Surfacing Values Created by Incentive Policies in Support of Sustainable Urban Development: A Theoretical Evaluation Framework

The development of sustainable cities involves improving the performance of the built environment and its effects on its context as one of the multiple intervention points. Indeed, outlining and implementing building artefacts does not constitute a simple act of generating a physical place, but represents a process that cannot ignore the positive and/or negative impacts that these transformations can have on the environment and societies in which it is embedded. Since in a profit-driven logic, a private investor's interest in environmental and social values may be limited in favour of economic value, a positive push towards urban sustainability can be found in government-promoted fiscal building incentives. Indeed, these tools offer direct actions for more favourable urban conditions, supporting private entities in meeting the intervention costs. This paper aims to define a theoretical evaluation framework through which the "sustainable" value creation potential of building incentives can be assessed. Through this framework, the research analysed the main Italian building incentives, observing how they support the creation of economic, environmental, and social values for the benefit of society, the environment, and urban areas. This paper discusses the usefulness of the framework in supporting public actors in the potential revision, definition, and communication of such incentive policies

Analysis of surface parametrizations for modern photometric stereo modeling

Tridimensional shape recovery based on Photometric Stereo (PS) recently received a strong improvement due to new mathematical models based on partial differential irradiance equation ratios. This modern approach to PS faces more realistic physical effects among which light attenuation and radial light propagation from a point light source. Since the approximation of the surface is performed with single step method, accurate reconstruction is prevented by sensitiveness to noise. In this paper we analyse a well-known parametrization of the tridimensional surface extending it on any auxiliary convex projection functions. Experiments on synthetic data show preliminary results where more accurate reconstruction can be achieved using more suitable parametrization specially in case of noisy input images

Ontological Matchmaking in Recommender Systems

The electronic marketplace offers great potential for the recommendation of supplies. In the so called recommender systems, it is crucial to apply matchmaking strategies that faithfully satisfy the predicates specified in the demand, and take into account as much as possible the user preferences. We focus on real-life ontology-driven matchmaking scenarios and identify a number of challenges, being inspired by such scenarios. A key challenge is that of presenting the results to the users in an understandable and clear-cut fashion in order to facilitate the analysis of the results. Indeed, such scenarios evoke the opportunity to rank and group the results according to specific criteria. A further challenge consists of presenting the results to the user in an asynchronous fashion, i.e. the 'push' mode, along with the 'pull' mode, in which the user explicitly issues a query, and displays the results. Moreover, an important issue to consider in real-life cases is the possibility of submitting a query to multiple providers, and collecting the various results. We have designed and implemented an ontology-based matchmaking system that suitably addresses the above challenges. We have conducted a comprehensive experimental study, in order to investigate the usability of the system, the performance and the effectiveness of the matchmaking strategies with real ontological datasets.Comment: 28 pages, 8 figure

