Comparing and Combining Lexicase Selection and Novelty Search

Lexicase selection and novelty search, two parent selection methods used in evolutionary computation, emphasize exploring widely in the search space more than traditional methods such as tournament selection. However, lexicase selection is not explicitly driven to select for novelty in the population, and novelty search suffers from lack of direction toward a goal, especially in unconstrained, highly-dimensional spaces. We combine the strengths of lexicase selection and novelty search by creating a novelty score for each test case, and adding those novelty scores to the normal error values used in lexicase selection. We use this new novelty-lexicase selection to solve automatic program synthesis problems, and find it significantly outperforms both novelty search and lexicase selection. Additionally, we find that novelty search has very little success in the problem domain of program synthesis. We explore the effects of each of these methods on population diversity and long-term problem solving performance, and give evidence to support the hypothesis that novelty-lexicase selection resists converging to local optima better than lexicase selection

Pengaruh Partikel Nano Abu Vulkanik dan Batuan Fosfat terhadap Muatan Variable dan Kemasaman Andisol

ABSTRACTThe effect of particle nano volcanic ash and rock phosphate on variable charge or zero point of charge (pH0) and soil acidity of AndisolsThis experiment aimed to find out the effect of particle nano volcanic ash and rock phosphate on variable charge or zero point of charge (pH0) and soil acidity of Andisols from Ciater Subang-West Java. This experiment was conducted from October 2016 to March 2017 at Soil fertility and Plant Nutrition Laboratory and Physic Soil Laboratory of Soil Science and Land Resources Department, Faculty of Agriculture, Universitas Padjadjaran, Jatinangor. The experiment was arranged in Completely Randomized Design consisted of two factors. The first factor was particle of nano volcanic ash consisted of 4 levels. The second factor was particle of nano rock phosphate consisted of 4 levels and 3 replications. The results showed that there was no interaction between nano particle of volcanic ash and rock on zero point of charge (pH0), but there was interaction effect on pH-H2O. Combination of 2.5% nano particle of volcanic ash and 0% nano particle of rock phosphate could reduce the value of zero point of charge (pH0) as much 28.57%. Combination of 5% volcanic ash nano particle and 7.5% rock phosphate nano particle dosage was the best treatment and could increase the value of soil acidity or pH-H2O until 20.36%.Keywords: Andisol, pHο, Rock phosphate, Volcanic ashABSTRAKTujuan dari penelitian ini adalah untuk mengetahui pengaruh partikel nano abu vulkanik dan batuan fosfat terhadap muatan variable atau titik muatan nol (pH0) dan kemasaman tanah Andisols Ciater Subang-Jawa Barat. Penelitian ini dilaksanakan pada bulan Oktober 2016 sampai dengan Maret 2017 di Laboratorium Kesuburan Tanah dan Nutrisi Tanaman serta Laboratorium Fisika Tanah Departemen Ilmu Tanah dan Sumber Daya Lahan, Fakultas Pertanian, Universitas Padjadjaran, Jatinangor. Penelitian ini menggunakan Rancangan Acak Lengkap pola faktorial dengan dua faktor. Faktor pertama adalah partikel nano abu vulkanik yang terdiri dari 4 taraf. Faktor kedua adalah partikel nano batuan fosfat yang terdiri dari 4 taraf, diulang sebanyak 3 kali. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa tidak terjadi interaksi antara partikel nano abu vulkanik dan batuan fosfat terhadap titik muatan nol (pH0) namun terjadi interaksi antara kedua perlakuan tersebut terhadap kemasaman tanah (pH-H2O). Komposisi dosis yang paling baik dalam menurunkan pH0 adalah 2,5% partikel nano abu vulkanik dan 0% partikel nano batuan fosfat yaitu sebesar 28,57%, sedangkan komposisi dosis yang paling baik dalam meningkatkan pH-H2O adalah 5% partikel nano abu vulkanik dan 7,5% partikel nano batuan fosfat yaitu sebesar 20,36%.Kata Kunci: Abu vulkanik, Andisol, Batuan fosfat, pH

Effect of nanoparticle of volcanic ash and rock phosphate on some soil chemical properties of variable charge Andisols, Indonesia

