423— The Relationship Between Social Inequality and COVID-19 Morbidity and Mortality

This poster will analyze World Bank and World Health Organization data to examine the relationship between inequality and COVID-19 morbidity and mortality globally. The analyzed data includes, the total number of COVID-19 cases, COVID-19 deaths, percentage of total cases per population size, and the Gini coefficient (the measure of income inequality) for each country. This poster will present graphs comparing the percentage of COVID-19 cases and COVID-19 deaths per a country’s population in relationship to their Gini coefficient to explore the relationship between inequality and the severity of the COVID-19 pandemic in nation-states

Fine-Tuning Sign Language Translation Systems Through Deep Reinforcement Learning

Sign language is an important communication tool for a vast majority of deaf and hard-of-hearing (DHH) people. Data collected by the World Health organization states that there are 466 million people currently with hearing loss and that number could rise to 630 million by 2030 and over 930 million by 2050 \cite{DHH1}. Currently there are millions of sign language speakers around the world who utilize this skill on a daily basis. Bridging the gap between those who communicate solely with a spoken language and the DHH community is an ever-growing and omnipresent need. Unfortunately, in the field of natural language processing, sign language recognition and translation lags far behind its spoken language counterparts. The following research will seek to successfully leverage the field of Deep Reinforcement Learning (DRL) to make a significant improvement in the task of Sign Language Translation (SLT) with German Sign Language videos to German text sentences. To do this three major experiments are conducted. The first experiment examines the effects of Self-critical Sequence Training (SCST) when fine-tuning a simple Recurrent Neural Network (RNN) Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) based sequence-to-sequence model. The second experiment takes the same SCST algorithm and applies it to a more powerful transformer based model. And the final experiment utilizes the Proximal Policy Optimization (PPO) algorithm alongside a novel fine-tuning process on the same transformer model. By using this approach of estimating the reward signal and normalization while optimizing for the model\u27s test-time greedy inference procedure we aim to establish a new or comparable SOTA result on the RWTH-PHOENIX-Weather-2014 T German sign language dataset

I Think There\u27s A Little Bit Of Love In Your Heart For Me

https://digitalcommons.library.umaine.edu/mmb-vp/5291/thumbnail.jp

Mathematical modeling of anaerobic digestion in plug-flow reactors

Anaerobic digestion is one of the most used technology for the treatment of organic compounds contained in a great variety of waste through which the production of a renewable energy is obtained, the biogas. Mathematical modelling plays a key role in providing tools supporting the designing and managing of plants performing this kind of process. The vast majority of mathematical models describing the anaerobic digestion process focus their attention on systems in wet conditions, whose mathematical problem consists in non-linear systems of ordinary differential equations. Dry anaerobic digestion modelling, due to the reactors where it is performed, needs more complex systems of partial differential equations to describe properly the dynamics of the process. The lack of scientific literature on this topic drove the interests and the efforts of the research activities of the three years of Ph.D, concretized in the scientific articles that are presented in this work of thesis. Research activities were aimed to the development of a mathematical model describing the dynamics of the main compounds involved in a dry anaerobic digestion process in plug-flow reactors. The thesis is divided in 6 chapters. In chapter 1 the main topic is introduced. Chapter 2 presents the calibration and validation of an ADM1-based model, performed using the results of experimental campaigns of anaerobic digestion of potato waste having the characteristic dimension of the particles varying in a wide range. Chapter 3 describe the derived mathematical model of anaerobic digestion in plug-flow reactors: model equations and hypothesis are presented and model consistency with experimental observations is shown through numerical simulations. The model considers the variation of compounds concentrations in both space and time and takes into account the mass/volume variation of the treated matrix along the reactor. Moreover, a new equation describing the gas-transfer phenomenon is presented in this chapter. A global aensitivity analysis and uncertainty quantification for the model of dry anaerobic digestion in plug-flow reactors is performed in Chapter 4. These activities revealed the most important model parameters influencing the methane production, the main output of the model. In Chapter 5, based on the global sensitivity analysis and uncertainty quantification results, model parameters have been calibrated and validated. Results of two experimental campaigns of dry anaerobic digestion in a plug-flow reactor have been used to this purpose. Lastly, in Chapter 6 a general discussion for future research developments is given

