1,721,162 research outputs found
Transitioning from dynamic security in italian prisons: assessing the influence of perceived insecurity on prison management
No full textIn the earlier part of the decade, italian prisons inplemented the open-cell regime (custodia aperta) and dynamic security, partly as a response to being convicted of overcrowding by the European Court of Human Rights. However, the Penitentiary Administration Circular No. 3693/6143 of 2022 significantly scaled back these interventions, (re)proposing the closed-cell regime and static security to govern prisons. This study aims to clarify the reasons that prompted the shift in the paradigm. It achieved this by first outlining the strategies for prison security management promoted in Italy in the last decades. Second, it investigates the recent departure from dynamic security by looking both at the ‘inside’ and ‘outside’ of prisons. Specifically, on the one hand, prison officers’ perspectives on dynamic security are considered to understand their views on this mode of surveillance. On the other hand, policies that respond to perceived insecurity in Italian society are examined to assess their impact on both the implementation of dynamic security and the return to static security. While the study acknowledges some officers’ resistance to dynamic security, it found that the return to static security can be traced primarily to the policies of the Italian government. They have involved an increase in the inmate population (of which a high percentage is foreign) and the enhancement of the neutralising (not rehabilitating) function of punishment; these factors likely prevented the establishment of positive relationships in prison, which are at the core of dynamic security
THE JUDICIAL IMPLEMENTATION OF THE RIGHT TO THE TRUTH: SOME THOUGHTS ON THE ARGENTINIAN EXPERIENCE OF THE JUICIOS POR LA VERDAD|SUDSKA IMPLEMENTACIJA PRAVA NA ISTINU: OSVRT NA ARGENTINSKO ISKUSTVO SA JUICIOS POR LA VERDAD
No full textSafeguarding the right to the truth has become crucial in dealing with systematic violations of human rights. Especially in contexts of transition to democracy, telling the truth is considered of utmost importance for fighting against impunity and promoting peace. Nevertheless, scholars have paid little attention to the judicial implementation of this right and, in particular, to the value of judicial protection of the right to the truth. The article aims to fill this gap by discussing the Juicios por la Verdad (the Truth Trials), a unique experience promoted by the Argentinian civil society in the wake of the military dictatorship. Specifically, it investigates the impact of the judicial recognition of the right to the truth on both the victims’ lives and society’s attempt to come to terms with the past. The analysis shows that the right to the truth may serve as a tool for knowledge, acknowledgment, strengthening the rule of law and, to an extent, for justice
Tolerance-based Pareto optimality for structural identification accounting for uncertainty
No full textStructural parameter identifcation often requires an estimate, at least in a qualitative fashion, of the uncertainty of the solution. This uncertainty quantifcation should account for the sensitivity of the response to the sought parameters, the error in the measurement and the repeatability of the test. In this paper, repeatability is taken into account into a multi-objective framework, while a non-standard defnition of Pareto dominance based on a given tolerance in the objective satisfaction allows one to consider uncertainty in the experimental data. The solution of the identifcation is not given as a single value, but a region of the parameter space which is compatible with the data and accounts for uncertainties and response sensitivity to model parameters. The procedure is applied to an experimental test on a masonry panel, showing its e?ectiveness in discriminating identifable parameters from those a?ected by higher uncertainty
Correction to: TOSCA: a Tool for Optimisation in Structural and Civil engineering Analyses (International Journal of Advanced Structural Engineering, (2018), 10, 4, (401-419), 10.1007/s40091-018-0205-1)
No full textPrediction of seismic response of moment resistant steel frames using different hysteretic models for dissipative zones
No full textIn this work, the prediction of the seismic performance of moment-resisting (MR) steel frames with full-strength beam-to-column connections was investigated with respect to the variability in the response due to dissipative zone modelling. 4 numerical models with different degrees of sophistication (Smooth Hysteretic Model, Bouc-Wen, Hysteretic and simple Elastic-Plastic models) were utilized, and each one was calibrated against data coming from monotonic and cyclic experimental tests according to a multi-objective approach recently developed by the authors. Subsequently, Incremental Dynamic Analyses (IDA) were performed by considering two different earthquakes (Spitak and Kobe).
