Search results for "thing"

Is Sauna Bathing Protective of Sudden Cardiac Death? A Review of the Evidence

2019

Sudden cardiac death (SCD) is a global public health burden accounting for 15–20% of all deaths. Though established atherosclerotic risk factors explain a large proportion of the risk of SCD, these factors are often absent in a large proportion of SCD victims and the pathogenesis of SCD is still not fully established. It therefore appears that additional factors may be involved. Sauna bathing is a traditional Finnish activity that is mainly used for the purposes of relaxation and pleasure. Beyond its use for these purposes, sauna bathing has been linked with several health benefits. Emerging evidence suggests that sauna bathing is associated with reduced risk of adverse cardiovascular (CV) …

Blockchain for Smart Cities: Applications for IoT and Video Surveillance Systems

2020

The recent revolution of the Internet of Things introduces new engaging operat- ing scenarios. The IoT paradigm enables the intertwined use of physical and soft- ware components through the interconnection of devices that exchange data with each other without direct human interaction in several fields, especially in industrial and home environments. In the framework of the Italian-Vietnamese cooperation on the topics of smart cities and Blockchain, we present two applications of the blockchain technology, which can be applied, respectively in indoor, for monitoring and controlling smart homes, and in outdoor, for visual monitoring through video surveillance systems. In both cases, we propos…

Ventilation-Perfusion Ratio in Perflubron During Partial Liquid Ventilation

2010

BACKGROUND: Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) of fluorine-19 allows for the mapping of oxygen partial pressure within perfluorocarbons in the alveolar space (Pao(2)). Theoretically, fMRI-detected Pao(2) can be combined with the Fick principle approach, i.e., a mass balance of oxygen uptake by ventilation and delivery by perfusion, to quantify the ventilation-perfusion ratio (Va/Q) of a lung region: The mixed venous blood and the inspiratory oxygen fraction, which are equal for all lung regions, are measured. In addition, the local expiratory oxygen fraction and the end capillary oxygen content, both of which may differ between the lung regions, are calculated using the fMRI-detec…

Comparing FPCA Based on Conditional Quantile Functions and FPCA Based on Conditional Mean Function

2019

In this work functional principal component analysis (FPCA) based on quantile functions is proposed as an alternative to the classical approach, based on the functional mean. Quantile regression characterizes the conditional distribution of a response variable and, in particular, some features like the tails behavior; smoothing splines have also been usefully applied to quantile regression to allow for a more flexible modelling. This framework finds application in contexts involving multiple high frequency time series, for which the functional data analysis (FDA) approach is a natural choice. Quantile regression is then extended to the estimation of functional quantiles and our proposal exp…

Functional principal component analysis for multivariate multidimensional environmental data

2015

Data with spatio-temporal structure can arise in many contexts, therefore a considerable interest in modelling these data has been generated, but the complexity of spatio-temporal models, together with the size of the dataset, results in a challenging task. The modelization is even more complex in presence of multivariate data. Since some modelling problems are more natural to think through in functional terms, even if only a finite number of observations is available, treating the data as functional can be useful (Berrendero et al. in Comput Stat Data Anal 55:2619–2634, 2011). Although in Ramsay and Silverman (Functional data analysis, 2nd edn. Springer, New York, 2005) the case of multiva…

Modelling Spatio-Temporal Elephant Movement Data: a Generalized Additive Mixed Models Framework

2014

This thesis focuses on understanding how environmental factors influence elephant movement and in investigating the spatio-temporal patterns. The thesis analyses movement data of some African elephants (Loxodonta Africana) living in the Kruger National Park and its associated private reserves of South Africa. Due to heterogeneity among elephants, and nonlinear relationships between elephant movement and environmental variables, Generalized Additive Mixed Models (GAMMs) were employed. Results showed delayed effects of rainfall and temperature and particular trends in time and space.

Interference Cancellation for LoRa Gateways and Impact on Network Capacity

2021

In this paper we propose LoRaSyNc (LoRa receiver with SyNchronization and Cancellation), a second generation LoRa receiver that implements Successive Interference Cancellation (SIC) and time synchronization to improve the performance of LoRa gateways. Indeed, the chirp spread spectrum modulation employed in LoRa experiences very high capture probability, and cancelling the strongest signal in case of collisions can significantly improve the cell capacity. An important feature of LoRaSyNc is the ability to track the frequency and clock drifts between the transmitter and receiver, during the whole demodulation of the interfered frame. Due to the use of low-cost oscillators on end-devices, a s…

Characteristics of neuronal systems in the visual cortex

1987

The coupling complexity of cortical areas makes it very difficult to analyse them experimentally. Studies of model systems provide the possibility of adapting the analysis to the available data base and elaborating the fundamental properties that depend on the structure of the system. We propose a model system of variable complexity that is spatially two-dimensional and time-dependent, uses feedback for iteration and smoothing, includes the mapping of the cortical networks and can be nonlinear as the case requires. Combining such elementary systems on the basis of neuroanatomical findings enables us to simulate cortical mappings and to interpret neurophysiological data. The decisive factor …

Transglutaminase-1 and Bathing Suit Ichthyosis: Molecular Analysis of Gene/Environment Interactions

2009

Expanding the application of stir bar sorptive-dispersive microextraction approach to solid matrices: Determination of ultraviolet filters in coastal…

2018

This work describes a new method for the determination of organic compounds in solid samples based on the equilibrium desorption of the analytes in an aqueous phase followed by stir bar sorptive-dispersive microextraction (SBSDME). Sand samples, contaminated with UV filters due to bathing and recreational activities, were dispersed in an aqueous medium by using a coated stir bar with CoFe2O4@oleic acid magnetic nanoparticles. The UV filters were physically desorbed from the surface of the sand particles and rapidly adsorbed on the hydrophobic coating of the nanoparticles, which were retrieved by means of their magnetism after stopping the stirring. In this manner, both preconcentration of t…