Cardiac signal processing is usually a computationally demanding task as signals are heavily contaminated by noise and other artifacts. In this paper, an effective approach for peak point detection ...and localization in noisy electrocardiogram (ECG) signals is presented. Six stages characterize the implemented method, which adopts the Hilbert transform and a thresholding technique for the detection of zones inside the ECG signal which could contain a peak. Subsequently, the identified zones are analyzed using the wavelet transform for R point detection and localization. The conceived signal processing technique has been evaluated, adopting ECG signals belonging to MIT-BIH Noise Stress Test Database, which includes specially selected Holter recordings characterized by baseline wander, muscle artifacts and electrode motion artifacts as noise sources. The experimental results show that the proposed method reaches most satisfactory performance, even when challenging ECG signals are adopted. The results obtained are presented, discussed and compared with some other R wave detection algorithms indicated in literature, which adopt the same database as a test bench. In particular, for a signal to noise ratio (SNR) equal to 6 dB, results with minimal interference from noise and artifacts have been obtained, since Se e +P achieve values of 98.13% and 96.91, respectively.
This paper proposes a paradigm (“Artwork Effect” paradigm) to study the impact of museum stimulation programs for people with dementia. The literature concerning viewing and making art is considered. ...The paradigm, comprising qualitative and quantitative measures, is illustrated. The implementation of a shared paradigm of assessment can contribute to the validation of an assessment model to evaluate museum stimulation programs for people with dementia: a low-cost nonpharmacological intervention useful for the stimulation of cognitive functions and for increasing the well-being of people with dementia and their caregivers.
Abstract The 15-item version of the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS-15) is a self-report screening instrument widely used. The current study aimed at providing evidence of the measurement precision ...of the GDS-15 applying Item Response Theory (IRT). The relative contribution of each item and the reliability of the whole scale in measuring the trait level around the cutoffs were investigated employing data collected from a sample consisting of 1344 old people ( M = 76.44 years, SD = 5.13; 58.7% women) involved in a large gerontological research project. The unidimensional two-parameter (2PL) logistic model was employed to item estimate location and slope parameters as well as the Test Information Function (TIF). Nine out of fifteen items were located around the cutoffs and the slopes showed that the majority of the items had substantial discrimination ability. The TIF peaked in correspondence of the cutoffs attesting the good local reliability of the scale. These findings support to the utility of the GDS-15 in detecting depression among older people.
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•The two in vitro tests are suited for estrogenic activity assessment in extracts from whole vegetables.•Estrogenic activity is present in fruits and vegetables.•The estrogenic ...activity of fruits and vegetables and the total concentration of pesticide residues are positively correlated.•A theoretical dietary intake 17-b-estradiol equivalent quantity from fruits and vegetables for adults was calculated.
Endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) may lead to adverse systemic effects by interfering with normal hormone homeostasis, and diet is considered to be among the main routes of EDC exposure. The present study investigated the total estrogenic activity of fruits and vegetables by calculating the 17-β-estradiol equivalent quantity (EEQ) using two in vitro tests: the human breast cancer cell line (MCF-7 BUS) proliferation assay (E-screen test) and the luciferase-transfected human breast cancer cell line (MELN) gene-reporter assay. Of the 24 analyzed fruits and vegetables, 14 contained from 1 to 4 pesticide residues in concentrations ranging from 0.02 to 1.19ppm, whereas the other 10 did not contain any pesticide residues. The EEQ values for all positive samples ranged from 0.010 to 0.616μg/100g for the above in vitro tests. Our study demonstrates that estrogenic activity was present in fruits and vegetables and that the concentration of allowable pesticide residues and EEQ values were positively correlated; however, no correlation was found by comparing the estrogenic activity and the intrinsic content of phytoestrogens obtained from the available literature. A theoretical adult dietary intake of 0.7–0.9ng EEQ/L/day from fruits and vegetables was calculated.
Most of clinical guidelines recommend discontinuing treatment with cholinesterase inhibitors (ChEIs) in patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) who do not show an initial response to therapy as ...evaluated with the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) scale. However, understanding the relationship between the initial response to ChEI treatment and the subsequent course of the disease is extremely important in clinical practice, but evidence is limited, particularly in the old-old population.
We aimed at investigating the relationship between short-term and long-term response to ChEI therapy in old age subjects with AD in a "real life" setting.
This is a retrospective longitudinal study of 628 old age subjects (≥65 years old) with AD and treated with ChEIs over three year follow-up. The sample was divided into "young-old" (≤75 years) and "old-old" (≥76 years) according to age, and as "responder" and "non-responder" according to the initial (i.e., after three months) response to treatment. Cognitive and functional evaluation was performed by means of MMSE and ADL/IADL, respectively.
In the long run, subjects considered as non-responders showed a lower rate of cognitive decline as compared with responders, with a mean annual decline at MMSE of 1.0 point versus 1.6 points (p < 0.0001), respectively. Old-old non-responders had a slower rate of cognitive (p < 0.0001) and functional decline (p < 0.0001) as compared with responders after three years of observation.
Discontinuing ChEI treatment solely for the absence of an initial response is not appropriate, especially in old-old subjects.
IoT Indoor Localization with AI Technique D'Aloia, Matteo; Longo, Annalisa; Guadagno, Gianluca ...
2020 IEEE International Workshop on Metrology for Industry 4.0 & IoT,
2020-June
Conference Proceeding
In this paper, an innovative method for indoor localization based on Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE4) technology has been developed. By employing a mobile beacon, a wearable device and stationary anchors, ...the conceived tracking system is able to predict people position within buildings. Adopting the received signal strength indicator and a machine learning approach, good accuracy is reached without limiting the freedom and privacy of users.
Over the past few years, remote monitoring based services are developing in different domains such as traffic monitoring, healthcare, emergency management and environment protection. These ...applications presuppose the system ability to manage a lot of data coming from different systems. In this paper, the design of a module for remote and real-time monitoring of environmental parameters is indicated. The conceived architecture is based on the microservice paradigm and adopts the 2G data communication network.
This paper presents a smart system based on Low Power Wide Area networks for a remote monitoring of technological room in unstaffed railway stations. The paper aim is the design of an efficient ...network scheme characterized by improved performance compared with the standard solution. Adopting an innovative smart System Control Strategy and a custom network topology, good results are reached in terms of reliability without increasing the amount of devices with respect the standard scheme.
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