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Introduction Temporomandibular disorders (TMDs) are musculoskeletal disorders characterised by jaw pain and typically temporomandibular joint limitations. Resistance training (RT) has been shown to be effective at reducing pain and improving function for different musculoskeletal conditions (eg, neck pain, low back pain); however, the effectiveness of RT for patients with TMDs remains unclear. This systematic review will evaluate the effectiveness of RT on pain and temporomandibular joint range of motion in people with TMDs.Methods and analysis The report of this protocol aligns with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis Protocols. The search strategy will be conducted from 1 March 2024 to 31 March 2024 via the following electronic databases: MEDLINE (OVID interface), EMBASE (OVID interface), SCOPUS, Web of Science, PubMed and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials. Any randomised controlled trials or non-randomised studies of interventions in adults with TMD that examine RT targeting the masticatory muscles, compared to other interventions not including RT, will be included. Primary outcomes will be jaw pain intensity and maximal mouth opening. Secondary outcomes will include measures of neuromuscular performance and pressure pain thresholds. Two independent reviewers will conduct the screening of articles for inclusion, data extraction, risk-of-bias assessment using the revised Cochrane risk-of-bias tool for included studies and will evaluate the overall quality of evidence following the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation framework. A meta-analysis will be performed where applicable. Alternately, a narrative synthesis will be performed by adhering to the synthesis without meta-analysis guidelines. Data will be summarised according to the outcome measures or, when this is not possible, according to other pertinent variables such as TMD type (ie, temporomandibular joint disorders, masticatory muscle disorders and mixed disorders).Ethics and dissemination Ethical approval is not necessary, since this study does not involve the collection of primary data. The results will be disseminated through presentations at scientific conferences and publication in a peer-reviewed journal.PROSPERO registration number CRD42023476269.

Abstract Sustainable production aims at creating products from processes that minimize environmental impact, energy consumption and natural resources. Customers and markets are ever more leaning towards digital, custom, and flexible solutions with lower environmental impact. Hence, Industry 4.0 (I4.0) solutions are increasingly including social and environmental sustainability aspects. We focus on the realization of an infrastructure integrating industrially relevant application modules by combining system reconfigurability and artificial intelligence, towards sustainable production. To meet the final goal of sustainable production, we address four challenges considering flexibility and sustainability in production in a holistic way: (1) developing infrastructural and methodological tools to support companies to explore the potential of I4.0 towards sustainable production; (2) managing the configurability and customization possibilities of products; (3) effectively handling the flexibility provided by a production system with rapid reconfiguration capabilities; (4) integrating hardware and software flexibility by using reconfigurable robotics and machine learning methods. By developing and connecting different application modules, we obtain a physical demonstrator which represents on the one hand an exemplary scenario of reconfigurable and flexible production system; on the other, it enables new research activities and insights with a see, touch & feel approach for industrial and research realities.

Abstract Stealth solutions of scalar-tensor gravity and less-known de Sitter spaces that generalize them are analyzed regarding their possible role as thermal equilibria at non-zero temperature in the new first-order thermodynamics of scalar-tensor gravity. No stable equilibria are found, further validating the special role of general relativity as an equilibrium state in the landscape of gravity theories, seen through the lens of first-order thermodynamics.

Abstract We consider black holes generically sourced by quantum matter described by regular wavefunctions. This allows for integrable effective energy densities and the removal of Cauchy horizons in spherically symmetric configurations. Moreover, we identify the ultrarigid rotation of the Kerr spacetime as causing the existence of an inner horizon in rotating systems, and describe general properties for quantum matter cores at the centre of rotating black holes with integrable singularities and no Cauchy horizon.

Introduction: Geometric pattern formation is crucial in many tasks involving large-scale multi-agent systems. Examples include mobile agents performing surveillance, swarms of drones or robots, and smart transportation systems. Currently, most control strategies proposed to achieve pattern formation in network systems either show good performance but require expensive sensors and communication devices, or have lesser sensor requirements but behave more poorly.Methods and result: In this paper, we provide a distributed displacement-based control law that allows large groups of agents to achieve triangular and square lattices, with low sensor requirements and without needing communication between the agents. Also, a simple, yet powerful, adaptation law is proposed to automatically tune the control gains in order to reduce the design effort, while improving robustness and flexibility.Results: We show the validity and robustness of our approach via numerical simulations and experiments, comparing it, where possible, with other approaches from the existing literature.

