ILBES: Un approccio di apprendimento intergenerazionale per l’inclusione sociale in spazi e ambienti misti

Public libraries, educational, cultural or welfare centres, and other public spaces where digital services are embedded, hereby referred as Blended Environments and Spaces (BES), have become an important provider of free, public access to ICT, internet and learning environments for sociallydisadvantaged target groups. They are a reference point for new technologies, non-formal learning, people empowerment and social integration. Theclientele of BES largely includes seniors and elders who are digitally illiterate, as well as youngsters volunteering as adult trainers on the basis of their own digital competences. At the same time, the current economic downturn is pushing the job-inexperienced youngsters to look for help at these and other centres with social vocation due to the reduced employment opportunities they found.The Intergenerational Learning in Blended Environments and Spaces (ILBES) methodology was developed as part of eScouts, an EC-funded project. It is inspired in two proven learning methodologies (Community-Service Learning and Participatory and Appreciative Action and Reflection) which are combined for the first time in the design of an intergenerational learning circle that facilitates the socio-digital inclusion of seniors and the entranceof youth to the labour market and adult life, while improving solidarity between generations and local community cohesion.Le biblioteche pubbliche, i centri culturali o di assistenza e altri spazi pubblici dove i servizi digitali sono inclusi (qui riferiti con il termine di Blended Environments and Spaces, BES) sono divenuti un’importante fonte libera e pubblica di accesso alle tecnologie informatiche di comunicazione (ICT), a Internet e ad ambienti di apprendimento rivolti a gruppi socialmente svantaggiati.Sono un punto di riferimento per le nuove tecnologie, l’apprendimento informale, l’empowerment delle persone e l’integrazione sociale. La clientela dei BES include ampiamente adulti e anziani digitalmente analfabeti, così come giovani che volontariamente formano gli adulti a partire dalle loro competenze digitali. Contemporaneamente, l’attuale crisi economica spinge i giovani che entrano nel mondo del lavoro a cercare aiutoin questi e altri centri a vocazione sociale per sopperire alle ridotte occasioni di impiego a loro disposizione. La metodologia dell’Apprendimento Intergenerazionale in Ambienti e SpaziMisti (ILBES) è stata sviluppata come parte dell’eScouts, un progetto finanziato  dalla CE. Si ispira a due assodate metodologie di apprendimento (Community Service Learning e Participatory and Appreciative Action and Reflection) che sono combinate per la prima volta nel progetto di un circolo di apprendimento intergenerazionale che facilita l’inclusione socio-digitaledegli anziani e l’ingresso della gioventù nel mondo del lavoro e nella vita adulta, migliorando allo stesso tempo la solidarietà tra generazioni e la coesione della comunità locale

Hyperoxemia and excess oxygen use in early acute respiratory distress syndrome : Insights from the LUNG SAFE study

Publisher Copyright: © 2020 The Author(s). Copyright: Copyright 2020 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.Background: Concerns exist regarding the prevalence and impact of unnecessary oxygen use in patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). We examined this issue in patients with ARDS enrolled in the Large observational study to UNderstand the Global impact of Severe Acute respiratory FailurE (LUNG SAFE) study. Methods: In this secondary analysis of the LUNG SAFE study, we wished to determine the prevalence and the outcomes associated with hyperoxemia on day 1, sustained hyperoxemia, and excessive oxygen use in patients with early ARDS. Patients who fulfilled criteria of ARDS on day 1 and day 2 of acute hypoxemic respiratory failure were categorized based on the presence of hyperoxemia (PaO2 > 100 mmHg) on day 1, sustained (i.e., present on day 1 and day 2) hyperoxemia, or excessive oxygen use (FIO2 ≥ 0.60 during hyperoxemia). Results: Of 2005 patients that met the inclusion criteria, 131 (6.5%) were hypoxemic (PaO2 < 55 mmHg), 607 (30%) had hyperoxemia on day 1, and 250 (12%) had sustained hyperoxemia. Excess FIO2 use occurred in 400 (66%) out of 607 patients with hyperoxemia. Excess FIO2 use decreased from day 1 to day 2 of ARDS, with most hyperoxemic patients on day 2 receiving relatively low FIO2. Multivariate analyses found no independent relationship between day 1 hyperoxemia, sustained hyperoxemia, or excess FIO2 use and adverse clinical outcomes. Mortality was 42% in patients with excess FIO2 use, compared to 39% in a propensity-matched sample of normoxemic (PaO2 55-100 mmHg) patients (P = 0.47). Conclusions: Hyperoxemia and excess oxygen use are both prevalent in early ARDS but are most often non-sustained. No relationship was found between hyperoxemia or excessive oxygen use and patient outcome in this cohort. Trial registration: LUNG-SAFE is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT02010073publishersversionPeer reviewe

