The trajectories of eugenics

Introduzione al numero monografico di Contemporanea intitolato "Present days-eugenics"

Trick or treat? Adaptation to Italian-accented English speech by native English, Italian, and Dutch listeners

English is spoken worldwide by both native (L1) and nonnative (L2) speakers. It is therefore imperative to establish how easily L1 and L2 speakers understand each other. We know that L1 listeners adapt to foreign-accented speech very rapidly (Clarke & Garrett, 2004), and L2 listeners find L2 speakers (from matched and mismatched L1 backgrounds) as intelligible as native speakers (Bent & Bradlow, 2003). But foreign-accented speech can deviate widely from L1 pronunciation norms, for example when adult L2 learners experience difficulties in producing L2 phonemes that are not part of their native repertoire (Strange, 1995). For instance, Italian L2 learners of English often lengthen the lax English vowel /I/, making it sound more like the tense vowel /i/ (Flege et al., 1999). This blurs the distinction between words such as bin and bean. Unless listeners are able to adapt to this kind of pronunciation variance, it would hinder word recognition by both L1 and L2 listeners (e.g., /bin/ could mean either bin or bean). In this study we investigate whether Italian-accented English interferes with on-line word recognition for native English listeners and for nonnative English listeners, both those where the L1 matches the speaker accent (i.e., Italian listeners) and those with an L1 mismatch (i.e., Dutch listeners). Second, we test whether there is perceptual adaptation to the Italian-accented speech during the experiment in each of the three listener groups. Participants in all groups took part in the same cross-modal priming experiment. They heard spoken primes and made lexical decisions to printed targets, presented at the acoustic offset of the prime. The primes, spoken by a native Italian, consisted of 80 English words, half with /I/ in their standard pronunciation but mispronounced with an /i/ (e.g., trick spoken as treek), and half with /i/ in their standard pronunciation and pronounced correctly (e.g., treat). These words also appeared as targets, following either a related prime (which was either identical, e.g., treat-treat, or mispronounced, e.g., treek-trick) or an unrelated prime. All three listener groups showed identity priming (i.e., faster decisions to treat after hearing treat than after an unrelated prime), both overall and in each of the two halves of the experiment. In addition, the Italian listeners showed mispronunciation priming (i.e., faster decisions to trick after hearing treek than after an unrelated prime) in both halves of the experiment, while the English and Dutch listeners showed mispronunciation priming only in the second half of the experiment. These results suggest that Italian listeners, prior to the experiment, have learned to deal with Italian-accented English, and that English and Dutch listeners, during the experiment, can rapidly adapt to Italian-accented English. For listeners already familiar with a particular accent (e.g., through their own pronunciation), it appears that they have already learned how to interpret words with mispronounced vowels. Listeners who are less familiar with a foreign accent can quickly adapt to the way a particular speaker with that accent talks, even if that speaker is not talking in the listeners’ native language

Neumann problems for nonlinear elliptic equations with L1L^1 data

In the present paper we prove existence results for solutions to nonlinear elliptic Neumann problems whose prototype is \begin{equation*} \begin{cases} -\Delta_{p} u -\text{div} (c(x)|u|^{p-2}u)) =f & \text{in}\ \Omega, \\ \left( |\nabla u|^{p-2}\nabla u+ c(x)|u|^{p-2}u \right)\cdot\underline n=0 & \text{on}\ \partial \Omega \,, \end{cases} \end{equation*} when $f$ is just a summable function. Our approach allows also to deduce a stability result for renormalized solutions and an existence result for operator with a zero order term

A computational assessment of the aerodynamic performance of a tilted Darrieus wind turbine

The aerodynamic performance of a Darrieus wind turbine operating with the rotation axis tilted with respect to the free-stream wind speed is investigated in this paper. An Unsteady Reynolds Averaged Navier Stokes (URANS) Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) model is proposed in order to provide wind turbine manufacturers with a reliable simulation tool to forecast the power conversion characteristics of vertical axis wind turbine prototypes that operate in tilted conditions. The outputs of the model are compared against experimental performance of a non-tilted rotor corrected to the standard sea level conditions. Two different tilted configurations are studied (i.e., a tilt angle of 10 and 20), and the aerodynamic performance are presented in terms of the mechanical power production and the power coecient. A sensible decrease in the power production is observed for increasing tilt angles. Comprehensive physical interpretations of the results are provided, considering also the predictions of a methodology based on semi-empirical methods

