Weight-Based Discrimination in the Italian Labor Market: an Analysis of the Interaction with Gender and Ethnicity

Access to the Italian job market is undermined by several kinds of discrimination influencing the opportunities for individuals to obtain a job. In this study, we analyze together the impact of three of the most relevant kinds of discrimination operating in the Italian labor market: gender, race, and weight. Our aim is to assess whether gender and race either increase or decrease the impact of weight-based discrimination. In this respect, we submit a set of fictitious r\ue9sum\ue9s including photos of either obese or thin applicants in response to real online job offers. Our results indicate that the strongest kind of discrimination operating in the Italian labor market is the one connected to the candidate\u2019s geographical origin. Moreover, we find discrimination based on body weight to be more relevant within immigrants than within natives, and gender gap appears to be higher within the obese candidates\u2019 group compared to the normal-weight candidates\u2019 one. This last result is particularly relevant, as the growing rates of obesity forecasted for the next years could in turn produce an increase in the gender gap, which in Italy is already massive

Immigrants and Italian labor market: statistical or taste-based discrimination?

Types of discrimination are usually distinguished by economic theory in statistical and taste-based. Using a correspondence experiment, we analyze which of the two affects Italian labor market the most. In this respect, we studied the difference in discrimination reserved to first- and second-generation immigrants, taking gender differences into account. Even if we want to admit a rational discrimination based on perceived productivity differences (statistical discrimination) against first-generation immigrants (concerning language and education gaps), the same would not be reasonable for second-generation ones. Since they are born and educated in Italy, where they have always lived, the associated discrimination must be taste-based

L'ACCESSO ALL'ABITAZIONE DI RESIDENZA: UN'ANALISI MULTILEVEL SULLE FAMIGLIE ITALIANE

Objectives. Income inequalities depend on a large range of components, which influence living conditions of private households. Not all these elements are strictly monetary, and non-monetary components sometimes can be even more important than monetary ones. While international literature has devoted considerable attention to the study of distribution, relevance and inequalities concerning monetary income, the same cannot be said for its non monetary components. Despite this lack of attention in the literature, non monetary components often influence dramatically living conditions of private households. One of the most important component of non-monetary income is imputed rents from owner-occupied housing. The main objective of this article is to evaluate the impact of income advantages deriving from owner occupied housing (from now on IR) on income inequalities of Italian households. Methods. Inequality indices measures considered are: Generalized Entropy and Atkinson class, Gini coefficient and percentile ratio. The analysis was carried out using the data set SILC for Italy on the European Statistics on Income and Living Condition collected for Italy from Istat (the Italian National Institute of Statistics). The data set are referred to year 2004 and consider information regarding income and living condition. Results. The analysis show larger income inequalities between groups, once considered IR. In particularly, main differences emerge comparing owner with loan or mortgage and without it with renting households. In the meanwhile, introducing IR causes reductions in income inequalities within groups. If we analyse the distribution of household type, the introduction of IR produces a decrease in income inequality for all household types. Such a generalized decrease determines, as a consequence, an increase in the inequality between groups (from 11% to 16%). Conclusions. The analysis of income distribution in term of classes of age shows an increase in income inequality between age groups for classes of age including elderly people. This result concern the incidence of owners in those classes of age

A Multivariate Approach to Study the Bacterial Diversity Associated to the Wooden Shelves Used for Aging Traditional Sicilian Cheeses

The present study was carried to correlate the microbial diversity of the biofilms developed on the wooden boards used for aging traditional Sicilian cheeses with cheese typology. To this end, the microbial diversity of the shelves in contact with the cheeses PDO Pecorino Siciliano, PDO Piacentinu Ennese, and TAP Caciocavallo Palermitano, during ripening, was evaluated by a multivariate statistical approach. The shelf biofilms of this study were previously analyzed for their microbial composition, but no correlation between biodiversity and cheese type was investigated. Canonical discriminant analysis confirmed a cheese typology effect on the microbial loads of the wooden shelves investigated. Regarding the plate count data, the centroids of different cheeses were statistically distant from one another. This analysis also showed a good graphic separation of data regarding bacterial order operational taxonomy units (OTUs). Thus, the microbiological differences imputed to the cheese typologies were not affected by the environmental conditions of the facilities. Furthermore, wooden shelf lactic acid bacteria (LAB) were investigated for their ability to inhibit the main dairy pathogens. Although inhibitors were mainly enterococci, P. pentosaceus WS287 and W. paramesenteroides WS581 showed the highest inhibition activity, indicating their possible application to control the undesired bacteria in situ

Aloe-based edible coating to maintain quality of fresh-cut italian pears (Pyrus communis L.) during cold storage

