1,721,007 research outputs found
A Logic Programming Language for Multi-agent Systems
No full textThis paper presents a new logic programming language for modelling
Agents and Multi-Agent systems in computational logic. The basic
objective of the specification of this new language has been the
identification and the formalization of what we consider to be the
basic patterns for reactivity, proactivity, internal ``thinking'',
and ``memory''. The formalization models these concepts by
introducing different kinds of events, with a suitable treatment.
We introduce a novel approach to the language semantics, called
the evolutionary semantics
DESIGN OF VASCULARIZABLE SCAFFOLDS FOR LARGE TISSUE ENGINEERING
Full text linkThe emerging field of tissue engineering is dedicated to restore, maintain or improve the functions of damaged or lost human tissues. However, despite significant successes have been achieved over the last 20 years, several challenges still remain, preventing a pervasive clinical application of tissue engineering. One of the main challenges lies in the development of scaffolding materials able to mimic the complex organization of the in vivo milieu and provide tailored stimuli for tissue growth and maturation. A fundamental aspect of this problem resides in the design of scaffolds having three-dimensional vascular architecture, able to provide optimal nutrients diffusion, supporting and maintaining viable tissue in vitro, and capable to promote vascularization after implantation. The lack of proper vascularization is currently limiting the size of the engineered tissues to smaller than clinically relevant dimensions.
The aim of this PhD work, merging the study of novel biomaterials and the development of original microfabrication methods, is to create enabling technologies towards the design of innovative scaffolds for large tissues engineering. For this purpose, a library of RGD-mimetic hydrogels with controlled chemical, mechanical and biological features has been developed. The obtained hydrogels have been combined with foaming and sacrificial molding techniques to engineer customizable scaffolds with hierarchical three-dimensional architectures. These novel hydrogel scaffolds supported optimal three-dimensional cell growth and promoted in vitro vascularization in large constructs. The reported results suggest that the presented approach could represent a viable solution to scale engineered tissue to clinically relevant dimensions releasing the full potential of regenerative medicine
DALICA: Intelligent Agents for User Profile Deduction
No full textIn this paper we are going to discuss the potential contributions that agent technology can bring into an Ambient Intelligence scenario, related to the fruition of cultural assets. The users are located in an area which is known to the agents: in the application, the users are the visitors of Villa Adriana, an archaeological site in Tivoli, near Rome (Italy). Agents are aware of user moves by means of Galileo satellite signal, i.e., the proposed application is based on a blend of different technologies. The agents, developed in the DALI logic programming language, pro-actively learn and/or enhance users profiles and are thus capable to competently assist the users during their visit, to elicit habits and preferences and to propose cultural assets to the users according to the learned profile
A Geo Time Authentication SystemTrust Management
No full textIn this paper we present Geo Time Authentication (GTA), a prototype system that provides authenticity and integrity of cultural assets information. It has been conceived in the context of the CUSPIS project and afterwards it has been generalized to the context of assets and goods where problems of counterfeiting and thefts are prevalent. To prevent these crimes GTA adds to the usual asset information an additional tag that contains Galileo geo time information and it extends digital certificates with the notion of geographical areas for protecting the origin and the authenticity of the assets. Moreover, GTA makes available several services to protect the assets transport. © 2007 International Federation for Information Processing
Agents and Security in a Cultural Assets Transport Scenario
No full textMuseums and exhibitions represent a relevant contribution to the economy all over the world. In Italy, in the year 2006 the 400 national museums, monuments and archaeological sites have been visited by 34.492.875 people with an average entrance fee of 6,64 euro for person while in France 18.367.000 people decided to dedicate some time for visiting the national museums. Considered the increasing relevance of the cultural and economical level of museums, several works in Artificial Intelligence (AI) have proposed new methodologies for supporting the users during their visits. However, few research groups have faced the problem of the cultural assets transport. This paper pays attention to a particular aspect of the museum activities: how to identify and to transport in a secure way the cultural assets. In fact, a higher security in transport among museums may increase the exchanges and, consequently, the cultural offer. For reaching this goal we exploited the Galileo Satellite services and the Intelligent Agents technology and we experimented the system in a real scenario
DALICA: Agent-Based Ambient Intelligence for Cultural-Heritage Scenarios
Full text linkIn this paper we discuss the potential contributions that agent
technology can bring into an Ambient Intelligence scenario, related
to the fruition and monitoring of cultural assets. The users are
located in an area which is known to the agents. In the application
for the cultural assets scenario the users are the visitors of Villa
Adriana, an archaeological site in Tivoli, near Rome (Italy). For
the monitoring scenario works of arts have been transported from a
museum in Rome to another one in Villa Adriana. Agents are aware of
users movements by means of Galileo satellite signal, i.e., the
proposed application is based on a blend of different technologies.
The agents, developed in the DALI logic programming language,
pro-actively learn and/or enhance users profiles and are thus
capable to competently assist the users during their visit, to
elicit habits and preferences and to propose cultural assets to the
users according to the learned profile
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Full text linkThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
Variations on the Author
Full text link“Variations on the Author” discusses two of Eduardo Coutinho’s recent films (Um Dia na Vida, from 2010, and Últimas Conversas, posthumously released in 2015) and their contribution to the general question of documentary authorship. The director’s filmography is characterized by a consistent yet self-effacing form of authorial self-inscription: Coutinho often features as an interviewer that rather than express opinions propels discourses; an interviewer that is good at listening. This mode of self-inscription characterizes him as an author who is not expressive but who is nonetheless markedly present on the screen. In Um Dia na Vida, however, Coutinho is completely absent form the image, while Últimas Conversas, on the contrary, includes a confessional prologue that moves the director from the margins to the center of his films. This article examines the ways in which these works stand out in the filmography of a director who offers new insights into the notion of cinematic authorship
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