Hyper-heuristics comprise a set of approaches that are motivated (at least in part) by the goal of automating the design of heuristic methods to solve hard computational search problems. An underlying strategic research challenge is to develop more generally applicable search methodologies. The term hyper-heuristic is relatively new; it was first used in 2000 to describe heuristics to choose heuristics in the context of combinatorial optimisation. However, the idea of automating the design of heuristics is not new; it can be traced back to the 1960s. The definition of hyper-heuristics has been recently extended to refer to a search method or learning mechanism for selecting or generating heuristics to solve computational search problems. Two main hyper-heuristic categories can be considered: heuristic selection and heuristic generation. The distinguishing feature of hyper-heuristics is that they operate on a search space of heuristics (or heuristic components) rather than directly on the search space of solutions to the underlying problem that is being addressed. This paper presents a critical discussion of the scientific literature on hyper-heuristics including their origin and intellectual roots, a detailed account of the main types of approaches, and an overview of some related areas. Current research trends and directions for future research are also discussed.

/pdf/hyper-heuristics-a-survey-of-the-state-of-the-art-mwp7dhxfb3.pdf

Hyper-heuristics: a survey of the state of the art

Culicoides biting midges are among the most abundant of haematophagous insects, and occur throughout most of the inhabited world. Across this broad range they transmit a great number of assorted pathogens of human, and domestic and wild animals, but it is as vectors of arboviruses, and particularly arboviruses of domestic livestock, that they achieve their prime importance. To date, more than 50 such viruses have been isolated from Culicoides spp. and some of these cause diseases of such international significance that they have been allocated Office International des Epizooties (OIE) List A status. Culicoides are world players in the epidemiology of many important arboviral diseases. In this context this paper deals with those aspects of midge biology facilitating disease transmission, describes the factors controlling insect-virus interactions at the individual insect and population level, and illustrates the far-reaching effects that certain components of climate have upon the midges and, hence, transmission potential.

Culicoides biting midges: their role as arbovirus vectors.

Cours d'economie politique

日本には約110種の蚊が産する。その中で医学的に重要なのは, 幼虫(ボウフラ)が人里近くの水域に発生し, 雌成虫がヒトから好んで吸血する種である。西日本ではアカイエカ(南西諸島ではネッタイイエカにおきかわる), チカイエカ, コガタアカイエカ, ヒトスジシマカなどが最も重要である。これらの種は生態がことなるので, その被害に対する効果的対策もことなる。雌成虫が吸血源となる動物を発見して完了するまでの過程は複雑で, わかつていない点もある。

Biology of mosquitoes.

In this paper we present a conceptual framework for parameter tuning, provide a survey of tuning methods, and discuss related methodological issues. The framework is based on a three-tier hierarchy of a problem, an evolutionary algorithm (EA), and a tuner. Furthermore, we distinguish problem instances, parameters, and EA performance measures as major factors, and discuss how tuning can be directed to algorithm performance and/or robustness. For the survey part we establish dierent taxonomies to categorize tuning methods and review existing work. Finally, we elaborate on how tuning can improve methodology by facilitating well-funded experimental comparisons and algorithm analysis.

https://www.cs.vu.nl/~gusz/papers/2011-Eiben-Smit-Tuning-for-configuring-and-analysis.pdf

Parameter tuning for configuring and analyzing evolutionary algorithms

Background 
The genetic basis of host specificity for animal and plant pathogenic bacteria remains poorly understood. For plant pathogenic bacteria, host range is restricted to one or a few host plant species reflecting a tight adaptation to specific hosts.


Methodology/Principal Findings 
Two hypotheses can be formulated to explain host specificity: either it can be explained by the phylogenetic position of the strains, or by the association of virulence genes enabling a pathological convergence of phylogenically distant strains. In this latter hypothesis, host specificity would result from the interaction between repertoires of bacterial virulence genes and repertoires of genes involved in host defences. To challenge these two hypotheses, we selected 132 Xanthomonas axonopodis strains representative of 18 different pathovars which display different host range. First, the phylogenetic position of each strain was determined by sequencing the housekeeping gene rpoD. This study showed that many pathovars of Xanthomonas axonopodis are polyphyletic. Second, we investigated the distribution of 35 type III effector genes (T3Es) in these strains by both PCR and hybridization methods. Indeed, for pathogenic bacteria T3Es were shown to trigger and to subvert host defences. Our study revealed that T3E repertoires comprise core and variable gene suites that likely have distinct roles in pathogenicity and different evolutionary histories. Our results showed a correspondence between composition of T3E repertoires and pathovars of Xanthomonas axonopodis. For polyphyletic pathovars, this suggests that T3E genes might explain a pathological convergence of phylogenetically distant strains. We also identified several DNA rearrangements within T3E genes, some of which correlate with host specificity of strains.


Conclusions/Significance 
These data provide insight into the potential role played by T3E genes for pathogenic bacteria and support a “repertoire for repertoire” hypothesis that may explain host specificity. Our work provides resources for functional and evolutionary studies aiming at understanding host specificity of pathogenic bacteria, functional redundancy between T3Es and the driving forces shaping T3E repertoires.

