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BACKGROUND: Despite the increased risk of cervical cancer (CC) among women living with HIV (WLHIV), CC screening and treatment (CCST) rates remain low in Africa. The integration of CCST services into established HIV programs in Africa can improve CC prevention and control. However, the paucity of evidence on effective implementation strategies (IS) has limited the success of integration in many countries. In this study, we seek to identify effective IS to enhance the integration of CCST services into existing HIV programs in Nigeria. METHODS: Our proposed study has formative and experimental activities across the four phases of the Exploration, Preparation, Implementation, and Sustainment (EPIS) framework. Through an implementation mapping conducted with stakeholders in the exploration phase, we identified a core package of IS (Core) and an enhanced package of IS (Core+) mostly selected from the Expert Recommendations for Implementing Change. In the preparation phase, we refined and tailored the Core and Core+ IS with the implementation resource teams for local appropriateness. In the implementation phase, we will conduct a cluster-randomized hybrid type III trial to assess the comparative effectiveness of Core versus Core+. HIV comprehensive treatment sites (k = 12) will be matched by region and randomized to Core or Core+ in the ratio of 1:1 stratified by region. In the sustainment phase, we will assess the sustainment of CCST at each site. The study outcomes will be assessed using RE-AIM: reach (screening rate), adoption (uptake of IS by study sites), IS fidelity (degree to which the IS occurred according to protocol), clinical intervention fidelity (delivery of CC screening, onsite treatment, and referral according to protocol), clinical effectiveness (posttreatment screen negative), and sustainment (continued integrated CCST service delivery). Additionally, we will descriptively explore potential mechanisms, including organizational readiness, implementation climate, CCST self-efficacy, and implementation intentions. DISCUSSION: The assessment of IS to increase CCST rates is consistent with the global plan of eliminating CC as a public health threat by 2030. Our study will identify a set of evidence-based IS for low-income settings to integrate evidence-based CCST interventions into routine HIV care in order to improve the health and life expectancy of WLHIV. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Prospectively registered on November 7, 2023, at ClinicalTrials.gov no. NCT06128304. https://classic. CLINICALTRIALS: gov/ct2/show/study/NCT06128304.

Data collated from the literature is used to summarize the petrogenesis of Central African Cu deposits located in the Neoproterozoic Katangan basin, the most mineralized basin on Earth with 8.7 billion tons of pre-mining Cu ore reserves grading 2.6% Cu. Deposits mostly occur within specific stratigraphic layers including the Mines-Kitwe and Mwale subgroups of the Roan and Nguba groups. Ore bodies occur as stratiform and vein-type deposits and display vertical and lateral zoning generally consisting of chalcocite + chalcopyrite + bornite upward/outward to chalcopyrite + pyrite and finally, pyrite. Chalcocite is more common within the Congolese ore bodies whereas chalcopyrite predominates within the Zambian ore bodies. The δ34S sulphide values (−28 to +29‰) of Cu sulphide minerals display generally lighter sulphur isotopes in the Congolese part (−14 to +2‰) and become heavier within Zambian deposits (−16 to +23‰), implying bacteriological contribution and thermochemical reduction of sulphate contribution for the lighter and heavier S isotopes, respectively. The heavy δ34S Cu sulphide values (−2 to +25‰) are consistent with the δ34S data of Cu ore veins (−4 to +23‰). The δ13C and δ18O values (−23.1 to +8.7‰ and −1.8 to −28.0‰, respectively) of carbonate-related ores are consistently lighter than carbonate host values implying the oxidation of organic matter during carbonate deposition. The isotopic ratios of206Pb/204Pb, 207Pb/204Pb, and208Pb/204Pb range between 17.885–23.650, 15.557–16.728 and 37.564–42.594, respectively, suggesting multiple sources of Pb in Cu ores. Uranium-Pb, U-Th-Pb, Pb-Pb, and Re-Os dating data of ore-related uraninite, brannerite, rutile, Cu-bearing sulphides, monazite, molybdenite, and mica fall within a ca. 670–490 Ma window, yielding two major episodes at ca. 670–645 Ma and 540–490 Ma for early stratiform and late vein stages of Cu mineralization. Two mineralizing stages were distinguished by fluid inclusions with the first deposited during diagenesis at low-temperature and moderate salinity, and the second ore stage that deposited metals at high-temperature and high salinity during the Lufilian orogeny. The Lufilian orogeny at ca. 590–465 Ma may have strongly influenced formation of the Central African Cu deposits, particularly the southern portion of the Copperbelt in Zambia. The sedimentary rocks display a prograde metamorphic trend varying from prehnite-pumpellyite facies in the DR Congo to greenschist-amphibolite facies in Zambia. Metamorphic processes during the orogeny may have led to metal redistribution characterizing the Zambian deposits. Common features include large ore reserves but relatively low grades (averaging 1.9% Cu versus 2.7% Cu in DR Congo), with chalcopyrite as the main Cu sulphide mineral, heavy δ34S values for Cu sulphide minerals, and introduction of molybdenite into the ore system during the Lufilian event. Keys to finding new deposits in the Central African Copperbelt may require enhanced scientific research, integrating data-model approaches and advanced multi-layer and multi-scale technologies, focusing on the comprehensive characteristics of ore deposits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During the twentieth century, Iceland became a leader in geothermal energy use, with hot water and steam providing for the heating of 9 out of 10 houses and almost one-third of the electricity supply. A crucial factor in the expansion of geothermal energy between the 1940s and 1970s were indirect ‘spillovers’ from the oil industry via the applied geosciences. While fundamentally different in end use, geothermal and hydrocarbon industries employ similar geoscientific methods for exploring and extracting fluids and gases. This article traces the spillovers from oil to geothermal by examining Iceland’s Geothermal Division and its founding director, Gunnar Böðvarsson. He saw the oil industry as a model and embraced its geoscientific exploration methods, oilwell rotary drilling and petroleum reservoir engineering. Adapted to the requirements of geothermal energy, petroleum technologies greatly improved the knowledge of geothermal reservoirs and the efficiency of well drilling and hot water and steam extraction. The geoscience spillover between oil and geothermal reveals an understudied dimension of geothermal history and the crucial role of the geosciences at the intersection of academia and energy industries, which also resulted in reverse spillovers from geothermal to oil and complicates the common dichotomization of fossil fuels vs. renewable alternatives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Exposure to the spaceflight environment causes adaptations in most human physiological systems, many of which are thought to affect women differently from men. Since only 11.5% of astronauts worldwide have been female, these issues are largely understudied. The physiological nuances affecting the female body in the spaceflight environment remain inadequately defined since the last thorough published review on the subject. A PubMed literature search yielded over 2200 publications. Using NASA's 2014 review series ‘The effects of sex and gender on adaptation to space’ as a benchmark, we identified substantive advancements and persistent knowledge gaps in need of further study from the nearly 600 related articles that have been published since the initial review. This review highlights the most critical issues to mitigate medical risk and promote the success of missions to the Moon and Mars. Salient sex‐linked differences observed terrestrially should be studied during upcoming missions, including increased levels of inflammatory markers, coagulation factors and leptin levels following sleep deprivation; correlation between body mass and the severity of spaceflight‐associated neuro‐ocular syndrome; increased incidence of orthostatic intolerance; increased severity of muscle atrophy and bone loss; differences in the incidence of urinary tract infections; and susceptibility to specific cancers after exposure to ionizing radiation. To optimize health and well‐being among all astronauts, it is imperative to prioritize research that considers the physiological nuances of the female body. A more robust understanding of female physiology in the spaceflight environment will support crew readiness for Artemis missions and beyond. