Trade as a cultural identity aspect in a city. A case study on Catania

In the present-day post-industrial society and in a globalised economy there is a strong tendency towards standardization and homologation. If we consider one of the most traditional urban functions - the commercial one - analysing what is happening in the centre of the cities of all the developed countries of the world, we notice a process of standardization regarding the offer, both in the sense of the single articles sold and in the sense of the commercial area in all its complexity (uniformity of the showcases for the exposure, diminution of the historical shops with sale of distinctive articles, diffusion of the branches of national and international chains and the phenomenon of franchising). Therefore, the central areas of our cities tend to be more and more alike. Obviously this is fruit of a more complex process, that is concretized in the tendency towards the diversification of the distributive network through the rapid diffusion of hypermarkets and commercial centres in the outskirts of cities and in the changed behaviour of the consumers, more and more directed to American styles of consumption. What kind of role will the more traditional commercial structures that characterize the Italian historical centres have in the future? Despite the fact that these last ones are, at the moment, under considerable pressure that pushes towards a more radical change, there is the possibility however that the particular "commercial landscape" that characterizes them could itself become a new model of development capable of promoting the urban culture, close to the functionalistic model, currently in expansion, totally directed towards the peripheral spaces. Catania is a city where we find, to a great extent, the evolutionary characteristics of the southern urban system, but in which we find even more the changes and the tendencies present in the cities of the more developed regions when processes of decentralization of economic activities, residential activities and of the social structures are outlined. The commercial patrimony of Catania, besides the cultural one, represents one of the pivots on which the identity of the city is based. It represents a resource for the development of the town and a stimulation of tourism. This research investigates the solidity and the potentialities of traditional commerce in the central areas of the city of Catania in relation to the dynamics of development of the external commercial centres.

Il Banco di Sicilia: un motore per l'economia siciliana (1945-1964).

Questo lavoro si propone di esaminare la situazione economica siciliana dal secondo dopoguerra fino all'inizio degli anni Sessanta. Sono stati analizzati il periodo post - bellico e i risultati conseguiti dalla Sicilia nella fase della Ricostruzione, soprattutto grazie all'attività del Banco di Sicilia. L’Istituto divenne il motore dell’economia siciliana e fornì assistenza finanziaria ai diversi settori economici attraverso il lavoro compiuto dalle sue quattro Sezioni di credito speciale: credito agrario, minerario, fondiario e industriale. Si è analizzato il ruolo del Banco in relazione agli eventi storici ed economici interni ed esterni all'isola, come il Piano Marshall, la nascita della Comunità Economica Europea e della Cassa per il Mezzogiorno. Ciò che emerge nel ventennio considerato è la salda posizione istituzionale mantenuta dal Banco. Nel dettaglio, riuscì a estendere il suo peso finanziariamente e territorialmente, a far fronte ai bisogni dei diversi settori economici dell’isola, e ad adattarsi alla struttura che l’economia siciliana stava assumendo relativamente al processo di rinnovamento di alcuni settori tradizionali (agricoltura, settore minerario ecc..) e anche di organizzazione. La ricerca ha utilizzato prevalentemente le pubblicazioni degli uffici economici del Banco che apportarono un valido contributo per la conoscenza di alcuni aspetti dell’economia regionale e delle tendenze delle strategie economiche del Mezzogiorno; tali pubblicazioni oggi costituiscono una fonte preziosa e insostituibile per gli studi di storia economica sulla Sicilia del Novecento

Relationship between device acceptance and patient-reported outcomes in left ventricular assist device (LVAD) recipients

The number of Left Ventricular Assist Devices (LVADs) implanted each year is rising. Nevertheless, there are minimal data on device acceptance after LVAD implant, and on its relationship with patient-reported outcomes. We designed a cross-sectional study to address this knowledge gap and test the hypothesis that low device acceptance is associated with poorer quality of life, depression and anxiety. Self-report questionnaires were administered to assess quality of life (12-item Kansas City Cardiomyopathy Questionnaire quality of life subscale), level of anxiety (7-item Generalized Anxiety Disorder; GAD-7), level of depression (9-item Patient Health Questionnaire; PHQ-9) and device acceptance (Florida Patient Acceptance Survey; FPAS) to 101 consecutive patients presenting to LVAD clinic. Regression analysis showed a strong correlation between device acceptance and both psychological distress (p\u2009<\u20090.001) and quality of life (p\u2009<\u20090.001). Analysis of the sub-scales of the FPAS showed that patients had significant body image concerns, but return to function and device-related distress were the main drivers of the observed correlation between device acceptance and patient well-being. Younger age was associated with lower device acceptance (r\u2009=\u20090.36, p\u2009<\u20090.001) and lower quality of life (r\u2009=\u20090.54, p\u2009<\u20090.001). These findings suggest that interventions targeting device acceptance should be explored to improve outcomes in LVAD recipients

