Health-related outcomes of educational mismatch: evidence from the Russian Federation

This PhD Dissertation aims at contributing to the existing literature on health outcomes of educational mismatch and contains a set of studies which raise the question whether different types of educational mismatch affect objective and subjective measures of health and adverse health behaviors represented by drinking habits. The analysis is applied to the context a LMIC country - the Russian Federation - and conducted on the basis of the Russia Longitudinal Monitoring Survey (RLMS-HSE). The first Chapter of this Dissertation investigates the impact of the vertical type of educational mismatch – overeducation and undereducation - on hypertension and self-reported health of the Russian labour force. The second Chapter considers the impact of overeducation and undereducation on the physical and psychological components of general health, proxied by pain and anxiety (EQ-5D metrics) and the health-related reporting styles of the Russian employees. Finally, the third Chapter investigates the impact of different types of educational mismatch - overeducation, undereducation and horizontal (field-of-study) mismatch - on alcohol use and alcohol consumption in Russia, along with defining potential channels for transmission of this effect by means of conducting a mediator analysis. Overall, the results of the studies included in this Dissertation provide evidence that educational mismatch affects the health outcomes, health-related reporting styles and drinking behaviors of the Russian employees. However, the direction and the magnitude of these effects are gender-specific and vary with the types of educational mismatch considered

Mortars: a complex material in cultural heritage. A multi-analytical procedure to characterize historical mortars.

This thesis deals with the identification of mortars composition in a cultural and historical context. In detail, the main concern was to collect information for proposing an analytical procedure able to define the mortar typology, balancing advantages, drawbacks, time and costs. In addition, several new techniques have been recently introduced in conservation science and the aim of this research is also to consider these new competences too. To understand the interactions between components of mortars, in Chapter 1 a general overview of the subject is given with a description of the materials and of the historical background, based on the review of the large bibliography taken into account. In Chapter 2 the methods used for the preparation of the model samples and the final composition are explained. Moreover, the analytical techniques used in this research (optical microscopy and petrographic analysis, powder X-ray diffraction, infrared spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, environmental scanning electron microscopy, thermal analysis, mercury intrusion porosimetry and computed tomography) are described, specifying the setting of the instruments. In Chapter 3 the results of the characterization of the raw materials and of the model samples are shown, the most meaningful results are shown for each technique. The discussion of the experimental data is presented in Chapter 4, and some analytical protocols are proposed, described and explained. In the last chapter, Chapter 5, the conclusions and the future development of this research are underlined

Cryoablation of para-Hisian and mid-septal accessory pathways: long-term outcome of a specific cryoablation protocol

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Circulating cell-free DNA: a powerful biomarker for tumor management and a possible monitor tool in other pathological conditions.

‘Liquid biopsy’, i.e. the analysis of cfDNA in blood or body fluids, can give a live, ‘total’ image representing the entire heterogeneity of the system. The application of high throughput analytical procedures, such NGS or ddPCR, are necessary to obtain reliable data on such a small amount of starting material. Only few applications have achieved a clinical validation, due to the great variability in preanalytical procedures. In our work we evaluated cfDNA with three different aims. • Presence of mutation in a panel of 16 genes of the HR pathway in genomic and cfDNA in patients affected by breast cancer. We observed mutations in 3 out of 6 samples; in one case variant fraction in cfDNA was higer than in genomic DNA, probably due to limited ability to detect clonal heterogeneity in tissue. • Monitoring tool for determining septic risk in patients undergoing dialysis. We detected in a sample, in accordance with the emoculture, a Staphylococcus strain together with Propionibacterium and Streptococcus strains. The detection of Burkholderia multivorans in another sample raised the possibility to identify those bacteria that take more than the canonical 5 days of emoculture to growth, or that completely do not grow in emoculture conditions. • Detection of donor-derived cfDNA in transplanted patients. We identified more than 50% of donor derived polymorphisms just after reperfusion, falling down to 10% one day after surgery and then disappearing. The possibility to cross our data with clinical parameters will help us to better describe the pertinence of our results to the effective status of patients. In all the three settings, we are collecting other samples to have a broader amount of data that will allow us to perform statistical analysis to effectively validate our procedures

