Once upon a time the Self: cinema and online identity playground tales

ABSTRACT More than any other medium, Cinema can express the ‘spirit’ of modern industrial civilization (Abruzzese, 2006; 2008; Casetti, 2008), by telling about other media (Frezza, 1996; 2014) through the post-modern phase up to the present Post-Media age (Krauss, 2004) even foreshadowing the mediascape evolution (Young, 2006). Over the last decade Cinema has told about social media as complex contests where identity building or re-configuration take place. Identity’s building is an on-going and almost infinite process, well expressed by the concept of identization (Melucci, 1991). This process grounds on the reflexive project of the self (Giddens, 1992), and on individuals’ abilities to assume each other’s perspective in order to be self-reflective (Cooley, 1902; Mead, 1934; Schutz, 1962); it spreads from the internal conversation (Archer 2003) and the narrative process (Bruner, 1990; Ricoeur, 1991; Pecchinenda, 2008). Social media make these perspectives cutting-edge since they allow subjectivization practices and offer the opportunity for identity textualization (Salzano, 2008), enhancing the dialectic between the embodied self and the desired self (Salzano, 2014). For instance, Memorable moi (2013) is a short film which tells the obsession regarding the identity acknowledgment. Some scholars claim a sort of disconnection between online and offline: late modernity identity — by means of digital media — is uninhibited and non-conforming (Reid 1991), or fluid and fragmented (Turkle, 1984; 1995) — because of the disembodiment — or alone despite always connected (Turkle, 2011). This kind of disconnection is told by several cinematic storytelling (Catfish, 2010, Acht Blumen, 2012). According to other scholars, the digital Self is stable and sustained (Baym 1998), though disseminated along multiple relationships and conversations: it is rather enriched thanks to the connected reflexivity (Ito, 2008; Baym and boyd, 2012; Boccia Artieri, 2012) and anchored to the body presence — even though in a mediated form. Two movies, among others, tell about the body as an ‘identity stake’ through the digital interactions: Me, You and Everyone We Know (2005) and Her (2013). In particular, social media platforms work as identity playground during Adolescence (boyd, 2008; 2014; Buckingham, 2008): young people’s identity-in-action (Weber and Mitchell, 2008) builds up between on line and offline interactions (Hine, 2000; 2013). Many movies tell about these identity performance, ranging over the sexual identity building (InCONTACT, 2012) or the political one (The Real Social Network, 2012, #chicagoGirl: The Social Network Takes on A Dictator, 2013); others focus on the reputation management of the online identity (Chef, 2014), or on the offline augmentation of mediated relations (Face 2 Face, 2012). Cinema also describes the other side of the coin. Many movies about young people and media — which can be analyzed by means of an anthropo-mediologic approach (Frezza, 2014 ) — tell about the risks regarding the online identity building: the cyberbullying (Disconnect, 2014), the problems in the identification processes (Adoration, 2008, Chatroom, 2011), the good judgment (Hard Candy, 2005) and the mourning (UnFRIEND, 2014). Matrix (1999) is the founder of those movies which tell about the online dark side where, following Foucault (1988) the Self fluidity is intended as a consequence and expression of Power. As for this point of view, social media are interpreted as cultural device that trigger — by means of technical constraints (Couldry, 2010) and individuals’ control — a sociable power (Colombo, 2013) which imposes to conform the imagined audience and the social stereotypes. Documentaries like We Live in Public (2009), Generation Social (2012), Online Now (2012), InRealLife (2013), Terms And Conditions May Apply (2013) and the short movie Look Up (2014) describe the complaint of social media power and effect in the individuals’ daily life. Once upon a time the Self: cinema and online identity playground tales (PDF Download Available). Available from: http://www.researchgate.net/publication/280224702_Once_upon_a_time_the_Self_cinema_and_online_identity_playground_tales [accessed Nov 22, 2015]

What is the best diet for cardiovascular wellness? A comparison of different nutritional models

Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) represent to date the leading cause of mortality in both genders in the developed countries. In this context, a strong need for CVD prevention is emerging through lifestyle modification and nutrition. In fact, several studies linked CVD with unhealthy nutrition, alcohol consumption, stress, and smoking, together with a low level of physical activity. Thus, the primary aim is to prevent and reduce CVD risk factors, such as impaired lipid and glycemic profiles, high blood pressure and obesity. Different types of diet have been, therefore, established to optimize the approach regarding this issue such as the Mediterranean diet, Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension diet (DASH), vegetarian diet, ketogenic diet, and Japanese diet. Depending on the diet type, recommendations generally emphasize subjects to increase vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and pulses consumption, but discourage or recommend eliminating red meat, sweets, and sugar-sweetened beverages, along with processed foods that are high in sugar, salt, fat, or low in dietary fiber. In particular, we evaluated and compared the peculiar aspects of these well-known dietary patterns and, thus, this review evaluates the critical factors that increase CVD risk and the potential application and benefits of nutritional protocols to ameliorate dietary and lifestyle patterns for CVD prevention

