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Distributional effects of COVID-19
No full textUsing Italian Labour Force Survey data for the period 2019Q1-2020Q4 and applying quantile regression model accounting for sample selection bias, the paper investigates the effects of the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic on the wage distribution of employees, exploiting differences across sectors and by working from home arrangement. The findings reveal that the pandemic seems to positively affect wages of the entire workforce. However, this short-term advantage might be temporary as potentially driven by occupational changes in employment composition, whereas teleworking arrangement entails a wage premium for all workers. Low paid workers, employed in hotel/restaurant sector and not teleworking during the outbreak, face a reduction in wages (− 13.7%), while employees of public administration and education sectors exhibit a wage premium. When considering the joint effect of COVID-19 and working from home arrangement, estimates show that, despite few exceptions, wages of teleworking employees have been not affected by the coronavirus. Finally, we also control for self-selection issue by implementing the inverse probability weighting estimator
Narco Culture in Mexico : The Normalization of Violence and Erosion of Social Norms
Get PDFThesis (B.A. in Political Science, Minor in Communications)--John Cabot University, Fall 2023.This thesis explores the widespread impact of "narco culture" in Mexican society, a cultural phenomenon that has developed as a result of the country's extensive history of involvement in drug trafficking. The term "narco culture" came about as a result of the normalization and glorification of drug trafficking and the violence associated with it in Mexico. Inclusions encompass music, fashion, language, and societal attitudes. The objective of this study is to ascertain the underlying causes and identify the factors that have contributed to the prevalence of the drug trade in Mexico. What sort of incentives might stimulate an individual to partake in the unlawful drug trade? Values, beliefs, and lifestyle associated with narcotics in order to comprehend the issue at its core. The heart of the thesis is an intricate examination of the psyches of individuals involved in the drug trade, focusing on their rationalization of extreme violence. This segment illuminates the psychological, social, and cultural dimensions that mold the attitudes and actions of narcos. It underscores violence's role not only as a byproduct of the drug trade but also as a way to explore violence as a communicative tool within the subculture
Fears and Resistances to Mindfulness: Development of a Self-Report Scale
No full textObjectives
The aim of the study was to develop a new self-report scale to explore the “fears, blocks and resistances of mindfulness”. Currently, there is no scale to identify individuals who may struggle with engaging in mindfulness.
Method
A total of 522 participants were invited to take part in the study from three countries: Australia (n = 199), Portugal (n = 160), and the UK (n = 163). Participants completed a range of self-report scales including the newly developed Fears and Resistances to Mindfulness (FRM), Fears of Compassion, Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scales, Forms of Self-criticising/Attacking and Self-Reassuring, and the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire.
Results
Factor analyses suggested the scale comprised 2 factors. One was related to fears of paying attention to what arises within one’s mind. The second factor was related to resistances, i.e. that mindfulness is a waste of time. Seven items were filler items, and 5 items were identified as problematic due to low communalities or cross-loading; therefore from the original 31 items, 19 were retained in the final scale, which demonstrated excellent internal consistency (McDonald’s Ω = 0.90 for both scales), good construct validity, and temporal stability. Blocks to mindfulness did not emerge as a separate factor.
