I care (my home)

To the question what is the effect of pro-environmental solutions on the well-being of the individual the answer is that there are different schools of thought in environmental psychology, but all tend to find objective solutions. In my reflection I would like to focus on the subject and its design choices aimed at the well-being of the HOME environment. Currently, attention to wellbeing leads to "green" design choices. But behind the word green different meanings are stratified. We move from Passive house, not necessarily using natural materials; to that Zero Impact with recycled materials, not always high performance; to the biomorphic design where the fruition is often tiring, to Feng Shui increasingly in vogue in the West and finally to the biophilic design. There are different ways to get to the living well, which certainly has objective characteristics, but often ignores the subjective principle of I CARE (MY HOME). I CARE (MY HOME) defines the path to be taken where each design choice is dictated by a different meaning that the subject attributes to it. In this sense, one's home becomes regenerative and creates well-being. A domestic environment without subjective meaning simply becomes a beautiful environment. Considering the objective parameters what creates the ideal environment? Space? Shape? Distribution? Natural materials use? What is more regenerative? The window on a real park or a poster with a coniferous forest or a poster of an Arizona desert? The conclusion is that although a house is "objectively correct" to be "perfect" it must be empathic with those who experience it

Subtle Speech and Use of Pronouns in Tolkien\u27s novels and Old English Poetry

In human conversations, verbal exchanges follow rules. Applicable both to Old English poetry and Tolkien\u27s fiction, rules governing speech set the right quantity and quality of information to be transmitted and provide strategies to avoid conflicts. What is too redundant or scanty in a speech might indicate more layers of meaning, which are implied or suggested. Language can create or resolve conflicts; the careful use of words and even pronouns can make a difference between self-assertion and cooperation, unity and separation. Such refined linguistic technique is visible in Old English poetry, where dialectal ability is as important as valour, where the hero has to prove he is a talented speaker in order to be acknowledged , navigating in the complex reality of Anglo-Saxon society. I compared the use of first person pronouns in The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit with Old English poems such as Beowulf, Genesis B and elegies such as The Wanderer, mostly focusing on complex characters like Boromir, Thorin, Denethor, Gollum and Saruman. Boromir and Beowulf similarly alternate individualistic “I” and social “we”. Both participate in an episode of “flyting”, or verbal duel, where Beowulf\u27s opponent and Boromir initiate the challenge. Beowulf boldly responds in aggressive terms, in contrast to Boromir\u27s opponent, Aragorn, who reacts to the challenge peacefully trying to mitigate it. Thorin\u27s pride is similar to Boromir\u27s and he equally falls prey to his greed but eventually redeems himself. His use of first-person pronouns resembles Beowulf\u27s and Boromir\u27s. Denethor is as proud and self-centered as Satan, both using a profusion of “I”. The equivalent of the Old English dual pronoun, we two, is variously used by Tolkien, particularly by Saruman who creates false alliances to his advantage. Gollum is the best example of alternation of “I” and “we”, correct or distorted speech reflecting his inner motivation. Tolkien\u27s use of language in The Lord of the Rings is extremely accurate. The use of first person pronouns is similar to and as precise as Old English poetry

Possidet domum. Prime riflessioni a margine della religiosità domestica a Ercolano: fonti e dati archeologici

The lararium was a shrine to the guardian spirits of the Roman household. Family members performed daily rituals at this shrine to guarantee the protection of these domestic spirits, the most significant of which were the Lares. This paper focus on a new study about the domestic cult in Herculaneum, starting from the creation of a corpus of all the lararia discovered in the ancient city, until the reconstruction of the rituals and offerings that Romans made to the home altars

Visuoconstructive abilities and spatial memory in autism spectrum disorder without intellectual disability: the Rey complex Figure

openLe abilità visuospaziali sono un insieme di abilità considerate fondamentali per l’interazione con l’ambiente e sono coinvolte in molte attività quotidiane (Hegarty & Waller, 2005; Jansen et al., 2010). Numerosi studi sull’elaborazione globale-locale hanno evidenziato l’uso preferenziale di uno stile di elaborazione in specifici disturbi del neurosviluppo, in particolare per quanto riguarda il disturbo dello spettro dell’autismo (Autism Spectrum Disorder, ASD) (Caron et al., 2006; Kuschner et al., 2009). Nel presente elaborato saranno confrontate le abilità visuo-spaziali e motorie di bambini e ragazzi con sviluppo tipico (typical development, TD) e con disturbo dello spettro dell’autismo senza disabilità intellettiva, al fine di evidenziare differenze ed eventuali similarità tra i gruppi. A bambini e ragazzi con ASD e TD sono state proposte alcune prove volte alla valutazione delle abilità sopramenzionate, tra cui la Figura complessa di Rey (Rey, 1941; Osterrieth, 1944). I risultati saranno discussi alla luce delle ipotesi di partenza e della letteratura di riferimento.Visuospatial abilities are considered fundamental to our interaction with the environment and are involved in many every-day activities (Hegarty & Waller, 2005; Jansen, et Al., 2010). Many studies on global versus local processing have revealed preferential processing styles in specific neurodevelopmental disorders, particularly as concerns autism spectrum disorder (ASD) (Caron et al., 2006; Kuschner et al., 2009). In the present work will be compared visual-spatial and motor abilities in children and adolescents with typical development (TD) and with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) without intellectual disability, in order to highlight differences and similarities between the groups. To do so, tasks assessing the abovementioned abilities, including the Rey complex Figure (Rey, 1941; Osterrieth, 1944), were administered. Findings will be discussed in view of the hypothesis and what we know from previous literature

Indagine sul carico assistenziale dei caregivers di pazienti con demenza e considerazioni sul ruolo dell'infermiere

