Charge dynamics in half-filled Hubbard chains with finite on-site interaction

We study the charge dynamic structure factor of the one-dimensional Hubbard model with finite on-site repulsion U at half-filling. Numerical results from the time-dependent density matrix renormalization group are analyzed by comparison with the exact spectrum of the model. The evolution of the line shape as a function of U is explained in terms of a relative transfer of spectral weight between the two-holon continuum that dominates in the limit U -> infinity and a subset of the two-holon-two-spinon continuum that reconstructs the electron-hole continuum in the limit U -> 0. Power-law singularities along boundary lines of the spectrum are described by effective impurity models that are explicitly invariant under spin and eta-spin SU(2) rotations. The Mott-Hubbard metal-insulator transition is reflected in a discontinuous change of the exponents of edge singularities at U = 0. The sharp feature observed in the spectrum for momenta near the zone boundary is attributed to a van Hove singularity that persists as a consequence of integrability.

Gender characterization in a large series of Brazilian patients with spondyloarthritis

An increasing number of women have been diagnosed with spondyloarthritis (SpA) in recent decades. While a few studies have analyzed gender as a prognostic factor of the disease, no studies have addressed this matter with a large number of patients in South America, which is a peculiar region due to its genetic heterogeneity. The aim of the present study was to analyze the influence of gender on disease patterns in a large cohort of Brazilian patients with SpA. A prospective study was carried out involving 1,505 patients [1,090 males (72.4%) and 415 females (27.6%)] classified as SpA according to the European Spondyloarthropaties Study Group criteria who attended at 29 reference centers for rheumatology in Brazil. Clinical and demographic variables were recorded and the following disease indices were administered: Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Index (BASDAI), Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Functional Index (BASFI), Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Radiologic Index (BASRI), Maastricht Ankylosing Spondylitis Enthesitis Score (MASES), and Ankylosing Spondylitis Quality of Life (ASQoL). Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) was the most frequent disease in the group (65.4%), followed by psoriatic arthritis (18.4%), undifferentiated SpA (6.7%), reactive arthritis (3.3%), arthritis associated to inflammatory bowel disease (3.2%), and juvenile SpA (2.9%). The male-to-female ratio was 2.6:1 for the whole group and 3.6:1 for AS. The females were older (p<0.001) and reported shorter disease duration (p=0.002) than the male patients. The female gender was positively associated to peripheral SpA (p<0.001), upper limb arthritis (p<0.001), dactylitis (p=0.011), psoriasis (p<0.001), nail involvement (p<0.001), and family history of SpA (p=0.045) and negatively associated to pure axial involvement (p< 0.001), lumbar inflammatory pain (p=0.042), radiographic sacroiliitis (p<0.001), and positive HLA-B27 (p=0.001). The number of painful (p<0.001) and swollen (p=0.006) joints was significantly higher in the female gender, who also achieved higher BASDAI (p<0.001), BASFI (p=0.073, trend), MASES (p=0.019), ASQoL (p=0.014), and patient's global assessment (p=0.003) scores, whereas the use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (p<0.001) and biological agents (p=0.003) was less frequent in the female gender. Moreover, BASRI values were significantly lower in females (p<0.001). The female gender comprised one third of SpA patients in this large cohort and exhibited more significant peripheral involvement and less functional disability, despite higher values in disease indices.

Research Training Program: Duke University and Brazilian Society of Cardiology

Background: Research coaching program focuses on the development of abilities and scientific reasoning. For health professionals, it may be useful to increase both the number and quality of projects and manuscripts. Objective: To evaluate the initial results and implementation methodology of the Research and Innovation Coaching Program of the Research on Research group of Duke University in the Brazilian Society of Cardiology. Methods: The program works on two bases: training and coaching. Training is done online and addresses contents on research ideas, literature search, scientific writing and statistics. After training, coaching favors the establishment of a collaboration between researchers and centers by means of a network of contacts. The present study describes the implementation and initial results in reference to the years 2011-2012. Results: In 2011, 24 centers received training, which consisted of online meetings, study and practice of the contents addressed. In January 2012, a new format was implemented with the objective of reaching more researchers. In six months, 52 researchers were allocated. In all, 20 manuscripts were published and 49 more were written and await submission and/or publication. Additionally, five research funding proposals have been elaborated. Conclusion: The number of manuscripts and funding proposals achieved the objectives initially proposed. However, the main results of this type of initiative should be measured in the long term, because the consolidation of the national production of high-quality research is a virtuous cycle that feeds itself back and expands over time. (Arq Bras Cardiol 2012;99(6):1075-1081)

Antioxidant capacity and mineral content of pulp and peel from commercial cultivars of citrus from Brazil

Four Citrus species (C. sinensis, cvs. Pera and Lima; C. latifolia Tanaka cv. Tahiti; C limettioides Tanaka cv. Sweet lime and C. reticulate, cv. Ponkan) grown in Brazil were characterised in relation to contents of minerals, ascorbic acid, total polyphenols and antioxidant capacity of pulps and peels. In general, the peels demonstrated significantly higher contents of all compounds than the pulps (p < 0.05), with the exception of the Pera orange pulp that presented the highest acid ascorbic content (68 mg/100 ml), while the Tahiti lime peel presented the lowest (8 mg/100 g). Citrus showed high levels of potassium, calcium and magnesium, and the peels were considered sources of these minerals. The Ponkan mandarin peel presented the highest antioxidant capacity. The antioxidant capacity of citrus was correlated both to vitamin C and phenolics. Aside from citrus pulps, the peels are also good sources of bioactive compounds and minerals, and can be explored for their health promoting values in food products. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Safety and efficacy of sitaxsentan 50 and 100 mg in patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension

Objective: To assess safety and efficacy of sitaxsentan 50 and 100 mg in patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). Background: Sitaxsentan is a highly selective endothelin-A receptor antagonist that was recently withdrawn by the manufacturer because of a pattern of idiosyncratic liver injury. Methods: Before sitaxsentan withdrawal, this 18-week double-blind, placebo-controlled study randomized patients with PAH to receive placebo or sitaxsentan 50 or 100 mg once daily. The primary efficacy endpoint was change from baseline in 6-min walk distance (6MWD) at week 18. Changes in World Health Organization (WHO) functional class and time to clinical worsening (TTCW) were secondary endpoints. The primary efficacy analysis was powered for sitaxsentan 100 mg versus placebo. Results: Of 98 randomized patients, 61% were WHO functional class II at baseline. Improvement from baseline to week 18 in 6MWD occurred with sitaxsentan 100 but not 50 mg; a strong placebo effect was observed. At week 18, WHO functional class was improved or maintained in more patients receiving sitaxsentan 100 mg than placebo (P = 0.038); 0% versus 12% of patients deteriorated, respectively. TTCW was not significantly different for 100-mg sitaxsentan patients than placebo (P = 0.090). Adverse events (AEs) occurring more frequently with sitaxsentan (50 or 100 mg) included headache, peripheral edema, dizziness, nausea, extremity pain, and fatigue; most AEs were of mild or moderate severity. Conclusion: Sitaxsentan 100 mg improved functional class but not 6MWD in PAH patients who were mostly WHO functional class II at baseline. No patient receiving sitaxsentan 100 mg experienced clinical worsening; sitaxsentan was well tolerated. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Teachers' sick leave due to mental and behavioral disorders and return to work

This manuscript presents a review of the literature about medical leaves due to mental and behavioral disorders and return to work of teachers. There are scarce published manuscripts. Most articles relate with prevalence of mental disorders and factors associated with the work organization, and did not mention intervention proposals and or changes in the work organization and teaching work. Proposed actions are discussed.

O canteiro do poeta-arquiteto: a conduta criativa de Jo��o Cabral de Melo Neto �� luz de seus manuscritos

Neste artigo repensamos a met��fora do "poeta-engenheiro", ou "poeta-arquiteto", que geralmente caracteriza o processo criativo de Jo��o Cabral de Melo Neto, �� luz de uma leitura gen��tica de manuscritos de A educa����o pela pedra. Veremos que o "arquiteto" da met��fora prov��m da teoria de Le Corbusier, na qual o desenho (a concep����o) determina o canteiro (a execu����o). No entanto, a an��lise de transforma����es de estruturas por meio de reformula����es textuais nos manuscritos do poeta mostra que, por vezes, o projeto, ou inten����o, se transforma nos trabalhos da p��gina-canteiro.

Influence of chest wall on lung mechanics during inspiration.

RATIONALE: The interaction between lungs and chest wall influences lung volume, that determines lung history during respiration cycle. In this study, the influence of chest wall mechanics on respiratory system is assessed by the evaluation of inspiration pressure-volume curve (PV curve) under three different situations: closed-chest, open-chest and isolated lung. The PV curve parameters in each situation allow us to further understand the role played by different chest wall elements in the respiratory function. Methods: Twenty-four male Wistar rats (236 �� 29 g) were used. The animals were weighted and then anesthetized with xylazine 2% (0,5mL/kg) and ketamine 10% (0,9mL/kg), exsanguinated and later tracheostomized with a metallic cannula (14 gauge). The cannula was connected to an automatic small animal insufflator. This setup was connected to a pressure transducer (32 samples/s). The 24 animals were randomly separated in three groups: (i) closed chest, (ii) open chest and (iii) isolated lung. The rats were insufflated with 20mL quasi-statically (constant speed of 0,1mL/s). Insufflated volume and measured pressure data were kept and PV curves were obtained for all animals. The PV curves were fitted (non-linear least squares) against the sigmoid equation (1) to obtain the sigmoid equation parameters (a,b,c,d). Elastance measurements were obtained from linear regression of pressure/volume measurements in a 0,8s interval before and after the calculated point. Results: The parameters a, b and c showed no significant change, but the parameter d showed a significant variation among the three groups. The initial elastance also varied between open and closed chest, indicating the need of a higher pressure for the lung expansion, as can be seen in Table 1. Table 1: Mean and Standard Deviation of parameters obtained for each protocol. Protocol: Closed Chest ��� a (mL) -0.35��0.33; b (mL) 13.93��0.89; c (cm H2O) 21.28��2.37; d (cm H2O) 6.17��0.84; r��** (%) 99.4��0.14; Initial Elastance* (cm H2)/mL) 12.72��6.66; Weight (g) 232.33��5.72. Open Chest - a (mL) 0.01��0.28; b (mL) 14.79��0.54; c (cm H2O) 19.47��1.41; d (cm H2O) 3.50��0.28; r��** (%) 98.8��0.34; Initial Elastance* (cm H2)/mL) 28.68��2.36; Weight (g) 217.33��7.97. Isolated Lung - a (mL) -0.09��0.46; b (mL) 14.22��0.75; c (cm H2O) 21.76��1.43; d (cm H2O) 4.24��0.50; r��** (%) 98.9��0.19; Initial Elastance* (cm H2)/mL) 7.13��8.85; Weight (g) 224.33��16.66. * Elastance measures in the 0-0,1 mL range. ** Goodness of sigmoid fit versus measured data Conclusion: A supporting effect of the chest wall was observed at the initial moments of inspiration, observed as a higher initial elastance in open chest situations than in closed chest situations (p=0,00001). The similar initial elastance for the isolated lung and closed chest may be explained by the specific method used for the isolated lung experiment. As the isolated lung is supported by the trachea vertically, the weight of the tissue may have a similar effect of the residual negative pressure in the thorax, responsible for maintaining the residual volume.

