A Hierarchal Planning Framework for AUV Mission Management in a Spatio-Temporal Varying Ocean

The purpose of this paper is to provide a hierarchical dynamic mission planning framework for a single autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) to accomplish task-assign process in a limited time interval while operating in an uncertain undersea environment, where spatio-temporal variability of the operating field is taken into account. To this end, a high level reactive mission planner and a low level motion planning system are constructed. The high level system is responsible for task priority assignment and guiding the vehicle toward a target of interest considering on-time termination of the mission. The lower layer is in charge of generating optimal trajectories based on sequence of tasks and dynamicity of operating terrain. The mission planner is able to reactively re-arrange the tasks based on mission/terrain updates while the low level planner is capable of coping unexpected changes of the terrain by correcting the old path and re-generating a new trajectory. As a result, the vehicle is able to undertake the maximum number of tasks with certain degree of maneuverability having situational awareness of the operating field. The computational engine of the mentioned framework is based on the biogeography based optimization (BBO) algorithm that is capable of providing efficient solutions. To evaluate the performance of the proposed framework, firstly, a realistic model of undersea environment is provided based on realistic map data, and then several scenarios, treated as real experiments, are designed through the simulation study. Additionally, to show the robustness and reliability of the framework, Monte-Carlo simulation is carried out and statistical analysis is performed. The results of simulations indicate the significant potential of the two-level hierarchical mission planning system in mission success and its applicability for real-time implementation

Effect of cycloplegia on corneal biometrics and refractive state

Purpose: To determine changes in refractive state and corneal parameters after cycloplegia with cyclopentolate hydrochloride 1% using a dual Scheimpflug imaging system. Methods: In this prospective cross-sectional study patients aged 10 to 40 years who were referred for optometric evaluation enrolled and underwent autorefraction and corneal imaging with the Galilei dual Scheimpflug system before and 30 minutes after twice instillation of medication. Changes in refraction and astigmatism were investigated. Corneal biometrics including anterior and posterior corneal curvatures, total corneal power and corneal pachymetry were compared before and after cycloplegia. Results: Two hundred and twelve eyes of 106 subjects with mean age of 28 ± 5 years including 201 myopic and 11 hyperopic eyes were evaluated. Mean spherical equivalent refractive error before cycloplegia was -3.4 ± 2.6 D. A mean hyperopic shift of 0.4 ± 0.5 D occurred after cycloplegia (P < 0.001). The astigmatism power did not significantly change (P = 0.8), however, 26.8% of eyes with significant astigmatism experienced a change of more than 5 degrees in the axis of astigmatism. Changes in posterior corneal curvature were scant but statistically significant (P = 0.001). Moreover, corneal thickness was slightly increased in the central and paracentral regions (P < 0.001 and P < 0.001, respectively). Conclusion: Cycloplegia causes a hyperopic shift and astigmatism axis changes, along with an increase in central and paracentral corneal thickness and change in posterior corneal curvature. The effects of cycloplegia on refraction and corneal biometrics should be considered before cataract and refractive surgeries

Intelligent speed control of hybrid stepper motor considering model uncertainty using brain emotional learning

This paper presents an implementation of the brain emotional learning-based intelligent controller (BELBIC) for precise speed tracking of the hybrid stepper motor (HSM). Such a configuration is applicable where high resolution and accuracy is essential particularly in uncertain conditions. The proposed controller is a model-free controller independent of the model dynamics and variations that occur in a system. It is capable of autolearning to handle unforeseen disturbances. To evaluate the performance of the BELBIC controller in realistic conditions, the uncertainty of the system as a result of mechanical parameter variation and load torque disturbance is considered. To verify an excellent dynamic performance and the feasibility of the BELBIC, the system is simulated in MATLAB Simulink, and the results of the simulation are compared with an optimized proportional integral (PI) controller. The simulation results confirm the superior performance of the BELBIC for fast and precise speed response as well as its potential in dealing with nonlinearity and uncertainty handling as compared with that of the PI controller. The proposed controller is used in realistic applications, such as tunable-laser system and robot-assisted surgery

Comparison of Moral Intelligence of Student’s Basic Sciences and Medical Internship in Tehran University of Medical Sciences in 2018

