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This paper focuses on the detection, from a stack of repeated-pass interferometric synthetic aperture radar (SAR) images, of such changes causing a target to completely lose the correlation between one epoch and another. This can be the consequence of human activities, such as construction, destruction, and agricultural activities, and also be the consequence of hazards, such as earthquake, landslides, or flooding, to buildings or terrains. The millimetric sensitivity of SAR makes it valuable for detecting such changes. This paper approaches two coherent change detection methods: a space coherent, time incoherent one and a full space and time coherent one, both based on the generalized likelihood ratiob (LR) test. A preliminary validation of the method is provided by processing two Sentinel-1 data stacks of 2016 Central Italy earthquake and by comparing the results with the map of damaged buildings in Amatrice and Accumoli made by Copernicus Emergency Management Service. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the framework of the development of High Temperature Superconducting (HTS)-based solutions for modern power grids, Ricerca sul Sistema Energetico - RSE S.p.A. has gained a significant experience in design, testing, and installation of superconducting fault current limiters (SFCLs). After having successfully demonstrated the techno-economic feasibility of the first Italian three-phase BSCCO-based SFCL (9 kV/3.4 MVA) inside the distribution grid of A2A Reti Elettriche S.p.A. in the Milano area, RSE has initiated the development of a new upgraded three-phase SFCL, whose rated power has been enhanced in order to meet the utility's needs. Unlike the first prototype, the new SFCL device (9 kV/15.6 MVA) is YBCO-based: this choice allows reducing the needed tape length and cooling power, saving at the same time a significant amount of operational costs. The first phase was already assembled and tested in 2015, whereas the second phase was tested in February 2016. This paper will show the last outcomes from characterizations and short-circuit tests. Along with the SFCL project, RSE has also been focusing on superconducting cables and, in the framework of the European Project Best Paths, it has been involved in DEMO5, that is dedicated to the development of a HTS DC cable in MgB2 (10 kA/3.2GW). Taking the cue from the DEMO5 requirements, RSE has initiated a parallel research activity that is focused on studying the thermo-fluid dynamic behavior of cryogenic coolants flowing in forced convection regime inside the flexible cryostat. This paper will present the first simulation results and will give some anticipation on next steps. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

As dynamic inductive power transfer for electric vehicles is growing in relevance, it is important to analyze solutions towards its deployment and integration in the cloud-based services for electric mobility. In this paper we present an Internet-enabling platform for Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment, which features a high-level Charging Station Control Unit and a Power Electronics Controller. The platform is a middleware that controls the charging process taking into account outside world information. Tests were performed in a safe driving track, in Italy, to verify the effectiveness and robustness of the installation, for one year, for a total of 120 drive hours, under various weather conditions. Tests showed the suitability of the platform in terms of ability to authenticate and authorize a vehicle even through a remote service, sequentially control each coil in a lane, monitor the charging process, assist the driver in keeping the vehicle aligned so as to maximize the energy exchange and deliver charging session information to the cloud (e.g. for billing). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

DC urban light railway systems are used for public transportation in many towns worldwide. In these systems, short-circuit currents are often similar, both in steady-state magnitude and in rate-of-rise, to normal operation currents. In order to properly set the protection relays, to obtain short-circuit discrimination and to avoid nuisance trippings, it is important to analyze short circuit and normal operation current patterns. It is also important to highlight that normal operation current patterns are not only those related to rolling stock acceleration, but also to zone commutation. This paper presents the results of several measurement campaigns, performed for this purpose, on the tram network of Turin, Italy. The measurements results are then used to propose optimized settings for the installed overcurrent protections. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes the results obtained by the application of an innovative environmental monitoring technique able to estimate rainfall intensity in real time by processing the attenuation of microwave satellite link signal measured by low cost sensors. The satellite that has been used during our work, Turksat 42° E, belongs to the plethora of satellites operating for television and radio channel broadcasting. Each sensor exploits off the shelf components, is equipped with a radio frequency power-measuring unit, and provides connectivity to the server over a wide area network. A validation of the approach with a field comparison experiment at the urban scale, comprising three measurement sites equipped with such sensors, was established since autumn 2016 in the municipality of Genoa, Italy. Point-scale rainfall intensity measurements made by two calibrated tipping-bucket rain gauges constitute the reference for the comparative analysis of the microwave sensors performance. The dynamic calibration of the rain gauges was carried out by using an automatic calibration rig and the measurements have been processed with advanced algorithms to reduce counting errors. The experimental setup allowed a full characterization of the microwave signal trends as a function of different precipitation. The results showed a strong correlation between the microwave signal attenuation and the reference rainfall observations and demonstrated the possibility to retrieve ten-minute rain accumulations from the microwave links by adopting a proper electromagnetic model. The comparison between the different measuring systems is performed by computing the time series statistics and the frequency of the rain conditions for each precipitation event. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Teaching computer graphics in an effective way is a challenging task. Different approaches are proposed in the literature, some focusing on traditional teacher-led lectures, others on interactive teaching methods. This paper describes an experiential learning approach applied in a university-level course in computer engineering. Students were involved in the realization of a digital humanities project, the 3-D modeling of the city of Pavia, Italy, as it was in the 16th century. Traditional lectures introduced key theoretical elements, but students were subsequently given specific assignments and retrieved additional content when completing the tasks assigned to them under the overall guidance of their supervisors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A three-year research project, called DRYSMES 4GRID, was recently funded by the Italian Minister of Economic Development, Italy. The project, which involves five Italian partners (companies, universities, and research institutes), is aimed to demonstrate the feasibility of cost-competitive SMES based on magnesium diboride (MgB2 ) with a cryogen-free cooling bymeans of the manufacturing and the testing of a demonstrator with an objective rating of 500 kJ/200 kW. This rating is deemed suitable for disclosing the critical technological aspects of all components in view of practical applications. A further goal of the project is the assessment of the technical and economic benefits that the SMES can bring to real-world electric grids. The general outline and technical objectives of the project are presented in this paper. Preliminary design assumptions and results concerning the MgB2 coil and the power condition system are also discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The deepening penetration of distributed energy resources into distribution networks (DNs) is causing relevant issues to be addressed by distribution system operators (DSOs), such as quality of service, security and safety, both at medium-voltage and low-voltage distribution levels. This paper presents how Unareti SpA, an Italian DSO, has addressed those challenges launching a set of research activities in different areas of distribution automation. Results collected during field experiences have been used to design the reference model of the next generation of DN secondary substations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The connection between illuminance and luminance measurements is considered to create a traceability link among a highly accurate illuminance meter, which is considered as an internal standard of the Photometric Laboratory, University of Padova, Padova, Italy, and other illuminance meters or photometric heads and luminance meters. After an introduction on themain involved definitions and equations linking the illuminance and the luminance measurements, this paper presents the instruments to which the procedures are applied and, at the end, results regarding the absolute calibration of the instruments under test, the check of their linearity, and the analysis of their spectral responsivity within the visible range. Following this way, this paper shows the main results in the connection among instruments devoted specifically to illuminance and luminance measurements. Then, it also introduces a comparison to other photometric heads, e.g., sensors that are part of more complex systems, like an integrating sphere for luminous flux measurement. In this last case, it has no significance to evaluate the difference between the absolute outputs, but it is interesting to compare the response of the two devices considering their linearity and their relative spectral response. A special section devoted to the evaluation of the spectral response presents a new simple but effective method. The application of a detector-based method allows a significant reduction of the uncertainty in the internal calibration of the photometric instruments, granting the continuity of the Photometric Laboratory operation contemporarily. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Education in the field of distributed process control and intelligent actuation and measurement (IAM) systems can be greatly enhanced through the use of tools that simulate the behavior of real systems, thus allowing students to test and compare different configurations. In this paper, we present an educational virtual laboratory, called the IAM-Pilot Virtual Laboratory (IPVL), which simulates a physical process consisting of a closed circuit of treated water implementing four regulation loops for pressure, level, flow, and temperature, respectively. This tool is the virtual implementation of a real research laboratory (IAM-Pilot), which was developed a few years ago in the framework of several projects funded by the European Commission, in order to test concepts regarding distributed systems, technologies, and components. The tool allows students to set several different system configurations, both in the control and communication parts, and then assess the resulting behavior. They can also install on the plant different virtual devices, with different features, and monitor their effect on the system. The tool produces graphs that allow students to evaluate the performance offered by the control system. This paper describes the architecture and implementation of the IPVL and reports on its usage in the context of the distributed process control network course at the Faculty of Engineering, University of Catania. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyzes a number of strategies that are devoted to improving the generalization capabilities of neural- network-based soft sensors when only small data sets are available. The aim of this paper is to search for a strategy that is able to cope with the problem of scarcity of experimental data, which often arises in industrial applications. The strategies that are considered are based on the manipulation of experimental training data sets to increase their diversity either by injecting noise into the available data or by using the bootstrap resampling approach. A new method, which is based on an aggregation of neural models, trained on different training data sets, which are obtained by noise injection and bootstrap resampling, is proposed in this paper. The methods considered were compared in an industrial case study regarding the design of a backup soft sensor for a thermal cracking unit, working in a refinery in Sicily, Italy. The results of the case study show that all the methods considered produced an improvement in the estimation capability of the models. The best performance was obtained by using the method proposed by the authors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The evaluation of electromagnetic transients in overhead power lines due to nearby lightning return strokes requires accurate models for the calculation of both the incident lightning electromagnetic pulse (LEMP) and the effects of coupling of this field to the line conductors. Considering also the complexity of distribution networks in terms of their topology and the presence of power system components and protection devices, the implementation of the LEMP-to-transmission-line coupling models into software tools used to represent the transient