Discrepancy-based Evolutionary Diversity Optimization

Diversity plays a crucial role in evolutionary computation. While diversity has been mainly used to prevent the population of an evolutionary algorithm from premature convergence, the use of evolutionary algorithms to obtain a diverse set of solutions has gained increasing attention in recent years. Diversity optimization in terms of features on the underlying problem allows to obtain a better understanding of possible solutions to the problem at hand and can be used for algorithm selection when dealing with combinatorial optimization problems such as the Traveling Salesperson Problem. We explore the use of the star-discrepancy measure to guide the diversity optimization process of an evolutionary algorithm. In our experimental investigations, we consider our discrepancy-based diversity optimization approaches for evolving diverse sets of images as well as instances of the Traveling Salesperson problem where a local search is not able to find near optimal solutions. Our experimental investigations comparing three diversity optimization approaches show that a discrepancy-based diversity optimization approach using a tie-breaking rule based on weighted differences to surrounding feature points provides the best results in terms of the star discrepancy measure

A modified indicator-based evolutionary algorithm (mIBEA)

Multi-objective evolutionary algorithms (MOEAs) based on the concept of Pareto-dominance have been successfully applied to many real-world optimisation problems. Recently, research interest has shifted towards indicator-based methods to guide the search process towards a good set of trade-off solutions. One commonly used approach of this nature is the indicator-based evolutionary algorithm (IBEA). In this study, we highlight the solution distribution issues within IBEA and propose a modification of the original approach by embedding an additional Pareto-dominance based component for selection. The improved performance of the proposed modified IBEA (mIBEA) is empirically demonstrated on the well-known DTLZ set of benchmark functions. Our results show that mIBEA achieves comparable or better hypervolume indicator values and epsilon approximation values in the vast majority of our cases (13 out of 14 under the same default settings) on DTLZ1-7. The modification also results in an over 8-fold speed-up for larger populations

Deep Chandra X-ray Imaging of a Nearby Radio Galaxy 4C+29.30: X-ray/Radio Connection

We report results from our deep Chandra X-ray observations of a nearby radio galaxy, 4C+29.30 (z=0.0647). The Chandra image resolves structures on sub-arcsec to arcsec scales, revealing complex X-ray morphology and detecting the main radio features: the nucleus, a jet, hotspots, and lobes. The nucleus is absorbed (N(H)=3.95 (+0.27/-0.33)x10^23 atoms/cm^2) with an unabsorbed luminosity of L(2-10 keV) ~ (5.08 +/-0.52) 10^43 erg/s characteristic of Type 2 AGN. Regions of soft (<2 keV) X-ray emission that trace the hot interstellar medium (ISM) are correlated with radio structures along the main radio axis indicating a strong relation between the two. The X-ray emission beyond the radio source correlates with the morphology of optical line-emitting regions. We measured the ISM temperature in several regions across the galaxy to be kT ~ 0.5 with slightly higher temperatures (of a few keV) in the center and in the vicinity of the radio hotspots. Assuming these regions were heated by weak shocks driven by the expanding radio source, we estimated the corresponding Mach number of 1.6 in the southern regions. The thermal pressure of the X-ray emitting gas in the outermost regions suggest the hot ISM is slightly under-pressured with respect to the cold optical-line emitting gas and radio-emitting plasma, which both seem to be in a rough pressure equilibrium. We conclude that 4C+29.30 displays a complex view of interactions between the jet-driven radio outflow and host galaxy environment, signaling feedback processes closely associated with the central active nucleus.Comment: ApJ in pres

The analysis of goosefoot pollen count in selected Polish cities in 2009

W pracy przedstawiono przebieg sezonu pylenia komosy w 2009 roku. Badania prowadzono w Białymstoku, Bydgoszczy, Krakowie, Lublinie, Łodzi, Olsztynie, Sosnowcu, Szczecinie, Warszawie i we Wrocławiu, z zastosowaniem metody wolumetrycznej, przy użyciu aparatów typu Burkard i Lanzoni. Najwyższe stężenia pyłku komosy zanotowano w Łodzi 27 sierpnia (68 z/m3) oraz w Olsztynie w dniu 9 sierpnia (16 ziaren/m3).This paper presents the course of goosefoot pollen season in selected cites of Poland in 2009. The measurements were performed in Białystok, Bydgoszcz, Kraków, Lublin, Łódź, Olsztyn, Sosnowiec, Szczecin, Warszawa and Wrocław, use of volumetric method with Burkard and Lanzoni Spore Trap. The highest daily pollen count, that reached the level of 68 goosefoot pollen grains/m3, was recorded in Łódź on the 27 of August and the level of 16 goosefoot pollen grains/m3, was recorded in Olsztyn on the 09 of August

