10081 research outputs found
Sort by
Urban architecture, gender mainstreaming and the impact of feminism
Get PDFQuesto lavoro di tesi esplora i possibili sviluppi di un'architettura urbana sensibile alle questioni di genere, sotto un prisma femminista intersezionale. Dalla fine degli anni '90, le sperimentazioni in questa direzione hanno cominciato a farsi sempre più numerose, a cominciare dall'esempio pionieristico di Vienna, divenuta città di riferimento per eccellenza. Questa tesi è particolarmente interessata ai progetti sperimentali di Parigi, pur mantenendo una visione comparativa con progetti in altre città europee. In quanto approcci che influenzano l'architettura urbana, vengono esplorati anche le politiche pubbliche e l'attivismo, a livello francese e italiano. Il loro contributo evidenzia il potenziale di reinvenzione simbolica e materiale dell'architettura urbana, passando dal sistema eteropatriarcale verso una maggiore inclusione e giustizia spaziale. Gli interrogativi principali di questo lavoro si basano sull'influenza delle teorie femministe nella pratica professionale di architette·i e urbaniste·i, sul loro ruolo nella trasformazione degli approcci alla città e alla pianificazione urbana, nonché nella trasformazione dell'estetica architettonica e urbana. Attraverso un approccio metodologico situato, riflessivo e interdisciplinare, derivante dalle discipline dell'architettura e dell'urbanistica, il fieldwork svolto ha avuto l'obiettivo di ricercare tendenze, evoluzioni e costanti nei progetti di architettura urbana di genere. Tenendo conto dell'evoluzione temporale delle mentalità sul genere e della consapevolezza sempre più profonda delle questioni femministe, questa tesi assume un approccio critico al Gender Mainstreaming.
In aggiunta al pdf della tesi è presente un documento riassuntivo in lingua italiana.Ce travail de thèse explore les possibilités d’une architecture urbaine attentive aux questions de genre, sous un prisme féministe intersectionnel. Depuis la fin des années 1990, des expérimentations en ce sens ont commencé à devenir de plus en plus nombreuses, à partir de l’exemple pionnier de Vienne, devenue la ville de référence par excellence. Cette thèse s’intéresse particulièrement aux expérimentations parisiennes, tout en gardant une vision comparative avec des projets dans d’autres villes européennes. En tant qu’axes influençant l’architecture urbaine, les politiques publiques et la militance sont aussi explorées, au niveau français et italien. Leur apport met en lumière les potentialités de réinvention symbolique et matérielle de l’architecture urbaine, basculant du système hétéropatriarcal vers plus d’inclusion et de justice spatiale. Les questions de fond de ce travail reposent sur l’influence des théories féministes dans la pratique professionnelle des architectes et urbanistes, sur leur rôle dans la transformation des approches à la ville et à l’urbanisme, ainsi que dans la transformation des esthétiques architecturales et urbaines. À travers une approche méthodologique située, réflexive et interdisciplinaire, issue des disciplines de l’architecture et de l’urbanisme, le travail de terrain effectué a eu l’objectif de rechercher des tendances, des évolutions et des constantes dans les projets d’architecture urbaine genrée. En tenant compte de l’évolution temporelle des mentalités sur le genre, et de la prise de conscience de plus en plus profonde des questions féministes, cette thèse se positionne avec une approche critique vis-à-vis du Gender Mainstreaming.
En plus du PDF de la thèse, un document de synthèse en italien est joint en complément.
Mots-clés : architecture urbaine, féminisme, gender mainstreaming, intersectionnalité, participation, militance, politiques publiques, esthétique de la ville.This thesis explores the possibilities of a gender-sensitive urban architecture, under an intersectional feminist prism. Since the end of the 1990s, experiments in this direction have begun to become more and more numerous, starting from the pioneering example of Vienna, which has become the city of reference par excellence. This thesis is particularly interested in Parisian experiments, while keeping a comparative vision with projects in other European cities. As axes influencing urban architecture, public policies and activism are also explored, at the French and Italian level. Their contribution highlights the potential for symbolic and material reinvention of urban architecture, shifting from the heteropatriarchal system towards greater inclusion and spatial justice. The basic questions of this work are based on the influence of feminist theories in the professional practice of architects and urban planners, on their role in the transformation of approaches to the city and urban planning, as well as in the transformation of architectural and urban aesthetics. Through a situated, reflexive and interdisciplinary methodological approach, stemming from the disciplines of architecture and urban planning, the fieldwork carried out had the objective of seeking trends, evolutions and constants in the design process of gendered urban architecture. Taking into account the temporal evolution of mentalities on gender, and the increasingly deep awareness of feminist issues, this thesis has critical approach to Gender Mainstreaming.
