Italian Situation Research Articles

Into the crisis: Fab Labs – a European story

Fab Labs are small workshops, open to the public, that offer tools and services for digital manufacturing, thus promoting social and economic innovation. On this basis, these workshops can be considered as ‘local collective goods’: created as part of the sharing economy, Fab Labs are able to generate external, tangible and intangible economies, useful for development. The aim of this article is to explore Fab Labs and their diffusion in Europe, with particular reference to the French and Italian situation. France and Italy are, indeed, particularly interesting cases, because whilst the official indicators describe their economies as not especially innovative, they also show a surprising development of the Fab Labs.

Useful indicators to interpret the cancer burden in Italy.

In the last decades the demographics of most Western countries have undergone a deep transformation, which has caused a steady increase in degenerative chronic diseases and has made maintaining health and social support by the welfare system difficult. This paper aims to present a set of indicators pertaining to the health status of the Italian population and to the national economic and social systems, as an aid to a better interpretation of the cancer burden impact and of its future tendencies. All indicators were derived from the ISTAT Health for All database. They were presented by region or macro area, globally or by gender, considering the most recent regional distribution and their time trends. The following features of the Italian population were chosen: percent of people aged over 65 years; life expectancy at birth; birth rate; crude and age-standardized overall mortality rates; dependency ratio; percent of single persons; percent of people with no more than a junior high school diploma; percent of people attaining at least the short first university degree; percent of people employed in the service and tertiary sectors; unemployment rate; incidence of poverty; total health expenditure (THE) as an absolute value and as percent of GDP; percent of public THE; percent of out-of-pocket THE of households; percent of smokers; proportion of overweight and obese people aged ≥18 years. Italy presented an unbalanced demographic situation with an increasingly old population, a decreasing middle-aged age group, a low birth rate, high crude overall mortality rates, and decreasing standardized overall mortality rates. The Italian population is characterized by a constant increase in the dependency ratio and in the percentage of people living alone, together with increasing expenses for health care, both at the public and households levels. Smoking has reduced its impact in men but not yet in women. The increasing proportion of overweight and obese people may explain the convergence in time of the mortality rates of the different Italian macro areas. The Italian situation seems to be not well fitted to face the expected growing cancer burden. Along with the aging of the population, the corresponding lowering of the national GDP due to the persisting global economic crisis will lead the public sector and families to reduce health expenditure, while the number of people affected by cancer is bound to increase. Moreover, the social support provided by family members and the advantages of the Mediterranean dietary habits are declining. The strategies for facing the challenging evolution of the future should focus on successful primary prevention and a wider application of evidence-based medicine to optimize the choice of diagnostic and therapeutic procedures offered to citizens.

Amelioration and retrofitting of educational buildings

Following a seismic event that occurred years ago in Central Italy, the public opinion was growing and growing a concern on the adequacy of educational buildings all across Italy. This activated several political decisions and a consequent technical effort is in progress. Technically speaking one has to manage the classical problem of retrofitting existing buildings. However, the legal environment goes across national codes, targeted guidelines and the professional need of achieving pragmatic solutions based on ethical and social acceptation schemes.This paper introduces the topic in its worldwide exception and focuses then on some operative aspects in the Italian situation. It outlines the consolidated steps along this technical process and emphasizes the weak aspects one meets when going across the designers’ reports.

Hydropower as an Important Renewable Energy Source

Renewable energy sources represent an issue which, nowadays, is earning more and more attention by people, governments, institutions and international organizations. This issue has been at the centre of many conferences, international conventions, binding legislations and voluntary standards. Renewable energy sources are part of the energetic sector, but they can be considered, more appropriately, a specific part of the mentioned sector as they are all characterized by one feature: they are environmentally friendly ways of producing energy. In other words, renewable energy sources are means to produce energy that do not imply the exploitation of finite sources, such as oil or carbon, but exploit energy coming from the sun, Earth, winds, biomasses. This sector is rapidly growing, as recently RE sources have reached the 13% of the total energy sources and now they are even more used. This paper has the aim to analyse and classify REs and the Italian situation referred to green energy, showing many successful cases of hydropower plants in different Italian regions. Thus, the installed power and the environmental conditions of different Italian regions are illustrated, comparing the different results and potentialities related to each region. It is possible to state that, generally, Italy has seen different stages of development of green energy, with relevant differences among its regions.

