Italian National Research Council Research Articles

Towards an optimized heat transfer process in vaporizing liquid microthrusters using pulsed heating control

The Institute for Microelectronics and Microsystems of the Italian National Research Council (Italy) has designed and fabricated a water-fed MEMS vaporizing liquid microthruster (VLM) in collaboration with the University of Salento (Italy) and KU Leuven (Belgium). Previous studies have demonstrated the device’s functioning and highlighted the presence of a strong thermoelectric-hydraulic coupling that severely affects the heating and propulsive efficiencies and reliability of the device. In this regard, the current work provides a preliminary experimental investigation of a pulsed heating system actively controlled by temperature using PI-D logic (proportional and integrative actions applied to the error; derivative action applied to the output). The overall performance assessment focuses on evaluating power consumption during steady-state operation and analyzing the dynamic response of the VLM undergoing such an actively controlled pulsed heating, which has been built using both manual and data-driven offline adaptive tuning of the PID parameters. Concerning the steady-state operation, results highlight a promising enhancement of the heating efficiency to values above 0.9. The dynamic response analysis shows that operating with a single set of fixed PID parameters is not feasible and that the manual tuning is a trial-and-error approach highly dependent on the operator’s experience, operating conditions, and reference temperature profile. Furthermore, shorter rise and response times require a higher proportional gain, and the overshoot experienced when crossing the saturation temperature cannot be avoided. In this paper, we show that the response of the data-driven adaptive controller solves these issues, exhibiting a reduced maximum settling time from around 59 s to less than 10 s, while the overshoot is avoided thanks to the temporal adjustment of the PID parameters.

Vertical Light Non-Aqueous Phase Liquid (LNAPL) distribution by Rn prospecting in monitoring wells.

In the frame of a collaboration between the Italian National Research Council (CNR) and Mares s.r.l., a study, about the possibility of determining radon vertical distribution at different soil depths in order to trace light non-aqueous phase liquid (LNAPL) contaminations, was developed. The radon deficit technique, based on the preferential solubility of soil gas radon into non-polar fluids, such as refined hydrocarbons, has been investigated by various theoretical and applied research so far. According to international scientific literature, radon deficit can be used both for geochemical prospection of the spatial irregular NAPL dispersion and for monitoring of remediation activities. Even though it is well known that this type of pollutants can be distributed along the vertical soil profile-firstly due to their density in comparison to water density, and secondly due to fluctuations of shallow aquifers, soil pore size, aging of contamination, and so on-the vertical localization of the plume still represents a scientific challenge. In this article, a method to determine the radon vertical profile is tested and applied to assess the potential use of the radon deficit technique in the vertical detection of pollutant presence for the first time in a fuelling station. Two LNAPL-contaminated sites were selected for a pilot test. Experimental findings seem to support the use of vertical radon geochemical prospection to delimit the depth range of a LNAPL pollution directly. Systematic data collection and modeling may lead to a 3D reconstruction of the dispersion of contaminant in different soil levels.

Coastal Marine Monitoring Experiments at the National Research Council in Messina, Italy: 30 Years of Research

Coastal marine monitoring is a specialized field of research requiring the acquisition of long-term datasets regarding the main physico-chemical and biological variables that characterize the aquatic environments as a key strategy to depict the environmental status and its possible changes due to natural or anthropogenic stressors. During the last few decades, the devices used in this research field underwenta great evolution. This progress has been made possible by the advancement of the technologies and data processing that have resulted in the availability of new systems for autonomous monitoring. This paper reviews the state of the art of coastal marine monitoring systems developed since 1988 at the Istituto Sperimentale Talassografico—Experimental Thalassographic Institute of Messina (CNR IST), a part of the Italian National Research Council, and continued when the Institute was incorporated into the Istituto per l’Ambiente Marino Costiero—Institute for Marine Coastal Environment (IAMC). The research activity focused on coastal marine monitoring starting at the end of 1988 and lasting for about 30 years, up to the re-organization of the CNR Institutes. This event led to the redistribution of former marine research centers into new Institutes, with missions different to those characterizing the previous structures. Monitoring experiments were performed, and new automatic devices were developed and tested. Some of these systems, including water samplers and integrated data acquisition and transmission systems, are reported.

