TutorJ: un Intelligent Tutoring System di Supporto all'Apprendimento di Java

Semantics driven interaction using natural language in students tutoring

The aim of this work is to introduce a semantic integration between an ontology and a chatbot in an Intelligent Tutoring Systems (ITS) to interact with students using natural language. The interaction process is driven by the use of a purposely defined ontology. In the ontology two types of conceptual relations are defined. Besides the usual relations, which are used to define the domain's structure, another type of relation is used to define the navigation schema inside the ontology according to the need of managing uncertainty. Uncertainty level is related to student knowledge level about the involved concepts. In this work we propose an ITS for the Java programming language called TutorJ…

GAIML: A New Language for Verbal and Graphical Interaction in Chatbots

Natural and intuitive interaction between users and complex systems is a crucial research topic in human-computer interaction. A major direction is the definition and implementation of systems with natural language understanding capabilities. The interaction in natural language is often performed by means of systems called chatbots. A chatbot is a conversational agent with a proper knowledge base able to interact with users. Chatbots appearance can be very sophisticated with 3D avatars and speech processing modules. However the interaction between the system and the user is only performed through textual areas for inputs and replies. An interaction able to add to natural language also graph…

UNA PROCEDURA PER VALUTARE “AUTOMATICAMENTE” IL LIVELLO DI APPRENDIMENTO DEGLI STUDENTI

TLR4 down-regulation identifies high risk HPV infection and integration in head and neck squamous cell carcinomas

TLRs are main actors of the innate immune response against HPV. There are very few studies on the role of TLRs mediated HPV clearance in Head and Neck oncology. Our aim was to evaluate whether TLR4 expression identifies HPV infection and/or HR-HPV integration status in oral and oropharyngeal cancers. By immunohistochemistry we assessed TLR4 levels in OSCC/OPSCC. To detect viral integration or episomic status In situ hybridization for HPV-DNA and Pyro-sequencing techniques have been performed. The relationship between TLR4 expression with HPV infection status has been investigated. ISH HPV positive samples have reported lower levels of TLR4 intensity than negative samples (p = .002). There w…

I GESTI MOTORI NELLE SCOLIOSI MINORI

Per scoliosi s'intende una deviazione laterale permanente della colonna vertebrale, che si accompagna ad alterazioni anatomiche delle vertebre e delle altre strutture di sostegno del tronco. La Scoliosis Research Society definisce la scoliosi come una curva (> 10 gradi Cobb) sul piano frontale che si manifesta con un'inclinazione laterale, che comporta l'allontanamento di un certo numero di vertebre dalla linea mediana; questa modificazione dà origine ad una curva laterale, caratterizzata da un apice, essendo la vertebra apice la più scostata dall’ asse mediano, e da vertebre neutre o vertebre limite, alle estremità della curva, dove le articolazioni intervertebrali ritornano verso la linea…

Effects of anxiety during mental arithmetic stress on heart rate variability in healthy subjects

Aim: Anxiety may cause an increased risk of myocardial infarction by reductions in heart rate variability (HRV). However, no data exists on the effect of anxiety on a standard mental test of HRV. The aim of this study was to evaluate the association between anxiety elicited by mental stress and HRV. Methods: Effect of anxiety in the actual state (A-State) and in everyday life (A-Trait) has been assessed in 13 healthy subjects and its association to low (LF) and high-frequency (HF) of HRV during mental arithmetic stress has been tested through correlation analysis. Results: A significant increase from baseline through arithmetic stress was observed in the LF component (LF(nu) from 56.87 ± 4.…

Analisi dell'appoggio podalico in donne obese e normopeso durante il ciclo del passo.

Stile di vita attivo e densità ossea in donne in eta’ postmenopausale.

Influenza della dismetria del bacino sulla deambulazione in femmine adolescenti. Un'analisi con piattaforma di forza

Obiettivo. L’obiettivo principale dello studio è stato quello di analizzare l’influenza di un tilt pelvico sulla deambulazione in soggetti adolescenti attraverso l’uso di una piattaforma di forza. Metodi. Allo studio hanno partecipato 9 soggetti adolescenti di sesso femminile (12,33±1,22 anni), di cui 6 con tilt pelvico. Risultati. In ortostasi, il piede sinistro sopportava un carico, in percentuale del peso corporeo, maggiore del piede destro (52,56±3,78% vs 47,44±3,78%; p<0,05), a parità di superficie di appoggio; in deambulazione, i soggetti mostravano, a parità di tempi di appoggio dei singoli piedi al suolo, una riduzione del carico sul piede destro rispetto al sinistro, significativa …

METODI DI STUDIO DELLA VARIABILITA’ DELLA FREQUENZA CARDIACA

La frequenza cardiaca (FC) è controllata dal sistema nervoso vegetativo. Il nodo senoatriale (SA) ha una frequenza propria di depolarizzazione spontanea conosciuta come “frequenza intrinseca” che rappresenta la frequenza misurata in assenza di impulsi simpatici o parasimpatici come si può ottenere con la denervazione o il blocco farmacologico. Nei soggetti normali la frequenza intrinseca è di circa 100 bpm e dipende dal sesso e dall’età ed è influenzata dall’esercizio fisico, l’ipossia e le variazioni di temperatura. I soggetti allenati a sport di resistenza hanno una frequenza intrinseca minore. Gli effetti del sistema simpatico e parasimpatico influenzano in maniera predominante la FC int…

Influence of family history to type 2 diabetes on the body composition and homeostasis model assessment: a comparison between young active and sedentary men.

