Multinational evidence-based recommendations on how to investigate and follow-up undifferentiated peripheral inflammatory arthritis: integrating systematic literature research and expert opinion of a broad international panel of rheumatologists in the 3E Initiative

Methods: 697 rheumatologists from 17 countries participated in the 3E (Evidence, Expertise, Exchange) Initiative of 2008–9 consisting of three separate rounds of discussions and modified Delphi votes. In the first round 10 clinical questions were selected. A bibliographic team systematically searched Medline, Embase, the Cochrane Library and ACR/EULAR 2007–2008 meeting abstracts. Relevant articles were reviewed for quality assessment, data extraction and synthesis. In the second round each country elaborated a set of national recommendations. Finally, multinational recommendations were formulated and agreement among the participants and the potential impact on their clinical practice was assessed. Results: A total of 39 756 references were identified, of which 250 were systematically reviewed. Ten multinational key recommendations about the investigation and follow-up of UPIA were formulated. One recommendation addressed differential diagnosis and investigations prior to establishing the operational diagnosis of UPIA, seven recommendations related to the diagnostic and prognostic value of clinical and laboratory assessments in established UPIA (history and physical examination, acute phase reactants, autoantibodies, radiographs, MRI and ultrasound, genetic markers and synovial biopsy), one recommendation highlighted predictors of persistence (chronicity) and the final recommendation addressed monitoring of clinical disease activity in UPIA. Conclusions: Ten recommendations on how to investigate and follow-up UPIA in the clinical setting were developed. They are evidence-based and supported by a large panel of rheumatologists, thus enhancing their validity and practical use

Autonomous urban search robot

The project describes the approach of the researchers in designing and fabricating a wirelessly controlled mobile robotic platform capable of navigating an unknown environment, creating a 3D reconstruction of said environment, all while detecting any human face it encounters. This purpose of this project is to assist rescue team in disaster scenarios by providing a computer-generated model of the environment, allowing rescue teams to analyze and learn the general layout of the area without immediately exposing themselves to the risks of traversing unknown environments, as well as identifying the presence of detected humans within the area, allowing the team to plan efficient searching routes that prioritize sections shown to potentially contain a survivor. This was done by using a mobile platform capable of traversing the area and avoid obstacles through either manual control or autonomous navigation, mounting an RGB-D camera to generate a graphical representation of the traversed area on the mobile platform, and running a face detection algorithm that uses a webcam to alert the viewer of any detected faces by playing an audial cue as well as output the recorded video of the platform\u27s operations for review and analysis. Upon examination of the results, it was found that the fabricated platform is indeed, capable of exploring an unknown area, developing a close approximation of the area using a 3D map, detecting faces scattered throughout the area, all while performing wirelessly, separate from the viewing terminal. This research shows the potential that robots possess in assisting rescue operations