Suchergebnisse

Taking advantage of a unique database on Italian Corporate Governance, we study the determinants of remuneration paid to individual non-executive directors (NEDs) and, in particular, to independent directors (INEDs). Our results on a database covering around 16,000 positions/year for non-executive directors in Italian listed firms (over a 9-year period) show that: 1) Remuneration is strongly affected by firm characteristics, in particular by firm size. Independent directors are paid less than gray directors; the gap between the two categories is, however, gradually closing, due to lower additional compensation being paid to gray directors in subsidiaries. Contrary to what happens in other countries, NED remuneration remained quite stable: a small increase is observable only for independent directors; 2) NED remuneration is influenced by the functions performed by individual directors within the board. On the contrary, individual directors" characteristics have little or no impact. We find evidence of a gender pay gap among independent directors in less recent years; however, this gap has gradually disappeared in conjunction with the increasing number and role of female directors, following the adoption of gender quotas; 3) The relationship between independent directors" pay and some variables of interest has changed over time: this is true not only for gender but also for Tobin"s Q (a proxy for the benefits from monitoring) and for the number of positions held in other companies. The changes we observe are apparently consistent with the market for directors" pay in Italy becoming more mature after the introduction of Say-on-Pay and other regulation favouring investor activism. This is also consistent with a positive role played by both institutional investors and their representatives sitting on the board of listed companies after the introduction of said legislation.

COVID-19, that emerged in December 2019 in the city of Wuhan, China and is caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), has rapidly evolved into a pandemic. Italy has become one of the largest epicentres outside Asia, accounting now for at least 80,539 infections (cumulative incidence of 95.9/100,000) and 8,165 deaths (case fatality rate 10.1%). It has seriously affected people above the age of 60 years. The International Health Regulations (IHR) revised in 2005 bind governments to disclose vital information regarding the identification and detection of new disease outbreaks regardless of its causative agent. In contrast to the previous SARS epidemic, China timely informed the world about the onset of a new outbreak. It also soon disclosed the clinical characteristics of patients with COVID-19. Unfortunately, despite the fast recognition of the Chinese epidemic, the application of the 2005 IHR was not followed by an effective response in every country and most health authorities failed to rapidly perceive the threat posed by COVID-19. To further complicate matters, IHR implementation, which relies primarily on self-reporting data rather than on an external review mechanism, was limited in speed and further hindered by high costs. The response in Italy suffered from several limitations within the health system and services. The action against this threat must instead be quick, firm and at the highest trans-national level. The solution lies in further strengthening countries' preparedness through a clear political commitment, mobilization of proper resources and implementation of a strict surveillance and monitoring process.

Abstract

Background
Heterozygous mutations of MYH9, encoding the Non-Muscular Myosin Heavy Chain-IIA (NMMHC-IIA), cause a complex disorder named MYH9-related disease, characterized by a combination of different phenotypic features. At birth, patients present platelet macrocytosis, thrombocytopenia and leukocyte inclusions containing NMMHC-IIA. Moreover, later in life some of them develop the additional features of sensorineural hearing loss, cataracts and/or glomerulonephritis that sometimes leads to end stage renal failure.


Results
To clarify the mechanism by which the mutant NMMHC-IIA could cause phenotypic anomalies at the cellular level, we examined the effect of transfection of the full-length mutated D1424H MYH9 cDNAs. We have observed, by confocal microscopy, abnormal distribution of the protein and formation of rod-like aggregates reminiscent of the leukocyte inclusions found in patients. Co-transfection of differently labeled wild-type and mutant full-length cDNAs showed the simultaneous presence of both forms of the protein in the intracellular aggregates.


Conclusion
These findings suggest that the NMMHC-IIA mutated in position 1424 is able to interact with the WT form in living cells, despite part of the mutant protein precipitates in non-functional aggregates. Transfection of the entire WT or mutant MYH9 in cell lines represents a powerful experimental model to investigate consequences of MYH9 mutations.

Hazards resulting from climate change jeopardize human in one way or another. Annually countless deaths, physical injuries, and the collapse of houses, among other consequences, are reported as negative effects associated to climate change events. There is no doubt that these effects are followed by mental health problems which requires the continuation of care after the emergency situation. This paper aimed at highlighting how climate change hazards in Rwanda might be followed by unidentified mental health illness, and proposed a model for proper management. The authors reviewed different literatures to inform their views about the issue and appreciate the efforts being done by the Government to manage immediate mental health problems resulting from climate change hazards for the victims. The authors suggested the need for the continuation of mental health care services after an emergency and that these services be provided by Community Health Workers who live day to day with victims. This will benefit not only the victims but also other people who might be having mental health issues within the community. The Authors recommend further research to document the impact of climate change on mental health and magnitude of the problem in Rwanda._________________________________________________________________________Keywords: Climate change, Hazards, Mental Health