Design and Demonstration of a Passive Pitch System for Tidal Turbines

Tidal currents are renewable and predictable energy sources that could prove fundamental to the transition to a sustainable use of renewable energy resources. Over a tidal period, changes in the flow speed in a tidal channel require that the blade pitch is adjusted to maximise power extraction. This is currently achieved with active pitch actuation, which however increases the capital and maintenance cost of the turbine. Furthermore, because of turbulence in the tidal stream, turbine yaw, wave-induced currents, etc., tidal turbine blades experience high-frequency velocity fluctuations that result in power and thrust unsteadiness, both of which are transmitted to the generator, the tower, and the active pitching mechanism, shortening the operating life due to fatigue loading.
 A passive morphing blade concept capable of reducing the load fluctuations without affecting the mean loads has recently been formulated and demonstrated with low-order simulations (https://doi.org/10.1016/j.renene.2021.10.085) and measurements (https://doi.org/10.1016/j.renene.2023.01.051). The system allows both passive pitch adjustment to changes in the mean flow speed over the tidal period, and the mitigation of high-frequency fluctuations.
 In this paper, we present the recent progress on the development of morphing blade technology, including with numerical simulations and experimental tests on a 1.2-m diameter turbine. Two different design concepts have been tested in the FloWave facility at the University of Edinburgh and in the recirculating channel at the Institute for Marine Engineering of the Italian National Research Council, respectively.
 Experimental results show that the amplitude of power variations over a wide range of flow speeds is substantially decreased, while thrust variations with changes in freestream speed are essentially suppressed. The detrimental effect of yawed inflow is, in addition, almost entirely cancelled. The fluctuations in the root-bending moment, thrust and torque are consistently reduced over a broad range of tip-speed ratios. We also show that such a system, if improperly designed, could result in a negative starting torque, and we show the steps necessary to avoid this issue.
 Furthermore, we present a theoretical and numerical framework that allows the design of passive pitch blades that can cancel either thrust or power fluctuations in specific flow conditions, as well as mitigating both types of fluctuations over a wide range of conditions. Specifically, we show that for any quasi-steady change in the relative flow speed and direction, there is a pitching axis that allows a chosen force component to be kept constant. High-frequency force fluctuations can also be substantially mitigated, and the extent of the mitigation depends on the inertia and friction in the system.
 Overall this paper demonstrates experimentally the effectiveness of morphing blades for tidal turbines and presents a theoretical and numerical framework for the future development of this technology.

The ITAlian rainfall-induced LandslIdes CAtalogue, an extensive and accurate spatio-temporal catalogue of rainfall-induced landslides in Italy

