670 research outputs found
The Use of Wearable Sensors to Promote Physical Activities in the Smart City
No full textBackground: Despite the growing body of research on mHealth, particularly apps, their effectiveness in improving health outcomes remains uncertain. However, their versatility, adaptability, and potential for long-term prevention highlight them as valuable tools to support active aging strategies across different life stages. Understanding their role in health management and improvement is crucial for optimising their adoption and impact in different populations.
Methods: The five studies investigated 1) the effectiveness of mobile apps for health in healthy adults (systematic review), 2) if and how young adults use apps and wearables for health purposes (cross-sectional web-survey conducted in Italy), 3) young adults’ experience of use of apps and wearables for health purposes (focus groups study), 4) adults’ experience of use of apps and wearables for health purposes (interview study) and 5) older adults’ ideal active ageing intervention supported by technology (interview study).
Results: Study 1 could not assess the effectiveness of apps for healthy adults for improving physical activity and/or diet due to the poor methodological quality of the available studies. Study 2 reported that while half of the sample used apps or wearables for health, mostly for monitoring rather than improving health variables, daily use was common. It also highlighted the most important characteristics in apps and wearables for young adults. Study 3 revealed that young adults view apps and wearables as important for health management and prefer an integrated tool that addresses both medical and non-medical aspects. However, some negative experiences emerged, indicating areas for improvement. Study 4 showed that adults use these technologies for both monitoring and health improvement, but reported occasional stress related to their use. Study 5 outlined older adults' ideal active aging intervention, providing practical guidelines for designing multidimensional programs that incorporate wearable devices.
Conclusions: Health apps and wearables are widely used and valued across different life stages, with varying preferences and applications. Their potential to support lifelong active aging interventions, starting in young adulthood with a preventive approach and evolving to meet changing needs, makes them promising tools for public health. Future research should assess the long-term adoption and effectiveness of these technologies across different age groups to better tailor them to individual and societal needs
La strada maestra del Master
No full textIl volume raccoglie una serie di contributi sui temi e sui problemi dell’alta formazione nel settore nel campo della comunicazione, da parte di studiosi, docenti, professionisti, collaboratori e allievi, italiani e stranieri, del Master in Comunicazione e Media della Facoltà di Scienze Politiche “Cesare Alfieri” dell’Università degli Studi di Firenze. L’intervento di Gaia Peruzzi riflette sulle modalità formative e sul valore del suddetto master a partire dall’esperienza che l’autrice vi ha fatto, nella duplice veste prima di allieva, poi di collaboratrice alla progettazione e all’organizzazione didattica.The essay is a report on the educational value of the Masters in Communication and Media at the Faculty of Political Science "Cesare Alfieri" of the University of Florence, starting from the experience of the author, in the double role first as student, then as a collaborator to the planning and didactic organisation
Assessment of shoulder functional movements through inertial measurement units for tele-rehabilitation: a quaternion-based approach
No full textTelerehabilitation improves accessibility and accelerates recovery: in this context, Inertial Measurement Units (IMUs) are promising wearable sensors for remote movement data collection, which allows to evaluate how closely exercise repetitions align with a prescribed trajectory. Current data processing methods for this purpose include data-driven approaches, requiring exercise-specific training through large amount of data, or distance-based methods with unbounded output, not easy to interpret. This study proposes a novel algorithm which combines the versatility of a bounded output score with numerical stability of quaternions. Data from an IMU-based device were acquired during the execution of human functional shoulder movements by both a young and elderly group of participants. Outputs from the application of the proposed methodology on collected data from same or different movements were statistically compared, revealing ability of discriminating repetitions of the same or of different movements (p<0.01, rrb effect size = 0.97, contrast ratio 1.7). The proposed algorithm was also confronted with the traditional approaches by statistically comparing outputs from comparison matrices rescaled in equal range of values, and results indicated mild differences in performance (rrb effect size < 0.5). Future works may involve integrating this approach into a functioning telerehabilitation system and obtaining feedback on the usability from real users
Gaia Early Data Release 3: The celestial reference frame (Gaia-CRF3)
