Processor-in-the-loop architecture design and experimental validation for an autonomous racing vehicle

Self-driving vehicles have experienced an increase in research interest in the last decades. Nevertheless, fully autonomous vehicles are still far from being a common means of transport. This paper presents the design and experimental validation of a processor-in-the-loop (PIL) architecture for an autonomous sports car. The considered vehicle is an all-wheel drive full-electric single-seater prototype. The retained PIL architecture includes all the modules required for autonomous driving at system level: environment perception, trajectory planning, and control. Specifically, the perception pipeline exploits obstacle detection algorithms based on Artificial Intelligence (AI), and the trajectory planning is based on a modified Rapidly-exploring Random Tree (RRT) algorithm based on Dubins curves, while the vehicle is controlled via a Model Predictive Control (MPC) strategy. The considered PIL layout is implemented firstly using a low-cost card-sized computer for fast code verification purposes. Furthermore, the proposed PIL architecture is compared in terms of performance to an alternative PIL using high-performance real-time target computing machine. Both PIL architectures exploit User Datagram Protocol (UDP) protocol to properly communicate with a personal computer. The latter PIL architecture is validated in real-time using experimental data. Moreover, they are also validated with respect to the general autonomous pipeline that runs in parallel on the personal computer during numerical simulation

Exploring the role of skeletal muscle in insulin resistance: lessons from cultured cells to animal models

Skeletal muscle is essential to maintain vital functions such as movement, breathing, and thermogenesis, and it is now recognized as an endocrine organ. Muscles release factors named my-okines, which can regulate several physiological processes. Moreover, skeletal muscle is particularly important in maintaining body homeostasis, since it is responsible for more than 75% of all insulin-mediated glucose disposal. Alterations of skeletal muscle differentiation and function, with subse-quent dysfunctional expression and secretion of myokines, play a key role in the pathogenesis of obesity, type 2 diabetes, and other metabolic diseases, finally leading to cardiometabolic complica-tions. Hence, a deeper understanding of the molecular mechanisms regulating skeletal muscle function related to energy metabolism is critical for novel strategies to treat and prevent insulin resistance and its cardiometabolic complications. This review will be focused on both cellular and animal models currently available for exploring skeletal muscle metabolism and endocrine func-tion

Influence of Nutritional Status and Physical Exercise on Immune Response in Metabolic Syndrome

Metabolic Syndrome (MetS) is a cluster of metabolic alterations mostly related to visceral adiposity, which in turn promotes glucose intolerance and a chronic systemic inflammatory state, characterized by immune cell infiltration. Such immune system activation increases the risk of severe disease subsequent to viral infections. Strong correlations between elevated body mass index (BMI), type-2-diabetes and increased risk of hospitalization after pandemic influenza H1N1 infection have been described. Similarly, a correlation between elevated blood glucose level and SARS-CoV-2 infection severity and mortality has been described, indicating MetS as an important predictor of clinical outcomes in patients with COVID-19. Adipose secretome, including two of the most abundant and well-studied adipokines, leptin and interleukin-6, is involved in the regulation of energy metabolism and obesity-related low-grade inflammation. Similarly, skeletal muscle hormones—called myokines—released in response to physical exercise affect both metabolic homeostasis and immune system function. Of note, several circulating hormones originate from both adipose tissue and skeletal muscle and display different functions, depending on the metabolic context. This review aims to summarize recent data in the field of exercise immunology, investigating the acute and chronic effects of exercise on myokines release and immune system function

Brain mapping-aided supratotal resection (Sptr) of brain tumors: The role of brain connectivity

