Assistant Agents to Advice Users in Hybrid Structured 3D Virtual Environments

Hybrid structured 3D Virtual Environments model serious activities in immersive 3D spaces, where participants are human and software agents, and their interactions are regulated by an Organization Centered Multi-Agent System (OCMAS). In this context, both OCMAS social model and the tasks that users need to accomplish can be rather complex, and thus, users may benefit from having an assistance service. Hence, we propose personal assistant agents (PA), which, based on knowledge about the OCMAS specification and current system state, provide the user with an advice (a plan) to achieve her or his goal. Additionally, we implement this service with plan-ea, an extension of the A¿*¿ algorithm that generates plans for a user whose actions may depend on other users¿ actions. Thus, PAs provide plans that do not only include assisted user actions but also other users¿ ones. We illustrate our approach by means of v-mWater¿an online water market¿and make a comparative analysis, with and without assistance, where efficiency¿in terms of number of user actions¿shows an improvement (7 vs 10.8), efficacy¿percentage of completed tasks¿also improves (93% vs 77%), and assistance's overall satisfaction is positive. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.Peer Reviewe

Execution infrastructure for normative virtual environments

Virtual Institutions (VIs) have proven to be adequate to engineer applications where participants can be humans and software agents. VIs combine Electronic Institutions (EIs) and 3D Virtual Worlds (VWs). In this context, Electronic Institutions are used to establish the regulations that structure interactions and support software agent participation while Virtual Worlds facilitate human participation. In this paper we propose Virtual Institution eXEcution Environment (VIXEE) as an innovative communication infrastructure for VIs. Using VIXEE to connect Virtual Worlds and EI opens EI to humans, providing a fully operational and comprehensive environment. The main features of the infrastructure are (i) the causal connection between Virtual Worlds and Electronic Institutions, (ii) the automatic generation and update of the VIs' 3D visualization and (iii) the simultaneous participation of users from different virtual world platforms. We illustrate the execution of VIXEE system in a simple eAuction house example and use this example to evaluate the performance of our solution

Assistant Agents to Advice Users in Hybrid Structured 3D Virtual Environments

Hybrid structured 3D Virtual Environments model serious activities in immersive 3D spaces, where participants are human and SW agents, and their interactions are regulated by an OCMAS (Organization Centered Multi-Agent System). In this context, both OCMAS social model and the tasks that users need to accomplish can be rather complex, and thus, users may benefit from having an assistance service. Hence, we propose Personal Assistant agents (PA) which, based on knowledge about the OCMAS specification and current system state, provide the user with an advice (a plan) to achieve her goal. Additionally, we implement this service with PLAN-EA, an Extension of the $A^{\ast}$ algorithm that generates plans for a user whose actions may depend on other users' actions. Thus, PAs provide plans that do not only include assisted user actions but other users' ones. We illustrate our approach by means of v-mWater -an online water market- and make a comparative analysis, with and without assistance, where efficiency -in terms of number of user actions- shows an improvement (7 vs 10.8), efficacy -percentage of completed tasks- also improves (93% vs 77%), and assistance's overall satisfaction is positive

Synchronization waves in geometric networks

We report synchronization of networked excitable nodes embedded in a metric space, where the connectivity properties are mostly determined by the distance between units. Such a high clustered structure, combined with the lack of long-range connections, prevents full synchronization and yields instead the emergence of synchronization waves. We show that this regime is optimal for information transmission through the system, as it enhances the options of reconstructing the topology from the dynamics. Measurements of topological and functional centralities reveal that the wave-synchronization state allows detection of the most structurally relevant nodes from a single observation of the dynamics, without any a priori information on the model equations ruling the evolution of the ensembl

Improving Physical Activity Levels and Psychological Variables on University Students in the Contemplation Stage

This study aimed to investigate the effects of a physical activity intervention, based on self-determination theory and the transtheoretical model, on university students in the contemplation stage. Participants: 42 students, in the contemplation stage at baseline, were randomly assigned to an experimental group (16 women, 2 men; M age = 19.1 ± 1.15) and a control group (18 women, 2 men; M age = 20.1 ± 5.7). Methods: Physical activity was measured at different moments by accelerometry. Other cognitive variables were measured by self-reported scales. Results: We did not find any significant increases in students’ physical activity in favor of the intervention group. Intragroup analyses indicate that the intervention has an effect on physical activity (moderate-to-vigorous physical activity), basic psychological needs, and intrinsic and extrinsic motivation. Conclusions: Results partially demonstrate that applying social cognitive theories seems to be effective in improving physical activity and cognitive variables in university students in the contemplation stag

