1,262 research outputs found
Principled Evolutionary Algorithm Design and the Kernel Trick
We introduce a new approach to the principled design of evolutionary algorithms (EAs) based on kernel methods. We demonstrate how kernel functions, which capture useful problem domain knowledge, can be used to directly construct EA search operators. We test two kernel search operators on a suite of four challenging combinatorial optimization problem domains. These novel kernel search operators exhibit superior performance to some traditional EA search operators
Principled Evolutionary Algorithm Search Operator Design and the Kernel Trick
Configuring an Evolutionary Algorithm (EA) can be a haphazard and inefficient process. An EA practitioner may have to choose between a plethora of search operator types and other parameter settings. In contrast, the goal of EA principled design is a more streamlined and systematic design methodology, which first seeks to better understand the problem domain, and only then uses such acquired insights to guide the choice of parameters and operators
Search versus Search for Collapsing Electoral Control Types
Electoral control types are ways of trying to change the outcome of elections
by altering aspects of their composition and structure [BTT92]. We say two
compatible (i.e., having the same input types) control types that are about the
same election system E form a collapsing pair if for every possible input
(which typically consists of a candidate set, a vote set, a focus candidate,
and sometimes other parameters related to the nature of the attempted
alteration), either both or neither of the attempted attacks can be
successfully carried out [HHM20]. For each of the seven general (i.e., holding
for all election systems) electoral control type collapsing pairs found by
Hemaspaandra, Hemaspaandra, and Menton [HHM20] and for each of the additional
electoral control type collapsing pairs of Carleton et al. [CCH+ 22] for veto
and approval (and many other election systems in light of that paper's Theorems
3.6 and 3.9), both members of the collapsing pair have the same complexity
since as sets they are the same set. However, having the same complexity (as
sets) is not enough to guarantee that as search problems they have the same
complexity. In this paper, we explore the relationships between the search
versions of collapsing pairs. For each of the collapsing pairs of Hemaspaandra,
Hemaspaandra, and Menton [HHM20] and Carleton et al. [CCH+ 22], we prove that
the pair's members' search-version complexities are polynomially related (given
access, for cases when the winner problem itself is not in polynomial time, to
an oracle for the winner problem). Beyond that, we give efficient reductions
that from a solution to one compute a solution to the other. For the concrete
systems plurality, veto, and approval, we completely determine which of their
(due to our results) polynomially-related collapsing search-problem pairs are
polynomial-time computable and which are NP-hard.Comment: The metadata's abstract is abridged due to arXiv.org's
abstract-length limit. The paper itself has the unabridged (i.e., full)
abstrac
Separating and Collapsing Electoral Control Types
[HHM20] discovered, for 7 pairs (C,D) of seemingly distinct standard
electoral control types, that C and D are identical: For each input I and each
election system, I is a Yes instance of both C and D, or of neither.
Surprisingly this had gone undetected, even as the field was score-carding how
many std. control types election systems were resistant to; various "different"
cells on such score cards were, unknowingly, duplicate effort on the same
issue. This naturally raises the worry that other pairs of control types are
also identical, and so work still is being needlessly duplicated.
We determine, for all std. control types, which pairs are, for elections
whose votes are linear orderings of the candidates, always identical. We show
that no identical control pairs exist beyond the known 7. We for 3 central
election systems determine which control pairs are identical ("collapse") with
respect to those systems, and we explore containment/incomparability
relationships between control pairs. For approval voting, which has a different
"type" for its votes, [HHM20]'s 7 collapses still hold. But we find 14
additional collapses that hold for approval voting but not for some election
systems whose votes are linear orderings. We find 1 additional collapse for
veto and none for plurality. We prove that each of the 3 election systems
mentioned have no collapses other than those inherited from [HHM20] or added
here. But we show many new containment relationships that hold between some
separating control pairs, and for each separating pair of std. control types
classify its separation in terms of containment (always, and strict on some
inputs) or incomparability.
