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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]

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]

The IEEE International Symposium on Medical Measurement and Applications—MeMeA 2018, which took place in Rome, Italy, on June 11–13, 2018, was a real and concrete opportunity for presenting recent developments in measurement and instrumentation related to medicine. The 13th edition of the Symposium concretely promoted discussion on electrical, chemical, and physiological sensors and measurement systems, which delivers trustable measurement data for prevention, diagnosis, or treatment of different diseases. Other aspects related to the measurement sciences were also presented during the event, such as biosignal processing, quality control of medical devices, medical instrumentation uncertainty/calibration, e-health technologies, wearable devices, and biomechanics/rehabilitation systems. [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]

The 32nd annual IEEE International Instrumentation and Measurement Technology Conference ( \textI^2 MTC) was held in historic and beautiful Pisa, Italy. The theme of the conference was “The Measurable of Tomorrow: Providing a Better Perspective on Complex Systems.” The first part of the title embraced the challenge of Galileo Galilei, “Measure what is measurable, and make measurable what is not so,” while the second part called for the instrumentation and measurement (I&M) community to face the increasing complexity of systems resulting from the continuous development of new technologies. [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 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]

In this paper, a high-frequency (HF) coastal radar network is described, which is established and maintained by the Institute of Marine Sciences (ISMAR) of the National Research Council of Italy (CNR) for the measurement of surface current velocities in the Gulf of Manfredonia, located in the semienclosed Adriatic Sea (Mediterranean Sea), during 2013–2015. The network consisted of four HF radars (HFRs) that provided hourly sea surface velocity data in real-time mode in a netCDF format compliant to the Climate and Forecast Metadata Conventions CF-1.6 and the INSPIRE directive. The hourly netCDF files are disseminated via a Thematic Real-time Environmental Distributed Data Services catalog supporting OGC compliant distributions and protocols for data visualization, metadata interrogation, and data download. HFR velocity data were compared with in situ velocity measurements by Global Positioning System tracked surface drifters deployed within the radar footprint. The results show a good agreement, with the root mean square (rms) of the difference between radial velocities from HFR and drifters ranging between $20\%$ and $50\%$ of the drifter velocity rms. The HFR data have also been compared with subsurface velocity profiles from an upward looking acoustic Doppler current profiler (ADCP) during winter 2015, to gain information on the correlation between surface and water column velocities. This information is especially relevant for fishery and coastal management applications, where transport of larvae, sediments, and pollutants in the water column are considered. Results show that, at least in the considered period, the velocity in the water column is well correlated, and there is a good agreement between surface HFR and ADCP data (correlations between 0.95 and 0.75). The Gulf of Manfredonia network has been instrumental to the set up of a core of quality control practices and interoperable data and metadata formats that have been subsequently adopted within the Italian RITMARE network and that are presently discussed and refined at the European level through the projects Jerico-NEXT and INCREASE. [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]

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]

The four articles in this special section were presented a the IEEE International Workshop on Measurements & Networking (M&N), that took place in Naples, Italy, on October 7?8, 2013. The main goal of this workshop was to provide a forum of discussion in the areas of modeling, measurements, communications, computer science, wireless systems, and sensor networks to researchers and practitioners from industry, academia, and government, and to stimulate new ideas about the role of both measurements for communication networks and communication networks for measurements. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Preventive maintenance is a core function of clinical engineering, and it is essential to guarantee the correct functioning of the equipment. The management and control of maintenance activities are equally important to perform maintenance. As the variety of medical equipment increases, accordingly the size of maintenance activities increases, the need for better management and control become essential. This paper aims to develop a new model for preventive maintenance priority of medical equipment using quality function deployment as a new concept in maintenance of medical equipment. We developed a three-domain framework model consisting of requirement, function, and concept. The requirement domain is the house of quality matrix. The second domain is the design matrix. Finally, the concept domain generates a prioritization index for preventive maintenance considering the weights of critical criteria. According to the final scores of those criteria, the prioritization action of medical equipment is carried out. Our model proposes five levels of priority for preventive maintenance. The model was tested on 200 pieces of medical equipment belonging to 17 different departments of two hospitals in Piedmont province, Italy. The dataset includes 70 different types of equipment. The results show a high correlation between risk-based criteria and the prioritization list. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