Static and stationary regular black holes are examined under a minimal set of requirements consisting of (i) the existence of a well defined event horizon and (ii) the weak energy condition for matter sourcing the geometry. We perform our analysis by means of the gravitational decoupling approach and find hairy solutions free of curvature singularities. We identify the matter source producing a deformation of the Minkowski vacuum such that the maximum deformation is the Schwarzschild solution for the static case, and the Kerr metric for the stationary case.

Accurate velocity information is often essential to the control of robot manipulators, especially for precise tracking of fast trajectories. However, joint velocities are rarely directly measured and instead estimated to save costs. While many approaches have been proposed for the velocity estimation of robot joints, no comprehensive experimental evaluation exists, making it difficult to choose the appropriate method. This paper compares multiple estimation methods running on a six degrees-of-freedom manipulator. We evaluate: 1) the estimation error using a ground-truth signal, 2) the closed-loop tracking error, 3) convergence behavior, 4) sensor fault tolerance, 5) implementation and tuning effort. To ensure a fair comparison, we optimally tune the estimators using a genetic algorithm. All estimation methods have a similar estimation error and similar closed-loop tracking performance, except for the nonlinear high-gain observer, which is not accurate enough. Sliding-mode observers can provide a precise velocity estimation despite sensor faults.

Abstract We revisit the analogy between a minimally coupled scalar field in general relativity and a perfect fluid, correcting previous identifications of effective temperature and chemical potential. This provides a useful complementary picture for the first-order thermodynamics of scalar-tensor gravity, paving the way for the Einstein frame formulation (which eluded previous attempts) and raises interesting questions to further develop the analogy.

Trajectory planning is a crucial and challenging problem for research on intelligent robotic and mechatronic systems, which play a pivotal role in modern manufacturing processes, and especially within the framework of Industry 4 [...]

The mechanisms underlying the development of bone damage in the context of spondyloarthritis (SpA) are not completely understood. To date, a considerable amount of evidence indicates that several developmental pathways are crucially involved in osteoimmunology. The present review explores the biological mechanisms underlying the relationship between inflammatory dysregulation, structural progression, and osteoporosis in this diverse family of conditions. We summarize the current knowledge of bone biology and balance and the foundations of bone regulation, including bone morphogenetic protein, the Wnt pathway, and Hedgehog signaling, as well as the role of cytokines in the development of bone damage in SpA. Other areas surveyed include the pathobiology of bone damage and systemic bone loss (osteoporosis) in SpA and the effects of pharmacological treatment on focal bone damage. Lastly, we present data relative to a survey of bone metabolic assessment in SpA from Italian bone specialist rheumatology centers. The results confirm that most of the attention to bone health is given to postmenopausal subjects and that the aspect of metabolic bone health may still be underrepresented. In our opinion, it may be the time for a call to action to increase the interest in and focus on the diagnosis and management of SpA.

Abstract Since, in Einstein gravity, a massless scalar field with lightlike gradient behaves as a null dust, one could expect that it can act as the matter source of Vaidya geometries. We show that this is impossible because the Klein–Gordon equation forces the null geodesic congruence tangent to the scalar field gradient to have zero expansion, contradicting a basic property of Vaidya solutions. By contrast, exact plane waves travelling at light speed and sourced by a scalar field acting as a null dust are possible.

We consider the quantum description of a toy model universe in which the Schwarzschild-de Sitter geometry emerges from the coherent state of a massless scalar field. Although highly idealised, this simple model allows us to find clear hints supporting the conclusion that the reaction of the de Sitter background to the presence of matter sources induces i) a modified Newtonian dynamics at galactic scales and ii) different values measured for the present Hubble parameter. Both effects stem from the conditions required to have a normalisable quantum state.

