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A call for papers and panels is presented in regards to the International Society for Public Law's Inaugural Conference which is scheduled to be held on June 26-28, 2014 in Florence, Italy, and it also provides an introduction to the journal and acknowledgments for contributors such as Asli Bali

The book review discusses "Encounters at Sea: Paper, Objects and Sentiments in Motion across the Mediterranean," which explores the cultural and sensory experiences of movements and connections at sea. The authors use an interdisciplinary approach, incorporating history, literature, archaeology, and the science of the book to examine the cultural significance of maritime travel. The review highlights the role of emotions and materiality in Mediterranean circulations and emphasizes the importance of considering the practical and emotional dimensions of sea journeys. The book also explores the role of objects in connecting peoples and cultures, as well as the transfer of knowledge through texts and images. The review praises the rich iconographic apparatus in the book, including maps, manuscripts, and drawings, which enhance the reader's understanding of the subject matter. Overall, the review suggests that maritime historians should consider the emotional and material aspects of sea travel when conducting research in related fields. [Extracted from the article]

Studying highly valuable and fragile Renaissance drawings requires a non-invasive contactless analytical approach. In this work, we study an early drawing by Raffaello Sanzio, one of the most important artists of the Italian Renaissance, realized during his stay in Florence (1504–1508). Our analyses aimed to reveal the features of the paper support significant for its dating, identify and map the drawing media to understand the artist's technical approach, and document the drawing condition with imaging and single-sited optical methods. Reflectance Vis–NIR multispectral imaging spectroscopy elaborated with False-Colour and Principal Component Analysis provided information about the paper support and the drawing media. Laser scanning micro-profilometry and Optical Coherence Tomography allowed revealing the superficial micro-scale features of the support. The chemical composition of the different drawing materials was characterized by μ-Raman spectroscopy, which provided also some evidence of the conservation history of the drawing. Integration of spectroscopic and imaging data shows that Raffaello used different dry drawing media (carbon-based and Pb stylus) to sketch the figure and then refined the details and shadows with iron-gall ink. The paper presents a methodological approach for the analytical examination of fragile paper artworks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper explores the integration of Geomatics and architectural surveying into the educational context of Geomatic for Built Heritage Conservation course within the Master on Architectural Design, in which a multidisciplinary teaching approach is applied, emphasizing the importance of holistic knowledge encompassing historical, geometric, material, and structural aspects for the conservation and restoration of architectural heritage.A central theme is the role of Geomatics and 3D modelling in historical built heritage documentation, assuming the creation of three-dimensional models as a foundation for integrating various thematic data, enabling interdisciplinary studies, and facilitating knowledge representation and communication.The paper delves into the challenges and strategies of semantic 3D modelling. It discusses the necessity for a flexible and layered informational model, integrating spatial, geometric, and semantic data. The complexity of semantic annotation is explored, considering the subjectivity and cultural context inherent in identifying and describing architectural elements. The educational approach employed in fostering critical thinking among students, particularly in interpreting cultural heritage issues related to documentation and recording, is presented.A case study involving Pitti Palace in Florence is considered. An attempt to implement the Getty Vocabulary on Art & Architecture Thesaurus for semantic annotation is described, emphasizing the need for a coherent alignment between the 3D model and controlled vocabulary hierarchy. The study concludes with insights from the student's experience, highlighting the difficulties in aligning spatial and semantic elements within existing controlled vocabularies and suggesting avenues for future developments in refining these vocabularies for enhanced spatial-semantic coherence in 3D modelling applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Digital and spatial techniques, such as reality-based surveying and 3D modelling, have long been used in archaeology. However, in recent years the use of these techniques has gained importance also in the history of architecture, a discipline in which these data can help to interpret traditionally used, but often incomplete, written sources (Tucci et al. 2021; Fiorini et al. 2023).This paper is about an aspect of the eighteenth-century renovations of Palazzo Vecchio. It focuses attention on a small terrace that runs alongside the exterior facade of the Sala dei Cinquecento and to which there is no entrance. The question this paper seeks to answer is: why during eighteenth-century renovations it was decided to exclude the existing entrance to the terrace from the accessible spaces? Using geomatics techniques, it has been possible to identify the location of the enclosed spaces in relation to other parts of the building (Tucci, 2017).In accordance with the criteria of Spatial Humanities, the present research is characterized by an interdisciplinary approach based on the analysis and interpretation of data obtained from archival sources (Archivio Storico Comunale di Firenze, Fototeca Comunale di Firenze, Archivio Centrale di Stato di Roma, Archivio di Stato di Firenze, Gabinetto fotografico degli Uffizi, Catalogo Generale Beni Culturali, Biblioteca Nazionale), the consultation of relevant published iconographic sources in libraries, and the interpretation of 3D data and architectural elements discovered during the onsite survey of the area between the inner and outer southern façades of the Sala dei Cinquecento.The first part of this essay focus on the southern façade of the Sala dei Cinquecento and aims to demonstrate to what extent the Carlo Falconieri's modification altered the general appearance of the façade. The second part, aims to clarify the architectural phases or aspects of the southern façade of the Sala dei Cinquecento before Falconieri's works. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Reti Medievali is the property of Firenze University Press and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The paper explores and discusses the cyanotype process on glass. Being the first academic article on the subject, the research goes through 19th-century written sources, analyses processes in the history of photography, compares technical variations, and finds five antique cyanotype transparencies in museum collections. Furthermore, it compares methods of contemporary practitioners and discusses such photographs of relics in the Duomo Museum in Florence. The works open a dialog between ontological theories on photography, symbolism of blue color, and expressive means of art glass. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Cathedral of Florence is one of the largest churches in the world and is known for one of the most famous domes ever, which characterizes the skyline of the city. The dimensions of the building mean that the dimensions of the roof are equally large and so are the wooden structures that support it. The roof of the cathedral is organized on two levels: the roof of the large central nave and, at a lower level, those of the two lateral naves. The purpose of this paper is the identification of the wood species of which the structures are made. The sampling method of the 408 samples that have been identified is then described, the methods followed to reach a reliable identification and finally the results. The timbers most represented among the structural elements are those of silver fir, chestnut and elm. Other timbers are then found in the other components less directly linked to the main structural parts that make up the trusses. The paper then discusses the technological implications on the use of those woods within the wooden covering structures of the cathedral and the main sources of timber that the builders had available, in particular the Casentino forests that the Municipality of Florence had donated to the structure that managed the construction of the cathedral (Opera di Santa Maria del Fiore—OPA). OPA still exists today and is responsible for the maintenance of the cathedral and other annexed buildings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article offers information on the Inaugural Conference of the International Society of Public Law (ICON·S) to be held in Florence, Italy from June 26-28, 2014.

• Integrated approach for multi-scale and multi-resolution diagnostics of wall paintings by the combination of wave-based and optical techniques. • Surface and subsurface investigation for the stratigraphic reconstruction of past intervention and modification. • For the first time, the microwave reflectometry is here proposed in combination with digital holographic speckle pattern interferometry for wall paintings inspection. • Proof of concept of the proposed tool on the wall paintings masterpiece of Masolino, Masaccio and Filippino Lippi in the Brancacci chapel in Firenze. Based on the analysis of the renaissance wall paintings by Masaccio, Masolino, and Filippino Lippi in the Brancacci chapel in Firenze, this paper discusses the use of complementary non-destructive techniques based on microwave and optical methods for the characterization of the structural integrity of the wall paintings and their support in masonry. The selected non-destructive techniques are the InfraRed Thermography (IRT), Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR), Microwave Reflectometry (MWR), and Digital Holographic Speckle Pattern Interferometry (DHSPI). In particular, the paper analyses the in-situ applicability of these techniques for the identification of the sequence of past interventions during centuries (stratigraphy analysis) and decay phenomena and defects, such as out-of-plumb or swelling area/elements, detachments, cracks and voids inside the wall. The results are compared with data obtained by means of consolidated techniques and methods, such as the Photogrammetry (performed by Structure from Motion method) and knocking test. The last one is normally used by restorers and conservators to recognize the presence of detachments. The proposed diagnostic strategy provides a survey from large scale by means of imaging techniques, to small scale increasing the spatial resolution thanks to the scanning of the surface by means of spot techniques. Therefore, the macroscopic survey of wall paintings was carried out using photogrammetry, in order to also provide metric information, to quantify the sizing out-of-plumb and swelling of the masonry or to locate of cracks, and followed by IRT. This preliminary morphometric survey was, supplemented by GPR, MWR and DHSPI for improve the results of the investigation. By combining these three techniques it was possible to inspect the entire thickness of the masonry (60-70 cm) with resolutions ranging from a few millimetres up to several centimetres. The combination of microwave-based and optical-based methods proved to be a valuable addition to routine methods for the holistic masonry diagnosis. Standard practice based on visual inspection and knocking test can be significantly improved and objectified