Using Case-Based Reasoning to Predict Marathon Performance and Recommend Tailored Training Plans

The 28th International Conference on Case-Based Reasoning (ICCP 2020), Salamanca, Spain (held online due to coronavirus outbreak), 8-12 June 2020Training for the marathon, especially a first marathon, is always a challenge. Many runners struggle to find the right balance between their workouts and their recovery, often leading to sub-optimal performance on race-day or even injury during training. We describe and evaluate a novel case-based reasoning system to help marathon runners as they train in two ways. First, it uses a case-base of training/workouts and race histories to predict future marathon times for a target runner, throughout their training program, helping runners to calibrate their progress and, ultimately, plan their race-day pacing. Second, the system recommends tailored training plans to runners, adapted for their current goal-time target, and based on the training plans of similar runners who have achieved this time. We evaluate the system using a dataset of more than 21,000 unique runners and 1.5 million training/workout sessions.Science Foundation IrelandInsight Research Centre2020-10-06 JG: PDF replaced with correct versio

Accessing directly the properties of fundamental scalars in the confinement and Higgs phase

The properties of elementary particles are encoded in their respective propagators and interaction vertices. For a SU(2) gauge theory coupled to a doublet of fundamental complex scalars these propagators are determined in both the Higgs phase and the confinement phase and compared to the Yang-Mills case, using lattice gauge theory. Since the propagators are gauge-dependent, this is done in the Landau limit of 't Hooft gauge, permitting to also determine the ghost propagator. It is found that neither the gauge boson nor the scalar differ qualitatively in the different cases. In particular, the gauge boson acquires a screening mass, and the scalar's screening mass is larger than the renormalized mass. Only the ghost propagator shows a significant change. Furthermore, indications are found that the consequences of the residual non-perturbative gauge freedom due to Gribov copies could be different in the confinement and the Higgs phase.Comment: 11 pages, 6 figures, 1 table; v2: one minor error corrected; v3: one appendix on systematic uncertainties added and some minor changes, version to appear in EPJ

No supra-additive effects of goserelin and radiotherapy on clonogenic survival of prostate carcinoma cells in vitro

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Oncological results of radiotherapy for locally advanced prostate cancer (PC) are significantly improved by simultaneous application of LHRH analoga (e.g. goserelin). As 85% of PC express LHRH receptors, we investigated the interaction of goserelin incubation with radiotherapy under androgen-deprived conditions in vitro.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>LNCaP and PC-3 cells were stained for LHRH receptors. Downstream the LHRH receptor, changes in protein expression of c-fos, phosphorylated p38 and phosphorylated ERK1/2 were analyzed by means of Western blotting after incubation with goserelin and irradiation with 4 Gy. Both cell lines were incubated with different concentrations of goserelin in hormone-free medium. 12 h later cells were irradiated (0 – 4 Gy) and after 12 h goserelin was withdrawn. Endpoints were clonogenic survival and cell viability (12 h, 36 h and 60 h after irradiation).</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Both tested cell lines expressed LHRH-receptors. Changes in protein expression demonstrated the functional activity of goserelin in the tested cell lines. Neither in LNCaP nor in PC-3 any significant effects of additional goserelin incubation on clonogenic survival or cell viability for all tested concentrations in comparison to radiation alone were seen.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The clinically observed increase in tumor control after combination of goserelin with radiotherapy in PC cannot be attributed to an increase in radiosensitivity of PC cells by goserelin in vitro.</p

Theoretical and practical convergence of a self-adaptive penalty algorithm for constrained global optimization

This paper proposes a self-adaptive penalty function and presents a penalty-based algorithm for solving nonsmooth and nonconvex constrained optimization problems. We prove that the general constrained optimization problem is equivalent to a bound constrained problem in the sense that they have the same global solutions. The global minimizer of the penalty function subject to a set of bound constraints may be obtained by a population-based meta-heuristic. Further, a hybrid self-adaptive penalty firefly algorithm, with a local intensification search, is designed, and its convergence analysis is established. The numerical experiments and a comparison with other penalty-based approaches show the effectiveness of the new self-adaptive penalty algorithm in solving constrained global optimization problems.The authors would like to thank the referees, the Associate Editor and the Editor-in-Chief for their valuable comments and suggestions to improve the paper. This work has been supported by COMPETE: POCI-01-0145-FEDER-007043 and FCT - Funda¸c˜ao para a Ciˆencia e Tecnologia within the projects UID/CEC/00319/2013 and UID/MAT/00013/2013.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

