Archivio della ricerca - Fondazione Bruno Kessler
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Multiplexed readout of Superconductor-Normal-Conductor-Superconductor bolometers
No full textRecently, ultrasensitive calorimeters have emerged as a resource efficient solution for different applications such
as qubit readout, radiation sensors, etc. Multiplexing these detectors paves the path for larger range of us-
age. However, experiments demonstrating frequency multiplexing of these superconductor–normal-conductor–
superconductor (SNS) sensors are lacking in the literature. To this end, we present the design, fabrication,
and operation of three SNS sensors with frequency-multiplexed input and probe circuits, all on a single chip.
These devices have their probe frequencies in the range 150 MHz–200 MHz, which is well detuned from the
heater frequencies of 4.4 GHz–7.6 GHz compatible with typical readout frequencies used in different appli-
cations in microwave physics. Importantly, we show on-demand triggering of both individual and multiple
low-noise SNS bolometers with minimal cross talk. These experiments pave the way for multiplexed bolo-
metric characterization and calorimetric applications
Ha senso studiare la natura umana?
No full textLa domanda posta nel titolo trova una risposta affermativa nel saggio. Nonostante le obiezioni di principio a cui sono andati incontro i vari tentativi di sviluppare un’antropologia filosofica nel corso del XX secolo, ha comunque senso studiare un iperoggetto come la natura umana, a maggior ragione nel contesto intellettuale scaturito dall’ortodossia filosofica moderna. In particolare, ha senso mettere in discussione l’autocomprensione angusta del naturalismo filosofico moderno, senza tuttavia regredire a una visione essenzialista della nostra specie biologica. Da questo punto di vista, l’indagine sulla natura umana si traduce in una riflessione radicale, sebbene non scettica, sulla nostra forma di vita basata sul concetto di valutazione “forte”, ossia sull’esperienza di un valore non riducibile al simulacro proiettivo di una preferenza soggettiva, in quanto fenomeno da salvare a tutti i costi, per evitare la perdita di sé e del mondo. In sintesi, lo studio della natura umana appare come un baluardo umanistico contro la negazione nichilistica del potenziale trasformativo di tale autoriflessione. Sebbene in teoria possa sembrare un guadagno minimo, in realtà si tratta della condizione preliminare per poter continuare a credere che il mondo sia vero o esista
A Chatbot-Based Version of a World Health Organization–Validated Intervention (Self-Help Plus) for Stress Management in Pregnant Women: Protocol for a Usability Study
No full textBackground: Pregnancy is a complex period involving significant physical, mental, and social changes in a woman's life, affecting her psychological well-being. According to the literature, anxiety, stress, and depression are common symptoms among pregnant women. Promoting a healthy lifestyle with a focus on mental health is essential. In this context, digital solutions such as coaches on smartphones are emerging as valuable tools to support the psychological well-being of pregnant women without existing disorders. Objective: This study aims to present the research protocol of a pilot study designed as a proof-of-concept investigation. The study evaluates the feasibility, acceptability, and utility of an acceptance and commitment therapy-based stress management mobile app. The primary objective is to explore the feasibility of using a coach, ALBA (A Well-Being Assistant), developed within the TreC Ricerca app, to promote women's psychological well-being during pregnancy through 5 sessions based on acceptance and commitment therapy. The pre- and postintervention effects on psychological well-being will also be explored as a secondary objective, serving as a proxy for the potential impact of the intervention. Methods: The study serves as a proof-of-concept investigation, where a small sample size (N=50) is deemed adequate to fulfill the study's objectives. Participant recruitment will be conducted among pregnant women affiliated with the pregnancy care services of the Azienda Provinciale per i Servizi Sanitari di Trento, using a convenience sampling approach. ALBA will interact with the participating women for 6 weeks, between the 14th and 26th weeks of gestation. Specifically, there will be 1 session per week, which the woman can choose, to allow more flexibility regarding her needs, supplemented by ALBA-supported exercises to be performed between sessions. This study adopts a mixed methods approach, combining quantitative and qualitative data collection and analysis. Usability and engagement are assessed using the System Usability Scale, Chatbot Usability Questionnaire, User Engagement Scale-Short Form, and the User Mobile Rating Scale. Moreover, other quantitative outcome measures include levels of stress, anxiety, depression, emotional regulation, psychological flexibility, coping strategies, self-efficacy, and overall well-being, along with qualitative data from semistructured interviews. Finally, the analysis of the data gathered in this study will primarily adopt descriptive statistics and a text mining approach, focused on evaluating the attainment of the study objectives and changes over experimental time. Results: The psychoeducational approach aims to yield notable outcomes regarding the usability and engagement of women with ALBA. Furthermore, an anticipated enhancement in psychological well-being and quality of life is expected. Conclusions: Existing literature indicates a preference among women in the perinatal period for online support, highlighting the potential of digital interventions to address barriers related to social stigma and seeking assistance. In this context, ALBA emerges as a valuable resource, providing consistent psychoeducational support for women throughout pregnancy. International registered report identifier (irrid): PRR1-10.2196/53891
