Rhetoric, Music and Philosophy in 88 Constellations for Wittgenstein by David Clark: Intermedial and Intertextual Practices

88 Constellations for Wittgenstein (to Be Played with the Left Hand) (2008) by Canadian artist David Clark is a web-based Flash creation that explores the life and works of Austrian-born philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein. As the title suggests the digital work should be “played with the left hand”, this means that there are additional semiotic units (e.g. videos, sounds, images, linguistic texts) hidden in the metaphysical strings of the constellations that the reader can add to the narrative by means of interaction and manipulation. We argue that by discovering unexplored paths and creative unknowns the reader encounters examples of gestural melodic manipulation that will consequently lead to the creation of visual music. The visual music produced by the secret of the Left Hand, whose notes (piano keys) are the gestural enunciation of different discourses and diverse thematic, expose the potential intermedial literary characteristics of the text. Our analytical approach will demonstrate how rhetoric and digital technologies join to visually express philosophical concepts

Du blog aux places d’Italie : le cas de Beppe Grillo et du V-Day

Si on peut considérer Second Life comme une forme de virtualisation de la sphère socioculturelle, on peut voir le blog de Beppe Grillo comme une réalisation de la vie sociopolitique italienne par le biais de l’Internet. Cet article a pour but de rendre compte de l’événement sociopolitique du Jour V en Italie, jour proposé et parrainé par le comédien italien Beppe Grillo par l’intermédiaire de son blog. La politique italienne (la « casta ») semble avoir peur du blogueur et cherche à compliquer légalement la publication des blogs.If Second Life can be considered as a form of virtualization of the socio-cultural sphere, Beppe Grillo’s blog can be thought of as a realization of socio-political life in Italy through the Internet. This article aims at relating the socio-political event of V-Day in Italy, proposed and sponsored by the Italian comedian Beppe Grillo through his blog. Italian politics (the “casta”) seems to be afraid of the blogger and is seeking, by law, to make it difficult to publish blogs

Digital Poetry: a Naissance of a New Genre?

Este trabalho terá como tema e como objecto de estudo práticas da poesia digital: ou seja entender esta acção como prática criativa e prática da “leitura”. Ler é sempre ler: esta acção consiste sempre em perceber e utilizar os sinais derivados pelo trabalho de um “autor”, de qualquer modo, a ordem, o nível de atenção exijido pela leitura de textos eletrônicos, textos ambíguos, instáveis e fluidos diferem. O computador e a Internet oferecem um campo novo ao jogo creativo da escrita: o computador traz ao de cima a natureza reticular da escrita e do espaço entretanto a Web multiplica e dispersa a sua dimensão. Nós tentaremos então identificar os elementos estratégicos que constituem a poetica do texto digital para estabelecer como esta prática creativa emergente complica a noção do sujeito. Considerando a relação entre a poesia (texto verbal) e as imagens (audiovisuais) analisaremos os poemas digitais que exemplificam as estruturas e os estilos deste novo género de “neo vanguardismo”.This paper will have as its main research object the study of digital poetics practices: creative practice and “lecture” practice. Reading is always reading, i.e. this action consists always in perceiving and picking up signs derived by the work of an “author”, however the order, the level of attention demanded by the reading of electronic texts, ambiguous, instable, fluid texts, is different. Computer and internet offer a new field to the creative game of writing: computer finds out the reticular nature of writing and the web space multiplies and disperses the dimensions. We will try then to identify the strategic elements which constitute the poetics of digital texts to establish how this emergent creative practice complicates the notion of genre. By considering the relation between poetry (verbal text) and images (audio-visual) we shall be analyzing digital poems which exemplify the structures and styles of this kind of new avant-garde genre

Équivoque littéraire, équivoque culturelle, équivoque linguistique : «Gabriel» de George Sand et l’équivoque du genre