En Tierra del Fuego los aprovechamientos forestales se realizan principalmente sobre bosques primarios en terrenos fiscales. Existe poca información disponible sobre estos bosques aprovechados, siendo necesario reconstruir la estructura forestal previa a la corta, tanto en trabajos de investigación como fiscalización. En estos casos la precisión de las estimaciones adquiere fundamental importancia. Por ello, se desarrollaron dos modelos de diámetro que permiten la estimación de la estructura previa a partir de tocones: DAP = 0,858274 x Dtoc, (r2 = 95,95; MAE = 2,38 cm; ESE = 3,55 cm) y DAPcc = 1,0661 x DAPsc, (r2 = 99,57; MAE = 0,53 cm; ESE = 0,75 cm). Se discute el uso de los modelos y la influencia de variables cualitativas de clase de sitio, social y fase de desarrollo. El empleo de estos modelos sencillos no resta precisión a la estimación, resultando apropiados para todo el rango diamétrico (DAP > 10 cm), independientemente de la calidad de sitio, clase social o fase de desarrollo. ; In Tierra del Fuego forest harvesting is carried out mainly over old growth forests growing in public land. There is little available information of these harvested forests, being necessary to rebuild previous forest structure in research and government control works. In these cases accuracy in the estimations is an important goal. Hence, two diameter models that enable us to rebuild any previous structure from the remaining stumps were developed: DAP = 0.858274 x Dtoc, (r2 = 95.95; MAE = 2.38 cm; ESE = 3.55 cm) y DAPcc = 1.0661 x DAPsc, (r2 = 99.57; MAE = 0.53 cm; ESE = 0.75 cm). The use of these models and the influence of different qualitative variables such as site index, crown class and development phase are discussed. Simplicity of the models does not reduce accuracy in the estimations, resulting appropriate for the whole range of diameters (DBH > 10 cm) and any category of site index, crown class or development phase. ; Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias y Forestales

AbstractA pot experiment was carried out to evaluate the remediation potential of Brassica juncea and Sorghum bicolor in the decontamination of soil polluted with heavy metals such as copper, lead, tin, and zinc along with polychlorinated biphenyls, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, and heavy hydrocarbons. Two composts obtained from different composting processes were tested as biostimulating agents. At the end of the trial, the effect of plant/compost combinations on soil microbial composition, contaminant removal, biochemical indicators, and plant biomass production was determined. The results highlighted that compost addition improved plant biomass despite slowing down plants' removal of organic and inorganic contaminants. In addition, compost partially enhanced the soil biochemical indicators and modified the relative abundance of the rhizosphere microorganisms. Sorghum showed better mitigation performance than Brassica due to its higher growth. The soil fertility level, the choice of plant species, and microbial richness were found fundamental to perform soil remediation. In contrast, compost was relevant for a higher crop biomass yield.
Graphical abstract

This project has received funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 634476

The design and fabrication of a band-pass step impedance filter based on high and low dielectric constant sections has been realized on substrate integrated waveguide (SIW) technology. The overall process includes the design of the ideal band-pass prototype filter, where the implementation of the impedance inverters has been carried out by means of waveguide sections of lower permittivity. This can be practically achieved by implementing arrays of air holes along the waveguide. Several SIW structures with and without arrays of air holes have been simulated and fabricated in order to experimentally evaluate their relative permittivity. Additionally, the equivalent filter in SIW technology has been designed and optimized. Finally, a prototype of the designed filter has been fabricated and measured, showing a good agreement between measurements and simulations, which demonstrates the validity of the proposed design approach. ; This work was supported by the Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad, Spanish Government, under the Research Project TEC2013-47037-C5-4-R.

The availability of high-throughput whole-genome sequencing (WGS) data illustrating differences among different pig breed genomes opened a new area of genomic research focused on variation caused by single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP), small scale variation and structural variants which may all contribute to phenotypic variation among pig breeds. In our study (performed within TREASURE project) we re-analysed WGS-based data sets from more than 20 breeds, including commercial and local breeds as well as some wild boar genomes, deposited in publicly available databases. This bioinformatics tool enables discovery of new SNPs, estimation of allele frequencies (genotyping by sequencing) at candidate loci and identification of structural variation in a wide range of pig breeds. The analysis underlined the relevance of structural differences at KIT and MC1R locus involved in colour pattern formation, as well as LEPR locus associated with fatness, fatty acid metabolism and intramuscular fat composition. This approach allows discovery of important genomic differences between commercial breeds and local breeds which are analysed in the frame of the TREASURE project. Extensive mining of publicly available genomic data can together with the newly generated genomic information from local breeds, significantly contribute to the detailed characterisation of animal genetic resources present in local pig breeds. Funded by European Union's H2020 RIA program (grant agreement No. 634476).