The normalization of the cyborg: from futuristic artistic expression of mutilation to daily aesthetic beauty

The concept of mutilation as a permanent scarring of the integrity of the body has been overcome by the representation in visual culture of the cyborg, the bionic human and the genetically and bionically engineered mutant. Mutants with bionic prosthetics in the X-Men film trilogy, the bionic man in The Six Million Dollar Man (1974) and his companion The Bionic Woman (1976) as well as The Terminator (1984) with its sequels have contributed to create a new aesthetic perception of the artificial. From the Cyborg Manifesto to theories of Post-humanism and Trans-humanism, the arts have embraced the opportunity of realizing the conjunction between human and machine envisaged at first by Tommaso Marinetti in the Futurist Manifesto. Stelarc has contributed with his performances and body implants to explore new aesthetic forms that conceive the prosthesis as an evolutionary empowering design. If in the arts this approach has created aesthetic debates and polarizations between bioconservatism and technoprogressivism, how is the reality of mutilation approached by people in their daily lives? The paper analyzes whether the aesthetic perception of prosthetics is that of a permanent sign of mutilation or that of a new technological empowerment. “In the last two to three years many men have asked to have prosthetics without coverage, leaving the metal part visible. They tell me that a leg like this is more futuristic! Maybe they feel more masculine because the metallic leg gives them the sensation of being bionic, half human and half machine. Men under fifty especially request it. At the opposite end of the spectrum, women ask for symmetric prosthetics very similar to the one they lost.” Interview with Dr. X at the Limb Fitting Centre, London. If the visual arts have created an experience and imagination of post-humanity as the futuristic merging of human and machine that the public perceives as increasingly achievable, what are the new frontiers of aesthetic exploration? Are the aesthetics of post-humanity becoming those of a ‘normalization’ of cyborgology? The paper will argue that the contemporary aesthetics of futuristic empowerment look to artists and designers in order to deliver new modes of aesthetic consumption for a technology no longer perceived as reconstruction of a mutilation but as the empowering necessary framework to facilitate the transition from human to super-human

Pollen characterisation of Maltese honey

In 2004 and 2005, pollen characterisation of 35 samples of honey collected from the islands of Malta and Gozo, was carried out with the aim to identify the botanical origin of honey produced on these islands. Pollen was extracted from the honey samples via centrifugation and identified to pollen type, generic level and where possible, specific level via microscopic analysis. This was done by comparison with available literature and with the aid of prepared reference slides of pollen collected from the plant species commonly present in the Maltese islands. A total of 61 pollen types were identified from 33 families. The best represented families were the Asteraceae, Brassicaceae, Fabaceae and Apiaceae. Thyme (Thymbra capitata (L.) CAV.) pollen was found to be predominant in ten samples, with a percentage frequency that ranged from 10\% to 67\%. Hedysarum coronarium L. was found to be predominant in five honey samples with percentage frequencies from 48\% to 78\% while Lotus spp. pollen was found to be predominant in one honey sample with a percentage frequency of 57\%. The remaining 14 honey samples possessed pollen spectra which were characterized by a few frequent pollen types that possessed similar percentage frequencies and were thus considered to be multifloral. This is the first work of pollen characterisation of Maltese honey.peer-reviewe

Complejas relaciones entre ciudad y campo ¿Hacia una transición sustentable?

En el presente trabajo, hemos indagado en la asimétrica relación existente entre los mundos urbano y rural desde un punto de vista relacional, en el marco del cual, identificamos una clara dependencia del primero frente al segundo. Además de ello, el agro aporta tributos de toda índole. Así, a partir de la actividad agropecuaria nacional, los distintos estamentos del Estado desarrollan su estructura tributaria. Un capítulo aparte merece el sistema de coparticipación federal de impuestos. Este, implica que la Nación se hará cargo de la recaudación y posterior distribución de aquellos tributos nacionales coparticipables, entre Nación y Provincias. Se encuentra pendiente la sanción de un nuevo régimen de coparticipación federal de tributos. Inmejorable oportunidad para desarrollar un sistema contemplativo de las necesidades actuales y postergadas del sector rural. Además, nos encontramos inmersos en procesos crónicos de macrocefalia urbana, convirtiéndose éstas en verdaderas megalópolis (Ledrut, 1971) donde los continuos edificados predominan por la escasa, deficitaria y/o nula planificación (Reca, 2002) complejizando aún más las problemáticas mencionada

Incidence of Agro-Climate Variability over Grass-Fed Cattle Markets.

