Automatic dictionary and rule-based systems for extracting information from text

The paper offers a general introduction to the use of meta-information in a text mining perspective. The aim is to build a meta-dictionary as an available linguistic resource useful for different applications. The procedure is based on the use of a hybrid system. The suggested algorithm employs, conjointly and in a recursive way, dictionaries and rules, the latter both lexical and textual. An application on a corpus of diaries from the Time Use Survey (TUS) by Istat is illustrate

Three-dimensional phlebography of the saphenous venous system

This is the first study reporting the technique for the 3D visualization of the saphenous veins obtained by CT in living subjects

Total Hemi-overgrowth in Pigmentary Mosaicism of the (Hypomelanosis of) Ito Type: Eight Case Reports.

Pigmentary mosaicism of the (hypomelanosis of) Ito type is an umbrella term, which includes phenotypes characterized by mosaic hypopigmentation in the form of streaks, whorls, patchy, or more bizarre skin configurations (running along the lines of Blaschko): these cutaneous patterns can manifest as an isolated skin disorder (pigmentary mosaicism of the Ito type) or as a complex malformation syndrome in association with extracutaneous anomalies (most often of the musculoskeletal and/or nervous systems) (hypomelanosis of Ito). Affected individuals are anecdotally reported to have also partial or total body hemi-overgrowth (HOG), which often causes moderate to severe complications.We studied the occurrence and features of HOG in the 114 children and adults with mosaic pigmentary disorders of the Ito type diagnosed and followed up (from 2 to 22 years; average follow-up 16 years) at our Institutions.Eight patients (5 M, 3 F; aged 4 to 25 years; median age 16 years) out of the 114 analyzed (7%) fulfilled the criteria for unilateral HOG, with differences in diameter ranging from 0.4 to 4.0 cm (upper limbs) and 1.0 to 9.0 cm (lower limbs). Moreover, among these 8 patients, 5/8 filled in the 75th to 90th percentile for height; 6/8 had associated kyphoscoliosis; and 5/8 showed cognitive delays. No tumour complications were recorded. Overall, 6/8 HOG patients presented with additional (extracutaneous) syndromic manifestations, apart from the HOG (ie, with a clinical phenotype of hypomelanosis of Ito).The present study, which includes children and adults with the longest follow-up so far recorded, confirms the association between pigmentary mosaicism of the Ito type and HOG lowering previous estimates (7% vs 16%) for HOG in the context of mosaic hypopigmentation. A careful examination, looking at subtle to moderate asymmetries and associated complications within the spectrum of these mosaic pigmentary disorders, is recommended

Analisi lessico testuale delle ordinanze del Commissario Delegato alla ricostruzione in Emilia-Romagna: Un contributo alla legge nazionale su emergenza e ricostruzione

In the three years after the 2012 earthquake in Emilia-Romagna, through the enactment of more than 350 ordinances, the Commissioner has structured interventions to cope with emergency and reconstruction. The intense law-making, essential to fill a legal vacuum, has enabled to overcome the uncertainties of the difficult phase of recovery. There is agreement among experts that a large number of those ordinances was due to the absence of national rules governing the urgent intervention in case of natural disasters. On the push of actions taken in Emilia-Romagna, the Italian Parliament has reopened the debate on a national law on emergency after natural disasters. Through a systematic content analysis of the corpus of ordinances issued in Emilia-Romagna, in this paper we propose a contribution in drafting a law on emergency. Two main strands of analysis have been developed. In the first one, an automatic text analysis, supported by Taltac2, has provided inputs for a factor analysis and a cluster analysis of the thematic areas covered by the ordinances. Four main topics have been singled out: grant criteria and contributions; management of allocation of resources; urgent works for municipalities, schools and churches buildings; interventions to support population. Having associated each ordinance to one of the four topics, a temporal analysis of the issues addressed during the emergency and reconstruction phase highlights the sequence of actions that were undertaken in Emilia. In a second step, the set of terms characterizing each cluster it is used to obtain a redefinition of disjunctive classification towards a fuzzy multi-class

Clusters of specializations in the automotive supply chain in Italy. An empirical analysis using text mining

The wide literature exploring supply chains is polarized on two perspectives: micro analyses focusing on management strategies of companies, and macro assessment of cross-country interdependences. In order to explore the ongoing innovation paths, this paper adopts a third perspective on the supply chain, focusing on the internal structure of specializations within the automotive supply chain in Italy. If we compare the degree of fragmentation across global value chains, the automotive supply chain has the highest degree of fragmentation. With regard to Italy, its structural characteristics (number, size of companies, location) and dynamics of change deserve attention both for its large share in domestic production and for its interconnections with other supply chains. In this paper, we explore a strategy to identify a classification of specializations within the automotive supply chain grounded on the textual description of activities provided by companies when they register their business. Pending the acquisition of the database for the other years of the Observatory, in this work the analysis refers only to 2017 data