Problema. La demenza è caratterizzata da una compromissione progressiva delle funzioni cognitive, tale da influenzare negativamente la capacità di svolgere le normali attività di vita quotidiana. L’assistenza al paziente affetto da demenza richiede uno sforzo fisico e psicologico tale per cui può compromettere la salute di chi se ne prende cura. Scopo. L’indagine ha lo scopo di rilevare il carico soggettivo sperimentato da caregivers informali che prestano assistenza ad anziani con demenza e individuare quali variabili tra le caratteristiche socio-demografiche del paziente e del caregiver possano influenzarlo; Materiali e metodi. Lo studio è stato condotto presso il Centro Decadimento Cognitivo dell’Azienda Ospedaliera Alto Vicentino e presso il Centro Diurno “La Compagnia” dell’IPAB “La Pieve” di Breganze. Il campione in studio è composto da 81 caregivers e 81 pazienti con demenza. Le informazioni relative ai caregivers e ai pazienti sono state raccolte mediante una scheda creata ad hoc, la scala di valutazione Caregiver Burden Inventory, Mini Mental State Examination, scale di valutazione Activities of Daily Living e Instrumental Activities of Daily Living. L’elaborazione statistica è stata effettuata mediante il programma SPSS (21.0) per Windows. Risultati. Lo studio ha rilevato un carico soggettivo lieve-moderato, mediamente pari a 26,48 (±18,96). Il burden dipendente dal tempo, si è rilevato la dimensione che più grava sui caregivers, mentre la dimensione emotiva quella meno influente. L’indagine ha inoltre dimostrato che il sesso del paziente, gli anni di studio del caregiver, vivere con il paziente, avere un supporto assistenziale, i deficit cognitivi e la dipendenza del paziente nelle attività di vita quotidiana sono variabili che influenzano negativamente il carico percepito. Conclusione. L’indagine ha confermato la presenza di un carico soggettivo da parte dei caregivers di anziani con demenza. In fine, la letteratura evidenzia come il ruolo dell’infermiere possa essere fondamentale per garantire un supporto che favorisce positivamente il benessere del caregiver e quindi del paziente.ope

Rifugiati e migranti forzati in Itália: il pendolo tra 'emergenza' e 'sistema'

Questo articolo intende approfondire la situazione dei migranti forzati in Italia, con particolare riferimento al periodo compreso tra il 2011 e il 2014, individuando le principali tendenze in termini di politiche e di pratiche. A fianco di un'analisi della natura dei flussi di migranti che giungono a cercare protezione in Italia, si propone di interpretare le modalità di gestione istituzionale messe in campo in questo periodo come un processo di continua tensione tra il tentativo di costruire un sistema coerente ed omogeneo e le reiterate spinte a creare soluzioni ad hoc, parallele al sistema ordinario, in nome di una più o meno nominata emergenza che imporrebbe strategie straordinarie. L'articolo si propone di presentare le specificità di queste diverse situazioni, indagando in particolare il quadro politico ed istituzionale che le ha determinate, le forme e le pratiche di accoglienza che ne sono derivate e il rapporto tra questi 'sistemi straordinari' e il 'sistema ordinario' rivolto a richiedenti e titolari di protezione internazionale

Design and Synthesis of Naphthalene Diimides Based Small Molecules as Anticancer Agents: Targeting the Polyamine Transporter, G-quadruplex Structures and HDAC

Cancer is a multifactorial disease characterized by a very complex etiology. Basing on its complex nature, a promising therapeutic strategy could be based by the “Multi-Target-Directed Ligand” (MTDL) approach, based on the assumption that a single molecule could hit several targets responsible for the pathology. Several agents acting on DNA are clinically used, but the severe deriving side effects limit their therapeutic application. G-quadruplex structures are DNA secondary structures located in key zones of human genome; targeting quadruplex structures could allow obtaining an anticancer therapy more free from side effects. In the last years it has been proved that epigenetic modulation can control the expression of human genes, playing a crucial role in carcinogenesis and, in particular, an abnormal expression of histone deacetylase enzymes are related to tumor onset and progression. This thesis deals with the design and synthesis of new naphthalene diimide (NDI) derivatives endowed with anticancer activity, interacting with DNA together with other targets implicated in cancer development, such as HDACs. NDI-polyamine and NDI-polyamine-hydroxamic acid conjugates have been designed with the aim to provide potential MTDLs, in order to create molecules able simultaneously to interact with different targets involved in this pathology, specifically the G-quadruplex structures and HDAC, and to exploit the polyamine transport system to get selectively into cancer cells. Macrocyclic NDIs have been designed with the aim to improve the quadruplex targeting profile of the disubstituted NDIs. These compounds proved the ability to induce a high and selective stabilization of the quadruplex structures, together with cytotoxic activities in the micromolar range. Finally, trisubstituted NDIs have been developed as G-quadruplex-binders, potentially effective against pancreatic adenocarcinoma. In conclusion, all these studies may represent a promising starting point for the development of new interesting molecules useful for the treatment of cancer, underlining the versatility of the NDI scaffold

Fragment-based approaches to TB drugs.

Tuberculosis is an infectious disease associated with significant mortality and morbidity worldwide, particularly in developing countries. The rise of antibiotic resistance in Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) urgently demands the development of new drug leads to tackle resistant strains. Fragment-based methods have recently emerged at the forefront of pharmaceutical development as a means to generate more effective lead structures, via the identification of fragment molecules that form weak but high quality interactions with the target biomolecule and subsequent fragment optimization. This review highlights a number of novel inhibitors of Mtb targets that have been developed through fragment-based approaches in recent years.Croucher Foundation and Cambridge Overseas Trust (Croucher Cambridge International Scholarship