Recent PhD Abstract: A multiaxial constitutive model for concrete in the fire situation including transient creep and cooling down phases

in Structural Engineering International (2013), (3),

An easy and low-cost method for preprocessing and matching small-scale amateur aerial photography for assessing agricultural land use in Burkina Faso

in International Journal of Applied Earth Observation and Geoinformation (2013), 23

Recipes of the self. Moroccan women and culinary practices in migration context.

Scientific conference (2013, August)

This paper aims at exploring the culinary practices exerted by Moroccan women living in Milan's (Italy) hinterland, highlighting their role in the definition of one’s own identity in the context of ... [more ▼]

This paper aims at exploring the culinary practices exerted by Moroccan women living in Milan's (Italy) hinterland, highlighting their role in the definition of one’s own identity in the context of migration. The analysis will focus on the praxeological and material basis of female agency and on the role of the concept of “style” in the dynamics and processes studied. In the context of the everyday life of some Moroccan women living in a city of the province of Milan (Italy), cooking practices play a fundamental role, because of their importance in the construction of personal and collective identities. The ethnographic work reveals that the choice of the used objects and the performing of precise gestures reflect a dynamical positioning between two poles. On the one hand a commitment to the home country’s culinary traditions is needed to overcome a state of disorientation due to being perceived as a foreigner in Italy as in Morocco; on the other hand taking a distance of these same practices is functional to adhere to the "modernity" rules or the dietary ones. Within these processes, the active dialogue with the concept of Moroccan “style”, defined locally as transnationally, results as a crucial factor. The life stories collected and the material culture analyzed reveal in fact singular strategies of self-definition, which allow women to exercise their own agency both in the family context and in public spaces. [less ▲]

Equivalence of weighted likelihood and Jeffreys modal estimation of proficiency under polytomous item response models

Conference (2013, July 23)

This talk focuses on two proficiency level estimators in item response theory (IRT) framework: the weighted likelihood estimator (WLE) and the Jeffreys modal estimator (JME), that is, the usual Bayes ... [more ▼]

This talk focuses on two proficiency level estimators in item response theory (IRT) framework: the weighted likelihood estimator (WLE) and the Jeffreys modal estimator (JME), that is, the usual Bayes modal estimator with Jeffreys’ non-informative prior. With dichotomously scored items, the WLE and the JME are completely equivalent under the two-parameter logistic model, while remarkable relationships were established under the three-parameter logistic model. The purpose of this talk is to extend such comparison to polytomously scored items. It is shown that both WLE and JME are also equivalent for two broad classes of polytomous IRT models, including, among others, the (modified) graded response model, the (generalized) partial credit model, the rating scale model and the nominal response model. Parallelisms with dichotomously scored items are drawn. An example from a real data set is used to illustrate this finding. [less ▲]

The influence of verbal descriptions on face identification in children and adults

Poster (2013, July 12)

Investigation on a ventilation heat recovery exchanger: Modeling and experimental validation in dry and partially wet conditions

in Energy & Buildings (2013), 62

The present paper focuses on the development and experimental validation of a model of air-to-air heat exchanger dedicated to domestic mechanical heat recovery ventilation. The proposed model describes ... [more ▼]

The present paper focuses on the development and experimental validation of a model of air-to-air heat exchanger dedicated to domestic mechanical heat recovery ventilation. The proposed model describes dry and partially wet regimes. The first part of the paper presents a semi-empirical model based on the physical characteristics of the heat recovery device and relying on empirical correlations available in the literature for the convective heat transfer coefficients. In the case of partially wet regime, a moving boundary model is applied in order to predict sensible and latent heat transfer rates. A model developed with friction factor coefficients estimated by correlations from the literature is also presented in order to predict the hydraulic performance in dry conditions. The second part of the paper describes the experimental investigation conducted on an off-the-shelf heat exchanger. Experimental data are used to tune correlations for the determination of the convective heat transfer coefficient and validate the proposed simulation model of the ventilation heat recovery exchanger in partially wet conditions. The model developed to determine the hydraulic performance with existing correlations for the friction factor coefficient does not require a calibration. Finally, examples of use of the developed model are presented, which includes coupling the model with a building simulation model, a study of the influence of the humidity on the evolution of the latent and sensible heat transfer rates and strategies to avoid freezing in the heat exchanger. [less ▲]

