Online reverse discourses? Claiming a space for trans voices

In recent years, online media have offered to trans people helpful resources to create new political, cultural and personal representations of their biographies. However, the role of these media in the construction of their social and personal identities has seldom been addressed. Drawing on the theoretical standpoint of positioning theory and diatextual discourse analysis, this paper discusses the results of a research project about weblogs created by Italian trans women. In particular, the aim of this study was to describe the ways online resources are used to express different definitions and interpretation of transgenderism, transsexuality and gender transitioning. We identified four main positioning strategies: \u201cTransgender\u201d, \u201cTranssexual before being a woman\u201d, \u201cA woman who was born male\u201d and \u201cJust a normal woman\u201d. We conclude with the political implications of the pluralization of narratives about gender non-conformity. Specifically, we will highlight how aspects of neoliberal discourses have been appropriated and rearticulated in the construction of gendered subjectivities

The undoing project

In his most recent book, entitled The Undoing Project, the American author Michael Lewis unfolds the story of Daniel Kahneman and Amos Tversky, the two Israeli psychologists who laid the foundations for behavioural science. But this is not quite the story you might have read elsewhere

Estudios en el género Cortaderia (Poaceae). III. Cortaderia peruviana, nuevo sinónimo de C. hieronymi

Cortaderia hieronymi y C. peruviana han sido consideradas como dos especies diferentes. Sin embargo, distintos autores difieren en sus límites morfológicos y en su distribución geográfica. Un análisis de componentes principales sobre la base de los caracteres tradicionalmente utilizados para delimitar estas especies no permitió formar grupos discretos para cada taxón. Además, el estudio de los ejemplares tipo y de las descripciones originales, complementado con estudios de campo, permite establecer que C. peruviana es parte de la variabilidad morfológica de C. hieronymi; por lo tanto, se propone su sinonimia. Se amplía la caracterización y distribución geográfica de la especie.Studies in the genus Cortaderia (Poaceae) III. Cortaderia peruviana, a new synonym of C. hieronymi. Cortaderia hieronymi and C. peruviana have been considered as two different species. However, different authors differ in their morphological limits and their geographical distribution. A Principal Components Analysis based on characters traditionally used to delimit these species did not show discrete groupings for each taxon. In addition, the study of type species and their original descriptions, complemented with field studies, allows to establish that C. peruviana is part of the morphological variability of C. hieronymi; therefore, their synonymy is proposed herein. A detailed characterization and geographic distribution of the species is given.Fil: Testoni, Daniel. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Bahía Blanca; Argentina. Universidad Nacional del Sur. Departamento de Biología, Bioquímica y Farmacia. Laboratorio de Plantas Vasculares; Argentin

Pet Loss and Representations of Death, Attachment, Depression, and Euthanasia

T Studies that have examined pet loss hypothesize that attachment, representations of death, and the belief in an afterlife for animals may influence owners\u2019 bereavement and depressive outcomes. The following instruments were administered to 159 Italian participants recruited through snowball sampling: the Lexington Attachment to Pets Scale (LAPS), the Pet Bereavement Questionnaire (PBQ), the Testoni Death Representation Scale (TDRS), and Beck\u2019s Depression Inventory II (BDI-II). Questions concerning pet euthanasia-related issues and the relationship between owners and veterinarians were also submitted to the participants. A path model was conducted, showing that the representation of death and the attachment to a pet had a direct effect on pet grief, which in turn had a direct effect on depression. The results show a positive correlation between the LAPS and PBQ factors, particularly with the PBQ factor Grief. The LAPS factors positively correlated with the TDRS representation of Death as a Passage and negatively correlated with the TDRS representation of Death as Annihilation. The LAPS People Substituting factor positively correlated with the total score and the CognitiveAffective factor of the BDI-II. The PBQ factors positively correlated with the BDI-II, whereas only the TDRS Death as Annihilation factor positively correlated with the BDI-II. Belief in a transcendent dimension was associated with higher scores on the PBQ Guilt factor and the TDRS factors of Death as a Passage and Death as Change, whereas these beliefs were associated with lower scores on the TDRS factor Death as Annihilation. The results indicated that the sensitivity of the veterinarian and a veterinarian who helps owners make conscious and informed decisions for their pet and choose the right time to perform euthanasia are important variables in the management of pet loss. However, these factors are not sufficient and psychological support should be improved to help owners better cope with grief

