Erosione e sollevamento nell'arco calabro-peloritano

The Calabrian-Peloritani arc represents key site to unravel evolution of surface processes on top of subducting lithosphere. During the Pleistocene, in fact the arc uplifted at rate of the order of about 1mm/yr, forming high-standing low-relief upland (figure 2). Our study is focused on the relationship between tectonic and land evolution in the Sila Massif, Messina strait and Peloritani Mts. Landforms reflect a competition between tectonic, climatic, and surficial processes. Many landscape evolution models that explore feedbacks between these competing processes, given steady forcing, predict a state of erosional equilibrium, where the rates of river incision and hillslope erosion balance rock uplift. It has been suggested that this may be the final constructive stage of orogenic systems. Assumptions of steady erosion and incision are used in the interpretation of exhumation and uplift rates from different geologic data, and in the formulation of fluvial incision and hillslope evolution models. In the Sila massif we carried out cosmogenic isotopes analysis on 24 samples of modern fluvial sediments to constrain long-term (~103 yr) erosion rate averaged on the catchment area. 35 longitudinal rivers profiles have been analyzed to study the tectonic signal on the landscape evolution. The rivers analyzed exhibit a wide variety of profile forms, diverging from equilibrium state form. Generally the river profiles show at least 2 and often 3 distinct concave-up knickpoint-bounded segments, characterized by different value of concavity and steepness indices. River profiles suggest three main stages of incision. The values of ks and θ in the lower segments evidence a decrease in river incision, due probably to increasing uplift rate. The cosmogenic erosion rates pointed out that old landscape upland is eroding slowly at ~0.1 mm/yr. In the contrary, the flanks of the massif is eroding faster with value from 0.4 to 0.5 mm/yr due to river incision and hillslope processes. Cosmogenic erosion rates mach linearly with steepness indices and with average hillslope gradient. In the Messina area the long term erosion rate from low-T thermochronometry are of the same order than millennium scale cosmogenic erosion rate (1-2 mm/yr). In this part of the chain the fast erosion is active since several million years, probably controlled by extensional tectonic regime. In the Peloritani Mts apatite fission-track and (U-Th)/He thermochronometry are applied to constraint the thermal history of the basement rock. Apatite fission-track ages range between 29.0±5.5 and 5.5±0.9 Ma while apatite (U-Th)/He ages vary from 19.4 to 1.0 Ma. Most of the AFT ages are younger than the overlying terrigenous sequence that in turn postdates the main orogenic phase. Through the coupling of the thermal modelling with the stratigraphic record, a Middle Miocene thermal event due to tectonic burial is unravel. This event affected a inner-intermediate portion of the Peloritani belt confined by young AFT data (<15 Ma) distribution. We interpret this thermal event as due to an out-of–sequence thrusting occurring in the inner portion of the belt. Young (U-Th)/He ages (c. 5 Ma) record a final exhumation stage with increasing rates of denudation since the Pliocene times due to postorogenic extensional tectonics and regional uplift. In the final chapter we change the spatial scale to insert digital topography analysis and field data within a geodynamic model that can explain surface evidence produced by subduction process.

The school environment as a teacher. The role of space and place in enhancing ecological literacy and social competence development in children and young people

Can space and place foster child development, and in particular social competence and ecological literacy? If yes, how can space and place do that? This study shows that the answer to the first question is positive and then tries to explain the way space and place can make a difference. The thesis begins with the review of literature from different disciplines – child development and child psychology, education, environmental psychology, architecture and landscape architecture. Some bridges among such disciplines are created and in some cases the ideas from the different areas of research merge: thus, this is an interdisciplinary study. The interdisciplinary knowledge from these disciplines is translated into a range of design suggestions that can foster the development of social competence and ecological literacy. Using scientific knowledge from different disciplines is a way of introducing forms of evidence into the development of design criteria. However, the definition of design criteria also has to pass through the study of a series of school buildings and un-built projects: case studies can give a positive contribution to the criteria because examples and good practices can help “translating” the theoretical knowledge into design ideas and illustrations. To do that, the different case studies have to be assessed in relation to the various themes that emerged in the literature review. Finally, research by design can be used to help define the illustrated design criteria: based on all the background knowledge that has been built, the role of the architect is to provide a series of different design solutions that can give answers to the different “questions” emerged in the literature review.

