Viaggio nella videoarte italiana: elementi per una ricognizione

In questo testo è affrontato l'utilizzo del video nella costruzione di nuove forme d'arte in Italia. Molti studiosi come Alessandro Amaducci, Andrea Lissoni, Marco Gazzano, Vittorio Fagone, Silvia Bordini, Alessandra Lischi, Simonetta Cargioli, Bruno Di Marino, Valentina Valentini e altri, hanno lasciato il loro contributo storico/critico in numerosi cataloghi di mostre e in libri specialistici, ma per rintracciare una storia, un'evoluzione, un'identità italiana bisogna intraprendere un'estesa ricerca che possa permettere di unire i tasselli di un mosaico che si trova disseminato in molti libri. Quest'elaborato si propone di raccogliere quegli studi, cercando di rispondere alle domande che spesso nascono spontanee di fronte ad un fenomeno poco conosciuto. La storia della videoarte si fa comunemente risalire alla prima mostra realizzata da Nam June Paik “13 Distorted Tv Sets” allestita presso la galleria Parnass di Wuppertal nel 1963. Ma cosa accadeva nel nostro paese? Quando i centri d'arte italiani cominciarono a rivolgere le loro attenzioni alla videoarte e in particolar modo alle videoinstallazioni? Chi furono i primi? Quali sono gli artisti che sono riusciti ad emergere nel panorama nazionale e internazionale? Negli ultimi decenni numerosi centri, dal nord al sud Italia, si sono interessati a questo tipo d'arte, quindi ho ritenuto importante trattare, sotto forma di capitoli, le più interessanti istituzioni nazionali che hanno adottato nelle loro mostre e festival la videoarte ospitando artisti di livello internazionale. Chi ha studiato un po' di videoarte sa che questa si articola in molteplici forme espressive, che vanno dalla registrazione di azioni e performance a strutture complesse multimediali come le videoinstallazioni e le installazioni interattive. In questo testo mi soffermerò in particolar modo sulle videoinstallazioni/videosculture, e sulla loro evoluzione fino a diventare interattive, veri e propri “video ambienti”. Come si vedrà, il video ha avuto non poche difficoltà ad essere accettato, perché la sua identità si trova in una linea di confine con cinema, televisione e teatro, in un costante sconfinamento da un linguaggio all'altro e quindi per entrare nelle mostre di arti visive si è dovuto porre all'interno di sculture o di installazioni ambientali nate con lo scopo di emozionare, educare e sensibilizzare il pubblico su profonde tematiche. Numerosi artisti italiani si confrontarono con questa nuova forma d'arte e realizzarono molte opere di diversa complessità, tra cui alcune documentate nelle prossime pagine. Aspiro a realizzare un testo che possa servire come primo strumento di studi per chi si affaccia al mondo della videoarte, poiché raccoglie i pensieri e le ricerche dei maggiori critici italiani, sviluppa una prima “geografia videoartistica” e riunisce le biografie e le opere degli artisti nazionali che si occupano di videoinstallazioni. Con questo lavoro non pretendo di realizzare un elenco strettamente aggiornato (che potrebbe risultare persino pesante) su tutti gli enti che si sono occupati di videoarte in Italia e su tutti gli artisti e i critici che ne hanno studiato l'estetica e i linguaggi, ma vorrei solo fornire un panorama generale da cui possono emergere i nodi per affrontare successivi singoli approfondimenti. Come una cartina geografica mostra dall'alto le strade, le sezioni e i nomi delle città per avvicinare il viaggiatore ai luoghi da visitare questo testo cerca di fornire le informazioni principali per una prima conoscenza della videoarte per poi entrare negli atelier degli autori italiani di videoinstallazioni. Detto questo mi sembra corretto informare i lettori che per motivi di limiti economici e temporali ogni capitolo è stato realizzato sulla base di studi affrontati su libri e cataloghi di settore e non direttamente sul campo

Quality of colonoscopy in an organised colorectal cancer screening programme with immunochemical faecal occult blood test. The EQuIPE study (Evaluating Quality Indicators of the Performance of Endoscopy)

