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Working from Home and Job Satisfaction: The Role of Gender and Personality Traits
Full text linkIn this paper we investigate the effect of working-from home (WFH) on job satisfaction. We use longitudinal data from Italy to estimate a difference-in-differences model, in which the treatment group includes individuals who transitioned to remote work in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic and continued to work from home in 2021. We perform the analysis, which extends to various aspects of self-reported job satisfaction, by gender and personality traits as per the Big-Five framework, encompassing Openness to Experience, Conscientiousness, Extraversion, Agreeableness, and Neuroticism. Our findings reveal that WFH exhibits a positive influence on job satisfaction, albeit exclusively among women, and with some heterogeneity, depending on personal characteristics. Specifically, this effect seems more noticeable in women characterized by elevated Openness to Experience, whereas those with heightened conscientiousness or neuroticism levels tend to experience less satisfaction when working remotely
Application of the transgender male voice questionnaire in a Brazilian population sample
No full textObjectives: The aim of this study was to adapt and apply the Portuguese versionof the Transgender Man Voice Questionnaire in a sample of Brazilian transgendermen and to investigate the relationship between voice satisfaction and hormonetherapy duration. In addition, we suggest reducing and reformulating thequestionnaire for screening.
Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study of 31 transgender men aged 18–50 years undergoing hormone therapy who answered a questionnaire adaptedfrom the Transgender Woman Voice Questionnaire, validated in Portuguese.Sociodemographic and clinical data were collected from the individuals’electronic medical records: age, smoking status, and type and duration ofhormone therapy. The questionnaire, consisting of 30 questions rated on aLikert scale, was answered individually during a psychotherapy session. In eachquestion, the gender-specific words were modified. Furthermore, we added aquestion: 31 (After GAHT, my voice became completely male), with the responseoptions yes or no. In questions 32 and 33, asking participants to provide anoverall rating of their voice. Total score ranged from 0 to 120, with higher scoresindicating greater dissatisfaction with voice.
Results: Mean patient age was 30.13 ± 7.6 years, and 19.4% were smokers. Themean duration of hormone therapy was 29.7 ± 24.9 months, and 95% receivedintramuscular testosterone cypionate, maintaining serum testosterone levelswithin the male reference range. The questionnaire mean total score was 51 ± 17.72.There was a significant negative correlation between the questionnaire total scoreand duration of hormone therapy (r = −0.484, p = 0.006). The questionnaire hada high level of internal consistency/reliability, with a Cronbach’s alpha coefficientof 0.95 for all items and a split-half Spearman-Brown coefficient of 0.96. For theelaboration of a screening tool, it is suggested to remove questions 8, 10, 12, 13,14, 17, 19, 23, 27, and 29 and modify question 1.
Conclusion: Longer hormone therapy favors voice deepening and satisfactionwith voice. The psychometric properties of the Transgender Man VoiceQuestionnaire are reliable, supporting its use as a screening tool in clinicalpractice and as an adjunct to the planning of vocal and communication supportfor transgender individuals
Teaching the Difficult Heritage of Italian Fascism
No full textIn recent years, the architectural legacy and so-called ‘difficult heritage’ of Fascist Italy has become a flourishing field of research. These topics have also begun to make their way into the undergraduate classroom. To date, however, there has been little research carried out into the methods we use to teach the history of Fascism in particular. In this short article, we outline how we have applied problem-based learning and scenario-based learning approaches to tackle this topic. After presenting three assignments, we explain the benefits associated with a PBL/SBL approach, summarised under the headings of interdisciplinarity, creativity and authenticity, before highlighting some aspects on which colleagues may wish to reflect if they are considering adopting a similar approach in their teaching
All That Glitters: Gemstones and Viewer Participation in Ancient Roman Wall Ornamentation
No full textMaster of Arts in Art History -- John Cabot University, Spring 2024.In this study, I investigate how Roman patrons’ use of gemstones in domestic decoration encouraged guests to forgo their traditional role of observer and instead actively engage with the ornamentation adorning elite residences. I specifically analyze the gemstones depicted in the Second-Style wall paintings in Triclinium 14 in Villa A at Oplontis and Cubiculum M in the Villa of P. Fannius Synistor at Boscoreale (50-40 BCE), as well as the mirror-like obsidian slabs embedded into the east peristyle wall of the House of the Golden Cupids, the east peristyle wall of the House of the Orchard in Pompeii, and the east atrium wall of the House of the Ephebe in Pompeii (mid-1st century CE). Though the conversation is nascent, accepted interpretations regard ornamental gemstones as mere markers of Rome’s expansive military conquests, taste for the exotic, and Hellenization. However, I seek to transcend gemstones’ traditional symbolization and argue that, in select homes, ornamental gemstones fostered an immersive environment that directly inserted guests into the decorative programs of their houses to entertain and impress the patrons’ guests. To achieve this, I adopt ancient literary interpretations of gemstones as paradoxical objects that embody nature and art simultaneously and thereby blur the boundary between natural and man-made. I suggest the inherent duality of gemstones then resonates with the slippage between the real and engineered experiences offered in elite Roman residences, and that this shared ambiguity is precisely where houses ornamented with gemstones derived their immersive capabilities. Ultimately, this study uses Roman patrons’ imaginative employment of decorative gemstones as a medium for deciphering the understudied but integral relationship between ornamentation, materiality, and the social politics of domestic spaces
Breaking the Cycle of Violence: Cybernetics, Information, and the Path to Coexistence in the Israeli Palestinian Conflict
No full textThesis (B.A. in Political Science, Minor in Philosophy)--John Cabot University, Fall 2024.This thesis examines the cybernetic paradigm of knowledge and its application in the political and social realities of today. Drawing from systems theory, it challenges the modern scientific notion of humanity’s relationship with the environment, emphasizing the importance of understanding circular causal relationships in systems rather than the linear models traditionally used in modern science. By adopting a systems theory perspective, the thesis reframes political and social conflict as systemic relationships within complex environments, where negative feedback loops allow for the exchange of information and mutual adjustment between components. The rapid rise of digital media has intensified global conflicts, often portrayed in oversimplified, linear cause-and-effect narratives.
