ABSTRACT
COVID-19 pandemic has forced schools to accelerate their digitalization process, causing an exacerbation of pre-existing educational disparities and a worldwide increase of students affected by mental health issues. In response to these severe issues, the OECD calls for the adoption of inclusive education strategies addressing both learning and emotional issues. This paper aims to illustrate how specific adoptions of arts education could effectively implement such strategies. Moreover, it will introduce the readers to the goals and future results of InCrea+, a European project aiming to provide an innovative method of inclusive education and promotion of wellbeing through arts education. © 2022, North American Business Press. All rights reserved.
ABSTRACT
This paper presents the Mechanical Ventilator Milano (MVM), a novel intensive therapy mechanical ventilator designed for rapid, large-scale, low-cost production for the COVID-19 pandemic. Free of moving mechanical parts and requiring only a source of compressed oxygen and medical air to operate, the MVM is designed to support the long-term invasive ventilation often required for COVID-19 patients and operates in pressure-regulated ventilation modes, which minimize the risk of furthering lung trauma. The MVM was extensively tested against ISO standards in the laboratory using a breathing simulator, with good agreement between input and measured breathing parameters and performing correctly in response to fault conditions and stability tests. The MVM has obtained Emergency Use Authorization by U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for use in healthcare settings during the COVID-19 pandemic and Health Canada Medical Device Authorization for Importation or Sale, under Interim Order for Use in Relation to COVID-19. Following these certifications, mass production is ongoing and distribution is under way in several countries. The MVM was designed, tested, prepared for certification, and mass produced in the space of a few months by a unique collaboration of respiratory healthcare professionals and experimental physicists, working with industrial partners, and is an excellent ventilator candidate for this pandemic anywhere in the world.