"Clasicismo versus Medievalismo en la Inglaterra Victoriano-Eduardina; "A Room with a View"" de E. M. Forster como ejemplo

El objetivo de este artículo es ilustrar la bien conocida oposición clasicismo / medievalismo en la Inglaterra Victoriano-Eduardina analizando minuciosamente A Room with a View de E. M. Forster desde la perspectiva de la Tradición Clásica y, por consiguiente, centrando la atención en el significado e importancia del conjunto de sus referencias clásicas ¿grecolatinas.

Billy Budd: de H. Melville a E. M. Forster, o la via Plutarquea vers Plató

L'objectiu d'aquest article és proposar i fonamentar una via plutarquea -no només Les Vides Paral·leles, sinó també L'Eròtic- vers el contingut platònic de Billy Budd de B. Britten amb libretto d'E. M. Fosrter en col·laboració amb Eric Crozier. H. Melville no cita pas Plutarc en la seva novel·la, però l'excel·lent coneixement dels textos de l'escriptor i filòsof grec per part d'E. M. Foster fa que aquesta hipòtesi sigui altament versemblant.

Billy Budd: de H. Melville a E. M. Forster, o la via Plutarquea hacia Platón

El objetivo de este artículo es proponer y fundamentar una vía plutarquea -no sólo Las Vidas Parelelas, sino tambén El Eròtico- al contenido platónico de Billy Budd de B. Britten con libreto de E. M. Foster en colaboración con Eric Crozier. H. Melville no cita a Plutarco en su novela, pero el excelente conocimiento de los textos del escritor y filósofo griego por parte de E. M. Forster hace que esta hipótesis sea altamente verosímil.

Billy Budd: from H. Melville to E. M. Forster, or Plutarch's way to Plató

The aim of this article is to propose and lay the foundations of a Plutarch's way ¿not only his Lives but also his Eroticus- to the Platonic content of Billy Budd by B. Britten with a libretto by E. M. Forster in association with Eric Crozier. Plutarch is not quoted in H. Melville¿s novel, but E. M. Forster¿s good knowledge of the texts by the Greek writer and philosopher makes this hypothesis quite credible

Association of MMP-2 polymorphisms with severe and very severe COPD: a case control study of MMPs-1, 9 and 12 in a European population.

BACKGROUND: Genetic factors play a role in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) but are poorly understood. A number of candidate genes have been proposed on the basis of the pathogenesis of COPD. These include the matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) genes which play a role in tissue remodelling and fit in with the protease--antiprotease imbalance theory for the cause of COPD. Previous genetic studies of MMPs in COPD have had inadequate coverage of the genes, and have reported conflicting associations of both single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and SNP haplotypes, plausibly due to under-powered studies. METHODS: To address these issues we genotyped 26 SNPs, providing comprehensive coverage of reported SNP variation, in MMPs- 1, 9 and 12 from 977 COPD patients and 876 non-diseased smokers of European descent and evaluated their association with disease singly and in haplotype combinations. We used logistic regression to adjust for age, gender, centre and smoking history. RESULTS: Haplotypes of two SNPs in MMP-12 (rs652438 and rs2276109), showed an association with severe/very severe disease, corresponding to GOLD Stages III and IV. CONCLUSIONS: Those with the common A-A haplotype for these two SNPs were at greater risk of developing severe/very severe disease (p = 0.0039) while possession of the minor G variants at either SNP locus had a protective effect (adjusted odds ratio of 0.76; 95% CI 0.61 - 0.94). The A-A haplotype was also associated with significantly lower predicted FEV1 (42.62% versus 44.79%; p = 0.0129). This implicates haplotypes of MMP-12 as modifiers of disease severity.

$E_{1}$-Formality of complex algebraic varieties

Let $X$ be a smooth complex algebraic variety. Morgan showed that the rational homotopy type of $X$ is a formal consequence of the differential graded algebra defined by the first term $E_{1}(X,W)$ of its weight spectral sequence. In the present work, we generalize this result to arbitrary nilpotent complex algebraic varieties (possibly singular and/or non-compact) and to algebraic morphisms between them. In particular, our results generalize the formality theorem of Deligne, Griffiths, Morgan and Sullivan for morphisms of compact Kähler varieties, filling a gap in Morgan"s theory concerning functoriality over the rationals. As an application, we study the Hopf invariant of certain algebraic morphisms using intersection theory.

A topical microemulsion for the prevention of allergic rhinitis symptoms: results of a randomized, controlled, double-blind, parallel group, multicentre, multinational clinical trial (Nares study)

Background: Since barrier protection measures to avoid contact with allergens are being increasingly developed, we assessed the clinical efficacy and tolerability of a topical nasal microemulsion made of glycerol esters in patients with allergic rhinitis. Methods: Randomized, controlled, double-blind, parallel group, multicentre, multinational clinical trial in which adult patients with allergic rhinitis or rhinoconjunctivitis due to sensitization to birch, grass or olive tree pollens received treatment with topical microemulsion or placebo during the pollen seasons. Efficacy variables included scores in the mini-RQLQ questionnaire, number and severity of nasal, ocular and lung signs and symptoms, need for symptomatic medications and patients" satisfaction with treatment. Adverse events were also recorded. Results: Demographic characteristics were homogeneous between groups and mini-RQLQ scores did not differ significantly at baseline (visit 1). From symptoms recorded in the diary cards, the ME group showed statistically significant better scores for nasal congestion (0.72 vs. 1.01; p = 0.017) and mean total nasal symptoms (0.7 vs. 0.9; p = 0.045). At visit 2 (pollen season), lower values were observed in the mini-RQLQ in the ME group, although there were no statistically significant differences between groups in both full analysis set (FAS) and patients completing treatment (PPS) populations. The results obtained in the nasal symptoms domain of the mini-RQLQ at visit 2 showed the highest difference (−0.43; 95% CI: -0.88 to 0.02) for the ME group in the FAS population. The topical microemulsion was safe and well tolerated and no major discomforts were observed. Satisfaction rating with the treatment was similar between the groups. Conclusions: The topical application of the microemulsion is a feasible and safe therapy in the prevention of allergic symptoms, particularly nasal congestion.