The determinants of teacher mobility. Evidence from a panel of Italian teachers

In the Italian system teachers are allocated to schools according to a seniority-based centralized system with no role of individual schools in attracting, selecting and retaining teachers. Largely because of the rather limited pay scale, seniority-based rights to move to a particular school and geographical location represent one of the main career opportunities for tenured teachers. This paper examines the main drivers of the resulting (voluntary) mobility of Italian teachers. We find that the teachers' place of birth (after securing a tenured position, teachers try find work near their place of birth) and several features related to the student mix and the social context of the school are very important. Teachers systematically try to move away from schools where teaching is likely to be more difficult, for example where the students come from a lower socio-economic background and have poorer educational abilities even though teachers could have a more important role in boosting students' human capital accumulation. The centralized allocation system does not appear to equalize opportunities among different school environments. Furthermore, the absence of any criteria other than seniority in regulating teachers' locational preferences produces high staff turnover and a widespread lack of motivation among teachers who, all too often, are simply waiting in one school until they can move on to another.The labour market for teachers, teacher mobility, geographical mobility, school characteristics

Modeling passive mode-locking in InAs quantum dot lasers with tapered gain sections

We propose a computationally efficient approach for the simulation and design of index-guided quantum-dot (QD) passively mode-locked lasers with tapered gain section; the method is based on the combination of simulations based on a finite differ-ence beam-propagation-method and dynamic simulations of mode-locking via a multi-section delayed differential equation model. The impact of varying the taper full angle on the pulse duration and peak power is investigated; simulations show that a correct choice of this parameter enables the generation of sub-picosecond optical pulses with peak power exceeding 5

Metabolic and cardiovascular response to exercise in patients with type 1 diabetes

Physical activity is an effective therapeutic tool for cardiovascular risk prevention. However, exercise aerobic capacity of patients with type 1 diabetes (T1DM) has not been thoroughly investigated. Aim of the present study is to evaluate exercise aerobic capacity in patients with T1DM compared to a normal control population

Changes in corneal parameters at confocal microscopy in treated glaucoma patients

The purpose of this study was to evaluate corneal parameters in treated glaucoma patients, nontreated glaucoma patients, and normal subjects using confocal microscop

FDTW Approach for Simulation of QD lasers and SOAs

We present a Finite Difference Travelling Wave (FDTW) approach for the simulation of InAs/GaAs quantum dot devices. Several examples of applications will be discussed starting from simple QD-SLDs structures up to passive single section and two section mode-locked lasers

Modeling passive mode-locking in InAs quantum dot lasers with tapered gain sections

We propose a computationally efficient approach for the simulation and design of index-guided quantum-dot (QD) passively mode-locked lasers with tapered gain section; the method is based on the combination of simulations based on a finite differ-ence beam-propagation-method and dynamic simulations of mode-locking via a multi-section delayed differential equation model. The impact of varying the taper full angle on the pulse duration and peak power is investigated; simulations show that a correct choice of this parameter enables the generation of sub-picosecond optical pulses with peak power exceeding 5

Urban Development and Airports in Northern and Central Italy: Main Trends and a Focus on Parma Giuseppe Verdi Case Study

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On the Fe abundance peak formation in cool-core clusters of galaxies: hints from cluster WARPJ1415.1+3612 at z=1.03

We present a detailed study of the iron content of the core of the high-redshift cluster WARPJ1415.1+3612 (z=1.03). By comparing the central Fe mass excess observed in this system, M_Fe^exc = (1.67 +/- 0.40) x 10^9 M_sun, with those measured in local cool-core systems, we infer that the bulk of the mass excess was already in place at z=1, when the age of the Universe was about half of what it is today. Our measures point to an early and intense period of star formation most likely associated with the formation of the BCG. Indeed, in the case of the power-law delay time distribution with slope -1, which reproduces the data of WARPJ1415.1+3612 best, half of the supernovae explode within 0.4 Gyr of the formation of the BCG. Finally, while for local cool-core clusters the Fe distribution is broader than the near infrared light distribution of the BCG, in WARPJ1415.1+3612 the two distributions are consistent, indicating that the process responsible for broadening the Fe distribution in local systems has not yet started in this distant cluster.Comment: 10 pages, accepted for publication in A&A, minor language corrections added in v

In Silico Tools to Extract the Drug Design Information Content of Degradation Data: The Case of PROTACs Targeting the Androgen Receptor

Proteolysis-Targeting Chimeras (PROTACs) have recently emerged as a promising technology in the drug discovery landscape. Large interest in the degradation of the androgen receptor (AR) as a new anti-prostatic cancer strategy has resulted in several papers focusing on PROTACs against AR. This study explores the potential of a few in silico tools to extract drug design information from AR degradation data in the format often reported in the literature. After setting up a dataset of 92 PROTACs with consistent AR degradation values, we employed the Bemis–Murcko method for their classification. The resulting clusters were not informative in terms of structure–degradation relationship. Subsequently, we performed Degradation Cliff analysis and identified some key aspects conferring a positive contribution to activity, as well as some methodological limits when applying this approach to PROTACs. Linker structure degradation relationships were also investigated. Then, we built and characterized ternary complexes to validate previous results. Finally, we implemented machine learning classification models and showed that AR degradation for VHL-based but not CRBN-based PROTACs can be predicted from simple permeability-related 2D molecular descriptors

A critical overview of tools for assessing cognition in bipolar disorder

Cognitive deficits are prevalent in bipolar disorder even during the euthymic phase, having a negative impact on global functioning and quality of life. As such, more and more mental health professionals agree that neuropsychological assessment should be considered an essential component of the clinical management of bipolar patients. However, no gold standard tool has been established so far. According to bipolar disorder experts targeting cognition, appropriate cognitive tools should be brief, easy to administer, cost-effective and validated in the target population. In this commentary, we critically appraised the strengths and limitations of the tools most commonly used to assess cognitive functioning in bipolar patients, both for screening and diagnostic purposes