No full textContext. Gaia-CRF3 is the celestial reference frame for positions and proper motions in the third release of data from the Gaia mission, Gaia DR3 (and for the early third release, Gaia EDR3, which contains identical astrometric results). The reference frame isdefined by the positions and proper motions at epoch 2016.0 for a specific set of extragalactic sources in the (E)DR3 catalogue. Aims. We describe the construction of Gaia-CRF3 and its properties in terms of the distributions in magnitude, colour, and astrometricquality. Methods. Compact extragalactic sources in Gaia DR3 were identified by positional cross-matching with 17 external catalogues of quasi-stellar objects (QSO) and active galactic nuclei (AGN), followed by astrometric filtering designed to remove stellar contaminants. Selecting a clean sample was favoured over including a higher number of extragalactic sources. For the final sample, the random and systematic errors in the proper motions are analysed, as well as the radio–optical offsets in position for sources in the third realisation of the International Celestial Reference Frame (ICRF3). Results. Gaia-CRF3 comprises about 1.6 million QSO-like sources, of which 1.2 million have five-parameter astrometric solutions in Gaia DR3 and 0.4 million have six-parameter solutions. The sources span the magnitude range G = 13–21 with a peak density at 20.6 mag, at which the typical positional uncertainty is about 1 mas. The proper motions show systematic errors on the level of 12 μas yr−1 on angular scales greater than 15 deg. For the 3142 optical counterparts of ICRF3 sources in the S/X frequency bands, the median offset from the radio positions is about 0.5 mas, but it exceeds 4 mas in either coordinate for 127 sources. We outline the future of Gaia-CRF in the next Gaia data releases. Appendices give further details on the external catalogues used, how to extract information about the Gaia-CRF3 sources, potential (Galactic) confusion sources, and the estimation of the spin and orientation of an astrometric solution
Personality traits and levels of anxiety and depression among martial artists : a cross-sectional study
No full textBackground: In recent years, fighting arts (e.g., Karate, Judo, Jujitsu, Boxe) have gained broader attention due to their multiple benefits, involving both physical and psychological enhancements for practitioners. Despite that, studies revolving around specific psychological characteristics such as personality traits are scarce. This study explored potential connections between the personality traits of practitioners and the specific fighting art they engage in, and investigated levels of anxiety and depression in fighting artists. Methods: A web-based cross-sectional survey instrument was developed and disseminated across the entire Italian territory. Participants were eligible if adults (> 18 years old) engaged in any fighting arts for a minimum of one year, with no additional restrictions. The survey employed the Big Five Inventory (BFI) with 44 questions to explore personality traits using the OCEAN model, and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) to explore anxiety and depression levels. Results: A total of 770 questionnaires were collected from July to September 2023. Participants were mainly men (M = 571, 74.5%; F = 199, 25.8%; mean age 45.2 ± 14.8), and most of the participants practised in the North of Italy (N = 493, 64.0%). The mean age of practice was 28.5 ± 14.9 years and the most practised fighting arts were Judo (N = 349, 45.3%), Karate (N = 272, 35.3%) and Jujitsu (N = 42, 5.5%). Personality traits were identified as openness, conscientiousness, extroversion, agreeableness, neuroticism and the results were as follows: O) 40.1 ± 6.30; C) 37.1 ± 5.78; E) 28.2 ± 5.64; A) 35.1 ± 5.08; N) 19,8 ± 5,51. Anxiety and depression scored respectively 5.93 ± 3.14 and 3.67 ± 2.74. Conclusions: Fighting artists exhibit elevated levels of positive personality traits, such as openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, and agreeableness. Conversely, neuroticism tends to be lower among them. Moreover, anxiety and depression levels among fighting artists are lower than the Italian normative values. Fighting arts, particularly Karate and Judo, emerge as promising avenues for adults seeking innovative or complementary strategies to foster positive personality traits (e.g., openness, conscientiousness) while mitigating anxiety and depression. Future studies could explore other personality traits, including Machiavellianism, and explore additional psychological characteristics such as aggressiveness to provide a more comprehensive understanding
Inertial Measurement Units for shoulder functional assessment in telerehabilitation systems: a preliminary study
No full textThe use of Inertial Measurement Units (IMUs) as sensors in wearable devices for human movement monitoring helps the development of remote rehabilitation systems. Pathologies of musculoskeletal system can affect the execution of the basic activities of daily living (ADL), hence in rehabilitation treatments it is important to also evaluate functional gestures related to ADL execution. In this work, we assess the capability of an IMU-based device to detect abnormalities in motor patterns of the shoulder joint during the execution of functional movements. Results from a preliminary assessment suggest good possibilities of detecting differences in motor patterns. The final direction of this work should be to integrate the findings in a telerehabilitation system as an indicator of functionality of the shoulder joints
