Migration flows, structural change, and growth convergence: A panel data analysis of Italian regions

The aim of this paper is to measure the impact of migration flows on growth via their effect on structural change. To this extent we build an empirical growth model in which migration flows and intersectoral wage differentials can affect the speed of labour readjustment between sectors and, ultimately, total factor productivity and growth. By employing Italian regional data stemming over more than four decades we measure the effects of interregional migration on regional growth and convergence. The results confirm that migration in general, and in particular the content of human capital of moving workers, is a relevant factor in determining the speed of technological change and growth.Migration; Structural change; Growth and convergence.

Ethnicity and work-related stress in Eastern European care workers for the elderly: an application of a proposed multi-dimensional model

The present study aims to test the application of a multi-dimensional model of stress that takes as a framework of reference the DRIVE (Demands, Resources, and Individual Effects) model and previous studies on occupational health and cultural aspects in a sample of Eastern European eldercare workers. This model integrated ethnicity and work-related stress dimensions in a transactional perspective combining individual differences, ethnicity aspects, work characteristics in the prediction of psychophysical health giving closer attention to specificassociations between cultural dimensions such as cultural identity, acculturation strategies and health outcomes. Therefore the study hypothesized significant profiles of associations between individual differences, work characteristics, ethnicity dimensions, perceived job satisfaction/stress and health outcomes among these workers. A questionnaire measuring the following dimensions was submitted to 250 Eastern European eldercare workers in Southern Italy: coping strategies, personality behaviours, acculturation strategies, perceived work demands, resources/rewards, perceived job stress/satisfaction, psychological disorders and general health. Around one third (38.6%) lived in Italy from more than 5 years, all were women (Age Mean=43.18; SD=4.25) and most of them were married (94.8 %), with a high level of education (94.4 %), worked full-time (93.2 %) and had fixed contracts (97.2 %)Data were analysed using LR logistic regression to evaluate the effects of all the dimensions reported on the risk of suffering health problems. Results showed that work demands, type A and negative affectivity behavioural patterns significantlyassociated with high levels of anxious-depressive disorders, relational disorders and general health. Moreover positive coping strategies, specificacculturation strategies and perceived job satisfaction significantlyassociated with low levels of psychophysical disorders. Findings supported different aspects of the proposed stress model and will be helpful in definingpsychological interventions to support this particular type of migrant workers

Impact of Weak Lensing Mass Calibration on eROSITA Galaxy Cluster Cosmological Studies -- a Forecast

We forecast the impact of weak lensing (WL) cluster mass calibration on the cosmological constraints from the X-ray selected galaxy cluster counts in the upcoming eROSITA survey. We employ a prototype cosmology pipeline to analyze mock cluster catalogs. Each cluster is sampled from the mass function in a fiducial cosmology and given an eROSITA count rate and redshift, where count rates are modeled using the eROSITA effective area, a typical exposure time, Poisson noise and the scatter and form of the observed X-ray luminosity-- and temperature--mass--redshift relations. A subset of clusters have mock shear profiles to mimic either those from DES and HSC or from the future Euclid and LSST surveys. Using a count rate selection, we generate a baseline cluster cosmology catalog that contains 13k clusters over 14,892~deg$^2$ of extragalactic sky. Low mass groups are excluded using raised count rate thresholds at low redshift. Forecast parameter uncertainties for $\Omega_\mathrm{M}$, $\sigma_8$ and $w$ are 0.023 (0.016; 0.014), 0.017 (0.012; 0.010), and 0.085 (0.074; 0.071), respectively, when adopting DES+HSC WL (Euclid; LSST), while marginalizing over the sum of the neutrino masses. A degeneracy between the distance--redshift relation and the parameters of the observable--mass scaling relation limits the impact of the WL calibration on the $w$ constraints, but with BAO measurements from DESI an improved determination of $w$ to 0.043 becomes possible. With Planck CMB priors, $\Omega_\text{M}$ ($\sigma_8$) can be determined to $0.005$ ($0.007$), and the summed neutrino mass limited to $\sum m_\nu < 0.241$ eV (at 95\%). If systematics on the group mass scale can be controlled, the eROSITA group and cluster sample with 43k objects and LSST WL could constrain $\Omega_\mathrm{M}$ and $\sigma_8$ to 0.007 and $w$ to 0.050.Comment: 28 pages, 13 figur

Ethnicity and stress at work: a Literature review and suggestions for future research

