Il diritto, la scienza e la tecnologia

Le nuove tecnologie dell’informazione e della comunicazione giocano un ruolo rilevante per i sistemi sociali coinvolti. Per questo la descrizione teorica della società non può trascurare la dipendenza sempre maggiore della società moderna dalla tecnologia. Il nostro articolo si prefigge l’obiettivo di esaminare il progresso tecnologico dal punto di vista della evoluzione degli strumenti giuridici regolativi delle nuove tecnologie. Si tratta di un punto di vista sociologico-giuridico dove è in gioco la dinamica dell’evoluzione del diritto rispetto alla evoluzione della società. Diversamente da altri settori del diritto, esempio classico il diritto di famiglia, qui non c’è una tradizione consolidata alla quale riferirsi o da rigettare. Ciò significa che le soluzioni devono essere “inventate” alla luce di paradigmi nuovi che, pur facendo appello a figure giuridiche fondamentali, abbiano una capacità visionaria, siano cioè, come dice Luhmann, “gravidi di futuro”. Il nostro discorso partirà dunque da un inquadramento teorico generale delle dinamiche diritto-tecnologia-società per concludere avendo come riferimento il caso specifico della intelligenza artificiale

Investigating defensive functioning and alexithymia in substance use disorder patients

Background: Substance Use Disorder (SUD) causes a great deal of personal suffering for patients. Recent evidence highlights how defenses and emotion regulation may play a crucial part in the onset and development of this disorder. The aim of this study was to investigate potential differences in the defensive functioning between SUD patients and non-clinical controls. Secondly, we aimed at investigating the relationships between alexithymia and maladaptive/assimilation defenses. Methods: The authors assessed defensive functioning (Response Evaluation Measure-71, REM-71), personality (MMPI-II), and alexithymia (TAS-20) of 171 SUD patients (17% female; mean age = 36.5), compared to 155 controls. Authors performed a series of ANOVAs to investigate the defensive array in SUD patients compared to that of nonclinical controls. Student t test for indipendent samples was used to compare clinical characteristics between the SUD group and the controls. To investigate the role of single defenses in explaining alexithimia’s subscores, stepwise multiple regression analysis were carried out on socio-demographic characteristics of participants (gender, age, and years of education), with REM-71 defenses as predictors. Results: SUD patients presented a more maladaptive/assimilation (Factor 1) defensive array (p < .001). Among SUD sub-groups, Alcohol Use Disorder patients showed more disfuncional defenses. Factor 1 defenses were related to a worse psychological functioning. In addition, alexyhimia (particularly DIF) was strongly related to Factor 1 defenses, expecially Projection (38% of variance explained, β = .270, p < .001). Conclusion: The REM-71 and the TAS-20 might be useful screening instruments among SUD patients

Quantitative Calculation of the Most Efficient LED Light Combinations at Specific Growth Stages for Basil Indoor Horticulture: Modeling through Design of Experiments

Indoor farms are a promising way to obtain vegetables in standard quantity and quality. As opposed to previous studies, this study attempts to calculate optimized LED light conditions for different growth stages (five-days time step) of basil (Ocimum basilicum) to enhance its indoor growth through a statistical approach. Design of Experiments (DoE) was used to plan a limited number of experiments (20) and to calculate quantitatively the effect of different light recipes on four responses: the number of plants, their height, the Leaf Area Index, and the amount of water used. Different proportions (from 25% to 77%) of Hyper Red (660 nm) and Deep Blue (451 nm), intensities in terms of LEDs–plant distance (60, 70 and 80 cm), and the addition of Warm White (3000 K) LEDs were considered as independent variables. The obtained models suggest that a light recipe tailored for every growth step in the plant’s life is beneficial. Appropriate LEDs must be carefully chosen at the beginning of growth, whereas distance becomes relevant at the end. This is confirmed by the results analysis carried out at the end of an additional growth test where the optimal light recipe extracted from the DoE’s results were used

acute occlusion of descending thoracic aorta

Acute aortic occlusion is a rare but potentially devastating clinical event, which requires a prompt diagnosis and emergency treatment. Only 5 cases of native thoracic aorta acute occlusion have so far been reported with different pathologic causes. The clinical features depend on the level of occlusion. Sometimes the diagnosis could be misinterpreted as a stroke or other diseases of the central nervous system. This could lead to a delay in the diagnosis and revascularization procedure, followed by a morbidity or mortality increase. Open surgery has been considered the first-line approach. This study is of a female patient suffering from acute descending thoracic aorta occlusion undergoing, for the first time to our knowledge, endovascular surgical treatment

Stati mentali in autori di crimini violenti. Dati preliminari di una ricerca clinico-forense con l'ausilio dell'adult attachment interview

Nota l’incidenza della qualità delle esperienze infantili sullo sviluppo psicologico dell’uomo (Bowlby, 1988) e nel coinvolgimento in attività devianti (Farrington, 1994), è stato ipotizzato che eventi sfavorevoli infantili possano favorire l’evoluzione di un percorso di vita segnato da condotte criminose. Lo studio ha considerato l’analisi dell’Adult Attachment Interview di 7 soggetti detenuti per reati violenti contro la persona (gruppo sperimentale) e 7 soggetti estranei al circuito giudiziario (gruppo di controllo), i cui dati derivano da uno studio che reclutava padri di bambini pretermine. I gruppi sono stati confrontati per esaminare l'incidenza dei modelli di attaccamento e le differenze rispetto a specifiche esperienze affettive con i caregiver. I risultati suggestivi sono da considerarsi preliminari. Infine, implicazioni per la pratica e input per studi futuri sono discussi

