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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.

This pilot study is the first to examine whether a novel curriculum based on the Reference Framework of Competences for Democratic Culture (RFCDC) could increase children's endorsement and knowledge of children's rights. We conducted a pre-test-post-test design with an intervention and a comparison school. Pupils (n = 172) from Bulgaria, Italy, Norway, Romania, and Spain attended schools in which the curriculum was taught, whereas pupils in the comparison group (n = 120) attended schools in the same city where the curriculum was not taught. Both groups were tested on their endorsement and knowledge of rights before and at the end of the intervention. Children in the intervention group increased in endorsing children's rights at post-test more than did children in the intervention group. Most children believed that children had rights. Children in the intervention group showed modest increases in their knowledge of rights. Future ways of implementing the RFCDC are suggested.

The social, cultural and economic changes of this century have inevitably also affected the world of education and training, which, therefore, have renewed paths, objectives and goals. Internalised knowledge must be re-used creatively in a new context. 'Knowing' becomes 'knowing how' and then 'knowing how to be'. Learning is lifelong and is understood as the right/duty of the citizen, who in the globalised world, needs to acquire increasingly specialised skills to face the continuous challenges that modern society offers. In this perspective, technology should not be exclusively understood in its most technical dimension; it is a precious opportunity for training and learning-teaching. In other words, this work intends to highlight the multi-dimensionality that distinguishes it and allows every teacher, who knows how to use it consciously, to variegate and personalise their educational proposal. The laboratory, which is intended as a new didactic space, becomes a privileged place for the educational relationship between teachers and learners, who, supported by technology, creatively reach the objectives set out.

Objective: This study is aimed to explore severe mental illness (SMI), mental well-being (MWB), and Mediterranean Diet adherence (MedDiet) among university students. Participants: University students in Northern Italy (sample size = 502) Methods: Cross-sectional survey was conducted in 2019. The questionnaires included Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-Being Scale for MWB, K6 for SMI, Mediterranean Diet Adherence Screener for MedDiet. Multivariable regressions were mainly performed (p < 0.05 as significant). Results: MWB was high in 3.93% of the participants and low in 23.97%. SMI was probable in 21.87%. MedDiet adherence was high in 2.19% and low in 35.06%. Mainly, poor/very poor perceived health, Economics/Legal/Strategic Sciences courses, and not being on time with exams showed associations with both lower MWB and probable SMI. Gender and some lifestyle, dietary, and university factors predicted MedDiet. MWB and MedDiet were positively associated. Conclusions: This study found high levels of mental issues and low MedDiet. Modifiable factors at university level should be investigated to design preventive interventions.

This study adopts a resource perspective to investigate the development of graduates' resource-based employability across a 1-year internship. We examined factors referring to agency (job crafting in the form of crafting challenges and crafting resources) and context (organizational social socialization tactics) as mechanisms contributing to employability development during initial work experiences (internships). Data were collected in Italy from 316 master graduates in psychology at three time points. Longitudinal structural equation modeling results showed that baseline employability was positively associated with job crafting. However, job crafting was only significantly associated with employability at the end of the internship among those reporting high crafting resources and medium-to-high organizational social socialization tactics. Hence, beyond a focus on proactivity only, organizational support and opportunities to form social networks are essential to sustain interns' employability development.

Despite the importance of school connectedness and bullying victimization in students' school burnout, to our knowledge, very few studies have analyzed their reciprocal associations, and most of them have used cross-sectional designs. So, the nature and directions of these relations have not been established yet. The general aim of this study was to address this gap by testing a longitudinal model of the association between the mentioned variables in a group of Italian students. The participants are 363 students from Italian secondary schools (34% females; Mage = 13.35, SD = 1.47), who took part in three waves of data collection. One hundred and eighty-four students attended middle school (45% females; Mage = 12.01, SD = 0.46), and 179 students attended high school (22% females; Mage = 14.62, SD = 0.836). The adolescents filled out a questionnaire containing self-report measurements of studied variables three times, with an interval of 6 months. At both school levels, the results show the reciprocal and longitudinal role of school connectedness in reducing burnout, and of school burnout in reducing the sense of connectedness to school, both directly and indirectly. On the contrary, bullying victimization is not longitudinally associated with school burnout, whereas it negatively predicts the level of students' connectedness to school. The study findings have revealed the importance of considering longitudinal and reciprocal associations among school burnout, connectedness, and bullying victimization, and are discussed referring to their implications for research and intervention efforts aimed at promoting students' school well-being.

Language teaching has undergone numerous changes as a result of COVID-19, and has adapted to the new scenario and digital tools. While the programs for university and language school courses have been modulated to the new teaching conditions, language courses aimed at obtaining certifications require the final exam to remain the same. The present study focuses on eight adult students of Italian as a foreign language. These adults are interested in certification and were previously enrolled in a language course in Italy, but this course was transformed into an online offering due to the coronavirus. Some questions arose: how can one ensure the continuity of the new online language course? What didactic activities and teaching materials could be applied to facilitate online teaching aimed at obtaining a language certification? The aim of this study is to look at the pros and cons of online teaching for obtaining a language certification, and at effective methods and operational procedures for online teaching during COVID-19. The study results have been collected from the teacher's own didactic experience and through distance learning questionnaires to which the students were subjected.

