The Self-Adaptive Context Learning Pattern: Overview and Proposal

International audienceOver the years, our research group has designed and developed many self-adaptive multi-agent systems to tackle real-world complex problems, such as robot control and heat engine optimization. A recurrent key feature of these systems is the ability to learn how to handle the context they are plunged in, in other words to map the current state of their perceptions to actions and effects. This paper presents the pattern enabling the dynamic and interactive learning of the mapping between context and actions by our multi-agent systems

Estimates of calf survival and factors influencing Roosevelt elk mortality in northwestern California

Survival of juvenile ungulates is known to be highly variable, yet it is fundamental to understanding the dynamics and trends of wildlife populations. Factors influencing calf survival are poorly understood in northwestern California where Roosevelt elk (Cervus canadensis roosevelti) are known to exist. The objectives of this study were 1) to estimate summer and annual survival rates and determine recruitment rates for Roosevelt elk calves in the area, 2) to evaluate differences in calf survival by examining the effects of individual and population level covariates on summer and annual calf survival, 3) to identify factors influencing the timing and cause of calf mortalities, and 4) to establish a baseline of mortality factors influencing elk across all age classes. Over two seasons, this study captured and marked 58 calves and 28 cow elk in Del Norte and Humboldt counties. Calf survival was 0.67 (SE = 0.009) during the first 14 weeks of life (summer) and 0.82 (SE = 0.001) annually. Birth weight, study area, and the linear trend of time were found to be the most important covariates for summer survival, while the variable effect of time was most important for annual survival of calves. Predation was the top cause of death in calves and black bears (Ursus americanus) accounted for 22% of marked calf mortality. Across all age classes, human-caused mortality (roadkill, legal harvest, euthanasia, and poaching) was the most prominent for adults and yearlings. This is the first study to document calf survival and recruitment in northwestern California and provides evidence that calf survival is high but is not uniform across the area. These results will aid managers in setting appropriate harvest quotas for elk across the hunt zone and provides justification to implement targeted management that alleviates conflict

Poems

Amanda Nigon’s two poems (see)Shell Cracked on Rocks by Gulls and Fistula were written as part of a creative writing group using the theme of Losing Innocence. LOSING INNOCENCE by Alison Broderson, Andrea Bruton, Eric Groonwald, Amy Herron, Eric Hoffeiser Josephine Jarvis, Joe Loweth, Amanda Nigon, Jenny Sodomka: This project was inspired by our group’s desire to heighten its social awareness as it explored the loss of innocence resulting from impoverishment. As creative writers we chose to explore this theme through poetry, fiction, and creative non-fiction--our subjects ranging from working in a women’s shelter to college life. Because the process of writing is one of investigation, we developed a deeper understanding of the loss of innocence and a broader interpretation of the meaning of impoverishment, choosing in advance to not limit ourselves to an economic interpretation of the word. We attained our goals through observation, discussion, information gathering, writing, and revision of creative work, meeting frequently to discuss our work and ideas. We strove to bring each individual piece to a publishable quality and plan to submit our works for publication. In the hopes that others will gain from our awareness, we plan to present our writing at the conference, individually reading our work to the audience

ADDRESSING GAPS IN THE CONTINUUM OF CARE: A QUALITY IMPROVEMENT PROJECT FOCUSED ON ADOLESCENT YOUTH WITH DEPRESSION SYMPTOMS AT A SCHOOL-BASED HEALTH CLINIC

This Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) quality improvement project aimed to address gaps in the continuum of care for adolescents experiencing depression symptoms at a school-based health clinic (SBHC) within an alternative learning community school (ALCS) in southeast Minnesota. Adolescent depression rates are on the rise and are only exacerbated by systemic barriers and social determinants of health, requiring improved mental health care access. Guided by Madeleine Leininger’s Culture Care Theory, the project focused on improving follow-up care for students with elevated depression scores on the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9-M). A tracking system was developed, and the SBHC nurse contacted students with PHQ-9-M scores of nine or above to ensure follow-up. Over two academic years (2022–2024), the project saw significant improvements in follow-up rates and reductions in depression scores. In the first year, only 14% of students had a follow-up plan, while in the second year, this increased to 49%. Furthermore, 94% of students who were followed-up with in year one demonstrated reduced PHQ-9-M scores, with 72% showing similar improvement in year two. The project aligns with the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) Essentials, specifically related to person-centered care, quality and safety, and interprofessional partnerships, demonstrating the importance of follow-up care. Recommendations include leveraging the electronic medical record for automated follow-up reminders and expanding mental health outreach

Modulation of pro-inflammatory activation of monocytes and dendritic cells by aza-bis-phosphonate dendrimer as an experimental therapeutic agent

