Analysis and characterization of residential and non-residential water consumption at different levels of spatio-temporal detail

Incremento demografico, urbanizzazione e cambiamenti climatici stanno esercitando una pressione sempre maggiore sulle risorse idriche. In questo contesto, conoscere le distribuzioni spazio-temporali delle richieste idriche con elevato grado di dettaglio risulta essenziale per lo sviluppo di strategie finalizzate a garantire le attuali e future condizioni di domanda, sviluppare tecnologie per il risparmio idrico e promuovere iniziative di sensibilizzazione a un utilizzo consapevole. Alla luce di ciò, la recente letteratura si è arricchita di numerosi studi finalizzati a investigare i consumi idrici, fino al livello di utilizzi finali dell’acqua (end uses) e con particolare riferimento al settore residenziale, mancando tuttavia di un’analisi dettagliata degli studi esistenti, inclusiva di un confronto sistematico e di un’elaborazione omnicomprensiva dei dati riportati. Inoltre, la maggior parte dei metodi recentemente sviluppati per ottenere dati di consumo idrico a livello di end use partendo dalle informazioni raccolte a livello di intera unità abitativa risulta generalmente in grado di elaborare solo dati a risoluzioni temporali difficilmente a disposizione dei gestori idrici. Nondimeno, ad oggi, solo un numero limitato di studi ha investigato i consumi idrici in contesti non residenziali o le variazioni di consumo a fronte di circostanze straordinarie quali catastrofi o pandemie. La presente tesi si ripropone di contribuire alla caratterizzazione dei consumi idrici residenziali e non residenziali con elevato grado di dettaglio spazio-temporale e sotto diverse condizioni di domanda idrica. In primis, viene condotta un’analisi estensiva di più di cento pubblicazioni sui consumi idrici residenziali a livello end use, alla quale segue una discussione sistematica dei relativi contenuti e risultati proposti, con al fine di approfondire le caratteristiche di consumo residenziale in diversi contesti del mondo ed evidenziarne gli aspetti maggiormente investigati. Si presenta, altresì, una metodologia per la disaggregazione di dati di consumo idrico monitorato a livello di unità abitativa e la relativa classificazione nei diversi end use. La metodologia, basata su dati a una risoluzione temporale simile a quella della maggior parte degli smart meter tipicamente a disposizione dei gestori idrici, viene validata con dati raccolti in due differenti aree geografiche. La seconda parte della tesi si focalizza invece sulla caratterizzazione dei consumi idrici in contesti non residenziali non ancora investigati o sotto particolari condizioni di domanda idrica. Più nel dettaglio, viene fornita una panoramica sugli effetti del turismo balneare sui consumi idrici – analizzando l’impatto di stabilimenti balneari e case-vacanza in una zona costiera soggetta a elevate fluttuazioni turistiche – e si valuta altresì l’effetto della pandemia da COVID-19 sui consumi idrici, con riferimento a due differenti contesti urbani e fino al livello di singola utenza. I principali contributi della presente tesi risultano i seguenti: (1) viene fornito un ampio database a scala mondiale degli utilizzi finali dell’acqua a livello residenziale; (2) si presenta una metodologia robusta e versatile per la disaggregazione end use dei dati di consumo idrico, ampiamente trasferibile ad altri contesti residenziali; (3) si dimostra l’impatto del turismo balneare sui consumi idrici e sulle relative distribuzioni; (4) si quantificano gli impatti del lockdown da COVID-19 sui consumi idrici a diverse scale spazio-temporali e con riferimento a differenti tipologie di utilizzo dell’acqua. Nel complesso, i risultati della corrente tesi possono essere di interesse per meglio comprendere le principali caratteristiche del consumo idrico in diversi contesti e scenari, supportando i gestori idrici nell’efficientamento dei sistemi di distribuzione e indirizzando gli utenti a un consumo più consapevole della risorsa idrica.Population growth, urbanization, and climate changes are leading large areas under water stress. Within this framework, a detailed information on where, when, and how water is being used is an essential requirement for effective strategies aimed at meeting current and future demand. To pursue this, more attention has been recently devoted to the investigation of water consumption at fine levels of spatio-temporal detail (e.g. up to the level of individual end uses of water), the knowledge of which can aid demand modelling, technologies for water saving, or campaigns aimed at increasing people’s awareness towards consumption. As a result, the recent literature includes numerous publications exploring the residential end uses of water, but systematic comparisons and elaborations of these fragmented data are missing. Moreover, collecting and processing end-use data may be challenging, since most of the developed methods to obtain end-use information from user-level data can exploit only data collected at temporal resolutions which may be unavailable to water utilities. Also, in some cases, non-residential users may consume a more relevant quantity of water, and with profiles different from those related to the residential uses of water. However, to date, research on non-residential consumption has been mostly carried out in relation to specific users, and typically at very coarse temporal resolutions. Nevertheless, it has scarcely focused on water consumption in the event of non-ordinary situations affecting people’s habits or the operational conditions of water distribution systems, such as disasters or pandemics. The aim of this thesis is to take a step forward in the characterization of residential and non-residential water consumption at different levels of spatio-temporal detail, and by considering different demand conditions. First, with reference to the residential sector, a comprehensive analysis of more than one hundred end-use studies conducted worldwide is carried out – along with an in-depth discussion of their scope, features, and results – to investigate the main perspectives from around the world and highlighting which aspects have been mostly explored. In addition, an automated method for residential end-use disaggregation and classification – exploiting user-level data collected at a sampling resolution which is close to that of the smart meters available to water utilities – is developed and validated with data from two different geographical areas. Second, the water consumption of some still unexplored non-residential contexts, or under non-ordinary demand conditions, is investigated: in greater detail, insight into the effects of seaside tourism on water consumption is provided by exploring the impacts of bathing facilities and holiday homes in coastal area subjected to high tourist fluctuations, whereas an overview of the effects of COVID-19 pandemic on water consumption is provided in relation to different urban contexts for which analyses are conducted up to the level of individual users. Overall, the current thesis: (1) provides an extensive, worldwide database of residential end uses of water from which many future studies can be developed; (2) presents a generalized and robust method for end-use disaggregation and classification, widely applicable to several residential water consumption contexts; (3) demonstrates the effects of seaside tourism on water consumption and its profiles; and (4) quantifies the impacts of the lockdown imposed to limit the spread of COVID-19 on water consumption based on multiple temporal scales and in relation to different types of consumption. This thesis's findings can aid water utilities and their users in better understanding the major characteristics of water consumption in different contexts and scenarios, supporting the formers in efficiently managing water systems, and encouraging the latter to a more conscious use of water resources

