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Purpose: The Comprehensive assessment of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (CompACT) is a 23-item questionnaire measuring psychological flexibility, a quality of life protective factor. An 18-item version was recently produced. We assessed validity and reliability of CompACT, and equivalence of paper and electronic (eCompACT) versions in people with multiple sclerosis (PwMS) in Italy, Germany and Spain. Methods: We used confirmatory factor analysis and assessed CompACT-23 and CompACT-18 measurement invariance between the three language versions. We assessed construct validity (Spearman's correlations) and internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha). Test–retest reliability (intraclass correlation coefficient, ICC) and equivalence of paper and eCompACT (ICC and linear regression model for repeated measures) were assessed in subsamples of PwMS. Results: A total of 725 PwMS completed the study. The three-factor structure of the CompACT-23 showed poor fit (RMSEA 0.07; CFI 0.82; SRMR 0.08), while the fit of the CompACT-18 was good (RMSEA 0.05; CFI 0.93; SRMR 0.05). Configural and partial metric invariance were confirmed, as well as partial scalar invariance (reached when five items were allowed to vary freely). The CompACT-18 showed good internal consistency (all alpha ≥ 0.78); and test–retest reliability (all ICCs ≥ 0.86). Equivalence between paper and eCompACT was excellent (all ICCs ≥ 0.86), with no mode, order, or interaction effects. Conclusion: Results support using the refined CompACT-18 as a three-factor measure of psychological flexibility in PwMS. Paper and eCompACT-18 versions are equivalent. CompACT-18 can be used cross-culturally, but sub-optimal scalar invariance suggests that direct comparison between the three language versions should be interpreted with caution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Citation networks enable analysis of author groups, defining in-group dynamics, and mapping out inter-group relationships. While intellectual diversity and inclusiveness is one of the important principles of modern scholarship, it is intriguing to explore the extent to which these principles apply to historical communities of leaders and intellectuals. This paper introduces a novel methodological framework aimed at assessing the degree of viewpoint plurality and diversity of historical scholarship communities, through an in-depth analysis of the citations used in their literature, which has become possible due to the recently developed advanced computational analysis techniques. To achieve this goal, we have devised a set of new network-based indicators grounded in standard network metrics. These indicators can be applied at both the individual author and community levels. The developed methodology was applied to a citation network automatically constructed from a corpus of Rabbinic Halachic literature spanning the 10th to 15th centuries. This corpus includes over 5,000 citations from hundreds of books authored by approximately 140 Rabbinic scholars from six diverse geographic communities. We found that most of the authors and communities cite many more external resources from other communities than their own reflecting a willingness to engage with a diverse range of viewpoints. A more in-depth analysis based on the novel proportional diversity measures unveils more intriguing insights. Contrary to expectations, communities with the greatest number of external citations, such as Spain and Ashkenaz, surprisingly exhibit lower levels of viewpoint plurality compared to others, such as Italy and North Africa, elucidating a key finding of the study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a meta-analysis of 29 studies run using the Mind Genomics approach to quantify how respondents react to messaging and how their reaction impacts decision-making in social psychology experimental research areas. The Mind Genomics studies used were performed during the 2020-2022 period in the USA, Italy, Spain, Albania, and other countries of the Mediterranean basin. The paper focuses on identifying gender differences in response time and evaluations of messages on different topics calculated by the Mind Genomics-Artificial Intelligence system. Further, the meta-analysis results are based on Kahneman's (2011) study results. The study's general result demonstrates that male and female participants' thinking is intuitive, automatic, and emotionally oriented. The study also confirms that the gender's response time does not affect the results of the experiment. In addition, is argued that genderbased perceptions differ according to the topic and are considered relevant in decision-making on some topics. These study results can be used to predict the experiment's results for new participants without having them repeat the entire experimental procedure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of the study was to perform dimensional, morpho-structural, mechanical and chemical characterization of four materials based on paper currently in use in Romania (RO), Italy (IT), Spain (SP) and Slovenia (SLO) designed for the temporarily wrapping of meat. SEM-EDXS, FTIR and DSC showed that RO is laminated on one side with polyethylene, SP is waxed, IT is modified with a multilayered polyethylene film and SLO is coated with hydrophobized starch. RO, IT and SLO comply with the standards of determination of density, roughness, breaking length and bending resistance. The highest content of metals found in the SP explains the highest electrical conductivity and the poor quality of the recycled material used for manufacturing. The highest values of total dissolved solids (TDS) and chemical oxygen demand (COD) resulted for SP sample expressed its water solubility and availability of migration into foodstuff. RO, IT and SLO are suitable for food packaging. In contrast, SP do not meet the requirements for safety and mechanical resistance. [Display omitted] • Characterization of four types of materials based on paper. • RO, IT-single-face coated with PE, SP-double-side waxed, SLO-coated with starch. • RO, IT, SLO comply the standards of mechanical resistance and are suitable for food packaging. • SP do not meet the requirements for safety and mechanical resistance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The tension between the equality of citizens and the autonomy of regions continues to be a topic of debate in decentralised states. In this context, the clauses that allow the central government to interfere in jurisdictions that are not its own in order to achieve certain objectives (equal rights and duties, the essential level of benefits, or uniformity in living conditions) are still unclear elements that can disrupt the system of distribution of powers as a whole. This article analyses this problem in Spain, Italy and Germany, with a special focus on the confusion caused by Article 149.1.1 of the Spanish Constitution (CE in Spanish) in our system: both in relation to its overlap with other jurisdictions and its abuse. Therefore, this paper reviews the use of Article 149.1.1.1 CE, accompanied by the Constitutional Court’s interpretation of it and concludes with some guidelines for its current application. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explains the logic for using the concept of gender-related violence (GRV) as a broad category that problematises homophobia, transphobia and the policing of gender norms and the gender binary, as well as gender-based violence—understood as primarily violence against women and girls (VAWG). It then evaluates the utility of this concept and its capacity to introduce theoretical refinement to the study of gendered violence, by reviewing its reception within a large international feminist project on gendered violence in the lives of children and young people. The aim of this study was to improve knowledge and understanding of forms of violence and discrimination among practitioners who have everyday contact with general populations of children and young people. It sought to improve their ability to identify and challenge sexist, sexualising, homophobic or transphobic language or behaviour, and their knowledge of how and when to refer children and young people to appropriate support. The paper reports my view of the contribution that the concept of gender-related violence made in each of the four project sites: Ireland, Italy, Spain and the UK. The findings are mixed: in Spain and the UK the concept seemed helpful, but in Italy and Ireland it was initially expected to be helpful but, in practice, a conceptualisation closer to gender-based violence plus homophobia was employed. It is tentatively concluded that where LGBTQIA+ rights were well-established as well as the problematisation of VAWG, this framework was successful, but that it was less successful in more heteronormative sites where homophobia was less problematised. It is suggested that, as a concept, GRV can make a valuable intervention in sites like the former. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper assesses the impact of uncertainty on income and wealth inequality in Germany, France, Italy and Spain. For that purpose, mixed-frequency SVAR models are used. The results show that uncertainty shocks lead to heterogeneous responses across countries. A positive uncertainty shock increases income inequality in Spain, but reduces it in Germany and France. In the case of wealth, the response is statistically significant only in Spain and Italy, where an increase in inequality is experienced. Overall, these results highlight the important role of macroeconomic stabilisation policies in situations of high uncertainty. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Children and young people who come into conflict with the law tend to be disengaged with education and learning. This paper reports on research from an EU Erasmus+ project in Spain, Italy, Germany and the UK. The research focused on the impact of Authentic Inquiry (AI) on learners in custodial or youth justice settings and the impact on educators and their pedagogy. Quantitative data (from 82 educators and 73 young people), demonstrated the young people could be re-engaged with education and learning as evidenced in the change in Learning Power profiles. Qualitative data (from 16 educators and 14 young people) showed the greatest impact to be on the emotional component of engagement. The AI had an impact xon educators as learners by improved Learning Power profiles and on their pedagogical approach. Ways to embed the approach into education in youth justice settings in the different country contexts are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The increase in irrigated crop areas, especially in countries such as Spain and Italy, has led to an increase in technological solutions for monitoring the irrigation. Furthermore, the centre pivot irrigation systems used in these crops have facilitated the daily work of farmers in recent years, however, the monitoring of these systems and the reporting of problems in their operation has become a key aspect during the growing season. For this reason, different monitoring solutions have been proposed from the area of Precision Agriculture and Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs). Nevertheless, it is necessary that these solutions take into account the digital divide their potential users may suffer and be low-cost solutions in order to be attractive to the end-users. This paper presents several low-cost solutions using novel user interfaces and wireless communication technologies for the monitoring of this type of irrigation systems. This paper presents the results obtained after the deployment of the proposed systems on a real environment and the main conclusions drawn after their use in irrigated maize crops. • LoRaWAN and GPS allow affordable monitoring systems for centre pivot irrigation. • Chatbots and voice assistants help to avoid the digital divide. • Edge Computing Devices and LPWANs enable new AMR solutions for water meters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This paper aims to test the existence of the so-called industrial district effect on innovation (iMID effect) in Spain and Italy and to compare the intensity of this effect between both countries. There is previous evidence of this effect for Spain, although, to the best of the authors' knowledge, it has never been measured for Italy. Design/methodology/approach: Innovation intensity by local production system is measured using patents per million employees and analysed using the mean, the median, 3D maps and statistical tests. Findings: Industrial districts generate between a third and a quarter of all technological innovations in Spain and Italy. The evidence about the district effect in innovation in Spain is consistent with previous studies. The novelty is that there is also evidence of this effect for Italy and its intensity is higher than for Spain. Almost one-half of the industrial districts fit in the most innovative quartile of local production systems, and they are located in the most innovative part of each country. Research limitations/implications: Limitations of this study include minor database issues. Implications include new focus on the general relevance of industrial districts as highly innovative local production systems and top innovators. Practical implications: Reorientation of territorial and innovation policies. Social implications: Effect on development and well-being through technical progress. Originality/value: This article provides, for the first time, to the best of the authors' knowledge, a measurement of the industrial district effect on innovation in Italy. The paper compares the results between Spain and Italy and allows for generalization of previous evidence, concluding that highly innovative industrial districts are not "rare diamonds", revealing as an alternative and an extraordinarily powerful place-based innovation model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Early access programs (EAPs) generally refer to patient access to medicines/indications before marketing authorization, possibly extended to price and reimbursement approval. These programs include compassionate use, which is usually covered by pharmaceutical companies, and EAPs reimbursed by third-party payers. This paper aims at comparing EAPs in four European countries (France, Italy, Spain, UK) and providing empirical evidence on EAPs in Italy. The comparative analysis was conducted through a literature review (including scientific and grey literature), complemented by 30-min semi-structured interviews with local experts. The Italian empirical analysis employed data available on the National Medicines Agency website. Although EAPs are very different across countries, they exhibit some common features: (i) eligibility criteria refer to the absence of valid therapeutic alternatives and a presumed favourable risk–benefit profile; (ii) payers do not allocate a pre-determined budget to these programs; (iii) total spending on EAPs is unknown. The French EAPs seem to be the most structured, financed through social insurance, covering pre-marketing, post-marketing and pre-reimbursement phases and providing for data collection. Italy's approach to EAPs has been varied, with several programs covered by different payers, including the cohort-based 648 List (for both early access and off-label use), the nominal-based 5% Fund, and Compassionate Use. Most applications to EAPs are from the Antineoplastic and immunomodulating drug class (ATC L). Some 62% of indications in the 648 List are either not under clinical development or have never been approved (pure off-label use). For those subsequently approved, most approved indications