Path planning research for mobile robots in dynamic environments

At present, due to the COVID-19, China's social and economic development has slowed down. Some life service e-commerce platforms have successively launched "contactless delivery" services, which can effectively curb the spread of the epidemic. Robot distribution is the current mainstream, but robots are different from people and need to have accurate program settings. Both path planning and obstacle avoidance are currently top issues. This requires the mobile robot to successfully arrive at the destination while minimizing the impact on the surrounding environment and pedestrians, and avoiding encroachment on the movement space of pedestrians. Therefore, the mobile robot needs to be able to actively avoid moving pedestrians in a dynamic environment, in addition to avoiding static obstacles, and safely and efficiently integrate into the pedestrian movement environment. In this paper, the path planning problem of unmanned delivery robot is studied, and the path of mobile robot in the crowd is determined by global planning and local planning, and the matlab simulation is used for verification. © The Authors. Published under a Creative Commons Attribution CC-BY 3.0 License.

Build an Agent-Based Model for COVID-19 Effect of Mitigation Policies

Non-Drug Intervention (NDI) is one of the important means to prevent and control the outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), and the implementation of this series of measures plays a key role in the development of the epidemic. The purpose of this paper is to study the impact of different mitigation measures on the situation of the COVID 19, and effectively respond to the prevention and control situation in the "post-epidemic era". The present work is based on the Susceptible-Exposed-Infectious-Remove-Susceptible (SEIRS) Model, and adapted the agent-based model (ABM) to construct the epidemic prevention and control model framework to simulate the COVID-19 epidemic from three aspects: social distance, personal protection, and bed resources. The experiment results show that the above NDI are effective mitigation measures for epidemic prevention and control, and can play a positive role in the recurrence of COVID-19, but a single measure cannot prevent the recurrence of infection peaks and curb the spread of the epidemic;When social distance and personal protection rules are out of control, bed resources will become an important guarantee for epidemic prevention and control. Although the spread of the epidemic cannot be curbed, it can slow down the recurrence of the peak of the epidemic;When people abide by social distance and personal protection rules, the pressure on bed resources will be eased. At the same time, under the interaction of the three measures, not only the death toll can be reduced, but the spread of the epidemic can also be effectively curbed. © 2022 ACM.

Using implementation science in youth mental health workforce development: Adapting to the COVID-19 pandemic in Australia

Aims: Globally, mental illness and substance use disorders are the leading cause of disability and disease burden for young people. Orygen is an Australian youth mental health organization with a mission to reduce the impact of mental ill-health on young people, families and society, and one of only a few known research and clinical centres with a dedicated Knowledge Translation division. This paper provides a case study of the workforce development team within Orygen Knowledge Translation, outlining how implementation science informs their work and how the division has adapted its model of service support in the face of COVID-19. Method(s): Process data on training and resources developed and delivered by the workforce development team at Orygen over the period 2017-2021 was collated and synthesized with team reflections about the adaptations made by team in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Results and Conclusion(s): Since 2017, the team has delivered training to more than 4000 youth mental health workers across Australia, on the topics of trauma, psychosis, mood and anxiety disorders, brief interventions, cognition and other areas of youth mental health. The COVID-19 pandemic generated abrupt and dramatic changes to the delivery of workforce and service development initiatives in Australia due to significant restrictions to travel and in-person events. It also placed major delivery demands on youth mental health services. The COVID-19 pandemic facilitated profound and rapid changes to service delivery and development in Australian youth mental health. Implementation science offers flexible models to support a changing system.

