PonyGE2: Grammatical Evolution in Python

Grammatical Evolution (GE) is a population-based evolutionary algorithm, where a formal grammar is used in the genotype to phenotype mapping process. PonyGE2 is an open source implementation of GE in Python, developed at UCD's Natural Computing Research and Applications group. It is intended as an advertisement and a starting-point for those new to GE, a reference for students and researchers, a rapid-prototyping medium for our own experiments, and a Python workout. As well as providing the characteristic genotype to phenotype mapping of GE, a search algorithm engine is also provided. A number of sample problems and tutorials on how to use and adapt PonyGE2 have been developed.Comment: 8 pages, 4 figures, submitted to the 2017 GECCO Workshop on Evolutionary Computation Software Systems (EvoSoft

Coca and Conservation: Cultivation, Eradication, and Trafficking in the Amazon Borderlands

The cultivation and traffic of coca, Erythrolxylum coca, and coca derivatives remain understudied threats to the conservation of the Amazon rainforest. Currently the crop is transforming land use and livelihoods in the ecologically and culturally rich borderlands of Amazonian Peru. The isolated nature of this region characterized by indigenous populations (both settled and uncontacted), conservation units, resource concessions, and a lack of state presence provides fertile ground for the boom and bust cycle of coca production and facilitates the international transport of the product to neighboring Brazil. This paper explores the social and environmental impacts of coca production, eradication, and transport through an analysis of both spatial and ethnographic data on land use and livelihood strategies along the Ucayali and Purús Rivers. Results map out the regional distribution and recent history of commercial coca fields and transboundary transportation routes and identify threats to the conservation of indigenous landscapes and borderland forests

Foreign direct investment and U.S. national security: CFIUS under the Obama Administration

The Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States review process slowed during the inaugural year of the Obama Administration. The authors examine the origins of this shift and suggest actions that parties can take to facilitate the process

Foreign direct investment and U.S. national security: CFIUS under the Obama Administration

The Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States review process slowed during the inaugural year of the Obama Administration. The authors examine the origins of this shift and suggest actions that parties can take to facilitate the process

外国投资与美国国家安全：奥巴马政府下的CFIUS

美国对外投资部门的审批速度，在奥巴马政府就职年中放缓。作者研究了这种转变的原因并建议各方能够采取行动来加速这一进程

经修订的有关外国在美国直接投资的国家安全审查程序

2008年12月22日，规定美国政府对外国并购美国企业进行国家安全审查程序的新规则生效。这是修改和加强美国外国投资委员会（CFIUS） 审查的漫长努力的最后一步

The Revised National Security Review Process for FDI in the US

This perspective explains the new regulations governing the US government's national security review process for foreign mergers and acquisitions of US businesses which became effective December 22, 2008

OAIster on EBSCO Discovery Service, FirstSearch, and OAIster.worldcat.org

This review of OAIster investigated the utility of OAIster as a tool for library users to discover and access relevant information. Because the vision for OAIster is so large, one goal of this review was to describe OAIster based on reviewing search results. FirstSearch, OAIster.worldcat.org, and EBSCO Discovery Service interfaces were reviewed. Five searches were performed in each interface, and the material types and counts were recorded. Because OAIster is intended to link only to publicly accessible resources, links to resources were also tested. The review found large differences across interfaces in the number of results, classification of records into material types, and access to resources. Discovery tools do not always map OAIster metadata effectively, and public search engines do not seem to thoroughly index OAIster. Some OAIster records link to non-full–text or not publicly accessible resources. OAIster is a valuable tool for discovering resources in archives, special collections, and institutional repositories, but its place among Open Access search tools is still somewhat unclear

Reformulation initiative for partial replacement of saturated with unsaturated fats in dairy foods attenuates the increase in LDL cholesterol and improves flow-mediated dilatation compared with conventional dairy: the randomized, controlled REplacement of SaturatEd fat in dairy on Total cholesterol (RESET) study

Background Modifying dairy fat composition by increasing the MUFA content is a potential strategy to reduce dietary SFA intake for cardiovascular disease (CVD) prevention in the population. Objectives To determine the effects of consuming SFA-reduced, MUFA-enriched (modified) dairy products, compared with conventional dairy products (control), on the fasting cholesterol profile (primary outcome), endothelial function assessed by flow-mediated dilatation (FMD; key secondary outcome), and other cardiometabolic risk markers. Methods A double-blind, randomized, controlled crossover 12-wk intervention was conducted. Participants with a 1.5-fold higher (moderate) CVD risk than the population mean replaced habitual dairy products with study products (milk, cheese, and butter) to achieve a high-fat, high-dairy isoenergetic daily dietary exchange [38% of total energy intake (%TE) from fat: control (dietary target: 19%TE SFA; 11%TE MUFA) and modified (16%TE SFA; 14%TE MUFA) diet]. Results Fifty-four participants (57.4% men; mean ± SEM age: 52 ± 3 y; BMI: 25.8 ± 0.5 kg/m2) completed the study. The modified diet attenuated the rise in fasting LDL cholesterol observed with the control diet (0.03 ± 0.06 mmol/L and 0.19 ± 0.05 mmol/L, respectively; P = 0.03). Relative to baseline, the %FMD response increased after the modified diet (0.35% ± 0.15%), whereas a decrease was observed after the control diet (−0.51% ± 0.15%; P< 0.0001). In addition, fasting plasma nitrite concentrations increased after the modified diet, yet decreased after the control diet (0.02 ± 0.01 μmol/L and −0.03 ± 0.02 μmol/L, respectively; P = 0.01). Conclusions In adults at moderate CVD risk, consumption of a high-fat diet containing SFA-reduced, MUFA-enriched dairy products for 12 wk showed beneficial effects on fasting LDL cholesterol and endothelial function compared with conventional dairy products. Our findings indicate that fatty acid modification of dairy products may have potential as a public health strategy aimed at CVD risk reduction. This trial was registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT02089035