On the excursion area of perturbed Gaussian fields

We investigate Lipschitz-Killing curvatures for excursion sets of random fields on $\mathbb R^2$ under small spatial-invariant random perturbations. An expansion formula for mean curvatures is derived when the magnitude of the perturbation vanishes, which recovers the Gaussian Kinematic Formula at the limit by contiguity of the model. We develop an asymptotic study of the perturbed excursion area behaviour that leads to a quantitative non-Gaussian limit theorem, in Wasserstein distance, for fixed small perturbations and growing domain. When letting both the perturbation vanish and the domain grow, a standard Central Limit Theorem follows. Taking advantage of these results, we propose an estimator for the perturbation which turns out to be asymptotically normal and unbiased, allowing to make inference through sparse information on the field

Green Housing = Improved Health: A Winning Combination

The case studies in this paper explore the relationship between housing and health. It explains how building affordable green housing provides health benefits to low-income residentsand it identifies the benefits of green housing for the environment and energy efficiency

A Topology-Preserving Level Set Method for Shape Optimization

The classical level set method, which represents the boundary of the unknown geometry as the zero-level set of a function, has been shown to be very effective in solving shape optimization problems. The present work addresses the issue of using a level set representation when there are simple geometrical and topological constraints. We propose a logarithmic barrier penalty which acts to enforce the constraints, leading to an approximate solution to shape design problems.Comment: 10 pages, 4 figure

El centro histórico de Genzano di Roma (Lazio-Italia): un patrimonio arquitectónico en proceso de desaparición

Aim of this paper is to show how it is possible to start important considerations, under a practical and theoretical point of view, on misleading conservation practices of the historical city Centre, in relation to some episodes in Genzano di Roma (Lazio-Italia). These wrong restorations are caused in the majority of cases by the complete absence of interventions following conservation restrictions, which could defend both the material and immaterial heritage as part of the community’s identity. These reflections, combined with the work conducted in the last years, might constitute an interesting analysis, showing how there is still much to do regarding the complicated relationship between architectural projects and archaeological research, and between urban development planning and urban vertical archeology. This paper allows to reflect also the role of vertical archeology as Archeology of Complexity and its involvement in the preservation of the memory of buildings.El objetivo de este documento es mostrar cómo, en relación con algunos episodios ocurridos en Genzano di Roma (Lazio-Italia), podría ser posible generar una profunda consideración desde un punto de vista práctico y teórico sobre la mala conservación del centro histórico de la ciudad. Estas malas restauraciones están causadas, en la mayoría de los casos, por la ausencia total de intervenciones con restricciones de conservación, que protegerían su integridad y, por lo tanto, defenderían el patrimonio material e inmaterial de la identidad de la comunidad. Estas reflexiones, combinadas con el trabajo realizado en los últimos años, podrían constituir un análisis interesante que muestre que aún queda mucho por hacer en las complicadas relaciones entre los proyectos arquitectónicos y la investigación arqueológica y entre la planificación del desarrollo urbano y la arqueología vertical urbana. De lo que se desprende de este documento, el consentimiento para reflexionar también sobre el papel de la arqueología constructiva como Arqueología de la complejidad puede participar en la preservación de los edificios como elemento de la memoria histórica

Reuse of deconsecrated churches: the case of Pavia

It is difficult to talk about the Italian religious heritage that, once abandoned, has been reused, for there would be to talk of a number of buildings so huge that have not yet been determined. It is otherwise possible to talk about this theme observing singular and pregnant examples. The one chosen for this paper is that of the churches of Pavia, a town in the north of Italy, near Milan, for centuries an still now home of a prestigious University that has influenced its urban development. Inside the old wall perimeter of the city, there are more than twenty deconsecrated churches belonging to different historical and architectural periods. The presence of these numerous huge and empty “containers” with a very high symbolic and cultural value represents a problem, but also a resource. A firstly historical premise allows to comprehend the different processes of dismission that have affected this heritage, and basically the reasons of the present day situation. With an urban scale approach, we can investigate the context that has decisively affected the destiny of these buildings. By observing the conversion of old churches we can speculate on a certain number of aspects: how the conversions were managed; which policies were followed; how culture influenced concrete choices; who (which institution) suggested the restoration; what theories guided it; to what extent did the economic interests and search for spaces prevail over the preservation ideals. The architectural outcomes found in this wide palimpsest are varied, especially due to the financial availability of new owners. There appears to be, in most cases, a certain awareness and conservative planning will respectful of what already exists. At the same time, there are several instances of churches that are neglected, reduced to residential or incompatible uses, and faced with serious problems not only ethical but also cultural. This paper will show how the urban context and its peculiarities (in this case, prominently, the presence of the university) offers a fertile ground for a correct and compatible reuse of places of worshipPeer Reviewe