Studies of Inorganic Layer and Framework Structures Using Time-, Temperature- and Pressure-Resolved Powder Diffraction Techniques

This thesis is concerned with in-situ time-, temperature- and pressure-resolved synchrotron X-ray powder diffraction investigations of a variety of inorganic compounds with twodimensional layer structures and three-dimensional framework structures. In particular, phase stability, reaction kinetics, thermal expansion and compressibility at non-ambient conditions has been studied for 1) Phosphates with composition MIV(HPO4)2��nH2O (MIV = Ti, Zr); 2) Pyrophosphates and pyrovanadates with composition MIVX2O7 (MIV = Ti, Zr and X = P, V); 3) Molybdates with composition ZrMo2O8. The results are compiled in seven published papers and two manuscripts. Reaction kinetics for the hydrothermal synthesis of ��-Ti(HPO4)2��H2O and intercalation of alkane diamines in ��-Zr(HPO4)2��H2O was studied using time-resolved experiments. In the high-temperature transformation of ��-Ti(PO4)(H2PO4)��2H2O to TiP2O7 three intermediate phases, ��'-Ti(PO4)(H2PO4)��(2-x)H2O, ��-Ti(PO4)(H2PO4) and Ti(PO4)(H2P2O7)0.5 were found to crystallise at 323, 373 and 748 K, respectively. A new tetragonal three-dimensional phosphate phase called ��-Zr(HPO4)2 was prepared, and subsequently its structure was determined and refined using the Rietveld method. In the high-temperature transformation from ��-Zr(HPO4)2 to cubic ��-ZrP2O7 two new orthorhombic intermediate phases were found. The first intermediate phase, ��-Zr(HPO4)2, forms at 598 K, and the second phase, ��-ZrP2O7, at 688 K. Their respective structures were solved using direct methods and refined using the Rietveld method. In-situ high-pressure studies of ��-Zr(HPO4)2 revealed two new phases, tetragonal ��-Zr(HPO4)2 and orthorhombic ��-Zr(HPO4)2 that crystallise at 1.1 and 8.2 GPa. The structure of ��-Zr(HPO4)2 was solved and refined using the Rietveld method. The high-pressure properties of the pyrophosphates ZrP2O7 and TiP2O7, and the pyrovanadate ZrV2O7 were studied up to 40 GPa. Both pyrophosphates display smooth compression up to the highest pressures, while ZrV2O7 has a phase transformation at 1.38 GPa from cubic to pseudo-tetragonal ��-ZrV2O7 and becomes X-ray amorphous at pressures above 4 GPa. In-situ high-pressure studies of trigonal ��-ZrMo2O8 revealed the existence of two new phases, monoclinic ��-ZrMo2O8 and triclinic ��-ZrMo2O8 that crystallises at 1.1 and 2.5 GPa, respectively. The structure of ��-ZrMo2O8 was solved by direct methods and refined using the Rietveld method.

Le Antichit�� di Bologna di Bartolomeo della Pugliola

For a long time, the work of a Franciscan Friar who had lived in Bologna and in Florence during the 13th and 14th centuries, Bartolomeo Della Pugliola, was thought to have been lost. Recent paleographic research, however, has affirmed that most of Della Pugliola���s work, although mixed into other authors, is contained in two manuscripts (1994 and 3843), currently kept at University Library in Bologna. Pugliola���s chronicle is central to Bolognese medieval literature, not only because it was the privileged source for the important work of Ramponis��� chronicle, but also because Bartolomeo della Pugliola���s sources are several significant works such as Jacopo Bianchetti���s lost writings and Pietro and Floriano Villolas��� chronicle (1163-1372). Ongoing historical studies and recent discoveries enabled me to reconstruct the historical chronology of Pugliola���s work as well as the Bolognese language between the 13th and 14th century The original purpose of my research was to add a linguistic commentary to the edition of the text in order to fill the gaps in medieval Bolognese language studies. In addition to being a reliable source, Pugliola���s chronicle was widely disseminated and became a sort of vulgate. The tradition of chronicle, through collation, allows the study of the language from a diachronic point of view. I therefore described all the linguistics phenomena related to phonetics, morphology and syntax in Pugliola���s text and I compared these results with variants in Villola���s and Ramponis��� chronicles. I also did likewise with another chronicle by a 16th century merchant, Friano Ubaldini, that I edited. This supplement helped to complete the Bolognese language outline from the 13th to the 16th century. In order to analize the data that I collected, I tried to approach them from a sociolinguistic point of view because each author represents a different variant of the language: closer to a scripta and the Florentine the language used by Pugliola, closer to the dialect spoken in Bologna the language used by Ubaldini. Differencies in handwriting especially show the models the authors try to reproduce or imitate. The glossary I added at the end of this study can help to understand these nuances with a number of examples.

