A study led by Prof. Luca Cegolon, a professor at the University of Trieste and researcher at ASUGI, in collaboration with Prof. Giuseppe Mastrangelo from the University of Padua, delved into the benefits of saltwater pools compared to traditional freshwater ones for treating skin diseases and rheumatic conditions. Published in the international journal Water, the study emphasizes the significant therapeutic potential of saltwater.

Saltwater has been used for centuries to alleviate various ailments, and today it forms the basis of treatments such as thalassotherapy, which utilizes controlled interaction with marine environments, including exposure to sunlight. This type of therapy is particularly beneficial for individuals suffering from psoriasis, atopic dermatitis, or rheumatic conditions such as fibromyalgia.

The combination of exposure to seawater and sunlight – a key component of thalassotherapy – is especially effective in reducing the symptoms of chronic inflammatory skin diseases, such as psoriasis and atopic dermatitis, as well as rheumatic conditions like fibromyalgia and ankylosing spondylitis.

For those with psoriasis, the benefits of immersion in seawater combined with sun exposure can last up to three months. Experimental studies have shown that six-week treatments using saltwater and UVB light are more effective than freshwater immersion or UV exposure alone.

Finally, a significant clinical trial involving over 1,200 patients across 102 dermatological clinics confirmed that saltwater baths followed by UVB exposure yield results comparable to established therapies like PUVA baths, traditionally used for treating psoriasis.

The Urology Clinic at Cattinara Hospital has received the prestigious "Orange Badge" for renal cancer treatment from the Italian Society of Urology (SIU).

This recognition represents an excellent achievement for the University of Trieste, rewarding the department led by Professor Giovanni Liguori, which also houses the Urology Specialization School of the University of Trieste.

The "Orange Badge" project, conceived by SIU, identifies Italian SIU urological centers that offer cutting-edge treatment for kidney cancer, as well as services dedicated to prevention, diagnosis, and care of the disease.

The recognition was granted based on specific criteria regarding diagnostic-therapeutic pathways and patient services for kidney cancer, which were fully met by the university’s facility.

The clinics that joined the initiative were evaluated by a Board of the Society, which also involved radiologists, pathologists, and oncologists, following a multidisciplinary approach based on the best scientific evidence and the latest international guidelines.

The goal of the Orange Badge, which is valid for two years, is to promote a culture of continuous improvement based on the paradigm of evidence-based medicine and value-based healthcare.

“We are proud to have received the 'Orange Badge',” says Giovanni Liguori, Professor of Urology at the Department of Medical, Surgical and Health Sciences at UniTS and Director of the Urology Clinic at ASUGI Cattinara Hospital. “This recognizes the efforts of our team, which also includes Professor Paolo Umari, in managing this pathology.

We interpret this award not only as proof that multidisciplinary management is the key to kidney cancer treatment, but also as a recognition of the quality of training at UniTS, which, through the Urology Specialization School, prepares new generations of professionals with cutting-edge skills.”

The first training and accompaniment cycle of the SOCLAM Project - ‘Dental, cultural and linguistic support to migrants in the first reception centres’ - ended with certificates being awarded to mediators. 

The initiative saw the involvement of local associations and organisations offering a significant contribution to the migrant community in the area, and was led by UniTS and implemented under the scientific responsibility of Federico Berton (DSM) in collaboration with Caterina Falbo (IUSLIT) and Roberta Altin (DiSU).

Funded by the University's Centre for Research on Migration and Development Cooperation, the project provided specific training for interpreters in the most common languages among migrants crossing the Balkan route, focusing on dental and intercultural skills.

Thirteen mediators received comprehensive training that led to the creation of a dental glossary in 14 languages, including Dari, Pashto, Farsi, Turkish, Russian, Bulgarian, English, Arabic, Persian, Urdu, Hindi, Greek, Kyrgyz, Albanian and Bengali. In addition, a multilingual blog with useful instructions and accompanying support services was created at the Caritas dental clinic in Via dell'Istria, where the relationship dynamics between doctor and patient in an intercultural context were also analysed.

Thanks to the project, fundamental information was also disseminated to facilitate access to dental care provided by the University Hospital of Trieste in the Clinic of Maxillofacial Surgery and Odontostomatology of the local health services (ASUGI).

The success of SOCLAM has opened up new prospects, including the training of further operators and the development of research on intercultural communication in healthcare. Among the next objectives is the development of an app for smartphones, designed to offer multilingual information in a quick and accessible way. 

