Marriage patterns and the gender gap in labor force participation: Evidence from Italy

The Italian rate of gender participation gap, defined as the differential between female and male rates of labor force participation, was 18.2% in 2020, the second highest among EU countries. In this paper, we present evidence highlighting a new possible determinant of this unbalance in the labor force: endogamy intensity. We define endogamy as “marriage within the community”, and we argue that it helps preserve and reinforce social norms stigmatizing working women, along with reducing the probability of divorce, which in turn disincentivizes women's participation in the labor force. We proxy the endogamy rate of a community by the degree of concentration of its surnames’ distribution, and we provide evidence that a more intense custom of endogamy contributed to enlarging gender participation gaps across Italian municipalities in 2001. In order to deal with endogeneity issues, we make use of an instrumental variable strategy, by instrumenting the endogamy measure of a municipality by the degree of ruggedness of its territory: the asperity of a municipality's surface indeed contributes to its geographical isolation, thus incentivizing in- marriage. In our main 2SLS result, a standard deviation increase in our proxy of endogamy is linked to roughly a 0.3 standard deviation increase in the gender participation gap of 2001. In addition, we provide evidence supporting our main hypothesis, documenting how higher rates of in-marriage are linked to the preservation of social norms and to greater marriage stability, with a lower probability of divorce

Single particle 2D Electron crystallography for membrane protein structure determination

Proteins embedded into or attached to the cellular membrane perform crucial biological functions. Despite such importance, they remain among the most challenging targets of structural biology. Dedicated methods for membrane protein structure determination have been devised since decades, however with only partial success if compared to soluble proteins. One of these methods is 2D electron crystallography, in which the proteins are periodically arranged into a lipid bilayer. Using transmission electron microscopy to acquire projection images of samples containing such 2D crystals, which are embedded into a thin vitreous ice layer for radiation protection (cryo-EM), computer algorithms can be used to generate a 3D reconstruction of the protein. Unfortunately, in nearly every case, the 2D crystals are not flat and ordered enough to yield high-resolution reconstructions. Single particle analysis, on the other hand, is a technique that aligns projections of proteins isolated in solution in order to obtain a 3D reconstruction with a high success rate in terms of high resolution structures. In this thesis, we couple 2D crystal data processing with single particle analysis algorithms in order to perform a local correction of crystal distortions. We show that this approach not only allows reconstructions of much higher resolution than expected from the diffraction patterns obtained, but also reveals the existence of conformational heterogeneity within the 2D crystals. This structural variability can be linked to protein function, providing novel mechanistic insights and an explanation for why 2D crystals do not diffract to high resolution, in general. We present the computational methods that enable this hybrid approach, as well as other tools that aid several steps of cryo-EM data processing, from storage to postprocessing

Entoloma sericeum f. palladum f. nov., una nueva forma de Entoloma

Entoloma sericeum f. pallidum f. nov. The macro- and microscopical features of a new form of Entoloma sericeum are described. A latin diagnosis related to the new taxon along with colour photographs of the basidiomata are provided. A statistical analysis of a sample of sixty spores and short considerations regarding some similar taxa are carried out.Entoloma sericeum f. pallidum f. nov., una nueva forma de Entoloma. Se describen las características macro y microscópicas de una nueva forma de Entoloma sericeum, asì como se aportan fotografías de los ejemplares en su hábitat junto al diagnóstico del taxon. Un análisis estadístico de la muestra de sesenta esporas es efectuada junto a algunas consideraciones sobre algunas taxa próxima

Validação de heterogeneidade estrutural em dados de Crio-ME por comitês de agrupadores