Towards Continuous Risk Assessment and Conformance Checking of IdM Deployments
No full textEnsuring effective threat intelligence sharing, assessing potential risks, and responding to threats remain significant challenges, particularly in complex systems and critical infrastructures. Environmental, Social, and Governance platforms are emerging as comprehensive solutions that integrate cybersecurity with governance principles, enhancing transparency and proactive risk management. However, integrating security tools into platforms that enable conformance checking and continuous risk assessment poses challenges, including automating security workflows and prioritizing vulnerabilities based on severity and exploitability. This paper presents an extended version of Micro-Id-Gym (MIG), an open-source security testing tool for Identity Management (IdM) implementations. The goal of this enhancement is to make MIG easily integrable into platforms for continuous risk assessment and mitigation in complex software supply chains deploying IdM solutions critical to the Zero Trust paradigm. By supporting trustworthy deployments, MIG focuses on conformance testing as a key mechanism to ensure reliability and compliance in multi-entity deployments. The extended version of MIG is designed for seamless integration into Continuous Integration and Continuous Delivery pipelines and has been validated in Open Authorization 2.0 and OpenID Connect deployments
Exploring Virtual Reality-Based Reminiscence Therapy on Cognitive and Emotional Well-Being in People with Cognitive Impairments: A Scoping Review
No full textBackground/Objectives: Virtual reality (VR) is increasingly being explored as a non-pharmacological therapy to enhance the well-being of people with cognitive impairment (PwCI). Studies suggest that VR-based interventions improve mood, reduce apathy, and enhance emotional engagement, making VR a valuable tool for cognitive and emotional support. This scoping review synthesizes evidence on VR-based reminiscence therapy (VRRT) for PwCI. It aims to map existing knowledge, highlight implementation challenges, and offer practical, technical design, and evidence-informed recommendations for clinical integration—building on prior reviews that have touched on these aspects, but placing a stronger and more structured emphasis on real-world applicability and translational insights. This review draws extensively on qualitative findings across the included studies to better capture contextual factors, user experiences, facilitator roles, and barriers to usability. Moreover, unlike previous research, we included only studies involving individuals—either directly or via proxies—with an age-related cognitive impairment, formally diagnosed by a qualified authority. Methods: A systematic search based on the PRISMA-ScR guideline identified 310 studies, of which 11 met the inclusion criteria. These studies assessed the effectiveness and feasibility of immersive VRRT. Research methodologies included longitudinal (n = 2), cross-sectional (n = 2), mixed-methods (n = 4), and randomized controlled trials (n = 3)—with most studies focusing on feasibility—with a cumulative sample size of approximately 287 participants. The quality of the included studies was generally moderate; common limitations included small sample sizes, short intervention periods, and limited control conditions. Results: The findings highlight VRRT’s potential to enhance engagement, emotional well-being, and cognitive function. However, usability challenges and technical limitations persist. While VR offers promising benefits, further research is needed to refine interventions, address personalization barriers, and assess long-term effects. Conclusions: This review underscores the importance of integrating VRRT into care programs and improving accessibility. Future research should enhance methodological rigor to ensure reliable outcomes and maximize VR’s impact on PwCI well-being. The scoping review protocol is registered a priori with the Center for Open Science (OSF) (registration type: OSF Preregistration, data registered: 15 November 2024, associated project: osf.io/r7jha, identifier: DOI 10.17605/OSF.IO/R7JHA)
Description and comparison of national surveillance systems and response measures for Aedes-borne diseases in France, Italy and Portugal: a benchmarking study, 2023
