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Il coraggio di essere
No full textIl contributo mette in relazione il pensiero di Papa Francesco con quello del filosofo e pedagogista brasiliano Paulo Freire, evidenziando come tutti e due condividano una visione educati-va fondata sulla coerenza tra teoria e azione, sull’attenzione agli ultimi e sull’impegno per la giustizia sociale. Entrambi promuo-vono valori come il dialogo, la partecipazione, la solidarietà e la responsabilità verso l’altro, sottolineando che nessuno si educa da solo. La loro coerenza tra parole e azioni, il rispetto reciproco e l’amore per il mondo sono esempi di autentici Maestri ed edu-catori capaci di ispirare un cambiamento sociale e spirituale.The article relates the thought of Pope Francis to that of the Brazilian philosopher and educator Paulo Freire, highlighting how both share an educational vision based on coherence between theory and action, attention to the least, and commitment to social justice. They both promote values such as dialogue, participation, solidarity, and responsibility towards others, stressing that no one educates themself. Their unity of word and deed, mutual respect and love for the world, are examples of authentic teachers and educators capable of inspiring social and spiritual change
Reframing marketing in the age of AI: the role of self- efficacy, trust, and well-being in technology adoption
No full textThe rapid diffusion of generative artificial intelligence is reshaping how individuals search, learn, decide, and interact with market offerings, calling for a rethinking of technology adoption beyond purely instrumental perspectives. This dissertation investigates the psychological mechanisms through which human–AI interaction influences both technology adoption and individual well-being, with a particular focus on the roles of self-efficacy and trust. Grounded in marketing, consumer psychology, and human–computer interaction, the work integrates acceptance theories with hedonic and eudaimonic conceptions of well-being to develop a human-centered framework for understanding AI use.
The research adopts a multi-method, cumulative design. First, a large-scale bibliometric analysis maps the intellectual structure and thematic evolution of research at the intersection of marketing, technology, and well-being, revealing a shift from functional adoption models toward experiential, ethical, and welfare-oriented perspectives. Second, a protocol analysis based on think-aloud data examines cognitive and emotional processes during interaction with a generative AI system, highlighting how knowledge, perceived control, and trust are dynamically constructed and calibrated. Third, a series of controlled experiments tests the causal relationships linking self-efficacy, trust, hedonic and eudaimonic well-being, and intentions to adopt AI, including mediating and moderating mechanisms.
Across studies, results show that self-efficacy functions as a central motivational and experiential driver of AI adoption, fostering both positive affect and a sense of personal growth, while trust operates as a relational anchor that conditions reliance on and engagement with intelligent systems. Well-being emerges not merely as an outcome of technology use, but as a key psychological pathway through which adoption intentions are formed. The dissertation contributes to theory by positioning generative AI adoption as an experiential and relational process embedded in users’ pursuit of autonomy, competence, and meaning. Managerially, it identifies design levers—such as feedback, transparency, and guidance—that support calibrated trust, strengthen self-efficacy, and promote responsible, well-being-enhancing use of AI in marketing contexts
Investigations on the Bioprotective/Biodeteriorative Dual Role of Subaerial Biofilms on Built Heritage Surfaces
No full textFor decades, biocolonization on built heritage surfaces has been regarded primarily as a threat to be controlled, and its removal has often been driven solely by aesthetic concerns. However, forefront research has begun to challenge this paradigm, suggesting that subaerial biofilms (SABs) may also play a protective role under specific conditions. This emerging perspective has sparked a vibrant scientific debate, highlighting the urgent need for targeted research to clarify the dual role of SABs in heritage conservation. Despite this growing interest, only a limited number of studies have systematically explored the interactions between SABs and porous substrates, and most existing works suffer from significant methodological constraints. This emerging yet fragmented picture underscores the urgent need for a comprehensive and interdisciplinary framework capable of linking SABs’ morphology, composition, and functionality to substrate properties and environmental conditions. Addressing these gaps requires the adaptation and optimization of currently used methodologies, many of which are unsuitable for capturing the complexity of living, dynamic interfaces such as biocolonized heritage substrates.