Orientadores: Fernando José Von Zuben, Rodrigo Villares PortugalDissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Faculdade de Engenharia Elétrica e de ComputaçãoResumo: Análise de Partículas Isoladas é uma técnica que permite o estudo da estrutura tridimensional de proteínas e outros complexos macromoleculares de interesse biológico. Seus dados primários consistem em imagens de microscopia eletrônica de transmissão de múltiplas cópias da molécula em orientações aleatórias. Tais imagens são bastante ruidosas devido à baixa dose de elétrons utilizada. Reconstruções 3D podem ser obtidas combinando-se muitas imagens de partículas em orientações similares e estimando seus ângulos relativos. Entretanto, estados conformacionais heterogêneos frequentemente coexistem na amostra, porque os complexos moleculares podem ser flexíveis e também interagir com outras partículas. Heterogeneidade representa um desafio na reconstrução de modelos 3D confiáveis e degrada a resolução dos mesmos. Entre os algoritmos mais populares usados para classificação estrutural estão o agrupamento por k-médias, agrupamento hierárquico, mapas autoorganizáveis e estimadores de máxima verossimilhança. Tais abordagens estão geralmente entrelaçadas à reconstrução dos modelos 3D. No entanto, trabalhos recentes indicam ser possível inferir informações a respeito da estrutura das moléculas diretamente do conjunto de projeções 2D. Dentre estas descobertas, está a relação entre a variabilidade estrutural e manifolds em um espaço de atributos multidimensional. Esta dissertação investiga se um comitê de algoritmos de não-supervisionados é capaz de separar tais "manifolds conformacionais". Métodos de "consenso" tendem a fornecer classificação mais precisa e podem alcançar performance satisfatória em uma ampla gama de conjuntos de dados, se comparados a algoritmos individuais. Nós investigamos o comportamento de seis algoritmos de agrupamento, tanto individualmente quanto combinados em comitês, para a tarefa de classificação de heterogeneidade conformacional. A abordagem proposta foi testada em conjuntos sintéticos e reais contendo misturas de imagens de projeção da proteína Mm-cpn nos estados "aberto" e "fechado". Demonstra-se que comitês de agrupadores podem fornecer informações úteis na validação de particionamentos estruturais independetemente de algoritmos de reconstrução 3DAbstract: Single Particle Analysis is a technique that allows the study of the three-dimensional structure of proteins and other macromolecular assemblies of biological interest. Its primary data consists of transmission electron microscopy images from multiple copies of the molecule in random orientations. Such images are very noisy due to the low electron dose employed. Reconstruction of the macromolecule can be obtained by averaging many images of particles in similar orientations and estimating their relative angles. However, heterogeneous conformational states often co-exist in the sample, because the molecular complexes can be flexible and may also interact with other particles. Heterogeneity poses a challenge to the reconstruction of reliable 3D models and degrades their resolution. Among the most popular algorithms used for structural classification are k-means clustering, hierarchical clustering, self-organizing maps and maximum-likelihood estimators. Such approaches are usually interlaced with the reconstructions of the 3D models. Nevertheless, recent works indicate that it is possible to infer information about the structure of the molecules directly from the dataset of 2D projections. Among these findings is the relationship between structural variability and manifolds in a multidimensional feature space. This dissertation investigates whether an ensemble of unsupervised classification algorithms is able to separate these "conformational manifolds". Ensemble or "consensus" methods tend to provide more accurate classification and may achieve satisfactory performance across a wide range of datasets, when compared with individual algorithms. We investigate the behavior of six clustering algorithms both individually and combined in ensembles for the task of structural heterogeneity classification. The approach was tested on synthetic and real datasets containing a mixture of images from the Mm-cpn chaperonin in the "open" and "closed" states. It is shown that cluster ensembles can provide useful information in validating the structural partitionings independently of 3D reconstruction methodsMestradoEngenharia de ComputaçãoMestre em Engenharia Elétric

