Adaptive Compression: From Visual Data to Efficient and Transferable Models

The exponential growth of visual content has made compression a fundamental challenge in modern communication systems. While traditional codecs achieved remarkable success, their rigid design limits their performance. Le

Next Generation Sequencing for the Detection of Adventitious Contaminants in Biotechnological Products

Adventitious biological contaminants may be unintentionally introduced during biomanufacturing of pharmaceutical products via cell banks, raw materials, or the environment. To ensure the biotechnological product safety and preserve patients’ health, different tests must be performed, as required by health authorities. The aim of my PhD project was to develop methods to rapidly detect different types of biological contaminants, utilizing next-generation sequencing (NGS) technologies for broad-...

Polymeric conductive nanocomposite materials for integrated metal-free cabling and sensing

doctoral thesis examines polymeric conductive nanocomposites for metal-free electrical cabling and sensing. By adding carbon-based fillers like graphene nanoplatelets, graphene oxide, reduced graphene oxide, and carbon black to thermoplastic polymers, this research aims to create lightweight, sustainable, and multifunctional materials. Moreover, an intensive study concerning a bio-based filler, such as lignin, used as a graphene precursor and dispersed within a biodegradable matrix, such as p...

UNDERSTANDING CLINICAL HETEREOGENEITY IN ANOREXIA NERVOSA: SOCIOEMOTIONAL PROCESSES, MOTIVATION, TREATMENT TRAJECTORIES

State of the art and purpose: Anorexia Nervosa (AN) is a severe psychiatric disorder with often unsatisfactory treatment outcomes. Understanding the factors underlying heterogeneity in clinical presentation and treatment response is essential for improving personalized care. This thesis applied up-to-date statistical methods to areas identified as relevant in AN: socioemotional processes (study 1), motivation to change (study 2), and in-treatment symptoms trajectories (study 3). Methods: S...

Deep Learning for Spatio-Temporal Environmental Phenomena and Application to Underground Water Resources

MAPPING CANCER-ASSOCIATED CELLS IN CONTEXT: A COMPUTATIONAL APPROACH TO MYELOID AND FIBROBLAST DYNAMICS IN CANCER

Cancer is a multifaceted disease, rooted in developmental process and fuelled by inflammation as an evolutionary driver. Timing is critical: in rapidly progressing tumours such as pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC), inflammatory loops stem from immune dysregulation driven by IL-1β– producing tumour-associated macrophages (TAMs); conversely, in more indolent malignancies like colorectal cancer (CRC), inflammation remodels the stromal–tumour interface to favor the emerging tumour micro-env...

Improving the Properties of Hexagonal Ferrites for the Replacement of Rare Earth Permanent Magnets

Exploring the role of covariance matrix: from finance to hierarchical forecast reconciliation

The covariance matrix is a key tool in many fields. This thesis proposes novelties in three areas. In systemic risk detection in financial market, we introduce an early warning indicator of systemic portfolio risk based on the eigenvalues of returns' factors correlation matrix. The indicator is constructed using the Marchenko-Pastur theorem and extracting factors via an autoencoder; the resulting investment strategy outperforms standard benchmarks. Second, we address the propagation of risks ...

Phase field modeling of fracture nucleation and propagation: A theoretical and computational study

This thesis presents both theoretical results - most notably, a rigorous proof that steady-state phase-field evolutions satisfy Griffith’s criterion and Gamma-convergence analyses for new higher-order and cohesive models - and practical advances in the numerical simulation of complex fracture processes. Chapter 1 provides an introduction and an historical and conceptual overview of fracture mechanics, detailing sharp-crack models, diffuse phase-field formulations and their relationship. It a...