Cicerone e la politica del sogno

Concezione del sonno e dei sogni in Ciceron

XML for Domain Viewpoints

Within research institutions like CERN (European Organization for Nuclear Research) there are often disparate databases (different in format, type and structure) that users need to access in a domain-specific manner. Users may want to access a simple unit of information without having to understand detail of the underlying schema or they may want to access the same information from several different sources. It is neither desirable nor feasible to require users to have knowledge of these schemas. Instead it would be advantageous if a user could query these sources using his or her own domain models and abstractions of the data. This paper describes the basis of an XML (eXtended Markup Language) framework that provides this functionality and is currently being developed at CERN. The goal of the first prototype was to explore the possibilities of XML for data integration and model management. It shows how XML can be used to integrate data sources. The framework is not only applicable to CERN data sources but other environments too.Comment: 9 pages, 6 figures, conference report from SCI'2001 Multiconference on Systemics & Informatics, Florid

Reception of health messages: effects of stigmatization and forcefulness

Background: Diet-related health messages often use scare tactics and negative imagery. However, they show limited effectiveness. Improving these messages is important to prevent further increases of obesity rates and consequential sicknesses. When designing a health message, image choice and wording are central. Controversy revolves around the use of stigmatizing images. Body weight influences the effect of stigma on the participants, and detrimental effects are observable in individuals with overweight. Wording has to be concrete but not too forceful. Methods: In this study, female subjects (N = 162) saw a stigmatizing versus non-stigmatizing health message with forceful versus non-forceful wording (2 × 2-design). Effects on a virtual food choice task (healthy versus unhealthy), diet intentions and concerns to be stigmatized were assessed. Results: In the non-stigmatizing and non-forceful condition, participants made the highest number of healthy food choices. In the two stigma conditions, higher body mass index correlated with higher concern to be stigmatized, highlighting the adverse effect a health message can have. Conclusions: In a female student sample, a non-stigmatizing and non-forceful text had the most positive effect on healthy food choices without evoking concerns to be stigmatized. This should be considered when promoting a healthy lifestyle

How to convince the vaccine-hesitant? An ease-of-access nudge, but not risk-related information increased Covid vaccination-related behaviors in the unvaccinated

In this study, we contrast how different benefit and harm information formats and the presence or absence of an ease-of-access nudge may facilitate COVID vaccination uptake for a sample of 620 unvaccinated Dutch adults at a timepoint when the vaccine had been widely available for more than a month. Using a 2 × 2 between-subjects factorial design, we varied the information format on mRNA COVID vaccination statistics (generic text vs. facts box) and an affirmative nudge emphasizing the ease of making a vaccination appointment (absent vs. present). We assessed the acceptance of the vaccination information provided, perceptions on the vaccination, and whether participants directly visited a COVID vaccination appointment website. Whereas the facts box did not significantly affect participants' information acceptance, vaccination attitudes, intentions, and link clicking, the affirmative nudge alongside an online link systematically increased the likelihood of clicking on the link to make a vaccination appointment. A verbal nudge emphasizing the ease of vaccine accessibility is more likely to increase vaccination uptake in an unvaccinated population than informational campaigns on vaccine effectiveness

The climate change skepticism questionnaire: Validation of a measure to assess doubts regarding climate change

Climate change skepticism (CCS) is a significant impediment to sustainable behavior. An in-depth understanding of CCS is therefore essential. However, existing measures vary considerably. In this paper, we address the differences and limitations of existing measures of CCS and present a new measure. In three studies (n = 534; n = 352; n = 252), we examined the factor structure, test-retest reliability, and associations with intentions for sustainable behaviors, psychological resistance to change, and dispositional tendencies for motivated reasoning. The resulting climate change skepticism questionnaire (CCS-Q) is a 12-item scale that assesses four dimensions of CCS: trend, attribution, impact, and response skepticism. The CCS-Q combines expressions of doubt or uncertainty with denial. The studies we conducted support our four-dimensional structure and test-retest reliability was good. Furthermore, CCS-Q scores were negatively related to intentions for sustainable behavior and positively related to resistance to change. We did not find any association with motivated reasoning. Overall, the new CCS-Q offers a reliable and valid measure for CCS

Screen-based sedentary time: Association with soft drink consumption and the moderating effect of parental education in European children: The ENERGY study

