A Plunge into Otherness. Ethics and Literature in Machines Like Me by Ian McEwan

The paper intends to propose a reading of Ian McEwan’s latest novel, Machines Like Me (2019), qua insightful reflection on the topic of Artificial Intelligence and its bearings on different aspects of human life, from interpersonal relationships to moral behaviour. At the same time, the novel also engages in a reflection on the value and the prospects of literature, whose very premises might be called in question in a posthuman context. Set in a 1980s world whose contours radically deviate from historical facts – the atomic bomb was never dropped; Kennedy was not killed in Dallas; the Beatles are still a band; and Alan Turing has survived the conviction for homosexuality and successfully carried on his studies on AI – the novel introduces the simulacrum in the form of an android, Adam, a hyper-sophisticated machine that enters the characters’ life and upsets it thoroughly. The troublesome relationship with Adam forces Charlie, the protagonist-narrator, to ponder on his own system of values, posing questions about the Other which inevitably end up throwing new light – but, above all, casting new doubts – on the Self and on what it ultimately means to be human. By way of his “What if novel” set in an alternative past, McEwan tackles pressing issues of our present, while trying to envisage a future that is not far to come. The paper intends to explore both the ethical and the metaliterary level of the story on the background of the contemporary theoretical debate on transhumanism and posthumanism, pointing to the simulacrum as the uncanny catalyser of the major topics the author intends to tackle. &nbsp

Metamorphosis of a genre: The Daydreamer by Ian McEwan

Ilustración: "Anthony Browne’s illustration"When a major author engages in writing a book for children, it always turns out to be more than a mere incursion into a less prestigious genre. This paper proposes a reading of Ian McEwan’s The Daydreamer aimed at unveiling its different levels of signification through a study of its paratextual, intertextual, structural, and metafictional components, as well as of its illustrations, in order to show how they synergically contribute to the creation of a dense and most intriguing book capable of throwing new light on our very idea of “children’s literature”.Quando un romanziere famoso decide di scrivere un libro per bambini, la sua esperienza va sempre ben oltre l’incursione in un genere minore. Questo saggio si propone di analizzare The Daydreamer di Ian McEwan studiandone i diversi livelli di significazione attraverso le componenti paratestuali, intertestuali, strutturali e autoreferenziali, nonché l’apparato di illustrazioni, al fine di evidenziare il modo in cui esse contribuiscono sinergicamente alla creazione di un libro denso e accattivante, capace di gettare nuova luce sulla “letteratura infantile” come genere

HyperSpectral Imaging based approach for monitoring of micro-plastics from marine environment

The possibility to develop a sensor based procedure in order to monitor plastic presence in the marine environment was explored in this work. More in detail, this study was addressed to detect and to recognize different types of microplastics coming from sampling in different sea areas adopting a new approach, based on HyperSpectral Imaging (HSI) sensors. Moreover, a morphological and morphometrical particle characterization was carried by digital image processing. Morphological and morphometrical parameters, combined with hyperspectral imaging information, give a full characterization of each investigated particle, concurring to explain all the transportation, alteration and degradation phenomena suffered by each different polymer particle. Obtained results can represent an important starting point to develop, implement and set up monitor strategies to characterize marine microplastics. Moreover, the procedure developed in this work is fast, not expensive and reliable, making its utilization very profitable

Uso da escala de depressão geriátrica de Yesavage para avaliar a prevalência de depressão em idosos hospitalizados = Use of Yesavage’s Geriatric Depression Scale to evaluate the prevalence of depression in inpatient elderly subjects

