SITOGEO: A geographic database used for GIS applications

This contribution aims to present the geographic database “SITOGEO” developed with GIS technology. This database manages data of different nature, source and resolution (land images, digital elevation model, cartographic maps and vector data) covering the whole of Italy. In this paper we show that our database can be used for the assessment, management and mitigation of risks regarding the preservation of cultural heritage and as valid support for the remote-sensing technologies

Key-Drivers to design urban mobility services for silver age and age-friendly cities.

The vision regarding ageing is often influenced by negative stereotypes, which lead to considering the over-55 user only in need of targeted assistance and care. Observing the current situation, this view should be no longer exhaustive: they are active users, capable of exercising agency, with needs and desires beyond care and assistance, and bearers of experience and knowledge. It is therefore clear that design strategies to develop services for this user group must necessarily broaden their horizons and begin to consider areas that have been scarcely explored. The contribution focuses on the topic of urban mobility and proposes a preliminary analysis process, based on the scientific literature and on the analysis of case studies to highlight good design practices, and carried out within a joint research platform, whose structure, functions, and role is also highlighted. Lastly, it proposes a mapping of design directions to be applied to implement age-friendly solutions

The culture of the project in view of new synergies for the (r)evolution of the healthcare sector

The contemporary era, defined by Schwad (2015) as the "Fourth Industrial Revolution '' is the era that is outlined on the theme of major innovations and a growth of technologies of exponential type. At the social level, we are witnessing a progressive aging of the population, aging or rejuvenation, as some would argue (OECD, 2020). Technological growth and innovation is evolving the standards of health in which the population falls, is reshaping life expectancy and with it, also the age of seniority. Technological growth and population increase bring with them clear concerns about health management: we will face an increasing number of chronic diseases, and the demand for higher standards of personalized care, precision medicine, regenerative medicine, all of which will increase demands and put great stress on our health systems. The two years marked by the Covid-19 pandemic have already provided us with a demonstration of the consequences associated with extremes of demand for care. The Fourth Industrial Revolution, which holds the advent of Information Technologies and Artificial Intelligence, tells us of a future that will see an increasing interaction between humans, machines and computational intelligences, to alleviate us and empower our existence. This era will also speak about the increasingly imperative need to assert in the design treatment the component of acceptance and exaltation of human values in order to mitigate the possible outcomes of human alienation in the face of indefinable technological availability. Also in this case we can refer to the examples of degenerations resulting from the Covid-19 pandemic, with generalizing crisis phenomena and dismissive visions from the surrounding reality, such as the No-Vax, movements or other phenomena of technological alienation as in the case of the increase in the percentage of adolescents now in a cycle of self-induced isolation. Considering the areas of light and shadow of the challenges of our future, it is clear how we will need the increasingly synergistic action of the various disciplines of human knowledge, in order to arrive at the delineation of a correct exploitation of human values. With regard to this, the discipline of design, understood as that discipline useful to generate with efficiency, a bridge between technological innovation and human interaction, will be fundamental as able to bring positive and empathic elements to the design, to derive a generalized improvement in the quality of life, and in the case of healthcare, of care. Our research highlights the etymologically new figure of the "Medical Designer" and asserts in the design process new functions on the theme of medical devices: among them, the theme of autonomy and automation. In full response to the "trend" and aimed at assimilating to the already established potential of industries, they will be crucial elements of designs and investments of new devices. The research that derives from it has had practical implications arriving at the definition of forms of care that subjugate in a single device both the function of reading parameters, and the function of administration of care

Performance modeling of ultraviolet Raman lidar systems for daytime profiling of atmospheric water vapor

We describe preliminary results from a comprehensive computer model developed to guide optimization of a Raman lidar system for measuring daytime profiles of atmospheric water vapor, emphasizing an ultraviolet, solar-blind approach

A morphometric model of the Aeolian Islands (Italy)

