Gestures and Professional Reading: A Reading Aloud Teaching Practice Based on a Multimodal Approach

In the diamesic continuum from spontaneous speech to written language, many speech forms lack the unwilling responses and the reflex actions of face-to-face interaction. For instance, beyond reading aloud speech, the peculiarity typically regards formal public speech and acted speech. In fact, while in the spontaneous language performance, the ideational process is synchronous to the locutionary process, and speech goes on together with the flow of thought, in the reading, instead, the content is figured out completely only afterward, and also, for this reason, the performance frequently lacks communicative efficiency. The paper offers an overview of an innovative reading-aloud teaching practice based on an empiric multimodal approach in which visuospatial sensorimotor dynamic instructions exploit the capability of gestures and body movements to trigger a meaningful, effective text interpretation.In the diamesic continuum from spontaneous speech to written language, many speech forms lack the unwilling responses and the reflex actions of face-to-face interaction. For instance, beyond reading aloud speech, the peculiarity typically regards formal public speech and acted speech. In fact, while in the spontaneous language performance, the ideational process is synchronous to the locutionary process, and speech goes on together with the flow of thought, in the reading, instead, the content is figured out completely only afterward, and also, for this reason, the performance frequently lacks communicative efficiency. The paper offers an overview of an innovative reading-aloud teaching practice based on an empiric multimodal approach in which visuospatial sensorimotor dynamic instructions exploit the capability of gestures and body movements to trigger a meaningful, effective text interpretation

Disentangling compositional data in genomics: a GWAS backbone to single out compositional phenotypes

LAUREA MAGISTRALEI dati composizionali sono un tipo di dato in cui ogni osservazione contiene solo informazione relativa (espressa come proporzione o concentrazione) per parti che si riferiscono ad un tutto, il cui valore totale (assoluto) non è noto. L’uso di dati composizionali in statistica genetica è comune; tuttavia, spesso i metodi non trattano adeguatamente le composizioni e non possono garantire risultati equivalenti a quelli ottenuti quando i dati sono disponibili in forma assoluta (non-composizionale). Si riporta la presentazione e valutazione di un nuovo metodo per dati composizionali, specificamente progettato per l’implementazione in un Genome-Wide Association Study (GWAS) che indaghi l’impatto genetico sulle quantità relative di globuli bianchi (chiamati fenotipi nella terminologia GWAS). Il nostro primo contributo consiste nel progettare un particolare insieme di trasformazioni per le composizioni, basate sulle coordinate pivot per composizioni, che possono essere utilizzate come risposta in un GWAS completo ed informativo. Il nostro secondo contributo risiede nello sviluppo di un framework di classificazione (basato sulle coordinate da noi progettate) per produrre un responso finale su quali tipi di cellule verrebbero trovati significativamente associate alla genetica, se avessimo dati in forma assoluta. Il metodo sviluppato, che chiamiamo "Smart pivots method", agisce non solo come correzione per l’utilizzo delle composizioni, ma è diretto a ridurre il "rimescolamento" (entanglement) di informazione relativa a diverse parti composizionali. La valutazione della performance del metodo è svolta tramite una vasta gamma di simulazioni prima, e su dati reali forniti da UK BioBank poi, consentendo un GWAS completo su un esteso dataset umano per fenotipi sia composizionali che non-composizionali (che fungono da benchmark). Questa tesi pertanto estende la letteratura esistente su entrambi GWAS e analisi di dati composizionali, fornendo una soluzione a problemi composizionali potenzialmente riscontrabili in svariati campi di applicazione.Compositions are a type of data for which each observation contains only relative information (expressed as proportions or concentrations) for parts making up a whole, whose total (absolute) value is not known. Use of compositional data in statistical genetics is common; however, methods often lack proper treatment of compositions and are unable of providing results equivalent to those obtained when the data is available in absolute, non-compositional form. Here we report the presentation and assessment of a novel method for compositional data, specifically designed to be implemented as part of a Genome-Wide Association Study (GWAS) which investigates genetic impact on white blood cells' relative quantities (termed phenotypes in GWAS terminology). Our first contribution stands in designing a particular set of compositional transformations, based on compositional pivot coordinates, which can be used as responses for a full and informative GWAS. Our second contribution consists in developing a classification framework (based on our designed coordinates) to produce a final response on which cell types would be found significantly associated with genetics, if we had absolute data. The developed method, which we call "Smart pivots method", acts not only as a correction for the employment of compositions, but aims at reducing the entanglement for information related to different compositional parts. Assessment for method performance is carried out both in extensive simulations, and on real data provided by the UK BioBank, allowing for a full GWAS on a large human dataset for both compositional and non-compositional (benchmark) phenotypes. This thesis therefore extends existing literature on both GWAS and compositional data analysis, while providing a solution to compositional issues arising in different application fields