A REVIEW OF ASYLUM SEEKERS AND REFUGEES IN ITALY: WHERE IS THE PSYCHOLOGICAL RESEARCH GOING?

According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), nowadays, 65,3 million individuals have been forcibly displaced worldwide. In Europe, Italy is one of the countries with the highest number of asylum seeker arrivals per year and the emergency nature of the present-day migratory flows are increasingly involving researchers and clinicians to come up with and develop new models of research and interventions. This article aims to conduct a review of the Italian psychological research in the field of forced migration in order to systematise the Italian studies, to compare the Italian situation with the international one and to define limits, resources and future directions of current Italian research. A literature review in the databases Scopus, PubMed and Web of Knowledge for documents published from 2012 to 2017 was conducted. From the analysis, twelve articles emerged principally following two main trajectories of investigation: a clinical and mental health-related trajectory and a psychosocial and community-based one. Compared with the wider international field of research, a general underdevelopment of Italian research emerged. Research into protective factors with regard to the development of psychopathological outcomes and on interventions is highly recommended. Results highlighted support for future research on the theme of asylum seekers and refugees. Some cause for reflection as regards levels of criticality, the direction of future research and specific links between research and Italian social policies were given.

The recovery of waste and off-gas in Large Combustion Plants subject to IPPC National Permit in Italy

The recovery of off-gas, waste, and biomass in Large Combustion Plants for energy production gives the opportunity to recycle waste and by-products and to recover materials produced in agricultural and industrial activities. The paper illustrates the Italian situation regarding the production of energy from off-gas, biomass, and waste in Large Combustion Plants subject to Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control (IPPC) National Permit. Moreover, it focuses on the 4 Italian Large Combustion Plants producing energy from biomass and waste. For these ones it illustrates the specific issues related to and provides a description of the solutions adopted in the 4 Italian plants. Given that air emission performance is the most relevant aspect of this kind of plants, the paper specifically focuses and reports results about this subject.In particular, in Italy among 113 LCPs subject to IPPC National Permit we have found that 4 plants use as fuel waste (i.e. solid or liquid biomasses and Solid Recovered Fuels), or a mixture of waste and traditional fuels (co-combustion of Solid Recovered Fuels and coal), and that 11 plants use as fuel off-gases listed in Annex X (i.e. Refinery Fuel Gas, Syngas, and gases produced in iron and steel industries). Moreover, there are 2 IPPC chemical plants that recovery energy from different off-gases not listed in Annex X.Regarding the 4 LCPs that produce energy from waste combustion or co-combustion, we find that they take into account all the specific issues related to this kind of plants (i.e. detailed waste characterization, waste acceptance procedures, waste handling and storage, waste pretreatment and emissions to air), and adopt solutions that are best available techniques to prevent pollution. Moreover for one of these plants, the only one for which we have a significant set of monitoring data because it obtained the IPPC National Permit in 2008, we find that energy efficiency and air emissions of the principal pollutants are in good compliance with European coal- and lignite-fired combustion plants co-incinerating waste and with BAT-AELs reported in the BREF document.

Paradoxes of the Knowledge Society Some Considerations on the Italian Situation

Paradoxes of the Knowledge Society Some Considerations on the Italian Situation

Quality of life in Italian cities: a temporal comparison between before the crisis and after

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to investigate the changes in well-being in the Italian reality, in particular, through the study of major cities. The study is based on a set of data provided by the Italian Institute of Statistics (ISTAT) with the aim to highlight the Italian urban situation and the comparison between the well-being situation assessed in a pre-crisis context and the one observed after it, in order to understand how events have influenced levels of well-being in the main Italian cities.Design/methodology/approachThe paper aims to examine the quality of life (QoL) levels in the metropolitan cities, using data from the URBES report (a report that provides data and information concerning the Italian urban situation), published in 2013, which investigates QoL and well-being in major Italian cities. It is based on the framework of the “Benessere Equo e Sostenibile” report that appraises well-being in Italian regions by a great deal of variables belonging to 12 different dimensions. Using this data source, the authors will proceed to the construction of a composite well-being index.FindingsThe paper intends to show how the well-being level in Italian cities has changed in recent years, taking into consideration ten different dimensions of well-being. The need to consider different dimensions of well-being for its comprehensive evaluation is widely discussed in the literature, and the framework provided by ISTAT is innovative in this sense.Originality/valueThe paper presents an aggregate measure of well-being in Italian cities on the basis of new theoretical concepts and complete and detailed data.

Cosmopolitanism, Nationalism and Hegemony: Antonio Gramsci’s Prison Notebooks and the European Crisis

ABSTRACTThis research is based upon three interrelated elements: the European crisis, Italian Fascism and the analysis of the two carried out by Antonio Gramsci in the Prison Notebooks, that is, the notes he wrote during his detention in Fascist prisons from 1929 to 1935. However, the aim of this contribution is to shed light not on Gramsci’s analysis of the European crisis and the regime in Italy as such, but on the way in which this analysis interacts with the constellations of political power and of hegemonic social forces existing in Italy and in Europe at the time. Gramsci’s Prison Notebooks are in fact not reflections on a defeat, made far away—both physically and mentally—from the on-going struggle (as they have often been interpreted in the past), but a strategic analysis of opportunities for communist political initiative presented by the new European and Italian situation of the late 1920s and early 1930s.

I giovani medici tra carichi di lavoro e stress. Gli esiti di una ricerca

Several studies focused on the causes and effects of stress and burnout suffered by helpful professions, including doctors. Some of these studies, particularly in recent times, focused on a particular segment of the medical profession, that represented by the young physicians explaining how they are suffering stress and other professional illnesses since the early years of their career. Also in relation to the Italian situation, some studies documented this phenomenon; however, the situation could change in the near future due to the entry into force of the European regulations in November 2015. The new law reorganizes the doctor’s work in order to promote the professionals’ well-being. This chapter presents the results of a pilot research conducted by the Centre for Research and service on social and health integration (CRISS) of the Universita Politecnica delle Marche on 100 young professionals registered with the Order of doctors of the province of Ancona. The survey brings to light several critical aspects revealing how young doctors are highly stressed because of hard working hours and high workloads.

Stem cells to restore insulin production and cure diabetes

BackgroundThe advancement of knowledge in the field of regenerative medicine is increasing the therapeutic expectations of patients and clinicians on cell therapy approaches. Within these, stem cell therapies are often evoked as a possible therapeutic option for diabetes, already ongoing or possible in the near future. AimThe purpose of this document is to make a point of the situation on existing knowledge and therapies with stem cells to treat patients with diabetes by focusing on some of the aspects that most frequently raise curiosity and discussion in clinical practice and in the interaction with the patient. In fact, at present there are no clinically approved treatments based on the use of stem cells for the treatment of diabetes, but several therapeutic approaches have already been evaluated or are being evaluated in clinical trials. Data synthesisIt is possible to identify three large potential application fields: 1) the reconstruction of the β cell mass; 2) the immunomodulation in type 1 diabetes (T1D); 3) the treatment of complications. In this study we will limit the discussion to approaches that have the potential for clinical translation, deliberately omitting aspects of basic biology and preclinical data. Also, we intentionally omit the treatment of the complications that will be the subject of a future document. Finally, an overview of the Italian situation regarding the storage of cord blood cells for the therapy of diabetes will be given.

