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The purpose of this study was to examine the integration of climate-smart agro-technologies and efficient post-harvest operations in changing weather conditions in Nigeria. Agriculture, which is the mainstay of most rural families in Nigeria, has faced several problems in recent times as a result of variety of factors such as post-harvest losses, climate change fluctuations, and high poverty level resulting in poor agricultural outputs and low income. Empirical studies have indicated that food production and income growth of farming households would be worse-off, if climate change is not properly mitigated. The combination of climate-smart agro-technologies and effective post-harvest management operations in this era of unfavorable climatic condition and post-harvest losses has become imperative. Climate smart agriculture consists of a three-win approach; for long-term food supply and security. It also comprises of three important goals such as mitigation, adaptation, and increased production. Agro-climate smart technologies includes solar energy techniques for drying agricultural product, green house technology for cultivation, climate resilient storage structures for storing harvested grains, and climate smart waste usage for agricultural waste management. Efficient post-harvest management operations such as proper harvesting, sun-drying, threshing, processing, packaging, and transportations were also explored. This study advocated the adoption of climate smart agro- technologies and efficient post-harvest management operations as an alternative measures for increased food production and farm income in the face of changing weather and climatic conditions. How to Cite: Anosike F. C., Obasi I. O., Nwachukwu E. U., Obi J. N., Orji J. E., Inyang P., Chinaka I. C., Osang E. A., Iroegbu C. S., Nzeakor F. C., Onu S. E., 2023. "Integration of Climate Smart Agro-Technologies and Efficient Post- Harvest Operations in Changing Weather Conditions in Nigeria." Journal of Agriculture and Crops, vol. 9, pp. 281-292.

The study examined the ethical dimension and divergence of climate change; an approach to climate change morality which has raised imminent concerns and propositions. People’s attitudes, behaviours, wrong perceptions and involvement in unhealthy acts engenders climate change; hence putting our ecosystems, environment and biodiversity in danger. Considering the excesses and negative impacts of climate change, various stakeholders involving governments, corporations, NGOs, groups, and individuals are taking practical steps in addressing climate change issues, by considering the ethical and moral implications. However, addressing these disturbances draws strength and energy from right motives and guided behavioral approaches. In as much as financial remunerations is required in counterbalancing climate change, human behaviors and attitudes are the best bet and offers a lasting solution. Consequently, globally climate justice and environmental justice are currently being deployed as ethical weapons in addressing global warming. This hopes to provide fresh perspectives on climate change ethics and modifications. it is recommended that orientations, seminars, workshops, symposiums and climate change conferences bothering on ethics, morality and responsibility should be provided at all levels of the socio-strata by various governments of nations to reposition the mind and mindset of the individuals, group of persons and the populace. How to Cite: Osuji E. E., Onyemauwa C. S., Obasi I. O., Nwachukwu E. U., Olaolu M. O., Obi J. N., Nkwocha G. A., Nzeakor F. C., Ifejimalu A. C. T., Iroegbu C. S., Osang E. A., Inyang P., 2023. " Ethical Dimension and Divergence of Climate Change; An Approach to Climate Change Morality." Journal of Agriculture and Crops, vol. 9, pp. 211-221.

Vegetable crops are increasingly being acknowledged as a prerequisite for food sustainability, nutrition, and security. The study examined food sustainability and security, the aftermath of vegetable production in Ebonyi State, Nigeria. Primary data were collected using a set of structured questionnaires from 286 vegetable crop farmers sampled across the three zones of the state; Ebonyi North, Ebonyi South, and Ebonyi Central using a multi-stage sampling technique. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistical tools, net returns model, analysis of variance, and ordinary least squares multiple regression techniques. The result showed that the majority of the vegetable farmers were females, married, educated, experienced, and belonged to cooperative societies. Vegetables such as Fluted pumpkin, 5944.70kg, waterleaf, 5802.49kg, tomato, 4498.83kg, spinach, 5789.90kg, okra, 5634.71kg, green pepper, 4739.02kg, and okazi leaf, 5856.23kg, dominated the vegetable production in the state. High net revenue, of N275461.93, was obtained in Ebonyi North relative to Ebonyi South and Ebonyi Central. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) result showed that there are significant differences in net returns of vegetable crops across the three agricultural zones of the state. Age, gender, household size, education, farming experience, farm size, and extension contacts hugely influenced vegetable crop production in the state. Inadequate capital, 99.7%, land fragmentation, 99.3%, high cost of input materials, 98.6%, pests, and disease attacks, 98.0% and the problem of the storage facility, 98.3% were perceived as major production constraints influencing sustainable vegetable production in the state. The study recommended government full support to intensify vegetable crop production in the state due to its economic viability. This would guarantee adequate food sustainability and security in the state.

