Evolution Strategy Research Articles

The cadDX operon contributes to cadmium resistance, oxidative stress resistance, and virulence in zoonotic streptococci

Mobile genetic elements (MGEs) enable bacteria to acquire novel genes and traits. However, the functions of cargo genes within MGEs remain poorly understood. The cadmium resistance operon cadDX is present in many gram-positive bacteria. Although cadDX has been reported to be involved in metal detoxification, its regulatory mechanisms and functions in bacterial pathogenesis are poorly understood. This study revealed that cadDX contributes to cadmium resistance, oxidative stress resistance, and virulence in Streptococcus suis, an important zoonotic pathogen in pigs and humans. CadX represses cadD expression by binding to the cadDX promoter. Notably, cadX responds to H2O2 stress through an additional promoter within the cadDX operon, mitigating the harmful effect of excessive cadD expression during oxidative stress. cadDX resides within an 11 K integrative and mobilizable element that can autonomously form circular structures. Moreover, cadDX is found in diverse MGEs, accounting for its widespread distribution across various bacteria, especially among pathogenic streptococci. Transferring cadDX into another zoonotic pathogen, Streptococcus agalactiae, results in similar phenotypes, including resistance to cadmium and oxidative stresses and increased virulence of S. agalactiae in mice. The new functions and regulatory mechanisms of cadDX shed light on the importance of the cadDX system in driving evolutionary adaptations and survival strategies across diverse gram-positive bacteria.

The tripartite evolutionary game of enterprises' green production strategy with government supervision and people participation

Government supervision and people participation play vital roles in enterprises' green production strategy, but few studies have considered the strategy choices behind government supervision and people's participation. This study contended that whether an enterprise adopts the green production strategy is influenced not only by its responsible attitude facing social responsibility but also by the following two factors, the intensity of government supervision and whether people choose to participate in supervision or not when facing the enterprise adopting the green production strategy or not. We constructed a tripartite evolutionary game model to explore the behavioral evolution rules and evolutionary stability strategies of government supervision, people participation, and enterprises' green production. Then we employed numerical simulation to analyze how various factors influence the strategy selection of the government, people, and enterprises. The results show that if the utility values of government supervision and people participation are greater than 0, the enterprises will adopt the green production strategy. The system stability is affected by a synergistic relationship between participation cost, reputation benefit, and government subsidies, and an incremental relationship between enterprises' green production benefit, government subsidies, people's reported bonus, and enterprises' green production cost. This study provides a new theoretical perspective for research on government supervision, people participation, and enterprises' green production strategy, and the results provide important references for improving the enterprises' green production and urban environmental management.

Better than linear strength scaling of multifunctional ceramic truss lattice materials

Driven by the goal of creating exceptionally strong and lightweight thermal insulators to enable the operation of a vacuum airship on Venus, conditions where ceramic truss lattice materials provide better than linear scaling of strength with respect to variations in relative density have been found. This enhanced scaling relationship is a consequence of the pressure sensitive shear strength of ceramic materials. A new Gibson-Ashby type scaling relationship is developed between strength and relative density. Elementary analysis is used to formulate theoretical limits for the compressive strength, minimum density, and minimum thermal conductivity for truss lattice materials subjected to hydrostatic pressure loads. Shape optimization using the covariance matrix adopted evolutionary strategy (CMA-ES) and highly resolved finite element models is conducted on silicon carbide Kelvin cells with variable cross-section axisymmetric struts considering three failure modes: buckling, tensile rupture, and shear failure. The optimized designs closely adhere to and validate the newly developed analytical scaling relationship with better than linear strength scaling. These optimized designs are found to withstand the extreme loading conditions on Venus while providing up to 43 kgm3 of buoyancy. The thermal conductivity of the optimized designs are computed and found to be less than 0.5 WmK, with one design outperforming silica aerogels at elevated temperature.

Investigation into the Production of Melanin from By-Products of Huangjiu Brewing.