L\u2019utilizzo dei farmaci analgesici oppiacei per il trattamento del dolore in Italia: un\u2019analisi empirica

The International association for the study of pain and the World medical association stated that receiving a fair treatment of pain is a right of each individual. Moderate or high intensity cases of pain are treated with opiates. In Italy, in 2010, a new legislation has been issued, one of the most advanced on the topic of the treatment of pain and the usage of opiates. Although the legislative progresses, the consumption of opiates is not so common and ranks far behind the other European countries. The analysis of the spread of opiates in the treatment of pain pointed out relevant differences in terms of gender, age, region, cancer, type of opioid prescribed. It should then take action to make consistent use of opiates in pain therapy, focusing in particular on cancer patients and territorial differences. The analysis of religiosity as a potential barrier to pain management and opiates usage allowed us to conclude, however, that it is a factor that influences the number of prescriptions of opiates, even if the moderate effect. Public policies should respect personal choices (also religious ones), but it is important broadcasting some appropriate information campaigns which allow to make independent and informed choices. Key words. Opioids, pain, religiosity. JEL classification. I18

Book Review - Narratives of Learning through International Professional Experience

Narratives of Learning through International Professional Experience, edited by Fitzgerald, Parr and Williams (2017) provides compelling evidence that practicum placements in diverse cultural settings illuminate and inspire new understandings of participants including pre-service teachers, faculty facilitators and host mentor educators

Influences of origin and destination on migrant fertility in Europe

The current study examines the quantum of childbearing of migrants from low-fertility contexts (Poland and Romania) at multiple destinations (Italy and the United Kingdom), and compares them to stayers at origin and to nonmigrants at destination, combining the multiorigin/multidestination approach with the 'context-of-origin' perspective. Using data from the Labour Force Surveys (2009-2015) and adopting a gender and a couple perspective, we show that Polish and Romanian women have fewer children than nonmigrants at destinations. Romanian migrant women and men have a fertility similar to that of stayers at the origin, especially in United Kingdom, suggesting a socialization pattern for this group. Our findings also suggest the presence of the disruption mechanism for migrants, mainly in the short term, combined with a 'catch-up' in the long run explained by family reunification, primarily in Italy. However, the 'catch-up' over time of residence is found to be slower compared to previous studies. Finally, we find selection into migration and into different destination play an important role

Influences of origin and destination on migrant fertility in Europe

The current study examines the quantum of childbearing of migrants from low-fertility contexts (Poland and Romania) at multiple destinations (Italy and the United Kingdom), and compares them to stayers at origin and to nonmigrants at destination, combining the multiorigin/multidestination approach with the 'context-of-origin' perspective. Using data from the Labour Force Surveys (2009-2015) and adopting a gender and a couple perspective, we show that Polish and Romanian women have fewer children than nonmigrants at destinations. Romanian migrant women and men have a fertility similar to that of stayers at the origin, especially in United Kingdom, suggesting a socialization pattern for this group. Our findings also suggest the presence of the disruption mechanism for migrants, mainly in the short term, combined with a 'catch-up' in the long run explained by family reunification, primarily in Italy. However, the 'catch-up' over time of residence is found to be slower compared to previous studies. Finally, we find selection into migration and into different destination play an important role

Social origin and women’s occupational careers. The role of parenthood in shaping social inequality among Italian women

