Search

The DestinE Use Cases Project, executed by a Consortium led by RHEA Group with the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki and Trust-IT, regards the selection and implementation of a first set of Use Cases meant to demonstrate the ability of the DestinE infrastructure in general, and the DestinE Service Platform (DESP) in particular, to provide actionable information and decision support to its end-users. The project aims also at actively engaging the broad community of DestinE stakeholders, gathering their requirements, and encouraging their direct involvement and guidance in the continuous evolution of the DestinE infrastructure towards the future Phases of the Initiative. The establishment of a strong (both in terms of numbers of members and interactions) and vibrant DestinE User Community seems crucial in informing the successful and well targeted development and initial operations of the DESP as well as guiding the evolution and sustainability of the platform in later phases of DestinE to respond to the priorities set by European and International policy frameworks. The aim is to create a network where the continuous interactions amongst users/developers as well as stakeholders/partners will enhance the development and improvement of DestinE capabilities, but also catalyse cross-sectorial collaborations. This community will be cοmprised by multiple and diverse types of stakeholders including scientists, policy makers, industry representatives and the general public which are split in Communities of Practice per Use Case (i.e. groups of members who share a common interest in a particular domain area or scientific topic). The community building activities follow a step-wise methodology to define Why (the objectives), What (the content), to Whom (the target/ stakeholder groups), Where (all channels and tools) and How (i.e. strategies, tools and channels suitable for each group). It also includes an action plan (When) along with clear quantitative targets and monitoring mechanisms, allowing also for ad-hoc and on-demand actions. An open, transparent and inclusive invitation process is established that aims to embrace new members and various levels of participation. Formal community governance structure appoints key instances required for successful community management while standards and rules define how members participate and interact with one another encouraging for contributions made by all. A DestinE Community Portal will be launched which intends to be the central hub for prospective users and downstream developers to interact with the initiative. It will showcase open calls for DestinE use cases and showcase funded ones and a requirements gathering area to allow the community to help co-develop solutions. It will also contain an early-stage Marketplace page of datasets, tools and apps, a developer section, a catalogue of DestinE-related projects, tools and results, and an e-Learning platform. For outreach, a “DestinE Roadshow” series will promote DestinE in various events, webinars and policy dialogues.

Wastewater-based surveillance enabled the first detection of the mobile colistin resistance genemcr-10in Italy. This plasmid-borne resistance gene was found in strains ofKlebsiella quasipneumoniaeisolated from samples of human raw sewage collected over several months. Although the isolates were phenotypically susceptible to colistin, the emergence ofmcr-10is concerning due to the highly variable expression of the gene and the potential for horizontal transfer to other species. In addition, the strains also carried an extended-spectrum β-lactamase gene and were phenotypically resistant to several beta-lactams. This study highlights the value of wastewater-based surveillance as an effective tool to monitor the emergence of antimicrobial resistance in strains circulating in the community and the environment.

In fish-based foods, one of the effects of inappropriate storage can be the formation of biogenic amines. Among these, histamine is considered one of the most toxic. The purpose of the present study is to assess the occurrence of histamine in fish-based pet foods, and to evaluate the changes in histamine content during storage at different temperatures. For the analysis, an LC-MS/MS method was used. Fifty-eight pet foods were purchased, and an aliquot of them was analyzed just after opening the packages. Histamine was detected in 12 samples and concentrations ranged from 1.5 to 30.1 mg/kg. The remaining of each positive sample was divided into seven subsamples. One of them was used as a control sample and kept at −20 °C, while the other six were exposed to different environmental conditions. Samples exposed to room temperature showed no significant changes in histamine levels, while samples exposed to high temperatures showed significant increases in histamine content. Finally, samples exposed to refrigerator temperature showed a slight decrease in histamine levels. Under the experimental conditions, the EU limit of 100 mg/kg established for fishery products was never exceeded. These results seem to indicate a low risk of histamine intoxication in cats fed fish-based pet food.

Pneumatic grippers are hugely employed in robotic applications. Nonetheless, their control is not easy due to difficulty in managing the pressure inside their air chambers. Pneumatic grippers have often simple structure though the lack of affordable control algorithms complicates their usage. Motivated by these reasons, we wish to deliver a new control architecture for the closed-loop control of pneumatic grippers actuated by pressure regulators. The proposed architecture is composed of a main controller resorting to an optimization algorithm and of a state observer that estimates pressures in both gripper chambers, along with the exerted force. Instead, measured quantities (i.e. physical pressure in the gripper chambers and force recorded by a load cell between the gripper fingers) are used as inputs for the state observer to improve its output. The pneumatic gripper performance benefits from the joint action of the controller and of the state observer, as experimentally demonstrated. The gripper response will be shown for different types of inputs and on different setups.

