Distributed infinite-horizon optimal control of continuous-time linear systems over network

This article deals with the distributed infinite-horizon linear-quadratic-Gaussian optimal control problem for continuous-time systems over networks. In particular, the feedback controller is composed of local control stations, which receive some measurement data from the plant process and regulates a portion of the input signal. We provide a solution when the nodes have information on the structural data of the whole network but takes local actions, and also when only local information on the network are available to the nodes. The proposed solution is arbitrarily close to the optimal centralized one (in terms of cost index) when a design parameter is set sufficiently large. Numerical simulation validate the theoretical results

Comprehensive transcript profiling of two grapevine rootstock genotypes contrasting in drought susceptibility links the phenylpropanoid pathway to enhanced tolerance

In light of ongoing climate changes in wine-growing regions, the selection of drought-tolerant rootstocks is becoming a crucial factor for developing a sustainable viticulture. In this study, M4, a new rootstock genotype that shows tolerance to drought, was compared from a genomic and transcriptomic point of view with the less drought-tolerant genotype 101.14. The root and leaf transcriptome of both 101.14 and the M4 rootstock genotype was analysed, following exposure to progressive drought conditions. Multifactorial analyses indicated that stress treatment represents the main factor driving differential gene expression in roots, whereas in leaves the genotype is the prominent factor. Upon stress, M4 roots and leaves showed a higher induction of resveratrol and flavonoid biosynthetic genes, respectively. The higher expression of VvSTS genes in M4, confirmed by the accumulation of higher levels of resveratrol in M4 roots compared with 101.14, was coupled to an up-regulation of several VvWRKY transcription factors. Interestingly, VvSTS promoter analyses performed on both the resequenced genomes highlighted a significantly higher number of W-BOX elements in the tolerant genotype. It is proposed that the elevated synthesis of resveratrol in M4 roots upon water stress could enhance the plant’s ability to cope with the oxidative stress usually associated with water deficit

Oltre il Segno/OltreMare

La realizzazione di un volume contenente le incisioni scelte all’interno della Scuola di Grafica d’Arte dell’Accademia di Belle Arti di Palermo, coordinata dai Proff. Giovanni D’Alessandro e Riccardo Mazzarino rappresenta motivo di orgoglio e di soddisfazione per la nostra Istituzione che costruisce i percorsi didattici dei propri corsi a partire dall’esperienza laboratoriale. L’incisione grafica è tra le tecniche artistiche più antiche ma nel contempo più contemporanee. La gestualità intrinseca al segno, che si manifesta nella carta, svela universi della visione inaspettati.(Mario Zito - Direttore dell’Accademia di Belle Arti di Palermo) Il segno è il risultato di un gesto a volte deciso, a volte contorto, a volte leggero, i cui risultati spesso sono inattesi e sorprendenti. Il volume contiene esemplari di incisioni fortemente caratterizzanti della scuola di Grafica d’Arte che vanta all’interno del proprio corso di studi docenti-artisti che consapevoli della ricchezza del loro bagaglio esperienziale offrono agli studenti gli strumenti necessari per far sì che l’arte del saper fare artigianale, si trasformi in mera poetica artistica

Proces cyfryzacji a administracja publiczna we Włoszech: doświadczenia Krajowego Zakładu Zabezpieczenia Socjalnego (INPS)

