Control-oriented modeling of a high-aspect-ratio flying wing with coupled flight dynamics

The flight-structural dynamics of a high-aspect-ratio wing challenge the flight control design. This paper develops a reduced model of coupled dynamics with stability consideration. The structural dynamics are formulated with dihedrals, and the central loads drive the deformation. The control-oriented model with essential coupled dynamics is formulated. Modal sensitivity analysis and input–output pairing are performed to identify the control structure. Besides, an example of flight control design is provided to discuss the necessity of considering structural dynamics in controller design. Analytical coupled flight dynamics provide a system-theoretic approach for stability and facilitate model-based control techniques. Simulation results reveal the characteristics of flight-structural coupled dynamics and demonstrate that the influence of flexible modes should be considered in control design, especially in lateral dynamics

Cardiovascular outcomes and safety of SGLT2 inhibitors in chronic kidney disease patients

BackgroundSodium–glucose co-transporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitors provide cardiovascular protection for patients with heart failure (HF) and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). However, there is little evidence of their application in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). Furthermore, there are inconsistent results from studies on their uses. Therefore, to explore the cardiovascular protective effect of SGLT2 inhibitors in the CKD patient population, we conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to evaluate the cardiovascular effectiveness and safety of SGLT2 inhibitors in this patient population.MethodWe searched the PubMed® (National Library of Medicine, Bethesda, MD, USA) and Web of Science™ (Clarivate™, Philadelphia, PA, USA) databases for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of SGLT2 inhibitors in CKD patients and built the database starting in January 2023. In accordance with our inclusion and exclusion criteria, the literature was screened, the quality of the literature was evaluated, and the data were extracted. RevMan 5.3 (The Nordic Cochrane Centre, The Cochrane Collaboration, Copenhagen, Denmark) and Stata® 17.0 (StataCorp LP, College Station, TX, USA) were used for the statistical analyses. Hazard ratios (HRs), odds ratios (ORs), and corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were used for the analysis of the outcome indicators.ResultsThirteen RCTs were included. In CKD patients, SGLT2 inhibitors reduced the risk of cardiovascular death (CVD) or hospitalization for heart failure (HHF) by 28%, CVD by 16%. and HHF by 35%. They also reduced the risk of all-cause death by 14% without increasing the risk of serious adverse effects (SAEs) and urinary tract infections (UTIs). However, they increased the risk of reproductive tract infections (RTIs).ConclusionSGLT2 inhibitors have a cardiovascular protective effect on patients with CKD, which in turn can significantly reduce the risk of CVD, HHF, and all-cause death without increasing the risk of SAEs and UTIs but increasing the risk of RTIs

Gut microbiota: a newly identified environmental factor in systemic lupus erythematosus

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a chronic autoimmune disease that predominantly affects women of childbearing age and is characterized by the damage to multiple target organs. The pathogenesis of SLE is complex, and its etiology mainly involves genetic and environmental factors. At present, there is still a lack of effective means to cure SLE. In recent years, growing evidence has shown that gut microbiota, as an environmental factor, triggers autoimmunity through potential mechanisms including translocation and molecular mimicry, leads to immune dysregulation, and contributes to the development of SLE. Dietary intervention, drug therapy, probiotics supplement, fecal microbiome transplantation and other ways to modulate gut microbiota appear to be a potential treatment for SLE. In this review, the dysbiosis of gut microbiota in SLE, potential mechanisms linking gut microbiota and SLE, and immune dysregulation associated with gut microbiota in SLE are summarized

An overview of the efficacy and signaling pathways activated by stem cell-derived extracellular vesicles in diabetic kidney disease

Diabetic kidney disease (DKD) is one of complications of diabetes mellitus with severe microvascular lesion and the most common cause of end-stage chronic kidney disease (ESRD). Controlling serum glucose remains the primary approach to preventing and slowing the progression of DKD. Despite considerable efforts to control diabetes, people with diabetes develop not only DKD but also ESRD. The pathogenesis of DKD is very complex, and current studies indicate that mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) regulate complex disease processes by promoting pro-regenerative mechanisms and inhibiting multiple pathogenic pathways. Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are products of MSCs. Current data indicate that MSC-EVs-based interventions not only protect renal cells, including renal tubular epithelial cells, podocytes and mesangial cells, but also improve renal function and reduce damage in diabetic animals. As an increasing number of clinical studies have confirmed, MSC-EVs may be an effective way to treat DKD. This review explores the potential efficacy and signaling pathways of MSC-EVs in the treatment of DKD

Signaling Pathways of Podocyte Injury in Diabetic Kidney Disease and the Effect of Sodium-Glucose Cotransporter 2 Inhibitors

