1,722,136 research outputs found
Caesarean section and risk of vertical transmission of HIV-1 infection. The European Collaborative Study
No full textIndirect evidence suggests that a significant proportion of vertical transmission of HIV infection occurs late in pregnancy or during delivery. Caesarean section, therefore, may protect the fetus from infection. We looked at 1254 HIV-infected mothers and their children and the effects of different modes of delivery on transmission risk. We also included a detailed assessment of confounding factors associated with transmission risk. Women who had caesarean sections were more advanced in their disease progression which may cause the protective effect of caesarean section to be underestimated. When this and other potential confounding factors were taken into account, caesarean section was estimated to halve the rate of transmission. This finding is important in the design of studies to evaluate treatments aimed at reducing mother-to-child transmission
Experimental evaluation of an ultrasound technique for the biometric recognition of human hand anatomic elements
No full textWireless implantable and biodegradable sensors for postsurgery monitoring: Current status and future perspectives
No full textA decision space algorithm for multiobjective convex quadratic integer optimization
Full text linkWe present a branch-and-bound algorithm for minimizing multiple convex quadratic
objective functions over integer variables. Our method looks for efficient points by
fixing subsets of variables to integer values and by using lower bounds in the form
of hyperplanes in the image space derived from the continuous relaxations of the
restricted objective functions. We show that the algorithm stops after finitely many
fixings of variables with detecting both the full efficient and the nondominated set
of multiobjective strictly convex quadratic integer problems. A major advantage of
the approach is that the expensive calculations are done in a preprocessing phase
so that the nodes in the branch-and-bound tree can be enumerated fast. We show
numerical experiments on biobjective instances and on instances with three and four
objectives
Monitoraggio e proposte di interventi mitigatori dei fenomeni di insabbiamento dei porti
No full textDopo aver brevemente illustrato le principali fasi in cui puo' essere articolato un progetto di monitoraggio di opere costiere e dopo aver presentato le possibili tecniche di indagine per la definizione dell'evoluzione morfologica di un tratto di costa in cui e' presente un porto, nel lavoro sono descritti alcuni possibili interventi mitigatori dei fenomeni di insabbiamento dei porti e di erosione dei litorali adiacenti. Nella seconda parte della memoria sono considerati tre casi significativi di porti della Calabria in cui il problema dell'interrimento portuale e' particolarmente sentito; per ciascuno di essi si sono studiate le evoluzioni morfologiche indotte dalla costruzione delle opere portuali e si sono formulate proposte di interventi mitigatori dei citati "indesiderati" fenomeni
Promoting electric vehicle demand in Europe: Design of innovative electricity consumption simulator and subsidy strategies based on well-to-wheel analysis
No full textDecarbonization in the transport sector, especially in private mobility, is one of the main objectives of the European Union (EU) for next few years. Battery electric vehicles (BEVs) represent a promising solution for reducing pollution and GHG emissions; however, their purchase price contributes to curbing their diffusion. In this scenario, the aims of this study are to develop a flexible, simulation-based analysis for EU car fleets in terms of energy consumption and GHG emissions and, based on the simulation results, to propose an innovative system of financial subsidies. This can support governments in encouraging EU customers to prefer sustainable and green options for mobility. Different car segments have been considered; the electrical energy consumptions have been obtained through the development of an ad-hoc simulation model in Simulink®-MathWorks environment, while the Well-To-Wheel analysis has been performed to estimate GHG emissions. Based on these assumptions, four different subsidy strategies have been proposed and designed for countries of the EU-27. According to different logics, economic subsidies have been linked to GHG emissions avoided thanks to the use of BEVs. The results obtained show how BEVs’ consumption of electricity is low, even for larger vehicles, and this allows BEVs to be considered less impactful than internal combustion engine vehicles (ICEV) with respect to GHG emissions. Furthermore, results are highly variable, depending on the electricity mix of each considered country, and they show how, for the countries that use the most renewable sources, the proposed subsidies even can generate gains from consumers’ perspectives
Holographic watermarking for authentication of cut images
No full textA watermarking technique, with a Computer Generated Hologram (CGH) coding system of the mark, is introduced and tested. The CGH watermarking can be used to authenticate parts of the original image. The hologram of the mark is embedded in the spatial domain by a blind additive embedding technique. The use of holography allows authenticating cuts of the original image, is the major novelty of this paper. The proposed methodology is characterized as an authentication technique, since it does not rely on the original image to decide whether the watermarked image has been altered or not and at the same time it is able to detect and localize any possible malicious change. Asymmetric cryptography is used to hide the hash information in an unambiguous way (non-repudiation property)
Risk factors for mother-to-child transmission of HIV-1
No full textChildren born to women known to be infected with human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) before delivery were followed prospectively from birth in nineteen European centres. This analysis, encompassing the period end-December, 1984, to beginning-August, 1991, focuses on risk factors for mother-to-child transmission of HIV-1 infection. Rate of vertical transmission, based on 721 children born to 701 mothers more than 18 months before the time of analysis, was 14.4% (95% Cl 12.0-17.1%). Transmission was associated with maternal p24-antigenaemia and a CD4 count of less than 700/microliters. In a multivariate analysis, odds ratios of transmission were: 2.25 (95% Cl 0.97-5.23) in breastfed children vs never-breastfed children; 3.80 (1.62-8.91) in children born before 34 weeks' gestation; and 0.56 (0.30-1.04) in children delivered by caesarean section. Transmission was higher with vaginal deliveries in which episiotomy, scalp electrodes, forceps, or vacuum extractors were used, but only in centres where these procedures were not routine. On the basis of these results, HIV-infected women contemplating pregnancy should be counselled according to their immunological findings and, if they have p24-antigenaemia or a low CD4 count, warned of an increased risk of viral transmission. Caesarean deliveries may have a protective effect, although it is premature to recommend routine operative delivery. The mechanism for the higher infection rate in children born before 34 weeks' gestation is unclear, but could reflect inadequate passive or active immunity at that age, combined with substantial transmission during labour or delivery. The balance of evidence suggests that mothers with established infection can transmit HIV infection through breastmilk, although the relative importance of this route remains to be defined
V2G Potential in Italy: Status, Challenges, and Future Directions from a Grid and Consumer Perspective
No full textOne of the main contributors to global energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions is the transportation industry. Starting the change to electric vehicles (EVs), Italy is aiming at complete energy sustainability. Vehicle-to-grid (V2G) technology, which lets EVs provide energy back to the grid, therefore enhancing grid stability and efficiency, marks a significant development in this shift. This study presents the infrastructure, implementation issues, and current status of V2G in Italy. It highlights smart meter deployment, pilot projects, and the expansion of charging infrastructure while addressing important technical and regulatory barriers like the limited availability of bidirectional chargers and uncertain standards and tariffs. Recommendations are provided to original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), grid operators, and legislators, emphasizing investment, standardization, and consumer education to mitigate these difficulties. The study indicates that while V2G offers significant prospects for energy resilience and decarbonization, its successful implementation relies on coordinated efforts across multiple sectors
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