Papers by andrew MCCARREN
Replication package for Decomposition of Monolithic Applications into Microservices Architectures: A Systematic Review
Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research), Jul 1, 2022
IEEE Transactions on Software Engineering, 2023
Microservices architecture has gained significant traction, in part owing to its potential to del... more Microservices architecture has gained significant traction, in part owing to its potential to deliver scalable, robust, agile, and failure-resilient software products. Consequently, many companies that use large and complex software systems are actively looking for automated solutions to decompose their monolith applications into microservices. This paper rigorously examines 35 research papers selected from well-known databases using a Systematic Literature Review (SLR) protocol and snowballing method, extracting data to answer the research questions, and presents the following four contributions. First, the Monolith to Microservices Decomposition Framework (M2MDF) which identifies the major phases and key elements of decomposition. Second, a detailed analysis of existing decomposition approaches, tools and methods. Third, we identify the metrics and datasets used to evaluate and validate monolith to microservice decomposition processes. Fourth, we propose areas for future research. Overall, the findings suggest that monolith decomposition into microservices remains at an early stage and there is an absence of methods for combining static, dynamic, and evolutionary data. Insufficient tool support is also in evidence. Furthermore, standardised metrics, datasets, and baselines have yet to be established. These findings can assist practitioners seeking to understand the various dimensions of monolith decomposition and the community's current capabilities in that endeavour. The findings are also of value to researchers looking to identify areas to further extend research in the monolith decomposition space.
IEEE Access, 2023
Unsupervised anomaly detection (AD) is critical for a wide range of practical applications, from ... more Unsupervised anomaly detection (AD) is critical for a wide range of practical applications, from network security to health and medical tools. Due to the diversity of problems, no single algorithm has been found to be superior for all AD tasks. Choosing an algorithm, otherwise known as the Algorithm Selection Problem (ASP), has been extensively examined in supervised classification problems, through the use of meta-learning and AutoML, however, it has received little attention in unsupervised AD tasks. This research proposes a new meta-learning approach that identifies an appropriate unsupervised AD algorithm given a set of meta-features generated from the unlabelled input dataset. The performance of the proposed metalearner is superior to the current state of the art solution. In addition, a mixed model statistical analysis has been conducted to examine the impact of the meta-learner components: the meta-model, meta-features, and the base set of AD algorithms, on the overall performance of the meta-learner. The analysis was conducted using more than 10,000 datasets, which is significantly larger than previous studies. Results indicate that a relatively small number of meta-features can be used to identify an appropriate AD algorithm, but the choice of a meta-model in the meta-learner has a considerable impact.
Purpose: Although VȮ 2 max is considered the gold standard measure of cardiorespiratory fitness (... more Purpose: Although VȮ 2 max is considered the gold standard measure of cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF), it can be difficult to attain in patients with cardiovascular disease (CVD). The submaximal oxygen uptake efficiency slope (OUES) integrates cardiovascular, musculoskeletal and respiratory function during incremental exercise into a single index and has been proposed as an alternative and effort independent measure of cardiopulmonary reserve (Baba et al., 1996). The purpose of this study was to examine the relation between VȮ 2 max and both submaximal absolute OUES and relative OUES (OUES . kg -1 ). Methods: A total of 55 men ((mean ± SD) age, 59.08 ± 9.03 yr; VO 2 max, 1.94 ± 0.53 L . min -1 and 22.73 ± 5.95 mL . kg -1. min -1 ) were recruited during induction to a community based exercise referral program following completion of phase 2 cardiac rehabilitation. Participants performed a graded exercise test on a cycle ergometer with breath-by-breath open circuit spirometry and a 12 lead ECG. Absolute OUES and OUES . kg -1 were calculated by plotting VO 2 in mL . min -1 on the x-axis, and the log transformed VE on the y-axis (VO 2 = a log 10 VE + b). Exercise data up to the ventilatory anaerobic threshold (VAT) was included in the analysis. The %VȮ 2 max corresponding to the VAT was 55.72 ± 11.81. Absolute OUES and OUES . kg -1 were 2164.42 ± 540.96 and 25.28 ± 5.99, respectively. There was a significant positive correlation between VȮ 2 max (L . min -1 ) and OUES (r= 0.775; p<0.001) and between VȮ 2 max (mL . kg -1. min -1 ) and OUES . kg -1 (r= 0.78; p<0.001). Determination of VȮ 2 max is not often feasible in individuals with CVD where maximal exercise testing is contraindicated or when performance may be impaired by pain, dyspnea or angina. The findings from the present study indicate that the OUES and OUES . kg -1 are significantly related to absolute and relative VȮ 2 max, respectively and may be used as a valid submaximal effort independent measure of CRF.
