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Punic metrology studies: templar architecture in the central Mediterranean
No full textL’assenza di fonti scritte in relazione alla metrologia punica costituisce un significativo ostacolo alla piena comprensione di un elemento cruciale del controllo economico e amministrativo della comunità. La ricerca qui presentata si propone di approfondire la conoscenza dell’architettura sacra di ambito punico attraverso lo studio specifico delle metrologie alla base della loro edificazione, così da costruire percorsi di ricerca per definire il livello tecnico e culturale dell’architetto antico.
Lo studio ha coinvolto le fabbriche sacre localizzate nel Mediterraneo centrale con un focus particolare sulla Sardegna. Per il sito di Tharros è stato possibile usufruire dei rilievi e delle ricostruzioni 3D elaborate all’interno del progetto Sacra Tharrhica (direttore scientifico A.C. Fariselli) condotto dal 2017 a cura dell’Università di Bologna in collaborazione con l’Università di Cagliari, rendendo il sito di Tharros un laboratorio eccezionale di sperimentazione per nuovi approcci di analisi. Infine, considerati i siti selezionati e i processi di Romanizzazione che in fasi differenti questi hanno subito, si è ritenuto proficuo inserire questo progetto nel filone di studi metrologici che analizza le modalità di interazione tra sistemi metrici differenti, come il cubito punico e il piede romano.The absence of written sources concerning Punic metrology constitutes a significant obstacle to fully understanding a crucial element of the economic and administrative control of the community. This project aims to deepen the knowledge of sacred architecture in the Punic area through the specific study of the metrology underlying their construction, to build research paths to define the technical and cultural level of the ancient architect.
The research involved buildings in the central Mediterranean, focusing on Sardinia. For the Tharros site, it was possible to take advantage of the surveys and 3D reconstructions developed within the Sacra Tharrhica project (scientific director A.C. Fariselli) conducted since 2017 by the University of Bologna in collaboration with the University of Cagliari, making the Tharros site, an exceptional testing laboratory for new analysis approaches. Finally, considering the selected sites and the Romanization processes that they have undergone in distinct phases, it was considered profitable to include this project in the line of metrological studies that analyse the interaction methods between different metric systems, such as the Punic cubit and the Roman foot
Early Achaemenian architecture and monumental art in Fars and the Persian Gulf region
No full textThe present dissertation aims at providing a reliable picture of the architecture and monumental art of the Early Achaemenian period in Fars and the Persian Gulf region, singling out the differences of developments from those of the Mutual Achaemenian period and emphasizing the interplay of cultures and traditions leading to the ideological and artistic framework endorsed by the new dynasty.
For reaching this aim, the archaeological investigation of the technical characteristics in the monumental art of the period, focusing on the two architectural media of bricks and stone, has been carried out. Another approach to the study of these monuments, concerned the iconographic motifs present in the monumental art of the Early Achaemenian period.
The main aim of this thesis is to give a new reliable definition of the art and architecture of the Early Achaemenian architectural and artistic monumental art. Another purpose of this research is to understanding the chronological limits of Early Achaemenian architecture. In addition it is tried to examine the methodologies used for dating of these monuments. This dissertation tries to create a new view in the “Early Achaemenian” not just as a period, but also as an architectural and artistic style.Il presente lavoro mira a fornire un ritratto affidabile dell'architettura e dell'arte monumentale del periodo proto achemenide nel Fars e nella regione del Golfo Persico, identificando le differenze nello sviluppo rispetto a quelle del periodo achemenide maturo ed enfatizzando l'interazione tra culture e tradizioni che porta al substrato artistico e ideologico su cui si fonda la nuova dinastia.
Per raggiungere questo risultato sono stati condotti studi archeologici sulle caratteristiche tecniche costruttive monumentali del suddetto periodo, ponendo l'accento su due tecniche architettoniche in pietra e in mattoni. Nell’analisi di questi monumenti è stato studiato anche il motivo iconografico presente nell'arte monumentale dei monumenti datati al periodo proto achemenide.
