Harmony in diversity. On the (possible) existence of ‘the Canadian school of argumentation’

By looking at the birth and evolution of the informal logic movement, and by clarifying which kind of relations in a diversity we need in order to understand what “school” means, we would like to consider the hypothesis that there is something which could be called ‘the Canadian school of argumentation’ or, at least, of a Canadian tradition amongst those that make up the greater field of the study of argumentation

La dimensione retorica della comunicazione professionale

«Comunicare la professionalità» è il titolo di un progetto che si è svolto presso la Facoltà di Giurisprudenza di Trento nel 2011: in questo scritto ne vengono presentati e discussi i contenuti, che riguardano la comunicazione nel settore della pubblica amministrazione, del marketing e dei mass-media. La convinzione di fondo è che non esista un contesto relazionale in cui non vengano in considerazione i profili comunicativoargomentativi che strutturano i rapporti inter-soggettivi, quali sono quelli professionali. Da tale punto di vista, anche nel settore della comunicazione si presenta urgente la domanda di formazione per i professionisti, in grado di renderli capaci di agire da attori protagonisti, per poter dirigere i processi comunicativi piuttosto che esserne meri partecipi

Informal Logic: A 'Canadian' Approach to Argument

The informal logic movement began as an attempt to develop – and teach – an alternative logic which can account for the real life arguing that surrounds us in our daily lives – in newspapers and the popular media, political and social commentary, advertising, and interpersonal exchange. The movement was rooted in research and discussion in Canada and especially at the University of Windsor, and has become a branch of argumentation theory which intersects with related traditions and approaches (notably formal logic, rhetoric and dialectics in the form of pragma-dialectics). In this volume, some of the best known contributors to the movement discuss their views and the reasoning and argument which is informal logic’s subject matter. Many themes and issues are explored in a way that will fuel the continued evolution of the field. Federico Puppo adds an insightful essay which considers the origins and development of informal logic and whether informal logicians are properly described as a “school” of thought. In considering that proposition, Puppo introduces readers to a diverse range of essays, some of them previously published, others written specifically for this volume

Informatica e retorica forense

In questo scritto, affronteremo alcune questioni relative al rapporto fra informatica e retorica forense, assumendo la centralità dell’esperienza processuale e della retorica, che è la logica sua propria. Ci occuperemo pertanto della topica – con riferimento all’informatica giuridica documentaria e alle possibile prospettive di sviluppo aperte dalla logica fuzzy –, interrogandoci nel contempo sulla struttura dialettica del processo – con riferimento al processo penale ed alle problematiche della computer forensic science. In tal modo, cercheremo di evidenziare, in modo critico e problematico, i nuovi orizzonti dischiusi dall’utilizzo di strumenti informatici all’interno dell’esperienza processuale

Il problema del pluralismo giuridico

The author – beginning from the criticism of the essay of Alexander Catelani, “Il diritto come forma e come struttura” – turns his analysis toward the theme of the juridical pluralism. Legal reality is in constant change, such that it is impossible to be exclusively described by the concept of “hierarchy” (of the norms and of the juridical orders) that, instead, in the perspective of legal positivism, was looked out as exclusive

Determinants of mental and physical health-related quality of life among patients hospitalized for suicidal behavior

The current study was interested in exploring the clinical factors related to mental and physical health-related quality of life among patients hospitalized for suicidal behavior. A multicenter cross-sectional study was designed to compare data obtained form 246 patients hospitalized for suicide behavior. Results suggest that mental health-related quality of life was negatively associated with hopelessness while physical health-related quality of life was negatively associated with age, medical disease and the number of previous suicide attempts and positively associated with employment. Findings are discussed in the context of theoretical evidence and clinical implications.Fil: Grendas, Leandro Nicolás. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Gobierno de la Ciudad de Buenos Aires. Hospital Dr. Braulio A. Moyano; Argentina. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Medicina; ArgentinaFil: Rodante, Demián. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Medicina; Argentina. Gobierno de la Ciudad de Buenos Aires. Hospital Dr. Braulio A. Moyano; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Rojas, Sasha. University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences; Estados UnidosFil: Puppo, Soledad. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Medicina. Hospital de Clínicas General San Martín; ArgentinaFil: Vidjen, Patricia. Gobierno de la Ciudad de Buenos Aires. Hospital Municipal ; ArgentinaFil: Lado, Gisela. Gobierno de la Ciudad de Buenos Aires. Hospital Municipal ; ArgentinaFil: Portela, Alicia. Gobierno de la Ciudad de Buenos Aires. Hospital Municipal ; ArgentinaFil: Daray, Federico Manuel. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Medicina; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentin

Differential Impact of Child Sexual Abuse and Family History of Suicidal Behavior in High-Risk Suicidal Patients

