7 research outputs found
La «Prosopopea di Pericle» in Arcadia e oltre
No full textIl saggio prende le mosse dalla lettura incrociata dell’epistolario del Monti e degli «Atti Arcadici», dai quali si ricava che il mese di agosto del 1779 è interamente dedicato alle celebrazioni in onore del pontefice regnante, Pio VI Braschi, per cui vengono indette tre «Adunanze Generali» dell’Accademia: la prima «Ordinaria» (il giorno 12), le restanti due «Straordinarie» (i giorni 19 e 22). Nella seconda di esse viene letta dall’autore la prima versione della «Prosopopea di Pericle» — stampata nello stesso anno —, entro un contesto che emerge in tutta la sua fastosità, aulica e “rituale”, coniugando il «sublime», inteso naturalmente in senso encomiastico, con la «cornice mondana» (Gennaro Barbarisi) della celebrazione.
Il testo dell’ode letto in quest’occasione viene rielaborato dal Monti ben sei volte, e l’analisi filologica e critica delle varianti prodotte in una storia redazionale durata quarantasette anni (dal 1779 al 1826), costituisce uno dei centri del saggio. Per comprendere il senso e la natura della «Prosopopea di Pericle», è inoltre fondamentale tenere presente il suo collegamento con l’erma del «vir illustris» ateniese, rinvenuta nella villa di Cassio a Tivoli, in una delle campagne di scavi promosse dalla politica archeologico–culturale di Pio VI, e collocata nella Sala delle Muse del Museo Pio–Clementino, grazie ad Ennio Quirino Visconti, accanto alla quale nel 1784 l’ode viene esposta.
L’indagine sulle macro– e micro–“fonti” classiche e classicistiche della «Prosopopea» è un altro degli snodi centrali del saggio, insieme all’analisi del contesto storico–culturale e storico–letterario entro il quale si vengono a trovare le rielaborazioni montiane dell’ode, che la conducono anche oltre l’originario àmbito accademico.
Calata la sua ideazione nel contesto dell’«iter» letterario dell’autore, ed in quelli strettamente intersecantisi dei «Fasti di Pio VI» e della seconda Arcadia, seguìto il suo percorso compositivo attraverso l’analisi delle varianti, focalizzate le sue tensioni poetiche ed ideali, la «Prosopopea» acquista un vólto ed un significato che rendono ragione del non sopito interesse dell’autore per essa, e della sua fortuna critica, sancita dal Carducci, che la individua come lo snodo di transizione fra le prime due «serie» dell’attività poetica montiana. Nella nostra ode, infatti, la celebrazione della memoria e del ritorno dell’antico viene declinata dall’autore in una pluralità di chiavi, che spaziano dall’archeologia all’encomiastica, dalla cantabilità arcadica ai fermenti neoclassici, dall’afflato neoumanistico all’entusiasmo sublime.This essay is based on a cross–reading of Monti’s Letters and of the «Atti Arcadici», which demonstrates that the month of August 1779 was entirely dedicated to the celebrations of the Pontiff, Pio VI Braschi, for whom the Academy summoned three «Adunanze Generali»: the first «Ordinaria» (on the 12th), the others «Straordinarie» (on the 19th and 22nd). On the second occasion, the author publicly read the first version of his «Prosopopoeia of Pericles», printed in the same year; the setting of the reading strikes as one of extreme magnificence, both stately and “ritualized”, that conjugates the «sublime», in an encomiastic sense, with the «mundane framing» (Gennaro Barbarisi) of the celebration.
Monti made changes to his Ode no less than six times on a time span of forty-seven years (1779-1826): the philological and critical analysis of the variants is one of the focuses of the essay. To understand the sense and the nature of the «Prosopopoeia of Pericles» it is also important to remember its connection with the head of Pericles found in Cassio’s villa at Tivoli, on the site of one of the excavations promoted by Pio VI’s cultural politics; due to the intervention of Ennio Quirino Visconti, the head was later placed in the Hall of the Muses of the Museum Pio–Clementino: the Ode found its place next to it in 1784.
