Archivio istituzionale della ricerca - Alma Mater Studiorum Università di Bologna
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Drill and blast in gypsum quarries: Optimization of technical, economic and safety aspects in Monte Tondo midmountain case study
No full textDrilling and blasting operations are one of the common operations in openpit mining. Recently, mathematical rigorous patterns are attracting attention, and digitalization and optimization of mining operations are highly suggested. In this work, drilling and blasting operations are modeled and various optimization scenarios are simulated. The aim is to improve the blasting efficiency in quarrying through proper understanding of the fracture mechanisms and optimization of blasting alternatives. The analysis was developed over the Monte Tondo gypsum quarry, owned by Saint-Gobain Italia. The case study was modeled by the openpit blasting software O-Pitsurface
GIS-based multicriteria land suitability assessment for nature-based solutions for the enhancement of carbon sequestration in Emilia-Romagna, Italy
Get PDFA GIS-based multicriteria decision analysis (MCDA) is presented to evaluate the suitability of land for the implementation of nature-based solutions (NbS) to enhance carbon sequestration in Emilia-Romagna, Italy. Excessive carbon emissions into the atmosphere have caused rapid and profound climate change that needs to be mitigated. The use of NbS has emerged as an effective strategy to sequester atmospheric carbon and improve environmental resilience. This study focuses on identifying the best NbS to maximise carbon sequestration for three environmental zones: urban, peri-urban and agricultural. The analysis identifies optimal locations for three area-specific NbS: street trees, green spaces and buffer strips. The region was divided into 30 × 30 m grid pixels, with each grid cell assigned a value from 1 (least suitable) to 5 (most suitable). The results show that most of the high-quality pixels are located near the main urban centres and along the coastline. These results provide useful information for policy makers and urban planners who can be guided in the strategic implementation of NbS to achieve maximum environmental benefits. The work also includes an individual sensitivity analysis to validate the robustness of the proposed model and a quantitative estimate of the carbon that can be sequestered by these NbS
Reducing friction and wear with alkyl gallate additives in water-based lubricants
Get PDFEnvironmental concerns have made the development of non-flammable, high-specific heat capacity, and high-performance lubricants an urgent priority, driving an increased demand for aqueous-based formulations. A key challenge for their widespread application is achieving low friction across a broad range of speeds. A low-viscosity system composed of polyalkylene glycol (PAG), water, and diethylene glycol offers superlubricity (i.e., friction coefficient <= 0.01) at rolling speeds above 150 mm/s; however, significant friction remains at lower rolling or sliding speeds. This limitation can be addressed by introducing eco-friendly and non-toxic gallate molecules. For example, adding 1 % lauryl gallate stabilizes the friction coefficient at approximately 0.04 with no measurable wear. To activate the anti-friction and anti-wear properties of gallates, the molecules must have alkyl chains with eight or more carbon atoms. Large-scale molecular dynamics simulations have been conducted to explore the key mechanisms by which gallate molecules achieve such superior lubricity. This is made possible through innovative machine learning techniques that enable simulations with Density Functional Theory (DFT) accuracy, allowing the modeling of large systems over extended timescales. Simulations reveal that the superior lubricity of gallates results from the strong anchoring of molecular patches that chemisorb onto the iron surface in specific orientations, enabling the alkyl chains to form an inert cushion at the steel/steel interface. Lubrication occurs thanks to this chemical inert buffer region, which effectively separates the metal surfaces realizing a beneficial friction and wear reducing tribofilm, with a clear dependence on the chain length. These findings by a combined experimental-computational approach provide valuable insights for the development of sustainable lubricants, advancing the field of green tribology
