Bridging the divide: firms and institutional variety in Italy

The underperformance of Italy’s macroeconomy is common knowledge, yet empirical evidence has shown that a high quality segment of Italian export oriented firms has outperformed international competitors although the country lacks practically all attributes of a coordinated market economy. This thesis shows that the ability of firms to produce high quality goods in Italy is linked to the practice of "capital skill asset pooling" within a novel model of production organisation, "disintegrated hierarchy". "Capital-skill asset pooling" follows from the vertical disintegration of production functions across firms and entails the sharing of production assets between firms governed by heterogeneous institutional frameworks. Through the comparisons of firm-level case studies across three industries, the thesis shows that two simultaneous conditions are necessary for "capitalskill asset pooling" to develop: 1) the presence of lead firms endowed with patient capital, and 2) the presence small suppliers endowed with firm-, industry- and product-specific skills. This finding complements the Varieties of Capitalism literature by showing that firms can produce high or diversified quality goods in the absence of the necessary institutional preconditions by developing functional substitutes to coordinated market economy assets through "capital-skill asset pooling"

Dystopia and transhumanism : the case of RoboCop (1987)

The present dissertation, presented within the Masters in English and American Studies, aims to explore the science fiction action film RoboCop and address pertinent themes which it draws attention to, namely, societal issues and philosophical dilemmas concerning humanity and technology. As such, I specifically chose to explore these themes through two suitable perspectives: dystopian fiction and transhumanism, an intellectual and philosophical movement that advocates technological enhancement. The study of the former allows for a better understanding of the film in its aspect as a work of speculative fiction, which helps to understand its setting, structure, influences and why it specifically focuses on certain problems concerning late 20th century American society, while the latter permits a more substantial comprehension of the film’s philosophical themes on the ontology of humankind and its relation to the influence of technology, specifically when it comes to enhancement. Overall, this dissertation consists of two main chapters, besides the introduction and the conclusion. The first chapter will revolve around the exploration of dystopian fiction, including its ancestry, development, characteristics and overall core themes. The second chapter will focus on the exploration of transhumanism and the ontology of human beings, particularly in relation to the philosophy of the movement and its aim of technological enhancement. It will also feature the proper analysis of the film, though it will have been referenced to in the preceding chapter and subchapters. When it comes to formulation of the first chapter, I rely on the work of authors such as Tom Moylan who wrote Scraps of the Untainted Sky (2000) and Gregory Claeys who edited the Cambridge Companion to Utopian Literature (2010). The elaboration of the second chapter depends on key sources such as: The Transhumanist Reader: Classical and Contemporary Essays on the Science, Technology, and Philosophy of the Human Future (2013) edited by Max More and Natasha Vita-More along with H+/-: Transhumanism and Its Critics (2011) edited by Gregory R. Hansell and William Grassie as well as Cyberspace/Cyberbodies/Cyberpunk: Cultures of Technological Embodiment (1996) edited by Mike Featherstone and Roger Burrows.A presente dissertação, apresentada no âmbito do Mestrado em Estudos Ingleses e Americanos, tem como objetivo explorar o filme de ficção científica e ação, RoboCop, e abordar temas pertinentes para os quais ele chama atenção, nomeadamente, problemas sociais e dilemas filosóficos sobre a humanidade e tecnologia. Como tal, eu escolhi especificamente abordar estes temas através de duas perspetivas consideradas adequadas: ficção distópica e transumanismo, um movimento filosófico e intelectual que advoga aprimoramento tecnológico da espécie humana. O estudo do primeiro campo permite um melhor entendimento do filme enquanto obra de ficção especulativa, o que ajuda a entender o seu cenário, a sua estrutura, as suas influências e porque se concentra em certos problemas relativos à sociedade norte-americana no fim do século XX. Especificamente, o filme concentra-se no paradigma socioeconómico do fim de século em que problemas causados pelo capitalismo de estágio avançado e pelo neoliberalismo se manifestaram de forma proeminente. Recorrendo a uma abordagem distópica, o filme extrapola estas condições para o futuro em que elas são exageradas e são a causa de uma sociedade significativamente mais negativa e imperfeita. Esta abordagem é utilizada por inúmeras distopias de modo a realizar o objetivo principal do género na sua totalidade, que é informar os leitores e/ou espetadores sobre os problemas prevalecentes na sua sociedade e explorar o que poderá acontecer se eles não forem resolvidos. Apesar de o filme recorrer mais à sátira do que a um tom crítico desprovido de esperança exerce, de igual modo, a função de aviso e cautela inerente ao género distópico e da própria ficção especulativa. Outro grande tema do filme que também é constantemente abordado pelo género distópico é o papel da tecnologia, não só quanto ao seu impacto na sociedade, mas no ser humano em si, pois uma possibilidade constantemente apresentada em distopias é que tecnologia suficientemente avançada poderá ser utilizada por entidades/organizações políticas, sociais e económicas para transformar a nossa espécie, algo que é representado no filme. Isto leva ao estudo do segundo campo, o movimento de transumanismo, que possibilita