162 research outputs found
Factors associated with unhealthy behaviours and health outcomes: a cross-sectional study among tuscan adolescents (Italy)
No full textBackground: We aimed to determine the extent to which three core variables (school environment, peer group and family affluence) were associated with unhealthy behaviours and health outcomes among Tuscan adolescents. The unhealthy behaviours considered were smoking, alcohol consumption, sedentary lifestyle and irregular breakfast consumption; health outcomes were classified as self-reported health, multiple health complaints and life satisfaction. School environment was measured in terms of liking school, school pressure, academic achievement and classmate support; peer groups were evaluated in terms of the number of peers and frequency of peer contact. Family affluence was measured on a socioeconomic scale.MethodsData were taken from the Tuscan 2009/10 survey of ¿Health Behaviour in School-aged Children¿, a WHO cross-national survey. A binary logistic multiple regression (95% confidence intervals) was implemented.ResultsThe total sample comprised 3291 school students: 1135 11-year-olds, 1255 13-year-olds and 901 15-year-olds. Peer group and school environment were associated with unhealthy behaviours such as smoking, alcohol consumption and sedentary lifestyle. Family affluence proved to have less impact on unhealthy behaviours, except in the case of adolescents living in low-income families. Poor health outcomes were directly related to a negative school environment. Regarding the influence of family affluence, the results showed higher odds of life dissatisfaction and poor self-reported health status in medium-income families, while low-income families had higher odds only with regard to life dissatisfaction. A consistent pattern of gender differences was found in terms of both unhealthy behaviours and health outcomes.ConclusionsUnhealthy behaviours are strongly related to the school environment and peer group. A negative school environment proved to have the strongest relation with poor health outcomes
Trend della prevalenza di sovrappeso e obesità nei bambini toscani in età scolare dal 2002 al 2016 [Trends of overweight and obesity prevalence among schoolchildren in Tuscany Region (Central Italy), period 2002-2016]
No full textOBIETTIVI: stimare la prevalenza e la tendenza nel tempo di sovrappeso (obesità inclusa) e obesità in Toscana nei bambini nel periodo dal 2002 al 2016.
DISEGNO: studio trasversale a sette punti temporali (Progetto di sorveglianza nutrizionale in Toscana condotto negli anni 2002, 2006, 2008, 2010, 2012, 2014 e 2016); il peso e l’altezza dei bambini sono stati misurati direttamente da personale sanitario appositamente formato; l’indice di massa corporea è stato calcolato con i valori soglia specifici per l’età evolutiva sia dell’International Obesity Task Force (IOTF) sia dell’Organizzazione mondiale della sanità (OMS).
SETTING E PARTECIPANTI: campione rappresentativo di bambini di terza elementare della Regione Toscana (n. 10.155) di età compresa tra 8 e 9 anni (5.258 maschi e 4.897 femmine).
RISULTATI: per quanto riguarda la stima del livello di prevalenza assoluta di sovrappeso, è stata osservata una discrepanza tra i due criteri utilizzati nella classificazione; infatti, la prevalenza di sovrappeso secondo i criteri dell’IOTF risulta inferiore rispetto al calcolo secondo i criteri dell’OMS. In tutte le rilevazioni, i ragazzi hanno mostrato una prevalenza di sovrappeso (obesità compresa) maggiore rispetto alle ragazze. L’analisi del trend ha messo in evidenza una significativa diminuzione della prevalenza del sovrappeso (obesità compresa) e dell’obesità nei bambini toscani dal 2002 al 2016 solo con i criteri dell’IOTF (sovrappeso obesità compresa: 32,0% vs. 28,1%; p <0,001 – obesità: 10% vs. 5,9%; p <0,001).
CONCLUSIONI: il presente studio è il primo che mostra una significativa diminuzione dell’obesità infantile e del sovrappeso negli ultimi 14 anni in una regione italiana. Tale riduzione è con probabilità il risultato di azioni regionali e locali che sono state attuate in molti settori sociali e istituzionali. Tuttavia, occorre ancora molto impegno per riuscire a ridurre ulteriormente la prevalenza dell’obesità e del sovrappeso infantili.OBJECTIVES: to examine the prevalence and time trends in childhood overweight (including obesity) and obesity among children dwelling in Tuscany Region (Central Italy) in the period 2002-2016.
DESIGN: cross-sectional study at seven points (Tuscan Nutritional Surveillance System conducted in the years 2002, 2006, 2008, 2010, 2012, 2014, and 2016); height and weight of the subjects are directly measured by trained staff; body mass index was assessed by means of the International Obesity Task Force and of the World Health Organization cut-offs.
SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: representative sample of children dwelling in Tuscany Region (No. 10,155) aged between 8 and 9 years (5,258 boys and 4,897 girls).
