Editorial: Hydroinformatics for water distribution systems analysis and management

Urban water distribution systems (WDS) analysis and management is a very complex challenge for researchers and technicians. Such a labyrinth contains numerous processes, sub-processes, states of being with their associated causative factors, feedback loops and interrelationships (Colombo & Karney 2003). This special issue is an occasion to study and analyse specific processes in the broader and stronger view of the entire labyrinth. The selected papers focus on some of the most important problems of urban WDS management, trying to help orientate researchers and planners, like Theseus and the Minotaur, in the labyrinth of the various concerns and processes involved in urban WDS planning (Figure 1). Figure 1 The labyrinth of WDS (modified by Macaulay 1976). This issue contains 10 papers that have been selected among those presented at the 16th Conference on Water Distribution System Analysis, WDSA 2014 (Bari, Italy, 14-17 July 2014), as very interesting studies and applications of Hydroinformatics techniques to WDS analysis and management. The selected papers have been fully rewritten, completed and improved and have undergone a rigorous peer-review process. The key points of the issue are

SUSTAINABLE CROP MANAGEMENT MODEL IN SYRIAN STRATEGIC CROPS THE EXPERIENCE OF THE COOPERATION PROJECT RATIONALIZATION OF RAS EL AIN IRRIGATION SYSTEMS

N° ISBN - 978-2-7380-1284-5International audienceThis paper reports the main results of an integrated initiative of international technical cooperation in agriculture financed by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and jointly implemented by the CIHEAM MAI Bari and the Syrian Ministries of Irrigation and of Agriculture and Agrarian Reform. The project entitled: “Rationalization of Ras El Ain Irrigation Systems” started in January 2005 and ended in March 2008. The project was aimed at addressing the problem of water resources scarcity in the project area of Ras El Ain, around the springs of Al Khabour, located in the Hassakeh province (North Mesopotamia) of the Syrian Arab Republic. During the project implementation, a real field experience was carried out involving national and international researchers, local officers and technicians, and local farmers as direct beneficiaries. An appropriate sustainable model concerning the crop management practice was elaborated to save both water resources and production inputs for cotton and wheat. In this paper the main results of this innovative cooperation approach in a multiethnic context are presented

Asset deterioration analysis using multi-utility data and multi-objective data mining

Physically-based models derive from first principles (e.g. physical laws) and rely on known variables and parameters. Because these have physical meaning, they also explain the underlying relationships of the system and are usually transportable from one system to another as a structural entity. They only require model parameters to be updated. Data-driven or regressive techniques involve data mining for modelling and one of the major drawbacks of this is that the functional form describing relationships between variables and the numerical parameters is not transportable to other physical systems as is the case with their classical physically-based counterparts. Aimed at striking a balance, Evolutionary Polynomial Regression (EPR) offers a way to model multi-utility data of asset deterioration in order to render model structures transportable across physical systems. EPR is a recently developed hybrid regression method providing symbolic expressions for models and works with formulae based on pseudo-polynomial expressions, usually in a multi-objective scenario where the best Pareto optimal models (parsimony versus accuracy) are selected from data in a single case study. This article discusses the improvement of EPR in dealing with multi-utility data (multi-case study) where it has been tried to achieve a general model structure for asset deterioration prediction across different water systems

Generalizing WDN simulation models to variable tank levels

In water distribution network (WDN) steady-state modelling, tanks and reservoirs are modelled as nodes with known heads. As a result, the tank levels are upgraded after every steady-state simulation (snapshot) using external mass balance equations in extended period simulation (EPS). This approach can give rise to numerical instabilities, especially when tanks are in close proximity. In order to obtain a stable EPS model, an unsteady formulation of the WDN model has recently introduced. This work presents an extension of the steady-state WDN model, both for demand-driven and pressure-driven analyses, allowing the direct prediction of head variation of tank nodes with respect to an initial state. Head variations at those nodes are introduced as internal unknowns in the model, the variation of tank levels can be analyzed in the single steady-state simulation and EPS can be performed as a sequence of simulations without the need for external mass balances. The extension of mass balance at tank nodes allows the analysis of some technically relevant demand components. Furthermore, inlet and outlet head losses at tank nodes are introduced and large cross-sectional tank areas are allowed by the model and reservoirs become a special case of tanks. The solution algorithm is the generalized-global gradient algorithm (G-GGA), although the proposed WDN model generalization is universal

Le trasformazioni di un’area di frontiera del Mezzogiorno medievale (secoli IX-X). Il principato di Salerno e i territori del confine calabro-lucano: assetto istituzionale e gerarchie sociali

