The Relationships between Companies and Bank System: An Analysis of Italian Context

The purpose of our research is to propose to model which could suggest to Italian small and medium companies the best appropriate funding resources to their economic and financial situation. The framework of this paper is represented by Giacosa and Mazzoleni (2016), in which a model classifies the companies into six groups according to different elements, such as attitude to repay financial debts, company’s growth, and profitability. The sample is composed of 39.400 Italian companies. In particular, companies could be divided in these categories: i) star companies; ii) companies at the beginning of decline; and iii) companies in crisis. It emerged that, in a medium-term vision, it’s necessary to change the management behavior and to try to reach economic fundamentals expected by the bank system, while in the short-term vision the companies have to learn how to use a non-bank financial instruments

Hybrid Solutions for the Modelling of Complex Environmental Systems

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POTERE COME MODALITA' NORMATIVA NEL PENSIERO GIURIDICO GIAPPONESE

My thesis is a juridical and philosophical inquiry about the name and the concept of legal power as a normative modality in Japanese law, through a comparison with the Western name and concept of legal power as a normative modality in Analytical jurisprudence and in Italian philosophy of law

Visualization and quantification of weathering effects and water uptake processes in natural building stones by using neutron imaging

Calcarenites are the most widely used natural building stones in Sicily. They are frequently subjected to very intense degradation due to salt growth [1, 2]. This process is often responsible for strong modifications of their pore network [3] and has a great influence in the mechanical properties and the durability of materials [4]. In addition, as water transport has a key role in the degradation processes, the quantification and visualization of fluidflow into the pore network of degraded stones represent useful tools in understanding the weathering process. Classical approaches are usually performed by applying laboratory test routines for the determination of water absorption parameters. However, they cannot provide a description of the local distribution of water inside the stone. In this framework, neutron imaging has been demonstrated as a powerful technique for the visualization and quantification of the water distribution in partially saturated porous media [5]. Moreover, the possibility to perform dynamic measurements allowed monitoring the water uptake as function of time and to explore the complex processes involved in fluid transport [6-8]. In this study neutron radiography has been used with the aim of: a) monitoring and visualizing the fluidflow patterns inside porous structure of a local calcarenite widely used as building and replace stone in several Cultural Heritages, namely Sabucina Stone; b) quantifying the water distribution as function of time, in order to understand the effects of weathering on the behavior of the stone against water. In detail, samples of un-weathered and artificially weathered[9] Sabucina Stone have been scanned with neutron imaging technique at the IMAGINE beam line located at the Laboratoire Léon Brillouin (CEA/CNRS) in Saclay (France). Capillary water uptake has been monitored over time in samples subjected to different salt crystallization cycles. Beside the qualitative data acquired from the raw neutron images (Figure 1(a)), quantitative results have been obtained thanks to the image processing of the radiographs (Figure 1(b)) [10]. First of all, the evolution of the wetting front position over time has been observed and the penetration coefficient has been determined. The results demonstrated that changes in the hydric properties of the stone occurred with the intensification of the degradation process. Even if a good agreement with standard capillary absorption test has been obtained [11], the non-perfect linearity of capillary uptake process has been evaluated, due to the evidence of preferential flow paths. Therefore, neutron images have been processed in order to obtain quantitative water distributions as function of time. The contour plot of the water content value highlighted that degraded stones absorbed greater volumes of water than the un-weathered ones, due to the strong modification of their pore structure. Moreover, in weathered samples the quicker and deeper vertical spreading of the water was associated with an intense horizontal migration through pores enlarged by the degradation mechanisms. Finally, side effects, probably due to the more intense action of the degradation process close to the sample surface, were evidenced, determining different capillarity absorption properties for the inner and surface regions. In conclusion, neutron radiography has allowed a better understanding of the deterioration mechanisms affecting physical properties of building stones, supplying relevant data for planning powerfully actions to improve their durability. References: [1] M. Steiger, S. Asmussen. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta2008; 72: 4291. [2] G.W. Scherer. Cement and Concrete Research1999; 29:1347. [3]S. Raneri, V. Cnudde, T. De Kock, H. Derluyn, G. Barone, P. Mazzoleni. Europen Journal of Mineralogy2015; 27: 279 [4] S. Yu, C.T. Oguchi. Engineering Geology2010; 115: 226. [5] E. Perfect, C.L.Cheng, M. Kanga, M.Z. Bilheux, J.M. Lamanna, M.J. Gragg, D.M. Wright. Earth-Science Reviews2014; 129:120. [6] G. Barone G, V. Crupi, F. Longo, D. Majolino, P. Mazzoleni, S. Raneri, J. Teixeira, V. Venuti. Journal Instrumentation2014; 9: C05024. [7] V. Cnudde, M. Dierick, J. Vlassenbroeck, B. Masschaele, E. Lehmann, P. Jacob, L. Van Hoorebeke. Nucl.Instrum. Methods Phys. Res. B 2008; 266:155. [8] M. Dierick, J. Vlassenbroeck, B. Masschaele, V. Cnudde, L. van Hoorebeke, A. Hillenbach. Nucl.Instrum.Methods Phys. Res. A2005; 542:296. [9] UNI EN 12370, Natural stones test methods: Determination of resistance to salt crystallisation, UNI ed., Milano, 2001. [10] F.H. Kim, D. Penumadu, D.S. Hussey. J. Geotech. Geoenviron. Eng.2012; 138:147.G. [11] G. Barone, P. Mazzoleni, G. Pappalardo, S. Raneri. Construction and Building Materials2015; 95:355

