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The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (and the Even Uglier): Policy Implications for Europe in Times of Welfare Chauvinism, Penal Populism, and New Workfare Programmes
No full textThe Good, the Bad and the Ugly [film] is a 1966 spaghetti Western directed by Sergio Leone. This reference is not random, but pays homage to Pavlos Delladetsimas’s passion for Italian cinema. We use these three labels in this chapter to review common social representations of the poor, as we explore the link between these representations and a range of welfare policies – a topic that has
been extensively covered by Flavia Martinelli. The analysis reveals how new forms of blame and moral condemnation of the poor have emerged over time, together with forms of public rhetoric that characterize the poor as unable to provide for themselves and incapable of self-organization, in need of good advice, or idle and dangerous people who require workfare or punitive measures. Degrading stereotypes can be used as a justification for policies that intensify social segregation and as a smokescreen for strategies that use space to defend the advantages of affluent groups. The capacity to develop a counter-narrative and to advance progressive demands depends on a range of economic and non-economic factors, such as demographic characteristics, the duration and severity of poverty, the local context, the availability of alternative role models, social networks, and the presence of associations and political parties capable of providing resources and support
Donne e discriminazioni religiose nei luoghi di lavoro nella giurisprudenza europea
No full textLe discriminazioni su base religiosa nei luoghi di lavor
Folliculin depletion results in liver cell damage and cholangiocarcinoma through MiT/TFE activation
No full textMutations in the tumor suppressor gene Folliculin (FLCN) are responsible for Birt-Hogg-Dube’ (BHD) syndrome, a rare inherited condition that predisposes affected individuals to skin tumors, pulmonary cysts, and kidney tumors. FLCN regulates key cellular pathways, including TFEB, TFE3, and mTORC1, which are critical for maintaining cell homeostasis. Loss of FLCN leads to both hyperactivation of mTORC1 and constitutive activation of TFEB and TFE3, contributing to tumorigenesis. While previous studies showed that Flcn liver-specific conditional knockout (FlcnLiKO) mice are protected from developing liver fibrosis and damage upon high-fat diet exposure, the potential role of FLCN loss in liver carcinogenesis remained unexplored. Here, we demonstrate that hepatic loss of FLCN in mice results in cancer associated with inflammation and fibrosis with features of cholangiocarcinoma (CCA). This phenotype emerges in mice over 90-week-old, with a male predominance. Moreover, FlcnLiKO mice are more prone to develop diethylnitrosamine (DEN)- or 3,5-diethoxycarbonyl-1,4-dihydrocollidine (DDC)- induced liver tumors with heterogenous histological features. Notably, depletion of TFE3, but not TFEB, in the liver of FlcnLiKO mice fully rescues the cancer phenotype and normalized mTORC1 signaling, highlighting TFE3 as the primary driver of liver cancer and mTORC1 hyperactivity in the absence of FLCN. (Figure presented.
Lactic acid-based compounds as green alternative solvents for cultural heritage: Application on canvas painting restoration
No full textIn the restoration of canvas paintings, solvent mixtures derived from non-renewable sources are commonly employed (e.g. acetone, ethanol, and isooctane), which not only contribute to pollution but also pose potential health-risks to the operators. This research aims to introduce alternative biobased and eco-friendly solvents as possible replacements for common solvents used in artifact restoration. 5-methyl-1,3-dioxolane-4-one (LA-H,H), 2,2,5-trimethyl-1,3-dioxolane-4-one (LA-Me,Me), ethyl lactate (EL), and 2-ethylhexyl pelargonate (ARGO) were selected as biobased solvents candidates. They can be produced from biomass-derived synthons, including lactic acid (LA), which is obtained by carbohydrate fermentation, and pelargonic acid (PA), which is obtained by the oxidative cleavage of oleic acid and high-oleic vegetable oils. To rationalize their solvent properties, their Hansen parameters were used (dispersion δd, polarity δp, hydrogen-bonding δhb), enabling their placement within the Teas Triangle. Lactic acid-derived solvents, LA-H,H and LA-Me,Me, were prepared in multigram at lab-scale, and characterized using nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR) and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Their solvent abilities were tested by their application to ad-hoc prepared specimens with different film-forming substances. These tests were performed with both fresh and artificially-aged samples. Their evaporation behavior was studied through thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA) while their ready biodegradability was investigated according to OECD guideline 301F as a key property influencing environmental impact. These solvent mixtures were then employed for the removal of oxidized terpenoid varnish from a 17th-century canvas painting, demonstrating their potential as green alternatives for restoration practices
Cross-Cultural Differences and Clinical Presentations in Burning Mouth Syndrome: A Cross-Sectional Comparative Study of Italian and Romanian Outpatient Settings
