Development of a Graphical Tool to integrate the Prometheus AEOlus methodology and Jason Platform

Software Engineering (SE) is an area that intends to build high-quality software in a systematic way. However, traditional software engineering techniques and methods do not support the demand for developing Multiagent Systems (MAS). Therefore a new subarea has been studied, called Agent Oriented Software Engineering (AOSE). The AOSE area proposes solutions to specific issues related to the development of agent oriented systems. There are several methodologies to model MAS, however, until now, there is not a standard modelling language because they are very complex systems, and involve several different concepts. Another issue of this subarea is that there are very few tools that are able to automatically generate code, reducing its acceptance in the software development market. In this work, we propose a tool to support the Prometheus AEOlus Methodology, because it provides modelling artifacts to all MAS dimensions proposed by ~Demazeau: agents, environment, interactions and organization. The tool supports all Prometheus AEOlus artifacts and it can automatically generated code to the agent and interaction dimensions in the AgentSpeak(L) language, which is the language used in the Jason platform. We have done some validations with the proposed tool and a case study is presented. Our results indicate that our tool has full compatibility with the Jason platform, and it is able to automatic generate code in AgentSpeak(L). As future work, we intend to develop the integration of the artifacts with the JaCaMo framework, enabling a full integration between our tool and the Prometheus AEOlus methodology

Development of a Graphical Tool to integrate the Prometheus AEOlus methodology and Jason Platform

Software Engineering (SE) is an area that intends to build high-quality software in a systematic way. However, traditional software engineering techniques and methods do not support the demand for developing Multiagent Systems (MAS). Therefore a new subarea has been studied, called Agent Oriented Software Engineering (AOSE). The AOSE area proposes solutions to issues related to the development of agent oriented systems. There is still no standardization in this subarea, resulting in several methodologies. Another issue of this subarea is that there are very few tools that are able to automatically generate code. In this work we propose a tool to support the Prometheus AEOlus Methodology because it provides modelling artifacts to all MAS dimensions: agents, environment, interaction, and organization. The tool supports all Prometheus AEOlus artifacts and can automatically generated code to the agent and interaction dimensions in the AgentSpeak Language, which is the language used in the Jason Platform. We have done some validations with the proposed tool and a case study is presented

A Conceptual Model for Situating Purposes in Artificial Institutions

{In multi-agent systems, artificial institutions connect institutional concepts, belonging to the institutional reality, to the concrete elements that compose the system. The institutional reality is composed of a set of institutional concepts, called Status-Functions. Current works on artificial institutions focus on identifying the status-functions and connecting them to the concrete elements. However, the functions associated with the status-functions are implicit. As a consequence, the agents cannot reason about the functions provided by the elements that carry the status-functions and, thus, cannot exploit these functions to satisfy their goals. Considering this problem, this paper proposes a model to express the functions -- or the purposes -- associated with the status-functions. Examples illustrate the application of the model in a practical scenario, showing how the agents can use purposes to reason about the satisfaction of their goals in institutional contexts

Effect of a gel containing pilocarpine on vaginal atrophy in castrated rats

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the effect of Carbopol gel formulations containing pilocarpine on the morphology and morphometry of the vaginal epithelium of castrated rats. METHODS: Thirty-one female Wistar-Hannover rats were randomly divided into four groups: the control Groups I (n=7, rats in persistent estrus; positive controls) and II (n=7, castrated rats, negative controls) and the experimental Groups, III (n=8) and IV (n=9). Persistent estrus (Group I) was achieved with a subcutaneous injection of testosterone propionate on the second postnatal day. At 90 days postnatal, rats in Groups II, III and IV were castrated and treated vaginally for 14 days with Carbopol gel (vehicle alone) or Carbopol gel containing 5% and 15% pilocarpine, respectively. Next, all of the animals were euthanized and their vaginas were removed for histological evaluation. A non-parametric test with a weighted linear regression model was used for data analysis (

Development of a Graphical Tool to integrate the Prometheus AEOlus methodology and Jason Platform

Software Engineering (SE) is an area that intends to build high-quality software in a systematic way. However, traditional software engineering techniques and methods do not support the demand for developing Multiagent Systems (MAS). Therefore a new subarea has been studied, called Agent Oriented Software Engineering (AOSE). The AOSE area proposes solutions to issues related to the development of agent oriented systems. There is still no standardization in this subarea, resulting in several methodologies. Another issue of this subarea is that there are very few tools that are able to automatically generate code. In this work we propose a tool to support the Prometheus AEOlus Methodology because it provides modelling artifacts to all MAS dimensions: agents, environment, interaction, and organization. The tool supports all Prometheus AEOlus artifacts and can automatically generated code to the agent and interaction dimensions in the AgentSpeak Language, which is the language used in the Jason Platform. We have done some validations with the proposed tool and a case study is presented

Hardwares e sistemas multiagente: um estudo sobre arquiteturas híbridas

Este artigo apresenta três estudos de caso sobre a aplicabilidade de arquiteturas de hardware reconfiguráveis, como FPGA, voltadas à utilização em sistemas multiagentes. Feita uma análise visando à elucidação dos resultados e das contribuições que os estudos proporcionaram aos autores, observa-se que o desenvolvimento de sistemas inteligentes depende cada vez mais de uma programação que explore o hardware ao máximo. Esse desfecho torna o uso de hardwares reconfiguráveis o mais aconselhável quando problemas computacionais complexos demandam respostas rápidas e eficientes, como nos casos estudados

A Conceptual Model for Situating Purposes in Artificial Institutions

{In multi-agent systems, artificial institutions connect institutional concepts, belonging to the institutional reality, to the concrete elements that compose the system. The institutional reality is composed of a set of institutional concepts, called Status-Functions. Current works on artificial institutions focus on identifying the status-functions and connecting them to the concrete elements. However, the functions associated with the status-functions are implicit. As a consequence, the agents cannot reason about the functions provided by the elements that carry the status-functions and, thus, cannot exploit these functions to satisfy their goals. Considering this problem, this paper proposes a model to express the functions -- or the purposes -- associated with the status-functions. Examples illustrate the application of the model in a practical scenario, showing how the agents can use purposes to reason about the satisfaction of their goals in institutional contexts

Mirror and Vibration Therapies Effects on the Upper Limbs of Hemiparetic Patients after Stroke: A Pilot Study

Background/Aim. To evaluate, in this pilot study, the effects of the mirror (MT) and vibration therapies (VT) on the functionality of hemiparesis patients after stroke. Materials and Methods. Twenty-one individuals after stroke with upper limb hemiparesis were randomized into control group (CG), Mirror Therapy Group (MTG), and Vibration Therapy Group (VTG). The functionality was evaluated before and after 12 sessions with three tests (i) Mobility Index Rivermead, (ii) Motor Function Wolf Test (time, functional ability), and (iii) Jebsen Taylor Test. Results. Significant findings were observed for MTG or VTG when compared to the CG, obtaining improvements in the three functional tests: Mobility Index Rivermead, Motor Function Test Wolf (time) and Motor Function Test Wolf (functional ability), and Jebsen Test Taylor. Conclusions. MT or VT showed enhancements on the functionality of subjects with poststroke hemiparesis. In consequence, these interventions may be used in the rehabilitation of these individuals in order to promote improvements of the affected upper limb functionality. Probably, neuromuscular responses of the used therapies would be related to these desirable effects. However, it is necessary conducting further controlled studies with more subjects