Cities at risk: status of Italian planning system in reducing seismic and hydrological risks

Italy and its urban systems are under high seismic and hydrogeological risks. The awareness about the role of human activities in the genesis of disasters is achieved in the scientific debate, as well as the role of urban and regional planning in reducing risks. The paper reviews the state of Italian major cities referred to hydrogeological and seismic risk by: 1) extrapolating data and maps about seismic hazard and landslide risk concerning cities with more than 50.000 inhabitants and metropolitan contexts, and 2) outlining how risk reduction is framed in Italian planning system (at national and regional levels). The analyses of available data and the review of the normative framework highlight the existing gaps in addressing risk reduction: nevertheless a wide knowledge about natural risks afflicting Italian territory and an articulated regulatory framework, the available data about risks are not exhaustive, and risk reduction policies and multidisciplinary pro-active approaches are only partially fostered and applied.

Convenio de Colaboración entre la University of Victoria (Representada por el Department of Hispanic and Italian Studies), Victoria, Columbia Británica, Canadá, y la Universidad de Cuenca (Programa de Español para Extranjeros, Departamento de Idiomas), Cuenca, Ecuador

Español

Voices of nigerian women survivors of trafficking held in italian centres for identification and expulsion

Department of Equal Opportunities; Presidency of the Council of Ministries; Province of Rome (metropolitan area)

Strategic Context, Organizational Features and Network Performances: A Survey on Collaborative Networked Organizations of Italian SMEs

Part 15: Performance Management Frameworks

Innovation diffusion in the portuguese and italian clothing industry

Doutoramento em Economia

Public capital, productivity and trade balances:some evidence for the Italian regions

This paper analyses the extent to which intensive investments in public capital may have had an unfavourable impact on the regional trade balances across the 20 Italian regions. Our working hypothesis is that investments in public capital, while stimulating the demand for tradables across the regions, may have a limited positive impact on the supply of tradables in regions characterised by relatively low productivity like the South of Italy (or Mezzogiorno). The empirical results are consistent with our expectations and suggest that programs of investments in public capital should be accompanied by additional policy measures that can remove the structural factors that hamper the total factor productivity growth in specific areas. © Springer-Verlag 2008.

Livestock-Associated Methicillin Resistant and Methicillin Susceptible Staphylococcus aureus Sequence Type (CC)1 in European Farmed Animals: High Genetic Relatedness of Isolates from Italian Cattle Herds and Humans

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) Sequence Type (ST)1, Clonal Complex(CC)1, SCCmec V is one of the major Livestock-Associated (LA-) lineages in pig farming industry in Italy and is associated with pigs in other European countries. Recently, it has been increasingly detected in Italian dairy cattle herds. The aim of this study was to analyse the differences between ST1 MRSA and methicillin-susceptible S. aureus (MSSA) from cattle and pig herds in Italy and Europe and human isolates. Sixty-tree animal isolates from different holdings and 20 human isolates were characterized by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE), spa-typing, SCCmec typing, and by micro-array analysis for several virulence, antimicrobial resistance, and strain/host-specific marker genes. Three major PFGE clusters were detected. The bovine isolates shared a high (≥90% to 100%) similarity with human isolates and carried the same SCCmec type IVa. They often showed genetic features typical of human adaptation or present in human-associated CC1: Immune evasion cluster (IEC) genes sak and scn, or sea; sat and aphA3-mediated aminoglycoside resistance. Contrary, typical markers of porcine origin in Italy and Spain, like erm(A) mediated macrolide-lincosamide-streptograminB, and of vga(A)-mediated pleuromutilin resistance were always absent in human and bovine isolates. Most of ST(CC)1 MRSA from dairy cattle were multidrug-resistant and contained virulence and immunomodulatory genes associated with full capability of colonizing humans. As such, these strains may represent a greater human hazard than the porcine strains. The zoonotic capacity of CC1 LA-MRSA from livestock must be taken seriously and measures should be implemented at farm-level to prevent spill-over.

