A Unified Multimodal Interface for the RELAX High-Payload Collaborative Robot.

This manuscript introduces a mobile cobot equipped with a custom-designed high payload arm called RELAX combined with a novel unified multimodal interface that facilitates Human-Robot Collaboration (HRC) tasks requiring high-level interaction forces on a real-world scale. The proposed multimodal framework is capable of combining physical interaction, Ultra Wide-Band (UWB) radio sensing, a Graphical User Interface (GUI), verbal control, and gesture interfaces, combining the benefits of all these different modalities and allowing humans to accurately and efficiently command the RELAX mobile cobot and collaborate with it. The effectiveness of the multimodal interface is evaluated in scenarios where the operator guides RELAX to reach designated locations in the environment while avoiding obstacles and performing high-payload transportation tasks, again in a collaborative fashion.

Molecular biomonitoring of a population of nurses handling antineoplastic drugs.

Many antineoplastic drugs have been found to have carcinogenic, mutagenic and teratogenic activity and so hospital personnel handling these substances are potentially exposed to health risk. Understanding this risk derived from protracted occupational exposure has great relevance even if the workers normally adopt individual and environmental protective measures. To address this question we have studied the presence of DNA and chromosome damage in a population of nurses employed in Italian oncology units and in matched controls.

[CoQ10 blood levels and erythrocyte concentration of GSH in ischemic heart patients during exercise test (effects of vitamin E)].

During exercise there is an increase of oxygen consumption with production of superoxide anion. Tocopherols and ubiquinones are intrinsic lipid components involved in antioxidant protection and also glutathione reduced is an important water soluble antioxidant. The authors take into consideration 28 patients with ischemic heart disease coming in a rehabilitation center.

Growth hormone, prolactin and cortisol nyctohemeral variations during naloxone-induced opiate receptor blockade in man.

To evaluate the role of endogenous opioid peptides in prolactin (Prl), growth hormone (GH) and cortisol neuroregulation, 50 mg of the opiate antagonist naloxone was infused over 24 h to 6 normal male volunteers. An additional naloxone dose (5 mg) was given iv as a bolus injection at 20.00 h.

Effects of acute intravenous administration of met-enkephalin in the rabbit: a computer analysis.

Intravenous administration of doses of Met-enkephalin ranging from 33.3 to 5000 micrograms/kg was followed by modifications in the EEG pattern in the rabbit. The changes were a prevalence of strongly synchronized EEG patterns, lasting about 90 min, in the absence of any behavioural sign of drowsiness.