Migrants, COVID-19, and Italy: A Multimodal Critical Discourse Analysis of the Construction of and Resistance to Nationalist Discourses

Migration has historically been a controversial issue around the world and one that has often been harnessed by people in power (or people hoping to gain power) for their own political agendas. In times of a global pandemic, the scapegoating of migrants has only increased, often rooted in nationalist ideologies which lead to policies and practices that harm migrants and the larger society. The present paper employs multimodal critical discourse analysis to explore how nationalist ideologies supported by right-wing populism are constructed visually and verbally during COVID-19 on Italian social media in regard to migration. We analyze Giorgia Meloni’s (leader of the nationalist party “Fratelli D’Italia”) Twitter thread discussing the arrival and detention of migrants in Italy in July-August 2020 as a representative sample of the discourse. Findings show one example of how nationalist discourses scapegoat migrants visually and verbally, but also how this discourse can be countered by the public via social media. Additionally, subtle details revealed in the visual analysis show the importance of multimodal research in un-packing ideologies that are easy to deny and hence more dangerous because of social media’s capacity to spread (mis)information

The role of employability in students during academic experience: a preliminary study through PLS-PM technique

In the current socio-economic scenario, affected by constant changes inthe labor market, employability found greater echo. Universities frequently adopt strategies aimed at improving the employability and usefulness of theareas of competence, motivation and interests of young graduates and workers. In this study a preliminary research was conducted on a sample of 84 university students who attended a consulting service at the University of Salento, the Career Service Office. The average age of the sample was 26.74 years (DS = 4.95), 63% women, 71.4% unemployed. The tool used was a questionnaire-interview. The aim of this research was to assess the role of employability and its influence on personal variables and active work behaviours, as job searching activities. Analyses were conducted through PLS-PM technique, a non-parametrical SEM modeling, and demonstrated that employability affects job search and personal efficacy, while personal efficacy had a non signicant relation with job search behaviours

The role of employability in students during academic experience: A preliminary study through PLS-PM technique

In the current socio-economic scenario, affected by constant changes in the labor market, employability found greater echo. Universities frequently adopt strategies aimed at improving the employability and usefulness of the areas of competence, motivation and interests of young graduates and workers. In this study a preliminary research was conducted on a sample of 84 university students who attended a consulting service at the University of Salento, the Career Service Office. The average age of the sample was 26.74 years (DS = 4.95), 63% women, 71.4% unemployed. The tool used was a questionnaire-interview. The aim of this research was to assess the role of employability and its in uence on personal variables and active work behaviours, as job searching activities. Analyses were conducted through PLS-PM technique, a non-parametrical SEM modeling, and demonstrated that employability affects job search and self-efficacy, while self-efficacy had a non significant relation with job search behaviour

Two-dimensional kinematics in gait evaluation of Bardigiano Horse breeding stock

Kinematics studies the change of position of the body segments in space during a speci- fied time: motion is described quantitatively by linear and angular variables. The data are displayed graphi- cally. In this preliminary study the kinematics parameters at trot of an Italian horse breed are considered, in order to develop an objective method for gait analysis in field condition. Six Bardigiano mares were considered. Fourteen markers were glued on the left side of the standing mares at previously defined skel- etal reference points. The recordings were made using a video digital camera and analyzed using the SIMI Motion System. The obtained joint angle-time diagrams are similar to those found by other authors in other breeds. A horse showed an elbow motion diagram quite different from the others. The data were compared with judges scores. This study is a first step to obtain a reliable method for gait evaluation in this breed

A Review on the Antimicrobial Activity of Schiff Bases: Data Collection and Recent Studies

Schiff bases (SBs) have extensive applications in different fields such as analytical, inor‐ ganic and organic chemistry. They are used as dyes, catalysts, polymer stabilizers, luminescence chemosensors, catalyzers in the fixation of CO2 biolubricant additives and have been suggested for solar energy applications as well. Further, a wide range of pharmacological and biological applica‐ tions, such as antimalarial, antiproliferative, analgesic, anti‐inflammatory, antiviral, antipyretic, an‐ tibacterial and antifungal uses, emphasize the need for SB synthesis. Several SBs conjugated with chitosan have been studied in order to enhance the antibacterial activity of chitosan. Moreover, the use of the nanoparticles of SBs may improve their antimicrobial effects. Herein, we provide an ana‐ lytical overview of the antibacterial and antifungal properties of SBs and chitosan‐based SBs as well as SBs‐functionalized nanoparticles. The most relevant and recent literature was reviewed for this purpose

Synthesis, anticancer and antioxidant properties of new indole and pyranoindole derivatives

