Archivio istituzionale della ricerca - Alma Mater Studiorum Università di Bologna
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Dissociation and dysfunctional personality traits in patients with borderline personality disorder: A study based On DSM-5 alternative model
Get PDFBackground and objectives: Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) and dissociative experiences are frequently co-occurring conditions. This study aimed to assess the relationship between DSM-5 Alternative Model of Personality Disorder (AMPD) maladaptive personality facets and self-report dissociation in a sample of patients with BPD. Methods: Our sample consisted of 178 Italian adult patients who met the criteria for BPD diagnosed by Structured Clinical Interview for DSM IV-Axis II. They were administered the Personality Inventory for DSM-5 (PID-5) and the Dissociative Experiences Scale (DES). An agglomerative hierarchical cluster analysis was performed using facets as clustering variables. Multivariable regression analysis was performed to identify the PID-5 characteristics which could suggest a dissociative dimension. Results: Our results showed the potential of PID-5 to hypothesize a dissociative dimension towards DES scores. Therefore, we theorized a specific BPD phenotype characterized by high levels of Unusual Behaviors and Beliefs, high levels of Perceptual Dysregulation, high levels of Withdrawal, low levels of Impulsivity and Irritability, low levels of Callousness and low levels of Avoidance, for which it may be assumed a dissociative framework. Moreover, it could be postulated that patients with dissociative symptoms who will be diagnosed with BPD according to the AMDP would have the domain of Psychoticism as “specifier”. Lastly, we highlighted the role of gender as a moderator between personality traits and dissociative symptoms. Conclusion: Consistently with this study, an initial assessment with PID-5 personality facets may detect an underlying dissociative psychopathology, suggesting significant clinical implications for both treatment and prognosis
History, Tradition, Architecture: the Moroccan Pavilion in the 1929 Ibero-American Exhibition in Seville
Get PDFThe topic of this research is the Moroccan Pavilion in the 1929 Ibero-American Exhibition in Seville: a singular case of traditional architecture in a European context dominated by the innovative design trends of the Rationalism. In this scenario, the design of the Moroccan Pavilion follows an opposite design concept, directed toward the valorisation of traditional Moroccan architecture rather than architectural and constructive experimentation. The building represents a case study of great interest for several reasons: firstly, it is an exemplary case, in terms of methodology and technical choices, of preservation and reuse of historic architecture; furthermore, the Moroccan pavilion exemplifies the connection between Arabic influence in Spanish architecture: the pavilion is the result of an idea conceived for an architectural contest about the standards of Moroccan architecture, and only later became a project for the Ibero-American Exposition. The methodological aim of the study is to use historical research as a traditional and well-established tool for architectural knowledge in order to include a material-constructive analysis of a case study in the architecture of the Great European Expositions of the twentieth century, the Moroccan Pavilion of 1929, which has been so far poorly studied. The purpose is to construct a possible tool for understanding the Arabic and Andalusian building heritage in the contemporary age, which at the same time can also be a useful tool for its preservation and conservation
ELIME-IMS hybrid assay for Salmonella detection in swine mesenteric lymph nodes at slaughterhouse
Get PDFSalmonella contamination in pig slaughterhouses is linked to infection rate on farms. Accurate diagnosis in heavy pigs relies on isolating pathogens from the gut wall or lymph nodes. A key technique is Immunocapture using Magnetic Beads (IMS), which purifies target bacteria from Salmonella enrichment broths. This is followed by an Enzyme-Linked Immunomagnetic Electrochemical (ELIME) assay for rapid detection. In our study, we developed an ELIME-IMS hybrid assay to detect Salmonella in swine mesenteric lymph nodes (MNL), involving a clean-up with N-acetylcysteine and centrifugation. Detection limits for S. Typhimurium and S. Derby were estimated at 2.80 and 3.52 Log CFU/ml, respectively. We analysed 103 MNL samples from a northern Italy slaughterhouse. Additionally, we examined 15 carcass swabs. Both the ELIME assay and the IMS-based culture method showed strong agreement with the ISO 6579-1:2017 method, especially after 20 h of enrichment (89.47% concordance). The clean-up step significantly influenced the results, as samples processed without it showed higher variability. A logistic regression model indicated high classification accuracy for negative samples using ELIME values. The ELIME-IMS assay facilitates rapid Salmonella screening and isolation in swine mesenteric lymph nodes
Enhancing non-invasive pre-surgical evaluation through functional connectivity and graph theory in drug-resistant focal epilepsy
No full textBackground: Epilepsy, characterized as a network disorder, involves widely distributed areas following seizure propagation from a limited onset zone. Accurate delineation of the epileptogenic zone (EZ) is crucial for successful surgery in drug-resistant focal epilepsy. While visual analysis of scalp electroencephalogram (EEG) primarily elucidates seizure spreading patterns, we employed brain connectivity techniques and graph theory principles during the pre-ictal to ictal transition to define the epileptogenic network. Method: Cortical sources were reconstructed from 40-channel scalp EEG in five patients during pre-surgical evaluation for focal drug-resistant epilepsy. Temporal Granger connectivity was estimated ten seconds before seizure and at seizure onset. Results have been analyzed using some centrality indices taken from Graph theory (Outdegree, Hubness). A new lateralization index is proposed by taking into account the sum of the most relevant hubness values across left and right regions of interest. Results: In three patients with positive surgical outcomes, analysis of the most relevant Hubness regions closely aligned with clinical hypotheses, demonstrating consistency in EZ lateralization and location. In one patient, the method provides unreliable results due to the abundant movement artifacts preceding the seizure. In a fifth patient with poor surgical outcome, the proposed method suggests a wider epileptic network compared with the clinically suspected EZ, providing intriguing new indications beyond those obtained with traditional electroclinical analysis. Conclusions: The proposed method could serve as an additional tool during pre-surgical non-invasive evaluation, complementing data obtained from EEG visual inspection. It represents a first step toward a more sophisticated analysis of seizure onset based on connectivity imbalances, electrical propagation, and graph theory principles
Changes in the volatile profile, fruity flavor, and rancidity in virgin olive oils during storage by targeted and untargeted analytical approaches
Get PDFThe changes in monovarietal extra virgin olive oils (EVOOs), produced with olives grown under different agronomic conditions, were investigated by targeted and untargeted analytical approaches. Specifically, volatile molecules were monitored in oils just produced and stored for 6 and 12 months with two different packaging solutions. The targeted SPME-GC–MS method showed an increase in volatile markers of lipid oxidation. Moreover, more rapid analytical approaches, namely targeted HS-GC–IMS and untargeted FGC, were used to investigate volatile organic compounds (VOCs). These chromatographic methods, respectively, returned heatmaps and fingerprint profiles that were elaborated on by multivariate analysis. Exploratory principal component analysis performed on the data from VOCs allowed the clustering of samples based on the storage time. The quality of samples was also determined by a panel test. Furthermore, this study employed previously built models using partial least squares discriminant analysis to confirm the sensory classification of the stored samples. Based on these predictive models, all samples were confirmed as EVOO, except for one categorized as virgin (rancid according to the panel test). This classification was further supported by the SPME-GC–MS analysis, which revealed higher concentrations of lipid oxidation markers in this specific sample, in particular the (E)-2-heptenal reached a concentration twenty times higher than its odor threshold. In addition, five oils were inconsistently classified by the models and considered at risk of downgrading the commercial category after 12 months of storage
Colonial Law and Muslim Law
No full textThe essay addresses the problem of colonialism through two perspectives: the analysis of colonial law, and the colonial legacy both in the colonies that gained independence and in the colonizing countries.
Colonial law is considered in its three components - metropolitan law, special law and local law - and through the colonial encounter with the law of the colonial power. The analysis of the Algerian case is particularly significant, as it shows the imposition of the categories of French law on local Muslim law, particularly in the field of property law.
The Muslim law of personal status was instead maintained and considered a transitional law destined to dissolve through a process of assimilation into French law.
The ideology of assimilation - through which the will to affirm the superiority of the colonizer is expressed - persists in the reality of contemporary France and represents the continuity of the ideology of colonial rule in the current reality of a previous colonial power.
But the colonial legacy is also manifested in the persistence of the institutional structure of the colony in the form of the subsequent national State after the conquest of the independence in the period of decolonization. In particular the centralized structure of the French administrative State was imposed in Algeria to a social and cultural reality completely extraneous to it, and this contrast can perhaps explain the difficulty of the process towards democracy
Analysis of Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (Δ9-THC) and cannabidiol (CBD) on hair after single and repeated short in vivo passive exposures to low- and high-Δ9-THC-cannabis
Get PDFProlonged cannabis smoke exposure could give rise to detectable levels of cannabinoids in hair, complicating
forensic hair analysis interpretation. Exposure to “light cannabis”
, i.e., products that are low in Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol
(Δ9-THC) and enriched in cannabidiol (CBD), can additionally lead to contamination, as shown in
vitro. The aim of the present study was to assess whether detectable hair levels of Δ9-THC and CBD could arise in
vivo from short, single and repeated passive exposure to cannabis and “light cannabis” and whether the two
products could be distinguished.
