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Accounting academics and political engagement. Professors as parliamentarians and ministers in Italy
No full textRecently, scholars have paid increasing attention to accounting academics’ lives and work. The analysis of the relationships between academics and politicians is certainly of interest, if we remove the assumptions of a clear separation between the two that are assumed to underpin research in this field.
This study aims to elucidate the role played by Italian accounting academics in national political institutions, considering those elected to Parliament and/or holding a role in the Italian Government, under the Fascist regime and the ‘First Republic’. To this end, it analyses the academic and political fields and the relationships between the two through a Bourdieusian approach, highlighting how these fields are intertwined and how forms of capital can be transferred from one to another. Drawing on primary sources, the study employs a collective biography approach, focusing on five pivotal academics who served as parliamentarians and ministers from 1933 to 1992. Based on this evidence, it argues that accounting academics can play a crucial role by transferring their academic capital to the political field and mobilising the power of theories to serve the objectives of intervention in the economy and society, while political capital can also be an important source of academic capital growth. Thus, this study situates the relationships between the academic and political fields in a subfield–field theoretical perspective, thereby
contributing to the literature on the role of accounting academics and their impact on the economy, society, and politics
Church bells tuning temperament evaluation through spectral acoustic emission matching
No full textChurch bells, as historical artifacts and musical instruments, represent a unique intersection between tangible and intangible elements of cultural heritage. While previous works suggested that systematic bell tuning only emerged in the 18th century, this work hypothesizes and presents experimental evidence indicating otherwise. Focusing on the bells of Salerno Cathedral (Italy), casted between the 13th and 19th centuries, we investigated whether their tuning reference evolved coherently with the historical evolution of Western music theory or followed independent standards. A non-invasive spectral analysis was applied to identify tonal components and compare them with historical musical temperaments. Results show that reference tuning systems were already in use by the 13th century, centuries earlier than previously documented. A consistent evolution in tuning, matching the historical development of temperaments, was also observed. These findings suggest the existence of a non-formalized implicit know-how in bell-making, having important implications for heritage conservation. The proposed approach also provides a preliminary diagnostic tool to support the identification of a church bell features for its functional restoration, supporting the recognition of this know-how as a part of the intangible heritage related to church bells
Environmental and health risk assessment of radon in Capodifiume Lake: Investigating elevated radon levels in a karst aquifer system
No full text: This paper explores the sources of radon in Capodifiume lake located in the Paestum Plain of Campania, Italy, its behavior within these aquatic systems, and the potential environmental and health impacts associated with radon in lake waters. While radon is commonly studied in the context of indoor air pollution and groundwater contamination, its presence and behavior in lacustrine environments (lakes) also merit significant attention. Assessing the risk associated with radon exposure in environmental settings, including lakes and other bodies of water, is crucial for effective risk management. Furthermore, the study includes the determination of radionuclide activity in soil and plant samples from Capodifiume Lake, performed by using gamma spectrometry. This methodology yields valuable data for assessing the radiological impacts in the lake area. The ERICA (Environmental Risk from Ionizing Contaminants: Assessment and Management) tool is an integrated software system designed to assess the radiological risks to both human health and the environment and provides a comprehensive framework for radiological risk estimation and management, ensuring that both human health and ecological integrity are safeguarded. By integrating radon concentration data, ecological risk assessments, and radionuclide activity analysis, this research offers a holistic approach to understanding and managing radioecological risks in lacustrine environments. The findings underscore the necessity of regular monitoring and the implementation of effective mitigation strategies to protect public health and ensure environmental safety
Useful illegality in Italian administrative law
