17,493 research outputs found
Creating agent platforms to host agent-mediated services that share resources
After a period where the Internet was exclusively filled with content,
the present
efforts are moving towards services, which handle the raw information to
create
value from it. Therefore labors to create a wide collection of
agent-based services
are being perfomed in several projects, such as Agentcities does.
In this work we present an architecture for agent platforms named
a-Buildings. The
aim of the proposed architecture is to ease the creation, installation,
search and
management of agent-mediated services and the share of resources among
services.
To do so the a-Buildings architecture creates a new level of abstraction
on top of
the standard FIPA agent platform specification.
Basically, an a-Building is a service-oriented platform which offers a
set of
low level services to the agents it hosts. We define low level services
as those
required services that are neccesary to create more complex high level
composed
services.Postprint (published version
Self-Criticism, Neediness, and Distress Among Women Undergoing Treatment for Breast Cancer: A Preliminary Test of the Moderating Role of Adjustment to Illness
A diagnosis of cancer can be extremely stressful, and for that reason, cancer patients’ adjustment has been widely studied. Little is known, however, about how patients’ personality vulnerabilities affect their adjustment to cancer. The present study examined the moderating role of several psychological strategies of adjustment to cancer in the associations between the personality predispositions of self-criticism and neediness and distress among women diagnosed with breast cancer. Portuguese women who had been diagnosed with breast cancer for the first time (n _ 50) completed the Depressive Experiences Questionnaire, the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, and the Mini-Mental Adjustment to Cancer Scale questionnaires. Both self-criticism and neediness were found to be associated with increased levels of distress, with a stronger association observed for neediness. Hierarchical regressions indicated that more adaptive adjustment to cancer (i.e., low levels of helplessness/hopelessness, low levels of anxious preoccupation, high levels of fatalism, and high levels of fighting spirit) moderates
the association between neediness and distress. There was no evidence that any of the adjustment variables had any mediating effect on the relationship between the personality variables (self-criticism and neediness) and distress. Results are discussed in the context of personality vulnerability and maladaptive psychological response to the disease as a stressful life event. Implications for treatment are discussed. Though promising, the results are preliminary and more research on larger samples is warranted
Multichromatic colour-magnitude diagrams of the globular cluster NGC 6366
We present multichromatic isochrone fits to the colour-magnitude data of the
globular cluster NGC 6366, based on Hubble Space Telescope Advanced Camera for
Surveys/Wide Field Channel and Southern Astrophysical Research photometric
data. We corrected the photometric data for differential reddening and
calculated the mean ridge line of the colour-magnitude diagrams. We compared
the isochrones of Dartmouth Stellar Evolution Database and PAdova and TRieste
Stellar Evolution Code both with microscopic diffusion starting on the main
sequence. Bracketing all previous determinations of this cluster, we tested
metallicities from [Fe/H]=-1.00 to [Fe/H]=-0.50, and ages from 9 to 13 Gyr.
After determining the total to selective extinction ratio only from stars
belonging to this cluster, R_V=3.06+/-0.14, we found the parameters for this
cluster to be E(B-V)=0.69+/-0.02(int)+/-0.04(ext),
(m-M)_V=15.02+/-0.07(int)+/-0.13(ext), Age=11+/-1.15 Gyr. Evolutionary models
fail to reproduce the low-Teff sequence in multiband colour-magnitude diagrams,
indicating that they still have an incomplete physics. We found that the
Dartmouth Stellar Evolution Database isochrones better fit the subgiant branch
and low main sequence than the PAdova and TRieste Stellar Evolution Code.Comment: 9 pages, 5 figure
Raman-scattering study of the phonon dispersion in twisted bi-layer graphene
Bi-layer graphene with a twist angle \theta\ between the layers generates a
superlattice structure known as Moir\'{e} pattern. This superlattice provides a
\theta-dependent q wavevector that activates phonons in the interior of the
Brillouin zone. Here we show that this superlattice-induced Raman scattering
can be used to probe the phonon dispersion in twisted bi-layer graphene (tBLG).
The effect reported here is different from the broadly studied double-resonance
in graphene-related materials in many aspects, and despite the absence of
stacking order in tBLG, layer breathing vibrations (namely ZO' phonons) are
observed.Comment: 18 pages, 4 figures, research articl
Effects of Liposomes Contained in Thermosensitive Hydrogels as Biomaterials Useful in Neural Tissue Engineering
Indexación: Scopus.Advances in the generation of suitable thermosensitive hydrogels for the delivery of cells in neural tissue engineering demonstrate a delicate relationship between physical properties and capabilities to promote cell proliferation and differentiation. To improve the properties of these materials, it is possible to add liposomes for the controlled release of bioactive elements, which in turn can affect the physical and biological properties of the hydrogels. In the present investigation, different hydrogels based on Pluronic F127 have been formulated with the incorporation of chitosan and two types of liposomes of two different sizes. The rheological and thermal properties and their relation with the neurite proliferation and growth of the PC12 cell line were evaluated. Our results show that the incorporation of liposomes modifies the properties of the hydrogels dependent on the concentration of chitosan and the lipid type in the liposomes, which directly affect the capabilities of the hydrogels to promote the viability and differentiation of PC12 cells. © 2017 by the authors.http://www.mdpi.com/1996-1944/10/10/112
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