Analisa-se dois elementos constitutivos das pol��ticas educacionais brasileiras - privatiza����o e precariedade nas rela����es de trabalho ��� em cinco redes de ensino de governos subnacionais. Apoia-se em pesquisa documental para o per��odo 2011 a 2018. A privatiza����o �� entendida como transfer��ncia de responsabilidades e ativos governamentais para atores privados, nas dimens��es do curr��culo, da gest��o e oferta educativa. A precariedade nas rela����es de trabalho remete �� desestabiliza����o dos empregos est��veis gerando vulnerabilidade social e econ��mica. Identificou-se: preponder��ncia de filantrocapitalistas, o curr��culo como dimens��o mais privatizada e a amplia����o de contratos prec��rios para sele����o de professores, conjunto que corr��i a educa����o p��blica.

Submitted by Maria Creuza Silva (mariakreuza@yahoo.com.br) on 2017-06-05T14:20:31Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Mauricio Barreto. Effectivenes of...2016.pdf: 1490022 bytes, checksum: 255db9976e659f9a192f667f01137a43 (MD5) Made available in DSpace on 2017-06-05T14:20:31Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Mauricio Barreto. Effectivenes of...2016.pdf: 1490022 bytes, checksum: 255db9976e659f9a192f667f01137a43 (MD5) Background: Anemia remains a leading cause of morbidity in young children in developing countries. Objective: In order to investigate the increase in hemoglobin concentration in individuals treated for helminth infections (S. mansoni, A. lumbricoides, T. trichiura, Ancylostomidae) of mild and moderate intensity. Design: A prospective study of six months’ duration was carried out in 644 individuals of 7-17 years of age in Jequié, Bahia. Oxamniquine (Mansil®) and albendazole were administered in the form of syrup in single doses of 20 mg/kg of weight and 400 mg, respectively. Data were collected on hemoglobin concentration, dietary intake (24-hour recall) and fecal parasitology prior to and six months following treatment. Data on environmental and socioeconomic conditions were obtained at baseline. Results: The subgroup analyses resulted in significant interaction of the intervention with the dietary intake of copper and family income. The increase in hemoglobin concentration in those not infected six months after treatment was statistically significant when dietary intake of copper was adequate (from 12.2 g/dl to 12.9 g/dl; increase in hemoglobin was 0.7 g/dl [p=0.00]), but not in those whose dietary intake of copper was inadequate (from 12.4 g/dl to 12.4 g/dl, there was no increase in hemoglobin [p=0.53]). There was a statistically significant increase in hemoglobin concentration in those not infected (from 12.2g/dl to 12.6 g/dl; increase in hemoglobin was 0,4 g/dl; [p=0.02]) and in individuals infected by only one intestinal helminth (from 12.2g/dl to 12.5 g/dl; increase in hemoglobin was 0,3 g/dl [p=0.03]) with per capita income ≤ ¼ of a minimum salary Conclusions: In the short term, the adoption of mass treatment as an intervention strategy may cause a positive impact on hemoglobin concentration in groups more vulnerable.