uma compreensão mais substancial dos temas filosóficos abordados pelo filme, particularmente quanto à ontologia da humanidade e a sua relação quanto à influência da tecnologia, especialmente no tocante à ideia de aprimoramento tecnológico. Isto pode ser, discutivelmente, considerado o tema mais relevante do filme não só por ser algo em que o mesmo se foca especialmente, mas também porque levanta questões e ansiedades que nós enfrentamos hoje. Essencialmente, o filme concentra-se em conceções ontológicas do ser humano, sobre a natureza da nossa existência, noções que são constantemente destabilizadas pelo progressivo avanço científico e tecnológico. A ideologia de aprimoramento tecnológico que é defendida por aderentes do movimento de transumanismo expande e complica este paradigma, pois traz à tona questões sobre o que é o ser humano como também a possibilidade desse mesmo ser deixar de existir. O filme essencialmente fornece a sua própria conceção e resposta a estes dilemas filosóficos, algo que o estudo do transumanismo permite analisar melhor. No geral, esta dissertação consiste em dois capítulos principais além da introdução e da conclusão. O primeiro capítulo explora o conceito de ficção distópica, investigando o seu desenvolvimento, características e ancestralidade, ou seja, o género literário a que pertence e de que provém, a Utopia. Foi este género literário que abriu as portas à formulação da distopia pois foi crucial no exercício do pensamento especulativo, particularmente no que toca a condições sociais. Este género foi-se desenvolvendo ao longo do tempo, algo que é brevemente explorado, até surgir o subgénero da Utopia Satírica, que critica e ridiculariza a perspetiva otimista da ficção Utópica. Foi particularmente este subgénero que permitiu a formulação da ficção distópica, os sentimentos críticos e pessimistas expressados pela utopia satírica seriam adotados e ampliados pela distopia, especialmente devido às condições do tempo em que o género foi popularizado, no início a meados do século XX. Foi nesta era em que o género distópico foi formalmente concretizado, apresentando a sua própria estrutura, características, temas e mecanismos narrativos. No entanto, como aconteceu com a Utopia, o género distópico também sofreu certos desenvolvimentos assinaláveis, especialmente no fim de século, algo que é possível notar em RoboCop, que apresenta características desta reformulação do género. O segundo capítulo foca-se na exploração do transumanismo e na ontologia do ser humano, particularmente em relação à filosofia do movimento e o seu objetivo de aprimoramento tecnológico. O conceito de “natureza humana” e outras noções e ideologias filosóficas relacionadas com o ser humano são exploradas, como por exemplo a noção de dualismo cartesiano que afirma a separação entre mente e corpo, basicamente asseverando que os seres humanos possuem uma essência única que determina a sua natureza. Outras teorias, como a de evolução apresentada por Darwin, também são abordadas neste paradigma, que tem em conta a relação destas noções que precedem e influenciam a ideologia transumanista, com a ideia de aprimoramento tecnológico. Essencialmente é ponderado se as qualidades e “natureza” do ser humano são fixas ou dinâmicas, se intervenções tecnológicas poderão ser extensas o suficiente para transformar completamente o que conhecemos como o “humano” num ser completamente diferente. Isto é seguido pelo estudo do movimento em si, incluindo a perspetiva ontológica do mesmo quanto ao ser humano e as suas facetas políticas, económicas e sociais. A filosofia do transumanismo tem a sua própria perspetiva quanto à natureza e constituição do ser humano, uma perspetiva que possibilita a ideologia de alindamento tecnológico, esta ideologia não envolve só bases filosóficas, mas também vertentes mais materiais, visto que o progresso tecnológico é inseparável dos vários componentes que permeiam a sociedade humana. O filme demonstra de forma saliente esta conexão, algo que é explorado na fase final deste trabalho. O último capítulo desta dissertação consiste, inicialmente, na exploração de uma forma de aprimoramento que é representada no filme e que está intimamente conectada ao movimento do transumanismo, o alindamento cibernético, seguido pela análise do filme em si de acordo com os temas analisados previamente. Enfim, a exploração do filme através dessas duas perspetivas possibilita uma nova perspetivação do mesmo que vai além do seu estatuto na cultura popular como uma película simples de ação com efeitos especiais de alta qualidade. Ao revés, este trabalho essencialmente afirma que leituras muito mais aprofundadas que interrogam o espetador em assuntos pertinentes podem ser efetuadas, especialmente na atualidade em que problemas sociais, como desigualdade económica, juntamente com o avanço progressivo de ciência e tecnologia prenunciam grandes mudanças que podem ser menos que benéficas, não só quanto à sociedade humana, mas quanto à própria espécie. São as consequências destas possibilidades que o filme aborda através da sociedade ficcional representada como também na experiência do protagonista da narrativa, que sofre várias modificações tecnológicas que põem em causa a sua identidade e o seu estatuto, como pessoa e como ser humano. No que toca à elaboração do primeiro capítulo, ele alicerça-se principalmente no trabalho de autores como Tom Moylan que escreveu Scraps of the Untainted Sky (2000) e Gregory Claeys que edita a obra The Cambridge Companion to Utopian Literature (2010). O segundo capítulo depende de fontes chave como: The Transhumanist Reader: Classical and Contemporary Essays on the Science, Technology, and Philosophy of the Human Future (2013) editado por Max More e Natasha Vita-More como também H+/-: Transhumanism and Its Critics (2011) editado por Gregory R. Hansell e William Grassie e Cyberspace/Cyberbodies/Cyberpunk: Cultures of Technological Embodiment (1996) editado por Mike Featherstone e Roger Burrows

