Percorsi e terre di mezzo: dai cammini degli antenati ai luoghi dell'incontro e della festa contemporanei: il museo mater di Mamoiada

Il saggio intende raccontare l’esperienza svolta insieme a Studio Azzurro nella progettazione del Museo di archeologia e del territorio di Mamoiada. In questa esperienza attraverso l’uso di strumenti multimediali e interattivi si è lavorato per costruire non un luogo contemplativo, ma una vera e propria centrale “centrale di produzione di conoscenza memoriale e immaginativa”. Nel raccontare alcuni aspetti della storia di questo territorio, per individuare una possibile chiave interpretativa, siamo partiti dalle peculiarità di questo contesto e in particolare dal suo essere terra di confine e di frontiera, e in quanto tale, anche luogo di incontro e di scambio. Questa particolare identità di confine è diventata la chiave per rileggere la presenza di particolari luoghi "sacri" preistorici e contemporanei che popolano questo contesto. Si è scelto di narrare questo peculiare aspetto della storia del territorio utilizzando fonti documentarie e orali, messe insieme non con un andamento lineare e continuo, ma lavorando piuttosto, attraverso immagini poetiche e metaforiche per frammenti, montaggi, accostamenti delicati che, nel rompere ogni associazione sistematica, si richiamano l'un l'altro, più attraverso analogie che sequenze logiche. Abbiamo pensato di costruire un percorso che diventasse capace di mostrare più che di dire, di far lavorare l'immaginazione attraverso l'accostamento inusuale tra epoche differenti, tra l'arcaico e il contemporaneo; di aprire domande e di mettere sul tavolo questioni insolute anziché costruire teorie da difendere.Peer Reviewe

Rimettere in moto e lavorare il tempo per prendersi cura dei territori contemporanei

Il saggio intende problematizzare e argomentare l’idea che le sopravvivenze del passato presenti nei territori contemporanei non debbano essere trattate come immagini e simulacri di un tempo che non è più, ma piuttosto come dei sintomi, dei segnali, degli inciampi di tempo che possono aiutarci a comprendere e ad avere cura del nostro presente. Un presente che non è una terra desolata e priva di qualità, ma piuttosto un mare che contiene abissi, grovigli vortici in cui si mescolano diverse temporalità. In questo senso il passato, contenuto nel territorio, può essere inteso come una sorta di grande inconscio con cui fare i conti per avviare un lavoro di smontaggio, attraverso cui sciogliere quei grovigli che bloccano il nostro presente, ma anche come un lavoro di scavo che potrebbe aiutarci a portare alla luce perle inabissate, liberare energie sepolte, profezie di futuro dimenticate che potrebbero contribuire a ripensare il nostro presente. E' partendo da questo presupposto che si vuole introdurre il tema della cura. L’idea attorno a cui si intende lavorare è quella di esplorare questo concetto partendo dal presupposto che sia proprio attraverso questo lavoro complesso di erosione e di scavo in profondità che occorra ripartire per stabilire relazioni profonde e significanti con il territorio. Un territorio che non può più essere inteso come una superficie a cui sovrapporre qualsiasi contenuto, ma piuttosto semmai come un “campo di energie” che contiene placente d’ombra, latenze, memorie che entrano in collisione col presente.Peer Reviewe

Re-visiting the nutrition of dairy sheep grazing Mediterranean pastures

In the light of recent findings in sheep nutrition and behaviour, the diets of grazing dairy sheep should be based on forages encompassing a variety of complementary nutritional values and containing moderate levels of complementary plant secondary metabolites, until recently regarded as "anti-nutritional". In lactating sheep, pastures of tannin-containing legumes like sulla (Hedysarum coronarium) and chicory (Cichorium intybus) can be integrated with annual grasses for establishing sustainable artificial pastures under rainfed conditions. Diets based on these forages, while ensuring high milking performance, can mitigate the unbalance of CP to energy ratio of grazing sheep. By grazing sulla and annual or Italian ryegrass (50:50 by area) as spatially conterminal monocultures or in timely sequence (complementary grazing) sheep eat more and perform better than by grazing the ryegrass pasture only. Concentrate supplementation of lactating sheep should be preferably based on fibrous sources (soyhulls or beet pulps), particularly from mid-lactation onwards and when supplementation levels are high. Milk urea concentration is confirmedly a useful monitoring tool to balance protein nutrition and curb the waste of N at animal and system level

