84 research outputs found
Reassembling Skins and Bones: Indigenous Posthumanism in Linda Hogan’s Solar Storms
No full textWhile posthumanism has contributed to questioning the foundations of humanism and the consequent process of exclusion it engendered of all those diverging from the universal category of ‘Man,’ numerous scholars have criticized this diverse philosophical movement from Indigenous perspectives. Multiple critics suggest a tendency within posthumanist strands of thought to oppose dualistic approaches presenting them as universal without considering the preexisting non-dualistic frameworks articulated by Indigenous scholars, while also appropriating Indigenous epistemes without acknowledging them, running the risk of becoming complicit with colonial violence and with what Rauna Kuokkanen has defined ‘epistemic ignorance.’ For this reason, projects of decolonizing posthumanist scholarship entail engaging and establishing a dialogue with Indigenous studies, fostering a ‘multiepistemic literacy.’ Acknowledging the productive potential of an alliance between Indigenous and posthumanist discourses in reorienting the conversation toward issues of settler colonialism, land sovereignty and Indigenous self-determination, this paper aims to apply an Indigenous posthumanist perspective to Chickasaw author Linda Hogan’s Solar Storms. In particular, the paper will focus, on the one hand, on representations within the novel of taxidermic practices, deeply tied to colonial violence, that transform animals into posthuman commodified objects, and, on the other, on instances of reassembling skins and bones in acts of regenerative creation, which, unlike taxidermy, acknowledge the need for reciprocity and processes of relational becoming. These new combinations of matter constitute on the part of the protagonist a way of envisioning new modes of being human, relating to the more-than-human, and affirming Indigenous self-determination
The role of ivabradine in diastolic heart failure with preserved ejection fraction. A doppler-echocardiographic study
No full textBackground: Ivabradine (IVA) is effective in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) or systolic heart failure in sinus rhythm. Its action consists in reducing heart rate (HR) and improving the time of left ventricular (LV) diastolic filling. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of IVA added to conventional therapy on patients with diastolic heart failure (DHF) and preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF). Methods: We evaluated 25 patients with DHF in the New York Heart Association (NYHA) Class II-III and sinus rhythm. In these, IVA per os (5 mg/twice a day) was added to the conventional medical therapy and given for 12 weeks. Immediately before the beginning of IVA therapy and 3 months later, patients underwent echocardiographic evaluation by two-dimensional (2D) ultrasound and tissue Doppler imaging (TDI). The patterns of diastolic mitral inflow and pulmonary venous flow were recorded using 2D echocardiography, while the diastolic phase of mitral flow was recorded by TDI, from the lateral mitral annulus. Results: Three months after the addition of IVA to conventional treatment, HR significantly decreased in comparison to the baseline values. On the contrary, the echocardiographic indexes of LV diastolic dysfunction improved. Conclusions: These results testify that the addition of IVA to conventional therapy in patients with HFpEF can improve LV diastolic function evaluated by 2D and tissue Doppler-echocardiographic patterns. These Doppler-echocardiographic results match with the clinical improvement of patients evaluated
GO! geographical ontology
No full textGO! (Geographical Ontology) ontology has been developed by Claudia Corcione, Paola De Caro and Silvia naro, with the collaboration of Diego Magro, Timothy Tambassi and Maurizio Lana for the research project “Geolat – geography for Latin literature”. It describes the geographical locations, with a particular attention to the description of the Ancient World, especially to give the opportunity of having a link between the places mentioned in the texts, especially ancient, and their identification and correspondence with contemporary ones. For classical scholars this correspondence of ancient / contemporary modelling is of undisputed interest, both for the study of the habits of the most ancient peoples, and for the most various themes of literary interest. Through ontologies you can build maps of the ancient world and compare them to contemporary ones, annotate historical, geographical, cultural details connected to the place, indicate in which ancient text the place is mentioned and as which author discloses the details. These are just some ideas for research that can be developed, but the scenario that opens through these connections will be much larger.
The GO! modules contain numerous classes and relations and differ in the specific entities defined in them, and are connected by a Top Level ontology - GO TOP ( http://purl.org/geolit/GO-TOP ):
• an ontology that describes the physical and natural places ( http://purl.org/geolit/GO-PHY )
• an anthropic ontology, in which are specified all administrative bodies and artifacts created by human activity (
http://purl.org/geolit/GO-HUM )an
• an ontology for the ancient world, which describes the specific aspects ( http://purl.org/geolit/GO-FAR ), where
FAR means For Ancient Resources.
The GO! ontology serves as an information base for the platform of the project GeoLat.
The GO! modelling choices took into account the needs which the ontology must meet, allowing to add a range of additional information about the geographical place, through the inclusion of ad hoc relationships, in particular it is possible to express:
• the correspondence with the places listed by Pleiades (historical online gazetteer http://pleiades.stoa.org/) • the physical and cultural characteristics shown in the Barrington Atlas
• the source where the ancient place is mentioned (with philological reference)
• the geographical coordinates of corresponding contemporary sites
• a description of historical events (wars, defeats ...)
