comfort index ci bus a methodology to measure the comfort on board

Abstract The presented work deals with the important topic of assessing the quality of public transport services. This research specifically addresses the performance of the service in terms of comfort. In particular, the study focuses on the definition of a comfort index (CI) that takes into account two dimensions (noise and vibration) measured on board the buses studied, both during motion and on a stationary vehicle. The methodology interprets how users perceive the comfort on board the public transport considered, with numerical data coming from high-precision measuring instruments. This methodology represents a further element of synthesis in the complex quantification of perceptions by an individual, precisely because of the extreme subjectivity of judgment

A simple HPLC-DAD method for the analysis of melamine in protein supplements: validation using the accuracy profiles.

The study presents a fully validated simple high-performance liquid chromatography method with diode array detection (HPLC-DAD), able to accurately determine the melamine, fraudulently added, in protein supplements, commonly used from healthy adults to enhance exercise or sport performance. The validation strategy was intentionally oriented towards routine use and the reliability of the method rather than extreme performance. For this reason, validation by accuracy profile, including estimation of uncertainty, was chosen. This procedure, based on the concept of total error (bias + standard deviation), clearly showed that this method was able to determine melamine over the range of 0.05–3.0 mg Kg−1, selected by taking into account the maximum residue levels (MRLs) proposed by European legislation to distinguish between the unavoidable background presence of melamine and unacceptable adulteration. The accuracy profile procedure established that at least 95% of the future results obtained with the proposed method would be within the ±15% acceptance limits of the validated HPLC-DAD method over the whole defined concentration range

Application of clinical indexes in ulcerative colitis patients in regular follow-up visit. correlation with endoscopic 'mucosal healing' and implication for management

OBJECTIVE: Ulcerative Colitis (UC) is a chronic inflammatory disease of the colon of unknown etiology. Several clinical indexes have been proposed for UC disease activity evaluation, but none have been properly validated. Moreover, the reference parameter for the scores and their prognostic value is not clear. Mucosal healing has been recently proposed as an important end-point. Aim of the present study was to evaluate the correlation of four clinical indexes with objective diagnostic tools for UC evaluation, the discriminative ability in identifying patients with endoscopic mucosal healing, and to analyze the possible prognostic indication for disease course in 1 year of follow-up. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We analyzed data of 75 patients recorded in regular follow-up visit in IBD clinic at S. Andrea Hospital, Rome, between 2007-2011. We recorded clinical data and lab tests at the time of the visit, and endoscopic/ histological repor ts performed within 1 month. Clinical indexes (Seo' activity index, Simple Clinical Colitis Activity Index, partial Mayo score and Endoscopic-Clinical Correlation Index) were calculated and correlation to endoscopic and histologic activity, and to C-reactive protein increment, was assessed by mean of Spearman's rank correlation. Discriminative ability of the indexes for patients with and without endoscopic mucosal healing was tested by calculation of area under ROC curve (AUC). Patients with low and high clinical scores were compared for number of flares and increment of therapy during 1 year of follow-up. RESULTS: Clinical indexes had a good correlation with endoscopic activity (mean r = 0.73 ± 0.06), a fair correlation with CRP-increment (mean r = 0.55 ± 0.01) and a poor one with histologic activity (mean r = 0.35 ± 0.01). The discriminatory ability of the indexes for endoscopic mucosal healing was good for all the indexes (mean AUC = 0.87 ± 0.05). Patients with high clinical score had more flares and required more frequently increase of therapy at 1 year of follow up compared with patients with low score. CONCLUSIONS: Clinical indexes have a good correlation with endoscopic activity and can discriminate patients with and without mucosal healing. Patients with low and high score have different risk of disease flare and of need to increase therapy at 1 year. Clinical indexes may represent a useful tool for disease assessment in clinical practice in UC outpatients with mildmoderate disease

Co-operative ITS: ESD a smartphone based system for sustainability and transportation safety