The perception of slip is one of the distinctive abilities of human tactile sensing. The sense of touch allows recognizing a wide set of properties of a grasped object, such as shape, weight and dimension. Based on such properties, the applied force can be accordingly regulated avoiding slip of the grasped object. Despite the great importance of tactile sensing for humans, mechatronic hands (robotic manipulators, prosthetic hands etc.) are rarely endowed with tactile feedback. The necessity to grasp objects relying on robust slip prevention algorithms is not yet corresponded in existing artificial manipulators, which are relegated to structured environments then. Numerous approaches regarding the problem of slip detection and correction have been developed especially in the last decade, resorting to a number of sensor typologies. However, no impact on the industrial market has been achieved. This paper reviews the sensors and methods so far proposed for slip prevention in artificial tactile perception, starting from more classical techniques until the latest solutions tested on robotic systems. The strengths and weaknesses of each described technique are discussed, also in relation to the sensing technologies employed. The result is a summary exploring the whole state of art and providing a perspective towards the future research directions in the sector.

The gripper is the far end of a robotic arm. It is responsible for the contacts between the robot itself and all the items present in a work space, or even in a social space. Therefore, to provide grippers with intelligent behaviors is fundamental, especially when the robot has to interact with human beings. As shown in this article, we built an instrumented pneumatic gripper prototype that relies on different sensors’ information. Thanks to such information, the gripper prototype was able to detect the position of a given object in order to grasp it, to safely keep it between its fingers and to avoid slipping in the case of any object movement, even very small. The gripper performance was evaluated by means of a generic grasping algorithm for robotic grippers, implemented in the form of a state machine. Several slip tests were carried out on the pneumatic gripper, which showed a very fast response time and high reliability. Objects of various size, shape and hardness were employed to reproduce different grasping scenarios. We demonstrate that, through the use of force, torque, center of pressure and proximity information, the behavior of the developed pneumatic gripper prototype outperforms the one of the traditional pneumatic gripping devices.

Cloud and Earth Observation (EO) services offer the European Research community a wealth of powerful tools. However, for many researchers it is difficult to find and select suitable cloud and EO services. Establishing agreements and ensuring legal and technical compliance requires specialist skills and takes an inordinate amount of time. Equally, service providers find it difficult to reach and meet the needs of the research community in technical, financial, and legal areas. OCRE is establishing framework agreements with service providers who meet the requirements of the research community. European research and education institutes will be able to directly consume these offerings via the European Open Science Cloud service catalogue, through ready-to-use agreements. In addition, to stimulate usage, OCRE is making available 9.5 million euro through adoption funds from the European Commission. OCRE is a pioneer with the objective to burst the usage of EO commercial services by the research environment.

Objective Among the tests designed to evaluate neck neuromuscular function, the craniocervical flexion test (CCFT) assesses the function of the deep cervical flexor muscles (DCFs). The purpose of this study was to conduct a review and meta-analysis of published articles about all measurement properties of the different CCFT versions (CCFT Activation Score [CCFT-AS], CCFT Performance Index [CCFT-PI], CCFT Cumulative Performance Index [CCFT-CPI], and CCFT alternative procedures for measuring activation level (CCFT1) or endurance (CCFT2) in people who were asymptomatic and people with nonspecific neck pain. Methods PubMed Central, MEDLINE, CINAHL, Scopus, Web of Science, and Google Scholar were searched from inception to June 30, 2020. Studies were selected if they reported data on reliability, validity, and/or responsiveness of the CCFT in adults who were asymptomatic or who had nonspecific neck pain. Two reviewers independently selected the studies, conducted quality assessment, and extracted the results. All meta-analyses used a random-effects model. Results Twenty-one studies met the inclusion criteria. The rating of interrater reliability (assessed for CCFT-AS and CCFT-CPI) was positive only for using the test at a group level. The same rating was ascribed to the intrarater reliability of CCFT-AS, CCFT1, and CCFT2, whereas CCFT-PI and CCFT-CPI showed positive intrarater reliability for assessment of individuals as well. CCFT validity was rated as positive for expressly assessing DCF action when measuring DCF activation through electromyography—not through ultrasonography—or craniocervical flexion motion as well as for differentiating patients who were asymptomatic and patients who had nonspecific neck pain (only the AS version). CCFT validity was rated as negative for investigating the CCFT performance correlation with the severity of nonspecific neck pain. CCFT responsiveness was rated as negative. Conclusions The CCFT is a potentially useful tool for detecting impairment in DCF control and identifying patients who have nonspecific neck pain and who would benefit from a targeted intervention. However, the limited reliability affects its suitability for that purpose. Further research on the reliability of different CCFT versions in which the raters are thoroughly trained is strongly recommended. Impact The CCFT might help to detect impairment in DCF control and identify patients who have nonspecific neck pain and who would benefit from a targeted intervention. However, the poor reliability of most versions of the test greatly limits its application in clinical practice. Only CCFT-PI and CCFT-CPI seem reliable enough to help in clinical decision-making at the individual level.

