Solid wastes wastewater and remediation costs in an urban slum: The case study of A Gypsy Camp in Napoli (S Italy)

Slums represent a sort of black box within the urban environment, generating multiple impacts, that are often acknowledged, but forgotten by urban planners and policy-makers when envisioning the future of cities, due to the dimension of social exclusion in which slum dwellers live. These criticalities pose a further threat to urban sustainability. The first problem is revealed by the lack of quantifications about many environmental and socio-economic factors, as well as by a general lack of understanding about slums as systems. This study is aimed at overcoming the present knowledge weakness, developing a preliminary site-specific system representation of a slum as a system. In particular, a case study of a Gypsy camp in Napoli (S Italy) was chosen for such a purpose. Focusing on solid waste, an approximate evaluation of informal waste picking activity was performed. Basic parameters of generated wastewater, which is dispersed in the environment due to the absence of any sewerage infrastructure, are accounted according to environmental engineering standards. In addition, considering a second abandoned camp (Brecce Sant'Erasmo, Napoli, Italy), specific-site remediation costs were calculated. Results evidence the necessity of a better understanding of resources flows within slums. A first planning action for the studied area would be to separate the areas for waste processing with respect to living areas. Basic infrastructures for solid waste and wastewater management are also necessary to improve the life quality of slum dwellers, while reducing the existing impacts. Finally, also a study to detail atmospheric emissions characteristics would be desirable. Specific upgrading solutions are indicated on the basis of the existing literature. They include planning and monitoring actions, together with the development of engineered solutions for waste and wastewater management

Neuronal Activity in the Human Subthalamic Nucleus Encodes Decision Conflict during Action Selection

The subthalamic nucleus (STN), which receives excitatory inputs from the cortex and has direct connections with the inhibitory pathways\ud of the basal ganglia, is well positioned to efficiently mediate action selection. Here, we use microelectrode recordings captured during\ud deep brain stimulation surgery as participants engage in a decision task to examine the role of the human STN in action selection. We\ud demonstrate that spiking activity in the STN increases when participants engage in a decision and that the level of spiking activity\ud increases with the degree of decision conflict. These data implicate the STN as an important mediator of action selection during decision\ud processes.\u

PENGARUH MEDIA TANAM TERHADAP PENGOLAHAN LINDI TPA KABUPATEN SIDOARJO MENGGUNAKAN Typha latifolia

Penduduk Kabupaten Sidoarjo saat ini mencapai lebih dari 2,279 juta jiwa. Peningkatan jumlah penduduk berbanding lurus dengan jumlah sampah yang dihasilkan. Setiap hari jumlah sampah yang masuk ke TPA rata-rata sebanyak 350 ton/hari. Akibatnya volume lindi yang dihasilkan juga meningkat. Tujuan penelitian ini untuk membandingkan pengolahan lindi menggunakan media kompos dan tanah. Tumbuhan yang digunakan adalah Typha Latifolia.  Parameter yang diamati antara lain pH, suhu dan TDS. Penelitian dilakukan dengan sistem bacth reaktor dan volume lindi yang digunakan adalah 15 L dengan konsentrasi 519 mg/L COD. Parameter dianalisa setiap dua hari hingga hari kelima. Hasil penelitian menujukan pengolahan lindi dengan media kompos menghasilkan pH yang lebih tinggi daripada media tanah yaitu 8 sedangkan media tanah 7. Dari analisa suhu juga menunjukkan suhu lebih tinggi dari reaktor media kompos dibanding reaktor media tanah yaitu 31oC pada hari ketiga sedangkan di media tanah 28oC. Namun  hasil analisa TDS yang dihasilkan lebih rendah dengan media tanah dibanding media kompos terutama mulai hari ketiga yaitu sebesar 104 ppm sedangkan 145 ppm pada media tanah

Controlling extended systems with spatially filtered, time-delayed feedback

We investigate a control technique for spatially extended systems combining spatial filtering with a previously studied form of time-delay feedback. The scheme is naturally suited to real-time control of optical systems. We apply the control scheme to a model of a transversely extended semiconductor laser in which a desirable, coherent traveling wave state exists, but is a member of a nowhere stable family. Our scheme stabilizes this state, and directs the system towards it from realistic, distant and noisy initial conditions. As confirmed by numerical simulation, a linear stability analysis about the controlled state accurately predicts when the scheme is successful, and illustrates some key features of the control including the individual merit of, and interplay between, the spatial and temporal degrees of freedom in the control.Comment: 9 pages REVTeX including 7 PostScript figures. To appear in Physical Review

External Fluctuations in a Pattern-Forming Instability

The effect of external fluctuations on the formation of spatial patterns is analysed by means of a stochastic Swift-Hohenberg model with multiplicative space-correlated noise. Numerical simulations in two dimensions show a shift of the bifurcation point controlled by the intensity of the multiplicative noise. This shift takes place in the ordering direction (i.e. produces patterns), but its magnitude decreases with that of the noise correlation length. Analytical arguments are presented to explain these facts.Comment: 11 pages, Revtex, 10 Postscript figures added with psfig style (included). To appear in Physical Review

Assembling nanostructures from DNA using a composite nanotweezers with a shape memory effect

The article demonstrates a technique for fabricating a structure with the inclusion of suspended DNA threads and manipulating them using composite nanotweezers with shape memory effect. This technique could be suitable for stretching of nanothin DNA-like conductive threads and for measuring their electrical conductivity, including the I-V characteristic directly in the electron microscope chamber, where the nanotweezers provide a two-sided clamping of the DNA tip, giving a stable nanocontact to the DNA bundle. Such contact, as a part of 1D nanostructure, is more reliable during manipulations with nanothreads than traditional measurements when a nanothread is touched by a thin needle, for example, in a scanning tunnel microscope.Comment: To be presented on IEEE 3M-NANO 201

Pengaruh Kebutuhan Memiliki Npwp, Kemudahan dalam Perpajakan, dan Pemahaman Wajib Pajak terhadap Kepemilikan Nomor Pokok Wajib Pajak (Npwp) (Studi Empiris pada Pengusaha UMKM di Kota Pekanbaru)

This study aimed to examine the effect caused by the need to have a TIN , convenience in taxation , taxpayers understanding to the ownership TIN. This study used a simple technique accidental sampling with a sample of 100 people who have been determined based on those results slovin formula . Data collection techniques in this study is a questionnaire , the data is processed using Logistic Regression with SPSS version 20 .The results of the testing that has been done , that factor does not affect the need to have a TIN to ownership variables NPWP . While the convenience in taxation factor and tax payers understanding factors affect the ownership TIN variables.Keywords : Needs to have a TIN , convenience in taxation , and understanding taxpayars, ownership taxpayer identification number (TIN