This preliminary analysis pointed out that the influence of the joint modelling on the overall frame response is negligible up to interstory drift ratio values equal to those conservatively assumed by the codes to define conventional collapse (0.03 rad). Conversely, if more realistic ultimate interstory drift values are considered for the q-factor evaluation, the influence of joint modelling can be significant, and thus the response prediction may require accurate modelling of the joint cyclic behavior
Progetto ottimale di ponti in struttura mista acciaio-calcestruzzo dotati di travi ad altezza variabile
No full textNella progettazione di impalcati multi-trave in acciaio con soletta collaborante in cemento armato l’ottimizzazione strutturale, intesa come ricerca del minor quantitativo di materiale necessario per realizzare l’opera mantenendo la sua sicurezza in tutte le fasi della vita utile, sta diventando il momento fondamentale del processo di calcolo. Data la complessità del calcolo e l’elevato numero di variabili sulle quali è possibile operare per ottenere questo risultato, l’ottimizzazione nelle opere infrastrutturali si traduce spesso in un procedimento iterativo di ricalcolo a seguito di osservazioni sui progetti preliminari. Nel presente lavoro viene proposta una procedura automatizzata per l’ottimizzazione, mediante algoritmi genetici, di ponti in struttura mista con travi di altezza variabile. Vengono preliminarmente effettuate delle analisi parametriche su travi composte rastremate; i risultati sono quindi utilizzati nell’impostazione dei programmi per eseguire l’ottimizzazione, AutoBiD e T.O.S.C.A., entrambi codici in linguaggio C# sviluppati dal Dipartimento di Ingegneria e Architettura dell’Università di Trieste. Infine sono illustrati alcuni esempi di applicazione alle geometrie di impalcati di recente realizzazion
Mesoscale Modeling of a Masonry Building Subjected to Earthquake Loading
No full textMasonry structures constitute an important part of the built environment and architectural heritage in seismic areas. A large number of these old structures showed inadequate performance and suffered substantial damage under past earthquakes. Realistic numerical models are required for accurate response predictions and for addressing the implementation of effective strengthening solutions. A comprehensive mesoscale modeling strategy explicitly allowing for masonry bond is presented in this paper. It is based on advanced nonlinear material models for interface elements simulating cracks in mortar joints and brick/block units under cyclic loading. Moreover, domain decomposition andmesh tying techniques are used to enhance computational efficiency in detailed nonlinear simulations. The potential of this approach is shown with reference to a case study of a full-scale unreinforced masonry building previously tested in laboratory under pseudodynamic loading. The results obtained confirm that the proposed modeling strategy for brick/block-masonry structures leads to accurate representations of the seismic response of three-dimensional (3D) building structures, both at the local and global levels. The numerical-experimental comparisons show that this detailed modeling approach enables remarkably accurate predictions of the actual dynamic characteristics, along with the main resisting mechanisms and crack patterns
An intensive task-oriented circuit training positively impacts gait biomechanics in MS patients
No full textBACKGROUND: An intensive task-oriented circuit training (TOCT) provides a valid approach in improving motor function in Multiple Sclerosis (MS). OBJECTIVE: We aimed at testing the efficacy of TOCT on gait kinematics in MS patients with mild-moderate disability. METHODS: Nineteen MS patients able of independent walking performed 3-D Gait Analysis before (T0) and after (T1) a two-week TOCT program. Patients were clustered in two different subgroups, according to clinical neurological impairments assessed with specific functional system of Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS): pyramidal (Group 1) and cerebellar (Group 2) subjects. Spatio-temporal and kinematic data were compared before and after the TOCT intervention in the total sample of patients and in the two selected subgroups at two time intervals. RESULTS: Data obtained revealed increased dynamic ROM at knee joint after training in the whole study sample. Of note, knee dynamic excursion improved significantly in Group 1 but not in Group 2 patients after TOCT. Moreover, sagittal plane kinematics revealed significant modifications on knee and ankle biomechanics in Group 1 after rehabilitation. CONCLUSIONS: These data point out the benefits of the task specific training on gait dynamics in mild impaired MS subjects, linking to treatment opportunity in patients with a prevalent pyramidal impairment
How Does Stroke Affect Skeletal Muscle? State of the Art and Rehabilitation Perspective
Full text linkLong-term disability caused by stroke is largely due to an impairment of motor function. The functional consequences after stroke are caused by central nervous system adaptations and modifications, but also by the peripheral skeletal muscle changes. The nervous and muscular systems work together and are strictly dependent in their structure and function, through afferent and efferent communication pathways with a reciprocal “modulation.” Knowing how altered interaction between these two important systems can modify the intrinsic properties of muscle tissue is essential in finding the best rehabilitative therapeutic approach. Traditionally, the rehabilitation effort has been oriented toward the treatment of the central nervous system damage with a central approach, overlooking the muscle tissue. However, to ensure greater effectiveness of treatments, it should not be forgotten that muscle can also be a target in the rehabilitation process. The purpose of this review is to summarize the current knowledge about the skeletal muscle changes, directly or indirectly induced by stroke, focusing on the changes induced by the treatments most applied in stroke rehabilitation. The results of this review highlight changes in several muscular features, suggesting specific treatments based on biological knowledge; on the other hand, in standard rehabilitative practice, a realist muscle function evaluation is rarely carried out. We provide some recommendations to improve a comprehensive muscle investigation, a specific rehabilitation approach, and to draw research protocol to solve the remaining conflicting data. Even if a complete multilevel muscular evaluation requires a great effort by a multidisciplinary team to optimize motor recovery after stroke
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