Il settore della robotica

Indice: Definizione del settore - Il settore della robotica - L'import-export - Analisi comparata dei principali paesi consumatori - Studio strutturato per paesi: tipologia di robot. Principali settori di impieg

Arquitectura futurista

Presenta los siguientes textos: Antonio Sant'Elia, "La Arquitectura Futurista. Manifiesto; Umberto Boccioni, "Arquitectura futurista. Manifiesto"; Volt (Vicenzo Fani), "Del funanbulismo obligatorio o: suprimamos las plantas de las casas"; Enrico Prampolini, "La "Atmosferastruttura" - Bases para la arquitectura futurista"; Vincenzo Fani (Volt), "La Casa Futurista independiente-movil-desmontable-mecánica-divertida"; Virgilio Marchi, "Manifiesto de la arquitectura futurista dinámica, estado de ánimo y dramática"; Enrico Prampolini, "Arquitectura Futurista"; Cesar Augusto Poggi, "Arquitectura Futursita (sic) Poggi"; F.T. Marinetti, Angiolo Mazzoni, Mino Somenzi, "Manifiesto Futurista de la arquitectura aérea"Presenta una serie de manifiestos y textos sobre Arquitectura futurista. Dossier elaborado por Juan Agustín Mancebo. Traducción: Marta Morcill

Degradation of EEG microstates patterns in subjective cognitive decline and mild cognitive impairment: Early biomarkers along the Alzheimer's Disease continuum?

