Closed-Loop Quantitative Verification of Rate-Adaptive Pacemakers

Rate-adaptive pacemakers are cardiac devices able to automatically adjust the pacing rate in patients with chronotropic incompetence, i.e. whose heart is unable to provide an adequate rate at increasing levels of physical, mental or emotional activity. These devices work by processing data from physiological sensors in order to detect the patient’s activity and update the pacing rate accordingly. Rate-adaptation parameters depend on many patient-specific factors, and effective personalisation of such treatments can only be achieved through extensive exercise testing, which is normally intolerable for a cardiac patient. In this work, we introduce a data-driven and model-based approach for the automated verification of rate-adaptive pacemakers and formal analysis of personalised treatments. To this purpose, we develop a novel dual-sensor pacemaker model where the adaptive rate is computed by blending information from an accelerometer, and a metabolic sensor based on the QT interval. Our approach enables personalisation through the estimation of heart model parameters from patient data (electrocardiogram), and closed-loop analysis through the online generation of synthetic, model-based QT intervals and acceleration signals. In addition to personalisation, we also support the derivation of models able to account for the varied characteristics of a virtual patient population, thus enabling safety verification of the device. To capture the probabilistic and non-linear dynamics of the heart, we define a probabilistic extension of timed I/O automata with data and employ statistical model checking for quantitative verification of rate modulation. We evaluate our rate-adaptive pacemaker design on three subjects and a pool of virtual patients, demonstrating the potential of our approach to provide rigorous, quantitative insights into the closed-loop behaviour of the device under different exercise levels and heart conditions

Geometries of the gaze in the Calabrian landscape

[EN] Having lost their function of sighting as an instrument of strategic control, inclusion and protection from presumed pirate invasions, the coastal towers of Calabria Ultra, represented in the Diary of Wonders of the end of the sixteenth century, called Codice Romano Carratelli, will act as the key and device of the gaze that links the land to the expanse of water. A vast geometric, precise and linear system that will connect, through the gaze, the “terracqueo landscape”, unstable and multiform, continuously changing. The ninety-nine watercolour maps of the Codice are an immense heritage of clues, traces, geometries and measurements on which to think in order to bring to the surface of the earth, military tactics that have become latent in history as a palimpsest. The use of ancient and modern techniques of survey and graphic representation, want to accompany the contemporary traveler to turn his gaze towards new strategies of “reception”, rather than aversion of a silent landscape, where merge and mix. The “stratigraphies of the gaze” are sections perpendicular to the “horizontal plane” of a “living” landscape from which routes, artefacts, signs, traces, fragments of history can be distilled for a widespread cultural regeneration of the territory. The experimental character of this research, recounted in these pages, lies in the application of an innovative strategy of communication and information, based on the creation of cultural routes structured in museums, widespread or located on the coastal landscape of Calabria.Fatta, F.; Marraffa, A.; Patanè, C. (2020). Geometrie dello sguardo nel paesaggio calabrese. Editorial Universitat Politècnica de València. 899-906. https://doi.org/10.4995/FORTMED2020.2020.11543OCS89990