This study aimed to examine the main predictors of employability, building on a recent conceptual model on employability developed by Lo Presti and Pluviano (Organ Psychol Rev 6(2): 192-211, 2016). Survey based data were collected from a sample of 263 Italian job-seekers through a longitudinal study. The results revealed that employability was more strongly determined by personal dispositions than by external factors, such as life circumstances and that the variables with the most impact were proactive personality, core self-evaluations, and educational level, rather than employability culture, family employability support, and previous work experience. The paper reveals an understanding of the relative importance of antecedents that determine employability.

Building on the integrative career competencies framework, we examined the indirect association between career competencies, assessed at graduation, and subjective career success (SCS) via employability activities, both assessed six months after graduation, among a sample of 613 Italian graduates. We also examined the moderating role of three facets of academic satisfaction (i.e., vocational choice, educational goals, and occupational prospects). Our findings showed an indirect relation between career competencies and SCS through employability activities. Furthermore, academic satisfaction acted as a moderator. The results of this time-lagged study, that tapped into the actual transition into work process, have implications for (1) school-to-work transitions, providing insights into graduates' transition into the labor market, (2) employability, focusing on employability activities and providing additional knowledge on their antecedents and outcomes, and (3) career competencies, providing further empirical evidence that career competencies are an important resource that graduates can mobilize to during and after their school-to-work transition.

This study aims to determine whether team production among peer groups culturally aggregated can affect the individual student performance in an Italian university. Two further hypotheses were tested in order to verify whether students perform better in team than individually and if students culturally aggregated in team perform better than students differently aggregated. By means of a field experiment, 162 students were involved in the study. The participants had the opportunity to sit a new examination model after responding to a self-reported questionnaire. The new model contemplated that the students performed in team for the first part of the program and carried out the remaining part of examination individually. The groups were composed of individuals linked by homogeneous preferences about cultural activities. The results show that team performance affects positively the final score of exam and the students culturally aggregated pass the exam more than students not culturally aggregated. The aggregative cultural activities influenced the test score more than individual effort or other personal characteristics. We therefore recommend the implementation of a new examination models based on cooperation among students supporting the aggregative cultural activities where sharing action prevails as predictors.

Purpose: Constant and frequent technological changes within organizations call for further scholarly attention, as behavioural intentions need to be coupled also with future learning intentions to predict the present and prospective individual adaptations and performance. This study, grounded on the technology acceptance model, aims to examine the association between training opportunities and behavioural and future learning intentions also taking into account the role of task-technology fit as a moderator. Design/methodology/approach: A survey was carried out within a single organization in the water processing sector on a sample of 200 workers who recently experienced a technological change through the adoption of System Application and Product in data processing. A moderated-mediation model was estimated through regression analyses with bootstrapping. Findings: The results were consistent with study hypotheses. In particular, task-technology fit amplified the positive association between perceived ease of use and training opportunities as well as the indirect effect of this latter on both behavioural and future learning intentions through perceived ease of use and perceived usefulness. In sum, the hypothesized moderated-mediation model was confirmed. Originality/value: Three novelty factors of this study can be stressed: it is among the few studies carried out on Italian workers in the realm of technology adoption, it expanded the technology acceptance model by including traditional behavioural intentions and future learning intentions as outcome variables and it integrated the task-technology fit perspective within the technology acceptance model.

Background: Evidence from international studies suggests that ward culture, staff attitudes, and knowledge are crucial to ensuring that hospitals adopt "reasonable adjustments" to guarantee equity of access to vulnerable patients. Among the major barriers to providing reasonable adjustments highlighted in the literature is the lack of effective systems to identify patients with disabilities and flag them in the system. Method: In November 2016, the Tuscany Regional Health System (TRHS) Government (Italy) set up a multidisciplinary working group, which used virtual collaboration methods. Results: A structured system for the early identification of patients with disabilities and their special needs, and consequent reasonable adjustments to be implemented at the hospital level, was developed. Conclusion: The project recommended two innovations: the development of a measure that grades the need of reasonable adjustments and produces a score; the possibility of entering the information for the computation of the score directly through the TRHS website.

The purpose of this multistudy report was to adapt the Basic Psychological Need Satisfaction and Frustration Scale (BPNSFS) to the Italian context. Two studies were conducted. In Study 1, we investigated the dimensionality, reliability, and convergent and discriminant validity of the instrument in a sample of 544 participants (males = 41%) from 16 to 35 years old. In Study 2, we replicated the results concerning dimensionality in an independent sample of 502 participants (males = 42%) from 16 to 35 years old. Furthermore, we analyzed measurement invariance across gender. Results of both studies showed that comparing a series of competitive factorial models, the 6-factor model had the best fit to the data, assessing 6 different but related dimensions: autonomy satisfaction, autonomy frustration, relatedness satisfaction, relatedness frustration, competence satisfaction, and competence frustration. Moreover, the reliability and convergent and discriminant validity can be considered adequate. Finally, the BPNSFS was shown to be invariant across gender. In sum, the BPNSFS can be considered a promising instrument in the context of self-determination theory-based research for investigating satisfaction and frustration of the 3 basic needs in Italy.

