8-puzzle is typically solved by heuristic search. Real-time heuristic search usually gives better results when searching deeper. But sometimes deeper search leads to worse results than shallower which is a phenomenon called search pathology. In this paper we present the results of our investigation of the causes for pathology in 8-puzzle and some of its variations.

Held at Queen Mary's Hospital, Roehampton, London Thursday, 13th June 2002 The aim of the workshop was to promote discussion and the exchange of ideas in an informal setting. There were eight presentations covering many aspects of upper and lower limb stimulation. These were followed by an open discussion. The workshop confirmed that there is considerable interest in stimulation for the paediat...

What is " statistical method " ? Is it the same as " scientific method " ? This paper answers the first question by specifying the elements and procedures common to all statistical investigations and organizing these into a single structure. This structure is illustrated by careful examination of the first scientific study on the speed of light carried out by A.A. Michelson in 1879. Our answer ...

The termite Coptotermes gestroi (Wasmann 1896) (Rhinotermitidae: Coptotermitinae) is an exotic species in Brazil and information concerning its reproductive developmental biology is scarce. We induced the formation of neotenics in laboratory colonies through orphaning experiments. Orphaning experiments were conducted in three-year old colonies of C. gestroi kept under laboratory conditions. Aft...

Microbial pathogens are thought to have a profound impact on insect populations. Honey bees are suffering from elevated colony losses in the northern hemisphere possibly because of a variety of emergent microbial pathogens, with which pesticides may interact to exacerbate their impacts. To reveal such potential interactions, we administered at sublethal and field realistic doses one neonicotino...

Deformed wing virus (DWV) in western honey bees (Apis mellifera) often remains asymptomatic in workers and drones, and symptoms have never been described from queens. However, intense infections linked to parasitism by the mite Varroa destructor can cause worker wing deformity and death within 67 h of emergence. Ten workers (eight with deformed wings and two with normal wings) and three drones ...

We study a construction of the Mathieu group M12 using a game reminiscent of Loyd’s “15-puzzle”. The elements of M12 are realized as permutations on 12 of the 13 points of the finite projective plane of order 3. There is a natural extension to a “pseudogroup” M13 acting on all 13 points, which exhibits a limited form of sextuple transitivity. Another corollary of the construction is a metric, a...