Ontological insecurity and subjective feelings of unsafety: Analysing socially constructed fears in Italy

Perception of insecurity arises as a complex social phenomenon affected by factors that go beyond actual crime rates. Previous contributions to the field of fear of crime studies have shown, for instance, that the perception of social and physical disorder may generate insecurity among residents even in contexts where crime is comparatively low. Meanwhile, sociological approaches have led to a conceptualization of insecurity as an umbrella sentiment grounded in a wider feeling of unease. Building further on this assumption, data gathered in a large-scale survey in Italy (n = 15,428) were analysed by implementing exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis with the objective of assessing the validity of a model of 'ontological insecurity'. The results of our analysis support a conceptualization of insecurity where socially constructed anxieties (due to health and financial precariousness), as well as ethnic, sexual and religious-based stigmatization, play a prominent role in determining an individual's feeling of insecurity

Multispectral and high-resolution images as sources for archaeological surveys. New data, from Iraqi Kurdistan

The paper presents the results of a two-year archaeological survey carried out in the Iraqi Kurdistan, namely within the Navkur Plain that has been extensively explored by the University of Udine since 2012. The surveys were planned in advance using Remote Sensing products available online and processed with Google Earth Engine, a large-scale cloud computing service specifically designed to process geospatial big data and especially satellite imagery. Images from Landsat 5, Landsat 7 and Sentinel-2 platforms were selected, processed and assessed. After two years, an overall number of 46 new and previously unknown sites have been localized and surveyed, contributing to the knowledge of the past history of this portion of the Kurdistan region and testing the use of Remote Sensing cloud-computing applications in the context of Near Eastern archaeological research

Archaeological site identification from open access multispectral imagery: Cloud computing applications in Northern Kurdistan (Iraq)

This paper presents the results of an archaeological survey carried out in the Navkur Plain, Iraqi Kurdistan, as part of the ‘Asingeran Archaeological Project’. The survey was prepared using remote sensing products accessed via Google Earth Engineⓒ, a large-scale cloud computing service freely available to the scientific community that allows processing remote sensing big data. Outputs generated with a multitemporal approach are particularly successful for archaeological research, because it is possible to maximize the visibility of archaeological sites, improving their detection. Multispectral imagery from Landsat 5, Landsat 7 and Sentinel-2 collections were used and processed, testing their utility for finding unknown ancient settlements in the densely studied area of Northern Mesopotamia. Seventeen new sites were discovered in an already surveyed area of limited size (<100 km2), showing the potentialities of this method. The advantages of cloud computing for Near Eastern Archaeology and the results of the survey are also presented and discussed

Neural Substrates of Chronic Pain in the Thalamocortical Circuit

Chronic pain (CP), a pathological condition with a large repertory of signs and symptoms, has no recognizable neural functional common hallmark shared by its diverse expressions. The aim of the present research was to identify potential dynamic markers shared in CP models, by using simultaneous electrophysiological extracellular recordings from the rat ventrobasal thalamus and the primary somatosensory cortex. We have been able to extract a neural signature attributable solely to CP, independent from of the originating conditions. This study showed disrupted functional connectivity and increased redundancy in firing patterns in CP models versus controls, and interpreted these signs as a neural signature of CP. In a clinical perspective, we envisage CP as disconnection syndrome and hypothesize potential novel therapeutic appraisal

Organisation of industry and innovation dynamics

The paper aims at investigating how the organization of a certain industry evolves once the competition among its firms, producing a ‘com-plex’ (i.e. non-modular) product, is modeled as the intertwining of innovative search and organizational change. In order to take the full roster of participants into account, and to retain the inner complexity of their decisions, a Pseudo–NK model is built–up in which a population of firms is called to match a technological frontier. By evolving along different stages of the sector’s life-cycle, such a kind of technological calls for a trade–off between two strategies of cost–reduction through either outsourcing or technological search. Overall, the simulation results confirm previous literature as, for example, in the introductory stage of the industry life–cycle, marked by frequent and intense jumps of the technological frontier, firms need to vertically integrate in order to have higher chances to win the competition for a new standard. On the contrary, in the decline stage, in which the technological frontier almost stabilizes, deverticalization allows firms to better compete on costs. These results change if suppliers are allowed to innovate, as they are more likely to lock the market in sub–optimal configurations

Safe and inclusive educational apps: Digital protection from an ethical and critical perspective