Another focus of this essay is the investigation of classical and neo–classical macro– and micro–sources of the «Prosopopoeia», together with the analysis of the cultural and literary context that underlies Monti’s continuous reworking of it: a process that projects the «Prosopopoeia» beyond its original academic context, the one of the second Arcadia.
The «Prosopopoeia» acquires in the end a deeper significance that explains both Monti’s unwavering fascination for it, and its success among the critics, first of all Carducci, that saw in the Ode the junction between the first two «series» of Monti’s poetic activity. In this Ode, in fact, the memory and the permanence of antiquity are celebrated in a number of keys: from archeology to encomium, from arcadic “cantabile” style to neo–classical ferment, from neo–humanistic inspiration to “sublime” enthusiasm
Neuraminidase Inhibitors and Hospital Length of Stay: A Meta-analysis of Individual Participant Data to Determine Treatment Effectiveness Among Patients Hospitalized With Nonfatal 2009 Pandemic Influenza A(H1N1) Virus Infection
No full text© The Author(s) 2019. Published by Oxford University Press for the Infectious Diseases Society of America. All rights reserved. For permissions, e-mail: [email protected]. BACKGROUND: The effect of neuraminidase inhibitor (NAI) treatment on length of stay (LoS) in patients hospitalized with influenza is unclear. METHODS: We conducted a one-stage individual participant data (IPD) meta-analysis exploring the association between NAI treatment and LoS in patients hospitalized with 2009 influenza A(H1N1) virus (A[H1N1]pdm09) infection. Using mixed-effects negative binomial regression and adjusting for the propensity to receive NAI, antibiotic, and corticosteroid treatment, we calculated incidence rate ratios (IRRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Patients with a LoS o
Empire of coercion: Rome, its ruler and his soldiers
No full textThis thesis explores the basis of the political power wielded by Roman emperors. Its hypothesis is that their power was of an essentially coercive nature, and was a manifestation of the Roman ethos of competition for personal dominance. This competition took place within the context of a society in which war and military organisation were of prime significance. As a result, political power was habitually obtained and held through the direct and indirect involvement of soldiers. It was inevitable that the relationship between emperors and their soldiers should be the major determinant of their authority. Issues considered to be relevant to this view are examined from a wide perspective and within the broad time scale of the classical world before the advent of the Christian Empire. Ancient writing on the nature of political power is explored, and every effort is made to give due weight to the direct expressions of our primary sources in their discussions of personal authority. Evidence is also cited from sociological and other modem theories of political power in order to illuminate the coercive basis of the Roman state. The development of power within Rome is traced, together with the explanations, justifications and mechanisms inherent to its operation. Soldiers are shown to have been the key agents of Roman political coercion. Bases of authority other than coercion are considered for their relevance, but are found either to have been derivative of, or secondary to, force and the threat of force. The qualities required of a successful emperor are explored. These are demonstrated to have been primarily military, while in the most significant aspects of political and personal behaviour the Roman ruler sought to establish and strengthen the bond between himself and his soldiers. When this link finally weakened, political authority passed directly to the soldiers
L'architettura greca
No full textAll’A. è stata affidata la prima parte del volume, destinato innanzitutto agli studenti di Storia dell’Architettura ed ad un pubblico ‘colto’. Viste le dimensioni complessive dell’opera, che tratta un arco cronologico di più di sedici secoli, e le esigenze dei corsi di Storia dell’Architettura Antica e Medievale, il vasto argomento è stato necessariamente focalizzato sui temi più generali dello sviluppo e dell’evoluzione nel tempo delle principali tipologie architettoniche del mondo greco, soprattutto templari.
