1869 research outputs found
Sort by
Against Protolanguage
No full textSince Hauser-Chomsky-Fitch (2002) the operation Merge has been taken to be the discriminating boundary between language and non-language. In our talk, we propose some reflections on the simplest stage of this syntactic mechanism, namely the so-called Head-head Merge (Primary Merge in Rizzi’s 2010 Complexity Scale), showing that silent functional categories must be necessarily assumed in order to explain the realization of the most basic hierarchical structure. In this perspective the notion of “protolanguage” turns out to be as contradictory as the notion of “protogrammar”
SAM: A tool for the semi-automatic mapping and enrichment of ontologies
No full textOntologies are fundamental tools used with different purposes and with different modalities in different areas and communities. To guarantee the right level of quality, the most widely used ontologies are man-made. However, developing and maintaining them turns out to be extremely time-consuming. For this reason, there are approaches aiming at their automatic construction where ontologies are incrementally extended by extracting and integrating knowledge from existing sources. However, these approaches tend to reach an accuracy that, according to the application they need to serve, cannot be always considered satisfactory. Therefore, when a higher accuracy is necessary, manual or semi-automatic approaches are still preferable. In this paper we present a technique and a corresponding tool, that we called SAM (semi-automatic mapper), for the semi-automatic enrichment of an ontology through the mapping of an external source to the target ontology. As proved by our evaluation, the tool allows saving around 50% of the time required by purely manual approaches
Defining and Measuring Data-Driven Quality Dimension of Staleness
No full textWith the growing complexity of data acquisition and processing methods, there is an increasing demand in understanding which data is outdated and how to have it as fresh as possible. Staleness is one of the key, time-related, data quality characteristics, that represents a degree of synchronization between data originators and information systems possessing the data. However, nowadays there is no common and pervasive notion of data staleness, as well as methods for its measurement in a wide scope of applications.
Our work provides a definition of a data-driven notion of staleness for information systems with frequently updatable data. For such a data, we demonstrate an efficient exponential smoothing method of staleness measurement, compared to naïve approaches, using the same limited amount of memory, based on averaging of frequency of updates.
We present experimental results of staleness measurement algorithms that we run on history of updates of articles from Wikipedia
HDTV satellite broadcasting in the EHF domain: Feasibility Study and Quality Assessment
No full textIn this work we propose a simulation-based feasibility study for the efficient exploitation of W band (75-110GHz) for high quality HDTV broadcasting applications. In order to obtain a reliable and realistic simulation environment, we have considered the DVB-S2 standard specifications, introducing the typical W-band impairments such as phase noise, rain attenuation, as well as non-linearities. For testing purposes, we have adopted common High-Definition benchmark video sequences, so as to evaluate the H.264 video quality as a function of the available bit-rate on the channel. During the simulation phase we have taken into account adaptive techniques like ACM (Adaptive Coding and Modulation) and scalable video coding (SVC). Eventually, we have evaluated the achieved results in view of implementing future broadcasting services in the EHF domain. Simulation results have demonstrated the suitability of W-band to efficiently support a reliable HDTV service with an increased number of available channels if compared to DVB-S2 standard using Ku and Ka band. The large bandwidth availability should also improve the system flexibility in terms of trade-off between spectral efficiency and video quality
A note on entire functions
No full textIn this article we consider certain power series with real coefficients that represent an entire function and provide sufficient conditions for the unboundedness of these functions on the real axis
L’export vitivinicolo negli Stati Uniti: regole di settore e prassi contrattuali con particolare riferimento al caso del Prosecco = Exporting Wines to the United States: Rules and Contractual Practices with Specific Reference to the Case of Prosecco
No full textNegli ultimi anni le esportazioni di vino italiano nei contesti internazionali hanno conosciuto un costante e deciso incremento, simile risultato è il prodotto di molteplici fattori che hanno contribuito a rendere necessaria un’allocazione internazionale del prodotto enologico locale. La sovrapproduzione verificatasi nei tradizionali paesi avocati al vino, unita al calo delle richieste interne presso i mercati dei maggiori produttori, hanno reso necessario cercare nuovi sbocchi commerciali al fine di posizionare diversamente il prodotto enologico, limitando in tal modo le eccedenze interne. Per converso, questa grande offerta ha trovato riscontro in una lievitata domanda nei mercati di destinazione, da parte dei maggiori importatori tradizionali e di molti paesi emergenti come ad esempio Cina, Hong Kong e Russia.
