Training on citizen engagement in Policy-relevant Science, Technology and Innovation: Sarajevo 12 -13 October 2017. @ Rektorat, Univerzitet u Sarajevu, Obala Kulina Bana 7/II, 71000 Sarajevo, BiH

In the framework of its Enlargement and Integration Action, JRC is organizing in collaboration with the Ministry of Civil Affairs of Bosnia and Herzegovina this "Training on citizen engagement in Policy relevant Science, Technology and Innovation", in Sarajevo on 12th-13th October 2017. Creating the conditions for genuine engagement of citizens and other societal actors in matters of their concern where science and technology are relevant is an issue of increasing political attention; not least because the diffusion of “low cost” and “low tech” media through which citizens can, like never before, express opinions and concerns calls for institutional reflexivity. Public engagement is one of the pillars of the RRI lemma, together with Ethics. This training course responds to a concrete lack of genuine and legitimate places whereby institutions can explore insights, expectations and imaginaries of citizens in matters of concern to all. This training is concerned with the science for policy realm where engagement of citizens is needed and relevant to ensure quality of policy formulation processes in situations described in the framework of “post-normal science” where “facts uncertain, values in dispute, stakes high and decisions urgent". This training will look into participatory approaches to discuss science and technology developments as well as discuss what makes trustful relationships between the scientific community and the public trustworthyJRC.I.2-Foresight, Behavioural Insights and Design for Polic

Online information on face masks: analysis of websites in Italian and English returned by different search engines.

OBJECTIVE: Countries have major differences in the acceptance of face mask use for the prevention of COVID-19. This work aims at studying the information online in different countries in terms of information quality and content. DESIGN: Content analysis. METHOD: We analysed 450 webpages returned by searching the string 'are face masks dangerous' in Italy, the UK and the USA using three search engines (Bing, Duckduckgo and Google) in August 2020. The type of website and the stance about masks were assessed by two raters for each language and inter-rater agreement reported as Cohen's kappa. The text of the webpages was collected from the web using WebBootCaT and analysed using a corpus analysis software to identify issues mentioned. RESULTS: Most pages were news outlets, and few (2%-6%) from public health agencies. Webpages with a negative stance on masks were more frequent in Italian (28%) than English (19%). Google returned the highest number of mask-positive pages and Duckduckgo the lowest. Google also returned the lowest number of pages mentioning conspiracy theories and Duckduckgo the highest. Webpages in Italian scored lower than those in English in transparency (reporting authors, their credentials and backing the information with references). When issues about the use of face masks were analysed, mask effectiveness was the most discussed followed by hypercapnia (accumulation of carbon dioxide), contraindication in respiratory disease and hypoxia, with issues related to their contraindications in mental health conditions and disability mentioned by very few pages. CONCLUSIONS: This study suggests that: (1) public health agencies should increase their web presence in providing correct information on face masks; (2) search engines should improve the information quality criteria in their ranking; (3) the public should be more informed on issues related to the use of masks and disabilities, mental health and stigma arising for those people who cannot wear masks

Training on Citizen Engagement in Policy-relevant Science,Technology and Innovation

Creating the conditions for genuine engagement of citizens and other societal actors in matters of their concern where science and technology are relevant is an issue of increasing political attention; not least because the diffusion of “low cost” and “low tech” media through which citizens can, like never before, express opinions and concerns calls for institutional reflexivity. Public engagement is one of the pillars of the RRI lemma, together with Ethics. This training course responds to a concrete lack of genuine and legitimate places whereby institutions can explore insights, expectations and imaginaries of citizens in matters of concern to all. This training is concerned with the science for policy realm where engagement of citizens is needed and relevant to ensure quality of policy formulation processes in situations described in the framework of “post-normal science” where “facts uncertain, values in dispute, stakes high and decisions urgent". This training will look into participatory approaches to discuss science and technology developments as well as discuss what makes trustful relationships between the scientific community and the public trustworthy.JRC.I.2-Foresight, Behavioural Insights and Design for Polic

Time to teach post-normal science communication? Fostering the engagement of the extended peer community in an academic course of Environmental Sciences

In November 2016, within an Environmental studies course at the University of Venice, students carried out an experiment aimed at collecting scenarios of the Venetian coast’s future starting from lessons learnt during the episode of storm surge 50 years ago (Aqua Granda flood). The students built scenarios able to anticipate the effect of sea level rise on coastal areas in Venice, based not only on scientific input but also on a methodology called “Futurescape city Tours” (FCT) involving inhabitants of the barrier islands of Lido and Pellestrina. This paper will explore three main questions: (i) Can participatory and experiential methodologies, such as FCT help students behave in an anticipatory and inclusive way in their future professional activities? (ii) Can we talk about post-normal science teaching? — i.e. one that acknowledges and works with science and other knowledges to address societal issues? (iii) Can such an approach challenge students thinking in relation to knowledge hierarchies

