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Editoriale. Per Ferdinando
No full textEditorial to commemorate the recent passing of our colleague Ferdinando Fav
Economic dynamics of the Italian agricultural land structure
No full textThis paper investigates the structural transformation of Italian agriculture between 2010 and 2020 by analyzing regional data from the 6th and 7th General Agricultural Censuses. Through a comparative econometric approach based on cross-sectional regressions, the study explores how demographic, technological, and organizational factors influence farm consolidation, measured by the average Utilized Agricultural Area (UAA) per farm. To address multicollinearity and model instability, a stepwise regression method is applied for both years, allowing for a clearer identification of robust predictors. Results reveal that agritourism and photovoltaic adoption consistently support larger farm sizes across the decade, while the relevance of other variables such as cooperative structures and generational dynamics, emerges more strongly in 2020. Conversely, the effect of organic farming, significant and negative in 2010, fades in the more recent wave. The findings underscore the increasing role of innovation and organizational form in shaping agricultural structure, while also highlighting the persistence of territorial disparities and institutional barriers, particularly for younger and female farm managers. The study contributes to the literature on structural change in fragmented agricultural systems and offers policy-relevant insights to support more inclusive and territorially differentiated CAP (Common Agricultural Policy) reforms
“Pedestrians in a box”: A comparison to hard discs
No full textWe analyse the behaviour of pedestrians in a set of controlled experiments in which subjects were asked to move continuously in a closed square area, a scenario that we name pedestrians in a box . Since the size of the area and the number of pedestrians were changed between experimental sessions, this scenario resembles the treatment of a gas in statistical physics. We define a few statistical observables and compare the dynamics of the system to a gas of hard discs, which results to be able to reproduce some aspects of crowd dynamics in the high density setting, and discuss the meaning of our findings
Los profesionales de la medicina y la difusión del conocimiento entre Sicilia y los reinos ibéricos (siglos XIII-XV): balance historiográfico, recursos en red y nuevas perspectivas de investigación
No full textThe Medieval Mediterranean was a privileged space for cultural, political and scientific exchange, with Sicily and the Iberian kingdoms playing a prominent role. Through trade routes and dynastic connections, these regions facilitated
the circulation of medical ideas, manuscripts and health professionals. This article explores the networks of medical knowledge in this context, with an emphasis on the interaction between the Sicilian and Catalan-Aragonese courts. In particular, the social and administrative organisation of the Crown of Aragon allowed the creation of a vast corpus of documents, covering multiple aspects of the social and cultural history of medicine and health, both human and veterinary. One of the significant advances in the conservation of and access to this documentation is the MedCat initiative (Corpus Medicorum Catalanorum), a key tool in the study of human and animal health, which stands out for its wide possibilities of access and interdisciplinary analysis. MedCat also promotes the necessary synergies to ensure that this documentation is not lost or remains out of reach for research, thanks to the possibilities of classification and dissemination offered by Digital HumanitiesEl Mediterráneo medieval fue un espacio privilegiado para el intercambio cultural, político y científico, donde Sicilia y los reinos ibéricos desempeñaron un papel destacado. A través de rutas comerciales y conexiones dinásticas, estas regiones facilitaron la circulación de ideas médicas, manuscritos y profesionales de la salud. El artículo explora las redes de conocimiento médico en este contexto, con énfasis en la interacción entre las cortes sicilianas y catalano-aragonesas.