A discrete firefly algorithm to solve a rich vehicle routing problem modelling a newspaper distribution system with recycling policy

A real-world newspaper distribution problem with recycling policy is tackled in this work. In order to meet all the complex restrictions contained in such a problem, it has been modeled as a rich vehicle routing problem, which can be more specifically considered as an asymmetric and clustered vehicle routing problem with simultaneous pickup and deliveries, variable costs and forbidden paths (AC-VRP-SPDVCFP). This is the first study of such a problem in the literature. For this reason, a benchmark composed by 15 instances has been also proposed. In the design of this benchmark, real geographical positions have been used, located in the province of Bizkaia, Spain. For the proper treatment of this AC-VRP-SPDVCFP, a discrete firefly algorithm (DFA) has been developed. This application is the first application of the firefly algorithm to any rich vehicle routing problem. To prove that the proposed DFA is a promising technique, its performance has been compared with two other well-known techniques: an evolutionary algorithm and an evolutionary simulated annealing. Our results have shown that the DFA has outperformed these two classic meta-heuristics

Erratum to: 36th International Symposium on Intensive Care and Emergency Medicine

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1186/s13054-016-1208-6.]

QCD and strongly coupled gauge theories : challenges and perspectives

We highlight the progress, current status, and open challenges of QCD-driven physics, in theory and in experiment. We discuss how the strong interaction is intimately connected to a broad sweep of physical problems, in settings ranging from astrophysics and cosmology to strongly coupled, complex systems in particle and condensed-matter physics, as well as to searches for physics beyond the Standard Model. We also discuss how success in describing the strong interaction impacts other fields, and, in turn, how such subjects can impact studies of the strong interaction. In the course of the work we offer a perspective on the many research streams which flow into and out of QCD, as well as a vision for future developments.Peer reviewe

Systems and algorithms for wireless sensor networks based on animal and natural behavior

