HERALD: A Hybrid distributEd leaRning incrementAL & feDerated solution for knowledge distillation in COVID-19 classification

The COVID-19 pandemic has posed unprecedented challenges to diagnostic accuracy and timeliness, further complicated by the emergence of viral variants that, by producing different damages on patients’ bodies, altered diagnostic imaging patterns and induced data non-stationarity. This has made it difficult to prevent and treat viral infections that can mutate rapidly and be highly contagious. In the context of emergency rooms and infection-detecting facilities, the aforementioned challenges highlight the urgency of designing approaches belonging to the machine learning domain that can identify infections in patients, minimizing the necessity for direct physician intervention. Furthermore, in such environments, privacy-preserving constraints pose a significant barrier to inter-hospital coordination and collaboration, limiting the potential for centralized model training and data sharing. To overcome these barriers, this work introduces a solution (called HERALD, Hybrid distributEd leaRning incrementAL & feDerated), that combines Incremental and Federated Learning paradigms to obtain a double benefit: a never-ending adaptation of the model to the mutated condition used as input in the diagnostic analysis (i.e., derive of diagnostic sensors or due to a virus mutation) and privacy-preserving knowledge dissemination among hospitals, facilitating collaborative learning while maintaining data confidentiality. The proposed solution is meant to mitigate the impact of Catastrophic Forgetting, a common challenge in Continuous Learning and Knowledge Distillation-based approaches. Evidence of the effectiveness of the HERALD is provided by its application to chest X-ray images from patients affected by COVID-19 and healthy individuals. Experimental evaluations were conducted with a lightweight custom CNN architecture on four public COVID-19 radiographic datasets partitioned among three simulated hospital organizations over twelve training batches. Quantitative results show consistent improvements in model performance across 12 training batches, with final accuracy exceeding 92% and recall reaching over 93% at several hospital sites. These results highlight the ability of HERALD to balance local adaptability with global knowledge sharing while preserving data privacy. The proposed solution demonstrates measurable benefits in terms of continual performance optimization, robustness to data variability, and mitigation of Catastrophic Forgetting in decentralized clinical settings

The Role of Environmental Awareness in Transport Mobility Behaviour: Evidence from Survey-Based Approach in Catania (Italy)

According to the European Environment Agency (EEA) estimates, road transport represents one of the main contributors to greenhouse gas emissions in Europe. Reducing its environmental impact is a key challenge in achieving sustainable mobility systems. While policies are increasingly oriented toward low-carbon fuels, zero-emission technologies, and modal shifts to public transport, recent research has highlighted the growing importance of users’ perceptions and attitudes in influencing mobility behaviors. Environmental awareness has emerged as a key factor in shaping transport choices. Based on this premise, this study investigates the role of environmental awareness in the transport mode choices of citizens in Catania (Italy), a context characterized by high motorization rates and traffic congestion. Based on a structured questionnaire administered to a sample of 1,373 respondents via both CAWI (Computer-Assisted Web Interviewing) and CATI (Computer-Assisted Telephone Interviewing) techniques, the analysis explores the association between environmental awareness and variables such as frequency of public transport use, gender, age, and occupational status. Respondents’ awareness was assessed with reference to air quality, traffic congestion, and noise pollution through a 5-point Likert scale. Descriptive and non-parametric statistical analyses (i.e. Mann–Whitney U test, Kruskal–Wallis and Dunn’s post-hoc) were applied to examine correlations between awareness and socio-demographic variables, as well as travel behaviour. Effect size was also computed to assess the practical relevance of the results. The findings provide valuable insights for designing more targeted and effective sustainable mobility policies, especially in contexts with high car dependency. Further research will examine how the willingness to adopt alternative transport varies according to personal motivation and perceived convenience

Storia moderna queer? Considerazioni a partire dalla serie Versailles.

