Infrared thermography and Georadar techniques applied to the “Sala delle Nicchie” (Niches Hall) of Palazzo Pitti,Florence (Italy)

Two noninvasive geophysical techniques, infrared thermography and georadar, were used in this study to investigate the internal walls of the “Sala delle Nicchie” (Niches Hall) of Pitti Palace, in Florence. The aim of this work was to verify that the original architectonic setting of this Hall was as reported in a planimetry of anonymous author dated late 1700. This document shows that the “Sala delle Nicchie” was characterized at that time by 10 niches instead of the six that are visible today. Both the infrared thermography and georadar surveys confirmed the presence and location of the niches as indicated in the planimetry. This study results prove the importance and benefit of using nondestructive techniques in sites of artistic and historical interest.     

Viscoelastic and mechano-sorptive studies applied to the conservation of historical violins: A case study of the Guarneri “del Gesù” violin (1743) known as the “Cannone”

To assess the possible effects of mechanical loading on the conservation of historical wooden musical instruments, a research project was carried out on the violin Guarneri “del Gesù” (1743), known as the “Cannone”. This paper refers to the results obtained by studying the deformations to which a violin is subjected after being tuned, with special attention to the viscous and mechano-sorptive behaviour (as in a concert environment for example). The amount of viscoelastic creep was quantified under normal tuning conditions, and the mechano-sorptive creep was quantified using a dead mass resulting in 55% of the elastic deformation obtained after tuning. The viscoelastic and mechano-sorptive deformations were clearly observed. These deformations were completely recovered once the violin was unloaded, demonstrating that this violin structure is appropriately dimensioned for the applied stresses.     

Assessment of thermo-hygrometric quality in museums: Method and in-field application to the “Duccio di Buoninsegna” exhibition at Santa Maria della Scala (Siena,Italy)

Maintaining the microclimatic parameters at the desired value is essential for artefacts preservation. In order to control the status of the microclimatic parameters, a continuous monitoring of the indoor environmental provides conservators, curators, restorers, and lenders with an exact knowledge of the microclimatic conditions under which the works of art are kept. Moreover, the monitoring results give important information in order to make adequate changes to the control strategy of microclimatic parameters. From this point of view, monitoring is an essential tool to develop an actual preventive control programme aimed at maintaining the optimal microclimatic conditions for preservation. As a consequence, long-term monitoring has to be applied to prevent deterioration of works of art. The widespread opinion that a correct approach to the topic of microclimate control for artefacts preservation is not only and necessarily to provide buildings with sophisticated environmental control systems, but mainly to investigate the actual environmental dynamics and, before any structural intervention, to define the compatibility between the climate control potentials and the preservation requirements, has become more and more firm among the experts. Monitoring also allows to verify the capacity of the “building and Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC)” system to maintain the desired thermo-hygrometric values within the operating conditions. To this aim, the Italian Standard UNI 10829 (1999) defining monitoring, elaboration and analysis of the microclimatic data as supporting actions for artefacts preservation, led to the need of a long-term monitoring and of a statistical approach to the data management. The approach proposed by the Italian Standard has been recently adopted by a European Standard (EN 15251, 2007). In accordance with the Standards mentioned above, in this paper an operational procedure to assess the thermo-hygrometric quality in museums is firstly synthetically presented and than applied to a case study. In particular, the procedure is developed in order to define the thermo-hygrometric quality level of the exhibition areas in the large museum complex of “Santa Maria della Scala” in Siena (Italy) during the international temporary exhibition “Duccio. La nascita della pittura senese” (“Duccio. The birth of Sienese Painting”).     

Laser scanning and digital imaging for the investigation of an ancient building: Palazzo d’Accursio study case (Bologna,Italy)

This paper describes a scientific approach aimed at studying the ancient part of Palazzo d’Accursio (Bologna, Italy), a masonry building which is part of the Italian cultural heritage. Laser scanning and the inspection of digital images are used to detect traces of restoration works and other interesting features related to both architectural marks and natural or anthropic events. One of the main elements of the method is the analysis of residual maps, obtained by computing the differences between the point coordinates of the façade and reference fit planes. The obtained results, based on both radiometric and geometrical analysis, are used to provide a reasonable hypothesis as to the original configuration of the studied building, while taking into account the available historical information about the constructive phases of the building.     

Dynamic identification of historic masonry towers through an expeditious and no-contact approach: Application to the “Torre del Mangia” in Siena (Italy)

The paper presents a synergic and multidisciplinary approach where laser scanner survey, radar interferometric monitoring and finite element (FE) numerical modelling are used for expeditious and no-contact dynamic identification of monumental masonry towers. The methodology is applied to a real case of great historical interest: the “Torre del Mangia” (Mangia's tower) in Siena (Italy). The tower geometry was acquired through Terrestrial Laser Scanning (TLS) techniques. The tower oscillations were detected using an interferometric radar in “Piazza del Campo”, the square facing the Mangia's Tower, along three alignments, and movement of the structure at several heights were recorded. A FE model, built on the basis of the geometry acquired through the TLS, was used to interpret and verify the physical meaning of the experimental results. Through the discussion of the case study, the paper shows that the proposed approach can be considered as an effective and expeditious method for assessing the dynamic behavior of monumental buildings (and to plan interventions) on territorial scale.     

