Adaptive primal-dual genetic algorithms in dynamic environments

This article is placed here with permission of IEEE - Copyright @ 2010 IEEERecently, there has been an increasing interest in applying genetic algorithms (GAs) in dynamic environments. Inspired by the complementary and dominance mechanisms in nature, a primal-dual GA (PDGA) has been proposed for dynamic optimization problems (DOPs). In this paper, an important operator in PDGA, i.e., the primal-dual mapping (PDM) scheme, is further investigated to improve the robustness and adaptability of PDGA in dynamic environments. In the improved scheme, two different probability-based PDM operators, where the mapping probability of each allele in the chromosome string is calculated through the statistical information of the distribution of alleles in the corresponding gene locus over the population, are effectively combined according to an adaptive Lamarckian learning mechanism. In addition, an adaptive dominant replacement scheme, which can probabilistically accept inferior chromosomes, is also introduced into the proposed algorithm to enhance the diversity level of the population. Experimental results on a series of dynamic problems generated from several stationary benchmark problems show that the proposed algorithm is a good optimizer for DOPs.This work was supported in part by the National Nature Science Foundation of China (NSFC) under Grant 70431003 and Grant 70671020, by the National Innovation Research Community Science Foundation of China under Grant 60521003, by the National Support Plan of China under Grant 2006BAH02A09, by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) of U.K. under Grant EP/E060722/1, and by the Hong Kong Polytechnic University Research Grants under Grant G-YH60

Long-term efficacy of an education programme in improving adherence with continuous positive airway pressure treatment for obstructive sleep apnoea

This randomised controlled trial demonstrated that a motivational enhancement programme composed of a single interview and a follow-up phone call at the initiation of continuous positive airway pressure treatment can improve treatment adherence in subjects with obstructive sleep apnoea, even after 1 year, and lead to better health outcome in terms of reducing daytime sleepiness.published_or_final_versio

EBUS-TBNA gives adequate tissue information on cell type in lung cancer

INTRODUCTION: In formulating systemic treatment in patients with advanced stage lung cancer, it is now considered imperative to know the cell type such as squamous carcinoma, adenocarcinoma and large cell carcinoma as chemotherapeutic agents would be tailored to treat different cell types. In the authors’ centre, the adoption of using epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKI) as the firstline treatment has been the treatment of choice in patients shown to have activated EGFR mutation. Adequate tissue obtained during diagnostic procedures for cell typing and molecular profiling is therefore important in formulating personalised treatment in lung cancer patients nowa…published_or_final_versio

From Wearable Sensors to Smart Implants – Towards Pervasive and Personalised Healthcare

<p>Objective: This article discusses the evolution of pervasive healthcare from its inception for activity recognition using wearable sensors to the future of sensing implant deployment and data processing. Methods: We provide an overview of some of the past milestones and recent developments, categorised into different generations of pervasive sensing applications for health monitoring. This is followed by a review on recent technological advances that have allowed unobtrusive continuous sensing combined with diverse technologies to reshape the clinical workflow for both acute and chronic disease management. We discuss the opportunities of pervasive health monitoring through data linkages with other health informatics systems including the mining of health records, clinical trial databases, multi-omics data integration and social media. Conclusion: Technical advances have supported the evolution of the pervasive health paradigm towards preventative, predictive, personalised and participatory medicine. Significance: The sensing technologies discussed in this paper and their future evolution will play a key role in realising the goal of sustainable healthcare systems.</p> <p> </p

Integration of System-Dynamics, Aspect-Programming, and Object-Orientation in System Information Modeling

Contemporary information modeling of enterprise systems only focuses on the technical aspect of the systems, though it is known that they are social-technical (socio-tech) systems in essence. In fact, there are many lessons that can be learned from failures in the management of enterprise systems, which range from a small one (e.g., failure to install a printer driver) to a large one (e.g., nuclear power plant post-accident management). This paper, therefore, proposes that the enterprise system should be viewed as a socio-tech system. The paper presents a novel integrated approach to information modeling of socio-tech enterprise systems. In particular, the approach integrates object-orientation, systems-dynamics (as a means to represent high-level dynamics), and aspect-programming. The paper discusses an example to illustrate how the proposed approach works. © 2012 IEEE.published_or_final_versio

Designing durable and flexible superhydrophobic coatings and its application in oil purification

