A Parallel Monte-Carlo Tree Search-Based Metaheuristic For Optimal Fleet Composition Considering Vehicle Routing Using Branch & Bound

In this paper, a Monte-Carlo Tree Search (MCTS)-based metaheuristic is developed that guides a Branch & Bound (B&B) algorithm to find the globally optimal solution to the heterogeneous fleet composition problem while considering vehicle routing. Fleet Size and Mix Vehicle Routing Problem with Time Windows (FSMVRPTW). The metaheuristic and exact algorithms are implemented in a parallel hybrid optimization algorithm where the metaheuristic rapidly finds feasible solutions that provide candidate upper bounds for the B&B algorithm which runs simultaneously. The MCTS additionally provides a candidate fleet composition to initiate the B&B search. Experiments show that the proposed approach results in significant improvements in computation time and convergence to the optimal solution.Comment: Submitted to the IEEE Intelligent Vehicles Symposium 202

Burkholderia pseudomallei traced to water treatment plant in Australia.

Burkholderia pseudomallei was isolated from environmental specimens 1 year after an outbreak of acute melioidosis in a remote coastal community in northwestern Australia. B. pseudomallei was isolated from a water storage tank and from spray formed in a pH-raising aerator unit. Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis confirmed the aerator and storage tank isolates were identical to the outbreak strain, WKo97

The effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of acupressure for the control and management of chemotherapy-related acute and delayed nausea: Assessment of Nausea in Chemotherapy Research (ANCHoR), a randomised controlled trial

Chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting remain difficult symptoms to manage in clinical practice. As standard antiemetic drugs do not fully eliminate these symptoms, it is important to explore the adjuvant role of non-pharmacological and complementary therapies in antiemetic management approaches. Acupressure is one such treatment showing highly suggestive evidence so far of a positive effect, meriting further investigation

Obesity: A Biobehavioral Point of View

Excerpt: If you ask an overweight person, “Why are you fat?’, you will, almost invariably, get the answer, “Because 1 eat too much.” You will get this answer in spite of the fact that of thirteen studies, six find no significant differences in the caloric intake of obese versus nonobese subjects, five report that the obese eat significantly less than the nonobese, and only two report that they eat significantly more

Correlated Strength in Nuclear Spectral Function

We have carried out an (e,e'p) experiment at high momentum transfer and in parallel kinematics to measure the strength of the nuclear spectral function S(k,E) at high nucleon momenta k and large removal energies E. This strength is related to the presence of short-range and tensor correlations, and was known hitherto only indirectly and with considerable uncertainty from the lack of strength in the independent-particle region. This experiment confirms by direct measurement the correlated strength predicted by theory.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figures, accepted by Phys. Rev. Let

Cross Section Measurement of Charged Pion Photoproduction from Hydrogen and Deuterium

We have measured the differential cross section for the gamma n --> pi- p and gamma p --> pi+ n reactions at center of mass angle of 90 degree in the photon energy range from 1.1 to 5.5 GeV at Jefferson Lab (JLab). The data at photon energies greater than 3.3 GeV exhibit a global scaling behavior for both pi- and pi+ photoproduction, consistent with the constituent counting rule and the existing pi+ photoproduction data. Possible oscillations around the scaling value are suggested by these new data The data show enhancement in the scaled cross section at a center-of-mass energy near 2.2 GeV. The cross section ratio of exclusive pi- to pi+ photoproduction at high energy is consistent with the prediction based on one-hard-gluon-exchange diagrams

Age and gender differences in disabling foot pain using different definitions of the manchester foot pain and disability index

Extent: 9p.Background: The Manchester Foot Pain and Disability Index (MFPDI) has been used to determine the prevalence of disabling foot pain in several studies, however there is some debate as to which case definition is most appropriate. The objective of this study was to explore age and gender differences in the proportion of people with disabling foot pain using three different case definitions of the MFPDI and for each individual MFPDI item. Methods: A random sample of 223 participants aged 27 to 90 years (88 males and 135 females) from the North West Adelaide Health Study, who reported having pain, aching or stiffness in either of their feet on most days in the last month, completed the MFPDI by telephone interview. The proportion of people with disabling foot pain was determined using three definitions: (i) Definition A-at least one of the 17 items documented on at least some days in the last month; (ii) Definition B-at least one of the 17 items documented on most/every day(s) in the last month, and; (iii) Definition C-at least one of the ten functional limitation items documented on most/every day(s) in the last month. Cross-tabulations and chi-squared statistics were used to explore differences in responses to the MFPDI items according to age and gender. Results: The proportion of people with disabling foot pain according to each definition was as follows: Definition A (100%), Definition B (95.1%) and Definition C (77.6%). Definition C was most sensitive to age and gender differences. Exploration of individual MFPDI items indicated that age significantly affected both the pain intensity and functional limitation items, with younger people more likely to report their foot pain being worse in the morning, and older people more likely to report functional limitations. Although gender did not influence responses to the personal appearance items, women were more likely report functional limitations than men. Conclusions: Definition C of the MFPDI is more sensitive to age and gender differences in the proportion of people with disabling foot pain, and would therefore seem to be the most appropriate case definition to use in epidemiological studies involving a broad age range of participants.Hylton B Menz, Tiffany K Gill, Anne W Taylor and Catherine L Hil

Measurements of electron-proton elastic cross sections for 0.4<Q2<5.5(GeV/c)20.4 < Q^2 < 5.5 (GeV/c)^2

We report on precision measurements of the elastic cross section for electron-proton scattering performed in Hall C at Jefferson Lab. The measurements were made at 28 unique kinematic settings covering a range in momentum transfer of 0.4 $<$ $Q^2$ $<$ 5.5 $(\rm GeV/c)^2$. These measurements represent a significant contribution to the world's cross section data set in the $Q^2$ range where a large discrepancy currently exists between the ratio of electric to magnetic proton form factors extracted from previous cross section measurements and that recently measured via polarization transfer in Hall A at Jefferson Lab.Comment: 17 pages, 18 figures; text added, some figures replace