Studio e sviluppo di una protesi cinematica per amputazioni parziali di mano mediante prototipazione rapida

Questo elaborato descrive il lavoro svolto nell'Area ricerca e formazione del Centro Protesi INAIL volto all'integrazione della tecnologia di stampa 3D con i processi produttivi dell'azienda stessa al fine di ottenere una protesi cinematica e funzionale per pazienti con amputazioni parziali di mano (a livello metacarpale e transmetacarpale) che risulti economica e in grado di restituire la funzionalità di grasping della mano.

Tradurre la saggistica: proposta di traduzione di un estratto di "The invisible history of the human race"

The aim of this dissertation is to propose the translation of four chapters from "The invisible history of the human race", an essay by the Australian author and journalist Christine Kenneally. This essay offers a non-systematic overview upon genealogy in connection to the idea of personal identity; above all, the author wants to persuade the reader that genealogy could be the perfect linking point between history and science, family lines and DNA. The translated chapters particularly concentrate on the reasons of the current underestimation of genealogy, which, according to Kenneally, lies in the Nazi’s distorted use of ancestry and in the exploitation of the idea of biological diversity in order to discriminate people. The dissertation is composed of four chapters. The first chapter consists in a concise analysis of the characteristics of the textual genre and in a theoretical introduction and approach to the translation of essays, where the main generic and essay-specific translation strategies are outlined. The second chapter presents a detailed illustration of the topics treated in the essay and particularly in the translated pages. The third chapter contains the translation and the fourth presents a systematic comment to the translation and to the choices made during the translation of the text.

Proof of concept di una mano ad azionamento bilaterale per l'impiego nei settori della Robotica e della Protesica.

A partire dal concept ideato dall’ing. Emanuele Gruppioni, ricercatore presso il Centro Protesi stesso, l’obiettivo del lavoro è rappresentato dallo studio di fattibilità, dalla realizzazione e dalla messa in opera della suddetta mano, che presenta come caratteristica peculiare e innovativa un azionamento bilaterale che le consente di essere ambidestra. Questo azionamento è attuato da due cavi posti in ogni dito, che grazie all’azione dei motori inseriti nel palmo vengono riavvolti su delle pulegge consentendo la flessione delle dita in una direzione o nell’altra, in una struttura di mano nella quale non sono quindi individuabili a priori le tipiche ragioni palmare e dorsale. Questo tipo di azionamento in futuro potrebbe essere rielaborato nell’ottica di avere un’unica protesi di mano che possa essere utilizzata sia da pazienti destrimani sia mancini, o, in alternativa, di avere un dispositivo protesico che ampli le funzionalità di presa rispetto alla mano umana.

Invisible

Invisible is a series of mixed-media work and a 4-minute video which intend to start a conversation on the notions of exoticism, Orientalism, otherness, hybridism and the western perceptions of a homogenous Islamic cultural identity.

Fantasy Making the Invisible Visible: Liminality in Neil Gaiman's Neverwhere and American Gods

The purpose of this thesis was to examine the ways in which the fantasy genre is ideally positioned for discussing social issues, such as invisibility and liminality. Elements associated with invisibility, such as poverty, homelessness, and alienation, were explored within two novels by Neil Gaiman: Neverwhere and American Gods. Gaiman's application of these elements within the fantasy genre were juxtaposed with samples from other genres, including Plato's 'Parable of the Cave' and Jennifer Toth's The Mole People. Another aim was to contrast Gaiman's use of the 'beast in the sewer' metaphor with previous renditions of the myth, demonstrating how fantasy, paradoxically, offers a unique and privileged view of reality.

Invisible social control as predictor of daily negative affect and smoking after a self-set quit date

The dual-effects model of social control proposes that social control leads to increased psychological distress but also to better health practices. However, findings are inconsistent, and recent research suggests that the most effective control is unnoticed by the receiver (i. e., invisible). Yet, investigations of the influence of invisible control on daily negative affect and smoking have been limited. Using daily diaries, we investigated how invisible social control was associated with negative affect and smoking. Overall, 100 smokers (72.0 % men, age M = 40.48, SD = 9.82) and their nonsmoking partners completed electronic diaries from a self-set quit date for 22 consecutive days, reporting received and provided social control, negative affect, and daily smoking. We found in multilevel analyses of the within-person process that on days with higher-than-average invisible control, smokers reported more negative affect and fewer cigarettes smoked. Findings are in line with the assumptions of the dual-effects model of social control: Invisible social control increased daily negative affect and simultaneously reduced smoking at the within-person level.

