Multi-Agent Systems Botti, Vicent; Julian, Vicente; Omicini, Andrea ...
01/2019
eBook
Open access
This Special Issue "Multi-Agent Systems" gathers original research articles reporting results on the steadily growing area of agent-oriented computing and multi-agent systems technologies. After more ...than 20 years of academic research on multi-agent systems (MASs), in fact, agent-oriented models and technologies have been promoted as the most suitable candidates for the design and development of distributed and intelligent applications in complex and dynamic environments.
With respect to both their quality and range, the papers in this Special Issue already represent a meaningful sample of the most recent advancements in the field of agent-oriented models and technologies. In particular, the 17 contributions cover agent-based modeling and simulation, situated multi-agent systems, socio-technical multi-agent systems, and semantic technologies applied to multi-agent systems. In fact, it is surprising to witness how such a limited portion of MAS research already highlights the most relevant usage of agent-based models and technologies, as well as their most appreciated characteristics.
We are thus confident that the readers of Applied Sciences will be able to appreciate the growing role that MASs will play in the design and development of the next generation of complex intelligent systems. This Special Issue has been converted into a yearly series, for which a new call for papers is already available at the Applied Sciences journal’s website:
https://www.mdpi.com/journal/applsci/special_issues/Multi-Agent_Systems_2019.
3-Unsubstituted and 3-substituted-7-aryl-5
H-6,7-dihydroimidazo2,1-
c1,2,4triazoles (
1–
14) were designed and obtained from biologically active 1-aryl-2-hydrazonoimidazolidines by cyclocondensation ...reaction with triethyl orthoformates (
1–
4), phenoxyacetic acid derivatives (
5–
13) and carbon disulfide (
14), respectively. Their chemical structures were confirmed by IR,
1H NMR,
13C NMR, MS spectra and elemental analysis. In the high performance liquid chromatographic series of experiments, fourteen synthesized compounds (
1–
14) were chromatographed on octadecyl silica adsorbent and their lipophilicity parameter (log
k
W) was determined using various aqueous systems: mixture of water and organic modifiers (methanol – MeOH, acetonitrile – MeCN or dioxane – DX). Compounds
7 and
12 were evaluated for their cytotoxic activity against three cancer cell lines: human Caucasian colon adenocarcinoma cell line – LS180 (ECACC 87021202), human uterus carcinoma cell line – SiHa (ECACC 85060701) and human breast carcinoma cell line – T47D (ECACC 85102201). Compound
12 was found to be the most effective in vitro against human colon adenocarcinoma cell line (LS180). Moreover, the distinctly marked lower cytotoxicity of compounds
7 and
12 against the normal cell line – human skin fibroblasts (HSF) and almost several-fold higher against the examined cancer cell lines was ascertained. The cytotoxic effect of imidazotriazole
7 was noticed on DNA structure of breast cancer cell line (T47D) by using the comet assay. Compound
7 in concentration of 29.3
μM was found to possess efficiency for DNA strand breakage. In particular, this led to cutting of the DNA strands and formation of small fragments of DNA – two higher and one lighter in comparison with control DNA. Moreover, significant viability decreases in the human leukaemic RPMI 8226 cells treated with different concentrations of imidazotriazoles
8–
12 were observed, suggesting their antiproliferative properties. Besides, three tested compounds (
9,
13,
14) revealed significant antimicrobial activities with MIC values in the range of 30.9–44.0
μM. Compound
13 showed superior antibacterial activity to ampicillin and chloramphenicol in vitro, whereas
14 displayed superior antifungal activity to miconazole.
Biologically active substituted 7-aryl-5
H-6,7-dihydro-imidazo2,1-
c1,2,4triazoles were designed and evaluated for their in vitro antimicrobial and anticancer activities. The distinctly marked lower cytotoxicity of compounds
7,
12 against the normal cell line – human skin fibroblast (HSF) cells and almost several times higher against the examined cancer cell lines (LS180, SiHa, T47D) was ascertained. The cytotoxic effect of compound
7 was noticed on DNA structure of breast cancer cell line (T47D) by using the comet assay. The bicycle
7 was found to possess efficiency for DNA strand breakage, like the cytotoxic antibiotic – bleomycin. Moreover, significant viability decreases in human leukaemic RPMI 8226 cells treated with different concentrations of compounds
8–
12 were observed. Three tested compounds (
9,
13,
14) showed significant antimicrobial activities with MICs in the range of 30.9–44.0
μM. Compound
13 showed superior antibacterial activity to ampicillin and chloramphenicol in vitro, whereas
14 displayed superior antifungal activity to miconazole.
▪
Antiviral Drugs Kazmierski, Wieslaw M
2011, 2011-06-30, 2011-07-08
eBook
This book focuses on new small molecule approaches to combat viral infections. The chapters describe the discovery and development from bench through the clinic of relatively recently-approved ...antiviral drugs and compounds in advanced clinical development. Organized by a virus (such as HIV, HCV, RSV, influenza, HBV and CMV) andwritten by top academic and industrial authorities in the field, the book provides a unique opportunity to study, understand and apply discovery and development principles and learning without the need for an individual to research, analyze and synthesize all immense sourcing references. Topics showcase challenges and solutions of issues encountered, offeringtremendous experience accumulated over many years of research that will be particularly useful to basic and bench scientists as well as clinicians as they continue discovering and developing new drugs and therapies.
A novel strategy to develop site-activated multifunctional chelators for targeting multiple etiologies of Alzheimer's disease is reported. The novel prochelator HLA20A with improved cytotoxicity ...shows little affinity for metal ions until it is activated by binding and inhibiting acetylcholinesterase (AChE), releasing an active chelator HLA20 that modulates amyloid precursor protein (APP) regulation and beta-amyloid (Abeta) reduction, suppresses oxidative stress, and passivates excess metal ions (Fe, Cu, and Zn) in the brain.