Simulatore d’alba come possibile contromisura al social jetlag in adolescenza

L’obiettivo del presente progetto di ricerca era determinare se l’utilizzo non clinico del simulatore d’alba (un dispositivo che emette luce in graduale aumento prima del risveglio), basato su specifiche conoscenze cronobiologiche, potesse ridurre alcune delle conseguenze del social jetlag, in studenti di scuola secondaria di secondo grado. A tal fine, sono stati valutati gli effetti del simulatore d’alba su tono dell’umore (valutato soggettivamente tramite la Global and Vigor Affect Scale-GVA), livelli di attivazione (valutati soggettivamente tramite la GVA), qualità/quantità di sonno (valutate oggettivamente e soggettivamente tramite attigrafia e Mini Sleep Questionnaire-MSQ), architettura del sonno (valutata oggettivamente tramite Zeo®) ed efficienza dei tre network attentivi (alerting, orienting ed executive), valutata oggettivamente tramite l’Attention Network Test (ANT). In totale, hanno preso parte alla ricerca 56 adolescenti (24 femmine e 32 maschi), frequentanti due istituti di scuola secondaria di secondo grado nella città di Cesena, la cui età media era di 17.68 anni (range d’età 15-20 anni). Ad ogni studente è stata richiesta una partecipazione di 5 settimane consecutive ed il disegno di ricerca prevedeva 3 condizioni sperimentali: baseline, simulatore d’alba e controllo. All’MSQ, in seguito all’utilizzo del simulatore d’alba, sono state osservate una minore percezione di sonnolenza diurna, una frequenza inferiore di risvegli notturni ed una riduzione del numero di partecipanti che presentavano una cattiva qualità della veglia. All’ANT, è stato documentato un significativo miglioramento dell’efficienza del network attentivo dell’alerting, successivo all’impiego del simulatore d’alba, dovuto ad una maggiore reattività dei partecipanti in seguito alla comparsa del double cue, che anticipava la presentazione del target (freccia centrale di cui i partecipanti dovevano giudicare la direzione). Tali risultati convergono nell’evidenziare la capacità del simulatore d’alba di esercitare un effetto attivante/stimolante, mostrando dunque come esso possa essere considerato uno strumento potenzialmente utilizzabile quale contromisura al social jetlag in adolescenza.

The Making of a Shiite Bourgeoisie in Lebanon Political Mobilisation, Economic Resources and Formation of a Social Group

The thesis analyses the making of the Shiite middle- and upper/entrepreneurial-class in Lebanon from the 1960s till the present day. The trajectory explores the historical, political and social (internal and external) factors that brought a sub-proletariat to mobilise and become an entrepreneurial bourgeoisie in the span of less than three generations. This work proposes the main theoretical hypothesis to unpack and reveal the trajectory of a very recent social class that through education, diaspora, political and social mobilisation evolved in a few years into a very peculiar bourgeoisie: whereas Christian-Maronite middle class practically produced political formations and benefited from them and from Maronite’s state supremacy (National Pact, 1943) reinforcing the community’s status quo, Shiites built their own bourgeoisie from within, and mobilised their “cadres” (Boltanski) not just to benefit from their renovated presence at the state level, but to oppose to it. The general Social Movement Theory (SMT), as well as a vast amount of the literature on (middle) class formation are therefore largely contradicted, opening up new territories for discussion on how to build a bourgeoisie without the state’s support (Social Mobilisation Theory, Resource Mobilisation Theory) and if, eventually, the middle class always produces democratic movements (the emergence of a social group out of backwardness and isolation into near dominance of a political order). The middle/upper class described here is at once an economic class related to the control of multiple forms of capital, and produced by local, national, and transnational networks related to flows of services, money, and education, and a culturally constructed social location and identity structured by economic as well as other forms of capital in relation to other groups in Lebanon.

La convivialità urbana nei quartieri di Milano, Bologna e Roma. Un'analisi mixed-methods sulle Social Streets

