CNL2ASP: converting controlled natural language sentences into ASP

Answer Set Programming (ASP) is a popular declarative programming language for solving hard combinatorial problems. Although ASP has gained widespread acceptance in academic and industrial contexts, there are certain user groups who may find it more advantageous to employ a higher-level language that closely resembles natural language when specifying ASP programs. In this paper, we propose a novel tool, called CNL2ASP, for translating English sentences expressed in a controlled natural language (CNL) form into ASP. In particular, we first provide a definition of the type of sentences allowed by our CNL and their translation as ASP rules, and then exemplify the usage of the CNL for the specification of both synthetic and real-world combinatorial problems. Finally, we report the results of an experimental analysis conducted on the real-world problems to compare the performance of automatically generated encodings with the ones written by ASP practitioners, showing that our tool can obtain satisfactory performance on these benchmarks. Under consideration in Theory and Practice of Logic Programming (TPLP).Comment: Under consideration in Theory and Practice of Logic Programming (TPLP

An ASP-based Approach to Master Surgical Scheduling.

The problem of finding Master Surgical Schedules (MSS) consists of scheduling different specialties to the operating rooms of a hospital clinic. To produce a proper MSS, each specialty must be assigned to some operating rooms. The number of assignments is different for each specialty and can vary during the considered planning horizon. Realizing a satisfying schedule is of upmost importance for a hospital clinic. A poorly scheduled MSS may lead to unbalanced specialties availability and increase patients’ waiting list, negatively affecting both the administrative costs of the hospital and the patient satisfaction. In this paper, we present a compact solution based on Answer Set Programming (ASP) to the MSS problem. We tested our solution on different scenarios: experiments show that our ASP solution provides satisfying results in short time, also when compared to other logic-based formalisms. Finally, we describe a web application we have developed for easy usage of our solution

Geo Satellites’ Manufacturing Markers From Photometric Colors

We present the photometric analysis of 23 GEO satellites, by using more than 1,200 multi-band images acquired in the Johnson-Cousin photometric system (BVRI). The dataset was acquired by three optical telescopes geographically located in different observational sites (in Italy and Mexico). By using an observational strategy based on alternating the V-R-I filter-sequence, we obtained consecutive multi-band images we used to reconstruct satellites’ color-lightcurves. We calculated the color-indexes of GEO satellites by taking into account the average value of color-lightcurves. We investigated the color-indexes in the color-color planes. Moreover, we studied a possible correlation among colors and satellite manufacturing and peculiar features. We obtained that some of the considered parameters seem to significantly affect the color indexes

Serum antibody response to Human papillomavirus (HPV) infections detected by a novel ELISA technique based on denatured recombinant HPV16 L1, L2, E4, E6 and E7 proteins

BACKGROUND: Human papillomaviruses (HPVs) are the primary etiological agents of cervical cancer and are also involved in the development of other tumours (skin, head and neck). Serological survey of the HPV infections is important to better elucidate their natural history and to disclose antigen determinants useful for vaccine development. At present, the analysis of the HPV-specific antibodies has not diagnostic value for the viral infections, and new approaches are needed to correlate the antibody response to the disease outcome. The aim of this study is to develop a novel ELISA, based on five denatured recombinant HPV16 proteins, to be used for detection HPV-specific antibodies. METHODS: The HPV16 L1, L2, E4, E6 and E7 genes were cloned in a prokaryotic expression vector and expressed as histidine-tagged proteins. These proteins, in a denatured form, were used in ELISA as coating antigens. Human sera were collected from women with abnormal PAP smear enrolled during an ongoing multicenter HPV-PathogenISS study in Italy, assessing the HPV-related pathogenetic mechanisms of progression of cervical cancer precursor lesions. Negative human sera were collected from patients affected by other infectious agents. All the HPV-positive sera were also subjected to an avidity test to assess the binding strength in the antigen-antibody complexes. RESULTS: Most of the sera showed a positive reactivity to the denatured HPV16 proteins: 82% of the sera from HPV16 infected women and 89% of the sera from women infected by other HPV genotypes recognised at least one of the HPV16 proteins. The percentages of samples showing reactivity to L1, L2 and E7 were similar, but only a few serum samples reacted to E6 and E4. Most sera bound the antigens with medium and high avidity index, suggesting specific antigen-antibody reactions. CONCLUSION: This novel ELISA, based on multiple denatured HPV16 antigens, is able to detect antibodies in women infected by HPV16 and it is not genotype-specific, as it detects antibodies also in women infected by other genital HPVs. The assay is easy to perform and has low cost, making it suitable for monitoring the natural history of HPV infections as well as for detecting pre-existing HPV antibodies in women who receive VLP-based HPV vaccination

Clinical and epidemiological correlates of antibody response to human papillomaviruses (HPVs) as measured by a novel ELISA based on denatured recombinant HPV16 late (L) and early (E) antigens