Strategie, pubbliche e private, in azione per ri-costruire meglio. Analisi dei testi di quattro interviste

In this paper we present the methodology and results of the automatic analysis of the transcripts of the interviews carried out under the project "ideas and projects for better reconstruction" (Esposito et al., 2017). Four strategic areas are considered: the Territorial Cohesion Agency, the Casa Italia Plan, the Civil Protection, and that of a community model of action in the community. The goal is twofold. On the one hand, it is intended to offer a systematic reading of the specificities and elements common to the various aspects considered in the interviews. On the other hand, we want to explore some methodological ideas in the automatic analysis of the texts on the following issues: integration of analytical tools, constraints resulting from the size of the corpus, interpretative potential of graphical representation of results, integration between automatic information retrieval, auto-coding of a corpus and expert reading

What innovation policy mix does matter for which countries? Patterns emerging from multidimensional analysis on STIP Compass platform

An increasing consensus is shared among scholars on the relevance of policy mix in supporting innovation processes. An essential support for a comparative analysis of innovation policies is provided by STIP Compass. As a joint initiative of the European Commission and OECD, STIP Compass contains taxonomies of policies, databases, monitoring tools, and links between various data sources. The paper addresses two research questions: the first one concerns the way to single out a pattern of innovation policy mix. The second one specifically focuses on the dimensions in the narratives adopted to describe the current policy issues. The paper refers to the STIP Compass database downloaded on 24th August 2019. Results can be browsed by using the navigation on Tableau Public. Being aware that the potential of STIP Compass relies on the quality of information that is entered by the countries, this paper aims at enhancing the awareness of both scholars and policy makers involved in the innovation policy field by suggesting its use to outline patterns of policy mix across countries. Although the database is incomplete and currently under revision, the exercise undertaken in this paper outlines methods for text analysis that will be applied to the new updated edition of STIP Compass, when available. One urgent message is drawn from the analysis undertaken in this paper: aiming at providing an effective analytical framework a tools for innovation policies in Europe, the European Commission cannot overlook that subnational policies need to be entered in STIP Compass, and this could be done in a straightforward way, by using information on regional innovation policies already available in the DG Regio

Molecular Mechanism Involved in the Pathogenesis of Early-Onset Epileptic Encephalopathy

Recent studies have shown that neurologic inflammation may both precipitate and sustain seizures, suggesting that inflammation may be involved not only in epileptogenesis but also in determining the drug-resistant profile. Extensive literature data during these last years have identified a number of inflammatory markers involved in these processes of "neuroimmunoinflammation" in epilepsy, with key roles for pro-inflammatory cytokines such as: IL-6, IL-17 and IL-17 Receptor (IL-17R) axis, Tumor-Necrosis-Factor Alpha (TNF-α) and Transforming-Growth-Factor Beta (TGF-β), all responsible for the induction of processes of blood-brain barrier (BBB) disruption and inflammation of the Central Nervous System (CNS) itself. Nevertheless, many of these inflammatory biomarkers have also been implicated in the pathophysiologic process of other neurological diseases. Future studies will be needed to identify the disease-specific biomarkers in order to distinguish epilepsies from other neurological diseases, as well as recognize different epileptic semiology. In this context, biological markers of BBB disruption, as well as those reflecting its integrity, can be useful tools to determine the pathological process of a variety of neurological diseases. However; how these molecules may help in the diagnosis and prognostication of epileptic disorders remains yet to be determined. Herein, authors present an extensive literature review on the involvement of both, systemic and neuronal immune systems, in the early onset of epileptic encephalopathy

A clinical review on megalencephaly: A large brain as a possible sign of cerebral impairment.

Megalencephaly and macrocephaly present with a head circumference measurement 2 standard deviations above the age-related mean. However, even if pathologic events resulting in both megalencephaly and macrocephaly may coexist, a distinction between these two entities is appropriate, as they represent clinical expression of different disorders with a different approach in clinical work-up, overall prognosis, and treatment. Megalencephaly defines an increased growth of cerebral structures related to dysfunctional anomalies during the various steps of brain development in the neuronal proliferation and/or migration phases or as a consequence of postnatal abnormal events. The disorders associated with megalencephaly are classically defined into 3 groups: idiopathic or benign, metabolic, and anatomic. In this article, we seek to underline the clinical aspect of megalencephaly, emphasizing the main disorders that manifest with this anomaly in an attempt to properly categorize these disorders within the megalencephaly group