Framed from an integrative approach, the current article examined the associations between ethnic identity exploration (EIE), ethnic identity commitment (EIC), and acculturative stress by investigating the mediating role of ethnic attitudes (i.e., in-group favoritism and out-group derogation) in these relationships. Additionally, the moderating role of age was analyzed. A multiple-group path analysis was performed on data collected from 256 Tunisians in early and 248 in middle adolescence living in Italy, which is an interesting and understudied immigrant group characterized by similarities and differences with the host population. In younger adolescents, EIE and EIC were indirectly and positively related to acculturative stress via the mediating role of in-group favoritism and out-group derogation. In older adolescents, EIE was related to higher levels of EIC, which, in turn, was predictive of acculturative stress. The findings are discussed in light of the theoretical framework, research context and limitations, and implications for practice are presented.

The study examined the association among mothers' parenting stress, adolescents' emotional separation and self-orientation toward connectedness. Participants were 194 Italian adolescents, aged from 15 to 19 years (mean age = 17.39, SD = 1.18), and their mothers, aged from 33 to 64 years (mean age = 44.35, SD = 5.40). General findings showed that adolescents' emotional separation may not necessarily be associated with their mothers' parenting stress, but both of these variables may be related to adolescents' personal characteristics, which may contribute to define parent-child relationship. Particularly, adolescents' orientation towards a connected self was associated negatively with emotional separation and parenting stress. These findings indicate potential pathways to mitigate the stress in facing the normative challenges of adolescence.

This study aimed to create a book to explain juvenile arthritis to newly diagnosed children, starting with the narratives of currently ill children. The development of the book followed a socio-constructivist approach and occurred over several stages, including: design of a comic-based workbook; conducting a workshop with ill children to listen to their experiences; collecting and organising the narratives into a children's book; adding physician explanations; consulting with parents and medical practitioners; and design of the final product. All stages led to meaningful enhancements to the book. The socio-constructivist approach and the workshop's open and friendly climate allowed children to express their conception of the illness, and to listen to and understand their peers' points of view. Paediatric practitioners contributed to the project, providing clarity to the book and ensuring it would be scientifically sound and usable within the paediatric setting. In conclusion, written material addressed to children needs to be developed with a systematic methodology which takes a proper account of children's voices. This can be achieved using a socio-constructivist approach and through an appropriate listening setting.

The study examined adolescents' emotional separation and detachment from parents, analyzing their relations with connectedness and agency, with some aspects of self-other boundary regulation and with problem behavior. The participants were 331 Italian adolescents, aged from 16 to 19 years (mean age = 17.40, SD = 1.14). Separation and detachment were positively related; they were negatively related to connectedness; detachment was also negatively associated to agency. Emotional separation was negatively predicted by empathic concern, perspective-taking and separate self; emotional detachment was negatively predicted by empathic concern and self-other differentiation. Separation negatively predicted internalizing behavior, and detachment positively predicted internalizing and externalizing behavior. Globally, findings showed that emotional separation and detachment are two distinct dimensions of the parent-adolescent relationship. (Contains 3 tables and 3 figures.)

This study aims to evaluate the factor structure of Career Decision Self-Efficacy scale-short form in a sample of Italian high school adolescents. confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was used to test the degree to which a one-factor structure and a five-factor structure provided the best fit. In view of available research the five-factor structure was expected to provide the best fit. Moreover, factorial invariance in males and females was tested. It was expected to be invariant across groups. As expected the five-factor structure showed a better fit than the one-factor model and the factorial invariance resulted invariant across boys and girls. (Contains 4 tables.)

There is a lack of research examining group members' attachment styles and group climate perceptions in the context of the attachment styles and group climate perceptions of the other group members. In the current study, the actor-partner interdependence model (APIM) was used to examine the relationships among (a) a group member's attachment pattern, (b) the aggregated attachment patterns of the other group members, (c) a group member's perceptions of the group's climate, and (d) the aggregated group climate perceptions of the other group members. One hundred ten Italian graduate students in six 10-session interpersonal growth groups were studied. Group members filled out the Attachment Style Questionnaire prior to group participation and the Group Climate Questionnaire after the 3rd group session. Contrary to the hypotheses, a group member's attachment pattern (anxiety and avoidance) was unrelated to her or his perceptions of group climate, and only group member attachment anxiety was positively related to the other group members' perceptions of conflict in the group's climate. There was, however, strong support for the hypotheses involving the aggregate attachment of the other group members and group climate perceptions. As hypothesized, aggregated perceptions of attachment anxiety and avoidance were positively related to a member's perception of group conflict and aggregated perceptions of attachment anxiety and avoidance were negatively related to a member's perception of group engagement. Both aggregated attachment anxiety and avoidance were related in the expected directions to aggregated perception of group climate. Finally, as hypothesized, a group member's perception of group climate was positively related to the aggregated climate perceptions of the other group members. The findings suggest that the APIM is a useful approach for examining group process variables in the group counseling context. (Contains 5 figures.)

The need for universities to achieve excellence in the services they provide has been the subject of research for several decades. The idea of involving students and recognizing the importance of their opinions has led to the creation of various models and tools. This paper focuses on teaching, a central service from which improvement actions of an academic institution should always begin. The article reviews and updates the previously developed Teaching Experiments and Student Feedback methodology. The methodology, which is primarily addressed to statistics teachers, allows practical aspects to be organized and decisions to be made based on data that has been collected from students and scientifically analyzed. The steps for building a student satisfaction index are also described. This index, in its most complete version, takes into account possible correlations between importance of the evaluated aspect and scores, both of which are provided by the students. The paper presents an application of the methodology to a statistics course taught by one of the authors. (Contains 6 figures and 2 tables.)

