Abstruct-Correlation functions, calculated on the ultrasonic echoes scattered by blood, provide a rich harvest of information concerning the local speed, which has often been underestimated; in particular, blood flow measurement usually yields only the longitudinal component of the velocity, even if significant information about the speed direction can be extracted. In this paper it is shown how correlation functions, calculated on the dependency of both time and space displacements, allow us to evaluate the angle 0 between ultrasound beam and blood flow; when straight vessels are considered, this single parameter, combined with the longitudinal velocity profile, permits the complete hemodynamic characterization. The underlying theory is developed and preliminary experimental results are presented.

The aim of the present study was the validation of an instrument for evaluating balance, applied to the Tinetti test. Trunk inclination was measured by inclinometers during the Tinetti test in 163 healthy participants scoring 28/28 in the Tinetti scale (controls: 92 women, 71 men; age 19-85 years), and 111 residents in old people's homes, able to autonomously perform the test, but scoring less than 28/28 (test group: 78 women, 33 men; age 55-96 years). Trunk inclination was quantified by 20 parameters, whose standardized values were summed and provided an overall performance index (PTOT). PTOT reliability was evaluated by Cronbach's alpha, and its validity by item scale correlation, discriminant validity and concurrent validity. Influence of age and sex was assessed by a logistic regression model. Repeatable and consistent measurements were obtained (Cronbach's alpha=0.88). Parameter distribution was significantly different in controls and patients (P<0.001). Optimal PTOT threshold for discriminating between normal and abnormal performance (153.9/200) corresponded to sensitivity of 88.3%, specificity of 84.7% and area under the receiver operating characteristics curve of 0.93. PTOT correlated with the Tinetti scale score, its partial, balance-related score and Barthel's Index, but not with the Mini Mental State score. PTOT correlated with age and level of performance but not with sex; correlation with age did not prevent the possibility of discriminating between different levels of performance and between normal and abnormal performance. The instrument provided objective discrimination between different performance levels, in particular, between normal and altered performance.

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Self-adaptive prototype for seat adaptation aims at enhancing the physical comfort of a driver by taking into account not only the state of the environment (state of the road, car settings), but also the driver's emotional, cognitive and physical state. To implement this prototype we used a REFLECTive middleware, which provides a programming framework for the development of pervasive-adaptive applications. The REFLECTive middleware supports selfadaptive behavior and is generally composed of three tiers: Tangible tier contains services that read sensors data and send commands to actuators; REFLECTive tier is responsible for analyzing the data collected from sensors and for defining the actions that will be performed by actuators; Application tier facilitates high-level decision making. The seat adaptation prototype uses the information about Center of Pressure (COP) speed and number of bumps to determine the driver's physical state, and then it combines this information with the driver's cognitive and emotional state to figure out if the driver feels uncomfortable, and to change the state of seat cushions in an attempt to make driver feel more comfortable. The components of the seat adaptation prototype in the REFLECTive and Application tier are implemented using reaction rules.