Modeling, Computing and Statistics Centre

The Center for Modeling, Computing and Statistics (CMCS) is an interdepartmental research center affiliated with the University of Ferrara, promoted by the following departments: Mathematics and Computer Science, Economics and Management and Engineering. The center involves several researchers, not only belonging to the University of Ferrara, but to several italian universities located throughout the national territory.

The center was founded in 2004 on the initiative of Profs. Patrizio Bianchi, Lorenzo Pareschi, Fausto Segala and Luigi Salmaso as an interdisciplinary center for computational modeling and statistics. In 2011 it changed the term Statistics to Simulation and now it is back to its original name.

The primary function of the CMCS is to carry out research in various disciplines, including applied mathematics, numerical analysis, scientific computing, computational fluid dynamics, machine learning and statistics. The final aim foresees the application of the scientific goals achieved to real and tangible problems, through the development and implementation of mathematical models and software.

In addition, the center is committed to organizing educational and public events, of a national and international nature, related to cultural, scientific and technical innovation in the areas of expertise that the center itself deals with.

		The center is promoted by the departments:

Via Machiavelli, 35 - 44121 Ferrara

Phone: +39 0532 974009

Area 1

Title: Socio-economic modelling and simulation

Representatives: M. Zanella, L. Pareschi, W. Boscheri.

Case studies:

• Models for the dynamics and simulation of complex systems;
• Models for the dissemination of opinions on large population samples;
• Opinion control through the use of external media and through the use of opinion leaders;
• Dissemination of ideas and opinions on social networks and control strategies;
• Models for the simulation of road traffic, from the urban scale to the provincial, regional and national scale;
• National income distribution models and optimal taxation strategies.

Area 2

Title: Statistical surveys in the socio-economic sphere

Representatives: S. Bonnini, G. Sciavicco.

Case studies:

• Sample surveys and statistical analysis for spatial planning and control;
• Sample surveys and statistical analyses for the evaluation of the University System;
• Sample surveys and socio-economic research on the living and study conditions of university students and the impact of their presence on the territory;
• Marketing studies and market analysis with particular regard to "customer satisfaction" and "conjoint analysis”;
• Statistical analysis of road accidents;
• Statistical analysis of industrial development and performance policies in Italy and other countries;
• Statistical analysis of engineering problems (e.g. problems of acoustics on listening conditions in classrooms);
• Bio-medical studies on the effects of certain therapeutic treatments on certain diseases;
• Epidemiological studies;
• Design and construction of complex databases.

Area 3

Title: Modeling and simulation of environmental and biological phenomena

Representatives: V. Caleffi, W. Boscheri, M. Dumbser.

Case studies:

• SWE modeling of exceptional floods for floods (Toce valley example);
• SWE modeling of floods for collapse of barrages (example related to Malpasset dam);
• Propagation of a wave front against a bridge pillar;
• Propagation of macro bottom shapes (alternating bars) in a river bed;
• Propagation of a passive pollutant in a meandering bed/channel/riverbed;
• Morphodynamic modeling in watercourses;
• Modeling of transient motions inside pressurized pipelines;
• Hemodynamic modeling inside blood vessels;
• Models for the control of the growth distribution of tumor bodies.

Area 4

Title: Dynamic modeling and simulation of fluids/gases and plasmas

Representatives: L. Pareschi, W. Boscheri, M. Dumbser.

Case studies:

• High-order methods in space and time for fluid dynamics;
• Numerical schemes for the transition from compressible fluids to incompressible fluids;
• Numerical methods and simulations for plasma physics and magnetohydrodynamics;
• Boltzmann equations and collisional integrals;
• Problems of atmospheric reentry and dynamics of rarefied gases.

Head of the center:

Scientific council:

Executive board:

Other members:

Below is a list of some of the most recent publications, starting from 2018 to date, to which CMCS members have contributed.

