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The global photovoltaic (PV) market has been growing exponentially since almost twenty years. This huge demand for photovoltaic systems has been mainly driven by public subsidies in the form of a variet y of national incentive schemes. However, in Countries where successful incentive schemes have been pioneered and are now – as planned - being brought to an end, the PV market is called to the challenge of surviving without any incentive to the end user. Grid and fuel-parity represent the keystone of this emerging new phase in the history of this renewable energy technology. In this paper we present a sensitivity analysis showing that in Sicily, Italy, the Levelized Cost of Energy from utility-scale PV plants is already competitive – if not even cheaper - with that from conventional power plants.

In this article the preliminary evaluation of the performance of a photovoltaic window is presented. The aim is to trace the behavior of next-generation systems, which favor architectonical integration. Three different systems have been taken into account: a dye sensitized solar cell (DSSC), blue and grey caved silicon panels. The systems can be placed behind a window or behind a wall of glass blocks.

This paper presents the electrical characterization of low power CIGSSe photovoltaic (PV) modules. Such investigation is achieved to perform a comparison of their performances with conventional silicon PV modules. For this purpose, a test bench, suitable for the characterization of both traditional and innovative low power modules, has been set-up and experimental results are accurately described and discussed.

This paper describes the development and experimental characterization of a real-time, low-cost, wireless AC monitoring system based on ATmega 328P-PU microcontroller. The proposed system is composed by a main brain for the acquisition and the processing of the data measured by smart meters. From the experimental tests discussed in this work it is demonstrated that the proposed system can monitor, with adequate accuracy, the working cycles of electrical loads in order to evaluate its energy consumption.

In this paper a wind electrical power generation system for Distributed on Site (DoS) applications is proposed. This system was developed and conceived in order to guarantee simple installation, use and service, obtaining a product that can be easily industrialized and put into the market with limited costs. The field of application of such an electrical generation system is addressed towards domestic or at the most toward condominium applications concerning moreover the opportunity of working in addition to combined photovoltaic and solar-thermal systems to enhance the renewable energy generation at house level (DoS). The proposed system has its hot spot in the blades shape, in the wind flux canalization system and in the permanent magnet synchronous generator (PMSG) optimized for this specific purpose. In fact with the proposed system intends to search the best aerodynamic profile and electrical generator to ensure the slightest encumbrance and the lowest weight. For this purpose the traditional and classical tangential wind turbine design, equipped with large blades, is overturned in favour of the use of numerous little blades. A further peculiarity of the system is the expected increase of its efficiency thanks to the presence of the wind flux channelling system with the elimination of the part opposing the wind and thanks to the adoption of a specifically designed PMSG.

In the last decade, due to the increased use of direct current, the space charge accumulation phenomenon has reached more interest. In this regard, several non-destructive measurement systems were used. In particular, for solid dielectrics, the acoustic methods have had greater success. This review presents a brief historical evolution of the Pulse Electro- Acoustic (PEA) method, describing the working operation, the thicknesses analyzed and the spatial resolution for the different configurations of the PEA cell. The Pressure Wave Propagation (PWP) method in both configurations Piezo-PWP and Laser Induced Pressure Pulse (LIPP) is also described.

Il saggio tratta di un tema sempre attuale per la progettazione architettonica come quello del rapporto con il preesistente, nell’intento di indagare, attraverso alcune riflessioni ed esperienze progettuali, come la storia possa costituire un materiale utile al progetto. La questione della relazione tra antico e nuovo sembra oggi porsi in termini diversi e con toni meno intransigenti rispetto al passato. I manufatti e gli ambienti con i quali il progetto si confronta non sono più solo quelli della città consolidata, ma sono prevalentemente costituiti dagli elementi residuali della modernità, da quanto è stato abbandonato o mai portato a compimento: fabbriche, depositi, servizi, infrastrutture. La frammentarietà è diventata la condizione “ordinaria” del lavoro dell’architetto e questo ha imposto un sostanziale cambiamento di sensibilità e di strategie progettuali per riuscire a far convivere in maniera non conflittuale le diverse identità, privilegiando di volta in volta le affinità materiche, tettoniche e formali. Ciò di cui si avverte oggi il bisogno non è un uso superficiale e spregiudicato delle forme del passato, una sorta di indifferente libero mercato dei valori della storia e della contemporaneità, tipico dell’ideologia del moderno come “tolleranza”, ma una strategia priva di preconcetti e fortemente inclusiva come nella migliore tradizione dell’eclettismo, in grado di riscoprire, riappropriarsi e creare architetture componendo gli elementi residuali. In questa prospettiva il testo si propone di delineare per punti i capisaldi di un “metodo” per il progetto nell’esistente, di una strategia programmaticamente “provvisoria”, slegata da regole e codici espressivi stabiliti a priori e che si esprima in opere che, pur conservando memoria del passato, siano sempre realmente “autentiche” nella loro appartenenza alla contemporaneità.