The article discusses the French-Canadian television series Versailles (three seasons for a total of 30 episodes, 2015–2018), a period drama with close ties to 17th- and 18th-century sources (Saint-Simon, Mademoiselle de Montpensier, Mme de Montespan, Mme de Sévigné and, above all, the letters of the Princess Palatine, the second wife of one of the protagonists). The series is based on events set in the newly built Palace of Versailles, relating to the personal and political life and affairs of Louis XIV, his family, the court, ministers and many other related figures. Real-life characters are joined by fictional ones. Among the former are the Sun King, his brother Philippe d'Orléans, known as Monsieur, who was homosexual and polyamorous, his sisters-in-law (successive wives of the latter) Henrietta of England and Elizabeth Charlotte, Princess Palatine, Louis's wife, Maria Theresa of Habsburg, his favourites M.me de Montespan and M.me de Maintenon, and Monsieur's main lover, the Chevalier de Lorraine. The most important fictional characters are the policeman/spy Marchal, the female doctor Claudine Masson, and the sorceress Madame Agathe. The events narrated all really happened, but the plot also draws on news and gossip from contemporaries, as well as plausible but fictional hypotheses. The essay questions the use of evidence and possibility and the categories of empathy and distance in visual narratives, focusing on the category of queerness and its relevance, both in the artistic invention of the video series and in the real historical context in which they are set. The serial dimension, which is particularly important for the articulation of historical themes, and more generally cinematic narratives, confirms itself, as historian Natalie Zemon Davis has stated, as a historiographical laboratory that uses imagination to test historical possibilities

Giovan Battista Pigna, Gli Heroici

Scomparso dagli interessi di letterati e studiosi per quasi cinque secoli, il trattato Gli Heroici di Giovan Battista Pigna torna ora in edizione critica, per le cure di Marco De Masi e Stefano Jossa, per rimettere in circolazione una riflessione sulla poesia narrativa e una modalità di costruzione dell'egemonia culturale che segnò il passaggio dallo scrittore di corte al segretario del principe ed ebbe un'influenza decisiva sulla formazione di Torquato Tasso

A point process approach for the classification of noisy calcium imaging data

We study noisy calcium imaging data, with a focus on the classification of spike traces. As raw traces obscure the true temporal structure of neuron’s activity, we performed a tuned filtering of the calcium concentration using two methods: a biophysical model and a kernel mapping. The former characterizes spike trains related to a particular triggering event, while the latter filters out the signal and refines the selection of the underlying neuronal response. Transitioning from traditional time series analysis to point process theory, the study explores spike-time distance metrics and point pattern prototypes to describe repeated observations. We assume that the analyzed neuron’s firing events, i.e. spike occurrences, are temporal point process events. In particular, the study aims to categorize 47 point patterns by depth, assuming the similarity of spike occurrences within specific depth categories. The results highlight the pivotal roles of depth and stimuli in discerning diverse temporal structures of neuron firing events, confirming the point process approach based on prototype analysis is largely useful in the classification of spike traces

Poly(lactic acid) (PLA)/micro-fibrillated cellulose (MFC) biocomposites for film blowing applications

Film blowing is one of the most widely used structuring processes to produce thin polymer films. During this process, unique morphologies are induced in polymer-filled composites by elongational flow. In this work, the effect of the presence of micro fibrillated cellulose (MFC) on the morphology and mechanical properties of poly (lactic acid) (PLA)/MFC biocomposites subjected to non-isothermal elongation flow in a melt spinning operation was evaluated to assess the filmability of the proposed formulations and the final morphology achieved during film blowing. The produced films were characterized to determine how the achieved morphology affected the thermal, optical, barrier, and mechanical properties of the films, paying particular attention on the improvements achieved thanks to the MFC addition

Shaping the emission directivity of single quantum dots in dielectric nanodisks exploiting Mie resonances

Manipulating the optical landscape of single quantum dots (QDs) is essential to increase the emitted photon output, enhancing their performance as chemical sensors and single-photon sources. Micro-optical structures are typically used for this task, with the drawback of a large size compared to the embedded single emitters. Nanophotonic architectures hold the promise to modify dramatically the emission properties of QDs, boosting light−matter interactions at the nanoscale, in ultracompact devices. Here, we investigate the interplay between gallium arsenide (GaAs) single QDs and aluminum gallium arsenide (AlGaAs) nanostructures, capitalizing on the Kerker condition for precise control of the QD emission directivity. An extensive analysis of the photo- luminescence spectra of several QDs embedded in nanodisks revealed a pronounced directivity enhancement due to the Kerker effect, confirmed by theoretical simulations, resulting in a 14-fold increase of emitted intensity. Angle-resolved spectroscopy experiments also proved that the integration of GaAs QDs within nanostructures determines a precise angled emission, offering a distinctive avenue for manipulating the spatial characteristics of emitted light by exploiting Mie resonances. This work contributes to the optimization of QD integration in nanostructures and suggests potential improvements for applications in optical communications

