I sistemi-mondo e il processo di universalizzazione della forma- merce: percorsi tra Lukács e Wallerstein

The aim of the paper is to briefly propose an analogy between Immanuel Wallerstein’s sociological concept of world-system and the process, described by Gyorgy Lukàcs in History and Class Consciousness, of the universalisation of commodity form within capitalist societies. The overall intention of the work is to actively interpret some specific topics analysed by Maria Turchetto within the module on Economy and society

La sociedad de las imágenes

Este artículo examina en profundidad el impacto de la digitalización en la sociedad contemporánea, centrándose específicamente en los ámbitos del trabajo y la educación. Se analizan las diversas perspectivas filosóficas sobre cómo la tecnología remota ha alterado significativamente las dinámicas laborales y educativas, desplazando gradualmente la necesidad de interacciones presenciales hacia un entorno virtual. Se destaca la obra de varios autores, como Marcuse, Heidegger y Baudrillard, que exploran los efectos de esta transformación en la experiencia humana y en la esfera social en general. Por un lado, se discute cómo la digitalización ha llevado a una mayor eficiencia en la producción laboral, por otro come ha planteado preocupaciones sobre la alienación del individuo y la pérdida de la conexión emocional en las interacciones humanas. Se enfatiza la importancia del diálogo cara a cara y la colaboración en la preservación de la empatía y la autenticidad en un mundo cada vez más dominado por la tecnología. Además, se aborda el tema de la "nueva alienación" y la "mercantilización de la cultura" en el contexto de la sociedad digital, donde la persona se encuentra cada vez más alejada de su ser auténtico y se convierte en un mero consumidor de imágenes y representaciones digitales. Se exploran los riesgos y desafíos que surgen de esta transformación, así como las posibles estrategias para mitigar sus efectos negativos en la vida social y laboral. En resumen, este artículo proporciona una visión integral de cómo la digitalización está remodelando fundamentalmente nuestra forma de trabajar, aprender y relacionarnos, y plantea importantes cuestiones éticas y sociales que requieren una cuidadosa consideración en el desarrollo futuro de la tecnología y la sociedad

Philosophy as a "Critical Theoresis"

-- 04.08.2024 -- Intervention held at the XXV World Congress of Philosophy in Rome, Italy -- The aim of this paper is to propose an interpretation of philosophy’s tasks as those of a “critical theoresis”. The formula draws from both Plato’s utilisation of the word ϑεώρησις and Herodotus’ particular use of the verb κρίνω. While the former indicates a cultural dimension that in itself implies an active participation of subjects in the objective social world, the latter expresses an hermeneutical principle that unites the concepts of “explanation” and “interpretation”. Therefore, I intend to use these key-concepts together in order to picture a type of philosophy that tries to underline the criteria of a normative theory that does not fail to assume a critical standpoint in interpreting social reality

An Interdisciplinary Approach for the Experimental Assessments of the Seismic Safety of Artworks

Recent seismic events occurred in areas rich of ancient remains and full of cultural and artistic heritage in terms of artworks. Earthquakes may damage buildings, but the vibrations may also induce the uplift and overturning of their content, implying irreparable loss of cultural values. The seismic assessment of objects is usually tackled modelling them as rigid blocks. This paper focuses on statues, which generally present a very complicated geometry, and proposes a general methodology involving different disciplines, for their experimental seismic assessment. The methodology is here applied to the masterpiece of “Paolo Orsi” museum in Syracuse (Italy), that is the “Venere Landolina”. Due to the complexity of statues, traditional techniques cannot be considered reliable for a proper geometry reconstruction; therefore, Terrestrial Laser Scanner (TLS) and Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) technologies are here employed to obtain a highly detailed and complete digital model. Aiming at providing a low-cost scaled physical model of the statue, a wooden specimen has been arranged employing a Computer Numerical Control (CNC) milling machine, cutting off disks from flat panels which are then superimposed and glued, progressively reconstructing the actual geometry of the statue. The specimen, able to approximately reproduce the scaled actual geometry, was then tested on a shaking table with ground motions compatible with those expected for the site where the statue is located. The obtained results are finally correlated with those expected for the real scale statue

