185 research outputs found
Design & KI
In diesem Bericht werden die wichtigsten Begriffe aus dem Bereich des (Produkt)Designs aus dem Blickwinkel der künstlichen Intelligenz untersucht. Der Schwerpunkt liegt dabei nicht so sehr auf den technischen Details von existierenden Designsystemen als vielmehr in der Untersuchung der wesentlichen Konzepte wie Designmodelle, Modelle des wissensbasierten Designs, innovatives Design, etc. auf einem informellen Level, die der grundsätzlichen Beschreibung des Vorgehens eines Experten beim Design genügen
Low cost external serial interface watchdog for SoCs and FPGAs automatic characterization tests
Manufacturers must characterize their design deeply when designing and producing devices like FPGAs and SoCs. Information collected through simulation and physical experiments is the primary data source for manufacturers that can then decide the optimal working ranges of multiple critical parameters such as operating voltage, frequency, temperatures, etc. With complex devices such as SoCs, and FPGAs with integrated PLLs and voltage regulators, each combination of voltage and frequency can be checked by communicating the desired parameters to the DUT, running a functional test, and observing the results. However once the ATE sends the desired parameters to the DUT through SPI or other serial interfaces, the DUT may freeze and stop to accept new commands entirely. This is particularly problematic for targeted characterization that may include a minimal number of boards and DUTs and where the ATE may simply be a simple laptop without any automatic DUT reset capabilities. This paper presents an external serial communication watchdog designed using an ESP32-based board. Our watchdog can detect the communications coming from the ATE, monitor the answers from the DUT, and restart it through power cycling in case of freezing
A penalized regression model for spatial functional data with application to the analysis of the production of waste in Venice province
We propose a method for the analysis of functional data with complex dependencies, such as spatially dependent curves or time dependent surfaces, over highly textured domains. The models are based on the idea of regression with partial differential regularizations. In particular, we consider here two roughness penalties that account separately for the regularity of the field in space and in time. Among the various modelling features, the proposed method is able to deal with spatial domains featuring peninsulas, islands and other complex geometries. Space-time varying covariate information is included in the model via a semi-parametric framework. The proposed method is compared via simulation studies to other spatiotemporal techniques and it is applied to the analysis of the annual production of waste in the towns of Venice province
Von IDA bis IMCOD : Expertensysteme im CIM-Umfeld
Kürzer werdende Produktzyklen bei höher werdenden Qualitätsansprüchen erfordern flexiblere und intelligentere Systeme für komplexere Aufgaben. Die im Sinne der CIM-Idee fortschreitende Integration unterschiedlicher Aufgabenbereiche und ihrer jeweiligen Systeme stellt hohe Anforderungen an die Informationstechnologie. Die Künstliche Intelligenz und speziell die Expertensystemforschung liefern hier erfolgversprechende Ansätze und Perspektiven. Die Systeme MOLTKE und IDA stehen als Beispiele für einzelne Expertensysteme in den Bereichen Diagnose und Konfiguration. Die Ergebnisse des ARC-TEC Projekts erreichen zwischen Konstruktion und Planung bereits eine stärkere Integration. Das Projekt IMCOD untersucht schließlich Ansätze, die Möglichkeiten der Verbindung verschiedener Systeme mit beschränkten Kompetenzbereichen, um einen besseren Produktentwurf zu erzielen.The shortness in product cycles with increasing quality demands requires more flexible and more intelligent systems for very complex tasks. The proceeding integration of the many different task areas within the CIM-idea and their individual systems requests high demands to the information technology. AI, especially expert system research, provides a successful approach and perspectives. The examples for single expert systems in diagnostics and configuration are the systems MOLTKE and IDA. The results of the ARC-TEC projects already reach a strong integration of construction and planning. The project IMCOD finally surveys the possibility of connecting different systems with limited competence areas to obtain better products
Ozone at low concentrations does not affect motility and proliferation of cancer cells in vitro
Exposure to low ozone concentrations is used in medicine as an adjuvant/complementary treatment for a variety of diseases. The therapeutic potential of low ozone concentrations relies on their capability to increase the nuclear translocation of the Nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2), thus inducing the transcription of Antioxidant Response Elements (ARE)-driven genes and, through a cascade of events, a general cytoprotective response. However, based on the controversial role of Nrf2 in cancer initiation, progression and resistance to therapies, possible negative effects of ozone therapy may be hypothesised in oncological patients. With the aim to elucidate the possible changes in morphology, migration capability and proliferation of cancer cells following mild ozone exposure, we performed wound healing experiments in vitro on HeLa cells treated with low ozone concentrations currently used in the clinical practice. By combining a multimodal microscopy approach (light and fluorescence microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy) with morphometric analyses, we demonstrated that, under our experimental conditions, exposure to low ozone concentrations does not alter cytomorphology, motility and proliferation features, thus supporting the notion that ozone therapy should not positively affect tumour cell growth and metastasis
Does domestic violence during pregnancy influence the beginning of complementary feeding?