2008 - 2009The purpose and originality of the research focus on a systematic study on a wide and complex peripheral territory such as the south-eastern area of the Principality of Salerno and of those areas hardly disputed both with Lucania and the current area around Cosenza (Calabria). A further goal is to show the institutional transformations that occurred in the 9th and 10th century while defining the civilian and ecclesiastical systems in the given areas. Despite the importance of the area, nobody has ever carried out an in-depth analysis and the topic was only vaguely touched on or completely avoided. The reasons for this are a lack of sources and of an interdisciplinary commitment aiming at using different sources (documents, chronicles, hagiographies) and archaeological evidence from excavations in the area in order to compensate. The study relied on expertise in different fields, a critical approach to the sources, to diplomatics and to Greek and Latin Paleographies. The political and institutional autonomy of Lombards from the South avoids the spreading of Carolingian habits commonly in use in the rest of the Western Empire such as the feudatorybeneficial relationship or the Cortense dual system based on the obligation of workmanship. The practice of political favouritism in Southern principalities is based on giving out positions and public titles, funds political and personal relationships that are different from those typical of the Frank feudalism. A key element to establish the balance of powers in Southern Lombardian territories is the influence of the city and imperial aristocracy at the expense of the royal power, weak and unable to stop these elites. It is limited to the Palace and the Royal Court. The power is split equally between prince and aristocracy, not on a vertical hierarchy like in byzantine administration or in the many different institutions in Northern Italy. Territorial administration is under responsibility of Chamberlains, who originally may have been officers related to fiscal assets, that during the 9th century, after the Byzantine reconquest and under the influence of Ludwig II, take a more political and military connotation related to strategic areas. Earlier than in the north, the most important Chamberlains gain here the title of count. It’s an honorific title not related to the exercise of feudal powers like in the rest of Italy. Starting from the 10th century the power of the prince is centralized and strengthened. The palace in Salerno plays now a major institutional role. Rural land officers practice within the palace even if the controversy involves farmers. The influence of the prince is clear and stronger in the reorganization of peripheral districts (Cilento above them all)... [edited by Author]VIII n.s

Role of YAP/TAZ in cell plasticity

The employment of somatic stem cells (SCs) as therapeutic elements is an important goal in the field of regenerative medicine. However, this is hampered by the fact that tissue stem cells are rare, difficult to purify and maintain in culture. Direct conversion of terminally differentiated cells back into their corresponding stem cells could provide a great effort in this sense. Here we show that ectopic YAP/TAZ expression in primary luminal differentiated cells of the mammary gland epithelium stably converts them into cells that display molecular and functional traits of mammary gland stem cells such as self-renewal, self-organization into structure that resemble the mammary gland in vitro and mammary gland reconstitution ability

Data-mining approach to investigate sedimentation features in combined sewer overflows

Sedimentation is the most common and effectively practiced method of urban drainage control in terms of operating installations and duration of service. Assessing the percentage of suspended solids removed after a given detention time is essential for both design and management purposes. In previous experimental studies by some of the authors, the expression of iso-removal curves (i.e. representing the water depth where a given percentage of suspended solids is removed after a given detention time in a sedimentation column) has been demonstrated to depend on two parameters which describe particle settling velocity and flocculation factor. This study proposes an investigation of the influence of some hydrological and pollutant aggregate information of the sampled events on both parameters. The Multi-Objective (EPR-MOGA) and Multi-Case Strategy (MCS-EPR) variants of the Evolutionary Polynomial Regression (EPR) are originally used as data-mining strategies. Results are proved to be consistent with previous findings in the field and some indications are drawn for relevant practical applicability and future studies

Ensemble modeling approach for rainfall/groundwater balancing

This paper introduces an application of machine learning, on real data. It deals with Ensemble Modeling, a simple averaging method for obtaining more reliable approximations using symbolic regression. Considerations on the contribution of bias and variance to the total error, and ensemble methods to reduce errors due to variance, have been tackled together with a specific application of ensemble modeling to hydrological forecasts. This work provides empirical evidence that genetic programming can greatly benefit from this approach in forecasting and simulating physical phenomena. Further considerations have been taken into account, such as the influence of Genetic Programming parameter settings on the model's performance

Towards serious gaming for water distribution networks sizing: a teaching experiment

Abstract Real-life engineering problems relate to different technical aspects to be considered at the same time. Traditional teaching techniques for engineering students (i.e., future decision-makers for such problems) sometimes need to be supplemented to convey this complexity, and thus innovative approaches are needed. A new and useful approach allowing a more intuitive understanding of real-life problems is serious gaming (SG), which combines a game environment and utility functions to address real problems. This paper describes a first attempt to use SG to help engineering students learn and deal with the complexities of designing water distribution networks given multiple objectives and uncertainty. This application of SG relates to five benchmark water distribution networks, and students were asked to find the optimal value of pipe diameters to minimize the capital cost of pipes. The results of the experiment show that students learn in less time how to design water distribution networks while enjoying the experience. Most students found the approach useful, claiming that the difficulty in approaching the pipe sizing problem decreased considerably as the practice of the game increases. The results of the experiment suggest that SG may have value in learning how to design other engineering systems