Triggers per attivit�� di test su fascio di particelle. Realizzazione di un progetto in VHDL e sintetizzazione su FPGA

Progettazione e realizzazione di un dispositivo elettronico con lo scopo di coordinare e sincronizzare la presa dati del beam test del LUCID (CERN, luglio 2009) e tener traccia di tali eventi. Il circuito �� stato progettato in linguaggio VHDL, simulato con il programma ModelSim, sintetizzato con il programma Quartus e implementato su un FPGA Cyclone residente su scheda di tipo VME 6U della CAEN. Infine la scheda �� stata testata in laboratorio (verificandone il corretto funzionamento) assieme all'intero sistema di presa dati, e confermata per il beam test del LUCID.

Spatial and temporal variation in settlement, growth and condition of the rockfish species Sebastes caurinus and Sebastes carnatus in the Channel Islands region, Santa Barbara, CA

Survival during the early life stages of marine species, including nearshore temperate reef fishes, is typically very low, and small changes in mortality rates, due to physiological and environmental conditions, can have marked effects on survival of a cohort and, on a larger scale, on the success of a recruitment season. Moreover, trade offs between larval growth and accumulation of energetic resources prior to settlement are likely to influence growth and survival until this critical period and afterwards. Rockfish recruitment rates are notoriously variable between years and across geographic locations. Monitoring of rates of onshore delivery of pelagic juveniles (defined here as settlement) of two species of nearshore rockfishes, Sebastes caurinus and Sebastes carnatus, was done between 2003-2009 years using artificial collectors placed at San Miguel and Santa Cruz Island, off Southern California coast. I investigated spatiotemporal variation in settlement rate, lipid content, pelagic larval duration and larval growth of the newly settled fishes; I assessed relationships between birth date, larval growth, early life-history characteristics and lipid content at settlement, considering also interspecific differences; finally, I attempt to relate interannual patterns of settlement and of early life history traits to easily accessible, local and regional indices of ocean conditions including in situ ocean temperature and regional upwelling, sea surface temperature (SST) and Chlorophyll-a (Chl-a) concentration. Spatial variations appeared to be of low relevance, while significant interannual differences were detected in settlement rate, pelagic larval duration and larval growth. The amount of lipid content of the newly settled fishes was highly variable in space and time, but did not differ between the two species and did not show any relationships with early life history traits, indicating that no trade off involved these physiological processes or they were masked by high individual variability in different periods of larval life. Significant interspecific differences were found in the timing of parturition and settlement and in larval growth rates, with S. carnatus growing faster and breeding and settling later than S. caurinus. The two species exhibited also different patterns of correlations between larval growth rates and larval duration. S. carnatus larval duration was longer when the growth in the first two weeks post-hatch was faster, while S. caurinus had a shorter larval duration when grew fast in the middle and in the end of larval life, suggesting different larval strategies. Fishes with longer larval durations were longer in size at settlement and exhibited longer planktonic phase in periods of favourable environmental conditions. Ocean conditions had a low explanatory power for interannual variation in early life history traits, but a very high explanatory power for settlement fluctuations, with regional upwelling strength being the principal indicator. Nonetheless, interannual variability in larval duration and growth were related to great phenological changes in upwelling happened during the period of this study and that caused negative consequences at all trophic levels along the California coast. Despite the low explanatory power of the environmental variables used in this study on the variation of larval biological traits, environmental processes were differently related with early life history characteristics analyzed to species, indicating possible species-specific susceptibility to ocean conditions and local environmental adaptation, which should be further investigated. These results have implications for understanding the processes influencing larval and juvenile survival, and consequently recruitment variability, which may be dependent on biological characteristics and environmental conditions.

La promozione dell'inclusione nei sistemi scolastici attraverso l'intervento di cooperazione internazionale: l'esperienza di El Salvador