In addition to the PDF of the thesis, a summary document in Italian is attached.
Keywords: urban architecture, feminism, gender mainstreaming, intersectionality, participation, activism, public policies, aesthetics of the city
Formulations and Metaheuristics for combinatorial optimization problems
Get PDFCombinatorial optimization problems have been strongly addressed throughout history. Their study involves highly applied problems that must be solved in reasonable times. This doctoral Thesis addresses three Operations Research problems: the first deals with the Traveling Salesman Problem with Pickups and Delivery with Handling cost, which was approached with two metaheuristics based on Iterated Local Search; the results show that the proposed methods are faster and obtain good results respect to the metaheuristics from the literature. The second problem corresponds to the Quadratic Multiple Knapsack Problem, and polynomial formulations and relaxations are presented for new instances of the problem; in addition, a metaheuristic and a matheuristic are proposed that are competitive with state of the art algorithms. Finally, an Open-Pit Mining problem is approached. This problem is solved with a parallel genetic algorithm that allows excavations using truncated cones. Each of these problems was computationally tested with difficult instances from the literature, obtaining good quality results in reasonable computational times, and making significant contributions to the state of the art techniques of Operations Research
Unified control system for three-phase electric drives operating in magnetic saturation region
Get PDFThe research project aims to study and develop control techniques for a generalized three-phase and multi-phase electric drive able to efficiently manage most of the drive types available for traction application.
The generalized approach is expanded to both linear and non- linear machines in magnetic saturation region starting from experimental flux characterization and applying the general inductance definition. The algorithm is able to manage fragmented drives powered from different batteries or energy sources and will be able to ensure operability even in case of faults in parts of the system.
The algorithm was tested using model-in-the-loop in software environment and then applied on experimental test benches with collaboration of an external company
'Sacred buildings' and 'buildings that are designated for the public exercise of Catholic worship': the legal condition of Catholic churches in Italy between Canon law and State law
Get PDFGià ad uno sguardo esterno la normativa chiamata a disciplinare la condizione giuridica delle chiese cattoliche nel nostro Paese appare caratterizzata da un elevato grado di complessità: impressione che trova conferma sia con riferimento al diritto canonico, nella cui prospettiva le disposizioni appositamente dedicate ai 'loca sacra' dal Codex Iuris Canonici richiedono di essere affiancate dalle indicazioni provenienti – ai rispettivi, differenti livelli – tanto dalla Conferenza Episcopale Italiana quanto dai dicasteri della Curia romana; sia nell'ottica dell'ordinamento italiano, che agli 'edifici destinati all’esercizio pubblico del culto cattolico' riserva un'attenzione specifica, emergente nella legislazione unilaterale così come in quella pattizia. A fronte di una simile eterogeneità, sono d’altra parte note le problematiche che il tempo presente pone innanzi alle esigenze di una corretta amministrazione del patrimonio ecclesiastico – spesso pure dotato di un inestimabile valore storico-artistico –, le quali si riversano sulla preservazione stessa di tali immobili. Prendendo le mosse da questi presupposti, la trattazione si propone di effettuare una lettura sistematica delle diverse fasi in cui si articola il 'ciclo vitale' di un'ipotetica chiesa cattolica, così da ricostruire organicamente e criticamente quel quadro complessivo che permetta di formulare le soluzioni più appropriate per rispondere a questioni risalenti e sfide inedite. È quindi con questo intento che, una volta definito esattamente il concetto di chiesa-edificio, vengono ripercorsi i momenti in cui si sviluppa, anche giuridicamente, la sua esistenza: dalla pianificazione al finanziamento delle nuove costruzioni, con una speciale attenzione all'apporto che può essere offerto da parte della CEI; dagli utilizzi ammessi nel diritto canonico alle tutele garantite da parte statale; dalle misure di salvaguardia ai criteri per la loro adeguata gestione, comprendenti tanto i profili relativi alla conservazione quanto quelli riguardanti la valorizzazione; dalle implicazioni di un'eventuale riduzione a uso profano fino ai requisiti dettati per la nuova destinazione dell'immobile.Even from an external point of view, the legal condition of Catholic churches in Italy appears to be characterized by a high degree of complexity. Such an impression is