BackgroundThe presence of hypoxic cells in high-grade glioma (HGG) is one of major reasons for failure of local tumour control with radiotherapy (RT). The use of hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBO) could help to overcome the problem of oxygen deficiency in poorly oxygenated regions of the tumour. We propose an innovative approach to improve the efficacy of hypofractionated stereotactic radiotherapy (HSRT) after HBO (HBO-RT) for the treatment of recurrent HGG (rHGG) and herein report the results of an ad interim analysis.MethodsWe enrolled a preliminary cohort of 9 adult patients (aged >18 years) with a diagnosis of rHGG. HSRT was administered in daily 5-Gy fractions for 3-5 consecutive days a week. Each fraction was delivered up to maximum of 60 minutes after HBO.ResultsMedian follow-up from re-irradiation was 11.6 months (range: 3.2-11.6 months). The disease control rate (DCR) 3 months after HBO-RT was 55.5% (5 patients). Median progression-free survival (mPFS) for all patients was 5.2 months (95%CI: 1.34-NE), while 3-month and 6-month PFS was 55.5% (95%CI: 20.4-80.4) and 27.7% (95%CI: 4.4-59.1), respectively. Median overall survival (mOS) of HBO-RT was 10.7 months (95% CI: 7.7-NE). No acute or late neurologic toxicity >grade (G)2 was observed in 88.88% of patients. One patient developed G3 radionecrosis.ConclusionsHSRT delivered after HBO appears to be effective for the treatment of rHGG, it could represent an alternative, with low toxicity, to systemic therapies for patients who cannot or refuse to undergo such treatments.Clinical Trial Registrationwww.ClinicalTrials.gov, identifier NCT 03411408.

Tactile sensing is fundamental for the human hand to achieve high dexterity. Most prosthetic hands are still devoid of tactile sensors, implying that the user cannot perceive external stimulation nor react in a fine manner. As a consequence, unforeseen events, e.g., slippage, are difficult to manage. This article proposes an algorithm to perform slippage detection with tactile sensors integrated into prosthetic hands. The algorithm is based on the filtering of the tactile sensor output; rectification and envelope follow the filtering. A binary signal, relating to slippage, is finally computed. An electrical circuit has been designed and built to elaborate the tactile signals. These have been embedded in a bioinspired fingertip mounted on a prosthetic hand, which has been interfaced with a robotic arm to assess the algorithm capability to identify slippage. Eight different surfaces have been employed, while three sliding velocities have been tested with a random interaction force between the fingertip and the test surfaces. Finally, experiments in a closed-loop configuration have been conducted to demonstrate the algorithm effectiveness in dynamic manipulation. Results proved the adequacy of the algorithm in terms of slippage detection and short latency between onset of slippage, actual detection and hand reaction.

Mechanical systems are typically composed of a number of contacting surfaces that move against each other. Such surfaces are subject to friction forces. These dissipate part of the actuation energy and cause an undesired effect on the overall system functioning. Therefore, a suitable model of friction is needed to elide its action. The choice of such a model is not always straightforward, as it is influenced by the system properties and dynamics. In this paper, we show the identification of different friction models and evaluate their prediction capability on an experimental dataset. Despite being state-of-the-art models, some modifications were introduced to improve their performance. A pneumatic gripper was used to collect the data for the models evaluation. Two experimental setups were mounted to execute the experiments: information from two pressure sensors, a load cell and a position sensor was employed for the identification. During the experiments, the gripper was actuated at different constant velocities. Results indicate that all the identified models offer a proper prediction of the real friction force.

