6,281 research outputs found
Introducing “La fabrique du droit”. A Conversation with Bruno Latour
Full text linkBruno Latour talks with Paolo Landri about his book on the Conseil d'Etat (La Fabrique du droit). The conversation was held in 2006 at the time of the Italian translation of the book and illustrates the research project and the difficulties the author had in the field. At the same time, it clarifies the trajectories of Bruno Latour's work and theoretical framework of his program of study with respect to sociology, anthropology, and philosophy of law. The conversation helps to understand the open-ended character of Bruno Latour's research and reflection including STS as well as sociological, anthropological and philosophical themes
A Combined Atmospheric Rivers and Geopotential Height Analysis for the Detection of High Streamflow Event Probability Occurrence in UK and Germany
Full text linkThe role of atmospheric rivers (ARs) in inducing High Streamflow Events (HSEs) in Europe has been confirmed
by numerous studies. Here, we assume as HSEs the streamflows exceeding the 99th percentile of daily flowrate
time series measured at streamflow gauges.
Among the indicators of ARs are: the Integrated Water Vapor (IWV) and Integrated Water Vapor Transport (IVT).
For both indicators the literature suggests thresholds in order to identify ARs. Furthermore, local thresholds of
such indices are used to assess the occurrence of HSEs in a given region.
Recent research on ARs still leaves room for open issues: 1) The literature is not unanimous in defining which of the
two indicators is better. 2) The selection of the thresholds is based on subjective assessments. 3) The predictability
of HSEs at the local scale associated with these indices seems to be weak and to exist only in the winter months.
In order to address these issues, we propose an original methodology: (i) to choose between the two indicators
which one is the most suitable for HSEs predictions; (ii) to select IWT and/or IVT (IVT/IWV) local thresholds
in a more objective way; (iii) to implement an algorithm able to determine whether a IVT/IWV configuration is
inducing HSEs, regardless of the season. In pursuing this goal, besides IWV and IVT fields, we introduce as further
predictor the geopotential height at 850 hPa (GPH850) field, that implicitly contains information about the pattern
of temperature, direction and intensity of the winds. In fact, the introduction of the GPH850 would help to improve
the assessment of the occurrence of HSEs throughout the year. It is also plausible to hypothesize, that IVT/IWV
local thresholds could vary in dependence of the GPH850 configuration.
In this study, we propose a model to statistically relate these predictors, IVT/IWV and GPH850, to the simultaneous
occurrence of HSEs in one or more streamflow gauges in UK and Germany. Historical data from 57 streamflow
gauges in UK and 61 streamflow gauges in Germany, as well as reanalysis data of the 850 hPa geopotential fields
bounded from 90W to 70E and from 20N to 80N are used. The common period is 1960 to 2012. The link between
GPH850 and HSEs, and more precisely, the identification of the GPH850 states potentially able to generate HSEs
is performed by a combined Kohonen Networks (Self Organized Map, SOM) and Event Syncronization approach.
Complex network and modularity methods are used to cluster streamflow gauges that share common GPH850
configurations. Then a model based on a conditional Poisson distribution is carried out, in which the parameter of
the Poisson distribution is assumed to be a nonlinear function of GPH850 state and IVT/ IWV. This model allows
for the identification of the threshold of IVT/IWV beyond which there is the HSE highest probabilit
A Combined Kohonen Networks and Complex Networks approach for the analysis of Large Scale Atmospheric Features and River Floods in England and Germany
No full textFloods and other hydroclimatic extremes may represent specific states of organization of the atmospheric circula-
tion. Given this hypothesis an open question is how best to identify such states, and their space-time persistence.
Such a mapping would facilitate a physically meaningful identification of the potential severity, frequency and
duration of such events in future climates. With this in view, the link between large scale atmospheric circulation
and the extreme floods in Germany and England is investigated by a combined Kohonen Networks and Complex
Networks approach. Historical data from 57 streamflow gages in England and 68 in Germany and the Reanalysis
Historical Data of the Atmospheric Circulation Fields, bounded from 90W to 70E and from 20N to 80N, are used
for the purpose. The common period of record is from 1960 to 2012.
