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Operational agricultural water management in river-based aquaculture: a machine-learning approach to predict dissolved oxygen in the Halda River, Bangladesh
No full textDissolved Oxygen (DO) represents a key operational constraint for river-dependent aquaculture, and short-term DO forecasting can support practical agricultural water management in systems that directly abstract river water. Relying on daily physicochemical observations from the Halda River, Bangladesh (April 2024–March 2025), four Machine Learning (ML) models were evaluated for DO prediction, i.e. Linear Regression, Artificial Neural Network, Support Vector Machine, and Random Forest. Among the latter ML models, Random Forest achieved the highest predictive performance (R2 = 0.9015, RMSE = 0.0833, and MAE = 0.0574), substantially outperforming the considered baseline Linear Regression model (R2 = 0.4469, RMSE = 0.1892, and MAE = 0.1478). DO was generally stable (about 6.3–7.0 mg/L) while ionic variables, e.g., chloride, conductivity, and Total Dissolved Solids (TDS), showed pronounced dry-season peaks, thus indicating conditions where oxygen stress can become more likely and less predictable. Explainable ML interpretation developed on feature importance and SHapley Additive exPlanations (SHAP) consistently identified water temperature and ionic concentration proxies, especially chloride, alongside conductivity, and TDS, as the dominant drivers of DO variability. Relying on the latter findings, an operational decision-support workflow is proposed in which forecasts based on the Random Forest ML model are paired with low-cost monitoring of temperature and chloride to trigger time-graded farm actions, such as targeted aeration, temporary intake closure, and stocking/feeding adjustments. The reported results in the developed study demonstrate a transferable pathway for moving from accurate and interpretable ML forecasts to actionable agricultural water management protocols that reduce risk of critical losses in river-based aquaculture
Blockchain consensus mechanism and Climate change. A comparative analysis of the current International, European and domestic legislative framework
No full textThis chapter examines the intersection of blockchain technology and its environmental impact, focusing on the energy-intensive validation protocols underlying blockchain systems. It provides a brief overview of blockchain technology and non-fungible tokens (NFTs), highlighting their unique characteristics and growing popularity. The transition from proof of work (PoW) to proof of stake (PoS) is analyzed in terms of their differing environmental footprints. The chapter explores climate change legislation from the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) to the Paris Agreement and offers an overview of European climate policies. It then assesses emerging legislative trends in the European Union, the United States, and China concerning blockchain’s environmental impact. Finally, it evaluates the legitimacy of PoW and PoS mechanisms within the framework of international and European climate regulations, offering insights into aligning blockchain technology with global sustainability goals
INVASION DYNAMICS OF FRESHWATER CRAYFISH IN A MAN-DOMINATED LAND: SPATIO-TEMPORAL, ECOLOGICAL AND HUMAN DIMENSIONS
No full textBiological invasions are among the leading threats to freshwater biodiversity, yet predicting their dynamics and mitigating their impacts remains challenging, especially in human-dominated landscapes where human-aided dispersal is highly possible. This thesis in particular advances understanding of freshwater crayfish invasion dynamics in Lombardy (Northern Italy) by integrating spatio-temporal modelling, impact assessment on native fauna, and socio-managerial perspectives.
As the latest comprehensive assessment in the region was carried out in 1994–2006 by Fea et al., Chapter 2 aimed first to update invasive crayfish distribution, compiling occurrences from scientific and grey literature. Moreover, using Maximum Entropy (MaxEnt) modelling, high-suitability areas were identified, while both linear regression and Bayesian diffusion–growth models quantified Procambarus clarkii expansion rates and revealed environmental drivers of dispersal and local population growth. Compiled historical records indicate multiple probable introduction events for both Faxonius limosus, mostly found in major lakes, and for the more widespread P. clarkii. The latter had a steady early-stage (1997–2006) spread of approximately 3.8 km per year near Pavia, strongly facilitated by urbanized low-slope areas and irrigation networks acting as dispersal corridors, whereas forests and natural river margins slightly limited diffusion and offered less suitable habitat for establishment.
