Ground states in complex bodies

A unified framework for analyzing the existence of ground states in wide classes of elastic complex bodies is presented here. The approach makes use of classical semicontinuity results, Sobolev mappinngs and Cartesian currents. Weak diffeomorphisms are used to represent macroscopic deformations. Sobolev maps and Cartesian currents describe the inner substructure of the material elements. Balance equations for irregular minimizers are derived. A contribution to the debate about the role of the balance of configurational actions follows. After describing a list of possible applications of the general results collected here, a concrete discussion of the existence of ground states in thermodynamically stable quasicrystals is presented at the end.Comment: 30 pages, in print on ESAIM-COC

The convexity-cone approach to comparative risk and downside risk.

Based on Jewitt (1986) we try to find a characterization of comparative downside risk aversion and love. The desired characterizations involve the decomposition of the dual of the intersection of two convexity cones. The decomposition holds in the case of downside risk love, but not in the case of downside risk aversion. A counterexample is provided.Convexity cones; risk; downside risk; risk aversion; dual cones

The relationships of the enigmatic gastropod Tritonoharpa (Neogastropoda): New data on early neogastropod evolution?

In this paper, the relationships of Tritonoharpa Dall, 1908, within Neogastropoda are discussed. Tritonoharpa is indeed similar to Colubraria in the morphology of its head-foot, pallial complex, reproductive and excretory systems, in the presence of an extremely long and coiled proboscis, and a very large stomach. However, it differs from Colubraria in the rest of its foregut anatomy, revealing a cancellariid affinity, and a typical nematoglossan radula. The molecular data confirms Beu and Maxwell's placement of Tritonoharpa in the Cancellariidae, close to Plesiotriton. It is also suggested that cancellariids may be the sister-group to the rest of neogastropods. Tritonoharpa has a rather large and well developed midgut gland, resembling the gland of Leiblein. As previously studied cancellarioideans have been shown to lack a well differentiated gland of Leiblein, the present study raises some interesting questions about the evolution of the foregut in Neogastropoda. In fact, if this glandular structure were confirmed as a true homologue of the gland of Leiblein, and the cancellarioideans proved to be the sister group to the remaining neogastropods, the possession of the gland should be considered a synapomorphy of the Neogastropoda

Association between obstructive apnea syndrome during sleep and damages to anterior labyrinth: Our experience

The obstructive sleep apnea syndrome is a chronic condition characterized by frequent episodes of collapse of the upper airways during sleep. It can be considered a multisystem disease. Among the districts involved, even the auditory system was seen to be concerned. It was enrolled a population of 20 patients after polysomnographic diagnosis of OSAS (Apnea Hypopnea Index > 10) and a control group of 28 healthy persons (Apnea Hypopnea Index < 5). Each patient has been subjected to Pure Tone Audiometry, Tympanometry, study of Acoustic Reflex, Otoacoustic Emissions and Auditory Brainstem Response. Moreover they were submitted to endoscopy of upper airway with Muller Maneuver and Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS). The values of ESS was 13.5 in OSAS group and 5.4 in control group. The tone audiometry is worse in all frequencies analyzed in OSAS patients, but within the normal range for both groups analyzed by 250 to 1000 Hertz. Otoacoustic emissions show a reduced reproducibility and a lower signal/ noise ratio in OSAS group (P <0.01)

Towards Translating Graph Transformation Approaches by Model Transformations

Recently, many researchers are working on semantics preserving model transformation. In the field of graph transformation one can think of translating graph grammars written in one approach to a behaviourally equivalent graph grammar in another approach. In this paper we translate graph grammars developed with the GROOVE tool to AGG graph grammars by first investigating the set of core graph transformation concepts supported by both tools. Then, we define what it means for two graph grammars to be behaviourally equivalent, and for the regarded approaches we actually show how to handle different definitions of both - application conditions and graph structures. The translation itself is explained by means of intuitive examples

Progettazione, implementazione ed analisi di un gateway multi-radio per reti di sensori mesh 6LoWPAN

La tesi descrive la progettazione, l'implementazione e l'analisi di un gateway per una rete di sensori 6LoWPAN. Questo dispositivo riceve messaggi dalla rete di sensori contenenti le informazioni sull'ambiente monitorato. Dopo averle processate, il gateway le invia ad un broker MQTT. Grazie a ciò è possibile accedere da remoto alle informazioni sull'ambiente

Cass. Sezioni Unite 18214/2015: i giudici di legittimit\ue0 sulla \uabinterpretazione assiologicamente orientata\ubb delle nullit\ue0 per vizio di forma

Confermando il trend ormai piuttosto nitido che vuole il tema del formalismo negoziale il pi\uf9 interessante laboratorio di nullit\ue0 speciali, la sentenza delle Sezioni Unite qui brevemente commentata aggiunge un tassello non trascurabile n\ue9 scontato ad un dibattito ancora vivace: non tanto o non solo per l\u2019esito cui perviene nella circoscritta materia della locazione abitativa, quanto piuttosto per la disinvoltura con cui maneggia un argomento decisamente \uabcaldo\ubb del diritto dei contratti. La prima questione su cui \ue8 chiamata a pronunciarsi la Corte \ue8 di facile soluzione ma di articolata argomentazione: se per le locazioni di immobili adibiti ad uso abitativo di cui alla legge n. 431/1998 la scrittura sia da intendersi a fini di validit\ue0 o a fini di prova. La risposta \ue8 gi\ue0 nelle norme: l\u2019art. 1 co., 4 disponendo che per la stipula di validi contratti di locazione \ue8 richiesta la forma scritta, lascia chiaramente intendere che la formalizzazione dell\u2019accordo \ue8 imposta ad substantiam. I giudici colgono per\uf2 l\u2019occasione per fermarsi sulle ragioni della scelta legislativa, evocando quella prospettiva funzionale che, riguardo alla forma, \ue8 conquista recente e non del tutto pacifica della riflessione scientifica. Quanto al secondo quesito, le Sezioni Unite della Corte di Cassazione hanno affermato che il contratto di locazione ad uso abitativo stipulato senza la forma scritta \ue8 affetto da nullit\ue0 assoluta, rilevabile d\u2019ufficio, attesa la ratio pubblicistica di contrasto all\u2019evasione fiscale, eccettuata l\u2019ipotesi in cui la forma verbale sia stata imposta dal locatore, in quanto in questo caso si tratterebbe di \uabnullit\ue0 di protezione\ubb a favore del conduttore, solo da lui denunciabile. In sostanza, il conduttore \ue8 tenuto a provare la \uabviolenza morale\ubb subita e dunque l\u2019abuso: in tal caso il contratto sar\ue0 nullo, ma la nullit\ue0 \ue8 da intendersi come \uabrelativa\ubb e cio\ue8 azionabile esclusivamente da parte del conduttore. Diversamente, ove la forma orale sia liberamente concordata, la nullit\ue0 deve ritenersi assoluta, rilevabile d\u2019ufficio e non sanabile. In ogni caso, l\u2019abuso non pu\uf2 ritenersi presunto ex lege, in ragione dello squilibrio di potere contrattuale sussistente tra locatore e conduttore, ma deve invece essere provato dal conduttore