Discusses the fundamental features of verbal and nonverbal communication. This book states that the problem of understanding human behaviour in terms of personal traits, and the possibility of an algorithmic implementation that exploits personal traits to identify a person unambiguously, are among the challenges of modern science and technology.

This book collects research works that exploit neural networks and machine learning techniques from a multidisciplinary perspective. Subjects covered include theoretical, methodological and computational topics which are grouped together into chapters devoted to the discussion of novelties and innovations related to the field of Artificial Neural Networks as well as the use of neural networks for applications, pattern recognition, signal processing, and special topics such as the detection and recognition of multimodal emotional expressions and daily cognitive functions, and bio-inspired memristor-based networks. Providing insights into the latest research interest from a pool of international experts coming from different research fields, the volume becomes valuable to all those with any interest in a holistic approach to implement believable, autonomous, adaptive, and context-aware Information Communication Technologies.

This work explores the power of visual and vocal channels, in conveying emotional cues exploiting realistic, dynamic and mutually related emotional vocal and facial stimuli, and aims to report on a cross cultural comparison on how people from different Western Countries perceive emotional dynamic stimuli. The authors attempt to give an answer to the following questions evaluating the subjective perception of emotional states in the single (either visual or auditory channel) and the combined channels: - In a body-to-body interaction, the addressee exploits both the verbal and non-verbal communication modes to infer the speaker’s emotional state. Is such an informational content redundant? - Is the amount of information conveyed by each communication mode the same or is it different? - How much information about the speaker’s emotional state is conveyed by each mode and is there a preferential communication mode for a given emotional state? -To what extent the cultural specificity affect the decoding of the emotional information? The results are interpreted in terms of cognitive load, language expertise and stimulus dynamics. This book will be of interest to researchers and scholars in the field of Human Computer Interaction, Affective Computing, Psychology, Social Sciences .

The book presents research that contributes to the development of intelligent dialog systems to simplify diverse aspects of everyday life, such as medical diagnosis and entertainment. Covering major thematic areas: machine learning and artificial neural networks; algorithms and models; and social and biometric data for applications in human–computer interfaces, it discusses processing of audio-visual signals for the detection of user-perceived states, the latest scientific discoveries in processing verbal (lexicon, syntax, and pragmatics), auditory (voice, intonation, vocal expressions) and visual signals (gestures, body language, facial expressions), as well as algorithms for detecting communication disorders, remote health-status monitoring, sentiment and affect analysis, social behaviors and engagement. Further, it examines neural and machine learning algorithms for the implementation of advanced telecommunication systems, communication with people with special needs, emotion modulation by computer contents, advanced sensors for tracking changes in real-life and automatic systems, as well as the development of advanced human–computer interfaces. The book does not focus on solving a particular problem, but instead describes the results of research that has positive effects in different fields and applications.

This volume brings together the peer-reviewed contributions of the participants at the COST 2102 International Conference on “Cross-Modal Analysis of Speech, Gestures, Gaze and Facial Expressions” held in Prague, Czech Republic, October 15–18, 2008. The conference was sponsored by COST (European Cooperation in the Field of Scientific and Technical Research, www. cost. esf. org/domains_actions/ict) in the - main of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) for disseminating the research advances developed within COST Action 2102: “Cross-Modal Analysis of Verbal and Nonverbal Communication” http://cost2102. cs. stir. ac. uk. COST 2102 research networking has contributed to modifying the conventional theoretical approach to the cross-modal analysis of verbal and nonverbal communi- tion changing the concept of face to face communication with that of body to body communication as well as developing the idea of embodied information. Information is no longer the result of a difference in perception and is no longer measured in terms of quantity of stimuli, since the research developed in COST 2102 has proved that human information processing is a nonlinear process that cannot be seen as the sum of the numerous pieces of information available. Considering simply the pieces of inf- mation available, results in a model of the receiver as a mere decoder, and produces a huge simplification of the communication process.

Le scoperte effettuate da Giovanni Gozzadini poco dopo la metà del XIX secolo a Villanova di Castenaso permisero non solo di scoprire un sepolcreto protostorico, ma anche di definire per la prima volta una importante civiltà della prima età del ferro, quella che tuttora viene chiamata villanoviana. La c.d. cultura villanoviana in seguito alle scoperte successive è stata datata perlopiù in corrispondenza dei secoli IX e VIII a.C. – arco cronologico che in Emilia Romagna si estende al VII – e messa in relazione con la formazione delle maggiori città etrusche. Il sepolcreto più rappresentativo di questa categoria è quello di Pontesanto, scoperto nel 1999 durante un sopralluogo in una località situata alla periferia nordoccidentale di Imola in cui era stato effettuato un ampio splateamento

The first volume in a series dedicated to the blood libel trial in Trento, 1475-78, reproducing the text of the only authentic copy of the indictment (in Latin) dated 15 November 1475. In the introduction (pp. 1-51), Quaglioni gives a historical-juridical perspective of the debate on the veracity of the ritual murder legend (contested by Trento lawyer Giuseppe Menestrina in 1903) which interfered with the emancipation of the Jews in the 19th century. Contemporary research unveils a corrupt legal process in the 15th century, challenged by a papal legate but backed by prince-bishop Johannes Hinderbach in the quarrel over jurisdiction in Trento and the legitimacy of the cult of Simon Martyr. States that the trial served as historical proof for the blood libel in spite of its legal abuses (e.g. torture) typical of inquisitorial proceedings. Esposito (pp. 53-95) analyzes the ritual murder stereotype in the context of the German population in Trento, and the Jews' fear of being accused, following torture, of such practices, often in relation with usury. Describes the creation of the cult of Simon Martyr.

Jean Coste è stato un grande conoscitore della Campagna Romana e della sua storia. Ha sperimentato metodi originali d’indagine del territorio che ha trasmesso ad un nutrito gruppo di allievi ed amici, con cui ha condiviso appassionanti esperienze di ricerca. A quindici anni dalla sua scomparsa questa raccolta di saggi, tutti relativi a Roma e al suo territorio, dimostra la perdurante attualità del suo insegnamento e costituisce una testimonianza dell’affettuoso ricordo che di lui nutrono quanti lo hanno conosciuto.

ROMANZO FANTASY Sullo sfondo l'eterna lotta tra bene e male, luce e oscurità, amore e odio, vita e morte: la Regola dei contrari, su cui si basa l'equilibrio eterno. Neikos, col suo avvento, romperà ogni legge e segnerà l'inizio di una nuova era, in cui uomini e dèi saranno burattini di uno spietato gioco infernale. Due forze primordiali, due divinità, un unico predestinato. Un dramma che si consuma all’interno del protagonista fino a scardinare le sue certezze più profonde. La vorticosa indagine di un’anima tormentata. Tanto sottile è il confine tra bene e male da ingannare perfino un dio… L’autrice, Anna Esposito, nata nel 1988, è una docente di lettere. Ha conseguito la laurea magistrale in Filologia, letterature e civiltà del mondo antico presso l’Università degli studi di Napoli Federico II.