Marche Polytechnic University

A submarine, hybrid cable for the simultaneous transfer of green electricity and Liquid Hydrogen (LH2) in a 30 km-long pipeline from an offshore renewable power plant, in the Adriatic Sea is presented here. The superconducting (SC) cable is designed with MgB2 strands to carry the transport current with a significant margin. The SC strands are twisted around a bundle of normal conducting strands with the function of protecting against overcurrents and ensuring at the same time flexibility of the cable. The SC cable, covered by multiple layers of cold dielectric, is inserted into a corrugated pipe, constituting the inner part of a cryostat where LH2 flows. LH2 has the dual function of cryogen and energy carrier. The outer part of the cryostat is designed to limit the heat load to less than 2 W/m, and to withstand the pressure in operation due to the submarine installation at a maximum depth of ∼ 50 m.

This study presents the first mechanochemical borrowing hydrogenation (BH) strategy, offering a direct and efficient route to N‐alkylated amines and heterocycles. This solvent‐free approach overcomes many challenges associated with conventional solution‐based syntheses, such as toxic reagents, inert atmospheres, high temperatures, lengthy reaction times, excessive catalyst loadings, and the use of solvents. By applying this method under mechanochemical conditions and employing a readily available ruthenium‐based catalyst, we achieved high conversions of a diverse set of primary amines and alcohols into N‐alkylated amines. Furthermore, kinetic isotope effect (KIE) studies and Hammett analyses provided key insights into the underlying reaction mechanism. Ultimately, this protocol expands synthetic possibilities by facilitating the preparation of heterocycles.

Plasmonic nanoparticle effects on nearby molecules can be treated within the Polarizable Continuum Model (PCM-NP). Numerically, PCM-NP relies on the Boundary Element Method (BEM), whereby nanoparticle polarization due to external electric fields is given in terms of point charges located on its meshed surface. Density Functional Theory (DFT) and time-dependent DFT descriptions for molecules can be performed using a real-space grid. However, combining the standard BEM of PCM-NP with a real-space quantum-mechanical treatment for molecules physisorbed on large nanoparticles (beyond ∼1 nm of radius) quickly faces memory bottlenecks for typical high performance computing architectures. In fact, the 3D spatial grid should be taken large enough to fit the entire NP, in order to interpolate the electrostatic potential at its surface. We propose a new BEM (dubbed dummy-surface BEM or ds-BEM, for short) to handle effectively PCM-NP calculations with a real-space grid and implement it in the widespread Octopus code. Our ds-BEM maps the electrostatic BEM problem from the actual physical interface at the nanoparticle surface to a compact surface around the molecule, which can be embedded in the small-sized real-space grid used in gas-phase calculations. To show the accuracy of ds-BEM results, we benchmark it against standard BEM for real-space and real-time nonequilibrium electronic dynamics of a prototypical system (namely, p-nitroaniline close to a small, gold nanoparticle) computed at the level of time-dependent density functional theory. Absorption and Raman spectra obtained from BEM and ds-BEM show remarkable agreement, opening up the extension of PCM-NP to all property simulations accessible via Octopus.

Metal halide perovskites have emerged as a transformative class of semiconductors, driving advancements in optoelectronics, photovoltaics, and sensing technologies. One of the key challenges in optimizing these materials for next‐generation devices is controlling the flow of energy within them, which is highly sensitive to structural and dimensional factors. Recent advances in phase and dimensionality engineering have opened new avenues for tailoring energy transport and excitonic behaviors in perovskite heterostructures. By controlling the dimensionality and tuning the phases of perovskites, it is possible to achieve enhanced efficiency, stability, and selectivity in energy transfer processes. This perspective explores the fundamental principles of energy flow in perovskites and related materials, highlighting how phase transitions and dimensionality control can be leveraged to design optimized heterostructures for cutting‐edge optoelectronic applications.

A network of metallic nanowires (NWs) is a suitable alternative to thin-film oxides for the production of flexible transparent electrodes. Currently available assembly strategies allow for the deposition of NWs in a highly ordered state, with cross-aligned arrangements achieved by stacking layers of NWs with perpendicular preferential orientations. Experimental investigations indicate that the optoelectrical performance of electrodes with a cross-aligned arrangement is superior to that of those with a random arrangement, but the underlying reasons remain unclear. We therefore conduct an extensive set of numerical simulations to compare the performance of networks with cross-aligned and random arrangements in terms of percolative behavior, electrical conductivity, and electrical homogeneity across a wide range of NW densities. Despite the common misconception that the percolation threshold of cross-aligned arrangements is lower than that of random arrangements, we demonstrate that this is not the case. Moreover, our findings indicate that topology alone does not account for the advantages observed in cross-aligned arrangements. We further demonstrate that junction resistance Rj is the key parameter influencing electrical conductivity and homogeneity, estimating that Rj is approximately 20% lower in real cross-aligned arrangements compared to random arrangements. NW assembly strategies also facilitate a spatially homogeneous distribution of NWs, which is rarely observed in real random arrangements, further enhancing the performance of cross-aligned arrangements.

The Italian Peninsula is commonly interpreted as a Quaternary refuge, with a particularly important role for taxa requiring humid environments. This is testified by a relatively high diversity of amphibians on the peninsula nowadays, and also by the regional fossil record. Here we provide a complete description of the palaeoherpetofauna from Fada Nana Cave, in Verona province. It includes at least four amphibians (Salamandra salamandra, Bufo gr. bufo, Bufotes gr. viridis, Rana temporaria) and six reptiles (Lacertidae indet., Anguis gr. fragilis, Zamenis gr. longissimus, Natrix sp., Vipera gr. aspis, and an indeterminate small Colubroides) from Middle Pleistocene deposits. Fossils from Recent levels within the cave also reveal the presence of brown frogs and a green lizard, Lacerta gr. viridis. Rather interesting is the absence of the large anguid Pseudo-pus, found in other Early to Late Pleistocene-age sites in Veneto, and whose lack may be explained by the higher elevation of Fada Nana Cave. Based on the preliminary analysis of the small mammal assemblage, pre-Recent deposits in Fada Nana Cave are Middle Pleistocene in age and are tentatively assigned to the MIS 13 or 15 Interglacial, within the early Toringian Small Mammal Age. The Middle Pleistocene fauna recovered in the cave indicates a forested and moist environment, with water bodies and open meadows, for the nearby area.

Recommender engines are software applications employed in online tourism information searches to suggest useful content and guide user choices. They represent a significant area of research within the tourism sector, crucially influencing traveler decisions through personalized recommendations. This paper focuses specifically on the Branding4Resilience (B4R) project, whose objective is to promote inner areas, by co-designing virtuous transformations with their inhabitants through novel branding strategies and digital enabling infrastructures. All experiments and assessments described in this study were conducted within the italian area of Sassoferrato, corresponding to the criteria defined by the B4R initiative. The paper introduces a dedicated web platform aimed at enhancing tourism by directing attention towards inland destinations and networking opportunities. The platform enables local providers of tourism-related services, such as guides, event organizers, and restaurateurs, to connect effectively with tourists seeking distinctive experiences. By facilitating interactions, the platform promotes collaboration, innovation, and the co-creation of personalized experiences, transforming tourists into active participants and contributors. To evaluate user experience, perceived usefulness, and innovation of the platform, we analyzed user responses to a structured questionnaire, which combined frequently addressed questions from existing literature with newly developed items specific to our platform. Constructs included tourist platform usage, perceived utility, content quality, design and usability, and innovative elements. The implemented algorithm demonstrated an average sensitivity of 79.74%, highlighting its efficacy in providing relevant suggestions to the platform’s “consumers” users.

Awareness of circular bioeconomy and sustainability must be increased among young people, as they are the future drivers of change towards greater resource efficiency and waste reduction. This study evaluates the current awareness and perceptions of students in the Mediterranean region regarding environmental issues, including climate change, water resources and scarcity, wastewater treatment and reuse, microalgae-based wastewater treatment, and bioproducts derived from microalgae. Data were collected through questionnaires administered to Italian and Spanish students, representing the Mediterranean region. External factors such as age, field of study, degree level, and gender were analysed. Findings revealed that participants demonstrated a high level of awareness regarding climate change and responsible consumption. However, responses from students regarding droughts and water resource quality were highly variable. The study also revealed that a large number of participants were willing to use reclaimed water, provided it did not come into direct contact with crops. However, their understanding of specific aspects of water reuse, such as alternative treatments and water quality levels, was limited. Furthermore, while participants generally demonstrated a high level of acceptance regarding the use of microalgae, a significant knowledge gap was identified concerning their potential for bioproduct production and their application in alternative wastewater treatment processes. To address these knowledge gaps, several recommendations are provided, covering both academic and non-academic pathways. The results of this research can be used to review and update scientific content in curricula, as well as guide water management stakeholders in determining the directions to be pursued in the near future.

