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The contribution of complexity epistemology to a critical analysis of the “child at the center” pedagogical imperative
No full textThe XX-century recognition of children’s rights has changed their role from
the socio-cultural margins to a more central position. The concept of “child at the center” has become increasingly present in pedagogical discourses and policies, also as a key principle of the European Quality Framework for Early Childhood Education and Care (European Commission, 2014). This study epistemologically explores the pedagogical foundation of the “child-centered” approach in order to preserve its meaning. Who is the child placed at the center? What does their centrality mean in nursery schools? Morin’s epistemology of complexity provides some key tools to redefine this centrality, addressing the tension between identity, multiplicity, diversity, and unity. At the center there is not the idealized but the real child, with their unique complexity, shaped by diverse needs and interests forming their identity. In nursery schools, the real child encounters other real children, each with their own diverse needs and interests. Educational design becomes a key tool to help every child perceive themselves and others as complex individuals with multiple needs. This reciprocal recognition fosters new ideas of collectivity and multiple citizenship (Ceruti, 2018) to be promoted both at a local level and through global policies
Tracing the Evolution of Corporate Governance Codes in Europe
No full textCorporate governance across Europe has experienced substantial evolution over the past thirty years, influenced by recurring
financial crises, regulatory innovations, and a growing emphasis on sustainability and stakeholder engagement. In response to these
shifts, five major European economies—France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and the United Kingdom—have collectively amended their
corporate governance codes 56 times, demonstrating an ongoing commitment to adapting governance practices to changing
economic conditions and regulatory demands. These developments highlight the dynamic and responsive nature of governance
systems, aiming to align corporate practices with the expectations of increasingly complex financial markets and broader societal
concerns. This paper traces the historical progression of corporate governance codes in Europe, focusing on major revisions,
emerging themes, and their implications for corporate governance structures and investor relations. By conducting a comparative
analysis of these five countries—selected due to their economic significance and leadership within the European context—the
study examines the transition from a shareholder-centric paradigm to a more inclusive, stakeholder-oriented governance model.
The analysis reveals a consistent trend toward refining governance frameworks to incorporate digital transformation,
environmental, social, and governance (ESG) considerations, and stronger board accountability. Furthermore, the paper
investigates how variations in national governance models shape corporate conduct and influence the broader movement toward
regulatory harmonization in the European Union. The study concludes with recommendations for enhancing EU corporate
governance practices to meet future challenges, underscoring the need for ongoing reform, improved transparency, and the
integration of sustainability-focused policies to support resilient and accountable corporate behavior
"Una autentica festa dell'anima". Il povero suonatore di Franz Grillparzer
No full textL'articolo discute la novella di F. Grillparzer "Il povero suonatore
Enhancing the quality and reproducibility of research: Preferred Evaluation of Cognitive and Neuropsychological Studies - The PECANS statement for human studies
Get PDFAre scientific papers providing all essential details necessary to ensure the replicability of study protocols? Are authors effectively conveying study design, data analysis, and the process of drawing inferences from their results? These represent only a fraction of the pressing questions that cognitive psychology and neuropsychology face in addressing the "crisis of confidence." This crisis has highlighted numerous shortcomings in the journey from research to publication. To address these shortcomings, we introduce PECANS (Preferred Evaluation of Cognitive And Neuropsychological Studies), a comprehensive checklist tool designed to guide the planning, execution, evaluation, and reporting of experimental research. PECANS emerged from a rigorous consensus-building process through the Delphi method. We convened a panel of international experts specialized in cognitive psychology and neuropsychology research practices. Through two rounds of iterative voting and a proof-of-concept phase, PECANS evolved into its final form. The PECANS checklist is intended to serve various stakeholders in the fields of cognitive sciences and neuropsychology, including: (i) researchers seeking to ensure and enhance reproducibility and rigor in their research; (ii) journal editors and reviewers assessing the quality of reports; (iii) ethics committees and funding agencies; (iv) students approaching methodology and scientific writing. PECANS is a versatile tool intended not only to improve the quality and transparency of individual research projects but also to foster a broader culture of rigorous scientific inquiry across the academic and research community
Development of novel downstream fermentation processes for the recovery and valorisation of Volatile Fatty Acids (VFAs)
No full textThis PhD research investigates the development and optimisation of integrated systems for the recovery of bio-based volatile fatty acids (VFAs) from organic waste streams, with the aim of bridging the gap between waste management and high-value bio-based production. Addressing critical challenges such as product inhibition, low VFA concentrations and the complex composition of fermentation effluents, the research focuses on the use of innovative recovery technologies to improve process efficiency and sustainability. The research consisted of three interconnected studies. The first study demonstrated the benefits of in-line pertraction using biodiesel as a bio-based extraction solvent in a semi-continuous fermentation system. This approach led to increase VFA productivity, achieving a yield of 52 gCOD/gTVS (up to 65% increase) at an optimum hydraulic retention time (HRT) of 3 days, but also reduced operating costs by minimising the need for pH correction. Despite its effectiveness, challenges related to biodiesel viscosity and selectivity highlighted the need for alternative recovery methods. The second study introduced a closed-loop liquid-liquid membrane contactor (MC) system to recover bio-VFAs from the effluent of a UASB reactor treating winery wastewater. The system achieved a VFA recovery efficiency of 27% and demonstrated compatibility with downstream bioprocesses for the production of high-value bio-based products and biomaterials (e.g. polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs)). The integration of an electrochemical acidification cell further enhances the sustainability of the process, providing precise pH control with minimal energy input, which accounts for less than 1% of the total power consumption of the UASB-MC system.
