L’‘Orestea’ di Eschilo secondo Peter Stein: storia di una messa in scena (1974-1994)

The massive, pragmatic and intellectual work by Peter Stein on the Oresteia of Aeschylus perfectly summarizes the German director’s conception of ‘classic’. This essay reviews the twenty-years period which started with the first experimental approach to ancient tragedy by the Schaubühne to the staging of the trilogy in Moscow in 1994. In his work, Stein investigates the origins of western theatre, compares the role of gestures and words at the dawn of theatre with that of the contemporary age, and then moves, in line with the evolution of the Aeschylus trilogy plot, to the study of the purely political connotation of the text. Precisely the post-soviet Russia represented the ideal setting where to reproduce the rite of dismissal of high hierarchies, whether of divine nature or not, and the affirmation of the new democratic system.L’imponente lavoro pratico e intellettuale di Peter Stein sull’Orestea di Eschilo riassume in maniera esemplare il pensiero del regista tedesco riguardo all’idea di ‘classico’. Nel saggio si traccia il percorso lungo i vent’anni che vanno dal primo sperimentale approccio alla tragedia antica da parte del gruppo della Schaubühne fino alla messinscena moscovita della trilogia del 1994. Nel suo lavoro Stein riflette sulle origini del teatro in Occidente, sul ruolo del gesto e della parola agli albori del teatro e in epoca contemporanea, spostando poco a poco lo sguardo, in linea con l’evoluzione dell’intreccio della trilogia eschilea, sul significato prettamente politico del testo. Proprio la Russia postcomunista si qualifica allora luogo ideale in cui ripetere il rito di destituzione di ogni ordine superiore (ove il termine sia da intendere nel senso più lato, non solo divino) e affermazione del nuovo sistema democratico

Il teatro tragico della compagnia Imer (1732-1749)

From 1732 to 1749, the contribution of San Samuele acting company to the diffusion of tragedy was greater than that of every other troupe. Free from any tie or agreement with contemporary intellectuals and with the only purpose of pleasing their own public, Giuseppe Imer and Gaetano Casali staged numerous serious plays from different authors and genres: from Carlo Goldoni’s «opere sceniche» to translations of French tragedies, from works of classicist playwrights to those of their opponents, and finally, adaptations of librettos. The Grimani’s company, which always included excellent actors, staged impressive shows constantly balancing dreadful imageries and comic scenes. In this manner, differently from eminent predecessors of tragic scene such as Luigi Riccoboni, Pompilio Miti and Scipione Maffei, it succeeded in developing and consolidating a taste for tragic drama in Venice and beyond

Lo spettacolo senza riforma

The San Samuele theatre company from Venice constitutes a perfect example of the extraordinary vitality of the early-eighteenth-century troupes, before the success of Carlo Goldoni’s dramaturgy. Reconstructing the chronology of the training activity led by the theatre company manager Giuseppe Imer makes it possible to observe the extraordinary versatility of the actors from the Commedia dell’Arte, and the breadth of a repertoire which, between 1726 and 1749, spaced from dramas to musical interludes, passing through the “canovacci” of the commedia all’improvviso and tragedies. Thanks to unpublished documents and to a critical analysis of the repertoires, the author appoints the actors as the main protagonists of the spectacular Venetian scene, and offers important updates on the migrations of troupes in the second quarter of the 18th century

Mixing performance of arrow-shaped micro-devices.

The process of liquid laminar mixing in arrow-shaped micro-devices is studied by direct numerical simulations. Two different CFD codes, i.e. Fluent (based on finite volume method) and Nek5000 (based on spectral element method) have been used to investigate the flow and concentration fields. Unexpectedly we observe that within the engulfment regime, the degree of mixing first increases and then diminishes as the inlet flow rate is increased. Such reduction in the degree of mixing, not observed in T-shaped mixers, can be imputed to the presence of a strong vortical structure at the center of the mixing channel. This result is important for control operations, as it shows that on one hand arrow type mixers are characterized by higher degree of mixing with respect to T-shaped mixers, but on the other hand they present a narrower range of optimal conditions

