«Una lettrice formidabile»: Natalia Ginzburg e la casa editrice Einaudi

L’obiettivo del saggio è quello di mettere in luce l’importanza del ruolo di Natalia Ginzburg presso Einaudi nel dopoguerra, analizzando la sua funzione all’interno dei processi decisionali, nella costruzione dell’identità e del catalogo della casa editrice e, più in generale, nella definizione della cultura letteraria del suo tempo, con un’attenzione particolare dedicata all’attività di lettura editoriale. Lo studio dei pareri di lettura redatti da Natalia Ginzburg per le collane di narrativa costituisce la base della riflessione sulla sua attività editoriale, in particolar modo come lettrice, nella convinzione che la scrittura editoriale rappresenti un genere critico particolare e complesso.L’objectif de l’article est d’étudier l’activité de lecture éditoriale de Natalia Ginzburg chez Einaudi dans l’après-guerre, en analysant de quelle manière elle a contribué aux processus décisionnels, à la construction de l’identité et du catalogue de la maison d’édition et, plus généralement, à la définition de la culture littéraire de son époque, une attention particulière étant dédiée à la lecture éditoriale. L’étude des rapports de lecture qu’elle rédigea pour les collections d’œuvres narratives fournit les bases d’une réflexion sur son activité éditoriale, notamment en tant que lectrice professionnelle, à partir de notre conviction que l’écriture éditoriale représente un genre critique particulier et complexe méritant d’être étudié par des méthodes spécifiques.The main objective of this essay is to highlight the importance of Natalia Ginzburg’s role at Einaudi’s in the aftermath of World War II. The emphasis is placed on her contribution to decision-making processes, to the construction of the identity and of the catalogue of the publishing house and, more generally, to the definition of the literary culture of her time, with particular attention to editorial reading. The examination of her reading reports, mostly unpublished, provides the basis for a critical reflection on Ginzburg’s editorial activity, a reflection which is rooted in the belief that editorial writing represents a particular and complex critical genre that deserves to be investigated by specific methods

A Multiple-Plasticity Spiking Neural Network Embedded in a Closed-Loop Control System to Model Cerebellar Pathologies

The cerebellum plays a crucial role in sensorimotor control and cerebellar disorders compromise adaptation and learning of motor responses. However, the link between alterations at network level and cerebellar dysfunction is still unclear. In principle, this understanding would benefit of the development of an artificial system embedding the salient neuronal and plastic properties of the cerebellum and operating in closed-loop. To this aim, we have exploited a realistic spiking computational model of the cerebellum to analyze the network correlates of cerebellar impairment. The model was modified to reproduce three different damages of the cerebellar cortex: (i) a loss of the main output neurons (Purkinje Cells), (ii) a lesion to the main cerebellar afferents (Mossy Fibers), and (iii) a damage to a major mechanism of synaptic plasticity (Long Term Depression). The modified network models were challenged with an Eye-Blink Classical Conditioning test, a standard learning paradigm used to evaluate cerebellar impairment, in which the outcome was compared to reference results obtained in human or animal experiments. In all cases, the model reproduced the partial and delayed conditioning typical of the pathologies, indicating that an intact cerebellar cortex functionality is required to accelerate learning by transferring acquired information to the cerebellar nuclei. Interestingly, depending on the type of lesion, the redistribution of synaptic plasticity and response timing varied greatly generating specific adaptation patterns. Thus, not only the present work extends the generalization capabilities of the cerebellar spiking model to pathological cases, but also predicts how changes at the neuronal level are distributed across the network, making it usable to infer cerebellar circuit alterations occurring in cerebellar pathologies

Coparenting change after couple therapy using self‐reports and observational data

