Perception of online communication in adolescence

openLa seguente ricerca di tesi ha come obiettivo quello di indagare quali sono i fattori che spiegano la percezione della qualità della comunicazione online, rispetto a quella faccia a faccia, in termini di ampiezza e profondità. A tale scopo è stato somministrato un questionario centrato sull’uso dei social media e sulle relazioni tra pari in adolescenza. La ricerca ha coinvolto 300 studenti facenti parti di tre Istituti Superiori situati a Padova e provincia. Dai risultati è emerso che la facilitazione delle emozioni favorisce una comunicazione online più positiva rispetto alle interazioni faccia a faccia tra gli adolescenti. Promuovere un ambiente in cui i giovani si sentano a loro agio nell’esprimere le proprie emozioni sui social media potrebbe contribuire a favorire conversazioni più ampie e più profonde. Inoltre, si è riscontrato un effetto positivo nei confronti della comunicazione online tra le persone affette da ansia sociale. Questo dato potrebbe suggerire che effetti simili potrebbero manifestarsi anche tra altri individui che si trovano in una posizione di vulnerabilità sociale.The following thesis research aims to investigate the factors explaining the perception of the quality of online communication in terms of breadth and depth compared to face-to-face communication. To achieve this, a questionnaire focused on the use of social media and peer relationships in adolescence was administered. The research involved 300 students from three high schools located in Padua and its province. The results revealed that the facilitation of emotions promotes a more positive online communication among adolescents compared to face-to-face interactions. Creating an environment in which young individuals feel comfortable expressing their emotions on social media could contribute to fostering broader and deeper conversations. Additionally, a positive effect was observed for online communication among individuals affected by social anxiety. This finding suggests that similar effects may manifest in other individuals experiencing social vulnerability

N balance and greenhouse gas emissions (CO2, CH4, N2O) in soil with shallow groundwater

The work here presented deals with the effects that N, applied with manure, and the water regimes had in a cropping maize system. The study want to evaluate the N leaching trough groundwater and the potential greenhouse gas emission affecting global warming. Two different water regimes were studied: soil in free drainage conditions with different irrigation levels and two shallow water table conditions. The study was conducted in the Experimental Farm of Padua University. Continuous maize was cropped in lysimeters fertilized with manure and urea according to the limit imposed by Nitrates Directive and the recent derogation of Directive obtained by Italy. Analysis of crop yield, N leaching and GHGs were done to compute a N balance. GHGs were obtained through direct measurements in the field. The thesis is composed by five chapter. Chapter 1. is a general introduction to the topics discussed. Chapter 2, entitled “Interaction between irrigation and N fertilization in an area subject to the Nitrates Directive. Effects on N Balance”, analyzed data come from a five years study conducted in 2006-2010 and aimed to identify the effect of four different irrigation and four N input in N leaching, crop yield and N uptake by crop. In the chapter is processed a simple metamodel able to predict the leaching of nitrogen. Chapter 3, entitled “N balance and Nitrous Oxide emission in soil subject to derogation from the Nitrates Directive in free drainage and shallow groundwater conditions”. aimed to evaluate the effect of derogation of Nitrates Directive, quantifying the effect of three different N input combined with three water table conditions in two years, 2011 and 2012. The lower N input was the limit for nitrates vulnerable zones (NVZs) and the other two input were relative to the new limits that can be used due to the derogation of Nitrate Directive. We consider a free drainage and two shallow water table conditions. We performed analysis of maize yield, N uptake, N leaching and N2O emissions. . Chapter 4, entitled “Carbon (CO2 and CH4) emissions from soil with shallow water table and approach to GHGs modeling” we performed analysis of CO2 and CH4 fluxes for the experimental layout described in Chapter 2. The aim was to quantify the emissions as affected by free drainage or shallow water table conditions, considering the N limit imposed in NVZs by Nitrates Directive and by the derogation. Finally a little part was dedicated at an approach in the use of a terrestrial ecosystem model for the simulation of data obtained in chapter 2 and 3. Chapter 5, is a general conclusion of the work

Metabolic profile and root development of Hypericum perforatum L. in vitro roots under stress conditions due to chitosan treatment and culture time

