A solvable class of quadratic 0–1 programming

AbstractWe show that the minimum of the pseudo-Boolean quadratic function ƒ(x) = xTQx + cTx can be found in linear time when the graph defined by Q is transformable into a combinatorial circuit of AND, OR, NAND, NOR or NOT logic gates. A novel modeling technique is used to transform the graph defined by Q into a logic circuit. A consistent labeling of the signals in the logic circuit from the set {0, 1} corresponds to the global minimum of ƒ and the labeling is determined through logic simulation of the circuit. Our approach establishes a direct and constructive relationship between pseudo-Boolean functions and logic circuits.In the restricted case when all the elements of Q are nonpositive, the minimum of ƒ can be obtained in polynomial time [15]. We show that the problem of finding the minimum of ƒ, even in the special case when all the elements of Q are positive, is NP-complete

Air-cooled, hydrogen-air fuel cell

An air-cooled, hydrogen-air solid polymer electrolyte (SPE) fuel cell with a membrane electrode assembly operatively associated with a fluid flow plate having at least one plate cooling channel extending through the plate and at least one air distribution hole extending from a surface of the cathode flow field into the plate cooling channel

Understanding the Economic Burden of Nonsevere Nocturnal Hypoglycemic Events: Impact on Work Productivity, Disease Management, and Resource Utilization

AbstractObjectiveNonsevere hypoglycemic events are common and may occur in one-third of persons with diabetes as often as several times a week. This study’s objective was to examine the economic burden of nonsevere nocturnal hypoglycemic events (NSNHEs).MethodsA 20-minute Web-based survey, with items derived from the literature, expert input, and patient interviews, assessing the impact of NSNHEs was administered in nine countries to 18 years and older patients with self-reported diabetes having an NSNHE in the past month.ResultsA total of 20,212 persons were screened, with 2,108 respondents meeting criteria and included in the analysis sample. The cost of lost work productivity per NSNHE was estimated to be between $10.21 (Germany) and$28.13 (the United Kingdom), representing 3.3 to 7.5 hours of lost work time per event. A reduction in work productivity (presenteeism) was also reported. Compared with respondents’ usual blood sugar monitoring practice, on average, 3.6 ± 6.6 extra tests were conducted in the week following the event at a cost of approximately $87.1 per year. Additional costs were also incurred for doctor visits as well as medical care required because of falls or injuries incurred during the NSNHE for an annual cost of$2,111.3 per person per year. When taking into consideration the multiple impacts of NSNHEs for the total sample and the frequency that these events occur, the resulting total annual economic burden was $288,000 or$127 per person per event.ConclusionsNSNHEs have serious consequences for patients. Greater attention to treatments that reduce NSNHEs can have a major impact on reducing the economic burden of diabetes

Army-NASA aircrew/aircraft integration program. Phase 5: A3I Man-Machine Integration Design and Analysis System (MIDAS) software concept document

This is the Software Concept Document for the Man-machine Integration Design and Analysis System (MIDAS) being developed as part of Phase V of the Army-NASA Aircrew/Aircraft Integration (A3I) Progam. The approach taken in this program since its inception in 1984 is that of incremental development with clearly defined phases. Phase 1 began in 1984 and subsequent phases have progressed at approximately 10-16 month intervals. Each phase of development consists of planning, setting requirements, preliminary design, detailed design, implementation, testing, demonstration and documentation. Phase 5 began with an off-site planning meeting in November, 1990. It is expected that Phase 5 development will be complete and ready for demonstration to invited visitors from industry, government and academia in May, 1992. This document, produced during the preliminary design period of Phase 5, is intended to record the top level design concept for MIDAS as it is currently conceived. This document has two main objectives: (1) to inform interested readers of the goals of the MIDAS Phase 5 development period, and (2) to serve as the initial version of the MIDAS design document which will be continuously updated as the design evolves. Since this document is written fairly early in the design period, many design issues still remain unresolved. Some of the unresolved issues are mentioned later in this document in the sections on specific components. Readers are cautioned that this is not a final design document and that, as the design of MIDAS matures, some of the design ideas recorded in this document will change. The final design will be documented in a detailed design document published after the demonstrations

Citigroup Letter from David C Bushnell and Michael S Helfer to John Ruocco Re FRBNY 2006 Summary of Supervisory Activity and Findings for Citigroup Inc

This letter is addressed to John Ruocc

Sedentary Behavior and Physical Function Decline in Older Women: Findings from the Women's Health Initiative

Sedentary behavior is associated with deleterious health outcomes. This study evaluated the association between sedentary time and physical function among postmenopausal women in the Women's Health Initiative Observational Study. Data for this prospective cohort study were collected between 1993–1998 (enrollment) and 2009, with an average of 12.3 follow-up years. Analyses included 61,609 women (aged 50–79 years at baseline). Sedentary time was estimated by questionnaire; physical function was measured using the RAND SF-36 physical function scale. Mixed-model analysis of repeated measures was used to estimate the relationship of sedentary time exposures and changes in physical function adjusting for relevant covariates. Compared to women reporting sedentary time of ≤6 hours/day, those with greater amounts of sedentary time (>6–8 hours/day, >8–11 hours/day, >11 hours/day) reported lower physical function between baseline and follow up (coefficient = −0.78, CI = −0.98, −0.57, −1.48, CI = −1.71, −1.25, −3.13, and CI = −3.36, −2.89, respectively P < 0.001). Sedentary time was strongly associated with diminished physical function and most pronounced among older women and those reporting the greatest sedentary time. Maintaining physical function with age may be improved by pairing messages to limit sedentary activities with those promoting recommended levels of physical activity

