ORCID Profile
0000-0003-3760-1910
Current Organisations
Osservatorio Astronomico di Roma
,
Western Sydney University
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Publisher: IEEE
Date: 29-10-2020
Publisher: IEEE
Date: 11-2019
Publisher: JMIR Publications Inc.
Date: 07-09-2022
DOI: 10.2196/37354
Abstract: An anticipated surge in mental health service demand related to COVID-19 has motivated the use of novel methods of care to meet demand, given workforce limitations. Digital health technologies in the form of self-tracking technology have been identified as a potential avenue, provided sufficient evidence exists to support their effectiveness in mental health contexts. This literature review aims to identify current and potential physiological or physiologically related monitoring capabilities of the Apple Watch relevant to mental health monitoring and examine the accuracy and validation status of these measures and their implications for mental health treatment. A literature review was conducted from June 2021 to July 2021 of both published and gray literature pertaining to the Apple Watch, mental health, and physiology. The literature review identified studies validating the sensor capabilities of the Apple Watch. A total of 5583 paper titles were identified, with 115 (2.06%) reviewed in full. Of these 115 papers, 19 (16.5%) were related to Apple Watch validation or comparison studies. Most studies showed that the Apple Watch could measure heart rate acceptably with increased errors in case of movement. Accurate energy expenditure measurements are difficult for most wearables, with the Apple Watch generally providing the best results compared with peers, despite overestimation. Heart rate variability measurements were found to have gaps in data but were able to detect mild mental stress. Activity monitoring with step counting showed good agreement, although wheelchair use was found to be prone to overestimation and poor performance on overground tasks. Atrial fibrillation detection showed mixed results, in part because of a high inconclusive result rate, but may be useful for ongoing monitoring. No studies recorded validation of the Sleep app feature however, accelerometer-based sleep monitoring showed high accuracy and sensitivity in detecting sleep. The results are encouraging regarding the application of the Apple Watch in mental health, particularly as heart rate variability is a key indicator of changes in both physical and emotional states. Particular benefits may be derived through avoidance of recall bias and collection of supporting ecological context data. However, a lack of methodologically robust and replicated evidence of user benefit, a supportive health economic analysis, and concerns about personal health information remain key factors that must be addressed to enable broader uptake.
Publisher: MDPI AG
Date: 13-07-2020
DOI: 10.3390/S20143885
Abstract: This paper presents forcecardiography (FCG), a novel technique to measure local, cardiac-induced vibrations onto the chest wall. Since the 19th century, several techniques have been proposed to detect the mechanical vibrations caused by cardiovascular activity, the great part of which was abandoned due to the cumbersome instrumentation involved. The recent availability of unobtrusive sensors rejuvenated the research field with the most currently established technique being seismocardiography (SCG). SCG is performed by placing accelerometers onto the subject’s chest and provides information on major events of the cardiac cycle. The proposed FCG measures the cardiac-induced vibrations via force sensors placed onto the subject’s chest and provides signals with a richer informational content as compared to SCG. The two techniques were compared by analysing simultaneous recordings acquired by means of a force sensor, an accelerometer and an electrocardiograph (ECG). The force sensor and the accelerometer were rigidly fixed to each other and fastened onto the xiphoid process with a belt. The high-frequency (HF) components of FCG and SCG were highly comparable (r 0.95) although lagged. The lag was estimated by cross-correlation and resulted in about tens of milliseconds. An additional, large, low-frequency (LF) component, associated with ventricular volume variations, was observed in FCG, while not being visible in SCG. The encouraging results of this feasibility study suggest that FCG is not only able to acquire similar information as SCG, but it also provides additional information on ventricular contraction. Further analyses are foreseen to confirm the advantages of FCG as a technique to improve the scope and significance of pervasive cardiac monitoring.
