16,966 research outputs found
Search algorithms as a framework for the optimization of drug combinations
Combination therapies are often needed for effective clinical outcomes in the
management of complex diseases, but presently they are generally based on
empirical clinical experience. Here we suggest a novel application of search
algorithms, originally developed for digital communication, modified to
optimize combinations of therapeutic interventions. In biological experiments
measuring the restoration of the decline with age in heart function and
exercise capacity in Drosophila melanogaster, we found that search algorithms
correctly identified optimal combinations of four drugs with only one third of
the tests performed in a fully factorial search. In experiments identifying
combinations of three doses of up to six drugs for selective killing of human
cancer cells, search algorithms resulted in a highly significant enrichment of
selective combinations compared with random searches. In simulations using a
network model of cell death, we found that the search algorithms identified the
optimal combinations of 6-9 interventions in 80-90% of tests, compared with
15-30% for an equivalent random search. These findings suggest that modified
search algorithms from information theory have the potential to enhance the
discovery of novel therapeutic drug combinations. This report also helps to
frame a biomedical problem that will benefit from an interdisciplinary effort
and suggests a general strategy for its solution.Comment: 36 pages, 10 figures, revised versio
Convolutional coding techniques for data protection
Results of research on the use of convolutional codes in data communications are presented. Convolutional coding fundamentals are discussed along with modulation and coding interaction. Concatenated coding systems and data compression with convolutional codes are described
From Instantly Decodable to Random Linear Network Coding
Our primary goal in this paper is to traverse the performance gap between two
linear network coding schemes: random linear network coding (RLNC) and
instantly decodable network coding (IDNC) in terms of throughput and decoding
delay. We first redefine the concept of packet generation and use it to
partition a block of partially-received data packets in a novel way, based on
the coding sets in an IDNC solution. By varying the generation size, we obtain
a general coding framework which consists of a series of coding schemes, with
RLNC and IDNC identified as two extreme cases. We then prove that the
throughput and decoding delay performance of all coding schemes in this coding
framework are bounded between the performance of RLNC and IDNC and hence
throughput-delay tradeoff becomes possible. We also propose implementations of
this coding framework to further improve its throughput and decoding delay
performance, to manage feedback frequency and coding complexity, or to achieve
in-block performance adaption. Extensive simulations are then provided to
verify the performance of the proposed coding schemes and their
implementations.Comment: 30 pages with double space, 14 color figure
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