The cost of context repair: Presupposition accomodation

In the present experiment, the processing costs and time-course of presupposition accommodation were studied, as compared to presupposition satisfaction and independently of the presupposition trigger in use. Two main results emerged from the data collected. First, presupposition accommodation requires greater processing costs than satisfaction, reflecting a process of context repair where both a linking and an updating process are needed. Second, presupposition accommodation takes places immediately just as the trigger becomes available and proceeds incrementally during the sentence processing. This result suggests that presuppositions are processed on-line and that, independently of the type of trigger in use, they are accommodated before the asserted content is computed

The development of presupposition: Pre-schoolers' understanding of regret and too

Little is known about presuppositional skills in pre-school years. Developmental research has mostly focused on children’s understanding of too and evidence is mixed: some studies show that the comprehension of too is not adult-like at least until school age, while more recent findings suggest that even pre-schoolers can interpret too-sentences in more age-appropriate tasks. Importantly, no study has tested directly, within the same experiment, pre-schoolers’ presupposition understanding in satisfaction versus accommodation, nor with respect to other trigger types. Yet, it is well known that adults’ processing of a presupposition is costlier when accommodation is required and that the type of trigger influences the processing demands. Therefore, both the trigger type and the contextual availability of a presupposition might influence young children’s comprehension. We tested this with a story completion task that assessed 3–5-year-olds’ comprehension of presuppositions activated by either regret or too in contexts that either satisfied the presupposition or required accommodation. Results reveal that pre-schoolers overall exhibit an understanding of presupposition. Crucially, this starkly improves between the age of 3 and 5 and the developmental trajectory depends on both context and trigger type: understanding the presupposition of regret seems easier than that of too for younger children, and less difficulties emerge when the context satisfies the presupposition. Thus, the development of presupposition comprehension in pre-schoolers depends both on the type of trigger and the contextual availability of the presupposition – satisfied versus requiring failure repair

Testing the Causal Theory of Reference

Theories of reference are a crucial research topic in analytic philosophy. Since the publication of Kripke\u2019s Naming and Necessity, most philosophers have endorsed the causal/historical theory of reference. The goal of this paper is twofold: (i) to discuss a method for testing experimentally the causal theory of ref- erence for proper names by investigating linguistic usage and (ii) to present the results from two exper- iments conducted with that method. Data collected in our experiments confirm the causal theory of reference for people proper names and for geographical proper names. A secondary but interesting result is that the semantic domain affects reference assignment: while with people proper names speakers tend to assign the semantic reference, with geographical proper names they are prompted to assign the speak- er\u2019s reference

Evaluating the integration of the sensory-motor abilities to facilitate teaching-learning processes: a comparison between Italian and Indian models of teaching through the use of VMI test

Nowadays a great number of evidences seems to prove that the movement plays a central role in the integrationof different mental processes. The visual-motor feedback may be considered the first sensorial integration of thedevelopment. The importance of an effective support to the pre-adolescent development of the sensory-motorintegration ability seems one of most important aim that every school system should follow. The aim of thisresearch is to investigate and monitor on international scale if the current Italian and Indian schools systems canadequately support the development of the student’s sensory-motor integration ability. According to the datashowed in this paper, it is clear that the scores obtained by the Italian and Indian students are lower than theinternational mean. However if a wider analysis based on a larger and more representative sample of the twoCountries should confirm the output of this research, it will be clear that the two school systems cannoteffectively support the development of the visual-motor integration abilities of the students. If the trend showedin this work should be confirmed by future and more precise researches, it will be necessary an accurate analysisaimed to identify the possible reasons of this phenomenon and the possible school support, since without them, awhole generation of students will risk to reduce the cultural level of the two nations and to be not competitive onan international level

Nod2 Deficiency in mice is Associated with Microbiota Variation Favouring the Expansion of mucosal CD4+ LAP+ Regulatory Cells

Nucleotide-binding Oligomerization Domain-2 (NOD2) mutations are associated with an increased risk to develop Crohn's Disease. In previous studies, we have shown that Nod2-/- mice manifest increased proportion of Lamina Propria (LP) CD4+ LAP+ Foxp3- regulatory cells, when compared with Nod2+/+ mice, while CD4+ Foxp3 + regulatory cells were not affected. Here, we investigated the Nod2 gut microbiota, by 16S rRNA pyrosequencing, at steady state and after TNBS-colitis induction in mice reared separately or in cohousing, correlating the microbial profiles with LP regulatory T cells proportion and tissue cytokines content. We found that enrichment of Rikenella and Alistipes (Rikenellaceae) in Nod2-/- mice at 8 weeks of age reared separately was associated with increased proportion of CD4+ LAP+ Foxp3- cells and less severe TNBS-colitis. In co-housed mice the acquisition of Rickenellaceae by Nod2+/+ mice was associated with increased CD4+ LAP+ Foxp3- proportion and less severe colitis. Severe colitis was associated with enrichment of gram-negative pathobionts (Escherichia and Enterococcus), while less severe colitis with protective bacteria (Barnesiella, Odoribacter and Clostridium IV). Environmental factors acting on genetic background with different outcomes according to their impact on microbiota, predispose in different ways to inflammation. These results open a new scenario for therapeutic attempt to re-establish eubiosis in Inflammatory Bowel Disease patients with NOD2 polymorphisms

Occupational physical activity, mortality and CHD events in the Italian Longitudinal Study