Logistic optimization is a strategic element in many industrial processes, given that an optimized logistics makes the processes more efficient. A relevant case, in which the optimization of logistics can be decisive, is the maintenance in a Wind Farm where it can lead directly to a saving of energy cost. Wind farm maintenance presents, in fact, significant logistical challenges. They are usually distributed throughout the territory and also located at considerable distances from each other, they are generally found in places far from uninhabited centers and sometimes difficult to reach and finally spare parts are rarely available on the site of the plant itself. In this paper, we will study the problem concerning the optimization of maintenance logistics of wind plants based on the use of specific vehicle routing optimization algorithms. In particular a pickup-and-delivery algorithm with time-window is adopted to satisfy the maintenance requests of these plants, reducing their management costs. The solution was applied to a case study in a renewable energy power plant. Results time reduction and simplification and optimization obtained in the real case are discussed to evaluate the effectiveness and efficiency of the adopted approach.

The use of AI methods is currently evolving tasks done in the past by image analysts. During the last years, technology had helped to jump into fully automatic methods for monitoring and surveillance tasks, such as object detection, change detection and many more. In this work we want to show some of the AI-based models which RHEA Group has been working on which can be applied to the maritime domain, such as ship detection and super-resolution of satellite data. Each of these models can be further extended and specialized into specific monitoring and surveillance tasks, from the detection of ghost ships, measure environmental damage or monitoring of critical infrastructure near harbors or protected areas. In this paper, we illustrate some examples of the status of our research activities and the developments of these prototype applications.

The OCRE project, a H2020 funded by the European Commission, aims to increase the usage of Cloud and EO services by the European research community by putting available EC funds 9,5M euro, aiming to removing the barriers regarding the service discovery and providing services free-at-the-point-of-the-user.The OCRE project, after one year running, has completed the requirements gathering by the European research community and during Q1 2020 has launched the tenders for the Cloud and EO services.In the first part of 2020, these tenders will be closed and companies will be awarded to offer the services for which requirements had been collected by the project during 2019. The selection of such services will be based on the requirements gathered during the activities carried out by OCRE in 2019, with online surveys, face2face events, interviews among others. Additionally, OCRE team members had participated in workshops and conferences with the scope of project promotion and increase the awareness of the possibilities offered by OCRE for both research and service providers community.In 2020, consumption of the services will start, and OCRE will distribute vouchers for individual researchers and institutions via known research organisations, which will evaluate the incoming request and distribute funds from the European Commission regularly.This presentation will provide an overview or the possibilities offered by OCRE to researchers interested in boosting their activities using commercial cloud services.

A new way of thinking and representing the city, which follows the re-configuration of the post-earthquake L’Aquila. The research is created from a study proposal meant for the “Architecture Design Workshop” (University of L’Aquila), which tries to apply the analysis of the urban “places” by Quaroni, Samona, Rossi, Lynch and others, to the architectonic singularity of the Aquilian historic centre. Many projects, remarks, restorations, old and new works were generated after the earthquake, and we can feel the irreducible tension between the tourt court re-proposal of an historical model of city and the necessary creation of a new one. The result of the class is the inclusive remark of peculiar parts of the historical city, through direct and photogrammetric methods, of an urban landscape idea.

Background Cervical radiculopathy (CR) is a common cervical spine disorder. Cervical traction (CT) is a frequently recommended treatment for patients with CR. Purpose The purpose of this study was to conduct a review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) on the effect of CT combined with other physical therapy procedures versus physical therapy procedures alone on pain and disability. Data Sources Data were obtained from COCHRANE Controlled Trials Register, PubMed, CINAHL, Scopus, ISI Web of Science, and PEDro, from their inception to July 2016. Study Selection All RCTs on symptomatic adults with CR, without any restriction regarding publication time or language, were considered. Data Extraction Two reviewers selected the studies, conducted the quality assessment, and extracted the results. Meta-analysis employed a random-effects model. The evidence was assessed using GRADE criteria. Data Synthesis Five studies met the inclusion criteria. Mechanical traction had a significant effect on pain at short- and intermediate-terms (g = –0.85 [95% CI = –1.63 to –0.06] and g = –1.17 [95% CI = –2.25 to –0.10], respectively) and significant effects on disability at intermediate term (g = –1.05; 95% CI = –1.81 to –0.28). Manual traction had significant effects on pain at short- term (g = –0.85; 95% CI = –1.39 to –0.30). Limitations The most important limitation of the present work is the lack of homogeneity in CR diagnostic criteria among the included studies. Conclusions In light of these results, the current literature lends some support to the use of the mechanical and manual traction for CR in addition to other physical therapy procedures for pain reduction, but yielding lesser effects on function/disability.