by the proposed full-field, multi-sensor, multi-resolution approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Italy is one of the countries in the world with the largest concentration of architectural cultural heritage, most of which are churches, bell towers, and religious buildings in general. This paper deals with the issues of the analysis and evaluation of the seismic behaviour of slender masonry structures, taking as the subject of analysis Giotto's Bell Tower in Florence (Italy). The seismic vulnerability has been analysed according to the current Italian legislation and the guidelines for the evaluation and reduction of seismic risk of cultural heritage. For this purpose, the bell tower was analysed using three evaluation levels: simplified methods (EL1), a kinematic analysis (EL2), and, finally, a finite element analysis (EL3). For each methodology, the level of seismic safety obtained by comparison with the local seismic demand has been evaluated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses Florence, a place dear to Outi Merisalo and also one of her favourite colours, namely purple, by exploring Leonardo da Vinci's (1452-1519) notes on clothing. It demonstrates the crucial importance of dressing to the painter and reveals a part of his wardrobe and his preferred colours for fabrics. Special attention is paid to a spare sheet of paper on which Leonardo diligently documents a hanged man's clothes both in text and with a sketch. This is rare visual evidence of the Pazzi conspiracy (1478) in Florence and an extraordinary specimen among the very small number of notes written by Leonardo before 1480. The image and a transcription of the document (Musée Bonnat-Helleu, Bayonne, inv. 659) are provided in the article. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The facciata double meaning as façade and outer appearance embodies the Italian city-state's political, cultural, and social values that Leon Battista Alberti outlined in his famed De re aedificatoria libri decem (1485). This concept lies at the heart of Florence's urban fabric: one of the early cradles of Renaissance architecture that originated from the artistic expenditure of prosperous families including, the Medici, Strozzi, and Rucellai. In this context, the Palazzo Rucellai (c.1446-66) marks an important historical moment in history as its façade, with its three superimposed orders and well-proportioned urban composition, was the first of its kind in Renaissance Florence. However, the palazzo's unfinished façade sparked a debate regarding its finished appearance which the paper revisits by positioning a 3D digital twin onto the façade's historic urban context and by applying through Space Syntax to explore its relationship to the urban fabric. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Form@re is the property of Firenze University Press and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The paper presents the first results of a multidisciplinary research project launched to support the conservation and restoration of the stone façades of the Pitti Palace in Florence with innovative techniques from the fields of geomatics and diagnostic analysis. Monitoring campaigns are periodically conducted on the façades of the palace to identify stone elements in critical conditions; such surveys primarily require close and careful observation of the façade, for which a crane basket is required. The paper proposes first attempt to compare results obtained through a traditional workflow with those coming from a deeper use of the high-resolution 3D model to conduct a virtual inspection and to map elements of vulnerability on a GIS.On a test area, the analysis of the factors considered relevant to the risk of detachment was carried out on the digital model and compared with what the experts observed on-site by carrying out Non-Destructive diagnostic tests. Traditionally conducted monitoring and diagnostic surveys are assumed to validate the proposed method, which, following a simple data analysis, remotely identifies all blocks detected as vulnerable by the in-situ inspection, potentially drastically reducing fieldwork. It is therefore proposed as a preliminary screening useful to better address further analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The assessment of the static and dynamic behaviour of historic masonry towers, together with the development of proper preservation strategies, has attracted in recent decades the interest of a plethora of scholars. Most of the studies focus on the assessment of their seismic behaviour since their slenderness exposes them to the dynamic effects induced by medium-to-severe earthquakes. This paper, which is framed in this background, discusses on a preliminary identification of the seismic behaviour of Giotto's bell tower in Florence, one of the iconic masonry towers ever built in Italy. In the first part of this paper, a summary of the available information on this bell tower is provided. Next, a refined numerical model, built through the finite element technique, and based on a recent laser scanning survey, is reported and employed to investigate its seismic behaviour. The numerical model accounts (in a simplified way) for the soil-structure-interaction, and scaled natural accelerograms selected based on the Florence seismic hazard are considered to develop linear and nonlinear time-history analyses. The results allow an initial assessment of the seismic behaviour of Giotto's bell tower suggesting both future in-depth investigations and analyses, together with proper preservation strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Notwithstanding the wide research on clusters and industrial districts, most of the preceding contributions tried to analyse and investigate past research and rarely tried to critique or propose any future trajectories of this stream of research. The aim of this special issue is to identify and discuss the main themes