Just Around the Corner: The Impact of Instruction Method and Corner Geometry on Teleoperation of Virtual Unmanned Ground Vehicles

Teleoperated robots have proven useful across various domains, as they can more readily search for survivors, survey collapsed and structurally unsound buildings, map out safe routes for rescue workers, and monitor rescue environments. A significant drawback of these robots is that they require the operator to perceive the environment indirectly. As such, camera angles, uneven terrain, lighting, and other environmental conditions can result in robots colliding with obstacles, getting stuck in rubble, and falling over (Casper & Murphy, 2003). To better understand how operators remotely perceive and navigate unmanned ground vehicles, the present work investigated operators’ abilities to negotiate corners of varying widths. In Experiment 1, we evaluated how instruction method impacts cornering time and collisions, looking specifically at the speed-accuracy tradeoff for negotiating corners. Participants navigated a virtual vehicle around corners under the instruction to focus on accuracy (i.e., avoiding collisions) or speed (i.e., negotiating the corners as quickly as possible). We found that as the task became more difficult, subjects’ cornering times increased, and their probability of successful cornering decreased. We also demonstrated that the Fitts’ law speed-accuracy tradeoff could be extended to a cornering task. In Experiment 2, we challenged two of the assumptions of Pastel et al.’s (2007) cornering law and assessed how corner angle and differences in path widths impacted cornering time. Participants navigated a virtual vehicle around corners of varying angles (45°, 90°, and 135°) and varying path widths. We found that increases in corner angle resulted in increased cornering times and a decreased probability of successful cornering. The findings from these experiments are applicable to contexts where an individual is tasked with remotely navigating around corners (e.g., video gaming, USAR, surveillance, military operations, training)

The EMPA-REG outcome study: critical appraisal and potential clinical implications

Diabetes health care professionals have to face a study with results of incomparable success in secondary and tertiary cardiovascular disease prevention. In the past, no studies in patients with type 2 diabetes resulted to be successful in inducing an improvement of cardiovascular prognosis, no matter whether they were focused on a target, on life-style or on pharmacological intervention. On a clinical perspective, should the diabetologist's way to think about the anti-diabetic therapy of patients on secondary cardiovascular prevention change based on the results of Empa-Reg outcome? Due to the complexity of the clinical picture of patients with type 2 diabetes, a tailored therapy based on targets, complications, co-morbidity, familial and social environment, personal and cultural features must be conceived and applied in starting pharmacological therapy; however, the question whether should we consider empagliflozin as first choice therapy in individuals with type 2 diabetes exposed to high cardiovascular risk, the Empa-Reg outcome-like patient, awaits now for an answer. Waiting for data confirming the results of the Empa-Reg outcome study, this report goes through the good reasons in support of this way of thinking, but at the same time explores the many unanswered questions raising potential concerns about this clinical choice

Deficiency of the purinergic receptor 2X7 attenuates nonalcoholic steatohepatitis induced by high-fat diet. possible role of the NLRP3 Inflammasome

Molecular mechanisms driving transition from simple steatosis to nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), a critical step in the progression of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) to cirrhosis, are poorly defined. This study aimed at investigating the role of the purinergic receptor 2X7 (PR2X7), through the NLRP3 inflammasome, in the development of NASH. To this end, mice knockout for the Pr2x7 gene (Pr2x7 −/−) and coeval wild-type (WT) mice were fed a high-fat diet (HFD) or normal-fat diet for 16 weeks. NAFLD grade and stage were lower in Pr2x7 −/− than WT mice, and only 1/7 Pr2x7 −/− animals showed evidence of NASH, as compared with 4/7 WT mice. Molecular markers of inflammation, oxidative stress, and fibrosis were markedly increased in WT-HFD mice, whereas no or significantly reduced increments were detected in Pr2x7 −/− animals, which showed also decreased modulation of genes of lipid metabolism. Deletion of Pr2x7 gene was associated with blunted or abolished activation of NLRP3 inflammasome and expression of its components, which were induced in liver sinusoidal endothelial cells challenged with appropriate stimuli. These data show that Pr2x7 gene deletion protects mice from HFD-induced NASH, possibly through blunted activation of NLRP3 inflammasome, suggesting that PR2X7 and NLRP3 may represent novel therapeutic targets

