Web-based communication tools in a European research project: the example of the TRACE project

The multi-disciplinary and international nature of large European projects requires powerful managerial and communicative tools to ensure the transmission of information to the end-users. One such project is TRACE entitled “Tracing Food Commodities in Europe”. One of its objectives is to provide a communication system dedicated to be the central source of information on food authenticity and traceability in Europe. This paper explores the web tools used and communication vehicles offered to scientists involved in the TRACE project to communicate internally as well as to the public. Two main tools have been built: an Intranet and a public website. The TRACE website can be accessed at http://www.trace.eu.org. A particular emphasis was placed on the efficiency, the relevance and the accessibility of the information, the publicity of the website as well as the use of the collaborative utilities. The rationale of web space design as well as integration of proprietary software solutions are presented. Perspectives on the using of web tools in the research projects are discussed

Attentional Set-Shifting Deficit in Parkinson’s Disease Is Associated with Prefrontal Dysfunction: An FDG-PET Study

The attentional set-shifting deficit that has been observed in Parkinson’s disease (PD) has long been considered neuropsychological evidence of the involvement of meso-prefrontal and prefrontal-striatal circuits in cognitive flexibility. However, recent studies have suggested that non-dopaminergic, posterior cortical pathologies may also contribute to this deficit. Although several neuroimaging studies have addressed this issue, the results of these studies were confounded by the use of tasks that required other cognitive processes in addition to set-shifting, such as rule learning and working memory. In this study, we attempted to identify the neural correlates of the attentional set-shifting deficit in PD using a compound letter task and 18F-fluoro-deoxy-glucose (FDG) positron emission tomography during rest. Shift cost, which is a measure of attentional set-shifting ability, was significantly correlated with hypometabolism in the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, including the putative human frontal eye field. Our results provide direct evidence that dysfunction in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex makes a primary contribution to the attentional set-shifting deficit that has been observed in PD patients

Motor Subtype as a Predictor of Future Working Memory Performance in Idiopathic Parkinson's Disease

Parkinson’s disease is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder associated with reduced spatial and verbal working memory ability. There are two established motor subtypes of PD, tremor dominant (TD) and postural instability and gait difficulty (PIGD). This study used structural equation modelling to explore the longitudinal relationship between the two subtypes and working memory assessed at a 2-year follow-up. The study comprised 84 males and 30 females (N = 114), aged between 39 and 85 (M = 64.82, SD = 9.23) with confirmed PD. There was no significant relationship between motor subtype at Time 1 and working memory at Time 2. Postural symptom severity at Time 1 predicted Time 2 spatial working memory for the PIGD subtype (p = .011) but not the TD subtype. Tremor symptoms were not associated with Time 2 working memory in either subtype. Predictive significance of Time 1 postural symptoms only in the PIGD subtype suggests an interaction between symptom dominance (subtype) and symptom severity that future subtyping should consider. This study demonstrates a predictive relationship between postural difficulties and working memory performance assessed at a 2-year follow-up. Establishing physical symptoms as predictors of cognitive change could have significant clinical importance

Distribution of GABAergic Interneurons and Dopaminergic Cells in the Functional Territories of the Human Striatum

BACKGROUND: The afferent projections of the striatum (caudate nucleus and putamen) are segregated in three territories: associative, sensorimotor and limbic. Striatal interneurons are in part responsible for the integration of these different types of information. Among them, GABAergic interneurons are the most abundant, and can be sorted in three populations according to their content in the calcium binding proteins calretinin (CR), parvalbumin (PV) and calbindin (CB). Conversely, striatal dopaminergic cells (whose role as interneurons is still unclear) are scarce. This study aims to analyze the interneuron distribution in the striatal functional territories, as well as their organization regarding to the striosomal compartment. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: We used immunohistochemical methods to visualize CR, PV, CB and tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) positive striatal neurons. The interneuronal distribution was assessed by stereological methods applied to every striatal functional territory. Considering the four cell groups altogether, their density was higher in the associative (2120±91 cells/mm(3)) than in the sensorimotor (959±47 cells/mm(3)) or limbic (633±119 cells/mm(3)) territories. CB- and TH-immunoreactive(-ir) cells were distributed rather homogeneously in the three striatal territories. However, the density of CR and PV interneurons were more abundant in the associative and sensorimotor striatum, respectively. Regarding to their compartmental organization, CR-ir interneurons were frequently found in the border between compartments in the associative and sensorimotor territories, and CB-ir interneurons abounded at the striosome/matrix border in the sensorimotor domain. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: The present study demonstrates that the architecture of the human striatum in terms of its interneuron composition varies in its three functional territories. Furthermore, our data highlight the importance of CR-ir striatal interneurons in the integration of associative information, and the selective role of PV-ir interneurons in the motor territory. On the other hand, the low density of dopaminergic cells casts doubts about their role in the normal human striatum

