Se il lavoro è l’unica risposta. Studio comparato sulle pratiche di accompagnamento al lavoro di fasce svantaggiate nelle città di Bologna e Valencia

Scopo del presente lavoro di ricerca è quello di comparare due contesti metropolitani, valenciano e bolognese, sulle pratiche di accompagnamento al lavoro rivolte a fasce svantaggiate, in particolare persone con problemi di dipendenza da sostanze psicotrope. L’indagine propone un confronto su alcune tematiche trasversali (tipologia di azioni messe in campo, organizzazione territoriale e governance, profilo degli utenti, inserimento sociale, coinvolgimento del mondo produttivo) e pone in evidenza gli elementi che ci consentono di individuare e segnalare sia delle buone pratiche trasferibili sia delle linee progettuali, partendo dunque dal presupposto che capacitare una persona significa innanzitutto offrirle congrue opportunità di scelta, nel senso seniano e come spiegato dalla stessa Nussbaum, ma soprattutto accompagnarla e sostenerla nel percorso di inserimento lavorativo e, in parallelo, sociale. Il bisogno raccolto è quello di un sostegno, motivazionale e orientativo, che segua un approccio socio educativo capace di fornire, alla persona, una risposta integrata, di unicità, capace dunque di agire sull’autonomia, sull’autostima, sull’elaborazione delle proprie esperienze di vita e lavorative, nonché su elementi anche di contesto quali la casa, le reti amicali e familiari, spesso compromesse. L’elemento distintivo che consente di agire in questa direzione è il lavoro di collaborazione tra i diversi servizi e la co-progettazione del percorso con l’utente stesso. Il tema degli inserimenti lavorativi è un argomento molto complesso che chiama in causa diversi aspetti: i mutamenti sociali e le trasformazioni del lavoro; l’emergere di nuove fasce deboli e il rischio di aggravamento delle condizioni di esclusione per le fasce deboli “tradizionali”; l’importanza del lavoro per la costruzione di percorsi identitari e di riconoscimento; l’impatto delle politiche attive sulle fasce svantaggiate e i concetti di capitazione e attivazione; il ruolo del capitale sociale e l’emergere di nuovi welfare; la rete degli attori coinvolti dal processo di inserimento e il tema della governace territoriale.

Musculoskeletal tissue regeneration by human non-embryonic stem cells

The aim of this thesis was to investigate the regenerative potential of alternative sources of stem cells, derived from human dental pulp (hDPSCs) and amniotic fluid (hAFSCs) and, specifically, to evaluate their capability to be committed towards osteogenic and myogenic lineages, for the eventual applicability of these stem cells to translational strategies in regenerative medicine of bone and skeletal muscle tissues. The in vitro bone production by stem cells may represent a radical breakthrough in the treatment of pathologies and traumas characterized by critical bone mass defects, with no medical or surgical solution. Human DPSCs and AFSCs were seeded and pre-differentiated on different scaffolds to test their capability to subsequently reach the osteogenic differentiation in vivo, in order to recover critical size bone defects. Fibroin scaffold resulted to be the best scaffold promoting mature bone formation and defect correction when combined to both hDPSCs and hAFSCs. This study also described a culture condition that might allow human DPSCs to be used for human cell therapy in compliance with good manufacturing practices (GMPs): the use of human serum (HS) promoted the expansion and the osteogenic differentiation of hDPSCs in vitro and, furthermore, allowed pre-differentiated hDPSCs to regenerate critical size bone defects in vivo. This thesis also showed that hDPSCs and hAFSCs can be differentiated towards the myogenic lineage in vitro, either when co-cultured with murine myoblasts and when differentiated alone after DNA demethylation treatment. Interestingly, when injected into dystrophic muscles of SCID/mdx mice - animal model of Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD) - hDPSCs and hAFSCs pre-differentiated after demethylating treatment were able to regenerate the skeletal muscle tissue and, particularly, to restore dystrophin expression. These observations suggest that human DPSCs and AFSCs might be eventually applied to translational strategies, in order to enhance the repair of injured skeletal muscles in DMD patients.

