The Invention of Truth. Salman Rushdie between Truth and Make-believe

[Italiano]: In questo libro, il mondo letterario di Salman Rushdie viene attentamente analizzato con un approccio critico ‘metalettico’. Intrecciando nei suoi romanzi realtà e immaginazione, l’opera dell’autore anglo-indiano testimonia una sensibilità ‘metamoderna’, poiché intreccia senza soluzione di continuità l’esperienza del mondo reale con gli intricati schemi del linguaggio e dell’arte. Partendo dalle contraddizioni e dagli errori presenti nella narrazione del primo capolavoro di Rushdie, I figli della mezzanotte, passando per la fusione di sacro e profano ne I versetti satanici, fino al movimento palindromo o di reciproca convergenza tra vita e scrittura in Quichotte, il volume accompagna chi legge in un viaggio alla scoperta del potere creativo del linguaggio e di come esso plasmi e venga plasmato dalla storia. L’opera di Salman Rushdie offre, infatti, l’opportunità di misurarsi con il rapporto instabile tra realtà storica ed espressione artistica, aspirazioni individuali e bisogni collettivi, identità e disfacimento, verità e finzione./[English]: In this book, the literary world of Salman Rushdie is carefully scrutinised using a ‘metaleptical’ critical approach. Weaving together truth and fiction, reality and fantasy in his novels, the Anglo-Indian author’s work exudes a ‘metamodern’ sensibility as it seamlessly weaves the fabric of real-world experience with the intricate patterns of language and art. Beginning with the contradictions and errors in the narrative of Rushdie’s first masterpiece Midnight’s Children, through the blending of the sacred and the secular in The Satanic Verses, to the palindromic movement of the mutual convergence of life and writing in Quichotte, the volume takes the reader on a journey of discovery of the creative power of language and how it shapes and is shaped by history. Salman Rushdie’s work offers, in fact, the opportunity to engage in a nuanced examination of the balance between historical reality and artistic expression, individual aspirations and collective needs, continuity and decay, truth and make-believe

When Narration is Made Flesh: An Affective Reading of Geetanjali Shree's The Empty Space

This paper examines Geetanjali Shree’s The Empty Space (2011) as an exemplary novel exploring the performative power of language in order to re-create an episode of violence somewhere in the Indian sub-continent. Describing the explosion of a bomb in a university cafe, the narration makes events emerge as the product of a field of forces relying on the bodily perception and sensorial participation of the reader. The essay focuses on the ways through which Shree’s novel shuns hermeneutic or representational readings of violence in favour of a skin or ‘haptic’ writing whose performative power relocates a story of violence from its geographical location to the body of the reader. In acknowledging the human body as the shared ground of any possible communication, the author attempts to overcome the divisive binarisms and cultural juxtapositions brought about by the ocularcentric understandings of knowledge and culture

The Influence of short-term land use change on soil evolution in the centre-south coastal areas of Sardinia

The land use change in short-term (time and space) in the Mediterranean context can be induced by phenomena like destruction of the autochthonous plant species, land abandonment, overgrazing, fire, urbanization (above all for touristic purpose), etc. These phenomena can lead to soil’s degradation conditions causing a loss of physical and biological productivity and the consequent emphasis in desertification processes. Desertification is considered one of the biggest environmental problems in Mediterranean areas (ICCD, 1994), and Sardinia is one of the most affected regions in Europe (UNEP, 1992; Imeson and Emmer, 1992). In Sardinia changes happened during the last decades (such as industrialization, coastal urban areas expansion, etc.) have often resulted in repercussions on the environmental ecosystems and foremost on soils. An important decrease of fertile lands and a consequent increase of marginal and unproductive areas have been observed; this fact has taken to manifest environmental and economic repercussions. In Sardinia such degradation phenomena are particularly evident in coastal areas, where the uncontrolled urbanization and the natural touristic vocation represent relevant impact types. In fact, in 1897 km of coastal lands (500 km are represented by dunal systems) 40% is subjected to deep erosion phenomena, that often are caused by wrong management actions. For these reasons the knowledge of their nature and expansion is of primary importance to carry out correct choices in land use. This work shows an example of a comparative investigation on coastal ecosystems particularly under human pressure. The investigated areas are located along the Centre–North coast of Sardinia. Particularly they concern: a) soils on limestone formations, forestry live oak cover and pasture land use (goat and swine); b) soils on fixed dunes, reforestation with pine and touristic-recreational land use foremost. In the areas several soil profiles have been realized to investigate the influence of the land use change, occurring in short-term in both places, on the evolution and degradation processes of soils

