Study of phenomena related to the sintering process of silicon nitride at atmospheric pressure

A procedure was perfected for the production of components used in engineering applications of silicon nitride. Particles of complex geometry that combine remarkable mechanical properties with a high density are obtained. The process developed, in contrast to the "hot pressing" method, does not use external pressures, and in contrast to the reaction bonding method, final densities close to the theoretical value are obtained

Mutating loops and 2-cycles in 2-CY triangulated categories

We derive an algorithm for mutating quivers of 2-CY tilted algebras that have loops and 2-cycles, under certain specific conditions. Further, we give the classification of the 2-CY tilted algebras coming from standard algebraic 2-CY triangulated categories with a finite number of indecomposables. These form a class of algebras that satisfy the setup for our mutation algorithm

Families in Italy in the face of the crisis of ‘Mediterranean’ welfare

National welfare regimes in Europe are rapidly evolving and diversifying. Changes are influenced by not always well defined elements, depending by dynamics that are both internal and external to the system, making it difficult to define the characters of the new scenario. The Italian welfare regime is strongly connected within this process, posing new challenges in a country where the intervention of the state in the welfare sphere is limited, and the family has always played an important role in the care work. Based on the national and international debate on this topic, this article explores the factors that characterize the Italian welfare regime, and the challenges posed by globalization. With reference to the category of familialism, it will be discussed the typical Italian attitude “to do all-at-home” in relation to the care work. Using empirical evidence, it will be analyzed if this typical Italian attitude is the result of the persistence of a traditional and rural model of orientation, or the consequence of complex social dynamics, in which causes and effects influence each other. Findings suggest a changing scenario in the way Italian families organize and perceive their care work, giving the idea that a profound structural process, activated by economic and cultural factors, is going through this social institution

Tempo- Dec. 17, 1946

https://neiudc.neiu.edu/tempo/1018/thumbnail.jp

The complexity of the intangible digital economy: an agent-based model

Since the last 30 years, the economy has been undergoing a massive digital transformation. Intangible digital assets, like software solutions, web services, and more recently deep learning algorithms, artificial intelligence and digital platforms, have been increasingly adopted thanks to the diffusion and advancements of information and communication technologies. Various observers argue that we could rapidly approach a technological singularity leading to explosive economic growth. This research work as a whole is aimed at investigating potential consequences on our economy deriving from digital technological progress. In particular, the contribution of the thesis is both empirical, theoretical and related to model design. On the empirical side, I present a cross-country empirical analysis assessing the correlation between the growth rate of both tangible and intangible investments and different measures of productivity growth. The analysis results are used to inform the first of the two frameworks of the agent-based macro-model Eurace that I employ to assess the long-term impact of digital investments on economy. In particular, in the first framework, a total factor augmenting approach has been used in order to model the digital technological progress because of the significant and positive correlation between total factor productivity and ICT capital investments, composed by a combination of both tangible and intangible investments which includes ICT technologies, software and database. In the second framework, I propose a different and innovative approach in which digital technological progress influences the elasticity of substitution between capital and labour. In this way, an increase of the elasticity of substitution can be seen as an increase in the tasks that machines can perform replacing human beings. In order to develop this approach, I substitute the Cobb-Douglas production function used in the first framework with a Leontief technology in which input factors are represented by organizational units. In turn, the contribution of each unit is given by a combination of capital and labour. The second framework results to be more realistic because it allows to distinguish between the various activities performed in the companies and the different education levels characterizing the workforce employed. Computational experiments show the emergence of technological unemployment in the long-run with a high pace of intangible digital investments. However, in the elasticity augmenting framework compensation mechanisms work more effectively leading to lower unemployment levels compared to the total factor augmenting one. Both frameworks are able to capture interesting features and empirical evidences characterizing our economic system

Developing a Digital and Traditional Political Participation (DTPP) Scale for Youth: A Validity and Reliability Study

The purpose of this study is to develop and validate a political participation scale for youth, considering both traditional and digital political participation (DTPP). The research was conducted using 458 participants from Turkey, Italy, and Romania, aged between 15 and 29 years. Explanatory Factor Analysis (EFA) and Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) were performed to test the structural validity of the scale. EFA results illustrated that scale consisted of three factors and the total variance was 61.23%. These factors were labeled as “digital political support”, “traditional political support” and “digital political following”. During confirmatory factor analysis, the three-factor structure was tested, and the resulting model produced an acceptable goodness of fit The scale consists of 39 items and the reliability coefficients for each subscale vary from .92 and .95. The results show that the scale is valid and reliable to measure traditional and digital political participation of young people