Structural, thermal and functional characterization of metal-organic frameworks containing poly(pyrazolates)-based ligands for carbon dioxide adsorption

The dissertation proposes a comprehensive and systematic study of five new families of bis(pyrazolate) metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) for post-combustion CO2 capture and sequestration (CCS). Chapter I introduces the reader to the renowned problem of global warming, with a special focus on the role of CO2 and the different technologies for post-combustion CCS. MOFs state of the art in CO2 adsorption and the essential properties they should possess to be efficient in this application conclude the Chapter. Chapter II, after an overview on the use of pyrazolate-based MOFs, collects the syntheses of the studied compounds. The structural and thermal characterizations are reported in Chapter III. Chapter IV discusses the textural and adsorption properties, focusing on the influence of the different ligand functionalization. A comparison between the studied MOFs and the literature ones is then reported. Finally, starting from the most performing bis(pyrazolates) in terms of CO2 capacity and affinity, a series of mixed-ligand MOFs (MIXMOFs) is presented to further elucidate the role of linker functionalization in CO2 adsorption. MIXMOFs syntheses and full solid-state characterization are collected in Chapter V together with their CO2 adsorption capacity, affinity and selectivity. MIXMOFs performances are then compared to those of state-of-the-art materials developed for CO2 capture

Parkinson’s disease and mitochondrial disfunctions: exploring the effect of PARK2 mutations in human skin fibroblasts

Parkinson’s disease is a complex and multifactorial neurodegenerative disease whose etiology has not been totally clarified yet. Strong evidences suggest that a complex interplay between environmental and genetic factors are involved in PD pathogenesis. Many of the molecular pathways implicated in PD etiology converge on mitochondria, resulting in their dysfunction. Mutations in PARK2 gene are the most frequent cause of familial forms of PD. This gene encodes Parkin, an E3 ubiquitin ligase involved in the mitophagy process. Parkin loss-of-function is responsible for the cellular accumulation of damaged mitochondria. Given the importance of mitochondrial dysfunctions and mitophagy impairment in PD pathogenesis, PARK2-mutated primary skin fibroblasts were used as a cellular model to explore the effects of PARK2 mutations both on the mitochondrial function and morphology and on the total and mitochondrial proteome. The first part of this thesis investigates the impact of Parkin impairment on mitochondrial function and network in primary skin fibroblasts of five PARK2 patients and five control subjects. The second part of this project is focused on the characterization of the mitochondrial and the total proteome alterations that characterize patients carrying PARK2 mutations. In conclusion, the present work highlighted new molecular factors and pathways altered by PARK2 mutations, which will unravel possible biochemical pathways altered in the sporadic form of the disease. The Peptide Transporters of teleost fish, an emerging model in translational research: functional characterization and comparative study of SLC15A1a (PepT1a) and SLC15A1b (PepT1b) transporters

Universae Gothorum gentes Romano sese imperio dediderunt. Profili dei rapporti romano-gotici nel IV sec. d.C.

The paper analyzes the particularly problematic political, juridical-legislative and cultural situation of the period between 350 A.D. and 410 AD about, coinciding with the great migrations of the barbarian populations (especially the Gothic ones) within the borders of the Roman Empire and placing as a thematic and temporal center of gravity, the Foedus Gothicum of 382 A.D. In this context, the scientific target pursued is to identify and distinguish, if it’s possible, which legislative provisions and which literary works, produced in conjunction with the aforementioned migrations of peoples, were in causal, direct or indirect relationship, with the same relocations; which imperial constitutions were the expression of the legislative, pro-barbaric or anti-barbaric, policy of the imperial chancelleries (especially under Valente, Theodosius and his direct successors) and which coeval philosophical-literary works, on the other hand, showed the social and cultural perception of this situation and of the consequent imperial Gothic politics

Characteristics and processes of SMEs internationalization: from opportunities and constraints towards the development of strategic networks

