Costruire l’identità della nazione italiana attraverso la danza: Carlo Blasis e le sue «storie del ballo» (1870-1878)

Après l’Unification italienne, le chorégraphe et théoricien Carlo Blasis publia deux textes, Histoire de la danse à partir des Etrusques et jusqu’aux temps récents (1870-1878), et Histoire de la danse et de son action simultanée avec la musique, la poésie, la sculpture, la peinture et les beaux-arts (1871-1878). Les deux textes, incomplets et longtemps oubliés, ont été récemment découverts et montrent la façon où le chorégraphe prit part au procès de construction de l’identité italienne. Quel usage fit-il du répertoire des concepts et des thématiques qui caractérisait le récit que l’on faisait à ce temps sur l’histoire de la danse et des usages appartenant aux diverses populations qui avaient vécu en Italie ? Quel rôle jouèrent les représentations façonnées par le mouvement du Risorgimento dans la terminologie qu’il adopta, dans les métaphores et les symboles qu’il utilisa ? Dans ses deux « Histoires de la Danse » les argumentations et les thématiques interagissent et se renforcent réciproquement. L’analyse de ces textes montre la façon où un chorégraphe se fit un patriote : en syntonie avec plusieurs intellectuels de son époque, il fit de son mieux pour contribuer à « régénérer » la danse, les arts et la science, et pour démontrer l’existence de ce « génie italien » que l’on croyait perdu.After the Italian Unification (1861), the Italian dance theoretician and choreographer Carlo Blasis published two texts in periodicals, Storia del ballo in Italia dagli Etruschi sino all’epoca recente (1870-1878), and Storia del ballo e loro azione simultanea con la musica, la poesia, la scultura, la pittura e le altre arti belle (1871-1878). Both texts, unfinished and long forgotten, have recently come to light. They show the way how this choreographer took part to the process of construction of the Italian national identity. How did Blasis use the repertory of concepts and themes which were part of the way how the history of the dance and the habits belonging to the several populations which had lived in Italy, was narrated in his time? What role did the canonical representations shaped by the so-called Risorgimento movement play in the terminology he adopted, in the metaphors and symbols he shaped? In his two «Dance Histories» themes and arguments interact, and strengthen one another. Blasis shows the way how a choreographer became a patriot: in tune with other intellectuals of his time, he did his best to «regenerate» dance, arts and science, and contributed to assert the existence of the Italian «genius» which was reputed forever lost.La recente scoperta di due saggi incompleti e dimenticati del trattatista e coreografo italiano Carlo Blasis, Storia del ballo in Italia dagli Etruschi sino all’epoca recente (1870-1878), e la Storia del ballo e loro azione simultanea con la musica, la poesia, la scultura, la pittura e le altre arti belle (1871-1878), ambedue usciti su periodici dopo l’Unificazione italiana (1870), consente di indagare sul modo in cui il grande teorico si è adoperato alla costruzione dell’identità nazionale. Come usò Blasis in quei testi il repertorio di concetti e di tematiche che appartenevano alla storia della danza così come era narrata a quei tempi, ed anche alla storia degli usi e dei costumi dei popoli vissuti sul suolo italico? Nella terminologia, nella simbologia e nelle metafore che adottò, che ruolo giocarono le rappresentazioni che facevano parte del canone risorgimentale di costruzione della nazione? Nelle sue due «Storie del ballo», gli argomenti interagiscono, facendo da reciproca cassa di risonanza. Così Blasis dimostra il modo in cui un coreografo può diventare patriota: in sintonia con altri intellettuali del suo tempo, egli si adoperò per la «rigenerazione» della danza, delle arti e delle scienze, contribuendo a rivendicare i lumi di quel «genio italico» che si credevano perduti

Mitochondrial energetics in liver and skeletal muscle after energy restriction in young rats

