Primary and secondary effects in educational attainment in Italy. Effetti primari e secondari nell’istruzione in Italia

equality of opportunity, school choices, educational policies.

The Role of Family Background on Secondary School Choices

The aim of our work is to measure the impact of social origins on the choice of the academic track in order to allow for consistent cross-country comparisons. We analyze Italy, the Netherlands, and Germany, employing the data from PISA 2003. A substantive problem is that a good measure of individual ability before tracking occurs is not available, thus ability cannot be adequately kept under control. A simple model for school choice is proposed, but the model is not identified with cross-section data. The consequences of unobserved ability are assessed; in the absence of a measure of ability at time the track, the logit regression coefficient of social background is an estimate of the total effect of social background, given by the sum of direct and indirect effects. This is a measure of substantive interest because it represents the total causal effect of social origins on school track. Yet, given that regression coefficients in logit models with independent unobserved heterogeneity are biased towards zero, comparison across countries are difficult; the average sample derivative of the response probability is employed, and it is shown to be a valid alternative measure of the effect of explanatory variables in this context. Our main substantive finding is that the total effect of social background on the choice of the academic track is weaker in the Netherlands and stronger in Germany, with Italy somewhere in between, although, as the German case reveals, when access is regulated by formal restrictions based on ability tests the role of parental background is significantly reduced.equality of opportunity, intergenerational mobility, school systems, PISA, PIRLS.

A guide to the equipment, methods and procedures for the prevention of risks, emergency response and mitigation of the consequences of accidents: Part I

This report is the first part of a dilogy which aims to be a compendium for regulators without a specific background in risk and safety assessment. It describes the state-of-the-art of the safety-related equipment, methods, procedures and projects available nowadays for the prevention of risks, the emergency response and the mitigation of the consequences of accidents. While the present report addresses the above topics from a generic perspective, the second part, currently in preparation, focuses on the particular challenges of the Nordic Seas. The review is based on the retrieval and analysis of a large number of open source information, along with personal contacts with Authorities and HSE representatives of several major oil and gas operators. This helps the reader go into further details and better appreciate the latest technological advancements in offshore safety as a consequence of the lessons learnt from the Macondo Accident.JRC.C.3-Energy Security, Distribution and Market

Differenze di genere in un modello di auto-somministratione di una bevanda al gusto di cioccolato: evidenze comportamentali e neurochimiche

Gender differences in food-related disorders have repeatedly been described, with females appearing to be more vulnerable than males. The present study investigated gender differences in neurochemical (dopamine activity in the nucleus accumbens by intracerebral microdialysis) and behavioral (acquisition and maintenance) features in a rat model of operant self-administration of a chocolate-flavored beverage (CFB), the latter possessing strong reinforcing properties and being avidly consumed by rats. Comparison of male and female rats revealed a similar behavioral profile of CFB self-administration; microdialysis showed an increase – of comparable magnitude in male and female rats – in extracellular dopamine mainly during the appetitive phase of CFB self-administration. However, CFB self-administration profile in female rats changed across the estrus cycle, reaching its nadir during the estrus phase. Accordingly, microdialysis showed lower dopaminergic outputs during proestrus/estrus than diestrus/metestrus phases. No change was recorded in ovariectomized rats. These results suggest that CFB self-administration in female rats is influenced by sexual hormones, possibly interfering with mesolimbic dopamine. This study confirms the importance of (i) gender as a factor to be carefully considered in animal models of drug and food self-administration, and (ii) estrus cycle hormonal changes as a source of variability between males and females

The Treatment of Acute Diaphyseal Long-bones Fractures with Orthobiologics and Pharmacological Interventions for Bone Healing Enhancement: A Systematic Review of Clinical Evidence

The healing of long bones diaphyseal fractures can be often impaired and eventually end into delayed union and non-union. A number of therapeutic strategies have been proposed in combination with surgical treatment in order to enhance the healing process, such as scaffolds, growth factors, cell therapies and systemic pharmacological treatments. Our aim was to investigate the current evidence of bone healing enhancement of acute long bone diaphyseal fractures

