Knowledge in Context: The Factivity Principle and Its Epistemological Consequences

The traditional analysis of the notion of knowledge seems to neglect that although we gather many of our beliefs under the flag of \u201cknowledge\u201d we do not always employ the same standards to bestow this title to them. The semantic thesis known as epistemic contextualism, instead, clearly vindicates and accounts for this phenomenon concerning our epistemic custom. Unfortunately, however, epistemic contextualism faces a severe objection - known in the philosophical literature as the factivity problem, - that seriously menaces its own survival. This objection, indeed, claims that the contextualist who endorses two well-known epistemological principles that he should not desire to give up (i.e. the factivity principle, according to which knowledge implies truth, and the closure principle, that maintains that knowledge is closed under known logical implication) cannot coherently state his own theory. Here, after an analytical introduction of the contextualist\u2019s thesis, we propose an analysis of the factivity problem by a critical scrutiny of the main strategies proposed to solve the conundrum. We will show that some of these strategies make some interesting moves forward in the unravelling of the puzzle, but that they all achieve a solution to the factivity problem only at that which seem to be high prices for contextualism

Archaeobotanical analysis from the long-term rural settlement of Contrada Castro (Corleone, Palermo): preliminary data

The project ¿Harvesting Memories: Ecology and Archaeology of Monti Sicani landscapes¿ aims to analyse the long-term relationship of landscape dynamics and settlement patterns in a Mediterranean inland of Central-Western Sicily. The project combined different interdisciplinary approaches of vegetation science, landscape ecology, history and archaeology in order to diachronically understand and reconstruct the human- society-environment interactions. From 2017 to 2019 a new rural settlement has been investigated in Contrada Castro (Corleone, Palermo). The excavation in Contrada Castro showed a clear case of long-term occupation of an hill-top site during Late Archaic/Classical age (6 th -5 th c. BC) and the Byzantine and Islamic period (7 th -11 th c. AD). Soils from the archaeological excavation were sampled to obtain evidences about paleo-vegetation and vegetal paleo-diet. Archaeobotanical data (seeds and charcoal remains) represent an informative source in human-environmental dynamics to collect specific data on a small scale in terms of chronology and topography (Hastorf, Popper 1988; Pearsall 2009). Furthermore, presence of edible plants as cereals, pulses and fruit characterize their use as economical resources. Unfortunately, archaeobotanical analyses from archaeological sites in Sicily are still not very common (see http://brainplants.successoterra.net/sites.html). For the reconstruction of the paleo-environment and the use of arboreal resources from the three chronological phases of the site, a total of 239 liters of soils were analysed. Taxonomical identification was made by optical microscopy through the comparison with the reference collection and specific atlases (fig.). More than 400 wood charcoals were observed, about 80% of them was identified. Thanks to comparisons with the current vegetation, so far 8 species have been identified - Quercus cfr. ilex (fig.), Pistacia cfr. terebinthus, Rhamnus alathernus, Fraxinus ornus, Ulmus canescens, Acer cfr. campestris, Ostrya carpinifolia, Populus cf. nigra; identification reached the detail of genus or subfamily in 6 cases - Quercus cf. robur / pubescens, Phillyrea sp., Sorbus sp., Rosacea cfr. Pirus sp. and maybe Moracea. The arboreal vegetation is therefore represented by evergreen oaks, semi- and deciduous oaks, maples, ash trees, associated with riparian species such as elm, poplar and hornbeam, and shrub species such as backthorn, terebinth, sorb, plum. Cultivated species are mostly not represented. Despite the widespread presence of the evergreen oaks in the whole record, differences between the three chronological phases were identified, highlighting a selective use of the wild species present in the area and a specific collection of wood for the hearths. 1) Hastorf C.A., Popper V.F.1988, Current Paleoethnobotany. Analytical Methods and Cultural Interpretations of Archaeological Plant Remains, Chicago. ISBN: 978022631893 2) Pearsall D. M. 2009, Paleoethnobotany: A Handbook of Procedures, Second Edition, Walnut Creek. ISBN-10: 1598744720 3) BRAIN Network, http://brainplants.successoterra.net/sites.htmlFinanciación: beca "Juan de la Cierva-incorporación, IJCI-2017-31494, MINECO), IJCI-2017-31494" y proyecto "Harvesting Memories" de la Universidad de Palermo (financiado por Bona Furtuna LLC)

Battles of Himera (480 and 409 b.c.): Analysis of Biological Finds and Historical Interpretation. Experiences of Restoration in the Ruins of Himera 2008-2010

