Off-diagonal helicity density matrix elements for heavy vector mesons inclusively produced in N-N, gamma-N, l-N interactions

Final state interactions in quark fragmentation may give origin to non zero values of the off-diagonal element rho_(1,-1) of the helicity density matrix of vector mesons V produced in current jets, with a large energy fraction x_E; the value of rho_(1,-1)(V) is related to the hard constituent dynamics and tests unusual properties of it. Some recent data on phi, K^* and D^* produced in e^+ e^- annihilations at LEP show such effects. Predictions are given here for rho_(1,-1) of heavy mesons produced in nucleon-nucleon, gamma-nucleon and lepton-nucleon interactions.Comment: LaTeX, 10 pages, 1 postscript figure, uses epsfig.sty. Revised version, to be published on Phys. Lett. B. Some statements added to clarify tex

Gender and Precarious Research Careers : A Comparative Analysis

The literature on gender and science shows that scientific careers continue to be characterised \u2013 albeit with important differences among countries \u2013 by strong gender discriminations, especially in more prestigious positions. Much less investigated is the issue of which stage in the career such differences begin to show up. Gender and Precarious Research Careers aims to advance the debate on the process of precarisation in higher education and its gendered effects, and springs from a three-year research project across institutions in seven European countries: Italy, Belgium, the Netherlands, Iceland, Switzerland, Slovenia and Austria. Examining gender asymmetries in academic and research organisations, this insightful volume focuses particularly on early careers. It centres both on STEM disciplines (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) and SSH (Social Science and Humanities) fields. Offering recommendations to design innovative organisational policies and self-tailored \u2018Gender Equality Plans\u2019 to be implemented in universities and research centres, this volume will appeal to students and researchers interested in fields such as Gender Studies, Sociology of Work and Industry, Sociology of Knowledge, Business Studies and Higher Education

Fathers' Stories of Resistance and Hegemony in Organizational Cultures

This article focuses on the practices of resistance and hegemony that oppose change in gender cultures in organizations. It suggests that analysis of the narratives produced by organizational actors is a fruitful method with which to deal with issues of this kind. In particular, the analysis concentrates on how resistance and hegemony practices may affect the implementation of changes promoted at a normative level — as in the case of the Italian law that has extended the right to take parental leave for childcare to men as well, in opposition to the dominant cultural models of gender. The analysis of the experiences reported by men belonging to different organizations, and having in common the use of parental leave to spend time with their children, allows us to reflect upon the fact that the symbolic orders of gender in organizations cannot be challenged at a normative level if the change does not affect the organizational culture, becoming embedded in everyday organizational practices

Magnetic Fields and Faraday Rotation in Clusters of Galaxies

We present a numerical approach to investigate the relationship between magnetic fields and Faraday rotation effects in clusters of galaxies. We can infer the structure and strength of intra-cluster magnetic fields by comparing our simulations with the observed polarization properties of extended cluster radio sources such as radio galaxies and halos. We find the observations require a magnetic field which fluctuates over a wide range of spatial scales (at least one order of magnitude). If several polarized radio sources are located at different projected positions in a galaxy cluster, as is the case for A119, detailed Faraday rotation images allow us to constrain both the magnetic field strength and the slope of the power spectrum. Our results show that the standard analytic expressions applied in the literature overestimate the cluster magnetic field strengths by a factor of about 2. We investigate the possible effects of our models on beam depolarization of radio sources whose radiation traverses the magnetized intracluster medium. Finally, we point out that radio halos may provide important information about the spatial power spectrum of the magnetic field fluctuations on large scales. In particular, different values of the index of the power spectrum produce very different total intensity and polarization brightness distributions.Comment: 19 pages, 11 figures. Accepted for publication in A&

A shrinking Compact Symmetric Object: J11584+2450?

We present multi-frequency multi-epoch Very Long Baseline Array (VLBA) observations of J11584+2450. These observations clearly show this source, previously classified as a core-jet, to be a compact symmetric object (CSO). Comparisons between these new data and data taken over the last 9 years shows the edge brightened hot spots retreating towards the core (and slightly to the west) at approximately 0.3c. Whether this motion is strictly apparent or actually physical in nature is discussed, as well as possible explanations, and what implications a physical contraction of J11584+2450 would have for current CSO models.Comment: 16 pages, 6 figures, 5 tables. Accepted for publication in Ap

Work-life interferences in the early academic career stages: The case of precarious researchers in Italy

This paper addresses the topic of work–life interferences in academic contexts. More specifically, it focuses on early career researchers in the Italian university system. The total availability required from those who work in the research sector is leading to significant transformations of the temporalities of work, especially among the new generation of researchers, whose condition is characterized by a higher degree of instability and uncertainty. Which are the experiences of the early career researchers in an academic context constituted by a growing competition for permanent positions and, as a consequence, by a greatly increased pressure? Which are the main gender differences? In what elements do Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics disciplines differ from Social Sciences and Humanities? The collected narratives reveal how the ongoing process of precarization is affecting both the everyday working activities and the private and family lives of early career researchers, with important consequences also on their future prospects