Women performing repetitive work: Is there a difference in the prevalence of shoulder pain and pathology in supermarket cashiers compared to the general female population?

Objectives: Shoulder disorders in the occupational environment have been widely studied, but the quality of research and methodology applied vary. Little has been done to ascertain whether shoulder pain in female repetitive workers is due to any verifiable pathology, or to compare findings with the general population. Therefore, we decided to evaluate the prevalence of self-reported shoulder pain in a group of female supermarket cashiers and in the general female population using a standardized questionnaire. Shoulder pain prevalence was then compared to imaging findings in order to assess specific and non-specific pain prevalence. Material and Methods: 196 cashiers and 302 controls filled in a standardized shoulder questionnaire and underwent an imaging examination of a shoulder. Results: The prevalence of shoulder pain was significantly higher in the group of cashiers (46.4%) than in the general population (25.5%) (OR = 1.821; 95% CI: 1.426–2.325). Specific pain prevalence was higher among the controls (19.5%) than among the cashiers (13.2%). Conclusions: The more frequent reports of shoulder pain in the supermarket cashiers are not correlated with a higher prevalence of imaging abnormalities. The causes of these more frequent complaints should be probably sought in the psycho-social and occupational environment

LaserCube optical communication terminal for nano and micro satellites

This paper presents the design and testing of LaserCube, a miniature optical communication terminal conceived for nano and microsatellites. The system architecture has been designed for both the downlink and intersatellite link version of the system. Then, a complete engineering model of LaserCube in its intersatellite link configuration has been developed and tested. It features (1) a dual stage pointing and tracking system based on a coarse pointing mechanism patented by Stellar Project, (2) an optical head with a full-duplex telecom channel with transmission and reception on the same wavelength for two-way links, (3) a transceiver section with telecom laser source and optical receiver and (4) the terminal control unit with onboard computer, actuator drivers and data interface. Experimental validation of the system is achieved through a laboratory simulation of an intersatellite link scenario with realistic dynamic disturbance coming from the host satellite attitude jitter

enterprise place relationship and value co creation advance in research

This paper is part of a bigger research path and, in its actual form, it presents the concept of value co-creation in the places as a result of a concerted action between enterprises and places themselves. This action doesn't have an "activating" element, although it is the outcome of the proper application of skills and knowledge of each actor in interpreting the changes occurred in the environment and in the activation of their value-creating initiatives. The methodology used involves the analysis of a single case study (Yin, 1994; Dubois e Gadde, 2002), suitable technique to develop theories about phenomena still little known in the context in which they take place. The use of cases also has the advantage of allowing the study of issues related to the "how" and "why" of recent and contemporary events over which the researcher has little control (Sturman, 1998; Cecconi, 2002; Yin, 2003). The analysis was conducted collecting data about the positive performance of the company (analysis of financial statements, reading specialized journals, website) and the proactive role of place and local government bodies (website of the town, visiting the places, analysis of urban renewal, key performance indicators of QSV). The entrepreneurial experience and the dynamics active on place allow to highlight how the process of value co-creation in those enterprise-territory relationships is the result of a contextual conditions system, stimulated by important and stable project-related osmosis processes, organizing the accrual of a strategic path shared by enterprise and place over time, increasing the territorial social capital, designing a rooted model of local skills able to compete globally. The originality of the paper lies in the development potential of value co-creation through the enhancement of knowledge and sensitivity towards the environmental and contextual dynamics. Innovation and knowledge are not unique prerogatives of the enterprises; they should also arise in and from places to generate a mutual exchange of traditional values, while co-producing knowledge and continuous innovation

A Survey on Audio-Video based Defect Detection through Deep Learning in Railway Maintenance

Within Artificial Intelligence, Deep Learning (DL) represents a paradigm that has been showing unprecedented performance in image and audio processing by supporting or even replacing humans in defect and anomaly detection. The Railway sector is expected to benefit from DL applications, especially in predictive maintenance applications, where smart audio and video sensors can be leveraged yet kept distinct from safety-critical functions. Such separation is crucial, as it allows for improving system dependability with no impact on its safety certification. This is further supported by the development of DL in other transportation domains, such as automotive and avionics, opening for knowledge transfer opportunities and highlighting the potential of such a paradigm in railways. In order to summarize the recent state-of-the-art while inquiring about future opportunities, this paper reviews DL approaches for the analysis of data generated by acoustic and visual sensors in railway maintenance applications that have been published until August 31st, 2021. In this paper, the current state of the research is investigated and evaluated using a structured and systematic method, in order to highlight promising approaches and successful applications, as well as to identify available datasets, current limitations, open issues, challenges, and recommendations about future research directions

