Bookwonder: come esplicitare le associazioni deboli che esistono fra i testi

Partendo dall’esperienza del Baule delle Storie, il sito web che ho costruito nell’ambito del mio tirocinio a Scuola Coop, ho iniziato la mia riflessione sulle associazioni deboli, i collegamenti semantici che legano assieme unità d’informazione. Ho approfondito i miei studi leggendo i lavori di pionieri della Rete come Vannevar Bush, Engelbart, Licklider, Ted Nelson e Berners-Lee. Tutti loro, in maniera diversa, hanno pensato a modi per organizzare la conoscenza, per accedervi e per visualizzarla. Un altro filo comune che lega questi studiosi è che tutti loro, avevano radicata in sé l’idea che la collettività potrebbe – e dovrebbe – lavorare per se stessa, per rendere davvero possibile l’accesso alle conoscenze, che sono un bene comune di tutti noi. Prendendo spunto anche dalle loro idee, nell’ultimo capitolo della mia tesi teorizzo un sito web riguardante la letteratura e i collegamenti invisibili che facciamo dentro noi stessi quando parliamo di testi. Questo sito web – questo luogo – raccoglierebbe tutte queste associazioni deboli e soggettive che la lettura ci ispira e le metterebbe a disposizione della collettività, per permettere alle persone di scoprire qualcosa di nuovo. Il sito si chiamerebbe Bookwonder, un’associazione fra la parola book, libro, e wonder, che significa domandarsi, chiedersi qualcosa, ma anche meraviglia. Il termine “libro”, qui come in tutto il resto della tesi, non si riferisce all’oggetto libro, ma a ciò che c’è dentro, al testo impalpabile

Sequence-Based Marker Assisted Selection in Wheat

Wheat improvement has traditionally been conducted by relying on artificial crossing of suitable parental lines followed by selection of the best genetic combinations. At the same time wheat genetic resources have been characterized and exploited with the aim of continuously improving target traits. Over this solid framework, innovations from emerging research disciplines have been progressively added over time: cytogenetics, quantitative genetics, chromosome engineering, mutagenesis, molecular biology and, most recently, comparative, structural, and functional genomics with all the related -omics platforms. Nowadays, the integration of these disciplines coupled with their spectacular technical advances made possible by the sequencing of the entire wheat genome, has ushered us in a new breeding paradigm on how to best leverage the functional variability of genetic stocks and germplasm collections. Molecular techniques first impacted wheat genetics and breeding in the 1980s with the development of restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP)-based approaches. Since then, steady progress in sequence-based, marker-assisted selection now allows for an unprecedently accurate ‘breeding by design’ of wheat, progressing further up to the pangenome-based level. This chapter provides an overview of the technologies of the ‘circular genomics era’ which allow breeders to better characterize and more effectively leverage the huge and largely untapped natural variability present in the Triticeae gene pool, particularly at the tetraploid level, and its closest diploid and polyploid ancestors and relatives

Giovanni Sartori e la democrazia della Seconda Repubblica

Il saggio ripercorre e analizza criticamente tutti i passaggi istituzionali della cosiddetta Seconda Repubblica, ossia della peculiare democrazia maggioritaria che si imposta in Italia a partire dal 1994. Tali passaggi sono visti all'interno del pensiero di Giovanni Sartori e in particolare della sua teoria della democrazia. Tale pensiero si è manifestato sia attraverso opere scientifiche sia attraverso una continua attività pubblicistica, in particolare dalle colonne, come editorialista, del Corriere della Sera. Dall'esame di questo pensiero emerge una serrata e continua critica dei caratteri istituzionali della peculiare democrazia maggioritaria all'italiana.The essay traces and critically analyzes all the institutional steps of the so-called Italian Second Republic, that is the peculiar majoritarian democracy that is set in Italy since 1994. These steps are seen within the thoughts of Giovanni Sartori and in particular of his theory of democracy . Such thinking has manifested both through scientific works both through continuous publications, in particular from the columns, as a columnist, of the Corriere della Sera. From an examination of this thinking emerges a close and continuous criticism of the institutional character of the distinctive Italian style majoritarian democracy

A facility to Search for Hidden Particles (SHiP) at the CERN SPS

A new general purpose fixed target facility is proposed at the CERN SPS accelerator which is aimed at exploring the domain of hidden particles and make measurements with tau neutrinos. Hidden particles are predicted by a large number of models beyond the Standard Model. The high intensity of the SPS 400~GeV beam allows probing a wide variety of models containing light long-lived exotic particles with masses below ${\cal O}$(10)~GeV/c$^2$, including very weakly interacting low-energy SUSY states. The experimental programme of the proposed facility is capable of being extended in the future, e.g. to include direct searches for Dark Matter and Lepton Flavour Violation.Comment: Technical Proposa

Case-specific parametric analysis as research-directing tool for analysis and design of GFRP-RC structures

This paper presents a parametric analysis of the ACI440 (2015) and AASHTO (2009) algorithms governing the flexural design of a one-way concrete member internally reinforced with glass fiber-reinforced polymer (GFRP) bars. The influence of specific design parameters on the required amount of reinforcement is investigated. The aim is to identify variables and requirements governing the design of a large-section GFRP reinforced concrete (RC) member. The member considered for this case-specific analysis is the reinforced concrete pile cap of the Halls River Bridge (Homosassa, FL), which is deemed representative of large-section GFRP-RC members operating as bent caps in short-span bridges. The influence of four critical parameters on the required amount of reinforcement is assessed. Salient analysis and design implications are discussed with respect to creep and fatigue rupture stress limits, minimum amount of flexural reinforcement, and applicable strength reduction factors. The outcomes of the parametric analysis highlight an untapped potential to reduce the required amount of reinforcement, and prioritize research areas to advance the development of rational design algorithms. Cyclic fatigue and creep rupture are identified as governing mechanisms

modelling the thermo mechanical behavior of a redesigned tool holder to reduce the component geometrical deviations in cryogenic machining

Abstract In recent years cryogenic cooling based on Liquid Nitrogen has been adopted to improve the titanium alloys machinability mainly in rough operations. However, when applied to semi-finishing machining, the very low temperatures may significantly affect the component final geometry. To this aim, the paper presents the thermal-mechanical modeling of a new tool holder properly designed to reduce the component geometrical deviations from its nominal geometry during cryogenic machining. The model was calibrated and validated through turning trials on wrought Ti6Al4V samples, proving a reliable prediction of the tool holder behavior during cryogenic machining