Il principale scopo di questo studio consiste nel fornire una nuova e corretta definizione dell'arte e dell'architettura monumentale proto achemenide; altro proposito della ricerca è comprendere i limiti cronologici entro i quali si ascrive l'architettura proto achemenide. Si è cercato inoltre di esaminare le metodologie usate per datare questi monumenti.
Questo lavoro cerca di fornire una nuova immagine del “proto achemenide” non solo come periodo storico, ma anche come stile artistico e architettonico
Print cultures as political networks: the circulation of anticolonial and antiracist periodicals in Africa and the african diaspora, 1910s-1930s
No full textThis dissertation investigates the political communication circuits that produced and disseminated anticolonial and antiracist propaganda across the African continent and its diaspora during the interwar years.
With a primary focus on the periodical press, it explores transnational processes involving newsgathering, publishing, and distribution, as well as reading practices and reception. The project also examines imperial systems of control and censorship over ‘seditious literature’ and how editors and subaltern publics negotiated these challenges. To understand the ‘human infrastructure’ supporting these information networks and their pivotal role in advancing political mobilizations against colonialism and racial segregation, it investigates two case studies.
The first case study examines the propaganda activities of the Communist Party of South Africa (CPSA, 1921-50) in dialogue with the international communist movement. It investigates the reception of CPSA propaganda by nationalist and anticolonial organizations in the Union of South Africa and the British colonies and protectorates of Southern Africa. Additionally, it explores how this propaganda was reinterpreted, reused, and translated by the antiracist African American and Afro-Caribbean press.
The second case study focuses on the dialogue between the anticolonial Arabic and French-speaking press and radical movements in the Western Mediterranean. This case study delves into the debates surrounding the colonial and racial dimensions of the Spanish Civil War (1936-39). The goal is to illuminate the relationship between printed propaganda and its role in driving mobilization
Freedom of expression and slander and insults against the King of Spain
No full textLa libertad de expresión proclamada en el artículo 20 de la Constitución española es la base sobre la que se asienta cualquier sistema democrático. Su vertiente institucional garantiza la libre comunicación pública y el pluralismo. Su dimensión subjetiva reconoce el derecho fundamental a expresarse libremente en cualquiera de las manifestaciones recogidas en el artículo 20.1 de la Constitución española (libertad de opinión; libertad artística y científica; libertad de cátedra e intelectual; libertad de información). Estas importantes cualidades sitúan a la libertad de expresión en una “posición preferente” en el sistema de derechos, siempre que se cumplan determinados requisitos constitucionales. Sin embargo, no es un derecho absoluto. En la medida en que pueda afectar al legítimo disfrute de otros derechos y bienes constitucionales, su ejercicio puede restringirse siempre que se respete su contenido esencial y de acuerdo con el principio de proporcionalidad. En consecuencia, el delito de calumnias e injurias contra el Rey de España aparece en el ordenamiento jurídico español como una limitación penal a la libertad de expresión. La presente investigación se centrará en el análisis de los elementos típicos del citado delito, con el fin de explorar los diferentes problemas que se plantean en relación con la libertad de opinión, artística e información. En definitiva, se trata de estudiar, desde un punto de vista constitucional (y necesariamente también penal), si el legislador ha establecido una sanción proporcionada o si, por el contrario, adopta un límite insoportable para la libertad de expresión por no ser necesario en una sociedad democrática. Asimismo, reflexionaremos sobre la posición que el Tribunal Constitucional español y el Tribunal Europeo de Derechos Humanos, como tribunales de protección de los derechos fundamentales, han adoptado en relación con la libertad de expresión y la protección penal de los símbolos constitucionales.The freedom of expression proclaimed in article 20 of the Spanish Constitution is the foundation on which any democratic system is built. Its institutional aspect guarantees free public communication and pluralism. Regarding its subjective
