The elements of an efficient character

Thesis (M.A.)--Boston Universit

Magic: The Gathering Is Turing Complete

Magic: The Gathering is a popular and famously complicated trading card game about magical combat. In this paper we show that optimal play in real-world Magic is at least as hard as the Halting Problem. This provides a positive answer to the question "is there a real-world game where perfect play is undecidable under the rules in which it is typically played?", a question that has been open for a decade [David Auger and Oliver Teytaud, 2012; Erik D. Demaine and Robert A. Hearn, 2009]. To do this, we present a methodology for embedding an arbitrary Turing machine into a game of Magic such that the first player is guaranteed to win the game if and only if the Turing machine halts. Our result applies to how real Magic is played, can be achieved using standard-size tournament-legal decks, and does not rely on stochasticity or hidden information. Our result is also highly unusual in that all moves of both players are forced in the construction. This shows that even recognising who will win a game in which neither player has a non-trivial decision to make for the rest of the game is undecidable. We conclude with a discussion of the implications for a unified computational theory of games and remarks about the playability of such a board in a tournament setting

Digitization workflows for flat sheets and packets of plants, algae, and fungi

Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/141708/1/aps31500065.pd

Social Class

Discussion of class structure in fifth-century Athens, historical constitution of theater audiences, and the changes in the comic representation of class antagonism from Aristophanes to Menander

Treatment outcome in early diffuse cutaneous systemic sclerosis: the European Scleroderma Observational Study (ESOS).

OBJECTIVES: The rarity of early diffuse cutaneous systemic sclerosis (dcSSc) makes randomised controlled trials very difficult. We aimed to use an observational approach to compare effectiveness of currently used treatment approaches. METHODS: This was a prospective, observational cohort study of early dcSSc (within three years of onset of skin thickening). Clinicians selected one of four protocols for each patient: methotrexate, mycophenolate mofetil (MMF), cyclophosphamide or 'no immunosuppressant'. Patients were assessed three-monthly for up to 24 months. The primary outcome was the change in modified Rodnan skin score (mRSS). Confounding by indication at baseline was accounted for using inverse probability of treatment (IPT) weights. As a secondary outcome, an IPT-weighted Cox model was used to test for differences in survival. RESULTS: Of 326 patients recruited from 50 centres, 65 were prescribed methotrexate, 118 MMF, 87 cyclophosphamide and 56 no immunosuppressant. 276 (84.7%) patients completed 12 and 234 (71.7%) 24 months follow-up (or reached last visit date). There were statistically significant reductions in mRSS at 12 months in all groups: -4.0 (-5.2 to -2.7) units for methotrexate, -4.1 (-5.3 to -2.9) for MMF, -3.3 (-4.9 to -1.7) for cyclophosphamide and -2.2 (-4.0 to -0.3) for no immunosuppressant (p value for between-group differences=0.346). There were no statistically significant differences in survival between protocols before (p=0.389) or after weighting (p=0.440), but survival was poorest in the no immunosuppressant group (84.0%) at 24 months. CONCLUSIONS: These findings may support using immunosuppressants for early dcSSc but suggest that overall benefit is modest over 12 months and that better treatments are needed. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: NCT02339441

Digitization Workflows for Flat Sheets and Packets of Plants, Algae, and Fungi

Effective workflows are essential components in the digitization of biodiversity specimen collections. To date, no comprehensive, community-vetted workflows have been published for digitizing flat sheets and packets of plants, algae, and fungi, even though latest estimates suggest that only 33% of herbarium specimens have been digitally transcribed, 54% of herbaria use a specimen database, and 24% are imaging specimens. In 2012, iDigBio, the U.S. National Science Foundation’s (NSF) coordinating center and national resource for the digitization of public, nonfederal U.S. collections, launched several working groups to address this deficiency. Here, we report the development of 14 workflow modules with 7–36 tasks each. These workflows represent the combined work of approximately 35 curators, directors, and collections managers representing more than 30 herbaria, including 15 NSF-supported plant-related Thematic Collections Networks and collaboratives. The workflows are provided for download as Portable Document Format (PDF) and Microsoft Word files. Customization of these workflows for specific institutional implementation is encouraged

Selections from the poetry of Robert Herrick /

Preface signed: Austin Dobson.Cover title: Selections from the Hesperides & Noble numbers of Robert Herrick.Mode of access: Internet.Environ Dsgn fPR3511.D6 1882: William Charles HaysEnviron Dsgn fPR3511.D6 1882: ENVI Rar

Selections from the poetry of Robert Herrick

vi, 188 pages : illus. Curated title for Fleet Library Special Collections book cover exhibition Bound to Please, fall 2022. Cover title: Selections from the Hesperides & Noble numbers of Robert Herrick. Illustrated title-page with title in red. Preface signed: Austin Dobson. c. 1 Gift of Mrs. Gustav Radeke ; c. 2 From the library of Chester L. Dodge. 2nd copy in original embossed and illustrated cover. Binding design by Edwin Austin Abbey; front cover with gilt-stamped full cover sunburst design, yellow, red and black-stamped flower devices, & black and red-stamped decorative title lettering; all edges gilt. Art Nouveau design style.https://digitalcommons.risd.edu/specialcollections_books_illustration/1044/thumbnail.jp