The innovation and modernization processes of national public administrations feature prominently in the process of digital transition that the whole Europe is going through. In Italy, the National Institute of Social Security (Istituto Nazionale della Previdenza Sociale, INPS) has historically always been at the forefront in terms of digital skills and the use of Information Technology for the provision of social security services, constituting a model of excellence in the landscape of public administrations both in Italy and Europe. INPS is currently facing a strategic challenge: that of constituting the driving force for the digital transition of the Italian public sector. To meet this challenge, the Italian Social Security Institute has equipped itself with an ICT (information and communications technology) Plan that represents a marked discontinuity with respect to past plans and which deserves, as a result of its innovative character, to be analyzed in detail. In particular, the ICT Strategic Plan of INPS for the three-year period of 2020−2022 aims to introduce a paradigm shift towards the digitization of the public services that the Social Security Institute offers to the whole country, planning a radical technological, organizational and cultural innovation, an enabling prerequisite for creating a new model service for citizens, businesses and other public administrations.Wdrażanie innowacji oraz modernizacja narodowej administracji publicznej pełnią kluczową rolę w procesie cyfryzacji, przez który obecnie przechodzi cała Europa. We Włoszech Krajowy Zakład Zabezpieczenia Społecznego (Istituto Nazionale della Previdenza Sociale, INPS) zawsze był liderem pod względem kompetencji cyfrowych oraz wykorzystania technologii informatycznych do świadczenia usług zabezpieczenia społecznego, stworzył tym samym wzorcowy model dla środowisk administracji publicznej zarówno we Włoszech, jak i w całej Europie. INPS zmaga się obecnie ze strategicznym wyzwaniem, aby zagwarantować siłę napędową dla cyfrowej transformacji włoskiego sektora publicznego. By sprostać temu zadaniu, włoski Instytut Zabezpieczenia Społecznego przyjął Strategiczny Plan ICT (pol. technologie informacyjno-komunikacyjne, ang. information and communications technology), który wyraźnie odcina się od planów z przeszłości i ze względu na swój innowacyjny charakter zasługuje na szczegółową analizę. Plan ICT opracowany jest przez INPS na trzy lata: 2020−2022, w szczególności ma na celu wprowadzenie zmiany paradygmatu w kierunku cyfryzacji usług publicznych, oferowanych całemu krajowi przez Instytut Zabezpieczenia Społecznego. Plan uwzględnia radykalne nowoczesne rozwiązania technologiczne, organizacyjne i kulturowe, umożliwiające stworzenie nowego modelu usług dla obywateli, przedsiębiorstw i innych organów administracji publicznej

Kalman-like filtering with intermittent observations and non-Gaussian noise

The paper concerns the sub-optimal filtering problem when the measurement signal is sent through an unreliable channel and the noise signals are not necessarily Gaussian. In particular, we assume that the measurement packet losses are modeled by an i.i.d. Bernoulli sequence with known probability mass function, and the moments of the (generally) non-Gaussian noise sequences up to the fourth order are known. By mean of a suitable rewriting of the system through an output injection term, and by considering an augmented system with the second-order Kronecker power of the measurements, an optimal solution among the quadratic transformations of the output is provided. Numerical simulations show the effectiveness of the proposed method

Filtering of systems with heavy tailed noise: application to 3D target tracking with glint noise

Abstract—In this paper a filtering method for non-Gaussian linear systems is adopted to face the problem of the target tracking in the presence of the glint noise. In particular, we extend the quadratic filtering method with virtual measurements to the three-dimensional case of the target tracking problem. Moreover, we present extensive numerical simulation by comparing our method with several filtering algorithms used in the case of heavy tailed noises. The latter numerical results confirm the effectiveness of the proposed approach

S-Carboxymethyl Cysteine Protects against Oxidative Stress and Mitochondrial Impairment in a Parkinson’s Disease In Vitro Model

The mucolytic agent S-carboxymethylcysteine is widely used as an expectorant for the treatment of numerous respiratory disorders. The metabolic fate of S-carboxymethyl-L-cysteine is complex. Several clinical studies have demonstrated that the metabolism of this agent differs within the same individual, with sulfur oxygenated metabolites generated upon night-time administration. It has been indicated that this drug behaves like a free radical scavenger and that, in this regard, the sulfide is the active species with sulphoxide metabolites (already oxidized) being inactive. Consequently, a night-time consumption of the drug should be more effective upon daytime administration. Still, this diurnal variation in biotransformation (deactivation) is dependent on the genetic polymorphism on which relies the patient population capacities of S-carboxymethyl-L-cysteine sulphoxidation. It has been reported that those cohorts who are efficient sulfur oxidizers will generate inactive oxygenated metabolites. In contrast, those who have a relative deficiency in this mechanism will be subjected to the active sulfide for a more extended period. In this regard, it is noteworthy that 38–39% of Parkinson’s disease patients belong to the poor sulphoxide cohort, being exposed to higher levels of active sulfide, the active antioxidant metabolite of S-carboxymethyl-L-cysteine. Parkinson’s disease is a neurodegenerative disorder that affects predominately dopaminergic neurons. It has been demonstrated that oxidative stress and mitochondrial dysfunction play a crucial role in the degeneration of dopaminergic neurons. Based on this evidence, in this study, we evaluated the effects of S-carboxymethyl cysteine in an in vitro model of Parkinson’s disease in protecting against oxidative stress injury. The data obtained suggested that an S-carboxymethylcysteine-enriched diet could be beneficial during aging to protect neurons from oxidative imbalance and mitochondrial dysfunction, thus preventing the progression of neurodegenerative processes