Risk Preference and Investments Quality as Determinants of Efficiency in the Italian Banking System

The Italian banking system is characterized by deep efficiency inequality between banks operating in different regions, with northern banks that largely outperform the southern ones. Moreover the ratio of non-performing loans to total loans is significantly higher in the South than elsewhere. In view of these evidences we asked: is the effi ciency gap of the southern banks (and therefore their lower screening and monitoring ability) the primary source of their higher level of bad loans? Or is the poorer quality of the southern bank loans (due to the adverse macroeconomic environment) that causes lower efficiency? The results offer rather concrete evidence in favour of the hypothesis that is a lower managerial efficiency which causes an increase in non-performing loans, whereas the eects of exogenous environmental shocks are negligible. As a second point to investigate, we recognize that banks have different risk aversion which differently affects the choice of input vector and we expressly take into account the capitalization degree (as a buffer against the risk) in estimating the bank cost stochastic frontier.

Advances in gastric cancer prevention.

2noGastric cancer is a multifactorial neoplastic pathology numbering among its causes both environmental and genetic predisposing factors. It is mainly diffused in South America and South-East Asia, where it shows the highest morbility percentages and it is relatively scarcely diffused in Western countries and North America. Although molecular mechanisms leading to gastric cancer development are only partially known, three main causes are well characterized: Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection, diet rich in salted and/or smoked food and red meat, and epithelial cadherin (E-cadherin) mutations. Unhealthy diet and H. pylori infection are able to induce in stomach cancer cells genotypic and phenotypic transformation, but their effects may be crossed by a diet rich in vegetables and fresh fruits. Various authors have recently focused their attention on the importance of a well balanced diet, suggesting a necessary dietary education starting from childhood. A constant surveillance will be necessary in people carrying E-cadherin mutations, since they are highly prone in developing gastric cancer, also within the inner stomach layers. Above all in the United States, several carriers decided to undergo a gastrectomy, preferring changing their lifestyle than living with the awareness of the development of a possible gastric cancer. This kind of choice is strictly personal, hence a decision cannot be suggested within the clinical management. Here we summarize the key points of gastric cancer prevention analyzing possible strategies referred to the different predisposing factors. We will discuss about the effects of diet, H. pylori infection and E-cadherin mutations and how each of them can be handled.openopenGiordano A; Cito L.Giordano, Antonio; Cito, L

Supported nickel nitride catalysts for the gas-phase hydrogenation of furfural

A series of catalysts with different nickel loading (2.5-30 wt%) has been prepared by UGR. The preparation of Ni3N phase was ascertained via Powder X-rays diffraction together with cubic nickel . The elemental chemical analysis and XPS data confirm the presence of the nitride phase. Their catalytic performance points out that catalysts with loading of 5-10 wt% Ni exhibit a higher stability, maintaining furfural conversion values higher than 75% after 5 h of time-on-stream at 170ºC, and the main products detected were furfuryl alcohol (hydrogenation) and furan (decarbonylation). This would indicate that two types of active sites are present on the catalyst surface. It is noteworthy the high catalytic activity of this family of catalyst, since they exhibit a better performance than Cu-ZnO catalysts, but using a lower reaction temperature and H2/furfural molar ratio, as well as a higher furfural concentration and WHSV values. The experimental conditions have been optimized in order to achieve the maximum yield in the target product, but preserving a high activity and stability. The fresh and spent catalysts have been characterized in order to elucidate structure-activity-stability relationships.Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tec

WUI state of the art and regulatory needs in Europe

The document summarizes the state of the art of the regulationsrelevant to WUI in Europe, providing an organized set of references to the specific regulatory documents. It is focused on three main relevant topics: i) fuel-reduced fringes; ii) Building codes and standards; iii)Wildland-Industrial Interface. Current regulations are analysed and compared, leading to the identification of important needs and limitations of the current European regulatory frameworkPreprin

Main specifications of CFD codes for WUIVIEW activities

CFD simulations will be the core activity of the WUVIEW performance based fire safety analysis. The purpose of this document is to provide WUIVIEW partners with a general overview of the CFD codes to be used in the Action. The general simulation framework is described, particularly highlighting data inputs and scenario description requirements, to be developed in subsequent WUIVIEW WPs. This TN provides the technical foundations and main specifications of the databases to be designed within the WUIVIEW working program (ongoing action by UPC).Postprint (updated version

Building the Web of Things with WS-BPEL and Visual Tags. Web of Things using Service-oriented Architecture standards

The Web of things is an emerging scenario in which everyday objects are connected to the Internet and can answer to HTTP queries with structured data. This paper presents a system that allows users to build networks of everyday objects using visual tags as proximity technology. The system backend is based on Service-oriented Architecture languages and tools for the runtime composition of “things” establishing connections we call hyperpipes.357-36

Analysis on the mechanical effects induced by beam impedance heating on the HL-LHC target dump injection segmented (TDIS) absorber

The High Luminosity Large Hadron Collider (HL-LHC) Project at CERN calls for increasing beam brightness and intensity. In such a scenario, critical accelerator devices need to be redesigned and rebuilt. Impedance is among the design drivers, since its thermo-mechanical effects could lead to premature device failures. In this context, the current work reports the results of a multiphysics study to assess the electromagnetic and thermo-mechanical behaviour of the Target Dump Injection Segmented (TDIS). It first discusses the outcomes of the impedance analysis performed to characterise the resistive wall and the high order resonant modes (HOMs) trapped in the TDIS structures. Then, their RF-heating effects and the related temperature distribution are considered. Finally, mechanical stresses induced by thermal gradients are studied in order to give a final validation on the design qualit

Le principali recessioni italiane: un confronto retrospettivo

Il lavoro propone un’analisi comparata dell’andamento dei principali aggregati macroeconomici, reali e creditizi, nonché delle reazioni della politica monetaria in occasione delle più gravi recessioni attraversate dall’economia italiana. L’indagine, di tipo descrittivo, si concentra soprattutto sugli ultimi quarant’anni, per i quali il quadro informativo disponibile è ampio e dettagliato. In particolare, si confronta l’evidenza relativa alla profonda recessione del 2008-09 con quelle registrate nel 1974-75 e nel 1992-93, in corrispondenza delle crisi petrolifera e valutaria. Per un numero ridotto di variabili si propone anche un raffronto con gli andamenti negli anni trenta.Fluttuazioni cicliche, recessioni, offerta di credito, politica monetaria