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Neuro adaptive guidance and control system of a multipurpose autonomous underwater vehicle for underwater environment monitoring
Get PDFThis thesis introduces a novel neuro-adaptive control framework for Blucy, an hybrid unmanned underwater vehicle (UUV), designed for environmental monitoring in complex underwater environments. Central to this work is the development of a comprehensive benchmark model, rigorously validated against real mission data, which serves as a foundational simulator for designing the neuro-adaptive controller. An original parameter identification workflow is proposed, integrating CAD modeling, CFD simulations, and AMCOMP software to accurately capture hydrodynamic forces and thruster dynamics critical for precise modeling. Based on the benchmark, a novel fixed-time sliding mode control system is designed, augmented with neural networks and disturbance observers that estimate uncertainties and disturbances. To enhance adaptability, the neural network and disturbance observer are trained using a composite error learning strategy, optimizing real-time response to environmental changes and system faults. The effectiveness of the neuro adaptive control framework ensuring precise trajectory tracking and robustness against uncertainties, disturbance and faults, is demonstrated through extensive simulations
Towards an inclusive and distributed ecosystem of design scientific publishing. Advancing assessment models for design journals
Get PDFThis doctoral research investigates the current landscape of design scientific publishing. By analyzing 92 open-access design journals worldwide, the research identifies current trends and patterns in design publishing. It sheds light on the main challenges faced by the design publishing ecosystem today, investigating the limitations of power dynamics within the publishing industry, level of accessibility to knowledge, inclusivity and knowledge assessment practices. The implications of such challenges, as well as the impact of current publishing models on design dissemination structures, are critically examined. This research aims to explore and raise awareness within the design scientific community about the need to design a more transparent, inclusive and distributed ecosystem for design scientific publishing. Among the challenges raised by the analysis, the research focuses on two main themes, which are strictly interconnected: 1. Distributed leadership and inclusivity in design production; 2. More transparent assessment models in knowledge. These key issues have been identified and examined in depth as the transformation of knowledge assessment models is intrinsically related to improving knowledge accessibility and addressing traditional hierarchies present in the current structures of design publishing. Therefore, to promote greater inclusivity of design pluriversality and foster access to design knowledge, assessment is a key factor of transformation. The discussion over assessment models and traditional peer review processes is crucial in introducing the rise of alternative assessment models like the Collaborative Review (Co.Re) Model, prototyped and presented in this research
Optimized electric motor technologies for sustainable mobility
Get PDFThe urgency for a shift towards sustainable automotive technologies is a priority in the current global context, characterized by severe environmental challenges and a growing scarcity of critical resources. This thesis delves into the exploration of high-efficiency electric machines that reduce or eliminate the use of rare materials, thus promoting the principles of a circular and sustainable economy. At its core, the work presents an in-depth analysis and a series of proposals in the design of electric motors for vehicles, aiming to overcome traditional dependencies on rare-earth-based materials with more environmentally friendly solutions. The focal point of the thesis is the development of valid technological strategies for designing electric motors that integrate optimized design techniques to enhance performance and reduce environmental impact. Various approaches to motor design for automotive applications are analysed, extending the discussion to critical usage contexts such as high-performance racing vehicles and heavy-duty equipment for mining. This treatment demonstrates the flexibility and scalability of the proposed solutions, highlighting their applicability across a broad range of transportation scenarios. Methodologically, the thesis adopts an interdisciplinary approach that uses advanced computational modelling to evaluate the effectiveness of new motor configurations. This rigorous technical analysis confirms the operational feasibility and efficiency of the proposed systems laying the groundwork for a critical discussion on their performance compared to traditional systems. In summary, this academic work contributes to the debate on sustainable automotive technologies and offers a cutting-edge design vision for the future of propulsion systems. The solutions presented are configured as pragmatic and effective alternatives to meet the need for a greener and more responsible automotive industry. Ultimately, the thesis establishes a benchmark for further research and technological developments, aiming to solidify the foundations for a new generation of electric motors that will be central to achieving a globally sustainable automotive ecosystem