The indole scaffold has been recognized, over the years, as a model for the synthesis of compounds with anticancer activity by dint of its substantiated ability to act via multiple mechanisms, which also involves the inhibition of enzymes engaged in DNA replication. In this regard, a new series of indole and pyranoindole derivatives have been prepared, some of which showed good antitumor activity and proved their inhibitory effects on the tubulin target. The anticancer activity of the newly synthesized compounds has been evaluated on breast cancer cell lines, as MCF-7 and MDA-MB231, cervical cancer cells line HeLa and Ishikawa endometrial cancer cell line. Among the compounds under study, 7 exhibited a good antitumor activity on HeLa cell line (IC50 = 3.6 ± 0.5), leading to cell death by apoptosis due to the inhibition of tubulin polymerization, which demonstrated that the compound can explicate its function in a similar way to Vinblastine, a well-known inhibitor of tubulin polymerization. The data were also confirmed by in silico assays. No cytotoxicity against normal cells has been detected. Furthermore, in order to investigate the antioxidant properties, DPPH and ABTS tests were performed, together with fluorescence assays on 3T3-L1 cells. All our findings taken together led us to consider compound 7 a favourable candidate for the battle against cancer

A Mini-Review on Thalidomide: Chemistry, Mechanisms of Action, Therapeutic Potential and Anti-Angiogenic Properties in Multiple Myeloma

Thalidomide is a drug with interesting therapeutic properties but also with severe side effects which require a careful and monitored use. Potential immunomodulatory, anti-inflammatory, anti-angiogenic and sedative properties make thalidomide a good candidate for the treatment of several diseases such as multiple myeloma. Through an increase in the degradation of TNF alpha-mRNA, thalidomide reduces the production of TNF alpha by monocytes and macrophages stimulated by lipopolysaccharide or by T lymphocytes induced by mitogenic stimuli. The decreased level of TNF alpha alters the mechanisms of intracellular transduction by preventing the activation of NF-kB and by decreasing the synthesis of proteins, in particular IL-6, involved in cell proliferation, inflammation, angiogenesis and protection from apoptosis. Furthermore, thalidomide affects VEGF levels by down-regulating its expression. Nowadays, new safer and less toxic drugs, analogs of thalidomide, are emerging as beneficial for a more targeted treatment of multiple myeloma and several other diseases such as Crohn's disease, rheumatoid arthritis, sarcoidosis, erythema nodosum leprosum, graft-versus-host disease

Molecular Insights into the Local Anesthetic Receptor within Voltage-Gated Sodium Channels Using Hydroxylated Analogs of Mexiletine

We previously showed that the β-adrenoceptor modulators, clenbuterol and propranolol, directly blocked voltage-gated sodium channels, whereas salbutamol and nadolol did not (Desaphy et al., 2003), suggesting the presence of two hydroxyl groups on the aromatic moiety of the drugs as a molecular requisite for impeding sodium channel block. To verify such an hypothesis, we synthesized five new mexiletine analogs by adding one or two hydroxyl groups to the aryloxy moiety of the sodium channel blocker and tested these compounds on hNav1.4 channels expressed in HEK293 cells. Concentration–response relationships were constructed using 25-ms-long depolarizing pulses at −30 mV applied from an holding potential of −120 mV at 0.1 Hz (tonic block) and 10 Hz (use-dependent block) stimulation frequencies. The half-maximum inhibitory concentrations (IC50) were linearly correlated to drug lipophilicity: the less lipophilic the drug, minor was the block. The same compounds were also tested on F1586C and Y1593C hNav1.4 channel mutants, to gain further information on the molecular interactions of mexiletine with its receptor within the sodium channel pore. In particular, replacement of Phe1586 and Tyr1593 by non-aromatic cysteine residues may help in the understanding of the role of π–π or π–cation interactions in mexiletine binding. Alteration of tonic block suggests that the aryloxy moiety of mexiletine may interact either directly or indirectly with Phe1586 in the closed sodium channel to produce low-affinity binding block, and that this interaction depends on the electrostatic potential of the drug aromatic tail. Alteration of use-dependent block suggests that addition of hydroxyl groups to the aryloxy moiety may modify high-affinity binding of the drug amine terminal to Phe1586 through cooperativity between the two pharmacophores, this effect being mainly related to drug lipophilicity. Mutation of Tyr1593 further impaired such cooperativity. In conclusion, these results confirm our former hypothesis by showing that the presence of hydroxyl groups to the aryloxy moiety of mexiletine greatly reduced sodium channel block, and provide molecular insights into the intimate interaction of local anesthetics with their receptor

Benzothiazole-Containing Analogues of Triclocarban with Potent Antibacterial Activity

Triclocarban (TCC) is a polychlorinated, aromatic, antimicrobial agent commercially used since the 1950s in personal care products for the prevention of spoilage and infections. Humans are frequently exposed to TCC due to its widespread use, leading to its substantial release into the aquatic environment. With the recent ban of TCC from some personal care products, implemented in 2016, many replacement antimicrobial compounds have been studied by researchers. Herein, we report the synthesis and biological activity of a series of diarylureas, analogues of TCC that bear the benzothiazole nucleus as one of the two aryl moieties. Among the studied compounds, 2bF and 2eC showed the highest antimicrobial activity against Staphylococcus aureus, being also more active than TCC, with MIC values of 8 µg/mL versus 16 µg/mL of TCC. Moreover, compound 2bB was much more active than TCC against Enterococcus faecalis, a Gram-positive bacterium that is, unfortunately, strongly responsible for nosocomial infections. Finally, interesting results were found for compound 2bG that, even though less active than the others, exerts an interesting bactericidal action