Use of the checkerboard DNA-DNA hybridisation technique for in vivo detection of cariogenic microorganisms on metallic brackets, with or without use of an antimicrobial agent

Objective: Using checkerboard DNA-DNA hybridisation (CDDH) assay, this randomised clinical study evaluated the contamination of metallic brackets by four cariogenic bacterial strains (Streptococcus mutans, Streptococcus sobrinus, Lactobacillus casei and Lactobacillus acidophilus) and the efficacy of 0.12% chlorhexidine gluconate (CHX) mouthwashes in reducing bacterial contamination. Methods: Thirty-nine 11-33-year-old patients under treatment with fixed orthodontic appliances were enrolled in the study and had 2 new metallic brackets bonded to premolars. Nineteen patients used a 0.12% CHX mouthwash (Periogard (R)) and 20 patients used a placebo mouthwash (control) twice a week. After 30 days, the brackets were removed and samples were obtained for analysis by CDDH. Data were analysed statistically by the Kruskal-Wallis test (alpha = 0.05) using the SAS software. Results: S. mutans, S. sobrinus, L. casei and L. acidophilus were detected in 100% of the samples from both groups. However, brackets of the control group were more heavily contaminated by S. mutans and S. sobrinus (P < 0.01). In the experimental group, although all counts decreased after rinsing with the chlorhexidine solution, there was significant difference only for S. mutans (P = 0.03). Conclusions: The use of 0.12% chlorhexidine gluconate mouthwashes can be useful in clinical practice to reduce the levels of cariogenic microorganisms in patients under treatment with fixed orthodontic appliances. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Agent-Oriented Data Curation in Bioinformatics

The practitioners of bioinformatics require increasing sophistication from their software tools to take into account the particular characteristics that make their domain complex. For example, there is a great variation of experience of researchers, from novices who would like guidance from experts in the best resources to use to experts that wish to take greater management control of the tools used in their experiments. Also, the range of available, and conflicting, data formats is growing and there is a desire to automate the many trivial manual stages of in-silico experiments. Agent-oriented software development is one approach to tackling the design of complex applications. In this paper, we argue that, in fact, agent-oriented development is a particularly well-suited approach to developing bioinformatics tools that take into account the wider domain characteristics. To illustrate this, we design a data curation tool, which manages the format of experimental data, extend it to better account for the extra requirements placed by the domain characteristics, and show how the characteristics lead to a system well suited to an agent-oriented view.

Agent-Oriented Data Curation in Bioinformatics

The practitioners of bioinformatics require increasing sophistication from their software tools to take into account the particular characteristics that make their domain complex. For example, there is a great variation of experience of researchers, from novices who would like guidance from experts in the best resources to use to experts that wish to take greater management control of the tools used in their experiments. Also, the range of available, and conflicting, data formats is growing and there is a desire to automate the many trivial manual stages of in-silico experiments. Agent-oriented software development is one approach to tackling the design of complex applications. In this paper, we argue that, in fact, agent-oriented development is a particularly well-suited approach to developing bioinformatics tools that take into account the wider domain characteristics. To illustrate this, we design a data curation tool, which manages the format of experimental data, extend it to better account for the extra requirements placed by the domain characteristics, and show how the characteristics lead to a system well suited to an agent-oriented view.

Designing Agent-Oriented Systems by Analysing Agent Interactions

We propose a preliminary methodology for agent-oriented software engineering based on the idea of agent interaction analysis. This approach uses interactions between undetermined agents as the primary component of analysis and design. Agents as a basis for software engineering are useful because they provide a powerful and intuitive abstraction which can increase the comprehensiblity of a complex design. The paper describes a process by which the designer can derive the interactions that can occur in a system satisfying the given requirements and use them to design the structure of an agent-based system, including the identification of the agents themselves. We suggest that this approach has the flexibility necessary to provide agent-oriented designs for open and complex applications, and has value for future maintenance and extension of these systems.

From SMART to agent systems development

n order for agent-oriented software engineering to prove effective it must use principled notions of agents and enabling specification and reasoning, while still considering routes to practical implementation. This paper deals with the issue of individual agent specification and construction, departing from the conceptual basis provided by the smart agent framework. smart offers a descriptive specification of an agent architecture but omits consideration of issues relating to construction and control. In response, we introduce two new views to complement smart: a behavioural specification and a structural specification which, together, determine the components that make up an agent, and how they operate. In this way, we move from abstract agent system specification to practical implementation. These three aspects are combined to create an agent construction model, actsmart, which is then used to define the AgentSpeak(L) architecture in order to illustrate the application of actsmart.

Dynamically Adapting BDI Agent Architectures based on High-level User Specifications

Users are facing an increasing challenge of managing information and being available anytime anywhere, as the web exponentially grows. As a consequence, assisting them in their routine tasks has become a relevant issue to be addressed. In this paper, we introduce a software framework that supports the development of Personal Assistance Software (PAS). It relies on the idea of exposing a high level user model in order to increase user trust in the task delegation process as well as empowering them to manage it. The framework provides a synchronization mechanism that is responsible for dynamically adapting an underlying BDI agent-based running implementation in order to keep this high-level view of user customizations consistent with it.

