Linearity and Word Internal Structure in the Visual Processing of Italian Complex Words

In this paper we address the theoretical debate about the representation and processing of derived words, presenting the results of a lexical decision task experiment aiming to investigate the visual recognition of Italian prefixed and suffixed words and nonwords. The study was specifically designed to test hypotheses stemming from the manipulation of two linguistic factors: (1) linearity (i.e., sequential order of morphemes), and (2) various degrees of complexity of the internal structure of particular types of Italian derived words. Our findings show that suffixed and prefixed words and nonwords are not generally processed in the same way because they are not a homogenous set. Prefixes and suffixes instead engender different processing strategies, as has also been suggested by Cole et al. (1989) and Hay (2001). Moreover our data reveal that derived words are not necessarily processed more quickly or slowly than simple words (Bertram et al., 2000), but that their processing varies according to the nature of the affixes, the order in which they appear, and the information encoded in the affix

Improving Critical Listening skills in EMT Students

Introduction: Although the importance of EMT students utilizing critical listening skills is apparent, there is little research focused on EMT students or EMTs and critical listening. Ensuring EMT students develop critical listening skills can be an asset that reaches beyond the goal of improving their education. It also has the potential to improve the quality of care they go on to deliver. EMTs may have the only verbal contact with the patient while they are still conscious, or with bystanders that witnessed the incident, or family members/health aides that can give vitally important information on the patient’s condition. If an EMT is not adept at critical listening, vital information may be lost, and the repercussions can be serious. This project was designed to determine whether EMT student critical listening ability and class performance would improve from engaging in critical listening exercises.Methods:  Critical listening exercises were emphasized during an EMT course by assessing student knowledge of the Patient Assessment module through two listening exercises modelled after the Ferrari, Lynch, and Vogel Listening Test that measures for critical listening skills. The Patient Assessment module was assessed twice within four weeks in a test-retest design.Results: The data analysis of a total of n = 51 students’ performance in the pre and post-assessments yielded positive results and showed students significantly improved their listening ability within the four-week period.  An overall score increase of 34.50 % was found between the pre and the post assessment results. Moreover, the data analysis showed that as the result of the listening exercises, students scored significantly higher in the section of the certifying exam that included critical listening exercises than in all other sections.Conclusion: The results suggest performing critical listening exercises and assessments can help EMT students properly develop critical listening skills and improve performance

Socio-Technological Aspects of Knowledge Disclosure: The Relevance of Storytelling in Knowledge Ecology Based Organizations

IT has become an essential enabler of community members finding, disseminating, and applying knowledge. While most KM champions agree that the key lies in focusing on building an integrated Information Management System (IMS) that will allow a community to thrive under any circumstance is key, we feel that it is fundamental to focus on the social aspects of sharing knowledge. The purpose of our research is to highlight the role of the triple network - knowledge, people, technology - and more specifically, with the adoption of the Actor Network Theory, to understand how storytelling can help organizational competence to emerge from a knowledge ecosystem (which can be understood as people networks creating knowledge networks, supported by technology networks). In this sense, social computing can be seen as the way to link digital systems with social information and context to enhance the activity and performance of people, organizations, and systems

Fronteras visuales entre Siria y Ucrania: la construcción en imágenes del “buen” y el “mal” refugiado