Studies in the genus Cortaderia (Poaceae) II. Cortaderia atacamensis, a new synonym of C. speciosa

En esta contribución a la sistemática del género Cortaderia se propone la sinonimización de C. atacamensis y C. speciosa. Hasta ahora el binomio Cortaderia atacamensis ha sido considerado un sinónimo de C. jubata. Sin embargo, el estudio de los ejemplares tipo y de las descripciones originales, complementado con estudios de campo, demostraron que C. atacamensis es un sinónimo de C. speciosa (una especie nativa de las regiones desérticas desde Perú hasta el norte de la Argentina y Chile), distinta de C. jubata (una especie típica de los bosques andinos desde Colombia hasta el norte de la Argentina). Se presentan una caracterización morfológica y una clave para separar ambas especies.In this contribution to the systematics of the genus Cortaderia the synonymization of C. atacamensis and C. speciosa is proposed. Until now the binomial Cortaderia atacamensis has been considered a synonym of C. jubata. Nevertheless, the study of the type specimens and original descriptions, complemented with field studies, demonstrated that C. atacamensis is a synonym of C. speciosa (a species native to the desertic regions from Peru to northern Argentina and Chile), rather than of C. jubata (a species typical of the Andean forests from Colombia to northern Argentina). A morphological characterization and a key to separate the two species are provided.Fil: Testoni, Daniel. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Bahía Blanca; Argentina. Universidad Nacional del Sur. Departamento de Biología, Bioquímica y Farmacia. Laboratorio de Plantas Vasculares; Argentin

Estudios del género Cortaderíia (POACEAE). I. Sistemática y nomenclatura de la sect. cortaderia

El género Cortaderia (Poaceae) incluye 19 especies sudamericanas separadas en cuatro secciones. En este trabajo se estudian las especies incluidas en la sect. Cortaderia. Cortaderia rudiuscula y C. jubata son dos nombres utilizados con diferentes criterios según diferentes autores, lo que ha generado confusión y explica los numerosos ejemplares de herbario determinados sucesivamente como diferentes especies de la sección. La descripción original de C. rudiuscula fue realizada sobre la base de cuatro sintipos que corresponden a más de una especie. En esta contribución se analizaron los ejemplares tipo y otros materiales de herbario identificados como C. rudiuscula, además de plantas coleccionadas en muestreos poblacionales para este trabajo, y ejemplares de las restantes especies de la sección. Se realizó un análisis de componentes principales (ACP) sobre la base de caracteres tradicionalmente utilizados para delimitar las especies de la sección. El análisis mostró tres grupos morfológicos discretos que corresponden a C. araucana, C. selloana y C. speciosa. El lectotipo de C. rudiuscula se ubicó entre los ejemplares de C. speciosa, y, por lo tanto, se propone la sinonimia de ambas. Un análisis similar permitió establecer que C. jubata representa sólo una porción de la variabilidad morfológica de C. selloana y se propone la nueva combinación Cortaderia selloana subsp. jubata. Los nombres C. quila y C. quila var. pygmaeum pasan a la sinonimia de C. speciosa. Las especies Cortaderia araucana y C. selloana fueron descritas originalmente como dioicas y posteriormente como ginodioicas. En este trabajo se hallaron, además, poblaciones con plantas únicamente pistiladas (apomícticas) y, consecuentemente, se enmiendan ambas descripciones para incluir en ellas sus poblaciones apomícticas. Se presenta una clave para la determinación de los cuatro taxones que se reconocen para la sect. Cortaderia, descripciones, sinonimias y mapas de distribución.The genus Cortaderia (Poaceae) includes 19 South American species, separated into four sections. In this paper the species included in sect. Cortaderia are studied. Cortaderia rudiuscula and C. jubata are two names used with different criteria by diverse authors, which has generated confusion and has led to the frequent determination of herbarium specimens as different species of the section. The original description of C. rudiuscula was written on the basis of four syntypes which belong to more than one species. In this contribution we analyzed type specimens and other herbarium materials assigned to C. rudiuscula, apart from additional plants collected in population samplings for this work, and specimens of the remaining species of the section. A Principal Components Analysis (PCA) was conducted on the basis of characters traditionally used to delimit the species of the section. The analysis showed three morphologic discreet groups that fit to C. araucana, C. selloana and C. speciosa. The lectotype of C. rudiuscula was located among the specimens of C. speciosa, and therefore the synonymy of both species is here proposed. A similar analysis showed that C. jubata represents only a portion of the morphologic variability of C. selloana, and the new combination C. selloana subsp. jubata is proposed. The names C. quila and C. quila var. pygmaeum are reduced to the synonymy of C. speciosa. Cortaderia araucana and C. selloana were originally described as dioecious, and later as gynodioecious. In this paper, populations composed of only pistillate plants (apomyctic) are reported for both species, and, consequently, descriptions are amended to include apomictic populations. A key for the four taxa that are here recognized for the sect. Cortaderia is included, together with descriptions, synonymies and distribution maps.Fil: Testoni, Daniel. Universidad Nacional del Sur. Departamento de Biología, Bioquímica y Farmacia; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Villamil, Carlos Baldomero. Universidad Nacional del Sur. Departamento de Biología, Bioquímica y Farmacia; Argentin

