313 research outputs found
Il ruolo dellâArchitettura nella gestione dei Commons: unâipotesi per lo âScugnizzo liberatoâ.
Nel 2013 il Comune di Napoli ha istituito lâOsservatorio sui beni comuni, con questâatto viene ufficializzata una posizione innovativa, ma anche fortemente controversa, relativa alla gestione di beni di proprietĂ pubblica o privata da parte di âcomunitĂ â che utilizzano questi spazi realizzando un utile sociale. Il numero di Louts del 1994 dal titolo Commons traccia la relazione tra questa questione, di natura economica, politica e sociale e lâarchitettura. In particolare a Napoli i nove spazi individuati dallâOsservatorio pongono agli architetti nuove domande e, prima tra tutte, come conciliare questa modalitĂ di gestione dal basso, che ha sicuramente il merito di restituire alla comunitĂ luoghi spesso dimenticati e abbandonati, con le esigenze di tutela e conservazione del patrimonio culturale della cittĂ . Partendo dal caso delloâ scugnizzo liberatoâ l'intervento proverĂ a definire un possibile ruolo dellâarchitettura nel processo di gestione dei Commons
Physicochemical properties of mixed micellar aggregates containing CCK peptides and Gd complexes designed as tumor specific contrast agents in MRI
New amphiphilic molecules containing a bioactive peptide or a claw moiety have been prepared
in order to obtain mixed micelles as target-specific contrast agents in magnetic resonance imaging. The
first molecule, C18H37CONH(AdOO)2-G-CCK8 (C18CCK8), contains a C18 hydrophobic moiety bound to
the C-terminal cholecystokinin octapeptide amide (CCK 26-33 or CCK8). The second amphiphilic
compound, C18H37CONHLys(DTPAGlu)CONH2 (C18DTPAGlu) or its gadolinium complex, (C18DTPAGlu-
(Gd)), contains the same C18 hydrophobic moiety bound, through a lysine residue, to the DTPAGlu chelating
agent. The mixed aggregates as well as the pure C18DTPAGlu aggregate, in the presence and absence
of Gd, have been fully characterized by surface tension measurements, FT-PGSE-NMR, fluorescence
quenching, and small-angle neutron scattering measurements. The structural characterization of the mixed
aggregates C18DTPAGlu(Gd)-C18CCK8 indicates a spherical arrangement of the micelles with an external
shell of 21 Ă
and an inner core of 20 Ă
. Both the DTPAGlu(Gd) complexes and the CCK8 peptides
point toward the external surface. The measured values for relaxivity in saline medium at 20 MHz proton
Larmor frequency and 25 °C are 18.7 mM-1 s-1. These values show a large enhancement in comparison
with the isolated DTPAGlu(Gd) complex
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Symbolic closure: Towards a renewed sociological perspective on the relationship between higher education, credentials and the graduate labour market
This article explores how our understanding of the graduate labour market can be improved by re-assessing some of the insights of the conflictual tradition within sociology. In particular, its theorising of âsocial closureâ and the use of educational credentials within the labour market remain highly relevant. Yet these ideas need to be modified to better deal with the current social, economic and educational contexts. This article extends the social closure literature to deal with some of the changes within the graduate labour market by turning to Pierre Bourdieuâs ideas on symbolic violence. I will argue that âsymbolic closureâ, the reliance on exclusion through categorisation and classification, becomes of greater importance in a graduate labour market that no longer offers any clarity about what graduate skills, jobs and rewards constitute and signify
Impact of age norms and stereotypes on managers' hiring decisions of retirees
Purpose -Our study investigates the role of managers in the re-employment of early retirees and asks what the effect is of managersâ age norms and stereotypes on managersâ employment decisions.
Design/methodology/approach- A combination of a factorial study and a survey was conducted. First, information on the age norms and stereotypes was collected. Secondly, profiles of hypothetical retired job applicants were presented to the employers, who were asked to make a specific hiring decision. The information collected during both studies was combined in the analysis and multilevel models were estimated.
Findings -The results indicate that higher age norms result in a higher propensity to hire an early retiree. Stereotypes, by contrast, do not influence managersâ decisions. Early retireesâ chances for re-employment are also related to their own circumstances (physical appearance and relevant experience) and organisational forces, as they are hired when organisations face labour force shortages.
Research limitation / implications â with the use of vignettes study we deal with hypothetical hiring situation.