Políticas de democratização da educação superior e a perspectiva metodológica de Antonio Gramsci

Este artigo resultado de estudos e pesquisas no campo das polticas para a educao superior no Brasil e tem como objetivo discutir a questo da democratizao da universidade a partir dos fundamentos metodolgicos de Antonio Gramsci. Aps dissertar sobre a questo do mtodo em pauta, as autoras analisam processos de democratizao da educao superior utilizando exemplos como da situao italiana da dcada de 1990, a experincia revolucionria cubana e polticas sobre o tema no contexto brasileiro. A metodologia escolhida permite que as contradies sejam expostas configurando diferentes interpretaes sobre processos democratizantes, aponta que muitas vezes o que considerado democratizao da universidade deturpa o real sentido da expresso. Nos exemplos escolhidos, verificou-se que o processo de Cuba o que mais se aproxima de um modelo democrtico. Palavras-chave: Poltica educacional; educao superior, democratizao; Antonio Gramsci.

Italian graduates’ employability in times of economic crisis : overview, problems and possible solutions

Relying on various sources of data, the article aims to prove an overview on Italian graduates’ employment and labour market participation in times of economic crisis. It provides a short des­cription of Italy’s higher education, economy and labour market, and an analysis of graduate em­ployment, especially focusing on fresh graduates. Three possible views on the Italian case are also suggested, and some recent policy initiatives fostering graduate employability both at the national and the local levels are illustrated. In order to offer a better understanding of the topic, the Italian situation is occasionally compared to the situation of Germany, the leading economy in Europe.

Lights and shadows on the implementation of the alternative dispute resolution (adr) system in the italian and Croatian tax trial

This paper discusses the ADR systems in tax matters as set forth in the Italian and Croatian doctrine and legislature. The fi rst part focuses on the Italian experiences and the second part discusses the Croatian developments. Both parts are involving the doctrines and throughout the chapters emphasizes the historical and theoretical aspects, as well as the practical implications of the doctrine of public law on the emergence and development of ADR’s in the comparative surveys of Italian and Croatian current situation of tax disputes resolutions.

Comunicación y mediación en los sistemas democráticos. La experiencia italiana

Este articulo toma como punto de partida el amplio horizonte politico que presentan los cambios introducidos en Italia para la lucha contra la criminalidad organizada y un gran empeno institucional en la educacion en la legalidad. El autor ha tratado de mostrar una sintesis de las actividades y los estudios para la legalidad que reune todo un conjunto de esfuerzos, desde diversas manifestaciones institucionales y desde diversas disciplinas (Derecho, Sociologia, Psiquiatria, Pedagogia y Antropologia). El concepto de legalidad esta presente en las diferentes experiencias de las sociedades humanas, como una categoria independiente, pero es complejo y multidimensional, entretejido con casi todos los diferentes ambitos de la vida. Entendemos que desde el amplio conocimiento del ser humano se puede crear una mas adecuada comprension de las dificultades que obstaculizan el cumplimiento de la legalidad, a nivel de las masas; al mismo tiempo necesitamos pensar nuevos modelos para mejorar nuestra legalidad y nuestras sociedades, nuestros Estados y Naciones. Junto a las consideraciones teoricas e institucionales, para ilustrar la situacion italiana, en el texto se muestran los datos de muchos estudios empiricos, como los realizados por Eurostat, Istat, Iard, y Save the Children.

Psychology of infertility and assisted reproductive treatment: the Italian situation

The aim of this work is to propose a brief comment about the role of psychology in the cases of infertility and assisted reproductive treatments with particular reference to the Italian situation.

NEET: A Phenomenom Yet to Be Explored

Who are the NEET? How much do we know about this? What do institutions and the media know about them? How different definitions could get to shared policies? This paper tries to provide an initial overview of the situation regarding the NEET, through an analysis of the emerging international literature on the subject. Different definitions across nations are analyzed in order to reflect on the cultural differences and economics-work policies, in order to then analyze more in deep the Italian situation. In Italy, the phenomenon is still little known in society and, often, not recognized by the acronym NEET, with the many variables that define it, despite statistics showing a rise in numbers (26 % of the total population for the age group considered).

