Evaluation of biomarkers following autologous osteochondral transplantation in the equine stifle joint — An experimental study

The purpose of this study was to evaluate changes in biomarker and synovial parameters following autologous osteochondral transplantation (AOT) in the equine stifle joint, to test the hypothesis whether synovial parameters would show significant differences at selected time points following the surgery (at days 3, 14, 60 and 180) compared to baseline level (at day 0). Surgical intervention was performed in both stifles of nine horses (n = 18). The joints were randomly assigned to operated and sham-operated groups. Grafts 8.5 mm in diameter were harvested from the femoropatellar (FP) joint under arthroscopic control and the medial femorotibial (MFT) joints had AOT using mosaicplasty (MP) instrumentation, while the sham FP and sham MFT joints underwent arthroscopy and miniarthrotomy without transplantation, respectively. Synovial fluid (SF) parameters were evaluated at days 4, 14, 60 and 180. Data were analysed by two-way repeated- measures analysis of variance (ANOVA), and P < 0.05 was considered significant. During the first 10–14 days after surgery, lameness of degree 2–3/5 [American Association of Equine Practitioners (AAEP) scores] was present, which disappeared after 60 days. Joints with transplantation showed significant increases in synovial white blood cell count (WBC), total protein (TP), substance P, C1,2C and CS846 epitope concentration at day 3 compared to baseline and shamoperated joints (P < 0.05). These parameters returned to the baseline values by two months after surgery and remained within normal levels at 6 months postoperatively

Group chasing tactics: how to catch a faster prey

We propose a bio-inspired, agent-based approach to describe the natural phenomenon of group chasing in both two and three dimensions. Using a set of local interaction rules we created a continuous-space and discrete-time model with time delay, external noise and limited acceleration. We implemented a unique collective chasing strategy, optimized its parameters and studied its properties when chasing a much faster, erratic escaper. We show that collective chasing strategies can significantly enhance the chasers’ success rate. Our realistic approach handles group chasing within closed, soft boundaries—in contrast with the periodic ones in most published literature—and resembles several properties of pursuits observed in nature, such as emergent encircling or the escaper’s zigzag motion

Coordinated dense aerial traffic with self-driving drones

In this paper we present a general, decentralized air traffic control solution using autonomous drones. We challenge some of the most difficult dense traffic situations, namely, crosswalk and package-delivery scenarios, where intelligent collective collision avoidance and motion planning is essential for a jam-free optimal traffic fiow. We build up a force based distributed multi-robot control model using a tunable selection of interaction terms: anisotropic repulsion, behaviour driven velocity alignment, self-organized queueing and conflict avoiding self-driving. We optimize the model with evolution in a realistic simulation framework and demonstrate its applicability with 30 autonomous drones in a coordinated outdoor flight within a densely packed virtual arena

Self-organized UAV Traffic in Realistic Environments

We investigated different dense multirotor UAV traffic simulation scenarios in open 2D and 3D space, under realistic environments with the presence of sensor noise, communication delay, limited communication range, limited sensor update rate and finite inertia.We implemented two fundamental self-organized algorithms: one with constant direction and one with constant velocity preference to reach a desired target. We performed evolutionary optimization on both algorithms in five basic traffic scenarios and tested the optimized algorithms under different vehicle densities. We provide optimal algorithm and parameter selection criteria and compare the maximal flux and collision risk of each solution and situation. We found that i) different scenarios and densities require different algorithmic approaches, i.e., UAVs have to behave differently in sparse and dense environments or when they have common or different targets; ii) a slower-is-faster effect is implicitly present in our models, i.e., the maximal flux is achieved at densities where the average speed is far from maximal; iii) communication delay is the most severe destabilizing environmental condition that has a fundamental effect on performance and needs to be taken into account when designing algorithms to be used in real lif

A magyar Duna-szakasz litorális makrogerinctelen biodiverzitásának vizsgálata különös tekintettel az utóbbi évtizedek hidrodinamikai változásaira = Investigation of littoral macroinvertebrate biodiversity in the Hungarian section of the River Danube with respect to hydrodynamic changes in the last decades

