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Digital Education Starts with Teachers: Exploring a Multimedia-Based Training Experience
No full textDigital competence is increasingly recognised as essential for teachers to design effective and technology-enhanced learning environments. The study examines a teacher training course conducted by eCampus Telematic University (Italy, 2024/25 a.y.); it had 6,160 participants and aimed to develop digital skills according to the DigCompEdu framework. The course combined online lectures and workshops to encourage hands-on engagement with digital tools. Participants' familiarity with Canva and Padlet was assessed, and their digital artefacts were evaluated using human and AI-assisted methods. While engagement with course themes was high, the overall quality of submitted outputs was moderate, highlighting areas where participants’ competence in producing digital learning prototypes requires further development. These findings emphasise the importance of reflective and practice-based teachers’ professional development and provide practical insights for future training initiatives aimed at the integration of digital tools into teaching practices
FATTIBILITÀ DELL'USO DEL PIANO DI TRATTAMENTO DELLA PRIMA FRAZIONE DI RADIOTERAPIA INTERVENTISTICA (BRACHITERAPIA) PER LA SECONDA FRAZIONE
No full textThe influence of shallow water on rock armour stability
No full textThe hydraulic stability of rock armour layers has been extensively discussed in the literature, with numerous formulae proposed for design purposes. However, limited attention has been given to armour stability under shallow water conditions, largely due to the scarcity of experimental data. This research aims to address this gap by providing new insights into the stability of rock armour layers with rubble mound breakwaters in shallow water. Hydraulic stability was determined for four different structure slopes and various hydrodynamic conditions, spanning from deep to extremely shallow water in presence of a 1V:30H foreshore. Newly experimental data were compared with existing stability formulae valid in shallow water, specifically those by van Gent et al. (2003, VG), Eldrup and Andersen (2019, EA), and Etemad-Shahidi et al. (2020, ES). Initially, the data were used to evaluate the accuracy of the original formulae. Following this, the formulae were recalibrated to account for the influence of shallow water, with data grouped according to water levels. Finally, modified versions of VG and ES formulae were developed to fit the experimental data, incorporating the effects of wave steepness to better capture shallow water dynamics
Effect of Idiosyncratic and Relevant Focus-of-Attention Strategies in Explosive Strength Tasks: An Exploratory Study
No full textPurpose: Focus-of-attention (FOA) research typically supports an external focus (EF) over internal focus (IF) for motor learning and performance. However, task-specific factors such as athletes' techniques and training goals may influence FOA efficacy. This study compared the effects of FOA strategies-idiosyncratic core component (ICC), EF, and IF-on explosive isometric back squats (EIBS) and squat jumps (SJ) in skilled basketball athletes. Methods: Eighteen elite basketball players performed 3 trials of EIBS and SJ under each FOA condition. Force peak (Fp), impulse (Im), and mean rate of force development (mRFD) were assessed using a force plate. Rating of perceived exertion (RPE) and perceived emotional state were also recorded. Results: ICC significantly enhanced mRFD during EIBS compared with EF (P = .014) and IF (P = .015), with no difference between EF and IF. FOA did not significantly affect Fp or Im during EIBS. In SJ, FOA strategies had no significant effects on mRFD, Fp, or Im. RPE and perceived emotional state scores remained consistent across conditions. Conclusions: ICC improved explosive strength during EIBS, highlighting the benefit of individualized FOA strategies for tasks >200 milliseconds in duration. However, FOA showed limited impact on SJ performance metrics, possibly due to the task's shorter duration. Strength and conditioning coaches should tailor FOA strategies to specific tasks and outcomes, using ICC to optimize explosive strength in longer-duration tasks
Gender Differences in Adolescent Postural Control: A Cross-Sectional Pilot Study in a Southern Italian Cohort
No full textBackground: Adolescence is characterized by rapid physical growth and neuromuscular
reorganization, which may influence the development of postural control. Gender-specific
differences in pubertal timing suggest that girls may achieve postural stability earlier than
boys, but evidence remains inconsistent. This cross-sectional pilot study aimed to examine
gender differences in static postural control among adolescents. Material and methods: A
total of 59 students (28 females, 31 males; mean age 13.49 ± 0.97 years) from two schools in
Bari, Italy, participated. Postural stability was assessed during bipedal and single-leg stance
tasks under eyes-open and eyes-closed conditions using an inertial sensor placed at the
lumbosacral region. The primary outcomes were sway path length and oscillation ellipse