The current thesis aims to provide a comprehensive outlook on the small and medium-sized enterprises’ (SMEs) internationalization-related phenomena, by advancing a gradual approach, setting the state-of-the-art as a building block and then passing to the in-depth analysis of underlying issues through articulate empirical studies. In line with this overall approach, the three chapters composing the thesis address three main research objectives: RO1. to identify and discuss the opportunities and constrains apposite for SMEs internationalization process, laying emphasis on the EU context; RO2. to investigate in-depth the influence of the managerial mindset (i.e., the global mindset versus the psychic distance) on the international business performance of SMEs; RO3. to fathom the relational design and methodology of knowledge sharing within SMEs strategic networks as a prerequisite of innovative performance. Accordingly, Chapter 1 theoretically investigates the opportunities and vulnerabilities apposite for SMEs, insisting on the internationalization conditions, and then empirically exploring the European initiatives meant to support them. Chapter 2 discusses two different facets of the internationalization strategies of SMEs, that is, the roles of psychic distance and global mindset within managerial dyadic collaborations. Chapter 3 approaches the affiliation of SMEs to strategic networks which have emerged as a fruitful path towards knowledge sharing with a view to enhance their innovative performance

Assessing bioaccumulation of chemicals in lacustrine food webs

In Italy, subalpine lakes provide fundamental ecosystem services; they support commercial and recreational fishing activities, they are important tourist destinations and they are intensively exploited for water supply in agriculture, industry and for drinking purposes. In aquatic environment, DDTs and PCBs, perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) and mercury are ubiquitous contaminants, persistent and bioaccumulative. The main aim of this Ph.D. study is to highlight the dynamics of redistribution of these selected chemicals with different physico-chemical properties in trophic webs of four major Italian southern alpine deep lakes (Lake Maggiore, Lake Como, Lake Iseo, Lake Garda) and a smaller one (Lake Mergozzo). Specifically, stable isotope analysis of carbon and nitrogen and trophic magnification factor were used, respectively, for the description of the trophic interactions to elucidate chemicals behaviour in biota and to model the biomagnification in food web. In conclusion, notwithstanding the normative restrictions, DDTs, PCBs, PFOS and Hg still reached quantifiable concentrations in biota of the studied lakes. The analysis of trophic webs revealed that feeding relationships are not fixed and stable over time but they are probably ruled by the availability of resources. DDTs, PCBs and Hg biomagnify, as described in literature, confirming that sampling and analysis were correct; on the contrary, biomagnification for PFOS was not well characterised and further studies should be carried out. Future researches should fill the gap of knowledge of contamination in Lake Garda and Lake Iseo that were not deeply investigated due to time schedule

Current perspective on the pathogenesis, predictive features and treatment of Graves’ disease

Graves’ disease is the most common cause of hyperthyroidism in iodine-sufficient areas. Recognized that the ultimate cause of the disease is the production of autoantibodies directed to TSH-receptor, a great deal remains to be discovered on its pathogenesis. Nonetheless, due to the high risk of relapse, the identification of tailored treatment strategy, contemplating both the severity of the disease and the risk of relapse, is mandatory. Answering these queries, we firstly performed an observational, longitudinal study, involving the University of Pavia, to evaluate the current clinical features of newly diagnosed Graves’ disease patients. An innovative score (Clinical Severity Score) to assess the overall disease severity was developed by grading each component of the Merseburg triad. The predictivity of this score for the risk of persistence/relapsing of the disease was studied. Meantime, comparing newly diagnosed Graves’ disease patients to controls we speculated on a possible role of micronutrients (selenium and vitamin D) into disease pathogenesis and severity. More into-depht approaches on the role of natural killer cells and regulatory T cells in the pathogenesis of the disease were then used. Finally, we developed a randomized clinical trial to test whether the association of the supplementation with vitamin D and selenium to the standard therapy with thionamide would provide a more efficient treatment strategy. The protocol has been regularly registered (EUDRACT number 2017-00505011) and approved by the local Ethical Committee and by Agenzia Italiana del Farmaco (AIFA)