Allocating Air Traffic Flow Management Slots

In Europe, when an imbalance between demand and capacity is detected for air traffic network resources, Air Traffic Flow Management slots are allocated to flights on the basis of a First Planned First Served principle. We propose a market mechanism to allocate such slots in the case of a single constrained en-route sector or airport. We show that our mechanism provides a slot allocation which is economically preferable to the current one as it enables airlines to pay for delay reduction or receive compensations for delay increases. We also discuss the implementation of our mechanism through two alternative distributed approaches that spare airlines the disclosure of private information. Both these approaches have the additional advantage that they directly involve airlines in the decision making process. Two computational examples relying on real data illustrate our findings.Air Transportation, Market Mechanism Design, Air Traffic Flow Management slots, Collaborative Decision Making, SESAR.

Teachers’ Professional Development on Media and Intercultural Education. Results from some participatory research in Europe

Media and intercultural education are being increasingly recognised as a fundamental competence for teachers of the 21st century. Digital literacy and civic competence are facing several new challenges in response to the intensification of migratory phenomena and the unprecedented spread of fake news, especially among adolescents at risk of social exclusion, but teachers’ professional development is still far from coping with this emerging need. Intercultural understanding and a critical use of media among adolescents have now become primary goals for the promotion of active citizenship. This article intends to provide some recommendations on how to support teachers’ professional development in the field of media and intercultural education. To this purpose, it presents and discusses the results of an action-research project aimed at teachers’ improvement of teaching skills about the media in multicultural public schools. The results are part of a larger European project “Media Education for Equity and Tolerance” (MEET) (Erasmus Plus, KA3), an initiative promoted in 2016–2018 by the University of Florence (Italy)

Combinatorial exchange models for a user-driven air traffic flow management in Europe

2008/2009Air Traffic Flow Management (ATFM) is the service responsible to guarantee that the available capacity of the air transportation system is efficiently used and never exceeded. It guarantees safety of air transportation by adopting a series of measures which range from strategic long-term ones to the imposition of ground delays to flights at a tactical level. These ATFM delays are imposed to individual flights at the departure airport prior to their take-off, since it is safer and less costly to anticipate on the ground any delay predicted somewhere in the system. They are assigned by a central authority according to a First-Planned-First-Served principle, without taking into account individual Airlines' preferences. This criteria of assignment can cause an aggregated cost of delay experienced by users, higher than the minimal one, due to the fact that the cost of delay is a non-linear function of the duration and it depends on many variables such as the type of aircraft, the specific origin-destination pair, ecc. This thesis tackles the issue of formalizing and analyzing alternative models for the assignment of ATFM resources which take into account individual airlines preferences. In particular mathematical programming models are analyzed, that extend the concept of ATFM slot currently adopted to the one of Target Window, as proposed in the CATS European project. Such a concept is in line with the SESAR program, recently adopted in Europe to develop the new generation system of Air Traffic Management, which imposes a direct involvement of Airspace users whenever external constraints need to be enforced that modify their original requests. The first Chapter provides a general introduction to the context of Air Traffic Management and Air Traffic Control. In the second Chapter the principles, methods and performances of the ATFM system are described according to the current situation as well as to the SESAR target concept. The problem of optimally assign ATFM resources is then described mathematically and then analyzed to uncover two fundamental structures that determine its tractability: one corresponds to the case in which there is a unique capacity constrained resource while in the second there is an unrestricted number of constrained resources. In Chapter three a number of properties are proved that give insight into the applicability of different mechanisms for a central calculation of the optimal solution by the ATFM authority. Since such mechanisms involve cost minimization for several agents they are formulated as exchanges, i.e. particular types of auctions in which each participant may buy and/or sell several indivisible goods. The last part of the thesis included in Chapter four deals with the design of iterative exchange mechanisms, whose application in real world presents several advantages with respect to centralized models, from the distribution of computational complexity among participants to the preservation of disclosure of private information by Aircraft Operators. In this case an optimal model based on the Lagrangian relaxation of the separable central problem is first formulated and analyzed. To overcome practical issues possibly deriving from its application in real operations, an heuristic iterative Market-based mechanism is finally formalized. This algorithm exploits some of the underlying characteristics specific to the problem to derive near-optimal solutions in an acceptable time. Computational results are obtained by simulating its implementation on real traffic data and they show that considerable cost savings are possible with respect to a First-Planned-First-Served central allocation. The contribute of this thesis is twofold. The first is to provide a mathematical description, modeling and analysis of the ATFM resource exchange problem faced by Airspace users when network capacity needs to be rationed among them. The second consists in the methodological innovation represented by the formulation of the Market Mechanism which is compliant with several requirements represented by legislative and practical constraints and whose simulation provided encouraging results.XXII Cicl

