32 research outputs found
Evolution through reputation: noise-resistant selection in evolutionary multi-agent systems
Little attention has been paid, in depth, to the relationship between fitness evaluation
in evolutionary algorithms and reputation mechanisms in multi-agent systems, but if
these could be related it opens the way for implementation of distributed evolutionary
systems via multi-agent architectures. Our investigation concentrates on the effectiveness
with which social selection, in the form of reputation, can replace direct
fitness observation as the selection bias in an evolutionary multi-agent system. We do
this in two stages: In the first, we implement a peer-to-peer, adaptive Genetic Algorithm
(GA), in which agents act as individual GAs that, in turn, evolve dynamically
themselves in real-time, using the traditional evolutionary operators of fitness-based
selection, crossover and mutation. In the second stage, we replace the fitness-based
selection operator with a reputation-based one, in which agents choose their mates
based on the collective past experiences of themselves and their peers. Our investigation
shows that this simple model of distributed reputation can be successful as the
evolutionary drive in such a system, exhibiting practically identical performance and
scalability to direct fitness observation. Further, we discuss the effect of noise (in the
form of “defective” agents) in both models. We show that the reputation-based model
is significantly better at identifying the defective agents, thus showing an increased
level of resistance to noise
The Geo-Economic and Geo-Energy Pillar of Power as a Geopolitical Decision Making Factor within the Dynamics of the Southeastern Europe Geopolitical Complex
The “geopolitical complex” of Southeastern Europe, as a sub-system of the Europe-Asia-Middle East system, highlights its geo-economic dimension since the discovery of hydrocarbons in this geographical area has become a major geopolitical factor, resulting to competitions, conflicts, and strategic alliances among different actors/players. In this context, the particular space and time play an essential role, since the decision-making process has become a vital determinant of the necessary geostrategic synthesis under conditions of uncertainty and risk. This article approaches the subject under consideration by applying quantitative decision-making methods under uncertainty and/or limited uncertainty (risk) conditions by actors/players of the region; it examines the choice of alternative strategies that highlight not only the maximization of the actors’ geopolitical benefits but also provides added value to already formed strategic alliances. It also attempts to answer the question of how the construction of an LNG terminal can generate multiple benefits from its location and operation by presenting a theoretical model
Living wills in Greece: Bioethical dilemmas and legal parameters
Living wills are legal documents that set out the medical care an individual, or the principal, wants or does not want in the event that he or she becomes incapable of communicating his or her wishes. A living will is used by people whose wishes will be met should they reach a point when they are no longer able to make the decisions for themselves. For example, if a person sustained life-threatening injuries, or was incapacitated as a result of some terminal illness, the decisions about his or her health care will be his/hers as long as there is a living will. Without one, the decision becomes the responsibility of spouses, family members or other third parties.This paper aims to discuss important issues in the end of life healthcare and how the Greek legal system deals with bioethical dilemma
Dialectical prerequisites on Geopolitics and Geo-economics in Globalization’s Restructuration Era
Abstract. In the current restructuring phase of globalization, the geopolitical analysis, combined with the derived concept of geoeconomics, seems to acquire a new, growing interest. Specifically, the scientific discipline of geopolitics synthesizes the different socioeconomic analytical tools, having as final goal to propose and implement a proper strategy (geostrategy) by focusing on increasing national power and broadening the control of a geographic territory. In this context, this article explores how the contemporary geopolitical and geoeconomic analysis can valorize a composite evolutionary-dialectical method to enhance their understanding. To this end, substantial points of analytical enrichment to geopolitics and geoeconomics seem to emerge in the globalization’s restructuration era.Keywords. Geopolitics and geoeconomics, Global crisis and restructuring, Geostrategy, Dialectics, Structural-evolutionary crisis.JEL. B52, F69, F59
Heavy metals toxicity
