I linguaggi del dialetto : il fonoritmo di Achille Curcio

I lettori della poesia dialettale italiana, che così indicativi esempi ha mostrato alla nostra contemporaneità, si trovano naturalmente in una duplice posizione. Da un lato percepiscono come motivata la scelta topica della propria lingua, sia pure a circolazione limitata presso una cerchia di parlanti, dall'altro scoprono la specificità del linguaggio del testo che apre ad una condizione d'ascolto accessibile anche al di là della cerchia dialettofona; da un lato si trovano davanti ad una parola sopravvissuta alla periferia dell'impero dei linguaggi della comunicazione internazionale, dall'altro scoprono la sopravvivenza di un modo, un senso, un carattere, un'intonazione propria musicale tipica della specifica dialettalità; da un lato, questi lettori, si sentono prescelti fra pochi all'ascolto del testo «in una lingua che più non si sa», dall'altro testimoniano che il loro «piccolo» dialetto (a confronto dei grandi numeri delle «grandi» lingue) tocca un nodo ancestrale tipico per appartenenza, familiarità, vicinanza. Ovvero i lettori della poesia dialettale di oggi constatano l'importanza del passaggio dall'oralità alla scrittura della poesia, che mette fortemente in rilievo il dato fondante di ogni testo che è la sua vocalità, la parte del significante fonico e ritmico

Mainstreaming Creativity: Creative Writing Enters General Education’s Advanced Writing Requirement

This essay describes twenty-first century general education reforms that create opportunities for creative writing studies proponents to negotiate a central role for the field in the core curriculum. This essay draws on existent research in creative writing pedagogy to make a case for “Introduction to Creative Writing” as part of the advanced writing requirements appearing now in liberal education plans. The essay also draws from scholarship and anecdotes describing new directions in general education at the author’s own school as well as colleges and universities nationwide to identify trends that can curtail or facilitate CW’s status as mainstream curricular business

Battery choice and management for New Generation Electric Vehicles

Different types of electric vehicles (EVs) have been recently designed with the aim of solving pollution problems caused by the emission of gasoline-powered engines. Environmental problems promote the adoption of new-generation electric vehicles for urban transportation. As it is well known, one of the weakest points of electric vehicles is the battery system. Vehicle autonomy and, therefore, accurate detection of battery state of charge (SoC) together with battery expected life, i.e., battery state of health, are among the major drawbacks that prevent the introduction of electric vehicles in the consumer market. The electric scooter may provide the most feasible opportunity among EVs. They may be a replacement product for the primary-use vehicle, especially in Europe and Asia, provided that drive performance, safety, and cost issues are similar to actual engine scooters. The battery system choice is a crucial item, and thanks to an increasing emphasis on vehicle range and performance, the Li-ion battery could become a viable candidate. This paper deals with the design of a battery pack based on Li-ion technology for a prototype electric scooter with high performance and autonomy. The adopted battery system is composed of a suitable number of cells series connected, featuring a high voltage level. Therefore, cell equalization and monitoring need to be provided. Due to manufacturing asymmetries, charge and discharge cycles lead to cell unbalancing, reducing battery capacity and, depending on cell type, causing safety troubles or strongly limiting the storage capacity of the full pack. No solution is available on the market at a cheap price, because of the required voltage level and performance, therefore, a dedicated battery management system was designed, that also includes a battery SoC monitoring. The proposed solution features a high capability of energy storing in braking conditions, charge equalization, overvoltage and undervoltage protection and, obviously, SoC information in order to optimize autonomy instead of performance or vice-versa

Inhibition of the ethylene response by 1-MCP in tomato suggests that polyamines are not involved in delaying ripening, but may moderate the rate of ripening or over-ripening

