A Selective Mutism Arising from First Language Attrition, Successfully Treated with Paroxetine-CBT Combination Treatment

Agostino Serra,Paola Di Mauro,Claudio Andaloro,Luigi Maiolino,Piero Pavone,Salvatore Cocuzza 대한신경정신의학회 2015 PSYCHIATRY INVESTIGATION Vol.12 No.4

After immersion in a foreign language, speakers often have difficulty retrieving native-language words and may experience a decrease in its proficiency, this phenomenon, in the non-pathological form, is known as first language attrition. Self-perception of this low native-language proficiency and apprehension occurring when speaking is expected and, may sometimes lead these people to a state of social anxiety and, in extreme forms, can involve the withholding of speech as a primitive tool for self-protection, linking them to selective mutism. We report an unusual case of selective mutism arising from first language attrition in an Italian girl after attending a two-year “German language school”, who successfully responded to a paroxetine-cognitive behavioral treatment (CBT) combination treatment

City logistics long-term planning: simulation of shopping mobility and goods restocking and related support systems

Agostino Nuzzolo,Antonio Comi,Luca Rosati 서울시립대학교 도시과학연구원 2014 도시과학국제저널 Vol.18 No.2

The growing necessity to improve city sustainability and liveability has pushed local administrators to look also at medium/long-term city logistics measures, such as land-use governance policies. In order to assess long-term scenarios, it is necessary to have models and methods able to take into account the effects on shopping mobility and goods restocking, generated by these classes of measures (e.g. relocation of shopping zones). Besides, we have to consider that modifications of shopping attitudes, deriving from changes of demographic and socio-economic characteristics of end consumers, can impact on purchasing behaviour and hence on restocking mobility. This paper discusses a number of issues related to the simulation of medium/long-term scenarios and presents a system of models that consider shopping mobility and restocking jointly. The presented shopping demand models, in combination with urban restocking models, are implemented within a simulation support system named City Logistics Analysis and Simulation Support System and are used to assess the effects on the freight restocking due to demographic and socio-economic variations including some hypotheses on new land-use development governance measures in a medium-size urban area. The main results confirm the modelling goodness and, at the same time, demonstrate that changes in demographic and socio-economic characteristics could cause relevant effects, in particular increasing car use in shopping mobility. The growing e-shopping could limit the negative effects of these changes, but the impacts of home deliveries have to be considered. The relocation of commercial and logistics centres, closer to the residential distribution, could drive a different restocking pattern with a consequent reduction in freight vehicle mobility. Anyway, this reduction is not very relevant and therefore further city logistics measures have to be implemented.

Digital Breast Tomosynthesis in Addition to Conventional 2D-Mammography Reduces Recall Rates and is Cost-Effective

Agostino, Pozzi,Angelo, Della Corte,el Lakis, Mustapha A,Heon-Jae, Jeong Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2016 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.17 No.7

Digital breast tomosynthesis (DBT) as a breast cancer screening modality, through generation of three-dimensional images during standard mammographic compression, can reduce interference from breast tissue overlap, increasing conspicuity of invasive cancers while concomitantly reducing false-positive results. We here conducted a systematic review on previous studies to synthesize the evidence of DBT efficacy, eventually 18 articles being included in the analysis. The most commonly emerging topics were advantages of DBT screening tool in terms of recall rates, cancer detection rates and cost-effectiveness, preventing unnecessary burdens on women and the healthcare system. Further research is needed to evaluate the potential impact of DBT on longer-term outcomes, such as interval cancer rates and mortality, to better understand the broader clinical and economic implications of its adoption.