"10 años y divorciada", un film de Khadija Al-Salami

En Yemen no hay que ser mayor de edad para contraer matrimonio, ni tan siquiera se exige una edad mínima. Nojoom es obligada a casarse a los 10 años de edad con un hombre que solo busca una mujer joven para complacerse sexualmente y una sierva para sustituir a su madre en las labores domésticas. Un arreglo legítimo según las leyes locales, aceptado por todos, excepto para la pequeña Nojoom. La cineasta Khadija Al-Salami denuncia la situación que viven miles de niñas en su país, sometidas a leyes atávicas que hoy siguen constituyendo una grave violación de los derechos humanos que afecta a los seres más indefensos, los niños.

Migration-related detention: A focus on the Italian context

Inspired by a community psychology ecological perspective, this chapter addresses migration-related detention as part of that set of practices implemented by the EU and the Schengen Area to ensure internal security by strengthening external borders control. In particular, it focuses on the Italian context. Starting from a historical overview of the Italian legal and policy framework on migration, a critical analysis of the rationale for migrant detention and deportation is developed, highlighting the business interests at stake. In this regard, the concept of immigration industrial complex is utilized, emphasizing its similarities with the military and prison industrial complexes. Finally, the case of an Italian migration-related detention center is illustrated. We argue for the use of ecological multilevel analysis to grasp the complexity of these sites of confinement, and shed light on the forces and interests that revolve around them. Alternatives are advocated based on freedom and justice for all.

Verification of the mechanism of glyphosate resistance in Italian ryegrass biotypes.

The intense use of glyphosate for weed control led to the emergence of several cases of resistance to this herbicide. Weeds can survive the application of herbicides due to several factors, which may or may not be related to the herbicide site of action. The objectives of this study were to quantify the accumulation of shikimate in ryegrass biotypes in response to glyphosate application; investigate possible mutations on the EPSPs gene in susceptible and resistant biotypes; and evaluate the response of ryegrass biotypes to the application of glyphosate after treatment with a metabolism inhibitor of cyt P450 monooxygenase.

Resistance characterization of Italian ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum) biotypes to clethodim herbicide.

2016

Europos. The Archaeology of the Heir of Karkemish During the Hellenistic, Roman and Byzantine Periods on the Basis of the Results of the British Museum and Turco-Italian Excavations

The present work aims at reconstructing the archaeological contexts and analyzing the material culture of the site of Europos. This archaeological site is located in southern Turkey, at the border with Syria, along the right shore of the Euphrates River. The Classical city rose above the remains of the Hittite Karkemish. The present work collects the results of the archaeological expeditions launched by the British Museum in the late 19th and early 20th century, never published, and the ones of the new Turco-Italian Joint Expedition, started in 2011. Europos had an uninterrupted life from the 3rd century BC to the 10th century AD, throughout the Hellenistic, Roman and Byzantine periods, all examined in the present work.

Visualising In/Equalities through Contemporary Documentary Cinema. A Diffractive Reading of Feminist Practices in Spanish and Italian Non-Fiction Films

This thesis brings together feminist documentary film theory and feminist new materialism(s) to describe how feminist material-discursive practices in a sample of Spanish and Italian documentary cinema made between 2013-2018 (can) visualise gender in/equalities. The accomplished objectives have been: 1. Building a bridge between feminist documentary film theory and Karen Barad’s diffractive methodology by approaching non-fiction cinema that deals with social inequalities as a diffraction apparatus. 2. Developing a feminist toolbox for a response-able gaze by gathering different insights from feminist film theory. 3. Identifying feminist material-discursive practices in a sample of documentary films produced in Spain and Italy over the last six years (2013-2018). 4. Analysing the effects that these feminist material-discursive practices in documentary cinema have, particularly in terms of visualising gender in/equalities on both sides of the camera and on both sides of the screen. 5. Revealing patterns between the ten case studies by reading through one another (i.e. diffractively) insights raised in each one of them. In ten documentary films/case studies, I identify patterns of continuities and differences concerning feminist material-discursive practices at four levels: content, form, production and reception. In terms of contents, I detect two patterns in which feminist material-discursive practices may operate: enacting the right to appear or enacting the right to look back and/or against the grain. As for the forms, I exemplify how feminism politicises Bill Nichols’s six modes of representation. My analysis of production practices is elaborated along the filmmakers’ self-positions/situatedness, tensions/obstructions, and effects/affects/emotions regarding four key concepts: documentary cinema, equality, gender and feminism(s). And in the case of reception practices, I identify patterns of affective identification and/or intellectual reflections.

