69,205 research outputs found
On-line Search History-assisted Restart Strategy for Covariance Matrix Adaptation Evolution Strategy
Restart strategy helps the covariance matrix adaptation evolution strategy
(CMA-ES) to increase the probability of finding the global optimum in
optimization, while a single run CMA-ES is easy to be trapped in local optima.
In this paper, the continuous non-revisiting genetic algorithm (cNrGA) is used
to help CMA-ES to achieve multiple restarts from different sub-regions of the
search space. The CMA-ES with on-line search history-assisted restart strategy
(HR-CMA-ES) is proposed. The entire on-line search history of cNrGA is stored
in a binary space partitioning (BSP) tree, which is effective for performing
local search. The frequently sampled sub-region is reflected by a deep position
in the BSP tree. When leaf nodes are located deeper than a threshold, the
corresponding sub-region is considered a region of interest (ROI). In
HR-CMA-ES, cNrGA is responsible for global exploration and suggesting ROI for
CMA-ES to perform an exploitation within or around the ROI. CMA-ES restarts
independently in each suggested ROI. The non-revisiting mechanism of cNrGA
avoids to suggest the same ROI for a second time. Experimental results on the
CEC 2013 and 2017 benchmark suites show that HR-CMA-ES performs better than
both CMA-ES and cNrGA. A positive synergy is observed by the memetic
cooperation of the two algorithms.Comment: 8 pages, 9 figure
Whatâs all the fuss about Disney? : narcissistic and nostalgic tendencies in popular Disney storyworlds
This paper seeks to study the narcissistic and nostalgic desires cultivated in cinematic audiences by modern Disney story franchises. Through its storyworlds, the Disney conglomerate is a key player in the cultural formation and consciousness of global audiences, young and old. The research demonstrates how narcissism and nostalgia are used as a means for personal development and amelioration of the present condition as well as a means of control over the viewersâ self-understanding and knowledge of past and present realities. The paper explores Baudrillardâs concept of controlled narcissism which illustrates how a subjectâs self-development is hampered by media conglomerates that disseminate a fixed formula which becomes their means of exercising control over time, space and identity formation. This paper also considers the use of nostalgia by media and entertainment industries. Using the works of Fredric Jameson, Linda Hutcheon and Svetlana Boym, this study investigates the commodification of nostalgia which promotes a recyclable and romanticized view of the past as well as the prospective use of nostalgia which allows the viewer to critically reflect on past and present times. These theories are applied to two contemporary case studies to understand better how narcissistic and nostalgic tendencies are manifested in the complex and transformative journeys of the flawed protagonists in contemporary popular Disney storyworlds.peer-reviewe
Slightly generalized Generalized Contagion: Unifying simple models of biological and social spreading
We motivate and explore the basic features of generalized contagion, a model
mechanism that unifies fundamental models of biological and social contagion.
Generalized contagion builds on the elementary observation that spreading and
contagion of all kinds involve some form of system memory. We discuss the three
main classes of systems that generalized contagion affords, resembling: simple
biological contagion; critical mass contagion of social phenomena; and an
intermediate, and explosive, vanishing critical mass contagion. We also present
a simple explanation of the global spreading condition in the context of a
small seed of infected individuals.Comment: 8 pages, 5 figures; chapter to appear in "Spreading Dynamics in
Social Systems"; Eds. Sune Lehmann and Yong-Yeol Ahn, Springer Natur
Revisiting the Gaia hypothesis: Maximum Entropy, Kauffman's 'Fourth Law' and physiosemeiosis
Recently, Kleidon suggested a restatement of the Gaia hypothesis based on Maximum Entropy approaches to the Earth system. Refuting conceptions of Gaia as a homeostatic system, Gaia is seen as a non-equilibrium thermodynamic system which continuously moves away from equilibrium, driven by maximum entropy production which materializes in hierarchically coupled mechanisms of energetic flows via dissipation and physical work. I propose to relate this view with Kauffman's 'Fourth Law of Thermodynamics', which I interprete as a proposition about the accumulation of information in evolutionary processes. Then, beyond its use in the Kleidon model, the concept of physical work is expanded to including work directed at the capacity to work: I offer a twofold specification of Kauffman's concept of an 'autonomous agent', one as a 'self-referential heat engine', and the other in terms of physiosemeiosis, which is a naturalized application of Peirce's theory of signs emerging from recent biosemiotic research. I argue that the conjunction of these three theoretical sources, Maximum Entropy, Kauffman's Fourth Law, and physiosemeiosis, allows to show that the Kleidon restatement of the Gaia hypothesis is equivalent to the proposition that the biosphere is a system of generating, processing and storing information, thus directly treating information as a physical phenomenon. I substantiate this argument by proposing a more detailed analysis of the notion of hierarchy in the Kleidon model. In this view, there is a fundamental ontological continuity between the biological processes and the human economy, as both are seen as information processing and entropy producing systems. As with other previous transitions in evolution, the human economy leverages the mechanisms by which Gaia moves further away from equilibrium. This implies that information and natural resources or energy are not substitutes, i.e. the knowledge economy continues to build on the same physical principles as the biosphere, with energy and information being two aspects of the same underlying physical process. --Gaia,non-equilibrium systems,Fourth Law,work,Peirce,triadism,hierarchy,economic growth
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