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Combining Wearable Sensors and Artificial Intelligence in Cardiovascular Medicine
No full textCardiovascular diseases (CVDs) remain the leading cause of mortality worldwide, stimulating ongoing research into innovative approaches for their prevention, diagnosis, and management. Sensor technologies play a crucial role in this scenario, enabling accurate and continuous monitoring of cardiac-related electrical, mechanical, and pulsatile activities both in clinical environments and in everyday life. Advances in wearable sensors, along with novel measurement techniques, have led to the availability of large volumes of high-resolution physiological data. Such rich data stream has, in turn, catalyzed the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) methodologies into cardiovascular medicine. This article provides a concise overview of the current landscape of wearable technologies for capturing heart-related signals that are critical for the detection and management of CVDs. Particular attention is given to challenges inherent in measuring reliable physiological data in real-world conditions. Beyond discussing sensing hardware, the review emphasizes the interplay with advanced AI approaches, illustrating how techniques, such as generative AI, explainable AI, federated learning, reinforcement learning, cross-domain adaptation, multimodal AI, and edge AI can help extract meaningful insights from complex, multidimensional sensor data, enhancing decision-making and enabling personalized care. By combining advances in sensors, measurement science, and AI, this survey highlights the potential of wearable systems to support earlier diagnosis, enable continuous disease management, and ultimately improve clinical outcomes, while also discussing limitations of the current state of the art
Damping reduction factors for vertical acceleration, velocity, and displacement response spectra in Italian seismic regions
No full textEXPLORING MORTALITY PATTERNS ACROSS TERRITORIAL AREAS IN ITALY
No full textMortality differentials across rural-urban gradients have long been of interest due to their implications for public health policies. Traditionally, rural areas were believed to have lower mortality thanks to healthier lifestyles and environmental factors. Recent trends suggest a narrowing gap, raising questions about the factors driving these disparities. The differences in mortality rates between territories depend on the different geographical characteristics, and this underscores the need of an analysis at a more detailed territorial level. This study aims to investigate mortality disparities and patterns across central and peripheral gradients and territorial areas in Italy, using the National Strategy for Inner Areas (SNAI) classification. We seek to understand how mortality rates vary between Inner and Central settings, focusing on individuals aged 60 and older. Our analysis includes standardized mortality rates and life expectancy at age 60, examined through spatial analysis techniques, such as Moran's Index and Local Indicators of Spatial Association (LISA). Additionally, we analyse mortality by major causes of death to identify the most significant contributors to the disparities. The findings reveal considerable heterogeneity in mortality rates, with a notable U-shaped pattern indicating higher survival in Ultra-peripheral areas. While overall improvements in mortality levels are observed in recent years, these are less pronounced in the South. The reduction in mortality from circulatory system diseases and cancers contributes significantly to the improvements in both Poles and Inner Areas. However, higher mortality from respiratory and nervous system diseases is more prevalent in Inner Areas, especially in Ultra-peripheral municipalities. By outlining mortality differentials and patterns in Italy, this study provides valuable insights for informing targeted health policies aimed at reducing disparities and improving overall public health outcomes for the older population.1.Introduction Mortality, the principal negative component of population dynamics, influences both the growth and age structure of populations. Mortality rates represent a critical measure of population health, shaping demographic patterns and informing public health policies. Variations in mortality rates are evident not only between countries but also within countries, across different regions, and between urban and rura
La politica anticorruzione dei contratti pubblici fondata sulla giurisprudenza -nomologia
No full textThe object of the research is the corruption of public procurement, the dissertation aims to highlight the policy pursued at European and national level for the substantial effective fight. The question is to what extent existing Community legislation is effective in tackling this phenomenon. The Community directives incorporated into national law, are also characterized by their application under the soft law regime, which differs from the usual means of standardization laws, regulations. Thus, it’s in a fragile balance with the hard law Research has shown that the principle of transparency is an important tool in the fight against corruption, but it is not the only effective measure anti-corruption. Thus, in order to address the vulnerability of the public procurement system, the legislator decides and supports independent authorities but also through the obligation for the Member States to establish an anti-corruption authority that has the transparency of award of contract public, where Italy was the first country in 2014 to proceed in the creation of ANAC, but at the same time adopts the extension of transparency policies, integrity, a cooperation, accessibility administrative, accountability, strengthening the transparency control mechanisms and especially the Court of Auditors to carry out the control of legality and the external control for the control of suspicion cases in corruption. Finally, through the directives, it has imposed significant adaptations to the system of judicial protection in the field of public procurement, the need to establish efficiency and speed in the public procurement process and urges Member States to integrate a flexible procedure by strengthening supreme transparency control mechanisms (tribunals), also the judicial dialogue between national and European judicial trough of referral to the European court