Aims: Ethnicity and culture represent a novel topic in the literature on stress and wellbeing at work because there has not been enough consideration of them in studies of work stress. This paper aims to present a critical review and evaluate recent articles investigating ethnicity in the literature on stress and wellbeing at work to identify limitations of previous research concerning all the aspects related to the cultural dimensions in this research area. Methodology: Pubmed, PsycInfo and Scopus databases were searched for articles dealing with ethnicity and occupational health for the years 1985 to 2014. The studies were divided into three categories as follows: ethnicity and occupational mental health, ethnicity and occupational physical health, ethnicity and work stress. Results: Sixty articles were selected, 26 on occupational mental health, 13 on physical health and 21 on work stress. None of the studies used a transactional perspective or took as a framework of reference general models of stress that integrate all the aspects related to ethnicity with work-related dimensions. Most of the reviewed studies measured ethnicity as a descriptive category of the working population studied (i.e. country of birth, nationality, language, skin colour, origin, racial group) or focused on the differences between ethnic groups and it has failed to consider the salient cultural aspects such as acculturation strategy, cultural identity and perceived racial discrimination. Conclusions: The gap in the work stress literature on different aspects of ethnicity suggests further consideration of the potential role of cultural dimensions as individual differences or as potential sources of stress in work stress models and shows the need to develop and test a general model that integrates ethnicity and work-related stress in a transactional perspective

Duplication of the posterior cerebral artery: two case reports

The anatomy of the brain circulation is complex and variable.Autopsy studies and imaging techniques have detected anatomical variations of cerebral arteries (CAs) in 48–58% of the general population [1]. The duplication of the posterior cerebral artery (PCA) is a rare anatomic variant with a frequency of 2.3% [2, 3]. PCA duplication is characterised by the identification of a “true foetal” PCA, that originates from the internal carotid artery (ICA) and gives rise to the parieto-occipital artery, the internal occipital artery, the calcarine artery and the posterior pericallosal artery, associated with a PCA, that regularly arises from the basilar artery and gives rise to the posterior temporal artery [4]

Metabolic Syndrome and Inflammatory Cytokines in Psoriasis.

Obesity negatively affects the pathological states of chronic inflammation, such as Psoriasis and Psoriatic Arthritis. The inflammatory cytokines released by the adipose tissue determine, in addition to inflammation, a condition of insulin resistance, which is also a comorbidity of psoriasis. The state of chronic inflammation unites both psoriasis and obesity. The first is an autoimmune skin disease, where very thick skin layers are evident due to an abnormal proliferation of keratinocytes; obesity, on the other hand, represents one of the possible comorbidities of psoriasis the simultaneous presence in the same subject of two or more diseases

Non-Specific Responsive Nanogels and Plasmonics to Design MathMaterial Sensing Interfaces: The Case of a Solvent Sensor

: The combination of non-specific deformable nanogels and plasmonic optical probes provides an innovative solution for specific sensing using a generalistic recognition layer. Soft polyacrylamide nanogels that lack specific selectivity but are characterized by responsive behavior, i.e., shrinking and swelling dependent on the surrounding environment, were grafted to a gold plasmonic D-shaped plastic optical fiber (POF) probe. The nanogel-POF cyclically challenged with water or alcoholic solutions optically reported the reversible solvent-to-phase transitions of the nanomaterial, embodying a primary optical switch. Additionally, the non-specific nanogel-POF interface exhibited more degrees of freedom through which specific sensing was enabled. The real-time monitoring of the refractive index variations due to the time-related volume-to-phase transition effects of the nanogels enabled us to determine the environment's characteristics and broadly classify solvents. Hence the nanogel-POF interface was a descriptor of mathematical functions for substance identification and classification processes. These results epitomize the concept of responsive non-specific nanomaterials to perform a multiparametric description of the environment, offering a specific set of features for the processing stage and particularly suitable for machine and deep learning. Thus, soft MathMaterial interfaces provide the ground to devise devices suitable for the next generation of smart intelligent sensing processes

NUTRACEUTICAL FUNCTIONS OF GREEN TEA

Today, the diffusion of neoplastic diseases is a widespread phenomenon. Thus, it is always necessary to identify new molecules able to fight them. In this paper, we will deal with the interesting antineoplastic properties of green tea. We will describe the different and plausible anticancer mechanisms of epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), the major polyphenol found in green tea, and in particular the biochemical and computational discovery of a new target for the treatment of this disease will be discussed. The bio-active substances present in tea are essentially represented by methylxanthines, as well as by the antioxidant phenolic fraction (flavonoids). Among the other active substances contained in lower concentrations there are vitamins (B, C and K), amino acids (L-theanine) and minerals (aluminium and manganese). Tea extracts, particularly EGCG, could represent the starting point for the potential emergence of new drugs for the treatment of neoplastic diseases. Other activities of tea, as the involvement in neurodegenerative diseases prevention, as well as the antioxidant, antibacterial, antifungal and antiviral effects, will be also briefly described