Sardegna Ricerche (Italy)

Sardinia has an integrated water reserve system comprising more than 30 dams on rivers. Built in the last century, these dams have become part of the modern landscape, while also continuing to affect sediment transport. The trapping of sediment has hindered its natural movement towards the coastal system ever since, thereby reducing the supply of sediment to sandy beaches and increasing their vulnerability to coastal erosion. On the other hand, the reservoirs' capacity to store water is also impacted. These two issues are of particular concern in the context of climate change.For this reason, the present study addresses both issues by proposing a methodology to assess the feasibility of using reservoir sediment as a source of material for beach replenishment. The Autonomous Region of Sardinia and its regional partners are currently developing this methodology as part of the DesirMED project, which is funded through the HORIZON-MISS-2022-CLIMA-01 call, which addresses climate change adaptation through a nature-based approach.The methodology was designed and structured in the following steps: the development of a database of sediment characteristics and reservoir locations; the application of multi-criteria analysis using a defined set of indicators; the selection of case studies where to conduct technical visits involving measurements and sampling; a technical feasibility study on sediment-sand compatibility; and the assessment of the results from the perspective of potential sediment reuse for beach replenishment.This study is part of the ongoing process of implementing adaptation measures. The Autonomous Region of Sardinia incorporates this process into its Regional Adaptation to Climate Change Strategy, which was adopted in 2019 and recently revised. Although the methodology is still in its early stages, it will contribute to improving the resilience of coastal communities and the implementation of adaptation measures at a local level.

The increasing frequency and intensity of compound hydro-meteorological and wildfire events require advanced, operational, integrated tools capable of supporting early warning and near-real-time Disaster Risk Management (DRM). Within the framework of the EU-funded DIRECTED project, we present the development and operational implementation of a Data Fabric designed for a Real-World Lab in the Emilia-Romagna region (Italy).The proposed Data Fabric is a cloud-native, serverless web application specifically designed to support nowcasting and short-term forecasting of pluvial and coastal flood hazards as well as wildfire propagation. The system has been co-designed in close collaboration with civil protection authorities (ARPAE) and first emergency responders (firefighters) to ensure operational relevance, usability, and direct integration into emergency workflows.The platform integrates interoperable real-time observations provided by the ARPAE monitoring network, including weather radar, rainfall intensity, sea level, waves, tides, and wind measurements, together with meteorological and marine forecast models. These heterogeneous data streams are ingested into a scalable processing pipeline that feeds multi-hazard impact models, including high-resolution flood hazard models developed by SaferPlaces and wildfire spread models. The system produces near-real-time hazard maps at building-level resolution, enabling rapid identification of exposed and vulnerable receptors such as population, critical infrastructure, and strategic assets.Beyond hazard mapping, the Data Fabric supports impact-based decision-making, facilitating the rapid assessment of potential consequences and the design of mitigation, such as flood barriers, and Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) measures during evolving events. This contribution demonstrates how cloud technologies, interoperable data infrastructures, and stakeholder-driven co-design can be effectively combined to enhance preparedness, response, and resilience in complex multi-hazard contexts. Lessons learned highlight both the opportunities and challenges of deploying advanced digital solutions for operational DRM at regional scale.

Landfill environments present complex challenges due to subsurface contamination and slope instability, often exacerbated by human-induced changes. Traditional single-method investigations fall short in capturing the multifaceted nature of these systems. This study aims to present an integrated approach combining geophysical surveys, 2D/3D geological modeling, and open-source GIS datasets to enhance landfill characterization and potentially multi-hazard assessment. The case study focuses on a small landfill in Central Italy, located in a narrow valley whose morphology has been altered by backfilling. 83 continuous core boreholes (2.0-20.5m) supported the construction of high-resolution 3D geological models and 2D cross-sections. Four electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) profiles were performed to probe depths of 25-35m, while electromagnetic induction (EMI) surveys-acquired at 1-1.5m spacing-were completed to map shallow conductivity variations. Additionally, historical and contemporary GIS layers were integrated to provide spatial and temporal context, particularly regarding drainage networks and landform modifications. ERT sections revealed very low-resistivity zones (<10Ω·m) consistent with possible leachate presence and potential slip surfaces. EMI surveys identified high-conductivity anomalies (>150mS/m) spatially overlapping with ERT findings, reinforcing the interpretation of shallow contamination. The stratigraphic and geophysical data delineated structural discontinuities, waste body extent, and pollutant pathways. The spatial convergence of geophysical anomalies with anthropogenic surface alterations and geomorphological indicators highlights co-occurring contamination and slope instability hazards. This integrated approach offers a replicable framework for dynamic landfill monitoring, enhancing the detection of hydrogeological anomalies and supporting more effective strategies for pollution mitigation and risk management.