Abstract It is now established that, contrary to common belief, (electro-)vacuum Brans–Dicke gravity does not reduce to general relativity (GR) for large values of the Brans–Dicke coupling $$\omega $$ ω . Since the essence of experimental tests of scalar–tensor gravity consists of providing lower bounds on $$\omega $$ ω , in light of the misguided assumption of the equivalence between the limit $$\omega \rightarrow \infty $$ ω→∞ and the GR limit of Brans–Dicke gravity, the parametrized post-Newtonian (PPN) formalism on which these tests are based could be in jeopardy. We show that, in the linearized approximation used by the PPN formalism, the anomaly in the limit to general relativity disappears. However, it survives to second (and higher) order and in strong gravity. In other words, while the weak gravity regime cannot tell apart GR and $$\omega \rightarrow \infty $$ ω→∞ Brans–Dicke gravity, when higher order terms in the PPN analysis of Brans–Dicke gravity are included, the latter never reduces to the one of GR in this limit. This fact is relevant for experiments aiming to test second order light deflection and Shapiro time delay.

Lung cancer remains the leading cause of cancer deaths worldwide. International societies have promoted the molecular analysis of MET proto-oncogene, receptor tyrosine kinase (MET) exon 14 skipping for the clinical stratification of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients. Different technical approaches are available to detect MET exon 14 skipping in routine practice. Here, the technical performance and reproducibility of testing strategies for MET exon 14 skipping carried out in various centers were evaluated. In this retrospective study, each institution received a set (n = 10) of a customized artificial formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) cell line (Custom METex14 skipping FFPE block) that harbored the MET exon 14 skipping mutation (Seracare Life Sciences, Milford, MA, USA), which was previously validated by the Predictive Molecular Pathology Laboratory at the University of Naples Federico II. Each participating institution managed the reference slides according to their internal routine workflow. MET exon 14 skipping was successfully detected by all participating institutions. Molecular analysis highlighted a median Cq cut off of 29.3 (ranging from 27.1 to 30.7) and 2514 (ranging from 160 to 7526) read counts for real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and NGS-based analyses, respectively. Artificial reference slides were a valid tool to harmonize technical workflows in the evaluation of MET exon 14 skipping molecular alterations in routine practice.

Enforcing the cessation of motion is a common action in robotic systems to avoid the damage that the robot can exert on itself, its environment or, in shared environments, people. This procedure raises two main concerns, which are addressed in this paper. On the one hand, the stopping procedure should respect the collision free path computed by the motion planner. On the other hand, a sudden stop may produce large current peaks and challenge the limits of the motor’s control capabilities, as well as degrading the mechanical performance of the system, i.e., increased wear. To address these concerns, we propose a novel method to enforce a mechanically feasible, smooth and path-consistent stop of the robot based on a time-minimization algorithm. We present a numerical implementation of the method, as well as a numerical study of its complexity and convergence. Finally, an experimental comparison with an off-the-shelf stopping scheme is presented, showing the effectiveness of the proposed method.

Loss of bone and muscle mass and strength (i. e., osteosarcopenia) is a highly prevalent clinical condition in older adults, associated with an increased risk of fragility fractures and unfavorable clinical outcomes. Although sarcopenia is a potential risk factor for osteoporosis and subsequent fracture, and the management of this hazardous duet is the key to preventing osteoporotic fracture, evidence pertaining to the treatment of sarcopenia for the purpose of preventing fragile fractures remains insufficient. Given this scenario we aimed at prospectively compare the long-term effectiveness of bisphosphonates vs. denosumab, on bone and muscle, in a cohort of old age hip fractured patients by virtue of a timely osteo-metabolic and sarcopenic assessment. Ninety-eight patients consecutively enrolled at the IRCCS Hospital San martino, Genoa, Italy, received at baseline comprehensive geriatric assessment and Bone Densitometry (DXA) with the quantitative and quantitative bone analysis and evaluation of relative skeletal muscle index (RSMI) and longitudinally after 1 year form hip surgery. The results showed a slightly and non-significant osteo-metabolic improvement in the Alendronate group compared to the Denosumab group, and a positive trend of RSMI measurements in the Denosumab group. Although preliminary in nature, this is the first report to longitudinally analyze osteosarcopenia in a real-world cohort of very old age patients after hip fracture and moved a step forward in the understanding of the best osteo-metabolic therapy for long- term treatment, exploring as well the potential dual role of denousumab as antiresorptive and muscle strength specific drug for osteosarcopenia in this vulnerable population.

