The Economic Crisis as a Trigger of Convergence? Short-time work in Italy, Germany and Austria

In all European countries, emergency policy measures have been introduced in order to counteract the employment consequences of the economic crisis. In the context of variously composed anticrisis packages, many European countries have used Short-Time Work (STW) schemes, that is measures to subsidize a temporary reduction in working time intended to maintain an employment relationship. Countries which already had STW schemes, such as Kurzarbeit in Germany and Austria and the Cassa Integrazione Guadagni (CIG) in Italy, have loosened the eligibility requirements and extended their maximum duration. This paper focuses on the issue whether the economic crisis has spurred any convergence in the use of STW in these three social-insurance countries - Austria, Germany and Italy - or whether policy change has rather occurred in a path-dependent fashion. In order to do so, the paper also adopts a systemic approach, focusing on relationships of complementarity or functional substitution and equivalence among the various schemes comprising income maintenance systems to tackle the risks of partial or total unemployment. In addition to shedding light on a rather under-researched province of contemporary welfare states such as STW, this article also aims to contribute to the debate on the analytical levels in the study of social policy by showing the relevance and potential of adopting an intermediate level of analysis between a regime-centred and a programme-centred approach.short time work; unemployment compensation; social protection; convergence; path dependence

Agende Comunicanti? : le mobilità nella Flexicurity e nell’Agenda Sociale

Abstract Identificando nella governance delle molteplici transizioni nella vita professionale dei lavoratori uno degli aspetti chiave per il futuro delle politiche sociali e dell’occupazione in Europa, il modello della Flexicurity ha rivitalizzato ed elaborato il tema del sostegno alle “mobilità” nell’Unione Europea: mobilità geografica dei lavoratori all’interno del Mercato Unico e mobilità occupazionale degli individui lungo l’arco della loro vita lavorativa costituiscono i principali paradigmi attorno ai quali si svilupperà l’iniziativa politica comunitaria nel prossimo triennio della Strategia di Lisbona. Con il lancio della rinnovata Agenda Sociale nel luglio 2008, la Commissione ha avuto l’occasione di stabilire una decisa “comunicazione” con l’agenda Flexicurity, definendo in particolare il capitolo – espresso in termini piuttosto vaghi – dei “moderni sistemi di sicurezza sociale”, capaci tra l’altro di supportare gli individui durante le transizioni occupazionali e geografiche. Nonostante l’Agenda Sociale riprenda abbastanza fedelmente i temi aperti dall’agenda Flexicurity, la governance comunitaria delle sicurezze nelle mobilità appare ancora un sistema piuttosto frastagliato di processi politici ed interventi selettivi, dalla cui perdurante necessità di riorganizzazione e concretezza dipende la credibilità della dimensione sociale dell’UE per gli anni a venire

Assessment of the neutron dose field around a biomedical cyclotron: FLUKA simulation and experimental measurements

In the planning of a new cyclotron facility, an accurate knowledge of the radiation field around the accelerator is fundamental for the design of shielding, the protection of workers, the general public and the environment. Monte Carlo simulations can be very useful in this process, and their use is constantly increasing. However, few data have been published so far as regards the proper validation of Monte Carlo simulation against experimental measurements, particularly in the energy range of biomedical cyclotrons. In this work a detailed model of an existing installation of a GE PETtrace 16.5\ua0MeV cyclotron was developed using FLUKA. An extensive measurement campaign of the neutron ambient dose equivalent H 17(10) in marked positions around the cyclotron was conducted using a neutron rem-counter probe and CR39 neutron detectors. Data from a previous measurement campaign performed by our group using TLDs were also re-evaluated. The FLUKA model was then validated by comparing the results of high-statistics simulations with experimental data. In 10 out of 12 measurement locations, FLUKA simulations were in agreement within uncertainties with all the three different sets of experimental data; in the remaining 2 positions, the agreement was with 2/3 of the measurements. Our work allows to quantitatively validate our FLUKA simulation setup and confirms that Monte Carlo technique can produce accurate results in the energy range of biomedical cyclotrons

Radiation Protection Studies for Medical Particle Accelerators using Fluka Monte Carlo Code

