A CHR-based Implementation of Known Arc-Consistency

In classical CLP(FD) systems, domains of variables are completely known at the beginning of the constraint propagation process. However, in systems interacting with an external environment, acquiring the whole domains of variables before the beginning of constraint propagation may cause waste of computation time, or even obsolescence of the acquired data at the time of use. For such cases, the Interactive Constraint Satisfaction Problem (ICSP) model has been proposed as an extension of the CSP model, to make it possible to start constraint propagation even when domains are not fully known, performing acquisition of domain elements only when necessary, and without the need for restarting the propagation after every acquisition. In this paper, we show how a solver for the two sorted CLP language, defined in previous work, to express ICSPs, has been implemented in the Constraint Handling Rules (CHR) language, a declarative language particularly suitable for high level implementation of constraint solvers.Comment: 22 pages, 2 figures, 1 table To appear in Theory and Practice of Logic Programming (TPLP

Uso integrato di sistemi di video monitoraggio e di misura delle prestazioni per migliorare il livello di sicurezza sul lavoro

Una delle tecnologie spesso presenti nelle aziende è rappresentata dai sistemi di videosorveglianza. Se da un lato l’efficacia di tali sistemi ai fini della sicurezza antintrusione è ampiamente riconosciuta, le potenzialità di un loro utilizzo per scopi di sicurezza sul lavoro non risultano ancora indagate. Il presente articolo illustra un progetto di ricerca applicata sviluppato dal gruppo di Impianti Industriali della Facoltà di Ingegneria dell’Università degli Studi di Brescia volto ad analizzare la potenziale utilità dell’utilizzo di sistemi di videosorveglianza per monitorare efficacemente le attività lavorative al fine di misurare, e quindi incrementare, il livello di salute e sicurezza sul lavoro. Nell’ambito del progetto, un sistema di video monitoraggio affiancato da un sistema di misura delle performance è stato implementato in un’azienda manifatturiera. La sperimentazione, resa possibile da un accordo tra parte datoriale e sindacale, ha consentito l’identificazione di interventi prioritari da attuare in azienda per il miglioramento del livello di sicurezza. Infatti, grazie all’analisi delle videoriprese è stato possibile individuare sia condizioni a rischio, che comportamenti a rischio o sicuri, connaturati con la specifica tipologia di attività dell’azienda. Le informazioni ed i dati così raccolti hanno consentito la quantificazione degli indicatori definiti dal sistema di misura delle prestazioni. Dall’analisi dell’andamento degli indicatori, si è evidenziato un aumento dei comportamenti sicuri durante il periodo di sperimentazione. Tale andamento può essere interpretato come conseguenza di breve periodo dell’effetto deterrenza legato all’installazione delle videocamere nei reparti produttivi. Una valutazione dell’efficacia di lungo periodo del sistema in termini di miglioramento del livello di sicurezza sul lavoro sarà possibile solamente a valle di ulteriori sperimentazioni. ------ Video surveillance systems represent one of the types of technology often available in companies. Even though the effectiveness of such systems for security reasons is well recognized, their potential for occupational safety reasons have not been investigated yet. This paper describes a research project, developed by the Industrial Plant group of the Engineering Faculty of the University of Brescia. The aim of the project is to analyse the potential of the use of video surveillance systems with the objective of effectively monitoring the working activity in order to measure, and therefore increase, the level of health and safety at work. Within the project, a video surveillance system coupled with a performance measurement system has been implemented in a manufacturing company. Through the experimentation of the system, that was possible because of an agreement between employer and unions, the priority interventions to implement in order to improve the safety level in the company have been identified. In fact, by means of the analysis of the video records, it was possible to identify both conditions at risk, and safe or at risk behaviours specific for the company. The gathered data made it possible to quantify the indicators included in the performance measurement system. A trend analysis of the indicators showed that the amount of safe behaviours increased during the experimentation period. This trend could be considered as a consequence in the short term of the deterrence effect connected to video cameras installation in the plant. An assessment of the long term effectiveness of the system in terms of safety level improvement will be possible only after further experimentations

Design of experiments for the optimization of a new process for the stabilization of air pollution control residues

