Bridges to Scandinavia

This volume is the final output of a project started in 2013 on the occasion of the fortieth anniversary of the Scandinavian Section of the University of Milan. A group of scholars working on different European and non-European cultural and literary traditions come together here to discuss the relationships between their areas of study and the Nordic countries. The range of the contributions expands over time and space, from the Middle Ages to the present day, from Poland in the east to the United States in the west, across various European countries. Through various kinds of expertise and different perspectives, this intercultural discourse deals with diverse themes, including the perception of Nordic culture(s) by foreign writers as well as the image of other cultures in Scandinavian works. In particular, the literary and cultural interchange of models and ideas between the North and other areas is investigated in a number of essays devoted to numerous authors, including, among others, Klaus Böldl, Carmen de Burgos, Carlo Emilio Gadda, Gerhart Hauptmann, Henrik Ibsen, Stieg Larsson, Carl von Linné, Rainer Maria Rilke, J.D. Salinger, Henryk Sienkiewicz, Mme de Staël, August Strindberg, and Tomas Tranströmer

A molecular characterization of the invasive fig weevil Aclees taiwanensis in Italy

An economically important pest of Ficus carica L. is causing severe infestations in many fig nurseries and orchards in Italy. Belonging to the genus Aclees spp. (Coleoptera Curculionidae), this Asiatic species was accidentally introduced in Europe about 15 years ago, in a Tuscan nursery. Originally identified as Aclees cribratus Gyllenhal, it has been then reported as Aclees sp.cf. foveatus Voss and, more recently, identified as Aclees taiwanensis Kono. A serious damage to fig plants is caused mainly by the larvae, which drill tunnels into the wood and by adults that feed on buds, leaves and young fruits. The present survey applies molecular genetics techniques to reconstruct the genetic profile of the species. To this purpose, the partial sequence of the 18S rRNA gene and the hypervariable region ITS2 of the ribosomal cistron were used as molecular markers for specimens of A. taiwanensis collected in Italy and Aclees hirayamai Kono from Philippines. The analysis of the partial sequences of the 18S rRNA allowed the distinction of two haplotypes for each insect, except for a sample from Philippines, for which one haplotype does exist. The use of the ITS2 hypervariable region highlighted the existence of only one haplotype in the Italian accessions. Only in the sample collected in Lucca (2LU) two haplotypes were highlighted in ITS2. These results are discussed with the occurrence of A. taiwanensis in Italy

Forme di narrazione autobiografica nelle letterature scandinave. Forms of Autobiographical Narration in Scandinavian Literature

Il volume raccoglie 24 contributi di studiosi italiani e stranieri di scandinavistica sul tema della narrazione autobiografica. I testi trattati vanno dal Cinquecento all'età contemporanea e appartengono alle letterature danese, norvegese, svedese e svedese di Finlandia. I contributi sono scritti per buona parte in inglese, una parte in italiano, alcuni in svedese e norvegese. Tutti sono provvisti di abstract in inglese. Il volume è preceduto da un'introduzione, scritta sia in italiano sia in inglese, che inquadra i contributi all'interno della riflessione teorica internazionale e scandinava sull'autobiografia. Dei quattro curatori, tre sono anche autori, mentre Andrea Meregalli figura solo come co-curatore

Le lingue nordiche nel medioevo. Vol. 1: Testi.

The first volume of Le lingue nordiche nel medioevo offers extracts of central and typical medieval Nordic texts from the period 1200–1500. There are four texts from each of the languages Danish, Swedish, Norwegian and Icelandic, as well as a single text in Guthnic. Each text has a brief introduction, a facing translation into Italian, and a broad selection of textual notes. All texts have been transcribed and edited by the authors themselves, and for each text a facsimile is reproduced in order to display the manuscript from which the text has been edited. The general introduction aims at putting the linguistic development of the Nordic languages into perspective, as well as the textual genres and the manuscripts themselves

Fondazione Italiana Linfomi (FIL) expert consensus on the use of intensity-modulated and image-guided radiotherapy for Hodgkin's lymphoma involving the mediastinum

