Microtubules and actin filaments "cross-talk" in cell migration : role of the formin mDia and the tumor suppressor APC

Cell migration is a fundamental process throughout the lives of multicellular organisms as well as in the onset of several diseases including cancer formation and metastasis. Microtubules (MTs) and filamentous actin, the two major components of the internal scaffolding of all cell types, are important in several steps of the cell migration cycle and understanding their mutual regulation or "cross-talk" may lead to the development of treatments for controlling tumor invasion or severe developmental aberrations such as some forms of mental retardation. In this paper, I will present an overview on the importance of studying the biochemistry of molecules involved in the regulation of both types of cytoskeleton and summarize my results on the characterization of two key modulators of cell architecture: the actin nucleator mDia and the tumor suppressor Adenomatous Polyposis Coli protein or APC

Biological functions of stable microtubules : a proposed role in cellular memory

Microtubules are prominent elements of the internal scaffolding of the cell (the cytoskeleton) and are necessary for structural support, cell division and intracellular trafficking. They act by moving chromosomes during mitosis or by serving as rigid tracks for the intracellular transport of a variety of structures and molecules within the cell. However, the mechanism by which individual microtubules are assigned to different functions remains elusive. It has long been known that long-lived microtubules (stable microtubules) are generated by different stimuli and can be marked by a range of posttranslational modifications that are conserved throughout evolution. Recent evidence suggests that these microtubule posttranslational modifications can act alone or in combination to affect specific microtubule functions. In this commentary I will review the structural/functional properties of stable microtubules in relation to well characterized cellular processes, and I will propose a role in a much less defined cell behavior known as “cellular memory.

The Use of Concrete Artefacts in Geometry Teacher Education for Secondary School

This presentation deals with the use of some concrete geometry artefacts (called Mathematical Machine)ii for the purpose of drawing curves and realizing geometric transformations within the MMLab-ER project developed by UNIMORE. In the ancient Greece, at the time of Euclid, some concrete artefacts (such as the straightedge and compass) were used in both practical and theoretical geometry. Other artefacts were known in the ancient age and were considered again by the most important European mathematicians as from the 16th century. This presentation reports today’s use of working copies of those instruments (complementary to dynamic geometry system) in secondary school teacher education and development for the purpose of realizing laboratory activities in their own classrooms

Antonio Rinaldi. Un intellettuale nella cultura del Novecento

Antonio Rinaldi, un intellettuale nella cultura del Novecento (Antonio Rinaldi, an intellectual in twentieth century culture) gives new shape the figure of an artist who is only apparently of secondary importance, starting from the work and documents preserved in a previously unpublished archive. The work traces the fundamental stages of the life and work of the writer focusing on the years of his university education, which are fundamental for the relationships he forged (with Roberto Longhi and Giorgio Morandi, as well as with fellow students Attilio Bertolucci, Giorgio Bassani, Lanfranco Caretti, Francesco and Gaetano Arcangeli and the student Pier Paolo Pasolini). An appendix of unpublished texts proposes the two-part correspondence with his teacher Giuseppe Raimondi and his friend Giuseppe Dessí

The Role Of Food Assistance In High Income Countries: A Critical Literature Review

The recent financial crisis, in conjunction with austerity policies, has brought an increasing number of people to seek food assistance. Food assistance is often delegated by governments to charitable organizations and food poverty is in general peripheral to the work of policy makers. There is need for an enhanced understanding of food poverty in HIC to rebalance the interaction between charity initiatives and the aid provided by the State through the welfare system. What are the main drivers and vulnerabilities of food assistance? To what extent should food assistance be addressed with social protection measures and economic policies, or by looking into the specificities of the food system? We review available scientific literature on food assistance in HIC to characterize how it is handled and by which actors. This allows to analyse the role of food assistance in addressing food insecurity, by highlighting food assistance activities in relation to the food system and/or other systems (e.g. social security, labor, health) facing external factors of change (drivers)

