Assessment of the Variability of Human Exposure to Radiofrequency Electromagnetic Fields Arising from 5.9 GHz Vehicular Communication in Urban Environments.

This paper assessed the variability of radiofrequency exposure among road users in urban settings due to vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communication operating at 5.9 GHz. The study evaluated the absorbed dose of radiofrequencies using whole-body specific absorption rate (SAR) in human models spanning different age groups, from children to adults.

Assessment of Children's Exposure to Intelligent Transport System 5.9 GHz Vehicular Connectivity Using Numerical Dosimetry.

This study investigates the radio-frequency electromagnetic field exposure (RF-EMF) levels in pedestrians generated by vehicular communication technology. We specifically investigated exposure levels in children of different ages and both genders. This study also compares the children's exposure levels generated by such technology with those of an adult investigated in our previous study.

Assessment of EMF Human Exposure Levels Due to Wearable Antennas at 5G Frequency Band.

(1) Background: This work aims to assess human exposure to EMF due to two different wearable antennas tuned to two 5G bands. (2) Methods: The first one was centered in the lower 5G band, around f = 3.5 GHz, whereas the second one was tuned to the upper 5G band, at 26.

Road User Exposure from ITS-5.9 GHz Vehicular Connectivity.

This study addressed an important but not yet thoroughly investigated topic regarding human exposure to radio-frequency electromagnetic fields (RF-EMF) generated by vehicular connectivity. In particular, the study assessed, by means of computational dosimetry, the RF-EMF exposure in road users near a car equipped with vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communication antennas. The exposure scenario consisted of a 3D numerical model of a car with two V2V antennas, each fed with 1 W, operating at 5.

Gold nanoparticles as enablers of cell membrane permeabilization by time-varying magnetic field: influence of distance and geometry.

This study is based on the quantification of the influence of the presence of gold nanoparticles (Au NPs), of their geometry and their distance from cell membrane during time-varying electromagnetic fields cell membrane permeabilization on the pores opening dynamics. Results showed that the combined use of Au NPs and time-varying magnetic field can improve significantly the permeabilization of cell membrane. The presence of Au NPs allowed to reach transmembrane potential values enabling the cell membrane permeabilization only when placed at very short distance, equal to 20 nm.

Assessment of SAR in Road-Users from 5G-V2X Vehicular Connectivity Based on Computational Simulations.

(1) Background: Cooperative Intelligent Transportation Systems (C-ITS) will soon operate using 5G New-Radio (NR) wireless communication, overcoming the limitations of the current V2X (Vehicle-to-Everything) wireless communication technologies and increasing road-safety and driving efficiency. These innovations will also change the RF exposure levels of pedestrians and road-users in general. These people, in fact, will be exposed to additional RF sources coming from nearby cars and from the infrastructure.

Human Exposure Assessment to Wearable Antennas: Effect of Position and Interindividual Anatomical Variability.

(1) Background: This work aims to assess the human exposure to the RF-EMFs emitted by a wearable antenna. (2) Methods: a wearable antenna tuned at f = 2.45 GHz was tested by placing it in six realistic configurations relative to a male and female human model.

Assessment of Human Exposure Levels Due to Mobile Phone Antennas in 5G Networks.

The recent deployment of 5G networks is bringing benefits to the population but it is also raising public concern about human RF-EMF exposure levels. This is particularly relevant considering the next 5G mobile devices, which are placed in close proximity to the subjects. Therefore, the aim of the following paper is focused on expanding the knowledge of the exposure levels in 5G exposure scenarios, specifically for mobile applications, using computational methods.

Exposure Assessment to Radiofrequency Electromagnetic Fields in Occupational Military Scenarios: A Review.

(1) Background: Radiofrequency radiations are used in most devices in current use and, consequently, the assessment of the human exposure to the radiofrequency radiations has become an issue of strong interest. Even if in the military field there is wide use of radiofrequency devices, a clear picture on the exposure assessment to the electromagnetic field of the human beings in the military scenario is still missing. (2) Methods: a review of the scientific literature regarding the assessment of the exposure of the military personnel to the RF specific to the military environment, was performed.

Contactless Cell Permeabilization by Time-Varying Magnetic fields: Modelling Transmembrane Potential and Mechanical Stress in in- vitro Experimental Set-Up.

The feasibility of using time-varying magnetic field as a contactless cells permeabilization method was demonstrated by experimental results, but the underlying mechanism is still poorly understood. In this study a numerical analysis of the transmembrane potential (TMP) at cell membranes during permeabilization by time-varying magnetic fields was proposed, and a first quantification of mechanical stress induced by the magnetic and electric fields and hypothesized to play an important role in the permeabilization mechanism was carried out. TMP values induced by typical in-vitro experimental conditions were far below the values needed for membrane permeabilization, with a strong dependence on distance of the cell from the coil.

Application of Stochastic Dosimetry for assessing the Human RFEMF Exposure in a 5G indoor Scenario.

In recent years the introduction of 5G networks is causing a drastically change of human exposure levels in the radio frequency range. The aim of this paper is on expanding the knowledge on this issue, assessing the exposure levels for a particular case of indoor 5G scenario, where the presence of an Access Point (AP) was simulated. Coupling the traditional deterministic computational method with an innovative stochastic approach, called Polynomial Chaos Kriging, allowed to evaluate the exposure variability of an user considering the 3D beamforming capability of the antenna.

Use of Machine Learning for the Estimation of Down- and Up-Link Field Exposure in Multi-Source Indoor WiFi Scenarios.

A novel Machine Learning (ML) method based on Neural Networks (NN) is proposed to assess radio-frequency (RF) exposure generated by WiFi sources in indoor scenarios. The aim was to build an NN capable of addressing the complexity and variability of real-life exposure setups, including the effects of not only down-link transmission access points (APs) but also up-link transmission by different sources (e.g.

