Degree-doubling graph families

Let G be a family of n-vertex graphs of uniform degree 2 with the property that the union of any two member graphs has degree four. We determine the leading term in the asymptotics of the largest cardinality of such a family. Several analogous problems are discussed.Comment: 9 page

Understanding the Determinants of Female Labor Force Participation in the Middle East and North Africa Region: The Role of Education and Social Norms in Amman

The similarities between the labor market supply of women with a Middle Eastern background living in Europe and those of women living in the Middle East is of particular interest. Indeed, empirical evidence shows that Female Labor Force Participation (FLFP) of immigrants reflects to a large extent the FLFP of country of origin, with women from more conservative societies tending to participate less in the labor market than natives or immigrants from countries with a high FLFP. This impacts the host country’s FLFP at an aggregate level. Therefore, from a European perspective, understanding the determinants of female labor supply in the conservative societies, such as countries from the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region is of particular interest, considering the high share of this group among immigrants. Hence, this empirical research focuses on the role of education, especially higher education, and social norms in MENA on the choice of women to work outside. The region has achieved substantial progress in educating women, increasingly so at the tertiary level and across disciplines, but its FLFP remains the lowest among all regions. Our paper empirically investigates the impact of education with emphasis on higher education on FLFP and the relationship between social norms and female labor supply in a representative city in MENA, namely Amman, Jordan, as a proxy for MENA. Our analysis shows that higher education (post-secondary/university/post-university) has a positive and significant impact on FLFP, whereas secondary and below do not. In addition, there is a strong negative and statistically significant association between traditional social norms and the participation of women in the labor force. The findings pose the question of whether additional policies and actions are needed to change institutions and attitudes toward women’s work in general, as well as improve the economic opportunities of women who have secondary education which affects the bulk of working age women.

Clinician emotional response toward narcissistic patients. A preliminary report

Patients with narcissistic personality disorder (NPD) are among the most difficult to treat in therapy, especially for their strong resistance to treatment and several difficulties in establishing a therapeutic relationship characterized by intimacy, safety, and trust. In particular, therapists’ emotional responses to these patients can be particularly intense and frustrating, as often reported in the clinical literature; however, rarely they were investigated empirically. The aims of this preliminary study were: 1) to examine the associations between patients’ narcissistic personality disorder and distinct therapists’ countertransference patterns; and 2) to verify whether these clinicians’ emotional reactions were influenced by theoretical orientation, gender and age. A national sample of psychiatrists and clinical psychologists (N = 250) completed the Therapist Response Questionnaire (TRQ) to identify patterns of therapist emotional response, and the Shedler-Westen Assessment Procedure-200 (SWAP-200) to assess personality disorder and level of psychological functioning in a patient currently in their care, and with whom they had worked for a minimum of eight sessions and a maximum of 6 months (one session per week). From the complete therapist sample, we identified a subgroup (N = 35) of patients with NPD. Results showed that NPD was positively associated with criticized/mistreated and disengaged countertransference, and negatively associated with positive therapist response. Moreover, the relationship between patients’ NPD and therapists’ emotional responses was not dependent on clinicians’ theoretical approach (as well as their age and gender). These findings are consistent with clinical observations, as well as some empirical contributions, and have meaningful implications for clinical practice of patients suffering from this challenging pathology

Il LAC quale esperienza formativa e didattica nel corso di laurea in Scienze della Formazione

La ricerca si prefigge di effettuare una riflessione sulla modalit\ue0 didattica del Laboratorio di Addestramento alla Comunicazione (LAC) quale unit\ue0 didattica autonoma e conclusa, e di verificare la validit\ue0 dei parametri individuati per la valutazione degli apprendimenti relativi ai contenuti e alla formazione al lavoro in piccolo gruppo. Il LAC \ue8 una esperienza didattica inserita nel curriculum universitario degli studenti della facolt\ue0 di SFP che, in modulo di breve estensione, si prefigge di: a) trasmettere conoscenze; b) far sperimentare il lavoro in un sistema organizzato complesso come l\u2019istituzione scolastica; c) utilizzare una valutazione trasparente e articolata

Creating Sustainable Support Systems for the Cultural Integration of International Students at a Medium Size Ontario University

This OIP investigates the lack of cultural integration and support for international students at Medium-Size Ontario University (MSOU). The support for cultural integration of the international students at MSOU is inadequate and international students are facing social, emotional and academic challenges as they are not provided with the needed assistance to acclimatize to Western culture. Three potential solutions to address the PoP are demonstrated and evaluated. The chosen solution of implementing extended orientation and workshops is inspected in detail. Transformational Leadership and Confucianism are examined to ensure their relevancy and appropriateness to address this PoP and OIP and connected to the chosen solution. Both faculty and staff in leadership roles can have a dramatic impact on the social, emotional and academic lives of their international students. However, faculty do not feel it is their role as academic leaders and unequip to provide the needed social and emotional support that would ease the challenges of living in Canada. This OIP seeks to identify the support structures that are required to ensure the successful cultural integration of international students at MSOU

Binge eating disorder (BED) and psychopathological symptoms in adolescence: preliminary report from a study in Liguria.