Simple Summary The purpose of this work was to investigate the relationship between animal welfare (AW) and antimicrobial use (AMU) in dairy farms due to limited knowledge in this sector. AW was assessed using a survey in 79 Italian farms housing over 15,000 cows. The average AW level was good. Nevertheless, a wide difference among farms emerged, both in terms of AW and AMU, which underlined the importance of creating a monitoring system to identify problem farms as well as virtuous farms (as positive examples). The use of antimicrobials deemed critical for human medicine by the European Medicines Agency was frequent, particularly in farms with good management. This could be due to a tendency to choose those perceived as the best antimicrobials. Nevertheless, it is possible to reduce the use of critical antimicrobials without affecting animal health and production. Farms with better management used more intramammary products for dry cows; thus, reducing AMU may require selective dry cow therapy in several herds. Two of the farms involved in the study did not use any antimicrobials, but their AW was poor, suggesting a management review including a possible reintroduction of AMU. Our study highlights the importance of implementing a tailored antimicrobials stewardship. Abstract Information regarding the relationship between animal welfare (AW) and antimicrobial use (AMU) in dairy cows is limited. The current study aimed to investigate this relationship on Italian farms and to identify potential targets of AMU reduction. The study was performed at 79 Italian dairy farms housing over 15,000 cows during 2019. AW was scored with an on-farm protocol assessing farm management and staff training, housing systems, and animal-based measures. AMU was estimated using a defined daily dose per kg of animal biomass (DDDAit/biomass) for Italy. The median AW score was 73% (range: 56.6–86.8%). The median AMU was 4.8 DDDAit/biomass (range: 0–11.8). No relationship between the total AMU and AW was found. Management and staff training were positively associated with the use of the European Medicines Agency’s category B antimicrobials, which are critical for human medicine, and with intramammary products for dry cow therapy. In those farms, antimicrobial stewardship should aim to reduce the category B antimicrobials and selective dry cow therapy. Our results underline the importance of implementing both an integrated monitoring system (AW, AMU, etc.) and antimicrobial stewardship tailored to the specific needs of each dairy farm.

Robotic arms can perform grasping actions thanks to their “dexteorus” part, i.e. the gripper. Among the various categories, nowadays pneumatic grippers became the most employed in industry, as they have low cost and little bulkiness. Despite their simplicity, controlling the force applied by these grippers is not straightforward due to the dependence of such a force on the air pressure in the gripper chambers. As a result, it is still tricky to implement closed-loop force control for pneumatic grippers. This paper intends to deliver a control scheme relying on the force measurement to control pneumatic grippers. The force might be measured through a commercial sensor (e.g. a load cell) and fed back to close the control loop. This includes a calibration which maps the force-pressure relation taking into account both desired force and length of the gripper fingers. The control scheme exploits two different pressure regulators to precisely adjust the air pressure inside the gripper chambers (i.e. opening and closing chambers). To this aim, a quadratic programming algorithm is employed. The control scheme performance revealed to be good: results will be shown in terms of gripper response to sinusoidal and step inputs, along with the pressure-force characterization.

Despite previous studies on the restoration of tactile sensation on the fingers and the hand, there are no examples of use of the routed sensory information to finely control the prosthesis hand in complex grasp and manipulation tasks. Here it is shown that force and slippage sensations can be elicited in an amputee subject by means of biologically-inspired slippage detection and encoding algorithms, supported by a stick-slip model of the performed grasp. A combination of cuff and intraneural electrodes was implanted for eleven weeks in a young woman with hand amputation, and was shown to provide close-to-natural force and slippage sensations, paramount for significantly improving the subject's manipulative skills with the prosthesis. Evidence is provided about the improvement of the subject's grasping and manipulation capabilities over time, thanks to neural feedback. The elicited tactile sensations enabled the successful fulfillment of fine grasp and manipulation tasks with increasing complexity. Grasp performance was quantitatively assessed by means of instrumented objects and a purposely developed metrics. Closed-loop control capabilities enabled by the neural feedback were compared to those achieved without feedback. Further, the work investigates whether the described amelioration of motor performance in dexterous tasks had as central neurophysiological correlates changes in motor cortex plasticity and whether such changes were of purely motor origin, or else the effect of a strong and persistent drive of the sensory feedback.