Effect of different pastures on CLA content in milk and sheep cheese

It is known that milk composition included conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) is affected by animal feeding system (Cabiddu et al., 2001). In Sardinia dairy sheep feeding is mainly based on pastures. Most of them are characterised by self-regenerating species, like annual ryegrass (Lolium rigidum Gaudin) and burr medic (Medicago polymorpha L.). Non conventional species belonging to the Compositae family such as (Chrysanthemum coronarium L.) seem interesting for sheep feeding when other herbages decrease in quality (late spring- early summer). It was observed that C. coronarium establishes rapidly, can be grazed early in the growing season and persist where other pasture species may disappear; for these reasons it can be considered a valuable source of food. Moreover a preliminary study with dairy sheep fed fresh forage of C. coronarium showed relatively high levels of CLA in milk (Molle G. pers. com.) The aim of the present work was to study the influence of different pastures on milk composition, with particular reference to CLA and its precursors

Effect of corn and beet pulp based concentrate on ruminal parameters in wethers fed with fresh forage

Four wethers housed in individual pens and fitted with ruminal cannulae were grouped (two wethers per group) and fed fresh forage (Italian ryegrass, Lolium multiflorum) with either beet pulp (BP) or corn based concentrate (C) as supplements, using a crossover experimental design. The experiment was carried out during two experimental periods: the growing phase (early spring, G) and the reproductive phase (late spring, R) of the ryegrass. The diet of each animal was changed as the grass moved from the vegetative phase to the reproductive phase. The intake, the chemical composition of the diet and ruminal parameters such as pH, ammonia and volatile fatty acid were determined. Total dry matter intake (DMI) decreased from early to late spring (1081 vs 767 g/d; P<0.0001). Herbage DMI in particular decreased more (811 vs 543 g/d; P<0.05) than concentrate DMI (271 vs 224 g/d; P<0.054). There were marked differences in the chemical composition of the diet in wethers fed with the forage from early or late spring. This was because of changes in the characteristics of the forage. In detail, DM, NDF and ADF increased from early to late spring while CP, and EE decreased (P<0.05). Ruminal pH was lower in G than in R (6.24 vs 6.57, P<0.05). The concentrate used had no effect on the pH value. The ammonia concentration in the rumen fluid decreased from early to late spring (10.79 vs 6.68 mg/100 ml, P<0.05) and it was not influenced by the source of carbohydrates from the concentrate. VFA rumen fluid concentration increased (P<0.05) after feeding and decreased before the second meal. In the rumen fluid, the maximum total VFA concentration and the lowest pH were observed 2 h after the morning meal. Acetate and butyrate concentrations in the rumen fluid were influenced by the period (P<0.05) but not by the concentrate source. By contrast, the concentrate source significantly influenced the rumen fermentation patterns of propionate and VFA ratios, with higher propionic acid and lower acetate to propionate ratios in C than BP. This highlights the importance of the carbohydrate source in supplements for pasture based rations which varied according to the proportion of beet pulp and corn in the ingested diet

Excretion of Aflatoxin M1 in milk of goats fed diet contaminated by Aflatoxin B1

An experiment was carried out to study the excretion of aflatoxin M1(AFM1) in milk of three goats fed a single dose (0.8mg/head) of pure aflatoxin B1 (AFB1). The values of AFM1 concentration excreted in milk was highly variable among goats, even if the pattern of excretion over time was very similar among the three animals. AFM1 was first detected at the milking performed 1h after the AFB1 administration. The highest values of AFM1 concentration in milk were reached 3 and 6h after the AFB1 intake. The trend of clearance of AFM1 in milk over time was expressed by a decreasing exponential equation. AFM1 concentration was below the EU maximum allowed level (50 ng/L) in milk collected 36 h after the AFB1 administration