The prevalence of Binge Eating Disorder (BED), added in the new DSM-5, is increasing among teenagers and young adults of Western Countries (Goldschmidt et al., 2016). Despite is well-known the prevalence of eating disorders in adolescence, little of specific is known about the BED, which could show comorbidity both with internalizing and externalizing symptoms in adolescents (Forrest et al., 2017; Pace, Guiducci & Cavanna, 2016; Swanson et al., 2011). This preliminary study involved a non-clinical sample of Italian adolescents. We aimed to investigate: 1) the prevalence of BED and psychopathological symptoms; 2) the associations between BED and internalizing and externalizing symptoms. This report is the first screening wave of a larger study that aims to explore the psychological variables which can be associated with the risk of BED in adolescence, such as attachment representations and emotional functioning. The participants were 382 adolescents (aged 13-18 years, M= 15.59, SD=1.1; 38.5% males 61.5% females), enrolled from high-schools in Liguria. The measures were: 1) demographic and anamnestic data set; 2) the Binge Eating Scale (BES) to assess the risk or presence of Binge Eating Disorder (cut off >= 17); 3) the Youth Self Report 11/18 (YSR 11/18) to assess internalizing (cut-off M>29, F>35) and externalizing (cut-off M>31, F>26) problems. We found the 6% of adolescents resulting as at-risk on BES scale (22 girls and 1 boy); 8 boys and 19 girls showed internalizing symptoms (7.07%), while 3 boys and 11 girls externalizing symptoms (3.66%). Correlations were found between BES and YSR scores in internalizing (r = .424; p = .000) and externalizing (r = .153; p = .003) symptoms. These results suggest to deepen investigate comorbidities between BED and other psychopathological problems in adolescence

Factors Contributing to Chlorine Decay and Microbial Presence in Drinking Water Following Stagnation in Premise Plumbing

Premise plumbing is the part of the drinking water distribution system closest to the point of use. Since premise plumbing is characterized by a long residence time, elevated temperature, and reduced levels of disinfectant residue, drinking water in premise plumbing typically experiences elevated levels of microbial presence as compared to finished water exiting water treatment utilities, particularly under stagnation conditions frequently encountered in premise plumbing. Thus, stagnant drinking water in premise plumbing may represent an important source of public health risk. Therefore, the objective of this study is to identify factors contributing to the deterioration of microbiological quality of stagnant drinking water in premise plumbing. Results from this study indicated that the service age of premise plumbing system is positively correlated to the concentration of microorganisms in stagnant drinking water; Another factor contributing to microbial contamination is the usage pattern, with systems experiencing lower levels of water consumption exhibiting greater microbial contamination than those having greater water usage patterns; Since disinfectant residue is an important determinant of microbial contamination, the loss of free chlorine as the most common disinfectant residue was further examined. My results demonstrate that pipe material has significant impact on the decay rate of free chlorine, with copper pipe showing the greatest chlorine decay rate, and PVC pipe showing the slowest. The deposits onto the pipe wall appear to reduce the rate of chlorine decay, likely forming a barrier between the pipe material and water, which slows down the reaction between the pipe wall and the disinfectant. Moreover, pipe diameter and temperature could significantly influence the rate of chlorine decay, with greater diameter leading to smaller surface-to-volume ratio and subsequently a slower chlorine decay rate. As expected, elevated temperature was shown to accelerate chlorine loss. These results provide important insights into the mechanisms of chlorine decay in premise plumbing and the factors contributing to the deterioration of the microbiological quality of drinking water in premise plumbing, which could facilitate the development of effective strategies for controlling water quality in premise plumbing and reducing public health risks from waterborne infectious diseases

Chapters in the Epidemiology of child and adolescent mental health: risk factors, prevention, treatment and outcomes

Mental illnesses are a substantial burden in Canada and worldwide. Early life conditions and experiences make individuals more susceptible to developing diseases. The primary goal of this thesis is to understand mental health issues in children and adolescents and to provide a basis for prevention planning and policy. The four core studies in this thesis utilize a variety of epidemiological methods and data sources. The first study, a systematic review and meta-analysis of longitudinal studies, found that early childhood maltreatment is a strong risk factor for the latter onset of depression and anxiety disorders. Proportion attributable fractions (PAFs) indicated a very large reduction in depression and anxiety could result from reducing childhood maltreatment. The second study explored epigenetic changes (DNA methylation) linked to depression. This systematic review found inconsistent results for candidate genes (e.g. BDNF, SLC6A4, NR3C1, OXTR, and others) and genome-wide studies. There was high heterogeneity in terms of experimental and statistical methodologies among the studies. Future studies should apply standardized experimental and laboratory methodologies and adopt longitudinal designs to trace changes overtime. The third study using clinical administrative data examined whether current child and adolescent mental health services effectively improved clients’ psychosocial functioning. Treatment was found to be effective though the initial severity of the problem affected outcomes. While shortening the length of treatment might improve resource use efficiency, it would be detrimental to some clients. Personalized treatment is required to meet clients’ specific needs. Finally, the potential iatrogenic effects (Bipolar Disorder (BPAD)) of pharmacological treatment (stimulant) of children and adolescents for ADHD is examined using a cohort study design and provincial administrative data. After adjusting for psychiatric comorbidity, it was found that stimulant use by itself does not lead to the development of BPAD, but rather the severity of the initial disease and comorbidity are predictors of future BPAD. The clear message of this research is that early reduction in risk factor exposure in utero and in childhood and adolescence and the early treatment of mental health problems has a very positive effect in reducing the onset and further development of psychiatric diseases and mental health problems