coincide with those covered through EAPs. Only the 5% Fund provides data on economic impact (€ 81.2 million in 2021; average cost per patient € 61.5K). Diverse EAPs are a possible source of inequalities in access to medicines across Europe. A harmonization of these programs, though difficult to achieve, could be modelled on the French EAPs and provide key advantages, not least of which a common effort to collect real-world data in parallel with clinical trials and clear separation between EAPs and off-label use programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To establish pan-European consensus on tapering and discontinuing thrombopoietin receptor agonists (TPO-RAs) in patients with immune thrombocytopenia (ITP), we applied a three-step Delphi technique consisting of a one-to-one interview round and two online survey rounds. Three healthcare professionals (HCPs) from Italy, Spain, and the United Kingdom formed the Steering Committee (SC), which advised on study design, panelist selection, and survey development. A literature review also informed the development of the consensus statements. Likert scales were used to collect quantitative data on panelists' level of agreement. Twelve hematologists representing nine European countries assessed 121 statements spanning three categories: (1) patient selection; (2) tapering and discontinuation strategies; (3) post-discontinuation management. Consensus was reached on approximately half of the statements in each category (32.2%; 44.6%; 66%). Panelists agreed on patients' main selection criteria, patients' involvement in decision-making, tapering strategies, and follow-up criteria. Areas not reaching consensus were risk factors and predictors of successful discontinuation, monitoring intervals, and rates of successful discontinuation or relapse. This lack of consensus signals knowledge and practice gaps among European countries and suggests the need for the development of clinical practice guidelines that outline a pan-European, evidence-based approach to tapering and discontinuing TPO-RAs. Immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) is a condition that may cause extensive bruising and excessive bleeding. Another sign is a pattern of small reddish-purple dots resembling a rash. ITP is treated with a class of medications known as thrombopoietin receptor agonists (TPO-RAs), which include eltrombopag, avatrombopag, and romiplostim. Sometimes the beneficial effects of the medication last even after the patient stops taking it, which means that some patients can be tapered off it. This paper presents the results of a Delphi panel—a method of research that gathers insights from experts—about tapering and discontinuing TPO-RAs. There were 12 physicians from nine European countries on the Delphi panel, all practicing hematologists with expertise in tapering and discontinuing TPO-RAs in patients with ITP. Panelists were presented with a total of 130 statements over three survey rounds. At the end of Round Three, 52 statements (40%) achieved consensus (response pattern of ≥80% "Agree"), and six statements (4.6%) achieved dissensus (response pattern of ≥80% "Disagree"). Consensus was achieved on the appropriateness of tapering the dose of the TPO-RA for two to three months prior to attempting discontinuation. The panel also reached consensus on considering tapering in a slower fashion (six to 12 months) for patients showing suboptimal response to TPO-RAs. More than half the survey's statements did not achieve consensus or dissensus. This signals that knowledge gaps exist and highlights the importance of conducting prospective, real-world evidence studies to identify best practices and develop pan-European guidelines for tapering and discontinuing TPO-RAs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• We test for Granger causality in mean and quantiles between wage share and capacity utilization in developed countries. • We employ confidence intervals generated by bootstrap and the Wald test for joint significance. • Capacity utilization positively Granger causes the wage share in eight countries at the center, lower and upper tails. • The positive Granger causal effect of capacity utilization is strong, heterogeneous, and larger for extreme quantiles. • The wage share negatively Granger causes capacity utilization in all quantiles in Spain and above the median in Italy. This paper tests for Granger causality in quantiles between the wage share and capacity utilization in twelve developed countries using annual data ranging from 1960 to 2019. Instead of focusing only on the conditional mean, we test for Granger causality in the entire conditional distribution of the variables of interest. This method detects Granger causal dynamic relations in both the mean and the whole conditional distribution using bootstrap confidence intervals and the Wald test. Our results indicate that capacity utilization positively affects the wage share in eight out of the twelve sample countries. This Granger causal effect is strong and heterogeneous across quantiles, being larger for more extreme quantiles. Capacity utilization positively Granger causes the wage share in all conditional quantiles in the U.S., Sweden, and Italy. Meanwhile, the wage share negatively Granger causes capacity utilization in all conditional quantiles in Spain and in some quantiles above the median in Italy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to describe and discuss the significance of the social policy measures implemented in Southern European countries—Greece, Italy, Portugal and Spain—in response to the first wave of COVID‐19. Our analysis covers interventions from 1 March to June 30, 2020. Despite significant differences in how the COVID‐19 pandemic spread—with Italy and Spain experiencing much higher rates of infection and lethality—Southern European economies are among the most hard‐hit—and are likely to find themselves in the eye of the storm, once more. The paper shows that despite differences in how countries have countered the spread of COVID‐19, there are important commonalities in the actions governments took to counteract the economic impact of the pandemic. Foremost efforts were directed at wage subsidy schemes to contain mass job destruction, additional temporary benefits to compensate self‐employed and other non‐standard workers for the loss of earnings; the expansion of unemployment insurance; and finally, the introduction and/or strengthening of schemes to provide support to families with care responsibilities. The scale of the social policy and employment protection response has nevertheless been constrained by the fiscal position of each individual country in the post‐Euro crisis context. We argue that, in the long run, the response capacity of these governments and the social and economic consequences of this crisis will need to be contextualised against the backdrop of the deep and prolonged impact of austerity‐driven measures on public budgets, production and welfare regimes over the last decade. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The spread of COVID-19 implied a large and fast increase of demand for intensive care services. To face this increase in demand, health care systems need to adapt their response by increasing hospital beds, intensive care unit (ICU) capacity and by (re-)deploying doctors and other personnel. This paper proposes a forecast approach based on the Vector Error Correction model for the daily counts of hospitalized patients with symptoms and of patients in ICU, using publicly available data on the current COVID-19 outbreak in Italy, Switzerland and Spain. The level of analysis is the local government managing the health care system response, which corresponds to regions for Italy. The one-week-ahead forecasts are validated with out-of-sample data over successive weeks; they are found to provide timely and robust prediction of ICU capacity needs in Lombardy, the most-affected Italian region, starting from the sample of the first 2 weeks of data. The same methodology is successfully validated on other Italian regions, Switzerland and Spain. This approach may be used in other countries/regions/provinces to help adapt the health care system response to COVID-19 (or other similar disease); for this purpose, the open-source software code to produce the forecasts is provided with the paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

