Historical Virtues in U.S. Schooling: How to Refine Character Education?

This article includes current issues of character education in American public schooling as findings indicate character education has little long-term influence in the development of virtues for students Next I trace the historical roots of virtues from philosophy and theology These intellectual and moral habits could redefine expectations in modern educational settings as well as future societal practices I argue that students need a collaborative effort from parents and teachers that can instill historical virtues Through service activities and discussions students can learn how to internalize moral standards In conclusion moral implications from such a traditional understanding of virtues support individual happiness and social progres

«La realtà è scadente». La memoria, Napoli e il cinema (in margine a È stata la mano di Dio di Paolo Sorrentino)

The paper offers an interpretation of Sorrentino’s last film in relation to some famous precedents by Fellini and Tornatore in which a similar story is told, that of the director’s youthful fascination with cinema and the choice to undertake that career leaving the hometown to move to Rome. After a brief history of this sub-thread, Sorrentino’s film will be analyzed through three specific directives: memory, the relationship with Naples, the role of cinema.L'articolo offre un'interpretazione dell'ultimo film di Sorrentino in relazione ad alcuni celebri precedenti di Fellini e Tornatore in cui si racconta una storia simile, quella della fascinazione giovanile del regista per il cinema e la scelta di intraprendere quella carriera lasciando la città natale per trasferirsi a Roma. Dopo una breve storia di questo sottofilone, il film di Sorrentino sarà analizzato attraverso tre direttive specifiche: la memoria, il rapporto con Napoli, il ruolo del cinema

La Reggia di celluloide. Usi e finzioni del Palazzo Reale di Caserta al cinema

Actas del V Congreso Internacional de Historia y Cine celebrado en la Universidad Carlos III de Madrid del 5 al 7 de Septiembre de 2016.No existe ningún otro edificio histórico al mundo que haya sido mucho utilizado al cine sin ser considerado en sus propriedades históricas y artísticas como el Palacio Real de Caserta. Si Versalles es elegido como set para representare sí mismo, y hacer rivivir los acontecimientos seguidos en las epocas, a Caserta los espléndidos salones y los exuberantes jardines en lamayoría de los casos se prestan a fingir de ser otro: este es el caso, por ejemplo, de La Maja desnuda (1958), dónde aparece como el Palacio Real de Madrid, o bien Waterloo (1970), dónde representa como el Castillo de Fonatinebleau. Cuando es utilizada para hacer revivir los personajes borbónicos que lo tienen efectivamente poblado, el Palacio Real de Caserta sólo raramente es empleado respetando los tiempos y los estilos artísticos, supliendo así de generíco lugar del poder. La sontuosidad de la arquitectura vanvitelliana, luego, hace permitido a ricas producciones americanas de utilizar este edificio, eligido como palacio del Vaticano y, hasta, del futuro, cuál set de ciencia ficción.No other historical building in the world has been used in the movies without being respected in its historical and artistic features more than the Royal Palace of Caserta. If Versailles is usually chosen as location for representing itself, as well as to set the events that have happened through the time, at Caserta the splendid halls and the luxuriant gardens are generally utilized to come out as sorne other places: for instance, in La Maja desnuda (1958) it appears as the Palacio Real of Madrid, and in Waterloo (1970) it is shown as the Fontainebleau Castle. When it is used as the location of Bourbon family, who have inhabited there, very rarely its times and artistic styles are respected. The Reggia acts as a generic seat of power. But also, the sumptuousness of the Vanvitelli architecture has allowed to the American film productions to use this building as a Vatican place and even as a space age location for the recent Star Wars episodes

Carotid artery disease and stroke in patients with peripheral arterial disease. The role of inflammation.

Although during the last decade there have been great advances in our knowledge of the epidemiology and pathophysiology of multi-district atherosclerotic disease, little is known about the association between peripheral arterial disease and carotid artery disease. This review was conceived to cast some light on this topic, paying special attention to inflammation which plays a pivotal role in atherosclerosis. An aspect of pathophysiologic and clinical relevance is that the coexistence of carotid disease is more frequent in peripheral arterial disease than in coronary artery disease, not only in terms of carotid stenosis, but also with respect to the presence of hypoechoic unstable plaque. These latter plaques present a large infiltration of macrophages and are associated to high levels of inflammatory markers. In particular, the greater prevalence of hypoechoic carotid plaques in peripheral arterial disease compared to patients with carotid artery disease was poorly related to classic risk factors, but showed an independent association with an increased number of leukocyte and neutrophil cells, which are reliable markers of inflammation. The greater prevalence of hypoechoic unstable carotid plaques could explain why peripheral arterial disease portends higher risk of stroke than coronary artery disease

