A bidirectional neurohumoral communication system known as the gut–brain axis integrates the activities of the intestine and the brain. In this Progress article, Collins, Surette and Bercik describe recent evidence suggesting that the intestinal microbiota is intimately connected with the gut–brain axis and can influence animal behaviour, development and health. The intestinal microbiota consists of a vast bacterial community that resides primarily in the lower gut and lives in a symbiotic relationship with the host. A bidirectional neurohumoral communication system, known as the gut–brain axis, integrates the host gut and brain activities. Here, we describe the recent advances in our understanding of how the intestinal microbiota communicates with the brain via this axis to influence brain development and behaviour. We also review how this extended communication system might influence a broad spectrum of diseases, including irritable bowel syndrome, psychiatric disorders and demyelinating conditions such as multiple sclerosis.

The interplay between the intestinal microbiota and the brain

The extent to which member states transpose EU directives in a timely fashion is often argued to be strongly associated with the general effectiveness of national bureaucracies. But what kind of institutional solutions ensure better performance? This paper examines the patterns and effects of departmental oversight across 28 ministries in Estonia, Hungary, Poland and Slovenia. In mapping the strength of oversight, it relies on around 90 structured interviews regarding the rules-in-use on transposition planning, legal review and monitoring of deadlines. The analysis of the impact of departmental oversight is based on an original dataset of over 300 directives with transposition deadlines between January 2005 and December 2008.

On the european union

Anthocyanins belong to the flavonoid group of polyphenolic compounds, which are responsible for the red and blue colors of plant organs such as fruits, flowers, and leaves Due to their frequent presence in plants, particularly berry fruits, vegetables, and grapes, they are key components of the human diet Interest in anthocyanins has increased widely during the past decade Numerous studies have suggested that anthocyanins have a wide range of health-promoting properties These compounds are therefore considered to be a functional food factor, which may have important implications in the prevention of chronic diseases The aim of this body of work is to investigate and review the current literature on anthocyanins, and particularly their pharmacokinetics and any health-promoting properties, in order to summarize existing knowledge and highlight any aspects that require further study and analysis

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/1541-4337.12024

The Case for Anthocyanin Consumption to Promote Human Health: A Review

The title of this technical report says almost everything: this is indeed \"a short bibliography on AI and the arts\". It is presented in four sections: General Arguments, Proposals, and Approaches (31 references); Artificial Intelligence in Music (124 references); Artificial Intelligence in Literature and the Performing Arts (13 references), and Artificial Intelligence and Visual Art (57 references). About a quarter of these have short abstracts. Creating a bibliography can be a monumental task, and this bibliography should be viewed as a good and useful start, though it is by no means complete. For comparison, consider the 4,585-entry bibliography Computer Applications in Music by Deta Davis (A-REditions). No direct comparison is intended (or possible), but my point is that many more papers are likely to exist. As a rough check, I looked for several pre-1990 AI and Music articles and books (including my own, of course) in the bibliography. Out of five papers from well-known sources, only one was listed. On the other hand, I discovered a number of papers in this report that were unknown to me, so I am grateful to have a new source of references. In their introduction, the authors acknowledge the need for more references and even offer.a cup of coffee in reward for each new one. I will be sending a number of contributions, so the next time anyone is in Vienna, the coffee is on me. I hope the authors will continue to collect abstracts and publish an updated report in the future.

Auditory Scene Analysis: The Perceptual Organization of Sound by Albert Bregman (review)

Anthocyanins are naturally occurring molecules belonging to the flavonoid class characterized by the presence of chromophores. Apart from their well-known antioxidant activity, they show a wide variety of health-promoting properties for human health, ranging from cytoprotective, antimicrobial and antitumour activities to neuroprotective, anti-obesity and lipidomic potential, properties for which anthocyanins have been prescribed as medicines in several countries for thousands of years. Despite this, these phytochemicals have received less attention than other flavonoids, and there is still a gap in the literature, particularly regarding pharmacological and toxicological aspects. Moreover, epidemiological evidence suggests a direct correlation between anthocyanin intake and a lower incidence of chronic and degenerative diseases. In light of this, the aim of this review is to cover the current literature on anthocyanins, their biological in vitro and in vivo effects and their potential therapeutic applications, as well as their bioavailability and pharmacokinetics, all of which are essential to gain a better understanding of their biological effectiveness and potential toxicity. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Chemistry, Pharmacology and Health Benefits of Anthocyanins.