Il periodo trattato inizia dalla rinascita dell’architettura monumentale nel mondo greco del X sec. a.C. e le origini degli ordini architettonici nel VII sec. a.C., con i necessari riferimenti al passato ‘eroico’ dell’età minoica e micenea, fino alla morte di Alessandro Magno. Lo sviluppo e i significati dell’architettura nel mondo greco sono illustrati attraverso la lettura dei più conservati e rilevanti organismi architettonici, collocando le realizzazioni edilizie nel contesto dell’evoluzione della società civile. Si è anche cercato di tener conto degli eventuali influssi sull’architettura delle epoche successive e, soprattutto, de frequenti scambi con le più ricche e antiche civiltà orientali, con le quali il mondo greco ebbe da sempre un costante confronto. Pur facendo riferimento alle più recenti scoperte e studi, l’A. ha riportato un’attenta selezione di citazioni dagli autori antichi, per meglio inquadrare i dati oggettivi dei resti archeologici e architettonici con le testimonianze dirette delle fonti. Particolare attenzione è stata data ai progetti edilizi impostati da Pericle, il cui prestigio segnò l’evoluzione dell’architettura monumentale in Occidente. Nel IV secolo a.C. sono messe in luce le tendenze innovative di un’architettura non più esclusivamente dedicata alla comunità della polis – nei santuari e negli spazi pubblici delle agorà – ma attenta alle esigenze del singolo, in particolare nel caso dei satrapi dell’Asia Minore, che anticipano la committenza dei sovrani ellenistici.
Il volume è stato recensito da Stefano Borsi in «Palladio», N.S., 41, 2008, pp. 127-128, che tra l’altro afferma: “il contributo di Ortolani riesce a trovare un equilibrio tra massa di dati ‘orizzontali’, tipica delle opere di grande sintesi manualistica, e momenti di approfondimento anche non banali e scontati, tipo il paragrafo – forzatamente breve – dedicato a Cumae e al problema dei primi insediamenti greci nell’area tirrenica centro-settentrionale ...”.The Author wrote the first section of the book, on Greek Architecture: the first on this topic in Italian, intended primarily for students of History of Architecture. Given the overall extent of the topic, which spans over more than sixteen centuries, and the requirements of university courses, the vast subject was necessarily focused on the broader issues of the development and evolution trough the centuries of the main architectural orders, related especially to the Greek Temple.
The discussion begins with the revival of monumental architecture in the Greek world of the tenth century BC and the origins of the architectural orders in the seventh century BC, with due reference to the previous 'heroic' Minoan and Mycenaean ages, until the death of Alexander the Great. The developments and meanings of architecture in the Greek world are illustrated through the analysis of the best preserved monuments and relevant buildings, relating the architectural achievements to the context of the evolution of civil society. Possible influence on later architecture is also taken into account. The book also emphasizes the frequent exchanges with richer and older eastern civilizations, with which Greek poleis have undergone constant comparison. While referring to the most recent discoveries and studies, the A. reports a careful selection of quotations from ancient authors, for a better assimilation of the objective data of the archaeological and architectural sources. Particular attention was drawn to construction projects set by Pericles, whose prestige marked the evolution of monumental architecture through Western History. The essay highlights the innovative trends in the fourth century BC: the monumental features and artistic ornaments in architecture are no longer the expression of the community of a polis - in public spaces as sanctuaries and agorai - but rather reflect the individual claims of the powerful, as in the case of the satraps of Asia Minor, who anticipate the patronage of Hellenistic rulers.
The book was reviewed by Stefano Borsi in 'Palladio', NS, 41, 2008, p. 127-128, who among other things writes: "Ortolani’s contribution manages to find a balance between the mass of 'horizontal' data, typical of the great works of synthesis manuals, and in-depth information, as in paragraph “Cumae and the problem of the first Greek settlements in north-central Tyrrhenian coast ... ".
