Technological change and industry competitiveness through the evolution of localised comparative advantages - The case of Italy

The influence of technological change on industry performances is nowadays being increasingly investigated under the broad category of "national systemic competitiveness". Moreover theoretical works have shown that the relationship between technology and economic performance not only takes different forms in different socio-economic contexts, but is also powerfully influenced by the way that innovation processes evolve over time along strongly localised patterns. The present study is focused on the evolution of trade competitiveness of the manufacturing sector in Italy over the past ten years and addresses to the role played by localised comparative advantages in shaping the model of national competitiveness. The data used in the analysis, drawn by the Enea Observatory on high tech industries, are based on trade statistics at the SITC five digit level and are spatially referenced to the Italy NUT3 regional partition. The effects of localised trade specialisation on manufacturing competitiveness are first assessed through spatial econometric tecniques. Spatial variation in the relationships found is further explored in order to give additional hints on the specific contribution of localised comparative advantages. According to major trends which have recently characterised manufacturing trade competitiveness in Italy, the analysis is expected to bring into evidence significant changes in the contribution of industrial localities to national competitiveness.

Scintigraphy-based analysis of possible pulmonary lesions after foam sclerotherapy: a pilot study

The aims of this study were to assess extemporaneous in vivo binding between 99mTcO4- and two sclerosant detergents in foam sclerotherapy, and subsequently to control any possible damage in lungs and other organs related to sclerosant foam passage. A prospective comparative pilot study was performed on two male patients (62 and 56 years old) affected by varicose veins; each of them underwent scintigraphy investigations with free radiotracer and a scintigraphy investigation after each of the four sessions of sclerotherapy of varicose tributaries of the lower limbs with labeled sclerosant foam. One of the two patients underwent two further scintigraphic investigations, with free radiotracer and with labeled sclerosant foam, at a later stage. Four mL of 2% polidocanol (POL) foam, or four mL of 1% sodiumtetradecylsulfate (STS) foam for session were injected. The sclerosant foam was labeled with the radioactive tracer technetium pertechnetate, 99mTcO4- (120 MBq per exam). Two scintigraphy assessments for free tracer (basal) and five scintigraphy investigations of bound-tosclerosant tracer uptake/transit were obtained. No relevant variations in time/activity curves of the lungs and other organs were documented between the basal and post-sclerotherapy findings, also at the later stage. Free radiotracer mean region-of-interest data were: 336 counts (heart), 208 counts (lungs) and 371 counts (thyroid). Mean values extrapolated from each curve at each step for labeled CO2O2-based sclerosant foam were respectively: 351 counts (POL) and 328 counts (STS) for heart, 202 counts (POL) and 188 counts (STS) for lungs, 335 (POL) and 263 (STS) for thyroid. No pulmonary damage by sclerosant foam was caused. Neither immediately after treatments, nor at short-term follow-up

Eosinophils, but not neutrophils, exibit an efficient DNA repair machinary and high nucleolar activity

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Traditionally eosinophils have been considered terminally differentiated cells that play a role in host protection against parasites. However, there is some evidence showing that eosinophils are, in fact, multifunctional leukocytes involved in inflammatory responses, as well as in tissue homeostasis. We characterized the transcriptome profile of human eosinophils, and, for the purpose of comparison, the transcriptome profile of neutrophils, monocytes and hematopoietic progenitor cells. Moreover, we studied the activation of selected cellular processes for which a significant differential expression was demonstrated. DESIGN AND METHODS: We profiled gene expression using Affymetrix GeneChips. DNA repair capacity was tested using the comet assay. Nucleoli and their activity were characterized by transmission electron microscopy analysis, silver staining of nucleolus regions (AgNOR) and RNA staining. RESULTS: Gene expression profiling showed that eosinophils appear hierarchically closer to monocytes than to neutrophils. Gene ontology mapping of differentially expressed genes revealed that eosinophils express categories very similar to those expressed by monocytes, related to DNA repair and nucleolar functions. Moreover, our data show that eosinophils and monocytes maintain the ability to repair both double and single strand DNA breaks, whereas neutrophils lack this capacity. Furthermore, eosinophils exhibit nucleolar activity, which is lacking in neutrophils, but resembles that in monocytes. INTERPRETATION AND CONCLUSIONS: The presence of large, active nucleoli in eosinophils, coupled to marked activity of DNA repair systems, suggests that eosinophils are not terminally differentiated cells. Indeed, their transcriptome profile and functional properties are more similar to those of non-terminally differentiated cells such as monocytes, rather than to neutrophils

