The nativity wealth gap in Europe: a matching approach

This study uses a matching method to provide an estimate of the nativity wealth gap among older households in Europe. This approach does not require imposing any functional form on wealth and avoids validity-out-of-the-support assumptions; furthermore, it allows estimation not only of the mean of the wealth gap but also of its distribution for the common-support sub-population. The results show that on average there is a positive and significant wealth gap between natives and migrants. However, the average gap may be misleading as the distribution of the gap reveals that immigrant households in the upper part of the wealth distribution are better off, and those in the lower part of the wealth distribution are worse off, than comparable native households. A heterogeneity analysis shows the importance of origin, age at migration, and citizenship status in reducing the gap. Indeed, households who migrated within Europe, those who moved at younger ages rather than as adults, and those who are citizens of the destination country display a wealth gap that is consistently smaller over the entire distribution

The long-term effects of experienced macroeconomic shocks on wealth

This paper examines the long-term effects of experienced macro-economic shocks – defined as multi-year peak-to-trough GDP declines of at least 10 percent – on the wealth distribution, portfolio allocation, and risk attitudes of older individuals in Europe. We show that individuals who have experienced more economic depression episodes have lower wealth in absolute terms, a lower probability to invest in risky assets, and display higher risk aversion. When analysing early investment decisions, we find that individuals hit by a depression substitute risky investments with investment in housing, and that these early choices shape wealth in the long-term

Longer careers: A barrier to hiring and coworker advancement?

Government policies are encouraging older workers to delay retirement, which may curb younger workers' career advancement. We study a Dutch reform that raised the retirement age by 13 months and nearly tripled employment at age 66. Using monthly linked employeremployee data, we show that affected firms delay and decrease replacement hiring, and coworkers' earnings fall via reductions in hours worked, wages, and promotions. Combined, the hiring and coworker spillovers offset most of the additional hours worked by older workers, disproportionately affect career advancement for younger workers and women, and considerably increase the policy's ratio of welfare costs to fiscal savings

Particulate Filler and Discontinuous Fiber Filler Resin Composite's Adaptation and Bonding to Intra-Radicular Dentin

The aim of this study was to assess adaptation and bonding to root canal dentin of discontinuous (short) glass fiber-reinforced composite to intra-radicular dentin (DSGFRC). Methods: Seventy virgin human teeth were extracted and then endodontically treated; then samples were randomly divided into 7 groups (n = 10), based on the materials' combinations as follows: Group 1, a two-bottle universal adhesive + DSGFRC; Group 2, a single-component universal adhesive + DSGFRC; Groups 3 and 4, the same materials of Goups 1 and 2 were used but after cleaning of the canal walls with 17% EDTA and final irrigation with 5.25% NaOCl Ultrasound Activated (UA); Group 5, traditional prefabricated fiber posts were luted after being silanized with G-Multi Primer; Groups 6 and 7, like Group 5 but after ultrasonic irrigation (UA). All sample roots were cut 1 mm thick (n = 10) to be evaluated regarding root canal adaptation using a light microscope and scanning electron microscope (SEM) and push-out bond strength. These results were statistically analyzed by Kruskal-Wallis analysis of variance by ranks. The level of significance was set at p < 0.05. Results: Bond strength forces varied between 6.66 and 8.37 MPa and no statistically significant differences were recorded among the groups. By microscopic examination, it was noted that ultrasonic irrigation increased the adaptation of the materials to the dentin surface. Conclusions: Within the limitations of this in vitro study, it may be concluded that when DSGFRC was used for intracanal anchorage in the post-endodontic reconstruction, similar push-out retentive force and strength to those of traditional fiber posts cemented with particulate filler resin composite cements were achieved

Essays in the Economics of Ageing

In the first paper, I assess if financial incentives may be used as an effective device to induce workers to postpone retirement by evaluating the Italian so called “super bonus” reform. The bonus consisted in economic incentives given for a limited period to private sector workers who had reached the requirements for seniority pension. Crucially for this study, public workers were not entitled to the bonus. Using data from the Bank of Italy Survey on Household Income andWealth, and exploiting the DID-Probit strategy proposed by Blundell et al. (JEEA, 2004), I assess the effect of the bonus on the decision to postpone retirement, by comparing private and public workers before and after the reform. Results suggest a reduction of 12ppt in the proportion of private workers who decided to retire among those qualifying for retirement. Results also suggest, not trivially, that most of the effect of the reform is driven by low-income workers. Finally, I propose an estimate of the extensive margin elasticity of Italian older workers. The second study estimates a structural reduced form of the “option value” model developed by Stock and Wise (1990) using Italian data from the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE).Exploiting exogenous changes in social security wealth (SSW) results show a significant effect in the expected direction of SSW and of marginal incentives to retire. Results are robust even after controlling for individual heterogeneity and its correlation with financial incentives. Using detailed information on individuals, the results also highlights the importance of individual and job characteristics, which have been very little explored by this literature, as determinants of retirement. This suggests the potential of “tagging” in the design of social security incentives in order to reduce choice distortions and improve the overall efficiency of the system

