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Numbers of the Ego. Neoliberal imaginary and quantified self. After having recognized competition as the “hidden king” of contemporary neoliberal imaginaries, the paper will try to focus on the impact this specific cultural order is having on the lives of individuals. To narrow down the field, a small but representative empirical phenomenon will be taken into consideration: that is the so-called quantified self (hereafter QS). This expression refers to the use of different kinds of technologies to collect and resemble quantitative data flows on individual physical and psychological states and behavioural activities. One could think of QS as a way to increase individual awareness of personal potential and limitations in order to be better competitors in the neoliberal society. But this is just one part of the story. What is argued is that QS implies a radically different kind of subjectivation process, one that basically dispenses with the social relations, and finds its relational pole in the self image produced by the flows of data.

In Max Weber’s typology of legitimate rule, the element of “force” (Gewalt) does not appear among the legitimating factors. During the classical period of the polis, however, the element of “force” (kratos, also meaning “power” and “strenght”) had been considered as one possible basis for the right to rule, among other legitimating principles like nomos, aretè, episteme, and plethos. With the intention of contributing to the understanding of the distinction between ancient and Weberian conceptions of “force” in relation to the legitimation process as the process of authority-building, this article compares and contrasts the views of Weber with those of Thrasymachus. In fact, in The profession and vocation of politics Weber quotes Trotsky, who had declared that «every state is founded on force (Gewalt)», and elevates force to a conditio sine qua non for the existence of the modern State (where the physical force includes the capacity to be violent). Nevertheless, his view is quite different from that of Thrasymachus, when he declares that «justice is nothing but the advantage of the stronger», assuming that justice exists only as an expression of the will of the strongest forces in society. This article explores the implications of the passage from the triad of “force”, “power to rule”, and “justice as advantage of the stronger” (Thrasymachus) to the triad of “power (Herrschaft), “force/coercion (physical or psychic), and “legitimacy” grounded in the beliefs or conceptions of actors (Weber).

The increasing adoption of computer-based “serious games” as digital tools for education requires to address the question about the role of simulation in teaching and learning process. Whereas many recent studies have stressed the benefits of digital games in a variety of learning contexts, this paper approaches the problem of misuse and limitations of computer-based simulations, and argues that we still need to understand when a digital serious game is actually better than other non-computer-based simulation experiences. Considering that the distinction between the two types of simulation does not mean that they are incompatible, the final question that I address regards the best ways to correlate computer-based and non-computer-based simulation techniques.

Information flows and communicative interactions on social media, theWeb and the expanding Internet of things are changing the possibilities, the actual methods and models of interaction between human beings, objects and life environments. As a result, an unprecedented landscape of structural and functional connections emerge that can be described, at least in part, in terms of connectivity graphs.

Alfred Korzybski’s statement that «the map is not the territory» is not as simple as it appears. Following Bateson’s ideas about the topic, we could compare the «territory» to the Kantian «Ding an sich», inaccessible background to perception and knowledge, subject to never-ending procedures of “objectivation”; but if «territory» is conceived as strictly speaking inaccessible, our maps can make reference only to other maps. Dealing with this issue, this article considers some variants of the map-territory problem, and argues that an human observer knows and elaborates beliefs in an intermediate dimension between symbolic-conceptual maps and perceptual territories.

The argument of fiction with respect to spectators’ illusion is very vast. This paper outlines the interconnection between two particular issues of this immense area of study, which pertain to two paradoxical effects of fiction: (1) the spectator’s cognitive and emotional illusion induced either by theatrical or by cinematographic representation and (2) the more unclear and long-run effects of such representations on everyday life. Plato’s myth of the cave, and some of Husserl’s ideas about “artistic illusion” awakened through the stage performance, will help in delineating some philosophical aspects of the problem

The chiastic nexus between Socrates’ irony and its ridiculousness in the eyes of Thrasymachus permits to reformulate the importance of laughter as an ambiguity-laden philosophical subject. Taking into account the functions attributed to laughter by many authors – particularly Plato, Bergson, Kant, and Plessner – this paper investigates the relationship among laughter, approval, and displeasure, suggesting that the ambiguity of laughter comes out from a temporary breakdown either in the consolidated frames of meaning, or in the attempts to suggest new ones.