When considering intelligent agents that interact with humans, having an idea of the trust levels of the human, for example in other agents or services, can be of great importance. Most models of human trust that exist, are based on some rationality assumption, and biased behavior is not represented, whereas a vast literature in Cognitive and Social Sciences indicates that humans often exhibit non-rational, biased behavior with respect to trust. This paper reports how some variations of biased human trust models have been designed, analyzed and validated against empirical data. The results show that such biased trust models are able to predict human trust significantly better. © 2011 IEEE.

Purpose: We evaluated stone-free rate and complications after flexible ureteroscopy for renal stones, comparing thulium fiber laser and holmium:YAG laser with MOSES technology. Materials and Methods: Data from adults who underwent flexible ureteroscopy in 20 centers worldwide were retrospectively reviewed (January 2018-August 2021). Patients with ureteral stones, concomitant bilateral procedures, and combined procedures were excluded. One-to-one propensity score matching for age, gender, and stone characteristics was performed. Stone-free rate was defined as absence of fragments >2 mm on imaging within 3 months after surgery. Multivariable logistic regression was performed to evaluate independent predictors of being stone-free. Results: Of 2,075 included patients, holmium:YAG laser with MOSES technology was used in 508 patients and thulium fiber laser in 1,567 patients. After matching, 284 patients from each group with comparable baseline characteristics were included. Pure dusting was applied in 6.0% of cases in holmium:YAG laser with MOSES technology compared with 26% in thulium fiber laser. There was a higher rate of basket extraction in holmium:YAG laser with MOSES technology (89% vs 43%, P < .001). Total operation time and lasing time were similar. Nine patients had sepsis in thulium fiber laser vs none in holmium:YAG laser with MOSES technology (P = .007). Higher stone-free rate was achieved in thulium fiber laser (85% vs 56%, P < .001). At multivariable analysis, the use of thulium fiber laser and ureteral access sheath ≥8F had significantly higher odds of being stone-free. Lasing time, multiple stones, stone diameter, and use of disposable scopes showed significantly lower odds of being stone-free. Conclusions: This real-world study favors the use of thulium fiber laser over holmium:YAG laser with MOSES technology in flexible ureteroscopy for renal stones by way of its higher single-stage stone-free rate. Flexible ureteroscopy (F-URS) is a first-line option for kidney stones up to 2 cm in diameter1,2 and is suitable even for patients with larger stones,3 renal malformations,4 obesity, bleeding diathesis, and calyceal diverticula5 under general and spinal anesthesia,6 with good stone-free rate (SFR) and low morbidity. Over the past 3 decades, holmium laser lithotripsy has been predominantly carried out using standard-power machines (ie, 20 W). More recently, the availability of high power has allowed a wider range of pulse energy, frequency, and power settings to improve lithotripsy.7 In holmium:YAG laser (HL), variations in pulse modulation have introduced the concept of holmium:YAG laser with MOSES technology (HLM), virtual basket, and vapor tunnel allowing for more efficient stone ablation and less retropulsion.8 In vitro studies demonstrated that pulse modulation technology resulted in more efficient stone ablation together with less retropulsion for both hard and soft stones.9,10 Thulium fiber laser (TFL), which emerged in 2018,11 was found in preclinical studies to allow for ablation at twice the speed of HL with 4 times the amount of dust generated.12 Despite a recent single-center randomized clinical trial demonstrating no significant clinical advantage of one technology over the other,13 no direct comparison has been published comparing HLM with TFL in F-URS for renal stones in real-world practice, and much controversy continues to exist among experts in the field.14,15 The purpose of the present study was to evaluate outcomes and complications after F-URS for renal stones, comparing patients who were operated on using HLM vs TFL.

