''Auctor in fabula'': la rappresentazione dell'autore come personaggio nella narrativa femminile ( Jeanette Winterson, Penelope Fitzgerald e Antonia S. Byatt)

Il presente studio analizza un motivo sempre più ricorrente nella narrativa contemporanea inglese almeno dalla seconda metà del XX secolo: l’autore come personaggio. I primi due capitoli introduttivi illustrano il tema da un punto di vista teorico oltre che specificamente letterario. Il primo capitolo si sofferma sulla lunga riflessione novecentesca scaturita nel 1968, con la proclamazione di Roland Barthes della ‘mort de l’Autheur’, fino a giungere ai tempi più recenti, in cui si riscopre l'importanza di stabilire le intenzioni di significato di chi scrive, soprattutto per motivi riconducibili, sostanzialmente, all'etica della trasmissione letteraria dell'immagine autoriale. Le articolazioni tematiche , gli sviluppi diacronici delle avventure dell’autore-personaggio sono invece al centro del secondo capitolo, dove l'argomento è illustrato attraverso l’analisi di un campione di alcune delle opere letterarie più rappresentative, sia maschili, sia femminili. Nella seconda parte, il campo della ricerca si restringe, focalizzandosi su tre autrici, Jeanette Winterson, Penelope Fitzgerald e Antonia S. Byatt. Il loro rapportarsi sorprendentemente originale al topos dell’autore come personaggio conferma non soltanto, nelle parole di Carla Benedetti, ‘l’ombra lunga dell’autore’ ma parrebbe tracciare un percorso verso una nuova mimesi, desiderosa di congedarsi dalle istanza postmoderne per addentrarsi verso una nuova fase che forse potremmo definire ‘ipermoderna’

No Country for Old Men?: The Non-Preclusive Effect of the Age Discrimination in Employment Act on § 1983 Age Discrimination Claims

(Excerpt) This Note argues that the ADEA should not be interpreted to preclude § 1983 constitutional claims for age discrimination in employment. Part I of this Note discusses the history and development of the statutory schemes that provide protection for employees against age discrimination in the workplace: § 1983 of the Civil Rights Act and the ADEA. Part II reviews relevant case law explaining the arguments for and against § 1983 preclusion to illustrate the interaction between § 1983 and the ADEA. Finally, Part III provides an equitable approach for courts to use to analyze § 1983 claims for age discrimination in employment in light of the ADEA. First, courts should compare the rights and protections afforded under the ADEA with the constitutional right at stake. Second, courts should look to the ADEA\u27s remedial scheme to clarify which rights it seeks to protect. Although some courts have concluded that the ADEA does not preclude § 1983 claims, no court has utilized an analysis that fully recognizes the constitutional right at stake: equal protection from employment discrimination based on age

Fluorescent particle tracers for surface hydrology

Surface water processes control downstream runoff phenomena, waste and pollutant diffusion, erosion mechanics, and sediment transport. However, current observational methodologies do not allow for the identification and kinematic characterization of the physical processes contributing to catchment dynamics. Traditional methodologies are not capable to cope with extreme in-situ conditions, including practical logistic challenges as well as inherent flow complexity. In addition, available observational techniques are non-exhaustive for describing multiscale hydrological processes. This research addresses the need for novel observations of the hydrological community by developing pioneer flow characterization approaches that rely on the mutual integration of traditional tracing techniques and state-of-the-art image-based sensing procedures. These novel methodologies enable the in-situ direct observation of surface water processes through remote and unsupervised procedures, thus paving the way to the development of distributed networks of sensing platforms for catchment-scale environmental sensing. More specifically, the proposed flow characterization methodology is a low-cost measurement system that can be applied to a variety of real-world settings spanning from few centimeters rills in natural catchments to riverine ecosystems. The technique is based on the use of in-house synthesized environmentally-friendly fluorescent particle tracers through digital cameras for direct flow measurement and travel time estimations. Automated image analysis-based procedures are developed for real-time flow characterization based on image manipulation, template-based correlation, particle image velocimetry, and dimensionality reduction methodologies. The feasibility of the approach is assessed through laboratory-designed experiments, where the accuracy of the methodology is investigated with respect to well-established flow visualization techniques. Further, the transition of the proposed flow characterization approach to natural settings is studied through paradigmatic observations of natural stream flows in small scale channel and riverine settings and overland flows in hillslope environments. The integration of the proposed flow sensing system in a stand-alone, remote, and mobile platform is explored through the design, development, and testing of a miniature aerial vehicle for environmental monitoring through video acquisition and processing

Physical Activity as a Means of Improving Quality of Life in Individuals with Chronic Pain

Pharmacologic management of chronic pain has variable results, sometimes resorting to ineffective and dangerous opioids that can potentiate substance abuse in a vulnerable population. Exercise is unique in its ability to positively impact both the molecular and psychological aspects of chronic pain. Its role in decreasing inflammation as well as improving mental health make it an excellent option for improving quality of life. Physicians should work with their patients to develop a patient-centered exercise plan to manage chronic pain

Influence of specified parameters on the noise radiated by lawnmower blades

Noise is an important area of acoustics that affects all our lives. Noise can affect us in one of the two following ways—cause permanent hearing damage or by affecting our sense of well being by causing irritation. Since the 1970s there has been a growing realization of the nuisance caused by outdoor equipment. This has prompted many municipalities and states to bring about regulations against noisy equipment

Alpha-Synuclein Toxicity is Caused by Mitochondrial Dysfunction

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is the second most common neurodegenerative disorder, affecting roughly 1% of the population over the age of sixty years. Alpha-synuclein (aSyn) is a protein implicated in both familial and idiopathic forms of PD, yet despite the wealth of data implicating aSyn as a causative agent in PD, the mechanisms underlying its toxicity remain mostly unknown. Mitochondrial dysfunction is a major hallmark of PD, yet there is only limited evidence linking aSyn toxicity to mitochondrial dysfunction. My study establishes a novel aSyn model in respiring yeast cells, which allows me to explore how aSyn affects mitochondrial homeostasis and function. My data shows that mitochondrial fission and fusion, ER-mitochondria communication, and sphingolipid metabolism, interact genetically with aSyn toxicity. My work, therefore, indicates that aSyn impairs mitochondrial homeostasis, which might be a key contributor to neurodegeneration in PD