Seismic Hazard Mapping inside the Project SIGMA

The Project SIGMA (Sistema Integrato di sensori in ambiente cloud per la Gestione Multirischio Avanzata) arises from the fields of Information and Communications Technologies (ICT) and advanced applications for the control, monitoring and management of high-risk processes of natural and social origin. SIGMA is a multilevel architecture whose main aim is the acquisition, integration and processing of heterogeneous data from different sources (seismic, volcanic, meteorologic, hydric, pluvial, car traffic, marine traffic, and so on) to manage and elaborate risk mitigation strategies which are important for the emergency management planning. Within the several experimental activities included in the project, there is the designing and realization of a prototype of application platform specialized to provide the operating procedures and software to the public administrations and the industrial companies, for constantly monitoring both the anthropic and natural phenomena in Sicily. In this framework, of course, the seismic risk analysis plays a very important role since Sicily is one of the Italian regions with high seismic risk. Seismic risk assessment may be approached in two different ways: i) as average seismic risk of the buildings and facilities in question during the period considered, combining the vulnerability of different building types and the seismic hazard for the site, which are then expressed in terms of the effects of the events derived from an earthquake catalogue that exceed a specified threshold during a given period; ii) as estimated damage of the buildings and the critical facilities using a scenario input described in terms of the source parameters of the hypocenter as location, magnitude, and so on. Here we deal with the hazard calculation through the code CRISIS (Ordaz, Aguilar and Arboleda) and with the code PROSCEN (PRObabilistic SCENario, [Rotondi and Zonno, 2010]) to obtain earthquake scenario to be used in the latter approach. Indeed, an earthquake scenario is a planning tool that helps decision makers to visualize the specific impact of an earthquake based on the scientific knowledge. An earthquake scenario creates a picture that the members of community can recognize and, at the same time, improves the communication between the scientific, emergency management and policy communities to seismic risk reduction

I Piani di rientro sanitari: il perimetro di un’indagine nella prospettiva delle possibili modifiche normative dopo la pandemia da Covid-19

Il lavoro propone al lettore un quadro d’insieme sullo stato dell’attuazione della normativa sui Piani di rientro sanitari nell’ordinamento italiano e sulle questioni giuridiche ad esso sottese. La ricostruzione sull’evoluzione della legislazione e l’analisi delle problematiche di maggiore interesse consentono di comprendere la rilevanza di questo strumento nel sistema delle fonti del diritto, al contempo fornendo strumenti analitici rispetto al rapporto tra Stato e Regioni

Interplay between Tectonics and Mount Etna’s Volcanism: Insights into the Geometry of the Plumbing System

Mt. Etna lies in front of the southeast-verging Apennine-Maghrebian fold-and-thrust belt, where the NNW-trending Malta Escarpment separates the Sicilian continental crust from the Ionian Mesozoic oceanic basin, presently subducting beneath the Calabrian arc (Selvaggi and Chiarabba, 1995). Seismic tomographic studies indicate the presence of a mantle plume beneath the volcano with a Moho transition at depth less than 20 km (Nicolich et al.,2000; Barberi et al., 2006). Geophysical and geological evidences suggest that the Mt. Etna magma ascent mechanism is related to the major NNW-trending lithospheric fault (Doglioni et al., 2001). However, the reason for the Mt. Etna mantle plume draining and channeling the magma from the upper mantle source to the surface is not yet clear. All models proposed in literature (Rittmann, 1973; Tanguy et al., 1997; Monaco et al.; 1997; Gvirtzman and Nur, 1999; Doglioni et al., 2001) do not explain why such a mantle plume has originated in this anomalous external position with respect to the arc magmatism and back-arc spreading zones associated with the Apennines subduction. Some ideas on the subduction rollback must be better developed through the comparison with new regional tomographic studies that are being released. Moreover, tomographic studies reveal a complex and large plumbing system below the volcano from -2 to -7 km a.s.l., wide up to 60 km2 that reduces itself in size down to -18 km of depth close to the apex of the mantle plume. Chiocci et al. (2011) found a large bulge on the underwater continental margin facing Mt. Etna, and suggested that the huge crystallized magma body intruded in the middle and upper continental crust was able to trigger an instability process involving the Sicilian continental margin during the last 0.1 Ma. This phenomenon induces the sliding of the volcano eastern flank observed since the 90s (Borgia et al, 1992; Lo Giudice and Rasà, 1992) because the effects of the bulge collapse are propagating upslope, and the continuous decompression at the volcano summit favors the ascent of basic magma without lengthy storage in the upper crust, as one might expect in a compressive tectonic regime. Taken together, these new evidences (tomographic, tectonic, volcanic) are concerned with the exceptional nature of Mt. Etna and raise the need to explain the origin of the mantle plume that supplies its volcanism. The lower crust and the uppermost mantle need to be better resolved in future experiments and studies. The use of regional and teleseismic events for tomography and receiver function analyses is required to explore a volume that has only marginally been investigated to date. The relation between the magma source in the mantle and the upper parts of the system, as well as the hypothesis above reported on the relation between tectonics and volcanism and the role of lithospheric faults, could be resolved only by applying seismological techniques able to better constrain broader and deeper models. Finally, although the recent tomographic inversions have progressively improved our knowledge of Etna’s shallow structure, highlighting a complex pattern of magma chambers and conduits with variable dimensions, the geometry of the conduits and the dimensions and shapes of small magmatic bodies still require greater investigation. Their precise definition is crucial to delineate a working model of this volcano in order to understand its behaviour and evolution. For this purpose, at least within the volcanic edifice, the precise locations of the seismo-volcanic signals can be considered a useful tool to constrain both the area and the depth range of magma degassing and the geometry of the shallow conduits. In this work, we furnish evidences that the tremor and LP locations allowed to track magma migration during the initial phase of the 2008-2009 eruption and in particular the initial northward dike intrusion, also confirmed by other geophysical, structural and volcanological observations (Aloisi et al., 2009; Bonaccorso et al., 2011), and the following fissure opening east of the summit area at the base of SEC. All these evidences, obtained by the marked improvement in the monitoring system together with the development of new processing techniques, allowed us to constrain both the area and the depth range of magma degassing, highlighting the geometry of the magmatic system feeding the 2008-2009 eruption