Second, the field study presented in Chapter 3 warns on the possible negative effects of P. clarkii on native amphibians living at the border of today’s distribution in hilly and mountain areas. The research compares ecological impacts of the native crayfish Austropotamobius pallipes complex and the alien P. clarkii on fire salamander (Salamandra salamandra) larvae. Significantly lower body condition was found in larvae from sites with P. clarkii than those co-occurring with A. pallipes, suggesting stronger predation pressure or indirect effects of the invasive species on resource availability, due to the contrasting functional roles of native versus alien crayfish.
Finally, the human dimension in protected areas was explored through visitor surveys in Chapter 4 and management assessments in Chapter 5 to evaluate how the general public behavior and institutional actions influence conservation outcomes. In Monte Barro Regional Park (Chapter 4), surveys revealed low public awareness regarding native and invasive crayfish, with widespread misidentification and limited understanding of actions that could support conservation. Risky behaviors were detected, such as unauthorized fishing, illegal stocking, or entering creeks with potentially contaminated equipment, highlighting the role of human-mediated dispersal in spreading alien species. Importantly, awareness and knowledge were strongly linked to attitudes toward conservation, with better-informed visitors more likely to support eradication of alien species and the protection of native crayfish. At Monza Park (Chapter 5), long-term monitoring showed the local extinction of the Italian agile frog (Rana latastei), likely driven by habitat modification, severe droughts, and predation pressure from invasive P. clarkii, compounded by fragmented management responses. These results underline that effective conservation requires not only ecological interventions, such as habitat protection and species reintroduction, but also proactive engagement with stakeholders and coordinated, consistent management by authorities. Integrating socio-ecological perspectives therefore emerges as essential to anticipate human-driven threats, enhance compliance with conservation measures, and safeguard vulnerable freshwater species in human-dominated landscapes.
In conclusion, this thesis demonstrates how combining distribution models, ecological impact assessments, and socio-managerial research can generate useful insights for invasive species management. The findings inform proactive strategies to protect native crayfish and amphibians, particularly through early detection, prioritization of high-risk areas, and integration of public engagement into conservation planning
The Passage of Time
No full textWhat, if anything, are we talking about when we say that time passes? In the Western
tradition, philosophical investigations on the nature of time divide between realist approaches according to which there is a truth beyond the metaphor of the passage, and anti-realist approaches according to which the passage of time is ultimately an illusion. In this contribution, I will overview the logical space in which various options for the realist and the antirealist are to be found: time idealism and passage antirealism, various forms of standard realism, and non-standard forms of realism of passage
Trustworthiness Preservation by Copies of Machine Learning Systems
No full textA common practice of ML systems development concerns the training of the
same model under different data sets, and the use of the same (training and
test) sets for different learning models. The first case is a desirable prac-
tice for identifying high quality and unbiased training conditions. The latter
case coincides with the search for optimal models under a common dataset
for training. These differently obtained systems have been considered akin
to copies. In the quest for responsible AI, a legitimate but hardly investi-
gated question is how to verify that trustworthiness is preserved by copies.
