Pre-trade transparency on the Italian Stock Exchange: a trade size model on panel data

The purpose of this study was to analyze the effects that have been caused by changes in pre-trade transparency upon the behavior of stock traders. We used a trade size model and tested it before, during and after the period when the Italian Stock Exchange introduced a 20-level order book with disaggregated orders. Tick by tick data of the whole set of stocks (up to 277) listed on the Italian Stock Exchange were studied through fixed-effects panel models, within intra day (every 30 minutes and 150 minutes) and daily time frames. Our results indicate that order flows, bidask spreads, levels of risk and some information events differentially affect trade sizes when investors receive better information prior to negotiation. Both (intra day) informed and uninformed traders perating in a more transparent market became more reticent, with reduced trades sizes and higher orders’ cancellations. Moreover, it appears that the higher degree of order book disclosure permits traders to downsize their level of risk aversion; i.e. it reduces the ’uncertainty’ that would otherwise result in disrupted trading activity under conditions of information opacity

Long-term 24-hour intraocular pressure control with travoprost monotherapy in patients with primary open-angle glaucoma

The aim of the study was to evaluate the long-term 24-hour intraocular pressure (IOP) efficacy of travoprost monotherapy in primary open-angle glaucoma patients

Structural health monitoring by combining machine learning and dimensionality reduction techniques

Article number 20International audienceStructural Health Monitoring is of major interest in many areas of structural mechanics. This paper presents a new approach based on the combination of dimensionality reduction and data-mining techniques able to differentiate damaged and undamaged regions in a given structure. Indeed, existence, severity (size) and location of damage can be efficiently estimated from collected data at some locations from which the fields of interest are completed before the analysis based on machine learning and dimensionality reduction techniques proceed

Mathematical analysis and numerical resolution of a heat transfer problem arising in water recirculation

This work is devoted to the analysis and resolution of a well-posed mathematical model for several processes involved in the artificial circulation of water in a large waterbody. This novel formulation couples the convective heat transfer equation with the modified Navier-Stokes system following a Smagorinsky turbulence model, completed with a suitable set of mixed, nonhomogeneous boundary conditions of diffusive, convective and radiative type. We prove several theoretical results related to existence of solution, and propose a full algorithm for its computation, illustrated with some realistic numerical examples

Bolivians in Argentina and Spain: From the traditional migration to the new routes

Europa y, en especial, España e Italia, se han convertido en la última década en un destino preferente de la migración latinoamericana. Esto supone un cambio de dirección en los flujos migratorios desde América Latina, pero también una transformación de los perfiles migratorios que caracterizaron otros momentos históricos. Este artículo trata de aproximarse a estas cuestiones a partir de la migración boliviana en dos contextos y momentos históricos diferentes: Argentina durante la segunda mitad del siglo pasado y España durante la década actual. Lo que pretendemos es caracterizar la migración de bolivianos, y sus condiciones de inserción, en Argentina y en España. En el primer caso, se hace una aproximación histórica, que permite ver los cambios producidos en el flujo migratorio y en las trayectorias de inserción laboral. En el segundo, se realiza una aproximación a la situación de los migrantes bolivianos en la sociedad española, con especial atención a los perfiles y a las condiciones de inserción de este colectivo durante los últimos diez años.Europe, especially Spain and Italy, have become in the last decade an important destination of the Latin American migration. This supposes a change of direction in the migratory flows from Latin America, but also a transformation of the migration profiles which that characterized other historical moments. This article tries to analyze these questions focussing on the Bolivian migration in two contexts and different historical moments: Argentina during second half of the century past and Spain during the present decade. We try to characterize the migration of Bolivians, and its conditions of insertion, in Argentina and Spain. In the first case, we make an historical approach to see the changes produced in the migratory flow and in the trajectories of labour insertion. In the second case, we analyzed the situation of the Bolivian migrants in the Spanish society, with special attention to the migration profiles and the conditions of insertion of this group during the last ten years.Fil: Gadea, Elena. Universidad de Murcia; EspañaFil: Benencia, Roberto Rodolfo. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Universidad de Buenos Aires; ArgentinaFil: Quaranta, German Jorge. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Saavedra 15. Centro de Estudios e Investigaciones Laborales; Argentin

