IL RUOLO DELLA CATEGORIA GRAMMATICALE NEI PROCESSI DI PRODUZIONE LESSICALE

Il presente studio indaga il ruolo della categoria grammaticale, in particolare della distinzione nelle due classi lessicali maggiori nomi/verbi, nella rappresentazione e produzione di parole. A tale scopo sono stati effettuati quattro esperimenti con l'ausilio del paradigma di interferenza figura-parola, manipolando la classe grammaticale di target e distrattori e controllando le relazioni semantiche tra i materiali, per evitare che la distinzione nomi/ verbi potesse essere confusa con la distinzione semantica oggetti/azioni. Infine, è stata eseguita una simulazione di uno spazio semantico-lessicale, la mappa contestuale auto-organizzante. I risultati di tali studi, presi congiuntamente, evidenziano come la distinzione nomi/verbi abbia un ruolo importante nei processi di rappresentazione e produzione lessicale

Management of Road Infrastructure Safety

Road Infrastructure Safety Management (RISM) refers to a set of procedures that support a road authority in decision making related to the improvement of safety on a road network. Some of these procedures can be applied to existing infrastructure, thus enabling a reactive approach; and other procedures are used in early stages of a project's life-cycle allowing a proactive approach. The objective of this paper is to provide an overview of the most well-known procedures and present a series of recommendations for successful road infrastructure safety management. The work described in the paper was completed by the IRTAD sub-working group on Road Infrastructure Safety Management and presented in detail in the respective Report. The methodology followed on this purpose included the description of the most consolidated RISM procedures, the analysis of the use of RISM procedures worldwide and the identification of possible weaknesses and barriers to their implementation, the provision of good practice examples and the contribution to the scientific assessment of procedures. Specifically, the following RISM procedures were considered: Road Safety Impact Assessment (RIA), Efficiency Assessment Tools (EAT), Road Safety Audit (RSA), Network Operation (NO), Road Infrastructure Safety Performance Indicators (SPI), Network Safety Ranking (NSR), Road Assessment Programs (RAP), Road Safety Inspection (RSI), High Risk Sites (HRS) and In-depth Investigation. Each procedure was described along with tools and data needed for its implementation as well as relevant common practices worldwide. A synthesis summarizing the key information for each procedure was also drafted. Based on a survey on 23 IRTAD member countries from worldwide, the lack of resources or tools is the most commonly stated reason for not applying a RISM procedure. This has been frequently found mainly in European countries. Another common reason is the absence of recommendations/guidelines, especially for SPI, RAP, RSI and RSA. This highlights the importance of the presence of some legislation regulating the application of the procedures. Lack of data was found important mainly for SPI, HRS and EAT. Good practices of road infrastructure safety management have been explored in order to find solutions to the issues highlighted by the survey and provide examples about how these issues have been overcome in some countries. Specifically, issues related to data, legal framework, funding, knowledge, tools and dealing with more RISM procedures were addressed. Finally, nine key messages and six recommendations for better Road Infrastructure Safety Management were developed based on the conclusions made

DEPÓSITOS DE ENCOSTAS EM REGIÕES TROPICAIS: UMA ABORDAGEM SOBRE A FORMAÇÃO DE COLÚVIOS

Os depósitos de encostas são cruciais para a pesquisa geomorfológica, haja vista que o material transportado, geometria e forma adquirida quando da acomodação, podem indicar as perturbações e/ou transformações pelos quais as diferentes paisagens foram submetidas, em especial, durante os eventos que desencadearam, por alteração no fluxo de energia e matéria no sistema, níveis de instabilidades. Esses registros estão contidos nas camadas de sedimentos que estão dispostas estruturalmente na forma de depósitos como, por exemplo, os coluviais. Esse trabalho tem como objetivo estabelecer uma discussão conceitual sobre colúvio e sua importância para os estudos paleoambientais das paisagens. Para o desenvolvimento desse trabalho foi feito um exaustivo levantamento bibliográfico, indo desde teses e dissertações a artigos científicos e livros produzidos sobre a temática. De posse desse levantamento foi possível estabelecer a discussão conceitual sobre colúvio. Os colúvios, corpos sedimentares representativos dos eventos evolutivos do Quaternário, mesmo respondendo por até 50% da cobertura superficial da paisagem em algumas áreas tropicais, não integram a paisagem de maneira contínua, mas descontinuamente e pouco espessa pela breve duração dos processos e por ser resultado da intensa interação entre erosão e sedimentação, o que pode conforme o evento, ser remobilizado sucessivamente por ciclos erosivos de intensidade variada. A formação dos depósitos coluviais reflete a relação dos processos de morfogênese e pedogênese, da qual resulta a esculturação da paisagem. O resultado dessa relação é a constante disponibilização de material para ser deslocado e acomodado em uma porção do relevo. A permanência ou não do material nas áreas de acomodação está condicionada a ocorrência de mecanismos que favoreçam sua estabilização ou a retirada de qualquer registro sedimentar pelos agentes erosivos. A superposição de camadas coluviais registra a evolução da paisagem pela recorrência de processos agradacionais e degradacionais, cuja porção superior pode ser submetida às condições pedogenéticas. Ao analisar e interpretar as seqüências deposicionais (colúvios) é possível vislumbrar as diversas mudanças nas condições ambientais e explicar a evolução desses ambientes auxiliando, por sua vez, na compreensão das características do atual arranjo espacial da paisagem. Reconhecida a relevância do conhecimento dos processos que condicionaram a evolução da paisagem em tempos pretéritos para o entendimento do arranjo atual e prognósticos futuros voltados para o planejamento do uso dos espaços, os depósitos coluviais constituem importantes registros na dimensão temporal do Quaternário/Holoceno capazes de revelar as condições ambientais pretéritas das quais evoluíram os sistemas ambientais do presente, cuja configuração apresenta estreita interação com a variável antrópica, num constante feedback com implicações diretas na magnitude dos processos