Purpose: Cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) is generally regarded as an objective and reproducible m... more Purpose: Cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) is generally regarded as an objective and reproducible measure of recent habitual physical activity (PA). Considering that the majority of daily PA is performed at light intensity, it is likely that CRF benefits will be detected at submaximal rather than maximal exercise. The purpose of this study was to evaluate daily minutes of light (LIPA), moderate (MIPA) and vigorous (VIPA) intensity physical activity among men with cardiovascular disease (CVD), and to determine the relation between PA and submaximal (oxygen uptake efficiency slope (OUES)) and maximal (VȮ 2 peak) indices of CRF. Methods: A total 32 male participants (mean ( SD): age of 60.0 ± 8.7 yr, VȮ 2 peak (L/min) 2.0  0.45, VȮ 2 peak (mL/kg/min) 23.3  5.7, were recruited during an induction to a community based exercise referral program following completion of phase 2 cardiac rehabilitation. Participants underwent a graded exercise test on a cycle ergometer with breath by breath open circuit spirometry after which they wore a wrist worn accelerometer (Actigraph) for 7 d. Absolute and relative submaximal OUES were calculated by plotting VȮ 2 in mL/min on the x axis, and the log transformed VE on the y axis (VȮ 2 = a log 10 VE + b). Exercise data up to the ventilatory anaerobic threshold was included in the analysis. Results: Participants performed 589.05  69.41 min of daily LIPA, 161.38  66.16 min of MIPA and no daily min of VIPA. There was no significant relation between peak VȮ 2 and either LIPA or MIPA. There was a significant correlation between submaximal OUES (r=0.44; p<0.01) and LIPA. The relation between submaximal OUES/kg and LIPA min almost reached statistical significance (r=0.33; p<0.07). There was no significant relation between MIPA and OUES or OUES/kg. Men with CVD spend the majority (78%) of their day performing LIPA. OUES, a submaximal measure of CRF was related LIPA whereas no relation was found between VȮ 2 peak and LIPA. Men (n=32) with documented CVD were recruited during an induction to a community based exercise referral program after completion of phase 2 (hospital based) CR program. Physiological and physical characteristics and cardiovascular events and medications are summarized in the table. LIPA accounted for 78% of PA undertaken during waking hours. No VIPA was undertaken during the 7 d period. There was a sig. relation between submax OUES and LIPA (r=0.44; p<0.01). The relation between submaximal OUES/kg and LIPA min almost reached statistical significance (r=0.33; p<0.07). No significant relation between VȮ 2 peak and either LIPA or MIPA. No significant relation between MIPA and OUES or OUES/kg. Physical activity (PA) is defined as any bodily movement produced by skeletal muscle that results in the expenditure of energy and can be classified as LIPA (1.6-2.9 METs), MIPA (3.0-5.9 METs) and VIPA (6.0 METs). Habitual PA reduces morbidity and mortality in patients with established CVD. A high level of CRF measured as VO 2 peak is associated with a significant reduction in cardiovascular mortality in individuals with established atherosclerotic CVD. However, changes in VO 2 peak are relatively small in CVD patients following participation in cardiac rehabilitation (CR). A number of submaximal CRF indices may improve independent of changes in VO 2 peak and are also used to assess functional capacity. OUES is an effort independent submaximal CRF parameter that is derived from the linear relation of VȮ 2 (y-axis) versus the logarithm of VĖ (x-axis) during incremental exercise (Fig 1 .). OUES provides an estimation of the efficiency of ventilation with respect to VȮ 2 , with greater slopes indicating greater ventilatory efficiency. It is relatively independent of patient-achieved effort levels and reflects the absolute rate of increase in VȮ 2 per 10-fold increase in ventilation and thereby indicates how effectively oxygen is taken in by the lungs, transported and used in the periphery.