Discourse, Materiality, and the Users of Mobile Health Technologies: A Nigerian Case Study

mHealth, which is the use of mobile phones and other handheld information and communication technologies (ICTs), has been increasingly advocated as the solution to the problems, primarily infrastructure and personnel, facing the healthcare sector of many low-to-lower-middle-income countries (LMICs). Following a series of United Nations Foundation research and advisory publications (in 2012, 2014 and 2016) arguing that mobile phones are approaching ubiquity in Nigeria and across the world, the UN strongly recommended that LMICs undertake mHealth initiatives. Subsequently, Nigeria’s Federal Ministry of Health (FMOH) published a National Health ICT Strategic Framework (Strategic Framework), 2015-2020; the rallying call of this document is that “Health ICTs will deliver universal healthcare [in Nigeria] by 2020.” The document takes a techno-optimistic position that celebrates and advocates for the creation of mHealth technologies, yet it fails to acknowledge the dire lack of the basic, necessary infrastructures for such electronic health systems, particularly in rural areas, including a scarcity of reliable electrical systems or the trained personnel who would understand how to use such technologies. This creates and sustains a healthcare precarity for poor and rural Nigerians. The rhetoric of health and medicine has taken up precarity as a framework for understanding how modern discourses contribute to the material positioning of humans with respect to technological systems. Using material-discursive critique and precarity as analytical frameworks, I tie the history of western medicine in Nigeria to the prevailing top-down approach which created widespread healthcare deserts. Using Critical (Policy) Discourse Analysis, I also examine discursive positioning of agents, e.g., “stakeholders” in the Strategic Framework and “heroes” in an mHealth technology developed and advertised locally in Nigeria, to reveal how policy documents and popular advertisements around mHealth are manipulated to camouflage these healthcare deserts with techno-optimistic rhetoric. Only when we address both the actual material conditions and the rhetorical and linguistic silencing of the people in these rural or poor areas will we be able to approach the promised benefits of mHealth systems in universal healthcare