En concreto, la organización social y administrativa de la Corona de Aragón permitió la creación de un vasto corpus documental, que abarca múltiples aspectos de la historia social y cultural de la medicina y la sanidad, tanto humana como veterinaria. Uno de los avances significativos en la conservación y acceso a esta documentación es la iniciativa MedCat
(Corpus Medicorum Catalanorum), una herramienta clave en el estudio de la salud humana y animal, destacando por sus amplias posibilidades de acceso y análisis interdisciplinario. MedCat además promueve las sinergias necesarias para asegurar que esa documentación no se pierda o quede fuera del alcance de la investigación, gracias a las posibilidades de clasificación y difusión que ofrecen las Humanidades digitales
Optimal placement and design of M-STLCDs in n-story buildings: a comparative study with M-TMDs and M-TLCDs
No full textThis study proposes a novel optimization procedure for the seismic vibration control of multi-degree-of-freedom systems incorporating Multiple Sliding Tuned Liquid Column Dampers (M-STLCDs). Unlike conventional compliant liquid-based devices, the proposed system consists of multiple translating U-shaped liquid containers, each independently tuned to a specific structural mode, enabling multi-modal control, particularly suited for stiff structures and not previously explored in the literature. The procedure can optimize and install one device at a time while accounting for the modifications introduced by prior installations, ensuring a progressive adaptation of the control system to the dynamic characteristics of the structure. For each single STLCD, the procedure considers both the optimal location in the building and the fundamental mode to be controlled. More specifically, for each STLCD, the procedure detects the optimal floor where the device should be placed and optimizes the damping and the natural frequency of the spring-dashpot unit, the head-loss coefficient and the natural frequency characterizing the liquid. To prove the effectiveness of the optimal placement of the devices, the optimization procedure was applied on two different types of shear-type structures, i.e., on a three-story and a six-story structure, subjected to a broadband and zero-mean white noise process. Moreover, the control performance of the device was evaluated both in the time and the frequency domain and under recorded seismic events, in comparison with optimized configurations of traditional devices, such as Multiple Tuned Mass Dampers (M-TMDs) and Multiple Tuned Liquid Column Dampers (M-TLCDs)
Deep neural network-assisted improvement of quantum compressed sensing tomography
No full textQuantum compressed sensing is a fundamental technique for tomographic reconstruction of low-rank density matrices in informationally incomplete scenarios. However, when the available measurement data is insufficient, standard compressed sensing, like other algorithmic estimators such as maximum-likelihood, can yield imprecise or noisy estimates. To mitigate this, we propose a deep neural network-based post-processing to enhance the initial reconstruction. By treating the compressed sensing-estimated quantum state as a noisy input, the network performs a supervised denoising task. After the network is applied, a projection onto the space of feasible density matrices is performed to obtain an improved final state estimation. We demonstrate the effectiveness of our method through numerical experiments. Additionally, we explore iterative application of the inference process to further enhance performance, and we analyze the network's generalization ability by testing its performance on states and noise models not seen during training
Annibale Ninchi e la recitazione del repertorio classico nei teatri antichi
No full textAnnibale Ninchi (1887-1967) è stato il capostipite di una delle più note famiglie d’arte italiane.
Attore tragico, drammaturgo ed esponente del teatro di tradizione, Ninchi si distinse come interprete del repertorio classico, e non, nei teatri all’aperto, divenendo protagonista di numerose stagioni promosse dall’INDA (Istituto Nazionale del Dramma Antico) al Teatro Greco di Siracusa.
Il saggio mira a delineare una prima ricostruzione dell’attività di Ninchi nei teatri en plein air nel corso della sua carriera, dagli anni giovanili alla maturità. Tra le produzioni più significative si annoverano sia quelle risalenti agli
anni Venti e Trenta (Baccanti 1922; Il ciclope 1937; Aiace 1939), sia l’Edipo Re con la regia di Guido Salvini del 1958.Annibale Ninchi (1887-1967) was the ancestor of one of the most renown family of Italian actors. Tragic actor, playwright, and supporter of the traditional theatre, Ninchi distinguished himself, amid the open-air theatres, as an actor of the classical repertoire, thus turning into one of the main protagonists of several theatrical seasons at the Greek Theatre of Syracuse, promoted by the INDA (National Institute of Ancient Drama). The essay aims to outline a first reconstruction of Ninchi’s activity in open-air theatres, from his youth to his maturity. Among the most important productions can be included both the ones dating back to the 20’s and 30’s years (Baccanti 1922; Il ciclope 1937; Aiace 1939) and the Edipo Re directed by Guido Salvini in 1958
Nudging the last mile: Combining behavioral insights and monetary incentives for sustainable delivery choices