Brain gliomas require a deep knowledge of their effects on brain connectivity. Understanding the complex relationship between tumor and functional brain is the preliminary and fundamental step for the subsequent surgery. The extent of resection (EOR) is an independent variable of surgical effectiveness and it correlates with the overall survival. Until now, great efforts have been made to achieve gross total resection (GTR) as the standard of care of brain tumor patients. However, high and low-grade gliomas have an infiltrative behavior and peritumoral white matter is often infiltrated by tumoral cells. According to these evidences, many efforts have been made to push the boundary of the resection beyond the contrast-enhanced lesion core on T1w MRI, in the so called supratotal resection (SpTR). SpTR is aimed to maximize the extent of resection and thus the overall survival. SpTR of primary brain tumors is a feasible technique and its safety is improved by intraoperative neuromonitoring and advanced neuroimaging. Only transient cognitive impairments have been reported in SpTR patients compared to GTR patients. Moreover, SpTR is related to a longer overall and progression-free survival along with preserving neuro-cognitive functions and quality of life

Gene/longevity association studies at four autosomal loci (REN, THO, PARP, SOD2)

The possibility that four loci (REN, THO, PARP, SOD2) are associated with longevity was explored by comparing the genotypic pools of subjects older than 100 years with those of younger subjects matched for sex and geographic area (northern and southern Italy). The markers (all located within the respective gene) were HUMREN4; HUMTHO1; HUMPARP (gt)845nt; SOD2(C/T)401nt. In order to reduce the number of genotypes, multiallelic polymorphisms were recoded as diallelic according to allele size and frequency patterns (small: S, and large: L, alleles). A significant loss of LL homozygous genotypes was found at the THO locus in male but not in female centenarians with respect to matched controls. On the other hand no significant difference was found between case/control genotypic frequencies at REN, PARP, SOD2 loci. The latter loci therefore do not affect inter-individual variability in life expectancy (at least in terms of qualitative variants associated with the tested markers). However, the data is consistent with an association between the THO locus and longevity

Mineralocorticoid receptor activation affects skeletal muscle development and metabolism

Background: It’s known that Mineralocorticoid Receptor (MR) activation affects adipocytes differentiation and function and we showed that MR antagonism is able to improve insulin-stimulated glucose uptake in a mouse model of diet-induced obesity and insulin resistance. Adipose tissue secretome shows a paracrine effect on vascular system and cardiac function, as well as on skeletal muscle metabolism. Interestingly, MR blockade is able to affect skeletal muscle metabolism, improving insulin signaling. In addition, renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS) activation, through MR-dependent mechanisms, leads to skeletal muscle athrophy in mice. Purpose: Our aim is to evaluate a possible involvement of MR activation in regulat- ing skeletal muscle differentiation and function in vitro and in vivo. Methods: We investigated the involevement of MR in regulating murine skeletal muscle cells (C2C12) differentiation and we started to characterize the impact of adipose MR activation on skeletal muscle metabolic profile and development in a novel adipose-specific MR knockout (MRKO) mouse model. Results: We first characterized the ontogenensis of MR in a murine myoblast cell line (C2C12) by RT-PCR and western blot analyses in order to evaluate the expression of MR during myotubes differentiation in vitro. We observed an increase in MR protein expression in skeletal myotubes during differentiation (96h). To evaluate the effects of MR activity on C2C12 cells, we treated C2C12 myoblasts, after differentiation stimulus, with aldosterone (Aldo, 10-8 mol/L) for 6h and 24h and we observed that Aldo significantly reduced Heavy Chain Myosin (MHC) mRNA levels, suggesting that MR activity represses muscle cell differentiation. Such effect was also MR dependent, given that Spiro was able to revert such effect. We also analyzed skeletal muscle insulin sensitivity in vivo in MRKO mice eval- uating soleus muscle insulin receptor substarte-1, tyrosinephosphorylated IRS-1, GLUT4 levels mRNA expression and Akt phosphorylation. Interestingly, we observed improved soleus muscle insulin signaling parameters and systemic insulin sensitivity in MRKO mice compared to controls. Further studies are necessary to explore the effect of MR activation on skeletal muscle development in vivo. Conclusions: These data reveal a potential role of MR in modulating skeletal mus- cle differentiation and insulin sensitivity, which suggest a potential application of MR antagonists to improve skeletal muscle function

