This thesis analyzes the three texts forming the so-called „Fantastic trilogy‟ by Tommaso Landolfi: La pietra lunare (1939), Racconto d’autunno (1947) and Cancroregina (1950), in the light of the cultural and historical environment in which they were produced. I argue that these novellas incorporate and obliquely problematize specific tensions of the period running from Racial Laws (1938) and the Pact of Steel (1939) to post-war reconstruction. Building on recent scholarship on the subversive role of the Fantastic, the study provides a more comprehensive view of Landolfi‟s early production and challenges accepted views on his Fantastic as exclusively ironical, intellectual and free-play. This thesis also investigates the sources through which Landolfi delineates this oblique form of socio-political critique. Whereas scholarship in the past has widely recognized that Landolfi draws inspiration from nineteenth-century French, Russian and German classics in the genre of Gothic and Fantastic fiction, this contribution draws attention to the way Landolfi negotiates this traditional repertoire through input from both Italy‟s „high‟ literary tradition (Dante, Leopardi, Manzoni, D‟Annunzio), Italian folklore and other non-literary sources (i.e. occultism and psychiatry). This thesis considers Landolfi‟s work from fresh angles, applying recent Anglophone theoretical frameworks (including theories on post-humanism, on the subversive role of the Fantastic and political readings of Gothic fiction) to his writing and probing his portrayals of dynamics and tensions that continue to challenge us today. Additionally, it makes use of the anthropological notion of „liminality‟ to underline the intrinsic thematic, textual and narrative ambiguity of the three novellas. I claim that the texts‟ liminality – involving slippery entities, settings, situations and narrative modalities that do not fit any precise category – voices the cultural and political instability of the decade under analysis. The study makes a deeper, and more nuanced, contribution to the literature on Landolfi, reflecting upon the author‟s strategies for problematizing contemporary historical and cultural issues by means of a fiction only apparently detached from reality.

The religious and ecclesiastical role of women in the early medieval church in the city of Rome has so far not been studied in detail and this thesis offers to remedy that gap. It presents in form of a case study limiting itself in terms of its topographical boundaries to the city of Rome, and in terms of a historical time period to that which coincides approximately to the start of the papacy of Hadrian I to the end of the papacy of Paschal I. Use is made only of source material which can be connected directly to early medieval Rome, and not only ordained and monastic roles of women are explored but also the many other ways in which women were able to engage with the liturgy, sacraments and religious ordinances as well as through diaconal and other forms of work. This is done not least through a detailed analysis of the relevant Ordines Romani. Other ways in which women of early medieval Rome were able to engage in the life of the church was through the production and maintenance of liturgical textiles and also through patronage on large and small scales towards individual ecclesiastical institutions. A less well known means of engagement was through the work of the diaconitae at Rome’s diaconiae. Throughout the thesis a particular interest is expressed in exploring how religious and ecclesiastical engagement was possible for women from lower social strata. In addition to this the overall inclusion, or otherwise, of women in the surviving iconographical material of early medieval Rome is analysed. Particular attention is given to matters such as relics, saints patronage and lectionary readings in relation to saints’ days. Matters of hermeneutics are explored on an ongoing basis in relation to the source material, but also in relation to the secondary literature consulted. Regarding the latter this is especially undertaken in relation to female monastic communities and the offices of the diacona, presbytera and episcopa. In respect of these offices, but also in relation to all other matters pertaining to the ecclesiastical and religious roles of women in early medieval Rome this thesis argues neither for a minimalist nor for a maximalist interpretation, but offers a nuanced yet, of necessity, fragmentary overall picture. This is borne out of the decision to work only with source materials that can be directly linked to early medieval Rome which in itself is fragmentary in nature. On the one hand it means that little can be made known on a subject area such as women’s religious education for instance. On the other hand this concentration on Roman source material alone means that matters unique to the situation of women in the church of medieval Rome can be established, such as, for instance, the continuation of the ordained office of the diacona into the early ninth century or the absence of any issues regarding cultic cleanness relating to women.

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It is expected that increasing amounts of distributed generation (DG) will be connected to the power system in the future. Advances in technology, deregulation in the market and the changes brought about by the government in many countries to end the monopoly of the vertically integrated power utilities led to the birth of this new technology. The other incentive being the alternative energy sources which are becoming more cost effective. Although there are many advantages with the interconnection of the DG into the network, there are many problems that it brings with its interconnection. There are many issues to be considered for the interconnection of DG?s, like the sizing and siting of the DG. The size and site of the DG will have an effect on the voltages and operations of the distribution power system. Since it is necessary that the voltages be within a specified limit, this problem of the siting and sizing of the DG has taken top priority. This thesis discusses a procedure for evaluating the impact of the site, size of the DG and also a change in the loading conditions of the system before and after the reconfiguration of the system due to the fault. This contingency analysis work is validated using the I 13 and I 37 node distribution feeder. Many feasible combinations of the size and site of a DG are analyzed, which resulted in large number of data, while the load flow is run for each feasible combination. The results and trends are presented.