The prevalence of behavioral inhibition in toddlers was examined in five cultures. Participants in this study included 110 Australian, 108 Canadian, 151 Chinese, 104 Italian, and 113 South Korean toddlers and their mothers who were observed during a structured observational laboratory session. Matched procedures were used in each country, with children encountering an unfamiliar stranger with a truck and a robot. Indicators of inhibition included the length of time toddlers delayed before approaching the stranger and the duration of contact with their mother while the stranger was in the room. Results were generally consistent with expectations and showed differences between eastern and western cultures; Italian and Australian toddlers were less inhibited than toddlers from the other countries, whereas Chinese and South Korean toddlers were more inhibited. The implications of these findings are discussed and a research agenda for further exploration of inhibition is outlined. (Contains 4 tables.)

Background: Research on children's loneliness has been conducted mostly in Western, especially North American, cultures. The purpose of the study was to examine relations between loneliness and social adaptation among children and adolescents in four different societies. Methods: A total of 2263 children from grade 3 to grade 6, aged 9 to 12 years, in Brazil, Canada, P. R. China, and Southern Italy participated in the study. The participants completed a self-report measure of loneliness. Information about social behaviors and peer relationships was obtained from peer assessments. Results: Multi-group analyses revealed that the overall patterns of relations among social behaviors, peer relationships and loneliness differed across the samples. Specifically, sociability was positively associated with peer relationships and made negative indirect contributions to loneliness through peer relationships in all four samples. Aggression made significant indirect contributions to the prediction of loneliness in Chinese children, but not in other samples. Shyness-sensitivity was associated with loneliness directly in Brazilian and Italian children and indirectly through peer relationships in Canadian children, but not associated with loneliness in Chinese children. Conclusions: The results suggest that the nature of children's loneliness may be affected by the broad socio-cultural context.

The purpose of the present study was to examine relations between self-perceptions of competence and social, behavioural, and school adjustment in Brazilian, Canadian, Chinese, and Italian children. Self-perception data were collected through children's self-reports. Information about social behaviours, peer acceptance, and school achievement was obtained from peer assessments and teacher ratings. Multi-group analyses revealed similar patterns of relations between self-perceptions in scholastic and general self-worth domains and social and school performance in the four samples. However, the relations between self-perceptions of social competence and shyness and academic achievement were different across these samples. Self-perceptions of social competence was negatively associated with shyness in Brazilian, Canadian, and Italian children, but not in the Chinese children, and positively associated with academic achievement in Canadian and Chinese children, but not in Brazilian and Italian children. Similarities and differences in the patterns of relations between self-perceptions and social and school adjustment across cultures indicate that the self system may be a culture-general as well as culture-specific phenomenon. (Contains 4 tables.)

In this paper, we analyze consumption patterns of leisure time among young people belonging to the so-called "second generation" of immigrants in Italy. Leisure time consumption describes how young immigrants use cultural products and services. We analyze data collected by the ISTAT through the survey on the "second generations" (2015). A comparison of leisure consumption patterns between second-generation immigrants and their Italian peers does not show significant differences. Rather, differences in consumption styles are associated to gender (male/female), geographic area of residence (North/South), and size of the municipality (large municipality/small municipality) of residence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Scrapie resistance or susceptibility in sheep is associated with single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) at codons 136, 154, and 171 of the prion protein gene (PRNP). In addition, phenylalanine mutation at codon 141 has been recognized as a risk factor for atypical scrapie. In contrast, K222, D146, and S146 alleles confer genetic resistance to classical scrapie in goats. High-throughput genotyping technologies would provide significant benefits in scrapie eradication plans. The ability to resolve oligonucleotides varying in mass by less than a single nucleotide makes MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry (MS) a suitable platform for PRNP genotyping. We evaluated the commercial Myriapod scrapie kit (Diatech Pharmacogenetics), associated with a highly automated processing platform incorporating MALDI-TOF MS technology, to detect SNPs at codons 136, 154, 171, 141, and 222 of small ruminant PRNP. The Myriapod scrapie kit was accredited according to UNI CEI EN ISO/IEC 17025. We present the genotyping results of 10,960 sheep in Sicily and 1,822 goats in Sicily and Calabria (southern Italy) tested during 2017. We found a high frequency (43.9%) of the protective ARR allele in sheep and a promising 12.3% of the resistant K222 variant in goats. This efficient and high-throughput method is suitable for extensive PRNP genotyping, as requested in the European scrapie eradication plan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Around 2.5 billion people worldwide consume street food every day, thanks to it being low cost, easily available, and convenient. Street food also has high socioeconomic value, as it fosters preservation of the local cultural and food heritage, resulting in increased benefits from tourism and strengthened links with the territory. Two street food operators were reviewed, using the Business Model Canvas (BMC), to investigate street food in Italy and draw public attention to the current situation, highlighting what is needed to counteract flattening of flavors, to promote tourism and safeguard local identity. This initial study aims to identify the unique aspects of the street food business and to describe its close links to its surroundings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper measures the efficiency of Italian airports using Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA). Particularly, the efficiency of an airport is evaluated at three different stages of its cost-revenue production cycle, i.e. cost-operations-revenue stages, while network-slack based measure DEA (NSBM-DEA) is adopted to generate efficiency measurements for the airports at each stage. Results show that the suggested modeling approach has a better discrimination capability than the traditional black-box DEA model and provides important insights for policy makers and airport concessionaires useful for improving industry performance and airport management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work focuses on the arenaceous reefs by the polychaete Sabellaria spinulosa and addresses microplastics pollution. The main aim is to assess microplastics amount in a bioconstruction located in the Adriatic coast of Italy (Mediterranean Sea) through a comparative approach: sea-floor sediment and bioconstruction samples were analysed to quantify microplastics absolute abundance in both substrates. A total of 431 MPs were found in the investigated substrates: respectively 85 % fibers and 15 % fragments. Multivariate analysis indicates that MPs within bioconstruction occur in higher abundances and with different morphologies than in sediment samples. The analysis of bioconstruction polished sections allowed for observation of MPs agglutinated in their original position: higher concentration is reported in inter-tube areas. Results suggest that physical characteristics of MPs could play a key-role in bioconstruction inclusion processes and raise questions on effective role of sabellariid bioconstructions as a trap for this pollutant in the littoral environment. [Display omitted] • The absolute abundance of microplastics was quantified through a comparative approach. • Microplastics are much more abundant in bioconstruction than in sediment samples. • Sabellariid bioconstructions can act as a trap for MPs. • The bioconstruction could temporarily storage MPs on the coast. • The work defines a new step-by-step protocol for MPs investigation of environmental matrices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

