I problemi contestualizzati OCSE-PISA: le difficoltà degli studenti

Con il Decreto Ministeriale n.9/2010 è stato introdotto l’obbligo, per i consigli di classe, di compilare la Certificazione delle Competenze di base acquisite nell’assolvimento dell’obbligo di istruzione. Questo adempimento, in parte anche formale, in linea con gli indirizzi delle politiche educative e formative europei, ha una importanza notevole perché evidenzia nuovi obiettivi (inseriti nei documenti ministeriali di indirizzo dei vari livelli scolari come le Indicazioni e le Linee Guida) e comunque condiziona la pratica didattica (anche perché supportato da valutazioni esterne coerenti con tali obiettivi). A proposito della valutazione delle competenze, a partire dal 2000, l’OCSE (Organizzazione per la Cooperazione e lo Sviluppo Economico) ha promosso il programma per la valutazione dell’allievo, PISA (Programme for International Student Assessment), una rilevazione a cadenza triennale, volta proprio a testare le competenze degli studenti quindicenni in tre ambiti: lettura, matematica e scienze. L’esistenza di uno strumento comparativo internazionale evidenzia altri elementi di discussione, in particolare: l’analisi di quello che i risultati ottenuti attraverso tale strumento possono dirci sul livello di competenza degli allievi. Per discutere di questo aspetto è importante affiancare l’uso dello strumento originale, con osservazioni più fini, che permettano di avere maggiori elementi per l’interpretazione delle difficoltà degli studenti. Il nostro lavoro dunque si sviluppa con l’intento di: evidenziare le difficoltà degli studenti rispetto alle tipologie di quesiti che OCSE-PISA usa per la valutazione della competenza matematica; far emergere i processi messi in atto dagli allievi nell’affrontare tali quesiti per interpretare le cause principali delle difficoltà

Influence of Manufacturing Constraints on the Topology Optimization of an Automotive Dashboard

Topology Optimization (TO) methods optimize material layout to design light-weight and high-performance products. However, TO methods, applied for components or assembly with high complexity shape or for structures with copious number of parts respectively, do not usually take into account the manufacturability of the optimized geometries, then a heavy further work is required to engineer the product, risking to compromise the mass reduction achieved. Within an Industry 4.0 approach, we propose to evaluate manufacturing constraints since early stages of the conceptual design to perform a TO coherent with the manufacturing technology chosen. Several approaches of TO with different manufacturing constraints such as casting and extrusion are proposed and each solution is compared. The optimum conceptual design is determined in order to minimize the component weight while satisfying both the structural targets and the manufacturing constraints; a case study on a high-performance sport car dashboard is finally presented

Efficacia selettiva dell’Ise nell’erogazione di prestazioni sociali agevolate nella provincia di Modena

analisi degli effetti dell'applicazione dell'Isee alle politiche locali in provincia id Moden

The Possible Role of Prescribing Medications, Including Central Nervous System Drugs, in Contributing to Male-Factor Infertility (MFI): Assessment of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Pharmacovigilance Database

© 2023 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY), https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/Background: A wide range of medications may have a possible role in the development of male-factor infertility (MFI), including various antineoplastic agents, testosterone/anabolic steroids, immunosuppressive drugs/immunomodulators, glucocorticosteroids, non-steroidal an-ti-inflammatory drugs, opiates, antiandrogenic drugs/5-alpha-reductase inhibitors, various antibi-otics, antidepressants, antipsychotics, antiepileptic agents and others. We aimed at investigating this issue from a pharmacovigilance-based perspective. Methods: The Food and Drug Administra-tion (FDA) Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) database was queried to identify the drugs associated the most with MFI individual reports. Only those drugs being associated with more than 10 MFI reports were considered for the disproportionality analysis. Proportional Reporting Ratios (PRRs) and their confidence intervals were computed for all the drugs identified in this way in January 2023. Secondary, ‘unmasking’, dataset analyses were carried out as well. Results: Out of the whole database, 955 MFI reports were identified, 408 (42.7%) of which were associated with 20 medications ,which had more than 10 reports each. Within this group, finasteride, testosterone, valproate, diethylstilbestrol, mechloretamine, verapamil, lovastatin and nifedipine showed signif-icant levels of actual disproportionate reporting. Out of these, and before unmasking, the highest PRR values were identified for finasteride, diethylstilbestrol and mechloretamine, respectively, with values of 16.0 (12.7–20.3), 14.3 (9.1–22.4) and 58.7 (36.3–95.9). Conclusions: A variety of several medications, a number of which were already supposed to be potentially linked with MFI based on the existing evidence, were associated with significant PRR levels for MFI in this analysis. A number of agents which were previously hypothesized to be associated with MFI were not represented in this analysis, suggesting that drug-induced MFI is likely under-reported to regulatory agencies. Reproductive medicine specialists should put more effort into the detection and reporting of these adverse drug reactions.Peer reviewe

