From AAL to ambient assisted rehabilitation: a research pilot protocol based on smart objects and biofeedback

AbstractThe progressive miniaturization of electronic devices and their exponential increase in processing, storage and transmission capabilities, represent key factors of the current digital transformation, also sustaining the great development of Ambient Assisted Living (AAL) and the Internet of Things. Although most of the investigations in the recent years focused on remote monitoring and diagnostics, rehabilitation too could be positively affected by the widespread integrated use of these devices. Smart Objects in particular may be among the enablers to new quantitative approaches. In this paper, we present a proof-of-concept and some preliminary results of an innovative pediatric rehabilitation protocol based on Smart Objects and biofeedback, which we administered to a sample of children with unilateral cerebral palsy. The novelty of the approach mainly consists in placing the sensing device into a common toy (a ball in our protocol) and using the information measured by the device to administer multimedia-enriched type of exercises, more engaging if compared to the usual rehabilitation activities used in clinical settings. We also introduce a couple of performance indexes, which could be helpful for a quantitative continuous evaluation of movements during the exercises. Even if the number of children involved and sessions performed are not suitable to assess any change in the subjects' abilities, nor to derive solid statistical inferences, the novel approach resulted very engaging and enjoyable by all the children participating in the study. Moreover, given the almost non-existent literature on the use of Smart Objects in pediatric rehabilitation, the few qualitative/quantitative results here reported may promote the scientific and clinical discussion regarding AAL solutions in a "Computer Assisted Rehabilitation" perspective, towards what can be defined "Pediatric Rehabilitation 2.0"

Trace elements release from volcanic ashes to seawater. Natural concentrations in Central Mediterranean sea.

Distributions and concentrations of many minor and trace elements in epicontinental basins, as Mediterranean Sea, are mainly driven to atmospheric fallout from surroundings. This mechanism supplies an estimated yearly flux of about 1000 kg km-2 of terrigenous matter of different nature on the whole Mediterranean basin. Dissolution of these materials and processes occurring at solid-liquid interface along the water column drive the distributions of many trace elements as V, Cr, Mn, Co, Cu, and Pb with contents ranging from pmol l-1 (Co, Cd, Pb) to nmol l-1 scale in Mediterranean seawater, with some local differences in the basin. The unwinding of an oceanographic cruise in the coastal waters of Ionian Sea during the Etna’s eruptive activity in summer 2001 led to the almost unique chance to test the effects of large delivery of volcanic ash to a coastal sea water system through the analyses of distribution of selected trace elements along several seawater columns. The collection of these waters and their analyses about V, Cr, Mn, Co, Cu, and Pb contents evidenced trace element concentrations were always higher (about 1 order of magnitude at least) than those measured concentrations in the recent past in Mediterranean seawater, apart from Pb. Progressive increase of concentrations of some elements with depth, sometimes changing in a “conservative” behaviour without any clear reason and the observed higher concentrations required an investigation about interaction processes occurring at solid-liquid interface between volcanic ash and seawater along water columns. This investigation involving kinetic evaluation of trace element leaching to seawater, was carried out during a 6 months time period under laboratory conditions. X-ray investigations, SEM-EDS observations and analyses on freshly-erupted volcanic ash evidenced formation of alteration clay minerals onto glass fraction surfaces. Chemical analyses carried out on coexisting liquid phase demonstrated that trace element leaching occurs through a first quick followed by a slow second step that attaints to an apparent equilibrium after 6 months. Amplitude of kinetic rate constant measured for SiO2 release during the first step and behaviour of Ti/Si and Cr/Si rations in primary volcanic minerals, glass fraction and leaching solutions during the first 1 month stage of the experimental interaction allowed to demonstrate that trace element release mainly occurs from glassy materials and Ti-rich magnetite

Alteration effects of volcanic ash in seawater: Anomalous Y/Ho ratios in coastal waters of the Central Mediterranean sea

This paper presents the results of a study based on data collected during the oceanographic cruise ANSIC 2001 carried out in the Ionian Sea during the explosive activity of Mount Etna in the summer of 2001. Anomalous low values of Y/Ho ratios in seawater suggest extensive scavenging processes on the surfaces of smectitic alteration products, with Y and Ho fractionation controlled by the differences in their electronic configurations and behaviour during solution/surface complexation equilibria. These processes can also be traced through the presence of significant tetrad effects recorded in the chondrite-normalised Rare Earth Elements and Yttrium (YREEs) patterns of suspended particulate matter. This suggests that the preferential Y scavenging from seawater is due to the formation of inner-sphere complexes with OH- groups on montmorillonite crystal surfaces. The preliminary results of kinetic experiments of YREE released from volcanic ash to coexisting seawater, and the related effects on Y/Ho ratios and Ce anomalies, are consistent with the fractionation of Light Rare Earth Elements (LREEs) with respect to Heavy Rare Earth Elements (HREEs) observed in dissolved phase. They suggest a behaviour of Y similar to that reported for LREEs, particularly for Ce and Pr. © 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved

A smart wearable sensor system for counter-fighting overweight in teenagers

PEGASO is a FP7-funded project whose goal is to develop an ICT and mobile-based platform together with an appropriate strategy to tackle the diffusion of obesity and other lifestyle-related illnesses among teenagers. Indeed, the design of an engaging strategy, leveraging a complementary set of technologies, is the approach proposed by the project to promote the adoption of healthy habits such as active lifestyle and balanced nutrition and to effectively counter-fight the emergence of overweight and obesity in the younger population. A technological key element of such a strategy sees the adoption of wearable sensors to monitor teenagersâ\u80\u99 activities, which is at the basis of developing awareness about the current lifestyle. This paper describes the experience carried out in the framework of the PEGASO project in developing and evaluating wearable monitoring systems addressed to adolescents. The paper describes the methodological approach based on the co-designing of such a wearable system and the main results that, in the first phase, involved a total of 407 adolescents across Europe in a series of focus groups conducted in three countries for the requirements definition phase. Moreover, it describes an evaluation process of signal reliability during the usage of the wearable system. The main results described here are: (a) a prototype of the standardized experimental protocol that has been developed and applied to test signal reliability in smart garments; (b) the requirements definition methodology through a co-design activity and approach to address user requirements and preferences and not only technological specifications. Such co-design approach is able to support a higher system acceptance and usability together with a sustained adoption of the solution with respect to the traditional technology push system development strategy