Pregnancies following Protocols for Repetitive Synchronization of Ovulation in Primiparous Buffaloes in Different Seasons

Primiparous buffaloes were tested in two periods of the year characterized, by either low or high reproductive efficiency. They were subjected to two protocols for synchronization of ovulation: (i) Ovsynch (OV) and (ii) progesterone based (P4) treatment. After calving, the animals underwent a series of four cycles of re-synchronization protocols. The season did not affect pregnancy rates when the results of the two treatments were pooled together with regard to the first synchronization protocol, followed by AI. Pregnancy rates were similar during the low breeding season (50.3% vs. 57.4% in OV and P4, respectively), but different during the high breeding season (50.4% vs. 67.7% in OV and P4, respectively; p = 0.000). Logistic regression confirmed a significant effect of treatment and season interaction on pregnancy (p = 0.003). Following re-synchronization, a treatment by season interaction was detected during the low breeding season (odds ratio = 2.233), in favor of P4. Finally, a survival analysis showed a better response of animals subjected to P4 treatment from the second AI onward. In conclusion, the pooled data of pregnancy rates from both treatments between seasons are not different following AIs. Better results, though, were obtained from the implementation of P4 treatment, and are recorded in a season-fashioned mode when the comparison is made following first or cumulative AIs

Sport, doping and male fertility

It is universally accepted that lifestyle interventions are the first step towards a good overall, reproductive and sexual health. Cessation of unhealthy habits, such as tobacco, alcohol and drug use, poor nutrition and sedentary behavior, is suggested in order to preserve/improve fertility in humans. However, the possible risks of physical exercise per se or sports on male fertility are less known. Being fit does not only improve the sense of well-being, but also has beneficial effects on general health: in fact physical exercise is by all means a low-cost, high-efficacy method for preventing or treating several conditions, ranging from purely physical (diabetes and obesity) to psychological (depression and anxiety), highly influencing male reproduction. If male sexual and reproductive health could be positively affected by a proper physical activity, inadequate bouts of strength - both excessive intensity and duration of exercise training - are more likely to have detrimental effects. In addition, the illicit use of prohibited drugs (i.e. doping) has reached pandemic proportions, and their actions, unfortunately very often underestimated by both amateur and professional athletes, are known to disrupt at different levels and throughout various mechanisms the male hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis, resulting in hypogonadism and infertility

Clear cell myoepithelial carcinoma ex pleomorphic adenoma of parotid gland: Case report and review of literature

Abstract Myoepithelial carcinoma (MC), also known as malignant myoepithelioma, shows an infiltrative and destructive growth [1]. Myoepithelial neoplasms account for about 1.5% of all salivary tumors, and MC is even more rare, representing about 10% of myoepitheliomas [1–3] with a reported incidence of 0.2% of all salivary gland tumors. In this case, the cytological diagnosis (pleomorphic adenoma) and negative lymph nodes, addressed the surgeon for a parotidectomy, following guidelines and literature [27]. The best treatment for huge, relapsing tumors, notwithstanding cytological diagnosis, is not only parotidectomy, as lymphadenectomy should be performed too, given myoepithelial carcinoma's high-grade potential and unpredictable biologic behavior. Careful patient follow-up and staging, is therefore essential for better characterization and understanding of this tumor's behavior in the future. We also considered a more conservative treatment following guidelines, as this case was lacking metastases and lymphatic involvement, considering that application of guidelines, surgical and clinical expertise and appropriate technology can contain potential medicolegal implications [28]

SARS-CoV-2 Effects on Psychophysical Olfactory Scores: Prospective Study With Evaluation Before and 60-Days After Infection

The aim of this study was to prospectively evaluate the olfactory function in a series of individuals infected with SARS-CoV-2 and who had undergone psychophysical olfactory assessment prior to infection. Individuals unexposed to SARS-CoV-2 infection underwent a psychophysical evaluation of smell with the Sniffin' Sticks test. The subjects were followed prospectively and included in the study if they developed SARS-CoV-2 infection with a second test 60 days after recovery. At the 60-day follow-up of the 41 included subjects, 2 (4.9%) self-reported persistent olfactory dysfunction (OD). The differences between TDI scores before and after infection were statistically significant (37 [interquartile range (IQR), 34.25-39.25] vs 34.75 [IQR, 32.25-38]; p = .021). Analyzing the individual olfactory domains, the differences were significant for threshold (T) (9.75 [IQR, 9-11.25] vs 8.25 [IQR, 7.25-10.25]; p = .009) but not for odor discrimination (D) (p = .443) and identification (I) (p = .159). SARS-CoV-2 causes a significant reduction in the olfactory function, in particular affecting the olfactory threshold, even in subjects who do not self-report an OD