Opening of higher education? A lifelong learning perspective on the Bologna process

"Im Jahr 1999 begannen die europäischen Bildungsminister mit dem 'Bologna Prozess' eine weit reichende Hochschulreform. Als eines der Reformziele wurde 2001 'Lebenslanges Lernen' hinzugefügt. Dieser Beitrag untersucht anhand von vier Länderstudien (Deutschland, Frankreich, Italien und UK), inwiefern es gelungen ist, dieses Ziel umzusetzen und ob der Bologna Prozess neue Möglichkeiten lebenslangen Lernens an Hochschulen geschaffen hat. Dabei zeigt die Analyse von Gesetzen und Regularien, aber auch die Betrachtung politischer Positionen wichtiger Stakeholder, dass die einzelnen Länder sehr unterschiedliche Strategien mit lebenslangem Lernen an der Hochschule verbinden. Spezifische nationale Ansätze werden deutlich, die die Entwicklung dieses Ziels fördern oder behindern. Insgesamt wird deutlich, dass der Bologna Prozess vor allem die Diskussion um lebenslanges Lernen an der Hochschule gefördert hat, und nicht notwendigerweise, ob und wie dieses Ziel umgesetzt wird." (Autorenreferat)"Since 1999, European education ministers have discussed and further implemented the 'Bologna process', a wide-ranging framework for the reform of higher education. Lifelong learning was added as a goal of the process in 2001. This article evaluates the extent to which the development of lifelong learning has progressed and examines whether the Bologna process has facilitated lifelong learning opportunities in a sample of countries. The evaluation of legislative instruments and policy positions of different stakeholders in Germany, France, Italy and the UK shows that countries link quite different strategies to lifelong learning in higher education. Specific national approaches exist which facilitate or restrict its development. Thus far, the impact of the Bologna process on this issue has been modest. The process has mainly had an impact on the discussion regarding lifelong learning, not necessarily whether and how such policies and programs are implemented." (author's abstract

Sulla redazione dell'Amedeo Modigliani di Giovanni Scheiwiller e il suo contesto

La fortuna di Modigliani in Italia negli anni Venti e Trenta \ue8 strettamente collegata all\u2019opera di divulgazione di Giovanni Scheiwiller e alle sue scelte editoriali. A partire dal 1925 l\u2019interesse di Giovanni per l\u2019artista di Livorno si sarebbe editorialmente dispiegato in pi\uf9 direzioni: la piccola monografia del 1927 fu ristampata due volte (1932, 1935) con diverse modifiche nella scelta delle riproduzioni, con aggiunte alla bibliografia e qualche ritocco al testo; pubblic\uf2 una traduzione francese nel 1928 e Disegni di Modigliani con uno scritto di Lamberto Vitali nel 1929 (in seconda edizione nel 1936); cur\uf2 Omaggio a Modigliani nel 1930. L\u2019intervento prende in esame la storia editoriale della prima monografia italiana su Modigliani, ripercorsa attraverso l\u2019impiego di un\u2019ampia documentazione inedita e attraverso l\u2019analisi del contesto critico in cui nacque. Il volume, infatti, ha rivestito un ruolo importante nella rapida costruzione di una codificata narrazione biografica su Modigliani in Italia, rappresentando, inoltre, un sicuro aggiornamento alla letteratura critica d\u2019oltralpe.Modigliani\u2019s success in Italy in the 1920s and 1930s is strictly related to Giovanni Scheiwiller\u2019s dissemination work and to his editorial choices. Starting from 1925, Giovanni\u2019s interest for the artist from Livorno would have given rise to several publications: the 1927 small monograph was reissued twice (1932, 1935) with several changes according to the choice of the reproductions, with additions to the bibliography and some tweaks to the text; he published a French translation in 1928 and the booklet Disegni di Modigliani with a writing by Lamberto Vitali in 1929 (in second edition in 1936); he edited the publication Omaggio a Modigliani in 1930. The paper examines the editorial history of the first Italian monograph on Modigliani, revisited through the use of considerable unpublished documentation and through the analysis of the critical context in which it was born. The book, in fact, played an important role in the rapid construction of a codified biographical narration on Modigliani in Italy, also representing a reliable updating to the critical transalpine production

