1435 research outputs found
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k-NN as an Implementation of Situation Testing for Discrimination Discovery and Prevention
No full textWith the support of the legally-grounded methodology of situationtesting, we tackle the problems of discrimination discovery andprevention from a dataset of historical decisions by adopting avariant of k-NN classification. A tuple is labeled asdiscriminated if we can observe a significant difference oftreatment among its neighbors belonging to a protected-by-lawgroup and its neighbors not belonging to it. Discriminationdiscovery boils down to extracting a classification model from thelabeled tuples. Discrimination prevention is tackled by changingthe decision value for tuples labeled as discriminated beforetraining a classifier. The approach of this paper overcomes legalweaknesses and technical limitations of existing proposals.</p
Generalized Bundle Methods for Sum-Functions with ''Easy'' Components: Applications to Multicommodity Network Design
No full textWe propose a modification to the (generalized) bundle scheme for minimization of a convex nondifferentiable sum-function in the case where some of the components are ''easy'', that is, they are Lagrangian functions of explicitly known convex programs with ''few'' variables and constraints. This happens in many practical cases, particularly within applications to combinatorial optimization. In this case one can insert in the master problem a suitably modified representation of the original convex subproblem, as an alternative to iteratively inner-approximating it by means of the produced extreme points, thus providing the algorithm with exact information about a part of the objective function, possibly leading to performance improvements. This is shown to happen in at least one relevant application: the computation of tight lower bounds for Fixed-Charge Multicommodity Min-Cost Flow problems
Nominal models and resource usage control
No full textTwo classes of nominal automata, namely Usage Automata (UAs) and Variable Finite Automata (VFAs) are considered to express resource con- trol policies over program execution traces expressed by a nominal calcu- lus (Usages). We ?rst analyse closure properties of UAs, and then show UAs less expressive than VFAs. We ?nally carry over VFAs the symbolic technique for model checking Usages against UAs, so making it possi- ble to verify the compliance of a program with a larger class of security properties
Learning by Building in SL: A Reflection on an Interdisciplinary and International Experience
No full textThis chapter will report on, and critically assess the outcome of a two year-long experimental educational
project using Second Life (SL) as a teaching and learning platform. The project’s main goal was to
investigate the added value of a multi-user environment in a multi-disciplinary and international context
for learning about history, archaeology, acquiring a scientific approach and methodology to historical
reconstruction and 3D visualization, as well as the skills to use different media technologies for communication
and collaboration. This chapter will describe educational facilities and resources as well
as heritage visualization projects built in the Digital Humanities Island in SL, where the collaboration
between King’s College London and the University of Pisa took place
Analisi di texture con algoritmi di visione
No full textAutomated visual inspection of textures. A review of emerging techniques, with literature references and processing examples
Architectural restoration: comparison between Japan and Italy
Get PDFThe restoration of architecture in a nation is a project strictly connected to its culture, its society, as well as to the weather conditions and to its political and economic background. The contemporary culture, in particular, has developed an awareness of the fact that the main pur-pose of the conservation of monuments and landscape is not only protecting the matter of social well but also its intrinsic values, strongly connected to the sense of belonging to the place. The necessity of searching these values comes from the need of knowledge of the different cultural references that permit to man to direct his choices as concerns conservation and safeguard compared to popular areas of interest apparently of less importance but vivid from the cultural and social point of view. And this is the birth of the relationship between values and needs connected to the demand of transformation of urban and housing contexts. On these as-sumptions the book Twelve houses restored in Japan and Italy focuses on restoration projects of historical urban contexts, where the theme of living produced changes, influenced different intervention methods and functional choices without changing the sign of history. The book wants to introduce restoration projects comparing different cultural realities and architectonical methods that characterized the present situation in Italy and Japan. The experiences described in the book notice an interesting sharing among the different methods of restoration
Performance Analysis of Computation Graphs of Parallel Modules
No full textIn this report we provide the fundamental results for applying a formal performance modeling of distributed parallel computations described as computation graphs of parallel modules. In our approach parallelism is expressed inside each module (based on structured parallelism schemes) and between different modules that can compose general graph structures. Our methodological approach, based on Queueing Theory and Queueing Network Theory foundations, provides the necessary tools for predicting the steady-state behavior of a parallel computation. <br /
A multidisciplinary survey on discrimination analysis
No full textMost of the decisions in the today's knowledge society are takenon the basis of historical data by extracting models, patterns,profiles, and rules of human behavior in support of (automated)decision making. There is then the need of developing models,methods and technologies for modelling the processes ofdiscrimination analysis in order to discover and preventdiscrimination phenomena. In this respect, discrimination analysisfrom data should build over the large body of existing legal andeconomic studies. This paper intends to provide amulti-disciplinary survey of the literature on discrimination dataanalysis, including methods for data collection, empiricalstudies, controlled experiments, statistical evidence, and theirlegal requirements and grounds. We cover the following mainstreamresearch lines: labour economic models, (quasi-)experimentalapproaches such as auditing and controlled experiments,profiling-based approaches such as racial profiling and creditmarkets, and the recently blooming research on knowledge discoveryapproaches
Fare l'Italia: il contributo degli Ingegneri
No full textRIASSUNTO Catalogo della mostra bibliografica e documentaria tenuta alla Biblioteca di Ingegneria dell'Università di Pisa dal 17 al 28 ottobre 2011, in occasione dei festeggiamenti per il 150° anno dall'Unità d'Italia. Si descrive la formazione dell'ingegnere moderno, il suo ruolo nella progettazione di collegamenti stradali, ferroviari, navali per l'unificazione del territorio italiano, gli interventi necessari per uno stato moderno compiuti dalle nuove scuole d'ingegneria italiane, con particolare riferimento alla nascita di quella pisana.
SUMMARY
This document is the catalogue of the exhibition held in the Engineering Library of the University of Pisa from 17 to 28 October 2011, during the celebrations for the 150th Anniversary of the Unification of Italy. It describes the training of a "modern engineer" and the role of such a professionist in the design of the Italian territory. The exhibition showed the work for the new Italian state made by the Schools of Engineering, with particular reference to that of Pisa
Scheduling di un processo: Sterilizzazione ospedaliera
No full textRIASSUNTO: Assegnazione delle attività di sterilizzazione, nelle varie fasi, ai diversi operatori e macchinari attraverso preventiva analisi, modellizzazione e formalizzazione della situazione reale. Realizzazione e applicazione di un algoritmo per ridurre i ritardi di consegna dei kit chirurgici e aumentare l’efficienza del processo di sterilizzazione. SUMMARY: Allocation of sterilization phases to operators and machines by a specific analysis, modeling and formalization of the actual situation. Development and application of an algorithm for the reduction of delays in the delivery of surgical kits and increase the efficiency of the sterilization process