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The estimation of the slope (b -value) of the frequency–magnitude distribution of earthquakes is based on a formula derived by Aki decades ago, assuming a continuous exponential distribution. However, as the magnitude is usually provided with a limited resolution, its distribution is not continuous but discrete. In the literature, this problem was initially solved by an empirical correction (due to Utsu) to the minimum magnitude, and later by providing an exact formula such as that by Tinti and Mulargia, based on the geometric distribution theory. A recent paper by van der Elst showed that the b -value can be estimated also by considering the magnitude differences (which are proven to follow an exponential discrete Laplace distribution) and that in this case the estimator is more resilient to the incompleteness of the magnitude data set. In this work, we provide the complete theoretical formulation including (i) the derivation of the means and standard deviations of the discrete exponential and Laplace distributions; (ii) the estimators of the decay parameter of the discrete exponential and trimmed Laplace distributions and (iii) the corresponding formulas for the parameter b. We deduce (iv) the standard 1 σ intervals for the estimated b. Moreover, we are able (v) to quantify the error associated with the Utsu minimum-magnitude correction. Furthermore, we have discussed the formulas to produce statistically independent magnitude differences. We tested extensively the b -value estimators on simulated synthetic data sets including complete catalogues as well as catalogues affected by a strong incompleteness degree such as aftershock sequences where the incompleteness is made to vary from one event to the next. We have also analysed the real aftershock sequence of the 30/10/2016 Norcia (central Italy) to integrate the finding of the simulations. To judge the performance of the various estimators we have introduced an index p that can be seen as a non-parametric extension of the Student's t index. The main outcomes of this paper are that (1) the b -value estimators devised for continuous magnitude data are not adequate for binned magnitudes, (2) for complete data sets, estimators based on magnitudes and on magnitude differences provide substantially equivalent results, (3) for incomplete magnitude data sets, estimators based on magnitude differences provide better results and (4) for incomplete aftershock sequences there is no evidence that methods based on positive magnitude differences are superior than other methods using differences. This conclusion is further confirmed by our analysis of the above-mentioned Norcia seismic sequence. This last finding contrasts with the van der Elst's claim that the so called |${{b}_ + }$| method is the most adequate to treat real aftershock sequences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper wishes to explore some characteristics of the relevant interconnections between mafias/mafiosi and masonic lodges/masons in the Italian context. The paper sets out to study these interconnections from a social science perspective rooted in sociological and neo-institutional studies of organised crime and mafias, but also in criminological approaches to social constructionism, in the form of symbols and narratives. We will present a case study to reflect on the roles that (deviant) masons can assume in contexts where both mafias' and personal, political, or economic interests are at play. The case study shows how masonic alliances can augment networking and enforcing capabilities: we call this process masonic deviance amplification. Additionally, the case study confirms the constitutive power that narratives around the masonic world hold today in the Italian context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During the past decade, responsible research assessment (RRA) has become a major science policy goal to advance responsible research and innovation and open science. Starting with the DORA declaration in 2012, common understanding of the needs and demands of RRA has been shaped by a growing number of initiatives, culminating in a European Commission supported Agreement on reforming research assessment published in July 2022. In this paper, we outline and investigate the normative framework for RRA, ranging from binding legal norms (hard law), rules of conduct which, in principle, have no legally binding force but which nevertheless may have practical effects' (soft law) to self-regulation in supranational (the European Union) and one national (Italy) context. As shown by our analysis of hard and soft legal sources for RRA, apart from constitutional and legal provisions regarding freedom of research, autonomy of universities and non-discrimination and gender equality, the legal foundation for RRA rests mainly on soft law and policy norms. In the discussion we relate the normative framework for RRA to research integrity guidelines and consider the challenges of ensuring coherent RRA implementation across countries and research funding and performing institutions. We conclude that self-regulation and soft law are good starting points and may pave the way for hard law down the line: this can be seen as the optimum mix of regulatory mechanisms to mainstream RRAs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we gather and take stock of the results produced by the Operational Earthquake Forecasting (OEF) system in Italy, during its first 10 yr of operativity. The system is run in real-time: every midnight and after each M L 3.5+ event, it produces the weekly forecast of earthquakes expected by an ensemble model in each cell of a spatial grid covering the entire Italian territory. To evaluate the performance skill of the OEF-Italy forecasts, we consider here standard tests of the Collaboratory for the Study of Earthquake Predictability, which have been opportunely adapted to the case of the overlapped weekly OEF forecasts; then we also adopt new performance measures borrowed from other research fields, like meteorology, specific to validate alarm-based systems by a binary criterion (forecast: yes/no; occurrence: yes/no). Our final aim is to: (i) investigate possible weaknesses and room for improvements in the OEF-Italy stochastic modelling, (ii) provide performance measures that could be helpful for stakeholders who act through a boolean logic (making an action or not) and (iii) highlight possible features in the Italian tectonic seismic activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Estimation of local seismic response plays a key role in assessing local seismic hazard and particularly in the design of shaking scenarios. Modelling local seismic response involves knowing of the shear wave