Emotional Geographies of the Uncanny: Reinterpreting Italian Transnational Spaces

The 'Emotional Geographies of the Uncanny' section of Cultural Studies Review aims to read transnational spaces constructed and inhabited by Italian migrants and settlers to Australasia as emotional spaces of uncanny perceptions, memories, narratives and identities. Drawing inspiration from the Freudian suggestions about the uncanny (das unheimliche), and later interpretations by Heiddeger, Derrida, Kristeva, Bhabha, Žižek, and Ahmed, we refer to the uncanny as the emotional reaction to something that is, at the same time, familiar and unfamiliar, homely and unhomely. The uncanny then becomes an aesthetic frame through which experiences of migration and colonialism can be read and interpreted. How have Italians experienced the strange un/familiarity of the places to which they have migrated or that they have colonised in Australasia? And, in the process of familiarising the unfamiliar, how have they perceived the strange familiarity of the newly emerged 'Italian' spaces that they have first constructed and then inhabited, outside the boundaries of the Italian Nation, and often within the space of other essentialist Nations? Furthermore, how have they related to the places they have left in Italy: the places to which they have progressively become strangers yet have continued to constitute a central element of their subjectivity

A framework to assess the sustainability of additive manufacturing for spare parts

Additive manufacturing (AM) is a promising technology for the optimization of the spare parts supply chain. A complete evaluation of whether it is advantageous to switch to this technology for spare parts management should include a comprehensive assessment of its sustainability in addition to its techno-economic viability. General analyses of the economic, environmental, and social impacts of AM have been conducted, but assessments of the sustainability effects of AM in the spare parts field is limited to specific industries. Thus, based on the literature, we designed a framework that can support a life cycle evaluation of the emerging application of AM technology. It represents a methodological approach that covers all the stages of the spare parts life cycle and the three dimensions of sustainability. It has been designed to support both researchers and practitioners who are considering AM for the manufacturing of spare parts. Copyright (C) 2022 The Authors

Representaciones de apego y sensitividad paterna en padres de hijos en edad preescolar

La presente investigación tiene como objetivo establecer la relación entre las representaciones de apego y la sensitividad paterna en un grupo de padres de niños en edad preescolar. Para este propósito se evaluó a 18 padres con edades entre 25 y 50 años (M = 36, DE = 5.9) de niños con edades entre los 48 y 68 meses (M = 58, DE = 6.7) utilizando el Autocuestionario de Apego para Adultos “Modeles Individueles de Rélations” (CaMir) de Pierrehumbert, Karmaniola, Sieye, Meister, Miljkovitch y Halfonet (1996) para las representaciones de apego y la adaptación del Maternal Behavior for Preschoolers Q-Set de Posada, Moreno y Richmond (1998 en Posada, et al. 2007) para el comportamiento sensitivo de los padres. Se encuentra que no hay diferencias significativas en la sensitividad de los padres en función a su representación de apego. Además, se tuvo como objetivo específico describir la sensitividad paterna, encontrando que los padres presentan un nivel global adecuado; sin embargo muestran menores niveles en relación a lo idealmente esperado en las áreas de Apoyo de base segura, Supervisión y Establecimiento de límites. Asimismo, se encontró que la edad del padre presenta una asociación inversa pero no significativa con la sensitividad de los mismos, pero sí se obtuvo una diferencia significativa en la sensitividad en función a si el padre se considera cuidador principal o no, y su estado de migración. Por otro lado, no se mostraron diferencias en la sensitividad respecto al género del hijo.This research aims to establish the relation between attachment representations and parental sensitivity in a group of parents of preschoolers. For this purpose, we evaluated 18 parents aged between 25 and 50 years (M = 36, SD = 5.9) for children aged between 48 and 68 months (M = 58, SD = 6.7) using the Adult Attachment self-questionnaire "Modeles Individueles of relations" (CaMir) of Pierrehumbert, Karmaniola, Sieye, Meister, and Halfonet Miljkovitch (1996) for attachment representations and a adaptation of the Maternal Behavior Q-Set for Preschoolers Posada, Moreno and Richmond (1998 Posada, et al. 2007) for fathers sensitive behavior. It is found that there is no significant difference in the sensitivity of the parents according to their attachment representation. In addition, we aimed to describe specific paternal sensitivity, finding that fathers have a right globally level of sensitivity, but showing lower levels in the areas of Safe base support , Supervision and Setting Limits. We also found that the father's age was not related to the sensitivity of the parents in a significative way, but there was a significant difference in sensitivity according to whether the father consider himself as the primary caregiver or not, and their migration status. On the other hand, there were no differences in the sensitivity regarding the sex of the child.Tesi