Reply to the letter to the Editor “Complete transparency of a systematic review for readers”. First of all, we thank for the contribution aimed to improve a complete transparency of our systematic review for readers. It allows us to clarify some aspects that we did not specify in the published manuscript. We agree with you on the importance of the PRISMA statement that guided our systematic review, because the first author of its original paper, Prof. Liberati Alessandro, who disappeared prematurely, was our mentor. This can be an opportunity to remember him and his great commitment to the scientific community. Therefore, we confirm that we followed the PRISMA statement suggestions concerning the methods used for the systematic review. More specifically, despite we did not register the study protocol, we did not amend in any case our research design after the initiation of our study. A protocol exists but it was not made public and it is a “data not shown”. In the protocol we established a priori the objectives and methods of our review, the outcomes, the methods of data extraction and those for qualitative and quantitative synthesis. The protocol was not modified during the editing of the systematic review. Moreover, we extracted data in an agreed beforehand report, an excel cartel with color codes. We verified the report on some randomly selected studies and then it was improved accordingly. Subsequently two authors extracted all the data independently. The disagreements were solved by discussion among all the authors and if consent was not reached the decision was made by the most expert author. It was not necessary contacting other authors for more information. We searched data about the characteristics of participants (e.g. age, diagnosis, symptoms, red flags, inclusion and exclusion criteria), the characteristics of interventions (e.g. type, dosage, position, and time of traction, and type of physical therapy interventions), the characteristics of outcome measures for pain and disability. The data we extracted from included studies were about authors (names of Authors, countries, and publication years), characteristics of participants (number of participants for each group, mean age, and gender), outcome measures employed for pain and disability (e.g. VAS, NRS, Neck Pain and Disability Scale, etc.), follow-up timing (e.g. immediately post-treatment and/or at different post-treatment intervals), results (means and standard deviations at pre- and post-treatment for each outcome measure and for each follow-up time), and adverse events. We hope that these clarifications will improve the readability of the systematic review on the effectiveness of traction added to physical therapy interventions in cervical radiculopathy.

The effort toward replicating human skills into artificial systems is growing constantly. While artificial vision has reached a certain reliability, the sense of touch is still hard to introduce into robotic devices. Human manipulation comprises a sequence of static and dynamic actions, which may include unforeseen events, such as variation of object position, movement of the fingers, and modification of the object dimensions and shape (e.g., with soft objects) due to inappropriate force levels. These circumstances are likely to produce the slippage of the object being manipulated. Artificial manipulators are not yet able to be effective in dynamic environments. This paper intends to provide a method for the identification and prevention of slippage with tactile sensors. The method is based on filtering the tactile signals to extract slippage information. The filtering has been executed by means of the stationary wavelet transform that consists of recursive filtering operations. Then, the transformed signal has been rectified and its root mean square has been computed. Finally, an on/off signal has been generated according to a threshold logic. Eight natural surfaces, featuring diverse tactile properties, have been used with the aim of validating the ability of the method to be applied regardless the surface properties. To evaluate repeatability and generalization ability, a total of 2000 experiments have been performed, 250 per each stimulus, with a mechatronic platform: five velocities combined with five indentation force levels, repeating each combination 10 times. Results are provided in terms of true positive detection and of delay between onset of slippage and algorithm output.

Some (tetrahydroimidazo[1,5-a]pyridin-3-yl)phenols were reacted with boron trifluoride diethyl etherate and the resulting BF2-functionalized compounds were fully characterized both in solution using 1H, 13C, 11B, 19F NMR spectroscopy and in the solid state (infrared, fluorescence, X-ray). When excited with UV light these boron difluoride derivatives show in dichloromethane solution an intense fluorescence emission in the UV region, with λmax of emission varying from 357 to 390 nm. Good absolute quantum yields are recorded for most of the compounds. In the solid state, they are characterized by a strong blue emission (388–435 nm), with high absolute quantum yields (up to 0.68) and x,y color coordinates (CIE 1931) close to those expected for standard blue. Time-Dependent Density Functional Theory (TD-DFT) calculations were used to define the nature of the electronic transitions and excited states involved in the fluorescence process.