The added value of devices to pelvic floor muscle training in radical post-prostatectomy stress urinary incontinence: A systematic review with metanalysis
No full textPurposeTo investigate the role of pelvic floor devices (e.g., biofeedback, electrical stimulation, magnetic stimulation, or their combination) as adjunctive treatments in pelvic floor muscle training (PFMT) in stress urinary incontinence (SUI) after radical prostatectomy.Materials and methodsA systematic review with meta-analysis. We searched for randomised controlled trials (RCTs) and prospective non-randomised studies investigating the effectiveness of pelvic floor devices as an adjunctive treatment for SUI symptoms assessed with weight pad-test or standardised questionnaires. To assess the risk of bias (RoB) and overall certainty of evidence, the RoB 2.0 or the ROBINS-I, and the GRADE approach were used.ResultsEleven RCTs met our eligibility criteria. One was at a ‘low’ RoB, one had ‘some concerns’, while nine were at a ‘high’ RoB. Two meta-analyses were conducted to analyse the pooled results of six RCTs included. Specifically, two RCTs reported at week 4 with a 1h pad test a mean difference of 0.64 (95% CI = [-13.09, 14.36]), and four RCTs reported at week 12 with a 24h pad test a mean difference of -47.75 (95% CI = [-104.18, 8.69]). The heterogeneity was high in both analyses (I2 = 80.0%; I2 = 80.6%). The overall level of certainty was very low.ConclusionsIn line with our results, we cannot conclude whether pelvic floor devices add any value as adjunctive treatment in the management of SUI after radical prostatectomy. Future studies require more comprehensive and standardised approaches to understand whether these devices are effective
Exploring knowledge, perception, and use of surface electromyography in physiotherapy post graduate trainees in Italy: a single center preliminary survey
No full textIntroductionSurface electromyography (sEMG) is a non-invasive technique that records muscle electrical activity using skin-surface electrodes, aiding physiotherapists in assessing and treating muscular and neuromuscular conditions. Despite its potential, sEMG remains underutilized in Italy. This study aims to evaluate Italian physiotherapists’ knowledge and use of sEMG, specifically among those who completed the Master's Degree in Rehabilitation of Musculoskeletal and Rheumatological Disorders at the University of Genoa.MethodsThis cross-sectional study, approved by the University of Genoa's Ethical Committee, utilized an anonymous web survey to gather data from physiotherapy students in the master's program. The survey, developed based on the International Handbook of Survey Methodology, consisted of 12 questions covering demographics, previous sEMG experience, the importance of sEMG in practice and research, and educational satisfaction. Data collection spanned from January to May 2024, with a response rate of 72.7% (93 participants). Descriptive analysis was used to summarize the data.ResultsThe average age of respondents was 26.5 years, with 55.9% being male. Only 3.2% reported using sEMG in their practice. While 46.2% considered sEMG moderately important for practice, 40.9% deemed it extremely important for research. Most participants felt their undergraduate education inadequately prepared them for using sEMG, with 81.7% rating their preparation as insufficient. Although the master's program improved sEMG knowledge, 66.7% indicated no significant proficiency gain.ConclusionItalian physiotherapists view sEMG mainly as a research tool rather than a clinical one. The findings highlight the need for curriculum reforms to enhance both theoretical and practical sEMG education. Simplifying and standardizing sEMG protocols and integrating sEMG training into physiotherapy curricula are essential steps to better prepare clinicians for its clinical application.Introduction: Surface electromyography (sEMG) is a non-invasive technique that records muscle electrical activity using skin-surface electrodes, aiding physiotherapists in assessing and treating muscular and neuromuscular conditions. Despite its potential, sEMG remains underutilized in Italy. This study aims to evaluate Italian physiotherapists’ knowledge and use of sEMG, specifically among those who completed the Master's Degree in Rehabilitation of Musculoskeletal and Rheumatological Disorders at the University of Genoa. Methods: This cross-sectional study, approved by the University of Genoa's Ethical Committee, utilized an anonymous web survey to gather data from physiotherapy students in the master's program. The survey, developed based on the International Handbook of Survey Methodology, consisted of 12 questions covering demographics, previous sEMG experience, the importance of sEMG in practice and research, and educational satisfaction. Data collection spanned from January to May 2024, with a response rate of 72.7% (93 participants). Descriptive analysis was used to summarize the data. Results: The average age of respondents was 26.5 years, with 55.9% being male. Only 3.2% reported using sEMG in their practice. While 46.2% considered sEMG moderately important for practice, 40.9% deemed it extremely important for research. Most participants felt their undergraduate education inadequately prepared them for using sEMG, with 81.7% rating their preparation as insufficient. Although the master's program improved sEMG knowledge, 66.7% indicated no significant proficiency gain. Conclusion: Italian physiotherapists view sEMG mainly as a research tool rather than a clinical one. The findings highlight the need for curriculum reforms to enhance both theoretical and practical sEMG education. Simplifying and standardizing sEMG protocols and integrating sEMG training into physiotherapy curricula are essential steps to better prepare clinicians for its clinical application
