Background: The Sars-Cov-2 pandemic has accelerated the spreading of telemedicine, including TeleNeuroPsychology (TNP). Also in a non-pandemic scenario, TNP gives the advantage of reaching older subjects, which often ...Background: The Sars-Cov-2 pandemic has accelerated the spreading of telemedicine, including TeleNeuroPsychology (TNP). Also in a non-pandemic scenario, TNP gives the advantage of reaching older subjects, which often have mobility or transportation limitations. Previous studies on the feasibility, acceptability and reliability of TNP provide promising indications. However, it remains unclear how elderly populations in Italy welcome this practice, in particular when carried out “direct-to-home” (DTH neuropsychology—DTH-NP), hence without assistance in setting up, i.e., the videoconference, and which tests validated in Italian populations show good comparability between remote (either by voice phone call or videoconference) and face-to-face administration. Aims: Here we present a study protocol aimed at assessing: 1) the recruitment rate in a study on DTH neuropsychological assessment through voice calls or videoconference, 2) the feasibility and acceptability of a DTH neuropsychological assessment, 3) the comparability between DTH and face-to-face neuropsychological assessments. Methods: Fifty-eight older adults (65 - 85 years) were recruited among donors of the Abbiategrasso Brain Bank and will undergo both a face-to-face and a DTH neuropsychological assessment in a counterbalanced cross-over design (Group 1: remote session first;Group 2: face-to-face session first). Recruitment rate will be first evaluated. Then, the responses to an acceptability questionnaire will be compared between the two administration modalities. Finally, the DTH-face-to-face comparability will be evaluated as good reliability of a DTH neuropsychological assessment and agreement between scores obtained in the two modalities. Discussion and Conclusion: This study protocol aims at describing the procedures allowing a more reliable implementation of DTH-NP in the Italian clinical and research contexts. The inclusion of both phone-call and videoconference DTH neuropsychological assessment will give the opportunity to evaluate the feasibility of DTH-NP also in older adults with low digital skills. The results of the comparability analysis will offer the first evidence in the Italian context on which neuropsychological tests can be reliably delivered DTH, by phone call or videoconference.展开更多
On the basis of cooperative research with European professionals, problems relating to environmental and ecological protection were discussed while small hydropower development in China currently was introduced in thi...On the basis of cooperative research with European professionals, problems relating to environmental and ecological protection were discussed while small hydropower development in China currently was introduced in this paper. Guidelines of small hydropower development dealing with environmental protection were sug- gested hereby. Various specific technical environmental solutions focusing on small hydropower development applied in European and other developed countries were also introduced in this paper. Main environmental solutions are discussed as follows： integrated design should be advocated during plan/design stage,＂ ecohydraulic engineering and its utilization in SHP design and construction; effective technical approaches to relieve and eliminate the impact of river interception and fix the reasonable minimum biological flow; environment-friendly mitigation and compensation measures for high/low-head hydropower schemes applied in diversion works, intake, nature-like fish-passes, penstock and powerhouse design; study and application of the new technology, material and equipments; launching renovation of environmental protection in existing stations; emphasiz- ing public participation and their acceptability for the SHP environment; coordinated inter-disciplinary study at national level, etc. Two case studies in Sweden and Australia are given here.展开更多
A feasibility study on the mechanical design and walking operation of a Cassino biped locomotor is presented in this paper. The biped locomotor consists of two identical 3 degrees-of-freedom tripod leg mechanisms with...A feasibility study on the mechanical design and walking operation of a Cassino biped locomotor is presented in this paper. The biped locomotor consists of two identical 3 degrees-of-freedom tripod leg mechanisms with a parallel manipulator architecture. Planning of the biped walking gait is performed by coordinating the motions of the two leg mechanisms and waist. A three- dimensional model is elaborated in SolidWorks environ- ment in order to characterize a feasible mechanical design. Dynamic simulation is carried out in MSC.ADAMS environment with the aims of characterizing and evaluat- ing the dynamic walking design. Simulation results performance of the proposed show that the proposed biped locomotor with proper input motions of linear actuators performs practical and feasible walking on fiat surfaces with limited actuation and reaction forces between its feet and the ground. A preliminary prototype of the biped locomotor is built for the purpose of evaluating the operation performance of the biped walking gait of the proposed locomotor.展开更多
