Search results for " EVALUATION"
showing 10 items of 1458 documents
Multi-method evaluation of denudation rates in small mediterranean catchments
2015
The paper presents the results of the research tasks of the Quantitative Geomorphology Working Group (of the Italian Association of Physical Geography and Geomorphology) focused on multi-method evaluation of denudation rates in small catchments of Italy. Several study areas are compared with the goal of quantifying the morphodynamic evolution in different response times and with traditional and innovative techniques. The final aims are the direct erosion monitoring, the geomorphic analysis for the comprehension of drainage basin morphodynamics, up to the geomorphological hazard evaluation. The catchments are key Mediterranean areas particularly sensitive to climatic and anthropic modificati…
Re-evaluation of moisture sources for the August 2002 extreme rainfall episode in central Europe: Evaporation from falling precipitation included in …
2015
Summary Discriminating moisture sources with precision is an important requirement to better understand the processes involved in extreme rainfall episodes. In a previous contribution by Gangoiti et al. (2011b), an innovative technique was presented to assess surface moisture sources contributing to a target precipitation within a Lagrangian framework. The technique was based in transporting parcels of vapor, representing the target precipitation, across a set of nested grids covering a large area at different resolutions. A mesoscale model estimated the meteorological variables to transport and redistribute the vapor back into its original sources, all of them assumed to be at the surface.…
Evaluation of the cytotoxic effect of 7keto-stigmasterol and 7keto-cholesterol in human intestinal (Caco-2) cells
2012
The biological implications of cholesterol oxidation products have been investigated, though research on plant sterol oxidation products is scarce and in some cases contradictory. The cytotoxicity of 7keto(k)-stigmasterol versus 7keto(k)-cholesterol at different concentrations (0-120 μM) and incubation times (4-24h), in intestinal epithelial cells (Caco-2 cells) was evaluated. The 3-[4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl]-2,3-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide and neutral red uptake tests, mitochondrial membrane potential (ΔΨm), and relative DNA and RNA contents in the cell cycle phases were determined. Possible interaction effects between 7k-derivatives or non-oxidized stigmasterol were monitored. Endo/lysos…
The migrant crisis in the Mediterranean Sea: Empirical evidence on policy interventions
2021
Abstract This paper presents a novel set of empirical evidence to explore several hypotheses regarding the migrant crisis in the Mediterranean Sea. The political instability in transit countries, such as Libya, that made pre-existent repatriation policies ineffective, called for several search-and-rescue operations in the Mediterranean, which in turn have been wrongly accused of fostering illegal immigration and increasing deaths at sea. The empirical results show that the main determinants of the departures are several root causes at the departing African countries, underlining the importance of fighting human smuggling networks. The paper suggests a change in migration studies’ perspectiv…
Impacto económico de las rentas mínimas: la Renta Valenciana de Inclusión
2019
Las Comunidades Autónomas son las principales responsables de la política de asistencia social en España. Recientemente, la Comunidad Valenciana ha reformado su sistema de rentas mínimas, instaurando la denominada Renta Valenciana de Inclusión. En el presente trabajo se calcula el impacto económico de este programa partiendo de una estimación ex-ante del gasto público a realizar. La estimación cuantifica el número de beneficiarios y el coste presupuestario de la medida; y compara estos resultados con las restantes Comunidades Autónomas. La Comunidad Valenciana se situaría entre las regiones españolas con mayor tasa de cobertura y con mayor gasto por habitante en este tipo de políticas. En b…
Economic evaluations of ergonomic interventions preventing work-related musculoskeletal disorders: a systematic review of organizational-level interv…
2017
Background Work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSD) represent a major public health problem and economic burden to employers, workers and health insurance systems. This systematic review had two objectives: (1) to analyze the cost-benefit results of organizational-level ergonomic workplace-based interventions aimed at preventing WMSD, (2) to explore factors related to the implementation process of these interventions (obstacles and facilitating factors) in order to identify whether economic results may be due to a successful or unsuccessful implementation. Methods Systematic review. Studies were searched in eight electronic databases and in reference lists of included studies. Companio…
Effects of different simplified milk recording methods on genetic evaluation with Test-Day animal model
2007
The aims of the present study were to compare estimated breeding values (EBV) for milk yield using different testing schemes with a test-day animal model and to evaluate the effect of different testing schemes on the ranking of top sheep. Alternative recording schemes that use less information than that currently obtained with a monthly test-day schedule were employed to estimate breeding values. A random regression animal mixed model that used a spline function of days in milk was fitted. EBVs obtained with alternative recording schemes showed different degrees of Spearman correlation with EBVs obtained using the monthly recording scheme. These correlations ranged from 0.77 to 0.92. A redu…
Using the Rasch model to assess a University Service on the Basis of Students Opinions
2008
In this paper we use the Rasch model (RM) as a tool to measure the perceived quality of student services at the Reception Office of an Italian university faculty. This paper has both a substantive and a methodological aim. The former is concerned with measuring the service quality of the Reception Office, while the latter concerns the definition and validation of an instrument for measuring perceived quality. The sample comprised 273 students enrolled at the Faculty of Economics at the University of Palermo (Aiello F. Il modello di Rasch per la costruzione di uno strumento di misura della qualit`a di un Servizio. Ph.D. Thesis, University of Palermo, Palermo, 2005). The RM is applied to prod…
Heterocyclic and Phenyl Double-Bond-Locked Combretastatin Analogues Possessing Potent Apoptosis-inducing activity in HL60 and in MDR Cell lines
2005
Two new series of combretastatin (CA-4) analogues have been prepared. The alkenyl motif of CA-4 was replaced either by a five-membered heterocyclic (isoxazoline or isoxazole) or by a six-membered ring (pyridine or benzene). The new compounds have been evaluated for their effects on tubulin assembly and for cytotoxic and apoptotic activities. Five compounds (18b, 20a, 21a, 34b, and 35b) demonstrated an attractive profile of cytotoxicity (IC501 microM) and apoptosis-inducing activity but poor antitubulin activity. The isoxazoline derivatives 18b, 20a, and 21a, demonstrated potent apoptotic activity different from that of natural CA-4. Their ability to block most cells in the G2 phase suggests…
Computational Identification of Chemical Compounds with Potential Activity against Leishmania amazonensis using Nonlinear Machine Learning Techniques.
2019
Leishmaniasis is a poverty-related disease endemic in 98 countries worldwide, with morbidity and mortality increasing daily. All currently used first-line and second-line drugs for the treatment of leishmaniasis exhibit several drawbacks including toxicity, high costs and route of administration. Consequently, the development of new treatments for leishmaniasis is a priority in the field of neglected tropical diseases. The aim of this work is to develop computational models those allow the identification of new chemical compounds with potential anti-leishmanial activity. A data set of 116 organic chemicals, assayed against promastigotes of Leishmania amazonensis, is used to develop the the…