Historically, vitamin D is recognized as an essential component for the maintenance of the musculoskeletal system. The immunomodulatory role of vitamin D in health and disease has gained much interest in recent years due to the many pathologies that share underlying immunological features where vitamin D has been shown to exert a potential role. Evidence from pre-clinical studies show that vitamin D elicits biological effects on both the innate and adaptive immune systems. Furthermore, in vivo studies have shown that administration of vitamin D can lead to changes in or the development of a range of immune-related diseases. This encourages the hypothesis that data derived from clinical and epidemiological studies connect vitamin D with the incidence and severity of many immune-mediated disorders such as rheumatoid arthritis, diabetes, and infectious diseases. Since some other immune-mediated diseases share similar features to that of viral infection such as COVID-19, in this review, we examined these other areas and the role of vitamin D in these diseases.

Abstract We study the extent of quantum gravitational effects in the internal region of non-singular, Hayward-like solutions of Einstein’s field equations according to the formalism known as horizon quantum mechanics. We grant a microscopic description to the horizon by considering a huge number of soft, off-shell gravitons, which superimpose in the same quantum state, as suggested by Dvali and Gomez. In addition to that, the constituents of such a configuration are understood as loosely confined in a binding harmonic potential. A simple analysis shows that the resolution of a central singularity through quantum physics does not tarnish the classical description, which is bestowed upon this extended self-gravitating system by General Relativity. Finally, we estimate the appearance of an internal horizon as being negligible, because of the suppression of the related probability caused by the large number of virtual gravitons.

The construction sector is one of the major global economies and is characterised by low productivity and high inefficiencies, but could highly benefit from the introduction of robotic equipment in terms of productivity, safety, and quality. As the development and the availability of robotic solutions for the construction sector increases, the evaluation of their potential benefits compared to conventional processes that are currently adopted on construction sites becomes compelling. To this end, we exploit Bayesian decision theory and apply an axiomatic design guideline for the development of a decision-theoretic expert system that: (i) evaluates the utility of available alternatives based on evidence; (ii) accounts for uncertainty; and (iii) exploits both expert knowledge and preferences of the users. The development process is illustrated by means of exemplary use case scenarios that compare manual and robotic processes. A use case scenario that compares manual and robotic marking and spraying is chosen for describing the development process in detail. Findings show how decision making in equipment selection can be supported by means of dedicated systems for decision support, developed in collaboration with domain experts.

Abstract The horizon quantum mechanics is an approach that was previously introduced in order to analyze the gravitational radius of spherically symmetric systems and compute the probability that a given quantum state is a black hole. In this work, we first extend the formalism to general space-times with asymptotic (ADM) mass and angular momentum. We then apply the extended horizon quantum mechanics to a harmonic model of rotating corpuscular black holes. We find that simple configurations of this model naturally suppress the appearance of the inner horizon and seem to disfavor extremal (macroscopic) geometries.

We consider the effects of gravitons in the collapse of baryonic matter that forms a black hole. We first note that the effective number of (soft off-shell) gravitons that account for the (negative) Newtonian potential energy generated by the baryons is conserved and always in agreement with Bekenstein's area law of black holes. Moreover, their (positive) interaction energy reproduces the expected post-Newtonian correction and becomes of the order of the total ADM mass of the system when the size of the collapsing object approaches its gravitational radius. This result supports a scenario in which the gravitational collapse of regular baryonic matter produces a corpuscular black hole without central singularity, in which both gravitons and baryons are marginally bound and form a Bose–Einstein condensate at the critical point. The Hawking emission of baryons and gravitons is then described by the quantum depletion of the condensate and we show the two energy fluxes are comparable, albeit negligibly small on astrophysical scales. Keywords: Gravitational collapse, Black holes, No singularity

We try to shed some light on the role of matter in the final stages of black hole evaporation from the fundamental frameworks of classicalization and the black-to-white hole bouncing scenario. Despite being based on very different grounds, these two approaches attempt at going beyond the background field method and treat black holes as fully quantum systems rather than considering quantum field theory on the corresponding classical manifolds. They also lead to the common prediction that the semiclassical description of black hole evaporation should break down and the system be disrupted by internal quantum pressure, but they both arrive at this conclusion neglecting the matter that formed the black hole. We instead estimate this pressure from the bootstrapped description of black holes, which allows us to express the total Arnowitt–Deser–Misner mass in terms of the baryonic mass still present inside the black hole. We conclude that, although these two scenarios provide qualitatively similar predictions for the final stages, the corpuscular model does not seem to suggest any sizeable deviation from the semiclassical time scale at which the disruption should occur, unlike the black-to-white hole bouncing scenario. This, in turn, makes the phenomenology of corpuscular black holes more subtle from an astrophysical perspective.

