Higher wages, lower pay : public vs. private sector compensation in Peru

Do public sector employees earn less than their counterparts in the private sector? This paper addresses this question in the case of Peru, a country where civil service reform is being debated yet the only available empirical studies on wage differentials date back to the late 1980s. Using data from the 2009 national household survey, the authors perform a multiple step analysis. First, they estimate a single equation with a public sector dummy, which is found to be statistically significant and positive when only monetary wages are taken into account. However, when in-kind payments and bonuses are included to measure compensation, the analysis finds a private sector premium. Second, they estimate for public and formal private employees two distinct wage functions, including the inverse Mills ratio. This takes into account the selection bias resulting from workers self-selecting into the public or private sector. Third, these results are used to decompose wage differentials using the standard Oaxaca-Blinder approach. The results show that the compensation differentials are not significant except for the sub-sample of employees that achieved a postgraduate degree.Labor Markets,Public Sector Economics,Inequality,Public Sector Management and Reform,Education and Digital Divide

A Quali-quantitative evaluation approach to pedodiversity by multivariate analysis: introduction to the concept of "pedocharacter"

A model has been developed for the interpretation of the complexity of pedological systems; this is referred to as “pedocharacter”. The main aim of the model was to reduce the variables able to define soils and their relationships with the environment through the following quali-quantitative approach: i) definition of a fair number of qualitative characters; and ii) development of an analytic function, defined as “Land Relevance of the Factor”

Data-driven Abstractions for Verification of Deterministic Systems

A common technique to verify complex logic specifications for dynamical systems is the construction of symbolic abstractions: simpler, finite-state models whose behaviour mimics the one of the systems of interest. Typically, abstractions are constructed exploiting an accurate knowledge of the underlying model: in real-life applications, this may be a costly assumption. By sampling random $\ell$-step trajectories of an unknown system, we build an abstraction based on the notion of $\ell$-completeness. We newly define the notion of probabilistic behavioural inclusion, and provide probably approximately correct (PAC) guarantees that this abstraction includes all behaviours of the concrete system, for finite and infinite time horizon, leveraging the scenario theory for non convex problems. Our method is then tested on several numerical benchmarks

Fisiopatologia della disfunzione epatica nel diabete di tipo 2: nuovi biomarker di rischio e/o patologia

La determinazione di nuovi biomarker nel Diabete di tipo 2(DM2) rappresenta una nuova frontiera per lo sviluppo di nuovi farmaci e ulteriori approcci terapeutici; l’identificazione di biomarker può inoltre avere una grande importanza per la diagnosi precoce e lo sviluppo di terapie mirate ad evitare l’insorgenza del Diabte Mellito di tipo 2. HMGB1 è una proteina non-istonica associata alla cromatina possiede una duplice funzione a seconda dello stato in cui si trova la cellula: in condizioni basali si trova nel nucleo e favorisce l’interazione di alcuni fattori di trascrizione con il DNA, in condizioni infiammatorie viene secreta nello spazio extracellulare ed esercita le funzioni di una citochina pro-infiammatoria. Utilizzando come modello cellulare epatociti murini WT ed epatociti IRKO abbiamo effettuato una serie di trattamenti che mimano le condizioni patologiche che si riscontrano nel DT2: stato iperglicemico (Glucosio 30mM), complicanze associate al DT2 (Glucosamina 7.5 mM), obesità (acido oleico 0.66mM e/o acido palmitico 0.33mM), stato infiammatorio cronico (TNF-alpha 100ng/mL). Abbiamo dimostrato che, in condizioni di stress infiammatorio (trattamenti con glucosamina, acidi grassi e TNF-alpha)nei nostri modelli cellulari si osserva secrezione di HMGB1 che è molto maggiore nelle WT rispetto agli epatociti IRKO. L’esposizione ad iperglicemia non induce secrezione. La funzionalità del recettore dell’ insulina è quindi cruciale per la secrezione della HMGB1. In risposta ai nostri trattamenti, gli epatociti IRKO risultano più esposti alla produzione di ROS e all’apoptosi rispetto agli epatociti WT. Sono state dosate concentrazioni di HMGB1 nei sieri di pazienti diabetici e pazienti diabetici affetti o meno da steatosi epatica non alcoolica in cura presso la Fondazione Policlinico di Tor Vergata: da risultati ottenuti su una coorte di 51 pazienti in terapia. Risulta una correlazione inversa tra secrezione di HMGB1 e livello di steatosi mentre è presente una correlazione diretta tra livello di steatosi e secrezione di insulina e steatosi e livelli di PCR e Gamma GT anche se queste ultime non raggiungono la significatività statistica.New biomarker determination in Type 2 Diabetes(T2D) represents a new perspective in the development of new drugs and further therapeutics approaches: their identification can have a great importance for early diagnosis and potentially lead to development of new therapies to avoid the onset of type 2 diabetes Our study focused on High Mobility Group Box 1(HMGB1), because in our laboratory, by using proteomic techniques, we previously showed that HMGB1 is differently expressed in hepatocytes WT(Hep WT) and in insulin receptor knock out (IRKO) hepatocytes. HMGB1 is a chromatin-linked non-histonic protein that has a dual function depending on the cellular condition: in the basal condition, HMGB1 is inside the nucleus and helps the interaction of transcriptional factors with DNA, however in an inflammatory condition it is secreted into extracellular space and acts as a pro-inflammatory cytokine. Using murine Hep WT and Hep IRKO as cellular models we performed some treatments that reproduce Type 2 Diabetes pathological conditions: hyperglycemia (Glucose 30mM), Type 2 Diabetes-related complications (Glucosamine 7.5 mM), obesity (Oleic acid 0.66mM and/or Palmitic acid 0.33 mM), chronic inflammatory state (TNF-alpha 100ng/mL). In our models we showed that HMGB1 is secreted under the inflammatory stress condition; however this secretion in much higher in Hep WT than Hep IRKO. Treatment with Glucose does not induce secretion of HMGB1: our data support the hypothetical importance of insulin receptor functionality. Under our experimental conditions, Hep IRKO produce more Reactive Oxygen Species(ROS) than Hep WT do and are also more sensitive to apoptosis. Our study also focused on HMGB1 dosage in human sera. In particular we concentrated on diabetic patients as well as on diabetics with non alcoholic steatosis. Both these groups patients received treatment at PTV. We performed our experiments on a 51 patients cohort, and we demonstrated that there is an inverse correlation between HMGB1 secretion and hepatic steatosis. This is despite a direct correlation between hepatic steatosis and all of the following: insulin secretion, CRP and gamma G