Il concetto di complessità ha uno statuto peculiare all’interno del discorso scientifico: poiché viene utilizzato con riferimento a fenomeni e processi molto diversi – che vanno dal mondo prebiotico fino ai mondi simbolici mentali e sociali – non sembra possibile darne una sola definizione, né un criterio univoco di misurabilità. La rilevanza scientifica e filosofica del concetto, inoltre, dev’essere studiata in relazione ad altri temi interdisciplinari: auto-organizzazione e sistemi auto-organizzanti, evoluzione dei sistemi e proprietà emergenti, linearità e non linearità, varietà del riduzionismo scientifico, rapporti tra mappa e territorio (o rappresentazione e realtà), ruolo dell’osservatore. Nello scenario così delineato, l’articolo intende contribuire ad una chiarificazione filosofica del concetto, ripercorrendo alcuni momenti cruciali della sua storia a partire dall’articolo di Warren Weaver “Science and Complexity” fino al dibattito attuale.

Negli ultimi anni il panorama mediale è rapidamente mutato e la comunicazione politica è costretta a prenderne atto. L’articolo esamina, attraverso il caso italiano, l’evoluzione parallela del paesaggio mediale e della comunicazione politica, concentrandosi sul modo in cui i partiti ed i singoli politici hanno tentato di migliorare i metodi del “contatto con gli elettori”, ridisegnando la leadership, dando vita a “comunità virtuali” e mobilitando i sostenitori per ottenere e mantenere l’approvazione degli elettori. Il caso italiano è interessante per i suoi estremi: mentre un grande proprietario di media continua ad essere il politico più influente da circa vent’anni, un movimento politico nato attorno al blog di Beppe Grillo si è candidato alle elezioni politiche.

Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most affected joint disease worldwide, touching millions of people every year. It is caused by a progressive degeneration of articular cartilage, causing pain and limited mobility. Among the pathways involved in cartilage homeostasis, “LOX” proteins (referring to three distinct protein families, very often confused in the literature) play a prominent role. The lipoxygenase enzyme family is involved in the inflammatory process of OA by inducing the production of several pro-inflammatory leukotrienes. Lectin-like oxidized low-density lipoprotein family are receptors located at the surface of chondrocytes, which interact with their ligand, ox-LDL, activating several catabolic pathways involved in OA pathophysiology. Finally, lysyl oxidase and lysyl oxidase-like are enzymes expressed intracellularly (in chondrocytes' cytoplasm) involved in elastin biosynthesis and collagen cross-linking in cartilage extracellular matrix. EMA and FDA have not yet approved any drug targeting the LOX proteins. In particular, today lysyl oxidase-like 2 is considered as a new promising target for OA modifying therapy. This review clarifies the main roles of different LOX proteins involved in the progression of OA. Potential LOX inhibitoion strategies for drug development in advanced OA therapy, particularly for local intraarticular delivery, were listed and discussed for each target type. This review, therefore, proposes promising strategies for future drug development in OA treatment.

IntroductionThe high rate of incarceration, now exceeding 11.5 million people worldwide, has raised concerns about the conditions within penal institutions, such as the consequences of incarceration on the person. This retrospective study aims to investigate the issue of death in custody, exploring the relationship between incarceration, health vulnerabilities, and death from the forensic pathologist’s point of view.MethodsWe analyzed, from a forensic, clinical and toxicological perspective, 86 cases of deaths in detention facilities in North-Western Italy from 1999 to 2022.ResultsThe analysis has shown that suicide, mainly committed by hanging, plastic bag suffocation and butane intoxication, represents the leading type of violent death (52%), followed by accidental deaths (16%). On the other hand, cardiovascular diseases are the leading cause of natural deaths (42%), followed by infectious diseases (especially HIV-related).DiscussionThe present study identifies the most frequent and critical situations and risk factors related to death in custody and the profile of the inmate who is at a higher risk of death, allowing to highlight the issues to be addressed from a public health point of view. On the whole, it calls for comprehensive reforms, aligned with international human rights standards, addressing mental and physical care gaps, improving correctional officers' education, and training, and focusing on rehabilitation with well-being and dignity.

