From farm to school: investigating the potential of school food environments to transform the food system

Sustainable transformations of the food system are today at the heart of the global debate. To comply with the widely agreed need for change, a large scientific interest has been dedicated to the potential of school food environments for transforming food production and consumption trajectories. Besides being responsible for the nutritional quality of children’s diets, school meals also shape behaviours of the next generation consumers. Given that the relationships between the dietary patterns, consumption habits of children, the canteen setting, and the selection of food products for school consumption are complex and multifactorial, enlarging the body of analyses is essential for understanding patterns on how food is served and consumed. To this scope, this thesis adopts multiple approaches to understand sustainability dynamics behind school food environments and offers science-based implications derived from rigorous and reproducible social-science research. In particular, three studies are conducted: 1) a systematic literature review to explore the role of short food supply chains in supporting advancements towards global sustainability goalsin view of sustainable public procurement practices in schools 2) an evaluation study with a randomized control trial design to assess if inverting the sequence of dishes served in school canteens is an effective intervention for reducing food waste in primary school 3) an indicator-based assessment tool to measure the sustainability of school food environments integrating nutritional, environmental and social implications via an easy-to-understand scoring system. Results of this thesis provide food professionals and policymakers with quantitative insights on areas of improvement of the sustainability status of school food environments. On this basis, effective tailor-made strategies can be designed in schools to foster food system transformations and tackle the fundamental goals of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development

The frozen elephant trunk technique for the treatment of complex aortic arch and descending thoracic aorta pathologies: long term outcomes and distal reintervention

Background: The frozen elephant trunk(FET) technique is one of the last evolution in the treatment of complex pathologies of the aortic arch and the descending thoracic aorta.Materials and methods: Between January 2007 and March 2021, a total of 396 patients underwent total aortic arch replacements with the FET technique in our centre.The main indications were thoracic aortic aneurysm(n=104,28.2%), chronic aortic dissection(n=224,53.4%) and acute aortic dissection(n=68, 18.4%). We divided the population in two groups according the position of the distal anastomosis (zone 2 vs zone 3) and the length of the stent graft ( 150 mm): conservative group (Zone 2 anastomosis + stent length 150mm, n. 141). Results: The overall 30-day mortality rate was 13%(48/369); the risk factor analysis showed that an aggressive approach was neither a risk factor for major complication (permanent dialysis, tracheostomy, bowel malperfusion and permanent paraplegia) neither for 30-day mortality. The survival rate at 1, 5,10 and 15 years was 87.7%,75%,61.3% and 58.4% respectively. During the follow up, an aortic reintervention was performed in 122 patients (38%), 5 patients received a non-aortic cardiac surgery. Freedom from aortic reintervention at 1-,5- and 10-year was 77%,54% and 44% respectively. The freedom from aortic reintervention was higher in the ‘aggressive’ group (62.5%vs40.0% at 5 years, log-rank=0.056). An aggressive approach was not protective for aortic reintervention at follow up and for death at follow up. Conclusions: The FET technique represents a feasible and efficient option in the treatment of complex thoracic aortic pathologies. An aortic reintervention after FET is very common and the decision-making approach should consider and balance the higher risk of an aggressive approach in terms of post-operative complication versus the higher risk of a second aortic reintervention at follow-up

«Norma a' piu famosi compositori di sonate a solo». Las sonatas para violín de Carlo Ambrogio Lonati