Melanin is a high value bioproduct generated through the fermentation of Aureobasidium pullulans, playing a crucial role in various fields, including food, medicine, environmental protection, and materials science. However, its high production costs and low synthetic yields significantly limit its applications. Therefore, it is essential to identify high-yield strains, reduce production costs, and optimize fermentation strategies. In this study, a high melanin-yielding Aureobasidium pullulans 53LC7 was screened and identified, and the fermentation process was optimized based on melanin yield, color value, and pullulan yield. The results indicated that the melanin yield peaked at an initial pH of 6.0, temperature of 27 °C, fermentation time of 6.5 d, and inoculation quantity of 2.5%, achieving a melanin yield of 16.33 g/L. Subsequently, huangjiu lees, a byproduct of huangjiu production, was incorporated into the fermentation medium, resulting in a melanin yield of 5.91 g/L. This suggests that the Aureobasidium pullulans was not effectively utilizing huangjiu lees. To address this, we employed an adaptive evolution strategy, which increased the melanin yield to 8.72 g/L. The enhanced production was correlated with the expression of key genes, including FKS, PKS, and Cmr1. Finally, cellulase was utilized to convert the crude fibers in huangjiu lees, which were difficult to utilize, into usable substrates, while pullulanase was employed to minimize byproduct formation in the fermentation system, resulting in a melanin yield of 19.07 g/L. This study not only provides promising strains for further research but also offers valuable insights for resource production technologies.

An evolutionary game analysis of the prefabricated building supply side under dynamic government reward and punishment mechanisms

From the standpoint of the supply side of prefabricated buildings, an evolutionary game model between the government and developers is constructed under the static and dynamic reward and punishment mechanisms in order to promote the development of prefabricated buildings and realize the transformation and upgrading of the construction industry. The simulation study of the example is conducted, and the impact of policy cost, subsidy upper limit, and tax upper limit on the system’s evolutionary stability strategy is examined. The findings demonstrate that when the government chooses static subsidy and static tax policies, there is no evolutionary stable strategy in the game system. The flaws of the static reward and punishment system can be adequately compensated for by the dynamic subsidy and dynamic tax policy, leading to an evolutionary stable state. The likelihood of developers producing prefabricated structures is negatively connected with policy cost and subsidy upper limits and favorably correlated with tax upper limits, according to the dynamic reward and punishment mechanism. The findings of the study have significant implications for government policy that will encourage the widespread use of prefabricated structures in China.

Stochastic configuration networks for short-term power load forecasting

The accuracy of power load forecasting can enhance the operational efficacy and economic efficiency of the power system. This paper utilizes the stochastic configuration network (SCN) and improved marine predator algorithm (IMPA) for power systems short-term load forecasting. First, the daily load data is clustered using the kernel fuzzy C-means (KFCM), and the clustering results are utilized as training input data for the load forecasting model. Then, load forecasting is performed using SCN. Next, IMPA is developed by integrating the opposite-based differential evolution (ODE) and normal mutation perturbation strategy for the purpose of preventing the algorithm from converging to local minima. Finally, IMPA is employed to optimize the critical parameters of the load forecasting model. The experimental results clearly demonstrate that the proposed algorithm performs favorably in terms of the prediction accuracy compared to other modeling algorithms.

(Amoralny) familizm: propozycja rekonceptualizacji z wykorzystaniem psychologii ewolucyjnej i międzykulturowej

In his 1958 book Moral Basis of a Backward Society, Edward Banfield introduced the term amoral familism to describe social relations and values in a poor rural community in southern Italy. In my analysis, I propose to abandon the value-laden epithet "amoral" and consider familism as an evolutionary adaptive strategy activated in times of scarcity or crises. I base the thesis of the evolutionary roots of familism on the inclusive fitness theory (Hamilton 1964) and the theory of kin and reciprocal altruism (Trivers 1971). The perspective of evolutionary psychology makes it possible to see the positive functions of familism and to propose a new biological-cultural understanding of familism. Familism has so far been diagnosed primarily "indirectly" in sociological studies of bonding (and bridging) capital and in research on social trust conducted as part of cyclical social surveys such as the World Values Survey and the European Social Survey. In the search for accurate measures of biological-cultural familism we can additionally turn to the research of cross-cultural psychologists conducted for international management. I argue that the dimension of particularism on the 7-dimensional cultural map of Fons Trompenaars and Charles Hampden-Turner (2002) and the dimension of in-group collectivism on the 9-dimensional cultural map of the GLOBE project (House et al. 2004), can valuably complement the measures used in sociological sciences and make the diagnosis of familism more reliable. Finally, I call for in-depth research on Polish familism aimed at testing whether it is possible to build bridging capital on the basis of familist bonding capital.