Indagine sulla nozione di fatto urbano ne L'architettura della citt�� di Aldo Rossi

Questa tesi di dottorato di ricerca ha come oggetto la nozione di fatto urbano elaborata e presentata da Aldo Rossi nel libro L���architettura della citt�� edito nel 1966. Ne L���architettura della citt�� sono molteplici le definizioni e le forme con cui �� enunciata la nozione di fatto urbano. Nel corso della tesi si �� indagato come la costruzione nel tempo di questo concetto �� stata preceduta da diversi studi giovanili intrapresi dal 1953, poi riorganizzati e sintetizzati a partire dal 1963 in un quaderno manoscritto dal titolo ���Manuale di urbanistica���, in diversi appunti e in due quaderni manoscritti. Il lavoro di ricerca ha ricostruito la formulazione della nozione di fatto urbano attraverso gli scritti di Rossi. In questa direzione la rilevazione della partecipazione di Rossi a dibattiti, seminari, riviste, corsi universitari o ricerche accademiche �� apparsa di fondamentale importanza, per comprendere la complessit�� di un lavoro non riconducibile a dei concetti disciplinari, ma alla formazione di una teoria trasmissibile. Il tentativo di comprendere e spiegare la nozione di fatto urbano ha condotto ad esaminare l���accezione con cui Rossi compone L���architettura della citt��, che egli stesso assimila ad un trattato. L���analisi ha identificato come la composizione del libro non �� direttamente riferibile ad un uso classico della stesura editoriale del trattato, la quale ha tra i riferimenti pi�� noti nel passato la promozione di una pratica corretta come nel caso vitruviano o un���impalcatura instauratrice di una nuova categoria come nel caso dell���Alberti. La mancanza di un sistema globale e prescrittivo a differenza dei due libri fondativi e il rimando non immediato alla stesura di un trattato classico �� evidente ne L���architettura della citt��. Tuttavia la possibilit�� di condurre la ricerca su una serie di documenti inediti ha permesso di rilevare come negli scritti a partire dal 1953, sia maturata una trattazione delle questioni centrali alla nozione di fatto urbano ricca di intuizioni, che aspirano ad un���autonomia, sintetizzate, seppure in modo non sistematico, nella stesura del celebre libro. Si �� cos�� cercato di mettere in luce la precisazione nel tempo della nozione di fatto urbano e della sua elaborazione nei molteplici scritti antecedenti la pubblicazione de L���architettura della citt��, precisando come Rossi, pur costruendo su basi teoriche la nozione di fatto urbano, ne indichi una visione progressiva, ossia un uso operativo sulla citt��. La ricerca si �� proposta come obiettivo di comprendere le radici culturali della nozione di fatto urbano sia tramite un���esplorazione degli interessi di Rossi nel suo percorso formativo sia rispetto alla definizione della struttura materiale del fatto urbano che Rossi individua nelle permanenze e che alimenta nella sua definizione con differenti apporti derivanti da altre discipline. Compito di questa ricerca �� stato rileggere criticamente il percorso formativo compiuto da Rossi, a partire dal 1953, sottolinearne gli ambiti innovativi e precisarne i limiti descrittivi che non vedranno mai la determinazione di una nozione esatta, ma piuttosto la strutturazione di una sintesi complessa e ricca di riferimenti ad altri studi. In sintesi la tesi si compone di tre parti: 1. la prima parte, dal titolo ���La teoria dei fatti urbani ne L���architettura della citt�����, analizza il concetto di fatto urbano inserendolo all���interno del pi�� generale contesto teorico contenuto nel libro L���architettura della citt��. Questo avviene tramite la scomposizione del libro, la concatenazione delle sue argomentazioni e la molteplicit�� delle fonti esplicitamente citate da Rossi. In questo ambito si precisa la struttura del libro attraverso la rilettura dei riferimenti serviti a Rossi per comporre il suo progetto teorico. Inoltre si ripercorre la sua vita attraverso le varie edizioni, le ristampe, le introduzioni e le illustrazioni. Infine si analizza il ruolo del concetto di fatto urbano nel libro rilevando come sia posto in un rapporto paritetico con il titolo del libro, conseguendone un���accezione di ��fatto da osservare�� assimilabile all���uso proposto dalla geografia urbana francese dei primi del Novecento. 2. la seconda parte, dal titolo ���La formazione della nozione di fatto urbano 1953-66���, �� dedicata alla presentazione dell���elaborazione teorica negli scritti di Rossi prima de L���architettura della citt��, ossia dal 1953 al 1966. Questa parte cerca di descrivere le radici culturali di Rossi, le sue collaborazioni e i suoi interessi ripercorrendo la progressiva definizione della concezione di citt�� nel tempo. Si �� analizzato il percorso maturato da Rossi e i documenti scritti fin dagli anni in cui era studente alla Facolt�� di Architettura Politecnico di Milano. Emerge un quadro complesso in cui i primi saggi, gli articoli e gli appunti testimoniano una ricerca intellettuale tesa alla costruzione di un sapere sullo sfondo del realismo degli anni Cinquanta. Rossi matura infatti un impegno culturale che lo porta dopo la laurea ad affrontare discorsi pi�� generali sulla citt��. In particolare la sua importante collaborazione con la rivista Casabella-continuit��, con il suo direttore Ernesto Nathan Rogers e tutto il gruppo redazionale segnano il periodo successivo in cui compare l���interesse per la letteratura urbanistica, l���arte, la sociologia, la geografia, l���economia e la filosofia. Seguono poi dal 1963 gli anni di lavoro insieme al gruppo diretto da Carlo Aymonino all���Istituto Universitario di Architettura di Venezia, e in particolare le ricerche sulla tipologia edilizia e la morfologia urbana, che portano Rossi a compiere una sintesi analitica per la fondazione di una teoria della citt��. Dall���indagine si rileva infatti come gli scritti antecedenti L���architettura della citt�� sviluppano lo studio dei fatti urbani fino ad andare a costituire il nucleo teorico di diversi capitoli del libro. Si racconta cos�� la genesi del libro, la cui scrittura si �� svolta nell���arco di due anni, e le aspirazioni che hanno portato quello che era stato concepito come un ���manuale d���urbanistica��� a divenire quello che Rossi definir�� ���l���abbozzo di un trattato��� per la formulazione di una scienza urbana. 