Distributed belief revision as applied within a descriptive model of jury deliberations

Belief revision is a well-research topic within AI. We argue that the new model of distributed belief revision as discussed here is suitable for general modelling of judicial decision making, along with extant approach as known from jury research. The new approach to belief revision is of general interest, whenever attitudes to information are to be simulated within a multi-agent environment with agents holding local beliefs yet by interaction with, and influencing, other agents who are deliberating collectively. In the approach proposed, it's the entire group of agents, not an external supervisor, who integrate the different opinions. This is achieved through an election mechanism, The principle of "priority to the incoming information" as known from AI models of belief revision are problematic, when applied to factfinding by a jury. The present approach incorporates a computable model for local belief revision, such that a principle of recoverability is adopted. By this principle, any previously held belief must belong to the current cognitive state if consistent with it. For the purposes of jury simulation such a model calls for refinement. Yet we claim, it constitutes a valid basis for an open system where other AI functionalities (or outer stiumuli) could attempt to handle other aspects of the deliberation which are more specifi to legal narrative, to argumentation in court, and then to the debate among the jurors.

Vibrational spectra and crystal structure of the di-amino acid peptide cyclo(L-Met-L-Met): Comparison of experimental data and DFT calculations

Experimental Raman and FT-IR spectra of solid-state non-deuterated and N-deuterated samples of cyclo(L-Met-L-Met) are reported and discussed. The Raman and FT-IR results show characteristic amide I vibrations (Raman: 1649 cm-1, infrared: 1675 cm-1) for molecules exhibiting a cis amide conformation. A Raman band, assigned to the cis amide II vibrational mode, is observed at sim1493 cm-1 but no IR band is observed in this region. Cyclo(L-Met-L-Met) crystallises in the triclinic space group P1 with one molecule per unit cell. The overall shape of the diketopiperazine (DKP) ring displays a (slightly distorted) boat conformation. The crystal packing employs two strong hydrogen bonds, which traverse the entire crystal via translational repeats. B3-LYP/cc-pVDZ calculations of the structure of the molecule predict a boat conformation for the DKP ring, in agreement with the experimentally determined X-ray structure. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Intracellular fate of bioresponsive poly(amidoamine)s in vitro and in vivo

Linear poly(amidoamine)s (PAAs) have been designed to exhibit minimal non-specific toxicity, display pH-dependent membrane lysis and deliver genes and toxins in vitro. The aim of this study was to measure PAA cellular uptake using ISA1-OG (and as a reference ISA23-OG) in B16F10 cells in vitro and, by subcellular fractionation, quantitate intracellular trafficking of (125)I-labelled ISA1-tyr in liver cells after intravenous (i.v.) administration to rats. The effect of time after administration (0.5-3h) and ISA1 dose (0.04-100mg/kg) on trafficking, and vesicle permeabilisation (N-acetyl-b-D-glucosaminidase (NAG) release from an isolated vesicular fraction) were also studied. ISA1-OG displayed approximately 60-fold greater B16F10 cell uptake than ISA23-OG. Passage of ISA1 along the liver cell endocytic pathway caused a transient decrease in vesicle buoyant density (also visible by TEM). Increasing ISA1 dose from 10mg/kg to 100mg/kg increased both radioactivity and NAG levels in the cytosolic fraction (5-10 fold) at 1h. Moreover, internalised ISA1 provoked NAG release from an isolated vesicular fraction in a dose-dependent manner. These results provide direct evidence, for the first time, of PAA permeabilisation of endocytic vesicular membranes in vivo, and they have important implications for potential efficacy/toxicity of such polymeric vectors.

'Adoption success': the reality of adoptive placements today

In order to make adoption a true success story for adoptive parents and their children the number of adoptive placements that disrupt needs to become a key target. At present approximately 20 per cent of all adoptive placements breakdown. This paper discusses the issues and difficulties facing adoptive families, using literature and personal experience, and suggests strategies and interventions that social workers need to be implementing if the disruption rate is to decrease.