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Diagnosing a peri-prosthetic joint infection (PJI) remains challenging despite the availability of a variety of clinical signs, serum and synovial markers, imaging techniques, microbiological and histological findings. Moreover, the one and only true definition of PJI does not exist, which is reflected by the existence of at least six different definitions by independent societies. These definitions are composed of major and minor criteria for defining a PJI, but most of them do not include imaging techniques. This paper highlights the pros and cons of available imaging techniques—X-ray, ultrasound, computed tomography (CT), Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), bone scintigraphy, white blood cell scintigraphy (WBC), anti-granulocyte scintigraphy, and fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography (FDG-PET/CT), discusses the added value of hybrid camera systems—single photon emission tomography/computed tomography (SPECT/CT), PET/CT and PET/MRI and reports consensus answers on important clinical questions that were discussed during the Third European Congress on Inflammation/Infection Imaging in Rome, December 2019. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Travertine is a sedimentary carbonate rock widely used in Roman arts and frequently subjected to biodeterioration. In this preliminary multi-analytical study, three essential oils (EOs) from T. vulgaris, O. vulgare, C. nepeta and their respective phenolic major components (thymol, carvacrol, pulegone) were selected to evaluate their biocidal potential against a multi-species biofilm grown on a travertine test wall located inside Sapienza University Campus in Rome. A preliminary characterization of the biofilm occurred through the employment of genomic methodologies. It has been confirmed the presence of microorganisms belonging to fungi, plant and bacteria kingdoms amplifying the rDNA in the characteristic regions (ITS, 18S, 16S) by performing PCR amplification with specific primers. For this purpose, two different biofilm sampling procedures, one completely non-invasive (swab in physiologic saline solution) and one micro-invasive (adhesive tape) have been employed: the adhesive tape performed better than swab in relation to DNA purity and quantity. After the biofilm characterization, the application of the phytochemicals occurred. For the realization of formulations, the EOs and their major components have been incorporated inside an innovative hydrogel matrix conceived for the cleaning of cultural heritage. The biocidal and cleaning action was evaluated with colorimetric measurements before and after the application of the products and, in the case of the surfaces treated with the essential oils, these measurements have been repeated 6 weeks after the end of the treatment. It emerged that the formulations containing the active phenolic compounds have, in most cases, a better efficacy against the multispecies biofilm. Anyway, it was verified that the biocidal action of the essential oils lasts in time, since colour variation towards the original colour of the surface have been determined 6 weeks after the end of the procedure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Geological models are very useful tools for developing conceptual schemes owing to their capacity to optimize the management of stratigraphic information. This is particularly true in areas where archaeological heritage is exposed to hydrogeological hazards; 3D models can constitute the first step toward the construction of numerical models created to understand processes and plan mitigation actions to improve visitor safety and preserve archaeological heritage. This paper illustrates the results of a 3D hydrostratigraphic model of the site of the Colosseum in the Central Archaeological Area of Rome. In recent years, this area has experienced numerous floods caused by intense meteorological events. A new borehole survey provided the opportunity to update previous maps and cross sections and build a local scale 3D model. The resulting conceptual model was used to identify primary gaps in existing knowledge about the groundwater system and to optimize the planning of a piezometer monitoring network. Further studies can then focus on the development of groundwater numerical models to verify hypotheses regarding inflow-outflow dynamics and facilitate the optimization of water management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A field experiment using instrumented motorcycles was performed. • Data on motorcyclists' behavior during overtaking maneuver were collected. • A survival analysis was carried out to model the total overtaking duration. • The log-logistic distribution provided the best fit to the total overtaking duration. • The model identified the significant covariates that affected the overtaking duration. The overtaking maneuver performed by motorcyclists is one of the primary causes of motorcycle accidents. However, few studies in the literature deal with this topic and there are no studies modeling the total overtaking duration, i.e. the time during which extreme hazards are manifest. The present paper aims to analyze the motorcyclists' behavior during overtaking and to model the total overtaking duration. A field experiment, using instrumented motorcycles, was performed to collect data and a survival analysis was carried out to model the total overtaking duration. Twenty young motorcyclists drove their own motorcycles, which were instrumented with a camera and a global positioning system device (GPS), onto a two-lane suburban road in Rome. A total of 101 overtaking maneuvers were recorded. A methodology, based on video and GPS analyses, was developed to obtain data describing the motorcyclists' behavior. The obtained results showed that the mean values of the main parameters of the overtaking maneuver (total overtaking duration - 6.6 s - and distance - 109.7 m - lateral distance from the passed vehicle - 1.50 m) were consistent with the few data available in the revised literature. The total overtaking duration was modelled using a hazard-based duration model. The parametric accelerated failure time duration model with a log-logistic distribution, which was the best-fitted distribution, identified the covariates which affected, in a statistically significant way, the total overtaking duration. The obtained model revealed that the overtaking duration depends on several covariates. The greater average impact was found for the initial distance and speed difference, while