Planning Through Stochastic Local Search and Temporal Action Graphs in LPG

We present some techniques for planning in domains specified with the recent standard language PDDL2.1, supporting 'durative actions' and numerical quantities. These techniques are implemented in LPG, a domain-independent planner that took part in the 3rd International Planning Competition (IPC). LPG is an incremental, any time system producing multi-criteria quality plans. The core of the system is based on a stochastic local search method and on a graph-based representation called 'Temporal Action Graphs' (TA-graphs). This paper focuses on temporal planning, introducing TA-graphs and proposing some techniques to guide the search in LPG using this representation. The experimental results of the 3rd IPC, as well as further results presented in this paper, show that our techniques can be very effective. Often LPG outperforms all other fully-automated planners of the 3rd IPC in terms of speed to derive a solution, or quality of the solutions that can be produced

Plan stability: replanning versus plan repair

The ultimate objective in planning is to construct plans for execution. However, when a plan is executed in a real environment it can encounter differences between the expected and actual context of execution. These differences can manifest as divergences between the expected and observed states of the world, or as a change in the goals to be achieved by the plan. In both cases, the old plan must be replaced with a new one. In replacing the plan an important consideration is plan stability. We compare two alternative strategies for achieving the {em stable} repair of a plan: one is simply to replan from scratch and the other is to adapt the existing plan to the new context. We present arguments to support the claim that plan stability is a valuable property. We then propose an implementation, based on LPG, of a plan repair strategy that adapts a plan to its new context. We demonstrate empirically that our plan repair strategy achieves more stability than replanning and can produce repaired plans more efficiently than replanning

A splice variant in KRT71 is associated with curly coat phenotype of Selkirk Rex cats.

One of the salient features of the domestic cat is the aesthetics of its fur. The Selkirk Rex breed is defined by an autosomal dominant woolly rexoid hair (ADWH) abnormality that is characterized by tightly curled hair shafts. A genome-wide case - control association study was conducted using 9 curly coated Selkirk Rex and 29 controls, including straight-coated Selkirk Rex, British Shorthair and Persian, to localize the Selkirk autosomal dominant rexoid locus (SADRE). Although the control cats were from different breed lineages, they share recent breeding histories and were validated as controls by Bayesian clustering, multi-dimensional scaling and genomic inflation. A significant association was found on cat chromosome B4 (Praw = 2.87 × 10(-11)), and a unique haplotype spanning ~600 Kb was found in all the curly coated cats. Direct sequencing of four candidate genes revealed a splice site variant within the KRT71 gene associated with the hair abnormality in Selkirk Rex

Machine learning techniques for MRI feature-based detection of frontotemporal lobar degeneration

Making a diagnosis of neurodegenerative diseases at an early stage is one of the most significant challenges of modern neuroscience. Although this family of diseases remains without a cure, the effectiveness of their medical treatment largely relies on the timing of their detection. For certain groups of diseases, such as Fronto-Temporal Dementia (FTD), trained professionals can effectively reach a correct diagnosis through the visual analysis of Magnetic Resonance Imaging, in its functional (fMRI) or raw (MRI) version. However, this operation is time-consuming and may be subject to personal interpretation. In this paper, we explore the performance of a group of machine learning algorithms to formulate a correct FTD diagnosis, in order to provide medical professionals with a supporting tool. The dataset consists of MRI data acquired on 30 subjects, and the experiments are carried out by investigating different fMRI techniques based on a Multi-Voxel Pattern Analysis (MVPA) approach. The results obtained show high accuracy in identifying FTD in elderly patients when Support Vector Machine and Random Forest techniques are used, with outcomes varying based on the fMRI methods

Influence of physician empathy on the outcome of botulinum toxin treatment for upper limb spasticity in patients with chronic stroke: A cohort study.

To examine the relationship between patient-rated physician empathy and outcome of botulinum toxin treatment for post-stroke upper limb spasticity.Cohort study.Twenty chronic stroke patients with upper limb spasticity.All patients received incobotulinumtoxinA injection in at least one muscle for each of the following patterns: flexed elbow, flexed wrist and clenched fist. Each treatment was performed by 1 of 5 physiatrists with equivalent clinical experience. Patient-rated physician empathy was quantified with the Consultation and Relational Empathy Measure immediately after botulinum toxin treatment. Patients were evaluated before and at 4 weeks after botulinum toxin treatment by means of the following outcome measures: Modified Ashworth Scale; Wolf Motor Function Test; Disability Assessment Scale; Goal Attainment Scaling.Ordinal regression analysis showed a significant influence of patient-rated physician empathy (independent variable) on the outcome (dependent variables) of botulinum toxin treatment at 4 weeks after injection, as measured by Goal Attainment Scaling (p<0.001).These findings support the hypothesis that patient-rated physician empathy may influence the outcome of botulinum toxin treatment in chronic stroke patients with upper limb spasticity as measured by Goal Attainment Scaling

Microbial dynamics in soils of the Damma glacier forefield show succession in the functional genetic potential

Glacier retreat is a visible consequence of climate change worldwide. Although taxonomic change of the soil microbiomes in glacier forefields have been widely documented, how microbial genetic potential changes along succession is little known. Here, we used shotgun metagenomics to analyse whether the soil microbial genetic potential differed between four stages of soil development (SSD) sampled along three transects in the Damma glacier forefield (Switzerland). The SSDs were characterized by an increasing vegetation cover, from barren soil, to biological soil crust, to sparsely vegetated soil and finally to vegetated soil. Results suggested that SSD significantly influenced microbial genetic potential, with the lowest functional diversity surprisingly occurring in the vegetated soils. Overall, carbohydrate metabolism and secondary metabolite biosynthesis genes overrepresented in vegetated soils, which could be partly attributed to plant-soil feedbacks. For C degradation, glycoside hydrolase genes enriched in vegetated soils, while auxiliary activity and carbohydrate esterases genes overrepresented in barren soils, suggested high labile C degradation potential in vegetated, and high recalcitrant C degradation potential in barren soils. For N-cycling, organic N degradation and synthesis genes dominated along succession, and gene families involved in nitrification were overrepresented in barren soils. Our study provides new insights into how the microbial genetic potential changes during soil formation along the Damma glacier forefield

Patient-Specific Prosthetic Fingers by Remote Collaboration - A Case Study

The concealment of amputation through prosthesis usage can shield an amputee from social stigma and help improve the emotional healing process especially at the early stages of hand or finger loss. However, the traditional techniques in prosthesis fabrication defy this as the patients need numerous visits to the clinics for measurements, fitting and follow-ups. This paper presents a method for constructing a prosthetic finger through online collaboration with the designer. The main input from the amputee comes from the Computer Tomography (CT) data in the region of the affected and the non-affected fingers. These data are sent over the internet and the prosthesis is constructed using visualization, computer-aided design and manufacturing tools. The finished product is then shipped to the patient. A case study with a single patient having an amputated ring finger at the proximal interphalangeal joint shows that the proposed method has a potential to address the patient's psychosocial concerns and minimize the exposure of the finger loss to the public.Comment: Open Access articl