PURPOSE: Several recent studies have suggested a ‘physical activity paradox’ whereby leisure-time physical activity benefits health, but occupational physical activity is harmful. However, other studies imply that occupational physical activity is beneficial. Using data from a nationally representative Italian sample, we investigate if the context, or domain, of physical activity matters for mortality and coronary heart disease (CHD) events. METHODS: Among 40,220 men and women aged 40–55 at baseline, we used Cox models to compare associations of occupational, domestic and leisure-time physical activity with risk of mortality and CHD events over a follow-up period of up to 14 years. We accounted for sociodemographic factors, smoking, body mass index (BMI), physical and mental health, and educational qualifications. RESULTS: Occupational physical activity was not significantly associated with risk of mortality or CHD events for women, or with CHD events for men. In crude models, risk of mortality was higher for men in the highest occupational activity group, compared to the lowest (HR 1.26, 95% CI 1.01, 1.57). This attenuated with adjustment for health-related behaviours, health, and education (HR 1.03, 95% CI 0.77, 1.38). In crude models, leisure-time physical activity was significantly associated with decreased mortality and CHD risk only for men. Domestic physical activity was not associated with either outcome for either gender. CONCLUSION: In a large sample of middle-aged Italian workers, we found limited evidence of harmful or beneficial effects of occupational physical activity on mortality or CHD events. However, confidence intervals were wide, and results consistent with a range of effects in both directions. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s00420-021-01765-0

Gut microbiota profiles and characterization of cultivable fungal isolates in IBS patients

Studies so far conducted on irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) have been focused mainly on the role of gut bacterial dysbiosis in modulating the intestinal permeability, inflammation, and motility, with consequences on the quality of life. Limited evidences showed a potential involvement of gut fungal communities. Here, the gut bacterial and fungal microbiota of a cohort of IBS patients have been characterized and compared with that of healthy subjects (HS). The IBS microbial community structure differed significantly compared to HS. In particular, we observed an enrichment of bacterial taxa involved in gut inflammation, such as Enterobacteriaceae, Streptococcus, Fusobacteria, Gemella, and Rothia, as well as depletion of health-promoting bacterial genera, such as Roseburia and Faecalibacterium. Gut microbial profiles in IBS patients differed also in accordance with constipation. Sequence analysis of the gut mycobiota showed enrichment of Saccharomycetes in IBS. Culturomics analysis of fungal isolates from feces showed enrichment of Candida spp. displaying from IBS a clonal expansion and a distinct genotypic profiles and different phenotypical features when compared to HS of Candida albicans isolates. Alongside the well-characterized gut bacterial dysbiosis in IBS, this study shed light on a yet poorly explored fungal component of the intestinal ecosystem, the gut mycobiota. Our results showed a differential fungal community in IBS compared to HS, suggesting potential for new insights on the involvement of the gut mycobiota in IBS. KEY POINTS: Comparison of gut microbiota and mycobiota between IBS and healthy subjects Investigation of cultivable fungi in IBS and healthy subjects Candida albicans isolates result more virulent in IBS subjects compared to healthy subjects

Early melanoma invasivity correlates with gut fungal and bacterial profiles

7openInternationalItalian coauthor/editorBackground The microbiome is emerging as a crucial player of the immune checkpoint in cancer. Melanoma is a highly immunogenic tumour, and the composition of the gut microbiome has been correlated to prognosis and evolution of advanced melanoma and proposed as a biomarker for immune checkpoint therapy. Objectives We investigated the gut fungal and bacterial compositions in early-stage melanoma and correlated microbial profiles with histopathological features. Methods Sequencing of bacterial 16S rRNA and the fungal internal transcribed spacer region was performed on faecal samples of patients with stage I and II melanoma, and healthy controls. A meta-analysis with gut microbiota data from patients with metastatic melanoma was also carried out. Results We found a combination of gut fungal and bacterial profiles significantly discriminating patients with melanoma from controls. In patients with melanoma, we observed an abundance of Prevotella copri and yeasts belonging to the order Saccharomycetales. We found that the bacterial and fungal community correlated to melanoma invasiveness, whereas the specific fungal profile correlated to melanoma regression. Bacteroides was identified as general marker of immunogenicity, being shared by regressive and invasive melanoma. In addition, the bacterial communities in patients with stage I and II melanoma were different in structure and richer than those from patients with metastatic melanoma. Conclusions The composition of the gut microbiota in early-stage melanoma changes along the gradient from in situ to invasive (and metastatic) melanoma. Changes in the microbiota and mycobiota are correlated to the histological features of early-stage melanoma, and to the clinical course and response to immune therapies of advanced-stage melanoma, through direct or indirect immunomodulation.openVitali, F.; Colucci, R.; Di Paola, M.; Pindo, M.; De Filippo, C.; Moretti, S.; Cavalieri, D.Vitali, F.; Colucci, R.; Di Paola, M.; Pindo, M.; De Filippo, C.; Moretti, S.; Cavalieri, D

Functionalized aliphatic polyketones with germicide activity

The COVID-19 pandemic has further confirmed to the community that direct contact with contaminated surfaces and objects represents an important source of pathogen spreading among humans. Therefore, it is of paramount importance to design effective germicidal paints to ensure a rapid and potent disinfectant action of surfaces. In this work, we design novel germicide polymeric coatings by inserting quaternary ammonium and sugar groups on the macromolecular backbone, thus respectively endowing the polymer with germicide features and hydrophilicity to interact with the surfaces. An aliphatic polyketone was selected as a starting polymer matrix that was functionalized with primary amine derivatives via the Paal–Knorr reaction. The resulting polymers were deposited on cellulose filter papers and checkboard charts with excellent coating yield and substrate coverage as determined by scanning electron microscopy for cellulose. Remarkably, the substrates coated by the functional polymers bearing quaternary ammonium compounds showed excellent bactericide properties with antibacterial rate of 99% and logarithmic reduction of >3. Notably, the polymers with higher hydrophobicity showed better retention on the substrate after being treated with water at neutral pH