A comprehensive computational analysis of NR2F2/6 receptors for drug repurposing

Nuclear Receptors (ORFs) are a small family of transcription factors (15 members) playing a crucial role in regulating various physiological and developmental processes. Within this superfamily, NR2Fs, also known as Chicken Ovalbumin Upstream Promoter Transcription Factor (COUP-TF), is a family of nuclear orphan receptors, due to the lack of endogenous ligands. The NR2Fs are composed of three members: NR2F1 (COUP-TFI, EAR- 3), NR2F2 (COUP-TFII, ARP-1) and NR2F6 (COUP-TFIII, EAR-2). Due to the pivotal functions of NR2Fs in cell growth, they are regarded as promising candidates for the development of novel therapeutic targets in cancer treatment [1]. In the context of the PNRR project, "HEAL ITALIA", a comprehensive computational analysis was conducted on the X-ray crystal structures of the human ligand binding domain of NR2F2 (PDB ID: 3CJW) and the NR2F6 (PDB ID: 8C5L). To date, only compound CIA1 has been identified as an inhibitor of NR2F2 in prostate cancer cell lines (IC50 1.2-7.6 μM). To this aim, the ligand binding domain was mapped identifying potential binding sites, designated as site 1 and site 2. Followed by classic docking with CIA1, molecular dynamics (MD), Binding Pose Metadynamics (BPMD), and Molecular Mechanics-Generalized Born Surface Area continuum solvation (MM-GBSA) were conducted to assess the stability of the complexes NR2F2-CIA in the two sites. For NR2F6 no inhibitor has been identified in the literature. Potential hotspot binding sites were identified and their potential for drug use was predicted. Subsequently, the identified binding sites for NR2F2 and NR2F6 were then used to perform a virtual screening protocol involving pharmacophore models and docking studies on extensive libraries, such as Drugbank, FDA and commercial libraries for drug repurposing

Just Digital Public Service Design: Designers' role in shaping a fairer public sector digital transformation.