Automating the product derivation process of multi-agent systems product lines

Agent-oriented software engineering and software product lines are two promising software engineering techniques. Recent research work has been exploring their integration, namely multi-agent systems product lines (MAS-PLs), to promote reuse and variability management in the context of complex software systems. However, current product derivation approaches do not provide specific mechanisms to deal with MAS-PLs. This is essential because they typically encompass several concerns (e.g., trust, coordination, transaction, state persistence) that are constructed on the basis of heterogeneous technologies (e.g., object-oriented frameworks and platforms). In this paper, we propose the use of multi-level models to support the configuration knowledge specification and automatic product derivation of MAS-PLs. Our approach provides an agent-specific architecture model that uses abstractions and instantiation rules that are relevant to this application domain. In order to evaluate the feasibility and effectiveness of the proposed approach, we have implemented it as an extension of an existing product derivation tool, called GenArch. The approach has also been evaluated through the automatic instantiation of two MAS-PLs, demonstrating its potential and benefits to product derivation and configuration knowledge specification.

Agentes de software nas empresas : um estudo de caso na área de compras

Com o aumento de informações disponíveis e das possibilidades de fazer comércio por meios eletrônicos, aumenta a complexidade de algumas tarefas, como comprar. Um dos possíveis caminhos para diminuir essa complexidade é dotar programas de computadores com conhecimentos sobre a realização de tais tarefas, incluindo como tomar decisões. Esta dissertação versa sobre a utilização de agentes de software nas empresas, que são programas de computadores delegados para a realização de funções específicas. Além de uma revisão sobre o atual uso de tais tecnologias, apresenta-se uma possível aplicação na área de Compras para uma empresa real. Para modelar o sistema proposto, utilizou-se uma extensão da Unified Modeling Language (UML), a Agent UML, que objetiva a adequação da primeira para representar sistemas multiagentes. As dificuldades encontradas para modelagem são uma discussão adicional, bem como as sugestões. Outras contribuições do presente trabalho são as apresentações de mecanismos de decisão e de negociação para a Função Compras, inspirados em funções de valor e na negociação colaborativa. Encerra-se, apontando algumas futuras direções, incentivando reflexões posteriores sobre este tema pioneiro na Escola de Administração da Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul.

Reducing the gap between mobile and intelligent software agents

This paper presents an approach to integrate an artificial intelligence (AI) technique, concretely rule-based processing, into mobile agents. In particular, it focuses on the aspects of designing and implementing an appropriate inference engine of small size to reduce migration costs. The main goal is combine two lines of agent research, First, the engineering oriented approach on mobile agent architectures, and, second, the AI related approach on inference engines driven by rules expressed in a restricted subset of first-order predicate logic (FOPL). In addition to size reduction, the main functions of this type of engine were isolated, generalized and implemented as dynamic components, making possible not only their migration with the agent, but also their dynamic migration and loading on demand. A set of classes for representing and exchanging knowledge between rule-based systems was also proposed.

Quantitative analysis of photodynamic therapy effects in rat mammary tumor vascular density using image-pro plus software

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is a treatment modality that has advanced rapidly in recent years. It causes tissue and vascular damage with the interaction of a photosensitizing agent (PS), light of a proper wavelength, and molecular oxygen. Evaluation of vessel damage usually relies on histopathology evaluation. Results are often qualitative or at best semi-quantitative based on a subjective system. The aim of this study was to evaluate, using CD31 immunohistochem- istry and image analysis software, the vascular damage after PDT in a well-established rodent model of chemically induced mammary tumor. Fourteen Sprague-Dawley rats received a single dose of 7,12-dimethylbenz(a)anthraxcene (80 mg/kg by gavage), treatment efficacy was evaluated by comparing the vascular density of tumors after treatment with Photogem® as a PS, intraperitoneally, followed by interstitial fiber optic lighting, from a diode laser, at 200 mW/cm and light dose of 100 J/cm directed against his tumor (7 animals), with a control group (6 animals, no PDT). The animals were euthanized 30 hours after the lighting and mammary tumors were removed and samples from each lesion were formalin-fixed. Immunostained blood vessels were quantified by Image Pro-Plus version 7.0. The control group had an average of 3368.6 ± 4027.1 pixels per picture and the treated group had an average of 779 ± 1242.6 pixels per area (P < 0.01), indicating that PDT caused a significant decrease in vascular density of mammary tumors. The combined immu- nohistochemistry using CD31, with selection of representative areas by a trained pathology, followed by quantification of staining using Image Pro-Plus version 7.0 system was a practical and robust methodology for vessel damage evalua- tion, which probably could be used to assess other antiangiogenic treatments.