Sempre più spesso negli ultimi decenni la figura e la musica di Carlo Ambrogio Lonati (c.1645-post 1701) hanno destato l’interesse degli studiosi e degli esecutori, i quali hanno preso in considerazione singoli aspetti della sua biografia e della sua produzione. Tuttavia, il processo di riscoperta e di recupero è stato ostacolato dalla mancanza di un’investigazione complessiva e integrata, capace tanto di dar conto della poliedricità di Lonati – violinista, compositore, cantante, didatta – quanto di riesaminare e ricontestualizzare le sue composizioni. Questa dissertazione tenta di colmare tale lacuna e propone una riconsiderazione di Lonati alla luce della sua produzione per violino. L’impiego di un approccio circolare fa in modo che mentre le composizioni violinistiche offrono un canale privilegiato allo studio del percorso artistico e dell’opera di questo compositore, la riconsiderazione critica della biografia permette di calare la musica per violino in un contesto ampio, oltre le distinzioni tra generi. L’integrazione di approcci metodologici differenti ha permesso di proporre una visione completamente nuova del compositore e di riformulare lo studio delle sonate violinistiche. Uno scrupoloso studio codicologico e filologico ha investito quattro testimoni a stampa e diciannove manoscritti e ha permesso di riconsiderare profondamente alcune composizioni già individuate. Suddivise in certe, attribuibili e dubbie, le trentuno sonate sono state poste sotto la lente di diverse prospettive interpretative e analitiche e appaiono differenti per tradizione e statuto testuale, stile, forma e scrittura. Il quadro multiforme che esse descrivono permette un approccio trasversale al repertorio violinistico e strumentale europeo del tardo Sei e del primo Settecento e introduce questioni relative all’autorialità, all’attribuzionismo e ai concetti di opus, creatività e stile. L’edizione critica delle diciannove sonate per violino inedite offre un primo confronto con questo repertorio; l’inventario di tutte le composizioni oggi note attribuite a Lonati fornisce invece le basi per i prossimi studi.In recent decades the figure and music of Carlo Ambrogio Lonati (c.1645-post 1701) has increasingly prompted the interest of scholars and performers, both of whom have taken individual aspects of his life and music into consideration. However, the process of rediscovery has been hampered by the lack of a comprehensive and integrated investigation. This dissertation aims at filling this gap, while proposing a reconsideration of Lonati in light of his violin music. For this purpose, a circular approach has been employed. While the compositions for violin offer a privileged channel for studying the artistic career and music, revisiting Lonati’s biography allows the sonatas to be seen in a broad and multifaceted context, beyond the distinctions between genres. This perspective makes it possible to correct several bibliographic inaccuracies while the integration of different methodological approaches offer a completely new understanding of the composer, and of his violin music. A scrupulous codicological and philological study includes four printed sources and nineteen manuscripts, which allow me to locate and study new pieces and to deeply reconsider some compositions that were already identified. The thirty-one sonatas have been categorized into certain, attributable, and doubtful compositions, and they have been scrutinized through various interpretative and analytical perspectives, thus allowing me to show several dissimilarities concerning tradition and textual status, style, form, and compositional writing. The diversified framework that they describe allows for a transversal approach to the European violin and instrumental repertoire of the late seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries and addresses issues of authorship, the "Work-concept" and the problems of attribution, creativity, and style. A critical edition of the nineteen unpublished violin sonatas allows scholars and performers to approach this repertoire, while an inventory of all known compositions currently attributed to Lonati provides a basis for future studies

Graphene-based bioelectronic interfaces and devices and interpretative models targeting glial cells

Bioelectronic interfaces have significantly advanced in recent years, offering potential treatments for vision impairments, spinal cord injuries, and neurodegenerative diseases. However, the classical neurocentric vision drives the technological development toward neurons. Emerging evidence highlights the critical role of glial cells in the nervous system. Among them, astrocytes significantly influence neuronal networks throughout life and are implicated in several neuropathological states. Although they are incapable to fire action potentials, astrocytes communicate through diverse calcium (Ca2+) signalling pathways, crucial for cognitive functions and brain blood flow regulation. Current bioelectronic devices are primarily designed to interface neurons and are unsuitable for studying astrocytes. Graphene, with its unique electrical, mechanical and biocompatibility properties, has emerged as a promising neural interface material. However, its use as electrode interface to modulate astrocyte functionality remains unexplored. The aim of this PhD work was to exploit Graphene-oxide (GO) and reduced GO (rGO)-coated electrodes to control Ca2+ signalling in astrocytes by electrical stimulation. We discovered that distinct Ca2+dynamics in astrocytes can be evoked, in vitro and in brain slices, depending on the conductive/insulating properties of rGO/GO electrodes. Stimulation by rGO electrodes induces intracellular Ca2+ response with sharp peaks of oscillations (“P-type”), exclusively due to Ca2+ release from intracellular stores. Conversely, astrocytes stimulated by GO electrodes show slower and sustained Ca2+ response (“S-type”), largely mediated by external Ca2+ influx through specific ion channels. Astrocytes respond faster than neurons and activate distinct G-Protein Coupled Receptor intracellular signalling pathways. We propose a resistive/insulating model, hypothesizing that the different conductivity of the substrate influences the electric field at the cell/electrolyte or cell/material interfaces, favouring, respectively, the Ca2+ release from intracellular stores or the extracellular Ca2+ influx. This research provides a simple tool to selectively control distinct Ca2+ signals in brain astrocytes in neuroscience and bioelectronic medicine