Short-term memory is implicated in a range of cognitive abilities and is critical for understanding primate cognitive evolution. To investigate the effects of phylogeny, ecology and sociality on short-term memory, we tested the largest and most diverse primate sample to date (421 non-human primates across 41 species) in an experimental delayed-response task. Our results confirm previous findings that longer delays decrease memory performance across species and taxa. Our analyses demonstrate a considerable contribution of phylogeny over ecological and social factors on the distribution of short-term memory performance in primates; closely related species had more similar short-term memory abilities. Overall, individuals in the branch of Hominoidea performed better compared to Cercopithecoidea, who in turn performed above Platyrrhini and Strepsirrhini. Interdependencies between phylogeny and socioecology of a given species presented an obstacle to disentangling the effects of each of these factors on the evolution of short-term memory capacity. However, this study offers an important step forward in understanding the interspecies and individual variation in short-term memory ability by providing the first phylogenetic reconstruction of this trait’s evolutionary history. The dataset constitutes a unique resource for studying the evolution of primate cognition and the role of short-term memory in other cognitive abilities.

The use of information and communication technologies for education is increasingly recognised as essential in a post-pandemic world. In this regard, the ability to effectively engage with technologies for educational purposes is now part of the basic knowledge, skills and attitudes to be expected from anyone in the teaching profession. Accentuated by the proliferation of technology-mediated situations resulting from the Covid-19 pandemic, but linked to a longer-term trend, dealing with the digital is also now an almost unavoidable aspect of active participation in society and civic engagement. Indeed, the notion of ‘postdigital’ is rapidly gaining traction as a way to highlight that the digital and non-digital cannot be really separated anymore and, due to this fact, (post)digital citizenship is emerging as a core competence for citizens. Still, the way digitally competent educators are expected to support learners in their development as digital citizens is not explored enough. To contribute to closing this gap, this paper reviews 24 teacher competence frameworks from different regions of the world and makes the case for considering educators’ critical digital literacy as a key leverage to building digital (post)citizenship and fostering ethical uses of technology. The analysis reveals that critical digital literacy is mostly missing and, hence, the paper closes with a set of recommendations for policymakers and institutional leaders in the education sector on how to incorporate critical aspects of digital literacy in educators’ professional development activities, so teachers and trainers can operate as a much needed vector to develop (post)digital citizenship across society.

Abstract Life history, brain size and energy expenditure scale with body mass in mammals but there is little conclusive evidence for a correlated evolution between life history and energy expenditure (either basal/resting or daily) independent of body mass. We addressed this question by examining the relationship between primate free-living daily energy expenditure (DEE) measured by doubly labeled water method (n = 18 species), life history variables (maximum lifespan, gestation and lactation duration, interbirth interval, litter mass, age at first reproduction), resting metabolic rate (RMR) and brain size. We also analyzed whether the hypometabolic primates of Madagascar (lemurs) make distinct energy allocation tradeoffs compared to other primates (monkeys and apes) with different life history traits and ecological constraints. None of the life-history traits correlated with DEE after controlling for body mass and phylogeny. In contrast, a regression model showed that DEE increased with increasing RMR and decreasing reproductive output (i.e., litter mass/interbirth interval) independent of body mass. Despite their low RMR and smaller brains, lemurs had an average DEE remarkably similar to that of haplorhines. The data suggest that lemurs have evolved energy strategies that maximize energy investment to survive in the unusually harsh and unpredictable environments of Madagascar at the expense of reproduction.

