BANK MONITORING ACTIVITY AND THE CONTRIBUTION TO THE ECONOMIC GROWTH: EMPIRICAL ANALYSES OF THE ITALIAN BANKING SYSTEM

La presente Tesi intende rispondere a tre domande di ricerca tra loro legate. La prima domanda ha l’obiettivo di studiare se il contributo dell’attività creditizia delle banche possa contribuire al rafforzamento del tessuto economico del Paese attraverso un impatto positivo sulla crescita del PIL. La seconda domanda ha l’obiettivo di stimare econometricamente una variabile proxy che esprima le risorse dedicate da ciascuna banca al controllo costante dei finanziamenti erogati, analizzandone il potenziale effetto sia sulla qualità del portafoglio prestiti delle banche sia sul grado di efficienza del processo bancario tradizionale stimato attraverso l’approccio parametrico della frontiera stocastica. La terza domanda ha l’obiettivo di studiare se una maggiore attività di monitoraggio bancario possa ridurre la probabilità di incorrere in sanzioni amministrative da parte della Banca d’Italia. Analizzando un panel bilanciato di 436 banche Italiane, nell’arco temporale 2000-2012, i risultati evidenziano: l’attività creditizia della banca, se di qualità, contribuisce alla crescita economica; l’intensità del processo di monitoraggio del credito rafforza la capacità di prevedere con anticipo futuri peggioramenti della qualità dei prestiti; una relazione positiva tra l’attività di monitoraggio e l’efficienza del processo produttivo bancario; una relazione negativa tra l’efficienza del processo produttivo bancario e le sanzioni amministrative comminate dalla Banca d’Italia.The Thesis is based on three research questions. The first research investigates whether the lending growth, in the Italian banking system, could contribute to the economic growth and which banks (commercial, cooperative, mutual) show a more sustainable relationship with the economic environment. The second research develops a proxy based on labour input in the loan monitoring process. The proxy investigates: the resources devoted by banks to their loans monitoring activity; its influence on loans quality, its predictive aptitude in finding out anticipatory signals of credit quality worsening; its efficiency on the bank productive process. The third research analyses the relationship between the effective system of banking supervision (i.e., economic sanctions inflicted by the Bank of Italy) and the efficiency of the bank production process estimated through the stochastic frontier approach. Based on a balanced panel of 436 Italian banks, between 2000-2012, the results show: the lending growth may contribute to the economic environment; superior loan monitoring activity improves both future loan losses experience through the early detection and the management of problem loans; the monitoring activity increases the efficiency of the bank production process; the more economic sanctions are inflicted, the less the efficiency of the production process will be

Management of Postsurgical Hyperhidrosis With Direct Current and Tap Water

Background and Purpose. Excessive sweating, known as hyperhidrosis, involves the eccrine sweat glands of the axillae, soles, palms, and/or forehead. The use of iontophoresis to reduce or eliminate excessive sweating has been described since 1952. The purpose of this case report is to describe the use of tap water galvanism (TWG) using direct current (DC) with a patient who had postsurgical hyperhidrosis. Case Description. The patient was a 36-year-old male electrician with traumatic phalangeal amputation and postsurgical development of hyperhidrosis. Tap water galvanism was administered using a DC generator, 2 to 3 times per week for 10 treatments. The patient\u27s hands were individually submerged in 2 containers of tap water with the electrodes immersed directly into the containers. Each hand was treated with 30 minutes of TWG at 12 mA. Hyperhidrosis was measured by a 5-second imprint and subsequent tracing of the left hand placed on dry paper toweling. Outcomes. The patient\u27s hyperhidrosis decreased from the full left palmar pad, with a surface area of 10.3×12.0 cm, to a reduced area of wetness that covered a 2.2-×2.7-cm area. The patient returned to work as an electrician without needing absorbent gloves, which had prevented him from performing electrical work. Discussion. Following use of TWG, the patient\u27s palmar hyperhidrosis returned to normhidrosis

Total synthesis of tetracyclic kynurenic acid analogues isolated from chestnut honey

