75 research outputs found
Some Reflections on Orality and Epic Poetry in Ancient Literary Criticism
No full textThe paper examines some relevant cases of the views of the orality which appear in ancient literary criticism. Starting from a reconsideration of the oral system in the broader communication context of the Hellenistic and Im- perial period, the analysis will underline the specific functions attributed to or- ality in extant works of literary criticism, with a special focus on the perspective followed by the author of the treatise On the Sublime. Indeed, from the survey it appears clear that the exploration of oral dimension becomes, on one hand, a lens for the study of the previous literary tradition, in particular of the Homeric poetry, and, on the other, a crucial experience in the rhetorical paideia of the fu- ture ruling classes
"Un'altra strada per l'epos: l'opera di Dionisio il Ciclografo e alcune sintesi mitografiche di età ellenistica e imperiale su papiro"
No full textThe article examines the evidences about Dionysios Kyklographos (FGrHist 15),
author of the Historical Cycle, and some cases of syntheses in prose, transmitted by
papyri of Hellenistic and Imperial age, which deal with mythical subject matters of the
traditional canonized literary genres, especially Homeric and cyclic epic poetry. The
papyri are examined from a palaeographical, bibliological and philological point of
view, in order to suggest some hypotheses on their readership
Fisica della Materia
No full textLo studio e lo sviluppo di nuovi materiali ha sempre prodotto
sostanziali cambiamenti nella vita dell’uomo. Le varie ere della
civilizzazione, le età della pietra, del bronzo, del ferro, sono scandite
dalla capacità dell’uomo di modificare le proprietà di una
particolare classe di materiali per poterli utilizzare con maggior
vantaggio. Come potremmo definire l’era attuale? Certamente i
materiali che la caratterizzano sono molteplici, ma se pensiamo
alle tecnologie che hanno avuto lo sviluppo più rapido negli ultimi
decenni, vale a dire quelle dell’informazione e comunicazione,
potremmo definire la nostra epoca come era della microelettronica
basata sul Silicio. Già oggi si stanno tuttavia utilizzando
altri materiali, come ad esempio il Carburo di Silicio o il Silicio-
Germanio, che, in virtù delle loro proprietà particolari, sono in
grado di svolgere alcune funzioni per le quali il Silicio è inadatto
o meno efficiente. E nel futuro ci aspettano sicuramente altri e più
rivoluzionari sviluppi
Hyper-Oxygenation Attenuates the Rapid Vasodilatory Response to Muscle Contraction and Compression
No full textA single muscle compression (MC) with accompanying hyperemia and hyper-oxygenation results in attenuation of a subsequent MC hyperemia, as long as the subsequent MC takes place when muscle oxygenation is still elevated. Whether this is due to the hyper-oxygenation, or compression-induced de-activation of mechano-sensitive structures is unclear. We hypothesized that increased oxygenation and not de-activation of mechano-sensitive structures was responsible for this attenuation and that both compression and contraction-induced hyperemia attenuate the hyperemic response to a subsequent muscle contraction, and vice-versa. Protocol-1) In eight subjects two MCs separated by a 25 s interval were delivered to the forearm without or with partial occlusion of the axillary artery, aimed at preventing hyperemia and increased oxygenation in response to the first MC. Tissue oxygenation [oxygenated (hemoglobin + myoglobin)/total (hemoglobin + myoglobin)] from forearm muscles and brachial artery blood flow were continuously monitored by means of spatially-resolved near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) and Doppler ultrasound, respectively. With unrestrained blood flow, the hyperemic response to the second MC was attenuated, compared to the first (5.7 ± 3.3 vs. 14.8 ± 3.9 ml, P < 0.05). This attenuation was abolished with partial occlusion of the auxiliary artery (14.4 ± 3.9 ml). Protocol-2) In 10 healthy subjects, hemodynamic changes were assessed in response to MC and electrically stimulated contraction (ESC, 0.5 s duration, 20 Hz) of calf muscles, as single stimuli or delivered in sequences of two separated by a 25 s interval. When MC or ESC were delivered 25 s following MC or ESC the response to the second stimulus was always attenuated (range: 60–90%). These findings support a role for excess tissue oxygenation in the attenuation of mechanically-stimulated rapid dilation and rule out inactivation of mechano-sensitive structures. Furthermore, both MC and ESC rapid vasodilatation are attenuated by prior transient hyperemia, regardless of whether the hyperemia is due to MC or ESC. Previously, mechanisms responsible for this dilation have not been considered to be oxygen sensitive. This study identifies muscle oxygenation state as relevant blunting factor, and reveals the need to investigate how these feedforward mechanisms might actually be affected by oxygenation
The resilient recovery from substance addiction: The role of self-transcendence values and hope
No full textBackground: Substance addiction is a psychosocial problem facing many people today. While the previous trend in addiction treatment was the harm reduction approach, nowadays it is fully recognized the importance of promoting human resources in order to help people to face the rehabilitation process, to prevent the risk of treatment dropout and future relapses, and to positively re-integrate them into the society. During the process of recovery from substance addiction, resilience is one of the most important protective factors against both dropouts and relapses. This study analyzed for the first time whether and the extent to which self-transcendence values (i.e., benevolence and universalism) promote resilience, considering the mediating role of hope, among patients in residential substance abuse treatment.
