Women outperform men in remembering to remember

The study of gender differences in prospective memory (i.e., remembering to remember) has received modest attention in the literature. The few reported studies investigating either subjective or objective evaluations of prospective memory have shown inconsistent data. In this study, we aimed to verify the presence of gender differences during the performance of an objective prospective memory test by considering the weight of specific variables such as length of delay, type of response, and type of cue. We submitted a sample of 100 healthy Italian participants (50 men and 50 women) to a test expressly developed to assess prospective memory: The Memory for Intentions Screening Test. Women performed better than men in remembering to do an event-based task (i.e., prompted by an external event) and when the task required a physical response modality. We discuss the behavioural differences that emerged by considering the possible role of sociological, biological, neuroanatomical, and methodological variables

European Atlas of Natural Radiation

Natural ionizing radiation is considered as the largest contributor to the collective effective dose received by the world population. The human population is continuously exposed to ionizing radiation from several natural sources that can be classified into two broad categories: high-energy cosmic rays incident on the Earth’s atmosphere and releasing secondary radiation (cosmic contribution); and radioactive nuclides generated during the formation of the Earth and still present in the Earth’s crust (terrestrial contribution). Terrestrial radioactivity is mostly produced by the uranium and thorium radioactive families together with potassium. In most circumstances, radon, a noble gas produced in the radioactive decay of uranium, is the most important contributor to the total dose. This Atlas aims to present the current state of knowledge of natural radioactivity, by giving general background information, and describing its various sources. This reference material is complemented by a collection of maps of Europe displaying the levels of natural radioactivity caused by different sources. It is a compilation of contributions and reviews received from more than 80 experts in their field: they come from universities, research centres, national and European authorities and international organizations. This Atlas provides reference material and makes harmonized datasets available to the scientific community and national competent authorities. In parallel, this Atlas may serve as a tool for the public to: • familiarize itself with natural radioactivity; • be informed about the levels of natural radioactivity caused by different sources; • have a more balanced view of the annual dose received by the world population, to which natural radioactivity is the largest contributor; • and make direct comparisons between doses from natural sources of ionizing radiation and those from man-made (artificial) ones, hence to better understand the latter.JRC.G.10-Knowledge for Nuclear Security and Safet

European Atlas of Natural Radiation

Natural ionizing radiation is considered as the largest contributor to the collective effective dose received by the world population. The human population is continuously exposed to ionizing radiation from several natural sources that can be classified into two broad categories: high-energy cosmic rays incident on the Earth’s atmosphere and releasing secondary radiation (cosmic contribution); and radioactive nuclides generated during the formation of the Earth and still present in the Earth’s crust (terrestrial contribution). Terrestrial radioactivity is mostly produced by the uranium and thorium radioactive families together with potassium. In most circumstances, radon, a noble gas produced in the radioactive decay of uranium, is the most important contributor to the total dose.This Atlas aims to present the current state of knowledge of natural radioactivity, by giving general background information, and describing its various sources. This reference material is complemented by a collection of maps of Europe displaying the levels of natural radioactivity caused by different sources. It is a compilation of contributions and reviews received from more than 80 experts in their field: they come from universities, research centres, national and European authorities and international organizations.This Atlas provides reference material and makes harmonized datasets available to the scientific community and national competent authorities. In parallel, this Atlas may serve as a tool for the public to: • familiarize itself with natural radioactivity;• be informed about the levels of natural radioactivity caused by different sources;• have a more balanced view of the annual dose received by the world population, to which natural radioactivity is the largest contributor;• and make direct comparisons between doses from natural sources of ionizing radiation and those from man-made (artificial) ones, hence to better understand the latter.Additional information at: https://remon.jrc.ec.europa.eu/About/Atlas-of-Natural-Radiatio

Le strategie di sostenibilita' nel settore della moda: luxury e fast fashion a confronto

