Economia dell’italia bizantina e indicatori archeologici. Qualche ulteriore riflessione

Quinze ans après une première étude générale sur l'impact de la domination byzantine sur l'économie de certaines régions italiennes au début du Moyen Âge, cet article vise à développer la réflexion autour de trois thèmes principaux : le rôle économique de la guerre gothique ; le rôle de la domination byzantine dans la séparation des modelés économiques des « deux Italies » (byzantine et lombarde) ; le rôle du système macro-économique de la Méditerranée proto-byzantine (VIe au VIIIe siècle) dans la définition de la relation entre le commerce et l'économie contrôlée par l'État.Fifteen years after the appearance of a first general study on the impact of Byzantine rule on the economy of some Italian regions in the early Middle Ages, this paper seeks to develop our thinking on three main themes : the economic role of the Gothic war; the role of Byzantine power in separating the economy of the two Italies (Byzantine and Lombard); and the role of the macro-economic Mediterranean system (6th to 8th c.) in defining the relationship between commerce and the state-controlled economy

Uomini e "cocci": i contesti ceramologici del Quartiere Bizantino del Pythion in una prospettiva antropologica

The excavation in the so called Byzantine District near the Pythion shrine at Gortyn (Crete) brought to light a number of ceramic assemblages that deserve to be investigated not only to get a date or to study the economic processes of production and distribution of pottery. They can be investigated under an anthropological perspective too, as indicators of complex human behavior in that particular context of space/time. From this point of view, the potsherds can provide relevant informations about the ways of urban life in the district, the disposal of solid urban refuses and the natural catastrophes as element of transformation of urban fabric in Late Antique and Early Byzantine age.Lo scavo nel cosiddetto Quartiere Bizantino del Pythion di Gortina (Creta) ha riportato alla luce una serie di contesti ceramologici che meritano di essere indagati non solo in funzione della datazione o dello studio dei processi economici di produzione e distribuzione della ceramica, ma anche e soprattutto in una prospettiva antropologica, quali indicatori di comportamenti umani complessi in quel particolare contesto spazio-temporale. Da questo punto di vista, i frammenti ceramici possono infatti offrire informazioni importanti sui modi della vita urbana nel quartiere, sul sistema di smaltimento dei rifiuti e sul verificarsi di eventi traumatici che determinarono la trasformazione del tessuto urbano in età tardoantica e protobizantina

La “mansio” di Vignale (Piombino): l'archeologia di un “sito minore” in una lettura antropologica “surmoderna”

Vignale is an ancient and late antique settlement located along the coast in Central Tuscany. Since 2003, the site is the focus of a “global archaeology” project, intended to investigate the longue durée of the territory from the pre-Roman times until the present day (http:// http://www.uominiecoseavignale.it/). The archaeological investigation revealed the remains of an ancient settlement continuously inhabited between the 3 rd century BC, at least, and the 6 th -7 th century AD. After a quite obscure phase in pre-Roman times, a farm was built probably in the mid of 2 nd century BC, in connection with a roughly paved road (glarea strata), in turn may be connected to the Roman road network in the region (Via Aurelia/Aemilia Scauri). In the second half of the 1 st century BC a large villa maritima was built just aside the farm. In the subsequent centuries the villa/mansio underwent a series of minor transformation and probably between the 6 th and 7 th century the structures of the villa were abandoned and a large cemetery took its place among the ruins. The present paper focuses both on the history of the settlement and on its possible interpretation as instance of what is called “non-place” in the contemporary anthropological theory

Un nuovo e problematico mosaico tardoantico dal sito di Vignale (Piombino)

Sul sito archeologico di Vignale (Piombino – LI), nel settembre del 2014, l'indagine sulle strutture residue di un capannone per il ricovero delle macchine agricole costruito presumibilmente nella seconda metà dell'800 e distrutto dopo il 1960 ha condotto all'inatteso ritrovamento di un grande mosaico pavimentale di epoca tardoantica. Data l'entità del ritrovamento e i complessi problemi di diversa natura (tipologia, cronologia, rifacimenti) che il manufatto presenta, è parso utile ai responsabili dell'indagine offrire in questa sede almeno una notizia preliminare, pur nella consapevolezza che molte delle questioni qui di seguito rapidamente esposte potranno trovare una diversa formulazione già in un prossimo futuro, quando il procedere delle operazioni di conoscenza, consolidamento e pulitura offrirà ulteriori informazioni. La scelta di condividere così precocemente con la comunità scientifica la scoperta e il primo stato di avanzamento della riflessione è stata pero imposta dalla volontà di aprire fin da subito la discussione critica su un manufatto che appare decisamente rilevante, anche nella prospettiva di una migliore programmazione dello sviluppo dell'indagine sul campo

