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Non-standard realistic models of quantum phenomena and new forms of complementarity
No full textThis paper addresses the problem of different complementary
interpretations of atomic phenomena. We take complementarity seriously
as a meaningful philosophical principle, in the same way that the same
principles to which complementarity limits simultaneous recourse, such as
realism and causality, are endowed with meaning.
We will then discuss the attempts to overcome the complementary relation
between waves and particles in a realistic sense by attributing an independent
physical reality to both wave-like and particle-like entities, showing the
negative results of such attempts, which instead reveal the validity of another
formulation of the principle of complementarity: the so-called smooth
complementarity, according to which wave and corpuscular representations
can mix without a rigid distinction, although one continues to manifest itself
at the expense of the other.
We will emphasize how a particularly weak realist interpretation of the
quantum mechanical wave function conflicts with a (strong) formulation of
the causal principle, and show the emergence of another form of classical
complementarity between the realist and causal interpretations, which may
assume a new smooth form even in this case. Complementarity confirms,
in this way, its central role in the foundations of quantum mechanics and
indicates at the same time how the philosophical interpretation of this theory,
from the point of view of both realism and causality, remains a meaningful
open question
Adopting Digitalisation: The Impact on SME Performance in Evidence from Italy and Spain.
Full text linkThis dissertation integrates insights derived from the four analyses presented throughout the work, which correspond to the digitalisation of Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs). The objective is to interweave the understanding developed in each chapter, presenting a coherent narrative that elucidates the intricate dynamics involved in the digitalisation process of SMEs. The contents are a collection of papers structured into six chapters. Chapter 1 introduces the research project and discusses the motivation, conceptual issues, and research strategy. Chapters 2, 3, 4, and 5 employ different methodologies to provide a broad and variegated view of the digitalisation process in SMEs. Moreover, Chapters 3,4 and 5 used a dataset from a survey carried out in 2022 among Spanish SMEs. Chapter 6 concludes the thesis.
Chapter 2, titled “Bibliographic Analysis of Digitalisation in SMEs: A Comparative Study from Italy and Spain”, introduces a comparative bibliographic analysis, a novel approach that has not been previously used. This methodology seeks to generate scholarly interest in both countries, where national-level bibliometric studies are rare, and no prior comparative research exists. The data is obtained from the Scopus database. This method reveals the primary developments, key research themes, and the prevailing collaboration trends at individual, university and country levels in the field of digitalisation in SMEs. The findings reveal a growing interest in SME digitalisation in both countries. Italy leads in publication and citation volume, but research in both countries lacks thematic diversity. The literature remains largely theoretical, highlighting the need for more empirical studies.
Chapter 3, titled “Digital Transformation of Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises as an Innovation Process: A Holistic Study of its Determinants”, employs a novel holistic theoretical framework and an econometric methodology to examine the challenges SMEs face during their digital transformation. Digital transformation is explored in this analysis as an innovation process. The findings indicate that human capital and organisational factors, rather than technological constraints, are key to digital transformation. SMEs must adopt formal strategies for digitalisation, integrating internal digital skills and fostering collaboration with external partners, such as ICT consultants and universities.
Chapter 4, titled “Addressing Challenges and Catalysts for E-Commerce Adoption in SMEs”, investigates the internal and external factors influencing the adoption of e-commerce technologies. The analysis highlights that financial constraints, limited digital skills, and weak external collaboration are the main obstacles to e-commerce adoption in SMEs. Investment in ICT, R&D, and innovation, along with stronger connections to external advisors and competitors, is crucial for overcoming these barriers.
Chapter 5, titled “Adoption of Artificial Intelligence in Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises: The Role of Competencies and Skills”, investigates the role of competencies and skills in the process of the adoption of AI within SMEs. According to the results of this paper, SMEs with university-educated leaders, IT expertise, and advanced digital management systems (e.g., ERP, marketing analytics) are more likely to implement AI. Partnerships with universities also facilitate AI integration by providing access to expertise and innovation resources.
Chapter 6, “Conclusion”, summarises and discusses the findings of the project, and the managerial and policy implications derived from the individual chapters. Moreover, this chapter highlights the theoretical, managerial and empirical contributions of this dissertation, mentions the limitations of the current study, and formulates potential avenues for further research.This dissertation integrates insights derived from the four analyses presented throughout the work, which correspond to the digitalisation of Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs). The objective is to interweave the understanding developed in each chapter, presenting a coherent narrative that elucidates the intricate dynamics involved in the digitalisation process of SMEs. The contents are a collection of papers structured into six chapters. Chapter 1 introduces the research project and discusses the motivation, conceptual issues, and research strategy. Chapters 2, 3, 4, and 5 employ different methodologies to provide a broad and variegated view of the digitalisation process in SMEs. Moreover, Chapters 3,4 and 5 used a dataset from a survey carried out in 2022 among Spanish SMEs. Chapter 6 concludes the thesis.
