La dimensione normativa dell'imprenditorialità accademica: Tre casi di studio sugli investigatori principali, i loro gruppi di ricerca e i fattori di innesco dell'imprenditorialità accademica
Abstract
In che modo il mutamento normativo attuale del lavoro accademico influenza l’emergere di comportamenti innovativi in chiave commerciale fra gli ingegneri industriali all’interno degli atenei pubblici? In particolare si è cercato di ricostruire l’emergere di una dimensione normativa imprenditoriale come processo di costruzione sociale che coinvolge investigatori principali e gruppi di ricerca in attività di terza missione accademica. Viene svolta una approfondita analisi qualitativa basata su interviste semi-strutturate a personale accademico di ingegneria, sullo sfondo di una ricostruzione sia dello sviluppo dell’ingegneria industriale come disciplina accademica, che di una ricognizione dei principali mutamenti avvenuti in ambito accademico italiano negli ultimi anni.
The Tesla expander was first developed by N. Tesla at the beginning of the 20th century. In recent years, due to the increasing appeal towards micro power generation and energy recovery from wasted flows, this cost effective expander technology rose a renovated interest. In the present study, a 2D numerical model is realized and a design procedure of a Tesla turbine for ORC applications is proposed. A throughout optimization method is developed by evaluating the losses of each component. The 2D model results are further exploited through the development of 3D computational investigation, which allows an accurate comprehension of the flow characteristics. Finally, two prototypes are designed, realized and tested. The former one is designed to work with air as working fluid. The second prototype is designed to work with organic fluids. The achieved experimental results confirmed the validity and the large potential applicative chances of this emerging technology in the field of micro sizes, low inlet temperature and low expansion ratios.
Creatine (Cr) transporter deficiency (CCDS1) is a very rare and severe condition due to impaired energetic metabolism. In this work we showed for the first time the following facts: this diseases is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder in which a set of maladaptive compensatory mechanisms leads to a progressive damage of brain functions; cell energy metabolism and mitochondria seem strongly involved in the pathogenesis and they could represent useful potential targets for therapeutic interventions; inflammation seems to play an important part in this progressive damage, and this observation can pave the way to treatment strategies; neural circuits disruption involving inhibitory systems could give a huge contribute to many of the clinical aspects observed in patients, as epilepsy and cognitive impairment, since the excitatory/inhibitory balance is fundamental for the normal function of neural circuits. Factors outside the CNS are important in the pathogenesis of at least some aspects of the disorder, since the conditional KO model show difference in the timing of onset of some cognitive defects and in the presence of stereotypies.
La ricerca si inserisce nel dibattito sullo sviluppo turistico sostenibile e, in particolare, sugli impatti che la pressione turistica genera nelle città d’arte: l’analisi è infatti concentrata sul Centro Storico di Firenze, inserito nella lista del Patrimonio Mondiale dal 1982. Il sito si è dotato di un Piano di Gestione (PdG) che si propone, tra gli obiettivi, il monitoraggio di cinque principali minacce; il turismo e le criticità generate dai suoi impatti sono una di esse. Lo studio si pre_ gge di elaborare un modello di supporto decisionale composto da mappe che rappresentano gli indicatori elaborati studiando fattori di pressione, di stato e di impatto secondo quanto percepito dalla comunità locale e da una piattaforma di web mapping per la gestione integrata e partecipata. Lo strumento è pensatoper inserirsi nel monitoraggio previsto dal PdG al fine di attuare sistemi di gestione controllata e condivisa, aiutare il dialogo tra i vari stakeholder, supportare la definizione di strategie per il decentramento dei fiussi turistici, diminuire la pressione turistica e gli impatti da essa generati.
Il volume ricostruisce il ruolo degli «oggetti d’arte» nel rinnovamento identitario (sociale, politico e culturale) dei Mannelli, fra le famiglie più antiche del patriziato fiorentino. Nel corso del Seicento i principali esponenti adottarono uno stile di vita ispirato alla corte medicea, dismettendo progressivamente, ma in tempi diversi, la veste mercantile. L’analisi delle principali dimore di città e campagna e dell’allestimento degli oggetti d’arte, condotta su base documentaria e con gli strumenti critici del Display of art, restituisce le tappe fondamentali del processo di rinnovamento e, insieme a numerosi episodi autonomi di mecenatismo e collezionismo inediti, l’emergere di strategie narrative comuni dell’identità storica e politica per mezzo degli oggetti d’arte.
