Archivio Istituzionale della Ricerca- Università del Salento
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AI-enabled Criteria Extraction for Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis Using Large Language Models
No full textIn decision science, when multiple alternative solutions exist, Multi-Criteria Decision-Making (MCDM) provides decision-makers with systematic methods to select the optimal solution. Implementing MCDM requires evaluating various criteria to choose the best alternative. A key challenge in MCDM is identifying the principal criteria for evaluating alternatives, which typically necessitates an in-depth Systematic Literature Review (SLR), expert knowledge, brainstorming sessions, or a combination of these methods. This article proposes a solution for criteria identification through SLR. Reviewing literature manually to determine the most suitable criteria is time-consuming, as decision criteria are rarely mentioned in abstracts, requiring full-article reviews. As a result, manually extracting criteria from a large volume of articles is both labor-intensive and sometimes inefficient. This study proposes leveraging Large Language Models (LLMs) including Llama Cloud, RAG Ollama and Gemini 2.5. The study aims at automate criteria extraction from peer-reviewed articles, enhancing efficiency, accuracy, and scalability in decision science. The proposed solution is tested in the energy supply chain, a critical infrastructure domain where decisionmaking is increasingly complex. The results of 3 LLM models are compared with traditional manual SLR results to assess capability, reliability and effectiveness. Our findings highlight LLMs as a novel tool in decision science and operations management for criteria identification, introducing an AI-enabled Decision Support System. The main contributions of this approach are: 1) Enhancing accuracy by systematically identifying decision criteria, 2) Handling multidisciplinary complexity by extracting insights across diverse documents, 3) Saving time and resources by reducing the need for full-article manual reviews. Future research will extend this methodology to other critical domains. We aim to develop a standardized criteria catalog for Critical Infrastructures (CIs) using this technology, create a smart data model, and contribute to global collaborative initiatives led by FIWARE Foundation, TM Forum, IUDX, and OASC. Our next step will focus on prompt engineering for optimized criteria selection
Termini e definizioni per un orientamento teorico e operativo alla prospettiva UDL. Un glossario ragionato
No full textTree-dwelling bats as indicators of forest landscapes
No full textAdopting standalone indicators to characterise landscape composition is vital because it allows for targeted assessments without surveying entire communities. We hypothesised that barbastelle bat (Barbastella barbastellus) presence would provide sufficient indication power to characterise forest landscapes in Italy and employed logistic regression to explore this relationship across the Alpine and Apennine regions. We selected three spatial scales (200 m, 1000 m, and 3000 m). We predicted distinct association patterns across biogeographic areas, sensitivity to multiple spatial scales, strong associations with altitude and specific forest types, and avoidance of intensive agricultural areas. Using opportunistically collected data from non-invasive acoustic surveys, we recorded effective responses despite methodological heterogeneity. We revealed significant positive associations in the Alpine region, with deciduous oak forests at the 3000 m scale, while showing negative correlations with mesophilic and mesothermophilic broadleaved mixed forests. In the Apennine region, albeit at different spatial scales, barbastelle bat presence was strongly associated with altitude, beech forests, and natural grasslands with trees and shrubs. It also exhibited negative associations with intensive crops. Furthermore, barbastelle bats exhibited varied relationships with landscape metrics, such as patch density and landscape evenness, indicating a reduced likelihood of presence in fragmented landscapes, particularly at larger scales. This highlights the complexity of their role in indicating forest landscape structure. Our findings support the potential role of barbastelle bats as reliable indicators of forest landscapes. Future work should test the ability to describe different forest management practices, high-resolution structures, and the amount of deadwood
Refined kinetic mechanism for modeling ammonia combustion in air assisted by nanosecond discharged plasma
No full textThis study explores the effects of Nanosecond Pulsed Discharge Plasma (NSPD) on the ignition and flame propagation characteristics of ammonia (NH3)/air mixtures at low and intermediate temperatures under atmospheric pressure. A newly developed and validated plasma-assisted kinetic mechanism is proposed to evaluate both Ignition Delay Time (IDT) and Laminar Flame Speed (LFS) across a range of temperatures and equivalence ratios. Results show that plasma significantly reduces IDT and enhances LFS by generating excited species and radicals, such as H, O, OH, NH2, and O(D-1), that accelerate reaction pathways and enable earlier chain-branching. The effect is most pronounced at low temperatures (T = 1.0), thermal activation prevails and the plasma effect becomes marginal. Overall, the study demonstrates that NSPD is a promising strategy to enable and control low-temperature ammonia combustion by actively modulating ignition chemistry and flame dynamics
Active breaks for inclusive mathematics: an educational design research approach to developing the ABMOVE! programme
No full textThe ABMove! programme is an educational intervention integrating active breaks into mathematics instruction for primary schools. Based on Universal Design for Learning principles and embodied cognition, this approach uses structured physical activities to enhance mathematical learning while promoting inclusivity. The 12-week program features three 10-minute active breaks weekly, designed to improve executive functions, reduce mathematics anxiety, and enhance student engagement.
Developed through Educational Design Research, ABMove! provides teachers with comprehensive
resources to implement active breaks based on the mathematics curriculum. This paper presents the theoretical framework, describes the program's structure and implementation, and discusses the expected outcomes for students' mathematical learning and classroom inclusivity
A search for dark matter produced in association with a dark Higgs boson decaying into a Higgs boson pair in 3b or 4b final states using pp collisions at sqrt(s) = 13 TeV with the ATLAS detector
No full textA search is performed for dark matter particles produced in association with a resonant pair of Higgs bosons using 140 fb-1 of proton-proton collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of 13 TeV recorded by the ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider. This signature is expected in some extensions of the Standard Model predicting the production of dark matter particles, and is interpreted in terms of a dark Higgs model containing a Z′ mediator in which the dark Higgs boson s decays into a pair of Higgs bosons. The dark Higgs boson is reconstructed through final states with at least three b-tagged jets, produced by the pair of Higgs boson decays, in events with significant missing transverse momentum consistent with the presence of dark matter. The observed data are found to be in good agreement with Standard Model predictions, constraining scenarios with dark Higgs boson masses within the range of 250 to 400 GeV and Z′ mediators up to 2.3 TeV
Ethics, Laws, and Research: The Case of Mediterranean Seahorses (Hippocampus hippocampus and Hippocampus guttulatus)
No full textConservation projects seek to protect species, restore habitats, and mitigate threats such as habitat loss, climate change, and unsustainable resource use. These projects often rely on acquiring ecological data from the wild to support biodiversity management and promote resilience through informed management decisions. Animal use is usually crucial for investigating ecosystem dynamics, species ecology, and management strategies amidst growing human pressures. Field research in natural habitats, along with captive breeding programs, remains fundamental in addressing complex global ecological challenges in this sense. Projects involving live animals provide critical insights into practical management; however, ethical considerations become central, particularly for protected species, necessitating research protocols that prioritize animal welfare while balancing scientific objectives. Nevertheless, animal research presents ethical, legal, and practical challenges, and traditional laboratory systems “might not fit all” species. This paper explores conservation research projects on marine fish from legislative and practical perspectives by looking at current norms, animal welfare aspects, and conservation outcomes. The two iconic Mediterranean species, Hippocampus hippocampus and Hippocampus guttulatus, are analyzed as model examples to produce best practice indications and provide researchers with a practical path to outline scientific project design in marine conservation studies
The Other Side of the Same Coin: Beyond the Coding Region in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis
No full textTransposable elements (TEs), once regarded as genomic “junk,” are now recognized as powerful regulators of gene expression, genome stability, and innate immunity. In the context of neurodegeneration, particularly Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), accumulating evidence implicates TEs as active contributors to disease pathogenesis. ALS is a fatal motor neuron disease with both sporadic and familial forms, linked to genetic, epigenetic, and environmental factors. While coding mutations explain a subset of cases, advances in long-read sequencing and epigenomic profiling have unveiled the profound influence of non-coding regions—especially retrotransposons such as LINE-1, Alu, and SVA—on ALS onset and progression. TEs may act through multiple mechanisms: generating somatic mutations, disrupting chromatin architecture, modulating transcriptional networks, and triggering sterile inflammation via innate immune pathways like cGAS-STING. Their activity is normally repressed by epigenetic regulators, including DNA methylation, histone modifications, and RNA interference pathways; however, these controls are compromised in ALS. Taken together, these insights underscore the translational potential of targeting transposable elements in ALS, both as a source of novel biomarkers for patient stratification and disease monitoring, and as therapeutic targets whose modulation may slow neurodegeneration and inflammation. This review synthesizes the current knowledge of TE biology in ALS; integrates findings across molecular, cellular, and systems levels; and explores the therapeutic potential of targeting TEs as modulators of neurodegeneration