3. la terza parte, dal titolo ���La struttura materiale dei fatti urbani: la teoria della permanenza���, indaga monograficamente lo studio della citt�� come un fatto materiale, un manufatto, la cui costruzione �� avvenuta nel tempo e del tempo mantiene le tracce. Sul tema della teoria della permanenza �� stato importante impostare un confronto con il dibattito vivo negli anni della ricostruzione dopo la guerra intorno ai temi delle preesistenze ambientali nella ricostruzione negli ambienti storici. Sono emersi fin da subito importanti la relazione con Ernesto Nathan Rogers, le discussioni sulle pagine di Casabella-Continuit��, la partecipazione ad alcuni dibatti e ricerche. Si �� inoltre Rilevato l���uso di diversi termini mutuati dalle tesi filosofiche di alcune personalit�� come Antonio Banfi e Enzo Paci, poi elaborati dal nucleo redazionale di Casabella-Continuit��, di cui faceva parte anche Rossi. Sono cos�� emersi alcuni spostamenti di senso e la formulazione di un vocabolario di termini all���interno della complessa vicenda della cultura architettonica degli anni Cinquanta e Sessanta. 1. Si �� poi affrontato questo tema analizzando le forme con cui Rossi presenta la definizione della teoria della permanenza e i contributi desunti da alcuni autori per la costruzione scientifica di una teoria dell���architettura, il cui fine �� quello di essere trasmissibile e di offrire strumenti di indagine concreti. Questa ricerca ha permesso di ipotizzare come il lavoro dei geografi francesi della prima met�� del XX secolo, e in particolare il contributo pi�� rilevante di Marcel Po��te e di Pierre Lavedan, costituiscono le fonti principali e il campo d���indagine maggiormente esplorato da Rossi per definire la teoria della permanenza e i monumenti. Le permanenze non sono dunque presentate ne L���architettura della citt�� come il ���tutto���, ma emergono da un metodo che sceglie di isolare i fatti urbani permanenti, consentendo cos�� di compiere un���ipotesi su ���ci�� che resta��� dopo le trasformazioni continue che operano nella citt��. Le fonti su cui ho lavorato sono state quelle annunciate da Rossi ne L���architettura della citt��, e pi�� precisamente i testi nelle edizioni da lui consultate. Anche questo lavoro ha permesso un confronto dei testi che ha fatto emergere ne L���architettura della citt�� l���uso di termini mutuati da linguaggi appartenenti ad altre discipline e quale sia l���uso di concetti estrapolati nella loro interezza. Presupposti metodologici Della formulazione della nozione di fatto urbano si sono indagate l���originalit�� dell���espressione, le connessioni presunte o contenute negli studi di Rossi sulla citt�� attraverso la raccolta di fonti dirette e indirette che sono andate a formare un notevole corpus di scritti. Le fonti dirette pi�� rilevanti sono state trovare nelle collezioni speciali del Getty Research Institute di Los Angeles in cui sono conservati gli Aldo Rossi Papers, questo archivio comprende materiali inediti dal 1954 al 1988. La natura dei materiali si presenta sotto forma di manoscritti, dattiloscritti, quaderni, documenti ciclostilati, appunti sparsi e una notevole quantit�� di corrispondenza. Negli Aldo Rossi Papers si trovano anche 32 dei 47 Quaderni Azzurri, le bozze de L���architettura della citt�� e dell��� Autobiografia Scientifica. Per quanto riguarda in particolare L���architettura della citt�� negli Aldo Rossi Papers sono conservati: un quaderno con il titolo ���Manuale d���urbanistica, giugno 1963���, chiara prima bozza del libro, degli ���Appunti per libro urbanistica estate/inverno 1963���, un quaderno con la copertina rossa datato 20 settembre 1964-8 agosto 1965 e un quaderno con la copertina blu datato 30 agosto 1965-15 dicembre 1965. La possibilit�� di accedere a questo archivio ha permesso di incrementare la bibliografia relativa agli studi giovanili consentendo di rileggere il percorso culturale in cui Rossi si �� formato. E��� cos�� apparsa fondamentale la rivalutazione di alcune questioni relative al realismo socialista che hanno portato a formare un pi�� preciso quadro dei primi scritti di Rossi sullo sfondo di un complesso scenario intellettuale. A questi testi si �� affiancata la raccolta delle ricerche universitarie, degli articoli pubblicati su riviste specializzate e degli interventi a dibattiti e seminari. A proposito de L���architettura della citt�� si �� raccolta un���ampia letteratura critica riferita sia al testo in specifico che ad una sua collocazione nella storia dell���architettura, mettendo in discussione alcune osservazioni che pongono L���architettura della citt�� come un libro risolutivo e definitivo. Per quanto riguarda il capitolo sulla teoria della permanenza l���analisi �� stata svolta a partire dai testi che Rossi stesso indicava ne L���architettura della citt�� rivelando i diversi apporti della letteratura urbanistica francese, e permettendo alla ricerca di precisare le relazioni con alcuni scritti centrali e al contempo colti da Rossi come opportunit�� per intraprendere l���elaborazione dell���idea di tipo. Per quest���ultima parte si pu�� precisare come Rossi formuli la sua idea di tipo in un contesto culturale dove l���interesse per questo tema era fondamentale. Dunque le fonti che hanno assunto maggior rilievo in quest���ultima fase emergono da un ricco panorama in cui Rossi compie diverse ricerche sia con il gruppo redazionale di Casabella-continuit��, sia all���interno della scuola veneziana negli anni Sessanta, ma anche negli studi per l���ILSES e per l���Istituto Nazionale d���Urbanistica. RESEARCH ON THE