the initial lateral distance and final distance produced a minor impact. When performing a multiple overtaking, the duration of the maneuver tended to increase by 31 %. This research can be considered as a pilot study and a starting point for future advances on motorcyclists' behavior during overtaking maneuver and for modeling the total overtaking duration. In addition, the findings of this study could contribute to the development of advanced rider assistance systems for the overtaking maneuver based on current driving conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Suspected detrimental health effects associated with ultrafine particles (UFPs) are impressive. However, epidemiological evidence is still limited. This is potentially due to challenges related to UFP exposure assessment and the lack of consensus on a standard methodology for UFPs. It is imperative to focus future health studies on those UFP metrics more likely to represent health effects. This is the purpose of this paper, where we extend the results obtained during the CARE ("Carbonaceous Aerosol in Rome and Environs") experiment started in 2017 in Rome. The major purpose is to investigate features of airborne UFPs associated with pro-inflammatory and oxidative responses. Aerosol chemical, microphysical, and optical properties were measured, together with the oxidative potential, at temporal scales relevant for UFPs (minutes to hours). The biological responses were obtained using both in-vivo and in-vitro tests carried out directly under environmental conditions. Findings indicate that caution should be taken when assessing health-relevant exposure to UFPs through the conventional metrics like total particle number concentration and PM2.5 and Black Carbon (BC) mass concentration. Conversely, we recommend adding to these, a UFP source apportionment analysis and indicators for both ultrafine black carbon and the size of particles providing most of the total surface area to available toxic molecules. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Numerical weather prediction models require an accurate parametrization of the energy budget at the air-ground interface, that can be obtained only through long-term atmospheric boundary layer measurements at different spatial and temporal scales. Despite their importance, such measurements are still scarce even in well-characterized areas. In this paper, a three-year dataset from four micrometeorological stations run by the Regional Agency for Environmental Protection of Lazio was analyzed to estimate albedo, zero-displacement height, roughness length and surface properties over Rome and its suburbs, characterizing differences and interconnections between urban, suburban and rural areas of the same municipality. The integral albedo coefficient at the zenith for the urban station was found to be almost twice that for suburban and rural stations. The zero-displacement height of the urban site was strongly dependent on wind direction, with values varying between 12.0 and 17.8 m, while the roughness length (≈1.5 m) was almost independent of upwind direction, but it was significantly higher than the typical values calculated for rural stations (≈0.4 m). The apparent thermal capacities and thermal conductivity at all the non-urban sites were in fair agreement with each other and typical of soils with relatively low water content, as expected for a relatively dry Mediterranean area like Rome, while the apparent thermal diffusivity reflected the presence of different soil types. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A disruptive technology often used in finance, Internet of Things (IoT) and healthcare, blockchain can reach consensus within a decentralised network—potentially composed of large amounts of unreliable nodes—and to permanently and irreversibly store data in a tamper-proof manner. In this paper, we present a reputation system for Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS). It considers the users interested in traffic information as the main actors of the architecture. They securely share their data which are collectively validated by other users. Users can choose to employ either such crowd-sourced validated data or data generated by the system to travel between two locations. The data saved is reliable, based on the providers' reputation and cannot be modified. We present results with a simulation for three cities: San Francisco, Rome and Beijing. We have demonstrated the impact of malicious attacks as the average speed decreased if erroneous information was stored in the blockchain as an implemented routing algorithm guides the honest cars on other free routes, and thus crowds other intersections. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates Participatory Cultural Initiatives (i.e., cultural and creative projects, events, and experiences that involve civic engagement), shedding light on how participation unfolds and what elements best explain its dynamics. Based on a sound literature review in the field, the paper focuses on four European case studies: the MuseumsQuartier in Vienna, Matera as a European Capital of Culture, Big City Life in Tor Marancia and Rome City of Film as part of the UNESCO network of creative cities. The findings highlight the dynamics of the governance and the significant role of the orchestrator(s) in shaping the vision and enabling participation of all relevant stakeholders. From a theoretical perspective, this study contributes to the literature and debate on culture as a driver for local regeneration and development. Furthermore, cultural professionals, urban and regional planners, policy makers, institutions and citizens get new insights for designing and managing cultural projects. • Explaining the dynamics of participation in cultural initiatives • Highlighting the interconnection of orchestration, participation, legitimacy, and space • Demonstrating the enabling role of the orchestrator for a balanced participation • Illustrating communication as an important aspect in all phases of cultural initiatives • Elaborating the crucial role of space in promoting civic engagement, participation, and identity [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a retrospective ethnography of a failed attempt, by Rome's municipal institutions, to implement a formal decision concerning the management of an authorized Roma camp. The study unpacks multiple relations between the various actors involved (Roma families, NGOs and the city authorities involved in the management of the settlements), focusing particularly on the