On December 19, students from the Administrative Procedural Law course at the Department of Political and Social Sciences (DISPeS) participated in an administrative trial simulation, an innovative educational experience promoted by Professor Andrea Crismani.

The activity revolved around the "L49 Wolf Case", a hypothetical legal proceeding inspired by real events concerning the management of wildlife. The case carried significant legal and social relevance, centering on the appeal of a provincial decree authorizing the culling of the L49 wolf, deemed a threat to public safety. Environmental associations "Animal Freedom," "Guardians of Nature," and "Green Planet" challenged the legality of the decree, setting the stage for a legal debate rich in legal and societal implications.

Students were assigned predefined roles such as plaintiffs, defendants, attorneys, and judges. They tackled all phases of the administrative process, including discussions on urgent precautionary measures, evidence analysis, party arguments, and the simulation of a ruling on the inadmissibility of the appeal following the wolf's natural death.

This experience allowed participants to delve into complex topics such as precautionary measures, collegial protections, and the legal implications of unforeseen events, providing them with a significant opportunity for practical learning. During the simulation, students engaged not only in drafting legal documents but also in filing them electronically, simulating the use of a dedicated administrative process portal.

The initiative highlighted the Department's and the Administrative Law chair's commitment to offering a curriculum that combines theory and practice. Thanks to this innovative teaching methodology, students gained both technical and soft skills essential for understanding the dynamics of administrative justice and preparing for the challenges of the professional world.

The Department of Economics, Business, Mathematics and Statistics (DEAMS) has collaborated with Mare FVG to publish the first report ‘Observations from the FVG Maritime Sector - Innovation, Sustainability and Skills’. The report provides an analysis of the positioning of the regional maritime sector – made up of 1350 companies – in the Italian, European and international context. It highlights the distribution of companies in maritime supply chains, the value of individual products and services, and their orientation towards innovation and sustainability.

The analysis conducted by DEAMS included the design of a sustainability self-assessment tool based on ESG (Environmental, Social, Governance) criteria and nine interviews with companies in the sector, carried out in cooperation with Mare FVG. The interviews delved into crucial topics such as technological and market challenges, skills development and previously explored routes to sustainability.

The results of the survey revealed that a quarter of the companies in the sample were already active in the field of sustainability, distinguishing themselves through certifications, investments, professional skills development and value chain monitoring. More than 40 per cent have embarked on a path towards sustainable development, while around 30 per cent have yet to equip themselves to meet ESG challenges.

A crucial element concerns internal expertise: three quarters of companies have not yet formalised a specific sustainability figure, an element that will be key to addressing the growing focus on these issues in the coming years. Finally, almost 70% of companies have adopted sustainability practices aimed at employees, underlining the crucial role of human resources in company processes and confirming appeal and retention as strategic priorities for the future. The interviews, conducted with both SMEs and large companies, confirm the relevance of environmental issues and attention to people, highlighting the need for an integrated approach to address the challenges of the sector.

The report is the result of a collaboration between mareFVG, Area Science Park and DEAMS – Department of Economics, Business, Mathematics and Statistics of the University of Trieste, and written thanks to the support of the Friuli Venezia Giulia Region. To support this study, the data of the M.IND platform (Maritime Industry, by mareFVG) was used, and collected also thanks to the initial contribution of the Chamber of Commerce system and regional employers' associations, the Innovation intelligence FVG platform of Area Science Park and the ModeFinance databases.

The international scientific collaboration Event Horizon Telescope (EHT), which also includes a group of researchers from the University of Trieste, has observed and studied at different wavelengths a spectacular flare from the powerful relativistic jet of the supermassive black hole at the centre of the galaxy Messier 87 (M87*), the subject of the first ‘photo’ of a black hole. The study, coordinated by the EHT-MWL group and in collaboration with institutions such as INAF (Italian national institute of astrophysics), INFN (Italian national institute of nuclear physics) and ASI (Italian space association), has been accepted for publication in the prestigious journal Astronomy & Astrophysics. 

