Over the past two decades, we have witnessed significant progress in the digitization of artistic and cultural heritage, which was initially aimed at conservation and analysis but has since expanded ...its scope to emphasize the dissemination and knowledge of artworks and sites of historical, archaeological, and architectural interest. For ancient villages management and dissemination, there are numerous existing tools, among these Building Information Model (BIM), Geographic Information System (GIS), virtual reality, augmented reality, and mixed reality apps and online platforms. These design and analysis systems have, however, interoperability and integration problems. In attempt to solve these problems, in this context, the research activity involves the creation of a 3D model, and HBIM of Precacore complex starting from the points cloud obtained by images acquired by DJI mini 3 pro. The procedure for importing the 3D HBIM model in a GIS environment using Autodesk Infraworks software will be described, followed by the creation of the Virtual/Augmented/Mixed reality app using the Unity 3D platform and Microsoft Hololens for the purpose of attempting to solve the problems relating the different data format deriving from the use of the commercial software from a virtual point of view. Finally, the methodology for the creation of a hybrid and experimental system will be proposed that, by exploiting the Cesium ion platform, allows the possible (although not complete) effective integration of the multi-scale information contained in both software used for the modeling HBIM and GIS.
Efficiently reducing natural hazard risks requires a thorough understanding of the costs of natural hazards. Current methods to assess these costs employ a variety of terminologies and approaches for ...different types of natural hazards and different impacted sectors. This may impede efforts to ascertain comprehensive and comparable cost figures. In order to strengthen the role of cost assessments in the development of integrated natural hazard management, a review of existing cost assessment approaches was undertaken. This review considers droughts, floods, coastal and Alpine hazards, and examines different cost types, namely direct tangible damages, losses due to business interruption, indirect damages, intangible effects, and the costs of risk mitigation. This paper provides an overview of the state-of-the-art cost assessment approaches and discusses key knowledge gaps. It shows that the application of cost assessments in practice is often incomplete and biased, as direct costs receive a relatively large amount of attention, while intangible and indirect effects are rarely considered. Furthermore, all parts of cost assessment entail considerable uncertainties due to insufficient or highly aggregated data sources, along with a lack of knowledge about the processes leading to damage and thus the appropriate models required. Recommendations are provided on how to reduce or handle these uncertainties by improving data sources and cost assessment methods. Further recommendations address how risk dynamics due to climate and socio-economic change can be better considered, how costs are distributed and risks transferred, and in what ways cost assessment can function as part of decision support.
As is well known, image segmentation is widely used in the fields of echocardiography and diagnostic and interventional radiology. The delineation of structural components of various organs from 2D ...images is a technique used in the medical field in order to identify intervention targets with increasing precision and accuracy. In recent decades, the automation of this task has been the subject of intensive research. In particular, to improve the segmentation of such images, investigations have focused on the use of neural networks, and in particular convolutional neural networks (CNNs). However, most existing CNN-based methods can produce unsatisfactory segmentation masks without precise object boundaries (Wang, Chen, Ji, Fan & Ye Li, 2022); this is mainly due to the shadows and high noise in these images. To address the problem of automated image segmentation, this work proposes a pipeline technique with two stages (applied primarily to the echocardiographic domain): the first consisting of a Self-normalising Neural Networks (SNNs) performs image denoising, while the second applies a Watershed segmentation algorithm on the cleaned image. The latter is a technique successfully applied in geomatics and land surveying. The proposed methodology may be of interest both in the medical field and in the field of Geomatics where segmentation and classification operations are required in different application areas.
Data from the Copernicus project are proving to be fundamental in so many areas of spatial governance, and in particular in the context of safeguarding the cultural and natural heritage. This is ...mainly due to their dissemination mode, which allows them to be used by a countless number of institutions and organizations. With regard to their use in order to create effective supervised-training AI (Artificial Intelligence) classifiers (useful for continuous land-use monitoring), their low resolution could be a problem in terms of accuracy or in any case during the training process. This process which could be very costly (large training sets and high-end hardware required). In this paper, a methodology is tested that creates an AI classifier from high-resolution training data, Remote Sensing Image Classification Benchmark (RSI-CB128) and using Self-Normalising Neural Networks (SNNs). The efficiency of the Neural Network is, however, measured with a test dataset constructed with Raster Sentinel-2. In other words, the aim is to assess the goodness of an AI classifier on Sentinel-2 images built from Rasters generated by high-resolution sensors. Therefore, there seem to be clear advantages over the classification methodologies in use today.
Purpose
Cochlear implant (CI) users do not receive much of the auditory information necessary for an accurate perception of music. This usually entails a dissatisfaction with the music they hear, so ...that their quality of life may potentially be affected. The main aim of this paper was to translate and validate into Italian an instrument to evaluate these aspects—The Music-Related Quality of Life Questionnaire (MuRQoL)—to help the work of clinicians and therapists.
Methods
The translation of the MuRQoL into “Questionario Musica e Qualità della Vita” (MUSQUAV) was done according to the international guidelines. The translated questionnaire was administered to normal hearing (NH) and CI users adults. Exploratory factor analysis, confirmatory factor analysis and known group method were used to confirm construct validity and applicability of MUSQUAV.
Results
We retrieved 225 results. The MUSQUAV questionnaire was acceptable according to the goodness-of-fit indices. The correlation between the items, evaluated using Cronbach’s α coefficient, indicates a good internal consistency (> 0.80). The non-parametric Mann–Whitney test showed significant differences in the distinct populations tested.
Conclusions
The MUSQUAV questionnaire is a valid, low-cost and rapid instrument for professional workers in the audiological field, especially useful in the assessment of the patients' perception and musical engagement.