Physiological responses of a halophytic shrub to salt stress by Na2SO4 and NaCl: oxidative damage and the role of polyphenols in antioxidant protection

Salt stress conditions lead to increased production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in plant cells. Halophytes have the ability to reduce these toxic ROS by means of a powerful antioxidant system that includes enzymatic and non-enzymatic components. In this research, we used the halophytic shrub Prosopis strombulifera to investigate whether the ability of this species to grow under increasing salt concentrations and mixtures was related to the synthesis of polyphenolic compounds and to the maintenance of leaf pigment contents for an adequate photosynthetic activity. Seedlings of P. strombulifera were grown hydroponically in Hoagland's solution, gradually adding Na2SO4 and NaCl separately or in mixtures until reaching final osmotic potentials of −1, −1.9 and −2.6 MPa. Control plants were allowed to develop in Hoagland's solution without salt. Oxidative damage in tissues was determined by H2O2 and malondialdehyde content. Leaf pigment analysis was performed by high-performance liquid chromatography with ultraviolet, and total phenols, total flavonoids, total flavan-3-ols, condensed tannins, tartaric acid esters and flavonols were spectrophotometrically assayed. Treatment with Na2SO4 increased H2O2 production and lipid peroxidation in tissues and induced a sharp increase in flavonoid compounds (mainly flavan-3-ols) and consequently in the antioxidant activity. Also, Na2SO4 treatment induced an increased carotenoid/chlorophyll ratio, which may represent a strategy to protect photosystems against photooxidation. NaCl treatment, however, did not affect H2O2 content, lipid peroxidation, pigments or polyphenols synthesis. The significant accumulation of flavonoids in tissues under Na2SO4 treatment and their powerful antioxidant activity indicates a role for these compounds in counteracting the oxidative damage induced by severe salt stress, particularly, ionic stress. We demonstrate that ionic interactions between different salts in salinized soils modify the biochemical and morpho-physiological responses of P. strombulifera plants to salinity.Fil: Reginato, Mariana Andrea. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Rio Cuarto. Facultad de Cs.exactas Fisicoquímicas y Naturales. Cátedra de Fisiología Vegetal; ArgentinaFil: Castagna, Antonella. Università degli Studi di Pisa; ItaliaFil: Furlan, Ana Laura. Universidad Nacional de Río Cuarto. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Fisicoquímicas y Naturales; ArgentinaFil: Castro, Stella Maris. Universidad Nacional de Río Cuarto. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Fisicoquímicas y Naturales; ArgentinaFil: Ranieri, Annamaria. Università degli Studi di Pisa; ItaliaFil: Luna, Maria Virginia. Universidad Nacional de Rio Cuarto. Facultad de Cs.exactas Fisicoquímicas y Naturales. Cátedra de Fisiología Vegetal; Argentin

The effects of sports team allegiance on jurors\u27 perceptions of a defendant

This study examined the relationship between levels of sports team identification and sentence leniency. It was hypothesized that sharing the same sports team affiliation with the defendant would create bias in the form of juror leniency, and that highly identified fans would show more bias than lower identified fans. A case description of a hit and run accident, in which the defendant was described as a Tampa Bay Buccaneers fan, was read by 220 participants. Results showed a significant difference in recommended sentence length and levels of sympathy between the three groups (High Identity, Low Identity, & No Identity). However, contrary to the original hypothesis, participants who were highly identified with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers recommended a significantly longer sentence for the defendant and were less sympathetic than participants who had lower identification to the Buccaneers and those who had no Buccaneer identification. This paper discusses the relation of this finding with the Reverse Attractive Leniency Effect, as well as the Same-Sex Penalty Effect

Phenotypic characterization of human prostatic stromal cells in primary cultures derived from human tissue samples