Background：Musculoskeletal disorders（MSD） comprise a wide range of conditions,associated with an enormous pain and impaired mobility,and are affecting people＇s lives and work.Management of musculoskeletal disorder...Background：Musculoskeletal disorders（MSD） comprise a wide range of conditions,associated with an enormous pain and impaired mobility,and are affecting people＇s lives and work.Management of musculoskeletal disorders typically involves a multidisciplinary team approach.Positive findings have been found in previous studies evaluating the effectiveness of complementary therapies,though little attention has been paid to evaluating of the effectiveness of integrated packages of care combining conventional and complementary approaches for musculoskeletal conditions in a National Health Service（NHS） setting.Objective：To determine the feasibility of all aspects of a pragmatic observational study designed：（1） to evaluate the effectiveness and cost effectiveness of integrated treatments for MSDs in an integrated NHS hospital in the UK;（2） to determine the acceptability of the study design and research process to patients;（3） to explore patients＇ expectation and experience of receiving integrated treatments.Methods：This is an observational feasibility study,with 1-year recruitment and 1-year follow-up,conducted in Royal London Hospital for Integrated Medicine,University College London Hospital Trust,UK.All eligible patients with MSDs newly referred to the hospital were included in the study.Interventions are integrated packages of care（conventional and complementary） as currently provided in the hospital.SF-36 Health Survey,short form Brief Pain Inventory,Visual Analogue Scale,and modified Client Service Receipt Inventory will be assessed at 4/5 time points.Semi-structured interview/focus group will be carried out before treatment,and 1 year after commence of treatment.Discussion：We intend to conduct a pragmatic observational study of integrated medical treatment of MSDs at a public sector hospital.It will inform the design of a future trial including recruitment,retention,suitability of the outcome measures and patients experiences.展开更多
People with diabetes are 30 times more likely to undergo amputation than the general population.A total of 3.2million people in the UK have been diagnosed with diabetes and by 2025 this number is estimated to be 5mill...People with diabetes are 30 times more likely to undergo amputation than the general population.A total of 3.2million people in the UK have been diagnosed with diabetes and by 2025 this number is estimated to be 5million.One potential complication post amputation is phantom limb pain(PLP),a prevalent and often chronic condition which is difficult to treat.To inform a展开更多
For the past 50 years,the Sydney Opera House has been the subject of a prodigious hagiography of the personalities involved in its realization and their legendary querelles.Yet it remains paradoxically unexplored when...For the past 50 years,the Sydney Opera House has been the subject of a prodigious hagiography of the personalities involved in its realization and their legendary querelles.Yet it remains paradoxically unexplored when it comes to its operative construction decisions,particularly those that relate to the erection of its renowned superstructure.Through the analysis of a newly discovered set of shop drawings prepared for the innovative formwork system of the iconic roof sails,the paper contributes to the construction history of the building whilst shedding light on the hitherto unacknowledged role of the general contractor in the design process.In doing so,it questions the validity of conventional assumptions about the technical division of labour in complex projects,where construction and project management tend to be kept separate from architectural and structural design,furthermore suggesting the need for broader design exegeses,combining project-based and production-based concerns.In reflecting on its import for contemporary practice,the study suggests that the revealing picture of the Sydney Opera House project,as it emerged from the cumbersome archive-based crossanalysis of the manual documentation produced for it,is in principle much easier and perhaps important to obtain today.This is due,on the one side,to availability and diffusion of digital project collaborative platforms;on the other side,to the merging and the blurring of professional and non-professional design contributions.展开更多
文摘Background: The Sars-Cov-2 pandemic has accelerated the spreading of telemedicine, including TeleNeuroPsychology (TNP). Also in a non-pandemic scenario, TNP gives the advantage of reaching older subjects, which often have mobility or transportation limitations. Previous studies on the feasibility, acceptability and reliability of TNP provide promising indications. However, it remains unclear how elderly populations in Italy welcome this practice, in particular when carried out “direct-to-home” (DTH neuropsychology—DTH-NP), hence without assistance in setting up, i.e., the videoconference, and which tests validated in Italian populations show good comparability between remote (either by voice phone call or videoconference) and face-to-face administration. Aims: Here we present a study protocol aimed at assessing: 1) the recruitment rate in a study on DTH neuropsychological assessment through voice calls or videoconference, 2) the feasibility and acceptability of a DTH neuropsychological assessment, 3) the comparability between DTH and face-to-face neuropsychological assessments. Methods: Fifty-eight older adults (65 - 85 years) were recruited among donors of the Abbiategrasso Brain Bank and will undergo both a face-to-face and a DTH neuropsychological assessment in a counterbalanced cross-over design (Group 1: remote session first;Group 2: face-to-face session first). Recruitment rate will be first evaluated. Then, the responses to an acceptability questionnaire will be compared between the two administration modalities. Finally, the DTH-face-to-face comparability will be evaluated as good reliability of a DTH neuropsychological assessment and agreement between scores obtained in the two modalities. Discussion and Conclusion: This study protocol aims at describing the procedures allowing a more reliable implementation of DTH-NP in the Italian clinical and research contexts. The inclusion of both phone-call and videoconference DTH neuropsychological assessment will give the opportunity to evaluate the feasibility of DTH-NP also in older adults with low digital skills. The results of the comparability analysis will offer the first evidence in the Italian context on which neuropsychological tests can be reliably delivered DTH, by phone call or videoconference.