This work is part of the Cosmos-rice project (http://www.cosmos-rice.csmt.eu/), which was funded by the European Union under the Life+ program (LIFE11/ENV/IT000256). The aim of the Cosmos-rice project is to develop and optimise a new process, named Cosmos-rice process, for the stabilisation of Air Pollution Control (APC) residues coming from Municipal Solid Waste Incineration (MSWI) using rice husk ash as stabilizing agent (Bosio et al., 2014). The objective of this work is to present and discuss the optimisation of the Cosmos-rice process parameters by means of the statistical Design of Experiments (DoE) methodology. The DoE refers to the process of planning the experiments so that appropriate data that can be analysed by statistical methods can be collected, resulting in valid and objective conclusions (Montgomery, 2001). In the first part of this work, after a presentation of the Cosmos-rice process, the selection of the appropriate input and output factors (i.e. the variables that can influence the process performance and the variables selected to represent the process performance) is discussed. In particular, the input factors include the percentage of rice husk ash, the mixing temperature and time and the environmental conditions (air temperature and humidity) during the seasoning phase, while the output factors include the concentrations of Pb and Zn in the leachate of the treated APC residues. In the second part, the plan of experiments set up for the optimisation of the Cosmos-rice process is presented. In particular, after showing the levels adopted for each of the input parameters, the resulting plan of 16 experiments is shown. Finally, the results obtained from the experiments, carried out by the Chem4Tech laboratory of the University of Brescia (Italy), are analysed by means of the Multivariate Analysis of Variance (MANOVA). The MANOVA represents an extension of the univariate analysis of variance to the case of multiple dependent variables and allows for a direct test of the null hypothesis with respect to all the dependent variables in an experiment. Thanks to the statistical analysis, the relationships between input and output parameters have been identified, along with the best combination of the input factors levels. In particular, the environmental conditions during the seasoning phase have been found to be the parameter most affecting the effectiveness of the stabilisation process

Disentangling nonlinear geomagnetic variability during magnetic storms and quiescence by timescale dependent recurrence properties

Understanding the complex behavior of the near-Earth electromagnetic environment is one of the main challenges of Space Weather studies. This includes both the correct characterization of the different physical mechanisms responsible for its configuration and dynamics as well as the efforts which are needed for a correct forecasting of several phenomena. By using a nonlinear multi-scale dynamical systems approach, we provide here new insights into the scale-to-scale dynamical behavior of both quiet and disturbed periods of geomagnetic activity. The results show that a scale-dependent dynamical transition occurs when moving from short to long timescales, i.e., from fast to slow dynamical processes, the latter being characterized by a more regular behavior, while more dynamical anomalies are found in the behavior of the fast component. This suggests that different physical processes are typical for both dynamical regimes: the fast component, being characterized by a more chaotic and less predictable behavior, can be related to the internal dynamical state of the near-Earth electromagnetic environment, while the slow component seems to be less chaotic and associated with the directly driven processes related to the interplanetary medium variability. Moreover, a clear difference has been found between quiet and disturbed periods, the former being more complex than the latter. These findings support the view that, for a correct forecasting in the framework of Space Weather studies, more attention needs to be devoted to the identification of proxies describing the internal dynamical state of the near-Earth electromagnetic environment

ITALIAN CONSENSUS STATEMENT (2020) ON RETURN TO PLAY AFTER LOWER LIMB MUSCLE INJURY IN FOOTBALL (SOCCER)

Return to play (RTP) decisions in football are currently based on expert opinion. No consensus guideline has been published to demonstrate an evidence-based decision- making process in football (soccer). Our aim was to provide a framework for evidence-based decision-making in RTP following lower limb muscle injuries sustained in football. A 1-day consensus meeting was held in Milan, on 31 August 2018, involving 66 national and international experts from various academic backgrounds. A narrative review of the current evidence for RTP decision-making in football was provided to delegates. Assembled experts came to a consensus on the best practice for managing RTP following lower limb muscle injuries via the Delphi process. Consensus was reached on (1) the definitions of \u2018return to training\u2019 and \u2018return to play\u2019 in football. We agreed on \u2018return to training\u2019 and RTP in football, the appropriate use of clinical and imaging assessments, and laboratory and field tests for return to training following lower limb muscle injury, and identified objective criteria for RTP based on global positioning system technology. Level of evidence IV, grade of recommendation D

Light-curing process for clear aligners’ attachment reproduction: comparison between two nanocomposites cured by the auxiliary of a new tool

