Efficient calibration of four wheel industrial AGVs

In this paper, we propose a novel method for extrinsic and intrinsic automatic calibration of four wheel industrial Automated Guided Vehicles (AGVs) compliant with Ackermann and Dual Drive kinematics. For each kinematic model the algorithm estimates the trajectories measured by an on-board sensor and the expected ones given the state of the wheels. The estimation exploits the model equations derived in this work which constrain calibration parameters and measurements from wheel encoders and sensor odometry. The parameter values are computed through closed-form solutions of least-square estimation. The method has been implemented on Programmable Logic Controllers and tested on industrial AGVs. The developed procedure computes the parameters in about 10−15 minutes, a significant improvement compared with one hour or more required by manual AGV calibration. Experiments with AGVs of various sizes in a warehouse have assessed the accuracy and stability of the proposed approach. The position accuracy achieved by AGVs calibrated with the proposed method is higher than the one achieved by manual calibration

Integration of a stereo vision system into an autonomous underwater vehicle for pipe manipulation tasks

Underwater object detection and recognition using computer vision are challenging tasks due to the poor light condition of submerged environments. For intervention missions requiring grasping and manipulation of submerged objects, a vision system must provide an Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUV) with object detection, localization and tracking capabilities. In this paper, we describe the integration of a vision system in the MARIS intervention AUV and its configuration for detecting cylindrical pipes, a typical artifact of interest in underwater operations. Pipe edges are tracked using an alpha-beta filter to achieve robustness and return a reliable pose estimation even in case of partial pipe visibility. Experiments in an outdoor water pool in different light conditions show that the adopted algorithmic approach allows detection of target pipes and provides a sufficiently accurate estimation of their pose even when they become partially visible, thereby supporting the AUV in several successful pipe grasping operations

Use of Radium-223 Dichloride in Patients With Osteonecrosis of the Jaw Induced by Zoledronic Acid: Report of 2 Cases.

Bisphosphonates, a group of inorganic pyrophosphate analogues that prevent the loss of bone density, are commonly used in patients with bone metastases; the calcium-mimetic a-emitter radium-223 dichloride (Ra223) is a bone-targeting therapy used in patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC)-related bone metastases. Both treatments reduce pain and disability; Ra223 is associated with significantly improved overall survival in mCRPC. Patients who receive bisphosphonate therapy are at risk of developing osteonecrosis of the jaw, especially in those who do not undergo an accurate oral evaluation and sanitation before the beginning of therapy, and in patients who present with conditions that facilitate the development of this problem, such as inadequate oral and dental care, lack of prophylactic antimicrobial mouth rinsing, patient comorbidity, or suboptimal suturing after tooth extraction. Although there is possible synergism between bisphosphonates and Ra223 therapy, there is no consensus about the use of Ra223 in patients with previous/current osteonecrosis of the jaw induced by zoledronic acid. However, our experience suggests that Ra223 therapy might not be contraindicated in patients with osteonecrosis of the jaw induced by zoledronic acid if an appropriate multidisciplinary approach is followed, and we report 2 cases of patients with current or previous osteonecrosis of the jaw induced by zoledronic acid, who were treated with Ra223 for mCRPCrelated bone metastases. Multidisciplinary management, including accurate clinical and radiological evaluation before beginning therapy with Ra223, together with oral sanitation and periodic controls during treatment, allowed successful administration of Ra223 while reducing side effects, with absent or minimal worsening of osteonecrosis

Internet addiction and related clinical problems: a study on italian young adults

The considerable prominence of internet addiction (IA) in adolescence is at least partly explained by the limited knowledge thus far available on this complex phenomenon. In discussing IA, it is necessary to be aware that this is a construct for which there is still no clear definition in the literature. Nonetheless, its important clinical implications, as emerging in recent years, justify the lively interest of researchers in this new form of behavioral addiction. Over the years, studies have associated IA with numerous clinical problems. However, fewer studies have investigated what factors might mediate the relationship between IA and the different problems associated with it. Ours is one such study. The Italian version of the SCL-90 and the IAT were administered to a sample of almost 800 adolescents aged between 16 and 22 years. We found the presence of a significant association between IA and two variables: somatization (\u3b2 = 7.80; p < 0.001) and obsessive-compulsive symptoms (\u3b2 = 2.18; p < 0.05). In line with our hypothesis, the results showed that somatization predicted the relationship between obsessive-compulsive symptoms and IA (\u3b2 = -2.75; t = -3.55; p < 0.001), explaining 24.5% of its variance (\u394R2 = 1.2%; F = 12.78; p < 0.01). In addition, simple slopes analyses revealed that, on reaching clinical significance (+1 SD), somatization showed higher moderation effects in the relationship between obsessive-compulsive symptoms and IA (\u3b2 = 6.13; t = 7.83; p < 0.001). These results appear to be of great interest due to the absence of similar evidence in the literature, and may open the way for further research in the IA field. Although the absence of studies in the literature does not allow us to offer an exhaustive explanation of these results, our study supports current addiction theories which emphasize the important function performed by the enteroceptive system, alongside the more cited reflexive and impulsive systems