Contributo alla conoscenza del raro Entoloma opacum Noordel

Contribució al coneixement del rar Entoloma opacum Noordel.- Es descriuen les característiques macro i microscòpiques de Entoloma opacum Noordel, especialment rar i mal representat en la literatura micològica, basat en quatre recol·leccions del nord d'Itàlia. La discussió es centre en la comparació amb espècies similars i inclou algunes consideracions sobre la taxonomia, ecologia, fenologia i distribució del tàxon al continent europeu. S'acompanya l'article amb fotografies a color del basidioma i alguns elements microscòpics.Contribution to the knowledge of the rare Entoloma opacum Noordel. The macro and microscopic features of Entoloma opacum Noordel, a very rare taxon poorly represented in the mycological literature, are reported based on four collections from northern Italy. The discussion focuses on the comparison with closer species and contains considerations on the ecology, phenology and distribution over the european continent. The paper is accompanied by colour photographs of basidiomata and some microscopic elements

Contributo alla conoscenza del raro Entoloma opacum Noordel

Contribució al coneixement del rar Entoloma opacum Noordel.- Es descriuen les característiques macro i microscòpiques de Entoloma opacum Noordel, especialment rar i mal representat en la literatura micològica, basat en quatre recol·leccions del nord d'Itàlia. La discussió es centre en la comparació amb espècies similars i inclou algunes consideracions sobre la taxonomia, ecologia, fenologia i distribució del tàxon al continent europeu. S'acompanya l'article amb fotografies a color del basidioma i alguns elements microscòpics.Contribution to the knowledge of the rare Entoloma opacum Noordel. The macro and microscopic features of Entoloma opacum Noordel, a very rare taxon poorly represented in the mycological literature, are reported based on four collections from northern Italy. The discussion focuses on the comparison with closer species and contains considerations on the ecology, phenology and distribution over the european continent. The paper is accompanied by colour photographs of basidiomata and some microscopic elements

Hydrological, Anthropogenic and Ecological Processes in Cholera Dynamics

The present Thesis deals with understanding, measuring and modelling epidemic cholera. The relevance of the endeavour stems from the fact that mathematical epidemiology, properly guided by model-guided field validation, is a reliable and powerful tool to monitor and predict ongoing epidemics in time for action, and to save lives through evaluation of the effectiveness of mitigation policies or the deployment of medical staff and supplies. In recent years, waterborne diseases – and cholera in particular – have consolidated their role as a major threat for developing countries, where sanitation conditions are poor and the vulnerability to extreme events is highest. Several important features controlling the dynamics of occurrence and spreading of the disease in a region are studied in the present Thesis, from both theoretical and experimental perspective. Understanding the basic processes that regulate cholera infection is key to build reliable prediction tools. In this Thesis several driving mechanisms of cholera are investigated, with the objective of connecting together hydro-climatology, ecology and epidemiology in a comprehensive framework. First, the role of water volume fluctuations is analyzed partly through a bifurcation study in a mostly theoretical assessment. Such work is then particularized in a field campaign carried out in rural Bangladesh, where hydro-climatological variables and Vibrio cholerae concentrations have been monitored for more than a year in one of the ponds constituting the local water reservoir. Concomitantly, a procedure for the detection of Vibrio cholerae, based on flow cytometry, is tested in the field. Further emphasis is also given to the role of human mobility in disseminating the disease among different communities. In particular, the contribution of human mobility in the dispersal of vibrios along the hydrologic network is specifically analyzed. All the knowledge collected in these studies is then used to add essential details to a modeling framework that is applied to the dramatic case of the Haiti epidemic. A spatially explicit model, taking into account both hydrological transport and human mobility, is developed to simulate the spreading of the disease since its onset. It is also shown that the resurgence of the disease, coinciding with the rainy season of June-July 2011, can only be reproduced if hydrological forcings are considered. The framework is tested by forcing it with synthetic rainfall scenarios and projecting epidemiological outputs. It is shown that the model can quantify correctly the number of cases in a given time span, even when calibrated with limited information. This result allows then to use it as a tool to assess a priori the effectiveness of intervention policies, such as vaccination and sanitation. The effect of these two is tested both in the short- and in the long-term, with different results. Such endeavour represents the ultimate goal of the work presented in this Thesis – albeit further effort is needed to link together public health management and mathematical epidemiology in this field

