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Adaptive minimax-optimal Wasserstein deconvolution with unknown error distributions
No full textWe study the problem of deconvolving an unknown distribution function when the error distribution is ordinary smooth and unknown. Using data from an auxiliary experiment that provides information about the error distribution, we
establish minimax-optimal convergence rates (up to logarithmic factors) with respect to the -Wasserstein metric for a kernel-based distribution function estimator over the full range of H\"older-type classes of densities on . Furthermore, we propose a rate-adaptive, data-driven estimation procedure that automatically selects the optimal bandwidth across -H\"older-type classes of mixing densities for , requiring no prior knowledge of the regularity parameters
Protein delivery to the eye: assessing therapeutic potential across inner and outer retina
Full text linkProtein-based therapeutics represent a promising approach for treating diseases of the retina, yet effective delivery systems and translational models remain limited. We developed a robust ex vivo framework utilizing murine and porcine retinal explants to investigate protein delivery mechanisms for both peripheral and central retinal regions. Using guanylate cyclase-activating protein-1 (GCAP1) as a retina-specific model protein and mCardinal2 as a non-retina-specific control, we demonstrated spontaneous protein internalization and accumulation in photoreceptors and ganglion cells following single-dose administration. In murine explants, myristoylated GCAP1 exhibited sustained retention and appropriate subcellular targeting in rod photoreceptors over 96 h without inducing tissue damage. Porcine explants, which better recapitulate human macular architecture, revealed differential protein trafficking dependent on post-translational modifications. Retinal tissue showed preferential uptake and retention of retina-specific proteins over foreign proteins, suggesting sophisticated protein-specific recognition mechanisms. Liposomal encapsulation enhanced initial uptake of non-retina-specific proteins but did not improve long-term retention. This experimental platform provides a valuable tool for screening protein therapeutics, optimizing delivery formulations, and investigating protein-selective cellular uptake mechanisms, with direct implications for developing treatments for inherited retinal degenerations, age-related macular degeneration, and optic nerve pathologies
Machines Prefer Humans as Literary Authors: Evaluating Authorship Bias in Large Language Models
Full text linkAutomata and artificial intelligence (AI) have long occupied a central place in cultural and artistic imagination, and the recent proliferation of AI-generated artworks has intensified debates about authorship, creativity, and human agency. Empirical studies show that audiences often perceive AI-generated works as less authentic or emotionally resonant than human creations, with authorship attribution strongly shaping esthetic judgments. Yet little attention has been paid to how AI systems themselves evaluate creative authorship. This study investigates how large language models (LLMs) evaluate literary quality under different framings of authorship—Human, AI, or Human+AI collaboration. Using a questionnaire-based experimental design, we prompted four instruction-tuned LLMs (ChatGPT 4, Gemini 2, Gemma 3, and LLaMA 3) to read and assess three short stories in Italian, originally generated by ChatGPT 4 in the narrative style of Roald Dahl. For each story × authorship condition × model combination, we collected 100 questionnaire completions, yielding 3600 responses in total. Across esthetic, literary, and inclusiveness dimensions, the stated authorship systematically conditioned model judgments: identical stories were consistently rated more favorably when framed as human-authored or human–AI co-authored than when labeled as AI-authored, revealing a robust negative bias toward AI authorship. Model-specific analyses further indicate distinctive evaluative profiles and inclusiveness thresholds across proprietary and open-source systems. Our findings extend research on attribution bias into the computational realm, showing that LLM-based evaluations reproduce human-like assumptions about creative agency and literary value. We publicly release all materials to facilitate transparency and future comparative work on AI-mediated literary evaluation
The Rights of the Data Subject
No full textThe chapter critically illustrates the multiple tools, both substantive and remedial in nature, that the European General Data Protection Regulation, in the form of ‘rights of the data subject’, recognises to the user of a digital platform in order to prevent violations of the right to personal data protection or react to them, in increasingly proactive terms
Diversity and performance in healthcare: A systematic review of the evidence base
No full textBackground: Diversity in the healthcare sector has been put forward as a key factor for
improving organizational performance; however, the evidence based on this assumed
positive impact is still fragmented.
