Graduates’ employment and employability after the “Bologna Process” reform. Evidence from the Italian experience and methodological issues

In a phase of depression and systemic crisis investments are essential assets in organizing the recovery, and the more so when innovation is relevant. This is why universities, companies, households and graduates implement strategies for overcoming the present crisis, leading to structural changes and competition both at the local and international level. In this framework, tracer studies on graduates transition to the labour markets provides fundamental insights and information not only to the organizations responsible for their training, but also to the economic system as a whole. Moreover, any such study is all the more useful when it can draw upon reliable and up-to-date information. This paper emphasizes three main points. First we present the results achieved by the AL model in tracing the transition path of graduates from the time they enrolled at the university until a few years after earning the degree. The survey is carried out every year by the AL and makes it possible to analyze the most recent labour market trends through the scrutiny of the career opportunities available for the graduates after 1, 3 and 5 years on from graduation. More specifically, we will present the results of the 2008 survey. This survey involved also all first and second level graduates from the 2007 vintage. Second, we examine the revision in our survey method, adopted in order to face the need to monitor a much higher number of post-reform graduates (more than 140 thousand overall) and the call of the Ministry and the universities to keep the information as much detailed as possible in assessing the employment outcomes for each single degree course, without losing feasibility in terms of costs and data collection time. In fact, we resorted to a mixed method: the computer assisted web interviewing (CAWI) and the computer assisted telephone interviewing (CATI). This is why it became necessary to measure and assess the effect of this approach on the answers given by interviewed graduates. In third place, we outline the results of some preliminary experiments carried on in order to allow for specific and recurrent comparisons between the results achieved with the AL model and other similar models dealing with the employment conditions of Italian graduates.Graduates’ employment; Graduates’ employability; Bologna Process; University reform; University governance; Assessment of the higher education system; CAWI and CATI survey techniques; Propensity score matching; Data quality control; Counter factual analysis; Labour supply, Human capital.

Samuel Huntington a Pechino - Riflessioni sullo studio delle relazioni fra civili e militari nella Repubblica popolare cinese

The reliable control of the military is of paramount importance for any regime around the world, especially authoritarian ones. Had it not been able to ensure the “command of the gun,” it would be difficult to imagine the Chinese Communist Party celebrating the 100th anniversary of its founding in 2021. Yet, despite the importance of this subject, the study of civil-military relations in China surprisingly remains undertheorized. Although today there is a consensus among scholars that Samuel P. Huntington’s concept of “objective control” best describes the current situation in China, such a concept is used in a merely descriptive manner. This article argues that although Huntington’s original ideology-centered model is not faultless, the current approach risks producing major distortions in the analysis. Against the background of today’s renewed interest for civil-military relations among political scientists, this article puts forwards suggestions regarding the future studies of civil-military relations in China.Il controllo affidabile dell'esercito è di fondamentale importanza per qualsiasi regime nel mondo, specialmente quelli autoritari. Se non fosse stato in grado di garantire il "comando del fucile", sarebbe difficile immaginare il Partito comunista cinese festeggiare il centesimo anniversario della sua fondazione nel 2021. Eppure, nonostante l'importanza di questo argomento, le relazioni tra civili e militari in Cina rimangono sorprendentemente poco teorizzate. Sebbene oggi vi sia consenso tra gli studiosi sul fatto che il concetto di "controllo oggettivo" di Samuel P. Huntington descriva al meglio la situazione attuale in Cina, tale concetto è utilizzato in modo meramente descrittivo. Questo articolo sostiene che, sebbene il modello originale incentrato sull'ideologia di Huntington non sia impeccabile, l'approccio attuale rischi di produrre importanti distorsioni nell'analisi. Sullo sfondo del rinnovato interesse odierno per le relazioni civili-militari tra gli scienziati politici, questo articolo propone suggerimenti riguardanti i futuri studi sulle relazioni civili-militari in Cina

A mixture of organic acids and thymol protects primary chicken intestinal epithelial cells from Clostridium perfringens infection in vitro

Necrotic enteritis causes economic losses estimated to be up to 6 billion US dollars per year. Clinical and sub-clinical infections in poultry are also both correlated with decreased growth and feed efficiency. Moreover, in a context of increased antibiotic resistance, feed additives with enhanced antimicrobial properties are a useful and increasingly needed strategy. In this study, the protective effects of a blend of thymol and organic acids against the effects of Clostridium perfringens type A (CP) on chicken intestinal epithelial cells were investigated and compared to bacitracin, a widely used antibiotic in poultry production. Primary chicken intestinal epithelial cells were challenged with CP for a total time of 3h to assess the beneficial effect of two doses of citric acid, dodecanoic acid, and thymol-containing blend, and compare them with bacitracin. During the challenge different parameters were recorded, such as transepithelial electrical resistance, cell viability, mRNA expression, and reactive oxygen species production. CP induced inflammation with cytokine production and loss of epithelial barrier integrity. It was also able to induce reactive oxygen species production and increase the caspase expression leading to cellular death. The high dose of the blend acted similarly to bacitracin, preventing the disruptive effects of CP and inducing also an increase in zonula occludens-1 mRNA expression. The low dose only partially prevented the disruptive effects of CP but successfully reduced the associated inflammation. This study shows that the usage of thymol combined with two organic acids can protect primary chicken intestinal epithelial cells from CP-induced damages creating a valid candidate to substitute or adjuvate the antibiotic treatment against necrotic enteritis