SUMMARY: Advances in olive oil research have blossomed in recent years, and articles on olive oil have been widely recorded. However, a comprehensive and systematic bibliometric analysis of olive oil research has not been completed. Through a systematic literature search, we consolidated 7003 papers from the Web of Science Core Collection database. This bibliometric analysis was carried out to examine the article growth, geographical distribution, and analysis of journals/research areas/authors/keywords. The results revealed the following: (1) Exponential growth was shown in the annual number of publications (R2 = 0.9791). The geographical distribution is biased to a few countries, especially Spain, Italy, and Greece in the Mediterranean region, placing a larger focus on olive oil research. (2) Quality analysis‐related research acted as a link between keyword groups, the disease prevention and treatment‐related research of olive oil received decreasing interest, while authentication and quality analysis‐related research of olive oil showed the opposite trend, by‐products‐related research of olive oil got waving interests over the whole period. (3) Improvement is needed in the degree of olive oil with international collaboration. This is the first time that hotspots and trends in olive oil research have been shown. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Changes in productivity of small and large firms of automotive industry are analyzed. • The 2008-09 crisis impacted on productivity by reducing technological progress. • The consequences of the crisis were more severe for SMEs. • Suitable policies may be based on environmental regulation, incentive schemes and support to R&D investments. This paper analyzes the changes in productivity of small and large firms operating in the automotive industry in France, Italy and Spain, occurred during the pre-crisis (2001-2008) and post-crisis (2009-2014) periods. To this aim, the Malmquist index as a measure of total factor productivity (TFP) variation is computed, by using the non-parametric technique DEA, integrated by a bootstrap technique proposed by Simar and Wilson (1999). The analysis allows distinguishing among different possible sources of TFP changes, i.e. pure technical efficiency change, scale efficiency change and technological change. The latter comes up to be the main channel through which the global crisis negatively impacted on productivity, presumably by hampering the primary engines of technological change, i.e. research, innovation and investment through reduced availability of financial resources for SMEs, worsened perspectives for firm growth and greater concentration in selected geographical areas of investments by parent companies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present paper deals with the numerical solution for a general form of a system of nonlinear Volterra delay integro-differential equations (VDIDEs). The main purpose of this work is to provide a current numerical method based on the use of continuous collocation Taylor polynomials for the numerical solution of nonlinear VDIDEs systems. It is shown that this method is convergent. Numerical results will be presented to prove the validity and effectiveness of this convergent algorithm. We apply models to the COVID-19 epidemic in China, Spain, and Italy and one for the Predator–Prey model in mathematical ecology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since 1990, an irregular migration industry has flourished in different cities of Indian Punjab because of the eagerness among young men to emigrate at any cost and increased border controls imposed by the European Union. In Europe, the majority of irregular immigrants from Punjab end up in Spain or Italy due to continuous regularisation programmes, support from social networks and the availability of informal jobs. In this paper, with a thematic analysis of 72 in-depth interviews with irregular immigrants from Punjab in Italy or Spain, their relatives in Punjab and members of the host community, this paper explores the main causes and consequences of Punjabi irregular immigration in Italy and Spain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper shows that the role of national electoral dynamics on regional elections is highly mediated by institutional and electoral constraints at the regional level. Using data on statewide parties' electoral competition in regional and national elections in Spain and Italy, results show that the contamination of regional elections is lower in regions where decentralization has travelled further and where strong regionalist parties dominate electoral competition. The paper also shows that these two channels -more regional authority and more regionalist competition- shape the regional manifestos of statewide parties by increasing their pro-regional positions. These findings represent a contribution to a better understanding of the extent to which regional elections are a separate electoral arena from the national one. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper shows that the role of national electoral dynamics on regional elections is highly mediated by institutional and electoral constraints at the regional level. Using data on statewide parties' electoral competition in regional and national elections in Spain and Italy, results show that the contamination of regional elections is lower in regions where decentralization has travelled further and where strong regionalist parties dominate electoral competition. The paper also shows that these two channels -more regional authority and more regionalist competition- shape the regional manifestos of statewide parties by increasing their pro-regional positions. These findings represent a contribution to a better understanding of the extent to which regional elections are a separate electoral arena from the national one. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19) has broken out worldwide. Up to Apr.21,2020, more than 2.45 million confirmed cases have been diagnosed, and more than 0.17 million deaths have been reported. Based on the development process of China’s epidemic, this paper proposes an improved discrete time multi-stage time-delay dynamic model to extract the transmission characteristics of epidemic, the impact of prevention and control interventions (prevention and control intervention effect) and the impact of medical resource availability, and establishes an empirical transmission dynamics method of COVID 19 analysis. Among them, the experience extraction is based on the model and the epidemic data released by World Health Organization(WHO）， and realized by parameter inversion. Furthermore, by using the proposed method, this paper analyzes the epidemic stages in Italy, Spain, Germany and the United States, predicts the possible trend of epidemic situation in different countries under different measures, and gives suggestions on rapid control. Analysis results show that the China’s epidemic has been basically controlled, Spain, Germany and Italy have reached the peak, and the United States is in a rapid growth period. According to the empirical transfer dynamics method, Spain, Germany and Italy should continue to adhere to the current prevention and control intervention mode, and the United States should intensify the efforts of prevention and control and make the epidemic enter the controllable stage as soon as possible. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we discuss the growth potential of clusters and industrial districts (CIDs) in international markets. Over the past two decades, CIDs have gone under increasing competitive pressure while markets have progressively globalized. Lead companies, either foreign or home-grown multinationals, have globalized their operations while often reducing their commitment (e.g. investments) within CIDs. As a result, a number of second, third and fourth-tier suppliers disconnect from global value chains coordinated by lead companies, leaving the cluster fractured and jeopardizing local development prospects. Only a few firms in the CID cope with globalization. This situation represents a challenge that CIDs need to take on. In this paper, we inquire about the importance of two factors that may represent crucial conditions for the upgrading of CIDs within global markets. The long-term commitment of lead companies with the local economy, together with the dense interaction between the regional innovation system and the lead companies and their new global innovation network, are found to be crucial elements for the resilience of CIDs and their small firms. A few successful CIDs are considered vis-à-vis others that face higher risks of internal fracture. Relevant cases in Spain, Italy, and Costa Rica are analysed here. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

European countries struggled to fight against the second and the third waves of the COVID-19 pandemic, as the Test-Trace-Isolate (TTI) strategy widely adopted over the summer and early fall 2020 failed to contain the spread of the disease effectively. This paper sheds light on the effectiveness of such a strategy in two European countries (Spain and Italy) by analysing data from June to December 2020, collected via a large-scale online citizen survey with 95,251 and 43,393 answers in Spain and Italy, respectively. Our analysis describes several weaknesses in each of the three pillars of the TTI strategy: Test, Trace, and Isolate. We find that 40% of respondents had to wait more than 48 hours to obtain coronavirus tests results, while literature has shown that a delay of more than one day might make tracing all cases inefficient. We also identify limitations in the manual contact tracing capabilities in both countries, as only 29% of respondents in close contact with a confirmed infected individual reported having been contact traced. Moreover, our analysis shows that more than 45% of respondents report being unable to self-isolate if needed. We also analyse the mitigation strategies deployed to contain the second wave of coronavirus. We find that these interventions were particularly effective in Italy, where close contacts were reduced by more than 20% in the general population. Finally, we analyse the participants' perceptions about the coronavirus risk associated with different daily activities. We observe that they are often gender- and age-dependent, and not aligned with the actual risk identified by the literature. This finding emphasises the importance of deploying public-health communication campaigns to debunk misconceptions about SARS-CoV-2. Overall, our work illustrates the value of online citizen surveys to quickly and efficiently collect large-scale population data to support and evaluate policy decisions to combat the spread of infectious diseases, such as coronavirus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The three European countries included in the northwest littoral of the Mediterranean region – Italy, France and Spain – reported their first cases of the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus early in 2020. The subsequent epidemic strongly impacted these countries, challenging the healthcare systems efficiency, and the capacity and transparency of their public statistics structures. Because public statistics were not fully adapted to such a new health situation, the available official data could not wholly describe the epidemic correctly. This paper developed an indicator derived from the prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 aiming to describe the time and spatial dynamics of the epidemic. Although the analysis was not applied to France due to the lack of data available, the comparative analysis among Spain and Italy highlighted some similarities and certain divergences, partially attributable to the features of each country‘s national demographic patterns and the peculiarities of applied health protocols. Finally, mortality during the first wave of the epidemic has been analysed for the three countries, demonstrating higher mortality index in Spain, although the reported number of SARS-CoV-2 declared deaths does not explain a portion of this mortality excess. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims at providing insights on the role of non-verbal communication (NVC) in classroom by examining the relationship between teacher NVC cues and student behavior. Student behavior is considered in terms of perceptions of the match between the teacher and the student self-concept (i.e. self-image congruence), attention, and learning. Hypotheses are tested on a sample of students coming from Spain and Italy. Findings indicate that the student self-concept has the strongest relationship with teacher personal appearance, attention with paralinguistics, and learning with kinesics. Some differences are found in the strength of the examined relationships between Spanish and Italian students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) is a viral disease which is declared as a pandemic by WHO. This disease is posing a global threat, and almost every country in the world is now affected by this disease. Currently, there is no vaccine for this disease, and because of this, containing COVID‐19 is not an easy task. It is noticed that elderly people got severely affected by this disease specially in Europe. In the present paper, we propose and analyze a mathematical model for COVID‐19 virus transmission by dividing whole population in old and young groups. We find disease‐free equilibrium and the basic reproduction number (R0). We estimate the parameter corresponding to rate of transmission and rate of detection of COVID‐19 using real data from Italy and Spain by least square method. We also perform sensitivity analysis to identify the key parameters which influence the basic reproduction number and hence regulate the transmission dynamics of COVID‐19. Finally, we extend our proposed model to optimal control problem to explore the best cost‐effective and time‐dependent control strategies that can reduce the number of infectives in a specified interval of time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Opposition responsibility is a neglected field, and if at all noticed, opposition parties are often placed in the irresponsibility frame. The purpose of our paper is to examine to what extent, under which conditions, and in which ways opposition parties can be considered to act responsibly. This article will develop the concept of opposition responsibility and test the expectations in the behaviour of opposition parties in three countries: Hungary, Italy and Spain. The analysis highlights that opposition responsibility exceeds—although does not exclude—policy making and scrutiny activities as it has broader implications. We shall regard the opposition's general performance and their political system-related behaviour as components of responsibility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The greater challenge that researchers address and indicate while investigating about photovoltaic (PV) system failures during their Operation and Maintenance (O&M) is the lack of accessible reliable real quantitative data. For this reason, several publications have focused on this problem through a qualitative approach. However, this