Le Social Street sono gruppi di vicini di casa che vogliono ricreare legami di convivialità avendo notato un indebolimento delle relazioni sociali nei loro quartieri. Nascono come gruppi online, tramite la piattaforma Facebook, per materializzarsi in incontri offline andando a costruire legami conviviali grazie pratiche di socialità, inclusività e gratuità. Questa Tesi ha come obiettivo l’analisi dei profili socio-demografici degli Streeter e dei quartieri coinvolti per comprendere come sia possibile creare convivialità e come la variabile urbana intervenga in questi processi. Inoltre, si vuole comprendere le dinamiche di attaccamento al quartiere, gli interessi portati avanti dagli Streeter, il loro profilo civico e il posizionamento di quest’esperienza rispetto all’associazionismo tradizionale. Per perseguire l’obiettivo della ricerca, sono state studiate le tre città che vedono la maggiore presenza di Social Street: Milano, Bologna, Roma. La ricerca ha previsto sia un’analisi degli Streeter grazie a un questionario online replicato in tutti i contesti. Inoltre, sono state realizzate 131 interviste ad amministratori e fondatori di Social Street e condotte osservazioni etnografiche e netnografiche. I risultati mostrano come gli Streeter siano appartenenti alle classi medio-alte, tra trenta e cinquanta anni, che hanno sperimentato la mobilità tra un quartiere e l’altro o tra diversi contesi nazionali ed internazionali e trovano nelle Social Street un modo per creare legami di vicinato che hanno perso nei loro trasferimenti. Gli stessi quartieri dove si diffondono le Social Street sono agiati e vi è una buona corrispondenza tra Streeter e modello della centralità sociale elaborato da Milbrath (1965) per cui anche la partecipazione civica è molto sentita tra gli aderenti alle Social Street. Il contributo di questa Tesi al dibattito sociologico risiede nell’aver offerto un’analisi empirica di un’azione collettiva a livello urbano, quella delle Social Street, mostrando come vi sia circolarità tra azione e contesto grazie all’azione mutualistica conviviale.

Percutaneous Cement Discoplasty: Biomechanical and clinical assessment of a minimally invasive treatment of lumbar intervertebral disc disease

With population ageing, spine diseases have an increasing prevalence and induce high economic and social costs. The development of minimally invasive surgeries allows reducing the surgery-associated risks in elderly and polymorbid patients, and save costs by treating more patients in shorter time and reducing the complications. Percutaneous Cement Discoplasty (PCD) is a minimally invasive technique developed to treat highly degenerated intervertebral discs exhibiting a vacuum phenomenon. Filling the disc with bone cement creates a stand-alone spacer which partially restores the disc height and re-opens the foraminal space. PCD has recently been introduced to clinical use. However, the spine biomechanics following this treatment remained unravelled. The aim of this PhD thesis is to bridge the clinical experience with in vitro methodologies, to provide a multilateral evaluation of PCD outcome and a better understanding of its impact on the spine biomechanics, and of its possible contraindications. Firstly, a suitable in vitro porcine model to test the biomechanics of discoplasty by comparing specimens in the preoperative and postoperative conditions was developed. The methodology was then applied to investigate the biomechanics of discoplasty in cadaveric human segments. The in vitro specimens were mechanically investigated in flexion and extension, while a DIC system quantified the range of motion, disc height, and strains on the disc surface. Then, a versatile tool to measure the impact of discoplasty on the foramen space was developed and applied both to clinical and experimental work. The vertebrae reconstructed from CT scans were registered to match the loading configuration, using ex vivo DIC measurements under loading. The foramen volumetric changes caused by PCD was measured using a 3D geometrical method clinically developed by the research group. In conclusion, this project significantly extended the understanding of PCD biomechanics, highlighting its benefits in the treatment of advanced cases of intervertebral disc degeneration.

Appropriate technologies and natural systems for wastewater treatment in low- and middle-income countries

Wastewater management is an environmental and social burden that primarily affects populations in Low- and Middle-Income Countries and the global environment. Wastewater collection, treatment, and reuse have become urgent, especially considering that 80% of the world's wastewater is untreated or improperly treated and discharged directly into water bodies. In recent years, the role of wastewater treatment plants in a sustainable water cycle has become even more critical, as they are the final destination of the collected wastewater. Indeed, the management of wastewater treatment plants should play an essential role in achieving SDG target 6.3 of the United Nations 2030 Agenda for SD. In this context, water reuse, especially wastewater reuse, plays a key role. This research focuses on investigating the valorization of wastewater resources applying Appropriate Technologies and Natural Systems for wastewater treatment in two different Low- and Middle-Income Countries, the Palestinian Territories and Sub-Saharan Africa. The research objectives are: (1) Determine the characteristics and quality of wastewater in the two case studies analysed. (2) Identify Appropriate Technology to be used in the Palestinian Territories to treat wastewater for reuse in agriculture. (3) Assess the environmental, economic, and social impacts of this project. (4) Assess the feasibility of using natural wetlands for household wastewater treatment in Sub-Saharan region. The first study, conducted in Rafah, Gaza Strip, showed that implementing existing primary treatment plant with a natural secondary treatment plant properly optimized the wastewater quality for reuse in agriculture and was suitable for the study area. The second case study was conducted in Cape Coast, Ghana. It shows that the natural wetland studied is currently overly polluted and threatened by various anthropogenic factors that cannot remove pollutants from the incoming domestic wastewater. Therefore, some recommendations were made in order to improve the efficiency of this natural wetland.