Metrological characterization of MEMS accelerometers by LDV

Abstract In this work two calibration methodologies, able to characterize the digital sensitivity of MEMS accelerometers, are presented and compared, to identify the contributions for the evaluation of the reproducibility in the low frequency range. The methodologies are different from the point of view of test bench, test procedure and data processing method. In particular, different vibration actuators are used, a linear slide and an electro-dynamic shaker, different sensors as a reference for the calibration, piezoelectric accelerometers and a Laser Doppler Vibrometer (LDV). A group of 5 accelerometers is tested for the purpose of developing the calibration techniques and evaluate a first reproducibility estimate. The experimental results provided by the two calibration procedures show significant differences. Some elements that could explain these differences have been identified, and will be further investigated in future work

A General Process-Based Model for Describing the Metabolic Shift in Microbial Cell Cultures

The metabolic shift between respiration and fermentation at high glucose concentration is a widespread phenomenon in microbial world, and it is relevant for the biotechnological exploitation of microbial cell factories, affecting the achievement of high-cell-densities in bioreactors. Starting from a model already developed for the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, based on the System Dynamics approach, a general process-based model for two prokaryotic species of biotechnological interest, such as Escherichia coli and Bacillus subtilis, is proposed. The model is based on the main assumption that glycolytic intermediates act as central catabolic hub regulating the shift between respiratory and fermentative pathways. Furthermore, the description of a mixed fermentation with secondary by-products, characteristic of bacterial metabolism, is explicitly considered. The model also represents the inhibitory effect on growth and metabolism of self-produced toxic compounds relevant in assessing the late phases of high-cell density culture. Model simulations reproduced data from experiments reported in the literature with different strains of non-recombinant and recombinant E. coli and B. subtilis cultured in both batch and fed-batch reactors. The proposed model, based on simple biological assumptions, is able to describe the main dynamics of two microbial species of relevant biotechnological interest. It demonstrates that a reductionist System Dynamics approach to formulate simplified macro-kinetic models can provide a robust representation of cell growth and accumulation in the medium of fermentation by-products

The Digital Image Correlation technique applied to the deformation behavior of welded sheet joints

The existence of a welded zone generally influences the local strain and stress distribution especially in case of welding defects. A method able to measure the local deformability can hence give many important information about the real stress and strain fields useful to improve the welded structure design. In this experimental work, some new generation automotive steels have been considered, because of the well known welding problems due to their unstable microstructural condition. Such materials, known as Q&P steels and available only as thin sheets, require a suitable quenching process able to give high mechanical resistance and satisfying deformability. Some sheet samples were welded by electron beam technique, because it is able to reduce the width of the heat affected zone where the main microstructural changes are concentrated. From such samples, tensile specimens were machined. During the tensile tests, the deformations were measured both by a traditional extensometer and by a 3D Digital Image Correlation (3D DIC) technique. A preliminary investigation of the melted and the heat affected zones resulted in small dimensions (about 10 mm) and hence the measuring setup has been optimized in order maximize the achievable measuring resolution minimizing the resulting uncertainty. This result can be achieved by a pattern generated by a suitable software and by an accurate preparation of the surface where the pattern will be deposited on

Dynamic Modeling and Simulation of a Real World Billiard

Gravitational billiards provide an experimentally accessible arena for testing formulations of nonlinear dynamics. We present a mathematical model that captures the essential dynamics required for describing the motion of a realistic billiard for arbitrary boundaries. Simulations of the model are applied to parabolic, wedge and hyperbolic billiards that are driven sinusoidally. Direct comparisons are made between the model's predictions and previously published experimental data. It is shown that the data can be successfully modeled with a simple set of parameters without an assumption of exotic energy dependence.Comment: 10 pages, 3 figure

Barriers and facilitators to the implementation of nurse’s role in primary care settings: an integrative review

Background: The rapid evolution of the epidemiological picture and the recent SARS-COV-2 pandemic has expressed the vulnerabilities of health systems and focuses attention on the population’s needs. The nurse’s figure in the care teams is universally identified; however, the implementation of the role within some care settings turns out to be complex and challenging. This integrative review aims to identify the barriers and facilitators in implementing the role of the nurse in primary care settings. Methods: An integrative review was conducted on the Medline and Cinahl databases until 9 June 2020. Qualitative, quantitative, and Mixed-method research studies were selected to identify studies related to the barriers and facilitators of the nurse’s role in nursing facilities’ primary care. For the extraction of the results, the Consolidating Framework for Research Implementation (CFIR) was used to identify the factors that influence implementation in health care. Results: Following the duplicates’ removal, the search identified 18,257 articles, of which 56 were relevant to the inclusion criteria; therefore, they were included in the summary. The selected studies were conducted in thirteen countries, most from Oceania, Europe, North America, Latin America, and the Caribbean. The barriers reported most frequently concern the nursing profession’s regulatory and regulatory aspects within the contexts of care, cultural and organizational aspects, training, and the transfer of specific skills, which were previously designated to doctors. The facilitators are mainly linked to the nurse’s adaptability to the various contexts of care, recognizing the patient’s role, and the desire to develop multidisciplinary and effective working groups to respond to the health needs of the population in primary care contexts. Conclusion: This review highlighted the main barriers and facilitators in implementing the nurse’s role in primary care settings. These results offer useful elements for stakeholders to identify effective strategies in preparing programs and activities for implementing the nurse’s role, acting on the elements identified as barriers and favouring the aspects that emerge as facilitators