Mechanical design and hybrid control strategies for overconstrained cable-driven parallel robots

Cable-driven parallel robots offer significant advantages in terms of workspace dimensions and payload capability. They are attractive for many industrial tasks to be performed on a large scale, such as handling and manufacturing, without a substantial increase in costs and mechanical complexity with respect to a small-scale application. However, since cables can only sustain tensile stresses, cable tensions must be kept within positive limits during the end-effector motion. This problem can be managed by overconstraining the end-effector and controlling cable tensions. Tension control is typically achieved by mounting a load sensor on all cables, and using specific control algorithms to avoid cable slackness or breakage while the end-effector is controlled in a desired position. These algorithms require multiple cascade control loops and they can be complex and computationally demanding. To simplify the control of overconstrained cable-driven parallel robots, this Thesis proposes suitable mechanical design and hybrid control strategies. It is shown how a convenient design of the cable guidance system allows kinematic modeling to be simplified, without introducing geometric approximations. This guidance system employs swiveling pulleys equipped with position and tension sensors and provides a parallelogram arrangement of cables. Furthermore, a hybrid force/position control in the robot joint space is adopted. According to this strategy, a particular set of cables is chosen to be tension-controlled, whereas the other cables are length-controlled. The force-controlled cables are selected based on the computation of a novel index called force-distribution sensitivity to cable-tension errors. This index aims to evaluate the maximum expected cable-tension error in the length-controlled cables if a unit tension error is committed in the force-controlled cables. In practice, the computation of the force-distribution sensitivity allows determining which cables are best to be force-controlled, to ensure the lowest error in the overall force distribution when a hybrid force/position joint-space strategy is used

The new frontiers of urban equalisation between soil protection and urban regeneration

La presente tesi di dottorato si focalizza sull’analisi delle diverse forme di perequazione urbanistica presenti nell’ordinamento giuridico italiano. La ricerca parte dal rapporto conflittuale tra pianificazione del territorio e diritto di costruire, cercando di approfondire la nascita del fenomeno perequativo dall’origine, come rimedio agli effetti discriminanti della zonizzazione, componente fondamentale del piano regolatore generale. La tesi, poi, si concentra sulla figura della compensazione urbanistica, quale soluzione alternativa all’espropriazione per pubblica utilità, e sulla premialità o incentivazione edilizia, dando risalto così alle diverse sfaccettature del fenomeno perequativo. In tale contesto, i diritti edificatori divengono strumento per la soddisfazione di altri interessi pubblici legati al territorio, rispetto allo scambio tra privati (originariamente denominato, come da prassi, “cessione di cubatura”). Infine, nell’ultima parte della tesi ci si sofferma sul fenomeno perequativo nella dimensione attuale, provando a ipotizzare una circolazione sovracomunale dei titoli volumetrici per finalità rigenerative e nell’ottica della limitazione del consumo di nuovo suolo. Si tenta, in sostanza, di valorizzare le forme di perequazione anche in un contesto profondamente mutato, immaginando la gestione dei volumi ad un livello intercomunale ovvero sovracomunale, e includendo la desigillazione come tecnica di valorizzazione al contempo urbanistico-edilizia ed ambientale.This doctoral thesis focuses on the analysis of the different forms of urban equalisation present in the Italian legal system. The research starts from the conflicting relationship between spatial planning and the right to build, attempting to investigate the birth of the equalisation phenomenon from its origin, as a remedy to the discriminating effects of zoning, a fundamental component of the general regulatory plan. The thesis then focuses on the figure of urban compensation, as an alternative solution to expropriation for public utility, and on building bonuses or incentives, thus emphasising the various facets of the equalisation phenomenon. In this context, building rights become a tool for the satisfaction of other public interests linked to the territory, as opposed to the exchange between private parties (originally referred to as "“cessione di cubatura”). Finally, the last part of the thesis focuses on the equalisation phenomenon in its current dimension, trying to hypothesise a supra-municipal circulation of volume titles for regenerative purposes and with a view to limiting the consumption of new land. In essence, an attempt is made to valorise the forms of equalisation even in a profoundly changed context, imagining the management of volumes at an inter-municipal or supra-municipal level, and including desegregation as a technique of valorisation at the same time as urban-planning and environmental development

