How can humans understand their automated cars? HMI principles, problems and solutions

As long as vehicles do not provide full automation, the design and function of the Human Machine Interface (HMI) is crucial for ensuring that the human “driver” and the vehicle-based automated systems collaborate in a safe manner. When the driver is decoupled from active control, the design of the HMI becomes even more critical. Without mutual understanding, the two agents (human and vehicle) will fail to accurately comprehend each other’s intentions and actions. This paper proposes a set of design principles for in-vehicle HMI and reviews some current HMI designs in the light of those principles. We argue that in many respects, the current designs fall short of best practice and have the potential to confuse the driver. This can lead to a mismatch between the operation of the automation in the light of the current external situation and the driver’s awareness of how well the automation is currently handling that situation. A model to illustrate how the various principles are interrelated is proposed. Finally, recommendations are made on how, building on each principle, HMI design solutions can be adopted to address these challenges

1H-NMR-Based Metabolic Profiling of Maternal and Umbilical Cord Blood Indicates Altered Materno-Foetal Nutrient Exchange in Preterm Infants

Background: Adequate foetal growth is primarily determined by nutrient availability, which is dependent on placental nutrient transport and foetal metabolism. We have used 1H nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy to probe the metabolic adaptations associated with premature birth. Methodology: The metabolic profile in 1H NMR spectra of plasma taken immediately after birth from umbilical vein, umbilical artery and maternal blood were recorded for mothers delivering very-low-birth-weight (VLBW) or normo-ponderal full-term (FT) neonates. Principal Findings: Clear distinctions between maternal and cord plasma of all samples were observed by principal component analysis (PCA). Levels of amino acids, glucose, and albumin-lysyl in cord plasma exceeded those in maternal plasma, whereas lipoproteins (notably low-density lipoprotein (LDL) and very low-density lipoprotein (VLDL) and lipid levels were lower in cord plasma from both VLBW and FT neonates. The metabolic signature of mothers delivering VLBW infants included decreased levels of acetate and increased levels of lipids, pyruvate, glutamine, valine and threonine. Decreased levels of lipoproteins glucose, pyruvate and albumin-lysyl and increased levels of glutamine were characteristic of cord blood (both arterial and venous) from VLBW infants, along with a decrease in levels of several amino acids in arterial cord blood. Conclusion: These results show that, because of its characteristics and simple non-invasive mode of collection, cord plasma is particularly suited for metabolomic analysis even in VLBW infants and provides new insights into the materno-foetal nutrient exchange in preterm infants

The many facets of the matricelluar protein periostin during cardiac development, remodeling, and pathophysiology

Periostin is a member of a growing family of matricellular proteins, defined by their ability to interact with components of the extracellular milieu, and with receptors at the cell surface. Through these interactions, periostin has been shown to play a crucial role as a profibrogenic molecule during tissue morphogenesis. Tissues destined to become fibrous structures are dependent on cooperative interactions between periostin and its binding partners, whereas in its absence, these structures either totally or partially fail to become mature fibrous entities. Within the heart, fibrogenic differentiation is required for normal tissue maturation, remodeling and function, as well as in response to a pathological myocardial insult. In this review, aspects related to the function of periostin during cardiac morphogenesis, remodeling and pathology are summarized

Urinary erythropoietin concentrations after early short-term infusion of high-dose recombinant epo for neuroprotection in preterm neonates

BACKGROUND: High-dose recombinant human erythropoietin (rEpo) has first been administered in clinical trials for neuroprotection in very preterm neonates at high risk of brain injury and in (near-) term neonates with hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy. However, recent trials in adults raised concerns about the safety of high-dose rEpo for neuro- and cardioprotection. OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the putative accumulation or renal leakage of Epo as a function of developmental stage after repetitive early short-term infusion of high-dose rEpo (3 × 3,000 U/kg within 42 h after birth; NCT00413946) for neuroprotection in very preterm infants. METHODS: Epo concentrations were measured using the ELISA technique in the first two consecutive urine specimens after each rEpo infusion. RESULTS: Renal Epo excretion was significantly higher in preterm infants with gestational ages <29 weeks than in more mature infants and reached up to 23% of the administered rEpo within 8 h after each infusion. The urinary Epo concentration did not increase after three repetitive infusions of high-dose rEpo. The ratio of urinary Epo to total protein concentrations was the same in infants with gestational ages <29 weeks and in those with gestational ages ≥29 weeks. CONCLUSIONS: Our data suggest that the higher renal Epo excretion in more immature infants may be attributed to a higher glomerular filtration leakage due to the lower maturation of the kidneys and argue against saturation kinetics after multiple doses of 3,000 U/kg rEpo. This information should be considered in future trials on the use of rEpo for neuroprotection in neonates

Protective effect of perindoprilat in the hypoxemia-induced renal dysfunction in the newborn rabbit.

The renal effects of acute hypoxemia and the ability of perindoprilat, a potent angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor, to prevent these effects were assessed in 31 anesthetized and mechanically ventilated newborn (5 to 8 d of age) rabbits. Renal blood flow (RBF) and GFR were determined by the clearances of para-aminohippuric acid and inulin, respectively. Each animal acted as its own control. In eight normoxemic rabbits (group 1), the i.v. infusion of saline did not change renal and hemodynamic functions. In eight additional rabbits, acute hypoxemia (PaO2= 40 mm Hg) induced a significant decrease in mean blood pressure (-8+/-2%), RBF (-36+/-3%), and GFR (-31+/-3%) and an increase in renal vascular resistance (+50+/-12%). A third group of newborn animals (n=7) was used to determine the renal effects of perindoprilat administration (20 microg/kg) under normoxemic conditions. RBF significantly increased (+15+/-2%) and renal vascular resistance significantly decreased (-15+/-3%), whereas GFR, mean blood pressure, and filtration fraction did not change significantly. In group 4 (n=7), perindoprilat infusion completely prevented the hypoxemia-induced alterations in GFR and renal vascular resistance and partially prevented the fall in RBF. These results demonstrate that angiotensin II modulates the renal immature microcirculation and that inhibition of its formation effectively prevents the hypoxemia-induced decrease in GFR