A short and efficient synthesis of novel tetracyclic Kynurenic acid analogues, isolated from chestnut honey, is described. The crucial step of the strategy was a MW-assisted cyclization of enamines of ethyl dioxohexahydropyrrolizine and 2,3-dioxooctahydroindolizine carboxylates to obtain 2,3,6,11b-tetrahydro-1H-pyrrolizino[2,1-b]quinoline-5,11-dione and 5,8,91,011,11a-hexahydroindolizino[2,1-b]quinoline-6,12-dione, respectively. Because of its modular nature, the synthetic strategy can have value as a general method for the preparation of compounds containing these new heterocyclic scaffolds

Microplastics Exposure Causes Negligible Effects on the Oxidative Response Enzymes Glutathione Reductase and Peroxidase in the Oligochaete Tubifex tubifex

Microplastics (MPs) are emerging pollutants, which are considered ubiquitous in aquatic ecosystems. The effects of MPs on aquatic biota are still poorly understood, and consequently, there is a need to understand the impacts that MPs may pose to organisms. In the present study, Tubifex tubifex, a freshwater oligochaete commonly used as a bioindicator of the aquatic environment, was exposed to fluorescent polyethylene microspheres (up to 10 µm in size) to test whether the oxidative stress status was affected. The mortality rate of T. tubifex, as well as the activities of the oxidative stress status biomarker enzymes glutathione reductase and peroxidase, were assessed. In terms of oxidative stress, no significant differences between the exposure organisms and the corresponding controls were detected. Even though the data suggest that polyethylene MPs and the selected concentrations did not pose a critical risk to T. tubifex, the previously reported tolerance of T. tubifex to environmental pollution should be taken into account and thus MPs as aquatic pollutants could still represent a threat to more sensitive oligochetes

Chemical leaching from polyethylene mulching films to soil in strawberry farming

Mulching is a widely practiced agricultural technique able to boost crop productivity and to reduce weed growth and water evaporation. One of the most common materials used for mulching is polyethylene. Polyethylene films are known to contain phthalates, plasticizers recognized as endocrine disruptors, thus able to endanger the hormonal system. Only few data exist on the possible transfer of plasticizers from polyethylene mulching films to agricultural soil, especially in Europe, or on the potential implications for the environment and human health. In this study, we analyzed the occurrence of plasticizers such as phthalates and acetyl tributyl citrate from polyethylene mulching films and soil samples collected from strawberry fields where polyethylene films have been used. The samples were analyzed with a gas chromatograph-mass spectrometer and the results indicated that the soil exposed to polyethylene mulches contained a significantly higher concentration, compared to the control soil, of some of the most common plasticizers, including dibuthyl phthalate, benzylbutyl phthalate and acetyl tributyl citrate. These outcomes highlight the need to carry out further research to understand the potential risks that mulching practices can cause for the environment and human health.Peer reviewe

4-Quinolone fused heterocyclic ring systems by intramolecular reactions of 4-quinolone-2-carboxamides

A versatile synthetic route to new 4-quinolone-based polycyclic systems is described. TFA-catalyzed intramolecular reaction of N-unsubstituted quinolone-2-carboxylic acid amides gives structurally diverse compounds, depending on the length of the chain. Acid treatment of \u3b2-oxoamides furnishes 3H-pyrazino[1,2-a]quinoline-4,6-diones, due to the nucleophilic attack of N-1 to the carbonyl group, whereas TFA treatment of \u3b4- and \u3b5-oxoamides leads to the formation of tetracyclic compounds by a tandem heteroannulation reaction

Microplastics Exposure Causes Negligible Effects on the Oxidative Response Enzymes Glutathione Reductase and Peroxidase in the Oligochaete Tubifex tubifex

Microplastics (MPs) are emerging pollutants, which are considered ubiquitous in aquatic ecosystems. The effects of MPs on aquatic biota are still poorly understood, and consequently, there is a need to understand the impacts that MPs may pose to organisms. In the present study, Tubifex tubifex, a freshwater oligochaete commonly used as a bioindicator of the aquatic environment, was exposed to fluorescent polyethylene microspheres (up to 10 µm in size) to test whether the oxidative stress status was affected. The mortality rate of T. tubifex, as well as the activities of the oxidative stress status biomarker enzymes glutathione reductase and peroxidase, were assessed. In terms of oxidative stress, no significant differences between the exposure organisms and the corresponding controls were detected. Even though the data suggest that polyethylene MPs and the selected concentrations did not pose a critical risk to T. tubifex, the previously reported tolerance of T. tubifex to environmental pollution should be taken into account and thus MPs as aquatic pollutants could still represent a threat to more sensitive oligochetes