Queering Communia: the politics of positionality when doing research on squatting in Rome

The politics of positionality in relation to sexuality and desire has remained unquestioned when investigating autonomous and alternative spaces, these studies mainly focused on political positionality through the adoption of militant and action-based methodologies. The article tries to fill this void by discussing issues of positionality related to sexuality and desire when doing research on squatting. The main aim is to discuss how entering the field in social movements research through an action-based approach can lead the researcher to involve every aspect of their life, including sexuality and desire. By discussing the case of my PhD research project focused on the re-emergence of squatting initiatives in Rome, the article is aimed at showing how my sexuality, notably my previous engagement in queer politics, has represented an important issue when negotiating with my research partners. When discussing the strategies and activities I adopted, the article plays with the tensions between being queered by the fieldwork and queering it, showing the possibilities of contamination as well as the limits of the politics of positionality.     

Disclosing mineralogical phases in medioeval iron nails by non-destructive neutron techniques

There is not only one methodology for the study of mineralogical phases in archaeological samples. In this paper, we discuss a strategy applied to ancient iron nail samples completely based on non-destructive analyses. The archaeological samples come from the archaeological site of Valle delle Forme (province of Brescia–Italy) and date back to the 1300–1400 ad. Neutron-based techniques, like time-of-flight neutron diffraction and neutron tomography, have been used to determine the mineralogical composition and the structure of nails. An independent check for the assessment of the presence of different mineralogical phases was given by Raman spectroscopy. The combination of different non-destructive techniques has provided very useful information on their chemical composition, nature of the patina and corrosion features of the nails (also in the bulk of the samples).     

基于GIS的家谱资源整合集成研究

我国家谱源远流长、内容丰富、数量巨大,一直是众多领域学者关注的焦点。但是,家谱研究始终处于初级阶段,家谱的价值尚未得到充分利用。其根本原因在于家谱资源分布广泛、共享困难、研究方法和手段单一。各方通力合作,利用高新技术整合现有家谱资源,建立中华家谱总数据库和总平台已迫在眉睫。本文针对家谱典型的时空特性,提出采用GIS技术整合集成海量家谱资源,并进一步探讨了家谱资源整合集成的若干关键问题,设计了家谱资源整合集成的基本原则和平台框架,为家谱研究提供了新的思路、方法和技术。     

Determinants of Market Extension in Knowledge-Intensive Business Services: Evidence from a Regional Innovation System

Several studies have emphasized the role of knowledge-intensive business services (KIBS) in fostering innovation in metropolitan areas and regional innovation systems. Such areas are capable of expressing a strong demand for KIBS and consequently stimulate the rise and growth of KIBS. Despite an abundance of literature on KIBS emphasizing the relevance of spatial proximity to customers, many KIBS develop relationships on a broader national or even international scale. No studies have focused explicitly on this apparent discrepancy as yet. The aim of this paper is therefore to fill this theoretical and empirical gap by explaining the firm-level factors relating to the market extension of KIBS within the framework of regional innovation systems. Our analysis is based on a quantitative study on more than 150 KIBS supplying design or communication services located in the Veneto region (north-eastern Italy), an area that can be described as a regional innovation system. Five variables were considered, that is, size, experience, service standardization, investments in network technologies and relational intensity. Our results confirm that three of these variables, but not service standardization and relational intensity, correlate positively with the market extension of KIBS. Policy implications are also discussed.     

Jet-Pacs Project: Dynamic Experimental Tests and Numerical Results Obtained for a Steel Frame Equipped with Hysteretic Damped Chevron Braces

The experimental and numerical results obtained by Research Units of the University of Basilicata and University of Calabria for a steel frame, bare or equipped with metallic yielding hysteretic dampers (HYDs), are compared. The shaking table tests were performed at the Structural Laboratory of the University of Basilicata within a wide research program, named JETPACS (“Joint Experimental Testing on Passive and semiActive Control Systems”), which involved many Research Units working for the Research Line 7 of the ReLUIS (Italian Network of University Laboratories of Earthquake Engineering) 2005–2008 project. The project was entirely founded by the Italian Department of Civil Protection. The test structure is a 1/1.5 scaled two-story, single-bay, three-dimensional steel frame. Four HYDs, two for each story, are inserted at the top of chevron braces installed within the bays of two parallel plane frames along the test direction. The HYDs, constituted of a low-carbon U-shaped steel plate, were designed with the performance objective of limiting the inter-story drifts so that the frame yielding is prevented. Two design solutions are considered, assuming the same stiffness of the chevron braces with HYDs, but different values of both ductility demand and yield strength of the HYDs. Seven recorded accelerograms matching on average the response spectrum of Eurocode 8 for a high-risk seismic region and a medium subsoil class are considered as seismic input. The experimental results are compared with the numerical ones obtained considering an elastic-linear law for the chevron braces (in tension and compression), providing that the buckling be prevented, and the Bouc-Wen model to simulate the response of HYDs.     

