Command and Control Systems for Search and Rescue Robots

The novel application of unmanned systems in the domain of humanitarian Search and Rescue (SAR) operations has created a need to develop specific multi-Robot Command and Control (RC2) systems. This societal application of robotics requires human-robot interfaces for controlling a large fleet of heterogeneous robots deployed in multiple domains of operation (ground, aerial and marine). This chapter provides an overview of the Command, Control and Intelligence (C2I) system developed within the scope of Integrated Components for Assisted Rescue and Unmanned Search operations (ICARUS). The life cycle of the system begins with a description of use cases and the deployment scenarios in collaboration with SAR teams as end-users. This is followed by an illustration of the system design and architecture, core technologies used in implementing the C2I, iterative integration phases with field deployments for evaluating and improving the system. The main subcomponents consist of a central Mission Planning and Coordination System (MPCS), field Robot Command and Control (RC2) subsystems with a portable force-feedback exoskeleton interface for robot arm tele-manipulation and field mobile devices. The distribution of these C2I subsystems with their communication links for unmanned SAR operations is described in detail. Field demonstrations of the C2I system with SAR personnel assisted by unmanned systems provide an outlook for implementing such systems into mainstream SAR operations in the future

Effects of green tea supplementation on elements, total antioxidants, lipids, and glucose values in the serum of obese patients

Abstract The consumption of green tea has been associated with cardiovascular and metabolic diseases. There have been some studies on the influence of green tea on the mineral status of obese subjects, but they have not yielded conclusive results. The aim of the present study is to examine the effects of green tea extract on the mineral, body mass, lipid profile, glucose, and antioxidant status of obese patients. A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study was conducted. Forty-six obese patients were randomly assigned to receive either 379 mg of green tea extract, or a placebo, daily for 3 months. At baseline, and after 3 months of treatment, the anthropometric parameters, blood pressure, and total antioxidant status were assessed, as were the levels of plasma lipids, glucose, calcium, magnesium, iron, zinc, and copper. We found that 3 months of green tea extract supplementation resulted in decreases in body mass index, waist circumference, and levels of total cholesterol, lowdensity cholesterol, and triglyceride. Increases in total antioxidant level and in zinc concentration in serum were also observed. Glucose and iron levels were lower in the green tea extract group than in the control, although HDLcholesterol and magnesium were higher in the green tea extract group than in the placebo group. At baseline, a positive correlation was found between calcium and body mass index, as was a negative correlation between copper and triglycerides. After 3 months, a positive correlation between iron and body mass index and between magnesium and HDL-cholesterol, as well as a negative correlation between magnesium and glucose, were observed. The present findings demonstrate that green tea influences the body's mineral status. Moreover, the results of this study confirm the beneficial effects of green tea extract supplementation on body mass index, lipid profile, and total antioxidant status in patients with obesity

Signatures of miR-181a on renal transcriptome and blood pressure.

MicroRNA-181a binds to the 3’ untranslated region of messenger RNA (mRNA) for renin, a rate-limiting enzyme of the renin-angiotensin system. Our objective was to determine whether this molecular interaction translates into a clinically meaningful effect on blood pressure and whether circulating miR-181a is a measurable proxy of blood pressure. In 200 human kidneys from the TRANScriptome of renaL humAn TissuE (TRANSLATE) study, renal miR-181a was the sole negative predictor of renin mRNA and a strong correlate of circulating miR-181a. Elevated miR-181a levels correlated positively with systolic and diastolic blood pressure in TRANSLATE, and this association was independent of circulating renin. The association between serum miR-181a and systolic blood pressure was replicated in 199 subjects from the Genetic Regulation of Arterial Pressure of Humans In the Community (GRAPHIC) study. Renal immunohistochemistry and in situ hybridization showed that colocalization of miR-181a and renin was most prominent in collecting ducts where renin is not released into the systemic circulation. Analysis of 69 human kidneys characterized by RNA sequencing revealed that miR-181a was associated with downregulation of four mitochondrial pathways and upregulation of 41 signaling cascades of adaptive immunity and inflammation. We conclude that renal miR-181a has pleiotropic effects on pathways relevant to blood pressure regulation and that circulating levels of miR-181a are both a measurable proxy of renal miR-181a expression and a novel biochemical correlate of blood pressure

Renal expression of Urotensin-II pathway genes.

<p>Upper panel - linear correlations in renal expression (dCT) of UTS2, UTS2D, and UTS2R (r – correlation coefficient, p – level of statistical significance). Lower panel - comparison of UTS2, UTS2D and UTSR expression between normotensive (bright grey) and hypertensive (dark grey) kidneys (p-values from multiple regression adjusted for age, sex and cohort of origin).</p

Clinical characteristics of populations.

<p>Data are arithmetic means ± standard deviations or percentages and counts, where appropriate, GRAPHIC – Genetic Regulation of Arterial Pressure of Humans in the Community, SHS – Silesian Hypertension Study, SCS – Silesian Cardiovascular Study, YMCA – Young Men Cardiovascular Association study, SRTB – Silesian Renal Tissue Bank, WPKP – Western Poland Kidney Project, BMI – body mass index, eGFR – estimated glomerular filtration rate, SBP – systolic blood pressure, DBP – diastolic blood pressure.</p

Urotensin-II pathway genes and hypertension.

<p>Figure present structure of UTS2, UTS2D and UTS2R genes - linkage disequilibrium (LD) map based on r² coefficients [intensity of colour: r² = 1 – maximal LD (dark red), r² = 0 – no LD (white)] in the GRPAHIC Study.</p

Blood pressure and estimated glomerular filtration rate – heritability analysis.

<p>h² – narrow sense heritability, SE – standard error, P-value – level of statistical significance, GRAPHIC – Genetic Regulation of Arterial Pressure of Humans in the Community, SCS – Silesian Cardiovascular Study, eGFR – estimated glomerular filtration rate, SBP – systolic blood pressure, DBP - diastolic blood pressure.</p

Association between eGFR and minor allele of rs531485 in urotensin-II gene – fixed effect inverse variance meta-analysis in the replication resource.

<p>SCS – Silesian Cardiovascular Study, SHS – Silesian Hypertension Study, YMCA – Young Men Cardiovascular Association Study, informative subjects – number of subjects with available genotypic and phenotypic data, β – estimated effect size, SE – standard error of the estimate, P-value – level of statistical significance, P-value* - level of the statistical significance in the χ² test of heterogeneity.</p