Infectious endocarditis during pregnancy, problems in the decision-making process: a case report

Infective endocarditis in pregnancy has a low incidence, often being associated with a previous history of rheumatic or congenital heart disease. In most reports the disease tends to run a subacute course and to appear more frequently in the third trimester of pregnancy. We present the case of a 36-year-old woman with large vegetations on the mitral valve due to infective endocarditis detected at the 32nd week of her first pregnancy. The difficulties in selecting the appropriate management strategy, particularly optimal time and mode of delivery, optimal time and type of valve surgery, are emphasized

A risk-targeted approach for the seismic design of bridge piers

Designing a structure to resist earthquakes by targeting an explicit failure risk has been a key research topic over the past two decades. In this article, a risk-targeted design approach is developed for circular reinforced concrete bridge piers, based on a probabilistic optimization procedure aimed at minimising the design resisting moment at the pier base. In order to reduce the computational effort, a surrogate model is developed to describe the influence of two key design parameter (i.e., the pier diameter and the longitudinal reinforcement ratio) on the structural behaviour and performance. The proposed approach is applied in a case study for Italy for target mean annual frequencies of failure selected according to European codes using a probabilistic seismic hazard assessment for average spectral acceleration across a wide range of structural periods. The variation in the design parameters across Italy is considerable because of the large variation in seismic hazard. It is found that in areas of low seismic hazard the level of seismic design required is near the minimum allowed by Eurocode 8 in terms of reinforcement ratio. In areas of the highest seismic hazard much higher reinforcement ratios and pier diameters are required to meet the risk targets. If both pier diameter and longitudinal reinforcement ratios are considered as design parameters then the optimisation procedure may mean adjacent sites have significant different pairs of these parameters as the target can be reached in multiple ways. This problem can be solved by fixing one parameter and optimising the other

Diagnostic value of the head-up tilt test and the R-test in patients with syncope

The diagnostic value of the head-up tilt test (HUTT) in discovering vasovagal syndrome depends on the pre-test probability. An accurate anamnesis and clinical examination screens the patients indicated for the HUTT. In patients with unexplained syncope, the R-test is an alternative procedure to discover its cause. In our study, we evaluated the diagnostic significance of the HUTT in a group of 211 patients and of the R-test in a subgroup of 45 patients with negative HUTT results and with negative traditional Holter ECG monitoring (24 hr)

Peripartum Cardiomyopathy

which left ventricular dysfunction and symptoms of heart failure occur in the peripartum period in previously healthy women. Incidence of PPCM ranges from 1 in 1300 to 1 in 15,000 pregnancies. The etiology of PPCM is unknown, but viral, autoimmune, and idiopathic causes may contribute. The diagnostic criteria are onset of heart failure in the last month of pregnancy or in the first 5 months postpartum, absence of determinable cause for cardiac failure, and absence of a demonstrable heart disease before the last month of pregnancy. Risk factors for PPCM include advanced maternal age, multiparity, African race, twinning, gestational hypertension, and long-term tocolysis. The clinical presentation of patients with PPCM is similar to that of patients with dilated cardiomyopathy. Echocardiography is central to diagnosis. Early diagnosis and initiation of treatment are essential to optimize pregnancy outcome. Treatment is similar to medical therapy for other forms of dilated cardiomyopathy. About half the patients of PPCM recover without complications. The prognosis is poor in patients with persistent cardiomyopathy. Persistence of disease after 6 months indicates irreversible cardiomyopathy and portends worse survival

Erythropoietin: a new perspective in cardiovascular therapy

Erythropoietin is a hormone produced by the kidney, which regulates proliferation, differentiation and maturation of red cells. Recombinant human EPO (rH-EPO) is well known to correct anaemia in patients with chronic renal failure in terminal stage. However, recent studies showed the existence of several not haematopoietic effects of erythropoietin. EPO receptors have been found to be expressed in several tissues, included the cardiovascular system. An increase in cardiac systolic function has been observed in patients with chronic heart failure treated with EPO. Other beneficial effects appear to be related to the pro-angiogenic properties on endothelial cells and could be useful for treatment of ischemic heart disease. These findings suggest that EPO could provide potential therapeutic benefits in the management of cardiovascular diseases beyond anaemia correction. This review focuses its attention on the pleiotropic effects of EPO and its future promising applications in cardiovascular pathology