dimension, the fundamental right to express oneself freely in any of the manifestations included in article 20.1 of the Spanish Constitution (freedom of opinion; artistic and scientific freedom; academic and intellectual freedom; freedom of information) is recognized. These important qualities place freedom of expression in a “preferential position” in the system of rights as long as certain constitutional requirements are met. However, it is not an absolute right. To the extent that it may affect the legitimate enjoyment of other rights and other constitutional assets, its exercise may be limited as long as its essential content is respected and in accordance with the principle of proportionality. Accordingly, the crime of slander and insults against the King of Spain appears in the Spanish legal system as a criminal limit on freedom of expression. This investigation will focus on analyzing the typical elements of the aforementioned crime, to delve into the different problems that arise in relation to freedom of opinion and information. In short, it is about studying, from a constitutional (and necessarily also criminal) approach, whether the legislator has established a proportional sanction or if, on the contrary, it takes an unbearable limit for freedom of expression because it is unnecessary in a society democratic. Likewise, we will reflect on the position that the Spanish Constitutional Court and the European Court of Human Rights, as courts for the protection of fundamental rights, have adopted in relation to freedom of expression and the criminal protection of constitutional symbols
Developing a radiomic based machine learning model to identify patients with resected non-small-cell lung cancer at high risk of relapse
No full textBackground
There is a wide variation of recurrence risk of Non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) within the same Tumor Node Metastasis (TNM) stage, suggesting that other parameters are involved in determining this probability. Radiomics allows extraction of quantitative information from images that can be used for clinical purposes. The primary objective of this study is to develop a radiomic prognostic model that predicts a 3 year disease free-survival (DFS) of resected Early Stage (ES) NSCLC patients.
Material and Methods
56 pre-surgery non contrast Computed Tomography (CT) scans were retrieved from the PACS of our institution and anonymized. Then they were automatically segmented with an open access deep learning pipeline and reviewed by an experienced radiologist to obtain 3D masks of the NSCLC. Images and masks underwent to resampling normalization and discretization. From the masks hundreds Radiomic Features (RF) were extracted using Py-Radiomics. Hence, RF were reduced to select the most representative features. The remaining RF were used in combination with Clinical parameters to build a DFS prediction model using Leave-one-out cross-validation (LOOCV) with Random Forest.
Results and Conclusion
A poor agreement between the radiologist and the automatic segmentation algorithm (DICE score of 0.37) was found. Therefore, another experienced radiologist manually segmented the lesions and only stable and reproducible RF were kept. 50 RF demonstrated a high correlation with the DFS but only one was confirmed when clinicopathological covariates were added: Busyness a Neighbouring Gray Tone Difference Matrix (HR 9.610). 16 clinical variables (which comprised TNM) were used to build the LOOCV model demonstrating a higher Area Under the Curve (AUC) when RF were included in the analysis (0.67 vs 0.60) but the difference was not statistically significant (p=0,5147)
Renewable furan-based polymers with improved functional properties for sustainable food packaging
No full textPolymers are a fundamental and irreplaceable class of materials which have transformed our society and our quality of life in the past century. Among the most important applications of polymeric materials there are plastics, mostly utilized in the field of packaging, and produced in large amounts every year, at a rate which is completely incompatible with their short life cycle and low biodegradation rate. Because of their extraordinary and versatile properties, biobased furan-based polyesters such as poly(alkylene furanoate)s have been at the center of attention of Research and Industry for their excellent functional properties in food packaging applications, including tunable mechanical properties, high gas barrier properties and promising biodegradation. Within this context, this Ph.D. Thesis presents the results of the synthesis and characterization of novel and state-of-the-art furan-based polyesters, with the objective to achieve new levels of excellence and sustainability in the field of food packaging applications. By designing the macromolecular architecture of these polymeric systems, via polymerization with the correct glycols or copolymerization with specific comonomers, it was possible to control their microstructure and to influence their behavior, adjusting their properties and improving their performance. In particular, the effect of isomerism and of the copolymerization with amido diols, with PLLA and with camphoric acid was studied, leading to new impactful insights on the structure-property relationship between the theorized formation of a furan-based mesomorph phase and increased functional properties, highlighting the potential of these systems for the production of flexible, monolayer, easily recyclable or compostable sustainable food packaging
