University of Udine
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Utilizing fuzzy-set comparative analysis in configurational studies of high-performance work practices
No full textThis study explores how high-performance work practices (HPWPs) combine to achieve employee retention through a configurational perspective. The primary objective is to investigate the relationship between HPWPs and employee retention, emphasising how specific configurations of practices can enhance retention outcomes. Secondary to the study's primary focus is the methodological contribution of using fuzzy-set comparative analysis (fsQCA) to analyse the configurational dynamics of HPWPs in retaining employees. We performed the analysis on a dataset of 232 Austrian and Hungarian manufacturing firms. Our findings revealed the existence of three equifinal configurations of different high-performing skills, motivation, and opportunity-enhancing practices that help to retain employees effectively. Using the configurational approach and fsQCA, these configurations give us more advanced theoretical insights into how HPWPs work together to help keep employees. To enhance employee retention, we interpreted the resultant configurations in terms of how each configuration fits different companies’ human resource strategies and policies
Embedding radical prostatectomy specimens: selective with regular cassettes or complete with large cassettes
No full textApprocci innovativi e sostenibili per il controllo delle malattie fungine dei prodotti ortofrutticoli
No full textLa gestione post-raccolta dei frutti è un punto fondamentale per la filiera produttiva, poiché rappresenta l’ultimo passaggio della catena produttiva prima della commercializzazione. Eventuali contaminazioni, di natura chimica e microbiologica in tale fase, oltre ad affliggere direttamente la salute del consumatore, causano ingenti danni di tipo economico. I frutti sono suscettibili a molte malattie fungine post-raccolta come quelle causate da Botrytis cinerea, Penicillium spp. e Monilinia spp. Tra le possibili strategie di controllo, l'uso di agenti di biocontrollo (BCAs, biocontrol agents) risulta una delle più promettenti. Il lievito Aureobasidium pullulans è un buon candidato grazie, in particolar modo, alla sua elevata tolleranza agli stress e alla capacità di sopravvivere in condizioni estreme. Ceppi di A. pullulans sono stati isolati durante la stagione invernale e caratterizzati molecolarmente, con l'obiettivo di trovare antagonisti attivi da utilizzare durante la conservazione della frutta. Sono stati caratterizzati 38 ceppi e solo due (UC14 e AL25) sono stati selezionati per la loro notevole attività antagonista nei confronti di uno dei principali patogeni fungini post-raccolta delle drupacee, Monilinia fructicola. Il ceppo UC14 è stato successivamente valutato contro Penicillium expansum, noto patogeno delle mele. Il ceppo ha confermato, durante la sperimentazione, il suo potenziale antagonista come BCA, in particolare grazie alla persistenza rilevata durante la lunga conservazione e alla sua capacità di ridurre l'accumulo di patulina. Per un efficace utilizzo dei BCA, la formulazione ne rappresenta il passo fondamentale, pertanto, una parte importante di questa tesi è stata dedicata allo sviluppo. Il ceppo AP1 è stato utilizzato come principio attivo di due tipologie di formulazione (wettable powder, WP e oil dispersion, OD), sviluppate in collaborazione con un'azienda partner. La valutazione dei prodotti ottenuti ha dimostrato alcuni limiti di efficacia solo nella formulazione WP. La formulazione OD, avente come principio attivo AP1, è risultata la più efficace nel controllo dei patogeni in pre- e post-raccolta come Rhizoctonia solani e B. cinerea. L'ampio spettro d'azione di un formulato è la principale caratteristica auspicata di tali prodotti, perciò, i prototipi sviluppati sono stati testati in diverse condizioni e su diversi ospiti, come lattuga e uva da tavola. Nel caso studio su lattuga, oltre all’utilizzo di formulazioni contenente un singolo ceppo, è stato verificato l’effetto stimolante su pianta di un estratto acquoso a base di scarti di coltivazione di Agaricus bisporus.
