2,387 research outputs found
Advances and Applications of DSmT for Information Fusion. Collected Works, Volume 5
This fifth volume on Advances and Applications of DSmT for Information Fusion collects theoretical and applied contributions of researchers working in different fields of applications and in mathematics, and is available in open-access. The collected contributions of this volume have either been published or presented after disseminating the fourth volume in 2015 in international conferences, seminars, workshops and journals, or they are new. The contributions of each part of this volume are chronologically ordered.
First Part of this book presents some theoretical advances on DSmT, dealing mainly with modified Proportional Conflict Redistribution Rules (PCR) of combination with degree of intersection, coarsening techniques, interval calculus for PCR thanks to set inversion via interval analysis (SIVIA), rough set classifiers, canonical decomposition of dichotomous belief functions, fast PCR fusion, fast inter-criteria analysis with PCR, and improved PCR5 and PCR6 rules preserving the (quasi-)neutrality of (quasi-)vacuous belief assignment in the fusion of sources of evidence with their Matlab codes.
Because more applications of DSmT have emerged in the past years since the apparition of the fourth book of DSmT in 2015, the second part of this volume is about selected applications of DSmT mainly in building change detection, object recognition, quality of data association in tracking, perception in robotics, risk assessment for torrent protection and multi-criteria decision-making, multi-modal image fusion, coarsening techniques, recommender system, levee characterization and assessment, human heading perception, trust assessment, robotics, biometrics, failure detection, GPS systems, inter-criteria analysis, group decision, human activity recognition, storm prediction, data association for autonomous vehicles, identification of maritime vessels, fusion of support vector machines (SVM), Silx-Furtif RUST code library for information fusion including PCR rules, and network for ship classification.
Finally, the third part presents interesting contributions related to belief functions in general published or presented along the years since 2015. These contributions are related with decision-making under uncertainty, belief approximations, probability transformations, new distances between belief functions, non-classical multi-criteria decision-making problems with belief functions, generalization of Bayes theorem, image processing, data association, entropy and cross-entropy measures, fuzzy evidence numbers, negator of belief mass, human activity recognition, information fusion for breast cancer therapy, imbalanced data classification, and hybrid techniques mixing deep learning with belief functions as well
Systemic Circular Economy Solutions for Fiber Reinforced Composites
This open access book provides an overview of the work undertaken within the FiberEUse project, which developed solutions enhancing the profitability of composite recycling and reuse in value-added products, with a cross-sectorial approach. Glass and carbon fiber reinforced polymers, or composites, are increasingly used as structural materials in many manufacturing sectors like transport, constructions and energy due to their better lightweight and corrosion resistance compared to metals. However, composite recycling is still a challenge since no significant added value in the recycling and reprocessing of composites is demonstrated. FiberEUse developed innovative solutions and business models towards sustainable Circular Economy solutions for post-use composite-made products. Three strategies are presented, namely mechanical recycling of short fibers, thermal recycling of long fibers and modular car parts design for sustainable disassembly and remanufacturing. The validation of the FiberEUse approach within eight industrial demonstrators shows the potentials towards new Circular Economy value-chains for composite materials
“It’s not a vacation, it’s your life”. Privileged identities, ageing experiences, and migration projects of British retirees on the coasts of Spain
[eng] This doctoral thesis investigates identity, ageing, and migration through an intersectional approach to retirement and later life migration from the UK to Spain. Through an in-depth exploration of the experiences of British expatriate retirees in Costa del Sol, Andalusia, and Costa Brava, Catalonia, Spain, the thesis analyzes the generation of experiences between privilege, vulnerability, and precarity, and its contingent effects on the construction of these identity processes. The trend of British retirees moving to Spain has a long-standing history and has been studied in Anthropology, Gerontology, migration studies, and more. Yet, in the period between 2019 and 2020, when this research took place, the confluence of Brexit and the COVID-19 pandemic reinvigorated the field of study. Said geopolitical and sociosanitary shifts put the experiences and identities of British expatriate retirees in question; altering the material foundations