The consolidation process of the EU regulatory framework on nanotechnologies: within and beyond the EU case-by-case approach

The field of nanotechnologies has been the subject of a process of wide-ranging regulation, which covers two different trends. From the 2000s the European Commission and Parliament agreed on a type of adaptive, experimental and flexible approach, which had its apex with the Commission code of conduct on responsible nano-research developed through a set of consultations. In 2009 this initial agreement subsequently broke down and the EU started to develop a set of regulatory initiatives of a sectoral nature in several fields (cosmetics, food, biocides). Thus, the current arrangement of governance in the field of nanotechnologies appears to be a hybrid, which mixes forms belonging to the new governance method (consultations, self-regulation, agency, comitology committees, networking), working like a lung in the framework of EU policy, with more traditional tools belonging to the classic governance method (regulations, directives). This model of governance based on a case-by-case approach runs the risk of lacking coherence since it is exposed to sudden changes of direction when risks emerge and it has a weak anticipatory dimension due to both its excessive dependency on data collection and its insufficient use of upstream criteria, such as human rights, which should be used earlier, to allow anticipated intervention with a less intense use of hard law solutions

Quale cristianesimo? L’iscrizione di Manasse a 'Hierapolis' di Frigia (Turchia)

The study of the inscription featuring Manasse’s Prayer (first half of VI century A.C.) from the House of the Painted Inscription in Hierapolis, Frigia (Turkey), today raises some very interesting questions not only on the origin of Christianity in Asia Minor, but also on the path of the religious liturgy and of penitential prayer inside private homes. In this specific instance, the issue of the use of the small room where the inscription was found, and its relationship with the rest of a home that features several decorative details, is brought up again

The algebro-geometric study of range maps

Localizing a radiant source is a widespread problem to many scientific and technological research areas. E.g. localization based on range measurements stays at the core of technologies like radar, sonar and wireless sensors networks. In this manuscript we study in depth the model for source localization based on range measurements obtained from the source signal, from the point of view of algebraic geometry. In the case of three receivers, we find unexpected connections between this problem and the geometry of Kummer's and Cayley's surfaces. Our work gives new insights also on the localization based on range differences.Comment: 38 pages, 18 figure

SAM68 is a physiological regulator of SMN2 splicing in spinal muscular atrophy

Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) is a neurodegenerative disease caused by loss of motor neurons in patients with null mutations in the SMN1 gene. The almost identical SMN2 gene is unable to compensate for this deficiency because of the skipping of exon 7 during pre-messenger RNA (mRNA) processing. Although several splicing factors can modulate SMN2 splicing in vitro, the physiological regulators of this disease-causing event are unknown. We found that knockout of the splicing factor SAM68 partially rescued body weight and viability of SMAΔ7 mice. Ablation of SAM68 function promoted SMN2 splicing and expression in SMAΔ7 mice, correlating with amelioration of SMA-related defects in motor neurons and skeletal muscles. Mechanistically, SAM68 binds to SMN2 pre-mRNA, favoring recruitment of the splicing repressor hnRNP A1 and interfering with that of U2AF65 at the 3' splice site of exon 7. These findings identify SAM68 as the first physiological regulator of SMN2 splicing in an SMA mouse model