A children’s health perspective on nano- and microplastics

BACKGROUND : Pregnancy, infancy, and childhood are sensitive windows for environmental exposures. Yet the health effects of exposure to nano- and microplastics (NMPs) remain largely uninvestigated or unknown. Although plastic chemicals are a well-established research topic, the impacts of plastic particles are unexplored, especially with regard to early life exposures. OBJECTIVES : This commentary aims to summarize the knowns and unknowns around child- and pregnancy-relevant exposures to NMPs via inhalation, placental transfer, ingestion and breastmilk, and dermal absorption. METHODS : A comprehensive literature search to map the state of the science on NMPs found 37 primary research articles on the health relevance of NMPs during early life and revealed major knowledge gaps in the field. We discuss opportunities and challenges for quantifying child-specific exposures (e.g., NMPs in breastmilk or infant formula) and health effects, in light of global inequalities in baby bottle use, consumption of packaged foods, air pollution, hazardous plastic disposal, and regulatory safeguards. We also summarize research needs for linking child health and NMP exposures and address the unknowns in the context of public health action. DISCUSSION : Few studies have addressed child-specific sources of exposure, and exposure estimates currently rely on generic assumptions rather than empirical measurements. Furthermore, toxicological research on NMPs has not specifically focused on child health, yet children’s immature defense mechanisms make them particularly vulnerable. Apart from few studies investigating the placental transfer of NMPs, the physicochemical properties (e.g., polymer, size, shape, charge) driving the absorption, biodistribution, and elimination in early life have yet to be benchmarked. Accordingly, the evidence base regarding the potential health impacts of NMPs in early life remains sparse. Based on the evidence to date, we provide recommendations to fill research gaps, stimulate policymakers and industry to address the safety of NMPs, and point to opportunities for families to reduce early life exposures to plastic.The European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie grant.https://ehp.niehs.nih.govdm2022School of Health Systems and Public Health (SHSPH

First Hard X-ray Observation of a Compact Symmetric Object : A Broadband X-ray Study of a radio galaxy OQ+208 with NuSTAR and Chandra

© 2019 IOP Publishing Ltd. This is an author-created, un-copyedited version of an article accepted for publication in The Astrophysical Journal. IOP Publishing Ltd is not responsible for any errors or omissions in this version of the manuscript or any version derived from it.Compact Symmetric Objects (CSOs) have been observed with Chandra and XMM-Newton to gain insights into the initial stages of a radio source evolution and probe the black hole activity at the time of relativistic outflow formation. However, there have been no CSO observations to date at the hard X-ray energies (> 10 keV), impeding our ability to robustly constrain the properties of the intrinsic X-ray emission and of the medium surrounding the young expanding jets. We present the first hard X-ray observation of a CSO performed with NuSTAR. Our target, OQ+208, is detected up to 30 keV, and thus we establish CSOs as a new class of NuSTAR sources. We analyze the NuSTAR data jointly with our new Chandra and archival XMM-Newton data and find that a young, ~250 years old, radio jet spanning the length of ~10 pc coexists with cold obscuring matter, consistent with a dusty torus, with an equivalent hydrogen column density $N_H = 10^{23}$-$10^{24}$ cm$^{-2}$. The primary X-ray emission is characterized by a photon index $\Gamma \sim 1.45$ and intrinsic 0.5-30 keV luminosity $L \sim 10^{43}$ erg s$^{-1}$. The results of our spectral modeling and broad-line optical classification of the source suggest a porous structure of the obscuring torus. Alternatively, the source may belong to the class of optically un-obscured/X-ray obscured AGN. The observed X-ray emission is too weak compared to that predicted by the expanding radio lobes model, leaving an accretion disk corona or jets as the possible origins of the X-ray emission from this young radio galaxy.Peer reviewedFinal Accepted Versio

The analysis of alder pollen count in Poland in 2012

W pracy przeanalizowano przebieg sezonu pyłkowego olszy w Białymstoku, Bydgoszczy, Drawsku Pomorskim, Lublinie, Łodzi, Krakowie, Olsztynie, Piotrkowie Trybunalskim, Sosnowcu, Szczecinie, Warszawie, Wrocławiu i Zielonej Górze w 2012 r. Badania prowadzono metodą objętościową przy wykorzystaniu aparatu typu Burkard i Lanzoni. Początek i koniec sezonu pyłkowego wyznaczono metodą 95% rocznej sumy ziaren pyłku. Początek sezonu pyłkowego olszy w Sosnowcu w 2012 r. nastąpił 26 lutego, w Drawsku Pomorskim, Krakowie, Piotrkowie Trybunalskim, Warszawie, Wrocławiu i Zielonej Górze miał miejsce w pierwszej dekadzie marca, a w Białymstoku, Bydgoszczy, Lublinie i Olsztynie w drugiej dekadzie marca. Najwyższe dobowe stężenie (1344 ziarna w 1 m3 powietrza) stwierdzono 28 marca w Białymstoku. Indeks SPI obliczony jako suma średnich dobowych stężeń ziaren pyłku w danym sezonie był najwyższy Lublinie (4449), Białymstoku (4401) i we Wrocławiu (4150).The paper presents the course of alder pollination season in Bialystok, Bydgoszcz, Drawsko Pomorskie, Krakow, Lublin, Lodz, Olsztyn, Piotrkow Trybunalski, Sosnowiec, Szczecin, Warsaw, Wroclaw and Zielona Gora in 2012. The research was conducted by means of the volumetric method using a Burkard and Lanzoni-type spore trap. The start and end of pollen season was determined by means of the 95% method. Pollen season of alder in Sosnowiec started in 2012 on February 26. The beginning of pollination season of alder took place in the first decade of March in Drawsko Pomorskie, Krakow, Piotrkow Trybunalski, Warsaw, Wroclaw, Zielona Gora and in the second decade of March in Bialystok, Bydgoszcz, Lublin and Olsztyn. The highest daily concentration reaching 132 grains per m2 was recorded on March 21. Seasonal pollen index (SPI), estimated as annual sum of daily average pollen concentration, was the highest in Lublin (4449), Bialystok (4401) and Wroclaw (4150)

