Bigraphical modelling of architectural patterns

Selected for publication in FACS'2011 post-proceedings, to appear in Springer Lecture Notes in Computer ScienceArchery is a language for behavioural modelling of architectural patterns, supporting hierarchical composition and a type discipline. This paper extends Archery to cope with the patterns' structural dimension through a set of (re-)configuration combinators and constraints that all instances of a pattern must obey. Both types and instances of architectural patterns are semantically represented as bigraphical reactive systems and operations upon them as reaction rules. Such a bigraphical semantics provides a rigorous model for Archery patterns and reduces constraint verification in architectures to a type-checking problem.(undefined

Exploiting the Hierarchical Structure of Rule-Based Specifications for Decision Planning

Rule-based specifications have been very successful as a declarative approach in many domains, due to the handy yet solid foundations offered by rule-based machineries like term and graph rewriting. Realistic problems, however, call for suitable techniques to guarantee scalability. For instance, many domains exhibit a hierarchical structure that can be exploited conveniently. This is particularly evident for composition associations of models. We propose an explicit representation of such structured models and a methodology that exploits it for the description and analysis of model- and rule-based systems. The approach is presented in the framework of rewriting logic and its efficient implementation in the rewrite engine Maude and is illustrated with a case study.

A Stochastic Broadcast Pi-Calculus

In this paper we propose a stochastic broadcast PI-calculus which can be used to model server-client based systems where synchronization is always governed by only one participant. Therefore, there is no need to determine the joint synchronization rates. We also take immediate transitions into account which is useful to model behaviors with no impact on the temporal properties of a system. Since immediate transitions may introduce non-determinism, we will show how these non-determinism can be resolved, and as result a valid CTMC will be obtained finally. Also some practical examples are given to show the application of this calculus.Comment: In Proceedings QAPL 2011, arXiv:1107.074

Effects of beta-alanine supplementation on brain homocarnosine/carnosine signal and cognitive function: an exploratory study

Objectives: Two independent studies were conducted to examine the effects of 28 d of beta-alanine supplementation at 6.4 g d-1 on brain homocarnosine/carnosine signal in omnivores and vegetarians (Study 1) and on cognitive function before and after exercise in trained cyclists (Study 2). Methods: In Study 1, seven healthy vegetarians (3 women and 4 men) and seven age- and sex-matched omnivores undertook a brain 1H-MRS exam at baseline and after beta-alanine supplementation. In study 2, nineteen trained male cyclists completed four 20-Km cycling time trials (two pre supplementation and two post supplementation), with a battery of cognitive function tests (Stroop test, Sternberg paradigm, Rapid Visual Information Processing task) being performed before and after exercise on each occasion. Results: In Study 1, there were no within-group effects of beta-alanine supplementation on brain homocarnosine/carnosine signal in either vegetarians (p = 0.99) or omnivores (p = 0.27); nor was there any effect when data from both groups were pooled (p = 0.19). Similarly, there was no group by time interaction for brain homocarnosine/carnosine signal (p = 0.27). In study 2, exercise improved cognitive function across all tests (P0.05) of beta-alanine supplementation on response times or accuracy for the Stroop test, Sternberg paradigm or RVIP task at rest or after exercise. Conclusion: 28 d of beta-alanine supplementation at 6.4g d-1 appeared not to influence brain homocarnosine/ carnosine signal in either omnivores or vegetarians; nor did it influence cognitive function before or after exercise in trained cyclists

Effect of external force and bimanual operation on upper limb pose during human-robot collaboration

During physical Human-Robot Interaction (pHRI) in industrial applications such as human-robot collaborative abrasive blasting, the operator often interacts with the robot using two hands, exchanging forces through handle bars. For the robot to provide appropriate assistance to the operator and for safe interaction, it would be benefficial for the robot to know the pose of the user. This problem is often challenging due to environmental factors, limited sensing capability in the environment and the robot, and redundancy of the human upper-limb. This paper presents experimental study on how two-hand interaction and force exchange affect the operators upper-limb pose, which can be characterized by swivel angle. The poses of ten subjects were recorded as they interacted with a collaborative robot. Differences in the adopted upper limb pose were analyzed with respect to factors such as unimanual versus bimanual operation, and the amplitude of interaction force between an operator and the robot. The results discovered that the the effect of bimanual operation on the upper limb pose differs between individuals and the magnitude of the force had a varying effect on the pose. The requirement of applying a force forward produced an overall lower swivel angle

