La didattica del paesaggio in caso di disabilità visiva: alcune riflessioni per una deontologia dell’educazione geografica

This article presents some thoughts on landscape education in case of visual impairment. After four years of research spent on this matter, we would like to share with the scientific community an issue that is crucial for us, but substantially still ignored by literature. May the educator omit the visual meaning of the concept of landscape, or must they communicate it? What responsibilities, risks and benefits may emerge from one choice or the other? We believe that it is a delicate and significant problem, that cannot be bypassed simply resorting to non-visual forms of perception and meaning. Either way, we consider it an issue tackling the deontology of education, defining and therefore preceding any potential theoretical speculation or methodological solution. This is why we want to provide the reader with some conceptual tools useful to frame the issue and its possible implications from several points of view. In this case, the reflection on such implications will be conducted adopting and comparing three categories of sources: national and international normative sources; etymological and linguistic sources; sources from geographical theory. The result of these considerations suggests that, even in the context of visual impairment, the educator cannot avoid the duty to find the tools to communicate the visual value of landscape and, consequently, all the risks that this choice entails.Este artículo ofrece algunas reflexiones sobre la educación en paisaje en el caso de discapacidad visual. Después de cuatro años de investigación dedicados a este tema, queremos compartir con la comunidad científica una pregunta que es crucial para nosotros, pero aun sustancialmente ignorada en la literatura. ¿Puede el docente omitir o tiene el deber de comunicar el significado visual del concepto de paisaje? ¿Qué responsabilidades, qué riesgos y qué beneficios pueden surgir de una u otra elección? Creemos que se trata de un problema delicado y en modo alguno baladí, que no puede soslayarse simplemente recurriendo a formas no visuales de percepción y significación. Independientemente de cualquier elección que se plantee, creemos que se trata de un problema que afecta a la deontología educativa, que determina y por tanto precede a cualquier especulación teórica o solución metodológica. Por ello, queremos brindar al lector algunas herramientas conceptuales útiles para enmarcar la cuestión y sus posibles implicaciones desde diferentes puntos de vista. En concreto, la reflexión sobre estas implicaciones se desarrollará a partir de comparación de tres tipos de fuentes: fuentes normativas nacionales e internacionales; fuentes etimológicas y lingüísticas; fuentes de la teoría del paisaje geográfico. El resultado de estas reflexiones nos lleva a plantear la hipótesis de que, incluso en el caso de la discapacidad visual, el educador no puede omitir el deber de encontrar las herramientas para comunicar el valor visual del paisaje y, en consecuencia, todos los riesgos que esta elección conlleva.Questo articolo propone alcune riflessioni sull’educazione al paesaggio in caso di disabilità visiva. Dopo quattro anni di ricerca dedicati a questo tema, desideriamo condividere con la comunità scientifica una questione per noi cruciale, ma sostanzialmente ancora ignorata in letteratura. L’educatore può omettere o ha il dovere di comunicare il significato visivo del concetto di paesaggio? Quali responsabilità, quali rischi e quali benefici possono emergere da una o dall’altra scelta? Crediamo che si tratti di un problema delicato e affatto banale, che non può essere aggirato semplicemente ricorrendo a forme di percezione e significazione non visuali. Per qualsiasi scelta si protenda, riteniamo che si tratti di un problema che investe la deontologia educativa, che determina e quindi precede ogni eventuale speculazione teorica o soluzione metodologica. Per questa ragione, desideriamo fornire al lettore alcuni strumenti concettuali utili a inquadrare la questione e le sue possibili implicazioni attraverso differenti punti di vista. Nella fattispecie, la riflessione su tali implicazioni sarà sviluppata adottando e comparando tre tipologie di fonti: fonti normative nazionali e internazionali; fonti etimologiche e linguistiche; fonti della teoria geografica sul paesaggio. L’esito di queste riflessioni ci porta a ipotizzare che, anche in caso di disabilità visiva, l’educatore non possa sottrarsi al dovere di trovare gli strumenti per comunicare il valore visivo del paesaggio e, di conseguenza, a tutti i rischi che questa scelta comporta

The free energy landscape of the oncogene protein E7 of human papillomavirus type 16 reveals a complex interplay between ordered and disordered regions.

When present, structural disorder makes it very challenging to characterise the conformational properties of proteins. This is particularly the case of proteins, such as the oncogene protein E7 of human papillomavirus type 16, which contain both ordered and disordered domains, and that can populate monomeric and oligomeric states under physiological conditions. Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy is emerging as a powerful method to study these complex systems, most notably in combination with molecular dynamics simulations. Here we use NMR chemical shifts and residual dipolar couplings as structural restraints in replica-averaged molecular dynamics simulations to determine the free energy landscape of E7. This landscape reveals a complex interplay between a folded but highly dynamical C-terminal domain and a disordered N-terminal domain that forms transient secondary and tertiary structures, as well as an equilibrium between a high-populated (98%) dimeric state and a low-populated (2%) monomeric state. These results provide compelling evidence of the complex conformational heterogeneity associated with the behaviour and interactions of this disordered protein associated with disease.University of Florence (Italy) “Science without borders” of the Brazilian Ministry of Science and Technology (CNPq

Breast cancer chemotherapeutic options: a general overview on the preclinical validation of a multi-target ruthenium(III) complex lodged in nucleolipid nanosystems