An Application of eHealth Technology Toward the Digitization of the Health Records of Older Patients With Cochlear Implants.

Purpose Despite the current legislative indications toward the digitization of patient health records, 80% of health data are unstructured and in a format that cannot be used in electronic archives or in registries of diseases. An innovative automated system is here proposed to efficiently retrieve and digitize clinical information from original unstructured ear, nose, and throat (ENT) medical records, in order to reduce the manual workload in the retrieval and digitization process. Method The system, based on an eHealth technology named , interprets medical reports to transform unstructured clinical data (e.

Assessment of Children Exposure Variability to Near-Field Sources using Stochastic Dosimetry.

In this paper, the exposure of a child to a hairdryer model is evaluated. Nowadays, the assessment of children exposure to near-field sources has become in fact a topic of high interest, because it was found that even domestic appliances could be relevant for children exposure level. Therefore, the aim of the present work is to use a method based on stochastic dosimetry to assess the exposure variability due to near-field sources, not limiting it only on some worst-case exposure scenario.

Computational simulation of electromagnetic fields on human targets for magnetic targeting applications.

In the last few years, the use of nanoparticles for therapeutic applications has attracted the interest of many scientists, who are looking for effective methods to target nanoparticles linked to drugs directly to the diseased organs. Among them, magnetic targeting consists of magnetic systems (magnets or coils) which can impress high gradient magnetic fields and then magnetic forces on the magnetic nanoparticles. Despite some studies have reported an effective improvement in drug delivery by using this technique, there is still a paucity of studies able to quantify and explain the experimental results.

Cluster Analysis of Residential Personal Exposure to ELF Magnetic Field in Children: Effect of Environmental Variables.

Personal exposure to Extremely Low Frequency Magnetic Fields (ELF MF) in children is a very timely topic. We applied cluster analysis to 24 h indoor personal exposures of 884 children in France to identify possible common patterns of exposures. We investigated how electric networks near child home and other variables potentially affecting residential exposure, such as indoor sources of ELF MF, the age and type of the residence and family size, characterized the magnetic field exposure patterns.

Introduction to the Special Issue: Select Papers From the Hearing Across the Lifespan (HEAL) 2018 Conference.

[Figure: see text].

Use of Machine Learning in the Analysis of Indoor ELF MF Exposure in Children.

Characterization of children exposure to extremely low frequency (ELF) magnetic fields is an important issue because of the possible correlation of leukemia onset with ELF exposure. Cluster analysis-a Machine Learning approach-was applied on personal exposure measurements from 977 children in France to characterize real-life ELF exposure scenarios. Electric networks near the child's home or school were considered as environmental factors characterizing the exposure scenarios.

Radio Frequency Electromagnetic Fields Exposure Assessment in Indoor Environments: A Review.

Exposure to radiofrequency (RF) electromagnetic fields (EMFs) in indoor environments depends on both outdoor sources such as radio, television and mobile phone antennas and indoor sources, such as mobile phones and wireless communications applications. Establishing the levels of exposure could be challenging due to differences in the approaches used in different studies. The goal of this study is to present an overview of the last ten years research efforts about RF EMF exposure in indoor environments, considering different RF-EMF sources found to cause exposure in indoor environments, different indoor environments and different approaches used to assess the exposure.

Cx26 partial loss causes accelerated presbycusis by redox imbalance and dysregulation of Nfr2 pathway.

Mutations in GJB2, the gene that encodes connexin 26 (Cx26), are the most common cause of sensorineural hearing impairment. The truncating variant 35delG, which determines a complete loss of Cx26 protein function, is the prevalent GJB2 mutation in several populations. Here, we generated and analyzed Gjb2 mice as a model of heterozygous human carriers of 35delG.

The ALFA4Hearing Model (At-a-Glance Labeling for Features of Apps for Hearing Health Care) to Characterize Mobile Apps for Hearing Health Care.

Purpose: The aim of the study was to analyze, by using the ALFA4Hearing model (At-a-Glance Labeling for Features of Apps for Hearing Health Care), a sample of apps over a wide range of services in the hearing health care (HHC) domain in order to take a first picture of the current scenario of apps for HHC.

Method: We tested 120 apps, and we characterized them by using the ALFA4Hearing model, which includes 29 features in 5 components (Promoters, Services, Implementation, Users, and Descriptive Information). We analyzed (a) the distribution of the 29 features in the sample, (b) the relationship between the Implementation features and the Services provided by the apps, and (c) the distribution of the 29 features in apps for professional use.

Introduction: Hearing Across the Lifespan (HEAL) 2016.

This introduction overviews this special issue on the Hearing Across the Lifespan (HEAL) conference, which was held in Cernobbio, Italy, June 2-4, 2016.

Clinical Data Reuse or Secondary Use: Current Status and Potential Future Progress.

To perform a review of recent research in clinical data reuse or secondary use, and envision future advances in this field. The review is based on a large literature search in MEDLINE (through PubMed), conference proceedings, and the ACM Digital Library, focusing only on research published between 2005 and early 2016. Each selected publication was reviewed by the authors, and a structured analysis and summarization of its content was developed.

Evolution of Italian Universal Newborn Hearing Screening Programs.

Background: The aim of this study was to evaluate the state of implementation of the Universal Newborn Hearing Screening Programs in Italy and to determine the effect that an ad hoc legislation may have on the percentage of infants screened for detection of hearing impairment in nurseries.

Material And Methods: Italian Newborn Hearing Screening data were obtained during four national surveys (years 2003, 2006, 2008, and 2011). The screening rates obtained by the Regions which adopted or did not adopt a legislation to increase the newborns' coverage were compared.