Archivio istituzionale della ricerca - Alma Mater Studiorum Università di Bologna
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Twenty years of applied experimental research on wood-plastic composites. An italian case study.
Full text linkThe article describes the development of a WPC product, and it was possible to explore the topics in depth thanks to
the multi-year cooperation between some Universities and an Italian manufacturing company. It summarises, in a critical
manner, the activity that led to the optimisation of the product according to a series of criteria such as durability,
physical–mechanical characteristics, production costs, processability and reduction of environmental impact. The data
collected along the way are numerous, concerning flexural strength, imbibition, durability and real behaviour in relation
to the exposure to atmospheric agents, solar radiation and the marine environment, of applications carried out with
continuity from the early 2000s to the present day. The analysis of the evolution of the product, both in terms of its material
composition and its applications, is conducted through the main steps that led to the variations in the formula of the
compound, to the changes in the production process, such as the transition from ’one-step’ to ’two-step’ production lines,
and to important implementations for building and marine industries. The final section of the article deals with possible
future research topics to lead to product improvement in response to real technical and market needs. The novelty of
this contribution lies in providing a concise view of the product development process in relation to experimental tests
and the needs of manufacturers and users
Simplified hydroponics in Tunisia: assessing the charred straw as growing substrate for lettuce cultivation
Full text linkSimplified hydroponics proves to be a viable solution for sustainable vegetable
production in developing economies. In a rural area of northern Tunisia lacking
commercial growing media, a three-replicated randomized block design experiment
assessed the agronomic efficiency of an alternative growing substrate for lettuce
cultivation. A closed-loop hydroponic system with gravity irrigation utilized recovered
plastic bottles as pots, arranged in 2 m long rows and tilted to ensure nutrient solution
flow. Tested substrates were commercial perlite and locally recovered wheat straw that
was charred. Plants were sampled at the higher, central, and lower part of the row.
Charred straw at the top of the system yielded the highest, although productivity
declined in the row central and lower. When the adopted substrate was perlite yield
was consistent across the different positions in the raw, with values comparable with
those from plants on charred straw in the central and lower positions. These results
suggest limited drainage in charred straw, impacting nutrient solution flow through the
bottom of the system. Additionally, plant dry matter (%) was significantly higher in
perlite, and increased at the bottom of the system for both substrates. Strategic
interventions are needed to address limitations in drainage properties, thereby
optimizing the potential of charred straw as a viable hydroponic substrate. Preliminary
findings on using optical sensors for lettuce yield estimation in simplified hydroponics
are presented, while system productivity improvements are discussed. The study
provides valuable data supporting the implementation and optimization of simplified
hydroponics production in northern Tunisia
Euclid: Detecting Solar System objects in Euclid images and classifying them using Kohonen self-organising maps
Full text linkThe ESA Euclid mission will survey more than 14 000 deg2 of the sky in visible and near-infrared wavelengths, mapping the extragalactic sky to constrain our cosmological model of the Universe. Although the survey focusses on regions further than 15 from the ecliptic, it should allow for the detection of more than about 105 Solar System objects (SSOs). After simulating the expected signal from SSOs in Euclid images acquired with the visible camera (VIS), we describe an automated pipeline developed to detect moving objects with an apparent velocity in the range of 0.1a-10′′ h-1, typically corresponding to sources in the outer Solar System (from Centaurs to Kuiper-belt objects). In particular, the proposed detection scheme is based on SExtractor software and on applying a new algorithm capable of associating moving objects amongst different catalogues. After applying a suite of filters to improve the detection quality, we study the expected purity and completeness of the SSO detections. We also show how a Kohonen self-organising neural network can be successfully trained (in an unsupervised fashion) to classify stars, galaxies, and SSOs. By implementing an early-stopping method in the training scheme, we show that the network can be used in a predictive way, allowing one to assign the probability of each detected object being a member of each considered class