Impairment of microcirculation and energy metabolism in intermittent claudication: beneficial effects of exercise training

Although in peripheral arterial disease (PAD) the primary determinant of inadequate blood supply to the affected limb during exercise is a flow-limiting lesion of a conduit artery, there is a large body of evidence that impairment of microcirculation and skeletal muscle energy metabolism play a relevant role in the reduced working ability of affected individuals. This review was conceived to cast some light on this topic, paying special attention to the functional benefits of exercise training (ET) in the treatment of claudicant patients. In PAD, the ischemia induced by maximal exercise increases oxidative stress, inflammation and endothelial dysfunction. Perturbation of the endothelial homeostasis results in increased adhesiveness of leukocytes and platelets, and in reduced vasodilator capability. These events, expression of the interplay between inflammation and endothelium, provoke an obstacle in the microcirculation with a reduction in the nutritive blood flow, leading to acidosis and impaired energy metabolism in skeletal muscle, with consequent reduced exercise tolerance. ET counteracts these effects by improving walking ability and quality of life in patients with intermittent claudication, thus representing the gold standard in the treatment of PAD

Effect of adenoviral titer and instillation pressure on gene transfer efficiency to arterial and venous grafts ex-vivo

AbstractObjective: Adenoviral-mediated gene transfer to arterial and venous grafts has potential in the treatment of a number of vascular diseases. Despite widespread use of these vectors to mediate gene transfer to blood vessel walls, the optimal transduction conditions for each type of vessel has yet to be determined. Our objective was to study the effect of adenoviral titer and instillation pressure on efficiency of gene transfer to arterial and venous grafts ex-vivo. Methods: Jugular vein and carotid artery segments of 8 cm were harvested from Yorkshire Cross pigs. Tissue culture media or different titers of an adenoviral vector encoding human placental alkaline phosphatase (hpAP) were instilled into venous and arterial grafts at 0 mm Hg or 80 to 100 mm Hg of pressure and bathed externally in the same solution at 37° C for 30 minutes. The grafts were rinsed, opened longitudinally, and incubated in culture media at 37° C for 48 hours. Grafts were fixed and stained for hpAP transgene expression to quantitate percent luminal transduction or homogenized for alkaline phosphatase (AP) activity to determine total transmural transduction. Results: For venous grafts, the percent luminal area stained for hpAP was greatest with 108 plaque-forming units/mL at 0 mm Hg (81% ± 7%) and decreased with increasing titers (53% ± 9% at 109 pfu/mL and 44% ± 11% at 5 × 109 pfu/mL; n = 7; P < .05). No increase in percent luminal area stain was achieved with an instillation pressure of 80 to 100 mm Hg at any viral titer. The inverse finding was observed in arterial grafts. For arterial grafts, the greatest percent luminal area stained was achieved with 5 × 109 pfu/mL at 80 to 100 mm Hg (76% ± 7%). An instillation pressure of 80 to 100 mm Hg increased the percent luminal area stained at 108 pfu/mL from 31% ± 9% to 66% ± 8% (n = 8; P = .01). For venous grafts, total AP activity peaked with 109 pfu/mL at 0 mm Hg and decreased with an instillation pressure of 80 to 100 mm Hg (30.6 ± 9.7 U/mg versus 10.9 ± 2.5 U/mg; n = 7; P < .01). However, for arterial grafts, total AP activity peaked with 5 × 109 pfu/mL (0 mm Hg) and increased with an instillation pressure of 80 to 100 mm Hg (32.8 ± 9.9 U/mg versus 63.4 ± 20.5 U/mg; n = 8; P < .05). Conclusion: High transduction efficiency can be achieved with adenoviral-mediated gene transfer of arterial and venous grafts. Gene transfer with the vascular graft's physiologic pressure conditions improved transduction efficiency for the artery (80 to 100 mm Hg) and vein (0 mm Hg). Comprehensive analysis of adenoviral transduction conditions is important to realize the full promise of adenoviral-mediated gene transfer. (J Vasc Surg 2002;36:263-70.