Questa tesi di dottorato tratta il tema delle Tecnologie Appropriate e delle Buone Pratiche per la gestione delle risorse idriche ed il risparmio energetico nell’ambito dell’abitato urbano e rurale. Viene fatta una breve panoramica sulle principali teorie e metodologie che fino ad oggi hanno fatto da linee guida per la progettazione sostenibile e il corretto utilizzo delle risorse. Questa visione d'insieme servirà per esprimere delle valutazioni e trovare dei comuni dominatori per proporre una nuova metodologia d'approccio alla gestione delle risorse con particolare attenzione rivolta alla condizione presente e alla zona d’intervento. Site specific sustainability Approach (S3A). I casi studio: • Un progetto di approvvigionamento idrico e di desalinizzazione delle acque per un’oasi del Sahara marocchino. • Un progetto di ricerca della Columbia University e della NASA legato alla sostenibilità urbana di New York che analizza i benefici apportati dall'installazione di coperture verdi nell'area di Manhattan da un punto di vista della gestione delle risorse idriche, energetiche e delle componenti ambientali. • Un progetto di verde verticale e giardino pensile a Milano. • Un progetto di approvvigionamento idrico sostenibile e gestione del verde per la città di Porto Plata in Repubblica Domenicana. Approfondimenti e sperimentazioni. • E’ stato approfondito il tema della distillazione solare per la dissalazione e potabilizzazione delle acque in zone rurali desertiche ed isolate. • E’ stato progettato e realizzato un prototipo innovativo di distillatore tubolare con collettore solare parabolico. Il prototipo è stato testato nei laboratori della Columbia University di New York. • Sono state approfondite le Khettaras o Qanat, tunnel sotterranei per l’approvvigionamento idrico nelle zone aride. • Infine sono stati approfonditi i benefici apportati dalle coperture a verde (tetti verdi) e dal verde verticale nelle zone urbane dal punto di vista della gestione delle risorse idriche ed il risparmio energetico. / This Phd dissertation is related to Appropriate Technologies (AP) and Best Practices for water management and energy saving in urban and rural environment. Has been made a brief overview of the main theories and methodologies that have hitherto done by the design guidelines for the sustainable and efficient use of resources in the built environment; This overview will serve to express the evaluations and find common strategies to propose a new method of approach for the resources management on the area of intervention. (The site specific sustainability approach) Research topics and applications: The solar distillation for water desalination in rural and remote arid areas. The design and construction of a prototype of a new Tubular Solar Still (TSS) with a parabolic solar collector for the water desalination and purification. The TSS prototype has been tested in the Columbia University Engineering Solar Lab in New York City. The traditional water supply system for the arid areas Khetteras or Qanat. The green Infrastructure and the green roofs. Has been considered the role green infrastructures in sustainable water management practices and energy saving. Case of studies: • A sustainable water management and water desalination project, by Appropriate Technologies, for rural communities in the Moroccan Sahara desert. • The Research project “Quantifying the fundamental behavior of green roofs in a urban environment” runned by Columbia University and NASA. A project that, by environmental monitoring, analyze the benefits of installing green roofs in the Manhattan area. • A green façade and an experimental roof garden design project for an architectural firm in Milan. • A project about strategies for sustainable urban development made with the Columbia University Urban Ecology studio. A sustainable water harvesting and green infrastructures design project for the City of Puerto Plata in the Dominican Republic.