The analysis of hazel pollen count in Poland in 2012

W pracy przedstawiono analizę sezonu pylenia leszczyny w 2012 r. w Białymstoku, Bydgoszczy, Drawsku Pomorskim, Krakowie, Lublinie, Łodzi, Olsztynie, Piotrkowie Trybunalskim, Sosnowcu, Szczecinie, Warszawie, Wrocławiu i Zielonej Górze. Sezon pylenia leszczyny w 2012 r. w Bydgoszczy, Drawsku Pomorskim, Piotrkowie Trybunalskim, Warszawie, Wrocławiu i Zielonej Górze rozpoczął się w drugiej i trzeciej dekadzie stycznia, a w Białymstoku, Krakowie, Lublinie i Sosnowcu w pierwszej dekadzie marca. Różnice w poziomie stężenia pyłku leszczyny między poszczególnymi latami spowodowane są przede wszystkim oddziaływaniem czynników pogodowych.The paper presents the course of hazel pollen season in Bialystok, Bydgoszcz, Drawsko Pomorskie, Krakow, Lublin, Lodz, Olsztyn, Piotrkow Trybunalski, Sosnowiec, Szczecin, Warsaw, Wroclaw and Zielona Gora in year 2011. The beginning of pollination season of hazel started at the second and the third decade of January in Bydgoszcz, Drawsko Pomorskie, Piotrkow Trybunalski, Warsaw, Wroclaw, Zielona Gora and in the first decade of March in Bialystok, Krakow, Lublin, Sosnowiec. The differences between level of hazel pollen grains in the air in individual year are caused by meteorological factors

The analysis of mugwort pollen count in selected Polish cities in 2011

W pracy przedstawiono przebieg sezonu pylenia bylicy w 2011 r. Badania prowadzono w Białymstoku, Bydgoszczy, Krakowie, Sosnowcu, Łodzi, Lublinie, Szczecinie, Warszawie i we Wrocławiu. Zastosowano metodę wolumetryczną z wykorzystaniem aparatów typu Burkard i Lanzoni. Najwyższe średniodobowe stężenie pyłku bylicy, wynoszące 211 ziaren/m3, zanotowano w Szczecinie 4 sierpnia, w Białymstoku zaś odnotowano 143 ziarna/m3 15 sierpnia.This paper presents the course of mugwort pollen season in selected cities of Poland in 2011. The measurements were performed in Bialystok, Bydgoszcz, Krakow, Sosnowiec, Lodz, Lublin, Szczecin, Warszawa and Wroclaw, with the use of volumetric method with Burkard and Lanzoni Spore Trap. The highest daily pollen count, that reached the level of 211 mugwort pollen grains/m3, was recorded in Lodz on the 04 of August, while the level of 143 mugwort pollen grains/m3 was recorded in Bialystok on the 15 of August

The analysis of birch pollen count in selected Polish cities in 2012

Celem pracy była analiza przebiegu sezonu pylenia brzozy w 2012 r. w Białymstoku, Bydgoszczy, Drawsku Pomorskim, Krakowie, Lublinie, Łodzi, Olsztynie, Opolu, Piotrkowie Trybunalskim, Sosnowcu, Szczecinie, Warszawie, Wrocławiu i Zielonej Górze. W badaniach wykorzystano aparaty pomiarowe firmy Burkard i Lanzoni. Długość sezonu pyłkowego wyznaczono metodą 95%. Najwyższe dobowe stężenie ziaren pyłku brzozy zanotowano w Piotrkowie Trybunalskim 28 kwietnia (7986 z/m3), następne w kolejności (7200 z/m3) zanotowano 22 kwietnia w Łodzi. W większości miast zarejestrowano znaczną liczbę dni ze stężeniem przekraczającym stężenie progowe dla brzozy, tj. 75 z/m3 (14–29 dni).In the present study, birch pollen season patterns in Poland in 2012 have been compared. Airborne pollen counts were made in Białystok, Bydgoszcz, Drawsko Pomorskie, Kraków, Lublin, Łódź, Olsztyn, Opole, Piotrków Trybunalski, Sosnowiec, Szczecin, Warsaw, Wrocław and Zielona Góra. The investigations were performed using the volumetric method as well as the Burkard and Lanzoni traps. The highest diurnal birch pollen count was recorded in Warsaw in 28 April (7986 grains/m3) in Piotrkow Trybunalski and in 22 April in Lodz (7200 grains/m3). In all the cities, a large number of days was recorded with a concentration exceeding the threshold concentration for birch (14–29 days)