Scheduling railway traffic at a construction site

We consider the problem of rescheduling trains in the case where one track of a railway section consisting of two tracks in opposing directions is closed due to construction activities. After presenting an appropriate model for this situation we derive a polynomial algorithm for the subproblem of finding an optimal schedule with minimal latenesss if the subsequences of trains for both directions outside the construction site are fixed. Based on this algorithm we propose a local search procedure for the general problem of finding good schedules and report test results for some real world instances. Received: December 8, 1999 / Accepted: May 2, 2001     

Do the Kallikaks look "menacing" or "retarded?"

To extend R. E. Fancher's (see record 1987-31600-001) review of claims that photographs of the Kallikak family in H. H. Goddard's (1912) study had been retouched to make them look more menacing and retarded, 29 Ss (aged 18–69 yrs) were surveyed for their impressions of the photographs. Overall, Ss were strongly inclined to view the photographed individuals as "kind" and "very bright." (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

(S)-Reutericyclin: Susceptibility Testing and In Vivo Effect on Murine Fecal Microbiome and Volatile Organic Compounds

We aimed to assess the in vitro antimicrobial activity and the in vivo effect on the murine fecal microbiome and volatile organic compound (VOC) profile of (S)-reutericyclin. The antimicrobial activity of (S)-reutericyclin was tested against Clostridium difficile, Listeria monocytogenes, Escherichia coli, Enterococcus faecium, Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus (S.) epidermidis, Streptococcus agalactiae, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Propionibacterium acnes. Reutericyclin or water were gavage fed to male BALBc mice for 7 weeks. Thereafter stool samples underwent 16S based microbiome analysis and VOC analysis by gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GC-MS). (S)-reutericyclin inhibited growth of S. epidermidis only. Oral (S)-reutericyclin treatment caused a trend towards reduced alpha diversity. Beta diversity was significantly influenced by reutericyclin. Linear discriminant analysis Effect Size (LEfSe) analysis showed an increase of Streptococcus and Muribaculum as well as a decrease of butyrate producing Ruminoclostridium, Roseburia and Eubacterium in the reutericyclin group. VOC analysis revealed significant increases of pentane and heptane and decreases of 2,3-butanedione and 2-heptanone in reutericyclin animals. The antimicrobial activity of (S)-reutericyclin differs from reports of (R)-reutericyclin with inhibitory effects on a multitude of Gram-positive bacteria reported in the literature. In vivo (S)-reutericyclin treatment led to a microbiome shift towards dysbiosis and distinct alterations of the fecal VOC profile.     

Parallel batch scheduling of equal-length jobs with release and due dates

In this paper we study parallel batch scheduling problems with bounded batch capacity and equal-length jobs in a single and parallel machine environment. It is shown that the feasibility problem 1|p-batch,b<n,r _j ,p _j =p,C _j ≤d _j |− can be solved in O(n ²) time and that the problem of minimizing the maximum lateness can be solved in O(n ²log n) time. For the parallel machine problem P|p-batch,b<n,r _j ,p _j =p,C _j ≤d _j |− an O(n ³log n)-time algorithm is provided, which can also be used to solve the problem of minimizing the maximum lateness in O(n ³log ² n) time.     

Salmonella biofilms: An overview on occurrence,structure, regulation and eradication

The ability of Salmonella to form complex surface-associated communities, called biofilms, contributes to its resistance and persistence in both host and non-host environments and is especially important in food processing environments. In this review, the different types of abiotic (plastic, glass, cement, rubber, and stainless steel) and biotic surfaces (plant surfaces, epithelial cells, and gallstones) on which Salmonella biofilms have been described are discussed, as well as a number of commonly used laboratory setups to study Salmonella biofilm formation (rdar morphotype, pellicle formation, and biofilms on polystyrene pegs). Furthermore, the structural components important during Salmonella biofilm formation are described (curli and other fimbriae, BapA, flagella, cellulose, colanic acid, anionic O-antigen capsule and fatty acids), with special attention to the structural variations of biofilms grown on different surfaces and under different conditions. Indeed, biofilm formation is strongly influenced by different environmental signals, via a complex regulatory network. An extensive overview is given on the current understanding of this genetic network and the interactions between its different components (CsgD, RpoS, Crl, OmpR, IHF, H-NS, CpxR, MlrA, c-di-GMP, BarA/SirA, Csr, PhoPQ, RstA, Rcs, metabolic processes and quorum sensing). To further illustrate that biofilm formation is a mechanism of Salmonella to adapt to different environments, the resistance of Salmonella biofilms against different stress factors including desiccation stress, disinfectants (e.g. hypochlorite, glutaraldehyde, cationic tensides and triclosan) and antibiotics (e.g. ciprofloxacin) is described. Finally, a number of Salmonella biofilm inhibitors, identified through bottom-up- and top-down-approaches, are discussed, such as surfactin, glucose, halogenated furanones, 4(5)-aryl 2-aminoimidazoles, furocoumarins and salicylates. Also the potential of combination therapy (e.g. combinations of triclosan and quaternary ammonium salts or halogenated furanones and antibiotics/disinfectants) and nano- and micro-emulsions to inhibit Salmonella biofilm formation is discussed. Insight into the pathogen's complex biofilm process will eventually lead to further unraveling of its intricacies and more efficient strategies to combat Salmonella biofilms.     

Synthese und Konformationsanalyse von Pyranophanonen und Pyrylophanium-Verbindungen mit intraannularen Substituenten

Synthesis and Conformational Analysis of Pyranophanones and Pyrylophanium Compounds with Intraannular Substituents The synthesis of [3.3]dithiapyranophanone 6 and 11 is accomplished by use of the two-components-dilution-principle. Pyrolysis of their bis(sulfones) 7 and 12 gives the [2.2]pyranophanones 8 , 9 and 13 . Under preservation of conformation the intraannular carbonyl-function is used for the synthesis of methylpyranophanoles 14 , 16 and 17 . The synthesis of pyrylophanium compounds 15 and 18 is possible by elimination in trifluoroacetic acid. 6 exhibits anti-conformation within its crystal-structure and like 7 reveals temperature-dependent behavior in solution. Using 6 as an example, a combination of ¹³C-NMR-spectroscopy, forcefield-calculation and computer-simulation is applied for the first time to give evidence for molecular-dynamic processes of cyclophanes. 8 and 9 are the syn- and anti-conformers of the desired product, as shown by X-ray structural analysis. 13 reveals anti-conformation within its crystal structure as well as in solution. The conformational analysis of other new phanes described here is based on the ¹H-NMR-spectra of these pyrolysis products. As expected the intraannular substituents of Pyrylophanium-lons 15 and 18 show the characteristic upfield-shift within their ¹H-NMR-spectra.