The 2013 Europol Threat Assessment concerning Italian organised crime outlines how the ongoing threat that mafias pose to the EU is ‘unparalleled by any other European Organised Crime Group’. Significant successes in judicial investigations have undoubtedly contributed to a better understanding of Italian mafias over time. However, the emergence and expansion of mafia groups in non-traditional areas of settlement leave aspects of the phenomenon still unexplored. This is the case of the Sicilian mafia in the province of Messina which, despite being the object of parliamentary inquiries, court cases, and increasing media attention, has largely been neglected by scholarly literature. The proposed research aims to fill this gap. Adopting an interdisciplinary approach, this project aims to trace the history and evolution of mafia groups in the province of Messina –what the judiciary refers to as ‘The Messina Case’– examining their structure, ethos and modus operandi. It will be conducted using a qualitative methodological framework within the interpretive tradition and will involve the analysis of legal documents and judicial papers, in-depth interviews with judicial and police authorities, and state witnesses. Such an interdisciplinary approach allows us to delineate the evolution and structure of mafia groups, their external and internal relations and flux of power, as well as the role that shared cultural values and social conventions play in the dynamics of identity formation. By identifying the components that the mafia in the province of Messina shares with traditional mafia groups in Sicily and Calabria whilst simultaneously exposing a unique reality, this project will advance current research into mafia expansion in non-traditional areas. Through a number of research outputs and engagement events, it will also create impact outside academia by furthering public and policy makers’ awareness on the socio-economic liability that mafia infiltration of territory entails.

The GALATEO (Good Attitudes for Life in Assyrian Times: Etiquette and Observance of Norms in Male and Female Groups) project aims to understand anew the importance of etiquette in late Assyrian society (10th–7th century BCE) and to investigate through a multidisciplinary approach the extent to which etiquette influenced the subsequent cultures of the Middle East. As a showcase of the project, the creation of an open source Atlas will be delivered, which is conceived as an open repository, in which the addition of new references to delineate the manners of a given culture can contribute to the understanding of etiquette, from the ancient to the modern Middle East. GALATEO develops and works through an adaptable sociological and anthropological theoretical model for the study of etiquette in the ancient Middle East. To this end, the sociological perspective will explore the way that correct behaviour in Assyrian society was codified and imposed during meetings, both religious and lay, in variously political, economic, and convivial settings. In this way it will be investigated how etiquette becomes a means for both men and women to display their social status and gender balance. The anthropological perspective will examine the etiquette of hygiene, especially concerning the practices of proper handwashing, body washing, facial cleanliness, and bodily purification from a religious point of view, the intention of which was to avoid the transmission of disease, such as sex and bodily pollutions, as well as the admission of evil spirits. This analysis will show how the extent to which hygiene plays a role in assigning order and integrity to a culture or group. Being adaptable, this model will pave the way for emerging new perspectives on understanding the social history of a number of cultures of the ancient Middle East in light of etiquette, to better understand contemporaneous ones.

The proposed research plan ARSENIX covers various scientific fields, from hydrogeology to chemical modelling and synthesis, with the common goal of remediation and sustainability of water resources, with emphasis on rice fields operations, for a better quality of environment, aiming at developing new approaches using functionalized iron nanoparticles (NPs). In recent years, with the advancement of nanoscience and nanotechnology, much emphasis has been placed on nanomaterials as a tool in the remediation of water contamination, particularly attributed to toxic metal contamination (e.g., As, Cd, Mn, Pb), due to their high specific surface area and greater reactivity. Superficial and groundwater systems provide a significant amount of freshwater for drinking, industrial use, and agriculture worldwide. These complex environments play a significant ecological role and provide numerous ecosystems, such as food production, soil protection, and climate regulation. With the effects of global change, the significance of water supply should be emphasized, particularly in Mediterranean areas and Portugal. The expected changes in rainfall patterns and temperature increases will have a major impact on water management and soil structure, where these predicted disturbances will be added to an already precarious fresh-saltwater balance. In rice fields, the quality of the water used for irrigation is crucial for crop development and soil conservation, but, at the same time, there is concern about the potential mixing of water from paddy fields with local aquifer systems and, in our case study, with the River Tagus and its tributaries. One of the problems associated with rice plantations is that, in many rural areas, drinking and domestic water supplies are drawn from shallow aquifers under agricultural land, and the quality of these water resources can be affected by the use of agrochemicals. In addition