An Assessment of Trends in the Extent of Swidden in Southeast Asia

Swidden systems consisting of temporarily cultivated land and associated fallows often do not appear on land use maps or in statistical records. This is partly due to the fact that swidden is a diverse and dynamic land use system that is difficult to map and partly because of the practice of grouping land covers associated with swidden systems into land use or land cover categories that are not self-evidently linked to swiddening. Additionally, in many parts of Southeast Asia swidden systems have changed or are in the process of changing into other land use systems. This paper assesses the extent of swidden on the basis of regional and national sources for nine countries, and determines the pattern of changes of swidden on the basis of 151 cases culled from 67 articles. Findings include (1) a majority of the cases document swidden being replaced by other forms of agriculture or by other livelihood systems; (2) in cases where swiddening is still practiced, fallow lengths are usually, but not always, shorter; and (3) shortened fallow length does not necessarily indicate a trend away from swidden since it is observed that short fallow swidden is sometimes maintained along with other more intensive farming practices and not completely abandoned. The paper concludes that there is a surprising lack of conclusive data on the extent of swidden in Southeast Asia. In order to remedy this, methods are reviewed that may lead to more precise future assessments.

Prevalence and risk-factor analysis of Shiga toxigenic Escherichia coli in faecal samples of organically and conventionally farmed dairy cattle

Cattle are a natural reservoir for Shiga toxigenic Escherichia coli (STEC), however, no data are available on the prevalence and their possible association with organic or conventional farming practices. We have therefore studied the prevalence of STEC and specifically O157:H7 in Swiss dairy cattle by collecting faeces from approximately 500 cows from 60 farms with organic production (OP) and 60 farms with integrated (conventional) production (IP). IP farms were matched to OP farms and were comparable in terms of community, agricultural zone, and number of cows per farm. E. coli were grown overnight in an enrichment medium, followed by DNA isolation and PCR analysis using specific TaqMan assays. STEC were detected in all farms and O157:H7 were present in 25% of OP farms and 17% of IP farms. STEC were detected in 58% and O157:H7 were evidenced in 4.6% of individual faeces. Multivariate statistical analyses of over 250 parameters revealed several risk-factors for the presence of STEC and O157:H7. Risk-factors were mainly related to the potential of cross-contamination of feeds and cross-infection of cows, and age of the animals. In general, no significant differences between the two farm types concerning prevalence or risk for carrying STEC or O157:H7 were observed. Because the incidence of human disease caused by STEC in Switzerland is low, the risk that people to get infected appears to be small despite a relatively high prevalence in cattle. Nevertheless, control and prevention practices are indicated to avoid contamination of animal products.

Efficiency of risk-based vs . random sampling for the monitoring of tetracycline residues in slaughtered calves in Switzerland

In all European Union countries, chemical residues are required to be routinely monitored in meat. Good farming and veterinary practice can prevent the contamination of meat with pharmaceutical substances, resulting in a low detection of drug residues through random sampling. An alternative approach is to target-monitor farms suspected of treating their animals with antimicrobials. The objective of this project was to assess, using a stochastic model, the efficiency of these two sampling strategies. The model integrated data on Swiss livestock as well as expert opinion and results from studies conducted in Switzerland. Risk-based sampling showed an increase in detection efficiency of up to 100% depending on the prevalence of contaminated herds. Sensitivity analysis of this model showed the importance of the accuracy of prior assumptions for conducting risk-based sampling. The resources gained by changing from random to risk-based sampling should be transferred to improving the quality of prior information.

Bovine Tuberculosis Risk Factors for British Herds Before and After the 2001 Foot-and-Mouth Epidemic: What have we Learned from the TB99 and CCS2005 Studies?

Over the last couple of decades, the UK experienced a substantial increase in the incidence and geographical spread of bovine tuberculosis (TB), in particular since the epidemic of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) in 2001. The initiation of the Randomized Badger Culling Trial (RBCT) in 1998 in south-west England provided an opportunity for an in-depth collection of questionnaire data (covering farming practices, herd management and husbandry, trading and wildlife activity) from herds having experienced a TB breakdown between 1998 and early 2006 and randomly selected control herds, both within and outside the RBCT (the so-called TB99 and CCS2005 case-control studies). The data collated were split into four separate and comparable substudies related to either the pre-FMD or post-FMD period, which are brought together and discussed here for the first time. The findings suggest that the risk factors associated with TB breakdowns may have changed. Higher Mycobacterium bovis prevalence in badgers following the FMD epidemic may have contributed to the identification of the presence of badgers on a farm as a prominent TB risk factor only post-FMD. The strong emergence of contact/trading TB risk factors post-FMD suggests that the purchasing and movement of cattle, which took place to restock FMD-affected areas after 2001, may have exacerbated the TB problem. Post-FMD analyses also highlighted the potential impact of environmental factors on TB risk. Although no unique and universal solution exists to reduce the transmission of TB to and among British cattle, there is an evidence to suggest that applying the broad principles of biosecurity on farms reduces the risk of infection. However, with trading remaining as an important route of local and long-distance TB transmission, improvements in the detection of infected animals during pre- and post-movement testing should further reduce the geographical spread of the disease.