Obiettivo. La storia familiare (family history, FH) per il diabete mellito (DM) di tipo 2 è un fattore di rischio per lo sviluppo della malattia, inducendo precoci modificazioni metaboliche e antropometriche in soggetti sedentari. Lo scopo di questo lavoro era studiare l’influenza di FH al DM sulla composizione corporea e sul metabolismo del glucosio in giovani uomini sedentari ed attivi. Metodi. In un’analisi trasversale, sono stati registrati dati antropometrici, composizione corporea (tramite BIA), insulina e glucosio plasmatici in 60 giovani siciliani sani (31 atleti e 29 soggetti sedentari); FH è stata definita come FH+ se il soggetto aveva riferito di avere almeno un membro della fami…

RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN MAXIMAL FAT OXIDATION AND OXYGEN UPTAKE: COMPARISON BETWEEN PATIENTS WITH TYPE 2 DIABETES AND HEALTHY SEDENTARY SUBJECTS

The contribution of fat oxidation to energy production during exercise is influenced by intensity of exercise. The aim of this study was to assess the relationship between the highest value of fat oxidation rate (FATmax) and the oxygen uptake (VO2) in sedentary type 2 diabetes (T2D) patients vs healthy sedentary subjects. Sedentary T2D patients and healthy sedentary subjects were evaluated to a graded exercise test, and oxygen uptake and fat oxidation rate were detected. Data show that in T2D patients fat oxidation rate is not impaired and the positive linear correlation between FATmax and both VO2 and VO2max suggests that even in T2D patients the muscle oxidative capacity might increase in…

Valutazione funzionale del fitness cardio-polmonare e metabolica di pazienti paraplegici attivi e non attivi:confronto con giovani sedentari sani.

A Map-Based Visualization Tool To Support Tutors In E-Learning 2.0

Web 2.0 regards essentially the social issues about the new usage of web applications, but participative web and user generated contents induce a new way to think about the design of the web applications themselves. This is particularly true in the field of educational systems that are all web based applications. Many researchers are now devoted to study what is called e-learning 2.0 both as regards the technological issues in the field of computer science, and in relation to the impact of the web 2.0 social and psychological issues on the education process itself. One of the most crucial topics in e-learning 2.0 is the way to provide support to the teacher/tutor to avoid cognitive overload…

Mean power during 20 sec all-out test to predict 2000-m rowing ergometer performance in national level young rowers

Aim. The aim of this study was to assess the relationship between mean power during 20-s all-out rowing ergometer test and 2000-m rowing ergometer performance, in 20 young male rowers (mean age 15.2 ± 1.3 years). Methods. Mean power during 20-s all-out test (W20), maximal oxygen uptake during incremental test (VO2max), and anthropometric values, were measured and correlated with the time to perform a 2000-m trial (t2000). Results. W20 showed the highest correlation with t2000 (r = -0.947, P &lt; 0.0001). Stepwise multiple linear regression analysis showed that W20, VO2max, and fat-free mass, were the variables most correlated with t2000, accounting for 95.1% of the variance, and that 89.7% …

Learning Path Generation by Domain Ontology Transformation

An approach to automated learning path generation inside a domain ontology supporting a web tutoring system is presented. Even if a terminological ontology definition is needed in real systems to enable reasoning and/or planning techniques, and to take into account the modern learning theories, the task to apply a planner to such an ontology is very hard because the definition of actions along with their preconditions and effects has to take into account the semantics of the relations among concepts, and it results in building an ontology of learning. The proposed methodology is inspired to the Knowledge Space Theory, and proposes some heuristics to transform the original ontology in a weig…

Osteoporosi, osteoartrosi ed attività motorie

VEBO: Validation of E-R diagrams through ontologies and WordNet

In the semantic web vision, ontologies are building blocks for providing applications with a high level description of the operating environment in support of interoperability and semantic capabilities. The importance of ontologies in this respect is clearly stated in many works. Another crucial issue to increase the semantic aspect of web is to enrich the level of expressivity of database related data. Nowadays, databases are the primary source of information for dynamical web sites. The linguistic data used to build the database structure could be relevant for extracting meaningful information. In most cases, this type of information is not used for information retrieval. The work present…

Exploitation of Mobile Access to Context-Based Information in Cultural Heritage Fruition

More than one billion smartphone users are estimated by 2014. With this in mind, visiting cultural heritage sites and exhibits may offer new level of engagement and entertainment just reaching down in our pockets. With orders of magnitude more computational horsepower than a five years-old desktop machine, stuffed with all sorts of sensors, these modern gizmos have a largely untapped potential to gain us access to personalized and on-demand information wherever it is needed. This paper is exactly about this, exploring with several case studies how these devices may become part of a memorable experience during a visit that one may want to share with friends and relatives. Specifically, the p…

Valorizzazione dell filiera del grano duro in Sicilia attraverso indagini sulla caratterizzazione nutrizionale delle materie prime e dei prodotti derivati.

VALUTAZIONE DELLA DENSITÀ OSSEA DI UN CAMPIONE DI SOGGETTI PARAPLEGICI. RUOLO DEL DOTTORE IN SCIENZE MOTORIE NEL RECUPERO DELL’AUTONOMIA MOTORIA.

Scopo del lavoro è stato quello di valutare in pazienti maschi paraplegici gli adattamenti del tessuto osseo del rachide in toto e dei vari segmenti scheletrici in conseguenza della prolungata immobilità e di proporre dei nuovi protocolli d’attività motoria che possano sia limitare il decadimento progressivo delle strutture osteo-articolari, sia di preparare i pazienti all’ utilizzo di nuove tecnologie che consentano una pur parziale autonomia motoria. Allo studio hanno partecipato volontariamente venticinque soggetti paraplegici di sesso maschile con lesioni complete T3- L3, suddivisi in due gruppi in relazione agli anni di lesione: il primo gruppo è composto da 13 soggetti con lesione mid…

EFFETTI DELL'ALLENAMENTO ALLE ATTIVITÀ SPORTIVE SULLA MASSA VENTRICOLARE SINISTRA

Le attività sportive agonistiche comportano adattamenti cardiaci morfologici e funzionali che permettono di ottimizzare la funzione cardiaca durante l’esercizio fisico. Il principale adattamento funzionale cardiaco è rappresentato dalla bradicardia a riposo, conseguente al raggiungimento di un nuovo equilibrio della bilancia simpato-vagale. Il principale adattamento morfologico dell'apparato cardiocircolatorio all’esercizio fisico è rappresentato dall'ipertrofia miocardica, caratterizzata da un aumento della massa cardiaca che deve essere armonico e proporzionale al grado ed al tipo di attività fisica praticata. Tale ipertrofia coinvolge sia la componente miocitaria che quella vascolare per…