On the Behaviour of General-Purpose Applications on Cloud Storages

Managing data over cloud infrastructures raises novel challenges with respect to existing and well studied approaches such as ACID and long running transactions. One of the main requirements is to provide availability and partition tolerance in a scenario with replicas and distributed control. This comes at the price of a weaker consistency, usually called eventual consistency. These weak memory models have proved to be suitable in a number of scenarios, such as the analysis of large data with Map-Reduce. However, due to the widespread availability of cloud infrastructures, weak storages are used not only by specialised applications but also by general purpose applications. We provide a formal approach, based on process calculi, to reason about the behaviour of programs that rely on cloud stores. For instance, one can check that the composition of a process with a cloud store ensures `strong' properties through a wise usage of asynchronous message-passing

Towards a polyphonic urban score

Background: By drawing on literature from various disciplinary fields, in particular branches of geography, philosophy, urban design and planning, the article investigates the deep spatial transformations affecting cities and territories. As this variety of reading seems to point out, we increasingly encounter space that is replacing the sharpness of figures of definite boundaries, the hierarchies and regularity, the oneness and coherence with a tangled, vibrant territoriality that is continuously shifting and difficult to map out following the criteria by which we have been used to giving order to the world. Space made up of different situations in which the old dichotomies centre/edge, city/country, local/global, nearness/distance, inside/out, public/private and real/virtual disappear and disintegrate, and in which the invisible and the immaterial return to populate the world. Methods: Starting with an acknowledgement of these deep changes and the sense of bewilderment they arouse in us, the article invites us not to take refuge in horizons already known or to try to recompose by creating simulacra the members of a dead body of a city and territory that no longer exist. It proposes instead new explorative methods with which to investigate and above all give expression to the materials, needs, the urgency and qualities that characterise this new widespread urban condition belonging to us. It invites us not to consider the territory like a white board upon which to impose forms, but to pay attention to memories, strengths and energies that cannot be seen but which work uninterruptedly to produce change. Results: It is indeed by starting from an acknowledgement of these qualities that produce different kinds of territoriality and cannot be standardised on a single plane, that the article suggests it is possible to give shape to an original composition, able to "artistically" express a new urban culture. Conclusions: By taking inspiration from the concept of polyphony, borrowed from music, it invites us not to standardise these diversities in a single time or on a single plane, but to use them to give life, through "weaving" and "mending" tasks, to an original composition: a polyphonic composition, in which the different qualities of the parts, though developing autonomously, can play simultaneously, so as to produce an unprecedented urban sound. A sound in which it is the contraction and expansion of spaces, the alternation of full and empty elements, the flights and refrains, deserted places and high intensity nodes that will determine the rhythmic course of the form

Physical Disability in Literature: Osteogenesis Imperfecta Representations in Young Adult Romance Novels