Background:This study investigate the influence of domestic violence against pregnant women on early complementary feeding and associated factors. Methods:A longitudinal observational study was conducted with a convenience sample recruited from threepublic hospitals in Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. Data on maternal age, education, marital status, breastfeeding, introduction of complementary feeding and domestic violence during pregnancy were investigatedat four follow-ups points. Data on domestic violence was collected through a self-report questionnaire based onthe Abuse Assessment Screen. The early introduction of complementary feeding, characterized as occurring beforeor at 3 months of life, was verified through a questionnaire prepared by the research group. Data analysis involvedStudent’st-test, the chi-square test and Cox regression and was carried out in Statistical Package for the SocialSciences program. The significance level was set at 5%.Results:A total of 232 mother-infant pairs participated in the analyses, and 15.1% of the mothers reported suffering some form of violence. Domestic violence was directly associated with maternal education, marital status, and healthstatus during pregnancy. Domestic violence was not associated with maternal age or breastfeeding at 3 months afterdelivery. In the univariate analysis, domestic violence during pregnancy was associated with early complementary feeding (RR = 1.74; CI: 1.01–2.98). This effect disappeared after the model was adjusted in multivariate analysis. Conclusions:There was no relationship between domestic violence during pregnancy and early complementary feeding
Duração da amamentação e comportamentos alimentares na primeira infância : uma revisão sistemática
Objectives: to analyze the influence of breastfeeding duration on eating behavior in children aged two to six years. Methods: this review was conducted by PRISMA guidelines. SciELO, Lilacs, Embase, and PubMed databases were researched by using a specific syntax, for studies published from 2000 to 2020. The Joanna Briggs Institute Critical Appraisal checklist was used to assess the risk of study bias. Results: a total of 26,211 articles were identified, of which seven were included in the study. The results showed a significant association in four studies. All authors used their own questionnaires to assess breastfeeding exposure; there was no standard classification of exclusive and total breastfeeding duration. The breastfeeding duration was associated with reduced food neophobia, lower scores on the food responsiveness subscale, and lower ‘picky eating’ behavior. Validated instruments were predominantly used to assess the outcome of eating behavior; however, this assessment was not similar between studies. Conclusion: a significant association was observed between breastfeeding duration and eating behavior in children aged two to six years. Further research should be conducted to describe the mechanisms involved in this association.Objetivos: analisar a influência da duração do aleitamento materno no comportamento alimentar em crianças de dois a seis anos. Métodos: esta revisão foi conduzida de acordo com as diretrizes PRISMA. As bases de dados SciELO, Lilacs, Embase e PubMed foram pesquisadas usando uma sintaxe especÃfica, para estudos publicados de 2000 a 2020. O Joanna Briggs Institute Critical Appraisal checklist foi utilizado para avaliar o risco de viés do estudo. Resultados: foram identificados 26.211 artigos, dos quais sete foram incluÃdos no estudo. Os resultados mostraram associação significativa em quatro estudos. Todos os autores usaram seus próprios questionários para avaliar a exposição à amamentação; não havia uma classificação padrão de duração do aleitamento materno exclusivo e total. A duração do aleitamento materno foi associada à redução da neofobia alimentar, menores escores na subescala de responsividade alimentar e menor comportamento alimentar exigente. Instrumentos validados foram usados predominantemente para avaliar o resultado do comportamento alimentar, no entanto, essa avaliação não foi semelhante entre os estudos. Conclusão: observou-se associação significativa entre a duração da amamentação e o comportamento alimentar em crianças de dois a seis anos. Mais pesquisas devem ser realizadas para descrever os mecanismos envolvidos nesta associação
Ozone activates the Nrf2 pathway and improves preservation of explanted adipose tissue in vitro