to this anthropogenic pollution, the bioaccumulation of toxic elements in rice fields is a major environmental concern, as rice is the basic food for billions of people. The uptake of toxic and trace elements in rice is mainly due to their interaction with the soil-water system. In this proposal, our main concern is the release of these toxic metals into water systems, like surface water in rice fields, either through the possible linkage to groundwaters, or mixing with the waters of the Tagus River or its tributaries. Among the pollutants, the increase of As in water systems is of great concern to the WHO, where the maximum limit has been reduced from 50 µg/L to 10 µg/L since 2003. In this proposal, a different approach to remove the toxic metals present in the water systems will be tested for the first time in the rice fields of Portugal, using NPs ( iron chelatin-type NPs ). NPs, due to their large surface area and selectivity, have emerged as an alternative for the adsorption of water contaminants. This methodology will be tested in COTArroz rice fields, where water and soil samples will be collected and analyzed. In the C2TN/IST facilities using the real chemical data modelling and synthesis of superparamagnetic iron NPs, naked and coated with chelatins will be carried out. These iron NPs, present a prime characteristics for remediating arsenic and heavy metals in rice fields water. In the light of the chemical speciation models, the necessary adjustments will be made to the synthesis of these NPs, in order to obtain high capacity for absorbing As. Arsenium remediation within the water rice fields will be tested with: extraction, adsorption regeneration and reuse of the NPs , to determine the best conditions for the adsorption of As(III) ions. Besides, the regeneration and life cycle assessments of the adsorbents will be performed. This possibility of reuse will contribute to reducing the economic burden associated with water treatment processes Our proposal is to test the efficiency of iron chelatin-type NPs in removing As and other toxic metals present in rice field water (COTArroz) along the rice development until it is harvested, i.e. to study the chemical evolution of water in toxic metals along the growing of rice, using the water composition of COTArroz fields as a laboratory analogue. The final objective of the project is to test the efficiency of our NPs (magnetic nanoparticles) as an efficient adsorbent of toxic metals in water systems (rice fields, surface water and groundwater), with the main aim of increasing environmental sustainability through a definitive reduction in the arsenic content of the water samples below the WHO limit for drinking water. The rice fields will be used as a laboratory analogue to test this approach for the first time in Portugal, from the laboratory to the efficacy in the rice fields and the final reuse of the NPs. O plano de investigação proposto ARSENIX abrange diversos áreas científicas, desde a hidrogeologia até à modelação química e síntese, com o objetivo comum de contribuir para a remediação e sustentabilidade dos recursos hídricos, com ênfase nas atividades em campos de arroz, visando uma melhor qualidade do meio ambiente, com o desenvolvimento de novas abordagens utilizando nanopartículas de ferro (NPs). Os avanços da nanociência e da nanotecnologia, têm dado origem ao desenvolvimento de nanomateriais usados como uma ferramenta na remediação da contaminação da água, especialmente relacionada à presença de metais tóxicos (por exemplo, As, Cd, Mn, Pb), devido à sua elevada área de superfície específica e maior reatividade. Os sistemas de águas superficiais e subterrâneas fornecem uma quantidade significativa de água doce para consumo, utilização industrial e agricultura em todo o mundo. Estes ambientes complexos desempenham um papel ecológico significativo e proporcionam numerosos ecossistemas, como a produção de alimentos, a proteção dos solos e a regulação do clima. Com os efeitos das alterações globais, a importância do abastecimento de água deve ser realçada, particularmente nas zonas mediterrânicas e em Portugal. As alterações previstas nos padrões de precipitação e o aumento da temperatura terão no futuro um grande impacto na gestão da água e na estrutura do solo, onde estas perturbações previstas se unirão a um equilíbrio já precário entre água doce e água salgada. Nos arrozais, a qualidade da água utilizada na rega é crucial para o desenvolvimento das culturas e para a conservação do solo, mas, ao mesmo tempo, existe a preocupação da potencial mistura da água dos arrozais com os sistemas aquíferos locais e, no nosso caso de estudo, com o rio Tejo e seus afluentes. Um dos problemas associados às plantações de arroz prende-se que, em muitas zonas rurais, com o abastecimento de água potável e doméstica ser feito a partir de aquíferos pouco profundos sob os terrenos agrícolas, e a qualidade destes recursos hídricos poder ser afetada pela utilização de agroquímicos. Para além desta poluição antropogénica, a bioacumulação de elementos tóxicos nos campos de arroz é uma preocupação ambiental importante, uma vez que o arroz é o alimento básico de milhares de milhões de pessoas. A absorção de elementos tóxicos e vestigiais no arroz deve-se principalmente à sua interação com o sistema solo-água. Nesta proposta, a principal preocupação é a libertação destes metais tóxicos para os sistemas hídricos, como as águas superficiais dos arrozais, quer através da possível ligação às águas subterrâneas, quer através da mistura com as águas do rio Tejo ou dos seus afluentes. Entre os poluentes, o aumento de As nos sistemas hídricos é motivo de grande preocupação para a OMS, onde o limite máximo foi reduzido de 50 µg/L para 10 µg/L desde 2003. Nesta proposta, será testada pela primeira vez uma