fact is one of the greater strengths of this paper, in which the quantitative information from the historical data of sixty-three PV plants portfolio in Italy and Spain has been accessible. Results obtained from the research provide essential information for main players involved in PV plants to identify failure modes and rates, in order to reduce investment risk and to focus their maintenance efforts on preventing those failures, improving longevity and performance of PV plants. The paper presents failure rates per PV Site and per kW, considering all portfolio and dividing it regarding five PV plants groups per size, distribution of failures per element, Mean Time Between Failures (MTBF), reparation times per affected element and the main failures modes examining each of the almost 100,000 complete alarms registered during the five years analyzed. • Failure rates and modes analysis of photovoltaic plants.. • Historical failures data and photovoltaic operators' perspective analysis.. • Review of failures frequencies in photovoltaic plants.. • Photovoltaic failure rates for its application in FMEA analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This paper aims to know the dimension and scope that research on the district effect has had in the literature about industrial districts, as well as to shed some light on the connection between industrial districts and business results; or expressed differently, on how being located in an industrial district or not affects or might influence the performance of the firms located therein. Design/methodology/approach: The purpose of this paper has been achieved through an exhaustive review of the empirical literature dedicated to the so-called district effect. The papers selected in the analysis were selected on the basis of the following criteria: (1) publications in scientific journals; (2) studies carried out in Spain and Italy; and (3) works published between 1994 and 2017. Findings: The outcome of the literature review suggests, on the one hand, that the debate on the extent to which the territory influences the competitiveness of firms located in industrial districts still remains a topic of great interest. It can additionally be observed that most of the works dedicated to measuring the district effect have done so using three dimensions: (1) productivity/efficiency; (2) international competitiveness; and (3) innovation. Practical implications: From a theoretical perspective, the findings of this paper make it possible to carry out an integrating proposal for the measurement of the district effect which revolves around three dimensions (productivity/efficiency; international competitiveness; and innovation). Originality/value: This paper makes a twofold contribution to the literature: (i) it brings together the most important empirical contributions that measure the competitive advantages obtained by firms located in industrial districts through the district effect; and (ii) it theoretically and empirically establishes the essential dimensions of that effect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since European Union (EU) enlargement in 2003, labour migration from East to West and South to North has increased. It is to be expected that a share of these workers will want to retire in their host countries. According to the academic literature, EU legislation protects such mobility well by allowing the transfer of rights accrued in any EU country to another. However, such research has focused on legislation, not outcomes. We know little about how migration will affect the financial status of retired migrants in their host country and their ability to sustain a life there, should they stay after retirement. Using migration, wage and pension policy data (Eurostat, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development), this paper projects the post-retirement incomes of a range of hypothetical EU migrants, selected in relation to the most common migratory flows since 2003. After having worked in their home countries (Romania, Poland, Bulgaria, Italy) for at least ten years, these people move to richer countries (Italy, Spain, Germany, United Kingdom) and work there for at least 30 years. To determine whether they can remain settled after decades of labour force participation in the host country, the paper adds their pension entitlements from home and host countries and compares this income with the relative poverty line of the host countries. This shows that good portability of entitlements matters little when these are very low because of a large wage gap between home and host country. Thus, after at least 30 years of enjoying all citizenship rights as workers, most of these individuals are projected to receive incomes below the relative poverty line of their host countries and thus experience a sharp drop in this status. Their citizenship is diminished. The paper concludes by considering policies that could avoid such an outcome. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The main purpose of this paper is to demonstrate the existence of an Italian interest in Latin American culture under fascist dictatorship. Having given rise to an increasing dissemination of Hispanic culture in Italy, cultural relations between Italy, Spain, and Latin America in the 20s and 30s will be examined. During that period, there was a very strong ideological affinity between Italy and Spain, which explains why the Italian government promoted Spanish-language literature more than others did. Even so, studies show that the spread of Hispanic editorial production in Italy was probably due to accidental meetings between publishers and not to a clear governmental policy. As for Hispano-American literature, the name Mario Puccini stands out as one who helped make modernist writers (such as Rufino Blanco Fombona and Amado Nervo) known in Italy. Accordingly, the essay's main objective is to focus on his professional activity in order to better understand which was the starting point for members of Cristoforo Colombo Institute (1923-1935), the only Italian government body responsible for the promotion of Hispanic culture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to analyze, from a comparative perspective, the main elements of the discipline on the use of algorithms within administrative procedures developed by the national lawmakers of France, Spain and Italy. Furthermore, the article intends to verify, on the basis of the principle of good administration, the existence of a minimum core of guarantees addressed to the citizen who is the recipient of an automated decision. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has spread rapidly across the world in a short period of time and with a heterogeneous pattern. Understanding the underlying temporal and spatial dynamics in the spread of COVID-19 can result in informed and timely public health policies. In this paper, we use a spatio-temporal stochastic model to explain the temporal and spatial variations in the daily number of new confirmed cases in Spain, Italy and Germany from late February 2020 to mid January 2021. Using a hierarchical Bayesian framework, we found that the temporal trends of the epidemic in the three countries rapidly reached their peaks and slowly started to decline at the beginning of April and then increased and reached their second maximum in the middle of November. However decline and increase of the temporal trend seems to show different patterns in Spain, Italy and Germany. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The novel coronavirus (COVID-19) that was first reported at the end of 2019 has impacted almost every aspect of life as we know it. This paper focuses on the incidence of the disease in Italy and Spain—two of the first and most affected European countries. Using two simple mathematical epidemiological models—the Susceptible-Infectious-Recovered model and the log-linear regression model, we model the daily and cumulative incidence of COVID-19 in the two countries during the early stage of the outbreak, and compute estimates for basic measures of the infectiousness of the disease including the basic reproduction number, growth rate, and doubling time. Estimates of the basic reproduction number were found to be larger than 1 in both countries, with values being between 2 and 3 for Italy, and 2.5 and 4 for Spain. Estimates were also computed for the more dynamic effective reproduction number, which showed that since the first cases were confirmed in the respective countries the severity has generally been decreasing. The predictive ability of the log-linear regression model was found to give a better fit and simple estimates of the daily incidence for both countries were computed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper studies the social and economic responses to the COVID-19 pandemic in a large sample of countries. I stress, in particular, the importance of countries' interconnections to understand the spread of the virus. I estimate a global VAR model and exploit a dataset on existing social connections across country borders. I show that social networks help explain not only the spread of the disease but also cross-country spillovers in perceptions about coronavirus risk and in social distancing behavior. In the early phases of the pandemic, perceptions of coronavirus risk in most countries are affected by pandemic shocks originating in Italy. Later, the USA, Spain, and the UK play sizable roles. Social distancing responses to domestic and global health shocks are heterogeneous; however, they almost always exhibit delays and sluggish adjustments. Unemployment responses vary widely across countries. Unemployment is particularly responsive to health shocks in the USA and Spain, while unemployment fluctuFations are attenuated almost everywhere else. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates the possibility of the implementation of Genetic Programming (GP) algorithm on a publicly available COVID-19 data set, in order to obtain mathematical models which could be used for estimation of confirmed, deceased, and recovered cases and the estimation of epidemiology curve for specific countries, with a high number of cases, such as China, Italy, Spain, and USA and as well as on the global scale. The conducted investigation shows that the best mathematical models produced for estimating confirmed and deceased cases achieved R2 scores of 0.999, while the models developed for estimation of recovered cases achieved the R2 score of 0.998. The equations generated for confirmed, deceased, and recovered cases were combined in order to estimate the epidemiology curve of specific countries and on the global scale. The estimated epidemiology curve for each country obtained from these equations is almost identical to the real data contained within the data set [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mismatches between forecasted and actual costs and traffic figures are common in transport investments, especially in large scale ones, and so are delusions of the future demand. High-speed rail projects are often among the worst practices for cost overruns and demand overestimation, even where traffic figures may tell a history of apparent success. In the paper, we analyse two significant cases of delusions of success , namely the Italian and Spanish HSR programmes. The Italian one shows excellent demand performances, but is among the continent's worst cases for construction costs. The Spanish one, recognised worldwide as one of the most successful outcomes of HS policy, is the one where potential demand estimations were systematically neglected, and the planned network appears largely out-of-scale compared to actual traffic. In both cases, the forecasts were not simply biased, as well-known literature on megaproject failures has clearly shown: Italian lines were deliberately designed to increase the cost, and the Spanish network was deliberately planned out-of-scale. By means of the two cases, the paper will show that the core of the problem does not lie in the wrong estimations, but in deliberate choices of overinvestment, overdesign and overquality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Feasibility of estimating pertussis vaccination covering using 7 European healthcare databases. • The majority of children were vaccinated at the recommended age of vaccination. • Two estimation methods provided comparable coverage estimates. • Benchmarking using national coverage estimates showed comparable results. • The approached used provided reliable estimates for pertussis vaccination coverage. The Accelerated Development of VAccine beNefit-risk Collaboration in Europe (ADVANCE) is a public-private collaboration aiming to develop and test a system for rapid benefit-risk (B/R) monitoring of vaccines, using existing healthcare databases in Europe. The objective of this paper was to assess the feasibility of using electronic healthcare databases to estimate dose-specific acellular pertussis (aP) and whole cell pertussis (wP) vaccine coverage. Seven electronic healthcare databases in four European countries (Denmark (n = 2), UK (n = 2), Spain (n = 2) and Italy (n = 1)) participated in this study. Children were included from birth and followed up to age six years. Vaccination exposure was obtained from the databases and classified by type (aP or wP), and dose 1, 2 or 3. Coverage was estimated using period prevalence. For the 2006 birth cohort, two estimation methods for pertussis vaccine coverage, period prevalence and cumulative incidence were compared for each database. The majority of the 2,575,576 children included had been vaccinated at the country-specific recommended ages. Overall, the estimated dose 3 coverage was 88–97% in Denmark (birth cohorts from 2003 to 2014), 96–100% in the UK (2003–2014), 95–98% in Spain (2004–2014) and 94% in Italy (2006–2007). The estimated dose 3 coverage per birth cohort in Denmark and the UK differed by 1–6% compared with national estimates, with our estimates mostly higher. The estimated dose 3 coverage in Spain differed by 0–2% with no consistent over- or underestimation. In Italy, the estimates were 3% lower compared with the national estimates. Except for Italy, for which the two coverage estimation methods generated the same results, the estimated cumulative incidence coverages were consistently 1–10% lower than period prevalence estimates. This study showed that it was possible to provide consistent estimates of pertussis immunisation coverage from the electronic healthcare databases included, and that the estimates were comparable with the national estimates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Civil law jurisdictions have more than others effectively resisted the commodification of gestation capacities, relying on the old Roman aphorism mater semper certa est ('it is always certain who the mother is'). Faced with the complexities of stratified reproduction [Anagnost, A., 2004. Maternal labor in transnational circuits. In: J. S. Taylor, L. L. Layne, and D. F. Wozniak, eds. Consuming motherhood. New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers University Press, 139–167], the mater semper certa est rule allows for the birth mother to be considered as the legal mother. Thus, the gestational model of motherhood, that rules in countries such as Spain, France, and Italy, acts as a deterrent against prospective parents' entering into a surrogacy contract, both domestically as well as at the international level. This paper offers a vindication of the Roman aphorism as a fair principle to protect birth mothers and their children from the abuses of reproductive market forces. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores economic opportunities of Opuntia cultivation in Spain regarding fresh food production (comparing production structures of Mexico, Italy and Spain), cactus pear non-food uses (exploiting its bio-functional, medicinal, nutraceutical and cosmetic properties) and environmental issues related to climate change mitigation through soil carbon sequestration. Cactus pear production structures and costs are different in the three countries: Mexico (939.77 €), Italy (4.055.1 €) and Spain (9453.77 €). Spain does not present a real productive sector but only isolated farms. Opuntia is an interesting opportunity for non-food production due to the amount of its bioactive compounds. Main components (μg g−1 dried weight) are: kaempferol (34), myrcetin (65), isorhamnetin and derivatives (590), luteolin (8.4), ferulic acid and derivatives (1,050), and catechin (50). Obtaining these compounds could be a way of increasing cactus pear production profitability and creating jobs and value in rural areas. Cactus pear cultivation is a successful tool to mitigate climate change in arid and semiarid regions considering adequate farm and cultivation practices and systems. This crop is often located in high rurality areas, cultivated by small and micro-farmers. Cactus pear cultivation can be an effective tool for rural development in European arid and semiarid areas regarding production, job creation and environmental issues. • Opuntia is cultivated by micro-farmers in areas of high rurality. • Cactus pear cultivation could be a success to mitigate climate change in arid regions. • Opuntia can be an effective tool for rural development in European arid regions. • Italy presents a developed Opuntia sector and is the model to be followed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to analyse the determinants of the dynamics of those not in employment, education, or training (NEET) during 2007–2017, focusing primarily on the role played by early school leavers (ESLs). The analysis covers Italy and Spain, because they show the highest levels of NEETs and ESLs in the EU, respectively. The dynamics and causes of NEET status in these two countries are revealed to be similar only in appearance. After the analysis of the theoretical framework for the relationship between NEETs and ESLs, we investigate the NEET composition in terms of inactive and unemployed individuals, and empirically study the relationship between ESLs and NEETs both in terms of the interdependence and dependence of NEETs and ESLs. Furthermore, we study the contemporaneous relationship between NEET and ESL rates in Italy and Spain in terms of correlation. Finally, to understand how ESL status can lead to NEET status, we investigate the dynamic relationship between NEET and ESL rates based on simple regression models of NEET rates on lagged rates of ESLs, as well as on a time-varying correlation model. Results reveal, among other things, that Italy shows a greater ESL influence on NEET rates, especially for men. The main conclusion concerns the need to invest more in education and to adopt measures able to keep more young people in education for a prolonged period. Therefore, particularly in Italy, policymakers should pay more attention to the education system, including aspects linked to the labour market. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to analyse the determinants of the dynamics of those not in employment, education, or training (NEET) during 2007–2017, focusing primarily on the role played by early school leavers (ESLs). The analysis covers Italy and Spain, because they show the highest levels of NEETs and ESLs in the EU, respectively. The dynamics and causes of NEET status in these two countries are revealed to be similar only in appearance. After the analysis of the theoretical framework for the relationship between NEETs and ESLs, we investigate the NEET composition in terms of inactive and unemployed individuals, and empirically study the relationship between ESLs and NEETs both in terms of the interdependence and dependence of NEETs and ESLs. Furthermore, we study the contemporaneous relationship between NEET and ESL rates in Italy and Spain in terms of correlation. Finally, to understand how ESL status can lead to NEET status, we investigate the dynamic relationship between NEET and ESL rates based on simple regression models of NEET rates on lagged rates of ESLs, as well as on a time-varying correlation model. Results reveal, among other things, that Italy shows a greater ESL influence on NEET rates, especially for men. The main conclusion concerns the need to invest more in education and to adopt measures able to keep more young people in education for a prolonged period. Therefore, particularly in Italy, policymakers should pay more attention to the education system, including aspects linked to the labour market. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present paper reports data on the biology of eleven species of tachinid flies collected in Italy and Spain on different host plants and emerged from different host larvae. An annotated list of the eleven species emerged from the collected lepidopterans is provided; information about distribution and biology are given as well as the description of their puparia. Two new parasitoid species of the European Grapevine Moth (EGVM) Lobesia botrana were recorded: Clemelis massilia, whose host preferences were unknown so far, and Neoplectops pomonellae. A list of lepidopteran pest species with their associated plants and tachinid parasitoids is then given in order to highlight the relationships among the three components of the biocenosis (plant, herbivore and parasitoid). Eventually, due to the great economic importance of L. botrana in viticulture, a preliminary identification key to the puparia of its tachinid parasitoids is provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper introduces a multivariate method to identify the middle classes that takes into account income, as a proxy of living standards, with other socio-economic features of individuals. To this aim, we have defined a synthetic indicator that considers scale, dummy and continuous variables. It is based on summarizing the sample information in a matrix data, the rows of which contain the social indicators related to each sample unit. The values of the proposed indicator will be used to identify who belongs to the middle class providing a closer idea about how social classes are formed. Examples for Spain, France and Italy illustrate our methodology. The data used, net equivalent disposable income, occupation and educational level, come from the European Survey of Income and Living Conditions for 2007, 2011 and 2014. The results for the period as a whole reveal that there has been an increase of the middle class but this rise is due mainly to the improvement of education and occupation categories to the detriment of the net equivalent disposable income. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Taking the Spanish case as a departure point, this paper explores a variety of causes for the slowdown in female employment growth in Italy over recent years. The paper analyses the peculiarities of the Italian labour market, with a higher propensity to inactivity than in other countries, as well as the generally low educational levels among the Italian population and the pervasive presence of the black economy. It goes on to examine institutional and political features, such as the organisation of social policies, the political weakness of feminism, the role of the Catholic Church, family networks and the North–South duality (which is particularly extreme with regard to gender equality). The features studied relate to each other in a logic which could account for the divergent paths of the social position of women in Italy and Spain. The article is based in Labour Force and Multiscopo surveys, as well as on interviews with Italian social policy experts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]