L'analisi del fabbisogno di energia elettrica e termica del parco edilizio esistente attraverso un sistema informativo geografico open source

Questo lavoro parte da un'analisi delle banche dati esistenti sulle caratteristiche del parco edilizio della Città di Torino con una correzione informatizzata dei dati, principalmente geometrici. Alcuni dati sono relativi al singolo edificio, altri, invece, si riferiscono alle sezioni di censimento, altri ancora vengono ricavati indirettamente dai dati esistenti. Vengono descritti i modelli di riferimento per il calcolo del fabbisogno termico ed elettrico che poi si applicano per poter effettuare delle valutazioni sul risparmio energetico sugli edifici. L'obiettivo di questo lavoro è quello di realizzare una procedura che possa poi essere estesa su tutto il territorio provinciale con un livello di approssimazione che dipende dalla disponibilità e qualità dei dati di partenza. Il software di georeferenziazione open source non verrà utilizzato solo per rappresentare dei dati ma anche per elaborare nuove informazioni, su cui poter condurre anche analisi statistiche. Ciò consentirà di poter valutare l'impatto delle politiche di risparmio energetico sul territorio

La potenzialità dei sistemi solari fotovoltaici integrati nelle coperture degli edifici con le tecniche GIS open source

Questo lavoro è stato sviluppato nell'ambito del progetto di ricerca europeo Cities on Power (CoP) con l'obiettivo di promuovere l'uso delle fonti energetiche rinnovabili nelle aree urbane. Attraverso la creazione di uno strumento interattivo si cerca di favorire la partecipazione dei cittadini al processo decisionale riguardante i nuovi modi di approvvigionamento energetico e quindi è stato scelto un software GIS open-source che, da un lato, è meno user-friendly ma consente un utilizzo gratuito per qualsiasi utente. I modelli di irradiazione solare presenti in letteratura vengono applicati al modello tridimensionale del territorio (che considera la pendenza e l'orientamento del terreno e le ostruzioni dovute alla presenza dei rilievi) a cui si aggiunge l'edificato con la diversa tipologia di copertura piana o a falde inclinate. Dall'irradiazione solare incidente si calcola l'energia elettrica producibile con le tecnologie fotovoltaiche attualmente disponibili sul mercato integrate sulle coperture degli edifici residenziali. La procedura viene quindi applicata su scala metropolitana per tutti gli edifici residenziali

Children\u2019s psychological representation of earthquakes: Analysis of written definitions and Rasch scaling

Natural disasters have a potential highly traumatic impact on psychological functioning. This is notably true for children, whose vulnerability depends on their level of cognitive and emotional development. Before formal schooling, children possess all the basic abilities to represent the phenomena of the world, including natural disasters. However, scarce attention has been paid to children\u2019s representation of earthquakes, notwithstanding its relevance for risk awareness and for the efficacy of prevention programs. We examined children\u2019s representation of earthquakes using different methodologies. One hundred and twenty-eight second- and fourth-graders completed a written definition task and an online recognition task, analyzed through the Rasch model. Findings from both tasks indicated that, in children\u2019s representation, natural elements such as geological ones were the most salient, followed by man-made elements, and then by person-related elements. Older children revealed a more complex representation of earthquakes, and this was detected through the online recognition task. The results are discussed taking into account their theoretical and applied relevance. Beyond advancing knowledge of the development of the representation of earthquakes, they also inform on strengths and limitations of different methodologies. Both aspects are key resources to develop prevention programs for fostering preparedness to natural disasters and emotional prevention

Big Five personality traits and coping strategies of Italian university students during the COVID-19 pandemic first wave

Little is known about the role personality traits may have played for university students in diminishing and compensating for the negative impact of COVID-19 in its early phases, promoting adaptive coping. University students represent a population which was consistently obliged to follow social distance rules due to the early shift of many organizations from face-to-face to online learning. Therefore, it is worth exploring whether the Big Five traits acted as risk or protective factors after the outbreak of a disaster such as the COVID-19 pandemic for Italian university students. We involved a sample of 2,995 university students who completed an online survey in March 2020. We measured the Big Five personality traits through the Big Five Inventory-2-XS (Soto and John, 2017) and their coping strategies through the Robust—Pandemic Coping Scale (Burro et al., 2021). The latter assessed four COVID-19-related coping dimensions, namely Despair (e.g., including helplessness and feeling lack of control), Aversion (e.g., referring to oppositive strategies), Proactivity (e.g., comprising problem solving and information seeking), and Adjustment (e.g., concerning reappraisal and assertiveness). Preliminarily, two Linear Mixed Models indicated that university students had higher scores in Conscientiousness, followed by Open-Mindedness, and then Agreeableness. These three traits were, in turn, higher than Extraversion and Negative Emotionality, which did not differ among them. Concerning coping, university students reacted more frequently utilizing adaptive strategies (with Proactivity used more frequently than Adjustment) rather than maladaptive strategies (with Despair higher than Aversion). A Path Analysis examining the relations between the Big Five traits and the four coping dimensions showed that Negative Emotionality can be considered as a risk factor, and that Agreeableness, Conscientiousness, and Open-Mindedness can be conceptualized as protective factors. More interestingly, we found that Extraversion entailed both a risk and a protective role for Italian university students after the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. Notwithstanding limitations, these findings can be the basis for developing disaster preparation and prevention actions, aiming at promoting students’ positive coping towards current and future disasters

A Rasch analysis of the School-Related Well-being (SRW) scale: Measuring well-being in the transition from primary to secondary school