OBJECTIVES: To assess variation in the main colonoscopy quality indicators in organised colorectal cancer (CRC) screening programmes based on faecal immunochemical test (FIT). DESIGN: Data from a case-series of colonoscopies of FIT-positive subjects were provided by 44 Italian CRC screening programmes. Data on screening history, endoscopic procedure and histology results, and additional information on the endoscopy centre and the endoscopists were collected. The adenoma detection rate (ADR) and caecal intubation rate (CIR) were assessed for the whole population and the individual endoscopists. To explore variation in the quality indicators, multilevel analyses were performed according to patient/centre/endoscopist characteristics. RESULTS: We analysed 75 569 (mean age: 61.3 years; men: 57%) colonoscopies for positive FIT performed by 479 endoscopists in 79 centres. ADR ranged from 13.5% to 75% among endoscopists (mean: 44.8%). ADR was associated with gastroenterology specialty (OR: 0.87 for others, 95% CI 0.76 to 0.96) and, at the endoscopy centre level, with the routine use of sedation (OR: 0.80 if occasional (600 colonoscopies; 95% CI 1.11 to 2.04) and, at the endoscopy centre level, screening-dedicated sessions (OR: 2.18; 95% CI 1.24 to 3.83) and higher rates of sedation (OR: 0.47 if occasional; 95% CI 0.24 to 0.92). CONCLUSIONS: The quality of colonoscopy was affected by patient-related, endoscopist-related and centre-related characteristics. Policies addressing organisational issues should improve the quality of colonoscopy in our programme and similar programmes. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://group.bmj.com/group/rights-licensing/permissions

Designer drugs on the Internet : a phenomenon out-of-control? : The emergence of hallucinogenic drug Bromo-Dragonfly

Copyright Bentham Science PublishersBased on the material available in both the scientific literature and on the web, the present paper provides an updated pharmacological, chemical, toxicological and behavioural overview of Bromo-Dragonfly (1-(8-bromobenzo[1,2- b;4,5-b']difuran-4-yl)-2-aminopropane; 'B-fly'). B-Fly is a powerful, long lasting, LSD-like, hallucinogenic drug, which has been associated with a number of acute intoxications and fatalities in a number of countries. A critical discussion of the potential of misuse of B-fly but also of the methodological limitations, which are intrinsically associated with the analysis of online, non-peer reviewed, material, is presented. It is concluded that the availability of online information on novel psychoactive drugs, such as B-fly, may constitute a public health challenge. Better international collaboration levels may be needed to tackle this novel and fast growing phenomenonPeer reviewe

Energy Management and Information Systems

Quality assessment form used in this systematic review, based on CASP (2013) and Viswanathan et al. [21, 22]. (DOCX 18 kb

Promoting innovation and excellence to face the rapid diffusion of Novel Psychoactive Substances (NPS) in the EU : the outcomes of the ReDNet project

Objectives: The recent emergence of new psychoactive compounds (NPS) has raised prominent challenges in the fields of drug policy, substance use research, public health and service provision. The Recreational Drugs European Network (ReDNet) project, funded by the European Commission, was implemented to improve the information stream to young people and professionals about effects/risks of NPS identifying online products and disseminating relevant information through technological tools. Methods: Regular multilingual qualitative assessments of websites, drugs fora and other online resources were carried out using the Google search engine in 8 languages from collaborating countries. These included: the UK, Norway, Belgium, Germany, Hungary, Poland, Italy and Spain. Products were tested and prevention messages were developed and disseminated via technological tools such as interactive websites, SMS alert, social networking (Facebook, Twitter), Multimedia (You Tube), Smartphone applications (iPhone), and virtual learning environments (Second Life). Results: The ReDNet project established itself as the first Europe-wide prevention programme designed for NPS based on the efficacy of novel ICT-based forms of intervention. More than 650 NPS products and combinations were identified; relevant information was disseminated to target population and advice was given to both EU/ international agencies and national policy makers. Conclusions: Web monitoring activities are essential for mapping the diffusion of NPS and the use of technological tools can be successfully incorporated in specific prevention programmes. Furthermore, the involvement of multi-disciplinary international partnerships was and continues to be fundamental for responding to such a prominent challenge.Peer reviewedSubmitted Versio

Project guidelines: AMITIE CODE - Migration and rights: Building development together

Este projeto – como, aliás, deveria suceder com todos – baseia-se na partilha de princípios e convicções. Os princípios que o sustentam têm um suporte teórico mas, em paralelo, radicam nas experiências de cada um dos parceiros, tanto individuais como no passado conjunto, enquanto parceiros do projeto “AMITIE – awareness on migration, development and human rights through local partnerships/parcerias locais para a sensibilização em migrações, desenvolvimento e direitos humanos”. Para uma melhor compreensão das atividades e metodologias utilizadas, começamos por explicar a nossa visão sobre os complexos fenómenos que este projeto abarca.AMITIE CODE – awareness on migration, development and human rights through local partnerships - capitalizing on development” is a global citizenship education and human rights education project, made of training activities targeting local authorities, secondary school teachers, youth and students. It foresees the participation of migrants associations in Italy, Latvia, Spain, Portugal, France and Germany