No full textBackground. Regions of southern Europe are increasingly colonised by Aedes albopictus, with incidence of autochthonous dengue cases rising in recent years.AimWe describe and compare Aedes-borne disease (dengue, chikungunya and Zika) incidence from 2017 to 2023, and the surveillance systems and response measures operating in France, Italy and Portugal in 2023, to improve surveillance, prevention, preparedness and response in Europe.MethodsWe performed a benchmarking analysis to systematically capture the systems used in each country. We collected data from key-informant interviews, national guidelines, reports and scientific literature using a standardised questionnaire adapted from the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control framework.ResultsAll three countries have an integrated surveillance system for Aedes-borne diseases and share similarities in surveillance type, geographic coverage and case definitions. Differences entail mainly event-based and active surveillance activities. Geographic coverage of vector surveillance is national in France and Portugal but regional in Italy. In response to autochthonous transmission, all countries implement/foresee active case-finding and blood safety protocols, while France and Italy strongly rely on vector control. Upon vector detection in non-colonised areas, the three countries implement ad hoc entomological surveillance and vector control.ConclusionsSurveillance systems and response measures in France, Italy and Portugal are broadly similar, with variations reflecting differences in healthcare system organisation (centralised in Portugal and France, regionalised in Italy), Ae. albopictus distribution and local transmission of Aedes-borne diseases. Risk-based surveillance, considering the national and cross-border epidemiological and entomological situations, can strengthen preparedness and early warning for Aedes-borne diseases in Europe
Analysis of SPR Waveguide Sensor with Different Dielectric Layer
No full textAnalysis of SPR waveguide sensor with different dielectric layers is modeled and simulated. The electric field intensity, effective index and sensitivity parameters were analyzed. A waveguide sensor was designed and analyzed at visible wavelength as a refractive index sensor. In this analysis, the silver metal is used. The effective index value of 1.5178, 1.6017 and 1.5178 were obtained for Al2O3, MgF2 and Ta2O5 layers, respectively. The electric mode, magnetic mode and plasmon modes are simulated. The finite difference time domain (FDTD) method are the mathematical modeling tools used in this work
Piezoelectric MEMS Varactor for Silicon-Based QMSIW Filter for Ka Band Applications
No full textA piezoelectric MEMS varactor is designed to work for Ka band application. Piezo MEMS varactor is used as a tuning structure to tune the frequency of a Quarter Mode Substrate Integrated Waveguide resonator working at Ka band. Piezoelectric MEMS varactor is placed over the QMSIW resonator. The QMSIW resonator is designed over the high-resistive silicon having dielectric constant εr = 11.7 whose substrate thickness is of 254 μm. The gap between QMSIW top layer and piezo MEMS structure is 44.4 μm. Piezoelectric MEMS varactor structures with different thicknesses are simulated and compared. The actuation voltage of −20 V is applied to the top layer to deform the piezo MEMS structure to 4.8 μm in the upward direction. With the deflection achieved by piezo MEMS structure the capacitance between the QMSIW and the MEMS structure is varied thereby changing the resonant frequency. With maximum deflection, 100 MHz of tunability is achieved from 26.42 to 26.32 GHz at lower passband frequency to 30.15–30.05 GHz at the higher pass band
The Semantic Digital Edition of Aldo Moro’s Writings: A Workflow supporting Data Sharing and Replicability
No full textDigital editions have been long recognized as significant scholarly outputs, reflecting a tradition dating back to computational philology and evolving to encompass comprehensive literary and scientific knowledge management on the web. However, debates still persist around how to use data models, technical tools and interface design to implement and document such resources so as to make them as replicable and usable as possible. Given these premises, this paper focuses on presenting a semantic digital edition workflow, and, specifically, examines three crucial aspects: the integration of Semantic Web technologies for enriching textual representation; the development of a web-based markup tool that enables domain experts to produce crowdsourced markup; and the production of comprehensive technical documentation to ensure replicability. To do so, the paper details how the workflow was applied to create a digital edition of Aldo Moro’s works within a project funded by the Italian Ministry for Cultural Heritage and Activities and for Tourism. The paper outlines the workflow stages, including survey and transcription, data modeling, markup and metadata insertion, web design, and documentation, underscoring the importance of formalized methods in developing digital scholarly editions. By adhering to established editorial and technological standards, the edition offers a nuanced exploration of Moro’s writings, leveraging semantic technologies to provide a platform for scholarly engagement and exploration on the web
