196,135 research outputs found
Quality of life and personality traits in patients with malignant pleural mesothelioma and their first-degree caregivers
No full textAntonella Granieri,1 Stella Tamburello,2 Antonino Tamburello,2 Silvia Casale,3 Chiara Cont,1 Fanny Guglielmucci,1 Marco Innamorati21Università degli Studi di Torino, Turin, Italy; 2Università Europea di Roma, Rome, Italy; 3Università di Firenze, Firenze, ItalyAbstract: Asbestos exposure causes significant pleural diseases, including malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM). Taking into account the impact of MPM on emotional functioning and wellbeing, this study aimed to evaluate the quality of life and personality traits in patients with MPM and their first-degree caregivers through the World Health Organization Quality of Life–BREF (WHOQOL-BREF) and the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2 Restructured Form (MMPI-2-RF). The sample was composed of 27 MPM patients, 55 first-degree relatives enrolled in Casale Monferrato and Monfalcone (Italy), and 40 healthy controls (HC). Patients and relatives reported poorer physical health than the HC. Patients had a higher overall sense of physical debilitation and poorer health than relatives and the HC, more numerous complaints of memory problems and difficulties in concentrating, and a greater belief that goals cannot be reached or problems solved, while often claiming that they were more indecisive and inefficacious than the HC. First-degree relatives reported lower opinions of others, a greater belief that goals cannot be reached or problems solved, support for the notion that they are indecisive and inefficacious, and were more likely to suffer from fear that significantly inhibited normal activities than were HC. In multinomial regression analyses, partial models indicated that sex, physical comorbidities, and the True Response Inconsistency (TRIN-r), Malaise (MLS), and Behavior-Restricting Fears (BRF) dimensions of the MMPI-2-RF had significant effects on group differences. In conclusion, health care providers should assess the ongoing adjustment and emotional wellbeing of people with MPM and their relatives, and provide support to reduce emotional distress.Keywords: asbestos, cancer, MMPI-2-RF, Casale Monferrato, Monfalcone, Ital
Numerical Investigation on Design of Wide Geographical Optical Transport Networks Based on n ́40 Gbit/s Transmission
No full textWe report a numerical investigation on the transmission techniques to achieve the highest capacities for n×40-Gb/s systems and such results are used to design the lightpath distribution in a European network operating with Tb/s traffic. We consider the return-to-zero (RZ) transmission assuming different pulse duration to reach the highest capacity both in the case of single-channel and of wavelength-division multiplexing. We assume the transmission in links encompassing G.652 optical fibers since they are the most installed in the world, considering the compensation of the chromatic dispersion with optical-fiber gratings. Both the amplification with erbium-doped fiber amplifier (EDFA) and hybrid Raman/EDFA is considered. We use a novel algorithm for wavelength assignment in optical networks, taking into account both the traffic requirements and the physical impairments of the networks that manifest in the signal transmission. The algorithm is based on the technique of the removing lightpaths. We report an application for a Pan European network with 26 nodes
Experimental validation of a method for low-PMD measurements
No full textOWA4
Standard PMD measurement techniques are inaccurate tor low DGD values, Thus, the measurements are usually repeated several times while randomly perturbing the fiber. We experimentally validate this approach by means of polarization sensitive refiectometric measuremerit
Conceptualising the separation from an abusive partner as a multifactorial, non-linear, dynamic process: a parallel with Newton's laws of motion
No full textThe present study focused on the dynamics and factors underpinning domestic abuse (DA) survivors’ decisions to end the abusive relationship. The experiences and opinions of 12 female DA survivors and 18 support workers were examined through in-depth, one-to-one, semi-structured interviews. Hybrid thematic analysis was conducted to retrieve semantic themes and explore relationships among the themes identified and the differences in survivors’ and professionals’ narratives of the separation process. The findings highlighted that separation decisions derived from the joint action of two sets of factors, the “promoters” and the “accelerators.” Whilst the “promoters” are factors leading to the separation from the abuser over time, the “accelerators” bear a stronger and more direct connection with survivors’ decision to end the abusive relationship. Despite their differences, both these factors acted as propelling forces, leading survivors to actively pursue the separation from the perpetrator. To portray the dynamic links among these factors, we propose a conceptualisation