abordagem diferente para remover os metais tóxicos presentes nos sistemas de água nos campos de arroz de Portugal, utilizando NPs (NPs do tipo quelatina de ferro).. Esta metodologia será testada nos campos de arroz do COTArroz, onde serão analisadas amostras de água e de solo. Nas instalações do C2TN/IST, utilizando os dados químicos reais, será efetuada a modelação e síntese de NPs de ferro super-paramagnéticas, nuas (SP) e revestidas com quelatinas (SP@GSH). Estas NPs apresentam características magnéticas privilegiadas para a remediação do arsénio e dos metais pesados na água dos arrozais. À luz dos modelos de especiação química, serão feitos os ajustes necessários à síntese destas NPs, de modo a obter uma elevada capacidade de absorção de As. A remediação do arsénio na água dos arrozais será testada com: extração, regeneração por adsorção e reutilização das NPs, para determinar as melhores condições para a adsorção de iões As(III). Além disso, serão efetuadas avaliações da regeneração e do ciclo de vida dos adsorventes. Esta possibilidade de reutilização contribuirá para reduzir os encargos económicos associados aos processos de tratamento da água Será testada a eficiência das SP e SP@GSH na remoção de As e outros metais tóxicos presentes na água dos campos de arroz (COTArroz) ao longo do desenvolvimento da planta até à sua colheita, e avaliada a evolução química da água em metais tóxicos ao longo do crescimento do arroz, utilizando a composição da água dos campos de COTArroz como análogo laboratorial. O objetivo final do projeto é testar a eficácia das nossas NPs como adsorvente eficiente de metais tóxicos em sistemas hídricos (arrozais, águas superficiais e subterrâneas), para aumentar a sustentabilidade ambiental através de uma redução definitiva do teor de arsénio das amostras de água abaixo do limite da OMS para a água potável. Os campos de arroz serão utilizados como um laboratório análogo para testar esta abordagem pela primeira vez em Portugal, desde o laboratório até à eficácia nos campos de arroz e à reutilização final das NPs.

OIR is an international project whose originator and leader is the Faculty of Pedagogy and Psychology at the Maria Curie-Skłodowska University in Lublin (Poland). The consortium also includes the University of Italy (Università degli Studi di Messina) and the University of Oviedo (Universidad de Oviedo, Facultad de Formación del Profesorado y Educación, Spain). The project is a response to the problems of some academic lecturers in the field of remote education which were diagnosed during the period of increased intensity of remote activities caused by the COVID-19. The problems result largely from the lack of appropriate competences in:•handling digital technologies,•the ability to work with digital services and resources•indivudual and teamwork in a remote model•creating materials and course scenarios in a different methodology.The project aims to develop innovative digital educational resources and provides an opportunity to meet educational challenges by enabling the inclusion of higher education for people with different and special needs. The assumption of the activities is to counteract the educational exclusion of all those groups of learners who, due to the transition to distance learning and the problems that often result from it (related to the inadequacy of forms and methods of work to their special needs) have limited access to education at the highest quality level.The aim of the OIR project is to strengthen the ability of universities to provide high-quality digital education favourable to social inclusion, and in particular to improve the forms and methods of educating future teachers (including those with special educational needs or belonging to other educationally disadvantaged groups). It can be done by creating an open online space of specialized digital educational resources such as: online lectures, podcasts, educational materials, didactic videos, lesson plans, worksheets, exercises, tasks) adapted to the needs of learners with various special educational needs (SEN) in accordance with the principles of universal design for education (UDL).Project participants will be 138 lecturers-academic teachers, 1 200 students and 60 school teachers. The project assumes conducting trainings on: I. the use of digital resources in distance learning, II. developing remote learning skills with the use of innovative educational resources and activating methods, III. universal design in distance learning.During the project implementation, the following project results will be developed:1. Open digital educational resources adapted to the needs of learners with various special educational needs in accordance with the principles of universal design for education;2. Training programs and training materials for lecturers, school teachers and future teachers concerning:•raising competences related to the use of communication and information technologies in remote education,•universal design,•educational resources used in activating working methods;3. Didactic films tailored to the needs of various groups of students;4. Cultural guides.The project will have an impact mainly for the local, but also for regional, national and European community. The materials worked out in the project such as: innovative digital educational resources (online lectures, podcasts, educational materials, didactic videos, lesson plans, worksheets, exercises, tasks) will be widely available, so they can be used by domestic and foreign entities.In the long-term perspective the project will become a strong impulse for the continuous improvement of the quality of distance and hybrid education and for the development of pedagogical digital competences of academic teachers, school teachers and students of teaching faculties.