DETERMINATION OF MAXIMAL FAT OXIDATION FOR PRESCRIBING EXERCISE IN SEDENTARY NON-OBESE TYPE 2 DIABETES SUBJECTS

Aim: To determine the exercise intensity that elicits the highest fat oxidation rate in sedentary non-obese subjects with type 2 diabetes. Methods: Eleven sedentary subjects with type 2 diabetes (T2DS) and eleven healthy sedentary subjects (HS), aged 45 to 65 and non-obese, were evaluated to a graded exercise test. Oxygen uptake (VO2) and fat oxidation rate (FAT) were detected. FAT was then plotted as a function of exercise intensity, expressed as percentage of VO2max. We determined the exercise intensity (%VO2max) at which fat oxidation was maximal (FATmax). Results: Absolute FATmax was not significantly different between T2DS and HS (0.51  0.13 vs. 0.56  0.29 g∙min-1). FATmax occurred a…

Determination of maximal fat oxidation for prescribing exercise in healthy sedentary subjects

PURPOSE: Physical activity is recommended as a component of weight management. Exercise intensity has been showed to be one of the most important factors in determining substrate utilization. Purpose of our study was to determine the level at which physical exercise elicits maximal fat oxidation. METHODS: Fifteen healthy sedentary subjects, 8 men and 7 women, mean age 53 (range 37 – 71), BMI 26,6  1,33 performed an incremental exercise test to exhaustion on treadmill, using Bruce protocol. Breath-by-breath measurements of VO2 (ml/Kg/min) were detected throughout exercise and FAT rate (mg/Kg/min) was determined using indirect calorimetry (Cosmed, Quark CPET). The data is shown as mean value…

Knowledge Discovery and Digital Cartography for the ALS (Linguistic Atlas of Sicily) Project

In this paper the latest developments of the ALS (Linguistic Atlas of Sicily) project are presented. The ALS project has the purpose to define methodologies and tools to allow researches in the socio-linguistic field. Different types of variables (both quantitative and qualitative) are involved. The whole framework is based on the definition of ontology-based applications for the creation, retrieval, manipulation and browsing of related data. To this aim, some mapping processes have been defined. The framework eventually shows the result in many ways including spatial maps. The on-going collaboration process is a perfect example a domain hybridizing process, enabling the training on-the-fie…

GAIML: A New Language for Verbal and Graphical Interaction in Chatbots

One of the aims of the research in the field of the human-computer interaction is the design of a natural and intuitive interaction modalities. In particular, many efforts have been devoted in the development of systems able to interact with the user in natural language. Chatbots are the classical interfaces for natural language interaction. Such systems can be very sophisticated, including support for 3D avatars and speech analysis and synthesis. However, all of them present only a text area allowing the user to input her sentences. No doubt, an interaction involving also the natural language can increase the comfort of the user with respect to common interfaces using only graphical widget…

Effects of physical activity on the lean and fat mass of the legs and on the femoral BMD in young adults

Aim. To evaluate the effects of physical activity on the lean (LLM) and fat (FLM) mass of both legs and on the left femur neck bone mineral density (FemBMD) in young adults. Methods. Subjects were 48 healthy male, mean age 25 (range 20-32). Subjects were assigned to one of three groups according to the physical activity practiced from age 10 onwards: 17 sedentary subjects (A), 15 active subjects (B) and 16 athletes (C). LLM and FLM (g) were evaluated by Dual Energy X-ray Absorptiometry (DEXA), as well as FemBMD (g/cm2). The data is shown as mean values ± standard deviation. For the statistical analysis of the data, linear regression analysis and Student's t test for unpaired data were used.…

A Semantic Similarity Measure for the SIMS Framework

The amount of currently available digital information grows rapidly. Relevant information is often spread over different information sources. An efficient and flexible framework to allow users to satisfy ef- fectively their information needs is required. The work presented in this paper describes SIMS (Semantic Information Management System), a ref- erence architecture for a framework performing semantic annotation, search and retrieval of information from multiple sources. The work pre- sented in this paper focuses on a specific SIMS module, the SIMS Semantic Content Navigator, proposing an algorithm and the related implementa- tion to calculate a semantic similarity measure inside an OWL …

Discovering learning paths on a domain ontology using natural language interaction

The present work investigates the problem of determining a learning path inside a suitable domain ontology. The proposed approach enables the user of a web learning application to interact with the system using natural language in order to browse the ontology itself. The course related knowledge is arranged as a three level hierarchy: content level, symbolic level, and conceptual level bridging the previous ones. The implementation of the ontological, the interaction, and the presentation component inside the TutorJ system is explained, and the first results are presented.

Relation between anaerobic power and rowing ergometer performance in young rowers

Aims: Rowing performance over 2000m is dependent upon the functional capacity of both the aerobic and anaerobic energy pathways. Although several studies have indicated that maximal oxygen uptake is strongly related to rowing performance and it is the best predictor of performance in elite rowers, some evidence is that muscle power output could be an important predictor of performance. The aim of this study was to investigate the possible relationship between anaerobic power and rowing ergometer performance over 2000m in young rowers, and whether anaerobic power assessed could identify athletes with the best performance. Methods: We collected biometric characteristics and energy data, inclu…

RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN MAXIMAL FAT OXIDATION AND OXYGEN UPTAKE: COMPARISON BETWEEN PATIENTS WITH TYPE 2 DIABETES AND HEALTHY SEDENTARY SUBJECTS

Purpose Carbohydrate and fatty acids are the dominant fuels oxidized for energy production during exercise. Their contribution is influenced by intensity of exercise, with a progressive increase in the relative contribution of carbohydrate oxidation to energy expenditure, whereas the absolute rate of fat oxidation increases from low to moderate intensities of exercise and declines as exercise becomes more intense. In patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D) the altered metabolism and the lower capacity to sustain efforts changed the choice and regulation of energy substrates for oxidation. Purpose of our study was to assess the relationship between the highest value of fat oxidation rate (FATmax…

