1,721,129 research outputs found
Scienza del tempo e tempo della scienza
No full textLa storia della nozione scientifica di tempo è strettamente intrecciata con quelle di spazio e di oggetto fisico. Il contributo si sofferma su alcuni momenti di questa storia a partire dalla rivoluzione scientifica, e in particolare dai contributi galileiani, per giungere alle teorie elaborate da Einstein, che introduce una nuova nozione di spazio-tempo prima con la sua teoria della relatività ristretta e poi con la teoria della relatività generale
Helmholtz and the geometry of color space: gestation and development of Helmholtz’s line element
Full text linkModern color science finds its birth in the middle of the nineteenth century. Among the chief architects of the new color theory, the name of the polymath Hermann von Helmholtz stands out. A keen experimenter and profound expert of the latest developments of the fields of physiological optics, psychophysics, and geometry, he exploited his transdisciplinary knowledge to define the first non-Euclidean line element in color space, i.e., a three-dimensional mathematical model used to describe color differences in terms of color distances. Considered as the first step toward a metrically significant model of color space, his work inaugurated researches on higher color metrics, which describes how distance in the color space translates into perceptual difference. This paper focuses on the development of Helmholtz’s mathematical derivation of the line element. Starting from the first experimental evidence which opened the door to his reflections about the geometry of color space, it will be highlighted the pivotal role played by the studies conducted by his assistants in Berlin, which provided precious material for the elaboration of the final model proposed by Helmholtz in three papers published between 1891 and 1892. Although fallen into oblivion for about three decades, Helmholtz’s masterful work was rediscovered by Schrödinger and, since the 1920s, it has provided the basis for all subsequent studies on the geometry of color spaces up to the present time
Combining LoRaWAN and NB-IoT for Edge-to-Cloud Low Power Connectivity Leveraging on Fog Computing
Full text linkLow Power Wide Area Networks (LPWANs) play crucial roles in the implementation of low-power and low-cost wide area distributed systems. Currently, two enabling technologies are the main competitors within the connectivity field for the Internet of Things (IoT), primarily because of their scalability, wide range and low power features: Long Range Wide Area Network (LoRaWAN) and Narrowband IoT (NB-IoT). In this paper, a brand new network architecture is presented, which combines both aforementioned technologies. Such a network accounts for sensor nodes, multi-protocol gateways, an a cloud infrastructure. Sensor nodes may be alternatively provided with LoRaWAN or NB-IoT. Multi-protocol gateways can receive and demodulate LoRaWAN packets and upload them to the cloud via the Message Queue Telemetry Transport (MQTT) protocol over NB-IoT. The cloud is transparent with respect to the transmission technology, meaning that data are acquired and stored regardless of the exploited technique (i.e., LoRaWAN or NB-IoT). Indeed, sensor nodes using NB-IoT can send data to the cloud and can directly communicate with other NB-IoT nodes setting up a fog computing paradigm on peer-to-peer subnetworks. This approach may be crucial for the development of complex IoT infrastructures while providing high flexibility
The possible effect of vertical ground motion on the horizontal seismic response at the surface of a sedimentary structure
No full textNumerical modelling is considered to evaluate the possible effect of vertical ground motion components of input motion on the horizontal seismic response at the surface of a stack of homogenous sedimentary layers. This analysis has been made at four Italian sites where the local Vs profile was available down to the reference bedrock. Computations show that the effect of vertical components on horizontal ground seismic response is frequency dependent and changes as a function of the local Vs profile and accelerometric time history. These outcomes suggest that the common practice of considering only horizontal components of input motion to compute horizontal seismic response may provide biased results, particularly when local hazard is dominated by seismic events that are relatively close to the site of interest. In these cases, vertical component of input motion cannot be neglected and should be considered in seismic response analysis
Starting over from the Southern. Analysis of a new model of territorial education and development
No full textThe South of Italy represents an emblematic and very complicated territory of Southern Europe. It is renowned at international level as an example of resistance to innovation and cultural change. Despite the South of Italy possesses an enviable artistic, cultural and natural heritage, from centuries it is afflicted from poverty, unemployment, corruption, illiteracy. The combination of unfavorable living conditions and organized crime forms have compromised the development of the territory, deserving the label of a "southern question" which has now become a historical category. For examples, in Italy the school dropout is decreasing from 20.8% in 2006 to 13.8% in 2016 (Minister of Education, 2017) but the regional detail shows an important gap: all the southern regions are above the national average of school dropouts. The same problem also applies to the adult functional illiterates. The regions of Southern Italy have much higher percentages of functional illiteracy than the Central and North-Eastern regions (Isfol, 2016). The authors propose a reflection on the educational policies of Southern Europe through the study of an emblematic experience born with the explicit objective of promoting development strategies conceived for the Southern Italy. The case study is the Foundation CON IL SUD. It was founded with the aim of promoting social infrastructure as a precondition for an autonomous process of development in the South.