Logistica e politiche di sviluppo pubbliche 2007-2013

L’obiettivo del lavoro è presentare i risultati dell’ Osservatorio sulle Politiche di Sviluppo per i Trasporti e la Logistica che gestisce SRM - Studi e Ricerche per il Mezzogiorno. I risultati sono stati presentati annualmente alle riunioni trascorse del SIET (Napoli, Sassari, Trieste, Roma, Me ssina). L’obiettivo è quello di delineare un quadro degli investimenti relativi al settore dei trasporti e della logistica nel Mezzogiorno con particolare riferimento a quanto previsto dal Quadro Strategico Nazionale (QSN) 2007 - 2013. Nell’ambito di questa programmazione, infatti, ricadono non solo le singole previsioni a carattere regionale (POR) ma anche un Programma a valenza multiregionale specificatamente dedicati al comparto in esame (PON Reti e Mobilità 2007 - 2013). Per meglio delineare il contesto di riferimento sono state, inoltre, considerate le previsioni dell’Agenda 2000 - 2006 soffermandosi, in particolar modo, sui risultati raggiunti a chiusura della stessa. In merito a quest’ultima va detto che il Quadro Comunitario di Sostegno (QCS) 2000 - 2006, al pari dell’attuale programmazione, prevedeva anch’essa tanto delle politiche regionali (POR) quanto una cornice multi regionale (PON Trasporti 2000 - 2006) e l’analisi dell’andamento di tali programmi, oltre a quella degli effetti conseguiti, può essere vist a come un utile strumento per meglio parametrare le performances degli interventi attualmente in corso. Dal confronto, infatti, è possibile trarre utili informazioni circa l’utilizzo dei fondi disponibili con riferimento non solo alle entità stanziate ma a nche alle scelte di allocazione delle stesse in termini di tipologia di opere e territori destinatari. Lo studio svolto, focalizzato sulle aree della Convergenza (Calabria, Campania, Puglia e Sicilia), ha inteso quindi indagare da un lato su quanto inizialmente previsto (in termini tanto finanziari quanto di interventi fisici da realizzare) e, dall’altro, s ui principali risultati raggiunti, cosi come contenuto nei Rapporti d’Esecuzione disponibili. Per l’agenda 2000 - 2006, sono stati analizzati per lo più i dati di chiusura dei Programmi. Il PON Trasporti ha fatto registrare un overbooking tanto negli impegni di spesa quanto nei pagamenti: i dati della Ragioneria Generale dello Stato per il monitoraggio degli interventi comunitari riportano, infatti, un’attuazione finanziaria che, al 30 giugno 2010, raggiunge il 114,2% in termini di pagamenti effettuati. Anche secondo le informazioni contenute nei Rapporti Finali di Esecuzione, l’Agenda 2000 - 2006 si è conclusa con rilevanti risultati. Prendendo come riferimento il PON Trasporti 2000 - 2006 si registrano, infatti, performance realizzative che hanno permesso il rag giungimento dell’impatto stabilito con quote di pagamento che toccano e superano la totalità dell’importo stanziato. Ottimi risultati si registrano a nche per i Programmi Regionali analizzati che, dal canto loro, se si escludono i progetti rinviati alla nuo va programmazione, hanno spesso riportato un'analoga situazione con il completo raggiungimento degli obiettivi prefissati in termini realizzazione fisica e di impatto e con un overbooking della spesa relativa. Per quanto concerne, invece, i Programmi 2007 - 2013, dai Rapporti d’Esecuzione disponibili emerge come, in linea generale, inizino a registrarsi i primi risultati di spesa pur se, in termini di realizzazione fisica degli interventi, nella maggior parte dei casi, non si evidenziano performance particolarmente significative; ciò è dovuto per lo più al fatto che le attività svolte hanno per molto tempo riguardato la fase di progettazione degli interventi che hanno, quindi, visto l’avvio in ritardo rispetto alle tempistiche ottimali. Il PON Reti e mobilità, dal canto suo, secondo gli ultimi dati disponibili della Ragioneria Generale dello Stato (al 30 giugno 2012) fa registrare pagamenti per una quota pari a solo il 20,5% del totale disponibile. Vengono, infine, riportate alcune informazioni sulla n uova Agenda di programmazione 2014 - 2020, oltre ad alcune considerazioni generali sul particolare contesto che fa da sfondo all’attuazione delle politiche comunitarie, soffermando l’attenzione su quelle che possono essere delle possibili strade per il loro rilancio

THE CORPORATE GOVERNANCE DRIVERS, PERFORMANCE AND RISK: EMPIRICAL EVIDENCE FROM ITALIAN CONTEXT

In this work we carried out an empirical research on a sample of 98 Italian companies continuously listed during 2005-2011, with the objective of deepening the analysis : we tried to verify the role played by the Corporate on performance and default risk, with the definition of an index of good Governance (scG); we tried to verify the variables of Corporate Governance that produce effects on performance and risk of default (Z-score and leverage); we tried to verify the difference of effects of Corporate governance Index on performance and risk for family business and for companies active in M&A; we conducted an analysis on a sample of Italian companies to measure Corporate Governance quality and to evaluate the relationship with the accounting and market performance and the effect on risk level. We find that The Corporate Governance quality presents some correlation with performance and risk parameters. The non family companies are better structured. They show a positive correlation between some Corporate Governance drivers and performance and Z-score. We can observe that le “well-advised” firms in external strategies are able to obtain a better correlation with performance and also a good relation with Z-score

A spatial decision support system for multifunctional landscape assessment: a transformative resilience perspective for vulnerable inland areas

The concept of transformative resilience has emerged from the recent literature and represents a way to interpret the potential opportunities for change in vulnerable territories, where a socioeconomic change is required. This article extends the perspective of transformative resilience to an assessment of the landscape multifunctionality of inland areas, exploring the potential of identifying a network of synergies among the different municipalities that is able to trigger a process of territorial resilience. A spatial decision support system (SDSS) for multifunctionality landscape assessment aims to help local actors understand local resources and multifunctional values of the Partenio Regional Park (PRP) and surrounding municipalities, in the South of Italy, stimulating their cooperation in the management of environmental and cultural sites and the codesign of new strategies of enhancement. The elaboration of spatial indicators according to Landscape Services classification and the interaction between the “Analytic Network Process” (ANP) method, spatial weighted overly and geographic information system (GIS) support the identification of a preferable scenario able to activate a transformative resilience strategy in selected vulnerable inland areas, which can be scaled up in other similar contexts

THE CORPORATE GOVERNANCE DRIVERS: WHAT RELATIONS WITH PERFORMANCE AND RISK? EMPIRICAL EVIDENCE FROM ITALIAN CONTEXT

Considering a sample of Italian firms and defining a good Governance index (gGI), we investigated if there is a relation between the gGI, the performance and the default risk and which governance determinants are most responsible of these effects. To deepen the analysis, the aforementioned relations are also observed by comparing family and non-family firms and the companies more or less active in M&A. We found that the Corporate Governance quality presents some correlations with performance and risk. The non-family companies are better structured, showing a positive correlation between some Corporate Governance drivers and performance and Z-score. Furthermore, the “well-advised” firms in external strategies are able to obtain a better correlation with performance and also a good relation with Z-scor