RECOBRAR LA MIRADA EN TIEMPOS DE POSVERDAD: EL ESTILO DE PAOLO SORRENTINO ANTE LA OBSCENIDAD EN SILVIO (Y LOS OTROS) (LORO, 2018)

El presente trabajo propone un análisis textual de Silvio (Y los otros) (Paolo Sorrentino, 2018). Para ello, utilizaremos una metodología basada en las aportaciones de la semiología del cine, especialmente en lo que toca tanto a los procesos significantes de la forma como al despliegue de intertextos que dotan de espesor a la escritura de Sorrentino. Nuestro objetivo es demostrar que tras la aparente relación con los estilemas de la “imagen postmoderna” –la desmesura, la serialidad, la citación…-, se puede poner de relieve un programa ético que responda a los retos contemporáneos de las relaciones entre verdad, representación y política. Abstract: This paper proposes a textual analysis of Loro (Paolo Sorrentino, 2018). To do so, we will use a methodology based on the contributions of the semiology of cinema, especially with regard to both the significant processes of form and the deployment of intertexts that give thickness to Sorrentino’s writing. Our aim is to show that behind the apparent relationship with the stilems of the “postmodern image” —the disproportion, the seriality, the citation...—, it is possible to highlight an ethical programme that responds to the contemporary challenges of the relations between truth, representation and politics.

Monitoring of polymer type and plastic additives in coating film of beer cans from 16 countries

Plastic debris has gained attention as anthropogenic waste in the environment, but less concerned given to metal waste despite its high abundance in aquatic environment. Metal packaging, such as can, utilizes polymeric coating films as barrier between metals and products which leads to be potential source of microplastic pollution. In this study, 27 beer cans from 16 countries for both body and lid parts as well as inside and outside layers were investigated. Despite the country’s origin, epoxy resin was the major polymeric coating used in all beer cans for lid (inside and outside) and body (inside). Whereas poly(1,2-butanediol isophthalate) was frequently used for outside layer of can body. DEHP and BHT were detected in almost all samples with the highest concentration of 5300 ng/g and 520 ng/g. Despite its lower detection frequency, DOA was detected as high as 9600 ng/g in Belgian beer can. There was no apparent relationship present between the home countries of beer cans and amount of additives used. Despite of being broken down, additives concentration in one environmental sample was found to be one to two orders of magnitude higher compared to the new can. This result proved that adsorption of chemical additives took place in the environment and degraded metal debris may become source of microplastic with higher risk of additives pollution in the environment.

Mandible Biomechanics and Continuously Erupting Teeth: A New Defect Model for Studying Load-Bearing Biomaterials

Animals with elodont dentition and unfused mandible symphyses are hypothesized to have symmetric incisor morphology. Since these animals maintain their teeth by gnawing, they may provide physiologic feedback on mechanical function when unilateral mandible defects are created that manifest as ipsilateral changes in tooth structure. This defect model would potentially generate important information on the functional/mechanical properties of implants. Rats’ and rabbits’ mandibles and teeth are analyzed with µCT at baseline and post-intervention (n = 8 for each). Baseline incisors were compared. In a unilateral mandible pilot study, defects—ranging from critical size defect to complete ramus osteotomies—were created to assess effect on dentition (rats, n = 7; rabbits, n = 6). Within 90% confidence intervals, animals showed no baseline left/right differences in their incisors. There are apparent dental changes associated with unilateral defect type and location. Thus, at baseline, animals exhibit statistically significant incisor symmetry and there is an apparent relationship between mandible defect and incisor growth. The baseline symmetry proven here sets the stage to study the degree to which hemi-mandible destabilizing procedures result in measurable & reproducible disruption of dental asymmetry. In a validated model, an implant designed to function under load that prevents incisor asymmetry would provide supporting evidence that the implant has clinically useful load-bearing function.