Rhodanese-BSA polymers entrapped in insolubilised gelatin gels: properties and behaviour in continuous systems

The enzymatic oxidation of cephalosporin C to glutaryl-7-amminocephalosporanic acid (glutaryl-7-ACA) was carried out utilizing permeabilized whole cells of the yeast Trigonopsis variabilis entrapped in Ca-alginate beads. The biomass, cultured in a rich medium containing D,L methionine and harvested after 72 h of growth, exhibited high levels of D-aminoacid oxidase activity. Prior to use, thewho,lke cells were permeabilized with four freeze-thawing cycles and immobilized in polysaccharide matrices, such as Ca-alginate and K- carrageenan, and in an insolubilised gelatin gel. The best results in terms of activity yield and storage stability were obtained with cells entrapped in Ca-alginate beads. These cells were utilized for glutaryl-7-ACA production in a continuous stirred batch reactor (CSTR) and in a packed bed reactor working in a plug flow reactor (PFR), using 50 mm Cephalosporin C as substrate. The performances of the two systems were compared. The overall on a void volume basis) were 1.63 g and 255 mg of glutaryl-7-ACA h-1 in the PFR and in CSTR, respectively

Nicotinic Acid Adenine Dinucleotide Phosphate-induced Ca2+ Release INTERACTIONS AMONG DISTINCT Ca2+ MOBILIZING MECHANISMS IN STARFISH OOCYTES

An intracellular mechanism activated by nicotinic acid adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NAADP(+)) contributes to intracellular Ca(2+) release alongside inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate (Ins-P(3)) and ryanodine receptors. The NAADP(+)-sensitive mechanism has been shown to be operative in sea urchin eggs, ascidian eggs, and pancreatic acinar cells. Furthermore, most mammalian cell types can synthesize NAADP(+), with nicotinic acid and NADP(+) as precursors. In this contribution, NAADP(+)-induced Ca(2+) release has been investigated in starfish oocytes. Uncaging of injected NAADP(+) induced Ca(2+) mobilization in both immature oocytes and in oocytes matured by the hormone 1-methyladenine (1-MA). The role of extracellular Ca(2+) in NAADP(+)-induced Ca(2+) mobilization, which was minor in immature oocytes, was instead essential in mature oocytes. Thus, the NAADP(+)-sensitive Ca(2+) pool, which is known to be distinct from those sensitive to inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate or cyclic ADPribose, apparently migrated closer to (or became part of) the plasma membrane during the maturation process. Inhibition of both Ins-P(3) and ryanodine receptors, but not of either alone, substantially inhibited NAADP(+)-induced Ca(2+) mobilization in both immature and mature oocytes. The data also suggest that NAADP(+)-induced Ca(2+) mobilization acted as a trigger for Ca(2+) release via Ins-P(3) and ryanodine receptors

Off-pump correction of coronary fistula: the single suture technique approach

A técnica da sutura única foi desenvolvida para obter estabilização e exposição de todos os ramos coronarianos durante a cirurgia de revascularização do miocárdio, mantendo a estabilidade hemodinâmica durante o procedimento. Nós descrevemos a utilização desta técnica durante a correção de uma fístula arterial coronariana associada à dilatação coronariana direita, sem a utilização da circulação extracorpórea. A técnica sugerida é mais rápida e menos complexa do que a utilização do desvio cardiopulmonar. Além disso, essa técnica pode ser uma ferramenta útil para a correção de fístulas arteriais coronarianas em casos selecionados, permitindo a prática de abordagens menos invasivas nesses pacientes.The single suture technique was developed to obtain stabilization and exposure of all all coronary branches during off-pump coronary artery bypass, while maintaining hemodynamic stabilily during the procedure. We describe the use of this technique during an off-pump correction of a coronary artery fistula associated with right coronary dilatation. The suggested technique is quicker and less complex than on-pump surgery. Furthermore, it can be a useful tool for congenital fistula correction in select cases, stimulating the practice of less invasive heart surgery in these patients