Four volunteers underwent weekly 15-minute exposures to low-Δ9-THC (0.5 %) cannabis smoke, delivered by
a pump inside a car, over a month. After 1 month of washout, exposures were repeated with the same scheme
with high-Δ9-THC (5 %).
Hair and urines samples were collected after each exposure. Hair samples were tested, with and without a
washing step (total n =72), by liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry for Δ9-THC and CBD. Urines
were tested for drug metabolites (LOD: 1.66 ng/ml).
No accumulation of drugs over exposures was shown. Urines always tested negative. Washed hair samples
were positive for CBD (mean 0.05 ng/mg) after exposure to low-Δ9-THC cannabis, and for Δ9-THC (mean
0.02 ng/mg) after exposure to high-Δ9-THC cannabis, with levels also typical of drug use. The two products
could be easily distinguished.
Our study showed that hair contamination could arise in vivo even after short single exposures to cannabis and
“light cannabis”
, underlining the need for a careful interpretation of results of hair analysis in forensic toxicology
A multi-analytical approach to unveil Early Bronze Age population dynamics and metal exchange networks at the foot of Mount Vesuvius
Get PDF: The trajectories of human and object mobility in the 3rd and 2nd millennia BC have long been a significant area of inquiry within prehistoric archaeology and over the past decade, aDNA and isotope analyses revealed a complex pattern of human migration, cultural admixture and exchange routes. While Northern Italy is clearly involved in this phenomenon, there remains a significant gap for the south of the country, generally considered peripheral to major exchange networks in this phase. Recently, two large cemeteries have been discovered in the hinterland of Mount Vesuvius (Acerra, Italy). They have yielded unprecedented numbers of exotic metal objects dating to 2400-1800 BC. Such items are extremely rare in Southern Italy, displaying typologies more commonly found across Northern Italy and Central Europe. Archaeological, bioanthropological and geochemical methods were applied to material from the cemeteries. Pb isotope analyses and metal artifact distribution modeling revealed long-distance terrestrial and maritime connections to Northern Italy, Continental Europe and the Western Mediterranean. Conversely, Sr isotope data indicate that these prestigious and exotic objects were deposited within a context of low human mobility. By integrating investigations into both metal and human mobility, this study emphasizes the extent and complexity of the exchange network in Southern Italy around 2000 BC
Exacerbating, alleviating, or overcoming? Exploring the nexus between artificial intelligence and the crisis of democracy
No full textWhen discussing the impact of AI on democracy, the debate predominantly centers on its potential threats, such as misinformation and polarization. However, the role of AI in addressing the democratic crisis is more nuanced. This paper examines three ways that AI might impact the crisis of democracy and discusses the conditions for which these scenarios are more likely to materialize. Firstly, AI could exacerbate this crisis by degrading the public sphere, exacerbating authoritarian rule and increasing power asymmetries. Second, AI could alleviate some aspects of the crisis of democracy by improving public services, rationalizing public debate, or paving the way for new forms of collective participation. Thirdly, AI could overcome this crisis by paving the way for new forms of government beyond the current representative systems. If AI will exacerbate, alleviate, or overcome the crisis of democracy will depend not just on AI itself, but rather on the complex sociotechnical relationship between technology and the cultural, social, economic, legal, and political context in which it is developed. Therefore, we should avoid an essentialist perspective that consider “democracy” and “AI” as givens and embrace a more sociotechnical perspective that looks at how these two elements mutually influence each other
From representations to self-representations. Young people with a migrant background in the Sguardi Plurali photography exhibition
No full textAlthough Italy today is in fact a pluralistic country of multiple cultural views, its political and cultural institutions tend to represent a uniform national identity, reproducing a fixed consensus of what being Italian means. Processes of “othering” reproduce a reified concept of being Italian that excludes both young recent migrants and the children of immigrants. Structural processes of demarcation, exclusion and marginalisation are at play. This article is based on the photographic essays produced in 2021 and 2024 as part of the Sguardi Plurali (“Plural Glimpses”) project, a national competition and exhibition for photographers younger than age 35 who emigrated to Italy at a young age or were born in Italy to immigrant parents. After first analysing the rich visual materials and their accompanying text, I reflect on the contestants’ widely differing life stories, on the complex connections between migration experiences and the photographic records of it, and on the relationship between generalised representation and self-representation. I explore not only the final submissions, but the creative process itself, reconstructed through the voices of the photographers, as well as how the project came about