Design and implementation of a web-based Tailored Gymnasium to enhance self-management of Fibromyalgia

The aim of this article is to describe the design and development of an online gymnasium that proposes personalized exercise videos to users affected by fibromyalgia. Fibromyalgia syndrome is a chronic condition characterized by widespread pain in muscles, ligaments and tendons, usually associated with sleep disorders and fatigue. Physical exercise is considered as an important component of non-pharmacological treatments of this pathology, and the internet is praised as a powerful resource to promote and improve physical exercise. Yet, while online personalization of health interventions to consumers must be grounded on empirically based guidelines, guidelines for fibromyalgia-targeted exercises are scant. The achievements presented in this paper are twofold. Firstly, we illustrate how we reached definition of the relevant factors for tailoring exercise videos in relation to fibromyalgia. Secondly, we explain the general framework of the application that is composed of an interview module (that investigates the determinant values of a specific user), an adaptation module (presenting the tailored set of exercises) and a logging component (used to monitor users' interactions with the website). The paper concludes with a discussion on the strengths and weaknesses of the proposed approac

Design and implementation of a web-based tailored gymnasium to enhance self-management of fibromyalgia

The aim of this article is to describe the design and development of an online gymnasium that proposes personalized exercise videos to users affected by fibromyalgia. Fibromyalgia syndrome is a chronic condition characterized by widespread pain in muscles, ligaments and tendons, usually associated with sleep disorders and fatigue. Physical exercise is considered as an important component of non-pharmacological treatments of this pathology, and the internet is praised as a powerful resource to promote and improve physical exercise. Yet, while online personalization of health interventions to consumers must be grounded on empirically based guidelines, guidelines for fibromyalgia-targeted exercises are scant. The achievements presented in this paper are twofold. Firstly, we illustrate how we reached definition of the relevant factors for tailoring exercise videos in relation to fibromyalgia. Secondly, we explain the general framework of the application that is composed of an interview module (that investigates the determinant values of a specific user), an adaptation module (presenting the tailored set of exercises) and a logging component (used to monitor users’ interactions with the website). The paper concludes with a discussion on the strengths and weaknesses of the proposed approach

Riqualificazione e sviluppo del sito minerario di Balangero e Corio: una proposta per la miniera d’amianto più grande d’Europa

The National Interest Site for remediation of Balangero and Corio produced chrysotile from the 1918 and in the 1970s became the largest European asbestos mine, causing a considerable contamination of the area.The mine was closed in the 1990 because the D.L. 257/92 banned the extraction, import, export, marketing and production of asbestos.The objective of the competition was not only to reclaim a contaminated area, but also to enhance culture and landscape, to preserve the historical memory and to promote initiatives involving the local population to restore the economic and social strength of the region.The project proposes the conversion of the industrial buildings into spaces for documenting the mine history, places for production and promotion of arts and a range of accommodation aimed at developing different forms of tourism.Il Sito di bonifica di Interesse Nazionale di Balangero e Corio ha prodotto crisotilo a partire dal 1918 e negli anni ‘70 si è affermato come la miniera d’amianto più grande d’Europa, causando una notevole contaminazione dell’area.La miniera venne chiusa nel 1990 poiché il D.L. 257/92 vietò l’estrazione, l’importazione, l’esportazione, il commercio e la produzione dell’amianto.L’obiettivo del concorso non era solamente bonificare un’area contaminata, ma anche valorizzare la cultura e il paesaggio, preservare la memoria storica e promuovere iniziative che coinvolgano la popolazione locale riaffermando la forza sociale ed economica della regione.Il progetto propone la conversione degli edifici industriali in spazi di documentazione dedicati alla storia del sito, luoghi per la produzione e promozione dell’arte e una serie di strutture ricettive volte a stimolare differenti forme di turismo

