Hasil untuk "History of Italy"

Jonah F Messinger, Florian Metzler, Huw Price

One of the most public episodes of gatekeeping in modern science was the case of so-called 'cold fusion'. At a news conference in 1989 the electrochemists Martin Fleischmann and Stanley Pons announced that they had found evidence of nuclear fusion in palladium electrodes loaded with deuterium. There was worldwide interest. Many groups sought to reproduce the results, most unsuccessfully. Within months, the prevailing view became strongly negative. The claims of Fleischmann and Pons came to be regarded as disreputable, as well as false. As the Caltech physicist David Goldstein put it, cold fusion became 'a pariah field, cast out by the scientific establishment' (Goldstein 1994). The case would already be interesting for students of gatekeeping if the story had ended at that point. Even more interestingly, however, the field survived and persisted. It has been enjoying a modest renaissance, with recent government funding both in the US and the EU. This piece offers an opinionated introduction to cold fusion as a case study of scientific gatekeeping, discussing both its early and recent history

Marco F. De Sanctis, Andrea Gilardi, Giacomo Milan et al.

We propose three spatial methods for estimating the full probability distribution of PM10 concentrations, with the ultimate goal of assessing air quality in Northern Italy. Moving beyond spatial averages and simple indicators, we adopt a distributional perspective to capture the complex variability of pollutant concentrations across space. The first proposed approach predicts class-based compositions via Fixed Rank Kriging; the second estimates multiple, non-crossing quantiles through a spatial regression with differential regularization; the third directly reconstructs full probability densities leveraging on both Fixed Rank Kriging and multiple quantiles spatial regression within a Simplicial Principal Component Analysis framework. These approaches are applied to daily PM10 measurements, collected from 2018 to 2022 in Northern Italy, to estimate spatially continuous distributions and to identify regions at risk of regulatory exceedance. The three approaches exhibit localized differences, revealing how modeling assumptions may influence the prediction of fine-scale pollutant concentration patterns. Nevertheless, they consistently agree on the broader spatial patterns of pollution. This general agreement supports the robustness of a distributional approach, which offers a comprehensive and policy-relevant framework for assessing air quality and regulatory exceedance risks.

Mark Hudson, Junzo Uchiyama, Claudia Zancan et al.

Maritime networks have been proposed as a mechanism for early agricultural and, by extension, language dispersals in several coastal and island regions. In Island Southeast Asia, such networks have sometimes been discussed as an alternative to the farming/language dispersal hypothesis. However, the relationships between Neolithic maritime networks and maritime economies are poorly known. Here, we summarise published information for three regions where Neolithic maritime networks are thought to have been associated with language dispersals (whether hypothetical or directly attested): the Mediterranean, Island Southeast Asia and Japan. We conclude that while maritime networks played an important role in the Neolithic dispersals considered here, maritime trade and resources did not necessarily represent alternative or opposing economic strategies to agriculture. It was only from the Bronze Age that long-distance trade integrated maritime exchange and resources into a broader economic system. Our review illustrates the complex relations between subsistence, technology and mobility in prehistoric maritime networks and the paper concludes with suggestions for future research.

Silvia Pierosara

For human beings, accepting loss and absence is a constant effort, particularly when it comes to accepting their own finitude, which becomes apparent as time passes and people leave us. This is closely linked to nostalgia and the processes of remembrance. While there are many nuances, we can distinguish between constructive and destructive nostalgia. The former cannot accept absence or the passage of time and deludes itself into thinking that it can recover what has been lost. The latter recognizes the temptation to recover everything, but knows that this is impossible, and accepts that the past can only be preserved by transforming it into something else. Contemporary technologies that use algorithms can exacerbate the former tendency by manipulating memory processes and distorting the meaning of the virtual. The aim of this contribution is to shed light on the dynamics and implications of nostalgia as it is influenced by algorithms. To this end, it is divided into three stages. In the first stage, nostalgia is examined for its “restraining” power in relation to deterministically progressive philosophies of history, also through a reference to the original philosophical meaning of the term ‘virtual’. In the second stage, the relation to progress is thematized through a reflection on technologies and artificial intelligence, which uses algorithms and devours our data. In the third stage, it will be shown how thinking about nostalgia and artificial and algorithmic ‘intelligence(s)’ can be a valuable test case for distinguishing between the uses and abuses of nostalgia, between constructive nostalgia and destructive nostalgia.

