A SOA-Based Platform to Support Clinical Data Sharing

The eSource Data Interchange Group, part of the Clinical Data Interchange Standards Consortium, proposed five scenarios to guide stakeholders in the development of solutions for the capture of eSource data. The fifth scenario was subdivided into four tiers to adapt the functionality of electronic health records to support clinical research. In order to develop a system belonging to the \u201cInteroperable\u201d Tier, the authors decided to adopt the service-oriented architecture paradigm to support technical interoperability, Health Level Seven Version 3 messages combined with LOINC (Logical Observation Identifiers Names and Codes) vocabulary to ensure semantic interoperability, and Healthcare Services Specification Project standards to provide process interoperability. The developed architecture enhances the integration between patient-care practice and medical research, allowing clinical data sharing between two hospital information systems and four clinical data management systems/clinical registries. The core is formed by a set of standardized cloud services connected through standardized interfaces, involving client applications. The system was approved by a medical staff, since it reduces the workload for the management of clinical trials. Although this architecture can realize the \u201cInteroperable\u201d Tier, the current solution actually covers the \u201cConnected\u201d Tier, due to local hospital policy restrictions

Macro Asset Allocation with Social Impact Investments

Using a unique dataset of 50 listed companies that meet the majority of the OECD requirements for social impact investments, we construct a social impact finance stock index and investigate how investing in social impact firms can contribute to portfolio risk-return performance. We build portfolios with three different methodologies (naïve, Markowitz mean-variance optimization, GARCH-copula model), and we study the performance in terms of returns, Sharpe ratio, utility, and forecast premium based on a constant relative risk aversion function for investors with different levels of risk aversion. Consistent with the idea that social impact investment can improve portfolio risk-return performance, the results of our macro asset allocation analysis show the importance of a large fraction of investor portfolios’ stake committed to social impact investments

Analysis of low-light and night-time stereo-pair images for photogrammetric reconstruction

Rockfalls and rockslides represent a significant risk to human lives and infrastructures because of the high levels of energy involved in the phenomena. Generally, these events occur in accordance to specific environmental conditions, such as temperature variations between day and night, that can contribute to the triggering of structural instabilities in the rock-wall and the detachment of blocks and debris. The monitoring and the geostructural characterization of the wall are required for reducing the potential hazard and to improve the management of the risk at the bottom of the slopes affected by such phenomena. In this context, close range photogrammetry is largely used for the monitoring of high-mountain terrains and rock walls in mine sites allowing for periodic survey of rockfalls and wall movements. This work focuses on the analysis of low-light and night-time images of a fixed-base stereo pair photogrammetry system. The aim is to study the reliability of the images acquired over the night to produce digital surface models (DSMs) for change detection. The images are captured by a high-sensitivity DLSR camera using various settings accounting for different values of ISO, aperture and time of exposure. For each acquisition, the DSM is compared to a photogrammetric reference model produced by images captured in optimal illumination conditions. Results show that, with high level of ISO and maintaining the same grade of aperture, extending the exposure time improves the quality of the point clouds in terms of completeness and accuracy of the photogrammetric models

Impaired postural control in patients affected by tension-type headache.

Sixteen subjects, affected by chronic tension-type headache (TTH) accordingly to the International Headache Society Classification (1988) criteria, in presence of tenderness in pericranial muscles,with a mean age of 37+/-11.8 years, and ten healthy volunteer subjects, age and sex matched, were submitted to postural analysis by Static Posturography (S.Ve.P. Amplaid). Aim of the study was to evaluate whether patients with TTH have disturbed postural control, as compared to normal subjects. Postural analysis considered all posturographic variables but focused on spectral frequency analysis of body sway. In both open (OE) and closed eyes (CE) condition, spectral frequency analysis showed a significantly increased body sway at low (OE= p < or = 0.01; CE= p < or = 0.01) and middle (OE= p < or = 0.01; CE= p < or = 0.01) frequencies on the antero-posterior (y) plane and at low frequencies (OE= p < or = 0.05; CE= p < or = 0.05) on the lateral (x) plane. Statistical analysis was performed using the Student's t test for unpaired data, p value 0.05 defined significant. The proprioceptive input seems to be predominant at middle and high frequencies in maintaining posture, our results seem then to suggest a proprioceptive disturbance in TTH patients. The disturbance is likely related to chronic pericranial muscle contraction and tenderness. Posturography and spectral analysis may help not only in the diagnosis of a postural disturbance but even more in the follow-up of TTH patients, during and after a medical and/or a rehabilitative treatment

Transient sex-related changes in the mice hypothalamo–pituitary–adrenal (HPA) axis during the acute phase of the inflammatory process