/pdf/a-repertoire-for-repertoire-hypothesis-repertoires-of-type-4m6s1mrwrd.pdf

A «Repertoire for Repertoire» Hypothesis: Repertoires of Type Three Effectors are Candidate Determinants of Host Specificity in Xanthomonas

Objective: To define the insecticide resistance status of Triatoma infestans to deltamethrin (pyrethroid), malathion (organophosphate) and bendiocarb (carbamate) in Bolivia. 

Methods: Fifty populations of T. infestans were sampled in Bolivian human dwellings. Quantal response data were obtained by topical applications of 0.2 mu l of insecticide-acetone solutions on nymphs N1 of the F1 generations. For most populations, dose-mortality relationships and resistance ratios (RR) were analysed. Discriminating concentrations were established for each insecticide with a susceptible reference strain and used on the other field populations. A tarsal-contact diagnostic test using insecticide impregnated papers was designed to rapidly identify deltamethrin-resistant populations in the field. 

Results Discriminating concentrations for topical applications were 5, 70 and 120 ng active ingredient per insect for deltamethrin, bendiocarb and malathion, respectively. The diagnostic concentration for deltamethrin was 0.30% for the 1-h exposure by tarsal contact. All populations sampled in human dwellings exhibited significant levels of resistance to deltamethrin, from 6 to 491 and varied among regions. Resistant populations did not recover complete susceptibility to deltamethrin when the synergist piperonyl butoxide (PBO) was used. None of the sampled populations exhibited significant resistance to bendiocarb (all RR50 < 1.8) or malathion (all RR50 < 2.2). 

Conclusion In Bolivia, most 'domestic'T. infestans populations are resistant to deltamethrin. Because insecticide vector control is the only selection pressure, resistance likely originates from it. Switching from pyrethroids to organophosphates or carbamates could be a short-term solution to control this vector, but other alternative integrated control strategies should also be considered in the long term.

https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01254858/document

Insecticide resistance of Triatoma infestans (Hemiptera, Reduviidae) vector of Chagas disease in Bolivia.

The performance of an evolutionary algorithm strongly depends on the design of its operators and on the management of these operators along the search; that is, on the ability of the algorithm to balance exploration and exploitation of the search space. Recent approaches automate the tuning and control of the parameters that govern this balance. We propose a new technique to dynamically control the behavior of operators in an EA and to manage a large set of potential operators. The best operators are rewarded by applying them more often. Tests of this technique on instances of 3-SAT return results that are competitive with an algorithm tailored to the problem.

Autonomous operator management for evolutionary algorithms

The evolution and spread of pyrethroid resistance in Anopheles gambiae s.s, the major malaria vector in sub-Saharan Africa, is of great concern owing to the importance of pyrethroid-treated nets in the WHO global strategy for malaria control. The impact of kdr (the main pyrethroid-resistance mechanism) on the behaviour of An. gambiae is not well understood. The objective of this study was to determine whether high or low doses of permethrin differ in their resistance-selection effects. The effect of permethrin treatment was assessed under laboratory conditions using the tunnel test technique against susceptible, heterozygous and homozygous genotypes. Experimental huts trials were then carried out in Benin to assess the level of personal protection conferred by nets treated with a variety of permethrin concentrations and their impact on the selection for kdr allele. Tunnel tests showed that nets treated with permethrin at 250 and 500 mg/m2 induced higher mortality and blood feeding reduction among susceptible and heterozygous (RS) females as compared to the lower concentration (100 mg/m2). The experimental hut trials showed that the best personal protection was achieved with the highest permethrin concentration (1,000 mg/m2). Mosquito genotyping revealed a non-linear relationship in the survival of kdr susceptible and resistant genotypes with permethrin dosage. Higher dosages (≥250 mg/m2) killed more efficiently the RS genotypes than did lower dosages (50 and 100 mg/m2). This study showed that nets treated with high permethrin concentrations provided better blood feeding prevention against pyrethroid-resistant An. gambiae than did lower concentrations. Permethrin-treated nets seem unlikely to select for pyrethroid resistance in areas where the kdr mutation is rare and present mainly in heterozygous form.

/pdf/dosage-dependent-effects-of-permethrin-treated-nets-on-the-5erbmnpuys.pdf

Dosage-dependent effects of permethrin-treated nets on the behaviour of Anopheles gambiae and the selection of pyrethroid resistance.

This paper presents GASAT, a hybrid algorithm for the satisfiability problem (SAT). The main feature of GASAT is that it includes a recombination stage based on a specific crossover and a tabu search stage. We have conducted experiments to evaluate the different components of GASAT and to compare its overall performance with state-of-the-art SAT algorithms. These experiments show that GASAT provides very competitive results.

http://www.info.univ-angers.fr/pub/lardeux/papers/ECJ06.pdf

Frédéric Lardeux

Papers

A «Repertoire for Repertoire» Hypothesis: Repertoires of Type Three Effectors are Candidate Determinants of Host Specificity in Xanthomonas

Insecticide resistance of Triatoma infestans (Hemiptera, Reduviidae) vector of Chagas disease in Bolivia.

Autonomous operator management for evolutionary algorithms

Dosage-dependent effects of permethrin-treated nets on the behaviour of Anopheles gambiae and the selection of pyrethroid resistance.

GASAT: a genetic local search algorithm for the satisfiability problem