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 August President's Page is devoted to a description of the IEEE Future Directions Committee by Roberto Saracco. Roberto Saracco is the President of EIT ICTLABS Italy and Italy Node Director (European Institute of Innovation and Technology). His background is in math and computer science. Up to December 2011 he was the Director of the Telecom Italia Future Centre in Venice, looking at the interplay of technology evolution, economics, and society. At the turn of the century he led a World Bank-Infodev project to stimulate entrepreneurship in Latin America. He is a senior member of IEEE, where he has served in various positions in ComSoc, and he currently leads the Future Directions Committee. He has published over 100 papers in journals and magazines and 11 books. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The IEEE Transactions on Antennas and Propagation (TAP) introduced an Associate Editor for Communications and Membership in December 2020. Prof. Marco Salucci, University of Trento, Italy, became the first to fulfill this role. The purpose of this new position is twofold. One purpose is to communicate to readers, external and internal to IEEE, the value of our contributions to the technologies that are used daily by billions of people around the world. Another purpose is to increase membership by introducing creative strategies to: 1) attract people that exploit the devices and methodologies developed by our authors; 2) to educate and inform people about our society; and 3) reach out to people traditionally affiliated with other societies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims at relating the stickiness parameter ($\tau$) of the dense media radiative transfer theory in quasi-crystalline approximation of Mie scattering of densely packed sticky spheres (DMRT-QMS), to the physical parameters of the layered snowpack. A relationship has been derived to express $\tau $ , which modulates the attractive contact force between ice spheres, as a function of ice volume fraction ($\phi $) and coordination number ($n_{c}$). Since $\tau $ is not a measurable parameter, this is a step forward with respect to what is commonly made in the literature, where $\tau $ is assumed as an arbitrary parameter, generally ranging between 0.1 and 0.3, to fit simulated backscattering data with those measured. As a first validation, DMRT-QMS was integrated with the SNOWPACK model to simulate backscattering at X-band (9.6 GHz) driven by nivo-meteorological data acquired on a test area located in Monti Alti di Ornella, Italy. The simulations were compared with Synthetic Aperture Radar COSMO-SkyMed (CSK) satellite observations. The results show a significant agreement ($R^{2} =0.68$), although for a limited dataset of eight points in a unique winter season. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The need of transport interoperability in Europe is a relevant issue nowadays. Particular interest is given to the signaling systems. The TEN-T project focuses one of its workpackages on “EMC Axle Counter Validation.” This work developed in the frame of the TEN-T project develops a procedure to assess the frequency spectrum of the magnitude of the magnetic field, due to the traction current, at the track level. Full-wave 3-D numerical models are developed to predict the field values. The measuring system is previously tested and then used for a measurement campaign. Results are reported in terms of tables and frequency spectra. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The Alpine ski-resorts are conventionally powered by the electrical distribution network to perform the snow-making operations throughout the ski slopes. On one hand, these grids can present a low capacity, and on the other, the line lengths are not negligible due to natural obstacles and altitude changes. As a consequence, the voltage drops are remarkable when several power loads are fed by the low voltage section. Based on this aspect, a novel evolution of ski-resorts power grids toward microgrids is pursued to improve the power system quality of service and to foster the implementation of distributed energy resources (DERs). The article examines the ac electrical distribution system installed in the ski-resort of San Vito di Cadore, Italy. A preliminary power flow analysis identifies bottlenecks on voltage profiles and weights effective solutions to evolve the power grid. Four system configurations are contrasted in terms of voltage drop in order to establish the most convenient redesign. A proper voltage profile along the entire ski-resort is ensured by the last solution, which redistributes the loads powering among the five resort's substations. Finally, a techno-economical-environmental analysis explores the possibility of installing DER and storage to feed the resort loads. The study demonstrates the capability of hydropower plant in enhancing microgrid sustainability and environmental friendliness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

People's opinion around social and political issues is currently witnessed by messages ordinarily posted on social media. With reference to a specific case study, namely the vaccination topic in Italy, this article discusses a crucial aspect in structuring the data processing pipeline in intelligent systems aimed at monitoring the public opinion through Twitter messages: A plain analysis of tweet contents is not sufficient to grasp the diversity of behavior across users. To get a sharper picture of the public opinion as expressed on social media, user-related information must be incorporated in the analysis. Relying on a dataset of tweets about vaccination and on an established text classification system, we present the results of a stance monitoring campaign with advanced analysis on temporal and spatial scales. The overall methodological workflow provides a sound solution for public opinion assessment from Twitter data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, we provide an overview of the early developments of theoretical computer science research in Italy in the Sixties and early Seventies. In the same years, the community of researchers working in this domain were organizing to gain an identity among the more traditional disciplines and to obtain a recognition for the "new science" that was taking its first steps. This led in Italy to the creation of Group of Researchers in Theoretical Informatics, in parallel to the institution of European Association for Theoretical Computer Science at European level. In this article, we characterize the Italian contribution to theoretical computer science research in those early years by describing the landscape of activities developed in Italian Universities and research centers in the late sixties and early seventies, on the basis of a census run in 1971 by the newly born GRIT. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The recombination dipoles D2 (MBRD) for the luminosity upgrade of the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) are double aperture magnets to be placed on each side of ATLAS and CMS experiments, generating 4.5 T along a magnetic length of 7.78 m and a bore diameter of 105 mm. Its development plan foresees the construction of a short model 1.6 m long, followed by a prototype and by the series of 6 magnets. The magnet design was carried out at INFN Genova in a collaboration framework with CERN and the construction is ongoing in the industry (ASG Superconductors, Italy). The short model activities have just been accomplished after a successful power test performed at CERN, while the prototype is in its construction phase. In this contribution, the main features of the D2 magnet will be described, underlining the improvements implemented in the prototype with respect to the short model design. Then, the main results of the power test will be presented, focusing on training performance, protection scheme effectiveness and magnetic measurements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present work deals with an Ordinary Differential Equation (ODE) model specifically designed to describe the COVID-19 evolution in Italy. The model is particularised on the basis of National data about the infection status of the Italian population to obtain numerical solutions that effectively reproduce the real data. Our epidemic model is a classical SEIR model that incorporates two compartments of infected subpopulations, representing diagnosed and undiagnosed individuals respectively, and an additional quarantine compartment. Possible control actions representing social, political, and medical interventions are also included. The numerical results of the proposed model identification by least square fitting are analysed and commented with special emphasis on the estimation of the number of asymptomatic infective individuals. Our fitting results are in good agreement with the epidemiological data. Short and long-term predictions on the evolution of the disease are also given. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

