The effect of asylum seeker reception centers on nearby house prices:Evidence from The Netherlands

With 20,945 asylum applications in 2016, the Netherlands received the tenth highest number of asylum requests in Europe. From the time of their arrival, and until a decision on their asylum requests is made, asylum seekers are sheltered in asylum seeker reception centers (ASRCs) across the country. This paper tests whether the opening of reception centers affects the prices of nearby houses. In doing so, likely differential effects across urban and non-urban areas, as well as for ASRCs of distinct capacities to host asylum seekers, are considered. The analysis uses hedonic regressions that are based on a staggered difference-in-differences design. Estimation comes from 2009–2017 information on the transaction prices of houses (N = 347,479) and the locations and opening dates of nearby ASRCs (N = 75). The results indicate that the opening of ASRCs causes the prices of some houses to fall by approximately 9.3%. However, this estimated effect pertains solely to single-family houses in less densely populated areas and for ASRC of high hosting capacity, whereas in cities no economically or statistically significant effects are found. The findings of this study have implications for the design of public policies that regard the spatial dispersion of ASRCs

Monitoring SDG localisation: an evidence-based approach to standardised monitoring frameworks

[Abstract:] This article studies closeness between indicators that local governments use to monitor Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) implementation in their Voluntary Local Reviews (VLRs) and those included in the standardised set of indicators of the European Handbook for SDG Voluntary Local Reviews. To do so, it develops an index of ‘indicator proximity’ through a qualitative semantic comparison between 2354 indicators used in a sample of 29 VLRs and the 72 indicators included in the Handbook’s standardised set. The index includes absolute and relative scores, taking into consideration size, comprehensiveness and diversity of the indicator sets included in the sample, as well as the methodological features of the Handbook’s set. The index allows to identify the VLRs with higher or lower proximity to the indicators in the standardised set and the SDGs that elicit a higher or lower degree of closeness between standard metrics and indicators selected or defined by local governments. The output shows that VLRs and the Handbook have an overall significant degree of proximity; that variables such as local government type or size or the size of VLR indicator sets do not provide additional explanation for proximity; and that SDGs that can be monitored with locally accessible and affordable data elicit higher indicator proximity

Migrant integration in the EU. The role of place-based policies

This special issue examines the integration of migrants at the local level by investigating the European Union's role in this context through place-based policies. Traditionally, migration policy has Europeanized, while migrant policy has become more local. This special issue explores also how local authorities contribute to the governance of migrant integration policies beyond mere implementation. It highlights the EU's recognition cities in this process and investigates EU-funded policies for urban and local development that foster migrant inclusion. The contributions feature case studies from various territories and underscore the role of place-based policies in promoting migrant integration, agency and citizenship. These insights are particularly relevant in the context of Southern European countries, which have unique migration dynamics

Migrant integration in the EU. The role of place-based policies

This special issue examines the integration of migrants at the local level by investigating the European Union's role in this context through place-based policies. Traditionally, migration policy has Europeanized, while migrant policy has become more local. This special issue explores also how local authorities contribute to the governance of migrant integration policies beyond mere implementation. It highlights the EU's recognition of cities in this process and investigates EU-funded policies for urban and local development that foster migrant inclusion. The contributions feature case studies from various territories and underscore the role of place-based policies in promoting migrant integration, agency and citizenship. These insights are particularly relevant in the context of Southern European countries, which have unique migration dynamics

Impact of dealcoholization by osmotic distillation on metabolic profile, phenolic content, and antioxidant capacity of low alcoholic craft beers with different malt compositions

Beer antioxidants originate mainly from malts, classified as colored, caramel, and roasted, according to the malting process. This study aimed to characterize, in terms of phenolic antioxidants, three types of Pale Ale craft beers brewed using increasing percentage of dark malt (0, 5, and 15% Caraamber malt, called PA100, PA95, PA85, respectively) and to evaluate the impact of dealcoholization by osmotic distillation (OD) on the same antioxidants. All the alcoholic (PA, 6.2-6.8 vol %) and low alcoholic (LA-PA, 1 vol %) beers were analyzed by HPLC-ESI-MS/MS, total phenolic content (TPC), and antioxidant activity (AA): similar phenolic profiles were evidenced and 43 compounds identified or tentatively identified. Some differences were found among PA100, PA95, and PA85: PA85 was richer in free phenolic compounds (10.55 mg/L) and had a higher TPC (463.7 GAE mg/L) and AA (852.1 TE mg/L). LA-PA beers showed the same phenolic profile and similar TPC and AA compared to PA beers; however, there were some differences regarding LA-PA85 (5.91 mg/L). Dealcoholization by OD seemed to weakly affect the phenolic fraction. ESI-MS/MS infusion experiments evidenced oligosaccharides, small organic acids, and amino acids, whose presence was confirmed and quantitated by NMR: besides ethanol and other alcohols, weak to strong loss of low-molecular-weight metabolites was evidenced in LA-PA beers