Understanding the underlying mechanisms of recent Jatropha curcas L. adoption by smallholders in Kenya: A rural livelihood assessment in Bondo, Kibwezi, and Kwale districts

Between 2004 and 2007, NGOs, community based organisations and private investors promoted jatropha in Kenya with the aim of generating additional income and producing biofuel for rural development. By 2008 it became gradually evident that jatropha plantations (both mono- and intercropping) are uneconomical and risky due to competition for land and labour with food crops. Cultivation of jatropha hedges was found to have better chances of economic success and to present only little risks for the adopting farmers. Still, after 2008 a number of farmers went on adopting jatropha in plots rather than as hedges. It is hypothesised that lack of awareness about the low economic prospects of jatropha plantations was the main reason for continued adoption, and that smallholder farmers with higher resource endowments mainly ventured into its cultivation. In this study we provide an empirical basis for understanding the role of households' capital assets in taking up new livelihood strategies by smallholder farmers in three rural districts in Kenya. For that purpose, we assess the motivation and enabling factors that led to the adoption of jatropha as a new livelihood strategy, as well as the context in which promotion and adoption took place. A household survey was conducted in 2010, using a structured questionnaire, to collect information on household characteristics and capital asset endowment. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics and non-parametric statistical tests. We established that access to additional income and own energy supply were the main motivation for adoption of jatropha, and that financial capital assets do not necessarily have a positive influence on adoption as hypothesised. Further, we found that the main challenges that adopting farmers faced were lack of access to information on good management practices and lack of a reliable market. We conclude that continued adoption of on-farm jatropha after 2008 is a result of lacking awareness about the low economic value of this production type. We recommend abandoning on-farm production of jatropha until improved seed material and locally adapted agronomic knowledge about jatropha cultivation becomes available and its production becomes economically competitive.

Use of antimicrobials in food-producing animals in Switzerland and in the European Union (EU)

The intensive and inappropriate use of antibiotics in both medicine and agriculture has selected for antibiotic resistant bacteria that cause severe problems in antibiotic therapy. In animal husbandry, antibiotics are used for therapeutic and preventive treatments of infectious diseases and as growth promoters. In Europe, many antibiotics used as growth promoters were of the same classes as important antibiotics used in human medicine. The European Union withdrew the authorization for the use of the major antimicrobial growth promoters between 1996 and 1999. In 1999 Switzerland decided to ban the use of all antimicrobials as growthpromoting feed additives. The regulations concerning antibiotic use in animal husbandry and the chronological reasons for the ban of antimicrobial growth promoters are described. This ban led to a decrease of the antibiotic volume deployed in agriculture. This measure helps to reduce the amount of antibiotic resistant bacteria in food-producing animals. However, the use of medicated feed is still a common practice to prevent and to remedy bacterial infections and thus still leads to resistant pathogens. Surveillance programs, single animal treatment, good manufacturing practices and vaccinations are additional measures to be taken to keep the level of resistances in bacteria low.

Clinical trials, informed consent, & emergency medicine: A systematic literature review

Background: In the United States, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulates clinical trials. These regulations address good clinical practices as well as human subject protection (FDA, 2012). One of the most important legal and ethical concerns in clinical trials is informed consent. 21 CFR 50 governs human subjects research. Part 50.24 provides an emergency research exception to the informed consent requirement. Research was conducted to determine the appropriateness of this exception, whether the benefit justifies the exception, and its public health significance.^ Methods: A systematic literature review was conducted and articles were identified from peer-reviewed journals.^ Results: There is some variance in opinions regarding the appropriateness of the exception, but the literature reviewed found the study results of these trials justified the waiver.^ Conclusion: The exception to the informed consent requirement is likely appropriate and justified in emergency research when implemented within the specified guidelines.^

Estrategias para el diseño de un sistema de gestión ambiental en una bodega : (Mendoza, Argentina)