Even though heavy metals are the oldest known toxins harmful to humans, heavy metal toxicity is still a topic that requires further investigation. This paper aims το provid an overview on the most dangerous heavy metals and their negative effects on the human health.Arsenic (As) contaminated underground water and arsenic based agricultural products have generated a worldwide increase of illnesses and deaths that are mainly due to various types of cancer and skin disorders. Industrialization and manufacturing made ead (Pb) poisoning a common occurrence, forcing governments to take measures to decrease lead usage. Mercury (Hg), being highly bioaccumulative and with an increasing presence in the environment, when consumed through food is proven to be especially harmful to lactating mothers, fetuses and children. The vast use of admium (Cd) for technological and agricultural purposes poses a high risk of occupational and non-occupational exposure of humans to that element, since it has been confirmed to cause carcinogenesis. Public awareness of the topic is necessary in order to prevent future increase of heavy metal related human diseases and deaths
Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinolic acid A: a reliable marker for ifferentiating between the consumption of illegal cannabis products and legal, medical Δ9-THC
Δ9-Tetrahydrocannabinolic acid A (Δ9-THCA-A) is the biosynthetic precursor of Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (Δ9-THC) in plant material of cannabis sativa, without having psychoactive effects . Δ9-THCA-A is not contained in pharmaceutical Δ9-THC formulations. Thus, Δ9-THCA-A can serve as a marker for differentiating between the consumption of illegal cannabis products and legal fully synthetic Δ9-THC
Intelligent Client Selection for Federated Learning using Cellular Automata
Federated Learning (FL) has emerged as a promising solution for
privacy-enhancement and latency minimization in various real-world
applications, such as transportation, communications, and healthcare. FL
endeavors to bring Machine Learning (ML) down to the edge by harnessing data
from million of devices and IoT sensors, thus enabling rapid responses to
dynamic environments and yielding highly personalized results. However, the
increased amount of sensors across diverse applications poses challenges in
terms of communication and resource allocation, hindering the participation of
all devices in the federated process and prompting the need for effective FL
client selection. To address this issue, we propose Cellular Automaton-based
Client Selection (CA-CS), a novel client selection algorithm, which leverages
Cellular Automata (CA) as models to effectively capture spatio-temporal changes
in a fast-evolving environment. CA-CS considers the computational resources and
communication capacity of each participating client, while also accounting for
inter-client interactions between neighbors during the client selection
process, enabling intelligent client selection for online FL processes on data
streams that closely resemble real-world scenarios. In this paper, we present a
thorough evaluation of the proposed CA-CS algorithm using MNIST and CIFAR-10
datasets, while making a direct comparison against a uniformly random client
selection scheme. Our results demonstrate that CA-CS achieves comparable
accuracy to the random selection approach, while effectively avoiding
high-latency clients.Comment: 18th IEEE International Workshop on Cellular Nanoscale Networks and
their Application
A quantitative analysis of the spatial and temporal evolution patterns of the bluetongue virus outbreak in the island of Lesvos, Greece in 2014
Bluetongue virus (BTV) causes an infectious disease called bluetongue, a vector-borne viral disease of ruminants, which has major implications and causes severe economic damage due to its effect on livestock. These economic costs are mostly ascribed to the trade restrictions imposed during the epidemic period. In August 2014, an epidemic of bluetongue occurred in the island of Lesvos, Greece. The epidemic was severe and evolved over time, lasting until December 2014. The total cases of infected farms were 490, including a total number of 136,368 small ruminants. In this paper, we describe a bluetongue virus serotype 4 (BTV-4) epidemic and utilize Bayesian epidemic models to capture the spatio-temporal spread of the disease. Our study provides important insights into the drivers of BTV transmission and has implications for designing control strategies. The results showed strong spatial autocorrelations, with BTV being more likely to spread between farms located nearby. The spatial modelling results proposed a certain spatial radius (~12 km) around the onset of a similar epidemic for imposing restrictions on animal movement, which can be sufficient for the control of the disease and limit economic damage
Cannabis use and cardiovascular complications: are we aware enough?
Cannabis is the most widely used illegal drug. Over the last years more scientific studies focus on the cardiovascular complications of cannabis. This brief review cites the effects of cannabis in human myocardial tissue with emphasis on the risk of development of cardiovascular disease after the use of the drug