Diabetic kidney disease (DKD) is one of the most important comorbidities for patients with diabetes, and its incidence has exceeded one tenth, with an increasing trend. Studies have shown that diabetes is associated with a decrease in the number of podocytes. Diabetes can induce apoptosis of podocytes through several apoptotic pathways or induce autophagy of podocytes through related pathways. At the same time, hyperglycemia can also directly lead to apoptosis of podocytes, and the related inflammatory reactions are all harmful to podocytes. Podocyte damage is often accompanied by the production of proteinuria and the progression of DKD. As a new therapeutic agent for diabetes, sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors (SGLT2i) have been demonstrated to be effective in the treatment of diabetes and the improvement of terminal outcomes in many rodent experiments and clinical studies. At the same time, SGLT2i can also play a protective role in diabetes-induced podocyte injury by improving the expression of nephrotic protein defects and inhibiting podocyte cytoskeletal remodeling. Some studies have also shown that SGLT2i can play a role in inhibiting the apoptosis and autophagy of cells. However, there is no relevant study that clearly indicates whether SGLT2i can also play a role in the above pathways in podocytes. This review mainly summarizes the damage to podocyte structure and function in DKD patients and related signaling pathways, as well as the possible protective mechanism of SGLT2i on podocyte function

A system design for coal mine fire-fighting robots

Although fire-fighting robots are important devices for underground coal mines to prevent and deal with fire incidents, current research has hardly studied the approaches of robot locating, path planning, and accurate fire detection and extinguishment for complex underground coal mine topography. To fill the gap, this paper proposes a system design for underground coal mine fire-fighting robots. By combining the technologies of ultra wide band (UWB) and laser radars, the design applies the iterative closest point (ICP) and the adaptive Monte Carlo localization (AMCL) algorithms to initialize robots' position and locate robots in a real time manner, respectively. By using inertial measurement units and odometers, the design can raise the real localization accuracy up to 5-10 centimeters. By adding a distance parameter to limit the searching area, an enhanced A* algorithm is proposed to plan paths for robots. Experiments show that the algorithm can find the suitable paths in lower time cost. The design supports a robot to detect targets using a template mapping system based on a pre-generated feature image set. It limits the false positive rate to 10% (true positive rate of 90%) and completely meets the design requirement. The design allows a robot to be equipped with a cascade controller that uses feedbacks of velocity and position to control the elevation and yaw angels of the pan-tilt-zoom (PTZ). Fire extinguishing bombs can be further thrown to targets, via the PTZ, to support accurate fire extinguishment

Signaling Pathways of Podocyte Injury in Diabetic Kidney Disease and the Effect of Sodium-Glucose Cotransporter 2 Inhibitors

Diabetic kidney disease (DKD) is one of the most important comorbidities for patients with diabetes, and its incidence has exceeded one tenth, with an increasing trend. Studies have shown that diabetes is associated with a decrease in the number of podocytes. Diabetes can induce apoptosis of podocytes through several apoptotic pathways or induce autophagy of podocytes through related pathways. At the same time, hyperglycemia can also directly lead to apoptosis of podocytes, and the related inflammatory reactions are all harmful to podocytes. Podocyte damage is often accompanied by the production of proteinuria and the progression of DKD. As a new therapeutic agent for diabetes, sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors (SGLT2i) have been demonstrated to be effective in the treatment of diabetes and the improvement of terminal outcomes in many rodent experiments and clinical studies. At the same time, SGLT2i can also play a protective role in diabetes-induced podocyte injury by improving the expression of nephrotic protein defects and inhibiting podocyte cytoskeletal remodeling. Some studies have also shown that SGLT2i can play a role in inhibiting the apoptosis and autophagy of cells. However, there is no relevant study that clearly indicates whether SGLT2i can also play a role in the above pathways in podocytes. This review mainly summarizes the damage to podocyte structure and function in DKD patients and related signaling pathways, as well as the possible protective mechanism of SGLT2i on podocyte function

Human–Machine Cooperative Control of Intelligent Vehicles for Lane Keeping—Considering Safety of the Intended Functionality

Reasonably foreseeable misuse by persons, as a primary aspect of safety of the intended functionality (SOTIF), has a significant effect on cooperation performance for lane keeping. This paper presents a novel human–machine cooperative control scheme with consideration of SOTIF issues caused by driver error. It is challenging to balance lane keeping performance and driving freedom when driver error occurs. A safety evaluation strategy is proposed for safety supervision, containing assessments of driver error and lane departure risk caused by driver error. A dynamic evaluation model of driver error is designed based on a typical driver model in the loop to deal with the uncertainty and variability of driver behavior. Additionally, an extension model is established for determining the cooperation domain. Then, an authority allocation strategy is proposed to generate a dynamic shared authority and achieve an adequate balance between lane keeping performance and driving freedom. Finally, a model predictive control (MPC)-based controller is designed for calculating optimal steering angle, and a steer-by-wheel (SBW) system is employed as an actuator. Numerical simulation tests are conducted on driver error scenarios based on the CarSim and MATLAB/Simulink software platforms. The simulation results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method