The responses of Hypericum perforatum root cultures to chitosan elicitation had been investigated through 1H-NMR-based metabolomics associated with morpho-anatomical analyses. The root metabolome was influenced by two factors, i.e., time of culture (associated with biomass growth and related “overcrowding stress”) and chitosan elicitation. ANOVA simultaneous component analysis (ASCA) modeling showed that these factors act independently. In response to the increase of biomass density over time, a decrease in the synthesis of isoleucine, valine, pyruvate, methylamine, etanolamine, trigonelline, glutamine and fatty acids, and an increase in the synthesis of phenolic compounds, such as xanthones, epicatechin, gallic, and shikimic acid were observed. Among the xanthones, brasilixanthone B has been identified for the first time in chitosan-elicited root cultures of H. perforatum. Chitosan treatment associated to a slowdown of root biomass growth caused an increase in DMAPP and a decrease in stigmasterol, shikimic acid, and tryptophan levels. The histological analysis of chitosan-treated roots revealed a marked swelling of the root apex, mainly due to the hypertrophy of the first two sub-epidermal cell layers. In addition, periclinal divisions in hypertrophic cortical cells, resulting in an increase of cortical layers, were frequently observed. Most of the metabolic variations as well as the morpho-anatomical alterations occurred within 72 h from the elicitation, suggesting an early response of H. perforatum roots to chitosan elicitation. The obtained results improve the knowledge of the root responses to biotic stress and provide useful information to optimize the biotechnological production of plant compounds of industrial interest

Modeling the dynamic rupture propagation on heterogeneous faults with rate- and state-dependent friction

We investigate the effects of non-uniform distribution of constitutive parameters on the dynamic propagation of an earthquake rupture. We use a 2D finite difference numerical method and we assume that the dynamic rupture propagation is governed by a rate- and state-dependent constitutive law. We first discuss the results of several numerical experiments performed with different values of the constitutive parameters a (to account for the direct effect of friction), b (controlling the friction evolution) and L (the characteristic length-scale parameter) to simulate the dynamic rupture propagation on homogeneous faults. Spontaneous dynamic ruptures can be simulated on velocity weakening (a < b) fault patches: our results point out the dependence of the traction and slip velocity evolution on the adopted constitutive parameters. We therefore model the dynamic rupture propagation on heterogeneous faults. We use in this study the characterization of different frictional regimes proposed by Boatwright and Cocco (1996) based on different values of the constitutive parameters a, b and L. Our numerical simulations show that the heterogeneities of the L parameter affect the dynamic rupture propagation, control the peak slip velocity and weakly modify the dynamic stress drop and the rupture velocity. Moreover, a barrier can be simulated through a large contrast of L parameter. The heterogeneity of a and b parameters affects the dynamic rupture propagation in a more complex way. A velocity strengthening area (a > b) can arrest a dynamic rupture, but can be driven to an instability if suddenly loaded by the dynamic rupture front. Our simulations provide a picture of the complex interactions between fault patches having different frictional properties and illustrate how the traction and slip velocity evolutions are modified during the propagation on heterogeneous faults. These results involve interesting implications for slip duration and fracture energy

Divergent Effect of Cobalt and Beryllium Salts on the Fate of Peripheral Blood Monocytes and T Lymphocytes

Occupational exposure to metals such as cobalt and beryllium represents a risk factor for respiratory health and can cause immune-mediated diseases. However, the way they act may be different. We show here that the two metals have a divergent effect on peripheral T lymphocytes and monocytes: BeSO4 induces cell death in monocytes but not in T lymphocytes, which instead respond by producing Interferon gamma (IFN-γ); conversely, CoCl2 induces apoptosis in T lymphocytes but not in monocytes. Interestingly, both metals induce p53 overexpression but with a dramatic different outcome. This is because the effect of p53 in CoCl2-treated monocytes is counteracted by the antiapoptotic activity of cytoplasmic p21Cip1/WAF1, the activation of nuclear factor κB, and the inflammasome danger signaling pathway leading to the production of proinflammatory cytokines. However, CoCl2-treated monocytes do not fully differentiate into macrophage or dendritic cells, as inferred by the lack of expression of CD16 and CD83, respectively. Furthermore, the expression of HLA-class II molecules, as well as the capability of capturing and presenting the antigens, decreased with time. In conclusion, cobalt keeps monocytes in a partially activated, proinflammatory state that can contribute to some of the pathologies associated with the exposure to this meta

Effects of exercise on balance in patients with non-specific low back pain: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Introduction: Non-specific low back pain (NS-LBP) is one of the most common musculoskeletal conditions related to medical expenses and disability. Evidence suggests that changes in motion patterns could induce trunk instability and impaired postural control. Therefore, this systematic review investigated the effects of exercise on balance in patients with NS-LBP. Evidence acquisition: A systematic review and meta-analysis were conducted. Findings were reported following the 2020 PRISMA statement and the main databases were searched for RCTs. Studies were independently screened through a standardized form and their internal validity assessed by using the Cochrane risk of bias (RoB) tool. Pooled effects were calculated at post-treatment and quality of evidence was assessed through the GRADE framework. Evidence synthesis: Twelve articles were included in the review, eight in the meta-analysis. None of the studies were judged at low RoB. There is very low quality evidence that exercise is effective in reducing Centre of Pressure (CoP) displacement [-16.99 (-27.29, -6.68); p=0.001] and in improving single-leg stance test performance [-28.7 (-48.84, -8.67); p=0.005] and dynamic balance [-4.74 (-8.02, -1.46); p=0.005]. Conversely, no significant results were observed in "ellipse area" and in "limits of stability" indexes. Other results were summarized in a qualitative synthesis. Conclusions: Exercise could be effective in improving both static and dynamic balance in patients with NS-LBP over a short-term period. However, quality of evidence was estimated as very low, hence further double-blinded, high-quality RCTs are needed to address clinical practice and research

Serum BAFF levels, methypredsinolone therapy, Epstein-Barr virus and <i>Mycobacterium avium</i> subsp. <i>paratuberculosis</i> infection in Multiple Sclerosis patients

Elevated B lymphocyte activating factor BAFF levels have been reported in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients; moreover, disease-modifying treatments (DMT) have shown to influence blood BAFF levels in MS patients, although the significance of these changes is still controversial. In addition, BAFF levels were reported increased during infectious diseases. In our study, we wanted to investigate on the serum BAFF concentrations correlated to the antibody response against Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis (MAP), Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) and their human homologous epitopes in MS and in patients affected with other neurological diseases (OND), divided in Inflammatory Neurological Diseases (IND), Non Inflammatory Neurological Diseases (NIND) and Undetermined Neurological Diseases (UND), in comparison to healthy controls (HCs). Our results confirmed a statistically significant high BAFF levels in MS and IND patients in comparison to HCs but not NIND and UND patients. Interestingly, BAFF levels were inversely proportional to antibodies level against EBV and MAP peptides and the BAFF levels significantly decreased in MS patients after methylprednisolone therapy. These results implicate that lower circulating BAFF concentrations were present in MS patients with humoral response against MAP and EBV. In conclusion MS patients with no IgGs against EBV and MAP may support the hypothesis that elevated blood BAFF levels could be associated with a more stable disease

HLA-E gene polymorphism associates with ankylosing spondylitis in Sardinia

Abstract INTRODUCTION: Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) is a severe, chronic inflammatory disease strongly associated with HLA-B27. The presence of additional HLA risk factors has been suggested by several studies. The aim of the current study is to assess the occurrence of an additional HLA susceptibility locus in the region between HLA-E and HLA-C in the Sardinian population. METHODS: 200 random controls, 120 patients with AS and 175 HLA-B27 positive controls were genotyped for six single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) spanning the HLA region between HLA-E and HLA-C loci previously shown to harbour an additional susceptibility locus for AS. Allele, genotype and haplotype frequencies were compared. RESULTS: The data confirm our previous finding of a significant increase in patients with AS of allele A at SNP rs1264457 encoding for an Arg at the functional HLA-E polymorphism (Arg128/Gly128). This was due to a remarkable increase in the frequency of genotype A/A in patients vs HLA-B27-matched controls (51% vs 29%; P for trend: 5 x 10-5). Genotype distribution of three other SNPs mapping in genes (GNL1, PRR3 and ABCF-1) close to HLA-E and showing high LD with it, was also significantly skewed. Accordingly, haplotype distribution was also remarkably different. The frequency of the haplotype AAGA, is 42% in random controls, increases to 53% in the HLA-B27-positive controls, and reaches 68% in patients with AS (P values: 2 x 10-11 vs random and 3 x 10-4 vs HLA-B27 controls). CONCLUSIONS: There is a strong association between the presence of a haplotype in genes mapping between HLA-E and HLA-C and AS due to an increase of homozygous markers in patients. The strongest association however, is with the HLA-E functional polymorphism rs1264457. Since HLA-E is the ligand for the NKG2A receptor, these data point to the natural killer (NK) activity as possible player in the pathogenesis of AS

Once upon a time…: Using fairy tales as a form of vicarious contact to prevent stigma‐based bullying among schoolchildren

We conducted a vicarious contact intervention with the aim of promoting bystanders' intentions to react to stigma-based bullying among schoolchildren. Participants were Italian primary schoolchildren (N = 117 first to third graders); the outgroup was represented by foreign children. Vicarious contact was operationalized with story reading, creating fairy tales on stigma-based bullying where minority characters were bullied by majority characters. Once a week for 3 weeks, participants were read fairy tales in small groups by an experimenter and engaged in reinforcing activities. Results revealed that the intervention increased intergroup empathy (but not intergroup perspective-taking) and anti-bullying peer norms and fostered contact intentions. The intervention also had indirect effects via intergroup empathy on helping and contact intentions and on bystanders' reactions to stigma based-bullying. We discuss theoretical and practical implications, also in terms of the relevance of the present results for school policy. Please refer to the Supplementary Material section to find this article's Community and Social Impact Statement