The present study investigated the effect of 2 weeks of energy restriction on whole body, liver and skeletal muscle energy handling. We measured whole-body oxygen consumption, as well as mitochondrial protein mass, respiratory capacity and energetic coupling in liver and skeletal muscle from food-restricted (FR) rats, age- and weight-matched controls. We also assessed markers of oxidative damage and antioxidant defences. The present results show that, in response to energy restriction, an adaptive decrease in whole-body energy expenditure is coupled with structural and functional changes in mitochondrial compartment, both in liver and skeletal muscle. In fact, liver mitochondrial mass per g of liver significantly increased, whereas total hepatic mitochondrial oxidative capacity was lower in FR than in control rats, because of a significant decrease in liver contribution to total body weight. In skeletal muscle, sub-sarcolemmal (SS) mitochondrial respiratory capacity, as well as SS and inter-myofibrillar (IMF) mitochondrial protein mass per g of tissue, was significantly lower in FR rats, compared to controls. Finally, a decrease in oxidative damage was found in liver but not in skeletal muscle mitochondria from FR rats, whereas an increase in antioxidant defence was found in both tissues. From the present results, it appears that skeletal muscle is involved in the decrease in energy expenditure induced by energy restriction. Energy sparing is achieved through changes in the activity (SS), mass (SS and IMF) and efficiency (IMF) of mitochondrial compartmen

Piconewton Mechanical Forces Promote Neurite Growth

Investigations over half a century have indicated that mechanical forces induce neurite growth, with neurites elongating at a rate of 0.1–0.3 μm h−1 pN−1 when mechanical force exceeds a threshold, with this being identified as 400–1000 pN for neurites of PC12 cells. In this article, we demonstrate that neurite elongation of PC12 cells proceeds at the same previously identified rate on application of mechanical tension of ∼1 pN, which is significantly lower than the force generated in vivo by axons and growth cones. This observation raises the possibility that mechanical tension may act as an endogenous signal used by neurons for promoting neurite elongation

Acute Tolerability of Methylphenidate in Treatment-Naïve Children with ADHD: An Analysis of Naturalistically Collected Data from Clinical Practice

OBJECTIVES: The acute tolerability of methylphenidate (MPH) in children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) has been studied mainly in research samples. Taking advantage of the mandatory test-dose procedure required for starting MPH in Italy, this study aimed to assess the incidence of intolerable adverse events after initial exposure to MPH in routine clinical practice. METHODS: The medical records of 480 consecutively treated, previously drug-naïve children and adolescents with ADHD (90% male, mean age 10.6 ± 3.0 years) were retrospectively analyzed. All children received an initial single dose of MPH immediate release (5 or 10 mg) followed by a 4-hour direct medical observation. Heart rate and blood pressure were measured at dosing and 1, 2, and 3 hours afterwards. If the first dose was well tolerated, the child continued treatment with MPH 5–20 mg daily, and was reassessed a week later. RESULTS: Eleven patients (2.3%, 95% CI 1.1–4.1) interrupted treatment within a week of initiation because of the following adverse events: irritability (n = 3), tics worsening (n = 3), reduced appetite (n = 1), enuresis (n = 1), hallucinations (n = 1), hyperfocus (n = 1), and ‘rebound’ behavioral worsening (n = 1). The most common adverse events were reduced appetite (20%), irritability (14.2%), headache (10.6%), sleep problems (9.4%), stomachache (9.4%), and tics (5%). Intellectual disability increased the risk of any adverse event in general and of irritability in particular. No cardiovascular symptom was clinically reported. However, routine assessments of vital signs during the first 3 hours after the first dose of MPH showed that 9% of the children had a 20% increase in heart rate, 8.8% had a 20% increase in diastolic blood pressure and 4.5% had a 20% increase in systolic blood pressure. Of these, 25.2% still had an elevated heart rate 1 week later. CONCLUSIONS: Among stimulant-naïve children in clinical practice, the incidence of acute MPH intolerance can be estimated to be between 1.2 and 4.1%. An asymptomatic elevation in cardiovascular parameters can be observed in about 1 out of 10 children and warrants monitoring during ongoing treatment

