2,136 research outputs found
Sensecape: Enabling Multilevel Exploration and Sensemaking with Large Language Models
People are increasingly turning to large language models (LLMs) for complex
information tasks like academic research or planning a move to another city.
However, while they often require working in a nonlinear manner - e.g., to
arrange information spatially to organize and make sense of it, current
interfaces for interacting with LLMs are generally linear to support
conversational interaction. To address this limitation and explore how we can
support LLM-powered exploration and sensemaking, we developed Sensecape, an
interactive system designed to support complex information tasks with an LLM by
enabling users to (1) manage the complexity of information through multilevel
abstraction and (2) seamlessly switch between foraging and sensemaking. Our
within-subject user study reveals that Sensecape empowers users to explore more
topics and structure their knowledge hierarchically. We contribute implications
for LLM-based workflows and interfaces for information tasks
ChoiceMates: Supporting Unfamiliar Online Decision-Making with Multi-Agent Conversational Interactions
Unfamiliar decisions -- decisions where people lack adequate domain knowledge
or expertise -- specifically increase the complexity and uncertainty of the
process of searching for, understanding, and making decisions with online
information. Through our formative study (n=14), we observed users' challenges
in accessing diverse perspectives, identifying relevant information, and
deciding the right moment to make the final decision. We present ChoiceMates, a
system that enables conversations with a dynamic set of LLM-powered agents for
a holistic domain understanding and efficient discovery and management of
information to make decisions. Agents, as opinionated personas, flexibly join
the conversation, not only providing responses but also conversing among
themselves to elicit each agent's preferences. Our between-subjects study
(n=36) comparing ChoiceMates to conventional web search and single-agent showed
that ChoiceMates was more helpful in discovering, diving deeper, and managing
information compared to Web with higher confidence. We also describe how
participants utilized multi-agent conversations in their decision-making
process
A quantitative study of spin-flip co-tunneling transport in a quantum dot
We report detailed transport measurements in a quantum dot in a spin-flip
co-tunneling regime, and a quantitative comparison of the data to microscopic
theory. The quantum dot is fabricated by lateral gating of a GaAs/AlGaAs
heterostructure, and the conductance is measured in the presence of an in-plane
Zeeman field. We focus on the ratio of the nonlinear conductance values at bias
voltages exceeding the Zeeman threshold, a regime that permits a spin flip on
the dot, to those below the Zeeman threshold, when the spin flip on the dot is
energetically forbidden. The data obtained in three different odd-occupation
dot states show good quantitative agreement with the theory with no adjustable
parameters. We also compare the theoretical results to the predictions of a
phenomenological form used previously for the analysis of non-linear
co-tunneling conductance, specifically the determination of the heterostructure
g-factor, and find good agreement between the two.Comment: 5 pages, 5 figure
Divalent metal-ion transporter DMT1 mediates both H+ -coupled Fe2+ transport and uncoupled fluxes
The H+ -coupled divalent metal-ion transporter DMT1 serves as both the primary entry point for iron into the body (intestinal brush-border uptake) and the route by which transferrin-associated iron is mobilized from endosomes to cytosol in erythroid precursors and other cells. Elucidating the molecular mechanisms of DMT1 will therefore increase our understanding of iron metabolism and the etiology of iron overload disorders. We expressed wild type and mutant DMT1 in Xenopus oocytes and monitored metal-ion uptake, currents and intracellular pH. DMT1 was activated in the presence of an inwardly directed H+ electrochemical gradient. At low extracellular pH (pHo), H+ binding preceded binding of Fe2+ and its simultaneous translocation. However, DMT1 did not behave like a typical ion-coupled transporter at higher pHo, and at pHo 7.4 we observed Fe2+ transport that was not associated with H+ influx. His272 → Ala substitution uncoupled the Fe2+ and H+ fluxes. At low pHo, H272A mediated H+ uniport that was inhibited by Fe2+. Meanwhile H272A-mediated Fe2+ transport was independent of pHo. Our data indicate (i) that H+ coupling in DMT1 serves to increase affinity for Fe2+ and provide a thermodynamic driving force for Fe2+ transport and (ii) that His-272 is critical in transducing the effects of H+ coupling. Notably, our data also indicate that DMT1 can mediate facilitative Fe2+ transport in the absence of a H+ gradient. Since plasma membrane expression of DMT1 is upregulated in liver of hemochromatosis patients, this H+ -uncoupled facilitative Fe2+ transport via DMT1 can account for the uptake of nontransferrin-bound plasma iron characteristic of iron overload disorder
Endoplasmic reticulum degradation impedes olfactory G-protein coupled receptor functional expression
BACKGROUND: Research on olfactory G-protein coupled receptors (GPCRs) has been severely impeded by poor functional expression in heterologous systems. Previously, we demonstrated that inefficient olfactory receptor (OR) expression at the plasma membrane is attributable, in part, to degradation of endoplasmic reticulum (ER)-retained ORs by the ubiquitin-proteasome system and sequestration of ORs in ER aggregates that are degraded by autophagy. Thus, experiments were performed to test the hypothesis that attenuation of ER degradation improves OR functional expression in heterologous cells. RESULTS: To develop means to increase the functional expression of ORs, we devised an approach to measure activation of the mOREG OR (Unigene # Mm.196680; Olfr73) through coupling to an olfactory cyclic nucleotide-gated cation channel (CNG). This system, which utilizes signal transduction machinery coupled to OR activation in native olfactory sensory neurons, was used to demonstrate that degradation, both by the ubiquitin-proteasome system and autophagy, limits mOREG functional expression. The stimulatory effects of proteasome and autophagy inhibitors on mOREG function required export from the ER and trafficking through the biosynthetic pathway. CONCLUSIONS: These findings demonstrate that poor functional expression of mOREG in heterologous cells is improved by blocking proteolysis. Inhibition of ER degradation may improve the function of other ORs and assist future efforts to elucidate the molecular basis of odor discrimination
CORPORATE GOVERNANCE CHANGE AND MANAGEMENT PERFORMANCE: AN EXPLORATORY STUDY OF A KOREAN COMPANY -MANDO CORPORATION
ABSTRACT Triggered by the Asian financial crisis in 1997, corporate governance has become an important topic for many Korean companies. Particularly, Korea"s large family-owned conglomerates, chaebols, went through significant changes in terms of corporate governance. There has been a widely held belief that the lack of proper corporate governance in Korean companies, notably chaebols, forces them to suffer from low performance. Changes in corporate governance, therefore, is expected to enhance company performance. This paper is an exploratory study to address this issue. Specifically, it has an indepth look at the case of Mando Corporation to show how corporate governance improved management performance in terms of increasing shareholder value. The roles of the board of directors, large shareholders, and professional managers are explained and contrasted in the context of rapidly evolving dynamics of changes in the corporate governance of the company
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