Conclusions
This is the first study to specifically explore fears and resistances to mindfulness and their associations with fears of compassion, self-criticism, and mental health difficulties. Data suggested that fears and resistances are distinct constructs and should be measured independently. The new measure can offer insights in to fears and resistances to mindfulness, and future research can explore how to work with them
The Representation of Female Anger in Persuasion, Jane Eyre, and Beloved
No full textThesis (B.A. in English Literature, Minor in Psychology and Creative Writing)--John Cabot University, Fall 2023.The objective of this thesis is to analyze the manifestation of female anger in the novels Persuasion by Jane Austen, Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë, and Beloved by Toni Morrison. In order to do this, I will observe, through a feminist and a psychological approach, women’s response to anger in these three novels, illustrating two major reactions and their nuances: expression and repression of anger. In all three novels, I identify oppression as the main source of female anger, showing how gendered and social constructs impact women’s relation to anger, and their way to express it. I will also focus on the importance of control and lack of control over one’s manifestation of anger, exploring anger’s various forms. My analysis will focus on the main female characters of each novel: Anne Elliot, Jane Eyre, Beloved, Sethe. I will also compare and contrast their responses in relation to anger to characters of the same sex, and of the opposite sex. In my analysis of Persuasion, I will focus on the role of repression, in terms of anger in the case of Anne, and of feelings in the case of Wentworth; I will also consider women’s need to limit their display of anger. In the chapter on Jane Eyre, I will observe Jane’s development of a management of anger, contrasting angry outbreaks to a controlled verbalization of anger. In Beloved, I will analyze the manifestation of an uncontrollable anger, highlighting its relation to revenge and love. Through this analysis, I aim at identifying the common threads in the representation of female anger in these three novels, while also reflecting on how these texts present a different approach towards female anger and its manifestation
Technological Innovations and Workers’ Job Insecurity: The Moderating Role of Firm Strategies
No full textIn this paper, we empirically assess whether the perceived implications of technological innovations on the probability of job loss vary according to the innovation-related strategies adopted by firms. We take advantage of a unique dataset based on a large and representative crosssectional survey covering several characteristics of Italian workers and their firms. We find that the relationship between technological innovations and job insecurity is moderated by firms’
technology-specific training programs, their dismissal plans, and the impact of innovations on the tasks and activities performed by workers. Thus, workers perceptions of job insecurity vary significantly across innovative firms and the adoption of technological innovations in the workplace has a multifaceted impact on the perceptions of job insecurity of the affected workers
The Cathedral of Assisi: The Beasts of San Rufino and the Dance of King David
No full textMaster of Arts in Art History -- John Cabot University, Spring 2023.The façade of the Cathedral of San Rufino in Assisi is decorated with multiple animalsculptures that make it an outstanding example of Romanesque architecture. Overall, 166 variouscreatures are depicted on the façade, but one is given an exceptional prominence. This is abirdlike reptile with wings, two feet, often a beak and cock’s crest and a snaky tail makes up23% percent of all the creatures represented on the façade of the cathedral. Most prominently thesculptures of the reptile, which the thesis identifies as basilisk, is employed in the embellishmentof engaged colonnettes that decorate the main portal of the cathedral. The segments of thedecorative arch that the colonnettes support are in turn decorated with a representation of KingDavid enthroned holding a book of Psalms and figures hand in hand, in pairs dancing. Theseelements raise multiple questions on the iconographic meaning of the decorative programme.Through analysis of representations of King David in earlier and contemporary illuminatedmanuscripts and Romanesque architecture, the thesis proposes that the dancing figures should beviewed as an iconographic reference to King David depicted below them. With the employmentof primary literary sources both from antiquity and the Middle Ages, the paper identifies thereptile as a basilisk and investigates the question whether this reptile was possibly conceived as anegatively charged symbol. With the conclusion that basilisk was viewed as the incarnate of thedevil, which is supported in the Old Testament, the thesis views the representation of KingDavid, the dancing figures and the basilisks on the colonnettes as one composition and providesa reading that derives from Christian scripture. The reading is based on the prediction of thearrival of the Messiah made in the book of Isaiah. The conducted research proposes a newiconographic reading of certain elements of the decorative programme of the façade thatscholarship on the cathedral has paid little attention to
Modulatory effects of transcranial direct current stimulation of right insula on compassion motivation
No full textBackground
Compassion motivation is associated with increased heart rate variability (HRV), reflecting a calm and self-soothing physiological state. Recent work, however, suggests that this association is dynamic for the specific components of compassion.
Objectives
The present study adopted anodal transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) targeting the right insula to see whether this would modulate the sensitivity to suffering and the commitment to engage in helpful actions (i.e., the components of compassion motivation).
Method
Ninety-seven healthy individuals underwent 15-min anodal or sham tDCS over the frontotemporal lobe, while watching a video inducing empathic sensitivity and performing a Redistribution Game. Tonic and phasic HRV, dispositional traits, and momentary affects were assessed.
Results
Compared to sham condition, anodal stimulation favored significant i) HRV reductions during the video and HRV increases during the Redistribution Game; ii) decreases in self-reported levels of negative affect and increases in positive affect during task when the latter was preceded by the video, without influencing altruistic behavior.
