La enmienda conjetural en la novela corta del Barroco (con una coda lazarillesca)

Through examples taken from five Baroque short novel authors (Camerino, Castillo Solórzano, Piña, Sanz del Castillo and Vital Pizarro y Cuña) I analyse the conditions which, before errors that cannot be emended ope codicum, allow to achieve an emendatio ope ingenii. Obviously, such procedure requires both the identification of the error’s probable genesis and the respect for the language of the time and the genre stylistic habits. Moreover, another requisite must be satisfied: conjectures necessarily have to take into account the usus scribendi of the author himself –if definible– or, following Poliziano’s method, the one of his auctoritates. In the last chapter, dedicated to Lazarillo, I draw attention to the conjecture “deste artife” (Ruffinatto) and offer an alternative explanation for the probable error “deste arte”.Con ejemplos de cinco autores barrocos de novelas cortas (Camerino, Castillo Solórzano, Piña, Sanz del Castillo y Vital Pizarro y Cuña) se examinan las condiciones que, frente a errores no subsanables ope codicum, permiten acudir a la enmienda ope ingenii. Las circunstancias básicas tienen que ver, naturalmente, tanto con la reconstrucción de la probable génesis de la corruptela como con el respeto de la lengua de la época y los hábitos estilísticos del propio género. Pero, además, es necesario acatar un tercer requisito: las conjeturas deben acoplarse al usus scribendi de los respectivos autores –siempre que sea objetivable– o, a zaga del método de Poliziano, con el de sus auctoritates. En la última parte, dedicada al Lazarillo, se vuelve sobre la conjetura “deste artife” (Ruffinatto), proponiendo una explicación alternativa de la probable deturpación “deste arte”

Developing a laboratory facility to assess friction coefficients of standing samples

The numerical representation of the dynamic response of art works is the most reliable instrument to predict their seismic safety. Their adoption, however, require the knowledge of the effective mechanical properties of the artifacts and their restraint conditions. Namely, the amount of friction arising between standing art works and their supports largely affects the quality of their collapse and, therefore, the choice of the model to adopt in the analysis. In this work a facility for assessing the dynamic contact behaviour of marble sample standing on different supports has been investigated. The facility consists of a dynamic test to perform through the bidirectional shaking table at the Disaster Resilience Simulation Laboratory at the Politecnico di Torino. The friction coefficient has been found from the dynamic test by comparing the acceleration registered at the load cell, which is related to the reaction of the sample, and one measured at the shaking table surface. The obtained values of friction coefficient have been related to the velocity of the adopted input. A preliminary test on a single concrete sample has been performed to check the proposed procedure, by considering three different loading conditions: one of them is the acceleration history of a real ground motion, while the other two have a constant amplitude and a constant frequency, respectively

Damage risk assessment of historical asset using laser scan and finite element approach

Most part of valuable art goods are conserved in the Museums, which are in charge of their maintenance and their exposure; some of them, however, have an outdoor location, enriching the artistic and touristic worth of the towns which host them. The art works have an intrinsic vulnerability, due to their irregular shape, slenderness, fragility and - as concerns some sculptures of historical centers - to their oldness. The outdoor artifacts, however, have further hazard sources, since they can hardly be guarded, and they are subjected to possible vandalism actions and lunatic or terrorist attacks. In this work the dynamic response of artifacts to blasts of assigned intensity are investigated on a case-study, i.e. the Fountain of Neptune, located in "Piazza della Signoria", in Florence. The Fountain of Neptune is a marble and bronze opus made by Bartolomeo Ammannati between 1560 and 1565. The main character of the Fountain, Neptune, is a marble statue 5.7 meters tall, with a weight equal to 11.5 ton. A preliminary laser scanner survey has been made to achieve the geometrical representation of the statue. The considered load condition consists of an explosion caused by 10 kg of TNT placed at 8 meters from the Fountain. The dynamic behavior of the complex under the assumed load has been represented through a numerical analysis, by considering the main statue only - since it is the slenderest element of the complex - and by assuming it as simply supported on the pedestal, without any connector. The obtained results showed the vulnerability of the statue to the assumed blast, and pointed out the role plaid by the contact assumption on its dynamic response

Anti-oxidant potential and gap junction-mediated intercellular communication as early biological markers of mercuric chloride toxicity in MDCK cell line.

In this study, the early nephrotoxic potential of mercuric chloride (HgCl(2)) has been evaluated in vitro, by exposing a renal-derived cell system, the tubular epithelial Madin-Darby canine kidney (MDCK) cell line, to the presence of increasing HgCl(2) concentrations (0.1-100 microM) for different periods of time (from 4 to 72 h). As possible biological markers of the tubular-specific toxicity of HgCl(2) in exposed-MDCK cultures we analysed: (i) critical biochemical parameters related to oxidative stress conditions and (ii) gap-junctional function (GJIC). HgCl(2) cytotoxicity was evaluated by cell-density assay. The biochemical analysis of the pro-oxidant properties of the mercuric ion (Hg(2+)) was performed by evaluating the effect of the metal salt on the antioxidant status of the MDCK cells. The cell glutathione (GSH) content and the activity of glutathione peroxidase (Gpx) and catalase (Cat), two enzymes engaged in the H(2)O(2) degradation, were quantified. HgCl(2) influence on MDCK GJIC was analysed by the microinjection/dye-transfer assay. HgCl(2)-induced morphological changes in MDCK cells were also taken into account. Our results, proving that subcytotoxic (0.1-10 microM) HgCl(2) concentrations affect either the antioxidant defences of MDCK cells or their GJIC, indicate these critical functions as suitable biological targets of early mercury-induced tubular cell injury

