The external benefits of higher education

The private market benefits of education are widely studied at the micro level, although the magnitude of their macroeconomic impact is disputed. However, there are additional benefits of education, which are less well understood. In this paper the macroeconomic effects of external benefits of higher education are estimated using the “micro-to-macro” simulation approach. Two types of externalities are explored: technology spillovers and productivity spillovers in the labour market. These links are illustrated and the results suggest they could be very large. However, this is qualified by the dearth of microeconomic evidence, for which we hope to encourage further work

Designing a Cockpit for Image Quality Evaluation

Image Quality (IQ) as assessed by humans is a concept hard to be defined, since it relies on many different features, including both low level and high level visual characteristics. Image luminance, contrast, color distribution, smoothness, presence of noise or of geometric distortions are some examples of low level cues usually contributing to image quality. Aesthetic canons and trends, displacement of the objects in the scene, significance and message of the imaged visual content are instances of the high level (i.e. semantic) concepts that may be involved in image quality assessment. Despite subjective evaluation of IQ being very popular in many applications (e.g. image restoration, colorization and noise removal), it may be scarcely reliable due to subjectivity issues and biases. Therefore, an objective evaluation, i.e. an image quality assessment based on visual features extracted from the image and mathematically modelled, is highly desirable, since it guarantees the repeatability of the results and it enables the automation of image quality measurements. Here the crucial point lies in the detection of visual elements salient for IQ. Many objective, numerical measures have been proposed in the literature. They differ from one another in the features considered to be relevant to IQ, and in the presence of a reference image, an image of \u201cperfect\u201d quality with which to compare the image to be evaluated. Objective measures are thus broadly classified as full-reference, reduced-reference or no-reference, according to the availability of reference information. Due to the complexity of the IQ assessment process, a single measure may be not robust and accurate enough to capture and numerically summarize all the aspects concurring to IQ. Therefore, we propose to employ multiple objective IQ measures assembled in a cockpit of objective IQ measures. This cockpit should be designed to offer not only an extensive analysis and overview of features relevant to IQ, but also as a tool to automate the selection of machine vision algorithms devoted to image enhancement. In this work we describe a preliminary version of a cockpit, and we employ it to assess a set of images of the same scene acquired under different conditions, with different devices or even processed by computer algorithms

MIS 5e at San Giovanni di Sinis (Sardinia, Italy): Stratigraphy, U/Th dating and "eustatic" inferences

AbstractThe most representative Late Pleistocene ("Tyrrhenian") outcrop in Sardinia (San Giovanni di Sinis) was re-visited based on detailed sedimentological and stratigraphical analysis supported by U-series dating of fossil corals. The stratigraphy shows shoreface–backshore sandstones overlying an erosional surface cut on vertebrate-bearing layers. Facies analysis and sequence-stratigraphic approaches suggest "eustatic" changes during the overall depositional interval of the marine sequence. Disconformities distinguish two coastal units suggesting a lateral shifts of the depositional environments driven by millennial-scale frequency sea level fluctuations, never exceeding a maximum height +1 to +3 m and by a subsequent rise to +5 ÷ +5.5 m asl.These deposits have historically been assigned to MIS 5, on the basis of i) their palaeontological content (warm "Senegalese" fauna), ii) lithostratigraphic interpretations and iii) amino-acid, geochronological data and generally attributed to the high sea-level episode of MIS 5e sub-stage, through sequential interpretation. U-series measurements in colonies of Cladocora caespitosa from the main outcrop of San Giovanni di Sinis and other minor deposits from the eastern side of the isthmus and from Capo San Marco, yielded 230Th-ages confirming an assignment of the embedding sediments to MIS 5e.Similar measurements in a pelecypod valve (Cerastoderma sp.) and a vermetid colony at San Marco yielded much younger apparent ages, tentatively attributed to late "diagenetic" U-uptake processes. Both the first minor pulses and the most important "eustatic" pulse recorded at San Giovanni di Sinis cannot be assigned unequivocally to one of the MIS 5e sea-level oscillations proposed in the recent literature, due to dating inaccuracies and uncertainties, but it seems probable that it occurred during an early part of the interval

Work activities at increased risk of traumatic injuries: an integrated preventive approach

Included in the scope of workplace safety is that relating to potential accidents, i.e. the harmful consequences for human health crossed with the work environment factor. In the study of the determinism of these accidental events, it is important to achieve a biomechanical balance between two main elements: the human and the work environment (consisting of the physical, chemical and environmental factors, i.e. the equipment and what generates its use). Considering the most recent statistically recorded incidents, our analysis has focused on the accident sphere proper, where an imbalance in the above-mentioned binomial triggers the activation of multiple disciplines that actively and pro-actively study the event and assess its sequelae, in all possible facets (economic, engineering, clinical, medical-legal)

Emerging Issues in Occupational Disease: Mental Health in the Aging Working Population and Cognitive Impairment - A Narrative Review

Cognitive impairment has often been reported in scientific literature as a concern derived from chronic exposure to work-related stress. Organizational factors can contribute to the onset of this concern especially in a susceptible population such as elderly workers. The aim of our study was to review the last five years of scientific literature, focusing on experimental and epidemiological studies, possible mechanisms implicated in the onset of cognitive decline due to work-related stress, and the recent organizational strategies to prevent detrimental effects of stress on cognitive processes. A literature search was performed in scientific platforms Medline and Web of Science, by means of specific string search terms, restricting the search to the years of publication 2014-2019. Thirty-three articles were identified and qualitatively evaluated, reporting narratively the main point of interest. At this stage, six articles were excluded because they did not meet the inclusion criteria. Only a few articles considered the population of the elderly workers, often with a short follow-up period. Strategies to manage stress with organizational procedures are scarce. Mechanisms implicated in the development of cognitive impairment due to stress are not fully explained and seem to include a chronical decrease in the inhibitory process of neurological pathways. Further research that focused on strategies to manage stress in elderly workers, with the aim of preventing cognitive impairment processes, is warranted

