Innovazione sociale e pratiche tecnoscientifiche: il caso delle reti wireless comunitarie

During the last decade, a growing number of disciplines dealing with innovation processes focused started to investigate the phenomenon of wireless community networks (WCN). These networks, now consolidated on a global level, represent an infrastructure that is entirely built and self-managed by citizens voluntarily cooperating to create a new model of digital communication other than the Internet and commercial services offered on the market by Internet Service Providers (ISP). WCN, therefore, represent an emblematic case to explore not only the technical aspects of more and more pervasive technologies within contemporary society, but also to focus on relations between social, political and techno-scientific dimensions supporting innovation practices. In fact, most recent experiences of WCN acquired a central role in redefining participation practices and political activism linked to digital media, and its forms of innovation. This paper, on the basis of data collected through a qualitative research on the origin and development of the main RWC in Italy, throws light upon the way in which community networks represent a peculiar form of social innovation, where a system of individuals – beyond traditional innovation and development institutions and on the basis of political values and beliefs – cooperate to originate a new infrastructure managing to endorse participation and social inclusion in the digital society. In doing this, the paper emphasizes the procedural dimension of social innovation as an emerging practice in the active cooperation among human beings and technologies, during which political visions, technical tools and social participation have an impact on each other and transform themselves

Does \u2018bigger\u2019mean \u2018better\u2019? Pitfalls and shortcuts associated with big data for social research

\u2018Big data is here to stay.\u2019 This key statement has a double value: is an assumption as well as the reason why a theoretical reflection is needed. Furthermore, Big data is something that is gaining visibility and success in social sciences even, overcoming the division between humanities and computer sciences. In this contribution some considerations on the presence and the certain persistence of Big data as a socio-technical assemblage will be outlined. Therefore, the intriguing opportunities for social research linked to such interaction between practices and technological development will be developed. However, despite a promissory rhetoric, fostered by several scholars since the birth of Big data as a labelled concept, some risks are just around the corner. The claims for the methodological power of bigger and bigger datasets, as well as increasing speed in analysis and data collection, are creating a real hype in social research. Peculiar attention is needed in order to avoid some pitfalls. These risks will be analysed for what concerns the validity of the research results \u2018obtained through Big data. After a pars distruens, this contribution will conclude with a pars construens; assuming the previous critiques, a mixed methods research design approach will be described as a general proposal with the objective of stimulating a debate on the integration of Big data in complex research projecting

Whole-brain histogram and voxel-based analyses of apparent diffusion coefficient and magnetization transfer ratio in celiac disease, epilepsy, and cerebral calcifications syndrome

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Diffusion and magnetization transfer (MT) techniques have been applied to the investigation with MR of epilepsy and have revealed changes in patients with or without abnormalities on MR imaging. We hypothesized that also in the coeliac disease (CD), epilepsy and cerebral calcifications (CEC) syndrome diffusion and MT techniques could reveal brain abnormalities undetected by MR imaging and tentatively correlated to epilepsy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Diffusion and MT weighted images were obtained in 10 patients with CEC, 8 patients with CD without epilepsy and 17 healthy volunteers. The whole brain apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) and MT ratio (MTR) maps were analyzed with histograms and the Statistical Parametric Mapping 2 (SPM2) software. We employed the non-parametric Mann-Whitney U test to assess differences for ADC and MTR histogram metrics. Voxel by voxel comparison of the ADC and MTR maps was performed with 2 tails t-test corrected for multiple comparison. RESULTS: A significantly higher whole brain ADC value as compared to healthy controls was observed in CEC (P = 0.006) and CD (P = 0.01) patients. SPM2 showed bilateral areas of significantly decreased MTR in the parietal and temporal subcortical white matter (WM) in the CEC patients. CONCLUSION: Our study indicates that diffusion and MT techniques are also capable of revealing abnormalities undetected by MR imaging. In particular patients with CEC syndrome show an increase of the whole brain ADC histogram which is more pronounced than in patients with gluten intolerance. IN CEC patients, voxel-based analysis demonstrates a localized decrease of the MTR in the parieto-temporal subcortical WM

Bottom-up Infrastructures: Aligning Politics and Technology in building a Wireless Community Network

Contemporary innovation in infrastructures is increasingly characterized by a close relationship between experts and lay people. This phenomenon has attracted the attention from a wide range of disciplines, including computer-supported cooperative work (CSCW), science and technology studies (S&TS), organization studies and participatory design (PD). Connecting to this broad area of research, the article presents a qualitative case study concerning the building and maintenance of a grassroots, bottom-up information infrastructure in Italy, defined as wireless community network (WCN). Methodologically, the research is based on qualitative interviews with participants to the WCN, ethnographic observations and document analysis. The aim of the article is to understand the alignment between the technical work implied in building this bottom-up infrastructure and the political and cultural frameworks that move people to participate to this project. Relying on the field of science & technology studies, and in particular on the notions of ‘inverse infrastructure’ and ‘research in the wild’, we disclose the WCN’s peculiar innovation trajectory, localized outside conventional spaces of research and development. Overall, the presentation of the qualitative and ethnographic data allows to point out a more general reflection on bottom-up infrastructures and to enrich the academic debate concerning bottom-up infrastructuring work and other similar typologies of collaborative design projects in the domain of infrastructures

