Text-based Semantic Annotation Service for Multimedia Content in the Esperonto project

Within the Esperonto project, an integration of NLP, ontologies and other knowledge bases, is being performed with the goal to implement a semantic annotation service that upgrades the actual Web towards the emerging Semantic Web. Research is being currently conducted on how to apply the Esperonto semantic annotation service to text material associated with still images in web pages. In doing so, the project will allow for semantic querying of still images in the web, but also (automatically) create a large set of text-based semantic annotations of still images, which can be used by the Multimedia community in order to support the task of content indexing of image material, possibly combining the Esperonto type of annotations with the annotations resulting from image analysis

Gametophytic selection for early maturity in tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill)

The feasibility of applying low temperature as a screen for selecting early gametes during pollination of tomato flowers was investigated. Pollen germination and tube growth on solidified agar were evaluated at 8, 15, or 25 C after 6, 12, 18, or 24 hours of incubation for two early-, two intermediate-, and two late-maturing tomato cultivars. Pollen from early cultivars showed superior germination and tube growth at 25 C, whereas pollen germination and tube growth of late cultivars were greatest at 15 C. Pollen germination and tube growth of the two early and two late cultivars were evaluated at three (three hour incubation) or five (six hour incubation) temperatures between 10 and 16 C. The relationships between temperature and in vitro pollen germination or tube growth fit a second degree polynomial for all cultivars. The relationship between optimal temperatures for pollen germination and tube growth and the maturity of the cultivar was further investigated by placing pollen from early and late cultivars on intermediate-maturing females and exposing plants to 25 C day/20 C night and 15 C day/10 C night temperatures. Low temperature pollen germination and tube growth rate for all cultivars, regardless of maturity class. To simulate a population of segregating gametes, pollen mixtures from early and late cultivars were applied to intermediate females under normal and low temperatures. After 48 or 72 hours, styles of pollinated pistils were cut. Low temperatures severely reduced percent fruit set and number of seeds per fruit. However, pollen of early-maturing cultivars had no competitive advantage at either temperature. Hybrids from crosses of similar and different maturity classes were artificially self-pollinated under low and normal temperatures, and after 72 or 96 hours, styles were cut. Low temperature self-pollinations reduced percent fruit set and number of seeds per fruit. Field comparisons of F\sb2 populations derived from low and normal temperature self-pollinations revealed no significant shifts in earliness. Under low or normal pollination temperatures, in vitro pollen germination and tube growth did not correspond to in vivo germination and tube growth. Furthermore, the gametophytic selection scheme used did not cause significant shifts in maturity

Chlorophyll signatures and nutrient cycles in the Mediterranean Sea: a model sensitivity study to nitrogen and phosphorus atmospheric inputs

International audienceIn this work, the relative importance of nitrogen and phosphorus, considered as external loads, on Mediterranean biogeochemical cycles is evaluated. Biomass concentrations are analysed considering the steady state response of the three-dimensional ECHYM model to three nitrogen and phosphorus atmospheric depositions, considered as continuous in time. After reaching stationary evolutions, chlorophyll surficial maps and vertical transects are compared with existing datasets, showing a good agreement at their large scale sampling. The distributions of nutrients within the biochemical compartments are analysed, highlighting, inside the Mediterranean oligotrophic environment, the role played by ultraplankton, the smaller phytoplankton compartment. For all the three different atmospheric loads, western primary production estimation is about twice than that in the eastern basin, while western secondary production is about three times the eastern one. This numerical exercise suggests that the Eastern Mediterranean, cycling at low nutrient sill, is eventually pushed toward an higher nutrient depletion, when loading new nitrogen and phosphorus

