Le implicazioni etico-giuridiche delle nuove tecnologie robotiche e informatiche in campo militare tra lex lata e lex ferenda

In uno scritto pubblicato sul finire dello scorso millennio, Cristopher Greenwood elogiava la capacità dei principi internazionali sulla disciplina degli armamenti di affrontare le sfide poste dallo sviluppo di nuove tecnologie militari e fissava, come priorità per il secolo a venire, nongià l’adozionedi nuove norme (lex ferenda), quanto piuttosto l’effettiva applicazione dei quelle vigenti (lex lata). Questo breve contributo in tende verificare la correttezza di questo assunto alla luce dei recenti tentativi della comunità internazionale di dare una risposta alle questioni etico-giuridiche poste da tre tecnologie che stanno rivoluzionando il modo di fare e concepire la guerra (o promettono di farlo nel volgere di pochi decenni): i droni armati, gli attacchi informatici e i sistemi d’arma autonomi

I sistemi robotici ad autonomia crescente tra etica e diritto: quale ruolo per il controllo umano?

ABSTRACT (in English, main text in Italian): To be counted as operationally autonomous relative to the execution of some given task, a robotic system must be capable of performing that task without any human intervention after its activation. Recent progress in the fields of robotics and AI has paved the way to robots autonomously performing tasks that may significantly affect individual and collective interests, which are deemed as worthy of protection from both ethical and legal perspectives. The present contribution provides an overview of ensuing normative problems and identifies some ethically and legally grounded solutions to them. To this end, three case studies will be more closely scrutinized, i.e. increasingly autonomous weapons systems, vehicles, and surgical robots. These case studies are used to illustrate, respectively, the preliminary problem of whether we want to grant certain forms of autonomy to robotic systems, the problem of selecting appropriate ethical policies to control the behavior of autonomous robotic systems, and the problem of how to retain responsibility for misdoings of autonomous robotic systems. The analysis of these case studies brings out the key role played by human control in ethical and legal problem-solving strategies concerning the operational autonomy of robotic and AI systems

CO2 and HCO3- uptake in marine diatoms acclimated to different CO2 concentrations.

Rates of cellular uptake of CO2 and HCO3- during steady-state photosynthesis were measured in the marine diatoms Thalassiosira weissflogii and Phaeodactylum tricornutum, acclimated to CO2 partial pressures of 36, 180, 360, and 1,800 ppmv. In addition, in vivo activity of extracellular (eCA) and intracellular (iCA) carbonic anhydrase was determined in relation to CO2 availability. Both species responded to diminishing CO2 supply with an increase in eCA and iCA activity. In P. tricornutum, eCA activity was close to the detection limit at higher CO2 concentrations. Simultaneous uptake of CO2 and HCO3- was observed in both diatoms. At air-equilibrated CO2 levels (360 ppmv), T. weissflogii took up CO2 and HCO3- at approximately the same rate, whereas CO2 uptake exceeded HCO3- uptake by a factor of two in P. tricornutum. In both diatoms, CO2 :HCO3- uptake ratios progressively decreased with decreasing CO2 concentration, whereas substrate affinities of CO2 and HCO3- uptake increased. Half-saturation concentrations were always <=5 mM CO2 for CO2 uptake and <700 mM HCO3- for HCO3- uptake. Our results indicate the presence of highly efficient uptake systems for CO2 and HCO3- in both diatoms at concentrations typically encountered in ocean surface waters and the ability to adjust uptake rates to a wide range of inorganic carbon supply

Northern Renaissance: Art and the Birth of Fashion, a collaborative progression from multidisciplinary through interdisciplinary to transdisciplinary

The purpose of this paper is to present a research and course project, Northern Renaissance: Art and the Birth of Fashion, developed between an Art Historian and a Costume Historian at a large Midwestern University. The faculty worked in tandem to offer a cross-listed Special Topic course covering the period of 1350-1580 and spanning most of Europe with the exception of Italy, although Italian influences were included as reference and context. Reception to the initiative was surprisingly positive. The two scholars learned considerably more about each other\u27s knowledge base, with an increasing curiosity and awareness; especially in artistic expression and the unbreakable connection with communication and dissemination of fashion change, infusing the project with energy for further discovery and learning. A website and virtual exhibition are in development as well as plans to prepare a text to expand this new and synthesized knowledge which blurs disciplinary boundaries