Alzheimer's disease (AD) pathological changes may begin up to decades earlier than the appearance of the first symptoms of cognitive decline. Subjective cognitive decline (SCD) could be the first pre-clinical sign of possible AD, which might be followed by mild cognitive impairment (MCI), the initial stage of clinical cognitive decline. However, the neural correlates of these prodromic stages are not completely clear yet. Recent studies suggest that EEG analysis tools characterizing the cortical activity as a whole, such as microstates and cortical regions connectivity, might support a characterization of SCD and MCI conditions. Here we test this approach by performing a broad set of analyses to identify the prominent EEG markers differentiating SCD (n = 57), MCI (n = 46) and healthy control subjects (HC, n = 19). We found that the salient differences were in the temporal structure of the microstates patterns, with MCI being associated with less complex sequences due to the altered transition probability, frequency and duration of canonic microstate C. Spectral content of EEG, network connectivity, and spatial arrangement of microstates were instead largely similar in the three groups. Interestingly, comparing properties of EEG microstates in different cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) biomarkers profiles, we found that canonic microstate C displayed significant differences in topography in AD-like profile. These results show that the progression of dementia might be associated with a degradation of the cortical organization captured by microstates analysis, and that this leads to altered transitions between cortical states. Overall, our approach paves the way for the use of non-invasive EEG recordings in the identification of possible biomarkers of progression to AD from its prodromal states

ARIANNA: A research environment for neuroimaging studies in autism spectrum disorders

The complexity and heterogeneity of Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) require the implementation of dedicated analysis techniques to obtain the maximum from the interrelationship among many variables that describe affected individuals, spanning from clinical phenotypic characterization and genetic profile to structural and functional brain images. The ARIANNA project has developed a collaborative interdisciplinary research environment that is easily accessible to the community of researchers working on ASD (https://arianna.pi.infn.it). The main goals of the project are: to analyze neuroimaging data acquired in multiple sites with multivariate approaches based on machine learning; to detect structural and functional brain characteristics that allow the distinguishing of individuals with ASD from control subjects; to identify neuroimaging-based criteria to stratify the population with ASD to support the future development of personalized treatments. Secure data handling and storage are guaranteed within the project, as well as the access to fast grid/cloud-based computational resources. This paper outlines the web-based architecture, the computing infrastructure and the collaborative analysis workflows at the basis of the ARIANNA interdisciplinary working environment. It also demonstrates the full functionality of the research platform. The availability of this innovative working environment for analyzing clinical and neuroimaging information of individuals with ASD is expected to support researchers in disentangling complex data thus facilitating their interpretation

Indirect Rectus Femoris Injury Mechanisms in Professional Soccer Players : Video Analysis and Magnetic Resonance Imaging Findings

OBJECTIVE: To describe injury mechanisms and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings in acute rectus femoris (RF) injuries of soccer players using a systematic video analysis. DESIGN: Descriptive case series study of consecutive RF injuries from November 2017 to July 2022. SETTING: Two specialized sports medicine hospitals. PARTICIPANTS: Professional male soccer players aged between 18 and 40 years, referred for injury assessment within 7 days after a RF injury, with an available video footage of the injury and a positive finding on an MRI. INDEPENDENT VARIABLES: Rectus femoris injury mechanisms (specific scoring based on standardized models) in relation to RF muscle injury MRI findings. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Rectus femoris injury mechanism (playing situation, player/opponent behavior, movement, and biomechanics), location of injury in MRI. RESULTS: Twenty videos of RF injuries in 19 professional male soccer players were analyzed. Three different injury mechanisms were seen: kicking (80%), sprinting (10%), and change of direction (10%). Isolated single-tendon injuries were found in 60% of the injuries. Of the kicking injuries, 62.5% included complete tendon ruptures, whereas both running injuries and none of the change of direction injuries were complete ruptures. The direct tendon was involved in 33% of the isolated injuries, and the common tendon was affected in all combined injuries. CONCLUSIONS: Rectus femoris injuries typically occur during kicking among football players. Most of the RF injuries involve a complete rupture of at least one tendon. Kicking injuries can also affect the supporting leg, and sprinting can cause a complete tendon rupture, whereas change of direction seems not to lead to complete ruptures.publishedVersionPeer reviewe

Crizotinib in MET-Deregulated or ROS1-Rearranged Pretreated Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (METROS): A Phase II, Prospective, Multicenter, Two-Arms Trial.