EasyRights: Information Technology Could Facilitate Migrant Access to Human Rights in a Greek Refugee Camp

This paper aims to describe the context for the migrant camp in a small municipality, and it discusses the challenge of adopting the easyRights information technology (IT) to make it easier for migrants to exercise their human rights. The easyRights project “Enabling immigrants to easily know and exercise their rights” (https://www.easyrights.eu/) is an ongoing European Horizon 2020 project that addresses the challenge of migrant integration through IT-enabled solutions. This project aims to combine co-creation and intelligent language-oriented technologies to make it easier for migrants to understand and access the services to which they are entitled. The easyRights IT–enabled solutions and toolkits for the implementation of inclusion policies can facilitate the management of the integration of migrants, and improve their autonomy and inclusion. Initial interviews with two stakeholders and one migrant in the city of Kavala (in northern Greece) were conducted. Aspects of the information described in this study are intended to be utilized within the Work Package WP7 of the project, which is with regard to the communication and dissemination plan. We recommend for the easyRights IT tools to be adopted in Kavala, so as to facilitate migrants’ exercise of their human rights, and alleviate the tasks of public administrations and local authorities. Possible solutions to avoid migrant marginalization within Kavala’s municipality include adoption of the easyRights IT solutions and investigation of stakeholders’ and migrants’ use of these technology tools. © 2022, The Author(s)

Rintracciabilità, qualità e sicurezza alimentare nella percezione dei consumatori

I coautori sono affiliati a: Agricultural University of Athens (Grecia)

Digital Technologies Assisting Migrant Population Overcome Language Barriers: The Case of the EasyRights Research Project

The issue of migrant integration in host communities is of major importance, because its effectiveness can influence employment opportunities, social cohesion, and economic welfare, creating equal opportunities among citizens. One of the greatest challenges towards this goal is the limited knowledge of the language of the host community, which can create miscommunication and additional difficulties to migrants. Basic language training is important, but it is of little help when migrants are confronted with the language used in complex procedures that are required for their inclusion in the new country of residence. This paper, which is descriptive and explorative in nature, focuses on the targeted digital solutions offered by the EU-funded easyRights research project that can help migrants effectively communicate and receive guidance, in order to handle the demands of various inclusion-related procedures that may differ from one country to the other. One of the digital tools presented in the paper aims at facilitating familiarization with the required domain-specific vocabulary, while the second one intends to offer pronunciation training, including training for the domain-specific words, in order to equip migrants with the knowledge and skills they need to communicate effectively. The two digital tools, which could act synergistically, employ advanced technology and are part of a technological pathway, whose aim is to assist migrants exercise their rights in the process of their integration in a new country. Implications are also discussed. © 2021, Springer Nature Switzerland AG

Co-Designing with Migrants’ Easier Access to Public Services: A Technological Perspective

The integration of migrants, refugees, and asylum seekers remains a challenge for both public authorities and local communities at the national, regional, and local levels. For migrants, the lack of information and inability to use technology due to insufficient access skills and proficiency in the language of the host country may lead to limited interaction with the new community and consequently to social exclusion. One of the issues of the hyper-complexity in migrant integration can be related to a problem of communication that not only involves the migrants also the local administrators and service providers. This problem requires systemic solutions rather than simple “ad hoc” solutions. This article describes the case of the easyRights project, an ongoing Horizon 2020 project aimed at improving migrants’ access to public services to ease exercising their rights. It presents the application of a co-design learning framework for the development of hackathons that aim to improve existing services. It also promotes the collaborative design of solutions that use ICTs to overcome the bureaucratic and idiomatic barriers migrants experience in their interactions with formal procedures. The example of the four ecosystems generated in the four pilot cities of the project shows the relevance of interconnecting stakeholders in the co-design of services and the potential of exploiting the multifaceted attributes of ICTs to solve the complexity in the access to such services. The results invite reflection on the necessity of exploring the capability of technology application through user-centric approaches to offer substantial solutions to the imperative—yet intricate—challenge of migrants’ inclusion in society. © 2022 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland