Asymptotically idempotent aggregation operators for trust management in multi-agent systems

The study of trust management in multi-agent system, especially distributed, has grown over the last years. Trust is a complex subject that has no general consensus in literature, but has emerged the importance of reasoning about it computationally. Reputation systems takes into consideration the history of an entity’s actions/behavior in order to compute trust, collecting and aggregating ratings from members in a community. In this scenario the aggregation problem becomes fundamental, in particular depending on the environment. In this paper we describe a technique based on a class of asymptotically idempotent aggregation operators, suitable particulary for distributed anonymous environments

Novel proton and metal-ion conducting polymers and block copolymers

The development of high-performance electrochemical energy devices (EEDs), is a critical aspect in the ongoing energy transition towards renewable sources and electrification of transports and facilities. The substantial change in energy production, storage and usage, requires the revamping of known technologies, the discovery of new ones and the enhancement of energy materials. Ion conducting polymers play a pivotal role in the new energetic scenario due to their main application as solid polymer electrolytes (SPEs) in EEDs such as batteries, fuel cells and supercapacitors. The use of SPEs drastically increases the performance, safety and sustainability of EEDs compared to liquid-based systems. Polymeric electrolyte materials must comply with different stringent pre-requisites depending on the final application. The presence and distribution of charges along the backbone, the chemical stability, chain stiffness and nanomorphology are only examples of critical variables to be taken into account in designing SPEs for EEDs.In this work, we focus on ion conducting polymers suitable for proton exchange membranes (PEMs) and lithium or magnesium SPEs. PEMs are materials with potential application in polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells, whereas SPEs are a promising alternative to liquid electrolytes for metal-ion batteries. We investigate the synthesis and properties of different types of polymers and block-copolymers. The interplay between chemistry, nanostructure and ion conductivity in solid ion conducting polymers has proven to be a critical factor in the optimization of polymer electrolyte performances, and it represents the main topic of this PhD thesis

THE NEW LEFT IN THE EUROPEAN DEMOCRACIES. The case of the German Radical Left.

The new form of the social and political conflict cannot be explained by the traditional categories of right and left, but it articulates to them on two plans, that of the establishment, intended like plan of the struc-tured political conflict from the traditional actors, and that of the anti-establishment, in which new repre-sentations of politics emerge. The New Left is characterized by type of intermittent participation and new perspectives on mobilization inside the parties and the social movements. This type of parties differs moreover from the traditional ones left of the socialist and social democratic left in not arranging of organi-zations collaterals placed under the direction of the leadership of the same party. The mobilization that spontaneously assumes not conventional forms of active participation of the citizens, or is primed by the action of an associative network of which the same parties take part, than however does not monopolize the collective action. In this regard, the attention will be dedicated to the study of Die Linke: an anti-establishment party of the non-socialist German left-wing, heir to the communist tradition. The choice was affected to the German model because: 1) Germany is a country with a strong social democratic tradition, but 25 years after the fall of the Berlin Wall the German political system identifies a new antagonist political party; 2) Die Linke represents an interesting case in the political landscape of the European radical left be-cause is a one-party that gives up at the federation of parties to try to unify the political parties of German radical left-wing

The New Left in the European Democracies: The Case of the German Radical Left

The new form of the social and political conflict cannot be explained by the traditional categories of right and left, but it articulates to them on two plans, that of the establishment, intended like plan of the structured political conflict from the traditional actors, and that of the anti-establishment, in which new representations of politics emerge. The New Left is characterized by type of intermittent participation and new perspectives on mobilization inside the parties and the social movements. This type of parties differs moreover from the traditional ones left of the socialist and social democratic left in not arranging of organizations collaterals placed under the direction of the leadership of the same party. The mobilization that spontaneously assumes not conventional forms of active participation of the citizens, or is primed by the action of an associative network of which the same parties take part, than however does not monopo-lize the collective action. In this regard, the attention will be dedicated to the study of Die Linke: an anti-establishment party of the non-socialist German left-wing, heir to the communist tradition. The choice was affected to the German model because: 1) Germany is a country with a strong social democratic tradition, but 25 years after the fall of the Berlin Wall the German political system identifies a new antagonist political party; 2) Die Linke represents an interesting case in the political landscape of the European radical left because is a one-party that gives up at the federation of parties to try to unify the political parties of German radical left-wing

On political parties in contemporary democracies. From the classic perspective to the current debate.

The crisis of political parties in contemporary societies and democracies is composed of different points of views, that require a joint effort for social and political science to try to understand the changing relation-ship between citizens and parties. Compared to the political mass models, which are typical of the second half of the twentieth century, parties undergo deep processes of transformation. The beginning of a critical season for the traditional forms of political organization goes back to those years; and this critical season can be configured as ideological, organizational and institutional. Between the twentieth and twenty-first century, the political parties has strengthened the structure of their political organization and the weight of their parliamentary activities within the institutions, becoming more and more «state-centered parties», characterized by the progressive reduction of the forms of territorial settlement and the growth of the im-portance of central organisms and the representatives of the assemblies, especially those elected in na-tional parliaments. This results in significant changes of the organizational model and their political func-tions. In the face of these changes, will the parties still remain a key player for the functioning of contem-porary democracy? We will focus on three fundamental steps: the analysis of the creation process of par-ties and of their function; the description of the most recent perspectives in political parties; the analysis of the relationship between the personalisation of politics and the passage to leader democracy

On Political Parties in Contemporary Democracies: From the classic perspective to the current debate

The crisis of political parties in contemporary societies and democracies is composed of differ-ent points of views, that require a joint effort for social and political science to try to understand the changing relationship between citizens and parties. Compared to the political mass models, which are typ-ical of the second half of the twentieth century, parties undergo deep processes of transformation. The beginning of a critical season for the traditional forms of political organization goes back to those years; and this critical season can be configured as ideological, organizational and institutional. Between the twentieth and twenty-first century, the political parties has strengthened the structure of their political organization and the weight of their parliamentary activities within the institutions, becoming more and more «state-centered parties», characterized by the progressive reduction of the forms of territorial set-tlement and the growth of the importance of central organisms and the representatives of the assemblies, especially those elected in national parliaments. This results in significant changes of the organizational model and their political functions. In the face of these changes, will the parties still remain a key player for the functioning of contemporary democracy? We will focus on three fundamental steps: the analysis of the creation process of parties and of their function; the description of the most recent perspectives in political parties; the analysis of the relationship between the personalisation of politics and the passage to leader democracy