Optimizing mRNA vaccines and virusmediated CAR T-cell therapy for immuno-oncology: Synthetic tools for gene modification

With the success of mRNA vaccines during the COVID-19 pandemic and CAR T-cell therapies in clinical trials, there is growing opportunity for immunotherapies in the treatment of many types of cancers. Lentiviral vectors have proven effective at delivery of genetic material or gene editing technology for ex vivo processing, but the benefits and promise of Adeno-associated virus (AAV) and mRNA tools for in vivo immunotherapy have garnered recent interest. Here we describe complete synthetic solutions for immuno-oncology research programs using either mRNA-vaccines or virus-mediated cell and gene engineering. These solutions optimize workflows to minimize screening time while maximizing successful research results through: (1) Efficiency in lentiviral packaging with versatility in titer options for high-quality particles. (2) A highthroughput viral packaging process to enable rapid downstream screening. (3) Proprietary plasmid synthesis and preparation techniques to maintain ITR integrity through AAV packaging and improve gene delivery. (4) Rapid synthesis, in vitro transcription, and novel sequencing of mRNA constructs for complete characterization of critical components such as the polyA tail. The reported research demonstrates a streamlined approach that improves data quality through innovative synthesis and sequencing methodologies as compared to current standard practices.

Caesarean section in critically unwell peri-partum patients with COVID-19: A tertiary centre's experience

Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic has required clinical teams to function with an unprecedented amount of uncertainty, balancing complex risks and benefits in a highly fluid environment. This is especially the case when considering the delivery of a pregnant woman critically unwell with COVID-19. This is one maternal critical care team's reflections on establishing best practice and a shared mental model when undertaking a Caesarean section in critically unwell patients with COVID-19. Objective(s): We describe our experience of balancing the risks and streamlining the process of this high-risk intervention. Method(s): We used our standard clinical governance forums across four specialties (Obstetrics, Intensive care, Anaesthetics and Neonatology) to identify key challenges and learning points. We developed a working group to combine our learning and develop a shared mental model across the involved teams. Result(s): 1. The decision to deliver must be multidisciplinary involving Obstetrics, Intensive care, Anaesthetics, Neonatology and the patient according to their capacity to participate. The existing structure of twice daily ITU ward rounds could be leveraged as a 'pause' moment to consider the need for imminent delivery and review the risk-benefit balance of continued enhanced pharmacological thromboprophylaxis. 2. We identified a range of scenarios that our teams might be exposed to: 3. Perimortem Caesarean section 4. Critically unwell - unsafe to move to theatre 5. Critically unwell - safe to move to theatre 6. Recreating an obstetric theatre in the ICU Advantages Avoids moving a critically unstable patient, although our experience is increasing moving patients for ECMO. Some forms of maximal non-invasive therapy such as High Flow Nasal Oxygen may require interruption to move to theatre with resultant risk of harm or be difficult to continue in transport mode through a bulky ICU ventilator e.g. CPAP Disadvantages Significant logistics and coordination burden: multiple items of specialist equipment needing to be brought to the ICU. Human factors burden: performing a caesarean section in an unfamiliar environment is a significant increase in cognitive load for participating teams. Environmental factors: ICU side rooms may offer limited space vs the need to control the space if performed on an open unit. Delivering a Neonate into a COVID bubble. Conclusion(s): Developing a shared mental model across the key teams involved in delivering an emergency caesarean section in this cohort of critically unwell patients has enabled our group to own a common understanding of the key decisions and risks involved. We recommend a patient centred MDT decision making model, with a structure for regular reassessment by senior members of the teams involved. In most circumstances the human factors and logistical burden of recreating an operating theatre in the ICU outweighs the risk of transport to theatre. Pre-defined checklists and action cards mitigate the cognitive and logistical burden when multiple teams do perform an operative delivery in ICU. Action cards highlight key aspects of routine obstetric care to be replicated in the ICU environment.

