Education and family ties in Italy, France and Sweden

Education is actually a crucial element of social stratification. While research has often focused on education’s effect on labor market opportunities and intergenerational class mobility, it has seldom been analyzed its association with the structure of family ties. However, as a consequence of unprecedented demographic changes, multigenerational bonds are becoming increasingly important for the solidarity within families and the future sustainability of welfare state.The main argument underlying this study is that individuals’ level of education is likely to affect both the preferences and the structure of restrictions and opportunities. First, higher educated individuals are expected to acquire more individualistic values, and thus to be less oriented toward family issues. Second, the higher educated individuals are more likely to look for job opportunities in specific and selected areas, and thus to loosen family ties because of a greater geographical mobility.Moreover, the association between education and family ties is likely to be affected by the peculiar combination of institutional and cultural features. The country-specific context is, indeed, likely to pattern the structure of costs, opportunities, and individual preferences related to the maintenance of more-or-less strong intergenerational relations. Using data from Share 2004-2007, this paper assesses the effect of education on the relationships between family members in Italy, France and Sweden. In particular, empirical evidence is provided for parent–child geographical proximity and frequency of contacts

Nudging gender desegregation: a field experiment on the causal effect of information barriers on gender inequalities in higher education

In this article, we propose and test a novel explanation for gender segregation in Higher Education that focuses on the misperceptions of economic returns to fields of study. We frame this explanation within the literature emphasizing the role of gender-stereotypical preferences and occupational plans, and we argue that counselling activities in school can play a crucial role in either reinforcing or countering the weight of these expressive mechanisms relative to more instrumental considerations involving occupational prospects of different fields. In particular, we suggest that the availability of reliable, ready-to-use information on these prospects enhances the probability that students, particularly females, opt for more rewarding fields. To test this argument, we present the results of a field experiment conducted in Italy that confronted high school seniors with detailed information concerning returns to tertiary education and field of study differentials, and we assess how girls and boys reacted to this counselling intervention

Gender, information barriers and fields of study choice: a field experiment

In this article we propose and test a novel explanation for the segregation of wom-en in less rewarding fields of study in tertiary education that focuses on the lack of knowledge of the profitability of different fields, a mechanism that has arguably received limited attention in previous research. We frame this explanation in the context of research that emphasizes the role of gender-stereotypical curricular preferences and occupational plans for gender differences across fields, and we argue that school counseling can play a crucial role in either reinforcing or counter-ing these mechanisms by providing students with transparent information about returns to educational investments. To test this hypothesis we carried out a field experiment which confronted a random sample of over 9000 Italian high school seniors with detailed information concerning the profitability of fields of study and the vocational alternatives to college. Contrary to the claim that girls are less ca-reer-oriented than boys, we found that the former were much more reactive to this information initiative. Indeed, this intervention substantially improved the occupa-tional prospects of the girls by reducing their overrepresentation in weak fields and by enhancing their participation in vocational HE as an alternative to leaving the educational system after high school graduation. These findings support the hy-pothesis that information barriers fuel gender inequality in educational choices and suggest that light-touch, cost-effective counseling interventions that provide all students with the same information can have significant gender-equalizing effects

Effect of two different preparations of platelet-rich plasma on synoviocytes

To analyse the modifications induced by two different platelet-rich plasma (PRP) preparations on osteoarthritis (OA) synoviocytes, by documenting changes in gene expression of factors involved in joint physiopathology.OA synoviocytes were cultured for 7 days in medium with different concentrations of either P-PRP (a pure platelet concentrate without leucocytes but with a limited number of platelets), L-PRP (a higher platelet concentrate containing leucocytes) or platelet-poor plasma (PPP). Gene expression of interleukin (IL)-1beta, IL-6, IL-8/CXCL8, tumour necrosis factor alpha, IL-10, IL-4, IL-13, metalloproteinase-13, tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase (TIMP)-1, (TIMP)-3, (TIMP)-4, vascular endothelial growth factor, transforming growth factor beta1, fibroblast growth factor (FGF)-2, hepatocyte growth factor (HGF), hyaluronic acid (HA) synthases (HAS)-1, (HAS)-2, and (HAS)-3 was analysed by RT-PCR. HA production was determined in culture supernatants by ELISA.IL-1β, IL-8 and FGF-2 were significantly induced by L-PRP compared to both P-PRP and PPP; HGF was down-modulated by L-PRP versus both P-PRP and PPP, and an inverse dose-response influence was shown for all preparations. Expression level of TIMP-4 was lower in the presence of L-PRP compared with P-PRP. HA production and HAS gene expression did not seem to be modulated by PRP.L-PRP is able to sustain the up-regulation of proinflammatory factors, (IL-1beta, IL-8 and FGF-2), together with a down-modulation of HGF and TIMP-4 expression, two factors that have been recognized as anti-catabolic mediators in cartilage, thus supporting the need to further optimize the PRP preparations to be applied in clinical practice

