WAGE STRUCTURE, INEQUALITY AND SKILL-BIASED CHANGE: IS ITALY AN OUTLIER?

This paper investigates the relation between wage structure, inequality and skill-biased change in Italy between 1993 and 2004. Using a quantile decomposition analysis, we point out that changes in wage structure are mainly driven by the negative coefficients component, which represents also one of driving force of the trends of wage inequality. This evidence suggests that the changes in wage structure in Italy can hardly be explained referring to a skill-biased change explanation. Evidence that is further reinforced by a set of descriptive statistics showing that the increasing educational attainments of the workforce might have been crowded out by a stable trend in the demand for skills.Educational wage premia, Human Capital, Skill Biased Change, Quantile regression, Wage Decomposition, Italy

Employment protection and regional worker flows in Italy

In this paper we point out that the theoretical predictions concern-ing Employment Protection Legislation (EPL) are not fully confirmed by empirical evidence in Italy, a strict EPL country in the nine-ties, according to OECD indexes. In particular, worker and job flow rates are remarkably high, also in comparison with the other Euro-pean countries. Furthermore, the differences in regional worker flow rates -computed on both the social security database and the LFS- are relevant, no matter which measure of worker flows is considered. While EPL is the same across regions, the highest worker flow rates are observed in the South, an area generally recognised as the least dynamic of the country, followed by the Northeast, the Centre and the Northwest. For possible alternative explanations of regional differences investigation focuses on economic structural composi-tion, the black labour market, non-standard contracts, the public sector and self-employment incidence, labour productivity and firm seniority. Using Logit estimates we find that none of these factors can fully explain these differences. Moreover, the predicted nega-tive relation between worker flows and unemployment duration does not seem to hold in the case of Italy.Worker Turnover and Reallocation; Employment Protection; Regional Economics; Italy

Employment protection and regional worker flows in Italy: an assessment of the theoretical predictions

In this paper we point out that the theoretical predictions concerning Employment Protection Legislation (EPL) are not fully confirmed by empirical evidence in Italy, a strict EPL country according to OECD. In particular, worker flows computed from both social security dataset and LFS are remarkably high (among the highest of continental Europe), no matter which measure of worker flows is considered (Gross worker Turnover and Gross worker reallocation). Moreover, we argue that geographical differences among regions are quite surprising. Even if EPL is the same across regions, worker flows are higher in the South, region usually supposed to be the least dynamic of the country, than in the North. The standard explanation of the higher flow rates in the South usually concerned the different economic structural composition of the regions (basically firm size and sectoral composition).Using the same weighting procedure as Blanchard & Portugal (2001), we have tested this hypothesis: even after controlling for structural composition, flow rates in the South remain higher. Black labour market, not-standard contracts, public sector incidence are investigated as possible alternative explanations of regional differences. Through a Logit estimation we find out that none of these factors can fully explain these differences. We have also derived, at the regional level, a prevalence of a positive relation between worker flows and unemployment duration, as opposed to what is predicted by the theory. To sum up, almost all the results we have derived do not confirm the expected impacts of a strict EPL on the Italian labour market structure. General considerations about it are derived.Worker Turnover and Reallocation, Employment Protection, Regional Economics

Approccio medico e chirurgico alle affezioni corneali del gatto

Rustichelli Federico APPROCCIO MEDICO E CHIRURGICO ALLE AFFEZIONI CORNEALI DEL GATTO Lo scopo di questo tesi è di individuare le principali patologie corneali del gatto tra i soggetti presentati presso il Dipartimento di Clinica Veterinaria dell'Università di Pisa e di fornire le nozioni per il loro riconoscimento, presentarne le metodiche di trattamento medico o chirurgico e analizzare i dati epidemiologici connessi di maggior rilievo. Sono state inizialmente presentate le principali patologie che causano alterazioni della trasparenza corneale nel gatto. Sono stati individuati 88 casi di gatti che presentavano opacità corneali tra i 1211 pazienti presentati per una visita oculistica specialistica tra marzo 2000 e settembre 2006. Tutti i soggetti sono stati sottoposti ad una visita obiettiva generale ed una oftalmica completa. Sono state individuate le patologie di maggiore frequenza ed è stato valutato il protocollo terapeutico somministrato prima di essere riferite al Dipartimento di Clinica Veterinaria. Le cause di opacità corneali del gatto sono risultate essere molteplici e un buon diagnostico differenziale è necessario per emettere una corretta diagnosi eziologica ed elaborare un piano terapeutico efficace. FELINE CORNEAL OPACITY: MEDICAL AND SURGICAL APPROACH The aim of this study was to summarize all main feline corneal diseases found in patients presented at the Clinical Medicine Department of Pisa's University, to give the elements for their recognition, the principles for their medical and surgical treatment and to analyze the epidemiological data of interest. First of all we discussed all diseases that could cause changing in corneal transparency of cats. We included 88 cats between the 1211 patients presented for a specialistic ophthalmic exam between March 2000 and September 2006. A general and a complete ophthalmic exam was performed on all patient. The most frequent diseases were identified and the way they were treated before referring to our Department was evaluated. Causes of feline corneal opacity appeared to be several, so a good differential is necessary to assess an aetiologic diagnosis and perform an effective medical or surgical treatment