Scopo di questo lavoro è illustrare le regole sottese all’export vitivinicolo italiano verso gli Stati Uniti, paese che va tradizionalmente annoverato fra i maggiori importatori di vino nazionale. La presenza in questo territorio di un insieme di regole composito riguardo al prodotto vino, impone agli esportatori di conformarsi a numerose disposizioni, oltre alla necessità di adottare una prospettiva internazionale, che contempli la conoscenza approfondita delle regole di questo mercato.
La trattazione si divide in tre parti, nella prima si sono esaminati gli aspetti commerciali e di marketing rilevanti nelle scelte legate all’export e si è ricostruito lo scenario competitivo mondiale del segmento vino. In questa parte si è focalizzata la trattazione sul caso del Prosecco, un vino dalla fama crescente, che rappresenta la punta avanzata delle esportazioni vitivinicole del nostro paese sul mercato statunitense. La realtà vinicola in oggetto è indicativa per l’intera trattazione: si tratta, infatti, di un vino che ha acquistato grande reputazione internazionale, conseguentemente a questo considerevole successo i produttori hanno operato nel senso di accrescerne la notorietà e la protezione.
Nella seconda si sono tracciate le coordinate dell’intervento comunitario a favore del comparto vitivinicolo, recentemente modificato con l’introduzione di nuove regole in tema Organizzazione Comune del Mercato. La nuova normativa pone fra i suoi obiettivi principali la valorizzazione del vino comunitario al fine di accrescerne la competitività a livello globale. Per raggiungere questo scopo il legislatore è intervenuto sulla disciplina delle denominazioni europee al fine di incrementarne la notorietà, in quanto strumentali alla valorizzazione e competizione del prodotto enologico nei contesti extraeuropei. Sono stati posti ulteriori mezzi innovativi quali i piani nazionali di sostegno attraverso cui i membri allocano le risorse comunitarie nel settore vino a seconda delle esigenze proprie. All’interno delle misure di sostegno previste dai piani, alcune sono state poste con lo scopo precipuo di incrementare la competitività del vino europeo allineandolo alle richieste mondiali e favorendone la di promozione nei paesi terzi.
Nella terza si è ricostruito il contesto normativo statunitense che impatta l’attività dell’esportatore italiano negli USA il quale si articola a livello federale e statale. Questa parte dell’analisi tratta anche il problema legato all’inconciliabile discussione intorno alla protezione internazionale delle indicazioni geografiche, data dalla presenza di differenti culture vitivinicole che rendono impossibile approdare a un uniforme grado di tutela a livello globale. Gli europei, infatti, danno rilevanza alle specifiche zone geografiche in cui è prodotto il vino, in grado di connotarlo particolarmente, ed esprimono ciò attraverso il sistema delle indicazioni e denominazioni d’origine. Al contrario, i produttori non tradizionali, non possono vantare radicate tradizioni da estrinsecare attraverso le denominazioni, estranee perciò alla loro impostazione vitivinicola. Questa sostanziale differenziazione determina un profondo divario fra i protagonisti del segmento vino, e nonostante si sia cercato di addivenire a un compromesso condiviso in occasione degli accordi TRIPS, le divergenze persistono.
La trattazione affronta anche il problema connesso alla responsabilità da prodotto difettoso calato nel segmento vino considerando l’istituto della Product Liability venutosi a sedimentare nella giurisprudenza statunitense. Essa stabilisce un livello di diligenza molto alto, imponendo agli operatori nazionali di rispettare un elevato grado si attenzione nella produzione e commercializzazione del vino.
L’ultima parte dell’analisi riguarda la distribuzione del vino negli USA, il vaglio delle varie scelte distributive concretizzabili ha rilevato la preferenza per l’utilizzo di sistemi di distribuzione indiretta attuati per il tramite di importatori statunitensi. I rapporti con questi collaboratori sono disciplinati sulla base di accordi, spesso basati sulla parola e fiducia reciproca, oppure, in alcuni casi attraverso la posizione di formule contrattuali di distribuzione internazionali, standardizzate e poco complesse.
ENGLISH ABSTRACT
In the last few years, Italian wine exports to international markets have experienced a significant and consistent increase; contributing to this phenomenon are multiple factors that dictate increasing allocation of the domestic wine supply to the international sector. Oversupply occurring in traditional wine-producing countries, along with a drop in domestic consumption within the largest of them, have necessitated a search for new sales channels, with the goal of reducing excess domestic supply. By the same token, this significantly-increased external supply has met with a lively demand in the target markets, encompassing both major traditional importers as well as many emerging countries, such as China, Hong Kong, and Russia.