Method: Seventy-six Italian patients in residential treatment for substance addiction (86.5% males and 13.5% females; Mage = 40.23, SD = 10.88) participated to the study. Participants were asked to complete the Self-transcendence subscale from the Portrait Values Questionnaire, the Hope Scale, and the Connor Davidson Resilience Scale.
Results: Findings showed that self-transcendence values were positively related to resilience and that hope fully mediated (in a positive direction) this relationship. Self-transcendence values promoted resilience through the mediating role of hope. Conclusions: This complex relationship suggests a holistic model of resilience during the process of recovery from substance addiction. Limitations of the study, practical implications, and future research developments are discussed
Introduction to the special section : Air transportation systems planning and operations under uncertainty
No full textGreen Open Access added to TU Delft Institutional Repository ‘You share, we take care!’ – Taverne project https://www.openaccess.nl/en/you-share-we-take-care Otherwise as indicated in the copyright section: the publisher is the copyright holder of this work and the author uses the Dutch legislation to make this work public.Air Transport & Operation
Intracellular Insulin-like growth factor binding protein 2 (IGFBP2) contributes to the senescence of keratinocytes in psoriasis by stabilizing cytoplasmic p21
No full textPsoriasis is a chronic Th1/Th17 lymphocytes-mediated inflammatory skin disease, in which epidermal keratinocytes exhibit a peculiar senescent state, resistance to apoptosis and the acquisition of senescence-associated secretory phenotype (SASP). SASP consists of the release of soluble factors, including IGFBPs, that exert extracellular and intracellular functions in IGF-dependent or independent manner.In this report, we investigated the expression and function of IGFBP2 in senescent keratinocytes isolated from the skin of patients with plaque psoriasis. We found that IGFBP2 is aberrantly expressed and released by these cells in vivo, as well as in vitro in keratinocyte cultures undergoing progressive senescence, and it associates with the cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitors p21 and p16 expression. For the first time, we provide evidence for a dual action of IGFBP2 in psoriatic keratinocytes during growth and senescence processes. While extracellular IGFBP2 counter-regulates IGF-induced keratinocyte hyper-proliferation, intracellular IGFBP2 inhibits apoptosis by interacting with p21 and protecting it from ubiquitin-dependent degradation. Indeed, we found that cytoplasmic p21 sustains anti-apoptotic processes, by inhibiting pro-caspase 3 cleavage and JNK phosphorylation in senescent psoriatic keratinocytes. As a consequence, abrogation of p21, as well as that of IGFBP2, found to stabilize cytoplasmic p21 levels, lead to the restoration of apoptosis mechanisms in psoriatic keratinocytes, commonly observed in healthy cells
Insight into immune profile associated with vitiligo onset and anti-tumoral response in melanoma patients receiving anti-PD-1 immunotherapy
No full textIntroductionImmunotherapy with checkpoint inhibitors is an efficient treatment for metastatic melanoma. Development of vitiligo upon immunotherapy represents a specific immune-related adverse event (irAE) diagnosed in 15% of patients and associated with a positive clinical response. Therefore, a detailed characterization of immune cells during vitiligo onset in melanoma patients would give insight into the immune mechanisms mediating both the irAE and the anti-tumor response. MethodsTo better understand these aspects, we analyzed T cell subsets from peripheral blood of metastatic melanoma patients undergoing treatment with anti-programmed cell death protein (PD)-1 antibodies. To deeply characterize the antitumoral T cell response concomitant to vitiligo onset, we analyzed T cell content in skin biopsies collected from melanoma patients who developed vitiligo. Moreover, to further characterize T cells in vitiligo