This doctoral research aims to advance the understanding of the complex biogechemical and biogeophysical interactions between SABs and porous substrates and to assess their implications for conservation strategies. In particular, the project focuses on the adaptation and optimization of methods traditionally applied to porous materials, repurposing them for biocolonized systems, where the presence of the SAB introduces additional complexity and dynamism. The main goal was not only to measure but to understand at what level the SAB alters the atmosphere-substrate interface—affecting, for instance, gas exchange, liquid transport, and surface mechanical behavior. To address this multifaceted challenge, the research adopted a multidisciplinary and context-sensitive approach, bridging microbiology, material science, physics, chemistry, and conservation science, and integrating laboratory-based experimentation, on-site investigations, and environmental assessment tools into a unified methodological framework.
The starting point was the optimization of the laboratory protocol originally proposed by Villa et al. (2015) (doi: 10.3389/fmicb.2015.01251), to grow mono-species and dual-species SABs on Lecce stone specimens, since the original protocol was not designed to capture the complexity of SAB–substrate interactions from a materials science perspective. This phase was crucial for developing reproducible and structurally mature model system SABs, providing a controlled platform for the systematic study of the SAB-substrate system. Although the laboratory setup represents a simplification compared to the complexity of natural communities, the selected dual-species configuration – combining a photoautotrophic cyanobacterium and a chemoorganotrophic bacterium – ensures a reasonable representation of real systems. This choice introduces essential ecological interactions, such as cross-feeding and spatial structuring, while maintaining experimental tractability. The optimized biocolonization protocol yielded homogeneous and adherent biofilms that enabled the reproducible, quantitative, and physically meaningful evaluation of SABs’ impact on both water-transport and surface micromechanical properties, establishing the methodological foundation for subsequent laboratory and on-site analyses.
Given the pivotal role of water as one of the main agents of deterioration in porous materials, understanding how the presence of a SAB modifies water transport and moisture exchange processes becomes essential for evaluating the long-term durability of heritage substrates. Addressing these aspects was therefore a central focus of this research. Water-transport properties were investigated using a suite of complementary and refined techniques, including capillary water absorption, drying rate, hygroscopic sorption, water vapor permeability, and wettability tests. These methodologies were adapted from existing standards for porous material, eventually treated with protective coatings or consolidants, and recalibrated to account for the living, dynamic nature of SABs. Results demonstrated that SABs reduce capillary water absorption and surface wettability while preserving vapor permeability, stabilizing moisture levels within the substrate. These findings suggested that SABs may have a semi-permeable action, mitigating hydraulic stress without compromising breathability. The dual-species biofilm, in particular, showed a stronger effect, likely due to its higher Extracellular Polymeric Substance (EPS) production and structural complexity.
Micromechanical characterization, performed by microindentation and microscratch testing, revealed that SABs enhance near-surface hardness, stiffness, and cohesion, demonstrating that biological colonization can locally reinforce the stone matrix. These results indicate that SABs contribute to a subtle but measurable surface hardening, possibly due to the physical presence of the microbial and EPS layer, EPS-mediated grain bridging or biocalcite precipitation. Such micro-scale stabilization mechanisms, though previously suggested in the literature, had not been quantitatively validated through comparable datasets. Together, these findings point to a potential bioprotective role of SABs in mitigating superficial mechanical wear, reducing granular loss, and stabilizing the outermost layer of the material.
These laboratory findings were complemented by the case study of Palazzo Rocca Costaguta (Chiavari, Italy), where on-site analysis revealed that the SAB did not damage the plaster surface and contributed to reduced wettability. In addition, a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) of three biocidal treatments, compared with a no-treatment scenario, further highlighted that non-intervention may be the most sustainable option when SABs do not exert detrimental effects.
This research advocates for a paradigm shift in the built heritage conservation, recognizing SABs not only as agents of deterioration but also as potential contributors to material protection. The results contribute to a growing body of evidence showing that microbial colonization cannot be interpreted solely as damage, but as part of a broader equilibrium between materials, environment, and microorganisms. The methodologies adapted here open promising directions for future studies, where SABs may be evaluated not as failures of preservation but as integral components of the monument value. If demonstrated to exert neutral or protective functions, SABs could be integrated within sustainable conservation frameworks as Nature-based Solutions (NbS), contributing to the mitigation of water-related stress and the stabilization of surfaces under changing climatic conditions. Embracing stable, non-damaging biocolonization may thus enhance both the ecological and cultural value of heritage assets, aligning conservation with biodiversity-aware and sustainability principles.
