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Matteo Berra 한국디자인학회 2014 한국디자인학회 국제초대전도록 Vol.2014 No.5

Out of the Past: The Hard-Boiled Histories of Zhang Yimou’s Ju Dou and A Simple Noodle Story

John Berra 문학과영상학회 2015 문학과영상 Vol.16 No.1

Zhang Yimou’s rural cinema has almost become a genre in itself with its phantasmagoric landscapes and humanist emphasis on the struggles of the individual throughout various periods in China’s tumultuous history. In his efforts to diversify, Zhang has also worked across a range of genres, demonstrating an interest in film noir with his period underworld saga Shanghai Triad (1995). However, he has also utilized noir frameworks for two films that are otherwise seen through the historical gaze with which he is still most associated: Ju Dou (1990) and A Simple Noodle Story (2009). Set, respectively, in the 1920s and an unspecified pastiche of China’s ancient past, Zhang pivots these narratives on the noir staple of the heated love triangle in a small town community in order to comment on the moral transgressions that can occur in an atmosphere of social-political restriction. Ju Dou and A Simple Noodle Story find Zhang aiming to circumvent censorship restrictions by conflating past and present in painterly historical settings. This strategy was refined across the two films with the former initially being banned in its home territory while the latter proved to be a commercial success over the lucrative Lunar New Year holiday period. Through analysis of genre elements, aesthetic sensibilities, and social-political commentary, this article will establish how Zhang has appropriated noir tropes to facilitate his critical vision.

Reply to Commentary on “Sacral Nerves Reconstruction After Surgical Resection of a Large Sacral Chordoma Restores the Urinary and Sexual Function and the Anal Continence”

Luigi Valentino Berra 대한척추신경외과학회 2022 Neurospine Vol.19 No.4

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Sacral Nerves Reconstruction After Surgical Resection of a Large Sacral Chordoma Restores the Urinary and Sexual Function and the Anal Continence

Luigi Valentino Berra,Daniele Armocida,Mauro Palmieri,Valerio Di Norcia,Luca D’Angelo,Massimo Mongardini,Massimo Vigliotta,Edoardo Maccari,Antonio Santoro 대한척추신경외과학회 2022 Neurospine Vol.19 No.1

Objective: Chordomas are slow-growing tumors, with a high tendency to local relapse. En bloc resection is related to the most favorable outcome in terms of survival but is frequently associated with permanent neurological deficits involving sphincters and sexual functions. In the present article, we describe an innovative technique of en bloc resection followed by reconstruction of the sacral nerves with nerve grafts. Methods: The chordoma was excised through a posterior approach after dividing the proximal and distal sacral nerves using the established technique. After that, a microsurgical S2-S3-S4 nerve reconstruction was performed connecting the proximal and distal stumps with sural nerve grafts withdrawn from both lower limbs. Results: Immediately after surgery, the patient experienced complete impairment of sexual function and sphincters with urinary and fecal incontinence. After 6 months, there was a progressive recovery of sexual function and sphincter control. One year after the operation, the patient achieved an adequate sexual life (erection and ejaculation) and complete control of the bladder and anal sphincter. Conclusion: Reconstruction of nerves sacrificed during sacral tumor removal has been shown to be effective in restoring sphincter and sexual function and is a promising technique that may significantly improve patients' quality of life.

Mare's Colostrum Globules Stimulate Fibroblast Growth In Vitro: A Biochemical Study

Zava, S.,Barello, C.,Pessione, A.,Garoffo, L. Perono,Fattori, P.,Montorfano, G.,Conti, A.,Giunta, C.,Pessione, E.,Berra, B.,Giuffrida, M.G. The Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition 2009 Journal of medicinal food Vol.12 No.4

The wound repair function of mare's milk and colostrum was investigated. Mare's colostrum improved wound healing in vivo; thus fibroblast growth activation by mare’s milk and colostrum was examined. As expected, colostrum was more effective than milk. To establish the biochemical nature of the bioactive molecules involved, colostrum was fractionated into whey, casein, and fat globules, and the efficacy of these fractions on fibroblast proliferation was studied. The fat globule fraction provided the strongest stimulation; its composition was studied and compared with the less-active milk fat globule fraction. The lipid pattern highlighted several differences between mare’s colostrum and milk; in particular, total lipid, linoleic acid, linolenic acid, ganglioside, and glycolipid contents were higher in colostrum. A proteomic investigation revealed some differences between the protein composition of colostrum and milk fat globules. Adipophylin and lactadherin were significantly over-expressed in colostrum fat globules. The role of specific lipids on skin wound repair and that of the epidermal growth factor-like domain, embedded within the lactadherin molecule and probably released in conditions stimulating proteolysis, are discussed.

