Critical discursive responses to polycrisis

This book critically examines how polycrisis is recontextualised and (ab)used in contemporary discourse from across Europe. The book brings together established and emerging researchers in the field of discourse studies from around the world to explore the accelerating interconnected challenges of climate change, conflict, risk, Brexit, democracy, COVID-19, the rising cost of living, and migration. Recognising that polycrisis is socially produced, constructed and dismantled through discourse, the authors contemplate the discursive manifestations of crisis. Falling under the banner of critical discourse studies (CDS), the methodological approaches are heterogeneous, including, but not limited to, corpus-assisted CDS and multimodal CDS. The data are equally varied, ranging from focus groups to no-war letters, media representations to environmental protection commercials. The volume provides a comprehensive consideration of how critical approaches to discourse can help to make sense of, resist, and respond to (poly)crisis, and it will be of interest to students and scholars working in the remit of discourse studies, with a particular interest in crisis communication

Unravelling the luminescence spectrum of garnet grossular var. tsavorite: The role of chromium (III), manganese (II) and misattribution of vanadium (II)

Gem quality garnet var. tsavorite from Tanzania is investigated by means of SEM-EDS, XPS and fluorescence spectroscopy to decipher its luminescence spectrum. The EDS analysis confirms that the main constituents of the tsavorite samples from Tanzania are those of grossularia (i.e. Ca, Al, Si, O), with V, Mn, Cr, Ti and Mg as minor but characteristic elements (particularly V, Mn and Cr) of the tsavorite variety. The XPS analysis shows that the oxidation state of Mn is +2 and that of V is +3. The luminescence of tsavorite in the yellow region (591 nm) is originated by Mn 2+ in dodecahedral coordination (D 2 point symmetry) while the luminescence in the red region (690–750 nm) is originated by Cr 3+ in octahedral coordination (O h point symmetry) in a strong crystal field. Contrary to what is often reported in the literature, this study demonstrates that V 2+ (or other 3d transition metal ions as well) is not responsible for the red emissions of tsavorite

Representation theory for simplicial complexes and matroidal-like properties of minimal partitioners.

A pairingon an arbitrary ground set Ωis a triple P ∶=(U, F, Λ), with U, Λtwo sets and F∶U×Ω →Λa map. Sev-eral properties of pairings arise after considering the Moore set system MPand the abstract simplicial complex NPon Ω, defined by taking the maximum and the minimal elements of the equivalence collections with respect to a specific equiva-lence relation ≈P, respectively called minimaland maximumpartitioners. In the present work we first detect various sufficient condi-tions allowing us to represent specific subfamilies of abstract simplicial complexes as the family of all the minimal parti-tioners of some pairing on the same ground set. Next, we classify two suitable subcollections of pairings by using gener-alized matroidal-like properties of NP. More in detail, we first determine a sufficient condition on Pensuring that the fam-ily NPis a closable finitary simplicial complexand call the resulting pairings attractive. On an arbitrary ground set Ω, at-tractiveness, together with a finiteness condition, implies that the minimal members of the equivalence collections of each X∈MPwith respect to ≈Pall have the same cardinality. Nevertheless, the converse does not hold, neither in the finite case. To this regard, we find some counterexamples inducing us to introduce the class of quasi-attractive pairings. We carried out a detailed analysis of quasi-attractive pairings: for instance we characterize them from a lattice-theoretic point of view and, on a finite ground set Ω, also in term of exchange properties of suitable set systems. Finally, by taking the adjacence matrix of a simple undirected graph Gas a model of pairing, we show that the Petersen graph induces an attractive pairing, while the Erdös’ friend-ship graphsinduce a quasi-attractive, but not attractive, one

Critical Approaches to Polycrisis. Discourses of Conflict, Migration, Risk and Climate.

