Sharp de Rham realization

We introduce the "sharp" (universal) extension of a 1-motive (with additive factors and torsion) over a field of characteristic zero. We define the "sharp de Rham realization" by passing to the Lie-algebra. Over the complex numbers we then show a (sharp de Rham) comparison theorem in the category of formal Hodge structures. For a free 1-motive along with its Cartier dual we get a canonical connection on their sharp extensions yielding a perfect pairing on sharp realizations. We thus provide "one-dimensional sharp de Rham cohomology" of algebraic varieties.Comment: 30 page

Measured Indoor Environmental Data in a Retrofitted Multiapartment Building to Assess Energy Flexibility and Thermal Safety during Winter Power Outages

The article describes detailed measurements of indoor environmental parameters in a multiapartment housing block located in Milan, Italy, which has recently undergone a deep energy retrofit and is used as a thermal battery during the winter season. Two datasets are provided: one refers to a series of experimental tests conducted by the authors in an unoccupied flat, in which the thermal capacity of the building mass is exploited to act as an energy storage. The dataset reports, with a time step of 10 min, measurements of air temperature, globe temperature and surface temperatures in the analyzed room and data characterizing the adjacent spaces and the outdoor conditions. The second set of data refers to the air temperature monitoring carried out continuously in all the apartments of the apartment block, and hence also during two unplanned heating power outages. The analyzed data show the role of deep renovations in extending the time over which a building can remain in the thermal comfort range after an energy interruption and thus highlight the potential role of retrofitted buildings in delivering energy flexibility services to related stakeholders, such as the occupants, the building manager, the grid operator, and others. Furthermore, the dataset can be used to calibrate an energy simulation model to investigate different demand-side flexibility strategies and evaluate thermal safety under extreme weather events

Experimental Techniques to Investigate Residual Stress in Joints

Residual stress arising from welding processes is matter of great concern in industrial practice since it can affect geometry, mechanical behavior and corrosion resistance of components. In order to evaluate residual stress in welded joints and optimize post-welding heat treatments, a lot of work has been devoted to the improvement of measurement methods with increasing sensitivity and accuracy. The chapter presents and discusses some of the experimental techniques commonly used today to determine residual stress in welds and describes recent results and advancements. Destructive (sectioning, contour, hole-drilling, instrumented indentation) and nondestructive (Barkhausen noise, ultrasonic, X-ray and neutron diffraction) methods are illustrated to highlight the specific characteristics, advantages and drawbacks

Learning Impact Evaluation of the serious game "Cultural Awareness – Afghanistan Pre-deployment"

Attention to human factor in conducting any type of military/security operations is currently an objective of utmost importance in the context of troop training within NATO. To this purpose, a number of serious games were developed, addressing different aspects of cultural awareness and correctness in approaching human beings during a mission. A significant example is "Afghanistan Pre-deployment – Cultural Awareness", a serious game widely adopted in NATO Defense Schools to support pre-deployment training of troops for the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) missions in Afghanistan. In the context of GALA, the European Network of Excellence on Serious Games, the Romanian National Defense University (MAN) and NATO-STO CMRE conducted a user study particularly focused on the learning impact of this serious game. The study was first run in parallel on different typologies of players (soldier trainees at MAN; and civilian/military staff at CMRE) in order to get different perspectives in the game test and evaluation; results of respective analyses were compared, in order to evaluate the effectiveness of this type of serious game as a learning tool. A preliminary correlation study was conducted between users' perception of the game and their respective background and level of engagement

Primary Cultures from Human GH-secreting or Clinically Non-functioning Pituitary Adenomas

Pituitary adenomas are among the more frequent intracranial tumors usually treated with both surgical and pharmacological\u2013based on somatostatin and dopamine agonists\u2013approaches. Although mostly benign tumors, the occurrence of invasive behaviors is often detected resulting in poorer prognosis. The use of primary cultures from human pituitary adenomas represented a significant advancement in the knowledge of the mechanisms of their development and in the definition of the determinants of their pharmacological sensitivity. Moreover, recent studies identified also in pituitary adenomas putative tumor stem cells representing, according to the current hypothesis, the real cellular targets to eradicate most malignancies. In this protocol, we describe the procedure to establish primary cultures from human pituitary adenomas, and how to select, in vitro expand, and phenotypically characterize putative pituitary adenoma stem cells

Motivic periods and Grothendieck arithmetic invariants

We construct a period regulator for motivic cohomology of an algebraic scheme over a subfield of the complex numbers. For the field of algebraic numbers we formulate a period conjecture for motivic cohomology by saying that this period regulator is surjective. Showing that a suitable Betti\u2013de Rham realization of 1-motives is fully faithful we can verify this period conjecture in several cases. The divisibility properties of motivic cohomology imply that our conjecture is a neat generalization of the classical Grothendieck period conjecture for algebraic cycles on smooth and proper schemes. These divisibility properties are treated in an appendix by B. Kahn (extending previous work of Bloch and Colliot-Th\ue9l\ue8ne\u2013Raskind)

Sensory Analysis of Virgin Olive Oil

Virgin olive oil (VOO) is the supernatant of the fresh juice obtained from olives by crushing, pressure and centrifugation, without additional refining. Its flavour is characteristic and is markedly different from those of other edible fats and oils. The combined effect of odour (directly via the nose or indirectly through a retronasal path, via the mouth), taste and chemical responses (as pungency) gives rise to the sensation generally perceived as “flavour”. Sensory analysis is an essential technique to characterize food and investigate consumer preferences. International cooperative studies, supported by the International Olive Oil Council (IOOC) have provided a sensory codified methodology for VOOs, known as the “COI Panel test”. Such an approach is based on the judgments of a panel of assessors, conducted by a panel leader, who has sufficient knowledge and skills to prepare sessions of sensory analysis, motivate judgement, process data, interpret results and draft the report. The panel generally consists of a group of 8 to 12 persons, selected and trained to identify and measure the intensity of the different positive and negative sensations perceived. Sensory assessment is carried out according to codified rules, in a specific tasting room, using controlled conditions to minimize external influences, using a proper tasting glass and adopting both a specific vocabulary and a profile sheet that includes positive and negative sensory attributes (Dec-23/98-V/2010). Collection of the results and statistical elaboration must be standardized (EEC Reg. 2568/91, EC Reg. 640/08). The colour of VOO, which is not significantly related to its quality, may produce expectations and interferences in the flavour perception phase. In order to eliminate any prejudices that may affect the smelling and tasting phases, panelists use a dark-coloured (blue or amber-coloured) tasting glass. Many chemical parameters and sensory analyses (EEC Reg. 2568/91 and EC Reg. 640/08), with the latter carried out by both olfactory and gustatory assessments, can classify oils in different quality categories (extra virgin, virgin, lampant). Extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) extracted from fresh and healthy olive fruits (Olea europaea L.), properly processed and adequately stored, is characterized by an unique and measurable combination of aroma and taste. Moreover, the category of EVOO should not show any defects (e.g. fusty, musty, winey, metallic, rancid) that can originate from incorrect production or storage procedures. Positive or negative sensory descriptors of VOO have been related to volatile and phenol profiles, which are responsible for aroma and taste, respectively. The characteristic taste of VOO, and in particular some positive attributes such as bitterness and pungency that are related to important health benefits, is not completely understood or appreciated by consumers. In this respect, it is interesting to consider the degree of acceptability of VOO in several countries based on literature data. In this way, it is possible to lay the foundations for correct instruction of the sensory characteristics of EVOO. The main chemical, biochemical and technological processes responsible for the positive and negative (defects) descriptors of VOO are summarized in this chapter. An overview on the sensory methodologies proposed, applied and modified during the last 20 years is also presented

La prevenzione del reato nella coppia disfunzionale: dalla presa in carico individuale a quella relazionale

The crimes occurring in dysfunctional couples are usually of a violent kind and include psychological abuses, sexual assault, personal wounds, attempted murder, to murder itself. Generally, it comes to crimes that are repeated through time, although it is very difficult to define their chronological course on the whole, since the number of such deeds remains very often obscure. This is due to the lack of a valid communication not only between the two partners of a dysfunctional couple, but also between the couple itself and its social environment, particularly between the victim and those agencies in charge of social assistance, which could give psychological aid and legal protection. As a result, it is difficult to attempt a realistic evaluation of this phenomenon, because a very high number of cases are not reported by the victims, and this is also an obstacle to the achievement of valid precautionary approaches. Crime prevention in the dysfunctional couple means therefore psychologicalsocial assistance of the couple, rather than just of only one partner. In fact, while first prevention works at a general level, meaning a series of psychological- social-educational activities focused on risk factors, second prevention is at an individual level, monitoring some specific markers with the purpose of preventing a certain situation from occurring; the third prevention aims at preventing a relapse. Preventing a crime (usually a violent one) in dysfunctional couples means focusing on the kind of relationship and on the way the couple works; in fact, an intervention addressed at only one partner cannot solve the problem: on the contrary, it makes it sometimes worse. Likewise, a mere penal intervention isn’t successful neither at the level of second prevention, nor - least of all - at the level of first prevention. Having considered all that, we think that crime prevention in dysfunctional couples can be achieved through a double intervention: motivating the victims to communicate, and training those social and institutional operators who might get in touch with them. In other words, prevention is then possible, but only if we motivate to communication on one side and on the other one if operators are trained to understand in a right way the meaning of implicit distress signals coming from dysfunctional behaviours.I reati che si consumano nelle coppie disfunzionali sono, in genere, di tipo violento e comprendono maltrattamenti psicologici, violenza sessuale, lesioni personali, tentativi di omicidio, fino all’omicidio vero e proprio. In genere, si tratta di crimini che si ripetono nel tempo, anche se risulta molto difficile stabilirne l’andamento cronologico complessivo, dal momento che il numero oscuro per tali fattispecie è molto alto. Questo aspetto è dovuto al fatto che, nelle coppie disfunzionali, manca una valida comunicazione non solo tra i due partner, ma anche tra la coppia e l’ambiente sociale, e soprattutto tra la vittima e quelle agenzie di controllo sociale che potenzialmente potrebbero fornirle aiuto psicologico e tutela giuridica. Per tale ragione, l’elevatissimo numero di casi che non viene denunciato dalle vittime stesse non solo rende molto difficoltosa una corretta stima del fenomeno, ma impedisce anche la realizzazione di valide strategie preventive. La prevenzione del reato all’interno della coppia disfunzionale implica quindi una “presa in carico” di tipo psico-sociale della coppia stessa, più che del singolo partner. Infatti, se la “prevenzione primaria” si colloca su di un piano “generale”, consistendo in una serie di iniziative di natura psico-socio-educativa volte ad agire sui fattori di rischio, quella “secondaria” si pone ad un livello “individuale” e mira ad impedire l’insorgenza di una determinata situazione partendo da precisi indicatori; mentre quella “terziaria” si propone di prevenire la “recidiva”. Prevenire un reato, in genere violento, nelle coppie disfunzionali, comporta di porre attenzione specialmente alla tipologia di rapporto ed alle modalità di funzionamento della coppia, perché un intervento centrato soltanto su un partner non risolve il problema, anzi, talora lo aggrava; se poi l’intervento avviene solo a livello penale non risulta efficace, né sul piano della prevenzione secondaria, né tantomeno su quello della prevenzione primaria. Tenuto conto di tutto ciò, si è perciò del parere che la prevenzione del reato nelle coppie disfunzionali possa essere realizzata attraverso una duplice opera: di motivazione delle vittime alla comunicazione e di formazione degli operatori sociali ed istituzionali che possono venire in contatto con le medesime. Prevenire è dunque possibile, ma solo a patto di motivare, da un lato, a comunicare e, dall’altro, a recepire correttamente il significato di richieste di aiuto implicite a condotte disfunzionali

La relazione nelle coppie perverse come matrice di violenza coniugale: considerazioni criminologiche su una casistica

This work aims at studying the meaning of the alterations of personal relationships recognized as the origin of crimes committed within a couple in cases with abnormal affective and sexual relation, even prolonged in time. This type of relations can be better defined as “going to perversion”, rather than “perverse”, as in the affective and sexual dynamics paraphilia appears functional to the mainteinance of the relation itself. By “couple” it is meant an over-individual system characterized by a series of needs and dynamics implying different ways of functioning, so that the “couple” is very different from the sum of its parts. This implies an adequate affective investment and a sufficient emotional involvement between the partners, because such an exchange makes easier the expression of the intimacy and stability that has already been experienced by each of them in their relationship with their parents and has then been transferred in the adult relation with the other. So there is not “being” a couple, but rather “becoming” a couple, where the relation is of a kind that allows the growth of its members and their adaptation to the environment and its changes. In this perspective being “with” and “for” the other consists in giving value and sense to the personal and the other’s existence. In the disfunctional couple, the relation does not promote the wellbeing of its members. This couple works on the bases of misunderstandings, coertions and exploitations, so that it becomes pathogenic. It gets to crossroads: it becomes collusive (and is based on silence and unsaid) or accumulates aggressiveness and destructivness, sooner or later expressed through and with crimes. In these kinds of couples the relation is so various that it makes it necessary to define the difference between the concept of episodic perverse conduct (occasional defence strategy) and stable perverse structure; moreover, the difference between perversion (well structured deviation of sexual instinct, in which sexual act has nothing to do with a real alter-egoic communication) and perversity, in which the psychic object does not form or is formed only partially, and others do not have their own individuality. In these subjects (the so called perverse personalities), particularly destructive components are expressed, and the sexual act represents a corollary. In the so called perverse couples there is a consistency between the organization of individual personality and the paraphilic conduct; the perverse conduct is functional to the interpersonal relation, because this kind of relation allows partners to follow their unfinished functioning and psychic organization levels. One becomes instrument of the other and never becomes subject. In order to understand the criminogenesis and criminodynamics of violent conduct in the so called perverse couple, it is necessary to analyze not only the single subjects, but in particular the typology of their relation. We have examined seven couples in a period of nine years, which have come to observation for criminal behaviour emerged during separation. The relation had been about five years long and all couples revealed an apparently sufficient integration in the social tissue. They all displayed a paraphlic behaviour (mostly sadomasochism, but also wife-swappering, transvestism, exhibitionism, voyeurism). The type of couple was defined on the basis of the predominant behaviour model, although some of the couples have showed more paraphilic kinds of conduct. These types of behaviour, carried out by couples seeming well-estabilished on the family level and well integrated on the social level, are often interpreted, within the so called “new perversions”, as situations at the “borderline” between slavery and freedom, or as an antidote against boredom. The Authors, although refusing such a superficial interpretation, which turns out to be disclaimed by the cases in object, that point out a disorganized personality structure in both members of the couple, as well as an unfinished personal identity and an essential inability to affective investment, that prevent them from a true object relation. The paraphilic conduct, on one side, is correlated to the personality structure of the subjects, whereas, on the other side, it justifies interpersonal dynamics characterized by constant aggresivity and reification of the partner. In such highly dysfunctional couples the absence of an adequate object for investment recalls necessarily a personal identity that - on the psychoevolutive level - was formed without a real alter-egoic comparison. The inborn destructivness in these kinds of relationship refers to the lack of the “other”, conceived as both a “matrix” of the Self and the “limit” according to which the affective erotic relation is organized. The relational approach to paraphilia, especially if acted in the context of “going to” perversion couples, allows to identify premonitory signs and dynamics of inborn aggressivity of such relations. Furthermore, these relationships - after a growing tension and a conflict phase that destabilize the apparent balance and its corresponding egosintonic paraphilia - end up with the destruction of the couple itself. The denounced offences, such as personal injury, attempted murder, sexual violence, induction to prostitution, etc., are the most evident aspect of aggressiveness subtended to the interpersonal dynamics of the couple.Il lavoro intende approfondire il significato di quelle alterazioni della relazione interpersonale che vengono riconosciute all’origine dei reati commessi all’interno della coppia, soprattutto nei casi in cui esiste un rapporto affettivo e sessuale abnorme, anche se protratto nel tempo. Questo tipo di relazione può essere meglio definita come “perversificato”, anziché "perverso”, perché nella dinamica affettiva, prima e oltre che sessuale, la parafilia appare funzionale al mantenimento del rapporto stesso. Per “coppia” si intende un sistema sovra-individuale, caratterizzato da una serie di bisogni e di dinamiche che implicano diverse modalità di funzionamento, per cui la stessa rappresenta una realtà ben diversa dalla semplice somma delle parti che la compongono. Questo comporta un adeguato investimento affettivo ed un sufficiente coinvolgimento emotivo tra i partner, perché questo scambio agevola l’espressione di quell’intimità e di quella stabilità che sono già state vissute dai singoli nel rapporto con i genitori e vengono trasferite poi nella relazione adulta con l’altro. Non si “è” dunque coppia, ma “si diventa”coppia laddove la relazione è tale da permettere l’integrazione e la crescita dei suoi membri, nonché un adattamento funzionale all’ambiente ed ai suoi mutamenti. In questa prospettiva essere “con” e “per” l’altro consiste nel dare valore e senso alla propria ed all’altrui esistenza. Nella coppia disfunzionale, la relazione non favorisce il benessere dei suoi membri. Essa funziona sulla base di fraintendimenti, coartazione e strumentalizzazione, così da diventare patogena. Essa raggiunge presto un bivio: o diventa collusiva (e si fonda sul silenzio e sul non detto), o accumula aggressività e distruttività, prima o poi destinata a manifestarsi nel e con il reato. In siffatte coppie, il rapporto erotico è quanto mai variegato, al punto da rendere necessario delineare la differenza tra i concetti di condotta perversa episodica (intesa come occasionale strategia difensiva) e struttura perversa stabile; nonché tra perversione (intesa come deviazione ben strutturata dell’istinto sessuale, nella quale l’atto sessuale prescinde da una reale comunicazione alter-egoica) e perversità, nella quale l’oggetto psichico non si forma, o si forma in modo parziale, e gli altri non possiedono una propria individualità. In questi soggetti (c.d. anche perversi caratteriali), si manifestano soprattutto le componenti distruttive, nelle quali il rapporto sessuale rappresenta un corollario. Nelle coppie c.d. perverse vi è congruenza tra organizzazione di personalità individuale e condotta parafilica: infatti, la condotta perversa è funzionale alla relazione interpersonale, perché questo tipo di rapporto permette ai partner di vivere secondo i propri incompiuti livelli di funzionamento e di organizzazione psichica. L’uno diviene strumento dell’altro e non diventa mai soggetto. Per comprendere la criminogenesi e la criminodinamica della condotta violenta nella coppia c.d.perversa, è necessario pertanto analizzare non solo i singoli, ma soprattutto la tipologia della loro relazione. La casistica è costituita da sette coppie, esaminate in un periodo di nove anni e giunte all’osservazione peritale per comportamenti criminosi emersi in sede di separazione. Il rapporto dura mediamente quasi cinque anni e tutte le coppie apparentemente rivelano sufficiente integrazione nel tessuto sociale. Tutte agiscono una condotta parafilica (prevalentemente sado-masochismo, ma anche scambismo, travestitismo, esibizionismo, voyeurismo). Il tipo di coppia è stata definita in base al modello di condotta prevalente, anche se alcune coppie hanno dichiarato di agire diverse tipologie di comportamenti parafilici. Tali comportamenti, attuati da coppie apparentemente consolidate a livello familiare ed integrate sul piano sociale, sono spesso interpretati, all’interno delle c.d. “nuove perversioni”, come situazioni “al limite” tra la schiavitù e la libertà, o come antidoto contro la noia. Gli AA., tuttavia, rifiutano tale lettura semplicistica, che sembra smentita dalla casistica esaminata, nella quale si evidenziano in tutti i membri delle coppie una struttura di personalità disorganizzata, un’identità personale incompiuta ed una sostanziale incapacità di investimento affettivo, che impedisce loro una relazione oggettuale autentica. La condotta parafilica, da un lato, si correla alla struttura di personalità dei soggetti, mentre, dall’altro, motiva una dinamica interpersonale connotata da costante aggressività e reificazione del partner. Si tratta di coppie altamente disfunzionali, nelle quali l’assenza di un adeguato investimento oggettuale chiama necessariamente in causa un’identità personale che, sul piano psico-evolutivo, si è formata senza un vero e proprio confronto alter-egoico. La distruttività insita in queste relazioni rinvia quindi alla mancanza dell’“altro”, concepito sia come “matrice”del Sé, sia come “limite” rispetto al quale articolare la relazione affettiva ed erotica. L’approccio relazionale alla parafilia, specialmente se questa viene agita nel contesto di rapporti di coppia perversificati, permette di cogliere i prodromi e le dinamiche dell’aggressività insita in tali rapporti. Questi, del resto, dopo un crescendo di tensioni e conflitti che destabilizzano l’apparente equilibrio perverso e la relativa egosintonicità parafilica, si concludono con la distruzione della coppia stessa. I reati denunciati, costituiti da lesioni personali, tentato omicidio, violenza sessuale, induzione alla prostituzione, etc., rappresentano quindi l’aspetto più eclatante e manifesto di un’aggressività pur sempre sottesa alle dinamiche interpersonali presenti in queste coppie

Problemi etici della predizione. Prevenzione della delinquenza precoce

The prevision and the prevention of criminal and abnormal behaviour are very debated topics in criminology. Actually, since the concept of prevention implies in theory the use of any useful mean for trying to reduce the amount of crimes in any age group, the question is which strategies could in fact bring about such an effect. From a historical point of view, this thought requires being aware both of the limits, and of the consequences of the crime prophylaxis itself. It requires being aware of the limits, because every hypothetical prevision can be denied by a high number of variables, which in any moment can modify the course of human behaviour. One should as well be aware of consequences, because, in case a prognosis turned out to be wrong, those behaviours which one wanted to prevent, might paradoxically be reinforced through processes of marginalization and labelling. On the other hand, a preventing and predictive judgement has implications of different kinds: 1) technical, because it results in interventions more or less focused on specific problems (preventing a bank robbery is different from preventing a familiar/domestic crime); 2) prescriptive, which is essential, since the life of a social group could never do without shared and followed rules (a penalty may even have a deterrent effect, if the leading group complies with the rules); 3) ethical, necessarily linked to a principle of benefit (who will enjoy benefits from preventing certain crimes? where is the advantage?). This discussion becomes even more complicated, if referred to those adolescent behaviours which are not only problematical (since they express a developmental discomfort, which can sometimes have even a psychopathological meaning), but also dysfunctional, and therefore antisocial, because they damage the respect of the “other”, required and imposed by the rule, in order to grant social harmony. In this sense, we also talk of “ premature delinquency” meaning a criminal behaviour acted by a minor who is under 14.The question about it is whether, in this age group, the prediction of a possible developmental path in a psychopathological and/or abnormal and/or criminal sense might meet the need either of social control (moreover necessary, at least within certain limits), or of healthcare of the individual, who, in such phase, often acts antisocial behaviours due to psychodevelopmental reasons, in addition to social ones. Everybody knows about the risks and the damages caused by a merely “oracular” work; this is why we cannot leave them aside, particularly when it comes to the building of the personal identity, which could irreparably become a negative identity, just because of a wrong or anyway abnormal prognosis. On the other hand, we have to consider the psychic potential of under 14 subjects, which is available also in a developmental perspective, and even when they are abnormal subjects: a prevention avoiding stigma and aiming at repairing or reinforcing the personal identity seems to meet the need of preserving both the interests of the community (by neutralizing the risk of repeating offence by the same individual) and of individual psychophysical wellness (through a project which enables the individual to rebuild himself by interiorizing positive values). Human existence is necessarily oriented towards a future, which one can be more or less aware of, which is nevertheless inescapable.Therefore, giving growth paths and indicating developmental routes to antisocial under 14 subjects could be a way of preventive intervention, based on an ethical ground, which would lead to an adequate balance between the limits of a merely stigmatizing basis and the need of encouraging respect and improvement of the others.In criminologia, la predizione e la prevenzione delle condotte delittuose e devianti sono argomenti molto dibattuti. Infatti, se il concetto di prevenzione, a livello teorico, presuppone il ricorso ad ogni mezzo utile per tentare di ridurre il numero dei crimini in ogni fascia di età, pare opportuno chiedersi attraverso quali strategie possa verosimilmente ottenersi un simile risultato. Storicamente, tale riflessione presuppone la consapevolezza sia dei limiti, sia delle conseguenze della stessa profilassi criminologia: limiti perché ogni previsione teorica può essere smentita da un numero di variabili molto ampio che, in ogni momento, può modificare il decorso del comportamento umano; e conseguenze perchè, se la prognosi si rivela errata, possono paradossalmente essere rafforzate, attraverso processi di marginalizzazione ed etichettamento, proprio quelle condotte che si intendevano evitare. D’altra parte, un giudizio preventivo e predittivo presenta implicazioni di diversa natura: tecnica, perché si traduce in interventi più o mirati sui singoli problemi (prevenire un furto in banca è un’evenienza diversa dal prevenire un reato intrafamiliare); normativa, imprescindibile nella misura in cui la vita di un gruppo sociale non può mai fare a meno di regole comunque condivise ed osservate (la sanzione può anche fungere da deterrente se il gruppo dominante vi obbedisce); etica, necessariamente correlata ad un principio di beneficialità (chi ci guadagna a prevenire certi reati? dove sta il vantaggio?). Questo discorso risulta ancor più complesso se riferito a quelle condotte adolescenziali non solo problematiche, poiché espressive di un disagio evolutivo che talora, può assumere un valore anche psicopatologici, ma anche disfunzionali e, perciò, antisociali, perché lesive di quel rispetto dell’altro che la norma richiede ed al contempo impone per garantire la civile convivenza. In questo senso, si parla anche di “delinquenza precoce”, con riferimento ad un comportamento criminoso agito da un minore al di sotto dei 14 anni. Al riguardo, ci si domanda se, in questa fascia di età,“predire” un possibile percorso evolutivo in senso psicopatologico e/o deviante e/o criminoso possa rispondere ad un’esigenza di controllo sociale, peraltro necessario almeno entro certi limiti, oppure ad un bisogno di tutela della salute dell’individuo, che, in tale fase, pone in essere condotte antisociali spesso per ragioni di ordine psico-evolutivo, oltre che sociale. I rischi e i danni di un’opera meramente “oracolare” sono noti e, perciò, non possono trascurarsi, soprattutto laddove è in gioco la formazione della stessa identità personale, che può diventare un’identità irrimediabilmente negativa proprio per una prognosi errata, o comunque abnorme. D’altro canto, considerando il potenziale psichico presente nei soggetti infra-quattordicenni, seppur devianti, ed utilizzabile anche in prospettiva evolutiva, una prevenzione che evitasse lo stigma e mirasse ad una riparazione, o ad un rinforzo, dell’identità personale, parrebbe rispondere ad un’esigenza di contemporanea salvaguardia degli interessi della collettività (tramite la neutralizzazione del rischio di recidiva criminale dei singoli) e del benessere psicofisico individuale (mediante un progetto nel quale l’individuo si ricostruisce interiorizzando valori positivi). Se infatti l’esistenza umana è necessariamente proiettata verso un futuro, del quale si può essere più o meno consapevoli, ma dal quale non si può prescindere, fornire traiettorie di crescita ed indicare percorsi di sviluppo a soggetti infra-quattordicenni antisociali potrebbe rappresentare una forma di intervento preventivo all’origine del quale la dimensione etica permetterebbe di trovare un adeguato equilibrio tra le limitazioni di un’impostazione meramente stigmatizzante e la necessità di promuovere il rispetto e la valorizzazione degli altri