Effects of Social Conditions in a Virtual Exergame for Cognitive Rehabilitation in Multiple Sclerosis

Rehabilitation is essential for individuals with multiple sclerosis (MS) to improve their quality of life and mitigate the progression of the disease. Cognitive deficits, which commonly affect MS patients, significantly impact daily functioning and well-being. This paper focuses on the development of a digital version of the Tangram puzzle using virtual reality (VR) to promote logical reasoning, attention, and social interactions to enhance engagement in cognitive rehabilitation for MS patients. The developed simulation integrates social presence in the form of a non-playable character (NPC) intending to improve player performance and motivation to ultimately promote engagement and adherence to treatment. A user study involving different game modes with the NPC in either a supporting or interfering role, was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness and usability of the Tangram VR exergame. After collecting and analyzing questionnaire scores and performance data, our results suggest that the application was well-received by users, and the introduction of an NPC had an impact in terms of execution times and sense of frustration, depending on its behaviour. Nonetheless, only a limited set of significant differences between modes was found, suggesting that further study is necessary to validate the results fully

Early death in Munchausen Syndrome: a case report

This case contributes to raising awareness and understanding of the complex clinical presentations of Munchausen syndrome (MS). Education of staff to the seriousness and genuineness of this disorder should be implemented, especially in hospital units, in order to detect such complex clinical situations quickly and accurately, preventing iatrogenic risks

Characterization of the complex locus of bean encoding polygalacturonase-inhibiting proteins reveals subfunctionalization for defense against fungi and insects.

Polygalacturonase-inhibiting proteins (PGIPs) are extracellular plant inhibitors of fungal endopolygalacturonases (PGs) that belong to the superfamily of Leu-rich repeat proteins. We have characterized the full complement of pgip genes in the bean (Phaseolus vulgaris) genotype BAT93. This comprises four clustered members that span a 50-kb region and, based on their similarity, form two pairs (Pvpgip1/Pvpgip2 and Pvpgip3/Pvpgip4). Characterization of the encoded products revealed both partial redundancy and subfunctionalization against fungal-derived PGs. Notably, the pair PvPGIP3/PvPGIP4 also inhibited PGs of two mirid bugs (Lygus rugulipennis and Adelphocoris lineolatus). Characterization of Pvpgip genes of Pinto bean showed variations limited to single synonymous substitutions or small deletions. A three-amino acid deletion encompassing a residue previously identified as crucial for recognition of PG of Fusarium moniliforme was responsible for the inability of BAT93 PvPGIP2 to inhibit this enzyme. Consistent with the large variations observed in the promoter sequences, reverse transcription-PCR expression analysis revealed that the different family members differentially respond to elicitors, wounding, and salicylic acid. We conclude that both biochemical and regulatory redundancy and subfunctionalization of pgip genes are important for the adaptation of plants to pathogenic fungi and phytophagous insects

Catalytic hydrogenation of crude hexanoic acid, easily obtained by anaerobic fermentation of grape pomace

The transition from fossil resources to renewable ones represents an urgent need. Biomasses are promising feedstocks, potentially exploitable through novel bio-catalytic processes, such as acidogenic fermentation to carboxylic acids, which can be further converted into more value-added bio-products through cascade chemical approaches, such as hydrogenation to corresponding alcohols/esters. In this work, the optimization of the hydrogenation of commercial hexanoic acid to 1-hexanol and hexyl hexanoate was first investigated. For this purpose, 5 wt% Re/C resulted active and selective towards 1-hexanol production. The same catalyst was further tested for the hydrogenation of crude hexanoic acid, obtained by fermentation of red and white grape pomaces. Hydrogenation of these crude hexanoic acid mixtures confirmed the promising performances of 5 wt% Re/C, achieving the complete substrate conversion with a prevailing selectivity to 1-hexanol (~58 mol%), rather than to hexyl hexanoate (~30 mol%). Moreover, the use of an acid support, such as Al2O3, markedly shifted the selectivity towards hexyl hexanoate (~51 mol%). This observation was further demonstrated by testing physical mixtures of 5 wt% Re/C and different amounts of acidic niobium phosphate. Based on these promising results, exploitation of grape pomace for 1-hexanol/hexyl hexanoate production, to use as bio-fuels or bio-solvents, represents a smart possibility

