A Smart Multisensor System for the Ash Fall-Out Monitoring

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a smart multi sensor approach to monitoring weak people in indoor environments

This paper deals with a novel system to assist weak people while exploring indoor environments. The proposed architecture is aimed to monitor the position and inertial behavior of users as well as environmental status (e.g. temperature, humidity, gases leakage, or smoke). The system is based on a Wireless Sensor Network and smart paradigms which extract relevant information from data collected through the multi-sensor architecture. The data collected are then processed to build awareness of User-Environment Interaction and User-Environment Contextualization. This knowledge is used to build information that is useful to the user for safe and efficient exploitation of the environment and to the supervisor for a suitable assessment and management of hazard situations. The paper mainly focuses on the multi-sensor system architecture and smart paradigms used to implement the User-Environment Contextualization feature

A High-Resolution Fully Inkjet Printed Resonant Mass Sensor

The rapid prototyping of low-cost sensors is assuming strategic importance in several application fields. In this paper, a fully inkjet printed mass sensor is proposed. The device consists of a poly-ethylene terephthalate (PET) cantilever beam, which is driven to its resonant mode by an electromagnetic actuation mechanism, implemented through the interaction between a current impulse flowing through a planar coil (inkjet printed on the PET beam), and a permanent magnet, facing the actuation coil. Target masses are positioned close to the beam end. The sensing methodology, based on the relationship between the beam first natural frequency and the target mass, is implemented through a strain gauge (inkjet printed across the fixed end of the cantilever). The resonant operating mode of the sensor confers intrinsic robustness against instabilities of the strain sensor structure (e.g., the residual stress of the cantilever beam), the target mass material and the magnet–coil distance. The latter indeed changes as a function of the target mass values. The friction-less actuation mode is another shortcoming of the sensor, as well as the low-cost feature arising from the adopted technology. As far as we know, the solution proposed is the first example of a low-cost fully printed mass sensor. The operating range of the device is 0–0.36 g while its resolution is in the order of 1.0 mg, thus addressing crucial application fields. A Q factor around 35 has been estimated, which confirms the suitable performances of the sensor in term of selectivity and resolution

A comparison of linear and non-linear strategies for energy harvesting from mechanical vibrations

Energy Harvesting strategies coupled with the improvement of electronics and the progressive reduction of power requirements have been widely recognized as fundamental to enable self-powered (or autonomous) devices. Among all the potential energy sources, kinetic energy stemming from mechanical vibrations has been particularly extensively investigated for EH purposes due to its characteristics of heterogeneity and ubiquity. To exploit such energy sources, a suitable coupling mechanism to convert vibrations into electric charge is required; it must take into account the wide frequency bandwidth of mechanical vibrations as encountered in everyday scenarios. This review offers an overview of linear vs. non-linear strategies for EH, with a specific focus on different approaches to implement efficient coupling mechanisms; the performances of the specific solutions covered in this work are discussed

Hospitalisation among immigrants in Italy

BACKGROUND: Immigration is increasing in Italy. In 2003, 2.6 million foreign citizens lived in the country; 52% were men and the majority were young adults who migrated for work. The purpose of this study was to investigate differences in hospitalisation between immigrants and the resident population during the year 2000 in the Lazio region. METHODS: Hospital admissions of immigrants from Less Developed Countries were compared to those of residents. We measured differences in hospitalisation rates and proportions admitted. RESULTS: Adult immigrants have lower hospitalisation rates than residents (134.6 vs. 160.5 per thousand population for acute care; 26.4 vs. 38.3 for day care). However, hospitalisation rates for some specific causes (injuries, particularly for men, infectious diseases, deliveries and induced abortions, ill-defined conditions) were higher for immigrants than for residents. Immigrants under 18 years seem to be generally healthy; causes of admission in this group are similar to those of residents of the same age (respiratory diseases, injuries and poisoning). The only important differences are for infectious and parasitic diseases, with a higher proportion among immigrant youths. CONCLUSION: The low hospitalisation rates for foreigners may suggest that they are a population with good health status. However, critical areas, related to poor living and working conditions and to social vulnerability, have been identified. Under-utilisation of services and low day care rates may be partially due to administrative, linguistic, and cultural barriers. As the presence of foreigners becomes an established phenomenon, it is important to evaluate their epidemiological profile, develop instruments to monitor and fulfil their specific health needs and plan health services for a multi-ethnic population