A place-based approach to migrant integration

This Science for Policy report focuses on urban and territorial strategies promoted by the EU Cohesion Policy during the 2014-2020 programming period, namely Sustainable Urban Development (SUD), Integrated Territorial Investment (ITI) and Community-led Local Development (CLLD), and explores whether and how they may contribute to the integration and inclusion of international migrants in the local context. The study illustrates the findings of the Joint Research Centre (JRC) Exploratory Research Activity (ERA) International migrants in Functional Urban Areas. How strategies of sustainable urban development can foster the integration of migrants?, which integrates two analytical approaches, with in-depth case studies based on local data and performed by local academics complementing the analysis carried out at EU-level

LA LINGUA ITALIANA COME HERITAGE LANGUAGE NELLA COMUNITÀ ITALO-LEVANTINA DI ISTANBUL: UNO STUDIO SUL SOGGETTO POSTVERBALE

Lo studio riporta i risultati di un esperimento riguardante la produzione e la preferenza di soggetti postverbali in italiano da parte di 8 Heritage Speakers adulti dominanti in turco. I partecipanti appartengono all’antica comunità italo-levantina di Istanbul, che da sempre mantiene un repertorio plurilingue comprendente italiano, francese, greco e turco. Secondo l’Interface Hypothesis strutture di interfaccia tra sintassi e discorso risultano particolarmente vulnerabili nelle situazioni di plurilinguismo – compresa l’acquisizione delle Heritage Languages – a causa dell’influenza cross-linguistica della lingua dominante e dei costi cognitivi del plurilinguismo. L’impatto di questi fattori e del ruolo del turco come lingua di istruzione elementare e media è stato valutato confrontando i risultati del gruppo sperimentale e di un gruppo di controllo di 10 nativi monolingui adulti in un test di combinazione di parole e uno di preferenza. I dati appaiono in linea con precedenti studi sulla stessa struttura in diverse situazioni di bilinguismo. Nella produzione di strutture VS gli Heritage Speakers si mostrano significativamente meno accurati rispetto alla controparte monolingue, mentre nella preferenza non emergono differenze significative. La discrepanza si riconduce alla differenza di carico cognitivo impiegato nei due tasks e rappresenta una conferma del ruolo dei fattori cognitivi nelle differenze di comportamento linguistico tra monolingui e plurilingui. Differenze interne al gruppo sperimentale emergono nella produzione secondo una scala di accuratezza che va dal sottogruppo di informanti che non hanno frequentato scuole turche a coloro che le hanno frequentate per otto anni consecutivi (6-14 anni). Il dato conferma il ruolo dell’educazione formale e delle scelte di vita del parlante nel favorire l’acquisizione della heritage language, e spinge ad una riflessione sull’importanza della scolarizzazione per la salvaguardia delle lingue minoritarie.   The Italian language as heritage language in the Italian-Levantine community of Istanbul: a study on the postverbal subject The study reports the results of an experiment targeting the production and interpretation of postverbal subjects in Italian by multilingual Heritage Speakers of Italian whose dominant language is Turkish. All participants belong to the ancient Italian Levantine community of Istanbul, whose members have always maintained a multilingual linguistic repertoire that includes Italian, French and Greek, as well as Turkish. According to the Interface Hypothesis, syntax-discourse interfaces prove to be problematic in different bilingual situations – including the acquisition of Heritage Languages – due to both cross-linguistic influences and cognitive factors related to bilingualism itself. The role of these factors and that of Turkish as the language of primary and secondary education were assessed while comparing the results of the experimental group and a control group of 10 Italian, monolingual natives in a word combination task and a preference task. Data are consistent with previous studies on the same structure in different bilingual situations. When producing VS structures, the Heritage Speakers were found to be significantly less accurate compared to their monolingual counterparts, while with regard to preference there were no significant differences. The discrepancy is explained by the diverse cognitive burdens involved in the two linguistic tasks, thus confirming the role of cognitive factors in differentiating linguistic behaviors between monolinguals and bilinguals. Differences within the experimental group arose in production according to an accuracy pattern that proceeded from the subgroup of informants who had not gone to Turkish schools to those who attended them for eight consecutive years (between the ages of 6-14). Data confirmed the role of formal education and speakers’ life choices in favoring the acquisition of HLs, thus offering food for thought about the importance of schooling in the preservation of minority languages