This approach fosters polarization and misrepresents the complexity of conflicts, obstructing deeper understanding and peaceful resolution. Through a case study of the Israel-Hamas conflict, this thesis demonstrates how systems theory, especially the concept of feedback loops, provides a more comprehensive understanding of complex conflicts. The Israel-Hamas conflict is not simply a series of linear events, but a dynamic system in which the actions of both sides perpetuate cycles of violence and division. Recognizing these interdependent relationships, the thesis advocates for a shift away from linear narratives, suggesting that conflict resolution requires an understanding of mutual influence and the potential for mutual adjustment. By acknowledging the interconnectedness of all actors, systems, and environments, this research offers new insights into how we can approach conflict resolution in a more constructive and sustainable way. The challenge lies not only in addressing immediate grievances but in rethinking the systems of power and information that sustain these conflicts, locally and globally. Only by recognizing the complexity of these interconnected systems can we hope to move toward a resolution that breaks the cycle of self-destruction and allows for peaceful coexistence
Killing to commemorate, dying to remember? Authenticity and the practice of memory in Isonzo
No full textFirst World War video-games have grown in importance and popularity since the centenary of 2014-18. But what does it mean to both develop and play these games? What vision of history is being constructed or transmitted between developers and players? Drawing on interviews with both these groups, this article examines the game Isonzoset on the Italian Front –an unfamiliar setting to most in the anglosphere –to explore the constructions of memory and historical meaning which the game produces
The call of nature. Three post-pandemic scenarios about remote working in Milan
No full textIn recent years remote working (RW) arrangements have increased in many countries, mainly because of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has also intensified the need for humans to live closer to nature. Within this context, the paper aims to discuss three possible future scenarios for the spread of RW by 2050, and how this could affect residential choices, people's relationship with the natural environment, and thus the renewed role of large cities, small towns, and areas close to nature. A specific focus is placed on the city of Milan in northwest Italy. To give empirical foundations to our scenarios, we analyzed data for the year 2021. The first scenario we consider (the Gentrified City) implies the risk that Milan will become a gentrified city, thus pushing social and economic inequality. However, on the contrary, our data suggest that in Italy a potential pool of workers would leave the city and move to a small town or closer to nature if allowed to work remotely. This trend could lead to the second scenario (the Doughnut City), but data for Milan show that the share of those willing to leave Milan is lower than the national average, which can be explained by the good quality of offered services; thus, the city center is unlikely to empty due to RW. The desirable option would be represented by the third scenario: some remote workers move to intermediary cities (the Intermediary Cities scenario), reducing territorial disparities
Imperial Borderlands: Institutions and Legacies of the Habsburg Military Frontier
No full textxiii, 317 pages : illustrations, maps ; 24 cm.What are the institutions which govern border spaces and how do they impact long-term economic and social development? This book focuses on the Habsburg military frontier zone which originated in the sixteenth century as an instrument for protecting the empire's southern border against the threat of the Ottoman Empire and which lasted until the 1880s. The book outlines the conditions under which this extractive institution affected development, showing how locals were forced to work as soldiers and exposed to rigid communal property rights, an inflexible labor market, and discrimination when it came to the provision of public infrastructure. While the formal institutions set up during the military colony disappeared, their legacy can be traced in political attitudes and social norms even today with the violence and abuses exercised by the imperial government transformed into distrust in public authorities, limited political involvement, and low social capital
Gifts in the Iliad: The Legacy of Homer’s Winged Words
No full textThesis (B.A. in Art History)--John Cabot University, Spring 2024.In Homer’s Iliad the practice and ritual of the art of gift giving plays a significant role. This thesis focuses on selected instances and moments from books I, VI, and IX, examining the circumstances and the implications of these gift exchanges both on the characters and on the narrative. This thesis will be divided in three macro sections, one for each book, all prefaced by a common introduction which will contextualize the work and the theme of gift giving itself, as well as its connection to the epic poem concerning the Trojan War. The first section, pages 10 to 25, after the introduction will be centered on the first book of the Iliad, and it will discuss the use and meaning of the words δῶρον, τιμή, γῆρας, and κλέος, in the context of the quarrel between Achilles and Agamemnon. The second section, pages 26 to 39, will focus on the exchange of armors between Diomedes and Glaucus, and it will analyze the term ξενία and its weight and value within the ancient Greek society and the Iliad itself. The last section before the conclusion, pages 40 to 54, will analyze the connotations of the words δωτίνῃ and άποινᾰ, seeking to establish their meaning in the context of Agamemnon’s list of offerings to Achilles. Through my own careful translation of the interested sections and books, I analyze the terminology used in the semantic field of gift giving and gift-exchanges, and the context in which these occur, with the aim of shedding light on the complexities of gifts in the ancient Greek world. Through a deep dive into the aforementioned instances in the Iliad, this thesis will provide further understanding of the values and customs surrounding gifts as social relations in Homer’s epic