Mechanical characterization of mixed particleboard panels made of recycled wood and Arundo donax
Full text linkThe giant reed, Arundo donax (A. donax) is a fast and naturally growing species in the Mediterranean Area indicated as one of the 15 invasive species with greatest impact by the European Commission within the Ecosystem Vulnerability Key Actrion. It is a greatly available but non-fully exploited material regarded as a problem both in agriculture and in watercourse management. This study explores the potential use of A. donax as an alternative material in the production of particleboard panels. The research, conducted in collaboration with the industrial sector, evaluates the mechanical and physical properties of sandwich particleboards in which part of the recycled wood chips are replaced with varying percentages of A. donax chips only in the core of the board. The work demonstrates the feasibility of such a board using industrial procedures and the capability of A. donax to improve the physical and mechanical performance of the recycled wood particleboard without altering the production process or adding resin. The particleboards were manufactured in three densities (550, 680 and 750 kg/m3) and tested for thickness swelling, surface soundness, internal bond and bending strength. The results reveal that particleboards containing 20–35 % of A. donax by mass, particularly for high densities, improved mechanical properties and reduced the thickness swelling, meeting the requirements for class P4 particleboards resulting in an upgrade of the wood recycled panel’s classification. This investigation highlights the viability of integrating A. donax into particleboard production, potentially reducing reliance on imported wood, improving the mechanical properties of recycled wood particleboards and promoting sustainable and locally sourced materials
Assessing the normality of the frontal hairline: a comparison between female patients with frontal fibrosing alopecia and those with a normal scalp
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Exploring the Role of Product Attributes in 9-Ending Pricing Strategies: A Study on Online Retailing
No full textThis study investigates the use of 9-ending pricing strategies in e-commerce by analyzing over 50,000 shoe prices. Using web scraping and a logit model from a German online retailer, the research assesses how product attributes influence the adoption of 9-ending prices. Key findings reveal that 9-ending prices are predominantly used for female and newly introduced products, as well as for items with lower and standard prices. The study also explores the effects of exclusivity and sustainability on pricing strategies, showing that their impact varies with different 9-ending price categories. Overall, this research demonstrates the complex nature of 9-ending pricing strategies, with the 9-zero removal model supporting all hypotheses, whereas the 99c and 95c models show differential effects. This extends our understanding of pricing tactics in online retail and highlights the significance of product attributes for marketing and sales strategies
Cinema per vendere dischi: il caso del musicarello
No full textIl cinema musicale degli anni Sessanta è studiabile come un cinema “di servizio” nei confronti della musica, cioè incline a cercare il riconoscimento commerciale tramite l’incorporazione di risorse musicali ma anche a dare visibilità e circolazione intermediale ai prodotti della musica leggera degli anni Sessanta. Da questo punto di vista ha rappresentato uno degli strumenti di promozione commerciale che il mondo dell’industria musicale aveva a disposizione in un periodo di formidabile espansione del proprio mercato di riferimento. Il presente intervento focalizza l’attenzione su un case study composto da un corpus ridotto di film musicali in cui è particolarmente evidente la presenza della musica e della canzone pop come risorsa commerciale: Juke-box – Urli d’amore (Morassi, 1959), I ragazzi dell’hully gully (Giannini, Infascelli, 1964), In ginocchio da te (Fizzarotti, 1964). L’analisi prende in considerazione in particolare i seguenti aspetti:
1) Le differenze tra il cinema come dispositivo promozionale nei confronti dell’esperienza musicale della canzone pop e come dispositivo promozionale della merce-supporto musicale (il disco: LP o 45 giri).
2) Le forme di narrazione e rappresentazione del consumo musicale sullo schermo.