The event was documented during EHT's second observation mission in April 2018, involving more than 25 ground- and space-based telescopes and collecting data at different wavelengths. For the first time since 2010, a gamma-ray burst at very high energies, up to trillions of electron volts, was detected, lasting about three days. ‘We were fortunate to detect a gamma-ray burst from M87* during the Event Horizon Telescope's multi-wavelength mission. The observations will provide us with further insights and an incredible opportunity to investigate the physics around the supermassive black hole M87*, explaining the connection between the accretion disk and the emitted jet, as well as the origin and mechanisms responsible for the emission of gamma-ray photons,’ comments Giacomo Principe, lead author of the paper, UniTS researcher and INAF and INFN associate. 

The relativistic jet, extending over dimensions that exceed millions of times those of the black hole's event horizon, has been observed with leading telescopes such as Fermi-LAT, MAGIC and HESS. Francesco Longo, head of the Gamma Astrophysics group for the University and INFN of Trieste, says: ‘Observations made simultaneously at different wavelengths are fundamental for contemporary astrophysics. The availability of an instrument like Fermi-LAT, capable of continuously monitoring the sky in the gamma band, is crucial for detecting rare phenomena, such as the gamma flare from M87. In addition, ground-based gamma-ray instruments, capable of observing the sky at higher energies, allow the emission mechanism of gamma-ray sources to be studied with greater sensitivity'.

The data published in the paper also show a significant variation in the position angle of the ring asymmetry (the so-called ‘event horizon’ of the black hole), helping to solve scientific questions such as the origin of cosmic rays and the formation of relativistic jets. Principe concludes: ‘These observations may shed light on some major astrophysical questions that are still unresolved: how do the powerful relativistic jets observed in some galaxies originate? Where are the particles responsible for gamma-ray emission accelerated? What phenomenon accelerates them to energies of TeV (trillions of electron volts)? What is the origin of cosmic rays?’ 

The full study is available here : “Broadband Multi-wavelength Properties of M87 during the 2018 EHT Campaign including a Very High Energy Flaring Episode”

A group of researchers from the University of Trieste, in collaboration with the CIMeC (Interdepartmental Centre for the Mind and Brain) of the University of Trento, has identified signs of intentional behaviour in insect larvae, traditionally thought to be guided exclusively by reflexes to external stimuli. 

The results of the study, published in Scientific Reports (Nature Group), raise interesting questions about the criteria for attributing intentionality to different animal species, how far we can go - phylogenetically and in terms of the complexity of the neural system - and how far we can recognise forms of volition.

The researchers, in particular, studied larvae of the beetle Tenebrio molitor. Also known as the mealworm, it is the first insect to have been officially approved for marketing in Europe as an affordable, sustainable and advantageous alternative source of protein to traditional ones such as meat and fish.

Cinzia Chiandetti, associate professor of cognitive neuroscience at the Department of Life Sciences at the University of Trieste and head of the Animal Cognition Laboratory: ‘As the results indicate, these animals possess a higher level of cognitive capacity than previously intuited and hypothesised; although they do not imply that all the larvae's behaviour is intentional, they emphasise the complexity of their mental life. They reveal, that is, that these insect larvae - traditionally considered automata, i.e. creatures that would not be able to perform voluntary actions, but would merely respond to external stimuli through reflexes - are capable of articulated decision-making processes, are able to weigh different options, weigh costs and benefits and choose which action to take, demonstrating flexibility to achieve desired results. With a changed and increased sensitivity in the general public to issues such as pollution and environmental impact of intensive livestock farming, anti-speciesism, and animal exploitation, we hope that this discovery will help influence virtuous attitudes in humans.’

In a 3D Y-shaped, specially printed maze (as shown in the figure), the research team trained Tenebrio molitor larvae to prefer one arm to the other in order to gain access to food, observing their ability to learn and, therefore, to head for the side associated with the reward. In the second stage of the study, the researchers applied the so-called ‘reinforcer devaluation paradigm’: i.e. in a different environment, they paired the food with an aversive stimulus, exacerbating it by adding lemon. In a third and final stage, the larvae were tested again in the Y-maze to assess their willingness to choose the target branch where they had received the food reward during initial training. What emerged was that, after devaluation of the reward, the larvae significantly reduced their visits to the target branch: that is, they formed a mental representation of the action-consequence relationship, demonstrating flexible control of actions to obtain desired results and avoid unpleasant ones. 

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Full study published in Scientific Reports

Goal-directed behavior in Tenebrio molitor larvae

UniTS students now have a new ‘relax space’ in the basement of the DEAMS Department.

Thanks to contributions from local companies such as Modiano, NPV Investment, SME and Divulgando, the room now offers desks, stools, two football tables and shelves for book crossing, all based on students’ requests.

