Expected passes

Computing Mountain Passes

We propose the elastic string algorithm for computing mountain passes in finitedimensional problems. We analyze the convergence properties and numerical performance of this algorithm for benchmark problems in chemistry and discretizations of infinite-dimensional variational problems. We show that any limit point of the elastic string algorithm is a path that crosses a critical point at which th...

Mountain Passes and Saddle Points

Variational methods find solutions of equations by considering a solution as a critical point of an appropriately chosen function. Local minima and maxima are well-known types of critical points. We explore methods for finding critical points that are neither local maxima or minima, but instead are mountain passes or saddle points. Criteria for the existence of minima or maxima are well-known, ...

George Bernard Shaw Passes on

The death occurred on the 2nd November, at 4-59 a.m. at his residence, in the little village of Ayot St. Lawrence, of this great man of arts, letters, philosophy, satire and controversy, at the ripe old age of 94. In living to this age, G. B. S. divorced age from senility successfully. Our interest no. 1 lies in recording this fact. Longevity without senility is the objective of to-day's medici...

California's assembly passes physician assisted dying bill.

California looks set to permit physician assisted dying next year after its state assembly passed the End of Life Option Act by 43 votes to 34 on 9 September. The legislation is closely modeled on the Oregon law that has permitted terminally ill patients to end their life in that state since 1997. Only patients who file two written requests and have less than six months to live can avail themse...

Quebec passes right-to-die law.