102,196 research outputs found
Positive Action Plans in Italian Universities: does Gender really Matter?
No full textPurpose – The European university context reveals a high degree of gender inequality. In Italy, the overall female employment rate is significantly lower than in the rest of Europe; nevertheless, gender equality in universities is consistent with the European average. In 2006, the Italian Government required public organisations (thus state universities) to formulate positive action plans (PAPs) and disclose the positive actions planned for the following three years to promote gender equality. However, the law does not provide any guideline for the contents of the PAPs. The current paper analyses gender equality disclosure in PAPs in order to investigate whether and how Italian State Universities (ISUs) are taking a role in promoting gender equality.
Methodology – The paper uses content analysis to investigate contents of gender disclosure in 28 PAPs. The authors developed a coding instrument based on the Guidelines for Gender Equality Programmes in Science.
Originality/value – First, the paper contributes to the accounting literature by providing an analysis of accounting for gender by universities. Second, it adds to the debate on positive actions for gender equality in the university sector.
Findings – The paper found that most PAPs are focused on creating a favourable environment for women inside the organisation, while little attention has been paid to creating gender awareness in research and teaching activities, as well as in supporting women’s leadership. The paper concludes that ISUs are failing as key players in the cultural change of society towards gender equality
The Agrifood system in Italy: Structural Adjustments to face the Internationalization of the Food Industry.
No full textIn this article the authors describe the most important changes of the Agrifood System in Italy occurring in the last twenty years. The paper describes the structural transformation of Agriculture and the efforts of food industry to adapt to the internationalization of food markets. Agriculture and food industry are conceived as two sectors linked by functional relations of the Agrifood System. The structural changes of Agriculture are expressed by a consistent decrease in occupation and contribution to the GNP.
However, structural changes vary greatly between regions and can be explained by a differcnt degrees of specialization, concentration of resources, technologies and rural development. Because of structural inefficiencies (small scale) low concentration and integration and poor commercial slrategies, food industry has encountered some difficulties in its structural change. However, progress has been made during the eighties to cope with these changes
The Multiple Uses of the UNIDROIT Principles of International Commercial Contracts: Theory and Practice
No full textPlasma N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide and urinary aldosterone-to-creatinine ratio in healthy Chihuahuas
No full textAbstract Background Chihuahua represents an increasingly widespread breed predisposed to cardiac disease. N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) might be a useful point-of-care biomarker for dogs suspected of having heart disease, but breed differences have been reported. The urinary aldosterone-to-creatinine ratio (UAldo: C) appears to be a good indicator of renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system activity in dogs, but Chihuahuas showed significantly higher UAldo: C than other breeds. The objective of this study was to assess preliminary breed-specific reference intervals for NT-proBNP and UAldo: C in healthy Chihuahuas and evaluate sex differences in these parameters. Results Forty-three healthy Chihuahuas dogs were enrolled. The median NT-proBNP was 347 (125–515) pmol/L, and the median UAldo: C was 2.59 (1.57–4.61) µg/g. The NT-proBNP reference interval was 125 (90% CI 125–125) – 2121.4 (90% CI 941.6–2248) pmol/L. 91% of the Chihuahuas were below the nonbreed-specific cut-off (900 pmol/L). The UAldo: C reference interval was 0.6 (90% CI 0.5–0.9) – 16.8 (90% CI 10.9–27.4) µg/g. No significant sex differences in NT-proBNP or UAldo: C were found. Conclusions The median value, interindividual coefficient of variation and reference interval of NT-proBNP were in line with those reported for other small breeds. In contrast to previous studies, no sex differences in NT-proBNP were detected. As previously suggested, Chihuahuas seem to be characterized by higher values of UAldo: C than other breeds
Equality of Opportunity
No full textSeveral fields of study engaged with the concept of equality of opportunity (EO), such as philosophy, political theory, ethics, and law.
Despite the different conceptions and approaches flourished on EO, the core shared meaning concerns the idea that individuals should have equal prospects for developing their life. This deals with outcome distributions of various types, such as economic capital and work positions, forms of social capital such as social networks and affiliation, and forms of cultural capital such as education (e.g., Lynch & Baker, 2005).
A state of EO corresponds to the absence of circumstances (such as family socioeconomic and cultural background, ethnic origin, gender, age, etc.) and related barriers, prejudices, or preferences that influence individual achievements
Affirmative Action
No full textAffirmative Action (AA) is a debated topic in many fields of study; however, psychology and juridical research have paid major attention.
AA consists of a body of policies and procedures aimed at eliminating discrimination at work against women and ethnic minorities, and repairing the effects of discrimination suffered in the past (Kravitz et al., 1997, p. Vii cited by Kovacs et al., 2014). However, in a wider sense, it can include all policies and actions to promote opportunities for disadvantaged (or minority) groups to give them equal access as the majority population within a society (e.g., Sowell, 2004).
Indeed, AA is often adopted by governments and educational institutions to ensure that those groups within a society are able to take all the opportunities offered, including promotional, educational, and training ones
Selezione di ceppi eduli di Pleurotus spp. resistenti a Trichoderma viride: risultati preliminari
No full textA case of mild pulmonary disease due to Mycobacterium shimoidei with a favorable outcome
No full textWe describe a case of mild Mycobacterium shimoidei disease with a favorable course after treatment. Characteristics of nine M. shimoidei isolates in Italy between 1989 and 2009 were also reviewed. The M. shimoidei genome was highly conserved. Based on antimicrobial susceptibility, the combination of ethambutol, clarithromycin, and rifabutin appears to be a reasonable treatment
Evaluation of plasma N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide and urinary aldosterone-to-creatinine ratio in healthy Chihuahuas
No full textSynchronous germination and outgrowth of fractionated Bacillus subtilis spores: tool for the analysis of differentiation and division of bacterial cells
No full textA fraction of Bacillus subtilis 168 spores, purified by Urografin isopycnic density centrifugation, heat activated, and inoculated in nutrient broth plus glucose, germinated and outgrew very synchronously. Synchrony was documented by nuclear staining and fluorescence microscopy, and by determining the variation of the buoyant density of the cells during outgrowth. Cell mass increased at constant rates and the passage from one rate to the next was dependent upon deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) synthesis. DNA synthesis inhibitors induced the formation of anucleated sister cells in a vast majority of the population, indicating that septation was programmed and became independent from DNA synthesis very early in the cell cycle
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