A Machine Learning Framework for Multi-Hazard Risk Assessment at the Regional Scale in Earthquake and Flood-Prone Areas

Communities are confronted with the rapidly growing impact of disasters, due to many factors that cause an increase in the vulnerability of society combined with an increase in hazardous events such as earthquakes and floods. The possible impacts of such events are large, also in developed countries, and governments and stakeholders must adopt risk reduction strategies at different levels of management stages of the communities. This study is aimed at proposing a sound qualitative multi-hazard risk analysis methodology for the assessment of combined seismic and hydraulic risk at the regional scale, which can assist governments and stakeholders in decision making and prioritization of interventions. The method is based on the use of machine learning techniques to aggregate large datasets made of many variables different in nature each of which carries information related to specific risk components and clusterize observations. The framework is applied to the case study of the Emilia Romagna region, for which the different municipalities are grouped into four homogeneous clusters ranked in terms of relative levels of combined risk. The proposed approach proves to be robust and delivers a very useful tool for hazard management and disaster mitigation, particularly for multi-hazard modeling at the regional scale.

Morphological and Genetic Characterization of Local Maize Accessions from Emilia Romagna Region, Italy

Italian maize germplasm is particularly rich in local materials and each region is characterized by the presence of peculiar local varieties deriving from centuries of adaptation, selection and cultivation. While the introduction of hybrids, during the 1950s, led to the disappearing of many of these varieties, some have been maintained in cultivation by farmers, frequently in marginal areas, as a kind of family heritage. Local varieties were identified throughout field surveys carried out in recent years. The discovery of a traditional popcorn variety over the most common flint and semi-flint materials used for production of polenta was interesting. Since these varieties have never been adequately described and reported in scientific literature, this study was aimed to solve this lack of knowledge on recently discovered local maize populations. Characterization represents the first step of a process focused on the preservation and possible exploitation of important genetic resources. Traditional materials are a useful reservoir of genes for adaptation to local conditions and climate changes. Adequate breeding programs can use such germplasm for developing new and more resilient varieties. These local materials have been characterized at the morphological level highlighting plant, ear and kernel differences. Genetic characterization, carried out on 455 individuals by the use of 10 SSR markers, revealed 62 different alleles ranging from four for markers phi127, phi076 and phi084 to nine for marker p-bnlg176. The landraces are well distinguishable at genetic level since 40% of genetic variability is present among accessions. Five landraces are characterized by the presence of private alleles and heterozygosity levels are generally good. These findings support the possibility to correctly preserve local materials through in situ conservation. Phylogenetic analysis evidenced the presence of varietal clusters, the clearest one formed by three red-pigmented accessions. STRUCTURE analysis revealed that five landraces have a well-defined genetic attribution while the remaining two (EMR04-Mais Rosso di Rasora and EMR10-Mais del Principe di Scavolino) are both constituted by two different backgrounds.

General and COVID-19-Related Mortality by Pre-Existing Chronic Conditions and Care Setting during 2020 in Emilia-Romagna Region, Italy

In 2020, the number of deaths increased in Italy, mainly because of the COVID-19 pandemic; mortality was among the highest in Europe, with a clear heterogeneity among regions and socio-demographic strata. The present work aims to describe trends in mortality and to quantify excess mortality variability over time and in relation to demographics, pre-existent chronic conditions and care setting of the Emilia-Romagna region (Northern Italy). This is a registry-based cross-sectional study comparing the 2020 observed mortality with figures of the previous five years by age, sex, month, place of death, and chronicity. It includes 300,094 deaths in those 18 years of age and above resident in the Emilia-Romagna region. Excess deaths were higher during the first pandemic wave, particularly among men and in March. Age-adjusted risk was similar among both men and women (Mortality Rate Ratio 1.15; IC95% 1.14–1.16). It was higher among females aged 75+ years and varied between sub-periods. Excluding COVID-19 related deaths, differences in the risk of dying estimates tended to disappear. Metabolic and neuropsychiatric diseases were more prevalent among those that deceased in 2020 compared to the deaths that occurred in 2015–2019 and therefore can be confirmed as elements of increased frailty, such as being in long-term care facilities or private homes as the place of death. Understanding the impact of the pandemic on mortality considering frailties is relevant in a changing scenario.