Electrochemiluminescent and luminescent nanoparticles for bioanalytical applications
No full textIn this PhD thesis, we prepared spherical and monodispersed silica nanoparticles of different sizes, doped with Ru(bpy)32+ and the neutral [Ru(bpy)2(bps)] heteroleptic complexes, containing carboxyl, or amino and phosphonate groups at their periphery. Their size was varied acting on the water-to-surfactant molar ratio of the microemulsion, obtaining samples between ~ 20 and ~140 nm. These systems showed ФPL and τ values higher than the reference dyes in aerated conditions. We proved that the ECL signal intensity depends on the size of the NPs with the highest ECL intensity obtained for the smallest NPs, showing a stronger interaction between the dyes and the coreactant. Moreover, DDSNPs doped with the [Ru(bpy)2(bps)], showed an ECL intensity higher than the one of the DDSNPs doped with Ru(bpy)32+. Photophysical evidence showed that the neutral complex [Ru(bpy)2(bps)] is mainly self-organized at the periphery of the particles, which favors the interaction with the TPrA coreactant. Ru(bpy)32+ was also used together with a water-soluble pyrene derivative to prepare in luminescent DDSNPs with a long-lived excited state. This approach was based on the Ru(bpy)32+/Py triplets interaction energy reservoir mechanism. With our strategy, we achieved for the DDSNPs a more than 5-fold elongation of the excited lifetime of Ru(bpy)32+ compared to the complex in aerated solution. A family of ECL active DDSNPs doped with Ru(bpy)32+ were also endowed with a polyamine-rich shell to develop self-enhancing ECL nanoarchitectures able to emit in the absence of coreactant in solution. This is a promising approach to increase the electronic interactions between dyes and coreactant, to exclude toxic TPrA, and to simplify the detection protocol, offering the possibility of ECL investigations on living cells. Finally, were prepared carbon quantum dots that were used to modify screen-printed carbon electrodes. The performances of these modified SPCEs to detect Troponin I, were evaluated and gave promising results
Waste management systems between Europe and Latin America: a life cycle thinking approach
No full textIn contemporary times, the waste sector has emerged as a central focus for sustainable development initiatives worldwide.
In response to the urgent need for effective waste management solutions, this doctoral thesis aimed to conduct a comprehensive analysis of waste management systems across diverse geographic regions, focusing on the European Union and Latin America. The primary objective was to uncover and scrutinize disparities within these regions concerning the waste sector and its management practices. The methodology involved employing Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and, when applicable, complementing it with Life Cycle Cost (LCC).
In the European context, three case studies were developed during the program. The initial study utilized LCA to examine PVC production, addressing the global issue of plastic pollution. The second case study compared the impacts of conventional and biodegradable plastics in a composting plant, assessing environmental and economic implications through LCA and LCC. The third case study centered on Italy and extended LCA application to entire waste management systems, emphasizing Life Cycle Thinking (LCT) contributions to Waste Management Plans (WMPs).
The final case study examines the waste management system (WMS) of the Cercado de Lima district in Lima (Peru), considering both formal and informal waste streams. Through life cycle assessment, the study models waste processes, encompassing household waste generation, composition, collection, transportation, and disposal between the current baseline scenario and a scenario analysis. A comparison between the current baseline scenario and scenario analysis reveals that landfilling substantially contributes to environmental impacts, whereas enhancements in informal recycling have a positive effect on various environmental indicators.
