62 research outputs found
La straniera di Younis Tawfik: un dialogo tra due culture
No full textIn 1999 the Iraqi migrant writer Younis Tawfik was awarded several literary prizes for his novel La straniera, written in Italian and published by Bompiani. In this essay I will discuss some aspects of the novel that might have contribuited to its success. After a short presentation of the author and of the content of the novel, I will analyse La straniera, in order to show the novelty of its structure. Furthermore, I will expalin how this hybrid work reveals the double culture of the author from a literary and linguistic point of view. I will also consider how the author contributed to the current debate on migration, by examining his treatment of some themes related to this phenomenon
Identification of molecular partners responding to the activation of Aryl hydrocarbon Receptor by uremic toxins
No full textLa maladie rénale chronique a pour principale complication les maladies cardiovasculaires. L’accumulation des toxines urémiques dérivées de la voie indolique du métabolisme du tryptophane, l’indole-3-acétique acide (IAA) et l’Indoxyl sulfate (IS), sont impliquées dans un phénomène clé des événements cardiovasculaires ; la thrombose. Ces toxines induisent l'expression et l'activité pro coagulante du facteur tissulaire (FT), principal initiateur cellulaire de la coagulation sanguine. Le facteur de transcription, Aryl Hydrocarbon Receptor (AHR), un récepteur cellulaire pour les toxines indoliques, est impliqué dans l'induction du FT endothélial. Les mécanismes par lesquels AhR contrôle l’expression du FT dans les cellules endothéliales sont peu connus.L’objectif principal de cette thèse était de déterminer les voies de signalisation et les facteurs de transcription impliqués dans l'expression du FT médiée par AhR et induit par l’IAA et l’IS. L’expression du FT induite par l’IAA et l’IS au niveau endothélial est contrôlée principalement par la transcription. L’IAA et l’IS activent la voie génomique classique d’AhR. Cependant, l’expression du FT n'est pas médiée par cette voie. L’activation du FT en réponse à l’IAA passe par une voie AhR-p38MAPK-NF-kB. En conclusion, l’induction par l'IAA du FT dans les cellules endothéliales humaines implique la voie non génomique d’AhR-p38MAPK/NF-KB. L’identification de cette voie de signalisation suggère que nous puissions dissocier l’effet détoxifiant d’AhR dépendant de la voie génomique, de l’effet prothrombotique.The main complication of chronic kidney disease is cardiovascular disease. Accumulation of uremic toxins derived from the tryptophan metabolism indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) and Indoxyl sulfate (IS) pathways, are involved in a key phenomenon of cardiovascular events; thrombosis. These toxins induce the expression and pro-coagulant activity of tissue factor (TF), the main cellular initiator of blood coagulation. The transcription factor, Aryl Hydrocarbon Receptor (AHR), a cellular receptor for indole toxins, is involved in the induction of endothelial TF. The mechanisms by which AhR controls the expression of TF in endothelial cells are poorly understood. The main objective of this thesis was to determine the signaling pathways and transcription factors involved in the expression of AhR mediated TF and induced by the IAA and the SI.The expression of IAA-mediated TF and endothelial IS is controlled primarily by transcription. The IAA and the IS are activating the classical genomic AhR pathway. However, the expression of TF is not mediated by this way. Activation of TF in response to the IAA passes through an AhR-p38MAPK-NF-kB pathway.In conclusion, induction by IAA of TF in human endothelial cells involves the non-genomic pathway of AhR-p38MAPK / NF-KB. The identification of this signaling pathway suggests that we can dissociate the detrimental effect of AhR depending on the genomic pathway, the prothrombotic effect
El desafío de la otredad: una lectura imagológica de La straniera de Younis Tawfik
No full textThis article offers a critical reading of Younis Tawfik's novel La straniera from the perspective of imagology. This approach to comparative literature focuses on representations of foreigners and otherness in literary texts. Tawfik constructs a love story whose protagonists are two Arab migrants living in Italy: Amina and the Architetto. He has integrated perfectly into Italian society, while she suffers a series of vicissitudes that force her into prostitution. The characters constantly live between two cultural realities (their country of origin and their host country) that condition their cultural practices and the way they relate to the world. The novel focuses on the idea of foreignness and the search for identity that migrants face in their host country. Based on these premises, an analysis articulated with the imagological method proposed by Daniel-Henri Pageaux (1994) will be conducted. The critical reading of the novel is constructed on the basis of the study of three elements: the lexical-semiotic configurations of the story, its narrative structures, and the text-author-context relationship. This critical approach seeks to delve into the representation of otherness in an iconic text of migration literature in Italy. This literary phenomenon illustrates the great cultural transformations that Italy is undergoing: a nation facing the challenge of multiculturalism.En este artículo se ofrece una lectura crítica de la novela La straniera de Younis Tawfik desde la imagología. Este enfoque de la literatura comparada se concentra en las representaciones del extranjero y la otredad en los textos literarios. Tawfik construye una historia de amor cuyos protagonistas son dos migrantes árabes residentes en Italia: Amina y el Architetto. Él se ha insertado perfectamente en la sociedad italiana, mientras que ella sufre una serie de vicisitudes que la obligan a dedicarse a la prostitución. Los personajes viven constantemente entre dos realidades culturales (el país de origen y la tierra de acogida) que condicionan sus prácticas culturales y el modo en que se relacionan con el mundo. La novela se concentra en la idea de la extranjería y esa suerte de búsqueda de identidad que afrontan los migrantes en el país de acogida. A partir de estas premisas, se propone un análisis que se articulará a partir del método imagológico propuesto por Daniel-Henri Pageaux (1994). La lectura crítica de la novela se construye a partir del estudio de tres elementos: las configuraciones léxico-semióticas del relato, sus estructuras narrativas y la relación texto-autor-contexto. Esta aproximación crítica busca ahondar en la representación de la otredad en un texto icónico de la literatura de la migración en Italia. Este fenómeno literario ilustra las grandes transformaciones culturales que vive Italia: una nación que afronta el desafío de la multiculturalidad
