Il capitalismo municipale e le esternalizzazioni fredde

La novella legislativa del 2003 (d.l. 269/2003) ha inciso sull\u2019assetto dei servizi pubblici locali aumentando le fattispecie nelle quali l\u2019ente locale pu\uf2 assumere la veste di soggetto proprietario, attraverso l\u2019acquisizione di partecipazioni in societ\ue0 a capitale totalmente pubblico o a capitale misto pubblico-privato0. Questo scenario istituzionale \ue8 diventato cornice ideale per l\u2019affermazione definitiva del fenomeno del gruppo comunale, che vede il Comune assimilato ad una holding che controlla un sistema di entit\ue0 formalmente indipendenti, strumentale alla realizzazione dei suoi fini sociali e alla promozione dello sviluppo economico e civile delle comunit\ue0 locali. Alla crescita esponenziale del peso dei servizi gestiti dal Comune per il tramite di entit\ue0 partecipate, non \ue8 corrisposta l\u2019evoluzione del suo sistema informativo-contabile verso un modello che dia conto dei risultati, di natura reddituale, patrimoniale e monetaria, ottenuti grazie al complesso delle attivit\ue0 sulle quali estende il suo potere di controllo. Il modello che coglie le interrelazioni operative fra le unit\ue0 del gruppo e la loro complementarit\ue0 rispetto ad un progetto strategico unitario \ue8 il bilancio consolidato. Allorch\ue9 si progetti di adottare il bilancio consolidato nel contesto pubblico locale, ci si imbatte in alcune problematiche da risolvere preventivamente. Merita di riflettere sostanzialmente su tre momenti: a) l\u2019individuazione delle unit\ue0 appartenenti al gruppo comunale (definizione dell\u2019area di gruppo); b) l\u2019individuazione delle unit\ue0 del gruppo comunale i cui bilanci di esercizio dovranno essere consolidati analiticamente (definizione dell\u2019area di consolidamento); c) la ricerca delle condizioni di uniformit\ue0 che devono sussistere perch\ue9 la procedura di consolidamento possa generare valori significativi e attendibili. Gli indubbi vantaggi informativi che si attribuiscono al bilancio consolidato non devono per\uf2 generare l\u2019erronea convinzione che esso debba sostituire i bilanci di esercizio delle unit\ue0 appartenenti al gruppo comunale. In particolare, l\u2019elisione dei valori reciproci, pur rispondendo appieno allo scopo per il quale il bilancio consolidato \ue8 redatto, cela informazioni sull\u2019intensit\ue0 e la direzione delle operazioni infragruppo che potrebbero rivestire molta importanza nell\u2019ottica di determinati soggetti: chi si occupa di problemi della finanza pubblica, ad esempio, \ue8 interessato a conoscere l\u2019importo e la distribuzione dei trasferimenti che il Comune concede agli enti gestori dei servizi pubblici, posto che la scelta dei servizi, e quindi degli enti erogatori, che potranno godere in misura minore o maggiore dei contributi (ad integrazione, ad esempio, di tariffe pi\uf9 o meno remunerative) \ue8 un\u2019informazione importante per valutare la politica di redistribuzione dei redditi attuata dal Comune nell\u2019ambito della collettivit\ue0 amministrata, tenuto conto che i servizi erogati sono destinati a categorie di utenti differenziate, con diversa capacit\ue0 di spesa. Ecco perch\ue9 il bilancio consolidato deve essere correttamente inteso quale porzione di un sistema informativo pi\uf9 vasto, comprendente i bilanci delle singole societ\ue0 del gruppo

Regulation of inflammatory responses to Bordetella pertussis by N(G)-monomethyl-L-arginine in mice intranasally infected.

To investigate effect of MMLA, an inhibitor of nitric oxide (NO) production, on regulation of inflammatory responses to Bordetella pertussis infection, mice were infected intranasally, and treated with various concentrations of MMLA. Ten days after infection, mice treated with MMLA at dosage of 100 mg/kg, given intraperitoneally in a single dose or for 5 consecutive days, showed at histopathologic examination, a significant decrease of intensity of inflammation (scores, 0.6 +/- 0.2 and 0.9 +/- 0.5 respectively). A decrease of cellular accumulation of neutrophils and lymphocytes in the bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid was observed in infected mice treated with MMLA, especially at dosage of 10 mg/kg, given in a single dose intraperitoneally. In addition, BP-infected mice treated with MMLA (100 mg/kg, intraperitoneally) for 5 consecutive days showed higher mortality rate than untreated mice infected with B. pertussis, and the number of B. pertussis in lungs of mice treated with MMLA was significantly increased. However, MMLA treatment of infected mice had some effect on levels of IFN-gamma and nitrite/nitrate (end-stable products of NO) in the BAL fluid. This study indicates that NO may play a role either as microbiocidal agent or as a modulator of immune regulation, inasmuch as it may upregulate tissue inflammatory response to B. pertussis

Fatal poisoning of four workers in a farm: Distribution of hydrogen sulfide and thiosulfate in 10 different biological matrices