Conclusions
Anodal tDCS over the right insula may modulate the engagement phase of compassion by intensifying the psychophysiological sensitivity to signals of distress and protecting from being subjectively overwhelmed by it
Untangling the (Beaded) Net: A Study of Textiles and the Star-And-Dot Pattern in the House of the Ladies
No full textMaster of Arts in Art History -- John Cabot University, Spring 2023.Minoan textiles have long fascinated scholars, who study every aspect from their intricatepatterns to the ways they connect the Minoans to their environment and other lands. At the sametime, there is a significant lack of physical evidence of Minoan textiles. Thus, archaeologistsmust turn to their depiction in frescoes in order to hypothesize what these textiles might havebeen made of, what function they had in Minoan society, and what they could tell us about howthe Minoans saw both themselves and their neighbors across the Aegean. This thesis primarilyfocuses on one of these represented textiles, the so-called star-and-dot pattern from the House ofthe Ladies at Akrotiri. While this pattern has been given some attention by archaeologists andtextile historians, there are still no concrete conclusions. This research seeks to investigate thepattern, and to study its manufacture, its relationship to its surroundings, and its connections tothe other frescoes in Akrotiri and the wider Aegean. This thesis also examines the use of exoticain Minoan culture, and realistically positions Akrotiri as a trading hub that would have come intocontact with other cultures of the Eastern Mediterranean
Casirivimab and imdevimab: Cost-effectiveness analysis of the treatment based on monoclonal antibodies on outpatients with Covid-19
No full textBackground and objectives
In 2020, the world was profoundly affected by the spread of SARS-CoV-2, a novel coronavirus first identified in December 2019, that was the causative agent of coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19), a severe respiratory disease classified as a pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO) in March 2020. Covid-19 had a significant negative impact on the healthcare facilities and the economies of many countries. A need for pharmacological treatments for Covid-19 patients rapidly emerged to limit the damage caused by the disease and allow for more efficient management of hospital resources. A possible alternative treatment that has achieved encouraging results on Covid-19 is the use of monoclonal antibodies. This research aims to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of a type of monoclonal antibody, specifically the combination of casirivimab and imdevimab, and assess its impact on the Italian healthcare system.
Methods
The casirivimab and imdevimab treatment efficacy on outpatients with Covid-19 was tested using a predictive Markov model. Research endpoints include hospitalizations, Intensive Care Unit (ICU) admissions, and deaths. This was translated into terms of benefits (savings) and costs for the Italian National Health Service (NHS). The model operates on a predictive time frame of 20 weeks starting from September 2021 until January 2022. The data used to populate the model comes from international academic studies and open-access resources on online databases.
Results
The model estimates the effects that can be achieved by administering casirivimab and imdevimab treatment on outpatients with Covid-19. According to the estimates, the treatment can prevent approximately 4,000 hospitalizations, 3,589 ICU admissions, and 1,500 deaths in the considered 20-week period. The potential cost savings amount to EUR 78 million, mainly attributable to the reduction in the number of hospitalizations and access to ICU. More specifically, a difference of EUR 15,4 million can be observed due to the reduction in the number of hospitalizations, a difference of EUR 59,3 million due to the reduction in the number in intensive care, and a difference of EUR 20,3 million due to the reduction in deaths as a consequence of the reduction of hospitalizations. These results are already very significant, considering that in Italy, only 4.76% of the population is eligible for monoclonal antibody treatment.
Conclusion
The administration of casirivimab and imdevimab in outpatients with Covid-19 can accelerate recovery from the disease for patients, make hospital resource management more efficient and significantly reduce costs for healthcare facilities
Edward Weston Nude Portraits in Mexico
No full textThesis (B.A. in Humanistic Studies)--John Cabot University, Spring 2023.Edward Weston, one of the most profound modernist photographers of the 20th century, is celebrated for his abstract compositions. While the public’s perception of Weston has become synonymous with natural phenomena, for most of his career, Weston devotes himself to figurative exploration. This thesis asks: is it possible to trace and reassess Weston’s nude studies through contemporary art historical parameters? Chapter one is a literature review outlining the issues from various scholars’ assessment of Weston’s approach to capturing the female nude, which focuses mainly on the photographer’s work after 1927. Unfortunately, these studies fail to recognize the significance of the photographer’s work in Mexico between 1923 and 1926, which contain different avenues of exploration. This thesis aims to uncover how the photographer’s approach relates to other profound modernists by building off existing formal parameters from construction and drawing. The following two chapters will review Weston’s primary artistic references throughout his Mexican period and how they contribute to the photographer’s compositional structure. The final chapter assesses how Weston’s aesthetic changes after exposure to Diego Rivera and other Mexican Muralist