217 research outputs found
Between Criminal Gaze and Missing Memory: "Genet a Tangeri" by Magazzini Criminali
No full textWhen a leading Italian theatre group, Magazzini Criminali, staged the play "Genet a Tangeri" in a slaughterhouse in 1985, a scandal burst that had catastrophic consequences on the artists involved. After the immediate reconstruction by Ferdinando Taviani, this episode was cautiously silenced, leaving behind it a missing memory over the gap between the groups' expected response and the spectators' final reactions, between the careful construction of the event and its "criminal" consequent dismaltling. This paper recounts this process while presenting the different layers of interpretation and the various spectatorial stances it implied, which lead to further questions on the boundary between life and art
Group 12 metal complexes of mixed thia/aza and thia/oxa/aza macrocyclic ligands
No full textThe coordination behaviour of the macrocyclic ligands N-(2-pyridylmethyl)-[12]aneNS(2)O (L-1) and N-(2-pyr-idylmethyl)-[12]aneNS(3) (L2) ([12]aneNS(2)O = 1-aza-4,10-dithia-7-oxacyclododecane, [12]aneNS(3) = 1-aza4,7,10-trithia-cyclododecane) was studied in complexation reactions with ZnCl2, CdI2 and HgCl2. The NMR and mass spectra suggest the formation of the ionic species [LMX](2)[MX4] [M = Zn, X = Cl, L = L-1 (1), L-2 (2); M = Cd, X = I, L = L-1 (3), L-2 (4); M = Hg, X = Cl, L = L-1 (5), L-2 (6)]. The X-ray diffraction studies confirmed the formation of the new species 3-6, with [LMX](+) cations and [MX4](2-)& nbsp;anions, while for the zinc(II) complex 1 the determined structure corresponds to the hydrolysis product of formula [(LZn)-Zn-1](2)[ZnCl3](2)[Zn2Cl6]center dot & nbsp;2H(2)O (1h), with [(LZn)-Zn-1(H2O)](2+) cations and [ZnCl3(H2O)](-) and [Zn2Cl6](2-)& nbsp;anions. In all complexes the metal ion is hexacoordinated in cations, while in anions the metal is tetrahedrally surrounded by halido ligands
Evaluation of the Antioxidant Activity of Nigella sativa L. and Allium ursinum Extracts in a Cellular Model of Doxorubicin-Induced Cardiotoxicity
No full textNatural products black cumin—Nigella sativa (N. sativa) and wild garlic—Allium ursinum (AU) are known for their potential role in reducing cardiovascular risk factors, including antracycline chemotherapy. Therefore, this study investigates the effect of N. sativa and AU water and methanolic extracts in a cellular model of doxorubicin (doxo)-induced cardiotoxicity. The extracts were characterized using Ultraviolet-visible (UV-VIS) spectroscopy, Fourier-transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, Liquid Chromatography coupled with Mass Spectrometry (LC-MS) and Gas Chromatography coupled with Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS) techniques. Antioxidant activity was evaluated on H9c2 cells. Cytosolic and mitochondrial reactive oxygen species (ROS) release was evaluated using 2′,7′-dichlorofluorescin-diacetate (DHCF-DA) and mitochondria-targeted superoxide indicator (MitoSOX red), respectively. Mitochondrial membrane depolarization was evaluated by flow cytometry. LC-MS analysis identified 12 and 10 phenolic compounds in NSS and AU extracts, respectively, with flavonols as predominant compounds. FT-IR analysis identified the presence of carbohydrates, amino acids and lipids in both plants. GC-MS identified the sulfur compounds in the AU water extract. N. sativa seeds (NSS) methanolic extract had the highest antioxidant activity reducing both intracellular and mitochondrial ROS release. All extracts (excepting AU methanolic extract) preserved H9c2 cells viability. None of the investigated plants affected the mitochondrial membrane depolarization. N. sativa and AU are important sources of bioactive compounds with increased antioxidant activities, requiring different extraction solvents to obtain the pharmacological effects
Vulnerable Cosmopolitanism in Latin America: Hospitality Dynamics/ Pop Interferences in Contemporary Literature and Film
No full textPh.D.This dissertation studies the interrelation between cosmopolitanism, hospitality and pop culture in 20th and 21st century Latin American literature and film. Some of my research's leading questions are: what are the ethics and politics of pop culture in Latin America? What happens when pop culture references are used in order to approach questions of trauma and bearing witness in both literature and film? Can we think globalization and the global through trauma?The five chapters study six novels and three films: Chilean writer Roberto Bolaños’s Los Detectives Salvajes and Una Novelita Lumpen, Argentinean author Rodrigo Fresán’s Mantra and Jardines de Kensington, Dominican writers Junot Diaz and Rita Indiana's novels The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao and Papi, Argentinean film director Albertina Carri's documentary Los Rubios and Chilean film director Alicia Scherson's movie Play. I claim that, in these artistic creations, the use of foreign pop culture references is not seen under the negative aegis of ridiculization and banality; rather, pop culture references and hospitality dynamics aid in the shaping of a new memory and a different community. I relate this shift in the understanding of pop culture to discourses valorizing openness and hospitality in twentieth-century thought by authors such as Emmanuel Levinas or Jacques Derrida, and suggest that the use of imagery pertaining to pop culture in these fictional texts weaves a critique of traditional views on memory, trauma and community, thus configuring a vulnerable cosmopolitanism.Keywords: cosmopolitanism – memory – trauma – pop culture – vulnerabilit
The Use of Salivary Levels of Matrix Metalloproteinases as an Adjuvant Method in the Early Diagnosis of Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma: A Narrative Literature Review