Andisols is a variable charge soil where fertilizations to the soil do not give the same result as that to the soils with permanent charges. Therefore, amelioration is needed to improve the soil chemical properties. The purpose of this research was to find out the influence of nanoparticles of volcanic ash and rock phosphate as ameliorants on pHw, pH0, P-retention and available P on variable charge Andisols, Indonesia. This research used a complete randomized experimental design on factorial pattern with two factors. The first factor was nanoparticle of volcanic ash consisting of four levels i.e. 0, 2.5, 5.0 and 7.5% of soil weight (w/w). The second factor was nanoparticle rock phosphate, also consisting of 4 levels like nanoparticle of volcanic ash. The treatments were repeated 3 times. The results showed that there was an interaction between nanoparticle of volcanic ash and rock phosphate in increasing pHw to 5.37 and increasing availbale P to 330 mg kg-1. However, there was no interaction in pH0 and P-retention. Nanoparticle of volcanic ash and rock phosphate was found effective to improve some soil chemical properties after one month of incubation

The genetic architecture of the human cerebral cortex

The cerebral cortex underlies our complex cognitive capabilities, yet little is known about the specific genetic loci that influence human cortical structure. To identify genetic variants that affect cortical structure, we conducted a genome-wide association meta-analysis of brain magnetic resonance imaging data from 51,665 individuals. We analyzed the surface area and average thickness of the whole cortex and 34 regions with known functional specializations. We identified 199 significant loci and found significant enrichment for loci influencing total surface area within regulatory elements that are active during prenatal cortical development, supporting the radial unit hypothesis. Loci that affect regional surface area cluster near genes in Wnt signaling pathways, which influence progenitor expansion and areal identity. Variation in cortical structure is genetically correlated with cognitive function, Parkinson's disease, insomnia, depression, neuroticism, and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder

Global burden of 288 causes of death and life expectancy decomposition in 204 countries and territories and 811 subnational locations, 1990–2021: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2021

BACKGROUND Regular, detailed reporting on population health by underlying cause of death is fundamental for public health decision making. Cause-specific estimates of mortality and the subsequent effects on life expectancy worldwide are valuable metrics to gauge progress in reducing mortality rates. These estimates are particularly important following large-scale mortality spikes, such as the COVID-19 pandemic. When systematically analysed, mortality rates and life expectancy allow comparisons of the consequences of causes of death globally and over time, providing a nuanced understanding of the effect of these causes on global populations. METHODS The Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) 2021 cause-of-death analysis estimated mortality and years of life lost (YLLs) from 288 causes of death by age-sex-location-year in 204 countries and territories and 811 subnational locations for each year from 1990 until 2021. The analysis used 56 604 data sources, including data from vital registration and verbal autopsy as well as surveys, censuses, surveillance systems, and cancer registries, among others. As with previous GBD rounds, cause-specific death rates for most causes were estimated using the Cause of Death Ensemble model-a modelling tool developed for GBD to assess the out-of-sample predictive validity of different statistical models and covariate permutations and combine those results to produce cause-specific mortality estimates-with alternative strategies adapted to model causes with insufficient data, substantial changes in reporting over the study period, or unusual epidemiology. YLLs were computed as the product of the number of deaths for each cause-age-sex-location-year and the standard life expectancy at each age. As part of the modelling process, uncertainty intervals (UIs) were generated using the 2·5th and 97·5th percentiles from a 1000-draw distribution for each metric. We decomposed life expectancy by cause of death, location, and year to show cause-specific effects on life expectancy from 1990 to 2021. We also used the coefficient of variation and the fraction of population affected by 90% of deaths to highlight concentrations of mortality. Findings are reported in counts and age-standardised rates. Methodological improvements for cause-of-death estimates in GBD 2021 include the expansion of under-5-years age group to include four new age groups, enhanced methods to account for stochastic variation of sparse data, and the inclusion of COVID-19 and other pandemic-related mortality-which includes excess mortality associated with the pandemic, excluding COVID-19, lower respiratory infections, measles, malaria, and pertussis. For this analysis, 199 new country-years of vital registration cause-of-death data, 5 country-years of surveillance data, 21 country-years of verbal autopsy data, and 94 country-years of other data types were added to those used in previous GBD rounds. FINDINGS The leading causes of age-standardised deaths globally were the same in 2019 as they were in 1990; in descending order, these were, ischaemic heart disease, stroke, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and lower respiratory infections. In 2021, however, COVID-19 replaced stroke as the second-leading age-standardised cause of death, with 94·0 deaths (95% UI 89·2-100·0) per 100 000 population. The COVID-19 pandemic shifted the rankings of the leading five causes, lowering stroke to the third-leading and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease to the fourth-leading position. In 2021, the highest age-standardised death rates from COVID-19 occurred in sub-Saharan Africa (271·0 deaths [250·1-290·7] per 100 000 population) and Latin America and the Caribbean (195·4 deaths [182·1-211·4] per 100 000 population). The lowest age-standardised death rates from COVID-19 were in the high-income super-region (48·1 deaths [47·4-48·8] per 100 000 population) and southeast Asia, east Asia, and Oceania (23·2 deaths [16·3-37·2] per 100 000 population). Globally, life expectancy steadily improved between 1990 and 2019 for 18 of the 22 investigated causes. Decomposition of global and regional life expectancy showed the positive effect that reductions in deaths from enteric infections, lower respiratory infections, stroke, and neonatal deaths, among others have contributed to improved survival over the study period. However, a net reduction of 1·6 years occurred in global life expectancy between 2019 and 2021, primarily due to increased death rates from COVID-19 and other pandemic-related mortality. Life expectancy was highly variable between super-regions over the study period, with southeast Asia, east Asia, and Oceania gaining 8·3 years (6·7-9·9) overall, while having the smallest reduction in life expectancy due to COVID-19 (0·4 years). The largest reduction in life expectancy due to COVID-19 occurred in Latin America and the Caribbean (3·6 years). Additionally, 53 of the 288 causes of death were highly concentrated in locations with less than 50% of the global population as of 2021, and these causes of death became progressively more concentrated since 1990, when only 44 causes showed this pattern. The concentration phenomenon is discussed heuristically with respect to enteric and lower respiratory infections, malaria, HIV/AIDS, neonatal disorders, tuberculosis, and measles. INTERPRETATION Long-standing gains in life expectancy and reductions in many of the leading causes of death have been disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic, the adverse effects of which were spread unevenly among populations. Despite the pandemic, there has been continued progress in combatting several notable causes of death, leading to improved global life expectancy over the study period. Each of the seven GBD super-regions showed an overall improvement from 1990 and 2021, obscuring the negative effect in the years of the pandemic. Additionally, our findings regarding regional variation in causes of death driving increases in life expectancy hold clear policy utility. Analyses of shifting mortality trends reveal that several causes, once widespread globally, are now increasingly concentrated geographically. These changes in mortality concentration, alongside further investigation of changing risks, interventions, and relevant policy, present an important opportunity to deepen our understanding of mortality-reduction strategies. Examining patterns in mortality concentration might reveal areas where successful public health interventions have been implemented. Translating these successes to locations where certain causes of death remain entrenched can inform policies that work to improve life expectancy for people everywhere. FUNDING Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