upon which their privileged migration life projects were constructed. Like this, creating a unique context where privilege and uncertainty meet in the crux of intersecting experiences of migration and ageing. Through the latter, the thesis contributes to anthropological debates on the contextualized construction of identities between the self and society; on Global North ageing discourses and its’ effects on later life identity projects; and questions the use of migration categories on the ground. Since identity, ageing and migration are polysemic concepts that have mutated over time with their subsequent analytical repercussions, this thesis adopts an intersectional lens that recognizes and develops the debates these terms are involved in, as well as captures the everyday connections between micro experiences and macro structures that evidence relationships of power and the perpetuation of inequalities. This involves the study of labels and their adjacent prejudices and stigmas, exposing how these travel from one sociocultural context to another, while also exploring how feelings of belonging are built abroad. By examining through the seemingly privileged retirement migration experiences of informants, this doctoral thesis exposes the intricacies between privilege, vulnerability, dependence, and precarity through the minutiae of the quotidian, contributing to wider empirical and conceptual debates regarding identity, ageing, and migration.[spa] Esta tesis doctoral investiga la identidad, el envejecimiento y la migración a través de un enfoque interseccional de la gerontomigración y la migración en etapas vitales tardías des del Reino Unido a España. Al explorar en profundidad las experiencias de jubilados expatriados británicos en la Costa del Sol y la Costa Brava, España, esta tesis analiza la generación de experiencias entre el privilegio, la vulnerabilidad, y la precariedad, y sus efectos contingentes sobre la construcción de estos procesos identitarios. El fenómeno de jubilados británicos que migran a España tiene una larga historia y se ha estudiado en antropología, gerontología, estudios de migración y más. No obstante, en el período entre 2019 y 2020 cuando se llevó a cabo esta investigación, la confluencia del Brexit y la pandemia de COVID-19 revitalizó el campo de estudio. Dichos cambios geopolíticos y sociosanitarios cuestionan las experiencias e identidades de los jubilados expatriados británicos; alterando los cimientos materiales sobre los que se construyeron sus privilegiados proyectos de vida migratoria. Así, creando un contexto único donde el privilegio y la incertidumbre se encuentran en la intersección de experiencias migratorias y de envejecimiento. A través de esto último, la tesis contribuye a debates antropológicos sobre la construcción contextualizada de identidades entre el yo y la sociedad; sobre los discursos acerca del envejecimiento del Norte Global y sus efectos en los proyectos identitarios en la vejez; y cuestiona los usos de las categorías migratorias tradicionales sobre el terreno. Dado que la identidad, el envejecimiento y la migración son conceptos polisémicos que han mutado a lo largo del tiempo, con sus subsecuentes repercusiones analíticas, esta investigación adopta una aproximación interseccional que reconoce y desarrolla los debates en los que están involucrados estos términos, y, asimismo, también capturando las conexiones entre las micro experiencias y las macroestructuras que evidencian las relaciones de poder y la perpetuación de desigualdades. Esto implica el estudio de etiquetas y sus prejuicios y estigmas adyacentes, apuntando cómo éstos transitan de un contexto sociocultural a otro, además de explorar cómo se construyen los sentimientos de pertenencia en el extranjero. Al examinar las experiencias migratorias de jubilación aparentemente privilegiadas de los informantes, esta tesis doctoral expone las complejidades entre el privilegio, la vulnerabilidad, la dependencia y la precariedad a través de las minucias de lo cotidiano. Así contribuyendo a debates empíricos y conceptuales más amplios en torno a la identidad, el envejecimiento y la migración
Systems of State-Owned Enterprises: from Public Entrepreneurship to State Shareholding
This thesis outlines a new analytical perspective on state ownership through the original concept of systems of state-owned enterprises (SOSOEs). It is argued that the SOSOEs concept adequately captures the evolution of state-owned enterprises (SOEs) in modern capitalist economies, challenging and enriching existing economic theories as well as contributing to reinstate the policy instrumentality of state ownership. The concept is defined from a comparative case study analysis of two distinct SOSOEs, operating within the same national context in different time periods. The first case concerns the Istituto per la Ricostruzione Industriale (IRI), Italy’s former and most relevant state holding company, that played a central role in the Country’s post-WWII economic development. This thesis advances an interpretation of IRI’s economic function based on an original empirical investigation of its archival and