2,707 research outputs found
Traps of multi-level governance. Lessons from the implementation of the Water Framework Directive in Italy
During recent decades, different patterns of multi-level governance (MLG) have spread across Europe as a consequence of Europeanisation of public policies, which have increasingly adopted decentralized and participatory procedures conceived as a tool of more effective and accountable policy-making. It appears, however, that the implementation of operational designs based on MLG may be rather problematic and it does not necessarily bring to the expected performance improvements. Referring to the case of the EU Water Framework Directive (2000/60/EC), which conceives the creation of new multi-level institutional settings as a key tool for enacting a new holistic approach to water management and protection, this article explores the difficulties that the implementation of such settings has brought in Italy, despite some favorable pre-conditions existing in the country. Evidence is provided that along with institutional and agency variables, the implementation effectiveness of MLG arrangements promoted by the EU can be challenged by their inherent characteristics
Real life experience of knowledge, attitudes and acceptance rate of covid-19 and influenza vaccine administration in one of the main vaccination hub of sicilian region at the university hospital of palermo, Italy
Introduction: In temperate countries of the southern hemisphere, influenza surveillance showed an increase in influenza circulation in 2022 season, anticipating a peak of influenza cases in the Northern hemisphere during 2022/2023 season. The Italian Health Ministry strongly recommend coadministration of seasonal influenza vaccines with other vaccines, including bivalent COVID-19 vaccines. The Vaccination HUB of University Hospital (UH) of Palermo, since the beginning of the campaign, administered over 90, 000 doses of COVID-19 vaccines and more than 900 influenza vaccines have been co-administered with COVID-19 vaccines in the 2021/2022 season. Materials and methods Data were collected from October to December 2022 at the Vaccination Hub of UH of Palermo, using a self-administered online questionnaire to subjects afferent to the Center, by Google® Forms platform. The research group had access and recorded all data on a password-protected Excel file (ver. 1997–2003). The questionnaire consisting in 15 items, the informative of the study and the consent form was approved by the Ethic Committee of the Palermo’s UH Results: Overall, 904 subjects answered the questionnaire. 74.5% of the respondents were willing to receive the co-administration with the COVID19 and seasonal influenza vaccines. The main reason reported for accepting the coadministration was confidence in the official recommendations (43.5%) whereas 46.6% were not willing to receive the co-administration for fear of side effects. At the multivariable analysis subject with age ≤59 years (AdJOR: 0.48;CI95%:0.31–0.75) and those who received the two vaccines co-administered during the last season (AdJOR: 87.1;CI95%:61.4–463.8) were significantly associated with coadministration during 2022/2023 season. Conclusion: First data obtained from this study show that those who received COVID19 and seasonal influenza vaccination in the same session also in the 2021/2022 season are willing to receive the co-administration of the two vaccinations again for the current season, arguing for the absolute safety and efficacy of the co-administration
A variational approach to the macroscopic electrodynamics of anisotropic hard superconductors
We consider the Bean's critical state model for anisotropic superconductors.
A variational problem solved by the quasi--static evolution of the internal
magnetic field is obtained as the -limit of functionals arising from
the Maxwell's equations combined with a power law for the dissipation.
Moreover, the quasi--static approximation of the internal electric field is
recovered, using a first order necessary condition. If the sample is a long
cylinder subjected to an axial uniform external field, the macroscopic
electrodynamics is explicitly determined.Comment: 24 pages, 15 figure
Surveillance of Multidrug-Resistant Pathogens in Neonatal Intensive Care Units of Palermo, Italy, during SARS-CoV-2 Pandemic
Background: Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a topic of concern, especially in high-level care departments like neonatal intensive care units (NICUs). The systematic use of an “active” epidemiological surveillance system allows us to observe and analyze any changes in microbial distribution, limiting the risk of healthcare-associated infection (HAI) development. Methods: We have conducted a longitudinal observational study in the five NICUs of Palermo, comparing the “pre-pandemic period” (March 2014–February 2020) with the “pandemic” one (March 2020–February 2022). The primary aim of the study was to evaluate the cumulative prevalence of carriage from multi-drug resistant (MDR) bacteria in the cumulative NICUs (NICU C). Results: During the “pre-pandemic period”, 9407 swabs were collected (4707 rectal, 4700 nasal); on the contrary, during the “pandemic period”, a total of 2687 swabs were collected (1345 rectal, 1342 nasal). A statistically significant decrease in MDR-Gram-negative bacteria (GNB) carriage prevalence was detected during the pandemic. At the same time, there was a general worsening of the carriage of carbapenemase-forming MDR-GNB (CARBA-R+) and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) during the pandemic period. A significant reduction in methicillin-susceptible Staphylococcus aureus (MSSA) carriage was detected too. Conclusions: The surveillance of MDRO carriage in NICUs is fundamental for limiting the social and economic burden of HAIs
Respiratory Syncytial Virus: New Challenges for Molecular Epidemiology Surveillance and Vaccination Strategy in Patients with ILI/SARI.
