I finanziamenti europei alla ricerca in università e enti pubblici di ricerca: aspetti organizzativi e informativi per il supporto al ciclo di vita del progetto

I finanziamenti europei alla ricerca pongono oggi una serie di sfide organizzative e richiedono strumenti appropriati di gestione dell’informazione. Servizi di supporto alla ricerca sono stati attivati negli atenei, dove sono presenti al 90% come Uffici Ricerca, e negli enti pubblici di Ricerca, spesso strutturati come Uffici Relazioni Internazionali. Una recente indagine del Convegno permanente dei Direttori Amministrativi e Dirigenti delle Università Italiane – CODAU identifica come attività ritenute dal personale della ricerca a maggiore valore aggiunto e più innovative proprio quelle che concorrono al supporto all’intero ciclo di vita del progetto. Il supporto alla ricerca risulta quindi “un’importante area di integrazione di culture diverse - scientifiche, giuridico/amministrative, economico/gestionali, di marketing, ecc. - e un banco di prova di nuove linee di management e di nuovi approcci gestionali” [Bardi and Schiavone, 2008; Croatto, 2009]. La legge 168 del 1989, nel riconoscere l’autonomia finanziaria e contabile degli atenei, e il processo di valutazione della ricerca (VTR 2001-2003 e VQR 2004-2010) hanno rappresentato due grandi input per la definizione di piattaforme che si spostassero dal piano strettamente amministrativo a quello più informativo. L’integrazione dei sistemi informativi e gestionali è divenuta una necessità e un obiettivo chiaro per molti atenei ed enti pubblici di ricerca. Si sono venuti così a creare applicativi di gestione che siano di supporto all’intero ciclo di vita del progetto. La richiesta da parte della Commissione Europea di tracciare il tempo produttivo dei professori attraverso un time sheet integrato, ad esempio, ha portato in alcuni casi all’integrazione degli applicativi che gestiscono la didattica con quelli dedicati ai progetti di ricerca. Allo stesso modo la richiesta di attribuire a uno specifico progetto le pubblicazioni che ne scaturiscono ha fatto nascere l’esigenza di integrare l’anagrafe delle pubblicazioni e gli applicativi di gestione progetti. Si sono, quindi, diffusi repository istituzionali di pubblicazioni e i CRIS - Current Research Information System, per l’“Anagrafe della ricerca”. Il presente lavoro illustra alcune considerazioni tratte dallo stato dell’arte e presenta i risultati di un’indagine realizzata ad hoc presso atenei ed enti di ricerca in Italia, sugli assetti organizzativi per la promozione e la gestione dei progetti europei nonché sulle caratteristiche dei sistemi informativi a supporto del ciclo di vita del progetto

The EARTHCRUISERS project (EARTH CRUst Imagery for investigating SEismicity, volcanism and marine natural Resources in the Sicilian offshore)

The EARTHCRUISERS project was developed for the MIUR’s call “Progetti Premiali 2015” by the “Istituto Nazionale di Oceanografia e di Geofisica Sperimentale” (Trieste, Italy) in collaboration with the “Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia, Osservatorio Etneo” (Catania, Italy) and “Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn” (Naples, Italy). The main goals of the project are: (i) to identify and characterize the main crustal tectonic structures offshore Sicily and the Aeolian Islands, (ii) to better understand the geodynamic processes controlling seismicity and volcanism affecting this region, and (iii) to furnish a useful tool to estimate seismic, tsunamigenic and volcanic hazard in the highly populated coastal sectors. Furthermore, in order to contribute at the Blue Growth objectives, the project aims to analyze some relevant issues related to mineral prospecting offshore, such as the characterization of the hydrothermal systems in the Tyrrhenian Sea and the impact of the exploitation of oil and gas fields on the marine environment in the Sicily Channel. To achieve these objectives the acquisition of multibeam and sidescan sonar, multichannel seismic reflection, magnetic and gravimetric data is planned. Nearly 2500 km of multichannel seismic reflection lines will be acquired during the project in the Marsili Basin (Tyrrhenian Sea) and Mt. Etna offshore. This large amount of data will allow to: better understand the relationship between tectonics and evolution of volcanism; identify active faults and volcanic bodies; better constrain the seismostratigraphic and structural setting of the study areas, and investigate the eventual occurrence of unstable volcanic slopes which could lead to landslide and tsunami. Finally, the deployment offshore southeastern Sicily of a temporary Ocean Bottom Seismometer (OBS) network will carry out for monitoring the natural seismicity in the area of VEGA platform, the largest oil extraction site in Italian seas. Data collected will be used to study the eventual correlation between local seismicity and oil extractive activities.PublishedRome2T. Deformazione crostale attiv