The third study investigated the production of SCP using purple phototrophic bacteria (PPB) in an anaerobic photobioreactor (AnPBR). VFAs were transferred as a gaseous carbon source via a membrane contactor (MC), allowing high quality SCP production without direct contact with the fermentation stream. The system achieved a biomass production rate of 0.36 ± 0.01 kgXPBm-3d-1, with proteins representing over 60% of the biomass. The process also enabled the co-production of valuable compounds such as bacteriochlorophylls, carotenoids and PHAs, further enhancing the nutritional and economic value and demonstrating the versatility and scalability of this approach.
The results demonstrate the potential of integrating advanced VFA recovery systems into bio-based production chains, transforming waste streams into valuable resources while aligning with the principles of the circular economy and EU waste directives. Future research will focus on further refining membrane technologies to optimize selectivity, enhance scalability, and explore broader applications for sustainable bioprocess integration
Verein KlimaSeniorinnen and Others v. Switzerland Between Human Rights Protection and Human Rights Justifications
No full textThe recent decision of the ECtHR on the case Verein KlimaSeniorinnen remarkably innovated its jurisprudence on environmental cases. After a description of the case and its elements of continuity and novelty, we will focus on a neglected aspect of this dispute and the final decision, namely that an important element of the Swiss government’s defense has been the justification of its (in)action through (participatory) human rights. Switzerland has indeed claimed that its system of semi-direct democracy – that ensures wide participatory rights – allows individuals and societal groups to participate and be heard in the context of climate change policies, thus giving them sufficient channels of involvement in this area. The article suggests that more attention should have been paid to this aspect of the Swiss stance of the dispute. This would have perhaps eased the tensions that arose after the ruling and facilitated its implementation
Bit Catastrophes for the Burrows-Wheeler Transform
Get PDFA bit catastrophe, loosely defined, is when a change in just one character of a string
causes a significant change in the size of the compressed string. We study this phenomenon for the Burrows-Wheeler Transform (BWT), a string transform at the heart of several of the most popular compressors and aligners today. The parameter determining the size of the compressed data is the number of equal-letter runs of the BWT, commonly denoted r. We exhibit infinite families of strings in which insertion, deletion, resp. substitution of one character increases r from constant to Theta(log n), where n is the length of the string. These strings can be interpreted both as examples for an increase by a multiplicative or an additive Theta(log n)-factor. As regards the multiplicative factor, they attain the upper bound given by Akagi, Funakoshi, and Inenaga [Inf & Comput. 2023] of O(log n log r), since here r = O(1). We then give examples of strings in which insertion, deletion, resp. substitution of a character increases r by a Theta(\sqrt(n)) additive factor. These strings significantly improve the best known lower bound for an additive factor of Omega(log n) [Giuliani et al., SOFSEM 2021]
Trend in the use of biological drugs in pediatric patients with immune-mediated inflammatory diseases: Insight from the large-scale Italian VALORE project
No full text: Real-world data on biological drug use in pediatric patients with immune-mediated inflammatory diseases (IMIDs) are scarce. This retrospective, population-based, cohort study aimed to provide an overview of biological drug use among children and adolescents with IMIDs from 2010 to 2023 using the Italian VALORE distributed database network. As secondary aim, potential of such a network for evaluating the risk of serious infections related to biological drugs in pediatrics was investigated. The yearly prevalence of use of biological drugs in IMID pediatric patients was calculated. Among incident users, persistence to adalimumab, etanercept, infliximab, golimumab, tocilizumab, secukinumab, and abatacept was measured. A sample power analysis to estimate the person-years of exposure required to investigate the association with the risk of serious infection and individual biological drug was performed. The yearly prevalence of biological drug use increased over time (+427.3 %), and it was consistently higher among females than males and among 12-17-year-olds than younger children. A total of 6222 incident biological drug users were identified, with a median follow-up of 3.8 years, and juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA, 35.9 %) and inflammatory bowel diseases (IBDs, 35.9 %) were the most common indications for use. After one year from the treatment start, more than 70 % of JIA patients using either adalimumab or etanercept were still on treatment, while persistence rates in IBDs were lower (ranging from 57.4 % to 65.0 %). Findings of this study show the potential of the VALORE network to provide enough exposure data to investigate the risk of serious infections for adalimumab, etanercept, and infliximab
YAU renal cancer SPOTLIGHT: the understated challenge of tumor rupture during robotic partial nephrectomy
No full textN.A
Cytotoxicity and Binding to DNA, Lysozyme, Ribonuclease A, and Human Serum Albumin of the Diiodido Analog of Picoplatin
Get PDFHere we investigated cytotoxicity and DNA and protein binding of an iodido analog of picoplatin, the cis-ammine-diiodido(2-methylpyridine)platinum(II) complex (I-picoplatin). I-picoplatin (IC50 = 3.7-12.4 μM) outperforms picoplatin (IC50 = 11.8-22.6 μM) in the human cancer cell lines used and shows a greater ability to overcome the cisplatin resistance of A2780 ovarian cancer cells than does picoplatin. I-picoplatin also induces different cell cycle changes (reduced S-phase fraction and an increase in the G2/M phase arrest) in HeLa cervical carcinoma cells compared to both picoplatin and cisplatin. Binding of the metal compound to DNA model systems was investigated by ethidium bromide displacement assay and circular dichroism. Its reactivity with lysozyme (HEWL) and pancreatic RNase A was studied by X-ray diffraction and mass spectrometry experiments. I-picoplatin binds the DNA double helix and is able to retain the 2-methylpyridine ligand and at least one of the two iodido ligands when bound to the two proteins. Various Pt-containing moieties, including one based on the isomerized structure of I-picoplatin, coordinate the His and Met residues. A low-resolution structure of the I-picoplatin/human serum albumin (HSA) adduct has also been solved. The side chains of His146, Met289, and Met329 are the primary binding sites of the I-picoplatin moieties on HSA