Structural assessment and measurement of the elastic deformation of historical violins: The case study of the Guarneri ‘del Gesù’ violin (1743) known as the ‘Cannone’

This paper presents a deformative and structural study of the Guarneri ‘del Gesù’ violin (1743) known as the ‘Cannone’. A structural assessment is fundamental to understanding the violin's compatibility with its residual function of musical instrument. The tuning of the instrument to a modern playing pitch during concerts could, in fact, cause stress resulting in plastic deformations of its structure. In order to understand the stress level to which the violin is subjected when tuned, several tests were performed. The forces acting on the bridge were measured, the geometry of the un-strung and of the tuned violin were acquired with a tri-dimensional scanner, the violin deformation was assessed by means of the computed surface deviation mesh and by measuring the deformation in selected lines, several sections of the violin were cut from the digital model and stress exerted on the sections was computed. The stress exerted on the neck, scroll and body were found to be very limited. More significant, albeit at a low level, was the stress exerted under the bridge between the sound holes. Mechanical stress exerted after tuning was found to be safe for the violin, if applied for a limited amount of time. This does not mean that the violin can be played freely, because the real strength of the material used in the violin is not known and mechanical stress during a concert must be added to time (viscous behaviour), moisture content variation (mechano-sorptive behaviour) and hygro-thermal stress, thus worsening the condition. The method presented here could be applied to compute the level of stress of any violin.     

The history of the “Virgin with Child” sculpture (Ottaviano,Naples, southern Italy): Hypotheses from archaeometric multi-technique investigations

A life-size whitish marble statue of a “Virgin with Child” has been recently rediscovered in the St. Rosario church located in Ottaviano, a small town near Naples (southern Italy). This artwork shows stylistic features of the Tuscan-Roman school of the 16th century, and is framed in an intriguing historical context. Historical documents testify that the sculpture was a property of the cadet branch of noble Tuscan family of the Medici, the Medici of Ottaviano. A multianalytical approach has been used to try to indicate the supply area of the white marble of the studied sculpture. Considering the whole mineralogical, petrographic and geochemical data, the source rock can be possibly limited to the main classical white marbles of the Mediterranean district, as the classical marble of Aphrodisias. A reuse practice of a former artwork can be also hypothesized.     

Balfour’s Mission to Palestine: Science,Strategy, and the Inauguration of the Hebrew University in Jerusalem

In 1925, A.J. Balfour, first Earl Balfour and author of the famous ‘Balfour Declaration’, attended the inauguration of the Hebrew University in Jerusalem. His education and experience of foreign policy equipped him to take a prominent role. However, the conditions of strife-torn Palestine weighed heavily upon him, and raised wider interests of imperial concern. This essay recounts the circumstances leading to his visit, and suggests that, whatever the region’s political destiny, Balfour’s vision of science-based economic development would play an essential role in crafting its future.

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Attending to the “face of the other” in intercultural communication: Thinking and talking about difference,identity, and ethics

This essay contributes to the discussions in intercultural communication scholarship on key intercultural urgencies, issues, and challenges in today's world through the ethical framework of Emmanuel Levinas and his discussion of “absolute otherness” that informs and expands the dialogue on interculturality, cultural humility, and ethics. Levinas's discussion of “absolute otherness” aims to preserve difference—the otherness of the other—by asserting the ethical relation prior to the ontological relation and carries significant communicative implications in terms of the relation of the self and the other as well as making sense of difference and identity, and offers a new way of talking about these issues in the field of communication studies, specifically in intercultural communication. An illustration of attending to the other beyond reduction to the same is offered through a pedagogical application of the Levinasian framework in the intercultural communication class.     

“The Ennobling Unity of Science and Technology”: Materials Sciences and Engineering, the Department of Energy, and the Nanotechnology Enigma

The ambiguous material identity of nanotechnology is a minor mystery of the history of contemporary science. This paper argues that nanotechnology functioned primarily in discourses of social, not physical or biological science, the problematic knowledge at stake concerning the economic value of state-supported basic science. The politics of taxonomy in the United States Department of Energy’s Office of Basic Energy Sciences in the 1990s reveals how scientists invoked the term as one of several competing and equally valid candidates for reframing materials sciences in ways believed consonant with the political tenor of the time. The resulting loss of conceptual clarity in the sociology of science traces ultimately to the struggle to bridge the disjunction between the promissory economy of federal basic science and the industrial economy, manifested in attempts to reconcile the precepts of linearity and interdisciplinarity in changing socio-economic conditions over a half century.     

The Simon Mann Trial,the Demise of the “Dogs of War,” and the Discursive Legitimation of “Humanitarian” Private Security Companies in Africa

The essay provides a critical intercultural analysis of the 2008 trial of the “mercenary” Simon Mann, accused of instigating an attempted coup in Equatorial Guinea. The author argues that Equatorial Guinean President, Teodoro Obiang, tried to turn this trial into a tactical, neocolonial critique of mercenary activities that were allegedly supported by the United Kingdom, Spain, and other Western powers. Unfortunately, he was only partially successful. The growing influence of private security corporations and the suasory power of new military “rescue” tales meant that there were no shortage of defenders of these types of coups. This study demonstrates how certain actions can, at times, be simultaneously characterized as dominant strategies and subaltern tactics.     

