State Responsibility for Fostering Participation and Social Justice. Some Reflections on Policies for Low Skilled Adults in Portugal and Italy

This article aims at discussing the state responsibility concerning educational rights as a framework to problematize issues of social justice on two national contexts of South Europe with an expressive vulnerable adult population concerning qualifications. We supported our analysis of national ALE public policies on Toma\u161evski (2001) theoretical and analytical framework that focuses on the accomplishment of the right of education by national states. Research goals are to analyse and compare ALE as a human right in the context of both states obligations, and to qualitatively evaluate selected national policies as fostering participation and social justice. This article responds to the follow question: what are the national policies that contribute to express ALE as a human right and why? It presents the scenarios obtained through Toma\u161evski model and point out to interesting differences between Portuguese and Italian case

Agency, identity and learning at turning points in women's lives: A comparative UK-Italian analysis

This paper discusses the ways in which women aged 50, in two different cultural contexts (United Kingdom and Italy) narrate and portray turning points in their life course. Particular emphasis is put on the relationships between identity, learning and agency that emerge through work, family and life experiences. The reference paradigm is adopted from Narrative Learning Theory and the approach is qualitative and comparative in analysing the participant\u2019s voice. For the UK sample, the data sources are 16 semi-structured interviews, including drawings representing the life course, selected from the study deposited in the UK Archives Data under the \u201cSocial Participation and Identity\u201d project; for the Italian sample, the data sources are 28 semistructured interviews and drawings, based on the same selected items of the UK interviews and provided by women living in the North-East of Italy. This study will show how women\u2019s representations of their life course and of turning points in their lives reveal different propensities to reflect on and learn from their own lives. The comparative perspective highlights, through two-level analysis (micro and macro) and by contrasting cultural, relational and social contexts, variations in ways these women are enabled or restricted in moving their lives forward. The research also contributes to methodological insight into the use of drawings in elucidating life course narratives

Exploring agency, learning and identity in women’s life trajectories in United Kingdom and Italy - Exploración de la agencia, el aprendizaje y la identidad en las trayectorias de vida de las mujeres en el Reino Unido e Italia

he ways in which women aged 50, in two different cultural contexts (United Kingdom and Italy), narrate and portray turning points in their life course illuminate the relationships between identity, learning and agency that develop through work, family and life experiences. For the UK sample, the data sources are 31 semi-structured interviews, including drawings representing the life course, selected from the national longitudinal study “Social Participation and Identity” deposited in the UK Archives Data. For the Italian sample, the data sources are 28 semi-structured interviews and drawings, based on the same selected items of the UK interviews and provided by women living in the North-East of Italy. A qualitative comparative approach is used in analysing the data. This study shows how women’s representations of their life course and of turning points in their lives reveal different propensities to reflect and learn from their own lives. The comparative perspective considers these life sources as situated in their cultural, relational and social contexts and reveals variations in ways these women are enabled or restricted in moving their lives forward

Agency, Learning and Identity in Women’s Life Trajectories

Drawn from the longitudinal panel research of the National Child Development Study (NCDS), a sample of 110 women aged fifty years old from England, Scotland and Wales were interviewed as part of the Social Participation and Identity sub-project. They were invited to tell their life stories, to give a self-definition of identity and to describe the turning points in their lives. They were also invited to choose a visual representation of their life trajectories, either selecting from 8 given figures with the possibility of drawing their own version. We analyse the resulting life course diagrams which were drawn, focusing on self representations in which agency and learning are reflected in the associated personal narratives on turning points. Emphasis is given to the links between agency and learning and identity development within the perspective of the life trajectories

An Overview on ERAP Roles in Infectious Diseases

Endoplasmic reticulum (ER) aminopeptidases ERAP1 and ERAP2 (ERAPs) are crucial enzymes shaping the major histocompatibility complex I (MHC I) immunopeptidome. In the ER, these enzymes cooperate in trimming the N-terminal residues from precursors peptides, so as to generate optimal-length antigens to fit into the MHC class I groove. Alteration or loss of ERAPs function significantly modify the repertoire of antigens presented by MHC I molecules, severely affecting the activation of both NK and CD8+ T cells. It is, therefore, conceivable that variations affecting the presentation of pathogen-derived antigens might result in an inadequate immune response and onset of disease. After the first evidence showing that ERAP1-deficient mice are not able to control Toxoplasma gondii infection, a number of studies have demonstrated that ERAPs are control factors for several infectious organisms. In this review we describe how susceptibility, development, and progression of some infectious diseases may be affected by different ERAPs variants, whose mechanism of action could be exploited for the setting of specific therapeutic approaches

Riconoscere e formalizzare le competenze trasversali nelle attivit\ue0 profossionali e artigianali: esperienze italiane a confronto

L'articolo discute della nozione di competenze trasversali. Esso problematizza tale nozione, facendo emergere le difficolt\ue0 di riconoscimento, formalizzazione e integrazione nei repertori di competenze professionali o tecniche. La presentazione di due esperienze di Ricerca Azione evidenzia la complessit\ue0 di implementare le competenze trasversali in repertori operativi all\u2019interno dei contesti professionali, ma mostra anche come il ruolo delle competenze trasversali nel mondo della formazione e nel mercato del lavoro sia imprescindibile

La formazione universitaria alla competenza relazionale e comunicativa dell’educatore socio-pedagogico. Evidenze e riflessioni da un’analisi documentale nel Corso di Laurea in Scienze dell’educazione e della formazione dell’Università di Padova

L’articolo analizza il ruolo della competenza relazionale e comunicativa nel percorso universitario di formazione dell’educatore socio-pedagogico. Esso riporta una ricerca condotta nel Corso di Laurea L-19 dell’Università di Padova a partire dai contenuti core identificati dal Progetto nazionale TECO-D/L-19, rispetto alla competenza “dinamiche relazionali e situazionali nei diversi contesti educativi e formativi”. Lo sviluppo di tale competenza nella figura dell’educatore viene esplorata nei documenti didattici e istituzionali (Scheda SUA, syllabi e documenti di tirocinio), rilevando punti di forza e aree di miglioramento, al fine di identificare possibili aspetti di ulteriore valorizzazione di tale competenza nella preparazione accademica

A New ERAP2/Iso3 Isoform Expression Is Triggered by Different Microbial Stimuli in Human Cells. Could It Play a Role in the Modulation of SARS-CoV-2 Infection?

