Geographical Distribution of Crime in Italian Provinces: A Spatial Econometric Analysis

For a long time social sciences scholars from different fields have devoted their attention to identifying the causes leading to commit criminal offences and recently lots of studies have included the analysis of spatial effects. Respect to the Italian crime phenomenon some stylized facts exist: high spatial and time variability and presence of “organised crime” (e.g. Mafia and Camorra) deep-seated in some local territorial areas. Using explanatory spatial data analysis, the paper firstly explores the spatial structure and distribution of four different typologies of crimes (murders, thefts, frauds, and squeezes) in Italian provinces in two years, 1999 and 2003. ESDA allows us to detect some important geographical dimensions and to distinguish crucial macro- and micro- territorial aspects of offences. Further, on the basis of Becker-Ehrlich model, a spatial cross-sectional model including deterrence, economic and socio-demographic variables has been performed to investigate the determinants of Italian crime for 1999 and 2003 and its “neighbouring” effects, measured in terms of geographical and relational proximity. The empirical results obtained by using different spatial weights matrices highlighted that socioeconomic variables have a relevant impact on crime activities, but their role changes enormously respect to crimes against person (murders) or against property (thefts, frauds and squeezes). It is worthy to notice that severity does not show the expected sign: its significant and positive sign should suggest that inflicting more severe punishments does not always constitute a deterrence to commit crime, but it works on the opposite direction.Crime, Spatial Econometrics

Mapping the Evolution of "Clusters": A Meta-analysis

This paper presents a meta-analysis of the “cluster literature” contained in scientific journals from 1969 to 2007. Thanks to an original database we study the evolution of a stream of literature which focuses on a research object which is both a theoretical puzzle and an empirical widespread evidence. We identify different growth stages, from take-off to development and maturity. We test the existence of a life-cycle within the authorships and we discover the existence of a substitutability relation between different collaborative behaviours. We study the relationships between a “spatial” and an “industrial” approach within the textual corpus of cluster literature and we show the existence of a “predatory” interaction. We detect the relevance of clustering behaviours in the location of authors working on clusters and in measuring the influence of geographical distance in co-authorship. We measure the extent of a convergence process of the vocabulary of scientists working on clusters.Cluster, Life-Cycle, Cluster Literature, Textual Analysis, Agglomeration, Co-Authorship

Vaccine opposition in the information age: a study on online activism and DIY citizenship

Despite the growing prevalence of insufficient sleep among individuals, we still know little about the labour market returns to sleep. To address this gap, we utilize longitudinal data from Germany and leverage exogenous fluctuations in sleep duration caused by variations in time and local sunset times. Our findings reveal that a one-hour increase in weekly sleep is associated with a 1.6 percentage point rise in employment and a 3.4% increase in weekly earnings. The majority of this earnings effect stems from improvements in productivity, while the number of working hours decreases with longer sleep duration. We also identify a key mechanism driving these effects: the enhanced mental well-being experienced by individuals who sleep longer hours. Vaccination critics have been at the forefront of much recent media commentary, and ever more so after the spread of COVID-19 and the implementation of vaccination programmes to tackle the pandemic. However, vaccination critics had attracted the attention of academics, media commentators and public health institutions in the years preceding the pandemic. My research relies upon data collected pre-pandemic, focusing specifically on online activism targeting routine childhood vaccinations. While seeking to understand internet-mediated vaccine-critical activism, this thesis addresses the following research questions: how do online vaccine critics construct knowledge that feeds into vaccination controversies? What kind of values underlie vaccine critics’ policy demands, and how are these demands advocated for? How do critics understand and represent their collective identities? Finally, and most importantly for my study, how do online vaccine critics engage with their surrounding legal landscapes? Drawing upon an analysis of qualitative data from more than 700 posts linked to six vaccine-critical blogs, collected during nine months of fieldwork informed by an internet-ethnographic approach, I suggest that online vaccine-critical activism needs to be understood as a complex phenomenon embedded in its socio-legal context. While vaccine critics are often depicted as an anti-establishment force, I contend that their relationship with the law in particular is more complex than that. Rather than merely ‘resisting’ the law, vaccine-critical activists mobilise and co-opt different legal discourses and concepts in intricate and sometimes surprising ways. Vaccine-critical activism is an historically persistent phenomenon which if misunderstood risks further alienating current activists and potentially aggravating the issue of vaccine hesitancy. Investigating vaccine critics’ online practices and learning more about their shared worldviews is therefore important (and has become even more so in the light of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic) in order to frame effective public health communications about vaccine safety

