1,395 research outputs found
Towards a grand unified picture for neutrino and quark mixings
The comparison of the CKM mixing angles with the leptonic mixings implied by
the recent atmospheric and solar neutrino data exhibits an interesting
complementarity. This pattern can be understood in the context of the SU(5)
grand unification, assuming that the fermion mass matrices have Fritzsch-like
structures but are not necessarily symmetric. (The present contribution is
based on the paper in ref. \cite{az}.)Comment: Latex file + espcrc2.sty, 5 pages, 3 postscript figures included.
Talk given at the Int. Workshop ``Particles in Astrophysics and Cosmology:
from Theory to Observation'', May 3-8, 1999, Valencia, Spain. To appear in
Nucl. Phys. Proc. Supp
Culture portability from origin to destination country: The gender division of domestic work among migrants in Italy
Background: The relative importance of a cultural component in the gender division of unpaid labour is still debated. Objective: Drawing on the epidemiological approach to the study of culture, we investigate the cultural component of gender inequality by examining whether gender asymmetries in housework and childcare in families with a migrant background relate to gender equity in the country of origin. Methods: Through multilevel models based on microlevel data (Istat SCIF survey), we examine the extent to which the division of household labour between immigrant partners living in Italy relates to gender equity in their origin country, proxied by the Global Gender Gap Index. We further analyse the changing importance of gender equity in the country of origin at different lengths of stay in the destination country. Conclusions: Immigrants from more (less) gender-equal countries display greater (lower) equality in the division of routine housework and childcare activities. However, gender equity in the origin country loses its importance for couples living in the destination country for a longer time. These findings point to a significant contribution of culture of origin to gender inequality in the intra-couple division of unpaid labour. Yet nonnegligible differences exist between specific housework and childcare tasks and depending on the time spent in the hosting country. Contribution: Our study contributes to the literature on gender inequalities by providing new evidence on the relationship between culture of origin and the division of specific housework and childcare tasks in families with a migrant background
A smooth compactification of spaces of stability conditions: the case of the -quiver
We propose a notion of multi-scale stability conditions with the goal of
providing a smooth compactification of the quotient of the space of
projectivized Bridgeland stability conditions by the group of autoequivalence.
For the case of the 3CY category associated with the -quiver this goal is
achieved by defining a topology and complex structure that relies on a plumbing
construction. We compare this compactification to the multi-scale
compactification of quadratic differentials and briefly indicate why even for
the Kronecker quiver this notion needs refinement to provide a full
compactification.Comment: 42 pages. Any comments welcome
Chapter The Role of Mentors on the Development of Calling in Students: a 3-Year Investigation
In a three-wave longitudinal study, we investigated the role of mentoring on calling development. The results suggest that the mere presence of a mentor is associated with higher levels of calling and the development of a calling is fostered by the mentorsâ calling orientation, yet it is restrained by mentorsâ job and career orientatio
Quadratic differentials as stability conditions: collapsing subsurfaces
We introduce a new class of triangulated categories, which are Verdier
quotients of three-Calabi-Yau categories from (decorated) marked surfaces, and
show that its spaces of stability conditions can be identified with moduli
spaces of framed quadratic differentials on Riemann surfaces with arbitrary
order zeros and arbitrary higher order poles. A main tool in our proof is a
comparison of two exchange graphs, obtained by tilting hearts in the quotient
categories and by flipping mixed angulations associated with the quadratic
differentials.Comment: 46 pages, final version, online published in J. reine angew. Math.
(Crelle's Journal). Reorganized/shorten as request by referees. Sec.6 and 7
in Version 1/2 are gone (may reappear in future works
Risk Attitudes to Catastrophic Events: VSL and WTP for Insurance Against Earthquakes
The purpose of the paper is to investigate the attitude to risk related to low-probability, high-impact events. To do this, we compare the willingness to pay (WTP) to reduce mortality risks and the WTP for life insurance against earthquakes. We explore whether risk perception affects these measures, and exploit WTP to reduce risk of fatality to calculate the Value of a Statistical Life (VSL) related to seismic events. We rely on data from a survey administered to a representative sample of the Italian population. Our results highlight that the WTP to reduce mortality risk is lower than the WTP for life insurance, and that the correlations between risk perception and these two measures differ. The findings suggest that individualsâ preferences are directed toward risk management strategies in which the mortality risk is transferred to the capital market, rather than risk mitigation strategies involving the individual in sharing the costs and benefits with all of society
Risk of pleural mm and residual asbestos burden in the lung: a retrospective case-control study
Introduction Results of Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma
(MPM) occurrence (mortality and incidence) by cumulative
exposure dose clearly showed a proportional relation of MPM
risk with dose, confirmed among studies by fibre burden. We
evaluated the association between residual fibre content and
MPM risk by circumstance of asbestos exposure.