forms of brokerage and micro-negotiations that are located at the edge of formal procedures. I aim to highlight how informal networks have been pivotal in managing, reproducing and eventually shaping the "nomad camps" system in Rome, bringing to the fore the ways in which chains of informal relations produce hidden connections that reshape the role of each of the subjects and the space for claims-making. I thereby provide an anthropological analysis of the means through which the city's camps system has been informally managed for more than thirty years and, with it, the housing rights of Roma. • Housing security for Roma in Rome depends on access to authorized settlements/camps • Formal and strict regulations, lack of rules and informal practices are intertwined in the management of "nomad camps" • Informal relations connect all the subjects involved in the nomad camp system: Municipal officials, NGOs staff, Roma people • Informality acts as a governmental tool reshaping strategies and subjectivities of all the actors • Recommendations: abandon the nomad camps policy; create clear and direct channel between Roma and institutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Disparities in access to healthcare services and, more generally, in the implementation of the right to health constitute a crucial element in the insecurities of urban life. This contribution revisits ethnographic research carried out in Roma camps in Rome and proposes the theme of therapeutic informality through the lens of the relationship between Roma and healthcare institutions. The paper focuses on three key themes: informal healthcare, healthcare temporalities, and therapeutic informality. These focal points are developed around three questions; firstly, how do economic and housing informalities of particular groups intertwine with informality in the field of healthcare? Secondly, considering the centrality of the theme of temporalities in studies on health issues, how are temporalities imposed by living in a regime of informality related to the temporalities of healthcare? Thirdly, how does informality in the field of healthcare specifically affect the forms of citizenship of Roma community members? The notions of informal healthcare and therapeutic informality are proposed as analytical tools to grasp what is at stake when economic, housing and urban informalities intersect around healthcare issues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• CIRCE-HERO protected loss of flow accident analysis and comparison with experimental data. • Thermal hydraulics benchmark activity performed within the EU H2020 SESAME project. • Validation of RELAP5-3D© used for the transient analysis of liquid metal cooled pool-type reactors. • Thermal hydraulics of liquid metal large pools. CIRCE is a lead–bismuth eutectic alloy (LBE) pool facility aimed to simulate the primary system of a heavy liquid metal (HLM) cooled pool-type fast reactor. The experimental facility was implemented with a new test section, called HERO (Heavy liquid mEtal pRessurized water cOoled tubes), which consists of a steam generator composed of seven double-wall bayonet tubes (DWBT) with an active length of six meters. The experimental campaign aims to investigate HERO behavior, which is representative of the tubes that will compose ALFRED SG. In the framework of the Horizon 2020 SESAME project, a transient test was selected for the realization of a validation benchmark. The test consists of a protected loss of flow accident (PLOFA) simulating the shutdown of primary pumps, the reactor scram and the activation of the DHR system. A RELAP5-3D© nodalization scheme was developed in the pre-test phase at DIAEE of "Sapienza" University of Rome, providing useful information to the experimentalists. The model consisted to a mono-dimensional scheme of the primary flow path and the SG secondary side, and a multi-dimensional component simulating the large LBE pool. The analysis of experimental data, provided by ENEA, has suggested to improve the thermal–hydraulic model with a more detailed nodalization scheme of the secondary loop, looking to reproduce the asymmetries observed on the DWBTs operation. The paper summarizes the post-test activity performed in the frame of the H2020 SESAME project as a contribution of the benchmark activity, highlighting a global agreement between simulations and experiment for all the primary circuit physical quantities monitored. Then, the attention is focused on the secondary system operation, where uncertainties related to the boundary conditions affect the computational results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Aeromagnetic surveys confirm their validity to highlight deep structures in volcanic environments. • The mean magnetization value of the Bracciano caldera products is 1.4 A/m and 3.8 A/m for pyroclasts and lava flows respectively. • The Bracciano caldera is in a more evolved stage than previously thought. • The Bracciano caldera results from an overlap of two collapse structures generating a nested system. • The Bracciano caldera was strictly influenced by tectonic processes. Bracciano Lake, located in central Italy, 30 km northwest of Rome, is a volcano-tectonic depression developed in Pleistocene time representing the Sabatini Volcanic District (SVD) western eruptive center. Little is known about Bracciano caldera deep structure and potential field methods are appropriate to probe through a volcanic pile. In this paper, we present a 3D magnetic inversion model of the Bracciano caldera system based upon new aeromagnetic data and paleomagnetic measurements carried out by Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia (INGV). Magnetic modelling provides a reconstruction of Bracciano caldera morphology whose extension is about 20 km north-south and 15 km east-west; the maximum collapse depth is up to 1 km and the depocentre area appears localised to the north of the present Bracciano Lake shoreline. Considering the geological records of the main Bracciano caldera forming events, we have interpreted the resulting magnetic model as an overlap of two collapse structures generating a nested system whose location was strictly influenced by tectonic processes. Our 3D magnetic model confirms and consolidates the validity of the magnetic method to highlight deep structures in volcanic environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over the past thirty years, public policy in Rome has failed to effectively address a rising level of socio-economic inequality. Indicators such as level of education or number