Adaptability and emotional, behavioural and cognitive aspects of self-regulated learning: Direct and indirect relations with academic achievement and life satisfaction

Background: Adaptability regulates individuals' cognitive, behavioural and emotional responses to new, unexpected and uncertain situations, but to date no study has analysed whether adaptability contemporarily favours cognitive, behavioural and emotional aspects of learning. Aims: This study aims to address this gap by examining (i) the direct relations between adaptability and achievement emotions, self-regulated learning strategies and academic self-efficacy and (ii) the direct and indirect relations between adaptability and academic achievement and life satisfaction through and over the other study-related factors. Sample: A total of 1083 students (415 males, M age = 13.37, SD age = 1.97, age range = 10–18) in grades 6–12 participated to the study. Method: Questionnaires were used to measure students' adaptability, positive and negative achievement emotions, self-regulated learning strategies, academic self-efficacy and life satisfaction. Schools provided grades obtained by each student at the end of the academic year. Results: A path analysis based on 1083 students (10–18 years old) confirmed that adaptability directly relates to the three study-related factors considered and to life satisfaction and indirectly relates to academic achievement and life satisfaction—through the mediation of the other variables. Conclusions: The results, discussed in accordance with the self-regulated learning theory, enlarge the nomological framework of adaptability and highlight its importance for emotional, behavioural and cognitive aspects of self-regulated learning

Utilizzo delle mappe ADC nella valutazione non invasiva dello stato di mutazione dell\u2019IDH in gliomi di alto grado.

Testo dell'abstract Scopo La nuova classificazione dei tumori cerebrali (2016 WHO) distingue i gliomi diffusi in base alle caratteristiche molecolari dell\u2019isocitrato deidrogenasi (IDH) in IDH mutati, IDH wild type e non altrimenti specificati. La valutazione dello stato di mutazione dell\u2019IDH ha implicazioni diagnostiche, prognostiche e terapeutiche. Lo scopo di questo studio \ue8 valutare se l\u2019analisi quantitativa delle mappe ADC possa predire in modo non invasivo lo stato di mutazione dell\u2019IDH. Materiale e metodi Sono state esaminate retrospettivamente RM e mappe ADC di 28 pazienti (11 F, 17 M) con diagnosi istologica di glioma diffuso di alto grado (G-III, G-IV WHO) e valutazione dello stato di mutazione dell\u2019IDH1 (18 MUT, 10 WT). Gli esami sono stati condotti su apparecchio RM 1,5 T. Le mappe ADC sono state elaborate e co-registrate con le immagini T2w e T1 post mdc in modo da posizionare le ROI sulle componenti solide della lesione, evitando le componenti emorragica, cistica o necrotica. Sono state posizionate 4-5 ROI per ogni tumore e calcolati i valori medi di ADC (ADCmean) scegliendo tra i valori pi\uf9 bassi per ogni Paziente. La comparazione dei valori ADCmean tra IDH-MUT e IDH-WT \ue8 stata condotta utilizzando il \u201ct\u201d test di Student, considerando statisticamente significativo un valore di p<0. Risultati I valori ADCmean nei pazienti IDH-WT (0,86x10-3mm2 /s)(+/- 0,06) sono risultati pi\uf9 bassi rispetto a quelli dei pazienti IDH-MUT (1,24x10-3mm2 /s)(+/- 0,19) con differenza tra i due gruppi significativa per p<0,01. Il valore minimo di ADC =1,01 x10-3mm2 /s pu\uf2 essere considerato come\u201ccut-off \u201cper differenziare lo stato di mutazione. Conclusioni L\u2019aggiunta di dati quantitativi come la valutazione dell\u2019ADC all\u2019imaging RM convenzionale potrebbe essere utilizzata di routine come marker non-invasivo di pattern molecolari specifici