This paper focuses on the evaluation of the performances of three different antenna sensors suitable of Partial Discharge (PD) measurements. Monopole, triangular and spherical antennas were simulated by means of the surface moment method. The transmitting system is modeled by a power electronic device with a fault current between two metal plate. The shape of the simulated transmitted and received signals have been compared to verify the sensor the provides the best fidelity among the three. The auto-correlation function and the Pearson correlation index are adopted here for the comparison. A discussion on the dynamic characteristic of the different antenna probes and their use in different application is proposed.

This paper addresses the direct geometrico-static analysis of under-constrained cable-driven parallel robots with 3 cables. The task at hand consists in finding all equilibrium configurations of the end-effector when the cable lengths are assigned. This problem is known to admit 156 solutions in the complex field, but the upper bound on the number of real solutions is as yet an open issue. Finding this bound is the objective of the paper. For this purpose, three numerical iterative approaches are developed, namely a continuation procedure adapted from an algorithm originally proposed by Dietmaier and two evolutionary techniques based on a genetic algorithm and particle swarm optimization. In all cases, a number of sets of robot parameters for which the direct geometrico-static problem provides at the most 54 real configurations is found. The coherence of the obtained results leads to conjecture that the achieved bound is tight. However, formal proof is yet to be discovered.

Recent success in clinical trials supports the use of adeno-associated viral (AAV) vectors for gene therapy of retinal diseases caused by defects in the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE). In contrast, evidence of the efficacy of AAV-mediated gene transfer to retinal photoreceptors, the major site of inherited retinal diseases, is less robust. In addition, although AAV-mediated RPE transduction appears efficient, independently of the serotype used and species treated, AAV-mediated photoreceptor gene transfer has not been systematically investigated thus so far in large animal models, which also may allow identifying relevant species-specific differences in AAV-mediated retinal transduction. In the present study, we used the porcine retina, which has a high cone/rod ratio. This feature allows to properly evaluate both cone and rod photoreceptors transduction and compare the transduction characteristics of AAV2/5 and 2/8, the two most efficient AAV vector serotypes for photoreceptor targeting. Here we show that AAV2/5 and 2/8 transduces both RPE and photoreceptors. AAV2/8 infects and transduces photoreceptor more efficiently than AAV2/5, similarly to what we have observed in the murine retina. The use of the photoreceptor-specific rhodopsin promoter restricts transgene expression to porcine rods and cones, and results in photoreceptor transduction levels similar to those obtained with the ubiquitous promoters tested. Finally, immunological, toxicological and biodistribution studies support the safety of AAV subretinal administration to the large porcine retina. The data presented here on AAV-mediated transduction of the cone-enriched porcine retina may affect the development of gene-based therapies for rare and common severe photoreceptor diseases. © 2011 Macmillan Publishers Limited All rights reserved. Recent success in clinical trials supports the use of adeno-associated viral (AAV) vectors for gene therapy of retinal diseases caused by defects in the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE). In contrast, evidence of the efficacy of AAV-mediated gene transfer to retinal photoreceptors, the major site of inherited retinal diseases, is less robust. In addition, although AAV-mediated RPE transduction appears efficient, independently of the serotype used and species treated, AAV-mediated photoreceptor gene transfer has not been systematically investigated thus so far in large animal models, which also may allow identifying relevant species-specific differences in AAV-mediated retinal transduction. In the present study, we used the porcine retina, which has a high cone/rod ratio. This feature allows to properly evaluate both cone and rod photoreceptors transduction and compare the transduction characteristics of AAV2/5 and 2/8, the two most efficient AAV vector serotypes for photoreceptor targeting. Here we show that AAV2/5 and 2/8 transduces both RPE and photoreceptors. AAV2/8 infects and transduces photoreceptor more efficiently than AAV2/5, similarly to what we have observed in the murine retina. The use of the photoreceptor-specific rhodopsin promoter restricts transgene expression to porcine rods and cones, and results in photoreceptor transduction levels similar to those obtained with the ubiquitous promoters tested. Finally, immunological, toxicological and biodistribution studies support the safety of AAV subretinal administration to the large porcine retina. The data presented here on AAV-mediated transduction of the cone-enriched porcine retina may affect the development of gene-based therapies for rare and common severe photoreceptor diseases. Gene Therapy (2011) 18, 637-645; doi:10.1038/gt.2011.3; published online 17 March 2011

