Search results for "LF"

A Multi objective inventory model for short food supply chains

2017

Over the past 50 years, vertically integrated multinationals dominated global food markets by providing huge product diversity at low prices. Such systems are characterized by long supply chains capable of achieving high cost efficiencies resulting from the use of cheap raw materials, high chemical inputs, industrial shelf-life extension processes, economies of scale and mechanization. This dominant position on the market, however, has been achieved at a heavy cost on the global environment, generated by massive food wastage, and by a steady supply of fossil fuels. For such reasons, global supply chains are considered unsustainable and new food systems are being promoted in order to replace…

Correlates of the non-use of contraception among female university students in Italy

2021

The present paper scrutinizes the correlates of the non-use of contraception among young women in Italy. To this end we consulted two releases of Selfy (Sexual and Emotional LiFe of Youths) survey, which offer information for a nationally sample of university students. The results reveal that the likelihood of non-using contraception is higher among women living in the South and among those with previous experience of unsafe sexual behaviours. The risk of unprotected sex is also higher within a group of students who are relatively older than the others and live in a stable cohabiting union.

Postmodernity, insecurity and job loss Focus on the unemployed's suffering

2017

International audience; Objectives Recent research shows clear correlations between the subjective perception of job's insecurity and physical, mental and relational health. This article highlights the difficulties of workers , and particularly the impact of uncertainty and job loss on their self-esteem and psycho-physical well-being. The work presents and contextualizes the perception of job insecurity as an effect of postmodern society.Methods The research involved 60 subjects that have lost the jobs and received a 3 month intervention of active policies organized in groups focusing on empowerment and employability. At two times before and after group participants filled in Rosenberg Self…

Unraveling the three faces of self-esteem: A new information-processing sociometer perspective

2009

Abstract Based on an integration of sociometer theory and information-processing models, the present study investigated the predictive validity of three self-esteem measures: self-report, an implicit association test, and an affective priming task. In a first session, self-esteem measures were obtained from 93 participants. After an interval of four weeks, interpersonal perception ratings were collected in small round-robin groups. Participants were requested to briefly introduce themselves to the group before evaluating one another and indicating how they expected to be evaluated by the others (metaperceptions). As hypothesized, all three self-esteem measures independently predicted the pe…

Automated detection of protein unfolding events in atomic force microscopy force curves

2016

Atomic force microscopy is not only a high-resolution imaging device but also a mechanical machine, which can be used either to indent or stretch (soft) biomaterials. Due to the statistical nature of such materials (i.e., hydrogels or polymers) hundreds of force-distance curves are required to describe their mechanical properties. In this manuscript, we present an automated system for polymer unfolding detection based on continuous wavelet analysis. We have tested the automated program on elastin, which is an important protein that provides elasticity to tissues and organs. Our results show that elastin changes its mechanical behavior in the presence of electrolytes. In particular, we show …

Pros and cons of family policies for mothers' labour market participation

2012

PurposeThe purpose of this editorial is to examine sociological research on the possibilities and pitfalls of social policies for mothers' employment participation, and identify research gaps in the existing literature. The paper aims to focus mainly on the implications of parental leave schemes on mothers' employment participation.Design/methodology/approachThe editorial discusses the inconsistencies in the current sociological debate on the impact of social policies on mothers' employment.FindingsThe relationship between parental leave policies and women's participation in the work force is complex. The literature shows a disagreement about whether such policies mitigate family‐related ca…

Chemosensory enrichment as a simple and effective way to improve the welfare of captive lizards

2018

Welfare, Home Market Effects, and Horizontal Foreign Direct Investment

2005

We investigate the spatial distribution and organization of an imperfectly competitive industry when firms may choose to operate more than a single production unit. Focusing on a short-run setting with a fixed mass of firms, we fully characterize the spatial equilibria analytically. Comparing the equilibrium and the first-best, we show that both organizational and spatial inefficiencies may arise. In particular, when fixed costs are low enough the market outcome may well lead to overinvestment and, therefore, to too many multinationals operating from a social point of view. Furthermore, once multinationals are taken into account, the market outcome may well lead too little agglomeration.

Monte Carlo simulation of many-arm star polymers in two-dimensional good solvents in the bulk and at a surface

1991

A Monte Carlo technique is proposed for the simulation of statistical properties of many-arm star polymers on lattices. In this vectorizing algorithm, the length of each arml is increased by one, step by step, from a starting configuration withl=1 orl=2 which is generated directly. This procedure is carried out for a large sample (e.g., 100,000 configurations). As an application, we have studied self-avoiding stars on the square lattice with arm lengths up tol max=125 and up tof=20 arms, both in the bulk and in the geometry where the center of the star is adsorbed on a repulsive surface. The total number of configurations, which behaves asN∼l γ G–1μ fl , whereμ=2.6386 is the usual effective…

2016

Cytoglobin (Cygb) is a vertebrate globin with so far poorly defined function. It is expressed in the fibroblast cell-lineage but has also been found in neurons. Here we provide, using immunohistochemistry, a detailed study on the distribution of Cygb in the mouse brain. While Cygb is a cytoplasmic protein in active cells of the supportive tissue, in neurons it is located in the cytoplasm and the nucleus. We found the expression of Cygb in all brain regions, although only a fraction of the neurons was Cygb-positive. Signals were of different intensity ranging from faint to very intense. Telencephalic neurons in all laminae of the cerebral cortex, in the olfactory bulb (in particular periglom…