No full textThe aim of this article is twofold: first, to examine the concept of useful illegality within the context of Italian administrative law; second, to demonstrate that within this context the concept of useful illegality can be understood more broadly than in sociological literature, since in a number of instances it does not stem from the internal dynamics of public organisations, but rather results from specific legislative choices. To this end, it demonstrates that many cases of useful illegality occur with in a grey area, a potential conflict arises between a legal rationale on the one hand and what could be described as managerial rationale on the other. Based on the results of a limited scope field survey, attention is then turned to useful illegality in the practice of Italian public administration. Subsequently, after having introduced the concept of legislative tolerance for certain breaches of the law, the more specific concept of useful illegality of legislative origin is identified. The latter is illustrated by referring to recent legislative provisions that temporarily limited the liability of civil servants for pecuniary damage to the public administration in order to facilitate the efficient implementation of public policies. At this point, the differences between forms of useful illegality that occur within public organisations and those of legislative origin are outlined and it is argued that, from the point of view of legal scholarship, the similarities between them seem to be such as to justify a unitary and thus broader notion of useful illegality
Climate Change in Europe: Understanding Perceptions and Responsibilities for Vulnerable Populations
No full textLibertà di movimento. Nessuna persona deve morire di frontiere
No full textOgni anno migliaia di persone muoiono nel Mediterraneo, nell’oceano Atlantico, nel deserto, nel tentativo di emigrare verso l’Europa. E chi non muore troppo spesso incontra sofferenze e violenze. Tutto ciò è evitabile. Come? Riconoscendo il fallimento generale della politica migratoria europea. Ammettendo il tracollo etico e culturale delle nostre società. E introducendo una discontinuità radicale, che richiede di affrontare il tema della libertà di movimento e circolazione delle persone. Il testo si presenta come un’assemblea, con cinque interviste che dialogano tra loro, i cui protagonisti sono Nawal Soufi, Soumaila Diawara, Nancy Porsia, Yasmine Accardo e Gianluca Vitale
An automatic framing approach to analyse newspaper and press language
No full textThis study introduces an automated framework for framing analysis to interpret media discourse on public policy. The approach identifies structured narratives that can shape public perception by detecting frames as clusters of co-occurring terms. The method applies the Leiden algorithm, enhancing frame detection by grouping related terms in a network, where nodes represent terms and edges their co-occurrences. The texts are modelled as a weighted graph, and the algorithm's modularity-based clustering highlights cohesive frames. Applied to Italian media coverage of ``Reddito di Cittadinanza'' (RdC) from 2018 to 2023, the analysis revealed 21 frames covering economic, civic, and political aspects, aligning with legislative milestones and reflecting shifts in the public interest. This case study demonstrates the framework's effectiveness for large-scale media analysis and its broader applicability in policy discourse research
Boosting photocatalytic and antibacterial properties through Schottky heterojunction of N-TiO2/Ag reverse composite under visible light
No full textThis study investigates the functionalities of nitrogen-doped titanium dioxide (N-TiO2) with embedded dispersed silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) composites as visible-light photocatalysts and antibacterial agents. Compared with most of the silver-titania photocatalysts, the composite has a reverse concept, where the silver nanoparticles are embedded in N-TiO2 layers and act as an internal Schottky junction to limit the charge carriers' recombination. Raman spectroscopy, SSA, UV-Vis DRS, PZC, SEM-EDX, FTIR-ATR, and X-ray diffraction (XRD) confirmed that nitrogen addition through urea in the synthesis successfully narrows the TiO2 bandgap, thereby enhancing its absorption of visible light and the inclusion of AgNPs, generating internal Schottky heterojunctions that enhance charge separation and electron transfer, optimizing photocatalytic performance. The optimized N(0.43)-TiO2/ AgNPs composite achieves 86.6 % mineralization of the model pollutant Patent Blue V under visible light, with hydroxyl radicals and positive holes responsible for degradation. Beyond photocatalytic activity, the composite exhibits strong antibacterial efficacy, reducing Escherichia coli (E. coli) and Staphylococcus. Aureus (S. aureus) populations by 95.62 +/- 0.47 and 90.74 +/- 0.63 % inhibition, respectively, at a concentration of 1000 mu g mL- 1. Finally, an energy band diagram is schematized. The composite demonstrates excellent stability, emphasizing its potential for practical applications in wastewater treatment and infection control