Social capital, government expenditures, and growth

We present a tractable stochastic endogenous growth model that explains how social capital influences economic development. In our model, social capital increases citizens' awareness of government activity. Hence, it alleviates the electoral incentives to under- invest in education, whose returns are delayed and less visible to voters. In equilibrium, higher social capital raises the average output growth rate and reduces its volatility by increasing public investment in education while making its returns higher and less variable. Our theory also predicts that a more unequal distribution of social capital reduces public education expenditures. We provide suggestive cross-country evidence consistent with these predictions.Social Capital, Education Expenditures, Economic Growth, Elections, Government Expenditures, Imperfect Information

Neural Network Aided Glitch-Burst Discrimination and Glitch Classification

We investigate the potential of neural-network based classifiers for discriminating gravitational wave bursts (GWBs) of a given canonical family (e.g. core-collapse supernova waveforms) from typical transient instrumental artifacts (glitches), in the data of a single detector. The further classification of glitches into typical sets is explored.In order to provide a proof of concept,we use the core-collapse supernova waveform catalog produced by H. Dimmelmeier and co-Workers, and the data base of glitches observed in laser interferometer gravitational wave observatory (LIGO) data maintained by P. Saulson and co-Workers to construct datasets of (windowed) transient waveforms (glitches and bursts) in additive (Gaussian and compound-Gaussian) noise with different signal-tonoise ratios (SNR). Principal component analysis (PCA) is next implemented for reducing data dimensionality, yielding results consistent with, and extending those in the literature. Then, a multilayer perceptron is trained by a backpropagation algorithm (MLP-BP) on a data subset, and used to classify the transients as glitch or burst. A Self-Organizing Map (SOM) architecture is finally used to classify the glitches. The glitch/burst discrimination and glitch classification abilities are gauged in terms of the related truth tables. Preliminary results suggest that the approach is effective and robust throughout the SNR range of practical interest. Perspective applications pertain both to distributed (network, multisensor) detection of GWBs, where someintelligenceat the single node level can be introduced, and instrument diagnostics/optimization, where spurious transients can be identified, classified and hopefully traced back to their entry point

El contexto de enseñanza un elemento fundamental en la implementación de innovaciones pedagógicas relacionadas con los Créditos Europeos

La finalidad de este artículo es mostrar el resultado de un trabajo de investigación sobre las actitudes, conductas y valoraciones de los estudiantes que participaron en una prueba piloto, sobre el proceso de incorporación al Espacio Europeo de Educación Superior. Esta prueba piloto estaba centrada fundamentalmente en algunas innovaciones introducidas en el proceso de enseñanza/aprendizaje, a partir de la introducción de los denominados créditos europeos (ECTS), puesto que la reforma de los planes de estudio no había sido todavía aprobada. La información se recogió a mediados del tercer curso sobre un conjunto de titulaciones que finalizaban en aquel momento (2007) la experiencia piloto. Este trabajo ha sido realizado en una universidad de la comunidad autónoma de Catalunya.The aim of this paper is to show the results of a piece of research about attitudes, behaviours and assessments expressed by university students who participated in a pilot experience, about the process of European reform implementation. This pilot experience was focused in some innovations introduced in the teaching and learning process, related to ECTS, because the new curricula had not been still approved. The information has been collected at the end of six term courses whose students finalised the pilot experience (2007). This piece of research has been carried out at one university of Catalunya, autonomous region of Spain

El treball en grup com a mètode docent

Tot i que diverses titulacions han adoptat diferents graus i versions del treball de grup, des de fa algun temps, sembla clar que la modificació dels mètodes docents associada a Bolonya n'ha estès la seva consideració com a competència a assolir, el seu ús i la seva pràctica a gairebé tots els àmbits de docència universitària. Nosaltres ens preguntem a la nostra recerca quines diverses concepcions i valoracions en fan els estudiants, alhora que provem de veure'n les conseqüències per a l'aprenentatge, distingint les àrees d'estudi, com també per a d'altres qüestions de caràcter més relacional que hi estan implicades. L'evidència empírica de la que disposem fins el moment consisteix en, 10 entrevistes als responsables de les titulacions, complementades amb dades secundàries i 80 entrevistes a estudiants universitaris de 10 titulacions diferents pertanyents a les quatre universitats públiques de la regió metropolitana de Barcelona. Arrel d'aquests primers resultats, pretenem continuar investigant en aquesta qüestió, ara de forma extensiva, incloent tota una sèrie de preguntes tancades, elaborades a partir de les respostes a les entrevistes, en un qüestionari de caràcter més ampli dirigit a estudiants de les mateixes titulacions.The teaching and learning Bologna's reform has promoted the use of the working group as a teaching methodology. However, we must consider that different degrees and faculties have implemented diverse versions of this way of organising the learning experience. We focus on the different conceptions students have about it. At the same time, we try to investigate into consequences working group has on learning and on other relational issues. Empiric evidence we are working on consist of 10 interviews to the degrees' managers, complemented with secondary data, and 80 interviews to university students of 10 different degrees belonging to the four public universities in the metropolitan area of Barcelona (RMB). From these first results, we have the intention of researching forward and extensively into this issue through a broad questionnaire aimed to students in the same 10 degrees

