I contributi alle imprese colpite dal sisma del 2012 in Emilia-Romagna: una base informativa per l'analisi e il monitoraggio della ricostruzione

In the project Energie Sisma Emilia (www.energie.unimore.it), the data on contributions paid for the reconstruction of economic activities damaged by the earthquake that hit Emilia in 2012 are an essential information for monitoring the reconstruction. This paper aims to describe the criteria to assign contributions for the restoration and reconstruction of the buildings (for industrial, agricultural and commercial) damaged by an earthquake. The data collected during the submission of applications for assistance, then processed by the head of the procedure for its payment, may allow to draw a clear picture of the reconstruction process by highlighting the specific sector and size of businesses affected, in the municipalities of the crater of the earthquake as well as of construction companies and professionals involved in the process of submitting applications for assistance and the implementation of the intervention. In the Emilia Romagna region, businesses companies affected by the earthquake were given access to four sources of contributions: (a) for the reconstruction of buildings, temporary relocation, restoration of machinery and equipment and compensation for damage to the inventory of raw materials, semi-finished and finished products; (b) funds made available by Inail (National Institute for insurance against accidents at work) for seismic retrofitting; (c) funds intended for productive investment for innovation and (d) to support the location in case of unavailability of local unit in which it was performed, the activity before the earthquake, (ERDF - POR Regione-Emilia Romagna). By systematizing data and information available to date, we share some preliminary information gathered by the research group Energy Sisma Emilia for the analysis of data on the reconstruction of business companies, which will start once the data will be made available in an appropriate manner by the Emilia-Romagna

Social transfers and poverty in Europe: comparing social exclusion and targeting across welfare regimes

This paper studies whether there are systematic differences in the ability of cash transfers, belonging to different welfare systems, to reach the poor and to lift them out of poverty. We structure the analysis following the classic breakdown of the various European welfare states into welfare regimes, in search of specific features of them that can explain the variable results shown in the ability to effectively tackle economic poverty. The analysis is carried out both with a cross-sectional approach as well as using a more long-run definition of persistent poverty

Detection of ochratoxin a using molecular beacons and real-time PCR thermal cycler

We developed a simple and cheap assay for quantitatively detecting ochratoxin A (OTA) in wine. A DNA aptamer available in literature was used as recognition probe in its molecular beacon form, i.e., with a fluorescence-quenching pair at the stem ends. Our aptabeacon could adopt a conformation allowing OTA binding, causing a fluorescence rise due to the increased distance between fluorophore and quencher. We used real-time PCR equipment for capturing the signal. With this assay, under optimized conditions, the entire process can be completed within 1 h. In addition, the proposed system exhibited a good selectivity for OTA against other mycotoxins (ochratoxin B and aflatoxin M1) and limited interference from aflatoxin B1 and patulin. A wide linear detection range (0.2–2000 μM) was achieved, with LOD = 13 nM, r = 0.9952, and R2 = 0.9904. The aptabeacon was also applied to detect OTA in red wine spiked with the same dilution series. A linear correlation with a LOD = 19 nM, r = 0.9843, and R2 = 0.9708 was observed, with recoveries in the range 63%–105%. Intra- and inter-day assays confirmed its reproducibility. The proposed biosensor, although still being finalized, might significantly facilitate the quantitative detection of OTA in wine samples, thus improving their quality control from a food safety perspective

Nanoparticles synthesis in wet-operating stirred media: Preliminary investigation with DEM simulations

The growing demand of nanomaterials is pushing towards the development of alternative strategies for the safe and sustainable production of nanoparticles. At the same time, to ensure high performances, a fine control over the product specifications is required. We focused on a bottom-up method combined with a mechanical disaggregation technique using a wet bead-stirring process, since it provides numerous advantages over other approaches, including the minimization of the nanoparticles air dispersion and a greater control over the final product. However, given the broad variability of the parameters involved in both the setup and operation of the process, it is essential to combine the experiments with a theoretical-simulative study to optimize the design. The present activity consists in the preliminary simulation of the interactions among the grinding beads, modelled through the discrete element method (DEM), and the magnetic stirrer. This approach, providing information regarding the frequency and energy of collisions, which can be related to the properties of the produced nanoparticles, allows a fine tuning of the process parameters

The forest lift A rugged tool to simplify pruning and fruit collection.

Extreme environments, like the steep olive groves in Liguria, Italy, cannot be reached by tractors and large-sized devices. This paper describes a small, tracked elevation platform able to lift the farmers close to the branches for harvesting or pruning. The vehicle moves thanks to tracks. The elevation platform, having no motors and no sensors, is powered by hand. A prototype of the forest lift has been tested on the field. The forest lift has a maximum elevation of 2 m with a tilting (0 ° + 30 °) and rolling mechanism (-15 ° + 15 °) compensating for steep terrains. The iron prototype weighs 400 kg and is 3,160 mm tall, 2,000 mm long and 900 mm wide

A field study on human factor and safety performances in a downstream oil industry

afety culture and awareness by workers are pivotal tools for the implementation of systematic procedures aiming to risk mitigation in the process industry. The evaluation of human factors on safety performance can reveal unsafe attitudes and failures in training, supervision and management, whose correction greatly contribute to the enhancement of safety program. In this work, the role of human factors in an oil industry was studied by the collection of field data through a structured questionnaire filled by shift, daily and outsourced workers. A deep investigation on the variables involved in the process was carried out, firstly quantifying three conceptual key dimensions (individual, human resource management, equipment and technology) and then analyzing data by means of Response Surface Methodology (RSM), to identify the statistical significant factors and the overall level of safety awareness, behaviour and risk perception of the respondents

Safety Concerns and Chemical Aspects of Improvised Explosive Devices and Homemade Explosives

The continuous changes in socio-political scenarios of the last decades led to an impressive increase in terrorist events related to the use of improvised explosive devices (IEDs). The energetic material contained in them, representing the essential part of the apparatus, is object of intense investigation owing to the need of optimizing many variables, namely the chemical energy storage of the detonating compound, the availability of raw materials required for its synthesis, the ease of process synthesis by commonly used tools and the stability of the chemical energy carrier towards transport and handling. This critical analysis proposes a classification of the detonating compounds or mixtures according to their chemical, thermodynamic and ballistic properties that make them basic ingredients in IEDs and homemade explosives. The wide and always growing variety of ingredient combination poses a challenging problem of chemical identification, owing to an interference of signals in analytical data regression. Finally, a discussion on technical realizations of such improvised weapons is outlined in light of the recent protocols of process safety and disaster control

Condizione abitativa, fabbisogno di housing sociale e indicazioni di policy. Analisi e proposte per il territorio modenese

Il paper, utilizzando la banca dati IcesMo, fornisce un quadro aggiornato e approfondito della condizione abitativa delle famiglie modenesi, con particolare attenzione a quelle in locazione e una stima del fabbisogno di housing sociale del territorio. Il lavoro si conclude con la presentazione di alcuni possibili politiche che si potrebbero attuare per intervenire sul disagio abitativo