Cet article vise à articuler l’équivoque mise en scène dans Gabriel de George Sand. En jouant avec l’ambigüité de la langue ce roman produit une formidable équivoque. Le titre produit une ambiguïté : une fois prononcé Gabriel n’a pas de forme féminine en français. Gabriel anticipe la pensée de Lacan : « une langue n´est rien de plus que l´intégrale des équivoques que son histoire y a laissé persister » (1973: 43). Dans Gabriel, l’équivoque se fait texte et embrasse toutes les catégories : équivoque littéraire, culturelle, linguistique. Finement, on prétend dans cet article observer les différentes formes d’équivoque qui se manifestent dans Gabriel, en mettant l´accent surtout sur la problématique du nom propre et du genre, mais aussi sur les équivoques linguistiques et culturelles.Este artigo visa articular o equívoco encenado em Gabriel por George Sand. Brincando com a sua língua, este romance produz um formidável equívoco: “Gabriel”. O título produz também ele uma ambiguidade: uma vez pronunciado, o nome Gabriel não tem uma forma feminina em francês. Gabriel antecipa o pensamento de Lacan: « une langue n´est rien de plus que l´intégrale des équivoques que son histoire y a laissé persister » (1973: 43). Em Gabriel o equívoco faz-se texto e abarca todas as categorias: equívoco literário, cultural, linguístico. Finamente, o objectivo deste artigo consiste em observar as diferentes formas de equívoco que se manifestam em Gabriel, focalizando sobretudo a problemática do nome próprio e do género, assim como os equívocos linguísticos e culturais

From Storytelling to Intercreativity in the Era of Distributed Authorship

Forms of fiction and literature underwent a process of disembodiment and cross-fertilization during the revolution from the Gutenberg Galaxy (printed paper, mass distribution) to the McLuhan Galaxy (new media, hypertext, cooperative writing). The dimension of literacy has moved from a semiotically- measured geometry to a dislocation and a deconstruction of contents and channels that give expression to new products. The impact of social media on narratology has redefined the meaning of readership and authorship. The author not only loses his/her traditional role, but becomes an icon of himself/ herself, a collective-minded producer that is self-perceived through the extro- flexed eye of the amniotic network in which he/she defines his/her narrative experience. Transmedia culture defines a new cross-networked and amniotic literacy, considering that we are not facing a simple adaptation of different narrative forms from one media to another: different media and languages participate and contribute to the construction of a transmedia environment

As origens da Literatura Eletrônica. Um panorama.

O objetivo deste artigo é esboçar as origens da literatura eletrônica e destacar alguns momentos importantes para traçar sua história. Ao fazê-lo, consideramos a variedade de idiomas, origens culturais, heranças culturais e contextos nos quais a literatura digital foi criada. O artigo está dividido em cinco seções: uma breve história da literatura eletrônica em geral (no entanto, devemos admitir que esta seção tem um ponto de vista muito etnocêntrico) e depois quatro outras seções divididas em norte-americana, latino-americana, européia (Rússia incluída), e Literatura Eletrônica Árabe. Devido à falta de informações, não há seção dedicada à Literatura Eletrônica na Ásia, embora alguns textos sejam mencionados. Estamos cientes dos limites dessa divisão e dos problemas que ela pode criar, no entanto, achamos que era a maneira mais fácil de mapear rapidamente as origens da literatura eletrônica e seu desenvolvimento em diferentes países e continentes. O artigo mostra como alguns países desenvolveram seu interesse e criação de literatura eletrônica quase simultaneamente, enquanto outros, apenas por causa de sua própria formação cultural e / ou contextos (também políticos e econômicos), só recentemente descobriram a literatura eletrônica, ou aceitaram-na como uma nova forma de gênero literário