Reduced-order optimal interpolation for biomass assimilation

International audienceThe analysis of the evolution of the chemical and biological characteristics of the Mediterranean marine ecosystem requires an integrated approach. Consistently, an ecosystem description, embedded in the MFSTEP one eighth degree three-dimensional general circulation model, is tested and used following a twin experiment approach. The ecosystem model is based on the NPZD trophic chain: inorganic nitrogen, N, phytoplankton, P, zooplankton, Z and detritus, D. Assimilation of synthetic biomass data is performed by means of the reduced-order optimal interpolation system SOFA. The synthetic "sea-truth" data are daily averages obtained from a sixty-nine days reference run (RR). The twin experiments consist in performing two runs: a free run (FR) with wrong summer-depleted phytoplankton initial conditions and an assimilated run (AR), in which, starting from the same FR wrong phytoplankton concentrations, weekly averaged surface biomasses extracted from the RR results are assimilated. The comparison of the FR results with the AR ones shows a good convergence, on a basin Mediterranean scale, confirming improvements of the forecasting in each of the four ecological compartments. Regional trophic regimes are analysed and interpreted in the western and eastern Mediterranean subbasins, for explaining the deteriorating behaviour of the total nitrogen

Simulating biomass assimilation in a Mediterranean ecosystem model using SOFA: setup and identical twin experiments

Assessing the potential improvement of basin scale ecosystem forecasting for the Mediterranean Sea requires biochemical data assimilation techniques. To this aim, a feasibility study of surface biomass assimilation is performed following an identical twin experiment approach. NPZD ecosystem data generator, embedded in one eighth degree general circulation model, is integrated with the reduced-order optimal interpolation System for Ocean Forecasting and Analysis. <P> The synthetic &quot;sea-truth&quot; data are winter daily averages obtained from the control run (CR). The twin experiments consist in performing two runs: the free run (FR) with summer-depleted phytoplankton initial conditions and the assimilated run (AR), in which, starting from the same FR phytoplankton concentrations, weekly surface biomasses averaged from the CR data are assimilated. The FR and AR initial conditions modify the winter bloom state of the phytoplankton all over the basin and reduce the total nitrogen, i.e.&nbsp;the energy of the biochemical ecosystem. <P> The results of this feasibility study shows good performance of the system in the case of phytoplankton, zooplankton, detritus and surface inorganic nitrogen. The weak results in the case of basin inorganic nitrogen and total nitrogen, the latter nonperformant at surface, are discussed

Intrauterine growth restriction and later cardiovascular function

Intrauterine growth restriction is one of the most common obstetric conditions, affecting 7-10% of fetuses. Affected fetuses are actually exposed in utero to an adverse environment during the highly critical time of development and may face life-long health consequences such as increased cardiovascular risk in adulthood. Already in utero, fetuses affected by growth restriction show remodeled hearts with signs of systolic and diastolic dysfunction. Cardiovascular remodeling persist into postnatal life, from the neonatal period to adolescence, suggesting a primary fetal cardiac programming that might explain the increased cardiovascular risk later in life. In this review we summarize the current evidence on fetal cardiovascular programming in fetuses affected by growth restriction, its consequences later and possible strategies from which they could benefit to reduce their cardiovascular risk

La gestione del ciclo della performance in contesti critici. Il caso del Comune di Castel Volturno