Rendering the European neutron research landscape
No full textNeutrons, owing to their unique properties, serve as indispensable probes for investigating the structure and dynamics of materials across various length scales. The scientific community utilizing neutron research infrastructures encompasses a diverse range of disciplines, making it challenging to quantify its scientific and societal impact. To address this challenge, we apply Natural Language Processing (NLP) and machine learning techniques to analyze the scientific output of the European neutron science community. Leveraging open-source software toolkits, our method allows for the quantitative assessment of community evolution and research focus. Our analysis reveals consistent growth in the neutron community despite a reduction in sources, underscoring the enduring significance of neutron methods in scientific research. Furthermore, an increase in unique authors and an even distribution of publications across diverse scientific topics highlight the community’s interdisciplinary nature and collaborative spirit. While this study emphasizes neutron scattering, our methodology holds promise for a broad range of scientific communities reliant on Large Research Infrastructures (LRIs), offering opportunities for collaboration, optimization of experimental approaches, and informed decision-making by governmental and funding bodies
U/TH Dating of Pre-Holocene calcareous tufa deposits in the Umbria-Marche Apennine (Italy)
No full textCilla G., Dramis F., Fubelli G., Maceroni D., Malocco S., Materazzi M., Remigio M., Soligo M., U/Th dating of pre-Holocene calcareous tufa deposits in the Umbria-Marche Apennine (Italy). (IT ISSN 0391-9838, 2025). This note describes the characteristics of two calcareous tufa (freshwater travertine) deposits found in the Umbria-Marche Apennine. The first has grown in the Laverinello Valley, a tributary of the upper Potenza River, along the road from the village of Poggio Sorifa; the second deposit originated in Val di Sasso (Sasso Valley), a tributary of the upper Esino River, on the edge of a waterfall, currently inactive and disconnected from the present drainage network. The U/Th dating of samples taken from the investigated tufa deposits (55 +/- 6 ka BP-58 +/- 6 ka BP, 65 +/- 8 ka BP-67 +/- 5 ka BP, respectively) places them in the Upper Pleistocene, corresponding to sharp warming peaks within cooling periods. These dates seem to support the genetic model of freshwater travertine deposition proposed by Dramis et al. (1999), based on the control exerted by the formation in the aquifer of a reversed thermal gradient in correspondence with climate warming
Opportunity for mitigating soil loss by water erosion in cropland through crop switching and improved management in China
No full textCropland is persistently affected by soil loss by water erosion in China, which causes economic loss and threatens soil health. Integrating crop switching and improved management provides a promising strategy for controlling soil loss by water erosion in cropland and promoting sustainable agriculture. However, optimizing crop composition with fewer inputs involves balancing agricultural resource use with environmental costs. Aiming to explore the potential of crop switching as a strategy for mitigating soil erosion in cropland, we develop a spatial optimization model that redistributes the sown areas of different crops in each prefecture-level city based on existing resource availability. Our findings gained from our simulations show that crop switching in China alone can reduce total soil erosion in cropland by an estimated 13 %. Furthermore, combining crop switching with improved agricultural management practices can further reduce soil erosion in cropland by an estimated 25 %. Cereals including maize, wheat, and rice demonstrate significant potential for reducing soil erosion in cropland. Shifting major maize-producing areas northward could result in a substantial decrease in soil erosion, ranging from 10 % to 19 % of historical soil erosion in cropland. These results offer implications for formulating regional strategy in mitigating soil erosion challenges in China while maximizing the benefits from existing agricultural resource
A Modeling Approach Based on Planar CAD Objects for 3D Rigid Block Limit Analysis of Historical Masonry Structures
No full textA simple geometric modeling approach is proposed for three-dimensional rigid block limit analysis of historical masonry structures via numerical optimization. The approach is based on schematizations of rigid blocks with planar CAD objects and was conceived as an alternative to geometric solid modeling with the aim to facilitate the analysis of entire buildings. Planar CAD objects used to represent masonry textures in three dimensions include 3D polylines and 3D faces. Three-dimensional rigid block models are built extruding geometric objects via an automatic procedure implemented in MATLAB. Rigid blocks representing masonry texture are assumed to interact at no-tension frictional interfaces with infinite compressive strength. Cohesive interfaces are used to connect rigid blocks along interlocked corners or bounded joints. Rigid blocks interacting at contacts with finite tensile strength and cohesion are also used to schematize strengthening interventions with ties or horizontal diaphragms with joists. The approach is validated against case studies from the literature involving experimental and numerical tests. Comparisons with a homogenized anisotropic finite element model are also presented to show differences with continuum modeling approaches
