Occupational gender segregation and gender wage gap in Switzerland

Traditionally, the gender wage gap has been explained by gender differences in the level of human capital (observed gender wage gap) and by discriminatory forces in the labour market (unobserved gender wage gap). One candidate for explaining part of the unobserved gender wage gap is occupational segregation. In this dissertation we study the characteristics of horizontal and vertical occupational segregation, namely how the different occupational sectors and the different phases of the careers affect the wage of employees and how male and female differ in career opportunities. In the first part, we estimate a wage equation using the Heckman two-stage procedure to correct the problem of self-selection in the choice of occupations. In the second part, we use a binomial Probit model with random effects to predict the career stages and the earnings of men and women in a panel data set of Swiss workers for the years 1999-2003. We get new insights into the dynamic nature of the career development by studying the impact of some specific variables on the work mobility through job hierarchy

Relative wage mobility: A new semi-nonparametric estimation method

The study of wage dynamics over time is more insightful than the analysis of point-in- time inequality measures. In policy-making, indeed, low wage careers instead of low- wage jobs should be at the center of the debate on long-term wage inequality. Many previous studies tried to estimate the degree of wage mobility within an economy; however, they rely on some quite restrictive assumptions. The aim of this thesis is to develop new copula model in order to describe more accurately the wage dynamics and its dependence on the initial position in the distribution and on some individual characteristics. We apply this functional copula model to US data. We find no sound empirical evidence of the existence of a “low-wage trap”. We then apply this model to British and German data, in order to verify whether the institutional setting has a relevant influence on wage mobility. We run separate estimates for the periods before and after the financial crisis that started in 2007, in order to assess whether the main drivers of relative wage mobility changed after the financial turmoil. We find that we mobility patterns significantly changed in Germany, but not in the UK, after the financial crisis, especially for young workers. In the third and last chapter of the thesis, we provide further empirical evidence on the importance of relative wage mobility as a driver of individual job satisfaction

Oud word je niet alleen. Een enquête over eenzaamheid en sociaal isolement bij ouderen in België

Koning Boudewinjstichtin

Bartonella quintana Endocarditis in Dogs

TOC summary line: PCR and sequencing provide the first evidence that B. quintana can be pathogenic in dogs

Assessing Threats and Conservation Status of Historical Centers of Oak Richness in California

Oak trees are emblematic of California landscapes, they serve as keystone cultural and ecological species and as indicators of natural biological diversity. As historically undeveloped landscapes are increasingly converted to urban environments, endemic oak woodland extent is reduced, which underscores the importance of strategic placement and reintroduction of oaks and woodland landscape for the maintenance of biodiversity and reduction of habitat fragmentation. This paper investigated the effects of human urban development on oak species in California by first modeling historical patterns of richness for eight oak tree species using historical map and plot data from the California Vegetation Type Mapping (VTM) collection. We then examined spatial intersections between hot spots of historical oak richness and modern urban and conservation lands and found that impacts from development and conservation vary by both species and richness. Our findings suggest that the impact of urban development on oaks has been small within the areas of highest oak richness but that areas of highest oak richness are also poorly conserved. Third, we argue that current policy measures are inadequate to conserve oak woodlands and suggest regions to prioritize acquisition of conservation lands as well as examine urban regions where historic centers of oak richness were lost as potential frontiers for oak reintroduction. We argue that urban planning could benefit from the adoption of historical data and modern species distribution modelling techniques primarily used in natural resources and conservation fields to better locate hot spots of species richness, understand where habitats and species have been lost historically and use this evidence as incentive to recover what was lost and preserve what still exists. This adoption of historical data and modern techniques would then serve as a paradigm shift in the way Urban Planners recognize, quantify, and use landscape history in modern built environments

Multi-frequency study of DEM L299 in the Large Magellanic Cloud

We have studied the HII region DEM L299 in the Large Magellanic Cloud to understand its physical characteristics and morphology in different wavelengths. We performed a spectral analysis of archived XMM-Newton EPIC data and studied the morphology of DEM L299 in X-ray, optical, and radio wavelengths. We used H alpha, [SII], and [OIII] data from the Magellanic Cloud Emission Line Survey and radio 21 cm line data from the Australia Telescope Compact Array (ATCA) and the Parkes telescope, and radio continuum data from ATCA and the Molonglo Synthesis Telescope. Our morphological studies imply that, in addition to the supernova remnant SNR B0543-68.9 reported in previous studies, a superbubble also overlaps the SNR in projection. The position of the SNR is clearly defined through the [SII]/H alpha flux ratio image. Moreover, the optical images show a shell-like structure that is located farther to the north and is filled with diffuse X-ray emission, which again indicates the superbubble. Radio 21 cm line data show a shell around both objects. Radio continuum data show diffuse emission at the position of DEM L299, which appears clearly distinguished from the HII region N 164 that lies south-west of it. We determined the spectral index of SNR B0543-68.9 to be alpha=-0.34, which indicates the dominance of thermal emission and therefore a rather mature SNR. We determined the basic properties of the diffuse X-ray emission for the SNR, the superbubble, and a possible blowout region of the bubble, as suggested by the optical and X-ray data. We obtained an age of 8.9 (3.5-18.1) kyr for the SNR and a temperature of 0.64 (0.44-1.37) keV for the hot gas inside the SNR, and a temperature of the hot gas inside the superbubble of 0.74 (0.44-1.1) keV. We conclude that DEM L299 consists of a superposition of SNR B0543-68.9 and a superbubble, which we identified based on optical data.Comment: Accepted for publication in Astronomy and Astrophysics. 17 pages, 16 figure

How light and occupational therapy intervention could fight some psychogeriatric symptoms

Purpose: Aggregated results of systematic reviews separately show how light used as a treatment and some occupational therapy interventions could have a positive impact on psychobehavioural disorders in older people. Since the beginning of June 2014 the Walloon Government has been financing a project which consists of a non-pharmacological approach that combines light and occupational therapy for a psychogeriatric population with specific symptoms: spatial and temporal disorientations, apathy, depression, agitation, anxiety, confusion and circadian disorder. The objective of this abstract is to expose the assumptions that the combination of two different light devices and one specific occupational therapy program could have an impact on the different symptoms of a psychogeriatric population. Methods: To build our hypothesis, two literature reviews have been achieved. The first one concerning the use of light as therapy gathered 30 studies while the other one about occupational therapy activities collected 35 articles. Results: Despite of a heterogeneity between studies dealing with light and occupational therapy, the combination of these two non-pharmacological interventions might fight the depressive syndrome, reduce the temporal disorientation thanks to a regularity in the period of activity, restore the circadian rhythm and so reduce some troubles that can be linked to them: sleep disorder, risk of fall, apathy, agitation, behavioural and cognitive troubles (attention, concentration). Moreover, one of the two light devices used which can modulate the light intensity according to the rooms might reduce the spatial disorientation if it’s employed as a landmark. Conclusions: Based on literature reviews and our experience into this field it’s seems that a non-pharmacological approach involving light and occupational therapy intervention could have a positive effect on symptoms of psychogeriatric population. In admitting that those effects are becoming true after experimentation and analyses, we can also expect an improvement of the quality of life