Pear fruits are known for their antioxidant and nutritional characteristics. However, they are very susceptible to rapid decay. Edible coating (EC) represents a good strategy to maintain postharvest quality. The effects of two EC in slowing down the senescence processes in fresh-cut ‘Coscia’ pears were investigated: EC1 (A. vera gel, hydroxypropyl-methylcellulose and pomegranate seeds oil (PSO), EC2 (A. vera gel and hydroxypropyl-methylcellulose). Weight loss, firmness and colour decrease more slowly in both EC-treated than in untreated (CTR) slices; soluble solid content increases faster in CTR, indicating a faster ripening process. The specific investigation of undesired microorganisms did not generate any colony in all analysed samples. Sensory analysis confirmed that the tasters preferred the EC2-treated samples, as they were the only ones that did not show undesirable flavours until the last day of storage

Modified Atmosphere Packaging and low temperature storage extend marketability of cherimoya (Annona cherimola Mill.)

Cherimoya is a subtropical fruit characterized by a delicious, sweet flavor and beneficial health properties, which found suitable growing conditions in the South of Italy. However, the marketing of this product is halted by its high perishability, which limits the shelf-life of the fresh fruit to few days after harvest and does not allow for commercialization beyond local markets. Studies have shown that storage of this fruit in controlled atmosphere, using Modified Atmosphere Packaging technologies, extended the post-harvest life of Cherimoya, but little is still known about the evolution of its sensory, nutraceutical and microbiological characteristics during such storage period. In this paper, we studied the effect of a 4-days long active-MAP (30% CO2 – 10% O2 – 60% N2) storage period, associated with cold temperatures, on the physico-chemical, sensory, nutraceutical and microbiological quality traits of Italian-grown cherimoya fruits, compared with passive-MAP (Air composition, 21% O2 + 1% CO2 + 78% N2) and simple cold storage. Active-MAP proved effective in delaying the reaching of the optimal consumption point until 10 days from harvest, besides showing absence of microbial growth until after 7 days from harvest. Both active- and passive-MAP treatments maintained better nutraceutical values than control until the end of the trial period, and sensory analysis confirmed that active-MAP treated fruits were at the optimal commercial stage after 10 days from harvest

Neutron induced background in the COMPTEL detector on the Gamma Ray Observatory

Interactions of neutrons in a prototype of the Compton imaging telescope (COMPTEL) gamma ray detector for the Gamma Ray Observatory were studied to determine COMPTEL's sensitivity as a neutron telescope and to estimate the gamma ray background resulting from neutron interactions. The IUCF provided a pulsed neutron beam at five different energies between 18 and 120 MeV. These measurements showed that the gamma ray background from neutron interactions is greater than previously expected. It was thought that most such events would be due to interactions in the upper detector modules of COMPTEL and could be distinguished by pulse shape discrimination. Rather, the bulk of the gamma ray background appears to be due to interactions in passive material, primarily aluminum, surrounding the D1 modules. In a considerable fraction of these interactions, two or more gamma rays are produced simultaneously, with one interacting in the D1 module and the other interacting in the module of the lower (D2) detector. If the neutron interacts near the D1 module, the D1 D2 time of flight cannot distinguish such an event from a true gamma ray event. In order to assess the significance of this background, the flux of neutrons in orbit has been estimated based on observed events with neutron pulse shape signature in D1. The strength of this neutron induced background is estimated. This is compared with the rate expected from the isotropic cosmic gamma ray flux

Monitoring commercial starter culture development in presence of red grape pomace powder to produce polyphenol-enriched fresh ovine cheeses at industrial scale level

Red grape Nero d'Avola cultivar grape pomace powder (GPP) was applied during fresh ovine cheese production in order to increase polyphenol content. Before cheeses were produced, the bacteria of a freeze-dried commercial starter culture were isolated and tested in vitro against GPP. Two dominant strains, both resistant to GPP, were identified. Thestarter culture was inoculated in pasteurized ewe's milk and the curd was divided into two bulks, one added with 1% (w/w) GPP and another one GPP-free. GPP did not influence the starter culture development, since lactic acid bacteria (LAB) counts were 109 CFU/g in both cheeses at 30 d. To exclude the interference of indigenous LAB, the pasteurized milk was analyzed, and several colonies of presumptive LAB were isolated, purified and typed. Four strains were allotted into Enterococcus and Lacticaseibacillus genera. The direct comparison of the polymorphic profiles of cheese bacteria evidenced the dominance of the starter culture over milk LAB. The addition of GPP increased cheese total phenolic compounds by 0.42 g GAE/kg. Sensory evaluation indicated that GPP-enriched cheese was well appreciated by the judges, providing evidence that GPP is a suitable substrate to increase the availability of total phenolic content in fresh ovine cheese