The development of advanced ceramic materials with tailored microstructures is essential for meeting the demands of many high‐performance applications. This study explores a novel polymer‐derived ceramic route for fabricating porous cordierite lattice structures by using a silicone‐based emulsion as feedstock for direct ink writing. In this context, silicone blended with acrylates enabled the application of a hybrid technology, involving UV curing of the samples after 3D printing to stabilize shapes before high‐temperature ceramization. The ceramic product of the silicone‐based blend was engineered by emulsification of an aqueous phase, in turn suspending oxide nanoparticles and/or dissolving hydrated salts, acting as Al2O3 and MgO precursors. Several combinations of Al2O3 and MgO precursors were explored to highlight the versatility of the method in yielding cordierite ceramics. Finally, porous structures derived from the combination of hydrated salts were further characterized to investigate the morphology and microstructure of the produced samples, as well as the role of water in the formation of porous components.

Signal Amplification by Reversible Exchange (SABRE) uses metal-mediated reversible binding of parahydrogen to transfer polarization via spin–spin couplings in transient complexes, particularly Iridium complexes with N-heterocyclic carbenes (NHC). The magnetic...

The fashion industry, a major polluter, requires urgent environmental reform throughout its supply chain. European Union is a leader on sustainability; therefore, it has to be taken in special consideration when it comes to policy analysis and actions. Understanding products impacts during their life cycles is crucial for this transformation, necessitating tools to monitor and assess impacts at all stages. Comprehensive tools, such as life cycle assessment (LCA) allow to identify critical intervention points and providing strategic decision-making support. This review article analyses the benefits and limitations of LCA in the fashion industry from the scientific literature and proposes solutions to overcome these limitations. It also examines fashion companies that communicate the adoption of LCA. The methodology plays an important role in transitioning to sustainable production and consumption models within a circular economy framework, by providing data based on a scientific and standardised method. An emerging approach is the to Organisational LCA, as it can further support companies that are not able to see the entire product life cycle in adopting a monitoring methodology at organisational level.

Background Preservation of mobility independence is a primary goal in older adults with physical frailty and sarcopenia (PF&S). Interventions based on the combination of physical activity (PA) and nutritional counselling have been indicated as strategies for the management of this condition, although their effectiveness is not confirmed in all investigations. A possible explanation for this uncertain scenario relies in the impact of the adherence to PA interventions. Hence, the present study investigated the impact of the adherence to PA sessions on the incidence of mobility disability in older adults with PF&S. Methods This is a secondary analysis of an evaluator blinded, randomised controlled trial, developed in 16 clinical sites across 11 European countries, from January 2016 to 31 October 2019. Participants were community‐dwelling older adults (70+ years) with PF&S enrolled in the SPRINTT trial (NCT02582138). PF&S was operationalised as having a total score from 3 to 9 on the short physical performance battery (SPPB), low appendicular lean mass and ability to complete the 400‐m walk test in < 15 min. Data from participants allocated to a multicomponent intervention (PA with technological support plus nutritional counselling) and a healthy ageing lifestyle education programme (control group) were analysed. Adherence to PA was assessed based on the number of weekly sessions attended. According to recommendations of the American College of Sports Medicine, adherence was categorised as below recommendations (< 2 sessions/week, BR), meeting recommendations (2–3 sessions/week, MR), and above recommendations (> 3 sessions/week, AR). The primary outcome was incident mobility disability, operationalised as incident inability to complete the 400‐m walk test in < 15 min during up to 36 months of follow‐up. Results Data of 1444 participants (mean age 79.3 years, 72.6% women) were analysed. In those with SPPB scores of 3–7, MR and AR groups had lower risk of mobility disability compared with controls [MR HR (95% CI): 0.57 (0.41–0.78), p = 0.001; AR HR (95% CI): 0.33 (0.23–0.46), p < 0.001] and BR groups [MR: HR (95% CI): 0.48 (0.34–0.69), p < 0.001; AR: HR (95% CI): 0.27 (0.18–0.38), p < 0.001] in a dose‐dependent manner. In those with SPPB scores of 8 or 9, the BR group had a higher risk of mobility disability than controls. MR and AR groups had a lower risk of mobility disability than the BR group. Conclusions In older adults with PF&S, adherence to PA recommendations is associated with lower incidence of mobility disability. This benefit depends on the degree of adherence as well as baseline physical performance. Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02582138

Aims Phytosociological maps are crucial for biodiversity conservation. Supervised mapping with machine learning demands high‐quality reference data that field surveys alone cannot provide. This study evaluates drone‐based procedures for phytosociological data collection, comparing them with field surveys. The research questions are as follows: Are species abundance data collected via drone surveys consistent with those obtained through traditional field phytosociological methods? Can plots be correctly assigned to known plant communities using drone data? Location Marche, Central Italy. Methods Drone surveys were conducted over forest and grassland plots using tailored imaging protocols. Forest plots were captured at 14 m with 11 high‐zoom images per plot, while grasslands were surveyed at 5 m with seven images per plot. The images were analysed to identify plant species and estimate their abundances, generating plot × species matrices. Multivariate analyses, including PCA, Mantel tests and supervised k‐means classification, were used to compare drone data with those obtained from the field traditional method. Results PCA and Mantel test results ( r = 0.782, p < 0.001) demonstrated a strong relationship between species abundance data collected by drone and traditional field methods in both forest and grassland. The supervised classification achieved an overall accuracy exceeding 90% in assigning drone‐surveyed plots to predefined plant associations. Conclusions This study introduces the proposal of standardised drone procedures to assist botanists in collecting phytosociological data in sub‐Mediterranean grasslands and forests. They can effectively complement and enhance the traditional Braun‐Blanquet method, broadening its scope and efficiently performing tasks such as vegetation unit assignment and creating reference data useful for the continuous production of supervised phytosociological maps of vegetation and habitats, which are essential for environmental monitoring.