documentary sources, focusing on its main public policy missions and on its display of industrial entrepreneurship features. The second case examines the current Italian system of SOEs, assessing the still relevant presence of SOEs in the Italian national context and evaluating the overall governance of the system through a set of interviews with leading executives. Despite the similarity in size and sectoral diversification, the two SOSOEs differ significantly in terms of their operating configurations. In fact, they could be assimilated to two dichotomous ideal types: the IRI SOSOEs represents a template for the policy-oriented and dynamic ‘public entrepreneurship’ model, while the current Italian SOSOEs resembles the policy-neutral and passive ‘state shareholding’ variant. Implicit in these results is the opportunity for current SOSOEs to embrace a public entrepreneurship configuration, in order to exploit the full policy potential of state ownership in driving economic change. The thesis concludes with a proposal for reforming Italy’s current SOSOEs via the creation of a state holding company
Making Coalition Under Occupation Coalition Building and Solidarity across Divides in Social Movements Campaigns in Israel and Palestine
Sotto il controllo israeliano, la regione storicamente nota come Palestina ha sperimentato una persistente frammentazione e la disconnessione delle sue terre. Tuttavia, questa frammentazione si estende oltre il dominio geografico per includere la divisione delle comunità che la popolano. Queste divisioni e separazioni non sono solo il risultato di un conflitto in corso tra due gruppi etnonazionali, ma piuttosto il risultato dell'inesorabile colonizzazione perseguita dal movimento sionista. Questa tesi mira a collegare le intuizioni sia della letteratura del colonialismo d'insediamento che degli studi sui movimenti sociali, uno sforzo unico che non è stato intrapreso in precedenza e ha il potenziale per favorire lo scambio e l'apprendimento interdisciplinare. Nonostante le oppressive divisioni imposte, ci sono casi in cui si possono osservare alleanze e cooperazione tra ebrei israeliani e palestinesi. Questa tesi esaminerà le circostanze e le condizioni relazionali che rendono possibili tali coalizioni.Nel corso dei decenni, la Palestina storica è stata teatro di massicce mobilitazioni, mostrando la capacità del movimento palestinese di innovare e riformulare costantemente le sue strategie, tecniche di protesta e rivendicazioni. Del resto, nel corso degli anni, la repressione israeliana non è mai cessata anzi, si è evoluta, trovando sempre nuove strategie e nuove tecnologie per reprimere il dissenso. In un contesto sociale così rarefatto, come è possibile sostenere la creazione di coalizioni tra palestinesi e israeliani mentre tutto sembra spingere nella direzione del confronto e del conflitto? E quando questa cooperazione è stabilita, in che modo gli attori dei movimenti sociali sono in grado di affrontare l'asimmetria di potere che deriva dall'essere gli "occupanti" e gli "occupati"? Mantenere coalizioni, solidarietà e cooperazione al di là delle differenze (di razza, genere, etnia e religione) non è mai stato così urgente. Questa tesi cerca di colmare questa lacuna nella letteratura proponendo un quadro teorico originale per analizzare tre campagne di movimenti sociali che hanno visto la cooperazione di diversi gruppi etnonazionali. Le tre campagne si sono articolate in tre diversi contesti territoriali mostrando l'importanza del contesto e delle opportunità politiche e legali.La prima campagna esaminata si è svolta nei territori palestinesi con l'obiettivo di proteggere un villaggio che rischiava la demolizione nelle colline a sud di Hebron, in particolare nell'area C della Cisgiordania. Il secondo caso, invece, si è svolto nel cuore di Gerusalemme, una città divisa, e si è concentrato su un quartiere prevalentemente palestinese che spesso ha subito sgomberi da parte delle istituzioni israeliane. Sebbene questi due casi siano considerati esempi positivi, è importante riconoscere e affrontare le differenze che esistevano al loro interno.Infine, il terzo caso esplora una coalizione formata all'interno del movimento delle donne israeliane che ha cercato di coinvolgere gruppi di donne palestinesi sia dentro i confini di Israele che nei Territori palestinesi occupati. Questo tentativo si è rivelato impegnativo e alla fine infruttuoso, portando a considerarlo come un caso negativo in cui è stata tentata un'alleanza ma alla fine è fallita. Questi tre casi mostrano come attivisti appartenenti a diversi gruppi etnonazionali abbiano saputo o meno affrontare l'asimmetria di potere che caratterizza la divisione coloniale. Oltre alle strategie specifiche, questa tesi considera anche come il tipo di regime politico e il contesto locale influenzino questo tipo di alleanza. Infine, sviluppa un modello concettuale che ridefinisce come mantenere coalizioni attraverso la regola delle tre T: Time, Trust and Ties.Per quanto riguarda i metodi utilizzati in questa tesi, la ricerca si è svolta in due periodi di lavoro sul campo. Sono state condotte un totale di 71 interviste (faccia a faccia e online) insieme a diverse osservazioni partecipanti che hanno portato alla stesura di quasi un centinaio di pagine di note di campo. Oltre alle interviste e all'osservazione partecipanti, è stata effettuata un'analisi degli eventi di protesta, per ricostruire il ciclo della protesta nel tempo. Ciò ha consentito la possibilità di svolgere uno studio longitudinale della composizione di questi movimenti. Per il caso negativo, insieme alle interviste, ho creato un questionario presentato online per ricostruire la rete delle organizzazioni femminili attive in questa campagna. L'analisi dei dati è avvenuta con il programma MaxQDA e attraverso una Social Network Analysis qualitativa con UCINET che permette di comprendere descrittivamente la composizione e le caratteristiche dei gruppi che hanno partecipato alle campagne e come sono cambiati nel tempo. Molto lavoro è stato dedicato anche alla restituzione con le comunità e gli attivisti coinvolti e alla diffusione all'interno della società civile italianaUnder Israeli control, the region historically known as Palestine has experienced persistent fragmentation and the disconnection of its lands. However, this fragmentation extends beyond the geographic domain to include the division of communities. I argue that these divisions and separations are not solely the outcome of an ongoing conflict between two ethnonational groups but rather the result of the relentless colonization pursued by the Zionist movement. This thesis aims to bridge insights from both settler-colonial literature and Social Movements Studies, a unique endeavour that has not been undertaken previously and has the potential to foster interdisciplinary exchange and learning. Despite the oppressive divisions imposed, there are instances where alliances and cooperation between Israeli Jews and Palestinians can be observed. This dissertation will examine the circumstances and relational conditions that make such coalitions possible.Throughout the decades, Historical Palestine has been the stage of massive mobilizations and social engagements, showing the ability of the Palestinian movement to constantly innovate and re-frame its strategies, techniques of protests, and claims. Besides, all over the years, Israeli repression has never ceased rather, it evolved, finding always new strategies and new technologies to repress dissent, from all sides. In such a rarefied social context, how is it possible to support the creation of coalitions between Palestinians and Israelis while everything seems to push in the direction of confrontation and conflict? And when this cooperation is established, how are social movements’ actors able to address the power asymmetry that derives from being the “occupiers” and the “occupied”? Maintaining coalitions, solidarity, and cooperation across differences (such as race, gender, ethnicity, and religion) has never been so urgent. This thesis tries to fill this gap in the literature by proposing an original theoretical framework to analyse three social movement campaigns that witnessed the cooperation of ethnonational diverse groups. The three campaigns articulated into three different territorial settings in order to show the importance of context and political and legal opportunities.The initial campaign examined occurred in the Palestinian territories and aimed to protect a village facing demolition in the South Hebron Hills, specifically in area C of the West Bank. The second case, on the other hand, took place in the heart of Jerusalem, a divided city, and focused on a predominantly Palestinian neighbourhood that frequently faced evictions by Israeli institutions. Although these two cases are regarded as positive examples, it is important to acknowledge and address the internal differences that existed within them.Lastly, the third case explores a coalition formed within the Israeli women's movement that sought to engage Palestinian women's groups both within the borders of Israel and in the Occupied Palestinian Territories. This endeavour proved to be challenging and ultimately unsuccessful, leading to consider it as a negative case in which an alliance was attempted but ultimately failed. These three cases show how activists belonging to different ethnonational groups have been able or not to address the asymmetry of power that characterizes the colonial division. In addition to the specific strategies, this thesis also considers how the type of political regime, and the legislative setting influences this type of alliance. Finally, it develops a conceptual model that redefines how to maintain long-lasting coalitions through the rule of the three Ts: Time, Ties, and Trust.As regards the methods used in this thesis, the research took place in two periods of fieldwork. A total of 71 interviews were conducted (face-to-face and online) together with several participant observations which led to the drafting of almost a hundred pages of field notes. In addition to interviews and participant observation, a Protest Event Analysis was carried out, to reconstruct the protest cycle through time. This allows for the inclusion of a longitudinal study of these movements' composition. For the negative case, together with the interviews, I created a questionnaire to reconstruct the network of women's organizations active in this campaign submitted online. The data analysis took place with the MaxQDA program and through a qualitative Social Network Analysis with UCINET which allows understanding descriptively the composition and characteristics of the groups that participated in the campaigns and how they changed over time. Much work has been also devoted to restitution with the communities and activists involved and dissemination within the Italian civil society secto
