Balancing consistency and expert judgment in AHP

The various mechanisms that represent the know-how of decision-makers are exposed to a common weakness, namely, a lack of consistency. To overcome this weakness within AHP (analytic hierarchy process), we propose a framework that enables balancing consistency and expert judgment. We specifically focus on a linearization process for streamlining the trade-off between expert reliability and synthetic consistency. An algorithm is developed that can be readily integrated in a suitable DSS (decision support system). This algorithm follows an iterative feedback process that achieves an acceptable level of consistency while complying to some degree with expert preferences. Finally, an application of the framework to a water management decision-making problem is presented. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.Thanks to the support of the project IDAWAS, DPI2009-11591, of the Spanish Direccion General de Investigacion of the Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovacion, and ACOMP/2010/146 of the Conselleria de Educacion of the Generalitat Valenciana. The use of English in this paper was revised by John Rawlins.Benítez López, J.; Delgado Galván, XV.; Gutiérrez-Pérez, JA.; Izquierdo Sebastián, J. (2011). Balancing consistency and expert judgment in AHP. Mathematical and Computer Modelling. 54(7-8):1785-1790. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mcm.2010.12.023S17851790547-

Expression Patterns of TNFα, MAdCAM1, and STAT3 in Intestinal and Skin Manifestations of Inflammatory Bowel Disease.

Pathogenesis of cutaneous extraintestinal manifestations [EIM] in inflammatory bowel disease [IBD] remains elusive. Efficacy of anti-TNF agents suggests TNF-dependent mechanisms. The role of other biologics, such as anti-integrins or JAK-inhibitors, is not yet clear. We performed immunohistochemistry for TNFα, NFκB, STAT1/STAT3, MAdCAM1, CD20/68, caspase 3/9, IFNγ, and Hsp-27/70 on 240 intestinal [55 controls, 185 IBD] and 64 skin biopsies [11 controls, 18 erythema nodosum [EN], 13 pyoderma gangenosum [PG], 22 psoriasis]. A semiquantitative score [0-100%] was used for evaluation. TNFα was upregulated in intestinal biopsies from active Crohn`s disease [CD] vs controls [36.2 vs 12.1, p < 0.001], but not ulcerative colitis [UC: 17.9]. NFκB, however, was upregulated in intestinal biopsies from both active CD and UC [43.2 and 34.5 vs 21.8, p < 0.001 and p = 0.017, respectively]. TNFα and NFκB were overexpressed in skin biopsies from EN, PG, and psoriasis. No MAdCAM1 overexpression was seen in skin tissues, whereas it was upregulated in active UC vs controls [57.5 vs 35.4, p = 0.003]. STAT3 was overexpressed in the intestinal mucosa of active and non-active IBD, and a similar upregulation was seen in skin biopsies from EN [84.7 vs 22.3, p < 0.001] and PG [60.5 vs 22.3, p = 0.011], but not in psoriasis. Caspase 3 and CD68 overexpression in skin biopsies distinguished EN/PG from psoriasis and controls. Upregulation of TNFα/NFκB in EN and PG is compatible with the efficacy of anti-TNF in EIM management. Data on overexpressed STAT3, but not MAdCAM1, support a rationale for JAK-inhibitors in EN and PG, while questioning the role of vedolizumab

Interstellar MHD Turbulence and Star Formation

This chapter reviews the nature of turbulence in the Galactic interstellar medium (ISM) and its connections to the star formation (SF) process. The ISM is turbulent, magnetized, self-gravitating, and is subject to heating and cooling processes that control its thermodynamic behavior. The turbulence in the warm and hot ionized components of the ISM appears to be trans- or subsonic, and thus to behave nearly incompressibly. However, the neutral warm and cold components are highly compressible, as a consequence of both thermal instability in the atomic gas and of moderately-to-strongly supersonic motions in the roughly isothermal cold atomic and molecular components. Within this context, we discuss: i) the production and statistical distribution of turbulent density fluctuations in both isothermal and polytropic media; ii) the nature of the clumps produced by thermal instability, noting that, contrary to classical ideas, they in general accrete mass from their environment; iii) the density-magnetic field correlation (or lack thereof) in turbulent density fluctuations, as a consequence of the superposition of the different wave modes in the turbulent flow; iv) the evolution of the mass-to-magnetic flux ratio (MFR) in density fluctuations as they are built up by dynamic compressions; v) the formation of cold, dense clouds aided by thermal instability; vi) the expectation that star-forming molecular clouds are likely to be undergoing global gravitational contraction, rather than being near equilibrium, and vii) the regulation of the star formation rate (SFR) in such gravitationally contracting clouds by stellar feedback which, rather than keeping the clouds from collapsing, evaporates and diperses them while they collapse.Comment: 43 pages. Invited chapter for the book "Magnetic Fields in Diffuse Media", edited by Elisabete de Gouveia dal Pino and Alex Lazarian. Revised as per referee's recommendation

Comparison of traditional and DNA metabarcoding samples for monitoring tropical soil arthropods (Formicidae, Collembola and Isoptera)

