Interception of virtual throws reveals predictive skills based on the visual processing of throwing kinematics

Predicting the outcome of observed actions is fundamental for efficient interpersonal interactions. This is evident in interceptive sports, where predicting the future ball trajectory could make apart success and fail. We quantitatively assessed the predictive abilities of non-trained adults intercepting thrown balls in immersive virtual reality. Participants performed better when they could see the complete throwing action in addition to the ball flight, and they were able to move toward the correct direction when the ball flight was occluded. In both cases, performance varies with the individual motor style of the thrower. These results prove that humans can effectively predict the unfolding of complex full-body actions, with no need to extensively practice them, and that such predictions are exploited online to optimize interactive motor performance. This suggests that humans hold a functional knowledge of how actions recurrent in the human motor repertoire map into the changes brought to the environment

Small relative age effect appears in professional female italian team sports

: The relative age effect (RAE) concerns those (dis)advantages and outcomes resulting from an interaction between the dates of selection and birthdates. Although this phenomenon is well known in a male context, limited data are available in female sports. Thus, the aim of this study was to quantify the prevalence and magnitude of the RAE in a female Italian context at the professional level in basketball, soccer, and volleyball. A total of 1535 birthdates of elite senior players were analyzed overall and separately between early and late career stages. Chi-square goodness-of-fit tests were applied to investigate the RAE in each sport. An asymmetry in birthdates was observed in all sports (Crammer's V ranged = 0.10-0.12). Players born close to the beginning of the year were 1.62 and 1.61 times more likely to reach first and second Italian divisions of soccer and volleyball, respectively, than those born in the last part of the year. A small over-representation of female athletes born close to the beginning of the year is evident at the senior professional level in all Italian investigated team sports. In soccer, this trend was more evident in the first stage of a senior career

Childhood vaccinations: A pilot study on knowledge, attitudes and vaccine hesitancy in pregnant women

Background. The objective of this pilot study was to test a questionnaire aimed at assessing knowledge of and attitudes towards vaccination, as well as intention to vaccinate, among pregnant women. Methods. The questionnaire was self-administered by 49 pregnant women attending antenatal classes at three Family Centers in Rome. Results. Poor knowledge of vaccinations, inadequate attention from healthcare professionals, recurrent consultation of unreliable sources of information, and misconceptions about the side effects of vaccines, all contribute to vaccine hesitancy. Where appropriate, questionnaire sections were shown to be internally consistent. Conclusion. The questionnaire proved reliable and is suitable for further studies

Regional reports for the subnational monitoring of measles elimination in Italy and the identification of local barriers to the attainment of the elimination goal

Although most countries in the WHO European Region were verified in 2017 as having interrupted endemic measles transmission, nine countries were still endemic. Among these, Italy accounted for the second highest number of measles cases reported in Europe in 2017. The elimination of measles is verified at national level by each country's National Verification Committee (NVC) through the production of an Annual Status Update (ASU). Since in Italy decentralization has led to an inhomogeneous implementation of immunization strategies among the 21 administrative Regions, the Italian NVC proposed that measles elimination should also be documented at the subnational level through regional ASUs and Synthetic Regional Reports (SRRs). The regional ASUs and the SRRs for 2014, 2015 and 2016 were produced and appraised by the NVC to evaluate the Regions' performances in each individual year as well as over the whole period. A specific analysis of vaccination coverage, including official immunization data for 2017, was performed. Moreover, the measles epidemic of 2017 was examined. Firstly, in the period 2014±2016, low immunization rates were registered in most Regions. Sixty-three per cent of southern Regions reported rates below the national mean and an overall low-quality performance. The approval of Italy's mandatory vaccination law in 2017 resulted in a marked increase in vaccination coverage; however, this increase was not homogeneous among Regions. Secondly, more than 50% of Regions did not report any supplemental immunization activity (SIA) for the period 2014-2016. Thirdly, from 2014 to 2016, fewer than one-third of Regions improved their reporting of outbreaks. Finally, over the study period, only two Regions reached the target required by the WHO for measles laboratory investigations. In countries with decentralized health policies, subnational monitoring can help identify local barriers to measles elimination. In Italy it has highlighted the need for further SIAs and a stronger surveillance system

Self-Reported Route Familiarity and Road Safety Negative Outcomes: First Results from a Transnational Survey-Based Study

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Development of a stand-alone integrated MEA biochip system for chronic recordings

Stand-alone integrated MEA system were developed and tested to investigate the effect of toxic compounds on network neural activities during chronic recordings. The system, consisting of specifically designed MEA aim to receive microfluidic organic substances and to communicate using wireless technology with the computer device. The system has been tested with several types of 2D and 3D neuronal cultures. The electrophysiological data are processed by NeuroSpy, a modify version of SpyCode. The software developed is able to analyze the basal activity, drug and stimulation evoked response

Searching for relationships between self-reported familiarity and road safety based on surveys with geographic variability

The study is aimed at understanding if (a) declared driving behavioural changes due to familiarity can be observed through surveys; (b) self-reported route familiarity can be related to negative safety performances (crashes and fines); (c) the relationships are stable across different countries. Driving on habitual routes could imply different behaviours than on generic routes, and possibly different safety performances. The relationships between route familiarity and safety performances are often searched through experimental studies or accident data analyses. Surveys were spread to young Italian and Norwegian drivers, asking both general and specific questions on the habitual route travelled and the recently experienced crashes and fines. 316 answers, 235 Italian and 71 Norwegian, were analysed. Comparisons of self-reported driving scores between generic and habitual routes were performed. Logistic regressions having as response variables negative outcomes (crashes and fines) on frequent routes, different behaviour on habitual routes, and nationality were developed. Different relationships were highlighted, concerning differences in perceived ability on the habitual route, a possible excess of self-confidence, which however are differently related to crashes and fines. Different tendencies were found for the same variables in the two countries, sometimes opposite. Surveys are suggested as useful to reveal familiarity-behavioural changes/negative outcomes relationships. Considering international studies may reveal significant driving behavioural differences and patterns. The results have some potential applications for driver education, since some relationships between familiarity effects in young drivers and negative safety outcomes were noted