125878 research outputs found
Sort by
“Italian Hospitality Workers’ Re-Conceptualisations, Positioning & Discourses in Post-Brexit and Post-Pandemic London”
No full textIn 2023, the UK media started denouncing the ‘hospitality crisis’ (The Economist 2022) caused by staff shortages (Foster 2023), and the cost-of-living crisis consequence of the Covid-19 pandemic and Brexit. Such a crisis worsened hospitality workers’ already fragile well-being (Chen & Wang 2023; Kotera et al. 2021) and increased mental health issues (Gardner 2022). In particular, the shortage of staff - caused by Great Resignation (Klotz 2021) during the pandemic and the impossibility for new immigrants to work in the UK after Brexit - redefined the dynamics present in hospitality workplaces. The present contribution will present a novel understanding and conceptualisation of the hospitality crisis, by addressing the (lack of) valorisation of migrant workforce and their differentiated skills (e.g., linguistic, communication, and cultural skills), while observing how Italian hospitality workers socially position themselves within the hosting society and within a professional market that has deeply changed after 2020.
Through Narrative Analysis (De Fina 2015) and Discourse Analysis (Handford & Gee 2013), the chapter aims to offer insights about Italian hospitality workers’ current conceptualisation of their professional value and reflects on the contrasting opinions of those involved in this sector. The data here presented were collected within the 2022 project “Migrant food, languages, and identities in the dawn of the post-Brexit and COVID-19 era”, funded by Research England through University of Westminster (London), where participants, Italian and Greek hospitality workers, discussed their working conditions and highlight issues caused by Brexit and by the Covid-19 pandemic. The chapter will draw upon extracted narratives from the audio video recordings of the six dinners wherein participants explore their migratory trajectories and their professional life to discuss how exclusion, lack of representation and the feeling of being ignored have had an impact on migrant workers’ mental health and well-being in the workplace
F. Dell’Acqua, C. Gantner, “The pergula of Pope Gregory III (731–741) in the Basilica of Saint Peter’s. Rome and Ravenna at the Onset of the Image Controversy”, Römisches Jahrbuch der Bibliotheca Hertziana, 48 (2025).
No full textIt is beyond question that the various sources – textual and material transmitted by texts – used in this paper are well known to scholars. On the solid ground offered by previous studies in the archaeology and art history of Saint Peter’s confessio, we intend to deepen the analysis of the ideological implications of Gregory III’s pergula. By combining the discrete expertise and research methodologies of an art historian and a historian working on religious–political texts and identities, we intend to offer a cultural–historical evaluation of Gregory III’s work on the confessio in light of the wider question of early medieval papal politics and artistic patronage. Considering the cues offered by Sible de Blaauw and Charles McClendon with regards to its relevance to Byzantine iconomachy, we will place it against the backdrop of the complex political landscape of Italy in the 720s–740s. This was dominated by major actors: the papacy in Rome, the Byzantine emperor represented by the exarch of Ravenna, and the Longobard king in Pavia. In fact, the image controversy was but one of the political issues at stake. We will proceed by analysing written documents (section “Ink”), material evidence as it was described in the written sources and papal artistic patronage (“Marble and silver”), and end with considerations on the use of written and material statements in the politics of the time (“Rome vs. Ravenna and Constantinople in ca. 731”, and “Once more on marble and ink”)
An assessment procedure to measure and improve the maintenance management information practices maturity: a case study