The uncanny as a method: semi-mimetic narratives, clashes of scales and borders disruption in Irish post-crash fiction
Get PDFThe present PhD thesis explores seven works of Irish fiction written during and after the Celtic Tiger era, examining how these texts blend realism with speculative and gothic elements to respond to economic and environmental crises. Covering works published between 2004 and 2021, the study highlights tensions between local, global, and planetary concerns. It introduces the theoretical framework of ‘Uncanny Realism’, synthesizing concepts from thinkers such as Jason Moore, Timothy Morton, Dipesh Chakrabarty, Amitav Ghosh, the Warwick Research Collective and Timothy Clark to analyze how these texts disrupt familiar worldviews through fragmented, non-linear narratives. Uncanny Realism operates across multiple temporal and spatial scales, engaging with both social constructs and planetary crises. Key analytical categories include the hybridization of genre and form, narrative unreliability, blurred boundaries between life and death, the formation of inter-worlds, and the presence of uncanny objects. The selected texts reflect a shift in Irish literature from realism to speculative forms in response to the collapse of the Celtic Tiger—a period of rapid economic growth (1994–2008) driven by foreign investment and mortgage lending, followed by a severe crash. This rupture exposed the entangled crises of the capitalist world ecology, making these texts ideal subjects for analysis. The thesis applies ‘Uncanny Realism’ to Irish literature’s engagement with three interrelated scales: local post-national economic and social transformations, Ireland’s semi-peripheral role within global capitalism, and its place in planetary environmental crises. The study examines works such as Notes from a Coma (2004) and Solar Bones (2016) by Mike McCormack, Nothing on Earth (2016) by Conor O’Callaghan, The Devil I Know (2012) by Claire Kilroy, Is Stacey Pregnant? (2014) by Tomás Mac Síomóin, The Fjord of Killary (2010) by Kevin Barry and The End of the World in a Cul de Sac (2021) by Louise Kennedy
Learning side by side: school, after-school, city. A study from an ethnographic and interactional perspective on the educational cultures, language socialization practices and the knowledge construction in a neighbourhood after-school programme
Get PDFLo studio indaga la realizzazione dei processi educativi e di apprendimento in contesto non-formale e informale, quale è un doposcuola di quartiere. La ricerca tematizza l’accanto in una duplice accezione: quale rapporto di prossimità tra le realtà associative e le organizzazioni di comunità rispetto alle istituzioni preposte al processo di accoglienza, istruzione e formazione, e quale realizzazione dialogica, anche tra pari, dei processi di socializzazione linguistica alla cittadinanza in un contesto di apprendimento non-formale. Adottando l’approccio fenomenologico allo studio degli eventi educativi e di apprendimento linguistico e integrando la metodologia etnografica con le risorse micro-analitiche offerte dell’Analisi Conversazionale, la ricerca vuole gettare luce su un contesto sociale di apprendimento tutt’ora poco indagato da questa prospettiva. Lo studio si basa su un fieldwork di circa un anno in un Doposcuola di quartiere gestito da educatori volontari, che offre affiancamento didattico ed educativo e sostegno nello svolgimento dei compiti a casa a ragazzi e ragazze tra i 10 e i 15 anni. Durante il periodo di osservazione sul campo sono state raccolte circa 30 ore di audio e video-registrazioni, successivamente trascritte ed analizzate seguendo l’approccio sopra esposto. I fenomeni individuati mostrano come il Doposcuola sia un’arena di socializzazione ai valori e alle pratiche della cultura scolastica e della cittadinanza attiva, uno spazio di negoziazione dei presupposti che informano una ‘cultura dell’apprendimento linguistico’ e le relative categorizzazioni di apprendente e “appartenente” linguistico, nonché un contesto nel quale alcune sue caratteristiche contestuali rivelano favorire l’esercizio di agentività da parte degli studenti e la negoziazione di ruoli sociali ed asimmetrie interazionali consolidate nel contesto scolastico, permettendo di individuare, in questo, indici di un apprendimento in atto. Possibili implicazioni dei risultati della ricerca sono infine discusse.The study investigates the realisation of educational and learning processes in a non-formal and informal context, such as a neighbourhood after-school programme. research declines the term ‘alongside’ in a twofold sense: as a relationship of proximity between the associative realities and community organisations with respect to the institutions in charge of the reception, education and training process, and as a dialogical realisation, also among peers, of the processes of linguistic socialisation to