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Research has often focused on which teaching-related stressors might undermine teachers' effectiveness, with spillover effects on students' performance. This connection makes studies on teacher well-being crucial, as well as the search for variables that can act as a buffer for unavoidable job stressors. The present study investigates whether the relationship between academic workload and the need for recovery varies based on student demands and meaningful work perceptions. Hence, a moderated moderation model was tested on 236 Italian university teachers. The results show that the effect of academic workload on the need for recovery is higher in conditions of high student demands. Meaningful work plays a protective role, mitigating the effect of academic workload in both high and low student demands conditions. These findings suggest the promotion of protective elements that can trigger a virtuous process such that teachers' well-being improves effectiveness, which, in turn, improves students' learning experience.

Students' career decision is a relevant topic in career development with scholars and practitioners aiming at understanding which factors can contribute to students decision-making to support them in their career path. In this study, we argue that facilitating conditions can positively influence the career decisions of students. This relationship is mediated by career self-efficacy and moderated by optimism. To test our hypotheses, we conducted a longitudinal study. In total, 789 high school students from different educational streams took part in our three-way study. Results showed that career decision-making self-efficacy mediates the relationship between facilitating conditions for school motivations and career decision-making. While the direct effect of facilitating conditions for school motivations on career decidedness is negative, the relationship linking facilitating conditions for school motivations to career decision-making self-efficacy, as well as that linking career decision-making self-efficacy and career decidedness, is positive. These results provide insights for better-targeting counselling programmes.

Background: This study explores the impact of the pandemic on children's mental health. It examined the understanding of parents regarding their children's mental condition and their ability to identify issues, 2 years post the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: Using a cross-sectional design, 507 Italian parents reported on their youngest child aged between 2 and 17, totaling 507 children. The outcomes focused on were parental perception of children's mental health deterioration, scores on the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) above the clinical cut-off, and parental under-recognition of mental health issues. Descriptive analyses and multivariable logistic regression models were executed (significance at p < 0.05). Results: Parents were 88.1% women (median age 41 years, interquartile range [IQR] = 36-47). Their children were 50.3% female [median age 6 years (IQR = 4-11)]. The data revealed 21.1% of parents perceived a deterioration in their children's mental health, while 44.2% had SDQ scores above the cut-off. Parental under-recognition of mental issues was found in 20.1% of cases. Significant correlations were found between parental perception of deterioration, SDQ scores, and factors like parental mental distress and children's sleep issues. Implications: The findings suggest that schools and verified websites can serve as critical conduits for providing parents with reliable information. By promoting early identification and intervention, such mechanisms can help ensure mental health equity for children. Conclusions: The research highlights the effect of the pandemic on children's mental health and the issue of parental under-recognition. The results underscore the importance of public health initiatives that enhance mental health information accessibility and reliability for parents.

Context: In the last few decades, the constant and exponential changes in the society's consumption of information have increased the awareness of practitioners from the education and training field, on the need for training programs for the enhancement of critical thinking skills and media literacy among students from Initial Vocational Education and Training (IVET) who are less exposed to intellectual trainings than their peers in traditional education pathways. Approach: With this impetus, the present paper reports the results of a mixed methods study evaluating a training program for such competences. Based on a cognitive psychology theoretical framework, the training program consisted in three main techniques through which trainers can work with students in the classroom. N= 35 trainers from five different countries (i.e., Greece, Italy, Spain, Portugal, and the Netherlands) were instructed about the training techniques and implemented them in their training centres. Then, a total of N= 288 students among these countries were involved in the testing of the training, which took place on a duration average of 5 months. Mixed methods approach was used to evaluate the effectiveness and quality of the training. Notably, prospective statistical analysis evaluated the training's impact of the participating students and compared with a control group. Qualitative interviews examined the training's lived experience with a group of students and trainers. Findings: The quantitative and qualitative analysis of pre/post- measures of critical thinking skills and media literacy of the experimental group, and the comparison with the control group, indicate an increase in these competences and confirm the efficacy of the training intervention. Conclusion: These results inform about the usefulness of the training program cross-culturally and the feasibility of training strategies based on cognitive psychology. Moreover, the paper offers a methodological contribution thanks to the proposition of the mixed methods approach for training programs assessment.

Background: The Pediatric Eating Assessment Tool (PEDI-EAT-10) is a reliable and valid tool for rapid identification of dysphagia in patients aged 18 months to 18 years. Aims: To translate and adapt the PEDI-EAT-10 into the Italian language and evaluate its validity and reliability. Methods & Procedures: The translation and cross-cultural adaptation of the tool consisted of five stages: initial translation, synthesis of the translations, back translation, expert committee evaluation and test of the prefinal version. The internal consistency of the translated tool was analysed in a clinical group composed of 200 patients with special healthcare needs aged between 18 months and 18 years. They were consecutively enrolled at the Rare Disease Unit, Paediatrics Department, Fondazione Policlinico Agostino Gemelli-IRCCS, Rome. For test-retest reliability, 50 caregivers filled in the PEDI-EAT-10 questionnaire for a second time after a 2-week period. Construct validity was established by comparing data obtained from patients with data from healthy participants (n = 200). The study was approved by the local ethics committee. Outcomes & Results: Psychometric data obtained from patients (104 M; mean age = 8.08 ± 4.85 years; median age = 7 years) showed satisfactory internal consistency (Cronbach's a = 0.89) and test-retest reliability (Pearson r = 0.99; Spearman r = 0.96). A total of 30% of children were classified as having a high risk of penetration/aspiration. The Italian PEDI-EAT-10 mean total score of the clinical group was significantly different from that resulting from healthy participants. Conclusions & Implications: The PEDI-EAT-10 was successfully translated into Italian, validated and found to be a reliable one-page rapid screening tool to identify dysphagia in children and adolescents with special needs.