Ethylene initiates the ripening and senescence of climacteric fruit, whereas polyamines have been considered as senescence inhibitors. Ethylene and polyamine biosynthetic pathways share S-adenosylmethionine as a common intermediate. The effects of 1-methylcyclopropene (1-MCP), an inhibitor of ethylene perception, on ethylene and polyamine metabolism and associated gene expression was investigated during ripening of the model climacteric fruit, tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.), to determine whether its effect could be via polyamines as well as through a direct effect on ethylene. 1-MCP delayed ripening for 8 d compared with control fruit, similarly delaying ethylene production and the expression of 1-aminocyclopropane- 1-carboxylic acid (ACC)-synthase and some ethylene receptor genes, but not that of ACC oxidase. The expression of ethylene receptor genes returned as ripening was reinitiated. Free putrescine contents remained low while ripening was inhibited by 1-MCP, but increased when the fruit started to ripen; bound putrescine contents were lower. The activity of the putrescine biosynthetic enzyme, arginine decarboxylase, was higher in 1-MCP-treated fruit. Activity of S-adenosylmethionine-decarboxylase peaked at the same time as putrescine levels in control and treated fruit. Gene expression for arginine decarboxylase peaked early in non-treated fruit and coincident with the delayed peak in putrescine in treated fruit. A coincident peak in the gene expression for arginase, S-adenosylmethionine-decarboxylase, and spermidine and spermine synthases was also seen in treated fruit. No effect of treatment on ornithine decarboxylase activity was detected. Polyamines are thus not directly associated with a delay in tomato fruit ripening, but may prolong the fully-ripe stage before the fruit tissues undergo senescence

Effect of ornithine decarboxylase and norspermidine in modulating cell division in the green alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii

The extensive genetic resources of Chlamydomonas has led to its widespread use as a model system for understanding fundamental processes in plant cells, including rates of cell division potentially modulated through polyamines. Putrescine was the major polyamine in both free (88%) and membrane-bound fractions (93%) while norspermidine was the next most abundant in these fractions accounting for 11% and 6%, respectively. Low levels of diaminopropane, spermidine and spermine were also observed although no cadaverine or norspermine were detected. Ornithine decarboxylase (ODC, EC 4.1.1.17) activity was almost five times higher than arginine decarboxylase (ADC, EC 4.1.1.19) and is the major route of putrescine synthesis. The fluoride analogue of ornithine (α-DFMO) inhibited membrane associated ODC activity whilst simultaneously stimulating cell division in a dose dependent manner. Following exposure to α-DFMO the putrescine content in the cells declined while the norspermidine content increased over two fold. Addition of norspermidine to cultures stimulated cell division mimicking the effects observed using DFMO and also reversed the inhibitory effects of cyclohexylamine on growth. The results reveal that ODC is the major route to polyamine formation in the Chlamydomonas CC-406 cell-wall mutant, in contrast to the preferential ADC route reported for Chlorella vulgaris, suggesting that significant species differences exist in biosynthetic pathways which modulate endogenous polyamine levels in green algae

Analisi del fenomeno della guida in stato di ebbrezza da alcool nella provincia di Macerata negli anni 2008-2009 sulla base della attivit\ue0 di controllo delle Forze dell'ordine

This study analyzes the phenomenon of driving under the influence of alcohol, based on police control data in the province of Macerata during the years 2008 and 2009. The study was carried out following the introduction of Law 160/2007 that envisages higher levels of sanctioning for drunk driving. Data utilized have concerned the alcohol concentrations found in drivers who have been subject to breathalyzer and have been sanctioned. Data analysis show differences not only between sexes but also between different age groups, with the youngest people being more sanctioned. Average alcohol levels were higher in older age groups

Élaboration d’un outil d’évaluation du risque de réputation associé aux enjeux du développement durable