INTRODUCTION: Our objective was to assess the capacity of dendrimer aza-bis-phosphonate (ABP) to modulate phenotype of monocytes (Mo) and monocytes derived dendritic cells (MoDC) activated in response to toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) and interferon γ (IFN- γ) stimulation. METHODS: Mo (n = 12) and MoDC (n = 11) from peripheral blood of healthy donors were prepared. Cells were preincubated or not for 1 hour with dendrimer ABP, then incubated with lipopolysaccharide (LPS; as a TLR4 ligand) and (IFN-γ) for 38 hours. Secretion of tumor necrosis factor α (TNFα), interleukin (IL) -1, IL-6, IL-12, IL-10 and IL-23 in the culture medium was measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and Cytokine Bead Array. Differentiation and subsequent maturation of MoDC from nine donors in the presence of LPS were analyzed by flow cytometry using CD80, CD86, CD83 and CD1a surface expression as markers. RESULTS: Mo and MoDC were orientated to a pro-inflammatory state. In activated Mo, TNFα, IL-1β and IL-23 levels were significantly lower after prior incubation with dendrimer ABP. In activated MoDC, dendrimer ABP promoted IL-10 secretion while decreasing dramatically the level of IL-12. TNFα and IL-6 secretion were significantly lower in the presence of dendrimer ABP. LPS driven maturation of MoDC was impaired by dendrimer ABP treatment, as attested by the significantly lower expression of CD80 and CD86. CONCLUSION: Our data indicate that dendrimer ABP possesses immunomodulatory properties on human Mo and MoDC, in TLR4 + IFN-γ stimulation model, by inducing M2 alternative activation of Mo and promoting tolerogenic MoDC

Internal electric fields and electrode effects in ferroelectric thin films for piezoelectric energy harvesting

The continuing decrease of power requirements of electronic circuits offers the potential to deploy wireless systems as embedded sensors for cars or industrial tools, and implanted medical devices. Harvesting ambient vibrations by an appropriate energy harvesting (EH) device allows to avoid an undesirable battery replacement. At the scale of micro-electromechanical systems, where severe size constraints must be met, microfabricated EH devices with piezoelectric thin films offer the best energy density. Ferroelectric lead zirconate titanate (PZT) thin films with interdigitated electrodes (IDE) appear as the most promising device design for this purpose. Accurate characterization of the thin film response is necessary to determine the PZT composition and doping, the electrode geometry, and the stack design for maximum EH efficiency. Unfortunately, there is no rigorous description of the physical behavior of the IDE system to date. One goal of this thesis was thus to provide a better understanding of the experimental observations made by previous researchers. In addition, only a limited PZT composition and doping range has been investigated in this configuration. It was the second goal of this thesis to widen this range in order to determine the combination that yields the best EH efficiency. Finally, the risk of partial or total depoling over the device lifetime is always present in ferroelectric materials. The phenomena of aging and self-poling are of great interest to ensure proper retention of the poled state and, thus, the reliability of the harvesting device. Neither of the two are well understood. It was the third goal of this thesis to investigate the aging behavior and methods to promote self-poling. In this thesis work, we have have proposed a description of the physical behavior of the IDE system, and we have developed an analytical model for extracting the effective material properties from standard characterization measurements, which is well supported by both finite element (FE) simulations and experimental data. We found that if the substrate is conductive enough, a parasitic capacitance is present in parallel to the material response. We have provided a method to subtract the contribution of the parasitic capacitance, which has an accuracy of better than 4% in a wide range of IDE geometries as determined by FE simulations. We have investigated the performances of doped PZT thin films with IDE for several combinations of dopant and composition. We have improved an existing fabrication route to obtain textured PZT films on an insulating MgO layer. We found that dopants systematically reduced the piezoelectric response and retention capability, and increased the dielectric constant. All three are detrimental for EH. Undoped compositions should be chosen. We have studied methods to improve the stability of the poled state through aging and self-poling. Introducing the latter into the IDE configuration did not provide sufficiently strong effects to be of practical interest. On the contrary, the aging process may allow to tune the extrinsic contributions to the dielectric and piezoelectric response. It is likely caused by polarization discontinuities at grain boundaries. Further work is needed for fully optimizing this phenomenon. Finally, from the previous investigations, we could deduce and propose golden rules for the design of IDE structures, and discuss typical applications where they are advantageous

