Letture di Interni

Letture di Interni raccoglie una serie di testi, articoli e paper – alcuni inediti, altri rivisti e aggiornati rispetto a precedenti pubblicazioni – elaborati dai docenti e dottori di ricerca in architettura degli interni del Dipartimento di Architettura e Studi Urbani e coinvolti a vario titolo nelle attività didattiche della Scuola di Architettura e Società del Politecnico di Milano. Questa opera nasce dal desiderio di raccogliere contributi diffusi in luoghi differenti e difficilmente reperibili ad anni di distanza dalla loro prima comparsa, e con lo scopo di restituire un’immagine generale delle attività sviluppate dal gruppo di ricerca nel quadriennio 2007-2010, nella convinzione di offrire un interessante patrimonio didattico e scientifico. Il materiale selezionato è stato organizzato in quattro sezioni, articolate tematicamente: “Il progetto di Interni”, “Spazi dell’Abitare”, “Nuova Museografia – tra tradizione e nuovi scenari” e “Allestire – mostrare, esporre, comunicare”. Il volume offre dunque una serie di diverse letture, ciascuna delle quali propone un’interpretazione e un’apertura critica rispetto ad alcuni temi specifici della disciplina degli interni, e al contempo individua questioni emergenti, nuove domande e prospettive ampliando i confini della disciplina. La stessa eterogeneità dei testi raccolti testimonia la ricchezza di apporti e la molteplicità di sguardi che la ricerca nel campo degli interni permette. Ogni saggio è una lettura specifica, autonoma e compiuta, supportata da un ricco apparato di note e riferimenti bibliografici, il cui significato è ampliato e arricchito dal confronto con gli altri contributi del libro. Il volume si offre quindi a una lettura lineare, secondo la logica con cui i saggi sono stati organizzati, oppure puntuale per singoli brani, o ancora trasversale, esplorando fil rouges alternativi che ogni lettore potrà individuare. Scritti di: Michela Bassanelli, Luca Basso Peressut, Marco Borsotti, Cristina Colombo, Imma Forino, Francesca Lanz, Elena Montanari, Gennaro Postiglione, Francesca Rapisarda

Incoherent dynamics in neutron-matter interaction

Coherent and incoherent neutron-matter interaction is studied inside a recently introduced approach to subdynamics of a macrosystem. The equation describing the interaction is of the Lindblad type and using the Fermi pseudopotential we show that the commutator term is an optical potential leading to well-known relations in neutron optics. The other terms, usually ignored in optical descriptions and linked to the dynamic structure function of the medium, give an incoherent contribution to the dynamics, which keeps diffuse scattering and attenuation of the coherent beam into account, thus warranting fulfilment of the optical theorem. The relevance of this analysis to experiments in neutron interferometry is briefly discussed.Comment: 15 pages, revtex, no figures, to appear in Phys. Rev.

Are social desirability scales desirable? A meta-analytic test of the validity of social desirability scales in the context of prosocial behavior

Social desirability (SD) scales have been used for decades in psychology and beyond. These scales are sought to measure individuals' tendencies to present themselves overly positive in self-reports, thus allowing to control for SD biases. However, research increasingly questions the validity of SD scales, proposing that SD scales measure substantive trait characteristics rather than response bias. To provide a large-scale empirical test of the validity of SD scales, we conducted a meta-analysis (k = 41; N = 8980) on the relation between SD scale scores and prosocial behavior in economic games (where acting in a prosocial manner is highly socially desirable). If SD scales measure what they are supposed to (namely, SD bias), they should be negatively linked to prosocial behavior; if SD scales measure socially desirable traits, they should be positively linked to prosocial behavior. Unlike both possibilities, the meta-analytic correlation between SD scores and prosocial behavior was close to zero, suggesting that SD scales neither clearly measure bias nor substantive traits. This conclusion was also supported by moderation analyses considering differences in the implementation of games and the SD scales used. The results further question the validity of SD scales with the implication that scholars and practitioners should refrain from using them

European Museums in the 21st Century: Setting the Framework (3 Voll.)

This book grew out of the earliest work of the MeLa Research Field 6, “Envisioning 21st Century Museums,” aimed at exploring current trends in European contemporary museums. Analysing their ongoing evolution triggered by this “age of migrations” and with specific attention to their architecture and exhibition design, the volume collects the preliminary observations ensuing from this survey, complemented by the some paradigmatic examples, and further enriched by interviews and contributions from scholars, curators and museum practitioners. With contributions by Florence Baläen, Michela Bassanelli, Luca Basso Peressut, Joachim Baur, Lorraine Bluche, Marco Borsotti, Mariella Brenna, Anna Chiara Cimoli, Lars De Jaegher, Maria Camilla De Palma, Hugues De Varine, Maria De Waele, Nélia Dias, Simone Eick, Fabienne Galangau Quérat, Sarah Gamaire, Jan Gerchow, Marc-Olivier Gonset, Klas Grinell, Laurence Isnard, Marie-Paule Jungblut, Galitt Kenan, Francesca Lanz, José María Lanzarote Guiral, Vito Lattanzi, Jack Lohman, Carolina Martinelli, Frauke Miera, Elena Montanari, Chantal Mouffe, Judith Pargamin, Giovanni Pinna, Camilla Pagani, Clelia Pozzi, Paolo Rosa, Anna Seiderer