Hand, foot, and mouth syndrome in an immunocompetent adult: a case report

BACKGROUND: Hand, foot, and mouth syndrome (HFMS) is a common acute illness. It is characterized by mild clinical symptoms including fever, blisters, and sores in the mouth and on the palms and soles following a 3- to 7-day incubation period. This syndrome is rarely seen in adults. CASE PRESENTATION: A 35-year-old male Caucasian patient had a history of multiple episodes of acute pharyngitis, hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, and occasional abdominal pain. He presented with polyarthralgia in the knees and hands and odynophagia, followed by fever, oral mucosal aphthous lesions, and vesicles on the palms and soles. Three weeks after presentation, he was admitted to the emergency room with acute myocarditis. The in-hospital evaluation revealed positive serology for coxsackie A9 (1:160), positive anti-transglutaminase and anti-gliadin antibodies, normal immunoglobulins, and human immunodeficiency virus negativity. CONCLUSION: We herein describe a case of HFMS that was associated with coxsackie A9 infection complicated by acute myocarditis. Although an association between celiac disease and HFMS has not been described, this patient’s immunologic disruption could have favored the development of infection and ultimately HFMS

Thermodynamic Comparison of Magnetocaloric and Vapor Compression Domestic Wine Coolers

This paper presents a comparative study of magnetocaloric and vapor compression wine coolers. The vapor compression system is a commercially available 31bottle climate class N appliance, whereas the magnetic cooling device is a TRL5 prototype connected to the retrofitted insulated cabinet of the same VC cooler. Test procedures included temperature pulldown and standardized steadystate energy consumption tests. Detailed instrumentation of both systems allowed a lowlevel comparison in terms of firstand secondlaw based parameters that is unique in the literature. Although the vapor compression system is more efficient than the present magnetic cooling prototype, the behavior of its internally ideal COP led to significant, but realistic design improvements which were evaluated and quantified via a genetic algorithmbased optimization aimed at reducing the system mass and the power consumption. The numerical model, supported by the experimental data, indicate that magnetic cooling systems, although bulkier than their vapor compression counterpart, can be competitive in terms of thermodynamic performance

Dolphin Morbillivirus in Eurasian Otters, Italy

We report biomolecular evidence of dolphin morbillivirus in 4 wild Eurasian otters (Lutra lutra) from southern Italy; 2 animals showed simultaneous immunohistochemical reactivity against morbilliviral antigen. These cases add further concern and support to the progressively expanding host range of dolphin morbillivirus in the western Mediterranean Sea

A novel workflow for the qualitative analysis of DNA methylation data

DNA methylation is an epigenetic modification that plays a pivotal role in major biological mechanisms, such as gene regulation, genomic imprinting, and genome stability. Different combinations of methylated cytosines for a given DNA locus generate different epialleles and alterations of these latter have been associated with several pathological conditions. Existing computational methods and statistical tests relevant to DNA methylation analysis are mostly based on the comparison of average CpG sites methylation levels and they often neglect non-CG methylation. Here, we present EpiStatProfiler, an R package that allows the analysis of CpG and non-CpG based epialleles starting from bisulfite sequencing data through a collection of dedicated extraction functions and statistical tests. EpiStatProfiler is provided with a set of useful auxiliary features, such as customizable genomic ranges, strand-specific epialleles analysis, locus annotation and gene set enrichment analysis. We showcase the package functionalities on two public datasets by identifying putative relevant loci in mice harboring the Huntington's disease-causing Htt gene mutation and in Ctcf +/- mice compared to their wild-type counterparts. To our knowledge, EpiStatProfiler is the first package providing functionalities dedicated to the analysis of epialleles composition derived from any kind of bisulfite sequencing experiment