Water-budget as a tool to evaluate the sustainable use of groundwater resources (Isonzo plain, NE Italy)

Water budget, hydrogeology, Soča/Isonzo River, climate chang

Maternal depression and marital adjustment of young mothers and its relationship with baby’s psychofunctional symptoms

Este estudo investigou a depre ssão materna e a percepção de ajustamento conjugal de mães jovens, para compreender a sua repercussão sobre a sintomatologia psicofuncional do bebê. Trata-se de estudo de casos contrastantes, transversal, no qual foram entrevistadas duas mães (20 a 21 anos) porto-alegrenses, cujos bebês tinham 8 e 11 meses. Foram aplicados também o R-DAS, a EPDS e o Symptom Check List, para avaliar, respectivamente, ajustamento conjugal, depressão materna e sintomas psicofuncionais do bebê. Os dados foram integrados na análise dos casos. Os resultados apontam que a percepção de ajustamento conjugal ruim e a presença de depressão materna podem repercutir sobre a sintomatologia psicofuncional do bebê, por meio de um processo de spillover, isto é, transbordamento dos desajustes conjugais sobre a relação parental. Esses achados são relevantes para a prática clínica, na busca de intervenções psicológicas que promovam a saúde mental de casais e bebês.This study investigated maternal depression and perception of marital adjustment of young mothers, to understand its impact on the baby’s psychofunctional symptoms. It is a transversal contrasting cases study, in which two mothers (20 and 21years), whose babies were 8 and 11 months old, from Porto Alegre/RS, were interviewed. R-DAS, EPDS and Symptom Check List were also applied to evaluate, respectively, marital adjustment, maternal depression and baby’s psychofunctional symptoms. Data were integrated in the case analysis. The results suggest that perception of poor marital adjustment and presence of maternal depression may contribute to baby’s psychofunctional symptoms, through a spillover process, i.e., the overflow of marital maladjustment on parental relationship. These findings are relevant to clinical practice, in searching for psychological interventions that promote the mental health of couples and babies

