Deductive planning and plan reuse in a command language environment

In this paper we introduce a deductive planning system currently being developed as the kernel of an intelligent help system. It consists of a deductive planner and a plan reuse component and with that provides planning from first as well as planning from second principles. Both components rely upon an interval-based temporal logic. The deductive formalisms realizing plan formation from formal specifications and the reuse of already existing plans respectively are presented and demonstrated by examples taken from an operating system\u27s domain

PHI : a logic-based tool for intelligent help systems

We introduce a system which improves the performance of intelligent help systems by supplying them with plan generation and plan recognition components. Both components work in close mutual cooperation. We demonstrate two modes of cross-talk between them, one where plan recognition is done on the basis of abstract plans provided by the planner and the other where optimal plans are generated based on recognition results. The examples which are presented are taken from an operating system domain, namely from the UNIX mail domain. Our system is completely logic-based. Relying on a common logical framework--the interval-based modal temporal logic LLP which we have developed--both components are implemented as special purpose inference procedures. Plan generation from first and second principles is provided and carried out deductively, whereas plan recognition follows a new abductive approach for modal logics. The plan recognizer is additionally supplied with a probabilistic reasoner as a means to adjust the help provided for user-specific characteristics

Integrated plan generation and recognition : a logic-based approach

The work we present in this paper is settled within the field of intelligent help systems. Intelligent help systems aim at supporting users of application systems by the achievements of qualified experts. In order to provide such qualified support our approach is based on the integration of plan generation and plan recognition components. Plan recognition in this context serves to identify the users goals and so forms the basis for an active user support. The planning component dynamically generates plans which are proposed for the user to reach her goal. We introduce a logic-based approach where plan generation and plan recognition is done on a common logical basis and both components work in some kind of cross-talk

Human Cytomegalovirus IE1 Protein Elicits a Type II Interferon-Like Host Cell Response That Depends on Activated STAT1 but Not Interferon-γ

Human cytomegalovirus (hCMV) is a highly prevalent pathogen that, upon primary infection, establishes life-long persistence in all infected individuals. Acute hCMV infections cause a variety of diseases in humans with developmental or acquired immune deficits. In addition, persistent hCMV infection may contribute to various chronic disease conditions even in immunologically normal people. The pathogenesis of hCMV disease has been frequently linked to inflammatory host immune responses triggered by virus-infected cells. Moreover, hCMV infection activates numerous host genes many of which encode pro-inflammatory proteins. However, little is known about the relative contributions of individual viral gene products to these changes in cellular transcription. We systematically analyzed the effects of the hCMV 72-kDa immediate-early 1 (IE1) protein, a major transcriptional activator and antagonist of type I interferon (IFN) signaling, on the human transcriptome. Following expression under conditions closely mimicking the situation during productive infection, IE1 elicits a global type II IFN-like host cell response. This response is dominated by the selective up-regulation of immune stimulatory genes normally controlled by IFN-γ and includes the synthesis and secretion of pro-inflammatory chemokines. IE1-mediated induction of IFN-stimulated genes strictly depends on tyrosine-phosphorylated signal transducer and activator of transcription 1 (STAT1) and correlates with the nuclear accumulation and sequence-specific binding of STAT1 to IFN-γ-responsive promoters. However, neither synthesis nor secretion of IFN-γ or other IFNs seems to be required for the IE1-dependent effects on cellular gene expression. Our results demonstrate that a single hCMV protein can trigger a pro-inflammatory host transcriptional response via an unexpected STAT1-dependent but IFN-independent mechanism and identify IE1 as a candidate determinant of hCMV pathogenicity

<scp>ReSurveyEurope</scp>: A database of resurveyed vegetation plots in Europe

AbstractAimsWe introduce ReSurveyEurope — a new data source of resurveyed vegetation plots in Europe, compiled by a collaborative network of vegetation scientists. We describe the scope of this initiative, provide an overview of currently available data, governance, data contribution rules, and accessibility. In addition, we outline further steps, including potential research questions.ResultsReSurveyEurope includes resurveyed vegetation plots from all habitats. Version 1.0 of ReSurveyEurope contains 283,135 observations (i.e., individual surveys of each plot) from 79,190 plots sampled in 449 independent resurvey projects. Of these, 62,139 (78%) are permanent plots, that is, marked in situ, or located with GPS, which allow for high spatial accuracy in resurvey. The remaining 17,051 (22%) plots are from studies in which plots from the initial survey could not be exactly relocated. Four data sets, which together account for 28,470 (36%) plots, provide only presence/absence information on plant species, while the remaining 50,720 (64%) plots contain abundance information (e.g., percentage cover or cover–abundance classes such as variants of the Braun‐Blanquet scale). The oldest plots were sampled in 1911 in the Swiss Alps, while most plots were sampled between 1950 and 2020.ConclusionsReSurveyEurope is a new resource to address a wide range of research questions on fine‐scale changes in European vegetation. The initiative is devoted to an inclusive and transparent governance and data usage approach, based on slightly adapted rules of the well‐established European Vegetation Archive (EVA). ReSurveyEurope data are ready for use, and proposals for analyses of the data set can be submitted at any time to the coordinators. Still, further data contributions are highly welcome.</jats:sec