“I Am a Woman, I Am a Mother, I Am Italian, I Am Christian”: Religious Polarization in the Discourses of Contemporary Far-Right Politics
No full textEuropean politics is witnessing a growth in populist and far-right leadership. For example, in September 2022, Italy elected Giorgia Meloni as Prime Minister, leader of the far-right party Brothers of Italy. The progressive extremization of politics results in polarized debates on topics such as abortion, reproductive rights, LGBTQ+ rights. In this context, religion has often a central role: hence, farright leaders tend to employ Christianity—and Catholicism in particular—to narratively construct a type of national identity based on religious affiliation. Meloni, for instance, reiterated her Christian identity throughout her electoral campaign, and employs it to justify her political decisions in favor of traditional and heteronormative families. By discussing the use of religion—often in implicit and culturalized forms—by far-right political leaders, this chapter analyzes how religious polarization functions in post-secular societies. The chapter starts by critically assessing the term “secular” and “post-secular”, arguing that the discursive use of religion has never fully disappeared from certain political debates. Second, it discusses political polarization and political antagonism, explaining how the term “secular” may become, for some political actors, a buzzword that indicates a negative set of values. Third, it describes how social media and new technologies contribute to religious polarization by offering new venues for emotional discussions. In conclusion, the chapter ana
Algorithmic Design and Simulation of Soft Curved-Folding: A Case Study with Minimally-Stretchable Sheet Goods
No full textThis paper addresses challenges in designing soft curve-folded (Demaine et al. 2011) non-paper-like materials using origami-inspired principles. The novel generalized method presented is validated through the case study of a sculpture made of fiber cement boards. Unlike paper, this material requires soft folds to prevent tearing. The authors employ digital simulation, in Rhinoceros and Grasshopper, to design the soft curve-folded sculpture and to develop a mold for shaping uncured cement boards. The algorithmic approach consists of creating an appropriate crease-aware mesh, folding it through constrained elastic simulation (Song et al. 2024), and subsequently assigning specific folding forces to mountain and valley folds. Additionally, carefully designed user input constraints enable better control of the shape. The proposed manufacturing process involves manually folding the wet fiber cement board by draping it onto a rigid single-sided mold to guide the folding and prevent tearing or stretching
Verso l’edizione digitale del carteggio Canneti-Fiacchi
No full textIl contributo intende presentare i primi risultati relativi alla realizzazione dell’edizione scientifica digitale del
carteggio intercorso negli anni 1711-1730 tra Pietro Canneti e Mariangelo Fiacchi, oggi conservato presso
la Biblioteca Classense di Ravenna. All’interno del contributo saranno illustrati gli obiettivi e le metodologie
adottate dal gruppo di lavoro, selezionate in modo da rendere l’edizione digitale un valido strumento per
studi interdisciplinari e accessibile per ogni tipologia di utenza. In seguito alla presentazione del carteggio,
del suo valore storico e delle tappe costitutive indispensabili per la creazione dell’edizione digitale
(digitalizzazione, metadatazione, trascrizione), verranno presentate le scelte relative al lavoro di
individuazione degli elementi culturali caratterizzanti emersi dalle lettere, con particolare focus su quelli di
interesse specificatamente bibliografico e storico-bibliotecario. Successivamente saranno fornite le
specifiche tecniche e le scelte relative all’elaborazione digitale del testo, quali modellizzazione, marcatura,
allineamento dei metadati descrittivi e progettazione della pubblicazione di esso.In this work, we present the preliminary results on the implementation of the Digital Scholarly Edition of
the correspondence between Pietro Canneti and Mariangelo Fiacchi, which took place from 1711 to 1730.
This correspondence is currently preserved in the Classense Library in Ravenna. Throughout this work, we
discuss the main objectives and methods adopted by the team selected to make the Digital Scholarly
Edition a viable tool for cutting-edge interdisciplinary studies in an accessible way to a broad audience.