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research Summary: Novel formulations of strategic problems are key to innovation and exploration. Conventional wisdom suggests that intuitive thinking, rather than rational‐analytic thinking, facilitates novel problem formulations. This article proposes that intuitive thinking is insufficient and that novel formulations instead depend on sequencing rational‐analytic and intuitive thinking across two phases of the problem formulation task. Two experiments using samples of strategists in organizations support the importance of analysis followed by intuition when developing novel problem formulations. This article advances the "both‐and" approach to managerial cognition by investigating how harnessing intuition and analysis in combination may lead to a desirable outcome for a managerial task. This approach moves beyond the typical, "either‐or" approach to cognition in past studies, which pit analysis against intuition in achieving desirable outcomes. Managerial Summary: Unique and potentially contrarian theories on problems—novel problem formulations—are key to innovation, exploration, and value creation. Past research indicates that strategists should rely on intuition and gut feeling rather than analysis to boldly develop novel problem formulations. I propose that intuition alone can lead to premature, obvious conclusions. This article instead claims that novel formulations depend on combining analysis and intuition in a specific sequence. Analysis helps identify hidden needs and pain points that allow strategists to think of diverse possibilities for underlying causes. Intuition helps strategists boldly utilize these ambiguous, unstructured symptoms based on subjective beliefs to develop novel problem formulations. Two experiments with real‐world strategists support the arguments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article describes the implementation of a digital case-exploration tool and its use in teacher education. The cases were constructed according to empirically based psychological theories and represent school-related scenarios in which the students could choose among options for action. After selecting an action, its psychological consequences are presented in text or video including theoretical explanations how and why the selected action would lead to the presented consequences. We present first quasi-experimental evaluation data demonstrating the tool's usefulness regarding learning outcomes, students' active participation, and motivation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sustainable Lot Size Optimization is an important challenge of Supply Chain Management as it seeks to balance the economic goals of minimizing costs with environmental and social objectives, ensuring efficient production and inventory management while reducing environmental impact and enhancing social responsibility. Metaheuristic algorithms play a crucial role in solving Sustainable Lot Size Optimization problems by efficiently exploring large and complex search spaces to find near-optimal solutions that balance economic, environmental, and social objectives, often outperforming traditional optimization methods in terms of flexibility and scalability. With this attitude, in this paper, a new metaheuristic algorithm called Sales Training Based Optimization (STBO) is designed to solve Sustainable Lot Size Optimization applications. The fundamental inspiration in the design of STBO draws upon human behaviors observed during sales training. The theoretical framework of STBO is thoroughly described, and its implementation process is mathematically formulated in two distinct stages: the exploration phase and the exploitation phase. The efficiency of STBO to address Sustainable Lot Size Optimization applications has been evaluated on 10 study scenarios. The optimization outcomes reveal that STBO consistently delivers highly effective solutions by seamlessly integrating exploration with exploitation throughout the search. Furthermore, a thorough comparison was conducted, revealing how STBO's results stack up against those from twelve widely recognized metaheuristic algorithms. The simulation findings conclusively demonstrate that the STBO approach consistently outperforms competitors, achieving superior performance across all study scenarios. These insights confirm that the STBO approach serves as a highly reliable and potent optimization tool, capable of addressing a wide range of optimization challenges in diverse applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, a novel metaheuristic technique named Far and Near Optimization (FNO) is introduced, offering versatile applications across various scientific domains for optimization tasks. The core concept behind FNO lies in integrating global and local search methodologies to update the algorithm population within the problem-solving space based on moving each member to the farthest and nearest member to itself. The paper delineates the theory of FNO, presenting a mathematical model in two phases: (i) exploration based on the simulation of the movement of a population member towards the farthest member from itself and (ii) exploitation based on simulating the movement of a population member towards the nearest member from itself. FNO's efficacy in tackling optimization challenges is assessed through its handling of the CEC 2017 test suite across problem dimensions of 10, 30, 50, and 100, as well as to address CEC 2020. The optimization results underscore FNO's adeptness in exploration, exploitation, and maintaining a balance between them throughout the search process to yield viable solutions. Comparative analysis against twelve established metaheuristic algorithms reveals FNO's superior performance. Simulation findings indicate FNO's outperformance of competitor algorithms, securing the top rank as the most effective optimizer across a majority of benchmark functions. Moreover, the outcomes derived by employing FNO on twenty-two constrained optimization challenges from the CEC 2011 test suite, alongside four engineering design dilemmas, showcase the effectiveness of the suggested method in tackling real-world scenarios. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A mobile agent, which is an autonomous device navigating in a graph, has to explore a given graph by visiting all of its nodes. We adopt the (arguably) weakest possible model of such a device: a deterministic memoryless automaton (DMA), i.e., a deterministic automaton with a single state. As expected, such a weak machine is incapable of exploring many graphs without marking nodes. Hence we allow the agent to use identical movable pebbles that can be dropped on nodes or picked from them. It turns out that this marking capability significantly enhances the exploration power of the agent. Our goal is to study how the availability of pebbles impacts the class of graphs that a DMA can explore. We first concentrate on finite graphs and show that any finite tree can be explored by a DMA without pebbles but there exist (small) finite graphs that cannot be explored by a DMA without pebbles. Then we turn attention to infinite graphs and fully characterize the class of infinite trees that can be explored by a DMA without pebbles. We also define a large class of infinite trees that can be explored by a DMA with finitely many pebbles. It turns out that many of these trees cannot be explored by a DMA without pebbles. On the other hand, we show a large class of infinite trees that cannot be explored by a DMA with finitely many pebbles. Thus, availability of pebbles yields a strict hierarchy of difficulty of exploration of infinite graphs by a DMA, and this hierarchy is strict even for the class of infinite trees: some trees can be explored without pebbles, some trees can be explored with