11 x 11 Domineering is Solved: The first player wins

We have developed a program called MUDoS (Maastricht University Domineering Solver) that solves Domineering positions in a very efficient way. This enables the solution of known positions so far (up to the 10 x 10 board) much quicker (measured in number of investigated nodes). More importantly, it enables the solution of the 11 x 11 Domineering board, a board up till now far out of reach of previous Domineering solvers. The solution needed the investigation of 259,689,994,008 nodes, using almost half a year of computation time on a single simple desktop computer. The results show that under optimal play the first player wins the 11 x 11 Domineering game, irrespective if Vertical or Horizontal starts the game. In addition, several other boards hitherto unsolved were solved. Using the convention that Vertical starts, the 8 x 15, 11 x 9, 12 x 8, 12 x 15, 14 x 8, and 17 x 6 boards are all won by Vertical, whereas the 6 x 17, 8 x 12, 9 x 11, and 11 x 10 boards are all won by Horizontal

Інтернет-скрипт як новітній різновид спортивного репортажу

Стаття присвячена жанровим ознакам Інтернет-скриптів. Розкривається проблема термінологічної ідентифікації текстів електронного спортивного репортажу, з’ясовується співвідношення Інтернет-скрипта з жанровими ознаками традиційного радіо- і телерепортажу, вивчаються можливості використання в Інтернет-скриптах аудіо- та відеоряду, паравербальних засобів, а також аналізується проблема позиції коментатора у репортажі.Статья посвещена жанровым признакам Интернет-скриптов. Раскрываются проблемы терминологической идентификации текстов электронного спортивного репортажа, рассматривается соотношение Интернет-скрипта с жанровыми признаками традиционного радио- и телерепортажа, изучаются возможности использования в Интернет-скриптах аудио- и видеоряда, паравербальных средств, а также анализируется проблема позиции коментатора в репортаже.The article deals with the genre features of Internet-scripts. The focus is on the problems of the terminological identification of the texts of electronic sport reports, the correlation of Internetscripts with genre features of traditional radio- and TV-reports, the usage of nonverbal means and the means of audio and video signals in Internet-scripts. The position of a commentator in sport report is regarded

Inquiry-based leadership:The influence of affective attitude, experienced social pressure and self-efficacy

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to improve the understanding of psychological factors that influence inquiry-based leadership. This study investigates how affective attitude, experienced social pressure, and self-efficacy relate to aspects of inquiry-based school leadership. A school leader’s inquiry habit of mind, data literacy, and the extent to which he or she creates a culture of inquiry in the school are each identified as aspects of inquiry-based leadership. Design/methodology/approach Data were collected from questionnaires completed by a sample of 79 school leaders. Findings A significant relationship was found between self-efficacy regarding inquiry-based leadership and all aspects of inquiry-based leadership. Affective attitude toward inquiry-based leadership was significantly related to creating a culture of inquiry. There was no unique relationship between experienced social pressure and inquiry-based leadership. Practical implications Administrators and educators of school leaders who aim to stimulate inquiry-based school leadership should not only focus on increasing the capacity of school leaders to lead their school in an inquiry-based way, but they should also focus on leaders’ self-efficacy and on fostering leaders’ positive attitude toward inquiry-based school leadership. Administrators and educators can, for example, give positive feedback, emphasize the added value of inquiry-based leadership, encourage working with critical friends, and stimulate collaboration with other leaders. Originality/value This study addresses two gaps in the existing research, by focusing on inquiry-based leadership instead of data use and on psychological factors instead of knowledge and skills that are related to this type of leadership

A new lab facility for measuring bidirectional reflectance/emittance distribution functions of soils and canopies