L'approvvigionamento di risorse minerali e la tutela dell'ambiente sono spesso considerate attività contrapposte ed inconciliabili, ma in realtà rappresentano due necessità imprescindibili per le società moderne. Le georisorse, in quanto non rinnovabili, devono essere valorizzate in maniera efficiente, adoperando strumenti che garantiscano la sostenibilità ambientale, sociale ed economica degli interventi estrattivi. La necessità di tutelare il territorio e migliorare la qualità della vita delle comunità locali impone alla Pubblica Amministrazione di implementare misure per la riqualificazione di aree degradate, ma fino ai primi anni '90 la normativa di settore non prevedeva strumenti a tal proposito, e ciò ha portato alla proliferazione di siti estrattivi dismessi e abbandonati senza interventi di recupero ambientale. Il presente lavoro di ricerca fornisce contributi innovativi alla pianificazione e progettazione sostenibile delle attività estrattive, attraverso l'adozione di un approccio multidisciplinare alla trattazione del tema e l'utilizzo esperto dei Sistemi Informativi Geografici, in particolare GRASS GIS. A seguito di una approfondita analisi in merito agli strumenti e le procedure adottate nella pianificazione delle Attività Estrattive in Italia, sono stati sviluppati un metodo di indagine ed un sistema esperto per la previsione ed il controllo delle vibrazioni indotte nel terreno da volate in cava a cielo aperto, che consentono di ottimizzare la progettazione della volata e del sistema di monitoraggio delle vibrazioni grazie a specifici strumenti operativi implementati in GRASS GIS. A supporto di una più efficace programmazione di interventi di riqualificazione territoriale, è stata messa a punto una procedura per la selezione di siti dismessi e di potenziali interventi di riqualificazione, che ottimizza le attività di pianificazione individuando interventi caratterizzati da elevata sostenibilità ambientale, economica e sociale. I risultati ottenuti dimostrano la necessità di un approccio esperto alla pianificazione ed alla progettazione delle attività estrattive, incrementandone la sostenibilità attraverso l'adozione di strumenti operativi più efficienti. / The supply of mineral resources and environmental protection are often considered opposing and incompatible activities, but actually they represent two essential needs for modern societies. The geo-resources, being non-renewable, must be exploited efficiently, using appropriate instruments ensuring environmental, social and economic sustainability of minerals exploitation. The need to protect the environment and improve local communities quality of life requires the public authorities to implement measures for the rehabilitation of damaged areas, but until the early '90s extractive industry regulations did not provide instruments for this purpose, and this has led to the proliferation of abandoned and decommissioned mining sites without environmental reclamation. The present study provides innovative contributions to the sustainable planning and design of mining activities, by adopting a multidisciplinary approach to the research topics and the expert use of Geographic Information Systems, in particular GRASS GIS. After a detailed analysis about the tools and procedures adopted in the planning of mining activities in Italy, a method of investigation and an expert system have been developed for prediction and control of blast induced ground vibration in open-pit quarries, allowing the optimization of blast design and vibration monitoring system thanks specific operational tools implemented in GRASS GIS. In order to support a more effective planning of land rehabilitation, it's been developed develop a procedure for the selection of decommissioned sites and potential reclamation projects, which optimizes business planning by identifying interventions characterized by high environmental, economic and social sustainability. The results obtained demonstrate the need for an expert approach to mining planning and design, increasing its sustainability by adopting more efficient operational tools. / El suministro de recursos minerales y las actividades de protección del medio ambiente a menudo se consideran opuestos e irreconciliables, pero en realidad son dos requisitos esenciales para las sociedades modernas. Los geo-recursos, como no renovables, deben ser explotados de manera eficiente, utilizando las herramientas que aseguren la sostenibilidad ambiental, social y económica de la minería. La necesidad de preservar el territorio y mejorar la calidad de vida de las comunidades locales exige que las autoridades públicas pongan en práctica medidas para la rehabilitación de áreas degradadas, pero hasta los '90s la regulación del sector no proporcionaba herramientas para este fin, y esto ha llevado a la proliferación de sitios mineros abandonados y en desuso sin intervenciones de restauración. El presente trabajo aporta contribuciones innovadoras a la planificación sostenible y el diseño de las actividades mineras, mediante la adopción de un enfoque multidisciplinar para el tratamiento del tema y el uso experto de Sistemas de Información Geográfica, GRASS GIS en particular. Tras un análisis exhaustivo de las herramientas y procedimientos adoptados en la planificación de las actividades mineras en Italia, han sido desarrollados un método de investigación y un sistema experto para la predicción y el control de las vibraciones inducidas en el suelo por voladura en canteras a tajo abierto, que permiten optimizar el diseño de voladura y el sistema de monitorización de vibraciones, con herramientas específicas ejecutados en GRASS GIS. Para apoyar una planificación más eficaz de intervenciones de reconstrucción, se ha establecido un procedimiento para la selección de posibles canteras abandonadas y soluciones de recuperación , que optimiza la planificación mediante la identificación de las intervenciones que se caracterizan por alto impacto ambiental, económico y social. Los resultados obtenidos demuestran la necesidad de un enfoque experto para la planificación y el diseño de las actividades mineras.