Abstract. Italy is frequently hit and damaged by landslides, resulting in substantial and widespread disruptions. In particular, slope failures have a high impact on the population, communication infrastructure, and economic and productive sectors. The hazard posed by landslides requires adequate responses for landslide risk mitigation, with special attention to the risk to the population. In 2006 the Italian Department of Civil Protection, an office of the Prime Minister, commissioned the Research Institute for Geo-Hydrological Protection (Istituto di Ricerca per la Protezione Idrogeologica), a research institute of the Italian National Research Council, to carry out operational forecasting of rainfall-induced landslides. Collecting landslide information in a catalogue is a preliminary action toward landslide forecasting. The use of spatially and temporally inaccurate landslide catalogues results in uncertain and unreliable operational landslide forecasting. Consequently, accurate catalogues are needed to reduce the uncertainties, which are to some extent unavoidable. To this end, over the last 15 years many researchers have been involved in compiling a catalogue called ITALICA (ITAlian rainfall-induced LandslIdes CAtalogue), which currently lists 6312 records with information on rainfall-induced landslides that occurred over the Italian territory between January 1996 and December 2021. Overall, more than one-third of the catalogue has very high geographic accuracy (less than 1 km2) and hourly temporal resolution. In contrast, less than 2 % of the catalogue has low and very low geographical accuracy and daily temporal resolution. This makes ITALICA the largest catalogue of rainfall-induced landslides accurately located in space and time available in Italy. Without this high level of accuracy, the precipitation responsible for the initiation of landslides cannot be reliably reconstructed, thus making the prediction of landslide occurrence ineffective. ITALICA can be accessed at https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.8009366 (Brunetti et al., 2023). ITALICA's information on rainfall-induced landslides in Italy places a special emphasis on their spatial and temporal locations, making the catalogue especially suitable for defining the rainfall conditions capable of triggering future landslides in the Italian territory. This information is fundamental for decision-making in landslide risk management.

Dissolved fluxes of nutrients and carbon at the sediment-water interface in the Adriatic Sea: review of early data and methods from the Italian National Research Council (CNR)

We report the measurement of the Fluxes of Dissolved Compounds at the Sediment-Water Interface (DFSWIs), obtained by analyzing data collected in the Italian Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) of the Northern and Central Adriatic Sea from 1982. We also describe the methods, honed by Italy’s Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (CNR), employed to measure and calculate DFSWIs, including benthic chambers and landers, sediment-water interface micro-profiling, on-board incubation, and pore water modeling. Data analysis demonstrated that in situ measurements are the most reliable approaches, but that on-board collected data also supply interesting results. The DFSWI data allowed to divide the Adriatic seafloor into areas with similar DFSWI types and intensities and to define the role of sediments as sources or sinks of chemicals such as nutrients, Dissolved Inorganic Carbon (DIC), and metals. DFSWIs mainly depend on dissolved and solid river inputs, Marine Organic Matter (mOM) production, and sediment reworking. They show a seasonal temperature-related trend, which in summer induces increased chemical reaction kinetics and microbial activity. DFSWIs decline from the Po River mouths southward, along the Holocene mud wedge. North of the Po River Delta, the DFSWIs are weaker and confined to the areas in front of the major river mouths, due to poor Organic Matter (OM) inputs and strong reworking of bottom sediments. The area south of the Po Delta cusp is characterized by strong DFSWIs, due to the high deposition of solid inputs from the Po River, strong primary production, and protection from the Western Adriatic Current and Bora storms; in summer, higher temperatures, and calm hydrodynamic conditions generate near-bottom hypoxic to anoxic environments in this area. In Northern and Central Adriatic offshore areas, negative DIC and phosphate fluxes are due to poorly reactive OM reaching this area and to the mainly carbonate composition and oxic environment of local bottom sediments. DFSWI data analysis highlighted the important contribution of sediments to marine carbon and nutrient cycles. This is particularly important for carbon, which plays a major role in seawater acidification and global climate change. The study also provides average DFSWI data for each diagenetic area, which allow calculating the carbon and nutrient budgets in the Adriatic Sea.

Alessandro Volta: Still Fully Charged After 200 Years

Abstract In the framework of the International Year of Basic Sciences for Sustainable Development (UNESCO IYBSSD July 2022—2023), the Italian IUPAC NAO organized an open and educational event titled Alessandro Volta’s heritage and electrochemistry to respond to the great challenges of the future. Designed to highlight the role of chemistry as a fundamental science to respond to big challenges, the day event was organized in collaboration with two important scientific Italian institutions including the Italian National Research Council (CNR) and the University of Insubria, with the support of IUPAC and its Committee on CHEMical Research Applied to World Needs (CHEMRAWN) (IUPAC project #2022-018-1-021), and in collaboration with the International Science Council.

