Informal social networks, organised crime and local labour market

This paper’s purpose is to show a new informal social networks interpretation, according to which social networks change their nature if they are located in social contexts where organised crime is relevant. Here the perusal of a social network is just a necessary condition to enter the labour market rather than a deliberate choice. Moreover this labour market is the ground where favouritisms and social and electoral consensus policies take placesocial networks, organised crime, labour market

Coffee prevents fatty liver disease induced by a high-fat diet by modulating pathways of the gut-liver axis

Coffee consumption is inversely associated with the risk of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). A gap in the literature still exists concerning the intestinal mechanisms that are involved in the protective effect of coffee consumption towards NAFLD. In this study, twenty-four C57BL/6J mice were divided into three groups each receiving a standard diet, a high-fat diet (HFD) or an HFD plus decaffeinated coffee (HFD+COFFEE) for 12 weeks. Coffee supplementation reduced HFD-induced liver macrovesicular steatosis (P\ua0<\ua00\ub701) and serum cholesterol (P\ua0<\ua00\ub7001), alanine aminotransferase and glucose (P\ua0<\ua00\ub705). Accordingly, liver PPAR- \u3b1 (P\ua0<\ua00\ub705) and acyl-CoA oxidase-1 (P\ua0<\ua00\ub705) as well as duodenal ATP-binding cassette (ABC) subfamily A1 (ABCA1) and subfamily G1 (ABCG1) (P\ua0<\ua00\ub705) mRNA expressions increased with coffee consumption. Compared with HFD animals, HFD+COFFEE mice had more undigested lipids in the caecal content and higher free fatty acid receptor-1 mRNA expression in the duodenum and colon. Furthermore, they showed an up-regulation of duodenal and colonic zonulin-1 (P\ua0<\ua00\ub705), duodenal claudin (P\ua0<\ua00\ub705) and duodenal peptide YY (P\ua0<\ua00\ub705) mRNA as well as a higher abundance of Alcaligenaceae in the faeces (P\ua0<\ua00\ub705). HFD+COFFEE mice had an energy intake comparable with HFD-fed mice but starting from the eighth intervention week they gained significantly less weight over time. Data altogether showed that coffee supplementation prevented HFD-induced NAFLD in mice by reducing hepatic fat deposition and metabolic derangement through modification of pathways underpinning liver fat oxidation, intestinal cholesterol efflux, energy metabolism and gut permeability. The hepatic and metabolic benefits induced by coffee were accompanied by changes in the gut microbiota

La criminalità organizzata quale intermediario nel mercato del lavoro

Attribuendo una interpretazione alternativa, rispetto a quella offerta dalla letteratura economica, dei reticoli sociali nel mercato del lavoro, si intende mettere in luce il ruolo che la criminalità organizzata gioca su questo mercato. In tal caso il ricorso alla rete per fini occupazionali non è frutto di una libera scelta ma diventa condizione necessaria per poter accedere al mercato del lavoro: un mercato che diventa così il campo sul quale vengono giocate le politiche clientelari e quelle del consenso sociale ed elettorale.Criminalità organizzata, reti sociali informali, mercato del lavoro, Mezzogiorno

Reflectance spectra of Titan tholin between 7000 and 10 cm-1. Interpretation of Cassini/CIRS observation of Saturn's satellite Phoebe

International audienceContext. Laboratory experiments provide a great support to astronomical studies in that they are the most suited technique to reproduce, model and interpret the observational data. Aims: We investigate the spectroscopic properties of particulate and flat slab of tholin samples in a wide MIR and FIR spectral range at cryogenic temperature to contribute to the interpretation of the observation of Saturn satellite Phoebe obtained with the Cassini CIRS instrument. Methods: Reflectance spectra of Titan tholin were obtained in the 7000-10 cm-1 spectral region by a Fourier transform spectrometer operating in vacuum. Several optical setups were used to cover this wide spectral range. Specular and diffuse reflectance spectra were obtained. A cryostat was interfaced to the spectrometer for reflectance measurements at low temperatures. It was cooled by a continuum flux of cryogenic fluid from about 300 to 72 K. Results: It is shown that powder and slab tholin have a different reflectance that depends on geometrical factors and wavelength ranges. The emissivity of Phoebe is reproduced by flat slab tholin covered by a thin layer of water ice. Conclusions: A considerable amount of compact smooth millimeter-size carbonaceous compounds are present on the Phoebe satellite covered with water ice and tholin regolith. This confirms a surface highly processed by small object impacts and a peculiar nature of Phoebe with respect to other Saturn satellites. It could be a primitive Kuiper belt object captured by Saturn that contains an high amount of HCN-like polymers active in prebiotic chemistry

10 Hygiea: ISO Infrared Observations

International audienc

International consensus guidelines for the diagnosis and management of food protein–induced enterocolitis syndrome: Executive summary—Workgroup Report of the Adverse Reactions to Foods Committee, American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology

Food protein-induced enterocolitis (FPIES) is a non-IgE cell- mediated food allergy that can be severe and lead to shock. Despite the potential seriousness of reactions, awareness of FPIES is low; high-quality studies providing insight into the pathophysiology, diagnosis, and management are lacking; and clinical outcomes are poorly established. This consensus document is the result of work done by an international workgroup convened through the Adverse Reactions to Foods Committee of the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology and the International FPIES Association advocacy group. These are the first international evidence-based guidelines to improve the diagnosis and management of patients with FPIES. Research on prevalence, pathophysiology, diagnostic markers, and future treatments is necessary to improve the care of patients with FPIES. These guidelines will be updated periodically as more evidence becomes available

Compositional maps of 67P/CG nucleus after perihelion passage by VIRTIS-M aboard Rosetta

Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko undergoes periherm transit at 1.2 AU in August 2015. During this passage the illumination conditions above the south hemisphere of the nucleus rapidly improve becoming optimal for the retrieval of the surface properties by VIRTIS-M onboard Rosetta. A similar mapping of the surface at about 12.5 m/pixel and at solar phases below 40 deg has been already performed during the Philae prelanding phase (August-September 2014, heliocentric distance 3.6 AU) allowing us to build compositional maps of the entire north hemisphere and equatorial regions down to latitudes -50 deg on a limited part of the Hapi, or the comet’s neck, region. One year after this first mapping campaign the illumination geometry becomes favorable to complete the coverage above the South polar region. Since comet’s activity is rapidly increasing and the Rosetta spacecraft cannot orbit on low trajectories like during the prelanding phase, the south hemisphere maps shall be reasonably observed by VIRTIS-M with a spatial resolution of about 25 m/pixel. Global scale data have shown that the nucleus’ double-lobe surface is characterized by morphologically different units uniformly covered by a very dark, low-albedo, dehydrated organic-rich material. Compositional properties across the different regions of the nucleus are mapped by measuring visible and infrared spectral slopes, calculated on the best linear fit to the reflectance spectra between 0.5-0.8 μm and 1-2.5 μm, respectively. As pre-landing data have clearly shown, spectral slopes are highly diagnostic to identify active areas, like in the Hapi area, and exposed water ice deposits where the spectra appear less red. As heliocentric distance decreases and diurnal temperatures increase, the 3-5 μm spectral range becomes affected by thermal emission from the surface. This emission is overlapping with the 3 μm feature previously observed by VIRTIS during the pre-landing period making more difficult to retrieve the distribution of the organic material. A summary of the spectral characteristics observed on the south hemisphere region during the perihelion passage is given. Activity-driven spectral changes observed before and after perihelion passage on some specific areas of the surface are discussed