Introductory notes for the Acta IMEKO Special Issue on the 24th IMEKO Technical Committee 4 International Symposium and the 22nd International Workshop on Analogue-to-Digital Conversion and Digital-to-Analogue Conversion Modelling and Testing

Measurement has always been a tool by which we can observe the world around us. This concept was once again confirmed during the 24th IMEKO Technical Committee 4 (TC4) International Symposium, which showed how topics related to the world of measurement range across many fields of knowledge. The IMEKO TC4 International Symposium is one of the most important events in the fields concerned with the theoretical and practical aspects of the measurement of electrical quantities and related instrumentation. It involves institutions and academia in a discussion of the state of the art and issues that require a joint approach by engineers, academics and other experts of measurement, instrumentation, testing and metrolog

Holistic model-based monitoring of the human health status in an urban environment system: pilot study in Verona city, Italy

Introduction. In recent decades the global health paradigm gained an increasing systemic characterization. The ecosystem health theory states that a healthy ecosystem, whether natural or artificial, significantly contributes to the good health status of the human population. Methods. The present study describes an interdisciplinary monitoring model that retrospectively analyzes the intersection between the urban environment and citizens. The model analyzes both the biophysical and the anthropic subsystems through the application of landscape ecology and environmental quality indexes along with human health indicators. Particularly, ecological quality of landscape pattern, atmospheric pollution, outdoor noise levels and local health indicators were assessed. Verona municipality was chosen as study area to test the preliminary efficiency of the model. Territory was split into two superimposed layers of land units, which were further geo-referentiated with Geographical Information System (GIS) technology. Interdependence of any of the analyzed traits was further investigated with Fisher exact test. Results. Landscape composition was assessed and an Average Ecological Quality (AEQ) score assigned to each land unit. A direct proportionality emerged for concentrations of considered air pollutants and traffic levels: a spatial model for the atmospheric pollution was drawn. A map depicting the distribution of traffic- related noise levels was also drawn. From chosen indicators, a quality class score was assigned to every minor and major land unit. Age-standardised rates about hospitalizations for the municipal population and specific rates for the over-65s/1000 inhabitants were calculated. Quality class assignement for each health indicator was graphically rendered. After direct standardisation of rates for the population sample, data were compared with two reference populations, the Regional population and the Local Socio-sanitary Unit (ULSS20) population. Standardised hospitalization rates for the whole municipal population always resulted lower than the ULSS20 rates, except for auditory pathologies. It was notable that rates of hospitalizations for cancerous diseases for Verona municipal population were four times and two times lower than the ULSS20 and the Regional population ones, respectively. Contingency table were made for the health main indicator (specific rates for the over 65s/1000 inhabitants) and the environmental quality key factors of landscape ecological quality, outdoor noise level and air pollution. H0 of independence was rejected for respiratory pathologies and air pollution and for the triad cardiocirculatory pathologies, air pollution and landscape ecological quality at (? = 0.05). Fisher exact test confirmed the non-independence of cardiocirculatory diseases and biophysical environment and the analogous association for respiratory pathologies when comparison was made with global environmental quality index. Discussion. The first testing of the model suggests some possible elements of implementation and integration which could further enhance it. Among them, the subjective investigation of the health status assumes a primary role. On the whole the monitoring model seems to effectively represent the real complexity of the urban environment systems and should be regarded as an important contribution to the new way of health research

Characterization of DC series arc faults in PV systems based on current low frequency spectral analysis

This work presents an experimental study focused on the characterization of series arc faults in direct current (DC) photovoltaic (PV) systems. The aim of the study is to identify some relevant characteristics of arcing current, which can be obtained by means of low frequency spectral analysis of current signal. On field tests have been carried out on a real PV system, in accordance with some tests requirements of UL 1699B Standard for protection devices against PV DC arc faults. Arcing and non-arcing current signals are acquired and compared and the behavior of a set of indicators proposed by authors is analyzed. Different measurement equipment have been used, in order to study the impact of both measurement transducers and data acquisition systems on proposed indicators effectiveness. Presented results show that the considered indicators are suitable for detecting the arc presence even with commercial devices normally used for smart metering applications

An interface protection system based on an embedded metrology system platform

The aim of this work is to present an interface protection system (IPS) for Distributed Generators (DG) and Energy Storage Systems (ESS). The new prototype of IPS guarantees standard protection requirements, in terms of both voltage and frequency measurement accuracies and trip times. Moreover, it has the additional functionalities of implementing a communication link between the Distribution System Operator (DSO) and the DG and ESS Inverter. The new IPS is based on a smart meter platform with an integrated power line communication modem. Moreover, it has also an integrated metrology section. Experimental tests will show how this last feature allows a significant reduction of the measurement data access time allowing an improvement of trip time accuracy