confirmed both with reference to Canon law, in the perspective of which the dispositions that the Codex Iuris Canonici specifically dedicates to sacred places need to be accompanied by the indications coming from the Italian Bishops' Conference and – at the respective, different levels – from the dicasteries of the Roman Curia, and with regard to the Italian legal system, which reserves a special attention to the 'buildings that are designated for the public exercise of Catholic worship', as seen in the unilateral legislation as well as in bilateral provisions. Such heterogeneity clashes with the challenges that current times pose for the needs of a correct administration of the – often culturally relevant – ecclesiastical heritage, which place in danger the preservation itself of the same buildings. Starting from these assumptions, the research intends to produce a systematic reading of the different phases in which the 'life cycle' of a hypothetical Catholic church is articulated, in order to be able to organically and critically outline an overall picture from which the most appropriate solutions for old and new problems can emerge. With this intention, we therefore retrace the phases in which its existence is articulated: from the planning to the financing of new constructions; from the uses that are to be considered permissible according to the Code of Canon law to the protections that are guaranteed by the State; from the safeguard measures to the criteria that are provided for an adequate management; from the implications of an eventual reduction to profane use to the requirements that are established for the new use of the property
Synthesis and electronic properties of luminescent silicon nanocrystals and copper indium sulphide quantum dots
Get PDFIn the last decades, nanomaterials, and in particular semiconducting nanoparticles (or quantum dots), have gained increasing attention due to their controllable optical properties and potential applications.
Silicon nanoparticles (also called silicon nanocrystals, SiNCs) have been extensively studied in the last years, due to their physical and chemical properties which render them a valid alternative to conventional quantum dots. During my PhD studies I have planned new synthetical routes to obtain SiNCs functionalised with molecules which could ameliorate the properties of the nanoparticle. However, this was certainly challenging, because SiNCs are very susceptible to many reagents and conditions that are often used in organic synthesis. They can be irreversibly quenched in the presence of alkalis, they can be damaged in the presence of oxidants, they can modify their optical properties in the presence of many nitrogen-containing compounds, metal complexes or simple organic molecules. If their surface is not well-passivated, the oxygen can introduce defect states, or they can aggregate and precipitate in several solvents.
Therefore, I was able to functionalise SiNCs with different ligands: chromophores, amines, carboxylic acids, poly(ethylene)glycol, even ameliorating functionalisation strategies that already existed.
This thesis will collect the experimental procedures used to synthesize silicon nanocrystals, the strategies adopted to functionalise effectively the nanoparticle with different types of organic molecules, and the characterisation of their surface, physical properties and luminescence (mostly photogenerated, but also electrochemigenerated).
I also spent a period of 7 months in Leeds (UK), where I managed to learn how to synthesize other cadmium-free quantum dots made of copper, indium and sulphur (CIS QDs). During my last year of PhD, I focused on their functionalisation by ligand exchange techniques, yielding the first example of light-harvesting antenna based on those quantum dots. Part of this thesis is dedicated to them
Left Ventricle Modification After Endovascular Aortic Repair
Get PDFINTRODUCTION
Endograft deployment is a well-known cause of arterial stiffness increase as well as arterial stiffness increase represent a recognized cardiovascular risk factor. A harmful effect on cardiac function induced by the endograft deployment should be investigated. Aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of endograft deployment on the arterial stiffness and cardiac geometry of patients treated for aortic aneurysm in order to detect modifications that could justify an increased cardiac mortality at follow-up.
MATHERIALS AND METHODS
Over a period of 3 years, patients undergoing elective EVAR for infrarenal aortic pathologies in two university centers in Emilia Romagna were examined. All patients underwent pre-operative and six-months post-operative Pulse Wave Velocity (PWV) examination using an ultrasound-based method performed by vascular surgeons together with trans-thoracic echocardiography examination in order to evaluate cardiac chambers geometry before and after the treatment.