The marginal contribution of each of the selected variables was quantified in terms of premiums and discounts and mapped as dynamic iso-price regions that illustrate geographic and seasonal permanent price patterns for feeder cattle, as well as changing market conditions derived from unexpected climate and weather variability. The graphic representation of how price patterns may change with climate variability allows for a better understanding of short term market disequilibrium derived from this type of variability. This may help cattle operators and producers improve farm management and making informed decisions.cattle prices, climate variability, agro-ecological conditions, seasonal effects, price formation, differentiated products, Demand and Price Analysis, Livestock Production/Industries,

A simple prognostic index in acute heart failure

Background Rapid effective triage is integral to emergency care in patients hospitalized for heart failure, to guide the type and intensity of therapy. Several indexes and scores have been proposed to predict outcome; most of the them are complex and unfit to use at the bedside. Methods We propose a new prognostic index for in hospital mortality in acute heart failure. The index was built according to the formula; 220 – age – heart rate + systolic blood pressure – ( creatinine X 10). The index was tested in 1628 patients admitted for acute heart failure and enrolled, from November 2007 to December 2009, in the Italian Registry on Heart Failure Outcome ( IN-HF); a prospective, multicentre, observational study. Results The prognostic index was an independent predictor for in hospital mortality risk ( c statistic= 0.74) (p<0.0001), together with left ventricular ejection fraction (p= 0.001), Glycemia ( p= 0.019) and hemoglobin concentration (p = 0.002). Conclusion A simple prognostic index based on variables easily assessed can be useful to predict mortality in acute heart failure at the first arrival in hospital

Two new Casual Grasses from Malta

The occurrence of two casual grasses, Urochloa panicoides P. Beauv. and Echinochloa frumentacea Link in the Maltese islands is recorded for the first time.peer-reviewe

The vegetation of the Ghadira Nature Reserve

The Ghadira Nature reserve is one of the few salt-marshes still extant in the Maltese Islands. The indigenous vegetation is dominated by halophilic and salt-tolerant species such as Phragmites australis, Inula crithmoides, Juncus acutus, Juncus subulatus, Triglochin ballelieri, Melilotus messanensis, Salicomia ramosissima, Suaeda maritima, Salsola soda and Parapholis filifonnis. Management of the reserve has resulted in the introduction of three main categories of plants (a) species from the adjacent dune such as Elymus farctum, Sporobolus arenarius and Pancratium maritimum; (b) species, mainly trees and shrubs, introduced in order to attract birds and (c) halophytic species introduced from other salt-marsh areas in order to protect them from extinction such as Carex extensa, Halimione portulacoides and a possibly undescribed species as Limonium. Tamarix species, especially T. africana and Atriplcx halimus were introduced long before the establishment of the reserve but their numbers have been augmented as part of the reserve management policy. Another component of the vegetation is represented by weed species such as Oxalis pes-caprae and Sonchus cf. oleraceus, some of which have greatly increased in abundance.peer-reviewe

Access control lists in password capability environments

With reference to a protection system featuring active subjects that attempt to access passive, typed objects,we propose a set of mechanisms supporting the distribution,verification,review and revocation of access privileges. In our approach, a protection domain is a collection of access rights for the protected objects. An access control list is associated with each object to specify the access rights in each domain. Objects are grouped into clusters.To access the objects in a given cluster, a subject presents a gate referencing this cluster. The gate is a form of password capability that identifies one or more domains.The gate grants the access rights specified for these domains by the access control lists of the objects in the cluster. A subject that holds a gate and is aimed at distributing the access privileges in this gate in restricted form can reduce the gate to eliminate domains; the gate reduction procedure requires no intervention of the protection system. A small set of protection primitives allows subjects to manage objects and access control lists. Forms of revocation of access permissions are supported, at both levels of gates and access control lists

New records for the Maltese flora : Eleusine indica (L.) Gaertner subsp. ajricana (Kennedy- O'byrne) S. Phillips (Poaceae) and Centranthus macrosiphon Boissier (Caprifoliaceae)

The occurrence in Malta of Centranthus macrosiphon Boissier and of Eleusine indica (L.) Gaertner subsp. africana (Kennedy-O'Byrne) S. Phillips as adventive weeds is reported for the first time.peer-reviewe