Peppino Fazio

The article recently published by Prof. Peppino Fazio, a member of the SUPERVenice team, and co-authors, presents a detailed analysis of functional connectivity in the human brain modeled upon the paradigm of telecommunication. Each brain region is seen as a transmitter and receiver, and the signal travels through functional pathways between brain regions. In particular, the authors consider a discrete finite-state model to map the behavior of neurons within a neuronal agglomerate, and investigate of the effect of disruption provoked by the presence of a disease. The authors complete the analysis with real data from healthy brains and brains of patients affected by Alzheimer’s disease. Recent advances in nanoelectronics have spurred increased interest in the human brain and its complex functions. Numerous studies have explored brain behavior in varying levels of detail, from individual neurons to entire lobes. Intricately structured, the brain is a complex organ susceptible to diseases that may disrupt the connectivity between its internal regions. Investigating this phenomenon, the present study applies a discrete finite-state model to map the behavior of neurons within a neuronal agglomerate and examine of the effect of disease on these behaviors. Each agglomerate is then compared to a wireless clustered network and modeled as a finite-state system, with inter-cluster communications analyzed under conditions of temporal variations and degradation. This work represents one of the most advanced applications of discrete finite-state processes and routing theory in brain modeling. The work of Prof. Fazio and co-authors addresses, in a cutting-edge and interdisciplinary way, a challenging problem, that is, the analysis of brain-network alterations occurring in presence of a neurodegenerative disease with high social impact such as Alzheimer’s disease. The methods are fully inspired by physics of complex networks and are mostly derived from computer engineering and telecommunication engineering, and they are applied to a problem of neurology. The attention is mainly focused on whole-brain analysis and signal exchange between brain regions. The method can be applied independently from the choice of the specific brain atlas. The full article can be found at this link: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-026-50758-x

Secure communication is essential to modern digital infrastructure, enabling safe data exchange across global telecommunication networks. As computational capabilities grow, so do threats to classical encryption, prompting the development of advanced cryptographic methods. Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) offers a groundbreaking solution by enabling information-theoretically secure (ITS) key exchange, rooted in the principles of quantum mechanics rather than computational hardness. Unlike traditional methods, QKD remains secure even against adversaries with unlimited processing power. To overcome the distance limitations of direct quantum communication, trusted relay QKD networks have been developed. These networks act as secure extensions to classical systems, facilitating the generation and distribution of cryptographic keys across larger scales. However, due to limited key generation rates, efficient key management is critical, especially when integrating QKD into critical infrastructures. Key management ensures optimal use of resources, addressing challenges like key allocation, storage, and prioritization. The accepted work addresses this need by providing a comprehensive review of key management approaches tailored for trusted-relay QKD networks. The surveyed strategies encompass various aspects of key lifecycle management, such as key generation, storage, routing, prioritization, and expiration, as well as integration with existing security protocols and infrastructure requirements. Through in-depth analysis, the paper aims to identify promising techniques, highlight existing limitations, and outline areas for further research. The ultimate goal is to facilitate the strategic development and deployment of scalable, secure, and efficient QKD networks that can be seamlessly integrated into existing communication infrastructures, paving the way for a quantum-safe future. The work is also the result of a long-term research cooperation between researchers from University of Sarajevo (Department of Telecommunications) Bosnia-Erzegovina, VSB-Technical University of Ostrava (Department of Telecommunications) Czech Republic and Ca’ Foscari University of Venice (Department of Molecular Sciences and Nanosystems) Italy. The full article is available at the following link: https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3730575