Groundwater sustainability in the Friuli Plain

Groundwater resources in the Friuli Venezia Giulia (FVG) Region (northeast Italy) are an important natural wealth in terms of quantity, quality and ease of supply. This optimal condition, however, has long believed that it allowed an irrational and uncontrolled exploitation that inevitably produced tangible consequences on the water resources availability.The goal of the present research is the evaluation of the sustainable use of the groundwater in the Friuli Venezia Giulia Region aimed at providing guide-lines for its rational use. The study area belongs to the hydrogeological basin of the Friuli Plain and includes part of Veneto Region and Slovenia. The plain area is divided in two parts: the High Plain (HP) characterized by a phreatic aquifer and the Low Plain (LP) where eleven confined aquifer systems were identified. The two physiographic zones are separated by the spring belt. In order to evaluate the groundwater avaliability, a 3D model of the Low Friuli Plain aquifer systems was realized using Rockworks R14 software, starting from 603 lithostratigraphic wells data. Isobath and isopach maps were elaborated using kriging geostatistical method. Precipitation, evapotranspiration, runoff and infiltration were calculated to evaluate the inflow and outflow groundwater budget terms (109 rainfall and 46 thermometric stations, time series 1979-2008). To better define the river influences and the outflows at sea, a series of recent surveys on river discharges and surface withdrawals were considered. To obtain the water-budget in non-natural conditions, as the currents, were taken into account the groundwater withdrawals that were evaluated for each type of use and for each aquifer systems, starting from 2 geodatabases: one for the domestic uses (50101 estimated wells) and one for the industrial, agricultural, fish breeding, hygienic, geothermal and other minor uses (7594 wells). Well withdrawals amount were evaluated on annual base for recent periods and expressed as m3/s. The total current estimated groundwater withdrawals reach 62.4 m3/s, of which 41.1 m3/s from the confined aquifer systems in the LP area. More than 52% of the withdrawals are due to the domestic wells. For the water-budget, the studied territory was considered a “semi-closed box” in which groundwater sharings with the neighboring areas are not relevant and where the recharge is mainly due to the influent character of the river, infiltration, rainfall and irrigation practices. As result, the waterbudget for the confined LP is equal to +2.6 m3/s representing the accuracy, fairly acceptable for the scale of the research. Withdrawal entity, spring belt discharge, phreatic levels and confined aquifer’s pressure are closely interdependent and in dynamic equilibrium. The sustainability comes from the consistency and ratio between recharge and withdrawals. The confined aquifer withdrawals in the LP represent the 23.1% of the groundwater recharge coming from the HP and the 30.6% of the spring belt discharge. Seen that this last one can not further decrease, unless loss of important ecosystems, is likely to think that the present situation can be defined of limit equilibrium

CFBM - A Framework for Data Driven Approach in Agent-Based Modeling and Simulation

Recently, there has been a shift from modeling driven approach to data driven approach in Agent Based Modeling and Simulation (ABMS). This trend towards the use of data-driven approaches in simulation aims at using more and more data available from the observation systems into simulation models [1, 2]. In a data driven approach, the empirical data collected from the target system are used not only for the design of the simulation models but also in initialization, evaluation of the output of the simulation platform. That raises the question how to manage empirical data, simulation data and compare those data in such agent-based simulation platform. In this paper, we first introduce a logical framework for data driven approach in agent-based modeling and simulation. The introduced framework is based on the combination of Business Intelligence solution and a multi-agent based platform called CFBM (Combination Framework of Business intelligence and Multi-agent based platform). Secondly, we demonstrate the application of CFBM for data driven approach via the development of a Brown Plant Hopper Surveillance Models (BSMs), where CFBM is used not only to manage and integrate the whole empirical data collected from the target system and the data produced by the simulation model, but also to initialize and validate the models. The successful development of the CFBM consists not only in remedying the limitation of agent-based modeling and simulation with regard to data management but also in dealing with the development of complex simulation systems with large amount of input and output data supporting a data driven approach

Studi sui tratti di qualità negativa nelle nuove viti mediamente resistenti alle malattie fungine

The varieties of vines tolerant to the main fungal diseases are the object of growing interest because they require fewer treatments for the production of quality grapes. These varieties are considered qualitatively unsuitable especially for some characteristics such as the foxy aroma, the level of anthocyanin diglucosides and the level of methyl alcohol in wines. In the three-year period 2016-2018, from a population of 74 medium resistant varieties placed in a single collection, in Marlengo (BZ), young leaves were taken for DNA analysis; annually 2 surveys of the OIV 452 453, 455 and 456 descriptors were carried out, and, at 18° Brix, sombunches were collected for the analysis of different metabolites. Nano-vinifications were carried out for 32 genotypes. Genotypes with different levels of stacked loci associated with resistance to downy and powdery mildew were detected, with different resistance behaviors over the years. Only some genotypes have aromas of foxy and only 20% of the genotypes analyzed have levels of anthocyanin diglucosides higher than the levels required by current legislation. Some vinifications showed methanol levels higher than the legal limit set. High percentages of genotypes respected the legal levels of metabolites required by current regulations and only genotypes with the presence of V. labrusca showed the aroma of foxy