A magyar Duna-szakasz főágának és a kapcsolódó mellékágrendszereknek makrogerinctelen faunájáról az ezredfordulón rendelkezésre álló ismereteink térben, időben és az egyes rendszertani csoportok tekintetében igen eltérők voltak. Számos vízterületről vagy rendszertani csoportról egyáltalán nem, vagy csak nagyon kevés adat állt rendelkezésre. A kutatás célja a dunai vízi makrogerinctelen fauna ismeretében fennálló jelentős hiányok csökkentése, a mai helyzetet rögzítő referencia állapot megállapítása volt. A négy év alatt 298 mintavételi helyről összesen 675 mintát vettünk. A mintákból 20 nagyobb rendszertani csoport (Porifera, Hydridea, Turbellaria, Oligochaeta, Polychaeta, Hirudinea, Gastropoda, Lamellibranchiata, Bryozoa, Mysidaceae, Isopoda, Amphipoda, Decapoda, Ephemeroptera, Odonata, Heteroptera, Megaloptera, Coleoptera, Trichoptera, Diptera) képviselői kerültek elő. A gyűjtött anyagból faji szintű feldolgozása kerültek a vízi és vízfelszíni poloskák, a vízibogarak, a hasadtlábú rákok az összes mintavételi helyről, a kérészek, a szitakötők, a tegzesek és a kagylók a Duna főági, a szentendrei-dunai és a szigetközi mintákból. A kimutatott vízibogár fajok száma a Szigetközben 31-ről 70-re, a gemenci területen 32-ről 77-re, a béda-karapancsai területen 15-ről 62-re, a kimutatott kagylófajok száma a Szigetközben 12-ről 17-re emelkedett. A vízi és vízfelszíni poloskák tekintetében a béda-karapancsai adatok úttörő jellegűek. | The degree of knowledge of the macroinvertebrate fauna is very heterogenous both in the main arm of the Danube and in the adjacent wetland areas. Majority of available records are several decades old, and there are areas (e.g. surface waters of the Gemenc Landscape Protection Area) as well taxonomic groups (e.g. Coleoptera, Heteroptera) with only a few or no records. Principal aim of the study to cease these shortcomings and to make up to date inventory of the macroinvertebrate biodiversity of the Danube and in the adjacent wetland areas. 675 samples were collected during the four years study from 298 sampling sites. In the samples representants of 20 taxonomic groups (Porifera, Hydridea, Turbellaria, Oligochaeta, Polychaeta, Hirudinea, Gastropoda, Lamellibranchiata, Bryozoa, Mysidaceae, Isopoda, Amphipoda, Decapoda, Ephemeroptera, Odonata, Heteroptera, Megaloptera, Coleoptera, Trichoptera, Diptera)were found. Identification of the samples till now resulted significant increase in the number of species in the case of aquatic beetles in the Szigetköz area from 31 to 70, in the Gemenc Landscape Protection Area from 32 to 77, in the Béda-Karapancsa Landscape Protection Area from 15 to 62. The number of known mussel species increased from12 to 17 in the Szigetköz area. The data about the aquatic and semiaquatic water bug fauna (22 species) of the Béda-Karapancsa Landscape Protection Area are the first records from this area

Az intestinalis toll-like receptorok (TLR) expressziójának változásai és hatásuk az immunaktivációra immunpatogenezisű bélbetegségekben = Change of intestinal toll-like receptor expression an their effect on immune activation in immunopathogenetic intestinal diseases

A belek immunpatogenezisű kórképeinek kialakulásáért a természetes immunrendszer működési zavara is felelőssé tehető. Kutatásaink során arra a kérdésre kerestünk, hogy hogyan változik a TLR2, TLR3 és TLR4 expresszió coeliákiás gyermekek és krónikus gyulladásos bélbetegségben bélbiopsziás mintáiban a kontrollokhoz képest. Ugyancsak elemeztük, hogy a CD14, a TLR4 és a CARD15 polimorfizmusok (SNP) összefüggenek-e a nekrotizáló enterokolitisz (NEC) kialakulásával. A kezeletlen- és kezelt coeliákiás gyermekek duodenális nyálkahártyájában a TLR2 és TLR4 expresszió fokozódott a kontrollokhoz képest. Sőt, a kezelt coeliákiás gyermekek duodenális nyálkahártyájában még fokozottabb TLR2 és TLR4 expressziót volt kimutatható. A frissen diagnosztizált (fd)- és a relapszusban lévő (r) IBD-s gyermekek colon nyálkahártyájának gyulladásban lévő szakaszán szintén fokozódott a TLR2 és TLR4 expresszió. A colon nyálkahártya gyulladásban nem lévő szakaszán azonban, a TLR2 és TLR4 expresszió nem tért el a kontrollokétól, sem fdIBD-ben, sem rIBD-ben. A CD14 C-260T, TLR4 A+896G és C+1196T és a CARD15 G+2722C, C+2104T, és 3020insC SNP-k előfordulási gyakorisága nem különbözött a kis születési súlyú NEC-es illetve nem NEC-es koraszülöttek és az egészséges újszülöttek esetében Eredményeink arra utalnak, hogy a fokozott TLR2 és TLR4 expressziónak elsődleges szerepe lehet a coeliákia patogenezisében, míg szerepük IBD kialakulásában másodlagos. | Disturbances of innate immune responses may be responsible for the development of immunopathogenetic intestinal diseases. The aim of this study was to characterise how changes in the expression of TLR2, TLR3 and TLR4 in the intestinal samples taken from children with coeliac disease or (CD) with IBD compared to controls. Moreover, it was analysed whether how the SNPs of CD14, TLR4 and CARD15 genes are associated with the risk of necrotizing enterocolitis. TLR2 and TLR4 mRNA expression were higher in the duodenal mucosa of children with treated CD and untreated CD than in controls. TLR2 and TLR4 mRNA expression and protein levels were even higher in the duodenal mucosa of children with treated CD than in untreated CD. TLR2 and TLR4 mRNA expression and protein levels were higher in the inflammed colonic mucosa of children with freshly diagnosed (fd) IBD and relapsed (r) IBD compared to controls. In the non inflammed colonic mucosa of children with fdIBD and rIBD, TLR2 and TLR4 mRNA expression and protein levels were similar to controls. No significant differences were found in the prevalence of CD14 -260T, TLR4 +896G and +1196T and CARD15 +2722C, +2104T and 3020insC alleles between WLBW infants -with and without NEC. The increased expression of TLR2 and TLR4 even in treated CD may indicate their primary role in the pathomechanism of CD, while their role is secondary in the development of IBD