The current study aimed to compare suicide-related variables as a function of 1) family history of suicidal behavior and 2) child sexual abuse among patients hospitalized for a suicide attempt or active suicidal ideation. Family history of suicidal behavior and child sexual abuse were examined independently and in combination as a diathesis for a high-risk suicidal phenotype. A multicenter cross-sectional study was designed to compare data obtained from 292 patients hospitalized for suicidal behavior. Demographic and clinical variables were compared among Group 1 (patients who reported both family history of suicidal behavior and child sexual abuse), Group 2 (patients who reported only family history of suicidal behavior), Group 3 (patients who reported only child sexual abuse), and Group 4 (patients who did not report family history of suicidal behavior or childhood sexual abuse). A multinomial logistic regression was used to examine suicide-related variables associated with each group and to compare differences between groups. Group 1 and 3 endorsed a higher number of previous suicide attempts and were more likely to be younger at the first suicide attempt compared to Group 4. Group differences remained after adjustment in a multinomial regression model. The current findings suggest that child sexual abuse may be more strongly related to suicide risk among high risk patients than family history of suicidal behavior.Fil: Grendas, Leandro. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Medicina. Instituto de Farmacologia; Argentina. Gobierno de la Ciudad de Buenos Aires. Hospital General de Agudos "Dr. Teodoro Álvarez"; ArgentinaFil: Rojas, Sasha M.. University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences; Estados UnidosFil: Rodante, Demián E.. Gobierno de la Ciudad Autonoma de Buenos Aires. Hospital Neuropsiquiatrico Braulio Aurelio Moyano.; Argentina. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Medicina. Instituto de Farmacologia; ArgentinaFil: Puppo, Soledad. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Medicina. Hospital de Clínicas General San Martín; ArgentinaFil: Vidjen, Patricia. Gobierno de la Ciudad de Buenos Aires. Hospital Municipal "José Tiburcio Borda"; ArgentinaFil: Portela, Alicia. Gobierno de la Ciudad de Buenos Aires. Hospital Municipal "José Tiburcio Borda"; ArgentinaFil: Daray, Federico Manuel. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Medicina. Instituto de Farmacologia; Argentina. Gobierno de la Ciudad Autonoma de Buenos Aires. Hospital Neuropsiquiatrico Braulio Aurelio Moyano.; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Houssay; Argentin

Association between preoperative evaluation with lung ultrasound and outcome in frail elderly patients undergoing orthopedic surgery for hip fractures: study protocol for an Italian multicenter observational prospective study (LUSHIP)

Hip fracture is one of the most common orthopedic causes of hospital admission in frail elderly patients. Hip fracture fixation in this class of patients is considered a high-risk procedure. Preoperative physical examination, plasma natriuretic peptide levels (BNP, Pro-BNP), and cardiovascular scoring systems (ASA-PS, RCRI, NSQIP-MICA) have all been demonstrated to underestimate the risk of postoperative complications. We designed a prospective multicenter observational study to assess whether preoperative lung ultrasound examination can predict better postoperative events thanks to the additional information they provide in the form of "indirect" and "direct" cardiac and pulmonary lung ultrasound signs

Array analysis of seismic noise at the Sos Enattos mine, the Italian candidate site for the Einstein Telescope

The area surrounding the dismissed mine of Sos Enattos (Sardinia, Italy) is the Italian candidate site for hosting Einstein Telescope (ET), the third-generation gravitational wave (GW) observatory. One of the goals of ET is to extend the sensitivity down to frequencies well below those currently achieved by GW detectors, i.e. down to 2 Hz. In the bandwidth [1,10] Hz, the seismic noise of anthropogenic origin is expected to represent the major perturbation to the operation of the infrastructure, and the site that will host the future detector must fulfill stringent requirements on seismic disturbances. In this paper we describe the operation of a temporary, 15-element, seismic array deployed in close proximity to the mine. Signals of anthropogenic origin have a transient nature, and their spectra are characterized by a wide spectral lobe spanning the [3,20] Hz frequency interval. Superimposed to this wide lobe are narrow spectral peaks within the [3,8] Hz frequency range. Results from slowness analyses suggest that the origin of these peaks is related to vehicle traffic along the main road running east of the mine. Exploiting the correlation properties of seismic noise, we derive a dispersion curve for Rayleigh waves, which is then inverted for a shallow velocity structure down to depths of ≈≈ 150 m. This data, which is consistent with that derived from analysis of a quarry blast, provide a first assessment of the elastic properties of the rock materials at the site candidate to hosting ET

Characteristics and patterns of care of endometrial cancer before and during COVID-19 pandemic

Objective: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak has correlated with the disruption of screening activities and diagnostic assessments. Endometrial cancer (EC) is one of the most common gynecological malignancies and it is often detected at an early stage, because it frequently produces symptoms. Here, we aim to investigate the impact of COVID-19 outbreak on patterns of presentation and treatment of EC patients. Methods: This is a retrospective study involving 54 centers in Italy. We evaluated patterns of presentation and treatment of EC patients before (period 1: March 1, 2019 to February 29, 2020) and during (period 2: April 1, 2020 to March 31, 2021) the COVID-19 outbreak. Results: Medical records of 5,164 EC patients have been retrieved: 2,718 and 2,446 women treated in period 1 and period 2, respectively. Surgery was the mainstay of treatment in both periods (p=0.356). Nodal assessment was omitted in 689 (27.3%) and 484 (21.2%) patients treated in period 1 and 2, respectively (p<0.001). While, the prevalence of patients undergoing sentinel node mapping (with or without backup lymphadenectomy) has increased during the COVID-19 pandemic (46.7% in period 1 vs. 52.8% in period 2; p<0.001). Overall, 1,280 (50.4%) and 1,021 (44.7%) patients had no adjuvant therapy in period 1 and 2, respectively (p<0.001). Adjuvant therapy use has increased during COVID-19 pandemic (p<0.001). Conclusion: Our data suggest that the COVID-19 pandemic had a significant impact on the characteristics and patterns of care of EC patients. These findings highlight the need to implement healthcare services during the pandemic