La ricerca si colloca all���interno di un complesso intervento di cooperazione internazionale realizzato in El Salvador tra il 2009 e il 2014. Il Progetto di cooperazione �� stato promosso dal Dipartimento di Scienze dell���Educazione dell���Universit�� di Bologna e finanziato dalla Cooperazione Italiana. L���esperienza studiata rappresenta un esempio di promozione dell���inclusione nei sistemi scolastici di Paesi del Sud del mondo e si propone due obiettivi: 1) analizzare il processo di cambiamento della prospettiva di intervento promossa dalla cooperazione internazionale, evidenziando la dimensione educativa che sostiene processi di empowerment e ownership delle istituzioni locali; 2) contribuire al dibattito sull��� ���inclusive education���, sostenendo processi di inclusione scolastica e sociale rivolti a tutti coloro che si trovano in situazione di svantaggio psico-fisico e/o socio-culturale. Le politiche locali del Ministero dell���Educazione dal 2009 hanno promosso un modello educativo con l���obiettivo di garantire il diritto all���educazione per tutti nella scuola pubblica. Lo studio costituisce un'indagine di tipo valutativo sul processo di sviluppo della scuola inclusiva in El Salvador, supportato dall���intervento di cooperazione internazionale. La ricerca utilizza in modo integrato strumenti di natura quantitativa (questionari) e qualitativa (interviste). Dai dati raccolti emerge come il processo di cooperazione sia stato caratterizzato dal principio della pari dignit�� tra esperti internazionali e autorit�� politiche e tecniche locali. Inoltre, la ricerca ha consentito di verificare come la cultura dell'inclusione si sia radicata in modo diffuso nella percezione della missione della scuola e il suo ruolo tra i protagonisti del sistema scolastico. Alla luce dei risultati, appare fondamentale continuare a investire sulla formazione tecnica delle figure chiave del sistema educativo; facilitare il processo di inclusione dei disabili nelle scuole regolari con una parallela trasformazione delle scuole speciali in centri di supporto all���integrazione; promuovere una sinergia di azione formativa tra il ministero, mondo accademico e della formazione professionale.

Studio e ottimizzazione di un generatore eolico carrellabile

La presente tesi discute la realizzazione di un carrello appendice sul quale possa essere montato un aerogeneratore della potenza di circa 8500 W facile da trasportare ed installare. Si desidera progettare una macchina che non necessiti di fondamenta e non richieda particolari procedure burocratiche per l���istallazione permettendo cos�� un investimento iniziale ridotto. Il progetto ha il vantaggio di produrre energia con venti di bassa intensit�� (3 m/s), livelli di rumore contenuti da considerarsi trascurabili e un impatto visivo ambientale accettabile. Uno degli obiettivi �� di massimizzare le prestazioni della turbina eolica ed essere in grado di competere sul mercato attuale, installando parallelamente un impianto fotovoltaico per dare una continuit�� maggiore all'energia generata. Queste tipologie di macchine potranno diffondersi nei settori dell���agricoltura, del turismo e in aree specifiche, ad esempio aree protette, dove l���eolico di grandi dimensioni ha difficolt�� di inserimento. L���aerogeneratore potr�� alimentare utenze come ad esempio sistemi di telecomunicazioni, stazioni di pompaggio, utenze rurali site in luoghi isolati, ed �� possibile lo spostamento del mezzo anche in zone altamente sconnesse grazie al telaio rinforzato e all'inserimento di freni e sospensioni. La produzione di energia elettrica proveniente da fonti rinnovabili viene promossa dal decreto legislativo n. 387 del 29/12/2003, che d�� indicazioni affinch�� tutti gli impianti con potenza non superiore ai 20000W abbiano la possibilit�� di connettersi alla rete con la modalit�� di ���scambio sul posto���. Questo servizio permette di ridurre l���esborso sostenuto per la bolletta relativamente alle quote dell���energia consumata e di rientrare dell���investimento iniziale; infatti la societ�� distributrice dell���energia elettrica effettuer�� ogni anno un conguaglio tra l���energia prelevata e quella immessa in rete dal cliente.

Percutaneous screw fixation of the iliosacral joint: optimal screw pathways are frequently not completely intraosseous

INTRODUCTION In iliosacral screw fixation, the dimensions of solely intraosseous (secure) pathways, perpendicular to the ilio-sacral articulation (optimal) with corresponding entry (EP) and aiming points (AP) on lateral fluoroscopic projections, and the factors (demographic, anatomic) influencing these have not yet been described. METHODS In 100 CTs of normal pelvises, the height and width of the secure and optimal pathways were measured on axial and coronal views bilaterally (total measurements: n=200). Corresponding EP and AP were defined as either the location of the screw head or tip at the crossing of lateral innominate bones' cortices (EP) and sacral midlines (AP) within the centre of the pathway, respectively. EP and AP were transferred to the sagittal pelvic view using a coordinate system with the zero-point in the centre of the posterior cortex of the S1 vertebral body (x-axis parallel to upper S1 endplate). Distances are expressed in relation to the anteroposterior distance of the S1 upper endplate (in %). The influence of demographic (age, gender, side) and/or anatomic (PIA=pelvic incidence angle; TCA=transversal curvature angle, PID-Index=pelvic incidence distance-index; USW=unilateral sacral width-index) parameters on pathway dimensions and positions of EP and AP were assessed (multivariate analysis). RESULTS The width, height or both factors of the pathways were at least 7mm or more in 32% and 53% or 20%, respectively. The EP was on average 14��24% behind the centre of the posterior S1 cortex and 41��14% below it. The AP was on average 53��7% in the front of the centre of the posterior S1 cortex and 11��7% above it. PIA influenced the width, TCA, PID-Index the height of the pathways. PIA, PID-Index, and USW-Index significantly influenced EP and AP. Age, gender, and TCA significantly influenced EP. CONCLUSION Secure and optimal placement of screws of at least 7mm in diameter will be unfeasible in the majority of patients. Thoughtful preoperative planning of screw placement on CT scans is advisable to identify secure pathways with an optimal direction. For this purpose, the presented methodology of determining and transferring EPs and APs of corresponding pathways to the sagittal pelvic view using a coordinate system may be useful.

