Sampling Scenario Set Partition Dual Bounds for Multistage Stochastic Programs

We consider multistage stochastic programming problems in which the random parameters have finite support, leading to optimization over a finite scenario set. There has been recent interest in dual bounds for such problems, of two types. One, known as expected group subproblem objective (EGSO) bounds, require solution of a group subproblem, which optimizes over a subset of the scenarios, for all subsets of the scenario set that have a given cardinality. Increasing the subset cardinality in the group subproblem improves bound quality, (EGSO bounds form a hierarchy), but the number of group subproblems required to compute the bound increases very rapidly. Another is based on partitions of the scenario set into subsets. Combining the values of the group subproblems for all subsets in a partition yields a partition bound. In this paper, we consider partitions into subsets of (nearly) equal cardinality. We show that the expected value of the partition bound over all such partitions also forms a hierarchy. To make use of these bounds in practice, we propose random sampling of partitions and suggest two enhancements to the approach: Sampling partitions that align with the multistage scenario tree structure and use of an auxiliary optimization problem to discover new best bounds based on the values of group subproblems already computed. We establish the effectiveness of these ideas with computational experiments on benchmark problems. Finally, we give a heuristic to save computational effort by ceasing computation of a partition partway through if it appears unpromising.

Pattern of neurological recovery in persons with an acute cervical spinal cord injury over the first 14 days post injury

IntroductionFollowing a traumatic spinal cord injury (SCI) it is critical to document the level and severity of injury. Neurological recovery occurs dynamically after injury and a baseline neurological exam offers a snapshot of the patient's impairment at that time. Understanding when this exam occurs in the recovery process is crucial for discussing prognosis and acute clinical trial enrollment. The objectives of this study were to: (1) describe the trajectory of motor recovery in persons with acute cervical SCI in the first 14 days post-injury; and (2) evaluate if the timing of the baseline neurological assessment in the first 14 days impacts the amount of motor recovery observed.MethodsData were obtained from the Rick Hansen Spinal Cord Injury Registry (RHSCIR) site in Vancouver and additional neurological data was extracted from medical charts. Participants with a cervical injury (C1–T1) who had a minimum of three exams (including a baseline and discharge exam) were included. Data on the upper-extremity motor score (UEMS), total motor score (TMS) and American Spinal Injury Association (ASIA) Impairment Scale (AIS) were included. A linear mixed-effect model with additional variables (AIS, level of injury, UEMS, time, time2, and TMS) was used to explore the pattern and amount of motor recovery over time.ResultsTrajectories of motor recovery in the first 14 days post-injury showed significant improvements in both TMS and UEMS for participants with AIS B, C, and D injuries, but was not different for high (C1–4) vs. low (C5–T1) cervical injuries or AIS A injuries. The timing of the baseline neurological examination significantly impacted the amount of motor recovery in participants with AIS B, C, and D injuries.DiscussionTiming of baseline neurological exams was significantly associated with the amount of motor recovery in cervical AIS B, C, and D injuries. Studies examining changes in neurological recovery should consider stratifying by severity and timing of the baseline exam to reduce bias amongst study cohorts. Future studies should validate these estimates for cervical AIS B, C, and D injuries to see if they can serve as an “adjustment factor” to control for differences in the timing of the baseline neurological exam

Mathematical Optimization for Engineering Design Problems

Applications in engineering design and the material sciences motivate the development of optimization theory in a manner that additionally draws from other branches of mathematics including the functional, complex, and numerical analyses. The first contribution, motivated by an automotive design application, extends multiobjective optimization theory under the assumption that the problem information is not available in its entirety to a single decision maker as traditionally assumed in the multiobjective optimization literature. Rather, the problem information and the design control are distributed among different decision makers. This requirement appears in the design of an automotive system whose subsystem components themselves correspond to highly involved design subproblems each of whose performance is measured by multiple criteria. This leads to a system/subsystem interaction requiring a coordination whose algorithmic foundation is developed and rigorously examined mathematically. The second contribution develops and analyzes a parameter estimation approach motivated from a time domain modeling problem in the material sciences. In addition to drawing from the theory of least-squares optimization and numerical analysis, the development of a mathematical foundation for comparing a baseline parameter estimation approach with an alternative parameter estimation approach relies on theory from both the functional and complex analyses. The application of the developed theory and algorithms associated with both contributions is also discussed

The biocontrol fungus pochonia chlamydosporia shows nematode host preference at the infraspecific level

A RAPD-PCR assay was developed and used to test For competitive variability in growth of the nematode biological control fungus Pochonia chlamydosporia. Saprophytic competence in soil with or without tomato plants was examined in three isolates of the fungus: RES 280 (J), originally isolated from potato cyst nematode (PCN) cysts; RES 200 (1) and RES 279 (S), both originally isolated from root knot nematode (RKN) eggs. Viable counts taken at 70 d indicated that I was the best saprophyte followed by S, with J the poorest. RAPD-PCR analysis of colonies from mixed treatments revealed that there was a cumulative effect of adding isolates to the system. This Suggested that the isolates did not interact and that they may occupy separate niches in soil and the rhizosphere. To investigate parasitic ability, soils were seeded with two isolates of the fungus: J and S, singly or in combination. Tomato or potato plants were grown in these soils; free of nematodes, or inoculated with PCN or RKN, and incubated for 77 d. The abundance of the PCN isolate J in PCN cysts was significantly greater than that of the RKN isolate S but in RKN egg masses, S was significantly more abundant than J. RAPD-PCR analysis of colonies from mixed treatments confirmed that J was more abundant than S ill PCN cysts whereas the converse was observed on RKN egg masses. This substantiates the phenomenon of nematode host preference at the infraspecific level of P. chlamydosporia and highlights its relevance for biological control of plant parasitic nematodes

Parole d'historiens

L'histoire est-elle une science exacte ou le grand récit d'une épopée, la description méthodique du passé ou le roman vrai des origines ? L'historien doit-il se montrer attentif aux questions du présent ou, au contraire, s'en -méfier ? Est-il, avant tout, un antiquaire censé préserver avec précaution les belles choses du passé, un chercheur méticuleux en quête de vérités, un intellectuel engagé chargé de critiquer ou de reformuler les grands mythes de la nation ? Autant de questions que se sont posées les historiens québécois et auxquelles ils ont répondu, chacun à leur manière, depuis trois siècles. Cette anthologie réunit pour la première fois les noms qui ont marqué la manière d'écrire et d'enseigner l'histoire du Québec : de Pierre-François-Xavier de Charlevoix à Jocelyn Létourneau, en passant par François-Xavier Garneau, Thomas Chapais, Lionel Groulx, Marcel Trudel, Guy Frégault, Jean Hamelin, Louise Dechêne, Micheline Dumont, Paul-André Linteau, René Durocher, Gérard Bouchard et tant d'autres. Voici les références essentielles pour alimenter les débats actuels sur la fonction sociale de l'histoire