To Join or Not to Join? The Energy Community Dilemma: An Italian Case Study

Energy Communities (EC) are becoming a major driver to foster the energy transition in Europe and the regulatory framework adopted by each Member State (MS) plays a key role for a prosperous deployment of ECs. This paper is thus divided into two layers. The first layer of this paper addresses the current regulations introduced by MSs regarding ECs, providing a critical comparison of each solution used. The second layer of research concerns the introduction of a Mixed Integer Linear Programming (MILP) optimization algorithm early studied by some of the authors furtherly developed to assess the conditions that favour prosumers’ participation to ECs. Both these models have been tested on a case study located in the city of Magliano Alpi, in the north of Italy. The results demonstrate that the proposed methodology correctly evaluates the key parameters influencing participation of citizens in ECs and indicate that for the Italian EC under study, there is the possibility to further expand the capacity installed without undermining the profitability of investment

Exploring the effect of an augmented reality literacy programme for reading and spelling difficulties for children diagnosed with ADHD

AbstractChildren diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) experience a variety of difficulties related to three primary symptoms: hyperactivity, inattention and impulsivity. The most common type of ADHD has a combination of all three symptom areas. These core symptoms may negatively impact the academic and social performance of children throughout their school life. The AHA (ADHD-Augmented) project focused specifically on the impact of digital technologies' intervention on literacy skills of children that participated in the pilot study and were diagnosed with ADHD prior to the intervention. Existing research has shown that augmented reality (AR) can improve academic outcomes by stimulating pupils' attention. AHA project aimed at implementing an evidence-based intervention to improve ADHD children's reading and spelling abilities through the enhancement of an existing literacy programme with AR functionality. The present paper reports preliminary findings of the pilot study aimed at evaluating the effectiveness of the AHA system in promoting the acquisition of literacy skills in a sample of children diagnosed with ADHD compared to the literacy programme as usual. Background information on the main characteristics and difficulties related to the teaching and learning process associated with children diagnosed with ADHD are first introduced; the design and methodology of the AHA project intervention are also described. The preliminary findings have shown that AHA project succeeded in delivering an AR solution within an existing online literacy programme, which integrates a set of specific technologies and supports interactive educational content, services, assessment, and feedback

The design of an e-learning module centered in the use of an innovative web health application for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder monitoring

info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

A Systematic Review of Behavioral Interventions for Elementary School Children with Social, Emotional and Behavioral Difficulties: Contributions from Single-Case Research Studies

Challenges arising from the classroom behavioral management of students with social, emotional and behavioral difficulties are a concern for educational professionals. The purpose of this study is to review common elements of behavior interventions for the disruptive behaviors of children with social, emotional, and behavioral difficulties. A systematic review was conducted through an electronic search of studies (from 2000 to 2017) on ERIC, Web of Science, FRANCIS, and MEDLINE databases. The inclusion criteria involved: (i) an intervention improving behaviors at school of children with disruptive behaviors; (ii) elementary school children with the majority of the sample or average age between 6-11 years old; (iii) at least one measurable outcome focusing on social/emotional/behavioral outcomes; (iv) single-case designs. Of the 5339 articles that were identified in the initial screening, 27 met the criteria to be included in the review. Common characteristics of successful interventions are discussed to make recommendations for future implementation.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Distributing load flow computations across system operators boundaries using the Newton–Krylov–Schwarz algorithm implemented in PETSC

The upward trends in renewable energy penetration, cross-border flow volatility and electricity actors’ proliferation pose new challenges in the power system management. Electricity and market operators need to increase collaboration, also in terms of more frequent and detailed system analyses, so as to ensure adequate levels of quality and security of supply. This work proposes a novel distributed load flow solver enabling for better cross border flow analysis and fulfilling possible data ownership and confidentiality arrangements in place among the actors. The model exploits an Inexact Newton Method, the Newton–Krylov–Schwarz method, available in the portable, extensible toolkit for scientific computation (PETSc) libraries. A case-study illustrates a real application of the model for the TSO–TSO (transmission system operator) cross-border operation, analyzing the specific policy context and proposing a test case for a coordinated power flow simulation. The results show the feasibility of performing the distributed calculation remotely, keeping the overall simulation times only a few times slower than locally

The WHAAM Application: a Tool to Support the Evidence-Based Practice in the Functional Behaviour Assessment

Background: The most recent computing technologies can promote the application of evidence-based practice (EBP) in the field of Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA).Objective: The study describes how the use of technology can simplify the application of evidence-based practices in applied behaviour analysis.Methods: The WHAAM application demonstrates this in the following two case studies. We are monitoring dysfunctional behaviours, collecting behavioural data, performing systematic direct observations, creating a visual baseline and intervention charts and evaluating the planned interventions using the TAU-U statistical index. Results: Significant positive changes of children's problem behaviours are observed and recorded. Both the duration of the identified behaviour "to get out of bed in time" (r = -.79, TAU-U = -.58, p < .05) and the frequency of the behaviour "interrupting others" (r= -.96, TAU-U = -.82, p < .01) decreased. Conclusion: the WHAAM application is an effective tool to support functional behaviour assessments and it is an example of how technology can support practitioners by facilitating the application of evidence-based practices and increasing the communication among clinical, educational and family environments

The BEHAVE application as a tool to monitor inclusive interventions for subjects with neurodevelopmental disorders