of research that populate the current scientific debate and highlight the emergent lines that may well set the future research agenda. In order to provide a scenario for better understanding the content of this special issue, in this work, we encouraged a mix of quantitative and qualitative approaches. In particular, to identify the most important themes of current and future research, we present a bibliometric analysis of the papers that were presented at the international workshop 'Rethinking Clusters', which took place in Florence in 2018, with more than 100 participants. This exercise together with a wider literature review permits us to propose a new research agenda on cluster research according to eight main themes. These range from cluster life cycles, through creativity, innovation, knowledge networks, cluster policy issues, internationalization, sustainability, finally to cluster variety and relatedness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Exhibition design matters. It determines the way objects are presented, the stories they tell and the way visitors experience them. Using theories of vital materiality and affect as entry points into understanding visitor experience better, this paper explores and compares our affective responses as visitor-researchers to the exhibition designs of foundling tokens at the Foundling Museum in London and the Museum of the Ospedale degli Innocenti in Florence. The paper asks how sensitive and thoughtful exhibition design impacts our experience. The paper concludes that different design choices create subtly different affective flows and with them, uniquely personalised opportunities for engagement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In periods of history with rapid social and economic change, it is useful to examine the long-term history of particular arrangements. Money is one of these institutions that seems eternal and unchanging, but that has changed dramatically over time. For example, money was typically conceived as coins made of precious metal and stamped with the image of the ruler. As long-distance trade expanded in the early modern period, money was represented by paper, most often letters of exchange among merchants who trusted one another because of common membership in a community. The emergence of the fiscal/military state enabled populations to have some role in the issue and uses of money, such as the Italian city-states of Republican form, like Florence and Venice. After the "Glorious Revolution" in 1688, the Bank of England (BOE) innovated with merchant monopoly corporations engaging in state-supported long-distance trade, the stock of which backed public debt. The political controversies surrounding the formation of the BOE reveal some of the alternative possibilities, a merchant-oriented bank, supported by the Whigs, or a land bank supported by the Tories. After the industrial revolution, the use of credit for real investment aided the accumulation of surplus, by the productivity treadmill. After the Great Depression, the extension of finance into the lives of the citizens proceeded, with debt financing for housing, education, and retirement, encompassing the entire life cycle. The dominance of the United States after World War II enabled that country to sustain a hegemonic currency, based on the expansion of trade and supply chains to Emerging Market Countries. Along with the tech bubble in the second decade of the twenty-first century, the crypto bubble expanded hopes for an alternative form of money. Such a long-term history can be informed by analysis of the role of money as a symbol, mobilized by meanings enacted in human institutions. Such a view can provide a method of interpreting the long term evolution of money, restoring the political dimension and human agency to the abstract impersonal mechanical notion of the market. Such a perspective can better inform consideration of alternative institutions to accommodate challenges like geopolitical competition, war, and climate change. JEL Classification: B51, B52, G20, N20, P48 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This paper aims to analyse the evolution of Chinese industrial ethnic clusters in Italy, by focusing on the role of social networks and the processes behind the phenomenon of Chinese worker exploitation and entrepreneur "self-exploitation". Design/methodology/approach: The case study is a sub-cluster of micro and small enterprises owned by Chinese entrepreneurs within the leather industrial district of Florence, Italy. This research adopts the following mixed methods: a small-scale survey to capture the characteristics of the sub-cluster and a social network analysis to describe cluster evolution, complemented by life-course interviews conducted with key informants and entrepreneurs. Findings: Migrant social capital and social networks play a central role in the evolution of the case study sub-cluster. Social networks play a supportive role in migration, job creation, entrepreneurship formation and the creation of business opportunities. Simultaneously, they enhance the phenomenon of worker exploitation and entrepreneur self-exploitation. Furthermore, the more the business community grows, the more the economic performance of ethnic enterprises depends on agglomeration forces produced by the cluster. Practical implications: The findings suggest a series of potential policies to upgrade the ethnic enterprises' capacities, to increase their formality and inclusion in the Italian social and economic systems and sub-cluster. Originality/value: To the authors' knowledge, this paper is the first attempt to examine the evolution of social networks in relation to the phenomenon of Chinese worker exploitation and entrepreneur self-exploitation in an ethnic industrial sub-cluster. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In spring 1949 about 70 physicists from eight countries met in Florence to discuss recent trends in statistical mechanics. This scientific gathering, co-organized by the Commission on Thermodynamics and Statistical Mechanics of the International Union of Pure and Applied Physics (IUPAP) and the Italian Physical Society (SIF), initiated a tradition of IUPAP-sponsored international conferences on statistical mechanics that lasts to this day. In 1977, when this conference series took the name of StatPhys, the foundational role of the Florence conference was recognized by retrospectively naming it StatPhys1. This paper examines the dual scientific and social significance of the conference, situating it in the broader contexts of the post-World War II reconstruction in Italian physics and of the revitalization of the international science organization. Through an analysis of IUPAP archives and Italian records, we illustrate how the event's success hinged on the aligned objectives of its organizers. Internationally, it was instrumental in defining the scientific and organizational foundations for the activities of IUPAP commissions during a critical phase of IUPAP's history, when the Union was resurging on the international scene after the inactivity of the interwar period. Nationally, the conference served as a cornerstone in SIF's strategy to re-establish Italian physics' international stature and to aid the domestic revitalization of physics through the internationalization of its activities, notably of its flagship journal, Il Nuovo Cimento. This analysis not only sheds light on the conference's impact but also informs recent discussions in the history of science about the multiple roles of international scientific conferences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wear evaluation of rolling components is crucial for tramway dynamics, maintenance and safety. 2D contact wear measurement techniques are the most commonly used to detect the health conditions of rails. In this paper, the novel use of a portable metrological 3D optical scanner is proposed and compared to the prior 2D methods. Laboratory results show that the application of 3D optical digitizers gives results consistent with the 2D results but gives also a more complete and global view of the wear phenomenon. Different inspection procedures are compared and discussed in order to propose the best method to perform 3D wear mapping. The results of on-line experimental campaigns on the real tramway line of Florence (Italy), performed with the current and the new proposed instruments and methods, are also presented and compared. From the results of this paper, new strategies for the maintenance service of tramways, and especially of the Florentine tramway, can be proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on the early photographer's new design of micrometer in Florence, Italy. William Henry Fox Talbot has made the negative-positive photography and sent photographic drawings to several Italian scientists in 1839 and 1840. On the other hand, Giovanni Battista Amici, is a Director of the astronomical observatory of the Royal Museum of Physics and Natural History in Florence who have been connected to Amici about the micrometer. They demonstrate the new microscope design which was evidently written in London.

The section on "Museum, culture and digital innovations" gathers a selection of papers presented at the international workshop entitled Rethinking Culture and Creativity in the Technological Era (Florence, 20-21 February 2020). It contains four articles. La sezione su "Museum, culture and digital innovations" raccoglie una selezione di contributi presentati in occasione del workshop internationale Rethinking Culture and Creativity in the Technological Era (Firenze, 20-21 febbraio 2020). La sezione contiene quattro articoli. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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This paper reports preliminary results of ongoing interdisciplinary research in digital humanities and animation. This research explores visualisation techniques (e.g., motion graphics, 3D animation, Non-Photorealistic Rendering) to empower the study of depicted objects in Renaissance treatises on architecture and engineering. The aim is to pioneer a method that can be adopted by both scholars in the humanities and practitioners in animation to 1) take advantage of available editions and scholarship via interactive online systems (e.g., Engineering Historical Memory); 2) map and decode visual information and knowledge embodied in manuscripts; 3) create philologically correct 3D models and storytelling to unfold narratives embedded in drawings. As a showcase, this paper used Francesco di Giorgio Martini's drawings of the Corinthian capital in the manuscripts Ashburnham 361 (Biblioteca Medicea Laurenziana, Florence) and Saluzzo 148 (Musei Reali, Turin). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: kappa index (ratio between cerebrospinal fluid (CSF)/serum kappa free light chains and CSF/serum albumin) is an emerging CSF biomarker, easily and quickly evaluable using a complete automatic technique that offers a quantitative result, to integrate the qualitative assessment of oligoclonal bands (OCB). These parameters can be further supplemented with the central vein sign (CVS), an imaging parameter indicative of inflammatory injury in the white matter in patients with Multiple Sclerosis (MS). Methods: we analyzed CSF biomarkers, OCB and kappa index in patients who underwent on CSF examination in our MS Center in Firenze (Italy) during 2020-2022. The patients were divided in MS and not MS (nMS) groups and further divided in OCB+ or OCB-, kappa index+ or kappa index-, and CVS+ or CVS-patients. Results: the study population is composed by 114 patients (77 women and 37 men) with an average age of 42.2 years. Among the 114 participants, 68 (59.6%) were MS and 46 (40.4%) nMS. We also analyzed a subgroup of 49 patients with 3T Magnetic Resonance (n=31 MS and n=18 nMS). When the kappa index was