La gestion de la réputation se vérifie souvent a posteriori, comme une série d’actions implantées après une crise vécue par une organisation ou son industrie. Or, la mauvaise gestion des enjeux environnementaux et sociaux est souvent responsable d’une crise de réputation. Ce travail vise à élaborer un outil d’évaluation du risque de réputation associé aux enjeux environnementaux et sociaux. Cette problématique fait appel à plusieurs notions qu’il est nécessaire de démystifier, soit : la réputation, le risque de réputation, la responsabilité sociétale et le développement durable. Par ailleurs, une gestion du risque de réputation implique que l’entreprise connaisse la nature de ses impacts environnementaux et sociaux. Elle doit aussi être au courant des impacts des intervenants avec qui elle fait affaire, étant donné la présence d’un risque de réputation de son industrie ou interentreprises. Un sondage réalisé par la firme Nielsen a permis d’établir les six principales préoccupations environnementales de la population mondiale, soit : la dégradation de la qualité de l’eau et de l’air, les pénuries d’eau, les changements climatiques, l’utilisation des pesticides et le suremballage des produits. Quant aux enjeux sociaux, la réputation de l’entreprise est associée à la communication avec les parties prenantes, incluant les employés et l’engagement envers la communauté. Une bonne compréhension de ces enjeux est requise pour que l’entreprise mette en place une stratégie d’atténuation du risque de réputation. Il existe plusieurs méthodes qui permettent de limiter ces impacts et donc, le risque de réputation. Une revue de littérature a permis de décrire des méthodes d’atténuation du risque ainsi que différentes façons de les appliquer, avec un niveau d’efficacité plus ou moins grand. Des cas réels d’entreprises jugées parmi les plus responsables au Canada sont décrits, en référant à des articles d’actualité et à des rapports de développement durable. Ces méthodes sont : le suivi de la conformité légale et réglementaire, les méthodes volontaires de prévention et de contrôle de la pollution et d'autres considérations sociétales définies par les parties prenantes, les codes de conduite et les certifications volontaires, les analyses du cycle de vie, les politiques d’approvisionnement responsable, la communication avec les parties prenantes et l’engagement envers la communauté. Par ailleurs, la gestion de la réputation et le développement durable doivent être entérinés par la haute direction et de ce fait, la gouvernance est un élément additionnel à considérer dans une stratégie d’atténuation du risque de réputation. Le résultat final est une grille d’évaluation du risque de réputation qui prend la forme d’un tableur Excel©. L’outil est fonctionnel et permet aux entreprises de mesurer leur exposition au risque sur une échelle de 100 points, où 100 correspond à la meilleure atténuation du risque de réputation. En considérant le pointage obtenu sur chacun des huit critères, il est alors aisé de visualiser les méthodes qui permettraient de diminuer davantage le risque de réputation. Finalement, il est recommandé que cet outil soit testé avec des cas réels d’entreprises ayant vécu des crises de réputation pour vérifier la validité des méthodes suggérées et la pertinence du pointage associé à chacune des méthodes

Bile analysis in heroin overdose.

Following its metabolism in the liver, morphine and its metabolites can be directly eliminated in bile. Then, they undergo the enterohepatic cycle (EHC) and mostly reappear in the circulation. We report a case showing the presence of morphine in bile (21.3 lg \u2044 mL) and hair (4.8 ng \u2044mg) but not in blood, urine or the liver of an addict who survived in hospital for about 144 h (6 days). These data would indicate that the EHC does not play any role about 144 h after the last injection, and directly confirms that gall bladder is a storage depot for morphine. They constitute the first report of a demonstration of the effect of the EHC on morphine bioavailability in an addict, and could be considered as indication, without supporting circumstantial evidence, that the morphine level in bile is related to chronic opiate use

Il margine del silenzio e l’agire comunicativo di Habermas

The topic concerns the role of silence in the theory of communicative action of Habermas. If the world is Discourse, if the language makes the community, it seems to me that the silence is an embarrassing object into the ambit of communication. We can found eloquent traces in the passage in which Habermas interprets philosophical ideas that were strongly interested in the figure of dominator individual. In this case, is it true that the role of silence results marginal or even insignificant? Is it correct to say that the silence sets itself within the dialogue, in the same manner of death of language against its life? And is it true that the silence exclusively belongs to the Ego because it is not shared and, on the contrary, is empty, non-sense, self-centred act of exclusion? We would have to understand: or silence doesn’t take part in the discourse, (and we go back to the ancient metaphysical contradiction absence/presence, silence/word); or silence takes part in the discourse, and it brings inside various kinds of indications, according to the contexts. In this manner we could give a correct interpretation of assent, dissent, acceptance, suspension, introduction for listening.Il contributo indaga la funzione del silenzio nella teoria dell’agire comunicativo di Habermas. Se il mondo è Discorso, se è il linguaggio a creare la comunità, il silenzio è allora – ritengo – un elemento imbarazzante nell'ambito della comunicazione. È possibile trovare tracce significative di questa concezione nel brano in cui Habermas tratta le idee filosofiche più strettamente connesse alla figura dell’individuo dominatore. È vero, in questo caso specifico, che la funzione del silenzio risulta marginale o persino insignificante? È corretto affermare che il silenzio si istituisce nel dialogo al modo di una morte del linguaggio, contraria alla sua vita? Ed è vero che, dal momento che non viene condiviso, il silenzio appartiene esclusivamente all'Ego e non è altro che un egoistico atto di esclusione, vuoto e privo di senso? Sarà necessario orientarsi tra due alternative: o il silenzio non partecipa al discorso (il che ci riporta alla antica contrapposizione metafisica di assenza/presenza, silenzio/parola), oppure esso partecipa al discorso, e veicola all'interno di esso vari tipi di indicazioni, a seconda del contesto. In questo modo sarà possibile fornire una corretta interpretazione dell'assenso, del dissenso, dell'accettazione, della sospensione, dell'introduzione all'ascolto