Parent couples are involved in a coparenting bond andin a romantic relationship. Research on couple therapyhas mainly explored the impact of couple therapy onromantic relationships; however, little is known abouthow couple therapy affects the coparenting relation-ship. Self‐reports of positive and negative coparentingand observed emotional behavior in coparenting‐related conversation tasks were assessed pre‐andposttherapy (6 months intervals) in 64 mixed‐sexparental couples. Results showed that mothers andfathers reported more positive coparenting aftertherapy. There were no significant changes in thereported negative coparenting and in the emotionalbehavior. Exploratory analyses indicated gender differ-ences in emotional expression. The findings suggestthat fathers might have been more active in thecoparenting conversation after therapy

Introduction. — Un silence assourdissant : femmes aux multiples talents du début du xxe siècle à nos jours

Parler d’écrivaines suppose d’interroger le rôle social des femmes, et non seulement celui artistique ou littéraire qui renverrait à ne prendre en considération que la qualité de leurs œuvres. Car le droit à écrire, et surtout à publier, ne va pas de soi. Si la question de l’exclusion de la femme du pouvoir a été remise en question par des études récentes, et nuancée en fonction de différents cadres socio-historiques, il en demeure que — comme le démontre Michelle Perrot — le processus de con..

Spiking Neural Network With Distributed Plasticity Reproduces Cerebellar Learning in Eye Blink Conditioning Paradigms

In this study, we defined a realistic cerebellar model through the use of artificial spiking neural networks, testing it in computational simulations that reproduce associative motor tasks in multiple sessions of acquisition and extinction. Methods: By evolutionary algorithms, we tuned the cerebellar microcircuit to find out the near-optimal plasticity mechanism parameters that better reproduced human-like behavior in eye blink classical conditioning, one of the most extensively studied paradigms related to the cerebellum. We used two models: one with only the cortical plasticity and another including two additional plasticity sites at nuclear level. Results: First, both spiking cerebellar models were able to well reproduce the real human behaviors, in terms of both "timing" and "amplitude", expressing rapid acquisition, stable late acquisition, rapid extinction, and faster reacquisition of an associative motor task. Even though the model with only the cortical plasticity site showed good learning capabilities, the model with distributed plasticity produced faster and more stable acquisition of conditioned responses in the reacquisition phase. This behavior is explained by the effect of the nuclear plasticities, which have slow dynamics and can express memory consolidation and saving. Conclusions: We showed how the spiking dynamics of multiple interactive neural mechanisms implicitly drive multiple essential components of complex learning processes. Significance: This study presents a very advanced computational model, developed together by biomedical engineers, computer scientists, and neuroscientists. Since its realistic features, the proposed model can provide confirmations and suggestions about neurophysiological and pathological hypotheses and can be used in challenging clinical application

Model-driven analysis of eyeblink classical conditioning reveals the underlying structure of cerebellar plasticity and neuronal activity

The cerebellum plays a critical role in sensorimotor control. However, how the specific circuits and plastic mechanisms of the cerebellum are engaged in closed-loop processing is still unclear. We developed an artificial sensorimotor control system embedding a detailed spiking cerebellar microcircuit with three bidirectional plasticity sites. This proved able to reproduce a cerebellar-driven associative paradigm, the eyeblink classical conditioning (EBCC), in which a precise time relationship between an unconditioned stimulus (US) and a conditioned stimulus (CS) is established. We challenged the spiking model to fit an experimental data set from human subjects. Two subsequent sessions of EBCC acquisition and extinction were recorded and transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) was applied on the cerebellum to alter circuit function and plasticity. Evolutionary algorithms were used to find the near-optimal model parameters to reproduce the behaviors of subjects in the different sessions of the protocol. The main finding is that the optimized cerebellar model was able to learn to anticipate (predict) conditioned responses with accurate timing and success rate, demonstrating fast acquisition, memory stabilization, rapid extinction, and faster reacquisition as in EBCC in humans. The firing of Purkinje cells (PCs) and deep cerebellar nuclei (DCN) changed during learning under the control of synaptic plasticity, which evolved at different rates, with a faster acquisition in the cerebellar cortex than in DCN synapses. Eventually, a reduced PC activity released DCN discharge just after the CS, precisely anticipating the US and causing the eyeblink. Moreover, a specific alteration in cortical plasticity explained the EBCC changes induced by cerebellar TMS in humans. In this paper, for the first time, it is shown how closed-loop simulations, using detailed cerebellar microcircuit models, can be successfully used to fit real experimental data sets. Thus, the changes of the model parameters in the different sessions of the protocol unveil how implicit microcircuit mechanisms can generate normal and altered associative behaviors

