Collisions in shape memory alloys

We present here a model for instantaneous collisions in a solid made of shape memory alloys (SMA) by means of a predictive theory which is based on the introduction not only of macroscopic velocities and temperature, but also of microscopic velocities responsible of the austenite-martensites phase changes. Assuming time discontinuities for velocities, volume fractions and temperature, and applying the principles of thermodynamics for non-smooth evolutions together with constitutive laws typical of SMA, we end up with a system of nonlinearly coupled elliptic equations for which we prove an existence and uniqueness result in the 2 and 3 D cases. Finally, we also present numerical results for a SMA 2D solid subject to an external percussion by an hammer stroke

The Italian American Family between Past and Present: 'The Place I Call Home' (2012) by Maria Mazziotti Gillan, and 'Mystics in the Family' (2013) by Maria Famà

The creative output of prominent Italian American writers such as Maria Mazziotti Gillan and Maria Famà has long been characterized by the persistent presence of parents, forebears, and relatives, as well as by the seemingly unsolvable tensions between past and present, between the cherished memories of one’s land of origin and the American way of life. Contrary to what has been illustrated so far and is conventionally assumed by most scholars, this paper sets out to demonstrate that the notion of family in the most recent works of Maria Mazziotti Gillan and Maria Famà has undergone a subtle but noteworthy transformation, shifting from being a cluster of blood ties, a tightly knit network of mutually protective relations, to a much broader concept, that stretches to embrace humankin

An interview with Ketaki Datta

Ketaki Datta is an Associate Professor of English at Bidhannagar College, Kolkata; a novelist, a critic and a translator. She wrote her PhD thesis on Tennessee Williams, which she published in 2011 under the title The Black and Nonblack Shades of Tennessee Williams (Bookworld, Kolkata). Among her accomplishments as an editor, the following volumes deserve mention: Indo-Anglian Literature: Past to Present (Booksway, Kolkata, 2008), New Literatures in English (Bookworld, Kolkata, 2011), and Sahitya Akademi Award-winning English Collections: Critical Overviews and Insights (Authorspress, New Delhi, 2014). Her translation from Bengali of Paadi (The Voyage) by Jarasandha (the pen name of Charu Chandra Chakraverty) was published in 2008 (Booksway, Kolkata), while her translation of Shesh Namaskar by Santosh Kumar Ghosh (Shesh Namaskar = The Last Salute) was released in 2013 (Sahitya Akademi, New Delhi). Her articles and translations have been published in various international journals, and her poems are featured in Brian Wrixon’s anthology (Canada).  Her debut novel, A Bird Alone (Sarup Books, New Delhi, 2009) has been highly commended by the reviewer of Dorrance Publishing Co. (USA), besides being positively reviewed by Indian Literature (Sahitya Akademi), the Telegraph, and the Sunday Statesman (India)

Oltre i muri: il caso di Bidisha

A director, a successful journalist (working for The Daily Telegraph and TheIndependent), the author of two best-selling novels which consecrated her fame as anartist (Seahorses, 1997, and Too Fast to Live, published three years later), for the past tenyears, Bidisha has devoted her talent to creating narratives that mix fictional and nonfictionalelements (namely testimonies and reports). After Venetian Masters (2008), anautobiographical work where she revealed the cultural biases behind the seemingly impeccable façade of Venetian society, Bidisha seemingly started a project aimed at theinclusion of those who are commonly marginalized. Indeed, she is engaged inmetaphorically dismantling walls, which may be either real and tangible, or invisible,such as those that prevent the refugees in London from being properly acknowledged.By focusing on Beyond the Wall: Writing a Path through Palestine (2012) and Asylum andExile: The Hidden Voices of London (2014), this essay sets out to investigate the strategiesemployed by the writer to document what walls normally hide, thus restoring thedignity of precarious lives, striving to resist cultural annihilation.Regista, giornalista di successo (lavora per The Daily Telegraph e TheIndependent), autrice di due romanzi best-seller che hanno consacrato la sua fama digiovane artista (Seahorses, del 1997, e Too Fast to Live, pubblicato tre anni dopo),nell’ultimo decennio Bidisha ha deciso di dedicarsi alla scrittura di testi in cui la finzionesi combina con elementi di denuncia e testimonianza. Dopo Venetian masters (2008),opera autobiografica in cui ha rivelato i pregiudizi che si celano dietro la facciataimpeccabile della società veneziana, Bidisha sembra aver dato vita a un progetto tesoall’inclusione di chi è comunemente relegato ai margini, impegnandosi così adabbattere metaforicamente dei muri che ora sono tangibili e reali, ora sonorappresentati dalle pareti invisibili di una Londra che, in piena crisi dei rifugiati, sembravoler ignorare la loro presenza.Questo saggio si propone di indagare le strategie utilizzate dall’autrice perdocumentare ciò che i muri nascondono, per restituire visibilità e dignità a esistenzeprecarie che si sforzano di resistere alla cancellazione; l’oggetto di analisi saranno dueopere che attingono all’oralità: Beyond the Wall: Writing a Path through Palestine (2012)e Asylum and Exile: The Hidden Voices of London (2014)

A BIM-GIS Integrated Database to Support Planned Maintenance Activities of Historical Built Heritage.

Planned maintenance represents a strategy to facilitate the conservation of architectural heritage, preventing invasive restoration activities. For this purpose, the management of a maintenance plan through the integration of BIM and GIS domains is here proposed. In particular, the first results of the Interreg Main.10.ance project are described, namely the definition of a unique spatial database divided into different Levels of Detail, compliant with geographical standards and user-friendly for the professionals involved. This integration is addressed through the use of Dynamo, which allows the dialogue between the BIM and GIS data in the PostgreSQL databas

Epidemiologic Determinants Affecting Cigarette Smoking Cessation: A Retrospective Study in a National Health System (SSN) Treatment Service in Rome (Italy)

This retrospective study aims to evaluate epidemiologic characteristics of patients attending stop smoking courses, based on group therapy, testing their influence on smoking cessation in univariate and multivariate model. A total of 123 patients were included in this study. Mean age was 53 (±11). Sixty-seven percent were women. At the end of the courses 66% of patients stopped smoking, after 12 months only 39% remained abstinent. Patients younger than 50 years statistically tended to continue smoking 6 months (P = .02–R.R. = 1.49, C.I. 95%: 1.06–2.44) and 12 months (P = .03–R.R. = 1.37, C.I. 95%: 1.02–2.52) after the end of the courses. A low self-confidence in quitting smoking was significantly related to continuing tobacco consumption after 6 months (P = .016–R.R. = 1.84, C.I. 95%: 1.14–2.99). Low adherence to therapeutic program was statistically associated to maintenance of tobacco use at 6 months (P = .006–R.R. = 1.76, C.I. 95%: 1.32–2.35) and 12 months (P = .050–R.R. = 1.45, C.I. 95%: 1.11–1.88). This association was confirmed at 6 months in the analysis performed on logistic regression model (P = .013)