Human Capital and Ferility Decisions: A Comparative Microeconometric Analysis in Europe

In this paper we have investigated the relationship between human capital proxied by the schooling level and fertility decisions for some EU countries. For this purpose we have resorted to a dynamic random effect probit model controlling for unobserved heterogeneity and initial problem, by using eight waves of 2001 European Community Household Panel (ECHP) data. The main objective has been to compare the effects of education on the probability of having a child for some EU countries. Since the probability of having a child is affected by the same probability related to the previous year, we have implemented a dynamic model instead of a static one. From the empirical results, we have found out a significant relationship between the schooling level and fertility decisions.

Using NEAT for Continuous Adaptation and Teamwork Formation in Pacman

Despite games often being used as a testbed for new computational intelligence techniques, the majority of artificial intelligence in commercial games is scripted. This means that the computer agents are non-adaptive and often inherently exploitable because of it. In this paper, we describe a learning system designed for team strategy development in a real time multi-agent domain. We test our system in the game of Pacman, evolving adaptive strategies for the ghosts in simulated real time against a competent Pacman player. Our agents (the ghosts) are controlled by neural networks, whose weights and structure are incrementally evolved via an implementation of the NEAT (Neuro-Evolution of Augmenting Topologies) algorithm. We demonstrate the design and successful implementation of this system by evolving a number of interesting and complex team strategies that outperform the ghosts\u27 strategies of the original arcade version of the game

Evolving Crushers

This paper describes the use of an evolutionary algorithm to solve an engineering design problem. The problem involves determining the geometry and operating settings for a crusher in a comminution circuit for ore processing. The intention is to provide a tool for consulting engineers that can be used to explore candidate designs for various scenarios. The algorithm has proved capable of deriving designs that are clearly superior to existing designs, promising significant financial benefit

Implementazione e testing di algoritmi di machine vision per l'individuazione della posizione e dell'orientamento della camera endoscopica in interventi laparoscopici.

Questo lavoro di tesi è incentrato sull’implementazione e sul testing di un algoritmo in grado di stimare la posizione e l’orientamento della camera endoscopica, durante gli interventi di chirurgia laparoscopica. Si vogliono sfruttare semplicemente le immagini provenienti dalla camera, senza l’ausilio di sistemi di localizzazione, spesso ingombranti e difficili da integrare all’interno di una sala operatoria, escludendo così tutte quelle soluzioni che richiedono modifiche allo strumentario chirurgico.Generalmente la localizzazione di una camera monoscopica può essere realizzata nel caso in cui vengano utilizzati oggetti con geometria nota; in questo caso, invece, le uniche informazioni necessarie sono le distanze euclidee tra i tre punti di inserzione

Resistance to Ralstonia Solanacearum of sexual hybrids between Solanum commersonii and S. tuberosum

This research was carried out to study the levels of bacterial wilt resistance and genetic diversity of (near) pentaploid sexual hybrids between S. commersonii (2n = 2x = 24, 1EBN) and cultivated S. tuberosum. Following artificial inoculations with Ralstonia solanacearum, wilting degree was estimated on a scale from 0 to 4, and seven genotypes of 26 (27%) displaying a S. commersonii like behavior were identified. Latent bacterial colonizations were detected in roots of symptomless S. commersonii and hybrids, whereas no bacterial populations were detected within stems. This suggests that the movement and/or growth of the bacterium in the aerial part were strongly inhibited. A molecular study with AFLP markers clustered hybrids into nine groups and provided evidence that resistant hybrids were slightly more similar to cultivated S. tuberosum than to the wild parent. This is important in view of the re-establishment of the cultivated genetic background through backcrosses. Hybrids displayed good fertility and are being used for further breeding efforts

A Faster Algorithm for Calculating Hypervolume

We present an algorithm for calculating hypervolume exactly, the Hypervolume by Slicing Objectives (HSO) algorithm, that is faster than any that has previously been published. HSO processes objectives instead of points, an idea that has been considered before but that has never been properly evaluated in the literature. We show that both previously studied exact hypervolume algorithms are exponential in at least the number of objectives and that although HSO is also exponential in the number of objectives in the worst case, it runs in significantly less time, i.e., two to three orders of magnitude less for randomly generated and benchmark data in three to eight objectives. Thus, HSO increases the utility of hypervolume, both as a metric for general optimization algorithms and as a diversity mechanism for evolutionary algorithm

An application of the integrative method for extending part lactation milk record in Mediterranean Italian buffalo reared in Caserta province

This study was performed on 21,622 lactation of Mediterranean Italian dairy buffalo recorded by AIA with ICAR standard from 1992 to 1996 in Caserta province. The extending of lactation was performed using integrative methods (Pilla et al., 1979), taking into account the effect of lactation number per day, calving order and month of calving. The results showed that the obtained coefficient was able to extending the lactation at 270 days with good approximation also beginning from a part –lactation of 90 days. In this case, the correlation coefficient between real and estimate milk yield varied from 0.91 to 0.93 in the considered groups. Moreover, the percentage of difference between real and estimated average milk yield is not over 5%

Fixture-scheduling for the Australian Football League using a Multi-objective Evolutionary Algorithm

AFL football is a team sport that entertains millions and contributes a huge amount of money to the Australian economy. Scheduling games in the AFL is difficult, as a number of different, often conflicting, factors must be considered. In this paper, we propose the use of a multi-objective evolutionary algorithm for determining such a schedule. We detail the technical details needed to apply a multi-objective evolutionary algorithm to this problem and report on experiments that show the effectiveness of this approach. Comparison with actual schedules used in the AFL demonstrates that this approach could make a useful contribution

STATIC AND DYNAMIC BEHAVIOUR ASSESSMENT OF THE TRAJAN ARCH BY MEANS OF NEW MONITORING TECHNOLOGIES

An effective assessment of the static and dynamic structural behavior of historical monuments requires the development and validation of suitable adaptive structural models using high-quality experimental data acquired with an effectively continuous and distributed monitoring. Furthermore, the adaptive strategy allows an efficient evaluation of the health status and of the evolution along the time of a historical monument, providing relevant information to plan appropriate actions for its long-term preservation. The Trajan Arch in Benevento chosen as a case of study to develop and apply this new adaptive strategy in cultural heritage conservation. The paper, after a description of the innovative monitoring system, based on state-of-the-art mechanical sensors, presents and discusses the results of two tests, comparing the measurements with the predictions of an adaptive structural FEM model developed for the dynamical simulation of the Trajan Arch