Design of Renewable Energy Systems for ECUSTA's University Campus in Addis Ababa

In this thesis, three installations powered by renewable energy sources are proposed for the Campus of the Ethiopian Catholic University St Thomas Aquinas. A forced circulation solar thermal system is designed to produce hot water for the showers of the dormitory. A photovoltaic system with electrochemical storage is designed, to protect from power outages the sensible equipment of ISPEMA Medical Center. A natural circulation solar thermal system is designedope

Cross-Cultural Validation of the "Optimal Screening for Prediction of Referral and Outcome - Review of Systems" (OSPRO-ROS) Instrument in Italian (OSPRO-ROS-ITA): a Prospective Cohort Study

openDisegno di studio: Osservazionale, prospettico longitudinale. Background: Il dolore muscoloscheletrico, in alcuni casi, può essere sintomo di una concomitante patologia grave, rappresentando una bandiera rossa (Red Flag). Negli Stati Uniti, il questionario “Optimal Screening for Prediction of Referral and Outcome - Review of Systems” assiste il fisioterapista nell’indagine di segni e sintomi riconducibili a patologie gravi, per le quali sarebbe opportuno il rinvio del paziente all’attenzione medica. L’implementazione di tale questionario in lingua italiana all’interno della routine valutativa del fisioterapista fornirebbe uno strumento prezioso per il riconoscimento delle Red Flags, nonché influenzare significativamente la sicurezza del paziente e l’outcome del trattamento fisioterapico. Obiettivo: Avviare la validazione del questionario OSPRO-ROS-ITA. Materiali e metodi: Il questionario OSPRO-ROS è stato tradotto dalla lingua inglese secondo le linee guida Beaton, ottenendo la versione italiana (OSPRO-ROS-ITA). Tale questionario è stato sottoposto alla valutazione del Comitato Etico per la Sperimentazione Clinica (CESC), al fine di verificarne l’applicabilità per i pazienti muscoloscheletrici. L’iter di somministrazione comprende un iniziale colloquio con il paziente, in cui vengono spiegate le finalità dello studio e vengono raccolti sia il consenso al trattamento dei dati personali che il Consenso Informato. Poi, al paziente viene somministrata una scala di valutazione per la qualità di vita generale e una scala di valutazione specifica per il relativo disturbo muscoloscheletrico. Infine, viene somministrato il questionario OSPRO-ROS-ITA. Trascorse 6 settimane, il partecipante viene ricontattato per il follow-up al fine di verificare se, nel tempo intercorso dalla somministrazione, a causa dei sintomi, si fosse reso necessario un qualsiasi tipo di accertamento diagnostico. Per una buona potenza dei risultati, sarebbe necessario raggiungere una popolazione di 170 pazienti. Risultati: È stata ottenuta l’approvazione da parte del CESC. Sono stati reclutati 35 pazienti, di cui 28 hanno completato l’iter di somministrazione; 4 di questi hanno ritenuto necessario sottoporsi ad accertamenti diagnostici a causa dei loro sintomi. Si è provveduto ad analizzare i dati raccolti stratificando la popolazione di studio, per valutare come i soggetti hanno risposto affermativamente alle domande del questionario OSPRO-ROS-ITA. Conclusioni: Dall’analisi delle stratificazioni della popolazione, sembrerebbe che le risposte affermative alle domande del questionario OSPRO-ROS-ITA siano in grado di identificare correttamente segni e sintomi di patologie concomitanti, nonché predire la necessità di accertamenti a breve termine. Tuttavia, al fine di rendere lo strumento affidabile per il rinvio all’attenzione medica, è necessario proseguire con la somministrazione ad un numero maggiore di pazienti.Study design: Observational, prospective cohort. Background: Musculoskeletal pain, in some cases, can be a symptom of an underlying serious condition, representing a Red Flag. In the United States, the “Optimal Screening for Prediction of Referral and Outcome - Review of Systems” questionnaire assists physiotherapists in investigating signs and symptoms related to serious pathologies, for which it would be advisable to refer the patient to medical attention. Implementing such a tool within the evaluative routine of Italian physiotherapists would provide a valuable instrument for recognizing Red Flags, ensuring proper management of the patient and significantly influencing the outcome of physiotherapy treatments. Objective: To launch the validation process of the OSPRO-ROS-ITA questionnaire. Materials and Methods: The OSPRO-ROS questionnaire was translated from English following Beaton's guidelines, resulting in the Italian version (OSPRO-ROS-ITA). Then, the questionnaire underwent evaluation by the Ethical Committee for Clinical Experimentation (CESC), in order to ensure its applicability for adult Italian musculoskeletal patients. The administration process involves an initial interview with the patient, explaining the study's purpose and obtaining both Informed Consent and consent for personal data processing. So, the patient is assessed using a general quality of life scale and a specific scale for their musculoskeletal condition. Finally, the OSPRO-ROS-ITA questionnaire is administered. After 6 weeks, participants are contacted for follow-up to determine if, due to their symptoms, any diagnostic examinations were needed. To achieve statistically significant results, it would be necessary to reach a population of 170 patients. Results: The approval from CESC has been obtained. 35 patients were recruited, out of which 28 completed the administration process. Out of 28, 4 felt the need to undergo diagnostic tests due to their symptoms. The collected data were analyzed by stratifying the study population to assess how subjects responded affirmatively to the OSPRO-ROS-ITA questionnaire. Conclusions: Analysis of the population’s stratifications suggests that affirmative answers to the OSPRO-ROS-ITA questionnaire could accurately identify signs and symptoms of concurrent pathologies and predict the patient’s need to seek further medical evaluation. However, to make the OSPRO-ROS-ITA a reliable tool for medical referral, further administration of the questionnaire to a larger number of patients is necessary