The mediated use of technology fosters learning from early childhood and is a potential resource for inclusive education. Nevertheless, the huge range of options and exposure to interactive digital content, which is often online, also implies a series of risks. The definition of protection underlying the current strategies to protect children is inadequate as it only extends to reducing children's exposure to harmful content. This study proposes the expansion of this definition. Through systematic observation of 200 apps within the Catalan sphere for children under 8 years of age and principal component analysis, the results support a multidimensional conceptualisation of protection which, instead of being restricted to the potential risks, also considers aspects related to the educational and inclusive potential of digital resources. Five factors are suggested in order to select these resources and contribute to the digital competence of teachers and students. The first factor concerns the use of protection mechanisms and the existence of external interference, the second factor indicates the presence of adaptation tools; the exposure to stereotypes corresponds to the third factor and the last two consider the previous knowledge required and the verbal component of the apps. Finally, the scope of the suggested definition and its limitations as a guide for future analysis will be discussed

Profiles of online students and the impact of their university experience

In recent decades, there has been a steady growth in the population who enter higher education in both brick-and-mortar and, in particular, online universities. This has led to an increase in heterogeneous student profiles in a relatively short period of time. The purpose of this paper was to explore the student profiles at a university that gives all its courses online, namely the Universitat Oberta de Catalunya (UOC), and analyse students' perceptions of their university experience. With this goal in mind, we constructed a student typology based on their social conditions and backgrounds using multiple correspondence analysis. Subsequently, an analysis of variance (Kruskall-Wallis test) was run to detect whether there were any differences in students' perceptions of the impact of their university experience (N = 1850). Although the prevailing profile of students in the online university continues to reflect students with responsibilities outside of the university (e.g., work and/or family), new profiles have been observed, made up of younger students without any work or family responsibilities. In turn, younger students' distinct perceptions of their university experience has been observed, depending on student profiles, with older students having more intrinsic perceptions, focused on learning and the acquisition of theoretical knowledge

Safe and inclusive educational apps: Digital protection from an ethical and critical perspective

The mediated use of technology fosters learning from early childhood and is a potential resource for inclusive education. Nevertheless, the huge range of options and exposure to interactive digital content, which is often online, also implies a series of risks. The definition of protection underlying the current strategies to protect children is inadequate as it only extends to reducing children's exposure to harmful content. This study proposes the expansion of this definition. Through systematic observation of 200 apps within the Catalan sphere for children under 8 years of age and principal component analysis, the results support a multidimensional conceptualisation of protection which, instead of being restricted to the potential risks, also considers aspects related to the educational and inclusive potential of digital resources. Five factors are suggested in order to select these resources and contribute to the digital competence of teachers and students. The first factor concerns the use of protection mechanisms and the existence of external interference, the second factor indicates the presence of adaptation tools; the exposure to stereotypes corresponds to the third factor and the last two consider the previous knowledge required and the verbal component of the apps. Finally, the scope of the suggested definition and its limitations as a guide for future analysis will be discussed

Fish population

Le strutture sommerese , che possono essere di diversa tipologia (blocchi di roccia, elementi in calcestruzzo, relitti e rottami metallici ecc.), svolgono diversi tipi di funzione e l’ambiente spesso si adatta ad esse integrandole e sfruttandone le caratteristiche. Le strutture infatti vengono costruite con l’intento di proteggere il fondale dagli effetti dell’attività di pesca a strascico e fornire una zona di protezione e riproduzione per gli organismi bentonici che qui trovano rifugio (effetto “tigmotropico”). Proprio per quest’ultima ragione, le strutture e la loro posizione è ben nota ai pescatori che qui trovano abbondanza di organismi. Scopo del presente studio è quello di valutare l’incremento della biomassa ittica presso la zona del Dosso di Santa Croce (Golfo di Trieste – Alto Adriatico) in seguito alla sistemazione e maturazione delle strutture sommerse. Lo studio è stato condotto mediante pescate sperimentali effettuate a giugno 2003, maggio e agosto 2004, luglio 2005 e mediante osservazioni raccolte durante immersioni subacquee.Il presente studio è stato finalizzato alla caratterizzazione del Dosso di Santa Croce (Golfo di Trieste – Alto Adriatico) in termini di morfobatimetria e di distribuzione dei banchi di pesce presenti in questa zona. A tal fine è stato utilizzato un “echosounder” che permette, tramite riflessione degli impulsi acustici inviati, di individuare banchi di pecse o plankon, valutandone la relativa taglia, stimare abbondanza e densità dei medesimi organismi, studiarne il comportamento e le dinamiche migratorie e mappare il fondale. Lo strumento ha permesso, nel presente lavoro, di valutare in maniera semplice la densità e l’abbondanza relative dei banchi di pesce, ma la conversione in valori assoluti è stata resa difficoltosa dall’impossibilità di prelevare specie nell’area, sottoposta a protezione. Pertanto uno strumento utile da utilizzare in abbinamento all’echosounder sembrerebbe poter essere il “visual census” (campionamento visivo) per valutare le specie presenti nei banchi

