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The new religious minorities and italian ecclesiastical policy: doctrinal proposals facing a silent legislator
No full textLe conseguenze di un pluralismo confessionale sempre più variegato impongono di ritornare sulla questione definitoria relativa al concetto giuridico di confessione religiosa che a lungo ha impegnato la dottrina e la giurisprudenza italiane. Tale snodo è tornato infatti di scottante attualità con la diffusione di un rilevante numero di nuovi movimenti religiosi (o presunti tali) che pretendono di godere delle medesime garanzie che il nostro ordinamento ricollega alle confessioni religiose già istituzionalizzate. La tesi si prefigge lo scopo di indagare gli orientamenti della letteratura stratificatasi sull’argomento e gli indirizzi delle corti superiori del nostro Paese, tentando di individuare consonanze e divergenze e altresì rimarcando la pericolosità di una rigida tipizzazione relativa alla nozione di “confessione religiosa”. Per far fronte all’alto tasso di complessità del tema, si è ritenuto opportuno sondare la politica ecclesiastica di Paesi a noi contigui per tradizione giuridica, allo scopo di segnalare possibili soluzioni funzionali a un governo pluralista e inclusivo del fenomeno religioso associato di minoranza. Da ultimo, si è evidenziata per un verso la potenzialità insita nell’istituto dell’intesa ex art. 8, co. 3. Cost., per l’altro la necessità di revisione dell’attuale sistema di riconoscimento dei collettivi religiosi, attualmente regolato dalla disciplina del 1929/1930. In quest’ultimo senso, si sono analizzate le proposte di revisione dell’attuale status quo normativo, concertandosi in particolare sui progetti di derivazione dottrinale recentemente elaborati.The consequences of an increasingly varied confessional pluralism make it necessary to return to the question concerning the legal concept of religious confession, which has long engaged Italian doctrine and jurisprudence. In fact, this issue has come back to the forefront with the spread of a significant number of new religious movements (or allegedly so) that claim to enjoy the same guarantees that our legal system attaches to already institutionalised religious confessions. The aim of this thesis is to investigate the orientations of the stratified literature on the subject and the guidelines of the higher courts in our country, attempting to identify consonances and divergences and also highlighting the danger of a rigid typification of the notion of 'religious confession'. In order to cope with the high level of complexity of the subject, it was deemed opportune to sound out the ecclesiastical policies of countries adjacent to us in terms of juridical tradition, in order to point out possible solutions functional to a pluralist and inclusive government of the associated minority religious phenomenon. Lastly, on the one hand the potential inherent in the institution of the agreement pursuant to Article 8, paragraph 3. Const., and on the other hand the need to revise the current system of recognition of religious collectives, currently regulated by the 1929/1930 regulations. In the latter sense, the proposals to revise the current status were analysed
Linguistic diversity in Lebanese graphic narratives by Samandal authors
No full textThe present study aims to explore linguistic diversity within a corpus of contemporary Lebanese graphic narratives. In particular, it focuses on the works of five authors, Jana Traboulsi, Barrack Rima, Lena Merhej, Omar Khouri, and Mazen Kerbaj, who are or were members of the Samandal collective, founded in Beirut in 2007 in the aftermath of the 2006 war with Israel. Linguistic diversity is investigated from a sociolinguistic perspective starting with the authors’ language choices, who mix standard Arabic, vernacular Arabic, English, and French in their works. The goal is to analyze what these linguistic choices convey in the interaction with the image and text and shed light on the variables that impacted them. Linguistic diversity is also examined from the authors’ linguistic choices in some of their self-translations from Arabic into English/French or vice versa from English/French into Arabic through a comparison of the two versions. The textual and qualitative analysis of the corpus is supplemented with semi-structured interviews with the five authors. The study shows that linguistic diversity within the works examined may depend on variables such as narrative strategies, identity claims, language attitude, author’s membership in Samandal, and target audience, and contributes to a polyphony of voices and narratives that go from individual to collective and resist dominant discourses, claiming their independence
Intelligent sensor systems for automotive applications
No full textThe growing market of high performance electric vehicles requires the development of compact electric motors able to deliver high torque and power with maximum efficiency. Performance, as well as the reliability, are two key parameters for a manufacturer. The monitoring of permanent magnet temperature and bearing health monitoring are among the most relevant technical aspects. In the first part of this thesis the state of the art analysis has been described, highlighting the technical difficulties of temperature measurement on the rotor of a high performance electric motor with high rotational speed. The collaboration between the HPE Group and the University of Bologna allowed the realization of four prototypes that have demonstrated the feasibility of the permanent magnet temperature monitoring with a contact type sensor at high rotational speed. The development, manufacturing and test of these prototypes has been illustrated together with the advantages and drawbacks analysis for each solution. The flow of the development has been focused on a progressive evolution towards solving the main problems that prevent this type of acquisition system from accessing the mass market. In particular, the two main issues to be solved are the cost and the invasiveness. The hardware evolutions achieved made it possible to obtain a final prototype that has the potential to be produced on a large scale. In addition, the solutions developed are also an important contribution to the existing scientific work, especially for what concerns the work on non-invasiveness and reliability at high rotational speeds. Finally, there is a brief description of a tailor made PCB solution for bearing monitoring through the vibration analysis. The developed prototype has been installed on a real high performance electric motor. Furthermore a dedicated test bench, capable of emulating some of the main causes of bearing failures in electric motors, has been presented
Evaluation of membrane receptor stability in response to cytokine and growth factor stimulation: implications for DNA damage in colorectal cancer.
No full textIn recent years, there have been several attempts to classify colorectal cancer (CRC) into well-defined molecular subgroups that reflect the inherent heterogeneity between patients. Consensus molecular subtypes (CMS) classification successfully achieves this purpose and provides an important tool for personalized medicine. We previously identified an inverse association between high levels of anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) expression and relapse-free survival, only in the CMS1 subtype, confirmed by a wide array of in vitro and in vivo assays. To support the hypothesis of ALK having a strong implication in CRC patients, we overexpressed the ALK receptor in a normal human colon epithelial cell line (NCM460). ALK overexpression was confirmed both in 2D and in 3D spheroid models. The role of ALK pathway was then investigated by examining its effects on proliferation, survival, migration, and invasion through various 2D and 3D in vitro assays. Immunohistochemistry analysis revealed an increase in the proliferation marker Ki67, and a decrease in the E-cadherin (E-CAD) and a deacrease in the vimentin (VIM) expression in ALK-overexpressing spheroids compared to the control ones, suggesting a correlation with tumor metastasis, progression, and invasion. Moreover, we identified a strong correlation between a high level of expression of ALK and the downregulation of MSH2, PMS2, and MLH1, the main components of the DNA Mismatch Repair (MMR) system whose downregulation is associated with microsatellite instability, typically found in CMS1 patients. Overall, these results suggest that ALK overexpression itself is sufficient to induce aggressive features in normal colonocytes, further supporting the hypothesis that ALK may be an attractive target for CMS1 colorectal cancer therapy
Innovating for sustainable and inclusive healthcare waste management: methods, technologies, and behavioural strategies
No full textHealthcare Waste Management (HCWM) is a critical intersection of environmental, economic, and social sustainability, presenting significant challenges heightened by the COVID-19 pandemic and the global increase in healthcare services. While advancements have addressed HCWM's environmental and economic dimensions, its social implications and the integration of innovative solutions remain underexplored. This thesis investigates sustainable and inclusive approaches to HCWM, emphasizing methodological advancements, technological innovations, and behavioural strategies to address existing gaps. The first part of this research evaluates the limitations of social assessments in HCWM through a scoping review guided by Social Life Cycle Assessment (SLCA). Findings reveal uneven representation of critical social subcategories and highlight the need for frameworks that incorporate complementary methodologies and engage diverse stakeholders. The second part examines behavioural barriers to efficient waste management at UZ Leuven, Belgium. By introducing a digital nudging framework, the study explores how behavioural interventions can reduce sorting errors and operational inefficiencies in high-pressure healthcare environments. The third part investigates the potential of Frictional Heat Treatment (FHT), an innovative technology for managing Infectious Healthcare Waste. Using the CVORR framework, the research highlights FHT’s role in promoting sustainability, aligning with circular economy principles, and reducing reliance on traditional practices like incineration. Overall, this thesis provides actionable recommendations for healthcare facilities, policymakers, and waste management stakeholders to foster safer, more sustainable, and socially equitable HCWM practices
Optimization of data collection and analysis methods to reduce the impact of oil and gas industry upstream activities on the environment: a focus on SCOPE 1 emissions
No full textAs the oil and gas industry faces growing pressure to mitigate its climate impact, this thesis develops a robust, data-driven framework to estimate direct (Scope 1) greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from upstream treatment plants. The study leverages administrative datasets that require significant preprocessing to extract meaningful insights into key emission sources. Fuel gas consumption, identified as the dominant contributor to emissions, served as the primary modeling focus due to its critical importance and the availability of detailed data. To account for heterogeneity across treatment facilities, unsupervised clustering techniques—particularly a random forest algorithm—were applied, resulting in the identification of four distinct operational groups. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) was used to address issues arising from highly correlated variables, improving interpretability and model accuracy. These clusters informed a split-panel regression approach, enabling the development of models tailored to specific operational behaviors. Model robustness was assessed using diagnostics such as Cook’s distance and hierarchical bootstrapping, ensuring adaptability to newly introduced treatment plants while maintaining internal homogeneity within clusters. Following the successful validation of fuel gas models, the study expanded to include other emission sources, such as flaring and venting. To quantify uncertainty and prioritize key variables, a Global Sensitivity Analysis (GSA) was conducted. This method allowed for the systematic evaluation of input variability under both uncorrelated and correlated assumptions, using a two-step procedure. The approach produced comprehensive emission estimates and associated uncertainty ranges for selected treatment plants. By integrating clustering, regression, and sensitivity analysis, the thesis offers a versatile and scalable methodology for estimating upstream GHG emissions. This framework supports ongoing monitoring and provides a foundation for future regulatory reporting, scenario planning, and emission-reduction strategies across diverse operational settings in the oil and gas sector
Preventive measures for the protection of economic public order: the case of the Bologna Court
No full textLa tesi ha ad oggetto le misure di prevenzione patrimoniali. Il proposito è coniugare un’esposizione di taglio teorico su una materia da sempre controversa con un approfondimento di taglio empirico sull’applicazione delle misure preventive nella realtà giudiziaria. La tesi si divide pertanto in due parti. La prima intende illustrare il sistema della prevenzione patrimoniale delineato dal c.d. codice antimafia trattando il sequestro e la confisca di prevenzione (c.d. prevenzione ablatoria), le interdittive antimafia (c.d. prevenzione interdittiva), il controllo giudiziario e le nuove misure amministrative di prevenzione (c.d. prevenzione collaborativa). Una volta ricostruite le coordinate della materia, nella seconda parte si volge lo sguardo alla prassi e si osserva più da vicino come si realizzi in concreto il sistema di prevenzione patrimoniale. Lo studio riguarda tutti i provvedimenti di prevenzione patrimoniale emessi dal Tribunale Ordinario di Bologna tra il 2019 e il 2023. In particolare costituiscono oggetto di analisi le decisioni in materia di confisca ex art. 24 cod. ant., amministrazione giudiziaria ex art. 34 cod. ant. e controllo giudiziario ex art. 34-bis cod. ant. pronunciate dal Tribunale di Bologna nel quinquennio citato. L’analisi empirica è suddivisa in due parti: una quantitativa e una qualitativa. Nella prima si formulano degli indicatori tramite i quali classificare le misure raccolte. Dalla classificazione delle misure si traggono alcuni dati statistici sulla prassi bolognese della prevenzione patrimoniale. All’esito si svolgono delle osservazioni generali sui risultati affiorati, con l’avvertenza che si tratta di un campione inevitabilmente limitato dal punto di vista geografico e soprattutto cronologico. Nella seconda parte, invece, si svolge una disamina della casistica riguardante le principali forme di criminalità emerse nei provvedimenti. Si illustrano in particolare alcune delle decisioni che hanno ad oggetto forme di delinquenza maggiormente frequenti nel quinquennio di riferimento e che al contempo affrontano tematiche d’interesse ai fini del lavoro.The thesis examines the system of asset-based preventive measures provided for in the Italian Anti-Mafia Code. The aim is to combine a theoretical overview of a long-debated subject with an empirical investigation of how preventive measures are applied in judicial practice, particularly focusing on the orders issued by the Tribunal of Bologna between 2019 and 2023
Sustainable biohydrogen production coupled with CO2 capture: the BiH2 biorefinery approach
No full textThe global transition toward a low-carbon economy demands innovative strategies that simultaneously address energy production, resource efficiency, and agricultural sustainability. This doctoral research explores the development and application of the BiH₂ technology, an integrated biorefinery platform designed to couple sustainable biohydrogen production with carbon dioxide capture and valorization into high-value co-products. The BiH₂ process is structured into two synergistic phases: (1) dark fermentation using Clostridium beijerinckii DSM 34075, which generates biological hydrogen and valuable co-products such as the fermentation broth (BEFB) enriched with peptides, organic acids, and mineral nutrients; and (2) acetogenic fermentation, which biologically converts CO₂ into additional organic acids through the Wood–Ljungdahl pathway, thereby enhancing carbon efficiency. This dual approach exemplifies a circular bioeconomy framework by transforming both organic substrates and gaseous emissions into renewable energy and value-added compounds. A major focus of this research was the characterization and agronomic evaluation of BiH₂-B, a cell-free biostimulant derived from Phase 1 of the process. Comprehensive chemical analyses confirmed the presence of bioactive molecules and essential nutrients without detectable contaminants. Field trials in apple orchards demonstrated improved fruit weight, dry matter content, and delayed ripening, while controlled chamber experiments revealed that BiH₂-B significantly enhanced stress tolerance in tomato and pepper crops. Specifically, applications at moderate doses (12–15 L ha⁻¹) improved chlorophyll content, biomass accumulation, and reduced tissue damage under cold stress conditions, without phytotoxic effects. The results demonstrate that BiH₂ technology not only provides a sustainable pathway for hydrogen production but also delivers multifunctional agricultural inputs that can mitigate climate-induced abiotic stresses and reduce reliance on chemical fertilizers. This research contributes to bridging renewable energy systems with climate-smart agriculture, positioning the BiH₂ platform as a transformative model for future bioeconomy strategies
