Il fenomeno della produttività sintattica nella selezione argomentale: un'indagine sperimentale

La tesi si propone di analizzare il fenomeno della produttività sintattica nel processo di selezione argomentale all’interno di coppie V+N attraverso un’indagine di carattere sperimentale. La prima parte della tesi è dedicata a tracciare un quadro introduttivo in cui il concetto di struttura argomentale viene definito tramite gli approcci proiezionisti e costruzionisti, soffermandosi, con particolare riguardo, sui modelli usage-based del linguaggio. All’interno di questo orizzonte di riferimento, è stata descritta la nozione di produttività, ripercorrendo gli studi più importanti che sono stati compiuti in tale ambito. La seconda parte della tesi è dedicata alla descrizione degli obiettivi, dei metodi e degli strumenti utilizzati per realizzare la presente indagine. Attraverso l’ausilio di Lexit, sono state estratte, insieme a informazioni di frequenza, coppie di verbi sinonimici con i relativi nomi che ricorrevano nello slot argomentale. I dati sono stati analizzati per quanto riguarda la stima del vocabolario e le preferenze di selezione di ciascun verbo. Nell’ultima parte della tesi è descritta la realizzazione di un esperimento psicolinguistico, implementato con metodi di crowdsourcing, in cui si è valutata la predisposizione dei soggetti a estendere l’utilizzo dei verbi a materiale lessicale che nel corpus risultava mai attestato o raro, nella posizione dello slot argomentale

Measuring logical competences and soft skills when enrolling in a university degree course

Logical abilities are a ubiquitous ingredient in all those contexts that take into account soft skills, argumentative skills or critical thinking. However, the relationship between logical models and the enhancement of these abilities is rarely explicitly considered. Two aspects of the issue are particularly critical in our opinion, namely: (i) the lack of statistically relevant data concerning these competences; (ii) the absence of reliable indices that might be used to measure and detect the possession of abilities underlying the above-mentioned soft skills. This paper aims to address both aspects of this topic by presenting the results of a research we conducted in the period October – December 2020 on students enrolled in various degree courses at the University of Florence. To the best of our knowledge, to date this is the largest available database on the subject in the Italian University System. It has been obtained by a three-stage initiative. We started from an “entrance” examination for assessing the students' initial abilities. This test comprised ten questions, each of which was centered on a specific reasoning construct. The results we have collected show that there is a widespread lack of understanding of basic patterns that are common in the everyday way of arguing. Students then underwent a short training course, using formal logic techniques in order to strengthen their abilities, and afterwards took an “exit” examination, replicating the structure and the questions difficulty of the entrance one in order to evaluate the effectiveness of the course. Results show that the training was beneficial

Chapter A structural equation model to measure logical competences

Logical abilities are a ubiquitous ingredient in all those contexts that take into account soft skills, argumentative skills or critical thinking. However, the relationship between logical models and the enhancement of these abilities is rarely explicitly considered. Two aspects of the issue are particularly critical in our opinion, namely: (i) the lack of statistically relevant data concerning these competences; (ii) the absence of reliable indices that might be used to detect and measure the possession of abilities underlying the aforementioned skills. This paper addresses both aspects of this topic by presenting the results of a research that we conducted between October and December 2020 on students enrolled in various degree courses at the University of Florence. The dataset has been collected by a three-stage initiative. We started from an entrance examination to assess the students' initial abilities. This test included ten questions, each regarding a specific aspect of logical reasoning. Then, students underwent a short training course to strengthen their knowledge of logic. At the end of the short course, students underwent a final examination to evaluate the effectiveness of the training. To verify the effectiveness of the training program we used students’ characteristics into a Structural Equation Model comparing the distribution of abilities before and after the training

Subcellular localization of the five members of the human steroid 5α-reductase family

