Petroleum development and climate change: Risks of being a host country

[EN]A petroleum expert’s view on risks and benefits of oil exploration today in Canarias, considering the climate change facts. The talk starts with an overview of the total petroleum development process, from exploration to post-abandonment, indicating some important risks and benefits for each, from a petroleum industry and a personal perspective. Then there is a part of the talk about the agreed facts of climate change, and what this means for us all. The end of the talk brings together these two sections in a summary.

Econometric models of financial risks

The goal of this dissertation is to use statistical tools to analyze specific financial risks that have played dominant roles in the US financial crisis of 2008-2009. The first risk relates to the level of aggregate stress in the financial markets. I estimate the impact of financial stress on economic activity and monetary policy using structural VAR analysis. The second set of risks concerns the US housing market. There are in fact two prominent risks associated with a US mortgage, as borrowers can both prepay or default on a mortgage. I test the existence of unobservable heterogeneity in the borrower's decision to default or prepay on his mortgage by estimating a multinomial logit model with borrower-specific random coefficients.

Indoor and Outdoor Natural Radioactivity in the Vulsini Volcanic District (Central Italy): Estimation of Doses and Radiological Risks

Terrestrial radioactivity for most individual is the major contributor to the total dose and is mostly provided by 238U, 232Th and 40K radionuclides. In particular indoor radioactivity is principally due to 222Rn, a radioactive noble gas descendent of 238U, second cause of lung cancer after cigarettes smoking. Vulsini Volcanic District is a well known quaternary volcanic area located between the northern Latium and southern Tuscany (Central Italy). It is characterized by an high natural radiation background resulting from the high concentrations of 238U, 232Th and 40K in the volcanic products. In this context, subduction-related metasomatic enrichment of incompatible elements in the mantle source coupled with magma differentiation within the upper crust has given rise to U, Th and K enriched melts. Almost every ancient village and town located in this part of Italy has been built with volcanic rocks pertaining to the Vulsini Volcanic District. The radiological risk of living in this area has been estimated considering separately: a. the risk associated with buildings made of volcanic products and built on volcanic rock substrates b. the risk associated to soil characteristics. The former has been evaluated both using direct 222Rn indoor measurements and simulations of “standard rooms” built with the tuffs and lavas from the Vulsini Volcanic District investigated in this work. The latter has been carried out by using in situ measurements of 222Rn activity in the soil gases. A radon risk map for the Bolsena village has been developed using soil radon measurements integrating geological information. Data of airborne radioactivity in ambient aerosol at two elevated stations in Emilia Romagna (North Italy) under the influence of Fukushima plume have been collected, effective doses have been calculated and an extensive comparison between doses associated with artificial and natural sources in different area have been described and discussed.

The Relationship of UK University Students with Alcohol: Binge Drinking and its Risks

Il presente studio è stato effettuato per comprendere le abitudini degli studenti universitari britannici in termini di consumo di alcol e i rischi legati a due fenomeni frequenti nel Regno Unito: il binge drinking (consumo eccessivo di alcol in un breve lasso di tempo, spesso per raggiungere velocemente lo stato di ebbrezza) e, in misura minore, il drink spiking (contaminazione di bevande con droghe o alcol). Attraverso un’analisi di studi accademici, sondaggi e articoli della stampa britannica, verrà presentato nella prima parte il ruolo dell’alcol nel Regno Unito, verranno fornite varie definizioni di binge drinking ed evidenziate le variazioni di significato del termine nel tempo. Saranno, poi, presentati i livelli di assunzione di riferimento di alcol emessi dall’NHS, il sistema sanitario nazionale del Regno Unito, seguiti da un’analisi sull’uso dell’alcol nel Regno Unito. Per quanto riguarda gli studenti universitari, verranno analizzati i motivi che li spingono al consumo di alcol, il binge drinking e le NekNomination (giochi alcolici online), l’uso dei pre-drinks (ritrovi serali tra amici per bere alcol prima di uscire) e le modalità in cui college e università aiutano gli studenti per evitare loro di incorrere in rischi legati all’alcol. In particolare, verranno analizzati drink spiking, violenze sessuali e fisiche, rischi per la salute e morte accidentale, e verranno presentate alcune strategie applicate per evitarli. La seconda parte verterà sull’analisi e discussione dei risultati di un sondaggio realizzato a Durham (Regno Unito) nel febbraio 2015 attraverso interviste a studenti universitari britannici e portieri di college e proprietari e membri dello staff di pub e bar locali con domande basate sulle loro esperienze, opinioni ed eventuali testimonianze riguardo il consumo di alcol, i fenomeni e i rischi sopra menzionati. Lo studio ha portato a vari risultati che hanno permessi di confermare e ampliare conoscenze pregresse sui temi trattati.

Oral health risks of tobacco use and effects of cessation

The purpose of this paper is to review the epidemiologic evidence for the effects of tobacco use and tobacco use cessation on a variety of oral diseases and conditions. Exposures considered include cigarette and bidi smoking, pipe and cigar smoking, and smokeless tobacco use. Oral diseases and disorders considered include oral cancer and precancer, periodontal disease, caries and tooth loss, gingival recession and other benign mucosal disorders as well as implant failure. Particular attention is given to the impact of tobacco use cessation on oral health outcomes. We conclude that robust epidemiologic evidence exists for adverse oral health effects of tobacco smoking and other types of tobacco use. In addition, there is compelling evidence to support significant benefits of tobacco use cessation with regard to various oral health outcomes. Substantial oral health benefits can be expected from abstention and successful smoking cessation in a variety of populations across all ages.

Estimation of the risks of thermal stress due to the microclimate for manual fruit and vegetable harvesters in central Italy

Agricultural workers are exposed to various risks, including chemical agents, noise, and many other factors. One of the most characteristic and least known risk factors is constituted by the microclimatic conditions in the different phases of work (in field, in greenhouse, etc). A typical condition is thermal stress due to high temperatures during harvesting operations in open fields or in greenhouses. In Italy, harvesting is carried out for many hours during the day, mainly in the summer, with temperatures often higher than 30 degrees C. According to ISO 7243, these conditions can be considered dangerous for workers' health. The aim of this study is to assess the risks of exposure to microclimatic conditions (heat) for fruit and vegetable harvesters in central Italy by applying methods established by international standards. In order to estimate the risk for workers, the air temperature, radiative temperature, and air speed were measured using instruments in conformity with ISO 7726. Thermodynamic parameters and two more subjective parameters, clothing and the metabolic heat production rate related to the worker's physical activity, were used to calculate the predicted heat strain (PHS) for the exposed workers in conformity with ISO 7933. Environmental and subjective parameters were also measured for greenhouse workers, according to ISO 7243, in order to calculate the wet-bulb globe temperature (WBGT). The results show a slight risk for workers during manual harvesting in the field. On the other hand, the data collected in the greenhouses show that the risk for workers must not be underestimated. The results of the study show that, for manual harvesting work in climates similar to central Italy, it is essential to provide plenty of drinking water and acclimatization for the workers in order to reduce health risks. Moreover, the study emphasizes that the possible health risks for greenhouse workers increase from the month of April through July.

Fertility preservation in >1,000 patients: patient's characteristics, spectrum, efficacy and risks of applied preservation techniques

Data on the characteristics of female patients counselled for fertility preservation and the efficacy and risk of the applied procedures are still poor. We therefore analysed the registry of a network of 70 infertility centers which are involved in fertility preservation in Germany, Switzerland and Austria, called FertiPROTEKT ( hhtp://www.fertiprotekt.eu ).