RESULTS: regarding the estimation of the absolute prevalence level of childhood overweight, a discrepancy was observed between the two criteria. In all surveys, more boys than girls were overweight (or obese). Trend analysis showed a significant decrease in the prevalence of overweight (including obesity) and obesity in Tuscan children in the period 2002-2016 (32.0% vs. 28.1%; p <0.001) and of 10.0% vs. 5.9% (p <0.001) for obesity.
CONCLUSIONS: the present study is the first report from an Italian region showing a significant decrease in childhood obesity and overweight in the last 14 years. This reduction is probably a result of regional and local actions that were performed in many areas of society. However, efforts should be made to further reduce prevalence of childhood obesity and overweight
Association between fruits and vegetables intake and frequency of breakfast and snacks consumption: a cross-sectional study
No full textBackground: There are very few studies on the frequency of breakfast and snack consumption and its relation to fruit and vegetable intake. This study aims to fill that gap by exploring the relation between irregular breakfast habits and snack consumption and fruit and vegetable intake in Tuscan adolescents. Separate analyses were conducted with an emphasis on the potentially modifying factors of sex and age. Methods. Data was obtained from the 2010 Tuscan sample of the Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) study. The HBSC study is a cross-sectional survey of 11-, 13- and 15-year-old students (n = 3291), selected from a random sample of schools. Multivariate logistic regression was used for analyzing the food-frequency questionnaire. Results: A significant relation was found between low fruit and vegetable intake and irregular breakfast habits. Similarly, low fruit intake was associated with irregular snack consumption, whereas vegetable intake did not prove to be directly related to irregular snack consumption. Different patterns emerged when gender and age were considered as modifying factors in the analyses. A statistically significant relation emerged only among female students for irregular breakfast habits and fruit and vegetable intake. Generally, older female participants with irregular breakfast habits demonstrated a higher risk of low fruit and vegetable intake. Age pattern varied between genders, and between fruit and vegetable consumption. Conclusions: Results suggest that for those adolescents who have an irregular consumption of breakfast and snacks, fruit intake occurs with a lower frequency. Lower vegetable consumption was associated with irregular breakfast consumption. Gender and age were shown to be moderators and this indicated the importance of analyzing fruit and vegetable intake and meal types separately.This study also confirmed that health-promotion campaigns that aim to promote regular meal consumption and consumption of fruits and vegetables need to take into account gender and age differences in designing promotional strategies. Future research should identify evidence-based interventions to facilitate the achievement of the Italian guidelines for a healthy diet for fruit, vegetables and meals intak
There is a correlation between nutritional status, Self-Rated Health and Life Satisfaction? Evidence from 2018 Health Behaviour in School-aged Children cross sectional study in a sample of Italian adolescents living in Tuscany Region
No full textBackground: Overweight has been associated with several social and phycological problems and is perceived as one of the major health care challenges to focus on in the future. The purpose of the study is to investigate the correlations among nutritional status, assessed by the Body Mass Index, the perception of one's own health status and Life Satisfaction, detected in Italian adolescents living in Tuscany Region, and to investigate the influence of gender on them. Methods: A statistically representative sample of 2760 Tuscan adolescents aged 11, 13 and 15 was involved in the 2018 Health Behaviours at School-aged Children survey. The participants were divided into three nutritional status class: underweight, normal weight and overweight (overweight + obese). Results: The results show that there is a statistically significant difference in all categories between boys and girls aged 13 and 15 years; in girls aged 11 and 13 years, the Life Satisfaction of the overweight group is statistically lower than that of normal and underweight groups; Self-Rated Health is statistically lower in all age groups for overweight individuals compared to normal weight children, except for 11-year-old females. Conclusions: Viewing the psychosocial problems related to overweight, more attention and care must be placed on adolescents to ensure their healthier development
Evaluation of maternal perception of children's weight and body mass index in tuscany, Italy
No full textBackground: The prevention of overweight is a high-priority public health task. The perception that parents have of their children’s nutritional status is a well recognized risk factor for obesity in children, so the aim of our study was to evaluate mothers’ perceptions of their children’s nutritional status. Methods: We conducted, in 2016, a cross-sectional study enrolling1710 children (third grade of all primary schools ) in Tuscany, as well as their mothers. Mothers’ information were collected through a self-administered questionnaire, while children (weighed and measured) filled a questionnaire under the supervision of qualified personnel. Results: 1449 children completed the questionnaire. 74.12% of mothers were able to correctly identify children BMI. The non correct classification tends to significantly decrease in presence of a high educational level compared to low educational level. Mothers’ BMI seems to not be associated with misclassification. The non correct classification was significantly associated with mothers’ opinion about their children’s eating habit. Conclusion: Our data confirmed that, in Tuscany, a limited percentage of mothers tend to misclassify the nutritional state of their children, but in order to maintain these encouraging results, further efforts should be done in order to make all mothers able to correctly evaluate their children
Applicazione del Lean Thinking al caso Orion S.r.l.: dall'isola alla produzione in linea
No full textQuesto elaborato tratta la riprogettazione del sistema produttivo dell’Azienda Orion S.r.l. secondo le logiche del Lean Thinking. La prima parte riguarda la gestione del lavoro: dall’analisi dello stato attuale “as is” di produzione a isola al bilanciamento della linea produttiva. La seconda parte è dedicata alla gestione dei materiali in cui sono state studiate le tecniche di approvvigionamento della linea e quindi la riprogettazione del magazzino
Trends in overweight and obesity prevalence in Tuscan schoolchildren (2002-2012)
No full textObjective The aim of the present study was to examine the prevalence and time trends in childhood overweight including obesity and obesity among Tuscan children from 2002 to 2012.
