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In recent years robotics has become an important resource in engineering. Adoption of Robotics and Autonomous Systems (RAS) in activities related to ship inspections has obvious potential advantages, but also arises particular challenges, both from technical and legal viewpoints. The ROBINS project (ROBotics technology for INspection of Ships) is a collaborative project co-funded within the H2020 EU Research and Innovation programme call, aimed at filling the gap between current ship inspections approach and available robotic technology, both from technological and regulatory point of view. Main goal of the present work is to highlight how ship inspections are currently carried out by humans, how they could be improved using RAS, even if not completely autonomous for the time being, at least in selected operational scenarios and how the performances of RAS platforms can be tested to assess their effectiveness in carrying out surveys onboard. In such a framework, a testing facility aimed at assessing RAS’ capabilities as well as providing suitable environment for their development has been built and it is still under development along with dedicated testing protocols, able to assess the equivalence between human and RAS inspection of ship and marine structures. The features of a testing facility where RAS can be tested and the testing protocols are presented, showing how technological and regulatory gaps are filled.

Background: A current, albeit unproven, hypothesis is that an acceleration of cellular senescence is involved in impaired renal repair and progression of glomerular diseases. Focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS) is a glomerular disease with a substantial risk for progression to ESRD. However, if and to what extent cell senescence predicts a negative outcome in FSGS is still unknown. Methods: The hypothesis that cell senescence represents a proximate mechanism by which the kidney is damaged in FSGS (NOS phenotype) was investigated in 26 consecutive kidney biopsies from adult FSGS cases (eGFR 72 ± 4 mL/min, proteinuria 2.3 ± 0.6 g/day) who were incident for 2 years in a Northern Italian nephrology center and had a 6-year clinical follow-up. Results: Cell senescence (p16INK4A, SA-β-galactosidase [SA-β-Gal]) was upregulated by ∼3- to 4-fold in both glomerular and tubular cells in kidney biopsies of FSGS as compared to age-matched controls (p < 0.05–0.01). Tubular SA-β-Gal correlated with proteinuria and glomerulosclerosis, while only as a trend, tubular p16INK4A was directly associated with interstitial fibrosis. At univariate analysis, basal eGFR, proteinuria, and tubular expression of SA-β-Gal and p16INK4A were significantly directly related to the annual loss of eGFR. No correlation was observed between glomerular p16INK4A and eGFR loss. However, at multivariate analysis, eGFR, proteinuria, and tubular p16INK4A, but not SA-β-Gal, contributed significantly to the prediction of eGFR loss. Conclusions: The results indicate that an elevated cell senescence rate, expressed by an upregulation of p16INK4A in tubules at the time of initial biopsy, represents an independent predictor of progression to ESRD in adult patients with FSGS.

