La materia che tende allo spirito

Nella pianura costiera della campagna agrigentina, tra la Valle dei Templi ed un sito archeologico di origine cretese, troviamo un luogo di culto, la cui composizione attraversa tutti i temi della storia sacra siciliana, riconducendoli ad un'esperienza attuale ed evocativa della tradizione religiosa locale. La chiesa, costituita da un possente parallelepipedo frammentato e decostruito, ruotato rispetto alla strada secondo la direzione est-ovest, si caratterizza nella sua apertura verso la strada con un grande setto che simboleggia una porta sempre aperta a chiunque senta di avvicinarsi. Travertino e cor-ten diventano materiali simbolici del passaggio dal terreno allo spirituale, caratterizzando il luogo di culto nel paesaggio siciliano costiero

L'involucro architettonico. Declinazioni digitali e nuovi linguaggi

L\u2019immagine sembra oggi il vero obiettivo del progetto di molte architetture. \u201cImmagine\u201d e non \u201cforma\u201d: \ue8 bene non confondere le due locuzioni, dove la seconda non rinvia soltanto a ci\uf2 che si vede, ma anche a tutto il pensiero che le ha dato sostanza. Certo, l\u2019immagine, nel momento stesso in cui \ue8 percepita assume il valore di segno. Ma segno di quale significato? Spesso un significato stereotipo, estratto da una insieme di valori convenzionalmente dichiarati positivi. Non \ue8 facile distinguere quanto di semplice immagine o di vera forma ci sia. Nello scenario dell\u2019architettura sembra che il problema, come sempre, si ponga in termini di \u201cnovit\ue0\u201d: una forma riesce ad essere tale, e non solo un\u2019immagine di qualcosa, quando \ue8 nuova, non un \u201cd\ue9j\ue0 vu\u201d, una diversit\ue0 rispetto a visioni consolidate. Ma sappiamo che in architettura non \ue8 questa l\u2019innovazione, ma essa implica veramente un cambiamento di sapere, un\u2019acquisizione di nuove concezioni, di nuovi contenuti e quindi di nuovi significati. Le premesse teoriche sulle quali essi pretendono di aprirsi alla scena della \u201cNew Architecture\u201d destano non poche perplessit\ue0. Fondamentalmente esse sono: il preteso valore autonomo delle figure, che \ue8 possibile creare e rappresentare con i software CAD, ed in particolare di quelle in qualche modo collegabili alla nuove acquisizioni scientifiche ed agli sviluppi della filosofia contemporanea. Ambedue riflettono una pretesa ancor pi\uf9 generale: il ritenere che solo queste posizioni siano in sintonia con la cultura contemporanea pi\uf9 avanzata. Nasce il dubbio che tutte queste affermazioni, insieme alla evidente capacit\ue0 di \u201c\ue9pater les bourgeois\u201d di certe architetture, generi un consenso che possa rivelarsi effimero, cos\uec come lo \ue8 stato per l\u2019architettura postmoderna e decostruttiva. L\u2019era \u201cdigitale\u201d perora ha dato quasi esclusivamente questi prodotti, linguaggi che sembrano emergenti pi\uf9 da fatti strumentali e procedurali, con riflessioni quindi limitate soprattutto alla forma, e non con un\u2019attenzione alle necessit\ue0 dello spazio, in tutte le sue articolazioni esistenziali, comprese quelle veramente filosofiche. Prova ne sia che la forma, in quanto non diretta espressione di una completa ricerca spaziale, rimane o diventa molto spesso \u201cimmagine\u201d, nella continua ricerca di una visibilit\ue0 ad ogni costo. L\u2019involucro, anzich\ue9 interfaccia dell\u2019architettura ed espressione della sua conformazione, diventa supporto mediatico di comunicazione e solo strumento rappresentativo di questa

Temperature gradient and asymmetric steady state correlations in dissipatively coupled cascaded optomechanical systems

The interaction between a light mode and a mechanical oscillator via radiation pressure in optomechanical systems is an excellent platform for a multitude of applications in quantum technologies. In this work we study the dynamics of a pair of optomechanical systems interacting dissipatively with a wave guide in a unidirectional way. Focusing on the regime where the cavity modes can be adiabatically eliminated we derive an effective coupling between the two mechanical modes and we explore both classical and quantum correlations established between the modes in both in the transient and in the stationary regime, highlighting their asymmmetrical nature due to the unidirectional coupling, and we find that a constant amount of steady correlations can exist at long times. Furthermore we show that this unidirectional coupling establishes a temperature gradient between the mirrors, depending on the frequencies' detuning. We additionally analyze the power spectrum of the output guide field and we show how, thanks to the chiral coupling, from such spectrum it is possible to reconstruct the spectra of each single mirror.Comment: 27 pages, 10 figure

Dynamic reconfiguration of electrical connections for partially shaded PV modules: Technical and economical performances of an Arduino-based prototype

The partial shading phenomenon is a well known problem of photovoltaic plants. Partial shading leads to undesirable effects such the electrical mismatch, the generation of hot spots, and generally the decrease of production of electric energy. To mitigate the last effect, a dynamic reconfiguration of the electrical connections between modules was taken into account. In this paper, starting from an already developed system for a small-scale photovoltaic plant reconfiguration, the study of the economical benefits of the employment of a reconfigurator are traced. Five different incentive policies of diverse Countries have been considered to evaluate the increase of Net Present Value of system with and without a reconfigurator

Design and realization of a bidirectional full bridge converter with improved modulation strategies

