In this paper, we propose a novel experience representation approach for artificial cognitive system (such as a robot).The artificial cognitive system with the ability to store experiences and to adapt plans and behavior according to experienceswill be beneficial for understanding the human representation of experience and be useful for developing practical servicerobot. Here an artificial cognitive system experience is defined as a record about the events occurred in the past. Three kindsof experiences (ontology, robot activities and environment activities) are introduced. In this work, we demonstrate the mobilecognitive system with a PR2 platform in a restaurant environment and a corresponding simulation environment. Four differentscenarios (Serve-A-Coffee, Deal-with-Obstacles, Clear-Table and Well-set-Table) have been set to demonstrate the performanceand collect the corresponding experiences.

Animal models of ocular hypertension are important tools for glaucoma studies. Both acute transient models and chronic models of ocular hypertension may be useful to investigate specific aspects of neurodegeneration. In this study, we compare the intraocular pressure (IOP) and inner retinal changes induced by 1) laser photocoagulation of both episcleral veins and limbal vessels and 2) circumlimbal suture in CD-1 mice. The suture group is divided into 3 subgroups depending on the level of the immediate IOP spike (acute > 55 mmHg or chronic < 55 mmHg) and time period of monitoring (7 or 28 days). The laser group is followed for 7 days. IOP data show that it peaks at 5 hours and returns to normal level within 7 days in the laser group. In all suture groups, IOP spikes initially and decreases gradually, but it remains significantly elevated at 7 days. In 7 days, the acute suture model generates rapid loss of retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) and retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) when compared to the gradual loss by the chronic suture model, possibly due to retinal ischemia and reperfusion within the first few hours after treatment. The laser model falls between the acute suture and chronic suture models resulting in less RNFL and RGC loss than the acute suture model but significantly more loss than the chronic suture model. These results suggest that when using suture models of IOP elevation, it is critical to take the initial IOP spike into consideration and to choose between the acute and chronic models depending on respective research purposes.

Purpose

This study was designed to develop and characterize a laser-induced model of acute intraocular hypertension that permits the study of the anterior segment of the eye.

Methods

CD1 mice aged 5 and 8 weeks were examined for elevation of IOP induced by laser photocoagulation. We compared between occlusion of episcleral veins alone and when combined with 270° limbal vessel occlusion. Anterior chamber angle, corneal thickness, and retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) thickness were evaluated by anterior- and posterior-segment optical coherence tomography (OCT). Additionally, at day 7 post-procedure, the anterior segment was evaluated for inflammatory cellular presentation by histologic analysis and OCT, and limbal vessels and whole-mount retina were immunostained for CD31 and Brn3a, respectively. Brn3a-positive retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) were quantified with ImageJ software.

Results

After single or combined laser treatment in mice aged 5 or 8 weeks, IOP was significantly elevated for 5 to 6 days before returning to the baseline by day 7 post-procedure. Anterior segment assessment indicated less synechiae in the anterior chamber angle and better preserved limbal vessels with single versus combined laser treatment. Corneal thickness was significantly increased after single or combined treatment. No inflammatory cells were detected in the anterior chamber. The thickness of the RNFL and the density of RGCs were both significantly reduced after single or combined treatment.

Conclusions

Laser photocoagulation of episcleral veins alone in CD1 mice aged 5 to 8 weeks may be used to induce ocular hypertension resulting in RNFL thinning and ganglion cell loss. This model permits the study of the anterior as well as the posterior segment of the eye.

Lymphatic research signifies a field of rapid progression in recent years. Though lymphatic dysfunction has been found in a myriad of disorders, to date, few effective treatments are available for lymphatic diseases. It is therefore urgent to develop new experimental approaches and therapeutic protocols. The cornea offers an ideal site for lymphatic research due to its transparent nature, accessible location, and lymphatic-free but –inducible features. Moreover, we have recently discovered that corneal lymphatic vessels develop luminal valves as lymphangiogenesis proceeds. This tissue thus provides an optimal tool to study both lymphangiogenesis and valvulogenesis upon a pathological insult. In this paper, we show that the modified Prox-1-GFP mice carrying wildtype C57BL/6 background provide a valuable tool for intravital imaging of corneal lymphatic vessels and valves and can be used to study pathological lymphangiogenesis induced by various insults. Further, we demonstrate the multifaceted dynamics of lymphangiogenesis and valvulogenesis associated with transplantation, from the initiation to regression phases, and report several novel and critical phenomena and mechanisms that cannot be detected by conventional ex vivo approaches. Further investigation holds the great potential for divulging new mechanisms and therapeutic strategies for lymphangiogenesis and lymphangiogenesis-related diseases at various stages and inside or outside the eye.

Numerical simulations become a necessity when experimental approaches cannot cover the required physical and time scale of interest. One of such area is a simulation of long-term host rock behaviors for nuclear waste disposal and simulation tools involved in the assessment must go through rigorous validation tests. The DECOVALEX project (Development of COupled models and their VAlidation against EXperiments) is dedicated to this purpose by international participants.a This work is part of the ongoing phase DECOVALEX–2023 (D–2023, Task G) particularly aiming to simulate fracture behaviors under various conditions. Here, we cross-verified a variety of numerical methods including continuous and discontinuous approaches against four benchmark exercises with emphasis on numerical accuracy and parameterization of the various numerical approaches. The systematic inter-comparisons of test cases highlight advantages and disadvantages of the different numerical models. Numerical details on discretization effects (e.g. mesh density and orientation) and domain size were investigated in detail for practical applications. It became evident that meticulous attention to mesh resolution and domain size is imperative for achieving accurate numerical simulations, even for static cracks. Moreover, when comparing numerical methods to closed-form solutions for static cracks, all models successfully reproduced the maximum crack opening but encountered challenges near the crack tips. Finally, the paper discusses how to convert between and therefore compare parameters of various numerical approaches. Our benchmark studies reveal that each model necessitates a distinct number of parameters, even in simple scenarios like static crack aperture benchmarks. It is generally more practical to employ fewer parameters to mitigate model over-parameterization and enhance experimental feasibility.