Use of porcine collagen matrix (Mucograft®) to promote the wound healing in the oral cavity

The aim of this study was to evaluate the use of a new collagen matrix (Mucograft®; Geistlich Pharma AG, Wol- husen, Switzerland) in the soft tissue reconstruction after excisional biopsy. The healing of soft tissues after bioptical excision tends to heal by secondary intention. To avoid this, the soft tissue grafts can be harvested from the palate, retromolar pad, or (if available) edentulous site. Disadvantages of harvesting the graft from the retromolar pad and edentulous site are minimal amount of tissue availability and thinner grafts are obtained. The use of collagen matrix is also reported in literature and could represent an optimal solution in the future. Mucograft® is a pure collagen type I and III matrix of porcine origin without further cross-linking. Mucograft® consists of pure porcine collagen obtained by standardized, controlled manufacturing processes. The product made up of porcine collagen has a bilayer structure. The compact layer consists of compact collagen fibers which has cell occlusive properties and allows tis- sue adherence as a prerequisite for favourable wound healing. This layer protects against bacterial infiltration in open healing situations and has appropriate elastic properties to accommodate suturing. A second layer consists of a thick, porous collagen spongious structure. In this paper, we report about a case of surgical site healing after biopti- cal excision proliferative verrucous leukoplakia of the hard palate

Ethical issues associated with in-hospital emergency from the medical emergency team's perspective: a national survey

Medical Emergency Teams (METs) are frequently involved in ethical issues associated to in-hospital emergencies, like decisions about end-of-life care and intensive care unit (ICU) admission. MET involvement offers both advantages and disadvantages, especially when an immediate decision must be made. We performed a survey among Italian intensivists/anesthesiologists evaluating MET's perspective on the most relevant ethical aspects faced in daily practice

N-Heterocyclic Carbene Gold Complexes Active in Hydroamination and Hydration of Alkynes

Until the year 2000, gold compounds were considered catalytically inert. Subsequently, it was found that they are able to promote the nucleophilic attack on unsaturated substrates by forming an Au-pi-system. The main limitation in the use of these catalytic systems is the ease with which they decompose, which is avoided by stabilization with an ancillary ligand. N-heterocyclic carbenes (NHCs), having interesting sigma-donor capacities, are able to stabilize the gold complexes (Au (I/III) NHC), favoring the exploration of their catalytic activity. This review reports the state of the art (years 2007-2022) in the nucleophilic addition of amines (hydroamination) and water (hydration) to the terminal and internal alkynes catalyzed by N-heterocyclic carbene gold (I/III) complexes. These reactions are particularly interesting both because they are environmentally sustainable and because they lead to the production of important intermediates in the chemical and pharmaceutical industry. In fact, they have an atom economy of 100%, and lead to the formation of imines and enamines, as well as the formation of ketones and enols, all important scaffolds in the synthesis of bioactive molecules, drugs, heterocycles, polymers, and bulk and fine chemicals

Evidence of field cancerization of oral squamous cell carcinoma: a case report

Objectives. From 1953 (1) the term “field cancerization” has been used to describe an “increased risk of cancer de- velopment in the entire upper aerodigestive tract due to multiple genetic abnormalities in the whole region after pro- longed exposure to carcinogen” (2). This phenomenon implies the occurrence of multiple primary tumors/potentially malignant disorders as results of cell-molecular aberrations in different independent sites (polyclonal theory) or from the same site through widespread expansion or later spread across the mucosa (monoclonal theory). Case report. A 63-year-old female patient referred in June of 2014 for exophytic/ulcerative lesion in the hard palate. At the same time, several teeth (1.5, 1.6 and 3.6) with poor prognosis and an incisional biopsy were per- formed. The histological examination reported a diagnosis of oral squamous cell carcinoma (G1) and the manage- ment (imaging and TNM staging) was scheduled. Unfortunately, 30 days after exodontia, one of alveolar sites (3.6) showed proliferative tissue and not healing. A new biopsy was carried out, revealing an histological diagnosis of “epithelium with marked parakeratosis, acanthosis and papillomatosis associated with areas of moderate dys- plasia (IIC: PanCK)”. Conclusions. The features described in different areas of the oral cavity led us to make a diagnosis of oral field can- cerization. This condition still must be analyzed in order to clarify the onset and development but, most importantly, a protocol for manage these patients have to be developed. Chemoprevention and cessation of smoking and alcohol may impact new tumors. Amelioration of surgery, radiotherapy, chemotherapy and gene therapy may influence the morbidity and mortality of oral cancer patients, even if a short follow up and the secondary prevention may warrant a life-long surveillance