Abstract Co-operative Intelligent Transportation Systems (C-ITS) are emerging rapidly due to recent development in Global Navigation Satellite System GNSS systems and mobile internet. The main goal of these systems is to improve traffic conditions and safety level on the road networks. With the rapid growth of smartphone technologies and mobile internet, C-ITS based on smartphone may contribute increasingly in vehicle data collection and in traffic safety and sustainability issues. This paper, extending previous research results, explores the possibilities of using smartphone applications coupled with a central server GIS (Geographic Information System) web system to contribute to traffic safety and to reduce fuel consumption. The idea of a co-operative system in which GPS (Global Positioning System) enabled smartphones are capable to acquire individual vehicle's kinematics is extended to take into account both safety and fuel consumption issues. Information in the system is shared on a web server for promoting more sustainable and safe driving styles. The co-operative system allows drivers to examine information about their individual driving style and consumptions allowing a better use of the road. Road operators can use the system to find critical points on the network and to promote traffic safety

How future surgery will benefit from SARS-COV-2-related measures: a SPIGC survey conveying the perspective of Italian surgeons

COVID-19 negatively affected surgical activity, but the potential benefits resulting from adopted measures remain unclear. The aim of this study was to evaluate the change in surgical activity and potential benefit from COVID-19 measures in perspective of Italian surgeons on behalf of SPIGC. A nationwide online survey on surgical practice before, during, and after COVID-19 pandemic was conducted in March-April 2022 (NCT:05323851). Effects of COVID-19 hospital-related measures on surgical patients' management and personal professional development across surgical specialties were explored. Data on demographics, pre-operative/peri-operative/post-operative management, and professional development were collected. Outcomes were matched with the corresponding volume. Four hundred and seventy-three respondents were included in final analysis across 14 surgical specialties. Since SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, application of telematic consultations (4.1% vs. 21.6%; p < 0.0001) and diagnostic evaluations (16.4% vs. 42.2%; p < 0.0001) increased. Elective surgical activities significantly reduced and surgeons opted more frequently for conservative management with a possible indication for elective (26.3% vs. 35.7%; p < 0.0001) or urgent (20.4% vs. 38.5%; p < 0.0001) surgery. All new COVID-related measures are perceived to be maintained in the future. Surgeons' personal education online increased from 12.6% (pre-COVID) to 86.6% (post-COVID; p < 0.0001). Online educational activities are considered a beneficial effect from COVID pandemic (56.4%). COVID-19 had a great impact on surgical specialties, with significant reduction of operation volume. However, some forced changes turned out to be benefits. Isolation measures pushed the use of telemedicine and telemetric devices for outpatient practice and favored communication for educational purposes and surgeon-patient/family communication. From the Italian surgeons' perspective, COVID-related measures will continue to influence future surgical clinical practice

La nostra Costituzione: l’ordinamento della Repubblica

Raccolta ragionata e sistematica degli istituti del diritto pubblico alla luce delle istanze che caratterizzano la contemporaneit

The city of Matera and its ‘Sassi’ (Italy): an opportunity to broadcast geology in the European Capital of Culture 2019

Matera is an ancient city located at the top of Italy's high heel that has been anointed the European Capital of Culture 2019 and which, since 1993, has been included in the UNESCO World Heritage list. The close relationship between the urban development of the old town and its geology offers the unique opportunity to discover, in one shot, the cultural and geological history of a wonderful city that is often left out of the spotlight. As a corollary to this, the rupestrian old town of Matera and nearby areas are known also for having been the location of several movies (e.g. Bond 25 ‘No time to die’). Accordingly, media and tourists alike are showing a growing interest in Matera

Corporate venture capitalists as entrepreneurial knowledge accelerators in global innovation ecosystems

Corporate venture capitalists (CVCs) support innovation with capital and expertise, fueling global ecosystems that are based on knowledge-intensive entrepreneurship (KIE). This research, focusing on the most active CVCs from August 2019 to January 2020, analyzes their contribution to innovation ecoflows regionally and internationally and examines their impact on KIE contexts through an ordinary least squares (OLS) investigation of their entrepreneurial effort, in potential connection with operational intensity and leadership intensity, per round and overall. These investments have increased in the last ten years with a moderate positive correlation between leadership intensity and entrepreneurial effort and a strong positive correlation between operational intensity and entrepreneurial effort (particularly in early stages). Although through different behaviors, CVCs operate for the growth of innovative firms, and their contribution in supporting innovation regionally (above all in California) and internationally is considerable