citizenship in a non-formal learning context. By adopting the phenomenological approach to the study of educational and language learning events and by integrating ethnographic methodology with the micro-analytical resources offered by Conversational Analysis, the research aims to shed light on a social context of learning that has so far been little investigated from this perspective. The study is based on approximately one year's fieldwork in a neighbourhood after-school programme run by volunteer educators, which offers educational and homework support to boys and girls aged between 10 and 15. During the fieldwork, approximately 30 hours of audio and video recordings were collected, subsequently transcribed and analysed following the approach outlined above. The phenomena identified show how the after-school programme is an arena of socialization to the values and practices of school culture and active citizenship, a space for the negotiation of the assumptions that inform a ‘language learning culture’ and the related categorisations of language learner and ‘member’, as well as a context in which some of its contextual features encourage the exercise of agentivity on the part of students and the negotiation of social roles and interactional asymmetries established in the school context, allowing for the identification, in this, of indices of ongoing learning. Finally, the possible implications of the research findings are discussed
Identification and validation of potential diagnostic, prognostic, and/or predictive biomarkers in companion animal veterinary oncology
No full textNegli ultimi anni, la medicina veterinaria ha compiuto notevoli progressi nelle terapie oncologiche, orientandosi verso trattamenti mirati e personalizzati in base alle caratteristiche del tumore. Approcci innovativi come l'immunoterapia, le terapie a bersaglio molecolare e le strategie multimodali hanno migliorato l'efficacia del trattamento, prolungando la sopravvivenza specialmente in casi con prognosi infausta. In uno scenario così complesso, sono richieste informazioni sempre più dettagliate sul tumore in modo da guidare le scelte cliniche e adottare approcci terapeutici appropriati, in particolare attraverso l'identificazione di specifici marcatori molecolari o istopatologici. Il presente studio ha come obbiettivo la ricerca e identificazione di nuovi potenziali marcatori diagnostici, prognostici e predittivi in oncologia veterinaria. Per questo è stata valutata l'efficacia di SOX-10, un fattore di trascrizione nucleare, nel rilevare le cellule di melanoma metastatico nei linfonodi di cani affetti da melanoma maligno, sottolineando la sua affidabilità e maggiore sensibilità rispetto ai marcatori immunoistochimici comunemente utilizzati nella pratica di routine. In secondo luogo, è stata analizzata l'importanza prognostica dei modelli di crescita istologica insieme al sistema di classificazione di Kiupel nei mastocitomi cutanei e sottocutanei del cane, mettendo in luce come quest'ultimo, a prescindere dal modello di crescita, riesca a identificare con maggiore precisione i tumori con comportamento biologico aggressivo, ancor più del coinvolgimento nodale e dello stato dei margini. Infine, è stato anche esplorato il ruolo della disregolazione dei microRNA che bersagliano il gene PTEN nell'emangiosarcoma canino con metastasi cerebali, evidenziando il potenziale di questi biomarcatori in nuove strategie di trattamento. Queste indagini sottolineano l'importanza della medicina di precisione in oncologia veterinaria, evidenziando il ruolo cruciale dei biomarcatori nell'accuratezza diagnostica, nella valutazione prognostica e nell'elaborazione di strategie di trattamento personalizzate, avvicinando così l'oncologia veterinaria a quella umana.In recent years, veterinary medicine has made significant strides in oncological therapies, moving towards targeted and personalized treatments based on tumor characteristics. Innovative approaches, such as immunotherapy, molecular targeted therapies, and multimodal strategies, have improved treatment efficacy, prolonging survival in previously hopeless cases. This complexity necessitates detailed tumor information to guide clinical choices and adopt appropriate therapeutic approaches, particularly through identifying specific molecular or histopathological markers. This study reviews and investigates diagnostic, prognostic, and predictive markers in veterinary oncology. We evaluated the effectiveness of SOX-10, a nuclear transcription factor, in detecting metastatic melanoma cells in lymph nodes of dogs with malignant melanoma, suggesting its reliability and greater sensitivity than routine immunohistochemical markers. Additionally, we assessed the prognostic significance of histological growth models and the Kiupel grading system in mast cell tumors, finding that histological grading effectively identifies tumors with aggressive behavior, providing more information than nodal involvement and margin status. We also explored the role of microRNA dysregulation targeting the PTEN gene in canine hemangiosarcoma metastatic to the brain, highlighting the potential of these biomarkers in novel treatment strategies.
