Le capacità: una risorsa essenziale per lo sviluppo economico

Dealing with an increasingly demanding, competitive and globalized labour market, the European institutions have been long involved with the improvement of education and training systems, in order to both reduce the phenomena of skills mismatches and give all EU citizens the chance to benefit from Lifelong Learning.By switching to an approach based on learning outcomes, we are allowed a better identification of the knowledge, skills and competencies that are actually possessed by individuals. Furthermore, the application of the Quality Circle methodology guarantees transparency and increases the value of learning experience.The improvement process of European Lifelong Learning instruments began almost fifteen years ago and it enters now into a new stage, thanks to the rationalization of Mobility Programs—all of which will be included in the ‘YES Europe’ program.Di fronte ad un mercato del lavoro sempre più esigente, globalizzato e competitivo, le istituzioni europee da tempo sono impegnate nel potenziamento dei sistemi di istruzione e formazione, al fine di ridurre i fenomeni di skills mismatches e di garantire a tutti i cittadini europei la possibilità di accesso alla formazione continua.Il passaggio ad un approccio basato sui risultati dell’apprendimento consente una migliore identificazione delle conoscenze, abilità e competenze realmente in possesso degli individui.Inoltre, l’applicazione della metodologia del Quality Circle garantisce maggior trasparenza e contribuisce ad incrementare il valore dell’esperienza formativa.Il processo di perfezionamento degli strumenti europei di Lifelong Learning, iniziato ormai da una quindicina d’anni, fa segnare oggi una nuova tappa con la razionalizzazione dei Programmi per la Mobilità, che verranno ricompresi nel nuovo programma ‘YES Europe’

Asthma and metabolic syndrome: Current knowledge and future perspectives.

Asthma and obesity are epidemiologically linked; however, similar relationships are also observed with other markers of the metabolic syndrome, such as insulin resistance and dyslipidemia, which cannot be accounted for by increased body mass alone. Obesity appears to be a predisposing factor for the asthma onset, both in adults and in children. In addition, obesity could make asthma more difficult to control and to treat. Although obesity may predispose to increased Th2 inflammation or tendency to atopy, other mechanisms need to be considered, such as those mediated by hyperglycaemia, hyperinsulinemia and dyslipidemia in the context of metabolic syndrome. The mechanisms underlying the association between asthma and metabolic syndrome are yet to be determined. In the past, these two conditions were believed to occur in the same individual without any pathogenetic link. However, the improvement in asthma symptoms following weight reduction indicates a causal relationship. The interplay between these two diseases is probably due to a bidirectional interaction. The purpose of this review is to describe the current knowledge about the possible link between metabolic syndrome and asthma, and explore potential application for future studies and strategic approaches

Asthma in the elderly: A different disease?

Asthma is a chronic airway disease that affects all ages, but does this definition also include the elderly? Traditionally, asthma has been considered a disease of younger age, but epidemiological studies and clinical experience support the concept that asthma is as prevalent in older age as it is in the young. With the ever-increasing elderly population worldwide, the detection and proper management of the disease in old age may have a great impact from the public health perspective. Whether asthma in the elderly maintains the same characteristics as in young populations is an interesting matter. The diagnostic process in older individuals with suspected asthma follows the same steps, namely a detailed history supported by clinical examination and laboratory investigations; however, it should be recognised that elderly patients may partially lose reversibility of airway obstruction. The correct interpretation of spirometric curves in the elderly should take into account the physiological changes in the respiratory system. Several factors contribute to delaying the diagnosis of asthma in the elderly, including the age-related impairment in perception of breathlessness. The management of asthma in advanced age is complicated by the comorbidities and polypharmacotherapy, which advocate for a comprehensive approach with a multidimensional assessment. It should be emphasised that older age frequently represents an exclusion criterion for eligibility in clinical trials, and current asthma medications have rarely been tested in elderly asthmatics. Ageing is associated with pharmacokinetic changes of the medications. As a consequence, absorption, distribution, metabolism and excretion of antiasthmatic medications can be variably affected. Similarly, drug-to-drug interactions may reduce the effectiveness of inhaled medications and increase the risk of side-effects. For this reason, we propose the term “geriatric asthma” be preferred to the more generic “asthma in the elderly”

