1,806 research outputs found
Incremental planning to control a blackboard-based problem solver
To control problem solving activity, a planner must resolve uncertainty about which specific long-term goals (solutions) to pursue and about which sequences of actions will best achieve those goals. A planner is described that abstracts the problem solving state to recognize possible competing and compatible solutions and to roughly predict the importance and expense of developing these solutions. With this information, the planner plans sequences of problem solving activities that most efficiently resolve its uncertainty about which of the possible solutions to work toward. The planner only details actions for the near future because the results of these actions will influence how (and whether) a plan should be pursued. As problem solving proceeds, the planner adds new details to the plan incrementally, and monitors and repairs the plan to insure it achieves its goals whenever possible. Through experiments, researchers illustrate how these new mechanisms significantly improve problem solving decisions and reduce overall computation. They briefly discuss current research directions, including how these mechanisms can improve a problem solver's real-time response and can enhance cooperation in a distributed problem solving network
Asynchronous Partial Overlay: A New Algorithm for Solving Distributed Constraint Satisfaction Problems
Distributed Constraint Satisfaction (DCSP) has long been considered an
important problem in multi-agent systems research. This is because many
real-world problems can be represented as constraint satisfaction and these
problems often present themselves in a distributed form. In this article, we
present a new complete, distributed algorithm called Asynchronous Partial
Overlay (APO) for solving DCSPs that is based on a cooperative mediation
process. The primary ideas behind this algorithm are that agents, when acting
as a mediator, centralize small, relevant portions of the DCSP, that these
centralized subproblems overlap, and that agents increase the size of their
subproblems along critical paths within the DCSP as the problem solving
unfolds. We present empirical evidence that shows that APO outperforms other
known, complete DCSP techniques
The Morphology - Density Relation in z ~ 1 Clusters
We measure the morphology--density relation (MDR) and morphology-radius
relation (MRR) for galaxies in seven z ~ 1 clusters that have been observed
with the Advanced Camera for Surveys on board the Hubble Space Telescope.
Simulations and independent comparisons of ourvisually derived morphologies
indicate that ACS allows one to distinguish between E, S0, and spiral
morphologies down to zmag = 24, corresponding to L/L* = 0.21 and 0.30 at z =
0.83 and z = 1.24, respectively. We adopt density and radius estimation methods
that match those used at lower redshift in order to study the evolution of the
MDR and MRR. We detect a change in the MDR between 0.8 < z < 1.2 and that
observed at z ~ 0, consistent with recent work -- specifically, the growth in
the bulge-dominated galaxy fraction, f_E+SO, with increasing density proceeds
less rapidly at z ~ 1 than it does at z ~ 0. At z ~ 1 and density <= 500
galaxies/Mpc^2, we find = 0.72 +/- 0.10. At z ~ 0, an E+S0 population
fraction of this magnitude occurs at densities about 5 times smaller. The
evolution in the MDR is confined to densities >= 40 galaxies/Mpc^2 and appears
to be primarily due to a deficit of S0 galaxies and an excess of Spiral+Irr
galaxies relative to the local galaxy population. The Elliptical fraction -
density relation exhibits no significant evolution between z = 1 and z = 0. We
find mild evidence to suggest that the MDR is dependent on the bolometric X-ray
luminosity of the intracluster medium. Implications for the evolution of the
disk galaxy population in dense regions are discussed in the context of these
observations.Comment: 30 pages, 18 figures. Accepted for publication in ApJ. Full
resolution versions of figs 2,3,6,8 are available at
http://www.stsci.edu/~postman/mdr_figure
Safety Profile of Upadacitinib up to 3 Years in Psoriatic Arthritis: An Integrated Analysis of Two Pivotal Phase 3 Trials