Luca Pedruzzi, Alice Galotti, Martina Francesconi et al.

Studying interactions between domestic species and wild primates is crucial for understanding the impacts of human expansion on wildlife. While free-roaming domestic dogs are one of the most common human-introduced carnivores and pose potential threats to primates, their direct influence on primate behaviour remains largely overlooked. Geladas (Theropithecus gelada), a primate species endemic to Ethiopia's Afro-alpine grasslands with a specialized diet, are facing challenges from habitat loss and interactions with domestic animals throughout their geographical range. Here, we followed 17 gelada group units in an unprotected area of Ethiopia (6-month period, 598 h of observation) and explored their behavioural responses to different natural and human-related threats. We observed strong vigilance in response to the presence of humans chasing nearby groups, as well as in response to dogs and eagles. Other raptors and birds of prey (including vultures and kites) produced no vigilance response, or only a modest one (e.g., augur buzzard). We also report encounters and interactions (n = 16) between dogs and geladas. Although we observed some behaviours associated with agonism and anxiety from both sides, the presence of dogs at close proximity was mainly tolerated. This contrasts with data from populations inhabiting protected areas where geladas typically exhibit flight responses to encounters with dogs. These differences between populations hint at gelada behavioural plasticity to adapt and live in human-impacted environments with limited alternative feeding sites. Increased awareness and documentation of dog-primate interactive events are essential to better grasp the broader implications of human-wildlife coexistence, one of the most important challenges of the Anthropocene.

Gabriele Ciccone

During the Ph.D. project titled Flying off-site: new investigation methodologies for the analysis of historical landscapes, QGIS was used as a workspace for the archaeogeographical analysis of the territory of Castronovo di Sicilia (PA). The interaction between native applications and plug-ins developed by third parties showed that this software is the ideal environment for a complete archaeogeographical analysis, as it can integrate archaeological and geographical information of different types. The possibility of using a single software not only reduces research costs and time but also allows for new data to be obtained and a holistic approach to be applied to analyzed landscape

Maria Forcellino, Monica Jansen

A. A. Watson

A brief history of the development of surface detectors for the study of the high-energy cosmic rays is presented. The paper is based on an invited talk given at UHECR2022 held in LAquila, October 2022. In a complementary talk, P Sokolsky discussed the development of the fluorescence technique for air-shower detection.

Matteo Fabris

In 1370 a bell was forged to service a public clock in the Scaliger Gardello’s Tower the in Verona; due to its poor acoustic qualities, the bell was moved from the belfry cell onto the top of the tower in 1626. After the sale of the building by the State Property, in 1809, whilst the clock was dismantling, the Abbot Giuseppe Venturi, on behalf of the Ornato municipal Commission, strove with the municipal engineer Giuseppe Barbieri to return unharmed the bell into the heritage of the city. Granted the request, the bell was first showcased in the Frà Giocondo’s Loggia in Piazza dei Signori, and then in the Civic Museum at Palazzo Pompei. After a criticized attempt, in 1872, to restore the bell to its original function, moving it into so-called Pentagona Tower to service the new clock at the Portoni della Bra gifted by Count Antonio Nogarola, it was returned in 1881 to the Civic Museum, and in 1925 moved to the new Castelvecchio Museum, where it is still preserved. Retracing the overall bibliography relating to the artefact, we hereby publish the Abbot Venturi’s report aimed at demonstrating the importance of preserving it. Here he emphasizes the uniqueness of the bell, due to the bizarre peculiarities of realization as well as the Gothic inscriptions and also its memory value of Cansignorio della Scala, Lord of Verona, who had ordered its manufacturing, of the unknown smelter master Jacopo and of what was one of the oldest bell-percussed clocks in Europe.

Andrea Carosso

In this work, I explore the concept of quantization as a mapping from classical phase space functions to quantum operators. I discuss the early history of this notion of quantization with emphasis on the works of Schrödinger and Dirac, and how quantization fit into their overall understanding of quantum theory in the 1920's. Dirac, in particular, proposed a quantization map which should satisfy certain properties, including the property that quantum commutators should be related to classical Poisson brackets in a particular way. However, in 1946, Groenewold proved that Dirac's mapping was inconsistent, making the problem of defining a rigorous quantization map more elusive than originally expected. This result, known as the Groenewold-Van Hove theorem, is not often discussed in physics texts, but here I will give an account of the theorem and what it means for potential "corrections" to Dirac's scheme. Other proposals for quantization have arisen over the years, the first major one being that of Weyl in 1927, which was later developed by many, including Groenewold, and which has since become known as Weyl Quantization in the mathematical literature. Another, known as Geometric Quantization, formulates quantization in differential-geometric terms by appealing to the character of classical phase spaces as symplectic manifolds; this approach began with the work of Souriau, Kostant, and Kirillov in the 1960's. I will describe these proposals for quantization and comment on their relation to Dirac's original program. Along the way, the problem of operator ordering and of quantizing in curvilinear coordinates will be described, since these are natural questions that immediately present themselves when thinking about quantization.