Targeting SIRT1 Rescues Age- and Obesity-Induced Microvascular Dysfunction in Ex Vivo Human Vessels

ackground: Experimental evidence suggests a key role of SIRT1 (silent information regulator 1) in age- and metabolic-related vascular dysfunction. Whether these effects hold true in the human microvasculature is unknown. We aimed to investigate the SIRT1 role in very early stages of age- and obesity-related microvascular dysfunction in humans. Methods: Ninety-five subjects undergoing elective laparoscopic surgery were recruited and stratified based on their body mass index status (above or below 30 kg/m2) and age (above or below 40 years) in 4 groups: Young Nonobese, Young Obese, Old Nonobese, and Old Obese. We measured small resistance arteries' endothelial function by pressurized micromyography before and after incubation with a SIRT1 agonist (SRT1720) and a mitochondria reactive oxygen species (mtROS) scavenger (MitoTEMPO). We assessed vascular levels of mtROS and nitric oxide availability by confocal microscopy and vascular gene expression of SIRT1 and mitochondrial proteins by qPCR. Chromatin immunoprecipitation assay was employed to investigate SIRT1-dependent epigenetic regulation of mitochondrial proteins. Results: Compared with Young Nonobese, obese and older patients showed lower vascular expression of SIRT1 and antioxidant proteins (FOXO3 [forkhead box protein O3] and SOD2) and higher expression of pro-oxidant and aging mitochondria proteins p66Shc and Arginase II. Old Obese, Young Obese and Old Nonobese groups endothelial dysfunction was rescued by SRT1720. The restoration was comparable to the one obtained with mitoTEMPO. These effects were explained by SIRT1-dependent chromatin changes leading to reduced p66Shc expression and upregulation of proteins involved in mitochondria respiratory chain. Conclusions: SIRT1 is a novel central modulator of the earliest microvascular damage induced by age and obesity. Through a complex epigenetic control mainly involving p66Shc and Arginase II, it influences mtROS levels, NO availability, and the expression of proteins of the mitochondria respiratory chain. Therapeutic modulation of SIRT1 restores obesity- and age-related endothelial dysfunction. Early targeting of SIRT1 might represent a crucial strategy to prevent age- and obesity-related microvascular dysfunction. Keywords: aging; endothelial cells; microcirculation; mitochondria; obesity; sirtuin

Pulsating Heat pipe only for Space (PHOS): Results of the REXUS 18 sounding rocket campaign

Two Closed Loop Pulsating Heat Pipes (CLPHPs) are tested on board REXUS 18 sounding rocket in order to obtain data over a relatively long microgravity period (approximately 90 s). The CLPHPs are partially filled with FC-72 and have, respectively, an inner tube diameter larger (3 mm) and slightly smaller (1.6 mm) than the critical diameter evaluated in static Earth gravity conditions. On ground, the small diameter CLPHP effectively works as a Pulsating Heat Pipe (PHP): the characteristic slug and plug flow pattern forms inside the tube and the heat exchange is triggered by thermally driven self-sustained oscillations of the working fluid. On the other hand, the large diameter CLPHP works as a two- phase thermosyphon in vertical position and doesn't work in horizontal position: in this particular condition, the working fluid stratifies within the device as the surface tension force is no longer able to balance buoyancy. Then, the idea to test the CLPHPs in reduced gravity conditions: as the gravity reduces the buoyancy forces becomes less intense and it is possible to recreate the typical PHP flow pattern also for larger inner tube diameters. This allows to increase the heat transfer rate and, consequently, to decrease the overall thermal resistance. Even though it was not possible to experience low gravity conditions due to a failure in the yoyo de-spin system, the thermal response to the peculiar acceleration field (hyper-gravity) experienced on board are thoroughly described

U-PHOS Project: Development of a Large Diameter Pulsating Heat Pipe Experiment on board REXUS 22

