Open Programming Language Interpreters

Context: This paper presents the concept of open programming language interpreters and the implementation of a framework-level metaobject protocol (MOP) to support them. Inquiry: We address the problem of dynamic interpreter adaptation to tailor the interpreter's behavior on the task to be solved and to introduce new features to fulfill unforeseen requirements. Many languages provide a MOP that to some degree supports reflection. However, MOPs are typically language-specific, their reflective functionality is often restricted, and the adaptation and application logic are often mixed which hardens the understanding and maintenance of the source code. Our system overcomes these limitations. Approach: We designed and implemented a system to support open programming language interpreters. The prototype implementation is integrated in the Neverlang framework. The system exposes the structure, behavior and the runtime state of any Neverlang-based interpreter with the ability to modify it. Knowledge: Our system provides a complete control over interpreter's structure, behavior and its runtime state. The approach is applicable to every Neverlang-based interpreter. Adaptation code can potentially be reused across different language implementations. Grounding: Having a prototype implementation we focused on feasibility evaluation. The paper shows that our approach well addresses problems commonly found in the research literature. We have a demonstrative video and examples that illustrate our approach on dynamic software adaptation, aspect-oriented programming, debugging and context-aware interpreters. Importance: To our knowledge, our paper presents the first reflective approach targeting a general framework for language development. Our system provides full reflective support for free to any Neverlang-based interpreter. We are not aware of any prior application of open implementations to programming language interpreters in the sense defined in this paper. Rather than substituting other approaches, we believe our system can be used as a complementary technique in situations where other approaches present serious limitations

Assessing the clinical value of fast onset and sustained duration of action of long-acting bronchodilators for COPD

Date of Aceptance: 12/02/2015 Acknowledgments The authors were assisted in the preparation of the manuscript by Sarah Filcek, a professional medical writer at CircleScience (Tytherington, UK), part of KnowledgePoint360, an Ashfield Company. This assistance was funded by Novartis Pharmaceuticals. Copyright © 2015. Published by Elsevier Ltd.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Back to the roots of socially constructed disaster risk. Revisioning and envisioning disaster aid and governance

L'abstract è presente nell'allegato / the abstract is in the attachmen

Should the Choice of a Long-Acting Bronchodilator in the Long-Term Therapy of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Depend Entirely on the Onset of Action?

n/

Towards a framework for environmental risk assessment of CCS: subsea engineering systems

Nowadays, we are observing a continuous rise in trends of greenhouse gasses’ concentration in the atmosphere, especially of carbon dioxide, and this is, in great part, attributable to human activities. The first detrimental effects on climate have already been observed and ever more long-term changes in weather patterns should be expected if no concrete action to contrast these trends is put in practice. The scientific community is thus suggesting innovative and practical solutions for both mitigating climate change and adapting to its impacts: carbon capture and storage (CCS) is one such option. CCS involves capturing carbon dioxide (CO2) from power plants, industrial activities and any other sources of CO2 and storing it in a geological formation. The appeal of this technique resides in the fact that CCS is able to combine the use of fossil fuels, on which our society still relies a lot, with the environmental exigency to cut carbon dioxide’s emissions. However, despite the interesting mitigation option offered by CCS, there is the impelling need, as for any other human activity, to assess and manage risk; this work is intended to do so. The focus is, more precisely, on marine environmental risk posed by CO2 leakages, as how this risk should be addressed still represents a largely debated topic. Specific risks can be associated to each of the stages of a CCS system (capture, transport and storage). The focus of this work is on the subsea engineering system, thus, offshore pipelines (transport) and injection / plugged and abandoned wells (part of the storage). The aim of this work is to start approaching the development of a complete and standardized practical procedure to perform a quantified environmental risk assessment for CCS, with reference to the specific activities mentioned above. Such an effort would be of extreme relevance not only for companies willing to implement CCS, as a methodological guidance, but also, by uniformizing the ERA procedure, to begin changing people’s perception about CCS, that happens to be often discredited due to the evident lack of systematized methods to assess the impacts on the marine environment. The backbone structure of the framework developed sees the integration of ERA’s main steps, which are the problem formulation, exposure assessment, effect assessment and risk characterization, and those belonging to the well-known quantified risk assessment (QRA). This, in practice, meant giving relevance to the identification of possible hazards, before the fate of CO2 in seawater could be described (exposure assessment), and estimating the frequencies of the leakage scenarios, in order to finally describe risk as a combination of magnitude of the consequences and their frequency. The framework developed by this work is, however, at a preliminary stage, as not every single aspect has been dealt with in the required detail, thus, several alternative options are presented to be used depending on the situation. Further specific studies should address their accuracy and efficiency and solve the knowledge gaps emerged, in order to establish and validate a final and complete procedure. Regardless of the knowledge gaps and uncertainties, that surely need to be addressed, this preliminary framework can already find some relevance in on field applications, as a non-stringent guidance to perform CCS ERA, and, anyways, it constitutes the foundation of the final framework

Introducing COPD Research and Practice

n/

Innovative chemical recycling systems for textile waste

openL'industria tessile è uno dei settori più importanti dell'economia globale, ma anche uno dei più impattanti sul nostro pianeta. Il riciclaggio dei residui tessili sta guadagnando attenzione a causa dei notevoli rifiuti generati da questo settore e per avvicinarsi agli obiettivi dell'economia circolare. A differenza del riciclo meccanico, il riciclo chimico dei tessuti ha il potenziale per produrre materiali di qualità e valore pari a quelli ottenuti da materie prime vergini. Questa tesi intraprende un'esplorazione di metodi innovativi di riciclo chimico delle fibre, con l'obiettivo di rivoluzionare le pratiche eco-compatibili nell'industria tessile. L'obiettivo primario è stato quello di ricercare e sperimentare nuovi metodi innovativi di riciclo chimico su fibre a base di cotone, esplorando anche pretrattamenti innovativi per rimuovere il colore dai flussi di rifiuti tessili, prima del riciclo chimico. È stata valutata l'efficacia dei pretrattamenti e il loro impatto sul riciclo chimico delle fibre di cotone.The textile industry is one of the most important sectors in the global economy but also one of the most impactful on our planet. Recycling of textile residues waste has been gaining attention due to the significant waste generated by this sector and in order to move closer to the Circular Economy goals. In contrast with mechanical recycling, chemical recycling of textiles holds the potential to yield materials of equal quality and value as products from virgin feedstock. This thesis embarks on an exploration of innovative chemical recycling fiber methods, aiming to revolutionize eco-friendly practices in the textile industry. The primary objective was to research and experiment new innovative chemical recycling method on cotton-based fibres, including exploring innovative pre-treatments to remove the colour from the textile waste streams, prior to the chemical recycling. The effectiveness of the pre-treatments was evaluated, as well as its impact on cotton fibres chemical recycling