Reflective functioning moderates the relationship between childhood trauma and psychopathology among adolescent outpatients

Mentalization has been considered a buffer against psychopathology in individuals exposed to trauma and abuse. The initial research on mentalizazion by Fonagy (1996), as well as subsequent empirical studies (e.g. Borelli, 2015; Chiesa & Fonagy, 2013), highlighted the role of reflective functioning (RF) as a protective factor for individuals exposed to trauma in childhood against maladpative outcomes. In recent years, association between mentalization and early traumatic experiences has gained an increasing interest among clinical and empirical studies. With regard to adolescence, literature on the relationship between traumatic experiences and RF is still scarce. Nonetheless, an evaluation of these adaptive and maladaptive developmental processes could have important clinical implications in adolescence. The aim of this study was to examine the role of RF as a resilience factor against the development of several psychiatric conditions in a sample of N = 60 adolescent outpatients. Participants were recruited in public mental health services. Each patient was evaluated, at the intake, with M.I.N.I. (Sheehan et al. 1994), SCID-II (First et al., 1997) and self-report tests: Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (Bernstein & Fink, 1998), Cambridge Depersonalization Scale (CDS; Sierra & Berrios 2000), Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HAM-D; Hamilton, 1960) and Hamilton Rating Scale for Anxiety (HAM-A; Hamilton 1959). During the first month of treatment the Adult Attachment Interview (AAI, George et al., 1985) was also administered, and the AAI transcripts were assessed with the RF Scale (Fonagy et al., 1998). Findings showed that adverse experiences in childhood predicted several psychopathological dimensions; mostly, RF played as a moderator of the relationship between these variables. The clinical implications of these findings were addressed

Multifunctionality and value creation in rural areas of southern Italy

The paper focuses on a new theoretical-methodological approach to interpreting functional transformation processes of farms located in rural areas and marked by a delay in development. We have defined a theoretical paradigm of optimal value portfolio (OVP) which considers -in a new light- multifunctional agricultural farms as an ensemble of governance structures optimizing the creation of value. The need to validate the OVP functionality has led us to identify a new methodological approach referred to as the Value Portfolio and Multifunctional Governance Analysis (VPMGA). This analysis embeds value chain analysis and governance value analysis and at the same time attempts to overcome the “sectoral” limits representing also a new and further development. We deem, in fact, that the VPMGA best responds to the specificities of multifunctional agricultural farms. Through the VPMGA we have identified four determining family variables which are internal and external to the farm (internal resources, market, territory, policies). We have also assessed the functional links with the boundary shift processes and the mechanisms governing transactions and the creation of an optimal value portfolio. We have empirically verified this approach on selected agro-food chains which are located in rural areas characterized by different levels of development. From the findings we have defined various ideal types of farms that allowed us to make future scientific assumptions and highlight normative implications for improving managerial decision-making processes based on the VPMGA model. In this way, the VPMGA can be a tool to inform policy makers, especially in the light of the new challenges facing rural development.multifunctionality, rural development, positive externalities, value chains, Community/Rural/Urban Development, Q12, Q18, Q19,

Moral Rights Protection for the Visual Arts

Beginning in 1979, certain states extended extra copyright protection, known as "moral rights" protection, to visual artists. Moral rights protection, which was incorporated into U.S. copyright law in 1990, ensures that works cannot be altered in a manner that would negatively impact the reputation of the artist. Using difference-in-differences regression strategies, we compare artists and non-artists in states with moral rights laws to those in states without these laws, before and after the laws are enacted. This enables us to test the impact of the laws on the behavior of artists, consumers, and policy makers. Our analysis reveals that artists’ incomes fall by over $4000 per year as a result of moral rights legislation, but we find no impact of the laws on artists’ choices of residence or on state-level public spending on the arts.copyright, moral rights, Visual Artists Rights Act of 1990 (VARA)

Sintesi di derivati benzo[d]isotiazolici quali inibitori di differenti isoforme dell'anidrasi carbonica

Nello sviluppo della terapia per il cancro è importante capire come colpire la diffusione metastatica poiché questa è responsabile del 90% delle morti dei pazienti con tumori solidi. La diffusione metastatica è un processo multi-step che include una ridotta adesione cellulare, un incremento della motilità e della migrazione cellulare, invasione dei tessuti locali e dei linfonodi e formazione di metastasi a distanza. Le anidrasi carboniche (CA) IX e XII sono dei potenti marker nella diagnosi di varie forme di cancro. Il ruolo diagnostico di questi enzimi è complesso. Molti studi mostrano chiaramente che queste metallo proteine stimolano alcuni aspetti che migliorano le proprietà delle cellule tumorali tra cui l’attivazione di proteasi, l’acidificazione del microambiente tumorale e promuovono una ridotta adesione cellulare

