Tools and Methods for Human Robot Collaboration: Case Studies at i-LABS

The collaboration among humans and machines is one of the most relevant topics in the Industry 4.0 paradigm. Collaborative robotics owes part of the enormous impact it has had in small and medium size enterprises to its innate vocation for close cooperation between human operators and robots. The i-Labs laboratory, which is introduced in this paper, developed some case studies in this sense involving different technologies at different abstraction levels to analyse the feasibility of human-robot interaction in common, yet challenging, application scenarios. The ergonomics of the processes, safety of operators, as well as effectiveness of the cooperation are some of the aspects under investigation with the main objective of drawing to these issues the attention from industries who could benefit from them

The economic impact of moderate stage Alzheimer's disease in Italy: Evidence from the UP-TECH randomized trial

Background: There is consensus that dementia is the most burdensome disease for modern societies. Few cost-of-illness studies examined the complexity of Alzheimer's disease (AD) burden, considering at the same time health and social care, cash allowances, informal care, and out-of-pocket expenditure by families. Methods: This is a comprehensive cost-of-illness study based on the baseline data from a randomized controlled trial (UP-TECH) enrolling 438 patients with moderate AD and their primary caregiver living in the community. Results: The societal burden of AD, composed of public, patient, and informal care costs, was about �20,000/yr. Out of this, the cost borne by the public sector was �4,534/yr. The main driver of public cost was the national cash-for-care allowance (�2,324/yr), followed by drug prescriptions (�1,402/yr). Out-of-pocket expenditure predominantly concerned the cost of private care workers. The value of informal care peaked at �13,590/yr. Socioeconomic factors do not influence AD public cost, but do affect the level of out-of-pocket expenditure. Conclusion: The burden of AD reflects the structure of Italian welfare. The families predominantly manage AD patients. The public expenditure is mostly for drugs and cash-for-care benefits. From a State perspective in the short term, the advantage of these care arrangements is clear, compared to the cost of residential care. However, if caregivers are not adequately supported, savings may be soon offset by higher risk of caregiver morbidity and mortality produced by high burden and stress. The study has been registered on the website www.clinicaltrials.org (Trial Registration number: NCT01700556). Copyright � International Psychogeriatric Association 2015

Hydrogen sulphide-triggered theranostic prodrugs based on the dynamic chemistry of tetrazines

[EN] Dynamic nucleophilic aromatic substitution of tetrazines (S(N)Tz) has been employed to build theranostic prodrugs that are activated by hydrogen sulfide. H2S is typically found in high concentrations in some kinds of cancer cells and it is able to trigger the disassembly of tetrazine prodrugs. In such a way, a dual release of drugs and/or fluorescent compounds can be selectively triggered.This work was financially supported by Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación (PGC2018-094503-B-C21). J.S. thanks Cabildo de Tenerife for the Agustín de Betancourt programme. M.D.P thanks the ACIISI and the European Social Fund (ESF) for a predoctoral grant

Training for Sustainable and Healthy Building for 2050: New Methodologies for an Integrated and Transnational Education Approach Targeting Skills Development for the Transition Toward ZEB and PEB Buildings

The development of existing technologies and the emergence of new technologies aiming at the total decarbonization of the buildings sector by 2050 requires and encourages upskilling and reskilling of existing professionals as well as the development of new subjects from higher education courses to be able to respond to the demands of these challenges. In responding to those challenges, the main objective of the research is to design, implement, and evaluate a novel, integrated, and transnational educational approach aimed at equipping professionals and students in the construction sector with the necessary skills to achieve sustainable and energy-efficient buildings. This study aligns with the European Union’s 2050 decarbonization goals by developing innovative methodologies that address the multidisciplinary challenges of sustainable building design, operation, and renovation. The proposed educational approach was developed in the framework of an Erasmus+ project entitled “Training for Sustainable and Healthy Building for 2050 (BUILD2050)”. Six higher education institutions from five European countries joined forces to create transversal skills in the building sector knowledge for emerging challenges through an integrated training composed of eight training courses for students and professionals of the construction area. In this work, the pedagogical approach used to develop the course contents, curricular development issues, technology, and infrastructure, as well as student support, the results obtained from the evaluation carried out after the pilot training of the eight training courses, and best practices and lessons learned, are presented and discussed. The courses’ learning objectives, the learning material, and the assessment activities were well-accomplished. However, based on the feedback of students and teachers, some improvements for future editions of the courses are required