NOTION OF URBAN ARTIFACT IN THE ARCHITECTURE OF THE CITY BY ALDO ROSSI. Doctoral candidate: Letizia Biondi Tutor: Valter Balducci The present doctoral dissertation deals with the notion of urban artifact that was formulated and presented by Aldo Rossi in his book The Architecture of the City, published in 1966. In The Architecture of the City, the notion of urban artifact is enunciated through a wide range of definitions and forms. In this thesis, a research was done on how the construction of this concept over time was preceded by various studies started in 1953 during the author���s youth, then re-organized and synthesized since 1963 in a manuscript titled ���Manual of urban planning��� and in two more manuscripts later on. The work of research re-constructed the formulation of the notion of urban artifact through Rossi���s writings. In this sense, the examination of Rossi���s participation in debates, seminars, reviews, university courses or academic researches was of fundamental importance to understand the complexity of a work which is not to be attributed to disciplinary concepts, but to the formulation of a communicable theory. The effort to understand and to explain the notion of urban artifact led to an examination of the meaning used by Rossi to compose The Architecture of the City, which he defines as similar to a treatise. Through this analysis, it emerged that the composition of the book is not directly ascribable to the classical use of editorial writing of a treatise, whose most famous references in the past are the promotion of a correct practice as in the case of Vitruvio���s treatise, or the use of a structure that introduces a new category as in the Alberti case. Contrary to the two founding books, the lack of a global and prescriptive system and the not immediate reference to the writing of a classical treatise are evident in The Architecture of the City. However, the possibility of researching on some unpublished documents allowed to discover that in the writings starting from 1953 the analysis of the questions that are at the core of the notion of urban artifact is rich of intuitions, that aim to autonomy and that would be synthesized, even though not in a systematic way, in his famous book. The attempt was that of highlighting the specification over time of the notion of urban artifact and its elaboration in the various writings preceding the publication of The Architecture of the City. It was also specified that, despite building on theoretical grounds, Rossi indicates a progressive version of the notion of urban artifact, that is a performing use in the city. The present research aims to understand the cultural roots of the notion of urban artifact in two main directions: analyzing, firstly, Rossi���s interests along his formation path and, secondly, the definition of material structure of an urban artifact identified by Rossi in the permanences and enriched by various contributions from other disciplines. The purpose of the present research is to revise the formation path made by Rossi in a critical way, starting by 1953, underlining its innovative aspects and identifying its describing limits, which will never lead to the formulation of an exact notion, but rather to the elaboration of a complex synthesis, enriched by references to other studies. In brief, the thesis is composed of three parts: 1. The first part, titled ���The Theory of urban artifacts in The Architecture of the City���, analyzes the concept of urban artifact in the more general theoretical context of the book The Architecture of the City. Such analysis is done by ���disassembling��� the book, and by linking together the argumentations and the multiplicity of the sources which are explicitly quoted by Rossi. In this context, the book���s structure is defined more precisely through the revision of the references used by Rossi to compose his theoretical project. Moreover, the author���s life is traced back through the various editions, re-printings, introductions and illustrations. Finally, it is specified which role the concept of urban artifact has in the book, pointing out that it is placed in an equal relation with the book���s title; by so doing, the concept of urban artifact gets the new meaning of ���fact to be observed���, similar to the use that was suggested by the French urban geography at the beginning of the 20th century. 2. The second part, titled ���The formation of the notion of urban artifact 1953-66���, introduces the theoretical elaboration in Rossi���s writings before The Architecture of the City, that is from 1953 to 1966. This part tries to describe Rossi���s cultural roots, his collaborations and his interests, tracing back the progressive definition of his conception of city over time. The analysis focuses on the path followed by Rossi and on the documents that he wrote since the years as a student at the Department of Architecture at the Politecnico in Milan. This leads to a complex scenario of first essays, articles and notes that bear witness to the intellectual research aiming to the construction of a knowledge on the background of the Realism of the 1950s. Rossi develops, in fact, a cultural engagement that leads him after his studies to deal with more general issues about the city. In particular, his important collaboration with the architecture magazine ���Casabella-continuit�����, with the director Ernesto Nathan Rogers and with the whole redaction staff mark the following period when he starts getting interested in city planning literature, art, sociology, geography, economics and philosophy. Since 1963, Rossi has worked with the group directed by Carlo Aymonino at the ���Istituto Universitario di Architettura��� (University Institute of Architecture) in Venice, especially researching on building typologies and urban morphology. During these years, Rossi elaborates an analytical synthesis for the formulation of a theory about the city. From the present