SAFETY AND HEALTH SITE INSPECTIONS FOR ON-FIELD RISK ANALYSIS AND TRAINING

The field of construction is always affected by a large number of accidents at work that have many different causes and responsible. Therefore, it is of utmost importance to focus on all these issues, in order to reduce all risk factors that can undermine individuals’ safety on building sites. The objective of the research is then the development of a method for quick on site analysis of all critical issues that can create accidents and identification of the related causes in order to directly provide a correct and focused training identified as the best method to act on the causes to reduce accidents. The research was carried on during construction of the Universal Exhibition of Milan – Expo 2015 – that counted almost 70 contemporary construction sites. To reach the goals further research steps has been followed and in particular: (i) inspections on building sites through all the Expo area; (ii) analysis of the main identified problems; (iii) development of a methodology to quickly identify the cause of problems; (iv) validation of the method through back office analysis of site documents; (v) correct on-site training according to found problem. During the whole construction site, the improvements in criticalities solving have been visible thanks to the focused training. The developed method, carried on in a high-risk environment, is applicable in any other building sites and environment as independent from the boundary conditions of the place

Misurare le leggi del tempo: considerazioni preliminari su Vremja – mera mira di Velimir Chlebnikov

In this paper we aim to analyse those elements, which can formally ascribed to Math, in the essay "Vremja – mera mira", written by Velimir Khlebnikov between 1915-1916. This text has been largely neglected to date, most likely due to the complex mathematical language employed by Khlebnikov. We propose a reconstruction and an interpretation of most of the mathematical expressions used by Khlebnikov, including a passage that explains the origin of the number 48 - a number ubiquitous in Khlebnikov's "scientific" works. We also highlight some evidence suggesting that Khlebnikov's ideas were influenced by the ideas of Sir Rowan Hamilton. In particular, we argue that Khlebnikov re-elaborated Hamilton's interpretation of Algebra as the Science of Pure Time: in Khlebnikov's view, Algebra does not only derive from the notion of Time but can reveal the nature of Time itself

Data integration and FAIR data management in Solid Earth Science

Integrated use of multidisciplinary data is nowadays a recognized trend in scientific research, in particular in the domain of solid Earth science where the understanding of a physical process is improved and made complete by different types of measurements – for instance, ground acceleration, SAR imaging, crustal deformation – describing a physical phenomenon. FAIR principles are recognized as a means to foster data integration by providing a common set of criteria for building data stewardship systems for Open Science. However, the implementation of FAIR principles raises issues along dimensions like governance and legal beyond, of course, the technical one. In the latter, in particular, the development of FAIR data provision systems is often delegated to Research Infrastructures or data providers, with support in terms of metrics and best practices offered by cluster projects or dedicated initiatives. In the current work, we describe the approach to FAIR data management in the European Plate Observing System (EPOS), a distributed research infrastructure in the solid Earth science domain that includes more than 250 individual research infrastructures across 25 countries in Europe. We focus in particular on the technical aspects, but including also governance, policies and organizational elements, by describing the architecture of the EPOS delivery framework both from the organizational and technical point of view and by outlining the key principles used in the technical design. We describe how a combination of approaches, namely rich metadata and service-based systems design, are required to achieve data integration. We show the system architecture and the basic features of the EPOS data portal, that integrates data from more than 220 services in a FAIR way. The construction of such a portal was driven by the EPOS FAIR data management approach, that by defining a clear roadmap for compliance with the FAIR principles, produced a number of best practices and technical approaches for complying with the FAIR principles. Such a work, that spans over a decade but concentrates the key efforts in the last 5 years with the EPOS Implementation Phase project and the establishment of EPOS-ERIC, was carried out in synergy with other EU initiatives dealing with FAIR data. On the basis of the EPOS experience, future directions are outlined, emphasizing the need to provide i) FAIR reference architectures that can ease data practitioners and engineers from the domain communities to adopt FAIR principles and build FAIR data systems; ii) a FAIR data management framework addressing FAIR through the entire data lifecycle, including reproducibility and provenance; and iii) the extension of the FAIR principles to policies and governance dimensions.publishedVersio

