River Contracts in north-east Italy: Water management or participatory processes?

River Contracts (RCs) are voluntary agreements between stakeholders for managing water bodies and involve participatory, evidence-based action plans. Increasingly, European authorities recognize that effective water policies require bottom-up, inclusive decision-making. Despite widely held assumptions about the benefits of including stakeholders in river basin management and encouraging participatory mechanisms of decision-making, the growing rhetoric about the need for public engagement implies that this ‘new’ paradigm of water management remains filled with ambiguities. Adopting ethnographic methods and drawing on a variety of primary and secondary sources, this paper analyses three RCs in the Friuli Venezia Giulia region of Italy. These case studies reveal the potential for RCs as tools not only for water management, but also for increasing stakeholders’ involvement through place-making activities conceived as potential hydrophilic encounters. In order to understand whether RCs contribute to a fluvial sense of place, we looked at the effects of top-down versus participatory processes. we asked whether RCs were considered participatory processes designed to achieve a co-designed outcome or simply territorial management projects that objectify the river as something to be developed. We looked at the weights of either top-down or participatory processes and whether RCs were considered territorial management projects or participatory processes. We found that ratifying an RC was not, in itself, proof of an effective process; rather the nature and quality of an RC was determined by the degree and type of participation. We contend that participatory events and sharing information are not sufficient in themselves to achieve the active involvement of all stakeholders. We argue that the best framework for enabling place-making and enhancing a sense of place is to develop RCs within a process that includes a high degree of participation. This enables citizens to shift from simply being passive recipients of plans and becoming effective territorial actors

RETOMAR 2013: Ação Direta e Trabalho de Base como Práticas de Resistência

Primeiramente, considero o conceito de ação direta conforme definido na literatura e como foi posto em prática no Rio de Janeiro na forma de ação direta militante. As manifestações de rua assumiram um papel político crescente desde junho de 2013 e enfrentaram forte repressão policial. A necessidade de resistir a essa violência repressiva forçou os movimentos sociais urbanos a implementarem uma nova ação direta militante. Por todo o Brasil, assistimos o surgimento da tática Black Bloc como resposta à violência policial. Procuro desconstruir a criminalização da ação direta militante e ofereço, em oposição, uma interpretação das ações como ‘direito de resistência’. Em seguida, complemento essa interpretação introduzindo o conceito de contra-violência emancipatória coletiva, que me permite explorar as táticas adotadas pelos movimentos sociais urbanos no Brasil para além de um discurso de legalidade e direitos. Depois disso, exploro a práxis do trabalho de base, que é o fundamento das ações dos movimentos sociais urbanos, e explico como ele pode ser entendido como uma forma particular de ação direta com o objetivo de “preencher as lacunas do Estado”. Concluo com uma reflexão geral sobre como avançar nas teorias da ação direta e da violência, me inspirando nas práticas e nos discursos introduzidos pelos movimentos sociais urbanos no Rio de Janeiro

Profili di contrattualizzazione a finalità successoria

The book aims to study the relationship between the contractual instrument and succession law, in order to identify the categories into which the general device of the succession contract currently seems to be divided. The book starts from an analysis of the 'bans' on succession settlements as per art. 458 of the Italian Civil Code, before going on to examine the categories of 'alternative instruments to wills' and 'exceptionally admitted mortis causa deeds (other than wills)' (that is, the first two forms taken on by the wide-ranging genus of contracts for the purpose of succession). Then it deals with the institution of the 'family settlement' (articles 768-bis of the Italian Civil Code), a device which can be traced back to the phenomenon of 'anticipated succession' (constituting the 'third form' of contracts for the purpose of succession). Having clarified the regulations as well as giving a systematic outline of the institution, the analysis then concentrates on the relationship between the aforesaid contract and the sphere of 'necessary succession'. The concluding part of the book contains an outline of a set of applicative models for the category of anticipated succession; additional innovative models distinct from the current formulation in articles 768-bis et seq. of the Italian Civil Code, which therefore enable the interpreter to make out, from a de jure condendo perspective, the possible lines of development both of contracts for the purpose of succession and for necessary succession