New Psychoactive Substances (NPS), and particularly synthetic opioids, are constantly growing in the illicit market, and represent a particular danger due to their high potency and the fact that they're often not covered by legislation yet. Thus, there is the constant need for sensitive, reliable and reproducible techniques to detect and identify these substances in a variety of different matrices, both for clinical and forensic purposes. In particular, hair analysis can provide important information on past and/or continuative use of different substances such as psychoactive drugs.In this study, we report a review of the existing literature on synthetic opioids analysis in hair, in order to summarize the analytical methods currently used for synthetic and semi-synthetic opioids and NPS hair testing. Methanol with addition of diluted acidic solution represents the most frequently extraction solution. Purification procedures, either carried out through solid phase or liquid/liquid are still needed in order to achieve an adequate sensitivity; in particular, several methods provided a limit of detection lower than 1 pg/mg for most of the monitored substances. Chromatographic techniques coupled with mass spectrometric systems confirmed to be the best choice among the available analytical techniques for monitoring psychoactive substances and metabolites in keratin matrices. Though high-resolution mass spectrometric instruments, such as Time of Flight, are gaining interest, triple quad still guarantees better sensitivity. Beside common synthetic and semi-synthetic opioids, such as hydromorphone, hydrocodone and tramadol, the most frequently detected compounds in hair samples, among fentanyl derivatives, are furanyl fentanyl, sufentanil and butyryl fentanyl.

his action research utilised game-based learning principles in rural schools in Sarawak. Game design thinking was proposed as a pedagogical approach to guide teachers to address Higher Order thinking skills in subjects they teach, a requirement in the current national curriculum. Due to the lack of resources, facilities and training commonly faced by rural schools, the initiative was necessary to measure the feasibility of the approach for learning. The study also observed the similarities and differences in local cultural protocols as they differ by location, and adjustments were made to the presentation of Game Design thinking to accommodate community expectations and support. The study proposes a CreativeCulture model, an instructional approach which accommodates inclusive needs of indigenous communities in Sarawak, both within and beyond their local schools.

Lung cancer is the most prevalent cancer worldwide. Despite advances in surgery and immune-chemotherapy, the therapeutic outcome remains poor. In recent years, the anticancer properties of natural compounds, along with their low toxic side effects, have attracted the interest of researchers. Resveratrol (RSV) and many of its derivatives received particular attention for their beneficial bioactivity. Here we studied the activity of RSV and of its analogue 4,4′-dihydroxystilbene (DHS) in C57BL/6J mice bearing cancers resulting from Lung Lewis Carcinoma (LLC) cell implantation, considering tumour mass weight, angiogenesis, cell proliferation and death, autophagy, as well as characterization of their immune microenvironment, including infiltrating cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs). C57BL/6J mice started treatment with RSV or DHS, solubilised in drinking water, one week before LLC implantation, and continued for 21 days, at the end of which they were sacrificed, and the tumour masses collected. Histology was performed according to standard procedures; angiogenesis, cell proliferation and death, autophagy, infiltrating-immune cells, macrophages and fibroblasts were assessed by immunodetection assays. Both stilbenic compounds were able to contrast the tumour growth by increasing apoptosis and autophagy in LLC tumour masses. Additionally, they contrasted the tumour-permissive microenvironment by limiting the infiltration of tumour-associated immune-cells and, more importantly, by counteracting CAF maturation. Therefore, both stilbenes could be employed to synergise with conventional oncotherapies to limit the contribution of stromal cells in tumour growth.

Sensitive and specific immunoassay screening methods for the detection of benzodiazepines in urine represent an important prerequisite for routine analysis in clinical and forensic toxicology. Moreover, emerging designer benzodiazepines force labs to keep their methodologies updated, in order to evaluate the reliability of the immunochemical techniques. This study aimed at evaluating the sensitivity and specificity of two different immunoassay methods for the detection of benzodiazepines in urine, through a comparison with the results obtained by a newly developed liquid chromatographic tandem mass spectrometric (LC-MS/MS) procedure. A cohort of authentic urine samples (N = 501) were processed, before and after a hydrolysis procedure, through two immunoassays and an LC-MS/MS method. The LC-MS/MS target procedure was optimized for monitoring 25 different molecules, among traditional and designer benzodiazepines, including some metabolites. At least one of the monitored substances was detected in 100 out of the 501 samples. A good specificity was observed for the two immunoassays (>0.99), independently of the cut-offs and the sample hydrolysis. The new kit demonstrated a fairly higher sensitivity, always higher than 0.90; in particular, a high cross-reactivity of the new immunoassay was observed for samples that tested positive for lorazepam and 7-aminoclonazepam. The two immunoassays appeared adequate to monitor not only traditional benzodiazepines but also new designer ones.