No full textLast-mile delivery, the final leg of the supply chain to consumers, significantly impacts the environment, particularly in the grocery sector, due to the perishable nature of food items often necessitating expedited delivery methods. The role of consumer behavior in this process has been overlooked, and their preferences in a trade-off between the benefits of grocery home delivery and the environment have yet to be clarified. This paper bridges this gap by integrating behavioral logistics with key drivers of green consumer behavior to optimize grocery delivery, leveraging primary consumer data to enhance efficiency and minimize environmental impact. Using a two-part methodology, the research combines a controlled experiment and an optimization model. By partnering with an Italian supermarket, this research examines the impact of financial incentives, green nudges, and peer collaboration on consumer grocery delivery choices and routing optimization. The findings reveal that moral green nudges outweigh financial incentives and amplify the effect, and peer influence drives the adoption of shared and more sustainable delivery systems. The optimization model quantifies these behavioral insights, demonstrating cost reductions of up to 42.5% through flexible delivery scheduling and 76.8% via a shared cart mechanism. The findings provide valuable insights for practitioners and policymakers willing to intervene in the crossing of consumer choices and grocery delivery efficiency by presenting an innovative and ready-to-implement solution, which we denote as “the shared cart”. In showing the importance of social pressure for collaborative pro-environmental behavior, the shared cart practically embodies the potential for safeguarding the environment, while enabling cost-saving for last-mile delivery in the grocery sector
Incidence and Predictors of Ocular Complications in Pediatric-Onset Uveitis: Data from the AIDA Network Uveitis Registry
No full textIntroduction: This study aims to describe complications of pediatric-onset uveitis and their predictors among baseline and treatment-related factors. Methods: This registry-based observational study included patients with noninfectious uveitis with disease onset < 18 years. Results: A total of 309 patients were enrolled (535 eyes). Uveitis was anterior in 290 eyes (54.2%), panuveitis in 121 (22.6%), intermediate in 88 (16.4%), and posterior in 24 (4.5%). Over a median follow-up of 49.0 months (interquartile range [IQR] 101.0), 137 children (44.3%) developed ≥ 1 complication (14.4 per 100 patient-years). Idiopathic uveitis (p < 0.001), longer topical glucocorticoid (GC) monotherapy (p < 0.001) and longer delay of immunosuppressive therapy (IST) (p = 0.03) were associated with a higher frequency of complications. In multivariate analysis, anterior uveitis was protective against complications (odds ratio [OR] 0.10, 95% confidence interval [CI] − 4.1 to − 1.6, p < 0.001), whereas a chronic course of uveitis significantly increased the risk (OR 6.13, 95% CI 1.0–2.6, p < 0.001). Older age at onset was protective against cataract (OR 0.91, 95% CI − 0.2 to − 0.02, p = 0.020) and band keratopathy (OR 0.8, 95% CI − 0.4 to − 0.1, p = 0.003). Final best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) (Snellen decimals) was inversely correlated with the duration of topical GC monotherapy (ρ = − 0.23; p = 0.001). In multivariate analysis, panuveitis was linked to a 0.142 decimal reduction (95% CI − 0.219 to − 0.066, p < 0.001), and cataract to a 0.295 reduction (95% CI − 0.372 to − 0.217, p < 0.001) in the final BCVA. Conclusions: Children with chronic, idiopathic, early-onset, and non-anterior uveitis are at greatest risk for complications. Structured screening for these children, along with early initiation of systemic IST, is essential to prevent visual impairment
Perché il viaggio non è mai solo uno spostamento nello spazio
No full textAttraversamenti. In viaggio, in treno, altrove (Nuova Trauben Edizioni, 2023) di Stefano Montes e Gaetano Sabato è un’opera che intreccia antropologia, geografia culturale e letteratura per esplorare il viaggio come esperienza conoscitiva, relazionale e simbolica. Il volume nasce da un dialogo intellettuale e umano tra i due autori, che fanno della scrittura un luogo di incontro tra discipline e sensibilità diverse. Lontano dalle rigidità accademiche, il testo adotta una forma ibrida e “indisciplinata”, alternando riflessione teorica, narrazione e analisi etnografica.
Il viaggio, il treno e l’altrove diventano metafore centrali per comprendere il modo in cui l’uomo abita e costruisce il mondo. Attraverso la lettura di autori come Tomasi di Lampedusa, Sciascia, Moravia e Pasolini, Montes e Sabato indagano lo spazio come prodotto sociale e affettivo, dove memoria e identità si intrecciano in dinamiche di negoziazione culturale. Concetti come adulteramento, alterità e attraversamento delineano una “antropologia del presente e del possibile”, capace di restituire la complessità del vivere contemporaneo.
Attraversamenti invita il lettore a considerare il viaggio non solo come movimento fisico, ma come pratica di conoscenza e trasformazione. È un testo che unisce rigore e poesia, ricerca e introspezione, offrendo una prospettiva umana e dialogica sul rapporto tra spazio, memoria e identità.Attraversamenti. In viaggio, in treno, altrove (Crossings. On a Journey, by Train, Elsewhere, Nuova Trauben Edizioni, 2023) by Stefano Montes and Gaetano Sabato intertwines anthropology, cultural geography, and literature to explore travel as a cognitive, relational, and symbolic experience. The book emerges from an intellectual and human dialogue between the two authors, who turn writing into a space of encounter between different disciplines and sensibilities. Far from academic rigidity, the text adopts a hybrid and “undisciplined” form, alternating theoretical reflection, narration, and ethnographic observation.
Travel, the train, and the elsewhere become central metaphors for understanding how human beings inhabit and construct the world. Through readings of authors such as Tomasi di Lampedusa, Sciascia, Moravia, and Pasolini, Montes and Sabato investigate space as a social and affective product, where memory and identity intertwine within dynamics of cultural negotiation. Concepts such as adulteration, otherness, and crossing define an “anthropology of the present and the possible,” capable of capturing the complexity of contemporary life.
Attraversamenti invites readers to view travel not merely as physical movement, but as a practice of knowledge and transformation. It is a text that combines rigor and poetry, research and introspection, offering a human and dialogical perspective on the relationship between space, memory, and identity