Being\u2019 (\u3c4\u1f78 \u1f44\u3bd) as said of predicates in the critical text of Aristotle, Metaphysics Lambda

In this paper, I will be focusing on seeming anomalies in the use of the verb \u201cto be,\u201d as found in several passages in Metaphysics Lambda, once it is restored in a critical edition. At least a couple of times (4. 1070b25 and 7. 1072a25f.), instead of the standard subject agreement, the participle \u201cbeing\u201d shows agreement with the predicate noun. Such a peculiar feature is clearly attested in the most ancient textual witnesses, but was corrected in later Byzantine manuscripts and regarded as scribal mistakes by editors in the 19th and 20th century. In fact, the matter deserves close scrutiny

Response: Fazzo on Golitsis on Fazzo, Il libro Lambda della Metafisica di Aristotele

One peculiar feature of Golitsis’ review (BMCR 2013), apart from the fact that he does not argue for his views (which makes discussion difficult), is that I have hardly expressed any opinions he opposes, either in the book under consideration or in my 2010 article. Golitsis especially insists on dating and on chronological hypotheses. However, his “objections” are themselves open to rather severe criticisms on other grounds, especially since they deal with what I take to be crucial matters that require special care. Golitsis has, e.g., a 12th c. text (Michael of Ephesus commentary on Metaphysics Lambda) in a manuscript (Laur. 87.12) which he claims to be copied during the 11th c.; he also claims a 10th c. manuscript (Paris. gr. 1853) to be the exemplar of a 9th. c. one (Vind. phil. gr. 100). And so on and so forth. On the other hand, there is no sign he has analytically considered the main content of the book he is reviewing

Il verbo essere nella Metafisica aristotelica dal greco all\u2019arabo

Lo studio presente \ue8 parte di una pi\uf9 ampia ricerca sul concetto di \u2018ente\u2019, \u3c4\u1f78 \u1f44\u3bd, quale si trova elaborato nel testo greco dei libri della Metafisica.1 In questo contributo, mi occuper\uf2 di una delle differenze pi\uf9 interessanti e controverse che intercorrono fra le lingue indoeuropee e le lingue semitiche: la presenza cio\ue8 nelle prime di un verbo, quale \u3b5\u1f30\u3bc\u3b9, \u2018essere\u2019, in funzione di copula. Di questa differenza considerer\uf2 alcune possibili implicazioni per la ricezione araba della Metafisica di Aristotele, opera ove \ue8 centrale il verbo essere, specie nella forma del participio neutro sostantivato: l\u2019\u2018ente\u2019 (\u3c4\u1f78 \u1f44\u3bd, genitivo \u3c4\u3bf\u1fe6 \u1f44\u3bd\u3c4-\u3bf\u3c2), che pur sostantivato non perde nell\u2019uso aristotelico il suo valore verbale, cos\uec da indicare ci\uf2 che \ue8

Un caso di cittadinanza privilegiata in epoca romana imperiale: AL\ueclessandro di Afrodisia

Si tratta di inquadrare nel suo contesto problematico un caso di studio emerso all\u2019inizio del nuovo millennio (Chaniotis 2004): la cittadinanza romana di Alessandro di Afrodisia. In questa occasione, vorrei anche so toporre alla discussione ed esplicitare una mia precisa proposta di lettura delle relazioni con Roma del filosofo aristotelico Alessandro di Afrodisia: tali relazioni infatti, pur gia\u300 note da un indizio interno all\u2019opera dell\u2019autore (cfr. Alex. De fato, 164, 3- 165, 13 Bruns, cfr. qui infra) emergono comprovate e rinforzate dai dati archeologici, ma sono sfuggite finora alle ricostruzioni di insieme

Cancer incidence in Italian contaminated sites

INTRODUCTION: The incidence of cancer among residents in sites contaminated by pollutants with a possible health impact is not adequately studied. In Italy, SENTIERI Project (Epidemiological study of residents in National Priority Contaminated Sites, NPCSs) was implemented to study major health outcomes for residents in 44 NPCSs. METHODS: The Italian Association of Cancer Registries (AIRTUM) records cancer incidence in 23 NPCSs. For each NPCSs, the incidence of all malignant cancers combined and 35 cancer sites (coded according to ICD-10), was analysed (1996-2005). The observed cases were compared to the expected based on age (5-year period,18 classes), gender, calendar period (1996-2000; 2001-2005), geographical area (North-Centre and Centre-South) and cancer sites specific rates. Standardized Incidence Ratios (SIR) with 90% Confidence Intervals were computed. RESULTS: In both genders an excess was observed for overall cancer incidence (9% in men and 7% in women) as well as for specific cancer sites (colon and rectum, liver, gallblad-der, pancreas, lung, skin melanoma, bladder and Non Hodgkin lymphoma). Deficits were observed for gastric cancer in both genders, chronic lymphoid leukemia (men), malignant thyroid neoplasms, corpus uteri and connective and soft-tissue tumours and sarcomas (women). DISCUSSION: This report is, to our knowledge, the first one on cancer risk of residents in NPCSs. The study, although not aiming to estimate the cancer burden attributable to the environment as compared to occupation or life-style, supports the credibility of an etiologic role of environmental exposures in contaminated sites. Ongoing analyses focus on the interpretation of risk factors for excesses of specific cancer types overall and in specific NPCSs in relation to the presence of carcinogenic pollutants