drawn from Newton’s laws of motion. Our findings also highlighted important differences in the views of survivors and support workers, as the former conceived themselves as proactive in ending the abuse, whereas the latter described the leaving process as mainly led by authorities and services supporting survivors. This study has potential implications for research, policy and clinical practice, as it suggests that far from being a linear sequence of multiple stages, leaving an abusive relationship results from a complex interplay of factors that facilitate (“promoters”) or drastically accelerate (“accelerators”) the separation process. We argue that future research should aim at improving our current understanding of the subjective and situational factors that can act as “accelerators” or “promoters” for women’s leaving decisions. Moreover, clinicians and policymakers should invest in creating interventions that aid victims to recognise and leverage promoters and accelerators, thus increasing their readiness to end the abuse
Distributed fiber optic sensor for intense magnetic field mapping
No full textWe describe a novel distributed fiber optic sensor, which is able to map both strength and orientation of intense static magnetic fields in the area spanned by the fiber. The sensor is based on Faraday rotation and on polarization analysis of the field backscattered by the fiber due to Rayleigh scattering. The small Verdet constant of standard silica fibers makes the proposed technique most suited to intense magnetic fields
Living in contaminated sites: Which cost for psychic health?
No full textIn this paper, we would like to offer a psychoanalytically oriented perspective on the psychic costs of most documented technological disasters (e.g. oil spill and nuclear accidents) or industrial pollution (e.g. asbestos manufacturing). We report a brief literature review about the relationship between Contaminated Sites (CSs) and mental health. The articles were selected from the most important medical and psychological databases: MEDLINE/Pubmed, PsycINFO and Proquest Psychology Journal. After electronic searches, we have manually reviewed reference lists from the identified publications. Literature review reveals that despite the specific kind of technological disasters (i.e. nuclear accidents, oil spill, asbestos manufacturing), the cost of survival is pretty much the same: anxiety, somatizations, rage, depression and post-traumatic conditions, which undermine one's own sense of psychic integrity. This cost seems to be even higher when people have to fight an invisible and boundless enemy, which threaten not only themselves but also their own children. Clinicians, mental health services and policy makers need to reflect upon these traumatic conditions in order to activate and promote a thinking process that can give rise to a new capability of containing all the experiential aspects that have remained alien, dissociated and unthinkable until that moment. Qualitative approaches and multi-dimensional analysis could lead a deeper understanding of the psychic dynamics and unconscious life in CSs
Fibre ottiche a torsione unidirezionale in collegamenti a bassa dispersione di polarizzazione
No full textPersonality profiles and problematic internet use in a sample of Italian adolescents
No full textObjective: The aim of the present study was to investigate the relationship between specific personality profiles and Internet use in a sample of Italian adolescents. Method: Four hundred thirty-two adolescents (58.3% males) with an average age of 14.41 years (SD=.95) were enrolled in the study. Participants were administered the Internet Addiction Test (IAT) and the Minnesota Multiphasic Inventory - Adolescent Form (MMPI-A). A two-step cluster analysis was relied according to IAT items’ scores. Results: Participants were grouped into three clusters labeled "Regulated Internet users" (n=180), "Involved with Internet activities" (n=105), and "At risk for problematic Internet use" (n=147). Consistently, the group at-risk for problematic Internet use showed higher IAT score and MMPI-A scores than the other groups, while no differences emerged between the group of regulated Internet users and the group of those involved with Internet activities. For the group at risk for problematic Internet use, the MMPI-A Clinical Scales on Paranoia (Pa) and Schizophrenia (Sc) showed the highest elevation, indicating a MMPI-A codetype 6-8/8-6 which describes adolescents with ego immaturity, dysregulated affects and behaviors, and reduced reality testing. Conclusions: Adolescents at risk for developing a dysfunctional use of the Internet may have little insight, bizarre beliefs, grandiose thought, and a persecutory view of the external world that may limit their capacity to counteract feelings of hopelessness and anguish. They could perceive the Internet as safe environment where it is possible to express such dysregulated feelings and behaviors, and to cope with emotional distress
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