2015 - 2016La valutazione della performance del personale delle pubbliche amministrazioni è un tema che, anche se con alternanza, non ha mai perso di interesse e sul quale il D.Lgs. 150/2009 (cd. Riforma Brunetta) ha riacceso i riflettori a partire dal secondo decennio del nuovo millennio. La funzione di valutazione racchiude l’esercizio concreto di un’attività, il che presuppone il possesso di competenze, capacità professionale e conoscenze specifiche in capo al soggetto a cui è attribuita. Tale attività viene esercitata mediante procedure rigorose e codificate ed è destinata a fornire un giudizio su competenze, comportamenti e contributi espressi da un soggetto, ovvero da un insieme di soggetti che operano in maniera coordinata. Si tratta, quindi, di un procedimento che viene diretto da un organo interno all’ amministrazione istituito per misurare e valutare un risultato atteso correlato alla soddisfazione dei bisogni per i quali la stessa amministrazione è stata costituita senza trascurare di verificare le modalità con le quali il risultato è stato raggiungimento. Per come impostata la disciplina e ancor di più, per le finalità volute dal legislatore del 2009, l’implementazione del procedimento valutativo, che coinvolge allo stesso modo e con la stessa intensità singoli soggetti, singole strutture e intera amministrazione, si concretizza in una fase di valutazione che si presta ad essere misurata e gestita. Nelle pubbliche amministrazioni di ridotte dimensioni, corrispondenti anche storicamente ai comuni, la misurazione e la gestione della performance non riscontra agevolmente alle finalità e agli obiettivi della norma e non riesce quasi mai a porre in evidenza le potenzialità dell’individuo. Gli interessi, i diritti ed i soggetti coinvolti sono diversi per ruolo e per responsabilità così come le amministrazioni interessate dal processo in argomento. All’inizio è sembrato che il legislatore del 2009 non avesse fatto altro che uniformare gli ambiti di interesse della misurazione e della valutazione per tutte le pubbliche amministrazioni indicando i criteri da seguire e configurato ciclicamente l’attività che ciascuno dei soggetti coinvolti doveva svolgere. La realtà ha mostrato uno scenario diverso e per certi versi inaspettato. Infatti, anche se da un lato, come detto, sembra che sia stato semplicemente ripreso il discorso sulla performance del personale delle pubbliche amministrazioni, in concreto, rispetto al passato, l’interesse del cittadino è stato notevolmente sollecitato. Da qui la ricerca della motivazione che ha accresciuto la curiosità e l’interesse del cittadino, non escludendo che più che una vera e propria motivazione o di una causa, potrebbe semplicemente trattarsi di un effetto collaterale derivante dal fatto che la riforma prevede per la stessa performance trasparenza e rendicontazione. Parte del lavoro di ricerca è dedicato alla individuazione delle limitazioni alla corretta gestione del ciclo della performance causate dai processi di riforma della pubblica amministrazione con particolare riferimento a quella locale. Con l’elaborato si analizzano i condizionamenti che il processo di valutazione della performance può subire in relazione del contesto più o meno critico in cui viene attivato e si cerca di individuare quei fattori interni ed esterni che, se da un lato avvicinano il cittadino e le varie categorie di stakeholder al pubblico dipendente, dall’altro condizionano l’intero ciclo della performance, fino a vanificarne le finalità. Da qui la considerazione che gli stakeholder interni e quelli esterni, interessati e/o comunque coinvolti dall’argomento performance, assumono connotati e caratteristiche diverse a seconda dell’amministrazione pubblica con cui interagiscono o a cui appartengono. Ciò vuol dire, quindi, che quando si tratta l’argomento performance senza una profonda conoscenza del settore pubblico e dei suoi interlocutori, si corre il rischio di perdere il filo del discorso, di generalizzare e di non giungere ad alcuna osservazione, considerazione, conclusione propositiva o quanto meno di interesse. Non è che non esistono elementi che accomunano tutte le pubbliche amministrazione che fanno credere nella possibilità di un’applicazione uniforme del Ciclo della Performance, come d’altronde vuole il dettato normativo, come ad esempio: la presenza di almeno due soggetti, il valutato e il valutatore, di un sistema di valutazione comunemente chiamato metodologia o sistema permanente di valutazione così come la previsione di premialità da attribuire ai soggetti valutati. L’elaborato prenderà in esame alcuni aspetti critici particolari che interessano solo una tipologia di pubblica amministrazione, quella locale: lo scioglimento dell’organo di governo per mafia e lo stato di dissesto finanziario valutandone effetti e ricadute sul procedimento di valutazione, nonchè sull’adeguatezza e sulla conformità dello strumento adottato dall’ente per misurare e valutare la performance. Il lavoro comprende un practice case attraverso il quale viene data un lettura all’attività di gestione della performance in un contesto critico rappresentato dal Comune di Castel Volturno situato in provincia di Caserta. Un contesto del tutto particolare, unico nel suo genere, rappresentato dall’assenza, in quel periodo, di un organo di indirizzo politico-amministrativo elettivo, in quanto l’ente in un primo momento commissariato, è stato sciolto per mafia e contemporaneamente dichiarato in dissesto finanziario, una condizione atipica capace di condizionare i processi valutativi ed al contempo di limitare l’efficacia degli strumenti di valutazione in rapporto alle finalità della riforma Brunetta. [a cura dell'autore]The staff assessment of the performance of public administrations is an issue that, although with alternating, never lost interest and on which the Legislative Decree no. 150/2009 (cd. Brunetta Reform) has rekindled the spotlight from the second decade of the new millennium. The evaluation function includes the practical exercise