Italian Context Research Articles

Critical environmental justice and the Wasteocene: Oppression and resistance in an Italian prison during the Covid-19 pandemic

This article aims to frame the state violence and socio-ecological injustice perpetrated against prisoners through the lens of both critical environmental justice studies and the concept of the Wasteocene. We seek to uncover the socio-ecological relationships that have historically shaped the enforcement of the prison and waste systems through a focus on the Italian context during the Covid-19 pandemic. We explore the case of a jail in Campania, a region in the South of Italy infamous for its troubled waste management that has caused uncountable and entangled health, social, and economic harms. The jail is adjacent to an area with a long history of waste disposal practices and numerous legal conflicts and corruption scandals: all characteristics that make this case emblematic of the broader problem of carceral environmental injustice. We argue that carceral institutions are generative sites for examining the dynamics of violence, expendability, and wasting relationships that are built into their structures and core functions We also maintain that the Covid-19 pandemic has both uncovered and exacerbated such dynamics and therefore stands as a framing device that further corroborates our argument. We conclude with lessons and observations for scholars studying environmental concerns and carceral systems through a multidisciplinary lens.

Innovating the Local Plan through Co-Creation and the Public Sociology Approach toward Urban Regeneration: An Italian Case Study

This paper examines the role of social research and communication methodologies in fostering substantive democratic participation and policy co-production within the context of urban regeneration initiatives anchored in the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. This research critically analyzes the “becoming public” of sociology and social research in participatory design processes related to traditional urban planning instruments at the local scale (Regulatory Plans) in the Italian context, specifically through the case study of the Municipality of Appignano. It questions the role of sociology in activating a competent public sphere and promoting deliberative democracy at urban and territorial design levels and whether we can identify the traits of public sociology in facilitating the different stages of these processes. This paper details a participatory process in Appignano that sought to innovate urban regeneration within complex legislative frameworks, emphasizing community engagement and interdisciplinary approaches. The findings reveal a community actively participating in the regeneration process, demonstrating a high level of agreement on various urban development strategies aimed at sustainability. This study underscores the capacity of public sociology to facilitate public debate and democratic dialogue and suggests that such participatory approaches can significantly contribute to sustainable and resilient urban development, highlighting the potential of sociology as a moral and political force in urban planning.

The Port Sector in Italy: Its Keystones for Energy-Efficient Growth

Italy has been defined as the “logistics platform” of the Mediterranean Sea. The Italian port system, with 11.6 million TEUs handled and 61.4 million passengers in 2022 (Assoporti data January–December 2022), is the key to fulfilling this title through adequate levels of reliability, safety, and sustainability. This contribution addresses port logistics and shipping, focusing on primary issues related to the energy sector with a specific focus on what can be observed in the Italian context. Specifically, the decarbonization of the maritime sector and related infrastructural problems (e.g., cold ironing or alternative fuels, where the uncertainty about resource availability and related costs do not allow for easy strategic planning by both the ship owner and the port authority), as well as policies such as the Emission Trading System (ETS), will be analyzed. All these issues, hereafter addressed with a systematic critical review of the existing literature and other relevant sources, could represent the driving force of the growth of the national port sector toward its competitiveness at a global scale. The review was performed through a wide search and analysis of studies published in well-known online research databases (Scopus, Web of Science, IEEE Xplore, ScienceDirect), sector studies, or specialized technical magazines. The review focuses on the results of each analyzed contribution rather than on the analysis method adopted with the final aim to identify useful hints and innovative ideas for further studies on the topic.