velocity (VS) and quality factor (QS) profiles for the site in question. The many techniques that have been developed to assess VS in surface deposits produce reliable measurements of VS , but these rarely correspond to direct measurements of QS. The latter is often considered through damping measures from laboratory tests on small-scale soil samples, which can provide information primarily on intrinsic attenuation, neglecting the contribution of scattering effects. In this paper, using seismic recordings obtained at the surface and in boreholes at 100 m depth, we estimate an average value of QS of some characteristic alluvial deposits of the Po Plain (northern Italy). Data come from a microseismic network which sampled an almost uniform lithology in the central Po Plain and consisted of three surface and four borehole stations with an interstation distance of about 2 km. The average value of QS of the shallowest 100 m of the sedimentary strata, Q S ,100, is estimated by considering: (1) the high-frequency attenuation of seismic waves due to propagation through the corresponding stratigraphy and (2) the interference between incident and surface-reflected waves observed at borehole stations. We parametrize the first through |$\Delta k_{0_{ {100}}}$|⁠ , the difference between the values of the spectral decay parameter kappa (k) estimated at the surface and at the boreholes depth, respectively. We use the second in order to compute V S ,100, the time-averaged VS referred to the uppermost 100 m stratigraphy. We obtain: |$\Delta k_{0_{ {100}}} = (11 \pm 3)\,$|  ms, |${V_{S,100}} \, =\, (309\, \pm \, 11)\,$| m s−1 and |${Q_{S,100}} \, =\, 31 \pm 10$|⁠. At the surface, the estimated values of the site-specific kappa, k 0, are found to range from 75 to 79 ms. As expected, these results are in good agreement with studies performed in other sites characterized by sandy or clayey lithologies, and can be usefully used in site response analysis at sites where the rigidity is mainly controlled by lithostatic pressure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper takes a scientometric approach to measure the change in research productivity of Italian academics before the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak. We propose a composite output/input bibliometric indicator and apply it at the field level, conducting a longitudinal analysis. Although the number of academics in the national academic system has decreased, we register very strong growth in both the number of publications and their scholarly impact. The growth in productivity, with only rare exceptions, crosses almost all fields. However, in areas that are traditionally very internationalized (Biology, Physics, and Chemistry), growth is less sustained than overall average, and also the variability of productivity across fields seems reduced. The main reason for this detail would be the smaller margins for improvement in the fields that had already reached high international standing. What emerges from the analysis goes counter to some alarms of declining scientific productivity at the global level. The Italian case is partly explained by the historic adoption of policies aimed at strengthening competitive mechanisms, in particular through the introduction of systems of performance-based research funding, and bibliometric accreditation for professorship. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During the tumultuous period in Italy between 1968 and 1977, known as the 'long 68', myriad alternative publications focusing on the narratives and the experiences of avant-garde groups, marginal communities, labour organizers and political activist circles gained widespread popularity. Among these, two significant literary and political reviews, I Quindici and Contropiano , played a pivotal role in these movements. My paper aims to analyse the aesthetic and textual makeup of these publications by examining the significance of these journals in the context of the explosive political climate that led to the cycle of protests in streets, schools and factories. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper deals with the gender gap phenomenon as displayed by Italian students participating in mathematical competitions—gifted students. In particular, the results obtained by the entire student population participating in district competitions from 2017 to 2020 were analysed. The combined analysis of the competition results and of the final questionnaire allowed us to highlight and deepen possible causes of the gender gap. It has been observed that girls underestimate themselves, sometimes giving up participating in competitions. Particularly, during the upper secondary school years, increasingly fewer girls choose to attend mathematical competitions. Analysing the results, although the percentage of correct answers between the two genders is fairly similar, the rate of girls who prefer not to answer to avoid mistakes is higher than that of boys. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper we deal with statistical features of earthquakes, seeking possible correlations between the Gutenberg–Richter magnitude distribution and the short-term clustering in an area of the Central Apennines, Italy, where significant seismicity with earthquakes exceeding magnitude 6.0 has been repeatedly observed from 1990 to the present. For this purpose, a recently developed version of the ETAS model, incorporating a 3-D spatial triggering kernel, has been adopted. Our analysis has been carried out representing the b -value and the probability of independence of events on six vertical cross-sections suitably related to the seismic structures that are considered responsible of the seismicity observed in the study area. The results of the statistical analysis of the seismicity in the study area have shown a clear distinction between the western normal low-angle fault system, characterized by eastward dip and the eastern normal fault systems, with westward dip. In the former (Etrurian Fault System ; EFS) we found seismicity with a high b -value and high probability of independence, that is a scarce capacity of producing clusters and strong aftershock sequences. The eastern fault systems of our study area are distinguishable in two main distinct systems, which generated two strong seismic sequences in 1997 and 2016–2017. In the former (Colfiorito) sequence the seismicity showed a very low b -value and a modest probability of independence, while in the latter (Central Italy) sequence the b -value was significantly higher and the probability of independence had extremely low values (manifesting a high level of clustering). The much higher b -value of the EFS than the other extensional sources could be caused by its peculiar seismotectonic