Problems that require multiple agents to follow noninterfering paths from their current states to their respective goal states are called multi-agent pathfinding problems (MAPFs). In previous work, we presented Independence Detection (ID), an algorithm for breaking a large MAPF problem into smaller problems that can be solved independently. Independence Detection is complete and can be used in ...

We introduce an agent-based model for advection-mediated chiral autocatalysis in which we take into account dissolution-crystallization processes through Ostwald ripening. We demonstrate that the latter phenomenon is the key to explaining previously puzzling experimental results whereby complete chiral symmetry breaking is attained from an initially unbiased mixture of seed crystals. We show th...

Stanley Prusiner introduced the term prion (proteinaceous infectious particle) and proposed that the infectious agent in prion diseases is composed mainly or entirely of an abnormal conformation of an otherwise normal host-encoded glycoprotein called the prion protein (PrP)1. This hypothesis was initially greeted with great skepticism in the scientific community but then later was widely acknow...

Light induces retinal synthesis via photoactivation of a small amount of Chlamydomonas rhodopsin pigment (Foster et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 85, 6379-6383). A reducing agent [dithiothreitol (DDT) or mercaptoacetic acid (MAA)] also induces retinal synthesis in the dark via a rhodopsin with a chromophore. If the opsin is saturated with retinal and is bleached with light in the presence of ...

How does a group of agents break indecision when deciding about options with qualities that are hard to distinguish? Biological and artificial multiagent systems, from honeybees bird flocks bacteria, robots, humans, often need overcome choosing among in situations which the performance or even survival is at stake. Breaking also important because fully indecisive state, where not biased toward ...

Every agent reports his willingness to pay for one unit of a good. A mechanism allocates goods and cost shares to some agents. We characterize the group strategyproof (GSP ) mechanisms under two alternative continuity conditions interpreted as tie-breaking rules. With the maximalist rule (MAX) an indifferent agent is always served. With the minimalist rule (MIN) an indifferent agent does not ge...

Expectation maximization (EM) has recently been shown to be an efficient algorithm for learning finite-state controllers (FSCs) in large decentralized POMDPs (Dec-POMDPs). However, current methods use fixed-size FSCs and often converge to maxima that are far from optimal. This paper considers a variable-size FSC to represent the local policy of each agent. These variable-size FSCs are construct...

Catalase activity in grapevine (Vitis vinifera L.) buds cv. ;Perlette.' increased to a maximum in October and thereafter decreased within 3 months to less than half its maximal rate. The decrease in catalase activity coincided with the decline in temperature during winter. The rate of sprouting of buds forced at 23 degrees C was negatively related to the activity of catalase. Artificial chillin...

Existence of a “simple” pure strategy subgame perfect equilibrium is established in a model of endogenous agenda formation and sophisticated voting; upper hemicontinuity of simple equilibrium outcomes is demonstrated; and connections to the set of undominated, or “core,” alternatives are examined. In one dimension with single-peaked preferences, the simple equilibrium outcome is essentially uni...