Offshore and Onshore Wave Energy Converters: Engineering and Environmental Features

In the last decade, extensive research has been carried out with the aim of designing new prototype devices that allow for the extraction of electricity from renewable energy sources, in order to contribute to a reduction in the use of nonrenewable resources, and thereby mitigate climate change impacts [...

SMT-based Verification of LTL Specifications with Integer Constraints and its Application to Runtime Checking of Service Substitutability

An important problem that arises during the execution of service-based applications concerns the ability to determine whether a running service can be substituted with one with a different interface, for example if the former is no longer available. Standard Bounded Model Checking techniques can be used to perform this check, but they must be able to provide answers very quickly, lest the check hampers the operativeness of the application, instead of aiding it. The problem becomes even more complex when conversational services are considered, i.e., services that expose operations that have Input/Output data dependencies among them. In this paper we introduce a formal verification technique for an extension of Linear Temporal Logic that allows users to include in formulae constraints on integer variables. This technique applied to the substitutability problem for conversational services is shown to be considerably faster and with smaller memory footprint than existing ones

Basic fibroblast growth factor mediates carotid plaque instability through metalloproteinase-2 and –9 expression

OBJECTIVE(S): We hypothesized that basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) may exert a role in carotid plaque instability by regulating the expression of matrix metalloproteinases (MMP). METHODS: Plaques obtained from 40 consecutive patients undergoing carotid endarterectomy were preoperatively classified as soft or hard. Serum bFGF was pre- and postoperatively measured. The release of MMP-2 and MMP-9 in the blood serum, and the activity, production and expression in the carotid specimens was analyzed. Specific anti-bFGF inhibition tests were performed in vitro on human umbilical artery smooth muscle cells (HUASMC) to evaluate the role of bFGF in the activity, production and expression of MMP-2 and -9. RESULTS: Twenty-one (53%) patients had a soft carotid plaque and 19 (48%) a hard plaque. Preoperative bFGF serum levels were higher in patients with soft plaques [soft=34 (28-39) pg/mL and hard=20 (17-22) pg/mL-p<0.001] and postoperatively returned to normal values (when compared to 10 healthy volunteers). The serum levels of MMP-2 in patients' with soft plaques were higher than those in patients' with hard plaques [soft=1222 (1190-1252) ng/mL and hard=748 (656-793)ng/mL-p<0.0001]. MMP-9 serum values were 26 (22-29) ng/mL for soft plaques and 18 (15-21) ng/mL for hard plaques (p<0.0001). We found increased activity, production and expression of MMP-2 and -9 in soft plaques compared to hard plaques (p<0.001). In vitro inhibition tests on HUASMC showed the direct influence of bFGF on the activity, production and expression of MMP-2 and -9 (p<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: bFGF seems to exert a key role in carotid plaque instability regulating the activity, production and expression of MMP thus altering the physiologic homeostasis of the carotid plaque

Floristička opažanja o posebnoj zajednici Acer opalus Mill. ssp. obtusatum (Waldst. et Kit. ex Willd.) na području Gargana (Apulija, Italija).

The results of floristic investigation into the most representative plant community of Acer opalus subsp. obtusatum growing on Gargano Promontory (Apulia, Italy) are presented. The taxon is in the Regional Red List of plants of Apulia, with lower risk (LR). In all, 126 taxa were recorded, exsiccata of which were stored in the Herbarium Horti Botanici Barensis (BI), while 15 of them are considered important from a conservation point of view. For these species a detailed account is provided.U radu se prezentiraju rezultati florističkih istraživanja najzastupljenije biljne zajednice koju na na poluotoku Gargano (Apulija, Italija) čini Acer opalus subsp. obtusatum. Svojta se nalazi na regionalnom Crvenoj popisu biljaka Apulije kao nisko rizična vrsta (LR). Zabilježeno je ukupno 126 svojti, exsiccata su pohranjeni u Herbarium Horti Botanici Barensis (BI), a od toga ih se 15 svojti smatra važnim s gledišta zaštite i za njih se daju detaljni podaci

Wave-induced loads on a lock gate provided with an opening through the ballast tank

AbstractThe wave loads on a navigation lock gate provided with an opening in the ballast tank are analyzed using a mathematical model based on the linear wave theory. The analysis focuses on the influence of the wave number and the geometrical characteristics of the structure on the applied load. It is shown that the maximum value of the vertical force mainly depends on the height of the ballast tank and on the width of the opening. The wave number for which the maximum load occurs significantly depends on the geometric characteristics of the structure except for the water depth above the ballast tank which has a negligible effect. An increase in the height of the ballast tank causes an increase in the wave load while an increase in the width of the opening causes a decrease in the wave load. Based on the results of the mathematical model an easy to use regression model has been developed which can be employed to evaluate the wave load

Experimental Detection of Nonlinear Dynamics Using a Laser Profilometer

This paper investigates a cantilever beam nonlinear dynamic behaviour, on which the nonlinearity is introduced with permanent magnet interactions or with a non-holonomic contact. The experimental time domain responses obtained from non-zero initial conditions are measured using a laser profilometer, conventionally adopted for product shape detections in online industrial applications. The Fourier transform, Continuous Wavelet transform, and Hilbert transform are used to investigate nonlinear phenomena in the frequency content, highlighting advantages and drawbacks of the three methods in catching instantaneous phenomena. Then, a Multi-Phi approach is proposed to describe the time evolution of nonlinear systems by means of a discrete number of linearised systems. Therefore, two linearised models have been developed and tuned to describe the dynamic behaviour of different Euler–Bernoulli cantilever beam configurations. The experimental data of nonlinear systems are compared with the corresponding ones of the linear system to evaluate the effects of introduced nonlinearities on the overall dynamic properties

Measuring the impact of COVID-19 restrictions on mobility: A real case study from Italy

When COVID-19 first struck the provinces of Northern Italy in early 2020 (especially in Lombardy and in EmiliaRomagna), the conditions there made it a perfect storm. The virus outbreak spread with an unusual violence (in the period from late February to April 2020), with a catastrophic toll in terms of human deaths. Taken by surprise, Italy mandated a complete nation-wide lockdown, successively resorting to ministerial decrees alleviating and postponing the restrictions. Now more than ever, there is an increased awareness on ICT used to combat the pandemic. In this article, we present a quantitative analysis evidencing the impact of restrictions on mobility. To this end, we rely on a vehicular mobility dataset confined in the downtown area of Bologna, Italy. Pursuing the objective, we propose a modified version of a state-of-theart data mining algorithm, allowing us to efficiently identify and quantify mobility flows. The proposal, if combined with additional data sources, could allow for a fine-grained and timely decision making, combating the pandemic

Satisfying Requirements for Pervasive Service Compositions

International audiencePervasive environments are characterised by highly heterogeneous services and mobile devices with dynamic availability. Approaches such as that proposed by the Connect project provide means to enable such systems to be discovered and composed, through mediation where necessary. As services appear and disappear, the set of feasible compositions changes. In such a pervasive environment, a designer encounters two related challenges: what goals it is reasonable to pursue in the current context and how to use the services presently available to achieve his goals. This paper proposes an approach to design service compositions, facilitating an interactive process to find the trade-off between the possible and the desirable. Following our approach, the system finds at runtime, where possible, compositions related to the developer's requirements. This process can realise the intent the developer specifies at design time, taking into account the services available at runtime, without a prohibitive level of pre-specification, inappropriate for such dynamic environments

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