Youth Development Approaches in Adolescent Family Life Demonstration Projects

Youth development (YD) strategies in conjunction with appropriate age-graded sexuality and family life education programs/curricula may have an important role to play in formulating convincing answers to these questions. Youth development approaches help youth enhance their assets rather than concentrating on their difficulties. They focus on where youth are going, helping them develop a belief in a viable future and in their ability to take actions that will bring that future about. The commitment to a future that would be disrupted by a pregnancy during adolescence is about the only thing that Zabin and her colleagues (1986) found to differentiate among Baltimore adolescents using teen clinics who did and did not get pregnant. Teens without a strong reason to avoid pregnancy got pregnant at the same rate as those who wanted to get pregnant; the only teens who were successful at avoiding pregnancy were those who had a future goal that a pregnancy would disrupt. Thus, incorporating youth development principles along with some specific techniques into the work of the Office of Adolescent Pregnancy Programs' (OAPP) abstinence-oriented programs would seem to be an important program enhancement with potentially valuable impacts

CULTURAL HERITAGE DISSEMINATION: BIM MODELLING AND AR APPLICATION FOR A DIACHRONIC TALE

The research purpose is to present a project of cultural dissemination and enhancement of the “Madonna della Pace” Sanctuary at Rocchetta di Airuno (Lecco - Italy), based on an immersive experience of knowledge of the history and places that characterize not only the sanctuary but also the “Cammino di Sant’Agostino” (of which it is one of the stages). The research goal focuses on the direct employment and exploitation of HBIM models for the digital fruition project. An integrated digital survey based on a terrestrial laser scanner and photogrammetry was conducted to provide a complete geometrical representation of the sanctuary and its surroundings. Both output point clouds were employed as metric and geometric references to create the reality-based parametric model. Specifically, the work focuses on creating a three-dimensional chronological model of the sanctuary, which not only represents the current state of the cultural asset but is also enriched through the definition of different evolutionary phases of the architectural artifact based on an indepth study of the photographic and bibliographic documentations. Four Project Phasing has been identified to represent the most significant transformations of the building and were managed using the time parameter in the same BIM project. The sanctuary geometric and parametric models were displayed and navigable thanks to the aid of Virtual and Augmented Reality applications. A VR environment was defined to display in the first person the textured model. Finally, an AR smartphone app prototype was developed to show tourists the sanctuary’s historical transformation over time

An allelic variant in the intergenic region between ERAP1 and ERAP2 correlates with an inverse expression of the two genes

The Endoplasmatic Reticulum Aminopeptidases ERAP1 and ERAP2 are implicated in a variety of immune and non-immune functions. Most studies however have focused on their role in shaping the HLA class I peptidome by trimming peptides to the optimal size. Genome Wide Association Studies highlighted non-synonymous polymorphisms in their coding regions as associated with several immune mediated diseases. The two genes lie contiguous and oppositely oriented on the 5q15 chromosomal region. Very little is known about the transcriptional regulation and the quantitative variations of these enzymes. Here, we correlated the level of transcripts and proteins of the two aminopeptidases in B-lymphoblastoid cell lines from 44 donors harbouring allelic variants in the intergenic region between ERAP1 and ERAP2. We found that the presence of a G instead of an A at SNP rs75862629 in the ERAP2 gene promoter strongly influences the expression of the two ERAPs with a down-modulation of ERAP2 coupled with a significant higher expression of ERAP1. We therefore show here for the first time a coordinated quantitative regulation of the two ERAP genes, which can be relevant for the setting of specific therapeutic approaches

