Pipelined genetic propagation

© 2015 IEEE.Genetic Algorithms (GAs) are a class of numerical and combinatorial optimisers which are especially useful for solving complex non-linear and non-convex problems. However, the required execution time often limits their application to small-scale or latency-insensitive problems, so techniques to increase the computational efficiency of GAs are needed. FPGA-based acceleration has significant potential for speeding up genetic algorithms, but existing FPGA GAs are limited by the generational approaches inherited from software GAs. Many parts of the generational approach do not map well to hardware, such as the large shared population memory and intrinsic loop-carried dependency. To address this problem, this paper proposes a new hardware-oriented approach to GAs, called Pipelined Genetic Propagation (PGP), which is intrinsically distributed and pipelined. PGP represents a GA solver as a graph of loosely coupled genetic operators, which allows the solution to be scaled to the available resources, and also to dynamically change topology at run-time to explore different solution strategies. Experiments show that pipelined genetic propagation is effective in solving seven different applications. Our PGP design is 5 times faster than a recent FPGA-based GA system, and 90 times faster than a CPU-based GA system

Explorations in price (un)fairness.

Consumers may use multiple reference points-including cost of goods, past prices, and competitive prices-to judge price fairness. Across a series of studies we show that consumers are inclined to overestimate profits, often to an extreme extent. We further demonstrate that prices are perceived to be unfair because consumers fail to take into account vendor costs, underestimate the effects of inflation, and attribute competitive price differences to profits. Potential corrective interventions by marketers-such as cueing costs, providing historical price information, and explaining price differences-were insufficient to eliminate unfairness perceptions. In addition, prices for goods were found to be stickier than prices for services and therefore were especially susceptible to these systematic perceptions of unfairness.Prices; Studies; Costs; Effects;

Pendekatan Teologis dalam Kajian Islam

As a science of divinity, theology has a significant role in efforts to form a mindset that will have implications for the religious person's behavior. To establish a mindset, it is necessary theological approaches that serves as a way to give birth to a new theological idea, whether it is traditional thinking, liberal, or modern. As a science of divinity, theology has a significant role in efforts to form a mindset that will have implications for the religious person's behavior. To establish a mindset, it is necessary theological approaches that serves as a way to give birth to a new theological idea, whether it is traditional thinking, liberal, or modern.As a science of divinity, theology has a significant role in efforts to form a pattern thought that would have implications for the religious person's behavior. To establish a mindset, it is necessary theological approaches that serves as a way to give birth to a new theological idea, whether it is traditional thinking, liberal, or modern. Of the various theological approaches exist, normatif theological approach is a theological approach in an effort to understand religion literally. This normatif approach can be interpreted as an attempt to understand religion using the framework of divinity revealed from a belief that empirical manifestation of a religion regarded as the most correct than others

Efektivitas Serbuk Sargassum Polycystum Sebagai Antibakteri Pada Ikan Lele (Clarias SP.) Selama Penyimpanan Dingin

Ikan lele merupakan ikan air tawar yang diminati oleh masyarakat. Ikan lele mengandung nutrisi tinggi dan merupakan ikan yang berlendir, dan lendir merupakan salah satu media pertumbuhan yang baik untuk bakteri. Serbuk S. polycystum merupakan rumput laut coklat yang mengandung senyawa bioaktif yang berfungsi sebagai antibakteri. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengetahui kandungan senyawa bioaktif yang ada pada serbuk S. polycystum dan kemampuan serbuk S. polycystum sebagai antibakteri pada ikan lele (Clarias sp.). Materi yang digunakan dalam penelitian ini adalah sebuk S. polycystum dan ikan lele (Clarias sp.). Metode penelitian yang digunakan adalah experimental laboratories dengan menggunakan Rancangan Acak Lengkap (RAL) faktorial dengan 2 faktor yaitu konsentrasi serbuk S. polycystum (0%, 3%, 6% dan 9%) dan lama penyimpanan (hari ke-0, hari ke-4, hari ke-8, dan hari ke-12). Rendemen serbuk S. polycystum sebesar 51,3 %, kandungan fenol 0,23 %, flavonoid 0,10 %, tanin 0,66 % dan saponin 0,64 %. Rendemen serbuk S. polycystum yang ditambahkan pada ikan lele yang disimpan pada suhu dingin menunjukkan bahwa perbedaan penambahan konsentrasi sebuk S. polycystum dan lama penyimpanan memberikan pengaruh nyata terhadap nilai TPC, nilai TVBN, nilai pH serta nilai organoleptik (p < 0,05). Konsentrasi terbaik pada penelitian ini adalah 6% dengan nilai TPC pada hari ke- 12 yaitu 1,3 x 105 CFU/g, nilai TVBN 20,63 mgN/100g, nilai pH sebesar 6,96 dan nilai organoleptik ikan lele konsentrasi 6% masih layak konsumsi

Evaluation of the Effectiveness of a Positive Youth Development Program for Secondary Students in Macau

A well-tested comprehensive Chinese positive youth development program (Project P.A.T.H.S.) developed in Hong Kong has been modified and adapted for use in Macau. This program aims to help adolescent school children develop positively and to be better prepared for their future. The present study investigated the effectiveness of the Tier 1 Program of “P.A.T.H.S.” for Secondary 2 students of two pilot schools. Since there were “repeating” and “transferring” students joining the program, the effectiveness of the program on these particular groups of participants was also examined. The subjective outcome evaluations including participants' perceptions of the program, program instructors, benefits from the program, and overall satisfaction were positive. Although the longitudinal data from the objective outcome evaluation did not show any notable improvement, the overall effect of the program was found to be positive to the new comers in the junior secondary years. The existing evaluation findings suggest that the Secondary 2 program is especially effective to those newly joining the program. In view of the paucity of youth studies in Macau, the present study can contribute to evidence-based youth work and provide baseline data for the program to be evaluated in the Secondary 3 periods in the future

Gene-by-Environment Interactions on Alcohol Use Among Asian American College Freshmen

OBJECTIVE: Among northeast Asians, the variant aldehyde dehydrogenase allele, ALDH2*2 (rs671, A/G, minor/major), has been inversely associated with alcohol dependence. The strength of the associations between ALDH2*2 and drinking behaviors depends on the developmental stage, the phenotype studied, and other moderating variables. This study examined ALDH2 gene status as a moderator of the associations between parental drinking, peer drinking, and acculturation with alcohol use among 222 Chinese American and Korean American college freshmen. METHOD: Negative binomial regressions were used to test the main and interactive effects of ALDH2 with contextual factors on alcohol frequency (drinking days) and quantity (drinks per drinking day) in the past 3 months. RESULTS: ALDH2*2 was associated with more subjective flushing symptoms and longer length of flushing but was unrelated to both alcohol frequency and quantity. Peer drinking was positively associated with both alcohol frequency and quantity, but neither was moderated by ALDH2. We observed a nonsignificant trend for the interaction between parental drinking and ALDH2 on alcohol frequency, where parental drinking was positively associated with alcohol frequency only among participants with ALDH2*2. We found a significant interaction between acculturation and ALDH2 on alcohol frequency, where acculturation was positively associated with alcohol frequency only among those with ALDH2*2. Exploratory analyses stratified by Asian ethnic subgroup indicated that this interaction was driven primarily by the Korean subsample. CONCLUSIONS: Parental drinking and acculturation may facilitate more frequent drinking among those who have more intense reactions to alcohol (i.e., those with ALDH2*2) during the transition from high school to college