Modelling solid waste management solutions: The case of Campania, Italy

The waste crisis in Campania has inspired a huge body of literature that has described its complex nature. Quantitative analysis in this regard provides useful insight into single aspects of the problem but from a static perspective. In this work, a dynamic model has been developed to analyse the interactions between the main elements of the waste system in Campania and their evolution over the critical time horizon. The model considers the process of capacity construction that has been developed to deal with the crisis and the flow of waste through the treatment options available, showing how the waste system behaves if such infrastructures are not able to cope with the amounts expected. The model also provides the analytical framework to explore the effects of alternative waste policies. © 2018 Elsevier Lt

Una aplicación didáctica del modelo ES21: Simulación de la Economía Española con Dinámica de Sistemas

Este trabajo proporciona una herramienta para la representación de la realidad socioeconómica española con fines didácticos, así cómo para el análisis de los impactos asociados tanto a las modificaciones en las políticas públicas – fundamentalmente presupuestarias – como a los cambios producidos en el entorno exterior. El trabajo es una versión simplificada del modelo ES21 (Di Nola y Martínez Valderrama, 2017) que utiliza la metodología de Dinámica de Sistemas.Gobierno Vasco, Grupos de Investigación del Sistema Universitario Vasco IT-799-1

Una aplicación didáctica del modelo ES21: Simulación de la Economía Española con Dinámica de Sistemas

Este trabajo proporciona una herramienta para la representación de la realidad socioeconómica española con fines didácticos, así cómo para el análisis de los impactos asociados tanto a las modificaciones en las políticas públicas – fundamentalmente presupuestarias – como a los cambios producidos en el entorno exterior. El trabajo es una versión simplificada del modelo ES21 (Di Nola y Martínez Valderrama, 2017) que utiliza la metodología de Dinámica de Sistemas.Gobierno Vasco, Grupos de Investigación del Sistema Universitario Vasco IT-799-1

The mediating effect of mood spectrum on the relationship between autistic traits and catatonia spectrum

BackgroundIn the recent years, several studies have shown a correlation between autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and catatonia. It is also known that both conditions are found to be associated with mood disorders. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between autistic traits and catatonic symptoms, as well as the potential mediating role of mood disorder spectrum in the relationship between them.MethodsThe total sample of 514 subjects was composed by four diagnostic groups, composed by patients affected by catatonia (CTN), borderline personality disorder (BPD), major depressive disorder (MDD) and healthy controls (HC). Subjects were assessed with the SCID-5-RV, the Adult Autism Subthreshold Spectrum (AdAS Spectrum) and the Catatonia Spectrum (CS) and the Mood Spectrum Self-Report (MOODS-SR). Statistical analyses included Pearson’s coefficient calculation, multiple linear regression, and mediation analysis.Resultsall the correlations appear to be strongly positive and significant with the strongest coefficient emerging between AdAS Spectrum total score and CS total score (r = 0.762, p < 0.001). The Mediation Analysis showed that AdAS Spectrum total score showed a significant indirect effect on CS total score through MOODS-SR total score (b = 0.168, 95% bootstrapped CI [0.127:0.207]).ConclusionThe present study highlights the presence of a mediating role of the mood disorder spectrum in the relationship between autistic traits and the catatonia spectrum

Children’s giving: moral reasoning and moral emotions in the development of donation behaviors

This study investigated the role of moral reasoning and moral emotions (i.e., sympathy and guilt) in the development of young children’s donating behavior (N = 160 4- and 8-year-old children). Donating was measured through children’s allocation of resources (i.e., stickers) to needy peers and was framed as a donation to World Vision. Children’s sympathy was measured with both self- and primary caregiver-reports and participants reported their anticipation of guilt feelings following actions that violated prosocial moral norms, specifically the failure to help or share. Participants also provided justifications for their anticipated emotions, which were coded as representing moral or non-moral reasoning processes. Children’s moral reasoning emerged as a significant predictor of donating behavior. In addition, results demonstrated significant developmental and gender effects, with 8-year-olds donating significantly more than 4-year-olds and 4-year-old girls making higher value donations than boys of the same age. We discuss donation behaviors within the broader context of giving and highlight the moral developmental antecedents of giving behaviors in childhood

Promoting theory of mind in school-aged children:Direct and transfer effects

Gli studi di training sulla Teoria della Mente (ToM) in età scolare sono rari, nonostante questa abilità influenzi lo sviluppo cognitivo e sociale. Nel presente lavoro è stato progettato un inter-vento per promuovere la ToM in bambini di 9-10 anni. Per testarne l’efficacia, il gruppo sperimen-tale (N = 42) è stato confrontato con uno di controllo (N = 43). I risultati mostrano che il gruppo sperimentale incrementa la performance alla ToM in misura significativamente maggiore rispetto a quello di controllo. Questo effetto non è attribuibile a differenze preesistenti tra i gruppi e si gene-ralizza a compiti di ToM non direttamente stimolati durante l’intervento.Despite theory of mind (ToM) has a role in social and cognitive development in school aged children, very few studies have proposed interventions to promote ToM in middle childhood. To fill this gap, we developed a novel ToM training program for 9- to 10-year-old children. Results showed that, after the intervention, children in the ToM group improved in ToM task performance significantly more than children in the control condition. The positive effect of the ToM intervention generalized to a new film-based ToM task and was not determined by pre-existing individual differences in ToM, cognitive, and executive skills between groups

Two Faces of a Coin? A Systematic Review of Source Monitoring and Its Relationship with Memory in Autism

none7The ability to discriminate the origin of stimuli, known as source monitoring, is crucial for self-other distinction and the integration of internally generated and externally generated experiences. Despite its valence, evidence on source monitoring in autism is yet scarce and unclear. We systematically reviewed literature concerning source monitoring in autism and its relationship with other constructs, such as memory type, encoding effects, social cognition, general intelligence, and clinical factors. Source-monitoring performance (operationalized as error or accuracy) was reduced in autistic participants in 9 of the 15 studies that met the inclusion criteria. When explicitly investigated, free-recall memory impairments in autism were shown to influence source monitoring deficits. General intelligence was another important factor linked to source-monitoring performance. Conversely, other memory types or encoding effects were not impaired in autism, and no univocal association could be found with source monitoring. Social cognition and clinical symptoms were rarely assessed in spite of their possible involvement in source monitoring. The heterogeneity of the task design, outcome measures and demographical factors limited study comparability. As a research framework on source monitoring as a construct of primary interest in autism is still lacking, we propose preliminary indications for future investigations based on the collected findings.openDamiani, Stefano; Guiot, Cecilia; Nola, Marta; Donadeo, Alberto; Bassetti, Nicola; Brondino, Natascia; Politi, PierluigiDamiani, Stefano; Guiot, Cecilia; Nola, Marta; Donadeo, Alberto; Bassetti, Nicola; Brondino, Natascia; Politi, Pierluig