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The problem of gender disparity in computer science and engineering has persisted despite longstanding efforts made in higher education. This study drew data from ten female computer science and engineering faculty in China and Italy to demonstrate the gender-specific challenges they face. The researcher applied positioning theory to analyse female faculty's motherhood experiences. Findings suggest that the dual mother-and-educator role conflict in the intersectional space of work and family can be both a burden and an asset to female faculty. As a burden, the sociocultural expectations of the mother's role drive females to take on primary childcare responsibilities. It leads to significant barriers to female faculty's career advancements. As an asset, the study finds that the female faculty's motherhood experience allowed them to generate new insights into their identities as educators and teaching practices. Their learning from motherhood prompts them to reflect and gain an appreciation of their educator identity. Such realisation enables them to improve their teaching practices and interactions with students. The study offers policy recommendations for higher education institutions to support female faculty navigating the dual roles of mother and educator. Finally, the researcher discusses the limitations and directions for future study.

Background and Objectives: In Italy, approximately 650 individuals receive a diagnosis of primary progressive aphasia (PPA) every year. Unfortunately, the frequency with which patients are referred to speech-language services is suboptimal, likely due to skepticism regarding the value of speech-language therapy in the context of neurodegeneration. Materials and Methods: We conducted a virtual survey of speech and language therapists (SLTs) across Italy, to collect information about the assessment, intervention and management of patients with PPA. To ensure that as many SLTs as possible received the survey, the Italian Federation of SLTs (Federazione Logopedisti Italiani, FLI) aided in disseminating the survey. Results: In total, 336 respondents participated in the online survey, 140 of whom had previous experience with PPA patients. Respondents indicated having seen a total of 428 PPA patients in the previous 24 months (three patients on average, range: 0-40). SLTs who reported never working with PPA identified underdiagnoses, low referral rates and the rarity of the clinical syndrome as major reasons for their lack of experience with PPA. SLTs with experience working with PPA indicated that patients may not have accessed services because of service dysfunction and geographical barriers. Respondents reported using informal interviews during assessments and tests developed for post-stroke aphasia, while impairment-based/restitutive interventions were utilised most often. Conclusion: Findings may serve to inform health policy organisations regarding the current shortcomings and needed recommendations for improving the care of individuals with PPA in Italy. Improving awareness of the utility of rehabilitation among SLTs and other clinical service providers may serve to facilitate access to intervention, which in turn will serve to better support individuals living with PPA.

Physical principles are involved in almost any aspect of cooking. Here we analyse the specific process of baking pizzas, deriving in simple terms the baking times for two different situations: for a brick oven in a pizzeria and a modern metallic oven at home. Our study is based on fundamental thermodynamic principles relevant to the cooking process and is accessible to undergraduate students. We illustrate the underlying physics by some simple common examples and then apply them in detail to the example of baking pizza.

