I fumetti in biblioteca: una palestra per la catalogazione

Comics are a steady presence both in publishing and in libraries; although their status compared to other media is no longer questioned, a re-examination of comics’ cataloguing practices may be needed. Comics are not per se different from other resources that libraries hold and cataloguing rules deal with; nevertheless, they exhibit some peculiar features. As works, comics are the inseparable result of several creative processes, each pertaining to their constituents (text and image); most comics, moreover, underwent a non-linear publishing history: cataloguing comic books and magazines calls for a few caveats. Cataloguing rules in general do not mention comics as exceptional cases, albeit comics are largely used as examples in order to explain rules in place for monographs and serials; in the United States, libraries show greater interest in comics’ cataloguing, especially regarding classification and indexing. Some specific problems arising from comics’ cataloguing are: sorting monographs from serialised comics; recognising the preferred source for the title, as well as separating title proper and subtitles; selecting relevant statements of responsibility; dealing with variants and reprints; noting manga’s reading direction. Comics provide some sort of a training ground for cataloguing since they present peculiar issues and borderline cases; amendments to cataloguing rules may be necessary to deal with some of these issues, but cataloguers may especially benefit from a rich collection of examples that depict comics’ eccentricities.La presenza dei fumetti nella produzione editoriale e nelle collezioni delle biblioteche è ormai consolidata; alla ritrovata considerazione dei fumetti deve seguire una riflessione delle pratiche di catalogazione. I fumetti non sono materiali di per sé diversi dai materiali già conservati nelle biblioteche e considerati nelle norme catalografiche; tuttavia hanno delle loro peculiarità. Il fumetto inteso come opera è combinazione inscindibile di più processi creativi relativi alle parti di cui è composto (testuale e grafica); gran parte dei fumetti hanno poi avuto storie editoriali complesse per cui anche la catalogazione delle pubblicazioni a fumetti richiede particolare attenzione. Le regole di catalogazione non menzionano esplicitamente i fumetti come casi particolari, ma ne fanno largo uso come esempi per illustrare la casistica di monografie e periodici; negli Stati Uniti si osserva maggiore interesse nel definire buone pratiche sulla catalogazione, con particolare attenzione alla semantica. Tra gli elementi più problematici della catalogazione dei fumetti vi sono: la scelta della natura monografica o seriale delle pubblicazioni; la scelta della fonte del titolo, la suddivisione tra titolo e complementi e la selezione delle formulazioni di responsabilità; il trattamento di varianti e ristampe; l’indicazione del verso di lettura dei manga. La catalogazione dei fumetti è una palestra: offre problemi particolari e casi limite, per la soluzione dei quali può servire integrare le norme catalografiche, ma soprattutto può essere utile ampliare la casistica con esempi che illustrino le particolarità bibliografiche dei fumetti.

L’oplitismo e le guerre persiane. Erodoto e il tardo arcaismo

L’oplitismo è al centro di un lungo dibattito storiografico riguardante sia la sua origine ed evoluzione che il suo ruolo nella civiltà greca. La presente ricerca mette alla prova le diverse teorie moderne confrontandole con le fonti antiche, in particolare la storiografia, e focalizzandosi sul periodo a cavallo tra sesto e quinto secolo a.C., periodo critico in cui l’oplitismo emerge nelle fonti letterarie. Ne risulta un’immagine di combattimento oplitico fluida e mutevole nel tempo e nello spazio, ma anche nettamente definita, sul piano ideologico, anche a seguito delle guerre persiane.Hoplite warfare has since long been the subject of a debate pertaining both to its birth and development and to its role in Greek civilization. This research puts several historiographical models to the test, compares them with ancient sources, putting first ancient historiography. It focuses on the age between the 6th and 5th centuries BCE as a critical stage in which hoplite warfare surfaces in literary sources. Hoplite warfare turns out to a quite variable way of war, both in time and space, although a unity can be grasped, on ideological level, in the aftermath of the Persian Wars

Neural precursor cells tune striatal connectivity through the release of IGFBPL1

The adult brain retains over life endogenous neural stem/precursor cells (eNPCs) within the subventricular zone (SVZ). Whether or not these cells exert physiological functions is still unclear. In the present work, we provide evidence that SVZ-eNPCs tune structural, electrophysiological, and behavioural aspects of striatal function via secretion of insulin-like growth factor binding protein-like 1 (IGFBPL1). In mice, selective ablation of SVZ-eNPCs or selective abrogation of IGFBPL1 determined an impairment of striatal medium spiny neuron morphology, a higher failure rate in GABAergic transmission mediated by fast-spiking interneurons, and striatum-related behavioural dysfunctions. We also found IGFBPL1 expression in the human SVZ, foetal and induced-pluripotent stem cell-derived NPCs. Finally, we found a significant correlation between SVZ damage, reduction of striatum volume, and impairment of information processing speed in neurological patients. Our results highlight the physiological role of adult SVZ-eNPCs in supporting cognitive functions by regulating striatal neuronal activity

Gorgos hoplites. Immagini spaventose dell’oplita

Hoplite warfare has been characterised, in the traditional views, as a somewhat civilised form of warfare, characteristic of the Greek poleis, limited in its cruelty by common customs. Part of the literary images of those bronze-clad warriors shows, however, connections with a more obscure, frightening aspect of warfare. A connection between hoplites and monstrous figures is given by the presence in the myth of some “almost-human” people – such as the Gigantes or the Spartoi – as violent “men of bronze” born in armour. A subset of the men of bronze is that of the heroes. The warriors of Greek myth embody the grim face of war as bronze-clad men, whose mere sight causes fear. Such depiction is present both in the epos – the very core of Patroclus’ deeds is based on his wearing the frightening armour of Achilles – and in the tragedy: for instance, the depiction of the Seven Argive heroes moving against Thebes in Aeschylus’ play compares the armed warriors to superhuman beings. The frightful sight of the men of bronze can be found also in historical accounts of apparitions of armed ghosts in battle. These spectres are oftentimes the heroes of myth, returning to earth to defend their sacred place; but sometimes, as shown by Herodotus’ account of Epizelus’ ghost of Marathon, they reflect the grim face of hoplite warfare