Conceiving systems

The thesis is concerned with the development of innovative, robust design concepts for a class of systems called Information Decision Action (IDA) Systems. IDA systems are typified by Command and Control (C2) and Command, Control, Communications and Intelligence (C3I) systems as used by police, emergency services and the military - the two titles refer respectively to the human activity and the technological systems. The class of systems is much wider, however, and includes, financial, traffic control, business and even governmental systems where information is gathered, used as a basis for human decision-forming, and results in action, all in real, or near-real time. IDA system complexity stems largely from the dominance of robust human activity systems within the overall system, and also from the employment of often-rigid, technology-based, decision support systems which are unable to adapt as swiftly as the humans they serve. The thesis is in two parts. In the first part, the author presents a perspective on "hard" and "soft" systems and the gradual move by so-called "hard" systems engineers towards softer concepts in the search for more satisfactory IDA systems. This progression is presented partly by anecdote, supported by some of the author's papers showing the development of his contribution to understanding of, and partly by an exposition of the essential themes inherent in, IDA systems. Keynote papers in the first part are: MOSAIC: Concepts for the Deployment of Air Power in Europe and The Human Element in C3 I: The first of these presents a highly-survivable alternative to the present force and C2 deployment approaches which have evolved little since World War IT; the second considers the human and his social behaviour as keys to understanding IDA systems. Other papers develop the themes and show their application to systems in which the author has had major involvement The second part is concerned with the process of conceiving and creating IDA systems and it too draws on published papers as direct support for the thesis. Keynote papers here are A General Theory of Command and Control, a unique recent paper which proposes a set of design axioms for an idealized IDA system, the award-winning Managing Systems Creation which presents an engineering framework for Creating Systems, and SEAMS (Systems Engineering, Analysis and Management Support) which signals a major design initiative to develop engineering frameworks into company-wide IT environments. The second part also introduces a complete Conceiving System, called the Seven-Step Continuum (SSC), describes some prototype tools developed by the author to perform some of the tasks of design conception and - in Chapter 9, which is a paper within the thesis - shows results from using the SSC, its methods and tools, in practice. The second part closes with a look forward to the building of flexible future systems which can adapt to their environment

Representations of science, literature, technology and society in the works of Primo Levi

The thesis tackles two main issues. Part I explores Levi's engagements with the `two cultures' debate concerning the relationship between literature and `science' in postwar culture. Building on existing scholarship, I provide a more comprehensive view of his project to combat the two cultures divide. I contextualize the literature-science debate in Anglophone and Italophone culture, and then investigate dialogues between Levi and his contemporaries (for example, the writer Italo Calvino; the physicist Tullio Regge). Among other theoretical frameworks, I draw on critical approaches to the literature-science relationship and Bahktinian dialogics. Part II analyzes Levi's portrayals and critiques of science and technology as they impact on human life and freedoms, especially his problematizations of relationships between humans and machines in a post-industrial society. This aspect of Levi's work, particularly his representations of bodies and embodiment in a technologized age, has received little critical attention to date. I evaluate Levi's engagements with such issues, focussing also on gender dynamics in his writing about technologically-mediated embodiment. Given the absence of sustained Italophone critical reflection on these questions, I analyze Levi's work in light of recent Anglopone theorizing on posthumanism. I also refer to psychoanalytic approaches to the self. Considering Levi's approach to a series of perceived cultural dialectics-the relationships between science and literature, science and society, human subjects and machines-I argue that his work is characterized by contradiction. He asserts the need to break down cultural and disciplinary boundaries while simultaneously revealing his personal tendency to conceptualize literary and scientific activities, for example, as distinct practices. I conclude that by embracing such contradictions his work highlights areas of difficulty, and, without attempting to offer falsely universal solutions, reminds us of our capacity to maintain-or reclaim-corporeal and epistemological sovereignty of ourselves and our society