AGILE is an Italian Space Agency mission dedicated to the observation of the gamma-ray Universe. The AGILE very innovative instrumentation combines for the first time a gamma-ray imager (sensitive in the energy range 30 MeV - 50 GeV), a hard X-ray imager (sensitive in the range 18-60 keV) together with a Calorimeter (sensitive in the range 300 keV - 100 MeV) and an anticoincidence system. AGILE was successfully launched on April 23, 2007 from the Indian base of Sriharikota and was inserted in an equatorial orbit with a very low particle background. AGILE provides crucial data for the study of Active Galactic Nuclei, Gamma-Ray Bursts, pulsars, unidentified gamma-ray sources, Galactic compact objects, supernova remnants, TeV sources, and fundamental physics by microsecond timing. An optimal angular resolution (reaching 0.1-0.2 degrees in gamma-rays, 1-2 arcminutes in hard X-rays) and very large fields of view (2.5 sr and 1 sr, respectively) are obtained by the use of Silicon detectors integrated in a very compact instrument. The paper describes the AGILE Mission and its space and ground segments., 20 pages, 26 figures. submitted to Astron. & Astrophys

Villa Oro (1934-37) è la più significativa opera ideata da Luigi Cosenza in collaborazione con Bernard Rudofsky e, a ragione, annoverata fra le principali opere dell’architettura moderna in Italia. Il rapporto fra l’edificio e lo straordinario paesaggio del golfo, la nitida e chiara articolazione dei volumi dell’abitazione, la compenetrazione fra spazi abitati e spazi esterni, le eleganti soluzioni dell’arredo e dei pavimenti in maiolica sono alcuni degli aspetti di maggiore qualità che concordemente sono riconosciuti al progetto.

La mostra ha proposto materiali inediti riguardanti le fasi di progettazione ed esecuzione di Villa Oro, tratti dall'Archivio Cosenza, con approfondimenti critici su quest'architettura, autentico manifesto del Razionalismo a Napoli. Il contributo dell'autore ha riguardato, in particolare, il tema della residenza, affrontato da Cosenza in molte occasioni, sia in ambito unifamiliare che popolare, con la sperimentazione di nuove tipologie e tecnologie. Particolare accento viene posto sulla figura professionale di questo importante protagonista del dibattito architettonico tra primo e secondo dopoguerra, che si inserisce nella tradizione di matrice vinciana dello 'scienziato-artista' nel Mezzogiorno.

In this paper a full 3D numerical scheme, based on the finite difference time domain method, is used to predict the electromagnetic radiated interference generated by 42 V vehicle power electronic driven electrical loads. An experimental set-up has been arranged on purpose in order to validate the proposed simulation tool. To this aim, the features of a semi-anechoic electromagnetic chamber have been exploited in order to operate in a shielded test site for the measurement of near field radiated emissions. Two different three-dimensional geometrical configurations of realistic vehicle installations of the loads, are studied. A comparative analysis among measured and computed results is performed. A good agreement between simulated and measured data is obtained. The proposed approach is suitable for the prediction of radiated electromagnetic interference generated by DC/DC converters, and particularly, by dual voltage vehicle electric plants. In fact, due to the presence of complicated layout, the prediction of the electromagnetic emissions can be an useful task in order to evaluate the electromagnetic compatibility compliance since the design stage. Furthermore, with the growing market penetration of the “More Electric Vehicle” concept, in designing new vehicle electrical architectures, low cost test methods for electromagnetic compatibility assessments and suitable technical standard requirements have to be introduced. The proposed simulation tool can be usefully adopted to this aim. As an important advantage, it requires only a current measurement in time domain. Such measurement does not need the use of a special test site or of a radiated field measurement set-up.