Pengaruh trait kepribadian dan self esteem terhadap psychological well being pada guru honor di Kabupaten Bogor

Psychological well being adalah hasil evaluasi atau penilaian seseorang terhadap dirinya yang merupakan evaluasi atas pengalaman-pengalaman hidupnya. Psychological well being dibutuhkan oleh semua orang dalam rangka meningkatkan kualitas hidupnya, terutama bagi guru honor untuk berfungsi secara penuh dalam mengajar dan membimbing murid-murid. Psychological well being seseorang dipengaruhi oleh beberapa faktor, diantaranya, yaitu kepribadian dan self esteem. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk menguji ada tidaknya pengaruh trait kepribadian dan self esteem terhadap psychological well being pada guru honor di Kabupaten Bogor. Peneliti menguji beberapa variabel yang diduga mempengaruhi psychological well being pada guru honor di Kabupaten Bogor, yaitu trait kepribadian, (extraversion, conscientiousness, openness to experience, agreeableness, dan neuroticism) dan self esteem (perasaan mengenai diri sendiri, perasaan tentang hidup, dan perasaan dalam kaitannya dengan orang lain) Penelitian ini melibatkan 200 orang guru honor yang bekerja di beberapa sekolah di Kabupaten Bogor. Teknik pengambilan sampel yang digunakan adalah teknik nonprobability sampling. Instrumen dalam penelitian ini menggunakan skala The Ryff Scales of Psychological Well Being yang dikembangkan oleh Ryff (1989) untuk mengukur psychological well being, International Personality Item Pool yang dikembangkan oleh Goldberg, L.R (1992) untuk mengukur trait kepribadian big five , dan Self Esteem Inventory yang dikembangkan oleh Minchinton (1993) untuk mengukur self esteem. Adapun metode analisis data yang digunakan dalam penelitian ini menggunakan teknik regresi berganda dengan menggunakan software 17.0, sedangkan pengujian validitas konstruk menggunakan Lisrel 8.7. Berdasarkan hasil perhitungan regresi berganda didapatkan indeks signifikansi 0,000 (p < 0,05) dan R square sebesar 0,286, hal ini berarti proporsi varian dari psychological well being yang dijelaskan oleh semua IV trait kepribadian, dan self adalah sebesar 28,6%. Artinya dengan diterimanya hipotesis alternatif mayor, dapat disimpulkan bahwa ada pengaruh positif signifikan trait kepribadian dan self esteem terhadap psychological well being pada guru honor di kabupaten bogo