Emerging Issues in Occupational Disease: Mental Health in the Aging Working Population and Cognitive Impairment - A Narrative Review

Cognitive impairment has often been reported in scientific literature as a concern derived from chronic exposure to work-related stress. Organizational factors can contribute to the onset of this concern especially in a susceptible population such as elderly workers. The aim of our study was to review the last five years of scientific literature, focusing on experimental and epidemiological studies, possible mechanisms implicated in the onset of cognitive decline due to work-related stress, and the recent organizational strategies to prevent detrimental effects of stress on cognitive processes. A literature search was performed in scientific platforms Medline and Web of Science, by means of specific string search terms, restricting the search to the years of publication 2014–2019. Thirty-three articles were identified and qualitatively evaluated, reporting narratively the main point of interest. At this stage, six articles were excluded because they did not meet the inclusion criteria. Only a few articles considered the population of the elderly workers, often with a short follow-up period. Strategies to manage stress with organizational procedures are scarce. Mechanisms implicated in the development of cognitive impairment due to stress are not fully explained and seem to include a chronical decrease in the inhibitory process of neurological pathways. Further research that focused on strategies to manage stress in elderly workers, with the aim of preventing cognitive impairment processes, is warranted

The regional economic impact of more graduates in the labour market: a “micro-to-macro” analysis for Scotland

This paper explores the system-wide impact of graduates on the regional economy. Graduates enjoy a significant wage premium, often interpreted as reflecting their greater productivity relative to non-graduates. If this is so there is a clear and direct supply-side impact of HEI activities on regional economies. We use an HEI-disaggregated computable general equilibrium model of Scotland to estimate the impact of the growing proportion of graduates in the Scottish labour force that is implied by the current participation rate and demographic change, taking the graduate wage premium in Scotland as an indicator of productivity enhancement. While the detailed results vary with alternative assumptions about the extent to which wage premia reflect productivity, they do suggest that the long-term supply-side impacts of HEIs provide a significant boost to regional GDP. Furthermore, the results suggest that the supply-side impacts of HEIs are likely to be more important than the expenditure impacts that are the focus of most HEI impact studies

The ubiquitin ligase Mdm2 controls oligodendrocyte maturation by intertwining mTOR with G protein-coupled receptor kinase 2 in the regulation of GPR17 receptor desensitization

During oligodendrocyte precursor cell (OPC) differentiation, defective control of the membrane receptor GPR17 has been suggested to block cell maturation and impair remyelination under demyelinating conditions. After the immature oligodendrocyte stage, to enable cells to complete maturation, GPR17 is physiologically down-regulated via phosphorylation/desensitization by G protein-coupled receptor kinases (GRKs); conversely, GRKs are regulated by the "mammalian target of rapamycin" mTOR. However, how GRKs and mTOR are connected to each other in modulating GPR17 function and oligodendrogenesis has remained elusive. Here we show, for the first time, a role for Murine double minute 2 (Mdm2), a ligase previously involved in ubiquitination/degradation of the onco-suppressor p53 protein. In maturing OPCs, both rapamycin and Nutlin-3, a small molecule inhibitor of Mdm2-p53 interactions, increased GRK2 sequestration by Mdm2, leading to impaired GPR17 down-regulation and OPC maturation block. Thus, Mdm2 intertwines mTOR with GRK2 in regulating GPR17 and oligodendrogenesis and represents a novel actor in myelination

Pathophysiological Role of Purines and Pyrimidines in Neurodevelopment: Unveiling New Pharmacological Approaches to Congenital Brain Diseases

In recent years, a substantial body of evidence has emerged demonstrating that purine and pyrimidine synthesis and metabolism play major roles in controlling embryonic and fetal development and organogenesis. Dynamic and time-dependent changes in the expression of purine metabolizing enzymes (such as ectonucleotidases and adenosine deaminase) represent a key checkpoint for the correct sequential generation of the different signaling molecules, that in turn activate their specific membrane receptors. In neurodevelopment, Ca2+ release from radial glia mediated by P2Y1 purinergic receptors is fundamental to allow neuroblast migration along radial glia processes, and their correct positioning in the different layers of the developing neocortex. Moreover, ATP is involved in the development of synaptic transmission and contributes to the establishment of functional neuronal networks in the developing brain. Additionally, several purinergic receptors (spanning from adenosine to P2X and P2Y receptor subtypes) are differentially expressed by neural stem cells, depending on their maturation stage, and their activation tightly regulates cell proliferation and differentiation to either neurons or glial cells, as well as their correct colonization of the developing telencephalon. The purinergic control of neurodevelopment is not limited to prenatal life, but is maintained in postnatal life, when it plays fundamental roles in controlling oligodendrocyte maturation from precursors and their terminal differentiation to fully myelinating cells. Based on the above-mentioned and other literature evidence, it is now increasingly clear that any defect altering the tight regulation of purinergic transmission and of purine and pyrimidine metabolism during pre- and post-natal brain development may translate into functional deficits, which could be at the basis of severe pathologies characterized by mental retardation or other disturbances. This can occur either at the level of the recruitment and/or signaling of specific nucleotide or nucleoside receptors or through genetic alterations in key steps of the purine salvage pathway. In this review, we have provided a critical analysis of what is currently known on the pathophysiological role of purines and pyrimidines during brain development with the aim of unveiling new future strategies for pharmacological intervention in different neurodevelopmental disorders