Impact of COVID-19 on cardiovascular testing in the United States versus the rest of the world

Objectives: This study sought to quantify and compare the decline in volumes of cardiovascular procedures between the United States and non-US institutions during the early phase of the coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted the care of many non-COVID-19 illnesses. Reductions in diagnostic cardiovascular testing around the world have led to concerns over the implications of reduced testing for cardiovascular disease (CVD) morbidity and mortality. Methods: Data were submitted to the INCAPS-COVID (International Atomic Energy Agency Non-Invasive Cardiology Protocols Study of COVID-19), a multinational registry comprising 909 institutions in 108 countries (including 155 facilities in 40 U.S. states), assessing the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on volumes of diagnostic cardiovascular procedures. Data were obtained for April 2020 and compared with volumes of baseline procedures from March 2019. We compared laboratory characteristics, practices, and procedure volumes between U.S. and non-U.S. facilities and between U.S. geographic regions and identified factors associated with volume reduction in the United States. Results: Reductions in the volumes of procedures in the United States were similar to those in non-U.S. facilities (68% vs. 63%, respectively; p = 0.237), although U.S. facilities reported greater reductions in invasive coronary angiography (69% vs. 53%, respectively; p < 0.001). Significantly more U.S. facilities reported increased use of telehealth and patient screening measures than non-U.S. facilities, such as temperature checks, symptom screenings, and COVID-19 testing. Reductions in volumes of procedures differed between U.S. regions, with larger declines observed in the Northeast (76%) and Midwest (74%) than in the South (62%) and West (44%). Prevalence of COVID-19, staff redeployments, outpatient centers, and urban centers were associated with greater reductions in volume in U.S. facilities in a multivariable analysis. Conclusions: We observed marked reductions in U.S. cardiovascular testing in the early phase of the pandemic and significant variability between U.S. regions. The association between reductions of volumes and COVID-19 prevalence in the United States highlighted the need for proactive efforts to maintain access to cardiovascular testing in areas most affected by outbreaks of COVID-19 infection

EVALITA Evaluation of NLP and Speech Tools for Italian - December 17th, 2020

Welcome to EVALITA 2020! EVALITA is the evaluation campaign of Natural Language Processing and Speech Tools for Italian. EVALITA is an initiative of the Italian Association for Computational Linguistics (AILC, http://www.ai-lc.it) and it is endorsed by the Italian Association for Artificial Intelligence (AIxIA, http://www.aixia.it) and the Italian Association for Speech Sciences (AISV, http://www.aisv.it)

COVID-19 symptoms at hospital admission vary with age and sex: results from the ISARIC prospective multinational observational study

Background: The ISARIC prospective multinational observational study is the largest cohort of hospitalized patients with COVID-19. We present relationships of age, sex, and nationality to presenting symptoms. Methods: International, prospective observational study of 60 109 hospitalized symptomatic patients with laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 recruited from 43 countries between 30 January and 3 August 2020. Logistic regression was performed to evaluate relationships of age and sex to published COVID-19 case definitions and the most commonly reported symptoms. Results: ‘Typical’ symptoms of fever (69%), cough (68%) and shortness of breath (66%) were the most commonly reported. 92% of patients experienced at least one of these. Prevalence of typical symptoms was greatest in 30- to 60-year-olds (respectively 80, 79, 69%; at least one 95%). They were reported less frequently in children (≤ 18 years: 69, 48, 23; 85%), older adults (≥ 70 years: 61, 62, 65; 90%), and women (66, 66, 64; 90%; vs. men 71, 70, 67; 93%, each P &lt; 0.001). The most common atypical presentations under 60 years of age were nausea and vomiting and abdominal pain, and over 60 years was confusion. Regression models showed significant differences in symptoms with sex, age and country. Interpretation: This international collaboration has allowed us to report reliable symptom data from the largest cohort of patients admitted to hospital with COVID-19. Adults over 60 and children admitted to hospital with COVID-19 are less likely to present with typical symptoms. Nausea and vomiting are common atypical presentations under 30 years. Confusion is a frequent atypical presentation of COVID-19 in adults over 60 years. Women are less likely to experience typical symptoms than men

Can MRI differentiate between ring‐enhancing gliomas and intra‐axial abscesses?

