Quale integrazione? I partiti ex-comunisti nell'Europa Centro-Orientale

L'aspetto cruciale dei processi di integrazione dei partiti ex comunisti è che questi abbiano avuto luogo, e abbiano avuto luogo in tempi relativamente rapidi. Si può infatti affermare, parafrasando Linz e Stepan (1996: 454), che i partiti eredi che hanno concluso il loro percorso di integrazione democratica, hanno anche contribuito a creare un circolo virtuoso per cui tali partiti, una volta al governo, esercitano il potere in modo democratico così da essere percepiti, quando si troveranno all'opposizione, come partiti di governo legittimi e alternativi, anziché come gruppi antiregime esclusi dall'esecutivo a tempo indefinito. La particolare sequenza dei processi di integrazione democratica che hanno luogo nell'Europa centro-orientale aiuta a comprendere meglio le ragioni della persistenza dei partiti eredi sulla scena politica nazionale. Senza escludere il ruolo giocato dalle variabili sistemiche ed organizzative, ciò che si vuole mettere in rilievo è che il "paradosso" della sopravvivenza dei partiti eredi appare un po' meno paradossale se si tiene conto che guadagnano fin da subito legittimazione per il modo in cui guidano la transizione

Applying Merleau-Ponty’s phenomenology of perception to maternal well-being in the first twelve months following birth

Maternal emotional wellbeing is a deeply personal experience embodied through society; however previous literature examining emotional adaptation to motherhood has focussed on negative outcomes, risk factors and pathology. This perspective is limiting and objectifies a mother’s experiences rather than exploring her being-in-the- world. In contrast to current conceptualisations, Maurice Merleau-Ponty\u27s phenomenology of perception asserts a holistic view of the individual within the world, whereby the subjective body and the lived body are intertwined, and perception is a conversation between the body and the world. This conversation is how the mother embodies the world within her being, for example how she internalises the expectation of birth. When a mother’s reality does not meet her ideal this can create emotional disequilibrium which the health system and mothers conceptualise as “disordered” (known as postnatal depression [PND]) rather than as being a normal fluctuation of mothering. Therefore, the purpose of this phenomenological descriptive study was to describe mothers\u27 perceptions of emotional wellbeing, and PND screening, in the first year postpartum by applying Merleau-Ponty\u27s concepts of perception, the body and embodiment. In-depth interviews were conducted with 26 mothers who had identified themselves as either having or not having experienced PND. Giorgi’sthematic analysis methodology was applied to explore the similarities and differences within the mothers’ perceptions of their emotional wellbeing experiences. The study found that mothers misunderstand the spectrum of emotions they can experience and that this view is engendered by society’s definitions of emotional wellbeing, motherhood and their identity as mothers. This leads mothers to conceal their feelings and not accept healthcare. The current ways of screening for emotional wellbeing misses mothers at risk. By conceptualising PND as a disorder, the health system makes it more difficult for mothers to get help. The study results demonstrate compelling reasons for society and health care to change the way postpartum care is offered. Health professionals have an obligation to focus on promoting mothers’ abilities to transition to motherhood, normalising rather than pathologising mothers’ emotional responses and mothering behaviours. iv Furthermore, the health system has a duty to prioritise maternal care as a separate entity rather than the mother being perceived as an extension of her baby. The study provides Australian and international health care professionals with further guidance and recommendations to ensure mothers have the best experience of motherhood thereby safeguarding their emotional wellbeing

Commercial plant-probiotic microorganisms for sustainable organic tomato production systems

Selected plant-probiotic microorganisms, produced by the company CCS Aosta at a commercial scale, are being tested in the Italian Padana plain in open field conditions for their ability to provide adequate crop nutrition and to ensure durable soil fertility for organic tomato production. In this three-years-long project the QLIF-WP333 research team will investigate the potential of soil probiotics management as a tool to improve the quality of tomato fruits and the sustainability of organic tomato production systems