Adaptive Learning Module for Introduction to Materials Science

There is a growing need for individualized instructional designs in 4-year institutions due to: 1) growing undergraduate enrollment trends across the U.S., 2) broader diversity in students backgrounds, and 3) the growing prevalence of asynchronous remote learning. With the growth in computer technology in education, tools such as adaptive intelligent tutoring systems have been developed to respond to this need. However, these commercially available tools come with high costs and typically lack the emphasis on conceptual learning, since activities and assessments that promote conceptual understanding are difficult to make. As a result, this dissertation addresses this limitation by expanding the research in conceptual learning with the development of the Crystallography Adaptive Learning Module (CALM). This novel tool incorporates activities and assessments that promote engagement and conceptual learning. The content is focused on the topic of crystallography as it was found to be challenging for many undergraduate students in materials science introductory courses, but the design is general and could be applied to any conceptually challenging STEM topic. As various factors can affect conceptual learning, the first part of this work compared conceptual gains in students who enrolled in different modalities – in-person face-to-face (F2F) versus asynchronous online. The results showed the conceptual learning gains were significantly lower for the online, asynchronous mode and confirmed that the different modality can affect conceptual learning in students. Next, as part of the development of an adaptive conceptually based assessment in the CALM, the study examined experts’ ability to predict the difficulty level of a concept question by comparing student actual performance with instructor predictions. No clear correlation was found, suggesting actual student performance data is needed to make such conceptually driven learning adaptive tools. Lastly, the role of adaptivity was assessed in terms of conceptual learning performance and student engagement with learning materials. In a quasi-experimental, randomized study were either guided students through the learning materials with adaptive feedback (via CALM) or were allowed to self-select the amount and content of the learning materials they received. Within this comparison, student overall academic performance (cumulative grade point average, GPA) was also considered. Results showed that the level of engagement with interactive learning content was higher for the CALM instructional design, however, there was no statistically significantly difference in performance between the two instructional designs and among subgroups of the same cumulative GPA groups. There was some evidence that suggests the adaptive individualized feedback pedagogy might improve student conceptual understanding for the middle cumulative GPA group. In summary, this dissertation confirms of various factors to consider that can affect student conceptual understanding; course modality, pedagogical design, and student overall academic performance, The CALM individualized computer tool developed was found to be a promising tool that improve student participation and conceptual understanding in certain group of students and should be continued in upgrading and expanding research toward other topics. Findings from this dissertation can benefit educators, researchers, and software developers who focus on enhancing student conceptual learning in challenging STEM topics

Maintenance of cytomegalovirus-specific CD4pos T-cell response in rheumatoid arthritis patients receiving anti-tumor necrosis factor treatments

International audienceINTRODUCTION: Anti-tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α biotherapies have considerably changed the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). However, serious infections are a major concern in patients with rheumatic diseases treated with anti-TNF-α. Little is known about viral, especially latent, infections in anti-TNF-α treatments. Infections by cytomegalovirus (CMV), a β-herpes virus, are frequent and induce a strong CD4pos T-cell immunity, which participates in the control of infection. We thus have chosen to analyze the CD4pos T-cell response to CMV antigens as a model of antiviral response in RA patients treated with anti-TNF-α. CD28 expression was evaluated. METHODS: We have measured the CD4pos response to CMV antigens in RA patients, before and after initiation of treatment with an anti-TNF-α agent. The intracellular production of interferon (IFN)-γ in total and CD28neg CD4pos T cells in response to CMV antigens (Ags) was evaluated with flow cytometry. The proliferation of total CD4pos T cells in the presence of CMV antigens was measured with 3H-thymidine incorporation. RESULTS: Anti-TNF-α treatments impaired neither the anti-CD4pos anti-CMV IFN-γ response nor the proliferative response in patients. The percentage of CD28neg CD4pos cells remained constant. CONCLUSIONS: Our data suggest that the CD4pos T-cell response against CMV is not altered by anti-TNF-α treatments and that infection remains controlled in treated RA patients latently infected with CMV. Our observation brings new insight into the current knowledge of the risks of infection in patients treated with anti-TNF-α biotherapies

Analysis of Performance Instabilities of Hafnia-Based Ferroelectrics Using Modulus Spectroscopy and Thermally Stimulated Depolarization Currents

The discovery of the ferroelectric orthorhombic phase in doped hafnia films has sparked immense research efforts. Presently, a major obstacle for hafnia's use in high-endurance memory applications like nonvolatile random-access memories is its unstable ferroelectric response during field cycling. Different mechanisms are proposed to explain this instability including field-induced phase change, electron trapping, and oxygen vacancy diffusion. However, none of these is able to fully explain the complete behavior and interdependencies of these phenomena. Up to now, no complete root cause for fatigue, wake-up, and imprint effects is presented. In this study, the first evidence for the presence of singly and doubly positively charged oxygen vacancies in hafnia–zirconia films using thermally stimulated currents and impedance spectroscopy is presented. Moreover, it is shown that interaction of these defects with electrons at the interfaces to the electrodes may cause the observed instability of the ferroelectric performance