Admission to the Long-Term Care Facilities and Institutionalization Rate in Community-Dwelling Frail Adults: An Observational Longitudinal Cohort Study

The worldwide aging and the increase of chronic disease impacted the Health System by generating an increased risk of admission to Long-Term Care (LTC) facilities for older adults. The study aimed to evaluate the admission rate to LTC facilities for community-dwelling older adults and investigate factors associated with these admissions. A secondary data analysis stemming from an observational longitudinal cohort study (from 2014 to 2017) was performed. The sample was made up by 1246 older adults (664 females and 582 males, mean age 76.3, SD ± 7.1). The LTC facilities access rate was 12.5 per 1000 observations/ year. Multivariable Linear Regression identified frailty, cardiovascular disease, and incapacity to take medicine and manage money as predictors of the LTC facilities' access rate. The Multiple Correspondence Analysis identified three clusters: those living at home with comorbidities; those living in LTC facilities who are pre-frail or frail; those very frail but not linked to residential LTC. The results indicate that access to LTC facilities is not determined by severe disability, severe comorbidity, and higher frailty levels. Instead, it is related to moderate disability associated with a lack of social support. Therefore, the care policies need to enhance social interventions to integrate medical, nursing, and rehabilitative care

Moisture Damage in Ancient Masonry: A Multidisciplinary Approach for In Situ Diagnostics

San Nicola in Carcere, one of the minor basilicas in the historical center of Rome, was the location of a wide investigation campaign of the water-related deterioration causes, present in the lower sector of the apse and adjacent pillars, affected by water infiltrations, mould and salt efflorescence. The results obtained identify the presence of water content and related effects mainly on the sides of the apsidal wall. This work focuses on the use of five Non-Destructive Techniques (NDT) and intends to show the gains obtained by integrating widely interdisciplinary methods, namely the Infrared Thermography (IRT), the Unilateral Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (Unilateral NMR), the Acoustic Tomography (AT), the Acoustic Imaging (AI) and the Laser-Induced Fluorescence (LIF). All the techniques contribute to the rapid, non-invasive and early identification of the moisture distribution, while some of them (LIF and AI) also address the determination of some moisture effects. The integrated use of different techniques helps to take the multidisciplinary point of view necessary to formulate an effective restoration intervention based on a sound scientific rationale; nonetheless, it allows to experiment a holistic approach, verifying the potential of a wide range of NDTs available within the context of a restoration yard

Remote sensing as tool for development of landslide databases: The case of the Messina Province (Italy) geodatabase

Landslide geodatabases, including inventories and thematic data, today are fundamental tools for national and/or local authorities in susceptibility, hazard and risk management. A well organized landslide geo-database contains different kinds of data such as past information (landslide inventory maps), ancillary data and updated remote sensing (space-borne and ground based) data, which can be integrated in order to produce landslide susceptibility maps, updated landslide inventory maps and hazard and risk assessment maps. Italy is strongly affected by landslide phenomena which cause victims and significant economic damage to buildings and infrastructure, loss of productive soils and pasture lands. In particular, the Messina Province (southern Italy) represents an area where landslides are recurrent and characterized by high magnitude, due to several predisposing factors (e.g. morphology, land use, lithologies) and different triggering mechanisms (meteorological conditions, seismicity, active tectonics and volcanic activity). For this area, a geodatabase was created by using different monitoring techniques, including remote sensing (e.g. SAR satellite ERS1/2, ENVISAT, RADARSAT-1, TerraSAR-X, COSMO-SkyMed) data, and in situ measurements (e.g. GBInSAR, damage assessment). In this paper a complete landslide geodatabase of the Messina Province, designed following the requirements of the local and national Civil Protection authorities, is presented. This geo-database was used to produce maps (e.g. susceptibility, ground deformation velocities, damage assessment, risk zonation) which today are constantly used by the Civil Protection authorities to manage the landslide hazard of the Messina Province