Has the COVID-19 Pandemic Affected Cyberbullying and Cybervictimization Prevalence among Children and Adolescents? A Systematic Review

In light of the alarming results emerging from some studies and reports on the significant increase in aggressive online behaviors among children and adolescents during the COVID-19 pandemic, the current research aimed at providing a more detailed evaluation of the investigations focusing on the cyberbullying prevalence rates published between 2020 and 2023. To this purpose, systematic searches were conducted on four databases (Web of Science, APA PsycInfo, Scopus and Google Scholar), and following PRISMA guidelines, 16 studies were included and qualitatively reviewed. Although studies were characterized by a large variety in cyberbullying operationalization and measurement, and by different methodologies used for data collection, the prevalence rates of the involvement in cyberbullying and/or cybervictimization generally revealed opposite trends: an increase in many Asian countries and Australia and a decrease in Western countries. The findings were also discussed by considering the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. Finally, some suggestions were provided to policy makers for promoting prevention and intervention anti-cyberbullying programs in school contexts

Effects of Extracorporeal Shock Wave Therapy on Fracture Nonunions

The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of focused extracorporeal shock wave therapy (ESWT) on the treatment of nonunions. As part of a prospective study, we included 143 patients (average age, 41.4 years) with a diagnosis of nonunion (mean, 14.1 months; range, 6-84 months). High-energy shock wave treatment was applied using electromagnetic shock wave generators. The shock waves were applied in 3-5 sessions of 2500 to 3000 impulses each given at 0.25-0.84 mJ/mm2, at intervals of 48-72 hours between sessions. A maximum of 3 cycles of treatment was given, at 3-month intervals. The patients were followed during a 12-month period until fracture healing or, in case of failure, until another therapy was adopted. Complete healing was observed in 80 of 143 cases (55.9%) at an average time of 7.6 months (range, 2-24 months). Partial healing occurred in 41 cases (28.7%) and no healing was observed in 22 cases (15.4%). Patients with trophic nonunions had a better success rate than patients with atrophic nonunions (P<.05). The results show ESWT is a safe and effective treatment for nonunions. ESWT is more effective for trophic nonunions than atrophic nonunions

Health literacy education at the time of COVID-19: development and piloting of an educational programme for university health professional students in 4 European countries

Abstract Background Health literacy has a strong influence on individual health outcomes and the sustainability of healthcare systems. Healthcare professionals often overestimate patients’ health literacy levels and lack adequate competencies to address limited health literacy effectively. Therefore, promoting understanding through effective health communication between professionals and citizens is becoming increasingly important. Although health literacy has recently gained more attention, health literacy educational programmes targeting future healthcare professionals are still scarce, especially in Europe. This study describes the piloting process of a pan-European health literacy educational programme and shows how the educational material is being used during time of crisis such as the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods The educational programme was developed through the definition of an educational philosophy and iterative co-creation processes consisting of stakeholders’ consultations, material development and pilots with students. The evaluation was carried out in Italy through four pilot tests involving 107 students of health-related degrees. An evaluation questionnaire and a pre-post test were developed and used to collect students’ and educators’ feedback (quantitative and qualitative) and assess changes in health literacy awareness, respectively. Three additional pilots were organized in Italy and Germany mostly during the COVID-19 pandemic to evaluate the feasibility of the educational programme through online and hybrid learning, respectively. Results The pilots received positive feedback from both students and educators. Students were highly satisfied with the courses, reported their relevance for their future profession and appreciated the interactive teaching methods. The pre-post test showed a significant improvement in health literacy awareness after the training. Educators reported the adequacy and flexibility of the training material, the ease of transferability of the content of the lessons into practice, and the validity of the tested options to integrate the educational programme into the curricula. Conclusions Our comprehensive, evidence-based educational programme contributes to addressing the existing challenges in Europe, and its flexibility allows for easy integration in the curricula, through different options, hence supporting a widespread uptake in the European Union and maybe beyond. Health literacy education is a useful tool to improve citizens’ access to healthcare information and services, achieve better health outcomes and support healthcare systems’ sustainability