Bernardino Ramazzini, three hundred years after his death, Padua (Italy), October 18th, 2014

open2noThe year 2014 has marked the tercentenary from the death of Bernardino Ramazzini (1633-1714), universally credited as the founder of Occupational Health (5, 9, 10, 11). Indeed, the renowned physician died on November 5th 1714 in Padua, where he had been appointed as Professor of Practical Medicine at the local prestigious University from the year 1700. To commemorate this anniversary, the professors of Occupational Health of the University of Padua, the Italian Society of Occupational Health and Industrial Hygiene (Società Italiana di Medicina del Lavoro eIgiene Industriale, SIMLII), the International Commission on Occupational Health (ICOH) and the University of Padua organized a conference in the wonderful location of Palazzo Bo (Main Hall) under the patronage of the Padua Municipality, the Workers' Compensation Authority (INAIL), the Venetian Region and the Societas Internationalis Historiae MedicinaopenRiva, Michele Augusto; Zampieri, FabioRiva, Michele Augusto; Zampieri, Fabi

Guidelines for reporting and analysing laboratory test results for biomass cooking stoves

One of the key challenges in the evaluation of Improved Cooking Stoves (ICSs) performance is the correct interpretation of test results. Indeed, a large amount of the reports or studies in the literature provide results that do not allow drawing any statistically significant conclusion, thus leading to possible misinterpretations. These Guidelines are conceived as a support to all the actors involved in sector of biomass stoves performance evaluation, from the technicians and researchers engaged in laboratory testing, to those who need to better understand and interpret test results in order to select a promising stove model for field trials. The concepts and the methodology here proposed draw upon the most recent studies in the scientific literature on this topi

Verification and validation procedures with applications to plasma-edge turbulence simulations

Understanding the plasma dynamics in tokamaks is of fundamental importance to reliably predict the performances of future fusion devices. Because of the complex phenomena at play, state-of-the-art simulation codes are needed to investigate the plasma dynamics. Consequently, errors affecting such numerical tools can have far reaching consequences. The present thesis focuses on developing and applying rigorous verification and validation (V&V) procedures to plasma turbulence simulations, ultimately improving our understanding of the plasma dynamics. First, a rigorous code verification methodology for grid-based simulation codes is presented and used to assess the correct implementation of a physical model in a plasma simulation code. It consists of using the method of manufactured solutions and executing an order-of-accuracy test, assessing the rate of convergence of the numerical solution to the manufactured one. The methodology is then generalized to particle-in-cell (PIC) codes, accounting for numerical schemes intrinsically affected by statistical noise and providing a suitable measure of the distance between continuous, analytical distribution functions, and finite samples of computational particles. The proposed procedure is successfully applied to verify GBS, a simulation code used to study plasma turbulence in the tokamak scrape-off layer (SOL), and to verify a one-dimensional PIC code. Even if the physical model is correctly implemented, simulations are always affected by numerical errors. A rigorous solution verification methodology for estimating the numerical statistical and discretization errors affecting plasma turbulence simulations is discussed in the present thesis. The estimate of the numerical statistical error, such as the one due to the finite number of particles used in PIC simulations, is based on repeating the simulation with different pseudorandom number generator seeds. For the discretization error, the Richardson extrapolation is used to provide an approximation of the exact solution. The solution verification methodology is then applied to quantify the numerical error affecting GBS and PIC simulation results. A further source of uncertainty affecting the results of plasma turbulence simulations is given by the use of input parameters that are not precisely known or accurately measured. A methodology based on a decomposition of the model equation solution in terms of Chebyshev polynomials along the input parameter, time, and spatial coordinates is proposed. This methodology is then successfully employed to investigate the influence of input parameter variations on the results of a two-dimensional drift-reduced Braginskii model. By carrying out a set of validation exercises, the final part of the present thesis is targeted to increase the reliability of our SOL modeling. First, seeded blob simulations carried out considering five different models are validated against measurements taken in the TORPEX basic plasma physics experiment. The comparison of simulations and experimental results sheds light on the dynamics of these structures that lead to large transport in the SOL. Furthermore, GBS simulations are validated against RFX-mod experimental measurements, providing interesting insights on the SOL plasma dynamics in this device. Finally, the impact of the shape of magnetic equilibrium on SOL turbulence is investigated through a rigorous validation of GBS simulations against TCV experimental measurements

Energy Technologies for Food Utilization for Displaced People: from identification to evaluation

