Formazione e documentazione sull'infanzia e l'adolescenza

The National Centre for documentation and analysis for childhood and adolescence has the task to select, collect, catalogue and elaborate the documents related to children and adolescents’ lives in Italy. This centre has three databases: statistic, bibliographic and legislative; it has the task to create documentation through a deep publishing activity. The service is made to users with the library opening. The Centre managed the course on “Conditions and needs of childhood and adolescence: observations and monitoring”

Delirio omicidiario condiviso nelle coppie di serial killer

Riassunto I serial killer che agiscono in coppia rappresentano un’eventualità statisticamente molto rara. Frequentemente fra i due membri della coppia si va strutturando progressivamente un delirio comune che porta i soggetti a reiterare insieme le azioni omicidiarie. Questo quadro clinico prevede che un soggetto definito dominante, denominato “Induttore” o “Caso primario”, influenzi un soggetto più debole, denominato “Indotto”, arrivando ad imporgli il suo sistema delirante. Il soggetto debole della coppia sovente non proviene da una sottocultura criminale, né è portatore di alcuna patologia psichiatrica che giustifichi la sua adesione alle azioni del soggetto dominante. La sindrome è stata descritta per la prima volta alla fine dell’800 da Lasègue e Falret e denominata “Folie à deux”; nel DSM IV-TR è nota come Disturbo Psicotico Condiviso. Le coppie di serial killer maggiormente rappresentate statisticamente sono quelle formate da due uomini, seguono le coppie miste e infine le coppie femminili. Il legame esistente tra i due membri può essere amicale, amoroso o di parentela. Nonostante il “Caso primario” risulti dominante all’interno della coppia, non bisogna trascurare l’apporto del soggetto debole al delirio omicidiario condiviso: infatti, secondo la logica peculiare di una relazione complementare patologica, entrambi gli agenti hanno un ruolo necessario e funzionale al perdurare della relazione stessa. Anche l’individuo apparentemente più passivo e sottomesso ha un ruolo attivo nella costituzione del delirio omicidiario condiviso. Les tueurs en série qui agissent en couple sont très rares d’un point de vue statistique. Le plus souvent, entre les deux membres du couple, un délire commun apparaît progressivement, conduisant ces sujets à réitérer ensemble les passages à l’acte homicidaire. Ce cadre clinique prévoit qu’un individu, défini comme dominant et nommé « Inducteur » ou « Cas primaire », influence un individu plus faible, nommé « Induit », en lui imposant son système délirant. Le plus souvent, le membre du couple le plus faible ne provient pas d’une sous-culture criminelle et ne souffre d’aucun trouble psychiatrique qui justifierait son adhésion aux actions de l’individu dominant. Le syndrome a été décrit pour la première fois par Lasègue et Falret à la fin du XIXème siècle et nommé « folie à deux » ; le DSM-IV TR parle de « trouble psychotique partagé ». Les couples de tueurs en série les plus représentés d’un point de vue statistique sont composées de deux hommes, puis par un homme et une femme et, enfin, par deux femmes. Le lien entre les deux membres de ces couples peut être de type amical, sentimental ou de parenté. Bien que le « Cas primaire » soit dominant dans le couple, il ne faut pas négliger la contribution de l’individu faible au délire homicidaire partagé : en effet, sur la base de la logique particulière d’une relation complémentaire pathologique, les deux acteurs jouent un rôle majeur et fonctionnel à la continuité de la relation. Même l’individu apparemment le plus passif et soumis joue un rôle actif dans la formation du délire homicidaire partagé. Serial killers acting in pair represent an event which is statistically very rare. A sort of common delirium gradually structured between the two members of the pair, brings them to reiterate their homicidal actions. This clinical situation provides that a person described as dominant and called “inducer” or “primary” or “principal” imposes on another person knows as “the secondary”, “acceptor” or “associate” who gets to share the delirium of the “inducer”. The secondary person does not often come from a criminal subculture and does not have any psychiatric pathology which can justify his/her compliance to the actions of the “inducer”. This syndrome described for the first time at the end of the 19th century by Lasègue and Falret was called “Folie à deux”. In the DSM-IV-TR is known as Shared Psychotic Disorder. These pairs of serial killers statistically more representative are those made up of two men, or a man and a woman or two women. Between the two members there may be a friendly, loving or relationship tie. Even if the “inducer” is dominant within the pair, the contribution given by the “acceptor” to the shared homicidal delirium must not be neglected. In fact, according to the peculiar logic of a relationship completely pathological , both members of the pair have a functional and necessary role in the persistence of the relationship itself. Also the person seemingly more passive and subjected has an active role in the structure of the shared homicidal delirium