Association between daily levels of air pollution and school absences in the proximity of a cement plant in Italy

Background: Emission of dust represents the main hazard associated with cement production and may cause adverse respiratory health effects to the population living nearby. Aim: To evaluate the association between daily levels of PM10 and a morbidity indicator (school absenteeism) in children aged 7-14 years attending a school within 2km from a cement plant in Fumane (Northern Italy). Methods: Data on absences of students (average: 461 students/year) and daily concentrations of PM10 from a fixed monitoring station placed in the schoolyard were collected for 3 school years (541 school days from November 2007 to June 2010). The association between pollution in the same day (Lag 0) and in the previous 4 days (Lag 1 to 4) and school absenteeism was studied using generalized additive Poisson regression models, adjusting for short-term trend, day of the week, flu epidemics and daily temperature. Results: During the considered period, the daily average concentration of PM10 was 34.8 µg/m³. An increase of 10 µg/m³ of PM10 was associated with a significant increase of 2.2% in school absences (RR:1.022; 95%CI: 1.007-1.037) two days after (lag2). The association between average level of pollutants from Lag 0 to Lag 4 and school absences confirmed the presence of a statically significant association with PM10 levels (RR:1.016; 95%CI:1.003-1.029 for each + µg/m³ of PM10). Conclusions: Daily PM10 levels are associated with school absences, a proxy indicator of short-term morbidity, in children who attend schools in proximity to a cement plant. Primary prevention interventions aimed at reducing air pollution in the area are recommended

Valorisation of Olive Pomace for the Production of Bio-Composite Adsorbents Applied in as Removal from Drinking Waters

Arsenic is a toxic metalloid representing a serious threat to human health, reaching a concentration in drinking water above the limit of 10 µg/L in many regions of the world. Although adsorption technologies are available today to remove arsenic from water, the employed adsorbents are expensive, which severely hinders the possibility of water treatment in marginal and rural areas. In this study, a two-stage process is investigated in which an adsorbent for the removal of arsenic from water is produced by hydrothermal carbonization (HTC) of olive pomace followed by iron precipitation. In the first part of the study, the kinetics of solid mass variation during the HTC process were analyzed to derive indications about the mechanisms driving the thermochemical conversion of olive pomace to hydrochar. It was thus verified that a satisfactory hydrochar yield could be attained after 30 min through the polymerization of hydrolysis products released during the early stages of HTC. Adsorption isotherms were determined for the Fe-hydrochar and the Fe-biochar produced by iron precipitation onto the hydrochar and the pyrolyzed olive pomace (biochar). Fe hydrochar showed higher adsorption capacity (qmax=8.7 mg/g) compared to the Fe-biochar (qmax= 5.3 mg/g). Fe-hydrochar was finally tested in a fixed-bed adsorption column for As removal, evidencing the ability to maintain the arsenic concentration below the 10 µg/L limit when employed in the configuration conventionally adopted for water treatment. However, in this configuration, the apparent adsorption capacity was reduced, indicating the need for an optimization of the fixed bed-column desig

Association between proton-pump inhibitors (PPI) and metronomic capecitabine (MCAP) as salvage treatment for patients with advanced gastro-intestinal tumoursa. A randomized phase II study

Background: Several researches have shown that acidification of tumor microenvironment is the basis for tumor invasiveness, ability to metastasize S382 Abstracts and cytotoxic agents resistance; therefore proton pump inhibitors (PPI) could significantly increase the chemosensitivity. In our retrospective work we have investigated the role of capecitabine (mCAP) at metronomic dosage of 1500 mg/die as salvage chemotherapy in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer, showing a moderately activity and well tolerability. In this prospective study we evaluated safety and activity of mCAP in the advanced gastro-intestinal patients and the putative chemosensitizing activity of a specific PPI (Rabeprazole) in association to this therap