Böcker i Research for Development-serien

This book offers up-to-date information and guidance on the application of metrology in legal proceedings, clarifying the limits of validity of scientific evidence and presenting an illuminating series of case studies in which measurement uncertainty has played an important role. The fundamental concepts of metrology are discussed, and it is explained how metrology is capable of quantifying the reliability of measurement results and thereby contributing to appropriate decision making. With the aid of the presented case studies, this book will assist readers in understanding how legal decisions should be made in the presence of uncertainty. Areas covered in those studies include breath alcohol concentration analysis, and DNA profiling. Nowadays, decisions in most legal cases are based on evidence obtained through scientific analysis involving the acquisition of accurate measurements. Against this background, Forensic Metrology will be of value for lawyers and judges in both civil and common law countries, as well as engineers and other scientists with an interest in the subject.

This book presents a comprehensive guide to the design of playing robots and the related play experiences. Play is a natural activity for building and improving abilities, and it reveals important particularly for persons with disabilities. Many social, physical and cultural factors may hinder children with disabilities from fully enjoying play as their peers. Autonomous robots with specific characteristics can enhance the ludic experience, having implications for the character of the play and presenting opportunities related to autonomy and physical movement, the very nature of robots. Their introduction into play thus provides everybody, and in particular persons with disabilities, new possibilities for developing abilities, improving general status, participating in social contexts, as well as supporting professionals in monitoring progress.This book presents a framework for the design of playful activities with robots, developed over 20 years' experience at AIRLab - POLIMI. Part 1 introduces the play concepts and characteristics, and research results about play of children with different kinds of impairments. Part 2 focuses on implementing robots able to play. The design of playful activities is discussed, as well as the necessary characteristics for them to be useful in both general play and activities involving disability-related limitations. In Part 3, the defined framework is used to analyze possibilities involving robots available on the toy market, robots developed at research labs, and robots to be developed in the next future. The aim of the book is to give developers, caregivers, and users a set of methodological tools for selecting, exploring, and designing inclusive play activities where robots play a central role.

For all of the tremendous advances in medicine and treatment the world has seen in the modern era, the human body's ability to heal itself remains a (literally) vital and often overlooked facet of healthcare.Through the use of emotional design, aimed at transforming healthcare environments, such as waiting rooms, in such a way as to boost the emotional wellbeing of patients, and thus their general attitudes, including in regard to their own healing processes, medical institutions can improve outcomes for the people they treat while simultaneously lowering overall costs.Design, as an inherently transdisciplinary, problem-solving activity, is well-suited to this task. And when combined with a field of study such as neuroscience, which can literally map out the perceptions that lead to the experience of particular emotions, healthcare environments can be transformed into spaces (through such innovations as Kansei engineering) that then subsequently transform the people who rely on them the most, leading to more efficiency and less red ink.

This volume collects the results from the Politecnico di Milan's award-winning "e;Boa_Ma_Nha, Maputo!"e; research-by-design project, which studied various transdisciplinary approaches to development in the context of the Global South. The challenges of urbanization are well known, but that only goes so far in aiding implementation. From local considerations like water access and housing rights to global issues like climate change, territorial development demands solutions that address the needs of the specific population while keeping such goals as sustainability and inclusion in mind. By focusing on a number of towns within the Maputo Province of Mozambique, and thus addressing many of the issues endemic to Sub-Saharan Africa, the research, structurally presented so as to aid those who may require introduction to the issue, makes a clear case in favor of always keeping the Water-Energy-Food (WEF) Nexus in mind when formulating development strategies for improving people's lives, as well as the wisdom of marrying academic findings with the insights accrued by local NGOs and institutions, thereby expanding the potential idea bank beyond the Eurocentric status quo that has tended to dominate the field.

This book addresses key issues across the field of sustainable urban planning, and provides a unique reference tool for planners, engineers, architects, public administrators, and other experts.

This book is a rich source of information on design research and solutions for the support and development of space missions.