The soil fauna of the tropics remains one of the least known components of the biosphere. Long-term monitoring of this fauna is hampered by the lack of taxonomic expertise and funding. These obstacles may potentially be lifted with DNA metabarcoding. To validate this approach, we studied the ants, springtails and termites of 100 paired soil samples from Barro Colorado Island, Panama. The fauna was extracted with Berlese-Tullgren funnels and then either sorted with traditional taxonomy and known, individual DNA barcodes (“traditional samples”) or processed with metabarcoding (“metabarcoding samples”). We detected 49 ant, 37 springtail and 34 termite species with 3.46 million reads of the COI gene, at a mean sequence length of 233 bp. Traditional identification yielded 80, 111 and 15 species of ants, springtails and termites, respectively; 98%, 37% and 100% of these species had a Barcode Index Number (BIN) allowing for direct comparison with metabarcoding. Ants were best surveyed through traditional methods, termites were better detected by metabarcoding, and springtails were equally well detected by both techniques. Species richness was underestimated, and faunal composition was different in metabarcoding samples, mostly because 37% of ant species were not detected. The prevalence of species in metabarcoding samples increased with their abundance in traditional samples, and seasonal shifts in species prevalence and faunal composition were similar between traditional and metabarcoding samples. Probable false positive and negative species records were reasonably low (13–18% of common species). We conclude that metabarcoding of samples extracted with Berlese-Tullgren funnels appear suitable for the long-term monitoring of termites and springtails in tropical rainforests. For ants, metabarcoding schemes should be complemented by additional samples of alates from Malaise or light traps

Diving into the vertical dimension of elasmobranch movement ecology

Knowledge of the three-dimensional movement patterns of elasmobranchs is vital to understand their ecological roles and exposure to anthropogenic pressures. To date, comparative studies among species at global scales have mostly focused on horizontal movements. Our study addresses the knowledge gap of vertical movements by compiling the first global synthesis of vertical habitat use by elasmobranchs from data obtained by deployment of 989 biotelemetry tags on 38 elasmobranch species. Elasmobranchs displayed high intra- and interspecific variability in vertical movement patterns. Substantial vertical overlap was observed for many epipelagic elasmobranchs, indicating an increased likelihood to display spatial overlap, biologically interact, and share similar risk to anthropogenic threats that vary on a vertical gradient. We highlight the critical next steps toward incorporating vertical movement into global management and monitoring strategies for elasmobranchs, emphasizing the need to address geographic and taxonomic biases in deployments and to concurrently consider both horizontal and vertical movements

Whole-genome sequencing reveals host factors underlying critical COVID-19

Critical COVID-19 is caused by immune-mediated inflammatory lung injury. Host genetic variation influences the development of illness requiring critical care1 or hospitalization2,3,4 after infection with SARS-CoV-2. The GenOMICC (Genetics of Mortality in Critical Care) study enables the comparison of genomes from individuals who are critically ill with those of population controls to find underlying disease mechanisms. Here we use whole-genome sequencing in 7,491 critically ill individuals compared with 48,400 controls to discover and replicate 23 independent variants that significantly predispose to critical COVID-19. We identify 16 new independent associations, including variants within genes that are involved in interferon signalling (IL10RB and PLSCR1), leucocyte differentiation (BCL11A) and blood-type antigen secretor status (FUT2). Using transcriptome-wide association and colocalization to infer the effect of gene expression on disease severity, we find evidence that implicates multiple genes—including reduced expression of a membrane flippase (ATP11A), and increased expression of a mucin (MUC1)—in critical disease. Mendelian randomization provides evidence in support of causal roles for myeloid cell adhesion molecules (SELE, ICAM5 and CD209) and the coagulation factor F8, all of which are potentially druggable targets. Our results are broadly consistent with a multi-component model of COVID-19 pathophysiology, in which at least two distinct mechanisms can predispose to life-threatening disease: failure to control viral replication; or an enhanced tendency towards pulmonary inflammation and intravascular coagulation. We show that comparison between cases of critical illness and population controls is highly efficient for the detection of therapeutically relevant mechanisms of disease

Immunohistochemical Detection of the Chaperone-Mediated Autophagy Markers LAMP2A and HSPA8 in Formalin-Fixed and Paraffin-Embedded Tissues.

Autophagy is crucial for maintaining cellular homeostasis and its deregulation is involved in disease development, including cancer. The key players of chaperone-mediated autophagy (CMA), a particular selective subtype of autophagy, are HSPA8 and LAMP2A. Both proteins can be immunohistochemically detected in formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) tissue. LAMP2A is frequently overexpressed in a variety of cancers where it likely supports cancer cell survival and resistance to anti-cancer therapies in a context-dependent manner. Here we present the immunohistochemical staining protocol of antibodies against LAMP2A and HSPA8, using an automated staining system, suitable for routine diagnostics. Additionally, we also suggest a staining evaluation method

Age and growth of the silky shark Carcharhinus falciformis from the west coast of Baja california Sur, Mexico

The once-abundant silky shark population has declined drastically in recent years, caused by extensive by-catch in the tuna purse-seine and longline fishery in the eastern Pacific Ocean. As no information is available for this area on age, growth or population characteristics of this species, age and growth of the silky shark Carcharhinus falciformis in waters off the west coast of Baja California Sur were examined based on counts of growth rings on longitudinal sections of the vertebra. From August 2000 to October 2002, sharks were sampled monthly in the fishing camps at Punta Lobos and Punta Belcher. In total, 252 sharks were sampled, mainly between June and November. Total length (TL) of females was 88–230 cm and males 142–260 cm. The relationship of the vertebra radius to the total length was linear (r2 = 0.94), indicating the use of vertebrae for age estimates and growth description in this species. It was assumed that growth marks have an annual periodicity and that the opaque band is formed during the period from summer to autumn. Estimated ages for sampled females were 2–16 years and 3–14 years for males. No significant differences between genders in size or age were detected. Estimated parameters of the von Bertalanffy growth model for genders combined were L∞ = 240 cm TL, k = 0.14 per year, and t0 = −2.98 years. According to the growth model, the silky shark averages 20 cm growth after the first year of life, with a growth rate of 16 cm per year between the 2nd and 4th year, 10 cm per year from the 5th to 7th year, about 6 cm per year in the 8th to 10th years, and only 3 cm per year or less after age 11. Females and males were found to reach sexual maturity between 7 and 8 years