In clinical practice, administration of low ozone (O3) dosages is a complementary therapy for many diseases, due to the capability of O3 to elicit an antioxidant response through the Nuclear Factor Erythroid 2-Related Factor 2 (Nrf2)-dependent pathway. Nrf2 is also involved in the adipogenic differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells, and low O3 concentrations have been shown to stimulate lipid accumulation in human adipose-derived adult stem cells in vitro. Thus, O3 treatment is a promising procedure to improve the survival of explanted adipose tissue, whose reabsorption after fat grafting is a major problem in regenerative medicine. In this context, we carried out a pilot study to explore the potential of mild O3 treatment in preserving explanted murine adipose tissue in vitro. Scanning and transmission electron microscopy, Western blot, real-time polymerase chain reaction and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy were used. Exposure to low O3 concentrations down in the degradation of the explanted adipose tissue and induced a concomitant increase in the protein abundance of Nrf2 and in the expression of its target gene Hmox1. These findings provide a promising background for further studies aimed at the clinical application of O3 as an adjuvant treatment to improve fat engraftment
Compositional Genome Contexts Affect Gene Expression Control in Sea Urchin Embryo
Gene expression is widely perceived as exclusively controlled by the information contained in cis-regulatory regions. These are built in a modular way, each module being a cluster of binding sites for the transcription factors that control the level, the location and the time at which gene transcription takes place. On the other hand, results from our laboratory have shown that gene expression is affected by the compositional properties (GC levels) of the isochores in which genes are embedded, i.e. the genome context. To clarify how compositional genomic properties affect the way cis-regulatory information is utilized, we have changed the genome context of a GFP-reporter gene containing the complete cis-regulatory region of the gene spdeadringer (spdri), expressed during sea urchin embryogenesis. We have observed that GC levels higher or lower than those found in the natural genome context can alter the reporter expression pattern. We explain this as the result of an interference with the functionality of specific modules in the gene's cis-regulatory region. From these observations we derive the notion that the compositional properties of the genome context can affect cis-regulatory control of gene expression. Therefore although the way a gene works depends on the information contained in its cis-regulatory region, availability of such information depends on the compositional properties of the genomic context
Ozone at low concentration modulates microglial activity in vitro: A multimodal microscopy and biomolecular study
Oxygen-ozone (O2 -O3 ) therapy is an adjuvant/complementary treatment based on the activation of antioxidant and cytoprotective pathways driven by the nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2). Many drugs, including dimethyl fumarate (DMF), that are used to reduce inflammation in oxidative-stress-related neurodegenerative diseases, act through the Nrf2-pathway. The scope of the present investigation was to get a deeper insight into the mechanisms responsible for the beneficial result of O2 -O3 treatment in some neurodegenerative diseases. To do this, we used an integrated approach of multimodal microscopy (bright-field and fluorescence microscopy, transmission and scanning electron microscopy) and biomolecular techniques to investigate the effects of the low O3 concentrations currently used in clinical practice in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-activated microglial cells human microglial clone 3 (HMC3) and in DMF-treated LPS-activated (LPS + DMF) HMC3 cells. The results at light and electron microscopy showed that LPS-activation induced morphological modifications of HMC3 cells from elongated/branched to larger roundish shape, cytoplasmic accumulation of lipid droplets, decreased electron density of the cytoplasm and mitochondria, decreased amount of Nrf2 and increased migration rate, while biomolecular data demonstrated that Heme oxygenase 1 gene expression and the secretion of the pro-inflammatory cytokines, Interleukin-6, and tumor necrosis factor-α augmented. O3 treatment did not affect cell viability, proliferation, and morphological features of both LPS-activated and LPS + DMF cells, whereas the cell motility and the secretion of pro-inflammatory cytokines were significantly decreased. This evidence suggests that modulation of microglia activity may contribute to the beneficial effects of the O2 -O3 therapy in patients with neurodegenerative disorders characterized by chronic inflammation. HIGHLIGHTS: Low-dose ozone (O3 ) does not damage activated microglial cells in vitro Low-dose O3 decreases cell motility and pro-inflammatory cytokine secretion in activated microglial cells in vitro Low-dose O3 potentiates the effect of an anti-inflammatory drug on activated microglial cells
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