Agamben, G. (2015), Homo sacer, IV, 2 : L’usage des corps, Paris, Seuil, 393 p.

Compte rendu de l'ouvrage "Agamben, G. (2015), Homo sacer, IV, 2 : L’usage des corps, Paris, Seuil, 393 p."

Il testo esposto. Forme iconotestuali ed ecfrastiche nella letteratura italiana contemporanea (1988-2021)

A partire dal dibattito teorico proposto dalla comunità scientifica, che afferma che negli iconotesti le immagini non illustrano il testo e i testi non descrivono le immagini, e che tra i due linguaggi esiste un rapporto di insubordinazione e conflitto, l’obiettivo principale della mia tesi è quello di individuare come tale rapporto prenda forma in un corpus composto da autori italiani (Daniele Del Giudice, Umberto Eco, Michele Mari, Giorgio Agamben, Tommaso Pincio, Filippo Tuena, Emanuele Trevi, Antonella Anedda) e stranieri (John Berger, Sophie Calle, W. G. Sebald, Julio Cortázar, Orhan Pamuk, Jorge Luis Borges). Dopo aver tracciato la storia dell'iconotesto, la tesi si propone di definire una nuova categoria di iconotesto, in cui immagini e testi sono esposti all'interno di altre immagini. Può trattarsi di fotografie scattate dagli autori o da altri fotografi, oppure di immagini d'archivio. L’obiettivo è quello di mostrare le influenze formali del "Bilderatlas Mnemosyne" di Aby Warburg nel corpus selezionato e di verificare come questa tipologia sia sempre più diffusa nella letteratura contemporanea, come proiezione di una tendenza all'ipertestualità: ricorrono alcuni elementi come il montaggio, la mise en abyme, la ripetizione e il dettaglio, e una particolare forma di ekphrasis-didascalia, secondo cui la presenza dell'immagine implica una metamorfosi della concezione tradizionale del testo che descrive un'immagine, attraverso il passaggio dalla descrizione alla mostrazione.

Il ruolo di Giorgio Castelfranco nella salvaguardia e tutela del patrimonio artistico italiano. La questione delle esportazioni illecite e delle spoliazioni di opere d'arte attuate dai nazisti in Italia negli anni precedenti e durante la Seconda Guerra mondiale.

La presente ricerca affronta il tema delle esportazioni illecite e delle spoliazioni di opere d’arte attuate dai nazisti in Italia negli anni precedenti e durante la Seconda guerra mondiale. In particolare, all’interno di tale vasta questione, si è voluto far emergere il ruolo di Giorgio Castelfranco nella salvaguardia e tutela del patrimonio artistico italiano. Giorgio Castelfranco, funzionario di soprintendenza storico dell’arte, ha apportato il proprio contributo nella tutela del patrimonio grazie a diverse azioni da lui compiute durante la propria carriera. Contributo che si può far iniziare con i primi interventi di tutela, diremmo oggi, preventiva, come la compilazione del catalogo degli oggetti d’arte e degli elenchi dei monumenti, ma anche la salvaguardia delle bellezze naturali, compiuti negli anni Venti e Trenta del Novecento, presso le Soprintendenze della Puglia, dell’Umbria e della Toscana. Con l’emergenza della Guerra poi Castelfranco fu impegnato in una vera e propria opera di recupero e ricostruzione. Quest'ultima intesa non del solo patrimonio storico-artistico e monumentale, ma anche dell’amministrazione delle Belle Arti, a cui Castelfranco ha attivamente contribuito durante la reggenza della Direzione Generale sotto il Governo Badoglio. Inoltre, in occasione dei sopralluoghi ai depositi di opere d’arte toscani e durante la Missione per il recupero delle opere d’arte in Germania del 1946-1947, Castelfranco, grazie alle proprie competenze e all’esperienza maturata in decenni di attività professionale, ebbe l’occasione di dare il proprio fondamentale contributo all’individuazione e al recupero delle opere d’arte esportate illecitamente e trafugate dai nazisti.