New forms of multi-local working: identifying multi-locality in planning as well as public and private organizations’ strategies in the Helsinki region

Over the last decades, there has been a significant development towards new forms of multi-locality, particularly for job-related reasons. In addition to offices, many can work in multiple places (such as the home, co-working spaces, coffee shops and public libraries). In addition to workers in start-ups and small entrepreneurs, who are traditionally known to be more mobile, white-collar workers employed by organizations are increasingly becoming multi-local. However, little is known about the ways in which multi-locality is addressed within the urban regions. This phenomenon has been studied at Aalto and NMBU University within the BEMINE research project by analysing recent policy and planning documents, as well as organizations’ strategies within the Helsinki region. In addition to a literature review, a qualitative analysis of planning documents was conducted as well as semi-structured interviews with five organizations (both private and public) in Finland employing mobile white-collars. The findings reveal that while policy-makers and city planners have not yet addressed the complexity of multi-locality, both private and public organizations are focusing on more concrete multi-local strategies and working practices. More dialogue is needed amongst policy-makers, city planners and organizations to address multi-locality at different levels of analysis and planning.     

What kind of region reaps the benefits of a currency union?

What is the economic impact of joining a currency union? Is this impact heterogeneous across regions? And how does it change in case of a recession? We answer these questions by investigating the economic impact of joining the euro area for the latecomers, that is, the eastern European countries that adopted the euro after 2002. Differently from previous literature, we use NUTS-2 regions as units of analysis. This novelty allows us to investigate the theoretical predictions of a currency union impact at a more appropriate geographical level. Using a recently developed counterfactual approach, we estimate the overall as well as the disaggregated impact of joining the euro area. We find that the adoption of the euro brought about a small positive effect, which was, however, dampened by the Great Recession. Individual regional estimates suggest heterogeneous returns with benefits accruing mostly to core regions.     

The shifting evocations of squadrismo: remembering the massacre of Palazzo d’Accursio in Fascist Bologna

The massacre of Palazzo d’Accursio is considered one of the first events in the rise of the Fascist squads. This article analyzes the ways in which the event was described in Bologna during the twenty years that followed it. It is believed that in the first few years, commemorations that emphasized the role of the Fascist squads were not very common. Instead, they concentrated on the life of Giulio Giordani, a murdered lawyer and opposition councilor, who became a martyr. Members of the city’s ruling class, especially lawyers, developed their own rituals of commemoration, but the establishment of the regime led to the acquisition of the commemorations of Giordani by Fascism, reflecting the shift of the local elites towards Fascism. In the 1930s, the massacre began to be described with detailed reference to the violence carried out by the Fascists. This process coincided with a much more incisive occupation of the area of commemoration.     

Regeneration and Structural Strengthening of the Fortress of Arnara,Latium, Italy

The fortress of Arnara is a small castle in a high seismic hazard zone in Latium, Italy, which represents a landmark for the local population. It was chosen as a case study, being a perfect example of Middle Age fortress, well preserved during the centuries despite some strong earthquakes damaged it in the past. The project presented here is a significant example of how the interest of a community to regenerate an ancient structure for its re-use can pave the way to a complete structural strengthening, which includes anti-seismic concepts aiming at retrofitting the ancient fortress walls. The overall project joins architectural and structural solutions. The architectural solution aims at a functional reconfiguration of the spaces, so to attract the locals to reuse it, while at the same time highlighting some valuable architectural features of the fortress. The structural solution aims at improving the seismic resistance of the masonry walls with a structural intervention that is respectful and integrates with the existing forms. This was achieved by means of a tenso-structure that has the two-fold role of reconnecting the different portions of the structures and of endowing it with a distinctive architectural sign. This project demonstrates that rediscovery of architectural heritage can also be pursued by proposing a new use for these structures, following an appropriate regeneration strategy that must take into account the cultural features of the territory, being at the same time respectful of the past history of the buildings.