Design Cross-sectional study at five time points (Tuscan Nutritional Surveillance Surveys conducted in the years of 2002, 2006, 2008, 2010 and 2012). Trained personnel directly measured the height and weight of the subjects. BMI was assessed by means of the International Obesity Task Force (IOTF) and WHO cut-offs.
Setting Representative sample of children in the Tuscany region (Italy).
Subjects Children (n 7183) aged between 7·5 and 9·5 years (3711 boys and 3472 girls).
Results With respect to the estimation of the absolute prevalence level of childhood overweight, a discrepancy was observed between the two criteria. In all surveys, more boys than girls were overweight (including obesity). Trend analysis showed a significant decrease in the prevalence of overweight including obesity and obesity in Tuscan children from 2002 to 2012 (32·0 % v. 25·8 %, P<0·001 on using IOTF criteria and 37·7 % v. 34·3 %, P<0·001 on using WHO criteria for overweight including obesity; and 10·0 % v. 6·7 %, P<0·001 on using IOTF criteria and 12·5 % v. 11·3 %, P=0·035 on using WHO criteria for obesity).
Conclusions The present study is the first report from an Italian region showing a significant decrease in childhood obesity and overweight in the last 10 years. This reduction is probably a result of regional and local actions that have taken place in many sectors of society. However, efforts should be made to lower the prevalence of childhood obesity and overweight further
RRAM-based Low-Power Neuromorphic Computing Engine for Space Applications
No full textWith recent breakthroughs in AI and deep learning, applying these techniques to on-board computers for space applications has grown in interest to engineers on space applications. The space field brings its own challenges, such as reliability and power restrictions. The proposed solution in this work concerns a neuromorphic accelerator for a spiking neural network (SNN) designed using memristive devices (RRAM), dubbed the Newtype Learning Computer. To this end, this work presents the following contributions: A design for a behavioral VHDL implementation of a target SNN boasting software-level accuracy, specifically built for edge AI in space. We also present a characterized ASIC design of one layer of this SNN, analyzed using RTL design tools. An analysis of this same layer designed using Memristive Crossbar Arrays is also provided, and we present a comparison of both. When simulating 4096 neurons, the RRAM-based design shows 174x smaller area, power dissipation reduction of 27x energy reduction by 4 orders of magnitude and over 80x faster by latency compared to the CMOS-based design. This thesis presents a confident first step towards the use of RRAM-based neuromorphic accelerators for spiking neural networks in space-based applications.https://github.com/HeatPhoenix/NLC4Space Github repository for the project's files.Computer EngineeringElectrical Engineering | Embedded System
La fiaba in traduzione: proposta e analisi traduttologica di The Day I Fell Into a Fairytale di Ben Miller
No full textLa fiaba ha negli ultimi anni attirato uno spiccato interesse in ambito accademico, come manifestazione di un genere che, nonostante sia spesso considerato di scarso rilievo, presenta invece una grande complessità intrinseca, specialmente nel passaggio interlinguistico. La presente trattazione si prefigge l’obiettivo di offrire una proposta e un’analisi traduttologica dell’opera The Day I Fell Into a Fairytale, pubblicata nel 2020 da Ben Miller, attore e autore che negli ultimi anni si è dilettato nella creazione di libri per bambini.
La scelta dell’opera oggetto di studio non è solo dettata dalla volontà di far conoscere questo autore anche al pubblico italiano, ma essa è dovuta più di ogni altra cosa alle caratteristiche dei suoi lavori, caratterizzati da ricchi spunti di riflessione, considerato il genere testuale e il pubblico di riferimento. Tradurre una fiaba significa trovare un equilibrio, un bilanciamento tra la fedeltà al testo originale, che deve essere rispettato e il pubblico di arrivo, al quale dovrà essere assicurata una piacevole esperienza di lettura, elemento che implica degli interventi nel passaggio interlinguistico.
