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Surviving the catastrophe: hybridity and ‘in-betweeness’ in Japanese dystopias after Fukushima
No full textNegli ultimi anni, gli immaginari distopici hanno raggiunto una popolarità senza precedenti, invadendo il mainstream. Alla base di questo successo sembrerebbe esserci un sempre minore scarto tra la catastrofe immaginata e la contemporaneità dei fruitori: l’apocalisse non è più un avvertimento, ma una condizione già in divenire. In Giappone il nuovo flusso di immaginari distopici e il rinnovato dibattito sul valore della letteratura come testimonianza appaiono interconnessi nella comune origine dai traumi collettivi della storia recente: il triplice disastro del Tōhoku del 2011 e la pandemia da Covid-19. Le distopie diventano quindi uno strumento per l’indagine delle paure collettive, laddove permettono di analizzare e ripensare le società e di riflettere sulla posizione dell’umano nell'ecosistema. L’obiettivo della ricerca è esplorare come i concetti di ‘umano’, di ‘corpo’ e di ‘specie’ vengono rinegoziati e ridefiniti in una selezione di cinque opere distopiche giapponesi pubblicate dopo il 2011. La paura della contaminazione ha un precedente storico importante già nei bombardamenti atomici del 1945, e gli accadimenti più recenti hanno riportato in primo piano le paure legate all’integrità del corpo e alla sua vulnerabilità, declinate ora attraverso delle figure ibride che si presentano come entità oltre l’umano. L’elaborato parte da una sezione teorico-metodologica che colloca la ricerca all’interno di diversi campi: Utopian e Dystopian Studies, studi ecocritici e postumani, Gender e Queer Studies, Manga Studies. La seconda sezione è dedicata a una panoramica dell’immaginario distopico in Giappone, prima in prospettiva diacronica a partire dal secondo dopoguerra, e poi in prospettiva sincronica, che analizzando il contesto culturale e sociale del Giappone post-Fukushima. La terza e ultima sezione, infine, parte da un close reading dei testi per poi analizzare alcuni dei topoi ricorrenti nella rielaborazione della paura della contaminazione tramite figure ‘ibride’ e cercare punti di contatto e di rottura con la tradizione precedente.In recent years, dystopian imaginaries have achieved unprecedented popularity, invading the mainstream. Behind this success, an ever-shrinking gap between the imagined catastrophe and the time of reading: the apocalypse is no longer a warning, but a condition already in the making. In Japan, the new flow of dystopian imaginaries and the renewed debate on the value of literature as testimony appear interconnected in their common origin from recent collective traumas: the 2011 triple disaster of Tōhoku and the Covid-19 pandemic. Dystopias thus become a tool for investigating collective fears, allowing us to analyze and rethink societies and reflect on the position of the human in the ecosystem. The aim of the research is to explore how the concepts of ‘human,’ 'body,‘ and 'species’ are renegotiated and redefined in a selection of five Japanese dystopian works published after 2011. The fear of contamination has an important historical precedent in the atomic bombings of 1945, and more recent events have brought back to the forefront those fears related to the integrity of the body and its vulnerability, now declined through hybrid figures that present themselves as entities beyond the human. The thesis begins with a theoretical-methodological section that situates the research within different fields: Utopian and Dystopian Studies, Ecocritical and Posthuman Studies, Gender and Queer Studies, and Manga Studies. The second section is devoted to an overview of the dystopian imaginary in Japan, first from a diachronic perspective starting after World War II, and then from a synchronic perspective analyzing the cultural and social context of post-Fukushima Japan. Finally, the third and final section starts from a close reading of the texts and then analyzes some of the recurring tropes in the re-elaboration of the fear of contamination through ‘hybrid’ figures, seeking points of contact with the earlier tradition
Design, development, and functional characterization of cold plasma systems to reduce airborbe transmission of hospital acquired infections & COVID-19
Get PDFThis thesis investigates innovative strategies to improve indoor air quality, focusing on cold atmospheric plasma (CAP) as an alternative or complementary solution to traditional air treatment methods. The emergence of airborne diseases like COVID-19 and hospital acquired infections (HAIs) underscores the need for effective decontamination systems. CAP, which produces reactive species such as charged particles, radicals, and UV, has shown strong antimicrobial properties, particularly through reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (RONS) that inactivate microorganisms via multiple mechanisms. The dissertation is divided into three main sections. Chapter 1 presents a systematic review of CAP applications in virology, analyzing 110 studies published between 2000 and 2023. The review highlights CAP’s effectiveness