© 2023 Elsevier B.V.Because of the brain\"s complexity, developing effective treatments for neurological disorders is a formidable challenge. Research efforts to this end are advancing as in vitro systems have reached the point that they can imitate critical components of the brain\"s structure and function. Brain-on-a-chip (BoC) was first used for microfluidics-based systems with small synthetic tissues but has expanded recently to include in vitro simulation of the central nervous system (CNS). Defining the system\"s qualifying parameters may improve the BoC for the next generation of in vitro platforms. These parameters show how well a given platform solves the problems unique to in vitro CNS modeling (like recreating the brain\"s microenvironment and including essential parts like the blood-brain barrier (BBB)) and how much more value it offers than traditional cell culture systems. This review provides an overview of the practical concerns of creating and deploying BoC systems and elaborates on how these technologies might be used. Not only how advanced biosensing technologies could be integrated with BoC system but also how novel approaches will automate assays and improve point-of-care (PoC) diagnostics and accurate quantitative analyses are discussed. Key challenges providing opportunities for clinical translation of BoC in neurodegenerative disorders are also addressed.

Background: A collaboration between the University of Michigan (U of M) Cystic Fibrosis Center (CFC) and Marmara University (MU) CFC was initiated to improve the health status of people with cystic fibrosis (pwCF) at MU through implementing Quality Improvement (QI) initiatives. The main aim was to improve lung function in children with FEV1pp

BackgroundJAK-inhibitors (JAKi), recently approved in rheumatoid arthritis (RA), have changed the landscape of treatment choices. We aimed to compare the effectiveness of four current second-line therapies of RA with different modes of action, since JAKi approval, in an international collaboration of 19 registers.MethodsIn this observational cohort study, patients initiating tumour necrosis factor inhibitors (TNFi), interleukin-6 inhibitors (IL-6i), abatacept (ABA) or JAKi were included. We compared the effectiveness of these treatments in terms of drug discontinuation and Clinical Disease Activity Index (CDAI) response rates at 1 year. Analyses were adjusted for patient, disease and treatment characteristics, including lines of therapy and accounted for competing risk.ResultsWe included 31 846 treatment courses: 17 522 TNFi, 2775 ABA, 3863 IL-6i and 7686 JAKi. Adjusted analyses of overall discontinuation were similar across all treatments. The main single reason of stopping treatment was ineffectiveness. Compared with TNFi, JAKi were less often discontinued for ineffectiveness (adjusted HR (aHR) 0.75, 95% CI 0.67 to 0.83), as was IL-6i (aHR 0.76, 95% CI 0.67 to 0.85) and more often for adverse events (aHR 1.16, 95% CI 1.03 to 1.33). Adjusted CDAI response rates at 1 year were similar between TNFi, JAKi and IL-6i and slightly lower for ABA.ConclusionThe adjusted overall drug discontinuation and 1 year response rates of JAKi and IL-6i were similar to those observed with TNFi. Compared with TNFi, JAKi were more often discontinued for adverse events and less for ineffectiveness, as were IL-6i.

Juglone (5-hydroxy-1,4-naphthoquinone) (J) is a naphthoquinone structured allelochemical that is mostly found in the roots, leaves, nut-hulls, bark, and wood of walnut (Juglans regia). In this study, the biocompatibility, mechanical, thermal, chemical, morphological, and antimicrobial properties of the poly(lactic acid) (PLA) (w/v)/J (10, 20, 30 mg) electrospun scaffolds were investigated. Based on the results of the study, it was shown that juglone addition increased the antimicrobial properties of the scaffolds against the Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) and Escherichia coli (E. coli), compared to the neat PLA film after 24 h of contact time. According to the tensile test results, the addition of J made the scaffolds more flexible but decreased the mechanical strength. The cytotoxicity properties of the J-added scaffolds demonstrated a toxic behavior on the first day of incubation. However, with an increase in the J ratio, the fibroblast cell metabolic activity increased for all incubation periods.