Multi-Year Concentrations, Health Risk, and Source Identification, of Air Toxics in the Venice Lagoon

This work presents and discusses the results of multi-year measurements of air toxics concentrations from different sites of Venice Lagoon. The aim of the study is the characterization of the air quality of the area, in terms of PM10, PM10-bound metals, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) concentrations, even with the individuation of the related inhalation risk and the identification of the main contaminants' sources. The study moreover provides an important multi-years trend of chemical characterization of the Venice Lagoon. Sampling for PM10 and its metal content was carried out between 2010 and 2015, using low volume sequential aerosol samplers; V, Cr, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, As, Mo, Cd, Sb, Tl, and Pb were measured by ICP-MS. Samples for PAHs concentration in gas and particle phases were collected from 2010 to 2014, using a high-volume air sampler that allows to sample both phases simultaneously. Samples for PAHs determinations were analyzed by GC-HRMS. Concentrations of air toxics have been studied with the use of enrichment factor, the coefficient of divergence, and the Mann-Kendal test, to individuate eventual local divergences, seasonal and other temporal trends. The inhalation risk assessment has been achieved by the calculation of the cumulative incremental carcinogenic risk for all the air toxics analyzed. The sources' identification and impact evaluation have been carried out using the atmospheric vanadium concentration, to calculate the primary contribution of ship traffic to PM10, the Positive Matrix Factorization, and the Diagnostic Ratios, with the aim of evaluating the impact of construction activities of M.o.S.E, (Modulo Sperimentale Elettromeccanico-Electromechanical Experimental Module) as well as of ship traffic and other possible air toxics' sources. Temporal trends indicate a slight decrease of PAHs and PM10 and of its content of Pb, Zn, Sb. Sharp increases of As and Cd during 2014 and 2015 may be due to local sources like emissions from the construction yard, ship, and road traffic. The cumulative incremental carcinogenic risk was below the unconditionally acceptable risk; Co and As are the most important contributors among metals, followed by Cd and Ni while the PAH congeners that most contribute to the carcinogenic risk were benzo(a)pyrene and dibenzo(A,H)anthracene

Shipping and Air Quality in Italian Port Cities: State-of-the-Art Analysis of Available Results of Estimated Impacts

Populated coastal areas are exposed to emissions from harbour-related activities (ship traffic, loading/unloading, and internal vehicular traffic), posing public health issues and environmental pressures on climate. Due to the strategic geographical position of Italy and the high number of ports along coastlines, an increasing concern about maritime emissions from Italian harbours has been made explicit in the EU and IMO (International Maritime Organization, London, UK) agenda, also supporting the inclusion in a potential Mediterranean emission control area (MedECA). This work reviews the main available outcomes concerning shipping (and harbours') contributions to local air quality, particularly in terms of concentration of particulate matter (PM) and gaseous pollutants (mainly nitrogen and sulphur oxides), in the main Italian hubs. Maritime emissions from literature and disaggregated emission inventories are discussed. Furthermore, estimated impacts to air quality, obtained with dispersion and receptor modeling approaches, which are the most commonly applied methodologies, are discussed. Results show a certain variability that suggests the necessity of harmonization among methods and input data in order to compare results. The analysis gives a picture of the effects of this pollution source, which could be useful for implementing effective mitigation strategies at a national level

New frontiers in time-domain diffuse optics, a review

The recent developments in time-domain diffuse optics that rely on physical concepts (e.g., time-gating and null distance) and advanced photonic components (e.g., vertical cavity source-emitting laser as light sources, single photon avalanche diode, and silicon photomultipliers as detectors, fast-gating circuits, and time-to-digital converters for acquisition) are focused. This study shows how these tools could lead on one hand to compact and wearable time-domain devices for point-of-care diagnostics down to the consumer level and on the other hand to powerful systems with exceptional depth penetration and sensitivity