Giacomo Tinelli, <em>L’io di carta. L’autorappresentazione contemporanea: Walter Siti ed Emmanuel Carrère</em>

Recensione del libro di Giacomo Tinelli L’io di carta. L’autorappresentazione contemporanea: Walter Siti ed Emmanuel Carrère

Le memorie ingarbugliate. Tensioni autobiografiche nell'"Uva puttanella" e in "Contadini del Sud" di Scotellaro

L’intervento s’inserisce nel dibattito sull’autobiografismo di Scotellaro nelle sue due maggiori opere in prosa, arrivateci incomplete e non pronte per la pubblicazione:Contadini del Sud e, soprattutto, L’uva puttanella, che Scotellaro definiva in fase di preparazione un ‘‘romanzo’’. Se Contadini del Sud, nelle parti disponibili oggi, sembra anticipare alcuni esiti dell’attuale non-fiction per via dell’uso disinvolto del materiale documentario, del risalto dato alle testimonianze e alle ricognizioni sul campo, della creazione di veri e propri ‘‘personaggi’’ a tutto tondo che si esprimono direttamente sulla pagina, L’uva puttanella ha caratteristiche che ne sottolineano invece l’inattualita` e insieme la natura di memoir ancora, alla morte di Scotellaro, incerto sulla direzione da prendere. Vengono proposte alcune ricognizioni testuali intorno all’Uva puttanella, al fine di ricostruire la sua natura autobiografica sospesa fra autoapologia politica (il testo fu iniziato durante la prigionia di Scotellaro) ed espressione poetica, ricordo familiare e apertura in forma di micro-racconti di alcuni abitanti del paese. Non si ricompongono le tensioni narrative di una prosa ellittica per scelta, che tende al frammento di realta` da una parte e al lirismo dall’altra: e` cio` che sembra dimostrare la conclusione della Parte prima, di cui si propone una nuova lettura.The intervention is part of the debate on Scotellaro's autobiography in his two major works in prose, which arrived incomplete and not ready for publication: Contadini del Sud and, above all, L'uva puttanella, which Scotellaro defined in preparation as a ''novel''. If Contadini del Sud, in the parts available today, seems to anticipate some outcomes of the current non-fiction due to the casual use of documentary material, the prominence given to the testimonies and reconnaissance in the field, the creation of real '' characters '' in the round that are expressed directly on the page, L'uva puttanella has characteristics that underline instead its out-of-date nature and at the same time the nature of a memoir again, on Scotellaro's death, uncertain about the direction to take. Some textual reconnaissance around the Uva puttanella is proposed, in order to reconstruct its autobiographical nature suspended between political self-apology (the text was started during Scotellaro's imprisonment) and poetic expression, family memory and opening in the form of micro-stories of some inhabitants of the country. The narrative tensions of an elliptical prose by choice are not recomposed, which tends to the fragment of reality on the one hand and to lyricism on the other: this is what seems to demonstrate the conclusion of Part One, of which a new reading is proposed

Le ultime persone. Prime ricognizioni e sottotesti biblici nella narrativa italiana contemporanea

The article is a preliminary investigation of a tòpos recurring through post-apocalyptic fiction in the last two centuries: the stories of the last people on Earth (the so-called “Last man”). After sketching a history of the origins of such a narrative subject in 19th-century French and English literature (Grainville, Byron, Shelley) and mentioning the modernist/postmodernist reprises of the “Last people” writings in the 20th century, the essay focuses on three books on the subject in contemporary Italian literature: Davide Longo’s L’uomo verticale (2010); Alessandro Bertante’s Nina dei lupi (2011); Niccolò Ammaniti’s Anna (2015). The second section provides an individuation of Biblical subtexts, post-apocalyptic echoes, social and ecological ideologies underlying these stories. Despite appearing as dystopian fictions, they aim to reconsider, via science-fictional stylization, the present ways of life, as well as they represent a test subject for ethics

First principles study of 2D layered organohalide tin perovskites

This article describes the structure and the electronic properties of a series of layered perovskites of a general formula (A+)2(SnX4)-2 where X = I, Br and A+ is an organic cation, either formamidinium, 1-methylimidazolium, or phenylethylammonium. For each system, two conformations are considered, with eclipsed or staggered stacking of the adjacent inorganic layers. Geometry optimizations are performed at the density functional theory level with generalized gradient approximation (GGA) functional and semiempirical correction for dispersion energies; band profiles and bandgaps are computed including both spin orbit coupling (SOC) and correlation (GW) effects through an additive scheme. The theoretical procedures are validated by reproducing the experimental data of a well known 3D tin iodide perovskite. The results, combined with the calculations previously reported on PbI4 analogues, allow us to discuss the effect of cation, metal, and halide substitution in these systems and in particular to explore the possibility of changing the electronic bandgap as required by different applications. The balance of SOC and GW effects depends on the chemical nature of the studied perovskites and strongly influences the value of the simulated bandgap

The Susceptibility of Candida albicans to Gamma-Radiations and Ketoco-nazole Depends on Transitional Filamentation

The virulence of C. albicans is associated with the transitional evolution from yeast to filamentous forms. We were interested in the effects amphotericin B (AMB), ketoconazole (KTC) and γ-radiations might have on these broadly defined phenotypes as determined by the CFU procedure. By using collagen gel as the 3-dimensional support of cell culture, diverse experimental conditions were contemplated in order to modulate the differentiation of Candida during sessile and planktonic growth. These conditions included the co-culture with human epithelial and endothelial cells and treatment with farnesol, tyrosol and conditioned medium from P. aeruginosa. The overall results were as follows: 1) The survival of Candida was inhibited by the exposure to γ-radiations, but only after the organism was induced to progress into excess filamentation, while in normal growth conditions it proved to be radioresistant; 2) AMB inhibited the growth of yeast forms, while KTC was specifically toxic to filamentous forms and 3) the combined treatment of filamentous Candida with KTC and γ-radiations resulted in the synergistic inhibition of the organism. These findings indicate that both the radiosensitivity of C. albicans and its response to the synergistic effects of γ-radiations and KTC are filamentation-dependent pharmacological processes