Originality value- Although the effect of age norms and age stereotypes has been often suggested, not much empirical evidence was presented to support this notion. Our study estimates the effect of age norms and stereotypes on hiring decision.
key words: bridge employment; early retirees; age norms; age stereotypes; multilevel models.
Linguistic profile automated characterisation in pluripotential clinical high-risk mental state (CHARMS) conditions: methodology of a multicentre observational study
Introduction: Language is usually considered the social vehicle of thought in intersubjective communications. However, the relationship between language and high- order cognition seems to evade this canonical and unidirectional description (ie, the notion of language as a simple means of thought communication). In recent years, clinical high at-risk mental state (CHARMS) criteria (evolved from the Ultra-High-Risk paradigm) and the introduction of the Clinical Staging system have been proposed to address the dynamicity of early psychopathology. At the same time, natural language processing (NLP) techniques have greatly evolved and have been successfully applied to investigate different neuropsychiatric conditions. The combination of at-risk mental state paradigm, clinical staging system and automated NLP methods, the latter applied on spoken language transcripts, could represent a useful and convenient approach to the problem of early psychopathological distress within a transdiagnostic risk paradigm.
Methods and analysis: Help-seeking young people presenting psychological distress (CHARMS+/â and Clinical Stage 1a or 1b; target sample size for both groups n=90) will be assessed through several psychometric tools and multiple speech analyses during an observational period of 1-year, in the context of an Italian multicentric study. Subjects will be enrolled in different contexts: Department of Neuroscience, Rehabilitation, Ophthalmology, Genetics, Maternal and Child Health (DINOGMI), Section of Psychiatry, University of GenoaâIRCCS Ospedale Policlinico San Martino, Genoa, Italy; Mental Health Departmentâterritorial mental services (ASL 3âGenoa), Genoa, Italy; and Mental Health Departmentâterritorial mental services (AUSLâPiacenza), Piacenza, Italy. The conversion rate to full-blown psychopathology (CS 2) will be evaluated over 2 years of clinical observation, to further confirm the predictive and discriminative value of CHARMS criteria and to verify the possibility of enriching them with several linguistic features, derived from a fine-grained automated linguistic analysis of speech.
Ethics and dissemination: The methodology described in this study adheres to ethical principles as formulated in the Declaration of Helsinki and is compatible with International Conference on Harmonization (ICH)-good clinical practice. The research protocol was reviewed and approved by two different ethics committees (CER Liguria approval code: 591/2020âid.10993; Comitato Etico dellâArea Vasta Emilia Nord approval code: 2022/0071963). Participants will provide their written informed consent prior to study enrolment and parental consent will be needed in the case of participants aged less than 18 years old. Experimental results will be carefully shared through publication in peer- reviewed journals, to ensure proper data reproducibility.
Trial registration number DOI:10.17605/OSF.IO/BQZTN
Transperitoneal vs retroperitoneal minimally invasive partial nephrectomy: comparison of perioperative outcomes and functional follow-up in a large multi-institutional cohort (The RECORD 2 Project)
Background Aim of this study was to evaluate and compare perioperative outcomes of transperitoneal (TP) and retroperitoneal (TR) approaches in a multi-institutional cohort of minimally invasive partial nephrectomy (MI-PN). Material and methods All consecutive patients undergone MI-PN for clinical T1 renal tumors at 26 Italian centers (RECORd2 project) between 01/2013 and 12/2016 were evaluated, collecting the pre-, intra-, and postoperative data. The patients were then stratified according to the surgical approach, TP or RP. A 1:1 propensity score (PS) matching was performed to obtain homogeneous cohorts, considering the age, gender, baseline eGFR, surgical indication, clinical diameter, and PADUA score. Results 1669 patients treated with MI-PN were included in the study, 1256 and 413 undergoing TP and RP, respectively. After 1:1 PS matching according to the surgical access, 413 patients were selected from TP group to be compared with the 413 RP patients. Concerning intraoperative variables, no differences were found between the two groups in terms of surgical approach (lap/robot), extirpative technique (enucleation vs standard PN), hilar clamping, and ischemia time. Conversely, the TP group recorded a shorter median operative time in comparison with the RP group (115 vs 150 min), with a higher occurrence of intraoperative overall, 21 (5.0%) vs 9 (2.1%);p = 0.03, and surgical complications, 18 (4.3%) vs 7 (1.7%);p = 0.04. Concerning postoperative variables, the two groups resulted comparable in terms of complications, positive surgical margins and renal function, even if the RP group recorded a shorter median drainage duration and hospital length of stay (3 vs 2 for both variables),p < 0.0001. Conclusions The results of this study suggest that both TP and RP are feasible approaches when performing MI-PN, irrespectively from tumor location or surgical complexity. Notwithstanding longer operative times, RP seems to have a slighter intraoperative complication rate with earlier postoperative recovery when compared with TP