Investigating stress in commuting university students

Commuting can be considered as a chronic stressor, since it is often experienced as an unpleasant condition which negatively impacts on the individual psychological, physical and social well-being. Stress becomes dysfunctional and pathological when the individual negatively appraise specific situations. According to the National Institute for Statistics (ISTAT) commuters are people daily travelling out of their residence town for working or studying purposes irrespectively of the distance covered or the mean travel duration. To date, the most studies have been focused on stress among commuting workers; however, it is noteworthy that students represent a wide proportion of commuting population in Italy (about the 23%, conforming to a survey carried out by CENSIS, Centro Studi Investimenti Sociali). In consideration of these data, it is important to cast light on the consequences of commuting on students\u2019 skills and psycho-physical well-being. Present study was aimed at investigating stress among commuting university students, in order to provide answers for some important questions: does commuting affect students\u2019 performance? Does commuting affect daily psychological and physical well-being? What are the commuting characteristics mainly involved in affecting student\u2019s performance and well-being? Three-thousand three-hundred and fifteen commuting students attending the University of Palermo enrolled the study. Non valid data (inconsistent answers) were excluded from the analyses and the final sample consisted of 2949 participants: 60.1% (N = 1773) were females and 39.9% (N = 1176) were males. All students provided socio-anagraphic data and completed an ad hoc self-report questionnaire comprising 20 items. A section of the questionnaire was aimed at collecting information concerning daily commuting, such as place of study (inside or outside the town of residence), estimated daily covered distance, etc. The other section was developed to investigate how commuting students appraise their commuting condition; it investigates three areas: perception of commuting, psycho-physical well-being and disease associated with commuting stressors. The main finding of present study highlights the existence of important differences between commuting students on the basis of means of transportation. It emerged that those using public transports (train, bus, metro) reported a more negative evaluation of their commuting and lower psycho-physical well-being levels than those travelling by private transports. In particular, students travelling by motorcycle described their daily commuting as positive and reported good psycho-physical conditions when arriving at university. This result is in line with previous literature indicating that control and predictability are important subjective factors which mediate the relationship between commuting and stress. People using public transports usually face with uncontrollable events (for example delays or crowding) which facilitate a negative appraisal of commuting. When this is chronically experienced, it may lead to stress and thus lack of energy, irritability, negative mood and difficulties in concentration. All these factors can negatively impact on student\u2019 performance

Bis[4-amino-N-(pyrimidin-2-yl-κN)benzene­sulfonamidato-κN](4,4′-di­methyl-2,2′-bipyridine-κ2 N,N′)cadmium dimethyl­formamide disolvate

In the title compound, [Cd(C10H9N4O2S)2(C12H12N2)]·2C3H7NO, the CdII ion lies on a twofold rotation axis, is six-coordinated by N atoms, and displays a trigonal–prismatic geometry arising from the two sulfadiazinate ligands and one 4,4′-dimethyl-2,2′-bipyridine ligand. Both ligands are bidentate and coordinate via their N atoms. The O and carbonyl C atoms of the dimethyl­formamide mol­ecule show disorder and were modelled with two different orientations and with site occupancies of 0.584 (10):0.416 (10). The geometry around the sulfadiazine S atom is distorted tetra­hedral. The crystal structure involves N—H⋯O hydrogen bonds which link mol­ecules into a three-dimensional network. Weak C—H⋯O hydrogen bonds are also observed

Laparoscopic nephrectomy in crossed fused kidney ectopia with severe hydronephrosis in 2 year-old child

Introduction: There are no specific recommendations for the surgical management of crossed fused renal ectopia (CFRE), but a laparoscopy has been proposed in a limited number of children. We report the case of a complex CFRE with severe hydronephrosis in a child treated by laparoscopic nephrectomy. Case report: A 2-year-old boy was admitted for hip and abdominal pain. A CFRE was diagnosed. Laparoscopic nephrectomy was suggested. The right crossed ectopic kidney appeared fused at its upper pole to the lower pole of the left kidney. The left kidney was in total rotation postero superiorly The left ureter crossing over the ectopic dilated right pelvis deliniated the fusion line between both kidneys. The right ureter was dissected distally. The right artery and vein were dissected and the right kidney pelvis opened making the separation of the kidneys easier and so reducing the danger of damaging the lower pole of the left kidney. During the dissection an aberrant vein arising from the left iliac vein and draining from both kidneys was identified. The right vein was dissected preserving the left vein, and the nephrectomy completed. Conclusions: Laparoscopy is a recommended option to treat CFRE, offering all advantages of this approach