Overall, by advancing tailored methodologies and providing robust experimental evidence, this research supports a more informed and forward-looking approach to heritage conservation in the presence of SABs
Sex differences in low arousal threshold in obstructive sleep apnea
No full textBackground: Obstructive Sleep Apnea Syndrome (OSAS) is the most common sleep-related breathing disorder, considered more prevalent in males. Recent evidences suggest that prevalence of OSAS in females is underestimated, with a clinical phenotype marked by sleep fragmentation, poor sleep quality, and neurobehavioral symptoms. We hypothesized that a low arousal threshold (low AT) may be more common in females, which may underline these clinical and polysomnographic differences. Methods: In this retrospective multicentric study, 84 females and 93 males with OSA underwent a Home Sleep Apnea Test (HSAT) reviewed by a sleep expert. Low AT was predicted using the Edwards score criteria. Results: Out of 177 patients, low AT was identified in 60.7% of females and 40.9% of males (p=0.008). Stratifying by OSA severity, low AT was more prevalent in patients with mild disease, both in females and males. Among obese patients (Body Mass Index, BMI ≥ 30 Kg/m2), low AT was present in 60.9% of females compared to 24.3% of males (p=0.001). Conclusion: Our findings indicate that a low AT is significantly more prevalent in OSA females, remembering that our female population mainly corresponds to post-menopausal females. This may explain the more pronounced sleep fragmentation and neurobehavioral symptoms in women
Fatigue experiments and assessment of structural steel unequal thickness butt-welded joints by means of local approaches
No full textThis study examines the fatigue failure behavior of Unequal Thickness Butt Welded Joint (UT-BWJ) in structural steel applications for construction machinery. The research combines experimental fatigue testing with Finite Element Analysis (FEA) to evaluate UT-BWJs using both structural and local assessment methodologies. Three distinct configurations of longitudinal load-carrying BWJs were analyzed to quantify their fatigue strength under cyclic tensile loading conditions. The investigation systematically evaluates the fatigue characteristics of UT-BWJs through comprehensive local and structural assessment approaches. The obtained fatigue strength was benchmarked against international standard codes and existing reference data. Additionally, multiple three-dimensional Finite Element (FE) models were established to simulate UT-BWJs with backing bars. The relationship between critical geometric parameters and fatigue performance was identified, and the fatigue loading capacity of these welded joints was evaluated by means of nominal stress, structural, and local approaches. Results indicate that fatigue life can be predicted using Strain Energy Density (SED) theory, and analytical solutions for predicting fatigue characteristics in UT-BWJs were proposed, demonstrating the accuracy of the estimation model. The results provide valuable insights for fatigue strength and design optimization of unequal thickness welded connections in structural applications
Studio pilota sull’impatto e sulle strategie terapeutiche dell’encefalopatia epatica minima
No full textL’encefalopatia epatica minima (EEM) è una frequente complicanza della cirrosi epatica e numerosi studi hanno documentato una elevata prevalenza di questa condizione tra i pazienti affetti da sarcopenia. Gli obiettivi dello studio sono quelli di valutare l’impatto clinico della cirrosi epatica e l’effetto della combinazione di una dieta bilanciata con un esercizio fisico standardizzato sull’entità della massa muscolare, sulla performance cognitiva e sul rischio di sviluppare encefalopatia epatica manifesta. Questo ultimo punto è basato sulle raccomandazioni EASL per la nutrizione nel paziente cirrotico, che prevedono un introito calorico giornaliero di 30-35 Kcal/Kg/die o di 20-25 Kcal/Kg/die nel paziente non obeso ed obeso rispettivamente, frazionato in 4-6 pasti giornalieri.
La popolazione oggetto di studio è quella di pazienti cirrotici ambulatoriali afferenti presso la UOC di Gastroenterologia dell’ospedale S.M. Goretti di Latina con diagnosi di EEM secondo il PHES e/o di sarcopenia secondo valori ecografici, con età < 75 anni, con cirrosi in classe A o B di Child-Pugh, in assenza di TIPS, epatocarcinoma o di condizioni che possano compromettere l’esecuzione di attività fisica, quali patologie cardiorespiratorie o muscolo-scheletriche ed ascite refrattaria.