Competitive swarm optimizer with dynamic multi-competitions and convergence accelerator for large-scale optimization problems

Large-scale optimizations (LSOPs) with high dimensional decision variables have become one of the most challenging problems in engineering optimization. High dimensional information causes serious interference to the algorithm optimization performance. The optimization performance of the algorithms will be seriously degraded. Competitive swarm optimizer (CSO) is a robust algorithm to tackle LSOPs. However, CSO randomly selects two particles to compare, then generates the winner and the loser. Although this search mechanism can enhance the diversity of the swarm, a single comparison is difficult to guarantee the quality of winners and losers. Therefore, there exists a risk of producing unqualified solutions. In order to enhance the quality of solution, a novel CSO with dynamic multi-competitions and convergence accelerator, namely DMCACSO, is designed in this paper. In the DMCACSO, a dynamic multi-competitions based evolutionary information is designed to pick out the losers more efficiently and improve the quality of winners. In addition, a convergence accelerator with hybrid evolutionary strategy is developed to speed up the particle search when the algorithm is a state of stagnation. The experiment results in solving large-scale benchmark functions from CEC2010 and CEC2013 indicate that the DMCACSO has competitive optimization performance by comparing with some state-of-the-art algorithms. Finally, the DMCACSO is effective in terms of quality in solving an actual feature selection problem.

Hybrid motility mechanism of sperm at viscoelastic fluid-solid interface

To fertilize eggs, sperm must pass through narrow, complex channels filled with viscoelastic fluids in the female reproductive tract. While it is known that the topography of the surfaces plays a role in guiding sperm movement, sperm have been thought of as swimmers, i.e., their motility comes solely from sperm interaction with the surrounding fluid, and therefore, the surfaces have no direct role in the motility mechanism itself. Here, we examined the role of solid surfaces in the movement of sperm in a highly viscoelastic medium. By visualizing the flagellum interaction with surfaces in a microfluidic device, we found that the flagellum stays close to the surface while the kinetic friction between the flagellum and the surface is in the direction of sperm movement, providing thrust. Additionally, the flow field generated by sperm suggests slippage between the viscoelastic fluid and the solid surface, deviating from the no-slip boundary typically used in standard fluid dynamics models. These observations point to hybrid motility mechanisms in sperm involving direct flagellum-surface interaction in addition to flagellum pushing the fluid. This finding signifies an evolutionary strategy of mammalian sperm crucial for their efficient migration through narrow, mucus-filled passages of the female reproductive tract.

Discussion on the Aesthetic Evolution and Optimization Strategies of Neo-Ming Style Chair Design

This paper explores the balanced development of Neo-Ming style chair design in both traditional and modern contexts, focusing on its design evolution, aesthetic characteristics, and future optimization strategies. By analyzing the cultural background, aesthetic form, material craftsmanship, and structural functions of Neo-Ming style chair, the paper highlights the importance of maintaining a fusion between traditional aesthetics and modern demands in contemporary design. It proposes future optimization directions such as personalization trends, cross-disciplinary integration, and the application of intelligent technology, aiming to provide theoretical support and practical references for the design innovation of Neo-Ming style chair.

Urban community security system model from the perspective of resilience: a study on Chinese cities

To enhance urban governance and bolster community disaster resilience, it is urgent to innovate and develop an urban community security system to cope with the complex and volatile social security situation. From the perspective of resilience, the concept, layout, and structure of the security system are organized. Considering the current situation and development trend of the social security system, and based on the constructed cost-capability model, the cost and benefit of the two modes are analyzed and compared. Subsequently, from the perspective of multi-agent participation, a game model between governments and enterprises is constructed. The evolutionary stability strategies of enterprises are analyzed, and simulation analysis is conducted on the factors influencing enterprises. Finally, to propose targeted improvement measures based on the community security capabilities of different communities, a grey fuzzy comprehensive evaluation method is employed. The community security comprehensive capabilities of the top 10 cities in China are quantitatively analyzed and evaluated. The results indicate that the urban community security system from a resilience perspective is more comprehensive compared to the traditional security system. Adopting mode 2 is relatively effective to improving government emergency management capability. In a certain range, reducing C, increasing F, reducing R2, and increasing h can achieve the effect of promoting enterprise to participate in construction. The urban community security capability is within the upper-medium level in general, close to the level of good. The urban community security system constructed in this paper can provide a theoretical basis for the government to formulate policies of the urban community security system and serve as a reference for strengthening the comprehensive capability of the urban community security.

Directed evolution and metabolic engineering generate an Escherichia coli cell factory for de novo production of 4-hydroxymandelate

4-hydroxymandelate is a high-value aromatic compound used in the medicine, cosmetics, food, and chemical industry. However, existing natural extraction and chemical synthesis methods are costly and lead to environmental pollution. This study employed metabolic engineering and directed evolution strategies for de novo 4-hydroxymandelate biosynthesis. Two key challenges were addressed: insufficient precursor supply and limited activity of crucial enzymes. Through gene overexpression and multi-level gene interference using CRISPRi, An Escherichia coli chassis capable of producing the key precursor 4-hydroxyphenylpyruvate and the titer reached 5.05 mM (0.91 g/L). A mutant clone was obtained, HmaSV152G, which showed a 5.13-fold improvement in the catalytic rate. During fermentation, a high production of 194.87 mM (32.768 g/L) 4-hydroxymandelate was achieved in 76 h with a batch supply of glucose in a 5-L bioreactor. This study demonstrated the great potential of biosensors in protein engineering and provides a reference for large-scale production of other high-value aromatic compounds.