Simulation of an electrophotographic halftone reproduction

The robustness of three digital halftoning techniques are simulated for a hypothetical electrophotographic laser printer subjected to dynamic environmental conditions over a copy run of one thousand images. Mathematical electrophotographic models have primarily concentrated on solid area reproductions under time-invariant conditions. The models used in this study predict the behavior of complex image distributions at various stages in the electrophotographic process. The system model is divided into seven subsystems: Halftoning, Laser Exposure, Photoconductor Discharge, Toner Development, Transfer, Fusing, and Image Display. Spread functions associated with laser spot intensity, charge migration, and toner transfer and fusing are used to predict the electrophotographic system response for continuous and halftone reproduction. Many digital halftoning techniques have been developed for converting from continuous-tone to binary (halftone) images. The general objective of halftoning is to approximate the intermediate gray levels of continuous tone images with a binary (black-and-white) imaging system. Three major halftoning techniques currently used are Ordered-Dither, Cluster-Dot, and Error Diffusion. These halftoning algorithms are included in the simulation model. Simulation in electrophotography can be used to better understand the relationship between electrophotographic parameters and image quality, and to observe the effects of time-variant degradation on electrophotographic parameters and materials. Simulation programs, written in FORTRAN and SLAM (Simulation Language Alternative Modeling), have been developed to investigate the effects of system degradation on halftone image quality. The programs have been designed for continuous simulation to characterize the behavior or condition of the electrophotographic system. The simulation language provides the necessary algorithms for obtaining values for the variables described by the time-variant equations, maintaining a history of values during the simulation run, and reporting statistical information on time-dependent variables. Electrophotographic variables associated with laser intensity, initial photoconductor surface voltage, and residual voltage are degraded over a simulated run of one thousand copies. These results are employed to predict the degraded electrophotographic system response and to investigate the behavior of the various halftone techniques under dynamic system conditions. Two techniques have been applied to characterize halftone image quality: Tone Reproduction Curves are used to characterize and record the tone reproduction capability of an electrophotographic system over a simulated copy run. Density measurements are collected and statistical inferences drawn using SLAM. Typically the sharpness of an image is characterized by a system modulation transfer function (MTF). The mathematical models used to describe the subsystem transforms of an electrophotographic system involve non-linear functions. One means for predicting this non-linear system response is to use a Chirp function as the input to the model and then to compare the reproduced modulation to that of the original. Since the imaging system is non-linear, the system response cannot be described by an MTF, but rather an Input Response Function. This function was used to characterize the robustness of halftone patterns at various frequencies. Simulated images were also generated throughout the simulation run and used to evaluate image sharpness and resolution. The data, generated from each of the electrophotographic simulation models, clearly indicates that image stability and image sharpness is not influenced by dot orientation, but rather by the type of halftoning operation used. Error-Diffusion is significantly more variable than Clustered-Dot and Dispersed-Dot at low to mid densities. However, Error-Diffusion is significantly less variable than the ordered dither patterns at high densities. Also, images generated from Error-Diffusion are sharper than those generated using Clustered-Dot and Dispersed-Dot techniques, but the resolution capability of each of the techniques remained the same and degraded equally for each simulation run