Teaching Construction in the Virtual University: the WINDS project

This paper introduces some of the Information Technology solutions adopted in Web based INtelligent Design Support (WINDS) to support education in A/E/C design. The WINDS project WINDS is an EC-funded project in the 5th Framework, Information Society Technologies programme, Flexible University key action. WINDS is divided into two actions: ·The research technology action is going to implement a learning environment integrating an intelligent tutoring system, a computer instruction management system and a set of co-operative supporting tools. ·The development action is going to build a large knowledge base supporting Architecture and Civil Engineering Design Courses and to experiment a comprehensive Virtual School of Architecture and Engineering Design. During the third year of the project, more than 400 students all over Europe will attend the Virtual School. During the next three years the WINDS project will span a total effort of about 150 man-years from 28 partners of 10 European countries. The missions of the WINDS project are: Advanced Methodologies in Design Education. WINDS drives a breakdown with conventional models in design education, i.e. classroom or distance education. WINDS implements a problem oriented knowledge transfer methodology following Roger Schank's Goal Based Scenario (GBS) pedagogical methodology. GBS encourages the learning of both skills and cases, and fosters creative problem solving. Multidisciplinary Design Education. Design requires creative synthesis and open-end problem definition at the intersection of several disciplines. WINDS experiments a valuable integration of multidisciplinary design knowledge and expertise to produce a high level standard of education. Innovative Representation, Delivery and Access to Construction Education. WINDS delivers individual education customisation by allowing the learner access through the Internet to a wide range of on-line courses and structured learning objects by means of personally tailored learning strategies. WINDS promotes the 3W paradigm: learn What you need, Where you want, When you require. Construction Practice. Construction industry is a repository of ""best practices"" and knowledge that the WINDS will profit. WINDS system benefits the ISO10303 and IFC standards to acquire knowledge of the construction process directly in digital format. On the other hand, WINDS reengineers the knowledge in up-to-date courses, educational services, which the industries can use to provide just-in-time rather than in-advance learning. WINDS IT Solutions The missions of the WINDS project state many challenging requirements both in knowledge and system architecture. Many of the solutions adopted in these fields are innovative; others are evolution of existing technologies. This paper focuses on the integration of this set of state-of-the-art technologies in an advanced and functionally sound Computer Aided Instruction system for A/E/C Design. In particular the paper deals with the following aspects: Standard Learning Technology Architecture The WINDS system relies on the in progress IEEE 1484.1 Learning Technology Standard Architecture. According to this standard the system consists of two data stores, the Knowledge Library and the Record Database, and four process: System Coach, Delivery, Evaluation and the Learner. WINDS implements the Knowledge Library into a three-tier architecture: 1.Learning Objects: ·Learning Units are collections of text and multimedia data. ·Models are represented in either IFC or STEP formats. ·Cases are sets of Learning Units and Models. Cases are noteworthy stories, which describes solutions, integrate technical detail, contain relevant design failures etc. 2.Indexes refer to the process in which the identification of relevant topics in design cases and learning units takes place. Indexing process creates structures of Learning Objects for course management, profile planning procedures and reasoning processes. 3.Courses are taxonomies of either Learning Units or a design task and Course Units. Knowledge Representation WINDS demonstrates that it is possible and valuable to integrate a widespread design expertise so that it can be effectively used to produce a high level standard of education. To this aim WINDS gathers area knowledge, design skills and expertise under the umbrellas of common knowledge representation structures and unambiguous semantics. Cases are one of the most valuable means for the representation of design expertise. A Case is a set of Learning Units and Product Models. Cases are noteworthy stories, which describe solutions, integrate technical details, contain relevant design failures, etc. Knowledge Integration Indexes are a medium among different kind of knowledge: they implement networks for navigation and access to disparate documents: HTML, video, images, CAD and product models (STEP or IFC). Concept indexes link learning topics to learning objects and group them into competencies. Index relationships are the base of the WINDS reasoning processes, and provide the foundation for system coaching functions, which proactively suggest strategies, solutions, examples and avoids students' design deadlock. Knowledge Distribution To support the data stores and the process among the partners in 10 countries efficiently, WINDS implements an object oriented client/server as COM objects. Behind the DCOM components there is the Dynamic Kernel, which dynamically embodies and maintains data stores and process. Components of the Knowledge Library can reside on several servers across the Internet. This provides for distributed transactions, e.g. a change in one Learning Object affects the Knowledge Library spread across several servers in different countries. Learning objects implemented as COM objects can wrap ownership data. Clear and univocal definition of ownerships rights enables Universities, in collaboration with telecommunication and publisher companies, to act as "education brokers". Brokerage in education and training is an innovative paradigm to provide just-in-time and personally customised value added learning knowledg

Biometric walk recognizer. Research and results on wearable sensor-based gait recognition

Gait is a biometric trait that can allow user authentication, though being classified as a "soft" one due to a certain lack in permanence, and to sensibility to specific conditions. The earliest research relies on computer vision-based approaches, especially applied in video surveillance. More recently, the spread of wearable sensors, especially those embedded in mobile devices, which are able to capture the dynamics of the walking pattern through simpler 1D signals, has spurred a different research line. This capture modality can avoid some problems related to computer vision-based techniques, but suffers from specific limitations. Related research is still in a less advanced phase with respect to other biometric traits. However, the promising results achieved so far, the increasing accuracy of sensors, the ubiquitous presence of mobile devices, and the low cost of related techniques, make this biometrics attractive and suggest to continue the investigations in this field. The first Chapters of this thesis deal with an introduction to biometrics, and more specifically to gait trait. A comprehensive review of technologies, approaches and strategies exploited by gait recognition proposals in the state-of-the-art is also provided. After such introduction, the contributions of this work are presented in details. Summarizing, it improves preceding result achieved during my Master Degree in Computer Science course of Biometrics and extended in my following Master Degree Thesis. The research deals with different strategies, including preprocessing and recognition techniques, applied to the gait biometrics, in order to allow both an automatic recognition and an improvement of the system accuracy