Apleona provided the room with an air-conditioner to regulate the temperature of the space.

The room is open to all University students from Monday to Friday from 7:45 to 20:00.

Rector Roberto Di Lenarda, Vice-Rector Valter Sergo, Director General Luciana Rozzini, Head of DEAMS Donata Vianelli, Stefano Crechici from Modiano, Valentino Pediroda from NPV Investment, Lucio Gomiero from SME, Riccamboni and Mereu from Divulgando were all present at the inauguration.

The 2024 FVG Digital Report ‘Business Strategies in the age of AI: How IT enterprises tackle and change the market’ analyses and describes how the many small and medium-sized companies in the digital world of FVG, with great dynamism, are generating new product and service offers related to Artificial Intelligence. 

A group of researchers and PhD students from DEAMS analysed how AI companies are ‘laying the groundwork’ for AI in its various forms with their customers. What are the business models of AI-based digital enterprises? Mainly two: niche and ‘digital tailoring’ applications and the classic ‘system integrator’. There are still few stand-alone solutions.

The Report produced by DITEDI, now in its fourth edition, was realised with the scientific contribution of the DEAMS Department of UniTS (in collaboration with colleagues from UniUD, Area Science Park and Banca Intesa Reserach Department), which reconstructed the technological, sector-based and market diversification strategies of mechanical engineering companies, identifying some development trajectories typical of the sector. 

The full report is available at https://fvgdigitale.ditedi.it

The 2024 data show that the number of ICT companies in the region (2908) is seeing a constant and regular increase. +2.4% compared to 2022, for a total of 2214 companies in Friuli Venezia Giulia operating in the ICT sector, up by 0.9% again compared to 2022, with the province of Udine representing the reference point for ICT companies in the region, as it hosts almost half of those identified.

Joint stock companies (1056 units) represent the prevalent corporate structure, accounting for 47.7% of the total, increasing by +1.7% since 2022. They are followed by sole proprietorships (812 units, 36.7%), which record a more significant nominal increase, with 31 more units compared to 2022, offsetting the decrease of 32 units among partnerships (318).

From an economic point of view, after a negative 2020, with a more pronounced decrease for the hardware sector and the recovery in 2021, 2022 was still a positive year, overall better than the pre-Covid period. On the other hand, 2023 settled for more modest increases in turnover, lower than the previous year except for service industries. Overall, there is a fluctuating trend over time, with an improvement in 2021, a decline in 2022 and a substantial hold in 2023, mainly in favour of operations management. With respect to offer type, the hardware sector also suffers the most in terms of profitability.

In any case, the regional digital sector represents a strong innovative drive for the local economy and business system. In fact, the ICT sector currently has 102 innovative start-ups, which operate mainly in software development and account for 52% of all regional start-ups. 

Other such signs can also be found in the innovation propensity indicator, which shows that 13% of companies in the regional ICT sector present at least one sign of innovation. Such companies represent 9% of all regional companies with an objective propensity for innovation.

Looking instead at patenting activity, a progressive increase since 2017 for both Italian and European filings immediately jumps out. While this trend is positive, it shows how in absolute terms the sector has a low propensity for patenting compared to much higher numbers in ‘analogue’ sectors.

The topic of the creditworthiness of companies belonging to the digital cluster was also examined in depth, thanks to the collaboration with Modefinance Srl. The analysis highlights that the credit profile of digital companies operating in FVG is solid and making steady progress through the years. At the same time, the average riskiness of companies in the sector appears limited. Therefore, we see a sector growing in a harmonious way without showing the ‘jerks’ typical of other IT contexts, such as those of America, which are on the contrary characterised by greater riskiness, but also by higher average growth rates.

The FVG digital ecosystem thus appears to be growing and ready for the AI challenge.

Human Rights Day is observed annually around the world on 10th December and commemorates the anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, proclaimed in Paris in 1948. This landmark document enshrines the inalienable rights that everyone is entitled to as a human being - regardless of race, colour, religion, sex, language, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status.

This year's theme, ‘Our Rights, Our Future, Right Now’, is a call to acknowledge the importance and relevance of human rights in our everyday lives. 

We have an opportunity to change perceptions by speaking up against hate speech, correcting misinformation and countering disinformation. As UN Secretary-General António Guterres has said, ‘Human rights are the foundation for peaceful, just, and inclusive societies.’