Chiara Assunta Ricci

P-Wave Morphology Assessment by a Gaussian Functions-Based Model in Atrial Fibrillation Patients

Aim of this study was to present a P-wave model, based on a linear combination of Gaussian functions, to quantify morphological aspects of Pwave in patients prone to atrial fibrillation (AF). Five-minute ECG recordings were performed in 25 patients with permanent dual chamber pacemakers. Patients were divided into high-risk and low-risk groups, including patients with and without AF episodes in the last 6 mo preceding the study, respectively. ECG signals were acquired using a 32-lead mapping system for high-resolution biopotential measurement (ActiveTwo, Biosemi, The Netherlands, sample frequency 2 kHz, 24-bit resolution). Up to 8 Gaussian models have been computed for each averaged P-wave extracted from every lead. The P-wave morphology was evaluated by extracting seven parameters. Classical time-domain parameters, based on P-wave duration estimation, have been also estimated. We found that the P-wave morphology can be effectively modeled by a linear combination of Gaussian functions. In addition, the combination of time-domain and morphological parameters extracted from the Gaussian function-based model of the P-wave improves the identification of patients having different risks of developing AF

Time-Domain and Morphological Analysis of the P-Wave. Part I: Technical Aspects for Automatic Quantification of P-Wave Features

Introduction: Time‐domain and morphological analysis of P‐wave from surface electrocardiogram has been extensively used to identify patients prone to atrial arrhythmias, especially atrial fibrillation (AF). However, since no standard procedure exists for P‐wave preprocessing, standardization of cut‐off values for P‐wave duration and morphological features is difficult. This study is a methodological investigation of P‐wave preprocessing procedures for automatic time‐domain and morphological analysis.

Time‐Domain and Morphological Analysis of the P Wave. Part II: Effects of Atrial Pacing on P‐Wave Features

Background: The aim of this study was to compare time‐domain and morphological descriptors of paced and spontaneous P wave in patients prone to atrial fibrillation (AF).

La pubblicazione dei dati sui beneficiari dei fondi strutturali: quali strategie per le regioni europee?

European Cohesion Policy and its Structural Funds, involving all EU Regions and Member States, are a well-suited context to verify the presence of different approaches to the publication of Open Government Data, a crucial tool to foster governmental transparency and accountability. Following the theoretical framework introduced by Dawes (2010), this paper is aimed at exploring how national and regional managing authorities of Structural Funds are making available the data on the use of the funding, in terms of both data stewardship (quality, format, accessibility, detail, etc.) and usefulness (availability of tools to interact with the data). The analysis takes into consideration 15 indicators aggregating 62 characteristics of the data published by each EU 2007-13 Programme in December 2013. Results show that only a fraction of the concerned administrations is investing in advanced tools for data visualization and citizen engagement. These authorities rely on good quality and high detail of the information, thus confirming the interdependence of the stewardship and usefulness principles, as highlighted in the literature

Il ruolo delle società in house nel coordinamento delle politiche regionali per l’e-government

This paper provides a brief overview of recent e-government policies of the Italian regions with a focus on the coordination models between local actors. In particular, the role of regional information technology (IT) public companies is explored through a cluster analysis based on evidence from an ad hoc survey. Advantages and disadvantages of the different coordination models are discussed. In particular, two composite indices are employed: (i) an index of the intensity of coordination at the regional level; (ii) an index of effectiveness of IT policies, measured as the level of advancement of municipalities in the use of ICTs. The two indices are then compared with the coordination models adopted. Preliminary results show a positive correlation between the two indices, while the presence of an IT public company does not appear to significantly affect either the IT performance nor the level of coordination.