Language Inclusion Algorithms as Complete Abstract Interpretations

We study the language inclusion problem L1 86 L2 where L1 is regular. Our approach relies on abstract interpretation and checks whether an overapproximating abstraction of L1, obtained by successively overapproximating the Kleene iterates of its least fixpoint characterization, is included in L2. We show that a language inclusion problem is decidable whenever this overapproximating abstraction satisfies a completeness condition (i.e. its loss of precision causes no false alarm) and prevents infinite ascending chains (i.e. it guarantees termination of least fixpoint computations). Such overapproximating abstraction function on languages can be defined using quasiorder relations on words where the abstraction gives the language of all words \u201cgreater than or equal to\u201d a given input word for that quasiorder. We put forward a range of quasiorders that allow us to systematically design decision procedures for different language inclusion problems such as regular languages into regular languages or into trace sets of one-counter nets. In the case of inclusion between regular languages, some of the induced inclusion checking procedures correspond to well-known state-of-the-art algorithms like the so-called antichain algorithms. Finally, we provide an equivalent greatest fixpoint language inclusion check which relies on quotients of languages and, to the best of our knowledge, was not previously known

Rigenerazione urbana delle aree militari e industriali/Urban regeneration of industrial and military sites

Il numero 3/2011 di \u201cIN_BO. Ricerche e progetti per il territorio, la citt\ue0 e l\u2019architettura\u201d sviluppa il tema della rigenerazione delle aree urbane oggetto di dismissione di attivit\ue0 industriali e militari, mediante la presentazione degli esiti di ricerche, laboratori progettuali e tesi di laurea, e di un workshop internazionale. Il numero \ue8 diviso in due parti. Nella prima parte, nella sezione \u201cUrban and Territorial Planning\u201d viene introdotto il tema della rigenerazione urbana, dal punto di vista del progettista (Parmeggiani) e dell\u2019impostazioni di metodo (Minghini). Nella sezione \u201cCities\u201d vengono proposti quattro casi di studio: Bologna, con la riqualificazione sostenibile dell\u2019area Sani-Casaralta, situata nella prima periferia (Ferrante, Bettazzi), Piacenza, con il suo vasto patrimonio immobiliare militare (Milani), Forl\uec, con la riqualificazione di un ex convento adibito ad usi militari (Castagnoli) e Balangero, con la riqualificazione ambientale e paesaggistica di un vasto sito industriale, ex miniera di amianto (Giacobazzi). Quattro diverse scale di intervento, quattro diverse impostazioni progettuali. Nella sezione \u201cArchitecture\u201d vengono presentati due progetti: la riqualificazione architettonica del faro di Capo Spartivento, ex presidio militare (Bartolomei) e la proposta di strutture temporanee itineranti ad uso commerciale, come occasione di valorizzazione di siti dismessi (Gaiti). Nella seconda parte, nella sezione \u201cUrban Design\u201d viene presentato il risultato del workshop progettuale sulla riqualificazione dell'area STAVECO a Bologna, svoltosi nel periodo 15 gennaio - 15 aprile 2011 presso Urban Center Bologna (Evangelisti), promosso dalla Carleton University (Ottawa, Canada), nell'ambito del Directed Studies Abroad, Master Program in Architecture della Azrieli School of Architecture and Urbanism (Sgarbi), con la partecipazione degli studenti del corso di laurea in Ingegneria edile-Architettura dell'Universit\ue0 di Bologna (Bravo, Ciampolini, Francia e Luccaroni)

B-cell receptor signaling activity identifies patients with mantle cell lymphoma at higher risk of progression

Mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) is an incurable B-cell malignancy characterized by a high clinical variability. Therefore, there is a critical need to define parameters that identify high-risk patients for aggressive disease and therapy resistance. B-cell receptor (BCR) signaling is crucial for MCL initiation and progression and is a target for therapeutic intervention. We interrogated BCR signaling proteins (SYK, LCK, BTK, PLCγ2, p38, AKT, NF-κB p65, and STAT5) in 30 primary MCL samples using phospho-specific flow cytometry. Anti-IgM modulation induced heterogeneous BCR signaling responses among samples allowing the identification of two clusters with differential responses. The cluster with higher response was associated with shorter progression free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS). Moreover, higher constitutive AKT activity was predictive of inferior response to the Bruton's tyrosine kinase inhibitor (BTKi) ibrutinib. Time-to-event analyses showed that MCL international prognostic index (MIPI) high-risk category and higher STAT5 response were predictors of shorter PFS and OS whilst MIPI high-risk category and high SYK response predicted shorter OS. In conclusion, we identified BCR signaling properties associated with poor clinical outcome and resistance to ibrutinib, thus highlighting the prognostic and predictive significance of BCR activity and advancing our understanding of signaling heterogeneity underlying clinical behavior of MCL.ISSN:2045-232

Immune checkpoint blockade therapy mitigates systemic inflammation and affects cellular FLIP-expressing monocytic myeloid-derived suppressor cells in non-progressor non-small cell lung cancer patients

ABSTRACTCancer cells favor the generation of myeloid cells with immunosuppressive and inflammatory features, including myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs), which support tumor progression. The anti-apoptotic molecule, cellular FLICE (FADD-like interleukin-1β-converting enzyme)-inhibitory protein (c-FLIP), which acts as an important modulator of caspase-8, is required for the development and function of monocytic (M)-MDSCs. Here, we assessed the effect of immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) therapy on systemic immunological landscape, including FLIP-expressing MDSCs, in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients. Longitudinal changes in peripheral immunological parameters were correlated with patients’ outcome. In detail, 34 NSCLC patients were enrolled and classified as progressors (P) or non-progressors (NP), according to the RECIST evaluation. We demonstrated a reduction in pro-inflammatory cytokines such as IL-8, IL-6, and IL-1β in only NP patients after ICI treatment. Moreover, using t-distributed stochastic neighbor embedding (t-SNE) and cluster analysis, we characterized in NP patients a significant increase in the amount of lymphocytes and a slight contraction of myeloid cells such as neutrophils and monocytes. Despite this moderate ICI-associated alteration in myeloid cells, we identified a distinctive reduction of c-FLIP expression in M-MDSCs from NP patients concurrently with the first clinical evaluation (T1), even though NP and P patients showed the same level of expression at baseline (T0). In agreement with the c-FLIP expression, monocytes isolated from both P and NP patients displayed similar immunosuppressive functions at T0; however, this pro-tumor activity was negatively influenced at T1 in the NP patient cohort exclusively. Hence, ICI therapy can mitigate systemic inflammation and impair MDSC-dependent immunosuppression

[Environmental diffusion of Legionella spp and legionellosis frequency among patients with pneumonia: preliminary results of a multicentric Italian survey]

A multicentric Italian investigation on legionnaires' disease is in course to clarify host factors as well as pathogen associated characteristics involved in the infection/disease. The main goal of the research plan is to account for some critical aspects concerning identification and prevention of legionellosis. To improve knowledge on factors associated with Legionella spp colonisation in hot waters, to detect cases and to characterize risk factors in subjects which develop pneumonia are specific objectives of the research programme. Preliminary results show that hot waters of houses and hotels are frequently contaminated (22.6% and 54.6%, respectively), mainly by L. pneumophila. Microbial concentrations were low in domestic waters (<1.000 ufc/l), but higher in samples from the hotels (geom. mean 1.85 x 10(3) ufc/l). Warming system, age of the plant, type of building were risk factors significantly associated with Legionella spp positivity. The active surveillance on patients affected by pneumonia with search for Legionella urinary antigen allowed the identification of 34 cases, 3 of which of nosocomial origin, corresponding to 4.2% of the screened pneumonia. After informed consent, 26 subjects were recruited for a case-control-study to clarify risk factors for the disease