A relations-based evaluation framework to support collaborative research and innovation (R&I) networks

The majority of the projects funded under the European Research Framework Programme (FP) require a collaborative effort in order to tackle complex societal challenges. The underlying assumption is that collaborative networks boost research productivity and the attainment of the goals set out by the European Commission's agenda. In general, the production of scientific knowledge increasingly takes place within networks and consortia with a wide diversity and interlinkages of disciplines, expertise, backgrounds and approaches. This relational dimension has become even more important in the Horizon Europe FP, which has moved from a project-focused to a mission-oriented approach whereby a portfolio of projects is managed in coordination in order to stimulate cross-learning and experimentation. Starting from key concepts and theories of evaluation research, including ten years of experience for the Italian National Research Council (CNR) team as an internal evaluator, we are proposing a new approach, namely a Relations-based Evaluation (RE) approach, that analyses, assesses and builds relationships, both internal and external, with the ultimate aim of supporting collaborative research and innovation (R&I) projects. The framework originated within the context of EU projects and deals with the specific case of consortia funded under the EU FPs. However, it could be easily applied to other types of research consortia and project networks with similar features.

Guest Editorial Special Issue on Electrical Discharges in Vacuum

This Special Issue contains the expanded version of selected papers presented at the 29th International Symposium on Discharges and Electrical Insulation in Vacuum (ISDEIV). The Symposium was scheduled to take place in June 2020 in Padua, Italy, but due to the Covid-19 pandemic, it was held on September 26–30, 2021, in virtual mode. The Symposium was hosted by the Consorzio RFX, Padua, which is a research infrastructure whose mission is the research on fusion science, implemented through the participation to the European Fusion Program, through the development and exploitation of RFX—the largest Reversed Field Pinch Fusion machine—and through the development and exploitation of the Neutral Beam Test Facility (NBTF)—the prototype of the Neutral Beam Injectors for ITER. Members of the Consorzio RFX are the Italian National Research Council (CNR), the National Agency for Energy and Sustainable Development (ENEA), the National Institute on Nuclear Physics (INFN), and Padova University. The Conference was attended remotely by 167 participants from 17 different countries.

Validity of cingulate–precuneus–temporo-parietal hypometabolism for single-subject diagnosis of biomarker-proven atypical variants of Alzheimer’s Disease

The aim of our study was to establish empirically to what extent reduced glucose uptake in the precuneus, posterior cingulate and/or temporo-parietal cortex (PCTP), which is thought to indicate brain amyloidosis in patients with dementia or MCI due to Alzheimer’s Disease (AD), permits to distinguish amyloid-positive from amyloid-negative patients with non-classical AD phenotypes at the single-case level. We enrolled 127 neurodegenerative patients with cognitive impairment and a positive (n. 63) or negative (n. 64) amyloid marker (cerebrospinal fluid or amy-PET). Three rating methods of FDG-PET scan were applied: purely qualitative visual interpretation of uptake images (VIUI), and visual reading assisted by a semi-automated and semi-quantitative tool: INLAB, provided by the Italian National Research Council, or Cortex ID Suite, marketed by GE Healthcare. Fourteen scans (11.0%) patients remained unclassified by VIUI or INLAB procedures, therefore, validity values were computed on the remaining 113 cases. The three rating approaches showed good total accuracy (77–78%), good to optimal sensitivity (81–93%), but poorer specificity (62–75%). VIUI showed the highest sensitivity and the lowest specificity, and also the highest proportion of unclassified cases. Cases with asymmetric temporo-parietal hypometabolism and a progressive aphasia or corticobasal clinical profile, in particular, tended to be rated as AD-like, even if biomarkers indicated non-amyloid pathology. Our findings provide formal support to the value of PCTP hypometabolism for single-level diagnosis of amyloid pathophysiology in atypical AD, but also highlight the risk of qualitative assessment to misclassify patients with non-AD PPA or CBS underpinned by asymmetric temporo-parietal hypometabolism.