On February 22nd, 2021, a landslide on the Italian coast caused the collapse of an old cemetery. About 370 coffins tumbled and more than 200 fell into the sea. 333 groups of unidentified human remains were found: 140 decomposed bodies and 193 bags of commingled skeletal remains. The Medical Staff of Legal and Forensic Medicine was involved for analyzing the remains in order to identify and bury them. The remains involved belonged to people who died between the end of the XIX century and 2017; all were interesting by advanced transformative phenomena. For the identifications, new forms, based on the Interpol DVI ones, were created. Information was collected by relatives through a specific antemortem form. Relatives' information and post-mortem data were compared: 19 body were identified thanks to secondary methods (like object in the bury, dresses, medical devices). 147 bone samples (long bones and teeth) were collected for the genetic analysis. Among the 77 relatives eligible for a genetic comparison, 66 gave consent to DNA swab for collection and genetic typing. Currently, after 48 samples DNA analysis (STRs and Y-polymorphism) 12 remains were identified, 21 presented a profile suitable for comparison but without attribution, and 7 did not return a comparable profile caused by stochastic effects. 31 subjects have been identified and the genetics analysis are still in progress. The Cemetery collapse shows that every disaster requires a tailored approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper presents the results of a study carried out on Lampedusa Island (Italy) and based on the survey of electricity consumption data. The main outcomes of the study are: • the characterization of the energy demand of private houses and hotels in Italian small islands with significant touristic flows during the summer period; • the identification of inefficient use of the electric loads; • the construction of aggregated load profiles for clusters of homogeneous domestic end-user to be used for implementing Demand Response strategies. The study shows how electricity consumption in Mediterranean small islands are very high with respect to the national average and lays the basis for future studies on the impact of automation and Renewable Energy Sources on the energy supply-demand sustainability of the island. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose Maxillofacial fractures represent a serious public health problem. Their epidemiology is extremely variable, and its analysis is crucial to establish effective treatment and prevention of these injuries. However only two works have been published about maxillofacial fracture epidemiology in Italy. Materials and methods The records of 1720 patients diagnosed with maxillofacial fractures in a 15-years period (2001–2015) in our department were retrospectively reviewed. Results A total of 1108 male and 612 female patients were included in the study. The most frequent aetiology of fracture was road traffic injuries (57.1%), followed by assault (21.7%), falls (14.2%), work accidents (3.5%), sport accidents (3.3%) and other causes (0.2%). Significant variations of aetiology were detected between males and females and between Italians and individuals from other countries. The most frequently observed fracture involved the mandible (861 cases, 36%), followed by zygoma (489 cases, 20.4%), orbital walls (386 cases, 16.1%) and maxilla (282 cases, 11.8%). Conclusion Road traffic legislation enforcement and continuous public education regarding the use of security devices remain an ongoing problem in our region and should be encouraged. In the same way, as migration flows influence and change the epidemiology of facial traumas, it is crucial to establish social support programs that avoid these disadvantaged categories of victims of violence and crime. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: Explain the multidisciplinary methodological approach used for the treatment of a post -- surgical peristomal wound Method: Female patient, 17 years old, polytrauma, intubated and underwent tracheostomy. In the post -- operative, presence of a peristomal wound (3 x 3,3 cm), stage III of European Pressure Ulcer Advisory Panel (EPUAP). Treatment: - Debridement: Surgical, autolytic and chemical - Cleansing: Polyhexamethylene Biguanide - Antimicrobial action and exudate management: Azatiractica Indica + Iphyercum Perforatum + Hidrofibra with silver + Silicone foam with silicone border and border support with polyurethane film - Scar care: Elasticizing cream with massage therapy, silicone gel and lymphatic drainage with functional tape (kinesiology taping) - Nutrition: 30 Kcal/Kg; Proteins 1,8 g/Kg; Water 30 ml/Kg - Pain treatment: Lidocaine cream 5%. Results / Discussion: - Wound healing: 6 weeks - Average dressing change: 72 hours - Average pain: VAS = 2 - Scar healing: 6 weeks. Conclusion: Using a multidisciplinary approach to wound healing has proven to be an effective choice. The use of interactive dressings to prepare the bottom of the wound, accelerate neo angiogenesis, granulation, epithelization and reduced healing times. Appropriate nutritional intake allowed the patient not lose weight and supply the wound with the nutrients necessary for healing. The focused use of counseling for motivational support permit to manage the fragile emotional condition of the patient due to an altered perception of his own image which, unavoidably, the wound had generated. Finally, the treatment of the scar with kinesiological tape and silicone gel made it possible to healing the wound with a good aesthetic result. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: To investigate the antimicrobial feature of blue LED light (410 - 430 nm) in contaminated human dermal samples. Method: All human skin samples were obtained from donors and excluded from transplantation due to contamination. Blue LED device (emission ranging from 410 to 430 nm, 220 mW power density) was used on human dermal skin samples contaminated by S. capitis and S. epidemidis. The irradiation was performed by applying the following parameters: light power 220 mW, treatment time 0, 1, 7, 15, 30 min. Microbiological analyses were performed by culturing each sample in Tryptic Soy Broth media (TSB) for 3 h at 37 °C and then straked on Tryptone Soya Agar (TSA) both media and skin sample for 3 days at 37 °C. Results / Discussion: Our results show that only the 60 s treatment time (11.7 mW/cm2, 10.53 J/cm2) exhibits antimicrobial properties. Indeed, the unit forming colony (UFC) was reduced from > 103 to < 101. However, none of the treatments induced visible changes to the irradiated tissue. Conclusion: The increasing antibiotic resistance developed by many bacterial strains represents a global healthcare emergency, and the research of non-pharmacological and non-invasive treatments has become crucial. Blue light (400-470 nm) has been successfully used as an innovative antimicrobial approach. Here, we demonstrated that the application of blue light (410-430 nm, 220 mW, 60 s) induces a decrease in the total viable count of bacteria present in the human skin sample. At the same time, no difference in shape and measure of the tissue was found. Further experiments are necessary to investigate the tissue mechanical and structural properties, before and after irradiation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Educational farms today are an innovative tool to meet community needs, to create new welfare models and diversification opportunities for farms. Results showed that difficulties still exist and need to be overcome to fully launch this phenomenon, and the route undertaken at national and community level promises for a fair recognition of its importance within public politics. Educational activities have been also included into the general principle of EXPO 2015 "Nourish the planet, energy for life", where food producing farms are called to face the global food challenge, to safeguard ecosystems, to defend the right for food, to fight against food waste, to preserve biodiversity, to support food sustainability and safety in front of future protagonists of life the children. In relation to the high value such initiatives may have at regional level, it is fundamental to strengthen the network of educational farms, in order to enhance their presence in the territory by means of promotions and common initiatives. Educational farms join youngs and adults with nature. Educational farms are ideal places where to spend a day with children and for adults to discover where food come from, how animals live in the rural world. These typology of farms may represent a real opportunity for those who intend to diversify their activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since the 90s, it is spread that the origin of partnership defined as an innovative tool through which the needs originating from the area compared with the institutional constraints set by national and European polices maker . This represents a new way of development that is based on the plan between political institutions closer to real issues and trade associations accepted as representatives of civil society. In this work, through Social Network Analysis (SNA) techniques, dynamic local development in the "Compresorio Val d'Anapo" area (Syracuse, Italy) is studied, in order to identify tools and key moments of local partnership as a form of territorial governance. The results, as well as a first "map of relationships" existing in the area, show the ability and the interest of local actors to organize themselves in forms of socio-economic Partnership, representing the economic and social interests of the targeted area, have played a key role in programming of resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The Rio Mannu River Basin (Sardinia, Italy) is undergoing a process of agricultural intensification. Like many Mediterranean areas, this basin is characterized by water shortages and diffuse pollution from agricultural sources. Hence the objective of this study was to develop possible land use and land management scenarios that could constitute an alternative to the current watershed management. Several land use and land management scenarios were formulated and analyzed with local stakeholders, and two were selected and simulated as realistic in consideration of the socio-economical aspects of the study area. Scenario 1 involves agricultural practices that include a reduction in fertilizer use to meet the Water Framework Directive requirements for “good” status of water bodies. Scenario 2 introduces rapeseed cultivation, replacing durum wheat in a small area, to investigate the impact of biofuel plant cultivation on water quality. Each option was assessed by considering the effects on water quality, crop yields and economic benefits. The Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) model was applied to simulate hydrological processes and evaluate current and future nutrient loads. This model requires adequate streamflow data for calibration and validation. However, as is the case for many Mediterranean basins, insufficient data were available. Therefore, a methodology was developed and tested to calibrate hydrological processes based on the transposition of a parameter set from a gauged catchment located in the same region. This study suggests that a sound use of fertilizers could substantially reduce the amount of nutrients flowing into surface waters, although the effects of such a policy on crop yield and farm income would be negative in some cases. Moreover, the results clearly predict that the replacement of durum wheat with rapeseed (a biofuel crop), could offer a margin of profit, but would have a negative impact on water quality due to increased nutrient losses. Consequently, this option is unsuitable for this area. Furthermore, it can be inferred from these results that the promotion of the use of energy from renewable sources may have a negative impact on the objectives of the EU Water Framework Directive. Clearly, this process needs to be regulated, taking into account environmental and socio-economical aspects. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The article presents research that assesses the efficacy of high performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) fluorimetric detection in validating and analyzing anticoagulant rodenticides in Italy. Researchers validated actual samples of the poisoned animals to know its efficacy of diagnosing presence of rodenticides in poisoned animals. They discovered that HPLC is effective and suitable in analyzing animal poisoned by anticoagulant rodenticides.