In this paper a Full-Bridge Converter (FBC) for bidirectional power transfer is presented. The proposed FBC is an isolated DC-DC bidirectional converter, connected to a double voltage source—a voltage bus on one side and a Stack of Super-Capacitors (SOSC) on the other side. The control law aims at the regulation either of the bus current (when the load requires power) or of the SOSC current (when the stack requires a recharge). Analysis and design of the proposed FBC are discussed. A Phase Shift Modulation (PSM) scheme is proposed, along with an improved modulation variant for the efficiency optimization, through a proper reduction of the transformer power losses. The realized prototype, compliant with automotive applications, is presented and experimental results are highlighted. The target power level is 2 kW

Indicators of biodiversity in an intensively cultivated and heavily human modified landscape

Nowadays, the loss of biodiversity in agroecosystems due to the intensification of farming practices is happening very fast, and therefore, stopping or slowing it down should be a priority for conservation. To detect changes in these environmental contexts, one approach contemplates focusing on a limited set of indicator species that can alert us to ongoing changes in progress. In this research, we aimed to measure the biodiversity of vertebrates using a multi-taxa approach in an intensively cultivated and highly inhabited area located in northern Italy. We investigated the relationships between biodiversity and environmental characteristics and we identified the taxonomic groups that can be used as indicators of biodiversity. Data collection was carried out in 2016 with different methods depending on the taxonomic group, in 131 sampling units chosen using a Tessellation Stratified Sampling. Then we calculated for each sampling unit a standardized Biodiversity Index, which was related to environmental variables concerning the land use and the landscape configuration using Multiple Linear Regression Analysis and Information-Theoretic approach. We used correlation analyses and the Indicator Species Analysis (IndVal) to identify the taxonomic groups and species that can be used as indicators of biodiversity. Biodiversity was positively related to the number of patches of natural vegetation, whereas it was negatively affected by the number of patches of artificial surfaces and by habitat diversity. Our findings agree with those obtained by many other researchers, which pointed out that agroecosystems provide adequate shelters, suitable foraging habitats and nesting sites. The negative effect of habitat diversity was explained by the area-heterogeneity trade-off. Therefore, sites with high heterogeneity will not contain enough cover of residual natural vegetation, essential to maintain high biodiversity, because increasing compositional heterogeneity within a fixed area simultaneously reduces the surface of each cover type. The analyses showed that birds and reptiles might be used as biodiversity indicators of vertebrates. Eurasian Magpie and Green Whip Snake, both generalist species, were associated with sites of low biodiversity, whereas seven birds, both generalists and farmland specialists, were associated with sites of medium biodiversity. In high biodiversity sites there were not indicator species. To conclude, in less natural environments, such as urban and agricultural landscapes, a combination of specialist and generalist indicator species seems adequate to monitor biodiversity changes. Our findings increase the knowledge of these very dynamic ecosystems, being important both to plan strategies for biodiversity conservation and to guarantee ecosystems services useful for humans

Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease after COVID-19: infection-induced prion protein misfolding? A case report

Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) is a rare, fatal disease presenting with rapidly progressive neurological deficits caused by the accumulation of a misfolded form (PrPSc) of prion protein (PrPc). Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a primarily respiratory syndrome caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2); many diverse neurological complications have been observed after COVID-19. We describe a young patient developing CJD two months after mild COVID-19. Presenting symptoms were visuospatial deficits and ataxia, evolving into a bedridden state with preserved consciousness and diffuse myoclonus. Diagnostic work-up was suggestive of CJD. The early age of onset and the short interval between respiratory and neurological symptoms might suggest a causal relationship: a COVID-19-related neuroinflammatory state may have induced the misfolding and subsequent aggregation of PrPSc. The present case emphasizes the link between neuroinflammation and protein misfolding. Further studies are needed to establish the role of SARS-CoV-2 as an initiator of neurodegeneration

Experimental study on B-spline-based modulation schemes applied in multilevel inverters for electric drive applications

This work presents the design, simulation, and experimental validation of new B-Spline-based modulation techniques applied to a Multilevel Power Inverter (MPI), particularly focusing the attention on the harmonic content of the output voltages of the inverter. Simulation and experimental results are proposed and discussed, mainly describing the potential benefits, such as the increase of the multi-level operation of the converter, and drawbacks (low-order harmonics) related to the adoption of B-Spline functions for multilevel inverters applied in the field of electrical drives

Multisensory mental representation in covid-19 patients and the possibility of long-lasting gustatory and olfactory dysfunction in the CNS

Gustatory (GD) and olfactory (OD) dysfunctions are the most frequent neurological manifestations of COVID-19. We used mental imagery as an experimental psychological paradigm to access olfactory and gustatory brain representations in 80 Italian COVID-19 adult patients (68.75% reported both OD and GD). COVID-19 patients with OD + GD have a significantly and selectively decreased vividness of odor and taste imagery, indicating that COVID-19 has an effect on their chemosensory mental representations. OD + GD length and type influenced the status of mental chemosensory representations. OD + GD were become all COVID-19 negative at the time of testing. Data suggest that patients are not explicitly aware of long-term altered chemosensory processing. However, differences emerge when their chemosensory function is implicitly assessed using self-ratings. Among patients developing OD + GD, self-ratings of chemosensory function (taste, flavor) were significantly lower as compared to those who did not. At the level of mental representation, such differences can be further detected, in terms of a reduced ability to mentally activate an odor or taste mental image. Our study shows that COVID-19 infection not only frequently causes hyposmia and dysgeusia, but that may also alter the mental representations responsible for olfactory and gustatory perception