No full textOral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is an aggressive malignancy with increased mortality, in which the early diagnosis is the most important step in increasing patients’ survival rate. Extensive research has evaluated the role of saliva as a source of diagnostic biomarkers, among which matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) have shown a valuable potential for detecting even early stages of OSCC. The aim of this review was to present recent clinical data regarding the significance of salivary MMPs in the detection of early malignant transformation of the oral mucosa. A narrative review was conducted on articles published in PubMed, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, EBSCO and SciELO databases, using specific terms. Our search revealed that MMP-1, MMP-2, MMP-3, MMP-8, MMP-9, MMP-10, MMP-12 and MMP-13 had significantly higher levels in saliva from patients with OSCC compared to controls. However, the strength of evidence is limited, as most information regarding their use as adjuvant diagnostic tools for OSCC comes from studies with a low number of participants, variable methodologies for saliva sampling and diagnostic assays, and insufficient adjustment for all covariates. MMP-1, MMP-3 and MMP-9 were considered the most promising candidates for salivary diagnosis of OSCC, but larger studies are needed in order to validate their clinical application
Why liberalization alone has not improved agricultural productivity in Zambia : the role of asset ownership and working capital constraints
No full textThe authors use a large panel data set from Zambia to examine factors that could explain the relatively lackluster performance of the country's agricultural sector after liberalization. Zambia's liberalization significantly opened the economy but failed to alter the structure of productionor help realize efficiency gains. They reach two main conclusions. First, not owning productive assets (in Zambia, draft animals and implements) limits improvements in agricultural productivity and household welfare. Owning oxen increases income directly, allows farmers to till their fields efficiently when rain is delayed, increases the area cultivated, and improves access to credit and fertilizer markets. Second, the authors reject the hypothesis that the application of fertilizer is unprofitable because of high input prices. Rather, fertilizer use appears to have declined because of constraints on supplies, which government intervention exacerbated instead of alleviating. (Extending the use of fertilizer to the many producers not currently using it would be profitable, but increasing the amount applied by the few producers who now have access to it would not be.) Policies to foster accumulation of the assets needed for agricultural production (including draft animals and implements) and to provide complementary public goods (education, credit, and good agricultural extension services) could greatly help reduce poverty and improve productivity.Economic Theory&Research,Environmental Economics&Policies,Labor Policies,Banks&Banking Reform,Agricultural Knowledge&Information Systems,Environmental Economics&Policies,Economic Theory&Research,Banks&Banking Reform,Agricultural Knowledge&Information Systems,Agricultural Research
Maximizing EFL Learning Through Blending
No full textAbstractPurpose of studyBlending different modalities and methods of EFL learning is gaining momentum as it assists teachers in designing relevant and engaging activities to drive learners from passive to active participants involved in their own learning.Sources of EvidenceThe paper will report on a class-size project of blending two elements within the face-to-face component: self-paced asynchronous learning (Voki, Fotobabble, Showbeyond) and opportunities for collaboration (personal blogs).Findings and ResultsThe project outcomes demonstrate that offering students a chance to collaborate and work outside of the class environment, at their own pace, through employment of web communication speaking and writing tools enhances learning and generates high levels of enthusiasm for communication in the target language.ConclusionFinding the optimum blend of methods and tools augments EFL learning and impacts positively on motivation, disposition and satisfaction, which are likely to enhance learning
A Model for Developing Adult Learner Effectiveness in New Roles and Environments
No full textAbstractIntroduction. A glance at Plato's Republic confirms that the notion of learning through life is hardly new. Thus, with the development of ‘adult education’ came the view that education should be lifelong. Nowadays it must not be regarded as a luxury for a few outstanding individuals, nor as a stage of early manhood, but it is envisaged as a permanent necessity, an inseparable aspect of employment, and a part of life. Since life is viewed as learning, education has no endings, it is a cognitive process internal to the learner, which can occur both incidentally and in planned educational activities.Purpose of study/Sources of Evidence. Adult learners are employees or future employees who cross an organizational boundary that requires performance in a new organizational role or environment. Adult learner's development can be defined as all development processes used to advance adult students to desired levels of performance.This paper attempts to draft a model for developing EFL (English as a Foreign Language) adult learner effectiveness that could represent a foundation for developing more comprehensive performance improvement interventions. Three key questions are addressed: what learning content should be included in a comprehensive adult learner development program, what learning strategies are most effective to facilitate that learning, and what should be the role of educational institutions.Findings and Results. The conclusions of the study reveal that adult learners need to engage in four content domains in order to achieve performance goals: individual, people, organization, and work tasks. This development process is not linear, but rather cyclical, with novice learners having to cycle through learning tasks and learning events repeatedly. Conclusion. Effectiveness in new roles and environments can be achieved by interacting with other people, therefore social learning skills are of great importance, and learning occurs when engaged in work projects. Self-directed learning becomes the norm for adult learners who have to take initiative to go beyond their job-description. Adult learning has no definite beginning and ending points, it is a complex but continuous process
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