Predictor Variables Associated with Disclosure and Concealment of Sexual Orientation

This study examined variables associated with the disclosure and concealment of sexual orientation. A non-experimental correlational design with a regression analysis used to test the following hypotheses: 1) The following independent variables, latter stage of identity development, lower internalized homophobia, more perceived social support, higher self-esteem, and lower presence of cognitive distortions will account for a statistically significant amount of the variance in the disclosure of sexual orientation. 2) The following independent variables, earlier stage of identity development, higher internalized homophobia, less perceived social support, low self-esteem, and higher presence of cognitive distortions will account for a statistically significant amount of the variance in the concealment of sexual identity. 3) Of the five independent variables, degree of internalized homophobia will be most predictive of disclosure of sexual identity. 4) Of the five independent variables, degree of internalized homophobia will be most predictive of concealment of sexual identity. Results of the study found stage of identity development to be both predictive of disclosure and concealment. Social support was also found to be predictive with regard to concealment. All other variables were noted as insignificant. Research evaluating factors that impact the disclosure and/or concealment of sexual orientation remains an important area of study. The goal with regard to exploring these factors is to improve the overall psychological well being of gay and lesbian individuals

When maize is not the first choice: advances in paleodietary studies in the Archaeological Site Río Doncellas (Jujuy, Argentina)

In this work we present new values of stable isotopes of carbon (δ13Cco and δ13Cap) and nitrogen (δ15N) measured in a sample of 13 human individuals found in the Río Doncellas Archaeological Site (Late Period or Regional Developments, ca. 1000 AD-1450 AD) located in the Puna of Jujuy, Northwest of Argentina. The skeletal series belong to the collection of Museo E. Casanova, FFyL - UBA and the Instituto Nacional de Antropología y Pensamiento Latinoamericano, being the result of investigations carried out during the decades of 1940 and 1970, respectively. In addition, in this work we present isotopic compositions of food resources (vegetal and fauna) found in the archaeological record as well as gathered in modern farms located in the study area (Abra Pampa, Cochinoca, Jujuy). This information was used for paleodietary inference, allowing us to establish a hierarchy of the resources that were consumed. The results indicate that maize (Zea mays) is less important than other vegetal resources in the diet, which contradicts the expectations generated from the macrobotanical evidence of the site and the cultivated terraces that surround it. On the other hand, camelids seemed to be widely exploited, which is coherent with the current importance of meat production within the region. These results allow us to assert that the growth of cereals did not have a progressive relevance over other resources.Fil: Killian Galván, Violeta Anahí. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Instituto de Geocronología y Geología Isotopica. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Geocronología y Geología Isotópica; ArgentinaFil: Samec, Celeste Tamara. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Instituto de Geocronología y Geología Isotopica. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Geocronología y Geología Isotópica; ArgentinaFil: Panarello, Hector Osvaldo. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Instituto de Geocronología y Geología Isotopica. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Geocronología y Geología Isotópica; Argentin

A Generalized Error Distribution Copula-based method for portfolios risk assessment

In this paper, we deal with the evaluation of Conditional Value-at-Risk in the framework of portfolio theory by using a modified Gaussian Copula – where the modification is obtained by introducing the Generalized Correlation Coefficient – and by assuming a Generalized Error Distribution with properly estimated shape parameter for the returns of the considered risky assets. In so doing, we add to the connection between standard Copula theory and financial risk assessment. A comparison analysis of our findings with those obtainable through a standard Gaussian Copula-based procedure in a set of real data is also presented

Chapter The effectiveness of marketing tools in a consumer goods market in Italy during the Great Recession (2010-2015)

In the case of markets characterized by a stationary primary demand, the relevant dimension for measuring a company’s success is represented by market shares. The paper aims to build and comment on a model that gauges the competitive effects of marketing maneuvers on market shares, with reference to tea-based beverages in Italy in the period November 2010 – October 2015. This analysis will be instrumental in establishing the effectiveness of marketing policies based on promotions or advertising. We estimate such a model on weekly data provided by IRI Infoscan and Nielsen, involving the top five brands in the Italian market. After a descriptive analysis and a stationarity test, we estimate a Multinomial Logit model, making use of the Seemingly Unrelated Regressions method. The results allow us to identify the effectiveness of each brand’s marketing policies. Moreover, they enable us to derive the matrices of direct and cross elasticities of brands’ market shares with respect to the main marketing tools (price, promotions, distribution, advertising investments) and to compare basic and average market shares. Based on these results, it is therefore possible to identify the market’s competitive structure, revealing the most incisive factors to be price and weighted distribution, while advertising investments are significant in only a few cases and elasticities are remarkably low. The competitive structure appears to be of a horizontal type (i.e., cross elasticities do not vary greatly)

Chapter Measuring the effectiveness of COVID-19 containment policies in Italian regions: are we doing enough?

A successful fight against COVID-19 greatly depends on citizens’ adherence to the restrictive measures, which may not suffice alone. Making use of a containment index, data on sanctions, and Google’s movement trends across Italian regions, complemented by other sources, we investigate the extent to which compliance with the mobility limitations has affected the number of deaths over time in the period from the 24th of February 2020 to the 9th of November 2020, by using panel data for Italian regions, analysed through a negative binomial regression method. We also differentiated the study period, estimating two distinct models on two subsamples: until the 13th of September and since the 14th of September. In so doing, we show how the pandemic dynamics have changed between the first and the second wave of the emergency. Our results highlight that the importance of the restrictive measures and of citizens’ accord on their abidance has greatly increased since the end of the summer, also because the stringency level of the adopted measures has critically declined. Informing citizens about the effects and purposes of the restrictive measures is of paramount importance, especially in the current phase of the pandemic

On the intertwining between capacity scaling and TCP congestion control

Recent works advocate the possibility of improving energy efficiency of network devices by modulating switching and transmission capacity according to traffic load. However, addressing the trade-off between energy saving and Quality of Service (QoS) under these approaches is not a trivial task, specially because most of the traffic in the Internet of today is carried by TCP, and is hence adaptive to the available resources. In this paper we present a preliminary investigation of the possible intertwining between capacity scaling approaches and TCP congestion control, and we show how this interaction can affect performance in terms of both energy saving and QoS

A Nonparametric Approach for Testing Long Memory in Stock Returns’ Higher Moments

In this paper, by considering a model-based approach for conditional moment estimation, a nonparametric test was performed to study the long-memory property of higher moments. We considered the daily returns of the stocks included in the S&P500 index in the last ten years (for the period running from the 1st of January 2011 to the 1st of January 2021). We found that mean and skewness were characterized by short memory, while variance and shape had long memory. These results have deep implications in terms of asset allocation, option pricing and market efficiency evaluation

Carbon and Hydrogen Isotopes as Tracers of Methane Dynamic in Wetlands

This work presents a review of the main processes leading to the production and sinking of methane in wetlands and how they affect the stable isotope composition of carbon and hydrogen. Isotope fractionation factors associated to diffusion, ebullition, bacterial oxidation, etc., have been gathered from relevant literature in an intent of providing researchers in this thematic with practical procedures and tools for the interpretation of experimental data. Also it is presented guidelines of the most reliable field and laboratory methods used at present for the correct sampling and analyzing methane in different stages of occurrence, as well the most common tools used in their interpretation. Each statement is fully referenced to a long updated list of publications.Fil: Sanci, Romina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Instituto de Geocronología y Geología Isotopica. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Geocronología y Geología Isotopica; ArgentinaFil: Panarello, Hector Osvaldo. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Instituto de Geocronología y Geología Isotopica. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Geocronología y Geología Isotopica; Argentin