The strategic communication. A content analysis of two different leaders’ discourses

Communication and interaction between Ego and Alter are fundamental processes of social action since the speaker (Ego), and the listener (Alter) refer to the same world, sharing a conventional interpretation of reality. In this respect, every communication act is defined by those linguistic interactions in which all participants pursue their actions and strategies with the use of mutual expressions. Moreover, some interactions are characterized by perlocutive purposes or by those verbal interactions that, through communication, aim to produce a change in the audience (in this regard, according to the German philosopher and sociologist Jürgen Habermas, actions are defined as strategic). For this reason, going more into details into this work, the objective of our research is to carry out a comparative analysis concerning the theory of communication actions using, as an example, the texts of two different religious leaders: Pope Benedict XVI and Pope Francis. We examined the Angelus of the two Popes through the content analysis in order to detect the styles of two different modus operandi and to understand two particular communication strategies. In this sense, the analysis of these -ecclesiastical policies. of the two Popes will take into consideration the Angelus recited in the respective first three years of the Pontificate. Therefore, it will be possible to highlight and compare the topics addressed and investigate the type of strategic actions. In this perspective, content analysis reveals its usefulness, combining two elements that are difficult to isolate in the understanding of a communication process (the source and the message transmitted) and it also reveals itself as one valuable tool for the analysis of both cultural and social messages

Lo studio dell'instabilità matrimoniale in Italia secondo un approccio agent-based modeling

Lo studio proposto, come da titolo, esplora il tema dell'instabilità matrimoniale in Italia mediante un approccio Agent-Based Modeling (ABM). Esso si suddivide in tre sezioni: la prima, prettamente teorica; la seconda, volta all'analisi dei dati secondari e, in ultimo, una terza in cui verranno spiegate ed analizzate sia le tecniche simulative tout court sia il modello ad agenti costruito ai fini dell'oggetto di indagine. Più nel dettaglio, per quanto concerne il theoretical framework, sono stati presi in esame sia i contributi di sociologi americani consultando le maggiori riviste sull'argomento (quali Journal of Marriage and Family, Marriage and Family Living, Journal of Family Issues) sia le ricerche dei sociologi italiani (Barbagli, Saraceno, Arosio): in questo capitolo, dunque, l'attenzione verte sulla disamina delle cause che possono determinare il fenomeno dell'instabilità coniugale. Successivamente, per quel che riguarda l'analisi dei dati statistici, in seguito alla consultazione di diversi datawarehouse Istat e degli annuari di statistiche giudiziarie civili, è stato possibile restituire le serie storiche su diversi aspetti considerati atti ad illustrare l'instabilità coniugale in Italia dal 1990 al 2012. Nello specifico, il focus si concentra su due tipi di variabili: • sulle caratteristiche socio-demografiche dei coniugi (l'età al matrimonio, l'età al momento della separazione, il titolo di studio e la posizione professionale); • sulle cosiddette life-course variables (durata del matrimonio, numero di figli e l'età di questi ultimi al momento della separazione della diade genitoriale). In ultimo, si è giunti alla creazione di un modello ad agenti del fenomeno in esame il quale tiene conto, in particolar modo, di due importanti linee teoriche: da una parte, tale espansione viene vista come il risultato di un calcolo costi/benefici che ogni individuo fa anche in relazione alla propria sfera intima (il meccanismo cui si fa riferimento è di social selection); dall'altra, la diffusione dell'instabilità coniugale viene spiegata alla stregua di un processo sociale innovativo (in questo caso il meccanismo ipotizzato è di social influence). Nel capitolo conclusivo vengono illustrate, dunque, le procedure impiegate al fine di costruire e sviluppare un ABM in grado di spiegare l'incremento dell'instabilità coniugale all'interno del contesto italiano e di restituire, validandoli, i dati empirici così come analizzati nel secondo capitolo di questa Tesi

Some Indicators for the Analysis of Interculturality in Italy

The goal of this study is the analysis, through secondary data deriving from the main national sources, of migration’s phenomenon in Italy from 2007 to 2014. In particular, the purpose of paper is the description of interculturality focusing the attention on four specific dimensions of the daily life, like citizenship, education, labour market and marriage. Each of these offers a set of statistical indicators useful to observe the integration of migrants in Italy. So, from this research, it will emerge actual role of Italy in European migration context with the hope that a real politic of inclusion, based on dialogue and interaction among autochthonous and foreigners, will be raise in our country where the foreign presence, in the time span of seven years, is increased by 67.5%. For this reason, the recognition of each individual, independently by national membership, is a fundamental element for builing a global community

Mixed Marriages: The Italian Case Study

The research objective that we want to explore concerns the phenomenon of mixed marriages in Italy. Indeed, in the last years (especially from EU enlargement in 2007), Italian territory is characterized, for its geographical and cultural position, to be one of the European countries with the largest number of foreign residents: suffice it to say that from 2008 to 2016 the increase is equal to +46.4 percentage points. To this purpose, through secondary data analysis from National Institute for Statistics (ISTAT) database, we examine the unions between couples formed by both foreign citizens or by a immigrant and an autochthonous in Italy from 2008 to 2016 focusing the attention on following four specific variables: area of origin, educational level, type of rite and type of marriage. In conclusion, this phenomenon is particularly relevant because it allows to look into the state of integration and inclusion of foreign presence in Italy