Introduction: This integrated analysis describes the safety profile of upadacitinib, an oral Janus kinase inhibitor, at 15 and 30 mg once daily for up to 3 years of exposure in patients with active psoriatic arthritis (PsA) who had a prior inadequate response or intolerance to ≥ 1 non-biologic or biologic disease-modifying antirheumatic drug. Methods: Safety data were pooled and analyzed from two randomized, placebo-controlled phase 3 trials. Both trials evaluated upadacitinib 15 mg and 30 mg once daily, and one trial also evaluated adalimumab 40 mg every other week. Treatment-emergent adverse events (TEAEs) and laboratory data were summarized for four groups: pooled placebo, pooled upadacitinib 15 mg, pooled upadacitinib 30 mg, and adalimumab. TEAEs were reported as exposure-adjusted event rates (events per 100 patient-years [E/100 PY]) up to a data cut-off of June 29, 2020. Results: A total of 2257 patients received ≥ 1 dose of upadacitinib 15 mg (N = 907) or 30 mg (N = 921) for 2504.6 PY of exposure or adalimumab (N = 429) for 549.7 PY of exposure. Upper respiratory tract infection, nasopharyngitis, and increased creatine phosphokinase (CPK) were the most common TEAEs with upadacitinib. Rates of malignancies, adjudicated major adverse cardiovascular events (MACEs) and venous thromboembolic events (VTEs), and deaths were similar across treatment groups. Rates of herpes zoster (HZ) and opportunistic infections (OI; excluding tuberculosis, HZ, and oral candidiasis) were higher with upadacitinib versus adalimumab. Serious infection, anemia, and CPK elevations were most frequent with upadacitinib 30 mg. Potentially clinically significant laboratory abnormalities were uncommon. Conclusions: Upadacitinib 15 mg and adalimumab had similar safety profiles with the exception of HZ and OIs, consistent with what was observed in rheumatoid arthritis. Rates of malignancies, MACEs, VTEs, and deaths were comparable among patients receiving upadacitinib and adalimumab. No new safety risks emerged with longer-term exposure to upadacitinib. Trial Registration Numbers: SELECT-PsA 1: NCT03104400; SELECT-PsA 2: NCT03104374
Emerging communities of child-healthcare practice in the management of long-term conditions such as chronic kidney disease: Qualitative study of parents' accounts
Background: Parents of children and young people with long-term conditions who need to deliver clinical care to their child at home with remote support from hospital-based professionals, often search the internet for care-giving information. However, there is little evidence that the information available online was developed and evaluated with parents or that it acknowledges the communities of practice that exist as parents and healthcare professionals share responsibility for condition management. Methods. The data reported here are part of a wider study that developed and tested a condition-specific, online parent information and support application with children and young people with chronic-kidney disease, parents and professionals. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 19 fathers and 24 mothers who had recently tested the novel application. Data were analysed using Framework Analysis and the Communities of Practice concept. Results: Evolving communities of child-healthcare practice were identified comprising three components and several sub components: (1) Experiencing (parents making sense of clinical tasks) through Normalising care, Normalising illness, Acceptance & action, Gaining strength from the affected child and Building relationships to formalise a routine; (2) Doing (Parents executing tasks according to their individual skills) illustrated by Developing coping strategies, Importance of parents' efficacy of care and Fear of the child's health failing; and (3) Belonging/Becoming (Parents defining task and group members' worth and creating a personal identity within the community) consisting of Information sharing, Negotiation with health professionals and Achieving expertise in care. Parents also recalled factors affecting the development of their respective communities of healthcare practice; these included Service transition, Poor parent social life, Psycho-social affects, Family chronic illness, Difficulty in learning new procedures, Shielding and avoidance, and Language and cultural barriers. Health care professionals will benefit from using the communities of child-healthcare practice model when they support parents of children with chronic kidney disease. Conclusions: Understanding some of the factors that may influence the development of communities of child-healthcare practice will help professionals to tailor information and support for parents learning to manage their child's healthcare. Our results are potentially transferrable to professionals managing the care of children and young people with other long-term conditions. © 2014 Carolan et al.; licensee BioMed Central Ltd
Evolution of the Color-Magnitude Relation in High-Redshift Clusters: Blue Early-Type Galaxies and Red Pairs in RDCS J0910+5422
The color-magnitude relation has been determined for the RDCS J0910+5422
cluster of galaxies at redshift z = 1.106. Cluster members were selected from
HST ACS images, combined with ground--based near--IR imaging and optical
spectroscopy. The observed early--type color--magnitude relation (CMR) in
(i_775 -z_850) versus z_850 shows intrinsic scatters in color of 0.042 +/-
0.010 mag and 0.044 +/- 0.020 mag for ellipticals and S0s, respectively. From
the scatter about the CMR, a mean luminosity--weighted age t > 3.3 Gyr (z > 3)
is derived for the elliptical galaxies.