In the past, distribution systems were characterized by a unidirectional power flow where power flows from the main power generation units to consumers. However, with changes in power system regulation and increasing incentives for integrating renewable energy sources, Distributed Generation (DG) has become an important component of modern distribution systems. However, when a portion of the system is energized by one or more DG and is disconnected from the grid, this portion becomes islanded and might cause several operational and safety issues. Therefore, an accurate and fast islanding detection technique is needed to avoid these issues as per IEEE Standard 1547-2003 [1]. Islanding detection techniques are dependent on the type of the DG connected to the system and can achieve accurate results when only one type of DG is used in the system. Thus, a major challenge is to design a universal islanding technique to detect islanding accurately and in a timely manner for different DG types and multiple DG units in the system. This thesis introduces an efficient universal islanding detection method that can be applied to both Inverter-based DG and Synchronous-based DG. The proposed method relies on extracting a group of features from measurements of the voltage and frequency at the Point of Common Coupling (PCC) of the targeted island. The Random Forest (RF) classification technique is used to distinguish between islanding and non-islanding situations with the goals of achieving a zero Non-Detection Zone (NDZ), which is a region where islanding detection techniques fail to detect islanding, as well as avoiding nuisance DG tripping during non-islanding conditions. The accuracy of the proposed technique is evaluated using a cross-validation technique. The methodology of the proposed islanding detection technique is shown to have a zero NDZ, 98% accuracy, and fast response when applied to both types of DGs. Finally, four other classifiers are compared with the Random Forest classifier, and the RF technique proved to be the most efficient approach for islanding detection.

In the past, distribution systems were characterized by a unidirectional power flow where power flows from the main power generation units to consumers. However, with changes in power system regulation and increasing incentives for integrating renewable energy sources, Distributed Generation (DG) has become an important component of modern distribution systems. However, when a portion of the system is energized by one or more DG and is disconnected from the grid, this portion becomes islanded and might cause several operational and safety issues. Therefore, an accurate and fast islanding detection technique is needed to avoid these issues as per IEEE Standard 1547-2003 [1]. Islanding detection techniques are dependent on the type of the DG connected to the system and can achieve accurate results when only one type of DG is used in the system. Thus, a major challenge is to design a universal islanding technique to detect islanding accurately and in a timely manner for different DG types and multiple DG units in the system. This thesis introduces an efficient universal islanding detection method that can be applied to both Inverter-based DG and Synchronous-based DG. The proposed method relies on extracting a group of features from measurements of the voltage and frequency at the Point of Common Coupling (PCC) of the targeted island. The Random Forest (RF) classification technique is used to distinguish between islanding and non-islanding situations with the goals of achieving a zero Non-Detection Zone (NDZ), which is a region where islanding detection techniques fail to detect islanding, as well as avoiding nuisance DG tripping during non-islanding conditions. The accuracy of the proposed technique is evaluated using a cross-validation technique. The methodology of the proposed islanding detection technique is shown to have a zero NDZ, 98% accuracy, and fast response when applied to both types of DGs. Finally, four other classifiers are compared with the Random Forest classifier, and the RF technique proved to be the most efficient approach for islanding detection.

