What a thousand children tell us about grammatical complexity and working memory: A cross-sectional analysis on the comprehension of clitics and passives in Italian

Data from 996 Italian-speaking children were collected and analyzed to assess whether a movement-based notion of grammatical complexity is adequate to capture the developmental trend of clitics and passives in Italian. A second goal of the study was to address the relationship between working memory and syntactic development, exploring the hypothesis that higher digit span values predict better comprehension of complex matrix sentences. The results confirm the validity of a ranking of grammatical structures based on constituent movement, with both clitics and passives developing in parallel and later than canonical SVO sentences. Working memory also shows an effect on sentence comprehension in general, but standard measures (digit span forward/backward) do not show a selective advantage in handling complex constructions such as clitics and passives

Energetics of the summer circulation over South America

International audienceWe have investigated the energetics of the summer circulation over tropical and extratropical South America. The kinetic energy equations of divergent (K? ) and rotational (K?) motion are utilized. All the terms of these equations are calculated on each day for five summers (November-February 1985?1990), using global wind analysis from the National Meteorological Center (NMC), now National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP). The regional kinetic energy balance showed that the energy cycle over South America during the summer is, A P E to K? through the term -??2?,and K? to K? through the term f?? ? ??. In the literature, several dominant oscillation modes have been noted over South America, namely the annual cycle, inter-annual, seasonal, intraseasonal, and high frequency scales, as revised by Lima. Results of the power spectrum analysis of kinetic energy terms indicate several statistically significant peaks and these have been confirmed with a fouth-order Butterworth filter. A well-defined mode, with a period around 30 days, was detected in the terms -??2? and f?? ? ??, likely associated with Madden-Julian Oscillation (MJO). Later, we discuss the local kinetic energy balance using Mak's local energetics scheme. We attempted to verify how the intraseasonal component interacts with other dominant oscillations over South America, such as seasonal cycle and high frequency disturbances,. It is noted that the major interactions among the three temporal scales occur mainly close to the South Atlantic Convergence Zone (SACZ) region. The temporal scale interactions in the Bolivian High (BH) and Northeast Brazil Low (NL) are distinct, and the dominant temporal scales may change from year to year

Impiego di un programma integrato di bioattivazione per il controllo della polmonite micoplasmica del suino

Introduzione. La qualit\ue0 dell\u2019aria nelle strutture di allevamento dei suini dipende soprattutto dalla concentrazione dei biogas, derivati dall\u2019azione della flora microbica fecale sull\u2019urea contenuta nelle urine; il peggioramento della qualit\ue0 ambientale \ue8 alla base di molti problemi sanitari, basati in primo luogo sull\u2019impossibilit\ue0 degli animali a mantenere un bilancio organico corretto. Una soluzione possibile e innovativa \ue8 rappresentata dalla bioattivazione con miscele batterico-enzimatiche; per questa via, si pu\uf2 ottenere una riduzione delle emanazioni, controllando anche la formazione di sostanze dannose per l\u2019ambiente. Materiali e metodi. \uc8 stato programmato un intervento in due aziende suinicole (il reparto di magronaggio-ingrasso di un ciclo chiuso completo e un allevamento di solo ingrasso), per controllare il danno indotto dall\u2019infezione micoplasmica nelle fasi di produzione a flusso continuo; sono stati messi a confronto gruppi trattati e non trattati, diversi tipi di pavimentazione (grigliato completo, concreto completo e misto grigliato-concreto) e pi\uf9 schemi d\u2019intervento, utilizzando, da soli o in combinazione, bioattivatori in polvere e liquidi. Il sistema di bioattivazione impiegato comprende due bioattivatori (in polvere e soluzione) e un prodotto naturale di origine vegetale da aggiungere alla razione alimentare. La polvere \ue8 stata distribuita sulle pavimentazioni, in ragione di 0,5 Kg per 100 mq ogni 15 giorni mediante spargimento manuale, mentre la soluzione \ue8 stato aerosolizzata nell\u2019ambiente di stabulazione, mediante impianto computerizzato, in ragione di 1 litro ogni 100 mq al mese; il prodotto vegetale, per la sua composizione in grado di riequilibrare la flora intestinale, \ue8 stato invece aggiunto quotidianamente alla razione, in ragione di 500 g/t di mangime. I rilievi e le osservazioni hanno riguardato la concentrazione di azoto ammoniacale (rilevata con metodo chimico), la presenza di anticorpi specifici per M. hyopneumoniae prima e dopo il periodo di trattamento (valutata con metodo ELISA), i punteggi polmonari al macello (valutati con metodo quantitativo) e il peso medio di partita. Risultati. In tutti i gruppi trattati, la sieroprevalenza per M. hyopneumoniae \ue8 stata elevata, a dimostrazione della circolazione dell\u2019infezione nel periodo di osservazione, ma la diminuzione della concentrazione ambientale dell\u2019ammoniaca, ottenuta grazie all\u2019impiego dei bioattivatori) ha permesso di ottenere benefici evidenti sul punteggio polmonare medio, confermati dalla significativit\ue0 statistica delle differenze, e sul peso medio di partita. In rapporto ai tipi di pavimentazione, la bioattivazione ha fornito i risultati migliori combinando polvere e liquido sul grigliato completo. Conclusioni. I risultati ottenuti dimostrano che nelle situazioni di allevamento, la stabilizzazione del bilancio organico degli animali attraverso una gestione ambientale che ne garantisca anche il benessere \ue8 una soluzione attuabile, in una logica di depotenziamento delle infezioni; essi sono la conseguenza dell\u2019accresciuta reattivit\ue0 degli animali, correlata ad un miglior bilancio organico, piuttosto che l\u2019effetto di un\u2019azione diretta sui patogeni; \ue8 in corso la valutazione della reattivit\ue0 immunitaria aspecifica dei suini sottoposti a trattamento, per correlare stato sanitario e produttivit\ue0 al miglioramento della qualit\ue0 ambientale