Evidence Evaluation: Measure Z Corresponds to Human Utility Judgments Better than Measure L and Optimal-Experimental-Design Models

Evidence evaluation is a crucial process in many human activities, spanning from medical diagnosis to impression formation. The present experiments investigated which, if any, normative model best conforms to people’s intuition about the value of the obtained evidence. Psychologists, epistemologists, and philosophers of science have proposed several models to account for people’s intuition about the utility of the obtained evidence with respect either to a focal hypothesis or to a constellation of hypotheses. We pitted against each other the so called optimal-experimental-design models (i.e., Bayesian diagnosticity, log10 diagnosticity, information gain, Kullback-Leibler distance, probability gain, and impact) and measures L and Z to compare their ability to describe humans’ intuition about the value of the obtained evidence. Participants received words-and-numbers scenarios concerning two hypotheses and binary features. They were asked to evaluate the utility of “yes” and “no” answers to questions about some features possessed in different proportions (i.e., the likelihoods) by two types of extraterrestrial creatures (corresponding to two mutually exclusive and exhaustive hypotheses). Participants evaluated either how an answer was helpful or how an answer decreased/increased their beliefs with respect either to a single hypothesis or to both hypotheses. We fitted mixed-effects models and we used the Akaike information criterion (AIC) and the Bayesian information criterion (BIC) values to compare the competing models of the value of the obtained evidence. Overall, the experiments showed that measure Z was the best-fitting model of participants’ judgments of the value of obtained answers. We discussed the implications for the human hypothesis-evaluation process

Bilateral neglected posterior dislocation of the shoulder treated by reverse arthroplasty and contralateral osteochondral autograft. A case report

Bilateral posterior dislocation of the glenohumeral joint is an uncommon event, that can be missed at the initial presentation. We report the case of a 76-year old woman, who suffered a traumatic bilateral posterior dislocation, that was diagnosed three months later. She underwent surgical treatment on both shoulders in a single stage. Since the right shoulder showed a defect of the articular surface >50%, a reverse shoulder arthroplasty was performed on this side. The resected portion of the humeral head was retrieved and used as osteochondral graft to fill the reverse Hill-Sachs lesion of the left shoulder. At 18-month follow up, the patient was pain-free and had recovered excellent shoulder function on both sides: Constant score was 79 for the right shoulder and 88 for the left one. X-rays showed a grade 1 scapular notch of the right reverse prosthesis and good incorporation of the graft in the left shoulder, with no evidence of degenerative joint changes. Neglected posterior dislocations of the shoulder can be surgically treated by replacement or reconstruction. In case of bilateral injuries, the surgeon should carefully evaluate the pathoanatomy of both glenohumeral joints in order to choose and plan the most suitable procedure. If shoulder replacement is required on one side, the resected portion of the humeral head can be used as osteochondral autograft for a reconstruction procedure in the opposite side. The choice is influenced by several variables and decision-making might be challenging

Background suppression in massive TeO2_2 bolometers with Neganov-Luke amplified light detectors

Bolometric detectors are excellent devices for the investigation of neutrinoless double-beta decay (0$\nu\beta\beta$). The observation of such decay would demonstrate the violation of lepton number, and at the same time it would necessarily imply that neutrinos have a Majorana character. The sensitivity of cryogenic detectors based on TeO$_2$ is strongly limited by the alpha background in the region of interest for the 0$\nu\beta\beta$ of $^{130}$Te. It has been demonstrated that particle discrimination in TeO$_2$ bolometers is possible measuring the Cherenkov light produced by particle interactions. However an event-by-event discrimination with NTD-based light detectors has to be demonstrated. We will discuss the performance of a highly-sensitive light detector exploiting the Neganov-Luke effect for signal amplification. The detector, being operated with NTD-thermistor and coupled to a 750 g TeO$_2$ crystal, shows the ability for an event-by-event identification of electron/gamma and alpha particles. The extremely low detector baseline noise, RMS 19 eV, demonstrates the possibility to enhance the sensitivity of TeO$_2$-based 0$\nu\beta\beta$ experiment to an unprecedented level