In this review we have showcased the preclinical development of original amphiphilic nanomaterials designed for ruthenium‐based anticancer treatments, to be placed within the current metallodrugs approach leading over the past decade to advanced multitarget agents endowed with limited toxicity and resistance. This strategy could allow for new options for breast cancer (BC) interventions, including the triple‐negative subtype (TNBC) with poor therapeutic alternatives. BC is currently the second most widespread cancer and the primary cause of cancer death in women. Hence, the availability of novel chemotherapeutic weapons is a basic requirement to fight BC subtypes. Anticancer drugs based on ruthenium are among the most explored and advanced nextgeneration metallotherapeutics, with NAMI‐A and KP1019 as two iconic ruthenium complexes having undergone clinical trials. In addition, many nanomaterial Ru complexes have been recently conceived and developed into anticancer drugs demonstrating attractive properties. In this field, we focused on the evaluation of a Ru(III) complex—named AziRu—incorporated into a suite of both zwitterionic and cationic nucleolipid nanosystems, which proved to be very effective for the in vivo targeting of breast cancer cells (BBC). Mechanisms of action have been widely explored in the context of preclinical evaluations in vitro, highlighting a multitarget action on cell death pathways which are typically deregulated in neoplasms onset and progression. Moreover, being AziRu inspired by the well‐known NAMI‐A complex, information on non‐nanostructured Ru‐based anticancer agents have been included in a precise manner

Correction: High throughput approaches reveal splicing of primary microRNA transcripts and tissue specific expression of mature microRNAs in Vitis vinifera

The version of this article published in BMC Genomics 2009, 10:558, contains data in Table 1 which are now known to be unreliable, and an illustration, in Figure 1, of unusual miRNA processing events predicted by these unreliable data. In this full-length correction, new data replace those found to be unreliable, leading to a more straightforward interpretation without altering the principle conclusions of the study. Table 1 and associated methods have been corrected, Figure 1 deleted, supplementary file 1 added, and modifications made to the sections "Deep sequencing of small RNAs from grapevine leaf tissue" and "Microarray analysis of miRNA expression". The editors and authors regret the inconvenience caused to readers by premature publication of the original paper

High throughput approaches reveal splicing of primary microRNA transcripts and tissue specific expression of mature microRNAs in Vitis vinifera

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>MicroRNAs are short (~21 base) single stranded RNAs that, in plants, are generally coded by specific genes and cleaved specifically from hairpin precursors. MicroRNAs are critical for the regulation of multiple developmental, stress related and other physiological processes in plants. The recent annotation of the genome of the grapevine (<it>Vitis vinifera </it>L.) allowed the identification of many putative conserved microRNA precursors, grouped into multiple gene families.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Here we use oligonucleotide arrays to provide the first indication that many of these microRNAs show differential expression patterns between tissues and during the maturation of fruit in the grapevine. Furthermore we demonstrate that whole transcriptome sequencing and deep-sequencing of small RNA fractions can be used both to identify which microRNA precursors are expressed in different tissues and to estimate genomic coordinates and patterns of splicing and alternative splicing for many primary miRNA transcripts.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Our results show that many microRNAs are differentially expressed in different tissues and during fruit maturation in the grapevine. Furthermore, the demonstration that whole transcriptome sequencing can be used to identify candidate splicing events and approximate primary microRNA transcript coordinates represents a significant step towards the large-scale elucidation of mechanisms regulating the expression of microRNAs at the transcriptional and post-transcriptional levels.</p

Biohazard in air-conditioning systems installed in health facilities

The project "Biological hazard related to the operation of air-conditioning systems in sanitary environments in the province of Avellino" has had, as its main objective, the microbiological monitoring of the environments hospitals in order to evaluate the microbiological quality of the air, through procedures and criteria for sampling the environmental microbial flora. This procedure aims to assess and manage risks related to the hygiene of air treatment plants (UTA), which must be periodically subjected to checks, maintenance, cleaning and sanitisation in order to protect the health of Workers according to technical standards and national guidelines. Most important was the characterisation at the level of species and gender of the main microbiological contaminants present within the samples investigated. The entire trial was carried out on a temporal scale taking into account the frequency of the UTA maintenance activities and thus establishing the monitoring plan. In order to assess the effectiveness of the maintenance plan and the efficiency of the actions of sanitizations, withdrawals should be made at three different times or immediately after ordinary maintenance, halfway between the first and second Maintenance and immediately before the second maintenance. This way you can monitor the presence of different bacterial contaminants in time. The quantitative and qualitative analysis of bacteria, pathogens and not, in hospital environments aims to prevent the onset and spread of pathologies. In particular, the monitoring of air handling units is of fundamental importance since such plants can cause the diffusion of many pollutants, coming from outside or inside, resulting from residues of materials from Construction, from remnants of plant and animal origin (pigeons, mice, insects) or moulds and bacteria that can contaminate the water and the surfaces inside the aeraulic plants. The molecular-based taxonomic characterization of the most representative species in the test specimens has as its main purpose the identification of any "sentinel" markers as well as indicators of biohazard

Secreted Gal-3BP is a novel promising target for non-internalizing Antibody–Drug Conjugates

Abstract Galectin-3-binding protein (Gal-3BP) has been identified as a cancer and metastasis-associated, secreted protein that is expressed by the large majority of cancers. The present study describes a special type of non-internalizing antibody-drug-conjugates that specifically target Gal-3BP. Here, we show that the humanized 1959 antibody, which specifically recognizes secreted Gal-3BP, selectively localized around tumor but not normal cells. A site specific disulfide linkage with thiol-maytansinoids to unpaired cysteine residues of 1959, resulting in a drug-antibody ratio of 2, yielded an ADC product, which cured A375m melanoma bearing mice. ADC products based on the non-internalizing 1959 antibody may be useful for the treatment of several human malignancies, as the cognate antigen is abundantly expressed and secreted by several cancers, while being present at low levels in most normal adult tissues