O presente trabalho teve, por objetivo, caracterizar a indústria de refino de açúcar no Brasil e identificar o modelo de comportamento da concentração de mercado da referida indústria para a região Centro-Sul do Brasil. Procurou-se analisar a influência dos distintos níveis de competição via preço e barreiras à entrada sobre a sua estrutura de mercado. Também foram analisadas a influência de fatores exógenos, como intervenção do governo, organização setorial e estratégias empresariais, na determinação da concentração de mercado do setor; o valor das barreiras à entrada para uma indústria média, baseada na análise da escala mínima eficiente de produção. Para tanto, utilizou-se o modelo teórico desenvolvido por Sutton (1991), que é o modelo do jogo de dois estágios para indústrias intensivas em sunk cost exógenos. Compararamse os resultados com os encontrados pelo autor para a Europa, o Japão, os Estados Unidos e Taiwan. Para tanto, definiu-se o mercado relevante como a região Centro-Sul do Brasil e calcularam-se a razão de concentração da referida indústria e a razão entre tamanho de mercado e nível de sunk cost exógeno. O valor encontrado para 2001 (σ/S igual a 0,8407%) é condizente com os dos países analisados por Sutton, que evidenciam o alto índice de custos irrecuperáveis e a existência de barreiras à entrada e explicam a estrutura de mercado encontrada. Verificou-se que a indústria de refino de açúcar no Brasil, inicialmente, foi construída por pequenos e médios grupos comerciais, com intensa atividade regional, sendo o setor regionalmente concentrado. Durante a fase de intervenção, destaca-se o forte caráter concentrado da indústria, apresentando na década de 1980, o CR4 da indústria de cerca de 80%. Nas décadas de 1990 e 2000, houve o crescimento e o surgimento de marcas menores, ao mesmo tempo em que a marca líder (União) teve reduzida sua importância no total das vendas do setor. Um dos elementos que explicam o forte caráter concentrado da indústria são as barreiras à entrada no setor: assim como as indústrias de açúcar refinado dos países analisados, a indústria de açúcar refinado do Brasil apresenta, de acordo com dados calculados para o ano 2003, alta barreira à entrada, em relação ao tamanho do mercado. No entanto, se, por um lado, a indústria apresenta elevados índices de concentração, por outro, acredita-se que os produtores de açúcar refinado não possam se utilizar desse poder de mercado junto aos consumidores. Os preços internos sofrem grande influência do mercado internacional, além da forte pressão do varejo supermercadista, também concentrado. Verificou-se que os preços descendentes ao longo do tempo são positivamente relacionados com a evolução da estrutura de mercado do período analisado. The aim of the present work was to evaluate the refined sugar industryin Brazil and to identify its market behavior in the central region in Southern Brazil Accordingly, this study analyzed the influence of distinct levels of competition concerning price and entrance barriers on the market structure. Some exogenous factors, such as public regulation, sectorial organization, and strategies to set up costs, were also verified to determine the market sector’s concentration. the theoretical model of two-stage game for industries intensive in exogenous sunk cost described by Sutton (1991) was used to determine the value of the set up costs for a single plant of minimum efficient scale (m.e.s). Data of the present study were compared to those reported by Sutton (1991), whose study focused on Europe, Japan, United States and Taiwan. The present work, however, focused on the central region in Southern Brazil. The ratio of the market concentration of the sugar-refining industry, as well as the ratio of its market size and exogenous sunk cost was calculated. The value of σ/S found for 2001 was 0.8407%, consistent with the values found for the countries analyzed by Sutton; furthermore, this result evidences the high index of set up costs and existence of barriers of entrance, suggesting that that the industry of refining sugar in Brazil was initiated with small and average commercial groups, with a regionally-concentrated sector. During the regulated period the industry was highly concentrated (by the 1980s the CR4 was about 80%). In the 1990s, there was a great entrance of new brands and consequently a decline in the leader brand (União). One of the reasons that such industry is highly concentrated is the huge sunk cost. Like the refined sugar industry analyzed in other countries, the Brazilian refined sugar industry presented, in 2003, high exogenous sunk cost in relation to the size market.

The aim of the present work was to evaluate the refined sugar industry in Brazil and to identify its market behavior in the central region in Southern Brazil. Accordingly, this study analyzed the influence of dis-tinct levels of competition concerning price and entrance barriers on the market structure, described by Sutton (1991). Some exogenous factors, such as public regulation, sectorial organization, and strategies to set up costs, were also verified to determine the market sector’s concentration. Results of the present study were compared to those reported by Sutton (1991). The result evidences the high index of set up costs and existence of barriers of entrance. The industry of refining sugar in Brazil was ini-tiated with small and average commercial groups, with a regionally-con-centrated sector. During the regulated period the industry was highly con-centrated (by the 1980s the CR4 was about 80%). In the 1990s, there was a great entrance of new brands and consequently a decline in the leader brand (União). One of the reasons that such industry is highly concen-trated is the huge sunk cost. Like the refined sugar industry analyzed in other countries, the Brazilian refined sugar industry presented, in 2003, high exogenous sunk cost in relation to the size market.