Syphilis iridocyclitis in a patient with type 1 diabetes

We present a rare cause of iridocyclitis in a patient with vitiligo and type 1 diabetes who showed poor metabolic control, and suffered from remitting fever, weight loss, fatigue, diffuse arthralgias and reduced visual acuity. Mild systemic symptoms coupled with increased cholestasis enzymes, insulin resistance, mild inflammation and a functioning adrenal gland focused our clinical work-up on granulomatous causes of iridocyclitis. Specific tests confirmed syphilis, with no involvement of the central nervous system. Ocular syphilis, despite being unusual, can be the only manifestation of the disease. The work-up of any unexplained ocular inflammation should include testing for syphilis so as to not delay the diagnosis

Faire sa peine à l'établissement pénitentiaire pour mineurs de Lavaur : sociologie des expériences de détention

Les recherches en sciences sociales s'intéressant à l'univers carcéral semblent, depuis peu, déplacer leur regard vers l'expérience carcérale du détenu dans l'objectif d'analyser son rapport à l'enfermement. L'incarcération constitue alors une épreuve. Le détenu positionné au centre d'un quotidien sous contraintes œuvre à l'amélioration de ses conditions de détention. La situation sociale particulière que constitue la période d'incarcération est alors appréhendée en tant que ligne biographique dominante ramenant à elle tous les autres centres d'intérêts de la vie quotidienne du détenu. Si ce déterminisme de l'incarcération a fait l'objet de recherches s'appuyant essentiellement sur des entretiens biographiques menés avec les détenus, peu d'études se sont intéressées à la manière dont ce rapport particulier à la peine d'emprisonnement se construit, au jour le jour, de surcroit chez une population mineure à l'intérieur d'une prison, présentée par les pouvoirs public comme novatrice : l'établissement pénitentiaire pour mineurs (EPM) de Lavaur. Notre travail de recherche porte sur les expériences de détention des mineurs incarcérés à l'intérieur d'un EPM. Une enquête ethnographique menée entre janvier 2008 et juin 2010 à l'EPM de Lavaur permet d'appréhender les expériences de détention au moyen d'une étude approfondie des logiques d'action construites par les détenus durant l'ensemble des temps collectifs mixtes auxquels ils sont sommés de participer. Dès lors, " faire sa peine " s'exprime, à l'EPM de Lavaur, dans l'instauration d'un rapport pratique à l'enfermement. Le détenu œuvre dans le but d'améliorer ses conditions de détention et bricole des espaces de liberté en manœuvrant avec l'hyperactivité forcée que lui inflige l'institution. Prié de partager l'ensemble des activités collectives, le jeune détenu, alors soumis à la surveillance des personnels ainsi qu'à l'observation des détenus (la persistance des regards étant renforcée par la configuration architecturale des lieux ménageant de nombreux espaces ouverts), s'engage dans une mise en scène de soi. Il fait ainsi la démonstration de certaines conduites, produits d'une culture importée en prison, et cherche à en camoufler d'autres dans le but de susciter la reconnaissance des acteurs présents. L'EPM de Lavaur est ainsi envisagé en tant que prison-scène. De ce point de vue, quatre figures de pratiques peuvent être extraites à partir d'une classification des logiques d'action construites par les détenus à l'intérieur des temps collectifs. Elles constituent alors les idéaux-types de conduites renvoyant à la mise en scène de façades personnelles idéalisées, l'adolescent s'attachant à maintenir ou à faire varier des rôles lui garantissant une meilleure position à l'intérieur des groupes formés lors des temps collectifs.Researches in social sciences that deal with the penitentiary world seem recently to focus on the prison experiment of the inmate to analyze its relation to the imprisonment. Detention is then a test. The inmate that is subjected to daily constraints works in order to improve his conditions of detention. The particular social situation that constitutes the detention is then comprehended as a dominant biographical line bringing back with it all the other goals of the inmate's life. If this determinism of the incarceration has been subjected to researches based mainly on inmate biographical interviews, few studies focused on how is built this particular relation to the detention, day by day, in addition in a minor population within a prison, described as innovative by the government: the " établissement pénitentiaire pour mineurs " (EPM) of Lavaur (France). Our research focused on the experiments of detention of minor incarcerated in an EPM. An ethnographic investigation that was performed between January of 2008 and June of 2010 at the EPM of Lavaur allowed to comprehend the experiments of detention thanks to a comprehensive study of the logics of action built by inmate during the whole mixed collective times in which they participate. Therefore " faire sa peine " is expressed at the EPM of Lavaur in the establishment of a practice relation to the incarceration. The inmate works to improve his conditions of detention and builds spaces of freedom by operating with the compelled hyperactivity that is imposed by the institution. Asked to share the overall collective activities, the young inmate, submitted to the surveillance of the staff and to the observation of other inmates (the persistence of gazes is strengthened by the architectural sites leaving to many open spaces) engages him in a staged. Thus, he demonstrates some behaviors, resulting from an imported culture in prison, and seeks to hide other in order to raise the recognition of the actors present. The EPM of Lavaur is thus envisaged as a prison-stage. From this point of view, four figures of practices can be extracted from a classification of action logics build by inmates during the collective times. They are then the ideal types of behaviors referring to the staging of an ideal self-images, the teenager works to maintain or to vary the roles guaranteeing him a better position within the groups formed during the collective times