Flocking algorithm for autonomous flying robots

Animal swarms displaying a variety of typical flocking patterns would not exist without underlying safe, optimal and stable dynamics of the individuals. The emergence of these universal patterns can be efficiently reconstructed with agent-based models. If we want to reproduce these patterns with artificial systems, such as autonomous aerial robots, agent-based models can also be used in the control algorithm of the robots. However, finding the proper algorithms and thus understanding the essential characteristics of the emergent collective behaviour of robots requires the thorough and realistic modeling of the robot and the environment as well. In this paper, first, we present an abstract mathematical model of an autonomous flying robot. The model takes into account several realistic features, such as time delay and locality of the communication, inaccuracy of the on-board sensors and inertial effects. We present two decentralized control algorithms. One is based on a simple self-propelled flocking model of animal collective motion, the other is a collective target tracking algorithm. Both algorithms contain a viscous friction-like term, which aligns the velocities of neighbouring agents parallel to each other. We show that this term can be essential for reducing the inherent instabilities of such a noisy and delayed realistic system. We discuss simulation results about the stability of the control algorithms, and perform real experiments to show the applicability of the algorithms on a group of autonomous quadcopters

Citokin-gén polimorfizmusok kapcsolata koraszülöttek perinatális szövődményeivel = The association of cytokine genetic polymorphisms with perinatal complications of premature infants

Vizsgálatsorozatunk kapcsán több mint 300 kis súlyú koraszülött bevonásával 32 különböző genetikai polimorfizmus (SNP) hordozás kapcsolatát elemeztük a perinatális szövődményekkel. Több olyan elemre sikerült rámutatni, amelynek jelentősége lehet egy adott szövődmény kialakulásában. Ilyen az ösztrogén-receptorral szembeni érzékenységet befolyásoló SNP, illetve a renin-angiotenzin rendszer polimorfizmusok összefüggése a perinatalis adaptációs zavarokkal, a VEGF SNP-k perinatalis szövődményekkel való kapcsolata, a TNF-alfa és az IFN-gamma, valamint az IL-12 SNP-k lélegeztetés iránti igénnyel való kapcsolata. Vizsgálataink a gyógyszerfejlesztés, valamint a terápia optimálása szempontjából végzett klinikai vizsgálatok számára kiindulási alapot jelenthetnek. Az eredmények másik hasznosítási területe a szövődmény-predikció lehet. Azt, hogy a genotípus-mintázat ismerete a megszületéskor mennyire segíti ezt a célt, egy új statisztikai eljárással (random forest technikával) elemeztük. Ezzel a módszerrel meghatároztuk, hogy az egyes SNP-k milyen mértékben segítik önmagukban a predikciót, illetve olyan SNP-mintázatokat állítottunk össze, amelyekkel megszületéskor a szövődmény-predikció pontossága fokozható. | During our studies we enrolled more than 300 preterm infants and determined the association between carrier status of 32 different genetic polymorphisms with the risk of perinatal complications. Several SNPs with a possible involvement in the investigated complications were identified. These include the association of perinatal adaptational disturaűbances with an SNP with an impact on estrogen sensitivity and with genetic polymorphisms of renin-angiotensin system; the association between VEGF SNPs and some perinatal complications; the link between TNF-alpha, IFN-gamma and IL-12 SNPs and need for ventilatory support. These results may for a basis for studies aiming drug developemnt and optimization of therapy. Another psosible field for the use of these results is complication prediction. We applied a new statistical approach (random forest technique) to determine, whether the information about genotype patterns at birth may improve complication prediction. For this purpose we established the importance score values of individual SNPs and created optimized SNP patterns with the highest predictive value