Norethindrone ensures masculinization, normal growth and secondary sexual characteristics in the fighting fish, Betta splendens

To ensure masculinization and normal growth of the obligately air-breathing fighting fish Betta splendens, norethindrone acetate (NE) was administered through discrete immersions for 3 h each on the second, fifth and eighth day post-hatching (dph) at selected concentrations (250, 500, 750, 1000 and 1250 μg/l). Immersions at 1000 μg/l ensured the maximum of 92% masculinization, 71% survival, normal growth and appearance of secondary sexual characteristics. NE reduced the air-breathing frequency on the fifth and eigth dph. It also reduced the frequency in males depurated for 172 days following the treatment, although males treated at 750 μg/l almost restored the frequency. In the ovary of the treated but persisting females, it reduced the number of vitellogenic oocytes and increased the vacuolar area. In the testis of the treated males, it reduced the number of spermatogonia and increased the vacuolar area. The treated males could neither induce the female to spawn as many eggs nor accommodate as many fertilized eggs within the bubble nest, as that of the control. While the control females attained puberty on the 140th dph and spawned 122 eggs once every 16 days, the persisting females, which were previously treated at 1000 μg/l, postponed puberty to the 183rd dph and prolonged the inter-spawning period to 40 days. During the 240-day experiment, NE reduced the cumulative progeny production from 764 to 104 (13.6% of the control)

Firm Self-Service Technology Readiness

Purpose: Technological advances and new business models have contributed to the usage of self-service technology (SST) by firms. As SST continues to create organisational efficiencies, firms have jumped on the bandwagon without considering their own readiness to use SST. To date, there has been no systematic attempt to develop a valid scale of firm SST readiness and assess its influence on firm performance. This paper presents and validates a multidimensional firm SST readiness scale. Design/methodology/approach: A series of studies was conducted for the development and validation of the firm SST readiness scale. Study 1 included generating items from semi-structured interviews with managers and an extensive literature review. Study 2 comprised item reduction and identifying the dimensionality of the scale through exploratory factor analysis (n = 177 participants from service organisations). The reliability and validity of the scale were tested in Study 3 by performing confirmatory factor analysis using data obtained from managers of service organizations in the United States (n = 257). Study 4 measured the predictive validity of the firm SST readiness instrument using several structural models. Findings: This paper proposes a new multidimensional construct labelled ‘Firm SST Readiness’, consisting of four dimensions: managerial acquiescence, customer alignment, employee engagement, and channel integration. The predictive validity of the new scale on two key firm outcome variables: customer value and firm performance is also demonstrated. Originality/value: This is the first study to provide a comprehensive, psychometrically sound, and operationally valid measure of firm SST readiness

A System-of-Systems Approach to Enterprise Analytics Design: Acquisition Support in the Age of Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence

Symposium PresentationApproved for public release; distribution is unlimited

A System-of-Systems Approach to Enterprise Analytics Design: Acquisition Support in the Age of Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence

Excerpt from the Proceedings of the Nineteenth Annual Acquisition Research SymposiumSystem-of-Systems (SoS) capability emerges from the collaboration of multiple systems, which are acquired from independent organizations. Even though the systems contribute to and benefit from the larger SoS, the data analytics and decision-making about the independent system is rarely shared across the SoS stakeholders. The objective of the research presented in this paper is to identify how the sharing of datasets and the corresponding analytics among SoS stakeholders can lead to an improved SoS capability. Our objective is to characterize how appropriate use of data sets may lead to deployment of different predictive (predicting an outcome from data) and prescriptive (determining a preferred strategy) analytics and lead to better decision outcomes at the SoS level. We build and demonstrate a framework for this objective, based on extensive literature review, which utilizes appropriate predictive and prescriptive methodologies for SoS analysis. Additionally, we propose to utilize machine learning techniques to predict the achievable SoS capability and identify sources of uncertainty derived by sharing partial datasets. A case study demonstrates the use of the framework and prospects for future improvements.Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited

The detection of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia by electrical impedance spectroscopy: The effects of acetic acid and tissue homogeneity

Objective. To evaluate the efficacy of an electrical impedance probe (Epitheliometer) in the diagnosis of high grade cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) in women referred with cervical smear abnormalities and to assess the effect of acetic acid (AA) and tissue boundaries on the measurements. Methods. A prospective observational study was undertaken in the colposcopy clinic. One hundred and sixty-five women, either with a clinical indication or abnormal cervical cytology, were recruited into the study. A pencil type probe was used to record impedance spectra from 12 points on the cervix before and after the application of 5% AA. Spectra were also recorded from tissue boundaries. Colposcopic examinations, including probe positioning, were video recorded to allow for correlations between histopathological diagnosis of colposcopically directed biopsies, colposcopic impression and the diagnosis based on impedance measurements. Results. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were derived. The areas under the curves (AUCs) to discriminate original squamous from high grade CIN were 0.80 (pre AA) and 0.79 (post AA). Comparison of these curves showed no significant difference, indicating that application of AA does not produce a large change in spectra. The probe Could distinguish tissue boundaries from homogeneous tissue points. Conclusion. The Epitheliometer has the potential to be used as an adjunct to colposcopy in the diagnosis of high grade CIN. It has the advantage of real time results, decreasing the need for diagnostic cervical biopsies, and facilitates a wider use of the 'see and treat' policy without the risk of overtreatment. (C) 2009 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved

(1Z)-1-(2,4-Dichloro­phen­yl)ethan-1-one semicarbazone

In the title compound, C9H9Cl2N3O, the semicarbazone group is approximately planar, with an r.m.s deviation from the mean plane of 0.011 (2) Å. The dihedral angle between the least-squares planes through the semicarbazone group and the benzene ring is 38.76 (9)°. The crystal structure is further stabilized by N—H⋯O and C—H⋯O hydrogen bonding

RELIABILITY OF A DIGITAL METHOD TO DETERMINE FRONTAL AREA OF A CYCLIST

Eight cyclists were photographed with a digital camera for three trials while positioned on their own bicycle wearing their helmet. The positions were different from each other and described as: hands on the brake hoods; hands below the curve of the brakehoods on the handlebars; and using aerobars. Twenty four trials were digitized by two different individuals three times to estimate the inter- and intra-rater reliability of the method. The Intraclass Correlation Coefficient (p < 0.05) value for the intra-rater (test-retest) reliability was ICC = .993; for inter-rater consistency the ICC = .976. There were significant differences (p < 0.05) between digitizers and between trials apparently due to a learning effect that disappeared by the third trial. Due to small differences between digitizers and trials, caution is recommended when considering use of this method