Chapter 2, titled “Bibliographic Analysis of Digitalisation in SMEs: A Comparative Study from Italy and Spain”, introduces a comparative bibliographic analysis, a novel approach that has not been previously used. This methodology seeks to generate scholarly interest in both countries, where national-level bibliometric studies are rare, and no prior comparative research exists. The data is obtained from the Scopus database. This method reveals the primary developments, key research themes, and the prevailing collaboration trends at individual, university and country levels in the field of digitalisation in SMEs. The findings reveal a growing interest in SME digitalisation in both countries. Italy leads in publication and citation volume, but research in both countries lacks thematic diversity. The literature remains largely theoretical, highlighting the need for more empirical studies.
Chapter 3, titled “Digital Transformation of Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises as an Innovation Process: A Holistic Study of its Determinants”, employs a novel holistic theoretical framework and an econometric methodology to examine the challenges SMEs face during their digital transformation. Digital transformation is explored in this analysis as an innovation process. The findings indicate that human capital and organisational factors, rather than technological constraints, are key to digital transformation. SMEs must adopt formal strategies for digitalisation, integrating internal digital skills and fostering collaboration with external partners, such as ICT consultants and universities.
Chapter 4, titled “Addressing Challenges and Catalysts for E-Commerce Adoption in SMEs”, investigates the internal and external factors influencing the adoption of e-commerce technologies. The analysis highlights that financial constraints, limited digital skills, and weak external collaboration are the main obstacles to e-commerce adoption in SMEs. Investment in ICT, R&D, and innovation, along with stronger connections to external advisors and competitors, is crucial for overcoming these barriers.
Chapter 5, titled “Adoption of Artificial Intelligence in Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises: The Role of Competencies and Skills”, investigates the role of competencies and skills in the process of the adoption of AI within SMEs. According to the results of this paper, SMEs with university-educated leaders, IT expertise, and advanced digital management systems (e.g., ERP, marketing analytics) are more likely to implement AI. Partnerships with universities also facilitate AI integration by providing access to expertise and innovation resources.
Chapter 6, “Conclusion”, summarises and discusses the findings of the project, and the managerial and policy implications derived from the individual chapters. Moreover, this chapter highlights the theoretical, managerial and empirical contributions of this dissertation, mentions the limitations of the current study, and formulates potential avenues for further research
Integration between challenges and opportunities. A study on socio-economic conditions of refugees in Italy
No full text“Integration between challenges and opportunities: a study on socio-economic conditions of refugees in Italy” aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of the socio-economic challenges faced by beneficiaries of international and temporary protection in Italy, as well as the systemic and structural factors that influence their integration. This report is the result of a mixed-methods approach, combining quantitative data with qualitative insights, and serves as a valuable resource
for policymakers, practitioners, and stakeholders seeking to address these issues
Understanding democracy in Contemporary China: the Whole-Process people’s democracy of Xi Jinping (Political Discourse, Debates and New Challenges)
Full text linkStarting from the Chinese willingness to think democracy outside the Western conceptual framework, this research aims to reflect on the meaning of the concept of democracy in China (minzhu民主), avoiding the two extremes of Western imitation and Eastern exceptionalism. This is a necessary operation that allows first of all to contextualize the many debates on democracy in today's China, and then to grasp the meanings and the prospects for the development of the so-called “whole process-people democracy” (WPPD) of Xi Jinping. The research assumes the methodological perspective of conceptual history adopted by Melvin Richter's proposal, that seeks to bring conceptual history and the history of political discourse into dialogue to consider also the “history of debates”. Tracing the genealogy of the development of the concept of democracy, from the fall of the Empire, through the birth of the Republic of China, the founding of the People's Republic (PRC), and arriving at the New Millennium, the various ideological trends concerning democracy are highlighted. This enables an analysis of the fundamental Maoist ideas of “new democracy”, “people's democratic dictatorship”, “great democracy”, “consultative democracy”, and the principles of “democratic centralism” and “mass line” underlying PRC’s political theory. The same is done for the decades afterwards, going through the ideas of Political Reform and “socialist democracy”, as well as through the practical and theoretical development of “grassroot democracy” and intra-party democracy to that of “democracy with Chinese characteristics”. This reconstruction makes it possible to highlight how the advent of Xi Jinping brought profound changes to the structure supporting Chinese democracy as developed over the previous three decades. The research analyzes the internal and external motivations behind the leader's choices, also reading them in relation to the global process of depoliticization and the need to create a strong discourse community. Since 2012 Xi placed limitations on the old structures by placing great emphasis on the role of ideology, a strong centralization of power, and increased social and ideological control; but he also proposed innovations, conceiving and creating new structures for popular participation on the various levels of governance (e.g. Local Legislative Outreach