The Dangerous Individual('s) Dog: Race,Criminality and the ‘Pit Bull’

Abstract

Though it is generally acknowledged that there is a relationship between racist discourse and the figure of the non-human animal, this relationship is almost always assumed to be analogical: oppressed groups are compared with or treated as non-human animals. But the recent dogfighting case against NFL Quarterback Michael Vick and the attendant suspicion of ‘pit bulls’ suggests that racism today has a more complex relationship with (certain types of) animals than the analogy would capture. An analysis of this discourse both calls for and revises Foucault's notion of ‘the dangerous individual’ as an explanatory concept for contemporary racism. The concomitant revulsion toward both dogfighting and ‘pit bulls’ suggests an expression of fear of a perceived threat to normative whiteness, insofar as these ‘dangerous’ dogs are figured as carriers of the contagion of racial abnormality.     

A combination of NDT methods for the restoration of monumental façades: The case study of Monte di Pietà (Naples,Italy)

The paper focuses on an interdisciplinary research project concerning the preservation of the XVII century monumental building of Monte di Pietà in Naples, Italy. The building underwent a series of restorations being the structural walls affected by humidity and cracks. The importance of this monumental building in the historical city center of Naples led to design an extensive surveying program to provide the designers of strengthening with a detailed investigation of the geometry of the entire structure, and particularly of the entrance façade, with great details on several materials, thicknesses and restraints. A preliminary investigation was performed on the historical phases of this monumental building to have a clear knowledge of its vicissitudes, and then in situ structural assessment included 3D laser scanner techniques probing radar, in situ stress measures. This surveying phase was crucial especially for the subsequent Finite Elements modeling (F.E.M.) of the façade. The scope of the numerical refined analyses was to evaluate the state of stress in the structural elements of the façade putting in evidence structural ‘weak points’ and finally to design a retrofit intervention having a detailed map of the ‘intervention areas’. The theoretical damage assessment has been compared with on-site assessment and in situ stress measures. The damage primarily concerned the entrance façade and its valuable decorations. Furthermore, the basic principles for the design of the strengthening have been discussed.     

“A Delicious Way to Help Save Lives”: Race,Commodification, and Celebrity in Product (RED)

Abstract

The Product (RED) campaign raises money to fight AIDS in Africa by helping to sell brand-name merchandise to affluent consumers. This paper examines the racialized representations of the (RED) website and the campaign's use of a consumer–celebrity fund-raising model. Through the analytical lens of critical cultural studies, I argue that (RED) commodifies Africans and “African-ness” under a celebratory guise, and reinscribes a narrative of Africa as a “problem child.” The campaign paradoxically trades on the very disparities of global capitalism that propel the AIDS crisis. It is central in (re)producing the human consequences of globalization, shoring up a symbolic and material marketplace marked by extreme poverty and extreme consumption.     

The Philippine–American War and the American Debates about the Necessity and Legality of the “Water Cure,” 1901–1903

Abstract

This essay provides a critical genealogical study of the “water cure” controversies that took place during the Philippine–American War. The author extends the work of Foucault and Agamben to argue that a biopolitical review of this controversy illustrates how many of the legal and cultural arguments used to legitimate the water cure have resurfaced in contemporary debates about waterboarding and enhanced interrogations techniques. The essay also illustrates how anti-imperialists and other critics of Theodore Roosevelt's administration tried to use these water-cure debates as discursive vehicles for complaining about the systematic abuse of Filipinos during the Philippine “Insurrection.”     

China’s “Gene War of the Century” and Its Aftermath: The Contest Goes On

Following the successful cloning of genes for mostly rare genetic diseases in the early 1990s, there was a nearly universal enthusiasm that similar approaches could be employed to hunt down genes predisposing people to complex diseases. Around 1996, several well-funded international gene-hunting teams, enticed by the low cost of collecting biological samples and China’s enormous population, and ushered in by some well-connected Chinese intermediaries, came to China to hunt down disease susceptibility genes. This alarmed and, in some cases, enraged many poorly funded Chinese scientists, who perceived them as formidable competitors. Some depicted foreign gene-hunters as greedy pilferers of the vast Chinese genetic gold mine, comparing it to the plundering of national treasures from China by invaders in the past, and called upon the government and their fellow countrymen to rise up and protect China’s genetic gold mine. Media uproar ensued, proclaiming the imminent “gene war of the century.” This article chronicles the key events surrounding this “war” and its aftermath, exposes some inherent complexities in identifying susceptibility genes for complex diseases, highlights some issues obscured or completely overlooked in the passionate and patriotic rhetoric, and debunks some misconceptions embedded in this conflict. In addition, it argues that during the entire course of this “war,” the public’s interest went conspicuously unmentioned. Finally, it articulates several lessons that can be learned from this conflict, and outlines challenges facing human genetics researchers.