True Detective Stories: Media Textuality and the Anthology Format between Remediation and Transmedia Narratives

In questioning the so-\uad called complexities of narrative models through the possibilities offered by the new trans-\uadmedia digital platforms, what defines the specificity of a medium, its materiality, inks and codes, along with the effects of the vanishing anchorage of the content in an identifiable technological dispositif, are issues to be confronted. This essay tries to elaborate on a very limited such confrontation, through the case study of a TV series \u2013 the first season of True detective (USA, HBO, 2014) and the ways it rewrites and translates some of the features of contemporary seriality and transmedia storytelling. Hence, what the article elaborates is, firstly, a hopefully productive, however brief, reflection on a language of the text that does not exclude the \u201cmateriality\u201d of the screen or the computer, along with the effects that the idea of contents outside their containers might induce on the very thinking of new forms of narratives and their affects

Teorie di Genere : Femminismi e semiotica. "Prefacio a la nueva edición". Milano, Bompiani, 2019*

Este ensayo es la traducción de parte del prefacio a la nueva edición y del capítulo introductorio de Teorie di genere. Femminismi e semiotica, enteramente revisado -desde el título- y en parte reescrito, después de casi veinte años de su primera publicación. Tras subrayar la importancia, la actualidad y también la urgencia de seguir ocupándose de la categoría de género y de las perspectivas feministas que en el último medio siglo la han adoptado, discutido y revisado para seguir denunciando, deconstruyendo e indagando las narraciones y discursos que determinan nuestra subjetividad, se dedica amplio espacio al debate crítico y teórico que ha transformado el significado y el alcance de esta categoría, en su entrelazarse con otras variables que participan en la definición de nuestra identidad y en sus representaciones. Centrándose en algunas de las posiciones que hoy animan el campo de los feminismos (no casualmente en plural) que se ha desarrollado sobre todo en el área angloamericana, el ensayo trata de delinear algunos de los puntos de contacto entre el estudio de los modelos y las representaciones de género y el análisis semiótico: desde el modo en que se pueden describir las posiciones de los sujetos respecto a las praxis enunciativas y a las estrategias discursivas que determinan el reconocimiento y la adopción de modelos de género, a la categoría de mirada ("masculina" y "femenina"), hasta el modo en que el cuerpo, las pasiones y las formas de vida entran hoy de lleno en la definición de las culturas, de sus diferencias y confines, tanto internos como externos, que como individuos y como miembros de una o más comunidades, producimos y traducimos incesantemente.The essay here published is the Spanish translation of the preface to the new edition, and the introductory chapter, of Teorie di genere. Femminismi e semiotica (Gender theories. Feminisms and Semiotics), a monograph first published in 2003 that has been entirely revised, and partly rewritten, in 2019. First, the text aims at stressing the importance, renewed newness and, also, urgency of keeping on investigating the heuristic category of gender, along with the feminist perspectives that, in the last half century, have adopted, discussed and revised it, in order to denounce and deconstruct the narratives and discourses that determine our gendered subjectivity. It then moves on to explore the critical and theoretical debates that changed the very meaning and scope of the category of gender in its bindings with all the other variables that participate in the definition of our identity and its representations. Focusing mainly on the Anglo-Saxon debate - which later spread and intertwined itself with continental theories of sexual difference - the essay aims not only at clarifying and problematizing, but also at outlining, a semiotic and feminist stance on gender: from the ways in which "subject positions" could be analyzed by looking at enunciative praxis and at the discursive strategies that guide the recognition and adoption of gender models, to the category of gaze (both "male" and "female"), up until how the body, affect and forms of life nowadays contribute to the very definition of cultures, of their internal and external boundaries and differences, which we incessantly, both as individuals and as members of a community, produce, and translate

Le condizioni semiotiche di accesso al lutto Il Parque de la Memoria y los derechos humanos di Buenos Aires

L’accesso alla dignità del lutto, cioè la possibilità per una determinata comunità di ricordare i morti e di trasmettere la loro memoria, richiede numerosi atti semiotici di mediazione. In questo articolo ci concentriamo sul caso argentino durante la sua fase post-dittatura, durante la quale sono stati creati numerosi luoghi di memoria e sono stati previsti rituali particolari di commemorazione nello spazio urbano per ricordare i desaparecidos. La seconda parte di questo articolo è dedicata al Parque de la memoria y los derechos humanos, situato sul Rio de la Plata, molto vicino all’aeroporto da cui salivano i “voli della morte”. In che modo il parco rappresenta uno spazio che può aiutare a superare un passato traumatico per coloro che sono scomparsi? E in che modo il design di questo spazio costituisce una pratica peculiare di commemorazione urbana

Hallucinations in the Child and Adolescent "Ultra-High Risk" population: A Systematic Review

Abstract Background and Hypothesis "Ultra-high risk" for psychosis young adults are assumed to be at higher risk of developing a psychotic spectrum disorder. Predominantly, the ultrahigh-risk population is aged 18–35 years, but it may also include younger children and adolescents. Individuals in this population experience psychosis prodromes in the form of attenuated or brief psychotic symptoms (particularly perceptual abnormalities). Albeit diagnosis is made via structured interviews, such measures fail to sufficiently assess the precise form and content of perceptual abnormalities, especially as they manifest in children and adolescents. Study Design The present study involved a systematic review of the literature on perceptual abnormalities (particularly hallucinations) in ultrahigh-risk children and adolescents. Results The analysis reviewed five studies and drew conclusions about the perceptual abnormalities (ie, hallucinations) experienced by the study samples, focusing on form, content, and associations with other symptoms. Of note, 2 of the investigated studies suggested a relationship between hallucinations and experiences of childhood trauma. Conclusions The transition to psychosis and experiences of childhood trauma could correspond to different types of hallucinations in ultrahigh-risk children and adolescents. This knowledge could improve the identification of prodromal states in the young, ultrahigh-risk population