Driving factors on corporate green investments behaviors: From the strategic intersection of governments regulation and public participation

As the global community confronts the challenges of climate change, businesses face increasing pressure to adopt sustainable practices. This study develops a tripartite game model to investigate the impact of green investments on corporate performance, considering the dynamic interplay between governments regulations and public participation in shaping strategic initiatives. First, the evolutionary stability strategy (ESS) is identified by solving replicator dynamic equations and performing stability analysis of equilibrium points. Next, the practicability and rationality of the evolutionary game model are assessed by analyzing ESSs under various corporate green investment scenarios. Finally, a case-based example is provided to validate the theoretical findings and support the following arguments: there are eight equilibrium points and four potential ESSs in the game model; the selection of each ESS is primarily determined by the trade-off between costs and revenues for each stakeholder; increased governmental regulatory costs prompt a strategic shift, incentivizing corporations to enhance green investments; while rising penalties drive a preference for green options; and corporations recognizing compensatory responsibilities are steered towards sustainable pathways.

Coordination of Renewable Energy Integration and Peak Shaving through Evolutionary Game Theory

This paper presents a novel approach to optimizing the coordination between renewable energy generation enterprises and power grid companies using evolutionary game theory. The research focuses on resolving conflicts and distributing benefits between these key stakeholders in the context of large-scale renewable energy integration. A theoretical model based on replicator dynamics is developed to simulate and analyze the evolutionary stable strategies of power generation enterprises and grid companies with particular emphasis on peak shaving services and electricity bidding. These simulations are based on theoretical models and do not incorporate real-world data directly, but they aim to replicate scenarios that reflect realistic behaviors within the electricity market. The model is validated through dynamic simulation under various scenarios, demonstrating that the final strategic choices of both thermal power and renewable energy enterprises tend to evolve towards either high-price or low-price bidding strategies, significantly influenced by initial system parameters. Additionally, this study explores how the introduction of peak shaving compensation affects the coordination process and stability of renewable energy integration, providing insights into improving grid efficiency and enhancing renewable energy adoption. Although the results are simulation-based, they are designed to offer practical recommendations for grid management and policy development, particularly for the integration of renewable energies such as wind power in competitive electricity markets. The findings suggest that effective government regulation, alongside well-designed compensation mechanisms, can help establish a balanced interest distribution between stakeholders. By offering a clear framework for analyzing the dynamics of renewable energy integration, this work provides valuable policy recommendations to promote cooperation and stability in electricity markets. This study contributes to the understanding of the complex interactions in the electricity market and offers practical solutions for enhancing the integration of renewable energy into the grid.

Research on low-carbon supply chain emission reduction strategies based on blockchain technology

The difficulty of regulating carbon trading due to information asymmetry and low consumer trust in low-carbon products are key factors hindering companies from reducing emissions. This paper examines a manufacturer-led secondary low-carbon supply chain consisting of a single supplier and a retailer, focusing on the impact of blockchain technology on carbon transaction costs and consumers' low-carbon preferences. Utilizing Stackelberg game theory, the paper constructs a supply chain decision model for emission reduction, determining the payment matrix and analyzing the stable strategy for blockchain adoption through evolutionary game theory. The findings indicate that retailers' adoption of blockchain technology significantly promotes emission reduction within the supply chain, whereas manufacturers' adoption has minimal impact. Additionally, the study reveals that variations in blockchain adoption costs and carbon quotas result in multiple evolutionary stable strategies. Specifically, when blockchain adoption costs and carbon quotas are below certain thresholds, the system reaches a unique equilibrium where both parties adopt blockchain technology.

Fabrication of high-performance graphene fiber: Structural evolution strategy from a two-step green reduction method

Graphene fibers (GFs) have a bright future in a variety of applications ascribing to their excellent performance. However, strict preparation conditions with extremely high graphitization temperature or toxic chemical reagents severely restrict their extensive implementation. Meanwhile, researchers are seeking easily scalable and eco-friendly GFs production methods. Here, we propose a green two-step reduction strategy involving L-ascorbic acid (LAA) chemical reduction followed by low-temperature annealing for the preparation of high-performance GFs. Benefiting from the elimination of macro-, micro- and nano-scaled defects and recombination of graphene nanosheets, the prepared GFs demonstrated amazing tensile strength of 778.49 MPa, Young's modulus of 92.61 GPa and an outstanding electrical conductivity of 3.2 × 104 S m−1, outperforming most of the chemically reduced GFs. This two-step green reduction strategy provides a new insight for constructing integrated high-performance GFs for sustainable application in many fields.