Excavations conducted in the western necropolis of Himera by the Superintendence of Palermo, between 2008 and 2011, made it possible to investigate more than 9,500 graves of the 7th and 6th centuries B.C. It is a study of great importance as it gives a detailed historic and archaeological view of the funerary context of a Greek colony. Taphonomic studies of the tombs are of great interest to know the composition of the bodies in the graves and the rituals associated with the burial. Finally, the examination of hundreds of skeletons of children has provided data on child mortality. This report, briefly, also aims to present the restoration of the artifacts discovered. The article describes the organization of the restoration laboratory, built and equipped directly in situ at the excavation, the materials used during the restoration, the main problems presented during the various phases of restoration and several results.Gli scavi condotti nella necropoli occidentale di Himera dalla Soprintendenza di Palermo, tra il 2008 e il 2011, hanno consentito di indagare oltre 9500 sepolture, del VII e il VI sec. a.C. Si tratta di uno studio di eccezionale importanza che consente di avere un quadro storico e archeologico molto dettagliato della sfera funeraria di una colonia greca. Si accennerà anche allo studio dei reperti biologici attraverso uno scheletro di un individuo affetto da nanismo e prove di interventi chirurgici al cranio. La lettura tafonomica delle sepolture, è di grande interesse per conoscere la composizione dei cadaveri nelle tombe e dei rituali connessi alla sepoltura. Infine, l’esame di centinaia di scheletri di bambini, ha fornito dati sulla mortalità infantile. Viene inoltre illustrato sinteticamente il lavoro svolto in occasione del restauro dei manufatti rinvenuti. In particolare vengono descritte l’organizzazione del laboratorio di restauro, realizzato ed attrezzato nell’area di scavo; i materiali utilizzati durante gli interventi; le principali criticità presentate dai manufatti sottoposti alle diverse fasi di restauro e alcuni risultati raggiunti

2. L’incontro tra indigeni e Greci di Himera nella Sicilia centro-settentrionale (VII – V sec. a.C.)

Himera e il suo territorio, grazie alle intense indagini finora svolte, costituiscono un buon modello per valutare alcuni importanti aspetti legati all’incontro tra Greci e popolazioni indigene, di etnia sicana, insediate nell’ampio entroterra della Sicilia centro-settentrionale. La presenza di materiali di produzione indigena nell’abitato e nelle necropoli della colonia, letta parallelamente alla distribuzione della ceramica greca negli insediamenti indigeni, ci suggerisce che fin dagli anni della fondazione greca (648 a.C.) e sino al 409 a.C., anno della distruzione della città, vi fu una notevole vitalità di rapporti, basati inizialmente sul semplice scambio di prodotti, ma progressivamente sempre più intensi, fino a determinare, soprattutto nel mondo indigeno, profondissime e definitive trasformazioni nelle diverse sfere della cultura materiale, artistica e sociale.Himère et son territoire, grâce à l’intensité des recherches récentes, constituent un bon modèle pour évaluer certains aspects de la rencontre entre les Grecs et les populations indigènes sicanes installées dans le vaste arrière-pays de la Scile centro-septetrionale. La présence de matériels de production indigène dans l’habitat et les nécropoles de la colonie, lue en parallèle avec la distribution des céramiques grecques dans les établissements indigènes, suggère que, de la fondation de la cité grecqie vers 648 av. J.-C. jusqu’à sa destruction en 409 av. J.-C., les relations furent extrêmement actives, fondées d’abord sur de simples échanges commerciaux, mais qui se firent progressivement plus intenses, au point de déterminer, surtout dans le monde indigène, des transformations très profondes et irréversibles dans les divers domaines de la culture matérielle, artistique et dans l’organisation de la société

Considerazioni sul sito di Himera: gli spazi dell’abitato, l’acqua, l’argilla

Le choix de l’emplacement à occuper lors d’une fondation coloniale est l’un des aspects les plus problématiques de la colonisation grecque en Occident, car il peut déterminer la spécificité et l’évolution de la nouvelle cité. L’auteur prend ainsi l’exemple de la fondation doricochalcidienne d’Himère pour montrer en quoi les conditions géographiques et les ressources disponibles, notamment en eau et en argile, ont marqué l’organisation de l’espace et des activités humaines ainsi que l’urbanisme en général, notamment en ce qui concerne la défense de la colonie.One of the most problematic aspects in western Greek colonization is the topographical choice that determines the new city’s specificity and evolution. The author chooses the example of the Doric-Chalcidian colony of Himera to demonstrate how geographic conditions and available resources, notably in water and in clay, determined spatial organization, and human activities as well as urban planning and the defence of the colony itself

Intramedullary spinal cord metastases from breast cancer: Detection with 18F-FDG PET/CT

A 35-year-old woman, already treated with surgery, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy for a ductal carcinoma of the left breast, underwent an 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography (18F-FDG PET/CT) scan for an increase of the serum markers carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) and cancer antigen 15.3 (CA15.3). The scan showed multiple FDG-avid lesions in the liver and bone. The images also detected two areas of uptake in the dorsal and lumbar spinal cord, which were suspicious for metastases; magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) confirmed these lesions. © the authors; licensee ecancermedicalscience

Obsidian from the Site of Piano dei Cardoni, Ustica (Palermo, Italy): Preliminary Results on the First Occupation of the Island

