Mapping beyond what you can see: Predicting the layout of rooms behind closed doors

The availability of maps of indoor environments is often fundamental for autonomous mobile robots to efficiently operate in industrial, office, and domestic applications. When robots build such maps, some areas of interest could be inaccessible, for instance, due to closed doors. As a consequence, these areas are not represented in the maps, possibly causing limitations in robot localization and navigation. In this paper, we provide a method that completes 2D grid maps by adding the predicted layout of the rooms behind closed doors. The main idea of our approach is to exploit the underlying geometrical structure of indoor environments to estimate the shape of unobserved rooms. Results show that our method is accurate in completing maps also when large portions of environments cannot be accessed by the robot during map building. We experimentally validate the quality of the completed maps by using them to perform path planning tasks.(c) 2022 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved

A point mutation in the splice donor site of intron 7 in the as2-casein encoding gene of the Mediterranean River buffalo results in an allele-specific exon skipping

The CSN1S2 cDNA of 10 unrelated Mediterranean River Buffaloes reared in Southern Italy was amplified by RT-PCR, while the region from the 6th to the 8th exon of the CSN1S2 gene was amplified from genomic template. cDNA sequence comparisons showed that five individuals had a normal transcript only (named CSN1S2A), one had a deleted transcript only (named CSN1S2B), because of the splicing out of the 27-bp of exon 7, and the remaining four had a heterozygous pattern. Analysis of the genomic sequences revealed a FM865620: g.773G>C transversion that caused inactivation of the intron 7 splice donor site and, consequently, the allele-specific exon skipping characteristic of the CSN1S2B allele. The g.773G>C mutation creates a new AluI restriction site enabling a PCR– RFLP rapid genotyping assay. The cDNA sequences showed three additional exonic mutations forming an extended haplotype with the g.773G>C polymorphism: FM865618: c.459C>T, c.484A>T and c.568A>G homozygous and heterozygous respectively in the CSN1S2BB and CSN1S2AB buffaloes. The first is silent, while the remaining two are non-conservative (p.Ile162Phe and p.Thp200Ala respectively). The genotype frequencies (37 CSN1S2A/A, 15 CSN1S2A/B and one CSN1S2B/B) are in agreement with Hardy–Weinberg equilibrium, with the frequency of the deleted B allele being 0.16. The predicted bubaline as2B protein is 198 aa long instead of 207 aa and would also be characterized by the presence of Phe at position 147 and Ala at 185

Türkiye'de yetiştirilen Ankara Keçisi (Capra hircus) ırkında bir sitogenetik çalışma

Ankara Keçi ırkı Türkiye yerli hayvan genetik kaynakları acısından önemli rol oynamasına karşın bu ırkla ilgili kapsamlı bir sitogenetik çalışmaya rastlanmamıştır. Sunulan ön sitogenetik çalışma ırkın temel kromozomal yapısını araştırmak ve populasyon düzeyinde sitogenetik çalışmalara başlangıç yapmayı amaçlamaktadır. Kan kültürleri hem geleneksel metoda göre ve hem de Timidin metoduna göre düzenlenmiştir. Geleneksel ve GTG-RBA-RBG band karyotipleri elde edilerek ırkın kromozomlarının sentromer indeksleri belirlenmiştir. Band modeli karşılaştırmaları Ankara keçi ırkının keçi türü için standardize edilmiş RBA-RBG band modeli ile benzerliğini doğrulamıştır. Bu çalışma sonucunda Ankara keçisi ırkında populasyon düzeyinde sayısal ve yapısal kromozom anomalilerinin taşıyıcılarının tanımlanması, ırkın verim özeliklerinin geliştirilmesinde daha ileri düzeyde sitogenetik çalışmalara ihtiyaç duyulduğu değerlendirilmiştir.The Angora breed of goat plays an important role for the Turkiye's Native Animal genetic resources point of view; nevertheless, so far, no comprehensive cytogenetic investigation has been performed on this important economic breed. The present preliminary cytogenetic study has been conducted upon a sample of Angora goat breed reared in Turkiye in order to ascertain the basic chromosomal status of the breed and to start a cytogenetic screening at a population level. Blood cultures have been noted according to the conventional methods and synchronized with thymidine. Conventional and GTG-RBA-RBG-banded karyotypes have been produced to determine the relative length and centromeric index of the chromosomes of the breed. Banding comparison confirmed similarity of the Angora breed of goat with the established standardized RBA-RBG banding a pattern of the goat species. Further cytogenetic studies should now be addressed at a population level to identify carriers of numerical and/or structural chromosomal abnormalities in the Angora breed population for implementation of its productive and reproductive efficiency