Compliance improvement in periodontal maintenance

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to assess the infuence of efforts applied to modify the patients' behavior towards periodontal maintenance. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Patients were classifed into three groups: Complete Compliance (participation in all visits), Irregular Compliance (irregular participation, one or more missing appointments), and Noncompliance (abandoned or never returned to the program). Complete compliers received usual procedures of the maintenance visit. The irregular compliers and non-compliers received usual procedures and strategies such as reminding next visit, informing patients on both periodontal disease and importance of maintenance, motivating the patient who showed an improvement in compliance. Thus, 137 patients were observed for 12 months. RESULTS: The degree of compliance has increased signifcantly during this period (p=0.001). No association was detected between age or gender and compliance degree. CONCLUSIONS: The results have shown that the intervention applied had a favorable infuence on the patients' compliance.

A Novel Organotellurium Compound (RT-01) as a New Antileishmanial Agent

Leishmaniasis is a neglected disease and endemic in developing countries. A lack of adequate and definitive chemotherapeutic agents to fight against this infection has led to the investigation of numerous compounds. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of RT-01, an organotellurane compound presenting biological activities, in 2 experimental systems against Leishmania amazonensis. The in vitro system consisted of promastigotes and amastigotes forms of the parasite, and the in vivo system consisted of L. amazonensis infected BALB/c mice, an extremely susceptible mouse strain. The compound proved to be toxic against promastigotes and amastigotes. The study also showed that treatment with RT-01 produces an effect similar to that treatment with the reference antimonial drug, Glucantime, in L. amazonensis infected mice. The best results were obtained following RT-01 intralesional administration (720 mu g/kg/day); mice showed significant delay in the development of cutaneous lesions and decreased numbers of parasites obtained from the lesions. Significant differences in tissue pathology consisted mainly of no expressive accumulation of inflammatory cells and well-preserved structures in the skin tissue of RT-01-treated mice compared with expressive infiltration of infected cells replacing the skin tissue in lesions of untreated mice. These findings highlight the fact that the apparent potency of organotellurane compounds, together with their relatively simple structure, may represent a new avenue for the development of novel drugs to combat parasitic diseases.

Hyperbaric Oxygen Prevents Early Death Caused by Experimental Cerebral Malaria

Background: Cerebral malaria (CM) is a syndrome characterized by neurological signs, seizures and coma. Despite the fact that CM presents similarities with cerebral stroke, few studies have focused on new supportive therapies for the disease. Hyperbaric oxygen (HBO) therapy has been successfully used in patients with numerous brain disorders such as stroke, migraine and atherosclerosis. Methodology/Principal Findings: C57BL/6 mice infected with Plasmodium berghei ANKA (PbA) were exposed to daily doses of HBO (100% O(2), 3.0 ATA, 1-2 h per day) in conditions well-tolerated by humans and animals, before or after parasite establishment. Cumulative survival analyses demonstrated that HBO therapy protected 50% of PbA-infected mice and delayed CM-specific neurological signs when administrated after patent parasitemia. Pressurized oxygen therapy reduced peripheral parasitemia, expression of TNF-alpha, IFN-gamma and IL-10 mRNA levels and percentage of gamma delta and alpha beta CD4(+) and CD8(+) T lymphocytes sequestered in mice brains, thus resulting in a reduction of blood-brain barrier (BBB)dysfunction and hypothermia. Conclusions/Significance: The data presented here is the first indication that HBO treatment could be used as supportive therapy, perhaps in association with neuroprotective drugs, to prevent CM clinical outcomes, including death.

Communication structure of cortical networks

Large-scale cortical networks exhibit characteristic topological properties that shape communication between brain regions and global cortical dynamics. Analysis of complex networks allows the description of connectedness, distance, clustering, and centrality that reveal different aspects of how the network's nodes communicate. Here, we focus on a novel analysis of complex walks in a series of mammalian cortical networks that model potential dynamics of information flow between individual brain regions. We introduce two new measures called absorption and driftness. Absorption is the average length of random walks between any two nodes, and takes into account all paths that may diffuse activity throughout the network. Driftness is the ratio between absorption and the corresponding shortest path length. For a given node of the network, we also define four related measurements, namely in-and out-absorption as well as in-and out-driftness, as the averages of the corresponding measures from all nodes to that node, and from that node to all nodes, respectively. We find that the cat thalamo-cortical system incorporates features of two classic network topologies, Erdos-Renyi graphs with respect to in-absorption and in-driftness, and configuration models with respect to out-absorption and out-driftness. Moreover, taken together these four measures separate the network nodes based on broad functional roles (visual, auditory, somatomotor, and frontolimbic).