Anti-calcitonin gene-related peptide monoclonal antibodies for the treatment of vestibular migraine: A prospective observational cohort study

Background: Vestibular migraine is considered the most common cause of recurrent vertigo for which specific treatments are missing. Monoclonal antibodies against calcitonin gene-related peptide,, are effective in preventing migraine. Since CGRP is also detected in human cochlear and vestibular organs it may also play a role in vestibular physiology. Methods: This is a prospective observational cohort study, aiming at evaluating the efficacy of erenumab, fremanezumab or galcanezumab for the treatment of fifty vestibular migraine patients. We assessed mean monthly days with headache and dizziness/vestibular symptoms, pain intensity and migraine-related clinical burden occurring for 18 months. Results: Response to treatment was excellent as 45 (90%) patients had at least a 50% reduction in vertigo frequency, 43 (86%) had at least a 50% reduction in headache frequency, and 40 (80%) a MIDAS reduction of at least 50%. Overall, 39 (78%) patients had a concomitant reduction of all three parameters. Mean monthly days with dizziness/vestibular symptoms showed an overall significant decrease from a mean of 10.3 ± 1.9 at baseline to 0.8 ± 0.3 days, difference 9.5 (CI 95% 3.6, 15.4; p < 0.001) after twelve months. Conclusion: We show that anti-CGRP mAbs may be effective in the treatment of Vestibular Migraine. Their use should be encouraged early in the disease course to allow for a better symptom control and quality of life improvement

Human red blood cells at work: identification and visualization of erythrocytic eNOS activity in health and disease

A nitric oxide synthase (NOS)-like activity has been demonstrated in human red blood cells (RBCs), but doubts about its functional significance, isoform identity and disease relevance remain. Using flow cytometry in combination with the NO-imaging probe DAF-FM we find that all blood cells form NO intracellularly, with a rank order of monocytes &gt; neutrophils &gt; lymphocytes &gt; RBCs &gt; platelets. The observation of a NO-related fluorescence within RBCs was unexpected given the abundance of the NO-scavenger oxyhemoglobin. Constitutive normoxic NO formation was abolished by NOS inhibition and intracellular NO scavenging, confirmed by laser-scanning microscopy and unequivocally validated by detection of the DAF-FM reaction product with NO using HPLC and LC-MS/MS. Employing immunoprecipitation, ESI-MS/MS-based peptide sequencing and enzymatic assay we further demonstrate that human RBCs contain an endothelial NOS (eNOS) that converts L-3H-Arginine to L-3H-Citrulline in a Ca2+/Calmodulin-dependent fashion. Moreover, in patients with coronary artery disease, red cell eNOS expression and activity are both lower than in age-matched healthy individuals and correlate with the degree of endothelial dysfunction. Thus, human RBCs constitutively produce NO under normoxic conditions via an active eNOS isoform the activity of which is compromised in patients with coronary artery disease

Fingerprint Presentation Attacks: Tackling the Ongoing Arms Race in Biometric Authentication

The widespread use of Automated Fingerprint Identification Systems (AFIS) in consumer electronics opens for the development of advanced presentation attacks, i.e. procedures designed to bypass an AFIS using a forged fingerprint. As a consequence, AFIS are often equipped with a fingerprint presentation attack detection (FPAD) module, to recognize live fingerprints from fake replicas, in order to both minimize the risk of unauthorized access and avoid pointless computations. The ongoing arms race between attackers and detector designers demands a comprehensive understanding of both the defender’s and attacker’s perspectives to develop robust and efficient FPAD systems. This paper proposes a dual-perspective approach to FPAD, which encompasses the presentation of a new technique for carrying out presentation attacks starting from perturbed samples with adversarial techniques and the presentation of a new detection technique based on an adversarial data augmentation strategy. In this case, attack and defence are based on the same assumptions demonstrating that this dual research approach can be exploited to enhance the overall security of fingerprint recognition systems against spoofing attacks