Oltre ad essere un buon BCA, A. pullulans è anche un ottimo produttore di pullulano, un polimero con eccellenti proprietà tecnologiche e riconosciuto come GRAS. Per questo motivo, una selezione di ceppi di A. pullulans è stata saggiata per verificare la sua capacità produttiva di tale polimero. Le macromolecole ottenute sono state successivamente caratterizzate mediante analisi chimiche (NMR, FT-IT e DSC) e valutate per un successivo utilizzo come rivestimento commestibile su frutta. In particolare, è stata verificate l'efficacia del pullulano ottenuto nei confronti di Colletotrichum acutatum. I risultati ottenuti aprono così nuovi ed interessanti spunti di ricerca come lo sviluppo di nuove formulazioni, metodi di applicazione e utilizzi dei BCA.Postharvest management of fruit is an importan point for the production chain, as it is the last step in the production chain before commercialization. Chemical and microbiological contaminations, at this stage, can directly affect the health of the consumer, and also cause significant economic losses. Fruits are susceptible to many postharvest fungal diseases such as those caused by Botrytis cinerea, Penicillium spp. and Monilinia spp. Among the possible control strategies, the use of biocontrol agents (BCAs) appears to be one of the most promising. The yeast-like fungus Aureobasidium pullulans is a good candidate, especially due to its high stress tolerance and ability to survive under extreme conditions. Strains of A. pullulans were isolated during the winter season and molecularly characterized, with the goal of finding active antagonists to use during fruit storage. Thirty-eight strains were characterized, and only two (UC14 and AL25) were selected for their remarkable antagonistic activity against one of the major postharvest fungal pathogens of stone fruit, Monilinia fructicola. Strain UC14 was subsequently evaluated against Penicillium expansum, a known pathogen of apples
The strain confirmed, during the research, its potential as BCA, particularly due to its persistence during the long storage and its ability to reduce patulin accumulation. For an effective use of BCAs, the formulation is the key step; therefore, an important part of this thesis was dedicated to its development. AP1 strain, weas used as active ingredients of two types of formulations (wettable powder, WP, and oil dispersion, OD), developed in collaboration with a partner company. The evaluation of the obtained products showed some efficacy limitations in the WP formulation. Instead, the OD formulation, having AP1 as active ingredient, was found to be the most effective in controlling pathogens in pre- and post-harvest conditions, such as Rhizoctonia solani and B. cinerea. The broad spectrum of action of a formulation is the main desired feature of such products, and therefore the developed prototypes were tested under different conditions and on different hosts, such as lettuce and table grapes. On lettuce, in addition to the use of formulations containing a single strain cells, the growth promoting effects on plants of aqueous extracts based on Agaricus bisporus wastes was tested.
In addition to being a good BCA, A. pullulans is also an excellent producer of pullulan, a polymer with excellent technological properties and recognized as GRAS. For this reason, different A. pullulans strains were assayed to verify their ability to produce this polymer. The macromolecules obtained were subsequently characterized by chemical analysis (NMR, FT-IR, and DSC) and evaluated for subsequent use as edible coating on fruit. In particular, the efficacy of the obtained pullulan coatings against Colletotrichum acutatum was verified. The obtained results open up new and interesting research perspectives such as the development of new formulations, application methods and uses of BCAs
The project as a critical site of architectural becoming. Ex post
No full textThe beauty of architecture lies in its harmonious tension between the abstract fixity of the designed project and the transformation imposed by reality. As it passes through the construction site and through life, the project encounters constraints, materials, unforeseen events, and deviations, revealing the animated and processual nature of architecture. In this transition, the built work does not merely realize an idea, but is enriched through contact with the existing and its concrete character, generating new project possibilities. From form to form. The project thus becomes a critical site of becoming: it engages with reality, with verification, and with redesign; it is the space in which architecture confronts time and regenerates it. The pursuit of a “second spontaneity”, between memory and innovation, opens onto a “temporal depth” that belongs to poetic research and renews the very meaning of building. It is within this tension between the given and the invented that the reflective core of Pamphlet 07 can be discerned
Managing an aging society: in search for the sustainability of the Long-Term Care (LTC) sector
No full textQuesta tesi affronta le sfide urgenti poste dall'invecchiamento della popolazione e dall'aumento dell'aspettativa di vita per i sistemi di assistenza a lungo termine (LTC). Lo studio esplora come i sistemi sanitari e assistenziali possano evolversi per soddisfare la crescente domanda di cure per anziani in un contesto di vincoli fiscali e paradigmi politici in cambiamento. I servizi LTC, in particolare l'assistenza residenziale, sono sottoposti a una crescente pressione finanziaria a causa dell'invecchiamento della popolazione e delle risorse pubbliche limitate. Di conseguenza, la ricerca mappa inizialmente i servizi di assistenza agli anziani disponibili e indaga il potenziale delle innovazioni nei servizi – in particolare la co-produzione e la digitalizzazione – come meccanismi per migliorare la qualità dei servizi di assistenza agli anziani. Successivamente, si concentra sui sistemi residenziali LTC analizzando le strutture organizzative, i finanziamenti e i meccanismi di tariffazione delle strutture residenziali nella regione Friuli Venezia Giulia (FVG). In tal senso, la tesi mira a fare luce su come