Participation and facilitation in environment and health contexts. The case study of San Donaci (Apu-lia Region, Southern Italy)

On behalf of the municipal administration of San Donaci (Brindisi Province, Apulia Region, Southern Italy), the Italian National Research Council counducted a participatory epidemiology experience. The activity of participation and discussion between the research group, the public administration, and citizens involved an association with expertise in facilitation. The participation methodology, adapted to the context, was articulated in focus groups and circle time. In addition to expanding the environmental and health analyses by enriching the final report, facilitation supported the expression of the different points of view, restoring greater complexity to the discussion by rebuilding a partial climate of trust among the participants.

The Italian instructions for the design, execution and control of timber constructions (CNR-DT 206 R1/2018)

In 2007 the Italian National Research Council published the technical document CNR-DT 206/2007 “Instructions for the design, execution and control of timber structures”, with the purpose to provide a technical support to the operators of the sector, in line with the most advanced knowledge at that time. Since then, the world of timber engineering has largely used such document, even though the instructions are not mandatory standard rules, so that they became the most common tool in Italy for the structural use of timber, opening the markets and favouring competition and new applications. In latest years new studies, researches and innovative proposals have promoted the development and the growth of timber constructions also in the civil residential field. The framework of standard rules for constructions and products, both Europeans and Italians, has evolved too. For these reasons, CNR has considered as opportune to proceed to the editing of a new version, updated and widened, namely with the acronym DT 206-R1. The document comes from the spontaneous cooperation of an open group of specialists and operators of the sector, based on a wide discussion on the common scientific and technical expertise and knowledge. The current version has already taken into account the results of the public inquiry phase (concluded by now).The paper presents the main contents of the document, evidencing the innovations.

From Lithological Modelling to Groundwater Modelling: A Case Study in the Tiber River Alluvial Valley

This study presents the results of a research project financed by the Lazio Regional Government. The research focused on defining an integrated model of recent alluvial deposits in the Tiber River. To achieve this objective, geological boreholes were made to monitor the aquifer and in situ and laboratory tests were carried out. The data obtained were used to detail stratigraphic aspects and improve the comprehension of water circulation beneath the recent alluvial deposits of the Tiber River in the urban area of Rome, between the Ponte Milvio bridge and the Tiber Island. The stratigraphic intervals recognised in the boreholes were parameterised based on their litho-technical characteristics. The new data acquired, and integrated with existing data in the database of Institute of Environmental Geology and Geoengineering of the Italian National Research Council, made it possible to produce a three-dimensional model of the lithologies in the study area. The model of the subsoil, simplified for applied reasons, was described in hydrostratigraphic terms: three different lithotypes were subjected to piezometric levels monitoring. Finally, the research generated a numerical hydrological model in a steady state. In general, this study demonstrates how a numerical hydrogeological model calibrated by piezometric monitoring data can support the construction of a geological model, discarding or confirming certain hypotheses and suggesting other means of reconstructing sedimentary bodies.

Accuracy of 3-dimensional stereophotogrammetry: Comparison of the 3dMD and Bellus3D facial scanning systems with one another and with direct anthropometry