AIM: The aim of the present study was to explore if children who spend more time on screen-based sedentary behaviors (i.e.TV viewing and computer use) drink more sugar-sweetened soft drinks. The study also assessed whether these associations were independent of individual and home environmental correlates of soft drink consumption and whether they were moderated by parental education. METHODS: Data were collected from 7886 children participating in the EuropeaN Energy balance Research to prevent excessive weight Gain among Youth (ENERGY) survey conducted in eight European countries. Self-report questionnaires were used. Multilevel linear regression analyses with soft drink consumption as dependent variable, TV viewing and computer use as independent variables and age, gender, parental education, attitude towards soft drinks, self-efficacy, parental modelling, parental rules and home availability of soft drinks as covariates were conducted. Further interactions were tested to explore if these associations were moderated by parental education. Country-specific analyses were conducted. RESULTS: In six of the eight included countries, a significant positive association was observed between TV viewing (min/day) and soft drink consumption (ml/day), independent of individual and home environmental correlates of soft drink consumption (B = 0.46 (0.26-0.66) in Greece, B = 0.77 (0.36-1.17) in Norway, B = 0.82 (0.12-1.51) in Hungary, B = 1.06 (0.67-1.46) in Spain, B = 1.21 (0.67-1.74) in Belgium and B = 1.49 (0.72-2.27) in Switzerland). There was no significant association between computer use and soft drink consumption in six of the eight included countries in the final models. Moderation effects of parental education in the association between TV viewing and soft drink consumption were found in Norway and Hungary, the association being stronger among those with low parental education. CONCLUSIONS: TV viewing appears to be independently associated with soft drink consumption and this association was moderated by parental education in two countries only. Reducing TV time might therefore favorably impact soft drink consumption

A mapping of parenting support policies worldwide to prevent violence against children

BACKGROUND: While recent systematic reviews indicate that parenting interventions reduce negative parenting behaviours, including child maltreatment, only 26 % of governments worldwide indicate that parenting support programs reach all parents in their country. OBJECTIVE: This mapping study investigates which countries have a government policy to provide such parenting support aimed at reducing child-directed violence. SETTING: To analyse parenting support within the broad cultural and historical contexts, this study covers all 194 countries and territories worldwide. METHODS: A systematic stepwise online search was conducted to establish the existence, or not, of a parenting support policy to prevent violence against children and in the case that a policy was identified, the sectoral policy portfolio in which the policy was published. RESULTS: Findings showed that almost half of countries globally have a policy relating to parenting support to prevent child maltreatment. The highest concentration of such policies is in the European, Southeast Asia and Western Pacific Regions and globally parenting support are mainly stand-alone policies or embedded within a child protection policy. CONCLUSIONS: Ideas around parenting support have evolved over time however the link between policy and practice as well as the reality of implementation modalities remains unclear. The translation of policy to practice merits further attention if we want to reach every parent in the world who needs it

Dietary behavior : An interdisciplinary conceptual analysis and taxonomy

The preparation of this paper was supported by the DEterminants of DIet and Physical ACtivity (DEDIPAC) knowledge hub. This work was supported by the Joint Programming Initiative “Healthy Diet for a Healthy Life.” The funding agencies supporting this work are (in alphabetical order of participating Member State): France: Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA); Germany: Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF); Italy: Ministry of Education, University and Research/Ministry of Agriculture Food and Forestry Policies; Norway: The Research Council of Norway, Division for Society and Health; and The United Kingdom: The Medical Research Council (MRC).Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Developing a systems-based framework of the factors influencing dietary and physical activity behaviours in ethnic minority populations living in Europe - a DEDIPAC study

Background: Some ethnic minority populations have a higher risk of non-communicable diseases than the majority European population. Diet and physical activity behaviours contribute to this risk, shaped by a system of inter-related factors. This study mapped a systems-based framework of the factors influencing dietary and physical activity behaviours in ethnic minority populations living in Europe, to inform research prioritisation and intervention development. Methods: A concept mapping approach guided by systems thinking was used: i. Preparation (protocol and terminology); ii. Generating a list of factors influencing dietary and physical activity behaviours in ethnic minority populations living in Europe from evidence (systematic mapping reviews) and ‘eminence’ (89 participants from 24 academic disciplines via brainstorming, an international symposium and expert review) and; iii. Seeking consensus on structuring, rating and clustering factors, based on how they relate to each other; and iv. Interpreting/utilising the framework for research and interventions. Similar steps were undertaken for frameworks developed for the majority European population. Results: Seven distinct clusters emerged for dietary behaviour (containing 85 factors) and 8 for physical activity behaviours (containing 183 factors). Four clusters were similar across behaviours: Social and cultural environment; Social and material resources; Psychosocial; and Migration context. Similar clusters of factors emerged in the frameworks for diet and physical activity behaviours of the majority European population, except for ‘migration context’. The importance of factors across all clusters was acknowledged, but their relative importance differed for ethnic minority populations compared with the majority population. Conclusions: This systems-based framework integrates evidence from both expert opinion and published literature, to map the factors influencing dietary and physical activity behaviours in ethnic minority groups. Our findings illustrate that innovative research and complex interventions need to be developed that are sensitive to the needs of ethnic minority populations. A systems approach that encompasses the complexity of the inter-related factors that drive behaviours may inform a more holistic public health paradigm to more effectively reach ethnic minorities living in Europe, as well as the majority host population