Clinical and genetic factors associated with kidney tubular dysfunction in a real-life single centre cohort of HIV-positive patients

BACKGROUND: Tenofovir (TDF) is one of the most widely used antiretroviral drug. Despite the high degree of tolerability a small percentage of patients experienced alteration in tubular function during TDF use. Intracellular TDF disposition is regulated by ATP-binding cassette (ABC) drug efflux transporters and, a reduced transport activity may be implicated in accumulation of TDF into the cells. The aim of our study was to assess the major determinants of TDF associated tubular dysfunction (KTD) in a real-life setting including the usefulness of single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) mapping into ABCC2, ABCC4 and ABCC10 genes. METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed all HIV positive patients who were followed at the Infectious Diseases Unit, DIBIC Luigi Sacco, University of Milan from April 2013 to June 2016. All patients treated with TDF who underwent a genotypization for the functional variants mapping in ABCC2 rs717620 (-24 C > T), ABCC4 rs1751034 (3463 A > G) and ABCC10 rs2125739 (T > C) were evaluated. KTD was defined as the presence of urine phosphate wasting and/or proteinuria at 24 h urine analysis. RESULTS: One hundred fifty-eight patients were genotyped, of which 42 (26.6%) experienced signs of KTD. No statistical significant differences were observed among patients with or without KTD regarding age, gender, ethnicity and comorbidities (hypertension and diabetes). The percentage of patients with KTD was higher among those with "GG" genotype at rs1751034 of ABCC4 compared to patients without KTD [6 (14.3%) vs 4 (3.5%), p = 0.01]. No statistical significant differences were observed regarding the distribution of ABCC2 and ABCC10 SNPs. Carriers of "G" allele in homozygous status at rs1751034 of ABCC4 showed a significant association with KTD (Odds Ratio 4.67, 95% CI 1.25-17.46, p = 0.02) in bivariate analysis, but this association was lost in multivariable analysis. A significant association between bone diseases and KTD was observed (Odds Ratio 3.178, 95%CI 1.529-6.603, p = 0.002). CONCLUSIONS: According to our results ABCC4 rs1751034 could be a genetic determinant of KTD; however validation studies are needed for therapy personalization. Noteworthy, a strong association between bone disease and KTD was also observed

Molecular identification of Contracaecum rudolphii A and B (Nematoda: Anisakidae) from cormorants collected in a freshwater ecosystem of the pre-alpine area in Northern Italy

Contracaecum rudolphii (s.l.) is a complex of sibling species with different genetic structure and ecological preference. This study reports the presence of specimens of Contracaecum rudolphii (s.l.) from sedentary and wintering cormorants (Phalacrocorax carbo sinensis) from the pre-mountain area of the Alps in Northern Italy, an important crossroads for most of the bird migration routes. A total of 48 specimens of cormorants collected from two adjacent freshwater habitats were analysed and C. rudolphii nematodes were retrieved in 100% of the examined specimens. A subsamples of 115 C. rudolphii individuals were genetically characterized and found to belong to the sibling species C. rudolphii B (n = 90) and C. rudolphii A (n = 25). C. rudolphii B were retrieved from both locations and included adults as well as larvae, while only adults of C. rudolphii A were detected, and in just one location. As expected for a freshwater environment, C. rudolphii B constitutes the largest sibling fraction, indicating that this likely is the endemic species, while cormorants originating from the breeding brackish lagoons and marine coastal environments of central and northern Europe could have brought C. rudolphii A from their breeding sites or migration stopovers

Development of a Li2MoO4 scintillating bolometer for low background physics

We present the performance of a 33 g Li2MoO4 crystal working as a scintillating bolometer. The crystal was tested for more than 400 h in a dilution refrigerator installed in the underground laboratory of Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso (Italy). This compound shows promising features in the frame of neutron detection, dark matter search (solar axions) and neutrinoless double-beta decay physics. Low temperature scintillating properties were investigated by means of different alpha, beta/gamma and neutron sources, and for the first time the Light Yield for different types of interacting particle is estimated. The detector shows great ability of tagging fast neutron interactions and high intrinsic radiopurity levels (< 90 \muBq/kg for 238-U and < 110 \muBq/kg for 232-Th).Comment: revised versio