During adolescence, parental and peer support and emotional intelligence (EI) may play a protective role against the risk of becoming a victim of bullying. This study aims to assess the role of perceived parental and peer support in promoting individual EI, reducing the risk of victimisation. The sample consisted of 348 Italian middle and high school students. Victimisation risk, perceived parental and peer support, and EI were measured using questionnaires. A cross-sectional study and a Structural Equation Model with latent variables were conducted to assess the mediating role of EI in perceived parental and peer support and victimisation risk. Results indicated that EI fully mediated the association between perceived parent ([beta] = 0.20, p[less than or equal to] 0.001) and peer support ([beta] = 0.10, p[less than or equal to] 0.01) and victimisation risk. These data suggest the need to structure training to promote support in the social and family context to increase students' EI and thus reduce the risk of victimisation among students.

Peer-tutoring (PT) is a widely studied learning strategy. No studies, to our knowledge, have examined the effects of PT on tutors' metacognitive abilities, particularly in relation to implicit theories of intelligence. Study 1 aimed to determine the effects of PT on tutors' theory and beliefs of intelligence and self-confidence in their own intelligence. Study 2 aimed to explore the efficacy of a metacognitive training administered to tutors on some metacognitive dimensions for both tutors and tutees. In Study 1, we compared tutors and no-tutors before and after PT; in Study 2 we compared tutors, who completed a brief metacognitive training, with a group of standard tutors, as well as their relative tutees. Participants were assigned to experimental conditions and assessed using various standardised questionnaires. Study 1 revealed a surprising negative effect: after PT, tutors tended to abandon the idea of intelligence as a modifiable construct and adopt a more dysfunctional theory of entity intelligence ("Cohen's d" = 0.66). Study 2 also showed that the PT experience negatively affected tutors' theory of intelligence ("Cohen's d" = 0.94), but this held only for untrained tutors. We also found a positive indirect effect of the training on tutees' attitudes towards maths.

Lately conspiracy theories (CT) are increasingly hovering over Education Studies, mostly as problems in search of a solution. This paper problematizes this educational solutionist discourse by reflecting critically on different framing of CT (i.e., epistemological and ethico-political) and some related educational responses, ranging from pre/debunking strategies to democratic discussion. In addition, Media Data Literacy Education (MDLE) is presented as a viable educational approach to address CT circulating online. The approach is empirically explored through an online workshop with a small group of social workers attending a course for socio-pedagogical educators at the University of Florence. A qualitative mixed methodology is used to explore the pedagogical relevance of the MDLE intervention in addressing the educational challenges posed by CT and to highlight a possible critical rethinking of participants on the CT and their data. Results suggests that participants see MDLE as a valid pedagogical strategy to guide different learners (adolescents, general public and themselves) in the critical evaluation of media (dis)information. In addition, although the workshop seems to have enhanced participants' critical thinking about mediatisation and datafication of CT further research is needed to develop and evaluate this pedagogical strategy, especially in relation to multiperspectival thinking and democratic discussions of CT in formal educational contexts.

Obtaining a Veterinary Surgeon degree relies on the acquisition of "Day One Competences" (DOCs), among which professional skills related to meat inspection are acquired during visits to abattoirs. In 2020, lockdown measures due to COVID-19 pandemic limited on-site practical training. The present study describes the creation of an e-learning course on bovine and swine slaughtering as an alternative tool for compulsory DOCs achievement within the course "Inspection and control of food of animal origin" during the fourth year of the Veterinary Medicine degree program (Department of Veterinary Sciences of the University of Pisa). Academics and external professionals took part on the planning and development of the learning material. Video pills, consisting of shooting of the slaughtering coupled with trainers' descriptive explanations, were produced. The perceived effectiveness of course contents, trainers' communication skills and technical quality were assessed with a questionnaire. The developed e-learning platform consisted of four main sections (Introduction, Swine slaughtering, Bovine slaughtering and Additional topics), integrated by multiple-choice questions for the student's self-assessment. According to students' assessment, the platform, of high technical quality, effectively condensed contents on meat inspection. Despite the unique and irreplaceable role of practical training in the achievement of the professional skills included in the veterinary curriculum, the e-learning course may concur in providing DOCs and is in line with the adoption of a modern teaching model where e-learning resources engage students in deeper learning approaches.

In order to evaluate the effect of a policy or treatment with pre- and post-treatment outcomes, we propose an approach based on a transition model, which may be applied with multivariate outcomes and accounts for unobserved heterogeneity. This model is based on potential versions of discrete latent variables representing the individual characteristic of interest and may be cast in the hidden (latent) Markov literature for panel data. Therefore, it can be estimated by maximum likelihood in a relatively simple way. The approach extends the difference-in-difference method as it is possible to deal with multivariate outcomes. Moreover, causal effects may be expressed with respect to transition probabilities. The proposal is validated through a simulation study, and it is applied to evaluate educational programs administered to pupils in the sixth and seventh grades during their middle school period. These programs are carried out in an Italian region to improve non-cognitive skills (CSs). We study if they impact also on students' CSs in Italian and Mathematics in the eighth grade, exploiting the pretreatment test scores available in the fifth grade. The main conclusion is that the educational programs aimed to develop noncognitive abilities help the best students to maintain their higher cognitive abilities over time.

Background: Italy is internationally known as a Country with a longstanding "tradition" of inclusive education. Objective: Aim of the paper is to provide a frame on the educational policies that, since 1970s, have steered the school system according to a "fully inclusive" model, highlighting the instruments of teaching-learning and evaluation tools for assessing the quality of the inclusive processes. Methodology: Starting from primary and secondary legislative sources, the paper identifies three main focus points: the passage from the inclusive "principle" to the teaching-learning practices; the tools for answering special educational needs; the tools for assessing the quality of inclusive processes. Discussion: Even though there are many efforts to align to international legislative regulations and to modernize the concept of inclusive education, Italian reality seems to be ossified in self-referential attitudes, beliefs and practices that saturate the school system. The paper outlines the need for defining new systemic research approaches that can validate this long educational tradition.

