Object-Centric Scene Representations Using Active Inference.

Representing a scene and its constituent objects from raw sensory data is a core ability for enabling robots to interact with their environment. In this letter, we propose a novel approach for scene understanding, leveraging an object-centric generative model that enables an agent to infer object category and pose in an allocentric reference frame using active inference, a neuro-inspired framework for action and perception. For evaluating the behavior of an active vision agent, we also propose a new benchmark where, given a target viewpoint of a particular object, the agent needs to find the best matching viewpoint given a workspace with randomly positioned objects in 3D.

Water Decontamination from Cr(VI) by Transparent Silica Xerogel Monolith.

Cr(VI) is highly soluble and mobile in water solution and extremely toxic. In order to obtain a specific material with adsorption properties towards Cr(VI), and that can be used in environmental remediation of water contaminated with Cr(VI), one-step sol-gel technique, at low temperature (50 °C), has been optimized to prepare transparent silica-based xerogel monolith by using tetraethyl orthosilicate as precursor. The obtained xerogel, with disk shape, was fully characterized by Raman, BET, FE-SEM and XRD analysis.

Evaluation of Physicochemical and Microbial Properties of Extracts from Wine Lees Waste of Matelica's Verdicchio and Their Applications in Novel Cosmetic Products.

Wine lees are sediments deposited on the walls and bottom of barrels resulting from wine fermentation and mainly consist of yeasts. extracts, rich in beneficial components for the skin, have already been used in cosmesis, while wine lees have not been well exploited by the cosmetics industry yet. The aim of this work was the full characterization of the wine lees from Verdicchio's wine, with the aim to exploit it as a beneficial ingredient in new cosmetic products.

Symmetry and complexity in object-centric deep active inference models.

Humans perceive and interact with hundreds of objects every day. In doing so, they need to employ mental models of these objects and often exploit symmetries in the object's shape and appearance in order to learn generalizable and transferable skills. Active inference is a first principles approach to understanding and modelling sentient agents.

Successful Extracorporeal Blood Purification Therapy using Double Haemoadsorption Device in Severe Endotoxin Septic Shock: A Case Report.

Introduction: In patients admitted to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU), sepsis can lead to acute kidney injury (AKI), which may require the initiation of continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT) in 15-20% of cases. There is no consensus about the best extracorporeal treatment to choose in septic patients with AKI.

Case Presentation: We describe the case of a 70-year-old woman admitted to the ICU with a severe endotoxin septic shock due to Neisseria meningitidis serogroup C.

Computational Optimization of Image-Based Reinforcement Learning for Robotics.

The robotics field has been deeply influenced by the advent of deep learning. In recent years, this trend has been characterized by the adoption of large, pretrained models for robotic use cases, which are not compatible with the computational hardware available in robotic systems. Moreover, such large, computationally intensive models impede the low-latency execution which is required for many closed-loop control systems.

[Campylobacter: a vintage pathogen to the fore].

Campylobacteriosis is caused by Gram bacteria. Most common species are C. jejuni and C.

Rationale and design of the pragmatic clinical trial tREatment with Beta-blockers after myOcardial infarction withOut reduced ejection fracTion (REBOOT).

Aims: There is a lack of evidence regarding the benefits of β-blocker treatment after invasively managed acute myocardial infarction (MI) without reduced left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF).

Methods And Results: The tREatment with Beta-blockers after myOcardial infarction withOut reduced ejection fracTion (REBOOT) trial is a pragmatic, controlled, prospective, randomized, open-label blinded endpoint (PROBE design) clinical trial testing the benefits of β-blocker maintenance therapy in patients discharged after MI with or without ST-segment elevation. Patients eligible for participation are those managed invasively during index hospitalization (coronary angiography), with LVEF >40%, and no history of heart failure (HF).

A virtual reality study on postretrieval extinction of smoking memory reconsolidation in smokers.

Exposure to smoking-related stimuli may induce the reconsolidation of smoking-related memories in smokers. Research has proposed that extinction applied after the retrieval of a smoking memory may inhibit reconsolidation and prevent craving. The aim of this study was to test the effect of postretrieval extinction (PRE) on the reconsolidation of smoking memory by using a virtual reality (VR) simulation in smokers.

Smokers "Context Reactivity" in Virtual Domestic Environments.

