Analysis of the socio-economic impact of the tobacco CMO reform on italian tobacco sector

The Tobacco CMO (Common Market Organization) is involved in a intense debate between the European tobacco industry and those who are against to a crop whose transformed product is dangerous to the health. European institutions have shown a strong interest in this complex issue introducing two Reforms (1992 and 1998) and one revision in 2004. This paper aims to analyse and investigate the socio-economic impact of the tobacco CMO Reform of 2004 in Italy, across the scenarios proposed by the EC Commission (2004), both on the tobacco production and processing sector. The considered socio-economic indicators are harvested surfaces, farm income and overall employment, while the sample of farms used in this research belong to the FADN–Italy sample.Tobacco CMO, CAP reform, decoupling, Positive Mathematical Programming

Graphics of the multitude: reading figure and text in Drawing from the City

This essay interrogates the question of reading graphic novels from South Asia by proposing the analysis of Drawing from the City, the visual autobiography of Teju Behan, a contemporary artist from Rajasthan. The essay introduces the text and the author, who belongs to Jogi, a group classified as one of the ‘other backward classes’ in contemporary India. Instead of treating the book as ethnographic document or simple social testimony, this essay argues that Teju’s narrative needs to be understood in its aesthetic dimension. Teju Behan is hence shown as an artist concerned with the passage from casteised labour to artistic work, and the possibility of linking individual experience to the formation of a collective. Indeed, a striking element of Teju’s visuals is the use of artistic expression to envisage a multitude. From this point of view, the graphics are affiliated to the concept of art as ‘liberated labour’ necessary to the making of the multitude proposed by Italian philosopher Antonio Negri. In conclusion, this reading interprets Drawing from the City as an intense meditation on art and the possibilities of resistance to marginality. © 2016 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Grou

Beyond the rhetoric of belonging: Arundhati Roy and the dalit perspective

This essay proposes a reflection on Arundhati Roy's recent involvement in Dalit politics. In particular, it addresses the polemic letter to Roy presented by a group of Dalit intellectuals after the publication of a new edition of Ambedkar's Annihilation of Caste (originally written in 1936), which includes an introductory essay by Roy. The critiques against Roy interrogate the right to take part in public life without being able to claim "entitlement" or "authenticity." By discussing the debates over rights to speak and to "represent," this essay offers a reflection on the meaning of a politics of emancipation that falls neither into identity politics nor into appropriating the voice of the marginalised. Instead, this essay proposes a reappraisal of the value of an "ethics of identification" through which outsiders can assume the standpoint of the oppressed and be able to tell experiences that they have not lived through. Beyond the rhetoric of belonging, the exchange between Roy and her Dalit critics suggests an ethics of identification that emphasises the continuing relevance of expressing social consciousness and communication across sites of struggle for social justice

Fingerprinting: Imtiaz Dharker and the Antinomies of Migrant Subjectivity

Literary response

“Too Much Blood for Good Literature”: Arundhati Roy’s The Ministry of Utmost Happiness and the Question of Realism

Arundhati Roy’s nonfictional writing has been interpreted as the epitome of an emerging “realist impulse” at the heart of postcolonial literature since 2000, and a move away from the reflexive and metaphorical style of her first novel, The God of Small Things. This article reassesses the opposition between fictional and nonfictional writing by addressing Roy’s second novel, The Ministry of Utmost Happiness (2017). Rather than endorsing a concept of realism understood as transparent, documentary representation of reality, The Ministry of Utmost Happiness proposes a contradictory and digressive poetics whereby fictional and nonfictional elements coexist. Roy’s critical stance on realism encompasses both her commitment to engage with contemporary history and her questioning of literature’s ability to do justice to suffering. Accordingly, Roy’s second novel reframes the literary concept of realism as an “aesthetic of the inconsolable” aiming to address what is left over from nonfictional accounts of politics and history