Profili di contrattualizzazione a finalità successoria

The book aims to study the relationship between the contractual instrument and succession law, in order to identify the categories into which the general device of the succession contract currently seems to be divided. The book starts from an analysis of the 'bans' on succession settlements as per art. 458 of the Italian Civil Code, before going on to examine the categories of 'alternative instruments to wills' and 'exceptionally admitted mortis causa deeds (other than wills)' (that is, the first two forms taken on by the wide-ranging genus of contracts for the purpose of succession). Then it deals with the institution of the 'family settlement' (articles 768-bis of the Italian Civil Code), a device which can be traced back to the phenomenon of 'anticipated succession' (constituting the 'third form' of contracts for the purpose of succession). Having clarified the regulations as well as giving a systematic outline of the institution, the analysis then concentrates on the relationship between the aforesaid contract and the sphere of 'necessary succession'. The concluding part of the book contains an outline of a set of applicative models for the category of anticipated succession; additional innovative models distinct from the current formulation in articles 768-bis et seq. of the Italian Civil Code, which therefore enable the interpreter to make out, from a de jure condendo perspective, the possible lines of development both of contracts for the purpose of succession and for necessary succession

Distributed Reinforcement Learning for Flexible and Efficient UAV Swarm Control

Over the past few years, the use of swarms of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) in monitoring and remote area surveillance applications has become widespread thanks to the price reduction and the increased capabilities of drones. The drones in the swarm need to cooperatively explore an unknown area, in order to identify and monitor interesting targets, while minimizing their movements. In this work, we propose a distributed Reinforcement Learning (RL) approach that scales to larger swarms without modifications. The proposed framework relies on the possibility for the UAVs to exchange some information through a communication channel, in order to achieve context-awareness and implicitly coordinate the swarm's actions. Our experiments show that the proposed method can yield effective strategies, which are robust to communication channel impairments, and that can easily deal with non-uniform distributions of targets and obstacles. Moreover, when agents are trained in a specific scenario, they can adapt to a new one with minimal additional training. We also show that our approach achieves better performance compared to a computationally intensive look-ahead heuristic.Comment: Preprint of the paper published in IEEE Transactions on Cognitive Communications and Networking ( Early Access

Editorial of Special Issue "Embolization Techniques: State of the Art and Future Perspectives"

Embolization is one of the most important applications in interventional radiology which can be mainly performed using an endovascular approach [...]

Iceland, an Open-Air Museum for Geoheritage and Earth Science Communication Purposes

Iceland is one of the most recognizable and iconic places on Earth, o\ufb00ering an unparalleled chance to admire the most powerful natural phenomena related to the combination of geodynamic, tectonic and magmatic forces, such as active rifting, volcanic eruptions and subvolcanic intrusions. We have identi\ufb01ed and selected 25 geosites from the Sn\ue6fellsnes Peninsula and the Northern Volcanic Zone, areas where most of the above phenomena can be admired as they unfold before the viewers\u2019 eyes. We have qualitatively assessed the selected volcano\u2013tectonic geosites by applying a set of criteria derived from previous studies and illustrated them through \ufb01eld photographs, unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV)-captured images and 3-D models. Finally, we have discussed and compared the di\ufb00erent options and advantages provided by such visualization techniques and proposed a novel, cutting-edge approach to geoheritage promotion and popularization, based on interactive, navigable Virtual Outcrops made available online