area. Results: Females demonstrated significantly shorter path length in eyes-open bipedal
stance (p = 0.027, d = −0.51), as well as reduced ellipse area (p = 0.047, d = −0.44) and path
length (p = 0.010, d = −0.62) in eyes-closed bipedal stance. No significant gender differences
were observed in single-leg stance. Conclusions: These findings support the hypothesis
that adolescent girls exhibit superior postural stability compared to boys, particularly
under challenging sensory conditions. Such differences may reflect earlier maturational
processes and suggest possible implications for motor development, injury prevention, and
sports training
Exploring the interplay of karyotype, hormones, sexuality, and body image perception in individuals with Turner syndrome
No full textPurpose: Most patients with Turner Syndrome (TS) require Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT). Androgen levels could be compromised due to both ovarian insufficiency and HRT. Despite this, the association between androgen deficiency, sexual health, and body image perception remains underexplored in these patients. This study aimed to assess hormone levels, sexual function, and body image perception in women with TS, categorized by karyotype and HRT regimen. Methods: A cross-sectional analysis of 29 patients with TS was performed. Clinical, hormonal, and ultrasonographic pelvic parameters were evaluated. Sexual function and body image perception were measured using the Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI) and the Body Uneasiness Test (BUT) questionnaires. Results: The cohort included individuals with X chromosome monosomy (Group A), structural X chromosome alterations in some cell lines (Group B) or in all cell lines (Group C), and cells with 46, XX karyotype and monosomy (Group D). Group A and B compared to Group D displayed lower calculated free testosterone (p = 0.006, p = 0.032) and free androgen index levels (p = 0.007, p = 0.025). DHEA-S values differed between groups A and D (p = 0.043) and between groups A and C (p = 0.044). Sexual activity was reported by approximately half of patients (51.7%), with 57% of them presenting sexual dysfunction. Additionally, 44.8% exhibited possible body image disorder. Conclusions: This study acknowledges significant phenotypic differences linked to karyotype in women with TS, highlighting the prevalence of sexual dysfunction and body image dissatisfaction. These findings emphasize the importance of addressing sexual health and body image issues in patients with rare diseases, often neglected in clinical practice
The North African countries and the Arab spring: a different perspective of inequality
No full textThe purpose of this paper is to analyze the economic landscape of North African countries during the Arab Spring through the lens of polarization, offering an alternative perspective to traditional inequality measures. While conventional indices suggest stable or declining inequality in Tunisia, Morocco and Egypt, polarization metrics reveal a deepening socioeconomic divide. Using the Forster–Wolfson Index, the Duclos–Esteban–Ray Index and the relative distribution method, this study highlights increasing polarization, particularly at the lower tail of the distribution. The findings suggest that economic bifurcation, rather than inequality per se, played a crucial role in fueling social unrest during the Arab Spring
The Early Detection of Cardiac Fatigue: Could the HRV Be Used as a Physiological Biomarker by AI?
No full textPhysical activity is vital for promoting health and rehabilitation,
and ensuring cardiovascular safety during such activities is paramount. Electrocardiography (ECG) and its longitudinal monitoring remain crucial for the early detection of
cardiac diseases. Recent advancements in nonlinear RR analysis and machine learning offer
promising approaches to identifying subtle precursors of cardiac pathologies in monitoring
systems using simple heart rate (HR) wearable sensors. Therefore, using HR sensors in
human activity recognition (HAR) is recommendable. After defining fatigue in a cardiological context, and focusing on an AI-based methods suite for HAR, the main research
question of this scoping review is as follows: “Can RR time series be successfully used
as physiological biomarkers for the early detection of cardiac fatigue?” The reported data
on assessment of fatigue are focused on the last two decades. The aim of this scoping
review was to collect, present and discuss the existing literature on the effectiveness of
AI-based methods for processing RR time series as a predictive biomarker for cardiac
fatigue compared to commonly used questionnaires for this outcome in adult populations.
Methods: Queries were conducted in the PubMed, Scopus and Google Scholar databases
for the time period 2005–2025. Only research articles and review papers were considered
suitable candidates. Results: Data from 10 papers were considered, related to the information researched. Conclusions: Information on HRV-based objective measures is quite
scarce and there is an urgent need to adopt a multidisciplinary approach and to improve
advanced AI-based nonlinear analyses to differentiate cardiac physiological status from
cardiac pathological status