Association Between Vitamin D Deficiency and COVID-19 Incidence, Complications, and Mortality in 46 Countries: An Ecological Study

Each patient´s immune defenses play a major role in mitigating the impact (ie, morbidity and mortality) of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the virus responsible for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Vitamin D is an important modulator of the immune system. Although serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels can be raised through diet or supplements, most vitamin D in the body is the result of dermal synthesis from ultraviolet radiation. The production of vitamin D in the skin, however, can be limited by latitude, skin-covering clothes, the use of sunblock, and skin pigmentation. Vitamin D deficiency affects a high percentage of the world population. Serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels are suboptimal, not only in specific risk groups but also in adults from many countries. Low vitamin D levels, therefore, represent a risk factor for several different pathologies, including SAR-CoV-2. This study used an ecological design to assess the association between vitamin D deficiency and COVID-19 incidence, complications, and mortality across 46 countries. All data were obtained from published sources. The results of the study suggest an association at the population level between the prevalence of vitamin D deficiency and the risk of being infected with COVID-19, severity of the disease, and risk of dying from it.Fil: Mariani, Javier. Provincia de Buenos Aires. Ministerio de Salud. Hospital Alta Complejidad en Red El Cruce Dr. Néstor Carlos Kirchner Samic; ArgentinaFil: Martín Giménez, Virna Margarita. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - San Juan; Argentina. Universidad Catolica de Cuyo. Facultad de Ciencias Quimicas y Tecnologicas; ArgentinaFil: Bergam, Ivana. Croatia Osiguranje Pension Company; CroaciaFil: Tajer, Carlos Daniel. Provincia de Buenos Aires. Ministerio de Salud. Hospital Alta Complejidad en Red El Cruce Dr. Néstor Carlos Kirchner Samic; ArgentinaFil: Antonietti, Laura. Provincia de Buenos Aires. Ministerio de Salud. Hospital Alta Complejidad en Red El Cruce Dr. Néstor Carlos Kirchner Samic; ArgentinaFil: Inserra, Filipe. Universidad Maimónides; ArgentinaFil: Ferder, León. Universidad Maimónides; ArgentinaFil: Manucha, Walter Ariel Fernando. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Mendoza. Instituto de Medicina y Biología Experimental de Cuyo; Argentin

Divergent thinking abilities in frontotemporal dementia: A mini-review

A large number of studies, including single case and case series studies, have shown that patients with different types of frontotemporal dementia (FTD) are characterized by the emergence of artistic abilities. This led to the hypothesis of enhanced creative thinking skills as a function of these pathological conditions. However, in the last years, it has been argued that these brain pathologies lead only to an augmented \u201cdrive to produce\u201d rather than to the emergence of creativity. Moreover, only a few studies analyzed specific creative skills, such as divergent thinking (DT), by standardized tests. This Mini-Review aimed to examine the extent to which DT abilities are preserved in patients affected by FTD. Results showed that DT abilities (both verbal and figural) are altered in different ways according to the specific anatomical and functional changes associated with the diverse forms of FTD. On the one hand, patients affected by the behavioral form of FTD can produce many ideas because of unimpaired access to memory stores (i.e., episodic and semantic), but are not able to recombine flexibly the information to produce original ideas because of damages in the pre-frontal cortex. On the other hand, patients affected by the semantic variant are impaired also in terms of fluency because of the degradation of their semantic memory store. Potential implications, limitations, and future research directions are discussed