Parthenope University of Naples
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Small changes, big impact: Reducing ultra processed foods choices among low-income consumers with a swap nudge
No full textA multi component approach to predict erosion susceptibility of rocky coasts: marine, terrestrial and climatic forcing—an application in Southern Italy
No full textRocky coasts are the most common type of coastal environment and are presently experiencing significant erosion as a consequence of accelerated sea-level rise and increase in coastal storms. This type of coastline, like all coastal environments, is subject to the effects of a huge number of marine and terrestrial processes that continually reshape them over time. This research suggests a new methodological approach for assessing the vulnerability of rocky coasts to forcing factors that may be emphasised by ongoing climate change. The proposed approach combines two matrices: the Physical Element Index (PEIx), which assesses the most relevant morphological and geotechnical features of the considered landform to evaluate its susceptibility to erosion, and the Cliff Forcing Index (CFIx), which accounts for the marine forces impacting the specific coastal form. In a first step, to construct the two matrices, several variables were selected from previous studies. In a second step, a specific weight factor (Wfi) was attributed to each variable, i.e. each one of the Physical Elements and Forcing Agents considered, according to their specific relevance/contribution to cliff erosion susceptibility. In a third step, the two matrices were combined through interpolation to generate the final Cliff Susceptibility Index (CSIx). The method was tested on different coastal areas sited along the southwest coast of Italy, differing in geological characteristics and marine conditions. The analysis demonstrated that most of the considered coastal sectors belonged to the “Low” (Cala Rossa, Cirella 1, Guardiola, Marechiaro, Punta del Corvo, Puolo, Torre di Mezzo), “Medium” (Capo Rama, Cirella 2, Seiano 1, Spiaggia del Poggio, Torrefumo 2) and “High” (Coroglio, Irminio, Punta Braccetto, Punta Pennata) classes of CSIx due to the interaction among morphological, geotechnical and forcing factors. This procedure allows the zonation of wide rocky coastal areas according to their grade of susceptibility and the identification of areas of criticism where specific studies and monitoring programs need to be developed to adopt sound management strategies
An earthquake rapid warning system for railway bridges
No full textIn Italy, railway networks are highly spread and often connect densely populated urban centers and historical cities more effectively than road networks, playing a key role in everyday economic and social life. However, the whole Italian territory is prone to seismic hazard and the seismic risk of Italian critical infrastructures, such as railway networks, is of increasing research interest. The seismic risk of railway networks can be efficiently reduced through emergency management strategies that leverage earthquake warning systems to reduce the social and economic losses induced by the seismic events. Alternative methodologies and applications of warning systems exist, and one of the main differences is the length of the time window in which the warning is issued. In an earthquake early warning system, alerts are issued before the damaging seismic waves reach the protected site. Conversely, rapid warning systems conduct damage estimations immediately after the earthquake occurs to mitigate potential subsequent losses associated with unsafe network operation or unnecessary service interruption. This study develops a railway rapid warning system which is applied to a case study viaduct managed by the Ente Autonomo Volturno (EAV) agency, in southern Italy. Particular attention is dedicated to the decisional stage of the warning protocol that involves an economic-loss minimization strategy based on a multi-cost analysis, which accounts for the urban context and includes the structural damages and the environmental consequences. The system, implemented as a prototype, is able to inform about the viaduct state by updating a dedicated web page, and/or sending e-mail and SMS. The provided information includes the estimation of the damage level induced by an earthquake, and the identification of the seismic risk mitigation actions to be activated
Divertor shaping with neutral baffling as a solution to the tokamak power exhaust challenge
No full textExhausting power from the hot fusion core to the plasma-facing components is one fusion energy’s biggest challenges. The MAST Upgrade tokamak uniquely integrates strong containment of neutrals within the exhaust area (divertor) with extreme divertor shaping capability. By systematically altering the divertor shape, this study shows the strongest evidence to date to our knowledge that long-legged divertors with a high magnetic field gradient (total flux expansion) deliver key power exhaust benefits without adversely impacting the hot fusion core. These benefits are already achieved with relatively modest geometry adjustments that are more feasible to integrate in reactor designs. Benefits include reduced target heat loads and improved access to, and stability of, a neutral gas buffer that ‘shields’ the target and enhances power exhaust (detachment). Analysis and model comparisons shows these benefits are obtained by combining multiple shaping aspects: long-legged divertors have expanded plasma-neutral interaction volume that drive reductions in particle and power loads, while total flux expansion enhances detachment access and stability. Containing the neutrals in the exhaust area with physical structures further augments these shaping benefits. These results demonstrate strategic variation in the divertor geometry and magnetic topology is a potential solution to one of fusion’s power exhaust challenge. (Figure presented.
