Measuring Nepotism through Shared Last Names: The Case of Italian Academia

Nepotistic practices are detrimental for academia. Here I show how disciplines with a high likelihood of nepotism can be detected using standard statistical techniques based on shared last names among professors. As an example, I analyze the set of all 61,340 Italian academics. I find that nepotism is prominent in Italy, with particular disciplinary sectors being detected as especially problematic. Out of 28 disciplines, 9 – accounting for more than half of Italian professors – display a significant paucity of last names. Moreover, in most disciplines a clear north-south trend emerges, with likelihood of nepotism increasing with latitude. Even accounting for the geographic clustering of last names, I find that for many disciplines the probability of name-sharing is boosted when professors work in the same institution or sub-discipline. Using these techniques policy makers can target cuts and funding in order to promote fair practices

Hiperhomocisteinemia, estrés oxidativo y factores protrombóticos en respuesta a estrés crónico en ratas

Estudios clínicos han demostrado que el aumento de la homocisteína en plasma se asocia a mayor riesgo de enfermedades tromboembólicas. Los mecanismos subyacentes no se han dilucidado completamente e implicarían al estrés oxidativo y a los efectos proinflamatorios. Los niveles plasmáticos de homocisteína están afectados por factores nutricionales, genéticos y la exposición a estrés. El objetivo de este estudio fue evaluar los cambios en los niveles plasmáticos de homocisteína, estrés oxidativo y factores protrombóticos, en ratas sometidas a estrés crónico. Se utilizaron ratas Wistar machos controles y estresadas, expuestas a estrés por inmovilización durante 14 días, 2 horas por día. Luego del último estrés, se extrajeron muestras de sangre y se determinaron los niveles plasmáticos de corticosterona, homocisteína, lipoproteína (a) (Lp(a)), malondialdehido (MDA) y fibrinógeno, capacidad antioxidante del plasma (FRAP), tiempo de coagulación, tiempo de tromboplastina parcial activado y recuentode plaquetas. Los animales estresados mostraron mayores valores de corticosterona (p=0.01), homocisteína (p=0.009), Lp(a) (p=0.02), fibrinógeno(p=0.02) y plaquetas(p=0.009) con respecto a los controles. También se encontró una menor capacidad antioxidante del plasma, menor tiempo de coagulación (p=0.01) y de tromboplastina parcial activada (p=0.03) en los animales estresados. El incremento de la homocisteína en los animales estresados se asoció con una disminución en la capacidad antioxidante plasmática y un menor tiempo de coagulación, evidenciándose como un factor protrombótico adicional a los factores clásicos como el incremento del fibrinógeno y del número de plaquetas en respuesta al estrés. El incremento en la Lp(a), al competir con el plasminógeno, sería un factor predisponente que aumentaría el riesgo de episodios tromboembólicos en situaciones de estrés crónico.Fil: Scoppa, Hilda Graciela. Universidad Nacional de Río Cuarto. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Fisicoquímicas y Naturales. Departamento de Biología Molecular; ArgentinaFil: Farias, Marcos Ezequiel. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Río Cuarto. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Fisicoquímicas y Naturales. Departamento de Biología Molecular; ArgentinaFil: Echegaray, Norberto A.. Universidad Nacional de Río Cuarto. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Fisicoquímicas y Naturales. Departamento de Biología Molecular; Argentina. Instituto de Nefrología y Urología; ArgentinaFil: Bensi, Nora Haydee. Universidad Nacional de Río Cuarto. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Fisicoquímicas y Naturales. Departamento de Biología Molecular; ArgentinaFil: Binotti, Silvana Noemí. Universidad Nacional de Río Cuarto. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Fisicoquímicas y Naturales. Departamento de Biología Molecular; ArgentinaFil: Stagnoli, Antonela Soledad. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Río Cuarto. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Fisicoquímicas y Naturales. Departamento de Biología Molecular; ArgentinaFil: Gauna, Hector Fernando. Universidad Nacional de Río Cuarto. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Fisicoquímicas y Naturales. Departamento de Biología Molecular; ArgentinaFil: Niebylski, Ana Maria. Universidad Nacional de Río Cuarto. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Fisicoquímicas y Naturales. Departamento de Biología Molecular; Argentin