Skeletal muscle tissue engineering presents a promising avenue to address the limitations pertaining to the regenerative potential of stem cells in case of injury or damage. The objective of this research was to evaluate the effects of utilizing novel microfibrous scaffolds, containing the compound quercetin (Q), on skeletal muscle regeneration. Morphological test results showed us that the combination of bismuth ferrite (BFO), polycaprolactone (PCL), and Q were bonded and well-ordered with each other, and a uniform microfibrous structure was obtained. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing of PCL/BFO/Q was conducted, and microbial reduction was found to be over 90% in the highest concentration of Q-loaded microfibrous scaffolds with the most inhibitory effect on S. aureus strains. Further, biocompatibility was investigated by performing MTT testing, fluorescence testing, and SEM imaging on mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) to determine whether they could act as suitable microfibrous scaffolds for skeletal muscle tissue engineering. Incremental changes in the concentration of Q led to increased strength and strain, allowing muscles to withstand stretching during the healing process. In addition, electrically conductive microfibrous scaffolds enhanced the drug release capability by revealing that Q can be released significantly more quickly by applying the appropriate electric field, compared with conventional drug-release techniques. These findings suggest a possible use for PCL/BFO/Q microfibrous scaffolds in skeletal muscle regeneration by demonstrating that the combined action of both guidance biomaterials was more successful than Q itself acting alone.

Objectives: We evaluated the antibody response, natural killer cell response and B cell phenotypes in healthcare workers (HCW) who are vaccinated with two doses of CoronaVac with or without documented SARS-CoV-2 infection and unvaccinated HCWs with SARS-CoV-2 infection. Methods: HCWs were divided into four groups: vaccine only (VO), vaccine after SARS-CoV-2 infection (VAI), SARS-CoV-2 infection only (IO), and SARS-CoV-2 infection after vaccine (IAV). Anti-SARS-CoV-2 spike protein (Anti-S) antibodies were measured by Elecsys Anti–SARS–CoV–2 S ELISA kit. Memory B cells (CD19+ CD27+ ), plasmablast B cells (CD19+ CD138+ ) and long-lived plasma cells (LLPC; CD138+ CD19- ) were measured by flow cytometry in 74 patients. Interferon gamma (IFN-c) release by natural killer (NK) cells were measured by NKVue Test (NKMAX, Republic of Korea) in 76 patients. RT-PCR was performed with Bio-speedy COVID-19 qPCR detection kit, Version 2 (Bioexen LTD, Istanbul, Turkey). Results: The Anti-S antibodies were detectable in all HCWs (n: 224). The median Anti-S titers (BAU/mL) was significantly higher in VAI (620 25–75% 373–1341) compared to VO (136, 25–75% 85–283) and IO (111, 25–75% 54–413, p < 0.01). VAI group had significantly lower percentage of plasmablasts (2.9; 0– 8.7) compared to VO (6.8; 3.5–12.0) and IO (9.9; 4.7–47.5, p < 0.01) (n:74). Percentage of LLPCs in groups VO, VAI and IO was similar. There was no difference of IFN-c levels between the study groups (n: 76). Conclusion: The antibody response was similar between uninfected vaccinated HCWs and unvaccinated HCWs who had natural infection. HCWs who had two doses of CoronaVac either before or after the natural SARS-CoV-2 infection elicited significantly higher antibody responses compared to uninfected vaccinated HCWs. The lower percentages of plasmablasts in the VAI group may indicate their migration to lymph nodes and initiation of the germinal center reaction phase. IFN-c response did not differ among the groups.

Introduction The therapeutic landscape of chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) has evolved significantly since the introduction of imatinib. The European LeukemiaNet (ELN) recommendations serve as a guide for diagnosis, treatment, and monitorization of CML, but availability and accessibility of diagnostic tools and medications affect their applicability. Areas covered This article provides an overview of the current clinical management of CML in Turkey with reference to the key outputs of the online expert meeting held in November 2020. The applicability of the ELN 2020 recommendations for treating CML in clinical practice was also discussed. Expert opinion Imatinib is the only reimbursed and the most preferred first-line treatment in CML restricting the upfront use of second-generation tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs), thereby limiting the applicability of treatment-free remission approach in Turkey. The ELN recommendations about using the EUTOS Long-Term Survival (ELTS) score for risk assessment and focusing on patient reported outcomes and quality of life can be enhanced with educational activities. The widespread availability of standardized technical infrastructure for diagnosing and monitoring CML will contribute to better disease management. Establishing a sustainable national database for CML is valuable for observing patient characteristics and disease outcomes as well as the impact of treatment patterns over time., Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation, The study was funded by Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation.

