Tustin neural networks: a class of recurrent nets for adaptive MPC of mechanical systems

The use of recurrent neural networks to represent the dynamics of unstable systems is difficult due to the need to properly initialize their internal states, which in most of the cases do not have any physical meaning, consequent to the non-smoothness of the optimization problem. For this reason, in this paper focus is placed on mechanical systems characterized by a number of degrees of freedom, each one represented by two states, namely position and velocity. For these systems, a new recurrent neural network is proposed: Tustin-Net. Inspired by second-order dynamics, the network hidden states can be straightforwardly estimated, as their differential relationships with the measured states are hardcoded in the forward pass. The proposed structure is used to model a double inverted pendulum and for model-based Reinforcement Learning, where an adaptive Model Predictive Controller scheme using the Unscented Kalman Filter is proposed to deal with parameter changes in the system.Comment: Under revie

Clinical characteristics and long-term response to mood stabilizers in patients with bipolar disorder and different age at onset

INTRODUCTION : bipolar disorder (BD) is a prevalent, comorbid, and impairing condition. Potential predictors of response to pharmacological treatment are object of continuous investigation in patients with BD. The present naturalistic study was aimed to assess clinical features and long-term response to mood stabilizers in a sample of bipolar subjects with different ages at onset METHODS : the study sample included 108 euthymic patients, diagnosed as affected by BD, either type I or II, according to the DSM-IV-TR, who were started on mood stabilizer treatment. Patients were followed-up for 24 months and the occurrence of any mood episode collected. At the end of the follow-up, patients were divided in 3 subgroups according to the age at onset (early-onset 30-45 years, respectively) and the long-term response to mood stabilizers was compared between them along with other clinical features RESULTS : the three subgroups showed significant differences in terms of clinical and demographic features and, with respect to long-term response to mood stabilizers, the early-onset subgroup showed a better outcome in terms of reduction of major depressive episodes during the 24-month follow-up compared to the other subgroups (one way ANOVA, F = 3.57, p = 0.032) CONCLUSIONS : even though further controlled studies are needed to clarify the relationship between age at onset and outcome in BD, the present follow-up study suggests clinical peculiarities and different patterns of response to mood stabilizers across distinct subgroups of patients with BD and different ages at onset

Does financial materiality judgement matter in reporting intellectual capital? A systematic literature review and future research trends

Purpose – This paper aims to investigate materiality judgement providing insights, critiques and future research paths in light of the open debate on the role of materiality in corporate financial disclosure, highlighting potential connections and implications with sustainability and intellectual capital (IC) reporting. Design/methodology/approach – The research presents an overview of the analysis of financial materiality, including new stimuli from recent studies and regulatory requirements for financial and nonfinancial reporting. Accordingly, this study used a systematic literature review (SLR) based on a combination of content, text and bibliometric analysis of materiality in accounting research studies, collecting data from the Scopus database as one of the most relevant repositories. Findings – The SLR identified four relevant research trends, concerning: (1) the relevance of materiality principles in corporate disclosure; (2) financial reporting practices and materiality; (3) theories and approaches in defining financial materiality and (4) the existence of quantitative and qualitative thresholds in the materiality judgement. Research limitations/implications – The results provide theoretical and practical implications when comprehending the development of the concept of financial materiality in financial statements and whether they can be appropriate in reporting IC as well. We identified future research paths. Practical implications – From a practical perspective, this study is useful for companies implementing financial materiality based on stakeholder engagement and improving their transparency in financial and nonfinancial reporting practices. Social implications – The research investigates if the process for assessing materiality is in line with the expectations of all stakeholders involved in financial and non-financial reporting. Originality/value – This research is the first to investigate the scientific basis and applicability of the concept of financial materiality to sustainability and IC reporting

Application of a Cost-Effective Visible/Near Infrared Optical Prototype for the Measurement of Qualitative Parameters of Chardonnay Grapes

