Navi o pesci? Una nota a Seneca, Phaedra 472

In f. 472 of Seneca's Phaedra (uacuum sine ullis classibus stabit mare) a brilliant conjecture of Richard Bentley, who proposed to read piscibus in place of classibus, has been adopted by the majority of later editions. By an analysis of both the discourses of the nurse and of Hippolytus, the paper attempts to prove the authenticity of the manuscript traditio

Ripensare lo straniero. Lesbii e Parti nell'ottavo libro del Bellum civile di Lucano

The eighth book of Lucan's bellum ciuile opens with the loss of Pompeius fleeing from the Thessalian battlefield. This departure, which sees the old fighter now prostrate and on which hangs a heavy fate of death, includes a double description of peoples and nations. The inhabitants of Lesbos, in which Cornelia had found shelter, offer a safe haven to Pompeius, urging him to remain. Moreover Pompeius seem to be inclined to the Parthians, the traditional enemy of Rome, but the option is destined to be defeated at the urging of Lentulus, which will convince the council of war to turn to Egypt. Within this opposing and contradictory motivations, where the reasons of the history emerge strongly marking the path to defeat, it is strongly evident the bitter feeling of the poet who finds in the hospitality of others, whether real or only idealized, a chance to talk about other things to the affirmation paradoxical and subversive to assume the help of an enemy of Rome, the Parthians. Will, however, other findings, drawn from the wealth of traditional prejudices on the stranger, to lead Pompey to death in the land of Egypt

Quid meruere nepotes. Responsabilit\ue0 e merito nella Pharsalia di Lucano

Il contributo indaga l\u2019epos lucaneo ricostruendo i contesti in cui compaiono nel poema meritum e derivati, immagini che coinvolgono tanto la nozione di merito quanto quella di responsabilit\ue0. Si tratta di un\u2019oscillazione ben visibile ed operante all\u2019interno dell\u2019opera, dove tali accezioni tornano con frequenza a scandire tanto le azioni dei protagonisti quanto i severi giudizi del narratore.The paper deals with Lucan\u2019s Pharsalia, reconstructing the contexts in which meritum and derivatives appear, images that both involve the notion of merit as that of responsibility. It is a highly visible and active presence within the poem, where such meanings frequently appear, characterizing both the actions of the protagonists as the severe judgments of the narrator

Lucano, i Mani di Cartagine e i presupposti dell'epos

Analisi dei riferimenti a Cartagine nella Pharsalia di Lucan

Responsabilità e merito nel mondo antico. Retorica, Giustizia, Società. Atti del Convegno di Palermo, 10-11 febbraio 2016

"Merit and Responsability. A Study in Greek Values" è il titolo di un volume pubblicato ormai cinquant’anni or sono da W.H. Adkins. L’autore metteva in evidenza il mancato sviluppo, nel mondo greco, del concetto di responsabilità morale a vantaggio della nozione di arete, postulando la distanza irriducibile tra l’etica greca e quella contemporanea. Quelle di responsabilità e merito sono in effetti categorie su cui la cultura contemporanea si è notevolmente esercitata e continua a interrogarsi, soprattutto in questi anni caratterizzati da un sentimento di incertezza in tutti gli aspetti della nostra esistenza e in particolare nell’agire quotidiano e nelle relazioni sociali. E tuttavia si tratta di un insieme di riflessioni su cui il pensiero antico molto ha ancora da dirci, spesso con una complessità e una sensibilità sorprendenti

Presentazione

Introduzione agli atti del convegno Responsabilit\ue0 e merito nel mondo antico. Retorica, Giustizia, Societ\ue0 (Palermo, 10-11 febbraio 2016)Introduction to the proceedings of the conference "Responsibility and Merit in the Ancient World. Rhetoric, Justice, Society (Palermo, 10-11 February

Sex Differences in Spatial Accuracy Relate to the Neural Activation of Antagonistic Muscles in Young Adults

Sex is an important physiological variable of behavior, but its effect on motor control remains poorly understood. Some evidence suggests that women exhibit greater variability during constant contractions and poorer accuracy during goal-directed tasks. However, it remains unclear whether motor output variability or altered muscle activation impairs accuracy in women. Here, we examine sex differences in endpoint accuracy during ankle goal-directed movements and the activity of the antagonistic muscles. Ten women (23.1 ± 5.1 years) and 10 men (23 ± 3.7 years) aimed to match a target (9° in 180 ms) with ankle dorsiflexion. Participants performed 50 trials and we recorded the endpoint accuracy and the electromyographic (EMG) activity of the primary agonist (Tibialis Anterior; TA) and antagonist (Soleus; SOL) muscles. Women exhibited greater spatial inaccuracy (Position error: t = −2.65, P = 0.016) but not temporal inaccuracy relative to men. The motor output variability was similar for the two sexes (P \u3e 0.2). The spatial inaccuracy in women was related to greater variability in the coordination of the antagonistic muscles (R 2 0.19, P = 0.03). These findings suggest that women are spatially less accurate than men during fast goal-directed movements likely due to an altered activation of the antagonistic muscles

Responsabilit\ue0 e merito nel mondo antico. Retorica, Giustizia, Societ\ue0. Atti del Convegno di Palermo, 10-11 febbraio 2016

"Merit and Responsability. A Study in Greek Values" \ue8 il titolo di un volume pubblicato ormai cinquant\u2019anni or sono da W.H. Adkins. L\u2019autore metteva in evidenza il mancato sviluppo, nel mondo greco, del concetto di responsabilit\ue0 morale a vantaggio della nozione di arete, postulando la distanza irriducibile tra l\u2019etica greca e quella contemporanea. Quelle di responsabilit\ue0 e merito sono in effetti categorie su cui la cultura contemporanea si \ue8 notevolmente esercitata e continua a interrogarsi, soprattutto in questi anni caratterizzati da un sentimento di incertezza in tutti gli aspetti della nostra esistenza e in particolare nell\u2019agire quotidiano e nelle relazioni sociali. E tuttavia si tratta di un insieme di riflessioni su cui il pensiero antico molto ha ancora da dirci, spesso con una complessit\ue0 e una sensibilit\ue0 sorprendenti

Hfq binding changes the structure of Escherichia coli small noncoding RNAs OxyS and RprA, which are involved in the riboregulation of rpoS

OxyS and RprA are two small noncoding RNAs (sRNAs) that modulate the expression of rpoS, encoding an alternative sigma factor that activates transcription of multiple Escherichia coli stress-response genes. While RprA activates rpoS for translation, OxyS down-regulates the transcript. Crucially, the RNA binding protein Hfq is required for both sRNAs to function, although the specific role played by Hfq remains unclear. We have investigated RprA and OxyS interactions with Hfq using biochemical and biophysical approaches. In particular, we have obtained the molecular envelopes of the Hfq–sRNA complexes using small-angle scattering methods, which reveal key molecular details. These data indicate that Hfq does not substantially change shape upon complex formation, whereas the sRNAs do. We link the impact of Hfq binding, and the sRNA structural changes induced, to transcript stability with respect to RNase E degradation. In light of these findings, we discuss the role of Hfq in the opposing regulatory functions played by RprA and OxyS in rpoS regulation