Vitamin D in Oxidative Stress and Diseases

The data described in this chapter consider some new information about the benefits of vitamin D3 comparing the results obtained by the authors on the effects of vitamin D3 during oxidative stress with other works available in the literature. In particular, vitamin D3 can induce a concentration-dependent increase in endothelial NO production through eNOS activation consequential to the phosphorylation of p38, AKT, and ERK. Additional information obtained by the author is about the ability of vitamin D3 to prevent the endothelial cell death through modulation of interplay between apoptosis and autophagy. This effect is obtained by inhibiting superoxide anion generation, maintaining mitochondria function and cell viability, activating survival kinases (ERK and Akt), and inducing NO production. The results also describe that vitamin D3 causes human endothelial cell proliferation and migration in a 3-D matrix through NO-dependent mechanisms. These findings support the role of vitamin D3 in the human angiogenic process, suggesting new applications for vitamin D3 in tissue repair and wound healing. Finally, that the authors have demonstrated the ability of vitamin D3 to counteract negative effects of oxidative stress in brain cells. These data suggest the potential therapeutic use of vitamin D to treat or prevent degenerative brain diseases

Protective effects of 1\u3b1,25-Dihydroxyvitamin D3 on cultured neural cells exposed to catalytic iron

Recent studies have postulated a role for vitamin D and its receptor on cerebral function, and anti-inflammatory, immunomodulatory and neuroprotective effects have been described; vitamin D can inhibit proinflammatory cytokines and nitric oxide synthesis during various neurodegenerative insults, and may be considered as a potential drug for the treatment of these disorders. In addition, iron is crucial for neuronal development and neurotransmitter production in the brain, but its accumulation as catalytic form (Fe(3+)) impairs brain function and causes the dysregulation of iron metabolism leading to tissue damage due to the formation of toxic free radicals (ROS). This research was planned to study the role of vitamin D to prevent iron damage in neuroblastoma BE(2)M17 cells. Mechanisms involved in neurodegeneration, including cell viability, ROS production, and the most common intracellular pathways were studied. Pretreatment with calcitriol (the active form of vitamin D) reduced cellular injury induced by exposure to catalytic iron

Iron absorption from three commercially available supplements in gastrointestinal cell lines

This study compares the absorption characteristics of two iron-based dietary supplements and their biocompatibility to bisglycinate iron, a common chelated iron form. The Caco-2 cell line-a model of human intestinal absorption-and GTL-16 cell line-a model of gastric epithelial cells-were used to perform the experiments; in the first experiments, the kinetics of absorption have been evaluated analyzing the divalent metal transporter 1 (DMT1) expression. Three different iron combinations containing 50 \ub5M iron (named Fisioeme\uae, Sideral\uae and bisglycinate) were used for different stimulation times (1-24 h). After this, the effects of the three iron formulations were assessed in both a short and a long time, in order to understand the extrusion mechanisms. The effects of the three different formulations were also analyzed at the end of stimulation period immediately after iron removal, and after some time in order to clarify whether the mechanisms were irreversibly activated. Findings obtained in this study demonstrate that Fisioeme\uae was able to maintain a significant beneficial effect on cell viability compared to control, to Sideral\uae, and to iron bisglycinate. This observation indicates that Fisioeme\uae formulation is the most suitable for gastric and intestinal epithelial cells

Role of vitamin D3 combined to alginates in preventing acid and oxidative injury in cultured gastric epithelial cells

Background: Gastric diseases are a worldwide problem in modern society, as reported in the USA, in the range of 0.5-2 episodes/year/person and an incidence of 5-100 episodes/1000/week according to seasons and age. There is convincing evidence that oxidative stress is involved in the pathogenesis of acute gastric injury. Acid secreted from gastric parietal cells determines mucosal injuries which in turn cause inflammation and oxidative stress. Consequent inflammation produces free radicals by mitochondria thus causing lipid peroxidation, oxidative and acidic stress, which can lead to cell apoptosis. Vitamin D-3, the active form of vitamin D, may counteract intracellular cell death and improve epithelial regeneration. Methods: This study was planned to assess whether vitamin D3 is a protective factor against acid injury and oxidative stress in gastric epithelial cells. Primary epithelial cells and GTL-16 cells have been used to test the effects of Grisu (R) alone or in combination with vitamin D-3 during oxidative stress or high acid exposition measuring cell viability, ROS production, cellular adhesion time along with apoptotic, autophagic and survival pathways. The combined effect of Grisu (R) and vitamin D-3 was found more effective in counteracting the negative consequences of oxidative stress and acidity conditions than some other gastroprotective agents, such as Maalox (R) or Gaviscon (R). Results: In case of oxidative stress or acidity condition the stimulation with Grisu (R) alone caused an improvement of cell viability and a reduction of ROS production on epithelial gastric cells. In addition, the adhesion time of the cells was improved. All these effects were increased by the presence of vitamin D-3. Similar data were also observed in primary gastric epithelial cells confirming the results obtained in GTL-16 cells. Conclusions: These results suggest that Grisu (R) in combination with vitamin D-3 may exert a gastroprotective effect to maintain or restore the integrity of gastric epithelium through an antioxidant pathway, inhibiting apoptosis and activating survival kinases. Moreover, the combination of Grisu (R) and vitamin D-3 improves cell viability and decreases ROS production compared to other gastroprotective agents combined with vitamin D-3. All these data were validated using primary cells isolated from gastric tissu