This book critically examines how polycrisis is recontextualised and (ab)used in contemporary discourse from across Europe. The book brings together established and emerging researchers in the field of discourse studies from around the world to explore the accelerating interconnected challenges of climate change, conflict, risk, Brexit, democracy, COVID-19, the rising cost of living, and migration. Recognising that polycrisis is socially produced, constructed and dismantled through discourse, the authors contemplate the discursive manifestations of crisis. Falling under the banner of critical discourse studies (CDS), the methodological approaches are heterogeneous, including, but not limited to, corpus-assisted CDS and multimodal CDS. The data are equally varied, ranging from focus groups to no-war letters, media representations to environmental protection commercials. The volume provides a comprehensive consideration of how critical approaches to discourse can help to make sense of, resist, and respond to (poly)crisis, and it will be of interest to students and scholars working in the remit of discourse studies, with a particular interest in crisis communication

Serum from COVID-19 patients promotes endothelial cell dysfunction through protease-activated receptor 2

Background: Endothelial dysfunction plays a central role in the pathophysiology of COVID-19 and is closely linked to the severity and mortality of the disease. The inflammatory response to SARS-CoV-2 infection can alter the capacity of the endothelium to regulate vascular tone, immune responses, and the balance between anti-thrombotic and pro-thrombotic properties. However, the specific endothelial pathways altered during COVID-19 still need to be fully understood. Objective: In this study, we sought to identify molecular changes in endothelial cells induced by circulating factors characteristic of COVID-19. Methods and results: To this aim, we cultured endothelial cells with sera from patients with COVID-19 or non-COVID-19 pneumonia. Through transcriptomic analysis, we were able to identify a distinctive endothelial phenotype that is induced by sera from COVID-19 patients. We confirmed and expanded this observation in vitro by showing that COVID-19 serum alters functional properties of endothelial cells leading to increased apoptosis, loss of barrier integrity, and hypercoagulability. Furthermore, we demonstrated that these endothelial dysfunctions are mediated by protease-activated receptor 2 (PAR-2), as predicted by transcriptome network analysis validated by in vitro functional assays. Conclusion: Our findings provide the rationale for further studies to evaluate whether targeting PAR-2 may be a clinically effective strategy to counteract endothelial dysfunction in COVID-19

A thorough analysis of the occurrence, removal and environmental risks of organic micropollutants in a full-scale hybrid membrane bioreactor fed by hospital wastewater

The recent draft of the Urban Wastewater Treatment Directive pays attention to contaminants of emerging concern including organic micropollutants (OMPs) and requires the removal of some of them at large urban wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) calling for their upgrading. Many investigations to date have reported the occurrence of a vast group of OMPs in the raw influent and many technologies have been tested for their removal at a lab- or pilot-scale. Moreover, hospital wastewater (HWW) may contain specific OMPs at a high concentration and therefore its treatment deserves attention. In this study, a 1-year investigation was carried out at a full-scale membrane bioreactor (MBR) treating mainly HWW. To promote the removal of OMPs, powdered activated carbon (PAC) was added to the bioreactor at 0.1 g/L and 0.2 g/L which resulted in the MBR operating as a hybrid MBR. Its performance was tested for 232 target and 90 non-target OMPs, analysed by UHPLC-QTOF-MS using a direct injection method. The wastewater arriving at the WWTP was characterized and the performance of both the MBR and hybrid MBR was assessed for: key OMPs selected on the basis of their frequency, occurrence, persistence to removal, bioaccumulation and toxicity; OMP classes; and the whole list of OMPs. Finally, an environmental risk assessment of the OMP residues was conducted by means of the risk quotient approach. The results indicate that PAC addition increased the removal of most of the key OMPs (e.g., sulfamethoxazole, diclofenac, lidocaine) and OMP classes (e.g., antibiotics, psychiatric drugs and stimulants) with the highest loads in the WWTP influent. The hybrid MBR also reduced the risk in the receiving water as the PAC dosage increased mainly for spiramycin, lorazepam, oleandomycin. Finally, uncertainties and issues related to the investigation being carried out at full-scale under real conditions are discussed in depth

Carbonate factory response through the MECO (Middle Eocene Climate Optimum) event: Insight from the Apulia Carbonate Platform, Gargano Promontory, Italy

