Multi-threading a state-of-the-art maximum clique algorithm

We present a threaded parallel adaptation of a state-of-the-art maximum clique algorithm for dense, computationally challenging graphs. We show that near-linear speedups are achievable in practice and that superlinear speedups are common. We include results for several previously unsolved benchmark problems

Stability of Mine Car Motion in Curves of Invariable and Variable Radii

We discuss our experiences adapting three recent algorithms for maximum common (connected) subgraph problems to exploit multi-core parallelism. These algorithms do not easily lend themselves to parallel search, as the search trees are extremely irregular, making balanced work distribution hard, and runtimes are very sensitive to value-ordering heuristic behaviour. Nonetheless, our results show that each algorithm can be parallelised successfully, with the threaded algorithms we create being clearly better than the sequential ones. We then look in more detail at the results, and discuss how speedups should be measured for this kind of algorithm. Because of the difficulty in quantifying an average speedup when so-called anomalous speedups (superlinear and sublinear) are common, we propose a new measure called aggregate speedup

The weird and the wonderful – The scientific study of a miniature mummy

A human-faced oddity purported to be a ‘human baby, animal mummy or fake’ constructed in an ancient Egyptian style, was analysed at the KNH Centre for Biomedical Egyptology, University of Manchester, UK. Radiographic analysis using conventional radiography (X-ray) and computed tomography (CT) highlighted the nature of the bundle contents and identified marked similarities to mummified animal remains from ancient Egypt. Small samples were analysed using microscopy, environmental scanning electron microscopy (ESEM) and energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS). ESEM was used to assess the homogeneity of the sample and the materials used in its construction. EDS was conducted for analysis of the elemental composition.Comparatively few miniature mummies of this type are known and they represent an intriguing area of mummy studies. The results of this research have allowed comparisons with contemporary human and animal mummies to be made.Based on residues of tin plating found on the underside of the mask, it is possible that this feature is a recent addition. Further analysis of the materials used in the construction of the artefact is required to ascertain if the mask is a contemporary feature

Experimental Evaluation of Subgraph Isomorphism Solvers

International audienceSubgraph Isomorphism (SI) is an NP-complete problem which is at the heart of many structural pattern recognition tasks as it involves finding a copy of a pattern graph into a target graph. In the pattern recognition community, the most well-known SI solvers are VF2, VF3, and RI. SI is also widely studied in the constraint programming community, and many constraint-based SI solvers have been proposed since Ullman, such as LAD and Glasgow, for example. All these SI solvers can solve very quickly some large SI instances, that involve graphs with thousands of nodes. However, McCreesh et al. have recently shown how to randomly generate SI instances the hardness of which can be controlled and predicted, and they have built small instances which are computationally challenging for all solvers. They have also shown that some small instances, which are predicted to be easy and are easily solved by constraint-based solvers, appear to be challenging for VF2 and VF3. In this paper, we widen this study by considering a large test suite coming from eight benchmarks. We show that, as expected for an NP-complete problem, the solving time of an instance does not depend on its size, and that some small instances coming from real applications are not solved by any of the considered solvers. We also show that, if RI and VF3 can solve very quickly a large number of easy instances, for which Glasgow or LAD need more time, they fail at solving some other instances that are quickly solved by Glasgow or LAD, and they are clearly outperformed by Glasgow on hard instances. Finally, we show that we can easily combine solvers to take benefit of their complementarity

Coverage of clinic-based TB screening in South Africa may be low in key risk groups

The South African Ministry of Health has proposed screening all clinic attendees for tuberculosis (TB). Amongst other factors, male sex and bar attendance are associated with higher TB risk. We show that 45% of adults surveyed in Western Cape attended a clinic within 6 months, and therefore potentially a relatively high proportion of the population could be reached through clinic-based screening. However, fewer than 20% of all men aged 18–25 years, or men aged 26–45 who attend bars, attended a clinic. The population-level impact of clinic-based screening may be reduced by low coverage among key risk groups

Rotator cuff disorders: A survey of current (2018) Italian physiotherapy practice

© 2020-IOS Press and the authors. All rights reserved. BACKGROUND: Shoulder pain is a common musculoskeletal complaint and disorders of the rotator cuff (RC) are widely regarded as the most common cause. Where clinical care is required, physiotherapists play an integral role. Previous studies have reported physiotherapy practice across other countries as a means of determining current practice and understanding whether practice changes over time in response to emerging research evidence. AIM: To investigate the practice of Italian physiotherapists, in order to determine current practice for the assessment and management of RC disorders. METHODS: A cross sectional online survey. A 20-item questionnaire based on one clinical vignette was developed using Survey Monkey Software. Data were analyzed descriptively and difference in proportions between those with no specific education compared to those with a specific education (i.e. 'Master's Degree,' '1-2 days Training Course' or 'Other) were analysed using the chi-squared test. RESULTS: A total of 805 participants accessed the survey with a total of 436 completed responses (54%). Fifty-five percent of respondents were male (239/436). Seventy-one percent of respondents (309/436) reported having specific education with regards to RC disorders. The methods of diagnosing RC disorders were variable across the respondents as well as the requests for imaging (184/436, 42%), the adoption of manual therapy techniques (251/436, 58%), the duration of treatment (231/436, 53% visit the patient six times at least) and the administration of physical examination tests (175/436, 40%). Advice (279/436, 64%) and some form of exercise therapy (268/436, 62%) were the most popular choices of treatment. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: This current study is the first to describe Italian physiotherapy practice for RC disorders. Italian physiotherapy practice is in line with other European countries. Italian physiotherapy practice also aligns with current recommendations with regards to minimal use of imaging and prescription of therapeutic exercise. However, there is heterogeneity across the responses particularly with regards the use of manual therapy, physical examination tests, and duration of treatment. Furthermore this study is a platform for future research to explore whether Italian physiotherapy practice changes over time