This research action uses a case study considered emblematic for different aspects. Foundation CON IL SUD represents a highly innovative initiative in the panorama of public and private activities dedicated to the Southern Italy. It was born from the alliance between the private sector of banking foundations and the world of the Third sector. It supports initiatives, educational projects and forms of collaboration among subjects involved in enhancing social and cultural local resources. The innovation is above all the reversal of the educational perspective that using the South as a model of training experimentation for the research-action methodology. Moreover, the Third sector and civil society are therefore the protagonists of over one thousand intervention planned by the Foundation during 11 years. The survey was conducted through the listening of privileged witnesses interviewed both among the promoters of the Foundation and among the managers of some "exemplary projects", considered strategic for quality, representativeness of partnerships, management of resources and impact on the territory. The original material collected and analyzed is made available to the Foundation. It concerns: project documents, training products, communication materials and evaluation reports.
The case study is an opportunity to understand the thematic areas of greatest investment and, conversely, those areas that are more lacking in training. The aim is to bring out the critical issues and the potentials of policies and training methods from an inverted point of view. In fact, to the traditional conception the South is used as a pejorative comparison point; this study aims to investigate the possibility of looking at the South as a protagonist and promoter of an educational model that can be exported to other areas of the country
Communication for diversity. An exploratory study on the features of internal communication to manage cultural diversity in the italian organizations
No full textCultural diversity is one of the distinctive feature of our world. In consequences of a complex intertwining of some deep social processes (secularization and modernization, global media evolutions, international migrations), our societies have become culturally more heterogeneous and fragmented than in the past. These transformations involve all the spheres and institutions, thus also professional organizations. The management and enhancement of cultural diversity inside organizations and work environments is a topic that in some sense has always being present in the corporate external communication. Indeed, public relations, marketing, advertising are traditionnally interested in intercepting external various categories of stakeholders (new customers, buyers, audience, media), so they need to know, understand and handle continuously new lifestyles, behaviours, people. In other words, different cultures. But today cultural diversity is emerging also like an internal issue. Especially in medium and large insitutions, corporate world is often characterized by a motley population, that is people with different place and culture of origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, disabilities, family burdens, etc. In the last decades, equal rights and opportunities thought have drawn the attention on the discriminations and disequalities that afflict organizational cultures, giving some inputs to specialized studies and policies. However, these new sensibilities seem to have taken root mainly in Anglo-American and Northern European countries, whereas they are struggling to diffuse in the rest of Europe. This paper intends to investigate the role that the internal communication can play in promoting and managing the cultural diversity inside the Italian organizations. The difficulties faced by the reserchers in finding case-studies and witnesses available to tell their companies experiences confirm the backwardness of the territory in respect of this issue. Then, this study necessarily is an exploratory research. The first part of the work is an overview on the current situation in Italy, made on secondary data. We have collected and analayzed the most recent researches on the programmes and experiences made by the Italian public and private organizations to promote cultural diversity. Next up, the main action is a focus group aimed at exploring how the redefinition of internal relations can promote cultural diversity inside the organization, and the positive effects that an equality-oriented management can have for the life of the company. The focus group involved about ten training and communication managers working in private, public and non-profit Italian organizations. Finally, it is important to note that the research action presented in this essay is part of a wider European scientific project (Codes, 2017-2019), involving six European countries (France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Portugal, Roumanie). It is focused in a comparative reflection on the relation among cultural diversity, communication and solidarity in our societies, paying particular attention to the educational needs of media, companies, public and no-profit organizations
Women’s statues in Italian cities. A study of public art and cultural policies
No full textIn recent decades, the styles and the role of monumentality have undergone significant transformations in the West, in line with wider trends of democratization and demystification of arts. Nevertheless, statues depicting human figures are still important landmarks in urban cultures. The statue wars that have erupted in several countries during recent years to challenge the racist, colonial and/or patriarchal vision embodied by many monuments, are a tangible demonstration of this. However, the topic remains understudied in the scientific literature. This research paper is intended as a contribution to begin addressing this gap by focusing on the dimension of gender in public monuments. We analyze statues in Italy depicting contemporary secular female figures. The aim of this paper is to research gender-based patterns or stereotypes that are specific to cultural heritage and urban design. The sample consists of 34 statues, distributed throughout the Italian national territory. A thematic analysis is conducted on the corpus integrating visual, narrative, aesthetic and sociological elements. The results reveal the existence of evident and widespread forms of stereotyping and discrediting of the female figure in Italian monuments, as well as the inadequacy of cultural policies, both in small provincial as well as larger urban context
A method for disposing of lysates from cells analyzed for DNA damage by filter elution assay.
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