Per una ricapitalizzazione efficacenete co-creativa dei sistemi territoriali italiani

La trasformazione creativa (innovazione) non dovrebbe essere immaginata se non come emergente dall’interazione interna (immanente) ai soggetti individuali o inter-individuali, piuttosto che da istanze separate e superiori (trascendenti). Il compito del planning dovrebbe quindi essere quello di rendere percepibili le potenzialità di cambiamento emergenti dall’interazione della molteplicità di detentori di quote di capitale urbano (stakeholder), che includono in pratica la totalità dei soggetti, e di fornire loro validi framework di orientamento e di scambio tra differenti, e spesso inconciliabili, sistemi di ‘valori’. Sono insomma richiesti approcci innovativi all’‘urbano’, per lo più contrastanti con le tradizionali prassi di investimento infrastrutturale, realizzate a scapito dell’investimento in ‘capitale umano’. Per superare la vieta dicotomia tra approcci top-down e bottom-up appare inoltro opportuno far riferimento a un nuovo modello di governance caratterizzato da reti auto-organizzate assimilabili a un fenomeno spontaneo guidato da processi sociali più che da obiettivi politici. A questo modello social di governance fanno riferimento i cosiddetti Living Lab urbani e territoriali, da considerare come veri e propri ecosistemi di agenzie che, interagendo co-creativamente, sembrano poter costituire un utile riferimento per l’integrazione multi scalare dei livelli di governo e che, attraverso la condivisione di un’idea di impresa e/o di una problematica, sembrano anche in grado di produrre concreti effetti di rigenerazione urbano-territoriale

Controlling the length of porphyrin supramolecular polymers via coupled equilibria and dilution-induced supramolecular polymerization

Multi-component systems often display convoluted behavior, pathway complexity and coupled equilibria. In recent years, several ways to control complex systems by manipulating the subtle balances of interaction energies between the individual components have been explored and thereby shifting the equilibrium between different aggregate states. Here we show the enantioselective chain-capping and dilution-induced supramolecular polymerization with a Zn(2+)-porphyrin-based supramolecular system when going from long, highly cooperative supramolecular polymers to short, disordered aggregates by adding a monotopic Mn(3+)-porphyrin monomer. When mixing the zinc and manganese centered monomers, the Mn(3+)-porphyrins act as chain-cappers for Zn(2+)-porphyrin supramolecular polymers, effectively hindering growth of the copolymer and reducing the length. Upon dilution, the interaction between chain-capper and monomers weakens as the equilibria shift and long supramolecular polymers form again. This dynamic modulation of aggregate morphology and length is achieved through enantioselectivity in the aggregation pathways and concentration-sensitive equilibria. All-atom and coarse-grained molecular simulations provide further insights into the mixing of the species and their exchange dynamics. Our combined experimental and theoretical approach allows for precise control of molecular self-assembly and chiral discrimination in complex systems

Demographic Decline, Population Ageing and Modern Financial Approaches to Urban Policy

This article discusses the interaction between demographic aging, population decline, and various aspects of the local development challenges facing public authorities. In particular, this article examines some of the financial issues arising from population aging and decline and the ways in which new approaches to public finance are being used in support of European Union regional and urban policy. In this context, it is argued that a comprehensive portfolio investment approach has the potential to significantly improve policy effectiveness

A New Identity Card for the Bulge Globular Cluster NGC 6440 from Resolved Star Counts*

We present a new identity card for the cluster NGC 6440 in the Galactic Bulge. We have used a combination of high-resolution Hubble Space Telescope images, wide-field ground-based observations performed with the ESO-FORS2, and the public survey catalog Pan-STARRS to determine the gravitational center, projected density profile, and structural parameters of this globular from resolved star counts. The new determination of the cluster center differs by ∼2'' (corresponding to 0.08 pc) from the previous estimate, which was based on the surface brightness peak. The star density profile, extending out to 700'' from the center and suitably decontaminated from the Galactic field contribution, is best fit by a King model with a significantly higher concentration (c = 1.86 ± 0.06) and smaller core radius (rc = 6farcs4 ± 0farcs3) with respect to the literature values. By taking advantage of high-quality optical and near-IR color–magnitude diagrams, we also estimated the cluster age, distance, and reddening. The luminosity of the red giant branch bump was also determined. This study indicates that the extinction coefficient in the bulge in the direction of the cluster has a value (RV = 2.7) that is significantly lower than that traditionally used for the Galaxy (RV = 3.1). The corresponding best-fit values of the age, distance, and color excess of NGC 6440 are 13 Gyr, 8.3 kpc, and E(B − V) ∼ 1.27. These new determinations also allowed us to update the values of the central (trc = 2.5 107 yr) and half-mass (trh = 109 yr) relaxation times, suggesting that NGC 6440 is in a dynamically evolved stage

