Best-first search algorithms such as A* need to apply tie-breaking strategies in order to decide which node to expand when multiple search nodes have the same evaluation score. We investigate and improve tie-breaking strategies for cost-optimal search using A*. We first experimentally analyze the performance of common tie-breaking strategies that break ties according to the heuristic value of t...

The toxicity identification and evaluation (TIE) approach that identified unconjugated natural and synthetic steroid estrogens to be the major estrogenic component in domestic sewage treatment work effluent is described. Given the increasing popularity of TIE-based approaches in ecotoxicology research, a number of important considerations, limitations, and possible future directions of TIE stud...

There is great interest in the development of automatic geometric correction systems for satellite images. A fully automatic system, based exclusively on the identification of tie points (image to image control points) by image matching needs to use efficient selection and validation methods. Four Tie Point Suitability Indices (TPSI) are proposed to select the most suitable areas in an image to...

It is unknown to which extent phototrophic Fe(II) oxidation takes place in the simultaneous presence of organic electron donors (e.g., acetate/lactate). Therefore, the photoferrotrophic strain Rhodopseudomonas palustris TIE-1 was inoculated with various combinations of Fe(II), acetate and lactate to understand metabolic substrate preference. When acetate was provided together with Fe(II), TIE-1...

A microstrip-fed printed bow-tie antenna is presented in order to achieve wide bandwidth, high gain, and size reduction. A comparison between the bow-tie and the quasi-Yagi (dipole and director) antennas shows that the bow-tie antenna has a wider bandwidth, higher gain, lower front-to-back ratio, lower cross-polarization level, and smaller size. Two-element arrays are designed and their charact...

U the determinants of creativity at the individual and organizational level has been the focus of a long history of research in various disciplines from the social sciences, but little attention has been devoted to studying creativity at the dyadic level. Why are some dyadic interactions more likely than others to trigger the generation of novel and useful ideas in organizations? As dyads condu...

in this paper a new method based on strut-and-tie model (stm) is proposed to determine the shear capacity of simply supported rc deep beams and an efficiency factor for concrete with considering the effect of web reinforcements. it is assumed that, the total carried shear force by rc deep beam provided by two independent resistance, namely diagonal concrete strut due to strut-and-tie mechanism ...