BACKGROUND: Attachments’ configuration play an important role during Clear Aligner Treatment (CAT) for aligner retention and control of movements planned. The aims were to compare the macroscopic morphology of attachments reproduced with flowable (FNC) and conventional (CNC) composites and the effects on them of two light-guide tips with different dimensions. METHODS: 4 resin casts derived from the initial scan of the same patient were obtained. 10 vestibular attachments were replaced on both upper and lower arches of each model with CNC (Models A, B) and FNC (Models C, D). Each composite was cured by means of the same LED lamp with both regular light-guide (Models A, B) and push and light tool® (Models C, D). The 80 attachments were qualitative analyzed by means of a digital stereo microscope. Surface roughness and waviness measurements were assessed by contact probe surface profiler (TalySurf CLI 2000; Taylor Hobson, Leicester, United Kingdom). Statistical analysis was performed with independent samples t-tests. Significance was established at the P < 0.05 level. RESULTS: Model A showed lower values of surface roughness (Ra − 1.41 µm, Rt − 3.46 µm) and waviness (Wa − 2.36 µm, Wt − 10.95 µm) when compared with Model C. Significant reduction of waviness (Wa − 3.85 µm, Wt − 4.90 µm) was observed on Model B when compared with Model D. Significant increase of roughness and waviness parameters (Ra 3.88 µm, Rt 21.07, Wa 2.89 µm, Wt 14.74 µm) was found when CNC sample (Model A) was cured with regular light-guide tip. Higher values (Ra 2.33 µm, Rt 24.07 µm, Wa 1.67 µm, Wt 20.79 µm) were observed after regular light-guide tips curing on FNC sample (Model C). CONCLUSIONS: CNC resins determine more regular surfaces of attachments profiles. The additional use of a smaller light- guide of the LED push and light tool® allows to improve the macroscopic morphology of the attachments and to maximize light irradiance delivering by enhancing the polymerization process and the integrity of the features during the treatment

Identification of the different magnetic field contributions during a geomagnetic storm in magnetospheric and ground observations

Abstract. We used the empirical mode decomposition (EMD) to investigate the time variation of the magnetospheric and ground-based observations of the Earth's magnetic field during both quiet and disturbed periods. We found two timescale variations in magnetospheric data which are associated with different magnetospheric current systems and the characteristic diurnal orbital variation, respectively. On the ground we identified three timescale variations related to the solar-wind–magnetosphere high-frequency interactions, the ionospheric processes, and the internal dynamics of the magnetosphere. This approach is able to identify the different physical processes involved in solar-wind–magnetosphere–ionosphere coupling. In addition, the large-timescale contribution can be used as a local index for the identification of the intensity of a geomagnetic storm on the ground

Cancer cell death induced by ferritins and the peculiar role of their labile iron pool

This research was funded by MIUR (PRIN 2012 code 2012SK7ASN). SA and SGC acknowledge the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 668119 (project “IDentIFY”), SC the postdoctoral grant by Fondazione Cassa di Risparmio di Firenze (n°2013.0494) provided by FiorGen.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Evaluation of an interprofessional education intervention in partnership with patient educators

Background and aim of the work: Patient involvement in interprofessional education is a novel approach to building collaborative and empathic skills in students. However, this area of teaching is lacking in rigorous studies. The project aimed to evaluate whether an interprofessional education intervention in partnership with patient educators (IPE-PE) would increase readiness for interprofessional learning and empathy in health sciences students. Methods: This is the report of a didactic innovation project. Participants included 310 undergraduate health sciences students who took part in an IPE-PE intervention. Data were collected before and after the training, using the Readiness for Interprofessional Learning Scale (RIPLS) and the Jefferson Scale of Empathy-Health Professions Student version ( JSE-HPS). Only at the end of the intervention, a data collection form was administered to explore the value of the patient educator in the training and to investigate the socio-demographic variables. Results: The mean age of participants was 21±3.2 SD years and 76% were female. The Wilcoxon signed-rank test showed significant changes from before to after the IPE-PE in the RIPLS total score (m=42.7±5.8 SD vs 44.62±5.9 SD, z=-4.168, P&lt;0.001) and in the JSE-HPS total score (m=112.7±12.5 SD vs 116.03±12.8 SD, z=-4.052, P&lt;0.001). Conclusions: Our students reported that IPE-PE had helped them to become more effective healthcare team members, to think positively about other professionals, and to gain an empathic understanding of the perspective of the person being cared for. The results of the project confirm that the intervention promoted the development of empathy, fostering a better understanding of the patient-centred perspective