Dr. Janet Clegg BSc Mathematics (York), PhD Mathematics (York)
Email: jc12@ohm.york.ac.uk
Tel: +44 (0)1904 32 3223
Fax: +44 (0)1904 32 2335
Research Area: Physical Layer Group > Applied Electromagnetics Lab
Research
My most recent research has involved the invention of a novel crossover technique in Cartesian Genetic Programming, which enables the algorithm to be very much more successful in finding solutions than current methods. This new technique has already been tested on several genetic programming problems and the results show huge improvements compared to traditional methods.
The new technique will be applied to two medical problems. Both of these medical applications are very innovative pieces of work currently being studied in the department.
The first is a novel technique for measuring body water. Changes in body water are due to various conditions such as kidney failure, heart problems and obesity. A novel electromagnetic instrument for measuring total body water has been developed. The work was awarded the Institute of Engineering and Technology (IET) Wheatstone Measurement Prize for 2006, and with funding from the Royal Society an instrument has been set up in Leeds General Infirmary where they are currently looking at body water in kidney patients and healthy volunteers. Janet Clegg has been involved in this work, both in performing computer simulations of the new technique and in using Genetic Programming to locate mathematical formula for the permittivity of materials. The new CGP technique will be used to locate good mathematical formulae, which accurately predict body water content from the electromagnetic instrument measurements. Once a good formula is found this can be used by medical experts in hospitals to accurately predict the body water content of their patients.
The second application of the new technique will be on the detection of Parkinson Disease (PD) using a CGP with the new crossover operator. PD is a common, chronic, progressive neurodegenerative brain disease, afflicting about one person in 1000, and about one person in 100 over the age of 60. The disease progresses relentlessly to a state of total physical incapacitation. The diagnosis of PD is at present based on clinical features, which can have poor sensitivity, with about 25% of patients wrongly diagnosed. Early accurate diagnosis of PD is of extreme importance since the symptoms can be treated if diagnosed early enough but become progressively worse without treatment. The new CGP method will be applied to the detection of PD and will improve the reliability of the detection of PD.
Teaching
I currently teach foundation year mathematics and a second year course in Numerical Methods.
Latest 30 Publications
- , Optimisation of Dielectric Parametric Formulae for Computational Electromagnetics and Non-ionising Dosimetry a Genetic Algorithm Approach, IoP Meeting on Mathematical and Computational Modelling in Medicine and Biology, Nottingham, September, 2010
- , A Genetic Algorithm used to fit Debye Functions to the Dielectric Properties of Tissues, World Congress on Computational Intelligence, Barcelona, July, 2010
- , Application of resonant cavity perturbation to in vivo segmental hydration measurement, Measurement Science and Technology, 21(1):015804.1-015, 2010
- , Artificial Evolution Methods in the Biological and Biomedical Sciences, Journal of Artificial Evolution and Applications,
1687-6229, 2010 - , A Genetic Algorithm for Solving Combinatorial Problems and the Effects of Experimental Error - Applied to Optimizing Catalytic Materials QSAR & Combinatorial Science, 2009, 28, 1010-1020, QSAR & Combinatorial Science, 28(9):1010-1020, 2009
- , Calibration of Biomedical Dielectric Sensors Optimised using Genetic Algorithm, XXIX General Assembly of the International Union of Radio Science (URSI), Chicago, Illinois, USA, August, 2008
- , Combining cartesian genetic programming with an estimation of distribution algorithm, Combining cartesian genetic programming with an estimation of distribution algorithm GECOO 08, Atlanta Gergia USA,
978-1-60558-130-9, July, 2008 - , A New Crossover Technique for Cartesian Genetic Programming, 2007 Genetic and Evolutionary Computation Conference (GECCO), London, July, 2007
- , Radio frequency electromagnetic fields in large conducting enclosures: effects of apertures and human bodies on propagation and field-statistics, IEEE Transactions on Electromagnetic Compatibility, 48(2):304-310,
0018-9375, May, 2006 - , A new factorisation of a general second order differential equation, International Journal of Mathematical Education in Science and Technology, 37(1):51-64,
0020-739X, January, 2006 - , Optimisation of Stirrer Designs in a Reverberation Chamber, IEEE Transactions on Electromagnetic Compatibility, 47(4):824-832, November, 2005
- , Effects of Windows and People on Electromagnetic Fields inside Conducting Enclosures, XXVIIth URSI General Assembly 2005, Delhi, Oct, 2005
- , The use of a genetic algorithm to optimize the functional form of a multi-dimensional polynomial fit to experimental data, 2005 IEEE Congress on Evolutionary Computation, 928-934, Edinburgh, September, 2005
- , Improved determination of Q-factor and resonant frequency by a quadratic curve-fitting method, IEEE Trans. EMC, 47(2):399-403, May, 2005
- , Reverberation chamber stirrer optimisation, EMC Europe 2004, Eindhoven, Sept, 2004
- , A Proposed New Definition and Measurement of the Shielding Effect of Equipment Enclosures, IEEE Transactions on EMC, 46(3):459-468, August, 2004
- , Numerical Modelling of Reverberation Chambers and Stirrer Optimisation, IEEE Symposium on Electromagnetic Compatibility, 273-278, Boston, USA,
0-7803-7835-0, August, 2003 - , A novel electromagnetic method of studying total body water content, IoP Meeting on RF Interactions with Humans: Mechanisms, Exposure and Medical Applications, 10, London, February, 2003
- , A novel method of studying total body water content using a resonant cavity: experiments and numerical simulation, Phys. Med. Biol., 48:113-125, 2003
- , Stirrer Optimisation and Numerical Modelling of the York Reverberation Chamber, EMC Europe 2002, Sorrento, September, 2002
- , Optimisation of stirrer designs in a mode stirred chamber using TLM, XXVIIth General Assembly of the International Union of Radio Science (URSI), Maastricht, August, 2002
- , The use of genetic algorithms to maximize the performance of a partially lined screened room, IEEE Transactions on Electromagnetic Compatibility, 44(1):233-242, Feb, 2002
- , The use of the transmission line matrix method to optimise a mode stirrer, Fourth International Workshop on Computational electromagnetics in the time-domain: TLM/FDTD and related techniques (CEM, 85-90, Nottingham,
0-9541146-0-4, September, 2001 - , Bilevel programming applied to optimising urban transportation, Transportation Research Part B, 35:41-70, 2001
- , Cone projection verses half-space projection for the bilevel optimisation of transportation networks, Transportation Research Part B, 35:71-82, 2001
- , A method of reducing the number of ferrite tiles in an anechoic chamber, IEE International Conference on EMC, York, July, 1999
- , A method of reducing the number of ferrite tiles in an absorber lined chamber, IEE 11th International conference on EMC, 59-64, July, 1999
- , Procedures for designing network controls - results from two iterative methods, Proceedings of the 11th Mini-EURO Conference on Artificial Intelligence in Transportation Systems and Science, Helsinki,
951-22-4589-2, 1999 - , Bilevel optimisation within urban traffic control, Proceedings of the 3rd IMA International Conference on Mathematics in Transport Planning and Control, Cardiff, UK, April, 1998
- , Bounds for the solution of certain nonlinear boundary value problems of Sturm-Liouville type, Journal of Applicable Analysis, 64:107-152, 1997
- , Optimal phase reflection gratings and the effect on fields in a mode stirred chamber, Proceedings of the EMC'96 ROMA International Symposium on EMC, Rome, Sept, 1996