Temporal lobe connects regression and macrocephaly to autism spectrum disorders

Interictal electroencephalogram (EEG) abnormalities are frequently associated with autism spectrum disorders (ASD), although their relationship with the clinical features of ASD, particularly the regressive onset, remains controversial. The aim of this study was to investigate whether the characteristics of interictal EEG abnormalities might help to distinguish and predict definite phenotypes within the heterogeneity of ASD. We reviewed the awake and sleep interictal EEGs of 220 individuals with idiopathic ASD, either with or without a history of seizures. EEG findings were analyzed with respect to a set of clinical variables to explore significant associations. A brain morphometry study was also carried out on a subgroup of patients. EEG abnormalities were seen in 154/220 individuals (70 %) and were mostly focal (p < 0.01) with an anterior localization (p < 0.001). They were detected more frequently during sleep (p < 0.01), and were associated with a regressive onset of ASD (p < 0.05), particularly in individuals with focal temporal localization (p < 0.05). This association was also stronger in regressive patients with concurrent macrocephaly, together with a relative volumetric reduction of the right temporal cortex (p < 0.05). Indeed, concurrence of temporal EEG abnormalities, regression and macrocephaly might possibly define a distinct endophenotype of ASD. EEG-based endophenotypes could be useful to untangle the complexity of ASD, helping to establish anatomic or pathophysiologic subtypes of the disorder

Early putamen hypertrophy and ongoing hippocampus atrophy predict cognitive performance in the first ten years of relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis

Background The first years of relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) constitute the most vulnerable phase for the progression of cognitive impairment (CImp), due to a gradual decrease of compensatory mechanisms. In the first 10 years of RRMS, the temporal volumetric changes of deep gray matter structures must be clarified, since they could constitute reliable cognitive biomarkers for diagnostic, prognostic, and therapeutic purposes. Methods Forty-five cognitively asymptomatic patients with RRMS lasting 64\u200910 years, and with a brain MRI performed in a year from the neuropsychological evaluation (Te-MRI), were included. They performed the Brief International Cognitive Assessment battery for MS. Thirty-one brain MRIs performed in the year of diagnosis (Td-MRI) and 13 brain MRIs of age- and sex-matched healthy controls (HCs) were also included in the study. The relationships between clinical features, cognitive performances, and Te- and Td-MRI volumes were statistically analyzed. Results Cognitively preserved (CP) patients had significantly increased Td-L-putamen (P\u2009=\u20090.035) and Td-R-putamen volume (P\u2009=\u20090.027) with respect to cognitively impaired (CI) ones. CI patients had significantly reduced Te-L-hippocampus (P\u2009=\u20090.019) and Te-R-hippocampus volume (P\u2009=\u20090.042) compared, respectively, with Td-L-hippocampus and Td-R-hippocampus volume. Td-L-putamen volume (P\u2009=\u20090.011) and Te-L-hippocampus volume (P\u2009=\u20090.023) were independent predictors of the Symbol Digit Modalities Test score in all patients (r2\u2009=\u20090.31, F\u2009=\u20096.175, P\u2009=\u20090.001). Conclusion In the first years of RRMS, putamen hypertrophy and hippocampus atrophy could represent promising indices of cognitive performance and reserve, and become potentially useful tools for diagnostic, prognostic, and therapeutic purposes

Molecular beacon-decorated polymethylmethacrylate core-shell fluorescent nanoparticles for the detection of survivin mRNA in human cancer cells.

One of the main goals of nanomedicine in cancer is the development of effective drug delivery systems, primarily nanoparticles. Survivin, an overexpressed anti-apoptotic protein in cancer, represents a pharmacological target for therapy and a Molecular Beacon (MB) specific for survivin mRNA is available. In this study, the ability of polymethylmethacrylate nanoparticles (PMMA-NPs) to promote survivin MB uptake in human A549 cells was investigated. Fluorescent and positively charged core PMMA-NPs of nearly 60nm, obtained through an emulsion co-polymerization reaction, and the MB alone were evaluated in solution, for their analytical characterization; then, the MB specificity and functionality were verified after adsorption onto the PMMA-NPs. The carrier ability of PMMA-NPs in A549 was examined by confocal microscopy. With the optimized protocol, a hardly detectable fluorescent signal was obtained after incubation of the cells with the MB alone (fluorescent spots per cell of 1.90±0.40 with a mean area of 1.04±0.20µm2), while bright fluorescent spots inside the cells were evident by using the MB loaded onto the PMMA-NPs. (27.50±2.30 fluorescent spots per cell with a mean area of 2.35±0.16µm2). These results demonstrate the ability of the PMMA-NPs to promote the survivin-MB internalization, suggesting that this complex might represent a promising strategy for intracellular sensing and for the reduction of cancer cell proliferation