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The Dark Triad represents a collection of three socially aversive traits, namely Machiavellianism, psychopathy, and narcissism. In this study, we examined the psychometric properties of the Italian translation of the Dark Triad Dirty Dozen (DTDD) in a sample of 799 adults, and we explored the associations among Dark Triad traits, theory of mind, empathy, and alexithymia. The DTDD showed a good internal consistency and a bifactor structure including a three-factor non-hierarchical model and a global, second-order factor with all of the DTDD items loading on it. The DTDD traits were positively associated with alexithymia and negatively associated with theory of mind and empathy. Also, results of regression analyses showed that difficulty identifying feelings and a reduced emotional reactivity were significant predictors of the Dark Triad traits. Our findings support the validity and reliability of the Italian translation of the DTDD, and suggest that individuals with high levels of Dark Triad traits may have difficulties in understanding and processing their own rather than other people’s emotional states.

Peripheral Nerve Injury (PNI) represents a major clinical and economic burden. Despite the ability of peripheral neurons to regenerate their axons after an injury, patients are often left with motor and/or sensory disability and may develop chronic pain. Successful regeneration and target organ reinnervation require comprehensive transcriptional changes in both injured neurons and support cells located at the site of injury. The expression of most of the genes required for axon growth and guidance and for synapsis formation is repressed by a single master transcriptional regulator, the Repressor Element 1 Silencing Transcription factor (REST). Sustained increase of REST levels after injury inhibits axon regeneration and leads to chronic pain. As targeting of transcription factors is challenging, we tested whether modulation of REST activity could be achieved through knockdown of carboxy-terminal domain small phosphatase 1 (CTDSP1), the enzyme that stabilizes REST by preventing its targeting to the proteasome. To test whether knockdown of CTDSP1 promotes neurotrophic factor expression in both support cells located at the site of injury and in peripheral neurons, we transfected mesenchymal progenitor cells (MPCs), a type of support cells that are present at high concentrations at the site of injury, and dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurons with REST or CTDSP1 specific siRNA. We quantified neurotrophic factor expression by RT-qPCR and Western blot, and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) release in the cell culture medium by ELISA, and we measured neurite outgrowth of DRG neurons in culture. Our results show that CTDSP1 knockdown promotes neurotrophic factor expression in both DRG neurons and the support cells MPCs, and promotes DRG neuron regeneration. Therapeutics targeting CTDSP1 activity may, therefore, represent a novel epigenetic strategy to promote peripheral nerve regeneration after PNI by promoting the regenerative program repressed by injury-induced increased levels of REST in both neurons and support cells.

In the quest for the faint primordial B-mode polarization of the Cosmic Microwave Background, three are the key requirements for any present or future experiment: an utmost sensitivity, excellent control over instrumental systematic effects and over Galactic foreground contamination. Bolometric Interferometry (BI) is a novel technique that matches them all by combining the sensitivity of bolometric detectors, the control of instrumental systematics from interferometry and a software-based, tunable, in-band spectral resolution due to its ability to perform band-splitting during data analysis (spectral imaging). In this paper, we investigate how the spectral imaging capability of BI can help in detecting residual contamination in case an over-simplified model of foreground emission is assumed in the analysis. To mimic this situation, we focus on the next generation of ground-based CMB experiment, CMB-S4, and compare its anticipated sensitivities, frequency and sky coverage with a hypothetical version of the same experiment based on BI, CMB-S4/BI, assuming that lineof-sight (LOS) frequency decorrelation is present in dust emission but is not accounted for during component separation. We show results from a Monte-Carlo analysis based on a parametric component separation method (FGBuster), highlighting how BI has the potential to diagnose the presence of foreground residuals in estimates of the tensor-to-scalar ratio r in the case of unaccounted Galactic dust LOS frequency decorrelation.

COSMO is a ground-based instrument to measure the spectral distortions (SD) of the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB). In this paper, we present preliminary results of electromagnetic simulations of its reference blackbody calibrator. HFSS simulations provide a calibrator reflection coefficient of R ∼ 10 - 6 , corresponding to an emissivity ϵ = 1 - R = 0.999999 . We also provide a forecast for the instrument performance by using an ILC-based simulation. We show that COSMO can extract the isotropic Comptonization parameter (modeled as | y | = 1.77 · 10 - 6 ) as | y | = ( 1.79 ± 0.19 ) · 10 - 6 , in the presence of the main Galactic foreground (thermal dust) and of CMB anisotropies, and assuming perfect atmospheric emission removal.