Immune System, Gut Microbiota and Diet: An Interesting and Emerging Trialogue

The present chapter provides a comprehensive overview of the multifaceted links connecting the immune system, the intestinal microbiota, and the diet, covering also some recent, less explored, and emerging topics such as the “trained immunity” and the immune cell metabolic activity. The main characteristics of the innate and adaptive immune system are described, as well as the gut-associated lymphoid tissue (GALT). Gut microbiota structure and function are also presented. Particular emphasis is given to the diet as a modulator of the microbiota-immune system crosstalk, focusing on the impact of the three main dietary components (carbohydrates, proteins, and fats) and the different dietary profiles on the gut microbiota, by shaping its composition and the deriving microbial metabolites that influence host health, also through interaction with the immune system. Western and Mediterranean diets are described and chosen as representative models of detrimental and beneficial dietary patterns, respectively

Temporin A as a prophylactic agent against methicillin sodium-susceptible and methicillin sodium-resistant Staphylococcus epidermidis vascular graft infection

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Mitochondrial genomes and Doubly Uniparental Inheritance: new insights from Musculista senhousia sex-linked mitochondrial DNAs (Bivalvia Mytilidae)

BACKGROUND: Doubly Uniparental Inheritance (DUI) is a fascinating exception to matrilinear inheritance of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA). Species with DUI are characterized by two distinct mtDNAs that are inherited either through females (F-mtDNA) or through males (M-mtDNA). DUI sex-linked mitochondrial genomes share several unusual features, such as additional protein coding genes and unusual gene duplications/structures, which have been related to the functionality of DUI. Recently, new evidence for DUI was found in the mytilid bivalve Musculista senhousia. This paper describes the complete sex-linked mitochondrial genomes of this species. RESULTS: Our analysis highlights that both M and F mtDNAs share roughly the same gene content and order, but with some remarkable differences. The Musculista sex-linked mtDNAs have differently organized putative control regions (CR), which include repeats and palindromic motifs, thought to provide sites for DNA-binding proteins involved in the transcriptional machinery. Moreover, in male mtDNA, two cox2 genes were found, one (M-cox2b) 123bp longer. CONCLUSIONS: The complete mtDNA genome characterization of DUI bivalves is the first step to unravel the complex genetic signals allowing Doubly Uniparental Inheritance, and the evolutionary implications of such an unusual transmission route in mitochondrial genome evolution in Bivalvia. The observed redundancy of the palindromic motifs in Musculista M-mtDNA may have a role on the process by which sperm mtDNA becomes dominant or exclusive of the male germline of DUI species. Moreover, the duplicated M-COX2b gene may have a different, still unknown, function related to DUI, in accordance to what has been already proposed for other DUI species in which a similar cox2 extension has been hypothesized to be a tag for male mitochondria

Il Mediterraneo allargato e la Cina come “offshore balancer” - The Wider Mediterranean and China as an "Offshore Balancer"

As the wider Mediterranean region makes its return to the centre of international politics, China’s role in it is also becoming more prominent. This study argues that China, so far, has adopted a strategy of offshore balancing in order to weaken American influence in that region without, however, making evident attempts to establish its own sphere of influence. China’s balancing act is performed through various diplomatic means and multilateral platforms, especially the UN, to maximize the effectiveness of its strategy while minimizing the risks to China’s political and economic interests in the region. Within a defensive neorealist framework, this argument is based on the analysis of China’s approach to Libya, Syria, and Iran. This study has important implications on how we understand China’s approach to regional crises, and regional and extra-regional actors.As the wider Mediterranean region makes its return to the centre of international politics, China’s role in it is also becoming more prominent. This study argues that China, so far, has adopted a strategy of offshore balancing in order to weaken American influence in that region without, however, making evident attempts to establish its own sphere of influence. China’s balancing act is performed through various diplomatic means and multilateral platforms, especially the UN, to maximize the effectiveness of its strategy while minimizing the risks to China’s political and economic interests in the region. Within a defensive neorealist framework, this argument is based on the analysis of China’s approach to Libya, Syria, and Iran. This study has important implications on how we understand China’s approach to regional crises, and regional and extra-regional actors

Cochlear Implant in Patients with Intralabyrinthine Schwannoma without Tumor Removal

(1) Background: Schwannomas of the vestibulocochlear nerve are benign, slow-growing tumors, arising from the Schwann cells. When they originate from neural elements within the vestibule or cochlea, they are defined as intralabyrinthine schwannomas (ILSs). Cochlear implant (CI) has been reported as a feasible solution for hearing restoration in these patients. (2) Methods: Two patients with single-sided deafness (SSD) due to sudden sensorineural hearing loss and ipsilateral tinnitus were the cases. MRI detected an ILS. CI was positioned using a standard round window approach without tumor removal. (3) Results: The hearing threshold was 35 dB in one case and 30 dB in the other 6 mo after activation. Speech audiometry with bisillables in quiet was 21% and 27% at 65 dB, and the tinnitus was completely resolved or reduced. In the localization test, a 25.9° error azimuth was obtained with CI on, compared to 43.2° without CI. The data log reported a daily use of 11 h and 14 h. In order to not decrease the CI’s performance, we decided not to perform tumor exeresis, but only CI surgery to restore functional binaural hearing. (4) Conclusions: These are the sixth and seventh cases in the literature of CI in patients with ILS without any tumor treatment and the first with SSD. Cochlear implant without tumor removal can be a feasible option for restoring binaural hearing without worsening the CI’s performance

Nutrition and health or nutrients and health?

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