An Experiment on Retail Payments Systems

We study the behavioral underpinnings of adopting cash versus electronic payments in retail transactions. A novel theoretical and experimental framework is developed to primarily assess the impact of sellers’ service fees and buyers’ rewards from using electronic payments. Buyers and sellers face a coordination problem, independently choosing a payment method before trading. In the experiment, sellers readily adopt electronic payments but buyers do not. Eliminating service fees or introducing rewards significantly boosts the adoption of electronic payments. Hence, buyers’ incentives play a pivotal role in the diffusion of electronic payments but monetary incentives cannot fully explain their adoption choices. Findings from this experiment complement empirical findings based on surveys and field data

Applying generalized non deducibility on compositions (GNDC) approach in dependability

This paper presents a framework where dependable systems can be uniformly modeled and dependable properties analyzed within the Generalized Non Deducibility on Compositions (GNDC), a scheme that has been profitably used in definition and analysis of security properties. Precisely, our framework requires a systems to be modelled using a formal calculus, here the CCS process algebra, where both the failing behaviour of the system and the related fault-recovering procedures are also explicitly described. An environment able to inject any fault in the system is then defined as a separated component. The parallel composition between the system and the environment represents our scenario of analysis, where some fault tolerance property (e.g., fail stop, safe and silent) are studied as instances of GNDC properties. By using different instances of GNDC we are able to argue about the availability of effective methodologies of analysis, and on the possibility of applying compositional techniques

Un’analisi economica della mobilità sociale in Italia

This paper aims at providing an economic analysis of the intergenerational social mobility in Italy. The data come from ISTAT. We present absolute mobility and social fluidity tables. We also examine the cohort effect, finding for Italy an increase in intergenerational absolute mobility, and a stabilization in the cohort 1951-1960. Social fluidity goes up for the upper and the lower classes. Through multinomial logit models, we try to predict the variations in the probability of belonging to the different social destinations according to social origin, level of education, own talents, age and gender. We confirm the family background importance in Italy.

Non-volatile resistive switching mechanism in single-layer MoS2 memristors:insights from ab initio modelling of Au and MoS2 interfaces

Non-volatile memristive devices based on two-dimensional (2D) layered materials provide an attractive alternative to conventional flash memory chips. Single-layer semiconductors, such as monolayer molybdenum disulphide (ML-MoS 2), enable the aggressive downscaling of devices towards greater system integration density. The "atomristor", the most compact device to date, has been shown to undergo a resistive switching between its high-resistance (HRS) and low-resistance (LRS) states of several orders of magnitude. The main hypothesis behind its working mechanism relies on the migration of sulphur vacancies in the proximity of the metal contact during device operation, thus inducing the variation of the Schottky barrier at the metal-semiconductor interface. However, the interface physics is not yet fully understood: other hypotheses were proposed, involving the migration of metal atoms from the electrode. In this work, we aim to elucidate the mechanism of the resistive switching in the atomristor. We carry out density functional theory (DFT) simulations on model Au and ML-MoS 2 interfaces with and without the presence of point defects, either vacancies or substitutions. To construct realistic interfaces, we combine DFT with Green's function surface simulations. Our findings reveal that it is not the mere presence of S vacancies but rather the migration of Au atoms from the electrode to MoS 2 that modulate the interface barrier. Indeed, Au atoms act as conductive "bridges", thus facilitating the flow of charge between the two materials. </p

Use of Medicinal Cannabis and Synthetic Cannabinoids in Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD): a systematic review

Background and Objectives: Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a common psychiatric disorder resulting from a traumatic event, is manifested through hyperarousal, anxiety, depressive symptoms, and sleep disturbances. Despite several therapeutic approaches being available, both pharmacological and psychological, recently a growing interest has developed in using cannabis and synthetic cannabinoids stems from their consideration as more efficient and better tolerated alternatives for the treatment of this condition. The present paper aims to evaluate the clinical and therapeutic potentials of medical cannabis and synthetic cannabinoids in treating PTSD patients. Methods: A systematic electronic search was performed, including all papers published up to May 2019, using the following keywords (((cannabis[Title/Abstract]) OR (synthetic cannabinoids [Title/Abstract])) AND ((PTSD[Title/Abstract]) OR (Posttraumatic stress disorder[Title/Abstract]))) for the topics ‘Cannabis’, ‘Synthetic Cannabinoids’, ‘PTSD’, and MESH terms, on the PubMed, Cochrane Library, and Web of Science online databases. For data gathering purposes, PRISMA guidelines were followed. Results were organized into two groups, considering cannabis and synthetic cannabinoids as different therapeutic approaches for PTSD. Results: Present data show that cannabis and synthetic cannabinoids, both acting on the endocannabinoids system, may have a potential therapeutic use for improving PTSD symptoms, e.g., reducing anxiety, modulating memory-related processes, and improving sleep. Conclusions: Even though the current literature suggests that cannabis and synthetic cannabinoids may have a role in the treatment of PTSD, there is currently limited evidence regarding their safety and efficacy. Therefore, additional research is needed in order to better understand the effectiveness and therapeutic usage of these drug classes and monitor their safety.Peer reviewe

Human parvovirus B19 and blood product safety. A tale of twenty years of improvements

Parvovirus B19 (B19V), long known to be the causative agent of erythema infectiosum (fifth disease), is not a newly emerging agent. The aim of this review is to analyse the role played by this virus in compromising safety in transfusion medicine and the progressive measures to reduce the risks associated with the virus

Larix decidua Bark as a Source of Phytoconstituents: An LC-MS Study

Larix decidua bark is a waste of the timber industry and is widely diffused in Northern Italy. This material can be considered a good source of antioxidants and phytoconstituents with possible use in cosmetic or nutraceutical products. In this study, simple extraction of larch bark was performed using mixtures of ethanol/water. Furthermore, the phytochemical composition of larch bark extract was studied using LC-MS(n) methods and the main constituents were identified as flavonoids, spiro-polyphenols, and procyanidins. To confirm the identification by LC-MS semi-preparative HPLC was performed in order to isolate the main constituents and verify the structures by \ub9H-NMR. Antioxidant properties were studied using an in vitro approach combining DPPH assay and LC-MS in order to establish different roles of the various classes of phytochemicasl of the extract. DPPH activity of some of the isolated compounds was also assessed. The overall results indicate this waste material as a good source of antioxidant compounds, mainly procyanidins, whichresulted the most active constituents in the DPPH assay

Favorire lo studio delle discipline scolastiche da parte di alunni con limitate competenze in Italiano

Il contributo affronta il tema della lingua dello studio analizzando innanzitutto quali siano le competenze necessarie agli studenti con limitate competenze in italiano L2 per affrontare libri di testo e quali siano invece le difficolt\ue0 che questi ultimi possono porre ai nostri allievi. Si presentando tre possibili linee di lavoro per favorire la comprensione e lo studio dei testi disciplinari: (a) impiegare testi semplici a difficolt\ue0 controllata; (b) stimolare un approccio interattivo al testo; (c) motivare gli alunni all\u2019uso dei testi