An In Vitro Model System For Cardiac Cell Therapy

Embryonic stem cells (ESC) constitute a promising source of cells for cardiac transplantation strategies. However, complexities associated with in vivo studies have made it difficult to develop a thorough understanding of cell integration. We have engineered an in vitro system that recapitulates the native cardiac environment using 300μm thick collagen scaffolds seeded with neonatal cardiomyocytes (CM) and electrical field stimulation. The injection of undifferentiated ESC served as a baseline to assess the validity of studying cell transplantation in this model. Yfp-ESC survived and proliferated over several days in model tissue. ESC were not observed to significantly differentiate into the cardiac lineage, and did not integrate with the cardiac cell population. While the injection of ESC improved cardiac cell number, tissue functional properties were hindered. The methods developed herein can be readily adapted to study ESC derived progenitor and differentiated cells, to elucidate the optimal cell state for ESC-mediated cell therapy.MAS

Nerve transfer surgery in spinal cord injury: online information sharing

Abstract Background Nerve transfer to improve upper extremity function in persons with cervical spinal cord injury (SCI) is a new reconstructive option, and has led to more people seeking and sharing surgical information and experiences. This study evaluated the role of social media in information-sharing on nerve transfer surgery within the SCI community. Methods Data were collected from Facebook, which is the favored information-sharing platform among individuals seeking medical information. Searched terms included ‘spinal cord injury’ and ‘SCI’ and excluded groups with: less than two members (n = 7); closed groups (n = 2); not pertaining to SCI (n = 13); restricted access (n = 36); and non-English (n = 2). Within public and private accessed groups, searches were conducted for ‘nerve’, ‘transfer’, ‘nerve transfer’, and ‘nerve surgery’. Each post about nerve transfer, responses to posts, and comments about nerve transfer in response to unrelated posts were tabulated. Thematic content analyses were performed and data were categorized as seeking information, sharing information, sharing support, and sharing appreciation. Results The search yielded 99 groups; 35 met the inclusion criteria (average size = 2007, largest = 12,277). Nerve transfer was discussed in nine groups, with 577 total mentions. In the seeking information axis, posts were related to personal experience (54%), objective information (31%), surgeon/center performing the procedure (9%), and second opinion (4%). At least 13% of posts were from individuals learning about nerve transfers for the first time. In the sharing information axis, the posts: shared personal experience (52%); shared objective information (13%); described alternative treatment (3%); tagged someone to share information (11%); linked to outside resources (12%); and recommended a specific surgeon/center (9%). Conclusion Social media is an important source of information and support for people with SCI. There is a paucity of information on nerve transfers. These study findings will inform implementation of future education strategies

Improving hand therapy delivery during care transitions in multisystem trauma patients

High-quality hand therapy is critical to maximising functional capacity and optimising overall outcomes following hand injuries. Therapy delivery requires clear communication between surgeons and occupational therapists. At Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre (SHSC), Canada’s largest tertiary care centre, suboptimal communication is a significant barrier to efficient hand therapy delivery in acute multisystem trauma patients. A baseline audit at SHSC found that 41% of hand therapy orders required clarification and 35% of patients waited over 24 hours before their order was fulfilled. In many cases, communication errors created unacceptably long delays that were suspected by surgeon stakeholders to impede patient outcomes. This highlighted an opportunity for investigation and system improvement.Using process mapping methodology, we outlined standard process involved in patient care and identified barriers to successful communication. We collaborated with key stakeholders to codesign a standardised template for care orders. We aimed to improve order clarity and consistency with the goal of reducing the incidence of clarification and delays.Postimplementation, the percentage of hand therapy orders requiring clarification was decreased to 24%. The number of patients waiting over 24 hours for therapy was also reduced; however, further investigation is required to verify this finding. In addition, essential order components were more consistently and comprehensively included. Next steps of this work include expanding the use of the order template outside of the multisystem trauma population and improving the communication of hand therapy at discharge from hospital