Perspectivas comparadas en historia reciente del Cono Sur: informes sobre las violaciones de derechos humanos, sanci\uf3n penal y cambios legislativos del siglo XXI

It is possible to find out a chain clarification-punishment in the way how the Southern Cone\u2019s countries of Latin America to reports of human rights violations committed during ring the civil-military dictatorships of the 70s and 80s has followed a criminal sanction. Comparing the cases of Argentina, Chile and Uruguay is possible to individuate stays and differences in a context where cuts and continuities of political hegemony seem key interpretation

Il nuovo volto dell\u2019America latina

A partire dalla fine degli anni \u201890 l\u2019America latina esce da quelli che vengono considerati gli anni del Washington Consensus e dell\u2019ortodossia neoliberale che avevano caratterizzato il ventennio precedente. Una serie di governi di centro-sinistra vengono a caratterizzarsi per la marcata attenzione alle politiche di integrazione continentali e per la ricerca di un\u2019autonomia politica rispetto agli Stati Uniti che, senza diventare mai conflitto aperto, assume spesso toni marcati. Governi come quello brasiliano di Lula da Silva, quello venezuelano di Hugo Ch\ue1vez, il boliviano di Evo Morales, l\u2019argentino di N\ue9stor Kirchner e altri, cambiano completamente il panorama politico continentale riportando in auge il ruolo dello Stato e mettendo l\u2019accento su una rinnovata attenzione per politiche pubbliche di riduzione della povert\ue0 e del disagio sociale. Il saggio, pubblicato sulla rivista edita dalla rivista del SISDE, Sistema d\u2019Informazione per la Sicurezza Della Repubblica, analizza che valore strutturale \ue8 possibile attribuire al percorso storico dei governi integrazionisti latinoamericani, culminata nel dicembre 2007, nella fondazione del Banco del Sur, su come si sta modificando il ruolo degli Stati Uniti in un cortile di casa dove, per la prima volta dal riflusso dell'impero britannico, e ben pi\uf9 di quanto non avesse ambito a fare l'Unione Sovietica, altri attori, come la Cina, l'India, la stessa Unione Europea ed il commercio Sud-Sud stanno ricavando quote di mercato e politiche sempre pi\uf9 importanti. L\u2019idea dell\u2019autore \ue8 che proprio i processi storici latinoamericani rappresentino la palestra per la costruzione di un mondo multipolare

Spagna: le ombre oltre la transizione

Nell\u2019articolo si affronta il dibattito storiografico sulla transizione spagnola in comparazione con l\u2019Italia

il volto della morte: le maschere funerarie della sepoltura dei preti morti di Gangi

riassunto — Le mummie moderne e il signifcato recondito della doppia sepoltura nelle culture mediterranee moderne sono da tempo ampiamente dibattuti. In questo lavoro si discute di una particolare “collezione” di corpi di ecclesiastici, mummifcati ed esposti in un comune montano madonita della Sicilia, Gangi. I corpi, principalmente risalenti al XIX secolo, mummifcati per colatura come nella tradizione del tempo e vestiti degli abiti talari, sono esposti nel piano sottostante della Chiesa Madre, in quella che nella tradizione è detta la “fossa dei parrini” (fossa dei preti). Le mummie, a differenza di altri siti siciliani e mediterranei, sono altresì corredate di sonetto commemorativo e di maschera mortuaria realizzata in cera fne. L’interesse precipuo del nostro studio si è rivolto proprio a questa particolare manifestazione complessa della doppia sepoltura, che risiede nella rappresentazione del volto. Il lavoro esprime una disamina del concetto di maschera mortuaria nell’antichità e porta alla conclusione che il luogo, per le sue valenze scenografche e per la sofsticatezza della ritualizzazione dovesse essere stato ideato per l’ostentazione e il consolidamento dell’immagine della Chiesa e del suo potere all’interno della piccola società rurale

Thermal and mechanical properties of polycaprolactone-based composites with diatomaceous earth and halloysite nanotubes