In this paper, a cost-effective visible/near infrared optical prototype was tested for grape maturity monitoring. The device was used to quantify the qualitative parameters of Chardonnay grapes, based on the combination of spectroscopic data and the creation of predictive models. The optical acquisitions were performed directly in the field through the use of 12 wavelengths in the vis/NIR range, i.e., 450, 500, 550, 570, 600, 610, 650, 680, 730, 760, 810 and 860 nanometers. The prediction of the qualitative parameters was carried out through a multivariate model, partial least square (PLS) regression technique and built knowing the real values of the parameters, i.e., total soluble solids (TSS), titratable acidity (TA) and pH measured through the reference laboratory analyses. Sampling included two harvest years. The most efficient model was the one for TSS evaluation that gave a R2 = 0.87 (independent test set validation). The results demonstrated that the optical device is able to provide useful information about the ripening parameters of Chardonnay grapes directly in the field in order to predict its correct maturation stage and, therefore, support operators in rapid and objective decision making. Overall, the use of the prototype promotes a sustainable approach and viticulture 4.0

Genital Chlamydia trachomatis infections

Chlamydia trachomatis (C.t.) infection is one of the most prevalent sexually transmitted disease in Europe and in developed countries. The main biological features and pathogenic mechanisms of C.t. infection are summarized in this review. It usually occurs without symptoms and often goes undiagnosed. If untreated, it can cause severe consequences for women, including pelvic inflammatory disease (PID), ectopic pregnancy and tubal infertility. Several studies have found that Chlamydia is more common among young women <25 years old, with multiple sexual partners within six months and non protected intercourses. Because re-infection rates are high, complications may be reduced if partners are treated and women re-tested. This paper emphasizes the importance of counselling and prevention programs and underlines that selective screening of high-risk population remains an essential component of C.t. control. In the last years, the detection of C.t. infection has been improved in sensitivity and specificity.We describe the main diagnostic techniques, from culture, enzyme immunoassay (EIA), direct fluorescent-antibody assay (DFA) to the new DNA-based test systems. Actually, NAATs (nucleic acid amplification tests) are regarded as the gold standard diagnostic techniques for chlamydial infections

AMPERE: exploiting Galileo for electrical asset mapping in emerging countries

The AMPERE project aims at engineering and starting to commercialize a dedicated solution, to be used for electrical power network information gathering. AMPERE will support decision making actors (e.g., institutions and public/ private companies in charge to manage electrical network) to collect all needed info to plan electrical network maintenance and upgrade. In particular, the need for such a solution comes in emerging countries (worldwide) where, despite global electrification rates are significantly progressing, the access to electricity is still far from being achieved in a reliable way, and, there is lack of knowledge about already deployed infrastructure. The AMPERE data collection solution relies on drones equipped with GNSS/INS units, LIDAR, optical and thermal cameras. In such a context, Galileo is a key enabler - especially, considering its free-of-charge High Accuracy Service (HAS) and its highly precise E5 AltBOC code measurements- as a core component to map electric utilities, optimize decision making process about the network development and therefore increase time and cost efficiency, offering more convenient way to manage energy distribution. The project is also aimed at investigating the potential of cooperative multi-UAV solutions

A predictive model for early mortality after surgical treatment of heart valve or prosthesis infective endocarditis. The EndoSCORE

BACKGROUND: The aim of this large retrospective study was to provide a logistic risk model along an additive score to predict early mortality after surgical treatment of patients with heart valve or prosthesis infective endocarditis (IE). METHODS: From 2000 to 2015, 2715 patients with native valve endocarditis (NVE) or prosthesis valve endocarditis (PVE) were operated on in 26 Italian Cardiac Surgery Centers. The relationship between early mortality and covariates was evaluated with logistic mixed effect models. Fixed effects are parameters associated with the entire population or with certain repeatable levels of experimental factors, while random effects are associated with individual experimental units (centers). RESULTS: Early mortality was 11.0% (298/2715); At mixed effect logistic regression the following variables were found associated with early mortality: age class, female gender, LVEF, preoperative shock, COPD, creatinine value above 2mg/dl, presence of abscess, number of treated valve/prosthesis (with respect to one treated valve/prosthesis) and the isolation of Staphylococcus aureus, Fungus spp., Pseudomonas Aeruginosa and other micro-organisms, while Streptococcus spp., Enterococcus spp. and other Staphylococci did not affect early mortality, as well as no micro-organisms isolation. LVEF was found linearly associated with outcomes while non-linear association between mortality and age was tested and the best model was found with a categorization into four classes (AUC=0.851). CONCLUSIONS: The following study provides a logistic risk model to predict early mortality in patients with heart valve or prosthesis infective endocarditis undergoing surgical treatment, called "The EndoSCORE"