openAncora oggi, agli inizi del ventunesimo secolo, il concetto di “disabilità” è visto come un tabù, come qualcosa di cui avere paura e da evitare. Le persone che non ne sono direttamente interessante fingono che non le riguardi. Ciò che la maggior parte della nostra società non comprende, è che la disabilità può potenzialmente concernere chiunque. Rinnegarla significa cancellare gli anni di lotte delle persone disabili per i diritti civili e gli sforzi dei singoli per affermare la propria identità. Inoltre, questa minoranza ha influenzato la cultura di massa più frequentemente di ciò che la gente realizzi. Dalla letteratura ai film e alla televisione, le rappresentazioni delle persone con disabilità sono state impiegate per generazioni. È interessante non solo analizzare come immagini stereotipate abbiano spesso contribuito alla diffusione di luoghi comuni riguardo a questo gruppo, ma anche come sono state recentemente utilizzate per capovolgere queste congetture. Oltretutto, è degno di nota che ci si sia serviti così ripetutamente di rappresentazioni della disabilità al punto che anche una condizione rara come l’Osteogenesi Imperfetta sia presente in un genere di nicchia come i romanzi romantici per giovani adulti.Even at this moment in time, at the beginning of the 21st century, the concept of “disability” is regarded as a taboo, as something to be feared and avoided. People that are not directly affected by it pretend it does not concern them. What the vast majority of our society does not realize is that disability can potentially impact everyone. Rejecting it means erasing the years of fights of the disability community for civil rights and the struggles of its members to claim their identity. Moreover, this minority has influenced popular culture more often than people conceive. From literature to films and television, representations of disabled people have been used for generations. It is thought-provoking not only to analyze how stereotypical images have frequently contributed to spreading the misconceptions about this group but also how they have recently been employed to challenge these assumptions. Furthermore, it is noteworthy that depictions of disability have been so frequent that even a rare condition such as Osteogenesis Imperfecta is present in a niche genre like young adult romance novels

Neuroprotective effects of exogenous manipulations in the Tg2576 mice, a murine model of Alzheimer's disease: novel approaches for the prevention and treatment of neurodegenerative diseases