questi servizi LTC siano organizzati e finanziati e sull'impatto che queste strutture hanno sia sulla sostenibilità economica dell'assistenza sia sull'accessibilità per i residenti. Infine, questa tesi analizza le sfide finanziarie nel settore LTC residenziale, in particolare il disallineamento tra i costi effettivi delle cure e le tariffe applicate ai residenti. Sottolinea la necessità di modelli di tariffazione trasparenti e di una gestione efficiente dei costi per prevenire comportamenti opportunistici, garantire un accesso equo ai servizi essenziali e mantenere la stabilità finanziaria. Inoltre, propone l'introduzione di una tariffa di riferimento standardizzata per garantire che le strutture LTC ricevano rimborsi più allineati ai costi effettivi, contribuendo così alla loro stabilità finanziaria e consentendo loro di mantenere elevati standard di qualità delle cure. In conclusione, attraverso un'analisi completa delle strutture dei costi LTC e delle nuove innovazioni nell’assistenza, la tesi offre preziose intuizioni su strategie sostenibili per l’erogazione dei servizi di assistenza agli anziani.This dissertation addresses the urgent challenges posed by population aging and increased life expectancy for long-term care (LTC) systems. The study explores how health and care systems can evolve to meet the growing demand for elderly care in the context of fiscal constraints and changing policy paradigms. LTC services, particularly residential care, are under mounting financial pressure due to the aging population and limited public resources. Consequently, the research initially maps the elderly care services available and investigates the potential of service innovations – specifically co-production and digitalization – as mechanisms for improving the quality of elderly care services. It then focuses on residential LTC systems by analyzing the organizational structures, funding, and pricing mechanisms of residential facilities in the Friuli Venezia Giulia (FVG) region. In this regard, the dissertation aims to shed light on how these LTC services are organized and funded and on the impact these structures have on both the economic sustainability of care and residents' accessibility. Finally, this thesis examines the financial challenges in the residential LTC sector, particularly the misalignment between the actual costs of care and the fees charged to residents. It emphasizes the need for transparent pricing models and efficient cost management to prevent opportunistic behaviors, ensure equitable access to essential services, and maintain financial stability. Moreover, it proposes the introduction of a standardized benchmark fee to ensure that LTC facilities receive reimbursements more closely aligned with actual costs, thereby supporting their financial stability and enabling them to maintain high standards of care quality. In conclusion, through a comprehensive analysis of LTC cost structures and emerging care innovations, the dissertation offers valuable insights into sustainable strategies for delivering elderly care services
Few-Shot Learning of Medical Coding Systems: A Case Study on Death Certificates with BERT and Mistral
Get PDFIdentifying the Underlying Cause of Death accurately is crucial for effective healthcare policy and planning. The World Health Organization recommends using the ICD-10 system to standardize death certificate coding, a task often supported by semi-automated systems. This paper assesses the effectiveness of BERT and Mistral language models in automating this process, focusing particularly on their handling of varied instance densities per ICD code, ranging from 1 (simulating the introduction of a new code) to 100 (representing well-established codes). Through extensive comparative experiments, we find that the finetuned Mistral model substantially outperforms BERT, especially in scenarios with limited data. Mistral's higher effectiveness, even with limited data from less commonly used codes, highlight its potential to significantly enhance automated coding systems
Francesco Cannizzaro, Sulle orme dell’Iliade. Riflessi dell’eroismo omerico nell’epica di età flavia, (Studi e ricerche del Dipartimento di Lettere e Filosofia, Antichità e Filologia, 1), Firenze, Società Editrice Fiorentina, 2023, pp. 412
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Search for a heavy charged Higgs boson decaying into a W boson and a Higgs boson in final states with leptons and b-jets in s = 13 TeV pp collisions with the ATLAS detector
Get PDFThis article presents a search for a heavy charged Higgs boson produced in association with a top quark and a bottom quark, and decaying into a W boson and a 125 GeV Higgs boson h. The search is performed in final states with one charged lepton, missing transverse momentum, and jets using proton-proton collision data at s = 13 TeV recorded with the ATLAS detector during Run 2 of the LHC at CERN. This data set corresponds to a total integrated luminosity of 140 fb−1. The search is conducted by examining the reconstructed invariant mass distribution of the Wh candidates for evidence of a localised excess in the charged Higgs boson mass range from 250 GeV to 3 TeV. No significant excess of data over the expected background is observed and 95% confidence-level upper limits between 2.8 pb and 1.2 fb are placed on the production cross-section times branching ratio for charged Higgs bosons decaying into Wh
Positive Switching Systems and the Wealth Distribution Problem
No full textThe paper shows how a dynamic model, belonging to the class of positive switching systems, can provide an interesting point of view to the study of the generation and the distribution of wealth in a society. In this model, the evolution of the overall wealth is affected by the way in which individuals share their resources in order to maximize the total income. Different formulations of the corresponding optimal control problem are considered and some general properties are pointed out. Approximated numerical solutions, as well as upper and lower bounds are also investigated. A final section dedicated to an extended numerical analysis yields some qualitative conclusion