Los efectos negativos de la polarización política: confianza social, partidismo e identidades nacionales/territoriales en España

En este trabajo se presentan los resultados sobre confianza social en España medida a través de un juego experimental realizado en una encuesta en internet (on-line). Este experimento nos ha permitido diferenciar la confianza social general de la confianza social condicionada por determinados conflictos políticos y ha mostrado como la confianza social se ve negativamente afectada por dos de los conflictos que más han polarizado a la sociedad española en los últimos años: el partidista entre el PSOE y el PP, y el conflicto nacional/ territorial. Esta creciente polarización tiene como consecuencia el descenso de la confianza social, pero también por extensión el descenso general de la confianza en las instituciones de representaciónIn this article we present the results of an on-line survey experimental design to measure social trust in Spain. This methodology has allowed us to differentiate between general social trust (anonymous) and the social trust which radius is politically conditioned. We have shown that politically conditioned trust has a negative impact on the aggregate levels of social trust, but only for those political conflicts that has been more divisive in the Spanish political arena: the partisan conflict PP and PSOE, and the national/territorial conflict. Therefore, the increasing political polarization taking place in Spain about these two conflicts are affecting negatively to the general levels of social trust, and also indirectly to the general levels of institutional trus

Anisakiasis in italy: analysis of hospital discharge records in the years 2005-2015

Background Anisakiasis is a fish-borne zoonosis caused by the ingestion of marine food infected with Anisakis third-stage larvae, widespread marine parasitic nematodes. Gastrointestinal and/ or allergic clinical signs and symptoms are not specific. While frequently reported in countries with large raw fish consumption as Japan, the global prevalence of anisakiasis may be severely underestimated due to limitations of available diagnostic tools and to diverse clinical manifestations. Recently, infective larvae were found in the same localization with gastrointestinal tumors. The occurrence of allergic exacerbation upon secondary exposure and the possible occupational exposure, highlight the need to increase scientific evidences on anisakiasis. Methods We performed a retrospective descriptive study using analysis of Hospital Discharge Records (HDRs) from 2005 to 2015 in Italy, with particular attention to allergic manifestations. Descriptive statistics and multivariate analyses were performed using backward step-wise logistic regression models to assess spatial distribution and temporal trend as well as the variables independently associated with the allergic clinical signs and symptoms in Italian cases of anisakiasis. Results HDRs reporting the ICD-9 code for anisakiasis were retrieved (370), with a higher number of cases reported from central and southern regions, with particular regard to populations inhabiting the coastal territories. Around 40% of patients presented allergic manifestations and half of them showed serious allergic reactions. The multivariate analyses showed an independent association between allergic manifestations and features as living in southern regions and female gender, while anaphylactic episodes was independently associated only with female gender. Conclusion The present study is the first attempt to a better understanding of the epidemiological picture of anisakiasis in Italy, mining official data. A common strategy on data collection, monitoring and reporting would favor a more accurate epidemiological scenario in Italy, since the report of the diseases is not mandatory

Training verbal working memory in children with mild intellectual disabilities: effects on problem-solving

This multiple case study explores the effects of a cognitive training program in children with mild to borderline intellectual disability. Experimental training effects were evaluated comparing pre-post-test changes after (a) a baseline phase versus a training phase in the same participant, (b) an experimental training versus either a no intervention phase or a control training in two pairs of children matched for cognitive profile. Key elements of the training program included (1) exercises and card games targeting inhibition, switching, and verbal working memory, (2) guided practice emphasizing concrete strategies to engage in exercises, and (3) a variable amount of adult support. The results show that both verbal working memory analyzed with the listening span test and problem-solving tested with the Raven’s matrices were significantly enhanced after the experimental trainin

¿ Qué hay más allá del Valle Inquietante ?

Durante muchos años, la hipótesis del Valle Inquietante propuesta por Mori, no sólo ha sido estudiada, respetada y hasta temida por diseñadores y desarrolladores robóticos, sino que sus efectos han sido de interés científico en los ámbitos de la Psicológia, la Ciencia Cognitiva, la Inteligencia Artificial, la Creación de videojuegos y la Animación. Aquellos que siguen la línea de Mori prefieren mantenerse lo suficientemente alejados del valle para garantizar el éxito de sus creaciones. Sin embargo un grupo de investigadores más osados, dispuestos no solo a entrar en el Valle sino también a descubrir una salida, han conseguido a través de los resultados de sus experimentos, poner en tela de duda la hipótesis planteada por el profesor japonés, dando paso al planteamiento de nuevas teorías

Deciding about the unknown: The effect of party and ideological cues on forming opinions about the European Union

