Dino Buzzati and Anglophone Culture: The Re-use of Visual and Narrative Texts in His Fantastic Fiction

This thesis explores the relationship between Buzzati’s fiction and Anglophone culture, particularly the re-use of narrative and visual sources in his works. The analysis of the intertextual stratification in Buzzati brings to the fore the author’s urge to convey the significance of imagination through the fantastic mode. It also reveals an optimistic and playful side of Buzzati, which lies behind a pervading pessimistic tone. Buzzati’s re-working of images from other authors and of generic topoi is aimed at decrying the loss of imagination occurring in the transition to adulthood as well as a general disregard of fantasy characterizing modern technologized societies. Nonetheless, intertextual practices are a means to recover and originally re-present the fantastic imagery conveyed by the artists from whom Buzzati drew inspiration. Buzzati was especially keen on Anglophone literature and art; hence, the focus of this thesis, which is divided into four chapters. Chapter One deals with Buzzati’s re-use in his fiction of drawings by the English illustrator Arthur Rackham; this is a process in which visual memory and intermedia translation are paramount. Chapter Two investigates the link between Joseph Conrad’s heroes and the characterization of Buzzati’s (anti-)heroic figures; they are trapped in the mechanisms of lack of courage and time but eventually find their own ways to self-redemption. Chapter Three considers Buzzati’s reversal and borrowing of topoi belonging to the sea monster story and the ghost story; these practices are aimed at emphasizing the importance of fantasy. Chapter Four places Buzzati’s Christmas fiction between the Italian and the Dickensian tradition, showing how Buzzati re-works the genre’s stereotypes to recreate the Christmas spirit. Whether Buzzati engages in an intertextual dialogue with individual authors or literary traditions, examining the connections he established with Anglophone culture allows a reassessment of his work. Indeed, the Buzzatian fantastic reveals itself as poised between gloominess and faith in the redeeming power of imagination; the fantastic alternatives Buzzati offers against the dullness of reality also evince his enjoyment of the artistic creation per se

Remote processing of firm microdata at the Bank of Italy

Providing the possibility to run personalised econometric/statistical analyses on the appropriate data sets by remote processing allows greater flexibility in the production of economic information. Binding confidentiality requirements are required with business survey data. The Bank of Italy's infrastructure allows its business survey data to be exploited, while preserving anonymity of individual data. The system is based on the LISSY platform and has been already adopted by the Luxembourg Income Study (LIS) and other research centres. Firms' privacy is safeguarded by forbidding potentially confidentiality-breaking programme statements and by denying the visualisation of individual data. Data confidentiality is protected by removing key identifiers from the database and by trimming data in the right tail of the distribution. The platform provides its services through plain-text e-mails. The authorised user sends an e-mail containing an identifying header followed by a statistical programme to a predetermined address. The system checks the validity of the header, strips out the code and submits it in a batch to one of the econometric/statistical packages available (SAS and Stata). The outputs are mailed back to the user after passing an array of automatic and manual checks.microdata, confidentiality, remote access

A neural network architecture for data editing in the Bank of ItalyÂ’s business surveys

This paper presents an application of neural network models to predictive classification for data quality control. Our aim is to identify data affected by measurement error in the Bank of ItalyÂ’s business surveys. We build an architecture consisting of three feed-forward networks for variables related to employment, sales and investment respectively: the networks are trained on input matrices extracted from the error-free final survey database for the 2003 wave, and subjected to stochastic transformations reproducing known error patterns. A binary indicator of unit perturbation is used as the output variable. The networks are trained with the Resilient Propagation learning algorithm. On the training and validation sets, correct predictions occur in about 90 per cent of the records for employment, 94 per cent for sales, and 75 per cent for investment. On independent test sets, the respective quotas average 92, 80 and 70 per cent. On our data, neural networks perform much better as classifiers than logistic regression, one of the most popular competing methods, on our data. They appear to provide a valid means of improving the efficiency of the quality control process and, ultimately, the reliability of survey data.data quality, data editing, binary classification, neural networks, measurement error

LEKTI proteolytic processing in human primary keratinocytes, tissue distribution and defective expression in Netherton syndrome

