Towards the fast and robust optimal design of Wireless Body Area Networks

Wireless body area networks are wireless sensor networks whose adoption has recently emerged and spread in important healthcare applications, such as the remote monitoring of health conditions of patients. A major issue associated with the deployment of such networks is represented by energy consumption: in general, the batteries of the sensors cannot be easily replaced and recharged, so containing the usage of energy by a rational design of the network and of the routing is crucial. Another issue is represented by traffic uncertainty: body sensors may produce data at a variable rate that is not exactly known in advance, for example because the generation of data is event-driven. Neglecting traffic uncertainty may lead to wrong design and routing decisions, which may compromise the functionality of the network and have very bad effects on the health of the patients. In order to address these issues, in this work we propose the first robust optimization model for jointly optimizing the topology and the routing in body area networks under traffic uncertainty. Since the problem may result challenging even for a state-of-the-art optimization solver, we propose an original optimization algorithm that exploits suitable linear relaxations to guide a randomized fixing of the variables, supported by an exact large variable neighborhood search. Experiments on realistic instances indicate that our algorithm performs better than a state-of-the-art solver, fast producing solutions associated with improved optimality gaps.Comment: Authors' manuscript version of the paper that was published in Applied Soft Computin

Fostering sustainable micro district heating: A tool for biomass boiler design

Biomass micro district heating networks can represent an opportunity for small communities to comply with European directives and achieve a sustainable energy supply. To foster their adoption, a facility management provider should rely on methods and tools to properly size the biomass energy conversion system, so that it can better suit the local community characteristics and requirements. To this end, the concepts of partial and complementary degrees-hour are introduced in order to partition energy flows along the whole heating season between the biomass boiler and the fossil fuel peak load one for each possible biomass boiler size. Basing on such division, the operational profile of the plant and related costs as well as carbon dioxide equivalent emissions can be evaluated. The methodology is embedded in a decision support tool, which provides the minimum cost solutions as well as the more environment-friendly ones. Results from the application of the tool to a real case of a mountain village are discussed

SARS-CoV-2 susceptibility and COVID-19 disease severity are associated with genetic variants affecting gene expression in a variety of tissues

Variability in SARS-CoV-2 susceptibility and COVID-19 disease severity between individuals is partly due to genetic factors. Here, we identify 4 genomic loci with suggestive associations for SARS-CoV-2 susceptibility and 19 for COVID-19 disease severity. Four of these 23 loci likely have an ethnicity-specific component. Genome-wide association study (GWAS) signals in 11 loci colocalize with expression quantitative trait loci (eQTLs) associated with the expression of 20 genes in 62 tissues/cell types (range: 1:43 tissues/gene), including lung, brain, heart, muscle, and skin as well as the digestive system and immune system. We perform genetic fine mapping to compute 99% credible SNP sets, which identify 10 GWAS loci that have eight or fewer SNPs in the credible set, including three loci with one single likely causal SNP. Our study suggests that the diverse symptoms and disease severity of COVID-19 observed between individuals is associated with variants across the genome, affecting gene expression levels in a wide variety of tissue types

Guidelines for the use and interpretation of assays for monitoring autophagy (3rd edition)

In 2008 we published the first set of guidelines for standardizing research in autophagy. Since then, research on this topic has continued to accelerate, and many new scientists have entered the field. Our knowledge base and relevant new technologies have also been expanding. Accordingly, it is important to update these guidelines for monitoring autophagy in different organisms. Various reviews have described the range of assays that have been used for this purpose. Nevertheless, there continues to be confusion regarding acceptable methods to measure autophagy, especially in multicellular eukaryotes. For example, a key point that needs to be emphasized is that there is a difference between measurements that monitor the numbers or volume of autophagic elements (e.g., autophagosomes or autolysosomes) at any stage of the autophagic process versus those that measure fl ux through the autophagy pathway (i.e., the complete process including the amount and rate of cargo sequestered and degraded). In particular, a block in macroautophagy that results in autophagosome accumulation must be differentiated from stimuli that increase autophagic activity, defi ned as increased autophagy induction coupled with increased delivery to, and degradation within, lysosomes (inmost higher eukaryotes and some protists such as Dictyostelium ) or the vacuole (in plants and fungi). In other words, it is especially important that investigators new to the fi eld understand that the appearance of more autophagosomes does not necessarily equate with more autophagy. In fact, in many cases, autophagosomes accumulate because of a block in trafficking to lysosomes without a concomitant change in autophagosome biogenesis, whereas an increase in autolysosomes may reflect a reduction in degradative activity. It is worth emphasizing here that lysosomal digestion is a stage of autophagy and evaluating its competence is a crucial part of the evaluation of autophagic flux, or complete autophagy. Here, we present a set of guidelines for the selection and interpretation of methods for use by investigators who aim to examine macroautophagy and related processes, as well as for reviewers who need to provide realistic and reasonable critiques of papers that are focused on these processes. These guidelines are not meant to be a formulaic set of rules, because the appropriate assays depend in part on the question being asked and the system being used. In addition, we emphasize that no individual assay is guaranteed to be the most appropriate one in every situation, and we strongly recommend the use of multiple assays to monitor autophagy. Along these lines, because of the potential for pleiotropic effects due to blocking autophagy through genetic manipulation it is imperative to delete or knock down more than one autophagy-related gene. In addition, some individual Atg proteins, or groups of proteins, are involved in other cellular pathways so not all Atg proteins can be used as a specific marker for an autophagic process. In these guidelines, we consider these various methods of assessing autophagy and what information can, or cannot, be obtained from them. Finally, by discussing the merits and limits of particular autophagy assays, we hope to encourage technical innovation in the field