Publisher: American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)
Date: 03-01-2014
Abstract: Gamma-ray bursts (GRBs), bright flashes of gamma-ray light, are thought to be associated with the collapse of massive stars. GRB 130427A was detected on 27 April 2013, and it had the longest gamma-ray duration and one of the largest isotropic energy releases observed to date (see the Perspective by Fynbo ). Ackermann et al. (p. 42 , published online 21 November) report data obtained with the Fermi Gamma-Ray Space Telescope, which reveal a high-energy spectral component that cannot be accounted for by the standard external shock synchrotron radiation model. Vestrand et al. (p. 38 , published online 21 November) report the detection of an extremely bright flash of visible light and unexpected similarities between the variations of optical light and the highest-energy gamma rays that indicate a common origin. A detailed analysis of the first pulse of GRB 130427A by Preece et al. (p. 51 , published online 21 November) suggests that existing models cannot explain all the observed spectral and temporal behaviors simultaneously. Maselli et al. (p. 48 , published online 21 November) present x-ray and optical light curves of the burst's prompt emission as well as of its afterglow as recorded by the Swift satellite and a range of ground-based telescopes.
Publisher: MDPI AG
Date: 09-06-2021
DOI: 10.3390/S21123996
Abstract: In the last few decades, a number of wearable systems for respiration monitoring that help to significantly reduce patients’ discomfort and improve the reliability of measurements have been presented. A recent research trend in biosignal acquisition is focusing on the development of monolithic sensors for monitoring multiple vital signs, which could improve the simultaneous recording of different physiological data. This study presents a performance analysis of respiration monitoring performed via forcecardiography (FCG) sensors, as compared to ECG-derived respiration (EDR) and electroresistive respiration band (ERB), which was assumed as the reference. FCG is a novel technique that records the cardiac-induced vibrations of the chest wall via specific force sensors, which provide seismocardiogram-like information, along with a novel component that seems to be related to the ventricular volume variations. Simultaneous acquisitions were obtained from seven healthy subjects at rest, during both quiet breathing and forced respiration at higher and lower rates. The raw FCG sensor signals featured a large, low-frequency, respiratory component (R-FCG), in addition to the common FCG signal. Statistical analyses of R-FCG, EDR and ERB signals showed that FCG sensors ensure a more sensitive and precise detection of respiratory acts than EDR (sensitivity: 100% vs. 95.8%, positive predictive value: 98.9% vs. 92.5%), as well as a superior accuracy and precision in interbreath interval measurement (linear regression slopes and intercepts: 0.99, 0.026 s (R2 = 0.98) vs. 0.98, 0.11 s (R2 = 0.88), Bland–Altman limits of agreement: ±0.61 s vs. ±1.5 s). This study represents a first proof of concept for the simultaneous recording of respiration signals and forcecardiograms with a single, local, small, unobtrusive, cheap sensor. This would extend the scope of FCG to monitoring multiple vital signs, as well as to the analysis of cardiorespiratory interactions, also paving the way for the continuous, long-term monitoring of patients with heart and pulmonary diseases.
Publisher: MDPI AG
Date: 27-01-2021
Abstract: The actual grip force provided by a hand prosthesis is an important parameter to evaluate its efficiency. To this end, a split cylindrical handlebar embedding a single-axis load cell was designed, 3D printed and assembled. Various measurements were made to evaluate the performances of the “Federica” hand, a simple low-cost hand prosthesis. The handlebar was placed at different angular positions with respect to the hand palm, and the experimental data were processed to estimate the overall grip force. In addition, piezoresistive force sensors were applied on selected phalanxes of the prosthesis, in order to map the distribution of the grasping forces between them. The electrical current supplied to the single servomotor that actuates all the five fingers, was monitored to estimate the force exerted on the main actuator tendon, while tendon displacement was evaluated by a rotary potentiometer fixed to the servomotor shaft. The force transfer ratio of the whole system was about 12.85 %, and the mean dissipated energy for a complete cycle of closing-opening was 106.80 Nmm, resulting lower than that of many commercial prostheses. The mean grip force of the “Federica” hand was 8.80 N, that is enough to support the user in many actions of daily life, also considering the adaptive wrapping capability of the prosthesis. On average, the middle phalanges exerted the greatest grip force (2.65 N) on the handlebar, while the distal phalanges a force of 1.66 N.
Location: Italy
Location: United States of America
No related grants have been discovered for Alessandro Maselli.