Introduction: Although the effects of proximal smoking cues have been widely studied in smokers, little is known on the features associated with background spatial context effect, that is, "context reactivity." The aim of this study was to investigate context reactivity exhibited by smokers in virtual cue-free domestic scenarios.

Methods: Sixty-nine participants divided in 2 cohorts (33 smokers and 36 non-smokers) were exposed to a virtual reality session with 4 domestic room scenarios presented in a balanced order: bedroom, bathroom, kitchen, and living room.

[Takotsubo syndrome during SARS-CoV-2 pneumonia: a possible cardiovascular complication].

Takotsubo syndrome (TTS) is one of the causes of myocardial infarction with non-obstructive coronary arteries, and is often triggered by physical events (e.g. acute respiratory failure), or emotional events (e.

Optimization of the Extraction from Spent Coffee Grounds Using the Desirability Approach.

The purpose of this work was the optimization of the extraction from spent coffee grounds, specifically 100% Arabica coffee blends, using a desirability approach. Spent coffees were recovered after the preparation of the espresso coffee under the typical conditions used in coffee bars with a professional machine. Spent coffee was subjected to different extraction procedures in water: by changing the extraction temperature (60, 80, or 100 °C) and the solvent extraction volume (10, 20, 30 mL for 1 gram of coffee) and by maintaining constant the extraction time (30 minutes).

Chemical and Sensory Profiling of Monovarietal Extra Virgin Olive Oils from the Italian Marche Region.

Chemical and sensory peculiarities of monovarietal extra virgin olive oils (MEVOOs) from the cultivars (cvs.) Ascolana tenera (ASC), Coroncina (COR), Mignola (MIG), Piantone di Mogliano (MOG), and Raggia (RAG) from Marche region (Italy) are investigated. Their polar phenolic substances and α-tocopherol are analysed through high performance liquid chromatography with different detectors.

Fatal Infection in a Captive Grey-headed Parrot ().

A necropsy was conducted on a female grey-headed parrot () that died following signs of depression, ruffled feathers, and inappetence. Microscopic examination revealed the presence of hemoprotozoa in the liver. A nested polymerase chain reaction (PCR), targeting the mitochondrial cytochrome b gene of species, species, and species, was performed on frozen tissue samples collected at necropsy.

Characterization of nutrients, polyphenols and volatile components of the ancient apple cultivar 'Mela Rosa Dei Monti Sibillini' from Marche region, central Italy.

In the present work, we reported for the first time a comprehensive study on the phytonutrients, that is, natural compounds able to provide benefits to health, found in an ancient apple variety cultivated in orchards of the Sibillini Mountains, central Italy, known as Mela Rosa dei Monti Sibillini. This fruit has recently been promoted by authorities and local institutions as a typical food of the Marche Region. For the purpose, analysis of its nutrients, phenolics, triterpenes and volatile components as well as a morpho-anatomical study was carried out in order to give an added value for its consumption and promotion at regional and national level.

In vitro and in vivo studies of gold(I) azolate/phosphane complexes for the treatment of basal like breast cancer.

Basal like breast cancer (BLBC) is a very aggressive subtype of breast cancer giving few chances of survival, against which cisplatin based therapy is a compromise among the anticancer activity, the resistance development and the severe side effects. With the aim of finding new anticancer agents alternative to cisplatin, seven gold(I) azolate/phosphane compounds were evaluated in vitro by MTT tests in human MDA-MB-231, human mammary epithelial HMLE cells overexpressing FoxQ1, and murine A17 cells as models of BLBC. Two compounds, (4,5-dichloro-1H-imidazolate-1-yl)-(triphenylphosphane)-gold(I) 1 and (4,5-dicyano-1H-imidazolate-1-yl)-(triphenylphosphane)-gold(I) 2 were found very active and chosen for an in vivo study in A17 tumors transplanted in syngeneic mice.

Hair Microelement Profile as a Prognostic Tool in Parkinson's Disease.

Changes in the homeostasis of metals and microelements have been demonstrated in Parkinson's disease, whose etiology includes both a genetic and environmental basis. We studied the difference of microelements in the hair of Parkinson's disease subjects ( = 46) compared with healthy controls ( = 24). Hair was chosen as a representative matrix to measure microelements, since it is a vehicle of substance excretion from the human body and it allows for long-term evaluation of metal exposure.

Polar constituents, protection against reactive oxygen species, and nutritional value of Chinese artichoke (Stachys affinis Bunge).

