Olimpiada Internacional de Ciencias de la Tierra (IESO): Una oportunidad a la Geología

Olimpiada Internacional de Ciencias de la Tierra: Una oportunidad a la Geología

The perception of psychosocial risks and work-related stress in relation to job insecurity and gender differences: a cross-sectional study

Introduction.The perception of psychosocial risks exposesworkers to developwork-related stress. Recently the attention of scientific research has focused on a psychosocial risk already identified as “job insecurity” that regards the “overall concern about the continued existence of the job in the future” and that also depends onworker’s perception, different for each gender. Aimof the Study. The aim of this cross sectional study is to show if job insecurity, in the formof temporary contracts, can influence the perception of psychosocial risks and therefore increase worker’s vulnerability to work-related stress and how the magnitude of this effect differs between genders. Materials and Methods. 338 administrative technical workers (113 males and 225 females) were administered a questionnaire, enquiring contract typology (permanent or temporary contracts), and the Health Safety Executive questionnaire to assess work-related stress. The Health Safety Executive Analysis Tool software was used to process collected questionnaires and theWilcoxon rank-sum test was used to evaluate the statistical significance of the differences obtained. Results. Workers with temporary contracts obtained lower scores than workers with permanent contracts in all the domains explored by theHealth Safety Executive Analysis questionnaire, statistically significant (P<0,05). The female workers obtained lower scores than male workers in all domains explored by the Health Safety Executive questionnaire. Conclusions. Authors conclude that perception of psychosocial risks can be influenced by job insecurity, in the form of temporary contracts, and increases worker’s vulnerability to work-related stress and differs between genders

Introduction to the Special Issue Containing the Papers Presented at the 4th IWL (November, 23-26, 2015)

Established in 2009, the Italian Workshop on Landslides is becoming a traditional meeting for scientists from different countries who want to discuss the most recent findings about landslide research. Every time, the workshop involves experts from different disciplines, such as geotechnical engineering, hydrology, geology, structural engineering, hydraulics, and is organized in such a way to leave ample space for open and lively discussions. In this respect, the Fourth Workshop was not an exception. Indeed, to favor focused discussions and interactions, it was structured in three topical sessions: Interaction between Slope Movements and Man-Made Works; Precipitation-Induced Landslides: Long-Term Predisposing Factors and Short-Term Triggers; Landslide Research: Modern Topics and Procedures (this session was reserved to young scientists). The great number of participants, giving presentations of high scientific level, covered three entire days. This book of proceedings collects a great number of the presented results, providing an overview of the various aspects of landslide research that were discussed in the workshop

MULTILATERAL TRAINING METHOD AS A PROACTIVE EDUCATIONAL STRATEGY TO PREVENT BULLYING IN ADOLESCENTS

To date, there is no standard definition of bullying, however, it can be characterized as a type of aggression, systematic and repeated, and based upon an imbalance of power in relationships through repeated verbal, physical and/or social behaviour that intends to cause physical, social and/or psychological harm. Youth with higher levels of resilience and self-efficacy are less likely to engage in aggressive behaviours or be victims of bullying. Previous anti-bullying approaches have often achieved no reduction in bullying behaviour. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine the effect of 12 weeks of extracurricular multilateral training on the risk for students (14-16 years) to be involved in bullying. Sixty male students were allocated to an experimental group (n = 30) that performed psychoeducational activities combined with physical exercise training and team games (90 min, 2d·week-1) or control group (n=30). Before and after the intervention, we used CYRM-28 that assessed individual capacities and resources, relationship with primary caregiver, contextual factors and total resilience, and SEQ-C that measured academic, social, emotional, and total self-efficacy. Four participants from the experimental group withdrew. Significant improvements of crucial relevance were found for the resilience and self-efficacy scales (p < 0.05) in the experimental group. We found that extracurricular multilateral training may improve the resilience and self-efficacy in adolescents and make them less likely to engage in aggressive behaviour or be bullied. Multilateral training method should be considered as an effective alternative to the anti-bullying approach, highlighting the crucial role of the Physical Education professionals in the promotion of proactive educational strategies to prevent bullying. Article visualizations

Studio, sintesi e caratterizzazione di nuovi materiali microporosi funzionalizzati per la realizzazione di processi reattivi e separativi in sistemi dinamici

This PhD program has focused on the study, preparation and characterization of new functionalized microporous materials for applications in chromatographic and chromatographic-like flow systems, including the possibility of performing chemical transformations in flow-mode (flow chemistry). The work has been multidisciplinary in nature, including elements of analytical and organic chemistry, material science and process modeling. The materials prepared in this work have been used for different purposes. They have been employed, on the one hand, for the preparation of packed-bed microreactors to perform advanced stereoselective chemical transformations by means of organocatalysts anchored to solid supports (polystyrene and silica gel based) and, on the other, as new stationary phases for chromatographic separations. In the case of organocatalyst-functionalized silicon packed-bed microreactors, we followed the idea that mechanisms of chiral induction due to organocatalysts (asymmetric synthesis) might be exploited for chiral discrimination (chiral chromatography) with their immobilized counterparts. The new materials have been thoroughly characterized in terms of chemico-physical, geometric and thermodynamic properties by investigating the mass transfer phenomena in packed beds, by measuring the adsorption isotherms of different substrates on different porous materials and by characterizing some of their fundamental properties such as porosity, superficial area, functionalization degree, etc. In addition, their dynamic behavior in reactive systems has been studied and modeled to understand not only the thermodynamics but also the kinetics of the process and to optimize, based on this information, the experimental conditions as to maximize production yield. Microreactors and the possibility of performing flow-chemistry through them satisfy the fundamental criteria of green chemistry, allowing for the realization of sustainable processes in terms of environmental impact and cost. The activities of my work have produced seven papers on international peer-reviewed journals. These publications are included at the end of my dissertation. One additional paper is in preparation