531 research outputs found
A multivariate study of Internet use and the Digital Divide
Method: The article is based on survey data (N = 2,304) collected in Spain, which are analyzed using multiple regression, principal component analysis, and cluster analysis.
Results: Two dimensions are identified: the first is the comprehensive use of Internet and the second is the nature of this use, differentiating between a professional use and a recreational and social use of Internet. The article verifies that factors explaining the digital divide are age, education level, and income.
Conclusions: The article identifies digitally excluded segments, and the efforts and actions for digital training to eradicate the digital divide should be directed at these groups. The most serious problem is encountered in homeworkers who are mainly woman. NEETs (not in education, employment, or training) are frequent users of Internet, but they only use it for entertainment and to certain extent they are digitally excluded
A multivariate study of the digital divide and digital exclusion
This paper explores the use of Internet, including social networks, e-government services and e-commerce from the perspective of the digital divide. First, it aims to find out what factors explain the digital divide, considered as a multidimensional concept. Second, the article aims to identify the groups that are digitally excluded. The paper is based on survey data (N=2,304) collected in Spain that are analyzed by using multiple regression, principal component analysis and cluster analysis. Two dimensions are identified: the first is the comprehensive use of Internet and the second is the nature of this use, differentiating between a professional use and a recreational and social use of Internet. The paper verifies that factors explaining the digital divide are age, education level, and income. Many unemployed are among the most frequent users of Internet. The most serious problem is encountered in homeworkers, who are mainly woman. NEETs (Not in Education, Employment, or Training) are frequent users of Internet but they only use it for entertainment and to certain extent they are digitally excluded
Features and drivers of citizen participation: Insights from participatory budgeting in three European cities
Participatory budgeting (PB) is a relatively novel approach to the allocation of funds
which allows ordinary citizens to become directly involved in how local government
money is spent. This study identifies and examines the features and drivers of PB that
incentivize citizen participation and the co-production of public services. Our analysis
takes a fresh approach by setting PB initiatives in an innovative frame combining a
paradigm of ‘ideal’ types of PB and their diachronic constituent phases. The results
provide insights for both scholars and policy makers on the key features and drivers of
citizen participation through PB
The relationship between thyroid disorders and vitamin A. A narrative minireview
: The terms "vitamin A" and "retinoids" encompass a group of fat-soluble compounds essential for human nutrition. Some of them (retinol, retinal, 9-cis-retinoic acid, tretinoin, and 13-cis-retinoic acid) are fully natural, while others are synthetic compounds used mostly for therapeutic purposes. Some evidence indicates that the nutritional status of these retinoids (i.e., the presence or absence of deficiency) is able to modulate thyroid gland metabolism. Vitamin A deficiency is tightly correlated with structural and functional impairment of the thyroid gland and is often associated with iodine deficiency. Furthermore, retinoids are involved in different immune functions, as well as in the process of activation, proliferation, and differentiation of regulatory T cells (Treg). This is particularly significant given the high prevalence of thyroid autoimmune disorders, whose pathogenesis seems to be related to the altered homeostasis of regulatory T cells. Retinoids are also involved in the modulation of gene expression via their interaction with nuclear receptors, and they also act as cofactors in cell growth and differentiation. The ability of retinoic acid to increase iodine uptake and sodium-iodine symporter activity in human thyroid cancer cell lines suggests that some retinoids and their derivatives may be of use in the treatment of different thyroid tumors. This minireview summarizes the current knowledge on the link between nutritional intake of vitamin A and various thyroid disorders
Family Idoteidae