Fifth International Conference on Advanced COmputational Methods in ENgineering (ACOMEN 2011)

in International Journal of Computational & Applied Mathematics (2013), 246

Study on alternative approaches to corrosion protection of ballast tanks using an economic model

in Marine Structures (2013)

One of the most relevant problems in ship construction and maintenance nowadays is corrosion in ballast tanks of modern merchant vessels. On the one hand, there is a general consensus that the economic ... [more ▼]

One of the most relevant problems in ship construction and maintenance nowadays is corrosion in ballast tanks of modern merchant vessels. On the one hand, there is a general consensus that the economic lifespan of such a vessel depends, to a large degree, upon the corrosion state of its ballast tanks, while on the other hand these ballast tanks, located between the outer hull and the cargo tanks, makes routine inspection and maintenance a difficult task. Today, ship's ballast tanks are usually constructed in steel and protected with an epoxy coating backed up by sacrificial zinc anodes. Such a construction has been applied without significant alterations for many years. The objective of this economic study is to compare this construction method with some potential alternatives. The considered alternatives are: (1) an increase in structural scantlings, eliminating the necessity to replace corroded at a cost of real cargo carrying capacity of the ship, (2) application of the novel and more durable TSCF25 coating (3), the use of corrosion resistant steel in ship construction and (4) a standard PSPC15 coating combined with lifetime lasting aluminum sacrificial anodes. A cost model was used to evaluate these alternative options together with sensitivity analysis. It is concluded that the durable coating and the use of lifetime lasting aluminum anodes are bound to improve the actual basic tank concept. Corrosion resistant steel becomes attractive when the steel price becomes competitive. [less ▲]

The influence of the frequency of functional markers on repetitive imitation of syntactic constructions in children with specific language impairment, from their own language productions

in Clinical Linguistics & Phonetics (2013), 27(6-7),

Several studies provide considerable insight into the role that frequency plays in language development. However, no study has investigated the direct relationship between frequency and grammatical ... [more ▼]

Several studies provide considerable insight into the role that frequency plays in language development. However, no study has investigated the direct relationship between frequency and grammatical acquisition in children with specific language impairment (SLI). In this study, we focus specifically on the influence of the frequency of functional words on the ability of children with SLI to produce grammatical constructions based on the children's own previous production but containing previously unused functional words. To test our hypothesis, the children were administered an imitative repetition task, tailored to their current level of language development. Results showed that children with SLI performed more poorly than language-matched children with typical language development. The difference between the two groups was more marked when the previously unused functional words were infrequent rather than frequent. Consequently, it would seem that the token frequency of functional words influences grammatical acquisition in children with SLI. The results and their implications for linguistic theories are discussed. [less ▲]

Evaluation of the residual solvent content of counterfeit tablets and capsules

in Journal of Pharmaceutical & Biomedical Analysis (2013), 81-82

A group of counterfeit samples of Viagra® and Cialis® were screened for their residual solvent content and compared to the content of the genuine products. It was observed that all counterfeit samples had ... [more ▼]

A group of counterfeit samples of Viagra® and Cialis® were screened for their residual solvent content and compared to the content of the genuine products. It was observed that all counterfeit samples had higher residual solvent contents compared to the genuine products. A more diverse range of residual solvents was found as well as higher concentrations. In general these concentrations did not exceed the international imposed maximum limits. Only in a few samples the limits were exceeded. A Projection Pursuit analysis revealed clusters of samples with similar residual solvent content, possibly enabling some future perspectives in forensic research. [less ▲]