La crisi dei partiti e la democrazia in Italia

Traditional political parties do not exist anymore and the surviving ones often lies outside the boundaries of constitutional articles 49 and 18. Furthermore parties are not debating or developing the public project, but they use election slogan just to hold a public office, commonly in a non-transparent and less inclusive way. Although citizens identify themselves less and less with the current parties system and are not willing to take part in their activities, parties are still the most direct way to take control of institutions. It seems clear therefore that shaping parties legal discipline is necessary. It might be fundamental for the political system to regain credibility and improve our democracy reliability index.Lo studio del ruolo e della funzione costituzionale dei partiti politici consente di verificare nell’effettività il funzionamento degli istituti di democrazia, sia diretta che rappresentativa, di un ordinamento democratico. I partiti esercitano almeno «due funzioni fondamentali nei regimi democratici: il patronage nei confronti delle cariche pubbliche e l’organizzazione del parlamento e del governo». In Italia nessuno dei partiti che formavano l’arco costituzionale è rimasto in vita e nelle esperienze attuali lo hiatus fra essere e dover essere è tale quasi da sconsigliare ogni tentativo di sguardo costituzionale. L’esigenza già avvertita in passato di determinare un ruolo dei partiti politici, attesa la «constatata carenza o insufficienza di norme costituzionali o legislative in proposito», torna prepotente alla luce della crisi dei partiti nell’ultimo ventennio. L’alternativa non è tra prevedere o non prevedere una regolamentazione ma individuare in concreto sino a dove ed in quale maniera la regolamentazione giuridica dei partiti può spingersi nel rispetto della loro autonomia. Si tratta di delineare un percorso legislativo di attuazione del dettato costituzionale che non trova ostacoli nella formulazione dell’art. 49 Cost. in una lettura coordinata ed attuativa dei precetti di cui agli artt. 3, comma 2, e 2 della Cost. In tale prospettiva l’analisi calata all’interno della «realtà di cui dobbiamo occuparci» si proietta in una riflessione sulla democrazia del presente e del futuro

Il rito «super accelerato» in materia di appalti tra profili di (in)compatibilità costituzionale e conformità alla normativa comunitaria

Si analizza il c.d. rito super accelerato in materia d’appalti pubblici e tutti gli aspetti procedurali mettendone in luce i profili problematici emersi in sede dottrinaria e giurisprudenziale. Lo stesso appare in evidente contrasto con le garanzie costituzionali di azione in giudizio e tutela contro gli atti della pubblica amministrazione ex art. 24 e 113 Cost. e questo in quanto impone a pena di decadenza l’immediata impugnazione di provvedimenti a fronte dell’assenza di un interesse concreto ed attuale al ricorso. Inoltre appaiono violati gli artt. 6 e 13 della CEDU e con essi il diritto ad un giusto ed effettivo processo garantendo una tutela attraverso le tre componenti fondamentali del principio di effettività: pienezza e completezza della tutela; nonché l’art. 47 della Carta dei diritti fondamentali dell’Unione Europea che stabilisce il diritto dell’individuo ad “un ricorso effettivo”, quando siano stati violati i propri diritti e le proprie libertà

Programa de desarrollo de habilidades sociales, emocionales y de atención plena en jóvenes con trastorno por déficit de atención con o sin hiperactividad

Se realizó un estudio de tipo explicativo de diseño cuasi experimental con grupo único en el cual, se llevó a cabo la aplicación del programa SEA de Habilidades Socioemocionales y de Atención plena, en jóvenes que presentan la condición de TDA/H, pertenecientes a una fundación en la ciudad de Panamá. La muestra fue escogida de forma no probabilística y por conveniencia. Los jóvenes presentaban edades entre 11 y 15 años, en su mayoría varones. Se midió la Inteligencia Emocional con el inventario de Barón & Parker (2018), antes y después de la intervención. De 18 jóvenes que iniciaron el programa, 15 lo culminaron, de los cuales cinco no cumplieron con los criterios de validez de la prueba, por lo que fueron retirados de la investigación. La muestra final fue de 10 jóvenes, en los cuales no se encontraron resultados estadísticamente significativos que demostraran la eficacia del programa como influencia en la inteligencia emocional. Se mostraron pequeñas diferencias en los puntajes totales de Inteligencia emocional de la población, luego de la aplicación del programa. En cuanto a las sub pruebas, tampoco se presentaron diferencias estadísticamente significativas en la comparación de los puntajes antes y después de la aplicación. En conclusión, el programa SEA aplicado de forma virtual, no terminó de ser efectivo para la modificación de los puntajes del inventario de inteligencia emocional, en jóvenes con TDA/H