TABLE OF CONTENTS: Introduction, p. 5; I. Origins of Greek Architecture, p. 8; II. Birth and development of the Ionic order, 26; III. The architecture of the Panhellenic sanctuaries, p. 40, IV. The Greeks in the West, p. 52; V. Athens and Classical Architecture, p. 72, VI. Architectural Developments in Peloponnese and Ionia during the 4th century B.C., pp. 103-116
Intravenous or nebulised magnesium sulphate versus standard therapy for severe acute asthma (3Mg trial): a double-blind, randomised controlled trial
No full textBACKGROUND: Neuraminidase inhibitors were widely used during the 2009-10 influenza A H1N1 pandemic, but evidence for their effectiveness in reducing mortality is uncertain. We did a meta-analysis of individual participant data to investigate the association between use of neuraminidase inhibitors and mortality in patients admitted to hospital with pandemic influenza A H1N1pdm09 virus infection. METHODS: We assembled data for patients (all ages) admitted to hospital worldwide with laboratory confirmed or clinically diagnosed pandemic influenza A H1N1pdm09 virus infection. We identified potential data contributors from an earlier systematic review of reported studies addressing the same research question. In our systematic review, eligible studies were done between March 1, 2009 (Mexico), or April 1, 2009 (rest of the world), until the WHO declaration of the end of the pandemic (Aug 10, 2010); however, we continued to receive data up to March 14, 2011, from ongoing studies. We did a meta-analysis of individual participant data to assess the association between neuraminidase inhibitor treatment and mortality (primary outcome), adjusting for both treatment propensity and potential confounders, using generalised linear mixed modelling. We assessed the association with time to treatment using time-dependent Cox regression shared frailty modelling. FINDINGS: We included data for 29,234 patients from 78 studies of patients admitted to hospital between Jan 2, 2009, and March 14, 2011. Compared with no treatment, neuraminidase inhibitor treatment (irrespective of timing) was associated with a reduction in mortality risk (adjusted odds ratio [OR] 0·81; 95% CI 0·70-0·93; p=0·0024). Compared with later treatment, early treatment (within 2 days of symptom onset) was associated with a reduction in mortality risk (adjusted OR 0·48; 95% CI 0·41-0·56; p<0·0001). Early treatment versus no treatment was also associated with a reduction in mortality (adjusted OR 0·50; 95% CI 0·37-0·67; p<0·0001). These associations with reduced mortality risk were less pronounced and not significant in children. There was an increase in the mortality hazard rate with each day's delay in initiation of treatment up to day 5 as compared with treatment initiated within 2 days of symptom onset (adjusted hazard ratio [HR 1·23] [95% CI 1·18-1·28]; p<0·0001 for the increasing HR with each day's delay). INTERPRETATION: We advocate early instigation of neuraminidase inhibitor treatment in adults admitted to hospital with suspected or proven influenza infection. FUNDING: F Hoffmann-La Roche
Impact of neuraminidase inhibitors on influenza A(H1N1)pdm09-related pneumonia: an IPD meta-analysis
No full textBACKGROUND:
The impact of neuraminidase inhibitors (NAIs) on Influenza-related pneumonia (IRP) is not established. Our objective was to investigate the association between NAI treatment and IRP incidence and outcomes in patients hospitalised with A(H1N1)pdm09 virus infection. ----- METHODS:
A worldwide meta-analysis of individual participant data (IPD) from 20,634 hospitalised patients with laboratory confirmed A(H1N1)pdm09 (n=20,021) or clinically diagnosed (n=613) 'pandemic influenza'. The primary outcome was radiologically confirmed influenza-related pneumonia (IRP). Odds ratios (OR) were estimated using generalized linear mixed modelling, adjusting for NAI treatment propensity, antibiotics and corticosteroids. ----- RESULTS:
Among 20,634 included participants, 5,978 (29.0%) had IRP; conversely, 3,349 (16.2%) had confirmed absence of radiographic pneumonia (the comparator). Early NAI treatment (within 2 days of symptom onset) versus no NAI was not significantly associated with IRP [adj. OR 0.83 (95%CI 0.64 - 1.06; p=0.136)]. Among the 5,978 patients with IRP, early NAI treatment versus none did not impact on mortality [adj. OR=0.72 (0.44-1.17; p=0.180)] or likelihood of requiring ventilatory support [adj. OR=1.17 (0.71-1.92; p=0.537)]; but early treatment versus later significantly reduced mortality [adj. OR=0.70 (0.55-0.88; p=0.003)] and likelihood of requiring ventilatory support [adj. OR=0.68 (0.54-0.85; p=0.001)]. ----- CONCLUSIONS:
Early NAI treatment of patients hospitalised with A(H1N1)pdm09 virus infection versus no treatment did not reduce the likelihood of IRP. However, in patients who developed IRP early NAI treatment versus later reduced the likelihood of mortality and needing ventilatory support