SPINK5, encoding the putative multi-domain serine protease inhibitor LEKTI, was recently identified as the defective gene in the severe autosomal recessive ichthyosiform skin condition, Netherton syndrome (NS). Using monoclonal and polyclonal antibodies, we show that LEKTI is a marker of epithelial differentiation, strongly expressed in the granular and uppermost spinous layers of the epidermis, and in differentiated layers of stratified epithelia. LEKTI expression was also demonstrated in normal differentiated human primary keratinocytes (HK) through detection of a 145 kDa full-length protein and a shorter isoform of 125 kDa. Both proteins are N-glycosylated and rapidly processed in a post-endoplasmic reticulum compartment into at least three C-terminal fragments of 42, 65 and 68 kDa, also identified in conditioned media. Processing of the 145 and 125 kDa precursors was prevented in HK by treatment with a furin inhibitor. In addition, in vitro cleavage of the recombinant 145 kDa precursor by furin generated C-terminal fragments of 65 and 68 kDa, further supporting the involvement of furin in LEKTI processing. In contrast, LEKTI precursors and proteolytic fragments were not detected in differentiated HK from NS patients. Defective expression of LEKTI in skin sections was a constant feature in NS patients, whilst an extended reactivity pattern was observed in samples from other keratinizing disorders, demonstrating that loss of LEKTI expression in the epidermis is a diagnostic feature of NS. The identification of novel processed forms of LEKTI provides the basis for future functional and structural studies of fragments with physiological relevanc

Termini e funzioni del tempo nella conformazione dei regolamenti di interessi

The functional connection between terms (duration), as chronological modalities of legally relevant activities, and the interests actually pursued by the parties is the cypher to analyse the nature of these elements and their impact on the effectiveness of contracting and on the regulation of relations. And this beyond a conflict between effective and fulfillment dates, in favor of a common unitary function of conforming the structures of legal relations. The objective of the investigation is to requalify terms, from accidental elements, as they are traditionally understood, to functional connotations of contracts, subject to a control of lawfulness and merit. The examination of the application profiles allows us to overcome the narrow perspective of an essential date intended exclusively as a remedy for non-fulfillment, operating on the implementation level of the case, in view of a recovery of the regulatory dimension of interests

Technology-based intervention for healthy lifestyle promotion in Italian adolescence.

Introduction. Healthy lifestyle promotion programs are essential to prevent metabolic diseases such as obesity and diabetes. Adolescents could represent the ideal target population especially using serious web games. Objective. To test the improvement of knowledge about healthy nutrition in adolescents and to analyze participants’ enjoyment in playing the web game “Gustavo in Gnam’s Planet” in comparison with a leisure web game. Subjects and Methods. Sixty-five adolescents were engaged in three supervised group sessions. Measures about healthy food knowledge and games’ enjoyment were collected during the three stages of assessment. Results. After playing Gustavo in Gnam’s Planet, participants significantly improved their knowledge on a healthy diet, compared to the recreational web games; whereas the level of fun experienced while playing the recreational and the educational games was not significantly different. Conclusions. Gustavo in Gnam’s Planet is an important promising tool, with entertainment property, to promote a healthy lifestyle in Italian adolescents.

Dyslexia: An Altered Brain Architecture

Abstract: Problem statement: Dyslexia is defined as a syndrome belonging to Specific Learning Disorders, DSA code F81.0. Its most visible manifestation is the difficulty that subjects have to correctly read out loud and quickly. These impediments are not due to lack of linguistic intellectual abilities, not education, or properly to external causes sensory deficits. Approach: The objective was oriented in the verification, in the construction and examination of courses and projects likely to involve the recognition and social relationships, education of dyslexic children in relation to which still struggles to make a path of inclusion, integration and full acceptance in any context and priority in school. Results: Following a Memorandum of Understanding between the Ministry of Education, the Foundation Telecom Italy and the Italian Dyslexia signed in Italy, has been pursued for the purpose of promoting research-action on the DSA from the local school. Conclusion: The main parameters that we propose pay attention to cognitive factors, emotional and relational processes that underlie learning designed