Cannabinoid receptor agonist WIN 55,212-2 inhibits rat cortical dialysate gamma-aminobutyric acid levels

The effects of the cannabinoid receptor agonist WIN 55,212-2 (0.1-5 mg/kg i.p.) on endogenous extracellular gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) levels in the cerebral cortex of the awake rat was investigated by using microdialysis. WIN 55,212-2 (1 and 5 mg/kg i.p.) was associated with a concentration-dependent decrease in dialysate GABA levels (-16% +/- 4% and -26% +/- 4% of basal values, respectively). The WIN 55,212-2 (5 mg/kg i.p.) induced-inhibition was counteracted by a dose (0.1 mg/kg i.p.) of the CB(1) receptor antagonist SR141716A, which by itself was without effect on cortical GABA levels. These findings suggest that cannabinoids decrease cortical GABA levels in vivo, an action that might underlie some of the cognitive and behavioral effects of acute exposure to marijuana

Effect of the administration of n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids on circulating levels of microparticles in patients with a previous myocardial infarction

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Quality of life and treatment satisfaction in adults with Type 1 diabetes: A comparison between continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion and multiple daily injections

Aims: The aim of this case-control study was to compare quality of life (QoL) and treatment satisfaction in adults with Type 1 diabetes (T1DM) treated with either continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion (CSII) or multiple daily injections (MDI). Methods: Consecutive patients aged between 18 and 55 years, and attending diabetes clinics for a routine visit, completed the Diabetes-Specific Quality-of-Life Scale (DSQOLS), the Diabetes Treatment Satisfaction Questionnaire (DTSQ) and the SF-36 Health Survey (SF-36). Case (CSII) and control subjects (MDI) were recruited in a 1 : 2 ratio. Results: Overall, 1341 individuals were enrolled by 62 diabetes clinics; 481 were cases and 860 control subjects. Cases had a longer diabetes duration and were more likely to have eye and renal complications. Age, school education, occupation and HbA1c were similar. Of control subjects, 90% followed glargine-based MDI regimens and 10% used NPH-based MDI regimens. On multivariate analysis, after adjusting for socioeconomic and clinical characteristics, scores in the following areas of the DSQOLS were higher in cases than control subjects: diet restrictions (β = 5.96; P < 0.0001), daily hassles (β = 3.57; P = 0.01) and fears about hypoglycaemia (β = 3.88; P = 0.006). Treatment with CSII was also associated with a markedly higher DTSQ score (β = 4.13; P < 0.0001) compared with MDI. Results were similar when CSII was compared separately with glargine- or NPH-based MDI regimens. Conclusions: This large, non-randomized, case-control study suggests quality of life gains deriving from greater lifestyle flexibility, less fear of hypoglycaemia, and higher treatment satisfaction, when CSII is compared with either glargine-based or NPH-based MDI regimens. © 2008 The Authors

Association of kidney disease measures with risk of renal function worsening in patients with type 1 diabetes

Background: Albuminuria has been classically considered a marker of kidney damage progression in diabetic patients and it is routinely assessed to monitor kidney function. However, the role of a mild GFR reduction on the development of stage 653 CKD has been less explored in type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) patients. Aim of the present study was to evaluate the prognostic role of kidney disease measures, namely albuminuria and reduced GFR, on the development of stage 653 CKD in a large cohort of patients affected by T1DM. Methods: A total of 4284 patients affected by T1DM followed-up at 76 diabetes centers participating to the Italian Association of Clinical Diabetologists (Associazione Medici Diabetologi, AMD) initiative constitutes the study population. Urinary albumin excretion (ACR) and estimated GFR (eGFR) were retrieved and analyzed. The incidence of stage 653 CKD (eGFR < 60 mL/min/1.73 m2) or eGFR reduction > 30% from baseline was evaluated. Results: The mean estimated GFR was 98 \ub1 17 mL/min/1.73m2 and the proportion of patients with albuminuria was 15.3% (n = 654) at baseline. About 8% (n = 337) of patients developed one of the two renal endpoints during the 4-year follow-up period. Age, albuminuria (micro or macro) and baseline eGFR < 90 ml/min/m2 were independent risk factors for stage 653 CKD and renal function worsening. When compared to patients with eGFR > 90 ml/min/1.73m2 and normoalbuminuria, those with albuminuria at baseline had a 1.69 greater risk of reaching stage 3 CKD, while patients with mild eGFR reduction (i.e. eGFR between 90 and 60 mL/min/1.73 m2) show a 3.81 greater risk that rose to 8.24 for those patients with albuminuria and mild eGFR reduction at baseline. Conclusions: Albuminuria and eGFR reduction represent independent risk factors for incident stage 653 CKD in T1DM patients. The simultaneous occurrence of reduced eGFR and albuminuria have a synergistic effect on renal function worsening