Research on the Green Transition Path of Airport Development under the Mechanism of Tripartite Evolutionary Game Model

Since existing studies primarily explore green development measures from the static perspective of a single airport stakeholder, this paper constructs an evolutionary game model to analyze the strategic choices of three key stakeholders: airport authorities, third-party organizations, and government departments, based on evolutionary game theory. By solving the stable strategy of the tripartite evolution using the Jacobian matrix, the green transition of airport development can be divided into three stages: “initiation”, “development”, and “maturity”, allowing for the exploration of key factors influencing the green transition of airport development. A simulation analysis is conducted based on real Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport data. The results indicate that the tripartite evolutionary game strategy is stable at E4(0,0,1) and the green transition of Baiyun Airport remains in the development stage. By improving the reward and punishment mechanisms of government departments, the evolutionary game strategy can be stabilized at E8(1,1,1), promoting the green transition of airport development toward the mature stage. By adjusting the game parameters, the dynamic process of green transition in airports at different levels of development and under varying regulatory environments can be effectively captured, supporting the precise formulation of corresponding policies.

Lithium-Ion Battery Health Assessment Method Based on Double Optimization Belief Rule Base with Interpretability

Health assessment is necessary to ensure that lithium-ion batteries operate safely and dependably. Nonetheless, there are the following two common problems with the health assessment models for lithium-ion batteries that are currently in use: inability to comprehend the assessment results and the uncertainty around the chemical reactions occurring inside the battery. A rule-based modeling strategy that can handle ambiguous data in health state evaluation is the belief rule base (BRB). In existing BRB studies, experts often provide parameters such as the initial belief degree, but the parameters may not match the current data. In addition, random global optimization methods may undermine the interpretability of expert knowledge. Therefore, this paper proposes a lithium-ion battery health assessment method based on the double optimization belief rule base with interpretability (DO-BRB-I). First, the belief degree is optimized according to the data distribution. Then, to increase accuracy, belief degrees and other parameters are further optimized using the projection covariance matrix adaptive evolution strategy (P-CMA-ES). At the same time, four interpretability constraint strategies are suggested based on the features of lithium-ion batteries to preserve interpretability throughout the optimization process. Finally, to confirm the efficacy of the suggested approach, a sample of the health status assessment of the B0006 lithium-ion battery is provided.

How do multiple active cellular forces co-regulate wound shape evolution?

Wound closure is a fundamental procedure in many physiological and pathological processes, driven by multiple active cellular forces. In the closure process the wound shape can evolve into round, oval, or slit. However, the underlying mechanisms that determine the mechanical strategies of wound shape evolution are unclear. To understand how these active forces co-regulate wound shapes, we constructed a novel complex variable method-based mechanical model and obtained the stress field and free energy of cell layer with arbitrary wound shape. Our results revealed that there was a stress-driven cell polarization and arrangement around the wound under the cooperative regulation of the tissue pretension, cell protrusion stress and actomyosin ring tension that drove the direction of cell polarization and arrangement for the wound closure. In addition, a 3D phase diagram was obtained from minimizing the free energy of the cell layer that illustrates how the different active cellular forces co-regulate the wound shape evolution. In general, large cellular protrusion induces the evolution of the wound toward slit shape, and strong and medium contractions of the actomyosin ring correspond to the evolution toward oval shape and round shape, respectively. This study reveals a critical mechanism by which living organisms actively control complex processes via the coordination of multiple active cellular forces in tissue repair and development.

An investigation testing the perceptual advantage of Sensory Processing Sensitivity and its associations with the Big Five personality traits

This study investigated whether sensory processing sensitivity (SPS) is associated with a perceptual advantage, rather than just heightened brain, emotional and behavioural reactivity. Participants (N = 222) were tested on detection and identification of visually degraded words at three levels of difficulty, and completed the Highly Sensitive Person Scale (HSPS) and the Big Five Inventory. The positive subscale of the HSPS predicted both the detection and identification of visually degraded stimuli, and beyond the Big Five traits. This contradicts claims that SPS is solely a combination of Big Five traits. Importantly, the perceptual advantage for highly sensitives may balance the disadvantages of being easily overwhelmed by stimuli and indicates separate evolutionary advantages and strategies for high and low SPS humans and other mammals.