Dry Hydrogen Production in a Tandem Critical Raw Material-Free Water Photoelectrolysis Cell Using a Hydrophobic Gas-Diffusion Backing Layer

A photoelectrochemical tandem cell (PEC) based on a cathodic hydrophobic gas-diffusion backing layer was developed to produce dry hydrogen from solar driven water splitting. The cell consisted of low cost and non-critical raw materials (CRMs). A relatively high-energy gap (2.1 eV) hematite-based photoanode and a low energy gap (1.2 eV) cupric oxide photocathode were deposited on a fluorine-doped tin oxide glass (FTO) and a hydrophobic carbonaceous substrate, respectively. The cell was illuminated from the anode. The electrolyte separator consisted of a transparent hydrophilic anionic solid polymer membrane allowing higher wavelengths not absorbed by the photoanode to be transmitted to the photocathode. To enhance the oxygen evolution rate, a NiFeOX surface promoter was deposited on the anodic semiconductor surface. To investigate the role of the cathodic backing layer, waterproofing and electrical conductivity properties were studied. Two different porous carbonaceous gas diffusion layers were tested (Spectracarb® and Sigracet®). These were also subjected to additional hydrophobisation procedures. The Sigracet 35BC® showed appropriate ex-situ properties for various wettability grades and it was selected as a cathodic substrate for the PEC. The enthalpic and throughput efficiency characteristics were determined, and the results compared to a conventional FTO glass-based cathode substrate. A throughput efficiency of 2% was achieved for the cell based on the hydrophobic backing layer, under a voltage bias of about 0.6 V, compared to 1% for the conventional cell. For the best configuration, an endurance test was carried out under operative conditions. The cells were electrochemically characterised by linear polarisation tests and impedance spectroscopy measurements. X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) patterns and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) micrographs were analysed to assess the structure and morphology of the investigated materials.Authors gratefully acknowledge funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement no. 760930 (FotoH2 project)

Optimizing the synthesis of carbon nanofiber based electrocatalysts for fuel cells

7 páginas, 2 tablas, 7 figuras.This work deals with an optimization of the platinum dispersion on low surface area carbon nanofibers (CNFs) by using different synthesis procedures and its electrocatalytic activity towards oxygen reduction. The selected CNFs were characterized by a BET surface area of ca. 100 m2 g-1 and were in-house synthesized by the decomposition of CH4 at 700ºC. Pt nanoparticles were deposited by using four different synthesis routes. A metal concentration of 20 wt% was confirmed by EDX and TGA. Two classical impregnation routes were employed, one using NaBH4 as reducing agent at 15ºC and the second one using formic acid at 80ºC. Two alternative processes consisted in a microemulsion procedure followed by reduction with NaBH4 and a colloidal route by using the sulphite complex method followed by reduction with hydrogen. The main differences regarded the platinum crystal size varying from 2.5 nm for the colloidal route to 8.1 nm for the impregnation route (formic acid). The classical impregnation procedures did not result appropriate to obtain a small particle size in the presence of this support, whereas microemulsion and colloidal methods fit the requirements for the cathodic oxygen reduction reaction in polymer electrolyte fuel cells, despite the low surface area of CNFs. The catalysts were subjected to an accelerated degradation test by continuous potential cycling. Although the initial activity was the highest for the microemulsion based catalyst, after the accelerated degradation test the colloidal based catalyst experienced a relatively lower loss of performance.The authors wish to thank FEDER and the Spanish MEC for financial support to project CTQ2011-28913-C02-01. The authors also acknowledge the support of bilateral CNR (Italy) -CSIC (Spain) joint agreement 2011-2012 (project Baglio/Lazaro 2010IT0026).Peer reviewe

Enhanced Photoelectrochemical Water Splitting at Hematite Photoanodes by Effect of a NiFe-Oxide co-Catalyst