Modelagem de dados de entrada para simulação estocástica de lavra

Mine simulation depends on data that is both coherent and representative of the mining operation. This paper describes a methodology for modeling operational data which has been developed for mine simulation. The methodology has been applied to a case study of an open-pit mine, where the cycle times of the truck fleet have been modeled for mine simulation purposes. The results obtained have shown that once the operational data has been treated using the proposed methodology, the system variables have proven to be adherent to theoretical distributions. The research indicated the need jar tracking the origin of data inconsistencies through the development of a process to manage inconsistent data from the mining operation.

Hypoxia modulates phenotype, inflammatory response, and leishmanial infection of human dendritic cells

Development of hypoxic areas occurs during infectious and inflammatory processes and dendritic cells (DCs) are involved in both innate and adaptive immunity in diseased tissues. Our group previously reported that macrophages exposed to hypoxia were infected with the intracellular parasite Leishmania amazonensis, but showed reduced susceptibility to the parasite. This study shows that although hypoxia did not alter human DC viability, it significantly altered phenotypic and functional characteristics. The expression of CD1a, CD80, and CD86 was significantly reduced in DCs exposed to hypoxia, whereas CD11c, CD14, CD123, CD49 and HLA-DR expression remained unaltered in DCs cultured in hypoxia or normoxia. DC secretion of IL-12p70, the bioactive interleukin-12 (IL-12), a cytokine produced in response to inflammatory mediators, was enhanced under hypoxia. In addition, phagocytic activity (Leishmania uptake) was not impaired under hypoxia, although this microenviroment induced infected DCs to reduce parasite survival, consequently controlling the infection rate. All these data support the notion that a hypoxic microenvironment promotes selective pressure on DCs to assume a phenotype characterized by pro-inflammatory and microbial activities in injured or inflamed tissues and contribute to the innate immune response.

Effect of laser phototherapy on the release of fibroblast growth factors by human gingival fibroblasts

The effects of laser phototherapy on the release of growth factors by human gingival fibroblasts were studied in vitro. Cells from a primary culture were irradiated twice (6 h interval), with continuous diode laser [gallium-aluminum-arsenium (GaAlAs), 780 nm, or indium-gallium-aluminum-phosphide (InGaAlP),_660 nm] in punctual and contact mode, 40 mW, spot size 0.042 cm(2), 3 J/cm(2) and 5 J/cm(2) (3 s and 5 s, respectively). Positive [10% fetal bovine serum (FBS)] and negative (1%FBS) controls were not irradiated. Production of keratinocyte growth factor (KGF) and basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) was quantified by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The data were statistically compared by analysis of variance (ANOVA) followed by Tukey`s test (P a parts per thousand currency signaEuro parts per thousand 0.05). The characterization of the cell line indicated a mesenchymal nature. KGF release was similar in all groups, while that of bFGF was significantly greater (1.49-times) in groups treated with infra-red laser. It was concluded that increased production of bFGF could be one of the mechanisms by which infra-red laser stimulates wound healing.

Silêncios em liberdade assistida : entre governamentalidades e estratégias de vida

Esta pesquisa teve a intenção de traçar e problematizar os atravessamentos percebidos nos encontros com profissionais do Creas (Centro de Referência Especializada da Assistência Social), que atuam com medida socioeducativa em meio aberto ou Liberdade Assistida. Através dos diálogos realizados, tanto por meio de entrevistas individuais ou em grupo, a intenção foi de localizar, intensificar entrelaçamentos, linhas presentes nas diferentes facetas e momentos que esse campo apresenta. Partindo dessa intenção, o desafio que se colocou foi traçar mapas, de forma a dar corpo a ressonâncias com diferentes tempos e territórios. Constatou-se, com o auxílio de alguns autores, como Foucault, Costa e Agamben, a presença de emaranhados de questões que se entrelaçam com várias outras áreas e esferas de atuação, ou seja, áreas que não são não específicas desse campo, mas que envolvem outros profissionais, programas e propostas de serviços Estatais. Tudo isso se encontrou nas falas dos técnicos sobre as ações diárias, priorizando encontros com adolescentes em cumprimento de liberdade assistida e suas famílias, aliadas com referências dos conceitos como de governamentalidade, biopolítica, que permitiram deslocamentos de pontos de vistas cristalizados e problematizações de práticas e discursos que ali estão colocados. Para se construir um olhar crítico sobre esse campo, também foi feito um breve levantamento histórico sobre como alguns conceitos, como os de delinquência e família, são utilizados nas estratégias de intervenção governamental da população. A partir da construção de certos padrões de normalidade no cuidado com a infância ao longo da história das estratégias socioassistenciais do Brasil, se enfatizaram relações de desigualdade nos serviços e práticas contemporâneos. Tudo isso também permitiu questionar como ilegalidades participam das relações de Estado cada vez mais de forma consolidada, participando tanto da afirmação de práticas produtoras de aprisionamentos, como também possibilitando a percepção de diferentes tipos de relações que atuam na produção de outras formas de se viver Liberdade Assistida, sob discursos e práticas vigilância e controle.

