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Understanding the Pedagogical Challenges of Comprehensive Sexuality Education (CSE) from Young People’s Perspectives
No full textThis research explores young people’s perceptions regarding their experience in
the Italian school-based comprehensive sexuality education program W L’amore, addressing
the gap regarding implementation challenges as seen by youth. It identifies key elements operating
as opportunities or obstacles to the adoption of CSE drawing from critical pedagogy
and eco-systemic approaches to education grounded within a democratic perspective. Adopting
a case study design, it uses qualitative-based methods as the primary data-gathering
instruments. Results show appreciation for the program by providing a meaningful setting to
reflect upon topics they deem relevant, outlining positive outcomes like cultivating a sense of
community, empathy, and respect. Challenges include insufficient teacher training reflecting
biases and struggles to create a safe learning space, the need for CSE to overcome adultcentric
and heteronormative practices by becoming more sex-positive and inclusive, and moving
towards engaging learning strategies grounded in critical thinking. The dissonance between
ambitious programs and their empirical application points to the centrality of critical pedagogies
and whole-school approaches for improving CSE. Furthermore, questioning sexuality
as a pedagogical object from an eco-systemic perspective provides tools for an analysis of
schools as plural communities that can help overcome the limitations experienced by students
Perceptual-vision training as a strategy for healthy aging in adults with intellectual disability: a study protocol
Get PDFAging leads to changes in motor-cognitive performance. Despite the importance of physical activity for healthy aging and the need for health promotion interventions in individuals with intellectual disability (ID), there is a lack of empirically strategies for promoting health in adults with ID. Therefore, we are conducting a clinical trial (NCT06628999 on clinicaltrials.gov) to investigate a strategy for promoting healthy aging by targeting physical and cognitive domains in ID individuals. The present work aims to provide a detailed account of the study protocol of the proposed trial to promote transparency and dissemination of the ongoing research. Specifically, this project will study the effect of a vision training program on cognitive performance and physical fitness in adults with ID. A secondary aim is to examine the association between mental and physical performance outcomes. Participants will be randomly allocated into a vision training group (VT, n = 28), a vision training-detraining group (VTD, n = 28), and a control group (C, n = 28). During the first 8 weeks, the VT and VTD groups will follow the same training protocol (based on vision oculomotor exercises combined with postural control exercises). From weeks 9 to 16, the VT group will continue the training protocol, whereas the VTD group will abstain from training (detraining). Cognitive performance and physical fitness will be assessed at baseline, mid- and post-training intervention. Overall, a vision training program can positively impact various aspects of life for individuals with ID promoting autonomy, and social integration to counteract the aging process
Special Issue: “Microbial Enzymes for Biotechnological Applications”
Get PDFMicrobial biocatalysts are at the forefront of modern biotechnology, offering sustainable
solutions to some of the world’s most pressing environmental and industrial
challenges [1]. These powerful tools represent about 90% of the enzyme market, driven by
their rapid growth, ease of manipulation, and versatile application potential compared to
biocatalysts from plant and animal sources [2]. As the global push towards a circular economy
accelerates, microbial enzymes are emerging as critical players for the transformation
of the agricultural, chemical, energy, and pharmaceutical sectors. This Special Issue delves
into the latest advancements and applications of microbial biocatalysts, shedding light on
groundbreaking research that bridges fundamental science with practical innovations
The WHO BMI System Misclassifies Weight Status in Adults from the General Population in North Italy: A DXA-Based Assessment Study (18-98 Years)
Get PDFBackground/Objectives: The body mass index (BMI) is considered a key method for the classification of individuals' weight status, according to cut-off points proposed by the World Health Organization (WHO); however, the use of this classification is still the subject of debate and criticism. We aimed to evaluate the accuracy of the WHO BMI classification in reflecting true adiposity in the Italian general population. Methods: This cross-sectional study included 1351 adults of mixed gender aged between 18 and 98 years, comprising 19 (1.4%) underweight individuals, 787 (58.3%) normal weight, 354 (26.2%) overweight, and 191 (14.1%) with obesity according to the WHO BMI. After that they were re-categorized according to adiposity based on body fat percentage (BF%) measured by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA). The agreement between the two classification systems was tested using the kappa statistic (κ), with the system based on BF% being considered the gold standard. Results: According to the BMI classification, 78.1% of the individuals who were in the normal weight range were correctly classified. However, 53.4% of the overweight group and 68.4% of the underweight group were misclassified according to the BMI, as the majority of those misclassified fell within the normal weight range according to their BF%. Finally, regarding the obesity group, 34% who were classified as having obesity according to the BMI were misclassified, since they were revealed to be only affected by overweight according to adiposity status. Conclusions: Despite the fact that the BMI seems to be reliable in determining body weight status in the normal weight range, over a third of the general population was misclassified, as the current BMI classification appears to inflate the prevalence of underweight, overweight, and obesity among the general population. Accordingly, this may warrant consideration of revising the National Guidelines in Italy related to weight status classification. Healthcare practitioners should be advised not to rely solely on the BMI, and should integrate its use with adiposity measures (i.e., BF%) or alternative surrogate indicators (i.e., waist-based) in routine evaluations, especially in those with a BMI below or above 18.5 kg/m2 or 25 kg/m2
Giustiza riparativa e sistema penale: uno sguardo d'insieme
No full textIl contributo rappresenta la sezione introduttiva del capitolo VIII dedicato alla giustizia riparativa e alla mediazione penale, del "Manuale di negoziazione e mediazione" che raccoglie contributi interdisciplinari relativi alle diverse aree della negoziazione e della mediazione.