Study of the urinary biomarkers of synthetic cannabinoid receptor agonists (SCRAs) for the forensic unequivocal proof of consumption: medico-legal implications for drug abuse prevention

Introduction. Synthetic cannabinoid receptor agonists (SCRAs) represent the widest group of New Psychoactive Substances (NPS) and, around 2021-2022, new compounds emerged on the market. The aims of the present research were to identify suitable urinary markers of Cumyl-CB-MEGACLONE, Cumyl-NB-MEGACLONE, Cumyl-NB-MINACA, 5F-EDMB-PICA, EDMB-PINACA and ADB-HEXINACA, to present data on their prevalence and to adapt the methodology from the University of Freiburg to the University of Bologna. Materials and methods. Human phase-I metabolites detected in 46 authentic urine samples were confirmed in vitro with pooled human liver microsomes (pHLM) assays, analyzed by liquid chromatography-quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (LC-qToF-MS). Prevalence data were obtained from urines collected for abstinence control programs. The method to study SCRAs metabolism in use at the University of Freiburg was adapted to the local facilities, tested in vitro with 5F-EDMB-PICA and applied to the study of ADB-HEXINACA metabolism. Results. Metabolites built by mono, di- and tri-hydroxylation were recommended as specific urinary biomarkers to monitor the consumption of SCRAs bearing a cumyl moiety. Monohydroxylated and defluorinated metabolites were suitable proof of 5F-EDMB-PICA consumption. Products of monohydroxylation and amide or ester hydrolysis, coupled to monohydroxylation or ketone formation, were recognized as specific markers for EDMB-PINACA and ADB-HEXINACA. The LC-qToF-MS method was successfully adapted to the University of Bologna, as tested with 5F-EDMB-PICA in vitro metabolites. Prevalence data showed that 5F-EDMB-PINACA and EDMB-PINACA were more prevalent than ADB-HEXINACA, but for a limited period. Conclusion. Due to undetectability of parent compounds in urines and to shared metabolites among structurally related compounds, the identification of specific urinary biomarkers as unequivocal proofs of SCRAs consumption remains challenging for forensic laboratories. Urinary biomarkers are necessary to monitor SCRAs abuse and prevalence data could help in establishing tailored strategies to prevent their spreading, highlighting the role for legal medicine as a service to public health

Fundamental rights of the taxpayer in the European legal order: the defining traits of a "functionalised" model of protection

La tesi ha per oggetto la disamina dell’attuale stato delle tutele del contribuente nel modello europeo di protezione dei diritti fondamentali. La ricerca si è proposta di adottare una prospettiva sistematica e dialettica, per far emergere i punti di contatto (e contrasto) fra le esigenze “endemiche” dell’ordinamento dell’Unione e la sfera del contribuente. È così emersa la pervasività dell’ottica funzionalista nella struttura più intima del diritto dell’Unione, che ha assunto significativa rilevanza anche per l’oggetto della ricerca, tanto con riferimento agli spazi di applicabilità dei diritti fondamentali europei in ambito tributario, quanto ai criteri che possono legittimarne una limitazione. L’indagine si è, poi, soffermata sul ruolo esplicato dal modello europeo nella “formazione” dei diritti partecipativi del contribuente e, più nello specifico, del cd. “diritto ad essere ascoltato”. Infine, si sono tracciate le ripercussioni derivanti dalla digitalizzazione dell’Amministrazione finanziaria, anche in considerazione dell’utilizzo di strumenti di intelligenza artificiale, emergendo il rischio di un’emarginazione, nel modello europeo, delle prerogative del contribuente in tale ambito, prospettandosi possibili soluzioni per rimediarvi.This dissertation explores the current state of taxpayer protections within the European framework for fundamental rights. Adopting a systematic and dialectical approach, the research highlights points of convergence and tension between the intrinsic needs of the EU legal order and the taxpayer’s sphere. The study reveals the pervasive influence of a functionalist perspective within EU law, which has significant implications for this field — both in defining the scope of fundamental rights in tax matters and in determining the criteria that may justify their limitation. The analysis then examines the role of the European framework in shaping taxpayers’ participatory rights, with a particular focus on the so-called “right to be heard”. Finally, the study considers the impact of digitalization in tax administration, especially with the increasing use of artificial intelligence. This technological shift raises concerns regarding the potential marginalization of taxpayer rights, prompting a discussion on possible remedies in order to safeguard them