RESULTS
69 patients were enrolled. After 36 months, 36 patients (52%) completed the 6 months follow-up examination.The ultrasound-based carotid-femoral PWV measurements performed preoperatively and 6 months after the procedure revealed a significant postoperative increase of cf-PWV (11,6±3,6 m/sec vs 12,3±8 m/sec; p.value:0,037).Postoperative LVtdV (90±28,3 ml/m2 vs 99,1±29,7 ml/m2; p.value:0.031) LVtdVi (47,4±15,9 ml/m2 vs 51,9±14,9 ml/m2; p.value:0.050), IVStd (12±1,5 mm vs 12,1±1,3 mm; p.value:0,027) were significantly increased if compared with preoperative measures.Postoperative E/A (0,76±0,26 vs 0,6±0,67; p.value:0,011), E’ lateral (9,5±2,6 vs 7,9±2,6; p.value:0,024) and A’ septal (10,8±1,5 vs 8,9±2; p.value0,005) were significantly reduced if compared with preoperative measurements
CONCLUSION
The endovascular treatment of the abdominal aorta causes an immediate and significant increase of the aortic stiffness.This increase reflects negatively on patients’ cardiac geometry inducing left ventricle hypertrophy and mild diastolic disfunction after just 6 months from endograft’s implantation.Further investigations and long-term results are necessary to access if this negative remodeling could affect the cardiac outcome of patient treated using the endovascular approach
Seeing emotions in others: Improving cognitive and neuronal mechanisms of facial expression processing
Get PDFIn the conceptual framework of affective neuroscience, this thesis intends to advance the understanding of the plasticity mechanisms of other’s emotional facial expression representations. Chapter 1 outlines a description of the neurophysiological bases of Hebbian plasticity, reviews influential studies that adopted paired associative stimulation procedures, and introduces new lines of research where the impact of cortico-cortical paired associative stimulation protocols on higher order cognitive functions is investigated. The experiments in Chapter 2 aimed to test the modulatory influence of a perceptual-motor training, based on the execution of emotional expressions, on the subsequent emotion intensity judgements of others’ high (i.e., full visible) and low-intensity (i.e., masked) emotional expressions. As a result of the training-induced learning, participants showed a significant congruence effect, as indicated by relatively higher expression intensity ratings for the same emotion as the one that was previously trained. Interestingly, although judged as overall less emotionally intense, surgical facemasks did not prevent the emotion-specific effects of the training to occur, suggesting that covering the lower part of other’s face do not interact with the training-induced congruence effect. In Chapter 3 it was implemented a transcranial magnetic stimulation study targeting neural pathways involving re-entrant input from higher order brain regions into lower levels of the visual processing hierarchy. We focused on cortical visual networks within the temporo-occipital stream underpinning the processing of emotional faces and susceptible to plastic adaptations. Importantly, we tested the plasticity-induced effects in a state dependent manner, by administering ccPAS while presenting different facial expressions yet afferent to a specific emotion. Results indicated that the discrimination accuracy of emotion-specific expressions is enhanced following the ccPAS treatment, suggesting that a multi-coil TMS intervention might represent a suitable tool to drive brain remodeling at a neural network level, and consequently influence a specific behavior
Unbalanced R-loops and micronuclei induced by DNA topoisomerase I poisons in cancer cells
Get PDFTopoisomerase I (Top1) poisons are among the most clinically-effective drugs used for colon, ovary and lung cancers. Unpublished data from our lab have recently revealed that the structurally-unrelated Top1 poisons, Camptothecin (CPT) and Indimitecan (LMP776), induce the formation of micronuclei (MNi) in human cancer cells. In addition, MNi trigger an innate immune gene response by stimulating the cGAS/STING pathway. As the mechanisms of MNi formation are not fully determined, our aim is here to establish how MNi form after Top1 poisoning. Using immunofluorescence assays and EdU labelling of nascent DNAs, our results show that, after 24 hours of recovery, a short treatment with sub-cytotoxic doses of Top1 poisons induces the formation of MNi that do not contain newly synthetized (EdU+) DNA. We also saw that Top1 poisons delay replication machinery reducing EdU incorporation and produce significant levels of the damage markers γH2AX and p53BP1 in S-phase cells but not in G1 and G2/M cells. The results also show that MNi formation is dependent on R-loops, as RNaseH1 overexpression markedly reduces Top1 induced MNi. Genome-wide mapping of R-loops by DRIP-seq technique revealed that R-loop levels are both decreased and increased by CPT. In particular, increased R-loops are mainly found at active genes and always overlapped with Top1cc sites. We also found that increased R-loops overlap with lamina-associated chromatin domains while decreased R-loops correlate with replication origin sites. Overall, our data are consistent with the formation of MNi due to R-loop increase and under-replication at specific regions caused by Top1 poisons. These results will eventually help in developing new strategies for effective personalized interventions by using Top1-targeted compounds as immuno-modulators in cancer patients
