TALplanner in IPC-2002: Extensions and Control Rules

TALplanner is a forward-chaining planner that relies on domain knowledge in the shape of temporal logic formulas in order to prune irrelevant parts of the search space. TALplanner recently participated in the third International Planning Competition, which had a clear emphasis on increasing the complexity of the problem domains being used as benchmark tests and the expressivity required to represent these domains in a planning system. Like many other planners, TALplanner had support for some but not all aspects of this increase in expressivity, and a number of changes to the planner were required. After a short introduction to TALplanner, this article describes some of the changes that were made before and during the competition. We also describe the process of introducing suitable domain knowledge for several of the competition domains

A Focus Group Study about Oral Drug Administration Practices at Hospital Wards-Aspects to Consider in Drug Development of Age-Appropriate Formulations for Children

Oral drug administration to pediatric patients is characterized by a lack of age-appropriate drug products and the off-label use of medicines. However, drug administration practices at hospital wards is a scarcely studied subject. The aim of this study was to explore the oral drug administration practices at pediatric hospital wards, with a focus on experiences and challenges faced, methods used to mitigate existing problems, drug manipulation habits, perceptions about oral dosage forms and future needs of oral dosage forms for children. This was a qualitative study consisting of focus group discussions with physicians, nurses and clinical pharmacists in a tertiary university hospital with the objective of bringing forward a holistic view on this research topic. These healthcare professionals recognized different administration challenges that were classified as either dosage form-related or patient-related ones. A lack of depot formulations developed especially for children as well as oral pediatric dosage forms of drug substances currently available as intravenous dosage forms was recognized. The preferred oral dosage forms were oral liquids and orodispersible tablets. Patient-centered drug administration practices including factors facilitating drug administration both at hospital wards and at home after patient discharge were identified. Among all healthcare professionals, the efficient cooperation in drug prescribing and administration as well as in educating the child's caregivers in correct administration techniques before discharge and improving the overall discharge process of patients was emphasized. This study complements the prevalent understanding that new dosage forms for children of varying ages and stages of development are still needed. It also brings a holistic view on different aspects of oral drug administration to pediatric patients and overall patient-centered drug administration practices.Peer reviewe

Benefits and Prerequisites Associated with the Adoption of Oral 3D-Printed Medicines for Pediatric Patients : A Focus Group Study among Healthcare Professionals

The utilization of three-dimensional (3D) printing technologies as innovative manufacturing methods for drug products has recently gained growing interest. From a technological viewpoint, proof-of-concept on the performance of different printing methods already exist, followed by visions about future applications in hospital or community pharmacies. The main objective of this study was to investigate the perceptions of healthcare professionals in a tertiary university hospital about oral 3D-printed medicines for pediatric patients by means of focus group discussions. In general, the healthcare professionals considered many positive aspects and opportunities in 3D printing of pharmaceuticals. A precise dose as well as personalized doses and dosage forms were some of the advantages mentioned by the participants. Especially in cases of polypharmacy, incorporating several drug substances into one product to produce a polypill, personalized regarding both the combination of drug substances and the doses, would benefit drug treatments of several medical conditions and would improve adherence to medications. In addition to the positive aspects, concerns and prerequisites for the adoption of 3D printing technologies at hospital settings were also expressed. These perspectives are suggested by the authors to be focus points for future research on personalized 3D-printed drug products.Peer reviewe

HIV-potilaiden lääkeneuvonnan erityispiirteet ja farmaseuttien osaamistarpeet sairaala-apteekin avoapteekissa

