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Investigating the decarbonization process of the maritime transport sector - Quantifying and reducing greenhouse gas emissions
No full textThe doctoral thesis in question focuses on decarbonisation processes involving intermodal freight transport chains, with particular attention to maritime transport chains (also known as “maritime supply chains”). The aim of the research was therefore to understand the effects of greenhouse gas emission reduction mechanisms in the maritime transport sector and to analyse the contribution of the methodologies used to calculate and report on these emissions, including through application assessments.
The methodological framework analysed is based on the GLEC Framework proposed by the Smart Freight Centre, as well as the new ISO 14083:2023 standard. To assess the effectiveness of the methodology, it was first applied to a real case study, which in this case was based on a national Ro-Ro cabotage service operating in the Mediterranean area. Subsequently, emission reduction strategies in the maritime sector were examined. Finally, particular attention was paid to the EU-ETS and EU-MRV systems: a comparative analysis of emission reduction strategies was applied to a container service between Asia and Europe, based on the assessment of fuel consumption, greenhouse gas emissions, operating costs and the economic impact of the EU-ETS system
Parenthood Desires and Intentions Among Italian Transgender Adults
No full textResearch has shown that many individuals engaged in gender affirmation still wish to become parents despite personal, psychosocial, and structural barriers. The present study adopted an intersectional perspective focusing on transgender and parental identities and examined the parenthood desires and intentions of a sample of transgender individuals. Participants completed measures evaluating their desire and the strength of their desire to have children, intentions and reflections on parenthood, as well as dyadic adjustment and social support. The sample included 103 individuals, of whom 35.2% identified as transgender women and 64.8% as transgender men, with a mean age of 30.31 years. Overall, 63.1% of participants expressed a desire to become parents, and 53.4% reported an intention to have children. Higher dyadic adjustment and younger age emerged as the only significant predictors of both the desire and the intention to become parents. The findings highlight the central role of sociodemographic factors, such as age and relational status, together with psychosocial factors, such as dyadic adjustment, in shaping parenthood desires and intentions. These results underscore the need to train healthcare professionals to better support transgender individuals and to provide clear guidance on issues related to transgender parentin
Corporate governance and corporate social responsibility in chaebols: tracing the evolution under government influence
No full textThis chapter examines the corporate social responsibility (CSR) practices of South Korea's Chaebols—large family-owned conglomerates that have played a central role in the nation’s economic development. Since the 1960s, Chaebols such as Samsung, Hyundai, LG, and SK Group have dominated the economy, benefiting from government incentives designed to create globally competitive firms. Despite their contributions to South Korea's industrialization, Chaebols have faced increasing public criticism over allegations of corruption and the privileges enjoyed by their founding families. This chapter provides a historical overview of how Chaebols have integrated CSR initiatives over time, with particular emphasis on the role of government support in promoting socially responsible behavior. By reviewing existing literature, the analysis explores the evolving relationship between Chaebols, CSR, and government incentives, contributing to broader discussions on the intersection of business, governance, and social responsibility within South Korea’s distinctive economic framework
Investigation of Differential Diffusion and Strain Coupling in Large Eddy Simulations of Hydrogen-Air Flames
No full textLarge Eddy Simulations with flamelet-based thermochemistry are used to investigate the behavior of a premixed hydrogen-air flame stabilized by a bluff-body. Validation against experimental data is carried out first to demonstrate the model’s ability to predict both velocity field and flame structure. The capability of the model in predicting differential diffusion effects is then assessed, in particular regarding the coupling between differential diffusion, tangential strain and curvature, and their effect on mixture fraction redistribution and reaction rate variation. Results indicate that unstretched flamelet thermochemistry is capable of capturing the increase in mixture fraction caused by positive resolved strain, as well as negative variations of mixture fraction due to negative curvature. Furthermore, the model is observed to mimic the effects of negative Markstein length to a certain extent, so that positive tangential strain causes reaction rate increase. The interplay between resolved stretch and preferential diffusion is also shown to lead to a shorter flame length which is in better agreement with experimental observations as compared to simulations under unity Lewis number assumption. These findings highlight that the macroscopic effects of differential diffusion and stretch on the premixed hydrogen flame, characterized by significant strain levels, can be predicted using a flamelet-based approach and without recurring to strained flamelets database, which implies important simplifications in the combustion modeling of turbulent hydrogen-premixed flames and offers valuable insights for the design of novel combustors
Refuser la violence et la domination: Catherine Malabou et les traumatismes contemporains
No full textIn her investigation of plasticity and transformation, accident and trauma, collective suffering and insubordination, revolutionary and anarchist ideals, Catherine Malabou’s philosophical reflections remain an eloquent praise for resistance in the name of real equality between free people, a resolute opposition to social and political violence, showing the strategies of domination, exclusion and marginalisation still at work
Roofing Systems in Medieval Sardinia. Types, Materials, and Craft Traditions
No full textThis study investigates the roofing systems of Sardinian medieval architecture from the sixth to the fourteenth century, focusing on typological developments, construction materials, and the involvement of local and foreign building workshops. While domed structures, rooted in Byzantine models, are typical of the earlier phase (sixth-tenth centuries), the Romanesque period (eleventh-fourteenth centuries) saw the adoption of longitudinal
church plans featuring a diverse array of roofing techniques, including barrel and groin vaults, wooden trusses, and hybrid solutions. The distribution of these systems reflects a complex interplay of regional material availability, socio-political dynamics, and patronage networks. Special attention is given to the lithological diversity of the island, ranging from volcanic stone to granite, without neglecting the rare use of alternative materials,
such as brick; and to the contributions of Provençal, Pisan, and other mainland Italian craftsmen, whose interventions shaped the architectural landscape
Use of wearable sensors for continuous field monitoring of upper arm and trunk postures among construction workers
No full textConstruction is considered amongst the highest risk sectors for the development of work-related musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) considering the large number of unfavourable environmental and task-specific factors typical in this sector. Thus, it is important to have quantitative tools to support the assessment of the exposure to physical MSD risk factors. We employed wearable inertial sensors (ISs) to perform a real-world characterisation of static postures and repetitive movements involving the trunk and upper arms (UA), among 15 workers during 2 hours of their regular shifts. IS data were processed according to ISO 11226 and EN 1005-4 standards. We found that workers spent ∼25% of the monitored time in static trunk flexion >20% and more than 50% of the time with UA elevations >20°. The ability to assess working postures for prolonged periods may represent a useful tool for different stakeholders involved in the protection of construction worker health
Extending Maximum-Entropy Interbank Reconstruction to a Multi-Country Framework with Cross-Border Exposures
No full textEstimating bilateral interbank exposures is essential for assessing systemic risk and contagion in global banking systems. We propose a reconstruction framework that extends the maximum-entropy approach to a multi-country setting by integrating domestic balance sheet total interbank exposure values with country-level aggregate cross-border exposures.