Advances in therapy have resulted in improved cure rates and an increasing number of long-term Hodgkin's lymphoma (HL) survivors. However, radiotherapy (RT)-related late effects are still a significant issue, particularly for younger patients with mediastinal disease (secondary cancers, heart diseases). In many Centers, technological evolution has substantially changed RT planning and delivery. This consensus document aims to analyze the current knowledge of Intensity-Modulated Radiation Therapy (IMRT) and Image-Guided Radiation Therapy (IGRT) for mediastinal HL and formulate practical recommendations based on scientific evidence and expert opinions

Phonons and related properties of extended systems from density-functional perturbation theory

This article reviews the current status of lattice-dynamical calculations in crystals, using density-functional perturbation theory, with emphasis on the plane-wave pseudo-potential method. Several specialized topics are treated, including the implementation for metals, the calculation of the response to macroscopic electric fields and their relevance to long wave-length vibrations in polar materials, the response to strain deformations, and higher-order responses. The success of this methodology is demonstrated with a number of applications existing in the literature.Comment: 52 pages, 14 figures, submitted to Review of Modern Physic

Dante nelle letterature straniere

Il volume offre un incrocio di sguardi critici sulle rotte percorse dall’opera dantesca nelle letterature straniere. A settecento anni dalla sua morte, la voce di Dante continua a oltrepassare confini permeando immaginari lontani, in un incedere di evocazioni, traduzioni, interpretazioni e riscritture. I venti saggi qui presentati tratteggiano un itinerario di esplorazione delle tracce dantesche nelle tradizioni letterarie di Albania, Svezia, Francia, Cuba, Polonia, Stati Uniti, Germania, Argentina, Danimarca, Scozia, Inghilterra e Messico. Le diverse latitudini abbracciate si articolano in una raccolta di studi che dall’epoca moderna confluisce nell’estremo contemporaneo, calibrando nuovi orizzonti e prospettive nello sconfinato territorio della critica dantesca. Gli autori e le autrici illuminano storie di ricezione, riletture e dialoghi intertestuali nei quali la memoria della Commedia si riconfigura in un’inesauribile pluralità di scritture, di cui si intende consegnare in queste pagine uno sguardo di carattere esplorativo e non antologico. La parola di Dante attraversa lingue e universi letterarioculturali senza tradirsi ma conoscendo nuove fioriture: confermandosi una parola necessaria, profetica e viva

Twelve Variants Polygenic Score for Low-Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol Distribution in a Large Cohort of Patients With Clinically Diagnosed Familial Hypercholesterolemia With or Without Causative Mutations

: Background A significant proportion of individuals clinically diagnosed with familial hypercholesterolemia (FH), but without any disease-causing mutation, are likely to have polygenic hypercholesterolemia. We evaluated the distribution of a polygenic risk score, consisting of 12 low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C)-raising variants (polygenic LDL-C risk score), in subjects with a clinical diagnosis of FH. Methods and Results Within the Lipid Transport Disorders Italian Genetic Network (LIPIGEN) study, 875 patients who were FH-mutation positive (women, 54.75%; mean age, 42.47±15.00 years) and 644 patients who were FH-mutation negative (women, 54.21%; mean age, 49.73±13.54 years) were evaluated. Patients who were FH-mutation negative had lower mean levels of pretreatment LDL-C than patients who were FH-mutation positive (217.14±55.49 versus 270.52±68.59 mg/dL, P<0.0001). The mean value (±SD) of the polygenic LDL-C risk score was 1.00 (±0.18) in patients who were FH-mutation negative and 0.94 (±0.20) in patients who were FH-mutation positive (P<0.0001). In the receiver operating characteristic analysis, the area under the curve for recognizing subjects characterized by polygenic hypercholesterolemia was 0.59 (95% CI, 0.56-0.62), with sensitivity and specificity being 78% and 36%, respectively, at 0.905 as a cutoff value. Higher mean polygenic LDL-C risk score levels were observed among patients who were FH-mutation negative having pretreatment LDL-C levels in the range of 150 to 350 mg/dL (150-249 mg/dL: 1.01 versus 0.91, P<0.0001; 250-349 mg/dL: 1.02 versus 0.95, P=0.0001). A positive correlation between polygenic LDL-C risk score and pretreatment LDL-C levels was observed among patients with FH independently of the presence of causative mutations. Conclusions This analysis confirms the role of polymorphisms in modulating LDL-C levels, even in patients with genetically confirmed FH. More data are needed to support the use of the polygenic score in routine clinical practice