The objective of this study was to compare the accuracy of 3-dimensional (3D) digital facial photographs taken by the Bellus3D Face Camera Pro (Bellus3D) (Bellus3D Inc, Los Gatos, Calif) and the 3dMDface system (3dMD) (3dMD Inc, Atlanta, Ga) with one another and with direct anthropometry (DA). A mannequin head was selected as the research object. Twenty facial landmarks were labeled on the basis of the 8 interlandmark distances and 5 angles that were defined. A 150-mm digital Vernier caliper (Mitutoyo Inc, Tokyo, Japan) with an accuracy of 0.02mm was applied to directly measure the interlandmark distances, and the angles were calculated according to the law of cosines. All the measurements were conducted 3 times by each operator under identical conditions. Then, each scanner was used to acquire 3D photographs 5 times, generating 10 digital stereophotographs. Linear distances and angles were measured on the 3D facial photographs reconstructed with open-source MeshLab software (ISTI [Italian National Research Council], Rome, Italy). Each linear distance and angle were measured 3 times by 1 operator, and 3 examiners conducted the measurements independently. To obtain the trueness, equivalence tests were applied to compare the measurements of the 2 scanners and DA. In addition, the average absolute deviations were calculated to directly compare the trueness of 3 methods (Bellus3D vs 3dMD vs DA). Finally, the intraclass correlation coefficient was used to assess the interobserver agreement and the precision of 2 scanners. As for the trueness, 7 out of 8 of the linear distance measurements (N-Pn, Sn-Pog, ORE-IRE, OLE-ILE, RLC-RMC, LLC-LMC, and CR-CL) and 3 out of 5 of the angular measurements (MLA, NFA, and INI) obtained by 3dMD were equivalent to those obtained by DA. Five out of 8 measurements (N-Pn, Sn-Pog, RLC-RMC, LLC-LMC, and CR-CL) and 1 out of 5 of the angular measurements (MLA) obtained by Bellus3D were equivalent to the measurements obtained with DA. All but 3 of the measurements (ORE-IRE, NFA, and INI) obtained with Bellus3D were equivalent to 3dMD. The mean absolute difference between 3dMD and DA was 0.36±0.20mm and 0.45°±0.56°; the deviation between Bellus3D and DA was 0.61±0.47mm and 0.99°±0.61°; and the deviation between Bellus3D and 3dMD was 0.38±0.37mm and 0.62°±0.39°. Regarding the precision of the 2 scanners, the intraclass correlation coefficient value of 3dMD was approximately 1.00, and that of Bellus3D was 0.99. The interobserver agreement for each linear and angular measurement was 0.99. The trueness of each scanner was clinically acceptable for diagnosis and treatment planning. The precision of 3D photographs obtained by 3dMD and Bellus3D showed good scanning repeatability. The interobserver agreement between the 3 operators was rated as excellent (0.99).

Long-Term Follow-up of the Italian Flexible Sigmoidoscopy Screening Trial.

Recent reports showed that the protective effect of flexible sigmoidoscopy (FS) screening was maintained up to17 years, although differences were reported by sex. To assess long-term reduction of colorectal cancer (CRC) incidence and mortality after a single FS screening. Parallel randomized controlled trial. (ISRCTN registry number: 27814061). 6 centers in Italy. Persons aged 55 to 64 years expressing interest in having FS screening if invited, recruited from 1995 to 1999 and followed until 2012 (incidence) and 2014 to 2016 (mortality). Eligible persons were randomly assigned (1:1 ratio) to either the once-only FS screening group or control (usual care) group. Incidence and mortality rate ratios (RRs) and rate differences. A total of 34272 persons (17136 in each group) were included in the analysis; 9911 participants had screening in the intervention group. Median follow-up was 15.4 years for incidence and 18.8 years for mortality. Incidence of CRC was reduced by 19% (RR, 0.81 [95% CI, 0.71 to 0.93]) in the intention-to-treat (ITT) analysis, comparing the intervention with the control group, and by 33% (RR, 0.67 [CI, 0.56 to 0.81]) in the per protocol (PP) analysis, comparing participants screened in the intervention group with the control persons. Colorectal cancer mortality was reduced by 22% (RR, 0.78 [CI, 0.61 to 0.98]) in the ITT analysis and by 39% (RR, 0.61 [CI, 0.44 to 0.84]) in the PP analysis. Incidence of CRC was statistically significantly reduced among both men and women. Colorectal cancer mortality was statistically significantly reduced among men (ITT RR, 0.73 [CI, 0.54 to 0.97]) but not among women (ITT RR, 0.90 [CI, 0.59 to 1.37]). Self-selection of volunteers from the general population sample targeted for recruitment may limit generalizability. The strong protective effect of a single FS screening for CRC incidence and mortality was maintained up to 15 and 19 years, respectively. Italian Association for Cancer Research, Italian National Research Council, Istituto Oncologico Romagnolo, Fondo "E. Tempia," University of Milan, and Local Health Unit ASL-Torino.