https://repositorium.sdum.uminho.pt/bitstream/1822/32972/1/18291-Polyhydroxyalkanoates-%20Waste%20glycerol%20upgrade%20into%20electrospun%20fibrous%20scaffolds%20for%20stem%20cells.pdf

Polyhydroxyalkanoates: Waste glycerol upgrade into electrospun fibrous scaffolds for stem cells culture

Tablet devices can display full-size QWERTY keyboards similar to the physical ones. Yet, the lack of tactile feedback and the inability to rest the fingers on the home keys result in a highly demanding and slow exploration task for blind users. We present SpatialTouch, an input system that leverages previous experience with physical QWERTY keyboards, by supporting two-handed interaction through multitouch exploration and spatial, simultaneous audio feedback. We conducted a user study, with 30 novice touchscreen participants entering text under one of two conditions: (1) SpatialTouch or (2) mainstream accessibility method Explore by Touch. We show that SpatialTouch enables blind users to leverage previous experience as they do a better use of home keys and perform more efficient exploration paths. Results suggest that although SpatialTouch did not result in faster input rates overall, it was indeed able to leverage previous QWERTY experience in contrast to Explore by Touch.

TabLETS Get Physical: Non-Visual Text Entry on Tablet Devices

Navigation assistive technologies have been designed to support individuals with visual impairments during independent mobility by providing sensory augmentation and contextual awareness of their surroundings. Such information is habitually provided through predefned audio-haptic interaction paradigms. However, individual capabilities, preferences and behavior of people with visual impairments are heterogeneous, and may change due to experience, context and necessity. Therefore, the circumstances and modalities for providing navigation assistance need to be personalized to different users, and through time for each user. We conduct a study with 13 blind participants to explore how the desirability of messages provided during assisted navigation varies based on users' navigation preferences and expertise. The participants are guided through two different routes, one without prior knowledge and one previously studied and traversed. The guidance is provided through turn-by-turn instructions, enriched with contextual information about the environment. During navigation and follow-up interviews, we uncover that participants have diversifed needs for navigation instructions based on their abilities and preferences. Our study motivates the design of future navigation systems capable of verbosity level personalization in order to keep the users engaged in the current situational context while minimizing distractions.

Impact of Expertise on Interaction Preferences for Navigation Assistance of Visually Impaired Individuals

Evaluating the impact of expertise and route knowledge on task performance can guide the design of intelligent and adaptive navigation interfaces. Expertise has been relatively unexplored in the context of assistive indoor navigation interfaces for blind people. To quantify the complex relationship between the user»s walking patterns, route learning, and adaptation to the interface, we conducted a study with 8 blind participants. The participants repeated a set of navigation tasks while using a smartphone-based turn-by-turn navigation guidance app. The results demonstrate the gradual evolution of user skill and knowledge throughout the route repetitions, significantly impacting the task completion time. In addition to the exploratory analysis, we take a step towards tailoring the navigation interface to the user»s needs by proposing a personalized recurrent neural network-based behavior model for expertise level classification.

/pdf/modeling-expertise-in-assistive-navigation-interfaces-for-1ctwqzr5kj.pdf

Modeling Expertise in Assistive Navigation Interfaces for Blind People

Museums are gradually becoming more accessible to blind people, who have shown interest in visiting museums and in appreciating visual art. Yet, their ability to visit museums is still dependent on the assistance they get from their family and friends or from the museum personnel. Based on this observation and on prior research, we developed a solution to support an independent, interactive museum experience that uses the continuous tracking of the user's location and orientation to enable a seamless interaction between Navigation and Art Appreciation. Accurate localization and context-awareness allow for turn-by-turn guidance (Navigation Mode), as well as detailed audio content when facing an artwork within close proximity (Art Appreciation Mode). In order to evaluate our system, we installed it at The Andy Warhol Museum in Pittsburgh and conducted a user study where nine blind participants followed routes of interest while learning about the artworks. We found that all participants were able to follow the intended path, immediately grasped how to switch between Navigation and Art Appreciation modes, and valued listening to the audio content in front of each artwork. Also, they showed high satisfaction and an increased motivation to visit museums more often.

https://dl.acm.org/doi/pdf/10.1145/3315002.3317557

João Guerreiro

Papers

Polyhydroxyalkanoates: Waste glycerol upgrade into electrospun fibrous scaffolds for stem cells culture

TabLETS Get Physical: Non-Visual Text Entry on Tablet Devices

Impact of Expertise on Interaction Preferences for Navigation Assistance of Visually Impaired Individuals

Modeling Expertise in Assistive Navigation Interfaces for Blind People

An Independent and Interactive Museum Experience for Blind People