Analysis of anaerobic power in club level young rowers

Aim: To date, assessment of the anaerobic components to determine performance in rowers is not part of standard evaluation or monitoring set for training. The aim of this study was to evaluate the relation between anaerobic power output and ergometer rowing performance over 2000 meters, in a group of 14 -17 years old rowers (n = 11). Methods: Each subject performed, in three separate days, two “all-out” tests, over 20 and 60 seconds, and a 2000 meters trial, using a Concept II rowing ergometer. Mean power values over 20 sec (W20) and 60 sec (W60) were measured and compared with the time to perform the 2000 m trial (t2000). Results: Statistical analysis showed high and significant correlatio…

L’osteoporosi nelle lesioni del midollo spinale: analisi trasversale su paraplegici

I LIVELLI BASALI DI ANSIA NEI PAZIENTI CARDIOPATICI IN ATTESA DI PROCEDURE CARDIOCHIRURGICHE O INTERVENTISTICHE

Al fine di pianificare dei programmi per la salute della popolazione anziana che includano interventi di tipo educativo, psicomotorio e sociali, è importante studiare come alcuni fattori psicologici possano ridurre i livelli di attività quotidiana o aumentare il rischio di sviluppare una malattia. L’attività fisica può ridurre l’ansia ed anche prevenire il rischio di malattie cardiovascolari, per cui in questa ricerca abbiamo rilevato i livelli di ansia in pazienti cardiopatici prima di effettuare una procedura cardiochirurgia o di rivascolarizzazione coronaria percutanea. Abbiamo utilizzato la forma Y dello State-Trait Anxiety Inventory. Da questo test si ottengono due punteggi diversi che…

Semantic sense extraction from Wikipedia pages

This paper presents a technique aimed to extract structured information from unstructured Wikipedia contents related to a particular topic, and to arrange it in a semantic way inside an ontology. The general framework is the design of an artificial agent able to deliberate when increasing its domain knowledge. In particular, this cognitive agent acts as a dialogue manager in an Intelligent Tutoring System (ITS) already presented by the authors. Our approach is based on the definition of useful patterns able to extract and identify novel concepts and relations to be added to the knowledge base. We propose a method that uses information from the wiki page’s structure. We define different stra…

Assessment of autonomic function as marker of training status: the role of heart rate recovery after exercise

Heart rate recovery (HRR) is the rate at which the heart rate returns to baseline after a period of exercise. HRR is a marker of autonomic function and a predictor of cardiovascular fitness in healthy subjects and in those with cardiovascular diseases. Moreover, HRR has been proposed as a marker of training status in athletes. Our aim was to perform a review of studies that evaluated HRR after exercise in trained and untrained healthy subjects and assessed its relationship with training status. Several studies suggest that the assessing of HRR after exercise may be useful to distinguish trained from untrained individuals and to establish an athlete’s state of training. However, standardizat…

The basal energy expenditure of female athletes vs. sedentary women as related to their family history of type 2 diabetes

The purpose of this study was to investigate the basal metabolic rate (BMR) in 16 professional sportswomen (soccer players) versus 15 sedentary women, as related to the presence (FH+) or absence (FH-) of a family history of type 2 diabetes. The sportswomen, in toto, had a significantly higher BMR than expected from predictive equations (+14.92%). However, the difference was limited only to FH- sportswomen (+18.66%, p<0.0005). FH- sportswomen showed a significantly higher measured BMR than FH+ sportswomen (p<0.005), and FH+ (p=0.058) and than FH- (p<0.05) sedentary women. There were no other significant differences relative to physical, metabolic and plasmatic data between the groups. The sp…

A Multimodal Fruition Model for Graphical Contents in Ancient Books

One of the most common and efficient way to preserve ancient books is to digitize them, and make their content someway browsable. However, this process often does not take into account the fruition point of view. Exploiting the currently available technologies allows for new ways of content fruition, to attract more people and help them to better understand the available information. In this paper, we present a solution for an innovative and multimodal exploration of ancient books contents, using both touch and touchless gestures. This allows people for both near and far distance interaction, which results in different interaction models.

Tracking the invasion of the red swamp crayfish Procambarus clarkii (Girard, 1852) (Decapoda Cambaridae) in Sicily: a “citizen science” approach

Author(s): Faraone, Francesco Paolo; Giacalone, Gabriele; Canale, Domenica Emanuela; D'Angelo, Stefania; Favaccio, Giorgio; Garozzo, Vincenzo; Giancontieri, Giacoma Lidia; Isgro, Carmelo; Melfi, Raffaella; Morello, Bruno; Navarria, Federica; Russo, Giuseppe; Tinnirello, Viviana; Torre, Antonio; Torre, Daniele; Torre, Giancarlo; Urso, Giuseppe; Vinci, Pierluigi; Zizzo, Maria Grazia; Marrone, Federico | Abstract: The first record of the red swamp crayfish in Sicily dates back to 2003 and, since then, the species seemed to be confined to a few localities in western Sicily. A small “citizen science” project carried out from November 2016 onwards led to the creation of the “Sicilian Procambarus …

Il cuore dello sportivo

Functional bread supplemented with Pleurotus eryngii powder: A potential new food for human health

The purpose of this study was to develop functional breads with powdered Pleurotus eryngii. The breads were produced applying the traditional Italian style sourdough technology. P. eryngii powder was added to flour of tender wheat varieties (Grano Dei Miracoli, Inalettabile, Mentana, Gentilrosso, Ardito and a mix of Rieti, Verna, and Mentana) or semolina of durum wheat landrace (Saragolla) and subjected to sourdough fermentation. Sourdough inoculum was produced with selected strains of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) belonging to the species Levilactobacillus brevis, Weissella cibaria and Leuconostoc citreum. The addition of Pleurotus powdered (PP) (10% w/w) did not influence the fermentation pr…

Picco di massa ossea ed attività fisica: confronto tra giovani adulti sedentari, attivi e atleti

OBIETTIVO - Valutare, nel periodo di raggiungimento del picco di massa ossea, gli effetti dell’attività fisica sulla mineralizzazione ossea in età giovanile. MATERIALI E METODI - Allo studio hanno partecipato 43 soggetti maschi, sani, con età media di 25 anni, suddivisi in tre gruppi in relazione all’intensità dell’attività fisica svolta dall’età di dieci anni in poi: il primo composto da 17 soggetti sedentari, il secondo da 16 soggetti attivi e il terzo da 15 soggetti atleti. Ogni soggetto è stato sottoposto a mineralometria ossea computerizzata (DEXA). La misurazione della densità ossea (BMD, g/cm2) dei soggetti ha riguardato: corpo intero (Total Body), collo femore dx e sx e tratto rachi…