Horizontal And Vertical Movements Of Juvenile Bluefin Tuna (Thunnus Thynnus), In Relation To Oceanographic Conditions Of The Western North Atlantic, Determined With Ultrasonic Telemetry

We employed ultrasonic transmitters to follow (for up to 48 h) the horizontal and vertical movements of five juvenile (6.8-18.7 kg estimated body mass) bluefin tuna (Thunnus thynnus) in the western North Atlantic (off the eastern shore of Virginia). Our objective was to document the fishes\u27 behavior and distribution in relation to oceanographic conditions and thus begin to address issues that currently limit population assessments based on aerial surveys. Estimation of the trends in adult and juvenile Atlantic bluefin tuna abundance by aerial surveys, and other fishery-independent measures, is considered a priority. Juvenile bluefin tuna spent the majority of their time over the continental shelf in relatively shallow water (generally less then 40 m deep). Fish used the entire water column in spite of relatively steep vertical thermal gradients (approximate to24degreesC at the surface and approximate to12degreesC at 40 m depth), but spent the majority of their time (approximate to90%) above 15 m and in water warmer then 20degreesC, Mean swimming speeds ranged from 2.8 to 3.3 knots, and total distance covered from 152 to 289 km (82-156 nmi). Because fish generally remained within relatively confined areas, net displacement was only 7.7-52.7 km (4.1-28.4 nmi). Horizontal movements were not correlated with sea surface temperature. We propose that it is unlikely that juvenile bluefin tuna in this area can detect minor horizontal temperature gradients (generally less then 0.5degreesC/km) because of the steep vertical temperature gradients (up to approximate to0.6degreesC/m) they experience during their regular vertical movements. In contrast, water clarity did appear to influence behavior because the fish remained in the intermediate water mass between the turbid and phytoplankton-rich plume exiting Chesapeake Bay (and similar coastal waters) and the clear oligotrophic water east of the continental shelf

Investigating a Multimodal Intervention for Children with Limited Expressive Vocabularies Associated with Autism

This is the author's accepted manuscript. The original is available at http://www.asha.org/default.htmPurpose: To investigate a new intervention package aimed at increasing expressive word learning by school-age children with autism who have limited expressive vocabularies. This pilot investigation was intended to show proof of concept. Method: Ten children between the ages of 6-10 years with educational diagnoses of autism and limited expressive vocabularies at the outset of the study participated. A multimodal intervention composed of speech sound practice and AAC was used to teach individualized vocabulary words that were selected based on initial speech sound repertoires and principles of phonotactic probability and neighborhood density. A multiple-probe design was used to evaluate learning outcomes. Results: Five children showed gains in spoken- word learning across successive word sets (High Responders). Five children did not meet learning criteria (Low Responders). Comparisons of behaviors measured prior to intervention indicated that High Responders had relatively higher skills in receptive language, prelinguistic communication, vocal/verbal imitation, adaptive behavior and consonant productions. Conclusions: The intervention package holds promise for improving spoken word productions for some children with autism who have limited expressive vocabularies. Further research is needed to better describe who may most benefit from this approach as well as investigate generalized benefits to untaught contexts and targets

Double-flow focused liquid injector for efficient serial femtosecond crystallography

Serial femtosecond crystallography requires reliable and efficient delivery of fresh crystals across the beam of an X-ray free-electron laser over the course of an experiment. We introduce a double-flow focusing nozzle to meet this challenge, with significantly reduced sample consumption, while improving jet stability over previous generations of nozzles. We demonstrate its use to determine the first room-temperature structure of RNA polymerase II at high resolution, revealing new structural details. Moreover, the double flow- focusing nozzles were successfully tested with three other protein samples and the first room temperature structure of an extradiol ring-cleaving dioxygenase was solved by utilizing the improved operation and characteristics of these devices

GECKO: a complete large-scale gene expression analysis platform

BACKGROUND: Gecko (Gene Expression: Computation and Knowledge Organization) is a complete, high-capacity centralized gene expression analysis system, developed in response to the needs of a distributed user community. RESULTS: Based on a client-server architecture, with a centralized repository of typically many tens of thousands of Affymetrix scans, Gecko includes automatic processing pipelines for uploading data from remote sites, a data base, a computational engine implementing ~ 50 different analysis tools, and a client application. Among available analysis tools are clustering methods, principal component analysis, supervised classification including feature selection and cross-validation, multi-factorial ANOVA, statistical contrast calculations, and various post-processing tools for extracting data at given error rates or significance levels. On account of its open architecture, Gecko also allows for the integration of new algorithms. The Gecko framework is very general: non-Affymetrix and non-gene expression data can be analyzed as well. A unique feature of the Gecko architecture is the concept of the Analysis Tree (actually, a directed acyclic graph), in which all successive results in ongoing analyses are saved. This approach has proven invaluable in allowing a large (~ 100 users) and distributed community to share results, and to repeatedly return over a span of years to older and potentially very complex analyses of gene expression data. CONCLUSIONS: The Gecko system is being made publicly available as free software . In totality or in parts, the Gecko framework should prove useful to users and system developers with a broad range of analysis needs