behavior of the entire network is of crucial importance. This paper reviews the most significant results obtained by the authors concerning the calculation of lightning-induced voltages. First, the theoretical basis of advanced models for the calculation of LEMP-originated transients in overhead power lines is illustrated; then, the relevant experimental validation using: 1) reduced-scale setups with LEMP and nuclear electromagnetic pulse (NEMP) simulators and 2) full-scale setups illuminated by artificially initiated lightning are reported. Finally, the paper presents comparisons between simulations and new experimental data consisting of measured natural lightning- induced voltages on a real distribution network in northern Italy, correlated with data from lightning location systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents the problem of power penetration of photovoltaic (PV) systems in urban networks. After a qualitative problem description, two different environments for PV systems have been analyzed: rural and urban networks. Concerning the rural network, a single line has been simulated in order to evaluate the relation between the number of PV systems installed along the line and the maximum PV power installable. In the second part of this paper, possible problems due to power penetration have been examined concerning a clustered PV system that will be installed in the city of Torino (Italy) within the ambit of the EU project called POLYCITY. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Continuity of the European Remote Sensing Satellite Synthetic Aperture Radar (ERS SAR) archive by means of Envisat Advanced SAR (ASAR) data acquired from March 2002 has introduced the problem of the coherent combination of images coming from sensors with slightly different frequencies. The spectral shift principle states that in case of extended distributed targets, the frequency shift is equivalent to a change of looking angle. In this paper, the same principle is exploited to analyze the behavior of permanent scatterers (PSs) with an extension that is smaller than the ground resolution cell. The conditions under which the PSs identified by ERS can be continued by Envisat are then theoretically determined and experimentally validated. Moreover, this analysis shows that acquisitions characterized by different frequencies can be used to identify the slant-range position of scatterers with high subcell accuracy (tens of centimeters). From the processing side, a very precise images coregistration step is required to get the results described in this paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper deals with power system restoration and discusses the connection of pumped storage loads to restoration paths. This new strategy allows avoiding any disturbance to customers during field tests of restoration paths and improves as well the reliability of restoration plans. The first application of the new strategy concerned the field test of a new path in central Italy. This paper reports the test and analyzes the main novel features of the considered path: complete separation from subtransmission and distribution networks and use of pumped storage loads during its energization. These aspects and their consequences are discussed with reference to both field testing of restoration paths and effectiveness of system restoration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper deals with the possibility of installing a double-circuit gas insulated transmission line (GIL) in the pilot tunnel of the planned new railway galleries Bolzano (Italy)- Innsbruck (Austria). This EHV transmission line could represent a new fundamental step in reconstructing the transnational networks. The high GIL power ratings together with very low power losses would be a strong and highly efficient transmission tie between Italy and Austria particularly useful for the future European Market. The steady-state regime of the line and the electro-magnetic field impact are analyzed. Moreover, the paper discusses the necessary studies to be carried out and the problems that have to be faced. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Abstract-In the framework of the ITALSAT campaign various European institutions carried out propagation measurements at V band. In this frequency band, signal reception in a satellite-to- Earth or Earth-to-satellite path may suffer severely from signal attenuation due to meteorological effects such as rain, snow, hail, fog, clouds, etc., where rain provides the most significant contribution. In this paper, a joint analysis of the ITALSAT propagation measurement campaigns at 39.6 GHz (precisely 39.592 GHz) carried out at both Oberpfaffenhofen, close to Munich, Germany, and Spino d'Adda, close to Milan, Italy, is presented. For both stations long-term attenuation statistics are available and reveal that signal attenuation due to meteorological effects depends very much on the season and on the time of the day. Signal attenuation can be compensated by an appropriate fade margin. In this paper, we show that the required fade margin to guarantee a target link availability has to be chosen very carefully, since it depends very much on the time interval upon which availability is defined. We consider complete years, ITU-R recommendations, all single months of the year, worst months, and spring, summer, fall, and winter. Furthermore, we evaluate diurnal variations for four time intervals: 00:00-06:00, 06:00-12:00, 12:00-18:00, and 18:00-24:00. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Real laboratory experiments can help students to gain a better understanding of theoretical problems. Great efforts are needed, however, to improve the quality of laboratory sessions, and a large number of tutors are usually required. Moreover, students may lose time because of hardware failure or an inefficient experimental setup. Several educational tools (based on virtual instruments) have been developed allowing for optimized time scheduling and remote access to laboratory sessions. Drawbacks related to hardware failure have not, however, been seriously addressed. This paper proposes an educational tool made up of a user-friendly interface controlling experimental boards. It basically consists of an array of optical sensing devices connected to suitable conditioning circuits, which are interfaced to a virtual instrument by means of a data acquisition system. To solve the previously mentioned drawbacks, a solution based on both pre-cabled hardware and PC-based measurement stations has been adopted. Moreover, the ability to configure self-educational tasks optimizes time scheduling for students during laboratory activities. The proposed system allows students to improve their knowledge in the field of optical sensing devices, virtual instrumentation, data acquisition systems, and signal processing. The paper describes an application of the tool as a