The sovereign debt crisis: the impact on the intermediation model of Italian banks

The aim of the contribute is to analyze the impact of the financial crisis, in particular since the start of the sovereign debt phase, on Italian banks and their intermediation model. Italian banks\u2019 specific business model explains why they suffered less than those of other countries during the first phase of the crisis, requiring one of the lowest levels of public facilities in the EC as compared to GDP. Most of these same characteristics have changed from positive to negative factors since the sovereign debt crisis, which hit Italy hard, affecting first banks\u2019 liquidity and secondly the cost and volumes of funding and loans. Italian banks are now facing the effects of the double-dip recession, which has significantly weakened businesses and households, their key customer segments, and their borrowing and saving capability, with an increasing rate of non-performing loans. This situation is impairing the sustainability of the \u201ctraditional\u201d intermediation model and means that banks must introduce strategies for significantly modifying the banking business model they adopt

Digital Workflow for Prosthetically Driven Implants Placement and Digital Cross Mounting: A Retrospective Case Series

Fully digital workflow in implant dentistry is ever increasing. Treatment of partial edentulous cases is well-documented; nevertheless, complete edentulous cases are still a challenge. To present several innovations in the treatment of complete edentulous patients using digital solutions, both for implant placement and restoration delivery, was the objective of this study. It was designed as a retrospective case series study, aimed to tune further research with larger sample size, and a longer follow-up. Patients requiring complete, implant-supported restoration were asked to participate in this study. Enrolled patients were treated with four implants, immediate loading and a definitive complete arch restoration. Patients were treated using computer-assisted, template-based surgery. Multi-piece surgical templates were used to accurately place the implants, to manage the bone if needed and to make immediate loading procedure quicker and easier. After osseointegration period, definitive, extra-oral, digital impressions were taken using newly developed scan analogs, connected in the patient mouth using temporary cylinders and stabilized by means of the low-shrinkage, flowable, resin composite. Outcomes were implant and prosthesis survival rate, complications, accuracy, and patient satisfaction. Radiographic evaluation performed with a preliminary, radiopaque aluminum try-in, was used to test the accuracy of the digital impressions. Overall, 20 implants were placed in five patients. All the implants osseointegrated without complications. One impression was taken a second time due to inaccuracy of the aluminum tray-in. Finally, all of the patients were completely satisfied with both surgical and prosthetic procedures. Within the limitations of this case series, multi-piece surgical templates showed promising results improving the clinician’s confidence in the case of bone reduction, post-extractive implants and immediate loading. The prosthetic template increased the trueness of the digital impression for complete edentulous patients. Finally, even if an impression was performed again, the scan-analog used for extra-oral chair-side digital impressions seemed to be a promising tool. Continuous improvements and further study are needed to confirm these preliminary results

Image Retrieval through Abstract Shape Indication

Abstract A new system for image retrieval is presented. The query is indicated by means of three pictures, which should span the abstract shape concept that the user has in mind. The search is accomplished by using a set of size functions, and giving them different weights, computed on the base of the three input images. The system has been tested on a database of 2976 synthetic images

Tra Agostino e Claudiano: riflessioni su Manlio Teodoro

Analisi parallela della metafora della vita come navigazione che appare in due opere, per certi aspetti complementari, dedicate a Manlio Teodoro: il prologo del De beata vita di Agostino, e il panegirico di Claudiano per il suo consolato

Claudiano, l\u2019isola di Cipro e il palazzo di Venere

Analisi della descrizione della dimora di Venere a Cipro in Claudiano, Epithalamium de nuptiis Honorii 49-96: si dimostra che \ue8 costruita avendo come punto di riferimento antitetico la descrizione della dimora di Marte in Stazio Theb. 7. 40-74; l'isola di Cipro raffigurata da Claudiano mescola elementi di tradizione letteraria a tratti che sembrano denotare conoscenza diretta

Echi apocalittici nell\u2019"In Rufinum" di Claudiano

Nell\u2019"in Rufinum" di Claudiano, imperniato sull\u2019immagine delle forze del male che si scatenano contro quelle del bene, si individua l\u2019eco della letteratura apocalittica circolante all'epoca in Egitto e in particolare dell "Asclepius"

Sit Medea ferox invictaque, flebilis Ino, Spunti di teorizzazione sul personaggio nella letteratura latina

Partendo da un passo famoso dell'Ars poetica di Orazio, si esaminano i meccanismi suggeriti in ambito poetico e retorico per la costruzione dei caratteri dei personagg

Introduzione

Presentazione delle linee di ricerca che hanno condotto al volume "Nuovo e antico nella cultura greco-latina di IV-VI secolo" : connessioni fra cultura latina occidentale e cultura greca orientale nel momento in cui le due parti dell'impero vanno via via separandosi; interazione fra modelli classici e modelli biblici e innovazioni tematiche, stilistiche, lessicali che ne sono risultate; impulso alla innovazione linguistica in campo latino determinata dalla circolazione dei testi greci dei Padri della Chiesa