Socio-demographic characteristics and cognitive performance in oldest old subjects asking for driving license renewal

Background: No papers have examined the relationship between socio-demographic characteristics and cognitive performance in oldest old subjects (i.e, > = 80 years old) asking for driving license renewal. We hypothesize that, even in this highly functioning population, age, sex, and education influence cognitive performance, expressed as total or single domain (raw) test scores. This research question allows to describe, identify, and preserve independence of subjects still able to drive safely. Methods: We examined cross-sectionally a cohort of > = 80 years old subjects (at enrollment) asking for driving license renewal in the Milan area, Italy, 2011\u20132017. The analysis was restricted to 3378 first and 863 second visits where individual\u2019s cognitive performance was evaluated. According to the study protocol, the Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE) test was administered at the first visit for driving license renewal and the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) test at the second visit, following an additional renewal request. Ordinary least squares regression models were fitted at either time points. In each model, we included age, sex, and education as independent variables, whereas the dependent variable was total or single domain score for either test. In total, we fitted 15 regression models to assess our research hypothesis. Results: The median subject in our sample reached the maximum scores on domains targeting operational and tactical abilities implied in safe driving, but had sub-optimal scores in the long-term memory domain included among the strategic abilities. In multiple models, being > = 87 (versus 80- < 86 years old) significantly decreased the mean total and memory scores of MMSE, but not those of the MoCA. Females (versus males) had significantly higher mean total and long-term memory scores of either tests, but not other domains. Mean total and single domain scores increased for increasing education levels for either tests, with increments for high school graduates being ~ 2 of those with (at most) a junior high school diploma.Conclusions: Sex and education, as well as age to a lesser extent, predict cognitive functioning in our oldest old population, thus confirming that concepts like cognitive reserve and successful ageing are valuable constructs in the identification of older subjects still able to drive

#Wetoo? Sexual harassment in academia. Promoting a gender criminology

In the wake of the scientific interest shown towards gender-based violence by the Italian criminology and its affiliated Journal (Italian Journal of Criminology), the authors address a topic that has been much neglected so far, that is sexual harassment in academia. The paper provides definitions of sexual harassment, and explores the dimensions and aspects that characterise it. Data available in the world, specifically in Europe, are synthetically presented, along with the very few existing studies in Italy up to date. Factors that encourage the occurrence of sexual harassment within the academic world are explained taking into consideration the different disciplines (e.g., science or humanities). Difficulties in reporting any experience of sexual harassment en-dured and the “culture of silence” in which the phenomenon is embedded, are among the most prominent factors sustaining it. The negative consequences for the victims, and for academic institutions and research in general, are manifold. Particular attention is devoted to strategies to prevent and repress the sexual harassment in academia, reporting the suggestions that have emerged at an international level, the resources in the occupational and criminal law, and above all the proposals that have emerged from the scientific studies available. The implementation of criminological research – in which the authors are about to engage – is the first and one of the most important means of developing awareness about sexual harassment in academia, and its prevention

Polished silver solid amalgam electrode and cationic surfactant as tool in electroanalytical determination of methomyl pesticide.

Trabalho de Conclusão de Curso (Graduação)The polished silver solid amalgam electrode (p-AgSAE) combined with square wave voltammetry (SWV) was used in the development of an analytical procedure to Methomyl determination in natural water samples. The experimental and voltammetric parameters were optimized and the use of cationic surfactant cetyltrimethyl ammonium bromide promoted a considerable change in the kinetic and mechanism of the Methomyl reaction. Was observed the presence one-single reduction peak, related to a totally irreversible two-electrons transfer, followed by chemical reaction involving two protons. Analytical parameters (linearity range, analytical curve equations, correlation coefficient, detection and quantification limits, recovery efficiency, and relative standard deviation for intraday and interday experiments) were evaluated indicating that the proposed voltammetric procedure is suitable for determination of Methomyl. The application of the proposed procedure in natural water analysis indicated high robustness with only simple filtration, without pre-concentration steps, good stability and suitable sensitivity to determination of Methomyl in natural water samples

Amor, ch'al cor gentil ratto s'apprende : Erotomania, stalking, celebrity stalking

Gli Autori analizzano la correlazione fra stalking, erotomania e celebrity stalking, con particolare attenzione alla pericolosit\ue0 sociale degli stalker erotomanici. Sono presentati due casi di celebrity stalking, uno dei quali basato su erotomania eterosessuale, l'altro omosessuale