role of discontinuity at the base of the normal active faulting, and its reduced capacity of accumulating stress. This circumstance may be interpreted by a difference in the rheological properties of these fault systems, possibly also in relation to their present status in the earthquake cycle and the presence of strong aftershock sequences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Etizolam is a benzodiazepine (BZD). Etizolam is structurally different from BZDs as a thiophene replaces the benzene ring and a triazole ring is fused to the diazepine ring, but etizolam's pharmacological profile is similar. Etizolam has been used to treat anxiety and panic disorders, to reduce depressive and somatization symptoms and to induce muscle relaxation. Etizolam is used recreationally due to its reinforcing and sedative effects. Etizolam is available in tablet or powder form or administered on blotter paper that can be placed on the tongue for oral absorption. Etizolam metabolizes into two major metabolites: α-hydroxyetizolam and 8-hydroxyetizolam, and all three compounds can be detected in different biological specimens using various common analytical techniques such as immunoassay, chromatography and mass spectrometry. Etizolam is a controlled drug in many countries around the globe but is approved for medical use in some countries, such as Japan, South Korea and Italy. This work is a collation and review of available literature on etizolam to help improve the fundamental understanding of its toxicology, outline best analytical practice, and aid interpretation of toxicology results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Following the M w 3.9 earthquake that occurred in the Ischia island (Naples, southern Italy) on 21 August 2017, the local monitoring seismic network was significantly improved in terms of both number of stations and instrumentation performance. Due to the huge amount of collected seismic ambient noise data, in this paper we present a first 3-D shear wave velocity model of the island retrieved from the inversion of horizontal-to-vertical spectral ratio curves by fixing the shear wave velocities (Vs) and modifying the thicknesses to get the corresponding 1-D Vs models. We are confident about the robustness of the attained models since the inversion process provided a good convergence towards the best-fitting solutions. Then, a first 3-D velocity model was obtained by contouring all the 1-D models obtained for the selected seismic stations to highlight possible lateral variations of the layer thicknesses and to reconstruct the morphology of the deeper interface characterized by a high-impedance contrast. A good correspondence between the 3-D Vs model and the geological features of the island was observed, especially in the northern sector where most of the stations are installed. In particular, the top of the high-impedance contrast interface appears deeper in the northern coastal areas and shallower in the central sector. This result agrees with the structural settings of the island likely due to the resurgence of Mount Epomeo. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background The dissemination of scientific data on coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) continually builds but, in April 2020, could not keep up with the spread of the disease. Through technology, surgeons in Italy and the UK, representing both peak and pre-peak infective time zones, were able to communicate so that the urgent lessons on the huge expected demands of care learned in Italy could be brought to the UK in advance. This paper specifically discusses the issues related to paediatric surgery, currently under-reported in the literature. Methods The aim of this paper is to conjoin experience from the field to provide a framework for a safe assessment and treatment of paediatric patients by adopting a systemic approach aimed at reducing the risk of contamination. We reviewed the processes and good practices that were undertaken in contexts of emergency such as in Italy and the UK and then adapted them within the Systems Engineering Initiative for Patient Safety (SEIPS) framework to provide an assessment of how to reorganize the services in order to cope with an unexpected situation. The SEIPS model is the adopted theoretical framework, which allows to analyse the system in its main components with a human factors and ergonomics (HFE) perspective. Results The results introduce some of the good practices and recommendations developed during the emergency in the surgical scenario with a focus on the paediatric patients. They represent the lessons learned from the combination of the little existing evidence of literature and the experience from surgical teams who responded in an impromptu and unrehearsed way. Conclusions Lessons learned from the frontline 'on the fly' during COVID-19 emergency should be consolidated and taken into the future. In order to prepare proactively for the next phases and get ahead of the curve of these hospital accesses, there is a need for a risk assessment of the new clinical pathways with a multidisciplinary approach centred on HFE with the adoption of the SEIPS model and an involvement of all the surgical teams. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is part of a wider study about a corpus of songs, collected in the three different languages spoken in Salento (Puglia- South Italy): Italian (with regional variety), Griko and Salentino dialect. We analyze all the discography (texts and music of songs) of Avleddha , one of the most famous popular bands, founded in the early '90s in the Grecìa Salentina. This corpus is compared to other 80 songs, that includes English, Italian and popular music. We use Principal Component Analysis and techniques of sound analysis (spectrograms) we demonstrate that songs of the four bands are well separated from a point of view of complexity of the texts and music. The aim of this study is to characterize Avleddha's music with reference to the other group of songs. We show that it is closer to the tradition of Salento popular music, but is able to maintain an original fingerprint, that makes it unique in its field. In this research the description of language systems at morphosyntactic level is not present, but we present a novel quantitative approach to reveal features both generic and specific in corpora of popular music. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Opposition responsibility is a neglected field, and if at all noticed, opposition parties are often placed in the irresponsibility frame. The purpose of our paper is to examine to what extent, under which conditions, and in which ways opposition parties can be considered to act responsibly. This article will develop the concept of opposition responsibility and test the expectations in the behaviour of opposition parties in three countries: Hungary, Italy and Spain. The analysis highlights that opposition responsibility exceeds—although does not exclude—policy making and scrutiny activities as it has broader implications. We shall regard the opposition's general performance and their political system-related behaviour as components of responsibility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although the increase in the number of centenarians is well documented today in countries with advanced demographic data, the same is not true for those aged 105 years and over. The first aim of this paper was to analyze the demographic characteristics of the 4,626 validated semisuper and 102 supercentenarians for the cohorts born between 1896 and 1910, referring to Italian Semi-Supercentenarians Survey. Then, starting from this data and from the survival histories in old ages—reconstructed by Vincent's Extinct - Cohort Method —for the cohorts born between 1870 and 1904, the most important aim was to analyze longevity history and the trend of gender gap of the Italian oldest cohorts beyond 100 years old. The Italian centenarians and semisupercentenarians increase from the first to the last cohort is due to the survival rise in old ages and the increase in the gender gap at extreme ages depends on the higher survival of women than men after 60 years old. Around 110–112 for both genders (for women in particular) a kind of resistance to further progress seems to appear in our analysis as in more recent studies on supercentenarians. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In traditional tight integration of high-rate GNSS and strong motion sensors, an appropriate process variance is crucial for obtaining accurate broad-band coseismic deformations. In this paper, instead of using a subjectively empirical value, we present an approach for determining the process variance adaptively based on the adaptive Kalman filter for real-time use. The performance of the approach was validated by the colocated stations collected during the 2010 M w 7.2 earthquake in El-Mayor, 2016 M w 7.8 earthquake in New Zealand and 2016 M w 6.5 earthquake in central Italy. The results show that this method complements the advantages of GNSS and strong motion accelerometers and can provide more accurate coseismic waveforms especially during the strong shaking period, due to the ability of the method to adjust the process variance in real time according to the actual status of the station. In addition, this method is also free from the influence of the baseline shift. Testing of the new method for the integration of strong motion and multi-GNSS indicates that multi-GNSS has an obvious improvement in the precision while single GPS has a poor observation condition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The joint inversion of multiple data sets encompasses the advantages of different geophysical methods but may yield to conflicting solutions. Global search methods have been recently developed to address the issue of local minima found by derivative-based methods, to analyse the data compatibility and to find the set of trade-off solutions, since they are not unique. In this paper, we examine two evolutionary algorithms to solve the joint inversion of electrical and electromagnetic data. These nature-inspired metaheuristics also adopt the principle of Pareto optimality in order to identify the result among the feasible solutions and then infer the data compatibility. Since the joint inversion is characterized by more than one objective, we implemented the algorithm multi-objective particle swarm optimization (MOPSO) to jointly interpret time-domain electromagnetic data and vertical electrical sounding. We first tested MOPSO on a synthetic model. The performance of MOPSO was directly compared with that of a multi-objective genetic algorithm, the non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm (NSGA-III), which has often been adopted in geophysics. The adoption of MOPSO and NSGA-III enabled avoiding both simplification into a single-objective problem and the use of a weighting factor between the objectives. We tested the two methods on real data sets collected in the northwest of Italy. The results obtained from MOPSO and NSGA-III were highly comparable to each other and largely consistent with literature findings. The MOPSO performed a rigorous selection of the best trade-off solutions and its convergence was faster than NSGA-III. The analysis of the Pareto Front reported data incompatibility, which is very common for real data due to different resolutions, sensitivities and depth of investigations. Notwithstanding this, the multi-objective optimizers provided a complementary interpretation of the data, ensuring significant advantages with respect to the separate optimizations we carried out using the single-objective particle swarm optimization algorithm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Lower levels of sun exposure in childhood have been suggested to be associated with increased risk of multiple sclerosis (MS). In this paper we extend previous work, using two novel analytical strategies.Methods: Data collected in the Environmental risk factors In MS (EnvIMS) study, a case-control study with MS cases and population-based controls from Canada, Italy and Norway, were used. Participants reported on sun exposure behaviours for 5-year age intervals from birth; we focused on the first three age intervals (≤15 years). We compared two life course epidemiology conceptual models, the critical period and the accumulation model. We also used latent class analysis to estimate MS risk for different latent sun exposure behaviour groups.Results: The analyses included 2251 cases and 4028 controls. The accumulation model was found to be the best model, which demonstrated a nearly 50% increased risk of MS comparing lowest reported summer sun exposure with highest [risk ratio (RR) = 1.47 (1.24, 1.74)]. The latent sun exposure behaviour group, characterized by low sun exposure during summer and winter and high sun protection use, had the highest risk of MS; a 76% increased risk as compared with the group with high sun exposure and low sun protection use [RR = 1.76 (1.27, 2.46)].Conclusions: Our analyses provide novel insights into the link between sun exposure and MS. We demonstrate that more time indoors during childhood and early adolescence is linked with MS risk, and that sun protection behaviours in those who spend most time indoors may play a key role in increasing risk. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Healthcare associated foodborne outbreaks (HA-FBO) can result from exposure to contaminated food in premises where highly vulnerable patients are cared, including hospitals and nursery homes. The probability of developing severe foodborne diseases such as invasive listeriosis is much higher for susceptible populations. There is limited knowledge on the data on food exposures that could be used to investigate HAFBOs. There is also lack of data relating to specific policies in the health facilities aimed to prevent the administration of potentially risky foods, possibly bringing them from home. Methods: This study was in the framework of One Health EJP Project NOVA. A semistructured questionnaire was administered to 4 general hospitals, 1 specialist clinic and 3 nursing homes located in the Abruzzo and Molise regions, Italy. The questionnaire included 25 questions in 3 sections (I. General organization of the catering service; II. Food menu data; III. Food from home). Results: In most facilities (75%) external catering companies used inhouse kitchens. Trace-back of food to individual patients was possible in 5 premises out of 8 (62.5%), but only in 1 nursery home out of 3 (33.3%). Data were collected in electronic format (hospitals) or paper (nursery homes) and stored 1-12 months. Food at risk of Listeria monocytogenes were not excluded from the menus, such as pre-sliced cooked meat products (served in 4 out of 8 premises, 50%), smoked fish (20%), soft cheese (20%). The consumption of food brought from home was possible in ‘‘special occasions’’, mostly in the nursery homes (66.6%). Conclusions: In case of HA-FBO it could be difficult to trace back the food particularly in the nursery homes where food data are not individually collected and usually on paper. More studies are needed in order to understand the effective exposure to foodborne pathogens, given that some types of foods considered by EFSA as at high risk of microbial contamination are commonly served. Key messages: · Served food could not be traced back to the patient mostly in nursery homes. · Foods at risk of Listeria monocytogenes contamination are commonly served to patients and residents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The work-related well-being of social workers has become a central concern in international psychosocial literature. The majority of studies have focused on the negative outcomes of social work (for example, work-related stress, burnout, job dissatisfaction) and only a few studies have considered the positive work-related health outcomes. In an attempt to address this gap, the aim of the present study was to investigate the role of both psychological well-being (PWB)--from a eudaimonic paradigm (that is, person's optimal functioning)-- and job resources in promoting social workers' work engagement (WE). Following the job demands-resources model and the conservation of resources theory, authors hypothesized that job resources mediate the relationship between PWB and WE. The study sample was composed of 140 social workers provided with a paper-and-pencil questionnaire. Structural equation models and mediational analyses were applied and confirmed that job resources fully mediate the association between PWB and WE. PWB acts as a personal resource that endorses perception, identification, and even promotion of job resources. Job resources, in turn, were associated with WE. The article concludes with proposals of systemic interventions aiming at improving social workers' work-related health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Medically unexplained symptoms (MUS) are common in primary care and are one of the most challenging clinical encounters for general practitioners (GPs).Objective: To assess GPs' clinical experience with MUS and its relationship with their gender, age and length of practice.Methods: Four hundred and thirty-three Italian GPs were invited to complete a questionnaire encompassing the following MUS-related features: workload, cognitive and emotional responses, management strategies, attitudes towards psychological interventions, sources of education and educational needs.Results: A total of 347 GPs (80.1%) participated in the study. About seven out of ten physicians spent 'much' or 'very much' time and energy for MUS during their daily practice. Fear of neglecting a medical disease was the most frequent (59.1%) response to MUS. Providing reassurance and support (73.8%) and listening to the patient (69.2%) were the most frequent management strategies. More than half of GPs rated psychological interventions as 'much' or 'very much' useful for MUS. However, only a third of GPs were well informed about the role of psychologists in MUS management. The main sources of education about MUS were scientific papers and continuing medical education courses. Most of GPs (77.5%) needed further education about MUS. GPs' younger age and lower length of practice were significantly associated with negative emotional responses to MUS.Conclusion: The introduction of guidelines for MUS in Italian primary care settings would promote a collaborative clinical approach to MUS and more formal training on this topic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this paper is that of providing a in-depth analysis of the results of the Italian Research Evaluation Exercise (VQR), specifically looking at possible existing correlations among scientific quality and a number of product- and researcher-specific variables. Ratings are found to crucially depend on language and typology of publication and on themethodology adopted for evaluation; younger researchers and Full Professors are also receiving, ceteris paribus, a better evaluation. Outcomes submitted by researchers working in the Centre-North of the country usually obtain better evaluations than those in the South. Public funding to University research is finally found to be correlated with positive ranking in the assessment exercise, especially in natural sciences and engineering, where there is particular need of appropriate funding for conducing laboratories experiments and research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Factors as culture, values, and symbols are crucial to understand the evolution of the Italian foreign and defense policy. However, scholars' attention to such variables in the study of Italian defense policies still leaves many gaps. Since the end of the Cold War, Italian troops have been constantly engaged in military operations abroad spreading a "peacekeeper image" of Italy in the international arena. The goal of this work is to investigate the features and the evolution of the main strategic narratives adopted by political leaders to interpret the Italian military involvement in Afghanistan. How have politicians crafted strategic narratives on the Afghan mission? How have these story lines influenced public opinion during the conflict? Has the disproportionate gap between the storyline, based on the traditional values of peace and multilateralism, and the war-torn reality on the ground, affected the level of public approval? Or have the ways in which narratives were built in 2009 played a more significant role? In order to answer these questions, this paper relies on polls, content analysis of parliamentary debates, and public discourse analysis (2001-2011). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Stimulated by the recent advances in computational tools for the simulation of seismic wave propagation problems in realistic geological configurations, this paper presents a 3D physicsbased numerical analysis of near-source ground motion during the MW 6.0 2012 May 29 earthquake in the Po Plain, Northern Italy. To reproduce with sufficient accuracy some of the most peculiar features of the near-source strong-motion records and of the spatial variability of damage distribution, this study required a sequence of investigations, starting from the analysis of a wide set of near-source records, to the calibration of an improved kinematic seismic source model, up to the development of a 3D numerical model of the portion of the Po Plain interested by the earthquake. The latter includes the basin geometry, characterized by sediment thickness sharply varying from few tens of metres to some kilometres. The spatial resolution of the numerical model is suitable to propagate frequencies up to about 1.5 Hz. Numerical simulations were performed using the open-source high-performance code SPEED, based on the Discontinuous Galerkin Spectral Elements method. The 3D numerical model, coupled with the updated slip distribution along the rupturing fault, proved successful to reproduce with good agreement, measured through quantitative goodness-of-fit criteria, the most relevant features of the observed ground motion. These include: (i) the large fault normal velocity peaks at the near-source stations driven by updip directivity effects; (ii) the small-scale variability at short distance from the source, resulting in the out-of-phase motion at stations separated by only 3 km distance; (iii) the propagation of prominent trains of surface waves, especially in the Northern direction; (iv) the map of earthquake-induced ground uplift with maximum values of about 10 cm, in substantial agreement with geodetic measurements and (v) the two-lobed pattern of the peak ground velocity map, well correlated with the distribution of macroseismic intensity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

"Writing Upwards" describes a genre of letter-writing between two very unequal correspondents. Humble subjects wrote individually to monarchs and other rulers, workers wrote to factory bosses, impoverished refugees wrote to relief committees, parishioners wrote to their clergy and also to God. Often, but not always, they wrote in pursuit of some personal advantage. They trusted in the power of a personal approach to by-pass bureaucratic procedures which seemed insensitive and obstructive. In order to ingratiate themselves, they borrowed or at least crudely imitated the language of their superiors. My paper draws on published research from Italy and elsewhere to identify the principal modes of "writing upwards," whether deferential, demanding or downright abusive. In the case of the letters of Australian Aboriginal people to their administrators, new elements emerge: an appeal to shared Christian values, and the notion of a contractual obligation yet to be fulfilled. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An invisible revolution, known as the third mission, is claimed to be occurring within universities. Accordingly, the canonical missions associated with research and teaching have been integrated with the one aimed at territorial development. But do all universities conceive the third mission in the same way? This paper tries to elucidate which organizational orientations emerge by classifying the espoused values embedded within the statutes of 75 Italian universities. Using a qualitative content analysis, we highlighted four orientation patterns: first, need for coherence, focused on balancing public functions and third-mission activities; second, exploitation, focused on patent disclosure; third, openness, readiness to participate in external change and to satisfy external needs; and finally, old school, focused on entrepreneurial activities as a source of funding. This classification shows a more complex phenomenon for the institutionalization of the third mission with respect to a simple binary public-private opposition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates the determinants of professors' career advancement in Italian universities. From the analyses, it emerges that the fundamental determinant of an academic candidate's success is not scientific merit, but rather the number of years that the candidate has belonged to the same university as the president of the selection committee. Where applicants have participated in research work with the president, their probability of success also increases significantly. The factors of the years of service and occurrence of joint research with other members of the commission also have an effect, however, that carries less weight. Nepotism, although it exists, seems less important. The scientific quality of the members of the commission has a negligible effect on the expected outcome of the competition, and even less so the geographical location of the university holding the competition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite growing interest in organized crime's infiltration of the legal economy, research to date has paid little attention to the investments of criminal organizations in real estate. Using data on confiscated assets in 8,092 Italian municipalities between 2000 and 2012, this paper aims to remedy this lack of knowledge. Applying a risk-reward approach, based on the rational choice perspective, the analysis highlights what drives Italian mafia groups' investments in the real estate sector. The results obtained support the validity of the rational choice perspective by showing how criminal organizations weigh risks and rewards in their decisions to invest in real estate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: After rising for years, vaccination rates in Italy fell until 2015 because of unfounded safety concerns, abetted by some government and court actions. Public education and a 2017 law on mandatory vaccination have boosted rates since then. So far only a few papers have examined the correlation between beliefs and attitudes towards vaccines and the level of trust in the scientific community regarding vaccinations