Area 1

• G. Bertaglia, L. Pareschi. Hyperbolic models for the spread of epidemics on networks: kinetic description and numerical methods. ESAIM: Mathematical Modelling and Numerical Analysis, vol. 55, pp. 381-407, 2021;

• G. Dimarco, L. Pareschi, G. Toscani, M. Zanella. Wealth distribution under the spread of infectious diseases. Physical Review, vol. 102, 2020;

• G. Dimarco, A. Tosin. The Aw-Rascle traffic model: kinetic derivation and generalisations. Journal of Statistical Physics, Num. 178, vol. 1, pp. 178-210, 2020;

• M. Herty, L. Pareschi, G. Visconti. Mean field models for large data-clustering problems. Networks and Heterogeneous Media, vol. 15, pp. 463–487, 2020;

• B. Piccoli, A. Tosin, M. Zanella. Model-based assessment of the impact of driver-assist vehicles using kinetic theory. Zeitschrift für Angewandte Mathematik und Physik, vol. 71, Art. 152, 2020;

• G. Albi, N. Bellomo, L. Fermo, S.Y. Ha, J. Kim, L. Pareschi, D. Poyato, J. Soler. Vehicular traffic, crowds, and swarms: from kinetic theory and multiscale methods to applications and research perspectives. Mathematical Model and Methods in Applied Sciences, vol. 29, pp. 1901–2005, 2019;

• T. Trimborn, L. Pareschi, M. Frank. Portfolio optimization and model predictive control: a kinetic approach. Discrete and Continuous Dynamical Systems, Ser. B, vol. 24, pp. 6209–6238, 2019;

• G.M. Assegie. Modeling Volatility Spillovers from Developed Stock Markets to Selected African Stock Markets. ኢ ስ ታ ማመ: 1.

Area 2

• D. Azzolini, F. Riguzzi, E. Lamma. A semantics for hybrid probabilistic logic programs with function symbols. Artificial Intelligence, vol. 294, art. 103452, 2021;

• S. Bonnini, G. Mazzoni, M. Borghesi, G. Chiaranda, J. Myers, S. Mandini, A. Raisi, S. Masotti, S. Grazzi. Improving walking speed reduces hospitalization costs in outpatients with cardiovascular disease. An analysis based on a multistrata non-parametric test. BMC Health Services Research, vol. 20, Art. 1048, 2020;

• F. Riguzzi, E. Bellodi, R. Zese, M. Alberti, E. Lamma. Probabilistic inductive constraint logic. Machine Learning, 2020;

• M. Borghesi. Metodi statistici per il confronto di serie storiche con applicazioni finanziarie. Quaderni del Dipartimento DEM, vol.9, n.4, Università degli Studi di Ferrara, Ferrara, 2020;

• M. Borghesi, M. Brunori. Specializzazione economica: concetto e misure. Quaderni del Dipartimento DEM, vol.9, n.5, Università degli Studi di Ferrara, Ferrara, 2020;

• Y. Tazzari, S. Bonnini, G. Marzo. Benford’s Law: genesi, letteratura e applicazioni empiriche. Quaderni del Dipartimento DEM, vol.9, n.1, Università degli Studi di Ferrara, Ferrara, 2020;

• M. Pelegrín, E. Muñoz-Velasco, P. Sala, G. Sciavicco, I.E. Stan. On Coarser Interval Temporal Logics. Artificial Intelligence, vol. 266, pp. 1- 26, 2019;

• S. Bonnini, M.G. Assegie. Permutation multivariate tests for treatment effect: theory and recent developments. SUSAN SSACAB 2019. The Biostatistics Research Unit of the South African Medical Research Council, 2019;

• F. Jiménez, A. Paoletti, G. Sánchez, G. Sciavicco. Predicting the Risk of Academic Dropout with Temporal Multi-Objective Optimization. IEEE Transactions on Learning Technologies, vol. 12, pp. 225- 236, 2019;

• F. Riguzzi. Foundations of Probabilistic Logic Programming. River Publishers, Gistrup, Denmark, 2018;

• F. Jiménez, C. Martínez, L. Miralles, G. Sánchez, G. Sciavicco. Multi-Objective Evolutionary Rule-Based Classification with Categorical Data. Entropy, vol. 20, art. 684, 2018.

Area 3

• L. Preziosi, G. Toscani, M. Zanella. Control of tumor growth distributions through kinetic methods. Journal of Theoretical Biology, vol. 514, art. 110579, 2021;

• G. Bertaglia, V. Caleffi, L. Pareschi, A. Valiani. Uncertainty quantification of viscoelastic parameters in arterial hemodynamics with the a-FSI blood flow model. Journal of Computational Physics, vol. 430, art. 110102, 2021;
• G. Bertaglia, V. Caleffi, A. Valiani. Modeling blood flow in viscoelastic vessels: the 1D augmented fluid-structure interaction system. Computer Methods in Applied Mechanics and Engineering, vol. 360, art. 112772, 2020;