Infant Gut Microbiota Associated with Fine Motor Skills

Background: During early life, dynamic gut colonization and brain development co-occur with potential cross-talk mechanisms affecting behaviour. Methods: We used 16S rRNA gene sequencing to examine the associations between gut microbiota and neurodevelopmental outcomes assessed by the Bayley Scales of Infant Development III in 71 full-term healthy infants at 18 months of age. We hypothesized that children would differ in gut microbial diversity, enterotypes obtained by Dirichlet multinomial mixture analysis and specific taxa based on their behavioural characteristics. Results: In children dichotomized by behavioural trait performance in above- and below-median groups, weighted Unifrac b-diversity exhibited significant differences in fine motor (FM) activity. Dirichlet multinomial mixture modelling identified two enterotypes strongly associated with FM outcomes. When controlling for maternal pre-gestational BMI and breastfeeding for up to 3 months, the examination of signature taxa in FM groups showed that Turicibacter and Parabacteroides were highly abundant in the below-median FM group, while Collinsella, Coprococcus, Enterococcus, Fusobacterium, Holdemanella, Propionibacterium, Roseburia, Veillonella, an unassigned genus within Veillonellaceae and, interestingly, probiotic Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus were more abundant in the above-median FM group. Conclusions: Our results suggest an association between enterotypes and specific genera with FM activity and may represent an opportunity for probiotic interventions relevant to treatment for motor disorders.This study was granted by Spanish Ministry of Innovation and Science. Junta de Andalucía: Excellence Projects (P06-CTS-02341); Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (BFU2012-40254-C03-02) and partially funded by the European Commission MyNewGut FP7 EU Project (Grant agreement n° 613979). Research post-doctoral fellowship from the Alfonso Martín Escudero Foundation; MyNewGut FP7 EU Project (Grant agreement n° 613979); DynaHEALTH EU Project HORIZON 2020 (Grant agreement n°: 633595-2); Marie Curie post-doctoral fellowship (FP7, no. 329812, NutriOmics); The first author received Pre-Doc scholarships from the Spanish Ministry of Education, Culture and Sports (FPU16/04587). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.S

Simbiosis bacteriana y conservación de flora amenazada: el caso del Lupinus mariae-josephae.

Lupinus mariae-josephae H. Pascual es un altramuz endémico de un reducido número de sitios en la Comunidad Valenciana, donde coloniza sustratos de ?terra rossa? sobre afloramientos de lapiaz. Descrito en 2004 a partir de plantas cultivadas, no pudo localizarse en campo hasta 2006, y el hallazgo de sus poblaciones ha estado estrechamente ligado a topónimos relativos a su nombre popular, ?tramús? en valenciano. Se ha demostrado la clara independencia genética, y en consecuencia el valor como ?buen taxon? de esta especie. Hasta ahora se han caracterizado y censado cinco poblaciones silvestres en diferentes localidades, y en todas ellas se observan fuertes fluctuaciones interanuales de sus efectivos, a veces acompañadas de importantes diferencias de vigor de los ejemplares; tres de estas poblaciones están actualmente protegidas mediante sendas microrreservas de flora. Algunos de estos núcleos poblacionales se componen en años concretos de formas poco vigorosas, que a menudo sólo producen 1-2 frutos con 1-2 semillas; por el contrario, las formas más vigorosas pueden producir varias docenas de semillas. La emergencia de plántulas se produce con gran probabilidad tras años de progresiva escarificación de la cubierta de las semillas en el suelo, y probablemente se acelera por procesos de reducción de la cubierta vegetal como los incendios forestales. La germinación experimental ex situ sólo se consigue satisfactoriamente mediante el pretratamiento de escaldado de las semillas

Association between IL-18 gene polymorphisms and biopsy-proven giant cell arteritis

7 pages, 1 figure, 1 table.-- Research article.[Introduction] The objective was to investigate the potential implication of the IL18 gene promoter polymorphisms in the susceptibility to giant-cell arteritis (GCA).[Methods] In total, 212 patients diagnosed with biopsy-proven GCA were included in this study. DNA from patients and matched controls was obtained from peripheral blood. Samples were genotyped for the IL18-137 G>C (rs187238), the IL18-607 C>A (rs1946518), and the IL18-1297 T>C (rs360719) gene polymorphisms with polymerase chain reaction, by using a predesigned TaqMan allele discrimination assay.[Results] No significant association between the IL18-137 G>C polymorphism and GCA was found. However, the IL18 -607 allele A was significantly increased in GCA patients compared with controls (47.8% versus 40.9% in patients and controls respectively; P = 0.02; OR, 1.32; 95% CI, 1.04 to 1.69). It was due to an increased frequency of homozygosity for the IL18 -607 A/A genotype in patients with GCA (20.4%) compared with controls (13.4%) (IL18 -607 A/A versus IL18 -607 A/C plus IL18 -607 C/C genotypes: P = 0.04; OR, 1.59; 95% CI, 1.02 to 2.46). Also, the IL18-1297 allele C was significantly increased in GCA patients (30.7%) compared with controls (23.0%) (P = 0.003; OR, 1.48; 95% CI, 1.13 to 1.95). In this regard, an increased susceptibility to GCA was observed in individuals carrying the IL18-1297 C/C or the IL18-1297 C/T genotypes compared with those carrying the IL18-1297 T/T genotype (IL18-1297 C/C plus IL18-1297 T/C versus IL18-1297 T/T genotype in GCA patients compared with controls: P = 0.005; OR, 1.61; 95% CI, 1.15 to 2.25). We also found an additive effect of the IL18 -1297 and -607 polymorphisms with TLR4 Asp299Gly polymorphism. The OR for GCA was 1.95 for combinations of genotypes with one or two risk alleles, whereas carriers of three or more risk alleles have an OR of 3.7.[Conclusions] Our results show for the first time an implication of IL18 gene-promoter polymorphisms in the susceptibility to biopsy-proven GCA. In addition, an additive effect between the associated IL18 and TLR4 genetic variants was observed.This study was supported by a grant from Fondo de Investigaciones Sanitarias PI06-0024 (Spain) and in part by Junta de Andalucía, grupo CTS-180 (Spain). This work was partially supported by the RETICS Program, RD08/0075 (RIER), from Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII).Peer reviewe