This book provides caregivers and administrators with high-quality support for strategic decision making in the selection and use of medical devices so as to ensure value optimization. Medical treatment is increasingly complex, with wide application of medical devices and corresponding involvement of physics and engineering. A multidisciplinary methodology that brings together expertise from key disciplines in a holistic, system-oriented approach is essential in controlling this complexity and further improving health care. This book will help readers to understand the design, validation, and application of medical devices and the standards and regulations that apply to them across the world. In addition, it provides technical, operational, and economic perspectives on their use. The relevance of concepts such as expenditure optimization and sustainability to medical device technology is explained and healthcare reimbursement systems are discussed from different points of view. Readers will gain a clear appreciation of the managerial and economic implications of the use of medical devices and how to get the most out of them. Academic research, industrial experiences, and case studies are presented as appropriate.

This book investigates why and how cycle and walking paths can help to promote the regeneration of marginalized areas facing depopulation and economic decline.

This book represents a reflection on the policies of preservation that were established and interventions for restoration that occurred in Iran before and in the years after the Khomeinist Revolution, as well as being an analysis of the impact that Italian restoration culture has had in the country.

This book discusses the potential of a systemic and multidisciplinary design approach to improve urban quality, health, livability, and inclusiveness for people living in informal settlements.

This open access book focuses on the development of methods, interoperable and integrated ICT tools, and survey techniques for optimal management of the building process.

This open access book explores key issues and presents recent case studies in areas of importance for the transition to a circular model of development in emerging African countries that will minimize resource consumption and waste production.

This book explores all aspects of the sharing economy, pursuing a multidisciplinary approach encompassing Service Design, Spatial Design, Sociology, Economics, Law, and Transport and Operations Research.

This book reviews the social role of universities in their local urban contexts and describes a number of initiatives of major interest in terms of the impact achieved, the range of stakeholders involved, and the significance of the university campus and teachers as agents of change.

This book draws on important original transdisciplinary research to address a wide range of issues relating to the remodeling of existing schools for pre-teenagers to fit them to various novel teaching models (e.g.

This book presents the life science experiments in a space microgravity environment conducted on board the SJ-10 recoverable satellite, which was launched on April 6th 2016 and recovered on April 18th 2016.

This open access book presents theoretical and practical research relating to the vast, publicly financed program for the construction of new schools and the reorganization of existing educational buildings in Italy.

This book investigates why and how cycle and walking paths can help to promote the regeneration of marginalized areas facing depopulation and economic decline.

This book is mainly based on the results of the EU-funded UE-FP7 Project EnCoRe, which aimed to characterize the key physical and mechanical properties of a novel class of advanced cement-based materials incorporating recycled powders and aggregates and/or natural ingredients in order to allow partial or even total replacement of conventional constituents. More specifically, the project objectives were to predict the physical and mechanical performance of concrete with recycled aggregates; to understand the potential contribution of recycled fibers as a dispersed reinforcement in concrete matrices; and to demonstrate the feasibility and possible applications of natural fibers as a reinforcement in cementitious composites. All of these aspects are fully covered in the book. The opening chapters explain the material concept and design and discuss the experimental characterization of the physical, chemical, and mechanical properties of the recycled raw constituents, as well as of the cementitious composite incorporating them. The numerical models with potentialities for describing the behavior at material and structural level of constructions systems made by these composites are presented. Finally, engineering applications and guidelines for production and design are proposed.

This book presents the life science experiments in a space microgravity environment conducted on board the SJ-10 recoverable satellite, which was launched on April 6th 2016 and recovered on April 18th 2016.

This book explores how lighting systems based on LED sources have the ability to positively influence the human circadian system, with benefits for health and well-being.

This book presents the physical science experiments in a space microgravity environment conducted on board the SJ-10 recoverable satellite, which was launched on April 6th, 2016 and recovered on April 18th, 2016.

With contributions from leading experts, including university researchers, professionals, and policy makers, the book will be invaluable for all who seek to understand, and solve, the challenges face d in the protection and enhancement of the built heritage.

This book presents the mainoutcomes of the first European research project on the seismic behavior ofadjustable steel storage pallet racking systems. Its outcomes will contribute significantlyto increasing our knowledge of the structural behavior of racks underearthquake conditions and should inform future rack design.

This book explores mobilities as a key to understanding the practices that both frame and generate contemporary everyday life in the urban context.