A Porous Carbon with Excellent Gas Storage Properties from Recycled Polystyrene

In this paper, we describe the synthesis and gas adsorption properties of a porous carbonaceous material, obtained from commercial expanded polystyrene. The first step consists of the Friedel-Craft reaction of the dissolved polystyrene chains with a bridging agent to form a highly-crosslinked polymer, with permanent porosity of 0.7 cm 3 /g; then, this polymer is treated with potassium hydroxide at a high temperature to produce a carbon material with a porous volume larger than 1.4 cm 3 / g and a distribution of ultramicro-, micro-, and mesopores. After characterization of the porous carbon and determination of the bulk density, the methane uptake was measured using a volumetric apparatus to pressures up to 30 bar. The equilibrium adsorption isotherm obtained is among the highest ever reported for this kind of material. The interest of this product lies both in its excellent performance and in the virtually costless starting material

Gene expression profiles of oral soft tissue-derived fibroblast from healing wounds: correlation with clinical outcome, autophagy activation and fibrotic markers expression

Aim: Our aim was to evaluate gene expression profiling of fibroblasts from human alveolar mucosa (M), buccal attached gingiva (G) and palatal (P) tissues during early wound healing, correlating it with clinical response. Materials and Methods: M, G and P biopsies were harvested from six patients at baseline and 24 hrs after surgery. Clinical response was evaluated through Early Wound Healing Score (EHS). Fibrotic markers expression and autophagy were assessed on fibroblasts isolated from those tissues by Western blot and qRT‐PCR. Fibroblasts from two patients were subjected to RT2 profiler array, followed by network analysis of the differentially expressed genes. The expression of key genes was validated with qRT‐PCR on all patients. Results: At 24 hrs after surgery, EHS was higher in P and G than in M. In line with our clinical results, no autophagy and myofibroblast differentiation were observed in G and P. We observed significant variations in mRNA expression of key genes: RAC1, SERPINE1 and TIMP1, involved in scar formation; CDH1, ITGA4 and ITGB5, contributing to myofibroblasts differentiation; IL6 and CXCL1, involved in inflammation. Conclusions: We identified some genes involved in periodontal soft tissues clinical outcome, providing novel insights into the molecular mechanisms of oral repair (ClinicalTrial.gov‐NCT04202822)

Prevalence, clinical correlates, and use of glucose-lowering drugs among older patients with type 2 diabetes living in long-term care facilities

Prevalence, clinical correlates, and use of glucose-lowering drugs were comprehensively evaluated among 863 nursing home older patients with diabetes (mean age 82.9 ± 2.1 years): functional dependence and cognitive impairment were present in 84.1% and 68% of patients, respectively, and 66.3% of patients had 2–4 comorbidities. HbA1c values < 7.0% were documented in 54.9% of diabetic; significantly lower HbA1c levels were observed in demented patients than in nondemented subjects. Documented hypoglycemic episodes were reported for 57 patients (6.6%), without significant association with age, functional dependence, cognitive impairment, or HbA1c levels. About one-fifth of older long-term facilities residents have diabetes, with concomitant poor health conditions and high prevalence of cognitive impairment and functional dependence. Roughly three-fourths of these older and frail diabetic patients have HbA1c values lower than optimal, suggesting a potential for hypoglycemic harm especially among patients with severe cognitive impairment

Screening for neurocysticercosis in internationally adopted children: yield, cost and performance of serological tests, Italy, 2001 to 2016

IntroductionNeurocysticercosis (NCC) is one of the leading causes of epilepsy worldwide. The majority of cases in Europe are diagnosed in immigrants. Currently in Italy, routine serological screening for cysticercosis is recommended for internationally adopted children (IAC) coming from endemic countries. Methods: We retrospectively analyse the results of the serological screening for cysticercosis in IAC 16 years old or younger, attending two Italian third level paediatric clinics in 2001-16. Results: Of 2,973 children included in the study, 2,437 (82.0%) were screened by enzyme-linked immune electro transfer blot (EITB), 1,534 (51.6%) by ELISA, and 998 (33.6%) by both tests. The seroprevalence of cysticercosis ranged between 1.7% and 8.9% according to EITB and ELISA, respectively. Overall, 13 children were diagnosed with NCC accounting for a NCC frequency of 0.4% (95% confidence interval (CI): 0.2-0.6%). Among the 168 seropositive children, only seven (4.2%) were diagnosed with NCC. Of these children, three were asymptomatic and four presented epilepsy. Among seronegative children (n\u2009=\u20092,805), seven presented with neurological symptoms that lead to the diagnosis of NCC in six cases. The sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive value for the diagnosis of NCC were 54.5%, 98.6%, 14.6%, 99.8% for EITB and 22.2%, 91.1%, 1.4%, 99.5% for ELISA. The yield of the screening programme was 437 NCC cases per 100,000. The number needed to screen to detect one NCC case was 228. The cost per NCC case detected was EUR 10,372. Conclusion: On the base of our findings we suggest the ongoing serological screening for cysticercosis to be discontinued, at least in Italy, until further evidence in support will be available