in the general population. Methods: Data were extracted from the Italian section of the last two editions of the European Social Survey (ESS), the first carried out between September and November 2017, the latter between December 2018 and March 2019. A descriptive analysis was conducted using survey data. In the two editions respectively 2,626 and 2,745 persons were interviewed. The main outcomes assessed was comparing the two surveys, so as to highlight the key changes in public opinion on vaccines. Results: In the 2017 edition, 19% of the respondents believed in the harmfulness of vaccines, out of them 29% did not even have trust in the scientific community while those confident in the safety of vaccines were 50%. In the 2019 survey, the proportion of those who believed vaccines to be harmful fell to 15%, the undecided rose to 15%, those opposed to the idea that vaccines are harmful became 63%, not responding people were 8%. Correspondingly, trust in the scientific community about vaccines has increased from 57% in the first survey to 70% in the last one. Conclusions: The scientific community and research bodies in the last years, in support of the Ministry of Health, have made a huge effort in the public debate on vaccines. This might play a role in increasing the public confidence in the safety of vaccines and the adherence to vaccination campaigns, changing the climate with regard to vaccination in general. Key messages: Italians changed their opinions on vaccines between two ESS surveys. The scientific community had a relevant role in the public debate on vaccines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Linked Article: Calabrese et al. Br J Dermatol 2022; 186:925–941. The interleukin‐1 (IL‐1) family are a group of chemicals called cytokines that form part of our immune system. Unfortunately, the body may start to use these cytokines inappropriately (dysregulation), and they may stimulate certain white blood cells (neutrophils) to increase in number causing inflammation without an infectious trigger. In this paper, the authors from Italy and Germany review the role of the different members of the IL‐1 family in inflammatory skin disorders and the progress being made to develop antibody treatments aiming to reverse their effects. Interleukin‐1 antagonists such as anakinra and canakinumab have already proved useful in the treatment of disorders directly related to neutrophil proliferation, but there is evidence that this group of drugs may also be beneficial in commoner disorders such as psoriasis and atopic eczema. Sometimes a drug that blocks a single cytokine molecule may have limited effect. Laboratory studies suggest that agents that block receptors on the cell surface membrane may be more effective at reducing skin inflammation caused by several IL‐1 subsets. One promising target is IL‐1 receptor accessory protein (IL‐1R3). The authors stress the need for drugs that target the harmful effects of the IL‐1 family at several levels. Linked Article: Calabrese et al. Br J Dermatol 2022; 186:925–941. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: The role of the serotonin transporter gene (SLC6A4) in alcohol dependence (AD) is still unclear. In this paper, we have evaluated the association of the SLC6A4 gene polymorphisms 5-HTTLPR and rs25531 in AD and assessed the polymorphic patterns both in alcoholics and in healthy people of an Italian population. Methods: Genotyping of the 5-HTTLPR (L/S) and rs25531 (A/G) polymorphisms of the SLC6A4 gene was performed on 403 alcoholics outpatients and 427 blood donors. Results: Comparing AD and control populations and taking into account statistical correction for multiple testing,we found no statistically significant differences for 5-HTTLPR (L/S) and rs25531 polymorphisms in terms of either genotypes or alleles frequencies. By univariate ANOVA, a statistically significant difference was found in the onset of AD: the mean age of onset resulted to be of 25.4 years in males in respect to 28.1 in females. In particular in males, the early AD onset was different, in a statistically significant manner, depending on the presence of at least one S or Lg allele (24.6 years) in respect to La homozygotes (27.5 years) (P = 0.03). Conclusions: These findings suggest that genetic factors contribute, together with gender and age, to the onset differences in alcohol-dependent phenotypes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

STUDY QUESTION: Is it possible to replicate the genetic association of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) rs 13394619, rs4141819, rs7739264, rs 17694933 and rs 10859871 in five genetic loci previously identified as associated with endometriosis in an Italian Caucasian population? SUMMARY ANSWER: SNP rs 10859871 near the vezatin (VEZT) gene was found to be significantly associated with endometriosis in general while SNPs rs 17694933 and rs4141819 were associated with Stage III/IV and ovarian disease, respectively. WHAT IS KNOWN ALREADY: Endometriosis represents a complex disease in which the phenotypic manifestations are influenced by both genetic and environmental factors. Recent genome-wide association studies (GWASs) have allowed to identify some SNPs associated with the predisposition to the disease. A meta-analysis published in 2014 combined results from GWAS and replication studies showing that of the nine loci found to be associated with the disease in at least one of the studies, six (rs7521902, rs 1270667, rs 13394619, rs7739264, rs 1537377 and rs 10859871) remained genome-wide significant while two others (rs 1250248 and rs4141819) showed borderline genome-wide significant association with more severe disease. STUDY DESIGN, SIZE, DURATION: Allele frequencies of selected SNPs (rs13394619, rs4141819, rs7739264, rs17694933 and rs 10859871) were investigated in 305 women with laparoscopically proven endometriosis, 285 laparoscopic controls and 2425 healthy, blood donor controls from the general population. A meta-analysis with previous data was also conducted. PARTICIPANTS/MATERIALS, SETTING, METHODS: A total of 590 women who underwent endoscopic surgery were enrolled in the study and a blood sample was collected. After DNA extraction, genotype was obtained using Taq-Man pre-designed assay. Genotype data from healthy blood donor women were obtained from an existing genotype bank. MAIN RESULTS AND THE ROLE OF CHANCE: A statistically significant association with endometriosis was found for SNP rs 10859871, close to the VEZT gene, compared with both general population [odds ratio (OR) = 1.43, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.20- 1.71, P = 6.9 x 10-5] and laparoscopic controls (OR = 1.58, 95% CI: 1.24-2.02, P = 2.1 x 10-4). Meta-analysis with previous data confirmed the