Chapter Unsupervised spatial data mining for the development of future scenarios: a Covid-19 application

In the context of Futures Studies, the scenario development process permits to make assumptions on what the futures can be in order to support better today decisions. In the initial stages of the scenario building (Framing and Scanning phases), the process requires much time and efforts to scanning data and information (reading of documents, literature review and consultation of experts) to understand more about the object of the foresight study. The daily use of social networks causes an exponential increase of data and for this reason here we deal with the problem of speeding up and optimizing the Scanning phase by applying a new combined method based on the analysis of tweets with the use of unsupervised classification models, text-mining and spatial data mining techniques. For the purpose of having a qualitative overview, we applied the bag-of-words model and a Sentiment Analysis with the Afinn and Vader algorithms. Then, in order to extrapolate the influence factors, and the relevant key factors (Kayser and Blind, 2017; 2020) the Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA) was used (Tong and Zhang, 2016). Furthermore, to acquire also spatial information we used spatial data mining technique to extract georeferenced data from which it was possible to analyse and obtain a geographic analysis of the data. To showcase our method, we provide an example using Covid-19 tweets (Uhl and Schiebel, 2017), upon which 5 topics and 6 key factors have been extracted. In the last instance, for each influence factor, a cartogram was created through the relative frequencies in order to have a spatial distribution of the users discussing each particular topic. The results fully answer the research objectives and the model used could be a new approach that can offer benefits in the scenario developments process

Designing Sounds Means Designing Relationships

In this article we propose the perspective of relationship as a conceptual approach to the discipline of sound design. Based on literature reviews and case studies, we state that making sound design means designing relationships, even before sounds, and we propose to include this expression in the current definitions of the sound design discipline. Moreover, we observe that sound design practices can be inscribed in more than one relational perspective, thus widening the scope of sound design possibilities. This multi-perspective view of sound as the barycentre of a relationship system becomes a useful analysis and design tool: it allows sound designers to investigate the complex problems of contemporary projects, aiming toward fruitful and unexpected design directions

Progetto di recupero urbano e architettonico del Policlinico Universitario S. Orsola - Malpighi

Il Policlinico Universitario Sant’Orsola-Malpighi si configura come un sistema di rilevanza strategica sia nel contesto urbano bolognese sia in quello culturale e scientifico della Città Universitaria. Infatti, la storia del Policlinico è strettamente legata alla crescita demografica cittadina, e il suo sviluppo scientifico è stato alimentato dagli stimoli provenienti dalla ricerca accademica. Nato al di fuori delle mura, a seguito all’espansione urbana avvenuta nei secoli, il Policlinico si trova oggi a occupare una porzione centrale della città. La configurazione attuale è caratterizzata da una stratificazione di interventi, modifiche e ampliamenti che ne rendono meno semplice la fruibilità e che ostacolano possibili sviluppi. Il lavoro proposto nella tesi parte da un’analisi urbana per evidenziare e quantificare le relazioni che intercorrono tra il comparto del Sant’Orsola e il resto della città. L’analisi viene sviluppata attraverso le teorie formulate da Bill Hillier sulla Space Syntax per creare mappe che consentono di evidenziare queste relazioni. La stessa metodologia viene applicata a una scala minore per valutare la qualità del sistema di connessioni interne al comparto. Viene sviluppato un modello per visualizzare i flussi e vengono redatte tavole tematiche per analizzare i punti di forza e le criticità del sistema. Viene di seguito formulata una proposta di intervento per la riqualificazione urbana dell’area. L’intervento ha un duplice obiettivo: intervenire sulla viabilità proponendo un approccio sostenibile e accentrare le attività didattiche e di ricerca creando un nuovo Polo Universitario. La proposta prevede la realizzazione di un nuovo padiglione dedicato alla didattica e il trasferimento dei Dipartimenti della Scuola di Medicina e Chirurgia presso il Padiglione 11. contestualmente alla Torre Biomedica, verrà a costituirsi un sistema – ricerca, didattica e amministrazione – che si integrerà con l’attività assistenziale del policlinico

Digital Fashion Technologies & Practices: Design Driven Sustainable Transition in Fashion Industry

Contemporary clothing manufacturing, purchasing and consumption models have made the fashion industry the second most polluting industrial sector. This contribution aims at analysing promising technologies, methodologies and practices that are tackling environmental sustainability issues related to the fast-fashion industry. The contribution analyses how, leveraging on technology innovation, the combination of tangible processes, such as the selection of production means and materials, and intangible practices, such as digital fashion, designers can contribute to the sustainable transition of the fast-fashion sector mediating between customer expectations, production economy constrains and environmental sustainability

Cognitive Rehabilitation for Executive Dysfunction in Parkinson's Disease: Application and Current Directions

Cognitive dysfunction in Parkinson's disease contributes to disability, caregiver strain, and diminished quality of life. Cognitive rehabilitation, a behavioral approach to improve cognitive skills, has potential as a treatment option to improve and maintain cognitive skills and increase quality of life for those with Parkinson's disease-related cognitive dysfunction. Four cognitive rehabilitation programs in individuals with PD are identified from the literature. Characteristics of the programs and outcomes are reviewed and critiqued. Current studies on cognitive rehabilitation in PD demonstrate feasibility and acceptability of a cognitive rehabilitation program for patients with PD, but are limited by their small sample size and data regarding generalization of effects over the long term. Because PD involves progressive heterogeneous physical, neurological, and affective difficulties, future cognitive rehabilitation programs should aim for flexibility and individualization, according to each patient's strengths and deficits

One future or many? November 14, 15, and 16, 2002

This repository item contains a single issue of the Pardee Conference Series, a publication series that began publishing in 2006 by the Boston University Frederick S. Pardee Center for the Study of the Longer-Range Future. This was the Center's 2nd annual Conference that took place during November 14, 15, and 16, 2002.The conference brought together some 30 experts from various disciplines to discuss whether the trajectories of the future will be ‘global’ or ‘regional’ in nature. Different panels looks at the future trajectories for Europe, the Western Hemisphere, Central Asia and the Former Soviet Union, and on Asia and in each case the discussion looked at the relative importance of the regional and of global dynamics on teh forces shaping the future of these regions.Carnegie Council on Ethics and International Affair

Theories of International Regimes

Over the last decade, international regimes have become a major focus of empirical research and theoretical debate within international relations. This article provides a critical review of this literature. We survey contending definitions of regimes and suggest dimensions along which regimes vary over time or across cases; these dimensions might be used to operationalize “regime change.” We then examine four approaches to regime analysis: structural, game-theoretic, functional, and cognitive. We conclude that the major shortcoming of the regimes literature is its failure to incorporate domestic politics adequately. We suggest a research program that begins with the central insights of the interdependence literature which have been ignored in the effort to construct “systemic” theory.Governmen

The US Dollar's Continuing Hegemony as an International Currency: A Double-matrix Analysis

The standard framework for debating the international currency system provides an opening to doubts about the dollar’s continuing hegemonic position because it provides an opening to doubts about the US’ ability to finance its external liabilities in the face of worsening economic fundamentals. This paper closes down these openings by adding to the usual matrix linking money’s international functions to two different types of agents, private and official, a second matrix linking money’s functions to two different types of commodities, material goods and services on the one hand and financial securities on the other. Once it is understood that bonds and equities are now not only types of funding instrument but also types of commodity whose use values to the world’s large investors are to serve as stores of value, it is then possible to understand why the huge size of the US capital markets will long continue to bind foreign investors to the dollar because it will be long before other capital markets will reach a comparable size