Neurotoxicity induced by mephedrone: an up-to-date review

BACKGROUND: Mephedrone is a β-ketoamphetamine belonging to the family of synthetic cathinones, an emerging class of designer drugs known for their hallucinogenic and psychostimulant properties as well as for their abuse potential. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this review was to examine the emerging scientific literature on the possible mephedrone-induced neurotoxicity, yet not well defined due to the limited number of experimental studies, mainly carried on animal models. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Relevant scientific articles were identified from international literature databases (Medline, Scopus, etc.) using the keywords: "Mephedrone", "4-MMC," "neurotoxicity," "neuropharmacology", "patents", "monoamine transporters" and "neurochemical effects". RESULTS: Of the 498 sources initially found, only 36 papers were suitable for the review. Neurotoxic effect of mephedrone on 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) and dopamine (DA) systems remains controversial. Although some studies in animal models reported no damage to DA nerve endings in the striatum and no significant changes in brain monoamine levels, some others suggested a rapid reduction in 5-HT and DA transporter function. Persistent serotonergic deficits were observed after binge like treatment in a warm environment and in both serotonergic and dopaminergic nerve endings at high ambient temperature. Oxidative stress cytotoxicity and an increase in frontal cortex lipid peroxidation were also reported. In vitro cytotoxic properties were also observed, suggesting that mephedrone may act as a reductant agent and can also determine changes in mitochondrial respiration. However, due to the differences in the design of the experiments, including temperature and animal model used, the results are difficult to compare. CONCLUSIONS: Further studies on toxicology and pharmacology of mephedrone are therefore necessary to establish an appropriate treatment for substance abuse and eventual consequences for public health

Mobi - kids - Risk of brain cancer from exposure to radiofrequency fields in childhood and adolescence

Introduzione. Il rapido e globale incremento dell’utilizzo dei telefoni cellulari da parte degli adolescenti e dei bambini ha generato un considerevole interesse circa i possibili effetti sulla salute dell’esposizione a campi elettromagnetici a radiofrequenza. Perciò è stato avviato lo studio internazionale caso-controllo Mobi-kids, all’interno del quale si colloca quello italiano condotto in 4 Regioni (Piemonte, Lombardia, Toscana, Emilia-Romagna). Obiettivi. Lo studio ha come obiettivo quello di valutare la stima del rischio degli effetti potenzialmente avversi di queste esposizioni sul sistema nervoso centrale nei bambini e negli adolescenti. Materiali e Metodi. La popolazione include tutte le persone di età compresa tra 10 e 24 anni residenti nelle 4 Regioni, con una diagnosi confermata di neoplasia cerebrale primitiva, diagnosticata durante il periodo di studio (3 anni). Sono stati selezionati due controlli - ospedalizzati per appendicite acuta - per ciascun caso. I controlli sono stati appaiati individualmente a ciascun caso per età, sesso e residenza del caso. Risultati. In Italia sono stati intervistati a Giugno 2014, 106 casi e 191 controlli. In Emilia-Romagna i casi reclutati sono stati fino ad ora 21 e i controlli 20, con una rispondenza del’81% e dell’65% rispettivamente. Dei 41 soggetti totali, il 61% era di sesso maschile con un’età media generale pari a 16,5 (±4,5) anni. Inoltre il 44% degli intervistati proveniva dalla classe di età più giovane (10-14). In merito allo stato di appaiamento, nella nostra Regione sono state effettuate 7 triplette (33%) - 1 caso e 2 controlli - e 6 doppiette (29%) - 1 caso ed 1 controllo. Conclusioni. Nonostante le varie difficoltà affrontate data la natura del progetto, l’esperienza maturata fin ad ora ha comunque portato alla fattibilità dello studio e porterà probabilmente a risultati che contribuiranno alla comprensione dei potenziali rischi di neoplasie cerebrali associati all'uso di telefoni cellulari tra i giovani.Introduction. The rapid increase in mobile phone use in young people as generated concern about possible health effects of exposure to radiofrequency and extremely low frequency electromagnetic fields (EMF). Objectives. Mobi-Kids, a multinational case–control study, investigates the potential effects of childhood and adolescent exposure to EMF from mobile communications technologies on brain tumor risk in 14countries, within which lies the one conducted in 4 Italian Regions (Piedmont, Lombardy, Tuscany, Emilia-Romagna).Materials and methods. The target study population consists of all males and females aged 10–24 years residing in the study region with a confirmed diagnosis of an eligible first primary brain tumor diagnosed during the study period (3 years). Two hospital-based control s(who underwent an appendectomy for suspected diagnosis of appendicitis) are selected for each case, and matched on: sex, age and geographic area of residence. Results. As of June 2014, in Italy were interviewed, 106 cases and 191 controls; in Emilia-Romagna were recruited 21 cases and 20 controls. Participation rates were 81% and 65% among cases and controls, respectively. The study population in Emilia-Romagna (41 total subjects), has slightly more males (61%) than females, and more participants (44%) in the youngest age range (10-14). Of the 21 cases who have been interviewed, 7 (33%) have two interviewed controls and 6 (29%) have at least one identified control. Conclusions. The advantages of Mobi-Kids include its large sample size – it will be the largest study to date on this topic in young people. Despite the various challenges faced by the study team, our experience thus far in developing and implementing the study protocol indicates that Mobi-Kids is feasible and will generate results contributing to the understanding of potential brain tumor risks associated with use of mobile phones and other wireless communication technologies among young people

Is age more than manual material handling associated with lumbar vertebral body and disc changes? A cross-sectional multicentre MRI study

Conflicting evidence exists to what extent manual material handling (MMH) causes lumbar disc disease, lack of evidence exist that this effect takes place especially at L5-S1 level, where the greatest moment occurs. The aim was to assess if lumbar vertebral body and disc changes are more common in people whose job involves significant MMH and, if so, to evaluate if lumbar vertebral body and disc changes are more prevalent in the lower part of the lumbar spine (L4-L5 and L5-S1)

Borazino-doped polyphenylenes

The divergent synthesis of two series of borazino-doped polyphenylenes, in which one or more aryl units are replaced by borazine rings, is reported for the first time, taking advantage of the decarbonylative [4 + 2] Diels− Alder cycloaddition reaction between ethynyl and tetraphenylcyclopentadienone derivatives. Because of the possibility of functionalizing the borazine core with different groups on the aryl substituents at the N and B atoms of the borazino core, we have prepared borazino-doped polyphenylenes featuring different doping dosages and orientations. To achieve this, two molecular modules were prepared: a core and a branching unit. Depending on the chemical natures of the central aromatic module and the reactive group, each covalent combination of the modules yields one exclusive doping pattern. By means of this approach, three- and hexa-branched hybrid polyphenylenes featuring controlled orientations and dosages of the doping B3N3 rings have been prepared. Detailed photophysical investigations showed that as the doping dosage is increased, the strong luminescent signal is progressively reduced. This suggests that the presence of the B3N3 rings engages additional deactivation pathways, possibly involving excited states with an increasing charge-separated character that are restricted in the full-carbon analogues. Notably, a strong effect of the orientational doping on the fluorescence quantum yield was observed for those hybrid polyphenylene structures featuring low doping dosages. Finally, we showed that Cu-catalyzed 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition is also chemically compatible with the BN core, further endorsing the inorganic benzene as a versatile aromatic scaffold for engineering of molecular materials with tailored and exploitable optoelectronic properties

Quantification of the total economic value of forest systems: spatial analysis application to the region of Tuscany (Italy)

In forest sector several practical applications need  to consider the monetary value of social utility for each specific location and forest function. In this framework the aim of the paper is to implement a spatial analysis model able to link a set of methodologies for the quantification of the total economic value of the forests. The main characteristic of the proposed methodology is the achievement of a geographical dataset with high resolution that can be used for both ex-ante and ex-post Cost-Benefit Analysis and the improvement of spatially explicit forest planning and policy. The results of the application show that spatial analysis methodologies allow the aggregation of several variables and also facilitate the introduction of natural capital concepts into environmental decision-making processes. The analysis is implemented and verified in Tuscany region (central Italy)

The static evolution of the new Italian code of medical ethics

Eight years since the last revision, in May 2014 the Italian code of medical ethics has been updated. Here, the Authors examine the reform in the light of the increasing difficulties of the medical profession arising from the severity of the Italian law Courts. The most significant aspects of this new code are firstly, the patient's freedom of self-determination and secondly, risk prevention through the disclosure of errors and adverse events. However, in both areas the reform seems to be less effective if we compare the ethical codes of France, the United Kingdom and the United States. In particular, the non-taking into consideration of the said code quality standards and scientific evidence which should guide doctors in their clinical practice is to say the least questionable. Since these are the most significant changes in the new code, it seems inevitable to conclude that the 2014 edition is essentially in line with previous versions. Now more than ever it is necessary that medical ethics acknowledges that medicine, society and medical jurisprudence have changed and doctors must be given new rules in order to protect both patients' rights and dignity of the profession. The physician's right to refuse to perform treatment at odds with his own clinical beliefs cannot be the only mean to safeguard the dignity of the profession. A clear boundary must also be established between medicine and professionalism as well as the criteria in determining the scientific evidences that physicians must follow. This has not been done in the Italian code of ethics, despite all the controversy caused by the Stamina case

Automatic PET-CT Image Registration Method Based on Mutual Information and Genetic Algorithms

Hybrid PET/CT scanners can simultaneously visualize coronary artery disease as revealed by computed tomography (CT) and myocardial perfusion as measured by positron emission tomography (PET). Manual registration is usually required in clinical practice to compensate spatial mismatch between datasets. In this paper, we present a registration algorithm that is able to automatically align PET/CT cardiac images. The algorithm bases on mutual information (MI) as registration metric and on genetic algorithm as optimization method. A multiresolution approach was used to optimize the processing time. The algorithm was tested on computerized models of volumetric PET/CT cardiac data and on real PET/CT datasets. The proposed automatic registration algorithm smoothes the pattern of the MI and allows it to reach the global maximum of the similarity function. The implemented method also allows the definition of the correct spatial transformation that matches both synthetic and real PET and CT volumetric datasets