A pattern recognition account of decision making

In the domain of pattern recognition, experiments have shown that perceivers integrate multiple sources of information in an optimal manner. In contrast, other research has been interpreted to mean that decision making is nonoptimal. As an example, Tversky and Kahneman (1983) have shown that subjects commit a conjunction fallacy because they judge it more likely that a fictitious person named Linda is a bank teller and a feminist than just a bank teller. This judgment supposedly violates probability theory, because the probability of two events can never be greater than the probability of either event alone. The present research tests the hypothesis that subjects interpret this judgment task as a pattern recognition task. If this hypothesis is correct, subjects' judgments should be described accurately by the fuzzy logical model of perception (FLMP)--a successful model of pattern recognition. In the first experiment, the Linda task was extended to an expanded factorial design with five vocations and five avocations. The probability ratings were described well by the FLMP and described poorly by a simple probability model. The second experiment included (1) two fictitious people, Linda and Joan, as response alternatives and (2) both ratings and categorization judgments. Although the ratings were accurately described by both the FLMP and an averaging of the sources of information, the categorization judgments were described better by the FLMP. These results reveal important similarities in recognizing patterns and in decision making. Given that the FLMP is an optimal method for combining multiple sources of information, the probability judgments appear to be optimal in the same manner as pattern-recognition judgments.     

Design and Characterization of Myristoylated and Non-Myristoylated Peptides Effective against Candida spp. Clinical Isolates

The increasing resistance of fungi to antibiotics is a severe challenge in public health, and newly effective drugs are required. Promising potential medications are lipopeptides, linear antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) conjugated to a lipid tail, usually at the N-terminus. In this paper, we investigated the in vitro and in vivo antifungal activity of three short myristoylated and non-myristoylated peptides derived from a mutant of the AMP Chionodracine. We determined their interaction with anionic and zwitterionic membrane-mimicking vesicles and their structure during this interaction. We then investigated their cytotoxic and hemolytic activity against mammalian cells. Lipidated peptides showed a broad spectrum of activity against a relevant panel of pathogen fungi belonging to Candida spp., including the multidrug-resistant C. auris. The antifungal activity was also observed vs. biofilms of C. albicans, C. tropicalis, and C. auris. Finally, a pilot efficacy study was conducted on the in vivo model consisting of Galleria mellonella larvae. Treatment with the most-promising myristoylated peptide was effective in counteracting the infection from C. auris and C. albicans and the death of the larvae. Therefore, this myristoylated peptide is a potential candidate to develop antifungal agents against human fungal pathogens.     

In vitro activity of metronidazole alone and in combination with clotrimazole against clinical isolates of Trichomonas vaginalis

The impetus for shorter hospital stay of mother and newborn infant after delivery is based on economic constraints and parental preference. Earlier published studies did not demonstrate any increase in morbidity rate with shorter stay, but these studies were limited by methodologic flaws and biases that limited the validity and generalizability of the conclusions. More recent studies showed that readmission rates increased with shorter stay and that the severity of illness of readmitted infants may have increased. In addition, the interpretation of current newborn screening tests may not be applicable when performed prior to early discharge. In light of recent changes in neonatal hospital length of stay, a careful review and update of current guidelines and practices for newborn care are required.     

Ultraspherical tapers

Tapered transmission lines for impedance matching at microwave frequencies are obtained from quarter-wave transformers using ultraspherical polynomials. It is shown that a free parameter can be suitably chosen so as to optimise energy transmission.     

Reading ability and utilization of orthographic structure in reading.

Used a perceptual-recognition task to assess whether utilization of orthographic structure in letter recognition varies with reading ability. Anagrams of words were made to create strings that orthogonally combined frequency and regularity measures of orthographic structure. These strings and the original words were used as test stimuli in a letter-recognition task. 22 good and poor undergraduate readers (selected by their scores on the Nelson-Denny Reading Test) showed equally large effects of orthographic structure on task accuracy, whereas in a 2nd experiment, 10 poor 6th-grade readers did not utilize orthographic structure to the same degree as 10 very good 6th-grade readers. To facilitate the teaching of orthographic structure, some of the important constraints in written English and various games for teaching these constraints are presented. (28 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)