Q(sqrt(-3))-Integral Points on a Mordell Curve

We use an extension of quadratic Chabauty to number fields,recently developed by the author with Balakrishnan, Besser and M ̈uller,combined with a sieving technique, to determine the integral points overQ(√−3) on the Mordell curve y2 = x3 − 4

Algorithm-aided Information Design: Hybrid Design approach on the edge of associative methodologies in AEC

Dissertação de mestrado em European Master in Building Information ModellingLast three decades have brought colossal progress to design methodologies within the common pursuit toward a seamless fusion between digital and physical worlds and augmenting it with the of computation power and network coverage. For this historically short period, two generations of methodologies and tools have emerged: Additive generation and parametric Associative generation of CAD. Currently, designers worldwide engaged in new forms of design exploration. From this race, two prominent methodologies have developed from Associative Design approach – Object-Oriented Design (OOD) and Algorithm-Aided Design (AAD). The primary research objective is to investigate, examine, and push boundaries between OOD and AAD for new design space determination, where advantages of both design methods are fused to produce a new generation methodology which is called in the present study AID (Algorithm-aided Information Design). The study methodology is structured into two flows. In the first flow, existing CAD methodologies are investigated, and the conceptual framework is extracted based on the state of art analysis, then analysed data is synthesized into the subject proposal. In the second flow, tools and workflows are elaborated and examined on practice to confirm the subject proposal. In compliance, the content of the research consists of two theoretical and practical parts. In the first theoretical part, a literature review is conducted, and assumptions are made to speculate about AID methodology, its tools, possible advantages and drawbacks. Next, case studies are performed according to sequential stages of digital design through the lens of practical AID methodology implementation. Case studies are covering such design aspects as model & documentation generation, design automation, interoperability, manufacturing control, performance analysis and optimization. Ultimately, a set of test projects is developed with the AID methodology applied. After the practical part, research returns to the theory where analytical information is gathered based on the literature review, conceptual framework, and experimental practice reports. In summary, the study synthesizes AID methodology as part of Hybrid Design, which enables creative use of tools and elaborating of agile design systems integrating additive and associative methodologies of Digital Design. In general, the study is based on agile methods and cyclic research development mixed between practice and theory to achieve a comprehensive vision of the subject.Last three decades have brought colossal progress to design methodologies within the common pursuit toward a seamless fusion between digital and physical worlds and augmenting it with the of computation power and network coverage. For this historically short period, two generations of methodologies and tools have emerged: Additive generation and parametric Associative generation of CAD. Currently, designers worldwide engaged in new forms of design exploration. From this race, two prominent methodologies have developed from Associative Design approach – Object-Oriented Design (OOD) and Algorithm-Aided Design (AAD). The primary research objective is to investigate, examine, and push boundaries between OOD and AAD for new design space determination, where advantages of both design methods are fused to produce a new generation methodology which is called in the present study AID (Algorithm-aided Information Design). The study methodology is structured into two flows. In the first flow, existing CAD methodologies are investigated, and the conceptual framework is extracted based on the state of art analysis, then analysed data is synthesized into the subject proposal. In the second flow, tools and workflows are elaborated and examined on practice to confirm the subject proposal. In compliance, the content of the research consists of two theoretical and practical parts. In the first theoretical part, a literature review is conducted, and assumptions are made to speculate about AID methodology, its tools, possible advantages and drawbacks. Next, case studies are performed according to sequential stages of digital design through the lens of practical AID methodology implementation. Case studies are covering such design aspects as model & documentation generation, design automation, interoperability, manufacturing control, performance analysis and optimization. Ultimately, a set of test projects is developed with the AID methodology applied. After the practical part, research returns to the theory where analytical information is gathered based on the literature review, conceptual framework, and experimental practice reports. In summary, the study synthesizes AID methodology as part of Hybrid Design, which enables creative use of tools and elaborating of agile design systems integrating additive and associative methodologies of Digital Design. In general, the study is based on agile methods and cyclic research development mixed between practice and theory to achieve a comprehensive vision of the subject