The impact of climate change on the Mediterranean diet in Italy

openL’Italia è uno trai maggiori esportatori mondiali di prodotti agro-alimentari ed è custode delle origine della dieta Mediterranea, la quale è ormai globalmente riconosciuta come valido modello di prevenzione e di sostenibilità poiché si basa su un consumo vario e quotidiano di alimenti di origine vegetale. Tuttavia, gli estremi eventi del cambiamento climatico stanno diventando una minaccia prioritaria per l’attività agricola del Paese. A questo proposito, la prolungata siccità che ha caratterizzato l’estate del 2022 ne è un esempio emblematico. Questo studio si propone di stimare l’estensione percentuale del grado di severità della siccità, dell’erosione e dei cambiamenti delle zone climatiche sulle aree coltivate con grano tenero, grano duro, mais, riso, olio, frutta, legumi e vegetali, distribuite su tutto il territorio italiano. Le mappe Corine Land Cover e Eucrop hanno fornito la distribuzione geografica di queste colture, che appartengono alle fondamenta della piramide Mediterranea e contribuiscono in larga misura al mercato italiano. Le mappe di Panagos sono state la fonte per la localizzazione della potenziale erosione attuale e futura, mentre l’adattamento delle analisi di Beck all’area di studio ha permesso la distinzione delle varie zone climatiche, nei periodi 1980-2016 e 2017-2100, considerando lo scenario 8.5 RCP. Da ultimo, la siccità, è stata analizzata attraverso la misurazione del Vegetation Health Index risalente a giugno 2022. I risultati hanno evidenziato che circa il 50% dei terreni dedicati a grano duro, grano tenero, olivi, frutteti, legumi e vegetali sono affetti da un severo tasso di erosione medio annuo, anche nella proiezione futura, e da siccità (da moderata ad estrema) nel giugno 2022. In aggiunta, emerge che le colture appena elencate disposte ad Alba, in Piemonte, nella zona del Delta del Po, in Toscana intorno a Grosseto, lungo la costa Adriatica dall’Abruzzo fino alla Puglia, lungo la costa Jonica in Basilicata, in Sicilia e in alcune province della Sardegna, in futuro, saranno caratterizzate da un passaggio verso un clima arido, stepposo e caldo; invece, la maggioranza delle restanti campagne coltive è destinata a un clima temperato, secco con estate secca (seguendo la classificazione climatica di Köppen-Geiger estratta dalle analisi di Beck). L’identificazione delle colture e delle aree attualmente e prossimamente più a rischio promuove una maggiore consapevolezza dei pericolosi effetti del cambiamento climatico, il quale limita l’economia e l’adesione alla dieta Mediterranea incidendo così sugli stili di vita individuali e sulla cultura nazionale. Indubbiamente, poi, tali informazioni sottolineano l’urgenza di azioni tempestive da parte dei governi e possono ispirare ulteriori studi più localizzati sulle aree più minacciate e sulle possibili strategie sostenibili per migliorarne la resilienza.Italy is among the world’s largest exporters of agri-food products and the custodian of the origin of the Mediterranean diet, which is internationally recognised as a worthy example of medical prevention and sustainability since it suggests a large consumption of plant-based foods. Nevertheless, climate change and related extreme events are becoming primary threats to the country’s agricultural activity. In this regard, the prolonged drought of summer 2022 was an emblematic instance. This study aims to estimate the percentage extent of drought severity, that occurred in June 2022, erosion and climate shifts in areas cultivated with common and durum wheat, maize, rice, olives, fruits, pulses and vegetables, distributed throughout Italy. Corine Land Cover and Eucrop maps have provided us with geographic distribution of these crops that belong to the foundation of the Mediterranean pyramid and contribute largely to Italian commerce. Next, Panagos’ maps were the sources for locating current and future potential erosion, whereas adapting Beck’s analyses to the study area made it possible to distinguish the different climate zones in the periods 1980>2016 and 2017>2100, under 8.5 RCP scenario. Lastly, the drought was analysed through the measurement of June 2022 Vegetation Health Index from MODIS satellite images. Our findings show that about 50% of fields dedicated to durum wheat, common wheat, olive, fruits, pulses and vegetables are affected by severe average annual soil erosion rate, even in future projection, and drought (from moderate to extreme) in June 2022. In addition, it appears that the above-listed crops located in Piedmont, near Alba, in the Po Delta, in Tuscany, around Grosseto, in Abruzzo up to Apulia, along the Ionian coast in Basilicata, in Sicily and some provinces of Sardinia are expected to transition to an arid, steppe, hot climate; whereas, the majority of the remaining croplands would be destined for a temperate, dry summer, hot summer climate (following the Köppen-Geiger climate classification extracted by Beck’s analysis). Identifying the cultivations and areas currently and soon to be most at risk promotes a greater awareness about the dangerous effects of climate change which limits the economy and adherence to the Mediterranean model thereby affecting individual lifestyles and national culture. Undoubtedly, such information underscores the urgency of tempestive actions by policymakers and could inspire further, more localized studies of the most threatened areas and possible sustainable strategies to improve their resilience