simple system for surface recognition. This application is one of the laboratory tasks performed in measurement classes during this engineering course at the University of Catania, Catania, Italy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The European Space Agency Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity (SMOS) mission was launched on November 2, 2009. Providing accurate soil moisture (SM) estimation is one of its main scientific objectives. Since the end of the commissioning phase, preliminary global SMOS SM data [Level 2 (L2) product] are distributed to users. In this paper, we carried out a first assessment of the reliability of this product through a comparison with in situ observed and modeled SM over three different sites: One is located in Luxemburg, and two are located in Italy. The period from August 1, 2010, to July 1, 2011, has been analyzed, giving us the opportunity to evaluate the satellite response to different SM states. The selected period is important for hydrological predictions as it is typically characterized by a sequence of transitions from dry to wet and from wet to dry conditions. In order to compare SMOS and ground SM measurements, a two-step approach has been applied. First, an exponential filter has been applied to approximate root-zone SM, and second, a cumulative distribution function matching has been employed to remove systematic differences between satellite and in situ observations and model simulations of SM. Our results indicate rather good reliability of the filtered and bias-corrected SM estimates derived from the first SMOS L2 products. Bearing in mind that an updated/advanced version of the SMOS SM product has been recently produced, our preliminary results already seem to confirm the potential of SMOS for monitoring of water in soils. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

These days, security and efficiency of transportation networks are usually supported by wireless communication systems. In all cases, the radio-link reliability strongly depends on propagation properties and, therefore, effective prediction tools and models are requested in the design and planning phases of the radio system. In this paper, a mixed rays—modes approach to the propagation modeling in real tunnels is presented. The propagating field is computed as the superimposition of many characteristic modes, whose amplitudes are properly estimated thanks to a limited and, therefore, fast ray-tracing procedure; the geometrical optics rules are also used to model the main effects of the possible tunnel curvature. Moreover, an equivalent wall roughness is introduced in order to approximately account for the actual tunnel transversal shape and for the presence of inner elements and objects. The model is compared with some other different existing models and with measurements carried out inside an underground line in a neighborhood of Naples. The achieved performance is in line with the published scientific data. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Over the last few years, firms have increasingly tapped into external sources of knowledge through research and development (R&D) collaborations and partnerships to sustain innovation. By doing so, managers are challenged to deal efficiently with the diversity of external sources of knowledge to allow their firms to reap the benefits of innovative activities. By investigating a large-scale sample of R&D-intensive Italian manufacturing firms, this paper examines the extent to which the heterogeneity and the intensity of R&D partnership influence a firm's innovative performance. The findings suggest that firms with a greater number of heterogeneous types of partners have greater benefits in terms of innovative performance, particularly when they draw deeply from a limited number of preferred partnership types. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

In this paper, we describe the work done in order to run the CT 3-D reconstruction algorithm on the 120 GB raw data from the more than 25\thinspace000 radiographs acquired from the Kongo Rikishi (XIII century) Japanese wooden statue. The work was done using the Microsoft (Redmond) HPC cluster and then on a local cluster at the INFN of Bologna. A speed-up factor of 75 was reached. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes the beam flux monitoring system that has been developed at the Superconducting Cyclotron at INFN-LNS (Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Laboratori Nazionali del Sud, Catania, Italy) in order to monitor the beam parameters such as energy, flux, beam profile, for SEE (Single Event Effects) cross-sections determination and DD (Displacement Damage) studies. In order to have an accurate and continuous monitoring of beam parameters we have developed fully automatic dosimetry setup to be used during SEE (with heavy ions) and DD (with protons up to 60 MeV) tests of electronic devices and systems. The final goal of our activity is to demonstrate that the operation of such a system in air is not detrimental to the accuracy on controlling the beam profile, energy and fluence delivered onto the DUT (Device Under Test) surface, even with non relativistic heavy ions. We have tested our beam monitoring system with the “Reference SEU monitor” developed by ESA/ESTEC, the results are discussed here. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The Italian regulatory authority is working toward the introduction of voltage-quality regulation. To this end, it initiated a power-quality measuring campaign and a study of customer costs. This paper summarizes the main results of these activities and provides evidence that economic losses due to very short interruptions and voltage dips can be very relevant for several sensitive industrial sectors in Italy. Despite the fact that these losses present an uneven distribution over the national economy, their magnitude justifies the intervention of a regulatory authority to limit the number of the most severe events. Nonetheless, the identification of severe events (those that fall under the responsibility of the network operator) is a difficult task. Using the available data, we test the classification table proposed in the latest version of the European Standard EN 50160 and confirm, albeit preliminarily, the usefulness of this classification for regulatory purposes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, a sensitivity analysis and procedure development for volcanic-plume sulfur dioxide and ash retrievals using ground thermal infrared camera have been carried out. The semiconductor device camera, considered as a reference, has a spectral range of 8-14 μm with noise equivalent temperature difference that is better than 100 mK at 300 K. The camera will be used to monitor and assess the hazards of Mt. Etna volcano to mitigate the risk and impact of volcanic eruptions on the civil society and transports. A