Eugene Bulyak, Nikolay Shul'ga

The ionization losses -- the losses of energy by fast charged particles traveling through a matter -- have been under study for more than 100 years. The theoretical explanation of this process spans similar period. About 75 years ago, Lev Landau published a theoretical paper on the ionization losses, which drastically leveled up the research and still remains amongst the most cited in the field. The present note digests the history of theoretical development and attempts to clarify Landau's method of research and the function named after him.

Masayuki Nakahata

The first solar neutrino experiment led by Raymond Davis Jr. showed a deficit of neutrinos relative to the solar model prediction, referred to as the "solar neutrino problem" since the 1970s. The Kamiokande experiment led by Masatoshi Koshiba successfully observed solar neutrinos, as first reported in 1989. The observed flux of solar neutrinos was almost half the prediction and confirmed the solar neutrino problem. This problem was not resolved for some time due to possible uncertainties in the solar model. In 2001, it was discovered that the solar neutrino problem is due to neutrino oscillations by comparing the Super-Kamiokande and Sudbury Neutrino Observatory results, which was the first model-independent comparison. Detailed studies of solar neutrino oscillations have since been performed, and the results of solar neutrino experiments are consistent with solar model predictions when the effect of neutrino oscillations are taken into account. In this article, the history of solar neutrino observations is reviewed with the contributions of Kamiokande and Super-Kamiokande detailed.

Corrado Battisti

The current presence and local distribution of the western European hedgehog Erinaceus europaeus L. 1758, on San Pietro Island (Southern Sardinia, Italy) are here discussed for the period 2013-2021 with a short review of the species’ occurrence on the small Italian islands. The species was found in the central-eastern sector of the island, which is characterised by a high urban and infrastructural density and an agricultural mosaic, both suitable ecological conditions favouring its presence. Most of the direct data were obtained from roadkills. Despite the elusive behaviour of the species and the consequent possible underestimation, it can be assumed that the species shows a low density. In this respect, it might be interesting to investigate whether local limiting factors, either anthropogenic or natural might act on the hedgehog population. At a larger scale, the updated review of the small Italian islands shows the presence of the species on 13 islands, of which probably only Elba, Asinara and San Pietro (all >50 km2) support established populations. Further research is needed to study anthropogenic origin, history of introduction, genetics, density and medium-long-term viability of these small populations in each insular context.

Harald Hendrix

Giovanni Conca

The aim of this article is to present the dynamics of the valorisation process of modern architecture within the Italian regulatory framework for cultural heritage, and also to point out the difficulties of its safeguard due to various factors. In a context where the architectural legacy of the 20th century is poorly appreciated, the recognition of Ivrea’s modern neighbourhoods constitutes a model for initiating a protection policy for more recent architecture in Italy. Industrial city linked to the history of Olivetti, Ivrea is a unique architectural ensemble, comprising residential, industrial and social buildings of exceptional quality. Its inscription as Unesco’s World Heritage in 2018 is the result of research work and initiatives which have transformed the Piedmontese city, from the 1990’s onwards, into an experimental testing ground for theory and practice unprecedented in the country, aiming at the renovation of its architectural heritage.The ambition is to turn Ivrea into a place of culture and to offer a new image for the city; nevertheless, it is necessary to refer to the circumstances of the territory that has been suffering, for many years, from the effects of a crisis and a decrease of the resources available for its economic recovery.