of household members appear to be geographically concentrated and sensitive to the distance from the city centre. The hypothesis that socio-spatial inequalities strongly influence economic performance and foster political instability has been subject to numerous empirical investigations. Nevertheless, studies of specific urban contexts are not common. The absence of empirical applications at this scale is probably due to the fact that variables used for analysing the economic and social performance of regions are difficult to quantify or inapplicable at the micro level. The purpose of this paper is to examine the spatial distribution of socioeconomic inequalities in the municipal territory of Rome and to explore the conditions that account for them. We will analyse the spatial distribution of urban quality indicators and socio-economic profiles with data from different sources, aggregated at the neighbourhood level. • A unique dataset disaggregated at the neighbourhood level is used to investigate the spatial distribution of socioeconomic inequalities in Rome. • Spatial inequalities are analyzed trough multicriteria analysis. • Distribution of inequalities is influenced by the core/periphery effect as well as by demographic trends and political events. • New planning and policy approaches are needed to effectively address inequalities in Roma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Development of Hybrid Renewable Energy System model for off-grid RBS applications. • Definition of a multi-objective optimization methodology for design. • Study of the effects of local weather conditions on system performance. • Lowest LCOE achieved in the order of 0.48 €/kWh with low CO 2 emissions. • Highest LCOE for the worst-case scenario of about 0.66 €/kWh. The previous works on the use of PEM Fuel Cell based power supply system for the operation of off-grid RBS (Radio Base Stations) sites showed a strong influence of system design parameters on the energy conversion performance. In this paper a perturbation of system design is studied with validated models to understand the variability of performance over a full year operation. Moreover, a multi-objective optimal sizing methodology is proposed in terms of the minimization of a functional parameter taking into account costs, RES (Renewable Energy Sources) exploitation and pollutant emission factors. The influence of different weather conditions on the HRES (Hybrid Renewable Energy Systems) performance is analyzed investigating the system behavior for three different locations in Europe. The analysis of three real case studies showed that 20% ratio of the energy produced by fossil fuels over the energy produced by renewables sources can be obtained slightly increasing the PV (PhotoVoltaic) plant size with minor effects on the RES exploitation. Moreover, a lower LCOE (Levelized Cost Of Energy) can be achieved increasing the PV size and reducing battery size with an unavoidable reduction of the RES exploitation. Results for different sites highlighted the obtainment of different optimal sizings for each site. However, similar performance parameters can be obtained in the different case studies for Tilos, Rome and Brighton with an average LCOE of 0.5 €/kWh and a variability in the order of 0.1 €/kWh. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Identification of solution sets to reduce construction costs in nearly zero energy houses. • 15% maximum reduction of energy related construction cost in Continental Italy. • 26% maximum reduction of energy related construction cost in Mediterranean Italy. • Net present values up to 163 €/m2 after 50 years building lifetime. Concerning Nearly Zero Energy Buildings, it is important to guarantee energy efficiency, thermal comfort and indoor environmental quality, while keeping construction and operational costs low. In this framework, this paper explores the efficacy of applying different scenarios, for reducing construction costs of new nearly zero energy multi-family houses in a life cycle perspective. Conversely to the standard cost-optimal approach, a real Italian case study building was chosen. Alternative and unconventional combinations of solutions for envelope and technical systems were adopted. Calculations were performed in two Italian cities (Rome and Turin). Three types of analysis were developed thermal comfort, energy performance and financial calculation. Results of the thermal analysis show that the installation of active cooling to prevent summer overheating can be avoided by applying low-cost passive strategies. All the proposed low-cost scenarios (4 alternative scenarios in Rome and 5 in Turin) reached the highest grade of energy performance, with a reduction of the non-renewable primary energy consumption up to 46% compared to the base case in Rome and 18% in Turin. From the economic perspective, all the scenarios in the two climate zones allow both reductions in the construction costs, up to 26% in Rome and 15% in Turin, and a Net Present Value after 50 years up to 163 €/m2 in Rome and 158 €/m2 in Turin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rev. Marco Yaroslav Semehen.is professor of Liturgical Studies at Josyf Slipyj Seminary in Ternopil, Ukraine and president of the St. Sophia Religious Association for Ukrainian Catholics in Rome as well as pastoral coordinator for Ukrainian Catholic in Italy. Serving as a vice-pastor of Sts. Sergius and Bacchus Ukrainian Catholic Church in Rome, he is currently completing his Doctorate in Liturgical Studies at the Pontifical Oriental Institute, Rome, Italy Fr. Semehen served as editor of the yearly journal "Almamater" published by St. Josaphat Pontifical College in Rome and co-editor of the Christian bi-monthly "To the Light". [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The participation of microorganisms in construction and destruction of sedimentary structures is widely recognized, and so is the importance of studying such geological processes in modern systems, where the conditions, participating forces, and the results can be observed and recorded. This information is important for understanding and interpreting corresponding processes if their effects were preserved as part of the fossil record. The present contribution refers to topics discussed during the 9th International Bioerosion Workshop in Rome on Oct. 23–27, 2017, dedicated to the evaluation of microbial traces as paleoecological and paleobathymetric indicators. The paper reviews the habitats, methods of collection, and preparation of samples, followed by observation of extracted