Offices), and new official formulations around democracy. Through the analysis of the leader's thought, at the level of political theory and political discourse, the various directions on which the new discourse on democracy in China is developed (e.g., the ideas of “Chinese Democracy,” “direct democracy,” “true democracy”, and “democracy that works”) are traced and the illiberal implications highlighted. This has made it possible to understand the meaning of the WPPD, to reflect on the implications and pitfalls of this new official formulation, and to clarify the forms that the Chinese democratization process has taken.Starting from the Chinese willingness to think democracy outside the Western conceptual framework, this research aims to reflect on the meaning of the concept of democracy in China (minzhu民主), avoiding the two extremes of Western imitation and Eastern exceptionalism. This is a necessary operation that allows first of all to contextualize the many debates on democracy in today's China, and then to grasp the meanings and the prospects for the development of the so-called “whole process-people democracy” (WPPD) of Xi Jinping. The research assumes the methodological perspective of conceptual history adopted by Melvin Richter's proposal, that seeks to bring conceptual history and the history of political discourse into dialogue to consider also the “history of debates”. Tracing the genealogy of the development of the concept of democracy, from the fall of the Empire, through the birth of the Republic of China, the founding of the People's Republic (PRC), and arriving at the New Millennium, the various ideological trends concerning democracy are highlighted. This enables an analysis of the fundamental Maoist ideas of “new democracy”, “people's democratic dictatorship”, “great democracy”, “consultative democracy”, and the principles of “democratic centralism” and “mass line” underlying PRC’s political theory. The same is done for the decades afterwards, going through the ideas of Political Reform and “socialist democracy”, as well as through the practical and theoretical development of “grassroot democracy” and intra-party democracy to that of “democracy with Chinese characteristics”. This reconstruction makes it possible to highlight how the advent of Xi Jinping brought profound changes to the structure supporting Chinese democracy as developed over the previous three decades. The research analyzes the internal and external motivations behind the leader's choices, also reading them in relation to the global process of depoliticization and the need to create a strong discourse community. Since 2012 Xi placed limitations on the old structures by placing great emphasis on the role of ideology, a strong centralization of power, and increased social and ideological control; but he also proposed innovations, conceiving and creating new structures for popular participation on the various levels of governance (e.g. Local Legislative Outreach Offices), and new official formulations around democracy. Through the analysis of the leader's thought, at the level of political theory and political discourse, the various directions on which the new discourse on democracy in China is developed (e.g., the ideas of “Chinese Democracy,” “direct democracy,” “true democracy”, and “democracy that works”) are traced and the illiberal implications highlighted. This has made it possible to understand the meaning of the WPPD, to reflect on the implications and pitfalls of this new official formulation, and to clarify the forms that the Chinese democratization process has taken
Effects of antibiotics and metals on meiofauna assessed through taxon/functional and modeling tools: a case study of amoxicillin and copper
Full text linkThis research examines the impacts of amoxicillin and copper, separately and together, on the taxonomic and functional diversity of free-living marine nematodes. Sediment samples were gathered from the Jeddah shoreline in Saudi Arabia, and meiobenthic organisms were subjected to two concentrations of amoxicillin [550 and 1100 ng/L] and copper [130 mg/kg dry weight (dw) and 260 mg/kg dw] in microcosms for 30 days. The findings indicated a higher nematode tolerance than that of polychaetes, copepods, isopods, amphipods, and cumaceans. A notable decrease in both nematode species abundance and diversity was observed as contaminant levels rose, resulting in the reduction of sensitive bioindicators, specifically Paracanthonchus sadspitensis, Dorylaimopsis timmi, Cinctonema papillata, Eleutherolaimus obtusicaudatus, Terschellingia longicaudata, Theristus poloris, Halalaimus longicaudatus, Parodontophora breviseta, and Theristus pertenuis for copper, as well as C. papillata, T. longicaudata, H. longicaudatus, T. pertenuis, D. timmi, and Viscosia viscosia for amoxicillin. Conversely, tolerant/opportunistic species such as Metoncholaimus albidus for amoxicillin and Daptonema oxycerca for both copper and amoxicillin showed an increase in abundance. The pairing of amoxicillin and copper demonstrated a synergistic or additive toxic impact. Furthermore, pollution changed the functional characteristics of nematodes, leading to a rise in detritivore species with clavate tails, and a decline in microvore species with conical and filiform tails. A computational analysis also supported these findings by evaluating the toxicokinetics and molecular interactions of amoxicillin and copper
Climate change e negazionismo: uno studio sui gruppi di discussione online
Full text linkQuesta tesi analizza il fenomeno dello scetticismo climatico nei social network italiani, con un focus sulle dinamiche discorsive e sui processi che modellano la formazione delle opinioni all'interno delle community online. Lo studio si basa sul quadro teorico proposto dalla letteratura, che distingue le diverse posizioni scettiche in categorie quali scetticismo scientifico, politico, complottista e del consenso (McRight & Dunlap, 2010; Engels, 2013). Attraverso un approccio metodologico misto, che combina netnografia, interviste semi-strutturate e questionari, vengono esaminate le narrative scettiche e i meccanismi con cui gli utenti delle piattaforme digitali, come Facebook, legittimano tali posizioni e alimentano il dibattito pubblico.
