A tabu search heuristic for the Equitable Coloring Problem

The Equitable Coloring Problem is a variant of the Graph Coloring Problem where the sizes of two arbitrary color classes differ in at most one unit. This additional condition, called equity constraints, arises naturally in several applications. Due to the hardness of the problem, current exact algorithms can not solve large-sized instances. Such instances must be addressed only via heuristic methods. In this paper we present a tabu search heuristic for the Equitable Coloring Problem. This algorithm is an adaptation of the dynamic TabuCol version of Galinier and Hao. In order to satisfy equity constraints, new local search criteria are given. Computational experiments are carried out in order to find the best combination of parameters involved in the dynamic tenure of the heuristic. Finally, we show the good performance of our heuristic over known benchmark instances

Extent of protective or allergy-inducing effects in cats and dogs

Objective. The study aimed to assess the effect of fur-bearing pets, including cats and dogs, on the health of individuals with allergic conditions. Materials and method. The study group comprised 18,617 individuals (16,562 from urban and 2,055 from rural areas). The tool used in the study was the European Community Respiratory Health Survey (ECRHS) and International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood (ISAAC) study questionnaire, adapted to European conditions (Middle and Eastern Europe) and used as part of the study Implementation of a System for the Prevention and Early Detection of Allergic Diseases in Poland. Results. The factors determining the keeping of fur-bearing pets in a household included a larger living space and the number of cigarettes smoked, which were observed especially in urban settings. The keeping of fur-bearing animals in rural areas acts preventively against allergic conditions, while in urban areas, these animals were a factor clearly aggravating symptoms of bronchial asthma – the risk of cough (OR 1.921; CI 10–3.36; P=0.02) and wheezing (OR 2.60; CI 1.22–5.54; P=0.01). Conclusion. Fur-bearing animals kept in rural settings exhibit preventive effects on the development of allergies; whereas in urban areas they exacerbate allergic symptoms, especially the symptoms of bronchial asthma

Coastal storm risk assessment in Europe: examples from 9 study sites

To assess coastal storm risks thi paper compares existing hazards, associated risks, coastal management plans, and civil protection schemes from nine European countries.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Coastal Storm Risk Assessment in Europe: Examples from 9 study sites

To assess coastal storm risks this paper compares existing hazards, associated risks, coastal management plans, and civil protection schemes from nine European countries. An evaluation made of specific study sites concludes that: (a) the definition of coastal hazard or risk varies between countries, regions and sites with no pan-European agreement; (b) existing risk definitions for northern Europe are based on probabilistic approaches and integrate threats to human occupation; this approach is not adopted in southern and eastern European countries; (c) half of the evaluated coastal management plans have a scientific basis with the remainder adopting qualitative or semi-quantitative approaches; (d) strategic approaches, used to define areas of potential occupation, coastal defences etc. are the most common; (e) operational approaches used for major event prediction and response are poorly developed. Therefore, there is a need to evaluate existing best practices in Europe in order to develop standardised coastal risk management for all EU member states

Coastal Storm Risk Assessment in Europe: Examples from 9 study sites

Proceedings of the 10th International Coastal SymposiumInternational audienceTo assess coastal storm risks this paper compares existing hazards, associated risks, coastal management plans, and civil protection schemes from nine European countries. An evaluation made of specific study sites concludes that: (a) the definition of coastal hazard or risk varies between countries, regions and sites with no pan-European agreement; (b) existing risk definitions for northern Europe are based on probabilistic approaches and integrate threats to human occupation; this approach is not adopted in southern and eastern European countries; (c) half of the evaluated coastal management plans have a scientific basis with the remainder adopting qualitative or semi-quantitative approaches; (d) strategic approaches, used to define areas of potential occupation, coastal defences etc. are the most common; (e) operational approaches used for major event prediction and response are poorly developed. Therefore, there is a need to evaluate existing best practices in Europe in order to develop standardised coastal risk management for all EU member states

Coastal storm risk assessment in Europe: Examples from 9 study sites

To assess coastal storm risks this paper compares existing hazards, associated risks, coastal management plans, and civil protection schemes from nine European countries. An evaluation made of specific study sites concludes that: (a) the definition of coastal hazard or risk varies between countries, regions and sites with no pan-European agreement; (b) existing risk definitions for northern Europe are based on probabilistic approaches and integrate threats to human occupation; this approach is not adopted in southern and eastern European countries; (c) half of the evaluated coastal management plans have a scientific basis with the remainder adopting qualitative or semi- quantitative approaches; (d) strategic approaches, used to define areas of potential occupation, coastal defences etc. are the most common; (e) operational approaches used for major event prediction and response are poorly developed. Therefore, there is a need to evaluate existing best practices in Europe in order to develop standardised coastal risk management for all EU member states