Tryptophan-Derived Uremic Toxins and Thrombosis in Chronic Kidney Disease
No full textPatients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) display an elevated risk of thrombosis. Thrombosis occurs in cardiovascular events, such as venous thromboembolism, stroke, and acute coronary syndrome, and is a cause of hemodialysis vascular access dysfunction. CKD leads to the accumulation of uremic toxins, which exerts toxic effects on blood and the vessel wall. Some uremic toxins result from tryptophan metabolization in the gut through the indolic and the kynurenine pathways. An increasing number of studies are highlighting the link between such uremic toxins and thrombosis in CKD. In this review, we describe the thrombotic mechanisms induced by tryptophan-derived uremic toxins (TDUT). These mechanisms include an increase in plasma levels of procoagulant factors, induction of platelet hyperactivity, induction of endothelial dysfunction/impairment of endothelial healing, decrease in nitric oxide (NO) bioavailability, and production of procoagulant microparticles. We focus on one important prothrombotic mechanism: The induction of tissue factor (TF), the initiator of the extrinsic pathway of the blood coagulation. This induction occurs via a new pathway, dependent on the transcription factor Aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR), the receptor of TDUT in cells. A better understanding of the prothrombotic mechanisms of uremic toxins could help to find novel therapeutic targets to prevent thrombosis in CKD
Supporting Project-Based Learning Through the Virtual Internship Author (VIA)
No full textResearchers suggest that solving ill-structured problems using project-based learning approaches is one way to engender STEM learning outcomes. However, project based learning poses unique challenges in practice, including the translation of technical information, design of scenarios, facilitation of instruction, and management of student collaborations. This process is often time-consuming and inefficient for teachers. To address this issue, virtual internship author is a learning environment designed to support the design, development, and facilitation of STEM based project-based implementations. Specifically, the software is designed to scaffold (a) the instructional design process and (b) the facilitation of project-based learning. The software thus supports multiple stakeholders required for a successful project-based learning initiative, such as subject-matter experts, teachers, and students. Furthermore, the software employs unique strategies, including pre-scripted feedback, conversational agents, and latent semantic analysis to scaffold open-ended discourse during collaborative problem solving. Implications for practice are also discussed
Maximizing fluid delivered by bubble free electroosmotic pump
No full textIn generating high electroosmotic flows (EO) for use in microfluidic pumps, a limiting factor is faradaic reactions which are more pronounced at high electric fields. These reactions lead to bubble generation at the electrodes and pump efficiency reduction. The time taken for gas bubbles to start forming on an electrode operates in a stagnant aqueous solution is driven by the dissolved gas mass-transfer near the electrode. This is the result of two processes that compete with one another. One adds dissolved gas molecules from the chemical reactions at the electrode surface and the other diffuses these molecules towards the bulk. Using this mechanism, a model is proposed that can predict the dissolved gas supersaturation concentration up to the onset of bubble nucleation at the electrodes (heterogeneous nucleation). Experimental measurement of the bubble onset nucleation time is incorporated within this model to calculate the critical supersaturation concentration for dissolved hydrogen and oxygen gas. The results show a strong link between the applied current density and the supersaturation concentration at the electrode surface. The gas bubble nucleation time at low current densities (low production rate) can be easily measured by monitoring the electrode surface. However at high current density, the nucleation times are too short to be accurately experimentally measured by common techniques. A new experimental technique is proposed to quantify, control and measure the bubble nucleation time at high current densities (high production rate) by alternating the applied voltage waveform. A relation is obtained that predict the onset of bubble nucleation showing an excellent agreement with the measurement. The onset of gas generation for high current density EO pumping depends on many parameters including applied voltage, working fluid and pulse duration. The onset of gas generation can be delayed and optimized for maximum volume delivered in the shortest time possible. This has been achieved through the numerical model proposed to predict the onset of gas generation during EO pumping using an optimized pulse voltage waveform. This method allows applying current densities higher than previously reported. Optimal pulse voltage waveform (OPW) are calculated based on the previous theories for different current densities and electrolyte molarity. The Electroosmotic pump performance is investigated by experimentally measuring the fluid volume displaced and flow rate.Ph.D.Includes bibliographical referencesby Mena E. Tawfi