Memory Rehabilitation Strategies in Nonsurgical Temporal Lobe Epilepsy: A Review

open8siPeople with temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) who have not undergone epilepsy surgery often complain of memory deficits. Cognitive re- habilitation is employed as a remedial intervention in clinical settings, but research is limited and findings concerning efficacy and the criteria for choosing different approaches have been inconsistent. We aimed to appraise existing evidence on memory rehabilitation in nonsurgical individuals with temporal lobe epilepsy and to ascertain the effectiveness of specific strategies. A scoping review was preferred given the het- erogeneous nature of the interventions. A comprehensive literature search using MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, AMED, Scholars Portal/ PSYCHinfo, Proceedings First, and ProQuest Dissertations and Theses identified articles published in English before February 2016. The search retrieved 372 abstracts. Of 25 eligible studies, six were included in the final review. None included pediatric populations. Strategies included cognitive training, external memory aids, brain training, and noninvasive brain stimulation. Selection criteria tended to be general. Overall, there was insufficient evidence to make definitive conclusions regarding the efficacy of traditional memory rehabilitation strategies, brain training, and noninvasive brain stimulation. The review suggests that cognitive rehabilitation in nonsurgical TLE is underresearched and that there is a need for a systematic evaluation in this population.embargoed_20180216DEL FELICE, Alessandra; Alderighi, Marzia; Martinato, Matteo; Grisafi, Davide; Bosco, Anna; Thompson, Pamela J.; Sander, Josemir W.; Masiero, StefanoDEL FELICE, Alessandra; Alderighi, Marzia; Martinato, Matteo; Grisafi, Davide; Bosco, Anna; Thompson, Pamela J.; Sander, Josemir W.; Masiero, Stefan

From Electoral Epidemic to Government Epidemic: The Next Level of the Crisis in Southern Europe

With the elections of 2015-16 in Greece, Spain and Portugal, the political fallout from the economic crisis in Southern Europe reached a new level. An overview of the new electoral arenas and party systems is followed by an investigation of the paths to government formation. Unprecedented events during (multiple) processes of government formation, uncharted outcomes in government types and governing party identities, and the necessity to repeat elections are three features defining a new syndrome that first appeared in Greece but has now spread to Iberia.\ua0In Southern Europe the road to incumbency has become arduous and the risk of government instability high

Pain-related Somato Sensory Evoked Potentials: A potential new tool to improve the prognostic prediction of coma after cardiac arrest

INTRODUCTION: Early prediction of a good outcome in comatose patients after cardiac arrest still remains an unsolved problem. The main aim of the present study was to examine the accuracy of middle-latency SSEP triggered by a painful electrical stimulation on median nerves to predict a favorable outcome. METHODS: No- and low-flow times, pupillary reflex, Glasgow motor score and biochemical data were evaluated at ICU admission. The following were considered within 72 h of cardiac arrest: highest creatinine value, hyperthermia occurrence, EEG, SSEP at low- (10 mA) and high-intensity (50 mA) stimulation, and blood pressure reactivity to 50 mA. Intensive care treatments were also considered. Data were compared to survival, consciousness recovery and 6-month CPC (Cerebral Performance Category). RESULTS: Pupillary reflex and EEG were statistically significant in predicting survival; the absence of blood pressure reactivity seems to predict brain death within 7 days of cardiac arrest. Middle- and short-latency SSEP were statistically significant in predicting consciousness recovery, and middle-latency SSEP was statistically significant in predicting 6-month CPC outcome. The prognostic capability of 50 mA middle-latency-SSEP was demonstrated to occur earlier than that of EEG reactivity. CONCLUSIONS: Neurophysiological evaluation constitutes the key to early information about the neurological prognostication of postanoxic coma. In particular, the presence of 50 mA middle-latency SSEP seems to be an early and reliable predictor of good neurological outcome, and its absence constitutes a marker of poor prognosis. Moreover, the absence 50 mA blood pressure reactivity seems to identify patients evolving towards the brain death

H7N9 influenza A virus transmission in a multispecies barnyard model

Influenza A viruses are a diverse group of pathogens that have been responsible for millions of human and avian deaths throughout history. Here, we illustrate the transmission potential of H7N9 influenza A virus between Coturnix quail (Coturnix sp.), domestic ducks (Anas platyrhynchos domesticus), chickens (Gallus gallus domesticus), and house sparrows (Passer domesticus) co-housed in an artificial barnyard setting. In each of four replicates, individuals from a single species were infected with the virus. Quail shed virus orally and were a source of infection for both chickens and ducks. Infected chickens transmitted the virus to quail but not to ducks or house sparrows. Infected ducks transmitted to chickens, resulting in seroconversion without viral shedding. House sparrows did not shed virus sufficiently to transmit to other species. These results demonstrate that onward transmission varies by index species, and that gallinaceous birds are more likely to maintain H7N9 than ducks or passerines