Performances of Different Metabolic Lactobacillus Groups During the Fermentation of Pizza Doughs Processed from Semolina

The main hypothesis of this work is that facultative and obligate heterofermentative Lactobacillus species can differently impact the final characteristics of pizza. The objective was to evaluate separately the behaviors of the obligate heterofermentative species (OHS), such as Lactobacillus sanfranciscensis, Lactobacillus brevis, and Lactobacillus rossiae, and the facultative heterofermentative species (FHS), including Lactobacillus plantarum, and Lactobacillus curvatus, in the sourdoughs to be used for pizza production. The production of the experimental pizzas was carried out with semolina (Triticum turgidum L. ssp. durum). The acidification process—which was followed by pH, total titrat…

The NUMEN project @ LNS : Status and perspectives

The aim of the NUMEN project is to access the Nuclear Matrix Elements (NME), involved in the half life of the neutrinoless double beta decay (0νββ), by measuring the cross sections of Heavy Ions (HI) induced Double Charge Exchange (DCE) reactions with high accuracy. First evidence of the possibility to get quantitative information about NME from experiments is shown in the reaction 40Ca(18O,18Ne)40Ar at 270 MeV, performed with MAGNEX spectrometer using Superconducting Cyclotron (CS) beams at INFN - Laboratory Nazionali del Sud (LNS) in Catania. Preliminary tests on 116Sn and 116Cd target are already performed. High beam intensity is the new frontiers for these studies. peerReviewed

Theoretical and experimental study of the kinetics of particle chains near electrodes in dielectrophoretic devices

Using a three dimensional coupled Monte Carlo-Poisson algorithm and experimental results we studied the role of the particle-particle dipole interaction on the kinetics of a system of human cells suspended in a static liquid medium under the action of an oscillating non-uniform electric field generated by polynomial electrodes. We found that the kinetics of the cells during negative/repulsive dielectrophoresis depends on the local distribution of particles. If the cells have generated long chains during positive/attractive dielectrophoresis, such chains can hinder subsequent detachment resulting in a reduction of the separation/manipulation efficiency of dielectrophoretic device. This effec…

Retrospective survey between active life style and bone density.

Collective Reasoning over Shared Concepts for the Linguistic Atlas of Sicily

In this chapter, collective intelligence principles are applied in the context of the Linguistic Atlas of Sicily (ALS - Atlante Linguistico Siciliano), an interdisciplinary research focusing on the study of the Italian language as it is spoken in Sicily, and its correlation with the Sicilian dialect and other regional varieties spoken in Sicily. The project has been developed over the past two decades and includes a complex information system supporting linguistic research; recently it has grown to allow research scientists to cooperate in an integrated environment to produce significant scientific advances in the field of ethnologic and sociolinguistic research. An interoperable infrastruc…

Association between gene polymorphims of actn3 and srd5a and athletic performance. (2006)

Cibo, salute e stili di vita per la rigenerazione rur-urbana

La dieta mediterranea si basa sulla tradizionale composizione alimentare e sui prodotti che sono stati per secoli indissolubilmente connessi ai paesaggi agricoli e marini del mediterraneo, con le loro dimensioni ecologiche, culturali sociali ed economiche della biodiversità. Nella nostra regione abbiamo sviluppato programmi regionali per attuare strategie di prevenzione primaria delle malattie croniche non trasmissibili ad alta prevalenza attraverso l'educazione e la consulenza comportamentale e nutrizionale (FED), insieme a progetti di ricerca e innovazione finalizzati al recupero dell'identità territoriale attraverso il consumo e la produzione sostenibili del cibo prossimale e sua trasfor…

Could a wrong consumption of cereals influence preteens obesity in Sicily?

The effects of abdominal training in female dancers

Drug Prescription and Delirium in Older Inpatients: Results From the Nationwide Multicenter Italian Delirium Day 2015-2016

Objective This study aimed to evaluate the association between polypharmacy and delirium, the association of specific drug categories with delirium, and the differences in drug-delirium association between medical and surgical units and according to dementia diagnosis. Methods Data were collected during 2 waves of Delirium Day, a multicenter delirium prevalence study including patients (aged 65 years or older) admitted to acute and long-term care wards in Italy (2015-2016); in this study, only patients enrolled in acute hospital wards were selected (n = 4,133). Delirium was assessed according to score on the 4 "A's" Test. Prescriptions were classified by main drug categories; polypharmacy w…

Relationship Between Heart Rate Recovery After Exercise and Maximal Oxygen Uptake in Sedentary Patients with Type 2 Diabetes

AIMS: Heart rate recovery after exercise (HRR) is an estimate of autonomic modulation of the heart, and has been shown to be inversely associated with type 2 diabetes. Type 2 diabetes is associated with decreased maximal oxygen consumption (VO2max). Aim of our study was to assess the relationship between HRR and VO2max in sedentary patients with type 2 diabetes. METHODS: Maximal exercise testing to determine VO2max (ml ∙ Kg-1 ∙ min-1) was performed in 16 sedentary patients with type 2 diabetes (DP) and in 16 age-matched sedentary healthy controls (HS). HRR (bpm) 2 min after cessation of the exercise was recorded. Simple linear regression was used to assess the relations between HRR and VO2m…

"Delirium Day": a nationwide point prevalence study of delirium in older hospitalized patients using an easy standardized diagnostic tool

Background To date, delirium prevalence in adult acute hospital populations has been estimated generally from pooled findings of single-center studies and/or among specific patient populations. Furthermore, the number of participants in these studies has not exceeded a few hundred. To overcome these limitations, we have determined, in a multicenter study, the prevalence of delirium over a single day among a large population of patients admitted to acute and rehabilitation hospital wards in Italy. Methods This is a point prevalence study (called “Delirium Day”) including 1867 older patients (aged 65 years or more) across 108 acute and 12 rehabilitation wards in Italian hospitals. Delirium wa…

The ALSWEB Framework: A Web-based Framework for the Linguistic Atlas of Sicily Project