Methodology to sustain common information spaces for research collaborations

Information and knowledge sharing collaborations are essential for scientific research and innovation. They provide opportunities to pool expertise and resources. They are required to draw on today’s wealth of data to address pressing societal challenges. Establishing effective collaborations depends on the alignment of intellectual and technical capital. In this thesis we investigate implications and influences of socio-technical aspects of research collaborations to identify methods of facilitating their formation and sustained success. We draw on our experience acquired in an international federated seismological context, and in a large research infrastructure for solid-Earth sciences. We recognise the centrality of the users and propose a strategy to sustain their engagement as actors participating in the collaboration. Our approach promotes and enables their active contribution in the construction and maintenance of Common Information Spaces (CISs). These are shaped by conceptual agreements that are captured and maintained to facilitate mutual understanding and to underpin their collaborative work. A user-driven approach shapes the evolution of a CIS based on the requirements of the communities involved in the collaboration. Active users’ engagement is pursued by partitioning concerns and by targeting their interests. For instance, application domain experts focus on scientific and conceptual aspects; data and information experts address knowledge representation issues; and architects and engineers build the infrastructure that populates the common space. We introduce a methodology to sustain CIS and a conceptual framework that has its foundations on a set of agreed Core Concepts forming a Canonical Core (CC). A representation of such a CC is also introduced that leverages and promotes reuse of existing standards: EPOS-DCAT-AP. The application of our methodology shows promising results with a good uptake and adoption by the targeted communities. This encourages us to continue applying and evaluating such a strategy in the future

Difficoltà alessitimiche e funzionamento familiare in adolescenza: uno studio sui cluster familiari

Alexithymia and family functioning in adolescence: a study on family clusters Several studies have stressed the importance of the ability to identify and describe emotions to psychological well-being in adolescence. However, fewer studies have investigated adolescents’ alexithymic difficulties in relation to family functioning. The aim of this study was to investigate the alexithymic difficulties of adolescents belonging to the general population, in relation to their family functioning, taking into account their psychopathological risk. The sample was composed of N=314 families with adolescents. Adolescents filled out some self-report questionnaires for the evaluation of alexithymic difficulties and psychopathological risk and mothers, fathers and adolescents filled out a questionnaire for the evaluation of family functioning. In order to verify the presence of different family functioning, authors have conducted a cluster analysis, which identified four distinct profiles of family functioning. Then, covariance analysis was conducted, which showed greater somatization and hostility in adolescents with families that show less cohesion and flexibilit

Hypothalamic over-expression of VGF in the Siberian hamster increases energy expenditure and reduces body weight gain

VGF (non-acronymic) was first highlighted to have a role in energy homeostasis through experiments involving dietary manipulation in mice. Fasting increased VGF mRNA in the Arc and levels were subsequently reduced upon refeeding. This anabolic role for VGF was supported by observations in a VGF null (VGF-/-) mouse and in the diet-induced and gold-thioglucose obese mice. However, this anabolic role for VGF has not been supported by a number of subsequent studies investigating the physiological effects of VGF-derived peptides. Intracerebroventricular (ICV) infusion of TLQP-21 increased resting energy expenditure and rectal temperature in mice and protected against diet-induced obesity. Similarly, ICV infusion of TLQP-21 into Siberian hamsters significantly reduced body weight, but this was due to a decrease in food intake, with no effect on energy expenditure. Subsequently NERP-2 was shown to increase food intake in rats via the orexin system, suggesting opposing roles for these VGF-derived peptides. Thus to further elucidate the role of hypothalamic VGF in the regulation of energy homeostasis we utilised a recombinant adeno-associated viral vector to over-express VGF in adult male Siberian hamsters, thus avoiding any developmental effects or associated functional compensation. Initially, hypothalamic over-expression of VGF in adult Siberian hamsters produced no effect on metabolic parameters, but by 12 weeks post-infusion hamsters had increased oxygen consumption and a tendency to increased carbon dioxide production; this attenuated body weight gain, reduced interscapular white adipose tissue and resulted in a compensatory increase in food intake. These observed changes in energy expenditure and food intake were associated with an increase in the hypothalamic contents of the VGF-derived peptides AQEE, TLQP and NERP-2. The complex phenotype of the VGF-/- mice is a likely consequence of global ablation of the gene and its derived peptides during development, as well as in the adult