On the methodologies for the assessment of the impact of parameters in acoustophoretic separation devices

In this communication I reconcile the kinematic method illustrated by some authors~\cite{yang2018,vitali2018} in studying the impact of system and suspension parameters on acoustophoretic separations with the statistical method formerly proposed by Garofalo~\cite{garofalo2014,garofalo2014_2} and lately extended to particle populations by the same author~\cite{garofalo2017,garofalo2018}. The connection between these two methods is established by (i)~reinterpreting the kinematic method in terms of tangent space dynamics, and (ii)~transforming the dynamics in the tangent space into the dynamics of the area elements. The dynamics of the area elements is equivalent to the dynamics of the covariance matrix derived by moment analysis and associated with the dispersion problem during microparticle acoustophoresis. The similarities and the differences between the kinematic based method and the stochastic method proposed by the present auuthor are illustrated and discussed in the light of the numerical results for a prototypical model of acoustophoretic separation. \keywords{Acoustof

The Credibility of the Exchange Rate Regime: An Analysis trough “Derivatives” of the September 1992 Crisis

This paper argues that, in the September 1992 European currency crisis, market trends in derivatives, in terms of price volatility and change in volumes traded, might have represented an early indicator, in reference to the spot market, of the lack of confidence in the ability of the Italian Lira and the Sterling Pound to maintain their parities within the ERM. The assessment is made by comparing the daily data on Italian/English interbank rates with the implicit yield on short-term interest rate futures and with a maximum compatible with the ERM band created by means of German interbank rates and changes in the exchange ratesDerivatives; Exchange rates; Volatility

The evolutionary dynamics of tolerance

This paper incorporates the phenomenon of tolerance, as the ability to accept diversity, into an economic analysis showing how different aptitudes to trust and cooperation can affect economic outcomes. In the economic system we propose, tolerance is associated with the different weight that agents attribute to their own nature and to the institutional parameters in their utility function. We thus construct a model of overlapping generations, showing that the incentives that influence descendants’ predisposition to tolerance depend on both institutional factors, where behaviour is imposed by rules, and on social (or cultural) factors, found in popular customs and established traditions. Our study highlights the absolute impossibility of affirming tolerance through formal rules. In fact, intolerance is a persistent attitude and its control is only possible through constant and continuous interventions on the educational processes of new generations (intolerance trap).Tolerance; Evolutionary dynamics; Imperfect empathy

Lightweight LCP Construction for Very Large Collections of Strings

The longest common prefix array is a very advantageous data structure that, combined with the suffix array and the Burrows-Wheeler transform, allows to efficiently compute some combinatorial properties of a string useful in several applications, especially in biological contexts. Nowadays, the input data for many problems are big collections of strings, for instance the data coming from "next-generation" DNA sequencing (NGS) technologies. In this paper we present the first lightweight algorithm (called extLCP) for the simultaneous computation of the longest common prefix array and the Burrows-Wheeler transform of a very large collection of strings having any length. The computation is realized by performing disk data accesses only via sequential scans, and the total disk space usage never needs more than twice the output size, excluding the disk space required for the input. Moreover, extLCP allows to compute also the suffix array of the strings of the collection, without any other further data structure is needed. Finally, we test our algorithm on real data and compare our results with another tool capable to work in external memory on large collections of strings.Comment: This manuscript version is made available under the CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 license http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ The final version of this manuscript is in press in Journal of Discrete Algorithm

Performance Study of Acoustophoretic Microfluidic Silicon-Glass Devices by Characterization of Material- and Geometry-Dependent Frequency Spectra

The mechanical and electrical response of acoustophoretic microfluidic devices attached to an ac-voltage-driven piezoelectric transducer is studied by means of numerical simulations. The governing equations are formulated in a variational framework that, introducing Lagrangian and Hamiltonian densities, is used to derive the weak form for the finite element discretization of the equations and to characterize the device response in terms of frequency-dependent figures of merit or indicators. The effectiveness of the device in focusing microparticles is quantified by two mechanical indicators: the average direction of the pressure gradient and the amount of acoustic energy localized in the microchannel. Further, we derive the relations between the Lagrangian, the Hamiltonian and three electrical indicators: the resonance Q-value, the impedance and the electric power. The frequency response of the hard-to-measure mechanical indicators is correlated to that of the easy-to-measure electrical indicators, and by introducing optimality criteria, it is clarified to which extent the latter suffices to identify optimal driving frequencies as the geometric configuration and the material parameters vary.Comment: 15 pages, 10 figures, Supplementary Materia

The Evolutionary Dynamics of Tolerance

This paper incorporates the phenomenon of tolerance into an economic analysis, showing how different attitudes to trust and cooperation can affect economic outcomes. In the economic system we propose, tolerance is associated with the different weight that agents attribute to their own nature and to the institutional parameters in their utility function. We thus construct an overlapping generations model (OLG), showing that the incentives that influence descendants’ predisposition to tolerance depend on both institutional factors, where behaviour is imposed by rules, and on social (or cultural) factors, found in popular customs and established traditions. Our study highlights the absolute impossibility of affirming tolerance through formal rules. In fact, we show that intolerance emerges as persistent attitude (intolerance trap) and its control is only possible through constant and continuous interventions on the educational processes of new generations.JEL Classification: D1, Z1 Theoretical and Practical Research in Economic Fields is indexed in IndexCopernicus, EBSCO, RePEC and in CEEOL databas

The Evolutionary Dynamics of Tolerance

This paper incorporates the phenomenon of tolerance into an economic analysis, showing how different attitudes to trust and cooperation can affect economic outcomes. In the economic system we propose, tolerance is associated with the different weight that agents attribute to their own nature and to the institutional parameters in their utility function. We thus construct an overlapping generations model (OLG), showing that the incentives that influence descendants’ predisposition to tolerance depend on both institutional factors, where behaviour is imposed by rules, and on social (or cultural) factors, found in popular customs and established traditions. Our study highlights the absolute impossibility of affirming tolerance through formal rules. In fact, we show that intolerance emerges as persistent attitude (intolerance trap) and its control is only possible through constant and continuous interventions on the educational processes of new generations.JEL Classification: D1, Z1 Theoretical and Practical Research in Economic Fields is indexed in IndexCopernicus, EBSCO, RePEC and in CEEOL databas

Valutazione dell’impatto del settore della pesca sull’ecosistema marino - Indicatori ecosistemici (sezione V) Sub-area Geografica (GSA) 16 – Stretto di Sicilia Anno 2016

Il Programma Nazionale Italiano 2014-2016 di Raccolta Dati nel settore della pesca prevede, inter alia, la stima di cinque indicatori dell’impatto della pesca nell’ecosistema marino, in accordo con quanto riportato nell’appendice XIII della Decisione della Commissione del 6 novembre 200