Tendresse et pudeur chez Stendhal

Cet article traite de l’ironie comme valeur esthétique, et donc affective, chez Stendhal. Les phénomènes affectifs varient en nature et en intensité, et une même émotion peut être colorée différemment (les adjectifs indiquent ses nuances, comme « douce nostalgie » ou « nostalgie désespérée »). L’ironie implique une gamme complexe d’aspects et de degrés  : elle peut être satirique, comique, tragique, nihiliste, paradoxale, etc. Je considère d’abord les types d’ironie que Stendhal a évités. Il rejetait à la fois la satire tragique de Chateaubriand et l’ironie romantique nihiliste. Je considère ensuite la théorie stendhalienne du rire, suggérée par plusieurs de ses écrits dans lesquels il réfléchit sur diverses formes de comédie tout en développant son propre idéal tel qu’il apparaîtra dans ses romans principaux (voir Journal littéraire, Histoire de la peinture en Italie, Racine et Shakespeare, et Correspondance). Tout en se référant à Hobbes et à sa définition du rire comme sentiment de supériorité, il ne semble pas tout à fait convaincu par sa théorie et insiste sur les deux conditions indispensables de l’effet comique  : la clarté et la rapidité. Ces deux éléments deviennent essentiels dans son style littéraire. Stendhal n’a pas de doute sur la supériorité affective des modernes sur les anciens  : il ne revient qu’aux modernes, formés par la sensibilité chrétienne, de ressentir des émotions tendres. La tendresse doit colorer tout, et le roman doit atteindre l’idéal de l’opéra-bouffe, où le comique est « un mélange de gaieté et de tendresse », tandis que l’écrivain masque sa propre tendresse par une douce ironie envers ses personnages préférés.This article discusses irony as an aesthetic, therefore affective, value, as exemplified in Stendhal’s irony. Affective phenomena vary in nature and intensity, and one same emotion can be coloured differently (adjectives indicate its nuances, as, for example, in “sweet nostalgia” or “desperate nostalgia” etc.). Irony involves a very complex gamut of aspects and degrees: it can be satiric, comic, tragic, nihilistic, paradoxical etc. I first consider what kinds of irony Stendhal avoided. He discarded both the tragic satire of Chateaubriand and Romantic nihilistic irony. Then I look at Stendhal’s theory of laughter, as hinted at in several of his writings where he reflects upon various forms of comedy while developing his own ideal of comedy as it will appear in his major novels (see Journal littéraire, Histoire de la peinture en Italie, Racine et Shakespeare, and Correspondance). Dissatisfied with Hobbes’ definition of laughter as involving a feeling of superiority, he considered two conditions for the comic effect: clarity and suddenness. Both become fundamental in his literary style. At the same time Stendhal was convinced of the affective superiority of the moderns over the Ancients: only the moderns, forged by Christian sensitivity, experienced tender emotions. Tenderness should color everything: the novel should aim at the ideal of opera-bouffe, where comedy is “a mixture of gaiety and tenderness,” while the writer masks his tenderness by using a “sweet” (douce) irony towards his favourite characters

Hypersensitivity Reactions to Proton Pump Inhibitors

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Microwave gas sensor based on graphene aerogel for breath analysis

Exhaled breath can be used for early detection and diagnosis of diseases, monitoring metabolic activity, and precision medicine. In this work, we design and simulate a microwave sensor in which thin graphene aerogels are integrated into rectangular microwave waveguides. Graphene aerogels are ideal sensing platforms for gases and volatile compounds as they combine extremely high surface-to-volume ratio and good electrical conductivity at RF and microwave frequencies. The latter is modified by exposure to different gases, and -when integrated into a waveguide- these changes result in significant shifts in transmission and reflection scattering parameters. We model the aerogel as a graphene grid with hexagonal openings of size 22.86×10.16×0.1 mm3, characterized by an air volume equal to about 90 % of its entire volume. This grid is used as a building block for modeling thicker samples (up to 9 mm), To simulate the variation in the dynamic conductivity of the graphene sheets as a consequence of the absorption of gaseous molecules, a sweep of the chemical potential from 0.0 e V to 0.5 e V with steps of 0.1 e V was used. The results show a significant variation of the waveguide transmission scattering parameters resulting from the gas-induced modification of the graphene conductivity, and hence the potential of the proposed sensor design for breath analysis

Multimodal Affect and Aesthetic Experience

The term “aesthetic experience” corresponds to the inner state of a person exposed to form and content of artistic objects. Exploring certain aesthetic values of artistic objects, as well as interpreting the aesthetic experience of people when exposed to art can contribute towards understanding (a) art and (b) people’s affective reactions to artwork. Focusing on different types of artistic content, such as movies, music, urban art and other artwork, the goal of this workshop is to enhance the interdisciplinary collaboration between affective computing and aesthetics researchers

Is the clinical pattern of pediatric celiac disease changing? A thirty-years real-life experience of an Italian center