Technological Sustainability or Sustainable Technology? A Multidimensional Vision of Sustainability in Manufacturing

The topic of sustainability is becoming one of the strongest drivers of change in the market- place by transforming into an element of competitiveness and an integral part of business strategy. Particularly in the manufacturing sector, a key role is played by technological innovations that allow companies to minimize the impact of their business on the environment and contribute to enhancing the value of the societies in which they operate. Technological process can be a lever to generate sustainable behaviors, confirming how innovation and sustainability constitute an increasingly close pair. However, it emerges that the nature of this relationship is explored by researchers and con- sidered by practitioners almost exclusively in terms of the degree of sustainability of technological solutions. Lacking is an in-depth exploration of how a product or process, in addition to being environmentally and socio-economically sustainable, must or can also be technologically sustainable. This research therefore aims to build a theoretical foundation for technological sustainability seen as a possible fourth dimension of sustainable development

3-hydroxy-L-kynurenamine is an immunomodulatory biogenic amine

Tryptophan catabolism is a major metabolic pathway utilized by several professional and non-professional antigen presenting cells to maintain immunological tolerance. Here we report that 3-hydroxy-l-kynurenamine (3-HKA) is a biogenic amine produced via an alternative pathway of tryptophan metabolism. In vitro, 3-HKA has an anti-inflammatory profile by inhibiting the IFN-gamma mediated STAT1/NF-kappa Beta pathway in both mouse and human dendritic cells (DCs) with a consequent decrease in the release of pro-inflammatory chemokines and cytokines, most notably TNF, IL-6, and IL12p70. 3-HKA has protective effects in an experimental mouse model of psoriasis by decreasing skin thickness, erythema, scaling and fissuring, reducing TNF, IL-1 beta, IFN-gamma, and IL-17 production, and inhibiting generation of effector CD8(+) T cells. Similarly, in a mouse model of nephrotoxic nephritis, besides reducing inflammatory cytokines, 3-HKA improves proteinuria and serum urea nitrogen, overall ameliorating immune-mediated glomerulonephritis and renal dysfunction. Overall, we propose that this biogenic amine is a crucial component of tryptophan-mediated immune tolerance. 3-hydroxy-L-kynurenamine (3-HKA) is a metabolite deriving from a lateral pathway of tryptophan catabolism. Here the authors identify 3-HKA as a biogenic amine and show it has anti-inflammatory properties that can protect mice against psoriasis and nephrotoxic nephritis.Peer reviewe

Constraints on the χ_(c1) versus χ_(c2) polarizations in proton-proton collisions at √s = 8 TeV

The polarizations of promptly produced χ_(c1) and χ_(c2) mesons are studied using data collected by the CMS experiment at the LHC, in proton-proton collisions at √s=8  TeV. The χ_c states are reconstructed via their radiative decays χ_c → J/ψγ, with the photons being measured through conversions to e⁺e⁻, which allows the two states to be well resolved. The polarizations are measured in the helicity frame, through the analysis of the χ_(c2) to χ_(c1) yield ratio as a function of the polar or azimuthal angle of the positive muon emitted in the J/ψ → μ⁺μ⁻ decay, in three bins of J/ψ transverse momentum. While no differences are seen between the two states in terms of azimuthal decay angle distributions, they are observed to have significantly different polar anisotropies. The measurement favors a scenario where at least one of the two states is strongly polarized along the helicity quantization axis, in agreement with nonrelativistic quantum chromodynamics predictions. This is the first measurement of significantly polarized quarkonia produced at high transverse momentum

Defining the critical hurdles in cancer immunotherapy

Scientific discoveries that provide strong evidence of antitumor effects in preclinical models often encounter significant delays before being tested in patients with cancer. While some of these delays have a scientific basis, others do not. We need to do better. Innovative strategies need to move into early stage clinical trials as quickly as it is safe, and if successful, these therapies should efficiently obtain regulatory approval and widespread clinical application. In late 2009 and 2010 the Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer (SITC), convened an "Immunotherapy Summit" with representatives from immunotherapy organizations representing Europe, Japan, China and North America to discuss collaborations to improve development and delivery of cancer immunotherapy. One of the concepts raised by SITC and defined as critical by all parties was the need to identify hurdles that impede effective translation of cancer immunotherapy. With consensus on these hurdles, international working groups could be developed to make recommendations vetted by the participating organizations. These recommendations could then be considered by regulatory bodies, governmental and private funding agencies, pharmaceutical companies and academic institutions to facilitate changes necessary to accelerate clinical translation of novel immune-based cancer therapies. The critical hurdles identified by representatives of the collaborating organizations, now organized as the World Immunotherapy Council, are presented and discussed in this report. Some of the identified hurdles impede all investigators; others hinder investigators only in certain regions or institutions or are more relevant to specific types of immunotherapy or first-in-humans studies. Each of these hurdles can significantly delay clinical translation of promising advances in immunotherapy yet if overcome, have the potential to improve outcomes of patients with cancer