Biodegradable Polyester Nanoparticle Vaccines Deliver Self-Amplifying mRNA in Mice at Low Doses

Delivery of self-amplifying mRNA (SAM) has high potential for infectious disease vaccination due to its self-adjuvanting and dose-sparing properties. Yet a challenge is the susceptibility of SAM to degradation and the need for SAM to reach the cytosol fully intact to enable self-amplification. Lipid nanoparticles are successfully deployed at incredible speed for mRNA vaccination, but aspects such as cold storage, manufacturing, efficiency of delivery, and the therapeutic window can benefit from further improvement. To investigate alternatives to lipid nanoparticles, a class of >200 biodegradable end-capped lipophilic poly(beta-amino ester)s (PBAEs) that enable efficient delivery of SAM in vitro and in vivo as assessed by measuring expression of SAM encoding reporter proteins is developed. The ability of these polymers to deliver SAM intramuscularly in mice is evaluated, and a polymer-based formulation that yields up to 37-fold higher intramuscular (IM) expression of SAM compared to injected naked SAM is identified. Using the same nanoparticle formulation to deliver a SAM encoding rabies virus glycoprotein, the vaccine elicits superior immunogenicity compared to naked SAM delivery, leading to seroconversion in mice at low RNA injection doses. These biodegradable nanomaterials may be useful in the development of next-generation RNA vaccines for infectious diseases.Copyright © 2023 The Authors. Advanced Therapeutics published by Wiley-VCH GmbH.

Diagnosing gestational diabetes during the Covid-19 pandemic using HbA1c rather than oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT)

The Royal College of Obstetrics and Gynaecology advocated replacing OGTT with HbA1c for gestational diabetes (GDM) screening for women with risk factors during the Covid-19 pandemic. HbA1c >=48mmol/mol/random plasma glucose (RPG) >=11.1mmol/l at booking indicated diabetes, and 41-47mmol/ mol/9-11mmol/ l prediabetes or possible GDM. Testing was repeated at 26 weeks if normal previously, with HbA1c >=39mmol/mol, fasting PG >=5.6mmol/l, or RPG >=9mmol/l diagnostic for GDM. A) At her clinic booking visit at 10 weeks gestation, 36 year-old South Asian female had HbA1c 55mmol/mol/RPG 9.5mmol/l suggesting undiagnosed type 2 diabetes. Initially managed with dietary advice and home blood glucose monitoring, metformin was added when self-monitored glucose above pregnancy targets (fasting and pre-meal <5.3mmol/l or 1 h post meal <7.8mmol/l) but insulin was required later. Metformin and insulin were stopped after delivery at 38 weeks with HbA1c 50mmol/mol three months postpartum, supporting the earlier diagnosis of type 2 diabetes. B) 32 year-old White Caucasian female was screened for GDM on booking at 11 weeks as BMI 38 kg/m2. HbA1c 44mmol/mol and RPG 6.9mmol/l confirmed GDM which was managed by dietary/lifestyle changes with glucose and pregnancy targets achieved until 28 weeks when metformin added. Normal delivery at 40 weeks with HbA1c 40mmol/mol three months postpartum triggered advice on long-term dietary/lifestyle changes and annual HbA1c checks. HbA1c was useful during the pandemic but most centres reverted to OGTT for GDM screening due to a significant fall in diagnoses using HbA1c >=39mmol/mol at 26 weeks. But, HbA1c testing was advantageous at booking to diagnose type 2 diabetes earlier.

Does COVID-19 change consumers' involvement in e-commerce last-mile delivery? An investigation on behavioural change, maintenance and habit formation

The COVID-19 pandemic accelerates e-commerce adoption, which naturally induces an expedited acceptance of innovative last-mile deliveries. Focusing on self-collection via parcel lockers technology, this study investigates consumers' behavioural change, maintenance and habit formation related to e-commerce deliveries in response to the pandemic. We use a survey instrument for data collection (n = 500) and structural equation modelling for data analysis. Anchored on the risk–attitude–norm–ability–self-regulation (RANAS) framework, this study found that risk, attitude, norm, ability and self-regulation factors related to using the contactless shopping-delivery channel lead to the formation of self-collection habits, and that the formation process is fully mediated by consumers' maintenance motivation to use the channel. Furthermore, consumers' online shopping habit partially mediates the relationship between the maintenance motivation and self-collection habit formation. Consumers who were already frequent online shoppers before the pandemic are less likely to pick up self-collection as a habit during the pandemic. Additionally, model comparisons are conducted which reveal the differentiated habit formation processes. The findings contribute to a theoretical understanding of the formation of delivery habit as driven by the pandemic. Practical implications are also created which guide logistics and e-commerce operators' interactions with consumers in the post-pandemic period.

