La forza della vulnerabilità. Il mediatore come performer al confine tra culture diverse

Vengono qui presi in considerazione i concetti di incertezza e rischio e la loro nuova configurazione nella società globalizzata. Basandosi su un’analisi di situazioni etnografiche radicate nella storia dell’antropologia e sull’interpretazione di un evento criminale commesso in Italia, il testo mira a lavorare sui concetti di rischio e vulnerabilità come categorie sociali, che è possibile affrontare attraverso una serie di pratiche culturali. In questa prospettiva, viene messa in evidenza la figura del mediatore come “esecutore” culturale, performer: un attore sociale che organizza la complessità culturale e costruisce modelli di inclusione attraverso la partecipazione. La capacità di mediare la diversità culturale, in questo modo, può trasformare il rischio e la vulnerabilità in una forza trainante per il cambiamento sociale nella società contemporanea.The paper considers the concepts of uncertainty and risk and their new configuration in the globalized society. Drawing on an analysis of ethnographic situations rooted in the history of anthropology as well as on the interpretation of a criminal event committed in Italy, the work aims at working the concepts of risk and vulnerability as social categories, which is possible to face through a set of cultural practices. In this perspective, the paper emphasizes the figure of the mediator as a cultural “performer”: a social actor who organizes cultural complexity and builds patterns of inclusion through social participation. The capacity to mediate cultural diversity may turn risk and vulnerability themselves into driving forces for social change in the contemporary society

Impact of Nanomaterials in Biological Systems and Applications in Nanomedicine Field

The increasingly widespread use of engineered nanomaterials in many applications increases the need to understand the mechanisms behind their toxicity [...]

Il metodo dello sciamano

Uno straordinario esercizio, o un meraviglioso "gioco di pazienza", interpretativo nel mettere a confronto la stratificazione linguistica e culturale che ha accompagnato l'autobiografia di Quesalid dalla prima pubblicazione da parte di Franz Boas, fino a Lévi-Strauss che l'ha trasformato in un indimenticabile esempio di elaborazione teorica

AFM Characterization of Halloysite Clay Nanocomposites’ Superficial Properties: Current State-of-the-Art and Perspectives

Natural halloysite clay nanotubes (HNTs) are versatile inorganic reinforcing materials for creating hybrid composites. Upon doping HNTs with polymers, coating, or loading them with bioactive molecules, the production of novel nanocomposites is possible, having specific features for several applications. To investigate HNTs composites nanostructures, AFM is a very powerful tool since it allows for performing nano-topographic and morpho-mechanical measurements in any environment (air or liquid) without treatment of samples, like electron microscopes require. In this review, we aimed to provide an overview of recent AFM investigations of HNTs and HNT nanocomposites for unveiling hidden characteristics inside them envisaging future perspectives for AFM as a smart device in nanomaterials characterization

Monocyte-to-HDL Ratio (MHR) Predicts Vitamin D Deficiency in Healthy and Metabolic Women: A Cross-Sectional Study in 1048 Subjects

Vitamin D deficiency is often linked with Metabolic Syndrome, both being more frequent with ageing and associated with an increase inflammatory state. Recently, monocytes-to-high density lipoprotein (HDL) ratio (MHR) has emerged as a powerful index to predict systemic inflammation. In this cross-sectional study, we investigated the association between circulating vitamin D level (25-OH vitamin D) and inflammatory status in a population of 1048 adult individuals. Our study reveals an inverse association between 25-OH vitamin D levels and MHR in the overall population. When the population is stratified by gender, waist circumference, and body mass index (BMI), we observed that while in men this relation is strongly significative only in condition of central obesity, in women a lifelong negative correlation exists between circulating 25-OH vitamin D and MHR and it is independent of the metabolic status. These observations underscore the relevance of circulating biomarkers such as MHR in the prediction of systemic inflammatory conditions sustained by vitamin D deficiency also in healthy and young women