Modeling the ecology and evolution of biodiversity: Biogeographical cradles, museums, and graves

Individual processes shaping geographical patterns of biodiversity are increasingly understood, but their complex interactions on broad spatial and temporal scales remain beyond the reach of analytical models and traditional experiments. To meet this challenge, we built a spatially explicit, mechanistic simulation model implementing adaptation, range shifts, fragmentation, speciation, dispersal, competition, and extinction, driven by modeled climates of the past 800,000 years in South America. Experimental topographic smoothing confirmed the impact of climate heterogeneity on diversification. The simulations identified regions and episodes of speciation (cradles), persistence (museums), and extinction (graves). Although the simulations had no target pattern and were not parameterized with empirical data, emerging richness maps closely resembled contemporary maps for major taxa, confirming powerful roles for evolution and diversification driven by topography and climate

Seismic and Fire Assessment and Upgrading Process for Historical Buildings: The Case Study of Palazzo Colonna in Caggiano

The assessment and retrofit of existing masonry structures with historical and cultural value in highly seismic zones are challenging issues in earthquake engineering. In fact, the historic and recent earthquakes have shown the problem of the seismic vulnerability of existing masonry constructions. A historical masonry palace located in Caggiano (Salerno, Italy) is used herein as a case study, showing the vulnerability assessment and the seismic upgrading process. The case study building has a masonry structural type at the first two floors while there is a third floor realized in reinforced concrete and a fourth floor realized with a wood structure. The building was characterized by a remarkable seismic vulnerability and needed seismic upgrading operations. After the vulnerability assessment process, some design suggestions are proposed for the seismic upgrading of the building. The structure before and after the upgrading operations has been checked through nonlinear static and dynamic analyses. Then, coherently with the "Sismabonus" approach, the attribution of the seismic risk class, performed through numerical analyses, is founded on two parameters, namely, the expected annual mean losses (PAM), related to economic factors, and the Life Safety Index (IS-V), related to the structure seismic safety. Finally, the overcoming of the different classes of risk is shown and compared with the amount of the retrofit operations, their costs, and the impact on the existing space. Moreover, fire assessment has been investigated. In fact, in many cases, the buildings such as the case study structure are intended for public activities such as museums, so specific fire requirements, like fire resistance, are necessary. This topic became relevant especially if the structure is equipped with particular structural retrofit interventions which can be altered and modified in case of a fire. The paper presents the results of advanced thermomechanical analyses on the historical masonry palace under investigation. Since the case study building has a masonry structural type at the first two floors while there is a third floor realized in reinforced concrete, the fire analyses were conducted on the third and fourth floors, which may be more vulnerable to fire

Assessment of plastics in the National Trust: a case study at Mr Straw's House

The National Trust is a charity that cares for over 300 publically accessible historic buildings and their contents across England, Wales and Northern Ireland. There have been few previous studies on preservation of plastics within National Trust collections, which form a significant part of the more modern collections of objects. This paper describes the design of an assessment system which was successfully trialled at Mr Straws House, a National Trust property in Worksop, UK. This system can now be used for future plastic surveys at other National Trust properties. In addition, the survey gave valuable information about the state of the collection, demonstrating that the plastics that are deteriorating are those that are known to be vulnerable, namely cellulose nitrate/acetate, PVC and rubber. Verifying this knowledge of the most vulnerable plastics enables us to recommend to properties across National Trust that these types should be seen as a priority for correct storage and in-depth recording

A Content Assessment Tool for the exhibit design process, using graphic design and communication theory as a framework for generating meaningful messages.

Current museum exhibit design models take designers through stages of defining goals, developing products or exhibits, and implementing the design. The models are intended for a staff of various experts who are expected to use their talents in creating an effective, meaningful exhibit that conveys a particular message. In many cases however, a single curator whose expertise is not in the field of design or visual communication, is given the task of designing exhibits. Curators may or may not have a few staff members or volunteers to help in the design process, but the lack of graphic design or visual communication expertise leaves out much of the know-how necessary in order to develop an intended message of an exhibit. This thesis proposes a Content Assessment Tool (CAT) that can be used as a tool to implement communication theory into the exhibit design process. The CAT was created by using Berlo\u27s communication model (Source, Message, Channel, and Receiver) as a framework that was then elaborated on to accommodate the instructional, graphic, narrative and interactive components that all go into exhibit design. To understand how the CAT can work as an evaluation tool and to demonstrate the necessity of such a tool, four small Iowa history museum curators were interviewed about each museum\u27s design process. Exhibits from each museum were photo-documented and two from each museum were then selected to be evaluate with the Content Assessment Tool. The findings revealed a significant weakness for museums in the development of exhibit graphics in generating and enhancing an intended message. All museums, even museums with experts on staff, that wish to enhance or strengthen the narrative of exhibits could benefit from such an addition as the CAT within their design process

Developing a Framework for Heterotopias as Discursive Playgrounds: A Comparative Analysis of Non-Immersive and Immersive Technologies