Systemic therapy augmented by radiotherapy (STAR) effect for brain metastases in a BRAF-mutated melanoma patient with prolonged survival: a case report

Agostino Cristaudo,Antonio Malorgio,Serena Medoro,Antonio Stefanelli 대한방사선종양학회 2021 Radiation Oncology Journal Vol.39 No.1

Brain metastases are common in stage IV malignant melanoma, carrying a prognosis traditionally regarded as severe, with a median survival of few months. Recently introduced systemic therapies as targeted therapy or immunotherapy have significantly improved the prognosis of metastatic melanoma. The optimal association of radiotherapy to such novel treatments has to be clarified. We report on a 43-year-old woman with 10 brain metastases. Three of them were treated with stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) with complete response even of the untreated lesions. As the patient was BRAF-mutated, she was started on dabrafenib/trametinib. After 8 months she developed new brain metastases, which again responded to a new treatment with SRS. As after 7 months additional lesions appeared, she was treated with whole brain radiotherapy and was started on nivolumab. Twenty months after the first diagnosis of brain metastases the patient is fit without significant clinical and radiological signs of toxicity.

The New Public Management in hybrid settings: New challenges for performance measures

Deborah Agostino,Michela Arnaboldi 한국행정학회 2015 International Review of Public Administration Vol.20 No.4

This study questions whether Performance Measurement Systems (PMSs) defined under the New Public Management (NPM) logic fit the needs of hybrid settings where inter-organizational relationships exist between multiple actors in charge of service delivery. After outlining the key characteristics of an NPM-based PMS and its limitations in hybrid settings, an exploratory case study was carried out on a public network in charge of delivering a local public transport service. The network was particularly appropriate, as it initially endorsed an NPM-based PMS. Findings show problems in using the PMS and adapting the model, which led to the development of new features and requirements. Using a theoretical triangulation, it was possible to draw a more general insight into the characteristics of a PMS in a hybrid setting, here called a relational and participative PMS.

개별 교회에 봉사하는 교구 사제

파발레 돈 아고스티노(Favale Don Agostino),안세환(번역자) 광주가톨릭대학교 신학연구소 2016 神學展望 Vol.- No.195

사제 영성 특히 교구 사제 영성에 대해 논하기 위해서는 사제직의 본질적인 것과 부수적인 것을 식별해내는 작업이 선행되어야 하고, 사제직의 본질적인 것을 파악하기 위해서는 사제의 신원에 대해 먼저 살펴보아야 한다. 사제의 영성생활 그리고 교구 사제의 영성생활은 사제의 신원에서 유래하기 때문이다. 사제는 “사람들 가운데에서 뽑혀 사람들을 위하여…지정된 사람”(히브 5,1)이다. 따라서 사제는 기본적으로 그리스도인의 신원과 사명을 지닌 사람이고 모든 그리스도인에게 공통된 그리스도교 영성을 살아가는 사람이다. 하지만 사제는 성품성사를 받음으로써 더욱 구체적이고 특수한 신원과 사명을 지니게 되고, 더욱 구체적인 영성을 살게 된다. 성품성사는 그리스도인에게 ‘하느님의 은사’ 곧 ‘목자로서의 카리스마’를 수여하고 ‘(직무) 인호’를 새겨줌으로써 그를 사제로 세운다. 성품성사에서 주어지는 이 ‘하느님의 은사’는 사제를 그리스도 및 교회와 새로운 관계를 맺도록 하고, 각각의 관계와 관련해 ‘새로운 존재 방식’과 ‘새로운 활동방식’ 그리고 ‘새로운 생활 방식’을 사제 안에 만들어낸다. 이로써 사제는 영원한 대사제시고 머리이시며 목자이신 그리스도에 동화되어 ‘그리스도를 대신하고’ ‘그리스도의 이름으로’ 존재하고 활동하고 생활하게 되며, 동시에 그리스도의 신부이자 몸인 교회에 합체되어 ‘교회를 대신하고’ ‘교회의 이름으로’ 존재하고 활동하고 생활하게 된다. 사제는 “그리스도께서 보여주신 모범을 좇아 자신을 교회에 온전히 내어주는”(『현대의 사제 양성』 23항) 삶을 산다. 하지만 이 ‘교회’는 추상적인 교회가 아닌 구체적인 교회 곧 개별 교회나 교구를 가리킨다. 이로부터 개별교회에 입적된 사제의 ‘교구 영성’에 대해 논하고 영적 가치로서의 ‘교구성’에 대해 논할 근거가 마련된다. ‘교구 영성’의 근거가 되고 이러한 영성을 정당화해주는 큰 흐름의 주제들로는 ‘보편 교회와 개별 교회’, ‘주교와 사제’, ‘사제단과 사제의 형제애’ 그리고 ‘사제와 지역 공동체’가 있다.

Macro-aspartate aminotransferase in a healthy woman

( Maria Lorubbio ),( Agostino Ognibene ),( Benedetta Salvadori ),( Alessandra Fanelli ),( Giacomo Laffi ) 대한간학회 2020 Clinical and Molecular Hepatology(대한간학회지) Vol.26 No.3

Preventing a Mass Disease: The Case of Gallstones Disease: Role and Competence for Family Physicians

Piero Portincasa,Agostino Di Ciaula,Ignazio Grattagliano 대한가정의학회 2016 Korean Journal of Family Medicine Vol.37 No.4

Gallstone formation is the result of a complex interaction between genetic and nongenetic factors. We searched and reviewed the available literature to define how the primary prevention of gallstones (cholesterol gallstones in particular) could be applied in general practice. Electronic bibliographical databases were searched. Prospective and retrospective cohort studies and case–controlled studies were analyzed and graded for evidence quality. The epidemiological data confirmed that genetic factors are estimated to account for only approximately 25% of the overall risk of gallstones, while metabolic/environmental factors are at least partially modifiable in stone-free risk groups, and are thus modifiable by primary prevention measures related to diet, lifestyle, and environmental factors (i.e., rapid weight loss, bariatric surgery, somatostatin or analogues therapy, transient gallbladder stasis, and hormone therapy). There is no specific recommendation for the secondary prevention of recurrent gallstones. Family physicians can contribute to preventing gallstones due to their capability to identify and effectively manageseveral risk factors discussed in this study. Although further studies are needed to better elucidate the involvement of epigenetic factors that may regulate the effect of environment and lifestyle on gene expression in the primary prevention of gallstone formation, preventive interventions are feasible and advisable in the general practice setting.

A Hierarchical System for a Distributed Representation of the Peripersonal Space of a Humanoid Robot

Antonelli, Marco,Gibaldi, Agostino,Beuth, Frederik,Duran, Angel J.,Canessa, Andrea,Chessa, Manuela,Solari, Fabio,del Pobil, Angel P.,Hamker, Fred,Chinellato, Eris,Sabatini, Silvio P. IEEE 2014 IEEE transactions on autonomous mental development Vol.6 No.4

<P>Reaching a target object in an unknown and unstructured environment is easily performed by human beings. However, designing a humanoid robot that executes the same task requires the implementation of complex abilities, such as identifying the target in the visual field, estimating its spatial location, and precisely driving the motors of the arm to reach it. While research usually tackles the development of such abilities singularly, in this work we integrate a number of computational models into a unified framework, and demonstrate in a humanoid torso the feasibility of an integrated working representation of its peripersonal space. To achieve this goal, we propose a cognitive architecture that connects several models inspired by neural circuits of the visual, frontal and posterior parietal cortices of the brain. The outcome of the integration process is a system that allows the robot to create its internal model and its representation of the surrounding space by interacting with the environment directly, through a mutual adaptation of perception and action. The robot is eventually capable of executing a set of tasks, such as recognizing, gazing and reaching target objects, which can work separately or cooperate for supporting more structured and effective behaviors.</P>

Quantitative x-ray magnetic circular dichroism mapping with high spatial resolution full-field magnetic transmission soft x-ray spectro-microscopy

Robertson, MacCallum J.,Agostino, Christopher J.,N'Diaye, Alpha T.,Chen, Gong,Im, Mi-Young,Fischer, Peter American Institute of Physics 2015 JOURNAL OF APPLIED PHYSICS - Vol.117 No.17