Making it real: engaging the consumer in sustainable fashion consumption

With moves towards improving sustainability within the retail sector and a growing requirement to conform to existing and emerging legislation, retailers from ostensibly disparate sectors face the common challenge of encouraging the reduced consumption of saleable products, while simultaneously maintaining their prosperity. Project TRANSFER was initiated to investigate how efforts to promote sustainable consumption within retail is received and responded to by consumers. Consumers and partners in the retail sector were engaged with throughout the research which culminated in three consumer facing outputs; a workshop (Put a Better Foot Forward, The Moor retail destination, Sheffield, UK), installation (Making in Real, pop-up T-Shirt factory, Trinity Shopping Centre, Leeds, UK) and animated short film (Nothing to Wear? available via YouTube and launched at the Sheffield Shorts film screening, Sheffield, UK). Each of the outputs were designed to allow consumers to reflect on their shopping and consumption habits in an engaging, stimulating environment. The key aim was to promote mindfulness and engage consumers in discussion and debate. All the output events were free for the general public to attend / participate in. This paper will discuss the role of engaging the consumer in sustainable fashion research and the impact of consumer facing outputs in education and awareness of sustainable issues in shopping and consumption

The potential impact of COVID-19-related disruption on tuberculosis burden.

Before the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, over 4000 people were dying from tuberculosis (TB) every day. As with past emergencies, the impact of COVID-19 on TB outcomes is a serious cause for concern but is currently unknown. Health system overload, due to high numbers of COVID-19 cases, as well as interventions necessary to limit the transmission of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), could result in severe reductions in health service availability and access for the detection and treatment of TB cases. However, physical distancing interventions could also limit Mycobacterium tuberculosis transmission outside of households, where most transmission occurs. This has not been adequately explored in concurrent work, and it is currently unclear whether social distancing could compensate for disruptions in TB services, and what the impact of these combined COVID-19 disruption effects on TB burden is likely to be

Certifying Solvers for Clique and Maximum Common (Connected) Subgraph Problems

An algorithm is said to be certifying if it outputs, together with a solution to the problem it solves, a proof that this solution is correct. We explain how state of the art maximum clique, maximum weighted clique, maximal clique enumeration and maximum common (connected) induced subgraph algorithms can be turned into certifying solvers by using pseudo-Boolean models and cutting planes proofs, and demonstrate that this approach can also handle reductions between problems. The generality of our results suggests that this method is ready for widespread adoption in solvers for combinatorial graph problems

Quantifying progression and regression across the spectrum of pulmonary tuberculosis: a data synthesis study

BACKGROUND: Prevalence surveys show a substantial burden of subclinical (asymptomatic but infectious) tuberculosis, from which individuals can progress, regress, or even persist in a chronic disease state. We aimed to quantify these pathways across the spectrum of tuberculosis disease. METHODS: We created a deterministic framework of untreated tuberculosis disease with progression and regression between three states of pulmonary tuberculosis disease: minimal (non-infectious), subclinical (asymptomatic but infectious), and clinical (symptomatic and infectious). We obtained data from a previous systematic review of prospective and retrospective studies that followed and recorded the disease state of individuals with tuberculosis in a cohort without treatment. These data were considered in a Bayesian framework, enabling quantitative estimation of tuberculosis disease pathways with rates of transition between states and 95% uncertainty intervals (UIs). FINDINGS: We included 22 studies with data from 5942 individuals in our analysis. Our model showed that after 5 years, 40% (95% UI 31·3-48·0) of individuals with prevalent subclinical disease at baseline recover and 18% (13·3-24·0) die from tuberculosis, with 14% (9·9-19·2) still having infectious disease, and the remainder with minimal disease at risk of re-progression. Over 5 years, 50% (40·0-59·1) of individuals with subclinical disease at baseline never develop symptoms. For those with clinical disease at baseline, 46% (38·3-52·2) die and 20% (15·2-25·8) recover from tuberculosis, with the remainder being in or transitioning between the three disease states after 5 years. We estimated the 10-year mortality of people with untreated prevalent infectious tuberculosis to be 37% (30·5-45·4). INTERPRETATION: For people with subclinical tuberculosis, classic clinical disease is neither an inevitable nor an irreversible outcome. As such, reliance on symptom-based screening means a large proportion of people with infectious disease might never be detected. FUNDING: TB Modelling and Analysis Consortium and European Research Council