Following influenza infection, rs2248374-G ERAP2 expressing cells may transcribe an alternative spliced isoform: ERAP2/Iso3. This variant, unlike ERAP2-wt, is unable to trim peptides to be loaded on MHC class I molecules, but it can still dimerize with both ERAP2-wt and ERAP1-wt, thus contributing to profiling an alternative cellular immune-peptidome. In order to verify if the expression of ERAP2/Iso3 may be induced by other pathogens, PBMCs and MDMs isolated from 20 healthy subjects were stimulated with flu, LPS, CMV, HIV-AT-2, SARS-CoV-2 antigens to analyze its mRNA and protein expression. In parallel, Calu3 cell lines and PBMCs were in vitro infected with growing doses of SARS-CoV-2 (0.5, 5, 1000 MOI) and HIV-1BAL (0.1, 1, and 10 ng p24 HIV-1Bal/1 7 106 PBMCs) viruses, respectively. Results showed that: (1) ERAP2/Iso3 mRNA expression can be prompted by many pathogens and it is coupled with the modulation of several determinants (cytokines, interferon-stimulated genes, activation/inhibition markers, antigen-presentation elements) orchestrating the anti-microbial immune response (Quantigene); (2) ERAP2/Iso3 mRNA is translated into a protein (western blot); (3) ERAP2/Iso3 mRNA expression is sensitive to SARS-CoV-2 and HIV-1 concentration. Considering the key role played by ERAPs in antigen processing and presentation, it is conceivable that these enzymes may be potential targets and modulators of the pathogenicity of infectious diseases and further analyses are needed to define the role played by the different isoforms

Sterol metabolism modulates susceptibility to HIV-1 Infection

Background: 25-hydroxylase (CH25H) is an Interferon stimulated gene (ISG), which catalyzes the synthesis of 25-Hydroxycholesterol (25HC). 25HC intervenes in metabolic and infectious processes as controls cholesterol homeostasis and influences viral entry into host cells.We verified whether natural resistance to HIV-1 infection in HIV-1-exposed seronegative (HESN) individuals is at least partially mediated by particularities in sterol biosynthesis. Methods: Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) and monocyte-derived macrophages (MDMs) isolated from 15 sexually-exposed HESN and 15 healthy controls (HC) were in vitro HIV-1-infected and analyzed for: 1) percentage of IFN\u3b1-producing plasmacytoid Dendritic Cells (pDCs); 2) Cholesterol signaling and inflammatory response RNA expression; 3) resistance to HIV-1 infection. MDMs from 5 HC were in vitro HIV-1-infected in the absence/presence of exogenously added 25HC. Results: IFN\u3b1-producing pDCs were augmented in HESN compared to HCs both in unstimulated and in in vitro HIV-1-infected PBMCs (p<0.001). An increased expression of CH25H and of a number of genes involved in cholesterol metabolism (ABCA1, ABCG1, CYP7B1, LXR\u3b1, OSBP, PPAR\u3b3, SCARB1) was observed as well; this, was associated with a reduced susceptibility to in vitro HIV-1-infection of PBMCs and MDMs (p<0.01). Notably, addition of 25HC to MDMs resulted in increased cholesterol efflux and augmented resistance to in vitro HIV-1-infection. Conclusions: Results herein show that in HESN sterol metabolism might be particularly efficient. This could be related to the activation of the IFN\u3b1 pathway and results into a reduced susceptibility to in vitro HIV-1 infection. These results suggest a possible basis for therapeutic interventions to modulate HIV-1 infection

HPV in sperm is efficiently removed by washing: A suitable approach for assisted reproduction

Research question: Is it possible, by sperm-washing spermatozoa from clinically HPV-positive men, to obtain spermatozoa free of human papillomavirus (HPV) to be employed in assisted reproduction? Design: This was an observational study performed on HPV-positive men. Freshly ejaculated semen was collected and readily processed by gradient separation followed by swim-up from the washed pellet. The resulting fractions were seminal plasma, cell pellet, round cells, non-motile spermatozoa and motile spermatozoa. All fractions were then tested for the presence of HPV DNA. Results: Of the 15 clinically HPV-positive subjects, 67% were positive in at least one of the seminal fractions. If any postivity was detected, the plasma was always HPV positive. No consistent pattern was observed throughout different samples in the cell pellet, round cell and non-motile spermatozoa fractions. However, after the sperm-wash procedure, the fraction of motile spermatozoa was never found to be HPV-positive. Conclusions: The sperm-washing technique, which was previously successfully used to remove human immunodeficiency virus, can efficiently remove HPV from spermatozoa. However, the present study was conducted on a small population so a larger follow-up study is recommended. HPV screening should be performed in sperm samples and, upon HPV positivity, sperm-washing should be considered before assisted reproduction techniques are used