زمینه و هدف: هوش اخلاقی به عنوان اولین مؤلفه انطباق اخلاقی، پایه و اساس عمل اخلاقی است. دانشجویان پزشکی که در محیط‌های بالینی آموزش می‌بینند، علاوه بر شایستگی‌های فنی، بایستی از ارزش‌های اخلاقی مطلوب برخوردار باشند. این مطالعه با هدف مقایسه وضعیت هوش اخلاقی دانشجویان مقطع علوم پایه و کارورزی پزشکی دانشگاه علوم پزشکی تهران در سال 1397 انجام شده است. مواد و روش‌ها: این مطالعه مقطعی از نوع توصیفی ـ مقایسه‌ای بر روی 400 نفر از دانشجویان پزشکی در دو مقطع علوم پایه و کارورزی که به صورت تصادفی ساده انتخاب شده بودند و معیارهای ورود به مطالعه را داشتند، انجام شده است. برای جمع‌آوری داده‌ها از پرسشنامه 40 گویه‌ای هوش اخلاقی Keil و Lennick استفاده شد که دربرگیرنده چهار بعد و ده شاخص بود. برای تجزیه و تحلیل داده‌ها از نرم‌افزار SPSS 25 و آزمون‌های T-test، Chi-Square استفاده شد. یافته‌ها: میانگین نمره کل هوش اخلاقی در گروه کارورزی 78/7±13/72 و میانگین نمره کل هوش اخلاقی در گروه علوم پایه 28/8±11/72 بود. میانگین نمره کل هوش اخلاقی بیشتر کارورزان (7/62 درصد) و دانشجویان علوم پایه (7/60 درصد) در طبقه خوب به بالا بدست آمد. حدود 3/37 درصد از کارورزان و 3/39 درصد از علوم پایه دارای هوش اخلاقی ضعیف بودند. میانگین نمره کلی هوش اخلاقی در دانشجویان مقطع کارورزی نسبت به علوم پایه بالاتر بود، اما این اختلاف معنی‌دار نبود (026/0=P-Value). ملاحظات اخلاقی: این مقاله حاصل پایان‌نامه دکتری حرفه‌ای دانشگاه علوم پزشکی تهران است. در طول فرایند پژوهش سیاست‌های اخلاقی دانشگاه مطابق با اصول بیانیه هلسینکی، از جمله اخذ رضایت آگاهانه جهت شرکت در پژوهش رعایت شد. نتیجه‌گیری: شاخص‌های هوش اخلاقی در کارورزان نسبت به دانشجویان علوم پایه بیشتر نبوده است و این یافته‌ها نشانگر عدم موفقیت برنامه‌های آموزشی عمومی و اختصاصی در زمینه توسعه مهارت‌های اخلاقی در دانشجویان پزشکی است. بنابرین بازنگری کوریکولوم آموزش پزشکی با در نظرگرفتن مفاهیم اخلاقی پیشنهاد می‌شود.Background and Aim: Moral intelligence as the first component of moral compliance is the basis of moral action. Medical students trained in clinical settings, in addition to technical competencies, must have desirable moral values. The aim of this study was to compare the moral intelligence status of students of basic sciences and medical internships in Tehran University of Medical Sciences in 2018. Materials and Methods: This descriptive-comparative cross-sectional study was performed on 400 medical students in both basic sciences and internships who were randomly selected and met the inclusion criteria. A 40-item Moral Intelligence and Keil Lennick Questionnaire was used to collect data, which included four dimensions and ten indicators. SPSS 25 software and Chi-square t-test were used to analyze the data. Findings: The average total score of moral intelligence in the internship group was 72.13±7.78 and the mean total score of moral intelligence in the basic sciences group was 72.11±8.28.The average total score of moral intelligence of most interns (62.7%) and basic science students (60.7%) was obtained in a good category. About 37.3% of interns and 39.3% of basic sciences had poor moral intelligence. The mean total score of moral intelligence in internship students was higher than basic sciences, but this difference was not significant (P=0.026). Ethical Considerations: This article is the result of a professional doctoral dissertation at Tehran University of Medical Sciences. During the research process, the university's ethical policies were observed in accordance with the principles of the Helsinki Declaration, including obtaining informed consent to participate in the research. Conclusion: Indicators of moral intelligence in interns were not higher than students of basic sciences and these findings indicate the failure of general and specific educational programs in the field of developing moral skills in medical students. Therefore, it is recommended to revise the medical education curriculum by considering ethical concepts. &nbsp; Cite this article as: Hajibabaee F, Yazdani Moghaddam M, Namazi HR, Yaseri M, Ashrafizadeh H, Shojaee AA. Comparison of Moral Intelligence of Student’s Basic Sciences and Medical Internship in Tehran University of Medical Sciences in 2018. Med Ethics J 2020; 14(45): e22

Identification of the Crucial Regulatory Elements Modulating the Host Respiratory Response to SARS-CoV-2 Using Motif Detection, A Systems Biology Approach

Introduction: SARS-CoV-2, as a major threat to human health and economy, has brought in uncertain consequences in the early decade of the 21st century. Since no antiviral therapy or effective vaccine against SARS-CoV-2 is currently available, deciphering the possible mechanisms by which the host responds to the virus seems critical, as it may affect the scientific community around the world toward the development of novel therapeutics. Here, we identified the key regulatory molecules modulating the host response to SARS-CoV-2 that affected the transcriptional profiles of respiratory infections in vitro. Materials and Methods: We used the data recently published on the effect of SARS-CoV-2 on two lung cell lines. We selected the shared differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between the two cell lines. To find the key regulatory molecules, we used transcription factors-miRNA-gene interaction databases and analyzed the data using the FANMOD software to detect the crucial regulatory motifs. Cytoscape was then applied to construct the network. We used the KEGG pathway and Gene Ontology (GO) enrichment analysis to predict the probable intermediating biochemical pathways and biological processes. Results: Our data demonstrated that four triangle-shaped (3edge) feed-forward loop motifs (FFLs) played significant roles, and the integrated FFLs subnetwork was constructed. STAT1, IRF9, IRF7, and PRK12 were the genes shared among them. The most important biological processes relating to the effect of the new virus were linked to response to cytokine, innate immune response, and adaptive immune response. Besides, significantly enriched pathways associated with other different viral infections included the nuclear factor κ-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells (NF-kappa B) signaling pathway, the nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain-like (NOD-like) receptor signaling pathway, and the Jak-STAT signaling pathway. Conclusion: Most of the pathways were related to the cytokines storm that may contribute to different levels of lung injury. These regulatory motifs shed light on the transcriptional signature of the respiratory cells and may be responsible for the development of COVID-19 or can also be used as a potential target for further drug therapies or vaccines