Sostenibilità è una parola che al giorno d’oggi è entrata nel linguaggio di tutti, ma dovremmo chiederci se davvero comprendiamo la sua importanza, se conosciamo gli impatti dell’uomo sul nostro pianeta e se realmente sappiamo quanto sia essenziale prendersi cura del nostro ecosistema. È ormai un’esigenza urgente del nostro pianeta a cui le aziende e i sistemi produttivi sono arrivati sicuramente in ritardo e per riuscire a progredire verso un sistema produttivo che sia sostenibile è essenziale una collaborazione di tutti i settori, a partire da quelli più inquinanti, come quello della moda, in cui l’attenzione verso l’ambiente assume un ruolo dominante. La moda è un settore fondato sulle tendenze del momento e proprio per questa continua ricerca dell’ultimo modello uscito, il prodotto ha un ciclo di vita molto breve, a volte anche di poche settimane, con un conseguente accumulo di rifiuti troppo elevati, spesso non biodegradabili. L’elevato spreco di materie prime, la difficoltà a garantire il riciclo di una massa così grande di rifiuti, l’impiego intensivo di risorse naturali nei processi produttivi rendono evidente perché la moda sia uno dei settori più inquinanti al mondo. Basta fare alcuni semplici esempi: per coltivare 2Kg di cotone, che sono sufficienti per un unico paio di jeans, sono necessari 11.000 litri di acqua; ogni anno si parla di più di 98 milioni di tonnellate di risorse non rinnovabili utilizzate nella moda, tra cui il petrolio per la produzione di fibre sintetiche, i fertilizzanti per le piantagioni di cotone e i prodotti chimici per la produzione, la tintura e il trattamento di fibre e tessuti. Se questo non bastasse ancora per comprendere l’urgenza di un cambiamento, potremmo aggiungere anche i 93 miliardi di metri cubi di acqua utilizzati, ma anche l’emissione di circa 1,2 miliardi di tonnellate di CO2 e il rilascio di 500 mila tonnellate di fibre microplastiche negli oceani ogni anno. Secondo un rapporto della Ellen MacArthur Foundation, una fondazione statunitense che dal 2010 si occupa di far comprendere le esigenze del pianeta alle aziende, i dati confermano che le emissioni di gas serra prodotte dal settore tessile superano addirittura quelle del trasporto marittimo e dell’aviazione internazionale messi insieme. Se non c’è un’inversione di rotta, si prevede che entro il 2050 le emissioni del settore della moda potrebbero rappresentare ¼ delle emissioni mondiali di carbonio. Nel settore della moda negli ultimi anni si è assistito anche ad un’accelerazione dei processi produttivi a causa del fenomeno del Fast Fashion, caratterizzato dall’offrire continuamente prodotti di tendenza a basso prezzo. Questo nuovo modello produttivo, che non ha potuto che aggravare ancora di più la situazione, si contrappone allo Slow Fashion, ossia una produzione più lenta che mira a realizzare capi di alta qualità durevoli nel tempo, una produzione che corrisponde al settore Luxury. Nel presente lavoro ho ritenuto interessante analizzare le strategie di sostenibilità lungo le operations della moda e comprendere come il Luxury e il Fast Fashion integrassero la sostenibilità all’interno dei loro sistemi aziendali individuando due gruppi leader nel settore: il gruppo Kering per il settore Luxury ed il gruppo H&M per il settore del Fast Fashion. I risultati dell’analisi hanno evidenziato, come potevamo immaginare, una maggiore sostenibilità del gruppo Kering. È opportuno però specificare che H&M, nonostante sia un gruppo che segue il modello di business del Fast Fashion, si impegna per continuare a migliorare anno dopo anno contribuendo così a rendere la moda un settore sostenibile

Assessment and management of vegetation and green areas ti prevent damage caused by extreme weather events

In the last five years, our country has experienced a gradual increase in extreme weather events, as floods, landslides, hurricanes and typhoons, storm surges, droughts and long periods of heat or frost. Extreme weather events (climate change?) have periodically repeated that can no longer be considered contingent and their frequency is going to increase. In this new climate contest, the vegetation can play important and different roles. During storms and flooding, trees can become dangerous falling for the tipping of the root plate or for the breaking of branches and stems. On the contrary, vegetation can filter stormwater pollution and regulate runoff, green areas can facilitate water infiltration with the realization of bio-retention gardens, green roofs, constructed wetlands and grassed swales. In this scenario, the proposed study concerns two topics: a) Assessment and prevention of the instability of the trees, in general and in particular the pines which are elements of identity of the coastal landscape and not only, with innovative methods such as the use of sensors and simulation software, cabling and bracing that can preserve the existing trees and alert municipalities before their fall. b) Process analysis and simulation models to assess the influence of different green constructions on biodiversity, stormwater retention, runoff process and water pollution filtration. The final objectives will be to get some models of green assessment and managing for the urban environment risk mitigation

Architecture inspired by Artificial Life: a sustainable and adaptive treehouses ecosystem in the Chilean forest

A project is presented in which ideas from Artificial Life are used to inform Architecture. The case study is the design of an ecoturism treehouses complex in the Chilean forest. The region of interest is located in the south-central Chile (Villarica, Araucaria Region), characterized by natural landscapes (native forests, lakes, volcanoes). The forest represents the main entity to deal with in our design process, and an important source of inspiration: a living macro-organism hosting many individual ecosystems (most notably, trees). Accordingly, we view our treehouses complex as an organism of networked and interconnected cells: the housing units. The whole complex lives in a symbiotic interaction with the forest. Each unit is self-sufficient but networked with others, in order to share resources (water, energy) harvested from the environment. Units are to be scattered in the area of interested, with an equilibrium between dispersion and interconnection. We are currently investigating the use of Cellular Automata (CA) to devise their spatial distribution. CA are being evolved so that the final, emergent, planning accommodates different requirements. As biological cells, units are considered living and adaptive organisms. They depend on the forest for energy supply, shelter and structural support. They will be made of sustainable materials: wood coming from the forest itself represents an optimal choice (no transport costs and pollution). The addition of other biodegradable materials is being considered as well, such as textiles (covering) and cellulose (insulation). Each unit is thus temporary and biodegradable. The design process of the houses is performed within physical simulations, and is based on evolutionary and developmental processes. Each cell is born as a plastic entity, positioned at a predefined location. It then grows according to a developmental process guided by environmental stimuli, the parameters of such a process being devised by evolution. The living unit will try to reach out the open sky, finding its way amid the tree branches in order to maximize incoming sunlight and water, while establishing connections with nearby entities in order to exchange resources. A support structure will develop similarly to the cytoskeleton of living cells, exploiting trees as external structural support. Appendages withstanding mechanical load will be kept and strengthened, while others will be removed. Digital fabrication methodologies will be put in place in order to build the units on site (CNC machines, robotic arms). Units will maintain their adaptivity even once deployed in the actual environment, during their lifetime. Some parts of the houses will be able to move and adapt to stimuli in order to maximize efficiency and improve self-sustainability. They will orient towards sunlight, maximize the amount of collected water, adapt their shape to minimize wind resistance, and react to actions and habits of the visitors by adjusting both the interiors and the exteriors. The control required by these adaptive mechanisms will exploit the house itself as a computational resource (morphological computation). All this will bring integration and sustainability to unprecedented levels, with this living architectural complex representing an additional attraction for the visitors