compared between the two groups, it showed higher sensitivity, Positive Predictive Value and Negative Predictive Value than OCB; the combination of CVS and kappa index showed the best ratio of sensitivity to specificity compared with the other groups analyzed. Discussion: these results also suggest that kappa index can be used as a screening test in MS even before performing OCB, in a reflex approach that can improve MS diagnosis. Using both MRI and CSF biomarkers ameliorate remarkably the MS diagnosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since megaprojects are costly, impactful, and often contentious policymaking processes, scholars have started to look at policy narratives as instruments that actors use strategically to justify their preferences and achieve their goals. But is this really the case? Do actors always adopt a narrative to support their goals? Do they develop arguments that are consistent with their official goals and in a timely manner? This paper suggests that, when megaprojects are not salient, narratives are likely to be strategically nonused or used in a hypocritical way, as such strategies better fit the process-related goals of significant actors. Such a claim is illustrated by a case study on the construction of a new high-speed railway line and station in the city of Florence (Italy). Relying on content and discourse analysis of official documents, and experts' interviews, the paper shows that, despite favorable premises for the emergence of a battle of narratives, this never took place, as some of the proponents choose to nonuse a strategic narrative, while others occasionally publicly used arguments to jeopardize the whole project. In turn, opponents effectively developed a strategic narrative that, differently from other similar cases, mostly relied on technical arguments and emplotment. Hence, the case study generates hypotheses that could be tested in further studies on the conditions under which a coalitional dynamic emerges and the role played by policy narratives in the process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The description of a historic building can be made by considering many different aspects: stylistic, technological, formal, function-related, etc. In Architecture, as in any artistic form, intangible elements also play an essential role and are closely related to individual interpretation; therefore, achieving an objective description is challenging, and several efforts have been undertaken over time to reach the goal.Nested hierarchical or complex multi-dimensional relationship structures can be defined to represent various interrelationships between a huge variety of elements and their properties. Categorisation, standards definitions and adoptions, data modelling, etc., should come after the data collection phase to adequately support the sharing of disparate datasets and thus facilitate communication between experts in different domains and improve knowledge dissemination.The paper considers different approaches in the built heritage representation, then presents the ad hoc data model initially adopted in the Pitti Palace documentation project, where a comprehensive and highly detailed 3D digitisation project was recently carried out, and finally proposes to map it into widely adopted standard, such are CityGML and IndoorGML. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The archaeological area of Amrit (350 ha) is located on the Syrian coastal region of Tartus and is known since the 18th century CE, due to its imposing archaeological remains dated to the first millennium BCE and to the Roman period. It was listed in the UNESCO tentative list in 2005.Since 2022, the University of Firenze (SAGAS) in collaboration with the CNR-ISPC and the DGAM-Syria, conducts a project that aims towards the documentation, restoration, public display, and community involvement of the archaeological site of Amrit, after more than 10 years of conflict and a still ongoing economic and social instability.Aim of this paper is to present the first results of the 3D survey at the site carried out in September 2022. This survey, conducted by archaeologists, aimed at obtaining a detailed documentation of the monumental structures on the site, to assess their state of preservation as of 2022, and to record the decay process of previous restorations and facilitate the planning for the archaeological park. The rapidity of acquiring data and the precision of this technique is obviously of great advantage in difficult contexts such as is Syria, where power cuts are systematic and there is a need of acquiring as much as data as possible in a limited time. This specific activity aims also at showing that archaeologists can acquire technological skills and gather specific knowledge to obtain the best possible results when dealing with damage assessment of heritage during and after a conflict. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The goal of this paper is to present a methodology for setting priorities among interventions in the old city center of Florence, going from the conservation to the regeneration of its heritage. The proposed methodology is based on specific methods of analysis of degradation and parameters for the optimization of construction costs. The methodology can be considered an additional part of the Management Plan of the site of the Historic Center of Florence (adopted for the first time in 2016 and now updated with the inclusion of a buffer zone) that "represents an important tool for the conservation and enhancement of the Heritage and is also a source of address for the choices that the Administration is called to adopt regarding the use of the city and its spaces". The application of the method, in addition to being in harmony with some of the action projects of the second macro-area of the new Management Plan, also has points of contact with the provisions of the Municipal Operational Plan that provides for a