In the present thesis, a new methodology of diagnosis based on advanced use of time-frequency technique analysis is presented. More precisely, a new fault index that allows tracking individual fault components in a single frequency band is defined. More in detail, a frequency sliding is applied to the signals being analyzed (currents, voltages, vibration signals), so that each single fault frequency component is shifted into a prefixed single frequency band. Then, the discrete Wavelet Transform is applied to the resulting signal to extract the fault signature in the frequency band that has been chosen. Once the state of the machine has been qualitatively diagnosed, a quantitative evaluation of the fault degree is necessary. For this purpose, a fault index based on the energy calculation of approximation and/or detail signals resulting from wavelet decomposition has been introduced to quantify the fault extend. The main advantages of the developed new method over existing Diagnosis techniques are the following: - Capability of monitoring the fault evolution continuously over time under any transient operating condition; - Speed/slip measurement or estimation is not required; - Higher accuracy in filtering frequency components around the fundamental in case of rotor faults; - Reduction in the likelihood of false indications by avoiding confusion with other fault harmonics (the contribution of the most relevant fault frequency components under speed-varying conditions are clamped in a single frequency band); - Low memory requirement due to low sampling frequency; - Reduction in the latency of time processing (no requirement of repeated sampling operation).

Scopo dello studio: valutare i cambiamenti indotti da diversi trattamenti di mordenzatura sulla morfologia superficiale e sulla microstruttura di due vetro-ceramiche a base disilicato di litio (IPS e.max® Press e IPS e.max® CAD) ed esaminarne gli effetti sia sull’adesione con un cemento resinoso che sulla resistenza alla flessione. Materiali e metodi: Settanta dischetti (12 mm di diametro, 2 mm di spessore) di ogni ceramica sono stati preparati e divisi in 5 gruppi: nessun trattamento (G1), HF 5% 20s (G2), HF 5% 60s (G3), HF 9.6% 20s (G4), HF 9.6% 60s (G5). Un campione per ogni gruppo è stato analizzato mediante profilometro ottico e osservato al SEM. Per gli altri campioni è stato determinato lo shear bond strength (SBS) con un cemento resinoso. Dopo l’SBS test, i campioni sono stati caricati fino a frattura utilizzando il piston-on-three-ball test per determinarne la resistenza biassiale alla flessione. Risultati: L’analisi morfologica e microstrutturale dei campioni ha rivelato come diversi trattamenti di mordenzatura producano delle modifiche nella rugosità superficiale che non sono direttamente collegate ad un aumento dei valori di adesione e dei cambiamenti microstrutturali che sono più rilevanti con l’aumento del tempo di mordenzatura e di concentrazione dell’acido. I valori medi di adesione (MPa) per IPS e.max® CAD sono significativamente più alti in G2 e G3 (21,28 +/- 4,9 e 19,55 +/- 5,41 rispettivamente); per IPS e.max® Press, i valori più elevati sono in G3 (16,80 +/- 3,96). La resistenza biassiale alla flessione media (MPa) è più alta in IPS e.max® CAD (695 +/- 161) che in IPS e.max® Press (588 +/- 117), ma non è non influenzata dalla mordenzatura con HF. Conclusioni: il disilicato di litio va mordenzato preferibilmente con HF al 5%. La mordenzatura produce alcuni cambiamenti superficiali e microstrutturali nel materiale, ma tali cambiamenti non ne influenzano la resistenza in flessione. / Purpose: The aim of this study was to evaluate the changes induced by different etching treatments on the surface morphology and microstructure of two lithium disilicate-based glass ceramic (IPS e.max® Press and IPS e.max® CAD) and examine the effects on the bond strength between ceramic and composite resin and on the biaxial flexural strength. Materials and methods: Seventy discs (12 mm diameter, 2 mm thickness) of each ceramic were prepared and divided in 5 groups: no treatment (G1), HF 5% 20s (G2), HF 5% 60s (G3), HF 9.6% 20s (G4), HF 9.6% 60s (G5). One specimen for each group was examined by optical profilometer and observed under scanning electron microscopy. On the other specimens was determined the shear bond strength (SBS) with a resin cement. After SBS test, specimens were loaded to failure using a piston-on-three-ball test to determine the biaxial flexural strength. Results: morphological analysis of treated specimens showed that different etching treatments produces changes in surface roughness but this changes are not directly related to an increasing adhesion value. The SEM analysis revealed that etching causes microstructural changes in lithium disilicate which are more relevant with the increasing of etching time and acid concentration. The mean bond strength values (MPa) for IPS e.max® CAD are statistically higher in G2 and G3 (21,28 +/- 4,9 and 19,55 +/- 5,41 respectively); for IPS e.max® Press, G3 has significant higher adhesion value (16,80 +/- 3,96). The mean biaxial flexural strength values (MPa) are significantly higher in IPS e.max® CAD (695 +/- 161) than in IPS e.max® Press (588 +/- 117). Etching with HF does not affect the flexural strength of the material. Conclusions: lithium disilicate has to be etched preferably with 5% HF. Etching produces several changes in surface and microstructure of the material, but does not compromise the flexural strength.