of an activity, which requires the possession of skills, professional skills and specific knowledge on the part of the subject to which it is attached. This activity is exercised by means of strict procedures and encoded and is intended to provide a review of skills, behaviors and contributions expressed by one person, or by a set of entities that operate in a coordinated manner. It is, therefore, a procedure which is directed by an all 'administration internal organ established to measure and evaluate an expected result related to the satisfaction of the needs for which the same administration was formed without neglecting to verify the manner in which the result was achieved. To set as the discipline and even more so, for the purposes intended by the legislator of 2009, the implementation of the evaluation procedure, which involves the same way and with the same intensity individual subjects, individual structures and entire administration, is constituted by a phase evaluation that lends itself to be measured and managed. In public small administrations, also historically corresponding to municipalities, measurement and performance management does not find easily the aims and objectives of the standard and almost never fails to highlight the potential of the individual. The interests, rights and those involved are different positions and responsibilities as well as the administrations concerned by the process in question. At first it seemed that the legislator of 2009 had only served to unify the areas of interest of the measurement and evaluation for all public administrations indicating the criteria to be cyclically follow and set up the activities that each of the parties involved had to play. Reality has shown a different scenario and in some ways unexpected. In fact, even if on the one hand, as mentioned, seems to have been simply taken the conversation on the performance of public administration staff in practice than in the past, the interest of the citizen has been greatly stressed. Hence the quest for motivation that has increased the curiosity and interest of the citizen, not excluding the possibility that more than a real justification or a cause, it may just be a side effect of the fact that the reform provides for the same transparency and performance reporting. Part of the research is dedicated to the identification of limitations to the proper management of the performance cycle caused by the public administration reform process with particular reference to the local one. With the elaborate analyzes the conditions that the performance appraisal process may suffer in connection with the more or less critical context in which it is activated and one tries to identify those internal and external factors that, if on the one hand approaching the citizen and the various categories of stakeholders to the public employee, on the other hand affect the entire cycle of the performance, up to nullify the purpose. Hence the consideration that internal stakeholders and external, interested and / or involved performances by the argument, assume connotations and different characteristics depending of the public with whom they interact, or to which they belong. This means, then, that when it comes to the topic performance without a deep knowledge of the public sector and its stakeholders, you run the risk of losing their train of thought, to generalize and not to come to any observation, consideration, conclusion purposeful or at least interest. It is not that there are no elements that unite all public administration that they believe in the possibility of a uniform application of the Cycle of Performance, as indeed wants the provision of the law, such as: the presence of at least two subjects, the estimated and the evaluator, a methodology commonly called permanent evaluation system or evaluation system as well as prediction of premiums attributable to the rated entities. The paper will examine some particular critical issues that affect only one type of public administration, the local one: the dissolution of the governing mafia and the state of financial distress assessing effects and impact on the assessment procedure, as well as the adequacy and compliance of the instrument adopted by the body to measure and evaluate performance. The work includes a practice through which houses a reading performance management activity is given in a critical context represented by the Municipality of Castel Volturno located in the province of Caserta. A very particular context, one of a kind, represented by the absence, at that time, an organ of political and administrative elective address, because the body at first police station, was dissolved for mafia and simultaneously declared financial difficulties, an unusual condition that can affect the valuation processes and at the same time to limit the effectiveness of the assessment tools in relation to the Brunetta reform purposes. [edited by author]XV n.

Some Textual and Factual Discrepancies in James Joyce's Ulysses: The Blooms’ Several “First Nights”

This essay investigates how in Ulysses James Joyce created several textual, biographical, temporal, and topographical discrepancies at the narrative origin of Leopold Bloom and Molly Tweedy’s life together. The textual and contextual evidence indicates that there were two (or possibly more) “first nights” ― different firsts on different evenings ― for the soon to be Blooms. This is one of the many instances in the book when the “facts” in the fiction ― as well as some of the seemingly analogous facts outside the novel ― do not cohere. The genetic study of this kind of temporal and spatial slippage in the book’s purportedly coherent texture challenges readers’ preconceptions about the fixity of the character’s life-stories in the narrative and uncovers some of the ways in which Joyce relied on the names and some facts derived from the lives of real people in a variety of often unexpected ways to create the life-stories of his fictional characters