363 research outputs found
The Age.Vol.A App and Weportal: Bridging the communicative gap between the elderly, their families and foreign caregivers
No full textWith this paper, we wish to present the Age.Vol.A (Ageing, Volunteers, Assistants. Multilingual Tools for Assisting the Ageing) App, whose pilot version is currently being finalized at the Universities of Varese and Milan (Italy), and is being released in June 2022. The App is the main practical output of a four-year research project bearing the same name (2018-2022) that received major funding by Fondazione Cariplo (2021), one of the world’s main philanthropic organizations. The project’s aim consists in facilitating communication between elderly Italian citizens living in the northern Province of Varese (Italy) and assisted by foreign caregivers, the elderly’s families and the foreign caretakers themselves. The wider scope of the project is to ultimately improve the health and wellbeing of all the social actors involved in these often delicate family settings (Vicentini/Grego 2019). For example, (foreign) caregivers, who “are not family members but often end up making up for weak or non-existent family networks, and their relationship with the older people they look after often merges into that of an unofficial relative. They are relied upon, confided in” (Brannigan et al. 2020).
Age.Vol.A started off with the objective of shedding light on the experience of assisted ageing in a country which ranks among the four oldest countries in the world (Istat 2020) and provide technological tools for bridging the communicative and cultural gaps between the three above mentioned social groups. Specifically, the Age.Vol.A App is introduced, illustrating the mixed-method – linguistic, statistical and sociological – research applied in the collection of the data, administration of interviews and needs analysis carried out among the interested social groups, in order to determine the content of the App (Russo et al. 2020). The selection process of the material to include is then described, together with the recommendations received by local institutional parties (the Varese Town Council, health authority and welfare institute) about specific themes and aspects they considered relevant. Finally, the step of translation and localization into six languages (English included) of the output of the research is outlined, focusing on how the actual languages (e.g. Ukranian rather than lingua-franca Russian), or even the local varieties of the standard languages (e.g. Spanish and Russian) spoken by the caregivers in the Varese Province were specifically targeted, based on the statistical research carried out at the beginning.
The Age.Vol.A. App shall be distributed free of charge to all involved social actors, and is hoped to represent a practical output of multi-disciplinary, applied research that is beneficial to society, albeit at a limited local level thus far, and that brings the academia closer to the needs and expectations of their territory-s population.
Keywords: Northern Italy, elderly care, foreign caregivers, sociolinguistics, statistics, translation.
References
Brannigan Michael, Vicentini Alessandra, Grego Kim, Bacchini Simone C. (2020) (eds), Practical perspectives on older people, caregivers, families and organisations, Special issues, “Working with Older People”, 5(3), Emerald, London.
Fondazione Cariplo (2021), https://www.fondazionecariplo.it/en/the-foundation/la-fondazione.html).
Istat (2020), Rapporto annuale 2020. La situazione del Paese, https://www.istat.it/storage/rapporto-annuale/2020/Rapportoannuale2020.pdf.
Russo Daniel, Grechi Daniele, Vicentini Alessandra, Grego Kim (2020), ‘Sociolinguistic and statistical methods to survey the communicative needs of home-assisted elderly, their families, and foreign caregivers in Northern Italy’, in Davis Boyd, Vicentini Alessandra, Grego Kim (2020) (eds), Seniors, foreign caregivers, families, institutions: Linguistic and multidisciplinary perspectives, Mimesis international, Milan/London.
Vicentini Alessandra, Grego Kim (2019) (eds), Linguistic perspectives on ageing issues, ethics and ideology, “EXPRESSIO”, 3, Mila
Sustainable rehabilitation of water infrastructures in Southern Iraq after the second gulf war
No full textPrognostic Implications of 18-FDG Positron Emission Tomography/Computed Tomography in Resectable Pancreatic Cancer
No full textThere are currently no known preoperative factors for determining the prognosis in
pancreatic cancer. The aim of this study was to examine the role of 18-fluorodeoxyglucose (18-FDG)
positron emission tomography/computed tomography (18-FDG-PET/CT) as a prognostic factor for
patients with resectable pancreatic cancer. Data were obtained from a retrospective analysis of
patients who had a preoperative PET scan and then underwent pancreatic resection from January
2007 to December 2015. The maximum standardized uptake value (SUVmax) of 18-FDG-PET/CT was
calculated. Patients were divided into high (>3.65) and low (3.65) SUVmax groups, and compared in
terms of their TNM classification (Union for International Cancer Contro classification), pathological
grade, surgical treatment, state of resection margins, lymph node involvement, age, sex, diabetes and
serum Carbohydrate Antigen 19-9 (CA 19-9) levels. The study involved 144 patients, 82 with high
SUVmax pancreatic cancer and 62 with low SUVmax disease. The two groups’ disease-free and overall
survival rates were significantly influenced by tumor stage, lymph node involvement, pathological
grade, resection margins and SUVmax. Patients with an SUVmax 3.65 had a significantly better
survival than those with SUVmax > 3.65 (p < 0.001). The same variables were independent predictors
of survival on multivariate analysis. The SUVmax calculated with 18-FDG-PET/CT is an important
prognostic factor for patients with pancreatic cancer, and may be useful in decisions concerning
patients’ therapeutic management
Krigagem ordinária para precipitação pluviométrica no oeste paulista com tendência no tempo e no espaço.