The occurrence of postoperative vertigo after CI

Background. The incidence of postoperative vertigo after cochlear implantation (CI) varies a lot in the literature. The aim of this work was to investigate both subjective complaints of vertigo before and after cochlear implantation and related it to to the preoperative vestibular function, the surgical procedure and to the position of CI at the postoperative neuroradiological study. Methods. Retrospective cohort study of adult CI series operated by the same surgeon (DZ) over the last 3 years. (N= 107). Sixty-six subjects (38 F; 28 M), aged from 21 to 78 years old were included in the study, lasting 83 CI. The outcomes of the pre-operative vestibular assessment were extracted from the database of the Vestibular Disorders Unit of the tertiary referral University Hospital of Milano from 1992 to 2018 (N=557). Post-operative presence/absence of vestibular disorders was analyzed and related to the preoperative vestibular examination and to the flat-panel computed tomography (FPCT) findings. Results: The patients were divided by age and by the presence of vestibular response of the operated ear measured by videoculography, caloric testing and video-impulse test. Sensorial analysis by static posturography was also included. The incidence of postoperative vertigo was higher in patients > 65 years old (36.3% vs 20.4%, p=0.03). Postoperative vertigo did not result related to the surgical procedure. The results are discussed with the review of the literature. Conclusion: Our results confirm the importance of vestibular testing in CI recipients, in order to better counsel the patient on the foreseeable post-operative course and to identify those patients who will need a vestibular rehabilitation

Diagnostic Role of Bronchoalveolar Lavage in Patients with Suspected SARS-CoV-2 Pneumonia and Negative Upper Respiratory Tract Swab: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

The added role of bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) in SARS-CoV-2 detection in hospitalized patients with suspected COVID-19 pneumonia and at least one negative nasopharyngeal swab (NPS) has yet to be definitively established. We aimed to provide a systematic review and meta-analysis to summarize data from the literature on the diagnostic yield of BAL in this context. We searched Medline and Embase for all studies reporting outcomes of interest published up to October 2021. Two authors reviewed all titles/abstracts and retrieved the selected full texts according to predefined selection criteria. The summary estimate was derived using the random-effects model. Thirteen original studies, involving 868 patients, were included. The summary estimate of proportions of SARS-CoV-2 positivity in BAL fluid in patients with at least one previous negative NPS was 20% (95% confidence interval [CI]; 11–30%). Moreover, microbiological tests of BAL fluid led to the identification of other pathogens, mainly bacteria, in up to two-thirds of cases. BAL plays a crucial role in the diagnostic work-up of patients with clinical suspicion of COVID-19 and previous negative NPS, as it allowed to detect the infection in a significant proportion of subjects, who would have been otherwise misclassified, with relevant implications in the prevention of disease spread, especially in hospital settings

Le dimensioni psicologiche nel monitoraggio del paziente diabetico in terapia con microinfusore: stato attuale e prospettive.

SUMMARY Psychological aspects in the evaluation of the diabetic patient treated with infusion pump-therapy: current state and perspectives This article aim is to offer a close examination of up-to-date theoretical contributions referring to the following subject: psychological aspects in CSII therapy. This close examination was made considering two different researches: the first by regarding the evaluation of the post implant period, and the second concerning the study of drop out causes. It was possible to find out problems and psychosocial changes caused by the implant, but also to specify critical points, useful to build necessary protocols, to support diabetological valuations and to suggest psychoeducational interventions

Impaired gallbladder motility and delayed orocecal transit contribute to pigment gallstone and biliary sludge formation in β-thalassemia major adults

Aim: Gallbladder and gastrointestinal motility defects exist in gallstones patients and to a lesser extent in pigment gallstone patients. To investigated the role of gallbladder and gastrointestinal motility disorders in pigment gallstone formation in β-thalassemia major. Methods: Twenty-three patients with β-thalassemia major (16 females; age range 18-37 years) and 70 controls (47 females, age range 18-40 years) were studied for gallbladder and gastric emptying (functional ultrasonography), orocecal transit (OCTT, H2-breath test), autonomic dysfunction (sweat-spot, cardiorespiratory reflex tests), bowel habits, gastrointestinal symptoms and quality of life (all with questionnaires). Gallbladder content (ultrasonography) was examined before and during 8-12 mo follow-up. Results: Gallstones and/or biliary sludge were found in 13 (56%) patients. β-thalassemia major patients had increased fasting (38.0±4.8 mL vs 20.3±0.7 mL, P = 0.0001) and residual (7.9±1.3 mL vs 5.1±0.3 mL, P = 0.002) volume and slightly slower emptying (24.9±1.7 min vs 20.1±0.7 min, P = 0.04) of the gallbladder, together with longer OCTT (132.2±7.8 min vs 99.7±2.3 min, P = 0.00003) than controls. No differences in gastric emptying and bowel habits were found. Also, patients had higher dyspepsia (score: 6.7±1.2 vs 4.9±0.2, P = 0.027), greater appetite (P = 0.000004) and lower health perception (P = 0.00002) than controls. Autonomic dysfunction was diagnosed in 52% of patients (positive tests: 76.2% and 66.7% for parasympathetic and sympathetic involvement, respectively). Patients developing sludge during follow-up (38%, 2 with prior stones) had increased fasting and residual gallbladder volume. Conclusion: Adult β-thalassemia major patients have gallbladder dysmotility associated with delayed small intestinal transit and autonomic dysfunction. These abnormalities apparently contribute together with haemolytic hyperbilirubinemia to the pathogenesis of pigment gallstones/ sludge in β-thalassemia major. Copyright © 2004 by The WJG Press