Upgrading grape pomace contained ethanol into hexanoic acid, fuel additives and a sticky polyhydroxyalkanoate: an effective alternative to ethanol distillation

The management of grape pomace (GP), the main winery solid residue, is presently supported by government subsidies, promoting the energetically expensive recovery of ethanol by distillation. This work proposes and assesses a novel sustainable alternative GP valorisation strategy: chain elongation fermentation. Besides, the proof-of-concept of a multipurpose cascading scheme is presented based on experimental data for each step on the laboratory scale. The new cascading biorefinery scheme includes: (1) the ethanol upgrade into highly concentrated (ca. 900 g L−1) n-hexanoic acid (C6) by anaerobic acidogenic fermentation and a simple downstream; the exploitation of the obtained C6 as (2) a reagent for obtaining an ester-alcohol mixture as well as (3) a substrate for the production of medium chain length polyhydroxylalkanoates (mcl-PHAs), and (4) the complementary biomethanization of the solids leftovers from the acidogenic step. Specifically, the identified fermentation conditions (pH 7, 37 °C and P > Patm) allowed obtaining the highest C6 titer (22 g L−1) and productivity (6.2 g L−1 d−1) ever achieved from non pre-treated biowaste and without the need of either exogenus ethanol or methanization inhibitor or expensive in-line extraction methods. Such titer, allowed employing a cheap easy-direct C6 downstream leading to 54% C6 recovery (87% purity) at potentially competitive overall costs. Although a preliminary assessment showed that this partial valorisation could be economically sustainable in itself for GP-management, the exploitation of the highly concentrated GP-derived C6 was demonstrated for the first time. Heterogenous catalytic hydrogenation (180 °C and 115 bar), with pre-reduced commercial catalyst Re/C 5 wt%, allowed the conversion of the obtained C6 into a mixture of 1-hexanol and hexyl-hexanoate (molar yield of 75%), which represents a promising blendstock for both diesel and biodiesel fuels. On the other hand, a fed-batch culture system, carried out on a bench-top bioreactor, allowed obtaining 60% PHA content with a yield of 0.30 g g−1. The recovered sticky bioelastomer was mainly composed of 3-hydroxyhexanoate (90%). Complementarily, ca. 200 N-L kgVS−1 of biomethane was obtained from GP leftover solids

Risk Factors of Right Ventricular Dysfunction and Adverse Cardiac Events in Patients with Repaired Tetralogy of Fallot

Aim: This study evaluates the risk factors associated with right ventricular (RV) dilation and dysfunction leading to pulmonary valve replacement (PVR) or adverse cardiac events in repaired Tetralogy of Fallot (rToF) patients. Methods: Data from all rToF patients who underwent magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) evaluation at our hospital between February 2007 and September 2020 were collected. Results: Three hundred and forty-two patients (60% males, 42% older than 18 years), with a median age of 16 years (IQR 13–24) at the time of MRI, were included. All patients underwent complete repair at a median age of 8 months (IQR 5–16), while palliation was performed in 56 patients (16%). One hundred and forty-four patients (42%) subsequently received pulmonary valve replacement (PVR). At the multivariate analysis, male gender was an independent predictor for significant RV dilation, RV and left ventricular (LV) dysfunction. Transventricular ventricular septal defect (VSD) closure and previous palliation significantly affected LV function and RV size, respectively. Male gender and the transventricular VSD closure were independent predictors for PVR. Conclusions: Male gender and surgical history (palliation, VSD closure approach) significantly affected the long-term outcomes in rToF patients and should be taken into consideration in the follow-up management and in PVR timing in this patient population