In the last few years, several initiatives based on extracurricular activities have been organized in many countries around the world, with the aim to reduce the digital gender gap in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) fields. Among them, the Digital Girls summer camp, organized every year since 2014 by two Italian universities with the aim to attract female students to ICT (Information and Communication Technologies) disciplines, represents quite a unique initiative for its characteristics of long-duration (3-4 entire weeks) and complete gratuitousness for the participants. The COVID-19 emergency imposed severe changes to such activities, that had to be modified and carried out in the online mode as a consequence of social distancing. However, on one hand, the general lack of high-quality evaluations of these initiatives hinders the possibility to understand the actual impact of extracurricular activities on the future academic choices of the participants. On the other hand, the availability of data collected over different editions of Digital Girls has allowed us to analyze the summer camp impact and to evaluate the pros and cons of in-presence and online activities. The main contribution of this paper is twofold. First, we present an overview of existing experiences, at the national (Italian) and international levels, to increase female participation in integrated STEM and ICT fields. Second, we analyze how summer camp participation can influence girls' future academic choices, with specific attention to ICT-related disciplines. In particular, the collection of a significant amount of data through anonymous surveys conducted before and after the camp activities over the two editions allowed us to evidence the different impacts of in-presence and online extracurricular activities.

COVID-19 has shaped and changed our normalities, and, with the discovery of new variants, the long-COVID syndrome, and stress disorders, the end of the pandemic seems distant. The current scenario is impacting all aspects of our lives. In particular, many studies reported that the pandemic resulted in increased psychiatric disorders and grief-related symptoms in adolescents. The project developed between Italy and Slovenia investigated students' experiences during the lockdown and, in particular, reported the perception of distanced learning, producing a transparent qualitative analysis that can inform future research and open to discussions on learning strategies. A survey was conducted with secondary school students in Southern Italy between 1 April and 31 May 2020 and in Central Slovenia between 16 March and 28 February 2021. Qualitative and quantitative data were collected based on students' perception of distanced learning, via an online survey platform. The results focused on three main aspects: learning experience, relationships with peers and teachers, and anxiety levels. The data showed similarities and differences in the two cohorts and suggested strategies to improve education (e.g., with blended approaches) to prepare students, teachers, and tutors for the challenges of returning to classes. In particular, data showed that it is recommended to foster collaboration between EU countries and to work to prevent students' social isolation.

In kindergarten, children are usually engaged with both verbal activities and non-verbal activities, often requiring the manipulation of physical objects. During technical tasks (e.g., problem solving), children can use argumentation as one of the languages of science that mediates how they interact with the surrounding world. In this paper, we focused on technical tasks in kindergarten in order to understand to what extent activities requiring the manipulation of physical objects also leave space for argumentation. The study involved 25 children engaged in three problem-solving activities requiring the manipulation of Lego® and some recycled materials. To analyze the non-verbal (embodied) side of the argumentative activities, we firstly identified the argumentative structure of each exchange involving the participants. Then, we focused on segments of "incomplete" argumentative dialogues (i.e., presenting only some elements typical of children's argumentation) by appealing to multimodal representations (speech, gestures, and physical objects). The findings of the study showed that even apparently incomplete exchanges can have an argumentative function generated by non-verbal elements of the interactions. Investigating the role of embodied argumentation during technical tasks in kindergarten can allow teachers to recognize and further develop children's argumentative resources.

This paper presents the perceptions on distance learning approaches, assessed through an online survey, using experimental design of ideas (Mind Genomics). Students and professors of higher education institutions who had not yet experienced distance learning before COVID-19 pandemic period participated in the study. The participants belong to the universities located in Mediterranean basin, e.g., Albania, Italy, Morocco, Algeria and few African countries. Results suggest that distance learning will shift many of the responsibilities formerly on the professors to those of the students. The data suggests the need for emotional support during this transition, specifically to maintain interaction among students and professor as well as among students themselves in distance learning platforms as in traditional classrooms. The study shows that the effectiveness and the interactivity of this new paradigm are very important and any further developments of distance learning should provide strong support for these components. The position of the professor is indispensable as the guide to the entire process, suggesting that at least at the time of this writing (2020) distance learning approach is perceived only to be an intermittent complementary path to in-person interactions.

Objective: To culturally adapt and validate the Italian version of the Shoulder Instability—Return to Sport after Injury (SI-RSI-I) scale. Methods: The SI-RSI-I was developed by adapting the Anterior Cruciate Ligament—Return to Sport Index—Italian version and replacing the term "knee" with "shoulder." Subsequently, it underwent validation following COSMIN recommendations. The study involved athletic participants who experienced SI. They completed the SI-RSI-I together with other measurement instruments: Western Ontario Shoulder Instability Index, Kerlan-Jobe Orthopedic Clinic Score, EuroQol-5D-5L, and Numeric Pain Rating Scale. The following psychometric properties were investigated: structural validity, internal consistency, test–retest reliability, measurement error, and construct validity. Results: The study included 101 participants (age mean [SD] 28.5 [7.4] y; 83 males, 18 females). The SI-RSI-I showed a single-factor structure, excellent internal consistency (α =.935), and excellent test–retest reliability (ICC =.926; 95% CI,.853–.964). The standard error of measurement was 6.1 points, and the minimal detectable change was 17.0 points. Furthermore, SI-RSI-I demonstrated moderate to strong correlations with all reference scales, confirming 8 out of 9 (88.0%) hypotheses, thus establishing satisfactory construct validity. Conclusion: The SI-RSI-I has demonstrated robust internal consistency, reliability, validity, and feasibility as a valuable scale for assessing psychological readiness to return to sport in Italian athletes with SI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The Montreal Children's Hospital Feeding Scale (MCH-FS) allows paediatricians and other health care professionals to identify feeding difficulties among children. Aim: To translate and adapt the MCH-FS into Italian, and to evaluate the validity and reliability of this Italian version of the Montreal Children's Hospital Feeding Scale (I-MCH-FS). Methods & Procedures: A total of 150 children with special healthcare needs were admitted to the Rare Disease Unit of the Paediatrics Department at the Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Agostino Gemelli IRCCS, Rome, Italy, between March 2021 and March 2022 (74 males; mean age = 3.85 ± 1.96 years; median age = 4 years; age range = 6 months-6 years and 11 months) and 150 healthy participants (83 males; mean age = 3.5 ± 1.98 years; median age = 3 years; age range = 6 months-6 years and 11 months) were included in the study, which was approved by the local ethics committee. The original version of the MCH-FS was translated and cross-cultural adapted through five stages: (1) initial translation, (2) synthesis of the translations, (3) back translation, (4) expert committee and (5) test of the prefinal version. Test-retest reliability and internal consistency were assessed using Pearson r, Spearman r and Cronbach's alpha, respectively. Construct validity was established by comparing data obtained from patients with those of healthy participants using the Mann-Whitney U-test. Outcomes & Results: A Pearson "r" of 0.98, a Spearman "r" of 0.95 and Cronbach's alpha value of 0.86 were obtained. In the clinical group, 40.6% children were classified as having feeding disorders (n = 61), while in the normative group 4.7% were diagnosed with feeding problems (n = 7). Mean total score of the clinical group was significatively different from the normative's. Conclusions & Implications: The I-MCH-FS is a valid and reliable one-page, quick screening tool used to identify feeding disorders among children with special needs in outpatient paediatric setting.

