Action languages: Dimensions, effects

Dimensions of action languages are discussed for communication between humans and machines, and the message handling capabilities of object oriented programming systems are examined. Design of action languages is seen to be very contextual. Economical and effective design will depend on features of situations, the tasks intended to be accomplished, and the nature of the devices themselves. Current object oriented systems turn out to have fairly simple and straightforward message handling facilities, which in themselves do little to buffer action or even in some cases to handle competing messages. Even so, it is possible to program a certain amount of discretion about how they react to messages. Such thoughtfulness and perhaps relative autonomy of program modules seems prerequisite to future systems to handle complex interactions in changing situations

Sampling Random Colorings of Sparse Random Graphs

We study the mixing properties of the single-site Markov chain known as the Glauber dynamics for sampling $k$-colorings of a sparse random graph $G(n,d/n)$ for constant $d$. The best known rapid mixing results for general graphs are in terms of the maximum degree $\Delta$ of the input graph $G$ and hold when $k>11\Delta/6$ for all $G$. Improved results hold when $k>\alpha\Delta$ for graphs with girth $\geq 5$ and $\Delta$ sufficiently large where $\alpha\approx 1.7632\ldots$ is the root of $\alpha=\exp(1/\alpha)$; further improvements on the constant $\alpha$ hold with stronger girth and maximum degree assumptions. For sparse random graphs the maximum degree is a function of $n$ and the goal is to obtain results in terms of the expected degree $d$. The following rapid mixing results for $G(n,d/n)$ hold with high probability over the choice of the random graph for sufficiently large constant~$d$. Mossel and Sly (2009) proved rapid mixing for constant $k$, and Efthymiou (2014) improved this to $k$ linear in~$d$. The condition was improved to $k>3d$ by Yin and Zhang (2016) using non-MCMC methods. Here we prove rapid mixing when $k>\alpha d$ where $\alpha\approx 1.7632\ldots$ is the same constant as above. Moreover we obtain $O(n^{3})$ mixing time of the Glauber dynamics, while in previous rapid mixing results the exponent was an increasing function in $d$. As in previous results for random graphs our proof analyzes an appropriately defined block dynamics to "hide" high-degree vertices. One new aspect in our improved approach is utilizing so-called local uniformity properties for the analysis of block dynamics. To analyze the "burn-in" phase we prove a concentration inequality for the number of disagreements propagating in large blocks

Legislative Districting

America never knew the rotten boroughs that John Locke called "gross absurdities" and condemned as being incompatible with the right of equal representation (Locke, 1812, at 433). Rotten boroughs were towns "of which there remain[ed] not so much as the ruins, where scarce so much housing as a sheepcote, or more inhabitants than a shepherd [were] to be found, [but that sent] as many representatives to the grand assembly of law-makers, as a whole county numerous in people, and powerful in riches" (id., at 432). The United States did inherit from Britain the so-called Westminster system, in which legislators are elected, usually one apiece, from geographically defined districts, with the candidate receiving the most votes declared the winner. Perhaps the system was inevitable in a time with neither full-fledged political parties nor modem devices of transportation and communication. In any event, the system has been permanently embedded in American political thought and practice

OMICS-based personalized oncology: if it is worth doing, it is worth doing well!

The era of Personalized Medicine implies getting the right treatment to the right patient at the right schedule and dose at the right time. Tumor biomarker tests are keys to accomplishing this goal successfully. However, much of the translational research regarding tumor biomarker tests has been haphazard, often using data and specimen sets of convenience and ignoring many of the principles of the scientific method. In papers published simultaneously in BMC Medicine and Nature, McShane and colleagues have proposed a checklist of criteria that should be followed by investigators planning to conduct prospective clinical trials directed towards generating high levels of evidence to demonstrate whether a tumor biomarker test has clinical utility for a specific context. These criteria were generated in response to a roadmap reported by a committee convened by the U.S. Institute of Medicine for generation of omics-based biomarker tests. Taken together with several other initiatives to increase the rigor of tumor biomarker research, these criteria will increase the perception of value for tumor biomarker test research and application in the clinic. Please see related article: http://www.biomedcentral.com/1741-7015/11/220

Biomarker validation and testing

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/135701/1/mol2201595960.pd

History of the Pruet School of Christian Studies/Department of Religion at Ouachita Baptist University/Ouachita Baptist College (1886-2021)

This is a short history of the Religion Department/School of Christian Studies at Ouachita Baptist University. This document includes a historical overview, faculty publications, the theological and educational philosophy of the school, history of Bible-related CORE courses, curriculum, and lists of faculty/staff with some biographical information

Restoring flows in modified rivers

Doutoramento FLUVIO - River Restoration and Management / Instituto Superior de Agronomia / Instituto Superior Técnico / Faculdade de Arquitetura. Universidade de LisboaThis thesis was prepared based on an inter university agreement on joint doctorate supervision between the Instituto Superior de Agronomia from the University of Lisbon (ISA) and the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna (BOKU)Free-flowing rivers support diverse, complex and dynamic ecosystems, as well as provide societal and economic services. Globally, however, the water flow of many rivers has been regulated by hydropower or other sources. Flow modification affects crucial ecosystem functions and processes, and organism’s capacity to fulfil its life cycle requirements. In light of these widespread effects, it is urgent to mitigate ecological impacts caused by existing water infrastructures. To achieve environmental objectives, as well as to manage water uses in a sustainable way, a thorough understanding of ecological responses to hydrological alterations on different temporal levels (e.g., environmental flow, hydropeaking) is essential. This work aims to establish holistic approaches for restoring flows in modified rivers, and to develop environmental flows able to sufficiently mitigate the ecological effects of short-term and annual flow modifications in fluvial ecosystems. This thesis disentangles the effects of multiple stressors and shows that flow regulation is a primary predictor of fish populations. Moreover, by assessing flow-ecology relationships on annual, seasonal, and sub-daily levels, this work identifies fundamental principles to implement flow restoration measures in rivers affected by water abstraction and hydropeaking. While more dynamic flows are generally recommended as environmental flows, flow restrictions are needed for hydropeaking mitigation. Regarding the latter, a seasonal framework for hydrological mitigation based on fish life-history stages is established, and thresholds are synthesized. Overall, this thesis advances the establishment of guidelines for successful flow restoration in river systems affected by competing water uses by establishing holistic flow restoration schemes and by subsuming quantitative and qualitative hydropeaking thresholds. Moreover, this thesis sets the topic of flow restoration into the broader context of hydromorphological river rehabilitation. Hence, this work contributes to a more balanced discussion on trade-offs between societal and environmental water usesN/

OMICS-based personalized oncology: if it is worth doing, it is worth doing well!

Abstract The era of Personalized Medicine implies getting the right treatment to the right patient at the right schedule and dose at the right time. Tumor biomarker tests are keys to accomplishing this goal successfully. However, much of the translational research regarding tumor biomarker tests has been haphazard, often using data and specimen sets of convenience and ignoring many of the principles of the scientific method. In papers published simultaneously in BMC Medicine and Nature, McShane and colleagues have proposed a checklist of criteria that should be followed by investigators planning to conduct prospective clinical trials directed towards generating high levels of evidence to demonstrate whether a tumor biomarker test has clinical utility for a specific context. These criteria were generated in response to a roadmap reported by a committee convened by the U.S. Institute of Medicine for generation of omics-based biomarker tests. Taken together with several other initiatives to increase the rigor of tumor biomarker research, these criteria will increase the perception of value for tumor biomarker test research and application in the clinic. Please see related article: http://www.biomedcentral.com/1741-7015/11/220 .http://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/134535/1/12916_2013_Article_1105.pd