In the present work, we studied the chemical composition of Chinese artichoke (S. affinis tubers) by analyzing its polar constituents and its macro- and micro- nutrients. A total of nine compounds were isolated from the tuber ethanolic extract and structurally elucidated by Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) spectroscopy and mass spectrometry (MS).

Preparation of Polyethylene Composites Containing Silver(I) Acylpyrazolonato Additives and SAR Investigation of their Antibacterial Activity.

Novel composite materials PEn (n = 1-9) have been prepared by an easily up-scalable embedding procedure of three different families of Ag(I) acylpyrazolonato complexes in polyethylene (PE) matrix. In details, PE1-PE3 composites contain polynuclear [Ag(Q)] complexes, PE4-PE6 contain mononuclear [Ag(Q)(L)] complexes and PE7-PE9 are loaded with mononuclear [Ag(Q) (PPh)] complexes, respectively (where L = 1-methylimidazole or 2-ethylimidazole, m = 1 or 2, and HQ = 1-phenyl-3-methyl-4-RC(═O)-5-pyrazolone, where in detail HQ, R = -CFCFCF; HQ, R = -cyclo-CH; HQ, R = -C(H)═C(CH)). The PEn composites, prepared by using a 1:1000 w/w silver additive/polyethylene ratio, have been characterized in bulk by IR spectroscopy and TGA analyses, which confirmed that the properties of polyethylene matrix are essentially unchanged.

The water soluble ruthenium(II) organometallic compound [Ru(p-cymene)(bis(3,5 dimethylpyrazol-1-yl)methane)Cl]Cl suppresses triple negative breast cancer growth by inhibiting tumor infiltration of regulatory T cells.

Ruthenium compounds have become promising alternatives to platinum drugs by displaying specific activities against different cancers and favorable toxicity and clearance properties. Here, we show that the ruthenium(II) complex [Ru(p-cymene)(bis(3,5-dimethylpyrazol-1-yl)methane)Cl]Cl (UNICAM-1) exhibits potent in vivo antitumor effects. When administered as four-dose course, by repeating a single dose (52.

Metal and Microelement Biomarkers of Neurodegeneration in Early Life Permethrin-Treated Rats.

Hair is a non-invasive biological material useful in the biomonitoring of trace elements because it is a vehicle for substance excretion from the body, and it permits evaluating long-term metal exposure. Here, hair from an animal model of neurodegeneration, induced by early life permethrin treatment from the sixth to 21th day of life, has been analyzed with the aim to assess if metal and microelement content could be used as biomarkers. A hair trace element assay was performed by the ICP-MS technique in six- and 12-month-old rats.

YERSINIA PSEUDOTUBERCULOSIS, SEROGROUP O:1A, INFECTION IN TWO AMAZON PARROTS (AMAZONA AESTIVA AND AMAZONA ORATRIX) WITH HEPATIC HEMOSIDEROSIS.

Necropsies were conducted on a female blue-fronted Amazon (Amazona aestiva) and a female yellow-headed Amazon (Amazona oratrix) that died after depression, ruffled feathers, diarrhea, and biliverdin in the urine. Gross and microscopic examinations revealed multifocal necrosis in the liver, spleen, lungs, kidneys, intestines, and heart caused by acute bacteremia. Yersinia pseudotuberculosis, serogroup O:1a, was isolated by culturing from the visceral lesions in the liver, intestines, and spleen.

Novel composite plastics containing silver(I) acylpyrazolonato additives display potent antimicrobial activity by contact.

New silver(I) acylpyrazolonato derivatives displaying a mononuclear, polynuclear, or ionic nature, as a function of the ancillary azole ligands used in the synthesis, have been fully characterized by thermal analysis, solution NMR spectroscopy, solid-state IR and NMR spectroscopies, and X-ray diffraction techniques. These derivatives have been embedded in polyethylene (PE) matrix, and the antimicrobial activity of the composite materials has been tested against three bacterial strains (E. coli, P.

HPLC-DAD-ESI/MS identification of light harvesting and light screening pigments in the lake sediments at Edmonson Point.

The composition of sedimentary pigments in the Antarctic lake at Edmonson Point has been investigated and compared with the aim to provide a useful analytical method for pigments separation and identification, providing reference data for future assessment of possible changes in environmental conditions. Reversed phase high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with electrospray-mass spectrometry (ESI-MS) detection and diode array detection (DAD) has been used to identify light screening and light harvesting pigments. The results are discussed in terms of local environmental conditions.