Radiation protection (RP) in the use of medical cyclotrons involves many aspects both in the routine use and for the decommissioning of a site. Guidelines for site planning and installation, as well as for RP assessment, are given in international documents; however, the latter typically offer analytic methods of calculation of shielding and materials activation, in approximate or idealised geometry set-ups. The availability of Monte Carlo (MC) codes with accurate up-to-date libraries for transport and interaction of neutrons and charged particles at energies below 250 MeV, together with the continuously increasing power of modern computers, makes the systematic use of simulations with realistic geometries possible, yielding equipment and site-specific evaluation of the source terms, shielding requirements and all quantities relevant to RP at the same time. In this work, the well-known FLUKA MC code was used to simulate different aspects of RP in the use of biomedical accelerators, particularly for the production of medical radioisotopes. In the context of the Young Professionals Award, held at the IRPA 14 conference, only a part of the complete work is presented. In particular, the simulation of the GE PETtrace cyclotron (16.5 MeV) installed at S. Orsola-Malpighi University Hospital evaluated the effective dose distribution around the equipment; the effective number of neutrons produced per incident proton and their spectral distribution; the activation of the structure of the cyclotron and the vault walls; the activation of the ambient air, in particular the production of 41Ar. The simulations were validated, in terms of physical and transport parameters to be used at the energy range of interest, through an extensive measurement campaign of the neutron environmental dose equivalent using a rem-counter and TLD dosemeters. The validated model was then used in the design and the licensing request of a new Positron Emission Tomography facility

The Extreme Rainfall Events of the 2020 Typhoon Season in Vietnam as Seen by Seven Different Precipitation Products

A series of typhoons and tropical storms have produced extreme precipitation events in Vietnam during the first part of the 2020 monsoon season: events of this magnitude pose significant challenges to remote sensing Quantitative Precipitation Estimation (QPE) techniques. The weather-monitoring needs of modern human activities require that these challenges be overcome. In order to address this issue, in this work, seven precipitation products were validated with high spatial and temporal detail against over 1200 rain gauges in Vietnam during six case studies tailored around the most intense events of 2020. The data sources included the Vietnamese weather radar network, IMERG Early run and Final run, the South Korean GEO-KOMPSAT-2A and Chinese FengYun-4A geostationary satellites, DPR on board the GPM-Core Observatory, and European ERA5-Land reanalysis. All products were resampled to a standardized 0.02° grid and compared at hourly scale with ground stations measurements. The results indicated that the radars product was the most capable of reproducing the information collected by the rain gauges during the selected extreme events, with a correlation coefficient of 0.70 and a coefficient of variation of 1.38. However, it exhibited some underestimation, approximately 30%, in both occurrence and intensity. Conversely, geostationary products tended to overestimate moderate rain rates (FY-4A) and areas with low precipitation (GK-2A). More complex products such as ERA5-Land and IMERG failed to capture the highest intensities typical of extreme events, while GPM-DPR showed promising results in detecting the highest rain rates, but its capability to observe isolated events was limited by its intermittent coverage

Production of Ga-68 with a General Electric PETtrace cyclotron by liquid target

Purpose: In recent years the use of 68Ga (t1/2 = 67.84 min, \u3b2+: 88.88%) for the labelling of different PET radiopharmaceuticals has significantly increased. This work aims to evaluate the feasibility of the production of 68Ga via the 68Zn(p,n)68Ga reaction by proton irradiation of an enriched zinc solution, using a biomedical cyclotron, in order to satisfy its increasing demand. Methods: Irradiations of 1.7 M solution of 68Zn(NO3)2 in 0.2 N HNO3 were conducted with a GE PETtrace cyclotron using a slightly modified version of the liquid target used for the production of fluorine-18. The proton beam energy was degraded to 12 MeV, in order to minimize the production of 67Ga through the 68Zn(p,2n)67Ga reaction. The product's activity was measured using a calibrated activity meter and a High Purity Germanium gamma-ray detector. Results: The saturation yield of 68Ga amounts to (330 \ub1 20) MBq/\ub5A, corresponding to a produced activity of 68Ga at the EOB of (4.3 \ub1 0.3) GBq in a typical production run at 46 \ub5A for 32 min. The radionuclidic purity of the 68Ga in the final product, after the separation, is within the limits of the European Pharmacopoeia (>99.9%) up to 3 h after the EOB. Radiochemical separation up to a yield not lower than 75% was obtained using an automated purification module. The enriched material recovery efficiency resulted higher than 80\u201390%. Conclusions: In summary, this approach provides clinically relevant amounts of 68Ga by cyclotron irradiation of a liquid target, as a competitive alternative to the current production through the 68Ge/68Ga generators