Gliomas of the brain may appear as expansile ring-enhancing masses in MRI studies, mimicking the appearance of intra-axial abscesses. The aims of this study were to compare the MRI features of ring-enhancing gliomas and intra-axial brain abscesses in dogs and cats and to identify the characteristics that might help differentiate them. For this multicenter, retrospective, and observational study, the inclusion criteria were as follows: (a) a definitive diagnosis of glioma or abscess based on cytological or histopathological examination following CSF collection or surgical biopsy/necropsy, respectively; (b) MRI study performed with a high- or low-field MRI scanner, including a same plane T1W pre- and postcontrast, a T2W and a T2 FLAIR sequence in at least one plane. If available, delayed T1W postcontrast, T2*W GE, DWI/ADC, and SWI sequences were also evaluated. Sixteen patients were diagnosed with ring-enhancing gliomas, and 15 were diagnosed with intra-axial abscesses. A homogenous signal on T1W (P = 0.049) and T2W (P = 0.042) sequences, a T2W (P = 0.005) or T2*W GE (P = 0.046) peripheral hypointense halo, and an even enhancing capsule (P = 0.002) were significantly associated with brain abscesses. A progressive central enhancement on delayed T1W postcontrast sequences was correlated with ring-enhancing gliomas (P = 0.009). The combination of the following features was suggestive of brain abscess: homogeneous T1W or T2W signal intensity, a T2W or T2*W GE peripheral hypointense halo and an evenly enhancing capsule. Central progression of enhancement on delayed T1W postcontrast sequences was suggestive of glioma

Immunocompromised patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome: Secondary analysis of the LUNG SAFE database

Background: The aim of this study was to describe data on epidemiology, ventilatory management, and outcome of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) in immunocompromised patients. Methods: We performed a post hoc analysis on the cohort of immunocompromised patients enrolled in the Large Observational Study to Understand the Global Impact of Severe Acute Respiratory Failure (LUNG SAFE) study. The LUNG SAFE study was an international, prospective study including hypoxemic patients in 459 ICUs from 50 countries across 5 continents. Results: Of 2813 patients with ARDS, 584 (20.8%) were immunocompromised, 38.9% of whom had an unspecified cause. Pneumonia, nonpulmonary sepsis, and noncardiogenic shock were their most common risk factors for ARDS. Hospital mortality was higher in immunocompromised than in immunocompetent patients (52.4% vs 36.2%; p &lt; 0.0001), despite similar severity of ARDS. Decisions regarding limiting life-sustaining measures were significantly more frequent in immunocompromised patients (27.1% vs 18.6%; p &lt; 0.0001). Use of noninvasive ventilation (NIV) as first-line treatment was higher in immunocompromised patients (20.9% vs 15.9%; p = 0.0048), and immunodeficiency remained independently associated with the use of NIV after adjustment for confounders. Forty-eight percent of the patients treated with NIV were intubated, and their mortality was not different from that of the patients invasively ventilated ab initio. Conclusions: Immunosuppression is frequent in patients with ARDS, and infections are the main risk factors for ARDS in these immunocompromised patients. Their management differs from that of immunocompetent patients, particularly the greater use of NIV as first-line ventilation strategy. Compared with immunocompetent subjects, they have higher mortality regardless of ARDS severity as well as a higher frequency of limitation of life-sustaining measures. Nonetheless, nearly half of these patients survive to hospital discharge. Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT02010073. Registered on 12 December 2013

Weder ein „modern gender gap“ noch „same gender voting“ in Deutschland? Zum Einfluss des Geschlechts auf das individuelle Wahlverhalten bei den Bundestagswahlen zwischen 1998 und 2013

Der Beitrag geht der Frage nach, ob ein Einfluss des Geschlechts auf die Wahlabsicht bei Wahlen zum Deutschen Bundestag zwischen 1998 und 2013 vorliegt. Auf der Grundlage der Literatur zum „modern gender gap“ einerseits sowie zum „same gender voting“ anderseits werden Hypothesen dahingehend abgeleitet, dass Frauen einen geringeren Anreiz haben sollten, christdemokratische Parteien zu wählen, und dass – als gegenläufige Erwartung – mit der Kanzlerkandidatur Angela Merkels seit 2005 Frauen verstärkt CDU oder CSU wählen sollten. Es zeigt sich weder ein durchgängiger Effekt für ein interessegeleitetes Wählen von Frauen, das sich in einer signifikant niedrigeren Wahrscheinlichkeit der Wahl der Unionsparteien hätte äußern sollen, noch Evidenz dafür, dass Frauen ab 2005 aufgrund der Kanzlerkandidatur Angela Merkels verstärkt CDU und CSU unterstützt haben. Lediglich 2013 zeigt sich in Westdeutschland eine Tendenz für den letztgenannten Zusammenhang. Demnach spielt das Geschlecht eines Wählers für die Wahlabsicht bei Bundestagswahlen kaum eine ausschlaggebende Rolle