Lotus-inspired superhydrophobic coatings are usually mechanically weak and lack durability, this hinders their practical applications. A suspension that can be treated on various materials in any size and shape to form a mechanically durable superhydrophobic coating is developed, which retains water repellent properties after multiple cycles of abrasion, blade scratching, tape-peeling, repeated deformation, a series of environmental tests and recycling. Based on its superhydrophobicity under oil, two highly efficient systems were developed for oil purification – stirring and inverted cone systems. Small water drops converge on the coated surface that was immersed in oil through velocity-controlled stirring, or designing an inverted cone superhydrophobic surface under oil to collect water drops spontaneously. This coating can be readily used for practical applications to make a durable superhydrophobic coating that functions either in air or oils

Outcomes in Trials for Management of Caries Lesions (OuTMaC):protocol

Background Clinical trials on caries lesion management use an abundance of outcomes, hampering comparison or combination of different study results and their efficient translation into clinical practice. Core outcome sets are an agreed standardized collection of outcomes which should be measured and reported in all trials for a specific clinical area. We aim to develop a core outcome set for trials investigating management of caries lesions in primary or permanent teeth conducted in primary or secondary care encompassing all stages of disease. Methods To identify existing outcomes, trials on prevention and trials on management of caries lesions will be screened systematically in four databases. Screening, extraction and deduplication will be performed by two researchers until consensus is reached. The definition of the core outcome set will by based on an e-Delhi consensus process involving key stakeholders namely patients, dentists, clinical researchers, health economists, statisticians, policy-makers and industry representatives. For the first stage of the Delphi process, a patient panel and a separate panel consisting of researchers, clinicians, teachers, industry affiliated researchers, policy-makers, and other interested parties will be held. An inclusive approach will be taken to involve panelists from a wide variety of socio-economic and geographic backgrounds. Results from the first round will be summarized and fed back to individuals for the second round, where panels will be combined and allowed to modify their scoring in light of the full panel’s opinion. Necessity for a third round will be dependent on the outcome of the first two. Agreement will be measured via defined consensus rules; up to a maximum of seven outcomes. If resources allow, we will investigate features that influence decision making for different groups. Discussion By using an explicit, transparent and inclusive multi-step consensus process, the planned core outcome set should be justifiable, relevant and comprehensive. The dissemination and application of this core outcome set should improve clinical trials on managing caries lesions and allow comparison, synthesis and implementation of scientific data. Trial registration Registered 12 April 2015 at COMET (http://www.comet-initiative.org

Synthesis of Rutile Nb: TiO2 Free-Standing Thin Film at the Liquid-Air Interface

One‐step hydrothermal synthesis of the niobium doped rutile TiO2 free standing film at the liquid–air interface without the use of a template is presented. Film is flexible within first few minutes of removal from the solution and allows application on various shaped objects and substrates

Gradients and anisotropies of high energy cosmic rays in the outer heliosphere

Previous studies at lower energies have shown that the cosmic ray density gradients vary in space and time, and many authors currently are suggesting that the radial gradient associated with solar cycle modulation is supported largely by narrow barriers which encircle the Sun and propagate outward with the solar wind. If so, the anisotropy is a desirable way to detect spatial gradients, because it can be associated with the local solar wind and magnetic field conditions. With this in mind, the anisotropy measurements made by the UCSD Cerenkov detectors on Pioneers 10 and 11 are studied. It is shown that the local anisotropy varies greatly, but that the long term average is consistent with the global radial gradient measured between two spacecraft over a baseline of many AU

Gradients and anisotropies of high energy cosmic rays in the outer heliosphere

Two cosmic rays which pass through the same point going in opposite directions will, in the absence of scattering and inhomogeneities in the magnetic field, trace helices about adjacent flux tubes, whose centerlines are separated by one gyrodiameter. A directional anisotropy at the point suggests a difference in the number of cosmic rays loading the two flux tubes; that is, a density gradient over the baseline of a gyrodiameter. Previous studies at lower energies have shown that the cosmic ray density gradients vary in time and space. It is suggested that the radial gradient associated with solar cycle modulation is supported largely by narrow barriers which encircle the sun and propagate outward with the solar wind. If so, the anisotropy is a desirable way to detect spatial gradients, because it can be associated with the local solar wind and magnetic field conditions. Anisotropic measurements made by Cerenkov detectors on Pioneers 10 and 11 were studied. It was found that local anisotropy varies greatly, but that the long term average is consistent with the global radial gradient measured between two spacecraft over a baseline of many AU