Archivio istituzionale della ricerca - Alma Mater Studiorum Università di Bologna
Archivio istituzionale della ricerca - Alma Mater Studiorum Università di BolognaNot a member yet
336958 research outputs found
Sort by
A longitudinal study of math skills in heritage bilingual children: profiles of strengths and weaknesses
Get PDFMany children are exposed to a heritage language in the home context, and they learn mathematics in the school context in the societal language (Italian in the present study). More evidence is needed on how Heritage Bilinguals (HBs) perform in different subtypes of numeracy and mathematics skills in a longitudinal perspective. This longitudinal study aimed to analyze the mathematical skills of heritage bilingual children. 220 HBs (50.5% female, from different linguistic/ethnic groups, including Indo-Iranian, Arabic, Chinese, Romanian, Albanian and Slavic languages) and 440 monolinguals (46.8% female, mostly Italian) were followed from second to third grade (aged between 7 and 9 years). The following tasks were administered: dictation, symbolic comparison, number line, mental calculation, multiplication tables, approximate calculation, problem-solving and written calculations. The results showed an advantage for HBs in approximate calculation, but they underperformed in problem-solving, multiplication tables, and mental calculations. A profile analysis highlighted the percentages of children at risk for math impairment. The study provides a longitudinal profile of strengths and weaknesses in the mathematics profile of children with HBs, with developmental trajectories that vary according to verbal load. The discussion focuses on the role of verbal load in math tasks in the assessment of HBs, and implications for clinical and educational contexts
Determination of S-allele combination in an italian apple (Malus × domestica Borkh.) germplasm core collection
Get PDFAn S-RNase-based gametophytic self-incompatibility (GSI) system, a mechanism that forces outbreeding by preventing self-fertilization, characterizes the genus Malus. Knowledge of the self-incompatibility (S) genotypes of apple cultivars is crucial for choosing pollen donors for fruit production and breeding. Even though the S-allele of most commercial apple cultivars has already been identified, limited information is available about the S-allele diversity within local germplasm collections. In this study, 67 S-allele combinations of local apple accessions were identified. The allele S3 was the most common among local apple accessions followed by S1 and S7. The main aim of this study is to provide new information on cultivar compatibility, and these results will be used to set up new parent selection in apple breeding programmes as well as pollinator selection for the commercial orchard
Efficacy and Safety of Frontline Single‐Agent Rituximab in Extranodal Marginal Zone Lymphoma
Get PDFFirst-line therapy for patients with extranodal marginal zone lymphoma (EMZL) is not well established, except for eradication therapy for Helicobacter pylori in early gastric MZL. Various regimens, for example, locoregional treatment and systemic chemo-immunotherapy, can be used depending on the site and stage of disease. Single-agent rituximab is a useful approach in the setting of localized, low-intermediate risk EMZL. The aim our research was to analyze the effectiveness and safety of single-agent rituximab (375 mg/m2 once weekly for 4 weeks) in na & iuml;ve EMZL in a real-life setting. The primary endpoint was the overall response rate (ORR), secondary endpoints were progression-free (PFS), overall (OS) and disease-free survivals (DFS), and drug tolerability. Fifty-nine patients were analyzed. Median time between diagnosis and rituximab was 3.6 months. The ORR was 89.9%, with 67.8% complete response (CR). Median DFS and PFS were reached at 6.3 and 5.3 years, respectively. After a median follow-up of 5 years, median OS was not reached. The most common adverse event was infusion reaction, reported in 28 cases, mainly during the first infusion and easily manageable. Single-agent rituximab may represent a valid therapeutic option in the first-line treatment of EMZL, at least for localized disease, with a favorable toxicity profile
Application of near-infrared spectroscopy as at line method for the evaluation of histamine in tuna fish (Thunnus albacares)