MORPHOLOGICAL ANALYSIS OF ANCIENT GRAPE SEEDS FROM A SINK IN THE MIDDLE-AGE TOWN OF PALERMO

The archaeological excavations in Piazza della Vittoria, in the Roman-Middle Age town of Palermo (Sicily) put in light a sink 3.20 m deep and 1 square m. large, partially filled by thin organic sediments. Grape seeds (grape-stones), fish scales and few vertebrate bones have been found in specific strata sealed under a stratum chronologically attributed to Islamic Middle-Age period (a post-quem limit). The finding of well preserved grape seeds is peculiar and their study opens the opportunity to improve the actual knowledge about evolution, cultivation, use and trade of Vitis L. in the Mediterranean area. This preliminary work focuses on morphologic and morphometric analysis of the ancient grape seeds with two aims: i) systematically describe the remains collection and, ii) define seeds typology and a consequent morphotaxonomic attribution. Over 200 seeds have been carefully dry cleaned (soft brush), photographed and analyzed for total breadth (B), total length (L) and length of stalk (LS) parameters, the most efficient for typological attribution (1, 2); Stummer index has been also calculated (1). Apical notch length (AN) has been for the first time evaluated. Measurements on digital images have been performed using ImageJ 1.31 platform; morphological parameters have been assembled in a dedicated database. Descriptive analysis and linear correlations have been performed using SYSTAT 10. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) and Tukey’s HSD (5% level of significance, α = 0.05) have been applied. All the parameters approximate a normal distribution. Major variation has been observed in LS (c.v. = 35.6%) and AN (c.v. = 35.6%), while B and L showed a c.v. of 9.5% and 12.6% respectively. All the analyzed parameters behave as independent variables with the exception of a significant correlation between Stummer index and L (R2 = 0.45; y = 8.17-0.047x with y = L and x = Stummer index). This correlation reveals that Stummer index depends more from the L and not from the B parameter. On the base of LS measures three subgroups have been arbitrarily created in relationship with the LS: LS1 0.90 mm (35 seeds). Analyzing together the LS groups toward AN, we have found a proportional and significant correlation (p = 0.05) between the extremes LS1 and LS3. In the entire collection, Stummer index varies from 55.76 to 100.86; in the LS groups, the range is 68.38-97.87 in LS1, 61.02-100.86 in LS2 and 55.76-81.70 in LS3. A small group (17) of seeds has been excluded for the impossibility to measure the stalk. The analyzed ancient grape seeds show a wide range of variability for all the considered parameters, revealing a polymorphic collection. In general, the seeds have a rounded heart-like shape, with a noticeable pointy stalk and a very invaginated apical notch. This typical shape is more marked in LS3 group. On the base of LS measures, LS1 is ascribable to wild grapevines, while LS2 and LS3 seem to be ascribable neither to wild nor to cultivated autochthonous Vitis. Furthermore, these seeds differ from those already described in other archaeological horizons in Italy (3) and in France (2). The Stummer index varies highly, exceeding the known range of wild Vitis vinifera (4), although values close to 100 have been already found in wild grapevines in Spain (5) and values above 80 have been also described in Extra-European Vitis species (6). A deep evaluation of the sample, including isotopic analysis and aDNA studies, is in progress. 1) T. T. Korenčič, J. Jakše, Z. Korošec-Koruza (2008) Veget. Hist. Archaeobot., 17(Suppl. 1), S93-S102 2) L. Bouby, I. Figueiral, A. Bouchette, N. Rovina, S. Ivorra, T. Lacombe, T. Pastor, S. Picq, P. Marinval, J. F. Terral (2013) PLoS ONE, 8(5), e63195 3) C. Milanesi, F. Antonucci, P. Menesatti, C. Costa, C. Faleri, M. Cresti (2011) Interdisciplinaria Archaeologica – Natural Sciences in Archaeology, II(2), 95-100 4) A. Stummer (1911) Mitt. Anthropol. Gesellschaft Wien, 41, 283-296 5) F. M. De Toda, J. C. Sancha (1999) Am. J. Enol. Vitic., 50(4), 443-446 6) D. Rivera, B. Miralles, C. Obón, E. Carreño, J. A. Palazón (2007) Vitis, 46(4), 158-16

Distribution pattern of hepatitis C virus genotypes and correlation with viral load and risk factors in chronic positive patients.