Recently, a laboratory measurement facility has been realized for assessing the anisotropic reflectance and emittance behaviour of soils, leaves and small canopies under controlled illumination conditions. The facility consists of an ASD FieldSpec 3 spectroradiometer covering the spectral range from 350 – 2500 nm at 1 nm spectral sampling interval. The spectroradiometer is deployed using a fiber optic cable with either a 1°, 8° or 25° instantaneous field of view (IFOV). These measurements can be used to assess the plant pigment (chlorophyll, xanthophyll, etc.) and non-pigment system (water, cellulose, lignin, nitrogen, etc.). The thermal emittance is measured using a NEC TH9100 Infrared Thermal Imager. It operates in a single band covering the spectral range from 8 – 14 mm with a resolution of 0.02 K. Images are 320 (H) by 240 (V) pixels with an IFOV of 1.2 mrad. A 1000 W Quartz Tungsten Halogen (QTH) lamp is used as illumination source, approximating the radiance distribution of the sun. This one is put at a fixed position during a measurement session. Multi-angular measurements are achieved by using a robotic positioning system allowing to perform either reflectance or emittance measurements over almost a complete hemisphere. The hemisphere can be sampled continuously between 0° and 80° from nadir and up to a few degrees from the hot-spot configuration (depending on the IFOV of the measurement device) for a backscattering target. Measurement distance to targets can be varied between 0.25 and 1 m, although with a distance of more than 0.6 m it is not possible to cover the full hemisphere. The goal is to infer the BRDF (bidirectional reflectance distribution function) and BTDF (bidirectional thermal distribution function) from these multi-angular measurements for various surface types (like soils, agricultural crops, small tree canopies and artificial objects) and surface roughness. The steering of the robotic arm and the reading of the spectroradiometer and the thermal camera are all fully automated

Glucose Exposure in Peritoneal Dialysis Is a Significant Factor Predicting Peritonitis

INTRODUCTION: Loss of residual renal function (RRF) as well as high peritoneal glucose exposure are associated with increased peritonitis frequency in peritoneal dialysis (PD) patients. Our objective was to investigate the contribution of RRF and peritoneal glucose exposure to peritonitis in PD patients. METHODS: In this prospective longitudinal cohort study, 105 incident end-stage renal disease patients that started PD between January 2006 and 2015 were studied. Follow-up was 5 years with censoring at death or switch to another treatment modality. Cox regression models were used to calculate the association between glucose exposure, RRF, and peritonitis. Kaplan-Meier analysis was used to examine the difference in occurrence of peritonitis between patients with high and low glucose exposure and between those with and without residual diuresis. RESULTS: One hundred and five patients were followed for a mean of 23 months. Fifty-one patients developed a peritonitis. Cox regression models at 6 months showed that glucose exposure and not residual diuresis significantly predicted PD peritonitis. Kaplan-Meier analysis after 6 months of follow-up showed that time to first PD peritonitis was significantly longer in the low glucose exposure group. Similarly, patients with RRF had a significantly longer interval to first peritonitis compared to patients without RRF. CONCLUSION: A higher exposure to glucose rather than loss of RRF is associated with an increased risk of peritonitis. This confirms the detrimental effects of glycemic harm to the peritoneal host defense on invading microorganisms and argues for the use of the lowest PD glucose concentrations possible

Applicaties voor veilig voer en voedsel

Voedsel en diervoeder worden steeds beter te onderzoeken op samenstelling en verontreinigingen. Dankzij computerapplicaties van Alterra en RIKILT, beide onderdeel van Wageningen UR, op basis van beeldmateriaal

Ketenkwaliteit in de hand

Binnen de voedseltechnologie is het van belang te weten hoe goed een keten in staat is de kwaliteit van het versproduct vast te houden. Om inzicht te krijgen in de prestatie van een keten is de 'vers-keten prestatie-index' ontwikkeld, waarvan in het kort wordt uitgelegd hoe deze te gebruike

Determinator - a generic DSS for hazard identification of species or other physical subjects

Our living environment poses all kinds of obvious and perhaps less obvious hazards. As an example, Ragwort (Senecio jacobaea) and related species of the genus Senecio are the main source of toxic pyrollizidine alkaloids. The plants commonly grow in road verges, meadows and production fields and are equally toxic for humans and animals. Therefore, proper identification of such a hazardous object is vital. This paper describes Determinator DSS, a Decision Support System, that aims to cover problems of proper identification of a hazardous object, either in the field or in a lab, and in diverse domains. Determinator DSS is used in several practical applications for ensuring food and feed safety and supporting environmental issues. The paper highlights several software aspects and design features of the DSS that enable it use in diverse circumstances and for different users as a generic solutio