Can High Altitude Platforms Make 6G Sustainable?

The staggering growth of mobile traffic fostered by the spreading of 5G technology and massive Internet of Things applications is leading to the need for extensive Radio Access Network (RAN) densification. However, the entailed boost in energy consumption poses significant challenges for a sustainable transition towards 6G. High Altitude Platform Stations (HAPSs) equipped with aerial Base Stations (BSs) represent a promising and flexible solution to provide additional capacity that can be used in a flexible way to facilitate terrestrial BSs sleep modes and, ultimately, reduce energy consumption and make the network more sus- tainable. As a case study, we consider a portion of a urban RAN to investigate the potential benefits deriving from the integration of HAPSs in terrestrial RANs as a means to support joint energy and resource allocation strategies that will be needed in 6G networks. Our results show that offloading traffic to HAPS mounted BSs allows to reduce the grid energy demand of terrestrial still maintaining adequate Quality of Service

From self-sustainable Green Mobile Networks to enhanced interaction with the Smart Grid

Due to the staggering increase of mobile traffic, Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) are facing considerable operational cost due to power supply. Renewable Energy (RE) sources to power Base Stations (BSs) represent a promising solution to lower the energy bill, but their intermittent nature may affect the service continuity and the system self-sufficiency. Furthermore, in the new energy market dominated by the Smart Grid, new potentialities arise for MNOs in a Demand Response (DR) framework, since they can dynamically modulate the mobile network energy demand in accordance with SG requests, thus obtaining significant rewards. This work proposes various stochastic models to reliably and accurately characterize the RE production and the operation of a green mobile network, also analyzing the impact of parameter quantization on the model performance. The RE system dimensioning is investigated, trading off cost saving and feasibility constraints, and evaluating the impact of Resource on Demand (RoD) strategies, that allow to achieve more than 40% cost reduction. Finally, by exploiting RoD and WiFi offloading techniques, various energy management policies are designed to enhance the interaction of a green mobile network with the SG in a DR framework, leading to fully erase the energy bill and even gain positive revenues

Caching in the Air: High Altitude Platform Stations for Urban Environments

Due to the evolution in communications technologies and antennas, as well as advances in solar panel efficiency, High Altitude Platforms (HAPS) have been recently considered as a promising aerial network component, to support Radio Access Networks (RANs). Through their directional antenna they can activate beams and provide coverage to up to 1.5 km radius ground area. In this work, we consider a HAPS equipped with a Multi Access Edge Computing (MEC) server, which provides caching capabilities. The HAPS is used to off-load content requests. We analyse an urban environment scenario, as well as the effects of the simultaneous activation of beams in different areas. Results demonstrate that the HAPS is a suitable solution to bring additional capacity to the RAN and highlight that the provided performance strictly depends on the traffic demand profile of the covered portion of RAN

Renewable powered Battery Swapping Stations for sustainable urban mobility

Due to sustainability concerns raised by the transportation sector, still relying mostly on oil as main energy source, urban mobility is quickly shifting towards the adoption of electric vehicles (EVs), The EV charging process should heavily rely on Renewable Energy Sources (RES) and be smartly scheduled to promote sustainability and pollution reduction. In this context, renewable powered Battery Swapping Stations (BSS) represent a promising solution to enable sustainable and feasible e-mobility. Focusing on a BSS powered by photovoltaic panels, we investigate the issue of properly dimensioning its capacity (in terms of number of sockets) and the renewable energy supply to satisfy the battery swapping demand, trading off cost, Quality of Service and feasibility constraints. In addition, we analyse the potential benefits of smart scheduling strategies for battery recharging. Our results show that considerable cost saving of up to almost 40% can be achieved with a local RE supply to power the BSS. Furthermore, a proper tuning of the scheduling strategy configuration parameters is required to better trade off cost and Quality of Service, based on the desired performance targets

"Cold training" affects rat liver responses to continuous cold exposure.