finitely many pebbles but not without pebbles, and some trees require infinitely many pebbles. Finally, we consider exploration by a DMA with infinitely many pebbles. It turns out that all infinite trees can be explored by a DMA with infinitely many pebbles. By contrast, we construct infinite graphs that cannot be explored by any DMA, even with infinitely many pebbles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Continual innovation is essential for new ventures' growth and survival. New ventures must combine their capacity to keep exploiting their current lines of business while exploring the products and markets that will constitute their future. The allocation of time and resources to innovation alternatives is a strategic decision between short-term and long-term performance. Since the new venture team (NVT) dictates new ventures' strategic decisions, understanding an NVT's configuration and individual characteristics can shed light on the type of innovation a new venture pursues. Drawing from regulatory mode theory and the upper-echelons perspective, we propose that organizations with NVTs with a predominantly single regulatory mode (either assessment or locomotion) show higher degrees of exploitation but lower degrees of exploration. However, NVTs with members who have a combined orientation toward both dimensions produce higher levels of exploration than NVTs conformed to a predominant single regulatory mode. Moreover, we theorize that environmental dynamism adds an important boundary condition to the relationship between NVTs' regulatory modes and new ventures' innovative activities. Theoretical implications and directions for future research are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bioregenerative food systems that routinely produce fresh, safe-to-eat crops onboard spacecraft can supplement the nutrition and variety of shelf-stable spaceflight food systems for use during future exploration missions (i.e., low earth orbit, Mars transit, lunar, and Martian habitats). However, current space crop production systems are not yet sustainable because they primarily utilize consumable granular media and, to date, operate like single crop cycle, space biology experiments where root modules are sanitized prior to launch and discarded after each grow-out. Moreover, real-time detection of the cleanliness of crops produced in spacecraft is not possible. A significant paradigm shift is needed in the design of future space crop production systems, as they transition from operating as single grow-out space biology experiments to becoming sustainable over multiple cropping cycles. Soilless nutrient delivery systems have been used to demonstrate post-harvest sanitization and inflight microbial monitoring technologies to enable sequential cropping cycles in spacecraft. Post-harvest cleaning and sanitization prevent the buildup of biofilms and ensure a favorable environment for seedling establishment of the next crop. Inflight microbial monitoring of food and watering systems ensures food safety in spaceflight food systems. A sanitization protocol, heat sterilization at 60°C for 1 h, and soaking for 12 h in 1% hydrogen peroxide, developed in this study, was compared against a standard hydroponic sanitization protocol during five consecutive crop cycles. Each cropping cycle included protocols for the cultivation of a crop to maturity, followed by post-harvest cleaning and inflight microbial monitoring. Microbial sampling of nutrient solution reservoirs, root modules, and plants demonstrated that the sanitization protocol could be used to grow safe-to-eat produce during multiple crop cycles. The cleanliness of the reservoir and root module surfaces measured with aerobic plate counts was verified in near real time using a qPCR-based inflight microbial monitoring protocol. Post-harvest sanitization and inflight microbial monitoring are expected to significantly transform the design of sustainable bioregenerative food and life support systems for future exploration missions beyond low earth orbit (LEO). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mobile cloud computing (MCC) is one of the most visible efforts to take computing technology beyond the use of tools and achieve universal penetration. Mobile and cloud computing are becoming increasingly important in people's daily lives, highlighting the urgent need for new approaches. The motivation of mobile users and the nature of cloud computing make it ideal for developing mobile cloud services. The focus of this paper is on the cognitive, social, and technical motivations that mobile users experience when owning, interacting with, and using mobile devices through MCC. We also explore the moderating role of network externalities between perceived utility of MCC, usage attitudes, and actual use of MCC. The results show that the positive effects of perceived utility and attitudes on mobile cloud computing usage increase gradually with network externalities. This study provides a theoretical basis for academics and practical guidance for service providers to promote MCC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study integrates aeromagnetic data with geological information to develop a consistent interpretation of both shallow and deep structural frameworks at various depths in the Missiakat Al Jukh area, located in the Central Eastern Desert, Egypt. The research begins by processing reduced-to-the-north magnetic pole (RTP) anomalies, using Fast Fourier Transformation (FFT) techniques to distinguish between local residual structures and broader regional features. This multi-scale approach enables a more detailed understanding of the geological complexity in the region, revealing its subsurface structures. Advanced geophysical methods such as upward continuation, Euler deconvolution, source parameter imaging (SPI), and global particle swarm optimization (GPSO) were applied to further refine the determination of structural depths, offering critical insights into the distribution and orientation of geological features at varying depths. The study reveals dominant structural orientations aligned in the NNW-SSE, ENE-WSW, north–south, and east–west directions, reflecting the region's complex tectonic history. This research is of great importance in terms of sustainability. By delivering detailed subsurface maps and providing more accurate depth estimates of basement rocks (between 0.6 and 1.3 km), it contributes to sustainable resource exploration in the region. A better understanding of the geological structure helps minimize the environmental impact of exploration by reducing unnecessary drilling and concentrating efforts on areas with higher potential. Additionally, the use of non-invasive geophysical techniques supports the transition toward more environmentally conscious exploration practices. The integration of these advanced methods promotes a more sustainable approach to mineral and resource extraction, which is crucial for balancing economic growth with environmental preservation in geologically sensitive areas. Ultimately, this work provides a thorough geological interpretation that not only aids future exploration efforts but also aligns with the global push for sustainable and eco-friendly resource management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Colour polymorphic species often exhibit variation in morphology, physiology, and behaviour among morphs. In particular, dominance status may be signalled by the interaction between behaviour and colour morph. Behavioural traits associated with dominance include boldness, exploration, and aggression, which influence access to preferred habitat, territorial defence, and mate acquisition. In ectotherms, the social structure associated with morphs may result in the exploitation of structural niches differing in thermal quality. Hence, social interactions among morphs may generate concordant variation in thermal preference and environmental temperature. However, few studies have assessed thermal preference variation in colour polymorphic species and its covariation with behaviour. Doing so can provide insight into niche specialization and the maintenance of colour polymorphism in populations. Here, we investigated the patterns of covariation in boldness behaviour, exploratory behaviour, and thermal preference in the tree lizard, Urosaurus ornatus. We assessed trait variation between territorial