NEW TECHNOLOGIES: GAINS AND LOSSES* * This paper is a new version of an article published in the Journal Psihoterapija, vol. 31, 2017. In order to distinguish the two papers, I will put in italics the part that has already been printed.

This paper is a continuation of an article published in 2017 in the Journal Psihoterapija (vol. 31). Clinical case material from the conference organized by Therapy 2.0 in Zagreb has been added to illustrate limits and opportunities offered by new technologies to our discipline. The author is concerned with how the shift to the virtual dimension as in video sessions via Skype can be helpful or cause damage. The author refers to the experience of being alone in the presence of another (Winnicott) and wonders how the virtual dimension can affect the perception of being safely contained. The importance of body language in a traditional session setting is considered paramount, especially with patients whose suffering is anchored to pre-oedipal phases. The new European laws attach great importance to the protection of privacy but the Snowden revelations in 2013 demonstrated that global digital communications can be easily intercepted. There is an ethical dimension to consider when patients are encouraged to share their most intimate thoughts and fantasies online in a context where it is not possible to guarantee confidentiality of the communication. The author is further concerned with the issue of whether loss is still a core concept in our changing world and in our therapeutic endeavours. She further underlines the importance of carefully evaluating the inherent risks of new technologies in psychotherapy along with the opportunities to broaden outreach

Kink plateau dynamics in finite-size lubricant chains

We extend the study of velocity quantization phenomena recently found in the classical motion of an idealized 1D model solid lubricant -- consisting of a harmonic chain interposed between two periodic sliding potentials [Phys. Rev. Lett. 97, 056101 (2006)]. This quantization is due to one slider rigidly dragging the commensurate lattice of kinks that the chain forms with the other slider. In this follow-up work we consider finite-size chains rather than infinite chains. The finite size (i) permits the development of robust velocity plateaus as a function of the lubricant stiffness, and (ii) allows an overall chain-length re-adjustment which spontaneously promotes single-particle periodic oscillations. These periodic oscillations replace the quasi-periodic motion produced by general incommensurate periods of the sliders and the lubricant in the infinite-size model. Possible consequences of these results for some real systems are discussed.Comment: 12 pages, 5 figures, ECOSS 200

Exactly quantized dynamics of classical incommensurate sliders

We report peculiar velocity quantization phenomena in the classical motion of an idealized 1D solid lubricant, consisting of a harmonic chain interposed between two periodic sliders. The ratio v_cm/v_ext of the chain center-of-mass velocity to the externally imposed relative velocity of the sliders stays pinned to exact "plateau" values for wide ranges of parameters, such as sliders corrugation amplitudes, external velocity, chain stiffness and dissipation, and is strictly determined by the commensurability ratios alone. The phenomenon is explained by one slider rigidly dragging the kinks that the chain forms with the other slider. Possible consequences of these results for some real systems are discussed.Comment: 5 pags 4 fig

NEW TECHNOLOGIES AND PSYCHOANALYTIC PSYCHOTHERAPY

Članak autorice potaknut je raspravom s 49. kongresa IPA-e (engl. International Psychoanalytic Association = Međunarodnog psihoanalitičkog udruženja) održanog u Bostonu 2015. na kojoj se raspravljalo o promjenama u radu psihoterapeuta i psihoanalitičara pod utjecajem novih tehnologija. Kao krajnji rezultat nove evolucije u tehnologiji predstavljen je tehnologijom posredovani tretman koji ne zahtijeva fizičku prisutnost u zajedničkom prostoru, a prema nekim statistikama zastupljen je s 31 %. Taj novi način obećava i jamči trajnu dostupnost objekta pri čemu se gube prostorna, vremenska i tjelesna ograničenja. Utječe i na promjenu sposobnosti proživljavanja gubitka, odvajanja i smrti. To se isprepleće sa sposobnošću toleriranja čekanja, neodređenosti i sumnje koji su ujedno elementi kreativnosti koji se ne poklapaju sa zahtjevom za brzim pronalaženjem instantnih rješenja i unaprijed određenih odgovora koje pronalazimo na internetu. Autorica smatra da postoji i mogućnost sagledavanja tih dimenzija u njihovoj komplementarnosti tako da se prepoznaju mogućnosti i rizici, tj. da se virtualno ne suprotstavlja stvarnome pa se granice pomiču i šire što povećava i prostor dostupan za istraživanje.The article was inspired with the 49 th meeting of the IPA in Boston 2015. when focus was placed on the transformations that new technologies have brought about in our work as psychotherapists and psychoanalysts. At the extreme end of this new evolution is technologically mediated treatment which sets aside physical presence in a shared space and is wide spread: in some statistic, about 31%. New technologies imply and guarantee that the object is always reachable. This object is accompanied by the absence of space, time and bodily limits, which can alter the capacity to work through losses, separations, grief, and interfere with the ability to tolerate anticipation, waiting, ambiguity and doubt. All these elements lie at the origin of creativity and they do not easily reconcile with today’s common expectations of getting the kind of ready made and immediate answers found online. On the other side, the author offers us approach in which these dimensions are not overlapping, but rather considers them complementary in a way to grasp its potential and risks and that approach expands space that is available to our exploration

Development of a low-cost method for quantifying microplastics in soils and compost using near-infrared spectroscopy