Il tema della sostenibilità ambientale, all’interno del Dipartimento DADI, è sempre stato centrale sia nei percorsi della didattica che della ricerca e, nello specifico del profilo disciplinare del Design, è stato baricentrico fin dai suoi primi anni di istituzione. In venticinque anni di lavoro costante, l’area del Design di Aversa ha infatti inteso raccogliere le istanze più sensibili di quella cultura del progetto che ha intercettato i pericoli dovuti allo “sviluppismo” teorizzato da Serge Latouche e Marie Dominique Pierrot, e si è voluto porre come luogo di riflessione, all’interno del quale farsi traduttore di nuovi scenari di vita e interlocutore di eccellenza per la divulgazione di una cultura della sostenibilità, ambientale, produttiva, sociale ed etica.

This study proposes a GIS-based methodology to measure accessibility to urban services, from the elderly perspective to support urban planning processes. In the light of a significant demographic change, policymakers should promote age-friendly urban planning approaches in order to guarantee equal opportunities to access to services and activities. We developed a methodology to measure accessibility to healthcare provision services, which considers urban characteristics and mobility features, as well as behavioral traits of older adults. The method belongs to the family of 2SFCA (Two-Steps Floating Catchment Area), which evaluates accessibility as the combination of both supply and demand of urban services; thus, we introduce innovative elements to shape actual mobility opportunities for the elderly and their travel choices within three different timeslots. The methodology was applied to the city of Nice (France), to measure accessibility to proximity services managed by Healthcare Regional Agency (l’Agence Regionale de Sante – ARS) of Provence, Alpes and Cote d’Azur. The outputs allow to quantify elderly people accessibility to primary health services and the application to the French case study has shown that the methodology could be effective to identify critical issues to support urban planning process.

The conventional approach that often dominated spatial planning has prioritized urban expansion and new urban transport infrastructure without fully considering environmental aspects. While this has generated new urban models and economies, it has also significantly impacted the territory and landscape negatively. The construction of road infrastructure can improve the sustainability of a city from the point of view of connectivity between places. However, it also generates a disruption of the landscape with a consequent loss of ecosystem services. The case study concerns the evaluation of the preferable alternative, between two proposals, for the construction of a new road called the Teramo-Mare, connecting the Abruzzo hinterland with the Adriatic coast. The methodological approach investigates the scientific background in landscape assessment related to the construction of road infrastructures. By modelling the Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA) with Fuzzy set theory and the Fuzzy Analytic Hierarchy Process (F-AHP) an evaluation method is tested to face the choice of the preferable alternative. The study provides an initial review of the scientific reference landscape and identifying criteria to help evaluate the option that has the least impact on the landscape and ecological system.

The Ecosystem Services provided by food encompass a vast amount of material and immaterial benefits to human beings and shared values linked to creativity, self-fulfilment, recreation, sociality, culture, and mutual learning, which are at the basis of a modern and eco-instructed community. In Italy, agri-food no-profit sector or small-medium enterprises can empower a community to cope with resource depletion, waste production, biodiversity loss, and climate change by sparking sustainable urban and rural practices preserving the current ecosystem services and generating new ones. Within the ecological economics, the integrated assessments’ contribution becomes relevant when the potentials of sustainable agri-food practices and values – which local communities assign to the related Ecosystem Services – have to be estimated to better inform Decision Makers in empowering policy and planning fostering maintenance and regulation of these services in rural and urban contexts. The contribution's purpose was to propose a methodological approach for assessing creative ecosystem services within an agri-food cultural value chain with the Fuzzy Analytic Hierarchy Process (F-AHP) multi-criteria method. The overall results have allowed obtaining a global ranking of the preferable scenarios linked to a Cultural Creative Enterprise (CCE) located in Foggia, Apulia (Italy). The research follow-up addresses the co-creation of creative ecosystem services in synergy with local stakeholders and beneficiaries, generating new job opportunities, awareness and innovation through an advanced form of shared responsibility.

