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Dynamap (DYNamic Acoustic MAPping) is an European Life project whose main scope is to implement “real-time” acoustic maps in a district of the city of Milan. Dynamap is based on the idea of finding a suitable sets of roads displaying similar traffic noise behavior so that one can group them together into single noise maps. Twenty-four monitoring sensors have been installed permanently in appropriate locations within the pilot zone (District 9) to obtain six dynamic noise maps. The project has come to its “Test and Fault Analysis” phase. A set of new traffic noise and traffic flow measurements have been recorded to shed light on the reliability of Dynamap prediction. Besides the expected error due to statistical fluctuations of traffic noise, our preliminary analysis show a systematic error inherent to the adopted traffic flow model, which is an essential ingredient of the whole approach. By correlating the traffic noise prediction error to the one due to the traffic flow model, we succeed in improving the Dynamap prediction thus limiting the overall error to within about 3 dB. We suggest that Dynamap scheme can be applied to large urban conglomerates in general, thus becoming a useful tool for monitoring traffic noise accurately and efficiently in large cities.

Introduction Cardiomyopathy is a common cause of morbidity and death in patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD).

Purpose: To cross-culturally adapt and psychometrically analyse the Italian version of the Trunk Impairment Scale on acute (cohort 1) and chronic stroke patients (cohort 2). Methods: The Trunk Impairment Scale was culturally adapted in accordance with international standards. The psychometric testing included: internal consistency (Cronbach’s alpha), inter- and intra-rater reliability (intraclass correlation coefficient; standard error of measurement and minimal detectable change), construct validity by comparing Trunk Impairment Scale score with Barthel Index, motor subscale of Functional Independence Measure, and Trunk Control Test (Pearson’s correlation), and responsiveness (Effect Size, Effect Size with Guyatt approach, standardized response mean, and Receiver Operating Characteristics curves). Results: The Trunk Impairment Scale was administered to 125 and 116 acute and chronic stroke patients, respectively. Internal consistency was acceptable (α > 0.7), inter- and intra-rater reliability (ICC > 0.9, Minimal Detectable Change for total score cohort 1 and cohort 2) were excellent. The construct validity showed acceptable correlations (r > 0.4) with all scales but the motor Functional Independence Measure in cohort 2. Distribution-based methods showed large effects in cohort 1 and moderate to large effects in cohort 2. The Minimal Important Difference was 3.5 both from patient’s and therapist’s perspective in cohort 1 and 2.5 and 1.5 from patient’s and therapist’s perspective, respectively, in cohort 2. Conclusion: The Trunk Impairment Scale was successfully translated into Italian and proved to be reliable, valid, and responsive. Its use is recommended for clinical and research purposes.Implications for RehabilitationTrunk control is an essential part of balance and postural control, constituting an important prerequisite for daily activities and function.The TIS administered in subjects with subacute and chronic stroke was reliable, valid and responsive.The TIS is expected to help clinicians and researchers by identifying key functional processes related to disability in people with subacute and chronic stroke. Trunk control is an essential part of balance and postural control, constituting an important prerequisite for daily activities and function. The TIS administered in subjects with subacute and chronic stroke was reliable, valid and responsive. The TIS is expected to help clinicians and researchers by identifying key functional processes related to disability in people with subacute and chronic stroke.