PURPOSE: MET-deregulated NSCLC represents an urgent clinical need because of unfavorable prognosis and lack of specific therapies. Although recent studies have suggested a potential role for crizotinib in patients harboring MET amplification or exon 14 mutations, no conclusive data are currently available. This study aimed at investigating activity of crizotinib in patients harboring MET or ROS1 alterations. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Patients with pretreated advanced NSCLC and evidence of ROS1 rearrangements (cohort A) or MET deregulation (amplification, ratio MET/CEP7 >2.2 or MET exon 14 mutations, cohort B) were treated with crizotinib 250 mg twice daily orally. The coprimary endpoint was objective response rate in the two cohorts. RESULTS: From December 2014 to March 2017, 505 patients were screened and a total of 52 patients (26 patients per cohort) were enrolled onto the study. At data cutoff of September 2017, in cohort A, objective response rate was 65%, and median progression-free survival and overall survival were 22.8 months [95% confidence interval (CI) 15.2-30.3] and not reached, respectively. In cohort B, objective response rate was 27%, median progression-free survival was 4.4 months (95% CI 3.0-5.8), and overall survival was 5.4 months (95% CI, 4.2-6.5). No difference in any clinical endpoint was observed between MET-amplified and exon 14-mutated patients. No response was observed among the 5 patients with cooccurrence of a second gene alteration. No unexpected toxicity was observed in both cohorts. CONCLUSIONS: Crizotinib induces response in a fraction of MET-deregulated NSCLC. Additional studies and innovative therapies are urgently needed

APOLLO 11 Project, Consortium in Advanced Lung Cancer Patients Treated With Innovative Therapies: Integration of Real-World Data and Translational Research

Introduction: Despite several therapeutic efforts, lung cancer remains a highly lethal disease. Novel therapeutic approaches encompass immune-checkpoint inhibitors, targeted therapeutics and antibody-drug conjugates, with different results. Several studies have been aimed at identifying biomarkers able to predict benefit from these therapies and create a prediction model of response, despite this there is a lack of information to help clinicians in the choice of therapy for lung cancer patients with advanced disease. This is primarily due to the complexity of lung cancer biology, where a single or few biomarkers are not sufficient to provide enough predictive capability to explain biologic differences; other reasons include the paucity of data collected by single studies performed in heterogeneous unmatched cohorts and the methodology of analysis. In fact, classical statistical methods are unable to analyze and integrate the magnitude of information from multiple biological and clinical sources (eg, genomics, transcriptomics, and radiomics). Methods and objectives: APOLLO11 is an Italian multicentre, observational study involving patients with a diagnosis of advanced lung cancer (NSCLC and SCLC) treated with innovative therapies. Retrospective and prospective collection of multiomic data, such as tissue- (eg, for genomic, transcriptomic analysis) and blood-based biologic material (eg, ctDNA, PBMC), in addition to clinical and radiological data (eg, for radiomic analysis) will be collected. The overall aim of the project is to build a consortium integrating different datasets and a virtual biobank from participating Italian lung cancer centers. To face with the large amount of data provided, AI and ML techniques will be applied will be applied to manage this large dataset in an effort to build an R-Model, integrating retrospective and prospective population-based data. The ultimate goal is to create a tool able to help physicians and patients to make treatment decisions. Conclusion: APOLLO11 aims to propose a breakthrough approach in lung cancer research, replacing the old, monocentric viewpoint towards a multicomprehensive, multiomic, multicenter model. Multicenter cancer datasets incorporating common virtual biobank and new methodologic approaches including artificial intelligence, machine learning up to deep learning is the road to the future in oncology launched by this project