In this work the ALSWEB framework is presented. The ALSWEB is a virtual linguistic laboratory for linguistic research developed as a web application. The purpose of the framework is to model the entire process regarding the different steps of data acquisition, data transformation, information acquisition from different data and research hypotheses verification in the ALS (Linguistic Atlas of Sicily) project. The nature of the ALS research involves different type of data. The socio-linguistic researcher that is the main actor of the proposed framework has to acquire information in many formats: multimedia data, audio data, question-answer (textual) from particular questionnaires. In this wor…

Ras family genes: An interesting link between cell cycle and cancer

Ras genes are evolutionary conserved and codify for a monomeric G protein binding GTP (active form) or GDP (inactive form). The ras genes are ubiquitously expressed although mRNA analysis suggests different level expression in tissue. Mutations in each ras gene frequently were found in different tumors, suggesting their involvement in the development of specific neoplasia. These mutations lead to a constitutive active and potentially oncogenic protein that could cause a deregulation of cell cycle. Ras protein moderates cellular responses at several mitogens and/or differentiation factors and at external stimuli. These stimuli activate a series of signal transduction pathways that either can…

Heart rate recovery after exercise and maximal oxygen uptake in sedentary patients with type 2 diabetes

Aims: Heart rate recovery after exercise (HRR) is an estimate of autonomic modulation of the heart, and has been shown to be inversely associated with insulin resistance, metabolic syndrome, and type 2 diabetes [1]. Type 2 diabetes is associated with poor exercise tolerance and maximal aerobic capacity (VO2max) [2]. Aim of our study was to assess the relationship between HRR and VO2max in sedentary patients with type 2 diabetes. Methods: Maximal treadmill exercise testing using standard or modified Bruce protocol was performed in 16 (8 males and 8 females) sedentary patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D), and in 16 (9 males and 7 females) age-matched sedentary non-diabetic controls (ND). HRR (…

Plantar pressure distribution analysis in normal weight young women and men with normal and claw feet: a cross-sectional study

We analyzed the plantar support in 72 normal-weight young voluntaries (46 women, 26 men), by a baropodometric platform. We considered subjects with claw foot (CFS) and subjects with normal foot (NFS). We found a significant reduction of total plantar support surface in the CFS (P < 0.0001 for women, P < 0.001 for men), due to the reduction of the forefoot and rear foot areas of both plantar imprints. Indeed, CFS of both sexes exhibited higher values of both plantar pressure and peak pressure, compared to the NFS. Moreover, the load per units of plantar surface increased in CFS compared to the NFS. In conclusion, the reduction of plantar support surfaces in CFS of both sexes was associated t…

Effects of extra-virgin olive oil enriched with E-vitamin and Q10-coenzyme on the heart rate variability and plasma antioxidant status in athletes

OBJECTIVES: To examine whether the assumption of extra virgin olive oil enriched with E-vitamin and Q10-coenzyme may improve the plasma anti-oxidant/pro-oxidant balance and be associated with favorable changes in heart rate variability (HRV). METHODS: Four male athletes, mean age 22 (range 21-24), were recruited. They assumed 20 ml per day of the integrator (20 mg Q10 and 15 mg Vit E) for one month. The plasma antioxidant capacity (AC) was evaluated by the crocin bleaching assay. The frequency-domain analysis of HRV was carried out using Cardioline Cube recorder and specific software to obtain, from an autoregressive power spectrum approach, the power in normalized units (nu) of the low-(LF…

Classificzione delle superfici del secondo ordine in uno spazio semigalileano

In questo lavoro si dimostra che nello spazio semigalileano esistono 69 tipi di quadriche classificabili, mediante gli invarianti e i semi-invarianti delle loro equazioni, in 25 famiglie.

Guidelines for the use and interpretation of assays for monitoring autophagy (3rd edition)

Seuls les 100 premiers auteurs dont les auteurs INRA ont été entrés dans la notice. La liste complète des auteurs et de leurs affiliations est accessible sur la publication.; International audience; In 2008 we published the first set of guidelines for standardizing research in autophagy. Since then, research on this topic has continued to accelerate, and many new scientists have entered the field. Our knowledge base and relevant new technologies have also been expanding. Accordingly, it is important to update these guidelines for monitoring autophagy in different organisms. Various reviews have described the range of assays that have been used for this purpose. Nevertheless, there continues…

Improving Assessment of Students through Semantic Space Construction

Assessment is one of the hardest tasks an Intelligent Tutoring System has to perform. It involves different and sometimes uncorrelated sub-tasks: building a student model to define her needs, defining tools and procedures to perform tests, understanding students' replies to system prompts, defining suitable procedures to evaluate the correctness of students' replies, and strategies to improve students' abilities after the assessment session.In this work we  present an improvement of our system, TutorJ, with particular attention to the assessment phase. Many tutoring systems offer only a limited set of assessment options like multiple-choice questions,fill-in-the-blanks tests or other types …

Anaerobic test on rowing ergometer in young rowers

PURPOSE: Performance over 2000m on a rowing ergometer is dependent upon the functional capacity of both the aerobic and anaerobic energy pathway. The purpose of this study was to assess the relationship between anaerobic power and indoor performance over 2000m in youth rowers. METHODS: Six youth rowers, 3 males and 3 females mean age 14 (range 13 – 15), performed, on a separate occasion, two maximal ergometer power tests, on 20” and on 60”, and a maximal 2000m ergometer time trial. All evaluations were performed on a Concept II model D air braked rowing ergometer (Concept2, Nottingham, UK). Average speed over 2000m (V) and average power over 20” (W20) and over 60” (W60) were measured. The d…

Towards MKDA: A Knowledge Discovery Assistant for Researches in Medicine

Nowadays doctors are generating a huge amount of raw data. These data, analyzed with data mining techniques, could be sources of new knowledge. Unluckily such tasks need skilled data analysts, and not so much researchers in Medicine are also data mining experts. In this paper we present a web based system for knowledge discovery assistance in Medicine able to advice a medical researcher in this kind of tasks. The user must define only the experiment specifications in a formal language we have defined. The system GUI helps users in their composition. Then the system plans a Knowledge Discovery Process (KDP) on the basis of rules in a knowledge base. Finally the system executes the KDP and pr…