This article contributes to the literature on political heuristics by reporting two survey experiments conducted in Spain in 2014-2015 on party and ideology cues regarding preferences on a range of European Union and domestic issues in European and general elections. The findings reveal that party cues increase voters' competence to take positions on European Union issues more than ideological ones. Cues increase competence in a similar fashion regardless of the nature of the topic, although the effect of cues that parties provide on European Union issues seems to be stronger than that of cues on domestic policies. Party cueing effects are also consistent across different electoral arenas (national vs. European), and for all types of parties regardless of their age or positions toward the European Union integration process.The author(s) disclosed receipt of the following financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: This research was funded by the project ‘Crisis y Reto en la Ciudadanía en España: Actitudes y Comportamiento Político de los Españoles Ante la Crisis Económica y de Representación Política (CIUPANEL)’, Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (MIMECO), code: CSO2013-47071-R (2014–2016

Estimation of quality scores from subjective tests : beyond subjects' MOS

Subjective tests for the assessment of the quality of experience (QoE) are typically run with a pool of subjects providing their opinion score using a 5-level scale. The subjects? Mean Opinion Score (MOS) is generally assumed as the best estimation of the average score in the target population. Indeed, for a large enough sample we can assume that the mean of the variations across the subjects approaches zero, but this is not the case for the limited number of subjects typically considered in subjective tests. In this paper we propose a model for the estimation of the population average QoE. We apply such model to a dataset composed of the individual scores assigned by 25 subjects to a set of gaming videos evaluated under different resolutions and compression rates. The model recognizes the ordinal multinomial nature of the data and allows for correlation between scores of the same subject on different data. The resulting estimated average QoE is shown to follow more credible patterns than the MOS, in particular with respect to improved compression rates, for which model estimates present a more coherent behaviour. In order to favour reproducibility and application for different datasets, the software that implements the model is also made publicly available

Occupational safety and health education and training: an innovative format and experience

Health begins at home and in community where people live and work, in fact, the World Health Organisation (WHO) defines health as ‘a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being’. Experts and professionals, of all sectors and specialities, need to take account the Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) in all aspects of their working lives. Mainstreaming OSH into education concerns integrating one policy area – OSH – into another – education. This study started from a first analysis of an international and national OSH training offer, in which  some critical aspects emerged: there are mostly sectoral training courses, qualifying some prevention actor roles, most linked to traditional risks, and primarily focused on the safety aspects rather than the health ones. The current study is related to an innovative format and experience for an integrated management of OSH in the evolution of the world of work. The concept was born from the need to train new professionals figures when the rapid demographic changes and technological innovation are changing the working world and therefore also the required skills to prevention actors. A first test has been conducted on 26 students who attended the first edition of this innovative training. Iavicoli, S.; Pietrafesa, E.; Martini, A.; Simeone, R.; Polimeni, A. (2020). Occupational safety and health education and training: an innovative format and experience. En 6th International Conference on Higher Education Advances (HEAd'20). Editorial Universitat Politècnica de València. (30-05-2020):333-341. https://doi.org/10.4995/HEAd20.2020.11051OCS33334130-05-202

Plexiform architecture in gastrointestinal stromal tumors is not restricted to succinate dehydrogenase-deficient cases

Accumulating evidence reveals the heterogeneous features of gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs), primarily distinguished by their various molecular triggers defining well characterized subgroups. The identification of the pathogenetic group a given GIST belongs to, in combination with the currently adopted GIST prognosticators, is pivotal for the correct management of GIST patients. Epidemiological, anatomical and morphological features are more or less strictly associated with the various possible GIST molecular pathogenesis; therefore, they can concur to addressing molecular analysis or even influence the identification of GIST subsets by themselves. This is particularly true in a cost/benefit perspective aimed at cutting the expenses of pathology labs. Under these circumstances, a correct classical pathological analysis still appears a fundamental step to achieve an optimal GIST characterization.We herein report a gastric epithelioid PDGFRA-mutant GIST displaying the multinodular/plexiform architecture distinctive of succinate dehydrogenase (SDH)-deficient GISTs. Immunohistochemistry and molecular analysis led to the correct tumor characterization. The reported case constitutes a valuable contribution to GIST pathology in that it demonstrates that multinodular/plexiform architecture is not restricted to SDH-deficient GISTs, but can be found also in PDGFRA-mutant ones; this is an event to be aware of, given the predilection for gastric location and epithelioid morphology shared by these two GIST subgroups, only the latter of which includes imatinib-sensitive cases. Keywords: Gastrointestinal stromal tumor, Platelet-derived growth factor receptor alpha, Multinodular architecture, Plexiform architecture, Succinate dehydrogenas