microbial euendoliths. This approach is complemented by producing images of three-dimensional display of inhabited microborings in their original positions using resin-casting and double embedding of the microbially invaded substrates. This contribution stresses the value of recognizing the microboring organisms' identities as a key aspect of the interpretation of their traces. It discusses different and complementary ways of how to achieve such parallel assessments. It reports on the importance of photo-documentation and morphometric evaluation of microbial populations, while avoiding possible artefacts caused by the methods used. The study also briefly summarizes the distribution patterns of microboring organisms and their boring and etching traces along depth profiles. Problems arising in the naming of complex traces and the relation to biological nomenclature are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reports the findings of an archaeometric study performed on 14 architectural earthenwares from the archaeological site of S. Omobono, located in the historic center of Rome (Italy). The archaeological site, accidentally discovered in 1937, includes the remains of a sacred area previously occupied by two temples, one of which was converted into the church of S. Omobono, in 1575. The samples, dated between the 7th and the 6th century BC, belong to different sectors of the site. Their petrographic, mineralogical and geochemical characterization was performed by optical microscopy (OM), X-ray powder diffraction (XRPD), X-ray fluorescence (XRF), electron probe micro-analysis (EPMA), and Raman spectroscopy (RS). The compositional data obtained were also subjected to the principal component analysis (PCA) in order to highlight similarities and differences among the samples. By combining geochemical and petrographic data, we were able to identify several different fabrics. Furthermore, the study provided valuable information on the firing temperatures of some samples and the provenance of the raw materials, by analyzing the chemical composition of clinopyroxenes present as non-plastic inclusions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: At many outpatient departments for psychiatry worldwide, standardized monitoring of the safety of prescribed psychotropic drugs is not routinely performed in daily clinical practice. Therefore it is unclear to which extent the drugs used by psychiatric outpatients are prescribed effectively and safely. These issues warrant structured monitoring of medication use, (pre-existing) co-morbidities, effectiveness and side effects during psychiatric outpatient treatment. Improvement of monitoring practices provides an opportunity to ensure that somatic complications and adverse drug effects are detected and dealt with in a timely manner. Structural support for data collection and follow-up tests seems essential for improvement of monitoring practices in psychiatric outpatients. The implementation of a structured somatic monitoring program as part of routine clinical practice, as we describe in this study protocol, may be a solution.Methods: In order to address these issues, we developed the innovative program 'Monitoring Outcomes of Psychiatric Pharmacotherapy (MOPHAR)'. MOPHAR is an infrastructure for implementation of standardized routine outcome monitoring (ROM; including standardized monitoring of treatment effect), monitoring of adverse psychotropic medication effects in psychiatric outpatients, encompassing both somatic adverse effects (e.g. metabolic disturbances) and subjective adverse effects (e.g. sedation or sexual side effects) and medication reconciliation.Discussion: In the MOPHAR monitoring program, a nurse performs general and psychotropic drug-specific somatic screenings and provides the treating mental health care providers with more and better information on somatic monitoring for treatment decisions. Given our experience regarding implementation of the MOPHAR program, we expect that the MOPHAR program is feasible and beneficial for patients in any MHS organisation. This paper describes the objectives, target population, setting and the composition and roles of the treatment team. It also indicates what measurements are performed at which time points during outpatient treatment in the MOPHAR monitoring program, as well as the research aspects of this project.Trial Registration: MOPHAR research has been prospectively registered with the Netherlands Trial Register on 19th of November 2014. ( NL4779 ). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The city of Rome has been included in seismic areas since nearly 40 years. The latest and most updated Italian Design Seismic Code (NTC08) for any point inside the national Italian territory gives the seismic acceleration and some spectral parameters of the expected earthquake. All the Italian region is considered seismically risky, but it seems reasonable to distinguish and classify the seismic areas in two different groups: those one located within the seismogenic areas (near field) and the ones far from the first ones (far field) but affected by the main seismic events arising from the first group of areas. This classification will help to understand different propagation mechanism of seismic waves propagating from seismogenic zones and arriving in no-seismogenic areas. Big cities, like Milan, Rome, Naples fall inside this classification, then the analysis and study of the "indirect seismic hazard" for these highly populated cities appears of high importance mainly for the defense of historical heritage. The paper will shows some problematic aspects of this propagation analysis of the recent seismic movements arisen in central Apennines and moving toward the city of Rome, as emblematic example of projection of acceleration and frequency content recorded in the Italy capital but generated hundreds of kilometers away. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, the thermographic results obtained by studying some masterpieces of the bronze statuary of Rome are presented. More specifically, a quantitative approach has been adopted in the investigation of the Capitoline She Wolf, hosted in the Musei Capitolini, and of the Boxer at Rest and the Hellenistic Prince belonging to the collection of the Museo Nazionale Romano. The obtained results provided data useful to characterize the properties of the bronze alloy and several subsurface features of the statue, such as casting faults and patches. In particular, the interface between different kind of patches and the main body of the statue has been investigated in order to determine the way they were applied. Moreover, the thermal diffusivity of the alloy of the Capitoline She Wolf has been evaluated and quantitative investigations have been carried out in order to determine the depth of some features, such as the cavities originating from air bubbles in the casting melt. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Based on interviews with activists and local government officials and on secondary data, this paper analyzes the development and effects of the Roman Right to Inhabit Movement (RIM) from its origins till 2014. The first section describes the origins and characteristics of the new housing question in Rome. The second presents a brief genealogy of the RIM, paying special attention to how it has framed the housing question. The third describes the activities of the RIM by focusing on its interplay with the city politics and administration and the resulting changes in the housing policy of the city of Rome. The fourth section analyzes the modes of state regulation and of political articulation of the housing question that these transformations have brought about. The final section argues that these emerging arrangements are a significant example of how new forms of social protection are being created by urban movements after the neoliberal erosion of the welfare mechanisms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Information about several papers discussed at the conference hosted by Cardinal Gianfranco Ravasi and held in Rome in April 2017 is presented. Topics include climate change, migration, and genome editing. The conference featured the launch of the Commission on the Value of Life by the Mario Negri Institute.

In Rome, legal status of woman and her factual possibilities of impact on public life were in serious discrepancy. General attitude of the legal status of woman in time of Romans is best shown by Papinian, „In many provisions of our law, the position of woman is worse than of man (D.9.1.5.)“. Every free Roman woman was considered a subject of law, according to classical Roman law. Nevertheless, there were extensive legislations that limited her legal and business capacity. Naturally, woman did not have legal personality in all periods of Roman state and her legal status was adjusted to the factual changes that had occurred in Roman society. What makes her position specific in Rome is progressive social role that did not exist in Greek-Asian world. From these previously mentioned views, which were confronting, it is possible to draw some doubts. Was woman really on the margins of political happenings, or was she an actual actor, even initiator, of some political events? [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Julian ,,the Apostate" was Roman Emperor from 361 to 363 and a noted philosopher and Greek writer. A member of the Constantinian dynasty (his father Julius Constantius, was Constantine's brother), Julian was a man of unusually complex character: he was the military commander, the theosophist, the social reformer and the man of letter. He was the last non-Christian ruler of the Roman Empire and it was his desire to bring the Empire back to its ancient Roman values in order to save it from dissolution. He purged the top-heavy state bureaucracy and attempted to revive traditional Roman religious practices at the cost of Christianity. His rejection of Christianity in favour of Neoplatonic paganism caused him to be called Julian the Apostate (Greek Άποστάτηϛ or Παρααβάτηϛ = ,,Transgressor") by the Church. He was the last Emperor of the Constantinian dynasty, the Empire's first Christian dynasty. The substitution of the Roman Republic by Hellenistic oriental monarchy, the process extending through three centuries, found its legal-theoretical justification in the Hellenistic theory of a monarch as a live or spiritualized law (νόμο ϛ εμψυχο ϛ, lex animata). This theory is in contrary to the Roman republican concept of Emperor (princeps, dominus) as a mandatary of Roman people, especially expressed by Emperor Julian in his orations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the process of creating the Roman Empire as well as thereafter during the struggle for its existence, the following question emerges: to which extent should be the acceding nations allowed to practice their deeply embedded customary rules? This question is important also nowadays in times of creation of the European Union and its unified legal system. In terms of the use of customs Rome has been changing its attitude depending on important changes in the society. In times of a rise, during the period of Republic, Rome was deciding on whether it will allow or forbid the acceding nations to continue living by their own customs and religious rules. Later, when the roman citizenship has been given to all inhabitants of the Empire by Caracalla's Edict (in the 212. year), a liberal approach has been taken. In the constitution of Alexander Sever, as well as in the fragments of the classical lawyers one can read about the obligation of the judge to take into account the customs. However, when the Empire got into a serious crisis and barbarian people came onto the roman land, a general boundary has been set towards the use of long-lasting customs: these customs could be used, and potentially even have the force of a law, as long as they did not jeopardize the interests of the Empire (utilitas publica). The analyzed rules on the question can the potential future heirs dispose with the future heritage (the goods of a living person -- bonis viventis) in the classical, post-classical and Justinian's law, points onto the fact that the postclassical cutomary rules, that were not in conflict with the interests of the Empire, contributed even to the changes of the rules of the classical roman law. In the taken example, the classical rule according to which the disposal with future heritage is null and void, is modified under the influence of a german custom in a way that, property division and disposal with the divided property by future heirs was allowed, provided the future de cuius gave his consent. However, when adopting this rule the law maker took into account the selfish interests of the Empire as well: the conversion of "dead capital" into a "live capital, from which the heirs could fulfill their fiscal duties. Hence, this custom was accepted not only because it was not not in conflict with the public interests, but because it served its purpose. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on Phoebe, one of the 37 coworkers of the epistle writer Paul mentioned in Paul's letter to the Christians in Rome. Phoebe had several roles in the Roman Christian church, including a patron, a deacon in the congregation of Cenchreae, a preacher and an apostle. The article also mentions that the heart of Phoebe's mission to Rome was her repeated oral performance of Apostle Paul's letter and her original hearers did not rule out the apostle ship of Phoebe on the basis of her gender.