Over the centuries, the means of transport have changed due to the technological development, and one of the most interesting sectors is that of rail, which has experienced a real revolution. Indeed, investments in High Speed Rail (HSR) have been significant and new projects are going to be built around the world. Fast trains represent comfortable, safe, flexible and eco-sustainable means of transport both for people and goods. There is a classification of the effects induced by HSR services, according to which they can be grouped into: impacts on the transport system (internal), socio-economic impacts (external) and environmental impacts (external). Much less studied, however, are the impacts on accessibility. Users living in a given area, characterized by low accessibility to transport, will consequently have low accessibility to job opportunities, health and educational facilities, services, etc. Based on the previous considerations, the purpose of this paper is to study and analyze the impacts on accessibility induced by the introduction of HSR services in four European countries, i.e. Spain, France, Germany and Italy. The main findings show that HSR has brought an increase of accessibility.

The academic debate has been turn the attention on pedestrian accessibility to urban services, as walking allow to solve several issues ranging from social and health problems also accentuated by the ongoing pandemic. The innovation in geospatial field has encouraged the development of accessibility and walkability measures and indicators oriented to measure the main physical and functional characteristics of the built environment related to the accessibility of urban services at the neighbourhood scale. According to these premises, this research work, aimed at improving pedestrian accessibility and guaranteeing equal access to neighbourhood-scale services, proposes a seven-steps GIS method based on an Accessibility Indicator that integrates the main aspects of walkability indexes relating to connectivity, sense of security, geometry and amenity of urban built environment. This Accessibility Indicator defines the areas of easy accessibility to the local essential services, by referring to two different maximum distances: the first relates to the distance of 700 m defined in the literature as the distance that a user is willing to walk to use a neighborhood service and the second relates to the regulatory restrictions adopted in the most difficult periods of the pandemic (500 m).

An earthquake warning system, or earthquake early warning system, is a system of accelerometers, seismometers, communication, computers, and alarms that is devised for notifying adjoining regions of a substantial earthquake while it is in progress. This is not the same as earthquake prediction, which is currently incapable of producing decisive event warnings. The implementation of efficient and computationally simple picking algorithm is necessary for this purpose, as well as automatic picking of seismic phases for seismic surveillance and routine earthquake location for fast hypocenter determination. In this paper a method for picking based on the detection of signals changes in variance is proposed, taking advantage of a generalized linear model formulation of the investigated problem. An application to simulated data is provided.

The State of the Art of the young field of Automated Machine Learning (AutoML) is held by the connectionist approach. Several techniques of such an inspiration have recently shown promising results in automatically designing neural network architectures. However, apart from back-propagation, only a few applications of other learning techniques are used for these purposes. The back-propagation process takes advantage of specific optimization techniques that are best suited to specific application domains (e.g., Computer Vision and Natural Language Processing). Hence, the need for a more general learning approach, namely, a basic algorithm able to make inference in different contexts with distinct properties. In this paper, we deal with the problem from a scientific and epistemological point of view. We believe that this is needed to fully understand the mechanisms and dynamics underlying human learning. To this aim, we define some elementary inference operations and show how modern architectures can be built by a combination of those elementary methods. We analyze each method in different settings and find the best-suited application context for each learning algorithm. Furthermore, we discuss experimental findings and compare them with human learning. The discrepancy is particularly evident between supervised and unsupervised learning. Then, we determine which elementary learning rules are best suited for unsupervised systems, and, finally, we propose some improvements in reinforcement learning architectures.

The objective of this manuscript is to understand whether the policies regarding tourism and transport affect positively citizens ‘trust in local institutions. A survey was employed to citizens of the metropolitan area of Naples (in Italy), aiming at capturing citizens’ perceptions with respect to the positive and negative impacts concerning tourism and transport related policies and the level of their engagement in the institutions ‘decisions for a sustainable development.