In-depth investigation of the safety of wooden shelves used for traditional cheese ripening

The main goal of this research was to characterize the bacterial diversity of the wooden boards used for aging traditional Sicilian cheeses and to evaluate whether pathogenic bacteria are associated with these surfaces. Eighteen cheese dairy factories producing three traditional cheese typologies (PDO Pecorino Siciliano, PDO Piacentinu Ennese, and Caciocavallo Palermitano) were selected within the region of Sicily. The wooden shelf surfaces were sampled by a destructive method to detach wood splinters as well as by a nondestructive brushing to collect microbial cells. Scanning electron microscopy showed the presence of almost continuous bacterial formations on the majority of the shelves analyzed. Yeasts and fungal hyphae were also visualized, indicating the complexity of the plank communities. The amplicon library of the 16S rRNA gene V3-V4 region was paired-end sequenced using the Illumina MiSeq system, allowing the identification of 14 phyla, 32 classes, 52 orders, 93 families, and 137 genera. Staphylococcus equorum was identified from all wooden surfaces, with a maximum abundance of 64.75%. Among cheese-surface-ripening bacteria, Brevibacterium and Corynebacterium were detected in almost all samples. Several halophilic (Halomonas, Tetragenococcus halophilus, Chromohalobacter, Salimicrobium, Marinococcus, Salegentibacter, Haererehalobacter, Marinobacter, and Idiomarinaceae) and moderately halophilic (Salinicoccus, Psychrobacter, and Salinisphaera) bacteria were frequently identified. Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) were present at low percentages in the genera Leuconostoc, Lactococcus, Lactobacillus, Pediococcus, and Streptococcus. The levels of viable microorganisms on the wooden shelves ranged between 2.4 and 7.8 log CFU/cm2. In some cases, LAB were counted at very high levels (8.2 log CFU/cm2). Members of the Enterobacteriaceae family were detected in a viable state for only six samples. Coagulase-positive staphylococci, Salmonella spp., and Listeria monocytogenes were not detected. Seventy-five strains belonged to the genera Leuconostoc, Lactococcus, Pediococcus, Enterococcus, Lactobacillus, and Weissella. IMPORTANCE This study provides evidence for the lack of pathogenic bacteria on the wooden shelves used to ripen internal bacterially ripened semihard and hard cheeses produced in Sicily. These three cheeses are not inoculated on their surfaces, and surface ripening is not considered to occur or, at least, does not occur at the same extent as surface-inoculated smear cheeses. Several bacterial groups identified from the wooden shelves are typically associated with smear cheeses, strongly suggesting that PDO Pecorino Siciliano, PDO Piacentinu Ennese, and Caciocavallo Palermitano cheese rind contributes to their final organoleptic profiles

Cladodes of Opuntia ficus-indica (L.) as source of bioactive compounds in dairy products

Recently, the interest on improving livestock products' nutraceutical profiles by sustainable feeding systems has increased. In this context, the overall quality and, in particular, the nutraceutical profile of dairy products obtained by 16 lactating Cinisara cows fed integrated in dry season with Opuntia ficus-indica cladodes, were investigated. Two homogeneous groups of cows (milk yield: 6.3 ± 1.5 kg; body weight: 213 ± 55 kg) were in succession fed with 2 different diets (CON: pasture and wheat bran; OFI: pasture, wheat bran and cladodes), according to a 2 × 2 Latin square design. The bulk milk was used to make Caciotta cheeses, analyzed at 0, 15 and 30 storage days. Milk and cheeses samples were analyzed for chemical, physical and microbiological traits. On the final products, the nutraceutical and sensorial profiles, together with the antioxidant's capacity were also determined. On milk, only the urea content in individual samples was reduced in OFI. Considering the cheeses, the integration with cladodes did not influence the starter cultures development acted with 2 strains of S. thermophilus, but caused a higher content of polyphenols and a consequent greater antioxidant capacity, together with a change in the fatty acids profile. In particular, the caprylic, capric, lauric, myristic, and palmitic fatty acids were higher, as well as the petroselinic, vaccenic, rumenic, and α-linolenic fatty acids. Differently, the oleic and the γ-linolenic fatty acids were lower. The cheeses of OFI showed better overall acceptability, and a higher yellow color, odor intensities, and butter flavor. The multivariate analysis well distinguished the cheeses belonging to the 2 groups. Further investigations should be conducted to formulate well balanced diets including cladodes for Cinisara lactating cows, but also to determine the content of other important bioactive compounds in fresh and in treated cladodes, as well as their effects on animals' welfare and their productions