River discharge is an important variable to measure in order to predict droughts and flood occurrences. Once the cross-sectional geometry of the river is known, discharge can be inferred from water level and surface flow velocity measurements. Since river discharges are of particular interest during extreme weather events, when river sites cannot be safely accessed, noncontact sensing technologies are particularly appealing. To this purpose, this work proposes a prototype of a low-cost continuous wave (CW) Doppler radar sensor, which is able to monitor the surface flow velocity of rivers. The prototype is tested at two gauged sites in central Italy, along the Tiber River. The surface flow velocity distribution across the river is monitored by means of the analysis of received Doppler signal. The surface velocity statistics are then extracted using a novel algorithm that is optimized to run on a microprocessor platform with minimal computing power (ArduinoUNO). In particular, the radar measurements are used to initialize a 2-D entropy-based velocity model (EVM) that is able to estimate river discharges in any flow condition. Finally, the results concerning the observed discharge provided by the EVM prove to be comparable with those obtained with more expensive commercial solutions. The results are important since the described methodology can be extended to small-size Doppler radar sensors onboard unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), the latter providing a method for mapping surface velocity of rivers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, the authors discuss the legal liabilities of the professional engineer as both the engineer of record of a project and the construction site manager. In particular, this article analyzes the case of a fire at the end-user medium voltage–low-voltage (MV–LV) substation of a shopping center in Italy, which occurred a few years after the maintenance works on the electrical installation. The professional engineer who had designed and overseen the construction of the substation was accused of professional negligence. The authors through the examination of applicable technical standards, as well as of safety regulations, demonstrate that the professional engineer had acted diligently and that there was no ground for the negligence charges. The analysis of the substation fire is provided, and the importance of the chain of custody, the chronological documentation, and the secure storing of all the artifacts and fire-damaged evidence is discussed. The authors believe that this article can be a useful reference for electrical forensics engineers, investigating similar accidents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The last decade and a half have seen a renewed interest in the development of the IT industry in Italy and the role of the 1950s pioneers. The aim of the article is to retrace key stages of the first Italian project aimed at creating an electronic calculator, carried out by the University of Pisa in collaboration with Olivetti. The re-evaluation of the documents kept in the University's archives, including the technical projects, has proved fruitful and has shed light on lesser-known aspects of a project that opened the way to the birth of computer science in the country as a business and as a scientific discipline. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The new challenge in power systems design and operation is to organize and control smart micro grids supplying aggregation of users and special loads as electric vehicles charging stations. The presence of renewable and storage can help the optimal operation only if a good control manages all the elements of the grid. New models of green buildings and energy communities are proposed. For a real application they need an appropriate and advanced power system equipped with a building automation control system. This article presents an economic model predictive control approach to the problem of managing the electric and heating resources in a smart building in a coordinated way, for the purpose of achieving in real time nearly zero energy consumption and automated participation to demand response programs. The proposed control, leveraging a mixed integer quadratic programming problem, allows to meet manifold thermal and electric users’ requirements and react to inbound demand response signals, while still guaranteeing stable operation of the building's electric and thermal storage equipment. The simulation results, performed for a real case study in Italy, highlight the peculiarities of the proposed approach in the joint handling of electric and thermal building flexibility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Presents information on the 13th International Workshop on Finite Elements for Microwave Engineering. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Describes the above-named upcoming conference event. May include topics to be covered or calls for papers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]