Validation of Low-Cost Driving Simulator Based on Continuous Speed Profiles

[EN] The number of road safety studies that are based on driving simulators is growing significantly. The Polytechnic University of Valencia, Spain, developed a low-cost driving simulator for the assessment, training, and rehabilitation of drivers (SE2RCO). The main objective of this research was the validation of the driving simulator so that studies about road safety and highway geometric design that considered human factors could be performed. The validation was based on continuous speed profiles collected from 28 volunteers on a 30-km-long, two-lane rural road section. The same volunteers drove through the same road section built in SE2RCO. Speed data of 79 curves and 52 tangents were selected for the analysis. Comparison of the real and simulated speeds ensured the simulator's objective validity according to average and operating speeds. Two models were developed to predict field speeds from simulated speeds. Results showed that a simulated average speed lower than approximately 90 km/h was linked to a similar real average speed. For higher simulated speeds, the average speed in the real environment was lower than the simulated one. In addition, the actual operating speed was around 5 km/h lower than the operating speed in the driving simulator. Most volunteers assessed the quality and similarity of the virtual environment compared with the real world as medium or high and assessed the driving tasks similarly, thus achieving subjective validation of the simulator.The authors thank the Polytechnic University of Valencia, which subsidized the research project CONSIM-Desarrollo de un Modelo para la Evaluacion de la Consistencia del Diseno Geometric de Carreteras Convencionales Mediante Simuladores de Conduccion. The study presented here was also part of the research project titled CASEFU-Estudio Experimental de la Funcionalidad y Seguridad de las Carreteras Convencionales, which was subsidized by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness and the European Social Fund.Llopis-Castelló, D.; Camacho Torregrosa, FJ.; Marín-Morales, J.; Pérez Zuriaga, AM.; García García, A.; Dols Ruiz, JF. (2016). Validation of Low-Cost Driving Simulator Based on Continuous Speed Profiles. Transportation Research Record Journal of the Transportation Research Board. 2602:104-114. https://doi.org/10.3141/2602-13S104114260

Measles among healthcare workers in Italy. Is it time to act?

Vaccination of healthcare workers (HCWs) against measles is strongly recommended in Europe. In this study, we examined the impact of measles on Italian HCWs by systematically and quantitatively analyzing measles cases involving HCWs over time and by identifying the epidemiological characteristics of the respective measles outbreaks. We retrieved data on measles cases from the Italian national integrated measles and rubella surveillance system from January 2013 to May 2019. Additionally, we performed a systematic review of the literature and an analysis of the measles and rubella aggregate outbreaks reporting forms from 2014 to 2018. Our review suggests that preventing measles infection among HCWs in disease outbreaks may be crucial for the elimination of measles in Italy. National policies aiming to increase HCW immunization rates are fundamental to the protection of HCWs and patients, will limit the economic impact of outbreaks on the institutions affected and will help achieve the elimination goal

Risultati di un test RFLP su ceppi vaccinali di Canine Distemper Virus in Italia

Canine Distemper (CD) is a highly contagious and multisystemic viral disease of domestic and wild carnivores. A published Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism (RFLP) test, based on the presence of a PsiI cleavage site on hemagglutinin (H) gene, allows a rapid differentiation of all currently used vaccine strains by virulent field strains. The present study describes the results of this test carried out on different CD vaccines available in Italy in 2010. RFLP has also revealed that the CD strain present in the Vanguard (Pfizer Animal Health) vaccine reacts as a wild-type strain. Moreover, genetic analysis of H gene sequence has showed that Vanguard vaccine strain does not cluster in the group of vaccine strains (America-1), as expected based on the product description provided by the manufacturer, but it is more closely related to wild-type strains of the America-2 group. However, this protocol shows significant advantages to identify CD wild-type strains

Functional assessment of cancer therapy questionnaire for breast cancer (FACT-B+4): Italian version validation

BACKGROUND: Improvements in breast cancer diagnosis and treatment led to an increased incidence of survivors' rate. The healthcare system has to face new problems related not only to the treatment of the disease, but also to the management of the quality of life after the diagnosis. The aim of this study was to validate the Italian version of the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy - Breast (FACT-B+4) questionnaire and to evaluate its reliability. METHODS: The questionnaire was administered twice, with an interval of three days between each administration, to a cohort of women of the Breast Surgical Unit, PoliclincoUmberto I. Cronbach's alpha was used as a measure of the internal consistency of the Italian version. RESULTS: The Italian version of the tool was administered to 55 subjects. The Cronbach's alpha for most scores registered values >0.7, both at baseline and at the follow-up analysis, therefore the subscale showed good internal consistency. CONCLUSIONS: The Italian version of FACT-B+4 demonstrated acceptable reliability properties in the Breast Unit patients. The use of this questionnaire seemed to be effective and in line with the results derived from the English and Spanishversions. Internal consistency and validity had similar performance results

Letter to the editor: Measles outbreak linked to an international dog show in Slovenia - primary cases and chains of transmission identified in Italy, November to December 2014

In the letter epidemiological and virological investigations on Italian measles cases associated to a measles outbreak in Slovenia, linked to an international dog show from 8 to 9 November 2014, are described

Mediterranean developed coasts: what future for the foredune restoration?