La prestazione oggetto di un’obbligazione corrisponde, nella definizione offerta dalla legge (art. 1174 c.c.), a un interesse del creditore. Cosa accade se questo interesse, calato in un rapporto contrattuale, non può più essere soddisfatto per cause sopravvenute non imputabili alle parti? La giurisprudenza afferma che quando un interesse è oggettivamente funzionale e necessario per la realizzazione del concreto programma contrattuale, la sua frustrazione possa comportare la caducazione del vincolo giuridico. Quali sono però le esatte conseguenze giuridiche che derivano da tale caducazione, e quali le sue forme? Questa la trama essenziale dell’opera, volta ad indagare il fondamento e il contenuto della categoria extra-legislativa dell’inutilizzabilità sopravvenuta della prestazione.
Several technological developments like the Internet, mobile devices and Social Networks have spurred the sharing of images in unprecedented volumes, making tagging and commenting a common habit. Despite the recent progress in image analysis, the problem of Semantic Gap still hinders machines in fully understand the rich semantic of a shared photo. In this book, we tackle this problem by exploiting social network contributions. A comprehensive treatise of three linked problems on image annotation is presented, with a novel experimental protocol used to test eleven state-of-the-art methods. Three novel approaches to annotate, under stand the sentiment and predict the popularity of an image are presented. We conclude with the many challenges and opportunities ahead for the multimedia community.
Paper, milk, clouds and white paint share a common property: they are opaque disordered media through which light scatters randomly rather than propagating in a straight path. For very thick and turbid media, indeed, light eventually propagates in a ‘diffusive’ way, i.e. similarly to how tea infuses through hot water. Frequently though, a material is neither perfectly opaque nor transparent and the simple diffusion model does not hold. In this work, we developed a novel optical-gating setup that allowed us to observe light transport in scattering media with sub-ps time resolution. An array of unexplored aspects of light propagation emerged from this spatio-temporal description, unveiling transport regimes that were previously inaccessibile due to the extreme time scales involved and the lack of analytical models.
Sporadic cerebral small vessel disease (SVD) is considered to be among the most commonly known neuropathological processes in the brain, hosting a crucial role in stroke, cognitive impairment, and functional loss in elderly subjects. We investigated clinical (neuroimaging and cognitive) biomarkers in the SVD, through a series of analyses from our five studies. Sporadic cerebral SVD is a complex ‘micro-world’ to be globally considered. All the relevant lesion types and SVD neuroimaging burden should be taken into account. The cumulative effects of microangiopathy burden in the brain of patients affected by SVD are crucial. Cognitive rehabilitation could represent a promising approach to prevent vascular dementia or to improve cognitive performances in patients with cerebral SVD. Longitudinal studies may provide more robust information about the progression and prognostic significance of our findings.
Il volume è dedicato al tema degli ‘occulti segreti della natura’ nella magia naturale di Giovan Battista Della Porta (1535-1615). L’argomento è studiato in relazione sia ai dibattiti interni all’aristotelismo napoletano del XVI secolo, sia alle proposte della tradizione magica rinascimentale. Il libro affronta anche il problema della stregoneria, fenomeno non prettamente filosofico, ma storicamente connesso alla lotta che Della Porta conduce contro ogni forma di spiegazione superstiziosa dei segreti naturali, compresi quelli più scabrosi.
The contribution made by Mario Ridolfi to the construction of a modern Italian identity, in its regional aspect, materialised in his Umbrian designs, starting from the watershed of 1961 which marked the voluntary exile of the architect in Marmore. Through the analysis of his architectural creations, the book reconstructs the mental itinerary pursued by Ridolfi in the elaboration of the Umbrian works, casting light on the architect's interest in the material consistency of the architectural organism, studied in the most minute detail so that the perfection of the work can render it a "living thing". In Ridolfi's work, spirit and matter, art and technology are amalgamated into a single object which always tends to the absolute. Bound up with this, in a play of continual cross-reference, is the study of the specific features of the Umbrian landscape, dominated by the figure of St. Francis of Assisi, as a fruitful and intriguing comparison to map out the contours of the research.