High Risk of Severe Anaemia after Chlorproguanil-Dapsone+Artesunate Antimalarial Treatment in Patients with G6PD (A-) Deficiency

BACKGROUND: Glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) deficiency is the most common inherited human enzyme defect. This deficiency provides some protection from clinical malaria, but it can also cause haemolysis after administration of drugs with oxidant properties. METHODS: The safety of chlorproguanil-dapsone+artesunate (CD+A) and amodiaquine+sulphadoxine-pyrimethamine (AQ+SP) for the treatment of uncomplicated P. falciparum malaria was evaluated according to G6PD deficiency in a secondary analysis of an open-label, randomized clinical trial. 702 children, treated with CD+A or AQ+SP and followed for 28 days after treatment were genotyped for G6PD A- deficiency. FINDINGS: In the first 4 days following CD+A treatment, mean haematocrit declined on average 1.94% (95% CI 1.54 to 2.33) and 1.05% per day (95% CI 0.95 to 1.15) respectively in patients with G6PD deficiency and normal patients; a mean reduction of 1.3% per day was observed among patients who received AQ+SP regardless of G6PD status (95% CI 1.25 to 1.45). Patients with G6PD deficiency recipients of CD+A had significantly lower haematocrit than the other groups until day 7 (p = 0.04). In total, 10 patients had severe post-treatment haemolysis requiring blood transfusion. Patients with G6PD deficiency showed a higher risk of severe anaemia following treatment with CD+A (RR = 10.2; 95% CI 1.8 to 59.3) or AQ+SP (RR = 5.6; 95% CI 1.0 to 32.7). CONCLUSIONS: CD+A showed a poor safety profile in individuals with G6PD deficiency most likely as a result of dapsone induced haemolysis. Screening for G6PD deficiency before drug administration of potentially pro-oxidants drugs, like dapsone-containing combinations, although seldom available, is necessary

The role of FKBP5 in cancer aetiology and chemoresistance

FK506 binding protein 51 (FKBP51, also called FKBP5) belongs to a family of immunophilins, FK506 binding proteins (FKBPs). Members of this family are targets for drugs such as rapamycin and cyclosporine. Although FKBP5 shares characteristics with other FKBPs, it also has unique features, especially its role in the regulation of multiple signalling pathways and in tumourigenesis and chemoresistance. In this review, we will focus on the recently discovered role of FKBP5 in cancer aetiology and response to antineoplastic therapy

Haemoglobin C and S Role in Acquired Immunity against Plasmodium falciparum Malaria

A recently proposed mechanism of protection for haemoglobin C (HbC; β6Glu→Lys) links an abnormal display of PfEMP1, an antigen involved in malaria pathogenesis, on the surface of HbC infected erythrocytes together with the observation of reduced cytoadhesion of parasitized erythrocytes and impaired rosetting in vitro. We investigated the impact of this hypothesis on the development of acquired immunity against Plasmodium falciparum variant surface antigens (VSA) encoding PfEMP1 in HbC in comparison with HbA and HbS carriers of Burkina Faso. We measured: i) total IgG against a single VSA, A4U, and against a panel of VSA from severe malaria cases in human sera from urban and rural areas of Burkina Faso of different haemoglobin genotypes (CC, AC, AS, SC, SS); ii) total IgG against recombinant proteins of P. falciparum asexual sporozoite, blood stage antigens, and parasite schizont extract; iii) total IgG against tetanus toxoid. Results showed that the reported abnormal cell-surface display of PfEMP1 on HbC infected erythrocytes observed in vitro is not associated to lower anti- PfEMP1 response in vivo. Higher immune response against the VSA panel and malaria antigens were observed in all adaptive genotypes containing at least one allelic variant HbC or HbS in the low transmission urban area whereas no differences were detected in the high transmission rural area. In both contexts the response against tetanus toxoid was not influenced by the β-globin genotype. These findings suggest that both HbC and HbS affect the early development of naturally acquired immunity against malaria. The enhanced immune reactivity in both HbC and HbS carriers supports the hypothesis that the protection against malaria of these adaptive genotypes might be at least partially mediated by acquired immunity against malaria