Johdanto Ihmisen immuunikatovirus (HIV) on nykyään krooninen sairaus, jonka hoidon onnistumisen edellytyksenä on potilaan sitoutuminen lääkehoitoonsa. HIV-infektiolääkkeet toimitetaan yleensä sairaala-apteekista. Tämän tutkimuksen tavoitteena oli selvittää HUS Apteekin avoapteekissa asioiville HIV-infektiota sairastaville potilaille annettavan lääkeneuvonnan erityispiirteitä ja lääkeneuvontaa antavien farmaseuttien osaamistarpeita. Aineisto ja menetelmät Tutkimus toteutettiin HUS Apteekin avoapteekin farmaseuteille keväällä 2020. Tutkimusme- netelmäksi valittiin sekä kvantitatiivinen kysely että laadullinen teemoitettu ryhmähaastattelu. Kysely mahdollisti vastausten saamisen mahdollisimman monelta tutkimusjoukon farmaseutilta anonyymisti. Kvalitatiivisen ryhmähaastattelun avulla syvennettiin verkkokyselyssä saatuja tie- toja. Ryhmähaastattelu nauhoitettiin ja litteroitiin, minkä jälkeen aineisto analysoitiin indukti- ivisen sisällönanalyysin kautta. Tulokset Kyselyyn (n=6) ja haastatteluun (n=3) osallistuneiden farmaseuttien mukaan HIV-hoitokäytän- töjen osaaminen on lääkeneuvonnan perusta. HIV-lääkeneuvonnan erityispiirteiksi tunnistet- tiin hoitoon sitoutumisen tärkeys ja sen tukeminen lääkeneuvontatilanteessa. Potilaiden häpeä sairaudesta ja leimautumisen pelko voivat aiheuttaa haasteita lääkeneuvonnalle. HUS Apteekin asiakaskunta on laaja ja monikulttuurinen, ja HIV-potilaiden ikääntyessä riski monilääkitykselle lisääntyy. Potilaan kokonaislääkityksen hallinta saattaa olla hankalaa, koska sairaala-apteekin farmaseuteilla ei ole vielä pääsyä reseptikeskukseen eivätkä lääkereseptit ole sähköisiä. Potilaat hakevat muut lääkkeet avohuollon apteekeista, joissa ei myöskään ole tietoa potilaan HIV-lää- kityksestä. Farmaseutit kokivat oman perusosaamisensa perehdytyksen jälkeen riittäväksi, mutta kai- pasivat päivittyvää tietoa erityisesti HIV-lääkehoidon erityistilanteista, kuten raskaana olevien, lasten ja nuorten sekä AIDS-vaiheen potilaiden lääkehoidoista. Tietokantojen ja -lähteiden käy- tön lisäksi lääkeneuvontaan toivottiin työkaluiksi helppokäyttöisiä piktogrammeja ja potilasoh- jeita eri kielillä. Johtopäätökset HIV-potilaiden lääkeneuvonta vaatii monenlaista osaamista ja osaamisen jatkuvaa kehittämistä. HUS Apteekin farmaseuttien osaaminen on heidän oman käsityksensä mukaan hyvällä tasolla, mutta tukea, työkaluja ja lisäkoulutusta tarvitaan etenkin päivittyvien hoitokäytäntöjen ja eri- tyisryhmien lääkehoidon osalta. Farmaseutin vastaanottomallin kehittäminen sekä uusien tie- tojärjestelmien mahdollistamat farmaseuttien lääkehoitojen eritasoiset tarkistukset ja arvioinnit voisivat tulevaisuudessa olla osa HUS Apteekin avoapteekin tarjoamia farmaseuttisia palveluita.Peer reviewe

Biomarkers of neuronal damage in saturation diving-a controlled observational study

PURPOSE: A prospective and controlled observational study was performed to determine if the central nervous system injury markers glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAp), neurofilament light (NfL) and tau concentrations changed in response to a saturation dive. METHODS: The intervention group consisted of 14 submariners compressed to 401 kPa in a dry hyperbaric chamber. They remained pressurized for 36 h and were then decompressed over 70 h. A control group of 12 individuals was used. Blood samples were obtained from both groups before, during and after hyperbaric exposure, and from the intervention group after a further 25-26 h. RESULTS: There were no statistically significant changes in the concentrations of GFAp, NfL and tau in the intervention group. During hyperbaric exposure, GFAp decreased in the control group (mean/median - 15.1/ - 8.9 pg·mL-1, p < 0.01) and there was a significant difference in absolute change of GFAp and NfL between the groups (17.7 pg·mL-1, p = 0.02 and 2.34 pg·mL-1, p = 0.02, respectively). Albumin decreased in the control group (mean/median - 2.74 g/L/ - 0.95 g/L, p = 0.02), but there was no statistically significant difference in albumin levels between the groups. In the intervention group, haematocrit and mean haemoglobin values were slightly increased after hyperbaric exposure (mean/median 2.3%/1.5%, p = 0.02 and 4.9 g/L, p = 0.06, respectively). CONCLUSION: Hyperbaric exposure to 401 kPa for 36 h was not associated with significant increases in GFAp, NfL or tau concentrations. Albumin levels, changes in hydration or diurnal variation were unlikely to have confounded the results. Saturation exposure to 401 kPa seems to be a procedure not harmful to the central nervous system. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT03192930

Cationic Imidazolium Polythiophenes: Effects of Imidazolium-Methylation on Solution Concentration-Driven Aggregation and Surface Free Energy of Films Processed from Solvents with Different Polarity