Utility and limitations of homemade videos in differentiating functional seizures from other paroxysmal events: An Italian cohort study

Objectives: The gold standard for distinguishing epileptic seizures (ES) from non-epileptic events is video-EEG monitoring. In some cases, video alone might suffice, leading to increased utilization of home videos, to support the diagnosis. This study aimed to assess the feasibility of such practice and its accuracy compared to video-EEG, to identify key signs and symptoms of functional seizure (FS) and to establish if self-reported questionnaires would improve diagnostic accuracy. Methods: All consecutive patients ≥14 years presenting to six Italian epilepsy centers with either recurrent paroxysmal events of uncertain nature or with confirmed ES were enrolled. Subjects had to record home videos of the events and to respond to ad-hoc questionnaires. De-identified data were randomly assigned to pairs of evaluators blinded to the gold standard diagnosis, one epileptologist and one neurologist, to predict the correct diagnosis in two steps: Step 1 (home video alone) and Step 2 (patient's and witness' questionnaires). Results: Ninety-four videos (48 ES; 45 FS; 1 other), obtained from 36 patients, were independently evaluated by the 16 reviewers, providing a total of 188 assessments. Diagnostic accuracy for the whole group was 55.3% among epileptologists and 48.9% among neurologists (p = 0.6892) but was significantly higher in the FS subgroup (71.1%) compared to ES (41.7%) (p = 0.0043). Significance: Diagnostic accuracy was moderate, without significant differences between epileptologists and neurologists, while it was higher for FS compared to ES. The addition of questionnaires did not improve accuracy. Eye closure for FS and abrupt ending for ES emerged as the only diagnostic signs. Thus, homemade videos have a role in differentiating these disorders. Plain Language Summary: This study aimed to assess if home videos can distinguish epileptic seizures from functional seizures. Patients over 14 years from six Italian centers recorded videos of their episodes and answered questionnaires. Data were evaluated by epileptologists and neurologists. Results showed moderate diagnostic accuracy, with higher accuracy for functional seizures compared to epileptic seizures. Key diagnostic signs included eye closure for functional seizures and abrupt endings for epileptic seizures. Questionnaires did not improve accuracy. In conclusion, home videos can help differentiate these events

The SRG/eROSITA all-sky survey: First X-ray catalogues and data release of the western Galactic hemisphere

The eROSITA telescope array aboard the Spektrum Roentgen Gamma (SRG) satellite began surveying the sky in December 2019, with the aim of producing all-sky X-ray source lists and sky maps of an unprecedented depth. Here we present catalogues of both point-like and extended sources using the data acquired in the first six months of survey operations (eRASS1; completed June 2020) over the half sky whose proprietary data rights lie with the German eROSITA Consortium. We describe the observation process, the data analysis pipelines, and the characteristics of the X-ray sources. With nearly 930 000 entries detected in the most sensitive 0.2- 2.3 keV energy range, the eRASS1 main catalogue presented here increases the number of known X-ray sources in the published literature by more than 60%, and provides a comprehensive inventory of all classes of X-ray celestial objects, covering a wide range of physical processes. A smaller catalogue of 5466 sources detected in the less sensitive but harder 2.3- 5 keV band is the result of the first true imaging survey of the entire sky above 2 keV. We present methods to identify and flag potential spurious sources in the catalogues, which we applied for this work, and we tested and validated the astrometric accuracy via cross-comparison with other X-ray and multi-wavelength catalogues. We show that the number counts of X-ray sources in eRASSl are consistent with those derived over narrower fields by past X-ray surveys of a similar depth, and we explore the number counts variation as a function of the location in the sky. Adopting a uniform all-sky flux limit (at 50% completeness) of F05- 2 keV > 5 × 10-14 erg s-1 cm-2, we estimate that the eROSITA all-sky survey resolves into individual sources about 20% of the cosmic X-ray background in the 1- 2 keV range. The catalogues presented here form part of the first data release (DR1) of the SRG/eROSITA all-sky survey. Beyond the X-ray catalogues, DR1 contains all detected and calibrated event files, source products (light curves and spectra), and all-sky maps. Illustrative examples of these are provided

Motorcycling edgework: A practice theory perspective

In an effort to elucidate a deep understanding of the experience of dangerous motorcycling behaviour, we employ a practice theory perspective, drawing out connections between the practice, the consumption of objects, and the meanings surrounding both. Using the Biographical Narrative Interpretive Method (BNIM), we offer possible explanations as to why, in the face of troubling accident statistics, some motorcyclists continue to drive at excessive speeds. Narrative accounts portray dangerous motorcycling practice as autotelic, impulsive edgework, incorporating a strong connection between rider and machine, and embedded with symbolic, emotional values that cannot be accounted for by traditional rational choice models. Our findings allow for the potential of policymakers to address such motorcycling practice in ways more meaningful to those engaged in it