Learning from Major Accidents: a Machine Learning Approach

A B S T R A C T Learning from past mistakes is crucial to prevent the reoccurrence of accidents involving dangerous sub-stances. Nevertheless, historical accident data are rarely used by the industry, and their full potential is largely unexpressed. In this setting, this study set out to take advantage of improvements in data sci-ence and Machine Learning to exploit accident data and build a predictive model for severity prediction. The proposed method makes use of classification algorithms to map the features of an accident to the corresponding severity category (i.e., the number of people that are killed and injured). Data extracted from existing databases is used to train the model. The method has been applied to a case study, where three classification models - i.e., Wide, Deep Neural Network, and Wide&Deep - have been trained and evaluated on the Major Hazard Incident Data Service database (MHIDAS). The results indicate that the Wide&Deep model offers the best performance.(c) 2022 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.This is an open access article under the CC BY license ( http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Renoprotection with SGLT2 inhibitors in type 2 diabetes over a spectrum of cardiovascular and renal risk

Approximately half of all patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D) develop a certain degree of renal impairment. In many of them, chronic kidney disease (CKD) progresses over time, eventually leading to end-stage kidney disease (ESKD) requiring dialysis and conveying a substantially increased risk of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Even with widespread use of renin–angiotensin system blockers and tight glycemic control, a substantial residual risk of nephropathy progression remains. Recent cardiovascular outcomes trials investigating sodium–glucose cotransporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitors have suggested that these therapies have renoprotective effects distinct from their glucose-lowering action, including the potential to reduce the rates of ESKD and acute kidney injury. Although patients in most cardiovascular outcomes trials had higher prevalence of existing cardiovascular disease compared with those normally seen in clinical practice, the proportion of patients with renal impairment was similar to that observed in a real-world context. Patient cardiovascular risk profiles did not relevantly impact the renoprotective benefits observed in these studies. Benefits were observed in patients across a spectrum of renal risk, but were evident also in those without renal damage, suggesting a role for SGLT2 inhibition in the prevention of CKD in people with T2D. In addition, recent studies such as CREDENCE and DAPA-CKD offer a greater insight into the renoprotective effects of SGLT2 inhibitors in patients with moderate-to-severe CKD. This review outlines the evidence that SGLT2 inhibitors may prevent the development of CKD and prevent and delay the worsening of CKD in people with T2D at different levels of renal risk

Hormone replacement therapy, renal function and heart ultrasonographic parameters in postmenopausal women: an observational study.