Objetivos: Avaliar a prevalência de depressão em idosos internados em um hospital terciário, através da aplicação da Escala de Depressão Geriátrica de Yesavage em versão reduzida (GDS-15). Métodos: Estudo transversal, para o qual foi realizada uma amostragem consecutiva, de conveniência, onde foram incluídos pacientes acima de 60 anos, internados no Serviço de Geriatria do Hospital São Lucas da PUCRS, durante o período de novembro de 2005 a julho de 2006. Todos os pacientes foram submetidos à aplicação de três escalas: GDS-15, Mini-Exame do Estado Mental (MMSE) e Escala de Katz das Atividades da Vida Diária. Resultados: Dos 50 pacientes estudados 16 eram do sexo masculino e 34 do sexo feminino, a maioria encontrava-se na faixa etária de 80 anos ou mais, eram solteiros, separados ou viúvos. Conforme pontuação no GDS-15, 23 (46%) indivíduos estudados apresentaram depressão. Dezenove pacientes (38%) referiram tristeza como sintoma objetivo e 39 (78%) apresentavam as Atividades da Vida Diária plenas. A correlação entre o MMSE e o escore GDS-15 foi inversa e significativa. Conclusões: Podemos observar com este trabalho a alta prevalência de depressão e sua influência em todos os aspectos da vida do idos

Host factors affecting abomasal parasites in Alpine Ibex

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Analysis of the Catecholaminergic Phenotype in Human SH-SY5Y and BE(2)-M17 Neuroblastoma Cell Lines upon Differentiation

Human cell lines are often used to investigate cellular pathways relevant for physiological or pathological processes or to evaluate cell toxicity or protection induced by different compounds, including potential drugs. In this study, we analyzed and compared the differentiating activities of three agents (retinoic acid, staurosporine and 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate) on the human neuroblastoma SH-SY5Y and BE(2)-M17 cell lines; the first cell line is largely used in the field of neuroscience, while the second is still poorly characterized. After evaluating their effects in terms of cell proliferation and morphology, we investigated their catecholaminergic properties by assessing the expression profiles of the major genes involved in catecholamine synthesis and storage and the cellular concentrations of the neurotransmitters dopamine and noradrenaline. Our results demonstrate that the two cell lines possess similar abilities to differentiate and acquire a neuron-like morphology. The most evident effects in SH-SY5Y cells were observed in the presence of staurosporine, while in BE(2)-M17 cells, retinoic acid induced the strongest effects. Undifferentiated SH-SY5Y and BE(2)-M17 cells are characterized by the production of both NA and DA, but their levels are considerably higher in BE(2)-M17 cells. Moreover, the NAergic phenotype appears to be more pronounced in SH-SY5Y cells, while BE(2)-M17 cells have a more prominent DAergic phenotype. Finally, the catecholamine concentration strongly increases upon differentiation induced by staurosporine in both cell lines. In conclusion, in this work the catecholaminergic phenotype of the human BE(2)-M17 cell line upon differentiation was characterized for the first time. Our data suggest that SH-SY5Y and BE(2)-M17 represent two alternative cell models for the neuroscience field

Da Olympe de Gouges alla Rojava. La critica femminista del popolo tra differenza e uguaglianza

To understand the feminist critique of the concept of people means reconstructing the semantics of a struggle on the body of the nation, exploring the relationship, the paradoxes and the contradictions between equality and difference. It means showing the external and internal struggle waged constantly against the political neutralization and the social valorization of the difference by political, social and economic institutions. Above all it means questioning the problem of political unity and the way in which the feminist critique has unveiled its patriarchal character. Taking as a starting point Olympe de Gouges’ critique, in the framework of the universalism of rights born in the French Revolution, the essay reaches the Kurdish critique at the base of the political experiment of the Rojava, discussing the theoretical and political path of black feminism and the political inventions of those postcolonial and transnational feminists who, also today, continue to analyse freedom, autonomy and democracy in the global world from the point of view of the dilemma of equality

Dal pensiero di piano alla programmazione algoritmica della singolarità

Inspired by the work of Wendy H.K. Chun, the essay analyses the concept of singularity and programmability with the aim of investigating the transformations of the relationship between subjectivity and the political and historical question of planning. The goal is to articulate urgent demands and a possible path of inquiry on the halt neoliberalism has imposed on the possibility of collective planning, highlighting the role of what can be called a programming of algorithmic singularity in the framework of a political technology