Prediction of mortality and heart failure hospitalisations in patients undergoing M-TEER: external validation of the COAPT risk score

Background: A risk score was recently derived from the Cardiovascular Outcomes Assessment of the MitraClip Percutaneous Therapy for Heart Failure Patients with Functional Mitral Regurgitation (COAPT) Trial. However, external validation of this score is still lacking. Aims: We aimed to validate the COAPT risk score in a large multicentre population undergoing mitral transcatheter edge-to-edge repair (M-TEER) for secondary mitral regurgitation (SMR). Methods: The Italian Society of Interventional Cardiology (GIse) Registry of Transcatheter Treatment of Mitral Valve RegurgitaTiOn (GIOTTO) population was stratified according to COAPT score quartiles. The performance of the COAPT score for 2-year all-cause death or heart failure (HF) hospitalisation was evaluated in the overall population and in patients with or without a COAPT-like profile. Results: Among the 1,659 patients included in the GIOTTO registry, 934 had SMR and complete data for a COAPT risk score calculation. Incidence of 2-year all-cause death or HF hospitalisation progressively increased through the COAPT score quartiles in the overall population (26.4% vs 44.5% vs 49.4% vs 59.7%; log-rank p<0.001) and COAPT-like patients (24.7% vs 32.4% vs 52.3% vs. 53.4%; log-rank p=0.004), but not in those with a non-COAPT-like profile. The COAPT risk score had poor discrimination and good calibration in the overall population, moderate discrimination and good calibration in COAPT-like patients and very poor discrimination and poor calibration in non-COAPT-like patients. Conclusions: The COAPT risk score has a poor performance in the prognostic stratification of real-world patients undergoing M-TEER. However, after application to patients with a COAPT-like profile, moderate discrimination and good calibration were observed

The first Italian blast-induced liquefaction test (Mirabello, Emilia-Romagna, Italy): description of the experiment and preliminary results.