Think Another Time: Rosa Luxemburg and the Concept of History

This essay considers the significance of Rosa Luxemburg’s thought in relation to discourses on the materialist conception of history. Luxemburg engaged extensively with Marx’s method in order to understand the consequences of capitalism and socialism as a concrete possibility. In The Accumulation of Capital (1913), she deals with the problem of economic reproduction and the material conditions for the global expansion of capital. Yet, her writings have sparked a long tradition of debate concerning her contribution to Marxist theory. Within this tradition, Michael Löwy and Norman Geras have discussed Luxemburg’s idea of history, giving divergent interpretations of her influential phrase, ‘socialism or barbarism’. Building on the key terms of their argument, this essay proposes to read The Accumulation of Capital as a compelling reflection on the contingency of capitalism. Luxemburg’s analysis of the drive to accumulation shows capitalism’s manipulation of the process of social transmission and urges a re-appropriation of history against capitalism’s teleology of perpetual expansion

Who is at Risk of Parkinson Disease? Refining the Preclinical Phase of GBA1 and LRRK2 Variant Carriers: a Clinical, Biochemical, and Imaging Approach

Purpose of Review: Genetic variants in GBA1 and LRRK2 genes are the commonest genetic risk factor for Parkinson disease (PD); however, the preclinical profile of GBA1 and LRRK2 variant carriers who will develop PD is unclear. This review aims to highlight the more sensitive markers that can stratify PD risk in non-manifesting GBA1 and LRRK2 variant carriers. Recent Findings: Several case–control and a few longitudinal studies evaluated clinical, biochemical, and neuroimaging markers within cohorts of non-manifesting carriers of GBA1 and LRRK2 variants. Summary: Despite similar levels of penetrance of PD in GBA1 and LRRK2 variant carriers (10–30%), these individuals have distinct preclinical profiles. GBA1 variant carriers at higher risk of PD can present with prodromal symptoms suggestive of PD (hyposmia), display increased α-synuclein levels in peripheral blood mononuclear cells, and show dopamine transporter abnormalities. LRRK2 variant carriers at higher risk of PD might show subtle motor abnormalities, but no prodromal symptoms, higher exposure to some environmental factors (non-steroid anti-inflammatory drugs), and peripheral inflammatory profile. This information will help clinicians tailor appropriate screening tests and counseling and facilitate researchers in the development of predictive markers, disease-modifying treatments, and selection of healthy individuals who might benefit from preventive interventions

Oral malodor in Special Care Patients: current knowledge

Epidemiological studies report that about 50% of the population may have oral malodor with a strong social and psychological impact in their daily life. When intra-oral causes are excluded, referral to an appropriate medical specialist is paramount for management and treatment of extra-oral causes. The intra-oral causes of halitosis are highly common, and the dentist is the central clinician to diagnose and treat them. Pseudohalitosis or halitophobia may occur and an early identification of these conditions by the dentist is important in order to avoid unnecessary dental treatments for patients who need psychological or psychiatric therapy. The organoleptic technique is still considered the most reliable examination method to diagnose genuine halitosis. Special needs patients are more prone than others to have oral malodor because of concurrent systemic or metabolic diseases, and medications. The present report reviews halitosis, its implications, and the management in special care dentistry

Adherence to the mediterranean diet in association with self-perception of diet sustainability, anthropometric and sociodemographic factors: A cross-sectional study in italian adults

The adoption of sustainable dietary models, such as the Mediterranean Diet (MD), can be a valuable strategy to preserve ecosystems and human health. This study aims to investigate in an Italian adult representative sample the adherence to the MD and to what extent it is associated with the self-perceived adoption of a sustainable diet, the consideration of the MD as a sustainable dietary model, and anthropometric and sociodemographic factors. By applying an online survey (n = 838, 18–65 years, 52% female), an intermediate level of MD adherence (median: 4.0, IR: 3.0–4.0) in a 0–9 range was observed. Only 50% of the total sample confirmed the MD as a sustainable dietary model, and 84% declared no or low perception of adopting a sustainable diet. Being female, having a higher income and education level, considering the MD as a sustainable dietary model, as well as the perception of having a sustainable diet were the most relevant factors influencing the probability of having a high score (≥6) of adherence to the MD. This study suggests a gradual shift away from the MD in Italy and supports the need to address efforts for developing intervention strategies tailored to adults for improving diet quality. Furthermore, a public campaign should stress the link between a diet and its environmental impact to foster nutritionally adequate and eco-friendly dietary behaviors

Uncommon Alliances by Natasa Kovacevic

Book Revie