Neural Networks (NNs) had wide interest due to empirical achievements on a wide range of learning issues. NNs are highly expressive models that can learn complex function approximations from input/output, with a particular ability to train them on massive data sets with stochastic optimization. The Bayesian approach to NNs can potentially avoid some of the problems of stochastic optimization. The use of Bayesian learning is well suited to the problem of real estate appraisals, in fact, Bayesian inference techniques are very interesting in order to deal with a small and noisy sample in the field of probabilistic inference carried out with neural model. For this purpose it has here been experimented a NNs model with Bayesian learning. The output distribution has been calculated operating a numerical integration on the weights space with the help of Markov Chain Hybrid Monte Carlo Method.

Neural Networks (NNs) had wide interest due to empirical achievements on a wide range of learning issues. NNs are highly expressive models that can learn complex function approximations from input/output, with a particular ability to train them on massive data sets with stochastic optimization. The Bayesian approach to NNs can potentially avoid some of the problems of stochastic optimization. The use of Bayesian learning is well suited to the problem of real estate appraisals, in fact, Bayesian inference techniques are very interesting in order to deal with a small and noisy sample in the field of probabilistic inference carried out with neural model. For this purpose it has here been experimented a NNs model with Bayesian learning. The output distribution has been calculated operating a numerical integration on the weights space with the help of Markov Chain Hybrid Monte Carlo Method.

Computational fluid dynamics is used to study the wind loads on a high aspect ratio ground-mounted solar panel. The Reynolds- averaged Navier-Stokes simulations are performed using a commercial finite volume-based code with two di↵erent numerical approaches. First, the entire panel is directly simulated in a three-dimensional domain. Then the simulation of a small portion of the panel is carried out, im- posing periodic boundary conditions in the spanwise homogeneous direc- tion. The comparisons shows a good match between the results on the two models, both in terms of pressure coecient and in terms of aero- dynamic coecients. This demonstrates that it is possible to derive the aerodynamic behavior of a solar panel of considerable length from the study of a part of it, assuming that this is repeated in a periodic manner along the longitudinal direction. The main consequence is a considerable reduction of the computational cost and of the simulation time for a single CFD analysis.

In Italia, in particolare nelle aree del Sud, la costruzione di edifici e insediamenti abusivi è un problema importante e annoso che rimane irrisolto a dispetto di tre condoni edilizi. Ne deriva che le autorità pubbliche si trovano ad affrontare il problema della demolizione di un ingente numero di edifici, come prescritto dalla legislazione in materia. Ragioni di natura sociale e finanziaria impongono tuttavia l’esecuzione degli ordini di demolizione in maniera poco concentrata nel tempo, evidenziando il problema decisionale di stabilire un ordine di priorità relativo agli edifici interessati. Questa situazione preoccupante è divenuta oggetto di uno specifico disegno di legge che propone elementi di equità per fissare le priorità di intervento sugli edifici abusivi. In questo contributo si propone un modello di valutazione multicriteriale finalizzato a fornire una graduatoria definita su base razionale degli edifici interessati da ordine di demolizione. Il modello si basa sull’applicazione del metodo TOPSIS e, dato il database con le opportune informazioni sugli edifici, fornisce in modo automatico alle autorità competenti una graduatoria di priorità di intervento sugli edifici conforme ai principi fissati dal disegno di legge. In Italy, especially in the southern areas, illegal buildings and unauthorized settlements are serious and very old problems that remain unsolved in spite of three building amnesties. As a consequence, local authorities have to face the demolition of an enormous number of buildings, as prescribed by the Italian law. Being possible the execution of only a certain number of demolition orders during a short period due to financial and social reasons, the problem of how to select the buildings arises. This worrying situation had become the object of a special bill giving elements to establish priorities for demolition of illegal buildings. In this work we propose a multicriteria model aimed at giving a rational ranking of buildings on which a demolition order lays on. It is based on TOPSIS method and, given the only database with information on buildings; it is able to provide the competent authority with priority for building work demolitions according to the bill.

International audience