Aim of this research is the development and validation of a comprehensive multibody motorcycle model featuring rigid-ring tires, taking into account both slope and roughness of road surfaces. A novel parametrization for the general kinematics of the motorcycle is proposed, using a mixed reference-point and relative-coordinates approach. The resulting description, developed in terms of dependent coordinates, makes it possible to efficiently include rigid-ring kinematics as well as road elevation and slope. The equations of motion for the multibody system are derived symbolically and the constraint equations arising from the dependent-coordinate formulation are handled using a projection technique. Therefore the resulting system of equations can be integrated in time domain using a standard ODE algorithm. The model is validated with respect to maneuvers experimentally measured on the race track, showing consistent results and excellent computational efficiency. More in detail, it is also capable of reproducing the chatter vibration of racing motorcycles. The chatter phenomenon, appearing during high speed cornering maneuvers, consists of a self-excited vertical oscillation of both the front and rear unsprung masses in the range of frequency between 17 and 22 Hz. A critical maneuver is numerically simulated, and a self-excited vibration appears, consistent with the experimentally measured chatter vibration. Finally, the driving mechanism for the self-excitation is highlighted and a physical interpretation is proposed.

Two previous archaeological surveys were conducted in Union County, Indiana. The sites reported by these surveys were investigated. Many previously unreported sites were also located. The finds from the newly discovered sites were analyzed in terms of developmental stages and also lithic technology. The results of this analysis were then compared to other sites and stages in surrounding regions particularly in Indiana, Kentucky and Ohio. Further an attempt was made to describe patterns of life for prehistoric groups through the functional analysis of artifacts.

After the development of power electronics converters, the number of transformers subjected to non-sinusoidal stresses (including DC) has increased in applications such as HVDC links and traction (electric train power cars). The effects of non-sinusoidal voltages on transformer insulation have been investigated by many researchers, but still now, there are some issues that must be understood. Some of those issues are tackled in this Thesis, studying PD phenomena behavior in Kraft paper, pressboard and mineral oil at different voltage conditions like AC, DC, AC+DC, notched AC and square waveforms. From the point of view of converter transformers, it was found that the combined effect of AC and DC voltages produces higher stresses in the pressboard that those that are present under pure DC voltages. The electrical conductivity of the dielectric systems in DC and AC+DC conditions has demonstrated to be a critical parameter, so, its measurement and analysis was also taken into account during all the experiments. Regarding notched voltages, the RMS reduction caused by notches (depending on firing and overlap angles) seems to increase the PDIV. However, the experimental results show that once PD activity has incepted, the notches increase PD repetition rate and magnitude, producing a higher degradation rate of paper. On the other hand, the reduction of mineral oil stocks, their relatively low flash point as well as environmental issues, are factors that are pushing towards the use of esters as transformer insulating fluids. This PhD Thesis also covers the study of two different esters with the scope to validate their use in traction transformers. Mineral oil was used as benchmark. The complete set of dielectric tests performed in the three fluids, show that esters behave better than mineral oil in practically all the investigated conditions, so, their application in traction transformers is possible and encouraged.