Get PDFThe assessment of histamine levels in fishery products has emerged as a paramount issue in the context of global food safety, given its profound implications for human health and the consequential impact on food quality and trade. Histamine intoxication, stemming from the ingestion of foods containing heightened histamine levels, results from the bacterial decarboxylation of histidine under conditions of improper handling, processing, or storage. This study endeavors to provide a thorough examination of histamine contamination in frozen-thawed tuna (Thunnus albacares) samples, employing an integrated approach that combines near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) with advanced machine learning techniques. One hundred and one samples were considered, and a systematic fortification process was applied to obtain samples with 4 histamine concentrations (0; 50; 150; 250 mg/kg); the fortification levels were confirmed by the LC-MS/MS analysis. Subsequently, NIRS spectra were collected and chemometric analyses, including modified partial least squares regression (MPLS) and support vector machine (SVM), were employed for quantitative and qualitative evaluation, respectively. Histamine quantification through MPLS utilizing the full spectrum exhibited good predictive performance in crossvalidation and in hold-out validation (R2CV = 0.88; R2P = 0.74, respectively), confirming the potential of NIRS for estimating histamine levels in tuna. SVM classification models, both binary (presence/absence) and multiclass (four levels), demonstrated high accuracy (100% and 93%, respectively). The study highlights the effectiveness of NIRS combined with machine learning for rapid and accurate histamine detection in frozen-thawed tuna, offering a non-destructive, environmentally friendly alternative to traditional methods. This approach holds significant promise for food business operators and regulatory authorities, enhancing product safety, quality control, and decision-making processes related to histamine contamination in the seafood industry
Non-destructive assessment of the internal defects of FRED® pear by a low radio-frequency capacitive technique
Get PDFPostharvest pear fruit internal browning damages were assessed non-destructively using a capacitive instrumental chain in the super low (SLF) – low (LF) radiofrequency region combined with Image analysis. A rapid, inexpensive, and non-destructive instrumental chain was set up: an LCR meter interfaced with a PC receives and transmits signals through a parallel plate capacitor in the frequency range from 100 Hz to 10 kHz. The capacitance data were used to classify the FRED® pear fruit into two classes, “with defects” and “healthy”, using the unsupervised fuzzy C-means clustering analysis. The main results show good classification rates: 91 % of the samples are correctly classified as damaged. Further samples should be implemented to understand how the model performs with samples from different ripening stages. Despite this, the technique appears promising for non-destructive internal quality assessment in pear fruit
Growing green: Exploring the drivers of citizens’ participation in Italian urban and peri-urban forestation governance
Get PDFUrban and peri-urban forests (UPUFs) are essential components of urban landscapes that offer multiple benefits to local communities, above all to those who live in large cities. This realization has fueled the interest of the scientific community in understanding citizens’ attitudes and perceptions towards UPUFs, focusing on the diverse ecosystem services they provide in social and environmental terms. However, less attention has been paid to the citizens’ perceptions and attitudes about UPUFs in relation to their willingness to participate in their governance. This quantitative study aims to address this gap by identifying the main factors that affect citizens’ participation in UPUFs governance. Conducted in large Italian Metropolitan Functional Urban Areas, composed of a city and its commuting zone, with a population above 500,000 inhabitants, this study provides valuable insights into citizens’ willingness to participate in UPUFs governance. Results indicate that citizens' socio-demographic factors (especially education, age, and income) and the frequency of visits impact their perception of UPUFs. High positive perceptions of environmental quality and low perceptions of the negative impact of UPUFs promote active participation in governance, especially among young citizens with heightened green space sensitivity, among those dissatisfied with current green space management and those advocating for effective communication campaigns. These findings can provide a practicable scientific reference for municipalities to refine their corresponding decision-making and communication, and to devise effective urban forest programs
Italian Contemporary Screen Performers. Training, Production, Prestige
No full textThis volume offers a comprehensive understanding of the multilayered professional role of film and television actors and actresses within the contemporary Italian screen media landscape. More precisely, by focusing on a carefully thought-out selection of Italian film and television stars that have reached success from 2000 onwards, the volume underscores how the renewal that the Italian media industry has undergone starting from the late 1990s has impacted the training, recruitment, career manage-ment, promotion and PR, and validation strategies of this category of media professionals. While the generation of stars that since the postwar era had been making Italian cinema world-renowned disappeared— together with that mode of production—new cohorts of actresses and actors who required different skills and mediators came to the fore.