Comparative constitutional design for divided societies: a model to explain constitutional asymmetries

Comparative studies on constitutional design for divided societies indicate that there is no magic formula to the challenges that these societies pose, as lots of factors influence constitutional design. In the literature on asymmetric federalism, the introduction of constitutional asymmetries is considered a flexible instrument of ethnic conflict resolution, as it provides a mixture of the two main theoretical approaches to constitutional design for divided societies (i.e., integration and accommodation). Indeed, constitutional asymmetries are a complex and multifaceted phenomenon, as their degree of intensity can vary across constitutional systems, and there are both legal and extra-legal factors that may explain such differences. This thesis argues that constitutional asymmetries provide a flexible model of constitutional design and aims to explore the legal factors that are most likely to explain the different degrees of constitutional asymmetry in divided multi-tiered systems. To this end, the research adopts a qualitative methodology, i.e., Qualitative Comparative Analysis (QCA), which allows an understanding of whether a condition or combination of conditions (i.e., the legal factors) determine the outcome (i.e., high, medium, low degree of constitutional asymmetry, or constitutional symmetry). The QCA is conducted on 16 divided multi-tiered systems, and for each case, the degree of constitutional asymmetry was analyzed by employing standardized indexes on subnational autonomy, allowing for a more precise measure of constitutional asymmetry than has previously been provided in the literature. Overall, the research confirms the complex nature of constitutional asymmetries, as the degrees of asymmetries vary substantially not only across systems but also within cases among the dimensions of subnational autonomy. The outcome of the Qualitative Comparative Analysis also confirms a path of complex causality since the different degrees of constitutional asymmetry always depend on several legal factors, that combined produce a low, medium, or high degree of constitutional asymmetry or, conversely, constitutional symmetry

Pellegrino Prisciani's encyclopaedism between new sources and critical tradition

Il presente elaborato verte sulla figura di intellettuale dell’umanista Pellegrino Prisciani (1435ca-1518), il primo tomo, prova a ridiscutere alla luce della sua esperienza culturale la biografia, tra letteratura ed impegno politico. Chiude il tomo una lunga e articolata appendice di tutte le lettere da e per il ferrarese, che riguardano l’intera parabola di vita. Il secondo tomo prende in esame i due manoscritti miscellanei a questi attribuiti: nel primo capitolo se ne discute autorialità, datazione e contenuti, nel secondo si riflette sulla partecipazione di Pellegrino al revival antiquario del XV secolo, testimoniata tanto dalla presenza di trascrizioni di epigrafi quanto dall’uso di scritture all’antica, come le maiuscole epigrafiche. Il secondo tomo si conclude con le trascrizioni semi-integrali dei due manoscritti.This thesis reflects on the intellectual and biographical parabola of the humanist Pellegrino Prisciani (1435ca-1518) while the first book tries to re-image the life of the author availing the use of documents, like letters (that occupy the second part of the first volume), the second volume analyses two multiple-texts codices related to him, especially for those matters: authorship, dating, and contents; the second part of the book tries to focus Pellegrino’s experience as an antiquarian both because he transcribed epigraphies and experienced new writings, influenced by the paduan antiquarian environment. In the end, a partial transcription of the manuscripts is provided