Cationic imidazolium-functionalized polythiophenes with single- or double-methylation of the imidazolium ring were used to study the impact of imidazolium-methylation on (i) the solution concentration-driven aggregation in the presence of paramagnetic probes with different ionic and hydrophobic constituents and (ii) their surface free energy (SFE) as spin-coated films deposited on plasma-activated glass. Electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy shows that the differences in film structuration between the polymers with different methylations originate from the early stages of aggregation. In the solid state, higher degree of imidazolium-methylation generates smaller values of total SFE, gamma S, (by around 2 mN/m), which could be relevant in optoelectronic applications. Methylation also causes a decrease in the polar contribution of gamma S (gamma Sp), suggesting that methylation decreases the polar nature of the imidazolium ring, probably due to the blocking of its H-bonding capabilities. The values of gamma S obtained in the present work are similar to the values obtained for doped films of neutral conjugated polymers, such as polyaniline, poly(3-hexylthiophene), and polypyrrole. However, imidazolium-polythiophenes generate films with a larger predominance of the dispersive component of gamma S (gamma Sd), probably due to the motion restriction in the ionic functionalities in a conjugated polyelectrolyte, in comparison to regular dopants. The presence of 1,4-dioxane increases gamma Sp, especially, in the polymer with larger imidazolium-methylation (and therefore unable to interact through H-bonding), probably by a decrease of the imidazolium-glass interactions. Singly-methylated imidazolium polythiophenes have been applied as electrode selective ("buffer") interlayers in conventional and inverted organic solar cells, improving their performance. However, clear structure-function guidelines are still needed for designing high-performance polythiophene-based interlayer materials. Therefore, the information reported in this work could be useful for such applications

Pathways and Management of Phosphorus in urban areas

Due to the finite nature of mineral phosphorus reserves, effective management of anthropogenic phosphorus flows is currently under investigation by the international research community. This article emphasizes the importance of urban phosphorus flows, which are often marginalized due to the greater magnitude of agricultural phosphorus flows. A study on phosphorus flows in Gothenburg, Sweden, points out the potential role of solid waste in nutrient management, as the amounts of phosphorus in solid waste and in wastewater were found to be equal. Importation of food commodities accounts for 50% of the total inflow of phosphorus, and food waste is a major contributor of phosphorus to solid waste. The results suggest that solid waste incineration residues represent a large underestimated sink of phosphorus. Focusing on wastewater as the sole source of recovered phosphorus is not sufficient. The Swedish national goal on phosphorus recycling, which is limited to sewage sludge, targets only a part of the total phosphorus flow that can potentially be recovered. In contrast to previous studies, agricultural flows in Gothenburg were marginal compared to flows related to the urban waste management infrastructure. We emphasize the need for debate on preferable routes for disposal of waste with a high phosphorus content. Both recovery potential and usefulness of the recovered product for agricultural purposes have to be considered. Impacts of five waste management strategies on phosphorus flows were evaluated: incineration of all the waste, comprehensive food waste separation, installation of kitchen grinders, urine diversion, and separation of blackwater and food waste

Bright Field Microscopy as an Alternative to Whole Cell Fluorescence in Automated Analysis of Macrophage Images

Fluorescence microscopy is the standard tool for detection and analysis of cellular phenomena. This technique, however, has a number of drawbacks such as the limited number of available fluorescent channels in microscopes, overlapping excitation and emission spectra of the stains, and phototoxicity.We here present and validate a method to automatically detect cell population outlines directly from bright field images. By imaging samples with several focus levels forming a bright field -stack, and by measuring the intensity variations of this stack over the -dimension, we construct a new two dimensional projection image of increased contrast. With additional information for locations of each cell, such as stained nuclei, this bright field projection image can be used instead of whole cell fluorescence to locate borders of individual cells, separating touching cells, and enabling single cell analysis. Using the popular CellProfiler freeware cell image analysis software mainly targeted for fluorescence microscopy, we validate our method by automatically segmenting low contrast and rather complex shaped murine macrophage cells.The proposed approach frees up a fluorescence channel, which can be used for subcellular studies. It also facilitates cell shape measurement in experiments where whole cell fluorescent staining is either not available, or is dependent on a particular experimental condition. We show that whole cell area detection results using our projected bright field images match closely to the standard approach where cell areas are localized using fluorescence, and conclude that the high contrast bright field projection image can directly replace one fluorescent channel in whole cell quantification. Matlab code for calculating the projections can be downloaded from the supplementary site: http://sites.google.com/site/brightfieldorstaining

In Situ Coupled Electrochemical-Goniometry as a Tool to Reveal Conformational Changes of Charged Peptides

The opportunity to manipulate cell functions by regulating bioactive surfaces is a potentially promising approach for organic bioelectronics. Here, the tuning of the orientation of charged peptides by means of an electrical input observed via optical tensiometry is reported. A stimuli-responsive self-assembled monolayer (SAM) with specially designed charged peptides is used as a model system to switch between two separate hydrophilic states. The underwater contact angle (UCA) technique is used to measure changes in the wetting property of a dichloromethane droplet under electrical stimuli. The observed changes in the UCA of the bio-interface can be understood in terms of a change in the surface energy between the ON and OFF states. Molecular dynamics simulations in an electric field have been performed to verify the hypothesis of the orientational change of the charged peptides upon electrical stimulation. In addition, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) is performed to clarify the stability of the functionalized electrodes. Finally, the possibility of using such a novel switching system as a tool to characterize bioactive surfaces is discussed