ESDM intervention in severe preschool autism: an Italian Case report, psychological and social medicine reflections

Background The goal of our contribution is to discuss a preschool intervention based on the Early Start Denver Model and the use of the main tools for the detection of adaptive behaviour in cases of autism: Vineland, ABAS. Case presentation: the work is the presentation of a clinical case that has benefited from an intervention with the Early Start Denver Model methodology for the benefit of a child with socio-cultural and economic disadvantages. This early intervention, in a child of 36 months, which followed the diagnosis, was possible thanks to the intervention of many third-sector organizations which allowed this child, with a serious autism profile, to receive an evidence-based intervention for free. At the beginning of the intervention, the child presented a diagnosis of severe autism with absence of gaze, vocalizations and other communicative impairments. The level of motor clumsiness was also quite high, as were stereotypies. Conclusions: Research has shown the usefulness of intervening in this area with an early assessment and/or diagnosis and immediate intervention; however, public health services are not always able to maintain this pace. Our contribution therefore shows on the one hand the evidence of the improvements achieved by the child despite the low intensity of the treatment, and on the other hand, demonstrates the total versatility and adaptability of the Denver Model to the Italian context. In our conclusions, there are also some reflections on the tools used to measure adaptive behavior which seem to have a number of limitations and criticalities.

Psychometric properties of the Italian adaptation of the short form of the Quality Scale of Inclusive School Development (QU!S-S)

ABSTRACT School inclusion is a reality in many countries around the world and most schools face the challenges of implementing inclusive education. A full inclusion model has been in place in Italy for five decades, but its actual application presents substantial differences between geographical areas, school levels, and individual schools. Thus, the availability of a comprehensive, psychometrically sound, and easy-to-complete measure of school inclusion that can be used for evaluation, screening, and research purposes is crucial. In this study, we investigated the psychometric properties of the Italian adaptation of the Quality Scale of Inclusive School Development-Short Form (QU!S-S) in a sample of 362 teachers from pre-school to 13th grade. The results supported the adequacy of the five-correlated-factor model of the original German version and the discriminant validity of the scales with respect to measures of professional self-efficacy and attitudes towards inclusive education. We also found different patterns of association of the scales with personal and job characteristics of the teachers. Overall, the results support the adequacy of the psychometric properties of the Italian version of the QU!S-S, which can be considered a valid and reliable tool for assessing the core dimensions of school inclusion in an Italian context.

The “Global” Deception: Flat-Earth Conspiracy Theory between Science and Religion

The article focuses on flat earthism, one of the most well-known contemporary conspiracy theories in popular culture. According to proponents of this theory, which has found a growing international following in recent years, political institutions such as the U.S. government and scientific institutions such as NASA would operate to deceive humanity about the real shape of our planet and the universe in which we live. In countering the data acquired by modern science and common sense knowledge, flat earthism stands as a heterodox theory and a radical critique of the authority of socially legitimized epistemic institutions. This article consists of two parts. The first part will offer a genealogical reconstruction of the flat-earth conspiracy, tracing its history from the 19th century to the exponents of the current movement. The second part will delve into the discourse of the proponents of flat earthism with specific reference to the Italian context, through documentary analysis of recent publications and online material available on YouTube and Telegram, which constitute some of the main channels for the discussion and dissemination of flat earthism in Italy today. On the basis of the data collected and analyzed, it will be shown how flat earthism represents a paradigmatic case of superconspiracy, that is, of a far-reaching theory capable of linking and including within itself a set of other, more circumscribed theories. To this end, flat earthism elaborates on a discourse that ambivalently combines two registers, scientific and religious language, proposing itself as a dissident narrative that if on the one hand rejects the knowledge of institutionalized and organized science and religion, on the other hand accredits an alternative and anti-intellectualist path of knowledge, accessible to the “common man” that aims to create a space of autonomy and opposition to the processes of secularization and globalization in which the flat earthers see the project of building a dystopian New World Order.