Applicability of COVID-19 Pandemic recommendations for urology practice: data from three major Italian hot spots (BreBeMi)
Background: Lombardy has been the first and one of the most affected European regions during the first and second waves of the novel coronavirus (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 [SARS-CoV-2]).Objective: To evaluate the impact of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) on all urologic activities over a 17-wk period in the three largest public hospitals in Lombardy located in the worst hit area in Italy, and to assess the applicability of the authorities' recommendations provided for reorganising urology practice.Design, setting, and participants: A retrospective analysis of all urologic activities performed at three major public hospitals in Lombardy (Brescia, Bergamo, and Milan), from January 1 to April 28, 2020, was performed.Outcome measurements and statistical analysis: Join-point regression was used to identify significant changes in trends for all urologic activities. Average weekly percentage changes (AWPCs) were estimated to summarise linear trends. Uro-oncologic surgeries performed during the pandemic were tabulated and stratified according to the first preliminary recommendations by Stensland et al (Stensland KD, Morgan TM, Moinzadeh A, et al. Considerations in the triage of urologic surgeries during the COVID-19 pandemic. Eur Urol 2020;77:663-6) and according to the level of priority recommended by European Association of Urology guidelines.Results and limitations: The trend for 2020 urologic activities decreased constantly from weeks 8-9 up to weeks 11-13 (AWPC range -41%, -29.9%; p < 0.001). One-third of uro-oncologic surgeries performed were treatments that could have been postponed, according to the preliminary urologic recommendations. High applicability to recommendations was observed for non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) patients with intermediate/emergency level of priority, penile and testicular cancer patients, and upper tract urothelial cell carcinoma (UTUC) and renal cell carcinoma (RCC) patients with intermediate level of priority. Low applicability was observed for NMIBC patients with low/high level of priority, UTUC patients with high level of priority, prostate cancer patients with intermediate/high level of priority, and RCC patients with low level of priority.Conclusions: During COVID-19, we found a reduction in all urologic activities. High-priority surgeries and timing of treatment recommended by the authorities require adaptation according to hospital resources and local incidence.Patient summary: We assessed the urologic surgeries that were privileged during the first wave of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in the three largest public hospitals in Lombardy, worst hit by the pandemic, to evaluate whether high-priority surgeries and timing of treatment recommended by the authorities are applicable. Pandemic recommendations provided by experts should be tailored according to hospital capacity and different levels of the pandemic. (C) 2021 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier B.V. on behalf of European Association of Urology
Understanding the influence of race/Ethnicity, gender, and class on inequalities in academic and non-academic outcomes among eighth-grade students: findings from an intersectionality approach
Socioeconomic, racial/ethnic, and gender inequalities in academic achievement have been widely reported in the US, but how these three axes of inequality intersect to determine academic and non-academic outcomes among school-aged children is not well understood. Using data from the US Early Childhood Longitudinal StudyâKindergarten (ECLS-K; N = 10,115), we apply an intersectionality approach to examine inequalities across eighth-grade outcomes at the intersection of six racial/ethnic and gender groups (Latino girls and boys, Black girls and boys, and White girls and boys) and four classes of socioeconomic advantage/disadvantage. Results of mixture models show large inequalities in socioemotional outcomes (internalizing behavior, locus of control, and self-concept) across classes of advantage/disadvantage. Within classes of advantage/disadvantage, racial/ethnic and gender inequalities are predominantly found in the most advantaged class, where Black boys and girls, and Latina girls, underperform White boys in academic assessments, but not in socioemotional outcomes. In these latter outcomes, Black boys and girls perform better than White boys. Latino boys show small differences as compared to White boys, mainly in science assessments. The contrasting outcomes between racial/ethnic and gender minorities in self-assessment and socioemotional outcomes, as compared to standardized assessments, highlight the detrimental effect that intersecting racial/ethnic and gender discrimination have in patterning academic outcomes that predict success in adult life. Interventions to eliminate achievement gaps cannot fully succeed as long as social stratification caused by gender and racial discrimination is not addressed
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