In humans the steroid 5a-reductase (SRD5A) family comprises five integral membrane enzymes that carry out reduction of a double bond in lipidic substrates: D4-3-keto steroids, polyprenol and trans-enoyl CoA. The best-characterized reaction is the conversion of testosterone into the more potent dihydrotestosterone carried out by SRD5A1-2. Some controversy exists on their possible nuclear or endoplasmic reticulum localization. We report the cloning and transient expression in HeLa cells of the five members of the human steroid 5a-reductase family as both N- and Cterminus green fluorescent protein tagged protein constructs. Following the intrinsic fluorescence of the tag, we have determined that the subcellular localization of these enzymes is in the endoplasmic reticulum, upon expression in HeLa cells. The presence of the tag at either end of the polypeptide chain can affect protein expression and, in the case of trans enoyl-CoA reductase, it induces the formation of protein aggregates

Colonization by Legionella spp. of water networks in residential buildings of the Province of Pisa, Italy

Despite the increase of community acquired cases of legionellosis in Italy over the last years, the Italian guidelines do not give indications for prevention and control of Legionella in the hot water networks (or centralized conditioning systems) of residential buildings. We performed a survey on eight medium sized apartment buildings in the Pisa district to assess the prevalence of Legionella spp. in the water network and the respondance to drinking water requisites at the point of use, according to the Italian norms

Improving awareness of health hazards associated with air pollution in primary school children: Design and test of didactic tools

One of the objectives of the MAPEC-Life project is raising children’s awareness on air quality and its health effects. To achieve this goal, we designed didactic tools for primary school students, including leaflets with more information for teachers, a cartoon, and three educational videogames. The tools were then tested with 266 children who attended six primary schools in four Italian cities. A control group of 51 children received only explanations from teachers. An improvement in knowledge after using the audiovisual package was demonstrated, with higher efficacy compared with the control group. In addition, the use of videogames was greatly appreciated

Radiotherapy Timing in 4,820 Patients With Breast Cancer: University of Florence Experience

PURPOSE: To analyze the relationship between a delay in radiotherapy (RT) after breast-conserving surgery and ipsilateral breast recurrence (BR). METHODS AND MATERIALS: We included in our analysis 4,820 breast cancer patients who had undergone postoperative RT at the University of Florence. The patients were categorized into four groups according to the interval between surgery and RT (T1, 180 days). RESULTS: On multivariate analysis, the timing of RT did not reach statistical significance in patients who received only postoperative RT (n = 1,935) or RT and hormonal therapy (HT) (n = 1,684) or RT, chemotherapy (CHT), and HT (n = 529). In the postoperative RT-only group, age at presentation, surgical margin status, and a boost to the tumor bed were independent prognostic factors for BR. In the RT plus HT group, age at presentation and boost emerged as independent prognostic factors for BR (p = 0.006 and p = 0.049, respectively). Finally, in the RT, CHT, and HT group, only multifocality was an independent BR predictor (p = 0.01). Only in the group of patients treated with RT and CHT (n = 672) did multivariate analysis with stepwise selection show RT timing as an independent prognostic factor (hazard ratio, 1.59; 95% confidence interval, 1.01-2.52; p = 0.045). Analyzing this group of patients, we found that most patients included had worse prognostic factors and had received CHT consisting of cyclophosphamide, methotrexate, and 5-fluorouracil before undergoing RT. CONCLUSION: The results of our study have shown that the timing of RT itself does not affect local recurrence, which is mainly related to prognostic factors. Thus, the "waiting list" should be thought of as a "programming list," with patients scheduled for RT according to their prognostic factors

Dose-escalated pelvic radiotherapy for prostate cancer in definitive or postoperative setting