No full textEste trabalho teve o objetivo de utilizar a geoestatística para interpolar os dados de precipitação pluviométrica com tendência temporal e espacial no Oeste Paulista. O período de estudo foi de 1970 a 2008, utilizando o ano padrão chuvoso de 1983 para representar esse período, utilizando um transecto de 10 pontos para a direção x e o tempo na direção y. Após a constatação de tendência nos dados em estudo foi necessário remover essa tendência a fim de obter o mapa pela krigagem Ordinária com correção de tendência. O mapa de precipitação, depois da retirada de tendência, mostrou um aumento de chuva no inicio (janeiro a março) e final (outubro a dezembro) do ano e os meses restantes tenderam a ser mais secos. Houve uma suavização na superfície e com a retirada de tendência foi identificada a dependência espacial e o dado pode ser interpolado em relação a direção do transecto para a precipitação no decorrer do ano de 1983
The scientific debate in English-speaking texts : between ESP and CDS
No full textThe aim of this paper is to provide first a brief outline of the developments undergone by ESP as a field of study in applied linguistics from its onset to the present day and, second, to hypothesise a possible direction it may follow in future years. It has tried to show the main points of contacts and hybridisation with other perspectives in linguistics, evidencing the beneficial results and the occasional issues of these encounters. Finally, it has reviewed a few select studies conducted by the author over the past decade along the methodological lines exposed, as an illustration of one possible evolutionary pattern in ESP studies. These investigations have focused on the medical and scientific domains, and especially on the representation of scientific debates raising bioethical concerns with social repercussions by institutions, popular sources and the media, and have employed various perspectives in applied linguistics, also combining them with methods in social sciences
‘The physics you buy in supermarkets’: writing science for the general public : the case of Stephen Hawkings
No full textFollowing the fall of the great ideologies that informed the 19th and 20th century, science took their place in people’s imagery. In the same period, science and its corollary practical application – technology – underwent unprecedented developments, culminating in the rapid and ground-breaking advances of the past half century, with the notable prominence of the internet and all web-related technology. The general public can enjoy all the applied benefits of technology but not the research behind or beyond it: science has become a new religion, scientists a new caste. What happens when one of the caste opens up to the public?
Between 1988 and 2010, the renowned British physicist Stephen Hawking wrote five popular science books aimed at bringing physics closer to a wider audience than the mere academia. The operation proved very successful – with his best-seller alone (A brief history of time, 1988) reported to have sold over 10 million copies (Paris 2007) – and made him into an acclaimed popular author.
This study will consider Hawking’s books especially written for popularizing purposes, presenting reflections on the relationship between ESP, popularization and translation, and focusing in particular on Hawking’s first such work, A Brief History of Time, which was made into an even more popular adaptation titled A Briefer History of Time (2005) and translated, in both its versions, into Italian. The aim of the paper will be to detail how the subject has been adapted and transferred from a high into a popular (writing) and an even more popular (re-writing) level, and then into another language (translation), what relationship there is between these passages, and how Hawking’s book has affected the recent trend towards science popularization. This will be done by comparing the works against the general features of English for Scientific/Academic Purposes, to single out their variation from – or conformity to – the established norms of this specialized language, providing a textual analysis and highlighting relevant lexical and syntactic phenomena. An interpretation of such phenomena will be proposed according to Critical Discourse Analysis methodology, i.e. considering language in light of the many social, cultural and economic variables informing this type of communication
Grego para os pequenos: produção de material didático de grego clássico para o ensino fundamental I e II
No full textA presente pesquisa tem por objetivo discorrer de que maneira o ensino de língua e cultura grega, vinculado a valores éticos e intelectuais, pode contribuir para a formação do pensamento crítico em sala de aula, utilizando-se o material didático como ferramenta pedagógica. A importância de se conhecer a Grécia Antiga (que se desenvolveu entre 2000 e 500 a.C.) se dá ao fato da civilização grega ter legado ao mundo elementos essenciais para a sua constituição. A concepção democrática de governo, a arte da retórica, a filosofia, o teatro e as origens da educação têm suas raízes no pensamento grego. O forte senso crítico grego os levou a
questionar absolutamente tudo, desde a transformação do caos em cosmo até a conduta humana dentro da sociedade. A educação grega desenvolveu um conjunto de aprendizado moral e ético que derivava da gramática e da retórica, isto é, duas disciplinas que tinham como atividade fundamental ouvir, ler e decorar versos, principalmente das epopeias homéricas. Os poemas de Homero e Hesíodo foram fundamentais na educação grega, haja vista que as obras desses poetas forneciam exemplos de virtude e heroísmo a serem seguidos na vida em comunidade. Os gregos enquanto iniciadores de uma educação, que visava educar os jovens para fazerem parte ativa de uma civilização e, ao mesmo tempo, tornarem-se cidadãos cada vez
mais éticos e justos, são para nós o melhor exemplo que aponta para possíveis resoluções inclusive para os problemas atuais
Adrenal metastasis from endometrial cancer: A case report
No full textBACKGROUND
Metastases to adrenal glands originate principally from lung, breast, or gastrointestinal cancers, followed by malignant melanoma and thyroid neoplasms. We present an unusual case of uterine cancer metastasizing to the adrenal glands with a review of the English literature on the management of this rare disease.