This paper reports the results of the Inf@nziaDigiTales3.6 project on the design, development and evaluation of an augmented reality application to support situated learning experiences in a smart city. The users of the application are primary school children and the case study refers to recognition of road signs as geometric shapes. The objective is to allow children to comprehend the meaning of road signs of a city and to guide them in the recognition of the geometric shapes and colors connected to these signs. The mobile application is based on the paradigm of games and uses a virtual character with the role of intelligent tutor. The results of the evaluation confirm the expected benefits related to the adoption of augmented reality and mobile technologies, mainly in terms of involvement, pleasantness and willingness to repeat the experience. The results show that the re-mediation of augmented reality and the intelligent tutoring system have influenced the memorization processes of figures and colors, as well as of the contents of most of the signals presented. The application has been also deployed on smart glasses and shown in the context of an international event for children and teenagers, the Giffoni Film Festival 2018.

Purpose: Given the instability and volatility of the labour market and the global talent scarcity, placing more attention on job employability is fundamental. In this context, the literature has already extensively examined employability as a crucial individual aspect, identifying some significant antecedents, including the applicability of training on the job. The present study aims to examine the impact that teaching employees to craft their job may have on the levels of applicability of training and if, in turn, this improves self-perceived employability. Design/methodology/approach: The authors involved three private organizations that followed three workshops on job crafting behaviour. To empirically assess the intervention, the authors asked participants of the workshop to complete four quantitative diaries on a weekly basis, i.e. one per week, one before the intervention and three after the intervention. The diaries comprised measures of job crafting behaviours, applicability of training and self-perceived employability. Findings: Multi-level analysis of data collected provided support to the positive associations between job crafting behaviour and self-perceived employability with the mediating effect of applicability of training. Notably, the applicability of training improves when individuals search for challenges, which indirectly affects perceived employability in terms of organizational sense. Research limitations/implications: In the present study, no control group was used with which the results of our intervention could be compared. However, this does not affect the overall results, given the amount of intraindividual variability. Originality/value: The paper proposes initial avenues for promoting employability at work via the use of behavioural job crafting intervention.

The outcome of a psychodynamic counselling intervention for students seeking psychological help at a university counselling centre in Italy was evaluated by examining its effect on clinical symptoms of the students. The intervention consisted of four counselling sessions and a later three-month follow-up session. The sample (N = 160) was drawn from a population of 360 university students. An in-treatment group (n = 86) was compared to a waiting-list comparison group (n = 74). Post-test measures were administered one month after baseline for each group. The psychodynamic counselling intervention was found to be a valid method to reduce psychopathological symptoms and to improve psychological adjustment among university students.

Professorships in Italy are assigned following public competitions. However, favouritism affects faculty hiring. Researchers lacking clientelistic support remain excluded from academia and are obliged to seek employment abroad or at non-university institutions, or to abandon their career. Do non-recruited researchers have better or worse scientific capacity than those who have attained professorships in Italy? Files regarding the competitions in bibliometric disciplines won by 186 professors in Florence were analysed. An equal number of professors recruited at other Italian universities and scientists who never attained professorship in Italy were randomly drawn from the pool of individuals having national scientific qualification (the prerequisite for professorship) in the same disciplines as each Florentine professor. H-indexes of the year of qualification (T1), of the Florence call (T2), and in July 2021 (T3) were obtained from Scopus. Non-recruited individuals were more likely (Chi-square test) to show a higher H-index than both Florentine (T1 p = 0.0005, T2 p = 0.0015, T3 p = 0.0095) and non-Florentine professors (T1 p = 0.0078, T2 p = 0.0245, T3 p = 0.0500). Fifty-four non-recruited scientists serve in foreign universities, 100 at national/international research centres. The remaining scientists (25 who continue producing despite precarious employment, and seven who have stopped publishing) were as likely as Florentine (T3 p = 0.69) and non-Florentine (T3 p = 0.14) professors to show a higher H-index. Italian faculty hiring disregards merit. A more challenging qualification would limit the access of researchers with lower scientific capacity, and favour those with greater proficiency. As it stands, competition is useless. Once professors obtain permanent employment, they seem less motivated to publish.

The teaching of soft skills in EFL postgraduate courses is increasingly part of the Italian university curricula, albeit with some delay compared to foreign universities. Postgraduate English language courses need to focus on the use of language in foreseeable situations by creating opportunities to use the language in public contexts. Meetings, presentations, debates are the activities that young people will increasingly be called upon to engage in. Rather than solely on theoretical knowledge learned previously, these activities develop the practical use of language, in front of an audience, with a structured discourse and with some emphasis on the non-verbal elements of communication. Although these aspects may appear daunting to students, more often than not, they have been able to overcome their anxiety, not only in relation to the embarrassment of speaking a foreign language in public, but even to the mere act of speaking in public, which represents an obstacle in itself. In this study a case of Italian postgraduate students of Political Science was carried out and analysed.

