The political economy of competing regional images: the case of Tuscany's brands

This essay is based on empirical evidence from the case of Tuscany (Italy) and follows previous work on the role and meaning of image in regional development and innovation policies (Bellini, 2004). Discussions about image and branding policies is usually placed in the framework of "place marketing" and marketing literature helps in defining the features, components and main characters of image and of its relationship with local identity. We suggest, however, that managing images is also a political process with significant impact in supporting and shaping the scenario (perceptions and expectations) for innovation policies. In fact this process implies a competition between images in order to "control" the representation of the past, present and future of an area. This competition aims at influencing the policy agenda by manipulating the gap between image and identity. In other words, we suggest that image-related policies should be considered part of the toolbox of a modern innovation policy.

Ponte per l'attraversamento del fiume Arno tra le localita di Fibbiana e di Capraia e Limite

Dato il bando di concorso per un progetto di massima per l'attraversamento dell'Arno presso Fibbiana,si è scelto di confrontare varie ipotesi progettuali e calcolare un valore caratteristico per ogni opzione sulla base delle caratteristiche salienti che le contraddistinguevano. Scopo della tesi è quello di adoperare una metodologia di progetto che porti a scegliere analiticamente e razionalmente il progetto migliore per un dato contest

The Efficacy of Treating Adolescent Depression with Interpersonal Psychotherapy for Adolescents(IPT-A) in the School Setting

Depression affects the lives of an estimated 2 to 8% of adolescents in the United States. This disturbance of mood impacts many facets of the individual\u27s life, including the ability to participate in and benefit from educational experiences. School psychologists are challenged to find effective treatments for adolescents experiencing depression that can be delivered in a school setting. Interpersonal Psychotherapy for Adolescents (IPT-A; Mufson, Dorta, Moreau, & Weissman, 2004) has been found effective for adolescents in clinical settings as well as in urban, school-based clinics. Its use as an efficacious treatment with adolescent students in a traditional public school setting needs to be examined. The current study used a multiple-baseline design to measure the progress of four depressed adolescents in a public school setting with IPT-A treatment. Data was collected prior to intervention, weekly during intervention, after the intervention, and approximately three months later for follow-up. The adolescents, a parent, and a teacher responded to the Behavior Assessment System for Children (BASC-2; Reynolds & Kamphaus, 2004) rating scale before intervention, post-intervention, and at follow-up. The adolescents also responded to the Children\u27s Depression Inventory (CDI; Kovacs, 1992) and a researcher-created rating to assess mood and social interaction. Each was administered on a weekly basis. Results indicated significant reduction in reported depressive symptoms, confirmation of IPT-A as an efficacious treatment for adolescent depression in the public school setting

Labour, Energy, and Information as Historical Configurations

The essay contributes to the debate on the role of metrics in geoanthropology. It argues that the use of the energy metric in the study of the Anthropocene among other phenomena should be seen in its relation to the metrology of labour and productivity that originated in the industrial age. In order to clarify this genealogical question, the essay extends the method of ‘historical metrology’ (Kula) to the notion of energy and, in addition, to the notion of information, that can be understood in its own as a metric of knowledge, mental labour, communication and cooperation. In illuminating the nexus between the abstractions of political economy and technoscience, the essay stresses specifically the role of machines (such as the steam engine and telegraph) as ‘epistemic mediators’ (Wise). The essay concludes by advocating for the inclusion of political metrology in the necessary toolbox and ‘geopraxis’ (Omodeo) of the Anthropocene. Keywords: Anthropocene, Geoanthropology, History of Metrology, Political Econom

Complex hyperbolic lattices and moduli spaces of flat surfaces

This work studies the Deligne-Mostow lattices in PU(2,1). These were introduced by Deligne and Mostow in several works, using monodromy of hypergeometric functions. The same lattices were rediscovered by Thurston using a geometric construction, which consists of studying possible configurations of cone points on a sphere of area 1 when the cone angles are prescribed. This space has a complex hyperbolic structure and certain automorphisms of the sphere which swap pairs of cone points, generate a lattice for some choice of initial cone angles (more precisely, the Deligne-Mostow lattices). Among these, we will consider the ones in PU(2,1). We use Thurston's approach to study the metric completion of this space, which is obtained by making pairs of cone points coalesce. Following the works of Parker and Boadi-Parker, we build a polyhedron. Using the Poincaré polyhedron theorem, we prove that the polyhedron we find is indeed a fundamental domain. Moreover, we give presentations for all Deligne-Mostow lattices in PU(2,1), calculate their volumes and show that they are coherent with the known commensurability theorems

Neurocognitive Basis of Prosody Perception in Children

Honors (Bachelor's)Cognitive ScienceUniversity of Michiganhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/147383/1/renpasq.pd

One False Move: The History of Organic Agriculture and Consequences of Non-compliance With the Governing Laws and Regulations

This Article provides an overview of the types of factors that may lead to the decertification of organic products, and the current regulatory scheme to evaluate and adjudicate potential violations. The underlying rationale for the enforcement of the Organic Foods Production Act of 1990 may lie in protection of the integrity of the product, as well as protection of the environmental system that is integral to its production. However, the risk factors for transitioning the U.S. food economy to a larger market share in order for organic food to reach a broader population could be an unintended disincentive. Part II of this Article discusses the origins of the organic movement. It also delineates the legal framework governing organic production in the United States—the Organic Foods Production Act and National Organic Program regulations. Part II also discusses the requirements and procedures governing the organic certification process, as well as who does and does not need to obtain certification. Lastly, Part II discusses the enforcement and appeals provisions set forth under the Organic Foods Production Act and National Organic Program regulations. Part III of this Article analyzes appeals to the National Organic Program, the majority of which involve the failure to comply with procedural requirements of the Organic Foods Production Act and implementing regulations and the use of prohibited materials in production. Part IV concludes with projections of the continued growth of the organic industry and the impact that various risk factors have on such growth