This edited collection is informed by the four-year-long research project F-ACTOR. Forms of Contemporary Media Professional Acting. Training, Recruitment and Management, Social Discourses in Italy (2000– 2020), funded by the Italian Ministry of University and Research, which adopted a cutting-edge methodological framework that conflates estab-lished performance studies and stardom/celebrity studies together with media production studies. The volume brings to the foreground how since 2000 the various stages of the professional life cycle of an Italian leading actor or actress have changed. To this end, the edited collection is divided into three parts that correspond to as many crucial aspects in the professional life cycle of a film and television actor or actress: training and early career paths; career management; promotion and vali-dation strategies. More precisely, aside from a substantive theoretical and methodological introduction, the book comprises a series of chap-ters, authored by specialists in Italian film and television studies based in Italy, the UK, and the US. Each chapter focuses on a well-known Italian actor, actress, or related professional, whose creative and operational abil-ities and career pathway best epitomize one of the peculiarities of the professional development of contemporary Italian screen stars
On the propagation of flatness for second order hypoelliptic operators
No full textFor a class of hypoelliptic operators with real-analytic coefficients, we provide a criterion ensuring a partial analyticity result. As a consequence, even when the "elliptic" strong unique continuation (i.e. a solution of the homogeneous equation which vanishes of infinite order at a point is zero near such a point) fails, a weaker form of "propagation" of zeroes still holds. (c) 2024 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Inc. This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons .org /licenses /by /4 .0/)
The Conservative Restoration of the Historic City as Social Practice. The Study for the Historic Centre of Bologna by Leonardo Benevolo (1962–65)
No full textThe Piano settoriale per il centro storico di Bologna (1962–1965) coordinated by Leonardo Benevolo was part of the studies for the Piano regolatore intercomunale promoted by Giuseppe Campos Venuti (1926–2019), town planning councillor for the Municipality of Bologna. The aim of this study was the knowledge of the material and immaterial characteristics of the ancient city for the conception of subsequent detailed plans. The “risanamento conservativo”, indicated by Benevolo as the main instrument for the preservation of the ancient city, was also understood as a tool for the conservation of the social network that characterised the identity of this part of the city
Prediction of berry sunburn damage with machine learning: Results on grapevine (Vitis vinifera L.)
Get PDFDue to climate change, heatwaves and prolonged periods of drought are more frequent and cause serious consequences to yield and berry composition of grapevine (Vitis vinifera L.). In response to this challenge, machine learning model was built to predict sunburn damages on the berries. The trial was conducted over two years (2022–2023) in a not irrigated vineyard of cv. Sangiovese, trained to vertical shoot positioning (VSP) spur pruned cordon. The vineyard was monitored from veraison to harvest with a weather station and thermocouples connected to a wireless sensor network (WSN). The evolution of the sunburn damages was visually evaluated
twice a week. The damages appeared soon after veraison and the severity of the symptoms increased when heatwaves occurred. Weather station data including air temperature, solar radiation and relative humidity were analysed and used to build prediction models for sunburn damage. Ten parameters were derived from raw data to supply the prediction models of neural network (NN) and Support Vector Machine (SVM) optimised with gamma tuning. The NN achieved 90.32% accuracy in cross-validation, followed by SVM with 86.22% using radial kernel. The machine learning model was created using TensorFlow framework and it is available in the
mobile phone application SHEET which will alert grape growers about the risk of sunburn damages on their orchards