Pulmonary and Extrapulmonary Manifestations in Hospitalized Children with Mycoplasma Pneumoniae Infection

Mycoplasma pneumoniae (MP) is one of the main causes of both upper and lower respiratory infections in school-aged children, accounting for up to 40% of community-acquired pneumonia. Younger children are also affected, and extrapulmonary manifestations have been recently reported in the pediatric population. We carried out a retrospective analysis of MP-positive patients admitted to the Pediatric Emergency Unit of S. Orsola Malpighi University Hospital in Bologna, the largest tertiary pediatric referral center in the Emilia–Romagna region, Northern Italy, between 2012 and 2020. We identified 145 patients with MP infection (82 males and 63 females), 27% of which were younger than 2 years; the median age was 5 years (interquartile range 1–9). The clinical presentation partially differed between age groups. School-aged children were more likely to have a chest X-ray-confirmed pneumonia (p = 0.013), while younger children required oxygen therapy more often (p = 0.048). Seventy-four children (51%) showed extrapulmonary manifestations, mainly gastrointestinal (30%) and dermatological (14%). Neurological symptoms were more frequent in children older than 6 years (p = 0.006). The rate of other extrapulmonary manifestations did not differ significantly between age groups. This study shows that MP infection is a frequent cause of pediatric hospitalization, including of children younger than 2 years. Clinicians should be aware of the variable clinical expressions of MP, including extrapulmonary manifestations, to achieve a correct diagnosis and determine appropriate treatment.

Qualitative and Nutraceutical Characteristics after Storage of New Pear Selections in Emilia-Romagna Region

The Emilia-Romagna region is excellent in European pear production. CREA Centro di Ricerca Olivicoltura, Frutticoltura e Agrumicoltura leads a breeding project co-founded by New Plant (a consortium of three growers’associations Apofruit, Apoconerpo, and Orogel Fresco) whose main objective is to improve fruit quality and nutraceutical parameters. The purpose of this study is to describe the qualitative characteristics of some new genotypes obtained by this breeding activity after cold storage, in comparison with the main cultivated varieties, ‘Abbé Fétel’, ‘William’s B.C’ and ‘Doyenne du Comice’. In 2013, 2014, and 2015, fruit samples, stored in a normal refrigeration room and after 100 dd, reaching the consumption ripening (2.5–3 kg/0.5 cm2), were analyzed to quantify the qualitative parameters: average weight, caliber, titratable acidity, soluble solids contents, skin color and overcolor, sugar and organic acids content, the antioxidant capacity, the total polyphenols, and ascorbic acid content. The results showed that the selection ‘CREA 171’, with red skin and yellow-cream flesh, outstood for the high antioxidant capacity due to the high content of polyphenols and ascorbic acid.

L’Osservatorio regionale dell’Emilia-Romagna

The Emilia-Romagna Region instituted the Regional Observatory for Landscape Quality as an implementation of the European Landscape Convention. The aim of the Observatory is to disseminate the cultural heritage of landscape in the civil society and in the public administration, in order to increase the social and environmental quality of the regional territory and to listen to the needs of the community that is part of it. Dissemination, Participation, Surveillance, Promotion are the key areas of activities and strategic planning of the Regional Observatory, including the creation and development of local observatories.

Pratiche mediali, social media e influencers nella formazione e nell’espressione identitaria dei bambini: una ricerca esplorativa

With the spread of social media, we witnessed the multiplication of web’s figures such as influencers and content creators. The pupils in the last years of primary schools (9-11 years old), engaged in a complex task of defining their own identity, are strongly exposed to entertainment contents conveyed by social networks and online video platforms. The present exploratory study, which involved 173 students from a primary school in Emilia-Romagna Region (Italy), aims to investigate the role of social media and influencers in the formation and expression of the identities of children, highlighting a universe little known and only superficially explored by teachers and adults with educational roles. The contribution has the twofold objective of: investigating children’s practices related to social networks (in particular those based on video content such as YouTube, Twitch, TikTok, Instagram and Snapchat) to offer an overview of the situation in an age group increasingly targeted by these social networks; making a reflection on how much the figures of content creators and influencers play a role in the identity formation of children in 4th and 5th year of primary school. The results lead to new research questions and educational path to make teachers and parents more aware of this issue.