skin lesion of melanoma patients, we sequenced T cell receptor (TCR) of cells derived from biopsies of vitiligo and primary melanoma of the same patient.Results and discussionStratification of patients for developing or not developing vitiligo during anti-PD-1 therapy revealed an association between blood reduction of CD8-mucosal associated invariant T (MAIT), T helper (h) 17, natural killer (NK) CD56bright, and T regulatory (T-reg) cells and vitiligo onset. Consistently with the observed blood reduction of Th17 cells in melanoma patients developing vitiligo during immunotherapy, we found high amount of IL-17A expressing cells in the vitiligo skin biopsy, suggesting a possible migration of Th17 cells from the blood into the autoimmune lesion. Interestingly, except for a few cases, we found different TCR sequences between vitiligo and primary melanoma lesions. In contrast, shared TCR sequences were identified between vitiligo and metastatic tissues of the same patient. These data indicate that T cell response against normal melanocytes, which is involved in vitiligo onset, is not typically mediated by reactivation of specific T cell clones infiltrating primary melanoma but may be elicited by T cell clones targeting metastatic tissues. Altogether, our data indicate that anti-PD-1 therapy induces a de novo immune response, stimulated by the presence of metastatic cells, and composed of different T cell subtypes, which may trigger the development of vitiligo and the response against metastatic tumor
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Raimundi Lulli Opera Latina.
No full textThe Liber contra Antichristum (op. 10) is the Latin version of the original Catalan Llibre contra Anticrist (ca. 1274-1276), written nearly twenty years later (sometime between 1290 and 1294). The treatise is decidedly not sensational; it contains no apocalyptic timetables and makes no attempt to equate contemporary figures or movements with specific apocalyptic figures or events. On the contrary, it reflects Llull's intellectual and evangelical desires to articulate rational proofs for the basic doctrines of Christianity. The Liber de gentili et tribus sapientibus (op. 11) is the Latin version of Ramon Llull's Llibre del gentil e dels tres savis, produced only a few years after the Catalan original (ca. 1271). It is a dialogue in which a gentile listens to the expositions of three wise men, a Jew, a Christian, and a Saracen, each of whom is trying to explain the main doctrines of his own religion. The objective is the conversion of the gentile to the best of the three religions, but the result remains undisclosed by the author in order to leave the choice up to the reader
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Raimundi Lulli Opera Latina.
No full textCritical edition of Ramon Llull's 'Ars ad faciendum et solvendum quaestiones.' This work by Ramon Llull, originally composed in Catalan (Art de fer e solre questions), was written in Rome in 1295. It is also known as 'Lectura super Artem inventivam et Tabulam generalem', as it attempts to make the "Ars inventiva veritatis" (op. 44) and "Tabula generalis" (op. 53) more approachable. In the prologue Llull expresses his wish for this work to be translated into Latin. It belongs to the so-called encyclopaedic writings in the Lullian production, and the author announces a thousand questions related mainly to theology. The present work aims to provide a general technique applicable to any subject, a practical usage of the "Ars inventiva veritatis" and the "Tabula generalis". In general, Llull develops some aspects dealt with in op. 44 and op. 53 in order to solve possible objections or to experiment with new procedures. It is another step in the great epistemological project of the Majorcan: to establish a new general science that overcomes the difficulties inherent in scholastic-Aristotelian science; to apply its method to the articles of the Christian faith and to create a universal scientific system as a solid basis for the other sciences
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