Learning, future cost and role of offshore renewable energy technologies in the North Sea energy system
The pace of cost decline of offshore renewable energy technologies significantly impacts their role in the North Sea energy transition. However, a good understanding of their remains a critical knowledge gap in the literature. Therefore, this thesis aims to quantify the future role of offshore renewables in the North Sea energy transition and assess the impact of cost development on their optimal deployments. The following findings were observed in this thesis, 1) Fixed-bottom offshore wind is well established in the North Sea region and is already competitive with onshore renewables 2) Floating wind is emerging and their current costs are high, but it can reach about 40 EUR/MWh by early 2040 and would require 44 billion EUR of learning investment.3) Grid connection costs will become a major factor as wind farm moves further away. Policy actions and innovation is needed in this space to avoid increasing integration costs. 4) Offshore wind (fixed-bottom and floating) can play a significant role in the North Sea energy system, comprising 498 GW of deployments in 2050 (222 GW of fixed-bottom and 276 GW of floating wind) and contributing up to a maximum of 51% of total power generation in the North Sea power system. 5) The role of the investigated low-TRL offshore renewables, including the tidal stream, wave technology, and bioethanol, was limited in all scenarios considered, as they remain expensive compared to other mature technologies in the system
The Public Performance Of Sanctions In Insolvency Cases: The Dark, Humiliating, And Ridiculous Side Of The Law Of Debt In The Italian Experience. A Historical Overview Of Shaming Practices
This study provides a diachronic comparative overview of how the law of debt has been applied by certain institutions in Italy. Specifically, it offers historical and comparative insights into the public performance of sanctions for insolvency through shaming and customary practices in Roman Imperial Law, in the Middle Ages, and in later periods.
The first part of the essay focuses on the Roman bonorum cessio culo nudo super lapidem and on the medieval customary institution called pietra della vergogna (stone of shame), which originates from the Roman model.
The second part of the essay analyzes the social function of the zecca and the pittima Veneziana during the Republic of Venice, and of the practice of lu soldate a castighe (no translation is possible).
The author uses a functionalist approach to apply some arguments and concepts from the current context to this historical analysis of ancient institutions that we would now consider ridiculous.
The article shows that the customary norms that play a crucial regulatory role in online interactions today can also be applied to the public square in the past. One of these tools is shaming. As is the case in contemporary online settings, in the public square in historic periods, shaming practices were used to enforce the rules of civility in a given community. Such practices can be seen as virtuous when they are intended for use as a tool to pursue positive change in forces entrenched in the culture, and thus to address social wrongs considered outside the reach of the law, or to address human rights abuses
SET2022 : 19th International Conference on Sustainable Energy Technologies 16th to 18th August 2022, Turkey : Sustainable Energy Technologies 2022 Conference Proceedings. Volume 4
Papers submitted and presented at SET2022 - the 19th International Conference on Sustainable Energy Technologies in Istanbul, Turkey in August 202
Subversive Semantics in Political and Cultural Discourse: The Production of Popular Knowledge
The large-scale use of semantic transfer and inversion as rhetorical tactics is particularly prevalent in right-wing discourses and populist "alternative knowledge" production. The contributors to this volume analyze processes of re-semanticizing received meanings, effectually re-coding those meanings. They investigate to what extent rhetorical maneuvers serve to establish new and powerful belief systems beyond rational and democratic control. In addition to the contemporary rightwing and conspiracy narratives, the contributions examine the discursive fields around conceptions of human nature and the deep past, population politics, gender conceptions, use of land, identity politics, nationhood, and cultural heritage
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