The expected population rise will require a maximum exploitation of agricultural lands with a consequent increase in the demand for freshwater for irrigation uses. Future trends predict increasing periods of drought stress, which may impact on crop performance and limit the future production. Pepper is one of the most economically important crops and globally consumed vegetables. This crop is highly demanding in terms of water supply, and so far, developing tolerant cultivars is one of the main targets for breeding. The aim of this study is to accurately determine how pepper plants react to water stress at the vegetative stage in order to select genotypes that better cope with drought. We implemented the PhenoHort Plant Eye phenotyping platform to precisely assess changes in plant architecture and morpho-physiological parameters on 25 cultivated pepper genotypes (Capsicum annuum) under drought stress conditions. Three different irrigation supply levels were considered, including the control, intense, and severe water stress, by irrigating every 24, 72, and 96 h, respectively. Daily monitoring of 20 traits allowed ~190,000 multispectral and tridimensional data points through scans over 6 weeks of cultivation, thus shedding light on changes in plant architecture and vegetation indices’ values during stress. The dissection of genotype (G) and treatment (T) interactions revealed that digital biomass and plant height traits were strongly affected by the T factor (more than 50% of total variance), whereas color and multispectral parameters were under greater genotypic control, accounting for 58.27% and 64.97% of the total variance for HUE and NPCI, respectively. The comparison of each accession with respect to the control and the application of multivariate models allowed us to select four drought-tolerant lines (G1, G2, G22, and G25) able to reduce the effects of drought on the morphological parameters and architecture of the plant with positive effects on vegetative indices. This work represents the first attempt to dissect the response of pepper under drought stress at the vegetative stage using a high-throughput and non-invasive phenotyping system, offering new insights for selecting resilient genotypes.

In the European Union, effective meat inspection is crucial for safeguarding public health and animal welfare, particularly through post-mortem inspections, which act as the final barrier against zoonotic and animal diseases. This study explores the feasibility of using remote video transmission as a modern solution to enhance oversight in meat inspections. Furthermore, it aims to collect and analyze data from routine post-mortem veterinary inspections of bovine viscera, as there is still limited knowledge in this area. A comparative study involving the routine post-mortem inspection of bovine viscera from 2983 animals was conducted, with simultaneous evaluations performed by two veterinarians: one on-site and the other remotely via tablet. The findings of the present study revealed that 14.08% of bovine viscera were free from lesions. The most common observations were lung-related issues, including pleurisy in the 79.89% of animals, followed by pulmonary interstitial emphysema (16.26%), and pneumonia (16.19%). Cysts of Echinococcus and tuberculosis lesions were identified in 2.18% and 0.10% of the inspected animals, respectively. The on-site veterinarian recorded a total of 4479 findings, surpassing the number documented remotely; however, both veterinarians reported similar prevalences for most findings. These results can offer valuable insights for farmers and veterinarians, highlighting aspects that current surveillance systems may overlook. Ultimately, this study suggests that remote inspection holds promise as a supplementary approach to traditional methods, provided that standardized protocols and adequate inspection time are established.

Evaluating noise, vibration, and harshness (NVH) performance is crucial in vehicle development. However, NVH evaluation is often subjective and challenging to achieve through numerical simulation, and typically prototypes are required. Dynamic driving simulators are emerging as a viable solution for assessing NVH performance in the early development phase before physical prototypes are available. However, most current simulators can reproduce vibrations only in a single direction or within a limited frequency range. This paper presents a comprehensive design optimization approach to enhance the dynamic response of a full-spectrum driving simulator, addressing these limitations. Specifically, in complex driving simulators, vibration crosstalk is a critical and common issue, which usually leads to an inaccurate dynamic response of the system, compromising the realism of the driving experience. Vibration crosstalk manifests as undesired vibration components in directions other than the main excitation direction due to structural coupling. To limit the system crosstalk, a flexible multibody dynamics model of the driving simulator has been developed, validated, and employed for a global sensitivity analysis. From this analysis, it turns out that the bushings located below the seat play a crucial role in the crosstalk characteristics of the system and can be effectively optimized to obtain the desired performances. Bushings’ stiffness and locations have been used as design variables in a multiobjective optimization with the aims of increasing the direct transmissibility of the actuators’ excitation and, at the same time, reducing the crosstalk contributions. A surrogate model approach is employed for reducing the computational cost of the process. The results show substantial crosstalk reduction, up to 57%. The proposed method can be effectively applied to improve the dynamic response of driving simulators allowing for their extensive use in the assessment of vehicles’ NVH performances.

Long-term reliability is crucial for the commercialization of semi-transparent photovoltaic panels based on Luminescent Solar Concentrators (LSCs). This study addresses key challenges such as photodegradation and hail resistance using glazed LSC prototypes functionalized with organic Lumogen F dyes. A pilot-scale batch of LSC prototypes (10 × 10 cm2) underwent extensive outdoor exposure tests following the IEC 62108 “10.15 Outdoor Exposure Test” to evaluate long-term stability under natural solar radiation. Continuous monitoring revealed that prototypes with Lumogen F Red 305 experienced a 29% efficiency drop initially, which stabilized over time, indicating potential long-term stability. In contrast, those with Lumogen F Violet 570 showed minimal degradation, with only a 9% efficiency reduction. Additionally, the hail resistance of LSC panels was tested using the IEC 62108 “10.9 Hail Impact Test”. Panels with varying glass thickness, tempering methods, and surface areas were subjected to impact from 25 mm hailstones launched at 22.4 ± 5% m/s. All samples remained undamaged, highlighting their excellent hail resistance, a critical feature for preserving performance despite potential surface damage. This study demonstrates that combining glazed lightguides with polyvinyl butyral improves photostability and provides a cost-effective alternative to expensive fluorophores, while ensuring compliance with hail resistance standards.