The aim of this study was to identify which characteristics, collected by bedside swallowing evaluation (BSE) and fiberoptic endoscopic evaluation of swallowing (FEES), are a risk or a protective ...factor for aspiration. This retrospective study included data on 1577 consecutive patients, collected by BSE and FEES. Bivariate analysis was performed to verify the association of each variable with aspiration (Chi-Square test). The variables associated with aspiration were entered into a multivariate logistic model to quantify this association. Several variables were significantly associated (p < 0.05) with aspiration; cooperation, sensation, laryngeal elevation and direct therapy were found to be protective factors against aspiration. The regression model identified the most variables related with aspiration, among which tracheotomy, material pooling and spillage. Patients able to perform dry swallows were 77% less likely to aspirate (protective factor). Several variables are involved in protection of airways during swallowing. Their interaction, in patients with swallowing disorders, offers the clinician the best means of interpreting BSE and FEES.
A photoresponsive microstructured composite is fabricated through the impregnation of cellulosic filter paper (FP) with a spiropyran-modified acrylic polymer. The polymer enwraps uniformly each ...individual cellulose fiber, increases the thermal stability of cellulose, and ensures the preservation of the composite functionalities even upon removal of the surface layers through mechanical scratching. The photochromic spiropyran moieties of the polymer, even while embedded in the cellulosic sheet, can reversibly interconvert between the colorless spiropyran and the pink merocyanine isomeric states upon irradiation with UV and visible light, respectively. Moreover, the photochromic polymer presents a faster photochromic response and a higher resistance to photodegradation, with an outstanding reusability for more than 100 switching cycles when it is incorporated in the cellulose network. Most importantly, the acidochromism of the modified FP, attributed to the spiropyran molecules after UV activation, allows the real-time optical and visual detection of acidity changes and spoilage in food products, such as wine and milk. Spoilage due to bacterial degradation and oxidation processes generates acidic vapors that induce the protonation of the merocyanine. This results in a visually detectable chromic transition from pink to white of the treated cellulose fibers, corresponding to a blue shift in the absorption spectrum. The developed photoresponsive cellulose composite can serve as cost-effective robust optical component in integrated functional platforms and consumer-friendly indicators for smart food packaging, as well as portable on demand acidoresponsive interfaces for gas monitoring in industrial and environmental applications.
Radiographic examinations are crucial to diagnosis and management of young patients hospitalized in a pediatric Cardiac Intensive Care Unit (CICU). Since these infants are often subject to a large ...number of repeated X-ray examinations in order to follow up their clinical situation, special attention must be paid to use protocol aimed to dose reduction.
This work was aimed to perform a radiological survey of children undergoing chest X-ray examinations in a CICU. The study was focused on the evaluation of collimation, Dose-Area-Product (DAP) and Effective doses (E) to patients subjected to repeated examinations with optimized protocols.
As suggested by the European Guidelines on Diagnostic Reference Levels (DRLs) for Pediatric Imaging, patients have been stratified in two groups (group I included newborn having weight < 5 kg while group II applied to infants with weight ranging from 5 to 15 kg). The study has involved 128 children undergoing chest X-ray examinations both with a standard (operator dependent) technique and with a proposed optimized protocol.
The integrated system DAP chamber has been validated. Data are related to examinations performed both with a standard technique (exposure parameters manually set by operators) and with an optimized protocol. The adoption of the optimized protocol resulted in a decrease of DAP and E for both weight groups. The median DAP values obtained with standard and optimized protocols respectively decrease from 4.0 to 3.4 mGy cm2 for group I and from 7.3 to 6.2 mGy cm2 for group II while effective doses decreased from 5.6 to 5.0 mGy cm2 for group I and from 5.0 to 4.2 mGy cm2 for group II.
This work has shown that DAP and E values obtained with the optimized protocol were relatively low compared to previous literature. Particularly, DAP and E decrease up to 15% and 16% respectively using the optimized protocol. These results are particularly relevant for patients undergoing a great number of repeated X-ray examinations.
•Radiation dose to children in a cardiac intensive care unit was evaluated.•Children in an intensive care unit are exposed to a large number of repeated exams.•An optimized protocol for pediatric chest X-ray was proposed to reduce exposure.•Cumulative DAP and effective dose were evaluated with the optimized protocol.
Congenital cytomegalovirus infection is considered the main cause of infantile non-genetic neurosensory hearing loss. Although this correlation was described more than 50 years ago, the natural ...history of internal ear involvement has not yet been fully defined. Hearing loss is the most frequent sequela and is seen in a variable percentage up to 30%; the hearing threshold is characterised by fluctuations or progressive deterioration. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of hearing loss in cases of congenital CMV infection from Modena county, starting from the database of the microbiology and virology reference laboratory. All children undergoing urine testing for suspected CMV infection or viral DNA testing on Guthrie Card in the period between January 2004 and December 2014 were enrolled in the study. Family paediatricians were contacted and asked about clinical information on the possible presence at birth or subsequent occurrence of hearing loss, excluding cases where this was not possible. The results showed an annual prevalence of congenital cytomegalovirus infection among suspected cases that was stable over time despite the progressive increase in subjects tested. The prevalence of hearing loss was in line with the literature, whereas in long-term follow-up cases of moderate, medium-to-severe hearing loss with late onset were not detected. The introduction of newborn hearing screening in the county has allowed early diagnosis of hearing loss at birth as non-TEOAE-born births underwent a urine virus test. Moreover, despite all the limitations of the study, we can conclude that European epidemiological studies are needed to better define the relationship between congenital CMV infection and internal ear disease as the impact of environmental and genetic factors is still not entirely clarified.
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