A Line Impedance Calculator Based on a G3 PLC Modem Platform

Power line communication (PLC) is one of the most today used technologies for both automatic meter reading and many other smart grid applications. In this framework, a characterization of the electrical network in the PLC frequency range is needed in terms of impedance measurement and received signal level. This can allow choosing the most suitable and less noisy frequency ranges for PLC transmission. Usually, these characterization measurements are performed with dedicated instrumentation and in the absence of mains voltage. This article wants to propose an alternative solution, which allows these kinds of measurements to be performed using electronic boards currently used as on-field applications, such as smart meters. To this aim, an innovative measurement tool is proposed, which does not need a specific characterization signal to be injected because it uses the preamble of a generic PLC transmission. Moreover, the impedance calculation is performed using an FFT analysis, which does not require high computational capabilities. These features allowed the proposed tool to be implemented using a G3-PLC transceiver, embedded in many commercial smart meters, and low-cost additional hardware. This article shows how the proposed system correctly measures the PLC impedance on CENELEC A, B, and FCC frequency ranges

Allergy to polyethilenglicole of anti-sars cov2 vaccine recipient: A case report of young adult recipient and the management of future exposure to sars-cov2

The main contraindication to the anti-SARS CoV2 vaccine is an anaphylactic reaction to a vaccine component. The need to vaccinate allergic people who are at higher risk can be of public health interest and this report shows a case of an allergic reaction to PEG of a HCW who had received the first dose of anti-SARS CoV2 vaccine. For 5 h after the administration of the vaccine, she had the appearance of erythematous spots on the face and neck, and a feeling of a slurred mouth and hoarseness. In order to treat the event, she was administered 8 mg intravenous dexamethasone, 1 vial intravenous chlorphenamine maleate, 250 mL intravenous 0.9% NaCl, and conventional oxygen therapy (2 L/min) with complete resolution of the suspected adverse drug reaction. According to the contraindication to the cutaneous test for this patient, BAT was used for further investigations. The patient who suffered the adverse reaction to the COVID-19 vaccine and other five allergic patients who did not report any adverse reaction after the vaccination were tested. There was a significant activation of the vaccine-reactive patient’s basophils with 14.79 CD203chigh% at the concentration of 0.2 mg/mL, while other patients were negative. People who have a confirmed reaction to a vaccine component should undergo further investigation to discover other possible cross-reactions and select the right vaccine to immunize them

Li-ion battery modeling and state of charge estimation method including the hysteresis effect

In this paper, a new approach to modeling the hysteresis phenomenon of the open circuit voltage (OCV) of lithium-ion batteries and estimating the battery state of charge (SoC) is presented. A characterization procedure is proposed to identify the battery model parameters, in particular, those related to the hysteresis phenomenon and the transition between charging and discharging conditions. A linearization method is used to obtain a suitable trade-off between the model accuracy and a low computational cost, in order to allow the implementation of SoC estimation on common hardware platforms. The proposed characterization procedure and the model effectiveness for SoC estimation are experimentally verified using a real grid-connected storage system. A mixed algorithm is adopted for SoC estimation, which takes into account both the traditional Coulomb counting method and the developed model. The experimental comparison with the traditional approach and the obtained results show the feasibility of the proposed approach for accurate SoC estimation, even in the presence of low-accuracy measurement transducers

Risk narrations and perceptions in the COVID-19 time. A discourse analysis through the Italian press

This paper explores how the risk related to the pandemic of COVID-19 was managed, narrated and perceived in Italy during the lockdown phase, from February until June 2020. To reach this aim, the study provides a discourse analysis of three main level: the official institutional discourses declaimed by the government and the health authority; the risk narration spread through the diaphragm of the Italian press, and specifically through two of the most-read newspapers in Italy (Repubblica and Corriere della Sera) and their related weeklies (Venerdì di Repubblica and Sette); finally, the diverse reactions and perceptions to the risk coming from the most affected and most vulnerable subjects, communities and territories. In order to record this narrative frame, our study started by looking for the more recurrent keywords through which the public discourse about COVID-19 emergency was spread in Italy. The examined words, together with a literary review about risk, disaster, and sustainability, give back, and allow to understand, the mirror of the risk management, perception, and narration in the pandemic society. According to the Foucault’s thought, a constant theoretical reference has been the power control exerted in the plague city. In this article we show in a nutshell some of the main elements emerged through this discourse analysis. Firstly, it comes to light how the world has been caught totally unprepared to manage collectively a pandemic of this magnitude. Secondly, two main emergency consequences emerged. Indeed, if on one hand the risk management created privileges and inequalities, on the other hand the risk perception led to communities’ practices of solidarity and resilience. Finally, our research demonstrates what is depicted in the reported literary review: disasters are unevenly and differential phenomena