University of Bologna

Evaluating pumped hydro storage system impacts through life cycle assessment

In recent years, the rapid integration of renewable energies like solar and wind introduces grid stability challenges due to their weather-dependent output, making reliable storage solutions such as Pumped Hydro Storage (PHS) systems essential. Consequently, this study aims to ev...

Improving Local Climate Zone Mapping at Fine Spatial Scales Using Urban Morphology, Spectral Information, and Machine Learning

Local climate zones (LCZs) provide a robust framework for understanding Urban Heat Island dynamics and for supporting climate-sensitive urban planning. Although widely adopted since their introduction in 2012, LCZ mapping remains constrained by urban morphology description and sp...

Building sets, Chow rings, and their Hilbert series

Abstract We establish formulas for the Hilbert series of the Chow ring of a polymatroid using arbitrary building sets. For braid matroids and minimal building sets, our results produce new formulas for the Poincaré polynomial of the moduli space $$\overline{\mathcal {M}}_{0,n+1}$...

Asymptotics of predictive distributions driven by sample means and variances

Abstract Let alpha Subscript n Baseline left parenthesis dot right parenthesis equals double struck upper P left parenthesis upper X Subscript n plus 1 Baseline element of dot vertical bar upper X 1 comma ellipsis comma upper X Subscript n Baseline right parenthesis <mml:math xml...

On the microlocal regularity of the Gevrey vectors for second order partial differential operators with non negative characteristic form of first kind

Abstract We study the microlocal regularity of the analytic/Gevrey vectors for the following class of second order partial differential equations $$\begin{aligned} P(x,D) = \sum _{\ell ,j=1}^{n} a_{\ell ,j}(x) D_{\ell } D_{j} + \sum _{\ell =1}^{n} i b_{\ell }(x) D_{\ell } +c(x),...

Methodology to identify ecologically matching areas and its applications in conservation planning

Identifying ecologically matching areas is both challenging and critical for understanding spatial patterns of biodiversity and advancing conservation planning. However, existing approaches often lack spatial flexibility, overlook shape and size constraints, or rely on limited en...

N-Acetylcysteine, Tiron, and Their Combination: In Vitro Antioxidant and Anti-Inflammatory Activities and Their Protective Effect in a Rat Model of Acetic Acid-Induced Ulcerative Colitis

Ulcerative colitis is characterized by inflammation, oxidative stress, and excessive free radical production. This study investigated the antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and protective effects of N-acetylcysteine (NAC), Tiron, and their fixed-ratio combination in acetic acid-indu...

Impact of imidacloprid on honey bee hypopharyngeal glands at two levels: measurement reliability and laboratory versus field conditions

The use of neonicotinoids has undoubtedly behavioral and physiological effects on bees. This work aimed to ring test the digital measurement of honey bees’ hypopharyngeal glands (HPGs), validate the method against the subjectivity of the assessors, and assess differences in the i...

Bee pollen as functional food and environmental bioindicator: current evidence and future challenges

Abstract Bee pollen (BP), a plant‐derived product collected by honey bees, is increasingly promoted as a functional food due to its content of proteins, essential amino acids, lipids, vitamins, minerals, and bioactive compounds such as polyphenols and flavonoids. These components...

Rate-Programmable Interfacial Resistive Switching with Tunable Volatility in CuCrP2S6

Metal thiophosphates are emerging as a multifunctional material platform for neuromorphic electronics due to their accessible polar phases and ion dynamics on biologically relevant timescales. While resistive switching in these materials is frequently attributed to ferroelectric...

Non-Invasive Prenatal Testing in Donor-Oocyte Pregnancies: Biological Determinants, Algorithmic Limitations and Clinical Implications

Non-invasive prenatal testing (NIPT) based on circulating cell-free DNA (cfDNA) has transformed prenatal screening for common aneuploidies, but its interpretation is less straightforward in pregnancies conceived with donor oocytes. In this setting, fetal chromosomal risk is large...

Compound Heterozygous Variants in the PAICS Gene Integrate the Previously Described Divergent Phenotypes

ABSTRACT Biallelic variants in PAICS , one of the 10 genes involved in the de novo purine synthesis (DNPS), were originally associated with an extremely rare phenotype characterized by multiple and severe congenital abnormalities, such as polyhydramnios due to esophageal atresia,...

Where’s the way out? Access block, boarding and hospital overcrowding: a narrative review

Emergency department (ED) overcrowding is a persistent global challenge associated with adverse patient outcomes and system inefficiencies. Boarding and access block, which delay the transfer of admitted patients to inpatient beds, represent its most critical manifestations. Whil...

Enhancing digital wellbeing in education: co-designing classroom solutions with students

In the modern digital era, it is vital to educate young people about maintaining a healthy relationship with technology, as it significantly influences their social interactions and communication. Providing them with the tools to enhance their digital wellbeing is necessary, espe...

Historical Anti-Fascism and Right-Wing Voting in Italy

We study how anti-fascist opposition during Mussolini’s dictatorship affects post-war support for right-wing parties in Italy. We construct a measure of anti-fascism from the universe of recorded opponents, and use newly digitized historical data to resolve simultaneity between t...

Storm surge dynamics in the northern Adriatic Sea: comparing AI emulators with high-resolution numerical simulations

Abstract. Accurate storm surge forecasting is vital for protecting coastal regions, particularly in the northern Adriatic Sea where sea-level rise and increasingly severe storm events pose growing risks. Machine Learning (ML) approaches offer compelling speed and flexibility, yet...

Operation Melilli, forensic humanitarian medico legal activities on the largest known Mediterranean disaster: the shipwreck of April 18th, 2015

On April 18th, 2015, a boat carrying about 1,000 migrants sank in the Strait of Sicily, prompting one of the most complex recovery missions ever conducted in the Mediterranean. Operation Melilli was the first time a European Government authorized the recovery of a sunken migrant...

Teaching to learn and learning to teach: using machine training to develop artificial intelligence partners in new product development

Artificial intelligence (AI) is increasingly shaping how innovation is developed, and new product development (NPD) is an important domain at the centre of this shift, given its data-rich, high-uncertainty contexts. In this paper, we focus on the design and training of AI systems...

Real-world walking and activity patterns in community-dwelling older adults: a cross-sectional analysis of baseline data from the SMART-AGE trial

Abstract Background Digital mobility outcomes (DMOs) measured under real-world conditions allow for differentiated insights into mobility patterns of older adults. This study provides an advanced description of real-world walking in community-dwelling older adults and identifies...

Impact of an early postnatal administration of an energetic supplement on growth performance, behaviour and gut microbiota in piglets with different birth weight classes

Piglets are born with limited energy reserves, and early energy supplementation may improve their growth. This study evaluated the efficacy of an early energetic supplement on growth, mortality, behaviour and gut microbiota (GM). Twenty-two sows and their litters (12.9 ± 0.3 pigl...