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>At present, seroreactivity is not a valuable parameter for diagnosis of Human Papillomavirus (HPV) infection but, it is potentially valuable as marker of viral exposure in elucidating the natural history of this infection. More data are needed to asses the clinical relevance of serological response to HPV.</p> <p>Objectives</p> <p>The objective was to assess the clinical and epidemiological correlates of HPV-seroreactivity in a cohort of HIV-negative and HIV-positive women.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Seroreactivity of 96 women, evaluated in an ELISA test based on denatured HPV16 late (L) and early (E) antigens, was correlated with their clinical and epidemiological data previously collected for a multi-centre Italian study, HPV-PathogenISS study.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>No significant correlation was found between HPV DNA detection and seroreactivity. Women, current smokers showed significantly less seroreactivity to L antigens as compared with the non-smokers. HIV-positive women showed significantly less (66.7%) antibody response as compared with HIV-negative women (89.3%), with particularly impaired response to L antigens. Women, HIV-positive and current smokers, showed by far the lowest seroprevalence (33.3%) as compared to 75.9% among all other women (OR = 0.158; 95%CI 0.036–0.695, p = 0.014; Fisher's exact test). Importantly, this association did not loose its significance when controlled for confounding from age (continuous variable) in multivariate analysis or using Mantel-Haenszel test for age-groups.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>It is tempting to speculate that HIV-positive current smokers comprise a special high-risk group, with highly impaired immunological response that could prevent eradication of persistent HPV infections and thus contribute to development of CIN3/CC.</p

Functional genomics of the horn fly, Haematobia irritans (Linnaeus, 1758)

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The horn fly, <it>Haematobia irritans </it>(Linnaeus, 1758) (Diptera: Muscidae) is one of the most important ectoparasites of pastured cattle. Horn flies infestations reduce cattle weight gain and milk production. Additionally, horn flies are mechanical vectors of different pathogens that cause disease in cattle. The aim of this study was to conduct a functional genomics study in female horn flies using Expressed Sequence Tags (EST) analysis and RNA interference (RNAi).</p> <p>Results</p> <p>A cDNA library was made from whole abdominal tissues collected from partially fed adult female horn flies. High quality horn fly ESTs (2,160) were sequenced and assembled into 992 unigenes (178 contigs and 814 singlets) representing molecular functions such as serine proteases, cell metabolism, mitochondrial function, transcription and translation, transport, chromatin structure, vitellogenesis, cytoskeleton, DNA replication, cell response to stress and infection, cell proliferation and cell-cell interactions, intracellular trafficking and secretion, and development. Functional analyses were conducted using RNAi for the first time in horn flies. Gene knockdown by RNAi resulted in higher horn fly mortality (protease inhibitor functional group), reduced oviposition (vitellogenin, ferritin and vATPase groups) or both (immune response and 5'-NUC groups) when compared to controls. Silencing of ubiquitination ESTs did not affect horn fly mortality and ovisposition while gene knockdown in the ferritin and vATPse functional groups reduced mortality when compared to controls.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>These results advanced the molecular characterization of this important ectoparasite and suggested candidate protective antigens for the development of vaccines for the control of horn fly infestations.</p

Physics-Based Ground Motion Simulations for the Prediction of the Seismic Vulnerability of Masonry Building Compounds in Mirandola (Italy)

5noThe current paper aims at investigating the seismic capacity of a masonry building aggre- gate in the historical centre of Mirandola based on a reliable ground motion simulation procedure. The examined clustered building is composed of eleven structural units (SUs) mutually intercon- nected to each other, which are made of brick walls and are characterized by wooden floors poorly connected to the vertical structures. Non-linear static analyses are performed by adopting the 3Muri software to characterize the seismic capacity of both the entire aggregate and the individual SUs. In this framework, a multi-scenario physics-based approach is considered for the definition of the seismic input in terms of broadband seismic signals inclusive of source and site effects. Finally, the incidence of the seismic input variability is discussed for the prediction of the global capacity response of the case study building.openopenChieffo, Nicola; Fasan, Marco; Romanelli, Fabio; Formisano, Antonio; Mochi, GiovanniChieffo, Nicola; Fasan, Marco; Romanelli, Fabio; Formisano, Antonio; Mochi, Giovann

Reaction of dissolved ozone in hydrogen peroxide produced during ozonization of an alkaline medium in a bubble column

The effect of a reaction of dissolved ozone in an alkaline water solution with hydrogen peroxide was evaluated. Assays were conducted in a bubble column with a gaseous ozone concentration (mixed with oxygen) at 21 and 27 g m-3. Concentration curve of dissolved ozone in the liquid revealed an ozone concentration peak in the liquid phase, subsequent decreasing concentration and constant maintenance in the stationary phase. Highest concentration was not detected for the lowest ozone concentration in the gaseous phase. Peak was due to the self-decomposition of ozone in the liquid phase and the production of hydrogen peroxide. The latter reacted with molecular dissolved ozone and decreased ozone concentration after maximum concentration3618185sem informaçãosem informaçã

Reaction of dissolved ozone in hydrogen peroxide produced during ozonization of an alkaline medium in a bubble column - doi: 10.4025/actascitechnol.v36i1.11834

The effect of a reaction of dissolved ozone in an alkaline water solution with hydrogen peroxide was evaluated. Assays were conducted in a bubble column with a gaseous ozone concentration (mixed with oxygen) at 21 and 27 g m-3. Concentration curve of dissolved ozone in the liquid revealed an ozone concentration peak in the liquid phase, subsequent decreasing concentration and constant maintenance in the stationary phase. Highest concentration was not detected for the lowest ozone concentration in the gaseous phase. Peak was due to the self-decomposition of ozone in the liquid phase and the production of hydrogen peroxide. The latter reacted with molecular dissolved ozone and decreased ozone concentration after maximum concentration