The feasibility and efficacy of soft engineering foredune restoration approaches still lack insight from research and monitoring activities, especially in areas where dunes are under persisting human disturbance. We evaluated the efficacy of Mediterranean foredune restoration in dune areas freely accessible to tourists. Foredunes were reconstructed using only sand already available at nearby places and consolidated through the plantation of seedlings of native ecosystem engineer species and foredune focal species. We monitored transplanted and spontaneous seedlings for one year to assess their mortality and growth in relation to the distance from the closest beach access, either formal or informal, as proxy of human disturbance.We also tested whether species differing in their ecology (i.e., affinity to a given habitat) and growth form showed different response to human disturbance. The relationship between seedling mortality and growth and the distance from the closest beach access was tested through Generalized Linear Mixed Models. We found a clear spatial pattern of seedling survival and growth, which decreased as the proximity to the closest beach access increased. Only invasive alien plants and erect leafy species showed to better perform at lower distances from beach accesses. In dune areas with a strong tourist vocation, foredune restoration should be coupled with the implementation of integrated management plans aiming at optimising the relationship between protection and use. Management plans should not only rely on passive conservation measures; rather they should include educational activities to stimulate a pro-environmental behaviour, increase the acceptance of behaviour rules and no entry zones, and actively engage stakeholders in long-term conservation

Analisis Pengaruh Good Corporate Governance Index dan Rating Obligasi terhadap Investment Opportunity dan Struktur Modal Perusahaan (Studi pada Perusahaan Peserta CGPI Tahun 2009-2012 yang Terdaftar di BEI)

This study aimed to determine the direct and indirect effect of good corporate governance, bond rating with the investment opportunity and the capital structure on the companies participating in CGPI listed on Indonesian Stock Exchange 2009-2012. Purpose sampling method used to get our sample. Then, the analytical method used is path analysis in accordance with the purpose of research which analyzes the influence of independent variables on the dependent variable. The result shows that: (1) Good Corporate Governance Index and Bond Rating have a positive direct effect but not significant to the Investment Opportunity, (2) Corporate Governance Index has a positive direct effect but not significant to the Capital Structure, (3) Bond Rating have a negative direct effect and not significant to the capital structure, (4) Investment Opportunity have a negative indirectly effect and significant to the capital structure, (5) Good Corporate Governance Index and Bond Rating does not have an indirect effect to the Capital Structure through Investment Opportunity

A flexible and portable harvesting-storage device by quasi-solid-state supercapacitor and dye-sensitized solar cell integration

In recent years the utilization of power in off grid conditions is dramatically increasing. For this reason research is putting much effort in obtaining improvements in energy storage devices efficiencies and in discovering alternatives concerning easiness of fabrication that can be industrially implemented. In this framework, integration of energy storage devices with energy harvesting systems is obtaining more and more significance since the amount of energy that can be stored especially in Electrochemical Double Layer Capacitors (EDLCs) is limited. To this purpose, herein we present an innovative flexible integrated device composed by a symmetrical aqueous EDLC and a TiO2 nanotubes-based Dye Sensitized Solar cell (DSSC). A UV photo-polymerized quasi-solid electrolyte was used in both sections. At first a self-standing flexible polymer matrix was fabricated starting from Bisphenol A ethoxylate dimethacrylate (BEMA) and poly (ethylene glycol) methyl ether methacrylate (PEGMA), adding a 3% by weight of 2hydroxy-2-methyl-1-phenyl-1-propanone (Darocur 1173) as photoinitiator. Then, the matrix was soaked in two different liquid electrolytes, a 2 M NaCl aqueous solution for the energy storage section and an Iodine-based liquid electrolyte for the DSSC unit. This is the first work in which this type of polymer electrolyte membrane is used for an EDLC. The electrodes were fabricated onto Stainless-steel and Titanium grids, for EDLC and DSSC respectively. TiO2 nanotubes were grown by means of anodic oxidation as photoanode semiconductor material, while EDLC active material was composed by 85% of graphene nanoplatelets and 15% of Acetylene Black. The harvesting-storage device (HSD) was sealed by a light-cured photo-polymerization method. The measured overall photon-to-electrical conversion and storage efficiency for the HSD was 1.02% under standard test conditions. This value increases for lower illumination conditions reaching 1.46% at 0.3 Sun