"O corte a Dio". Prime architetture barocche a Bagheria: villa Branciforti Butera

Oltre quarant\u2019anni fa Margherita De Simone sistematizzava le ville barocche palermitane in un abaco di forme e schemi tipologici e poneva a matrice del ciclo la bagherese villa Branciforti. Lungamente gravata da pregiudizi linguistici, giudicata idiomatica e vernacolare perch\ue9 al di fuori delle accreditate linee guida del barocco italiano, ad impedirne la messa in valore, come per tanti brani di architettura del Seicento siciliano, sono stati l\u2019assenza di studi documentati e di adeguati codici interpretativi. Questi gli orizzonti teorici da cui ha mosso il saggio, dedicato ad una tra le pi\uf9 antiche e maggiori ville bagheresi, fondata negli anni sessanta del Seicento da Giuseppe Branciforti conte di Raccuja. Lo studio traccia la storia della fabbrica attraverso il supporto archivistico e ne rivela la natura polisemica: masseria trasformata in villa; villa ed anche castello, che diventer\ue0 palazzo baronale e matrice di un borgo. Borgo destinato a diventare citt\ue0. \uabO CORTE A DIO\ubb, era il verso, tratto dell\u2019Erminia tra i pastori del Tasso, con cui Giuseppe blandiva il visitatore e lo accoglieva nel suo complesso, rendendolo parte di una finzione di cui lo stesso Conte fu regista e attore: la villa non era refugium, ma luogo di otium e di negotium, satellite della corte palermitana e strumento retorico con cui attuare un ambizioso progetto di autopromozione politico-dinastica. La ricerca \ue8 sull\u2019architettura ma anche sugli attori (committente ed eredi, maestranze, capomastri ed artisti artigiani) e sui modelli di carta e di pietra adottati in sede progettuale ed evocativi di status aristocratico. Il libro passa in rassegna le diverse et\ue0 dell\u2019architettura, soffermandosi sulla fase seicentesca e sulla riforma avviata un secolo dopo, a stagione delle ville inoltrata, che restitu\uec centralit\ue0 alla piccola corte attraverso un intervento condotto a scala architettonica e urbana. Solo il canto del cigno di una fabbrica che nei decenni successivi sar\ue0 destinata al degrado e da cui, negli anni sessanta del Novecento, avr\ue0 inizio il sacco barocco della pian

Comparison of HIV prevalence estimates from antenatal care surveillance and population-based surveys in sub-Saharan Africa

\ud In countries with generalized epidemics, national estimates of HIV prevalence levels and trends in the adult population are generally derived indirectly from surveillance of pregnant women attending selected antenatal care (ANC) clinics. ANC data however, come from a subset of the population and may not represent the true population prevalence. To compare HIV seroprevalence estimates obtained from ANC sentinel surveillance surveys in Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Tanzania, and Uganda with those from population-based Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) and AIDS Indicator Surveys (AIS). Geographic information system (GIS) methods were used to map sentinel surveillance sites and DHS/AIS survey clusters within a 15 km radius of the ANC\ud surveillance sites. National DHS/AIS HIV prevalence estimates for women were compared with national prevalence estimates from ANC surveillance. DHS/AIS HIV prevalence estimates for women residing within 15 km of ANC sites were compared to those from ANC surveillance. These comparisons were also stratified by current pregnancy status, experience of recent child birth, and receiving ANC for the last birth. In four of the five countries, national DHS/AIS estimates of HIV prevalence were lower than the ANC surveillance estimates. Comparing women in the catchment areas of the ANC sites, the DHS/AIS estimates were similar to ANC surveillance estimates. ANC estimates were higher for younger women than DHS/AIS estimates for women in ANC catchment areas, but lower at older ages. In all cases, urban prevalence was higher than rural prevalence, but there were no consistent patterns by education. ANC surveillance surveys tend to overestimate HIV prevalence compared to prevalence among women in the general population in DHS/AIS surveys. However, the ANC and DHS/AIS estimates are similar when restricted to women residing in catchment areas of ANC sites. Patterns by age and urban/rural residence suggest possible bias in the ANC estimates.\u

THE MOSAIC OF THE FRIGIDARIUM OF “VILLA BONANNO” IN PALERMO: MINERALOGICAL AND PETROGRAPHIC ANALYSES FOR IN SITU CONSERVATION AND RESTORATION INTERVENTIONS