Journal of Human Sport and Exercise, 2019
The objectives of this study were to; quantify positional differences in the activity profiles of... more The objectives of this study were to; quantify positional differences in the activity profiles of Gaelic football players and to evaluate decrements in physical performance during a pre-season competition. Global positioning system (GPS) data was recorded from 36 players from 3 teams across 5 games. The relative distance covered in locomotor activities, peak speed, relative PlayerLoad™ (PL.min -1 ) and heart rate responses were evaluated between playing positions and across match periods using a mixed model analysis. The mean relative distance of 92.4 ± 23.3 m.min -1 covered, comprised 28.4 ± 10.2 m.min -1 of high intensity running (m.min -1 ≥ 4.0 m.s -1 ) and 9.9 ± 3.9 m.min -1 of very high intensity running (m.min -1 ≥ 5.5 m.s -1 ). High intensity running and relative PlayerLoad™ (PL.min -1 ) was significantly higher in half-backs, midfielders and half-forwards compared to the full-backs, whereas only the half-backs and half-forwards displayed significantly greater values compared to full-forwards. When compared to the first 15 min (P1) of the game, analysis of pooled positional data revealed significant declines in; overall relative distance covered, jogging (≥2.0 -< 4.0 m.s -1 ), running (≥4.0 -<5.5 m.s -1 ), high intensity running and PL.min -1 ,in P2 (20-35 min) and P4 (55-70 min). Significant reductions in average heart rate were also found between the first and second halves and between P1 with both P3 and P4. These results highlight differences in the physical performance requirements of specific positions and provide evidence of reductions in work-rate during games. Coaches
Activity profile of elite Gaelic football referees during competitive match play
Science & medicine in football, Mar 13, 2022
The purpose of this study was to examine the activity profile of elite Gaelic football referees (... more The purpose of this study was to examine the activity profile of elite Gaelic football referees (GFR) and to examine temporal changes between the first and second half and across the four quarters. Global positioning systems technology (10-Hz) was used to collect activity data during 202 competitive games from 23 elite GFR. Relative distance, peak running speed and relative distance covered in six movement categories [very low-speed movement (VLSM) (<0.70 m?s-1), walking (≥0.70-1.65 m?s-1), low-speed running (LSR) (≥1.66-3.27 m?s-1), moderate-speed running (MSR) (≥3.28-4.86 m?s-1), high-speed running (HSR) (≥4.87-6.48 m?s-1), very high-speed running (VHSR) (≥6.49 m?s-1)] were examined during the full game, first and second half, and across the four quarters. The relative distance covered was 122.6 ± 8.4 m?min-1, with 13.1 ± 4.9 m?min-1 of HSR and VHSR. The peak running speed was 6.75 ± 0.49 m?s-1. The relative (ES=0.60), MSR (ES=0.50) and HSR (ES=0.14) distance was higher in the first half than the second half. A higher relative (ES=0.62-0.91) and HSR (ES=0.51-0.61) distance was found in the first quarter than any other period. No differences in HSR distance were found between the second, third and fourth quarters (ES=0.04-0.10). This study provides, for the first time, a detailed insight into the activity profile of elite GFR during competitive games and demonstrates the demanding, intermittent nature of elite refereeing in Gaelic football. This information may be used as a framework for coaches to design training programmes specific to GFR.