Abstract: The availability of good and reliable rainfall data is fundamental for most hydrological analyses and for the design and management of water resources systems. However, in practice, precipitation records often suffer from missing data values mainly due to malfunctioning of raingauge for specific time periods. This is an important issue in practical hydrology because it affects the continuity of rainfall data and ultimately influences the results of hydrologic studies which use rainfall as input. Many methods to estimate missing rainfall data have been proposed in literature and, among these, most are based on spatial interpolation algorithms. In this paper different spatial interpolation algorithms have been evaluated to produce a reasonably good continuous dataset bridging the gaps in the historical series. The algorithms used are deterministic methods such as inverse distance weighting, simple linear regression, multiple regression, geographically weighted regression and artificial neural networks, and geostatistical models such as ordinary kriging and residual ordinary kriging. In some of these methods, the elevation information, provided by a Digital Elevation Model, has been added to improve estimation of missing data. These algorithms have been applied to the mean annual and monthly rainfall data of Sicily (Italy), measured at 247 raingauges. Optimization of different settings of the various interpolation methods has been carried out using a subset of the available rainfall dataset (modeling set) while the remaining subset (validation set) has been used to compare the results obtained by the different algorithms. Validation results indicate that the univariate methods, neglecting the information of elevation, are characterized by the largest errors, which decrease when the elevation is taken into account. The ordinary kriging of residuals from linear regression between precipitation and elevation, which has provided the best performance at annual and monthly scale, has been used to complete the precipitation monthly time series in Sicily. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The flow of tourists to sites and sacred buildings increases exponentially in response to a growing demand for spirituality, authenticity and search of cultural roots. In this context, community and church institutions are representing a new role within the tourism system that is increasingly becoming the constellation of value - set of mutual relations among actors, both public and private, all with the common goal of meeting needs relative to their responsibilities and competencies. The ecclesiastical cultural heritage is an asset of absolutely inestimable value, particularly in Italy. It involves complex issues and huge responsibility to present relatively high cost of maintenance and enhancement of functions and the heterogeneity of the use related to them. Therefore the aim of this paper is to present the case study of the site that have successfully responded to these challenging circumstances and adapted well. The case study describes how the Association Oltre il Chiostro in Naples has contributed to the restoration, reopening and showcasing some of the most important churches in the city centre, building in the process a complex network of relations and an innovative management system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on a study that analysed the diet composition of a microinsular community constituted by two divergent lizard species, the ocellated skink and the Maltese wall lizard, inhabiting the Lampione islet, part of the Pelagian islands in South Italy, during spring and summer, considering both inter- and intra-specific variation and compared to other populations of the same species. The results indicate that the number of prey items by pellet was similar between the two species, but there were significant differences in the taxonomic composition of the diet. Factors influencing differences in lizard diet include anatomy, sex, reproductive state, body condition and predation pressure.