A partire dalla specificità dei "visssuti elementari" dell'uomo e quindi della natura umana in quanto natura "vissuta", il contributo affronta il problema della natura culturale dell'uomo e della molteplicità delle culture.

Le società nordoccidentali contemporanee - in particolare, la società europea - sono società pluralistiche: sono caratterizzate da un marcato pluralismo ideologico, culturale, etico, religioso, degli interessi, dei desideri e dei piaceri. Questo è un dato di fatto: un dato che molti apprendisti stregoni deplorano, apparentemente inconsapevoli del fatto che la sua denegazione è la via maestra verso la violenza endemica e incontrollata, ma che qui sarà, per l’appunto, assunto come un dato ineludibile. Il pluralismo, nelle sue diverse forme, genera disaccordi, tensioni, dissidi. Come affrontare questi disaccordi? E’ possibile evitare che il disaccordo generi conflitti intrattabili, o violenti? E, in particolare, è possibile, per la cultura pubblica delle società nordoccidentali contemporanee, padroneggiare efficacemente il disaccordo senza venir meno ai principi di tolleranza, di apertura e di dialogo che, da parte di molti (in prima fila, gli apprendisti stregoni cui ho accennato), sono rivendicati come un patrimonio della cosiddetta «civiltà occidentale»? Come affrontare, dunque, il fatto del pluralismo, e del disaccordo? Passerò in rassegna tre modelli di discorso pubblico in una società pluralista, esaminando se e in quale misura ciascuno di essi sia in grado di dare una risposta a questo interrogativo: tre registri di discorso nello spazio pubblico, che possono, auspicabilmente, contribuire a far sì che il disaccordo e la conflittualità non degenerino in conflitto violento. Ciascuno ha i propri pregi e le proprie debolezze, i propri limiti; nessuno dei tre può farcela da solo. Non argomenterò a sostegno della superiorità di uno di essi sugli altri. Intendo, piuttosto, suggerire che tutti e tre sono necessari: non abbiamo nulla di meglio. Intendo, soprattutto, rivendicare la necessità, l’imprescindibilità, del terzo modello, oggi per lo più negletto. (Per questa ragione, ad esso sarà dedicata buona parte della trattazione.) Resta aperto, fra gli altri, il problema se, e come, questi tre registri di discorso possano combinarsi fra loro . I tre modelli sono il modello dialogico, o discorsivo; il modello della ragione pubblica; la critica dell’ideologia. Prima di intraprenderne la trattazione, però, è opportuno tracciare le linee essenziali dello sfondo, il contesto, nel quale si collocano. Per questo sarà necessario ricordare alcune banalità.

Ovunque è possibile cogliere uno strettissimo rapporto biunivoco tra la comparsa, lo sviluppo e i retaggi della normativa locale e la disponibilità di beni comunitari. Siccome il possesso di un bene in comune comporta automaticamente l’emanazione di regole per disciplinarlo e dato che ogni normativa comunitaria è nello tempo causa ed esito di uno spazio reale di autodeterminazione, non vi è dubbio che esista un nesso inscindibile tra gestione di risorse comuni, i relativi codici normativi e le capacità di partecipazione e autogoverno della comunità dei comproprietari o dei possessori. È indicativo che in tutte le aree e i centri che hanno poi conservato spettanze comuni o collettive la loro stessa presenza sia stato elemento di contenzioso e di pattuizione tra le comunità locali e i loro interlocutori, fossero essi domini loci o comuni cittadini, protettori o avversari; e che quasi spontaneamente la gestione dei beni comuni si saldasse o travalicasse nella capacità di audeterminazione. D’altronde questa constatazione rafforza la citata supposizione che quelli noti non siano che i retaggi superstiti di una fenomenologia ben più ricca nella quale la gran parte dei possessi comuni si erano già evoluti in proprietà divise o in beni demaniali della dominante. E' quanto si rileva nella vicenda della genesi e del consolidamento delle Partecipanze agrarie che d'altronde presentano tutte caratteri ed evoluzioni peculiari.