Buttermilk and krill oil phospholipids improve hippocampal insulin resistance and synaptic signaling in aged rats.

Impaired glucose metabolism and mitochondrial decay greatly increase with age, when cognitive decline becomes rampant. No pharmacological or dietary intervention has proven effective, but proper diet and lifestyle do postpone the onset of neurodegeneration and some nutrients are being investigated. We studied insulin signaling, mitochondrial activity and biogenesis, and synaptic signaling in the hippocampus and cortex following dietary supplementation with bioactive phospholipid concentrates of krill oil (KOC), buttermilk fat globule membranes (BMFC), and a combination of both in aged rats. After 3 months of supplementation, although all groups of animals showed clear signs of peripheral insulin resistance, the combination of KOC and BMFC was able to improve peripheral insulin sensitivity. We also explored brain energy balance. Interestingly, the hippocampus of supplemented rats-mainly when supplemented with BMFC or the combination of KOC and BMFC-showed an increase in intracellular adenosine triphosphate (ATP) levels, whereas no difference was observed in the cerebral cortex. Moreover, we found a significant increase of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) in the hippocampus of BMFC+KO animals. In summary, dietary supplementation with KOC and/or BMFC improves peripheral and central insulin resistance, suggesting that their administration could delay the onset of these phenomena. Moreover, n-3 fatty acids (FAs) ingested as phospholipids increase BDNF levels favoring an improvement in energy state within neurons and facilitating both mitochondrial and protein synthesis, which are necessary for synaptic plasticity. Thus, dietary supplementation with n-3 FAs could protect local protein synthesis and energy balance within dendrites, favoring neuronal health and delaying cognitive decline associated to age-related disrepair.pre-print769 K

Nutritional Supplementation to Increase Influenza Vaccine Response in Children Living With HIV: A Pilot Clinical Trial

Final results of this work have been presented at the following meetings: 36rd Annual Meeting of the European Society for Pediatric Infectious Diseases (ESPID 2018), Malmö, Sweden, 28th May-June 2nd, 2018. (Ref. ESP18-0517).Aims: Vaccine response is poor among children living with HIV. The gut microbiota has been identified as a potential target to improve vaccine immunogenicity, but data are scarce in the context of HIV infection. Methods: Pilot, double-blind, randomized placebo-controlled trial in which 24 HIV-infected children were randomized to receive a mixture of symbiotics, omega-3/6 fatty acids, and amino acids or placebo for 4 weeks, each in combination with ART, and were then immunized against influenza. Vaccine response and safety of the nutritional supplementation were the primary outcomes. Results: Eighteen HIV-infected children completed the follow-up period (mean age 11.5 ± 4.14 years, 61% female). The nutritional supplement was safe but did not enhance the response to the influenza vaccine. A 4-fold rise in antibody titers was obtained in only 37.5% of participants in the intervention arm vs. 40% in the placebo. No immunological or inflammatory predictors of vaccine response were identified. Conclusions: In this exploratory study, a 4-week course of symbiotics did not increase influenza vaccine immunogenicity in HIV-infected children. Larger studies are warranted to address the potential of modulating the microbiome in children living with HIV.This work was funded by the Instituto de Salud Carlos III-Fondos FEDER (grant number CB21/17/00025), Acción Estratégica en Salud (PI13/0422, PI17/01283, PI18/00154, and PI18CIII/00009). TS and SS-V have been funded by the Instituto de Salud Carlos III-Fondos FEDER (BA21/00022 and BA21/00017). The funding bodies did not have a role in the design or conduct of the study, the analysis and interpretation of the results, and the writing of the report or the decision to publish. The authors would like to particularly acknowledge all the children and adolescents as well as their families for their participation in this study. They acknowledge the Spanish Pediatric HIV infection Group CORISPE and the Pediatric HIV BioBank integrated in the Spanish AIDS Research Network and collaborating Centers [supported by the Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Spanish Health Ministry (Grant n◦ RD06/0006/0035)] for its collaboration and cession of clinical information and samples used in this work. Nutricion Médica S.L., manufactured and packaged the nutritional product under investigation. Final results of this work have been presented at the following meetings: 36rd Annual Meeting of the European Society for Pediatric Infectious Diseases (ESPID 2018), Malmö, Sweden, 28th May-June 2nd, 2018. (Ref. ESP18-0517).S