The public obligations of the population towards the Roman community were dictated by fides, by honesty based on religious belief common to all nations, that the obligations must be fulfilled. From the ancient times there was also a rule that the public rights and duties of a Roman citizen are dependant on his economic power. This rule was later introduced in provinces, along with a demand that the peregrin who intended to be a member of the city council must have a building in the city and he needed also the persons who would guarantee for the fulfillment of his obligations towards the Empire. The peregrins already heavily burdened by taxation during the period of the Republic and Principate, were obliged to confess under the oath the property and the members of their families. As a guarantee for the payment of public debts the whole present and future property of the tax-payer was charged by pledge, with the priority right in favour of the Roman treasury. In the Late Roman Empire, after when the Roman citizenship was given to the whole population of the Empire (212 AD) and after the introduction of uniform taxation, this practice was applied to its entire territory. From the beginning of the 3rd century because of economic crises, wars, and devastations of barbarian nations, however, the demands of the citizens for exemptions of public charges became a frequent problem. Having in mind that these demands were often unfounded, sometimes even extorted, the emperors have regulated the benefice of remission of fiscal debts by particular laws. Fighting against unjust claims for privileges of landowners (potentiores), corruption and various other frauds concerning fiscal interests of the Empire, on the other hand, the emperors gave remission of delinquent taxes to the population, if the reason for it they find justified. Their decisions relied on the ancient rule, that the public charges depend on the economic power of the citizen, with the argumentation: `In whatever degree any person is of more honored rank or richer, so much the more does he owe a more eager spirit toward his compulsory public services whose performance he knows will be the more profitable to him.` (Nov. Val. 10, 3) [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The question of insufficient number of the newly born children is for each population the fundamental and the most important question. Mankind has always been searching for the answer of the problem of insufficient number of the newly born children, because it leads to the reduction of the number of population, as well as the getting older of the population. Bearing the children is a positive component of each society and it leads to the question of marriage and family survival, as well as of the whole society. For the Romans, bearing the children was not a hard decision as it is today, which is avoided because of the many "modern" reasons which were strange to the Romans (unemployment, housing problem, absence of the wish to live with someone, etc.). In the Roman society it was not allowed someone for a long time to deny the duty to get married and to have children (born or adopted). It was explained as the lack of patriotism and godlessness. The Romans saw in descendants the foundation of material and moral lasting of the state. In the period of demographic crisis of the Roman society (because of the constant wars, the rise of colonization, reduction of marriages and other factors), the Roman state didn't allow individuals to decide by themselves if they were going to have children or not, but by legal forms imposed the obligation of legally contracted marriages and bearing legitimate descendants. The personal rights of the individuals were restricted by the law because of the higher goal -- demographic reform. Apart, it wasn't forgotten one right known as „ius liberorum " -- „the right on the basis of children" that allowed persons who had children (born or adopted) to get some rights. That right that appeared in the beginning of Roman history was kept by the emperor August and found it place in his well-known "caducarn laws". Those laws gave some privileges to married women who had children, and to the old bachelors and old maids restricted rights on inheritance according to the will. The emperor August was criticized for his demographic measures because he didn't keep in mind middle class, but only the members of the higher classes. With his measures he wanted to strengthen the aristocracy and the poor citizens couldn't pay the punishment of a million sestercias. While the Romans insisted on bearing children who would be future warriors and the actors of the greater work productivity, in the modern system of the value the essence of the parents has been changed: a child is born in order to fulfill psychological and emotional needs of the parents that can be realized with one or two children. These facts cause that the level of birth of a child doesn't fulfill needs of a simple regeneration of the population and in that way demographic crisis is actual nowadays, as well. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The classification of the form of guilt set forth in Article 30 of the Rome Statute into certain concepts of the criminal law is not easy, as it seems to be at the first glance. The task is even more difficult due to the limited scope of the provision, vague and incomplete provision of Article 30 and position of the interpreter of the Law. The Statute did not finally define the form of the guilt in Article 30 although it should be a general provision, common for the entire Statute. The provision of Article 30 relates only to this Article and the form of guilt may be prescribed in other articles of the Statute as well. There is no obstacle to define the forms of guilt in other articles of the Statute and this has been done in several instances. By doing this, the meaning of different forms of guilt, which have the same or similar title, is being mixed. It should be noted that the only forms of guilt that have content are those stated in Article 30. The content of all the others can only be speculated. Insufficiently