In this paper we introduce a calculus to model and verify probabilistic com-
plex queries over data and define four distinct notions: Justifiably, Equally,
Weakly and Almost Trustworthy which can be checked analysing the (par-
tial) behaviour of the copy with respect to its original. We provide a study
of the relations between these notions of trustworthiness, and how they com-
pose with each other and under logical operations. The aim is to offer a
computational tool to check the trustworthiness of possibly complex systems
copied from an original whose behavour is known
Sulla natura giuridica del TFR dovuto al Fondo di Tesoreria la parola passa alle Sezioni Unite
No full textLa qualificazione giuridica del t.f.r. dovuto, a partire dal 1° gennaio 2007, al Fondo di Tesoreria dell’INPS dai datori di lavoro con almeno cinquanta dipendenti ai sensi dell’art. 1, commi 755 e ss., della l. 27 di-cembre 2006, n. 296, ha generato all’interno della Sezione Lavoro della Cassazione un contrasto inter-pretativo tra l’orientamento che ne conferma la tradizionale natura retributiva e il più recente indirizzo che ne afferma la natura contributiva. Per la sua particolare importanza l’ordinanza in commento ha ri-messo la questione al Primo Presidente per la relativa assegnazione alle Sezioni Unite.The legal classification of severance pay due, as of 1 January 2007, to the INPS Treasury Fund by employers with at least fifty employees pursuant to Article 1, paragraphs 755 et seq. of Law No. 296 of 27 December 2006, has generated a conflict of interpretation within the Labour Section of the Court of Cassation between the approach that confirms its traditional nature as remuneration and the more recent approach that instead affirms its contributory nature. Due to its particular importance, the ruling in question referred the matter to the First President for assignment to the Joint Chambers
LA RIVOLUZIONE DALLA PALESTINA ALL¿ITALIA: L¿ATTIVITÀ DELLE ORGANIZZAZIONI PALESTINESI IN ITALIA DAL 1967 AL 1982
No full textLa ricerca analizza l’azione del movimento palestinese in Italia tra il 1967 e il 1982, ponendo al centro i palestinesi come soggetti attivi e consapevoli delle dinamiche politiche e sociali italiane. L’indagine si fonda su un’ampia base di fonti italiane e arabe, includendo documentazione istituzionale e di partito, giornali e riviste, materiali interni delle organizzazioni palestinesi, nonché interviste orali a ex militanti italiani e palestinesi. L’approccio comparativo e il dialogo tra fonti diverse rappresentano un elemento di originalità rispetto alla storiografia precedente, che ha privilegiato prospettive esclusivamente italiane, trascurando spesso le strategie e le pratiche palestinesi a causa di barriere linguistiche e metodologiche. La tesi adotta una periodizzazione in tre fasi: il periodo 1967–1970, segnato dall’affermazione della resistenza palestinese dopo la Guerra dei Sei Giorni e dall’avvio dei primi contatti in Italia; quello 1970–1973, caratterizzato dalla nascita e dal radicamento del GUPS (Unione Generale degli Studenti Palestinesi) e dall’attività di figure come Wael Zwaiter e, infine, il 1973–1982, la fase della maturazione politica e diplomatica dell’OLP in Italia, con l’arrivo di Nemer Hammad, il consolidamento dei rapporti istituzionali e la visita di Yasser Arafat a Roma.
Attraverso la ricostruzione delle attività culturali, politiche e simboliche del movimento palestinese – dalla diffusione di riviste come Rivoluzione palestinese, Palestina e Al Sharara, fino all’organizzazione di reti studentesche e alla partecipazione al dibattito politico italiano – emerge la capacità delle organizzazioni palestinesi di adattare linguaggi e strumenti al contesto italiano, creando spazi di mobilitazione e consenso che coinvolsero tanto la sinistra extraparlamentare quanto quella parlamentare. La tesi intende contribuire a colmare un vuoto storiografico, provando a restituire una visione più ampia e plurale delle relazioni tra Italia e Palestina e mostrando come l’Italia rappresentò, negli anni Settanta, un laboratorio politico cruciale per l’internazionalizzazione della causa palestinese.This research examines the activities of the Palestinian movement in Italy between 1967 and 1982, emphasizing Palestinians as active agents fully aware of Italian political and social dynamics. The investigation is based on a wide range of Italian and Arabic sources, including institutional and party documentation, newspapers and magazines, internal materials from Palestinian organizations, as well as oral interviews with former Italian and Palestinian militants. The comparative approach and the dialogue between different sources represent an element of originality compared to previous historiography, which has often favored exclusively Italian perspectives and, due to linguistic and methodological barriers, neglected Palestinian strategies and practices. This thesis adopts a three-phase periodization: 1967–1970, marked by the rise of Palestinian resistance after the Six-Day War and the first contacts in Italy; 1970–1973, characterized by the establishment and consolidation of the GUPS (General Union of Palestinian Students) and the activity of figures such as Wael Zwaiter; 1973–1982, the stage of political and diplomatic maturation of the PLO in Italy, with the arrival of Nemer Hammad, the strengthening of institutional relations, and Yasser Arafat’s visit to Rome.