research, it is evident that the writings preceding The Architecture of the City develop the studies on urban artifacts, which will become theoretical core of different chapters of the book. In conclusion, the genesis of the book is described; written in two years, what was conceived to be an ���urban planning manual��� became a ���treatise draft��� for the formulation of an urban science, as Rossi defines it. 3. The third part is titled ���The material structure of urban artifacts: the theory of permanence���. This research is made on the study of the city as a material fact, a manufacture, whose construction was made over time, bearing the traces of time. As far as the topic of permanence is concerned, it was also important to draw a comparison with the debate about the issues of environmental pre-existence of re-construction in historical areas, which was very lively during the years of the Reconstruction. Right from the beginning, of fundamental importance were the relationship with Ernesto Nathan Rogers, the discussions on the pages of Casabella-Continuit�� and the participation to some debates and researches. It is to note that various terms were taken by the philosophical thesis by some personalities such as Antonio Banfi and Enzo Paci, and then re-elaborated by the redaction staff at Casabella-Continuit��, which Rossi took part in as well. Through this analysis, it emerged that there were some shifts in meaning and the formulation of a vocabulary of terms within the complex area of the architectonic culture in the 1950s and 1960s. Then, I examined the shapes in which Rossi introduces the definition of the theory of permanence and the references by some authors for the scientific construction of an architecture theory whose aim is being communicable and offering concrete research tools. Such analysis allowed making a hypothesis about the significance for Rossi of the French geographers of the first half of the 20th century: in particular, the work by Marcel Po��te and by Pierre Lavedan is the main source and the research area which Rossi mostly explored to define the theory of permanence and monuments. Therefore, in The Architecture of the City, permanencies are not presented as the ���whole���, but they emerge from a method which isolates permanent urban artifacts, in this way allowing making a hypothesis on ���what remains��� after the continuous transformations made in the city. The sources examined were quoted by Rossi in The Architecture of the City; in particular I analyzed them in the same edition which Rossi referred to. Through such an analysis, it was possible to make a comparison of the texts with one another, which let emerge the use of terms taken by languages belonging to other disciplines in The Architecture of the City and which the use of wholly extrapolated concepts is. Methodological premises As far as the formulation of the notion of urban artifact is concerned, the analysis focuses on the originality of the expression, the connections that are assumed or contained in Rossi���s writings about the city, by collecting direct and indirect sources which formed a significant corpus of writings. The most relevant direct sources were found in the special collections of the Getty Research Institute in Los Angeles, where the ���Aldo Rossi Papers��� are conserved. This archive contains unpublished material from 1954 to 1988, such as manuscripts, typescripts, notebooks, cyclostyled documents, scraps and notes, and several letters. In the Aldo Rossi Papers there are also 32 out of the 47 Light Blue Notebooks (Quaderni Azzurri), the rough drafts of The Architecture of the City and of the ���A Scientific Autobiography���. As regards The Architecture of the City in particular, the Aldo Rossi Papers preserve: a notebook by the title of ���Urban planning manual, June, 1963���, which is an explicit first draft of the book; ���Notes for urban planning book summer/winter 1963���; a notebook with a red cover dated September 20th, 1964 ��� August 8th, 1965; and a notebook with a blue cover dated August 30th, 1965 ��� December 15th, 1965. The possibility of accessing this archive allowed to increase the bibliography related to the youth studies, enabling a revision of the cultural path followed by Rossi���s education. To that end, it was fundamental to re-evaluate some issues linked to the socialist realism which led to a more precise picture of the first writings by Rossi against the background of the intellectual scenario where he formed. In addition to these texts, the collection of university researches, the articles published on specialized reviews and the speeches at debates and seminars were also examined. About The Architecture of the City, a wide-ranging critical literature was collected, related both to the text specifics and to its collocation in the story of architecture, questioning some observations which define The Architecture of the City as a conclusive and definite book. As far as the chapter on the permanence theory is concerned, the analysis started by the texts that Rossi indicated in The Architecture of the City, revealing the different contributions from the French literature on urban planning. This allowed to the present research a more specific definition of the connections to some central writings which, at the same time, were seen by Rossi as an opportunity to start up the elaboration of the idea of type. For this last part, it can be specified that Rossi formulates his idea of type in a cultural context where the interest in this topic was fundamental. Therefore, the sources which played a central role in this final phase emerge from an extensive panorama in which Rossi researched not only with the redaction staff at Casablanca-continuit�� and within the School of Venice in the 1960s, but also in his studies for the ILSES (Institute of the Region Lombardia for Economics and Social Studies) and for the National Institute of Urban Planning.

