Deep Learning for RNA–RNA Interaction Prediction

RNA–RNA interactions (RRIs) play a central role in post-transcriptional gene regulation, influencing processes such as translation, splicing, RNA stability, and ribonucleoprotein complex assembly. While accurate computational prediction of RRIs could pave the way for RNA-targeted therapies, it remains a major challenge due to the intricate and dynamic behavior of long RNA molecules in vivo. To address these challenges, we introduce RIME, a deep learning framework that predicts RRIs using onl...

Advanced garment modeling for object-centric assistive dressing policies

Despite the growing demand for intelligent robotic systems and the substantial progress achieved in related domains such as rigid object manipulation, the field of garment manipula- tion continues to face considerable challenges and remains comparatively underdeveloped. This lag is primarily due to the intrinsic complexity of garments as manipulation targets. Unlike rigid objects, garments are characterised by extreme thinness, a high-dimensional configuration space, frequent self-occlus...

Indicatori di attività insediativa ed estrattiva nella Liguria orientale attraverso analisi territoriale LiDAR-drone e indagini archeologiche di superficie. Studio dell’impatto delle trasformazioni permanenti ed elaborazione di un modello predittivo.

This research investigates the long-term transformations produced by settlement and extractive activities in the eastern Ligurian landscape (NW Italy), which remain morphologically detectable even after their abandonment. The study employs innovative tools for spatial and morphological analysis, notably UAV-mounted LiDAR sensors (UAV-LiDAR), to examine how human interventions have reshaped and structured the environment. Through digital modelling and spatial analysis, the project aims to iden...

Developing Physical Human–Robot Collaboration: Visuospatial Attention, Adaptation, and Interpersonal Synchronization

Regulating dark patterns in the EU: did Europe shed light on dark patterns? Conceptual foundations, the Unfair Commercial Practices Directive, the Digital Services Act, and their (obscure) interplay

This dissertation investigates the European Union’s regulatory approach to the phenomenon of the so-called 'dark patterns', namely, digital design techniques that steer, deceive, or coerce users into making choices they might not otherwise make. The expression has rapidly become a policy buzzword, but its conceptual boundaries and legal implications remain uncertain. The research seeks to clarify what dark patterns are, how they can be situated within existing EU law, with particular focus on...

Exploring and Expanding Multisensory Scotoma Research

Spatial perception forms the cornerstone of how we interact with our environment. However, for those affected by scotomas—blind spots in the visual field mainly caused by age-related macular degeneration, but also arising from other retinal or neurological diseases—these interactions are disoriented. My research investigates how visual and auditory spatial perception is affected by scotomas and how understanding these disorientations can facilitate the development of new early detection strat...

Syntactic and Lexical Priming Social Networks: A Complex Contagion Approach to Language Diffusion

Language is a dynamic and adaptive system that is shaped by multiple factors. While certain words or phrases become widely used, others do not. This thesis explores how linguistic behavior spreads across groups. It examines whether language spreads in the same way as other social behaviors by drawing on complex contagion theory (Centola, 2019). According to this theory, people need to be exposed to a behavior from multiple people before they adopt it, especially if the behavior is costly or r...

Testing the health status of marine and fresh waters by investigating microplastics in the stomach contents of different fish species

Plastic pollution, and microplastics (MPs) in particular, has become a pervasive threat to aquatic ecosystems worldwide. This Ph.D. project investigated the presence, types, and distribution of MPs in the stomach contents of various fish species sampled from four distinct environments, chosen based on the different degrees of impact of human presence and activities on them. Two sampling sites are marine, one is brackish and one lacustrine: the Port of Genoa (Northwestern Italy), a commercial ...

Implementation of the quality control system of blood components at the Blood Bank - Western processing hub (Liguria Region - National Health System): analysis of the data of the activity carried out in 2024.

Blood and its components represent an important factor of life for many patients; blood donations in Italy in fact save about 630,000 lives every year. Components are those therapeutic constituents of blood that can be prepared by centrifugation, separation, filtration and freezing. Blood components are: whole blood, leukodepleted red blood cell concentrate, platelet concentrates from buffy coat pools, platelet concentrates from apheresis, fresh frozen plasma from fractionation, plasma from a...