Decision Representation Language (DRL) and Its Support Environment

In this report, I describe a language, called Decision Representation Language (DRL), for representing the qualitative aspects of decision making processes such as the alternatives being evaluated, goals to satisfy, and the arguments evaluating the alternatives. Once a decision process is represented in this language, the system can provide a set of services that support people making the decision. These services, together with the interface such as the object and the different presentation formats, form the support environment for using the language. I describe the services that have been so far identified to be useful — the managements of dependency, plausibility, viewpoints, and precedents. I also discuss how this work on DRL is related to other studies on decision making.MIT Artificial Intelligence Laborator

IDEME: A DBMS of Methods

In this paper, an intelligent database management system (DBMS) called IDEME is presented. IDEME is a program that takes as input a task specification and finds a set of methods potentially relevant to solving that task. It does so by matching the task specification to the methods in its database at multiple levels of abstraction. After isolating potentially useful methods, IDEME ranks them by how relevant they might be to the task. From the most relevant method, it checks if its operational demands, i.e. those conditions that have to be satisfied for the method to be applicable, are satisfied by the present task. If so, it presents the algorithm of the method relativized to the present task; otherwise, it goes on to the next method. In this paper, the focus will be on the representation scheme that is used by IDEME to represent methods as well as tasks.MIT Artificial Intelligence Laborator

Fully integrated lab-on-a-disc for simultaneous analysis of biochemistry and immunoassay from whole blood

We report a fully integrated device that can perform both multiple biochemical analysis and sandwich type immunoassay simultaneously on a disc. The whole blood is applied directly to the disposable "lab-on-a-disc" containing different kinds of freeze-dried reagents for the blood chemistry analysis as well as reagents required for the immunoassay. The concentrations of different kinds of analytes are reported within 22 min by simply inserting a disc to a portable device. Using the innovative laser irradiated ferrowax microvalves together with the centrifugal microfluidics, the total process of plasma separation, metering, mixing, incubation, washing, and detection is fully automated. The analyzer is equipped with an optical detection module to measure absorbances at 10 different wavelengths to accommodate the various kinds of reaction protocols. Compared to the conventional blood analysis done in clinical laboratories, it is advantageous for point-of-care applications because it requires a smaller amount of blood (350 mu L vs. 3 mL), takes less time (22 min vs. several days), does not require specially trained operators or expensive instruments to run biochemical analysis and immunoassay separately.close554

The Effect of Self Identity and Social Identity on Technology Acceptance

While the effect of social factors on information technology (IT) acceptance behavior has been recognized as an important issue, only a few studies examined this topic in the context of the technology acceptance model. In this study, we incorporate two social factors, self identity and social identity, in the model and address their impacts on IT acceptance decision. An empirical study investigating the impact these social factors have on the acceptance of a web-based class support system is in progress. Upon completion of this study, we expect to provide further understanding on the role of social influence on individual technology acceptance decisions

What\u27s in Design Rationale?

A few representations have been used for capturing design rationale. To understand their scope and adequacy, we need to know how to evaluate them. In this article, we develop a framework for evaluating the expressive adequacy of design rationale representations. This framework is built by progressively differentiating the elements of design rationale that, when made explicit, support an increasing number of the design tasks. Using this framework, we present and assess DRL (Decision Representation Language), a language for representing rationales that we believe is the most expressive of the existing representations. We also use the framework to assess the expressiveness of other design rationale representations and compare them to DRL. We conclude by pointing out the need for articulating other dimensions along which to evaluate design rationale representations

Optical observations of NEA 3200 Phaethon (1983 TB) during the 2017 apparition

The near-Earth asteroid 3200 Phaethon (1983 TB) is an attractive object not only from a scientific viewpoint but also because of JAXA's DESTINY+ target. The rotational lightcurve and spin properties were investigated based on the data obtained in the ground-based observation campaign of Phaethon. We aim to refine the lightcurves and shape model of Phaethon using all available lightcurve datasets obtained via optical observation, as well as our time-series observation data from the 2017 apparition. Using eight 1-2-m telescopes and an optical imager, we acquired the optical lightcurves and derived the spin parameters of Phaethon. We applied the lightcurve inversion method and SAGE algorithm to deduce the convex and non-convex shape model and pole orientations. We analysed the optical lightcurve of Phaethon and derived a synodic and a sidereal rotational period of 3.6039 h, with an axis ratio of a/b = 1.07. The ecliptic longitude (lambda) and latitude (beta) of the pole orientation were determined as (308, -52) and (322, -40) via two independent methods. A non-convex model from the SAGE method, which exhibits a concavity feature, is also presented.Comment: 14 pages, 4 figures, 1 figure in Appendix A. Accepted for publication in Astronomy & Astrophysics (A&A

