Interfering with the tumour microenvironment of glioblastoma: an in vitro study

Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most aggressive primary malignant tumour of the central nervous system (CNS), characterized by high invasiveness, resistance to therapy and frequent recurrence. Despite the current standard treatment, including surgical resection followed by radiotherapy and chemoradiotherapy, GBM patients face poor prognosis due to therapeutic resistance and tumour recurrence. A major contributor to GBM aggressiveness is the tumour microenvironment (TME), which promotes malignancy t...

New Aspects of Synchronous Data Flow and Distributed Development in Digital Audio: the Case of Ciaramella Programming Language

A fundamental challenge in audio software engineering is the tension between expressive, high-level programming tools and the high-performance, low-level languages required for real-time audio processing. This gap often compels developers to trade the clarity and productivity of high-level abstractions for computational efficiency. This thesis confronts these challenges through a constructive research methodology, presenting a new programming ecosystem for audio Digital Signal Processing. The...

Theoretical and Experimental Investigation of Methods for Enhancing the Energy Efficiency of CO2 Reverse Cycles

The increasing need for sustainable refrigeration and heat pump tech nologies has driven significant research interest towards the use of carbon dioxide (CO2) as a refrigerant. Despite its environmental advantages, the transcritical behaviour of CO2 systems often leads to reduced efficiency, especially under warm climatic conditions. This doctoral research investi gates multiple strategies to enhance the energy performance, operational f lexibility, and economic viability of CO2-based systems...

Overcoming drug resistance in Luminal Breast Cancer harboring PIK3CA and TP53 alterations

Breast Cancer (BC) is the most common malignancy and the second leading cause of cancer-related death in women worldwide. It is a highly heterogeneous disease, differing in histology, clinical behavior, and therapeutic response. Among main molecular subtypes, Luminal Breast Cancer (LBC; ER+, PR+/−, HER2−) is the most prevalent and generally associated with a more favorable prognosis. PIK3CA and TP53 represent the two most commonly mutated genes. Our previous data on a large cohort of LBC pati...

Novel strategies for achieving synthetic lethality in KRAS-dependent cancers

For many years KRAS has been considered an undruggable target. Recent advancements have enabled the development of therapeutic strategies aimed at modulating KRAS activity at both transcriptional and post-transcriptional levels. Among these, the emergence of KRAS-specific enzymatic inhibitors has represented a significant milestone in oncology, offering selective efficacy against KRAS-mutant malignancies and progressing to clinical evaluation. Nevertheless, the clinical utility of these inhib...

Long term effects of high fat- high sugar diet and training on the heart of female rats

Biomarkers as individual indicators and interconnected systems: statistical approaches across clinical contexts

I biomarcatori svolgono un ruolo centrale nella medicina moderna e nella ricerca biomedica. Sono ampiamente utilizzati per caratterizzare i processi biologici, monitorare la progressione delle malattie, valutare il rischio e analizzare la sicurezza e la risposta agli interventi terapeutici. I progressi nelle tecnologie di laboratorio e nei metodi ad alta processività hanno aumentato in modo significativo il numero e la varietà dei biomarcatori disponibili, offrendo nuove opportunità per lo st...

Advanced Design and Anomaly Detection Techniques for Inductive Position Sensors

In recent years, Inductive Position Sensors (IPS) have emerged as a robust and low cost technology for position measurement in harsh industrial and automotive environments. However, these sensors still face two major challenges: the coil design of IPS and their inherent sensitivity to misalignment. This thesis addresses both challenges by introducing advanced techniques for IPS design. Beyond their conventional use as position sensors, integrating anomaly detection functionality directly into...

Essays on geopolitical risk in the financial system

This research work is composed of a trilogy of three researches that study the interconnectedness between geopolitical risk (GPR), which has been among the undisputed protagonists of the most recent years, and the financial system, with a particular focus on energy markets, bank lending and ESG performance of banks. The first research consists of a bibliometric literature review that is aimed at outlining and defining the intellectual and research architecture entailed in the topic of geopol...