No full textPurposeThis article presents a procedure for assessing the maturity of maintenance management information practices and defining improvement actions. It focuses on supporting companies, small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in determining their information technology (IT) needs and introducing suitable informative infrastructures.Design/methodology/approachA comprehensive procedure for assessing the maturity of maintenance management information practices and defining improvement actions is proposed. It consists of five steps: designing the current state of maintenance, identifying IT needs based on maintenance goals, applying an assessment model to identify weaknesses and strengths, proposing improvement actions based on maturity level and enabling continuous improvement. The procedure provides the applicability of the assessment model to evaluate the maturity levels of different databases: Equipment, Maintenance Personnel, Work Order and Report.FindingsThe model was applied to a company's maintenance process. Improvement actions focusing on enhancing the informative infrastructure and improving information management practices have been designed based on the current maturity assessment. The findings and recommendations provide valuable insights for SMEs seeking to enhance their maintenance effectiveness and adopt appropriate IT solutions.Originality/valueThe proposed procedure and the maturity model contribute to the field of research by addressing the specific needs of SMEs in assessing their maintenance management information practices. The model provides a roadmap for SMEs to identify weaknesses, prioritize improvement actions and enable continuous improvement. By leveraging the benefits of information systems, SMEs can enhance their maintenance processes, increase competitiveness and achieve higher maturity levels in maintenance management
Il contributo di Cressey allo sviluppo dei metodi qualitativi in sociologia
No full textIl testo propone la traduzione di un articolo di Paul Goalby Cressey, dal titolo “A Comparison of the Roles of the “Sociological Stranger” and the “Anonymous Stranger” in Field Research” pubblicato postumo nel 1983 da Martin Bulmer. Cressey è noto per aver posto attenzione ad un filone noir della ricerca sociale e per aver analizzato i lati oscuri del tessuto sociale della città, attraverso lo studio delle taxi dance hall. L’autore è meno noto per il suo apporto alla metodologia della ricerca sociale che invece è molto importante perché il suo contributo offre la possibilità, agli studiosi contemporanei, di una rinnovata riflessione su unaquestione molto delicata e dirimente per la ricerca sociale: la centralità della relazione tra il ricercatore e le persone con cui entra in contatto all’interno dei diversi contesti sociali.
Utilizzando il paradigma dello straniero, ispirato da Simmel e Sombart, lo studioso sviscera una questione epistemologica e metodologica che ha caratterizzato un passaggio d’epoca e che possiamo rinvenire nell’attenzione alla relazione tra ricercatore e (s)oggetto studiato, nelle caratteristiche di questa relazione sulla base delle quali possono cambiare le modalità di accesso e di permanenza nel contesto studiato, nella natura delle informazioni prodotte che può inevitabilmente cambiare in base ai termini della relazione posta in essere nel campo d’indagine
Preliminary Evidence Suggests That a 12-Week Treatment with Tirzepatide Plus Low-Energy Ketogenic Therapy Is More Effective than Its Combination with a Low-Calorie Diet in Preserving Fat-Free Mass, Muscle Strength, and Resting Metabolic Rate in Patients with Obesity
No full textBackground: Tirzepatide (TZP), a unimolecular dual agonist targeting glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide and glucagon-like peptide-1 receptors, is a promising weight loss agent in obesity. The preservation of metabolically active fat-free mass (FFM), muscle strength (MS), and resting metabolic rate (RMR) is essential for optimizing fat mass (FM) reduction. Although TZP is typically combined with a low-calorie diet (LCD), its impact on FFM is uncertain, and studies on MS and RMR are lacking. Evidence suggests that Low-Energy Ketogenic Therapy (LEKT) may reduce FM while preserving FFM, MS, and RMR. Therefore, this study aimed to compare the effects of an LEKT and an LCD, both combined with TZP, on body weight (BW), FM, FFM, MS, and RMR in patients with obesity. Methods: We prospectively compared the effects of TZP combined with either an LCD or LEKT in 60 patients with obesity (n = 30 per group) over 12 weeks. BW, FM, FFM, MS, and RMR were measured at baseline and after 12 weeks. Clinical parameters, an assessment of dietary compliance, and side effects were also evaluated. Results: At 12-week follow-up, both groups showed a significant BW reduction from baseline (TZP+LEKT, p = 0.0289; TZP+LCD, p = 0.0278), with no significant intergroup difference (p = 0.665). Similarly, FM decreased significantly in both cohorts (TZP+LEKT, p < 0.001; TZP+LCD, p = 0.0185), with the TZP+LEKT group achieving a greater FM loss (p = 0.042). However, the TZP+LCD group exhibited significant declines from baseline in FFM (p = 0.0284), MS (p = 0.0341), and RMR (p < 0.001), whereas we did not observe any significant changes in FFM (p = 0.487), MS (p = 0.691), and RMR (p = 0.263) in the TZP+LEKT group. Intergroup direct comparisons confirmed that the TZP+LCD group experienced significantly greater reductions in FFM (p = 0.0388), MS (p = 0.046), and RMR (p = 0.019). Conclusions: Based on the findings of these preliminary data, we are able to support the hypothesis that TZP+LEKT seems to be superior to TZP+LCD in promoting FM reduction while preserving FFM, MS, and RMR in patients with obesity