We develop several formal analogies between the logistic equation and the spatially homogeneous and isotropic relativistic cosmology described by the Einstein–Friedmann equations. These analogies produce an effective Lagrangian and Hamiltonian and new symmetries for the logistic equation.

Bootstrapped Newtonian gravity was developed with the purpose of estimating the impact of quantum physics in the nonlinear regime of the gravitational interaction, akin to corpuscular models of black holes and inflation. In this work, we set the ground for extending the bootstrapped Newtonian picture to cosmological spaces. We further discuss how such models of quantum cosmology can lead to a natural solution to the cosmological constant problem.

The application of robotics in construction is hindered by the site environment, which is unstructured and subject to change. At the same time, however, buildings and corresponding sites can be accurately described by Building Information Modeling (BIM). Such a model contains geometric and semantic data about the construction and operation phases of the building and it is already available at the design phase. We propose a method to leverage BIM for simple yet efficient deployment of robotic systems for construction and operation of buildings. With our proposed approach, BIM is used to provide the robot with a priori geometric and semantic information on the environment and to store information on the operation progress. We present two applications that verify the effectiveness of our proposed method. This system represents a step forward towards an easier application of robots in construction.

Decision making is a relevant task in the building construction sector, and various systems and methods for decision support are emerging. By means of a systematic literature review, this article identifies the methods for decision making in building construction and the lifecycle phases for which decision support systems are proposed. The selected articles are analyzed and grouped according to the adopted decision-making methods and the defined lifecycle phases. The findings show that multiple criteria decision analysis is the most used method for decision support in building construction and that the construction phase is the most addressed phase within the relevant existing works. The findings related to the construction phase are further refined by grouping the articles into application areas and by reviewing in detail the proposed methods therein. The scarce availability of data and project cases is identified as the most common barrier for the successful development and implementation of decision support systems in the building construction sector. This work provides a basis for scientists and practitioners for identifying suitable methods for decision-making support in a specific lifecycle phase of a building.

We study a quantum-corrected Schwarzschild black hole proposed recently in Loop Quantum Gravity. Prompted by the fact that corrections to the innermost stable circular orbit of Schwarzschild diverge, we investigate time-like and null radial geodesics. Massive particles moving radially outwards are confined, while photons make it to infinity with infinite redshift. This unsettling physics, which deviates radically from both Schwarzschild (near the horizon) and Minkowski (at infinity) is due to repulsion by the negative quantum energy density that makes the quasilocal mass vanish as one approaches spatial infinity.

The many technical and computational problems that appear to be constantly emerging in various branches of physics and engineering beg for a more detailed understanding of the fundamental mathematics that serves as the cornerstone of our way of understanding natural phenomena [...]

In this paper, after a brief review of the physical notion of quality factor in viscoelasticity, we present a complete discussion of the attenuation processes emerging in the Maxwell–Prabhakar model, recently developed by Giusti and Colombaro. Then, taking profit of some illuminating plots, we discuss some potential connections between the presented model and the modern mathematical modelling of seismic processes.

Hip fracture (HF) is a common event in older adults and is associated with significant morbidity, mortality, reduction of quality of life and costs for the healthcare systems. The expected rise in the total number of HF worldwide, due to improvements in life expectancy, and the growing awareness of HF detrimental consequences have led to the development and implementation of models of care alternative to the traditional ones for the acute and post-acute management of HF older adults. These services were set to streamline hospital care, minimize inhospital complications, provide early discharge, improve short- and long-term functional and clinical outcomes, and reduce healthcare costs associated with hip and other fragility fractures. The main feature that distinguishes these models is the different healthcare professional that retains the responsibility and leadership during the acute and post-acute phases. This narrative review has been conceived to provide a brief description of the models implemented in the last twenty years, to describe their potential beneficial effects on the shortand long-term outcomes, and to define the strengths and limitations of these models. On the basis of available studies, it seems that the more complex and sophisticated services, characterized by a multidisciplinary approach with a co-leadership (geriatrician and orthopedic surgeon) or a geriatrician leadership demonstrated to produce better outcomes compared to the traditional or simplest models.