Al momento della valutazione iniziale i pazienti vengono studiati dal punto di vista anamnestico, clinico-antropometrico e nutrizionale-comportamentale mediante la compilazione di un diario alimentare. Inoltre viene fornita una batteria di questionari per la valutazione della qualità della vita (SF-36), della fragilità, della fatigue (fatigue severity scale) e del tono dell’umore (ZUNG test, STAY-1 e STAY-2), e viene valutato il rischio di cadute mediante time up and go test. Infine viene eseguita l’ecografia del muscolo retto femorale utilizzando il cut-off di 20 mm e 16 mm per la diagnosi di sarcopenia nei maschi e nelle femmine rispettivamente.
Dopo la valutazione iniziale, ai pazienti viene fornita una dieta adattata al peso corporeo ed al valore di BMI, ed una scheda illustrata per l’esecuzione dell’esercizio fisico a domicilio. La durata dell’intervento è di sei mesi. Al termine dell’intervento il paziente viene rivalutato da un punto di vista clinico-biochimico, vengono ripetuti i tests ed i questionari di autovalutazione, vengono registrati gli eventi maggiori e le eventuali complicanze legate all’esercizio e viene ripetuta l’ecografia del muscolo retto femorale
Protocols for confidential computing in business process monitoring
No full textIn the research domain of Business Process Management, collaborative processes, commonly found in healthcare, manufacturing, and supply chain management, involve multiple autonomous organizations that cooperate to achieve mutually shared operational objectives.
The adoption of end-to-end process monitoring techniques in these contexts remains hindered by the primary requirement to protect the secrecy of sensitive execution data: the exposure of raw process records beyond organizational boundaries can lead to the disclosure of business-critical or personal information, generating privacy and compliance risks under regulations such as the GDPR. As a result, most organizations avoid data sharing and monitor only on their local fragments. This practice, however, may lead to potentially misleading or imprecise insights, as the resulting analytics may miss dependencies that emerge only when the process is observed comprehensively.
Existing secrecy-preserving strategies, while effective in reducing disclosure risks, typically rely on data transformation or anonymization mechanisms that inevitably alter the original process execution information. Although these approaches enhance data protection, applying them to case-level monitoring can compromise the accuracy of the results, as the noise they introduce on the input data may lead to the observation of non-existent process behavior.
Therefore, the main research question driving this thesis is:
"How can independent organizations monitor collaborative business processes using original execution data while ensuring that input records remain undisclosed during their aggregation and processing?"
To answer this question, we explore two complementary process monitoring settings: offline and online process monitoring. Offline monitoring focuses on the ex-post analysis of completed process instances whose execution history is recorded in event logs. In this case, the research challenge is to guarantee data secrecy during the offline analysis of unaltered event logs. This leads to the first sub question:
"How can the secrecy of sensitive data within original event logs be preserved while applying offline monitoring during the aggregation and processing in inter-organizational settings?"
Online process monitoring involves ongoing process executions, where process event streams should be analyzed in real-time. Here, our challenge shifts toward preserving the data secrecy of the original process event streams while ensuring timely updates of the process state. This motivates the second sub question:
"How can the secrecy of sensitive data within original process event streams be preserved while monitoring processes online during the aggregation and processing in inter-organizational settings?"
Driven by the above motivation and research questions, this thesis reports on solutions leveraging confidential computing as a means to enable secrecy-preserving process monitoring in collaborative environments. Confidential computing extends traditional data protection mechanisms by safeguarding information not only when stored or transmitted, but also while being processed. Its enabling technology, tee, can handle hardware-encrypted areas of the main memory that guarantee data confidentiality and code integrity during the execution of trusted applications. We leverage this paradigm to embed in TEE monitoring algorithms that can directly process original, unaltered event data, thus avoiding issues deriving from ex-ante noise introduction. By ensuring that process data remains encrypted and inaccessible outside the tee, we unlock joint analyses for multiple organizations on shared processes without exposing their sensitive information. To this end, we introduce CONFINE and ProMTEE, namely, two confidential computing protocols providing data secrecy guarantees in online and offline monitoring settings, respectively.
In the research work inherent to CONFINE, we tackle data secrecy issues in offline monitoring, thereby enabling independent organizations to merge and process their unaltered event logs through trusted applications running within TEEs. With ProMTEE, we shift our focus toward the secrecy-related challenges arising within online process monitoring. We theorize and implement a solution involving trusted applications, named Process Vaults, which shield the runtime state of a process within the isolation layer of TEEs
From hydrophilic to hydrophobic metal nanoparticles: the role of surface functionality on chemical properties
No full textThis PhD thesis provides a comprehensive investigation into the synthesis, characterization, and application of metal nanoparticles (MNPs), with particular emphasis on gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) and the role of the thiol ligands on the gold surface and how they influence the application potential of nanoparticles.