The objective of the present work is the description of the regulatory system regarding Italian wine exports into the United States, a country traditionally considered one of the largest importers of Italian wines. The existence of a complex corpus of American laws regarding wine requires the conformity of exporters to numerous regulations, in addition to adopting an international outlook, which implies acquisition of an in-depth understanding of the laws governing this market.
This treatment is divided into three sections. The first examines the sales and marketing picture relative to export programmes and outlines the current global wine competition scenario. It will likewise focus on the case of Prosecco; with its ever-growing popularity, this wine represents the vanguard of Italy’s wine exports into the U.S. market. Prosecco is at the same time exemplary for our entire study, since a wine that has won a high international reputation influences producers to further grow its reputation and to protect it.
The second section traces the outlines of the E.U. efforts to promote the wine sector, recently modified with the introduction of new COM (Common Organisations of the Market) regulations. Among the primary objectives of the new norms are improvements to the community wines that will strengthen their competitiveness on a global level. To achieve this goal, legislation was passed to modify the E.U. wine denomination regulations, with the purpose of increasing the system’s visibility and of improving it as a means of promotion and competition for E.U. wines on the world stage. Other innovative measures were taken as well, such as national support programmes, which enable individual member states to access Community wine sector resources according to their individual needs. These support programmes include measures that have as their main purpose boosting the competitiveness of European wines by ensuring that they mesh with global demands and by assisting their promotion in non-E.U. countries.
The third section delineates the U.S. regulatory system as it impacts the export of Italian wine into the United States, with its two levels, federal and state. This part of the study treats as well the problem caused by the irresolvable debate over international protection for geographical indications, inasmuch as the existence of different vitivinicultural traditions renders impossible the attainment of a uniform global protection system. Europeans privilege the individual growing areas in which the wine is produced, so that it can be identified specifically with that context, and they express that through a system of registered denominations of origin. In contrast, non-traditional producers cannot boast deep-rooted traditions that can be expressed by denominations, which thus remain extraneous to their approaches to wine production. This substantial difference constitutes a significant divide between wine sector producers, and despite attempts to arrive at a compromise under the TRIPS agreements, such differences persist.
This study also treats the problem related to defective product responsibility within the ambit of the wine sector, looking at the notion of product liability, now well established in U.S. jurisprudence. These laws set the level of diligence quite high, requiring national businesses to exercise very careful monitoring in the production and selling of wine.
The final section of this analysis regards the distribution of wine in the U.S. Examination of the various distribution models in use reveals a preference for an indirect system utilising U.S. importers. Relationships with these business collaborators are governed by mutual accords, which are often based on verbal agreements and on mutual trust, or, in some cases, by international distribution contracts, which are usually standardised and not very complex
Fonti tardoantiche (e classiche?) dei carmi di Valerio del Bierzo
No full textIl saggio analizza le riprese dei carmi di Eugenio di Toledo presenti nell'Ecbasis captivi, evidenziando la loro funzione stilistica e narrativa e, più in generale, la particolare tecnica centonaria del poemetto. Dal tentativo di ricostruire il ramo della tradizione da cui avrebbe attinto l'anonimo emergono elementi che sosterrebbero non solo l'ipotesi di una possibile origine trevirense dell'Ecbasis, ma anche il ridimensionamento del ruolo della famiglia di codici lionesi nella diffusione extra-iberica dell'opera di Eugenio nell'Alto Medioevo
Stemma codicum con LaTeX
No full textDuring a critical edition’s work it is necessary to draw the stemma codicum, i.e. the graphical representation of the lineage relationships of the textual transmission through the linkage of manuscripts and prints.
There is no specific LaTeX package designed to draw the stemmata. Nevertheless it is possible to adapt the packages usually employed for generative syntax trees in linguistic studies.
This paper discusses two cases: syntree, a user-friendly package, and xytree, a more complex yet more powerful package. The analysis limits the description to the useful functions for drawing stemmata codicum, neglecting the other
Stretch-induced softening of bending rigidity in graphene
No full textFirst principle calculations are performed to show that the bending rigidity of graphene can be softened considerably with in-plane stretching. This phenomenon can be attributed to stretch-induced loosening of atomic packing and should be of fundamental significance for graphene-based structures and devices
Trentino government linked open geodata: first results
No full textWe report our work on publishing government linked open geo metadata and data of the Italian Trentino region following the Open Government Data (OGD) paradigm