1,751 research outputs found
New welfare policy instruments: international experiences and implications for social enterprises
In this paper recent approaches to the role of social protection systems within economic development policies are discussed. Important experiences are considered, in particular those implemented in medium and low income countries, where new tools for increasing the effectiveness of social and development policies have been tried and tested. Some lessons are also examined that prove useful for defining mechanisms that enhance the quality of services provided by social enterprises in the Italian context.social protection system, development policy, social enterprise
Real-time setup to measure radon emission during rock deformation. Implications for geochemical surveillance
Laboratory experiments can represent a valid approach
to unravel the complex interplay between the geochemical
behaviour of radon and rock deformation mechanisms.
In light of this, we present a new real-time experimental
setup for analysing in continuum the alpha-emitting 222Rn
and 220Rn daughters over variable stress–strain regimes. The
most innovative segment of this setup consists of the radon
accumulation chamber obtained from a tough and durable
material that can host large cylindrical rock samples. The
accumulation chamber is connected, in a closed-loop configuration,
to a gas-drying unit and to a RAD7 radon monitor.
A recirculating pump moves the gas from the rock sample
to a solid-state detector for alpha counting of radon and
thoron progeny. The measured radon signal is enhanced by
surrounding the accumulation chamber with a digitally controlled
heating belt. As the temperature is increased, the number
of effective collisions of radon atoms increases favouring
the diffusion of radon through the material and reducing
the analytical uncertainty. The accumulation chamber containing
the sample is then placed into a uniaxial testing apparatus
where the axial deformation is measured throughout
a linear variable displacement transducer. A dedicated software
allows obtaining a variety of stress–strain regimes from
fast deformation rates to long-term creep tests. Experiments
conducted with this new real-time setup have important ramifications
for the interpretation of geochemical anomalies
recorded prior to volcanic eruptions or earthquakes
The imprint of thermally induced devolatilization phenomena on radon signal. Implications for the geochemical survey in volcanic areas
Thermal gradients due to magma dynamics in active volcanic areas may affect the emanating
power of the substrate and the background level of radon signal. This is particularly effective
in subvolcanic substrates where intense hydrothermal alteration and/or weathering processes
generally form hydrous minerals, such as zeolites able to store and release great amounts of
H2O (up to ∼25 wt.%) at relative low temperatures. To better understand the role played by
thermally induced devolatilization reactions on the radon signal, a new experimental setup has
been developed for measuring in real time the radon emission from a zeolitized volcanic tuff.
Progressive dehydration phenomena with increasing temperature produce radon emissions two
orders of magnitude higher than those measured during rock deformation, microfracturing and
failure. In this framework, mineral devolatilization reactions can contribute significantly to
produce radon emissions spatially heterogeneous and non-stationary in time, resulting in a
transient state dictated by temperature gradients and the carrier effects of subsurface gases.
Results from these experiments can be extrapolated to the temporal and spatial scales of
magmatic processes, where the ascent of small magma batches from depth causes volatile
release due to dehydration phenomena that increase the radon signal from the degassing host
rock material
Lo sviluppo del Mezzogiorno: come superare lo stallo?