in inactivating various viruses, including enveloped and non-enveloped, DNA and RNA types, through viral particle damage, replication disruption, and modulation of the host immune response. Chapter 2 regards the design and characterization of a direct dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) plasma source developed for decontaminating bacterial and viral bioaerosols. Serving as a proof of concept for the project, this device was among the first CAP prototypes to undergo biological testing against the SARS-CoV-2 virus. This prototype demonstrated a Log Reduction of 3.7 for bacterial bioaerosols and effectively inactivated SARS-CoV-2. Chapters 3, 4, and 5 describe the scaling-up of the proof-of-concept into two devices: the Rotating DBD, a tabletop unit for diverse environments (e.g. hospital rooms, offices, residential spaces), and the InDuct plasma source, designed for installation in ventilation ducts. Both devices were electrically characterized and their gas-phase chemistry was evaluated using various diagnostic techniques. They demonstrated over 99.9% efficacy in deactivating bacterial bioaerosols, including Staphylococcus epidermidis
Parallel Botanics. For a digital collection of extraordinary plants, through the collective laboratory of Ulisse Aldrovandi (1522–1605)
Get PDFThe project explores the relationship between humans and plants worlds, focusing in particular on how curiosity, wonder, and the reverence for the powers of plants have generated knowledge. A specific case study is the rich botanical and book collection of the naturalist Ulisse Aldrovandi (1522–1605), which was assembled between the 16th and 17th centuries through a “collective laboratory” involving numerous figures of the time. Starting from this collection, the ultimate goal of the project is to create a compilation of parallel botanics, highlighting the diverse cultural meanings attributed to plants throughout history. This includes the influence of traditions and beliefs that have spread from classical antiquity to the Renaissance and beyond. The vast amount of information drawn from the collection constitutes a dataset that will be modelled using semantic web technologies to standardize the connections between plants, sources, and authors involved in this dense network of knowledge. Each reference entity is described through a metadata record defined according to carefully selected ontologies. Finally, the data and metadata related to the collection are stored, linked, and published through a dedicated digital platform, using the Omeka S software. By leveraging the latest digital technologies, the project aims to promote and enhance research at the intersection of the humanities, computer science, and ethnobotany fields, fostering a deeper awareness of the cultural role of plants in human history.Il progetto indaga il tema del rapporto tra l’uomo e il mondo vegetale, in particolare il modo in cui la curiosità, la meraviglia e il culto verso i poteri delle piante abbiano generato conoscenza. Caso di studio specifico è la ricchissima collezione botanica museale e libraria del naturalista Ulisse Aldrovandi (1522-1605), costituitasi tra il XVI e il XVII secolo attraverso un “laboratorio collettivo”, che ha coinvolto nella sua realizzazione numerose personalità del tempo. A partire da questa collezione, scopo finale del progetto è la creazione di una raccolta di botaniche parallele, che faccia emergere le diverse connotazioni culturali date alle piante nel corso della storia, anche attraverso l’influenza delle tradizioni e delle credenze diffuse dall’epoca classica fino al Rinascimento e oltre. La mole di informazioni tratta dalla raccolta costituisce un dataset che sarà modellato sulla base delle tecnologie del web semantico, in modo da standardizzare le connessioni tra le piante, le fonti e gli autori coinvolti in questa fitta rete di conoscenze. Ogni entità di riferimento è quindi descritta mediante una scheda di metadati definiti secondo alcune ontologie accuratamente selezionate. Infine, dati e metadati sulla collezione sono conservati, collegati e pubblicati attraverso un’apposita piattaforma digitale, individuata nel software Omeka S. Attraverso l’utilizzo delle più recenti tecnologie digitali, il proposito del progetto è quello di promuovere e valorizzare la ricerca nei confini tra il settore umanistico, informatico e dell’etnobotanica, finalizzata ad una maggiore consapevolezza del ruolo culturale delle piante nella storia umana
Several aspects of modern signal analysis: optimal tuning parameters in MRI inverse problems and symplectic time-frequency analysis of modulation spaces