Broken hearted:How to attack ECG biometrics

In this work we present a systematic presentation attack against ECG biometrics. We demonstrate the attack’s effectiveness using the Nymi Band, a wrist band that uses electrocardiography (ECG) as a biometric to authenticate the wearer. We instantiate the attack using a hardware-based Arbitrary Waveform Generator (AWG), an AWG software using a computer sound card, and the playback of ECG signals encoded as .wav files using an off-the-shelf audio player. In two sets of experiments we collect data from a total of 41 participants using a variety of ECG monitors, including a medical monitor, a smartphone-based mobile monitor and the Nymi Band itself. We use the first dataset to understand the statistical differences in biometric features that arise from using different measurement devices and modes. Such differences are addressed through the automated derivation of so-called mapping functions, whose purpose is to transform ECG signals from any device in order to resemble the morphology of the signals recorded with the Nymi Band. We use the first dataset to understand the statistical differences in biometric features that arise from using different measurement devices and modes. Such differences are addressed through the automated derivation of so-called mapping functions, whose purpose is to transform ECG signals from any device in order to resemble the morphology of the signals recorded with the Nymi Band.</p

Anti-vascular endothelial growth factor monotherapy or combined with verteporfin photodynamic therapy for retinal angiomatous proliferation: a systematic review with meta-analysis

: Purpose: To assess functional and anatomical outcomes of intravitreal anti-Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor (anti-VEGF) monotherapy versus combined with verteporfin Photodynamic Therapy (PDT) for Retinal Angiomatous Proliferation (RAP). Methods: Studies reporting outcomes of intravitreal anti-VEGF monotherapy and/or in combination with verteporfin PDT in RAP eyes with a follow-up ≥ 12&nbsp;months were searched. The primary outcome was the mean change in best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) at 12&nbsp;months. Mean change in central macular thickness (CMT) and mean number of injections were considered as secondary outcomes. The mean difference (MD) between pre- and post-treatment values was calculated along with 95% Confidence Interval (95% CI). Meta-regressions were performed to assess the influence of anti-VEGF number of injections on BCVA and CMT outcomes. Results: Thirty-four studies were included. A mean gain of 5.16 letters (95% CI = 3.30-7.01) and 10.38 letters (95% CI = 8.02-12.75) was shown in the anti-VEGF group and combined group, respectively (anti-VEGF group vs. combined group, p &lt; 0.01). A mean CMT reduction of 132.45&nbsp;µm (95% CI = from -154.99 to -109.90) and 213.93&nbsp;µm (95% CI = from -280.04 to -147.83) was shown in the anti-VEGF group and combined group, respectively (anti-VEGF group vs. combined group, p &lt; 0.02). A mean of 4.9 injections (95% CI = 4.2-5.6) and 2.8 injections (95% CI = 1.3-4.4) were administered over a 12-month period in the anti-VEGF group and combined group, respectively. Meta-regression analyses showed no influence of injection number on visual and CMT outcomes. High heterogeneity was found across studies for both functional and anatomical outcomes. Conclusion: A combined approach with anti-VEGF and PDT could provide better functional and anatomical outcomes in RAP eyes compared with anti-VEGF monotherapy