This dissertation studies the geometric static problem of under-constrained cable-driven parallel robots (CDPRs) supported by n cables, with n ≤ 6. The task consists of determining the overall robot configuration when a set of n variables is assigned. When variables relating to the platform posture are assigned, an inverse geometric static problem (IGP) must be solved; whereas, when cable lengths are given, a direct geometric static problem (DGP) must be considered. Both problems are challenging, as the robot continues to preserve some degrees of freedom even after n variables are assigned, with the final configuration determined by the applied forces. Hence, kinematics and statics are coupled and must be resolved simultaneously. In this dissertation, a general methodology is presented for modelling the aforementioned scenario with a set of algebraic equations. An elimination procedure is provided, aimed at solving the governing equations analytically and obtaining a least-degree univariate polynomial in the corresponding ideal for any value of n. Although an analytical procedure based on elimination is important from a mathematical point of view, providing an upper bound on the number of solutions in the complex field, it is not practical to compute these solutions as it would be very time-consuming. Thus, for the efficient computation of the solution set, a numerical procedure based on homotopy continuation is implemented. A continuation algorithm is also applied to find a set of robot parameters with the maximum number of real assembly modes for a given DGP. Finally, the end-effector pose depends on the applied load and may change due to external disturbances. An investigation into equilibrium stability is therefore performed.

The purpose of this study was to determine, record, and interpret the history of the Whig political party in Indiana from 1834 through 1843. Emphasis was placed on the history of the administrations of Whig governors Noah Noble, David Wallace, and Samuel Bigger and the Nineteenth through the Twenty-seventh General Assemblies. Those Whigs who were the elected members of the executive and legislative branches of Indiana government were the principals of the study.These subject Whigs were analyzed and characterized in terms of (1) geographic origin, (2) age, (3) ancestry, (4) formal education, (5) religious preference, (6) military service, and (7) occupation. The philosophical basis for Whiggery in Indiana was considered an important element in the study.Findings1. These Whigs were a comparatively youthful and nomadic group coming from allareas of what was then the United States but principally from Kentucky, Pennsylvania, the Carolinas, and Virginia.2. Virtually all were native to the United States with an ancestry traceable to northern and western Europe.3. Little formal education was found beyond the common school except among those who were professionals.4. Whigs dominated the executive and legislative branches during the period studied and were frequently elected officers in the Indiana Militia.5. Much diversification existed in Whig vocation, occupation, and profession. Whigs universally had undertaken numerous economic pursuits.6. Nearly all were Protestant; however, only a minority were associated with institutionalized religious groups. Religious persuasion was little related to Whig political success.7. Philosophically Whigs stood with national doctrine but, within Indiana, only local and state matters were of concern to them.Conclusions1. The Indiana Whigs differed little from Democrat or other political or economic groups within the state. They were not solely Federalist or neo-Federalist or Jeffersonian in practice.2. They were strivers who were bourgeois in their attitudes, but who gave no indication of having achieved economic or social success before coming to Indiana. They represented no organized social or economic group and were not members of an aristocracy.3. The Whigs were popular individuals who were deemed capable of best implementing an internal improvements program within the state. The Whig party rose and declined on that issue.

This study provides an examination of landscape perceptions, specifically geopiety or sacred landscape perceptions, at Mounds State Park. Through archival analysis I traced 2000 years of landscape perceptions at the park and found that geopiety has been an underlying influence in shaping perceptions. I further examine contemporary perceptions at Mounds state Park through participant observation and ethnographic interviewing and have determined that geopiety continues at the park in the form of nature-centered, historical/cultural and recreational perceptions. Finally, I examined the influence of modernity on geopiety and have determined that the level of geopiety is determined by the degree an individual is influenced by modernity. Modernity exists in varying degrees from traditional to progressive with the majority of individuals couched within the “inbetweeness” of modernity. / Department of Geography