Linking Sustainability with Geographical Proximity in Food Supply Chains. An Indicator Selection Framework

Despite policymakers’ promotion of food relocalization strategies for burden mitigation, the assumption that local food chains are more sustainable than the global ones might not hold. This literature review tries to highlight a possible framework for exploratory analyses that aim at associating sustainability with the geographical proximity of food supply chains. The purpose of the article is identifying a set of communicative and information-dense indicators for use by evaluators. Bread is the selected test food, given its importance in human nutrition and the relevance of some of its life cycle phases for land use (cereal farming) and trade (cereal commercialization). Article searching (including keyword selection, explicit inclusion/exclusion criteria, and computer-assisted screening using the NVivo® software) was carried out over the Scopus, Web of Science, and Google Scholar databases, and returned 29 documents (refereed and non-refereed publications). The retrieved literature shows varied research focus, methods, and depth of analyses. The review highlighted 39 environmental, 36 economic, and 27 social indicators, along the food chain. Indicators’ reporting chains are heterogeneous; even the comparison of standard procedures, e.g., Life Cycle Assessment, is not straightforward. Holistic approaches are missing

The Impact of the SFP System on Italian Farmland Prices and Tenure Contracts. Factor Markets Working Document No. 65, August 2013

EDITED VERSION TO BE PUBLISHED SOON. The aim of this paper is to contribute to the estimation of the potential effects of the CAP reform on propensity to transaction, particularly comparing the effect of different new instruments/policy settings with the current policy (CAP health check) used as a baseline. The work is focused on three of new policy instruments within the post 2013 CAP reform proposal: regionalization, greening and capping. The first and second are analysed in more detail. The analysis will be based on a survey of farmers in the Province of Bologna, Emilia Romagna, Italy. The questionnaire focuses on mechanism of access to land and related incentives towards different land use/economic behaviour. The survey includes information about respondent characteristics (farm, farmer, household and payments received) and stated intention about potential changes in land operated under alternative agricultural policy scenarios (particularly the post-2013 reform proposals)

Proteasome-Mediated Degradation of p21 via N-Terminal Ubiquitinylation

AbstractWe examined the mechanism responsible for the degradation of p21, a negative regulator of the cell division cycle. We found that p21 proteolysis requires functional ubiquitin and Nedd8 systems. Ubiquitinylated forms of p21 and p21(K0), a p21 mutant missing all lysines, are detected in vivo and in vitro, showing that the presence of lysines is dispensable for p21 ubiquitinylation. Instead, the free amino group of the N-terminal methionine of p21 is a site for ubiquitinylation in vivo. Although wild-type p21 is more abundantly ubiquitinylated than p21(K0) mutant due to the presence of internal lysine residues, their rates of proteolysis are indistinguishable. These results demonstrate that proteasomal degradation of p21 is regulated by the ubiquitin pathway and suggest that the site of the ubiquitin chain is critical in making p21 a competent substrate for the proteasome

Exploring scenario guided pathways for food assistance in Tuscany

A growing number of people in high income countries, also from the segments of population once considered secure, seek food assistance. Diverse food aid initiatives and practices are developed by a range of actors to tackle food poverty; alongside traditional difficulties, new challenges emerge from welfare expenditure cuts, the reorganization of EU Funds for the Most Deprived (FEAD) and from the spreading of surplus food recovery practices by private companies. Based on a preliminary analysis on food assistance practices in Tuscany (Italy), it emerged that operators involved in food assistance activities are reflecting upon future developments: how is food assistance re-thinking its role to deal with the challenges posed by the current context of change? This work adopts a participatory scenario approach to examine pathways that can be considered robust under uncertainties in the planning context of food assistance. We combine the strengths of back-casted planning, which develops desirable pathways for the future, and explorative scenarios that describe plausible future contexts. Results comprise the definition of shared priority themes and plans tested across a set of downscaled scenarios. The methodology provides a promising learning tool to engage with stakeholders and foster a creative future oriented thinking approach to food assistance system’s vulnerability and resilience