The Increase in Maternal Expression ofaxin1andaxin2Contribute to the Zebrafish MutantIchabodVentralized Phenotype

β-catenin is a central effector of the Wnt pathway and one of the players in Ca+-dependent cell-cell adhesion. While many wnts are present and expressed in vertebrates, only one β-catenin exists in the majority of the organisms. One intriguing exception is zebrafish that carries two genes for β-catenin. The maternal recessive mutation ichabod presents very low levels of β-catenin2 that in turn affects dorsal axis formation, suggesting that β-catenin1 is incapable to compensate for β-catenin2 loss and raising the question of whether these two β-catenins may have differential roles during early axis specification. Here we identify a specific antibody that can discriminate selectively for β-ca…

Acquisition of New Knowledge to Manage Conversation in TutorJ

This paper presents new conversation modules developed for TutorJ to support the use of meta-cognitive strategies in the learners. TutorJ is an Intelligent Tutoring System able to interact with users to assess their skills, and improve their knowledge in a specific domain. New models are devoted to plan the conversation and to acquire new knowledge from semi-structured data sources. Conversation planning is based on probabilistic techniques. Knowledge acquisition is based on retrieval, transformation and alignment of data from wikis to enrich the replies to students questions.

Information Organization and Visualization for the ALS Project

This work presents the adopted methodology and the realized tools for data visualization in the Linguistic Atlas Of Sicily (ALS) Project. The ALS Project has the purpose to discovery new trends and variables to track the linguistic evolution over time and space in Sicily. The project is focused on how linguistic variables are related to social and economic aspects of the evolution of population and vice-versa. The visualization tools are a relevant aspect of the project to support decisions and disseminate results. One of the major factors is the geographic dependence of data evolution. To this aim complex set of tools has been developed: some tools are stand-alone while others are collabor…

XML-based Knowledge Discovery for Linguistic Atlas of Sicily (ALS) Project

The identification of new useful patterns in data is a core process for intelligent systems. Information overflow is directly related to this problem. In this work we propose a knowledge discovery methodology to retrieve useful and novel information from raw data stored in a DBMS. We used ALSDB, a database that has been built suitably to access structured information obtained from the questionnaires produced in the Linguistic Atlas of Sicily (ALS) project. The ALS project is a decennal joint effort led by researchers at the Dipartimento di Scienze Filologiche e Linguistiche of the University of Palermo that has the purpose to track and study the geo-linguistic and lexicographic processes ab…

Relationship between maximal fat oxidation and oxygen uptake: comparison between type 2 diabetes patients and healthy sedentary subjects

The contribution of fat oxidation to energy production during exercise is influenced by intensity of exercise. The aim of this study was to assess the relationship between the highest value of fat oxidation rate (FATmax) and the oxygen uptake (VO2) in sedentary type 2 diabetes (T2D) patients vs healthy sedentary subjects. Sedentary T2D patients and healthy sedentary subjects were evaluated to a graded exercise test, and oxygen uptake and fat oxidation rate were detected. Data show that in T2D patients fat oxidation rate is not impaired and the positive linear correlation between FATmax and both VO2 and VO2max suggests that even in T2D patients the muscle oxidative capacity might increase in…

Le attività motorie nella scoliosi minore

ALTERAZIONI DEL RECETTORE OCULARE E COMPENSI DELLA COLONNA CERVICO-DORSALE: PARAMETRI STABILOMETRICI

Scopo dello studio è stato quello di analizzare la relazione tra atteggiamento scoliotico dorsale e difetti di convergenza oculare. In 40 soggetti giovani adolescenti maschi di età compresa tra 10 e 12 anni è stata eseguita una valutazione delle curve rachidee con scoliosometro ed un esame stabilometrico mediante piattaforma Baropodometrica Elettronica Modulare “Diagnostic Support”, da cui sono stati ricavati la velocità di variazione, la deviazione media coronale (x-medio), la deviazione media sagittale (y-medio) e la superficie e lunghezza dello statokinesigramma. Inoltre, per l’analisi della funzionalità del recettore oculare, sono stati effettuati il test di convergenza oculare e il cov…

How do sports affect static baropodometry? An observational study among women living in southern Italy

Purpose. the aim of the study was (a) to investigate the differences in plantar pressure distribution between athletes (A) and sedentary (S) women; (b) to examine the differences, if any, in plantar pressure between sports within the A group. Methods. the study involved 173 females; 98 were S (age: 24.23 ± 6.11 years; height: 161.11 ± 6.44 cm; weight: 56.70 ± 8.19 kg; bMI: 21.81 ± 2.52 kg/m 2 ; body surface area [bSA]: 1.59 ± 0.13; shoe size: 37.83 ± 1.53), 75 were A (age: 22.47 ± 4.89 years; height: 159.98 ± 5.95 cm; weight: 55.49 ± 7.61 kg; bMI: 21.62 ± 2.18 kg/m 2 ; bSA: 1.57 ± 0.12; shoe size: 38.05 ± 1.55). For plantar support analysis, the FreeMed posturography system was used, includ…

A Cognitive Dialogue Manager for Education Purposes

A conversational agent is a software system that is able to interact with users in a natural way, and often uses natural language capabilities. In this chapter, an evolution of a conversational agent is presented according to the definition of dialogue management techniques for the conversational agents. The presented conversational agent is intended to act as a part of an educational system. The chapter outlines the state-of-the-art systems and techniques for dialogue management in cognitive educational systems, and the underlying psychological and social aspects. We present our framework for a dialogue manager aimed to reduce the uncertainty in users’ sentences during the assessment of hi…

pRb2/p130-E2F4/5-HDAC1-SUV39H1-p300 and pRb2/p130-E2F4/5-HDAC1-SUV39H1-DNMT1 multimolecular complexes mediate the transcription of estrogen receptor-alpha in breast cancer.

