Walking along the oldest human fossil pathway (Roccamonfina volcano, Central Italy)?

Here we report the remarkable superposition of a pre-historic trackway (349–350 ± 3 ka) with one used in more recent historical times, potentially forming one of the oldest path or trackways currently known. A Plinian eruption of the Roccamonfina Volcano resulted in a succession of pyroclastic flows. A combination of syn-sedimentary erosion and depositional morphology resulted in a bench, contouring the depositional slope. Prior to rapid lithification of the flow, early human ancestors used the bench as a route-way. At least two individuals diverted from this route-way to make the famous Trackways A and B of the Devil's Trails which have been described previously. The bench and associated animal tracks were covered by subsequent pyroclastic ash falls before being exhumed in historical times by a combination of natural erosion and quarrying. The bench was re-used as a route-way at this time and some of the tracks modified by human action to improve surface conditions and perhaps drainage. The P1-Trackway is the result and its detailed morphology is described here. Not only does it provide remarkable evidence of the convergence of route-ways through time along key geomorphological features in the landscape but the palimpsest of tracks provides a useful case study for archaeologists and ichnologists interpreting complex and superimposed surface traces

Weight-Based Discrimination in the Italian Labor Market: an Analysis of the Interaction with Gender and Ethnicity

Access to the Italian job market is undermined by several kinds of discrimination influencing the opportunities for individuals to obtain a job. In this study, we analyze together the impact of three of the most relevant kinds of discrimination operating in the Italian labor market: gender, race, and weight. Our aim is to assess whether gender and race either increase or decrease the impact of weight-based discrimination. In this respect, we submit a set of fictitious r\ue9sum\ue9s including photos of either obese or thin applicants in response to real online job offers. Our results indicate that the strongest kind of discrimination operating in the Italian labor market is the one connected to the candidate\u2019s geographical origin. Moreover, we find discrimination based on body weight to be more relevant within immigrants than within natives, and gender gap appears to be higher within the obese candidates\u2019 group compared to the normal-weight candidates\u2019 one. This last result is particularly relevant, as the growing rates of obesity forecasted for the next years could in turn produce an increase in the gender gap, which in Italy is already massive

Immigrants and Italian labor market: statistical or taste-based discrimination?

Types of discrimination are usually distinguished by economic theory in statistical and taste-based. Using a correspondence experiment, we analyze which of the two affects Italian labor market the most. In this respect, we studied the difference in discrimination reserved to first- and second-generation immigrants, taking gender differences into account. Even if we want to admit a rational discrimination based on perceived productivity differences (statistical discrimination) against first-generation immigrants (concerning language and education gaps), the same would not be reasonable for second-generation ones. Since they are born and educated in Italy, where they have always lived, the associated discrimination must be taste-based

Understanding pro-environmental travel behaviours in Western Europe

This study aims at understanding, from a gender perspective, the reasons behind citizens’ choice of using public transport, and whether this choice is driven by pro-environmental behaviour. Using Eurobarometer data (2013), we perform ordered logistic regressions comparatively for Germany, Italy and the Netherlands. Financial, political and environmental factors are shown to have significant roles in shaping travel behaviours, with interesting gender and cross-country differences

Sustainable urban mobility: evidence from three developed European countries

The importance acquired by private cars as the leading travel mode in most advanced countries has drawn attention to concerns related to pro-environmental travel behaviour. Indeed, the car has brought great benefits to society, albeit causing a whole lot of environmental and socio-economic consequences. In this perspective, we exploit Eurobarometer data on the attitudes of Europeans towards urban mobility to investigate the main motivations of citizens’ public transport use frequency. Ordered logistic regressions are estimated by country (Germany, Italy, and the Netherlands) and by gender. Our results suggest the key role played by a comprehensive set of socio-demographic, economic, and environmental aspects in determining urban travel behaviour. Moreover, our investigation brings to light some relevant cross-country and cross-gender commonalities and differences. The provided evidence may give policymakers a better knowledge of travel behaviour, useful for designing new interventions for environmentally-sustainable travelling

Gastrointestinal Bleeding During Long-Term Left Ventricular Assist Device Support: External Validation of UTAH Bleeding Risk Score

Background: Gastrointestinal bleeding (GIB) is a common complication of left ventricular assist device (LVAD) support. The UTAH bleeding risk score (UBRS) is the only dedicated GIB prediction model, but its efficacy has not been confirmed in an external validation cohort. Furthermore, the reliability of other bleeding risk scores, such as ARC-HBR and HASBLED, has never been tested in this specific population. This study aims to validate the UBRS and compare its accuracy with the ARC-HBR and HASBLED scores. Methods: Major adverse events (MAEs) and bleeding events of 75 consecutive patients who had undergone LVAD implantation between 2010 and 2021 at a referral hospital for a heart transplant were retrospectively analyzed. The accuracy of the UBRS, ARC-HBR and HASBLED scores was evaluated using a ROC curve model. Results: At a mean follow-up of 905.9 +/- 724 days, 58 (77.3%) patients had an MAE and 28 (37.3%) had a major bleeding event. Out of the 39 major bleeding events, the majority were GI (43%) and intracranial bleeding (33.3%). Compared with patients without major bleeding, those who experienced major bleeding showed a lower survival probability, regardless of the nature of the bleeding (GIB vs. other bleeding events). The UBRS effectively stratified the bleeding risk with an AUC of 0.86. In contrast, the ARC-HBR and HASBLED scores demonstrated lower discriminatory power, with AUCs of 0.61 and 0.52, respectively. Conclusions: UBRS accuracy was confirmed in our study population. Gastrointestinal bleeding is a common life-threatening complication and one of the main causes of re-hospitalization during VAD support, leading to a lower patient survival probability

The relationship between antithrombin administration and inflammation during veno-venous ECMO

Veno-venous Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO) is used in the most severe cases of respiratory failure and further exacerbates the patients’ inflammatory status. Antithrombin is supplemented during ECMO for its anticoagulant effects, but it also deploys anti-inflammatory properties. In this pre-specified ancillary study of the GATRA trial [NCT03208270] we aimed to evaluate the relationship between antithrombin and inflammation during ECMO. Forty-six patients were included in the study, 23 were randomized to receive antithrombin to maintain a level of 80–120% (study group) and 23 were randomized not to be supplemented (control group). Anticoagulation was provided in both groups with heparin infusion. Six cytokines were measured at 5 timepoints from prior to ECMO start to 7 days after ECMO removal. Cytokines decreased during the study but overall were not very different in the two groups. Testing the interaction between the study group and timepoints suggests that the administration of antithrombin led to a more rapid decrease over time of IL-6, IL-1β, TNF-⍺ and Pro-ADM. Plasma levels of antithrombin (either endogenous or exogenous) were negatively associated with all cytokines. Inflammation decreases during ECMO but a causal effect of antithrombin administration on the reduction of inflammation (and its clinical relevance) must be confirmed by appropriately powered studies

Active window management: Reducing energy consumption of TCP congestion control

n/