The civil education approach uses sports practise as a preventive intervention to increase self-awareness and to help modulate emotion in adolescents. Indeed, sports participation results in a better quality of life, more favourable cardio-metabolic and sleeping profiles and a healthier body composition. Adolescents involved in sport activities also report a higher level of social and emotional skills, and reduced mental health distress. However, the Italian school's program provides only two hours weekly of physical education, with lack of options and participation. In alignment with the civil educational approach, the research team aims to develop a predictive sport, movement, eating habits, relationships and technologies (S.M.A.R.T.) questionnaire to identify the youths that present a higher risk of delinquency. The following research aims to explore preliminary data from 501 adolescents completing the S.M.A.R.T. The results show that the female group (n = 260) was healthier than the male group (n = 241); particularly, the female group demonstrated a higher level of self-awareness in the use of technologies (p < 0.05). Our results produce the first data set on a cohort of young adolescents in Italy using the S.M.A.R.T. questionnaire. The questionnaire possesses a high response rate and should now be implemented towards validation.

The first case of pneumonia was reported on 8 December 2019 and identified on 7 January 2020 as COVID-19. On 9 March 2020, to stop the spread of COVID-19 cases, the Italian government declared a health emergency, forcing all citizens to go into lockdown. Suddenly, schools were constrained to using distance learning strategies with little or limited experience on the topic. Particularly, in the southern regions of Italy, approximately 20% of the students did not have access to any devices and were excluded from learning, producing a direct risk of increased adolescent delinquency. This research team intended to report the results of an observational study that focused on the perceptions of distance learning in adolescents from secondary school in Naples (Italy) between April and May 2020. The questionnaire comprised 11 questions focused on the perceptions of distance learning in comparison to live classrooms, relationships with peers and teachers, and levels of anxiety. The study is amongst the first to report the effect of the pandemic from a student-centred perspective and hopes to produce information to develop future research on asynchronous learning.

This study examines the relationship between the individual motivational characteristics of young scientists (i.e. PhD students and post-docs) and their entrepreneurial intention, exploring also the mediating role of their third mission orientation. For this purpose, the authors considered the knowledge spillover theory of entrepreneurship at the level of the individual and the Theory of Planned Behaviour. Having university scientists as the unit of analysis, they used structural equation modelling to survey a sample of 337 young scientists working in a major Italian university. The authors were able to empirically identify the importance of third mission orientation as a mediating variable between scientists' motivational characteristics and their entrepreneurial intention. The entrepreneurial orientation is reinforced if scientists are also engaged in third mission activities. The findings offer valuable insights for policy makers and higher education managers to develop strategies that could enhance knowledge transfer activities and produce additional benefits for universities and societies.

This work documents the collaboration between the Physics department of the University of Calabria and some schools of the region in a project devoted to recovering disused instrumentation in school laboratories. The project has been conceived as a workplace experience for the students, i.e. a learning experience in a real work place. In Italy, workplace experiences are mandatory for all students in the last 3 years (16-19 years old) of secondary education. The integration of these informal activities into the formal school context can allow structural and sustained connections between schools and research environments. In the following we describe how this integration has been implemented through a peer-to-peer interaction among school students, teachers and university researchers. The project, which entailed also the participation of the students in exhibits and public events, emphasizes the experimental activities in the physics laboratory as an important moment of aggregation and socialization.

In the framework of positive psychology approach, the present study reports the effect of a mixed human resources (HR) intervention program. We developed an intervention by the integration of the classic resource-based intervention with the specific strength training program named FAMILY. Then, we examined the extent to which such a combined intervention enhanced commitment, work engagement, job performance, and decreasing exhaustion of the participants. N = 69 sales consultants operating in an Italian pharmaceutical company participated in our study. To monitor the interventions used, participants had to complete a diary with self-report measures on the dimensions considered for four weeks. Data were analyzed by using growth models to study the variability of the dimensions considered overtime. Afterward, we used multilevel model analyses to test the associations between them. Our results showed that our combined training intervention increased in-role and extra-role performance, emotional commitment, and decreased the reported exhaustion level of the employees. Moreover, relationships among such dimensions have been explored in relation to antecedents that affect them (i.e., negative and positive emotions experienced, and job demands, and resources).

This work presents 'Dove sta di casa la scuola', an online course for teachers promoted by the Small School Movement during the COVID-19 emergency. The course aimed to provide alternatives to lecture-based distance learning using the domestic environment as a context for 'low-intensity' digital learning. Such an experience, involving 7000 Italian teachers, allowed the school system to intervene on those pupils at risk of exclusion from distance learning for reasons related to digital divide conditions. Moreover, it was an opportunity to propose alternatives to a distance model focused solely on the provision of content and video lessons. The training experience has fostered the creation of spaces for the active construction of practices that have crossed multiple and heterogeneous disciplines, ranging from math to philosophy.