Riding the Wave: Fairness for Foreign Investors in India’s Impending Insolvency Tsunami

Reminiscent of the warning signs of a tsunami, bankruptcy and insolvency courts across the globe have been eerily calm despite unprecedented conditions during the COVID-19 pandemic. The full extent of the pandemic’s effect, including a tidal wave of wide-spread corporate and financial sector harm and wide-spread economic distress, remains to be seen. Much like victims of natural disasters, unsuspecting and increasingly delayed courts will find themselves totally overwhelmed. The inconvenience felt by the courts is distinct, however, from potential harm to financial investors. Although investors could also be harmed by these judicial conditions, they knowingly assumed certain financial risk when they invested. As global economies continue to react to the aftermath of the pandemic, a tsunami of bankruptcy and insolvency cases is also approaching. This, too, sets the stage for potential mass harm if courts become plagued by delay. Across the globe, governments have issued controversial initial responses to this impending tsunami of cases. For example, from March 2020 to March 2021, the Indian government suspended new corporate insolvency resolution proceedings under the country’s recently reformed bankruptcy regime. It is worth noting that such judicial delay can impose serious risks on insolvent entities and their stakeholders. Asset, going concern, and recovery values may rapidly and significantly decline while debtors and creditors await resolution, undermining opportunities to emerge from the process with something of worth intact. Of course, the situation is ripe to harm American domestic companies and creditors and U.S. investors in foreign markets are at substantial risk. Specifically, U.S. investors in companies subject to India’s suspension of new corporate insolvency resolution proceedings find themselves particularly at risk. This suspension of claims subjected investors to a year-long delay, in which a judicially-blessed resolution was largely unavailable. Making matters worse, their claims could be further delayed by the oncoming swell of insolvency cases or prohibited altogether. This Note focuses on what recourse foreign investors in Indian companies may have against the controversial governmental measure under bilateral investment treaties. Primarily, it explores how foreign investors could challenge the relevant Ordinance by alleging the law treated them unfairly or inequitably as compared to domestic investors and creditors. A meritorious claim might demonstrate severely diminished recovery value while pointing to unique limitations on foreign investors’ ability to propose reorganization plans and out-of- court resolutions. However, notwithstanding the legitimacy of investors’ claims and demonstrable impairment of recovery value, the measure will likely be upheld as treating foreign and domestic investors fairly and equitably, especially in light of the government’s purposes for the suspension: to protect the economic health of the country, shield enterprises of all sizes from unnecessary liquidation, and preserve jobs provided by businesses of all varieties