SARS-Cov2 Infection Detection by Polymerase Chain Reaction and Serologic Testing in Clinical Practice

Patients with SARS-Cov2 can be diagnosed by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) during the time of acute infection or later in their clinical course by detection of virus specific antibodies. While in theory complementary, both PCR and serologic tests have practical shortcomings. A retrospective study was performed in order to further define these limitations in a clinical context and to determine how to best utilize these tests in a coherent fashion. A total of 3,075 patients underwent both PCR and serology tests at UCLA in the study period. Among these, 2731 (89%) had no positive tests at all, 73 (2%) had a positive PCR test and only negative serology tests, 144 (5%) had a positive serology test and only negative PCR tests, and 127 (4%) had positive PCR and serology tests. Approximately half of the patients with discordant results (i.e. PCR positive, serology negative or vice versa) had mistimed tests in reference to the course of their disease. PCR positive patients who were asymptomatic or pregnant were less likely to generate a detectable humoral immune response to SARS-Cov2. On a quantitative level, the log number of days between symptom onset and PCR cycle threshold (Ct) values were positively correlated. However, there was no apparent relationship between PCR Ct and serologic AU/ml results.

Oocyte age and preconceptual alcohol use are highly correlated with epigenetic imprinting of a noncoding RNA (nc886)

Genomic imprinting occurs before fertilization, impacts every cell of the developing child, and may be sensitive to environmental perturbations. The noncoding RNA, nc886 (also called VTRNA2-1) is the only known example of the ∼100 human genes imprinted by DNA methylation, that shows polymorphic imprinting in the population. The nc886 gene is part of an ∼1.6-kb differentially methylated region (DMR) that is methylated in the oocyte and silenced on the maternal allele in about 75% of humans worldwide. Here, we show that the presence or absence of imprinting at the nc886 DMR in an individual is consistent across different tissues, confirming that the imprint is established before cellular differentiation and is maintained into adulthood. We investigated the relationships between the frequency of imprinting in newborns and maternal age, alcohol consumption and cigarette smoking before conception in more than 1,100 mother/child pairs from South Africa. The probability of imprinting in newborns was increased in older mothers and decreased in mothers who drank alcohol before conception. On the other hand, cigarette smoking had no apparent relationship with the frequency of imprinting. These data show an epigenetic change during oocyte maturation which is potentially subject to environmental influence. Much focus has been placed on avoiding alcohol consumption during pregnancy, but our data suggest that drinking before conception may affect the epigenome of the newborn.

Energetic particles and radar blackouts at Mars

<p>We present the first long-term characterization of the lower ionosphere of Mars, a region previously inaccessible to orbital observations, based on an analysis of radar echo blackouts observed by MARSIS on Mars Express and SHARAD on the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter from 2006 to 2017.  A blackout occurs when the expected surface reflection is partly to fully attenuated for portions of an observation.  Enhanced ionization at altitudes of 60 to 90 km, below the main ionospheric electron density peak, results in the absorption of the radar signal, leading to a radar blackout.  MARSIS, operating at frequencies between 1.8 and 5 MHz suffered more blackouts than SHARAD, which has a higher carrier frequency (20 MHz).  More events are seen during solar maximum while  there is no apparent relationship between blackout occurrence and crustal magnetic fields. Blackouts do occur during both nightside and dayside observations, and have an interesting variation with solar zenith angle.   Analysis of MAVEN Solar Energetic Particle (SEP) electron counts between 20 and 200 keV during selected events demonstrates that these electrons are responsible for such events, and we investigate the minimum SEP electron fluxes required to ionize the lower atmosphere and produce  measurable attenuation.  When both radars observe a radar blackout at the same time, the SEP electron fluxes are at their highest. For certain events, we find that the average spectrum responsible for a blackout is particularly enhanced at the higher energy end of the spectrum, i.e. above 70 keV .   This study is, therefore, important for future communications for human exploration of Mars.</p>

Uma Análise Visual da Espacialização das Descargas Elétricas Atmosféricas e do Comportamento das Mortes Causadas por Raios no Estado da Bahia

