QUADRI TEORICI, PRATICHE DIDATTICHE E TIPI DI PROTOCOLLI DELLE PROVE DI SCRITTURA

La tipologia dei protocolli di scrittura è il filo tematico che attraversa le questioni discusse nell’articolo: rapporto tra la scrittura documentata (writing from sources) e tipi di prove di esame elaborate in occasione della riforma del 1999, cambiamenti di impostazione presenti nella revisione della prima prova del 2018, un confronto tra diversi modi di declinare la scrittura documentata in alcuni protocolli di esame di alcune scuole europee. Sullo sfondo altre questioni, indizi di una debole sintonizzazione tra ricerca didattica, formazione dei docenti e modalità di accertamento finale delle competenze degli allievi, ad esempio: grado di diffusione e radicamento nelle conoscenze dei docenti di nuclei teorici di linguistica educativa contenuti negli obiettivi curricolari dai Programmi Brocca alle Indicazioni Nazionali; adeguatezza dei tipi di protocolli di esame di stato rispetto ai traguardi di competenze di scrittura indicati nei documenti programmatici; consapevolezza critica, nelle scelte metodologiche dei docenti, dell’intreccio degli uni e degli altri. Theoretical frameworks, teaching practices and types of writing test protocols The typology of writing protocols is the thematic thread that runs through the issues discussed in the article: the relationship between writing from sources and the types of exams developed on the occasion of the 1999 reform, changes in approach present in the revision of the first test of 2018, comparison between different ways of writing documented in some exam protocols from a few European schools. There are other underlying questions, indications of weak links between didactic research, teacher training and methods for the final assessment of students’ competences, for example: the degree of diffusion and rooting of theoretical nuclei of educational linguistics contained in the curriculum objectives, from the Programmi Brocca to the Indicazioni Nazionali, in teachers’ knowledge;  the adequacy of the types of state examination protocols with respect to the goals of writing skills indicated in the program documents; critical awareness of their interweaving in teachers' methodological choices

Soil Remediation Assessment by Detection of Reactive Oxygen Species in Lizard Testis: An Electron Spin Resonance (ESR) Approach

Recent developments in applied research have led to implement novel operative protocols for life-based restoration of contaminated soils, including new monitoring approach. Here, we report the measurements of reactive oxygen species (ROS) content in lizard testis performed in the framework of the project Life Ecoremed. The ROS levels detected by electron spın resonance (ESR) spectroscopy using the spin-trapping technique were analyzed and validated using measurements of total soluble antioxidant capacity and the poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase enzymatic activity, which detect the gonadal antioxidant defense and DNA repair, respectively. The investigations on soil biosentinel Podarcis sicula reproductive health gave significant evidence that the ROS level in the testis well correlates with alteration of the antioxidant capacity. In specimens coming from polluted sites, before remediation, a significant increase of ROS content was detected respect to that found in specimens from an unpolluted site. Thereafter, an evident decrease of the ROS levels, corresponding to high levels of total soluble antioxidant capacity and low repair of DNA integrity, has been detected after remediation. Thus, the data relative to all the polluted sites examined support the testis of Podarcis sicula as an elective tissue for an innovative and reliable screening method, based on ESR analysis of ROS, in the soil remediation assessment

Sudden onset acute liver failure in a patient with clinically occult small cell lung carcinoma: autopsy report and review of the medical literature

Liver metastases are commonly found in advanced cancer patients; however, acute liver failure secondary to diffuse liver infiltration is rare. Small cell lung carcinoma accounts for 15% of lung carcinomas. We describe the ninth case of small cell lung carcinoma massively metastatic to the liver, reported in the scientific literature, with sudden clinical onset and death after a few days. An autopsy was performed to understand the cause of death

Narrative-based computational modelling of the Gp130/JAK/STAT signalling pathway.

BACKGROUND: Appropriately formulated quantitative computational models can support researchers in understanding the dynamic behaviour of biological pathways and support hypothesis formulation and selection by "in silico" experimentation. An obstacle to widespread adoption of this approach is the requirement to formulate a biological pathway as machine executable computer code. We have recently proposed a novel, biologically intuitive, narrative-style modelling language for biologists to formulate the pathway which is then automatically translated into an executable format and is, thus, usable for analysis via existing simulation techniques. RESULTS: Here we use a high-level narrative language in designing a computational model of the gp130/JAK/STAT signalling pathway and show that the model reproduces the dynamic behaviour of the pathway derived by biological observation. We then "experiment" on the model by simulation and sensitivity analysis to define those parameters which dominate the dynamic behaviour of the pathway. The model predicts that nuclear compartmentalisation and phosphorylation status of STAT are key determinants of the pathway and that alternative mechanisms of signal attenuation exert their influence on different timescales. CONCLUSION: The described narrative model of the gp130/JAK/STAT pathway represents an interesting case study showing how, by using this approach, researchers can model biological systems without explicitly dealing with formal notations and mathematical expressions (typically used for biochemical modelling), nevertheless being able to obtain simulation and analysis results. We present the model and the sensitivity analysis results we have obtained, that allow us to identify the parameters which are most sensitive to perturbations. The results, which are shown to be in agreement with existing mathematical models of the gp130/JAK/STAT pathway, serve us as a form of validation of the model and of the approach itself

μMESH-Enabled Sustained Delivery of Molecular and Nanoformulated Drugs for Glioblastoma Treatment