No full textBackground/Objectives: Burning Mouth Syndrome (BMS) is a chronic orofacial pain disorder characterized by persistent intraoral burning sensations without visible mucosal lesions. Although its biopsychosocial complexity is increasingly recognized, cross-cultural comparison data remain limited. Methods: This cross-sectional study assessed 60 patients with BMS (30 Italian, 30 Romanian) who underwent standardized clinical, psychological, and sleep evaluations. Data collected included sociodemographics, clinical characteristics, diagnostic history, comorbidities, and symptomatology. The assessment tools used included the Numeric Rating Scale (NRS), Short Form of the McGill Pain Questionnaire (SF-MPQ), Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale (HAM-A), Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAM-D), Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), and Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS). Statistical comparisons were conducted using Mann–Whitney U and Fisher’s exact tests with Bonferroni correction. Results: No significant differences were observed in age, sex, or body mass index. Italian patients had fewer years of education (p = 0.001), higher pain intensity (NRS, p < 0.001), poorer sleep quality (PSQI, ESS, p = 0.001), and more frequent pre-existing sleep disorders (p < 0.001). Romanian patients showed higher levels of anxiety (HAM-A, p < 0.001), longer diagnostic delays (p = 0.002), and more dysesthetic or perceptual symptoms, including tingling and oral dysmorphism (p < 0.05). Stressful events before onset were more common among Romanians (p < 0.001), while Italians more often received a correct diagnosis at first consultation (p = 0.005). Conclusions: This first cross-national comparison of BMS in Western and Eastern Europe shows that cultural, healthcare, and clinician education differences can shape symptom profiles, comorbidities, and diagnostic delays, underscoring the need for personalized, country-specific management strategies
Polymer-free versus biodegradable-polymer drug-eluting stent in patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention: an assessor-blind, non-inferiority, randomised controlled trial
No full textBACKGROUND: Few data are available on polymer-free drug-eluting stents in patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). AIMS: We aimed to determine the efficacy and safety of a polymer-free amphilimus-eluting stent (AES), using a reservoir-based technology for drug delivery, compared with a biodegradable-polymer everolimus-eluting stent (EES). METHODS: This was a randomised, investigator-initiated, assessor-blind, non-inferiority trial conducted at 14 hospitals in Italy (ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT04135989). All-comer patients undergoing PCI were randomly assigned to either polymer-free AES or biodegradable-polymer EES. The primary endpoint was a device-oriented composite endpoint, including cardiovascular death, target vessel myocardial infarction, or target lesion revascularisation at 1-year follow-up. RESULTS: Between January 2020 and June 2022, a total of 2,107 patients with 3,042 coronary lesions were randomised to polymer-free AES (1,051 patients) or biodegradable-polymer EES (1,056 patients). At 1-year follow-up, the primary endpoint occurred in 86 (8.2%) patients randomised to polymer-free AES and 76 (7.2%) patients randomised to biodegradable-polymer EES (risk difference 1%, upper limit of the 1-sided 95% confidence interval [CI] of 2.9%; p for non-inferiority=0.041). There were no significant differences in the incidence of the components of the primary endpoint between groups. However, definite or probable stent thrombosis occurred more frequently in patients randomised to polymer-free stents (1.0% vs 0.3%; hazard ratio 3.72, 95% CI: 1.04-13.33; p=0.044) due to an increased risk of early stent thrombosis within 30 days. CONCLUSIONS: In all-comer patients undergoing PCI, polymer-free AES were non-inferior to biodegradable-polymer EES at 1-year follow-up in terms of a device-oriented composite endpoint despite being associated with an increased risk of early stent thrombosis
Il nuovo scetticismo
No full textIl capitolo illustra la "renaissance" dello scetticismo nella prima età moderna analizzando in particolare la sua rielaborazione nei Saggi di Montaigne
Insights into magma reactivation times prior to a catastrophic highly explosive event: the Campanian Ignimbrite eruption (Campi Flegrei, Italy)
No full textTiming and dynamic processes forming eruptible magma in crustal magma systems that feed highly explosive volcanic eruptions are encoded in compositional variations of magmatic crystals. The ca. 40 ka Campanian Ignimbrite deposit, the product of the most voluminous explosive eruption in the Campi Flegrei volcanic field, contains a variety of compositionally zoned sanidine pheno- and antecrysts. Barium diffusion chronometry was applied to 79 zoned sanidine crystals from different units and types of pumice clasts from the deposit. We focused on the compositional boundaries at the outermost rims of sanidine crystals considered to indicate mingling/mixing and recharge processes shortly prior to the eruption. Grey-scale swath profiles extracted from accumulated back-scattered electron images across these compositional discontinuities return diffusion times of mostly < 60 years at 902 °C that is the most appropriate estimated temperature. At ca. 850 °C, most times are between ca. 380 and 8 years; at ca. 970 °C, most estimates result to be < 4 years till 1 month. Our results indicate that resident magmas even in large, long-lived reservoirs such as the one that fed the Campanian Ignimbrite at Campi Flegrei, can be activated and become eruptible in relatively short timescales, comparable to those obtained for similar large silicic eruptions