Objective: Hepatitis C virus (HCV) has emerged as a leading cause of chronic hepatitis, liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma worldwide. The purpose of this study was to describe the distribution pattern of HCV genotypes in chronic hepatitis patients in the Campania region of southern Italy and estimate their association with risk factors and viral load. Materials and Methods: 404 consecutive HCV ribonucleic acid-positive patients were included in the study. HCV genotyping was carried out by the HCV line probe assay test and viral load estimation by the TaqMan real-time PCR system. Results: The predominant genotype was 1 (63.6%), followed by genotype 2 (29.4%), 3 (6.2%) and 4 (0.8%). Subtype 1b was more frequent in females than in males. Conversely, genotype 3 was more frequent in males. No significant difference was observed in age distribution of HCV genotypes. Surgery and dental therapy were the most frequent risk factors for genotype 1 and intravenous drug abuse and tattooing for genotype 3. Patients with genotype 1 more frequently showed high HCV viral load when compared to those with genotypes 2 and 3. Conclusion: The present study revealed that HCV genotypes 1 and 2 accounted for over 95% of all HCV infections in the Campania region, and genotype 1 was more frequently associated with a higher viral load when compared to genotypes 2 and 3

Plant foods, dietary fibre and risk of ischaemic heart disease in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) cohort.

BACKGROUND: Epidemiological evidence indicates that diets rich in plant foods are associated with a lower risk of ischaemic heart disease (IHD), but there is sparse information on fruit and vegetable subtypes and sources of dietary fibre. This study examined the associations of major plant foods, their subtypes and dietary fibre with risk of IHD in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC). METHODS: We conducted a prospective analysis of 490 311 men and women without a history of myocardial infarction or stroke at recruitment (12.6 years of follow-up, n cases = 8504), in 10 European countries. Dietary intake was assessed using validated questionnaires, calibrated with 24-h recalls. Multivariable Cox regressions were used to estimate hazard ratios (HR) of IHD. RESULTS: There was a lower risk of IHD with a higher intake of fruit and vegetables combined [HR per 200 g/day higher intake 0.94, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.90-0.99, P-trend = 0.009], and with total fruits (per 100 g/day 0.97, 0.95-1.00, P-trend = 0.021). There was no evidence for a reduced risk for fruit subtypes, except for bananas. Risk was lower with higher intakes of nuts and seeds (per 10 g/day 0.90, 0.82-0.98, P-trend = 0.020), total fibre (per 10 g/day 0.91, 0.85-0.98, P-trend = 0.015), fruit and vegetable fibre (per 4 g/day 0.95, 0.91-0.99, P-trend = 0.022) and fruit fibre (per 2 g/day 0.97, 0.95-1.00, P-trend = 0.045). No associations were observed between vegetables, vegetables subtypes, legumes, cereals and IHD risk. CONCLUSIONS: In this large prospective study, we found some small inverse associations between plant foods and IHD risk, with fruit and vegetables combined being the most strongly inversely associated with risk. Whether these small associations are causal remains unclear

Shedding light on typical species : implications for habitat monitoring

Habitat monitoring in Europe is regulated by Article 17 of the Habitats Directive, which suggests the use of typical species to assess habitat conservation status. Yet, the Directive uses the term “typical” species but does not provide a definition, either for its use in reporting or for its use in impact assessments. To address the issue, an online workshop was organized by the Italian Society for Vegetation Science (SISV) to shed light on the diversity of perspectives regarding the different concepts of typical species, and to discuss the possible implications for habitat monitoring. To this aim, we inquired 73 people with a very different degree of expertise in the field of vegetation science by means of a tailored survey composed of six questions. We analysed the data using Pearson's Chi-squared test to verify that the answers diverged from a random distribution and checked the effect of the degree of experience of the surveyees on the results. We found that most of the surveyees agreed on the use of the phytosociological method for habitat monitoring and of the diagnostic and characteristic species to evaluate the structural and functional conservation status of habitats. With this contribution, we shed light on the meaning of “typical” species in the context of habitat monitoring