regulated and unclearly set legal provision is clearly a product of the common law legal drafting. The comparison with some classical texts of common law criminal code, like the Model Penal Code, unambiguously leads to this conclusion. One of the most significant characteristics of the Model Penal Code that was transmitted to the Statute was a different regulation of the contents of the guilt bearing in mind different elements of the criminal act. If, during the interpreting, the provision is approached from a various angles, different conclusions will be reached. If the provision is approached from a common law angle, one conclusion would be reached; if the provision is approached from a continental law angle, a different conclusion would be reached. This is how it happened that the basic assumption of the work stating that one form of the guilt recognized by Article 30 was a direct intent and the other was indirect intent was denied. It relied on a targeted interpretation of the Statute which stated that after direct intent the next level of the guilt, from the perspective of the gravity, is indirect intent. The first form of the guilt stated in Article 30 is certainly direct intent, but the other one cannot, beyond any doubts, be considered as indirect intent. The opinions that are classifying the later in one or another form of the guilt are not correct. The solution that seems the most valid is the one that takes into consideration the fact that the Statute recognizes criminal acts related to conduct and criminal acts related to a consequence. A various content of the other form of the guilt in Article 30 related to different elements of the criminal acts leaves an open space for different conclusions. In relation to the criminal acts related to the consequence, it is beyond any doubt that the form of the guilt of Article 30 is direct intent. As far as the criminal acts related to conduct are concerned, Article 30 does not contain a clear definition, so both direct and indirect intent are possible. Although Article 30 does not state anything about negligence as a form of guilt necessary for commitment of criminal acts prescribed by the Statute, negligence is present through several doctrines, whereby the command responsibility is the most important among them all. Through the command responsibility negligence can have the same significance in the Rome Statute as intent. Therefore it seems that the creator of the Statute made a mistake by not giving a definition of the negligence in Article 30. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is well known that the fiducia cum creditore contracta in the classical period practiced all over the Empire was changed by pignus in postclassical times. Therefore, in the books of the Justinian's Codification the term fiducia was replaced by the term pignus. On contrary, on the utilization of the term fiducia for pledge in postclassical sources of the so-called 'West Roman vulgar law' the literature offers only shallow information. This article aims to: 1. inform the reader about the postclassical/ early medieval sources which utilize the term fiducia as a kind of pledge; 2. find out, whether there are or not dogmatical differences between fiducia and pignus, particularly: A) does fiducia means the transfer of ownership on the pledged thing to the pledgee; B) whether mancipatio was still needed in case of fiducia and what was the meaning of mancipatio in those times; 3. find out, whether the connection of fiducia with fides could be a reason for retention of fiducia as a kind of pledge. 4. As conclusion, the articles offers a hypothetical answer on the question: why fiducia was preserved in these sources and in which sense? [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The author analyses Roman legal texts in the Digesta, Gaius' and Justinian's Institutes in order to determine whether Roman legal science was familiar with the terms causa negotii, causa obligationis and causa of performance in contracts, so as to check is it well-founded the opinion of our legal science that Romans did not systematically and theoretically elaborate on the term "causa". The author demonstrated on text examples that Roman jurisprudence of the classical period did have the notions causa negotii, causa obligationis and causa of performance in contracts. With its elaborations jurisprudence determined relations among them that satisfied legal logic. The way in which it understood them did not create any problems in everyday application of law. From that point of view, that was a well-considered approach to the matter of the causa. If we bear in mind that classical jurisprudence analyzed thoroughly the notion causa adquirendi, within which the best quality discussion developed on the terms of iusta causa traditionis and iusta causa usucapionis (the author did not get into the issue of that), then one could say that Roman jurisprudence elaborated on the issue of the causa in a systematic and integrated ways, according its casuistic approach to the law. The matter of the causa was elaborated on in the way that was demanded by the circumstances in which jurisprudence functioned, appropriate to its doctrine that law was just a skill to find a good and just solution in cases that appeared in practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The substitution of the Roman republic by Hellenistic oriental monarchy, the process extending through three centuries, found its legal-theorethical justification in the Hellenistic theory of a monarch as a live or spritualized law (νόμον ε<ψυχοϕ, lex animata). This theory is in contrary to the Roman republican concept of emperor (princeps, dominus) as a mandatary of Roman people. This idea was especially expressed by Themistios, great pagan orator and philosopher from IV century, in his several orations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article provides an empirical supplement to the theoretical debates by exploring the development of political group representation and administration with a Romani historical case study. The goal of creating legitimate and effective Romani representation is making its way to the forefront of political debates at both the national and international levels. This Romani historical case study consists of a series of articles tracing the steps of the partial transformation of the traditional, internal social organization of the Roma, which functioned only at the level of bands or extended families, into a transnational network of ethnically based modern political organizations.