Sibyl cycles in Northern and Central Italy, in the Early Renaissance. Previous published scholarship listed twenty-two sites. I now know of forty. Twenty-three of these may be considered Early Renaissance works of art and are the subject of this study. This study is not primarily engaged with history of Art but with the history of Ideas. That is, it is not a study of the painters. their methods and status but rather with the study of the development of the genre. its textual sources, the content of the inscribed oracles. the development of the pictorial conventions and symbolism. the transmission of these and the cultural significance of the genre. The dissertation is concerned with artistic styles and techniques only in so far as they illuminate the pictorial origin of the works and their iconographic significance in terms of the ideas conveyed. It describes and defines regional sub-genres. each with clear rules and conventions. These have not previously been identified and no comprehensive national conspectus exists. Structure of the Dissertation The dissertation is in three parts. The first part addresses the nature and origin of Sibyls (who and what they were) and their significance in cultural history until the Renaissance. Part Two is concerned with the origins and transmission of text and iconographic conventions in the Renaissance Sibyl cyeles. Pari three is a catalogue and survey of each Sibyl cycle site in Central and Northern Italy, along with a comprehensive photographic record. Great destruction of some cycles has taken place since the 1960s and the compilation of a complete photographic record is urgent and a significant aim of the present work. There are few published coloured photographs of the full cycles. none complete except for Siena. This dissertation is wide in scope and is in large part a catalogue and survey of all known Italian Sibyl cycles. Because of the limitations of a Doctoral dissertation. at times the transition from one site to another may appear abrupt and disjunct. Nonetheless, the structure is logical and careful. Sites are arranged chronologically, according to genre. The reader is directed to the detailed table of contents, if a review of structure and order be required. Research Method The method of research was to form a comprehensive list of Sibyl sites in Italy by consulting published English and Continental books. journals and locally produced historical papers as well as word of mouth advice in Italy. I visited all the sites and made a photographic record. Origin and transmission of text was established by consulting contemporary manuscripts that either specify the oracle text or describe the original Orsini. and other, frescos. These manuscripts are widely scattered in Europe and difficult of access so, where possible, a significant example of each kind of manuscript is reproduced in photographs or photocopy, transcribed and translated in the Appendices to the dissertation.

This thesis seeks to interrogate the mutual relationship between representations of organized crime and commitment in Italian film (cinema d’impegno). Since the Second World War, images of bandits, mafiosi and criminal rackets have been central to some of the most important political films released, including In nome della legge (Pietro Germi, 1949), Salvatore Giuliano (Francesco Rosi, 1961) and A ciascuno il suo (Elio Petri, 1967). The ‘mafia film’ in Italy thus has a rich heritage of powerfully engaged cinema that remains a far cry from its glamourized international counterpart. Yet this ‘filone’, like cinema d’impegno widely, has suffered from the endemic political apathy that accompanied advance of postmodernity. Drawing on recent scholarship on postmodern impegno, as well as on some of the most important contemporary mafia films that have led critics to announce a ‘return’ to this heritage of engaged cinema, this thesis will interrogate the image of organized crime today and its problematic mimicry of this past. It will employ a historically comparative approach, beginning with an analysis of the important waves of committed cinema in the post-War years. It then turns to the social role of the cinema since the 1990s, when, despite the disintegration of political ‘grand narratives’, the constant renewal of the trauma of organized crime has continued to produce boldly political cinematic denunciations. A secondary aim of the thesis is to bring into question the very notion of impegno. As the discourses that are analysed in the first half show, the Marxist core of many of the political mafia films has led to a narrow understanding of the organized crime imagery. Building on Marxist theorists, from Lukács to Jameson, and extending a better critical appreciation of the spectator, this discussion seeks to bring into focus the importance of genre cinema in the dialectical creation of a political mafia image.

The thesis focuses on the response of Venice province population to the rise of Fascism and to the regime’s attempts to fascistise Italian society. This thesis is developed around analysis of popular opinion and the way in which limited local consensus for the Fascist regime contributed to Fascism’s downfall. The thesis begins with a discussion of the Party, and to provides a clear picture of how ‘national’ and ‘local’ interacted alongside the establishment of the structures. The focus then shifts to the working class and the way it came to terms with the Fascist regime. The third chapter deals with two groups that provided a particular challenge to the regime’s totalitarian aspirations: Venetian Youth and the Catholic Church with its attempts to resist and to jeopardize the regime’s intention to monopolise every aspect of social life. The fourth chapter is a case-study of the Venetian Jewish community, of how the Race Laws affected the life of Venetian Jews. Lastly, the fifth chapter, by way of a conclusion, studies the ‘Fascist War’ (1940-1943) as a microcosm that explains for the local Venetian context how the lack of popular consent enhanced the regime’s inability to survive war-induced challenges.

This thesis details the development of fora in Rome and Pompeii in order that our understanding of these spaces as 'centres' accounts for their changing relationship with the city, between the third century B.C. and the second century A.D. It is a diachronic study of spatial practice and the representation of space, based on archaeological evidence for infrastructures of movement and textual evidence for the articulation of spatial concepts. Having asserted the importance of movement in shaping the perception of space in antiquity, this thesis details the changes to the physical disposition, the management of access, and the representation of fora. It concludes that while the centrality of the Forum Romanum was related to its potential for through movement, access was increasingly restricted in the late-first century B.C. This changing disposition of public space informed the development of the imperial fora, which in turn informed the development of fora outside of the city of Rome. Fora changed from shortcuts to obstacles in the city; from spaces of movement through to spaces of movement to. This represents a fundamental redefinition of their relationship with the city of which they were a part, and of their 'centrality' in both practice and representation.