Tracciare i corpi oltre l’umano. Dal mostro di Frankenstein a noi cyborg

The imaginary plays a key role in the construction and perception of our body. For this it takes a long time: so it is necessary to reconstruct genealogies that show, for exemple, how a certain modernity has already observed some conflicts on the frontiers of the human. In the Nineteenth Century, we find two archetypal figures of bodies that are beyond the human. The creature of Dr. Victor Frankenstein was born by assembling parts of dead bodies, and taking advantage of the scientific and technological advances. Count Dracula trades with the blood of human and with the animal forms. So the Frankenstein's creature and Count Dracula have opened a reflection about the power relationships that designed their and our bodies. They show how the body is the result of an continuous crossing with the technosphere and teriosphere. The development of computers and telematics, and on this basis the emerging of the anthropo-technologies, have open an imaginary, a conceptual horizon and various practices, that have made us able to know new figures as the cyborgs, new paradigms related to the post-human, new possibilities for action on our biological life. Today the image of the body is definitely changed from the one that the humanistic tradition has released us

Nueve tesis sobre los universales según Policraticus y Metalogicon de Juan de Salisbury

In this paper we summarize the critiques to the masters of dialectic and their nine opinions concern of the nature of universals according to John of Salisbury’s Policraticus, VII, 12 and Metalogicon, II, 17-19. We establish their sources and recount Agamben’s interpretation of universals as maneries.En este trabajo presentamos las críticas a los maestros de la dialéctica y sus nueve opiniones sobre la naturaleza de los universales de Juan de Salisbury expuestas en Policraticus, VII, 12 y Metalogicon, II, 17-19. Luego, establecemos sus fuentes. Finalmente, analizamos la interpretación de Agamben de los universales como manerie

A review on biomass: importance, chemistry, classification, and conversion

Biomass is currently the most widespread form of renewable energy and its exploitation is further increasing due to the concerns over the devastative impacts of fossil fuel consumption, i.e., climate change, global warming and their negative impacts on human health. In line with that, the present articles reviews the different sources of biomass available, along with their chemical composition and properties. Subsequently, different conversion technologies (i.e., thermo-chemical, biochemical, and physico-chemical conversions) and their corresponding products are reviewed and discussed. In the continuation, the global status of biomass vs. the other renewable energies is scrutinized. Moreover, biomass-derived energy production was analyzed from economic and environmental perspectives. Finally, the challenges faced to further expand the share of biomass-derived energy carriers in the global energy market are presented

Los universales como ficciones (figmenta) según Juan de Salisbury

We intent to analyze John of Salisbury’s Metalogicon, II, 20, in order to identify its dependence on Boethius’ considerations for obtaining universal concepts, and to highlight the different specifications of universals, which culminate in their characterization as rational (i.e., scientific and philosophic) and poetic fictions.En el presente artículo analizamos Metalogicon, II, 20 de Juan de Salisbury en vistas de identificar su dependencia de las consideraciones de Boecio respecto a la obtención de los conceptos universales. A su vez, buscaremos subrayan las distintas especificaciones de los universales, lo que culmina en su caracterización como ficciones racionales (esto es, científicas y filosóficas) y poéticas

Las glosas escolares bajomedievales y humanistas a la Consolatio

Glosses are not a literary genre. Rather, their name responds to a geographical criterion. The marginalia are not notes. They have neither the complexion nor the purpose of a notation. E. Poe says that what gives them value is precisely their lack of purpose. The reader needs to unload the weight of a thought at the precise moment he or she reads a certain passage. This, added to the reduced space, makes the marginalia have the audacity of the first intention and the correctness of the conciseness. The marginalia need the text as a pretext for its composition and, at the same time, context for its intelligibility. Without context, the marginalia are fragile to understand.Las glosas no constituyen un género literario. Su denominación responde más bien a un criterio geográfico. Los marginalia no son apuntes. No tienen la complexión del apunte ni su finalidad. E. Poe dice que lo que les da valor es, precisamente, su falta de finalidad. El lector necesita descargarse del peso de un pensamiento en el preciso momento en que lee determinado pasaje. Ello, sumado a lo reducido del espacio, hace que los marginalia tengan la audacia propia de la primera intención y la justeza de la concisión. Los marginalia necesitan del texto corno pretexto para su composición y, a la vez, contexto para su inteligibilidad. Sin contexto, por cierto, los marginalia son de frágil comprensión