Characterization of FBK small-pitch 3D diodes after neutron irradiation up to 3.5x10**16 neq cm**-2

We report on the characterization by a position resolved laser system of small-pitch 3D diodes irradiated with neutrons up to an extremely high fluence of 3.5x10**16 neq cm**-2. We show that very high values of signal efficiency are obtained, in good agreement with the geometrical expectation based on the small values of the inter-electrode spacings, and also boosted by charge multiplication effects at high voltage. These results confirm the very high radiation tolerance of small-pitch 3D sensors well beyond the maximum fluences expected at the High Luminosity LHC.Comment: 10 pages, 7 figures, submitted to Proceedings of IWORID 2018 on JINS

Self and others in team-based learning: Acquiring teamwork skills for business

Team-based learning (TBL) was applied within a third-year unit of study about ethics and management with the aim of enhancing students’ teamwork skills. A survey used to collect students’ opinions about their experience with TBL provided insights about how TBL helped students to develop an appreciation for teamwork and team collaboration. The team skills acquired through TBL could strengthen job readiness for business

Eugenetica in democrazia. Uomini e topi: il discorso di Mariella Mehr all’Università di Basilea

Eugenics in democracy. Of mice and men: the discourse of Mariella Mehr at the Basel University From 1924 to 1973 a Swiss federal agency provided a eugenic project of national re-education of gypsies people, which was considered degenerated and dangerous for national community. Almost 6000 children were taken from their families, given in adoption, with the annulment of any relationship to their families, arriving in many cases at the reclusion in prison or psychiatric clinic, with the use of sterilization as the definitive disciplinary measure. This long standing eugenic project started to be criticized at the beginning of the Seventies, even by the public action of the poetess and writer Mariella Mehr, whose life has been harshly marked by this project. Twenty years later she received an honoury degree as a public recognition of giving voice to people who suffered the brutality of this project. That lectio magistralis, published here integrally for the first time, discusses with implacable and lucid words the role of knowledge and public institutions in conceiving and organizing this project and the persistence of eugenics and racist interpretations of gypsies, which had and still have deeply and resistant roots in the savants community, even after the fall of totalitarian regimes and in democratic contexts

Socioeconomic Impact of Changed Diet and Consequences for Norway’s Agriculture

This thesis examines the socioeconomic impact of a changed diet and its consequences for Norway's agriculture. The main objectives of this research are to assess the health benefits to society resulting from the adoption of the Norwegian Dietary Guidelines (NDG) and to analyze how this dietary shift affects the agricultural sector in Norway. The study utilizes data from the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) on Disability-Adjusted Life Years (DALYs) associated with dietary risk factors such as low intake of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, fish (Omega-3), and high intake of red meat. Additionally, the NORKOST 3 survey data was employed to compare individuals' current dietary patterns with the recommended diet outlined in the NDG. Using linear optimization techniques, three models were developed to determine the optimal quantities of the maximum diet compared to the current consumption (TMREL), the current consumption and the consumption according to the Norwegian Dietary Guidelines. The key findings reveal that switching to the diet recommended by the NDG brings economic benefits to society, as evidenced by an increase in overall utility. Moreover, adhering to the NDG leads to a freeing up of land space that can be used for cultivating more crop products instead of animal feed. These findings have significant implications, enabling households to make informed dietary decisions, informing health institutions about the role they play, and increasing awareness of the benefits associated with aligning diets with dietary recommendations. Overall, this research contributes to the field of study by providing insights into the socioeconomic impact of dietary changes and the implications for agriculture. It highlights the potential economic benefits to society, the potential for more sustainable land use, and the importance of promoting and adopting dietary recommendations for improved public health and agricultural practices