Environmental reclamation of limestone mining sites in Italy: Financial evaluation, challenges and proposals for sustainable development

Currently the environmental restoration of former extraction sites of limestone materials to be used in construction sector is still an open issue, challenging the opportunities for a more sustainable development of local communities. The present study evaluates the multiple causes underlying the abandonment of former limestone quarries and the lack of their reclamation as well as proposals to promote their environmental restoration. We primarily frame the issue in both the European and Italian regulatory framework. Then, the present study applies an innovative Cost Revenue Analysis to a case study of a generic environmental restoration project of a former extractive limestone site. Such analysis deepens on investment and operating costs, revenues, Net Present Value and Revenue/Costs ratio. Results show that restoration activities, performed in agreement with current regulations, involving the creation of terraces in embankments by means of excavation materials from external construction sites or even acting directly on the existing quarry, are currently discouraging for entrepreneurs, since they do not generate enough revenues to cover the costs of restoration. As a result, we suggest some solutions to strengthen the current regulatory and political framework, to make the restoration activities more convenient in financial terms. Such solutions would be also beneficial for the society and environment

"Till Death Do us Part”. Analysis of the Marital Relationships in the 21st Century

Despite of globalization and individualization processes throughout last decades, everyday individual life has radically changed. Particularly, traditional family system has been affected by these phenomena if we consider the increase in marital uncertainty and, hence, the de-legitimization of the old-fashioned conjugal bond. This is mostly due to the recent introduction of the divorce law through European Countries. For this reason, this descriptive study, supported by secondary statistical data, aims at analyzing both the marriage rate and the divorce rate from a longitudinal and comparative perspective. Furthermore, with the purpose to furnish an overview as more complete as possible, outside and inside marriage birth rates are taken into account

Acute Tubular Necrosis Following Interferon-Based Therapy for Hepatitis C: Case Study with Literature Review

Background/Aims: Interferon treatment of malignant or viral diseases can be accompanied by various side-effects including nephro-toxicity. Methods: We report on a 68-year-old Caucasian male who received dual therapy with pegylated interferon 2a plus ribavirin for chronic hepatitis C. Results: After three months of antiviral therapy, the patient developed acute kidney failure (serum creatinine up to 6 mg/dL) with mild proteinuria (500 mg daily) and haematuria. Immediate immunosuppressive therapy with high-dose intravenous steroids did not improve kidney function. Kidney biopsy was consistent with acute tubular necrosis without glomerular abnormalities. He started long-term peritoneal dialysis (four regular exchanges) to provide both dialysis adequacy and ascites removal. Kidney function gradually improved over the following months (serum creatinine around 2 mg/dL) and peritoneal dialysis was continued with two exchanges daily. The temporal relationship between the administration of the drug and the occurrence of nephro-toxicity, and the absence of other obvious reasons for acute tubular necrosis support a causative role for pegylated interferon; benefit on kidney disease was noted after withdrawal of antiviral agents. An extensive review of the literature on acute tubular necrosis associated with interferon-based therapy, based on in vitro data and earlier case-reports, has been made. The proposed pathogenic mechanisms are reviewed. Conclusions: Our case emphasizes the importance of monitoring renal function during treatment of chronic hepatitis C with antiviral combination therapy as treatment may precipitate kidney damage at tubular level

Hyperphosphorylation of JNK-interacting Protein 1, a Protein Associated with Alzheimer Disease

The c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) group of mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinases are activated by pleiotropic signals including environmental stresses, growth factors, and hormones. JNK-interacting protein 1 (JIP1) is a scaffold protein that assembles and facilitates the activation of the mixed lineage kinase-dependent JNK module and also establishes an interaction with beta-amyloid precursor protein that has been partially characterized. Here we show that, similarly to other proteins involved in various neurological diseases, JIP1 becomes hyperphosphorylated following activation of stress-activated and MAP kinases. By immobilized metal affinity chromatography and a combined microcapillary LC/MALDI-TOF/ESI-ion trap mass spectrometry approach, we identified 35 sites of mitotic phosphorylation within JIP1, among which eight were present within (Ser/Thr)-Pro sequence. This motif is modified by various kinases in aggregates of the microtubule-associated protein tau, which generates typical intraneuronal lesions occurring in Alzheimer disease. Most of the post-translational modifications found were located within the JNK, MAP kinase kinase, and RAC-alpha Ser/Thr protein kinase binding regions; no modifications occurred in protein Src homology 3 and phosphotyrosine interaction domains, which are essential for binding to kinesin, beta-amyloid precursor protein, and MAP kinase kinase kinase. Protein phosphorylation is known to affect stability and protein-protein interactions. Thus, the findings that JIP1 is extensively phosphorylated after activation of stress-activated and MAP kinases indicate that these signaling pathways might modulate JIP1 signaling by regulating its stability and association with some, but not all, interacting proteins

Advanced liver disease outcomes after hepatitis C eradication by human immunodeficiency virus infection in PITER cohort

Liver disease progression after Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) eradication following direct-acting antiviral (DAA) treatment in the real-life setting according to Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) coinfection was evaluated