Digital Twins nei Sistemi Portuali e il contributo di GHG accounting: Una review della letteratura
No full textThis study explores the existing literature to better understand how Digital Twins (DTs) have been analyzed in the perspective of measuring and reporting the carbon footprint of port systems. The study also analyzes how greenhouse gas (GHG) accounting can contrib-ute to feed the DTs information system regarding the values of emissions from mooring, unmooring and manoeuvring operations at the ship-port interface. Although several studies have explored the implementation of new technologies to improve the technical efficiency of ports and their effects on emissions, and others have analyzed GHG accounting for the measurement and reporting of the latter, it remains uncertain how GHG accounting can be integrated with DTs for predictive analytics of ship-port interface operations. This study conducts a literature review on a dataset of 47 articles from Scopus database and Google Scholar, published from 1990 to 2024. The results highlight that, since 2015, research on DTs in ports has highlighted their key role in reducing the carbon footprint and in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG7. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study that analyses, according to a holistic approach, digital sys-tems for virtual representations (DTs) and measurement and reporting systems (GHG ac-counting) for environmental sustainability at the ship-port interface to support public man-agement decisions. This study provides a different perspective of analysis to the decarboni-zation of the port sector, with theoretical and practical implications also in response to the UN 2030 Agenda and its SDGs
A longitudinal analysis of local innovation in Italy: How do proximity measures matter?
No full textThis paper investigates the factors influencing local innovation from a longitudinal perspective while assessing geographical, economic and technological proximity. The research hypotheses concern spatial interactions, spillover effects and proximity measures that best fit innovation patterns and territorial interactions in Italy. The estimation strategy is the spatial Durbin panel model. The optimal specification
to handle cross-sectional dependence in the data was derived from statistical tests evaluating (i) individual-specific effects, (ii) time-specific effects and (iii) both individual and time effects. The model was estimated using data from 107 Italian provinces over 2010–2019. The results show that both endogenous and exogenous interaction effects drive innovation processes and the underlying spillovers are global. Economic proximity explains local innovation patterns more effectively than geographical
contiguity and technological proximity
Going Concern or Liquidation Legal Procedure When Women Sit on the Governing Body? Primary Evidence from the Italian Scenario
No full textThis research aims to investigate whether the presence of women in the governing body of companies in crisis is related to the type of legal procedure chosen, dividing the latter into “going concern” and “liquidation.” As the literature shows gender features that could impact the type of procedure, the study intends to empirically verify it. The research relies on an original dataset focused on a sample of Italian companies that have undergone a financial crisis, leading to their engagement in legal procedures such as bankruptcy and debt restructuring agreements. A logistic regression model is employed to assess the impact of gender, defined as the presence of female directors, on the legal procedure types. To the authors’ best knowledge, no previous research has investigated the corporate governance of companies in legal procedure, focusing on the gender variable and dividing the legal procedures into “going concern” and “liquidation.” Since the literature about the gender of corporate governance is not unanimous, the peculiar analysis proposed could add a piece to the puzzle that seems hard to compose, with interesting implications for policymakers, entrepreneurs, managers, and academics
Resveratrol and Physical Activity: A Successful Combination for the Maintenance of Health and Wellbeing?
No full textPhysical exercise is an essential component of human health. In recent years,
scientific research has focused on identifying natural compounds and formulating new
supplements aimed at enhancing athletic performance, accelerating muscle recovery, and
minimizing the damage caused by physical exertion. The use of antioxidants to counteract
the formation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) following physical activity (PA) is already a
widely adopted practice. Resveratrol (RES), a polyphenol belonging to the stilbene class,
is well known for its potent antioxidant activity and anti-inflammatory effects primarily
attributed to the activation of sirtuins. RES possesses multiple nutraceutical properties
used for the prevention and treatment of inflammatory, cardiovascular, neoplastic, and
infectious diseases, thus attracting attention to study its use in combination with physical
exercise to promote well-being. Animal trials combining RES and PA have mainly reported
improvements in muscle, energy, and cardiovascular functions. The data presented and
discussed in this narrative review are from Pubmed, Scopus, and the Human Gene Database
(search limited to 2011 to 2025 with the keywords RES, sirtuins, and physical activity
altogether or in combination with each other). This review gathers several studies on RES
focusing on its nutraceutical properties, epigenetic activities via sirtuins, and the potential
benefits of combining RES with PA in maintaining health and well-being based on trials
performed first in animals and later in humans. Human studies have been conducted on
various populations, including active adults, sedentary individuals, patients with diseases,
and elderly individuals. Some studies have confirmed the benefits of RES observed in
animal experiments. However, in some cases, no substantial differences were found
between RES supplementation and the control group. In conclusion, the benefits of RES on
PA reported in the literature are still not fully evident, given the contrasting studies and the
still limited number of trials, but both RES and PA are successful tools for the maintenance
of health and wellbeing