IMGT®, the international ImMunoGeneTics information system®

IMGT®, the international ImMunoGeneTics information system® (http://www.imgt.org), was created in 1989 by Marie-Paule Lefranc, Laboratoire d'ImmunoGénétique Moléculaire LIGM (Université Montpellier 2 and CNRS) at Montpellier, France, in order to standardize and manage the complexity of immunogenetics data. The building of a unique ontology, IMGT-ONTOLOGY, has made IMGT® the global reference in immunogenetics and immunoinformatics. IMGT® is a high-quality integrated knowledge resource specialized in the immunoglobulins or antibodies, T cell receptors, major histocompatibility complex, of human and other vertebrate species, proteins of the IgSF and MhcSF, and related proteins of the immune systems of any species. IMGT® provides a common access to standardized data from genome, proteome, genetics and 3D structures. IMGT® consists of five databases (IMGT/LIGM-DB, IMGT/GENE-DB, IMGT/3Dstructure-DB, etc.), fifteen interactive online tools for sequence, genome and 3D structure analysis, and more than 10 000 HTML pages of synthesis and knowledge. IMGT® is used in medical research (autoimmune diseases, infectious diseases, AIDS, leukemias, lymphomas and myelomas), veterinary research, biotechnology related to antibody engineering (phage displays, combinatorial libraries, chimeric, humanized and human antibodies), diagnostics (clonalities, detection and follow-up of residual diseases) and therapeutical approaches (graft, immunotherapy, vaccinology). IMGT is freely available at http://www.imgt.org

The extended ramp model: A biomimetic model of behaviour arbitration for lightweight cognitive architectures

In this article, we present an idea for a more intuitive, low-cost, adjustable mechanism for behaviour control and management. One focus of current development in virtual agents, robotics and digital games is on increasingly complex and realistic systems that more accurately simulate intelligence found in nature. This development introduces a multitude of control parameters creating high computational costs. The resulting complexity limits the applicability of AI systems. One solution to this problem is to focus on smaller, more manageable, and flexible systems which can be simultaneously created, instantiated, and controlled. Here we introduce a biologically inspired systems-engineering approach for enriching behaviour arbitration with a low computational overhead. We focus on an easy way to control the maintenance, inhibition and alternation of high-level behaviours (goals) in cases where static priorities are undesirable. The models we consider here are biomimetic, based on neuro-cognitive research findings from dopaminic cells responsible for controlling goal switching and maintenance in the mammalian brain. The most promising model we find is applicable to selection problems with multiple conflicting goals. It utilizes a ramp function to control the execution and inhibition of behaviours more accurately than previous mechanisms, allowing an additional layer of control on existing behaviour prioritization systems

Argan [Argania spinosa (L.) Skeels] oil

Argan oil is extracted from the kernels of Argania spinosa (L.) Skeels, a tree that almost exclusively grows endemically in southern Morocco. If argan oil was initia11y only known around its traditional production area, major efforts combining chemical, agronomic and human sciences have led to its international recognition and marketing. In addition, to ensure the sustainable production of a sufficient quantity of argan kernels, a vast and unprecedented program that led to the reforestation of large areas of drylands has been developed in Morocco. Therefore, argan oil production is considered as an economic and ecologic success. Edible argan oil is prepared by cold-pressing roasted argan kernels. Unroasted kernels afford an oil of cosmetic grade, showing a bitter taste. Both oils, which are not refined and are virgin oils, share a similar fatty acid content that includes oleic and linoleic acids as major components. Additiona11y, argan oil is rich in antioxidants. Together, these components likely contribute to the oil pharmacological properties that, in humans, traditionally included cardiovascular disease and skin protection. Recent scientific studies have greatly expanded the scope of these pharmacological activities. Argan oil is now rewarded with a "Geographic Indication" that certifies its exclusive and authentic Moroccan origin and the compliance with strict production rules. In addition, the quality of argan oil can nowadays be ascertained by using an array of physicochemica1 methods. By-products, generated in large quantity during argan oil production, are also finding promising development routes