Anthropogenic and climatic controls on surface water across the contiguous United States
Get PDFAnthropogenic activities and climatic processes heavily influence surface water resources by causing their progressive depletion, which in turn affects both societies and the environment. Therefore, there is an urgent need to understand the contribution of human and climatic dynamics on the variation of surface water availability. Here, this investigation is performed on the contiguous United States (CONUS) using remotely-sensed data. Three anthropogenic (i.e., urban area, population, and irrigation) and two climatic factors (i.e., precipitation and temperature) were selected as potential drivers of changes in surface water extent and the overlap between the increase or decrease in these drivers and the variation of surface water was examined. Most of the river basins experienced a surface water gain due to precipitation increase (eastern CONUS), and a reduction of irrigated land (western CONUS). River basins of the arid southwestern region and some river basins of the northeastern area encountered a surface water loss, essentially induced by population growth, along with a precipitation deficit and a general expansion of irrigated land. To further inspect the role of population growth and urbanization on surface water loss, the spatial interaction between human settlements and surface water depletion was examined by evaluating the frequency of surface water loss as a function of distance from urban areas. The decline of the observed frequency was successfully reproduced with an exponential distance-decay model, proving that surface water losses are more concentrated in the proximity of cities. Climatic conditions influenced this pattern, with more widely distributed losses in arid regions compared to temperate and continental areas. The results presented in this Thesis provide an improved understanding of the effects of anthropogenic and climatic dynamics on surface water availability, which could be integrated in the definition of sustainable strategies for urbanization, water management, and surface water restoration
Deciphering the role of plant microbiome on strawberry and raspberry growth, resistance, fruit quality and aroma
Get PDFBesides their own adaptation strategies, plants might exploit microbial symbionts for overcoming both biotic and abiotic stresses and increase fitness. The current scenario of rapid
climate change is demanding more sustainable agricultural management practices. The application of microbe-based products as a valid alternative to synthetic pesticides and fertilizers and their use to overcome stresses exacerbated by climate change, have been reviewed in the first part of this thesis. Berry fruits are widely cultivated and appreciated for their aromatic and nutraceutical properties. This thesis is focused on the role of plant and fruit microbiome on strawberry and raspberry growth, resistance, fruit quality and aroma. A taxonomical and functional description of the microbiome of different organs of three strawberry genotypes was performed both by traditional cultural dependent method and Next Generation Sequencing technique, highlighting a significant role of plant organs and genotype in determining the composition of microbial communities. Additionally, a selection of bacteria native of strawberry plants were isolated and screened for their plant growth promoting abilities and tested under the biotic stress of Xanthomonas fragariae infection and the abiotic stress of induced salinity. The monitoring of biometric parameters allowed the selection of a more restricted panel of bacterial strains, whose beneficial potential was tested in coordinated inoculations, or singularly. Raspberry plant was used for investigating the effect of cultivation method in determining fruit microbiome, and its consequent influence of berry quality and aroma. Interestingly, the cultivation method strongly influenced fruit nutraceutical traits, aroma and epiphytic bacterial biocoenosis. The involvement of the bacterial microbiota in fruit aroma determination was evaluated by performing GC–MS analysis of VOCs occurring in control, sterile and artificially reinoculated berries and by characterizing control and reinoculated berry microbiome. Differently treated berries showed significantly different aromatic profile, confirming the role of bacteria in fruit aroma development