Impatto degli interventi antropici di difesa costiera sulla struttura e distribuzione della popolazione di Lentidium mediterraneum (Mollusca bivalvia)

Il presente elaborato si inserisce all���interno del progetto THESEUS (Innovative Technologies for safer European coasts in a changing climate), nella sezione denominata ���work package 3���. I principali obiettivi di questo studio sono: 1) valutare l���impatto delle differenti strategie di difesa di zone intertidale dell���ecosistema spiaggia lungo il litorale dell���Emilia-Romagna; 2) analizzare nel dettaglio la struttura e la distribuzione del microbivalve Lentidium mediterraneum, tipico do questa zona, per valutarne un eventuale utilizzo nei progetti di monitoraggio e analisi degli impatti antropici legati alle variazioni morfodinamiche. Sono state scelte tre spiagge: Cesenatico, in cui da molti anni sono presenti strutture di difesa rigide della spiaggia, e dove ogni anno, al termine della stagione estiva, vengono costruite delle dune artificiali, rimosse a fine primavera, per proteggere gli stabilimenti balneari dalle mareggiate invernali; Cervia, in cui sono presenti solo le dune artificiali stagionali; Lido di Dante, considerato naturale per l���assenza di strutture di protezione. Il campionamento �� stato effettuato in 3 tempi per ciascun sito. 2 tempi senza le dune artificiali, e uno con. Per ciascun sito e ciascun tempo sono stati replicati 3 transetti, random, per ogni livello di marea. Sono stati prelevati campioni per un totale di 14879 individui e identificati 40 taxa. Da questi sono stati estratti gli esemplari di Lentidium mediterraneum da analizzare. Le analisi uni e multivariate effettuate sull���intera comunit�� hanno messo in evidenza differenze fra le spiagge, fra i tempi di campionamento e i livelli di marea. Si ��, inoltre evidenziato come tali differenze fossero in parte dovute alle densit�� di Lentidium mediterraneum. Oltre alle analisi classiche nel presente lavoro di tesi �� stato proposto un modello concettuale di trasporto del Lentidium mediterraneum che se validato confermerebbe la possibilit�� di utilizzare il microbivalve come ���proxy biologico���.

Previsioni di stati ecosistemici dell'intertidale sabbioso del Nord Adriatico in risposta ad eventi meteorologici estremi

Il presente elaborato di tesi si inserisce nell���ambito del progetto europeo THESEUS (Innovative technologies for safer European coasts in a changing climate) fra i cui principali obiettivi c����� quello di fornire un���adeguata metodologia integrata per la pianificazione di strategie di difesa costiera sostenibili. Le zone costiere sono sempre pi�� soggette agli impatti antropici, legati all���intensificazione dell���urbanizzazione, e agli effetti del global climate change, ed in particolare al conseguente sea level rise. Diventa quindi importante, in un���ottica di preservazione e di gestione, capire come gli ecosistemi costieri e i beni e servizi che essi forniscono risponderanno a questi cambiamenti ambientali. Fra questi, preponderanti sono quelli rappresentati dalle spiagge sabbiose. Al fine di valutare come differenti strategie di gestione possono influenzare il sistema spiaggia, �� stata analizzata la riposta del comparto bentonico della zona intertidale di due differenti spiagge lungo la costa emiliano-romagnola. Lido di Spina �� fortemente antropizzato e caratterizzato dalla presenza di infrastrutture balneari-turistiche permanenti. E��� soggetto, inoltre, a interventi di ripascimento annuali e di pulizia della spiaggia. Bellocchio, invece, �� un sito naturale che presenta una spiaggia caratterizzata dall���arretramento della linea di costa causata dell���erosione, e non �� soggetta a interventi di gestione finalizzati alla sua mitigazione. In questo studio �� stata utilizzata la componente meiobentonica, generalmente trascurata, come indicatore chiave della vulnerabilit�� ecologica, mentre la zona intertidale sabbiosa �� stata indagata in quanto reputata uno dei primi habitat costieri ���recettore��� degli eventi di flooding e degli interventi di gestione. Globalmente �� stato possibile evidenziare differenze di struttura di comunit�� fra i due siti indagati, sottolineando come, anche questa componente sia in grado di far emergere i cambiamenti dovuti a differenti approcci di gestione delle coste sabbiose. Nella seconda parte del lavoro, invece, �� stato testato un approccio metodologico innovativo, denominato ���Fuzzy Bayes Ecological Model��� (FBEM), sviluppato nell���ambito del progetto THESEUS. L���applicazione del FBEM in THESEUS �� finalizzata alla simulazione delle risposte ecosistemiche ad eventi di flooding costiero ed al fenomeno del sea level rise. In questo elaborato, il modello �� stato adottato al fine di descrivere eventuali cambiamenti dei popolamenti meiobentonici. Nello specifico, l���utilizzo del modello �� servito per poter confrontare la situazione attuale relativa, quindi, allo scenario di sea level rise pari a zero, con quella ipotizzata dall���IPCC per il 2080 di sea level rise pari a 0,22 m, prendendo in considerazione otto tempi di ritorno di eventi simulati di flooding a intensit�� crescente. Dalle simulazioni emerge come il driver del danno ecologico sia l���onda frangente il cui effetto risulta, per��, mitigato dal sea level rise. I popolamenti meiobentonici sono risultati dei buoni indicatori per la valutazione dei rischi connessi al flooding e al sea level rise, dimostrando cos�� il loro possibile utilizzo come descrittori dei cambiamenti ecologici delle zone costiere. Per questo, lo studio ed il monitoraggio della dinamica e della struttura dei popolamenti meiobentonici pu�� diventare un mezzo fondamentale per la comprensione delle funzionalit�� ecosistemiche delle spiagge sabbiose. E��� inoltre in grado di produrre alcune delle informazioni necessarie allo sviluppo dei piani di gestione integrata della fascia costiera in un ottica di conservazione di questi habitat costieri e dei servizi e beni da essi forniti.

