Joseph Petzoldt and the Systematization of Ernst Mach's Philosophy

Ernst Mach’s claim that the objects are bundles of sensation was (and still is) widely interpreted in a phenomenalistic sense, as if he was asserting that perceptual experiences is the only reality. The paper will reconstruct the philosophical system of Mach’s pupil Joseph Petzoldt, to propose a different interpretation of Mach’s work, that put it into the wider context of the polemic against the widespread neo-Kantianism of that time

Osservazioni sul concetto di oggetto della psicologia

[English]:Remarks on the concept of object of psychology is Richard Avenarius last work and it represents his attempt to establish the fledgling scientific, physiological, experimental psychology on rigorous philosophical basis. With this work the founder of the so-called Empiriocriticism participates to the wide debate on the definition of psychology, along with notable personalities of the time, such as Wilhelm Wundt, Ernst Mach, Oswald Külpe, Hermann Ebbinghaus, Hugo Münsterberg and Edward B. Titchener./ [Italiano]: Le Osservazioni sul concetto di oggetto della psicologia costituiscono l’ultima opera di Richard Avenarius, in cui il fondatore dell’empiriocriticismo presenta il suo tentativo di fondare su basi filosoficamente rigorose la neonata psicologia scientifica di stampo fisiologico-sperimentale. Questo scritto si colloca così all’incrocio di quell’ampio dibattito sulla definizione di psicologia, che sul finire del diciannovesimo secolo vide coinvolte personalità del calibro di Wilhelm Wundt, Ernst Mach, Oswald Külpe, Hermann Ebbinghaus, Hugo Münsterberg ed Edward B. Titchener

Epigenetic perturbations in aging stem cells

Stem cells maintain homeostasis in all regenerating tissues during the lifespan of an organism. Thus, age-related functional decline of such tissues is likely to be at least partially explained by molecular events occurring in the stem cell compartment. Some of these events involve epigenetic changes, which may dictate how an aging genome can lead to differential gene expression programs. Recent technological advances have made it now possible to assess the genome-wide distribution of an ever-increasing number of epigenetic marks. As a result, the hypothesis that there may be a causal role for an altered epigenome contributing to the functional decline of cells, tissues, and organs in aging organisms can now be explored. In this paper, we review recent developments in the field of epigenetic regulation of stem cells, and how this may contribute to aging

Historic tuff masonry in Naples: different approaches to its conservation

[EN] Tuff, a sedimentary rock made of volcanic ash, is a traditional building material in the Campania region. Since its foundation Naples’ architecture, whether monumental or vernacular, has been erected in tuff masonry and only the arrival of concrete and steel has meant its downfall. Due to the soft nature of tuff, traditionally the building material was designed to be covered by plaster and very few and monumental architectures, by selecting and sculpting to the purpose the rock, were designed to be fair-faced. In years the exposition to natural and artificial degradation agents has brought a wide variety of deterioration phenomena both on the fair-faced tuff masonry and the ones that had lost plaster. In approaching the restoration of these architectures, the conservator is faced with a challenging task. This is due to the difficulty of balancing the pursue of minimum intervention and authenticity respect, the conservation of the historic consolidated image of the architecture and the necessity of using the best restoration techniques that guarantee the highest conservation of the material in future years, with particular regard to bio-compatible and sustainable materials both for operators and the environment. By analyzing the restoration of various architectures, both archaeological and modern, the paper will address this difficult task and the different decisions made by the conservators in relation to the monuments’ nature, identity, history and status of conservation. The paper is based on a multidisciplinary approach due to the contribution of the expertise of an architect, a restorer and an archaeologist.Balbi, B.; Bosso, R.; Russo Krauss, G. (2022). Historic tuff masonry in Naples: different approaches to its conservation. Editorial Universitat Politècnica de València. 963-970. https://doi.org/10.4995/HERITAGE2022.2022.1505396397

Il concetto umano di mondo

Avenarius nella sua opera di maggior successo "Il concetto umano di mondo" (1891), presenta la sua originale teoria della conoscenza, all'incrocio tra filosofia, psicologia e gnoseologia. La sua indagine tenta di superare, evitando derive riduzioniste, la classica distinzione tra soggetto conoscente e oggetto conosciuto in prospettiva psicologica e intende sviluppare l'idea di interazione fra mondo e cervello, ad esempio attraverso la teoria dell'"introiezione" - un concetto ripreso da grandi pensatori del Novecento quali William James, Moritz Schlick e Edmund Husserl. La traduzione di questo testo permette di riscoprire un autore di rilievo per la storia della filosofia e della psicologia di fine Ottocento e un orizzonte concettuale ancora attuale per chi voglia riflettere sul rapporto fra neuroscienze e teoria della conoscenza

Different duplex/quadruplex junctions determine the properties of anti-thrombin aptamers with mixed folding.

Mixed duplex/quadruplex oligonucleotides have attracted great interest as therapeutic targets as well as effective biomedical aptamers. In the case of thrombin-binding aptamer (TBA), the addition of a duplex motif to the G-quadruplex module improves the aptamer resistance to biodegradation and the affinity for thrombin. In particular, the mixed oligonucleotide RE31 is significantly more effective than TBA in anticoagulation experiments and shows a slower disappearance rate in human plasma and blood. In the crystal structure of the complex with thrombin, RE31 adopts an elongated structure in which the duplex and quadruplex regions are perfectly stacked on top of each other, firmly connected by a well-structured junction. The lock-and-key shape complementarity between the TT loops of the G-quadruplex and the protein exosite I gives rise to the basic interaction that stabilizes the complex. However, our data suggest that the duplex motif may have an active role in determining the greater anti-thrombin activity in biological fluids with respect to TBA. This work gives new information on mixed oligonucleotides and highlights the importance of structural data on duplex/quadruplex junctions, which appear to be varied, unpredictable, and fundamental in determining the aptamer functional properties

Itinerari culturali tra attrattività e ricettività. Il Viterbese e la Via Francigena.

La Via Francigena, itinerario culturale d’Europa tra Canterbury e Roma, attraversa il Viterbese, fornendo un’opportunità di conoscenza e fruizione sostenibile dei centri storici di matrice medioevale, dei laghi vulcanici e delle aree boschive, dei paesaggi agrari e delle produzioni locali. Tali potenzialità devono, tuttavia, essere supportate da un sistema ricettivo in grado di soddisfare le esigenze di una domanda orientata verso un rapporto più diretto con i luoghi e le comunità locali. È il connubio tra questi elementi a definire il livello di competitività di territori che, come il Viterbese, possono puntare su un turismo slow per incrementare i flussi