Gaia Data Release 3: The extragalactic content
No full textThe Gaia Galactic survey mission is designed and optimized to obtain astrometry, photometry, and spectroscopy of nearly two billion stars in our Galaxy. Yet as an all-sky multi-epoch survey, Gaia also observes several million extragalactic objects down to a magnitude of G 21 mag. Due to the nature of the Gaia onboard-selection algorithms, these are mostly point-source-like objects. Using data provided by the satellite, we have identified quasar and galaxy candidates via supervised machine learning methods, and estimate their redshifts using the low resolution BP/RP spectra. We further characterise the surface brightness profiles of host galaxies of quasars and of galaxies from pre-defined input lists. Here we give an overview of the processing of extragalactic objects, describe the data products in Gaia DR3, and analyse their properties. Two integrated tables contain the main results for a high completeness, but low purity (50-70%), set of 6.6 million candidate quasars and 4.8 million candidate galaxies. We provide queries that select purer sub-samples of these containing 1.9 million probable quasars and 2.9 million probable galaxies (both 95% purity). We also use high quality BP/RP spectra of 43 thousand high probability quasars over the redshift range 0.05-4.36 to construct a composite quasar spectrum spanning restframe wavelengths from 72 1000 nm.Astrodynamics & Space Mission
Gaia Data Release 3: Summary of the content and survey properties
No full textContext. We present the third data release of the European Space Agency's Gaia mission, Gaia DR3. This release includes a large variety of new data products, notably a much expanded radial velocity survey and a very extensive astrophysical characterisation of Gaia sources. Aims. We outline the content and the properties of Gaia DR3, providing an overview of the main improvements in the data processing in comparison with previous data releases (where applicable) and a brief discussion of the limitations of the data in this release. Methods. The Gaia DR3 catalogue is the outcome of the processing of raw data collected with the Gaia instruments during the first 34 months of the mission by the Gaia Data Processing and Analysis Consortium. Results. The Gaia DR3 catalogue contains the same source list, celestial positions, proper motions, parallaxes, and broad band photometry in the G, GBP, and GRP pass-bands already present in the Early Third Data Release, Gaia EDR3. Gaia DR3 introduces an impressive wealth of new data products. More than 33 million objects in the ranges GRVS'<'14 and 3100'<'Teff'<'14'500, have new determinations of their mean radial velocities based on data collected by Gaia. We provide GRVS magnitudes for most sources with radial velocities, and a line broadening parameter is listed for a subset of these. Mean Gaia spectra are made available to the community. The Gaia DR3 catalogue includes about 1 million mean spectra from the radial velocity spectrometer, and about 220 million low-resolution blue and red prism photometer BP/RP mean spectra. The results of the analysis of epoch photometry are provided for some 10 million sources across 24 variability types. Gaia DR3 includes astrophysical parameters and source class probabilities for about 470 million and 1500 million sources, respectively, including stars, galaxies, and quasars. Orbital elements and trend parameters are provided for some 800'000 astrometric, spectroscopic and eclipsing binaries. More than 150'000 Solar System objects, including new discoveries, with preliminary orbital solutions and individual epoch observations are part of this release. Reflectance spectra derived from the epoch BP/RP spectral data are published for about 60 000 asteroids. Finally, an additional data set is provided, namely the Gaia Andromeda Photometric Survey, consisting of the photometric time series for all sources located in a 5.5 degree radius field centred on the Andromeda galaxy. Conclusions. This data release represents a major advance with respect to Gaia DR2 and Gaia EDR3 because of the unprecedented quantity, quality, and variety of source astrophysical data. To date this is the largest collection of all-sky spectrophotometry, radial velocities, variables, and astrophysical parameters derived from both low- and high-resolution spectra and includes a spectrophotometric and dynamical survey of SSOs of the highest accuracy. The non-single star content surpasses the existing data by orders of magnitude. The quasar host and galaxy light profile collection is the first such survey that is all sky and space based. The astrophysical information provided in Gaia DR3 will unleash the full potential of Gaia's exquisite astrometric, photometric, and radial velocity surveys.Astrodynamics & Space Mission
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