Assessment of Non-Linear Analyses of RC Buildings Retrofitted with Hysteretic Dampers According to the Italian Building Code

While the use of steel hysteretic dampers has spread in the last decade for both new and retrofitted constructions, the Italian Building Code (IBC), as well as the Eurocode 8, does not provide specific recommendations for the design and verification of structures equipped with this technology. Due to their strong non-linear behavior, the effectiveness of the design with these systems must be verified through non-linear analyses. Non-Linear Time-History analyses (NLTHAs) are the most reliable method, but they are computationally expensive. The aim of the study is to investigate the reliability of non-linear static procedures, allowed by the IBC as an alternative to NLTHAs, for the analysis of buildings equipped with hysteretic devices provided with high damping capability. A parametric study is conducted on two reinforced concrete residential buildings, typical of the Italian residential heritage, retrofitted with hysteretic braces characterized by different stiffness and ductility values. The retrofit design is verified using non-linear analyses, both static and dynamic, considering either natural or artificial accelerograms, as the IBC deems them as equivalent. Within this work, reference is made only to the IBC; however, given the significant similarity between the IBC and the European code, the outcomes are expected to have a broader impact and to be not limited to the Italian context. Therefore, although this work is a preliminary study, it is believed to offer some initial insights on the topic and serve as the foundation for a more in-depth study that could lead to a regulatory revision on the subject.

Adaptation and Validation of the Academic Stress Scale in the Italian Context: Latent Structure, Reliability, and Concurrent Validity.

The present study describes the Italian adaptation of the Academic Stressors Scale (E-CEA) of the Academic Stress Questionnaire, evaluating the relationships with general and domain-specific well-being and verifying the significant predictors and the amount of variance explained by the "non-intellective" academic competencies on the scores of student stress dimensions. The participants are 1305 students from all the different degree courses. The Italian version of the E-CEA, composed of 38 items, showed good psychometric properties both in terms of reliability and factorial structure with good fit indices. The 6 sub-dimensions, for the most part overlapping with those of the original version of the instrument, show good construct and concurrent validity as negative relationships were found with general and domain-specific well-being indices. With regard to the regressions performed, several dimensions of "non-intellective" academic competencies turned out to be significant predictors (with negative effect) with respect to the stress levels perceived in the academic environment by university students: in particular, time organization, emotional control, the ability to relate to professors and intrinsic motivation could decrease stress levels, while dedication to study and the tendency to involve one's parents in one's university career seemed to increase stress levels. Regarding the practical implications of the results, suggestions are provided in supporting the career paths of students to reduce risk factors for stress development and to promote academic well-being.

Epidemiology, characteristics of disease and unmet needs of patients with generalized pustular psoriasis: a large Italian Delphi consensus.

Generalized pustular psoriasis (GPP) is a rare and chronic, debilitating skin condition characterised, in its acute flare phase, by clinically severe and potentially life-threatening systemic manifestations. Data on GPP are still scanty, particularly in Europe and at a national level. To provide expert indications on several disease-related and patient-related aspects of GPP, with specific focus to the Italian context. We conducted an iterative eDelphi study following the recommended criteria for reporting methods and results. After a thorough bibliographic review aimed to identify unknown or controversial issues in GPP, the following areas were investigated through a few specific questions/statements for each area: 1) disease epidemiology; 2) disease characteristics, with specific interest towards GPP flares; 3) diagnosis and diagnostic delay; 4) GPP treatment; 5) GPP patient journey and use of healthcare resources in Italy; 6) unmet needs and quality of life. An Executive Board of 9 principal investigators revised and approved the topics to be examined and overviewed the whole project. A total of 35 experts from different Italian areas, including 34 board-certified Italian dermatologists and one representative of patients' associations, took part in the study. A high agreement in responses from Italian experts emerged during two eDelphi iterations on - among several other aspects - GPP prevalence and incidence in Italy, use of European Rare and Severe Psoriasis Expert Network diagnostic criteria, flare frequency and duration, best diagnostic and care pathway, and main unmet needs of Italian patients. On the other hand, a broad spectrum of treatments (of different drug classes) was reported both in the acute and chronic phases of GPP, and no consensus on the issue was thus achieved. Consensus findings from this Delphi study of GPP experts may be useful to fill gaps of knowledge and improve awareness of this rare disease, as well as to help clinical and public health management of GPP in Italy.

Challenges in AI-supported Process Analysis in the Italian Judicial System: what After Digitalization?