Background: Rimegepant, a novel oral calcitonin gene-related peptide receptor antagonist, has been recently approved for the acute migraine treatment. While its efficacy was confirmed in randomized clinical trials, no data is available regarding real-life effectiveness and tolerability. GAINER, a prospective, multicentric study, aimed to evaluate rimegepant effectiveness and tolerability in the real-world setting. Methods: Our study involved 16 headache centers across Italy. The main outcomes were: i) 2 h pain freedom, and ii) occurrence of treatment-emergent adverse events after administration. Participants were instructed to treat one migraine attack with rimegepant 75 mg orally disintegrating tablet. Using an ad hoc diary, participants prospectively collected migraine attack features at baseline and every 30 min after rimegepant administration, up to 2 h post dose. A 24 h follow up was also collected. Results: We enrolled 103 participants with migraine (74.8% female, mean age 44.4 [42.0 – 46.7] years, 24.3% with chronic migraine of whom 44.0% presented a concomitant diagnosis of medication overuse headache). The number of previously failed preventive classes was 2.7 [2.3 – 3.2]. Participants presented a mean of 9.6 [8.2 – 10.9] monthly migraine days at baseline. At rimegepant intake, 40.8% of patients rated migraine intensity as severe. Pain freedom 2 h post dose was reported in 44.7% (46/103) of individuals. Pain freedom 2 h post dose was not influenced by baseline pain severity (p = 0.316), but it was associated with timing of intake (p = 0.032) with a higher rate of 2 h pain freedom when rimegepant was taken within 1 h from pain onset. Mild adverse events were reported in 15.5% total attacks (16/103), predominantly fatigue (n = 6), gastrointestinal symptoms (n = 6), somnolence (n = 4), and transient cognitive difficulties (n = 3). Tolerability was rated as good-to-excellent in 85.4% cases (88/103). Conclusions: Our data confirms rimegepant effectiveness and safety in the acute migraine treatment in a real-world setting in a cohort of participants that includes subjects with episodic or chronic migraine, medication overuse and a high number of prior preventive treatment failures. Trial registration: The study was preregistered on clinicaltrial.gov, NCT05903027. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The Italian Fund for Alzheimer's and other dementias approved in 2020 enabled the conducting of a survey in the Italian Centers for Cognitive Disorders and Dementias (CCDDs) to analyse the organization, the administrative features and the professionals' characteristics. Aims: To investigate the current use of neuropsychological (NP) tests in Italian CCDDs and the association between the use of a basic set of tests for neuropsychological assessment (NPA) and organizational/structural characteristics of CCDDs. Methods: A survey was conducted with an online questionnaire in all CCDDs between July 2022 and February 2023. To verify the use of a comprehensive NPA in the diagnosis of cognitive disorders and dementia, we identified a minimum core test (MCT). Results: The CCDDs using a Minimum Core Test (MCT) significantly increased from 45.7% in 2015 to the current 57.1%. Territorial CCDDs using MCT significantly increased from 24.9% in 2015 to 37% in 2022 (p = 0.004). As multivariable results, the presence of psychologist/neuropsychologist in the staff and the University-based/IRCCS CCDDs increased the probability of using MCT (OR = 9.2; 95% CI 5.6–15.0; p < 0.001 and OR = 5.4; 95% CI 1.9–15.9; p = 0.002, respectively), while CCDDs in Southern Italy-Islands showed a lower probability than those in the North (OR = 0.4; 95% CI 0.2–0.7; p = 0.001). Discussion: Almost half of CCDDs (43%) do not use MCT in their clinical practice. The presence of the psychologist/neuropsychologist on the staff has a key role in the adoption of MCT and regional differences have increased over the past years. NPA is crucial in the diagnostic process and in characterizing risk profiles in order to implement targeted interventions for risk reduction. Conclusions: Our results could help to identify good practices aimed at improving dementia diagnosis. An intervention by health policymakers is urgently needed with the aim of improving diagnostic appropriateness and overcoming regional differences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: The purpose of this clinical study is to compare implant full-arch intraoral scans taken immediately after implant placement with those obtained after tissue healing in patients rehabilitated with implant-supported fixed prostheses. Methods: Between September 2023 and March 2024, a total of 19 patients with compromised residual dentition (6 women; 13 men) were rehabilitated using 4-to-6 immediately loaded post-extraction implants. These implants supported fixed full-arch screw-retained prostheses either in the lower jaw (9 patients) or upper jaw (10 patients). Intraoral scans were taken immediately after implant placement (termed "immediate scan"). After a healing period of four months, the provisional prosthesis was removed, and a second intraoral scan was performed using the same scan bodies and scan pattern as the initial scan (termed "delayed scan"). The two scans were overlaid, and the discrepancies between them were measured. Results: The average discrepancy between the immediate and delayed scans was 0.1905 mm. Our statistical analysis revealed larger discrepancies for implants placed in the posterior areas, with the implant in site 1.6 (Implant 1) showing a discrepancy of 0.2326 mm, and the implant in site 2.6 (Implant 4) showing a discrepancy of 0.2124 mm (p = 0.05). No statistically significant difference was observed when comparing patients treated in the upper and lower jaws. Conclusions: Within the limitations of the study and based on this result, clinicians should be aware that an immediate post-surgical intraoral digital scan for implant-supported full-arch rehabilitations may result in a higher risk of imprecision. Furthermore, according to the results of the study, the accuracy of the digital impression on implant full-arch rehabilitations seems to be influenced by the clinician's skills. Further studies with larger sample sizes are required to confirm our results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Although familial Mediterranean fever (FMF) is a relevant disease in countries surrounding the Mediterranean Sea, there are still few reports from Italy. Methods: We retrospectively evaluated patients with FMF diagnosed according to the EuroFever/PRINTO classification criteria in three pediatric rheumatology referral centers in central-southern Italy. Logistic regression analysis assessed the associations between age at disease onset and symptoms. Results: Overall, 48 patients were enrolled (28 females, 20 males), with a median age at onset of 3.3 [3.1] years, and a median follow-up period of 5.1 [10.8] years. The most common MEFV genotype was M694V/- (11 patients, 22.9%), followed by M694V/M694V (6 patients, 12.5%). At onset, recurrent fever was observed in 47 patients (97.9%), with a median time between attacks of 18 [11] days. Overall, recurrent fever was observed in all patients, abdominal pain in 44 (91.7%), and chest pain in 18 (37.5%). At the last follow-up visit, 24 patients were on colchicine (50%), 2 on biologic (4.2%), and 6 on both (12.5%). Canakinumab was the most used biologic drug, in 6 (12.5%) patients. MEFV genotype was associated with disease severity (p = 0.007) and the use of a biological drug (p = 0.01). FMF prevalence in the Abruzzo region was found highly than expected (at least 1:45,000). Differently, we found a relevant gap among FMF patients expected and observed in the Apulia and Sicily regions. Conclusions: FMF is a relevant issue in central-southern Italy. A large epidemiologic study should be performed to better define its prevalence in the country. Key Points • Italian children with familial Mediterranean fever tend to have an early age of onset, primarily manifesting with recurrent fever and characteristic associated symptoms. • Many MEFV gene variants are present in Italian children with familial Mediterranean fever, and these patients are most often heterozygous, exhibiting a mild to moderate phenotype. • The prevalence of familial Mediterranean fever in Italy is still unknown but recently estimated to be around 1:60,000, probably higher in central and southern Italy. • According to our cohort, the prevalence of FMF in the Abruzzo region is at least 1:45,000, higher than expected. Differently, we found lower prevalence rates of the disease in Apulia and Sicily. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Most cooperative interactions involve interpersonal trust and the expectation of mutual reciprocation. Thus, understanding when and how humans acquire interpersonal trust can help unveil the origins and development of children's cooperative behavior. Here, we investigated whether prior sociomoral information about trading partners modulates the choice of preschool (4--5 years) and school-age children (7-8 years) to share their own goods in a child-friendly version of the trust game. In this game, the trustee partner can repay the child's initial investment or keep everything and betray the trustor. In two studies, we addressed whether trust is modulated by trustees exhibiting prosocial versus antisocial behaviors (Study 1, "helper and hinderer"), or respect-based versus fear-based power (Study 2, "leader and bully"). Preschoolers trusted the leader reliably more than the bully, and the hinderer reliably less than a neutral agent. The tendency to trust the helper more than the hinderer increased with age as a result of the increased propensity to trust the prosocial agent. Overall, these findings indicate that, by age 5, children understand complex cooperative exchanges and start relying on sociomoral information when deciding whom to trust.