In the last few years, many educational and therapeutic interventions for young people with neurodevelopmental disorders are based on systematic monitoring of the outcomes. These interventions are typically conducted using single-case experimental designs, (SCEDs) a set of methods aimed at testing the effect of an intervention on a single subject or a small number of subjects. In SCEDs, an effective process of decision-making needs accurate, precise, and reliable data but also that caregivers and health professionals can gather information with minimal effort. The use of Information Communication Technologies in SCEDs can support the process of data collection and analysis, facilitating the collection of accurate and reliable data, providing reports accessible also by non-experts, and promoting interactions and sharing among clinicians, educators, and caregivers. The present paper introduces the BEHAVE application, a web-based highly customizable application, designed to implement SCEDs, supporting both data collection and automatic analysis of the datasets. Moreover, the paper will describe two case studies of kindergarten children with neurodevelopmental disorders, highlighting how the BEHAVE application supported the entire process, from data collection in multiple contexts to decision-making based on the analysis provided by the system. In particular, the paper describes the case studies of Carlo and Dario, two children with severe language and communication impairments, and the inclusive education interventions carried out to maximize their participation in a typical home and school setting increasing their mand repertoire. Results revealed an increase in the mand repertoire in both children who become able to generalize the outcomes to multiple life contexts. The active participation of the caregivers played a crucial role in the ability of children to use the learned skills in settings different from the ones they were learned in

Web Health Application for ADHD Monitoring (WHAAM): Context-Driven Framework

The Framework (FW) summarizes the experiences and vision of the WHAAM project partners, providing the basis for the development of the WHAAM app and online services. There are many approaches to the treatment of ADHD, with excellent resources available. This FW is a working tool based on partners' experiences, inspiring subsequent project activities. It is divided into three parts: part A explores general issues related to ADHD, focusing on key life contexts such as school, family, and social relationships. Each context is explored in terms of assessment, intervention and support. Part B delves into the relationship between ICT use and ADHD treatment. Finally, Part C briefly explains the main features of the WHAAM app, including functionality and interfaces. The WHAAM project considers the app and online service accessible via PC and mobile devices as a significant advancement in monitoring process management

Antimicrobial resistance among migrants in Europe: a systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND: Rates of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) are rising globally and there is concern that increased migration is contributing to the burden of antibiotic resistance in Europe. However, the effect of migration on the burden of AMR in Europe has not yet been comprehensively examined. Therefore, we did a systematic review and meta-analysis to identify and synthesise data for AMR carriage or infection in migrants to Europe to examine differences in patterns of AMR across migrant groups and in different settings. METHODS: For this systematic review and meta-analysis, we searched MEDLINE, Embase, PubMed, and Scopus with no language restrictions from Jan 1, 2000, to Jan 18, 2017, for primary data from observational studies reporting antibacterial resistance in common bacterial pathogens among migrants to 21 European Union-15 and European Economic Area countries. To be eligible for inclusion, studies had to report data on carriage or infection with laboratory-confirmed antibiotic-resistant organisms in migrant populations. We extracted data from eligible studies and assessed quality using piloted, standardised forms. We did not examine drug resistance in tuberculosis and excluded articles solely reporting on this parameter. We also excluded articles in which migrant status was determined by ethnicity, country of birth of participants' parents, or was not defined, and articles in which data were not disaggregated by migrant status. Outcomes were carriage of or infection with antibiotic-resistant organisms. We used random-effects models to calculate the pooled prevalence of each outcome. The study protocol is registered with PROSPERO, number CRD42016043681. FINDINGS: We identified 2274 articles, of which 23 observational studies reporting on antibiotic resistance in 2319 migrants were included. The pooled prevalence of any AMR carriage or AMR infection in migrants was 25·4% (95% CI 19·1-31·8; I2 =98%), including meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (7·8%, 4·8-10·7; I2 =92%) and antibiotic-resistant Gram-negative bacteria (27·2%, 17·6-36·8; I2 =94%). The pooled prevalence of any AMR carriage or infection was higher in refugees and asylum seekers (33·0%, 18·3-47·6; I2 =98%) than in other migrant groups (6·6%, 1·8-11·3; I2 =92%). The pooled prevalence of antibiotic-resistant organisms was slightly higher in high-migrant community settings (33·1%, 11·1-55·1; I2 =96%) than in migrants in hospitals (24·3%, 16·1-32·6; I2 =98%). We did not find evidence of high rates of transmission of AMR from migrant to host populations. INTERPRETATION: Migrants are exposed to conditions favouring the emergence of drug resistance during transit and in host countries in Europe. Increased antibiotic resistance among refugees and asylum seekers and in high-migrant community settings (such as refugee camps and detention facilities) highlights the need for improved living conditions, access to health care, and initiatives to facilitate detection of and appropriate high-quality treatment for antibiotic-resistant infections during transit and in host countries. Protocols for the prevention and control of infection and for antibiotic surveillance need to be integrated in all aspects of health care, which should be accessible for all migrant groups, and should target determinants of AMR before, during, and after migration. FUNDING: UK National Institute for Health Research Imperial Biomedical Research Centre, Imperial College Healthcare Charity, the Wellcome Trust, and UK National Institute for Health Research Health Protection Research Unit in Healthcare-associated Infections and Antimictobial Resistance at Imperial College London