By end-2014, the number of forcibly displaced people in the World was 59.5 million, the highest after the II World War. UNHCR (2015) reports that they are 19.5 million refugees, 38.2 internally displaced persons (IDPs) and 1.8 asylum-seekers, and they have been progressively increased in number for the last 4 years, with an estimation of 13.9 newly displaced in 2014. Such people have several needs, especially in terms of food security. Humanitarian actors usually try to address them focusing on food availability and access, while food utilization is often neglected (Haver K., Harmer A., Taylor G., 2013). The utilization of food, including the access to drinking water, is one of the four pillars of food security, and affects food properties in terms of nutritional intake, especially micronutrients, and healthiness (European Commission, 2009). Appropriate technologies for cooking, food preservation, and water purification are required, but all of them entail the access to fuel or other energy sources. Indeed, access to energy for displaced people is very important from different perspectives, but it is often problematic, and entails five key challenges: “protection, relations between hosts and displaced people, environmental problems, household energy-related natural resource restrictions and livelihood-related challenges” (Lyytinen 2009, pag. 1). The importance of energy for development was pointed out by the Sustainable Energy for All (SE4All) Initiative, while Safe Access to Fuel and Energy (SAFE) focused the attention on crisis-affected populations, in particular refugees and IDPs (SAFE, 2015). Indeed, if people living in camps, and similarly in informal settlements, are provided with energy services, they may access to a wide range of opportunities to change their condition, and conduct a more productive and active life (Bellanca, 2014). Unfortunately, several gaps are still present in humanitarian response for providing displaced people with an adequate access to energy, and studies are few, mainly related to stoves and generally without an independent impact assessment (Gunning, 2014). Very few displaced people have access to modern forms of energy: generally their practices are unsustainable, with average household costs of at least 200 USD per year (family of five) and disproportionate CO2 emission compared to quantity and quality of energy finally utilized (Lahn & Grafham, 2015). Therefore, the gap in giving the right importance to energy access – in particular in linking relief, rehabilitation and development – is clear

Experimental multiphase estimation on a chip

Multiparameter estimation is a general problem that aims at measuring unknown physical quantities, obtaining high precision in the process. In this context, the adoption of quantum resources promises a substantial boost in the achievable performances with respect to the classical case. However, several open problems remain to be addressed in the multiparameter scenario. A crucial requirement is the identification of suitable platforms to develop and experimentally test novel efficient methodologies that can be employed in this general framework. We report the experimental implementation of a reconfigurable integrated multimode interferometer designed for the simultaneous estimation of two optical phases. We verify the high-fidelity operation of the implemented device, and demonstrate quantum-enhanced performances in two-phase estimation with respect to the best classical case, post-selected to the number of detected coincidences. This device can be employed to test general adaptive multiphase protocols due to its high reconfigurability level, and represents a powerful platform to investigate the multiparameter estimation scenario.Comment: 10+7 pages, 7+4 figure

Efficient Localization and Tracking of Two Acoustic Sources using Particle Filters with Swarm Intelligence

Publication in the conference proceedings of EUSIPCO, Poznan, Poland, 200

Laboratory testing of the innovative low-cost Mewar Angithi insert for improving energy efficiency of cooking tasks on three-stone fires in critical contexts

Currently, about 2.7 billion people across the world still lack access to clean cooking means. Humanitarian emergencies and post-emergencies are among the most critical situations: the utilization of traditional devices such as three-stone fires have a huge negative impact not only on food security but also on the socio-economic status of people, their health and the surrounding environment. Advanced Cooking Stoves may constitute better systems compared to actual ones, however, financial, logistic and time constraints have strongly limited the interventions in critical contexts until now. The innovative, low-cost Mewar Angithi insert for improving energy efficiency of three-stone fires may play a role in the transition to better cooking systems in such contexts. In this paper, we rely on the Water Boiling Test 4.2.3 to assess the performances of the Mewar Angithi insert respect to a traditional three-stone fire and we analyse the results through a robust statistical procedure. The potentiality and suitability of this novel solution is discussed for its use in critical contexts

Tracking Multiple Acoustic Sources using Particle Filtering

Publication in the conference proceedings of EUSIPCO, Florence, Italy, 200

Technology options for earthquake resistant, eco-efficient buildings in Europe: Research needs

The built environment corresponds to the largest industrial sector not only in economic terms, but also in terms of resource flow. Moreover, European citizens spend most of their lives inside buildings, therefore buildings turn out to be at the centre of social and economic activity. In that light, Europe is involved in several initiatives and strategies aimed to make this sector one of the most competitive and innovative, focusing on the achievement of the environmental and energy targets in line with 2020 Europe Strategy and EU 2050 Roadmap, but also ensuring safety both in ordinary conditions and in presence of exceptional events, such as earthquakes. While new buildings can be constructed with high performance levels, the older buildings which are predominantly characterized by low energy performance and seismic vulnerability, typically need renovation measures. This report has the aim to define the research needs for exploiting old buildings potential to deliver energy and CO2-emission savings, as well as societal and economic benefits, so that energy efficient and earthquake resistant buildings can have a pivotal role in a sustainable future. In the first part of the report, a detailed analysis of the main characteristics of European buildings in terms of age, size, ownership, location, structural typology is presented in order to define the predominant typology of the European existing building stock. Secondly, the seismic hazard in Europe and the earthquake vulnerability of European buildings are analysed. Finally, energy consumptions and environmental impacts in terms of use of resources, construction and demolition (C&D) wastes and CO2 emissions are described. The analysis of the present situation turns out to be essential in order to define the starting point to assess the current and new technology options, examined in the second part of the report and necessary to obtain eco-efficient and seismic resistant buildings. In addition, the benefits that a renovation project could bring against a demolition and reconstruction programme have been underlined. Once these inputs have been defined, the requalification needs and the importance to improve renovation strategies, considered as outputs of the analysis, are examined for each of the two above-mentioned parts of this study. Finally, a critical discussion on the importance of considering research needs for this topic, with a focus on barriers and challenges which a renovation programme has to face, has been carried out.JRC.G.5-European laboratory for structural assessmen