Knowledge Co-construction by Citizens and Researchers to Create a SNAPSHOT of the Marine Environment During and After the Covid-19 Lockdown

Lockdown measures adopted in Italy to contain the diffusion of Covid-19 altered many variables influencing the anthropogenic pressure on marine ecosystems. Public reactions included surprise at how quickly changes in human activity seemingly improved natural recovery and, at the same time, a generalized anxiety to restart economic activities. In this situation several Institutions from the Italian National Research Council (CNR) made a joint effort to quantify the effects of the unprecedented experimental conditions induced by the reduction of many anthropogenic pressures. The resulting project was conceived with a holistic, interdisciplinary approach, geared to combine scientific, economic and cultural observations to promote collective actions suitable to the governance of socio-ecological systems, reconciling respect for the environment with human activities and wellbeing, and thus grounding an ethical approach to marine resources. Alongside collecting considerable amount of scientific observations, the project is working to complement samplings and analyses with the non-formal knowledge carried by the inhabitants of a set of coastal zones, thus enriching the generated knowledge and widening inclusion and pluralism in defining the challenges at stake; simultaneously it focuses on stimulating a reflection in the research community over the process of knowledge co-construction, its meaning, role and responsibility in the societal context. After a brief contextualization of this activity, we present here the perspective adopted by researchers to build a responsible marine research plan, inclusive on the grounds of both involved actors and knowledge sources. We comment the process- and community-related features, explore limits and opportunities, and propose a set of recommendations, based on a preliminary review of our experience and oriented to promote the development of a shared Ocean ethics.

Towards a knowledge base of medieval and renaissance geographical Latin works: The IMAGO ontology

Abstract In this article we present the first achievement of the Index Medii Aevi Geographiae Operum (IMAGO)—Italian National Research Project (2020–23), that is, the ontology we have created in order to formally represent the knowledge about the geographical works written in Middle Ages and Renaissance (6th–15th centuries). The IMAGO ontology is derived from a strict collaboration between the Institute of Information Science and Technologies (ISTI) of the Italian National Research Council (CNR) and the scholars who are involved in the project, who have supported ISTI-CNR in defining a conceptualization of the domain of knowledge. Following the re-use logic, we have selected as reference ontologies the International Committee on Documentation CRM vocabulary and its extension FRBRoo, including its in-progress reformulation, LRMoo. This research is included in a wider project context whose final aim is the creation of a knowledge base (KB) of Latin geographic literature of the Middle Ages and Renaissance Humanism in which the data are formally represented following the Linked Open Data paradigm and using the Semantic Web languages. At the end of the project, this KB will be accessed through a Web application that allows retrieving and consulting the collected data in a user-friendly way for scholars and general users, e.g. tables, maps, CSV files.

Women in Networks: Dr. Carla Fabiana Chiasserini, Politecnico di Torino, Italy

Carla Fabiana Chiasserini is a Professor with the Electronics and Telecommunications Department of Politecnico di Torino, where she leads the Advanced Wireless Experience (AWE) Lab, and a Research Associate with the Italian National Research Council (CNR). She currently serves as the Vice Rector for Alumni and Career Orientation at Politecnico di Torino. She is an IEEE Fellow. Her research interests include the design of wireless network architectures, the definition of protocols and algorithms for mobile networks and applications, and the creation of theoretical models for the study and the performance evaluation of wireless systems. Her research is indeed a combination of system design and network-theory, aiming to design algorithms and methods that solve real problems, starting with actual data and scenarios. As far as application domains are concerned, she has been focusing on energy efficiency of wireless systems, connected cars, mobility services, service virtualization, and smart healthcare.