During the Eocene, shallow-water carbonate systems were significantly impacted by climate fluctuations and hyperthermal events. Following the peak temperatures of the Early Eocene Climatic Optimum (EECO), a general cooling trend began, with short-lived (⁓200 kyr) warming events occurring alongside it. In the early Bartonian (around 40.1 Ma), a warming event known as the Middle Eocene Climatic Optimum (MECO) occurred, lasting approximately 500,000 years. In this scenario, the types and calcification rates of marine organisms such as corals and larger benthic foraminifera (LBF) were influenced by global CO2 and oceanographic changes, which had a major effect on photic carbonate factories. To better understand the effects of these factors on carbonate factories, a detailed study of shallow-water facies types, distributions, and evolution was conducted. The Middle Eocene Monte Saraceno sequence, located on the eastern margin of the Apulia Carbonate Platform (Gargano Promontory, southern Italy), was selected as a case study to investigate the relationships between carbonate factory types and climatic changes around theMECO event. This study identified twodistinct intervalswith different modes of carbonate production, separated by a sharp boundary. The lower interval consists of clinostratified, thick beds of rudstone to floatstone, mostly made up of various large Nummulites tests, indicating an early Bartonian age (Shallow Benthic Zone 17). Instead, the upper interval consists of coral floatstone to rudstone with a packstone matrix, rich in branching corals in association with gastropods, bivalves, and rare small larger benthic foraminifera. The appearance of Heterostegina sp. and Glomalveolina ungaroi in this interval indicates a late Bartonian age (Shallow Benthic Zone 18). By integrating biostratigraphic and stable-isotope data, the lower interval, with abundant Nummulites, was linked to the MECO event, duringwhich higher sea-surface temperatures seem to enhance larger benthic foraminifera proliferation, as already occurred in the Early Eocene. However, in the late Bartonian, the sharp transition to a coral-dominated carbonate factory,with rare larger benthic foraminifera showing smaller sizes, could be attributed to a drop in temperature that created the conditions more favourable to corals. Overall, this study provides compelling evidence of how environmental changes can affect marine carbonate production, also highlighting the importance of investigating these relationships, to better understand climate change in the past, present and near future

Intraspecific variation in invertebrate cognition: a review

A well-established field of research in vertebrates focuses on the variability of cognitive abilities within species. From mammals to fish, numerous studies have revealed remarkable differences in the cognitive phenotype among individuals, particularly in terms of sex or personality. However, many aspects of the mechanisms, genetics, and selective pressures that underlie individual cognitive variation remain unclear. Surprisingly, intraspecific variability in cognition has received much less attention in invertebrates, despite the increasing evidence of remarkable cognitive abilities in this group and the insights that could be gained from examining simultaneously two distinct taxa, namely vertebrates and invertebrates. In this review, we provide evidence that certain invertebrate species exhibit all the key features of cognitive variation observed in vertebrates, including differences related to sex and personality. In many cases, invertebrate studies have provided insights into the genetic basis, evolvability and response to selection of cognitive variability. Moreover, we highlight evidence for caste differences in eusocial insects, which are linked to task specialisation within the colony. This makes insect eusociality a valuable system for understanding how selection influences cognitive variation. We propose that cognitive variation in invertebrates may be more widespread than currently thought, and that selection may operate in a similar manner on two distantly related cognitive systems (vertebrates and invertebrates). Finally, we suggest that invertebrates hold the potential to serve both as alternative and complementary models to vertebrates, contributing to a deeper understanding of cognitive evolution

Catalogazione e studio dei manoscritti del convento di Santa Croce conservati presso la Biblioteca Nazionale Centrale di Firenze