Negli ultimi trent’anni il processo di trasformazione digitale a livello globale ha imposto al settore pubblico di ottimizzare i suoi processi, migliorare i suoi servizi e, in generale, di performare meglio in termini di usabilità e accessibilità delle proprie piattaforme, seguendo la scia del settore privato e mirando al raggiungimento degli standard di qualità dello stesso. L’evoluzione del digitale ha fatto da cavallo di Troia per introdurre i designer all’interno della Pubblica Amministrazione, per supportare l’esigenza sempre più avvertita di innovazione e cavalcando l’onda dell’interesse verso l’applicazione del design thinking ai processi di progettazione delle politiche e sviluppo di servizi. A partire dai primi anni 2000, la proliferazione di Innovation Lab e la progressiva istituzionalizzazione di veri e propri team di progettazione, interni ed esterni, hanno fatto gradualmente emergere la distanza tra l’approccio orientato al mercato e l’approccio orientato al benessere pubblico e alla giustizia sociale. Ciò ha generato una fiducia sempre maggiore nell’applicazione del metodo scientifico all’ambito della gestione della cosa pubblica, facendo sorgere però contestualmente anche una legittima preoccupazione sull’evoluzione del rapporto tra democrazia e tecnocrazia. Negli ultimi anni i discorsi sul progresso illuminato e l’innovazione disruptive hanno perso gran parte della loro iniziale spinta entusiastica, poiché minati dai sempre più evidenti effetti concreti della transizione digitale sulla sostenibilità ambientale, la giustizia sociale e la crisi delle democrazie. Con il progetto di ricerca qui proposto è stata ricostruita l’evoluzione della disciplina del design dei servizi, dagli albori nel mondo dell’industria fino alla sua graduale applicazione al mondo dell’e-government. Sono state analizzate e destrutturate le principali narrative, i principali discorsi e i principali metadiscorsi dominanti sia in ambito commerciale che pubblico e sono stati individuati diversi fattori di limitazione che rendono non del tutto espresso ed esprimibile il valore trasformativo e innovativo del design dei servizi nell’ambito della trasformazione digitale del settore pubblico. Partendo dal caso studio del miglioramento dell’esperienza di studio universitario in carcere, è stato sviluppato e testato un framework di progettazione - definito antiframework - utile ad hackerare gli strumenti del service design tradizionale, in modo da renderli maggiormente riflessivi, politici, e per espanderne il potenziale di trasformazione sistemica e strutturale. L’antiframework lavora altresì sull’individuazione e il ridirezionamento dei fenomeni di discriminazione e diseguaglianza sistemica, di cui il designer, spesso in modo inconsapevole, permette la riproduzione all’interno dei prodotti, servizi, sistemi e istituzioni che progetta o contribuisce a sviluppare. Riconoscendo nel diritto, nella giustizia e nella democrazia i valori fondanti del design pubblico, la tesi si conclude proponendo un manifesto - definito antimanifesto - di principi generali e generativi, utili per formulare, analizzare criticamente, rivedere e integrare l’elenco di principi guida di ogni gruppo di lavoro che intende progettare servizi pubblici digitali - giusti - e che non vede il proprio lavoro come quello di un tecnocrate, ma più come quello di un avivocrate (Hudson, 2018) che sa affrontare l'incertezza ed esercitare la propria libertà di coscienza. Viene inoltre affrontato il tema della formazione di figure professionali specializzate nella progettazione di politiche e servizi pubblici, con l’indicazione di alcuni ambiti di conoscenza cross-disciplinari, indispensabili per espandere le conoscenze dei futuri designer e prepararli ad affrontare le sfide sistemiche e strutturali della contemporaneità, con una rinnovata postura etica e politica.Over the past three decades, the global digital transformation process has forced the public sector to optimize its processes, improve its services and, in general, perform better in terms of usability and accessibility of its platforms, following in the wake of the private sector and aiming to achieve its quality standards. The evolution of digital technologies has acted as a Trojan horse to introduce designers within public administration, to support the increasingly felt need for innovation and riding the wave of interest in the application of design thinking to policymaking and service delivery processes. Beginning in the early 2000s, the proliferation of Innovation Labs and the gradual institutionalization of full-fledged design teams, internal and external, have gradually bridged the gap between the market-oriented approach and the public welfare and social justice-oriented approach. This has generated increasing confidence in the application of the scientific method to the realm of public affairs management, while also simultaneously raising legitimate concern about the evolving relationship between democracy and technocracy. In recent years, discourses of enlightened progress and disruptive innovation have lost much of their initial enthusiastic momentum as they have been undermined by the increasingly evident concrete effects of the digital transition on environmental sustainability, social justice and the crisis of democracies. With the research project proposed here, the evolution of the discipline of service design was reconstructed, from its beginnings in the world of industry to its gradual application to the world of e-government. The main dominant narratives, discourses, and metadiscourses in both the commercial and public spheres were analyzed and deconstructed, and several limiting factors were identified that make the transformative and innovative value of service design in the digital transformation of the public sector not fully expressed and expressible. Building on the case study of improving the university prison experience, a design framework - termed the antiframework - was developed and tested for hacking traditional service design tools to make them more reflective, political, and to expand their potential for systemic and structural transformation. The antiframework also works on identifying and redirecting the phenomena of systemic discrimination and inequality, which the designer, often unconsciously, allows to be reproduced within the products, services, systems, and institutions he or she designs or helps to develop. Recognizing law, justice, and democracy as the founding values of public design, the thesis concludes by proposing a manifesto - referred to as an antimanifesto - of general and generative principles, useful for formulating, critically analyzing, revising, and supplementing the list of guiding principles of any team that intends to design - just - digital public services and that does not see its work as that of a technocrat, but more like that of an avivocrat (Hudson, 2018) who knows how to face uncertainty and exercise the freedom of conscience. The issue of training professionals who specialize in the design of public policies and services is also addressed, with the indication of some cross-disciplinary areas that are indispensable to expand the knowledge of future designers and prepare them to face the systemic and structural challenges of the contemporary world with a renewed ethical and political posture