Reproductive cycle, number of parities and faecal Salmonella spp. excretion in sows: a longitudinal study

The aim of the study was to evaluate the fecal excretion of Salmonella spp in sows with different number of parties, in distinct periods of the reproductive cycle. Two integrated farms in central Italy have been included in the study. The target populations were primaparous and multiparous (1-5 and more than 5 parities) sows, tested in different periods of the reprouductive cycle: 14 days before parturition (pre-partum), 2-5 days (post-partum), 20 days after parturition (post-partum 2) and gestation (24-31 days post-partum)

Training for Sustainable and Healthy Building for 2050: New Methodologies for an Integrated and Transnational Education Approach Targeting Skills Development for the Transition Toward ZEB and PEB Buildings

The development of existing technologies and the emergence of new technologies aiming at the total decarbonization of the buildings sector by 2050 requires and encourages upskilling and reskilling of existing professionals as well as the development of new subjects from higher education courses to be able to respond to the demands of these challenges. In responding to those challenges, the main objective of the research is to design, implement, and evaluate a novel, integrated, and transnational educational approach aimed at equipping professionals and students in the construction sector with the necessary skills to achieve sustainable and energy-efficient buildings. This study aligns with the European Union’s 2050 decarbonization goals by developing innovative methodologies that address the multidisciplinary challenges of sustainable building design, operation, and renovation. The proposed educational approach was developed in the framework of an Erasmus+ project entitled “Training for Sustainable and Healthy Building for 2050 (BUILD2050)”. Six higher education institutions from five European countries joined forces to create transversal skills in the building sector knowledge for emerging challenges through an integrated training composed of eight training courses for students and professionals of the construction area. In this work, the pedagogical approach used to develop the course contents, curricular development issues, technology, and infrastructure, as well as student support, the results obtained from the evaluation carried out after the pilot training of the eight training courses, and best practices and lessons learned, are presented and discussed. The courses’ learning objectives, the learning material, and the assessment activities were well-accomplished. However, based on the feedback of students and teachers, some improvements for future editions of the courses are required

Culprit lesion plaque characterization and thrombus grading by high-definition intravascular ultrasound in patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction

Background: Dedicated prospective studies investigating high-definition intravascular ultrasound (HD-IVUS)-guided primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) are lacking. The aim of this study was to qualify and quantify culprit lesion plaque characteristics and thrombus using HD-IVUS in patients presenting with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). Methods: The SPECTRUM study is a prospective, single-center, observational cohort study investigating the impact of HD-IVUS-guided primary PCI in 200 STEMI patients (NCT05007535). The first 100 study patients with a de novo culprit lesion and a per-protocol mandated preintervention pullback directly after vessel wiring were subject to a predefined imaging analysis. Culprit lesion plaque characteristics and different thrombus types were assessed. An IVUS-derived thrombus score, including a 1-point adjudication for a long total thrombus length, long occlusive thrombus length, and large maximum thrombus angle, was developed to differentiate between low (0–1 points) and high (2–3 points) thrombus burden. Optimal cut-off values were obtained using receiver operating characteristic curves. Results: The mean age was 63.5 (±12.1) years and 69 (69.0%) patients were male. The median culprit lesion length was 33.5 (22.8–38.9) mm. Plaque rupture and convex calcium were appreciated in 48 (48.0%) and 10 (10.0%) patients, respectively. Thrombus was observed in 91 (91.0%) patients (acute thrombus 3.3%; subacute thrombus 100.0%; organized thrombus 22.0%). High IVUS-derived thrombus burden was present in 37/91 (40.7%) patients and was associated with higher rates of impaired final thrombolysis in myocardial infarction flow (grade 0–2) (27.0% vs. 1.9%, p &lt; 0.001). Conclusions: HD-IVUS in patients presenting with STEMI allows detailed culprit lesion plaque characterization and thrombus grading that may guide tailored PCI.</p