Struttura dei popolamenti meiobentonici nella zona intertidale dell'Alto Adriatico a differenti gradi di antropizzazione

The present work is part of the European project THESEUS (Innovative technologies for safer Europeans coasts in a changing climate). The main goals are to provide adequate integrated methodologies for strategic planning of sustainable coastal defence. The present study investigates the structure and composition of meiobenthonic populations of the intertidal zone in four beaches along the Northern Adriatic coast of Emilia Romagna: Lido di Spina, Bellocchio, Lido di Dante e Cervia. The four sites are different for the level of human impacts and for the different management interventions against coastal erosion. The analysis of biotic and abiotic variables revealed different responses due mainly to site-specific characteristics of the investigated sites, in particular as regards the site of Bellocchio. The growing interest in ecosystems of sandy beaches has recently highlighted the importance of the ecological role of meiofauna, emphasizing the need to develop studies aimed to conservation as well as to the use of these organisms as descriptors of the environmental status. The present study showed that the response of the organisms of meiofauna was highly sensitive to the specific environmental conditions of the four sites considered. Therefore it appears to be possible to consider the response of meiofauna to environmental and anthropogenic stressors as supplementary information to the responses of macrobenthic communities, which have been, until now, widely recognized and used as syncretic indicators of the ecosystem status.

The secret life of software applications

One of the most undervalued problems by smartphone users is the security of data on their mobile devices. Today smartphones and tablets are used to send messages and photos and especially to stay connected with social networks, forums and other platforms. These devices contain a lot of private information like passwords, phone numbers, private photos, emails, etc. and an attacker may choose to steal or destroy this information. The main topic of this thesis is the security of the applications present on the most popular stores (App Store for iOS and Play Store for Android) and of their mechanisms for the management of security. The analysis is focused on how the architecture of the two systems protects users from threats and highlights the real presence of malware and spyware in their respective application stores. The work described in subsequent chapters explains the study of the behavior of 50 Android applications and 50 iOS applications performed using network analysis software. Furthermore, this thesis presents some statistics about malware and spyware present on the respective stores and the permissions they require. At the end the reader will be able to understand how to recognize malicious applications and which of the two systems is more suitable for him. This is how this thesis is structured. The first chapter introduces the security mechanisms of the Android and iOS platform architectures and the security mechanisms of their respective application stores. The Second chapter explains the work done, what, why and how we have chosen the tools needed to complete our analysis. The third chapter discusses about the execution of tests, the protocol followed and the approach to assess the ���level of danger��� of each application that has been checked. The fourth chapter explains the results of the tests and introduces some statistics on the presence of malicious applications on Play Store and App Store. The fifth chapter is devoted to the study of the users, what they think about and how they might avoid malicious applications. The sixth chapter seeks to establish, following our methodology, what application store is safer. In the end, the seventh chapter concludes the thesis.

Sea organisms as a source of collagen-derived polymers for skin tissue engineering applications

Advanced therapies combating acute and chronic skin wounds are likely to be brought about using our knowledge of regenerative medicine coupled with appropriately tissue engineered skin substitutes. At the present time, there are no models of an artificial skin that completely replicate normal uninjured skin and they are usually accompanied by fibrotic reactions that result in the production of a scar. Natural biopolymers such as collagen have been a lot investigated as potential source of biomaterial for skin replacement in Tissue Engineering. Collagens are the most abundant high molecular weight proteins in both invertebrate and vertebrate organisms, including mammals, and possess mainly a structural role in connective tissues. From this, they have been elected as one of the key biological materials in tissue regeneration approaches, as skin tissue engineering. In addition, industry is constantly searching for new natural sources of collagen and upgraded methodologies for their production. The most common sources are skin and bone from bovine and porcine origin. However, these last carry high risk of bovine spongiform encephalopathy or transmissible spongiform encephalopathy and immunogenic responses. On the other hand, the increase of jellyfish has led us to consider this marine organism as potential collagen source for tissue engineering applications. In the present study, novel form of acid and pepsin soluble collagen were extracted from dried Rhopilema hispidum jellyfish species in an effort to obtain an alternative and safer collagen. We studied different methods of collagen purification (tissues and experimental procedures). The best collagen yield was obtained using pepsin extraction method (34.16 mg collagen/g of tissue). The isolated collagen was characterized by SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and circular dichroism spectroscopy.

