1,721,080 research outputs found
The role of human capital after the crisis in Italy: A regional analysis
No full textIn the years of the prolonged post-crisis recession, the well-known North-South divide in Italy has significantly worsened. Several structural weaknesses limit both post-crisis recovery and socioeconomic convergence. A greater understanding of the economic contribution of workers’ human capital, which is not fully exploited in Italy, could address the two issues. We analyze the effects of human capital on local economic performance and productivity, along with other socioeconomic variables, controlling for the endogeneity problem. Workers with a better education can promote economic recovery through productivity enhancement in the South, while traditional aspects related to industrialization are significant in the “wealthy North”. However, structural aspects, such as the local financial systems, must be developed to start a path to convergence for the North and the South
Disciplinary homogeneity in university departments following the Gelmini law: an exploratory analysis through social networks
No full textThe aim of this work is to evaluate the implementation of the Gelmini law; a law that has reorganized the universities into departments in order to create homogeneous scientific centres in the various fields of research. The methodology used to analyse the change in the structure of departments following the new regulation considers the social networks that unify the subject areas according to their current position. With the help of these social networks, we try to understand whether the new departments are really homogeneous research centres or instead are modelled on the previous faculties. The present work has been carried out in relation to the universities of the Abruzzo region and the sectors interconnected with Area 13 on the list of italian university disciplinary sector see Appendix (which contains the fields of economics and statistics), and we can extend the results to other Italian universities. We highlight: (1) the interactions between the scientific discipline sectors and the departments; (2) the definition of a cosector data matrix (binary and weighted ties); and (3) the hierarchical analysis of the cliques of the scientific discipline sectors. We discuss and compare the results to find out the reasons why the universities have still not become homogenous research centres. © 2018, Springer Nature B.V
Growth and characterization of anodic films on scandium
No full textThe anodic behavior of Sc in a slightly alkaline aqueous solution is studied. Electrochemical and capacitance measurements suggest that passive films can be formed on the scandium surface under a high electric field. The formation of these layers occurs at low faradaic efficiency due to oxygen evolution. Photoelectrochemical experiments suggest the formation of a barrier layer with a thickness high enough to hinder external electron photoemission processes and allow the estimation of the bandgap of the films as a function of their formation voltage. The estimated bandgap values were lower than that reported for Sc2O3, suggesting the formation of hydrated phases and/or of a strongly oxygen deficient oxid
Current management of giant cell arteritis and its complications
No full textPurpose of reviewThis review provides an update on current management strategies for giant cell arteritis (GCA), emphasizing the need for alternative therapies to reduce disease relapses and mitigate glucocorticoid (GC)-related morbidity.Recent findingsThe standard of care for GCA has traditionally involved prolonged use of GC, and recent studies are exploring faster GC tapering regimens in an effort to reduce adverse effects while maintaining disease control. Randomized clinical trials have highlighted the efficacy of tocilizumab (TCZ), an interleukin-6 receptor inhibitor, in reducing disease flares and sparing GCs. However, the optimal treatment duration with TCZ is unknown and patients remain at risk of relapse after treatment discontinuation. An unmet therapeutic need persists for patients who are not candidates for TCZ, and for those who have inadequate response to this biologic. Therefore, investigations into alternative therapies such as targeting interleukin-17A, blocking T-cell activation or inhibiting the Janus kinase-signal transducer and activator of transcription pathway, showcase potential avenues for tailored treatments.SummaryWhile GCs remain the cornerstone of therapy, TCZ emerges as a promising GC-sparing agent. Ongoing research targeting different pathways implicated in GCA pathogenesis have led to encouraging results. However, the preliminary nature of these findings necessitates larger randomized controlled trials to establish their efficacy conclusively
The North–South Divergence in Italy during the Great Recession
Full text linkThe economic recession that followed the 2007 crisis has widened the economic gaps between the wealthiest and the relatively poorer regions in Italy. The Great Recession has changed the importance of local economic strengths and hindered the possibilities of economic recovery, especially in the Mezzogiorno of Italy. We seek the local strengths present in Italian regions in the post-crisis period by comparing two macro areas to observe strong and weak points for intervention. A first analysis using multivariate adaptive regression splines (MARS) is used to filter the relevant determinants in a large dataset, and a panel data analysis serves to obtain group-specific results. Some effects of the prolonged recession are confirmed in all regions, while some weaknesses of the South, such as financial markets, play an increasing role in the regional development scenarios
Understanding the Support of Savings to Income: A Multivariate Adaptive Regression Splines Analysis
No full textThe understanding of the complex socio-economic phenomena requires a deep insight of the dynamics through several correlated variables. Our aim is to demonstrate how some relevant macroeconomic variables could affect the evolution of the economic development path. This research arises in a broader analysis on the role of the wealth of households held in specific forms unexploited and potentially useful if properly integrated in productive cycles. At the basis of these assumptions, however, there are complex dynamics on the formation and composition of wealth, which does not include business capital and savings in the bank channel. We want to demonstrate the utility of aggregate savings for the composition and the very existence of wealth, which can be stimulated through policy instruments. We need to ask how to prove empirically that, in modern economies, encouraging savings and the accumulation of private wealth represent, under certain conditions, a not fully considered support to economic development. In this phase we test if statistical techniques inspired by Artificial Intelligence can be better exploited respect to classic approaches, given the quality of the data available. We use multivariate adaptive regression splines model, in a comparison with a multivariate model, to examine the relationship of aggregate savings, and then other related variables, on GDP in the US for the period 1970-2012
The role of sacro-iliac joint magnetic resonance imaging in the diagnosis of axial spondyloarthritis: focus on differential diagnosis in women
Full text linkObjective. To review the role of sacro-iliac magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in the diagnosis of axial spondy-loarthritis (AxSpA), with a focus on gender differences. Methods. The experience of the authors and the results of an informal literature review are reported. Results. Inflammatory changes of the sacro-iliac joint are the hallmark of AxSpA. Early, non-radiographic sac-roiliitis may be diagnosed with MRI through the assessment of bone marrow edema (BMO) as well as concomitant structural damage. The MRI protocol should include three necessary sequences, i.e., fat-saturated T2-weighted sequences on two orthogonal planes, T1-weighted semi-coronal sequence, and fat-suppressed T1-weighted semi-coronal sequence. Inflammatory changes comprise required signs (BMO and/or osteitis) and additional signs, including synovitis (better defined as joint space enhancement), enthesitis, and capsulitis. Structural changes consist of erosions, sclerosis, fat metaplasia, and ankylosis. Due to mechanical axial strain, inflammatory changes in the sacro-iliac joint can be found in healthy individuals, runners, and patients with nonspecific low back pain. The prevalence of BMO is higher in women during pregnancy and postpartum, even 12 months after childbirth, but the extent and distribution of MRI findings may help in the differential diagnosis. Other challenges in the MRI diagnosis of sacroiliitis are subchondral T2 hyperintensity during developmental age, periarticular sclerosis in healthy subjects, or osteitis condensans ilii, and several pathological conditions that may mimic AxSpA, some of which are more frequently found in women. Conclusions. The described diagnostic challenges impose a multidisciplinary approach combining imaging findings with clinical and laboratory data
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