Continuous exposure of homeothermic animals to low environmental temperatures elicits physiological adaptations necessary for animal survival, which are associated to higher generation of pro-oxidants in thermogenic tissues. It is not known whether intermittent cold exposure (cold training) is able to affect tissue responses to continuous cold exposure. Therefore, we investigated whether rat liver responses to continuous cold exposure of 2 days are modified by cold training (1h daily for 5 days per week for 3 consecutive weeks). Continuous cold increased liver oxidative metabolism by increasing tissue content of mitochondrial proteins and mitochondrial aerobic capacity. Cold training did not affect such parameters, but attenuated or prevented the changes elicited by continuous cold exposure. Two-day cold exposure increased lipid hydroperoxide and protein-bound carbonyl levels in homogenates and mitochondria, whereas cold training decreased such effects although it decreased only homogenate protein damage in control rats. The activities of the antioxidant enzymes GPX and GR and H2O2 production were increased by continuous cold exposure. Despite the increase in GPX and GR activities, livers from cold-exposed rats showed increased susceptibility to in vitro oxidative challenge. Such cold effects were decreased by cold training, which in control rats reduced only H2O2 production and susceptibility to stress. The changes of PGC-1, NRF-1, and NRF-2 expression levels were consistent with those induced by cold exposure and cold training in mitochondrial protein content and antioxidant enzyme activities. However, the mechanisms by which cold training attenuates the effects of the continuous cold exposure remain to be elucidated

Re-Orienting the Turin Reception System to Address Homelessness. Findings from an Italian Participatory Action-Research Study

This paper presents the initial analytical findings from a multidisci- plinary participatory action-research study that aimed to reorient and improve the public services system for people experiencing homelessness in Turin, Italy. Sociologists, designers, and anthropologists from the University of Turin and the Polytechnic of Turin coordinated the research in agreement with the municipality of Turin and with funding from the Ministry of Labour and Social Policies. The action-research study has been conducted since 2018 through co-design activities and qualitative research techniques that have involved policymakers from the city administration, frontline workers from third-sector organisations, and the beneficiaries of public services for people without housing. This article focuses on some of the critical aspects of Turin’s reception system that emerged from the action-research process, such as the tension between the standardisation or personalisation of the city’s public services and the need to further diversify the housing solutions available for those facing homelessness. At the methodological level, the collaboration and prolonged discussion between the university researchers and local adminis- tration was significant. This action-research study encouraged the actors in the local reception system to develop their reflexivity and promoted the devel- opment of more diverse policies and interventions

Plasma fatty acid profile in Italian Holstein-Friesian dairy cows supplemented with natural polyphenols from the olive plant Olea Europaea L

This study evaluated the effects of supplementing with natural functional feed on the plasma fatty acid profile of lactating Italian Holstein-Friesian dairy cows. Thirty cows in mid-lactation received the natural olive extract PHENOFEED DRY (500 mg/cow/day) which mainly comprises hydroxytyrosol, tyrosol and verbascoside. The total content of polyphenols and the antioxidant power of standard feed, enriched feed and pure extract was evaluated respectively by Folin-Ciocalteu and DPPH assay, and a characterization in HPLC-UV (High-Perfor mance Liquid Chromatography-Ultraviolet) of bioactive molecules present in the extract PHENOFEED DRY was performed. PHENOFEED DRY was provided for 60 days, and the plasma profile of fatty acids was determined by Gas Chromatography. The administration of enriched feed resulted in an increase in the ratio of Omega-6 to Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids from 3:1 to 4:1 (p<0.001). This was not influenced by the calving order. The addition of polyphenols helped to keep monounsaturated (MUFA) and saturated (SFA) levels constant and results in a significant increase in polyunsaturated (PUFA) fatty acid after 15 days of administration. The Omega 6/Omega-3 ratio was in the optimal range. The findings show that inclusion of natural functional food such as plant polyphenols helps to maintain a healthy blood fatty acid profile in lactating dairy cow

Interacciones semióticas entre el diseño, el arte y la cultura

260 páginasSe expone la forma en la que, el arte, el diseño y la cultura encontraron convergencia en el planteamiento de los estudios actuales sobre la semiótica de la imagen. En sus capítulos se muestran caminos en donde el signo, la significación y el sentido se entretejen como parte de la semiótica de la cultura, de la representación simbólica y la intertextualidad, buscando enriquecer el estudio del funcionamiento y operación de los procesos de significación, desde una visión donde la interdisciplinariedad se expone como el eje que orienta la interacción de los signos que son objeto de este volumen. Los diferentes puntos de vista aquí reunidos han sido estructurados en tres secciones, tituladas: abordajes semióticos, imágenes y representaciones y el juego de los signos, en donde se hace patente la relevancia de realizar aproximaciones interdisciplinarias que sirven para analizar los procesos culturales como fenómenos sígnicos articulados, los cuales trascienden a la esfera antropológica.María Teresa Olalde Ramos; Claudia Fragoso Susunaga; Olivia Fragoso Susunaga; Consuelo Córdoba Flores, coordinadora