Strikingly, the S0 galaxies in RDCS J0910+5422 are systematically bluer in
(i_775 - z_850) by 0.07 +/- 0.02 mag, with respect to the ellipticals. The
ellipticity distribution as a function of color indicates that the face-on S0s
in this particular cluster have likely been classified as elliptical. Thus, if
anything, the offset in color between the elliptical and S0 populations may be
even more significant.
The color offset between S0 and E corresponds to an age difference of ~1 Gyr,
for a single-burst solar metallicity model. A solar metallicity model with an
exponential decay in star formation will reproduce the offset for an age of 3.5
Gyr, i.e. the S0s have evolved gradually from star forming progenitors.
The early--type population in this cluster appears to be still forming. The
blue early-type disk galaxies in RDCS J0910+5422 likely represent the direct
progenitors of the more evolved S0s that follow the same red sequence as
ellipticals in other clusters.
Thirteen red galaxy pairs are observed and the galaxies associated in pairs
constitute ~40% of the CMR galaxies in this cluster.Comment: ApJ, in pres
Acute Surgical Pulmonary Embolectomy: A 9-Year Retrospective Analysis
Acute pulmonary embolism is a substantial cause of morbidity and death. Although the American College of Chest Physicians Evidence-Based Clinical Practice Guidelines recommend surgical pulmonary embolectomy in patients with acute pulmonary embolism associated with hypotension, there are few reports of 30-day mortality rates. We performed a retrospective review of acute pulmonary embolectomy procedures performed in 96 consecutive patients who had severe, globally hypokinetic right ventricular dysfunction as determined by transthoracic echocardiography. Data on patients who were treated from January 2003 through December 2011 were derived from health system databases of the New York State Cardiac Surgery Reporting System and the Society of Thoracic Surgeons. The data represent procedures performed at 3 tertiary care facilities within a large health system operating in the New York City metropolitan area. The overall 30-day mortality rate was 4.2%. Most patients (68 [73.9%]) were discharged home or to rehabilitation facilities (23 [25%]). Hemodynamically stable patients with severe, globally hypokinetic right ventricular dysfunction had a 30-day mortality rate of 1.4%, with a postoperative mean length of stay of 9.1 days. Comparable findings for hemodynamically unstable patients were 12.5% and 13.4 days, respectively. Acute pulmonary embolectomy can be a viable procedure for patients with severe, globally hypokinetic right ventricular dysfunction, with or without hemodynamic compromise; however, caution is warranted. Our outcomes might be dependent upon institutional capability, experience, surgical ability, and careful patient selection
Climate change promotes parasitism in a coral symbiosis.
Coastal oceans are increasingly eutrophic, warm and acidic through the addition of anthropogenic nitrogen and carbon, respectively. Among the most sensitive taxa to these changes are scleractinian corals, which engineer the most biodiverse ecosystems on Earth. Corals' sensitivity is a consequence of their evolutionary investment in symbiosis with the dinoflagellate alga, Symbiodinium. Together, the coral holobiont has dominated oligotrophic tropical marine habitats. However, warming destabilizes this association and reduces coral fitness. It has been theorized that, when reefs become warm and eutrophic, mutualistic Symbiodinium sequester more resources for their own growth, thus parasitizing their hosts of nutrition. Here, we tested the hypothesis that sub-bleaching temperature and excess nitrogen promotes symbiont parasitism by measuring respiration (costs) and the assimilation and translocation of both carbon (energy) and nitrogen (growth; both benefits) within Orbicella faveolata hosting one of two Symbiodinium phylotypes using a dual stable isotope tracer incubation at ambient (26 °C) and sub-bleaching (31 °C) temperatures under elevated nitrate. Warming to 31 °C reduced holobiont net primary productivity (NPP) by 60% due to increased respiration which decreased host %carbon by 15% with no apparent cost to the symbiont. Concurrently, Symbiodinium carbon and nitrogen assimilation increased by 14 and 32%, respectively while increasing their mitotic index by 15%, whereas hosts did not gain a proportional increase in translocated photosynthates. We conclude that the disparity in benefits and costs to both partners is evidence of symbiont parasitism in the coral symbiosis and has major implications for the resilience of coral reefs under threat of global change
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