Analisi e realizzazione di procedure per il workflow management in un'azienda certificata ISO:9001

La necessità di avere un riferimento internazionale, attraverso il quale stabilire la qualità dei prodotti, ha determinato, nel 1987, l’emanazione, da parte dell’ISO (International Organization for Standardization), di una famiglia di norme internazionali. Tale famiglia è meglio conosciuta con il nome di ISO 9001 e contiene un insieme di regole il cui scopo è garantire che un’azienda implementi un sistema di gestione interna in grado di garantire la qualità dei prodotti. Sebbene la volontà di intraprendere un percorso di certificazione, con lo scopo di beneficiarne, sia spesso dettata da logiche di mercato, va ricordato che rivedere l’asset aziendale per renderlo adatto allo standard ISO, e il lavoro per mantenerlo tale, può, spesso, richiedere un’overhead notevole ai dipendenti aziendali. Per fronteggiare tale problema vengono, generalmente, impiegati strumenti al fine di automatizzare il più possibile il lavoro di produzione della documentazione necessaria. Le aziende si trovano, quindi, costrette ad adottare strumenti, in particolare software, che spesso impongono la loro struttura, la quale obbliga chi li utilizza a modificare, anche pesantemente, il proprio modo di lavorare. Questa tesi è il risultato di un lavoro svolto da più studenti del corso di Laurea Specialistica in Ingegneria Informatica che pone come obiettivo la realizzazione di un sistema di WorkFlow Management utilizzabile da aziende che lavorano in conformità alle norme ISO 9001 o che hanno come obbiettivo tale certificazione.openEmbargo per motivi di segretezza e di proprietà dei risultati e informazioni di enti esterni o aziende private che hanno partecipato alla realizzazione del lavoro di ricerca relativo alla tesi

Realizzazione e collaudo di sistema elettronico basato su piattaforma DSP-FPGA per l'elaborazione in tempo reale di segnali provenienti da rivelatori di singolo fotone per applicazioni di astronomia

Il lavoro è svolto nell’ambito del progetto di ricerca “cofin-prin 2002” – “Development of Monolithic Photon-Counter Arrays for Transient High-Energy Phenomena and Adaptive Optics in Astrophysics”. Obiettivo del progetto &egrave la realizzazione di un sistema basato su un array monolitico di sensori di singolo fotone SPAD (Single Photon Avalanche Diode) e su un'elettronica per elaborazione dati in tempo reale ad alte prestazioni per la messa in opera di tre applciazioni astronomiche: Fast Transient Imaging, Adaptiove Optics e Layer Sensing. Nel capitolo 1, introduttivo, viene data una descrizione delle tre applicazioni astronomiche e vengono esposte le caratteristiche dei sensori SPAD e le specifiche di progetto per quanto riguarda la parte di elaborazione dati. Nel capitolo 2 vengono esposte le soluzioni adottate per il soddisfacimento delle specifiche, descrivendo nel dettaglio le piattaforme di sviluppo hardware (in particolare la board Orsys micro-line CPT6713) e software (Linux SUSE 9.1 e National Instruments LabView 5.1) sfruttate per la realizzazione del sistema elettronico. Nel capitolo 3 è illustrata l’architettura hardware, descritta in linguaggio VHDL, realizzata per il FPGA Xilinx XC2V1000 e il firmware sviluppato per il processore DSP TMS320C6713, cuore del sistema di acquisizione. La descrizione del lavoro prosegue nel capitolo 4 con l’interfaccia software sviluppata in ambiente LabView 5.1 per il controllo dell’intero sistema e con una breve descrizione del pacchetto software Linux. Infine il testo si conclude con il quinto capitolo, in cui sono riportati i risultati di collaudo dell'intero sistema elettronico per quanto riguarda l'applicazione FTI