Collaborative CBR-based agents in the preparation of varied training lessons

International audienceCase‐Based Reasoning (CBR) is widely used as a means of intelligent tutoring and elearning systems. Indeed, course lessons are elaborated by analogy: this kind of system produces sets of exercises with respect to student level and class objective. Nevertheless, CBR systems always result in the same solution to a given problem description, whereas teaching requires that monotony be broken in order to maintain student motivation and attention. This is particularly true for sports where trainers must propose different exercises to practice the same skills for many weeks. We designed a system based on CBR that takes into account any previous lessons offered and designs new ones so as to vary the exercises each time: this system takes into account the solutions previously proposed so as to avoid giving the same lesson twice. In addition, this system is based on collaborative agents, each taking into account the exercises proposed by others so that each activity is proposed only once during a lesson. A sports trainer tested and evaluated the ability of this system as a means to design varied aïkido training lessons and proved that our system is capable of creating classroom activities that are diverse, changing, pertinent and consistent

Introduction of a combination vector to optimise the interpolation of numerical phantoms

International audiencePhantoms are 3-dimensional (3D) numerical representations of the contours of organs in the human body. The quality of the dosimetric reports established when accidental overexposures to radiation occur is highly dependent on the phantom's reliability with respect to the subject. EquiVox is a Case-Based Reasoning platform which proposes an interpolation of the 3D Lung Contours (3DLC) of subjects during its adaptation phase. This interpolation is conducted by an Artificial Neural Network (ANN) trained to learn how to interpolate the 3DLC of a Learning Set (LS). ANN is a well-suited tool when known results are numerous. Since the cardinality of our learning set is restrained, the imperfections of each 3DLC have a great impact on interpolations. Thus, we explored the possibility of ignoring some of the 3DLC of LS via implementation of a new learning algorithm which associated Combination Vectors (CV) to LS. The results proved that this method could optimise interpolation accuracy. Furthermore, this study highlights the fact that some of the 3DLC were harmful for some interpolations whereas they increased the accuracy of others

Data Processing using Artificial Neural Networks to Improve the Simulation of Lung Motion

International audienceTo optimize the delivery in lung radiation therapy, a better understanding of the tumor motion is required. On the one hand to have a better tumor-targeting efficiency, and on the other hand to avoid as much as possible normal tissues. The 4D-CT allows to quantify tumor motion, but due to artifacts it introduces biases and errors in tumor localization. Despite of this disadvantage, we propose a method to simulate lung motion based on data provided by the 4D-CT for several patients. To reduce uncertainties introduced by the 4D-CT scan, we conveniently treated data using artificial neural networks. More precisely, our approach consists in a data augmentation technique. The data resulting from this processing step are then used to build a training set for another artificial neural network that learns the lung motion. To improve the learning accuracy, we have studied the number of phases required to precisely describe the displacement of each point. Thus, from 1118 points scattered across 5 patients and defined over 8 or 10 phases, we obtained 5800 points of 50 phases. After training, the network is used to compute the positions of 40 points from five other patients on 10 phases. These points allow to quantify the prediction performance. In comparison with the original data, the ones issued from our treatment process provide a significant increase of the prediction accuracy: an average improvement of 16% can be observed. The motion computed for several points by the neural network that has learnt the lung one exhibits an hysteresis near the one given by the 4D-CT, with an error smaller than 1 mm in the cranio-caudal axis

EQUIVOX: an example of adaptation using an artificial neural network on a case-based reasoning platform

International audienceIn case of a radiological emergency situation involving accidental human exposure, a dosimetry evaluation must be established as soon as possible. In most cases, this evaluation is based on numerical representations and models of victims. Unfortunately, personalised and realistic human representations are often unavailable for the exposed subjects. However, accuracy of treatment depends on the similarity of the phantom to the victim. The EquiVox platform (Research of Equivalent Voxel phantom) developed in this study uses Case-Based Reasoning (CBR) principles to retrieve and adapt, from among a set of existing phantoms, the one to represent the victim. This paper introduces the EquiVox platform and the Artificial Neural Network (ANN) developed to interpolate the victim's 3D lung contours. The results obtained for the choice and construction of the contours are presented and discussed

Genomic investigations of unexplained acute hepatitis in children

Since its first identification in Scotland, over 1,000 cases of unexplained paediatric hepatitis in children have been reported worldwide, including 278 cases in the UK1. Here we report an investigation of 38 cases, 66 age-matched immunocompetent controls and 21 immunocompromised comparator participants, using a combination of genomic, transcriptomic, proteomic and immunohistochemical methods. We detected high levels of adeno-associated virus 2 (AAV2) DNA in the liver, blood, plasma or stool from 27 of 28 cases. We found low levels of adenovirus (HAdV) and human herpesvirus 6B (HHV-6B) in 23 of 31 and 16 of 23, respectively, of the cases tested. By contrast, AAV2 was infrequently detected and at low titre in the blood or the liver from control children with HAdV, even when profoundly immunosuppressed. AAV2, HAdV and HHV-6 phylogeny excluded the emergence of novel strains in cases. Histological analyses of explanted livers showed enrichment for T cells and B lineage cells. Proteomic comparison of liver tissue from cases and healthy controls identified increased expression of HLA class 2, immunoglobulin variable regions and complement proteins. HAdV and AAV2 proteins were not detected in the livers. Instead, we identified AAV2 DNA complexes reflecting both HAdV-mediated and HHV-6B-mediated replication. We hypothesize that high levels of abnormal AAV2 replication products aided by HAdV and, in severe cases, HHV-6B may have triggered immune-mediated hepatic disease in genetically and immunologically predisposed children

Using Consistency Management Protocols Over a Communication Management Protocol

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