Wild bees in Southern Italy: impact of landscape management

ItGli impollinatori sono essenziali per il mantenimento degli ecosistemi, e i tre quarti delle principali colture alimentari del mondo necessitano dell'impollinazione animale per la produzione di frutti e semi. Negli ultimi decenni però stiamo assistendo ad un costante declino di questi importantissimi insetti in tutto il mondo, con un conseguente deficit nella produzione agricola. Se da un lato l'agricoltura è strettamente legata agli impollinatori, dall'altro è una delle cause del loro declino. Per questo motivo, in Italia, è nato il progetto "BeeNet", con lo scopo di valutare lo stato di salute degli ecosistemi agricoli italiani attraverso il monitoraggio delle api da miele e delle api selvatiche. In questo studio vengono presentati i dati del primo anno del progetto, 2021, sulle api selvatiche in due regioni meridionali (Campania e Puglia), comparando due ecosistemi agricoli diversi: uno intensivo e l'altro semi-naturale. Una volta al mese, da febbraio a ottobre, in entrambe le regioni ed entrambi gli ecosistemi, abbiamo campionato le api mediante un transetto (200 × 2 metri) percorso alla mattina e al pomeriggio. Inoltre, nelle stesse giornate abbiamo registrato tutte le specie botaniche mellifere presenti sul transetto. Le differenze riscontrate tra i due tipi di ecosistema indicano che l'agro-ecosistema intensivo ha in generale una biodiversità più bassa e una comunità di api più spostata verso specie generaliste. Questo risultato indica che l'uso di pratiche agricole più impattanti e l'omogeneità dell'ambiente influenzano fortemente, e negativamente, questi insetti e le piante spontanee di cui hanno bisogno per sopravvivere. Tuttavia, le differenze tra le ricchezze di specie e le abbondanze di specie tra i due tipi di ecosistema non sono risultate significative, e una possibile ragione di ciò potrebbe risiedere nell'irrigazione degli ecosistemi intensivi, che forse ha ridotto le differenze. È necessario quindi, in questi ambienti, attuare misure per la tutela degli impollinatori come richiesto dalla Comunità Europea, attraverso strategie mirate come ad esempio la nuova PAC 2023-2027.EnIn 2021, in two southern Italian regions (Campania and Puglia) we compared the biodiversity of both Apoidea and plants between intensive and semi-natural agro-ecosystems, aiming to evaluate the impacts of the agro-environment and agricultural practices on wild bees and spontaneous plant communities in southern Italy. Monthly, from February to October, we performed bee samplings (200 × 2 metres fixed transects) and botanical surveys in each site and region. We found no statistical differences between the two environments, probably because the two intensive agro-ecosystems were irrigated that year. However, the semi-natural agro-ecosystem was characterised by a higher biodiversity (bees and plants) and a higher rate of specialised bee species than the intensive agro-ecosystem, indicating that biodiversity benefits of agro-ecological practices and a more heterogeneous landscape

Latanoprost and Dorzolamide for the Treatment of Pediatric Glaucoma: The Glaucoma Italian Pediatric Study (Gipsy), Design and Baseline Characteristics