Geology and sedimentary facies of the Pliocene succession of the Baronia Mountains (Ariano Basin, southern Italy)

An up to 1500 m-thick clastic succession, the late Zanclean Baronia Synthem, has been analysed in detail in the Ariano wedge-top Basin (southern Apennine, Italy). In the Baronia Mountains the studied sediments are well exposed and laterally mappable due to young uplift and exhumation and rest unconformably on a complexly deformed pre-Pliocene substratum formed by Triassic to Miocene allochthonous units. The Baronia Synthem has been resolved into seven facies associations that are representative of distinct fluvial, deltaic, nearshore and offshore depositional environments and can be grouped into lowstand, transgressive, and highstand systems tracts. Using an integrated approach comprising original geological field mapping at 1:10,000 scale, conventional sedimentary facies analysis and a sequence stratigraphic approach, this paper provides a detailed description and interpretation of facies associations and new insights on the stratigraphic architecture and the geological history of this portion of the basin fill

Faulting of a turbidite sandstone-siltstone successions: the case study of the Macigno Formation, Tuscany, Italy

Faults in siliciclastic rocks are characterized by a great variability of fault zone architecture and relative permeability properties. This is because siliciclastic rocks (i.e turbidites) are often represented by alternating beds of various thickness and grain size forming a succession of strata with contrasting mechanical properties. For example, the presence of sandstone and clay-rich layers is responsible for the simultaneous occurrence of brittle and ductile deformation, known as “clay smear structures”. Moreover, numerous studies have identified grain size as one of the main influencing factors for fault nucleation processes and fracture intensity in the damage zone. In this work, we present the results of field and laboratory analyses performed on the Macigno Formation cropping out along the coast of western Tuscany. Here, the Macigno Formation is represented by Late Oligocene foredeep siliciclastic succession dominated by turbiditic sandstones with minor siltstones, mudstones, marls and shales. Thin section and 3D analyses, performed by X-ray Synchrotron tomography, allowed us to characterize the grain size and grain and cement composition of studied rocks. Grain size varies from channelized fine-grained sandstones to granule-conglomerates beds (0.006 mm to 4 mm) alternating with heterolithic levee strata of siltstones to fine-grained sandstones (0.0035-0.008 mm). The lithic components consist of metamorphic rocks by 70-80%, magmatic rocks by 15-20% and sedimentary rocks by 5-15%. The turbidite beds are normally well-cemented (by quartz and calcite) and heavily faulted and fractured. Investigated faults show dip-, oblique- and and strike-slip motion and their displacement range from 10s of centimetres to 10s of metres. We documented how both the grain size and the mechanical properties of the alternating beds strongly control the fault zone architecture, in particular in terms of damage zone thickness and fracture frequency. The fault rock types (i.e. breccia vs. gauge) are strictly related to the amount of displacement as well as to the grain size and the cementation of the sandstone. Furthermore, the development of clay smear structures are enhanced by the presence of interbedded thin clay-rich layers

n-3 Dietary supplementation and lipid metabolism: Differences between vegetable- and fish-derived oils

Abstract The effect of flaxseed oil rich in linolenic acid (ALA), and a mixed oil (flaxseed oil and fish oil) rich in eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), on the lipid clearance and peroxisome proliferator activated receptors (PPARs) in liver and adipose tissue of rats fed for 30 days with the two oils was evaluated. The results showed that after treatment with the mixed oil the hematic triacylglycerol content was significantly decreased compared to control animals. Regarding the tissue distribution of the major omega-3 fatty acids, both oils were able to increase ALA, EPA, docosapentaenoic acid (DPA) in liver and adipose tissue; and DHA solely in the adipose tissue. Finally the treatment with either flaxseed or mixed oil increased hepatic PPAR-γ expression but only the mixed oil enhanced the hepatic expression of PPAR-α. No effect on adipose tissue PPAR-γ expression was observed with both oils' treatment

Progetto in zona sismica di un edificio in calcestruzzo: confronto tra comportamento a base fissa e comportamento con isolamento alla base

Il presente lavoro affronta lo studio di una struttura in calcestruzzo ipotetica, situata nella città di Bologna, su cui verrà effettuato un intervento tramite isolatori sismici in modo da migliorare notevolmente il comportamento della struttura sotto azione del sisma. In particolare verrà studiata in base a tre diverse condizioni: 1) Condizione 1: struttura a base fissa; 2) Condizione 2: struttura con prima proposta di isolamento alla base, con isolatori al di sotto di ogni pilastro; 3) Condizione 3: struttura con seconda proposta di isolamento alla base, con meno isolatori ma di diametro maggiore ed accoppiati a dispositivi di scorrimento tipo carrello; Dopo un ampia analisi dei tre casi precedentemente esposti, vengono messi a confronto i risultati ottenuti nelle tre situazioni precedentemente riportate, in modo da meglio comprendere i miglioramenti ed i vantaggi ottenibili tramite l’introduzione di un sistema di isolamento alla base degli edifici, nonché confrontare i costi delle strutture nelle tre diverse condizioni di isolamento