Catalan higher education institutions, which deal with the dilemma of supporting the local language(s) and at the same time embracing multilingualism and especially English. The main aim of this study is to examine the impact of the internationalisation of higher education on the daily communication of scientists. Ethnographic data have been collected throughout a period of 11 months from two multinational research groups (RGs) based in a Catalan state university, and contrasted with data taken from a RG based in Germany and with insights from the researcher’s own RG. From the empirical objective has derived a theoretical objective, consisting in designing and proving a suitable theoretical framework to study the phenomenon holistically. This study aims to contribute to the limited body of research describing scientists’ "informal" and unpublished communicative practices, as well as to the literature on the internationalisation of higher education. On a practical level, this work is intended to aid in the improvement of internationalisation policies of higher education institutions in Catalonia, in Europe and potentially in other contexts worldwide

Weather or not? The role of international sanctions and climate on food prices in Iran

IntroductionThe scarcity of resources have affected food production, which has challenged the ability of Iran to provide adequate food for the population. Iterative and mounting sanctions on Iran by the international community have seriously eroded Iran's access to agricultural technology and resources to support a growing population. Limited moisture availability also affects Iran's agricultural production. The aim of this study was to analyze the influence of inflation, international sanctions, weather disturbances, and domestic crop production on the price of rice, wheat and lentils from 2010 to 2021 in Iran.MethodData were obtained from the statistical yearbooks of the Ministry of Agriculture in Iran, Statistical Center of Iran, and the Central Bank of Iran. We analyzed econometric measures of food prices, including CPI, food inflation, subsidy reform plan and sanctions to estimate economic relationships. After deflating the food prices through CPI and detrending the time series to resolve the non-linear issue, we used monthly Climate Hazards group Infrared Precipitation with Stations (CHIRPS) precipitation data to analyze the influence of weather disturbances on food prices.Results and discussionThe price of goods not only provides an important indicator of the balance between agricultural production and market demand, but also has strong impacts on food affordability and food security. This novel study used a combination of economic and climate factors to analyze the food prices in Iran. Our statistical modeling framework found that the monthly precipitation on domestic food prices, and ultimately food access, in the country is much less important than the international sanctions, lowering Iran's productive capability and negatively impacting its food security

How dust shapes protoplanetary discs and the implications to planet formation

Protoplanetary discs are the natal environments of planets and contain the building blocks from which planets form. It is therefore of crucial importance to understand how the dust growth and evolution shapes discs and what the implications are for planet formation. At the same time, our observational capabilities have improved in the recent years, providing us with more constraints that need to be considered in our theoretical studies. The goal of this thesis is to determine through numerical simulations how the dust shapes the (thermal) structure of the protoplanetary disc, how the conditions within the disc affect the growth of planets and how the forming planets affect the dust mass itself. We find that opacity models based only on micrometer-sized dust grains might not be a good approximation to simulate the disc's structure, especially for discs with significant viscous heating. There is a trade-off between the pebble isolation mass and the planetary growth timescale, which is important for the modeling of the growth of super-Earths via pebble accretion. We also find that the most favorable conditions for giant planet formation are high disc mass, early formation, and a large enough disc, however we conclude that their formation is mainly the outcome of a combination of beneficial factors or lack of adverse ones. Our findings strengthen the hypothesis that planet formation has already happened or is ongoing in Class II discs and we show that the assumption of an optically thin emission significantly underestimates the total dust mass in discs, if a giant planet is present that traps dust exterior to its orbit. We conclude that we should use the ever-increasing and improved observational data to better constrain the protoplanetary disc properties and connect the dots better to the observed exoplanets, based on our more sophisticated theoretical models