Do silêncio à acção.

From silence to action: silence taken as a foundational action that allows creative processes. It is a blankness that precedes the moment of creation but also stands for a search for perfection, the un-representable, the Sublime. The ‘art moment’ is that what is created from such emptiness, in the vertiginous abyss from nowhere to action. We will work this complex process of understanding if an action precedes the silence or if the silence precedes the action. Analyzing art process, considering its phases, from the tension between either to create or not to create will be related with the potency refereed by Agamben regarding Bartleby: starting with blankness, with the invisibility of potency, when communication is urgent. When “the blues” are called into participation, when the melancholic state installs the potency of the work both to grow or be doubted, of to do or not to do, how do we read agency? Is silence the action? Should the action rest in silence? What to do? Remain in the state of pure potency or prove the impossibility to create form? Nowadays, the pensive image counters the logic of the narrative action. On the one hand, the image extends the action on the other hand suspends any given presumption. The artistic process carries on, in its poetic freedom, a search without the enslavement of representational forms.

Moderna visão da evolução da virulência

Atualmente considera-se que parasitas devem evoluir em direção à virulência reduzida, pois patógenos virulentos apresentam maiores probabilidades de levarem seus hospedeiros e eles próprios à extinção. A virulência é assim considerada estágio primitivo da associação parasita-hospedeiro. A validade dessas idéias tem sido questionada. Portanto, fez-se revisão dos estudos recentes que sugerem que parasitas não evoluem necessariamente em direção à reduzida virulência. Do ponto de vista da medicina darwinista, na evolução da virulência podem haver muitas trajetórias coevolutivas possíveis, que dependerão da história natural do parasita, do comportamento do hospedeiro e da via de transmissão.

O tradicional e o erudito, o som e a escrita, a técnica e a arte. Uma Choradinha açoriana e uma Ungaresca italiana, com Saltarello

Um workshop para professores e estudantes de formação musical em torno de duas pequenas obras de Giorgio Mainerio (1535-1582) e de Eurico Carrapatoso (n. 1962), ambas compostas a partir de melodias tidas como tradicionais. Música tradicional e erudita, géneros contrastantes, diferentes carácteres, formas, dinâmicas, andamentos, compassos e sua alternância, pulsações e divisões, organizações sonoras tonais e modais, bordões e ostinati, polifonias vocais, percussões e movimento. Fazer música aprendida "de ouvido", sentida, percebida, cantada a vozes e partilhada com outros. O prazer de ouvir, de cantar e de guardar as partituras para mais tarde... tornar a cantar.

CIDER - envisaging a COTS communication infrastructure for evolutionary dependable real-time systems

It is foreseen that future dependable real-time systems will also have to meet flexibility, adaptability and reconfigurability requirements. Considering the distributed nature of these computing systems, a communication infrastructure that permits to fulfil all those requirements is thus of major importance. Although Ethernet has been used primarily as an information network, there is a strong belief that some very recent technological advances will enable its use in dependable applications with real-time requirements. Indeed, several recently standardised mechanisms associated with Switched-Ethernet seem to be promising to enable communication infrastructures to support hard real-time, reliability and flexible distributed applications. This paper describes the motivation and the work being developed within the CIDER (Communication Infrastructure for Dependable Evolvable Real-Time Systems) project, which envisages the use of COTS Ethernet as an enabling technology for future dependable real-time systems. It is foreseen that the CIDER approach will constitute a relevant stream of research since it will bring together cutting edge research in the field of real-time and dependable distributed systems and the industrial eagerness to expand Ethernet responsabilities to support dependable real-time applications.