Does graduate human capital production increase local economic development? An instrumental variable approach

Using a survey on Italian graduates, we investigate whether universities' degree production affects the economic development of the regions where academic institutions are located. To deal with suspected endogeneity between human capital development and economic growth, we employ an instrumental variable approach, using a global lump sum transferred to each university as an instrument for human capital production. Once we control for the regional flow of mobile students and graduates, the findings reveal the beneficial effect of the university system on local economic development through the gain in human capital.     

Seismic Noise Characteristics at the Romanian Broadband Seismic Network

The noise level of the Romanian broadband stations operating since 2006 has been studied in order to identify the variations in background seismic noise as a function of time of day, season, and particular conditions at the stations. Power spectral densities and their corresponding probability density functions are used in this paper to characterize the background seismic noise. At high frequencies (> 1 Hz), seismic noise seems to have cultural origin, since significant variations (up to 55 dB) between daytime and nighttime noise levels are observed at almost all of the stations. However, this variability appears not to influence the detection capabilities of the Romanian Seismic Network in case of intermediate-depth earthquakes and earthquakes with magnitude over 3.0. For smaller magnitude events (Mw < 3), we showed that the number of stations detecting an event decreases during daytime. We studied the seasonal variation of the seismic noise for primary and secondary microseisms (with emphasize for the latter) and we demonstrated that the noise levels are higher in winter than in summer. We also observed a shift of the double-frequency peak from lower periods in summer to longer periods in winter. The polarization analysis indicated that the main sources of secondary microseisms for stations close to the Black Sea are coming from the Black Sea, while for the others the main sources are found in the Mediterranean Sea and Atlantic Ocean. Finally, the analysis of the probability density functions for stations located in different geologic conditions has pointed out that the noise level is higher for stations sited on softer formations than those sited on hard rocks.     

Research,knowledge transfer,and innovation: The effect of Italian universities’ efficiency on local economic development 2006−2012

We test whether there is a link between the performance of universities, measured through a concept of efficiency, and the economic development of the regions in which they operate. Indicators of teaching, research, and third mission are considered as outputs. To handle endogeneity problems between the efficiency of universities and economic development, a system generalized method of moments and then an instrumental variable approach are used. Our findings reveal that the presence of efficient universities fosters local economic development. Knowledge spillovers occur to areas that are in close geographical proximity to efficient universities. Results are robust to different estimation strategies.     

A bridge in times of confrontation: Italy and Russia in the context of EU and NATO enlargements

Abstract

How might the continuous changes in the standing orders of the Camera dei Deputati between 1861 and 1922 be explained? To answer this question, the text investigates the political events associated with standing order reforms. Two results are emphasized. On the one hand, and contrary to common views, the study shows that the reforms were not casual or episodic, but resulted from different sets of political pressure, internal or external to the parliamentary ambit. This fact, on the other hand, draws attention to the need to go deeper into the question of the institutional evolution of the liberal parliament, chiefly with regard to relations among institutional actors.     

Late Holocene climatic fluctuations and soil genesis in southern Patagonia: effects on the archaeological record

Geoarchaeological research conducted at five localities in southern Patagonia and Tierra del Fuego identified a mollisol within late Holocene aeolian and colluvial deposits associated with archaeological material. The mollisol's origin and development are related to an increase in humidity (c. 1000 BP) following an episode of severe drought during the Medieval Warm Period. Corroborating data is supplied from dendroclimatic and pollen studies. A drastic reduction in frequency of artefact distribution recorded at the sites studied corresponds to this pedologic event, suggesting a greater human presence at these sites during earlier, regional-scale arid conditions. However, the paucity of archaeological remains may also be the result of the low resolution of cultural evidence following the pedologic development due to superimposition over previous archaeological deposits.     

The Land ‘Wars’ in Twenty-First Century Patagonia

A front line report from the struggles between the First Peoples of the Southern Cone and the new extractivist paradigm. A prominent Patagonian journalist and poet reports on privatisation, state repression, and the offshoring of territorial and subsoil rights, as well as ongoing legal cases including the death of Santiago Maldonado and the detention of Facundo Jones Huala. Legacies of the “Conquest of the Desert” and a future Argentina without the far south.     

Intrataxonomic variability in metapodial and femur bone density related to age in guanaco (Lama guanicoe). Zooarchaeological and taphonomical implications

The aim of this paper is to present new information about bone mineral density (BMD) variability in guanaco (Lama guanicoe), a South American wild camelid; while taking into account its ontogenic development. The importance of considering intrataxonomic variability in bone density related to age for constructing zooarchaeological indices and applying them to archaeological assemblages is also discussed. The results presented here were developed from a large sample of 46 metacarpals and 45 femurs of modern guanacos, ranging in age from ca. 6 months of gestation to 12 years. Bone structural densities were measured using a biphotonic X-ray densitometer, DEXA method, Norland EXCELL and the bone mineral content (BMC) of each scanned portion or complete element was divided by its volume, which was obtained independently by water displacement. Our results indicate that the bone density of each anatomical unit is highly variable, even among individuals of the same species. According to metacarpals data, age is an important factor affecting BMD. Moreover, our study shows that the density ranges of different skeletal elements can overlap, suggesting that it is not possible to predict that a certain element is always denser than another one. Finally, we present new evidence about the potential age-related taphonomic bias in faunal assemblages, indicating that meanwhile some skeletal elements show clear differences in their density between their fused and unfused state (metacarpal) other do not (femur).