Enhanced Interaction Experience for Holographic Visualization

Nowadays, holographic visualization pushes further the limits in exploring tri-dimensional digital con-tent. 3D models typically displayed through a computer screen now enter the real world as holograms. The Hologram Table allows users to visualize and manipulate huge 3D models as if they were in the space in front of them. Its use has already proved helpful for the virtual fruition and presentation of complex cultural heritage buildings and their design interventions, but it surely can do more. The work aims at exploring the possibility of expanding the capabilities of the Hologram Table interaction by developing a custom-designed experience to interact with 3D point cloud data coming from survey activity. The test case was the interesting building of the Santa Maria delle Grazie (Milan, Italy) basilica. Initial results are encouraging and show that the point model can be enriched with associated information and additional content (images and texts) available for holographic visualization

5-(carbamoylmethylene)-oxazolidin-2-ones as a promising class of heterocycles inducing apoptosis triggered by increased ROS levels and mitochondrial dysfunction in breast and cervical cancer

Oxazolidinones are antibiotics that inhibit protein synthesis by binding the 50S ribosomal subunit. Recently, numerous worldwide researches focused on their properties and possible involvement in cancer therapy have been conducted. Here, we evaluated in vitro the antiproliferative activity of some 5-(carbamoylmethylene)-oxazolidin-2-ones on MCF-7 and HeLa cells. The tested compounds displayed a wide range of cytotoxicity on these cancer cell lines, measured by MTT assay, exhibiting no cytotoxicity on non-tumorigenic MCF-10A cells. Among the nine tested derivatives, four displayed a good anticancer potential. Remarkably, OI compound showed IC50 values of 17.66 and 31.10 µM for MCF-7 and HeLa cancer cells, respectively. Furthermore, we assessed OI effect on the cell cycle by FACS analysis, highlighting a G1 phase arrest after 72 h, supported by a low expression level of Cyclin D1 protein. Moreover, mitochondrial membrane potential was reduced after OI treatment driven by high levels of ROS. These findings demonstrate that OI treatment can inhibit MCF-7 and HeLa cell proliferation and induce apoptosis by caspase-9 activation and cytochrome c release in the cytosol. Hence, 5-(carbamoylmethylene)-oxazolidin-2-ones have a promising anticancer activity, in particular, OI derivative could represent a good candidate for in vivo further studies and potential clinical use

Deferiprone (DFP) targets cancer stem cell (CSC) propagation by inhibiting mitochondrial metabolism and inducing ROS production

Deferiprone (DFP), also known as Ferriprox, is an FDA-approved, orally active, iron chelator that is currently used clinically for the treatment of iron-overload, especially in thalassaemia major. As iron is a critical factor in Fe-S cluster assembly that is absolutely required for the metabolic function of mitochondria, we hypothesized that DFP treatment could be used to selectively target mitochondria in cancer stem cells (CSCs). For this purpose, we used two ER(+) human breast cancer cell lines, namely MCF7 and T47D cells, as model systems. More specifically, a 3D tumorsphere assay was employed as a functional readout of CSC activity which measures anchorage-independent growth under low attachment conditions. Here, we show that DFP dose dependently inhibited the propagation of CSCs, with an IC-50 of ~100 nM for MCF7 and an IC-50 of ~0.5 to 1 μM for T47D cells, making DFP one the most potent FDA-approved drugs that we and others have thus far identified for targeting CSCs. Mechanistically, we show that high concentrations of DFP metabolically targeted both mitochondrial oxygen consumption (OCR) and glycolysis (extracellular acidification rates (ECAR)) in MCF7 and T47D cell monolayers. Most importantly, we demonstrate that DFP also induced a generalized increase in reactive oxygen species (ROS) and mitochondrial superoxide production, and its effects reverted in the presence of N-acetyl-cysteine (NAC). Therefore, we propose that DFP is a new candidate therapeutic for drug repurposing and for Phase II clinical trials aimed at eradicating CSCs

VUV-Vis optical characterization of Tetraphenyl-butadiene films on glass and specular reflector substrates from room to liquid Argon temperature