3) Il problema della scarsità di documentazione d’archivio che attesti l’esistenza di routines produttive che regolavano i rapporti tra industria musicale e industria cinematografica in relazione alle pratiche di promozione/sfruttamento delle canzoni nei film musicali degli anni Sessanta
The Essential Role of Monte Carlo Simulations for Lung Dosimetry in Liver Radioembolization—Part B: 166Ho Microspheres
Full text linkThis study compares dosimetric approaches for lung dosimetry in 166 radioembolization (Ho-TARE) with direct Monte Carlo (MC) simulations on a voxelized anthropomorphic phantom derived from a real patient’s CT scan, preserving the patient’s lung density distribution. Lung dosimetry was assessed for five lung shunt (LS) scenarios with conventional methods: the mono-compartmental organ-level approach (MIRD), voxel S-value convolution for soft tissue (kST, ICRU soft tissue with 1.04 g/cm3) and lung tissue (kLT, ICRU lung tissue with 0.296 g/cm3), local density rescaling (kSTL and kLTL, respectively, for soft tissue and lung tissue), or global rescaling for a lung mean density of 0.221 g/cm3 (kLT221). Significant underestimations in the mean absorbed dose (AD) were observed, with relative differences with respect to the reference (MC) of −64% for MIRD, −93% for kST, −56% for kSTL, −76% for kLT, −68% for kLT221, and −60% for kLTL. Given the high heterogeneity of lung tissue, standard dosimetric approaches cannot accurately estimate the AD. Additionally, MC results for 166Ho showed notable spatial absorbed dose inhomogeneity, highlighting the need for tailored lung dosimetry in Ho-TARE accounting for the patient-specific lung density distribution. MC-based dosimetry thus proves to be essential for safe and effective radioembolization treatment planning in the presence of L
Seasonal forecasting of East African short rains
Full text linkThe variability of East African short rains (October–December) has profound socioeconomic and environmental impacts on the region, making accurate seasonal rainfall predictions essential. We evaluated the predictability of East African short rains using model ensembles from the multi-system seasonal retrospective forecasts from the Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S). We assess the prediction skill for 1- to 5-month lead times using forecasts initialized in September for each year from 1993 to 2016. Although most models exhibit significant mean rainfall biases, they generally show skill in predicting OND (October–December) precipitation anomalies across much of East Africa. However, skill is low or absent in some northern and western parts of the focus area. Along the East African coasts near Somalia and over parts of the western Indian Ocean, models demonstrate skill throughout the late winter (up to December–February), likely due to the persistence of sea surface temperature anomalies in the western Indian Ocean. Years when models consistently outperform persistence forecasts typically align with the mature phases of El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and/or Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD). This latter mode, when tracked using the Dipole Mode Index, is generally able to predict the sign of the rainfall anomaly in all models. Despite East Africa’s proximity to the west pole of the IOD, the correlation between short rains and IOD maximizes when both east and west are considered. This finding confirms previous studies based on observational datasets, which indicate that broader-scale IOD variability associated with changes in the Walker Circulation, rather than local SST fluctuations, is the primary driver behind East African rainfall
Parental social class and home-leaving in Italy: A changing landscape with persistent inequalities
Full text linkObjective: This study explores the relationship between family background and home-leaving behaviour in Italy, focusing on how parental social class influences the timing and destinations (education, cohabitation, marriage, or autonomy) of home-leaving across three cohorts of women and men born between 1939 and 1998. Background: Italians tend to leave home late, and the age at which young adults leave their parental homes has been rising since the 1980s, raising concerns about shifting demographic patterns and broader societal impacts. Method: Using retrospective data from the ISTAT Multipurpose Survey on Families and Social Subjects (2009 and 2016), we apply event history analysis techniques. Results: The general delay in home-leaving has narrowed parental social class differences among women. However, for men, this delay is concentrated in higher social classes, leading to a widening class gap. Over time, parental social class differences in home-leaving destinations, particularly living with parents, marriage, and autonomy, have generally levelled out. Daughters from higher socioeconomic backgrounds increasingly leave home for education, while cohabitation remains uncommon. Similar trends are observed among men, though sons of agricultural workers have become less likely to stay with their parents and more likely to leave for marriage or autonomy. Conclusion: The findings emphasize the ongoing influence of parental social class on home-leaving destinations, highlighting its continued role in shaping the transition to adulthood in Italy