86,965 research outputs found
Dinamiche della produttività e del costo del lavoro nelle imprese manifatturiere italiane
No full textNon disponibil
PREVALENCE IN OVERWEIGHT/OBESITY AND PHYSICAL ACTIVITY HABITS IN CHILDREN
No full textAim: To evaluate the prevalence in overweight/obesity children attended the primary school [2007-08, (T1) in Ferrara,
Italy] and the variation in prevalence by sex and lifestyle.
Materials and Methods: 2.151 children [1.133 males (M), 1.018 females (F)] were measured height, weight, Body Mass
Index (BMI). Eating and physical activity habits were evaluated by the compilation of a questionnaire. To evaluate the
trend of BMI we compared this study with a previous one performed in 2003-04 (T0).
Results: 22% were overweight and 9% were obesity. 74% engaged in regular physical activity. Children’s parents: 56%
both were sedentary, 29% only one was active, 15% both were active.
10 years old children were allocated into 2 groups: active and not active. The mean BMI was lower* in active group, M
(T0: 19, T1: 18.8) and F (T0: 18.8, T1: 18.1). The prevalence of overweight and obesity is lower* in active population (M:
28.9% vs 39.1%; F: 26.6% vs 31.9%). The prevalence of active children is higher* even if the parents were active (91%
vs 73%). We found a lower BMI, M: from (T0) 18.9 to (T1) 18.5, F: form (T0) 18.7 to (T1) 17.1.
Even the prevalence of overweight and obesity detected in the T1 study was lower*, M: 38.3% (T0) vs 30.8% (T1), F:
38.1% (T0) vs 28% (T1).
(*T-test, P<0.05)
Conclusion: An active lifestyle has positive effect on body mass composition in primary school children and the parents
lifestyle influence children’s one, consequently one of the prior educational effort should start from school
Telecollaboration and the Remediation of Intercultural Communication
No full textThis paper illustrates the phases of a research project called Intercultural Telecollaboration that is based on the remediation of linear written discourse via the integration of digital tools. The aim of this study is to discuss the pedagogical use of hypermedia to promote Telecollaboration, which represents one of the greatest achievements of Web applications thus far focused on the improvement of foreign language learning and intercultural competence. Ten Italian high-school students of English and ten American intermediate-level students of Italian were paired up and interconnected online in order to use their L2s to discuss several conversational topics regarding their sociocultural backgrounds. Participants were encouraged to improve their mutual intelligibility through e-partnering, that consists in the voluntary exchange of selective corrective feedback. Moreover, a pre- and a post-survey were conducted to collect qualitative data about the students' experience in taking part in the project
Different effects of ACTH fragments on hippocampal EEG and behavior
No full textThe hippocampal electrical activity and behavior of rabbits have been studied in the presence of novel and emotional stimuli. The effects of these stimuli have been recorded in controls and in groups of animals treated with ACTH (4-10)(10 micrograms/100 g, i.m.) and ACTH (1-24) (10 micrograms/100 g, i.m.). Recordings were made immediately and 30 min after injection. ACTH (4-10) injection failed to evoke any significant behavioral or electrical response. Rabbits recorded 30 min after ACTH (1-24) injection showed a reduction of hippocampal RSA (rhythmic slow activity) frequency and behavioral activity. In particular, reduction of exploration, self-grooming, motor activity and approaches to the new object have been observed. Since ACTH is characterized by a corticotropic action these results can be due to corticosteroid stimulation
Assessing the impact of credit ratings and economic performance on firm default
No full textThe study of firms' default has attracted wide interest among both practitioners and scholars. However, attention has often been limited to a relatively small set of financial variables. In this work, we try to increase the scope of analysis extending the investigation to other possible determinants of default. In particular, we rely on credit ratings to summarize firms' financial conditions, and we address the potential predictive power of a set of economic dimensions size, growth, profitability and productivity which industrial economics suggest to be meaningful determinants of survival. We present novel results based on a large Italian dataset reporting credit ratings for all the firms in the sample. As far as financial conditions and default are concerned, we find that the firms displaying the worst credit ratings are quite turbulent, but also exhibit non-negligible chances to recover. Moreover, the analysis of the distribution of firms' economic performance reveals that profitability stands up as the only relevant economic variable telling apart defaulting firms from surviving ones, at different time distance to default. Finally, probit and logit estimation of default probabilities, testing for the simultaneous effect of economic and financial dimensions, suggest that growth, in addition to credit ratings, significantly affects the likelihood of default, albeit in a positive (and as such unexpected) way in the manufacturing industry
Trade and Profitability: Is there an export premium? Evidence from Italian manufacturing firms
No full textUsing firm level data this study investigates the relation between export activity and firm's profitability. The paper shows that, contrary to other performance indicators such as productivity, exporting activity is not systematically associated to higher firm's profitability. This is shown both by means of non-parametric methods and, with an approach that is more standard within the empirical trade literature, by regression techniques that try to identify an "export premium".export premium; productivity; profitability
A toolbox for measuring heterogeneity and efficiency using zonotopes
No full textIn this work, we describe the new command zonotope, which, by resorting to a geometry-based approach, provides a measure of productivity that fully accounts for the existing heterogeneity across firms within the same industry. The method we propose also enables assessment of the extent of multidimensional heterogeneity with applications to fields beyond that of production analysis. Finally, we detail the functioning of the software to perform the related empirical analysis, and we discuss the main computational issues encountered in its development
Experimental Studies for the Feasibility of a Green Hydrolytic Propulsion System for AOCS
No full textWalking either guided or suggested is effective in reducing blood pressure in hypertensive subjects
No full textNo abstract availabl
Sei mesi di cammino riducono la pressione arteriosa e modificano lo stile di vita in soggetti sedentari ed ipertesi
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