Purpose: Adopting a narrative and critical approach, this systematic review
investigated the relationship between surface and deep-level diversity and
performance in the healthcare sector. Performance is categorized into two main
dimensions: relational performance, arising from interactions between groups of
individuals within organizations, and organizational performance, which refers to
outcomes related to the overall organizational activity.
Methods: This systematic review focused on scientific papers published in English in
international peer-reviewed journals, retrieved from the ISI Web of Science citation and
search database. Additionally, citation snowballing was employed to identify further
relevant studies. A total of 58 papers were identified as meeting the research criteria.
Results: The analysis of the 58 selected studies indicates that at the organizational
level, diversity has a generally positive effect on performance. At the team level,
however, diversity is frequently linked with mixed or negative relational performance
outcomes. Undesired consequences of diversity specifically relate to the emergence of
homogeneous subgroups, so-called faultlines, in groups of individuals, ultimately
leading to a negative impact on relational and organizational performance. At the board
level, where the extant literature has mainly focused on gender diversity, increasing
female representation appears to yield positive effects, except when it is already
comparatively high.
Practice Implications: Policymakers and practitioners should recognize both the
benefits and challenges of diversity in healthcare. While diversity is essential in such a
complex sector, it may produce unintended negative consequences, particularly when
diversity is at high levels or faultlines emerge. This highlights the importance of
effective management strategies and human resource policies to optimize its impact
Digital psychosocial tools and interventions for supporting informal caregivers of people with multiple sclerosis: a systematic review
Full text linkObjective: Caring for a person affected by a neurodegenerative disease like multiple sclerosis (MS), which begins in early adulthood and leads to premature disability, can be perceived as a very challenging task. Patients' informal caregivers (ICs), play a crucial role in assisting people with MS, but frequently may experience burden and emotional distress. This systematic review aims to analyze digital tools promoting psychosocial wellbeing and resources in ICs of people with MS, focusing on intervention, ICs and MS characteristics, and outcomes such as effectiveness, and feasibility. Methods: A systematic literature search was conducted across four databases, covering studies published from January 2000 to May 2024 to identify psychosocial interventions dedicated to ICs delivered through digital technology. The Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool (MMAT) was used to assess the quality of the studies included. Extracted results were synthesized and presented in a narrative text and a structured tabulation. Results: Starting from 2749 records, a total of 8 studies met the inclusion criteria with half conducted as RCTs. Most of the interventions focused only on ICs, aiming to improve quality of life and reduce emotional burden. Web-based, mobile-health and most commonly tele-consulting modalities were used to deliver the interventions, generally showing signal of efficacy in improve psychological and performance parameters. Conclusions: The diverse range of interventions offer flexibility and accessibility and appear to be promising solutions in addressing the diverse needs of ICs. However, the studies are few, recent, and varied, complicating synthesis and generalization and further research is necessary to strengthen evidence and optimize intervention strategies
Effect on insulin clearance of different pharmacological treatments in women with polycystic ovary syndrome: a hypothesis-generative study
No full textPurpose: Impaired insulin clearance has been found in women with PCOS and contribute to generate hyperinsulinemia in these subjects. However, the mechanisms underlying this phenomenon remain unknown. The aim of this retrospective study was to explore if the heterogeneous treatments used in these patients to counteract their hormonal and metabolic alterations can also affect insulin clearance. Methods: Forty-seven women with PCOS were included in the study. They belonged to different experimental groups, submitted to treatments with the following drugs: GnRH-agonist (buserelin, n = 10), antiandrogens (spironolactone, n = 9), metformin (n = 18), or placebo (n = 10). Metabolic clearance rate of insulin (MCRI) and insulin sensitivity were measured by the hyperinsulinemic euglycemic clamp, performed before and after treatment. Insulin secretion was estimated by the HOMA β-index. Results: Treatments were associated, as expected, with different clinical effects. In ANOVA analysis, changes in MCRI significantly differed between treatment groups. In particular, metformin increased MCRI as compared with other treatments or placebo. Mediation analysis showed that about 25% of this effect of metformin was mediated by the concurrent BMI change, whereas it was not influenced by changes in peripheral insulin sensitivity or insulin secretion. Conclusion: The impairment of MCRI, which contributes to the hyperinsulinemia typical of PCOS, significantly improved after treatment with metformin. This effect was only partially explained by the reduction of BMI, whereas changes in insulin sensitivity did not show a mediation effect in this phenomenon, suggesting that other metformin-induced mechanisms are involved
Le clausole vessatorie a trentadue anni dalla direttiva 93/13/CEE
No full textIl contributo propone un bilancio dell'attuazione ed interpretazione della direttiva 93/13/CEE in materia di clausole abusive nei contratti con i consumatori a 32 anni dalla sua entrata in vigore, concentrandosi, in particolare, sullo straordinario e per molti aspetti dirompente rilievo che essa ha avuto nella giurisprudenza della Corte di Giustizia UE, che su di essa ha fondato le basi per la costruzione del nucleo costitutivo minimo di un vero e proprio diritto europeo armonizzato dei contratti. Insieme a molte luci, questo percorso evolutivo non ha mancato, tuttavia, di sollevare perplessità quanto alla sua unilaterale e per alcuni autori finanche soverchia protezione del consumatore, che ha portato a parlare di un ruolo "creativo" della giurisprudenza, con sviluppi di portata anche eccedente rispetto all'importanza della singola direttiva, tutti parimenti indagati nel contributo
Senza destinatario. Tempo della scrittura e tempo delle immagini in Pier Paolo Pasolini
Full text linkLa ricerca indaga il paradosso di un'opera popolare senza destinatario nell'opera di Pier Paolo Pasolini a partire dalla metà degli anni Sessanta. Con la crisi del nazionale-popolare gramsciano determinata dalla trasformazione antropologica del neocapitalismo, Pasolini elabora una nuova concezione dell'opera che non rinuncia alla popolarità ma la ridefinisce radicalmente. Attraverso l'analisi della categoria della "esigenza" (da Benjamin e Agamben), della temporalità linguistica del futuro anteriore e della tecnica della sceneggiatura come paradigma teorico, la tesi dimostra che il destinatario popolare diventa una realtà linguistica performativa piuttosto che sociologica. Le "minoranze alleate" si configurano come stati comunicativi caratterizzati da irriconoscibilità e inadeguatezza, definiti attraverso pratiche stilistiche (barbarie, scrittura queer, abiura, profezia, integrazione figurale, psicagogia) piuttosto che identità programmatiche. Il terzo capitolo, attraverso l'analisi di opere paradigmatiche (La ricotta, Bestemmia, Appunti per un'Orestiade africana, La rabbia, I Godoari), mostra l'evoluzione dall'apostrofe all'eco, dalla rappresentazione del sottoproletariato alla sua impossibilità, dal successo immediato alla fama postuma. La popolarità si configura così come categoria temporale ed epistemica prima che sociologica: è popolare ciò che resiste al consumo permanendo "struggente / di", ciò che conserva l'intollerabile oltre ogni destinatario determinato, trasformando la solitudine in forma estrema di alleanza
Introduction to Legal Perspectives for a Sustainable Circular Economy
Full text linkThe paradigm shift towards a Sustainable Circular Economy (SCE) is at the core of the EU policy agenda, aiming at revolutionizing the whole economic productive model that characterizes our contemporary society. The main features of this new paradigm, which is intended to tackle the environmental (and indeed systemic) cri- sis that affects our age and jeopardizes our future, have been for some time at the heart of the debate, so that such features can be considered as already well known. In essence, SCE can be appreciated in its challenging the socio-economic ‘linear’ model of ‘take-make-dispose’—or, from a specular perspective, ‘buy-use-toss’—in favour of a new ‘circular’ one that lies on reuse, repair and recycle. Actually, the legal system cannot resort to old schemes if it wants to respond properly to new challenges. In order to achieve effectively the indicated objectives of progress, it is decisive that also the legal dimension of a Sustainable Circular Economy, and so the regulation of the market and the society on which it impacts, is designed consistently with an innovative approach. That is why this research intends to promote a general reconceptualization of existing legal configurations, exploring new perspectives to strengthen the role of individuals in the socio-economic system, as aware ‘human’ beings that, as such, take care of the world they live in