Future Cities and Regions. Simulation, Scenario and Visioning, Governance and Scales

This guide for tomorrow's urban practitioner systematically explains fourteen best practices across three continents; it explores questions of broad interest for designing and planning the future of cities and regions. Key questions addressed are: Is simulation useful to explore the effects of different design, policy and planning strategies? Which approach will help manage the uncertainties of metropolitan areas both today and tomorrow ? What are the strengths and weaknesses of the different simulation practices for city leadership, public and private partnership, and citizen involvement? The book reviews computer models and media, socio-political initiatives, professional practices which help communicating the future effects of different design, political and planning strategies with a wide range of aims: from information, through consultation, towards active participation. These world best practices are considered according to four leading issues for urban and regional development, respectively Simulation, Scenario and Visioning, Government and Governance, and Scale. The book examines the approaches adopted technically and procedurally. The selected knowledge and the innovative tools used in each case study are among the most advanced and up-to-date in the professional and research fields. This volume successfully illustrates these innovative practices and methodologies in a straightforward and accessible wa

Constants in Future Cities and Regions

The paper resumes some of the conversations the authors had in three years of research, based on the review of best participatory planning practices worldwide. The case projects are selected and discussed with the protagonists across four leading issues: Simulation, Scenario and Visioning, Government and Governance, and Scale. The case-oriented discussion is a peculiarity of the book , contributing to give shape to future cities or regions. The aim is to build a critical thinking on how urban planning, policy and design issues are faced differently or similarly throughout every cases studied. The book include the description of computer models and media, socio-political experiments and professional practices which help communicating the future effects of different design, policy and planning strategies and schemes with a wide range of aims: from information, through consultation, towards active participation. The cases have confirmed that simulation tools can impact on local government and can drive new forms of "glocal" governance, shaping and implementing future plans and projects at different scale and time span. The following paragraphs will point at some of the constant thoughts the authors had around the selection and editing of the book's case studied and related issue

KINEMATICS OF MATERIAL POINT ON THE COCHLEOID

They are shown the geometrical considerations and the properties of cochleoid, a flat curve in thespiral’s family. Determine the positions, velocities and accelerations of material point in motion on thecochleoid. They are obtained diagrams, which are interpreted

From the triangular to the kagome lattice: Following the footprints of the ordered state

We study the spin-1/2 Heisenberg model in a lattice that interpolates between the triangular and the kagome lattices. The exchange interaction along the bonds of the kagome lattice is J, and the one along the bonds connecting kagome and non-kagome sites is J', so that J'=J corresponds to the triangular limit and J'=0 to the kagome one. We use variational and exact diagonalization techniques. We analyze the behavior of the order parameter for the antiferromagnetic phase of the triangular lattice, the spin gap, and the structure of the spin excitations as functions of J'/J. Our results indicate that the antiferromagnetic order is not affected by the reduction of J' down to J'/J ~ 0.2. Below this value, antiferromagnetic correlations grow weaker, a description of the ground state in terms of a Neel phase renormalized by quantum fluctuations becomes inadequate, and the finite-size spectra develop features that are not compatible with antiferromagnetic ordering. However, this phase does not appear to be connected to the kagome phase as well, as the low-energy spectra do not evolve with continuity for J'-> 0 to the kagome limit. In particular, for any non-zero value of J', the latter interaction sets the energy scale for the low-lying spin excitations, and a gapless triplet spectrum, destabilizing the kagome phase, is expected.Comment: 9 pages, 10 Figures. To be published in PR

Socio-demographic determinants and access to prenatal care in Italy

Background: Many governments have made commitments to examine inequalities in healthcare access based on studies assessing the association between several socio-demographic factors and late initiation or fewer prenatal examinations. This study addressed the question of whether socio-demographic determinants were significant in explaining differences in prenatal care in one administrative region of Italy, Umbria. Methods. Data were obtained from the administrative source of the regional Standard Certificate of Live Births between 2005 and 2010, and were merged with Census data to include a socio-economic deprivation index. Standard and multilevel logistic regression models were used to analyze the magnitude of various individual-level maternal characteristics and socio-demographic indicators, such as nationality, employment status, education with respect to late access to the first examination, and low number of medical visits. Results: The study involved approximately 37,000 women. The heterogeneous effects of socio-demographic variables were documented on the prenatal care indicators analyzed. A multivariate model showed that women born outside Italy had a higher probability of making their first visit later than the 12th week of pregnancy and low numbers of prenatal medical visits; the estimated odds ratio for the analyzed indicators range from 2.25 to 3.05. Inadequate prenatal healthcare use was also observed in younger and pluriparous women and those with low education; in addition, having a job improved the use of services, possibly through transmission of information of negative consequences due to delayed or few prenatal visits. Interestingly, this study found a substantial reduction in the number of pregnant women who do not use prenatal healthcare services properly. Conclusions: The aim of this research is to provide more accurate knowledge about the inadequate use of prenatal healthcare in Italy. Results highlight the existence of differences in healthcare use during pregnancy, especially for women from less advantaged social classes (i.e., unemployed or poorly educated). Such inequalities should be examined in all areas of public policy and public services, to ensure equal opportunity for their use. \uc2\ua9 2014 Chiavarini et al.; licensee BioMed Central Ltd

STUDY ON THE MASTICATION MOVEMENTS OF THE TEMPOROMANDIBULAR JOINT

This paper presents the results of a study on the temporomandibular joint biomechanics. The study aimed to determine the trajectories described by the mandible during the three types of movements: opening-closing, abduction-adduction and lateral movement. The results obtained can be used to determine biological mechanisms that can be used in the construction of robots, prostheses for the temporomandibular joint, etc

R-R-RTR MECHANISM PATHS

Let’s consider a mechanism with two conducting elements and a RTR dyad and the paths of a point onthe connecting rod with variable length are determined. Let’s consider the movements of the conductingelements correlated through linear relations. There are cases analysed when movement is intermittent or when aconducting element performs more rotations than the othe

The role of anti-smoking legislation on cigarette and alcohol consumption habits in Italy

The short-term effects of public smoking bans on individual smoking and drinking habits were investigated in this paper. In 2005, a smoking ban was introduced in Italy, and we exploited this exogenous variation to measure the effect on both smoking participation and intensity and the indirect effect on alcohol consumption. Using data from the Everyday Life Aspects survey, for the period 2001-2007, we show that the introduction of smoke-free legislation in Italy significantly affected smoking behavior. We also document significant indirect effects on alcohol consumption for the main alcoholic beverage categories. A robustness analysis is also performed, to test the extent to which unobservable variables may bias our estimated parameters. Our results are then used to perform a cost-effectiveness analysis of the anti-smoking legislation in Italy

The role of anti-smoking legislation on cigarette and alcohol consumption habits in Italy

The short-term effects of public smoking bans on individual smoking and drinking habits were investigated in this paper. In 2005, a smoking ban was introduced in Italy, and we exploited this exogenous variation to measure the effect on both smoking participation and intensity and the indirect effect on alcohol consumption. Using data from the Everyday Life Aspects survey, for the period 2001-2007, we show that the introduction of smoke-free legislation in Italy significantly affected smoking behavior. We also document significant indirect effects on alcohol consumption for the main alcoholic beverage categories. A robustness analysis is also performed, to test the extent to which unobservable variables may bias our estimated parameters. Our results are then used to perform a cost-effectiveness analysis of the anti-smoking legislation in Italy