MultiScale Data-Driven Modeling of Foundational Combustion Reaction Systems

As the world becomes increasingly interconnected, modernized, and populated, the demand for energy across the globe is growing at an unprecedented rate. This growth in energy demand has an undeniable impact on increasingly pressing social issues including, climate change, energy security, energy economy, atmospheric chemistry, and air quality. Finding a way to address these issues on a rapid timescale is more important than ever. A common thread running through all of these challenges is that they can be partially or fully addressed with the development of new chemical energy conversion technologies which, in turn, rely on a comprehensive understanding of gas phase kinetics. Examples of promising technologies include renewable fuels (i.e. methanol and hydrogen) and/or reliable, efficient, and clean engines that can accommodate renewable fuels. The development of such technology would enable the use of renewable fuels, thereby reducing emissions and cutting down on harmful byproducts released into the atmosphere. Computational simulations have become a powerful approach for developing and advancing energy technology in a safe, efficient, and effective manner. These computational approaches model reacting flows and are generally known as computational fluid dynamics (CFD). However, in order for these CFD simulations to work effectively and make meaningful predictions, the sub-models used to describe the underlying chemistry (gas phase kinetics) must be accurate; information about underlying chemistry is provided to computational simulations via a chemical kinetic model/mechanism, which describes the chemical reactions that drive the fuel oxidation within the system being simulated. Regarding combustion specifically, the reliability of predictive simulations depends on the availability of accurate data and models not only for chemical kinetics, but also thermochemistry and transport. Further complicating the problem, combustion and chemical kinetics provide a unique challenge in regard to obtaining accurate predictive models; underlying chemical kinetics mechanisms may require unprecedented accuracy to obtain truly predictive combustion modeling. For example, it has been shown in computational simulations that uncertainties in any of several kinetic parameters can yield uncertainties large enough in the physical system being modeled to cause system failure, thereby reducing the effectiveness of computational design approaches that could accelerate technology development. Hence, a strong need exists to develop a method that significantly reduces uncertainties in chemical kinetics parameters to meet the accuracy demands of advanced computational design tools. To this end, it is useful to draw on inspiration from existing methods in the field of combustion and chemical kinetics as well as tangential fields; the most compelling inspiration can be found in the field of thermochemistry in the form of the Active Thermochemical Tables (ATcT). This work presents a novel, analogous approach for chemical kinetics called MultiScale Informatics, or MSI for short. The MSI approach identifies optimized values and quantified uncertainties for a set of molecular parameters (within theoretical kinetics calculations), rate parameters, and physical model parameters (within simulations of experimental observables) as informed by data from various sources and scales. The overarching objectives of this work are to demonstrate how the MSI approach can be used to determine physically meaningful optimized kinetics parameters and quantified uncertainties, unravel webs of interconnected rate constants in complex reaction systems, resolve discrepancies among data sets, and touch on key elements of MSI’s implementation. To demonstrate how these objectives are met, the MSI approach is used to explore the kinetics of three reaction sub-systems. The studies of these sub-systems will demonstrate some key elements of this approach including: the importance of raw data for quantifying the information content of experimental data, the utility of theoretical kinetics calculations for constraining experimental interpretations and providing an independent data source, and the subtleties of target data selection for avoiding unphysical parameter adjustments to match data affected by structural uncertainties. For the first sub-system explored (CH₃ + HO₂), the MSI approach is applied to carefully selected (mostly raw) experimental data and yields an opposite temperature dependence for the channel-specific CH3 + HO2 rate constants as compared to a previous rate-parameter optimization. While both optimization studies use the same theoretical calculations to constrain model parameters, only the present optimization, which incorporates theory directly into the model structure, yields results that are consistent with theoretical calculations. For the second sub-system explored (HO₂ + HO₂), the MSI approach is applied to carefully selected experimental data, leveraging the hydrogen reaction system from the first study with the addition of high level theory calculations for the reaction of HO₂ + HO₂. Recent high-level theoretical calculations predict a mild temperature dependence for HO₂ + HO₂, which is inconsistent with state-of-the-art experimental determinations that upheld the stronger temperature dependence observed in early experiments. Via MSI analysis of the theoretical and experimental data, alternative interpretations of the raw experimental data that uses HO₂ + HO₂ rate constants nearly identical to theoretical predictions are identified – implying that the theoretical and experimental data are actually consistent, at least when considering the raw data from experiments. Similar analyses of typical signals from low-temperature experiments indicate that an HOOOOH intermediate – identified by recent theory but absent from earlier interpretations – yields modest effects that are smaller than, but may have contributed to, the scatter in data among different experiments. More generally, the findings demonstrate that modern chemical theories and experiments have progressed to a point where meaningful comparison requires joint consideration of their data simultaneously. The third sub-system explored builds a larger web of interconnected reaction systems in an attempt to achieve data redundancy and demonstrate how interpreting coupled reaction systems is necessary to accurately determine many key rate constants. The ability of the MSI method to interpret raw experimental data and untangle rate constant reaction systems is demonstrated. The study also reinforces how implementing theory into the model structure is imperative to yield results that are consistent with experimental data as well as theoretical calculations and achieve physically realistic branching ratios. Finally, this work will present how results from all the studied reaction systems culminate into a complex hydrogen/syngas combustion model validated against data from various combustion experiments