With this contribution we show the readout electronics for kinetic inductance detectors (KIDs) that we are developing based on commercial IQ transceivers from National Instruments and using a Virtex 5 class FPGA. It will be the readout electronics of the COSmic Monopole Observer (COSMO) experiment, a ground based cryogenic Martin–Puplett Interferometer searching for the cosmic microwave background spectral distortions. The readout electronics require a sampling rate in the range of tens of kHz, which is both due to a fast rotating mirror modulating the signal and the time constant of the COSMO KIDs. In this contribution we show the capabilities of our readout electronics using Niobium KIDs developed by Paris Observatory for our 5 K cryogenic system. In particular, we demonstrate the capability to detect 23 resonators from frequency sweeps and to readout the state of each resonator with a sampling rate of about 8 kHz. The readout is based on a finite-state machine where the first two states look for the resonances and generate the comb of tones, while the third one performs the acquisition of phase and amplitude of each detector in free running. Our electronics are based on commercial modules, which brings two key advantages: they can be acquired easily and it is relative simple to write and modify the firmware within the LabView environment in order to meet the needs of the experiment.

While mainly based on the use of fluorinated steroids, there is no standard management of anti-Ro/La-related congenital heart block (CHB). This is a report concerning two consecutive cases of anti-Ro/La-related second-degree block treated with betamethasone (4 mg/day), weekly plasmapheresis, and intravenous immunoglobulins (IVIGs; 1 g/kg) administered every 15 days, a therapy that was begun shortly after CHB was detected and continued until delivery. The newborns were also treated with IVIG (1 g/kg) soon after birth and continued fortnightly until the anti-Ro/La antibody levels became undetectable. In both cases second-degree AV block reverted to a stable sinus rhythm with a first-degree atrioventricular (AV) block. Moreover, there was no recurrence of CHB when therapy was suspended, as confirmed by a 29 month and an eight month follow-up, respectively.

A measurement of the cosmic ray anisotropy on the arrival directions of elementary particles (electrons, positrons and protons) and light nuclei (helium, carbon and oxygen) has been performed in galactic coordinates by the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer onboard the International Space Station. The analysis is based on the sample of events collected in the first 6.5 years (electrons and positrons), and 7.5 (protons, helium, carbon and oxygen) of data taking. The results are consistent with isotropy for all cosmic ray species and upper limits on the dipole amplitude have been computed. In particular, 95% credible interval upper limits of δ < 1.9% and δ < 0.5% are obtained for positrons and electrons, respectively, above 16 GeV. On the other hand, the upper limits of protons, helium, carbon and oxygen above 200 GV are found to be δ < 0.38%, δ < 0.36%, δ < 1.9% and δ < 1.7%, respectively.

The glial scar that forms after an injury to the CNS contains molecules that are inhibitory to axon growth. Understanding of the mechanisms of inhibition has allowed the development of therapeutic strategies aimed at promoting axon regeneration. Promising results have been obtained in animal models, and some therapies are undergoing clinical trials. This offers great hope for achievement of functional recovery after CNS injury.

The cosmic rays differential intensity inside the heliosphere, for energy below 30 GeV/nuc, depends on solar activity and interplanetary magnetic field polarity. This variation, termed solar modulation, is described using a 2D (radius and colatitude) Monte Carlo approach for solving the Parker transport equation that includes diffusion, convection, magnetic drift, and adiabatic energy loss. Since the whole transport is strongly related to the interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) structure, a better understanding of his description is needed in order to reproduce the cosmic rays intensity at the Earth, as well as outside the ecliptic plane. In this work an interplanetary magnetic field model including the standard description on ecliptic region and a polar correction is presented. This treatment of the IMF, implemented in the HelMod Monte Carlo code (version 2.0), was used to determine the effects on the differential intensity of Proton at 1 AU and allowed one to investigate how latitudinal gradients of proton intensities, observed in the inner heliosphere with the Ulysses spacecraft during 1995, can be affected by the modification of the IMF in the polar regions.

LiteBIRD, the Lite (Light) satellite for the study of B-mode polarization and Inflation from cosmic background Radiation Detection, is a space mission for primordial cosmology and fundamental physics. The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) selected LiteBIRD in May 2019 as a strategic large-class (L-class) mission, with an expected launch in the late 2020s using JAXA’s H3 rocket. LiteBIRD is planned to orbit the Sun–Earth Lagrangian point L2, where it will map the cosmic microwave background polarization over the entire sky for three years, with three telescopes in 15 frequency bands between 34 and 448 GHz, to achieve an unprecedented total sensitivity of $2.2\\, \\mu$K-arcmin, with a typical angular resolution of 0.5○ at 100 GHz. The primary scientific objective of LiteBIRD is to search for the signal from cosmic inflation, either making a discovery or ruling out well-motivated inflationary models. The measurements of LiteBIRD will also provide us with insight into the quantum nature of gravity and other new physics beyond the standard models of particle physics and cosmology. We provide an overview of the LiteBIRD project, including scientific objectives, mission and system requirements, operation concept, spacecraft and payload module design, expected scientific outcomes, potential design extensions, and synergies with other projects.