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Perspective in 3D mesenchymal stromal cells as tools for potential diabetes treatment
(2026-04) Dallatana, Alessia; Cremonesi, Linda; Coato, Damiano; Innamorati, Giulio; Giacomello, Luca; Department of Engineering
Background and purpose: Diabetes represents one of the major global health issues, and the number of cases is expected to increase dramatically in the coming years. In the new century, many strategies have been developed to meet the urge for new therapies through technological innovations. Innovative pharmacological treatments, such as electronic insulin pumps, represent one of the gold standards for diabetes, even if cell replacement therapy is preferred in the most severe cases. Mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) can be differentiated into insulin-producing cells or islet-like cell clusters. Consequently, understanding the role of the extracellular matrix and three-dimensional (3D) structure in guiding MSC differentiation is crucial for advancing regenerative therapies. Experimental approach: The literature was examined using Google Scholar, PubMed, and Scopus, analyzing the pertinence with the focus of this manuscript. Findings: MSCs derived from birth tissues are characterized by a high level of plasticity and represent the best candidates for regenerative treatments. Together with MSCs, 3D approaches can be integrated to obtain complex structures supporting many biological requirements, namely the possibility of reproducing better physiological conditions, as well as supporting vascular network development. Furthermore, the incorporation of extracellular matrix components like laminin and collagen IV into hydrogels has been shown to enhance the insulin secretion and survival of insulin-producing cells. Conclusions and implications: In this review, we present an overview of the different strategies applied as of today in regenerative medicine, by unraveling the different cellular and matrix characteristics that can be crucial for future and potential diabetes treatment. Ultimately, the convergence of MSC biology with advanced 3D bioprinting and biomaterial science holds significant promise for creating a functional, implantable bioartificial pancreas to treat diabetes.
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Dark patterns in online gambling : A scoping review and classification of deceptive design practices
(2026-03) McGarrigle, Jack; Smith, Jessica; Griffiths, Joe; Torrance, Jamie; Quigley, Martyn; Dymond, Simon; Department of Psychology
Background and Aims: Dark patterns are online platform design features that influence consumer behaviour to the advantage of the interface designer. In online gambling, such designs may exacerbate gambling-related harms, particularly among vulnerable consumers. This study aims to provide the first scoping review of dark patterns in online gambling.MethodsFollowing established scoping review frameworks, we systematically searched databases and grey literature using terms related to dark patterns and online gambling. The review protocol was preregistered.ResultsIncluded articles (n = 16) addressed a variety of gambling-related dark patterns: hidden gambling management tools, inducements with complex conditions, minimum balances required to withdraw funds, unnecessary frictions involved in closing an account, high defaults in stake, deposit, reality check and deposit limit settings, and urgency-based gambling prompts. To address inconsistent terminology across studies, we synthesised existing literature by mapping identified dark patterns to a transdisciplinary framework, providing greater conceptual clarity and direction for future research.Discussions and conclusionsThe potential for harm from dark patterns is evident, yet evidence on behavioural impacts is limited, hindered by restricted access to proprietary gambling operator data. Research in this area is sparse and fragmented, often using inconsistent terminology. Future studies should empirically investigate the influence of dark patterns on consumer behaviour, especially among vulnerable populations, and evaluate safer design alternatives. We recommend mandating gambling operators to collaborate with researchers to assess platform safety, and shifting the burden of proof onto operators to demonstrate that their platforms prioritise consumer safety and foster responsible gambling environments.
Verk
Farewell to Dieter Riemann—Gratitude of the ESRS
(2026-02) Arnardottir, Erna Sif; Landolt, Hans Peter; Department of Engineering
Verk
Validation-Aware Surrogate Shortlisting for Biomedical Microwave Imaging : Analytical Performance and FDTD Transfer
(2026-08) Wang, Lulu; Department of Engineering
Broadband antenna, frequency and channel selection requires efficient prioritisation of finite candidate configurations, yet strong surrogate performance within a simplified analytical model does not ensure that the learned ordering will transfer to another electromagnetic representation. This study developed a validation-aware surrogate-shortlisting framework using a controlled breast-mimetic benchmark comprising 120 scenarios and 80 antenna–frequency–channel candidates per scenario. Surrogate models were developed using grouped scenario-level validation, and the model and five-candidate shortlist policy were frozen before external evaluation. Random forest produced the lowest-regret analytical-domain shortlist and remained stable across model-initialisation seeds. The frozen ranking was then challenged on held-out scenarios using a separately implemented restricted two-dimensional transverse-magnetic finite-difference time-domain model. Although numerical-reference checks supported shortlist-level use of the operational grid, candidate ordering did not transfer reliably: optimum inclusion, shortlist agreement and rank association were weak, although a qualified candidate within 2 mm of the finite-library FDTD optimum was retained in 58.3% of cases. Transfer failure varied by frequency band and channel family, while incomplete alignment between the analytical and FDTD candidate libraries prevented attribution of the discrepancy to electromagnetic-model shift alone. The framework therefore positions analytical surrogates as auditable shortlisting tools that reduce downstream candidate-level assessment while retaining independent electromagnetic evaluation before final design selection.
Verk
Uncertainty Aware-Predictive Control Barrier Functions : Safer human–robot interaction through probabilistic motion forecasting
(2026-03) Busellato, Lorenzo; Cunico, Federico; Dall'Alba, Diego; Emporio, Marco; Giachetti, Andrea; Muradore, Riccardo; Cristani, Marco
To enable flexible, high-throughput automation in settings where people and robots share workspaces, collaborative robotic cells must reconcile stringent safety guarantees with the need for responsive and effective behavior. A dynamic obstacle is the stochastic, task-dependent variability of human motion: when robots fall back on purely reactive or worst-case envelopes, they brake unnecessarily, stall task progress, and tamper with the fluidity that true Human–Robot Interaction (HRI) demands. In recent years, learning-based human-motion prediction has rapidly advanced, although most approaches produce worst-case scenario forecasts that often do not treat prediction uncertainty in a well-structured way, resulting in over-conservative planning algorithms, limiting their flexibility. This paper introduces Uncertainty-Aware Predictive Control Barrier Functions (UA-PCBFs), a unified framework that fuses probabilistic human hand motion forecasting with the formal safety guarantees of Control Barrier Functions (CBFs). In contrast to CBFs and other variants, our framework allows for a dynamic adjustment of the safety margin thanks to the human motion uncertainty estimation provided by the deep-learning forecasting module. Thanks to the awareness of prediction uncertainty, UA-PCBFs empower collaborative robots with a deeper understanding of future human states, facilitating more fluid and intelligent interactions through informed motion planning. Our key contribution is the first integration of epistemic prediction uncertainty directly into predictive CBFs, dynamically adjusting safety margins based on forecast confidence without assumptions about uncertainty evolution. We validate UA-PCBFs through comprehensive real-world experiments with an increasing level of realism, including automated setups (to perform exactly repeatable motions) with a robotic hand and direct human–robot interactions (to validate promptness, usability, and human confidence). Relative to state-of-the-art HRI architectures, UA-PCBFs show better performance in task-critical metrics, significantly reducing the number of violations of the robot's safe space during interaction with respect to the state-of-the-art. Data and code will be released upon acceptance.

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