reinterpretation of the existing building heritage. From the monitoring of individual buildings, aimed at their preservation, we will move to study the relationships that promote the creation of joint construction sites, thus optimizing costs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper discusses the symbiotic relationship that developed between English-language periodicals published in Italy and major reading rooms in Rome and Florence. This relationship took various configurations – from Luigi Piale in Rome, who opened a reading room and published the weekly The Roman Advertiser, to the Gabinetto Vieusseux in Florence that provided access to the many English-language periodicals published in Italy – and created important spaces of transnational cultural interaction. The paper looks at the cultural practices and the forms of sociability represented by the reading of periodicals and the patronizing of reading rooms as 'imported traditions' brought to Italy by the many British cultured travellers and residents in the nineteenth century. It identifies the actors who promoted these cultural practices (editors, librarians, cosmopolitan intellectuals) and analyses their role as mediating figures who created in-between spaces where cross-cultural exchanges unfolded. The paper also discusses the broader transnational cultural dynamic at work as those cultural practices imported from England favoured a greater engagement of British visitors and expatriates with the Italian political and cultural environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Copyright of Nasleđe is the property of University of Kragujevac, Faculty of Philology & Arts and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

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The railway sector has been characterized by important innovations regarding digital technologies for train-to-ground communications. The actual GSM-R system is considered an obsolescent technology expected to be dismissed by 2030. The future communication systems in the rail sectors, such as Adaptable Communication Systems (ACS) and Future Railway Mobile Communication Systems (FRMCS), can manage different bearers as 4G/5G terrestrial technologies and satellites. In this environment, the new High Throughput Satellite (HTS) Low-Earth Orbit (LEO) constellations promise very interesting performances from data rate and coverage points of view. The paper analyzes the LEO constellations of Starlink and OneWeb using public data. The Rome–Florence railway line is considered for simulations. The results evidence the LEO satellite can provide interesting performance in terms of visibility, service connectivity, and traffic capacities (up to 1 Gbps). This feature enables the LEO to fully manage a high amount of data, especially in the railway scenarios of the next years when video data applications will be more present. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Red stains are a common discolouration on stone cultural heritage all over the world. These are very difficult to remove and little is known about the reddish pigmentation. Numerous red stains were mapped on the Baptistery of San Giovanni in Florence, one of the most important monuments in Italy. This paper is focused on red stains on marble stone and the results of a detailed multidisciplinary approach are presented. Several analytical and investigation techniques (such as optical microscopy, X-ray fluorescence mapping, X-ray micro-tomography, micro-Raman spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive spectroscopy, microbial isolation, colorimetric measurements and isotopic analyses) were used to better understand the origin and processes involved in this kind of alteration. Analyses of the red stains led us to believe the presence of minium (lead tetroxide) and Pb are usually concentrated in the spaces between calcite grains. Red stains of Pb isotopic composition also overlap with data from Sardinian mines. These preliminary data seem to reinforce the suggestion of a source of lead from some metallic items (during restoration campaigns between 1938 and 1944, damaged parts were removed and replaced, and the new marble cladding was fixed with iron brackets treated with minium). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, the use of Metal-Organic Framework (MOF) materials as an option for the energy efficiency enhancement of HVAC systems is investigated. In particular, the possibility of using MOFs as dehumidifying materials to reduce the latent load associated with the moisture content of the airflows is studied. A literature review is proposed, highlighting the benefits of using MOFs instead of other adsorbents (e.g., silica-gel) and discussing the unique features (high water uptake capacity and low regeneration temperatures) that make MOFs a preferential desiccant. The possibility to finely tune these properties is also underlined, reporting some explicative examples. A theoretical proposal of a psychrometric transformation, to be performed in a HVAC system equipped with a MOF-Assisted Dehumidifier (MAD), is presented. This transformation is compared with a traditional one (cooling and dehumidification operated by a cooling coil with low temperatures of the coolant). The preliminary numerical simulations, conducted on a reference case study in Florence, Italy, show an estimated energy saving of 30–50%, leading us to consider the use of this technology as a very competitive one in the air-conditioning sector. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents the results of the application of a holistic procedure for a seismic vulnerability analysis of complex masonry aggregates which are ascribable as cultural heritage buildings. The methodological framework allowed us to properly identify the structural units comprising a historical palace through a hierarchical approach combining integrated geometrical and structural surveys with non-destructive (ND) and minor destructive (MD) techniques. The investigations were conducted on a significant palace located in the historical center of Florence, the Palagio di Parte Guelfa. The building covers an entire urban block, as it is constituted by many structural units developed over the centuries since the Roman period. The palace incorporates pre-existing structures, such as the Church of Santa Maria Sopra Porta and medieval terraced houses. Over the decades, different restorations and renovations have been carried out, including by Filippo Brunelleschi in the XV century and by Vasari in the XVI. Nowadays, the building constitutes an urban cluster. Our seismic vulnerability analysis took advantage of a specific knowledge path which was suitable for the identification of the different structural units of the palace. To this end, the historical evolution of the construction was traced through bibliographic research and ND surveys. We finally assessed the seismic performance of the different units according to different approaches, i.e., a rapid assessment based on simplified computations at the global scale, and a kinematic analysis for local phenomena. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

"How would you build a robot, the size of a bacteria, powered by light, that would swim towards the light source, escape from it, or could be controlled by means of different light colors, intensities or polarizations?" This was the question that Professor Diederik Wiersma asked PW on a sunny spring day in 2012, when they first met at LENS—the European Laboratory of Nonlinear Spectroscopy—in Sesto Fiorentino, just outside Florence in northern Italy. It was not just a vague question, as Prof. Wiersma, then the LENS director and leader of one of its research groups, already had an idea (and an ERC grant) about how to actually make such micro-robots, using a class of light-responsive oriented polymers, liquid crystal elastomers (LCEs), combined with the most advanced fabrication technique—two-photon 3D laser photolithography. Indeed, over the next few years, the LCE technology, successfully married with the so-called direct laser writing at LENS, resulted in a 60 micrometer long walker developed in Prof. Wiersma's group (as, surprisingly, walking at that stage proved to be easier than swimming). After completing his post-doc at LENS, PW returned to his home Faculty of Physics at the University of Warsaw, and started experimenting with LCE, both in micrometer and millimeter scales, in his newly established Photonic Nanostructure Facility. This paper is a review of how the ideas of using light-powered soft actuators in micromechanics and micro-robotics have been evolving in Warsaw over the last decade and what the outcomes have been so far. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Regarding the problem of digital camera identification, many methods have been proposed, and for several of them, their effectiveness has been verified on the basis of disputed flat images. However, in real cases the disputed images are natural images, rather than flat images. In that case, several of the already proposed methods are not effective. Hence, in this paper, a method is proposed for the digital camera identification from natural images based on the statistical comparison between the residual noise in the natural disputed images and the fingerprint defined for the eligible digital cameras. In the reported case studies, the HDR database provided by the Communications and Signal Processing Laboratory of University of Florence is used to select a set of eligible digital cameras, and from this image database, for each digital camera, a set of disputed flat images, a set of disputed natural images, and a set of flat reference images were selected. Thus, the fingerprint of each digital camera was calculated from the probability density function (PDF) of the photo-response nonuniformity (PRNU) extracted from its reference images. Therefore, in order to identify the source digital camera of a natural disputed image, the Jensen–Shannon divergence (JSD) was implemented to statistically compare the PRNU-based fingerprint of each eligible source camera against the noise residual of that disputed image. The proposed method has a similar effectiveness to methods based on the peak-to-correlation energy or the Kullback–Leibler divergence when the disputed images are flat images and the PRNU is considered, but it is significantly more effective than those methods when the disputed images are natural images. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Conservar Património is the property of Associacao Profissional de Conservadores-Restauradores de Portugal and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This paper explores representations of, and responses to, the blood of Christ in the novice cells at Fra Angelico's Dominican convent of San Marco, Florence. The frescoes, which depict Christ on the cross with St. Dominic in prayer at its base, are unique for the prominence of painted blood. Through close visual analysis of these images and the specific historical circumstances in which they were created, this study places the frescoes within the contexts of Dominican theology on the divinity of Christ's blood and the practice of monastic bloodletting. Beyond its narrative significance, this article argues that the depicted blood was intensely contemplated for its theological complexities, with the shedding of Christ's blood constituting the act of redemption in Dominican theology. It would also have provided the novices with the opportunity for corporeal imitation of Christ, specifically through the routine medical procedure of phlebotomy. Responding to a general tendency in scholarship to focus on blood in northern European late medieval culture, the paper sheds new light on the fresco decoration at San Marco and on the depiction of blood in Italian art. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]