• the changes of the place (e.g. a village which becomes a city) • the hypotesized location of imaginary places (such as Hades) • the physical and geopolitical description of the place
These are only some of the potentialities of the GO! ontology, which incorporates some standard ontologies (for example GeoSPARQL), so as to be more easily shared and reused, because the quality of the ontology and the project in its entirety resides in its widespread use, in order to become a benchmark for the projects that link to the geographical description
SARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19: Is interleukin-6 (IL-6) the ‘culprit lesion’ of ARDS onset? What is there besides Tocilizumab? SGP130Fc
No full textSince the outbreak of COVID-19 many studies have been published showing possible therapies, here the author discusses the end of stage disease related drugs, like Tocilizumab which is currently being used in ARDS patients. In some patients, disease progression leads to an enormous secretion of cytokines, known as cytokine storm, among those cytokines IL-6 plays an important role. Here the author shows how IL-6 has both pro and anti-inflammatory properties, depending on the pathway of transduction: soluble (trans-signaling) or membrane-related (classic signaling), and suggests how targeting only the pro-inflammatory pathway, with SGP130Fc, could be a better option then targeting them both. Other possible IL-6 pathway inhibitors such as Ruxolitinib and Baricinitib are then analyzed, underlying how they lack the benefit of targeting only the pro-inflammatory pathway
How to Make Gifted Education Creative
No full textAfter reading numerous texts dedicated to the education of the gifted (which mostly
referred to the definition of giftedness, identifying gifted students, the development of gifted
programmes, the implementation of such programs and the evaluation of their effects), I
came across a paper which attempts to offer a comprehensive analysis in this field and
establishes that gifted education needs to strengthen conceptual foundations. I agree with D.
Ambrose and congratulate him on his courage to risk linking what is unrelated in order to
introduce innovation and create a new order in this field. To what extent the given proposals
relate only to gifted education, or whether their implementation could be wider and refer to
education in general, we will discuss later. In any case we were given a reasoned and wellargued
text in which the author skilfully draws conclusions and forms questions which are
relevant to the subject on the basis of the analysis of achievements from various sciences
Il Male Oscuro by Giuseppe Berto: among literature and psychoanalysis
No full textopenLa tesi tratta del libro "Il male oscuro" dell'autore Giuseppe Berto analizzato attraverso un duplice approccio: letterario e psicoanalitico.
La metodologia adottata si fonda su un'analisi testuale integrata da riferimenti alla teoria psicoanalitica, con particolare attenzione alle riflessioni di Freud.
La tesi ripercorre, oltre che il percorso psicoanalitico di Berto, anche l'evoluzione del romanzo introspettivo del Novecento.The thesis deals with the book "Il male oscuro" by the author Giuseppe Berto analyzed through a dual approach: literary and psychoanalytic.
The methodology adopted is based on a textual analysis integrated with references to psychoanalytic theory, with particular attention to Freud's reflections.
The thesis retraces not only Berto's psychoanalytic path, but also the evolution of the introspective novel of the twentieth century
Carlo Vallini: restless spirit between dannunzianism and crepuscolarism
No full textopenIl progetto di tesi riguarda una ricerca bibliografica da me condotta sull'iter poetico del poeta, drammaturgo e docente Carlo Vallini, personalità vissuta a cavallo fra XIX e XX secolo. Tale figura è stata letterariamente influenzata da altre figure italiane di grande spicco, quali, fra i principali, Giovanni Pascoli e Gabriele D'Annunzio, incuneandosi però anche nella stagione poetica contrassegnata dal movimento del crepuscolarismo (in particolare, stretto legame con Guido Gozzano). Il taglio della mia ricerca verte quindi su un'analisi delle opere principali di Carlo Vallini, maggiormente esprimenti la sua personalità, dando voce ad un autore in bilico fra dannunzianesimo e crepuscolarismo.The thesis project concerns a bibliographic research I conducted on the poetic career of poet, playwright and teacher Carlo Vallini, a personality who lived at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries. This figure was literarily influenced by other prominent Italian figures, such as, among the main ones, Giovanni Pascoli and Gabriele D'Annunzio, wedging himself, however, also into the poetic season marked by the Crepuscolarismo movement (in particular, close ties with Guido Gozzano). Therefore, the focus of my research is on an analysis of Carlo Vallini's major works, most expressive of his personality, giving voice to an author poised between D'Annunzianism and Crepuscolarism
«Where there is no vice of exterminating poets»: Elsa Morante and The world saved by kids
No full textreservedIn questo elaborato verrà analizzato il libro più eccentrico di Elsa Morante: Il mondo salvato dai ragazzini.
Dopo un iniziale inquadramento storico e una precisazione in merito al genere letterario in cui l'opera rientra, si analizzeranno gli influssi che la cultura orientale ha avuto sull'opera e i rimandi intertestuali con Simone Weil, dichiarato modello dell'autrice.