The estrogen receptor-alpha (ER) plays a crucial role in normal breast development and is also linked to development and progression of mammary carcinoma. The transcriptional repression of ER-alpha gene in breast cancer is an area of active investigation with potential clinical significance. However, the molecular mechanisms that regulate the ER-alpha gene expression are not fully understood. Here we show a new molecular mechanism of ER-alpha gene inactivation mediated by pRb2/p130 in ER-negative breast cancer cells. We investigated in vivo occupancy of ER-alpha promoter by pRb2/p130-E2F4/5-HDAC1-SUV39 H1-p300 and pRb2/p130-E2F4/5-HDAC1-SUV39H1-DNMT1 complexes, and provided a link between p…

Seasonal Changes in physiological parameters in young club level rowers

Aims: To evaluate variations in biometrics, physiological and performance parameters over a seasonal training – from September to March - in club level young rowers. Methods: Six young rowers, age 13-15, affiliated with a rowing club member of the Italian Rowing Federation, were assessed three times at regular three-months intervals (September, December, and March) during the 2011 season. Biometrics evaluations included stature, body mass and body composition, whereas physiological assessments on rowing ergometer included maximum oxygen uptake (VO2max) obtained during an incremental test, and average power output values obtained during a 2000m trial (W2000) and during a 20-sec (W20) and a 6…

Erratum

Author(s): Klionsky, DJ; Abdelmohsen, K; Abe, A; Abedin, MJ; Abeliovich, H; Arozena, AA; Adachi, H; Adams, CM; Adams, PD; Adeli, K; Adhihetty, PJ; Adler, SG; Agam, G; Agarwal, R; Aghi, MK; Agnello, M; Agostinis, P; Aguilar, PV; Aguirre-Ghiso, J; Airoldi, EM; Ait-Si-Ali, S; Akematsu, T; Akporiaye, ET; Al-Rubeai, M; Albaiceta, GM; Albanese, C; Albani, D; Albert, ML; Aldudo, J; Algul, H; Alirezaei, M; Alloza, I; Almasan, A; Almonte-Beceril, M; Alnemri, ES; Alonso, C; Altan-Bonnet, N; Altieri, DC; Alvarez, S; Alvarez-Erviti, L; Alves, S; Amadoro, G; Amano, A; Amantini, C; Ambrosio, S; Amelio, I; Amer, AO; Amessou, M; Amon, A; An, Z; Anania, FA; Andersen, SU; Andley, UP; Andreadi, CK; Andrieu-Ab…

Selection of a Sustainable Functional Pasta Enriched with Opuntia Using ELECTRE III Methodology

In the last decade, the nutritional and health benefits of Opuntia (Opuntia ficus-indica (L.) Mill.) were discussed by academic scientists and private companies. In particular, the introduction of this substance in frequently consumed foods, like, for example, pasta and bakery products, could have a wide diffusion due to its rich composition in polyphenols, vitamins, polyunsaturated fatty acids, and amino acids. The identified natural cactus compounds are responsible for biologically relevant activities including anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, hypoglycemic, antimicrobial, and neuro-protective properties. The aim of this paper is the evaluation of the best combination of Opuntia quantity an…

IL RUOLO DELLA CARDIOLOGIA NELLA VALUTAZIONE DELL'ATTIVITA' SPORTIVA

Un allenamento regolare di grado moderato, e di tipo prevalentemente aerobico ha effetti positivi sul benessere generale ed in particolare sulla performance cardiovascolare, apportando un contributo significativo nella prevenzione primaria delle cardiopatie, in quanto elemento essenziale del trattamento di malattie metaboliche quali obesità, diabete mellito, dislipidemia, o dell’aterosclerosi, condizioni riconosciute come fattori di rischio di eventi cardiovascolari. L’esercizio moderato è inoltre essenziale nella prevenzione secondaria e nella fase riabilitativa della cardiopatia ischemica o dell’insufficienza cardiaca. Gli effetti benefici non sono però così chiari quando l’attività fisic…

QRouteMe: A Multichannel Information System to Ensure Rich User-Experience in Exhibits and Museums

In this article the QRouteMe system is presented. QRouteMe is a multichannel information system built to ensure rich user experiences in exhibits and museums. The system starts from basic information about a particular exhibit or museum while delivering a wide user experience based on different distribution channels. The organization of the systems’ components allow to build different solutions that can be simultaneously delivered on different media. A wide range of media from touch-screen installations to portable devices like smartphones have been used. The used devices can communicate each others to increase the usability and the user experience for the visitors. Another important featur…

Towards MKDA: A Knowledge Discovery Assistant For Researches in Medicine

Nowadays doctors are generating a huge amount of raw data. These data, analyzed with data mining techniques, could be sources of new knowledge. Unluckily such tasks need skilled data analysts, and not so much researchers in Medicine are also data mining experts. In this paper we present a web based system for knowledge discovery assistance in Medicine able to advice a medical researcher in this kind of tasks. The user must define only the experiment specifications in a formal language we have defined. The system GUI helps users in their composition. Then the system plans a Knowledge Discovery Process (KDP) on the basis of rules in a knowledge base. Finally the system executes the KDP and pr…

A Multichannel Information System to Build and Deliver Rich User-Experiences in Exhibits and Museums

In this article a multichannel information system to build and deliver rich user experiences in exhibits and museums is presented. The system was designed to use information about a particular exhibit or museum while delivering a wide user experience based on different distribution channels. The overall information is used to build different solutions that can be delivered simultaneously on different media from touch-screen installations to portable devices like smart phones. Moreover, all the devices signed in the environment are able to communicate to each others to increase the level of the usability of the system. A case study and analysis of experimental results are also provided.

WikiArt: An Ontology-Based Information Retrieval System for Arts

The paper presents WikiArt, a new system integrating three distinct types of contents about the art: data, information, and knowledge, to generate automatically thematic paths to consult all its contents. WikiArt is a wiki, allowing to manage cooperatively documents about artists, artworks, artistic movements or techniques, and so on. It is also an expert system, provided with an ontology about arts, with which it is able to plan possible different ways of consulting and browsing its contents. This ability is made possible by a second part of the ontology of the system, describing a collection of criteria regarding how to plan thematic paths, and by a set of rules followed by the expert sys…

Relationship between maxinal lipid oxidation and oxygen uptake in sedentary patients with type 2 diabetes

A Proposal for a System able to analyse forum discussions and to build personalized learning paths

Managing low back pain with mat work basic Pilates