These investigations underscore the importance of precision medicine in veterinary oncology, emphasizing the critical role of biomarkers in improving diagnostic accuracy, prognostic assessment, and personalized treatment strategies, thus enhancing outcomes in veterinary medicine
Optimized algorithms and machine learning techniques for biosignal processing on ultra-low-power computing platforms
Get PDFIn recent years, advancements in electronic systems have driven the development of implantable and wearable devices that facilitate continuous health monitoring through the extraction of physiological parameters from biosignals, such as Electrocardiogram (ECG) and Electroencephalogram (EEG). Biosignal-based applications have become central to various fields, ranging from fitness to medical-grade diagnostics. However, implementing biosignal processing presents significant challenges, notably in achieving a balance between computational power and energy efficiency, which is essential for extended battery life in portable devices. This thesis contributes to this field by presenting a framework of end-to-end methodologies designed to optimize energy efficiency in executing computationally intensive signal processing tasks on resource-constrained embedded devices. Through a combination of optimized system architectures, low-power processing strategies, and machine learning-based algorithms, the thesis offers novel solutions for achieving high-performance ExG signal analysis within strict energy budgets. Key aspects include the design of Analog Front Ends (AFEs) to ensure high-fidelity signal capture with minimal energy draw, as well as optimizing digital processors to handle complex operations such as filtering, feature extraction, and pattern classification within limited memory and processing power. Additionally, this research explores the adaptation of machine learning algorithms, such as CNNs and TCNs, for edge-based biosignal processing, emphasizing model compression to reduce computational overhead. The research demonstrates a sustainable solution for real-time biosignal processing on ultra-low-power (ULP) parallel platforms, offering significant advantages over traditional MCUs in both energy efficiency and processing capability. To validate the proposed methodologies, the thesis investigates two primary case studies. The first focuses on ECG signal processing and classification, showcasing how on-device computation minimizes data transmission and latency, thereby improving privacy, energy efficiency, and responsiveness. The second evaluates ear-EEG as a promising alternative to conventional, full-scalp EEG, demonstrating its viability in mobile health applications
Studying gas circulation in star-forming galaxies in simulations with explicit ISM and feedback models
Get PDFThis Thesis presents a comprehensive study of the baryon cycle in star-forming galaxies, with a particular focus on gas circulation between the galactic disc and the circumgalactic medium (CGM) and its role in sustaining star formation. To explore the complex interactions between these galactic components, I use cutting-edge hydrodynamical N-body simulations of Milky Way-like galaxies, incorporating a CGM around the disc. These simulations are performed with the moving-mesh code Arepo coupled with the SMUGGLE model, which includes essential stellar feedback processes, enabling the realistic simulation of the interstellar medium and the generation of multiphase outflows. In the first part of this Thesis, I analyze the role of the CGM as a reservoir for star formation, finding that stellar feedback effectively acts as a positive feedback mechanism, generating galactic fountains that recycles gas between the disc and the corona. This circulation enhances gas cooling and accretion from the CGM, fueling the star formation in the disc. In the second part, I go through the vertical and radial gas flows that transport CGM gas to the galactic disc and from the outer disc to the central regions, respectively. These processes support continuous star formation, with coronal gas preferentially accreting at larger radii before being funneled inward. Finally, using hybrid-cosmological simulations, I examine galactic outflows as a multiphase phenomenon, revealing distinct cold, warm, and hot gas phases, each with unique roles in mass and energy transport. The cold phase primarily transports mass, while the hot phase dominates in energy and momentum, reaching greater distances from the disc. This Thesis will provide deeper insights into the evolution of star-forming galaxies, contributing to a more comprehensive understanding of galaxy formation and evolution
The speeches of the presidents of the Italian Republic to the diplomatic corps (1951-2023): a linguistic analysis