and non‐territorial male morphs and between orange and yellow female morphs. Boldness and exploratory behaviour were repeatable in male U. ornatus and bolder individuals were significantly more likely to incur tail loss, a potential consequence of bold behaviour. Territorial male morphs were significantly bolder and more exploratory and preferred higher body temperatures with a narrower Tset than non‐territorial morphs. Female morphs did not vary in behavioural or thermal traits. This study highlights behavioural mechanisms that underly ecological niche segregation and variable habitat use between morphs in a colour polymorphic species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Humeral shaft fractures are relatively common. Complications associated with this type of fracture and its treatment include nonunion and radial nerve palsy. Plate osteosynthesis with autologous bone grafting is considered the gold standard for treating nonunion. However, bone grafts might not always be necessary in cases of hypertrophic nonunion, and treatment should be tailored to the specific type and characteristics of the nonunion. The treatment of radial nerve palsy is debated, with some favoring expectant management based on the nerve's ability to regenerate, and others preferring early surgical exploration to prevent possible lasting nerve damage. Methods: We present the case of a 46-year-old male patient with a six-year-old humeral shaft fracture resulting in hypertrophic nonunion. We treated the nonunion with anterograde intramedullary nailing without bone grafting. Postoperatively, the patient developed severe radial nerve palsy. After repeated electrophysiological studies, a decision was made to surgically explore the nerve 10 days after the nonunion surgery. The nerve was subsequently found to be intact and treated with neurolysis. Results: Bony union was shown at six months after nonunion surgery. Four months after the nonunion surgery, the patient started to show clinical signs of nerve recovery, and at 12 months he achieved nearly full clinical recovery of radial nerve function. Conclusions: Anterograde intramedullary nailing without autologous bone grafting may be considered an option for treating hypertrophic nonunion. The management of radial nerve palsy requires effective cooperation and communication between patient and physician. Further research is necessary to be able to better predict nerve recovery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Category learning is a crucial aspect of cognition that involves organizing entities into equivalence classes. Whereas adults tend to focus on category-relevant features, young children often distribute attention between relevant and irrelevant ones. The reasons for children's distributed attention are not fully understood. In two category-learning experiments with adults and with children aged 4, 5, and 6 (N = 201), we examined potential drivers of distributed attention, including (a) immature filtering of distractors and (b) the general tendency for exploration or broad information sampling. By eliminating distractor competition, we reduced filtering demands. Despite identifying the features critical for accurate categorization, children, regardless of their categorization performance, continued sampling more information than was necessary. These results indicate that the tendency to sample information extensively contributes to distributed attention in young children. We identify candidate drivers of this tendency that need to be examined in future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Teaching is the primary way children learn about the world. However, successful learning involves recognizing when teaching is ineffective, even in the absence of overt cues, and divesting from ineffective teaching to explore novel solutions. Across three experiments, we investigated 7- to 10-year-old children's ability to recognize ineffective teaching; we tested the hypothesis that girls may be less likely than boys to divest by exploring new solutions, given documented gender differences in socialization toward conformity and obedience. Overall, we demonstrate that children independently tested taught solutions and, upon learning that the solutions were ineffective, rationally traded off between instruction and exploration. Simultaneously, gender differences in divestment emerged. On average, girls demonstrated greater persistence in applying the taught solution, while boys tended to explore their own ideas, leading to differences in solving and learning. Importantly, these differences were observable across both masculine- and feminine-stereotyped tasks. These results have important implications for children's learning and the development of leadership. Public Significance Statement: Both boys and girls are capable of testing the effectiveness of teaching. However, on average, girls are more likely to persist in a taught solution, while boys are more likely to explore alternatives, creating gender disadvantages in success and learning when teaching is ineffective. These findings suggest interventions to help children flexibly decide when to follow teaching and to prioritize their own ideas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

When presented with surprising claims, older children investigate such claims more often than younger children. The present study tests whether older children (6–7-year-olds) are more skeptical than younger children (4–5-year-olds) about surprising claims that lack supporting evidence because they expect informants to provide evidence for them. To test this hypothesis, we presented 140 4–7-year-old children (47–96 months, 46.4% girls, 53.6% boys, 86.4% with at least one parent who completed a BA degree, 50% parents with income above median) with a series of vignettes. In each vignette, the protagonist wanted to accomplish a task and needed to select the most appropriate object for that task. Before deciding which object to use, the protagonist heard a surprising claim about one of the object's properties, presented with or without supporting evidence. For example, in the supporting explanation condition, the informant stated that the smallest object was the heaviest and that they knew because they had lifted the objects. Children were then asked whether the protagonist knew which object to use and why. Contrary to expectation, children across all ages typically indicated that the protagonist had sufficient knowledge, regardless of whether an informant provided supporting evidence or not. However, with increasing age, children became more skeptical of both supported and unsupported surprising claims and increasingly stated that the protagonist should not select the object suggested by the informant. Finally, when asked to justify this judgment, older children were more likely than younger to express skepticism toward the claims, especially when presented without supporting evidence. Public Significance Statement: The results of this study show that with age, children become increasingly skeptical of surprising claims, whether unsupported or not, as well as increasingly likely to express this skepticism. By generating new knowledge on children's capacity to reason about uncertainty and their emerging critical stance toward surprising claims, later research may build on this work to develop educational tools for practical application. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present a method for enabling Reinforcement Learning of motor control policies for complex skills such as dexterous manipulation. We posit that a key difficulty for training such policies is the difficulty of exploring the problem state space, as the accessible and useful regions of this space form a complex structure along manifolds of the original high-dimensional state space. This work presents a method to enable and support exploration with Sampling-based Planning. We use a generally applicable non-holonomic Rapidly-exploring Random Trees algorithm and present multiple methods to use the resulting structure to bootstrap model-free Reinforcement Learning. Our method is effective at learning various challenging dexterous motor control skills of higher difficulty than previously shown. In particular, we achieve dexterous in-hand manipulation of complex objects while simultaneously securing the object without the use of passive support surfaces. These policies also transfer effectively to real robots. A number of example videos can also be found on the project website: [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Swarm Guiding and Communication System (SGCS) is a decision-making and information-sharing framework for robot swarms that only needs close-range peer-to-peer communication and no centralized control. Each robot makes decisions based on an incomplete virtual pheromone map that is updated on each interaction with another robot, imitating ant colonial behavior. Similar systems rely on continuous communication with no range limitations, environment modification, or centralized control. A computer simulation is developed to assess the effectiveness and robustness of the framework in covering an area. Consistency and the time needed for 99% coverage are compared with an unbiased random walk. The pheromone approach is shown to outperfom the unbiased one regardless of number of agents. Innate resilience to individual failures is also demonstrated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The timing of migration varies significantly among individuals, even within populations sharing breeding sites. Consistent individual behavioural differences, known as personality traits, have been linked to variation in movement behaviour. However, little attention has been given to investigating whether personality traits can explain such variation in the timing of migration. We studied post‐breeding migration of Red Knots Calidris canutus islandica breeding in the High Arctic and wintering in European coastal areas. We captured Red Knots in the Dutch Wadden Sea, a main non‐breeding and moulting site, and assessed their exploration behaviour, a personality trait, before releasing them with colour‐rings. We first investigated whether arrival timing in marine areas was associated with exploration speed. Secondly, we asked whether slow explorers were more likely to fly non‐stop to the Wadden Sea compared with fast explorers, as faster explorers were expected to move more and visit more staging sites. To determine arrival timing in marine non‐breeding areas and non‐stop flights to the Wadden Sea, we analysed isotope signatures in blood samples collected after capture, as these differ between the terrestrial breeding grounds (arthropod diet) and marine non‐breeding and moulting sites (benthic invertebrate diet). Thirdly, we estimated arrival time in the Wadden Sea based on primary moult progress, allowing us to examine the relationship between arrival timing estimated from isotope values and the onset of moult. Our findings revealed that slower exploring Red Knots departed earlier from the breeding site and were more likely to fly non‐stop to the Wadden Sea than were faster exploring individuals. Arrival timing to marine areas as estimated from isotope analyses predicted arrival timing in the Wadden Sea (via moult progress) but this relationship exhibited significant variation, possibly due to individual differences in the use of staging sites en route. By migrating early, slower explorers can better outpace the aerial predators also arriving at the Wadden Sea moulting site and thereby reduce mortality risk due to predation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study assesses the influences of organizational ambidexterity and new public management (NPM) innovations on public service quality in the under-researched and changing context of the Arabian Peninsula Gulf States. The data used were obtained from government organizations in the Sultanate of Oman and were analyzed using structural equation modeling. The findings indicate that exploitation is associated with public service quality and this relationship is partially mediated by public service innovation. The results show an indirect relationship between NPM practices and service quality mediated by service innovation. Moreover, the relationship between exploration and service quality is fully mediated by service innovation. This study extends the existing research on ambidexterity in government organizations and contributes to the international public administration reform and innovation literature by examining the applicability of Western practices in changing societal and politico-administrative cultures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

EELS-DARTS is a simulator designed for autonomy development and analysis of large degree of freedom snake-like robots for space exploration. A detailed description of the EELS-DARTS simulator design is presented. This includes the versatile underlying multibody dynamics representation used to model a variety of distinct snake robot configurations as well as an anisotropic friction model for describing screw–ice interaction. Additional simulation components such as graphics, importable terrain, joint controllers, and perception are discussed. Methods for setting up and running simulations are discussed, including how a snake robot's autonomy stack closes the commands and information loop with the simulation via ROS. Multiple use cases are described to illustrate how the simulation is used to aid and inform robot design, autonomy development, and field test use throughout the project's life cycle. A validation analysis of the screw–ice contact model is performed for the surface mobility case. Lastly, an overview of simulation use for planning operations during a recent field test to the Athabasca Glacier in Canada is discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The process of data classification involves determining the optimal number of features that lead to high accuracy. However, feature selection (FS) is a complex task that necessitates robust metaheuristics due to its challenging NP-hard nature. This paper introduces a hybrid algorithm that combines the Artificial Ecosystem Optimization (AEO) operators with the Whale Optimization Algorithm (WOA) to enhance numerical optimization and FS. While the WOA algorithm, inspired by the hunting behavior of whales, has been successful in solving various optimization problems, it can sometimes be limited in its ability to explore and may become trapped in local optima. To address this limitation, the authors propose the use of AEO operators to improve the exploration process of the WOA algorithm. The authors conducted experiments to evaluate the effectiveness of their proposed method, called AEOWOA, using the CEC'20 test suite for numerical optimization and sixteen datasets for FS. They compared the results with those obtained from other optimization methods. Through experimental and statistical analyses, it was observed that AEOWOA delivers efficient search results with faster convergence, reducing the feature size by up to 89% while achieving up to 94% accuracy. These findings shed light on potential future research directions in this field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There has been much progress in understanding human social learning, including recent studies integrating social information into the reinforcement learning framework. Yet previous studies often assume identical payoffs between observer and demonstrator, overlooking the diversity of social information in real-world interactions. We address this gap by introducing a socially correlated bandit task that accommodates payoff differences among participants, allowing for the study of social learning under more realistic conditions. Our Social Generalization (SG) model, tested through evolutionary simulations and two online experiments, outperforms existing models by incorporating social information into the generalization process, but treating it as noisier than individual observations. Our findings suggest that human social learning is more flexible than previously believed, with the SG model indicating a potential resourcerational trade-off where social learning partially replaces individual exploration. This research highlights the flexibility of humans' social learning, allowing us to integrate social information from others with different preferences, skills, or goals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The global demand for lithium is steadily increasing, driving an increased focus on exploration efforts worldwide. Lithium, a crucial metal for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) used in renewable energy technologies, is vital in the global drive to reduce