Studies released by the Atmospheric Electricity Group of the National Institute for Space Research place Brazil as the country with the highest incidence of lightning in the world, with an average of 77.8 million every year. In the period from 2000 to 2019, 2,194 deaths from lightning were recorded in the country, with every 50 deaths from lightning in the world, one is in Brazil. The objective of this work is to carry out a visual analysis of the behavior of lightning strikes in the state of Bahia, relating it to the number of deaths caused by lightning in each municipality. The goal is to investigate whether there is any relationship between the number of deaths, the region and the population.To this end, data on lightning density density and number of deaths caused by lightning were published by INPE and the Ministry of Health, respectively. The number of inhabitants provided by IBGE in each municipality in the state of Bahia was also used. Visual analysis was performed using the VYR tool. The results showed a higher incidence of discharges in the western region of the state. As for the number of deaths, there was a homogeneous distribution in the state, with an apparent relationship with the number of inhabitants of the municipalities. There was a reduction in the number of deaths in the last ten years, probably related to the increase in the education level of the population.

Seguimiento del fenómeno blanco de la laguna de la Cruz (Cuenca, España)

<p class="p1">In the present study, a five-year follow-up was performed by remote sensing of the calcium carbonate precipitation in La Gitana karstic lake also known as La Cruz (located on the province of Cuenca, Spain). The important role that calcium carbonate precipitation plays in the ecology of the lake is well known for its influence on the vertical migrations of phytoplankton, the concentration of bioavailable phosphorus and, therefore, the eutrophication and quality of the waters. Whiting take place between the months of July and August, and it can be studied at this time through its optical properties, with the main objective of offering updated data on a phenomenon traditionally studied and establishing possible relationships between abiotic factors such as temperature and/or rainfall. The atmospheric temperature data collected by the meteorological station suggest a possible relationship between the appearance of the white phenomenon and a pulse of previous maximum temperatures. On the other hand, no apparent relationship was found between rainfall and water whiting.</p>

Febrile Corona virus and Autism

Background: A number of reports have pointed to the apparent relationship between reduced IGF1 in pregnancies and the development of autism in the offspring. Fever due to inflammatory processes in the gravida emerges as a potential key factor in this phenomenon. Methods of Inquiry: Investigations have reported an increase in neonatal autism related to enhanced production of interleukins in some gravidas before delivery. The medical records of the mothers of autistic children were examined retrospectively for pertinent factors. Women who had endured infection-related fevers during their pregnancies were more likely to have delivered children with neurologic deficiencies such as autism and schizophrenia. Conclusions: Inflammatory occurrences such as with women infected by Covid-19 during pregnancy produce enhanced levels of cytokines, especially interleukin-6, which can disrupt IGF1-mediated neurogenesis and CNS circuitry formation in the neonate.

Surface sculpturing in the skull of gecko lizards (Squamata: Gekkota)

It has previously been stated that geckos are characterized by smooth cranial bones bearing no sculpturing; however, there are many exceptions. Here we systematically characterize variation in sculpturing in cranial bones across all seven gekkotan families and examine patterns of evolutionary transitions in these traits on a multigene molecular gekkotan phylogeny to elucidate trends in phenotypic diversification in bone sculpturing. Over 195 species were reviewed using specimens where smooth, grooved, pitted and rugose sculpturing patterns were found. Of the 26 cranial bones, only seven (premaxilla, maxilla, nasal, prefrontal, frontal, parietal and postorbitofrontal) were found to bear sculpturing across more than three species. Sculpturing was found to extend beyond these seven bones onto either the dentary, surangular and/or quadrate within five species. Phylogenetic analysis showed that sculpturing evolved recently and repeatedly in several distinct lineages. The remaining 19 skull bones were smooth, except in the five species above, supporting the suggestion that smooth skull bones were ancestral in gekkotans. There is no apparent relationship between body size and the presence of bone sculpturing. The functional significance, if any, of sculpturing requires further investigation.