In this commentary article, we outline research challenges and possible directions for the potential applications of AI in the judicial domain by specifically considering process analysis in the Italian context. Applying AI to process analysis poses several challenges, including information extraction from legacy information systems and analysis of legal documents, process modeling with a particular emphasis on temporal analysis, real-time process monitoring, conformance and compliance checking, predictive techniques for accurate predictions, and analysis of judges’ workload. Solutions to these challenges include methods and tools for data identification and collection, innovative approaches to process modeling, reactive techniques for real-time monitoring, conformance checking with explainability, language models adapted to specific domains, and the identification of suitable indicators for the analysis of case handling efficiency and case classification.

Acanthamoeba Sequence Types and Allelic Variations in Isolates from Clinical and Different Environmental Sources in Italy.

The genus Acanthamoeba comprises free-living amoebae distributed in a wide variety of environments. These amoebae are clinically significant, causing opportunistic infections in humans and other animals. Despite this, limited data on Acanthamoeba sequence types and alleles are available in Italy. In the present study, we analyzed all Acanthamoeba sequences deposited from Italy with new positive Acanthamoeba clinical samples from symptomatic AK cases, to provide an overview of the genetic variants' spatial patterns from different sources within the Italian context. A total of 137 Acanthamoeba sequences were obtained. Six sequence types were identified: T2/6, T3, T4, T11, T13, and T15. Only T4 and T15 were found in both sources. The Acanthamoeba T4 sequence type was found to be the most prevalent in all regions, accounting for 73% (100/137) of the Italian samples analyzed. The T4 sequence type demonstrated significant allelic diversity, with 30 distinct alleles from clinical and/or environmental samples. These outcomes enabled a better understanding of the distribution of Acanthamoeba isolates throughout Italy, reaffirming its well-recognized ubiquity. Acanthamoeba isolates analysis from keratitis, together with the environmental strains monitoring, might provide important information on different genotypes spreading. This might be useful to define the transmission pathways of human keratitis across different epidemiological scales.

The instafamous translator

Abstract This article investigates how translator and content creator Francesca Crescentini (@tegamini) uses social media to make herself and her translatorship visible in a digital context. Boasting an Instagram following of over 210,000 users, Crescentini is understood here as a unique example of an ‘instafamous’ translator and macro-influencer, which gives her and her translatorship an unprecedented level of public exposure – particularly in the Italian context in which she works, where translator visibility is typically low. The analysis of Crescentini’s case presents new insights into how literary translators can leverage their online and social media presence to enhance both their own visibility and that of literary translation more broadly.

The use of code glosses in MA dissertations in English and in Italian: A pilot study in an EMI context

Within the English Medium of Instruction (EMI) framework adopted by many European universities, students listen to lectures, present, write, and take exams in English. Research on EMI settings mostly focused on lectures, leaving scant attention to student writing and in particular to the writing of dissertations in the Italian context. This paper addresses this gap by investigating lexico-grammatical occurrences of selected metadiscursive features adopted in the final dissertations of Italian masters’ students in business and economics courses. The dissertations are retrieved from the MoReThesisCorpus, a large digital repository of theses and dissertations at the University of Modena e Reggio Emilia. By paying close attention to reformulations and exemplifications, our findings reveal a developmental interconnection between spoken and written metadiscursive features. This article was published open access under a CC BY licence: https://creativecommons.org/licences/by/4.0 .

'ALL ABOUT MY IDEAL MENTAL HEALTH SERVICE': Users, family members and experts by experience discussing a co-designed service.

Many studies have investigated patients' understandings of how to optimise mental health services. However, only a few studies in the Italian context have involved experts by experience (EbEs), who can be ex-users, family members of ex-usersor current service collaborators. Their role is crucial in implementing collaborative service quality assessment projects. The study investigated the experience of 35 EbEs,  users, and family members who carried out a 9-month fortnightly project aimed at imagining an 'ideal service'. The facilitators of the discussion groups (two EbEs) were interviewed; written reports of each meeting were produced with relevant comments, notesand specific suggestions; and content analysis was applied. The most important result concerns the effectiveness of the project management method and group leadership carried out by the two EbEs. This approach allowed for complete autonomy of the work, without professional gaze or power imbalance. Also, the ideas and specific contents focused on by the two groups offer strategies to facilitate users' entry and reception in health care centres, to reduce the stigma of mental illness, to improve the centres' physical environment, to improve organisational aspects, to keep family members actively involvedand to network mental health services with other territorial services. EbEs have proven to be key figures in ensuring equity of role in the service co-design process. This also concerns a context, the Italian one, where their role has not yet been recognised and legalised. Their contribution and ideas to improve services could be fundamental not only in mental health centres, but also in other health facilities, and could concern the entire service delivery process rather than being limited to quality assurance, according to a virtuous circle based on active participation and transformation of the role of users. This work resulted from close collaboration between the two EbEs who conducted the groups, users and family members, the university, and the psychiatrist in charge of the service. All of them contributed to the research. The EbEs, researchersand psychiatrist participated in the interpretation of the data and are the co-authors of this paper.

Mother, Father, Son and the Italian Law 40/2004. No "delete" key

Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART) has emerged in recent years as a point of significant innovation in the medical field but is also controversial from a bioethical and legal standpoint. In the Italian context, this matter is regulated by Law 40/2004, which specifically requires obtaining informed consent from both members of a couple before proceeding with any ART procedure. This consent is deemed irrevocable at the moment of egg fertilization. Recently, a ruling by the Italian Constitutional Court on this matter elicited controversy. The decision permitted embryo transfer even in a case of parental separation, notwithstanding the father's explicit opposition. The Court emphasized the priority of the woman's psychophysical health over the man's, highlighting the traumatic consequences of interrupting the undertaken path. As a result, both the man's right to self-determination regarding the decision to become a father and the need for informed consent at every stage of medical procedures have been downplayed. Moreover, the extensive utilization of procedures like embryo cryopreservation, with associated parental implications, particularly concerning the timeframe and the actuality of informed consent, is posing challenges to the initial application framework of Law 40/2004. The objective of this commentary is to scrutinize and discuss the issues mentioned above.

What means of transport did Italians choose during the pandemic? A literature review

The ongoing health emergency is reshaping the environmental, social and economic context. It is therefore necessary to define a new overall mobility ecosystem. The freeze and restrictions imposed since March 2020 have indeed strongly conditioned modal choices and travel frequencies. Italy was among the first countries to suffer dramatic consequences in Europe and to have reported several critical issues in the transport sector, especially for local public transport (PT). In addition, several survey-based studies have mapped the demand for regional mobility in light of the major changes taking place in the world of work, with the introduction of smart working and the consequent reduction in travel. The change in living and commuting habits has also been due to a strong psychosocial change and especially due to the stress and anxiety that people have felt while moving. All this has led to an increase in the choice of the private vehicle for major daily travel as it is connected to a perception of greater safety and lower risk of infection. Therefore, the present work stands as a review of the literature related to different modal choices and travel trends in the Italian context, focusing on the factors that have changed choices in transportation and mobility. The review was conducted using keyword strings in Scopus and Transportation Research Integrated Database (TRID). The findings underscore the need to implement a new mobility to maintain a strong relationship between service operators and customers. The development and success of individual models will depend on the ability of operators to embrace the new needs of the community and on how well institutions are able to rethink the entire mobility ecosystem.

Peer victimization and social anxiety in adolescence: a comparison between migrant and native students in Italy.

The first aim of this study is to investigate the relationship between bullying victimization and social anxiety in native and migrant adolescents in Italy. Specifically, it was hypothesized that migrant adolescents (in comparison with natives) experience more frequent episodes of bullying victimization, which in turn, may be a risk factor for the development of social anxiety symptoms. The second aim of the study is to explore the relationships from reflected minority categorization to perceived ethnic discrimination at school and social anxiety symptoms, in the subgroup of migrant students. Results showed that the migrant (vs. native) status was predictive of higher scores in social anxiety dimensions (Fear of Negative Evaluation, Social Avoidance and Distress in New Situations, and General Social Avoidance Distress), via the mediating effect of increased peer victimization. Moreover, in the subgroup of migrant participants, an indirect effect of reflected minority categorization on social anxiety was observed, mediated by perceived ethnic discrimination at school. These findings may contribute to the understanding of health inequalities among migrant and native people in the Italian context. Limitations and practical implications of the study were discussed.