A finite number of typical atmospheric configurations of the considered region are identified by using the Kohonen
Networks approach. This approach is preceded by the application of the Principal Component Analysis of the
selected atmospheric variable; a number of PCs is retained to explain more than the 99% of the variance. Then
the historical sequence of the atmospheric fields, by using k-nearest neighbor methods, is transformed into a
binary matrix which identifies, at each time step, the atmospheric configuration most similar to one of the typical
ones identified by the Kohonen Network. A further binary matrix is constructed by using as a threshold the 99th
percentile of the discharge rates. Finally the Event Synchronization method is applied determining synchroniza-
tion, causality and delay between the extreme floods in each streamflow gage and the associated atmospheric
circulation feature. We find that the proposed approach can be useful and effective to identify the most critical at-
mospheric circulation patterns responsible of the extreme floods and thus to be used as part of a prediction strategy.Floods and other hydroclimatic extremes may represent specific states of organization of the atmospheric circula-
tion. Given this hypothesis an open question is how best to identify such states, and their space-time persistence.
Such a mapping would facilitate a physically meaningful identification of the potential severity, frequency and
duration of such events in future climates. With this in view, the link between large scale atmospheric circulation
and the extreme floods in Germany and England is investigated by a combined Kohonen Networks and Complex
Networks approach. Historical data from 57 streamflow gages in England and 68 in Germany and the Reanalysis
Historical Data of the Atmospheric Circulation Fields, bounded from 90W to 70E and from 20N to 80N, are used
for the purpose. The common period of record is from 1960 to 2012.
A finite number of typical atmospheric configurations of the considered region are identified by using the Kohonen
Networks approach. This approach is preceded by the application of the Principal Component Analysis of the
selected atmospheric variable; a number of PCs is retained to explain more than the 99% of the variance. Then
the historical sequence of the atmospheric fields, by using k-nearest neighbor methods, is transformed into a
binary matrix which identifies, at each time step, the atmospheric configuration most similar to one of the typical
ones identified by the Kohonen Network. A further binary matrix is constructed by using as a threshold the 99th
percentile of the discharge rates. Finally the Event Synchronization method is applied determining synchroniza-
tion, causality and delay between the extreme floods in each streamflow gage and the associated atmospheric
circulation feature. We find that the proposed approach can be useful and effective to identify the most critical at-
mospheric circulation patterns responsible of the extreme floods and thus to be used as part of a prediction strategy
21st Century Projections of High Streamflow Events in the UK and Germany
Full text linkRadiative effects of anthropogenic changes in atmospheric composition are expected to enhance the hydrological
cycle leading to more frequent and intense floods. To explore if there will be an increased risk of river flooding
in the future, 21st century projections under global warming scenarios of High Streamflow Events (HSEs) for UK
and German rivers are carried out, using a model that statistically relates large-scale atmospheric predictors - 850
hPa Geopotential Height (GPH850) and Integrated Water Vapor Transport (IVT) - to the occurrence of HSEs in
one or simultaneously in several streamflow gauges. Here, HSE is defined as the streamflow exceeding the 99th
percentile of daily flowrate time series measured at streamflow gauges.
For the common period 1960-2012, historical data from 57 streamflow gauges in UK and 61 streamflow gauges in
Germany, as well as, reanalysis data of GPH850 and IVT fields, bounded from 90W to 70E and from 20N to 80N
are used.
The link between GPH850 configurations and HSEs, and more precisely, identification of the GPH850 states
potentially able to generate HSEs, is performed by a combined Kohonen Networks (Self Organized Map, SOM)
and Event Syncronization approach. Complex network and modularity methods are used to cluster streamflow
gauges that share common GPH850 configurations. Then a model based on a conditional Poisson distribution, in
which the parameter of the Poisson distribution is assumed to be a nonlinear function of GPH850 and IVT, allows
for the identification of GPH850 state and threshold of IVT beyond which there is the HSE highest probability.
Using that model, projections of 21st century changes in frequency of HSEs occurrence in UK and Germany are
estimated using the simulated fields of GPH850 and IVT from selected GCMs belonging to the Coupled Model
Inter-comparison Project Phase 5 (CMIP5). Among the different GCMs, those are selected whose retrospective
predictor fields have consistent statistics with the corresponding reanalysis data
Author Correction: Collection of the digital data from the neurological examination.
Full text linkIn this article, the corresponding author was inadvertently designated only to “Bruno Kusznir Vitturi” but it should have been “Bruno Kusznir Vitturi” and “Walter Maetzler”. The original article has been corrected
On Bruno Schulz’s Bookplates
No full textThe Polish version of the article was published in Roczniki Humanistyczne vol. 64, issue 1 (2016).