In last decade, there have been many research works about wireless sensor networks (WSNs) focused on improving the network performance as well as increasing the energy efficiency and communications effectiveness. Many of these new mechanisms have been implemented using the behaviors of certain animals, such as ants, bees, or schools of fish.These systems are called bioinspired systems and are used to improve aspects such as handling large-scale networks, provide dynamic nature, and avoid resource constraints, heterogeneity, unattended operation, or robustness, amongmanyothers.Therefore, thispaper aims to studybioinspired mechanisms in the field ofWSN, providing the concepts of these behavior patterns in which these new approaches are based. The paper will explain existing bioinspired systems in WSNs and analyze their impact on WSNs and their evolution. In addition, we will conduct a comprehensive review of recently proposed bioinspired systems, protocols, and mechanisms. Finally, this paper will try to analyze the applications of each bioinspired mechanism as a function of the imitated animal and the deployed application. Although this research area is considered an area with highly theoretical content, we intend to show the great impact that it is generating from the practical perspective.Sendra, S.; Parra Boronat, L.; Lloret, J.; Khan, S. (2015). Systems and algorithms for wireless sensor networks based on animal and natural behavior. International Journal of Distributed Sensor Networks. 2015:1-19. doi:10.1155/2015/625972S1192015Iram, R., Sheikh, M. I., Jabbar, S., & Minhas, A. A. (2011). Computational intelligence based optimization in wireless sensor network. 2011 International Conference on Information and Communication Technologies. doi:10.1109/icict.2011.5983561Lloret, J., Bosch, I., Sendra, S., & Serrano, A. (2011). A Wireless Sensor Network for Vineyard Monitoring That Uses Image Processing. 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Ant-Based Transmission Range Assignment Scheme for Energy Hole Problem in Wireless Sensor Networks. International Journal of Distributed Sensor Networks, 8(12), 290717. doi:10.1155/2012/290717Riva, G., & Finochietto, J. M. (2012). Pheromone-based In-Network Processing for Wireless Sensor Network Monitoring Systems. Network Protocols and Algorithms, 4(4). doi:10.5296/npa.v4i4.2206Garcia, M., Sendra, S., Lloret, J., & Canovas, A. (2011). Saving energy and improving communications using cooperative group-based Wireless Sensor Networks. Telecommunication Systems, 52(4), 2489-2502. doi:10.1007/s11235-011-9568-3Kim, J.-Y., Sharma, T., Kumar, B., Tomar, G. S., Berry, K., & Lee, W.-H. (2014). Intercluster Ant Colony Optimization Algorithm for Wireless Sensor Network in Dense Environment. International Journal of Distributed Sensor Networks, 10(4), 457402. doi:10.1155/2014/457402Dressler, F., & Akan, O. B. (2010). A survey on bio-inspired networking. 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A survey of nature inspired routing algorithms for MANETs. 2011 3rd International Conference on Electronics Computer Technology. doi:10.1109/icectech.2011.5942042Fernandez-Marquez, J. L., Di Marzo Serugendo, G., Montagna, S., Viroli, M., & Arcos, J. L. (2012). Description and composition of bio-inspired design patterns: a complete overview. Natural Computing, 12(1), 43-67. doi:10.1007/s11047-012-9324-yCamilo, T., Carreto, C., Silva, J. S., & Boavida, F. (2006). An Energy-Efficient Ant-Based Routing Algorithm for Wireless Sensor Networks. Lecture Notes in Computer Science, 49-59. doi:10.1007/11839088_5Selvakennedy, S., Sinnappan, S., & Shang, Y. (2006). T-ANT: A Nature-Inspired Data Gathering Protocol for Wireless Sensor Networks. Journal of Communications, 1(2). doi:10.4304/jcm.1.2.22-29Almshreqi, A. M. S., Ali, B. M., Rasid, M. F. A., Ismail, A., & Varahram, P. (2012). An improved routing mechanism using bio-inspired for energy balancing in wireless sensor networks. 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(2012). A quantum-inspired ant-based routing algorithm for WSNs. Proceedings of the 2012 IEEE 16th International Conference on Computer Supported Cooperative Work in Design (CSCWD). doi:10.1109/cscwd.2012.6221881Okazaki, A. M., & Frohlich, A. A. (2011). Ant-based Dynamic Hop Optimization Protocol: A routing algorithm for Mobile Wireless Sensor Networks. 2011 IEEE GLOBECOM Workshops (GC Wkshps). doi:10.1109/glocomw.2011.6162356Hui, X., Zhigang, Z., & Xueguang, Z. (2009). A Novel Routing Protocol in Wireless Sensor Networks Based on Ant Colony Optimization. 2009 International Conference on Environmental Science and Information Application Technology. doi:10.1109/esiat.2009.460AbdelSalam, H. S., & Olariu, S. (2012). BEES: BioinspirEd backbonE Selection in Wireless Sensor Networks. IEEE Transactions on Parallel and Distributed Systems, 23(1), 44-51. doi:10.1109/tpds.2011.100Da Silva Rego, A., Celestino, J., dos Santos, A., Cerqueira, E. C., Patel, A., & Taghavi, M. (2012). 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V., Venayagamoorthy, G. K., & Cheng, M. X. (2009). Bio-inspired node localization in wireless sensor networks. 