Evaluation of Stainless Steel Press Fittings for Use in Transcritical R744 Refrigeration Systems

Successful implementation of R744 (CO2) as a refrigerant on a large scale and its introduction to new applications has motivated the development of new system components tailored specifically for use in high-pressure R744 systems, including reliable, low-cost refrigeration fittings. One option for fittings to be used in R744 systems are quick and reliable press fittings. Previous research has shown that this type of fitting can undergo extended vibration and thermal (pressure and temperature) cycling without compromising the fitting. This paper investigates the durability of stainless steel press fittings designed specifically for R744 systems, with particular focus on the effects of rapid decompression and carbonic acid exposure on the fittings. Rapid decompression is of concern due to the tendency of O-ring material to absorb CO2 molecules at high pressure and temperature, resulting in possible expansion and bursting of the O-rings when pressure drops and the CO2 absorbed by the O-rings attempts to escape very rapidly. Additionally, the presence of moisture in an R744 system can result in the reaction of CO2 and H2O, resulting in the formation of carbonic acid; the exposure of the refrigeration system components to this weak acid over time can compromise parts different of the refrigeration system, possibly including joints. The effects of decompression and acidity on stainless steel press fittings and their O-rings have been tested and are reported in this paper

Accelerated fatigue testing of aluminum refrigeration press fittings for HVAC & R applications

Failed brazed joints causing refrigerant leakage is a multi-billion dollar problem for the global HVAC&R industry. Leaks are frequently caused due to mechanical fatigue from extreme pressure cycling, temperature cycling including exposure to freeze/thaw cycles, or vibrational wear induced from rotating electrical machinery. In this study, a new, cost-effective type of press fitting suitable for a wide variety of refrigerants and applications is investigated experimentally. Three tests to accelerate mechanical fatigue were devised to simulate real world extreme conditions to determine possible failure modes of refrigerant components and joining technologies. The first test is a combined thermal/pressure shock test designed to simulate abrupt temperature and pressure changes due to start/stop cycles and frost/defrost mode changes. Field failures of brazed joints have been detected due to water being trapped in tight spaces and expanding during freezing, causing high stress on brazed joints. The second test is a vibration test, designed to simulate vibrational loads induced from rotating components in the system. The third and final series of testing is a freeze/thaw cycling profile which simulates ice buildup and defrost observed during heat pump operation. The investigated press fittings are made from aluminum and utilize o-ring seals. Test specimen of six different sizes designed to connect to aluminum tubes having outer diameters between 9.5 mm and 28.5 mm were subjected to the accelerated tests described above. Pressure, temperature, strains and acceleration were measured and analyzed. At the end of each test the exposed specimen were carefully investigated for possible damage and leak tightness confirmed. The results were also compared to earlier test results conducted with an all-copper version of same press fitting technology