Firstly, the historical relevance of the correspondence is outlined, followed by a discussion of the essential
steps needed for the creation of the digital edition, i.e. the digitalization, as well as the metadata and
transcript generation. Subsequently, the selection of the key cultural elements emerging from the
correspondence is analysed with a particular emphasis on those pertaining to the realm of bibliography
and historical librarian studies. In addition, an extensive overview on the set of techniques employed to
process the text digitally, namely modelling, marking-up, the alignment of the descriptive metadata and
the relative publication plans
Facilitating Judicial Cooperation in the EU. A Computable Approach to Mutual Recognition in Criminal Matters
No full textThe volume develps an innovative analysis of EU cooperation mechanisms in the criminal matter through the lenses of a computational approach to the law. This multi-level research tackles both EU and national legislation. The comparative analysis of the European Arrest Warrant, the European Investigation Order and Regulation 1805/2018 is integrated with legal informatics research, translating into computable language the relevant EU and national legislation. This breaktrhough perspective highlights potentially uncovered deficit of the normative texts and enhances comparative analysis of legal systems, adding a novel viewpoint to the debate on the interaction between criminal matter and technology
'Coastal lagoons, shifting environments, and control of natural resources’
Get PDFLagoons and wetlands are environments that offer very valuable natural resources and as such have been exploited
by humans since early times. This paper touches on the important role lagoons had in the Roman era not only in
the production of salt but also for large-scale fishing and fish salting. It then focuses on cases of territorial disputes
concerning lagoonal areas that involved local authorities against Roman tax farmers. It is argued that the reasons
for these disputes were on the one hand the economically important resources offered by wetlands and on the
other the morphological changes to which lagoons are prone, which could modify the interface between lagoon
and sea. This mattered because in Roman law the sea and costal lagoons had different status regarding ownership
Le merveilleux napoléonien dans les romans de jeunesse de Balzac
No full textDans les romans de jeunesse de Balzac, la représentation de la légende napoléonienne, associée au merveilleux, peut être pensée comme contre-discours du réalisme de la maturité. Le présent article propose d’examiner les modalités de cette représentation dans trois romans : Falthurne, Le Centenaire et Annette et le criminel
Phenotypic and molecular features of somatically-derived "yolk sac tumors": similarities and differences with counterparts of germ cell origin
No full text: A subset of somatic carcinomas shows morphologic and immunophenotypic similarities to yolk sac tumor (YST) of germ cell origin, including fetal adenocarcinomas of the lung (FLACs) and somatic carcinomas with "YST"/enteroblastic differentiation. At least some of these tumors may result from reprogramming of somatic cancer cells, leading to the acquisition of a "pluripotent" phenotype. Although these somatic tumors express markers such as SALL4, glypican 3 and AFP, which are positive in germ cell-derived YST, it is currently uncertain to what degree their molecular features overlap with those of germ cell tumors (GCTs). We assessed i(12p) (fluorescence in situ hybridization) and levels of microRNA-371∼373 (real-time quantitative PCR), hallmarks of GCNIS-derived GCTs, in a cohort of 11 somatically-derived neoplasms with YST/enteroblastic phenotype (designated as "YST-like" tumors hereafter). In addition, we used immunohistochemistry to assess expression of FOXA2, a critical regulator of induction and maintenance of YST phenotype in GCTs. All (n = 11) YST-like tumors showed expression of FOXA2 and were negative for i(12p). Expression of miR-371a-3p (the most specific member of the miR-371∼373 cluster) was detectable in 6/10 (60%) of YST-like tumors. Four samples showed levels in the grey zone of detection (i.e., expression of uncertain clinical significance) and two samples (separate tumors from a single patient) showed positive levels similar to those found in non-teratoma GCNIS-derived GCTs. The remaining members of the microRNA cluster (miRs 372 and 373) followed the same patterns. Our results show that the overlap of somatically-derived YST-like tumors and YSTs of germ cell origin goes beyond morphology, including expression of one of the master regulators of the YST phenotype and, in some cases, miR-371a-3p. However, these neoplasms lack a hallmark finding of GCNIS-derived GCTs [i(12p)] and show significant biologic and clinical differences with GCTs