2009 IEEE International Conference on Systems, Man and Cybernetics. doi:10.1109/icsmc.2009.5346107Kulkarni, R. V., & Venayagamoorthy, G. K. (2010). Bio-inspired Algorithms for Autonomous Deployment and Localization of Sensor Nodes. IEEE Transactions on Systems, Man, and Cybernetics, Part C (Applications and Reviews), 40(6), 663-675. doi:10.1109/tsmcc.2010.2049649Xin Song, Cuirong Wang, Wang, J., & Bin Zhang. (2010). A hierarchical routing protocol based on AFSO algorithm for WSN. 2010 International Conference On Computer Design and Applications. doi:10.1109/iccda.2010.5541265Gao, X. Z., Wu, Y., Zenger, K., & Huang, X. (2010). A Knowledge-Based Artificial Fish-Swarm Algorithm. 2010 13th IEEE International Conference on Computational Science and Engineering. doi:10.1109/cse.2010.49Wang, L., & Ma, L. (2011). A hybrid artificial fish swarm algorithm for Bin-packing problem. Proceedings of 2011 International Conference on Electronic & Mechanical Engineering and Information Technology. doi:10.1109/emeit.2011.6022829Yiyue, W., Hongmei, L., & Hengyang, H. (2012). Wireless Sensor Network Deployment Using an Optimized Artificial Fish Swarm Algorithm. 2012 International Conference on Computer Science and Electronics Engineering. doi:10.1109/iccsee.2012.453Yang, X.-S. (2010). A New Metaheuristic Bat-Inspired Algorithm. Studies in Computational Intelligence, 65-74. doi:10.1007/978-3-642-12538-6_6Goyal, S., & Patterh, M. S. (2013). Performance of BAT Algorithm on Localization of Wireless Sensor Network. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF COMPUTERS & TECHNOLOGY, 6(3), 351-358. doi:10.24297/ijct.v6i3.4481Krishnanand, K. N., & Ghose, D. (2006). Glowworm swarm based optimization algorithm for multimodal functions with collective robotics applications. Multiagent and Grid Systems, 2(3), 209-222. doi:10.3233/mgs-2006-2301Apostolopoulos, T., & Vlachos, A. (2011). 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Adaptive design optimization of wireless sensor networks using genetic algorithms. Computer Networks, 51(4), 1031-1051. doi:10.1016/j.comnet.2006.06.013Jia, J., Chen, J., Chang, G., & Tan, Z. (2009). Energy efficient coverage control in wireless sensor networks based on multi-objective genetic algorithm. Computers & Mathematics with Applications, 57(11-12), 1756-1766. doi:10.1016/j.camwa.2008.10.036Nan, G.-F., Li, M.-Q., & Li, J. (2007). Estimation of Node Localization with a Real-Coded Genetic Algorithm in WSNs. 2007 International Conference on Machine Learning and Cybernetics. doi:10.1109/icmlc.2007.4370265Saleem, K., Fisal, N., Abdullah, M. S., Zulkarmwan, A. B., Hafizah, S., & Kamilah, S. (2009). Proposed Nature Inspired Self-Organized Secure Autonomous Mechanism for WSNs. 2009 First Asian Conference on Intelligent Information and Database Systems. doi:10.1109/aciids.2009.75Jabbari, A., & Lang, W. (2010). Advanced Bio-inspired Plausibility Checking in a Wireless Sensor Network Using Neuro-immune Systems: Autonomous Fault Diagnosis in an Intelligent Transportation System. 2010 Fourth International Conference on Sensor Technologies and Applications. doi:10.1109/sensorcomm.2010.24Ponnusamy, V., & Abdullah, A. (2010). Biologically Inspired (Botany) Mobile Agent Based Self-Healing Wireless Sensor Network. 2010 Sixth International Conference on Intelligent Environments. doi:10.1109/ie.2010.46Li, J., Cui, Z., & Shi, Z. (2012). An Improved Artificial Plant Optimization Algorithm for Coverage Problem in WSN. Sensor Letters, 10(8), 1874-1878. doi:10.1166/sl.2012.2627Sendra, S., Llario, F., Parra, L., & Lloret, J. (2014). Smart Wireless Sensor Network to Detect and Protect Sheep and Goats to Wolf Attacks. Recent Advances in Communications and Networking Technology, 2(2), 91-101. doi:10.2174/22117407112016660012Sendra, S., Granell, E., Lloret, J., & Rodrigues, J. J. P. C. (2013). 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Towards Predicting the Response of a Solid Tumour to Chemotherapy and Radiotherapy Treatments: Clinical Insights from a Computational Model

In this paper we use a hybrid multiscale mathematical model that incorporates both individual cell behaviour through the cell-cycle and the effects of the changing microenvironment through oxygen dynamics to study the multiple effects of radiation therapy. The oxygenation status of the cells is considered as one of the important prognostic markers for determining radiation therapy, as hypoxic cells are less radiosensitive. Another factor that critically affects radiation sensitivity is cell-cycle regulation. The effects of radiation therapy are included in the model using a modified linear quadratic model for the radiation damage, incorporating the effects of hypoxia and cell-cycle in determining the cell-cycle phase-specific radiosensitivity. Furthermore, after irradiation, an individual cell's cell-cycle dynamics are intrinsically modified through the activation of pathways responsible for repair mechanisms, often resulting in a delay/arrest in the cell-cycle. The model is then used to study various combinations of multiple doses of cell-cycle dependent chemotherapies and radiation therapy, as radiation may work better by the partial synchronisation of cells in the most radiosensitive phase of the cell-cycle. Moreover, using this multi-scale model, we investigate the optimum sequencing and scheduling of these multi-modality treatments, and the impact of internal and external heterogeneity on the spatio-temporal patterning of the distribution of tumour cells and their response to different treatment schedules