Role of Alginates Combined with Natural Extracts to Prevent the Gastric Acid-Related Damage

The human stomach is extremely vulnerable to various attacks able to cause erosion and mucosal epithelium damage which lead to gastrointestinal tract bleeding and/or ulcer perforations and finally worsen the original disease. A prolonged exposition to strong acidic environment causes coagulation necrosis resulting from the desiccating action of the acid on proteins in exposed tissues with inflammation and accumulation of intracellular radical oxygen species. Therapeutic strategies aim to treat both symptoms and epithelial damage with chemical or mechanical approaches. In this context, alginates seem to have great importance, especially if combined with other molecules known to have some properties on gastric epithelial cells, for example, vitamin D3, extract of prickly pear and olive leaves, and a tyndalized probiotic. This natural composition is able to exert a gastroprotective effect to maintain or restore the integrity of gastric epithelium through an antioxidant pathway, inhibiting apoptosis and activating survival kinases better than other pharmacological or natural active principles

Collaborative Interlaboratory Studies for the Validation of ELISA Methods for the Detection of Allergenic Fining Agents Used in Wine According to the Criteria of OIV Resolution 427–2010 Modified by OIV–Comex 502–2012

The clarification or fining of wine removes undesired substances (mainly proteins, phenols, and tannins), which would roil the wine and cause bitterness and astringency. A common fining agent, egg white, can be directly added to wine through the inlet of a circulating pump, but more typically egg white comes as commercial preparation in powdered form (commercially named egg albumin). Skimmed milk or more frequently purified caseinates are used to remove bitterness and hardness of white wine and sherry. Both egg white and caseinates are fining agents with optimal enological properties, but their residues could represent a risk for subjects suffering from food allergy. The rules for allergen labeling were detailed in Directives 2003/89/EC, and Directive 2005/26/EC established a list of food ingredients provisionally excluded from labeling, that included wine fining agents. Extended till June 2012, wine labeling exemption can be now maintained only if (1) egg and milk derivatives are not used and cross-contamination is under control; and (2) wine clarified with such products is negative for the presence of residues using techniques with detection and quantification limits of 0.25 and 0.5 ppm, respectively. Analytical requirements were defined in the OIV resolution 427–2010 (OIV 2010) modified by OIV/COMEX 502–2012 (OIV 2012). On the basis of a previous experience, an interlaboratory collaborative trial was organized to validate a commercial ELISA kit designed to measure allergenic residues in red wine fined with egg white proteins. In the meantime, the performance of the commercial caseinate ELISA kit for white wine was rechecked according to the new limit of detection and limit of quantification values, recommended by OIV in 2012. The collaborative interlaboratory studies showed that both ELISA kits had good reproducibility, repeatability, and robustness in detecting residues of allergenic fining agents in wine, in good agreement with the requirements of the OIV resolution 427–2010 modified by OIV/COMEX 502–2012

Stimulation of the Nonneuronal Cholinergic System by Highly Diluted Acetylcholine in Keratinocytes

The physiological effects of acetylcholine on keratinocytes depend on the presence of nicotinic and muscarinic receptors. The role of nonneuronal acetylcholine in keratinocytes could have important clinical implications for patients with various skin disorders such as nonhealing wounds. In order to evaluate the efficacy of highly diluted acetylcholine solutions obtained by sequential kinetic activation, we aimed to investigate the effects of these solutions on normal human keratinocytes. Two different concentrations (10 fg/mL and 1 pg/mL) and formulations (kinetically activated and nonkinetically activated) of acetylcholine were used to verify keratinocyte viability, proliferation, and migration and the intracellular pathways involved using MTT, crystal violet, wound healing, and Western blot compared to 147 ng/mL acetylcholine. The activated formulations (1 pg/mL and 10 fg/mL) revealed a significant capacity to increase migration, cell viability, and cell proliferation compared to 147 ng/mL acetylcholine, and these effects were more evident after a single administration. Sequential kinetic activation resulted in a statistically significant decrease in reactive oxygen species production accompanied by an increase in mitochondrial membrane potential and a decrease in oxygen consumption compared to 147 ng/mL acetylcholine. The M1 muscarinic receptor was involved in these effects. Finally, the involvement of ERK/mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPK) and KI67 confirmed the effectiveness of the single treatment on cell proliferation. The intracellular pathways of calcium were investigated as well. Our results indicate for the first time that highly diluted and kinetically activated acetylcholine seems to play an active role in an in vitro model of wound healing. Moreover, the administration of acetylcholine within the physiological range may not only be effective but is also likely to be safe