Examining Gender Differences in Received, Provided and Invisible Social Control: An Application of the Dual-Effects-Model

The dual-effects model of social control not only assumes that social control leads to better health practices but also arouses psychological distress. However, findings are inconsistent. The present study advances the current literature by examining social control from a dyadic perspective in the context of smoking. In addition, the study examines whether control, continuous smoking abstinence, and affect are differentially related for men and women. Before and three weeks after a self-set quit attempt, we examined 106 smokers (77 men, mean age: 40.67, average number of cigarettes smoked per day: 16.59 [SD=8.52, range=1-40] at baseline and 5.27 [SD=6.97, range=0-40] at follow-up) and their nonsmoking heterosexual partners, assessing received and provided control, continuous abstinence, and affect. With regard to smoker's affective reactions, partner's provided control was related to an increase in positive and to a decrease in negative affect, but only for female smokers. Moreover, the greater the discrepancy between smoker received and partner's provided control was the more positive affect increased and the more negative affect decreased, but again only for female smokers. These findings demonstrate that female smokers' well-being was raised over time if they were not aware of the control attempts of their nonsmoking partners, indicating positive effects of invisible social control. This study's results emphasize the importance of applying a dyadic perspective and taking gender differences in the dual-effects model of social control into account.

Daily negative affect and smoking after a self-set quit attempt: The role of dyadic invisible social support in a daily diary study

Objectives Social support receipt from one's partner is assumed to be beneficial for successful smoking cessation. However, support receipt can have costs. Recent research suggests that the most effective support is unnoticed by the receiver (i.e., invisible). Therefore, this study examined the association between everyday levels of dyadic invisible emotional and instrumental support, daily negative affect, and daily smoking after a self-set quit attempt in smoker–non-smoker couples. Methods Overall, 100 smokers (72.0% men, mean age M = 40.48, SD = 9.82) and their non-smoking partners completed electronic diaries from a self-set quit date on for 22 consecutive days, reporting daily invisible emotional and instrumental social support, daily negative affect, and daily smoking. Results Same-day multilevel analyses showed that at the between-person level, higher individual mean levels of invisible emotional and instrumental support were associated with less daily negative affect. In contrast to our assumption, more receipt of invisible emotional and instrumental support was related to more daily cigarettes smoked. Conclusions The findings are in line with previous results, indicating invisible support to have beneficial relations with affect. However, results emphasize the need for further prospective daily diary approaches for understanding the dynamics of invisible support on smoking cessation.

Examining invisible social control as predictor of daily smoking and negative affect after a self-set quit date

Objectives: The dual-effects model of social control proposes that social control leads to better health practices, but also arouses psychological distress. However, findings are inconsistent in relation to health behavior and psychological distress. Recent research suggests that the most effective control is unnoticed by the receiver (i.e., invisible). There is some evidence that invisible social control is beneficial for positive and negative affective reactions. Yet, investigations of the influence of invisible social control on daily smoking and distress have been limited. In daily diaries, we investigated how invisible social control is associated with number of cigarettes smoked and negative affect on a daily basis. Methods: Overall, 99 smokers (72.0% men, mean age M = 40.48, SD = 9.82) and their non-smoking partners completed electronic diaries from a self-set quit date for 22 consecutive days within the hour before going to bed, reporting received and provided social control, daily number of cigarettes smoked, and negative affect. Results: Multilevel analyses indicated that between-person levels of invisible social control were associated with lower negative affect, whereas they were unrelated to number of cigarettes smoked. On days with higher-than-average invisible social control, smokers reported less cigarettes smoked and more negative affect. Conclusions: Between-person level findings indicate that invisible social control can be beneficial for negative affect. However, findings on the within-person level are in line with the assumptions of the dual-effects model of social control: Invisible social control reduced daily smoking and simultaneously increased daily negative affect within person.