This article extends the literature on consumers' responses to green claims and their intentions to buy green products. We used an experimental approach based on three complementary studies. The first compares the effects of two claims regarding different levels of a company's environmental commitment. The second examines whether consumers can recognize exaggerated claims. The third analyzes consumers' perceptions of a company's environmental commitment and intentions to buy the advertised product when an institutional methodology is used to substantiate the message. Surveys were administered online in January 2020 to samples of the Italian population aged 18 to 75. The results suggest that consumers positively perceive the commitment that lies behind all the conditions tested, strongly influencing intentions to buy. However, consumers have either little or no understanding of differences among green claims and are also easily deceived by exaggerated claims (such as "zero impact"). Using multigroup structural equation modeling (SEM), we highlight the important role of education. Consumers with a higher level of education are more receptive to claims that imply a higher commitment and appreciate the presence of an institutional methodology as a credibility signal. However, even highly educated consumers are likely to be deceived by exaggerated claims. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of a tactical games model instructional plan on game-play volleyball performances of elementary school students, taking into account their skill level. In total, 39 fourth-grade students (average age: 8.9 years) participated in a 13-week unit, in which each lesson exaggerated the use of small-sided games. In-game performances were assessed via the Team Sport Assessment Procedure, while students played a 10-minute modified game (four versus four). Data were collected pre- and post-intervention, and after the summer vacation (retention test). A 2 (skill level) × 3 (time) analysis of variance with repeated measures was used to compare students' performance, and the relevant effects were interpreted mainly by means of confidence intervals and effect size measures. At the end of the instructional period, all participants had an overall moderate to large improvement, and this global improvement seems to have remained at least until the end of the summer vacation. Lower-skilled students attained a larger and more established improvement than high-skilled students did. However, some detrimental effects on in-game students' performance existed at the end of the instructional period. Therefore, teachers have to take into account students' skill levels when designing their lessons because, if small-sided games are adequately considered and managed, students' learning processes can be enhanced. Furthermore, the students should be assigned appropriate learning activities to avoid summer learning loss in physical education.

Motor abnormalities are highly prevalent in children with autism spectrum disorder and are strongly predictive of adaptive functioning. Despite the documented sex bias in the prevalence of the disorder, the impact of sex differences on motor abnormalities has been overlooked. The goal of this study was to investigate differences in the motor profile of boys and girls with autism spectrum disorder aged 3-11 years using a multimethod approach. Ninety-eight children with autism spectrum disorder and 98 typically developing children were assessed using the Movement Assessment Battery for Children 2, the Developmental Coordination Disorder Questionnaire, and the kinematic analysis of a reach-to-drop task. Results from principal components analysis on reach-to-drop-dependent measures indicated four components, accounting for kinematic parameters of the motor task. Irrespective of sex, children with autism spectrum disorder showed worse scores on Movement Assessment Battery for Children 2 and Developmental Coordination Disorder Questionnaire subscales than typically developing children. Interestingly, a diagnosis-by-sex interaction was found on a kinematic feature measured in the last part of the movement, with girls with autism spectrum disorder presenting altered motor anticipation. Although preliminary, these findings suggested that sex-related nuances in motor functioning of children with autism spectrum disorder could be insufficiently captured by existing motor measures.

The didactic-performative experience at a distance, centred on the body in action of the training laboratories activated at the University of Study Cattolica del Sacro Cuore of Milan and the University of Study Suor Orsola Benincasa of Naples, encouraged, through the exercise of 'simplex property' of the separation of functions, the crossing of borders of 'presence/distance', using Didactics at Distance (DAD) as an opportunity to search in everyone the potential patrimony of the action, able to go beyond the classical meanings of interaction, relationship, experience, emotion, through an effort of imagination and simulation, which even interaction with the machine can stimulate. The research work recalls the ambivalence and the plurality of interpretative keys of the teaching experience and includes its analogies with the performing arts. Starting from the 'stage presence', as a scenic 'bios' and source of energy, a third energetic space has been investigated, which can amplify the relational dimension. A space which the biologist Sheldrake defines as 'morphogenetic field' is the one in which it is possible, through the activation of an empathic climate, to make all the processes of emotional sharing, expressive rediscovery and acquisition of awareness sprout, making the experience of DAD a formative and transformative one.

