Twenty years of stereotype threat research: A review of psychological mediators

This systematic literature review appraises critically the mediating variables of stereotype threat. A bibliographic search was conducted across electronic databases between 1995 and 2015. The search identified 45 experiments from 38 articles and 17 unique proposed mediators that were categorized into affective/subjective (n = 6), cognitive (n = 7) and motivational mechanisms (n = 4). Empirical support was accrued for mediators such as anxiety, negative thinking, and mind-wandering, which are suggested to co-opt working memory resources under stereotype threat. Other research points to the assertion that stereotype threatened individuals may be motivated to disconfirm negative stereotypes, which can have a paradoxical effect of hampering performance. However, stereotype threat appears to affect diverse social groups in different ways, with no one mediator providing unequivocal empirical support. Underpinned by the multi-threat framework, the discussion postulates that different forms of stereotype threat may be mediated by distinct mechanisms

Visualising G-quadruplex DNA dynamics in live cells by fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy

Guanine rich regions of oligonucleotides fold into quadruple-stranded structures called G-quadruplexes (G4s). Increasing evidence suggests that these G4 structures form in vivo and play a crucial role in cellular processes. However, their direct observation in live cells remains a challenge. Here we demonstrate that a fluorescent probe (DAOTA-M2) in conjunction with fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy (FLIM) can identify G4s within nuclei of live and fixed cells. We present a FLIM-based cellular assay to study the interaction of non-fluorescent small molecules with G4s and apply it to a wide range of drug candidates. We also demonstrate that DAOTA-M2 can be used to study G4 stability in live cells. Reduction of FancJ and RTEL1 expression in mammalian cells increases the DAOTA-M2 lifetime and therefore suggests an increased number of G4s in these cells, implying that FancJ and RTEL1 play a role in resolving G4 structures in cellulo

Un progetto di ricerca di base sulla documentazione cartografica, catastale e d’archivio per la redazione di cartografie ricostruttive delle citta della Sardegna

A basic research project regarding cartographic, cadastral and archive documents for the preparation of reconstruction maps of cities in Sardinia The basic research project entitled “Development of methods for the production of medieval and modern reconstruction plans of cities in Sardinia: computerized analysis of lot structure and urban evolution of historic settlements” enabled us to embark upon a course of study of the cartographic materials regarding cities in Sardinia. Among the goals of the project is the development of materials that can be useful for analytical and critical readings of the region’s historic urban heritage. The medieval origins, still to be studied partly in relation to design components and the form of the dwelling units, represent an interesting sampling of Italian and Mediterranean cultures. The reorganization of cartographic documents, developed in accordance with current research methodologies, provides some new insights into urban structure using computerized data processing procedures that can be useful both for developing new studies as well as for the preservation of urban and landscape heritage

Group meaningfulness and the causal direction of influence between the ingroup and the self or another individual: Evidence from the induction-deduction paradigm

The goal of the present study was to investigate the causal direction of influence between the ingroup as a whole and the self or another ingroup member considering a key feature of groups, i.e., their perceived meaningfulness. To this goal, in Study 1, 2, and 3 we predicted a preference for self-stereotyping and ingroup-stereotyping in the meaningful social categories of sorority women, left-handed people and psychology students. In Study 4 we further expect that the meaningfulness attributed to a group moderates the direction of causality between individual and ingroup perception. Thus, we used one\u2019s Zodiac sign as the ingroup whose degree of meaningfulness varies across participants and we hypothesized higher levels of meaningfulness attributed to the ingroup to be associated with higher self- and ingroup-stereotyping. Using the methodologically stringent Induction Deduction Paradigm, participants were given information on unfamiliar dimensions, about either the ingroup or an individual (self or other ingroup member) and asked to make inferences on those same attributes about the ingroup (induction condition) or the individual (deduction condition). As predicted, a preference for deduction to the self (i.e., self-stereotyping) and deduction to another ingroup member (i.e., ingroup-stereotyping) were found for the meaningful groups of sorority women, left-handed people, and Psychology students (Studies 1, 2, and 3). In Study 4, consistent with predictions, the higher the level of attributed meaningfulness to the Zodiac system the higher the degree of deduction both to the self (self-stereotyping) and to another Zodiac ingroup member (ingroup-stereotyping). Several implications of these results are discussed, for example in relation to the possibility of educational interventions aimed at invalidating intergroup differences

Le strade medievali nel territorio periurbano tra continuità con l’antico e ridisegno moderno dei tracciati

During the Middle Age centuries, the roads close to the towns were reorganized in accord with urban transformations. Even in road links between cities and in planning rural landscape, the middle age culture has its own project vision which not always followed those of the ancient times. The geography around cities takes form in many symbolic ways. New place names give a new plan to the territory. Sometimes the territory was designed with good drawing quality, sometimes it was described more synthetically. In many cases, this plant was only a mental idea used for the mnemonic or the oral description of the places. Different regional Italian places are studied in order to recognize words and theoretical and technical models used at that time. The result is a revaluation of the Middle Age people's ability in planning and managing roads and lands