The Use of New Technologies for Improving Reading Comprehension

Since the introduction of writing systems, reading comprehension has always been a foundation for achievement in several areas within the educational system, as well as a prerequisite for successful participation in most areas of adult life. The increased availability of technologies and web-based resources can be a really valid support, both in the educational and clinical field, to devise training activities that can also be carried out remotely. There are studies in current literature that has examined the efficacy of internet-based programs for reading comprehension for children with reading comprehension difficulties but almost none considered distance rehabilitation programs. The present paper reports data concerning a distance program Cloze, developed in Italy, for improving language and reading comprehension. Twenty-eight children from 3rd to 6th grade with comprehension difficulties were involved. These children completed the distance program for 15\u201320 min for at least three times a week for about 4 months. The program was presented separately to each child, with a degree of difficulty adapted to his/her characteristics. Text reading comprehension (assessed distinguishing between narrative and informative texts) increased after intervention. These findings have clinical and educational implications as they suggest that it is possible to promote reading comprehension with a distance individualized program, avoiding the need for the child displacements, necessary for reaching a rehabilitation center

Improved properties of TiAlN coatings through the multilayer structure

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Toward a reversible consolidation of paper materials using cellulose nanocrystals

An innovative consolidation strategy for degraded paper is presented based on the reversible application of cellulose nanocrystals as sustainable fillers to reinforce mechanical properties and resistance to further degradation. The compatibility and efficacy of the proposed consolidation treatment are assessed first on pure cellulose paper, used as a model, by reliable techniques such as field emission scanning electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy, tensile tests, X-ray powder diffraction, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, evidencing the influence of the surface functionalization of nanocellulose on the consolidation and protection effects. Then, the consolidation technique is applied to real aged paper samples fromBreviarium romanum ad usum Fratrum Minorum S.P.(1738), demonstrating the promising potential of the suggested approach. Amperometric measurements, carried out with a smart electrochemical tool developed in our laboratory, demonstrate the reversibility of the proposed treatment by removal of the nanocrystalline cellulose from the paper surface with a suitable cleaning hydrogel. This completely new feature of the consolidation treatment proposed here satisfies a pivotal requisite in cultural heritage conservation because the methodological requirement for the ″reversibility″ of any conservation measure is a fundamental goal for restorers. A paper artifact, in fact, is subject to a number of natural and man-made hazards, inducing continuous degradation. With time, monitoring and consolidation actions need to be often performed to ensure conservation, and this tends to modify the status quo and compromise the artifact integrity. Removable treatments can potentially avoid erosion of the artifact integrity

Executive functions in children with specific learning disorders: Shedding light on a complex profile through teleassessment

Executive Functions (EFs) are high-order cognitive processes relevant to learning and adaptation and frequently impaired in children with specific learning disorders (SLDs). This study aimed to investigate EFs in children with SLD and explore the role of specific EF-related subprocesses, such as stimuli processing and processing speed. Fifty-seven SLD and 114 typically developing (TD) children, matched for gender and age, completed four tasks measuring response inhibition, interference control, shifting, and updating on a web-based teleassessment platform. The results show that SLD children performed lower in all EF tasks than TD children, regardless of stimulus type and condition. Mediation analyses suggested that differences between the SLD and TD groups are mediated by EF-related subprocesses, offering an interpretative model of EF deficits in children with SLD

The RSPO–LGR4/5–ZNRF3/RNF43 module controls liver zonation and size

LGR4/5 receptors and their cognate RSPO ligands potentiate Wnt/β-catenin signalling and promote proliferation and tissue homeostasis in epithelial stem cell compartments. In the liver, metabolic zonation requires a Wnt/β-catenin signalling gradient, but the instructive mechanism controlling its spatiotemporal regulation is not known. We have now identified the RSPO-LGR4/5-ZNRF3/RNF43 module as a master regulator of Wnt/β-catenin-mediated metabolic liver zonation. Liver-specific LGR4/5 loss of function (LOF) or RSPO blockade disrupted hepatic Wnt/β-catenin signalling and zonation. Conversely, pathway activation in ZNRF3/RNF43 LOF mice or with recombinant RSPO1 protein expanded the hepatic Wnt/β-catenin signalling gradient in a reversible and LGR4/5-dependent manner. Recombinant RSPO1 protein increased liver size and improved liver regeneration, whereas LGR4/5 LOF caused the opposite effects, resulting in hypoplastic livers. Furthermore, we show that LGR4(+) hepatocytes throughout the lobule contribute to liver homeostasis without zonal dominance. Taken together, our results indicate that the RSPO-LGR4/5-ZNRF3/RNF43 module controls metabolic liver zonation and is a hepatic growth/size rheostat during development, homeostasis and regeneration

A model driven approach to GDPR compliance

This paper proposes a model-driven approach based on business process modeling to support compliance with the European General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR, EU 2016/679). The adoption of GDPR by an organisation raises the main question of how to audit the organisation’s adherence. Starting from BPMN, which can allow businesses to better understand their internal business procedures, we propose an approach that helps to identify the most important key point(s) for GDPR compliance

Supporting Public Administration’s Digital Transformation using No-code platform

La Trasformazione Digitale è un passaggio ormai obbligato per la PA italiana, sia per questioni legislative sia perché ormai, finalmente, si è compreso che è l’unico modo per aumentare l’efficienza della PA ed aumentare la competitività dell’intero paese. Tuttavia, l’adozione di nuove piattaforme è frenata sia da complessità burocratiche sia dalla carenza di figure specializzate. Le piattaforme di No-Code possono essere utili in questo contesto poiché consentono, al personale interno, di creare nuove applicazioni aziendali, per l’utilizzo da parte di altri, senza scrivere codice. Attualmente l’adozione di queste piattaforme risulta impossibile da parte delle PA italiane poiché per queste è obbligatorio integrare, in qualsiasi applicazione, infrastrutture nazionali come SPID e PagoPA che rispondo, peraltro, a normative e standard di carattere europeo. Integrazioni che non sono previste in nessuna piattaforma di No- Code. Paradossalmente la definizione di standard Europei per la gestione delle identità digitali (SPID) e per la gestione dei pagamenti (PagoPA), risulta essere un limite nel processo di trasformazione digitale. Obiettivo di questo lavoro, ancora in corso, è dimostrare è possibile supportare la trasformazione digitale adottando piattaforme di No-Code all’interno della PA integrandole con SPID e PagoPA

An innovative approach to digital engineering services delivery: An application in maintenance

Nowadays companies are rapidly moving towards transforming their business into digital businesses. Being digital often means exploiting emerging technologies to enable new ways of serving customers. This paper presents two digital tools that have been designed to drive innovation in maintenance operations. A remote assistance collaboration tool combining wearable technologies and augmented reality is presented to allow a specialist from an engineering services company to remotely assist in real time a maintenance operator located at an operation site. A visible and open collaborative business model built to model the B2B process between the engineering services and the operation companies is presented to monitor compliance to the service level agreement contract and provide a basis for improving customer facing interactions. This paper provides an example of digital innovation in maintenance operations that integrates new technologies with business process models