Controlled reproduction in Anguilla anguilla (L.): advanced studies on broodstock management, spawning techniques and system design for artificial seed production.

The thesis aims to expose the advances achieved in the practices of captive breeding of the European eel (Anguilla anguilla). Aspects investigated concern both approaches livestock (breeding selection, response to hormonal stimulation, reproductive performance, incubation of eggs) and physiological aspects (endocrine plasma profiles of players), as well as engineering aspects. Studies conducted on various populations of wild eel have shown that the main determining factor in the selection of wild females destined to captive breeding must be the Silver Index which may determine the stage of pubertal development. The hormonal induction protocol adopted, with increasing doses of carp pituitary extract, it has proven useful to ovarian development, with a synchronization effect that is positively reflected on egg production. The studies on the effects of photoperiod show how the condition of total darkness can positively influence practices of reproductions in captivity. The effects of photoperiod were also investigated at the physiological level, observing the plasma levels of steroids ( E2, T) and thyroid hormones (T3 and T4) and the expression in the liver of vitellogenin (vtg1 and vtg2) and estradiol membrane receptor (ESR1). From the comparison between spontaneous deposition and insemination techniques through the stripping is inferred as the first ports to a better qualitative and quantitative yield in the production of eggs capable of being fertilized, also the presence of a percentage of oocytes completely transparent can be used to obtain eggs at a good rate of fertility. Finally, the design and implementation of a system for recirculating aquaculture suited to meet the needs of species-specific eel showed how to improve the reproductive results, it would be preferable to adopt low-flow and low density incubation.

High friction and acoustic surface for pavements: development of artificial engineered aggregates from recycled powders

There is a constant need to improve the infrastructure's quality and build new infrastructure with better designs. The risk of accidents and noise can be reduced by improving the surface properties of the pavement. The amount of raw material used in road construction is worrisome, as it is finite and due the waste produced. Environmentally-friendly roads construction, recycling might be the main way. Projects must be more environmentally-friendly, safer, and quieter. Is it possible to develop a safer, quieter and environmentally-friendly pavement surfaces? The hypothesis is: is it possible to create an Artificial Engineered Aggregate (AEA) using waste materials and providing it with a specific shape that can help to reduce the noise and increase the friction? The thesis presents the development of an AEA and its application as a partial replacement in microsurfacing samples. The 1st introduces the topic and provides the aim and objectives of the thesis. The 2nd chapter – presents a pavement solution to noise and friction review. The 3rd chapter - developing a mix design for a geopolymer mortar that used basalt powder. The 4th chapter is presented the physical-mechanical evaluation of the AEA. The 5th chapter evaluates the use of this aggregate in microsurfacing regarding the texture parameters. The 6th chapter, those parameter are used as an input to SPERoN® model, simulating their noise behavior of these solutions. The findings from this thesis are presented as partial conclusions in each chapter, to be closed in a final chapter. The main findings are: the DoE provided the tool to select the appropriate geopolymer mortar mix design; AEA had interesting results regarding the physical-mechanical tests; AEA in partial replacement of the natural aggregates in microsurfacing mixture proved feasible. The texture parameters and noise levels obtained in AEA samples demonstrate that it can serve as a HIFASP

Design and testing of innovative, artificial intelligence-based techniques to model and control the combustion process and to reduce the Co2 emissions in modern, high-performance, gasoline direct injection engines

This work deals with the development of calibration procedures and control systems to improve the performance and efficiency of modern spark ignition turbocharged engines. The algorithms developed are used to optimize and manage the spark advance and the air-to-fuel ratio to control the knock and the exhaust gas temperature at the turbine inlet. The described work falls within the activity that the research group started in the previous years with the industrial partner Ferrari S.p.a. . The first chapter deals with the development of a control-oriented engine simulator based on a neural network approach, with which the main combustion indexes can be simulated. The second chapter deals with the development of a procedure to calibrate offline the spark advance and the air-to-fuel ratio to run the engine under knock-limited conditions and with the maximum admissible exhaust gas temperature at the turbine inlet. This procedure is then converted into a model-based control system and validated with a Software in the Loop approach using the engine simulator developed in the first chapter. Finally, it is implemented in a rapid control prototyping hardware to manage the combustion in steady-state and transient operating conditions at the test bench. The third chapter deals with the study of an innovative and cheap sensor for the in-cylinder pressure measurement, which is a piezoelectric washer that can be installed between the spark plug and the engine head. The signal generated by this kind of sensor is studied, developing a specific algorithm to adjust the value of the knock index in real-time. Finally, with the engine simulator developed in the first chapter, it is demonstrated that the innovative sensor can be coupled with the control system described in the second chapter and that the performance obtained could be the same reachable with the standard in-cylinder pressure sensors.