PROGRAMA DE DESARROLLO DE HABILIDADES SOCIALES, EMOCIONALES Y DE ATENCIÓN PLENA EN JÓVENES CON TDA/H

An explanatory study of quasi-experimental design with a single group was carried out in which the application of the SEA program of Socio-emotional Skills and Mindfulness was carried out, in young people who present the condition of ADHD, belonging to a Panama City foundation. The sample was chosen non-probabilistically and for convenience. The research population were between the ages of 11 and 15, mostly male. Emotional intelligence was measured with the Barón & Parker inventory, before and after the intervention. Of the eighteen participants who started the program, fifteen completed it, of which five did not met the validity criteria of the test, so they were removed from the analysis. The final sample was composed of ten participants, in which no results were found statistically significant that demonstrate the effectiveness of the program in influencing emotional intelligence. Small differences were shown in the total scores of Emotional intelligences in the population, after the program was applied. As for the subtests, there were no statistically significant differences in the comparison of the scores before and after the application. In conclusion, the SEA program applied virtually, did not end up being effective for the modification of the scores in the emotional intelligence inventory in young people with ADHD.Se realizó un estudio de tipo explicativo de diseño cuasiexperimental con grupo único en el cual, se llevó a cabo la aplicación del programa SEA de Habilidades Socioemocionales y de Atención plena, en jóvenes que presentan la condición de TDA/H, pertenecientes a una fundación en la ciudad de Panamá. La muestra fue escogida de forma no probabilística y por conveniencia. Los jóvenes presentaban edades entre 11 y 15 años, en su mayoría varones. Se midió la Inteligencia Emocional con el inventario de Barón & Parker (2018), antes y después de la intervención. De 18 jóvenes que iniciaron el programa, 15 lo culminaron, de los cuales cinco no cumplieron con los criterios de validez de la prueba, por lo que fueron retirados de la investigación. La muestra final fue de 10 jóvenes, en los cuales no se encontraron resultados estadísticamente significativos que demostraran la eficacia del programa como influencia en la inteligencia emocional. Se mostraron pequeñas diferencias en los puntajes totales de Inteligencia emocional de la población, luego de la estadísticamente aplicación del programa. En cuanto a las subpruebas, tampoco se presentaron diferencias significativas en la comparación de los puntajes antes y después de la aplicación. En conclusión, el programa SEA aplicado de forma virtual, no terminó de ser efectivo para la modificación de los puntajes del inventario de inteligencia emocional, en jóvenes con TDA/H