Salmonella enterica serovar typhimurium exploits inflammation to modify swine intestinal microbiota

Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium is an important zoonotic gastrointestinal pathogen responsible for foodborne disease worldwide. It is a successful enteric pathogen because it has developed virulence strategies allowing it to survive in a highly inflamed intestinal environment exploiting inflammation to overcome colonization resistance provided by intestinal microbiota. In this study, we used piglets featuring an intact microbiota, which naturally develop gastroenteritis, as model for salmonellosis. We compared the effects on the intestinal microbiota induced by a wild type and an attenuated S. Typhimurium in order to evaluate whether the modifications are correlated with the virulence of the strain. This study showed that Salmonella alters microbiota in a virulence-dependent manner. We found that the wild type S. Typhimurium induced inflammation and a reduction of specific protecting microbiota species (SCFA-producing bacteria) normally involved in providing a barrier against pathogens. Both these effects could contribute to impair colonization resistance, increasing the host susceptibility to wild type S. Typhimurium colonization. In contrast, the attenuated S. Typhimurium, which is characterized by a reduced ability to colonize the intestine, and by a very mild inflammatory response, was unable to successfully sustain competition with the microbiota

Main clinical features in patients at their first psychiatric admission to Italian acute hospital psychiatric wards. The PERSEO study

BACKGROUND: Few data are available on subjects presenting to acute wards for the first time with psychotic symptoms. The aims of this paper are (i) to describe the epidemiological and clinical characteristics of patients at their first psychiatric admission (FPA), including socio-demographic features, risk factors, life habits, modalities of onset, psychiatric diagnoses and treatments before admission; (ii) to assess the aggressive behavior and the clinical management of FPA patients in Italian acute hospital psychiatric wards, called SPDCs (Servizio Psichiatrico Diagnosi e Cura = psychiatric service for diagnosis and management). METHOD: Cross-sectional observational multi-center study involving 62 Italian SPDCs (PERSEO – Psychiatric EmeRgency Study and EpidemiOlogy). RESULTS: 253 FPA aged <= 40 were identified among 2521 patients admitted to Italian SPDCs over the 5-month study period. About half of FPA patients showed an aggressive behavior as defined by a Modified Overt Aggression Scale (MOAS) score greater than 0 Vs 46% of non-FPA patients (p = 0.3651). The most common was verbal aggression, while about 20% of FPA patients actually engaged in physical aggression against other people. 74% of FPA patients had no diagnosis at admission, while 40% had received a previous psychopharmacological treatment, mainly benzodiazepines and antidepressants. During SPDC stay, diagnosis was established in 96% of FPA patients and a pharmacological therapy was prescribed to 95% of them, mainly benzodiazepines, antipsychotics and mood stabilizers. CONCLUSION: Subjects presenting at their first psychiatric ward admission have often not undergone previous adequate psychiatric assessment and diagnostic procedures. The first hospital admission allows diagnosis and psychopharmacological treatment to be established. In our population, aggressive behaviors were rather frequent, although most commonly verbal. Psychiatric symptoms, as evaluated by psychiatrists and patients, improved significantly from admission to discharge both for FPA and non-FPA patients

Clinical features and therapeutic management of patients admitted to Italian acute hospital psychiatric units: the PERSEO (psychiatric emergency study and epidemiology) survey

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The PERSEO study (psychiatric emergency study and epidemiology) is a naturalistic, observational clinical survey in Italian acute hospital psychiatric units, called SPDCs (Servizio Psichiatrico Diagnosi e Cura; in English, the psychiatric service for diagnosis and management). The aims of this paper are: (i) to describe the epidemiological and clinical characteristics of patients, including sociodemographic features, risk factors, life habits and psychiatric diagnoses; and (ii) to assess the clinical management, subjective wellbeing and attitudes toward medications.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>A total of 62 SPDCs distributed throughout Italy participated in the study and 2521 patients were enrolled over the 5-month study period.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Almost half of patients (46%) showed an aggressive behaviour at admission to ward, but they engaged more commonly in verbal aggression (38%), than in aggression toward other people (20%). A total of 78% of patients had a psychiatric diagnosis at admission, most frequently schizophrenia (36%), followed by depression (16%) and personality disorders (14%), and no relevant changes in the diagnoses pattern were observed during hospital stay. Benzodiazepines were the most commonly prescribed drugs, regardless of diagnosis, at all time points. Overall, up to 83% of patients were treated with neuroleptic drugs and up to 27% received more than one neuroleptic either during hospital stay or at discharge. Atypical and conventional antipsychotics were equally prescribed for schizophrenia (59 vs 65% during stay and 59 vs 60% at discharge), while atypical drugs were preferred in schizoaffective psychoses (72 vs 49% during stay and 70 vs 46% at discharge) and depression (41 vs 32% during stay and 44 vs 25% at discharge). Atypical neuroleptics were slightly preferred to conventional ones at hospital discharge (52 vs 44%). Polypharmacy was in general widely used. Patient attitudes toward medications were on average positive and self-reported compliance increased during hospital stay.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Results confirm the widespread use of antipsychotics and the increasing trend in atypical drugs prescription, in both psychiatric in- and outpatients.</p