En los últimos tiempos se ha fomentado, a través de distintas normas, la protección del medio ambiente como parte integrante de las diferentes actividades y políticas tanto del sector público como privado, con el propósito de lograr un desarrollo equilibrado y sostenible, compatible con el actual modelo económico. En función de ello, en una bodega emplazada en Maipú (Mendoza, Argentina) se realizó un diagnóstico (Revisión Inicial Ambiental - RIA) para conocer la situación actual del establecimiento con respecto a su relación con el medio ambiente. Una vez recabada la información y concluido el diagnóstico, se planteó un plan de medidas de gestión ambiental. Dichas medidas, que incorporaron los nuevos conceptos de producción limpia, ecoeficiencia y buenas prácticas ambientales, fueron documentadas a través de registros y permitieron conocer el desempeño ambiental a partir de los indicadores propuestos para cada uno de los Puntos Críticos ambientales (PCA). La propuesta inicial del presente trabajo fue lograr que la implementación de las medidas de acción, junto con los registros e indicadores de desempeño ambiental, sirvieran de soporte decisorio y brindaran los lineamientos básicos para diseñar un Sistema de Gestión Ambiental (SGA) que, junto con las Auditorías Ambientales (AA), formaran parte de la propuesta final.

Imaginarios míticos en las prácticas agropecuarias rurales en fincas de la cuenca del rio La Vieja, Colombia

Este trabajo analiza las creencias mitológicas, agüeros o supersticiones asociadas con las actividades agropecuarias y de conservación en nueve unidades productivas rurales de la cuenca media del río La Vieja, Colombia. Plantea que las gentes de antaño reconocen la influencia de múltiples relatos sobre condiciones productivas y ambientales que redundan en el éxito o el fracaso de las actividades rurales. Las creencias se clasificaron según su funcionalidad y las actividades que regulan. Se describieron así 14 mitos que influyen en las actividades de cultivo, cría, conservación y regulación social. El principal elemento de discusión fue la funcionalidad, considerando la distribución y aplicación en los subsistemas de producción en la finca, la relación con la edad y el género y con la posición jerárquica en la estructura familiar. El flujo de información entre sistemas expertos y sistemas de creencias tradicionales ayuda a construir sistemas adaptados. A manera de ejemplo, se puede mencionar un mayordomo de un hato ganadero que combina la creencia en las fases de la luna con el empleo de la técnica genética de la inseminación artificial para asegurar no sólo la preñez de la madre sino también el género femenino de la cría.

Imaginarios míticos en las prácticas agropecuarias rurales en fincas de la cuenca del rio La Vieja, Colombia

Este trabajo analiza las creencias mitológicas, agüeros o supersticiones asociadas con las actividades agropecuarias y de conservación en nueve unidades productivas rurales de la cuenca media del río La Vieja, Colombia. Plantea que las gentes de antaño reconocen la influencia de múltiples relatos sobre condiciones productivas y ambientales que redundan en el éxito o el fracaso de las actividades rurales. Las creencias se clasificaron según su funcionalidad y las actividades que regulan. Se describieron así 14 mitos que influyen en las actividades de cultivo, cría, conservación y regulación social. El principal elemento de discusión fue la funcionalidad, considerando la distribución y aplicación en los subsistemas de producción en la finca, la relación con la edad y el género y con la posición jerárquica en la estructura familiar. El flujo de información entre sistemas expertos y sistemas de creencias tradicionales ayuda a construir sistemas adaptados. A manera de ejemplo, se puede mencionar un mayordomo de un hato ganadero que combina la creencia en las fases de la luna con el empleo de la técnica genética de la inseminación artificial para asegurar no sólo la preñez de la madre sino también el género femenino de la cría.

Imaginarios míticos en las prácticas agropecuarias rurales en fincas de la cuenca del rio La Vieja, Colombia

Este trabajo analiza las creencias mitológicas, agüeros o supersticiones asociadas con las actividades agropecuarias y de conservación en nueve unidades productivas rurales de la cuenca media del río La Vieja, Colombia. Plantea que las gentes de antaño reconocen la influencia de múltiples relatos sobre condiciones productivas y ambientales que redundan en el éxito o el fracaso de las actividades rurales. Las creencias se clasificaron según su funcionalidad y las actividades que regulan. Se describieron así 14 mitos que influyen en las actividades de cultivo, cría, conservación y regulación social. El principal elemento de discusión fue la funcionalidad, considerando la distribución y aplicación en los subsistemas de producción en la finca, la relación con la edad y el género y con la posición jerárquica en la estructura familiar. El flujo de información entre sistemas expertos y sistemas de creencias tradicionales ayuda a construir sistemas adaptados. A manera de ejemplo, se puede mencionar un mayordomo de un hato ganadero que combina la creencia en las fases de la luna con el empleo de la técnica genética de la inseminación artificial para asegurar no sólo la preñez de la madre sino también el género femenino de la cría.