1. Introduction The biodegradable polymers have been attracted interest for the design of green composites in recent decades to face the urgent environmental issues. Polycaprolactone (PCL) is one of the most promising environmentally friendly polymers. Recent studies have reported that blending PCL with different types of fillers may affect its physic-chemical properties and crystallization rate. Halloysite nanotubes (HNT) and diatomaceous earth (DE) have been recently investigated for the preparation of PCL-based composites with appealing performances1,2. Both are naturally occurring materials with nanoscale dimensions and a structure that lend them also absorbent properties. Potentialities of such materials in polymer composites need to be further developed for environmental remediation applications3. For the study, binary blends of PCL with HNT and DE were prepared by melt mixing, starting from 5 w/t% of filler to the maximum miscible concentration to the polymer. The thermal and mechanical properties of the obtained composites were investigated. Thermogravimetric analysis, differential scanning calorimetry and dynamic mechanical analysis were employed for the research purposes. 2. Results and Discussion Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA): The measurements were carried out by using the Q5000 IR instrument (TA Instruments) under nitrogen flow of 25 cm3/min by heating the samples from 20° to 800 °C. with a rate of 1°C/min. The degradation temperature of the pristine materials and their composites were taken at the maximum of the first order derivative curves of mass percentage vs. temperature. It was observed that concentration of HNTs up to 15 w/t% did not affect the thermal stability of PCL. The recorded Tmax values show no significant variations compared to pristine PCL. Higher content of HNT, beyond these levels, leads to a significative decrease in the thermal stability of the PCL matrix, resulted in a lower onset decomposition temperature. The addition of DE did not significatively affect the thermal stability of the composites, with a similar onset temperature for all of composites as the DE content increased. Graphs of the residue vs filler concentration showed a good dispersion degree of the filler particles throughout the polymeric matrix. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC): The melting and crystallization behaviour testing of the composites and of pristine materials were carried out by using the differential scanning calorimeter TA Instrument DSC (2920 CE). Samples of approximately 5 mg were heated from 25°C to 80°C at a rate of 1 °C/min, under nitrogen atmosphere. The melting temperatures at the onset (Tmi), at the peak (Tmp) and the enthalpy of melting (ΔHm) per gram of PCL in the composites were calculated. The heating thermograms showed melting temperatures values constant for both PCL-based composites as compared to the neat PCL. The crystallinity degree (ꭓc) of PCL did not change for blends with DE while significant variations were observed in PCL/HNT nanocomposites. The results showed that, up to the filler concentration of 15 wt%, ꭓc increase, indicating that the well-dispersed HNT acted as nucleating agents in the PCL matrix. At higher concentrations, the crystallinity degree decreased, affected by the achievement of the percolation threshold of HNT and by the consequent decrease in molecular mobility of the PCL chains in the nanocomposites. Dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA): Dynamic mechanical measurements were performed by using the DMA Q800 (TA Instruments). The temperature range was 30° to 80°C with a scan rate of 2°C/min, at an applied oscillation frequency of 1 Hz and strain of 0.5%. The shear gear method with samples of a surface of 100 mm2 were employed to measure the elastic (storage modulus) and the viscous (loss modulus) components and tan delta parameters. For the study, the peak maximum of the loss modulus curves was considered. It was observed that these values reduced in the filled system as compared to the pristine counter parts, which is due to the reduction of viscous component of the polymer matrix by the presence of HNT and DE. 3. Conclusions Well-dispersed binary blends of PCL with HNT and DE were prepared by melt mixing. Composites with the maximum miscible concentration to the polymer were obtained since there is a lack of information in the literature on the evolution of crystallization rate in PCL composites containing high percentages of fillers. TGA and DSC analysis evidenced that the thermal properties of the polymer are mostly affected by the HNT addition and that the HNT concentration of 15 w/t% represents a sort of critical threshold after which a change in the behaviour of the composites occurs. Viscoelastic measurements showed that both fillers increase the capacity of PCL to store energy during mechanical stress as their content percentage increases. The reported data are the result of a preliminary characterization of sustainable composites whose potential for environmental remediation applications is currently being studied. References 1. Kassa, A.,et al. Effects of montmorillonite, sepiolite, and halloysite clays on the morphology and properties of polycaprolactone bionanocomposites. Polym.Compos. 28(2020) 2. Oun, A. A.,et al. Comparative study of oregano essential oil encapsulated in halloysite nanotubes and diatomaceous earth as antimicrobial and antioxidant composites. Appl. Clay Sci. 224(2022) 3. Cavallaro, G.,et al. Organic-nanoclay composite materials as removal agents for environmental decontamination. RSC Adv. 9(2019