A certain degree of impaired kidney function is related to an increased cardiovascular risk. The cardiovascular protection exerted in the postmenopausal state by the hormone replacement therapy (HRT) is debated. No studies have so far explored the relationship between menopause, renal function and cardiovascular risk profile in healthy menopausal women in relation with HRT.A total of 362 postmenopausal healthy women with normal albumin excretion rate were recruited and divided into two groups (HRT+ and HRT-) according to the presence or absence of HRT. All participants underwent a complete routine biochemical analyses and an echocardiogram.Clinical characteristics of the two groups were similar, but HRT+ showed a significantly higher estimated glomerular filtration rate (GFR; by CKD-EPI formula). Regarding the heart ultrasonography, HRT+ had a significantly lower size of the aortic root and left atrium diameter (p = 0.038 and p = 0.012, respectively); no differences were found in the ejection fraction and Left Ventricular Mass Index (LVMI). In the whole study group, eGFR correlated inversely with LVMI and with the size of the aortic root (both p0.0001), being GFR the only determinant of the former by a stepwise regression. Dividing the study population according to an eGFR cut-off (80 and80 ml/min/1.73 m(2));80 women, in comparison with80, showed a significantly lower LVMI and lower size of aortic bulb, further reduced in the HRT+.In a cohort of healthy, drug-naïve, postmenopausal women, HRT seems to positively affect glomerular filtration and is associated with lower values of left ventricular mass and aortic root size, thus offering a further mechanism through female hormones exert cardioprotection

Cardiovascular protection with sodium-glucose co-transporter-2 inhibitors in type 2 diabetes: Does it apply to all patients?

Patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D) are at an increased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD). Cardiovascular risk in these patients should be considered as a continuum, and comprehensive treatment strategies should aim to target multiple disease risk factors. Large-scale clinical trials of sodium-glucose co-transporter-2 (SGLT2) inhibitors have shown an impact on cardiovascular outcomes, including heart failure hospitalization and cardiovascular death, which appears to be independent of their glucose-lowering efficacy. Reductions in major cardiovascular events appear to be greatest in patients with established CVD, particularly those with prior myocardial infarction, but are independent of heart failure or renal risk. Most large-scale trials of SGLT2 inhibitors predominantly include patients with T2D with pre-existing CVD and high cardiovascular risk at baseline, limiting their applicability to patients typically observed in clinical practice. Real-world evidence from observational studies suggests that there might also be beneficial effects of SGLT2 inhibitors on heart failure hospitalization and all-cause mortality in various cohorts of lower risk patients. The most common adverse events reported in clinical and observational studies are genital infections; however, the overall risk of these events appears to be low and easily managed. Similar safety profiles have been reported for elderly and younger patients. There is still some debate regarding the safety of canagliflozin in patients at high risk of fracture and amputation. Outstanding questions include specific patterns of cardiovascular protection according to baseline risk

Validation of the Greek translation of the cognitive disorders examination (Codex) for the detection of dementia in primary care

OBJECTIVE: To validate the Greek translation of the Cognitive Disorders Examination (Codex) and to investigate its potential for implementation for the detection of dementia in the Greek population. / METHOD: Subjects aged ≥60 years with and without dementia, based on the diagnostic criteria DSM-IV-TR, were included in the study. Translation of the test Codex from French to Greek and back-translation from Greek to French were conducted to verify the validity of the translation. The Greek version of the Codex and the Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE) were administered to 17 patients with dementia and 27 patients without dementia. / RESULTS: The median age of the participants was 82 years (range 61–93 years) for patients with dementia and 73 years (range 61–84 years) for patients without dementia. The average level of education was 9.0 years (range 2–20 years) for patients with dementia and 10.5 years (range 3–16 years) for those without. The average score on the MMSE was 15.7 (range 7–27) for patients with dementia and 28.3 (range 25–30) for those without dementia. The sensitivity of Codex for the detection of dementia was 94.1% and its specificity was 88.9%. / CONCLUSIONS: The Greek version of Codex can detect dementia reliably. Its validation as a diagnostic tool for use in the Greek population will require testing on a larger sample of individuals