Reading decoding and comprehension in children with autism spectrum disorders: Evidence from a language with regular orthography

Decoding and comprehension skills in children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) were analysed in children native speakers of a language (Italian) with a highly regular orthography. Children with ASD were compared to children with matched intellectual functioning: a subgroup of children with ASD and borderline intellectual functioning (BIF) was compared to a subgroup of children with BIF but no signs of ASD; a subgroup of children with ASD and cognitive functioning within normal limits was compared to a group of typically developing children. Children with ASD (whether with or without BIF) showed essentially spared decoding skills in text as well as word and pseudo-word reading; this was at variance with children with BIF who, as a group, showed overall deficient decoding skills, despite considerable individual differences. By contrast, children with ASD (once again, irrespective of the presence of BIF) showed a selective impairment in reading comprehension, just like children with BIF but unlike the typically developing ones. Therefore, results are generally consistent with a profile of hyperlexia for children with ASD learning a regular orthography, as previously reported for other languages. Notably, this pattern was present irrespective of the degree of cognitive impairment, and clearly distinguished these children from those with borderline intellectual functioning but not signs of autism

Numerical investigation of the partial oxidation in a two-stage downdraft gasifyer

International audienceno abstrac

In vitro effects of fluticasone propionate on IL-13 production by mitogen-stimulated lymphocytes.

BACKGROUND: Corticosteroid administration produces multiple immunomodulatory effects, including down-regulation of cytokine production by CD4 T lymphocytes. Fluticasone propionate (FP) (Glaxo Smith&Kline, Greenford, UK), a highly lipophilic topical corticosteroid, has been shown to be safe and effective in the treatment of asthma and of both seasonal and perennial rhinitis. AIMS: To gain insight into the mechanisms of FP therapeutic effects, we evaluated interleukin (IL)-13 (a type 2 cytokine that seemingly plays a pivotal role in allergic mechanisms) production by mitogen-stimulated peripheral blood mononuclear cells (MNC) in vitro, treated or not with FP. METHODS: MNC from 10 healthy subjects and 10 asthmatic atopic patients with Parietaria allergy were stimulated v/v with phytohaemagglutinin (PHA) (50 gamma/ml) or with complete medium alone as a control. Culture supernatants, in vitro treated or not with 10(-7) or 10(-8) M FP, were collected after 48 or 72 h incubation. IL-13 production was assessed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. In random selected samples, after 4 or 24 h of cell cultures, RNA was extracted and IL-4 and IL-5 reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) products analyzed. RESULTS: At 48 h, there were no differences in IL-13 concentration in PHA-stimulated cultures between healthy subjects and asthmatic patients (93.6 +/- 18.9 versus 111.0 +/- 25.1 pg/ml). At 72 h, similar results were obtained (63.9 +/- 3.0 versus 73.3 +/- 2.5 pg/ml, respectively). At this time, however, IL-13 concentrations were significantly decreased versus 48 h both in asthmatics (p < 0.001) and in controls (p < 0.001). Treatment with 10(-7) M FP significantly reduced IL-13 production in healthy subjects and asthmatic patients both at 48 h (93.6 +/- 18.9 versus 50.50 +/- 10.6 pg/ml, p < 0.001, and 111.0 +/- 25.1 versus 59.3 +/- 13.6 pg/ml, p < 0.001, respectively) and at 72 h (63.9 +/- 9.6 versus 35.5 +/- 4.4 pg/ml, p < 0.001, and 73.3 +/- 8.0 versus 40.7 +/- 4.5 pg/ml, p < 0.001, respectively). Similar results were obtained with 10(-8) M FP at 48 and 72 h. Accordingly, evaluation of RT-PCR products from selected cell samples showed a FP dosage-dependent inhibition of IL-4 and IL-5 mRNA production both for healthy subjects and asthmatic patients. CONCLUSIONS: FP in vitro impairs IL-13 production by PHA-stimulated MNC from asthmatic and control subjects. This strengthens previous suggestions that IL-13 inhibition by steroids may, at least in part, account for their therapeutic effects

Problematic video game use as an emotional coping strategy: Evidence from a sample of MMORPG gamers.

BACKGROUND: A positive relationship between problematic gaming and escapism motivation to play video games has been well established, suggesting that problematic gaming may result from attempts to deal with negative emotions. However, to date, no study has examined how emotion dysregulation affects both escapism motives and problematic gaming patterns. METHODS: Difficulties in emotion regulation, escapism, and problematic involvement with video games were assessed in a sample of 390 World of Warcraft players. A structural equation modeling framework was used to test the hypothesis that escapism mediates the relationship between emotion dysregulation and problematic gaming. RESULTS: Statistical analyses showed that difficulties in emotion regulation predicted both escapism motives and problematic gaming, and that escapism partially mediated this relationship. CONCLUSION: Our findings support the view that problematic players are likely to escape in online games as a maladaptive coping strategy for dealing with adverse emotional experiences