Adenosine A1 receptor binding activity of methoxy flavonoids from orthosiphon stamineus

Orthosiphon stamineus Benth. (Orthosiphon grandiflorus Bold. or Clerodendranthus spicatus Thunb.) is an Indonesian medicinal herb traditionally used for diseases such as hypertension, diabetes, and kidney stones. Despite the importance of this last application, there are very few reports on it. Diuretic action is an important factor in kidney stone treatment, as an increase in the volume of fluid flowing through the kidney will help to dissolve the stones, assist their passing to avoid further retention, and flush out the deposits. Among the diverse roles of adenosine A1 receptor antagonists in renal protection, many studies have shown that they can induce diuresis and sodium excretion. A bioassay-guided fractionation of a methanol-water extract of Orthosiphon stamineus leaves using the adenosine A1 receptor binding assay resulted in the isolation of seven methoxy flavonoids as active ligands with Ki values in the micromolar range. The Hill slope values are not significantly different from unity (within 0.9–1.4), which indicates the antagonist effect to A1-R. The results of this study thus provide a scientific foundation for the traditional use of Orthosiphon stamineus in kidney stone treatment, as the affinity of the active compounds isolated from it as adenosine A1 receptor ligands allows them to be associated with diuretic activity, which is one possible treatment for renal lithiasis

Potentially Inappropriate Treatments at the End of Life in Nursing Home Residents: Findings From the PACE Cross-Sectional Study in Six European Countries

Context: Certain treatments are potentially inappropriate when administered to nursing homes residents at the end of life and should be carefully considered. An international comparison of potentially inappropriate treatments allows insight into common issues and country-specific challenges of end-of-life care in nursing homes and helps direct health-care policy in this area. Objectives: To estimate the prevalence of potentially inappropriate treatments in the last week of life in nursing home residents and analyze the differences in prevalence between countries. Methods: A cross-sectional study of deceased residents in nursing homes (2015) in six European countries: Belgium (Flanders), England, Finland, Italy, The Netherlands, and Poland. Potentially inappropriate treatments included enteral administration of nutrition, parental administration of nutrition, artificial fluids, resuscitation, artificial ventilation, blood transfusion, chemotherapy/radiotherapy, dialysis, surgery, antibiotics, statins, antidiabetics, new oral anticoagulants. Nurses were questioned about whether these treatments were administered in the last week of life. Results: We included 1384 deceased residents from 322 nursing homes. In most countries, potentially inappropriate treatments were rarely used, with a maximum of 18.3% of residents receiving at least one treatment in Poland. Exceptions were antibiotics in all countries (between 11.3% in Belgium and 45% in Poland), artificial nutrition and hydration in Poland (54.3%) and Italy (41%) and antidiabetics in Poland (19.7%). Conclusion: Although the prevalence of potentially inappropriate treatments in the last week of life was generally low, antibiotics were frequently prescribed in all countries. In Poland and Italy, the prevalence of artificial administration of food/fluids in the last week of life was high, possibly reflecting country differences in legislation, care organization and culture, and the palliative care competences of staff

Strategies for the implementation of palliative care education and organizational interventions in long-term care facilities: A scoping review

Background: The number of older people dying in long-term care facilities is increasing; however, care at the end of life can be suboptimal. Interventions to improve palliative care delivery within these settings have been shown to be effective in improving care, but little is known about their implementation. Aim: The aim of this study was to describe the nature of implementation strategies and to identify facilitators and/or barriers to implementing palliative care interventions in long-term care facilities. Design: Scoping review with a thematic synthesis, following the ENTREQ guidelines. Data sources: Published literature was identified from electronic databases, including MEDLINE, EMBASE, PsycINFO and CINAHL. Controlled, non-controlled and qualitative studies and evaluations of interventions to improve palliative care in long-term care facilities were included. Studies that met the inclusion criteria were sourced and data extracted on the study characteristics, the implementation of the intervention, and facilitators and/or barriers to implementation. Results: The review identified 8902 abstracts, from which 61 studies were included in the review. A matrix of implementation was developed with four implementation strategies (facilitation, education/training, internal engagement and external engagement) and three implementation stages (conditions to introduce the intervention, embedding the intervention within day-to-day practice and sustaining ongoing change). Conclusion: Incorporating an implementation strategy into the development and delivery of an intervention is integral in embedding change in practice. The review has shown that the four implementation strategies identified varied considerably across interventions; however, similar facilitators and barriers were encountered across the studies identified. Further research is needed to understand the extent to which different implementation strategies can facilitate the uptake of palliative care interventions in long-term care facilities