Emerging evidence has shown that the tumor microenvironment plays a crucial role in prostate cancer (PCa) development and progression. However, the mechanism(s) through which stromal cells regulate epithelial cells and the differences among prostatic stromal cells of different histological/pathological origin in PCa progression remain unclear. Therefore, it is necessary to characterize the stromal cell populations present in benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) and PCa. To this end, we used cultures from stromal cells obtained from BPH-derived (15 cases) and PCa-derived (30 cases) primary cultures. In culture, stromal cells are a mixture of fibroblasts, myofibroblasts (MFs) and muscle cells. Fibroblasts are characterized for the expression of vimentin, MFs for the co-expression of α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) and vimentin, whereas muscle cells for the expression of α-SMA and desmin. Fibroblasts were present in large amounts in the BPH-compared to the PCa-derived cultures, whereas MFs were more representative of PCa-as opposed to BPH-derived cultures. Some α-SMA-positive cells retained the expression of basal cytokeratin K14. This population was defined as myoepithelial cells and was associated with senescent cultures. The percentage of MFs was higher in high-grade compared to moderate-and low-grade PCa-derived cultures, whereas the number of myoepithelial cells was lower in high-grade compared to moderate-and low-grade PCa-derived cultures. In addition, we analyzed the expression of p75NTR, as well as the expression of matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-2, MMP-9 and tissue inhibitors of MMPs (TIMPs). p75NTR expression was elevated in the stromal cultures derived from PCa compared to those derived from BPH and in cultures derived from cases with Gleason scores.7 compared to those derived from cases with Gleason scores <7, as well as in cultures with a high concentration of MFs compared to those with a high concentration of fibroblasts. MMP-2 was secreted by all primary cultures, whereas MMP-9 secretion was observed only in some PCa-derived stromal cells, when the percentage of MFs was significantly higher compared to BPH-derived cultures. TIMP1, TIMP2 and TIMP3 were secreted in elevated amounts in the BPH-compared to the PCa-derived stromal cultures, suggesting the differential regulation of extracellular matrix (ECM) degradation. When we used 22rv1 and PC3 PCa xenograft models for the isolation and characterization of murine cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) we noted that the angiogenic wave was concurrent with the appearance of a reactive stroma phenotype, as determined by staining for α-SMA, vimentin, tenascin, calponin, desmin and Masson's trichrome. In conclusion, MF stromal cells from PCa participate in the progression and metastasis of PCa, modualting inflammation, angiogenesis and epithelial cancer cell proliferation

Tagging b jets with electrons and muons at CMS

The first results of identification of jets from b quarks with soft-lepton tagging algorithms are presented in this note. Jets are built from the energy deposits in the electromagnetic and hadron calorimeters, with an iterative cone algorithm. Electrons and muons are searched for among the reconstructed charged particle tracks associated to these jets with an angular distance criterion. The muon identification is based on standard muon reconstruction algorithms, exploiting the dedicated muon detectors, while electron identification is based on the extrapolation of charged particle tracks into the calorimeter and a detailed analysis of the calorimeter clusters in the region around the track. Jets from b quarks are identified from the kinematic properties of the leptons relative to the jet and the significance of the three dimensional impact parameter of the lepton with respect to the event vertex. The effect of not incorporating the impact parameter significance, as would be necessary for data collected prior to the installation of the silicon pixel tracking detector, is also studied

Aroma profile of Fuji apples treated with gelatin edible coating during their storage

This study aimed to detect possible changes in the volatile organic compounds (VOCs) of Fuji apples induced by gelatin-based edible coating (EC), during 21 days of storage at room temperature. VOCs were analyzed by solid-phase micro extraction-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Data were analyzed by one-way ANOVA and principal component analysis. Control apples showed a greater presence of total aldehydes and acids at 7 and 14 days, respectively, while coated apples were characterized by higher proportions of alcohols (from 1.3- to 2-fold) at 7 day till the end of the storage. The higher ethanol proportions detected in coated apples (154-fold higher after 7 days) indicate a likely partial anaerobiosis, confirmed by the lower CO2 emission (reaching -68% after 21 days). Esters responsible of the varietal aroma of Fuji were identified also in coated fruits, suggesting that gelatin did not modify the typical aroma extensively. Acetate esters, normally increasing with maturity, were less concentrated in coated apples (-78% 2-methylbutyl acetate and -73% hexyl acetate, after 1 and 7 days respectively), suggesting a likely slowdown of the ripening due to the EC. Further investigation is needed to improve this storage technology considering that aroma is an important determinant of food quality

Extracorporeal Shock Wave Treatment (ESWT) enhances the in vitro-induced differentiation of human tendon-derived stem/progenitor cells (hTSPCs)

Extracorporeal shock wave therapy (ESWT) is a non-invasive and innovative technology for the management of specific tendinopathies. In order to elucidate the ESWT-mediated clinical benefits, human Tendon-derived Stem/Progenitor cells (hTSPCs) explanted from 5 healthy semitendinosus (ST) and 5 ruptured Achilles (AT) tendons were established. While hTSPCs from the two groups showed similar proliferation rates and stem cell surface marker profiles, we found that the clonogenic potential was maintained only in cells derived from healthy donors. Interestingly, ESWT significantly accelerated hTSPCs differentiation, suggesting that the clinical benefits of ESWT may be ascribed to increased efficiency of tendon repair after injury