A hypothesis on different technological solutions for outdoor and indoor Roman wall paintings

The determination of the chemical composition of different parts of wall paintings (pigments, mortars and binders) provides information about technology of preparation of an artefact. Herein, we present a multi-methodological characterisation of wall paintings from a Roman archaeological site in Cuma, focusing on differences between an indoor (domus) and outdoor fabrication (a temple, Tempio con Portico (TCP)). Both pigments, binders and mortars were studied via a combination of destructive/μ-destructive (mass spectrometry, ionic chromatography, ICP-based techniques) and non-destructive (Raman microscopy, small-angle neutron scattering (SANS) and X-ray diffraction) methodologies. Particularly, the systematic presence of dolomite only in mortars from TCP may suggest an intentional use of such limestone for the outdoor fabrication of public interest. Differences between TCP and domus are also related to the composition of the pigment binder. In particular, the detected binders (studied by LC-MS/MS and GC-MS) were proteinaceous in the case of domus (possibly egg and animal glue) and drying oils in the case of TCP. Ultimately, our multi-methodological study provides an overall picture of the material components of paintings from fabrications with different use, proposing a hypothesis on technological choices according to conservative and destination reasons.     

The Italian public sphere: a case of dramatized polarization

This contribution is organized along two main interpretive lines. First: the Italian public sphere is very polarized because of well-established historical attitudes, a crowded media market and new technologies that push towards segmentation of the audience. The arrival of Berlusconi has only reinforced the already existing polarization that goes well beyond the borders of partisanship involving the content of news, the structure and professionalism of news outlets and also the recipients that divide themselves along the lines of political attitudes. The second characteristic feature of the Italian public sphere involves the tendency towards dramatization, which is also produced by the sudden commercialization of the entire mass media system that started in 1980. This article's thesis is supported by examples of dramatization and extreme political discourse. The consequences that derive from this situation are discussed in the conclusion.     

Allowing Traffic Over Mainshock-Damaged Bridges

A criterion is proposed for deciding whether, after a damaging mainshock, a bridge can still be open for either emergency or ordinary traffic. The criterion is based on the comparison between the collapse risk of the mainshock-damaged structure and the pre-mainshock risk of the intact structure. The approach requires fragilities for multiple damage states for the intact structure, and transition probabilities from these states to collapse for the damaged structure. The aftershock risk decreases with time, hence a decision for reopening might have to wait until the risk level goes down to an acceptable value. A realistic application demonstrates the approach.     

A Procedure for the Displacement-Based Seismic Assessment of Infilled RC Frames

The aim of this study was to propose an extension of the displacement-based assessment procedure for infilled reinforced concrete (RC) frames. Two fundamental steps of the displacement-based approach were studied: the determination of the equivalent viscous damping and the definition of the limit-state displacement profile. The proposed criteria were derived by examining the results of two different numerical investigations regarding the nonlinear seismic response of single- and multi-story infilled RC frames. Lastly, the effectiveness of the method was verified through comparisons, in terms of displacement demand, with the results of nonlinear dynamic analyses.     

Los Memoriales de don Juan Ortiz de Cervantes y la cuestión de la perpetuidad de las encomiendas en el Perú (siglo XVII)

Mientras que generalmente las encomiendas han sido descritas como depredadoras de la realidad socio-económica del mundo andino, este artículo insiste en la necesidad de estudiarlas desde un ángulo socio-político y religioso. Para ello analizamos el Memorial (Madrid, 1619) que el licenciado Juan Ortiz de Cervantes escribió al Consejo de Indias por el que solicitaba que las dos terceras partes de las encomiendas se perpetuasen en los hijos y descendientes de los beneficiados, y la otra parte se encomendase por una sola vida. Se trataba del primero de una serie de tres Informes o Memoriales (Madrid, 1620; 1621) que se articulaban con las propuestas de los jesuitas peruanos para la reforma y conservación de los pueblos andinos del seiscientos. Pero además, dicha conservación pasaba por resituar al encomendero en un modelo de organización social que garantizara un ordenamiento político interno en defensa del bien común.