Investigating the COVID-19 vaccine discussions on Twitter through a multilayer network-based approach.

Modeling discussions on social networks is a challenging task, especially if we consider sensitive topics, such as politics or healthcare. However, the knowledge hidden in these debates helps to investigate trends and opinions and to identify the cohesion of users when they deal with a specific topic. To this end, we propose a general multilayer network approach to investigate discussions on a social network. In order to prove the validity of our model, we apply it on a Twitter dataset containing tweets concerning opinions on COVID-19 vaccines. We extract a set of relevant hashtags (i.e., gold-standard hashtags) for each line of thought (i.e., pro-vaxxer, neutral, and anti-vaxxer). Then, thanks to our multilayer network model, we figure out that the anti-vaxxers tend to have ego networks denser (+14.39%) and more cohesive (+64.2%) than the ones of pro-vaxxer, which leads to a higher number of interactions among anti-vaxxers than pro-vaxxers (+393.89%). Finally, we report a comparison between our approach and one based on single networks analysis. We prove the effectiveness of our model to extract influencers having ego networks with more nodes (+40.46%), edges (+39.36%), and interactions with their neighbors (+28.56%) with respect to the other approach. As a result, these influential users are much more important to analyze and can provide more valuable information.

A machine learning based sentient multimedia framework to increase safety at work.

In the last few decades, we have witnessed an increasing focus on safety in the workplace. ICT has always played a leading role in this context. One ICT sector that is increasingly important in ensuring safety at work is the Internet of Things and, in particular, the new architectures referring to it, such as SIoT, MIoT and Sentient Multimedia Systems. All these architectures handle huge amounts of data to extract predictive and prescriptive information. For this purpose, they often make use of Machine Learning. In this paper, we propose a framework that uses both Sentient Multimedia Systems and Machine Learning to support safety in the workplace. After the general presentation of the framework, we describe its specialization to a particular case, i.e., fall detection. As for this application scenario, we describe a Machine Learning based wearable device for fall detection that we designed, built and tested. Moreover, we illustrate a safety coordination platform for monitoring the work environment, activating alarms in case of falls, and sending appropriate advices to help workers involved in falls.

Leveraging network analysis to support experts in their analyses of subjects with MCI and AD.

In this paper, we propose a network analysis-based approach to help experts in their analyses of subjects with mild cognitive impairment (hereafter, MCI) and Alzheimer's disease (hereafter, AD) and to investigate the evolution of these subjects over time. The inputs of our approach are the electroencephalograms (hereafter, EEGs) of the patients to analyze, performed at a certain time and, again, 3 months later. Given an EEG of a subject, our approach constructs a network with nodes that represent the electrodes and edges that denote connections between electrodes. Then, it applies several network-based techniques allowing the investigation of subjects with MCI and AD and the analysis of their evolution over time. (i) A connection coefficient, supporting experts to distinguish patients with MCI from patients with AD; (ii) A conversion coefficient, supporting experts to verify if a subject with MCI is converting to AD; (iii) Some network motifs, i.e., network patterns very frequent in one kind of patient and absent, or very rare, in the other. Patients with AD, just by the very nature of their condition, cannot be forced to stay motionless while undergoing examinations for a long time. EEG is a non-invasive examination that can be easily done on them. Since AD and MCI, if prodromal to AD, are associated with a loss of cortical connections, the adoption of network analysis appears suitable to investigate the effects of the progression of the disease on EEG. This paper confirms the suitability of this idea Graphical Abstract Ability of our proposed model to distinguish a control subject from a patient with MCI and a patient with AD. Blue edges represent strong connections among the corresponding brain areas; red edges denote middle connections, whereas green edges indicate weak connections. In the control subject (at the top), most connections are blue. In the patient with MCI (at the middle), most connections are red and green. In the patient with AD (at the bottom), most connections are either absent or green. .

Building Topic-Driven Virtual IoTs in a Multiple IoTs Scenario.

In the last years, several attempts to combine the Internet of Things (IoT) and social networking have been made. In the meantime, things involved in IoT are becoming increasingly sophisticated and intelligent, showing a behavior that tends to look like the one of users in social networks. Therefore, it is not out of place to talk about profiles of things and about information and topics exchanged among them. In such a context, constructing topic-driven virtual communities starting from the real ones operating in a Multi-IoT scenario is an extremely challenging issue. This paper aims at providing some contributions in this setting. First of all, it presents the concept of profile of a thing. Then, it introduces the concept of topic-guided virtual IoT. Finally, it illustrates two approaches (one supervised and one unsupervised) to constructing topic-guided virtual IoTs in a Multi-IoT scenario.