The topic of this study was the mineralogical and petrographic characterization of bedding mortars (made of different layers) and tesserae of Roman age (3rd century A.D.), taken from the mosaic of the Frigidarium of “Villa Bonanno”, brought to light by archaeological excavations conducted in the historical centre of Palermo. The collected samples have been analysed by thin-section optical microscopy (PLM), and scanning electron microscopy coupled with energy dispersive spectrometry (SEM-EDS). The study was aimed to define the “recipe” (composition of aggregate and binder, aggregate size distribution, aggregate/binder ratio), in order to assess the provenance of raw materials (supply site/area) and to acquire useful information in order to formulate "restoration mortars" that should be most comparable with the original ones, for replacements and/or integration. Rock types constituting the coloured tesserae were also characterized by thin-section optical microscopy. The mineralogical and petrographic investigations allowed establishing two different recipes used for the formulation of the studied mortars in terms of both compositional and textural features. The aggregate is composed by diverse proportions of detritic calcareous granules (both bioclasts and limestone fragments deriving from the local outcropping biocalcarenites and limestones), siliceous sand (monocrystalline quartz, chert and quartzarenite fragments), volcanic ash (pozzolana) and sometimes cocciopesto. The resulting hydraulic binder was the product of the „pozzolanic reaction‟ between volcanic ash and the aerial lime (specifically made by the calcination of locally available magnesian limestone or dolostone). The coloured tesserae can be all classified as compact limestones of Mesozoic or Cenozoic age, likely of local provenance

Mediterranean House Geckos Exploit Novel Resources in a Recipient Lizard Assemblage

A species’ ecological niche represents the environmental conditions needed for an individual to replace itself and is comprised of multiple resource axes (Pianka 2000 Evol. Ecol.). One mechanism of establishment of non-native species is via exploitation of novel resources in recipient ecosystems through their unique functional traits (Schalk et al. 2018 Biol. Invas.). Mediterranean House Geckos (Hemidactylus turcicus) are an exotic species introduced in urban areas across Texas, yet little is known about their resource use relative to native lizards. We hypothesized that H. turcicus would exhibit low overlap in resource use in their habitat, dietary, and isotopic niches compared to native lizard species (Green Anole [Anolis carolinensis], Little Brown Skink [Scincella lateralis], Five-lined Skink [Plestiodon fasciatus])

Una committenza nobile in Sicilia tra Cinque e Seicento. Le architetture dei Branciforte di Raccuja (1552-1661)

Oggetto di studio della tesi sono i programmi costruttivi avviati tra il Cinque e il Seicento dal casato dei Branciforte di Raccuja. In particolare la tesi affronta lo studio delle architetture fondate da Nicol\uf2 Placido Branciforte nel corso del Seicento: il palazzo di famiglia a Palermo e il castello di Leonforte. I programmi costruttivi sono stati analizzati in relazione al cursus honorum, alla politica economica e culturale del casato e posti a confronto con gli omologhi interventi edificatori intrapresi da pari e sodali, secondo una metodologia conoscitiva auspicata da studi precedenti e non ancora messa in atto in Sicilia.In this thesis we study the architectural programs initiated by the Branciforte of Raccuja family between the sixteenth and the seventeenth century. In particular, the thesis deals with the study of the structures built by Nicol\uf2 Placido Branciforte during the seventeenth century: the family palace in Palermo and the Leonforte castle. The architectural programs are analyzed in relationship with the family cursus honorum, the economic and cultural policy of the dynasty and compared to the analogue architectural programs undertaken by peers and associates, according to a research methodology, advocated by previous studies, which has never been implemented in Sicily

Dynamic modeling of mean-reverting spreads for statistical arbitrage

Statistical arbitrage strategies, such as pairs trading and its generalizations, rely on the construction of mean-reverting spreads enjoying a certain degree of predictability. Gaussian linear state-space processes have recently been proposed as a model for such spreads under the assumption that the observed process is a noisy realization of some hidden states. Real-time estimation of the unobserved spread process can reveal temporary market inefficiencies which can then be exploited to generate excess returns. Building on previous work, we embrace the state-space framework for modeling spread processes and extend this methodology along three different directions. First, we introduce time-dependency in the model parameters, which allows for quick adaptation to changes in the data generating process. Second, we provide an on-line estimation algorithm that can be constantly run in real-time. Being computationally fast, the algorithm is particularly suitable for building aggressive trading strategies based on high-frequency data and may be used as a monitoring device for mean-reversion. Finally, our framework naturally provides informative uncertainty measures of all the estimated parameters. Experimental results based on Monte Carlo simulations and historical equity data are discussed, including a co-integration relationship involving two exchange-traded funds.Comment: 34 pages, 6 figures. Submitte

Resistive MHD Evolution of Shaped RFP Equilibria

Computational modeling of the resistive MHD evolution of reverse-field-pinch (RFP) plasmas with boundary shaping is undertaken. The VMEC code obtains equilibria that are similar to quasi-single helicity (QSH) states in an RFP with a helical axis and a symmetric boundary [J.D. Hanson, et al., Nuclear Fusion 53, 083016 (2013)]. Previous work has shown that axisymmetric boundary shaping affects whether an axisymmetric or QSH equilibrium is obtained in VMEC and it affects the extent of the swing of the helical axis in the QSH state. In this work, these equilibria are used as initial conditions for the NIMROD code [C.R. Sovinec, et al., Phys. Plasmas 10, 1727 (20030]. Resistive MHD behavior will be explored and particular attention will be paid to the evolution of global tearing modes in both axisymmetric and helical equilibria. * This work is supported by the U.S. Department of Energy under Grant DE-FG02-03ER54699 at the University of Montana