Objectives Clinical presentation of pediatric celiac disease (CD) is heterogeneous and ever-evolving. Our aim is to highlight its changes throughout the years. Methods Data about clinical presentation of CD in children diagnosed between 1990 and 2020 at the CD Center of Maggiore Hospital, Bologna, were collected. Patients were stratified into groups based on the date [P1 (1990-2011), P2 (2012-2020)] and age [G1 (< 2 years), G2 (2-5), G3 (6-11), G4 (12-18)] at diagnosis, then investigated by comparing CD clinical presentation in different periods and ages. Results 1081 children were selected. Mean age at diagnosis increases from 5.9 to 6.6 years from P1 to P2. Gastrointestinal Symptoms (GIs) are predominant, with a decline of diarrhea (47%VS30%) and an increase of constipation (4%VS19%) (p < 0.001). Among Extraintestinal symptoms (EIs) a decrease of anemia (76%VS43%, p = 0,001) is observed. Failure to Thrive (FTT) is stable throughout the years (p = 0.03), while screenings show a trend of increment (19%VS23%). GIs' frequency decline from G1 to G4 (p = 0,001), with reduction of diarrhea (p < 0.001), and rise of recurrent abdominal pain (p = 0,02). EIs are more frequent at older ages, FTT in younger patients. Conclusions Changes in clinical presentation of CD have occurred in the last 30 years. We observe a reduction of severe and classic gastroenterologic symptoms and a rise of atypical ones, together with a growth of serological screenings and higher age at diagnosis. Awareness about CD clinical trends is crucial for a proper approach and early diagnosis

Assessment of river quality within the context of the EU's water framework directive (2000/60/EC): the RiverNet Experiences

EnThe purpose of the EU's Water Framework Directive (WFD)is the achievement of ecological good status for all its superficial water bodies and courses.However,the most controversial and difficult aspect is the choice of an appropriate method to define a “reference condition ”,the expected value upon which comparisons are to be made and quantitatively expressed as EQR metric (ecological quality ratio).A major burden is the adjustment of national standards to assess the quality of aquatic habitats according to the technical specifications explicitly stated in the WFD.This aspect is also one of the major objectives within the RiverNet project.We compared standard methods used in Italy (not compliant with WFD requirements)with those currently under study by the pan-European intercalibration panel.Data spanning one year (2002)from the Abruzzo monitoring programwere used.Data from 229 samples (78 sites and 38 water courses)were reanalyzed using both Italian (LIM,IBE,SECA)and other metrics (family richness,BMWP,ASPT,EPT,EPT%).Resulting ecological status assessments were compared quantitatively and expressed as EQR.Indices based on benthic invertebrates were closely interrelated ($R2==0.71 –0.88 for pairwise correlations),and performed better than the abiotic LIM index.The BMWP index seems better suited than the non-WFD-compliant IBE index to describe ecological status.Though the dataset was relatively limited,we were able to identify 13 class-1 (least impacted)sites that can be used as reference sites for Abruzzo.Additionally,EQR-based range and threshold values for each tested metric were quantified for the high, good and moderate quality lasses.Utilization of historical data may be a cost-and time-effective approach potentially leading to a regional and nationwide establishment of reference conditions and range quality-class values for riverine systems

Microwave gas sensor based on graphene aerogels

— In this article, the experimental demonstration of a novel microwave gas sensor based on graphene aerogel is presented. This device makes use of a highly porous structure of the aerogel in combination with the modulation of graphene AC conductivity upon exposure to vacuum and ambient air. As a proof of concept, we integrate the graphene aerogel into rectangular waveguides and measure its scattering parameters by a Vector network Analyzer (VNA). The aerogel is characterized by a combination of scanning electron microscopy and four-probe DC measurements. The aerogel is integrated into WR-90 waveguides by custom-designed support and wave propagation is tested over the 8-12 GHz frequency range (Xband). By exposing the aerogel to either air or a moderate vacuum, clear shifts in the waveguide scattering parameters are observed. In particular, changes of ≈ 3 dB and ≈ 1 dB in the transmission and reflection parameters of the waveguide are obtained, respectively. Moreover, the sensor exhibits excellent reproducibility when exposed to alternating cycles of air and vacuum, proving that the shifts in microwave transmission and reflection are caused by changes in the conductivity of the graphene aerogel due to the absorption and desorption of gas molecules. These proof-of-concept results pave the way for the development of a new class of gas sensors for applications such as breath analysis

PDGF-BB Carried by Endothelial Cell-Derived Extracellular Vesicles Reduces Vascular Smooth Muscle Cell Apoptosis in Diabetes

Endothelial cell-derived extracellular vesicles (CD31EVs) constitute a new entity for therapeutic/prognostic purposes. The roles of CD31EVs as mediators of vascular smooth muscle cell (VSMC) dysfunction in type 2 diabetes (T2D) are investigated herein. We demonstrated that, unlike serum-derived extracellular vesicles in individuals without diabetes, those in individuals with diabetes (D CD31EVs) boosted apoptosis resistance of VSMCs cultured in hyperglycemic condition. Biochemical analysis revealed that this effect relies on changes in the balance between antiapoptotic and proapoptotic signals: increase of bcl-2 and decrease of bak/bax. D CD31EV cargo analysis demonstrated that D CD31EVs are enriched in membrane-bound platelet-derived growth factor-BB (mbPDGF-BB). Thus, we postulated that mbPDGF-BB transfer by D CD31EVs could account for VSMC resistance to apoptosis. By depleting CD31EVs of platelet-derived growth factor-BB (PDGF-BB) or blocking the PDGF receptor β on VSMCs, we demonstrated that mbPDGF-BB contributes to D CD31EV-mediated bak/bax and bcl-2 levels. Moreover, we found that bak expression is under the control of PDGF-BB-mediated microRNA (miR)-296-5p expression. In fact, while PDGF-BB treatment recapitulated D CD31EV-mediated antiapoptotic program and VSMC resistance to apoptosis, PDGF-BB-depleted CD31EVs failed. D CD31EVs also increased VSMC migration and recruitment to neovessels by means of PDGF-BB. Finally, we found that VSMCs, from human atherosclerotic arteries of individuals with T2D, express low bak/bax and high bcl-2 and miR-296-5p levels. This study identifies the mbPDGF-BB in D CD31EVs as a relevant mediator of diabetes-associated VSMC resistance to apoptosis