Vie traverse del machiavellismo nella storia del pensiero politico : riflessioni e spunti di ricerca in margine ai lavori del convegno

L'indefinibilità della storia e del concetto stesso di machiavellismo, confermata dalla relazione inaugurale di Enzo Baldini, inducono lo storico del pensiero politico a fare alcune considerazioni e commenti relativi al suo specifico campo di ricerca, per il quale la presente nota intende sia circoscrivere il machiavellismo proprio di Machiavelli quale si evince dalle sue pagine, sia i modi e i metodi con cui le idee machiavelliane vengono utilizzate e adattate a situazioni storiche particolari. Le osservazioni vengono illustrate ed esemplificate con riferimento a testi e relazioni presentate nel convegno.The indefinability of history and the concept of Machiavellianism itself, confirmed by the inaugural account made by Enzo Baldini, lead the historian of political thought to make some considerations and comments about their particular field of research, for which the present note hopes to both define Machiavelli's own Machiavellianism according to that which emerges from his pages and the ways and methods with which Machiavelli's ideas are used and adapted to specific historical situations. The observations made are illustrated and examples are provided with references to texts and accounts made in the congress

Courage and representations of death in patients who are waiting for a liver transplantation

Context: In the last decade, a wide literature has highlighted the importance of religiosity as support of severe illnesses, especially the oncological ones, and in the end of life. In the field of the liver transplant there is a lack of similar research. This article aims to bridge this gap and presents an exploratory study on the relationships between fear of death, courage and religiosity among patients who wait for liver transplant. Method: Sixty-two participants awaiting a liver transplant were interviewed with regard to their quality of life, religiosity, ontological representations and fear of death, courage and fear of intervention, donor-related thoughts. The following instruments were utilized: a specific interview; the Short Form Health Survey (SF-36); the Testoni Death Representation Scale (TDRS) and the Courage Measure. Results: Patients reporting higher levels of fear for intervention showed less courage and were more likely to avoid the surgery. They also tended to be non-believers, to have a lower quality of life, and to represent death as an absolute annihilation. Conclusions: The less death was represented as a passage, the stronger the avoidance behaviour and the fear of transplant were. Since it is possible to develop a positive thought about death, the study underlined how the spiritual support could be useful to manage fear of transplantation