Warburg,Benjamin e ci\uf2 che la storia non pu\uf2 dire.

.Abstract: Warburg, Benjamin e ci\uf2 che la storia non pu\uf2 dire, Firenze 2010. \uc8 nota l\u2019affinit\ue0 elettiva provata da Benjamin per il pensiero sull\u2019indagine storico-artistica di Aby Warburg. Ho voluto in questo scritto mettere l\u2019accento sul tema della concezione della storia come discontinuit\ue0 nei due autori, e dell\u2019arte come testimonianza di una sofferenza ineliminabile dell\u2019umanit\ue0, che ne esce, nell\u2019espressione artistica, esaltata. Nell\u2019arte infatti la sofferenza comune del genere umano trova un suo momento di altezza , soprattutto nella complessa intenzionalit\ue0 e nella ragion d\u2019essere dell\u2019opera d\u2019arte

Pathosformel et mythe du progrès dans l’œuvre de Warburg

Hermann Usener, dans son essai de 1904 intitulé Mythologie, qui a été vu comme une sorte de testament spirituel, considérait Vico comme le précurseur des études modernes sur le mythe. Il évoquait aussi un autre Italien, Tito Vignoli, remarquant que celui-ci limitait le mythe à sa pure fonction psychique, la personnalisation d’un phénomène naturel. Usener avait écrit en 1881 une recension sur le livre de Vignoli Mito e scienza, qui venait alors d’être traduit en allemand, où il ironisait sur ..

Control of human trophoblast function

The trophoblast, i.e. the peripheral part of the human conceptus, exerts a crucial role in implantation and placentation. Both processes properly occur as a consequence of an intimate dialogue between fetal and maternal tissues, fulfilled by membrane ligands and receptors, as well as by hormone and local factor release. During blastocyst implantation, generation of distinct trophoblast cell types begins, namely the villous and the extravillous trophoblast, the former of which is devoted to fetal-maternal exchanges and the latter binds the placental body to the uterine wall. Physiological placentation is characterized by the invasion of the uterine spiral arteries by extravillous trophoblast cells arising from anchoring villi. Due to this invasion, the arterial structure is replaced by amorphous fibrinoid material and endovascular trophoblastic cells. This transformation establishes a low-resistance, high-capacity perfusion system from the radial arteries to the intervillous space, in which the villous tree is embedded. The physiology of pregnancy depends upon the orderly progress of structural and functional changes of villous and extravillous trophoblast, whereas a derangement of such processes can lead to different types of complications of varying degrees of gravity, including possible pregnancy loss and maternal life-threatening diseases. In this review we describe the mechanisms which regulate trophoblast differentiation, proliferation, migration and invasiveness, and the alterations in these mechanisms which lead to pathological conditions. Furthermore, based on the growing evidence that proper inflammatory changes and oxidative balance are needed for successful gestation, we explain the mechanisms by which agents able to influence such processes may be useful in the prevention and treatment of pregnancy disorders

Photocatalytic Fe-doped n-TiO2: From synthesis to utilization of in vitro cell models for screening human and environmental nanosafety

The utilization of different types nanomaterials (NMs) in environmental remediation and wastewatertreatment requires information on the potential harmful effects on human and environmental health. Inthis light, the utilization of human cell models together with cells from lower organisms, representativeof different environmental compartments, could represent a valuable tool for the in vitro screening of thepotential toxicity of different NMs used in nanoremediation. Among NMs, n-TiO2, because of its peculiaroptical and chemical properties, is widely applied for photosensitized UV oxidation of organic pollutants.Moreover, development in design of metal- and non metal- doped TiO2 with extended photocatalyticactivity in the visible region represents the subject of ongoing research

Photocatalytic Fe-doped n-TiO2: From synthesis to utilization of in vitro cell models for screening human and environmental nanosafety

The utilization of different types nanomaterials (NMs) in environmental remediation and wastewater treatment requires information on the potential harmful effects on human and environmental health. In this light, the utilization of human cell models together with cells from lower organisms, representative of different environmental compartments, could represent a valuable tool for the in vitro screening of the potential toxicity of different NMs used in nanoremediation. Among NMs, n-TiO2, because of its peculiar optical and chemical properties, is widely applied for photosensitized UV oxidation of organic pollutants. Moreover, development in design of metal- and non metal- doped TiO2 with extended photocatalytic activity in the visible region represents the subject of ongoing research. In this work, the cytotoxic effects of three different types of recently synthetized Fe-doped n-TiO2 were compared in two cell models widely utilized for screening cellular toxicity of NMs in humans and aquatic organisms, human vascular endothelial cells (HECV) and immune cells (hemocytes) of the marine invertebrate, the mussel Mytilus spp, respectively. Parallel studies were carried out using N-doped n-TiO2. The results indicate both distinct and common behavior (agglomeration state) in different media (human cell culture medium and mussel hemolymph serum) and biological effects (cytotoxicity, nitric oxide production) of different types of doped- n-TiO2 in different cell models. Although in vitro studies represent a first step in the toxicological assessment of NMs, studies comparing their effects on human and aquatic invertebrate cells that take into account the effects of different exposure media represent an useful tool for evaluating potential cytotoxicity of those NMs, like TiO2-based photocatalytic NMs, widely applied in environmental remediation, and whose potential risks are poorly understood

The Multifaceted Origin of Taurine Cattle Reflected by the Mitochondrial Genome

A Neolithic domestication of taurine cattle in the Fertile Crescent from local aurochsen (Bos primigenius) is generally accepted, but a genetic contribution from European aurochsen has been proposed. Here we performed a survey of a large number of taurine cattle mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) control regions from numerous European breeds confirming the overall clustering within haplogroups (T1, T2 and T3) of Near Eastern ancestry, but also identifying eight mtDNAs (1.3%) that did not fit in haplogroup T. Sequencing of the entire mitochondrial genome showed that four mtDNAs formed a novel branch (haplogroup R) which, after the deep bifurcation that gave rise to the taurine and zebuine lineages, constitutes the earliest known split in the mtDNA phylogeny of B. primigenius. The remaining four mtDNAs were members of the recently discovered haplogroup Q. Phylogeographic data indicate that R mtDNAs were derived from female European aurochsen, possibly in the Italian Peninsula, and sporadically included in domestic herds. In contrast, the available data suggest that Q mtDNAs and T subclades were involved in the same Neolithic event of domestication in the Near East. Thus, the existence of novel (and rare) taurine haplogroups highlights a multifaceted genetic legacy from distinct B. primigenius populations. Taking into account that the maternally transmitted mtDNA tends to underestimate the extent of gene flow from European aurochsen, the detection of the R mtDNAs in autochthonous breeds, some of which are endangered, identifies an unexpected reservoir of genetic variation that should be carefully preserved

User Centered and Context Dependent Personalization Through Experiential Transcoding

Abstract-The pervasive presence of devices exploited to use and deliver entertainment text-based content can make reading easier to get but more difficult to enjoy, in particular for people with reading-related disabilities. The main solutions that allow overcoming some of the difficulties experienced by users with specific and special needs are based on content adaptation and user profiling. This paper presents a system that aims to improve content legibility by exploiting experiential transcoding techniques. The system we propose tracks users' behaviors so as to provide a tailored adaptation of textual content, in order to fit the needs of a specific user on the several different devices she/he actually uses

Enhancement of TiO2 NPs Activity by Fe3O4 Nano-Seeds for Removal of Organic Pollutants in Water

The enhancement of the photocatalytic activity of TiO2 nanoparticles (NPs), synthesized in the presence of a very small amount of magnetite (Fe3O4) nanoparticles, is here presented and discussed. From X-ray diffraction (XRD) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) analyses, the crystallinity of TiO2 nanoparticles (NPs) seems to be affected by Fe3O4, acting as nano-seeds to improve the tetragonal TiO2 anatase structure with respect to the amorphous one. Photocatalytic activity data, i.e., the degradation of methylene blue and the Ofloxacin fluoroquinolone emerging pollutant, give evidence that the increased crystalline structure of the NPs, even if correlated to a reduced surface to mass ratio (with respect to commercial TiO2 NPs), enhances the performance of this type of catalyst. The achievement of a relatively well-defined crystal structure at low temperatures (Tmax = 150 \u25e6C), preventing the sintering of the TiO2 NPs and, thus, preserving the high density of active sites, seems to be the keystone to understand the obtained results

The Economic Burden of Multiple Myeloma. Definition of a Model for Forecasting Patients’ Costs

Background: The aim of this study was to evaluate healthcare costs in a single-centre population of patients with multiple myeloma (MM), in an attempt to develop a model for forecasting costs. Methods: A cohort of 387 MM patients, diagnosed at Policlinico San Matteo (Pavia, Italy), between 2002 and 2014, was analysed grouping patients into those eligible (n=223) or not eligible (n=164) for transplantation. After descriptive statistics, the benchmark model - Ordinary Least Squares - and different variations of the Generalized Linear Model were adopted. Results: The average total cost per patient was around €28,500 for patients not eligible for transplantation and around €87,000 for the eligible ones. The difference in marginal costs for transplant-eligible patients was probably due to higher costs for hospitalisation and the costs of the transplant procedure itself. The analysis highlighted four determinants useful for building a model to forecast expenditure: age, bortezomib use, lenalidomide use, and number of lines of therapies. The two most important determinants of expenditure were use of the novel agents and the total number of lines of therapy, which reflects a higher number of doses and a greater need for accesses to hospital. Conclusion: In conclusion, using a Generalized Linear Model, we identified four determinants in our cohort which were useful for building a model to predict expenditure for MM patients. Although the analysis was performed in a particular setting in a single hospital, the model could be applied to any scenario of patients