Mitochondrial DNA (12S rRNA, 16S rRNA) and C-mos nuclear gene fragment sequences were analysed within Tarentola mauritanica from Lampedusa and Conigli Islet, located in the Mediterranean between Sicily and Tunisia, and compared with already published sequences. In all analyses, the five previously found genetically distinct lineages can be identified, supporting previously published estimates of relationships. The Conigli islet and Lampedusa specimens can be separated in two lineages, one nearly identical to a specimen from Libya and the other one distinct from all currently sampled specimens. These two lineages occur in a very small area and might have reached the islands from North Africa rather than Southern Europe, either by natural rafting or anthropogenic introduction. An estimate of relationships derived from C-mos nuclear DNA sequences supports all relationships between the samples from Lampedusa and Conigli, one T. m. fascicularis from Libya and one individual of T. deserti from Morocco. The paraphyly of T. mauritanica with respect to T. deserti and T. angustimentalis is demonstrated once again in this work. Additional sampling of all extant North African Tarentola species will be necessary to determine the evolutionary relationships of this species complex. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In most of Western countries, leisure studies have a rather consolidated tradition. Although still considered somehow marginal, this area of study has collected a number of researches and theoretical reflections that are both quantitatively and qualitatively significant. In Italy instead, even if some studies have been conducted, especially in the last thirty years, research appears quite fragmentary. This study intends to focus either on the relevance of leisure time as an object of study for sociologists or on the results leisure studies have attained so far. In particular, looking at the current literature, I shall focus on the different meanings of leisure as well as on the sociological aspects of this important «finite province of meaning». The study ends with a reflection on the characteristics of leisure in contemporary society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The following metals: Al, Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb and Zn were determined by inductively coupled plasma - atomic emission spectroscopy (ICP-AES) in fluvial sediments of Rosandra Creek, using two different, strong and mild sediment decomposition methods. The purpose was to obtain information about the contamination by metals and distribution paths of pollutants in the area crossed by Rosandra Creek: this little river is the unique epigeous watercourse in the Italian Karst and very few data can be found in literature. In this area, we can find a natural park, but also agricultural activities and an industrial district that was recently defined as ‘polluted site of national interest’. By comparing the results of the strong and mild extraction we have obtained the percentage of extraction and enrichment factors for each metal in the different sediments of the sites R2 and R3 exposed to pollution, while the site RI was considered as a pristine one because situated in the natural park. The computed enrichment factors are generally not very high, but copper, lead and zinc have factors that require attention. The principal component analysis (PCA) shows that the typically anthropogenic metals (as Cr, Pb, Cu and Zn) constitute the first factor, while the lithogenic metals, as Fe and Ni, constitute the second one; moreover the score plots permit to classify and distinguish the 3 sites: site R3, possibly the more exposed to contamination, has high scores both for anthropogenic and lithogenic metals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on the history of Politian's "Miscellaneorum Centuria Secunda" in Italy. It is said that Aldus Manutius, in the prefatory letter to Politian's "Omnia opera," lamented on the loss of writings which would have added a good deal to Politian's impressive legacy. Still so much persisted because of the efforts made by Aldus himself in the few years after Politian's death in recovering those from the rapid dispersal of the humanist's papers. It is also said that in putting the second "Miscellanea" at the head of Aldus' list, he was paying homage to a belief in its quality in which it has only been possible in evaluating realistically with the discovery of the autograph of "Centuria secunda."