Association between cognitive ability and the occurrence of falls in elderly

Introduction: Cognitive changes due to human aging process represent important conditions as they directly affect functionality and predispose subjects to falls. Objective: To investigate the association between cognitive ability and falls in an elderly population and to characterize their profile. Methodology: Cross-sectional study from the Health Survey project at Juiz de Fora, MG. The analyzed variables were calculated by applying the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) and a semi-structured questionnaire containing questions on sociodemographic and falls occurence. We estimated the absolute and relative frequencies and used the chi-square (c2) to investigate the association between cognitive ability indicated by MMSE and falls, the significance level was 5%. Results: 462 elderly, mean age 71.03 (SD = 7.79) and 3.64 years of schooling (SD = 3.26), 64.8% female and 28.14% showed cognitive decline; frequency of falls in the group with cognitive impairment was 42% and there was an association between cognitive ability and falls (p = 0.043). Conclusion: Elderly patients with cognitive impairment had a higher frequency of falls compared with general elderly population. This finding together with the association between cognitive impairment and falls, reinforce the need for preventive measures and new health practices with an emphasis on healthy aging.Introdução: As alterações cognitivas advindas com o envelhecimento humano representam condições importantes, pois afetam diretamente a funcionalidade dos indivíduos e os predispõe a quedas. Objetivo: Verificar a associação entre capacidade cognitiva e quedas em uma população de idosos e caracterizar o perfil dessa amostra. Metodologia: Estudo transversal oriundo do projeto Inquérito de Saúde no Município de Juiz de Fora, MG. A amostra foi composta por 462 idosos (60 anos ou mais), de ambos os sexos e não institucionalizados. As variáveis analisadas foram resultantes da aplicação do Mini-Exame do Estado Mental (MEEM) e de um questionário semiestruturado contendo questões sociodemográficas e ocorrência de quedas. Foram estimadas as frequências absolutas e relativas e utilizado o teste Qui-quadrado (χ2) para averiguar a associação entre capacidade cognitiva apontada pelo MEEM e quedas (nível de significância = 5%). Resultados: A média de idade foi 71,03 (dp = 7,79) e de anos de escolaridade, 3,64 (dp = 3,26), 64,8% eram do sexo feminino e 28,14% apresentaram declínio cognitivo. A frequência de quedas encontrada no grupo com comprometimento cognitivo foi de 42%. Verificou-se associação entre comprometimento cognitivo e queda (p = 0,043). Conclusão: Idosos com comprometimento cognitivo apresentaram maior frequência de quedas comparados com a população idosa em geral. Esse achado, aliado à associação entre comprometimento cognitivo e queda, reforça a necessidade de ações preventivas e novas práticas de saúde com ênfase no envelhecimento saudável

Relationship between morphological traits and milk yield in Gir breed cows

O objetivo deste trabalho foi determinar parâmetros genéticos relacionados a características morfológicas e suas correlações genéticas com a produção de leite, em vacas da raça Gir. Utilizaram-se 3.805 registros provenientes de 2.142 vacas. O modelo utilizado na análise de características morfológicas continha os efeitos fixos de rebanho, ano e estação de classificação, estádio da lactação e idade da vaca à classificação, além da identificação do classificador. Quanto à produção de leite, foram incluídos no modelo os efeitos fixos de rebanho, ano e estação de parição e idade da vaca ao parto. Os parâmetros genéticos foram obtidos por meio do aplicativo REMLF90. As estimativas de herdabilidade variaram de 0,09 a 0,54. A variabilidade genética aditiva da maioria das características é suficiente para que ganhos genéticos anuais significativos possam ser alcançados com o processo de seleção. As correlações genéticas entre as características morfológicas variaram de baixas a altas e, entre elas e a produção de leite, de baixas a moderadas. Altas correlações genéticas entre algumas características morfológicas implicam a possibilidade de exclusão de algumas delas do programa de melhoramento genético da raça Gir, no Brasil. As correlações genéticas entre produção de leite e algumas características morfológicas indicam que estas podem ser utilizadas na formação de índices de seleção.The objective of this work was to determine genetic parameters related to morphological traits and their genetic correlation with milk yield of Gir breed cows. A total of 3,805 records from 2,142 cows was used. For morphological trait analysis, the used model included the herd fixed effects, classification year and season, lactation phase and animal age at evaluation, besides the classifier identification. For milk yield, the fixed herd effects, year and season of calving and cow age at calving were included in the model. The genetic parameters were estimated using the REMLF90 software. The heritability estimates varied from 0.09 to 0.54. The additive genetic variability of the majority of traits is sufficient to achieve significative annual genetic gain by selection practices. The genetic correlations among morphological traits varied from low to high and, between them and milk yield, from low to moderate. High genetic correlations among some morphological traits implies on the possibility of exclusion of some of them from the breeding program, for Gir breed in Brazil. The genetic correlations between milk yield and some morphological traits indicate that they may be used in the formation of selection indexes