Il contributo è nato dalla constatazione che la sperimentazione progettuale sul tema della residenza ha registrato in questi ultimi anni un vistoso calo d’interesse nei confronti di quegli aspetti tradizionalmente legati alla grande scala ed alla produzione di massa, a vantaggio di un’attenzione nuova verso quelle tipologie residenziali che potremmo definire “di nicchia” perché rivolte a ristrette categorie di utenti. Il tema della residenza speciale non è del tutto nuovo, molti sono gli aspetti in comune con quanto è stato già sperimentato nell’ambito del Movimento Moderno su la residenza temporanea o la casa collettiva, ma del tutto diverse appaiono oggi le aspettative e l’ottica con cui si guarda a queste esperienze. Lo scritto individua proprio le prospettive di ricerca più promettenti sul tema della residenza collettiva, sia in direzione di una ricerca per una diversa articolazione degli alloggi (vani abitati, spazi intermedi semi-pubblici, servizi e luoghi collettivi) in funzione delle mutate esigenze delle utenze familiari (giovani coppie, anziani, persone sole, ecc.), sia nell’ottica di contribuire, attraverso la costruzione di residenze speciali, alla riqualificazione di tessuti degradati o privi di attrezzature collettive.

Partial discharges (PD), due to unavoidable local defects produced by the industrial manufacturing process, can determine local erosion of the material that may cause the electrical breakdown of the component in which the dielectric material represents the fundamental part. Recently, improved diagnostics of electrical insulation systems by means of electric PD measurements through a stochastic processing of the acquired data have been carried out. In this way, the identification of the defects as well, as the separation of multiple defects simultaneously active, have been performed. In this paper, a novel flexible approach for the on-line characterization of the defects in a dielectric material is proposed. The approach is based on the measurement of the electromagnetic transient field radiated from the PD.

The aim of this work is to present the first results obtained by means of the new validation of the water balance and crop development model CRITERIA-ID, specifically set up for the SWAMP (Smart Water Management Platform) platform on one of the pilots, in the framework of the SWAMP project, aimed at providing support for precision irrigation in agriculture. The platform consists of an IoT solution for monitoring the farming and irrigation systems combined with data analytic solution to assess the irrigation need of plants, and support for irrigation planning and water distribution both at farm and district level. CRITERIA-ID has been tested on two test cases for the Italian pilot, located in the land reclamation and irrigation consortium of Emilia Centrale (North Italy). The comparison of crop irrigation water needs computed by CRITERIA-ID with actual irrigation performed by farmers has been carried out, together with a comparison of crop water stress. The analysis has shown that for both the test cases the two data series are comparable, but some differences have been highlighted: in some cases the farmer irrigation is not decided on the basis of the actual water needs of the crops but on farm management decisions. In addition, if the total annual volumes of irrigation of the two series are comparable, the scheduling is different, where the observed irrigation data bring the crop to too high (or too low) level of water stress. Thus, the present work has shown that the application of CRITERIA-ID simulation model is a valid tool to support irrigation management because it allows an optimal use of the resource avoiding crop yield losses with a rational irrigation scheduling. The reliability of these outcomes sets the conditions for further exploitation of the model in the future, firstly for its integration into the SWAMP platform.

Background. The location of a second genetic locus for autosomal dominant medullary cystic kidney disease (ADMCKD) at chromosome 16p12 led us to further investigate the molecular analysis of the critical region where two genes coding for uromodulin and SA proteins with renal specific functions, UMOD and SAH, are localized. Methods: We characterized the intron-exon boundary sequences by screening phage and BAC DNA genomic clones for the development of new molecular tools functional to the mutation analysis of UMOD and SAH genes. Results: No consistent mutations for ADMCKD2 were found in the UMOD and SAH genes. We identified a silent polymorphism in the UMOD gene at codon C174 which co-segregates with the disease in the ADMCKD2 family. Conclusions: This study excludes the involvement of uromodulin and SAH genes in ADMCKD2, and provides new tools for their molecular analysis in other diseases.

In this paper, a preliminary PCB board for the electromagnetic interference (EMI) characterization of innovative silicon-carbide (SiC) based switching devices is presented. Packaging technological issues can determine hurdles in the high-frequency switching and high power regime where wide band gap semiconductors are intended today for Electric Vehicle (EV) applications. In particular, the parasitic inductances that emerge in such devices, must be assessed, by using e.g. EMI techniques. In this specific case, the EMI characterization is supposed to be carried out in a semi-anechoic chamber, available at the University of Palermo (UNIPA), to assess the electromagnetic disturbances according to the levels of compliance indicated by the standards. The proposed prototype can work properly at the following levels of voltage, frequency and load power: 28.5 V, 2 MHz and 40 W. Details concerning the layout design and the prototype manufacturing are discussed.