Get PDFIn this thesis, we explore two prominent aspects of the mathematics involved in MRI signal analysis. First, we focus on compressed sensing MRI, and we introduce an iterative algorithm (ALMA) inspired by convex analysis that efficiently determines the tuning parameter for Total Variation (TV) regularized LASSO (TV-LASSO). The selection of the tuning parameter is crucial for minimizing noise and artifacts in the reconstructed image, and this choice is often made manually, which is time-consuming. The results of ALMA show near-optimality of our reconstructions in terms of multiscale structural similarity, peak signal-to-noise ratio and coefficient of joint variation.Second, we generalize the most well-known and widely used time-frequency representations through the so-called metaplectic operators. This generalization enables us to explain the properties of what we called metaplectic Wigner distributions in terms of the symplectic group, to which they are closely related. Thanks to these techniques it is possible to construct metaplectic Wigner distributions with the right properties, according to the applications
Eutopian impulse and representation of LGBTQ+ adolescents in contemporary italian, french, and british young adult fiction
Get PDFThis thesis explores the representation of LGBTQ+ adolescents in contemporary Young Adult fiction from Italy, France, and the UK. The thesis adopts a comparative methodology, mixing Queer Studies in YA fiction with Utopian Studies to analyse the representation of LGBTQ+ adolescents in different national contexts. This combination provides an innovative perspective, allowing for the exploration of both the lived challenges and idealised outcomes faced by queer characters. The study establishes the relevance of utopian studies in YA literature. The choice of Italian, British, and French subcorpora allows for a multi-level analysis, revealing how different societies’ contexts affect the representation of LGBTQ+ characters. Each subcorpus is carefully curated with representative titles from 2019 to 2022, ensuring the contemporary aspect of the study. The Italian novels - Colpo su colpo (Riccardo Gazzaniga, Rizzoli, 2019), Con le ali sbagliate (Gabriele Clima, Uovonero, 2020) and Un'Alice come un'altra (Alice T., Giunti, 2022) - present isolated, often negative environments. In contrast, British works - Loveless (Alice Oseman, HarperCollins, 2020), Boy Queen (George Lester, Macmillan Children's Books, 2020) and Ace of Spades (Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé, Feiwel and Friends, 2021) - are more inclusive, with a variety of queer identities and supportive communities. Lastly, the French titles - It (Catherine Grive, Gallimard, 2019), Romance (Arnaud Cathrine, Robert Laffont, 2020) and Apprivoiser l'été (Marie Boulier, Thierry Magnier, 2022) - represent a hybrid, as they combine inclusivity with family dynamics still partly constrained by traditional and stereotypical roles and mindsets. The thesis concludes that while British and French YA novels demonstrate better representation and support for queer adolescents, Italian literature remains more limited, highlighting more complex social issues. The research highlights the interplay between representation of quality of life and utopian elements, ultimately suggesting that YA fiction functions as a vital platform for imagining more inclusive societies
The chemical inventory of peculiar globular clusters: a divergence from the norm
Get PDFThis PhD Thesis was aimed at obtaining a chemical characterization of the stellar populations of three peculiar stellar systems, namely ω Centauri, Liller 1, and M 54. Historically these systems were classified as globular clusters due to their morphology, but nowadays it is widely recognized that they are actually more complex systems than previously believed.
ω Centauri is the most massive system among the globular clusters, but with a wide metallicity spread that is not usually observed in genuine globulars. Moreover, ω Centauri displays the typical features of globular clusters, i.e. the anticorrelations among light-elements. I investigated the role of the complete MgAl burning chain in shaping the stellar populations of ω Centauri.
Liller 1 is a massive and metal-rich stellar system located in the Bulge of the Milky Way. Very recently it was found to host two different populations of stars: an old and metal-poor subpopulation (13 Gyr and [Fe/H]= −0.3 dex) and a young and metal-rich one (∼ 2 Gyr and [Fe/H] = +0.3 dex). Thanks to its peculiar properties Liller 1 was suggested to be a remnant of the early epoch of Bulge formation. I presented a complete chemical characterization of the Liller 1 populations, finding that its stars follow the same chemical pattern of the Bulge field, with the metal-poor stars being enhanced in [α/Fe] and the metal-rich stars having solar scaled [α/Fe].
M 54 is a massive globular cluster located at the center of the remnant of the Sagittarius dwarf galaxy, that akin to ω Centauri displays a wide metallicity spread. It is considered to be part of the nuclear star cluster of the Sagittarius galaxy. I analyzed the largest high-resolution spectroscopic dataset obtained so far of M 54 members, finding evidence that the complete MgAl burning chain was active in this cluster
Variance partitioning priors for latent gaussian models
Get PDFVariance partitioning priors have recently been proposed in the context of Bayesian hierarchical models. They are defined as those priors that make use of a reparametrization of the variance parameters into a total variance and a set of proportions.