Cardiopulmonary exercise testing in systolic heart failure: from basic to advanced practice

Cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET) is a specialized subtype of exercise testing that provides a more accurate and objective measure of cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF). CPET relies on measurement of ventilatory gases during exercise, i.e., a non-invasive procedure that involves the acquisition of expired ventilation and concentrations of oxygen (O2) and carbon dioxide (CO2) during progressive exercise. The non-invasive measurement of ventilation and expired gases permits the most accurate and reproducible quantification of CRF, a grading of the etiology and severity of impairment, and an objective assessment of the response to an intervention. Moreover, a particularly large volume of research has been directed toward the utility of CPET as a prognostic tool; CPET is a scientifically sound and therefore clinically valuable method for accurately estimating prognosis in various disease states. Although still underutilized, CPET has gained popularity not only due to the recognition of its clear value in the functional assessment of patients with cardiovascular, pulmonary and musculoskeletal disease/disorders, but also because technological advances (e.g., rapid response analyzers and computer-assisted data processing) have made this modality easier to use

Grammatica a scuola

RECENSION

Is There Light at the Ends of the Tunnel? Wireless Sensor Networks for Adaptive Lighting in Road Tunnels

Existing deployments of wireless sensor networks (WSNs) are often conceived as stand-alone monitoring tools. In this paper, we report instead on a deployment where the WSN is a key component of a closed-loop control system for adaptive lighting in operational road tunnels. WSN nodes along the tunnel walls report light readings to a control station, which closes the loop by setting the intensity of lamps to match a legislated curve. The ability to match dynamically the lighting levels to the actual environmental conditions improves the tunnel safety and reduces its power consumption. The use of WSNs in a closed-loop system, combined with the real-world, harsh setting of operational road tunnels, induces tighter requirements on the quality and timeliness of sensed data, as well as on the reliability and lifetime of the network. In this work, we test to what extent mainstream WSN technology meets these challenges, using a dedicated design that however relies on wellestablished techniques. The paper describes the hw/sw architecture we devised by focusing on the WSN component, and analyzes its performance through experiments in a real, operational tunnel

Accurate noninvasive estimation of pulmonary vascular resistance by Doppler echocardiography in patients with chronic heart failure

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Summary Statement on Cardiopulmonary Exercise Testing in Chronic Heart Failure due to Left Ventricular Dysfunction Recommendations for Performance and Interpretation

Cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET) is a non-invasive tool that provides the physician with relevant information to assess the integrated response to exercise involving pulmonary, cardiovascular, haematopoietic, neuro-psychological, and skeletal muscle systems. Measurement of expiratory gases during exercise allows the best estimate of functional capacity, grade the severity of the impairment, objectively evaluate the response to interventions, objectively track the progression of disease, and assist in differentiating cardiac from pulmonary limitations in exercise tolerance. To achieve optimal use of this test in every day clinical practice, clarification of conceptual issues and standardization of CPET practices are necessary. Recently, a Statement on Cardiopulmonary Exercise Testing in Chronic Heart Failure due to Left Ventricular Dysfunction, by the Gruppo Italiano di Cardiologia Riabilitativa and endorsed by the Working Group on Cardiac Rehabilitation and Exercise Physiology of the European Society of Cardiology, has been published. Here are resumed the cardinal points of the Statement: (1) Definition of Cardiopulmonary Exercise Testing Parameters for Appropriate Use in Chronic Heart Failure, (2) How to Perform Cardiopulmonary Exercise Testing in Chronic Heart Failure, (3) Interpretation of Cardiopulmonary Exercise Testing in Chronic Heart Failure and Future Applications