Documentación arqueológica e intercambio de datos: topografía digital y procedimiento con datos abiertos aplicado a trabajos de campo arqueológico

[EN] The open data paradigm is changing the research approach in many fields such as remote sensing and the social sciences. This is supported by governmental decisions and policies that are boosting the open data wave, and in this context archaeology is also affected by this new trend. In many countries, archaeological data are still protected or only limited access is allowed. However, the strong political and economic support for the publication of government data as open data will change the accessibility and disciplinary expertise in the archaeological field too. In order to maximize the impact of data, their technical openness is of primary importance. Indeed, since a spreadsheet is more usable than a PDF of a table, the availability of digital archaeological data, which is structured using standardised approaches, is of primary importance for the real usability of published data. In this context, the main aim of this paper is to present a workflow for archaeological data sharing as open data with a large level of technical usability and interoperability. Primary data is mainly acquired through the use of digital techniques (e.g. digital cameras and terrestrial laser scanning). The processing of this raw data is performed with commercial software for scan registration and image processing, allowing for a simple and semi-automated workflow. Outputs obtained from this step are then processed in modelling and drawing environments to generate digital models, both 2D and 3D. These crude geometrical data are then enriched with further information to generate a Geographic Information System (GIS) which is finally published as open data using Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC) standards to maximise interoperability.Highlights:Open data will change the accessibility and disciplinary expertise in the archaeological field.The main aim of this paper is to present a workflow for archaeological data sharing as open data with a large level of interoperability.Digital acquisition techniques are used to document archaeological excavations and a Geographic Information System (GIS) is generated that is published as open data.[ES] El paradigma de los datos abiertos está cambiando el enfoque de investigación en muchos campos de estudio como son la teledetección y las ciencias sociales. Está respaldado por decisiones gubernamentales y políticas que están impulsando la ola de los datos abiertos y en este contexto también la arqueología se ve afectada por esta nueva tendencia. En muchos países, los datos arqueológicos todavía están protegidos o se permite un acceso limitado. Sin embargo, el fuerte apoyo político y económico hacia la publicación de datos gubernamentales como datos abiertos también cambiará el panorama en el campo arqueológico. Para maximizar el efecto de los datos, su apertura técnica es de primordial importancia. De hecho, dado que una hoja de cálculo es más útil que la digitalización PDF de una tabla, de manera similar, la disponibilidad de los datos arqueológicos digitales y su estructuración mediante enfoques estandarizados es de importancia primordial para una utilización real de los datos publicados. En este contexto, el objetivo principal de este documento es presentar un flujo de trabajo para compartir datos arqueológicos como datos abiertos con un gran nivel de usabilidad técnica e interoperabilidad. La adquisición de datos primarios se realiza principalmente mediante el uso de técnicas de adquisición digital (por ejemplo, cámaras digitales y escaneado láser terrestre). El procesamiento de los datos crudos se realiza con software comercial para el registro de los escaneados y el procesamiento de imágenes que permite un procesamiento simple y semiautomático. Los resultados del área arqueológica obtenidos de este paso se procesan en modelos y entornos de dibujo que permiten generar modelos digitales, 2D y 3D. Esos datos geométricos crudos se enriquecen luego con información adicional para generar un Sistema de Información Geográfica (SIG) que finalmente se publica con datos abiertos usando los estándares del Consorcio Geoespacial Abierto (OGC) que maximizan la interoperabilidad.The authors want to thank Prof. Philippe Pergola, who had the scientific direction of the archaeological fieldworks in Albenga, and dott. Stefano Roascio and dott.ssa Elena Dellù, who managed the on-field operations; dott. Giovanni Svevo for the help with on-field survey. Thanks to Fondazione Lamboglia and Fondazione De Mari which funded fieldworks. A special thanks to Fondazione Fratelli Confalonieri which funded the research.Previtali, M.; Valente, R. (2019). Archaeological documentation and data sharing: digital surveying and open data approach applied to archaeological fieldworks. Virtual Archaeology Review. 10(20):17-27. https://doi.org/10.4995/var.2019.10377SWORD17271020Anichini, F., & Gattiglia, G. (2015). 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