Aging, cancer, and cancer vaccines

World population has experienced continuous growth since 1400 A.D. Current projections show a continued increase - but a steady decline in the population growth rate - with the number expected to reach between 8 and 10.5 billion people within 40 years. The elderly population is rapidly rising: in 1950 there were 205 million people aged 60 or older, while in 2000 there were 606 million. By 2050, the global population aged 60 or over is projected to expand by more than three times, reaching nearly 2 billion people [1]. Most cancers are age-related diseases: in the US, 50% of all malignancies occur in people aged 65-95. 60% of all cancers are expected to be diagnosed in elderly patients by 2020 [2]. Further, cancer-related mortality increases with age: 70% of all malignancy-related deaths are registered in people aged 65 years or older [3]. Here we introduce the microscopic aspects of aging, the pro-inflammatory phenotype of the elderly, and the changes related to immunosenescence. Then we deal with cancer disease and its development, the difficulty of treatment administration in the geriatric population, and the importance of a comprehensive geriatric assessment. Finally, we aim to analyze the complex interactions of aging with cancer and cancer vaccinology, and the importance of this last approach as a complementary therapy to different levels of prevention and treatment. Cancer vaccines, in fact, should at present be recommended in association to a stronger cancer prevention and conventional therapies (surgery, chemotherapy, radiation therapy), both for curative and palliative intent, in order to reduce morbidity and mortality associated to cancer progression

Lo stato dell’ambiente marino nell’area del Canale di Sicilia in prossimità del SIN di Gela.

Viene illustrata in questa nota l’attuale condizione in cui si trova lo stato dell’ambiente marino nell’area del Canale di Sicilia immediatamente a ridosso della costa merdionale delle Sicilia dal Golfo di Gela alla costa iblea. Lo stato dell’ambiente in oggetto viene valutato in base alla distribuzione di alcuni metalli in tracce normalmente ritenuti fra i più significativi per gli scopi prefissati, esaminati lungo la colonna d’acqua e nei sedimenti superficiali di fondale. I risultati ottenuti, illustrati anche attraverso un’indagine statistica multivariata, indicano un arricchimento superficiale della colonna d’acqua in lantanio che può essere ascritto tanto ad un’origine litogenica, quanto ad input antropico. Nei sedimenti al naturale raggruppamento fra elementi in tracce in tracce basato su analogie comportamentali di carattere geochimica sfugge il Ni che mostra di provenire da una fonte differente per la quale non si può escludere la natura antropica. Tale ipotesi di esiti di antropizzazione trova conforto nei raffronti condotti con il chimismo del particolato atmosferico desunto da dati di letteratura

Laparoscopic Pancreatoduodenectomy

In recent years, total laparoscopic pancreaticoduodenectomy (TLPD) has been introduced as a feasible alternative to open pancreaticoduodenectomy (OPD) when performed by experienced surgeons in laparoscopic and pancreatic surgery. Its application has been gradually increased, but its safety, reproducibility, and oncological outcomes are still debated due to its technical complexity and prolonged operating time. We performed a systematic analysis of the more relevant aspects of TLPD. In this chapter, we report a general overview of the different experiences present in the literature regarding indications, surgical techniques, postoperative outcomes, benefits and limitations of this approach, oncological results, learning curve, and costs. There is no standardized surgical technique for TLPD. Different techniques exist for both the demolitive stage and the reconstructive stage. We summarized the different aspects of the surgical technique based on the various experiences reported by different authors. Compared to OPD, TLPD provides the advantages of laparoscopy, i.e., reduced blood loss, decreased postoperative pain, and shorter length of hospital stay, without increasing the rate of postoperative complications or compromising oncological outcomes. An appropriate patient selection is crucial at the beginning of the learning curve. With increased experience, more challenging cases may also be approached with this technique, including those requiring major vascular resections or multi-visceral resections

Wearable lifestyle tracking devices: Are they useful for teenagers?

open11siCarrion, Carme; Caon, Maurizio; Carrino, Stefano; Moliner, Liliana Arroyo; Lang, Alexandra; Atkinson, Sarah; Mazzola, Marco; Perego, Paolo; Standoli, Carlo Emilio; Castell, Conxa; Espallargues, MireiaCarrion, Carme; Caon, Maurizio; Carrino, Stefano; Moliner, Liliana Arroyo; Lang, Alexandra; Atkinson, Sarah; Mazzola, Marco; Perego, Paolo; Standoli, CARLO EMILIO; Castell, Conxa; Espallargues, Mirei

Condition monitoring of the rolling stock and infrastructure: results of a pilot project

The application of Prognostics and Health Monitoring (PHM) concepts in rail vehicles and railway infrastructure is a rapidly growing field of research, and extensive efforts are being spent with the aim of improving the reliability and availability of railway systems and of substantially reducing maintenance costs by switching from time-based to event-driven maintenance policies. This paper presents the results of a research project in which concepts were developed and demonstrated for the health monitoring of the rolling stock (traction equipment) and of the railway infrastructure (track and overhead equipment). A prototype monitoring system was installed on a E464 locomotive and results were gathered across a time span of 14 months from December 2014 to January 2016