The role of antidepressants in the acute treatment of bipolar depression remains a contentious issue. A previous meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) concluded that antidepressants ...were effective and safe for bipolar depression. Several trials published since then suggest that antidepressants may not be as beneficial as previously concluded. The current systematic review and meta-analyses reexamine the efficacy and safety of antidepressant use for the acute treatment of bipolar depression.
EMBASE, MEDLINE, CINAHL, PsycINFO, and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials databases were searched for double-blind RCTs published from 2003 to 2009 using the following diagnostic medical subject heading (MESH) terms: bipolar disorder, bipolar depression, bipolar I disorder, bipolar II disorder, bipolar III disorder, bipolar mania, cyclothymia, manic depressive psychosis, mixed mania and depression, and rapid cycling and bipolar disorder. Databases of trial registries were also searched for unpublished RCTs. These searches were supplemented by hand searches of relevant articles and review articles.
Trials that compared acute (< 16 wk) antidepressant treatment with either an active drug or a placebo comparator in adult bipolar patients, depressive phase were eligible for inclusion. Main outcome measures were clinical response, remission, and affective switch.
Six RCTs (N = 1,034) were identified since publication in 2004 of the first meta-analysis that assessed antidepressant use in the acute treatment of bipolar depression. These studies were combined with earlier studies for a total of 15 studies containing 2,373 patients. Antidepressants were not statistically superior to placebo or other current standard treatment for bipolar depression. Antidepressants were not associated with an increased risk of switch. Studies that employed more sensitive criteria to define switch did report elevated switch rates for antidepressants.
Although antidepressants were found to be safe for the acute treatment of bipolar depression, their lack of efficacy may limit their clinical utility. Further high-quality studies are required to address the existing limitations in the literature.
Background Ketamine is reported to have rapid antidepressant effects; however, there is limited understanding of the time-course of ketamine effects beyond a single infusion. A previous report ...including 10 participants with treatment-resistant major depression (TRD) found that six ketamine infusions resulted in a sustained antidepressant effect. In the current report, we examined the pattern and durability of antidepressant effects of repeated ketamine infusions in a larger sample, inclusive of the original. Methods Participants with TRD ( n = 24) underwent a washout of antidepressant medication followed by a series of up to six IV infusions of ketamine (.5 mg/kg) administered open-label three times weekly over a 12-day period. Participants meeting response criteria were monitored for relapse for up to 83 days from the last infusion. Results The overall response rate at study end was 70.8%. There was a large mean decrease in Montgomery–Åsberg Depression Rating Scale score at 2 hours after the first ketamine infusion (18.9 ± 6.6, p < .001), and this decrease was largely sustained for the duration of the infusion period. Response at study end was strongly predicted by response at 4 hours (94% sensitive, 71% specific). Among responders, median time to relapse after the last ketamine infusion was 18 days. Conclusions Ketamine was associated with a rapid antidepressant effect in TRD that was predictive of a sustained effect. Future controlled studies will be required to identify strategies to maintain an antidepressant response among patients who benefit from a course of ketamine.
Monoamine oxidase plays a significant role in the control of intracellular concentration of monoaminergic neurotransmitters or neuromodulators and dietary amines. The rapid degradation of these ...molecules ensures the proper functioning of synaptic neurotransmission and is critically important for the regulation of emotional and other brain functions. The development of human MAO inhibitors led to important breakthroughs in the therapy of several neuropsychiatric disorders. Different families of heterocycles containing 2 or 4 nitrogen atoms have been used as scaffolds for synthesizing selective monoamine oxidase inhibitors, but the early period of the MAO-inhibitors started with hydrazine derivatives. Pyrazole, pyrazoline, and pyrazolidine derivatives can be considered as a cyclic hydrazine moiety. This scaffold also displayed promising antidepressant and anticonvulsant properties as demonstrated by different and established animal models. Diversely substituted pyrazoles, embedded with a variety of functional groups, are important biological agents and a significant amount of research activity has been directed towards this chemical class.
Ionic liquid ethyl ammonium nitrate is used as an excellent catalyst and solvent for three-component one-pot reaction of an aldehydes, amines and diethylphosphite to form novel α-aminophosphonates at ...room temperature. Among the various catalysts, the preparation of ethyl ammonium nitrate is an environmental friendly, cost effective and recyclable catalyst. Compounds
4b,
4c,
4d,
4f and
4j were found more potent antibacterials against pathogenic microorganisms. Whereas, compounds
4a,
4g,
4h and
4j inhibits growth of active
Escherichia coli NCIM 2645 and
Salmonella typhi NCIM 2501. Compound
4j was found a promising antiproliferative agent against A549 and SK-MEL2 human melanoma cell lines.
Ionic liquid ethyl ammonium nitrate is used as an excellent catalyst and solvent for three-component one-pot reaction of an aldehydes, amines and diethylphosphite to form novel α-aminophosphonates at room temperature. Among the various catalysts, the preparation of ethyl ammonium nitrate is an environmental friendly, cost effective and recyclable catalyst. Compounds
4b,
4c,
4d,
4f and
4j were found more potent antibacterials against pathogenic microorganisms. Whereas, compounds
4a,
4g,
4h and
4j inhibits growth of active
Escherichia coli NCIM 2645 and
Salmonella typhi NCIM 2501. Compound
4j was found a promising antiproliferative agent against A549 and SK-MEL2 human melanoma cell lines.
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