Commentary: Early screening parameters for dysphagia in acute ischemic stroke

We read with great interest the article by Henke et al. (1) aimed to identify early assessable predictors of dysphagia in the acute phase of ischemic stroke. A multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed higher age, male gender, and higher stroke severity [as assessed by NIH stroke scale (NIHSS)] to be independent predictor of poststroke dysphagia. Moreover, ROC analysis showed that in the acute phase of stroke NIHSS score of 4.5 was the best cut-off between dysphagic and non-dysphagic patients. This research field certainly has a remarkable clinical interest, because it may lead to individuate those acute stroke patients who may benefit from a more detailed assessment of their swallow function (i.e., using fiberoptic endoscopic evaluation of swallowing or videofluoroscopy). However, an NIHSS cut-off for dysphagia of 4.5, by excluding only stroke patients with a very mild deficit, is probably of limited clinical usefulness. In other words, since the majority of stroke is of moderate-severe degree, it appears to be of little help in detecting only those patients who may benefit from a more detailed assessment of their swallowing function

Letter by toscano et al regarding article. association of leukoaraiosis with convalescent rehabilitation outcome in patients with ischemic stroke

Given the aforementioned link between leukoaraiosis and swallowing impairment, and the burden of poststroke dysphagia on rehabilitation outcome, it could be of some interest to analyze the relationships between leukoaraiosis, recovery, and dysphagia in your large population

Shielding and Radiation Characteristics of Cylindrical Layered Bianisotropic Structures

In this paper we propose an analytical study in the spectral domain of cylindrical layered structures filled with general bianisotropic media and fed by a 3D electric source. The integrated structure is characterized in terms of transmission matrices leading to an equivalent circuit representation of the whole multilayered structure. Within the framework of this two-port formalism, we present a new contribution to the computation of the Green's function arising in the analysis of multilayered conformal integrated antennas loaded with general bianisotropic materials. We also propose an analytical study of the shielding effectiveness of general bianisotropic materials located in multilayered, cylindrical configuration. The expression of the shielded fields sustained both by plane wave and arbitrary sources is obtained in a closed analytical form. Numerical results are also presented showing effects of electromagnetic parameters on radiation pattern, matching properties and radar cross section of the integrated structure

Propagation through metamaterial temporal slabs: transmission, reflection and special cases

Time-varying metamaterials are artificial materials whose electromagnetic properties change over time. In earlier studies, the equivalent reflection and transmission coefficients at a temporal interface have been derived. Here, we extend the study to a temporal slab, i.e., a uniform homogeneous medium that is present in the space for a limited time. We derive the transmission and reflection coefficients for a metamaterial temporal slab as a function of the refractive indices and application time. Similarly to the role played by the electrical thickness for spatial slabs, we show that the response of the temporal slab can be controlled through the application time. The preliminary results reported here may pave the way to several novel devices based on temporal discontinuities

Coopen: An Open Innovation Process Triggering Collaboration Between NGOs and Innovators in Africa — The Case of Fondazione Cariplo and Fondazione Compagnia di San Paolo

This article explores how the two main Italian foundations of banking origin, Fondazione Cariplo and Fondazione Compagnia di San Paolo, are internationally contributing to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals agenda through Coopen, a cross-fertilization process between nonprofit organizations and the innovation ecosystem. Guided by the United Nations 2030 Agenda’s Sustainable Development Goals, which identify innovation as a focal point in SDG 9, the foundations recognize the value that product, process, and methodological innovation can bring to Italy’s international development cooperation sector and its partnerships. Coopen encourages the development and implementation of innovative solutions in Africa to respond to specific challenges related to three themes: sustainable food and agriculture (SDG 2), good health and well-being (SDG 3), and circular economy (SDG 12). The process is organized in four main steps toward a final goal to identify challenges; gather user-centered, user-designed, data driven, or technological innovation solutions; develop them through an incubation or acceleration program; and, via specific mentorship, release a proof of concept in the market. The Coopen projects have demonstrated the ability to achieve relevant environmental goals and, in the context of sustainable food and agriculture, contributed to improved agricultural productivity and job creation. The health and well-being projects have shown that targeted interventions can increase the knowledge and competencies of health care workers, leading to improved services and the promotion of healthy lifestyles. Coopen’s open innovation process represents a modern strategic philanthropic approach by which Fondazione Cariplo and Fondazione Compagnia di San Paolo are promoting a huge transition from local grantmaker to international impact developer. Over the past 10 years, their work has resulted in the promotion of initiatives aimed at achieving food sovereignty, rural development, and maternal and child health in various African countries

Optical Scattering Cancellation through Arrays of Plasmonic Nanoparticles: A Review

In this contribution, we review and discuss our recent results on the design of optical scattering cancellation devices based on an array of plasmonic nanoparticles. Starting from two different analytical models available to describe its electromagnetic behavior, we show that a properly designed array of plasmonic nanoparticles behaves both as an epsilon-near-zero metamaterial and as a reactive metasurface and, therefore, can be successfully used to reduce the optical scattering of a subwavelength object. Three different typologies of nanoparticle arrays are analyzed: spherical, core-shell, and ellipsoidal nanoparticles. We prove, both theoretically and through full-wave simulations, that such nanostructures can be successfully used as a cloaking device at ultraviolet and optical frequencies

CIRCULAR POLARIZED PATCH ANTENNA GENERATING ORBITAL ANGULAR MOMENTUM

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Cerebral venous hemodynamic abnormalities in episodic and chronic migraine

Alterations of cerebral venous drainage have been demonstrated in chronic migraine (CM), suggesting that cerebral venous hemodynamic abnormalities (CVHAs) play a role in this condition. The aim of the present study was to look for a correlation between CM and CVHAs. We recruited 33 subjects suffering from CM with or without analgesic overuse, 29 episodic migraine (EM) patients with or without aura, and 21 healthy subjects as controls (HCs). CVHAs were evaluated by transcranial and extracranial echo-color Doppler evaluation of five venous hemodynamic parameters. CVHAs were significantly more frequent in the CM and EM patients than in the HCs. In the migraine patients, CVHAs were not correlated with clinical features. Cerebral venous hemodynamic abnormalities in episodic and chronic migraine The significantly greater frequency of CVHAs observed in the migraineurs may reflect a possible relationship between migraine and these abnormalities. Prospective longitudinal studies are needed to investigate whether CVHAs have a role in the processes of migraine chronification