La competenza digitale e le disuguaglianze socio-scolastiche degli studenti. Un’analisi con test standardizzato nella scuola secondaria di I e II grado

The development of digital competence among youth is one of the main focuses of European and Italian policies, but only few international studies measure this construct in a statistically rigorous manner. This article analyses data collected up to 2024 using the first standardized performance test available in Italy, which has been developed following the European framework DigComp. The dataset consists of 6,646 records from students ranging from grade 6 to 13 who completed the test between 2021 and 2024, thanks to the participation of at least one of their teachers in the Benessere Digitale-Scuole project. The article examines the performance of the sample across different school levels and grades, as well as individual, family, and school factors influencing digital competence. Results show that digital competence increases with grade level, with communication being the most familiar area to students, while information & literacy appears to be the least mastered. Significant differences are observed on the basis of students’ school level, migratory background, and parental education. Additionally, digital competence shows a positive correlation with self-reported marks, especially in Italian, especially for students from disadvantaged socio-school contexts

Il principio dei lavori virtuali

La tesi tratta del principio dei lavori virtuali

A Single-pass Reduced Tillage Technique for the Establishment of Short-Rotation Poplar (Populus spp.) Plantations

In Italy, there has been a significant increase of the areas cultivated with short-rotation forestry (SRF) poplar (Populus spp.) for the production of lignocellulosic biomass. This species has been generally introduced on soils managed with conventional farming practices that led to the formation of a hardpan. This constitutes a serious obstacle for root development and water availability, which affect the successful establishment of the plantation. To this end the Unit of Agricultural Engineering of the Agricultural Research Council (CRA-ING) has developed a new system for reduced tillage (RT), to be used during the establishment of SRF poplar. This new system aims at breaking the tillage pan and at reducing both traffic intensity and site preparation cost. A new machine has been developed, which is based on a commercial rotary plough, suitably modified by adding a shank subsoiler. This machine can perform both deep soil ripping and surface ploughing in a single pass, treating narrow strips where poplar cuttings are to be planted. The study compared conventional tillage (CT) with RT, showing that latter allowed a dramatic reduction of the number of field operations and of all related problems, while creating better conditions for poplar rooting without meaningful effects on yield

Study of gas-liquid mixing in stirred vessel using electrical resistance tomography

This study presents a full operation and optimisation of a mixing unit; an innovative approach is developed to address the behaviour of gas-liquid mixing by using Electrical Resistance Tomography (ERT). The validity of the method is investigated by developing the tomographic images using different numbers of baffles in a mixing unit. This technique provided clear visual evidence of better mixing that took place inside the gasliquid system and the effect of a different number of baffles on mixing characteristics. For optimum gas flow rate (m3/s) and power input (kW), the oxygen absorption rate in water was measured. Dynamic gassingout method was applied for five different gas flow rates and four different power inputs to find out mass transfer coefficient (KLa). The rest of the experiments with one up to four baffles were carried out at these optimum values of power input (2.0 kW) and gas flow rate (8.5×10-4 m3/s). The experimental results and tomography visualisations showed that the gasliquid mixing with standard baffling provided near the optimal process performance and good mechanical stability, as higher mass transfer rates were obtained using a greater number of baffles. The addition of single baffle had a striking effect on mixing efficiency and additions of further baffles significantly decrease mixing time. The energy required for complete mixing was remarkably reduced in the case of four baffles as compared to without any baffle. The process economics study showed that the increased cost of baffles installation accounts for less cost of energy input for agitation. The process economics have also revealed that the optimum numbers of baffles are four in the present mixing unit and the use of an optimum number of baffles reduced the energy input cost by 54%

Harvesting of Arachis hypogaea L. in an Italian Area: Synergy between Cultural Techniques and Mechanization

The world production of peanuts is 45.9 million tons, of which China and India account for 50% of the total production. The cultivation of peanuts in Italy has had a reduction in recent decades mainly due to the high harvesting costs due to a lack of specific mechanization despite possessing favorable soil and climatic conditions. In this work, modern harvesting technologies are analyzed for adaptation to Italian areas and loss containment, and agronomic technique adaptation for mechanical harvesting. The mechanical harvesting was evaluated in two steps: plant extraction and separation pods. The results showed that lower planting density led to approximately 22% higher production and reduction in crop losses (−52%). The same trend showed that yield and harvesting efficiency were found to be 40% and 22% higher. Our research aimed to evaluate the impact of new technologies integrated by suitable agronomic management, grain losses, and the quality of the final product obtained. The lowest density also improved the healthy pod rate by 11%, from 59 to 70%. These results suggest that an integration of modern technologies and specific agronomic management improves pod retention during harvesting