IntroductionTemporomandibular disorders (TMDs) are considered a collection of musculoskeletal conditions involving the masticatory muscles, the temporomandibular joint and associated structures. The myogenous group appears to represent the most frequently diagnosed category. In the context of a multimodal approach, splint therapy and musculoskeletal physiotherapy are often considered as a preferred therapy. The purpose of this study will be to investigate the effects of musculoskeletal physiotherapy combined with occlusal splint and education versus occlusal splint and education alone in the treatment of chronic myogenous TMD on pain and mandibular range of motion.Methods and analysisAll consecutive adults complaining of TMDs presented to the Department of Biomedical and Neuromotor Sciences of the University of Bologna will be considered eligible. Inclusion criteria shall be based on the presence of myogenous TMDs, as diagnosed through clinical examination in reference to the international diagnostic criteria of TMDs. Randomisation, concealed allocation, blinded assessment and intention-to-treat analysis will be employed. The splint therapy will consist of the use of the splint every night and concurrent delivery of an educational programme; the protocol shall have a duration of three consecutive months. The combined musculoskeletal physiotherapy, splint therapy and education will additionally consist of manual therapy techniques and exercise; such protocol shall consist of a duration of three consecutive months, inclusive of 10 sessions for the enhanced elements. All outcome measures will be collected at baseline, after treatment and at a 6 months follow-up.Ethics and disseminationEthical approval has been obtained from the Independent Ethic Committee in Clinical Research of AUSL Bologna-Italy (47/2018/SPER/AUSLBO). Pursuant to applicable rules,we will obtain informed consent from each participant and collect data anonymously to maintain privacy. Results will be disseminated to clinicians and researchers through peer-reviewed publications and conferences.Trial registration numberNCT03726060

This work shows the development and characterization of a fiber optic tactile sensor based on Fiber Bragg Grating (FBG) technology. The sensor is a 3×3 array of FBGs encapsulated in a PDMS compliant polymer. The strain experienced by each FBG is transduced into a Bragg wavelength shift and the inverse characteristics of the sensor were computed by means of a feedforward neural network. A 21 mN RMSE error was achieved in estimating the force over the 8 N experimented load range while including all probing sites in the neural network training procedure, whereas the median force RMSE was 199 mN across the 200 instances of a Monte Carlo randomized selection of experimental sessions to evaluate the calibration under generalized probing conditions. The static metrological properties and the possibility to fabricate sensors with relatively high spatial resolution make the proposed design attractive for the sensorization of robotic hands. Furthermore, the proved MRI-compatibility of the sensor opens other application scenarios, such as the possibility to employ the array for force measurement during functional MRI-measured brain activation.

This paper proposes the use of an instrumented object for the study of the human grasping strategies. The proposed object is able to measure the grasping forces by means of three Force Sensitive Resistor (FSR) sensors and triaxial acceleration through an accelerometer. The object orientation angles (roll and pitch) can be estimated from the accelerometer output in quasi-static condition, whereas slippage events can be detected through the Power Spectrum Density (PSD) computation of the acceleration on at least one of the three axes. An experimental session on 7 healthy subjects has been performed; each subject used the instrumented object to perform 8 tripod grasp trials. All the sensory information, i.e. applied forces, object orientation and slippage, have been analyzed in order to evaluate the grasping strategies of the different subjects.

Aim of the paper is the study of how architectural representation changed in the digital age, focusing the relationship between the two following opposing aspects: on one hand the idea of progressive loss of any referentiality with the real world—as suggested by the concept of “Hypereality” defined by Baudrillard at the end of the Seventies, i.e., a simulated reality more real of reality; on the other hand computer-based visualization as tool for measurement, interpretation and understanding of the world. Through a reading of “The measure of the World” by Daniel Kehlmann and—in parallel—the telling of the laboratory educational work made in the Architectural Drawing Couse at L’Aquila University, the paper presents an experience that puts together the lines of “New Realism” and “Digital Videocultures”, aiming at a revaluation of perception and architectural representation, as antidote to bulimic cannibalism of digital images, and as critical tool to analyze , interpret and undergo them to a validation/falsification process.