What’s it Like in There? Reflections on Being Educators in Military and Para-Military Settings in the UK and Canada

Drawing on the comparison of our work experiences within prisons and the British Army, we attempt to unpack and deepen our theoretical understandings of patriarchy, hegemony, power, and ‘other’

Spatial patterns of knowledge-intensive business services in cities of various sizes, morphologies and economies

We compare intra-urban localization patterns of advertising and IT companies in three large Czech cities. The main aim of our analysis is an empirically-based contribution to the question to what extent do knowledge bases affect the spatial distribution of various knowledge-intensive business industries. The central research question is: To what extent is the localization of these two industries influenced by different modes of innovation/knowledge bases (symbolic vs. synthetic) and to what extent by contextual factors, such as urban size, morphology, position in the urban hierarchy and economic profile of the given city. We found that the urban contexts shape the localization patterns of advertising and IT companies more than differences in knowledge bases-both industries cluster primarily in the inner cities and urban cores. Formation of more suburban IT "scientific neighborhoods" is limited.Web of Science125art. no. 184

Soil Resistance to Burn Severity in Different Forest Ecosystems in the Framework of a Wildfire

[EN] Recent changes in fire regimes, with more frequent, extensive, and severe fires, are modifying soil characteristics. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of burn severity on the resistance of some physical, chemical, and biochemical soil properties in three different forest ecosystems affected by a wildfire in the northwest of the Iberian Peninsula. We evaluated burn severity immediately after fire using the Composite Burn Index (CBI) in three different ecosystems: shrublands, heathlands, and oak forests. In the same field plots used to quantify CBI, we took a composite soil sample to analyse physical (mean weight diameter (MWD)), chemical (pH; total C; total organic C (TOC); total inorganic C (TIC); total N; available P; exchangeable cations Na+, K+, Mg2+, and Ca2+; and cation exchange capacity (CEC)), and biochemical (β-glucosidase, urease, and acid phosphatase enzyme activities) properties. The resistance index of each property was then calculated. Based on our results, the values of the soil chemical properties tended to increase immediately after fire. Among them, total C, TOC, and exchangeable Na+ showed higher resistance to change, with less variation concerning pre-fire status. The resistance of chemical properties was higher in the oak forest ecosystem. MWD decreased at high severity in all ecosystems, but soils in shrublands were more resistant. We found a high decrease in soil enzymatic activity with burn severity, with biochemical properties being the least resistant to change. Therefore, the enzymatic activity of soil could be a potential indicator of severity in forest ecosystems recently affected by wildfiresSIThis study was financially supported by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness in the framework of the FIRESEVES (AGL2017-86075-C2-1-R) project; and by the Regional Government of Castilla and León in the framework of the SEFIRECYL (LE001P17) project. The European Regional Development Fund also provided funding for the present study. S.H. was supported by a predoctoral fellowship from the Regional Government of Castilla and León and the European Social Fund (EDU/574/2018

Updating the Northern Tsetse Limit in Burkina Faso (1949–2009): Impact of Global Change

The northern distribution limit of tsetse flies was updated in Burkina Faso and compared to previous limits to revise the existing map of these vectors of African trypanosomiases dating from several decades ago. From 1949 to 2009, a 25- to 150-km shift has appeared toward the south. Tsetse are now discontinuously distributed in Burkina Faso with a western and an eastern tsetse belt. This range shift can be explained by a combination of decreased rainfall and increased human density. Within a context of international control, this study provides a better understanding of the factors influencing the distribution of tsetse flies