Esperienza estetica e unità di coscienza

Jung considers the symbol as a unifying and transcendent element, as an image capable of unifying the various aspects of consciousness (sensation, intuition, feeling and thought) in a gradual rapprochement to the essential unity of being. However, this point is controversial,  since the symbol is the expression of a sense that while not entirely rational, concern the cognitive sphere. Therefore what Jung attributes to the symbol (its unifying and transcendent power) was transferred to the aesthetic experience of art, where the same aspects of consciousness in the symbol are supported by perceptual elements, according to a level of completeness and unity that only the aesthetic experience of art can achieve

Cosmologia cromatica

Color can be considered a complex system that responds to certain constants. These dynamics reveal a structure that has strong analogies with cosmologies of different cultures and eras. For example, the white light of the sun as the first principle from which all colors are born by diffraction, or the triad of primary colors that contains and produces the other colors, or the tensions between the complementary colors that enhance or cancel each other out. These structural relationships, at the basis of pictorial syntax, suggest comparisons with analogous structures that we find in nature, in individual and social psychology, in philosophical and theological constructions, in sapiential texts. The survey undertaken seeks to bring out common structures in the analogue game between different levels of experience and knowledge

Problematizzazione, contesa e rivalutazione del bello nell’arte, tra relativismo filosofico, pratica artistica e senso comune

Aesthetic perception is today a confused and controversial experience. In common sense relativistic conception of beauty, coexists with the consideration of the so-called “masterpieces” as works in which there is a stable aesthetic value. Philosophical and scientific relativism seems to have definitively set aside the conception of beauty not only as a universal value, but also as the essence of art, as it is counted among those universal metaphysical values, which have long been questioned. But some philosophers, such as Severino, say the opposite. Today seems to be a tendency to rediscover beauty above all in art, as a contemplative perception. Would the eventual return of art to beauty mean a return to universal metaphysical values? The difference between Kantian adherent beauty and free beauty is analyzed. The first is linked to metaphysical values, as an expression of an idea. The second, free beauty, on the other hand, has no metaphysical characteristics because it is not linked to a concept, therefore an expression of empirical harmonies. But also with regard to free beauty, the Kantian idea that sentiment can perceive its universality as an intersubjective value, is today difficult to accept both theoretically and empirically. This happens because today sentiment is no longer cultivated in the perception of beauty through canons, which are also disqualified for the pretense of universality in determined forms. Here, too, a distinction must be made between classical anthropometric canons and archaic non-naturalistic canons. We discover that the former are affected by a metaphysical foundation, while the latter reveal a different structure with other functions. According to Florenskij, the canon is not oppressive but liberating. On these suggestions and on empirical evidence we theorize that the (non-naturalistic) canon constitutes a guide for the recognition of a polyvalence of expressive language in which feeling coordinates with the other functions of consciousness, leading to transcend language itself in a non-metaphysical dimension. This suggests that this polyvalent structure that emerges from the canons is associated with beauty, as aimed at its realization

Strontium Functionalization of Biomaterials for Bone Tissue Engineering Purposes: A Biological Point of View

Strontium (Sr) is a trace element taken with nutrition and found in bone in close connection to native hydroxyapatite. Sr is involved in a dual mechanism of coupling the stimulation of bone formation with the inhibition of bone resorption, as reported in the literature. Interest in studying Sr has increased in the last decades due to the development of strontium ranelate (SrRan), an orally active agent acting as an anti-osteoporosis drug. However, the use of SrRan was subjected to some limitations starting from 2014 due to its negative side effects on the cardiac safety of patients. In this scenario, an interesting perspective for the administration of Sr is the introduction of Sr ions in biomaterials for bone tissue engineering (BTE) applications. This strategy has attracted attention thanks to its positive effects on bone formation, alongside the reduction of osteoclast activity, proven by in vitro and in vivo studies. The purpose of this review is to go through the classes of biomaterials most commonly used in BTE and functionalized with Sr, i.e., calcium phosphate ceramics, bioactive glasses, metal-based materials, and polymers. The works discussed in this review were selected as representative for each type of the above-mentioned categories, and the biological evaluation in vitro and/or in vivo was the main criterion for selection. The encouraging results collected from the in vitro and in vivo biological evaluations are outlined to highlight the potential applications of materials' functionalization with Sr as an osteopromoting dopant in BTE

Impact of competitive flow on wall shear stress in coronary surgery: computational fluid dynamics of a LIMA-LAD model

Competitive flow from native coronary vessels is considered a major factor in the failure of coronary bypass grafts. However, the pathophysiological effects are not fully understood. Low and oscillatory wall shear stress (WSS) is known to induce endothelial dysfunction and vascular disease, like atherosclerosis and intimal hyperplasia. The aim was to investigate the impact of competitive flow on WSS in mammary artery bypass grafts. Using computational fluid dynamics, WSS was calculated in a left internal mammary artery (LIMA) graft to the left anterior descending artery in a three-dimensional in vivo porcine coronary artery bypass graft model. The following conditions were investigated: high competitive flow (non-significant coronary lesion), partial competitive flow (significant coronary lesion), and no competitive flow (totally occluded coronary vessel). Time-averaged WSS of LIMA at high, partial, and no competitive flow were 0.3-0.6, 0.6-3.0, and 0.9-3.0 Pa, respectively. Further, oscillatory WSS quantified as the oscillatory shear index (OSI) ranged from (maximum OSI = 0.5 equals zero net WSS) 0.15 to 0.35, < 0.05, and < 0.05, respectively. Thus, high competitive flow resulted in substantial oscillatory and low WSS. Moderate competitive flow resulted in WSS and OSI similar to the no competitive flow condition. Graft flow is highly dependent on the degree of competitive flow. High competitive flow was found to produce unfavourable WSS consistent with endothelial dysfunction and subsequent graft narrowing and failure. Partial competitive flow, however, may be better tolerated as it was found to be similar to the ideal condition of no competitive flow

Identification from Flight Data of the Aerodynamics of an Experimental Re-Entry Vehicle

Post flight data analyses are essential activities in aerospace projects. In particular, there is a specific interest in obtaining vehicle aerodynamic characteristics from flight data, especially for re-entry vehicle, in order to better understand theoretical predictions, to validate wind- tunnel test results and to get more accurate and reliable mathematical models for the purpose of simulation, stability analysis, and control system design and evaluation. Indeed, due to atmospheric re-entry specificity in terms of environment and phenomena, ground based experiments are not fully exhaustive and in-flight experimentation is mandatory. Moreover pre-flight models are usually characterised by wide uncertainty ranges, which should be reduced. These objectives can be reached by performing vehicle’s model identification from flight data

Protocol of Co-Culture of Human Osteoblasts and Osteoclasts to Test Biomaterials for Bone Tissue Engineering

open5no: New biomaterials and scaffolds for bone tissue engineering (BTE) applications require to be tested in a bone microenvironment reliable model. On this assumption, the in vitro laboratory protocols with bone cells represent worthy experimental systems improving our knowledge about bone homeostasis, reducing the costs of experimentation. To this day, several models of the bone microenvironment are reported in the literature, but few delineate a protocol for testing new biomaterials using bone cells. Herein we propose a clear protocol to set up an indirect co-culture system of human-derived osteoblasts and osteoclast precursors, providing well-defined criteria such as the cell seeding density, cell:cell ratio, the culture medium, and the proofs of differentiation. The material to be tested may be easily introduced in the system and the cell response analyzed. The physical separation of osteoblasts and osteoclasts allows distinguishing the effects of the material onto the two cell types and to evaluate the correlation between material and cell behavior, cell morphology, and adhesion. The whole protocol requires about 4 to 6 weeks with an intermediate level of expertise. The system is an in vitro model of the bone remodeling system useful in testing innovative materials for bone regeneration, and potentially exploitable in different application fields. The use of human primary cells represents a close replica of the bone cell cooperation in vivo and may be employed as a feasible system to test materials and scaffolds for bone substitution and regeneration.This project has received funding from the European Research Council (ERC) under the European Unions Horizon 2020 research and innovation program (grant agreement No 681798-BOOST). Available online: http://www.ercprojectboost.eopenBorciani, Giorgia; Montalbano, Giorgia; Baldini, Nicola; Vitale-Brovarone, Chiara; Ciapetti, GabrielaBorciani, Giorgia; Montalbano, Giorgia; Baldini, Nicola; Vitale-Brovarone, Chiara; Ciapetti, Gabriel

Effect of different salting technologies on the chemical and microbiological characteristics of PDO Pecorino Siciliano cheese

The present work was carried out to evaluate the effect of two salting technologies [dry salting (DS) and the combined dry-brine salting (DBS)] on the chemicophysical and microbiological characteristics of PDO Pecorino Siciliano cheeses of different final weight (6 and 12 kg). Dry matter was significantly influenced by both salting process and final size. Twelve kilogram cheeses treated by DBS showed higher protein content with higher soluble nitrogen per cent than 6 kg cheeses. Salt content was in the range 3.1–4.0% on dry matter. The colour did not show significant differences for any of the factors, but 12 kg cheeses subjected to DS showed higher yellow index than the other cheeses. The resistance at 30% of strain was influenced by cheese size, with 6 kg cheeses showing higher resistances than 12 kg cheeses. All cheeses were dominated by coccus LAB, but pseudomonads and Enterobacteriaceae showed comparable levels of about 105 cfu/g. Significant microbiological differences were evidenced only for enterococci and yeasts concerning the final cheese size. Thirteen species of LAB, belonging to five genera (Enterococcus, Lactobacillus, Lactococcus, Pediococcus and Streptococcus), were identified, but several spoilage/ pathogenic species were also identified, especially Pseudomonas putida, Citrobacter freundii and Stenotrophomonas maltophilia. LAB isolates were preliminary evaluated for their physiological characteristics in view of developing autochthonous starters to improve the microbiological quality of PDO Pecorino Siciliano cheese