Key observations highlighted the necessity of local-level solutions tailored to regional conditions, emphasizing communication campaigns and citizen awareness. Overall, the transition from virgin to bio-based materials, enhanced waste separation, and integration of the informal sector were identified as impactful strategies
The nemo tenetur se detegere principle between advance protection of the right to silence and the notion of matière pénale
No full textIl presente lavoro si propone di analizzare la tutela riconosciuta al principio nemo tenetur se detegere al di fuori di un procedimento penale “tradizionale”. In particolare, scopo della ricerca è quello di verificare se una carente protezione del diritto al silenzio nel corso di attività “amministrative” ispettive o di vigilanza – ove le pubbliche autorità spesso si avvalgono di veri e propri obblighi di collaborazione, a vario titolo sanzionati, a carico dell’amministrato – possa tradursi nel surrettizio aggiramento della garanzia nella sede sua propria. A tal fine si valuterà se le norme processuali vigenti risultino in grado di offrire una qualche tutela “anticipata” al diritto al silenzio già nella dinamica delle indagini preliminari, o se comunque consentano di ovviare a tale lacuna nel corso del giudizio. Particolare attenzione sarà poi devoluta alla tutela multilivello europea del nemo tenetur, vagliando la possibilità di ricorrere alla nozione autonoma di matière pénale accolta dai giudici di Strasburgo (Corte EDU) e del Lussemburgo (CGUE) per gettare nuova luce sulle prospettive di una sua tutela “extra-penale”. Un recente esempio di dialogo fra Corti – avviato dalla nostra Consulta in ordine alla compatibilità comunitaria degli obblighi di cooperazione con Autorità amministrative indipendenti (CONSOB e Banca d’Italia) – verrà quindi adottato quale caso di studio, in virtù delle potenziali implicazioni sistematiche per il tema in oggetto.The purpose of this work is to analyse the protection afforded to the nemo tenetur se detegere principle outside ‘traditional’ criminal proceedings. In particular, the research aims to verify whether a lack of protection of the right to silence during ‘administrative’ inspections or supervisory activities - where public authorities often rely on positive duties of cooperation, criminally or administratively sanctioned, imposed on the person concerned - may result in the surreptitious circumvention of the guarantee in its proper domain. To this end, it will be assessed whether the procedural rules in force are able to offer some ‘advance’ protection to the right to silence already during the preliminary investigation, or whether they allow this shortcoming to be remedied in the course of the trial. Particular attention will then be devoted to the European multilevel protection of the nemo tenetur, examining the possibility of using the autonomous notion of criminal charge (matière pénale) embraced by the judges of Strasbourg (European Court of Human Rights) and Luxembourg (CJEU) to shed a new light on the prospects of its ‘extra-criminal’ protection. A recent example of dialogue between Courts - initiated by the Italian Constitutional Court regarding the compatibility with EU law of the duties of cooperation with independent administrative authorities (CONSOB and Banca d’Italia) - will then be adopted as a case study, in light of its potential systematic implications for the subject at hand
Governance tools and integrated energy plans tackling energy poverty for cities in transition
No full textCities aim to be climate neutral by 2050. Public authorities have a crucial role in planning and implementing energy efficiency and sustainable actions towards the urban decarbonization and the energy targets defined by the European Commission. The analyzed dimension of city is due to the fact that 75% of the European citizens are living in urban areas and this percentage is expected to increase to 84% by 2050. Cities account for more than 65% of energy consumption and for more than 70% of CO2 emissions. Cities tend to be more unequal than their host nations and countryside.
This thesis has the scope to identify energy transition tools and initiatives that can support decision makers to guarantee safe, equal, sustainable and competitive energy for cities and to play a crucial role in the energy transition process towards the climate neutrality. This research aims to examine the main European, national and local policies, the available governance tools and initiatives, such as the energy and climate plans (i.e. SECAPs) and energy communities, based on a multi-level governance approach, as effective measures to face the climate goals and to help decision makers to coordinate local stakeholders and implement medium-long terms actions.
The research of governance tools investigates the development of citizenship’s engagement strategies, the formalization of Climate City Contracts, and the creation of One-Stop-Shops, where the role of citizens assumes priority by aiming at new scenarios of decarbonization and climate adaptation embedding social justice. The analyzed data allows defining operable strategic energy efficiency plans tackling energy poverty. The outcomes can contribute to renovate the trust between the decision makers and citizenship, basing on the awareness that the energy targets can be reached if we consider the city a complex system with co-shared responsibilities, where equity is embedded and no one is left behind