17 p. : ill. ; 26 cm.Includes bibliographical references (p. 15-17)."The valviferan isopods of the Gulf of California are reviewed, including eight species in four genera. One rediscovered species (Eusymmerus antennatus) and two new species (Colidotea findleyi and Erichsonella cortezi) are fully described. Two of the Gulf idoteids appear to be of subtropical or tropical origin (Eusymmerus antennatus and Colidotea findleyi), whereas the others appear to be cold or warm temperate derived species (Erichsonella cortezi, Idotea aculeata, I. urotoma, I. stenops, I. resecata, and I. wosnesenskii). These findings suggest, as other distributional data have, that the family Idoteidae is composed largely of cool to warm temperate-centered taxa, with few modern genera and species having evolved in the lower latitudes (e.g., Eusymmerus, Colidotea, and some species of Erichsonella). Members of this family, in the tropical and subtropical east Pacific, are generally found in association with littoral and shallow-water algae, especially species of Sargassum. Four species of Idotea are extremely wide-ranging forms, suggesting that members of this genus may be considerably more eurythermal than previously suspected. Idotea wosnesenskii and I. resecata range from the Gulf of California to Alaska; I. stenops ranges from Baja California (or possibly the Gulf of California) to Oregon; and I. urotoma ranges from the Gulf of California to Puget Sound"--P. [1]
Maximum Independent Set: Self-Training through Dynamic Programming
This work presents a graph neural network (GNN) framework for solving the
maximum independent set (MIS) problem, inspired by dynamic programming (DP).
Specifically, given a graph, we propose a DP-like recursive algorithm based on
GNNs that firstly constructs two smaller sub-graphs, predicts the one with the
larger MIS, and then uses it in the next recursive call. To train our
algorithm, we require annotated comparisons of different graphs concerning
their MIS size. Annotating the comparisons with the output of our algorithm
leads to a self-training process that results in more accurate self-annotation
of the comparisons and vice versa. We provide numerical evidence showing the
superiority of our method vs prior methods in multiple synthetic and real-world
datasets.Comment: Accepted in NeurIPS 202
Hellenic karst waters: geogenic and anthropogenic processes affecting their geochemistry and quality
Karst hydrosystems represent one of the largest global drinking water resources, but they are
extremely vulnerable to pollution. Climate change, high population density, intensive industrial, and
agricultural activities are the principal causes of deterioration, both in terms of quality and quantity,
of these resources. Samples from 172 natural karst springs were collected in the whole territory of
Greece. To identify any geogenic contamination and/or anthropogenic pollution, analyses of their
chemical compositions, in terms of major ions and trace elements, were performed and compared to
the EU limits for drinking water. Based on chloride content, the collected karst springs were divided
into two groups: low-chloride (< 100 mg L−
1) and high-chloride content (> 100 mg L−
1). An additional
group of springs with calcium-sulfate composition was recognised. Nitrate concentrations were
always below the EU limit (50 mg L−
1), although some springs presented elevated concentrations.
High contents in terms of trace elements, such as B, Sr, As, and Pb, sometimes exceeding the limits,
were rarely found. The Greek karst waters can still be considered a good quality resource both for
human consumption and for agriculture. The main issues derive from seawater intrusion in the
aquifers along the coasts. Moreover, the main anthropogenic pollutant is nitrate, found in higher
concentrations mostly in the same coastal areas where human activities are concentrated. Finally,
high levels of potentially harmful trace elements (e.g. As, Se) are very limited and of natural origin
(geothermal activity, ore deposits, etc.)
On the determinants of local government debt: Does one size fit all?
This paper analyzes the factors that directly influence levels of debt in Spanish local governments.
Specifically, the main objective is to find out the extent to which indebtedness is originated by
controllable factors that public managers can influence, or whether it hinges on other variables
beyond managers’ control. The importance of this issue has intensified since the start of the crisis
in 2007, due to the abrupt decline of revenues and, simultaneously, to the stagnation (or even
increase) in the levels of costs facing these institutions face. Results can be explored from multiple
perspectives, given that the set of explanatory factors is also multiple. However, the most interesting
result relates to the varying effect of each covariate depending on each municipality’s specific debt
level, which suggests that economic policy recommendations should not be homogeneous across local
governments
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