CASE SUMMARY
A 53-year-old Caucasian woman with a history of endometrial cancer (grade 2; International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics III A) was hospitalized in November 2017 for a left adrenal mass found on a follow-up computed tomography scan 3 years after her gynecological surgery. Laboratory test results were normal. A laparoscopic left adrenalectomy was performed. The postoperative course was uneventful, and no chemotherapy was administered. The pathological report confirmed an adrenal endometrioid metastasis. At 36 mo of follow-up, the patient is alive and well, with no evidence of recurrent disease. A literature review identified only 11 previously-published cases of adrenal metastases from uterine cancer.
CONCLUSION
Adrenal metastasis from uterine cancer is very rare. Laparoscopic adrenalectomy may be an effective treatment in selected cases of localized adrenal metastasis
Practical perspectives on older people, caregivers, families and organisations. Special issue of Working with Older People
No full textAdorno, hall e canclini: a formação na constelação das mediações culturais
No full textTese (doutorado) - Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Centro de Ciências de Educação, Programa de Pós-graduação em Educação, Florianópolis, 2010O presente trabalho objetiva analisar, compreender e explicitar a Formação objetiva do sujeito representada pelos personagens Swann, Marianinho e Diadorim, a partir do pensamento de Th. Adorno sobre cultura e formação, tencionando pelos pressupostos teóricos dos Estudos Culturais. Discute-se a partir de algumas teses sobre a cultura em Theodor W. Adorno a assertiva de Stuart Hall sobre a necessidade de uma nova configuração do social na contemporaneidade, assertiva essa com a qual corroboram certas argumentações de Nestor Garcia Canclini, o qual enaltece a indústria cultural em sua dimensão integradora, apesar do efeito deletério de uma globalização concebida de forma unilateral pelos países centrais em detrimento dos periféricos. Esta discussão é materializada nos romances, como exemplo do campo empírico, de Marcel Proust: Un amour de Swann; de Mia Couto: Um rio chamado tempo, uma casa chamada terra e de João Guimarães Rosa: Grande Sertão: Veredas, cujos personagens Swann, Marianinho e Diadorim (Reinaldo), cada um, na sua particularidade, desnuda as implicações dialéticas da formação objetiva do sujeito no mundo contemporâneo. O objetivo deste trabalho, portanto, é alcançar melhor compreensão desse tema, por meio: 1) da análise qualitativa de alguns escritos de Adorno, Hall e Canclini; 2) da verificação de como se localiza neles o conceito de cultura; 3) das leituras que estabelecem interfaces (aproximações e distanciamentos) conceituais entre Adorno e Hall frente à problemática da formação; 4) da recepção dos romances em alguns interlocutores privilegiados de Proust, Couto e Rosa. Os três personagens são analisados enquanto sujeitos que colocaram em prática sua formação, elaborando certos mecanismos subjacentes a sua subjetividade. Estes personagens são tomados como exemplo guia que materializa os pressupostos teóricos em torno da formação no âmbito da Teoria Crítica (Th. Adorno) e dos Estudos Culturais (S. Hall e G. Canclini). Outra razão que nos levou a escolher esses romances, além de sua beleza literária, é sem dúvida, de ordem pessoal, pois os três personagens de certa forma refletem um percurso vivencial semelhante ao nosso, uma vez que, ao viver tais experiências, nos defrontamos com outras tantas pessoas que resultaram de formações entrecruzadas, ou seja, pessoas que sintetizam as diversas realidades das quais foram fruto. Vivenciamos, pois, na realidade, como os mecanismos culturais e os dispositivos formativos são acionados diante de situações que requerem uma atitude diferenciada. Este trabalho argumenta ainda que a idéia da formação e o contexto cultural exercem um papel central na elaboração dos mecanismos culturais enquanto condição para a realização do sujeito. A teoria crítica e os Estudos Culturais, nossas principais referências, figuraram, neste trabalho, enquanto instrumentos (tecnologias, meios) dos quais nos valemos para tentar compreender um pouco mais algumas das mazelas universais representadas, em certa medida, pelos personagens acima analisados. Tais análises buscam contribuir para pensar a necessidade de se incluir o contexto sócio-cultural quando se fala em dispositivos educacionais que ambicionam a universalidade
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