The method distributes each country’s external positions across its resident banks and then reconstructs the domestic interbank matrices under maximum-entropy constraints, yielding a globally consistent exposure matrix. Cross-border aggregates—such as those published by the BIS—enter the framework only as optional external constraints rather than as objects of empirical validation. The resulting dual-layer interbank network improves the internal coherence of multi-country exposure estimates and provides a consistent input for contagion simulations and systemic risk analysis
It makes a difference who you are: first record of Dasyatis tortonesei Capapé, 1975 along Sardinian coasts and taxonomic uncertainties within stingrays
No full textDespite several records of Dasyatis tortonesei Capapé, 1975 in the Mediterranean Sea, its distribution and abundance have been questioned due to the cryptic nature of the Tortonese’s stingray and the frequent misidentification with the common stingray Dasyatis pastinaca (Linnaeus, 1758). Through morphological and molecular analyses, the two species had been confirmed in previous studies, but uncertainties remain about their distribution and presence, and the effectiveness of morphological and molecular discrimination between these two stingrays. Additionally, D. tortonesei suffers from limited availability of biological information, in part due to the abovementioned taxonomic ambiguity, hampering adequate conservation actions. In fact, D. tortonesei is listed as Data Deficient on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List, while D. pastinaca is classified as Vulnerable. The catching of an “unusual” stingray along the Sardinian coast led us to hypothesize that it could be a D. tortonesei individual.
Since the correct identification of specimens is necessary to properly assess the impact of fisheries, and stingrays share many morphological similarities, molecular identification of this specimen was conducted using mtDNA markers. Additional specimens of stingrays were sampled in the same area. New and public sequences of COI and NADH2 mito-chondrial genes were analysed. Sequence data confirmed the occurrence of D. tortonesei in the investigated area, highlighting the frequent misidentification between this species and closely related species in the field, and underscoring the need for updated and reliable morphological identification keys. To evaluate whether the misidentification issue involves other Mediterranean stingrays, an extensive molecular analysis, including multiple species, was performed. The application of several species-delimitation methods revealed widespread taxonomic uncertainties across the five genera of the Mediterranean Dasyatidae. These results point out unresolved systematic issues within the family and emphasize the urgent need for further integrative taxonomic studies and a comprehensive revision of the taxon, essential to support effective conservation strategies
Continuous gravitational wave searches from neutron stars and exotic sources in ground-based interferometric data
No full textThis thesis focuses on developing and applying robust data analysis methods for the detection of continuous gravitational waves (CWs), using both real and simulated data. It addresses challenges in the search strategies: targeted searches, where source parameters should be perfectly constrained; narrowband searches, where source position is well constrained but rotational parameters not; and all-sky searches, which scan broad parameter spaces to find unknown sources. Specific attention is given to optimising follow-up procedures and computational efficiency.
First, we reviews gravitational wave (GW) theory, detection principles, and current CW search methodologies. My scientific contributions begin with a novel semicoherent targeted search for CW sources in binary systems. This method tunes the coherence time by accounting for orbital parameter uncertainties and is tested on a set of targets from the ATNF catalogue.
Next, improvements to the 5n-vector narrowband pipeline are presented. With my contributions, the pipeline now handles sources in binary systems with well-known orbital parameters and scans over the second derivative of CW frequency. These features are used in three applied searches. The final part of the thesis focuses on follow-up techniques for all-sky search candidates. One chapter presents an optimised follow-up pipeline using a Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) approach with pyfstat, developed in collaboration with the LIGO group at UIB. This work demonstrates significant computational savings (up to two orders of magnitude) while maintaining high detection efficiency. The last chapter discusses the application of these optimisations to the follow-up of Frequency-Hough (FH) candidates. A total of 109 candidates from an FH all-sky search are processed through standard procedures and then using pyfstat in a second stage.
No CW signals were detected in these searches. The thesis concludes by summarising findings and outlining future research directions