Indole is an inter-species biofilm signal mediated by SdiA

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>As a stationary phase signal, indole is secreted in large quantities into rich medium by <it>Escherichia coli </it>and has been shown to control several genes (e.g., <it>astD</it>, <it>tnaB</it>, <it>gabT</it>), multi-drug exporters, and the pathogenicity island of <it>E. coli</it>; however, its impact on biofilm formation has not been well-studied.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Through a series of global transcriptome analyses, confocal microscopy, isogenic mutants, and dual-species biofilms, we show here that indole is a non-toxic signal that controls <it>E. coli </it>biofilms by repressing motility, inducing the sensor of the quorum sensing signal autoinducer-1 (SdiA), and influencing acid resistance (e.g., <it>hdeABD, gadABCEX</it>). Isogenic mutants showed these associated proteins are directly related to biofilm formation (e.g., the <it>sdiA </it>mutation increased biofilm formation 50-fold), and SdiA-mediated transcription was shown to be influenced by indole. The reduction in motility due to indole addition results in the biofilm architecture changing from scattered towers to flat colonies. Additionally, there are 12-fold more <it>E. coli </it>cells in dual-species biofilms grown in the presence of <it>Pseudomonas </it>cells engineered to express toluene <it>o-</it>monooxygenase (TOM, which converts indole to an insoluble indigoid) than in biofilms with pseudomonads that do not express TOM due to a 22-fold reduction in extracellular indole. Also, indole stimulates biofilm formation in pseudomonads. Further evidence that the indole effects are mediated by SdiA and homoserine lactone quorum sensing is that the addition of <it>N</it>-butyryl-, <it>N</it>-hexanoyl-, and <it>N</it>-octanoyl-<it>L</it>-homoserine lactones repress <it>E. coli </it>biofilm formation in the wild-type strain but not with the <it>sdiA </it>mutant.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Indole is an interspecies signal that decreases <it>E. coli </it>biofilms through SdiA and increases those of pseudomonads. Indole may be manipulated to control biofilm formation by oxygenases of bacteria that do not synthesize it in a dual-species biofilm. Furthermore, <it>E. coli </it>changes its biofilm in response to signals it cannot synthesize (homoserine lactones), and pseudomonads respond to signals they do not synthesize (indole).</p

Indole and 3-indolylacetonitrile inhibit spore maturation in Paenibacillus alvei

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Bacteria use diverse signaling molecules to ensure the survival of the species in environmental niches. A variety of both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria produce large quantities of indole that functions as an intercellular signal controlling diverse aspects of bacterial physiology.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>In this study, we sought a novel role of indole in a Gram-positive bacteria <it>Paenibacillus alvei </it>that can produce extracellular indole at a concentration of up to 300 μM in the stationary phase in Luria-Bertani medium. Unlike previous studies, our data show that the production of indole in <it>P. alvei </it>is strictly controlled by catabolite repression since the addition of glucose and glycerol completely turns off the indole production. The addition of exogenous indole markedly inhibits the heat resistance of <it>P. alvei </it>without affecting cell growth. Observation of cell morphology with electron microscopy shows that indole inhibits the development of spore coats and cortex in <it>P. alvei</it>. As a result of the immature spore formation of <it>P. alvei</it>, indole also decreases <it>P. alvei </it>survival when exposed to antibiotics, low pH, and ethanol. Additionally, indole derivatives also influence the heat resistance; for example, a plant auxin, 3-indolylacetonitrile dramatically (2900-fold) decreased the heat resistance of <it>P. alvei</it>, while another auxin 3-indoleacetic acid had a less significant influence on the heat resistance of <it>P. alvei</it>.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Together, our results demonstrate that indole and plant auxin 3-indolylacetonitrile inhibit spore maturation of <it>P. alvei </it>and that 3-indolylacetonitrile presents an opportunity for the control of heat and antimicrobial resistant spores of Gram-positive bacteria.</p