BP/MoS2 Van Der Waals Heterojunctions for Self‐Powered Photoconduction
No full text2D materials can be combined without the need for lattice matching, leading to various van der Waals heterostructures with novel functionalities. Herein, it focuses on a vertical heterostructure made of thin black phosphorus (BP) over monolayer molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) that is characterized using a four-probe configuration. The device exhibits contact resistance negligible compared to the resistance of the BP/MoS2 channel, rectifying current-voltage (IV) characteristics, dominant n-type conduction resulting from type II band alignment and field effect mobility ≈1 cm2 V−1 s−1 limited by MoS2. An energy barrier at the BP/MoS2 interface of 68 meV is estimated using IV measurements at different temperatures. Additionally, the BP/MoS2 device exhibits fast photoresponse, conductance depending linearly on the incident light power, and photovoltaic effect, suggesting its suitability for self-powered photodetection. The spectral response is nearly constant in the 450 − 600 nm range and declines for wavelengths above 600 nm, that is for light energies below the energy bandgap of MoS2. Both the short circuit current Isc and the open circuit voltage Voc show a dependence on the incident power and wavelength, with maximum values Isc ≈ 0.12 nA and Voc ≈ 75 mV under 126 μW incident white light power. These findings highlight the potential of BP/MoS2 heterojunctions for optoelectronic applications
Le nuove procedure “combinate” di asilo e di rimpatrio alla frontiera: quale incidenza sui diritti riconosciuti dalla Carta dei diritti fondamentali dell’UE?
No full textIl contributo mira ad analizzare la disciplina derivante dall’art. 43 del
regolamento 2024/1348 (regolamento procedure) e dal regolamento
2024/1349 (che stabilisce una procedura di rimpatrio alla frontiera) che
introduce «una concatenazione senza soluzione di continuità» tra la fase
di trattamento delle domande di asilo e la fase del rimpatrio, nonché a
evidenziare i tratti caratteristici delle procedure combinate alla frontiera
e, infine, a considerare in quale misura esse possono incidere sui diritti
e le garanzie procedurali dei migranti che trovano riconoscimento nella
Carta dei diritti fondamentali dell’Unione europea.The contribution aims to analyze the framework established by Article
43 of Regulation 2024/1348 (Regulation on Procedures) and Regulation
2024/1349 (which establishes a border return procedure), both of which
introduce a «seamless link» between the asylum application process
and the return phase. It also highlights the key features of the combined
border procedures and, finally, assesses the extent to which they may
impact the rights and procedural guarantees of migrants, as recognized
in the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union
La netnografia nella ricerca sociale
No full textIl libro si concentra sulla trasposizione digitale dell’etnografia – definita etnografia digitale o netnografia. La netnografia rappresenta l’ultima risposta allo stiramento dell’approccio etnografico che nel tempo ha subito un’estensione dei suoi obiettivi, dei suoi campi e dei suoi oggetti: dai viaggi dei primi etnografi in isole remote per l’esplorazione di culture altre, esotiche e primitive, allo studio delle culture vicine, urbane e mediali, fino alla navigazione in rete. Può essere definita come l’osservazione prolungata nel tempo e più o meno partecipata delle comunità e culture digitali, al fine di pervenire ad una loro interpretazione e descrizione profonda. L’obiettivo del saggio è di comprendere quali implicazioni metodologiche il digitale possa avere per la pratica etnografica, in che modo la netnografia modifichi gli assunti e i presupposti etnografici e di fornire indicazioni metodologiche che permettano di non alterare la natura non-standard dell’approccio. Rappresenta dunque un tentativo di restituire un’identità ad un approccio che sembra averla persa nella sua trasposizione digitale, tanto da essere ripetutamente assimilato all’analisi dei contenuti digitali, di mettere dei paletti alla sua estrema diffusione, di evidenziarne le potenzialità, senza perdere consapevolezza dei costi