Within educational systems, promoting well-being is an essential objective along with traditional aims focused on students\u2019 learning. However, scarce attention has been devoted to school-related well-being in the transition from primary to lower secondary school, also for the paucity of brief instruments deputed to measure it. We assessed well-being at school for fourthgraders and seventh-graders, by adapting and validating the Italian version of the School-Related Well-Being (SRW) scale, using in sequence exploratory factor analysis (EFA), confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), and Rasch analysis. Through the Rasch analysis, we transformed the SRW scale into an instrument that respects the properties of the fundamental measurement. We measured well-being and achievement emotions at time 1 and grades at time 2. The SRW scale correlated with another measure of well-being and with students\u2019 achievement emotions. Grade-level differences emerged, with a decrease of well-being that attested a maladaptive trend at increasing age; moreover, females reported higher well-being than males. Well-being at school was positively linked to achievement. Beyond its methodological relevance, this study highlights the need for developing interventions to support students in the transition from primary to lower secondary school, which is such a pivotal time in their learning path

Preprint arXiv: 2204.03454 Submitted on 7 Apr 2022

We propose a variational quantum algorithm to study the real time dynamics of quantum systems as a ground-state problem. The method is based on the original proposal of Feynman and Kitaev to encode time into a register of auxiliary qubits. We prepare the Feynman-Kitaev Hamiltonian acting on the composed system as a qubit operator and find an approximate ground state using the Variational Quantum Eigensolver. We apply the algorithm to the study of the dynamics of a transverse field Ising chain with an increasing number of spins and time steps, proving a favorable scaling in terms of the number of two qubit gates. Through numerical experiments, we investigate its robustness against noise, showing that the method can be use to evaluate dynamical properties of quantum systems and detect the presence of dynamical quantum phase transitions by measuring Loschmidt echoes

L’analisi del fabbisogno di energia elettrica e termica del parco edilizio esistente attraverso un sistema informativo geografico open source

Questo lavoro parte da un'analisi delle banche dati esistenti sulle caratteristiche del parco edilizio della Città di Torino con una correzione informatizzata dei dati, principalmente geometrici. Alcuni dati sono relativi al singolo edificio, altri, invece, si riferiscono alle sezioni di censimento, altri ancora vengono ricavati indirettamente dai dati esistenti. Vengono descritti i modelli di riferimento per il calcolo del fabbisogno termico ed elettrico che poi si applicano per poter effettuare delle valutazioni sul risparmio energetico sugli edifici. L’obiettivo di questo lavoro è quello di realizzare una procedura che possa poi essere estesa su tutto il territorio provinciale con un livello di approssimazione che dipende dalla disponibilità e qualità dei dati di partenza. Il software di georeferenziazione open source non verrà utilizzato solo per rappresentare dei dati ma anche per elaborare nuove informazioni, su cui poter condurre anche analisi statistiche. Ciò consentirà di poter valutare l’impatto delle politiche di risparmio energetico sul territorio

Resident training in urology: Bipolar transurethral resection of the prostate - a safe method in learning endoscopic surgical procedure

Introduction: Modern medicine uses increasingly innovative techniques that require more and more capabilities for acquisition. In the urological department is increasing the presence of patients with lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) and transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP) is the standard of care in their surgical treatment. We report our surgical experience and learning curve of using bipolar plasmakinetic devices in the training of urological residents to benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) treatment. Materials and Methods: 80 patients with benign prostatic enlargement due to BPH were enrolled in the study. TURP has been performed by three urological residents and by an expe- rienced urologist. Patients were evaluated before and 6 months after the endoscopic bipolar plasmakinetic resection using the International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS), maximum uri- nary flow rate (Qmax), postvoid residual urine (PVR) and prostate specific antigen (PSA). Results: Overall 60 procedures were performed, 18 PlasmaKinetic (PK)-TURP procedures were completed by the three residents. In the other 42 cases the procedures were completed by the experienced urologist. In eight cases there was a capsular perforation and the experienced urol- ogist replaced the resident to complete the resection. No complications have been reported in the procedures completed by the senior urologist. All complications caused by the residents were man- aged intraoperatively without changing the course of the procedure. Statistical differences were observed regarding IPSS, quality of life (QoL), and PVR at 6-month follow-up when procedures completed by urological residents were compared to those completed by the senior urologist. Conclusion: Bipolar device represents appropriate tools to acquire endoscopic skills. It is safe and it can be used at the first experience of BPH treatment by a resident who has not previ- ously approached this endoscopic surgical procedure

Can a web application foster emotional competence in children and adolescents? The case of PandHEMOT®

The COVID-19 pandemic has had many traumatic consequences for the physical and psychological functioning of children and adolescents. Internet-based interventions can reach a large audience and be a potentially powerful resource for promoting well-being among young people. We tested the efficacy of the web application PandHEMOT®, developed ad hoc for increasing knowledge about pandemics, emotions, and emotion regulation. We involved a sample of 147 Italian third and seventh graders. The sample was assigned to an experimental (participating in the training) and a waitlist condition (who participated following a waitlist design). All the participants completed pretest and posttest measures. The intervention was structured into three units. The training took place between November and December 2021. Generalized linear mixed models and linear mixed models revealed that knowledge about pandemics, emotions, emotion regulation, and metacognitive awareness increased for the experimental condition. Moreover, adolescents performed better than children. The findings supported the efficacy of an Internet-based training for increasing children and adolescents' resilience, according to the standards of evidence-based research