Epidemiological burden estimates for pathologies with a nonconstant risk: an application to HCV in Italy according to age, Metavir score, and genotype: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Between western European countries, the hepatitis C virus (HCV) endemic is highest in Italy. The main objective of this paper is to estimate the endemic diffusion of hepatitis C at the national level and by geographical area, with an extrapolation at the regional level and by uniform cohorts of subjects (by sex and year of birth). The secondary objective is a stratification by gravity of the estimated statistical figures to provide an overview of possible targets of the new anti-HCV treatments.PubMed and the Cochrane Library were searched for relevant Italian populations studies regarding HCV prevalence. Random and fixed effect models were used for pooling data. To develop the epidemiological model, a meta-analysis of studies of Italian populations and the explicit consideration of the changes in the etiology of the disease in different cohorts (by year of birth) of population and the impact of effective treatments that have been introduced since the 1990s. A Markovian transition model, which is based on the distribution of HCV+ and HCV Ribonucleic Acid (RNA)+ subjects, provides a plausible assessment of the Italian situation. The Meta-analysis of Observational Studies in Epidemiology recommendations/statements were followed.In 2014, 1569,215 HCV+ subjects (95% credible interval [CrI]: 1202,630-2021,261) were estimated in Italy, with a 2.58% prevalence (95% CrI: 1.98%-3.33%). A total of 828,884 HCV RNA+ subjects (95% CrI: 615,892-1081,123), which is equal to a 1.36% prevalence (95% CrI: 1.01%-1.78%), is higher in southern Italy and the islands (1.9%) than in central-northern Italy (1.1%). The predominance of adult and elderly subjects, with an old or very old infection, inevitably entails a significant number of HCV RNA+ subjects in the advanced stages of the illness. According to our estimates, approximately 400,000 subjects have cirrhosis, decompensated cirrhosis, and hepatocarcinoma, with a median age of 70 years.The model aims to support policymakers to define action plans by providing an estimate of both the emerged infected population and nonemerged infected population by age, gender, gravity, genotype, and geographical area. In the future, the model may contribute to simulation of the costs and outcome of different action strategies that can be adopted by health authorities.

End of life care in the intensive care unit: Remarks on the Italian situation: REPLY

End of life care in the intensive care unit: Remarks on the Italian situation: REPLY

Indagine sociolinguistica per la pianificazione dell’insegnamento di italiano L2 nella scuola secondaria. Uno studio di caso

IN THE TEACHING OF L2 ITALIAN IN SECONDARY SCHOOL. A CASE STUDY The flow of migrants towards Italy in these past decades has raised the problem regarding the absorption and integration of newcomers in the new society and the labour market; this problem has become more severe in this last period. Learning the language and the foundations of the social and political structures of the receiving community is the best way to establish the necessary competence for integration. As the presence of foreigners in Italy stabilises, education has become more complex, as it must be oriented not only towards newcomer students, but also towards those who were born in Italy in foreign families who speak their own mother tongue at home but are also highly competent in Italian. this situation gives rise to diverse individual profiles according to the different balance of the linguistic varieties in these students’ inventory. this article aims to show that an inspection carried according to the sociolinguistic methodology can bring forth valuable data for educational as well as territorial planning and for the definition of policies for integration. the article will present general data on the Italian situation compared to the european one in general in order to define the phenomenon. then a specific study will be presented based on research conducted in the Scuola Cavour in Alessandria (PISU project - POR FeSR 2014/2010), where there are classes in which foreigners and second-generation Italians (G2s) are numerous. A sociolinguistic questionnaire has been collected from students between the ages of 11 and 13 years old; the aim is to assess not only the students’ competences tout court, but also the social spaces where their different languages are used, their main difficulties, and their ambitions. the statistical data are presented and discussed in order to point out the different profiles; they reveal how complex it is to create a linguistic education that moves towards aware citizenship. Practically, the data also provide an important indication on the composition of the classroom and on the educational practices to adopt.