Abstract: Several respiratory pathogens are responsible for influenza-like illness (ILI) and severe respiratory infections (SARI), among which human respiratory syncytial virus (hRSV) represents one of the most common aetiologies. We analysed the hRSV prevalence among subjects with ILI or SARI during the five influenza seasons before the emergence of SARS-CoV-2 epidemic in Sicily (Italy). Respiratory specimens from ILI outpatients and SARI inpatients were collected in the framework of the Italian Network for the Influenza Surveillance and molecularly tested for hRSV-A and hRSV-B. Overall, 8.1% of patients resulted positive for hRSV. Prevalence peaked in the age-groups <5 years old (range: 17.6–19.1%) and ≥50 years old (range: 4.8–5.1%). While the two subgroups co-circulated throughout the study period, hRSV-B was slightly predominant over hRSV-A, except for the season 2019–2020 when hRSV-A strongly prevailed (82.9%). In the community setting, the distribution of hRSV subgroups was balanced (47.8% vs. 49.7% for hRSV-A and hRSV-B, respectively), while most infections identified in the hospital setting were caused by hRSV-B (69.5%); also, this latter one was more represented among hRSV cases with underlying diseases, as well as among those who developed a respiratory complication. The molecular surveillance of hRSV infections may provide a valuable insight into the epidemiological features of ILI/SARI. Our findings add new evidence to the existing knowledge on viral aetiology of ILI and SARI in support of public health strategies and may help to define high-risk categories that could benefit from currently available and future vaccines
Carotid Embolectomy in the Treatment of a Paradoxical Embolus
Development of a paradoxical embolus to the carotid circulation through a patent foramen ovale is uncommon but well documented. Previous surgical experience with this entity is limited. Treatment for this condition typically involves anticoagulation or the use of an inferior vena cava filter with concurrent closure of the patent foramen itself. We report successful surgical treatment of a woman with a paradoxical embolus lodged in her left carotid artery. In addition, we provide a brief review of this rare topic and treatment rationale.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/41366/1/10016_2003_Article_13.pd
New Gauge Invariant Formulation of the Chern-Simons Gauge Theory
A new gauge invariant formulation of the relativistic scalar field
interacting with Chern-Simons gauge fields is considered. This formulation is
consistent with the gauge fixed formulation. Furthermore we find that canonical
(Noether) Poincar\'e generators are not gauge invariant even on the constraints
surface and do not satisfy the (classical) Poincar\'e algebra. It is the
improved generators, constructed from the symmetric energy-momentum tensor,
which are (manifestly) gauge invariant and obey the classical Poincar\'e
algebra.Comment: Shortened, to appear as Papid Communication-PRD/Nov/9
Political branding: sense of identity or identity crisis? An investigation of the transfer potential of the brand identity prism to the UK Conservative Party
Brands are strategic assets and key to achieving a competitive advantage. Brands can be seen as a heuristic device, encapsulating a series of values that enable the consumer to make quick and efficient choices. More recently, the notion of a political brand and the rhetoric of branding have been widely adopted by many political parties as they seek to differentiate themselves, and this has led to an emerging interest in the idea of the political brand. Therefore, this paper examines the UK Conservative Party brand under David Cameron’s leadership and examines the applicability of Kapferer’s brand identity prism to political branding. This paper extends and operationalises the brand identity prism into a ‘political brand identity network’ which identifies the inter-relatedness of the components of the corporate political brand and the candidate political brand. Crucial for practitioners, this model can demonstrate how the brand is presented and communicated to the electorate and serves as a useful mechanism to identify consistency within the corporate and candidate political brands
Methodological issues in a cross-sectional survey on cervical cancer screening using telephone interviews in Sicily (Italy): a SWOT analysis
Objective: A cross-sectional study on knowledge, perceptions, and adherence to cervical cancer screening was conducted using telephone interviews of Sicilian women that were performed in 2016. This study aimed to identify areas that need to be addressed to improve the validity of data collection and to minimize possible biases. Methods: We performed a qualitative study through SWOT analysis, which is a multidimensional method based on evaluation of Strengths (S), Weaknesses (W), Opportunities (O), and Threats (T) of the research project. The contents of the SWOT forms underwent categorical, inductive, and deductive data analysis using the long table analysis method. Results: The full availability of an updated address and phone number list was the main organizational aspect to be addressed. Socio-cultural context played a major role for understanding the questions and for acceptability of the topics. In some cases, a family member was a facilitating element, while in others, the family member hindered the interviews. Active involvement of general practitioners was considered essential for success of the interviews. Conclusions: When performing a cross-sectional survey, organizational aspects and active involvement of general practitioners are crucial in the enrolment phase, regardless of the socio-cultural context
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