Decision-making of English Netball Superleague umpires: Contextual and dispositional influences

Objectives. The decisions made by officials have a direct bearing on the outcomes of competitive sport contests. In an exploratory study, we examine the interrelationships between the decisions made by elite netball umpires, the potential contextual and environmental influences (e.g., crowd size), and the umpires’ dispositional tendencies – specifically, their propensity to deliberate and ruminate on their decisions. Design/Method. Filmed footage from 60 England Netball Superleague matches was coded using performance analysis software. We measured the number of decisions made overall, and for home and away teams; league position; competition round; match quarter; and crowd size. Additionally, 10 umpires who officiated in the matches completed the Decision-Specific Reinvestment Scale (DSRS). Results. Regression analyses predicted that as home teams’ league position improved the number of decisions against away teams increased. A model comprising competition round and average league position of both teams predicted the number of decisions made in matches, but neither variable emerged as a significant predictor. The umpire analyses revealed that greater crowd size was associated with an increase in decisions against away teams. The Decision Rumination factor was strongly negatively related to the number of decisions in Quarters 1 and 3, this relationship was driven by fewer decisions against home teams by umpires who exhibited higher Rumination subscale scores. Conclusions. These findings strengthen our understanding of contextual, environmental, and dispositional influences on umpires’ decision-making behaviour. The tendency to ruminate upon decisions may explain the changes in decision behaviour in relation to the home team advantage effect

Consensus protocol for EEG and amplitude-integrated EEG assessment and monitoring in neonates

The aim of this work is to establish inclusive guidelines on electroencephalography (EEG) applicable to all neonatal intensive care units (NICUs). Guidelines on ideal EEG monitoring for neonates are available, but there are significant barriers to their implementation in many centres around the world. These include barriers due to limited resources regarding the availability of equipment and technical and interpretive round-the-clock personnel. On the other hand, despite its limitations, amplitude-integrated EEG (aEEG) (previously called Cerebral Function Monitor [CFM]) is a common alternative used in NICUs. The Italian Neonatal Seizure Collaborative Network (INNESCO), working with all national scientific societies interested in the field of neonatal clinical neurophysiology, performed a systematic literature review and promoted interdisciplinary discussions among experts (neonatologists, paediatric neurologists, neurophysiologists, technicians) between 2017 and 2020 with the aim of elaborating shared recommendations. A consensus statement on videoEEG (vEEG) and aEEG for the principal neonatal indications was established. The authors propose a flexible frame of recommendations based on the complementary use of vEEG and aEEG applicable to the various neonatal units with different levels of complexity according to local resources and specific patient features. Suggestions for promoting cooperation between neonatologists, paediatric neurologists, and neurophysiologists, organisational restructuring, and teleneurophysiology implementation are provided

Decision-making of English Netball Superleague umpires: contextual and dispositional influences

Objectives: The decisions made by officials have a direct bearing on the outcomes of competitive sport contests. In an exploratory study, we examine the interrelationships between the decisions made by elite netball umpires, the potential contextual and environmental influences (e.g., crowd size), and the umpires' dispositional tendencies – specifically, their propensity to deliberate and ruminate on their decisions. Design/Method: Filmed footage from 60 England Netball Superleague matches was coded using performance analysis software. We measured the number of decisions made overall, and for home and away teams; league position; competition round; match quarter; and crowd size. Additionally, 10 umpires who officiated in the matches completed the Decision-Specific Reinvestment Scale (DSRS). Results: Regression analyses predicted that as home teams' league position improved the number of decisions against away teams increased. A model comprising competition round and average league position of both teams predicted the number of decisions made in matches, but neither variable emerged as a significant predictor. The umpire analyses revealed that greater crowd size was associated with an increase in decisions against away teams. The Decision Rumination factor was strongly negatively related to the number of decisions in Quarters 1 and 3, this relationship was driven by fewer decisions against home teams by umpires who exhibited higher Rumination subscale scores. Conclusions: These findings strengthen our understanding of contextual, environmental, and dispositional influences on umpires' decision-making behaviour. The tendency to ruminate upon decisions may explain the changes in decision behaviour in relation to the home team advantage effect