We evaluate the distribution of sulfide and thiosulfate (TS) in biological samples of four dairy farmers died inside a pit connected to a manure lagoon. Autopsies were performed 4 days later. Toxicological analyses of sulfide and TS were made using an extractive alkylation technique combined with gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS). Autopsies revealed: multiorgan congestion; pulmonary edema; manure inside distal airways of three of the four victims. Sulfide concentrations were cardiac blood: 0.5–3.0 μg/mL, femoral blood: 0.5–1.2 μg/mL, bile: <0.1–2.2 μg/mL; liver 2.8–8.3 μg/g, lung: 5.0–9.4 μg/g, brain: 2.7–13.9 μg/g, spleen: 3.3–6.3 μg/g, fat: <0.1–1.5 μg/g, muscle: 2.6–3.5 μg/g. TS concentrations were cardiac blood: 2.1–4.9 μg/mL, femoral blood: 2.1–2.3 μg/mL, bile: 2.5–4.4 μg/mL, urine: <0.5–1.8 μg/mL; liver <0.5–2.6, lung: 2.8–5.4 μg/g, brain: <0.5–1.9 μg/g, spleen: 1.2–2.9 μg/g, muscle: <0.5–5.6 μg/g. The cause of death was assessed to be acute poisoning by hydrogen sulfide (H2S) for all the victims. Manure inhalation contributed to the death of three subjects. The measurement of sulfide and TS concentrations in biological samples contributed to better understand the sequence of the events. Subjects 3 provided the highest concentration of sulfide in brain, thus, supporting the hypothesis of a rapid loss of consciousness and respiratory depression. One by one, the other farmers entered the pit in attempts to rescue the coworkers but collapsed. Despite the rapid death, subject 3 was the only one with TS detectable in urine. This could be due to differences in metabolism of H2S

Pulsatile and resistive systolic loads as determinants of left ventricular remodelling after physical training

Abstract Funding Acknowledgements Type of funding sources: Public grant(s) – National budget only. Main funding source(s): British Heart Foundation Barts Cardiovascular Biomedical Research Centre onbehalf The Marathon Study Consortium Introduction Cardiovascular function depends on the inter-relation between heart and vasculature. The contribution of aorta and peripheral vessels to the total systolic load of the left ventricle (LV) can be represented respectively by a "pulsatile" and a "resistive" component. We sought to understand their interrelation by exploring how LV remodelling occurred with altered load associated with an external stimulus (training). Methods: 237 untrained healthy male and female subjects volunteering for their first-time marathon were recruited. At baseline and after 6 months of unsupervised training, race completers underwent 1.5T cardiac magnetic resonance, brachial and non-invasive central blood pressure assessment. For analysis, runners were divided into 4 groups according to the variation (positive versus null or negative) in Total Arterial Compliance Index (TACi), representing the pulsatile component of the LV load, and in Systemic Vascular Resistance Index (SVRI), representing the resistive component of the LV load. Results: 138runners (age 21-69 years; F: 51%) completed the race. Data are reported for each variable as Δ mean [95% Confidence Interval]. In the whole cohort, training was associated with a small increase in LV mass index (+3g/m2, [0, 6 g/m2]), indexed LV end-diastolic volume (EDVi) (+3ml/m2, [-2, 5 3ml/m2]), in LV mass/LVEDV ratio (+0.02g/ml, [0.00, 0.04 g/ml]) and in TACi (+0.02ml/m2, [0.02, 0.38 ml/m2]). SVRi mildly fell (-43dyn·s/cm2[-103, 17dyn·s/cm2]). TACi increase was associated with LVEDVi increase and no change in LV mass/EDV (eccentric remodelling). On the other hand, both TACi reduction and SVRi increase were associated with increase in LV mass/EDV and no significant change in LVEDVi (concentric remodelling). A similar increase in LV mass was observed in all groups. See Table. Conclusion: Cardiac remodelling observed after mild, medium term, unsupervised training seems to be related to the modifications of aorta and peripheral vessels. In particular, a reduction in pulsatile load seems associated with eccentric LV remodelling, while an increase in both pulsatile and resistive with concentric LV remodelling. Further research is needed to understand the interaction between TACi and SVRi. Table 1 LV EDVi (ml/m2) LV mass index (g/m2) LV mass/EDV TACi increase (n = 75) +4 [0, 9] +3 [0, 7] 0 [-0.03, 0.03] TACi decrease (n = 62) -1 [-6, 4] +3 [0, 8] 0.04 [0.01, 0.07] SVRi increase (n = 63) 0 [-4,4] +3 [0, 7] +0.03 [0, 0.06] SVRi decrease (n = 73) +3 [-3, 7] +3 [-1, 6] +0.01 [-0.02, 0.04

Azimuthal correlation between beauty particles produced in 350 GeV/c π−\pi^{-}-Cu interactions

Using a sample of $10^8$ triggered events, produced in $350\, \hbox{GeV}/c$ $\pi^-$ interactions in a copper target, we have identified $26$ b\=b events. These include $13$ events where the decays of both $B$ and $\overline{B}$ are well reconstructed. We measure the azimuthal \hbox{correlation} between beauty particles, and compare our result with predictions based on perturbative QCD

Search for squarks and gluinos in events with isolated leptons, jets and missing transverse momentum at s√=8 TeV with the ATLAS detector

The results of a search for supersymmetry in final states containing at least one isolated lepton (electron or muon), jets and large missing transverse momentum with the ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider are reported. The search is based on proton-proton collision data at a centre-of-mass energy s√=8 TeV collected in 2012, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 20 fb−1. No significant excess above the Standard Model expectation is observed. Limits are set on supersymmetric particle masses for various supersymmetric models. Depending on the model, the search excludes gluino masses up to 1.32 TeV and squark masses up to 840 GeV. Limits are also set on the parameters of a minimal universal extra dimension model, excluding a compactification radius of 1/R c = 950 GeV for a cut-off scale times radius (ΛR c) of approximately 30