Near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopy is a promising candidate for low-cost, nondestructive, and high-throughput mass quantification of microplastics in environmental samples. Widespread application of the technique is currently hampered mainly by the low sensitivity of NIR spectroscopy compared to thermoanalytical approaches commonly used for this type of analysis. This study shows how the application of NIR spectroscopy for mass quantification of microplastics can be extended to smaller analyte levels by combining it with a simple and rapid microplastic enrichment protocol. For this purpose, the widely used flotation of microplastics in a NaCl solution, accelerated by centrifugation, was chosen which allowed to remove up to 99% of the matrix at recovery rates of 83%–104%. The spectroscopic measurements took place directly on the stainless-steel filters used to collect the extracted particles to reduce sample handling to a minimum. Partial least squares regression models were used to identify and quantify the extracted microplastics in the mass range of 1–10 mg. The simple and fast extraction procedure was systematically optimized to meet the requirements for the quantification of microplastics from common polyethylene-, polypropylene-, and polystyrene-based packaging materials with a particle size 10% determined by loss on ignition). Microplastics could be detected in model samples at a mass fraction of 1 mg g−1. The detectable microplastic mass fraction is about an order of magnitude lower compared to previous studies using NIR spectroscopy without additional enrichment. To emphasize the cost-effectiveness of the method, it was implemented using some of the cheapest and most compact NIR spectrometers available.BMBFPeer Reviewe

CERTIFICATION REPORT: The certification of equivalent diameters of silica nanoparticles in aqueous solution: ERM®-FD101b

This report describes the production of ERM®-FD101b, silica nanoparticles suspended in an aqueous solution, certified for different equivalent particle diameters. The material was produced following ISO Guide 34:2009. The certified reference material (CRM) was produced by the Directorate F - Health, Consumers and Reference Materials of the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre (JRC) in Geel (Belgium). The CRM was produced from a diluted and pH adjusted commercial colloidal silica slurry. Between unit-homogeneity was quantified and stability during dispatch and storage were assessed in accordance with ISO Guide 35:2006. The minimum sample intake for the different methods was determined from the results and information provided by the laboratories that participated in the interlaboratory comparison (ILC) exercises of the characterisation study. The material was characterised for several equivalent particle diameters based on an interlaboratory comparison amongst laboratories of demonstrated competence and adhering to ISO/IEC 17025. Technically invalid results were removed but no outlier was eliminated on statistical grounds only. Uncertainties of the certified values were calculated in accordance with the Guide to the Expression of Uncertainty in Measurement (GUM) and include uncertainty contributions related to possible inhomogeneity and instability and to characterisation. The material is intended for quality control and assessment of method performance. The method-defined certified values are regarded as reliable estimates of the true values and ERM-FD101b can therefore be used for calibration purposes. The CRM is available in 10 mL pre-scored amber glass ampoules each containing about 9 mL of suspension. The CRM was accepted as European Reference Material (ERM®) after peer evaluation by the partners of the European Reference Materials consortium.JRC.F.6-Reference Material

Mucosal protection by phosphatidylcholine

The colonic mucus serves a first barrier towards invasion of commensal bacteria in stools to prevent inflammation. One essential component of intestinal mucus is phosphatidylcholine (PC) which represents more than 90% of the phospholipids in mucus indicative for a selective transport of PC into this compartment. It is arranged in lamellar structures as surfactant-like particles which provide a hydrophobic surface on top of the hydrated mucus gel to prevent the invasion of bacteria from intestinal lumen. In ulcerative colitis (UC), the mucus PC content is reduced by 70%, irrespective of the state of inflammation. Thus, it could represent an intrinsic primary pathogenetic condition predisposing to bacterial invasion and the precipitation of inflammation. Since PC was shown to be mainly secreted by the ileal mucosa from where it is assumed to move distally to the colon, the PC content along the colonic wall towards the rectum gradually thins, with the least PC content in the rectum. This explains the start of the clinical manifestation of UC in the rectum and the expansion from there to the upper parts of the colon. In three clinical trials, when missing mucus PC in UC was supplemented by an oral, delayed release PC preparation, the inflammation improved and even resolved after a 3-month treatment course. The data indicate the essential role of the mucus PC content for protection against inflammation in colon. Copyright (C) 2012 S. Karger AG, Base

Presence of liquid water during the evolution of exomoons orbiting ejected free-floating planets

Free-floating planets (FFPs) can result from dynamical scattering processes happening in the first few million years of a planetary system's life. Several models predict the possibility, for these isolated planetary-mass objects, to retain exomoons after their ejection. The tidal heating mechanism and the presence of an atmosphere with a relatively high optical thickness may support the formation and maintenance of oceans of liquid water on the surface of these satellites. In order to study the timescales over which liquid water can be maintained, we perform dynamical simulations of the ejection process and infer the resulting statistics of the population of surviving exomoons around free-floating planets. The subsequent tidal evolution of the moons' orbital parameters is a pivotal step to determine when the orbits will circularize, with a consequential decay of the tidal heating. We find that close-in ($a \lesssim 25$R$_{\rm J}$) Earth-mass moons with CO$_2$-dominated atmospheres could retain liquid water on their surfaces for long timescales, depending on the mass of the atmospheric envelope and the surface pressure assumed. Massive atmospheres are needed to trap the heat produced by tidal friction that makes these moons habitable. For Earth-like pressure conditions ($p_0$ = 1 bar), satellites could sustain liquid water on their surfaces up to 52 Myr. For higher surface pressures (10 and 100 bar), moons could be habitable up to 276 Myr and 1.6 Gyr, respectively. Close-in satellites experience habitable conditions for long timescales, and during the ejection of the FFP remain bound with the escaping planet, being less affected by the close encounter.Comment: 21 pages, 12 figures, accepted for publication on International Journal of Astrobiolog