Search results for "Model"

Observation of the Early Structural Changes Leading to the Formation of Protein Superstructures.

2014

Formation of superstructures in protein aggregation processes has been indicated as a general pathway for several proteins, possibly playing a role in human pathologies. There is a severe lack of knowledge on the origin of such species in terms of both mechanisms of formation and structural features. We use equine lysozyme as a model protein, and by combining spectroscopic techniques and microscopy with X-ray fiber diffraction and ab initio modeling of Small Angle X-ray Scattering data, we isolate the partially unfolded state from which one of these superstructures (i.e., particulate) originates. We reveal the low-resolution structure of the unfolded state and its mechanism of formation, hi…

DISCHARGE HYDROGRAPH ASSESSMENT THROUGH REVERSE ROUTING MODEL IN RIVERS WITH SIGNIFICANT LATERAL INFLOW

Measuring territory student-attractiveness in Italy. Longitudinal evidence

2016

The aim of this paper is to investigate the factors affecting university student mobility in Italy in a longitudinal perspective, by considering the flows across competing territorial areas supplying tertiary education programs. The Bradley-Terry modelling approach based on pair comparisons has been adopted to define the attractiveness of competing territories and a range of determinants related to the socio-economic characteristics of the areas as well as universities’ resources. Data released by the Italian Ministry of Education (MiUR) are analysed for the academic years 2010/2011-2014/2015. The modelling approach considers score values for each territory and year, allowing to evaluate wh…

Hydro-mechanical modelling of a natural slope affected by a multiple slip surface failure mechanism

2009

A coupled hydro-mechanical formulation is presented for the analysis of landslide motion during crisis episodes. The mathematical formulation is used to model a natural slope affected by a multiple slip surface failure mechanism, in which pore water pressure evolution was identified as the main cause for movement accelerations. An elasto-plastic constitutive model is adopted for the behaviour of slip surfaces. Material parameters are obtained by combining the available laboratory tests and the back analysis of some crisis episodes. After being calibrated and validated, the model is applied to improve the understanding of the physical processes involved and to predict the landslide behaviour…

Evaluation of biogas production and usage potential

2016

The aim of the research is the development of theoretical and methodical bases for determining the feasibility of plant raw materials growing for its further bioconversion into energy resources and tec hnological materials to maximize profit from business activities. Monograph, statistics, modelling and abstract logical methods have been used during the research. Directions of biogas usage have been examined. Biogas yields from different crops have been analyzed. It has been determined that high methane yields can be provided from root crops, grain crops, and several green forage plants. So, forage beet and maize can provide more than 5,500 m3 of biogas per hectare. Attention is paid to the…

An urban multi-­scale modeling using fuzzy evaluation of accessibility and morphological constraints

2008

International audience; Increasing mobility has contributed since a couple of years to favor urban sprawl. The negative impacts of urban sprawl are well known, in particular the increase of traffic flows and vulnerability of natural resources. Addressing those questions we propose a spatial decision support system based on a multi-scale approach. On the one hand, fractal geometry is used to determine where new urban developments are possible. Here, the central assumption is the fractal nature of urban growth allowing access to various types of amenities: central amenities (retailing, cultural offer...) and peripheral amenities (open landscape). On the other hand, the accessibility to retail…

The effect of rainfall temporal resolution on urban drainage water quality modelling

2009

Urban Flood Prediction through GIS-Based Dual-Coupled Hydraulic Models

2022

Propagation of pluvial floods in urban areas, occurring with return time periods of few years, can be well solved using dual models accounting for the mutual relationship between the water level in the streets and the discharges inside the sewer pipes. The extended WEC-flood model (EWEC), based on the use of unstructured triangular meshes and a diffusive formulation of the momentum equations in both the 2D and the 1D lower domains, is presented along with its novelty, limits, and advantages. The model is then applied to a small computational domain in the Palermo area, where only some ‘hard’ data given by one rain gauge has been used for calibration and validation, along with ot…

Nonlinear black-box models for short-term forecasting of air temperature in the town of Palermo

2011

Weather data are crucial to correctly design buildings and their heating and cooling systems and to assess their energy performances. In the intensely urbanized towns the effect of climatic parameters is further emphasized by the Urban Heat Island (UHI) phenomenon, known as the increase in the air temperature of urban areas, compared to the one measured in the extra-urban areas. The analysis of the heat island needs detailed local climate data which can be collected only by a dedicated weather monitoring system. The Department of Energy and Environmental Researches of the University of Palermo (Italy) has built up a weather monitoring system that works 24 hours per day and makes data availa…

De huertas y barracas a galaxias faraónicas. Percepciones sociales sobre la mutación de la ciudad de Valencia

2013

Valencia se ha convertido en una metrópolis clónica glocalizada gracias a un espectacular crecimiento que se ha articulado sobre grandes proyectos urbanísticos y eventos mediáticos. Con ellos, el gobierno municipal, con el apoyo del autonómico, ha tratado de ocupar una posición favorable en el mercado de las ciudades orientadas estratégicamente al turismo cultural y de entretenimiento. El objetivo de este artículo es realizar una aproximación a la huella que han dejado estas transformaciones en las representaciones que de Valencia se hacen sus ciudadanos. Ofreceremos una panorámica de los elementos básicos que conforman las diferentes percepciones y expectativas sociales sobre la ciudad. La…