By reconstructing the cultural, political, and symbolic activities of the Palestinian movement – from the dissemination of journals such as Rivoluzione palestinese, Palestina, and Al Sharara, to the organization of student networks and participation in the Italian political debate – the thesis highlights the ability of Palestinian organizations to adapt their language and tools to the Italian context, creating spaces of mobilization and consensus that involved both the extra-parliamentary and parliamentary left. The work aims to contribute in filling a historiographical gap by offering a more various and rich perspective on the relations between Italy and Palestine and by showing how Italy, during the 1970s, represented a crucial political laboratory for the internationalization of the Palestinian cause
Automated machine learning achieves accurate water quality prediction with reduced parameter requirements
No full textAccurate water quality assessment is critical for environmental monitoring and public health.
Conventional Water Quality Index (WQI) computation methods, however, often rely on numerous parameters and labor-intensive processes, thus limiting their practicality for rapid assessments. While Machine Learning (ML) offers promising alternatives, the development of high-performing models typically demands extensive expertise and computational resources. This study addresses the latter gap by leveraging Automated Machine Learning (AutoML), specifically the AutoGluon platform, to predict WQI from a reduced set of readily available water quality parameters. Our objectives were to (i) evaluate the predictive performance of AutoML with reduced inputs, (ii) assess model interpretability via feature importance, and (iii) propose an automated framework for efficient water quality monitoring. This study analyzed a 36-year dataset from Taiwan’s national river water quality
monitoring network, focusing on four parameters: electrical conductivity (EC), suspended solids (SS), water temperature (WT), and pH. A fully automated pipeline handled model selection, hyperparameter tuning, and ensemble construction by systematically testing multiple algorithm families and stacking strategies to determine the optimal setup for each parameter. This eliminated manual intervention and delivered reproducible, data-driven results that matched the distinct spatiotemporal patterns in the long-term records. Among the evaluated algorithms, ensemble-based tree models (CatBoost, Random Forest, and XGBoost) demonstrated superior performance, achieving a mean R2 of 0.76 and
low predictive errors. Feature importance analysis identified EC as the most influential predictor. Such results highlight the feasibility of reducing the number of input parameters without compromising prediction accuracy, thereby enabling faster and cost-effective water quality assessments
Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injuries in Professional Soccer: Evidence from Transfermarkt-Based Studies
No full textBackground Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury represents one of the most severe and career-threatening conditions
in professional soccer. In recent years, several epidemiological studies have used media-based databases, particularly
Transfermarkt, to investigate ACL injury patterns in elite football. To summarize and critically discuss Transfermarkt-based
evidence on ACL injuries in professional soccer, focusing on epidemiology, injury distribution, recurrence, return-to-play
outcomes, and long-term career impact.
Methods This study was designed as a narrative review of peer-reviewed Transfermarkt-based studies investigating anterior
cruciate ligament injuries in professional soccer. A systematic literature search was performed in PubMed, Scopus, and Web
of Science, and eligible studies were qualitatively synthesized focusing on epidemiology, injury distribution, recurrence,
return-to-play, and career-related outcomes.
Results Across the included studies, ACL injuries occurred predominantly during matches, with a substantially higher
risk compared with training. Injury distribution showed consistent seasonal clustering and position-dependent patterns,
with defenders and forwards being most frequently affected. A considerable proportion of injuries represented second ACL
ruptures. Although return-to-play rates were high, only a limited proportion of players returned to their preinjury competitive
level. Moreover, ACL-injured players demonstrated reduced long-term performance and shorter career duration compared
with matched uninjured controls.
Conclusion ACL injury in professional soccer is not only an acute traumatic event but also a condition with relevant long-
term performance and career consequences. Transfermarkt-based studies provide valuable large-scale epidemiological insight
into ACL injury patterns in elite football; however, their findings should be interpreted in light of inherent methodological
limitations. Future research integrating medical registries with standardized reporting systems is required to optimize injury
prevention strategies and long-term outcome assessment