A 15-Year-Old Boy with Anterior Chest Pain, Progressive Dyspnea, and Subcutaneous Emphysema of the Neck

We describe the case of an adolescent who was admitted to the hospital because of sudden occurrence of chest pain, dyspnea and subcutaneous emphysema. On admission, physical examination revealed subcutaneous crepitations in the superior part of the rib cage, and auscultation of the chest showed widespread wheezing. The radiological assessment confirmed the diagnosis of pneumomediastinum and pneumothorax. A follow-up CT scan performed one week after the admission showed almost complete resolution of the radiological alterations. At the following visits, the patient was asymptomatic, but reported to have suffered from frequent episodes of rhinorrea, sneezing, nasal blockage, and sometimes, chest tightness, especially during exposure to pets and/or windy weather. Skin prick testing showed sensitivities to dermatophagoides pteronyssinus and farinae, grass pollen and dog dander. Spirometry documented significant improvement in lung function after short-acting bronchodilator, allowing for the diagnosis of asthma to be made. Although pneumomediastinum may be a complication of various respiratory diseases, including asthma, it has never been reported as the first presentation of underlying bronchial asthma. Herein, the physiopathological mechanisms, the diagnostic procedures and treatment of pneumomediastinum in asthma are discussed. We suggest that the diagnosis of asthma should be considered in the differential diagnosis of pneumomediastinum in adolescence

Innovation and social learning in higher education institutions

Considering the existing experiences and the concrete needs of the hearing - impaired and visually - impaired groups for accessing HEI programmes, this handboook brings some important innovations: 1. A functional approach, proposing the methods and procedures to be used for developing and delivering ICT based learning offer valid also for these target group (not specially done for them, but designed in such a way that correspond also to their specific needs). This is that will support the target groups in their education and also social inclusion. 2. A subsequent proposal of a kind of “Quality Label”, to establish quality standards and assessment procedures and instruments to be used for evaluating whether Higher Educational Institutions’ offers and training programmes correspond to the ISOLearn standards regarding the accessibility of these groups to their learning offer. 3. Both the Handbook and the “Quality Label” should be tested on a specific qualification which should become a benchmark for the HEI ICT based learning programmes. The concrete experience will demonstrate the benefits for all the stakeholders (e.g. HEI and disadvantaged groups) of promoting social learning approach in HEI.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Gaps and needs analysis: european report and roadmap

Needs assessment analysis within the ISOLEARN project focused on under-researched topic of needs in education process of visually and hearing impaired students in HE in Europe. Applying a mixed-method design with desk research, a web survey with students and in-depth interviews with representatives of higher education institutions revealed valuable feedback for increasing the understanding on needs of this vulnerable group. These two groups need different adaptations as they have different needs. Also we can say they are not satisfied with current adaptations and there is a lot of room for improvement. From the interviews and also desk research we can conclude, that the institutions are trying to help students on their way to academic success, but results of the survey shows, that they (institutions) are successful only to a certain extent.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Gamification to Empower Information Security Education

47% of the world population uses the internet daily, and access is growing also in less developed countries (LDCs). As a consequence, a total of almost 1 billion households in the world have internet access, of which 48 million belong from LDCs (ITU, 2016). A large proportion of internet users are teenagers, who often are not aware of all the risks related to sharing private information through the Internet using for instance social networks. This paper summarizes how much time students pass online, in what activities they prefer to be involved, which risks they are confronted with, and what can be done to reduce them. The solution we propose isan investment on the teacher level, recognized here as a key figure to be trained to become I (information) Secure Agent via an online course. The course will follow a gamified approach for empowering information security education. Our assumption is that gamification will have positive effects on participants’ engagement and goal achievemen

Organisation du Comite des tremblements de terre

International audienc