Gibson e la ridislocazione del conflitto

By crossing a literary genre such as science fiction and by opening its borders, in the last thirty years the American novelist William Gibson has drawn a deep sociology of the future. He has created a sort of sounding for societies-to-come which highlights some strong discontinuities but also some profound continuities with modern society. In particular, apart from envisaging a mediascape in which we have found ourselves living in, his novels have reported the political centrality of the imaginary related both to technologies and commodities. His character is thus irreducibly conflictual. A conflict which, while bringing new subjectivities into play and unfolding new dimensions, remains fundamentally embodied i.e. still concerned with concrete material interests

Nova rebus novis nomina: problemas de traducción de textos filosóficos de Cicerón a Leonardo Bruni

Vamos a delimitar dos criterios de traducción opuestos, dados en la Roma clásica, el de traducir sentido por sentido y el de hacerlo palabra por palabra (Tursi, 2001: 4). Después trataremos sucintamente las características que fue tomando el criterio palabra por palabra en la Edad Media. En tercer lugar, consideraremos las críticas de los humanistas dirigidas a las traducciones medievales y otro criterio esgrimido por ellos y novedoso respecto de la tradición, el de traducir estilo por estilo. Y terminaremos señalando brevemente la importancia de la traducción en la historia de la filosofía de los períodos que nos ocupan y del vocabulario que foija el latín medieval

Relationship and predictive role of the dual expression of FGFR and IL-8 in metastatic renal cell carcinoma treated with targeted agents

Background/Aim: The expression of IL-8 and FGFR has been related to prognosis and pathological features in renal cell carcinoma. We investigated the relationship between IL-8 and FGFR and the outcome in metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC) patients. Materials and Methods: Clinical data and histological samples of patients affected by mRCC and treated with targeted agents were reviewed. The expression of proteins was assessed using immunohistochemistry. Results: FGFR1, FGFR2, and IL-8 were found to be expressed in 16%, 30%, and 50% of cases, respectively. Significant correlations were found between selected proteins. A lack of expression of FGFR2 and IL8 was found to be correlated with increased progression-free survival (PFS). The survival rate at 24 months was 44%, 38%, and 79% of those expressing both, one, or none of the evaluated proteins, respectively (p=0.047). Conclusion: This analysis found a relationship between the expression of IL-8 and FGFR2 in mRCC patients treated with targeted agents

Review article: the pathophysiology and medical management of diverticulosis and diverticular disease of the colon.

BACKGROUND: The incidence of diverticulosis and diverticular disease of the colon, including diverticulitis, is increasing worldwide, and becoming a significant burden on national health systems. Treatment of patients with diverticulosis and DD is generally based on high-fibre diet and antibiotics, respectively. However, new pathophysiological knowledge suggests that further treatment may be useful. AIM: To review the current treatment of diverticulosis and diverticular disease. METHODS: A search of PubMed and Medline databases was performed to identify articles relevant to the management of diverticulosis and diverticular disease. Major international conferences were also reviewed. RESULTS: Two randomised controlled trials (RCT) found the role of antibiotics in managing acute diverticulitis to be questionable, particularly in patients with no complicating comorbidities. One RCT found mesalazine to be effective in preventing acute diverticulitis in patients with symptomatic uncomplicated diverticular disease. The role of rifaximin or mesalazine in preventing diverticulitis recurrence, based on the results of 1 and 4 RCTs, respectively, remains unclear. RCTs found rifaximin and mesalazine to be effective in treating symptomatic uncomplicated diverticular disease. The use of probiotics in diverticular disease and in preventing acute diverticulitis occurrence/recurrence appears promising but unconclusive. Finally, the role of fibre in treating diverticulosis remains unclear. CONCLUSIONS: Available evidence suggests that antibiotics have a role only in the treatment of complicated diverticulitis. It appears to be some evidence for a role for rifaximin and mesalazine in treating symptomatic uncomplicated diverticular disease. Finally, there is not currently adequate evidence to recommend any medical treatment for the prevention of diverticulitis recurrence