Measuring career adaptability in a sample of Italian university students: psychometric properties and relations with the age, gender, and STEM/no STEM courses

The continuous transformation of the labor market, characterized by great instability and uncertainty, and by rapid technological changes, has strongly influenced the construction and management of career paths. Nowadays, individuals are faced with careers that are fluid and boundaryless, characterized by discontinuity and a variety of organizations to deal with. In this scenario, the ability to adapt and react to continuous changes in the labor market and in organizations is now a priority for workers. This study presents the psychometric properties of the construct of Career Ability measured through Proactive Personality and Boundaryless Mindset as proxy variables in a sample of 579 adults enrolled at the University of Cagliari (Italy), or recently graduated therein. We aim to rate the factorial structure of the items and to evaluate their multi-group invariance regarding the gender variable. Moreover, the criterion and concurrent validity were assessed. The instrument shows good psychometric characteristics; factorial structure, factorial invariance in relation to the gender variable, concurrent, and criterion validities were confirmed

A direct regulatory link between microRNA-137 and SHANK2: implications for neuropsychiatric disorders

Background: Mutations in the SHANK genes, which encode postsynaptic scaffolding proteins, have been linked to a spectrum of neurodevelopmental disorders. The SHANK genes and the schizophrenia-associated microRNA-137 show convergence on several levels, as they are both expressed at the synapse, influence neuronal development, and have a strong link to neurodevelopmental and neuropsychiatric disorders like intellectual disability, autism, and schizophrenia. This compiled evidence raised the question if the SHANKs might be targets of miR-137. Methods: In silico analysis revealed a putative binding site for microRNA-137 (miR-137) in the SHANK2 3′UTR, while this was not the case for SHANK1 and SHANK3. Luciferase reporter assays were performed by overexpressing wild type and mutated SHANK2-3′UTR and miR-137 in human neuroblastoma cells and mouse primary hippocampal neurons. miR-137 was also overexpressed or inhibited in hippocampal neurons, and Shank2 expression was analyzed by quantitative real-time PCR and Western blot. Additionally, expression levels of experimentally validated miR-137 target genes were analyzed in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) of schizophrenia and control individuals using the RNA-Seq data from the CommonMind Consortium. Results: miR-137 directly targets the 3′UTR of SHANK2 in a site-specific manner. Overexpression of miR-137 in mouse primary hippocampal neurons significantly lowered endogenous Shank2 protein levels without detectable influence on mRNA levels. Conversely, miR-137 inhibition increased Shank2 protein expression, indicating that miR-137 regulates SHANK2 expression by repressing protein translation rather than inducing mRNA degradation. To find out if the miR-137 signaling network is altered in schizophrenia, we compared miR-137 precursor and miR-137 target gene expression in the DLPFC of schizophrenia and control individuals using the CommonMind Consortium RNA sequencing data. Differential expression of 23% (16/69) of known miR-137 target genes was detected in the DLPFC of schizophrenia individuals compared with controls. We propose that in further targets (e.g., SHANK2, as described in this paper) which are not regulated on RNA level, effects may only be detectable on protein level. Conclusion: Our study provides evidence that a direct regulatory link exists between miR-137 and SHANK2 and supports the finding that miR-137 signaling might be altered in schizophrenia

Synergistic inhibition of the Hedgehog pathway by newly designed Smo and Gli antagonists bearing the isoflavone scaffold

