Understanding Extreme Weather in a Warming European-Mediterranean Region: From Localized Convection to Organized Cyclones

Biotechnological exploitation of marine sponges: innovative technologies for an environmentally-friendly approach (BIOSPONFRI)

Marine sponges are the oldest Metazoan group living on earth. Since their discovery, these organisms have attracted increasing attention from the scientific community. Due to their apparent simplicity, sponges became a fascinating model for scientists of any discipline. From the chemical point of view, these animals are a gold mine of natural products with potential biotechnological applications. On the other hand, the diverse array of microbial hosts found on and within sponges fascinated mi...

Reconstruction and regularization approaches for image scanning microscopy

Confocal laser-scanning microscopy (CLSM), one of the most important imaging tools in biomedical and biological research, is undergoing a major transition towards image-scanning microscopy (ISM). In ISM, a fast detector array replaces the conventional single-element detector and pinhole of the confocal microscope, providing a true image of the region probed during laser scanning while collecting the majority of photons emitted by the specimen. By reconstructing this highly informative da...

Advancing Core Components of Robotic Manipulation New Methods for 3D Perception, Semantic Understanding, and Policy Learning

Robotic manipulation in unstructured, human-centric environments presents a significant challenge for autonomous systems. A robot must be able to semantically perceive the environment, understand its 3D structure, and generate effective motions to complete a task. Each of these stages corresponds to distinct research areas, each with its own set of challenges. The goal of this thesis is to study existing approaches, understand their weaknesses, and propose novel state-of-the-art algorithms. A...

Learning-Driven Combinatorial Optimization for Efficient Resource Allocation

This dissertation investigates the integration of learning mechanisms within combinatorial optimization to design efficient, adaptive, and human-centric decision-support systems. Motivated by real-world resource allocation scenarios and aligned with the national vision for data-driven governance, the research develops the methodological foundations of the Learning-Driven Combinatorial Optimization (LDCO) paradigm, which views optimization as an iterative, knowledge-enhancing process. Within t...

Integrating Modeling & Simulation and Artificial Intelligence for Training and Decision-Support in Complex Systems

Port terminals and industrial plants represent some of the most complex and safety-critical operational environments within modern logistics and maritime infrastructures. Operators must perform tasks in dynamic contexts characterized by high traffic density, hazardous materials, multimodal interactions between humans and machines, unpredictable environmental conditions, and fragmented information flows dispersed across digital and physical systems. These characteristics highlight the need for...

Environmental Sustainability of Seaports Strategic Analysis, Modeling and Simulation

Seaports are critical nodes in global trade and logistics systems, serving as gateways between maritime and inland transport networks. However, their intensive energy use, reliance on conventional fossil fuels, and associated greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions make them major contributors to environmental challenges. In the face of intensifying climate change, increasingly stringent international regulations, and growing societal pressure for cleaner operations, the pursuit of environmental sust...

Modular Freight Routing in Physical Internet-Enabled Macro and Micro Logistics Systems

Gestione del rischio digitale nella Pubblica Amministrazione: una prospettiva giuridica della cybersicurezza.

The digital transition of the Italian Public Administration is a central topic in contemporary debate. It is a topic that directly affects the lives of citizens, the country's competitiveness, and the very quality of administrative action, which is inevitably affected by the transformations imposed by technological advances. This phenomenon is further growing, also based on the use of funds from the National Recovery and Resilience Plan. With this in mind, the PNRR allocates approximately €...