Get PDFStudi precedenti sui discorsi dei presidenti della Repubblica italiana si sono concentrati principalmente sui discorsi rivolti alla nazione, mentre i discorsi di fine anno al Corpo Diplomatico—controparte dei discorsi destinati al pubblico—hanno ricevuto minore attenzione. Tuttavia, questi interventi si collocano in un contesto istituzionale-diplomatico peculiare. Questa tesi esamina i discorsi di fine anno dei presidenti della Repubblica italiana al Corpo Diplomatico dal 1951 al 2023, adottando un approccio lessicometrico. L’analisi si focalizza sulle caratteristiche linguistiche e stilistiche di questi discorsi, con particolare attenzione alla loro evoluzione diacronica e all’adattamento al pubblico di riferimento. La ricerca evidenzia una stretta correlazione tra la lingua impiegata e il contesto storico-diplomatico, mettendo in luce al contempo le scelte stilistiche distintive dei singoli presidenti. I discorsi riflettono sia la continuità istituzionale sia l’espressione individuale: alcuni presidenti mantengono un registro formale e codificato, mentre altri introducono elementi più dinamici e personali. Inoltre, la tesi confronta questi discorsi con quelli di fine anno rivolti alla nazione, sottolineando le differenze di registro, formalità e adattamento linguistico in base al pubblico. Questo studio contribuisce a una comprensione più approfondita del discorso presidenziale italiano, illustrando come esso si evolva nel tempo, influenzato sia da fattori istituzionali che da scelte personali.Previous studies on Italian presidential speeches have focused primarily on addresses to the nation, while the year-end speeches to the Diplomatic Corps—a counterpart to the speeches given to the public—have received less attention. These speeches, however, offer a unique institutional-diplomatic context. This thesis examines the year-end addresses of Italian Presidents to the Diplomatic Corps from 1951 to 2023, adopting a lexicometric approach. The study analyzes the linguistic and stylistic features of these speeches, with particular attention to their diachronic evolution and adaptation to the intended audience. The research highlights a strong correlation between the language used and the historical-diplomatic context while also showcasing the distinctive stylistic choices of individual presidents. The speeches reflect both institutional continuity and individual expression: some presidents maintain a formal, codified language, while others introduce more dynamic, personal elements. Additionally, the thesis compares these speeches to the year-end addresses to the nation, emphasizing differences in register, formality, and linguistic adaptation based on audience. This study contributes to a deeper understanding of Italian presidential discourse, illustrating how it evolves over time, shaped by both institutional and personal influences
The mute and voiceless note of the american democracy between the 19th and 20th century: the political thought of Anna Julia Cooper
Get PDFAnna Julia Cooper occupa un ruolo eccezionale nella storia del pensiero politico e della teoria politica femminista. Questa eccezionalità ha vari aspetti, a cominciare dalla longevità di una vita che attraversa un secolo intero. Cooper nasce nel Sud schiavista a Raleigh, North Carolina, nel 1858, figlia dell’unione violenta tra la madre schiava e il suo padrone bianco, e muore a Washington DC nel 1964. L’eccezionalità di Anna Julia Cooper consiste in una produzione intellettuale che, a partire dalla pubblicazione del suo capolavoro «A Voice from the South» nel 1892, articola l’osservazione della società statunitense dal punto di vista di una «Donna Nera del Sud», come lei stessa si firma nel sottotitolo della sua prima opera. In questo lavoro, che si pone l’obiettivo di far emergere il significato e la profondità della rottura che il lavoro di Cooper produce nella storia del pensiero politico e nella teoria politica femminista, l’illuminazione del rapporto che esso intrattiene con il dibattito politico e scientifico con cui si confronta e la storia sociale in cui si situa, occupa una posizione centrale. Collocare il pensiero di Cooper nel suo tempo significa mostrare in che senso il suo discorso femminista produce una «critica del canone politico moderno». La rilevanza di Cooper per la storia del pensiero politico e la teoria femminista è qui interpretata alla luce della riscoperta del ruolo fondativo che lei, a partire dalla prospettiva parziale della donna nera del Sud, riveste nella storia di quello che sarebbe poi diventato il femminismo nero contemporaneo, come teoria politica e come movimento sociale che prende le mosse dalle teorie e dalle pratiche del femminismo e dell’antirazzismo per pensare una battaglia universale contro il dominio che si esercita simultaneamente lungo le linee della razza, del sesso e della classe.Anna Julia Cooper holds an exceptional place in the history of feminist political thought and political theory. Cooper was born in the slaveholding South in Raleigh, North Carolina, in 1858, child of the violent union between her slave mother and her white master, and died in Washington, D.C., in 1964. Anna Julia Cooper's exceptionalism consists in an extremely wide, deep and articulated intellectual work that beginnins with the publication of her masterpiece “A Voice from the South” in 1892, and keeps on articulating the observation of U.S. society from the point of view of a “Black Woman of the South” (as she signs herself in the subtitle of her first work) for an entire century. In mywork, which aims to bring out the significance and depth of the rupture that Cooper's work produces in the history of political thought and feminist political theory, the illumination of its relationship to the political and scholarly debate with which it is confronted and the social history in which it is situated occupies a central position. To situate Cooper's thought in her time is to show in what sense her feminist discourse produces a “critique of the modern political canon”. Cooper's relevance to the history of political thought and feminist theory is interpreted here in terms of rediscovering the foundational role she plays in the history of black feminism, as a political theory and as a social movement that builds on the theories and practices of feminism and anti-racism to think about a universal battle against domination that is carried simultaneously along the lines of race, gender and class