Abstract New investigations on Ustica (Palermo, Sicily) originated from the need to improve our knowledge of the island's archaeological and environmental heritage. Through field surveys, particular attention was paid to human occupation in the Neolithic phases and focused on the less investigated southern side of the island. The systematic survey of the area of Piano dei Cardoni in 2018 brought to light a new Middle/Late Neolithic site, already partially documented in the literature. The island was settled for the first time during these phases, as also testified from the area of Punta Spalmatore. The presence of Serra d'Alto, incised dark burnished, and Diana styles suggests that the site and the archaeological assemblage dates from the mid to late 5th millennium BC, as confirmed by AMS dating. In addition to pottery, obsidian artifacts were also recovered, and a preliminary study of these materials is presented here. Portable XRF analyses on a sample of 41 obsidian artifacts, representing a high percentage of the lithic assemblage compared to chert tools, show that the provenance of the raw material is Gabellotto Gorge (Lipari) and Balata dei Turchi (Pantelleria). These results provide new insight into broader regional debates about obsidian technology and its exchange during the Neolithic and open an important consideration for sites that are far from the raw material sources

MRI-based radiomics to predict response in locally advanced rectal cancer: comparison of manual and automatic segmentation on external validation in a multicentre study

Background: Pathological complete response after neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy in locally advanced rectal cancer (LARC) is achieved in 15–30% of cases. Our aim was to implement and externally validate a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-based radiomics pipeline to predict response to treatment and to investigate the impact of manual and automatic segmentations on the radiomics models. Methods: Ninety-five patients with stage II/III LARC who underwent multiparametric MRI before chemoradiotherapy and surgical treatment were enrolled from three institutions. Patients were classified as responders if tumour regression grade was 1 or 2 and nonresponders otherwise. Sixty-seven patients composed the construction dataset, while 28 the external validation. Tumour volumes were manually and automatically segmented using a U-net algorithm. Three approaches for feature selection were tested and combined with four machine learning classifiers. Results: Using manual segmentation, the best result reached an accuracy of 68% on the validation set, with sensitivity 60%, specificity 77%, negative predictive value (NPV) 63%, and positive predictive value (PPV) 75%. The automatic segmentation achieved an accuracy of 75% on the validation set, with sensitivity 80%, specificity 69%, and both NPV and PPV 75%. Sensitivity and NPV on the validation set were significantly higher (p = 0.047) for the automatic versus manual segmentation. Conclusion: Our study showed that radiomics models can pave the way to help clinicians in the prediction of tumour response to chemoradiotherapy of LARC and to personalise per-patient treatment. The results from the external validation dataset are promising for further research into radiomics approaches using both manual and automatic segmentations

MRI-based radiomics to predict response in locally advanced rectal cancer: comparison of manual and automatic segmentation on external validation in a multicentre study

BACKGROUND: Pathological complete response after neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy in locally advanced rectal cancer (LARC) is achieved in 15–30% of cases. Our aim was to implement and externally validate a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-based radiomics pipeline to predict response to treatment and to investigate the impact of manual and automatic segmentations on the radiomics models. METHODS: Ninety-five patients with stage II/III LARC who underwent multiparametric MRI before chemoradiotherapy and surgical treatment were enrolled from three institutions. Patients were classified as responders if tumour regression grade was 1 or 2 and nonresponders otherwise. Sixty-seven patients composed the construction dataset, while 28 the external validation. Tumour volumes were manually and automatically segmented using a U-net algorithm. Three approaches for feature selection were tested and combined with four machine learning classifiers. RESULTS: Using manual segmentation, the best result reached an accuracy of 68% on the validation set, with sensitivity 60%, specificity 77%, negative predictive value (NPV) 63%, and positive predictive value (PPV) 75%. The automatic segmentation achieved an accuracy of 75% on the validation set, with sensitivity 80%, specificity 69%, and both NPV and PPV 75%. Sensitivity and NPV on the validation set were significantly higher (p = 0.047) for the automatic versus manual segmentation. CONCLUSION: Our study showed that radiomics models can pave the way to help clinicians in the prediction of tumour response to chemoradiotherapy of LARC and to personalise per-patient treatment. The results from the external validation dataset are promising for further research into radiomics approaches using both manual and automatic segmentations. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s41747-022-00272-2

Le postazioni militari cartaginesi della prima guerra punica su Monte Pellegrino (Palermo)

The excavation in the park of Villa Belmonte (Monte Pellegrino, Palermo) has brought to light several warehouses, made with a “pseudo-frame” technique, probably with a straw roof, used for the storage of foodstuffs, given the large quantity of Punic-type amphorae found in situ, datable to around the middle of the third century BC. In addition, a section of road - about 3 m wide that proceeds in the direction of WNW- ESE, consisting of two layers of use - has been intercepted. We believe to have tracked down part of a strategic/military station used by the Carthaginian army during the crucial years of the First Punic War.Lo scavo nel parco di Villa Belmonte (Monte Pellegrino, Palermo) ha messo in luce diversi ambienti, realizzati con una tecnica a “pseudo telaio” probabilmente con copertura straminea, adoperati per lo stoccaggio di derrate data la grande quantità di anfore di tipo punico rinvenute in situ, databili intorno alla metà del III sec. a.C. Inoltre, si è intercettato un tratto di strada larga circa 3 m che procede in direzione WNW- ESE, costituita da due battuti. Si ritiene di avere rintracciato parte di una postazione a carattere strategico/militare utilizzata dall’esercito cartaginese durante gli anni cruciali della I guerra punica