Objective: The aim of the CAMPO-RHE study was to determine the incidence of rheumatoid arthritis (RA), psoriatic arthritis (PsA) and polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR) in patients attending a rheumatologic outpatient's clinic of a new institution in Campobasso, Italy.Methods: Campobasso is a small town of approximately 50,000 inhabitants located in the inland territory of central Italy (Molise), and Public Health is managed from a single health authority. In Italy, all citizens are registered with a National Health System of General Practitioner (GP) Physicians. Between the 1st of June 2014 and the 31st of May 2016, all consecutive adult patients, sent by a GP, of Campobasso with any diagnosis of musculoskeletal symptoms/signs/complaints were evaluated in a single rheumatology outpatient clinic of our Academic Unit. The clinic represents the first and unique reference for GPs about rheumatic diseases in the territory. Subjects were classified using the 2010 EULAR criteria for RA, the CASPAR criteria for PsA and the 2012 ACR classification criteria for PMR.Results: 1003 adult patients, sent by GPs, with articular or musculoskeletal complaints visited our clinic. Of these, 409 inhabitants of the municipality of Campobasso were evaluated for the study. During the 2-year study period we diagnosed 18, 19 and 12 new cases of RA, PsA and PMR respectively, with a new incident cases rate of 21.4, 22.59 and 27.43/100,000/year on the population at risk.Conclusion: The results of our study could contribute to better define the incidence of these rheumatic diseases classified with the new classification criteria. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One of the well being sustainability elements respect to the social dimension concerns the issue of health. The nutrition is the main variable that affects the health of the individual. In the agrifood sector, new consumer trends have led to the development of products that support health: the functional products. The paper aims to identify the companies of "excellence" (Simone Cesaretti Foundation). The methodology used is that of focus groups and there are presented two cases: Barilla and Parmalat. The article presents the results of Maria Grasso Ph.D tesi and the project idea is part of IN.BE.SA. project of the University of Naples "Parthenope." [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Contemporary to nine dyke intrusions on Piton de la Fournaise, Etna, and Miyakejima volcanoes, we recover stationary seismicity rate and energy release over time, whether the dyke reaches the surface or not. This generic seismicity pattern for the dyke propagation of low viscosity magma argues for the fluid driven crack propagation to be a scale independent stationary process. This prevents any prediction of the time to eruption during the dyke propagation phase using seismicity rate alone. The seismic signature of the volcano deformation triggered by dyke injections corresponds to brittle creep damage in a strain driven setting. Whether mechanical properties of host rock structure or geometrical effects influence this genetic stationary response is not resolved by the seismic data. Because a few, if any, aftershocks are resolved contemporary to dyke intrusion, the seismicity is purely driven by the dyke dynamics, that is, a proxy for the dyke volumetric growth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite the exponential increase of studies on plastic debris in recent years, there are still few works focusing on the problem as it relates to inland waters: little is known about the accumulation and dispersion dynamics on lake shores, and there are no standardized sampling methods for monitoring purposes. The accumulation of plastic litter in natural habitats also threatens the resident organisms. In this paper, we investigated the abundance and accumulation of plastic particles, ranging in size from 1 to 50 mm, from the beach sediment of three volcanic lakes in Central Italy: Albano, Bracciano, and Vico. The collection was designed to define the most important variables that one must consider in order to obtain a representative sample of plastic litter in a lake environment. In view of the high heterogeneity of sampling protocols used, comparison among the obtained results is limited and sometimes impossible. By using one of the proposed sampling methodologies, and critically analyzing the results, we aimed to highlight a possible monitoring criterion and to identify specific elements that can be meaningful and representative. The samples were collected in May and September 2017. For each lake, we sampled plastic items and sediments from two beaches. Albano contained the largest amount of plastic (in weight), while Bracciano had the largest number of particles. Our observations lead us to infer that the number of particles is the parameter most sensitive to environmental variations, as well as the more suitable for monitoring with greater definition the differences between sites. Moreover, sampling should be taken in different seasons, following a sampling pattern that includes at least two beaches placed in strategic positions with respect to wind and waves.In order to identify new indicators to evaluate the entry points of plastic into the food web, we collected, from the same sites analyzed, some specimens of the Talitrid Amphipod Cryptorchestia garbinii, a detritivorous species having a critical role in debris turnover of these environments. To investigate the microplastic (MP) ingestion in natural conditions, we analyzed their digestive tracts with both Nile red staining method and micro-FTIR spectroscopy. The analyses confirmed that C. garbinii was able to ingest plastics in natural conditions. Therefore, it can signify one of the entry points for microplastics (MPs) in the trophic chain. This observation constitutes the first evidence of MP ingestion in this species.

Introduction: The main purpose of this contribution is to set today's situation of technology assessment and point to some organizing and integrative ways with the evolution concern ASL (Local Health Firm)., Patients and Methods: We outline main critical processes that fix correct management of technological resource thought data available in national and international literature. We single out more common methods to quantify, evaluate, control and manage biomedical technologies., Results: We expound decisional process that lead Viterbo ASL (Local Health Firm) to a progressive controll of tecnological resource and its management after aggregation of the five USL (Local Health Units) that constituted Viterbo ASL and describe procedures assumed., Conclusions: We underline the importance of full and complete information in business and decisional process. Inside the complexity of italian view, we outline an organizative solution with a low economic impact and with a high technical content.

Objective: We surveyed the attitudes of Italian obstetricians toward the application of HIV infection control guidelines during labour and delivery proposed by the Italian National Committee for HIV Infection., Study Design: We identified 66 obstetric centres affiliated to the AOGOI (Association of Italian Gynecologists and Obstetricians). A postal questionnaire was sent to 752 physicians in charge in the centres., Results: A total of 419 clinicians (55.7%) completed and returned the form to the coordinating centre. Obstetricians were directly asked about the need for routine adoption of the Italian guidelines for delivery of women with positive or unknown HIV status (indicating the routine use during delivery of protective glasses, impermeable garments, mask and sterile latex gloves, the washing of hands with detergent solution after using gloves and collection of needles and sharp instruments in suitable containers). A total of 319 (76.1%) clinicians agreed that all these procedures should be adopted. In clinical practice, however, obstetricians declared that the use of latex gloves and collecting needles in suitable containers were always adopted, 'washing hands after using gloves' less frequently, and other procedures such as protective impermeable garments, glasses and mask were infrequently applied.

Clusters of spontaneous abortion among video display terminal (VDT) users in North America and Canada in the late 1970s aroused suspicion about the potential risk of an association between VDT. exposure and pregnancy outcome. This case-control study considered the association between VDT use and the risk of miscarriage. Cases were 508 women admitted for spontaneous abortion to the Clinica Luigi Mangiagalli and a network of obstetric departments in the Milan area. Controls were 1,148 women who gave birth at term to healthy infants on randomly selected days at the same hospitals where cases were identified. No association emerged between VDT exposure and spontaneous abortion, the estimated odds ratio being 1.0 (95% CI: 0.8-1.2). This evidence agrees with studies conducted in different countries by various authors.