Incorporating a metropolis method in a distribution estimation using Markov random field algorithm.

Markov Random Field (MRF) modelling techniques have been recently proposed as a novel approach to probabilistic modelling for Estimation of Distribution Algorithms (EDAs)[34, 4]. An EDA using this technique, presented in [34], was called Distribution Estimation using Markov Random Fields (DEUM). DEUM was later extended to DEUMd [32, 33]. DEUM and DEUMd use a univariate model of probability distribution, and have been shown to perform better than other univariate EDAs for a range of optimization problems. This paper extends DEUMd to incorporate a simple Metropolis method and empirically shows that for linear univariate problems the proposed univariate MRF models are very effective. In particular, the proposed DEUMd algorithm can find the solution in O(n) fitness evaluations. Furthermore, we suggest that the Metropolis method can also be used to extend the DEUM approach to multivariate problems

Solving the Ising spin glass problem using a bivariate EDA based on Markov random fields.

Markov Random Field (MRF) modelling techniques have been recently proposed as a novel approach to probabilistic modelling for Estimation of Distribution Algorithms (EDAs). An EDA using this technique was called Distribution Estimation using Markov Random Fields (DEUM). DEUM was later extended to DEUMd. DEUM and DEUMd use a univariate model of probability distribution, and have been shown to perform better than other univariate EDAs for a range of optimization problems. This paper extends DEUM to use a bivariate model and applies it to the Ising spin glass problems. We propose two variants of DEUM that use different sampling techniques. Our experimental result show a noticeable gain in performance

Long COVID and cardiovascular disease: a prospective cohort study

Background Pre-existing cardiovascular disease (CVD) or cardiovascular risk factors have been associated with an increased risk of complications following hospitalisation with COVID-19, but their impact on the rate of recovery following discharge is not known. Objectives To determine whether the rate of patient-perceived recovery following hospitalisation with COVID-19 was affected by the presence of CVD or cardiovascular risk factors. Methods In a multicentre prospective cohort study, patients were recruited following discharge from the hospital with COVID-19 undertaking two comprehensive assessments at 5 months and 12 months. Patients were stratified by the presence of either CVD or cardiovascular risk factors prior to hospitalisation with COVID-19 and compared with controls with neither. Full recovery was determined by the response to a patient-perceived evaluation of full recovery from COVID-19 in the context of physical, physiological and cognitive determinants of health. Results From a total population of 2545 patients (38.8% women), 472 (18.5%) and 1355 (53.2%) had CVD or cardiovascular risk factors, respectively. Compared with controls (n=718), patients with CVD and cardiovascular risk factors were older and more likely to have had severe COVID-19. Full recovery was significantly lower at 12 months in patients with CVD (adjusted OR (aOR) 0.62, 95% CI 0.43 to 0.89) and cardiovascular risk factors (aOR 0.66, 95% CI 0.50 to 0.86). Conclusion Patients with CVD or cardiovascular risk factors had a delayed recovery at 12 months following hospitalisation with COVID-19. Targeted interventions to reduce the impact of COVID-19 in patients with cardiovascular disease remain an unmet need

Lightening the load : women's labour and appropriate rural technology in Sub-Saharan Africa

This paper questions the assumptions of the rural technology debate, reassessing if and how technological interventions and initiatives are potentially valuable to rural women in sub-Saharan Africa. This entails examining what kinds of technologies are being promoted, and for whom they are being introduced, with comparisons drawn from the Green Revolution experience in South Asia. The first section of the paper discusses rural African women's work regimes, factors contributing to the intensification of African women's workday, and the contraction of African women's access to community-held resources. An assessment of the different purposes and phases in the development and spread of rural technology and its impact on women producers follows. The concluding sections consider the overall utility of rural technology intitiatives in sub-Saharan Africa, emphasizing the challenges that women's severe lack of time and money pose for their appropriate design and distribution.ASC – Publicaties niet-programma gebonde