Modest tissue penetrance, nonuniform distribution, andsuboptimalrelease of drugs limit the potential of intracranial therapies againstglioblastoma. Here, a conformable polymeric implant, & mu;MESH,is realized by intercalating a micronetwork of 3 x 5 & mu;mpoly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) edges over arraysof 20 x 20 & mu;m polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) pillars for the sustaineddelivery of potent chemotherapeutic molecules, docetaxel (DTXL) andpaclitaxel (PTXL). Four different & mu;MESH configurations wereengineered by encapsulating DTXL or PTXL within the PLGA micronetworkand nanoformulated DTXL (nanoDTXL) or PTXL (nanoPTXL) within the PVAmicrolayer. All four & mu;MESH configurations provided sustaineddrug release for at least 150 days. However, while a burst releaseof up to 80% of nanoPTXL/nanoDTXL was documented within the first4 days, molecular DTXL and PTXL were released more slowly from & mu;MESH.Upon incubation with U87-MG cell spheroids, DTXL-& mu;MESH was associatedwith the lowest lethal drug dose, followed by nanoDTXL-& mu;MESH,PTXL-& mu;MESH, and nanoPTXL-& mu;MESH. In orthotopic models ofglioblastoma, & mu;MESH was peritumorally deposited at 15 days post-cellinoculation and tumor proliferation was monitored via bioluminescenceimaging. The overall animal survival increased from & SIM;30 daysof the untreated controls to 75 days for nanoPTXL-& mu;MESH and90 days for PTXL-& mu;MESH. For the DTXL groups, the overall survivalcould not be defined as 80% and 60% of the animals treated with DTXL-& mu;MESHand nanoDTXL-& mu;MESH were still alive at 90 days, respectively.These results suggest that the sustained delivery of potent drugsproperly encapsulated in conformable polymeric implants could haltthe proliferation of aggressive brain tumors

Huge Candida albicans normal native tricuspid valve endocarditis

Fungal endocarditis has become an important infection associated with medical progress and the modern lifestyle. In particular, Candida spp. is a rare but important cause of infective endocarditis. We report the case of a 28-year-old woman—quadriplegic and bedridden from birth—who died after repeated episodes of pneumonia treated with different regimens of intravenous antibiotics. A medico legal autopsy was performed, which diagnosed severe Candida native valve infective endocarditis (CIE). This case report illustrates the prolonged use of antibiotic treatment as a possible risk factor for the development of CIE. We also considered how the bedridden condition and the presence of a central venous catheter may be additional risk factors for the development of this entity. Finally, we examined the absence of peripheral embolization in the setting of endocarditis of the right side of the heart

Accuracy of parasitological and immunological tests for the screening of human schistosomiasis in immigrants and refugees from African countries: An approach with Latent Class Analysis

BACKGROUND: Schistosomiasis is a neglected infection affecting millions of people, mostly living in sub-Saharan Africa. Morbidity and mortality due to chronic infection are relevant, although schistosomiasis is often clinically silent. Different diagnostic tests have been implemented in order to improve screening and diagnosis, that traditionally rely on parasitological tests with low sensitivity. Aim of this study was to evaluate the accuracy of different tests for the screening of schistosomiasis in African migrants, in a non endemic setting. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: A retrospective study was conducted on 373 patients screened at the Centre for Tropical Diseases (CTD) in Negrar, Verona, Italy. Biological samples were tested with: stool/urine microscopy, Circulating Cathodic Antigen (CCA) dipstick test, ELISA, Western blot, immune-chromatographic test (ICT). Test accuracy and predictive values of the immunological tests were assessed primarily on the basis of the results of microscopy (primary reference standard): ICT and WB resulted the test with highest sensitivity (94% and 92%, respectively), with a high NPV (98%). CCA showed the highest specificity (93%), but low sensitivity (48%). The analysis was conducted also using a composite reference standard, CRS (patients classified as infected in case of positive microscopy and/or at least 2 concordant positive immunological tests) and Latent Class Analysis (LCA). The latter two models demonstrated excellent agreement (Cohen's kappa: 0.92) for the classification of the results. In fact, they both confirmed ICT as the test with the highest sensitivity (96%) and NPV (97%), moreover PPV was reasonably good (78% and 72% according to CRS and LCA, respectively). ELISA resulted the most specific immunological test (over 99%). The ICT appears to be a suitable screening test, even when used alone. CONCLUSIONS: The rapid test ICT was the most sensitive test, with the potential of being used as a single screening test for African migrants

TULLIO DE MAURO, L’EDUCAZIONE LINGUISTICA DEMOCRATICA

Recension

Heat treatment procedure of the Aluminium 6061-T651 for the Ariel Telescope mirrors

The Atmospheric Remote-Sensing Infrared Exoplanet Large Survey (Ariel) is the M4 mission adopted by ESA’s ”Cosmic Vision” program. Its launch is scheduled for 2029. The purpose of the mission is the study of exoplanetary atmospheres on a target of ∼ 1000 exoplanets. Ariel scientific payload consists of an off-axis, unobscured Cassegrain telescope. The light is directed towards a set of photometers and spectrometers with wavebands between 0.5 and 7.8 µm and operating at cryogenic temperatures. The Ariel Space Telescope consists of a primary parabolic mirror with an elliptical aperture of 1.1· 0.7 m, followed by a hyperbolic secondary, a parabolic collimating tertiary and a flat-folding mirror directing the output beam parallel to the optical bench; all in bare aluminium. The choice of bare aluminium for the realization of the mirrors is dictated by several factors: maximizing the heat exchange, reducing the costs of materials and technological advancement. To date, an aluminium mirror the size of Ariel’s primary has never been made. The greatest challenge is finding a heat treatment procedure that stabilizes the aluminium, particularly the Al6061T651 Laminated alloy. This paper describes the study and testing of the heat treatment procedure developed on aluminium samples of different sizes (from 50mm to 150mm diameter), on 0.7m diameter mirror, and discusses future steps