I concerti per due violini di Vivaldi (con edizione di RV 513, 521, 528, 764 e ricostruzione di RV 520, 526)

In the whole of Europe the most important composer of concertos for two violins is indubitably Vivaldi (1678-1741), who produced almost thirty works of this type during almost the full length of his creative career. The dissertation examines this particular side of Vivaldi���s activity, starting with an examination of the concerto in Rome, Bologna, and Venice at the turn of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. The aspects investigated include the ���conceptual��� origins of the double concerto for two violins in Vivaldi, the nature, distribution and interrelationship of their sources (particular attention being given to compositional revisions in the autograph manuscripts) and an analysis of the works themselves that takes in form, tonal structure, technical-instrumental character and performance practice. The concertos that have come down in particularly problematic non-autograph sources are discussed in detail and presented in critical editions. A reconstruction is offered of the two works (RV 520 and 526) that have survived only in incomplete form, lacking the part of the first soloist. The concertos for two violins composed in Germany by Telemann and J. S. Bach, the contemporaries of Vivaldi who paid greatest attention to the double concerto genre, are then described and analysed. The thesis ends with a complete list of modern editions of Vivaldi���s concertos for two violins and a select discography.

Factors predicting mortality after tips for refractory ascites: a single center experience

Introduction: Transjugular intrahepatic porto-systemic shunt (TIPS) is an accepted indication for treating refractory ascites. Different models have been proposed for the prediction of survival after TIPS; aim of present study was to evaluate the factors associated with mortality after TIPS for refractory ascites. Methods: Seventy-three consecutive patients undergoing a TIPS for refractory ascites in our centre between 2003 and 2008, were prospectively recorded in a database ad were the subject of the study. Mean follow-up was 17��2 months. Forty patients were awaiting liver transplantation (LT) and 12 (16.4%) underwent LT during follow-up. Results: Mean MELD at the moment of TIPS was 15.7��5.3. Overall mortality was 23.3% (n=17) with a mean survival after TIPS of 17��14 months. MELD score (B=0.161, p=0.042), AST (B= 0.020, p=0.090) and pre-TIPS HVPG (B=0.016, p=0.093) were independent predictors of overall mortality. On multivariate analysis MELD (B=0.419, p=0.018) and pre-TIPS HVPG (B=0.223, p=0.060) independently predicted 1 year survival. Patients were stratified into categories of death risk, using ROC curves for the variables MELD and HVPG. Patients with MELD<10 had a low probability of death after TIPS (n=6, 16% mortality); patients with HVPG <16 mmHg (n=6) had no mortality. Maximum risk of death was found in patients with MELD score ���19 (n=16, 31% mortality) and in those with HVPG ���25 mmHg (n=27, 26% mortality). Conclusions: TIPS increases overall survival in patients with refractory ascites. Liver function (assessed by MELD), necroinflammation (AST) and portal hypertension (HVPG) are independent predictors of survival; patients with MELD>19 and HVPG>25 mmHg are at highest risk of death after TIPS

La miniatura a Bologna sotto i Bentivoglio

Il lavoro tratta della produzione miniata a Bologna sotto la signoria dei Bentivoglio, tra il quinto decennio del Quattrocento ed il secondo decennio del secolo successivo.

La hija de Cervantes: un dramma romantico inedito di Aureliano Fern��ndez-Guerra y Orbe. Edizione critica e studio

Aureliano Fernandez-Guerra is known especially among Quevedo���s scholars because he published the first complete edition of Quevedo���s works. Few people know his plays and, for this reason, they have never been studied. These plays were written during his youth, when Fern��ndez-Guerra hadn���t decided anything about his career yet. Therefore, these plays were always very important for him and, for this reason, he continued to correct and to revise them. Among them, the unpublished drama La hija de Cervantes (1840) was considered the most important play. In this doctoral thesis I have tried to describe this Spanish author, especially focusing on theatre. In the first part I wrote about the life and the literary works, giving particularly importance to his plays that are La pe��a de los enamorados (1939), La hija de Cervantes (1840), Alonso Cano (1842) and La Ricahembra (1845), this last one written in collaboration with Manuel Tamayo y Baus, another important and famous playwright. In the second part I deepened the study of La hija de Cervantes because it is a particular interesting drama: Aureliano Fern��ndez-Guerra chose to represent the author of the Quixote as a character of his drama, especially dramatizing the most mysterious moments of his life, such as the Gaspar de Ezpeleta���s murder, his relationship with his daughter Isabel de Saavedra and his supposed love for a woman, whose existence his unknown. Besides, this drama is interesting because it is partially autobiographic: I found several letters and articles where it is emphasized the similarities between Cervantes��� and Aureliano���s life: both feel misunderstood and not appreciated by other people and both had to renounce a big love. In the final part I presented the critical edition of La hija de Cervantes based on the last three manuscripts that are today at the Institut de Teatre in Barcelona. A wide philological note shows the transcription criterions.