Sviluppo e applicazione di un reattore di prepolimerizzazione in continuo

Presso lo stabilimento DOW di Correggio (che �� una system house per la produzione di prepolimeri poliuretanici) la ricerca �� attualmente incentrata sullo sviluppo su scala industriale di un reattore pilota continuo di tipo plug flow che andr�� a sostituire i tradizionali processi BATCH, con un guadagno in termini di sicurezza e costi di investimento. In particolare, il progetto prevedeva di sperimentare le ���ricette��� attuali di prepolimeri per applicazioni nel settore della calzatura per valutarne l���equivalenza con quelli fatti in BATCH, e di calibrare un modello del reattore pilota che permetta di prevedere le prestazioni del reattore e supporti lo scale-up attraverso la raccolta di dati sperimentali (profili di temperatura, tempi di residenza, titolo di NCO del prodotto, ecc...). Alla conclusione del progetto �� possibile affermare che la tecnologia �� robusta, scalabile e rispetto ai sistemi di produzione attuale presenta una maggiore produttivit��, sicurezza e minori costi di investimento. At the DOW plant in Correggio, which is a system house for the production of polyurethane prepolymers, the research is currently focused on the develompment and application of a plug flow type continuos reactor that will replace the traditional BATCH processes, with advantages in terms of process safety an investment costs. In particular, the project aims were to test in the pilot plant the prepolymer receipts for footwear application, find out if the result products were similar or better than the ones made with BATCH reactor and harvest experimental data (such as temperatures profiles, reaction time, residual NCO value, etc...) in order to calibrate a model that will support the scale-up to the industrial plant. Now that the project is ended, it is possibile to assert that this tecnology is reliable, scalable, safer and cheaper than the old processes.

Risk assessment of liquid hydrogen tanks for heavy duty vehicles

The advent of the hydrogen economy has already been predicted but it does not represent a tangible reality yet. However, decarbonizing the global economy and particularly the energy sector is vital to limit global warming and reduce the incumbent environmental problems. Hydrogen is a promising zero-emission fuel that could replace traditional fossil fuels, playing a key role in the transition towards a more sustainable economy. At present, hydrogen-powered cars are already spread worldwide and the deployment of hydrogen buses seems to be the next goal in the decarbonization process of the transportation sector. In contrast with the undeniable benefits introduced by the use of this alternative fuel, given its hazardous properties, safety is a topic of high concern. The present study concerns the evaluation of the risks linked to the on board storage of hydrogen on hydrogen-powered buses in case of road accident. Currently, hydrogen can be stored on board as a high-pressure gas, as a cryogenic liquid or in cryo-compressed form. Those solutions are compared from a safety point of view. First, the final accidental scenarios that could follow the release of the fuel in case of a road crash are pointed out. Secondly, threshold values for the hazardous effects of each scenario are fixed and the corresponding damage distances are calculated thanks to the use of the software PHAST 8.4. Finally, indicators are quantified to compare the different options. Results are discussed to find out the safer solution and to evaluate whether the replacement of fossil fuels with hydrogen introduces new safety issues.

Data analysis and hydrological modelling of rainfall and discharge extremes along the Tione River: implications for the design of water structures

There are many natural events that can negatively affect the urban ecosystem, but weather-climate variations are certainly among the most significant. The history of settlements has been characterized by extreme events like earthquakes and floods, which repeat themselves at different times, causing extensive damage to the built heritage on a structural and urban scale.��Changes in climate also alter various climatic subsystems, changing rainfall regimes and hydrological cycles, increasing the frequency and intensity of extreme precipitation events (heavy rainfall).�� From an hydrological risk perspective, it is crucial to understand future events that could occur and their magnitude in order to design safer infrastructures. Unfortunately, it is not easy to understand future scenarios as the complexity of climate is enormous.�� For this thesis, precipitation and discharge extremes were primarily used as data sources. It is important to underline that the two data sets are not separated: changes in rainfall regime, due to climate change, could significantly affect overflows into receiving water bodies. It is imperative that we understand and model climate change effects on water structures to support the development of adaptation strategies. �� The main purpose of this thesis is to search for suitable water structures for a road located along the Tione River. Therefore, through the analysis of the area from a hydrological point of view, we aim to guarantee the safety of the infrastructure over time. �� The observations made have the purpose to underline how models such as a stochastic one can improve the quality of an analysis for design purposes, and influence choices.