carbon emissions. India’s ambitions to become a manufacturing hub for LIBs and achieve 100% electric vehicle (EV) sales by 2030 require significant quantities of lithium. However, challenges due to limited domestic reserves within the country, prompting efforts to define new exploration targets and develop existing lithium occurrences. Recent discoveries in northern Jammu and Kashmir and southern Karnataka highlight promising lithium deposits. This study focuses on India’s lithium exploration within pegmatite belts across various cratonic blocks, identifying significant potential for lithium exploration and mining. Notably, spodumene-rich pegmatites are found in Karnataka’s Dharwar Craton, while lepidolite-rich pegmatites exist in Rajasthan’s Aravalli-Delhi Fold Belt and the Madhya Pradesh-Chhattisgarh region. Regions like Bihar-Jharkhand, Maharashtra, Odisha, and Assam-Meghalaya also exhibit promise for lithium exploration. These findings emphasize the diverse lithological settings where lithium exploration can be strategically pursued in India. This study recommends adopting modern exploration techniques and developing cost-effective extraction technologies to advance India’s lithium exploration efforts. These initiatives are crucial in meeting the escalating demand for lithium and advancing India’s clean energy objectives in the transition to renewable energy sources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A unique and interesting creative process using banana blossom sap as a medium. Banana flower sap has specific characteristics compared to other synthetic colors. Banana flower sap tends to display typical milky white, gray, light brown, yellowish-green, red and dark brown colors. Painting using banana blossoms starts from picking the banana blossom. Exploration of the technique of cutting the stem of the banana flower until the sap oozes out and drips onto the canvas. Since then I have been practicing spontaneously using banana sap, involving movements of my fingers, pressing the banana flower gently, medium and hard. The effect of the pressure of the banana flower sap produces natural colors, according to the intensity of the movement of the fingers on the canvas. The method used is carried out spontaneously, following the stages of the art creation process (E4): Existence, Exploration, Experimentation and Evaluation. Realization (E4) represents the existence of my creative process. Utilization of fine art elements such as light, point, line, space, plane, color, texture and composition. The resulting works of art include the following titles: Banana Sap Color 1, Banana Sap Color 2, Banana Sap Color 3, and so on. The use of banana blossom sap is driven by the need to express the soul in order to produce new works of art of high quality and have high aesthetic values. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Learning traps arise when early experience leads to a false belief about the reward structure of the environment which, in turn, leads to avoidance of rewarding options. Previous work on the negative effects of such traps has focused on static learning environments. The current work examines an additional negative effect of learning traps in dynamic environments—blindness to change in the features that predict decision outcomes. In two experiments (N = 416), participants had to decide whether to approach members of two different categories, respectively associated with either gains or losses. Early in learning, a category rule involving two feature dimensions predicted category membership. Subsequently, there was a change in the feature composition of this rule. When outcome feedback was only provided when an item was approached, a substantial proportion of participants fell into the trap of using a simple one-dimensional rule to guide approach decisions. Most of these participants did not notice the subsequent rule change and never learned the new rule. Signaling the possibility of rule change (Experiment 2) had no effect on change blindness for those in the learning trap but did improve learning of the new rule for those who initially avoided the trap. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Critical minerals are those minerals that are essential for modern technologies, economic development and national security. Resilent acess to critical minerals is required for low carbon technologies in line with India's COP26(COP26 stands for the 26th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). The UNFCCC is a treaty that came into effect in 1994. The COP is the supreme decision-making body of the UNFCCC, and all states that are parties to the convention are represented at the COP.) commitemnts. Critical minerals are distinguished by distinctive chemical and physical properties. Apart from geological processes that determine the physical availability of these minerals there are a host of other factors that influence access to the resources on the ground such as quantity of mineral present, its grade, and the assessment of the optimum methods for mining and processing of ore. Therefore, reliable estimates of the total amount of these minerals that may be available in the Earth's crust are difficult to ascertain at preliminary level of exploration. This implies building capacity at each value chain stage (mineral exploration, mineral extractions, intermediate processing, manufacturing, and recycling). India is dependent on import for many critical minerals including lithium, cobalt, and nickel. Thrust has been given in National Mineral Policy 2019 towards exploration of energy critical minerals, for which the country is mainly dependent on imports. To boost the critical minerals supply chain in India, a number initiative that the government has taken will be discussed in this paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

When tackling high-dimensional, continuous simulation-based optimization (SO) problems, it is important to balance exploration and exploitation. Most past SO research focuses on the enhancement of exploitation techniques. The exploration technique of an SO algorithm is often defined as a general-purpose sampling distribution, such as the uniform distribution, which is inefficient at searching high-dimensional spaces. This work is motivated by the formulation of exploration techniques that are suitable for large-scale transportation network problems and high-dimensional optimization problems. We formulate a sampling mechanism that combines inverse cumulative distribution function sampling with problem-specific structural information of the underlying transportation problem. The proposed sampling distribution assigns greater sampling probability to points with better expected performance as defined by an analytical network model. Validation experiments on a toy network illustrate that the proposed sampling distribution has important commonalities with the underlying and typically unknown true sampling distribution of the simulator. We study a high-dimensional traffic signal control case study of Midtown Manhattan in New York City. The results show that the use of the proposed sampling mechanism as part of an SO framework can help to efficiently identify solutions with good performance. Using the analytical information for exploration, regardless of whether it is used for exploitation, outperforms benchmarks that do not use it, including standard Bayesian optimization. Using the analytical information for exploration only yields solutions with similar performance than when the information is used for exploitation only, reducing the total compute times by 65%. This paper sheds light on the importance of developing suitable exploration techniques to enhance both the scalability and the compute efficiency of general-purpose SO algorithms. Funding: T. Tay thanks the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR) Singapore for funding his work. Supplemental Material: The online appendix is available at https://doi.org/10.1287/trsc.2023.0110. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Studying the life and travels of the Victorian explorer Isabella Bird Bishop offers important insights into the history of disabled people within the discipline of geography. Bird Bishop is an important figure within geography's disciplinary history, as one of the first women admitted to the Royal Geographical Society in 1892. She also had a long‐standing spinal condition that intermingled with psychological symptoms. In studying how her disability (and contemporary understandings of her body) shaped her travels, this paper shows how disability interacted with Bird Bishop's racial and gender identity in shaping where and how she travelled and how she wrote about her experiences. By drawing attention to the role that disability played in justifying her travels and the positive effect travel had on her health, this paper highlights her generally positive experiences of geographical travel as a disabled person. Studying Isabella Bird Bishop's life reveals insights into the history of disabled people in geography. She was one of the first women admitted to the Royal Geographical Society in 1892 and had a spinal condition affecting her travels, physical health and psychological well‐being. This paper analyses how Bird Bishop's gender, class and racial identity interacted with her disability at home and abroad. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Across development, as children acquire a deeper understanding of their environment, they explore less and take advantage, or "exploit," what they already know. Here, we test whether children also enforce exploration‐oriented search behaviors onto others. Specifically, we ask whether children are more likely to encourage a search agent to explore versus exploit their environment, and whether this pattern varies across childhood (between 3 and 6 years). We also ask whether this pattern differs between children and adults, and generalizes across two different sociocultural contexts—Turkey and the United States—that differ on dimensions that might relate to children's decisions about exploration (e.g., curiosity‐focused educational practices, attitudes toward uncertainty avoidance). Participants (N = 358) watched an agent search for rewards and were asked at various points whether the agent should "stay" (exploit) in their current location, or "go" (explore) to a new location. At all points in the experiment, children enforced exploration significantly more often than adults. Early in the agent's search, children in the US enforced exploration more often than children in Turkey; later in the search, younger children (from both sociocultural contexts) were more likely to continue enforcing exploration compared to older children. These findings highlight that children are not only highly exploratory themselves, but also enforce exploration onto others—underscoring the central role that exploration plays in driving early cognitive development across diverse sociocultural contexts. Research Highlights: The current study examined developmental and cross‐cultural differences in children and adults' enforcement of explore‐exploit search strategies.Children in the US and Turkey enforced exploration more than adults, who enforced exploitation more often; results were generally consistent across cultures with small differences.Mirroring developmental changes in children's own search behavior; the tendency to enforce exploration decreased between 3‐ to 6‐years of age.Findings underscore the central role of an "exploration mindset" in children's early decision‐making—even when exploration has no direct benefits to the child themselves. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research delves into the unexplored geothermal resources within Egypt's internationally significant Red Sea and Central Eastern Desert regions, recognized for their renewable energy prospects. Surface thermal manifestations in granitic rocks, abundant in radioactive minerals, and geothermal anomalies along the depocenter regions of the Red Sea rift highlight the medium to high geothermal resources in the area. Utilizing an extensive dataset of aeromagnetic data, including derived heat flow (HF) data, geothermal surveys, and radioactive analysis of granitic rock samples, this study employs cutting-edge geophysical methodologies, particularly aeromagnetic data analysis, to identify the structural trends of the study area. The results reveal a range of medium to high heat flow values, determined through meticulous examination of the Curie depth point, temperature gradient, and HF data. Comparative analysis with seismicity data and the structural framework unveils distinct geothermal sources, setting this region apart within Egypt. The observed correlation between high-seismicity areas, structural locations, and HF map locations suggests a significant role of geodynamic motions in shaping the heat flow patterns. By highlighting the substantial geothermal potential, this study underscores the importance of advanced geophysical data in accurately identifying potential energy sources. The insights derived from this research hold global relevance, providing guidance for future exploration and development initiatives and contributing to the international discourse on transitioning to renewable energy. However, a comprehensive evaluation that incorporates radioactive analysis and exploratory drilling is crucial for fully unlocking the geothermal potential in this strategically important study area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A lot of discussion is done these days regarding the actual novelty of newcomer nature-inspired approaches. Crucial role on that matter is played by the mechanisms included in these approaches, where many of these mechanisms have been previously introduced as part of another algorithm. On the other hand, a good practice would be to use the mechanisms of a nature-inspired algorithm to enhance the performance or to overcome the drawbacks of another one. This paper investigates this issue, where four mechanisms have been isolated and studied. Furthermore, the well-known Particle Swarm Optimization and Firefly Algorithm were used to test the effect of the studied mechanisms on the exploration and exploitation of established approaches that suffer from premature convergence or mostly explore the search space, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An animal's behavioural traits can influence the outcomes of ecological interactions within their food web, including what they eat, their vulnerability to predation and who they compete with. Despite this, few studies have directly measured links between among-individual behavioural and trophic variation. Invasive species like the round goby, Neogobius melanostomus , are often found to have consistent among-individual differences in behaviour within and between populations across their invasion front. Therefore, an individualized approach to invasive populations and their ecological interactions may be valuable to understanding their impacts on recipient ecosystems. Using nonlethal methods to measure trophic variation (i.e. stable isotope analysis via fin clips) and passive individual tagging, we analysed behavioural trait/personality variation and trophic variation to explore links between the two. Focusing on an established population of round gobies in the Guldborgsund strait in the southwest Baltic Sea, we found significant among-individual variation in bold–exploratory traits in novel environment and refuge emergence assays. We also found strong intraspecific trophic variation, with particularly high variation in carbon-12 – carbon-13 (δ13C), suggesting that individual round gobies differ in what they are feeding on and/or where they forage. Diet reconstruction results support previous studies showing that gastropods and bivalves are major contributors to their diet, but the large differences in isotope values suggest that individual variation influences how they interact with prey communities. There were few links between behavioural and trophic variation; nevertheless, this study shows that measuring behavioural–trophic links is a viable approach for exploring whether and how behavioural traits may influence individual level ecological variation. • Round gobies show personality variation within populations in their invasive range. • Trophic variation influences how individual gobies impact invaded ecosystems. • Our study assessed links between trophic and personality variation in invasive fish. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 1828, delegates from the Chickasaw, Choctaw, and Creek nations set out with a cohort of white guides to explore potential new homelands west of the Mississippi River. But since the Indigenous explorers and their white conductors had opposing goals – resisting and encouraging removal, respectively – the Native delegates found themselves competing against, rather than benefiting from, their federally-appointed guides. The expedition of 1828 reveals that Indigenous experts studied distant places as part of their own traditions of exploration, that white and Native expeditionaries competed to define distant spaces in line with their respective agendas, and that officials' decisions to act upon the accounts of white explorers while silencing those of Native people both justified imperialist policies and retrenched an intellectual hierarchy in which whites were the only explorers that counted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a novel bio-inspired metaheuristic algorithm termed the Fossa Optimization Algorithm (FOA), which emulates the natural hunting behavior of the fossa in its habitat. FOA draws its core inspiration from the two-stage hunting technique of the fossa, involving an initial attack on a spotted lemur followed by a pursuit through the trees. The theoretical framework of FOA is elaborated, and its implementation is mathematically modeled in two distinct phases: (i) exploration, which simulates the fossa's positional adjustments during the initial attack on the lemur, and (ii) exploitation, which models the positional changes of the fossa during the chase. The efficacy of FOA is tested against twenty-two constrained optimization problems from the CEC 2011 test suite, as well as four engineering design challenges. The optimization results demonstrate FOA's strong capabilities in both exploration and exploitation, maintaining a balance that facilitates convergence to optimal solutions. FOA's performance is benchmarked against twelve established algorithms, showing that it consistently outperforms its competitors by delivering superior results and ranking as the top optimizer in most of the evaluated functions. These findings indicate that FOA is highly effective in addressing optimization tasks in real-world scenarios. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Supply Chain Management (SCM) applications represent real-world optimization tasks that require handling using appropriate optimization techniques. Metaheuristic algorithms are powerful optimization tools that are effective for solving complex optimization problems such as SCM. In this article, a new metaheuristic algorithm named Potter Optimization Algorithm (POA) is introduced to deal with optimization problems, especially in SCM applications. POA is mathematically modelled by the inspiration of the human process of pottery in two phases of exploration and exploitation. The exploration phase is designed based on mathematical modeling of making extensive changes to the clay (or other pottery materials) according to the given pattern. The exploitation phase is designed based on mathematical modelling of making precise and limited changes on the made pottery with the aim of creating more similarity to the given pattern. The effectiveness of the proposed POA approach to address real-world applications in SCM has been evaluated on sustainable lot size optimization. The optimization results show that POA has been able to provide effective solutions for sustainable lot size optimization case studies by managing exploration, exploitation, and balancing them during the search process at both global and local levels. In addition, the results obtained from the implementation of POA have been compared with the performance of twelve well-known metaheuristic algorithms. The analysis of the optimization results shows that POA has 100% superior performance compared to competing algorithms by providing better results in all ten case studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ambidextrous innovation is considered to be a key framework for innovation that offers organizations the ability to maintain their current level of competitiveness and develop and sustain a long-term competitive advantage. However, the implementation of ambidextrous innovation is constrained by an organization's culture. Thus, the aim and objective of the present research are to explore the literature deeply and attempt to understand both organizational culture and ambidextrous innovation, along with key cultural aspects with regard to ambidexterity. The present research deeply dived into the model of organizational culture and attempted to build synergy between each model with respect to ambidexterity. The results of the present research suggest that Cameron and Quinn's competing value framework, once amalgamated with the Schein model, creates an organizational culture framework that can be used to develop a culture that is best suited to the implementation of ambidextrous innovation. The Schein model provides a comprehensive guideline for each value of the competing value framework. Further, the present research also extracted key insights with regard to the role culture can play in innovation in general and ambidextrous innovation in particular. Finally, the present research also attempted to build a list of culture enablers and inhibitors that can facilitate and impede the process of ambidextrous innovation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Humeral shaft fractures are relatively common. Complications associated with this type of fracture and its treatment include nonunion and radial nerve palsy. Plate osteosynthesis with autologous bone grafting is considered the gold standard for treating nonunion. However, bone grafts might not always be necessary in cases of hypertrophic nonunion, and treatment should be tailored to the specific type and characteristics of the nonunion. The treatment of radial nerve palsy is debated, with some favoring expectant management based on the nerve’s ability to regenerate, and others preferring early surgical exploration to prevent possible lasting nerve damage. Methods: We present the case of a 46-year-old male patient with a six-year-old humeral shaft fracture resulting in hypertrophic nonunion. We treated the nonunion with anterograde intramedullary nailing without bone grafting. Postoperatively, the patient developed severe radial nerve palsy. After repeated electrophysiological studies, a decision was made to surgically explore the nerve 10 days after the nonunion surgery. The nerve was subsequently found to be intact and treated with neurolysis. Results: Bony union was shown at six months after nonunion surgery. Four months after the nonunion surgery, the patient started to show clinical signs of nerve recovery, and at 12 months he achieved nearly full clinical recovery of radial nerve function. Conclusions: Anterograde intramedullary nailing without autologous bone grafting may be considered an option for treating hypertrophic nonunion. The management of radial nerve palsy requires effective cooperation and communication between patient and physician. Further research is necessary to be able to better predict nerve recovery.

Individual differences in behavior have large consequences for the way in which ecology impacts fitness. Individuals differ in how they explore their environment and how exploratory behavior benefits them. In group-living animals, behavioral heterogeneity can be beneficial because different individuals perform different tasks. For example, exploratory individuals may discover new food sources and recruit group members to exploit the food, while less exploratory individuals forgo the risks of exploration. Here we ask how individual variation in exploratory behavior affects the ability of Argentine ant Linepithema humile colonies to (1) locate novel food sources, (2) exploit known food resources, and (3) respond to disruptions while foraging. To address these questions, we conducted field experiments on L. humile foraging trails in which we manipulated food availability near and at the foraging trails and disrupted the foraging trails. We sampled individuals based on their response to the perturbations in the field and tested their exploratory behavior in the lab. We found that exploratory individuals benefit the colony by locating novel foods and increasing resource exploitation, but they do not play an important role in the recovery of a foraging trail after disruption. Thus, the benefits of behavioral heterogeneity to the group, specifically in exploratory behavior, differ across ecological contexts.