Social Ecology and the Right to the City

Cities today are increasingly at the forefront of the environmental and social crisis—they are simultaneously a major cause and a potential solution. Across the world, a new wave of urban social movements is rising to fight against corporate control, social exclusion, hostile immigration policies, gender oppression, and ecological devastation. These movements are building economic, social, and political alternatives based on solidarity, equality, and participation. This anthology develops the debates that began at the recent Transnational Institute of Social Ecology’s (TRISE) conference about the dire need to rebuild the social and political realities of our world’s cities. It discusses the prospects of radical urban movements; examines the revolutionary potential of the concept of “the Right to the City,” and looks at how activists, scholars, and community movements can work together towards an ecological and democratic future. A fruitful conversation between theory and practice, this book opens new ground for rethinking systemic urban change in a way that challenges oppression and transforms how people work, create, and live together

Congenital toxoplasmosis: Serology, PCR, parasite isolation and molecular characterization of toxoplasma gondii

Introducción El diagnóstico de toxoplasmosis congénita (TC) en el recién nacido es muy importante porque debe recibir tratamiento siempre, sintomático o no, para evitar o aminorar las secuelas de la enfermedad. Objetivo Evaluación comparativa de los métodos disponibles en la institución para el diagnóstico de TC. Materiales y Métodos Se evaluaron métodos diagnósticos en 67 niños cuyas madres cursaron toxoplasmosis aguda durante el embarazo. Se utilizó la técnica de Sabin Feldman para IgG al nacimiento y durante el seguimiento serológico hasta el año de vida. Para determinar IgM, IgA e IgE se utilizó la técnica immunosorbent agglutination assay (ISAGA). El diagnóstico directo se realizó por reacción de polimerasa en cadena (RPC), aislamiento y caracterización molecular del parásito. Resultados La sensibilidad (S) de ISAGA IgM fue 87%, ISAGA IgA 91% y la especificidad (E) fue 100% para ambas; cuando se realizaron en conjunto, la S aumentó a 98%. La detección de IgE contribuyó al diagnóstico cuando se la detectó sólo en la sangre del neonato y no en sangre materna. Se aisló el parásito en cuatro casos de TC, uno fue genotipo II y los otros tres, genotipos “atípicos”. La S del aislamiento fue 80% y la E 100%. Conclusión Los métodos serológicos utilizados mostraron una buena eficacia diagnóstica. Un caso fue detectado sólo por el aislamiento y la caracterización molecular tiene gran valor epidemiológico.Background. Congenital toxoplasmosis diagnosis in the newborn is a very important issue due to the need for early treatment to prevent future sequels. Aim To compare available methods at the institution for the diagnosis of congenital toxoplasmosis. Material and Methods In this study we have evaluated the different diagnostic tests used in 67 congenital exposed newborns, including serological tests, PCR, parasite isolation and molecular characterization. Results The ISAGA IgM and IgA tests showed sensitivity (Se) of 87 and 91%, respectively, and specificity (Sp) of 100%. When ISAGA IgM and IgA were performed simultaneously, the Se increased to 98% and the Sp was 100%. The presence of IgE contributed to the diagnosis when it was detected in the child's serum but not in maternal blood. In four congenital infected children the parasite was isolated and genotyped: one was genotype II and the other three were “atypical” genotypes. No parasite was isolated in children without congenital toxoplasmosis. Discussion Overall, serological tests showed a good diagnostic performance although in one case they were all negative and isolation was the only tool to identify the infection. We conclude that it is essential to use all diagnostic tests in every single exposed child, including if possible, molecular characterization due to its epidemiological implication.Fil: Carral, Liliana. Hospital Aleman; ArgentinaFil: Kaufer, Federico. Hospital Aleman; ArgentinaFil: Pardini, Lais Luján. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias. Departamento de Epizootiología y Salud Pública. Laboratorio de Inmunoparasitología; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata; ArgentinaFil: Durlach, Ricardo. Hospital Aleman; ArgentinaFil: Moré, Gastón Andrés. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias. Departamento de Epizootiología y Salud Pública. Laboratorio de Inmunoparasitología; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata; ArgentinaFil: Venturini, María C.. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias. Departamento de Epizootiología y Salud Pública. Laboratorio de Inmunoparasitología; ArgentinaFil: Freuler, Cristina. Hospital Aleman; Argentin