Impaired Mitochondrial ATP Production Downregulates Wnt Signaling via ER Stress Induction

Wnt signaling affects fundamental development pathways and, if aberrantly activated, promotes the development of cancers. Wnt signaling is modulated by different factors, but whether the mitochondria! energetic state affects Wnt signaling is unknown. Here, we show that sublethal concentrations of different compounds that decrease mitochondrial ATP production specifically downregulate Wnt/beta-catenin signaling in vitro in colon cancer cells and in vivo in zebrafish reporter lines. Accordingly, fibroblasts from a GRACILE syndrome patient and a generated zebrafish model lead to reduced Wnt signaling. We identify a mitochondria-Wnt signaling axis whereby a decrease in mitochondria! ATP reduces calcium uptake into the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), leading to endoplasmic reticulum stress and to impaired Wnt signaling. In turn, the recovery of the ATP level or the inhibition of endoplasmic reticulum stress restores Wnt activity. These findings reveal a mechanism that links mitochondria! energetic metabolism to the control of the Wnt pathway that may be beneficial against several pathologie

Impaired Mitochondrial ATP Production Downregulates Wnt Signaling via ER Stress Induction

Wnt signaling affects fundamental development pathways and, if aberrantly activated, promotes the development of cancers. Wnt signaling is modulated by different factors, but whether the mitochondria! energetic state affects Wnt signaling is unknown. Here, we show that sublethal concentrations of different compounds that decrease mitochondrial ATP production specifically downregulate Wnt/beta-catenin signaling in vitro in colon cancer cells and in vivo in zebrafish reporter lines. Accordingly, fibroblasts from a GRACILE syndrome patient and a generated zebrafish model lead to reduced Wnt signaling. We identify a mitochondria-Wnt signaling axis whereby a decrease in mitochondria! ATP reduces calcium uptake into the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), leading to endoplasmic reticulum stress and to impaired Wnt signaling. In turn, the recovery of the ATP level or the inhibition of endoplasmic reticulum stress restores Wnt activity. These findings reveal a mechanism that links mitochondria! energetic metabolism to the control of the Wnt pathway that may be beneficial against several pathologie

Clobetasol promotes neuromuscular plasticity in mice after motoneuronal loss via sonic hedgehog signaling, immunomodulation and metabolic rebalancing

Motoneuronal loss is the main feature of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, although pathogenesis is extremely complex involving both neural and muscle cells. In order to translationally engage the sonic hedgehog pathway, which is a promising target for neural regeneration, recent studies have reported on the neuroprotective effects of clobetasol, an FDA-approved glucocorticoid, able to activate this pathway via smoothened. Herein we sought to examine functional, cellular, and metabolic effects of clobetasol in a neurotoxic mouse model of spinal motoneuronal loss. We found that clobetasol reduces muscle denervation and motor impairments in part by restoring sonic hedgehog signaling and supporting spinal plasticity. These effects were coupled with reduced pro-inflammatory microglia and reactive astrogliosis, reduced muscle atrophy, and support of mitochondrial integrity and metabolism. Our results suggest that clobetasol stimulates a series of compensatory processes and therefore represents a translational approach for intractable denervating and neurodegenerative disorders

JWST uncovers helium and water abundance variations in the bulge globular cluster NGC 6440

We used ultra-deep observations obtained with the NIRCam aboard the James Webb Space Telescope to explore the stellar population of NGC 6440: a typical massive, obscured, and contaminated globular cluster formed and orbiting within the Galactic bulge. Leveraging the exceptional capabilities of this camera, we sampled the cluster down to about five magnitudes below the main sequence turn-off in the (mF115W, mF115W - mF200W) colour- magnitude diagram. After carefully accounting for differential extinction and contamination by field interlopers, we find that the main sequence splits into two branches, each above and below the characteristic knee. By comparing the morphology of the colour- magnitude diagram with a suitable set of isochrones, we argue that the upper main sequence bi-modality is likely due to the presence of a He-enriched stellar population with a helium spread of ΔY = 0.04. The lower main sequence bi-modality can be attributed to variations in the abundance of water (i.e., oxygen) with Δ[O/Fe] ∼ -0.4. This is the first evidence of both helium and oxygen abundance variations in a globular cluster purely based on JWST observations. These results open the window for future in-depth investigations of the multiple population phenomenon in clusters located in the Galactic bulge, which were previously unfeasible with near-UV observations, due to prohibitive reddening and crowding conditions