Impact of traffic pollution on telomere length and chronic diseases: Results from the multi-ethnic study of atherosclerosis and the Mexican-American cohort study

Exposure to air pollutants in urban locales has been associated with increased risk for chronic diseases including cardiovascular disease (CVD) and pulmonary diseases in epidemiological studies. The exact mechanism explaining how air pollution affects chronic disease is still unknown. However, oxidative stress and inflammatory pathways have been posited as likely mechanisms. ^ Data from the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA) and the Mexican-American Cohort Study (2003-2009) were used to examine the following aims, respectively: 1) to evaluate the association between long-term exposure to ambient particulate matter (PM) (PM10 and PM2.5) and nitrogen oxides (NO x) and telomere length (TL) among approximately 1,000 participants within MESA; and 2) to evaluate the association between traffic-related air pollution with self-reported asthma, diabetes, and hypertension among Mexican-Americans in Houston, Texas. ^ Our results from MESA were inconsistent regarding associations between long-term exposure to air pollution and shorter telomere length based on whether the participants came from New York (NY) or Los Angeles (LA). Although not statistically significant, we observed a negative association between long-term air pollution exposure and mean telomere length for NY participants, which was consistent with our hypothesis. Positive (statistically insignificant) associations were observed for LA participants. It is possible that our findings were more influenced by both outcome and exposure misclassification than by the absence of a relationship between pollution and TL. Future studies are needed that include longitudinal measures of telomere length as well as focus on effects of specific constituents of PM and other pollutant exposures on changes in telomere length over time. ^ This research provides support that Mexican-American adults who live near a major roadway or in close proximity to a dense street network have a higher prevalence of asthma. There was a non-significant trend towards an increased prevalence of adult asthma with increasing residential traffic exposure especially for residents who lived three or more years at their baseline address. Even though the prevalence of asthma is low in the Mexican-origin population, it is the fastest growing minority group in the U.S. and we would expect a growing number of Mexican-Americans who suffer from asthma in the future. Future studies are needed to better characterize risks for asthma associated with air pollution in this population.^

El profesor de letras universitario en el umbral de la pr��ctica. Un estudio de caso en el laboratorio de la pr��ctica en la escuela media. 16H309

Actividades desarrolladas durante el per��odo: recolecci��n y selecci��n del material de campo del 2009- 2010; desarrollo y registro de un taller de construcci��n de artefactos did��cticos antes de salir a campo, desde la escena conjetural; reconocimiento de un campo complejo: practicante. Tutor: guiones conjet��rales. Planificaciones institucionales y propuestas did��cticas alternativas; Se trata de las actividades efectivamente realizadas durante el per��odo de referencia. Pueden ser las mismas que las incluidas en el Proyecto, pero tambi��n pueden aparecer nuevas actividades que no hayan sido previstas originalmente. Esta secci��n puede ser publicada en la p��gina de la Facultad y de la Universidad; selecci��n de marcos te��ricos. Lectura, fichaje y trabajo en ateneo interno.

Espacio, comunicaci��n y convivencia : problemas ��ticos de la ciudad latinoamericana

El art��culo enfoca los problemas de convivencia en las ciudades latinoamericanas, marcadas por procesos de urbanizaci��n sin articulaci��n, regidos por l��gicas de poder y caracterizados por la falta de equilibrio y equidad. Se exploran las posibilidades de pasar de territorios de supervivencia, con relaciones sociales de dominio y violencia, a espacios de comunicaci��n y a lugares de sentido, a trav��s de pr��cticas, pol��ticas y estrategias de convivencia.