The nanoparticles were synthesised via chemical reduction methods, yielding spherical nanoparticles with controlled diameters predominantly below 10 nm. The research is structured into two main parts.
The first focused on hydrophilic AuNPs for biomedical applications, in this respect, a highly stable and reproducible system was developed using a mixed thiols ligand layer (sodium 3-mercapto-1-propanesulfonate, 3MPS, and 2-(diethylamino)ethanethiol hydrochloride, DEA). These nanoparticles were thoroughly characterized, including with the innovative μ-liquid jet XPS technique at the SOLEIL Synchrotron, which can investigate the structural and chemical properties of free thiols in solution and thiol-capped on gold surface in the native colloidal state of AuNPs. Thanks to the small size (ca. 10 nm) and high stability, this AuNPs system has been successfully used as versatile drug delivery platform of an anticancer drug (Methotrexate) and a therapeutic antibody (Trastuzumab); in both cases, the AuNPs platform significantly enhanced the therapeutic effect compared to the free drug, proving its potential in nanomedicine.
The second part of the thesis explored hydrophobic nanoparticles for materials science and sensing applications. Here, the precise control over surface chemistry enabled the creation of "smart" systems, responsive to external stimuli. By functionalizing AuNPs with dodecanethiol (DDT) and 4-aminothiophenol (Ani) in mixture, three distinct self-assemblies were achieved: supramolecular, covalent, and transient covalent self-assembly. Furthermore, the use of rigid, bifunctional π-conjugated ligands allowed for the construction of covalent networks of AuNPs, AgNPs, and PdNPs with tunable interparticle distances, opening perspectives for optoelectronics. Fine-tuning the 2D/3D arrangement of AuNPs networks is possible using a monofunctional ligand in mixture with the bifunctional ligands yielding promising preliminary results as chemiresistive sensors for volatile organic compounds like benzene and toluene. Finally, hydrophobic and interconnected AuNPs were incorporated into different polymer matrices (poly(phenylacetylene), PPA; poly(3-hexylthiophene-2,5-diyl), P3HT; polylactic acid, PLA) to create hybrid organic-inorganic nanocomposites. These blends consistently demonstrated significant enhancements in electrical conductivity, showing a synergistic effect between the nanoparticles and the polymers. The thesis concludes with a preliminary study into chirality, functionalizing AuNPs with enantiopure [2.2]paracyclophane synthetic derivatives, laying the foundations for future studies on chiral plasmonic
Introduzione
No full textLa questione abitativa rappresenta oggi una delle questioni urbane più «calde» nel contesto italiano, ma anche europeo, sia perché costituisce un problema urgente e gravoso per molte categorie di persone, sia per la mancanza da molto tempo di politiche adeguate a scala nazionale e di una programmazione di interventi.The housing issue today represents one of the most pressing urban issues in Italy, but also in Europe, both because it is an urgent and burdensome problem for many categories of people and because of the long-standing lack of adequate policies at the national level and a planned intervention
Con le gazzette tra le mani. Una specola leopardiana sulla Germania nei periodici italiani di primo Ottocento (1814-1840)
No full textA partire da una specola leopardiana, il volume ricostruisce l’immagine della Germania che il poeta dei Canti e, più in generale, il lettore italiano di primo Ottocento poteva ricavare da alcuni dei più importanti periodici dell’epoca (qui sottoposti a uno spoglio completo): la «Biblioteca Italiana» (1816-1840), «Lo Spettatore » (1814-1818), «Il Raccoglitore» (1818-1820), «Il Ricoglitore» (1820-1824) e «Il Nuovo Ricoglitore» (1825-1833). Un’ampia Introduzione discute criticamente i contributi più significativi (recensioni, traduzioni, articoli scientifici, saggi, lettere, compendi, resoconti di viaggi), con un’analisi a campione che pone l’accento sulle seguenti aree tematiche: le scienze naturali e la medicina; le invenzioni; la storia letteraria e le antologie; le traduzioni; la filosofia; l’erudizione e l’orientalismo; la musica. Seguono quindi una ricca Antologia e le Tavole prospettiche di tutti i principali contributi di interesse germanofono apparsi nei periodici oggetto di spoglio