A field intercomparison of three passive air samplers for gaseous mercury in ambient air

Abstract. Passive air samplers (PASs), which provide time-averaged concentrations of gaseous mercury over the timescale of weeks to months, are promising for filling a gap in the monitoring of atmospheric mercury worldwide. Their usefulness will depend on their ease of use and robustness under field conditions, their availability and affordability, and most notably, their ability to provide results of acceptable precision and accuracy. Here we describe a comparative evaluation of three PASs with respect to their ability to precisely and accurately record atmospheric background mercury concentrations at sites in both southern Italy and southern Ontario, Canada. The study includes the CNR-PAS with gold nanoparticles as a sorbent, developed by the Italian National Research Council, the IVL-PAS using an activated carbon-coated disk, developed by the Swedish Environmental Research Institute, and the MerPAS® using a sulfur-impregnated activated carbon sorbent, developed at the University of Toronto and commercialized by Tekran. Detection limits are deduced from the variability in the amount of mercury quantified in more than 20 field blank samples for each PAS. Analytical and sampling precision is quantified through 22 triplicate deployments for each PAS, ranging in duration from 2 to 12 weeks. Accuracy and bias are assessed through comparison with gaseous elemental mercury concentrations recorded by Tekran 2537 automated mercury analyzers operating alongside the PASs at both locations. The performance of the PASs was significantly better in Italy, with all of them providing concentrations that are not significantly different from the average concentrations of the Tekran 2537 instruments. In Canada, where weather conditions were much harsher and more variable during the February through April deployment period, there are differences amongst the PASs. At both sites, the MerPAS® is currently the most sensitive, precise, and accurate among the three PASs. A key reason for this is the larger size and the radial configuration of the MerPAS®, which results in lower blank levels relative to the sequestered amounts of mercury when compared to the other two PASs, which rely on axial diffusion geometries. Since blank correction becomes relatively smaller with longer deployments, performance tends to be closer amongst the PASs during deployments of 8 and 12 weeks.

The P.I.N.K. Study Approach for Supporting Personalized Risk Assessment and Early Diagnosis of Breast Cancer.

Breast cancer is a clear example of excellent survival when it is detected and properly treated in the early stage. Currently, screening of this cancer relies on mammography, which may be integrated by new imaging techniques for more exhaustive evaluation. The Personalized, Integrated, Network, Knowledge (P.I.N.K.) study is a longitudinal multicentric study involving several diagnostic centres across Italy, co-ordinated by the Italian National Research Council and co-funded by the Umberto Veronesi Foundation. Aim of the study is to evaluate the increased diagnostic accuracy in detecting cancers obtained with different combinations of imaging technologies, and find the most effective diagnostic pathway matching the characteristics of an individual patient. The study foresees the enrolment of 50,000 women over the age of 40 years presenting for breast examination and providing informed consent to data handling. So far, the 15 participating centres across Italy have recruited a total of 22,848 patients. Based on the analyses of the first 175 histopathological-proven breast cancers, mammographic sensitivity was estimated to be 61.7% (n = 108 cancers), whereas diagnostic accuracy increased by 35.5% (n = 44 cancers) when mammography was integrated with other imaging modalities (ultrasound and/or digital breast tomosynthesis). Increase was mainly determined by ultrasound alone. Given the ongoing data collection and recruitment, the number of cancers detected is too low to allow any further in-depth analysis to explore links to patient characteristics. Past studies show that the uniform approach of population screening guidelines should be revised in favour of more personalised regimens, where known standards are integrated by imaging techniques most suitable for the individual’s characteristics. With the ultimate goal of identifying early breast cancer detection strategies, our preliminary results suggest that integrated diagnostic approach could lead to a paradigm shift from an age-based regimen toward more specific and effective risk-based personalised screening regimens, in order to reduce mortality from breast cancer.