rs 10859871 SNP as that with the strongest evidence for association with endometriosis (OR= 1.19, 95% CI: 1.15-1.24, P= 7.9 x 10-20). A further meta-analysis conducted using data from Stage III-IV endometriosis resulted in stronger genome-wide significant effect sizes for four out of the five SNPs tested. LIMITATIONS, REASONS FOR CAUTION: The inability to confirm all previous demonstrated associations considering all stages of endometriosis maybe due to a lack of statistical power and differences in the definition of cases included. WIDER implications of the findings: The associations with the SNPs identified so far have been obtained with a relatively small sample size supporting a limited heterogeneity across the various datasets. This represents an important advance in the identification of genetic markers of this disease. STUDY FINDING/COMPETING INTEREST(S): No funding to declare. The authors have no competing financial interests in relation to the content of this research paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent decades, many disciplines have dealt with the relationship between scientific research and policy-making, and many different models for science-policy interactions have been proposed. This paper aims to investigate the models of science-policy interaction implicitly or explicitly adopted by stakeholders, by means of a Delphi study performed with Italian researchers, politicians, doctors and journalists. The study was developed within the framework of the European project on Research into Policy to Enhance Physical Activity, which aimed to improve evidence-informed policy-making using the field of physical activity as the case study. Our results show the persistence of the traditional linear model and how it coexists with subsequent models in the same individual visions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The M ∼ 7 1915 Fucino (Central Italy) earthquake represents one of the most destructive seismic events ever occurred in the Italian Peninsula. Several seismogenic faults have been proposed in the past decades as the source of the earthquake by means of different approaches and techniques that lead to a variety of speculations about the source mechanism and the fault location, often contrasting with one another. The 1915 earthquake produced a remarkable data set of 73 coseismic hydrological changes in the near and intermediate field that consist in variation of the flow of streams and springs, liquefaction, rise of water temperature and turbidity. In this paper, we study the coseismic water level changes induced by the 1915 earthquake in the near field to provide convincing clues on the geometry of the earthquake causative fault. We model the coseismic strain field induced by seventeen individual faults proposed through different approaches, and compare its pattern with the distribution of streamflow changes. We find: (i) clues on the most probable geometry of the earthquake causative fault. Best fits between modelled deformation and observed data are displayed by sources (derived by geological or seismological data) that share several distinctive features, as they are ∼135°-striking, SW-dipping, 25–30-km-long normal faults located along the eastern side of the Fucino basin. These data point to the Serrone Fault and the Parasano Fault as the most likely causative structures and support the hypothesis that the coseismic ruptures observed in the field represented primary surface faulting. On the contrary, our calculations show that the Pescina Fault and the Ventrino Fault are secondary faults from the perspective of the hydrological response. Finally, one of the best scoring potential sources (from geological data) is a multifaulting system that considers the presence, in the central-western part of the basin, of fault splays synthetic and antithetic to the main seismogenic structures; therefore, we infer for these splays a possible active involvement in a 1915-like seismogenic process; (ii) evidence against a number of seismogenic structures that were previously associated with the earthquake. In particular, the plots of coseismic strain induced by sources uniquely derived by macroseismic or geodetic data prove to be inconsistent with the polarities of the hydrological signatures. Also, sources mainly characterized by reverse faulting and/or by right-lateral strike-slip component are discarded and (iii) as a final remark, we maintain that the study of the hydrological signatures of earthquake strain can offer an alternative tool in the investigation of the historical seismicity, to estimate the focal mechanism of major earthquakes capable of giving rise to a consistent data set of hydrological data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Mental health, particularly among young adults, has been severely affected during the COVID-19 pandemic, partially because of both forced social isolation measures and loneliness. Numerous papers on the short-term consequences of lockdown measures reported high psychological distress, as well as an increase of depressive and anxiety symptoms and psychotropic drug use. This study evaluated potential risk and protective factors, such as resilience, loneliness, social and family context, in order to detect vulnerable individuals. Methods: This prospective longitudinal study was carried out in a two phase survey: the first one, during lockdown in Spring 2020 (T1), and, the second one, in Summer 2020 (T2), when restrictive measures were slackened. The main outcomes included the Resilience Scale for Adults (RSA) and the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) Loneliness Scale. The secondary outcomes included mental health care needs (MHCN), use of psychotropic drugs and family and social contacts. Results: This study evaluated risks and protective factors in mental health in 825 emerging adults aged from 18 to 25 years old in Belgium and in Italy. Participants were divided into three groups according to their MHCN before and after lockdown measures. 5% of the participants experienced an increase in MHCN at T1, including the start of a psychotropic treatment. At T1, statistically significant differences were found in mean RSA total scores and RSA Perception of Self scores between groups. At T2, the group who experienced an increase in MHCN displayed a significant decrease of mean loneliness scores compared with the other groups. This decrease is linearly correlated with resilience competencies. Conclusions: The COVID-19 pandemic and its associated restrictive measures cause a negative impact on youth’s mental health, particularly among vulnerable individuals. Resilience and social contacts are protective factors that need to be taken into account. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]