Alzheimer's disease (AD), the most common cause of dementia (A. Kumar et al., 2024), is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder affecting molecular, cellular, and cognitive functions (Knopman et al., 2021). In addition to cognitive decline, AD is often accompanied by neuropsychiatric symptoms (NPSs), such as apathy, depression, agitation, and sleep disturbances (Kales et al., 2015; Theleritis et al., 2014), which worsen quality of life (Kales et al., 2014). The pathophysiology primarily entails the accumulation of tau protein in the brain, particularly in the medial temporal lobe and neocortical structures, resulting in intracellular neurofibrillary tangles, as well as the aggregation of amyloid-β (Aβ) peptide, leading to the extracellular amyloid plaques formation (Knopman et al., 2021). Aβ and tau accumulation in the brain are crucial agents implicated in the neurodegeneration, the cognitive decline, and the NPSs typical of AD patients (Dang et al., 2023; Gonzalez-Ortiz et al., 2024; Ossenkoppele et al., 2022; Villemagne et al., 2013). Neuroinflammation refers to an inflammatory response within the central nervous system (CNS) triggered by factors such as infection, trauma, or toxins. This response involves the release of pro-inflammatory cytokines (e.g., interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-6, TNF), chemokines, and signaling molecules (e.g., nitric oxide (NO), reactive oxygen species (ROS)) by CNS immune cells, primarily microglia and astrocytes (DiSabato et al., 2016). In AD, microglia show diverse activation patterns and are found near amyloid plaques, suggesting a link between microglial activity and amyloid pathology (Gao et al., 2023; Miao et al., 2023). The amyloid cascade-inflammation hypothesis proposes that microglial activation contributes to tau pathology (J. P. Hayes et al., 2012; Kitazawa et al., 2004; McGeer & McGeer, 2013). Pro-inflammatory mediators disrupt synaptic function, induce neuronal death, and inhibit neurogenesis (Lyman et al., 2014). For example, IL-1β promotes synaptic loss by increasing N-methyl D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor activation (Mishra et al., 2012). Furthermore, tumor necrosis factor (TNF) triggers neuronal apoptosis by activating TNF receptor 1 (TNFR1) and recruiting caspase 8 when the nuclear factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells (NF-κB) pathway is impaired (Tummers & Green, 2017). Various Aβ aggregates can induce glial activation and the release of pro-inflammatory cytokines, anti-inflammatory cytokines, chemokines, NO, and ROS, all contributing to neuronal dysfunction and death (S. Kumar et al., 2023; Tummers & Green, 2017). These processes activate molecular pathways that alter microglial phenotypes (Alawieyah Syed Mortadza et al., 2018; Husemann et al., 2001; S. Liu et al., 2012; Venegas & Heneka, 2017). Cytokines such as IL-1β and TNF, produced by microglia, may enhance β-secretase activity, promoting Aβ production through the NF-κB pathway (C.-H. Chen et al., 2012; Hawcroft et al., 2003). Aβ also activates NF-κB in astrocytes, increasing complement C3 release, which disrupts neurons and activates microglia (Lian et al., 2015, 2016). Additionally, activated microglia can induce neurotoxic astrocytes via IL-1α and TNF, forming a self-amplifying inflammatory feedback loop (Liddelow et al., 2017). Dysregulated neuron-glia interactions further exacerbate this inflammatory response in AD. Currently, there is no definitive cure for AD, and pharmacological treatments mainly target symptom relief. Various antibodies have been tested in preclinical studies with transgenic AD-like mice (Corsetti et al., 2020; Latina, Giacovazzo, Cordella, et al., 2021; Wilcock et al., 2004), sporadic AD models (Latina, Giacovazzo, Cordella, et al., 2021), and immunotherapy trials (Yadollahikhales & Rojas, 2023). Recently, aducanumab and lecanemab were approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). While there are safety concerns and mixed clinical results (Iwatsubo, 2023; Yadollahikhales & Rojas, 2023), these third-generation anti-amyloid therapies show high amyloid clearance rates and represent a major advancement in AD treatment. They offer a better risk-to-benefit ratio compared to existing drugs, though clinical trials remain ongoing. Developing strategies to improve symptoms, slow disease progression, or prevent the conversion from MCI to AD is crucial. This has driven research toward non-pharmacological approaches that complement therapies. Unhealthy lifestyles are risk factors for neurodegenerative diseases like AD (Calder et al., 2017; Madore et al., 2020). Nutrition, in particular, has gained attention, with studies showing that dietary changes and supplements can positively impact emotional and cognitive functions by modulating brain activity in aging and neurodegeneration (Fekete et al., 2022; Kalache et al., 2019; X. Li et al., 2023; Scales et al., 2018). Palmitoylethanolamide (PEA) is an endogenous fatty acid amide and lipid modulator associated with the endocannabinoid system and found in foods (D’Agostino et al., 2012). It is synthesized in the brain by neurons, microglia, and astrocytes in response to stress, contributing to homeostasis. PEA has notable anti-inflammatory, neuroprotective, and analgesic effects, primarily mediated by PPAR activation. In vitro studies demonstrate that PEA reduces amyloid-beta (Aβ1-42)-induced neuroinflammation and neurodegeneration (Scuderi et al., 2011, 2012; Scuderi & Steardo, 2013). In vivo, PEA administration in rats with Aβ1-42-induced neuroinflammation exhibits significant anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective effects through peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR)-α activation (Scuderi et al., 2014). The Tg2576 mouse is a widely used AD model that overexpresses a mutant form of amyloid precursor protein (APP) with the Swedish mutation, leading to increased Aβ levels and plaque formation (Hsiao et al., 1996). These mice show cognitive deficits starting at around 5 months, with Aβ accumulation observed by 8-9 months and amyloid plaques by 12 months (Jacobsen et al., 2006; Taglialatela et al., 2009). Neuroinflammation markers, such as glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) and ionized calcium-binding adapter molecule 1 (Iba1), increase significantly by 9-12 months, alongside elevated IL-1β levels (Evans et al., 2020; J.