Cause specific mortality in an Italian pool of asbestos workers cohorts

Background Asbestos is a known human carcinogen and is causally associated with malignant mesothelioma, lung, larynx and ovarian cancers.Methods Cancer risk was studied among a pool of formerly asbestos-exposed workers in Italy. Fifty-two Italian asbestos cohorts (asbestos-cement, rolling-stock, shipbuilding, and other) were pooled and their mortality follow-up was updated to 2018. Standardized mortality ratios (SMRs) were computed for major causes of death considering duration of exposure and time since first exposure (TSFE), using reference rates by region, age and calendar period.Results The study included 63,502 subjects (57,156 men and 6346 women): 40% who were alive, 58% who died (cause known for 92%), and 2% lost to follow-up. Mortality was increased for all causes (SMR: men = 1.04, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.03-1.05; women = 1.15, 95% CI 1.11-1.18), all malignancies (SMR: men = 1.21, 95% CI 1.18-1.23; women = 1.29, 95% CI 1.22-1.37), pleural and peritoneal malignancies (men: SMR = 10.46, 95% CI 9.86-11.09 and 4.29, 95% CI 3.66-5.00; women: SMR = 27.13, 95% CI 23.29-31.42 and 7.51, 95% CI 5.52-9.98), lung (SMR: men = 1.28, 95% CI 1.24-1.32; women = 1.26, 95% CI 1.02-1.53), and ovarian cancer (SMR = 1.42, 95% CI 1.08-1.84). Pleural cancer mortality increased during the first 40 years of TSFE (latency), reaching a plateau thereafter.Conclusions Analyses by time-dependent variables showed that the risk for pleural neoplasms increased with latency and no longer increases at long TSFE, consistent with with asbestos clearance from the lungs. Peritoneal neoplasm risk increased over all observation time

A review of exposure assessment methods for epidemiological studies of health effects related to industrially contaminated sites

BACKGROUND: this paper is based upon work from COST Action ICSHNet. Health risks related to living close to industrially contaminated sites (ICSs) are a public concern. Toxicology-based risk assessment of single contaminants is the main approach to assess health risks, but epidemiological studies which investigate the relationships between exposure and health directly in the affected population have contributed important evidence. Limitations in exposure assessment have substantially contributed to uncertainty about associations found in epidemiological studies. OBJECTIVES: to examine exposure assessment methods that have been used in epidemiological studies on ICSs and to provide recommendations for improved exposure assessment in epidemiological studies by comparing exposure assessment methods in epidemiological studies and risk assessments. METHODS: after defining the multi-media framework of exposure related to ICSs, we discussed selected multi-media models applied in Europe. We provided an overview of exposure assessment in 54 epidemiological studies from a systematic review of hazardous waste sites; a systematic review of 41 epidemiological studies on incinerators and 52 additional studies on ICSs and health identified for this review. RESULTS: we identified 10 multi-media models used in Europe primarily for risk assessment. Recent models incorporated estimation of internal biomarker levels. Predictions of the models differ particularly for the routes ‘indoor air inhalation’ and ‘vegetable consumption’. Virtually all of the 54 hazardous waste studies used proximity indicators of exposure, based on municipality or zip code of residence (28 studies) or distance to a contaminated site (25 studies). One study used human biomonitoring. In virtually all epidemiological studies, actual land use was ignored. In the 52 additional studies on contaminated sites, proximity indicators were applied in 39 studies, air pollution dispersion modelling in 6 studies, and human biomonitoring in 9 studies. Exposure assessment in epidemiological studies on incinerators included indicators (presence of source in municipality and distance to the incinerator) and air dispersion modelling. Environmental multi-media modelling methods were not applied in any of the three groups of studies. CONCLUSIONS: recommendations for refined exposure assessment in epidemiological studies included the use of more sophisticated exposure metrics instead of simple proximity indicators where feasible, as distance from a source results in misclassification of exposure as it ignores key determinants of environmental fate and transport, source characteristics, land use, and human consumption behaviour. More validation studies using personal exposure or human biomonitoring are needed to assess misclassification of exposure. Exposure assessment should take more advantage of the detailed multi-media exposure assessment procedures developed for risk assessment. The use of indicators can be substantially improved by linking definition of zones of exposure to existing knowledge of extent of dispersion. Studies should incorporate more often land use and individual behaviour