Purpose Given the absence of standardized planning approach for clinically node-positive (cN1) prostate cancer (PCa), we collected data about the use of prophylactic pelvic irradiation and nodal boost. The aim of the present series is to retrospectively assess clinical outcomes after this approach to compare different multimodal treatment strategies in this scenario. Methods Data from clinical records of patients affected by cN1 PCa and treated in six different Italian institutes with prophylactic pelvic irradiation and boost on pathologic pelvic lymph nodes detected with CT, MRI or choline PET/CT were retrospectively reviewed and collected. Clinical outcomes in terms of overall survival (OS) and biochemical relapse-free survival (b-RFS) were explored. The correlation between outcomes and baseline features (International Society of Urological Pathology-ISUP pattern, total dose to positive pelvic nodes 60 Gy, sequential or simultaneous integrated boost (SIB) administration and definitive vs postoperative treatment) was explored. Results ISUP pattern < 2 was a significant predictor of improved b-RFS (HR = 0.3, 95% CI 0.1220-0.7647, P = 0.0113), while total dose < 60 Gy to positive pelvic nodes was associated with worse b-RFS (HR = 3.59, 95% CI 1.3245-9.741, P = 0.01). Conversely, treatment setting (postoperative vs definitive) and treatment delivery technique (SIB vs sequential boost) were not associated with significant differences in terms of b-RFS (HR = 0.85, 95% CI 0.338-2.169, P = 0.743, and HR = 2.39, 95% CI 0.93-6.111, P = 0.067, respectively). Conclusion Results from the current analysis are in keeping with data from literature showing that pelvic irradiation and boost on positive nodes are effective approaches. Upfront surgical approach was not associated with better clinical outcomes

Radiotherapy at oligoprogression for metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer patients: a multi-institutional analysis

Purpose To retrospectively estimate the impact of radiotherapy as a progression-directed therapy (PDT) in oligoprogressive metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) patients under androgen receptor-target therapy (ARTT). Materials and methods mCRPC patients are treated with PDT. End-points were time to next-line systemic treatment (NEST), radiological progression-free survival (r-PFS) and overall survival (OS). Toxicity was registered according to Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events v4.0. Survival analysis was performed using the Kaplan-Meier method; univariate and multivariate analyses were performed. Results Fifty-seven patients were analyzed. The median follow-up after PDT was 25.2 months (interquartile, 17.1-44.5). One-year NEST-free survival, r-PFS and OS were 49.8%, 50.4% and 82.1%, respectively. At multivariate analysis, polymetastatic condition at diagnosis of metastatic hormone-sensitive prostate cancer (mHSPC) (HR 2.82, p = 0.004) and PSA doubling time at diagnosis of mCRPC (HR 2.76, p = 0.006) were associated with NEST-free survival. The same variables were associated with r-PFS (HR 2.32, p = 0.021; HR 2.24, p = 0.021). One patient developed late grade >= 2 toxicity. Conclusion Our study shows that radiotherapy in oligoprogressive mCRPC is safe, is effective and seems to prolong the efficacy of ARTT in patients who otherwise would have gone systemic treatment switch, positively affecting disease progression. Prospective trials are needed

Lifestyles and socio-cultural factors among children aged 6-8 years from five Italian towns: The MAPEC-LIFE study cohort

Background: Lifestyles profoundly determine the quality of an individual’s health and life since his childhood. Many diseases in adulthood are avoidable if health-risk behaviors are identified and improved at an early stage of life. The aim of the present research was to characterize a cohort of children aged 6–8 years selected in order to perform an epidemiological molecular study (the MAPEC_LIFE study), investigate lifestyles of the children that could have effect on their health status, and assess possible association between lifestyles and socio-cultural factors. Methods: A questionnaire composed of 148 questions was administered in two different seasons to parents of children attending 18 primary schools in five Italian cities (Torino, Brescia, Pisa, Perugia and Lecce) to obtain information regarding the criteria for exclusion from the study, demographic, anthropometric and health information on the children, as well as some aspects on their lifestyles and parental characteristics. The results were analyzed in order to assess the frequency of specific conditions among the different seasons and cities and the association between lifestyles and socio-economic factors. Results: The final cohort was composed of 1,164 children (50.9 boys, 95.4% born in Italy). Frequency of some factors appeared different in terms of the survey season (physical activity in the open air, the ways of cooking certain foods) and among the various cities (parents’ level of education and rate of employment, sport, traffic near the home, type of heating, exposure to passive smoking, ways of cooking certain foods). Exposure to passive smoking and cooking fumes, obesity, residence in areas with heavy traffic, frequency of outdoor play and consumption of barbecued and fried foods were higher among children living in families with low educational and/or occupational level while children doing sports and consuming toasted bread were more frequent in families with high socio-economic level. Conclusions: The socio-economic level seems to affect the lifestyles of children enrolled in the study including those that could cause health effects. Many factors are linked to the geographical area and may depend on environmental, cultural and social aspects of the city of residence