La trattazione si articolerà in quattro sezioni principali: il primo capitolo è dedicato ad un inquadramento teorico del genere testuale scelto, partendo da una definizione di quella che è la letteratura per l’infanzia, per poi passare ad una ricostruzione storica e sociale dell’origine della fiaba. In particolare, verranno prese in considerazione le prime manifestazioni di ciò che un tempo era trasmesso solo oralmente e che successivamente è passato alla forma scritta. Un’attenzione sarà rivolta ad autori che hanno contribuito ad istituzionalizzare questo genere, iniziando da Straparola e Basile nel contesto italiano e arrivando fino all’avvento di Disney e della fiaba moderna. Il secondo capitolo si interesserà nell’analizzare le funzioni principali della fiaba, prendendo come modello quello proposto da Vladimir Propp che è risultato congeniale per l’opera oggetto di studio. Una successiva sezione si interesserà nell’analizzare i personaggi della fiaba, per poi concludersi con una ricognizione sull’autore Ben Miller, le sue influenze artistiche e la sua carriera. Il terzo capitolo rappresenta il punto focale della trattazione, vale a dire l’analisi traduttologica. La prima parte è dedicata alla trasposizione interlinguistica degli elementi di oralità, come onomatopee o segnali discorsivi e degli elementi di colore tipici della fiaba, come espressioni idiomatiche, rime e giochi di parole. Nella seconda parte verranno analizzate invece le strategie impiegate per la traduzione degli elementi culturospecifici presenti in The Day I Fell Into a Fairytale. Nel quarto e ultimo capitolo verrà proposta la traduzione dell’opera oggetto di studio.
In recent years, fairytales have attracted considerable interest in academic circles, as a manifestation of a genre that, despite being often considered of little relevance, presents a great intrinsic complexity, especially in the translation process. The aim of this paper is to offer a proposal and a translational analysis of The Day I Fell Into a Fairytale, published in 2020 by Ben Miller.
This fairytale has been selected not only to make this author known beyond English borders, but above all for the features of his works, considering the textual genre and the target audience. Translating a fairytale means finding a balance between fidelity to the source text, which must be respected, and the needs of the target audience.
From a structural point of view, the dissertation is divided into four main parts: Chapter 1 is devoted to a theoretical framework on fairy tales, starting with a definition of children's literature, and then moving to a historical and social overview of the origin of the genre. Attention will be given to authors who contributed to institutionalising this genre, starting with Straparola and Basile in the Italian context and ending with Disney and the modern fairy tale. Chapter 2 will be focusing on the analysis of the main functions of the fairy tale, taking into account Vladimir Propp’s model. A subsequent section will highlight the features of the characters in the fairy tale, concluding with an overview on Ben Miller’s life and artistic influences. Chapter 3 represents the core part of the dissertation and presents the results of the actual translation-oriented analysis. The first part focuses on the interlinguistic transposition of the elements of orality, such as onomatopoeia or discursive markers, and on the typical features of fairy tales, such as idiomatic expressions, rhymes, and puns. In the second part, the strategies employed for the translation of the culture-specific references will be analysed. In the fourth and final chapter, the translation proposal will be displayed
Evaluation of maternal perception of children\u27s weight and Body Mass Index in Tuscany, Italy
No full textBackground: The prevention of overweight is a high-priority public health task. The perception that parents have of their children’s nutritional status is a well recognized risk factor for obesity in children, so the aim of our study was to evaluate mothers’ perceptions of their children’s nutritional status.
Methods: We conducted, in 2016, a cross-sectional study enrolling1710 children (third grade of all primary schools ) in Tuscany, as well as their mothers. Mothers’ information were collected through a self-administered questionnaire, while children (weighed and measured) filled a questionnaire under the supervision of qualified personnel.
Results: 1449 children completed the questionnaire. 74.12% of mothers were able to correctly identify children BMI. The non correct classification tends to significantly decrease in presence of a high educational level compared to low educational level. Mothers’ BMI seems to not be associated with misclassification. The non correct classification was significantly associated with mothers’ opinion about their children’s eating habit.
Conclusion: Our data confirmed that, in Tuscany, a limited percentage of mothers tend to misclassify the nutritional state of their children, but in order to maintain these encouraging results, further efforts should be done in order to make all mothers able to correctly evaluate their children.
Statements:Authors declare no conflict of interest. The study was conducted according to the criteria set by the declaration of Helsinki and each subject signed an informed consent before participating to the study. Approval of the protocol was obtained from the institutional review board of the National Institute of Health, including the use of opt-out consent; that is, parents could refuse participation but the lack of a returned form was taken to imply consent to their child’s participation
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