Graphic design： A sustainable solution to manage the contents of teaching materials

There is a concern that the teaching of subjects is applied not only with support from a set of technological devices, but largely in the proper use of teaching and new technologies. Taking this idea, the authors develop a research and sustainable design that result in educational materials in solid content and technological innovation, also to have the benefit of learning process of a particular subject. The project is in its stage of development of educational materials, which indicates that only the experiment is missing.     

It's never too late: Funding dynamics and self pledges in reward-based crowdfunding

Crowdfunding recently emerged as an alternative funding channel for entrepreneurs. We use pledge-level data from Startnext, the biggest German platform, to gain insights on funding dynamics and pledgers’ motivations. We find that the majority of projects that eventually succeed are not on a successful track at 75% of their funding period. These late successes are boosted by information cascades during the final 25% of the funding duration. We conclude – in contrast with earlier literature – that project success is only partially path-dependent. While early pledges do anticipate project success, a lack of them does not necessarily mean that projects will fail. Interviews and questionnaire responses indicate that projects’ communication efforts play a role in making severely under track projects succeed eventually. Moreover, our dataset uniquely allows us to quantify the extent of self funding. Self pledges account for about 10% of all initial pledges and 9% of all pledges that secure funding. Nonetheless, the late surges at severely under track projects are mostly driven by external funders. Furthermore, we find no evidence of subsequent herding triggered by self pledges.     

A Characterisation Study on Modern Bronze Sculpture: The Artistic Patinas of Nado Canuti

Artistic patination is a traditional colouring technique for metal sculpture, employed by artists in ancient and modern times for aesthetic purposes. Today, knowledge of the artistic value and the chemistry of this superficial chromatic layer, called ‘artistic patina’, can be successfully acquired through a close collaboration between living artists, foundry artisans, and scientists. Starting from several interviews with the Italian artist Nado Canuti and foundry artisans, specific information was gathered about patination methods and the artist’s attitude towards materials restoration. Afterwards, the patinas most used by Canuti were reproduced to study their nature before any ageing or degradation. Their chromatic values, morphologies, and compositions were studied employing a range of techniques such as colour measurements, scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, and micro-Raman spectroscopy. The collected data revealed the formation of main compounds (cuprite, cassiterite, rouaite, chalcocite, isocubanite, and ferroxyhite) and additional compounds (atacamite and CN-containing compound). The scientific results, as well as the artist’s statements concerning the patinas’ significance, maintenance, and conservation, will contribute towards the future care and preservation of Canuti’s sculptures.     

意大利和国际体育法及判例制裁的比例原则

研究意大利和国际体育法判例制裁的比例原则,首先需要了解意大利(以下简称国家)和国际体育规则。其次是根据意大利与国际体育法的判例如何与归责原则连接,以及解释(和执行)方式,尤其是关于足球与反兴奋剂规则。研究的主要目的是为了验证这一原则是否在规则中被编撰和认可(通过体育法庭得到解释和执行),评估这一原则是否应用于保护体育运动的完整性(确保它的正常运作),并应当平衡要遵守体育规则和保护运动员利益二者之间的关系。     

Biorthogonal wavelet trees in the classification of embedded signal classes for intelligent sensors using machine learning applications

The paper deals with a method of constructing orthonormal bases of coordinates which maximize, through redundant dictionaries (frames) of biorthogonal bases, a class separability index or distances among classes. The method proposes an algorithm which consists of biorthogonal expansions over two redundant dictionaries. Embedded classes are often present in multiclassification problems. It is shown how the biorthogonality of the expansion can really help to construct a coordinate system which characterizes the classes. The algorithm is created for training wavelet networks in order to provide an efficient coordinate system maximizing the Cross Entropy function between two complementary classes. Sine and cosine wavelet packets are basis functions of the network. Thanks to their packet structure, once selected the depth of the tree, an adaptive number of basis functions is automatically chosen. The algorithm is also able to carry out centering and dilation of the basis functions in an adaptive way. The algorithm works with a preliminary extracted feature through shrinkage technique in order to reduce the dimensionality of the problem. In particular, our attention is pointed out for time-frequency monitoring, detection and classification of transients in rail vehicle systems and the outlier problem. In the former case the goal is to distinguish transients as inrush current and no inrush current and a further distinction between the two complementary classes: dangerous inrush current and no dangerous inrush current. The proposed algorithm is used on line in order to recognize the dangerous transients in real time and thus shut-down the vehicle. The algorithm can also be used in a general application of the outlier detection. A similar structure is used in developed algorithms which are currently integrated in the inferential modeling platform of the unit responsible for Advanced Control and Simulation Solutions within ABB's (Asea Brown Boveri) industry division. It is shown how impressive and rapid performances are achieved with a limited number of wavelets and few iterations. Real applications using real measured data are included to illustrate and analyze the effectiveness of the proposed method.     

The Pendulum: From Constrained Fall to the Concept of Potential

Kuhn underlined the relevance of Galileo’s gestalt switch in the interpretation of a swinging body from constrained fall to time metre. But the new interpretation did not eliminate the older one. The constrained fall, both in the motion of pendulums and along inclined planes, led Galileo to the law of free fall. Experimenting with physical pendulums and assuming the impossibility of perpetual motion Huygens obtained a law of conservation of vis viva at specific positions, beautifully commented by Mach. Daniel Bernoulli generalised Huygens results introducing the concept of potential and the related independence of the ‘work’ done from the trajectories (paths) followed: vis viva conservation at specific positions is now linked with the potential. Feynman’s modern way of teaching the subject shows striking similarities with Bernoulli’s approach. A number of animations and simulations can help to visualise and teach some of the pendulum’s interpretations related to what we now see as instances of energy conservation.     

e-university: a cross-case study in four Italian universities

This paper describes the aims, the methods, the stages and the results of the research project 'e-University. Information and communication technologies (ICTs) as a factor of change in Italian universities', undertaken between 2003 and 2006 by the Universities of Trento, Perugia and Sassari and the Catholic University of Milan.
The characteristics of the four institutions' subjects and objects of the investigation are analysed as case studies and then compared as a cross-case study in the light of the factors that we feel constitute the main areas of concern in the four institutions as to the implementation of ICTs in the teaching/learning process, ie, the characteristics of the governance strategic plan, the choices relating to technology and the choices related to pedagogy. The paper describes the collaborative effort characterising the community of researchers through the different stages of the research. It also analyses how the individual features of each university—relating to its history, the number of students, the range of faculties, the diffusion of e-learning, the driving factors for innovation, the institution's policies—have fostered a lively and fruitful discussion between different view points, thus engendering deeper reflections for each context.     

Face Detection and the Development of Own‐Species Bias in Infant Macaques

In visually complex environments, numerous items compete for attention. Infants may exhibit attentional efficiency—privileged detection, attention capture, and holding—for face‐like stimuli. However, it remains unknown when these biases develop and what role, if any, experience plays in this emerging skill. Here, nursery‐reared infant macaques' (Macaca mulatta; n = 10) attention to faces in 10‐item arrays of nonfaces was measured using eye tracking. With limited face experience, 3‐week‐old monkeys were more likely to detect faces and looked longer at faces compared to nonfaces, suggesting a robust face detection system. By 3 months, after peer exposure, infants looked faster to conspecific faces but not heterospecific faces, suggesting an own‐species bias in face attention capture, consistent with perceptual attunement.     

The contribution of urban-scale environmental monitoring to materials diagnostics: A study on the Cathedral of Modena (Italy)

The problem of environmental monitoring aimed at identifying and evaluating the weathering mechanisms affecting historical stoneworks is here discussed and a methodology based on the use of already available, long record, urban-scale environmental data is proposed. An example of its application to the Cathedral of Modena (Italy, XII-XIV century, included in the UNESCO's World Heritage List) is then presented. In this case, the methodology allowed the identification of the main degradation causes, which found significant confirmation by material diagnostics on the available samples and finite element structural modelling. Thanks to the decay causes identification allowed by the proposed methodology, more effective restoration procedures can be outlined.