Mare's Colostrum Globules Stimulate Fibroblast Growth In Vitro: A Biochemical Study

S. Zava,C. Barello,A. Pessione,L. Perono Garoffo,P. Fattori,G. Montorfano,A. Conti,C. Giunta,E. Pessione,B. Berra,M.G. Giuffrida 한국식품영양과학회 2009 Journal of medicinal food Vol.12 No.4

The wound repair function of mare's milk and colostrum was investigated. Mare's colostrum improved wound healing in vivo; thus fibroblast growth activation by mare's milk and colostrum was examined. As expected, colostrum was more effective than milk. To establish the biochemical nature of the bioactive molecules involved, colostrum was fractionated into whey, casein, and fat globules, and the efficacy of these fractions on fibroblast proliferation was studied. The fat globule fraction provided the strongest stimulation; its composition was studied and compared with the less-active milk fat globule fraction. The lipid pattern highlighted several differences between mare's colostrum and milk; in particular, total lipid, linoleic acid, linolenic acid, ganglioside, and glycolipid contents were higher in colostrum. A proteomic investigation revealed some differences between the protein composition of colostrum and milk fat globules. Adipophylin and lactadherin were significantly overexpressed in colostrum fat globules. The role of specific lipids on skin wound repair and that of the epidermal growth factor-like domain, embedded within the lactadherin molecule and probably released in conditions stimulating proteolysis, are discussed.

Inelastic displacement ratios for evaluation of stiffness degrading structures with soil structure interaction built on soft soil sites

Müberra Eser Aydemir 국제구조공학회 2013 Structural Engineering and Mechanics, An Int'l Jou Vol.45 No.6

In this study, inelastic displacement ratios are investigated for existing systems with known lateral strength considering soil structure interaction. For this purpose, SDOF systems for period range of 0.1-3.0 s with different hysteretic behaviors are considered for a number of 18 earthquake motions recorded on soft soil. The effect of stiffness degradation on inelastic displacement ratios is investigated. The Modified Clough model is used to represent structures that exhibit significant stiffness degradation when subjected to reverse cyclic loading and the elastoplastic model is used to represent non-degrading structures. Soil structure interaction analyses are conducted by means of equivalent fixed base model effective period,effective damping and effective ductility values differing from fixed-base case. For inelastic time history analyses, Newmark method for step by step time integration was adapted in an in-house computer program. A new equation is proposed for inelastic displacement ratio of system with SSI with elastoplastic or degrading behavior as a function of structural period (T̃), strength reduction factor (R) and period lengthening ratio (T̃/T). The proposed equation for C̃R which takes the soil-structure interaction into account should be useful in estimating the inelastic deformation of existing structures with known lateral strength.

Soil structure interaction effects on structural parameters for stiffness degrading systems built on soft soil sites

Müberra Eser Aydemir 국제구조공학회 2013 Structural Engineering and Mechanics, An Int'l Jou Vol.45 No.5

In this study, strength reduction factors and inelastic displacement ratios are investigated for SDOF systems with period range of 0.1-3.0 s considering soil structure interaction for earthquake motions recorded on soft soil. The effect of stiffness degradation on strength reduction factors and inelastic displacement ratios is investigated. The modified-Clough model is used to represent structures that exhibit significant stiffness degradation when subjected to reverse cyclic loading and the elastoplastic model is used to represent non-degrading structures. The effect of negative strain – hardening on the inelastic displacement and strength of structures is also investigated. Soil structure interacting systems are modeled and analyzed with effective period, effective damping and effective ductility values diff ering from fixed-base case. For inelastic time history analyses, Newmark method for step by step time integration was adapted in an inhouse computer program. New equations are proposed for strength reduction factor and inelastic displacement ratio of interacting system as a function of structural period (T̃, T), ductility (μ) and period lengthening ratio (T̃/T).

Inelastic Displacement Ratios for Structures with Foundation Flexibility

Müberra Eser,Cem Aydemir,Ibrahim Ekiz 대한토목학회 2012 KSCE JOURNAL OF CIVIL ENGINEERING Vol.16 No.1

Inelastic displacement ratios have been generally investigated for fixed-base systems without taking into consideration soil structure interaction. In this study, inelastic displacement ratios are investigated for SDOF systems with period range of 0.1-3.0 s with elastoplastic behavior considering soil structure interaction for 64 different earthquake motions recorded on different site conditions such as rock, stiff soil, soft soil and very soft soil. Soil structure interacting systems are modeled with effective period, effective damping and effective ductility values differing from fixed-base case. For inelastic time history analyses, Newmark method for step by step time integration was adapted in an in-house computer program. Results are compared with those calculated for fixed-base case. A new equation is proposed for inelastic displacement ratio of interacting system as a function of structural period of interacting system ( ), ductility ratio (μ) and period lengthening ratio ( /T). The fitness of the regressed function of the inelastic displacement factor is shown in figures. The regressed equation for μ should be useful in estimating the inelastic deformation of structure where the global ductility capacity can be estimated.