Our work, for the general case and these 3 important election systems,
clarifies the landscape of the 44 std. control types, for each pair collapsing
or separating them, and also providing finer-grained information on the
separations.Comment: The arXiv.org metadata abstract is an abridged version; please see
the paper for the full abstrac
Ataxia and mobility in children following surgical resection of posterior fossa tumour: A longitudinal cohort study
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Stroke Induces Prolonged Changes in Lipid Metabolism, the Liver and Body Composition in Mice
Acknowledgements We would like to thank the Biological Services Facility at the University of Manchester for expert animal husbandry and Karen Davies who helped with the MRI. The Histology Facility equipment that was used in this study was purchased by the University of Manchester Strategic Fund. Special thanks goes to Peter Walker for their help with the histology. Funding information This work was supported by the Kohn Foundation, an Edward Bonham Carter Doctoral Scholarship, an EPSRC/MRC Centre for Doctoral Training in Regenerative Medicine studentship grant (EP/L014904/1), and the Medical Research Council (MR/K501311/1).Peer reviewedPublisher PD
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Rescue of the MERTK phagocytic defect in a human iPSC disease model using translational read-through inducing drugs.
Inherited retinal dystrophies are an important cause of blindness, for which currently there are no effective treatments. In order to study this heterogeneous group of diseases, adequate disease models are required in order to better understand pathology and to test potential therapies. Induced pluripotent stem cells offer a new way to recapitulate patient specific diseases in vitro, providing an almost limitless amount of material to study. We used fibroblast-derived induced pluripotent stem cells to generate retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) from an individual suffering from retinitis pigmentosa associated with biallelic variants in MERTK. MERTK has an essential role in phagocytosis, one of the major functions of the RPE. The MERTK deficiency in this individual results from a nonsense variant and so the MERTK-RPE cells were subsequently treated with two translational readthrough inducing drugs (G418 & PTC124) to investigate potential restoration of expression of the affected gene and production of a full-length protein. The data show that PTC124 was able to reinstate phagocytosis of labeled photoreceptor outer segments at a reduced, but significant level. These findings represent a confirmation of the usefulness of iPSC derived disease specific models in investigating the pathogenesis and screening potential treatments for these rare blinding disorders
High Pressure Processing of Dairy Foods
End of Project ReportThe term High Pressure Processing (HPP) is used to describe the technology whereby
products are exposed to very high pressures in the region of 50 - 800 MPa (500 - 8000
Atmospheres). The potential application of HPP in the food industry has gained popularity
in recent years, due to developments in the construction of HPP equipment which makes
the technology more affordable. Applying HPP to food products results in modifications to
interactions between individual components, rates of enzymatic reactions and inactivation
of micro-organisms.
The first commercial HPP products appeared on the market in 1991 in Japan, where HPP
is now being used commercially for products such as jams, sauces, fruit juices, rice cakes
and desserts. The pioneering research into the application of HPP to milk dates back to the
end of the 19th century. Application of HPP to milk has been shown to modify its gel
forming characteristics as well as reducing its microbial load. HPP offers the potential to
induce similar effects to those generated by heat on milk protein.
Recent reports have also indicated that HPP could accelerate the ripening of cheese. Much
of the Irish cheese industry is based on the production of Cheddar cheese, the ripening time
for which can vary from 4 - 12 months or more, depending on grade. A substantial portion
of the cost associated with Cheddar manufacture is therefore attributed to storage under
controlled conditions during ripening. Thus, any technology which may accelerate the
ripening of Cheddar cheese while maintaining a balanced flavour and texture is of major
economic significance.
While food safety is a dominant concern, consumers are increasingly demanding foods that
maintain their natural appearance and flavour, while free of chemical preservatives. HPP
offers the food industry the possibility of achieving these twin goals as this technology can
lead to reduced microbial loads without detrimentally effecting the nutritional or sensory
qualities of the product.
The development of food ingredients with novel functional properties offers the dairy
industry an opportunity to revitalise existing markets and develop new ones. HPP can lead
to modifications in the structure of milk components, in particular protein, which may
provide interesting possibilities for the development of high value nutritional and functional
ingredients.
Hence these projects set out to investigate the potential of HPP in the dairy industry and
to identify products and processes to which it could be applied.Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marin
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