Archivio Istituzionale della Ricerca- Università del Salento
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Smart Hearing Protection System based on IoT and AI for Industrial Noisy Environments
No full textEmerging technologies, such as the Internet of Things (IoT) and Artificial Intelligence (AI), are transforming industrial processes, fostering well-being, and ensuring occupational safety in paradigms such as Industry 4.0 and Society 5.0. In noisy industrial environments, prolonged exposure to intense noise from heavy machinery poses significant auditory risks, highlighting the need for effective hearing protection. The integration of IoT technologies into personal protective equipment (PPE) systems is becoming increasingly crucial, as it enables real-time monitoring and adaptive responses to environmental changes. The system features AI-driven adaptive noise-filtering headphones that enhance speech intelligibility. Integrated with a software framework, it delivers synthesized audio alerts to improve safety and situational awareness, dynamically adjusting to real-time noise levels. This work focuses on adapting an existing Voice Activity Detection (VAD) model, Silero VAD, to the system, in order to ensure real-time performance and seamless integration. The system includes a dashboard that allows users to evaluate the noise filtering in action. Serving as a functional demonstrator, it also assesses the interaction of Silero VAD with the DSP filter. Through extensive evaluations under various acoustic conditions, we analyzed the effectiveness of this integration in industrial noise environments to optimize system performance
EUS-guided gallbladder drainage as a rescue in distal malignant biliary obstruction: A systematic review with meta-analysis
No full text: Patients with distal malignant biliary obstruction (dMBO) needing biliary drainage (BD) undergo ERCP as a first approach. EUS-guided gallbladder drainage (EUS-GBD) is now accepted as a rescue alternative for the palliation of jaundice in those patients with dMBO who fail ERCP and cannot undergo EUS-BD. This is a systematic review with meta-analysis for evaluating the efficacy and safety of EUS-GBD in this scenario. A comprehensive search through the main database platforms was conducted to May 2024. Pooled estimates were obtained using a fixed-effects model with the generic inverse variance method. Study quality was evaluated using the Newcastle-Ottawa quality assessment scale (NOS). Heterogeneity was evaluated with I 2 statistic. Clinical success, adverse events (AEs) rate, and reintervention rate were the main outcomes. Sensitivity analyses were also conducted. Eight studies including 183 patients were identified. Pooled clinical success was 89% (95% CI, 84%-93%). The pooled clinical success of full-text publication was 88% (95% CI, 83%-93%; I 2 = 0%). Reintervention rate was 8% (95% CI, 4%-12%; I 2 = 0%). The overall AE rate was 10% (95% CI, 6%-15%; I 2 = 0%). The NOS allocated moderate quality in 7 studies. In conclusion, our findings confirm that EUS-GBD in dMBO is a feasible, effective, and safe technique as rescue therapy after failure of ERCP or EUS-BD
Green bonds as a driver for improved bank loan quality and profitability
No full textThe chapter examines the relationship between the characteristics of green bonds and ESG pillars, considering profitability, cost of funding, and loan quality. The paper concludes that sustainability governance enhancements have a multiplier effect on financial outcomes, while environmental activities always decrease the cost of capital. The chapter explores how green bond issuance
enhances sustainability and profitability in banking
The Association Between Temporomandibular Disorders and Tinnitus: Evidence and Therapeutic Perspectives from a Systematic Review
No full textBackground/Objectives: Tinnitus, often described as a ringing in the ears, affects a significant portion of the population, varying in perception and severity. Methods: This systematic review investigates the correlation between tinnitus and temporomandibular joint disorders (TMDs) within a PRISMA-compliant framework, ensuring methodological transparency and rigor. Using databases, such as PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science, we analyzed studies from the past decade to evaluate clinical and observational evidence. Results: A significant association between TMD and tinnitus was found, with somatosensory and neuroplastic mechanisms contributing to this relationship. Key therapeutic approaches identified include manual therapy and multidisciplinary treatments, demonstrating potential clinical efficacy. Conclusions: However, the available evidence remains inconsistent, emphasizing the need for further research with standardized methodologies to improve understanding and refine therapeutic strategies. This review provides a foundation for future studies aiming to enhance tinnitus management by addressing underlying TMD-related mechanisms
The impact of sustainability-oriented practices on banking efficiency. An analysis through DEA model
No full textThis chapter assesses the impact of sustainability practices on banking efficiency using methods of Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) and panel data. It finds evidence that governance and social practices enhance operating performance, but environmental initiatives have upfront costs, causing the economic benefits to accrue only slowly. This chapter highlights the need for a strategic approach to sustainability, improving, therefore, efficiency
Effectiveness of Multisport Play-Based Practice on Motor Coordination in Children: A Cross-Sectional Study Using the KTKTest
No full textThis study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of a structured multisport play-based program on the development of motor coordination in Italian chil
dren aged 6 to 10 years, using the Körperkoordinationstest für Kinder (KTK).