-H. Lee et al., 2022). Oxidative stress is also noted at 12 months, with heightened levels of 3-nitrotyrosine (3-NT), inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), and cyclooxygenase (COX)-2 in the hippocampus and cortex (P. Jin et al., 2013; B. Zhang et al., 2005). In the first study, we explored the therapeutic potential of chronic PEA administration in the Tg2576 mouse model of AD. Our results indicate that chronic PEA administration via subcutaneous pellets offers several neuroprotective benefits, including reducing nitrosative stress, alleviating neuroinflammation, modulating microglial activity, preserving synaptic function, and restoring cognitive performance. These findings underscore the promising therapeutic action of chronic PEA treatment for AD patients, warranting further investigation into its mechanisms of action and suggesting the potential for developing nutraceutical-based therapies leveraging PEA's anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective properties. Non-invasive brain stimulation (NIBS) is emerging as a promising non-pharmacological intervention for preventing the progression from MCI to AD and reducing symptoms in early-stage patients. NIBS seeks to restore brain frequency patterns to align more closely with those of healthy individuals. In both MCI and early AD patients, as well as AD animal models, there are reports of excitation/inhibition balance disruption, neuronal hyperexcitability and altered brain oscillations, including decreases in alpha, beta, and gamma frequency bands and increases in the theta band (Bhattacharya et al., 2011; Busche et al., 2008; Koenig et al., 2005; Noebels, 2011; Palop et al., 2007). Gamma oscillations are crucial for coordinating neuronal activity involved in complex cognitive functions and are disrupted in MCI and AD, contributing to cognitive deficits (Koenig et al., 2005; Missonnier et al., 2010; J. Y. Park et al., 2012). Both patient groups show reduced gamma activity, which is also observed in AD mouse models (Guillon et al., 2017; Iaccarino et al., 2016). These oscillations rely on fast-spiking parvalbumin interneurons (PV-INs) and are essential for higher-order cognitive functions (Bartos et al., 2007; Cardin et al., 2009). PV-INs are crucial for network synchrony and play an essential role in learning and memory. Their removal in the hippocampal Cornu Ammonis (CA)1 region impairs spatial working memory (Murray et al., 2011). Additionally, disruptions to excitatory inputs onto PV-INs negatively impact learning and memory, along with associated network changes (Y.-J. Chen et al., 2010; Fuchs et al., 2007; He et al., 2021). Further research is needed to investigate the relationship between PV-INs and GABAergic activity in AD and how restoring PV-INs function could mitigate AD progression. Notably, optogenetic stimulation of 40 Hz gamma activity in PV-INs of 5XFAD mice enhanced neuroprotection, preserved brain structure, reduced Aβ, and improved cognitive performance (Iaccarino et al., 2016). Studies on 40 Hz flicker stimulation revealed it increases cytokines that promote microglial phagocytosis and activates the NF-κB and MAPK pathways, enhancing cytokine expression within an hour (Garza et al., 2020). Additionally, this stimulation alters microglial morphology and increases cytokine production in healthy mice, suggesting that brain rhythms influence function through NF-κB signaling (Prichard et al., 2023). Furthermore, multisensory gamma stimulation at 40 Hz enhances Aβ clearance by promoting cerebrospinal fluid flow and increasing aquaporin-4 polarization in 5XFAD mice (Murdock et al., 2024). These findings indicate that restoring gamma oscillations through 40 Hz brain stimulation may effectively improve AD pathology by reducing inflammation, delaying neurodegeneration, and enhancing cognition in transgenic mice. Consequently, noninvasive 40 Hz stimulation has emerged as a promising therapeutic approach for addressing gamma oscillopathy and alleviating cognitive deficits associated with AD (Chan et al., 2021; Manippa et al., 2022; McDermott et al., 2018; Thomson, 2018). In the second study, we explored the therapeutic effects of hippocampal optogenetic 40 Hz gamma stimulation in Tg2576 mice. At 6 months, these mice exhibited specific working memory deficits, indicated by reduced spontaneous alternations in the Y-maze Spontaneous Alternation Test (Y-maze), while recognition memory remained intact. The decreased immobility observed in the tail suspension test (TST) alongside increased locomotor activity in the Y-maze suggests hyperactivity as a notable characteristic at this stage. Although no significant differences in dendritic spine density were found at 12 months, these results underscore the necessity for further investigation, and we plan to increase the sample size for future analyses