Gli obiettivi della ricerca sono duplici: comprendere i processi attraverso cui si costruiscono le opinioni scettiche sul cambiamento climatico nei social network italiani e indagare le motivazioni profonde che guidano l’adozione di tali posizioni. Lo studio approfondisce come le pratiche discorsive online contribuiscano a modellare l'opinione pubblica, mettendo in evidenza il ruolo di fattori ideologici, identitari ed emotivi. Inoltre, analizza il contesto digitale come spazio privilegiato per la diffusione e il consolidamento di narrative alternative al consenso scientifico.
I risultati evidenziano come i social network fungano da ecosistemi in cui le narrative scettiche trovano terreno fertile, amplificando il rifiuto dell’autorità scientifica e delle politiche di mitigazione climatica. Questo lavoro contribuisce a delineare un quadro più articolato delle dinamiche di disinformazione climatica, fornendo strumenti interpretativi per sviluppare strategie di comunicazione pubblica più efficaci e capaci di affrontare le sfide poste dalla crescente sfiducia verso la scienza.This thesis examines the phenomenon of climate skepticism in Italian social networks, focusing on the discursive dynamics and processes that shape opinion formation within online communities. The study is based on the theoretical framework proposed in the literature, which categorizes different forms of skepticism into scientific, political, conspiratorial, and consensus skepticism (McRight & Dunlap, 2010; Engels, 2013). Through a mixed methodological approach that combines netnography, semi-structured interviews, and surveys, it investigates skeptical narratives and the mechanisms through which users on digital platforms, such as Facebook, legitimize these positions and fuel public debate.
The research has two main objectives: to understand the processes through which skeptical opinions on climate change are constructed in Italian social networks and to explore the deeper motivations driving the adoption of these positions. The study delves into how online discursive practices shape public opinion, highlighting the role of ideological, identity-based, and emotional factors. Furthermore, it examines the digital environment as a key space for the dissemination and consolidation of alternative narratives to scientific consensus.
The findings reveal that social networks act as ecosystems where skeptical narratives thrive, amplifying the rejection of scientific authority and climate mitigation policies. This work contributes to a more nuanced understanding of the dynamics of climate misinformation, offering interpretative tools to develop more effective public communication strategies capable of addressing the challenges posed by growing mistrust in science
Statuti e consuetudini locali. Il caso del diritto municipale romano
No full textThis contribution explores the role of local customs in the formation of the 1363 municipal Statute of Rome, a crucial text in the history of medieval Roman municipal law, long negled by legal historiography. Through the analysis of documentary and doctrinal sources, the essay highlights how Roman customs, particularly those relating to civil law, were integrated mainly in Book I of the Statute and examines the relationship between the enactment and the subsequent disappearance of the written collection of those customs, suggesting a causal relationship. Finally, the essay proposes an original reconstruction of the normative stratification of medieval Roman municipal law, addressing the debated question of the existence
of an “ancient Statute”
A proposito di un interessante caso studio sull’esposizione a sostanze tossiche: dai laboratori universitari al “laboratorio” del diritto della sicurezza sul lavoro
No full textIl saggio riproduce l'intervento presentato al Convegno di Ferrara del 20 giugno 2024 sull' "Esposizione a sostanze tossiche nei laboratori universitari" e, commentando gli esiti di un interessante caso studio sul tema, analizza anche la questione dell'applicazione della disciplina della salute e della sicurezza sul lavoro nelle università e in particolare nei laboratori di queste ultime