This work deals with the current EU regional policy for the so-called Mezzogiorno of Italy. We discuss the new framework in the development policy for the South of Italy as a perspective tailored at enhancing the opportunities and capacities of the citizens. The paper addresses the thesis that strengthening the provision of merit goods and collective services would have a positive impact both on the quality of life and on social capital accumulation.Economic Development, Economic Governance, Regional Policy
Sistemi di protezione sociale e politiche di sviluppo: approcci, strumenti e proposte di policy
Nella ricerca economica emerge con sempre più forza la convinzione che lo sviluppo sia un fenomeno multidimensionale e che la crescita del Pil (Prodotto Interno Lordo) sia solo una delle lenti attraverso cui guardare il progresso economico e sociale di un Paese. In realtà è antico il richiamo alla necessità di costruire un paradigma economico alternativo, correlato a differenti indicatori di benessere, cui agganciare nuovi obiettivi e nuove politiche (Thorbecke, 2006). Ma di recente questa discussione, prevalentemente confinata nel mondo accademico, ha ricevuto attenzione e notorietà presso un pubblico più vasto grazie all’iniziativa del presidente della Repubblica francese, Nicolas Sarkozy, di nominare una Commissione di esperti per approfondire la questione di come definire e misurare la performance economica e il benessere sociale (Stiglitz, Sen, Fitoussi, 2009).protezione sociale; politiche di sviluppo
Impresa sociale, capitale sociale e politiche di sviluppo per il Mezzogiorno
In questo lavoro metto a fuoco il tema dell’impresa sociale intesa come un’organizzazione che accresce le capacità dei cittadini e che genera beni relazionali e capitale sociale. La tesi che avanzo è che nel Mezzogiorno la promozione dell’impresa sociale avrebbe l’effetto diretto di espandere l’accesso ai servizi collettivi, e dunque le capacità dei residenti meridionali, e l’effetto collegato di ridurre il divario di capitale sociale tra Mezzogiorno e Centro-Nord, elemento che contribuisce fortemente a spiegare il ritardo di sviluppo delle Regioni meridionali. Gli argomenti a favore della diffusione di imprese sociali, nell’ottica di questo scritto, intrecciano quindi gli aspetti del welfare e quelli dello sviluppo umano.Impresa sociale; capitale sociale; politiche di sviluppo; Mezzogiorno
An analytical model for gas overpressure in slug-driven explosions:insights into Strombolian volcanic eruptions
Strombolian eruptions, common at basaltic volcanoes, are mildly explosive events that are driven by a large bubble of magmatic gas (a slug) rising up the conduit and bursting at the surface. Gas overpressure within the bursting slug governs explosion dynamics and vigor and is the main factor controlling associated acoustic and seismic signals. We present a theoretical investigation of slug overpressure based on magma-static and geometric considerations and develop a set of equations that can be used to calculate the overpressure in a slug when it bursts, slug length at burst, and the depth at which the burst process begins. We find that burst overpressure is controlled by two dimensionless parameters: V', which represents the amount of gas in the slug, and A', which represents the thickness of the film of magma that falls around the rising slug. Burst overpressure increases nonlinearly as V' and A' increase. We consider two eruptive scenarios: (1) the "standard model," in which magma remains confined to the vent during slug expansion, and (2) the " overflow model," in which slug expansion is associated with lava effusion, as occasionally observed in the field. We find that slug overpressure is higher for the overflow model by a factor of 1.2-2.4. Applying our model to typical Strombolian eruptions at Stromboli, we find that the transition from passive degassing to explosive bursting occurs for slugs with volume >24-230 m(3), depending on magma viscosity and conduit diameter, and that at burst, a typical Strombolian slug (with a volume of 100-1000 m(3)) has an internal gas pressure of 1-5 bars and a length of 13-120 m. We compare model predictions with field data from Stromboli for low-energy " puffers," mildly explosive Strombolian eruptions, and the violently explosive 5 April 2003 paroxysm. We find that model predictions are consistent with field observations across this broad spectrum of eruptive styles, suggesting a common slug-driven mechanism; we propose that paroxysms are driven by unusually large slugs (large V')
Aging-dependent functional alterations of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) from human fibroblasts transferred into mtDNA-less cells
To investigate the role that aging-dependent accumulation of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) mutations plays in the senescence processes, mitochondria from fibroblasts of 21 normal human individuals between 20 weeks (fetal) and 103 years of age were introduced into human mtDNA-less (ρ0) 206 cells by cytoplast × ρ0 cell fusion, and 7-31 transformant clones were isolated from each fusion. A slight cell donor age-dependent decrease in growth rate was detected in the transformants. Using an O2 consumption rate of 1 fmol/min/cell, which was not observed in any transformant among 158 derived from individuals 20 weeks (fetal) to 37 years of age, as a cut-off to identify respiratory-deficient clones, 11 such clones were found among 198 transformants derived from individuals 39-103 years of age. Furthermore, conventional and nonparametric analysis of the respiratory rates of 356 clones revealed a very significant decrease with donor age. In other analyses, a very significant age-dependent decline in the mtDNA content of the clones was observed, without, however, any significant correlation with the decrease in O2 consumption rate in the defective transformants. These observations clearly indicate the occurrence in the fibroblast-derived transformants of two independent, age-related functional alterations of mtDNA, presumably resulting from structural damage to this genome
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