The Smart Skin Envelope research analyses the recent revolution that has taken place in the sector of planning and production of smart skin components, made up of dynamic layers. The aim is to identify the technological, functional, qualitative and performance parameters that guide the decisions of the actors in the innovation process. It explores the factors that drive them to develop solutions and proposals designed to transform the envelope of the building from a static to a dynamic element, featuring interoperable components that can interact with the input from the outdoor and indoor environments, in relation to which the smart skin acts as a system of boundary and delimitation. The proposed research programme explores in particular the sector of Smart Envelopes, setting as its priority objective the identification and definition of the energy performance, both through analysis of the state of the art and through the development of a facade component that is dynamic in terms of the adaptive variability of its performance.
Folding and misfolding of proteins are considered two sides of the same coin. The delicate equilibrium existing between these two processes is crucial for any living organism and its alterations can lead to the onset of several tremendous diseases, such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease. The attainment of a profound knowledge of folding/misfolding processes is a key step to understand how life works and for discovering new therapies to these diseases. In this work the author shows that proteins can display enzymatic activity even in the absence of a compact three-dimensional structure, with important implications for the study of protein enzymes. Furthermore, the author investigates the formation of protein aggregates similar to those observed in patients of amyloid-related diseases.
Chromium, in its hexavalent form [Cr(VI)], is a dangerous environmental pollutant. Bioremediation, which exploits the capacity of microorganisms to reduce Cr(VI) to Cr(III), is an interesting alternative to chemical-physical technologies for the rehabilitation of soil contaminated by Cr(VI). This study has made it possible to obtain a profound phenotypical characterisation of a number of bacterial strains capable of reducing and resisting Cr(VI), making it possible to identify various candidates that could potentially be employed in bioremediation. Moreover, a new gene involved in resistance to Cr(VI) has also been identified, the primary function of which consists in the induction of the cellular response to sulphur starvation. The study of this gene has highlighted that the sulphur content of the soils is one of the parameters that can influence the bioremediation of soils contaminated with Cr(VI).
The urgency for policies to plan and manage the European Mediterranean coastal landscape is now evident: along the Latin Arch exceptional landscape values are accompanied by a growing anthropic pressure that is speeding up its transformations, creating significant problems; it is here, more than in other places, that the challenge posed by the preservation—development pair emerges. This study looks at the strategies developed within three protected coastal landscapes that have taken up the challenge. Interpreted as test laboratories for landscape policies, they give precious cues for the planning and management of the ordinary coastal landscape.
Il volume ricostruisce il ruolo degli «oggetti d’arte» nel rinnovamento identitario (sociale, politico e culturale) dei Mannelli, fra le famiglie più antiche del patriziato fiorentino. Nel corso del Seicento i principali esponenti adottarono uno stile di vita ispirato alla corte medicea, dismettendo progressivamente, ma in tempi diversi, la veste mercantile. L’analisi delle principali dimore di città e campagna e dell’allestimento degli oggetti d’arte, condotta su base documentaria e con gli strumenti critici del Display of art, restituisce le tappe fondamentali del processo di rinnovamento e, insieme a numerosi episodi autonomi di mecenatismo e collezionismo inediti, l’emergere di strategie narrative comuni dell’identità storica e politica per mezzo degli oggetti d’arte.
Ion channels are membrane proteins that selectively allow ions to flow down their electrochemical gradient across the cellular membrane. They localize in both plasma and intracellular membranes and regulate a variety of functions such as neuronal excitability, heartbeat, muscle contraction and hormones release. Thus, understanding the molecular mechanism of ion channels function and regulation is one of the key goals of modern Biophysics. During my PhD thesis, by combining patch-clamp measurements with site-direct mutagenesis, fluorophore labeling experiments and pharmacological assays, I explored some functional and structural properties of different ion transporters: the Na+/Ca2+ exchanger (NCX); the large conductance Ca2+-voltage activated K+ channel (BK) channel; the human Transient receptor potential, member A1 (TRPA1) channel.