The potential role of endogenous sex hormones in regulating hypothalamo–pituitary–adrenal (HPA) axis function was investigated after a single injection of endotoxin in adult (8 week old) BALB/c mice of both sexes. The effect of LPS on plasma ACTH, corticosterone (B), testosterone and oestradiol (E) levels and on anterior pituitary (AP) ACTH and adrenal B contents at different times after treatment was studied. The results indicate that: (a) basal B but not ACTH plasma levels were significantly higher in female than in male mice; (b) LPS significantly increased both ACTH and B plasma levels over the baseline 2 h after injection, both hormone levels being higher in female than in male mice; (c) although plasma ACTH concentrations recovered the basal value at 72 h after LPS in animals of both sexes, plasma B levels returned to the baseline only at 120 h after treatment; (d) E plasma levels significantly increased 2 h after LPS and returned to the baseline at 72 h post-treatment, in both sexes; (e) at 2 h after LPS, testosterone plasma levels significantly decreased in male mice and increased in female mice, recovering the baseline level at 120 and 72 h after LPS, respectively; (f) AP ACTH content was similar in both sexes in basal condition and it was significantly diminished 72 h post-treatment without sex difference; whereas AP ACTH returned to basal content 120 h after LPS in males, it remained significantly decreased in females; (g) basal adrenal B content was higher in female than in male mice, and it significantly increased in both sexes 2 h post-LPS, maintaining this sex difference. Whereas adrenal B returned to basal content 72 h after treatment in male mice, it remained significantly enhanced up to 120 h post-LPS in female animals. The data demonstrate the existence of a clear sexual dimorphism in basal condition and during the acute phase response as well as in the recovery of the HPA axis function shortly after infection

Black hole entropy from classical Liouville theory

In this article we compute the black hole entropy by finding a classical central charge of the Virasoro algebra of a Liouville theory using the Cardy formula. This is done by performing a dimensional reduction of the Einstein Hilbert action with the ansatz of spherical symmetry and writing the metric in conformally flat form. We obtain two coupled field equations. Using the near horizon approximation the field equation for the conformal factor decouples. The one concerning the conformal factor is a Liouville equation, it posses the symmetry induced by a Virasoro algebra. We argue that it describes the microstates of the black hole, namely the generators of this symmetry do not change the thermodynamical properties of the black hole.Comment: LaTeX, 11 pages, to appear on JHE

A modular multipurpose, parameter centered electronic health record architecture

Health Information Technology is playing a key role in healthcare. Specifically, the use of electronic health records has been found to bring about most significant improvements in healthcare quality, mainly as relates to patient management, healthcare delivery and research support. Health record systems adoption has been promoted in many countries to support efficient, high quality integrated healthcare. The objective of this work is the implementation of an Electronic Health Record system based on a relational database. The system architecture is modular and based on the concentration of specific pathology related parameters in one module, therefore the system can be easily applied to different pathologies. Several examples of its application are described. It is intended to extend the system integrating genomic data

PRELIMINARY TESTS OF A NEW LOW-COST PHOTOGRAMMETRIC SYSTEM

This paper presents preliminary tests of a new low-cost photogrammetric system for 4D modelling of large scale areas for civil engineering applications. The system consists of five stand-alone units. Each of the units is composed of a Raspberry Pi 2 Model B (RPi2B) single board computer connected to a PiCamera Module V2 (8 MP) and is powered by a 10 W solar panel. The acquisition of the images is performed automatically using Python scripts and the OpenCV library. Images are recorded at different times during the day and automatically uploaded onto a FTP server from where they can be accessed for processing. Preliminary tests and outcomes of the system are discussed in detail. The focus is on the performance assessment of the low-cost sensor and the quality evaluation of the digital surface models generated by the low-cost photogrammetric systems in the field under real test conditions. Two different test cases were set up in order to calibrate the low-cost photogrammetric system and to assess its performance. First comparisons with a TLS model show a good agreement

Preliminary tests of a new low-cost photogrammetric system

This paper presents preliminary tests of a new low-cost photogrammetric system for 4D modelling of large scale areas for civil engineering applications. The system consists of five stand-alone units. Each of the units is composed of a Raspberry Pi 2 Model B (RPi2B) single board computer connected to a PiCamera Module V2 (8 MP) and is powered by a 10 W solar panel. The acquisition of the images is performed automatically using Python scripts and the OpenCV library. Images are recorded at different times during the day and automatically uploaded onto a FTP server from where they can be accessed for processing. Preliminary tests and outcomes of the system are discussed in detail. The focus is on the performance assessment of the low-cost sensor and the quality evaluation of the digital surface models generated by the low-cost photogrammetric systems in the field under real test conditions. Two different test cases were set up in order to calibrate the low-cost photogrammetric system and to assess its performance. First comparisons with a TLS model show a good agreement