Enhancing quantum efficiency of thin-film silicon solar cells by Pareto optimality

We present a composite design methodology for the simulation and optimization of the solar cell performance. Our method is based on the synergy of different computational techniques and it is especially designed for the thin-film cell technology. In particular, we aim to efficiently simulate light trapping and plasmonic effects to enhance the light harvesting of the cell. The methodology is based on the sequential application of a hierarchy of approaches: (a) full Maxwell simulations are applied to derive the photon’s scattering probability in systems presenting textured interfaces; (b) calibrated Photonic Monte Carlo is used in junction with the scattering matrices method to evaluate coherent and scattered photon absorption in the full cell architectures; (c) the results of these advanced optical simulations are used as the pair generation terms in model implemented in an effective Technology Computer Aided Design tool for the derivation of the cell performance; (d) the models are investigated by qualitative and quantitative sensitivity analysis algorithms, to evaluate the importance of the design parameters considered on the models output and to get a first order descriptions of the objective space; (e) sensitivity analysis results are used to guide and simplify the optimization of the model achieved through both Single Objective Optimization (in order to fully maximize devices efficiency) and Multi Objective Optimization (in order to balance efficiency and cost); (f) Local, Global and “Glocal” robustness of optimal solutions found by the optimization algorithms are statistically evaluated; (g) data-based Identifiability Analysis is used to study the relationship between parameters. The results obtained show a noteworthy improvement with respect to the quantum efficiency of the reference cell demonstrating that the methodology presented is suitable for effective optimization of solar cell devices

MT. ETNA FEBRUARY-APRIL 2013 ERUPTION

European FP7 MED-SUV (MEditerranean SUpersite Volcanoes). Grant Number: 308665 European Research Council European FP7 (FP/2007-2013)/ERC. Grant Number: 279802 SIGMA (Sistema Integrato di sensori in ambiente cloud per la Gestione Multirischio Avanzata

Enti del Terzo Settore e principio di solidarietà. Le opportunità del PNRR per rigenerare una rete a sostegno della società

Il tema di ricerca del presente lavoro prende le mosse dal ruolo che ha avuto la solidarietà negli ultimi anni, caratterizzati prima dalla pandemia da covid-19, con le forti conseguenze economiche sociali e poi dal vigoroso conflitto nel cuore dell’Europa con un numero elevato di rifugiati che si sono riversati nei Paesi dell’Unione europea. La risposta della società civile, organizzata nel terzo settore, ha fatto fronte a esigenze per cui lo Stato e gli Enti locali avrebbero incontrato molteplici difficoltà. D’altra parte, il terzo settore, fondato sulla solidarietà, non può essere chiamato in causa solo per sopperire a esigenze temporanee ed emergenziali bensì letto alla luce della chiave interpretativa della valorizzazione della solidarietà per il raggiungimento di un benessere sociale dell’intera comunità.The research theme of this work pertains to solidarity. Solidarity plays an important role in managing problems such as the covid-19 pandemic, the problem of refugees and that of migration. Non-profit organizations have an important role in making up for the shortcomings of the State and local authorities. Solidarity is the basis of non-profit organizations. This paper aims to enhance the theme of solidarity as a key to interpreting associations that are not temporary but can play an important role in achieving social well-being for the entire community