The article enters into a dialogue with the interpretation of Bruno Schulz’s bookplates made by Władysław Panas in his book Bruno od Mesjasza (Bruno of the Messiah) (Lublin 2001). An attempt to understand them in a different (less holistic) way leads the author of the article to the conclusion that in Schulz’s plates the first veiled variant of the mythical Book may be seen—of the fundamental motif of Bruno Schulz’s later literary work
Jordan "Bruno" Gegenhuber '16 Publishes First-Author Research
No full textJordan "Bruno" Gegenhuber '16 had first-author research, "Gene regulation by gonadal hormone receptors underlies brain sex differences," published in nature magazine on May 4, 2022.Jordan "Bruno" Gegenhuber '16 had first-author research, "Gene regulation by gonadal hormone receptors underlies brain sex differences," published in Nature magazine on May 4, 2022.
Sex hormones play a central role in shaping behavior throughout the animal kingdom, and this study maps where the receptor for estrogen binds to DNA in neurons that regulate rodent social interactions. The findings reveal that estrogen establishes lasting sex differences in gene expression and neuroanatomy during brain development, and identifies hundreds of genes that may mediate estrogen's effects on behavior and disease.
Gegenhuber earned a PhD from the Cold Springs Harbor Laboratory School of Biological Sciences in Long Island, N.Y.. in May 2022. His field of research is in neuroscience, and he has accepted a postdoctoral research position at Harvard Medical Center in Boston, Mass. He also holds the honor of being the Pacific Class of 2016 Valedictorian
An event synchronization method to link heavy rainfall events and large-scale atmospheric circulation features
No full textHeavy rainfall, floods and other hydroclimatic extremes may be related to specific states of organization of the atmospheric circulation. The identification of these states and their linkage to local extremes could facilitate a physically meaningful quantification of local extremes in future climates and could allow forecasting extremes conditioned on the large-scale atmospheric state. A novel methodology is presented that combines non-linear, non-parametric methods to link heavy precipitation events (HPEs) to atmospheric circulation states. Using daily rainfall data for the period 1951–2015 from 37 gauges in the Lazio region in Italy, HPEs are defined. For the same period, two atmospheric variables, namely, the 850 hPa geopotential height field and the integrated vapour transport (IVT), are derived from reanalysis data. The geopotential configurations driving heavy precipitation in the region are identified by combing self-organized maps and event synchronization. First, a finite number of representative geopotential configurations is identified. Rainfall gauges are pooled into clusters, which show synchronized occurrence of heavy precipitation. Furthermore, geopotential configurations are identified, which tend to drive HPEs. For these geopotential states, the probability of HPE occurrence as a function of IVT is calculated through a local logistic regression model. Finally, it is explored whether the identified patterns are related to the occurrence of atmospheric rivers, which govern the atmospheric humidity transport from the tropics and subtropics to Europe. The relation found demonstrates the reliability of the proposed methodology
Bruno Schulz i polityka
No full textBruno Schulz and politicsThe article discusses Bruno Schulz’s attitude toward politics. It is well known that the author of The Cinnamon Shops was a nonpolitical man. This was the reason for some fi erce attacks against his prose conducted by politically engaged literary critics in the interwar Poland. The author mentions these attacks but he also analyzes Schulz’s less known essays about Piłsudski, Aragon and Brecht, and the way Schulz pictured politics in his prose. It seems that a political dictionary of the author of The Street of Crocodiles comprised terms from different political ideologies; he alluded to Marx, anarchism and Brzozowski. At the end of his article the author discusses the question whether Schulz’s nonpolitical attitude could be compared to the so called conservative revolution in Germany after World War I
Bruno Schulz i polityka
Full text linkBruno Schulz and politicsThe article discusses Bruno Schulz’s attitude toward politics. It is well known that the author of The Cinnamon Shops was a nonpolitical man. This was the reason for some fi erce attacks against his prose conducted by politically engaged literary critics in the interwar Poland. The author mentions these attacks but he also analyzes Schulz’s less known essays about Piłsudski, Aragon and Brecht, and the way Schulz pictured politics in his prose. It seems that a political dictionary of the author of The Street of Crocodiles comprised terms from different political ideologies; he alluded to Marx, anarchism and Brzozowski. At the end of his article the author discusses the question whether Schulz’s nonpolitical attitude could be compared to the so called conservative revolution in Germany after World War I
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