Four Legged Parallel Manipulator for Autonomous Delivery Robot

The COVID-19 outbreak has been designated a pandemic and is spreading quickly around the world. The industries most impacted by COVID-19, which has proved a barrier to every major business, were the e-commerce businesses that use door-to-door delivery methods. It's critical to have an unmanned strategy that can be applied to diverse sites during this key time. Although the driverless vehicle is not a novel idea, problems can occur when these systems run into the uneven pavement or unexpected obstacles. The methods for ensuring the stability of the commodities delivered by autonomous robots are discussed in this research. This mechanism guards against product damage. Additionally, a motor that stabilizes a robot's product compartment uses a gyroscope sensor to detect angular rotation and axial movement and preserve the orientation of a quadrupedal leg. In order to conduct trials that mimic problems in the real world, rectify errors, and offer solutions, a prototype model of a robot's stability platform has been created. This type of technological advancement will aid us in future efforts to combat global catastrophes. © 2023 IEEE.

How to find undetected cases of dementia in care homes: A new approach to dementia diagnosis using a diagnostic tool with five criteria to check and specialist nurses going into care homes and assessing residents could improve detection rates

The pandemic took its toll on memory clinics with many forced to close or scale back their services. This led to lengthening waits for dementia assessment and left many without a diagnosis.

The self-efficacy of counselors providing telemental health services during the Covid-19 pandemic

Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, counselors have had to adapt and evolve to meet the needs of clients and the growing need for mental health services. In addition to a lack of experience providing telemental health (TMH) services, many counselors had received little or no TMH training or continuing education prior to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Counselor self-efficacy (CSE) may be an important factor in determining how counselors have been impacted by the increase in provision of TMH services, and the areas where they are needing more support. The purpose of this quantitative study was to explore how the amount TMH training and continuing education received, the amount of time spent providing TMH services, and the amount of time spent providing counseling services predict CSE. Participants (n=84) completed an online survey containing items from the Counseling Self-Estimate Inventory (COSE). Results of a bivariate regression and one-way ANOVA indicated that TMH training and continuing education did not predict CSE;however, differences between groups revealed an interesting phenomenon which prompted further discussion. Results also showed that both the amount of time spent providing TMH services and the amount of time spent providing counseling services predicted CSE. Counselors and counselor educators can use results from this study to advocate for more resources and support for counseling students and counselors who are providing TMH services. Furthermore, results from this study indicate a need for more research on CSE and TMH to improve counselor education and support. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)

Getting Proactive with Pharma Packaging

According to market research, the pharmaceutical packaging sector is expected to grow at a compound annual rate of 7.4% between 2022 and 2031, reaching an estimated USS178.8 billion (€171.8 billion) by the end of the forecast period (1). "Pharmaceutical waste continues to be a huge problem, so to eliminate non-biodegradable and single-use plastics from the supply chain, more research is taking place around bio-based PET [polyethylene terephthalate]. "By designing a product's primary and secondary packaging well from the outset (including investing ample resources into the process), manufacturers can reduce the amount of materials used and wasted, test new eco materials, ensure safety compliance and efficacy, and benefit from cheaper transportation costs," Quelch surmises. [...]pharma companies can benefit from a packaging supplier with a true global footprint," he says.

Connecting the Dots for Pharma

A major driver for innovation within the bio/pharma sector has been the COVID-19 pandemic, which propelled advances such as the approval of messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccines at record-breaking speeds and led to many companies pivoting to deal with the urgent requirements for capacity and supply chain flexibility needed to overcome pandemic challenges. "Before deciding on a location, we conducted extensive market research, and it quickly became clear, just by the sheer proximity of so many biopharmaceutical companies, associations, and research centres, that the event had to be in Geneva. Organized as four half-days, they will each address a theme related to the four main areas of the supply chain present in the exhibition area: pharmaceutical packaging (primary and secondary), medical devices, pharmaceutical sub-contracting, and pharmaceutical equipment. The dream scenario, the real measure of success, is when a product comes to market that happened as a result of a meeting or discussion that took place at our event.