Data-Driven Abstractions for Control Systems

At the intersection of dynamical systems, control theory, and formal methods lies the construction of symbolic abstractions: these typically represent simpler, finite-state models whose behaviour mimics the one of an underlying concrete system but are easier to analyse. Building an abstraction usually requires an accurate knowledge of the underlying model: this knowledge may be costly to gather, especially in real-life applications. We aim to bridge this gap by building abstractions based on sampling finite length trajectories. Adding the controller degrees of freedom, we newly define the notion of probabilistic alternating simulation, and provide probably approximately correct (PAC) guarantees that the constructed abstraction includes all behaviours of the concrete system and that it is suitable for control design, for arbitrarily long time horizons, leveraging the scenario theory. Our method is then tested on several numerical benchmarks

Pedotechniques strategies to improve soil resilience against the impact of irrigation by municipal wastewater: using zeolitized tuffs as soil amendments

A research was started aiming at evaluating the possible use of natural zeolites as exchange conditioners to improve and make durable the soil resilience against the adverse effects of the use of anomalous wastewater, for irrigation purposes. To satisfy such aims, two zeolitized tuffs (ZTs), viz. a Neapolitan yellow tuff (NYT) and a clinoptilolite bearing tuff (ZCL), were tested as pedotechnical materials to improve soil resilience against the impact of treatment by a ‘dirty’ municipal wastewater (DMW)

Urothelial bladder carcinoma metastasizing to the eye: a systematic review and case report

The eye is a rare site for disseminated malignancies; nevertheless, several tumors may metastasize to ocular structures. Few cases of urothelial and bladder cancer with eye involvement have been described in the literature thus far. The rarity of metastatic ocular localization implies an accurate differential diagnosis among the possible primary tumor sites. However, a specific diagnostic algorithm is not currently available, nor a defined therapeutic approach. Eye metastases are associated with advanced disease and poor prognosis. Physicians should be made aware of the possibility of eye involvement in patients with a past medical history of urothelial bladder cancer associated with ocular symptoms. The present case reports discusses the first documented case, to the best of our knowledge, of an urothelial bladder cancer metastasizing to the retro bulbar region that infiltrates the lacrimal gland. Furthermore, the report provides a systematic qualitative review of the current literature on eye metastases from urothelial bladder cancer using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta Analyses

Validation of a rapid test to dose SO2 in vinegar

Sulfur dioxide is generally used in wine and vinegar production. It is employed to decrease the bacteria' growth, improve the wines' aroma (since it supports the extraction of polyphenols during maceration), protect the wines from chemical oxidation and the musts from chemical and enzymatic oxidation (blocking free radicals and oxidase enzymes such as tyrosinase and laccase). The composition and storage conditions (i.e., pH, temperature, and alcohol levels) affect oenological results. In various countries, competent authorities have imposed legal limits since it can have toxic effects on humans. It is crucial to dose SO2 levels to allow vinegar production and compliance with legal limits. The iodometric titration named "Ripper test" is the legal method used to dose it in vinegar. In this work, an automatized colorimetric test was validated using the international guidelines ISO/IEC (2017) to allow its use instead of the Ripper test. The test reliability was verified on white, red, and balsamic vinegar with low or high SO2 content. The automatized test showed linearity, precision, and reproducibility similar to the Ripper test, but the accuracy parameter was not respected for the vinegar with a low concentration of SO2. Therefore, the automatized colorimetric test can be helpful to dose SO2 in vinegar with high concentrations of SO2

Editorial of Special Issue "Embolization Techniques: State of the Art and Future Perspectives"

Embolization is one of the most important applications in interventional radiology which can be mainly performed using an endovascular approach [...]