Information from the many kinds of spectroscopy used by chemists and physicists is fundamental to... more Information from the many kinds of spectroscopy used by chemists and physicists is fundamental to our understanding of the structure of materials. Numerical techniques have an important role to play in the augmentation of the instrumentation and technology available in the laboratory, but are frequently viewed as separate from the laboratory procedures. We examine the model approaches which are currently applied in spectroscopy and determine their applicability to piezo-spectroscopic data. Typically, in piezo-spectroscopic modelling the analyses in question are required to handle large complex secular matrices, to distinguish between components in the experimental results, and to identify the transition types as rapidly and as efficiently as possible. The method proposed is based on providing a shell to the Powell or Fletcher-Reeves minimisation algorithms, and gives favourable results compared to those previously used. Additionally, the statistical properties of the least-squares estimator used in the Powell-shell are examined and implications for nonlinear model functions are discussed. W e also show that the least squares estimator performs well for piezo-spectroscopic data compared to those currently used in multi-response data analysis. Finally we describe the development of a software tool which incorporates all features of fitting piezo-spectroscopic data. v
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Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, May 1, 2018
Purpose: Although VȮ 2 max is considered the gold standard measure of cardiorespiratory fitness (... more Purpose: Although VȮ 2 max is considered the gold standard measure of cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF), it can be difficult to attain in patients with cardiovascular disease (CVD). The submaximal oxygen uptake efficiency slope (OUES) integrates cardiovascular, musculoskeletal and respiratory function during incremental exercise into a single index and has been proposed as an alternative and effort independent measure of cardiopulmonary reserve (Baba et al., 1996). The purpose of this study was to examine the relation between VȮ 2 max and both submaximal absolute OUES and relative OUES (OUES . kg -1 ). Methods: A total of 55 men ((mean ± SD) age, 59.08 ± 9.03 yr; VO 2 max, 1.94 ± 0.53 L . min -1 and 22.73 ± 5.95 mL . kg -1. min -1 ) were recruited during induction to a community based exercise referral program following completion of phase 2 cardiac rehabilitation. Participants performed a graded exercise test on a cycle ergometer with breath-by-breath open circuit spirometry and a 12 lead ECG. Absolute OUES and OUES . kg -1 were calculated by plotting VO 2 in mL . min -1 on the x-axis, and the log transformed VE on the y-axis (VO 2 = a log 10 VE + b). Exercise data up to the ventilatory anaerobic threshold (VAT) was included in the analysis. The %VȮ 2 max corresponding to the VAT was 55.72 ± 11.81. Absolute OUES and OUES . kg -1 were 2164.42 ± 540.96 and 25.28 ± 5.99, respectively. There was a significant positive correlation between VȮ 2 max (L . min -1 ) and OUES (r= 0.775; p<0.001) and between VȮ 2 max (mL . kg -1. min -1 ) and OUES . kg -1 (r= 0.78; p<0.001). Determination of VȮ 2 max is not often feasible in individuals with CVD where maximal exercise testing is contraindicated or when performance may be impaired by pain, dyspnea or angina. The findings from the present study indicate that the OUES and OUES . kg -1 are significantly related to absolute and relative VȮ 2 max, respectively and may be used as a valid submaximal effort independent measure of CRF.
Accurate prediction of the financial markets can provide many benefits, of which underlying econo... more Accurate prediction of the financial markets can provide many benefits, of which underlying economic stability is probably the most important. This area has understandably attracted a significant amount of interest from the research community, and has inspired a diverse range of approaches with varying degrees of success. Gold is a particular commodity which has attracted considerable attention since it was first smelted for ornaments and jewellery by the Egyptians in 3600BC. In uncertain economic times it is regularly used as a safe-haven commodity, and is why there is considerable attention given to enhancing the accuracy of gold prices prediction methods. Previous attempts at gold price prediction have used a variety of econometric and machine learning techniques. In particular Long Short-Term Networks (LSTMs) and more recently an ensemble of Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs) and LSTMs have been found to have had considerable level of success in time series prediction. In this...
A Meta-learner approach to multistep-ahead time series prediction
International journal of data science and analytics, Jul 9, 2024
A Meta-Learner Approach to Multistep-Ahead Time Series Prediction
Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research), May 8, 2023
ERJ Open Research, Nov 22, 2023
The PHAHB exercise trial demonstrates that an entirely remotely delivered exercise intervention i... more The PHAHB exercise trial demonstrates that an entirely remotely delivered exercise intervention is safe and feasible and, displays preliminary effectiveness for improving physical function, physical activity levels and quality of life in adults with PH.
arXiv (Cornell University), Oct 25, 2023
Association rule mining techniques can generate a large volume of sequential data when implemente... more Association rule mining techniques can generate a large volume of sequential data when implemented on transactional databases. Extracting insights from a large set of association rules has been found to be a challenging process. When examining a ruleset, the fundamental question is how to summarise and represent meaningful mined knowledge efficiently. Many algorithms and strategies have been developed to address issue of knowledge extraction; however, the effectiveness of this process can be limited by the data structures. A better data structure can sufficiently affect the speed of the knowledge extraction process. This paper proposes a novel data structure, called the Trie of rules, for storing a ruleset that is generated by association rule mining. The resulting data structure is a prefix-tree graph structure made of pre-mined rules. This graph stores the rules as paths within the prefix-tree in a way that similar rules overlay each other. Each node in the tree represents a rule where a consequent is this node, and an antecedent is a path from this node to the root of the tree. The evaluation showed that the proposed representation technique is promising. It compresses a ruleset with almost no data loss and benefits in terms of time for basic operations such as searching for a specific rule and sorting, which is the base for many knowledge discovery methods. Moreover, our method demonstrated a significant improvement in traversing time, achieving an 8-fold increase compared to traditional data structures.
