Introducing the run support strategy for the bison algorithm

Many state-of-the-art optimization algorithms stand against the threat of premature convergence. While some metaheuristics try to avoid it by increasing the diversity in various ways, the Bison Algorithm faces this problem by guaranteeing stable exploitation – exploration ratio throughout the whole optimization process. Still, it is important to ensure, that the newly discovered solutions can affect the overall optimization process. In this paper, we propose a new Run Support Strategy for the Bison Algorithm, that should enhance the utilization of newly discovered solutions, and should be suitable for both continuous and discrete optimization. © Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2020

Non-invasive and invasive diagnoses of aspergillosis in a rat model by mass spectrometry

Invasive pulmonary aspergillosis results in 450,000 deaths per year and complicates cancer chemotherapy, transplantations and the treatment of other immunosuppressed patients. Using a rat model of experimental aspergillosis, the fungal siderophores ferricrocin and triacetylfusarinine C were identified as markers of aspergillosis and quantified in urine, serum and lung tissues. Biomarkers were analyzed by matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization (MALDI) and electrospray ionization mass spectrometry using a 12T SolariX Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance (FTICR) mass spectrometer. The limits of detection of the ferri-forms of triacetylfusarinine C and ferricrocin in the rat serum were 0.28 and 0.36 ng/mL, respectively. In the rat urine the respective limits of detection achieved 0.02 and 0.03 ng/mL. In the sera of infected animals, triacetylfusarinine C was not detected but ferricrocin concentration fluctuated in the 3-32 ng/mL range. Notably, the mean concentrations of triacetylfusarinine C and ferricrocin in the rat urine were 0.37 and 0.63 μg/mL, respectively. The MALDI FTICR mass spectrometry imaging illustrated the actual microbial ferricrocin distribution in the lung tissues and resolved the false-positive results obtained by the light microscopy and histological staining. Ferricrocin and triacetylfusarinine C detection in urine represents an innovative non-invasive indication of Aspergillus infection in a host

Utilising the chaos-induced discrete self organising migrating algorithm to solve the lot-streaming flowshop scheduling problem with setup time

The Dissipative Lozi chaotic map is embedded in the discrete self organising migrating algorithm (DSOMA), as a pseudorandom generator. This novel chaotic based algorithm is applied to the constraint based lot-streaming flowshop scheduling problem. Two new and unique data sets generated using the Lozi and Delayed Logistic maps are used to compare the chaos embedded DSOMA and the generic DSOMA utilising the venerable Mersenne Twister. In total, 100 data sets were tested by these two algorithms, for the idling and the non-idling case. From the obtained results, the chaos variant algorithm is shown to significantly improve the performance of generic DSOMA. © 2014 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg