Valutazione di un rolling group ambulatoriale per pazienti con diagnosi di abuso da cocaina

Lo studio utilizza un disegno longitudinale a misure ripetute per la valutazione process-outcome di un rolling groups psicodinamico per pazienti con diagnosi di abuso di cocaina. La terapia condotta su 18 pazienti \ue8 stata effettuata all\u2019interno del Centro Clinico Cocainomani dell\u2019ASP di Brescia. Gli strumenti utilizzati sono: DAST-20, OQ-45, DSQ, CALPAS Group, GMLCS. Le analisi condotte attraverso il Multilevel Models evidenziano dei miglioramenti attendibili sia rispetto al sintomo che riguardo al funzionamento psicologico e all\u2019assetto difensivo. La lunghezza della partecipazione alla terapia e la stabilit\ue0 del gruppo influenzano l\u2019esito. I pazienti che restano di pi\uf9 in trattamento sperimentano una maggiore qualit\ue0 delle relazioni all\u2019interno del gruppo. Diversamente l\u2019alleanza dell\u2019individuo \ue8 influenzata dalle modificazioni del legame del gruppo nel corso del tempo

Mid-Late Pleistocene Neanderthal landscapes in southern Italy: Paleoecological contributions of the avian assemblage from Grotta del Cavallo, Apulia, southern Italy

We present a detailed paleoecologic analysis of avian assemblages from the Mousterian layers of the Middle Paleolithic Grotta del Cavallo site in southern Italy. Findings improve knowledge of the landscape that was exploited by Neanderthals. During the MIS 7, 6 and 3, the cave was surrounded by extensive grasslands and shrublands, locally interspersed by open woodland and rocky outcrops, whereas the coastal plain (currently underwater) hosted wetlands. Water bird taxa show an increase in population size during the cool-temperate climatic interval attributed to MIS 3, possibly linked to more humid conditions or a shorter distance between the wetland settings and the cave, compared to the previous glacial phase (MIS 6). In addition, coverage-based rarefied richness suggests higher avian diversity during MIS 3, which may reflect greater landscape heterogeneity due to the presence of wetland habitats. The tentative discovery of Branta leucopsis, together with several bird species currently found at higher altitudes, reinforces geochemically-derived palaeoclimate inferences of cooler than the present conditions. These assemblages also include the first fossil occurrence of Larus genei worldwide, the first Italian occurrence of Emberiza calandra, the oldest Italian occurrence of Podiceps nigricollis, and the occurrence of the rarely reported Sylvia cf. communis. Taphonomic analyses indicate that bone modifications are mainly due to physical syn- and post-depositional processes, and that the assemblage mainly accumulated through short-range physical transport and the feeding activities of nocturnal raptors

Behavioral and Imaging Studies of Infant Artificial Grammar Learning

Artificial grammar learning (AGL) paradigms have proven to be productive and useful to investigate how young infants break into the grammar of their native language(s). The question of when infants first show the ability to learn abstract grammatical rules has been central to theoretical debates about the innate vs. learned nature of grammar. The presence of this ability early in development, that is, before considerable experience with language, has been argued to provide evidence for a biologically endowed ability to acquire language. Artificial grammar learning tasks also allow infant populations to be readily compared with adults and non-human animals. Artificial grammar learning paradigms with infants have been used to investigate a number of linguistic phenomena and learning tasks, from word segmentation to phonotactics and morphosyntax. In this review, we focus on AGL studies testing infants\u2019 ability to learn grammatical/structural properties of language. Specifically, we discuss the results of AGL studies focusing on repetition-based regularities, the categorization of functors, adjacent and non-adjacent dependencies, and word order. We discuss the implications of the results for a general theory of language acquisition, and we outline some of the open questions and challenges

Promoting Awareness about Psychological Consequences of Living in a Community Oppressed by the Mafia: A Group-Analytic Intervention

The effects of the Mafia have been extensively studied from sociological, economic, and historical points of view. However, little research has investigated the influence of the Mafia on individuals and communities in terms of its psychological and social impact. In order to contribute to the advancement of our understanding of the psychological effects of the Mafia on individuals and communities and to promote a participative process of social change, a group analytic intervention was conducted within a Community Based Participatory Research carried out in Corleone, a small Sicilian town with a historically recognized role in the evolution of the Mafia, as well as in the fight against its control. Qualitative findings from the group intervention revealed the development of an awareness process that allowed participants to become aware of their social unconscious anxieties and defenses and to recognize and manage the strong emotional impact related to the Mafia\u2019s presence in their lives. Highlighting how psychological processes can have negative impacts on individual and collective capacity to pursuit transformation and resilience, this article provides important insight on how clinical psychology may operate in socio-cultural contexts to promote the reconstruction of the traumatic social dimensions in the community

A Biodegradable, Bio-Based Polymer for the Production of Tools for Aquaculture: Processing, Properties and Biodegradation in Sea Water

Bio-based, biodegradable polymers can dramatically reduce the carbon dioxide released into the environment by substituting fossil-derived polymers in some applications. In this work, prototypes of trays for aquaculture applications were produced via injection molding by using a biodegradable polymer, Mater-Bi-(R). A characterization carried out via calorimetric, rheological and mechanical tests revealed that the polymer employed shows properties suitable for the production of tools to be used in aquaculture applications. Moreover, the samples were subjected to a biodegradation test in conditions that simulate the marine environment. The as-treated samples were characterized from gravimetrical, morphological and calorimetric point of views. The obtained data showed a relatively low biodegradation rate of the thick molded samples. This behavior is of crucial importance since it implies a long life in marine water for these manufacts before their disappearing

Avian haemosporidian diversity on Sardinia: a first general assessment for the Insular Mediterranean

The Western Palearctic is one of the most investigated regions for avian haemosporidian parasites (Haemoproteus, Plasmodium and Leucocytozoon), yet geographic gaps in our regional knowledge remain. Here, we report the first haemosporidian screening of the breeding birds from Sardinia (the second-largest Mediterranean Island and a biodiversity hotspot), and the first for the insular Mediterranean in general. We examined the occurrence of haemosporidians by amplifying their mtDNA cytb gene in 217 breeding birds, belonging to 32 species. The total prevalence of infected birds was 55.3%, and of the 116 haplotypes recovered, 84 were novel. Despite the high number of novel lineages, phylogenetic analysis did not highlight Sardinia-specific clades; instead, some Sardinian lineages were more closely related to lineages previously recovered from continental Europe. Host-parasite network analysis indicated a specialized host-parasite community. Binomial generalized linear models (GLMs), performed at the community level, suggested an elevational effect on haemosporidian occurrence probability (negative for Haemoproteus; positive for Leucocytozoon) likely due to differences in the abundance of insect vectors at different elevations. Furthermore, a GLM revealed that sedentary birds showed a higher probability of being infected by novel haplotypes and long-distance migrants showed a lower probability of novel haplotype infection. We hypothesize that the high diversity of haemosporidians is linked to the isolation of breeding bird populations on Sardinia. This study adds to the growing knowledge on haemosporidians lineage diversity and distribution in insular environments and presents new insights on potential host-parasite associations