Best practices for building faculty presence and student engagement

At first, the pandemic caught the world off-guard, and then the rate of change to innovate did not give many the time needed to adapt. With physical distance added to the equation of the new normal, higher education might never look the same again. For many of us, this means teaching through a new medium, higher dependence on technology, delivering live lectures to students who hide behind turned-off cameras, decreased participation, and higher performance anxiety. The new normal makes us wonder how to lead our students during these unprecedented times;how to create an active faculty presence in the courses that we teach remotely or online;and how to build student engagement without adding to the performance anxiety. This chapter aims to answer all these questions considering the practices that have repeatedly helped me establish my presence and outstanding student engagement during these unprecedented times of COVID-19. These involve the use of audio visual tools, breakout rooms, short lectures, content update, classroom games, social media and faculty branding. © Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2021. All rights reserved.

Chemical synthesis of super messenger RNA medicine.

Messenger RNAmRNAmedicine was urgently approved in 2020 as a vaccine for COVID-19 . However, current mRNA therapeutics are not fully established, with challenges remaining in translation efficiency and drug delivery system. Therefore, further research is needed to adapt mRNA therapeutics to other diseases. Furthermore, the preparation of mRNA drugs is time-consuming and costly because of the biological methods used. Our laboratory has been working on chemical methods to solve these issues. In this paper, we introduce chemical modifications and novel capping reactions as a method to improve the translation efficiency of mRNA and the introduction of disulfide modification to oligonucleotide therapeutics as an effort on the drug delivery system.Copyright © 2023, Japan Society of Drug Delivery System. All rights reserved.

Faktory ovplyvňujúce duševné zdravie sestier v období pandémie covidu-19

Súhrn Úvod: Zdravotnícki pracovníci, predovšetkým sestry, môžu byť v exponovanom období počas pandémie covidu-19 vystavení zvýšenej psychickej záťaži. Cieľ: Zistiť, aký je dopad zvýšených nárokov na poskytovanie zdravotnej starostlivosti spojený s koronakrízou, na úroveň psychickej záťaže a kvality života sestier na rôznych pracoviskách. Metodika: Prierezová, prieskumná štúdia merania duševného zdravia u 504 sestier. Bol použitý štandardizovaný dotazník SF-36 a Meisterov dotazník miery neuropsychickej záťaže. Výsledky: Škála preťaženia a monotónnosti významne (p < 0,05) a negatívne (r < 0) koreluje s kvalitou života v každej z domén. Celková záťaž významne (p < 0,05) a negatívne (r < 0) koreluje s kvalitou života v každej z domén. Vek respondentov významne (p < 0,05) a pozitívne (r > 0) koreluje s kvalitou života v doménach vitalita, mentálne zdravie a duševné zdravie a negatívne (r < 0) koreluje s kvalitou života v oblastiach fyzické fungovanie, telesná bolesť, celkové vnímanie zdravia a celkové fyzické zdravie. Záťaž signifikantne lepšie zvládali muži. Signifikantne vyššia bola v skupine respondentov pracujúcich na jednotkách intenzívnej starostlivosti a v primárnej zdravotnej starostlivosti. Záver: Zvýšené nároky na poskytovanie zdravotnej starostlivosti spojené s koronakrízou negatívne pôsobili na úroveň psychickej záťaže a kvalitu života sestier. Horšie výsledky boli zaznamenané u sestier pracujúcich na jednotkách intenzívnej starostlivosti a v primárnej zdravotnej starostlivosti.Alternate :Introduction: Health care workers, especially nurses, may be exposed to increased psychological stress during the COVID-19 pandemic. Objective: To determine how the increased demands on health care delivery associated with the coronavirus crisis affect the level of psychological stress and quality of life of nurses in different workplaces. Methods: A cross-sectional exploratory study of mental health in 504 nurses. The standardized SF-36 questionnaire and Meister's questionnaire for neuropsychological strain were used. Results: The overload and monotony scales are significantly (p < 0.05) and negatively (r < 0) correlated with quality of life in each of the domains. The total load is significantly (p < 0.05) and negatively (r < 0) correlated with quality of life in each of the domains. The age of respondents is significantly (p < 0.05) and positively (r < 0) correlated with quality of life in the domains of Vitality, Mental Health, and Mental Component Summary, and negatively (r > 0) correlated with quality of life in the domains of Physical Functioning, Bodily Pain, General Health, and Physical Component Summary. Men handled the stress significantly better. Stress levels were significantly higher in the group of respondents working in intensive care units and in primary care. Conclusions: The increased demands on health care delivery associated with the coronavirus crisis had a negative impact on the level of psychological load and the quality of life of nurses. Worse results were found in nurses working in intensive care units and in primary care.

