RESUMEN
A swarm of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) can be used for many applications, including disaster relief, search and rescue, and establishing communication networks, due to its mobility, scalability, and robustness to failure. However, a UAV swarm's performance is typically limited by each agent's stored energy. Recent works have considered the usage of thermals, or vertical updrafts of warm air, to address this issue. One challenge lies in a swarm of UAVs detecting and taking advantage of these thermals. Inspired by hawks, a swarm could take advantage of thermals better than individuals due to the swarm's distributed sensing abilities. To determine which emergent behaviors increase survival time, simulation software was created to test the behavioral models of UAV gliders around thermals. For simplicity and robustness, agents operate with limited information about other agents. The UAVs' motion was implemented as a Boids model, replicating the behavior of flocking birds through cohesion, separation, and alignment forces. Agents equipped with a modified behavioral model exhibit dynamic flocking behavior, including relative ascension-based cohesion and relative height-based separation and alignment. The simulation results show the agents flocking to thermals and improving swarm survival. These findings present a promising method to extend the flight time of autonomous UAV swarms.
RESUMEN
Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a life-threatening progressive lung disorder with limited therapeutic options. While interleukin-10 (IL-10) is a potent anti-inflammatory and anti-fibrotic cytokine, its utility in treating lung fibrosis has been limited by its short half-life. We describe an innovative hydrogel-based approach to deliver recombinant IL-10 to the lung for the prevention and reversal of pulmonary fibrosis in a mouse model of bleomycin-induced lung injury. Our studies show that a hyaluronan and heparin-based hydrogel system locally delivers IL-10 by capitalizing on the ability of heparin to reversibly bind IL-10 without bleeding or other complications. This formulation is significantly more effective than soluble IL-10 for both preventing and reducing collagen deposition in the lung parenchyma after 7 days of intratracheal administration. The anti-fibrotic effect of IL-10 in this system is dependent on suppression of TGF-ß driven collagen production by lung fibroblasts and myofibroblasts. We conclude that hydrogel-based delivery of IL-10 to the lung is a promising therapy for fibrotic lung disorders.