In particolare, muovendo da un richiamo alle finalità della pena si sottolinea la novità della giustizia riparativa e in particolare della mediazione penale, basata sul superamento del conflitto fra le parti e la collettività, rispetto alle finalità della pena, sia considerate dal modello retributivo che da quello rieducativo, pur sempre reo-centrico.
In questo contesto si considerano i profili di riforma portati dalla cosiddetta legge Cartabia ed in particolare dal decreto legisaltivo 150/2022 il cui intero titolo IV è dedicato alla disciplina organica della giustizia riparativa in ambito penale
Rinascimento/Rinascimenti. Studi in onore di Rosanna Camerlingo
No full textIl Rinascimento rappresenta un momento fondamentale nella storia culturale d’Europa: un periodo
dai limiti cronologici porosi, che si contraddistingue per la molteplicità di esperienze che in esso
convergono, in un complesso intreccio di incontri e conflitti, armonia e rottura. Epoca di secolarizzazione e allo stesso tempo delle più feroci guerre di religione; di riappropriazione dell’immenso patrimonio classico e insieme della fioritura delle lingue e degli stati nazionali; epoca di grandi pensatori, scienziati, e poeti; epoca di Shakespeare. Proprio per enfatizzare tale varietà di esperienze, cui corrisponde una varietà anche geografica e temporale, nella storiografia più recente si parla, non a caso, di “Rinascimenti”. Centrale e insieme plurale, l’esperienza del Rinascimento si è (im)posta nei secoli come imprescindibile punto di riferimento per la vita intellettuale, letteraria e artistica del mondo occidentale (e non solo): imitato, rievocato, vagheggiato o contestato a seconda delle epoche e dei momenti storici. Ventuno studiose e studiosi di discipline diverse, dalla filosofia e la storia alle letterature moderne, hanno voluto offrire i loro contributi su tematiche che sono state al centro della ricerca di Rosanna Camerlingo, come regalo per la collega, amica e maestra, portando avanti la mai esausta discussione dei variegati aspetti della pluralità rinascimentale e shakespeariana e della loro ricezione
Language and Cultural Mediators in Northern Italy: Bridging the gap between Chinese learners and equitable inclusive education
Get PDFIn Italy, Chinese nationals are a large and long-standing foreign group. However, many still face challenges due to limited language skills, hindering access to public services such as education. Language and Cultural Mediators (LCMs) are employed to facilitate intercultural communication between Chinese learners, families, and educators. While the value of LCMs in assisting cultural adjustment in schools is well-documented, their role in supporting Chinese learners to receive equitable and inclusive education is less explored. This study aims to address this gap by investigating current LCM practices in educational settings in the Veneto region of Italy. Specifically, the study examines the experiences of LCMs, their perceived organizational inclusion, and well-being in providing services to Chinese children and their families. Through qualitative methods, data collection consists of semi-structured interviews with Chinese nationals and Italian LCMs who speak Chinese as a foreign language. Preliminary results from our critical discourse analysis suggest that there is fragmentation, and under-utilization of LCMs, hindering equal access to and inclusive education for children and their families. A major transformation in the working environment of LCMs requires in-depth reconstruction of organizational relationships within educational settings, alongside the proper consideration of the cultural perception and value of these professionals in society. This study contributes to the application of socio-psycholinguistics and organizational frameworks for the training and support of LCMs within the broader Italian context. The value of the study is in understanding the role of LCMs in bridging the gap between public services and increasingly superdiverse societies
Archeovia di Fraselle. Percorsi antichi sulle Piccole Dolomiti.
Get PDFSi descrivono i ritrovamenti fatti nelle campagna archeologiche 2021-23, organizzandoli lungo percorsi proposti ad un turismo consapevole
PlanRGCN: Predicting SPARQL Query Performance
No full textQuery Performance Prediction (QPP) is the task of predicting the query runtime performance prior to its execution. While QPP has been studied in relational database systems, it has received little attention for RDF stores, i.e., triplestores that are queried via the SPARQL query language. Existing methods predict the query performance based on the syntactic similarity between a given query and past queries in the query logs. This means that they are not able to generalize to unseen queries with unseen structures or characteristics. We propose a novel GCNN architecture, PlanRGCN, to generalize to unseen queries, fully exploit statistics on the stored KG, and offer more scalable pre-training than the state of the art methods. Furthermore, our architecture is the first to support nontrivial SPARQL operators. In our experiments, we demonstrate both the superior robustness of our prediction method and its practical effect on two downstream tasks: (1) load balancing, achieving a throughput improvement of up to on real-world query logs and (2) execution control, processing up to more queries
Reclaiming cigarette butts: biorefinery technologies toward circular waste valorization
Get PDFCigarette butts (CBs) are among the most abundant forms of anthropogenic litter, with about 5 trillion units
discarded each year, corresponding to more than 800,000 tons of waste. Composed primarily of cellulose acetate
(CA), accounting for 95% of the filter mass, CBs exhibit low biodegradability and act as carriers of toxic substances
such as nicotine, heavy metals, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. Their persistence in the environment
has raised growing concerns across terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. This review critically examines
the potential integration of CBs into circular waste management strategies through biorefinery technologies. Key
processes include deacetylation to increase hydrolytic accessibility, enabling conversion into fermentable sugars
for bioethanol production, as well as thermochemical routes like pyrolysis for fuel and activated carbon generation.
Additional valorization options, such as enzymatic degradation and transformation into nanostructured
carbon materials, are discussed with respect to their feasibility and environmental impact. Legislative gaps,
technological barriers, and limited scalability are identified as major constraints to industrial implementation.
Nonetheless, the inclusion of CBs as a non-conventional feedstock offers a promising opportunity to reduce the
environmental footprint of CBs while recovering energy and materials within a biorefinery loop