Souhir Zekri Masson

Associated with such life writing genres as (auto)biographies and memoirs, anecdotes are described as stories which “illustrate particular ideas, concepts, and views of the way a life is lived, making considerable editorial commentary on the nature of a particular ideological moment and the effect of that moment on individual lives.”(Encyclopedia of Life Writing) Anecdotes thus focus on, and highlight, episodes of a person’s life by transforming them into tales and stories using fictional narrative techniques and suspenseful plot twists. Having emigrated from Italy to Scotland at the beginning of the twentieth century and established his fish and chip shop in Glasgow, Joe Pieri was then interned and turned into an “enemy alien” on the day Italy declared war on Britain in 1940. In Isle of the Displaced, his book about this traumatic event, Pieri turns the most marking aspects of his journey to, and life in “Camp S” in Canada into a series of witty and comic anecdotes. This paper focuses on the definitions and history of anecdotal theory in order to analyse Pieri’s fictionalisation strategies and the way these stories function as a psychological dam in times of crisis, in addition to re-inscribing these important events in British and Italian histories. The main contention of this article is that the appeal of fiction increases during life’s most difficult times mainly thanks to the imaginative and tragic-comic powers of literariness.

Davide Fiaschi, Cristina Tealdi

We analyse the distribution and the flows between different types of employment (self-employment, temporary, and permanent), unemployment, education, and other types of inactivity, with particular focus on the duration of the school-to-work transition (STWT). The aim is to assess the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in Italy on the careers of individuals aged 15-34. We find that the pandemic worsened an already concerning situation of higher unemployment and inactivity rates and significantly longer STWT duration compared to other EU countries, particularly for females and residents in the South of Italy. In the midst of the pandemic, individuals aged 20-29 were less in (permanent and temporary) employment and more in the NLFET (Neither in the Labour Force nor in Education or Training) state, particularly females and non Italian citizens. We also provide evidence of an increased propensity to return to schooling, but most importantly of a substantial prolongation of the STWT duration towards permanent employment, mostly for males and non Italian citizens. Our contribution lies in providing a rigorous estimation and analysis of the impact of COVID-19 on the carriers of young individuals in Italy, which has not yet been explored in the literature.

Barak Shoshany, Jared Wogan

In a previous paper, we showed that a class of time travel paradoxes which cannot be resolved using Novikov's self-consistency conjecture can be resolved by assuming the existence of multiple histories or parallel timelines. However, our proof was obtained using a simplistic toy model, which was formulated using contrived laws of physics. In the present paper we define and analyze a new model of time travel paradoxes, which is more compatible with known physics. This model consists of a traversable Morris-Thorne wormhole time machine in 3+1 spacetime dimensions. We define the spacetime topology and geometry of the model, calculate the geodesics of objects passing through the time machine, and prove that this model inevitably leads to paradoxes which cannot be resolved using Novikov's conjecture, but can be resolved using multiple histories. An open-source simulation of our new model using Mathematica is available for download on GitHub. We also provide additional arguments against the Novikov self-consistency conjecture by considering two new paradoxes, the switch paradox and the password paradox, for which assuming self-consistency inevitably leads to counter-intuitive consequences. Our new results provide more substantial support to our claim that if time travel is possible, then multiple histories or parallel timelines must also be possible.

Mikhail Shubov

Motive and electrical energy has played a crucial role in human civilization. Since Ancient times, motive energy played a primary role in agricultural and industrial production as well as transportation. At that time, motive energy was provided by work of humans and draft animals. Later, work of water and wind power was harnessed. During the 19$^{\text{th}}$ century, steam power became the main source of motive energy in USA and Britain. Modern transportation and industry depend on the work of heat engines that use fossil fuel. A brief history of different sources of energy is presented in this work. The energy consumptions in pre-industrial and industrial societies are calculated. The lost opportunities for the Second Industrial Revolution (such as fast breeder reactors and thermonuclear power stations) are discussed. The case that the Solar Power will become the main source of energy by the second half of this century is presented. It is calculated that the Solar Power has the potential to bring about the new Industrial Revolution. Based on material and energy resources available in the Solar System, it is demonstrated that the Solar System Civilization supporting a population of 10 Quadrillion with a high standard of living is possible.

Valentina Sonzini

In 1946, the Edizioni dell’Orsa maggiore started to publish all the Radlyffe Hall’s books. The Author has been censored in England and her first literary work, The Well of Loneliness, became an incredible success (the first edition in England has been published in 1928 and in Italy in 1930 by the publisher Modernissima). In Italy, Hall is known thanks to two traslators (both are linked to Gian Dàuli and the publisher Corbaccio): Annie Lami and, above all, Mimi Oliva Lentati (the leader of Editrice dell’Orsa maggiore). The present article is about the little publisher Orsa and its brief, but very important for italian lesbian movement, history.