One of the crucial actions to be performed during a grasping task is to avoid slippage. The human hand can rapidly correct applied forces and prevent a grasped object from falling, thanks to its advanced tactile sensing. The same capability is hard to reproduce in artificial systems, such as robotic or prosthetic hands, where sensory motor coordination for force and slippage control is very limited. In this paper, a novel algorithm for slippage detection is presented. Based on fast, easy-to-perform processing, the proposed algorithm generates an ON/OFF signal relating to the presence/absence of slippage. The method can be applied either on the raw output of a force sensor or to its calibrated force signal, and yields comparable results if applied to both normal or tangential components. A biomimetic fingertip that integrates piezoresistive MEMS sensors was employed for evaluating the method performance. Each sensor had four units, thus providing 16 mono-axial signals for the analysis. A mechatronic platform was used to produce relative movement between the finger and the test surfaces (tactile stimuli). Three surfaces with submillimetric periods were adopted for the method evaluation, and 10 experimental trials were performed per each surface. Results are illustrated in terms of slippage events detection and of latency between the slippage itself and its onset.

Resumen Introduccion El estudio de los ganglios linfaticos supone el factor pronostico mas importante en el cancer colorrectal sin metastasis. La tecnica del ganglio centinela identifica el ganglio que mejor predice el estado ganglionar de un paciente y permite realizar en el tecnicas de estudio intensivo que mejoran la estadificacion. El objetivo del trabajo es estudiar la eficacia de la tecnica del ganglio centinela en la estadificacion del cancer de colon. Material y metodos Estudio prospectivo con 125 pacientes diagnosticados preoperatoriamente de cancer de colon sin metastasis a distancia desde septiembre de 2009 hasta diciembre de 2011 en el Hospital Universitario de Alava-Txagorritxu en Alava. Realizamos la tecnica del ganglio centinela ex vivo y con azul de metileno. El ganglio centinela se estudio realizando secciones multiples y tecnicas de inmunohistoquimica, ademas de hematoxilina-eosina. Realizamos un estudio comparativo con un grupo control con 170 pacientes estudiado de forma convencional mediante seccion unica y tincion de hematoxilina-eosina. Resultados Identificamos el ganglio centinela en el 98% de los casos, con una tasa de falsos negativos del 5,6%. La supraestadificacion lograda en el grupo con estudio del ganglio centinela se encuentra en el 14,2% con respecto al grupo estudiado convencionalmente (p = 0,006). Conclusiones El estudio del ganglio centinela realizado ex vivo y con azul de metileno predice el estado ganglionar de los pacientes con cancer de colon. Esta tecnica supraestadifica, pasando al estadio iii a pacientes que el estudio convencional determinaba como estadios i y ii , permitiendo que accedan a un tratamiento quimioterapico que podria mejorar su pronostico.

Introduction The level of lymph node involvement is the most important factor in staging colorectal cancer without metastasis. Sentinel lymph node mapping identifies the node(s) that most accurately reflect the lymph node status of patients, and intensive techniques that improve staging can be focused on these nodes. The aim of this study was to assess the efficacy of ex vivo sentinel lymph node mapping in the staging of colon cancer. Materials and methods A prospective study was conducted on 125 patients from the Alava-Txagorritxu University Hospital Health Region (Alava), who were diagnosed prior to surgery with colon cancer without distant metastasis from September 2009 to December 2011. Ex vivo sentinel lymph node mapping with methylene blue was use in these patients to study the sentinel nodes with multiple slices using immunohistochemical techniques and haematoxylin–eosin staining. A comparative study was also performed based on a control group of 170 patients staged with conventional techniques, and involving a single slice and haematoxylin–eosin staining. Results The sentinel lymph node identification rate was 98%, with 5.6% false negatives. Upstaging occurred in 14.2% of cases compared to the group studied using conventional techniques (P=.006). Conclusions Ex vivo sentinel lymph node mapping with methylene blue accurately reflects the lymph node status of patients with colon cancer. This approach upstages patients classified as stages i and ii by conventional techniques to stage iii , indicating chemotherapy that may improve their prognosis.

This paper intends to provide a critical review of the literature on the technological issues on control and sensorization of hand prostheses interfacing with the Peripheral Nervous System (i.e., PNS), and their experimental validation on amputees. The study opens with an in-depth analysis of control solutions and sensorization features of research and commercially available prosthetic hands. Pros and cons of adopted technologies, signal processing techniques and motion control solutions are investigated. Special emphasis is then dedicated to the recent studies on the restoration of tactile perception in amputees through neural interfaces. The paper finally proposes a number of suggestions for designing the prosthetic system able to re-establish a bidirectional communication with the PNS and foster the prosthesis natural control.