Aberrant activation of the Hedgehog (Hh) pathway is responsible for the onset and progression of several malignancies. Small molecules able to block the pathway at the upstream receptor Smoothened (Smo) or the downstream effector Gli1 have thus emerged recently as valuable anticancer agents. Here, we have designed, synthesized, and tested new Hh inhibitors taking advantage by the highly versatile and privileged isoflavone scaffold. The introduction of specific substitutions on the isoflavone's ring B allowed the identification of molecules targeting preferentially Smo or Gli1. Biological assays coupled with molecular modeling corroborated the design strategy, and provided new insights into the mechanism of action of these molecules. The combined administration of two different isoflavones behaving as Smo and Gli antagonists, respectively, in primary medulloblastoma (MB) cells highlighted the synergistic effects of these agents, thus paving the way to further and innovative strategies for the pharmacological inhibition of Hh signaling

Perfil de Pacientes que Procuram Atendimento Nutricional

Com o aumento da prevalência de doenças crônicas não-transmissíveis, cresce a demanda por serviços nutricionais ambulatoriais, dessa forma, objetivou-se avaliar o perfi l dos pacientes que procuraram o atendimento nutricional na Clínica de Nutrição da Faculdade Assis Gurgacz nos anos de 2005 e 2006. Este estudo caracterizou-se como transversal descritivo, em que se analissaram dados de 267 fi chas de solicitação para o acompanhamento nutricional. A maioria (79,4%) dos pacientes pertencia ao gênero feminino e a idade média foi de 38,5 anos. Como condições de moradia 100% possuíam água encanada, 62,5% esgoto encanado e 84,6% residiam em casa de alvenaria. Quanto à escolaridade 19,5% apresentaram ensino médio completo e 4,5% não eram alfabetizados. Quanto à ocupação 27,7% eram do lar, 18,4% estudantes, 6,7% professores e 4,9% aposentados. A renda média mensal dos pacientes foi de R$ 948 reais, sendo que 38,6% da amostra possuíam renda familiar de um salário mínimo da época. A doença prevalente foi a hipertensão arterial, seguida pela hipercolesterolemia, diabetes mellitus e hipertrigliceridemia. O perfi l prevalente da população estudada foi de mulheres adultas, do lar, portadoras de doenças crônicas não-transmissíveis, com procura espontânea e indicação médica pelo atendimento nutricional, satisfeitas com a profissão, ansiosas referente aos aspectos psicológicos e apresentando bom relacionamento familiar. Por meio deste estudo percebe-se a necessidade da inserção do profi ssional nutricionista em postos de saúde e em ambulatórios públicos para atender essa demanda atual

The Influence of the Weberian Model of Bureaucracy in the Classical School, School of Human Relations and Behavioural Approach

One of the most powerful analysts of modernity was Max Weber, through his studies of the modern bureaucratic corporation, the author contributed significantly to organizational theory. Given the importance of this theoretical, this essay aims to analyse the influence of the Weberian model of bureaucracy in the Classical School, School of Human Relations and Behavioural Approach. In this study, some aspects of the Weberian model are discussed, as well as their characteristics and influence in the selected schools. From the analysis of the study, we can see that the Weberian bureaucratic model contributed to the theory of organizations in an odd way. Through his perception, Weber identified some features of reality that provided the structural development of today’s organizations. In view of the results presented throughout the text, it is considered relevant to continue this subject, and future research on Weberian influence in Organizational Theory taking into account the schools that were not treated throughout this work

Pregnancy after sexuality preserving cystectomy with urinary diversion for bladder cancer. case report and review of the literature

Background: Radical cystectomy for bladder cancer represents a high demolitive surgical procedure with a significative impact on quality of life. Sexuality preserving techniques have been proposed in order to improve functional outcomes. Although sex-sparing techniques would provide women with the chance of having pregnancy, experience is still limited when malignant conditions are considered. We report the outcomes of pregnancy and delivery in a 43-year-old woman with a Padua ileal orthotopic neobladder after robot-assisted sexuality preserving cystectomy for muscle-invasive urothelial bladder cancer performed four years earlier, at age 39. Case presentation: Since pregnancy was confirmed, the patient had been under close urological and gynecological observation. Hydronephrosis and voiding-relating complications were reported and treated by inserting a nephrostomy tubes and indwelling bladder catheter. At the time of delivery, elective caesarian section was performed without complications. Conclusions: Sexuality preserving cystectomy could be an option in selected and highly motivated young patients with diagnosis of bladder cancer. A multidisciplinary team of experts included gynecologists, urologists, radiologists, anesthesiologists and neonatologists is required for the optimal management of pregnancy and peripartum care in women with urinary diversion