U-PHOS Project aims to analyse and characterise the behaviour of a large diameter Pulsating Heat Pipe (PHP) on board REXUS 22 sounding rocket. A PHP is a passive thermal control device consisting of a serpentine capillary tube, evacuated, partially filled with a working fluid and finally sealed. In this configuration, the liquid and vapour phases are randomly distributed in the form of liquid slugs and vapour plugs. The heat is efficiently transported by means of the self-sustained oscillatory fluid motion driven by the phase change phenomena. On ground conditions, a small diameter is required in order to obtain a confined slug flow regime. In milli-gravity conditions, buoyancy forces become less intense and the PHP diameter may be increased still maintaining the slug/plug flow configuration typical of the PHP operation. Consequently, the PHP heat power capability may be increased too. U-PHOS aims at proving that a Large Diameter PHP effectively works in milli-g conditions by characterizing its thermal response during a sounding rocket flight. The actual PHP tube is made of aluminum (3 mm inner diameter, filled with FC-72), heated at the evaporator by a compact electrical resistance, cooled at the condenser by a Phase Change Material (PCM) embedded in a metallic foam. The tube wall temperatures are recorded by means of Fibre Bragg Grating (FBG) sensors; the local fluid pressure is acquired by means of a pressure transducer. The present work intends to report the actual status of the project, focusing in particular on the experiment improvements with respect to the previous campaign

The 10 m-resolution TINITALY DEM as a trans-disciplinary basis for the analysis of the Italian territory: current trends and new perspectives

The increasing availability of high resolution digital elevation models (DEMs) is changing our viewpoint towards Earth surface landforms. Nevertheless, large-coverage, intermediate-resolution DEMs are still largely used, and can be the ideal choice in several applications based on the processing of spatiallyintegrated information. In 2012 the Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia opened a website for the free download of the “TINTALY” Digital Elevation Model (DEM), which covers the whole Italian territory. Since then, about 700 users from 28 different countries have been accredited for data download, and a report of 4 years of data dissemination and use is presented. The analysis of the intended use reveals that the 10 m-resolution, seamless TINITALY DEM is of use for an extremely assorted research community. Accredited users are working in virtually any branch of the Earth Sciences (e.g. Volcanology, Seismology, and Geomorphology), in spatially integrated humanities (e.g. History and Archaeology), and in other thematic areas such as in applied Physics and Zoology. Many users are also working in local administrations (e.g. Regions and Municipalities) for civil protection or land use planning purposes. In summary, the documented activity shows that the dissemination of seamless, large coverage elevation datasets can fertilize the technological progress of the whole society providing a significant benefit to stakeholders.Published108-1154IT. Banche datiJCR Journa

A Script-Based Cycle-True Verification Framework to Speed-Up Hardware and Software Co-Design of System-on-Chip exploiting RISC-V Architecture

The complexity of heterogenous Systems-on-Chip has overgrown in the last decades, and the effort necessary to set up a verification workflow has increased as well. The time spent on the verification phase of a design takes on average 57% of the project time, and in these years, several solutions aimed to automate that task have been developed. Some relevant works in this field automate the VLSI design flow from synthesis to Place-And-Route and Layout-Vs-Schematic design check but miss software design in the automated verification loop. Our work focuses on the early stages of the design phase, where designers take software and hardware choices to explore a larger design space. In this work, we present a flexible, Make-based framework to build up verification and design environments. It aids the development of Systems-on-Chip running RISC-V processors, automating software compilation, cycle-true simulations and post-synthesis analyses. It exploits the parallelism of the Make build tool to ensure results consistency, provide flow reproducibility, and accelerate the design space exploration using different flow recipes provided by the designer. Its modular structure allows it to perform each task with various third-party tools and makes the workflow execution chain customizable. Using the proposed framework, we show how the reduced designer effort increases design productivity. Indeed, the time needed to build up a validated development environment is consistently reduced by using few configuration properties to setup all the tools used in the workflow

A Novel Parallel 8B/10B Encoder: Architecture and Comparison with Classical Solution

8B/10B is an encoding technique largely used in different communication protocols, with several advantages such as zero DC bias. In the last years transmission rates have grown rapidly, thus the need of encoders with better performance in terms of throughput, area and power consumption raised rapidly. In this article we will present and discuss the architecture of two symbols parallel encoder, comparing it with a classical pipelined solution

An Investigation on SpaceFibre Protocol Maturity: Interoperability Tests

SpaceFibre is an high speed communication protocol suitable for on board satellite communication. It is the successor of the SpaceWire protocol, allowing higher data rates (up to 6.25Gbps per lane), maintaining also compatibility with it. The SpaceFibre standard has recently passed ECSS public review. At the moment however several IP cores are already available on the market, together with dedicated hardware products. The work presented in this paper aims at verifying the interoperability of the different devices available on the market