Movement Intermittency in Social Coordination

Coordination of movements in humans has been extensively studied at a macroscopic level, such as the pacing of movements, particularly in tasks of interpersonal and bimanual coordination. However, by examining the fine structure of movement, another form of rhythmicity becomes apparent at a microscopic level. Movement is never completely smooth, but rather is organized into smaller units known as submovements, which appear as recurrent speed breaks occurring at faster timescales (2-3 Hz). These submovements may reflect intermittent feedback-based motor adjustments. To better understand the relationship between submovements in different coordination contexts, we characterized the timing of submovements emission in a series of rhythmic motor coordination task by asking participants to coordinate their index fingers either in-phase or anti-phase with themselves or with a real/virtual partner. In Study 1, we analysed the temporal relationship between submovements emitted by both hands of a single participant during a bimanual coordination task. We also manipulated the availability of visual feedback to understand its impact on the emission of submovements, which are believed to reflect a vision based movement correction mechanism. In Study 2, we explored the dynamics of submovements during interpersonal coordination, and thus with the goal of moving beyond their temporal emission in single individuals. In Study 3, we combined interpersonal and bimanual coordination into a single task by asking participants to coordinate with each other using both their hands. In Study 4, we tested the validity of our results on mutual adaptation of submovements during interpersonal coordination by replacing one member of the pair with an unresponsive virtual partner. Finally, in Study 5, building on the ease of transferability of the previous task to clinical settings, we investigated the pattern of submovements emission in individuals with Parkinson's disease and cerebellar disorders to identify potentially new diagnostic markers and gain novel insights into the neural substrates underlying movement intermittency. Overall, our results suggest that the mechanism responsible for the organization of movement into submovements is at least partly shared across different effectors, such as the two hands, and might be modulated by the availability and usability of visual and proprioceptive feedback. Moreover, the identification of different temporal patterns of submovements emission leads us to conclude that the mechanisms controlling submovements production are highly flexible and tunable depending on the coordinative context. Submovements control can thus provide valuable insights into the low-level motor control mechanisms involved in achieving intra- and interpersonal motor coordination. Finally, submovement-level control may serve as a novel objective marker of individual and social motor coordination capabilities that may be selectively impaired in some neurological and psychiatric conditions.La coordinazione dei movimenti negli esseri umani è stata ampiamente studiata a livello macroscopico, ad es. il ritmo dei movimenti, in particolare in compiti di coordinazione interpersonale e bimanuale. Tuttavia, esaminando la struttura fine del movimento, un'altra forma di ritmicità appare evidente a livello microscopico. Il movimento non è mai completamente fluido, ma è organizzato in unità più piccole note come sottomovimenti, che si manifestano come interruzioni di velocità ricorrenti su una scala temporale più veloce (2-3 Hz). Questi sottomovimenti possono riflettere aggiustamenti motori intermittenti basati sul feedback. Per comprendere meglio la relazione tra i sottomovimenti in contesti di coordinazione diversi, abbiamo caratterizzato i pattern di emissione temporale dei sottomovimenti in una serie di compiti di coordinazione motoria ritmica, chiedendo ai partecipanti di coordinare i loro indici in-fase o in anti-fase con se stessi o con un partner reale/virtuale. Nello Studio 1, abbiamo analizzato la relazione temporale tra i sottomovimenti emessi da entrambe le mani di un singolo partecipante durante un compito di coordinazione bimanuale. Abbiamo anche manipolato la disponibilità del feedback visivo per comprendere il suo impatto sull'emissione dei sottomovimenti, che si ritiene riflettano un meccanismo di correzione dei movimenti basato sulla visione. Nello Studio 2, abbiamo esplorato la dinamica dei sottomovimenti durante la coordinazione interpersonale, con l’obiettivo di indagare i loro pattern di emissione temporale in coppie di individui. Nello Studio 3, abbiamo combinato la coordinazione interpersonale e bimanuale in un unico compito, chiedendo ai partecipanti di coordinarsi reciprocamente utilizzando entrambe le mani. Nello Studio 4, abbiamo testato la validità dei nostri risultati sull'adattamento reciproco dei sottomovimenti durante la coordinazione interpersonale sostituendo uno dei membri della coppia con un partner virtuale non reattivo. Infine, nello Studio 5, considerata la facile trasferibilità del compito precedente in contesti clinici, abbiamo indagato il modello di emissione dei sottomovimenti in individui con malattia di Parkinson e disturbi cerebellari per identificare potenziali nuovi marker diagnostici e acquisire nuove informazioni sui substrati neurali alla base dell'intermittenza del movimento. Complessivamente, i nostri risultati suggeriscono che il meccanismo responsabile dell'organizzazione del movimento in sottomovimenti è almeno in parte condiviso tra differenti effettori, come le due mani, e potrebbe essere modulato dalla disponibilità e utilizzabilità del feedback visivo e propriocettivo. Inoltre, l'identificazione di diversi modelli temporali di emissione dei sottomovimenti ci porta a concludere che i meccanismi che controllano la produzione dei sottomovimenti sono altamente flessibili e adattabili in base al contesto coordinativo. Il controllo dei sottomovimenti può quindi fornire preziose informazioni sui meccanismi di controllo motorio di basso livello coinvolti nel raggiungimento della coordinazione motoria intra- e interpersonale. Infine, il controllo motorio a livello dei sottomovimenti potrebbe fungere da nuovo marker oggettivo delle capacità individuali e sociali di coordinazione motoria che potrebbero essere selettivamente compromesse in alcune condizioni neurologiche e psichiatriche