Environmental accounting and reporting in Italian local governments: a longitudinal analysis of changes in context, content and process

This research aims at contributing to a better understanding of changes in local governments’ accounting and reporting practices. Particularly, ‘why’, ‘what’ and ‘how’ environmental aspects are included and the significance of changes across time. It adopts an interpretative approach to conduct a longitudinal analysis of case studies. Pettigrew and Whipp’s framework on context, content and process is used as a lens to distinguish changes under each dimension and analyse their interconnections. Data is collected from official documents and triangulated with semi-structured interviews. The legal framework defines as boundaries of the accounting information the territory under local governments’ jurisdiction and their immediate surrounding area. Organisational environmental performance and externalities are excluded from the requirements. An interplay between the local outer context, political commitment and organisational culture justifies the implementation of changes beyond what is regulated and the implementation of transformational changes. Local governments engage in international networks to gain access to funding and implement changes, leading to adopting the dominant environmental agenda. Key stakeholders, like citizens, are not engaged in the accounting and reporting process. Thus, there is no evidence that the environmental aspects addressed and related changes align with stakeholders’ needs and expectations, which jeopardises its significance. Findings from the current research have implications in other EU member states due to the harmonisation of accounting and reporting practices and the common practice across the EU in using external funding to conceptualise and implement changes. This implies that other local governments could also be representing a limited account related to environmental aspects.

The psychoactive effects of “Light Cannabis”. From Italian law to psychopharmacology

In 2019, the Italian Supreme Court established that hemp, for non-medical use, cannot be commercialized for human use, when the “psychotropic effect” of the product or its “offensiveness” can be demonstrated. The first chapter of this work reports a review of the European and Italian legislation on hemp cultivation, as well as the hemp production chain and commercial activities. The second chapter reports the pharmacological aspects and the psychoactive effects of light cannabis, along with pharmacokinetics of the main Cannabis compounds: Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (Δ9-THC), Cannabidiol (CBD) and Cannabinol (CBN). The aim of the experimental study, reported in the third chapter, is to assess Δ9-THC and CBD blood concentrations after smoking “light cannabis”, and its effects on vigilance, cognitive and motor skills. Eighteen young adults consumed three light cannabis cigarettes with a percentage of 0.41% of Δ9-THC and of 12.41% of CBD. Blood samples were collected before the experiment (t0) and after pre-defined time-lapses. Five performance tasks and a subjective scale were employed for measuring cognitive and psychomotor performances the day before the experiment (TT0) and after the third cigarette (TT1). Mean (SD) concentrations (ng/ml) were between 1.0(0.8) in t1 and 0.3(0.3) in t5 for Δ9-THC; and 10.5(10.3) in t1 and 5.7(5.7) in t5 for CBD. No significant differences were observed between TT0 and TT1 for all performed psychomotor performance task. Δ9-THC and CBD concentrations showed a high inter-subject variability, and the average concentrations were lower than those previously reported. Toxicological results showed a decrease of Δ9-THC and CBD after the third light cannabis cigarette, and a Δ9-THC /CBD ratio always < 1 was observed. This value might be useful in discriminating light cannabis versus illegal/medical cannabis consumption. The lack of impairment observed in our participants can be interpreted as a consequence of the very low concentrations in the blood.