Desde que el conflicto ruso-ucraniano derivó en un enfrentamiento bélico a principios del 2022, el poder de las imágenes (Freedberg, 1998) se presenta como uno de los rasgos más notables del continuo evento. Existe no sólo material registrado por profesionales de los medios de comunicación sino también, documentos tomados por personal militar y distribuidos por las agencias gubernamentales de los Estados involucrados. Sin ir más lejos, el 24 de febrero del 2022 Vladimír Putin anunció en directo, vía televisión rusa, el inminente conflicto: minutos después, se registraron grandes explosiones en varios puntos del este de Ucrania. Horas más tarde, el presidente ucraniano Volodímir Zelenski difundió un video casero junto a su cúpula dirigente, anunciando la defensa ucraniana y pidiendo unidad en la ciudadanía. Sin embargo, lo que más se destaca de este conflicto es la producción inédita de imágenes producidas y puestas en circulación por sus participantes directos. Me refiero a fotos y videos tomadas tanto civiles como por militares quienes, a partir de sus redes sociales, publican y retransmiten información sobre ataques y documentan el día a día de la guerra en carne propia: desde difusión de videos que muestran soldados capturados hasta adolescentes contando a sus seguidores cómo es vivir en las estaciones de metro. La producción generada por estos legos es un aspecto sumamente significativo, pues acerca a audiencias globales una inmediatez, dinamismo y un grado de intimidad inéditas sobre la experiencia de la guerra. En este marco, si bien las redes sociales son el canal mediante el cual los sujetos difunden las fotografías y videos in situ, observar cuáles son las imágenes (re)producidas por los medios de comunicación cobra aún mayor relevancia, dado que gran parte de la sociedad accede a lo que sucede en el conflicto mediante estos canales informativos.Departamento de Medio Oriente.Instituto de Relaciones Internacionale

Performances on simulator and da Vinci robot on subjects with and without surgical background

Objective: To assess whether previous training in surgery influences performance on da Vinci Skills Simulator and da Vinci robot. Material and methods: In this prospective study, thirty-seven participants (11 medical students, 17 residents, and 9 attending surgeons) without previous experience in laparoscopy and robotic surgery performed 26 exercises at da Vinci Skills Simulator. Thirty-five then executed a suture using a da Vinci robot. Results: The overall scores on the exercises at the da Vinci Skills Simulator show a similar performance among the groups with no statistically significant pair-wise differences (p < .05). The quality of the suturing based on the unedited videos of the test run was similar for the intermediate (7 (4, 10)) and expert group (6.5 (4.5, 10)), and poor for the untrained groups (5 (3.5, 9)), without statistically significant difference (p < .05). Conclusion: This study showed, for subjects new to laparoscopy and robotic surgery, insignificant differences in the scores at the da Vinci Skills Simulator and at the da Vinci robot on inanimate model

Pharmacological counseling in hepatotoxicity induced by macitentan and selexipag: a case report

Background: Pulmonary arterial hypertension is a progressive, debilitating condition characterized by increased resistance in the pulmonary arterial circulation. Current treatments for pulmonary arterial hypertension include endothelin receptor antagonists such as bosentan, sitaxentan, ambrisentan, macitentan, and oral prostacyclin receptor agonists such as selexipag. Endothelin receptor antagonists have been associated with liver injury, while hepatotoxicity was not reported for selexipag. Although genetic variability has been indisputably associated with variability in drug response, no study has been designed until now to assess its effects on the pharmacokinetics of endothelin receptor antagonists or selexipag. Case presentation: We report the case of a 58-year-old female Caucasian patient with a dramatic increase in plasma levels of transaminases after treatment with macitentan and selexipag, drugs whose risk of causing liver injury has so far been considered limited. After therapy discontinuation, plasma levels of transaminases returned to baseline, thus suggesting a role of these drugs in the observed hepatotoxicity. After pharmacological counseling, we decided to introduce ambrisentan for the patient's treatment. After 7 months of treatment, no liver injury has been reported. To evaluate the role of genetic factors in the observed hepatotoxicity, we genotyped the patient for single-nucleotide polymorphisms previously associated with macitentan, ambrisentan, or selexipag metabolism. We found a genetic profile associated with a poor metabolizer (PM) phenotype for CYP2C8 and CYP2C9, key enzymes for elimination of both macitentan and selexipag. The reported results suggest that an allelic profile associated with low activity for CYP2C8 and CYP2C9 enzyme could be a potential risk factor for macitentan and selexipag-induced liver injury and could provide a possible marker for early identification of subjects at higher risk of developing hepatotoxicity. Conclusions: A multidisciplinary approach based on clinical evaluation, as well as pharmacological counseling and evaluation of the patient's genetic profile, might be useful for identification of patients with a high chance of drug-induced liver injury, avoiding unnecessary risks in therapy selection and prescription