minimum number of filters have been selected for sulfur dioxide (SO2) and volcanic ash retrievals. The sensitivity study has been carried out to determine the SO2 and volcanic ash minimum concentration detectable by the system varying the camera geometry and the atmospheric profiles. Results show a meaningful sensitivity increase considering high instrument altitudes and low camera-elevation angles. For all geometry configurations and monthly profiles, the sensitivity limit varies between 0.5 and 2 g · m-2 for SO2 columnar abundance and between 0.02 and 1 for ash optical depth. Two procedures to detect SO2 and ash, based on the least square fit method and on the brightness temperature difference (BTD) algorithm, respectively, have also been proposed. Results show that high concentration of atmospheric water vapor columnar content significantly reduces the ash-plume effect on the BTD. A water vapor-correction procedure introduced improves the ash retrievals and the cloud discrimination in every season, considering all the camera geometries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, a sensitivity analysis and procedure development for volcanic-plume sulfur dioxide and ash retrievals using ground thermal infrared camera have been carried out. The semiconductor device camera, considered as a reference, has a spectral range of 8-14 µm with noise equivalent temperature difference that is better than 100 mK at 300 K. The camera will be used to monitor and assess the hazards of Mt. Etna volcano to mitigate the risk and impact of volcanic eruptions on the civil society and transports. A minimum number of filters have been selected for sulfur dioxide (SO2) and volcanic ash retrievals. The sensitivity study has been carried out to determine the SO2 and volcanic ash minimum concentration detectable by the system varying the camera geometry and the atmospheric profiles. Results show a meaningful sensitivity increase considering high instrument altitudes and low camera-elevation angles. For all geometry configurations and monthly profiles, the sensitivity limit varies between 0.5 and 2 g ⋅ m-2 for SO2 columnar abundance and between 0.02 and 1 for ash optical depth. Two procedures to detect SO2 and ash, based on the least square fit method and on the brightness temperature difference (BTD) algorithm, respectively, have also been proposed. Results show that high concentration of atmospheric water vapor columnar content significantly reduces the ash-plume effect on the BTD. A water vapor-correction procedure introduced improves the ash retrievals and the cloud discrimination in every season, considering all the camera geometries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper presents the innovative technology of high altitude wind power generation, indicated as Kit energy, which exploits the automatic flight of tethered airfoils (e.g., power kites) to extract energy from wind blowing between 200 and 800 m above the ground. The key points of this technology are described and the design of large scale plants is investigated, in order to show that it has the potential to overcome the limits of the actual wind turbines and to provide large quantities of renewable energy, with competitive cost with respect to fossil sources. Such claims are supported by the results obtained so far in the Kit energy project, undergoing at Politecnico di Torino, Italy, including numerical simulations, prototype experiments, and wind data analyses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper shows a model study about the emissivity of forests. Model outputs are compared with multifrequency airborne measurements carried out over five broadleaf forests in Italy. Two flights took place, in summer 1999 and winter 2002. Available ground truth included important variables, such as biomass, tree density, and average trunk diameter. This data set, in conjunction with allometric equations and information taken from the literature, is used to give inputs to the model. A general agreement between simulated and measured data is observed L-, C-, and X-bands. The same model is used to investigate the sensitivity of forest emissivity to soil moisture, woody volume, and average diameter. As expected, a moderate effect of soil moisture is observed only at L-band and for forests with a lower woody volume. At L-band, the model predicts a general increase emissivity with woody volume but indicates that also the trunk diameter exerts an important influence, since it is a variable which controls several geometrical properties. These results allow us to single out the influence of soil moisture, woody volume, and geometrical properties at L-band. The increase of emissivity with frequency, observed in experimental data, is interpreted by means of electromagnetic considerations about branch scattering. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes the current evolution of the telelaboratory facilities at the University of Pisa. In particular, starting from a standard environment providing remote access to a set of experiments, the telelaboratory is now organized as a collection of learning objects, i.e., modular didactic units designed following specific learning objectives within control systems and robotic fields. The telelaboratory has a remote web-based access which can be used both as a simulation environment and as a remote way of performing real physical experiments. The developed telelaboratory is based on free open-source software such as Scilab/Scicos, Comedi, and Real-Time Application Interface patch for Linux kernels. In-house software tools, such as a Java wEb Hyper modUlar inTerface sYstem, graphic environment tools, and a virtual laboratory interface based on Java applets, have been developed as a support for the learning process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper deals with the problem of supervising and monitoring a photovoltaic (PV) plant. First, an offline descriptive and inferential statistical procedure for evaluating the goodness of system performance is presented. Then, an online inferential algorithm for real-time monitoring and fault detection is introduced. The two methodologies utilize the energy output of inverters as input data and are valid for both Gaussian and non-normal distribution of data. The procedures have been tested on a real PV installation, and results are reported for the case of a grid-connected PV plant in Italy for which one PV module over 132 resulted in being badly connected. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we report the results of an experimental study aimed toward investigating microwave emission from forests. The experiment was carried out in 2006 on two forest stands of poplar (Populus alba) and pine (Pinus italica), using ground-based microwave radiometers at the L-, C-, X-, Ku-, and Ka-bands, in H and V polarizations. Measurements on poplar were performed on different dates and at different incidence and azimuth angles, looking downward (from the top of trees and from below the crown) and upward (from the soil level). Only one downward-looking measurement was carried out over a pine plot with dry soil in April. All the remote sensing measurements were complemented with "ground-truth" data. The collected experimental data made it possible to quantify the spectral signatures of poplar, as well as the variation of angular trends of brightness temperature in different seasons of the year. The sensitivity of L-band emission to soil properties and leaf biomass was also investigated. Moreover, the measurements on poplar, combined with a simple radiative transfer model (the so-called omega-tau equation), allowed estimating the transmissivity of the canopy with and without leaves. The analysis of data has shown that for the observed forest type, the sensitivity to soil moisture under defoliated trees can be noted at both the L- and C-bands. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The deregulation of the electricity industry has caused for the generation company (Genco) the need of tools for measuring and managing the risk, beyond the classical problem of generating unit scheduling. In this paper, a probabilistic framework for the problem of managing risk faced by Gencos trading in day-ahead energy market is proposed. In particular, a stochastic forecast of electricity price and the technical features of hydrothermal units are considered. The approach is based on an optimization procedure for maximizing expected profits in the presence of risk constraints. Conditional value at risk for the distribution of daily profit is used as risk measure. The effectiveness of the proposed model is tested for the case of one producer of the Italian electricity system with a fleet of hydrothermal generating units. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel energy storage system based on a SMES cooled by cryogenic fuel is being developed at the Dept. of Electrical Engineering of the University of Bologna. The system represents an alternative solution with respect to nowadays battery packs for the storage of electrical energy with large specific power. The device may find suitable application on board of road vehicles fed by liquid hydrogen with hybrid power-train (internal combustion engine and electric motor/generation), where a cryogenic tank is already present and no additional cryogenic costs are needed. The housing of the SMES inside the tank used for fuel storage, allows the exploitation of the thermal power required for the continuous evaporation of fuel for feeding the engine to remove the AC losses from the magnet, thus avoiding the need of externally supplied cooling power. In this paper both the design of the magnet and its operation in combination with electronic converter and electric motor/generator during charge/discharge cycles are discussed. Moreover the ongoing activity for the development of a laboratory-scale prototype using MgB2 superconductor is presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The small hyperspectral imager Compact High- Resolution Imaging Spectrometer (CHRIS) is the most important instrument for Earth observation included in the payload of the European Space Agency Third-Part Mission Project for On-Board Autonomy (PROBA)-1 satellite. This instrument has provided dozens of images in several target areas in the world, and a good number of acquisitions are available for the test site of Frascati and Tor Vergata, Italy. This paper reports several results concerning the generation of thematic maps obtained from CHRIS mode-3 imagery. The potential of the use of different configurations for the input vector exploiting multispectral, multiangular, and multitemporal measurements has been investigated, and the results have been evaluated and compared in terms of accuracy in the classification. The core of the decision task has been developed using the neural network methodology. Indeed, this approach is characterized by a particular ease in performing nonlinear mapping of a multidimensional set of inputs into the output one. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report on the latest results from the development of 3-D silicon radiation detectors at Fondazione Bruno Kessler of Trento (FBK), Italy (formerly ITC-IRST). Building on the results obtained from previous devices (3-D Single-Type-Column), a new detector concept has been defined, namely 3-D-DDTC (Double- sided Double-Type Column), which involves columnar electrodes of both doping types, etched from alternate wafer sides, stopping a short distance (d) from the opposite surface. Simulations prove that, if d is kept small with respect to the wafer thickness, this approach can yield charge collection properties comparable to those of standard 3-D detectors, with the advantage of a simpler fabrication process. Two wafer layouts have been designed with reference to this technology, and two fabrication runs have been performed. Technological and design aspects are reported in this paper, along with simulation results and initial results from the characterization of detectors and test structures belonging to the first 3-D-DDTC batch. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Performance, reliability and scalability in data-access are key issues in the context of the computing Grid and High Energy Physics data processing and analysis applications, in particular considering the large data size and I/O load that a Large Hadron Collider data centre has to support. In this paper we present the technical details and the results of a large scale validation and performance measurement employing different data-access platforms-namely CASTOR, dCache, GPFS and Scalla/Xrootd. The tests have been performed at the CNAF Tier-1, the central computing facility of the Italian National Institute for Nuclear Research (INFN). Our storage back-end was based on Fibre Channel disk-servers organized in a Storage Area Network, being the disk-servers connected to the computing farm via Gigabit LAN. We used 24 disk-servers, 260 TB of raw-disk space and 280 worker nodes as computing clients, able to run concurrently up to about 1100 jobs. The aim of the test was to perform sequential and random read/write accesses to the data, as well as more realistic access patterns, in order to evaluate efficiency, availability, robustness and performance of the various data-access solutions. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