Tandem photoelectrochemical cells (PECs), made up of a solid electrolyte membrane between two low-cost photoelectrodes, were investigated to produce “green” hydrogen by exploiting renewable solar energy. The assembly of the PEC consisted of an anionic solid polymer electrolyte membrane (gas separator) clamped between an n-type Fe2O3 photoanode and a p-type CuO photocathode. The semiconductors were deposited on fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO) transparent substrates and the cell was investigated with the hematite surface directly exposed to a solar simulator. Ionomer dispersions obtained from the dissolution of commercial polymers in the appropriate solvents were employed as an ionic interface with the photoelectrodes. Thus, the overall photoelectrochemical water splitting occurred in two membrane-separated compartments, i.e., the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) at the anode and the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) at the cathode. A cost-effective NiFeOx co-catalyst was deposited on the hematite photoanode surface and investigated as a surface catalytic enhancer in order to improve the OER kinetics, this reaction being the rate-determining step of the entire process. The co-catalyst was compared with other well-known OER electrocatalysts such as La0.6Sr0.4Fe0.8CoO3 (LSFCO) perovskite and IrRuOx. The Ni-Fe oxide was the most promising co-catalyst for the oxygen evolution in the anionic environment in terms of an enhanced PEC photocurrent and efficiency. The materials were physico-chemically characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM).Authors gratefully acknowledge funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement no. 760930 (FotoH2 project)

Non-Immersive Virtual Reality Telerehabilitation System Improves Postural Balance in People with Chronic Neurological Diseases

Background: People with chronic neurological diseases, such as Parkinson’s Disease (PD) and Multiple Sclerosis (MS), often present postural disorders and a high risk of falling. When difficulties in achieving outpatient rehabilitation services occur, a solution to guarantee the continuity of care may be telerehabilitation. This study intends to expand the scope of our previously published research on the impact of telerehabilitation on quality of life in an MS sample, testing the impact of this type of intervention in a larger sample of neurological patients also including PD individuals on postural balance. Methods: We included 60 participants with MS and 72 with PD. All enrolled subjects were randomized into two groups: 65 in the intervention group and 67 in the control group. Both treatments lasted 30–40 sessions (5 days/week, 6–8 weeks). Motor, cognitive, and participation outcomes were registered before and after the treatments. Results: All participants improved the outcomes at the end of the treatments. The study’s primary outcome (Mini-BESTest) registered a greater significant improvement in the telerehabilitation group than in the control group. Conclusions: Our results demonstrated that non-immersive virtual reality telerehabilitation is well tolerated and positively affects static and dynamic balance and gait in people with PD and MS

Risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection in migrants and ethnic minorities compared with the general population in the European WHO region during the first year of the pandemic. A systematic review

Background: Migrants and ethnic minorities have suffered a disproportionate impact of the COVID-19 pandemic compared to the general population from different perspectives. Our aim was to assess specifically their risk of infection in the 53 countries belonging to the World Health Organization European Region, during the first year of the pandemic. Methods: We conducted a systematic review following Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines (PROSPERO CRD42021247326). We searched multiple databases for peer-reviewed literature, published on Medline, Embase, Scisearch, Biosis and Esbiobase in 2020 and preprints from PubMed up to 29/03/2021. We included cross-sectional, case-control, cohort, intervention, case-series, prevalence or ecological studies, reporting the risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection among migrants, refugees, and ethnic minorities. Results: Among the 1905 records screened, 25 met our inclusion criteria and were included in the final analysis. We found that migrants and ethnic minorities during the first wave of the pandemic were at increased exposure and risk of infection and were disproportionately represented among COVID-19 cases. However, the impact of COVID-19 on minorities does not seem homogeneous, since some ethnic groups seem to be more at risk than others. Risk factors include high-risk occupations, overcrowded accommodations, geographic distribution, social deprivation, barriers to access to information concerning preventive measures (due to the language barrier or to their marginality), together with biological and genetic susceptibilities. Conclusions: Although mixed methods studies will be required to fully understand the complex interplay between the various biological, social, and cultural factors underlying these findings, the impact of structural determinants of health is evident. Our findings corroborate the need to collect migration and ethnicity-disaggregated data and contribute to advocacy for inclusive policies and programmatic actions tailored to reach migrants and ethnic minorities