Si passerà poi a un'analisi più puntuale sulla terza sezione: le Canzoni popolari, e si spiegherà dettagliatamente chi siano i Felici Pochi e i ragazzini a cui Elsa Morante affida il compito di salvare il mondo.
Per concludere si porteranno degli esempi puntuali di Felici Pochi anonimi, mettendoli in relazione con alcuni personaggi di un'altra importante opera della stessa autrice: La Storia.This paper will analyse Elsa Morante's most eccentric book:The World Saved by Little Kids.
After an initial historical background and a clarification regarding the literary genre in which the work falls, the influences that Eastern culture had on the work and the intertextual cross-references with Simone Weil, the author's declared model, will be analysed.
It will then turn to a more pointed analysis on the third section: the Folk Songs, and will explain in detail who the Happy Few and the little kids are to whom Elsa Morante entrusts the task of saving the world.
To conclude, timely examples of anonymous Happy Few will be brought in, relating them to some of the characters in another important work by the same author, The Story
Myth in the Poetry of Cesare Pavese
No full textreservedL'elaborato verte attorno all'analisi poetica di alcuni componimenti del poeta novecentesco Cesare Pavese, con l'intento di evidenziare in essi l'elemento mitico. Questo, infatti, trae la propria unicità e il proprio valore dalla sua collocazione extratemporale, che riporta il poeta ad un mondo delle origini superato dalla legge del quotidiano. Nell'insieme delle opposizioni che vigono nella produzione poetica dell'autore torinese: l'infanzia si oppone all'età adulta, la campagna alla città, la razionalità all'irrazionalità e il mito si oppone al logos.
Come evidenziato da Pavese stesso nelle pagine del Mestiere di Vivere, il diario privato che scrive dal 1935 fino alla sua morte, il tema del mito e del selvaggio restano il centro di tutta la sua poetica. In alcuni casi l'interesse per il mito emerge con forti ed evidenti richiami, in altri con dolci echi; questo rende il mito una chiave di lettura della poetica pavesiana.The thesis focuses on the poetic analysis of selected poems by the twentieth-century poet Cesare Pavese, with the objective of highlighting the presence of mythical element. This element derives its uniqueness and significance from its extratemporal dimension, which brings the poet back to a primordial world that has been eclipsed by the constraints of everyday life.
Within the constellation of oppositions that characterize the poetic production of the Turin-born author: childhood versus adulthood, countryside versus city, rationality versus irrationality, myth standing in contraposition to logos.
As Pavese himself underscores in the pages of Mestiere di Vivere, his private diary written between 1935 and his death, the themes of myth and the wild constitute the core of his poetic vision. In some cases, his interest in myth emerges through explicit and strong allusions; in others it emerges as a more subdued and lyrical resonance. In both cases, myth proves to be a crucial interpretative key to Pavese's poetics
Ketamine in Status Epilepticus: How Soon Is Now?
No full textStatus epilepticus (SE) is a neurological emergency. Current evidence dictates a step-by-step approach with a first line of therapy consisting of benzodiazepines (BDZs). In many situations, the currently approved approach does not terminate a BDZ-resistant SE. This happens in Stage 1 Plus, a framework designed by the author to recognize cases of probable benzodiazepine-resistant status epilepticus even before treatment initiation. These cases include Prolonged SE (SE lasting > 10 min), the absence of prominent motor phenomena, and acute etiology (primary central nervous system etiologies most of all). BDZ-refractory SE cases (Stage 1 Plus) might require a different approach, one targeting the unresponsive GABA signaling state mediated by NMDA/AMPA receptors, such as combined polytherapy with Ketamine from the start. These considerations stem from the receptor trafficking hypotheses: in prolonged seizure activity and primary central nervous system etiologies, GABA receptors get internalized and move away from synapses, and therefore, SE becomes resistant to BDZ. A rational polytherapy that might restore the unresponsiveness to BDZ in SE should include NMDA antagonists, such as Ketamine. Ketamine has proven effective in many experimental models of status epilepticus, and much evidence is gathering supporting its use in humans, especially in refractory and super-refractory SE. We lack studies evaluating combined polytherapy in SE, especially in the early phases. The author suggests here that Ketamine should be used along with first-line BDZ in the early SE stage falling in the category of Stage 1 Plus and as a first-line anesthetic infusion drug in refractory SE, especially in cases progressing from Stage 1 Plus, eventually adding continuous midazolam/propofol infusion in later phases. This systematic review’s objective is to summarize the presently available evidence of the early use of combined polytherapy that includes Ketamine, along with the currently available evidence of Ketamine use in early, established, and refractory SE. Nine studies were included. Boluses of Ketamine and Midazolam are effective in pediatric convulsive Stage 1 Plus SE. The results show that earlier Ketamine administration (especially within 12 h of SE onset) was significantly associated with improved seizure control, with a more favorable safety profile than Midazolam in refractory SE. Notably, a dosage of less than 0.9 mg/kg/h proves ineffective in terminating SE. Ketamine has the advantage of preventing intubation, possibly shortening the length of stay in the intensive care unit
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