Stress, lutto e modificazione dei parametri immunitari

Gli autori in questo articolo riportano un’estesa panoramica in tema di stress, lutto e sistema immunitario. Oltre a citare importanti studi che dimostrano la correlazione tra di essi, vengono altresì esplorati campi pionieristici (ipnosi e cancro – la teoria di Hamer) di un certo interesse che prometterebbero sviluppi futuri. Peraltro, lo studio affronta le possibilità di monitoraggio delle modificazioni immunitarie in caso di danno biologico psichico indiretto permanente, risarcibile in caso di morte di un congiunto (Corte Costituzionale Sent. 24-27 Ott. 1994 n° 372). Les auteurs font référence à une vaste littérature sur le stress, le deuil et le système immunitaire. Ils mentionnent non seulement les études les plus importantes qui montrent une corrélation parmi ces aspects, mais explorent aussi d’intéressantes filières pionnières (hypnose et cancer – la théorie de Hamer) promettant des développements futurs. D’autre part, l’étude aborde la question du monitorage des modifications immunitaires dans le cas du dommage biologique psychique indirect permanent, indemnisé suite à la mort d’un conjoint (Cour Constitutionnelle, jugement du 24-27 Octobre 1994, n°372). The authors of this article refer a large survey about stress, mourning and immune system. Besides mentioning important studies proving a correlation among these elements they also refer about an interesting survey about some pioneering fields (hypnosis and cancer, Hamer's theory) which could be particularly important for future developments. Furthermore, this study faces the possibility of monitoring immune modification in case of indirect permanent psychic biological damage repayable in case of a relative 's death (Corte Costituzionale Sent.24-27 ott. 1994 n.372)

Formazione e documentazione sull'infanzia e l'adolescenza

The National Centre for documentation and analysis for childhood and adolescence has the task to select, collect, catalogue and elaborate the documents related to children and adolescents’ lives in Italy. This centre has three databases: statistic, bibliographic and legislative; it has the task to create documentation through a deep publishing activity. The service is made to users with the library opening. The Centre managed the course on “Conditions and needs of childhood and adolescence: observations and monitoring”

Different ways to repair the mitral valve with artificial chordae: a systematic review

Myxomatous mitral regurgitation (type II Carpentier's functional classification) affects about 1-2% of the population. This represents a very common indication for valve surgery resulting in a low percentage of repairs compared to replacement which is actually performed. In the last decades, several methods for mitral valve repair have been developed, to make the surgical feasibility easier, improve the long-term follow-up thus avoiding the need for reoperations. A very interesting method is represented by the combination of various valve repair techniques, depending on the involvement of the anterior, posterior, or both leaflets, and the use of PTFE artificial chordae tendineae when excessive chordal elongation or rupture due to myxomatous degeneration co-exists. The aim of this review is to summarize the evolution of these techniques from the beginning till now

Phytoplankton RNA/DNA and 18S rRNA/rDNA ratios in a coastal marine ecosystem

The RNA/DNA ratio is used as indicator of growth in various marine organisms and to assess physiological status at species or community level. To evaluate the utility of the RNA/DNA ratio as a proxy of phytoplankton primary production, the relationships between phytoplankton RNA/DNA, taxon-specific diatom and dinoflagellate 18S rRNA/rDNA ratios and autotrophic phytoplankton biomass were investigated as a first step. Significant correlations between all phytoplankton ratios and total phytoplankton, diatom and dinoflagellate biomass as chlorophyll a (chl a) and carbon content were found. Diatoms showed higher correlation than dinoflagellates (18S rRNA/rDNA vs. chl a, rs =0.74 and 0.64, P <0.001; 18S rRNA/rDNA vs. carbon, rs =0.66 and 0.53, P <0.001, respectively), because they represented the most abundant and frequent group within sampled assemblages. Further, phytoplankton biomass production is known to be linked to protein biosynthesis and significant relationships between RNA/DNA ratios and protein content of phytoplankton assemblage were found (rs =0.62 and 0.52, P <0.001 for diatom and dinoflagellates, respectively). As taxon-specific RNA/DNA ratios were correlated with biomass and protein content, our results can be regarded as the first step toward further studies on the applicability of RNA/DNA ratios as indicators of growth rate and primary production in phytoplankton assemblages

Dust Evolution in Protoplanetary Disks

(abridged) In the core accretion scenario for the formation of planetary rocky cores, the first step toward planet formation is the growth of dust grains into larger and larger aggregates and eventually planetesimals. Although dust grains are thought to grow from the submicron sizes typical of interstellar dust to micron size particles in the dense regions of molecular clouds and cores, the growth from micron size particles to pebbles and kilometre size bodies must occur in protoplanetary disks. This step in the formation of planetary systems is the last stage of solids evolution that can be observed directly in young extrasolar systems. In this chapter we review the constraints on the physics of grain-grain collisions as they have emerged from laboratory experiments and numerical computations. We then review the current theoretical understanding of the global processes governing the evolution of solids in protoplanetary disks, including dust settling, growth, and radial transport. The predicted observational signatures are summarized. We discuss recent developments in the study of grain growth in molecular cloud cores and in collapsing envelopes of protostars as these provide the initial conditions for the dust in disks. We discuss the observational evidence for the growth of grains in young disks from mm surveys, as well as the recent evidence of radial variations of the dust properties in disks. We include a brief discussion of the constraints on the small end of the grain size distribution and on dust settling as derived from optical and IR observations. The observations are discussed in the context of global dust evolution models, in particular we focus on the emerging evidence for a very efficient early growth of grains and the radial distribution of grain sizes in disks. We also highlight the limits of current models, including the need to slow the radial drift of grains.Comment: Accepted for publication as a chapter in Protostars and Planets VI, University of Arizona Press (2014), eds. H. Beuther, R. Klessen, C. Dullemond, Th. Hennin

A model predicting the {PSP} toxic dinoflagellate Alexandrium minutum occurrence in the coastal waters of the {NW} Adriatic Sea

Increased anthropic pressure on the coastal zones of the Mediterranean Sea caused an enrichment in nutrients, promoting microalgal proliferation. Among those organisms, some species, such as the dinofagellate Alexandrium minutum, can produce neurotoxins. Toxic blooms can cause serious impacts to human health, marine environment and economic maritime activities at coastal sites. A mathematical model predicting the presence of A. minutumin coastal waters of the NW Adriatic Sea was developed using a Random Forest (RF), which is a Machine Learning technique, trained with molecular data of A. minutumoccurrence obtained by molecular PCR assay. The model is able to correctly predict more than 80% of the instances in the test data set. Our results showed that predictive models may play a useful role in the study of Harmful Algal Blooms (HAB)

Characterization of Coffee Silver Skin as Potential Food-Safe Ingredient

By-products from the coffee industry are produced in large amounts each year. Among other wastes, coffee silver skin (CSS) is highly available and more stable due to its lower content of water. This research aimed to characterize coffee silver skin composition and evidence its potentiality for use as a food-safe ingredient in new formulations. Results showed an average total dietary fiber content of 50% but with a higher ratio for insoluble than soluble fiber. A high content of total phenolic compounds, chlorogenic acid, caffeine, and caffeic acid was found and correlated with the high measured antioxidant capacity. Moreover, minerals (e.g., calcium, magnesium, phosphorous, potassium, copper, iron, manganese) important for human wellbeing were found at a high level in CSS, while toxic minerals (e.g., nickel) were found at low levels. In conclusion, coffee silver skin could have an advantageous role for the recovery of valuable compounds and as a potential food-safe ingredient