For quantum observables H truncated on the range of orthogonal projections $\Pi _N$ of rank N, we study the corresponding Weyl symbol in the phase space in the semiclassical limit of vanishing Planck constant $\hbar \rightarrow 0$ and large quantum number $N\rightarrow \infty$, with $\hbar N$ fixed. Under certain assumptions, we prove the $L^2$- convergence of the Weyl symbols to a symbol truncated (hence, in general discontinuous) on the classically allowed region in phase space. As an illustration of the general theorems we analyse truncated observables for the harmonic oscillator and for a free particle in a one-dimensional box. In the latter case, we also compute the microscopic pointwise limit of the symbols near the boundary of the classically allowed region.

The stele bears an Athenian decree from 357/356 BC that sets out economic and military measures for Andros, an ally of Athens: the funding of an already existing garrison on the island through the contributions of the allies; the dispatch of a strategos ; the task of collecting money from the nearby islands. This would represent a clear violation of the charter of the Second Athenian League, which prohibited a return to the practices of the Delian League. However, in the context of the Social War, the document should be considered as the communication of a decision requested and shared with the Allies aimed at securing Andros.

A bstract Previous computations of feebly interacting particle production have encountered issues with unphysical (negative) interaction rates at soft momenta. We address this problem by studying the production of Axion-Like Particles (ALPs) coupled to U(1)-gauge fields, employing the full form of 1PI-resummed gauge boson propagators. This approach avoids the need for matching or subtraction procedures. We find that the ALP production rate remains positive across all momentum scales and identify the dominant production mechanisms. At soft ALP momenta ( p ≲ g ² T ), interactions involving two spacelike gauge bosons dominate the production rate, surpassing other channels by an order of magnitude. In particular, using the full gauge boson propagator suggests that at even softer momenta ( p ≲ g ⁴ T ), production involving two timelike gauge bosons becomes significant, potentially exceeding other contributions by another order of magnitude. We also find that a leading order accurate result for momenta g ⁴ T ≲ p ≲ g ² T still requires extensions beyond the 1PI resummation. Using these insights, we update the thermal ALP abundance and refine the estimate of the average ALP momentum, providing important input for structure formation constraints on ALP dark matter in the keV mass range.

Herein, the effect of operating temperature on alkaline electrolytic cells for hydrogen generation using nanostructured electrodes is studied. Nanostructured nickel–iron alloy electrodes are obtained by electrosynthesis in a template. These electrodes are characterized by a nanowire‐like structure with a high active surface area and consequently a higher catalytic activity than non‐nanostructured materials. The chemical and morphological features of nanostructured electrodes are evaluated by energy‐dispersive spectroscopy, X‐ray diffraction, and scanning electron microscopy analyses. The electrochemical behavior of the nanostructured electrodes is studied through different tests in alkaline solutions. Tests are performed at different temperatures, 25, 40, and 60 °C, to evaluate the performance in terms of hydrogen and oxygen production and to verify the medium‐term stability under galvanostatic conditions. The electrodes demonstrate good stability over time without evident signs of performance decay. The performance of a homemade electrolyzer with nanostructured electrodes is also studied at different temperatures and under industrial operation conditions for 600 h. The environmental impacts through the application of life cycle assessment methodology are also evaluated.

Ectrodactyly-ectodermal dysplasia-cleft (EEC) syndrome is a rare genetic disorder presenting significant challenges for dental rehabilitation due to severe maxillary atrophy and altered anatomy. This report describes a 23-year-old female with EEC syndrome successfully rehabilitated using a custom-made subperiosteal implant. Despite multiple grafting procedures, conventional implants were not viable. A computer-aided design/computer-aided manufacturing-designed, laser-melted titanium subperiosteal implant was planned based on the cone beam computed tomography imaging and digital scans, ensuring optimal adaptation. At 18 months postsurgery, the implant remained stable, with no complications. This case highlights the potential of modern subperiosteal implants as a viable alternative for complex craniofacial reconstructions.