Methods and materials Lung samples obtained from pleuropneumonectomies or autopsies (349 MPMs, and 41 controls)
among subjects investigated for probability and circumstance
of asbestos exposure were examined through Scanning Electron Microscopy; 291 cases had an occupational asbestos
exposure, 38 MPMs a non-occupational exposure (familiar or
environmental), whereas among 20 MPM an asbestos exposure
was not identified. The MPM risk was evaluated by means of
Odds Ratio (OR).
Results The residual asbestos fibre burden was higher among
MPMs occupationally exposed (Geometric Mean:2.10 Million
fibres/gram of dried tissue; 95% CI:1.5â2.58) in comparison
with non-occupational (GM:0.66 Mff/gdt; 95% CI:0.47â0.95)
or with unknown exposures (GM:0.59 Mff/gdt; 95% CI:0.34â
1.03) and controls (GM:0.26 Mff/gdt; 95% CI:0.20â0.34).
Among occupationally exposed, the MPM risk increased
according to the asbestos fibre burden reaching an OR of
36.8 (95%CI:11.9â113.5) for concentrations higher than 1
Mff/g dt, compared to the reference level (<0.25 Mff/gdt).
Higher ORs were observed at any concentration of amphibole
fibres in comparison those for chrysotile fibres.
Conclusions The MPM risk was strongly associated to the
residual asbestos fibre lung burden. The MPM risk due to
non-occupational exposure shows a magnitude comparable
with that with unknown asbestos exposures. The residual lung
burden of chrysotile is strongly influenced by clearance and
time since exposures ceased
Residual fibre lung burden among patients with pleural mesothelioma who have been occupationally exposed to asbestos
Objectives To evaluate the lungs asbestos fibres concentration in participants with malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) who have been occupationally exposed.
Methods The lung samples were obtained from pleuropneumonectomies or autopsies of 271 male MPMs. The lung samples were examined through scanning electron microscopy. Retrospective assessment was used to assess for asbestos exposure. This study includes 248 MPMs with an occupational exposure defined as either âdefiniteâ or âprobableâ or âpossibleâ.
Results The participants had finished working in asbestos exposure conditions more than 20â
years ago (on average 26.1±11.0â
years). The fibre burden resulted with a geometric mean equal to 2.0 (95% CI 1.6 to 2.4) million fibres per gram of dry lung tissue. The burden was higher among participants employed in asbestos textiles industry and in shipyards with insulation material, if compared with construction workers or non-asbestos textile workers or participants working in chemicals or as auto mechanics. 91.3% of MPMs had a detectable amount of amphibole fibres. A strong lung clearance capability was evident among workers exposed to chrysotile fibres. Owing to that, the 1997 Helsinki Criteria for occupational exposure were reached in <35% of cases among participant working in construction, in metallurgical industry, in chemical or textile industry and among those performing brake repair activities.
Conclusions The MPM cases are now occurring in Italy in participants who ceased occupational asbestos exposure decades before the analysis. A large majority still shows a residual content of amphibole fibres, but given the lung clearance capability, attribution to occupational exposure cannot rely only on fibres detection
Does the adoption of EUCAST susceptibility breakpoints affect the selection of antimicrobials to treat acute community-acquired respiratory tract infections?
Background: In several European Countries, by the end of 2012, CLSI guidelines will be replaced by EUCAST. We compared antimicrobial susceptibility results of a large number of respiratory pathogens using both EUCAST and previously adopted CLSI criteria to evaluate the impact on susceptibility patterns and the possible consequences that could occur in clinical practice due to this replacement.For S. pyogenes and S. aureus, the interpretation of susceptibility data using the EUCAST criteria did not produce relevant changes in comparison to CLSI.Against S. pneumoniae, more restrictive EUCAST breakpoints could lead to increased benzylpenicillin and/or amoxicillin-clavulanate resistance rates, which in turn could translate in increased dosages of these antibiotics or usage of alternative agents for respiratory tract infections.Against S. pneumoniae, M. catarrhalis and H. influenzae, cefuroxime-axetil and cefaclor produced the most divergent results depending on the breakpoints adopted and these striking differences could lead to the revision of those guidelines suggesting these two cephalosporins as alternatives in the management of upper respiratory tract infections.Discussion: Many differences exist between CLSI and EUCAST breakpoints. However, only in a few cases do these differences translate in major interpretive category discrepancies. In countries adopting more restrictive EUCAST breakpoints, clinicians should be aware of these discrepancies and that they could be faced with antibiotic-resistant respiratory pathogens more frequently than before.Summary: The interpretive discrepancies between EUCAST and CLSI suggest that the discussion on the management of community-acquired respiratory tract infections is still open and further studies are desirable to better define the role of some antibiotic
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