The use of efficient wavelength-shifters from the vacuum-ultraviolet to the photosensor's range of sensitivity is a key feature in detectors for Dark Matter search and neutrino physics based on liquid argon scintillation detection. Thin film of Tetraphenyl-butadiene (TPB) deposited onto the surface delimiting the active volume of the detector and/or onto the photosensor optical window is the most common solution in current and planned experiments. Detector design and response can be evaluated and correctly simulated only when the properties of the optical system in use (TPB film + substrate) are fully understood. Characterization of the optical system requires specific, sometimes sophisticated optical methodologies. In this paper the main features of TPB coatings on different, commonly used substrates is reported, as a result of two independent campaigns of measurements at the specialized optical metrology labs of ENEA and University of Tor Vergata. Measured features include TPB emission spectra with lineshape and relative intensity variation recorded as a function of the film thickness and for the first time down to LAr temperature, as well as optical reflectance and transmittance spectra of the TPB coated substrates in the wavelength range of the TPB emission

Expression analysis of HLA-E and NKG2A and NKG2C receptors points at a role for natural killer function in ankylosing spondylitis

Background. Ankylosing Spondylitis (AS) is a complex chronic inflammatory disease strongly associated with the majority of HLA-B27 alleles. HLA-E are non-classical MHC class I molecules that specifically interact with the natural killer receptors NKG2A (inhibitory) and NKG2C (activating), and have been recently proposed to be involved in AS pathogenesis. Objectives: To analyze the expression of HLA-E and the CD94/NKG2 pair of receptors in HLA-B27 positive AS patients and healthy controls (HC) bearing the AS-associated, B*2705 and the non-AS-associated, B*2709 allele. Methods: The level of surface expression of HLA-E molecules on CD14 positive peripheral blood mononuclear cell was evaluated in 21 HLA-B*2705 patients with AS, 12 HLA-B*2705 HC, 12 HLA-B*2709 HC and 6 HLA-B27 negative HC, using the monoclonal antibody MEM-E/08 by quantitative cytofluorimetric analysis. The percentage and density of expression of HLA-E ligands NKG2A and NKG2C were also measured on CD3-CD56+ NK cells. Results. HLA-E expression in CD14 positive cells was significantly higher in AS patients (587.0 IQR 424-830) compared to B*2705 HC (389 IQR 251.3-440.5, p=0.0007), B*2709 HC (294.5 IQR 209.5-422, p=0.0004) and HLA-B27 negative HC (380 IQR 197.3-515.0, p=0.01). A higher number of NK cells expressing NKG2A compared to NKG2C was found in all cohort analysed as well as a higher cell surface density. Conclusion: The higher surface level of HLA-E molecules in AS patients compared to HC, concurrently with a prevalent expression of NKG2A, suggests that the crosstalk between these two molecules might play a role in AS pathogenesis accounting for the previously reported association between HLA-E and AS

Sheep husbandry in the early Neolithic of the Pyrenees: new data on feeding and reproduction in the cave of Chaves

Sheep predominate the Early Neolithic faunal assemblages in the Iberian Peninsula. Their exploitation for meat and milk production made them key to the economy of these early farming societies. Management of sheep breeding season and feeding in the context of the local environment were decisive in obtaining these livestock products. This work focuses on these aspects through stable isotope and dental microwear analyses on sheep teeth from the cave of Chaves (Huesca, Spain). The results show the existence of “out of season” (autumn/early winter) sheep births in the Early Neolithic, contrasting significantly with spring lambing prevailing in Neolithic husbandries elsewhere in Europe and confirming the antiquity of a western Mediterranean characteristic in this regard. Furthermore, little changes in sheep diet throughout the year have been documented, as far as could be evidenced from stable carbon isotope ratios and dental microwear. Only two individuals showed higher variability in diet on a seasonal scale with possible contribution of C4 plants, possibly from grazing in the valley steppes at lower altitudes. Overall the results suggest good adaptation of sheep to the Pyrenean mid-altitude environment and strong zootechnical knowledge of the earliest shepherds in this area