11 research outputs found
Bridging Geometry and Semantics for Object Manipulation and Grasping
In this paper, we present our on-going work towards grasping in an object manipulation context. Our proposal is a novel method that combines a tubular feature classification algorithm, a hand grasp posture generation algorithm and an animation framework for human-object interactions. This method works on objects with tubular or elongated parts, and accepts a number of parameter inputs to control the grasp posture
SeaConditions: a web and mobile service for safer professional and recreational activities in the Mediterranean Sea
Reliable and timely information on the environmental conditions at
sea is key to the safety of professional and recreational users as well as
to the optimal execution of their activities. The possibility of users
obtaining environmental information in due time and with adequate accuracy
in the marine and coastal environment is defined as sea situational
awareness (SSA). Without adequate information on the environmental
meteorological and oceanographic conditions, users have a limited capacity
to respond, which has led to loss of lives and to large environmental
disasters with enormous consequent damage to the economy, society and
ecosystems. Within the framework of the TESSA project, new SSA services for
the Mediterranean Sea have been developed. In this paper we present
SeaConditions, which is a web and mobile application for the provision of
meteorological and oceanographic observation and forecasting products.
Model forecasts and satellite products from operational services, such as
ECMWF and CMEMS, can be visualized in SeaConditions. In addition, layers of
information related to bathymetry, sea level and ocean-colour data (chl a and water transparency) are displayed. Ocean forecasts at high spatial
resolutions are included in the version of SeaConditions presented here.
SeaConditions provides a user-friendly experience with a fluid zoom
capability, facilitating the appropriate display of data with different
levels of detail. SeaConditions is a single point of access to interactive
maps from different geophysical fields, providing high-quality information
based on advanced oceanographic models.
The SeaConditions services are available through both web and mobile
applications. The web application is available at
www.sea-conditions.com and is accessible and compatible with present-day browsers. Interoperability with GIS software is implemented. User
feedback has been collected and taken into account in order to improve the
service. The SeaConditions iOS and Android apps have been downloaded by more than 105 000 users to date (May 2016), and more than 100 000 users have
visited the web version
The COVID-19 pandemic and its global effects on dental practice. An international survey
Objectives:
A multicentre survey was designed to evaluate the impact of COVID-19 outbreak on dental practice worldwide, estimate the COVID-19 related symptoms/signs, work attitudes and behaviour and the routine use of protective measures and Personal Protective Equipment (PPE).
Methods:
A global survey using a standardized questionnaire with research groups from 36 countries was designed. The questionnaire was developed and pretested during April 2020 and contained three domains: 1) Personal data; 2) COVID-19 positive rate and symptoms/signs presumably related to the coronavirus; 3) Working conditions and PPE adopted after the outbreak. Countries’ data were grouped by the Country Positive Rate (CPR) during the survey period and by Gross-National-Income per capita. An ordinal multinomial logistic regression model was carried out with COVID-19 self-reported rate referred by dental professionals as dependent variable to assess the association with questionnaire items.
Results:
A total of 52,491 questionnaires were returned with a male/female ratio of 0.63. Out of the total respondents, 7,859 dental professionals (15%) reported symptoms/signs compatible with COVID-19. More than half of the sample (n = 27,818; 53%) stated to use FFP2/N95 masks, while 21,558 (41.07%) used eye protection. In the bivariate analysis, CPR and N95/FFP2 were significantly associated (OR = 1.80 95%CI = 1.60/2.82 and OR = 5.20 95%CI = 1.44/18.80, respectively), while Gross-National-Income was not statistically associated with CPR (OR = 1.09 95%CI = 0.97/1.60). The same significant associations were observed in the multivariate analysis.
Conclusions:
Oral health service provision has not been significantly affected by COVID-19, although access to routine dental care was reduced due to country-specific temporary lockdown periods. While the dental profession has been identified at high-risk, the reported rates of COVID-19 for dental professionals were not significantly different to those reported for the general population in each country. These findings may help to better plan oral health care for future pandemic events
TESSA: design and implementation of a platform for situational sea awareness
This article describes the architecture of sea situational awareness (SSA)
platform, a major asset within TESSA, an industrial research project funded
by the Italian Ministry of Education and Research. The main aim of the
platform is to collect, transform and provide forecast and observational data
as information suitable for delivery across a variety of channels, like web
and mobile; specifically, the ability to produce and provide forecast
information suitable for creating SSA-enabled applications has been a
critical driving factor when designing and evolving the whole architecture.
Thus, starting from functional and performance requirements, the platform
architecture is described in terms of its main building blocks and flows
among them: front-end components that support end-user applications and map
and data analysis components that allow for serving maps and querying data.
Focus is directed to key aspects and decisions about the main issues faced,
like interoperability, scalability, efficiency and adaptability, but it also
considers insights about future works in this and similarly related
subjects. Some analysis results are also provided in order to better
characterize critical issues and related solutions