The mental state in perpetrators of violent crime: a short case report regarding preliminary investigation with the adult attachment interview

Given the influence of the quality of childhood experiences upon psychological development (Bowlby, 1988) and its role in the involvement in criminal activities (Farrington, 1994), it has been hypothesized that adverse childhood events could facilitate a life path marked by criminal offences. This study in-volved the analysis of the Adult Attachment Interview of 7 offenders convicted for violent crimes against the person (experimental group) and 7 official non-offenders (control group), whose data came from a study that recruited fathers of preterm infants. The groups were matched for socio-demographic variables (e.g. age and level of education) and for attachment patterns. The results of this study are preliminary. Implications for practice, also within the criminal justice system, are discusse

Resilience assessment of large scale water distribution networks: a simulation approach

The capacity of a community to react and resist to an emergency situation is strictly related to the proper functioning of its own infrastructure systems. This paper proposes a simulation oriented approach to evaluate the resilience of large scale water distribution networks. The case study used in this research is the water network of a large scale virtual city. The water network is modeled using the software EPANET 2.0 with the help of an integrated Matlab toolbox. The network consists of 16000 junctions and 19000 water pipes buried under the road network of the city. A series of earthquake scenarios is applied to the water network and the damage induced by the earthquakes has been determined using fragility function. The failure of the system occurs when the water flow and the water pressure go below a certain threshold. The resilience of the network is then evaluated using two indices: (1) the number of users without water, (2) the drop in the total water supply

The influence of diabetes mellitus on the outcome of superficial femoral artery recanalization is debatable

Notwithstanding technological improvements in endovascular devices treatment of steno-obstructive lesions of the superficial femoral artery (SFA) remains a challenge for today’s vascular surgeon. Current opinion dictates that the diabetic population may have worse outcome after revascularization of the lower extremities. Herein we examine the effects of endovascular treatment on steno-obstructive lesions of the SFA in diabetic and non-diabetic patients. Methods – A retrospective analysis was carried out on 110 patients who had undergone endovascular treatment of the SFA from 2010 to 2017 comparing outcomes in diabetic (DM) vs non-diabetic patients (nDM). Results – 56 (50.9%) of the patients were diabetic and 54 were non-diabetic (49.1%). 52.7% (62.7% DM vs 35.2% nDM, p = 0.0003) were patients with critical limb ischemia. SFA occlusion was present in 65.5% (60.7% DM vs 70.4% nDM, p = 0.29) of all patients. All had undergone PTA of the SFA and 40.9% had received adjunctive stenting (44.6% DM vs 37.0% nDM, p = 0.41). A multilevel treatment was executed in 39.1% (51.8% DM vs 25.9% nDM) of the cases whereas an infra-popliteal procedure was associated in 27.3% (37.5% DM vs 16.7% nDM). In both groups the presence of diabetes was significantly associated (p = 0.005 e p = 0.014, respectively). Reintervention rate was 22.7%; 13 in the diabetic group (23.2%) and 12 in the non-diabetic group (22.2%). Of those who had had reintervention (p = 0.77); 9 patients (8.2%) had undergone an open surgical operation, 6 of whom had diabetes (p = 0.32). 5 patients (4.5%) had had major amputation, 4 of whom were diabetic (p = 0.20). Curves assessing freedom from target lesion restenosis were substantially overlapping between the two groups. Conclusion - No statistical associations between diabetes and reintervention or amputation rates were found. Indication to treat the SFA were not influenced by the presence of diabetes but further investigation is required to verify our hypothesis

Imaging Modalities for the Diagnosis of Vascular Graft Infections:A Consensus Paper amongst Different Specialists

Vascular graft infection (VGI) is a rare but severe complication of vascular surgery that is associated with a bad prognosis and high mortality rate. An accurate and prompt identification of the infection and its extent is crucial for the correct management of the patient. However, standardized diagnostic algorithms and a univocal consensus on the best strategy to reach a diagnosis still do not exist. This review aims to summarize different radiological and Nuclear Medicine (NM) modalities commonly adopted for the imaging of VGI. Moreover, we attempt to provide evidence-based answers to several practical questions raised by clinicians and surgeons when they approach imaging in order to plan the most appropriate radiological or NM examination for their patients

Imaging Modalities for the Diagnosis of Vascular Graft Infections: A Consensus Paper amongst Different Specialists

Vascular graft infection (VGI) is a rare but severe complication of vascular surgery that is associated with a bad prognosis and high mortality rate. An accurate and prompt identification of the infection and its extent is crucial for the correct management of the patient. However, standardized diagnostic algorithms and a univocal consensus on the best strategy to reach a diagnosis still do not exist. This review aims to summarize different radiological and Nuclear Medicine (NM) modalities commonly adopted for the imaging of VGI. Moreover, we attempt to provide evidence-based answers to several practical questions raised by clinicians and surgeons when they approach imaging in order to plan the most appropriate radiological or NM examination for their patients