Training for Sustainable and Healthy Building for 2050 Part 2: Incorporation of New Knowledge and Dissemination for the Sustainability of the Trans-European Training Experience

This paper presents the innovative key knowledge breakthroughs achieved as one of the results of the BUILD2050 Erasmus+ project, focused on its contribution to advancing climate-resilient building engineering education and practice. In a recent work, the new methodologies applied in the BUILD2050 initiative were presented. This work discusses the incorporation of new knowledge in the courses and dissemination for the sustainability of the trans-European training experience. The challenge faced by the European Union for 2050 is achieving climate neutrality and decarbonization across all economic sectors, including the significantly impactful construction sector. To achieve this objective, it is necessary to develop technologies in an integrated way, following a holistic approach appropriately adapted to climatic conditions, cultural contexts, and natural resource availability through circular economy methodologies. To this end, it is necessary to develop innovative training methods with multidisciplinary content, incorporating a transnational perspective and scope, enabling continuous updating through learning cycles. These study cycles could be shorter and more complementary, allowing greater flexibility in knowledge acquisition while also enabling the creation of specialized training programs similar to those currently available. The BUILD2050 project has developed a transformative educational framework comprising eight comprehensive “Pilot Training” courses to address the critical challenge of integrating sustainability and circularity concepts into educational curricula at all levels, building engineering training and professional development. Addressing this gap is essential for transforming the construction sector and achieving global climate goals. The results of the BUILD2050 project demonstrate the potential of structured, trans-European training experiences to enhance professional competencies and support the transition to climate-neutral construction. Moving forward, widespread adoption and continuous dissemination of these educational advancements will be vital in ensuring a sustainable built environment by 2050

Kinetic Control of Complexity in Multiple Dynamic Libraries

Multiple dynamic libraries of compounds are generated when more than one reversible reaction comes into play. Commonly, two or more orthogonal reversible reactions are used, leading to non-communicating dynamic libraries which share no building blocks. Only a few examples of communicating libraries have been reported, and in all those cases, building blocks are reversibly exchanged from one library to the other, constituting an antiparallel dynamic covalent system. Herein we report that communication between two different dynamic libraries through an irreversible process is also possible. Indeed, alkyl amines cancel the dynamic regime on the nucleophilic substitution of tetrazines, generating kinetically inert compounds. Interestingly, such amine can be part of another dynamic library, an imine-amine exchange. Thus, both libraries are interconnected with each other by an irreversible process which leads to kinetically inert structures that contain parts from both libraries, causing a collapse of the complexity. Additionally, a latent irreversible intercommunication could be developed. In such a way, a stable molecular system with specific host–guest and fluorescence properties, could be irreversibly transformed when the right stimulus was applied, triggering the cancellation of the original supramolecular and luminescent properties and the emergence of new ones.Grant PID2022-136566NB-I00 and PDC2022-133706-I00 funded by MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033 and by the “European Union NextGenerationEU/PRTR”. D. S. R. thanks Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades for his FPU fellowship. Y. P.-P. thanks Asociación Española contra el Cáncer (aecc) for a predoctoral fellowship. T. S. thanks ACIISI for a Catalina Ruiz fellowship. J. S. thanks Cabildo de Tenerife for the Agustín de Betancourt programme. All the authors would like to acknowledge the use of the HPLC, the Mass Spectrometry and the NMR Facilities at IPNA-CSIC, and they want to thank Nieves Rodríguez Paz for her unvaluable help. We acknowledge support of the publication fee by the CSIC Open Access Publication Support Initiative through its Unit of Information Resources for Research (URICI).Peer reviewe