1,721,264 research outputs found
Il numero meraviglioso: la sezione aurea. Bellezza della matematica, armonia dell'universo, musica della natura
No full textCosa accomuna i battiti del nostro cuore al Partenone, i movimenti delle nostre dita alla Venere di Milo, la forma dei girasoli alla Cappella Sistina? È la bellezza delle loro proporzioni, tutte legate a un unico piccolo numero irrazionale noto col nome di sezione aurea (φ). Questo libro tratta di questo numero meraviglioso, ma non è un libro di formule matematiche, né di formule magiche, non è un saggio, né un trattato di misticismo numerologico. È l’avvincente racconto di come la sezione aurea sia riuscita ad appassionare Platone e terrorizzare Pitagora, ispirare Leonardo e fare innamorare Keplero. Ripercorrendo la storia di questo numero attraverso aneddoti e curiosità, ripercorriamo il cammino dell’uomo: non un continuo lento progresso, bensì una corsa a ostacoli piena di cadute, di ritorni al passato e salti nel futuro, di clamorosi errori e geniali intuizioni. Raccontato come fosse una canzone, questo libro ci svela, attraverso la sezione aurea, l’armonia del mondo, una musica da ascoltare con gli occhi, fino a scoprirla nel ritmo dei nostri passi
Can overestimation of walking ability increase the risk of falls in people in the subacute stage after stroke on their return home?
No full textPurpose: Falls are common in patients who have had a stroke who return home after neurorehabilitation.
Some studies have found that walking speed inversely correlates with the risk of falls.
Scope: This study examined whether comparison between comfortable self-selected walking speed and
maximum maintainable speed is informative with regard to the risk of falls in patients with stroke.
Methods: A prospective cohort study was performed with 75 ambulant stroke patients. At discharge, the
Barthel Index score and performance at the 10-m and 6-min walking tests were assessed. Number of falls
was recorded by telephone interview every two months for one year. Regression analysis was performed
to identify factors that were related to the risk of falls.
Results: Using forward multiple linear regression, only the ratio between walking speeds on the 6-min
and 10-m tests was linked to the number of falls in the year after discharge (R = 0.451, p < 0.001,
OR = 0.046). Patients who chose a walking speed for short distances that was not maintainable long term
fell more frequently.
Conclusions: A discrepancy between short and long-term walking speed can help in identifying subjects
in the subacute stage after stroke with an increased risk of suffering a fall
Why Do Patients with Cerebellar Ataxia Not Use Environmental Cues for Reducing Unpredictability of Sudden Gait Stopping?
No full textVirtual reality in cognitive and motor rehabilitation: facts, fiction and fallacies
No full textOver recent decades many researchers and clinicians have started to use Virtual Reality (VR) as a new technology for implementing innovative rehabilitation treatments in cognitive and motor domains. However, the expression 'VR' has often also been improperly used to refer to video games. Further, VR efficacy, often confused with that of video-game exercises, is still debated. Areas covered: In this review, we provide the scientific rationale for the advantages of using VR systems in rehabilitation and investigate whether the VR could really be a promising technique for the future of rehabilitation of patients, or if it is just an entertainment for scientists. In addition, we describe some of the most used devices in VR with their potential advantages for research and provide an overview of the recent evidence and meta-analyses in rehabilitation. Expert commentary: We highlight the efficacy and fallacies of VR in neurorehabilitation and discuss the important factors emerging from the use of VR, including the sense of presence and the embodiment over a virtual avatar, in developing future applications in cognitive and motor rehabilitation
Covid-19: a dynamic analysis of fatality risk in Italy
Full text linkItaly was the second country in the world to face a wide epidemic of Covid-19 after China. The ratio of the number of fatalities to the number of cases (case fatality ratio, CFR) recorded in Italy was surprisingly high and increased in the month of March. The older mean age of population, the changes in testing policy, and the methodological computation of CFR were previously reported as possible explanations for the incremental trend of CFR, a parameter theoretically expected to be constant. In this brief report, the official data provided by the Italian Ministry of Health were analyzed using fitting models and the linear fit method approach. This last methodology allowed us to reach two findings. The trend of the number of deaths followed a 1–3-day delay of positive cases. This delay was not compatible with a biological course of Covid-19 but was compatible with a health management explanation. The second finding is that the Italian number of deaths did not increase linearly with the number of positive cases, but their relationship could be modeled by a second-order polynomial function. The high number of positive cases might have a direct and an indirect effect on the number of deaths, the latter being related to the overwhelmed bed capacity of intensive care units
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