Functional polymeric coatings for csi(Tl) scintillators

The handling of inorganic scintillators (e.g., alkali metal halides) can benefit from the availability of polymeric materials able to adhere to their surface. Polymeric materials, such as epoxy resins, can act as protective coatings, as adhesives for photodiodes to be connected with the scintillator surface, and as a matrix for functional fillers to improve the optical properties of scintillators. Here, the optical properties of two epoxy resins (E-30 by Prochima, and Technovit Epox by Heraeus Kulzer) deposited on the surface of a scintillator crystal made of CsI(Tl) were investigated, in order to improve the detection of high-energy radiation. It is found that these resins are capable of adhering to the surface of alkali metal halides. Adhesion, active at the epoxy–CsI(Tl) interface, can be explained on the basis of Coulomb forces acting between the ionic solid surface and an ionic intermediate of synthesis generated during the epoxy setting reaction. Technovit Epox showed higher transparency, and it was also functionalized by embedding white powdered pigments (PTFE or BaSO4) to achieve an optically reflective coating on the scintillator surface

Early Detection of Wild Rocket Tracheofusariosis Using Hyperspectral Image-Based Machine Learning

Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. raphani is responsible for wilting wild rocket (Diplotaxis tenuifolia L. [D.C.]). A machine learning model based on hyperspectral data was constructed to monitor disease progression. Thus, pathogenesis after artificial inoculation was monitored over a 15-day period by symptom assessment, qPCR pathogen quantification, and hyperspectral imaging. The host colonization by a pathogen evolved accordingly with symptoms as confirmed by qPCR. Spectral data showed differences as early as 5-day post infection and 12 hypespectral vegetation indices were selected to follow disease development. The hyperspectral dataset was used to feed the XGBoost machine learning algorithm with the aim of developing a model that discriminates between healthy and infected plants during the time. The multiple cross-prediction strategy of the pixel-level models was able to detect hyperspectral disease profiles with an average accuracy of 0.8. For healthy pixel detection, the mean Precision value was 0.78, the Recall was 0.88, and the F1 Score was 0.82. For infected pixel detection, the average evaluation metrics were Precision: 0.73, Recall: 0.57, and F1 Score: 0.63. Machine learning paves the way for automatic early detection of infected plants, even a few days after infection

Atorvastatin combined to interferon to verify the efficacy (ACTIVE) in relapsing-remitting active multiple sclerosis patients: a longitudinal controlled trial of combination therapy.

A large body of evidence suggests that, besides their cholesterol-lowering effect, statins exert anti-inflammatory action. Consequently, statins may have therapeutic potential in immune-mediated disorders such as multiple sclerosis. Our objectives were to determine safety, tolerability and efficacy of low-dose atorvastatin plus high-dose interferon beta-1a in multiple sclerosis patients responding poorly to interferon beta-1a alone. Relapsing–remitting multiple sclerosis patients, aged 18–50 years, with contrast-enhanced lesions or relapses while on therapy with interferon beta-1a 44 mg (three times weekly) for 12 months, were randomized to combination therapy (interferon+atorvastatin 20mg per day; group A) or interferon alone (group B) for 24 months. Patients underwent blood analysis and clinical assessment with the Expanded Disability Status Scale every 3 months, and brain gadolinium-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging at screening, and 12 and 24 months thereafter. Primary outcome measure was contrast-enhanced lesion number. Secondary outcome measures were number of relapses, EDSS variation and safety laboratory data. Forty-five patients were randomized to group A (n 1⁄4 21) or B (n 1⁄4 24). At 24 months, group A had significantly fewer contrast-enhanced lesions versus baseline (p 1⁄4 0.007) and significantly fewer relapses versus the two pre-randomization years (p < 0.001). At survival analysis, the risk for a 1-point EDSS increase was slightly higher in group B than in group A (p 1⁄4 0.053). Low-dose atorvastatin may be beneficial, as add-on therapy, in poor responders to high-dose interferon beta-1a alone

Fatal cranial injury in an individual from Messina (Sicily) during the times of the Roman Empire

Forensic and archaeological examinations of human skeletons can provide us with evidence of violence. In this paper, we present the patterns of two cranial lesions found on an adult male (T173) buried in a grave in the necropolis ‘Isolato 96’, Messina, Sicily, dating back to the Roman Empire (1st century BC - 1st century AD). The skull reveals two perimortem traumatic lesions, one produced by a sharp object on the right parietal bone and the other one on the left parietal bone, presumably the result of a fall. The interpretation of fracture patterns found in this cranium are an illustration of how forensic approaches can be applied with great benefit to archaeological specimens. 2013 Elsevier Ltd and Faculty of Forensic and Legal Medicine. All rights reserved