Dynamical Semigroup Description of Coherent and Incoherent Particle-Matter Interaction

The meaning of statistical experiments with single microsystems in quantum mechanics is discussed and a general model in the framework of non-relativistic quantum field theory is proposed, to describe both coherent and incoherent interaction of a single microsystem with matter. Compactly developing the calculations with superoperators, it is shown that the introduction of a time scale, linked to irreversibility of the reduced dynamics, directly leads to a dynamical semigroup expressed in terms of quantities typical of scattering theory. Its generator consists of two terms, the first linked to a coherent wavelike behaviour, the second related to an interaction having a measuring character, possibly connected to events the microsystem produces propagating inside matter. In case these events breed a measurement, an explicit realization of some concepts of modern quantum mechanics ("effects" and "operations") arises. The relevance of this description to a recent debate questioning the validity of ordinary quantum mechanics to account for such experimental situations as, e.g., neutron-interferometry, is briefly discussed.Comment: 22 pages, latex, no figure

Test Particle in a Quantum Gas

A master equation with a Lindblad structure is derived, which describes the interaction of a test particle with a macroscopic system and is expressed in terms of the operator valued dynamic structure factor of the system. In the case of a free Fermi or Bose gas the result is evaluated in the Brownian limit, thus obtaining a single generator master equation for the description of quantum Brownian motion in which the correction due to quantum statistics is explicitly calculated. The friction coefficients for Boltzmann and Bose or Fermi statistics are compared.Comment: 9 pages, revtex, no figure

Testing common classical LTE and NLTE model atmosphere and line-formation codes for quantitative spectroscopy of early-type stars

It is generally accepted that the atmospheres of cool/lukewarm stars of spectral types A and later are described well by LTE model atmospheres, while the O-type stars require a detailed treatment of NLTE effects. Here model atmosphere structures, spectral energy distributions and synthetic spectra computed with ATLAS9/SYNTHE and TLUSTY/SYNSPEC, and results from a hybrid method combining LTE atmospheres and NLTE line-formation with DETAIL/SURFACE are compared. Their ability to reproduce observations for effective temperatures between 15000 and 35000 K are verified. Strengths and weaknesses of the different approaches are identified. Recommendations are made as to how to improve the models in order to derive unbiased stellar parameters and chemical abundances in future applications, with special emphasis on Gaia science.Comment: 12 pages, 8 figures; accepted for publication in Journal of Physics: Conference Series, GREAT-ESF Workshop: Stellar Atmospheres in the Gaia Er

Hubble Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph Observations of the Hot White Dwarf in the Close Binary Feige 24

We obtained and analyzed two Hubble Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph spectra of the white dwarf in the DA plus dMe binary Feige 24. The spectra, obtained at orbital quadratures, provide new estimates of the white dwarf motion and gravitational redshift resulting in revised white dwarf parameters. An analysis of interstellar absorption lines reveals the presence of two clouds (+3.1 km s-1, +17.6 km s-1) in the line of sight toward Feige 24; one of these clouds (+17.6 km s-1) is identified with the local cloud. A study of the Lyα H I and D I interstellar medium lines shows that the deuterium-to-hydrogen abundance ratio (D/H = 1.3 × 10-5) is consistent with other measurements supporting a relative constancy of this ratio throughout the local interstellar medium. The total hydrogen column density measured with Lyα (log nH = 2.95 × 1018 cm-2) is in agreement with EUV Lyman continuum flux measurements. Finally, we present a complete abundance pattern for the white dwarf, demonstrating the predominance of iron and nickel over lighter elements. Residual ionization imbalance in the case of several elements, most notably in the case of O IV/O V, which cannot be explained by temperature or surface gravity variations, may indicate the presence of other atmospheric constituents, inhomogeneous stratification of oxygen in the photosphere, and/or remaining inaccuracies in the treatment of model atoms. The abundance patterns in Feige 24 and in the hot DA white dwarf G191-B2B are remarkably similar, indicating that the same processes are operating equally in both stars

Advancing Museum Practices

The volume is aimed at giving voice to a selection of innovative practices which are currently being experimented and planned by some major European museums, enhancing their approach towards contemporary multi-cultural societies. By responding to the challenges posed by accelerated mobility and demographic flows, the layerisation and fragmentation of identities, and the augmented movement of information, ideas and cultures through new technologies and media, these museums are going through a profound transformation, both as cultural spaces as well as physical places. The book intends to depict an overview of the revision of contemporary museums’ mission, strategies and tools, by presenting the museologic and museographic practices which are fostering this evolution through the words of the directors and curators who are conceiving and promoting them. With contributions by: CÈcile Aufaure, Luca Basso Peressut, Richard Benjamin, Peter Bjerregaard, Christoph Bongert, Pierangelo Campodonico, Bambi Ceuppens, Denis Chevallier, Alexandre Delarge, Angela Jannelli, Vito Lattanzi, HÈlËne du Mazaubrun, Marie Poinsot, Cathy Ross, Michel Rouger, Ramzi Tadros, Sonja Thiel