Selected Basson Concertos Written by American Composers Since 1965

The goal of this dissertation project is to explore recent contributions by American composers to a body of repertoire that is often neglected: the bassoon concerto. The bassoon as a solo instrument is not a recent development, yet there remain relatively few concertos in the repertoire, compared to the number of those written for certain other instruments. The most well-known and most frequently performed bassoon concertos are those written by European composers in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. However, there are several concertos for bassoon and orchestra that have been written in the last half-century by American composers - that is, composers from the United States - and it is worthwhile to bring more exposure to these works. This performance project consists of two recitals focusing on five American bassoon concertos, each with varying degrees of familiarity among audiences. The first recital, performed on February 28, 2007, includes Raymond E. Luke's Concerto for Bassoon and Orchestra (1 965), Dan Welcher's Concerto da Camera ( 1 975), and Ellen Taaffe Zwilich's Concerto for Bassoon and Orchestra (1 992). The second recital, performed on March 28, 2007, consists of John Williams' The Five Sacred Trees (1995), and John Steinmetz's Concerto (2003). Extensive program notes for each of these pieces include a biography of the composer and an overview and analysis of each work. The pieces included in this project are performed with piano accompaniment; its respective composer did each of the five piano reductions. In the Zwilich and Steinmetz concertos, however, percussion is added to the piano accompaniment to better portray the essence of these composers' compositions. Although there have been more than these five concertos for bassoon and orchestra written since 1965 by American composers, this project is intended to be a representative survey of available repertoire in this genre during this period. With that in mind, this performer has chosen a cross-section of works and composers with varying backgrounds, degrees of familiarity among the public, circumstances surrounding the compositions written, and stylistic traits - all in an effort to create a balanced program and an overview of the works currently available in the bassoon repertoir

Treatment of Early Cesarean Scar Pregnancy with Double Balloon Catheter: A Systematic Review of the Literature

Background: Cesarean scar pregnancy (CSP) is a pregnancy in the scar area or “niche” from a prior hysterotomy, usually from a cesarean section. Currently, there is no consensus on the best management of CSP. A recent proposed treatment consists in placing a cervical ripening double-balloon catheter in the uterus under ultrasound guidance. Methods: In this systematic review on cervical ripening double-balloon catheter (CRDBC) treatment for CSP, we performed a literature search in electronic databases (Scopus, PubMed, MEDLINE, and Cochrane Library), from their inception until April 2023. The review was written following PRISMA guidelines for systematic reviews. Results: We identified 30 studies, and we finally analyzed 5 studies that met the inclusion criteria (one case report, two retrospective case series studies, a retrospective cohort study, and a retrospective multicentric case series). The total of pregnancies treated with CRDBC is 71, of which 8 (11%) were cervical pregnancies. The gestational age at treatment ranges from 5 + 0 to 10 + 1 gestational weeks, with variable human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) levels (433–64.700 IU/mL). Most of the patients (73%) received adjuvant systemic methotrexate (MTX) and the catheter dwell time ranges from 1 to 5 days. Treatment was successful in all the patients. Maternal complications, defined as the need for transfusion, vaginal bleeding resulting in readmission, or requiring further treatment occurred in a small number of patients (4.2%). Conclusions: CRDBC was successful in the treatment of early CSPs. The effectiveness and safety of this minimally invasive method is testified to a small rate of maternal complications. Further prospective studies are warranted to explore this treatment modality

Primary anaplastic large T-cell lymphoma of the psoas muscle

Lymphomas presenting and mimicking soft-tissue masses are important to recognize, to avoid unnecessary treatment delays or extensive surgery. We describe a case of primary anaplastic large cell lymphoma (ALCL) arising from a deep skeletal muscle in a middle-aged male. He presented with a two-month history of swelling of his right thigh and mild fever, which led to a diagnosis of abscess formation. Antibiotics were prescribed for two weeks, with little improvement of symptoms. Subsequently, an exploratory surgery, with excision of the mass, demonstrated a ALCL of the psoas muscle, ALK -1 positive

Hepatocellular carcinoma in pregnancy: A systematic review

Introduction: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most frequent primary malignant liver tumor and typically develops in the context of chronic liver disease, such as liver cirrhosis or chronic hepatitis B virus infection. Ultrasound evaluation, CT scan, and MRI are used to detect HCC. α-fetoprotein (AFP) is a common marker used to detect HCC in the non-pregnant population, which notoriously increases in pregnant women in relation to gestational age. Treatment is driven by the extent of the disease and the severity of underlying liver disease. Pregnancy may represent an obstacle to diagnosis and appropriate treatment of HCC. The aim of this descriptive systematic review was to describe the clinical features and maternal and neonatal outcomes of HCC in pregnancy. Material and methods: We performed a systematic review of the literature about HCC diagnosed in pregnancy and the postpartum period, with signs or symptoms arising in pregnancy. We included case reports and case series describing the clinical features of women diagnosed with HCC, fibrolamellar variant of HCC, and mixed HCC and cholangiocarcinoma during pregnancy or the postpartum period (with onset of symptoms during pregnancy), from inception to March 2023. The study protocol was registered with the PROSPERO database (Registration number: ID CRD42021275584). Results: We identified 180 records. The articles included in this systematic review were 47 case reports and 5 case series, for a total of 63 pregnancies. The two most frequent predisposing conditions were hepatitis B virus infection (30/63; 47%) and liver cirrhosis (14/63; 22%). Ultrasound evaluation was the most used technique to detect HCC. AFP was higher than normal in 28/46 patients tested (61%). Surgical treatment was the most used therapy, both during pregnancy and after delivery. Twenty-six patients (26/63; 42%) died within 6 months of diagnosis. Survival >24 months was 9% (4/46) in symptomatic and 29% (5/17) in asymptomatic women. No patient with cirrhotic liver survived more than 12 months. Thirty-eight newborns were alive at 28 days of age (38/63; 61%). Conclusions: Hepatocellular carcinoma in pregnancy is associated with a high risk of maternal and neonatal mortality. Diagnosis in asymptomatic high-risk women or following abnormal maternal serum AFP screening is associated with better maternal outcomes