Transformation of Space in the Adaptation of <i>La straniera</i>
No full textThe article aims to examine the transformations of space in the adaptation of La straniera, the novel of the Iraqi writer Younis Tawfik, made by the Italian director Marco Turco. The importance of these two works, which have recently won the Med Agora Award, sponsored by the Mediterranean Observatory and Suq Festival, comes from an historical value, since the film La straniera is one of the first film adaptations of Italian Narrative of Migration. From a textual analysis that highlights the differences between the themes in the novel and the screenplay, the article passes to the transformations of space, with the purpose of illustrating a series of reports linking the spatial coordinates with their geo-cultural values. The textual analysis leads also to consider the gap between the intercultural project of Tawfik and multicultural one of Turco. In conclusion, the article demonstrates, through an “the image of Italy” provided by the Iraqi author and the Italian director, how the spatial transformation may give rise to new interpretations of space, impacting on the original message of the literary text
Case report of Anotia with ipsilateral facial nerve palsy
No full textAnotia is the severe form of microtia anomalies that involve pinna and external auditory canal present at birth is rare to be associated with congenital facial nerve palsy. The author reports a man with Right side Anotia and ipsilateral facial nerve palsy. This is rare report of such an association in adult patient had right Anotia and ipsilateral right facial palsy
Drained shear strength of stiff clays for slope stability analyses
No full textAn investigation has been conducted to gain a better understanding of the drained residual and fully softened shear strengths of cohesive soils, the shear strength mobilized in field case histories involving previous and no previous sliding in stiff clays, and develop empirical relationships that describe the stress-dependent nature of the residual and fully softened shear strengths in terms of soil index properties. To investigate the drained residual strength, a Bromhead ring shear apparatus was modified to allow testing of overconsolidated, presheared, remolded soil specimens of different plasticity and clay-size fraction. Residual shear strengths measured using the modified ring shear apparatus were compared to shear strengths measured in conventional reversal direct shear tests on precut remolded specimens and shear strength values back-calculated from well documented field case histories of slopes that underwent previous sliding. The modified ring shear, direct shear, and triaxial compression apparatuses were used to investigate the fully softened shear strength using normally consolidated, remolded specimens. The natural soils used in the residual and fully softened research have a range of liquid limit of 24 to 286%, plasticity index of 8 to 244%, and clay-size fraction of 10 to 88%.New relationships describing the residual and fully softened friction angles developed from the extensive ring shear testing were presented in terms of the liquid limit, clay-size fraction, and effective normal stress. Most of the existing residual and fully softened strengths relationships are based on only one soil index property and provide a friction angle that is independent of effective normal stress. The importance of incorporating the liquid limit, clay-size fraction, and effective normal stress in estimating the residual and fully softened friction angles was illustrated using field case histories.Several first-time slides through stiff fissured clays were also studied to estimate the shear strength mobilized during failure. Based on these studies and laboratory test results, recommendations for estimating the field shear strength of stiff fissured clay involved in first-time slides were presented.A reanalysis of the 1981 upstream slide in San Luis Dam was conducted to evaluate the shear strength reduction caused by the displacement induced by repeated loading. The effect of plasticity and degree of overconsolidation on this shear strength reduction was investigated.Made available in DSpace on 2011-05-07T12:52:27Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 2
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Discretized Finsler Structure: An Approach to Quantizing the First Fundamental Form
No full textWhether an algebraic or a geometric or a phenomenological prescription is applied, the first fundamental form is unambiguously related to the modeling of the curved spacetime. Accordingly, we assume that the possible quantization of the first fundamental form could be proposed. For precise accurate measurement of the first fundamental form ds2=gμνdxμdxν, the author derived a quantum-induced revision of the fundamental tensor. To this end, the four-dimensional Riemann manifold is extended to the eight-dimensional Finsler manifold, in which the quadratic restriction on the length measure is relaxed, especially in the relativistic regime; the minimum measurable length could be imposed ad hoc on the Finsler structure. The present script introduces an approach to quantize the fundamental tensor and first fundamental form. Based on gravitized quantum mechanics, the resulting relativistic generalized uncertainty principle (RGUP) is directly imposed on the Finsler structure, F(x^0μ,p^0ν), which is obviously homogeneous to one degree in p^0μ. The momentum of a test particle with mass m¯=m/mp with mp is the Planck mass. This unambiguously results in the quantized first fundamental form ds˜2=[1+(1+2βp^0ρp^0ρ)m¯2(|x¨|/A)2]gμνdx^μdx^ν, where x¨ is the proper spacelike four-acceleration, A is the maximal proper acceleration, and β is the RGUP parameter. We conclude that an additional source of curvature associated with the mass m¯, whose test particle is accelerated at |x¨|, apparently emerges. Thereby, quantizations of the fundamental tensor and first fundamental form are feasible
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