The discursive space represents the reordering of knowledge gained through accumulation. In the digital age, multimedia has become the language of information, and the space for archival practices is provided by non-immersive technologies, resulting in the disappearance of several layers from discursive activities. Heterotopias are unique, multilayered epistemic contexts that connect other systems through the exchange of information. This paper describes a process to create a framework for Virtual Reality, Mixed Reality, and personal computer environments based on heterotopias to provide absent layers. This study provides virtual museum space as an informational terrain that contains a "world within worlds" and presents place production as a layer of heterotopia and the subject of discourse. Automation for the individual multimedia content is provided via various sorting and grouping algorithms, and procedural content generation algorithms such as Binary Space Partitioning, Cellular Automata, Growth Algorithm, and Procedural Room Generation. Versions of the framework were comparatively evaluated through a user study involving 30 participants, considering factors such as usability, technology acceptance, and presence. The results of the study show that the framework can serve diverse contexts to construct multilayered digital habitats and is flexible for integration into professional and daily life practices

A systematic material selection process applied to a luminaire diffuser

This paper presents a systematic material selection process for technical, environmental and economic criteria. This methodology has been applied to the design of a weatherproof luminaire. The materials selected for the production of this diffuser were characterised to obtain their mechanical properties and to perform exhaustive research on impact analysis by means of finite element modelling. Also an economic analysis and an ecological impact assessment have been performed. Thanks to this working methodology, a final design of the diffuser has been developed having the optimum thickness to achieve the mechanical specifications and minimise the environmental impact and the cost of the diffuser

A design space for social object labels in museums

Taking a problematic user experience with ubiquitous annotation as its point of departure, this thesis defines and explores the design space for Social Object Labels (SOLs), small interactive displays aiming to support users' in-situ engagement with digital annotations of physical objects and places by providing up-to-date information before, during and after interaction. While the concept of ubiquitous annotation has potential applications in a wide range of domains, the research focuses in particular on SOLs in a museum context, where they can support the institution's educational goals by engaging visitors in the interpretation of exhibits and providing a platform for public discourse to complement official interpretations provided on traditional object labels. The thesis defines and structures the design space for SOLs, investigates how they can support social interpretation in museums and develops empirically validated design recommendations. Reflecting the developmental character of the research, it employs Design Research as a methodological framework, which involves the iterative development and evaluation of design artefacts together with users and other stakeholders. The research identifies the particular characteristics of SOLs and structures their design space into ten high-level aspects, synthesised from taxonomies and heuristics for similar display concepts and complemented with aspects emerging from the iterative design and evaluation of prototypes. It presents findings from a survey exploring visitors' mental models, preferences and expectations of commenting in museums and translates them into requirements for SOLs. It reports on scenario-based design activities, expert interviews with museum professionals, formative user studies and co-design sessions, and two empirical evaluations of SOL prototypes in a gallery environment. Pulling together findings from these research activities it then formulates design recommendations for SOLs and supports them with related evidence and implementation examples. The main contributions are (i) to delineate and structure the design space for SOLs, which helps to ground SOLs in the literature and understand them as a distinct display concept with its own characteristics; (ii) to explore, for the first time, a visitor perspective on commenting in museums, which can inform research, development and policies on user-generated content in museums and the wider cultural heritage sector; (iii) to develop empirically validated design recommendations, which can inform future research and development into SOLs and related display concept. The thesis concludes by summarising findings in relation to its stated research questions, restating its contributions from ubiquitous computing, domain and methodology perspectives, and discussing open issues and future work

Shifts in stability and control effectiveness during evolution of Paraves support aerial maneuvering hypotheses for flight origins

The capacity for aerial maneuvering shaped the evolution of flying animals. Here we evaluate consequences of aviaian morphology for aerial performance (1,2) by quantifying static stability and control effectiveness of physical models (3) for numerous taxa sampled from within the lineage leading to birds (Paraves, 4). Results of aerodynamic testing are mapped phylogenetically (5-9) to examine how maneuvering characteristics correlate with tail shortening, fore- and hindwing elaboration, and other morphological features (10). In the evolution of the Avialae we observe shifts from static stability to inherently unstable aerial planforms; control effectiveness also migrated from tails to the forewings. These shifts suggest that some degree of aerodynamic control and and capacity for maneuvering preceded the evolution of strong power stroke. The timing of shifts also suggests some features normally considered in light of development of a power stroke may play important roles in control.Comment: 12 pages, 6 figures, 1 supplemental figures and 5 supplemental table

Diachronic and Synchronic Analysis for Knowledge Creation: Architectural Representation Geared to XR Building Archaeology (Claudius-Anio Novus Aqueduct in Tor Fiscale, the Appia Antica Archaeological Park)

This study summarises research progress to identify appropriate quality methodologies for representing, interpreting, and modelling complex contexts such as the Claudian Aqueduct in the Appian Way Archaeological Park. The goal is to intrinsically integrate (embed) geometric survey (Laser scanning and photogrammetric) with the materials and construction techniques (Stratigraphic Units-SU), semantic models in order to support the design with a better understanding of the artefact considered, and also to give indications that can be implemented in the future in a continuous cognitive process. Volume stratigraphic units in the form of architectural drawings, heritage building information modelling (HBIM) and extended reality (XR) environments have been oriented to comparative analyses based on the research case study's complex morphology. Analysis of geometries' intersection, construction techniques and materials open up new cognitive scenarios, self-feeding a progressive knowledge and making different studies correlatable, avoiding diaspora or incommunicability. Finally, an extended reality (XR) platform aims to enhance tangible and intangible values through new human-computer interaction and information sharing levels