none44Soil liquefaction can result in significant settlement and reduction of load-bearing capacity. Moreover, the increase and the accumulation of pore pressure during an earthquake and its post-seismic dissipation can generate permanent deformations and settlements. The quantitative evaluation of post-liquefaction settlements is of extreme importance for engineering purposes, i.e. for earthquake-resistant design of new buildings and safety evaluation of existing ones. Quantifying the extent of these phenomena is, however, rather difficult. Uncertainties arise from the stochastic nature of the earthquake loading, from the simplifications of soil models, and from the difficulty in establishing correlations between the pre-earthquake soil state and the post-seismic deformations. Field scale liquefaction tests, under controlled conditions, are therefore important for a correct quantification of these phenomena. Recent experiences (e.g. New Zealand, United States) show that liquefaction can be induced and monitored with field scale blast tests to study the related effects on soil geotechnical properties. Within this framework this paper introduces the preliminary results obtained from a research project on blast-induced liquefaction at the field scale; tests were performed at a trial site located in Mirabello (Ferrara, Italy), a village strongly affected by liquefaction phenomena during the 2012 Emilia Romagna earthquake. Invasive tests, such as piezocone, seismic dilatometer and down-hole tests, and non-invasive tests were carried out before and after the execution of two blast test sequences to study the variation in physical properties of the soils. Pore pressure transducers, settlement profilometers, accelerometers and an instrumented micropile were installed with the objective of measuring, during and after the detonations, the generation and subsequent dissipation of the pore pressure, the vertical deformations, and the blast-induced ground motions respectively. Variations in load distribution on deep foundations due to soil liquefaction were also evaluated on a test micropile instrumented with a strain gauge chain. Topographical surveys were carried out to measure ground surface settlements. Laboratory tests and trenches also provided increase understanding of the site characteristics.Soil liquefaction can result in significant settlement and reduction of load-bearing capacity. Moreover, the increase and the accumulation of pore pressure during an earthquake and its post-seismic dissipation can generate permanent deformations and settlements. The quantitative evaluation of post-liquefaction settlements is of extreme importance for engineering purposes, i.e. for earthquake-resistant design of new buildings and safety evaluation of existing ones. Quantifying the extent of these phenomena is, however, rather difficult. Uncertainties arise from the stochastic nature of the earthquake loading, from the simplifications of soil models, and from the difficulty in establishing correlations between the pre-earthquake soil state and the post-seismic deformations. Field scale liquefaction tests, under controlled conditions, are therefore important for a correct quantification of these phenomena. Recent experiences (e.g. New Zealand, United States) show that liquefaction can be induced and monitored with field scale blast tests to study the related effects on soil geotechnical properties. Within this framework this paper introduces the preliminary results obtained from a research project on blast-induced liquefaction at the field scale; tests were performed at a trial site located in Mirabello (Ferrara, Italy), a village strongly affected by liquefaction phenomena during the 2012 Emilia Romagna earthquake. Invasive tests, such as piezocone, seismic dilatometer and down-hole tests, and non-invasive tests were carried out before and after the execution of two blast test sequences to study the variation in physical properties of the soils. Pore pressure transducers, settlement profilometers, accelerometers and an instrumented micropile were installed with the objective of measuring, during and after the detonations, the generation and subsequent dissipation of the pore pressure, the vertical deformations, and the blast-induced ground motions respectively. Variations in load distribution on deep foundations due to soil liquefaction were also evaluated on a test micropile instrumented with a strain gauge chain. Topographical surveys were carried out to measure ground surface settlements. Laboratory tests and trenches also provided increase understanding of the site characteristics.noneAMOROSO SARA, MILANA GIULIANO, ROLLINS KYLE, COMINA CESARE, MINARELLI LUCA, MANUEL MARIA, MONACO PAOLA, FRANCESCHINI MARCO, ANZIDEI MARCO, LUSVARDI CAMERON, CANTORE LUCIANA, CARPENA ANDREA, CASADEI STEFANO1, CINTI FRANCESCA, CIVICO RICCARDO, COX BRADY, DE MARTINI PAOLO MARCO, DI GIULIO GIUSEPPE, DI NACCIO DEBORAH, DI STEFANO GIUSEPPE, FACCIORUSSO JOHANN, FAMIANI DANIELA, FIORELLI FEDERICO, FONTANA DANIELA, FOTI SEBASTIANO, MADIAI CLAUDIA, MARANGONI VALERIA, MARCHETTI DIEGO, MARCHETTI SILVANO, MARTELLI LUCA, MARIOTTI MAURO,MUSCOLINO ELENA, PANCALDI DAVIDE, PANTOSTI2 DANIELA, PASSERI FEDERICO, PESCI ARIANNA, ROMEO GIOVANNI, SAPIA VINCENZO, SMEDILE ALESSANDRA, STEFANI MARCO, TARABUSI GABRIELE, TEZA GIORDANO, VASSALLO MAURIZIO, VILLANI FABIOAmoroso, Sara; Milana, Giuliano; Rollins, Kyle; Comina, Cesare; Minarelli, Luca; Manuel, Maria; Monaco, Paola; Franceschini, Marco; Anzidei, Marco; Lusvardi, Cameron; Cantore, Luciana; Carpena, Andrea; Casadei, Stefano1; Cinti, Francesca; Civico, Riccardo; Cox, Brady; DE MARTINI PAOLO, Marco; DI GIULIO, Giuseppe; DI NACCIO, Deborah; DI STEFANO, Giuseppe; Facciorusso, Johann; Famiani, Daniela; Fiorelli, Federico; Fontana, Daniela; Foti, Sebastiano; Madiai, Claudia; Marangoni, Valeria; Marchetti, Diego; Marchetti, Silvano; Martelli, Luca; Mariotti, Mauro; Muscolino, Elena; Pancaldi, Davide; Pantosti2, Daniela; Passeri, Federico; Pesci, Arianna; Romeo, Giovanni; Sapia, Vincenzo; Smedile, Alessandra; Stefani, Marco; Tarabusi, Gabriele; Teza, Giordano; Vassallo, Maurizio; Villani, Fabi