Effects of Cardiac Rehabilitation on Sleep Quality in Heart Disease Patients with and without Heart Failure

nsomnia is a modifiable cardiovascular risk factor. Previous studies suggested that attending a cardiac rehabilitation program may improve sleep quality in cardiac patients and pointed out the association between heart failure and poor sleep quality. The primary aim of this study was to evaluate sleep quality in patients attending a Multidisciplinary Cardiac Rehabilitation Program (MRCP), and to compare sleep quality between patients with and without heart failure. A prospective observational study was carried out on a consecutive sample of 240 patients attending an 8-week MRCP; 50 patients (20.8%) were included due to heart failure (NYHA stages I–III) and the rest of them after having undergone any revascularization procedure or valvular surgery. Before and after the completion of the MRCP, the quality of sleep was assessed by the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) score. Post-intervention global PSQI scores were statistically significantly lower than those of pre-intervention (p = 0.008), but only 60 patients (25%) registered a clinically significant improvement. When comparing patients with heart failure with those without, no differences in sleep quality were found. This suggests that only a small percentage of patients can achieve clinically significant improvements in sleep quality attending conventional MCRP. Suggestions for future research are given.Partial funding for open access charge: Universidad de Málag

Validation of the 3-variable prognostic score (3-PS) in mCRPC patients treated with 223 Radium-dichloride: a national multicenter study

Objective: Radium-223 (223Ra) has been approved for treatment in patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostatic cancer (mCRPC) and bone metastasis. This α-emitting radionuclide has a beneficial effect on pain and is also capable to increase overall survival (OS). Several studies evaluated the prognostic value of different biomarkers at baseline, such as serum values, imaging parameters or pain. To date, however, clinicians lack a validated and simple system to assess which patients will most likely benefit from 223Ra treatment. The 3-variable prognostic score (3-PS), proposed in a single-center study in 2017 classifies patients in five prognostic groups with a specific OS. This study aims to validate the 3-PS in a larger multicenter population. Methods: Four hundred and thirty mCRPC patients treated with 223Ra from six different centers were analyzed. The 3-PS score consists of the collection of baseline hemoglobin, prostatic specific antigen and Eastern cooperative oncology group performance status and was initially applied to the whole population (total group). The score was then validated on the 338 patient's subgroup (clean group) obtained by subtracting the 92 patients enrolled for the original study of the 3-PS score. This purified group served as further validation evidence. Results: Statistical analysis showed that the 3-PS score was valid on the total group as well as in the clean group as the AUC estimated (0.74) falls within the CI of the AUC calculated on the validation sample (95% CI 0.66-0.82). Conclusion: This study confirms the validity of the 3-PS score for mCRPC patients. This score is simple, noninvasive and affordable and can be easily used to select patients that will most probably complete 223Ra treatment. In addition, this tool provides an exact estimate of life expectancy in terms of OS

Chronic Cough and Eosinophilic Esophagitis: An Uncommon Association

An increasing number of children, usually with gastrointestinal symptoms, is diagnosed with eosinophilic esophagitis (EE), and a particular subset of these patients complains of airway manifestations. We present the case of a 2-year-old child with chronic dry cough in whom EE was found after a first diagnosis of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) due to pathological 24-hour esophageal pH monitoring. Traditional allergologic tests were negative, while patch tests were diagnostic for cow's milk allergy. We discuss the intriguing relationship between GERD and EE and the use of patch test for the allergologic screening of patients

Underwater intervention robotics: An outline of the Italian national project Maris

The Italian national project MARIS (Marine Robotics for Interventions) pursues the strategic objective of studying, developing, and integrating technologies and methodologies to enable the development of autonomous underwater robotic systems employable for intervention activities. These activities are becoming progressively more typical for the underwater offshore industry, for search-and-rescue operations, and for underwater scientific missions. Within such an ambitious objective, the project consortium also intends to demonstrate the achievable operational capabilities at a proof-of-concept level by integrating the results with prototype experimental systems