A Digital Elevation Model (DEM) of the Aeolian Islands (Southern Tyrrhenian Sea, Italy) is presented, with a 5 m horizontal resolution, derived from photograms at a relative medium scale of 1:35000, collected during an aerophotogrammetric flight in 1994-5. The seada tacome from ah ydrographic survey (1996-1997) of the seabed topography, carried out in accordance with present international standards. The sounding density of the bathymetric survey varies: it is more accurate near the coasts and in areas of structural interest. Previous bathymetric surveys, when available, were limited to small areas. The present DEM is enclosed in arecta ngle with limits of longitude 14◦16�'32"-15◦22'51"E and latitude 38◦20'55"-38◦53'50"N. The DEM of the islands and of the seabed, merged together, is presented here for the first time. The shadowed raster images of the DEM clearly outline the structural and volcanological features of the archipelago

Enhance local communities through Design: a holistic approach to regenerate rural environments

The advent of the technological revolution and the current aspiration to reconnect with the land define possibilities for thinking new connections between individuals and communities. These relations are geared towards developing regenerative endeavors and methods, ultimately leading to the establishment of collective well-being. Within rural environments, there is a propensity to develop strategies that include substantial lifestyle changes. These strategies operate employing practices and actions that, through co-design, aim to revitalize the local area. Through different approaches, the concepts of value and trust are nurtured, facilitating collaborative design of possible futures and transitional pathways to them. The objective of this study is to introduce a theoretical framework that encompasses the distinctive methodologies and actions inherent to the realm of design. This framework is intended to become a guide for implementing inventive processes, with the goal of revitalizing areas that are struggling with both social neglect and environmental deterioration. The activities conducted until now increased the experiences of relations with communities of place, creating meaningful opportunities, but also highlighting limitations and difficulties in intercommunity relations

Reduction of hydraulic losses in a piston pump

The hydraulic losses are the decrease in energy of the fluid due to vortex formation, friction between the fluid and the pipe, changing the flow of fluid. The decrease in energy of the fluid, in turn, leads to the following consequences: decrease efficiency, increase energy consumption and decrease cavitation stock pump. The main danger in a piston pump is to reduce cavitation stock. This leads to boiling of water by pressure reduction and rapid destruction the flow part of the pump

How Data Set Characteristics Influence Ocean Carbon Export Models

Ocean biological processes mediate the transport of roughly 10 petagrams of carbon from the surface to the deep ocean each year and thus play an important role in the global carbon cycle. Even so, the globally integrated rate of carbon export out of the surface ocean remains highly uncertain. Quantifying the processes underlying this biological carbon export requires a synthesis between model predictions and available observations of particulate organic carbon (POC) flux; yet the scale dissimilarities between models and observations make this synthesis difficult. Here we compare carbon export predictions from a mechanistic model with observations of POC fluxes from several data sets compiled from the literature spanning different space, time, and depth scales as well as using different observational methodologies. We optimize model parameters to provide the best match between model‐predicted and observed POC fluxes, explicitly accounting for sources of error associated with each data set. Model‐predicted globally integrated values of POC flux at the base of the euphotic layer range from 3.8 to 5.5 Pg C/year, depending on the data set used to optimize the model. Modeled carbon export pathways also vary depending on the data set used to optimize the model, as well as the satellite net primary production data product used to drive the model. These findings highlight the importance of collecting field data that average over the substantial natural temporal and spatial variability in carbon export fluxes, and advancing satellite algorithms for ocean net primary production, in order to improve predictions of biological carbon export

Two-pulse rapid remote surface contamination measurement.

This project demonstrated the feasibility of a 'pump-probe' optical detection method for standoff sensing of chemicals on surfaces. Such a measurement uses two optical pulses - one to remove the analyte (or a fragment of it) from the surface and the second to sense the removed material. As a particular example, this project targeted photofragmentation laser-induced fluorescence (PF-LIF) to detect of surface deposits of low-volatility chemical warfare agents (LVAs). Feasibility was demonstrated for four agent surrogates on eight realistic surfaces. Its sensitivity was established for measurements on concrete and aluminum. Extrapolations were made to demonstrate relevance to the needs of outside users. Several aspects of the surface PF-LIF physical mechanism were investigated and compared to that of vapor-phase measurements. The use of PF-LIF as a rapid screening tool to 'cue' more specific sensors was recommended. Its sensitivity was compared to that of Raman spectroscopy, which is both a potential 'confirmer' of PF-LIF 'hits' and is also a competing screening technology