Background: Several authors hypothesized that normative values of breast related quality of life in asymptomatic populations can be helpful to better understand changes induced by surgery. Breast related quality of life can be associated to breast anthropometry. This study was designed to explore this hypothesis, find relevant correlations and, using machine learning techniques, predict values of satisfaction with breast from easy body measurements. Methods: Asymptomatic women undergoing routine clinical examination for breast cancer prevention were interviewed using the BREAST_Q V1 Breast Conserving Surgery Pre-op. Descriptive statistics was performed to describe the characteristics of the population. The Pearson correlation test defined correlation between relevant anthropometric variables and scores in each domain of the BREAST_Q. Regression analysis was employed to assess variation in the "Satisfaction with breast" domain when looking at the mirror dressed or undressed. Three machine learning algorithms were tested to predict scores in the "Satisfaction with breast domain" given body mass index and nipple to sternal notch distance. Results: One-hundred and twenty-five women underwent clinical examination and assessment of anthropometry. The reply rate to the BREAST_Q ranged from 99.2 to 88% depending on the domains. The "satisfaction with breast" domain was negatively associated either to BMI [rPearson = −0.28, CI (−0.41, −0.15) p < 0.005] and Age [rPearson = −0.15, CI (−0.29, −6.52e-03) p = 0.04]. The N_SN distance was also negatively associated to this domain with the following values for the right [rPearson = −0.34, CI (−0.45, −0.21) p < 0.000] and left side [rPearson = −0.31, CI (−0.43, −0.17) p < 0.000]. Linear regression analysis was performed on questions 1 and 4 of the "Satisfaction with Breast" domain revealing a steeper decrease for women with higher BMI values looking in the mirror undressed (Adjusted R-squared BMI: Dressed − 0.03329/Undressed − 0.08186). The combination of two parameters (BMI and N_SN distance) generated the following accuracy values respectively for three machine learning algorithms: MAP (Accuracy = 0.37, 95% CI: (0.2939, 0.4485)); Naïve Bayes (Accuracy = 0.70, 95% CI: (0.6292, 0.7755); SVM (Accuracy = 0.63, 95% CI: (0.5515, 0.7061)). Conclusions: This study generates normative scores for a Mediterranean population of asymptomatic women and demonstrates relevant associations between anthropometry and breast related quality of life. Machine learning techniques may predict scores of the "satisfaction with breast" domain of the Breast_Q using body mass index and nipple to sternal notch estimates as input. However, the algorithm seems to fail in approximately one third of the sample probably because is not able to capture many aspects of personal life. Much larger sample and more qualitative research is required before establishing any direct association between body estimates and quality of life. Clinical implications are given. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: This research examines how the loss of the Y chromosome (LoY) in men may contribute to the development and progression of certain cancers, particularly in the urinary system. Traditionally, the Y chromosome was primarily associated with male sex determination and sperm production, but recent studies suggest it plays a wider role in health and disease. LoY appears to disrupt immune function and increase genetic instability, factors that may heighten cancer risk and impact treatment outcomes. Our review highlights that LoY could serve as an early indicator of certain cancers and might help predict cancer behavior. Understanding LoY's role could lead to new diagnostic tools and treatments, especially for cancers where Y chromosome alterations are linked to poorer outcomes. Background: The Y chromosome (ChrY) is essential for male sex determination and spermatogenesis. However, recent studies have revealed its broader role in various physiological processes and disease susceptibility, including cancer. Methods: A comprehensive literature review was conducted using databases like MEDLINE, Scopus, Web of Science, and Google Scholar. The review included clinical and preclinical studies in animals and humans focusing on the role of LoY in urological tumors. Data on the frequency of LoY, its clinical implications, and underlying mechanisms were extracted and analyzed. Results: The evidence suggests that LoY is associated with an increased risk of urologic neoplasms, potentially serving as an early marker of genomic instability. Studies reveal that LoY in urologic cancers correlates with worse survival outcomes and may contribute to tumor progression. LoY may interfere with chromatin structure and epigenetic regulation, suggesting its role as a contributor to early tumorigenesis. Conclusions: LoY appears to be a structural aberration with unique biological and clinical relevance in urologic cancers, possibly serving as a biomarker for genomic instability. Further research is necessary to identify specific Y-linked genes affected by LoY, potentially informing targeted therapies and early diagnostic strategies for these cancers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: In patients with atrial fibrillation (AF), the association between cancer and cardioembolic or bleeding risk during oral anticoagulant therapy still remains unclear. Purpose: We aimed to assess the impact of cancer present at baseline (CB) or diagnosed during follow-up (CFU) on bleeding events in patients treated with direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) for non-valvular AF (NVAF) compared with patients without CB or CFU, respectively. Methods: All consecutive patients with NVAF treated with DOACs for stroke prevention were enrolled between January 2017 and March 2019. Primary outcomes were bleeding events or cardiovascular death, non-fatal stroke and non-fatal myocardial infarction, and the composite endpoint between patients with and without CB and between patients with and without CB. Results: The study population comprised 1170 patients who were followed for a mean time of 21.6 ± 9.5 months. Overall, 81 patients (6.9%) were affected by CB, while 81 (6.9%) were diagnosed with CFU. Patients with CFU were associated with a higher risk of bleeding events and major bleeding compared with patients without CFU. Such an association was not observed between the CB and no CB populations. In multivariate analysis adjusted for anemia, age, creatinine, CB and CFU, CFU but not CB remained an independent predictor of overall and major bleeding (hazard ratio [HR] 2.67, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.8–3.89, p < 0.001; HR 3.02, 95% CI 1.6–3.81, p = 0.001, respectively). Conclusion: During follow-up, newly diagnosed primitive or metastatic cancer in patients with NVAF taking DOACs is a strong predictor of major bleeding regardless of baseline hemorrhagic risk assessment. In contrast, such an association is not observed with malignancy at baseline. Appropriate diagnosis and treatment could therefore reduce the risk of cancer-related bleeding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]