Questa tesi, che fa parte del Progetto di Interesse Nazionale (PRIN) Dantesco 2017, si pone come obiettivo primario lo studio e la profilazione in forma di schede catalografiche dei 130 manoscritti provenienti originariamente dalla biblioteca del convento francescano di Santa Croce a Firenze, ed ora conservati presso la Biblioteca Nazionale Centrale di Firenze (BNCF). Partendo da questa attività di catalogazione, il cui risultato si trova in appendice al testo, si è voluto completare il progetto, conducendo non solo un’analisi paleografica, codicologica, culturale, storico-intellettuale critica di tutti i 130 codici, ma anche una più accurata contestualizzazione storico-artistica dei manoscritti miniati e decorati presenti nella collezione sotto esame. La prima parte di questa tesi è caratterizzata, quindi, dalla ricostruzione storica dell’ambiente culturale e cittadino tardo-medievale ed inizio-rinascimentale in cui Santa Croce andava formandosi sia come complesso ecclesiastico che come centro di studi. In questa fase è stato, pertanto, necessario porre l’accento non solo sul particolare momento di transizione culturale e politico di Firenze, ma anche sul progressivo adattamento alla vita secolare dei Francescani. Si è dimostrato, infatti, che proprio questo progressivo adattamento alla vita secolare ed ai suoi relativi bisogni, ha favorito una sorta di apertura da parte dei Francescani verso tutti quei beni materiali necessari alla diffusione della cultura, in particolar modo verso i manoscritti e l’arte figurativa. Tale fenomeno si è potuto riscontrare ben caratterizzato all’interno di Santa Croce stessa. La relazione tra manoscritti, Arte e Francescani è stata, quindi, il fulcro di questa tesi poiché si è investigato come i testi, con le loro eventuali miniature e decorazioni, insieme alle altre forme di arti figurative presenti nel contesto del convento fiorentino, siano stati caratterizzanti per l’identità francescana e, specificamente, santacrociana. Infine, tale analisi ha permesso di valutare il ruolo della committenza nella collezione libraria di Santa Croce, partendo proprio dal presupposto che la maggior parte dei codici sotto esame presentassero spesso riferimenti visuali e testuali al mondo francescano, facendo quindi ipotizzare un’influenza sotto qualche forma di committenza o produzione diretta da parte dei Francescani stessi. Proprio questo ruolo di mediazione diretta nella creazione e nella collezione dei manoscritti di Santa Croce, ha permesso di ricostruire le connessioni culturali che questo convento fiorentino aveva con altre istituzioni francescane europee, in particolar modo francesi, ma anche inglesi e nordeuropee, dimostrando il livello di avanguardia intellettuale che Santa Croce, grazie ai propri frati studiosi e studenti, aveva raggiunto nel tardo Medioevo e agli albori del Rinascimento.This thesis, part of the 2017 Project of National Interest (PRIN) on Dante, aims to study and to profile the 130 manuscripts originally from the Franciscan convent library of Santa Croce in Florence and now held in the Biblioteca Nazionale Centrale of Florence (BNCF). The research has been based on compiling single catalogue entries for each manuscript in order to create a comprehensive catalogue, which can be found at the back of the thesis; this thorough palaeographical approach has been combined with a detailed cultural-historical analysis of the whole 130 manuscripts as well as an art-historical study of all the decorated and illuminated ones. The first part of this research is characterised by the historical contextualisation of the late-medieval and early-Renaissance cultural and social ambiance in which Santa Croce was developing not only as an ecclesiastical complex, but also as a cultural hub. Hence, this part not only focused on the social and political shifts of Florence at the time, but also on the Franciscans’ progressive adaptation to secular life. It has been demonstrated how exactly this progressive adaptation to secular life of the Franciscans has favoured among them an open-minded approach to all those goods needed for the diffusion of culture, thus specifically to manuscripts and the figurative arts. Such phenomenon has been clearly identified within Santa Croce and, consequently, the relationship among manuscripts, the Arts and the Franciscans has been further analysed. In actual fact, the second section of this research focused on how manuscripts, their possible decorations and any other form of art present in the Florentine Franciscan convent played a role in characterising a typical Franciscan and santa-crocian identity. Ultimately, such analysis allowed to evaluate the role of commissioning in the library collection of Santa Croce, especially considering how often the visual palimpsest referenced the Franciscan world, eventually, suggesting a certain degree of direct patronage from the Franciscans. Precisely this proactive role of the friars of Santa Croce in the creation and collection of manuscripts, allowed to identify the cultural connections that the Florentine convent had with other European Franciscan institutions, in particular French, but also English and, generally, Northern-European ones. Overall, all these elements combined, served to prove the extent to which Santa Croce managed to develop an impressive intellectual avant-gardism within its ambience thanks to its savant and studious friars between the late Middle Ages and the early Renaissance

Seeking temporal refugia to heat stress: Increasing nocturnal activity despite predation risk

Flexibility in activity timing may enable organisms to quickly adapt to environmental changes. Under global warming, diurnally adapted endotherms may achieve a better energy balance by shifting their activity towards cooler nocturnal hours. However, this shift may expose animals to new or increased environmental challenges (e.g. increased predation risk, reduced foraging efficiency). We analysed a large dataset of activity data from 47 ibex (Capra ibex) in two protected areas, characterized by varying levels of predation risk (presence versus absence of the wolf-Canis lupus). We found that ibex increased nocturnal activity following warmer days and during brighter nights. Despite the considerable sexual dimorphism typical of this species and the consequent different predation-risk perception, males and females demonstrated consistent responses to heat in both predator-present and predator-absent areas. This supports the hypothesis that shifting activity towards nighttime may be a common strategy adopted by diurnal endotherms in response to global warming. As nowadays different pressures are pushing mammals towards nocturnality, our findings emphasize the urgent need to integrate knowledge of temporal behavioural modifications into management and conservation planning