ABSTRACT
Safe and adaptable motion planning for autonomous vehicles remains an open problem in urban environments, where the variability of situations and behaviors may become intractable using rule-based approaches. This work proposes a use-case-independent motion planning algorithm that generates a set of possible trajectories and selects the best of them according to a merit function that combines longitudinal comfort, lateral comfort, safety and utility criteria. The system was tested in urban scenarios on simulated and real environments, and the results show that different driving styles can be achieved according to the priorities set in the merit function, always meeting safety and comfort parameters imposed by design.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: There is only limited information about the health effects of regular vaping. Research on the health status of people who used to smoke faces the challenge that previous smoking may have caused unknown health effects. Only studies of people who vape but have never smoked combustible cigarettes can enable the detection of harms attributable to vaping. Large prospective studies of well-characterized electronic cigarette users with and without a history of combustible cigarette smoking are warranted to establish the long-term effects of regular vaping on respiratory health. OBJECTIVE: We will conduct a global cross-sectional survey of individuals from 6 world regions. Respiratory symptoms will be assessed using a validated questionnaire-the Respiratory Symptom Experience Scale (RSES). Current vapers who are nonusers of other tobacco or nicotine products will be compared with matched controls who are nonusers of vapes and other tobacco or nicotine products. METHODS: This will be a multicountry, cross-sectional internet-based survey of 750 adults aged ≥18 years who satisfy the criteria for inclusion in either a cohort of people who exclusively vape and who are nonusers of other tobacco or nicotine products ("vapers cohort"; target N=500) or a cohort of nonvapers who are also nonusers of other tobacco or nicotine products ("controls cohort"; target N=250). The primary end point of the study is the RSES score. RSES scores of people in the "vapers cohort" will be compared with those of people in the "controls cohort." Additionally, the study will collect data to characterize patterns of vaping product use among the vapers cohort. Data collection will include information about the age initiation of using vape products, reasons for starting and continuing the use of vape products, specific types of products used, flavors and nicotine strengths of recently used products, as well as the frequency and intensity of product use in the past 30 days. RESULTS: Participant recruitment started in April 2023, and enrollment was completed by November 2023 with 748 participants. Results will be reported in 2024. CONCLUSIONS: This will be the first study providing key insights into respiratory health effects associated with using electronic cigarettes in people who vape with no established use of combustible cigarettes or other tobacco or nicotine products. INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT IDENTIFIER (IRRID): DERR1-10.2196/54236.
ABSTRACT
The purpose of this study was to estimate the heritability of obesity-related phenotypes and investigate the association of adiponectin gene polymorphisms +45T>G and +276G>T with these measures in Chinese twins. 1260 twin pairs were recruited from two cities through the Chinese National Twin Registry System from 2001 to 2005. Two SNPs at the adiponectin locus (+45T>G and +276G>T) were genotyped. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to estimate heritability and the best-fitting variance component model. The regular association among all twins was analysed with generalised estimating equations (GEE). Sib-transmission/disequilibrium test (TDT) within dizygotic (DZ) twin pairs discordant for their genotype was performed using SEM. Additive genetic, common and unique environmental (ACE) model-based heritability of body mass index (BMI) was 61%, while additive genetic and unique environmental (AE)-model-based heritability of waist circumference (WC) and waist-hip ratio (WHR) were 75% and 61%, respectively. There was no association of adiponectin gene +45T>G and +276G>T genotypes with obesity-related phenotypes in all twins or discordant DZ twins. Our twins data did not support that there was an association between adiponectin gene polymorphisms +45T>G and +276G>T and the obesity-related phenotypes. Further studies are required to better understand the role of adiponectin gene polymorphisms in obesity.