• The tourism and hospitality industry produces a variety of economic and social benefits. • To explore whether the tourism destination is managed following specific sustainable goals we administered a paper survey to local tourism and hospitality entrepreneurs. • Less attention is posed on the implementation of sustainable tourism practices. • Local tourism entrepreneurs and citizens are not engaged in the complex process of decision-making and management of the protected areas. According to previous research, in several countries, the achievement of the objectives for tourism development and the better functioning of protected areas is affected by bad governance activities. This paper provides a framework based on the combination between the Viable Systems Approach (vSa) and the actor engagement theory for improving the managerial effectiveness of protected areas. Exploring the case of the Cilento and Vallo di Diano National Park, a well-known tourism destination in Southern Italy, we gave empirical evidence of the risks that can occur when the governing body of protected areas does not adopt a systems-based management approach, and therefore cannot handle the complexity of the territory, generate socio-economic benefits for local populations, resolve conflicts with local actors, or advance sustainable tourism goals. Findings suggest that the governing body should adopt specific strategies to engage local actors in decision-making and idea-generation processes. Such strategies could help to integrate resources within the system, co-create value and handle conflicts when the goals are not mutually aligned. Hence, actor engagement is necessary for achieving conditions of systemic consonance and resonance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Small-diameter beech deadwood hosts at least 132 species of Coleoptera in Italy. • Number of species in deadwood is low in even-aged stands. • Distance between forests is negatively correlated to assemblage similarity. Beetles (Coleoptera) are the most diverse and species-rich insect order in saproxylic communities, and play a key role in forest dynamics. To prioritize conservation measures, a clear understanding is needed of what habitat features are the most important for beetles that depend on deadwood. Here, we investigate (i) how the assemblages of saproxylic beetles emerging from small-diameter beech deadwood (Fagus sylvatica L.) are influenced by several environmental factors and type of forest management, and (ii) if geographical distance of the investigated sites influences the similarity of these saproxylic beetle assemblages. We visited 10 high beech forest stands along a latitudinal gradient from northern to southern Italy, and collected 200 logs of 50 cm length, 12 ± 2 cm diameter, and Hunter's decay class 2, from deadwood lying on the forest floor. Logs were stored in ex-situ emergence traps, in common garden conditions, from April to September, and individuals emerging from the deadwood were collected weekly. A total of 2571 beetles were collected, including several species which were either threatened, firstly recorded or endemic. We found that, compared to even-aged stands, forests managed to increase structural heterogeneity (uneven-aged high forests, and former coppice stands converted to high forest), with closed canopy, were colonized by the richest and most abundant saproxylic beetle assemblages. Additionally, we observed distance decay of similarity between sites, indicating geographical structure in community composition. Our findings have important implications for biodiversity conservation in beech forests: (1) small-diameter deadwood hosts a rich biodiversity of Coleoptera and should therefore be left on the ground; (2) forest management practices should aim at preserving or restoring structural heterogeneity and closed canopies; (3) these conservation measures should be carried out along the entire area of occurrence of beech forests, due to turnover in species composition with geographical distance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: The number of elderly people in Italy is growing, so it is important to study the presentation of diseases in these subjects.Materials and Methods: We selected 1362 patients who underwent thyroidectomy for different thyroid diseases from January 2008 to December 2014. The patients weredivided into two groups, according to the age. The patients aged 65 years and over were included in the group A, and the patients under the age of 65 years were included in the group B.Discussion: Thyroid diseases in the elderly often present with atypical symptoms which are very similar to symptoms of the aging process. In elderly hypothyroidism occurs frequently sub-clinically and hyperthyroidism is often presented with cardiovascular symptoms. In our study we evaluated the differences in incidence of thyroid diseases in the elderly and in the younger groups of patients.Conclusion: The data analyzed in this study showed that in the elderly we have a reduced secretion and metabolization of thyroid hormones. The symptomatology in the elderly is nonspecific and can create a delay in the correct diagnosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]