Design and optimization of biocompatible thermoplastic elastomers to compound for the manufacturing of medical devices
No full textIn the last century, plastics changed habits, quality of life and industry. In biomedical sector, the introduction of low-cost and safe for human’s health polymers with a large range of mechanical and chemical properties, gave the possibility to create new biomedical devices. Single-use devices have seen a rapid evolution, from glass-based to thermoset and thermoplastic. Today Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC) represent around 15.2% of the medical plastics market. Unfortunately, PVC compounds have several defects, such as need of different additives to tune the mechanical properties, concern about human health, unsuitable for some specific applications and interaction of PVC with drugs.
To overcome this problems, new thermoplastic compounds and blends have been developed to replace PVC compounds, such as thermoplastic elastomers (TPE). The industrial research focused mainly to TPEs and TPO due to their low cost, wide range of both mechanical and chemical properties, and biocompatibility, being in every case a trade-off between desired properties and drawbacks. For example TPEs and TPO cannot be sterilized by steam or autoclave methods, SEBS cannot be glued with Cyclohexanone solvent, TPEs are difficult to print with injection molding, TPO tend to stick in the molds and have low crystallization The developed compounds need also to be transparent, no colored and weldable with radiofrequency welding technique. The present research work focused on the production of new TPE compounds characterized by low hardness, good elongation at break, adequate thermal resistance, good transparency, biocompatibility, and capability to be manufactured with most used technics in biomedical field, in order to replace PVC compounds. Various TPE matrices were considered, and the best ones modified with additives of various nature. All developed compounds have been characterized from optical, thermal and mechanical point of view. Further analyses have been conducted and processing parameters were investigated, to achieve the scale-up of production
Developing innovative bioplastic formulations for advanced applications by using biomass-derived additives
No full textThe transition towards a circular plastic economy needs new strategies for the development of plastic materials that completely fulfil the requirements of sustainability. Bio-based plastics offer multiple advantages in terms of potential replacement of traditional plastics, but their actual renewable carbon content is frequently much lower than expected due to the presence of non-renewable additives.
This doctoral research aimed to address this demand by testing biomass-derived additives for biopolymers like polyhydroxybutyrate-co-valerate (PHBV), polylactide (PLA), and chitosan, to develop new fully bio-based plastics for advanced applications. Different bio-additives were tested, starting from wood-waste-derived tannins. These polyphenols were used both to develop PHBV-based films with potential application in smart food packaging and to prepare chitosan-based hydrogels for active wound healing. When combined with PHBV, tannins improved its antioxidant, antimicrobial, UV-blocking, and gas barrier properties, also introducing a unique ammonia-responsive color change, useful as a spoilage indicator for food. When combined with chitosan, tannins acted as crosslinkers to obtain stable hydrogels, with excellent swelling, mechanical, and adhesive properties, strong antioxidant effects, and UV-blocking abilities, revealing potential in enhancing wound healing. Subsequent research focused on other phytochemicals, particularly the flavonoid quercetin and the alkaloid berberine. PLA-based food packaging films aimed at enhancing the storage of highly perishable foods like blueberries were characterized, revealing the flavonoid superior performance. Further research has then focused on testing a fully bio-based plasticizer, obtained from a solvent-free esterification of glycerol and triphenylacetic acid, to mitigate PLA’s limiting properties and substitute fossil-based polymers for food packaging. After detailed characterization, real-food experiments with fresh pears showed its positive impact in extending food shelf-life, with comparable performance to polyethylene-based commercial packaging. These findings demonstrated that bio-derived additives can effectively be employed in a circular economy, enhancing biopolymers for various applications and supporting the shift from conventional plastics to bioplastics