While mobile applications are becoming so extraordinarily adopted, it is still unclear if they deserve any specific testing approach for their verification and validation. This paper wants to investigate new research directions on mobile applications testing automation, by answering three research questions: (RQ1) are mobile applications (so) different from traditional ones, so to require different and specialized new testing techniques?, (RQ2) what are the new challenges and research directions on testing mobile applications?, and (RQ3) which is the role automation may play in testing mobile applications?. We answer those questions by analyzing the current state of the art in mobile applications development and testing, and by proposing our view on the topic.

Accurate Rayleigh propagation environments within an ideal reverberation chamber (RC) are synthesized computationally using a superposition of plane-waves (PWs). Randomness in the electromagnetic (EM) field distribution is achieved by synthesizing many field realizations featuring slantpolarized PWs with randomly defined transverse field components. These PWs propagate along a large number of predefined and uniformly distributed directions determined only once via an efficient spiraling sampling scheme over the unit sphere. Comparisons with theoretical Rayleigh field statistics indicate that the proposed method yields random EM field distributions that in several cases follow more closely the field spatial correlation properties, for comparable numerical burden, than other available numerical techniques. Finally, a formula relating the number of PWs to the size of a desired RC analysis volume was provided.INDEX TERMS EM field statistics, equipment under test (EUT), numerical methods, plane-waves superposition, Rayleigh propagation, reverberation chambers, spatial correlation.

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Viale dell'Universita', 4 -00185 RomaAbstraCl-This paper l'ep0l1s on extensive expelimental activities and related modelJing fOl" the chUl·acte";.zation of the Ultra-Wide Bandwidth (UWB) challl1el in a typicaJ "sub-urban" envll·0I111ent.We 61"$t pl"Csent the expelimental setup and d�"$c";be the methodology used fOi' channel sOUllding. Then, statistical models are presented, as delived after post-processing of collectt. .. 1 lllld "clt .'lllled" snmples. The main achievements can be sununalized as follows: i) the path-loss exponent ,'ali�'S fl"Om 2.5 to 3.5 llnd depends on the height from the ground Ooor of tmnsmission amI recept.ion equipments, ij) the statistics of the 6J"$t l"Cceived echo in the small-scale llnalysis can he modelled through a LogNol"lnaJ or a Gamma distlibulion; ill ) the delay spl'ead in the small-scale multipath scenalio mnges fl'om 7ns to 32ns. I INTROD CTIONUltra Wide Band (UWB) [2] is an emerging wireless teclUl ology, that is ref erred to as "baseband", "impulse" or "carrier-free", and it has been proposed for unlicensed operat ions over bandwidths spanning everal GHz, provided that the power spectral density of transmi tted signals is adherent to some emi ssion masks (e.g. as specified by the Federal Comm unication Commission in the USA) suggested by coexi stence need s wi th other systems [3] . A typ ical UWB signal [4] is composed by a sequence of ultra short pulses, whose extremely large bandwidth may enhance the capability of receivers to distinguish eventual repli cas due to multipath propa gation in a dispersive wireless medium. Proper combining iel ds a reduction of fa ding severity, as evidenced in e.g. [5]-[7], with reference to indoor scenarios. Relevant issues, such as mul tiple access performance (e.g. [8]) and receiver architecture design (e.g. [9]-[13] fo r au tocorrelation receivers based on transmitted reference or differential approaches), have been addressed in recent li terature. Due 10 its extreme fl exib ility, UWB is currently considered by the res earch commu nity worldwide for many ap plications, ra nging from short range/high rate data communications in WPAN (IEEE 802.15.3 Working Group) to low-costllow-power networking in wireless sensor networks (IEEE 802.15.4 Working Group). One of the objectives of the Work ing Group s activity consists in the selection of appropriate models for the UWB propagation channe l, to be adopted for perfomlance evaluation of transmission schemes . In fa ct, an ac cu ra te channel characterization is vital for UWB transceiver design and for an efficient utilization of system resources (such as fre quency spectrum and transmit power), as the propagation cha nn el may pose fundamental limits on the p erfor mance of any wireless sy stem. Due to the particular format of the transmi l1ed signal (pulses), the richness of multi path compo nents requi res a specific characterization of the prop agation environment. After a call fo r co ntr ibutions, the sub---c ommittee received 10 proposals that were presented at the I "EE 802.1 5.SG3a meet...

Inositol is a natural sugar-like compound, commonly present in many plants and foods. It is involved in several biochemical pathways, most of them controlling vital cellular mechanisms, such as cell development, signaling and nuclear processes, metabolic and endocrine modulation, cell growth, signal transduction, etc. In this narrative review, we focused on the role of inositol in human brain physiology and pathology, with the aim of providing an update on both potential applications and current limits in its use in psychiatric disorders. Overall, imaging and biomolecular studies have shown the role of inositol levels in the pathogenesis of mood disorders. However, when administered as monotherapy or in addition to conventional drugs, inositol did not seem to influence clinical outcomes in both mood and psychotic disorders. Conversely, more encouraging results have emerged for the treatment of panic disorders. We concluded that, despite its multifaceted neurobiological activities and some positive findings, to date, data on the efficacy of inositol in the treatment of psychiatric disorders are still controversial, partly due to the heterogeneity of supporting studies. Therefore, systematic use of inositol in routine clinical practice cannot be recommended yet, although further basic and translational research should be encouraged.