Teatro e immaginazione: il percorso drammaturgico di Gianni Rodari tra anni Cinquanta e Sessanta.

Questo lavoro si propone di esaminare il rapporto che lega Gianni Rodari al teatro, elemento tanto rilevante quanto poco considerato all'interno del lavoro creativo dello scrittore. Attraverso l'analisi di alcune drammaturgie tra anni Cinquanta e Sessanta cercheremo di indagare l'evoluzione del suo pensiero in merito a questo inesplorato territorio. Partendo dagli anni Cinquanta, infatti, notiamo la presenza di una ricca produzione drammaturgica; in questo periodo Rodari scrive anche il Manuale del Pioniere, considerato il primo testo critico in cui espone la sua idea di teatro come accesso ad un mondo fantastico attraverso cui i bambini possano esprimersi. La creatività e la fantasia appaiono mezzi tramite i quali attuare una trasformazione della realtà, strumenti di liberazione da una schiavitù simbolica che ci rende monolitici e incatenati agli schemi. I testi teatrali degli anni Sessanta, poi, si inseriscono all'interno delle riflessioni pedagogiche: Rodari si mostra sensibile ai problemi scolastici, sostenendo la necessità di formare insegnanti che siano veri promotori di vita culturale, maestri di creatività pronti a stimolare l'apprendimento degli alunni anche attraverso la poesia e il teatro. Di grande importanza risulta il testo Storie di Re Mida, scritto nel 1967 appositamente per il Teatro Stabile di Torino: esso fa parte di un programma di rinascita del teatro-ragazzi avviato in quegli anni dai Teatri Stabili e proseguito poi negli anni Settanta con l'esperienza dell'animazione, di cui Rodari stesso ne è precursore e sostenitore

Disorders of consciousness: Painless or painful conditions?-evidence from neuroimaging studies

The experience of pain in disorders of consciousness is still debated. Neuroimaging studies, using functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI), Positron Emission Tomography (PET), multichannel electroencephalography (EEG) and laser-evoked potentials, suggest that the perception of pain increases with the level of consciousness. Brain activation in response to noxious stimuli has been observed in patients with unresponsive wakefulness syndrome (UWS), which is also referred to as a vegetative state (VS), as well as those in a minimally conscious state (MCS). However, all of these techniques suggest that pain-related brain activation patterns of patients in MCS more closely resemble those of healthy subjects. This is further supported by fMRI findings showing a much greater functional connectivity within the structures of the so-called pain matrix in MCS as compared to UWS/VS patients. Nonetheless, when interpreting the results, a distinction is necessary between autonomic responses to potentially harmful stimuli and conscious experience of the unpleasantness of pain. Even more so if we consider that the degree of residual functioning and cortical connectivity necessary for the somatosensory, affective and cognitive-evaluative components of pain processing are not yet clear. Although procedurally challenging, the particular value of the aforementioned techniques in the assessment of pain in disorders of consciousness has been clearly demonstrated. The study of pain-related brain activation and functioning can contribute to a better understanding of the networks underlying pain perception while addressing clinical and ethical questions concerning patient care. Further development of technology and methods should aim to increase the availability of neuroimaging, objective assessment of functional connectivity and analysis at the level of individual cases as well as group comparisons. This will enable neuroimaging to truly become a clinical tool to reliably investigate pain in severely brain-injured patients as well as an asset for research

Commentary - Much ado about something else. Donald Trump, the US stock market, and the public interest ethics of social media communication

Trump’s use of social media during both his presidential campaign and term questions the principle that institutional responsibility in the digital realm implies treating the infosphere as a commons. We discuss the implications for the functioning of the stock market and the emerging public interest ethical issues related to the breakdown of this principle

Antibacterial activity of Tuscan Artemisia annua essential oil and its major components against some foodborne pathogens

Recently, the attention of researchers regarding Artemisia annua has been focused on the antimicrobial activity of the essential oil. This oil, rich in mono- and sesquiterpenes, has a strong activity against some Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria. The aim of our study is to further contribute to the knowledge of the antibacterial activity of an Artemisia annua essential oil collected in Tuscany and its three most represented compounds (artemisia ketone, 1,8-cineole and camphor). The essential oil obtained by hydrodistillation gave a yield of 0.37% (w/w fresh plant material). The composition of the essential oil extracted from flowering aerial parts was determined by gas chromatography (GC/FID and GC/MS). The essential oil and compounds were tested for activity against Escherichia coli O157, Salmonella Enteritidis, Salmonella Typhi, Yersinia enterocolitica and Listeria monocytogenes, all of which have great significance in foodborne infections. The antibacterial activity was tested using disk diffusion method and broth microdilution assay. The microorganisms tested were all sensitive to the A. annua essential oil in toto and to all its components, which often have lower activity than oil in toto

Communicative-Pragmatic Treatment in schizophrenia: A pilot study

This paper aims to verify the efficacy of Cognitive Pragmatic Treatment (CPT), a new remediation training for the improvement of the communicative-pragmatic abilities, in patients with schizophrenia. The CPT program is made up of 20 group sessions, focused on a number of communication modalities, i.e., linguistic, extralinguistic and paralinguistic, theory of mind (ToM) and other cognitive functions able to play a role on the communicative performance, such as awareness and planning. A group of 17 patients with schizophrenia took part in the training program. They were evaluated before and after training, through the equivalent forms of the Assessment Battery for Communication (ABaCo), a tool for testing, both in comprehension and in production, a wide range of pragmatic phenomena such as direct and indirect speech acts, irony and deceit, and a series of neuropsychological and ToM tests. The results showed a significant improvement in patients’ performance on both production and comprehension tasks following the program, and in all the communication modalities evaluated through the ABaCo, i.e., linguistic, extralinguistic, paralinguistic, and social appropriateness. This improvement persisted after 3 months from the end of the training program, as shown by the follow-up tests. These preliminary findings provide evidence of the efficacy of the CPT program in improving communicative-pragmatic abilities in schizophrenic individuals