New care settings and innovation will usher diagnostic testing into the future

The article focuses on the future of diagnostic testing in healthcare, highlighting the importance of testing in tracking and treating diseases like COVID-19. It discusses the advancements in diagnostic technology, including combination tests for multiple respiratory diseases and the rise of at-home testing, which will increase access to testing and empower patients to manage their health.

COVID-19 and the internet: Lessons learned

The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted the 'real' world and substantially impacted the virtual world and thus the Internet ecosystem. It has caused a significant exogenous shock that offers a wealth of natural experiments and produced new data about broadband, clouds, and the Internet in times of crisis. In this chapter, we characterise and evaluate the evolving impact of the global COVID-19 crisis on traffic patterns and loads and the impact of those on Internet performance from multiple perspectives. While we place a particular focus on deriving insights into how we can better respond to crises and better plan for the post-COVID-19 'new normal', we analyse the impact on and the responses by different actors of the Internet ecosystem across different jurisdictions. With a focus on the USA and Europe, we examine the responses of both public and private actors, with the latter including content and cloud providers, content delivery networks, and Internet service providers (ISPs). This chapter makes two contributions: first, we derive lessons learned for a future post-COVID-19 world to inform non-networking spheres and policy-making;second, the insights gained assist the networking community in better planning for the future. © 2023 the authors.

Mechanism of interferon induction by cannabidiol (CBD) and analogues in lung cancer cells

CBD, an FDA approved drug for epilepsy, may have therapeutic potential for other diseases and is currently being tested for efficacy in cancer-related clinical trials. As the literature about CBD, especially in vitro reports, is often contradictory, increasing our understanding of its specific action on a molecular level will allow to determine whether CBD can become a useful therapy or exacerbates specific cancers in a context-dependent manner. Due to its relative lipophilicity, CBD is challenging to dispense at therapeutic concentrations;therefore, one goal is to identify cannabinoid congeners with greater efficacy and reduced drug delivery challenges. We recently showed that CBD activates interferons as a mechanism of inhibiting SARS-CoV-2 replication in lung carcinoma cells. As factors produced by the innate immune system, interferons have been implicated in both pro-survival and growth arrest and apoptosis signaling in cancer. Here we show that CBD induces interferon production and interferon stimulated genes (ISGs) through a mechanism involving NRF2 and MAVS in lung carcinoma cells. We also show that CBDV, which differs from CBD by 2 fewer aliphatic tail carbons, has limited potency, suggesting that CBD specifically interacts with one or more cellular proteins rather than having a non-specific effect. We also identified other CBD-related cannabinoids that are more effective at inducing ISGs. Taken together, these results characterize a novel mechanism by which CBD activates the innate immune system in lung cancer cells and identify related cannabinoids that have possible therapeutic potential in cancer treatment.