Supplemental Material for Azodi et al., 2019
Supplemental Tables and Figures for Azodi et al 2019: Benchmarking parametric and machine learnin... more Supplemental Tables and Figures for Azodi et al 2019: Benchmarking parametric and machine learning models for genomic prediction of complex traits
While using online datasets for machine learning is commonplace today, the quality of these datas... more While using online datasets for machine learning is commonplace today, the quality of these datasets impacts on the performance of prediction algorithms. One method for improving the semantics of new data sources is to map these sources to a common data model or ontology. While semantic and structural heterogeneities must still be resolved, this provides a well established approach to providing clean datasets, suitable for machine learning and analysis. However, when there is a requirement for a close to real time usage of online data, a method for dynamic Extract-Transform-Load of new sources data must be developed. In this work, we present a framework for integrating online and enterprise data sources, in close to real time, to provide datasets for machine learning and predictive algorithms. An exhaustive evaluation compares a human built data transformation process with our system's machine generated ETL process, with very favourable results, illustrating the value and impact of an automated approach.
There are many projects today where data is collected automatically to provide input for various ... more There are many projects today where data is collected automatically to provide input for various data mining algorithms. A problem with freshly generated datasets is their unsupervised nature, leading to difficulty in fitting predictive algorithms without substantial manual effort. One of the first steps in dataset preparation and mining is anomaly detection, where clear anomalies and outliers as well as events or changes in the pattern of the data are identified as a precursor to subsequent steps in data mining. In the research presented here, we provide a multi-step anomaly detection process which utilises different combinations of algorithms for the most accurate identification of outliers and events.
Proceedings of the Australasian Computer Science Week Multiconference, Jan 31, 2017
As with many sectors, strategists and decision makers in the agricultural sector have a requireme... more As with many sectors, strategists and decision makers in the agricultural sector have a requirement to predict key measures such as product and feed pricing in order to maintain their position and, in some cases, to survive in their industry. Predictive algorithms in the area of Agri Analytics have shown to be very difficult due to the wide range of parameters and often unpredictable nature of some of these variables. Improving the predictive capability of Agri planners requires access to up-to-date external information in addition to the analyses provided by their own in-house databases. This motivates the need for an Agri Data Warehouse together with appropriate cleaning and transformation processes. However, with the availability of rich and wide ranging sources of Agri data now available online, there is a strong motivation to process as much current, online information as possible. In this work, we introduce the Agri Data Warehouse built for the DATAS project which not only harvests from a large number of online sources but also adopts an anomaly detection and labelling process to assist transformation and loading into the warehouse.
Journal of Neurology, Jun 27, 2013
The Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) is the current 'gold standard' for monitoring disease... more The Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) is the current 'gold standard' for monitoring disease severity in multiple sclerosis (MS). The EDSS is a physician-based assessment. A patient-related surrogate for the EDSS may be useful in remotely capturing information. Eighty-one patients (EDSS range 0-8) having EDSS as part of clinical trials were recruited. All patients carried out the web-based survey with minimal assistance. Full EDSS scores were available for 78 patients. The EDSS scores were compared to those generated by the online survey using analysis of variance, matched pair test, Pearson's coefficient, weighted kappa coefficient, and the intra-class correlation coefficient. The internet-based EDSS scores showed good correlation with the physician-measured assessment (Pearson's coefficient = 0.85). Weighted kappa for full agreement was 0.647. Full agreement was observed in 20 patients who had EDSS scores ranging from 0 to 6; many of those with 100 % agreement had scores of 5.5-6 (n = 8).The intra-class coefficient was 0.844 overall for all cases. Internet-based FS and EDSS show good agreement with physician-measured scores. Agreement was better in patients with higher scores. Overall patient satisfaction with the web-based assessment was high. An internet-based assessment tool is likely to prove an invaluable tool in the long-term monitoring in MS.
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Papers by andrew MCCARREN