Is My Model Up-to-date? Detecting CoViD-19 Variants by Machine Learning

Machine learning extracts models from huge quantities of data. Models trained and validated over past data can be deployed in making forecasts as well as in classifying new incoming data. The real world which generates data may change over time, making the deployed model an obsolete one. To preserve the quality of the currently deployed model, continuous machine learning is required. Our approach retrospectively evaluates in an online fashion the behaviour of the currently deployed model. A drift detector detects any performance slump, and, in case, can replace the previous model with an up-to-date one. The approach experiments on a dataset of 8642 hematochemical examinations from hospitalized patients gathered over 6 months: the outcome of the model predicts the RT-PCR test result about CoViD-19. The method reached an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.794, 6% better than offline and 5% better than standard online-binary classification techniques

Towards a genealogy of critical urban studies

Urban Studie

The MIG Framework: Enabling Transparent Process Migration in Open MPI

This paper introduces the mig framework: an Open MPI extension to transparently support the migration of application processes, over different nodes of a distributed High-Performance Computing (HPC) system. The framework provides mechanism on top of which suitable resource managers can implement policies to react to hardware faults, address performance variability, improve resource utilization, perform a fine-grained load balancing and power thermal management. Compared to other state-of-the-art approaches, the mig framework does not require changes in the application code. Moreover, it is highly maintainable, since it is mainly a self-contained solution that has required a very few changes in other already existing Open MPI frameworks. Experimental results have shown that the proposed extension does not introduce significant overhead in the application execution, while the penalty due to performing a migration can be properly taken into account by a resource manager

Integrating home monitoring for transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) therapy to professional care environment

Daily management of neurodegenerative diseases is one of the most striking scenarios where an integrated health care system is essential for the continuous assistance to the patient and requires qualification of the caregivers and their training. In particular, patients affected by depression or chronic pain, as well as rehabilitating after stroke, can be treated at home with non-invasive electrical neuromodulation (transcranial Direct Current Stimulation, tDCS) in order to reduce daily travel expenses between home and hospital. Home monitoring of patient undergoing tDCS is essential to (1) optimize the stimulation parameters according to the current health status and to the stimulation outcomes, and (2) assess disease progression. However, monitoring effectiveness depends on the exchange of this information between the patient at home and his/her reference neurologist. Currently, the health IT scenario is composed by two independent environments, one dedicated to healthcare professionals (e.g., Electronic Health Records, EHRs), and one including mobile devices applications dedicated to citizens, caregivers and patients. Safety, communication and interoperability gaps prevented from an effective data exchange between these two environments. The aim of our work is to implement an integrated home monitoring system for tDCS patients, in which a web-based platform for EHR management exchanges data with a patient\u2019s mobile app

Probing the role of nuclear-envelope invaginations in the nuclear-entry route of lipofected DNA by multi-channel 3D confocal microscopy.

Nuclear breakdown was found to be the dominant route for DNA entry into the nucleus in actively dividing cells. The possibility that alternative routes contribute to DNA entry into the nucleus, however, cannot be ruled out. Here we address the process of lipofection by monitoring the localization of fluorescently-labelled DNA plasmids at the single-cell level by confocal imaging in living interphase cells. As test formulation we choose the cationic 3β-[N-(N,N-dimethylaminoethane)-carbamoyl] cholesterol (DC-Chol) and the zwitterionic helper lipid dioleoylphosphatidylethanolamine (DOPE) with plasmidic DNA pre-condensed by means of protamine. By exploiting the spectral shift of the fluorescent dye FM4-64 (N-(3-triethylammoniumpropyl)-4-(p-diethylaminophenylhexatrienyl)-pyridinium 2Br) we monitor the position of the nuclear envelope (NE), while concomitantly imaging the whole nucleus (by Hoechst) and the DNA (by Cy3 fluorophore) in a multi-channel 3D confocal imaging experiment. Reported results show that DNA clusters are typically associated with the NE membrane in the form of tubular invaginations spanning the nuclear environment, but not completely trapped within the NE invaginations, i.e. the DNA may use these NE regions as entry-points towards the nucleus. These observations pave the way to investigating the molecular details of the postulated processes for a better exploitation of gene-delivery vectors, particularly for applications in non-dividing cells

Enabling instant- and interval-based semantics in multidimensional data models: the T+MultiDim Model

Time is a vital facet of every human activity. Data warehouses, which are huge repositories of historical information, must provide analysts with rich mechanisms for managing the temporal aspects of information. In this paper, we (i) propose T+MultiDim, a multidimensional conceptual data model enabling both instant- and interval-based semantics over temporal dimensions, and (ii) provide suitable OLAP (On-Line Analytical Processing) operators for querying temporal information. T+MultiDim allows one to design typical concepts of a data warehouse including temporal dimensions, and provides one with the new possibility of conceptually connecting different temporal dimensions for exploiting temporally aggregated data. The proposed approach allows one to specify and to evaluate powerful OLAP queries over information from data warehouses. In particular, we define a set of OLAP operators to deal with interval-based temporal data. Such operators allow the user to derive new measure values associated to different intervals/instants, according to different temporal semantics. Moreover, we propose and discuss through examples from the healthcare domain the SQL specification of all the temporal OLAP operators we define. (C) 2019 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved

Pre-existing Psychiatric Morbidity Is Strongly Associated to Takotsubo Syndrome. A Case-Control Study

BackgroundTakotsubo syndrome (TTS) is an emerging disease characterized by an acute and reversible myocardial dysfunction which may have an influence on clinical status and prognosis. Despite extensive research, its pathophysiology has not been completely elucidated; among other hypothesis, a heart-brain interaction has been proposed. MethodsThe aim of this study was to assess the impact of psychiatric disorders and of some personality types on the pathogenesis of TTS. We conducted a retrospective observational case-control study. We enrolled a total of 50 patients, 25 with a previous diagnosis of TTS and 25 patients with a history of acute coronary syndrome (ACS), that underwent a comprehensive lifetime psychiatric assessment. ResultsWe found no significant difference between TTS and ACS patients in cardiovascular risk profile. The frequency of lifetime psychiatric disorders was significantly greater in TTS. In particular, in the univariate analysis, TTS group showed a higher prevalence of mood disorders (Major Depressive Disorder, Bipolar Disorder, Dysthymia; 16 vs. 2, P < 0.001) and anxiety disorder (Generalized Anxiety Disorder, Panic Disorder, Agoraphobia; 20 vs. 8, P = 0.001) compared with ACS group. There was also a significant tendency in TTS patients to psychotropic medication use, substance abuse, and psychologist or psychiatrist consulting. However, there was no difference between the groups in previous stressful events and Type D personality. Moreover, the multivariate analysis showed that mood disorders were independently associated with TTS (OR 16.9, 95% CI, 2.2-127). ConclusionOur study demonstrated that pre-existing anxiety disorders and mostly mood disorders were significantly higher in TTS patients than in ACS group, suggesting the role of psychiatric disorders as possible pathophysiological substrate of TTS

Sottotraccia. Note per una genealogia degli studi urbani critici

Urban Studie

Innovative Non-Pharmacological Management of Delirium in Persons with Dementia: New Frontiers for Physiotherapy and Occupational Therapy?

Delirium; Dementia; Occupational therapyDelirio; Demencia; Terapia ocupacionalDeliri; Demència; Teràpia ocupacionalBackground: Delirium and dementia are two of the most common geriatric syndromes, which requires innovative rehabilitation approaches. Aim: We aimed at determining which occupational therapy and physiotherapy interventions are applied with older people with delirium and dementia in different care settings. We also identified the assessment tools that were used. Materials and methods: We conducted a literature search for scientific articles published from 2012 to 2022 (PubMed, MEDLINE, AMED and CINAHL) with adults aged >65 years including experimental study designs with randomized or non-randomized intervention, exploratory studies, pilot studies, quasi-experimental studies, case series and/or clinical cases. Studies that did not use interventions that could be classified as occupational therapy or physiotherapy were excluded. Results: After applying the exclusion criteria, 9 articles were selected. The most widely used assessment to define dementia was the MMSE (N = 5; 55.5%), whereas the CAM (N = 2; 22.2%), CAM-ICU (N = 2; 22.2%) and RASS (N = 3; 33.3%) were the most widely used to define delirium. The rehabilitation interventions that were most frequently performed were early mobilization, inclusion of the caregiver during treatment, modification of the environment to encourage orientation and autonomy, the interprofessional systemic approach and engaging persons in meaningful activities. Conclusions: Despite the growing evidence on its effectiveness, the role of physiotherapy and occupational therapy interventions in the prevention and treatment of people with dementia and delirium is still emerging. More research is needed to investigate if effective occupational therapy programs known to reduce the behavioral and psychological symptoms in people with dementia are also useful for treating delirium and specifically delirium superimposed on dementia. Regarding physiotherapy, it is crucial to know about the amount and timing of intervention required. Further studies are needed including older adults with delirium superimposed on dementia to define the role of the interprofessional geriatric rehabilitation team

Successful whole lung lavage in pulmonary alveolar proteinosis secondary to lysinuric protein intolerance: a case report

BACKGROUND: Pulmonary alveolar proteinosis (PAP) is a rare disease characterised by accumulation of lipoproteinaceous material within alveoli, occurring in three clinically distinct forms: congenital, acquired and secondary. Among the latter, lysinuric protein intolerance (LPI) is a rare genetic disorder caused by defective transport of cationic amino acids. Whole Lung Lavage (WLL) is currently the gold standard therapy for severe cases of PAP. CASE PRESENTATION: We describe the case of an Italian boy affected by LPI who, by the age of 10, developed digital clubbing and, by the age of 16, a mild restrictive functional impairment associated with a high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT) pattern consistent with pulmonary alveolar proteinosis. After careful assessment, he underwent WLL. CONCLUSION: Two years after WLL, the patient has no clinical, radiological or functional evidence of pulmonary disease recurrence, thus suggesting that WLL may be helpful in the treatment of PAP secondary to LPI