This paper studies in longitudinal perspective the direct effect of social origin (DESO) on the careers of women in Italy, focusing on the role of motherhood in shaping the DESO and its pattern over the life course. Career out- comes are seen in terms of employment interruptions and of occupational status. First, the paper analyzes when the DESO appears, and how it evolves over the occupational career and the life course. Second, it investigates whether and how motherhood shapes the magnitude and trend over the career of the DESO. Results, based on growth curve models, show that the DESO in occupational status already appears at first job, and then slightly changes over the life course, whereas the social origin gap in the probability of career breaks is small in the first years after labour market entry and then increases. Parenthood does not help to explain the DESO because women from low social origin are more likely to have children than women from high social origin. Rather, it contributes to the increase of the DESO over the life course because of different career trajectories after moth- erhood, with higher risks to leave employment among women from the lower classes and (slightly) higher occupational premia among women from the service class

Multiple Origins and Multiple Destinations: The Fertility of Immigrant Women in Europe

Studies on immigrant fertility typically compare immigrants and natives or different migrant groups at the same destination but rarely immigrants of the same origins in different destination countries. In this paper, we look at immigrants from mul- tiple origins in multiple destination countries simultaneously, using the European Union Labour Force Survey to compare female immigrants from ten areas of origin in eight destination countries in Europe. Our results indicate a strong origin effect. However, they also suggest that when women migrate to a context where the fertility norm is different from that in their origin, they adjust their behaviors accordingly, which indicates that policy and normative context play an important role in shaping migrants’ fertility. From a policy perspective, this is important because it suggests that the fertility of immigrant women, who are exposed to different norms and nor- mative contexts, can resemble that of native women at the destination. Our findings contribute to strengthening the role of destination in shaping fertility behavior and highlighting the importance of looking at all the possible combinations of immi- grants coming from and going to different fertility regimes

Parental age at childbirth and children’s educational outcomes: evidence from upper-secondary schools in Italy

In the last decades, Western societies have been involved in huge demographic changes, amongst which one of the most important has been the increasing postponement of the transition to parenthood. This paper aims at analysing the consequences of later motherhood and fatherhood on children\u2019s participation in upper-secondary schools in Italy, considering both the vertical and horizontal dimensions of education. It also aims at highlighting the role of father-mother age difference and heterogeneity in the effects by parental SES and birth order. Using Italian labour force survey data (2005-2014), results show that late parenthood is positively associated with educational attainment, whereas teenage and early parenthood negatively affect children\u2019s educational outcomes, net of detailed information on parental SES. Age at parenthood affects the educational achievement mostly for children of low- and middle-educated parents, who are more penalized by early childbearing and more favoured by late parenthood than the offspring of the tertiary educated. Moreover, only children are less affected by age at parenthood, especially in comparison with later-born children. Finally, children\u2019s educational outcomes are worse when the mother is older than the father, independently from the educational outcome considered, whereas they are better in case of parental age homogamy or when the father is slightly older than the mother

The ethnic wage penalty in Western European regions: Is the European integration model confirmed when differences within countries are considered?

Background: The European model of integration of recent immigrants is characterised by a trade-off between employment and job quality, which takes different forms in Southern and Continental Europe. In Mediterranean countries, migrants have similar employment opportunities as natives, but they have high risks of entering the lowest strata of the occupational structure. In Continental Europe the trade-off is reversed: Migrants have lower employment opportunities, but once employed, they face a lower penalisation in terms of job quality than the one faced by immigrants living in Southern Europe. Objective: This work focuses on the regional heterogeneity of the model of inclusion of recent immigrants in the European labour markets, analysing how migrant-native gaps in wages and in the probability of (dependent) employment change across areas of the same country. Is the trade-off between employment and job quality confirmed when regional differences are considered? Are there gender differences in the models of inclusion? Methods: We used European Labour Force Survey (EU-LFS, 2009-2016) data and applied probit models with sample selection, estimated separately by region and gender. Results: Results show substantial regional heterogeneity in the ethnic penalties in Germany and in Southern Europe, especially in Greece and Italy. Moreover, when regional differences within countries were considered, the trade-off model of inclusion was confirmed only among men, while immigrant women's model of inclusion turned out to be more mixed, with some European areas conforming to a 'double-penalty' model, whereas other areas showed patterns of immigrant disadvantage in line with an 'integration' model. Contribution: This work extends the literature by studying differences in the ethnic penalties at the regional level, focusing on both (dependent) employment probability and wage - an alternative indicator of migrants' economic integration. Our results also suggest the importance of taking gender differences into account