文摘On the basis of cooperative research with European professionals, problems relating to environmental and ecological protection were discussed while small hydropower development in China currently was introduced in this paper. Guidelines of small hydropower development dealing with environmental protection were sug- gested hereby. Various specific technical environmental solutions focusing on small hydropower development applied in European and other developed countries were also introduced in this paper. Main environmental solutions are discussed as follows： integrated design should be advocated during plan/design stage,＂ ecohydraulic engineering and its utilization in SHP design and construction; effective technical approaches to relieve and eliminate the impact of river interception and fix the reasonable minimum biological flow; environment-friendly mitigation and compensation measures for high/low-head hydropower schemes applied in diversion works, intake, nature-like fish-passes, penstock and powerhouse design; study and application of the new technology, material and equipments; launching renovation of environmental protection in existing stations; emphasiz- ing public participation and their acceptability for the SHP environment; coordinated inter-disciplinary study at national level, etc. Two case studies in Sweden and Australia are given here.
文摘A feasibility study on the mechanical design and walking operation of a Cassino biped locomotor is presented in this paper. The biped locomotor consists of two identical 3 degrees-of-freedom tripod leg mechanisms with a parallel manipulator architecture. Planning of the biped walking gait is performed by coordinating the motions of the two leg mechanisms and waist. A three- dimensional model is elaborated in SolidWorks environ- ment in order to characterize a feasible mechanical design. Dynamic simulation is carried out in MSC.ADAMS environment with the aims of characterizing and evaluat- ing the dynamic walking design. Simulation results performance of the proposed show that the proposed biped locomotor with proper input motions of linear actuators performs practical and feasible walking on fiat surfaces with limited actuation and reaction forces between its feet and the ground. A preliminary prototype of the biped locomotor is built for the purpose of evaluating the operation performance of the biped walking gait of the proposed locomotor.
文摘Background：Musculoskeletal disorders（MSD） comprise a wide range of conditions,associated with an enormous pain and impaired mobility,and are affecting people＇s lives and work.Management of musculoskeletal disorders typically involves a multidisciplinary team approach.Positive findings have been found in previous studies evaluating the effectiveness of complementary therapies,though little attention has been paid to evaluating of the effectiveness of integrated packages of care combining conventional and complementary approaches for musculoskeletal conditions in a National Health Service（NHS） setting.Objective：To determine the feasibility of all aspects of a pragmatic observational study designed：（1） to evaluate the effectiveness and cost effectiveness of integrated treatments for MSDs in an integrated NHS hospital in the UK;（2） to determine the acceptability of the study design and research process to patients;（3） to explore patients＇ expectation and experience of receiving integrated treatments.Methods：This is an observational feasibility study,with 1-year recruitment and 1-year follow-up,conducted in Royal London Hospital for Integrated Medicine,University College London Hospital Trust,UK.All eligible patients with MSDs newly referred to the hospital were included in the study.Interventions are integrated packages of care（conventional and complementary） as currently provided in the hospital.SF-36 Health Survey,short form Brief Pain Inventory,Visual Analogue Scale,and modified Client Service Receipt Inventory will be assessed at 4/5 time points.Semi-structured interview/focus group will be carried out before treatment,and 1 year after commence of treatment.Discussion：We intend to conduct a pragmatic observational study of integrated medical treatment of MSDs at a public sector hospital.It will inform the design of a future trial including recruitment,retention,suitability of the outcome measures and patients experiences.
文摘People with diabetes are 30 times more likely to undergo amputation than the general population.A total of 3.2million people in the UK have been diagnosed with diabetes and by 2025 this number is estimated to be 5million.One potential complication post amputation is phantom limb pain(PLP),a prevalent and often chronic condition which is difficult to treat.To inform a
文摘For the past 50 years,the Sydney Opera House has been the subject of a prodigious hagiography of the personalities involved in its realization and their legendary querelles.Yet it remains paradoxically unexplored when it comes to its operative construction decisions,particularly those that relate to the erection of its renowned superstructure.Through the analysis of a newly discovered set of shop drawings prepared for the innovative formwork system of the iconic roof sails,the paper contributes to the construction history of the building whilst shedding light on the hitherto unacknowledged role of the general contractor in the design process.In doing so,it questions the validity of conventional assumptions about the technical division of labour in complex projects,where construction and project management tend to be kept separate from architectural and structural design,furthermore suggesting the need for broader design exegeses,combining project-based and production-based concerns.In reflecting on its import for contemporary practice,the study suggests that the revealing picture of the Sydney Opera House project,as it emerged from the cumbersome archive-based crossanalysis of the manual documentation produced for it,is in principle much easier and perhaps important to obtain today.This is due,on the one side,to availability and diffusion of digital project collaborative platforms;on the other side,to the merging and the blurring of professional and non-professional design contributions.