A first update on mapping the human genetic architecture of COVID-19

peer reviewe

A Hybrid MIP-Based Heuristic for the Optimal Design of DVB-T2 Networks

International audienc

Diffused introduction of Organic Rankine Cycle for biomass-based power generation in an industrial district: a systems analysis

Specific Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) units dedicated to biomass-based power production have recently been developed through the introduction of novel organic working media and technology innovation. For small systems, ORC technology appears as an efficient alternative to conventional generation if also process waste heat can be exploited, as resulted in the last few years from the successful operation of several demonstration plants in Austria and Switzerland. The present study aims to investigate the impact of the introduction of ORC units in an industrial context from a system perspective, with particular reference to industrial districts, which are characterized by the concentration in small areas of a large number of medium- and small-sized firms. The paper focuses on the opportunity of combining ORCs, traditional Rankine cycles and multi-source district heating to meet energy requirements in an industrial district in North Eastern Italy. To this end, a mixed-integer linear programming model oriented to economical optimization of the system is developed and sensitivity analysis is carried out in order to determine the conditions for the expansion of biomass-based power generation in the analyzed industrial district and to evaluate potential for CO2 emission reduction

Waste-to-energy application in an industrial district

Industrial districts present some features that can be recognized and exploited in the plant engineering through the proposal of solutions which are not simple applications of models created for individual companies. This work illustrates a waste-to-energy plant to be used for the industrial waste of the district of Friuli Venezia Giulia. The project from the union between university and local entrepreneurs. It is described how the expense for woodworking-waste disposal can turn from a charge into an advantage for the firms of the district thanks to the incineration of this waste in a plant unique for the typology of waste treated. Each plant section is described in detail, underlining innovative approaches and solutions.

Universities as activators of urban symbiosis for sustainable energy supply: a case study

It is proposed the experience of the research team of the Engineering Faculty of Udine University in conceptualizing, designing, and fostering the construction of an innovative urban energy supply symbiotic system, involving a new trigeneration plant in Udine Hospital with a municipal district heating network serving university buildings and other public structures such as the municipal swimming pool. We describe how we conceived and implement our role of an university research group aiming at fostering sustainable development. A new declination of urban symbiosis concept is introduced to explain our strategic vision, while our tactical approach to enable cooperation among stakeholders is analysed based on literature evidence. The development of mathematical models as decision support tools to support the adoption of the energy supply system, and impact on internal operations and education of this initiative is also described. The final selection and integration of different traditional and renewable energy technological options to foster energy efficiency and lowering GHG emissions is proposed. The organizational structure adopted to make our sustainability vision into reality and pursuing system design, realization, and operation is then analyzed, as well as how the original symbiotic system has been changed to accommodate the actual needs of various subjects involved

From hospital to municipal cogeneration systems: an Italian case study

4A mixed integer linear programming model combined with a more traditional design by scenarios is proposed to optimize facilities size and operation mode of a municipal energy system involving significant civil centres and a hospital. Moving from the need of a new heat and power station for the local hospital due to the construction of new pavilions, the opportunity of involving other centres in the neighbourhood in a distributed cogeneration system is analysed, increasing system complexity step by step. Smaller cogeneration units tailored to hospital needs are rewarding ventures with relatively low risks but, in a country whose traditional power generation systems heavily rely on fossil fuels and where energy policy and market conditions can make it profitable to sell surplus power, district heating systems foster the installation of larger cogenerators and lead thereby to higher profits and to better performance as for primary energy savings and greenhouse gases emission reduction.reservedmixedCHINESE Damiana; MENEGHETTI Antonella; NARDIN Gioacchino; SIMEONI PatriziaChinese, Damiana; Meneghetti, Antonella; Nardin, Gioacchino; Simeoni, Patrizi