Methods:
An observational cross-sectional design was applied, involving 320 children (mean age
8.1 ± 1.4 years; 52% male) from the Puglia region in southern Italy. Participants were
divided into a Multisport Group (MG; n = 162), engaged in multisport activities, and
a Curricular Group (CG; n = 158), involved in standard physical education programs.
Anthropometric measurements (weight, height, and BMI) and motor coordination out
comes (Motor Quotient, MQ) were assessed using the KTK. Statistical analyses included
ANOVA, Pearson’s correlations, and logistic regression models. Results: The results
showed that the MG achieved significantly higher MQ scores (108.3 ± 12.5) compared to
the CG (101.2 ± 13.4; p < 0.001). Moreover, higher BMI values were significantly associ
ated with an increased risk of lower MQ scores (OR = 2.35; 95% CI: 1.45–3.81; p < 0.001),
indicating that children with elevated BMI had more than twice the likelihood of showing
impaired motor coordination. Strong positive correlations were found between all KTK
subtests and the total MQ score. Conclusions: Participation in structured multisport pro
grams appears to enhance motor coordination in children and may represent a valuable
educational and e strategy within primary school physical education and public
health intervention
IMU-Based Energy Expenditure Estimation for Various Walking Conditions Using TransEE
No full textAccurate estimation of energy expenditure (EE) plays a fundamental role in the areas of health monitoring, clinical research, and fitness tracking, as well as fatigue management to prevent overtraining. By monitoring EE, practitioners and individuals can refine exercise programs, modify rehabilitation protocols, and track training loads to prevent the risks of excessive strain. Traditional EE prediction methods often struggle to generalize across diverse activities and individuals due to their reliance on simplified statistical models or handcrafted features. In this study, we introduce TransEE, a subject-specific and context-aware Transformer model designed for EE estimation under varied walking and running conditions. Our approach differs from the traditional time-series data-oriented approaches in using contextual data such as speed, activity (walking or running), and personal characteristics (e.g., age, body weight) alongside with sequential IMU readings. We evaluate TransEE on an existing dataset gathered from 3 participants, and achieve a normalized root mean squared error (NRMSE) of 0.047 and mean absolute percentage error(MAPE) of 11.0%. The results demonstrate that the TransEE outperforms transformer based model and CNN+LSTM model, demonstrating the power of transformers for precise and flexible EE estimation. In addition, we also investigate the impact of sensor placement on estimation accuracy. Our experiments reveal that combining wrist and thigh IMU data leads to the most accurate EE predictions, outperforming individual sensor placements. The proposed model offers a valuable tool for clinical monitoring, fitness and overall clinical studies. Additionally, by leveraging IoT-enabled wearable devices for real-time IMU data collection, TransEE enhances the practicality of EE estimation in dynamic environments, supporting continuous monitoring in both clinical and everyday fitness applications
Innovare l'insegnamento universitario attraverso l'UDL: sfide e opportunità dal Progetto D.A.N.T.E.-U.
No full textMultilingüismo y glotopolítica en la Unión Europea y el Mercosur. Entre la normativa integradora y la práctica desigual
No full text¿Qué lenguas merecen existir, ser enseñadas, escuchadas, protegidas? ¿Y quién decide?
En una época que proclama la diversidad lingüística en sus discursos, pero reproduce exclusiones en sus prácticas, este libro propone una lectura crítica y rigurosa de las políticas lingüísticas en dos espacios regionales tan diferentes como comparables: la Unión Europea y el Mercosur. Desde una perspectiva glotopolítica, las autoras examinan las políticas lingüísticas no como meros instrumentos técnicos, sino como dispositivos de poder que moldean ciudadanía, derechos y pertenencia.
Esta obra no solo analiza el multilingüismo: lo problematiza, lo denuncia y lo reinventa como horizonte político. Con datos empíricos y un sólido marco teórico, desentraña las tensiones entre inclusión simbólica y exclusión estructural y pone en el centro a las Lenguas Regionales, Minoritarias y Minorizadas (LRMM), cuyas comunidades enfrentan desigualdades persistentes.
Una obra de referencia para lingüistas, investigadores, educadores y educandos comprometidos con la justicia lingüística y la sostenibilidad cultural. Un libro pensado para quienes creen que las lenguas no son solo una herramienta de comunicación, sino un derecho, una forma de resistencia y una vía para imaginar sociedades más equitativas y plurales