Wireless Sensor Network deployment inside RA-6 Argentine Nuclear Research Reactor for environmental measurement

In this paper we present a low-cost Wireless Sensor Network (WSN) inside of the Nuclear Research Reactor RA-6 in Argentina. The WSN measures environmental parameters to offer a support system for the operators in the Control Room and to provide readily available information on the internet, for public access or other uses. Wireless sensors, also known as motes, measure radiation, temperature, vibration, light, pressure and send information to a gateway that bridges data between the internet and conventional instrumentation.Sociedad Argentina de Informática e Investigación Operativa (SADIO

Wireless Sensor Network deployment inside RA-6 Argentine Nuclear Research Reactor for environmental measurement

In this paper we present a low-cost Wireless Sensor Network (WSN) inside of the Nuclear Research Reactor RA-6 in Argentina. The WSN measures environmental parameters to offer a support system for the operators in the Control Room and to provide readily available information on the internet, for public access or other uses. Wireless sensors, also known as motes, measure radiation, temperature, vibration, light, pressure and send information to a gateway that bridges data between the internet and conventional instrumentation.Sociedad Argentina de Informática e Investigación Operativa (SADIO

First Results of the Application of a Citizen Science-Based Mobile Monitoring System to the Study of Household Heating Emissions

This work aims at understanding whether a citizen science-based monitoring system could be adequate to detect the effects, in terms of air quality, of solid and liquid fuel combustion for household heating. Citizen science is known to be able to improve the coverage and resolution of measurements at a very low cost. On the other hand, it also has severe limitations. Since low-cost sensors are to be used, measurements are problematic in terms of precision and accuracy. In order to test these aspects, we developed a system named COCAL that supports all the phases of air quality monitoring, from data acquisition, georeferencing, transmission, and processing up to web mapping. In this work, we focus on particulate matter. To address the limitations of the citizen science approach, we carefully tested all the parts of the system and, in particular, the performances of the low-cost sensors. We highlighted that their precision is acceptable, while their accuracy is insufficient. Measurements taken within such a paradigm cannot be used, therefore, as reference values. They can be used, instead, as relative values, in order to identify and to map trends, anomalies and hotspots. We used COCAL extensively in the city of Trieste and were able to identify different behaviors in different areas of the city. In the city center, PM values increase constantly during the day. In the rural suburbs of the city, we observed that PM values are low during the day but increase very rapidly after 5 p.m. It is important to note that, in the city center, household heating is based almost completely on natural gas. In the rural areas, household heating is generally based on wood burning stoves or liquid and solid fuel. A possible explanation of the different behavior between the two areas can then be related to commuters living in the rural areas but working in the city center. When they return home in the evening, they switch on the heating systems triggering the release of large quantities of particulate matter. We were able to map peaks of particulate matter values and highlight that they are initially located within the village centers to later propagate to the areas around them. The possibility of mapping air quality with the coverage and resolution we were able to obtain within a citizen science approach is very encouraging. This can be very helpful in understanding the impact that liquid and solid fuel combustion can have on the environment and human health. In addition, we think that this opportunity can be very important considering the current geopolitical situation where a (hopefully only temporary) shift toward pollutant fuels is expected in the near future

First Results of the Application of a Citizen Science-Based Mobile Monitoring System to the Study of Household Heating Emissions

This work aims at understanding whether a citizen science-based monitoring system could be adequate to detect the effects, in terms of air quality, of solid and liquid fuel combustion for household heating. Citizen science is known to be able to improve the coverage and resolution of measurements at a very low cost. On the other hand, it also has severe limitations. Since low-cost sensors are to be used, measurements are problematic in terms of precision and accuracy. In order to test these aspects, we developed a system named COCAL that supports all the phases of air quality monitoring, from data acquisition, georeferencing, transmission, and processing up to web mapping. In this work, we focus on particulate matter. To address the limitations of the citizen science approach, we carefully tested all the parts of the system and, in particular, the performances of the low-cost sensors. We highlighted that their precision is acceptable, while their accuracy is insufficient. Measurements taken within such a paradigm cannot be used, therefore, as reference values. They can be used, instead, as relative values, in order to identify and to map trends, anomalies and hotspots. We used COCAL extensively in the city of Trieste and were able to identify different behaviors in different areas of the city. In the city center, PM values increase constantly during the day. In the rural suburbs of the city, we observed that PM values are low during the day but increase very rapidly after 5 p.m. It is important to note that, in the city center, household heating is based almost completely on natural gas. In the rural areas, household heating is generally based on wood burning stoves or liquid and solid fuel. A possible explanation of the different behavior between the two areas can then be related to commuters living in the rural areas but working in the city center. When they return home in the evening, they switch on the heating systems triggering the release of large quantities of particulate matter. We were able to map peaks of particulate matter values and highlight that they are initially located within the village centers to later propagate to the areas around them. The possibility of mapping air quality with the coverage and resolution we were able to obtain within a citizen science approach is very encouraging. This can be very helpful in understanding the impact that liquid and solid fuel combustion can have on the environment and human health. In addition, we think that this opportunity can be very important considering the current geopolitical situation where a (hopefully only temporary) shift toward pollutant fuels is expected in the near future

Monitoring Air Quality in Urban Areas Using a Vehicle Sensor Network (VSN) Crowdsensing Paradigm

We present new advances in monitoring particulate matter (PM) in urban areas within a participatory vehicle sensor network (VSN) that exploits the use of multiple mobile low-cost IoT devices. These devices send geolocated PM measurements to an IT infrastructure and enabled us to reconstruct, in real time, the spatial and temporal distribution of pollutants in the study area in a web-based environment. The newly acquired data were integrated with independent reference measurements available from governmental environmental agencies. We deployed the infrastructure in the city of Trieste (Italy), since the beginning of 2021, with the help of several volunteers and the local transportation authority (Trieste Trasporti). By analysing the data, we delineate areas with lower air quality and identify the possible causes of these anomalies. We were able to define a belt outside the urban center where an enhanced concentration of pollutants occurs due to a higher flux of vehicular traffic that tends to jam there. Overall, our results demonstrate that this approach can be helpful in supporting urban planning and can also stimulate the community to reflect on how they can improve air quality in the area they live by reducing the use of private cars in favour of more widespread public transportation usage

Advances in the Nonpharmacological Treatment of Atrial Fibrillation

Atrial fibrillation is a very frequent arrhythmia in our daily clinical practice, either isolated or associated with other heart diseases. It has high relevance as it can act as a decompensating agent of other heart diseases or damage the myocardium itself. Traditionally, the treatment of atrial fibrillation has been based on rhythm and rate control and also the treatment of its complications. To rhythm control, electrical or pharmacological cardioversion has been used, and different groups of bradycardizing drugs have been used for rate control. Anticoagulation is the most relevant treatment to prevent thromboembolic phenomena secondary to atrial fibrillation. However, with the recent development of endovascular procedures, the use of ablation to maintain sinus rhythm in this kind of patients has been increased displacing the use of other treatment strategies. Therefore, in this chapter, we would review the present evidence in the use of ablation techniques as atrial fibrillation treatment