The MOIDA Project: The Experience of Research With The Provincial Centers For Adult Education In Italian Context

Il contributo descrive le principali azioni e risultati del progetto MOIDA, che ha visto la collaborazione tra l'Università degli Studi dell'Aquila e i Centri Provinciali per l'Istruzione degli Adulti (CPIA) della Regione Abruzzo. Partendo dallo studio di contesti educativi caratterizzati da un'elevata varietà di caratteristiche dei discenti e da un'estrema variabilità delle condizioni di apprendimento, il progetto si è concentrato sull'analisi dei processi di pianificazione delle lezioni e dei loro risultati, cercando di accrescere le capacità di micro-progettazione dei docenti e di supportare le decisioni creare processi in situazioni per migliorare la qualità dell’istruzione. Ha utilizzato l'osservazione strutturata e la riflessione critica, combinate con le tecniche di videoregistrazione e modellazione di una lezione stimolata svolta da un insegnante esperto, per consentire all'insegnante di creare un modello di lezione capace di combinare teoria e pratica all'interno di una micro-lezione di studio che , dalla definizione del piano (struttura e previsione) alla sua realizzazione (videoregistrazione), ha utilizzato tutte le risorse dei partecipanti in un'ottica collaborativa.

Sales education in Italian universities: state of the art and future directions

During the last 10 years, scholars focused their attention on how sales education has evolved and highlighted the relevant impact of teaching sales-related topics in tertiary education worldwide. However, in the universities, the number of programs, curricula, and courses is limited. This low number of sales programs can impact students’ “work readiness” and not respond to company needs generating a mismatching. This study aimed to understand the state of the art of sales education in the Italian context and to explore the future challenges for universities. The results confirm the low presence of sales-related courses but, at the same time, a relevant part of the selected program presents sales as a job opportunity or a competence. Internal and external challenges are also described and suggestions to better develop sales education programs within Italian universities are provided.

Cognitive restraint, uncontrolled eating, and emotional eating. The Italian version of the Three Factor Eating Questionnaire-Revised 18 (TFEQ-R-18): a three-step validation study

BackgroundThe Three Factor Eating Questionnaire-Revised 18 (TFEQ-R-18) is an extensively used questionnaire to measure three transdiagnostic features of eating behavior: cognitive restraint, uncontrolled eating, and emotional eating.ObjectiveThis research aims to investigate the psychometric properties of the Italian version of the TFEQ-R-18 in three large community samples.MethodCross-sectional research designs were employed. In Study 1 (N = 537), an exploratory graph analysis (EGA) was used to examine item clustering within the TFEQ-R-18. In Study 2 (N = 645), a confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was conducted to test its structural validity. In Study 3 (N = 346), a MANOVA was employed assessing mean differences across eating disorders (e.g., anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, binge eating disorder).ResultsIn Study 1, the EGA accurately identified the three original dimensions of the TFEQ-R-18. Study 2 showed that the Italian TFEQ-R-18 has good fit indexes (CFI = 0.989, RMSEA = 0.064; 90% CI [0.058, 0.070], SRMR = 0.062), and possesses robust psychometric properties. Study 3 reveals distinct, statistically significant differences among eating disorders.ConclusionThe TFEQ-R-18 proves to be a concise and precise tool for measuring transdiagnostic eating behaviors. Its applicability in the Italian context, supported by robust psychometric properties, suggests its utility for both research and clinical purposes. The findings affirm its potential to inform interventions aimed at enhancing psychological health.Level of evidenceLevel V, descriptive study.