This work proposes a standardization procedure to accommodate variance partitioning priors into a large class of models, namely latent Gaussian models. The standardization procedure to be applied on the model effects guarantees an intuitive interpretation for the new parameters. The procedure acknowledges how the interpretation of variance contributions as intended by the user can differ between fixed and random effects. Particular attention is given to the special class of intrinsic Gaussian Markov random fields, which are popularly used to model spatial and temporal correlation. The benefits of the proposal are validated through simulations, which have confirmed the practical relevance of the standardization procedure. The importance of the contribution lies in the possibility of fully exploiting prior information through variance partitioning priors, which is particularly beneficial to those applications and fields that require complex modelling structures. This advantage is exemplified in the context of species distribution models used in ecology, which are usually composed by different fixed and random effects
Functional effects of Arginine supplementation during gestation and lactation on the productive performance of sow and litter
No full textThis thesis reports one meta-analysis and two experimental studies that may contribute to understanding how dietary Arginine (Arg) supplementation during gestation, transition, and lactation, can impact the productive performance of sows and piglets. The meta-analysis showed that dietary Arg should be increased during gestation to maximize the productive performance in terms of placental efficiency, backfat thickness loss, and number of total born and born alive. The second study was set up based on the results of the meta-analysis. Dietary SID Arg:Lys was 216% during different periods of gestation (early, late or all). The results showed a reduction in both the rate of stillbirth and low birth weight piglets if Arg was increased in early gestation, while it reduced the stillbirth rate and increased the percentage of high birth weight piglets in late gestation. However, the increase in dietary Arg through all gestation increased the percentage of low vitality piglets and consequently the percentage of crushed piglets. No differences were observed for the proximal composition of colostrum, except for a significant reduction in the concentration of IgG in all the groups fed a higher dose of Arg. The increase in Arg also modified the metabolome characterization of feces, urine, and colostrum, but no differences for the fecal microbiota were observed. In the third study dietary SID Arg:Lys was 120% during transition and lactation of sows. No differences in farrowing duration, litter characteristics at birth and weaning, colostrum and milk composition, and blood urea nitrogen concentration were observed. According to these results, a higher dose of Arg may be needed to observe significant effects. Overall, the results of these studies underline the role of Arg and its involvement in the metabolic pathways. Furthermore, more studies are needed to evaluate the effects during transition and lactation of sows
Deep multi-view RGB-D fusion for robust and accurate 3D perception
Get PDFIn the last decade, depth sensing has become a prominent technology in fields such as robotics, automotive, mobile, and augmented reality. In such systems an active sensor is employed, i.e., a device exploiting illumination to infer the 3D structure of the framed scene. Time-of-Flight sensors are mainly used indoors on mobile devices, while Light Detection and Ranging sensors are employed in automotive for landscape-like scenarios. Despite the reconstruction accuracy of active depth sensors, their technical
limitations demand their integration with other sensors to achieve high accuracy and the technical properties required for specific deployments. This PhD thesis aims to deeply analyze existing technologies for depth estimation and active sensor employment with the ultimate goal of improving and innovating the current technological scenario with novel depth sensing frameworks able to overcome the current limitations. First of all, this is achieved through a detailed analysis of the inherent limitations of active sensors and the proposal of effective solutions. Then, the integration with single or multiple RGB sensors is deeply analyzed in different applicative scenarios, improving the current state of the art with innovative frameworks. Eventually, a fully integrated pipeline able to exploit effectively multi-modal information is proposed
Detection and enforcement of non-linear correlations for fair and robust machine learning applications
Get PDFDetecting correlations is crucial in several Machine Learning tasks, such as the identification of patterns or the enforcement of certain relational constraints. In the realm of algorithmic fairness, correlations are particularly significant, as indicators typically quantify the degree of dependence between a sensitive input attribute and a target variable. Nonetheless, traditional measures have been focusing solely on categorical protected attributes due to technical limitations, thus neglecting continuous sensitive information like age, income, degree of disability, or other aggregated numerical variables. To overcome these limitations, recent research has suggested using the Hirschfeld–Gebelein–Rényi (HGR) correlation coefficient as a measure of fairness. HGR is an extension of Pearson's coefficient able to detect non-linear correlations by employing two mapping functions called copula transformations; in this dissertation, we present a novel computational approach for estimating it by means of user-defined kernel functions parameterized through a vector of mixing coefficients. Our approach is deterministic, offers increased robustness, improves interpretability compared to existing methods, and features other advantageous properties that make it more trustworthy for practical applications. We demonstrate its benefits over other computational techniques in both synthetic data and real-world benchmarks; then, following a minor variation of the HGR semantics, we introduce the Generalized Disparate Impact (GeDI) indicator, which broadens the legal notion of disparate impact to continuous input variables. Empirical findings confirm that this indicator can effectively reduce unfairness across three benchmark datasets, as well as in a practical use case involving long-term fairness in ranking systems; moreover, we show how both measures can be brought into a unified framework, and are equivalent up to a data-dependent scaling factor. To conclude, we discuss ongoing and future works regarding both methodological extensions of our Kernel-Based HGR method and potential applications in intersectional fairness and causal discovery