Hydrological changes on water resources

Water is one of the essential elements for the nature and human being. The development of good practise of managing water resources are necessary to maintain sufficient availability and to support socio-economic activities and preserve natural ecosystems. For these reasons, it is fundamental to improve the knowledge of cause-effect relations that drives hydrological cycle, which determines water availability. Climate and land use (LU) are two of the main drivers of the water cycle and indeed, the knowledge of their influence on hydrology is a fundamental research question. Of course, the future water availability is strictly related to future climatic and LU scenarios and then a critical role is assumed by the prediction and assessment of these two. A climate and LU change impact study will be developed to investigate the near-future water availability in the Mediterranean area. In detail, on the basis of the state of art and the actual knowledge, the main objective of this dissertation is to estimate the probability density function (pdf) of annual surface runoff Q in transient climate and LU conditions in the island of Sardinia (Italy). The study case has been selected due to the ongoing important process of climate change, overexploitation and degradation of natural resources affecting the entire island (see e.g. ISPRA, ENEA and CIRCE studies). These analyses might have a strategic importance for stakeholders and government agencies that are interested in the management of water resources due to the well-known issue of water availability in the Mediterranean area. The knowledge of the near-future impact of climate and LU change could be useful to establish regional guidelines and good practices to avoid the ongoing reduction of water resources in Sardinia. After a detailed review of the existing methodologies for describing and detecting climate and LU change and their influence in hydrological processes, a methodology based on the Budyko’s theory that aims at assessing near future Q pdf in a closed form has been adopted. Five parameters are requested, referring to mean and standard deviation of annual rainfall P and annual potential evapotranspiration PET and Fu’s parameter ω. Sets of these parameters will be assessed to define different climatic and LU scenarios for the near future. EUROCORDEX and Land Use CORINE projects will be used to represent climate and LU in the present and in the near future. Results showed that in the near future Q will decrease due to the reduction of P and the increase of PET. The variability of Q will decrease due the reduction of variability of P. Finally, it has been observed that in Sardinia the main driver in the change of Q pdf will be climate change, while the LU plays a secondary role

Cartesian Stiffness Matrix Mapping of a Translational Parallel Mechanism with Elastic Joints

This paper is devoted to calculating the Cartesian stiffness matrix of a translational parallel manipulator with elastic joints. The calculation takes into account the contribution of the Jacobian variation because of the change of manipulator configuration due to the elasticity and it covers the entire theoretical workspace of the manipulator. Three kineto‐static adimensional indices are proposed to measure the response of the manipulator in terms of stiffness

Inescapable Frameworks: Ethics of Care, Ethics of Rights and the Responsible Research and Innovation Model

Notwithstanding the EU endorsement, so far Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI) is discussed as regards its definition, its features and its conceptual core: innovation and responsibility. This conceptual indeterminacy is a source of disagreements at the political level, giving rise to a plurality of outcomes and versions upheld within the same model of governance. Following a Charles Taylor's suggestion, this conceptual opening of the RRI model can be explained by the existence of plural, clashing moral frameworks: discourse ethics, Aristotelian ethics, care ethics, dignitarian ethics, rights-based moralities etc. Given the diffusion in the RRI literature of references to care ethics and its justification of participation and responsibility, I will compare the conceptual premises of this philosophical line with those of ethics of rights, which have been criticised by advocates of care ethics. I will argue that public engagement based on only needs cannot lead to responsible outcomes since it produces however the exclusion of some needs, covered instead by rights. In order for participation to be effective, rights or an alliance between the two perspectives is required

Robotic-Like Formulation of the Approximated Body-Guidance Problem

A classical problem in the mechanics of mechanisms is the body-guidance synthesis. As first formulated by Burmester, the problem consists of finding the dimensions of a planar four-bar linkage whose coupler link attains a prescribed set of finitely separated poses. The problem is solved either in exact, up to five prescribed poses, or in approximate forms by several methods. Many of them rely on the algebraic geometry to find center- and circle-point loci of the RR dyads composing the mechanism. The method was also used to find the circle-point locus of the PR dyad. In this paper a different approach was followed. We propose a formulation of the problem by using the vector loop equations, usually employed in robotics for kinematic analysis, to obtain the set of nonlinear synthesis equations then solved by advanced and stabilized algorithms. The method allows us to achieve the approximate solution of the body-guidance problem either with RR or PR dyads with high accuracy also including prescribed timing

Development of a mechatronic system for the mirror therapy

This paper fits into the field of research concerning robotic systems for rehabilitation. Robotic systems are going to be increasingly used to assist fragile persons and to perform rehabilitation tasks for persons affected by motion injuries. Among the recovery therapies, the mirror therapy was shown to be effective for the functional recovery of an arm after stroke. In this paper we present a master/slave robotic device based on the mirror therapy paradigm for wrist rehabilitation. The device is designed to orient the affected wrist in real time according to the imposed motion of the healthy wrist. The paper shows the kinematic analysis of the system, the numerical simulations, an experimental mechatronic set-up, and a built 3D-printed prototype