• G. Bertaglia, A. Navas-Montilla, A. Valiani, M.I. Monge Garcia, J. Murillo, V. Caleffi. Computational hemodynamics in arteries with the one-dimensional augmented fluid-structure interaction system: viscoelastic parameters estimation and comparison with in-vivo data. Journal of Biomechanics, vol. 100, art. 109595, 2020;

• J. Kamínska, E. Lucena-Sánchez, G. Sciavicco. Temporal Aspects in Air Quality Modelling - A Case Study in Wroclaw. Air, Soil, and Water Research, vol. 13, 2020;

• G. Bertaglia, M. Ioriatti, A. Valiani, M. Dumbser, V. Caleffi. Numerical methods for hydraulic transients in visco-elastic pipes. Journal of Fluids and Structures, vol. 81, pp. 230- 254, 2018;

• F. Carraro, D. Vanzo, V. Caleffi, A. Valiani, A. Siviglia. Mathematical study of linear morphodynamic acceleration and derivation of the MASSPEED approach. Advances in Water Resources, vol. 117, pp. 40-52, 2018.

Area 4

• M. Herty, G. Puppo, G. Visconti. From kinetic to macroscopic models and back, Mathematical Descriptions of Traffic Flow: Micro, Macro and Kinetic Models 12, 17, Springer Nature, 2021;

• L. Pareschi, M. Zanella. Monte Carlo stochastic Galerkin methods for the Boltzmann equation with uncertainties: space-homogeneous case. Journal of Computational Physics, vol. 423, art. 109822, 2020;

• W. Boscheri, L. Pareschi. High order pressure-based semi-implicit IMEX schemes for the 3D Navier-Stokes equations at all Mach numbers. Journal of Computational Physics, vol. 434, art. 110206, 2020;

• W. Boscheri, G. Dimarco. High order central WENO-Implicit-Explicit Runge Kutta schemes for the BGK model on general polygonal meshes. Journal of Computational Physics, vol. 422, art. 109766, 2020;

• G. Albi, G. Dimarco, L. Pareschi. Implicit-explicit multistep methods for hyperbolic systems with multiscale relaxation. SIAM Journal on Scientific Computing, vol. 42, pp. A2402-A2435, 2020;

• W. Boscheri. A space-time semi-Lagrangian advection scheme on staggered Voronoi meshes applied to free surface flows. Computers & Fluids, vol. 202, art. 104503, 2020;

• E. Abbate, A. Iollo, G. Puppo. An Asymptotic-Preserving All-Speed Scheme for Fluid Dynamics and Nonlinear Elasticity. SIAM Journal on Scientific Computing, Vol. 41, pp. A2850-A2879, 2019;

• C. Klingenberg, G. Puppo, M. Semplice. Arbitrary order finite volume well-balanced schemes for the Euler equations with gravity. SIAM Journal on Scientific Computing, Vol. 41, pp. A695-A721, 2019;

• G. Dimarco, L. Pareschi. Multiscale control variate strategies for uncertainty quantification in kinetic equations. Journal of Computational Physics, vol. 388, pp. 63-89, 2019;

• J. A. Carrillo, L. Pareschi, M. Zanella. Particle based gPC methods for mean-field models of swarming with uncertainty. Communications in Computational Physics, vol. 25, pp. 508-531, 2019;

• G. Dimarco, R. Loubère, J. Narski, T. Rey. An efficient numerical method for solving the Boltzmann equation in multidimensions. Journal of Computational Physics, vol. 353, pp. 46-81, 2018;

• L. Pareschi, M. Zanella. Structure preserving schemes for nonlinear Fokker-Planck equations and applications. Journal of Scientific Computing, vol. 74, pp. 1575-1600, 2018;

• F. Bernard, A. Iollo, G. Puppo. BGK Polyatomic Model for Rarefied Flows. Journal of Scientific Computing,  Vol. 78, pp. 1893-1916, 2018;
• I. Cravero, G. Puppo, M. Semplice, G. Visconti. CWENO: uniformly accurate reconstructions for balance laws. Mathematics of Computation, Vol. 87, pp. 1689-1719, 2018.

This section lists all the events organized in collaboration with the CMCS, both those of an informative nature and those of a training nature.

• School: Trails in kinetic theory: foundational aspects and numerical methods. University of Bonn, Germany. 20-24 May 2019. (website, lecture notes)

Palazzo Manfredini

Via Muratori 9, 44121

Ferrara, Italy

Rooms: B4,C4

How to get here (open the address on Google Maps)

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