Notes on the carpet beetle Attagenus lobatus in Italy

Morphological, distributional and eco-ethological data on the carpet beetle Attagenus lobatus Rosenhauer (Coleoptera Dermestidae) are reported, based on original observations. A. lobatus is a household and stored product species with a primarily Palaearctic distribution, secondarily Holarctic due to passive dispersion by man. This species is not very common in temperate climates and is here recorded for the first time in northern Italy

Total Synthesis of 1”- and 2”-Hydroxycannabidiol Metabolites

Herein we report a new practical and efficient multistep syntheses of 1”- and 2”-hydroxycannabidiol metabolites. Both products and intermediates were fully characterized, and the target metabolites were produced in good overall yields

Colostrum from cows immunized with a veterinary vaccine against bovine rotavirus displays enhanced in vitro anti-human rotavirus activity

Human rotaviruses represent a major cause of severe diarrheal disease in infants and young children. The limited impact of oral vaccines on global estimates of rotavirus mortality and the suboptimal use of oral rehydration justify the need for alternative prophylactic and therapeutic strategies, especially for immunocompromised hosts. The protective effects of colostrum\u2014the first milk produced during the initial 24 to 48 h after parturition\u2014are well documented in the literature. In particular, the ingestion of hyperimmune bovine colostrum has been proposed as an alternative preventive approach against human rotavirus gastroenteritis. Although the immunization of pregnant cows with human rotavirus boosts the release of specific immunoglobulin G in bovine colostrum, it raises regulatory and safety issues. In this study, we demonstrated that the conventional bovine rotavirus vaccine is sufficient to enhance the anti-human rotavirus protective efficacy of bovine colostrum, thus providing a conservative approach to produce hyperimmune bovine colostrum, making it exploitable as a functional food

Slug monitoring and impacts on the ground beetle community in the frame of sustainable pest control in conventional and conservation agroecosystems

In conservation agriculture, slugs are considered significant pests and their monitoring is a key option in the integrated pest management framework. Together with molluscicide applications, predators such as ground beetles can offer a tool for slug control in the field. Through the evaluation of slug and ground beetle monitoring strategies, this work compared their presence in conventional and conservation agricultural plots. The invasive Deroceras invadens was the dominant slug species to occur in all sampling periods. Among Carabidae, Poecilus cupreus and Pterostichus melas were the most abundant species, and Bembidion spp., Brachinus spp., and Harpalus spp. were also common. Beer-baited pitfall traps, whatever their alcoholic content, caught more slugs and ground beetles than wooden boards used as shelters. Slugs were more abundant in conventional plots than in conservation plots, possibly due to the lower presence of natural enemies such as ground beetles. Despite possible impacts on Carabidae, beer-baited pitfall traps should be considered a useful tool for slug monitoring and for the planning of molluscicide applications. Soil management such as minimum-or no-tillage and the presence of cover crops are important elements influencing both slug and ground beetle presence, possibly playing a key role in the maintenance of natural enemy populations

Investigating mechanisms underpinning the detrimental impact of a high-fat diet in the developing and adult hypermuscular myostatin null mouse

Background: Obese adults are prone to develop metabolic and cardiovascular diseases. Furthermore, over-weight expectant mothers give birth to large babies who also have increased likelihood of developing metabolic and cardiovascular diseases. Fundamental advancements to better understand the pathophysiology of obesity are critical in the development of anti-obesity therapies not only for this but also future generations. Skeletal muscle plays a major role in fat metabolism and much work has focused in promoting this activity in order to control the development of obesity. Research has evaluated myostatin inhibition as a strategy to prevent the development of obesity and concluded in some cases that it offers a protective mechanism against a high-fat diet. Results: We hypothesised that myostatin inhibition should protect not only the mother but also its developing foetus from the detrimental effects of a high-fat diet. Unexpectedly, we found muscle development was attenuated in the foetus of myostatin null mice raised on a high-fat diet. We therefore re-examined the effect of the high-fat diet on adults and found myostatin null mice were more susceptible to diet-induced obesity through a mechanism involving impairment of inter-organ fat utilization. Conclusions: Loss of myostatin alters fatty acid uptake and oxidation in skeletal muscle and liver. We show that abnormally high metabolic activity of fat in myostatin null mice is decreased by a high-fat diet resulting in excessive adipose deposition and lipotoxicity. Collectively, our genetic loss-of-function studies offer an explanation of the lean phenotype displayed by a host of animals lacking myostatin signalling. Keywords: Muscle, Obesity, High-fat diet, Metabolism, Myostati