INTRODUCTION: To investigate the efficacy of a treatment strategy with latanoprost and dorzolamide in primary pediatric glaucoma patients partially responsive to surgery. METHODS: Single arm, prospective, interventional multicenter study. Primary pediatric glaucoma patients younger than 13 years after a single surgical procedure with IOP between 22 and 26 mmHg were considered eligible. At baseline, patients were allocated to latanoprost monotherapy once daily. Depending on intraocular pressure (IOP) reduction at first visit, the patients were allocated to one of three groups: continuation of latanoprost monotherapy, addition of dorzolamide twice daily, or switch to dorzolamide three times daily. The same approach for allocation in medication groups was used in all subsequent visits. Patients in the dorzolamide monotherapy group with IOP reduction <20% from baseline were considered non-responders and withdrawn. Study treatment and patient follow-up will continue for 3 years or until treatment failure. The primary endpoint is the percentage of responders. Secondary endpoints are time to treatment failure and frequency of adverse events. RESULTS: A total of 37 patients (69 eyes) were enrolled. The mean age was 4.0 ± 3.8 years, the female/male ratio was 1/1.7, and the majority of patients were Caucasian. Eighty percent of patients had bilateral glaucoma. Goniotomy was the most frequently performed surgery (38.6%), followed by trabeculotomy (22.8%), trabeculectomy (21.1%), and trabeculectomy plus trabeculotomy (17.5%). The baseline IOP was 23.6 ± 1.5 mmHg. CONCLUSION: The study population is representative of patients frequently encountered after the first surgery for primary pediatric glaucoma. The study will produce evidence on the medium-term efficacy of a defined pharmacological approach

Impaired NK-cell-mediated cytotoxic activity and cytokine production in patients with endometriosis: A possible role for PCBs and DDE

Endometriosis is a gynaecological disorder characterized by the presence and growth of endometrial tissue in ectopic sites. In this study we examined the immunological functions of patients with endometriosis and serum level of PCBs and p,p'-DDE to verify the impact of these environmental contaminants on the dysregulation of immune functions. We found that proliferative responses and immunoglobulin production were not dysregulated in patients with endometriosis while NK cell activity was significantly down-regulated in these patients. Moreover, a significant down-regulation of IL-1 beta and IL-12 production was found in patients with respect to controls. Serum levels of PCBs and p,p'-DDE were found to be significantly higher in women with endometriosis than in the control group, with respect to the sum of the congeners most prominent in human tissues. In particular, total PCBs concentration in patients with endometriosis and controls was respectively 330 and 160 ng/g fat with respect to the most abundant congeners, while pp-DDE concentration was of 770 and 3 10 ng/g fat. Moreover, we found that normal human PBMC pulsed with PCBs p,p'-DDE and their combination showed a significant down-regulation of NK cell cytotoxic activity and IL-1 beta and IL-12 production. These findings suggest that changes in specific immune parameters correlate with elevated serum PCBs and DDE levels and endometriosis. (c) 2006 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved

Entry inhibition of HSV-1 and -2 protects mice from viral lethal challenge

The present study focused on inhibition of HSV-1 and -2 replication and pathogenesis in vitro and in vivo, through the selective targeting of the envelope glycoprotein D. Firstly, a human monoclonal antibody (Hu-mAb#33) was identified that could neutralise both HSV-1 and -2 at nM concentrations, including clinical isolates from patients affected by different clinical manifestations and featuring different susceptibility to acyclovir in vitro. Secondly, the potency of inhibition of both infection by cell-free viruses and cell-to-cell virus transmission was also assessed. Finally, mice receiving a single systemic injection of Hu-mAb#33 were protected from death and severe clinical manifestations following both ocular and vaginal HSV-1 and -2 lethal challenge. These results pave the way for further studies reassessing the importance of HSV entry as a novel target for therapeutic intervention and inhibition of cell-to-cell virus transmission

Improved aperture measurements at the LHC and results from their application in 2015

A good knowledge of the available aperture in the LHC is essential for a safe operation due to the risk of magnet quenches or even damage in case of uncontrolled beam losses. Experimental validations of the available aperture are therefore crucial and were in the past carried out by either a collimator scan combined with beam excitations or through the use of local orbit bumps. In this paper, we show a first comparison of these methods in the same machine configuration, as well as a new very fast method based on a beam-based collimator alignment and a new faster variant of the collimator scan method. The methods are applied to the LHC operational configuration for 2015 at injection and with squeezed beams and the measured apertures are presented.peer-reviewe