INFN (Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Italy) has started in 2006 the DISCORAP project, which foresees the design, manufacture and test of a dipole prototype for the SIS-300 synchrotron of the FAIR facility at GSI. In order to minimize the losses produced by the fast ramp rate (1 T/s) at which the magnet is operated, we are developing with European industries, a Rutherford cable which incorporates several technologies to reduce the losses, and namely a NbTi filament diameter on the order of 2.5-3.5 μm, Cu 0.5 wt%Mn interfilamentary matrix and stainless steel core. In this paper we present the design principles and the first experimental results; we also analyze the impact of the CuMn paramagnetism on the field distortion at the different operating magnetic fields. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The upgrade of JT-60U to JT-60 Super Advanced (JT-60SA), a fully superconducting tokamak, will be performed in the framework of the Broader Approach (BA) agreement between Europe (EU) and Japan. In particular, the Toroidal Field (TF) system, which includes 18 coils, is foreseen to be procured by France, Italy and Germany. This work covers activities from design and manufacturing to shipping to Japan. The present paper is mainly devoted to the analyses that lead to the conductor design and to the technical specifications of the joints for the JT-60SA TF coils. The conductor geometry is described, which is derived from Cable-In-Conduit concept and adapted to the actual JT-60SA tokamak operating conditions, principally the ITER-like scenario. The reported simulations and calculations are particularly dealing with the stability analysis and the power deposition during normal and off-normal conditions (AC losses, nuclear heating). The final conductor solution was selected through a trade-off between scientific approach and industrial technical orientation. Besides, the TF system connections layout is shown, derived from the industrially assessed twin-box concept, together with the associated thermo-hydraulic calculations ensuring a proper temperature margin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we propose an analysis on the joint effect of hyperspectral and light detection and ranging (LIDAR) data for the classification of complex forest areas. In greater detail, we present: 1) an advanced system for the joint use of hyperspectral and LIDAR data in complex classification problems; 2) an investigation on the effectiveness of the very promising support vector machines (SVMs) and Gaussian maximum likelihood with leave-one-out-covariance algorithm classifiers for the analysis of complex forest scenarios characterized from a high number of species in a multisource framework; and 3) an analysis on the effectiveness of different LIDAR returns and channels (elevation and intensity) for increasing the classification accuracy obtained with hyperspectral images, particularly in relation to the discrimination of very similar classes. Several experiments carried out on a complex forest area in Italy provide interesting conclusions on the effectiveness and potentialities of the joint use of hyperspectral and LIDAR data and on the accuracy of the different classification techniques analyzed in the proposed system. In particular, the elevation channel of the first LIDAR return was very effective for the separation of species with similar spectral signatures but different mean heights, and the SVM classifier proved to be very robust and accurate in the exploitation of the considered multisource data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Differential synthetic aperture radar interferometry (DInSAR) is a remote sensing technique that allows monitoring ground deformation with accuracy of the order of fractions of the radiated wavelength, by means of proper combination and processing of repeat-pass data. In contrast to the satellite case, application of such a technique to airborne data is not, today, a well-established task. Several airborne campaigns, involving mainly C/L-band data, have been planned in the last years to exploit the potentialities of these more flexible platforms for deformation monitoring. In this paper, we show the results of an airborne DInSAR X-band experiment carried out over the Perugia area (center of Italy) by using the OrbiSAR system. We discuss the processing chain applied to the acquired data, which allows achieving a satisfactory compromise between accuracy and efficiency. Eleven repeated passes were carried out in two days; two corner reflectors were located on the ground in a hilly region. One corner reflector was vertically moved between the two days to evaluate the system detection capability. Moreover, we carry out an analysis of all possible differential interferograms for a region 2 x 4 km wide. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents the design and implementation of an educational testbed developed for a course on industrial communication networks at the Engineering Faculty, University of Catania. The aim is to realize a platform capable of emulating various network configurations, thus enabling students to find out by themselves through practical experiments how different design choices, parameter settings, network configurations, and algorithms impact on the overall network performance. The test-bed comprises a number of basic components (hosts, routers, and access points) implemented on nodes equipped with operating systems and open source software, which together make up a modular system. Each router can be loaded with data flows and monitored over preestablished time windows so as to evaluate its performance in a wide range of operating conditions. The wireless part makes it possible to configure environments with different levels of noise and bandwidth utilization so as to emulate a broad spectrum of real operating environments. The testbed can be used via remote access through a web interface that not only allows the operating conditions to be configured but also permits real-time monitoring. Students can configure the testbed on the basis of the network they are studying and can measure its performance for evaluation purposes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Remote laboratories are laboratories where the hardware devices are accessible through the Internet 24 h a day for running experiments on physical processes. These laboratories are commonly used as complementary tools in engineering education, allowing students to integrate theoretical notions with practical experiments without the necessity of being physically present inside a laboratory. The increased availability of experiments in a remote laboratory is certainly an advantage for students, but it implies an increase of the probability of hardware and software failures. Thus, maintaining physical processes in a remote laboratory may become a heavy task for laboratory administrators. Remote lab- oratory inefficiency due to hardware and software maintenance can be certainly reduced if the time that is required for software reinstallation and/or upgrade is kept as short as possible. In this paper, a technique based on the use of a bootable (live) device on the server side of a remote laboratory is reported. This solution, which, in principle, can be used in almost any remote laboratory, allows an administrator to greatly reduce the time that is needed to fix a hardware/software failure, as well as to add a new process to the laboratory in a faster way. Moreover, the use of such a tool will also increase the reliability of the entire laboratory. The application of the proposed method to the "Automatic Control Telelab," which is a remote laboratory that was developed at the University of Siena, is also described in detail. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Italy, the increase of railway traffic and of the power demand by the trains, especially the high-speed trains, has caused a continuous increase of the currents through the electric traction lines rated at 3 kVdc. As a consequence, in some cases, the load currents may approach the value of the fault currents for faults located far from the supply stations. The detection of the faults in such a situation has become difficult for the electromechanical protections at present in operation in Italy in the lines above. In addition, transient phenomena related to the train absorption, frequently cause untimely trippings of the protections above. For such a reason, in the years 1999-2000, a field test campaign was performed in the 3-kVdc lines Campoleone—Cis-terna and Farneta—Montallese in Italy, in order to investigate the phenomena that lead to the untimely trippings above. On the basis of the field test campaign, it was found that such an inconvenience is related to the inner characteristics of the electromechanical protections in use. A digital protection, operating on new protective algorithms, was thus set up and thereafter put in operation in the years 2003-2004. This paper presents the basic principles of the new protection above and the results of the first two years of operation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Grading programming assignments of courses on distributed programming can greatly benefit from extensive testing, especially if quality aspects such as portability, robustness, security, and performance have to be evaluated. This paper presents a framework that was developed at the Turin Polytechnic, Turin, Italy, to enable seamless and fast implementation of Web portals for automated management of student programming assignments. By using a computational grid facility to schedule testing jobs on different hosts, the framework offers high flexibility and scalability, thus enabling computationally intensive tests and some kinds of distributed tests, such as portability tests and field tests, which otherwise would be difficult to automate. The grid can be made of ordinary and even nondedicated or dismissed PCs, which, according to the authors' experience, is enough to offer students online extensive testing services. The framework was successfully used in two courses on distributed programming, located at different sites, partially overlapped in time, and attended by a total of 60 students. However, the framework should be scalable enough to work with increasing numbers of students and courses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The factorization method (FM) has been applied to measurement data from a multistatic ground-penetrating radar operating in close proximity to the ground, which was used in a measurement campaign on the Joint Research Centre mine test lane in Ispra, Italy. This paper is targeted toward a future hand-held demining system. The according space limits restrict an independent positioning of transmit and receive antennas. Hence, very small multistatic datasets are obtained, representing a difficult case for the reconstruction with the FM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The alpine village of Lamosano, Belluno, Italy, located near a wide and active landslide, has been seriously threatened by ground instabilities since 1960. In this paper, the results obtained by two different remote-monitoring techniques, synthetic aperature radar interferometry and three-dimensional laser-scanner imaging, planned for Lamosano hazard assessment, are presented. Both techniques compare images taken at different times to map and classify changes that occurred on the imaged scenario. The radar and laser data are gathered at the same dates with about ten-month temporal separation. The displacements measured separately by each of the two techniques highlight a similar sliding motion on the Lamosano village area, providing a good validation to each other and contributing to the definition of the village instability hazard. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

At the Department of Physics of the University of Pisa, Italy, a new and fully engineered version of the YAP-(S)PET small animal scanner has been recently installed. The new YAP-(S)PET is able to perform both PET and SPECT studies on small animals. The scanner is made up of four heads: each one is composed of a 4 × 4 cm² YAIO3:Ce (or YAP:Ce) matrix of 20 × 20 elements, 2 × 2 × 25 mm³ each, coupled to a Position Sensitive Photomultiplier (PS-PMT) (Hamamatsu R2486). The four modules are positioned on a rotating gantry. The switching to the SPECT modality is easily made by mounting a high resolution parallel hole (0.6 mm ⊘, 0.15 mm septum) lead collimator in front of each crystal. This paper reports the performance of the system in terms of absolute sensitivity and spatial resolution for both PET and SPECT modalities. The scatter fraction and noise-equivalent count rate (NEC) for a mouse phantom for different energy windows have been measured in PET modality. Images of phantoms and animals are also presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The adoption of High Temperature Superconductors (HTS) tapes is becoming a suitable and interesting alternative to copper for windings in transformers, thanks to the improvement in performance and the lowering of costs. Of course, optimized designs, different with respect to usual layouts, must be considered, due to the additional requirements of HTS tapes, such as minimization of orthogonal magnetic fields and consideration of additional losses in the HTS. In the framework of a scientific cooperation among some Italian Universities and private companies, a test model for a 10 KVA transformer with HTS secondary windings has been developed, and validated against a demonstrative prototype, manufactured during the project. In the paper, the device model performance is assessed, with particular care to the HTS losses modeling, and some comparisons to the experimental results are presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper we report the accuracy evaluation of the Italian primary frequency standard IEN-CsF1. We discuss the shifts the frequency standard is corrected for and the procedure used for the accuracy evaluation. In the last section we report frequency comparisons of our fountain with those of remote laboratories and with International Atomic Time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]