Role of pitrm1 in mitochondrial dysfunction and neurodegeneration

Mounting evidence shows a link between mitochondrial dysfunction and neurodegenerative disorders, including Alzheimer Disease. Increased oxidative stress, defective mitodynamics, and impaired oxidative phosphorylation leading to decreased ATP production, can determine synaptic dysfunction, apoptosis, and neurodegeneration. Furthermore, mitochondrial proteostasis and the protease-mediated quality control system, carrying out degradation of potentially toxic peptides and misfolded or damaged proteins inside mitochondria, are emerging as potential pathogenetic mechanisms. The enzyme pitrilysin metallopeptidase 1 (PITRM1) is a key player in these processes; it is responsible for degrading mitochondrial targeting sequences that are cleaved off from the imported precursor proteins and for digesting a mitochondrial fraction of amyloid beta (Aβ). In this review, we present current evidence obtained from patients with PITRM1 mutations, as well as the different cellular and animal models of PITRM1 deficiency, which points toward PITRM1 as a possible driving factor of several neurodegenerative conditions. Finally, we point out the prospect of new diagnostic and therapeutic approaches.publishedVersio

Interrogating Privacy in the digital society: media narratives after 2 cases

The introduction of information technology (IT) in the society and its pervasiveness in every aspect of citizens’ daily life highlight societal stakes related to the goals of IT uses, social networks being a most important example. This paper examines two cases which have in common a not straightforward link with privacy as addressed and protected by existing law in Europe (EU) and the United-States (USA), but whose characteristics, we reckon fall on other privacy function and properties. In Western societies individuals rely on normative discourses such as the legal one in order to ensure protection. Hence, the paper argues that other functions of privacy need either further framing into legislation or they need to constitute in themselves normative commitments of an ethical nature for technology development and use. Some initiatives at EU level recall such commitments namely by developing a normative discourse based on ethics and human values. We argue that we need to interrogate society about those normative discourses because the values we once cherished in a non-digital society are seriously being questioned.JRC.G.7-Digital Citizen Securit

HIV-1 envelope-dependent restriction of CXCR4-using viruses in child but not adult untransformed CD4+ T-lymphocyte lines

AbstractPhytohemagglutin-stimulated child and adult leukocytes equally supported CCR5-dependent (R5) and CXCR4-dependent (X4) HIV-1 replication. In contrast, when phytohemagglutin-stimulated leukocytes from either healthy or congenitally immunodeficient children were cultured on feeder cells, they well supported R5, but not X4 HIV-1 replication, whereas both viruses equally spread in adult cells maintained in similar conditions. Both child and adult cells showed similar levels of proliferation and surface expression of CD4, CCR5, CXCR4, CD25, CD69, and HLA-DR. Lack of X4 HIV-1 replication in child versus adult cells was not caused by a differential expression of several known HIV-1 restriction factors. Similar levels of HIV DNA synthesis occurred in child cells infected with R5 and X4 viruses up to 48 hours after infection when R5 HIV-1 showed a significantly superior capacity to spread in culture than X4 virus. Cultured child cells well supported single round vescicular stomatitis virus-G pseudotyped virus replication, whereas superinfection of R5-infected cells with X4 HIV-1 (or vice versa) rescued the replication of this latter virus. Thus, child cells exposed to feeder cell culture represent a novel model system in which the superior capacity of R5 versus X4 viruses to spread can be investigated in primary, untransformed CD4+ cells

Clinical and Biochemical Features in a Patient With Mitochondrial Fission Factor Gene Alteration

Mitochondrial Fission Factor (MFF) is part of a protein complex that promotes mitochondria and peroxisome fission. Hitherto, only 5 patients have been reported harboring mutations in MFF, all of them with the clinical features of a very early onset Leigh-like encephalopathy. We report on an 11-year-old boy with epileptic encephalopathy. He presented with neurological regression, epileptic myoclonic seizures, severe intellectual disability, microcephaly, tetraparesis, optic atrophy, and ophthalmoplegia. Brain MRI pattern was compatible with Leigh syndrome. NGS-based analysis of a gene panel for mitochondrial disorders revealed a homozygous c.892C>T (p. Arg298*) in the MFF gene. Fluorescence staining detected abnormal morphology of mitochondria and peroxisomes in fibroblasts from the patient; a strong reduction in MFF protein levels and the presence of truncated forms were observed. No biochemical alterations denoting peroxisomal disorders were found. As reported in other disorders affecting the dynamics of intracellular organelles, our patient showed clinical features suggesting both mitochondrial and peroxisomal impairment. High levels of lactate in our case suggested an involvement of the energetic metabolism but without clear respiratory chain deficiency, while biomarkers of peroxisomal dysfunction were normal. We confirm that MFF mutations are associated with epileptic encephalopathy with Leigh-like MRI pattern

Variants in ATP5F1B are associated with dominantly inherited dystonia

Nasca et al. identify a new candidate gene for dystonia, ATP5F1B, encoding a subunit of the mitochondrial ATP synthase (complex V). Likely pathogenic variants in ATP5F1B were associated with early-onset isolated dystonia in two independent families, both with an autosomal dominant mode of inheritance and incomplete penetrance. ATP5F1B is a subunit of the mitochondrial ATP synthase or complex V of the mitochondrial respiratory chain. Pathogenic variants in nuclear genes encoding assembly factors or structural subunits are associated with complex V deficiency, typically characterized by autosomal recessive inheritance and multisystem phenotypes. Movement disorders have been described in a subset of cases carrying autosomal dominant variants in structural subunits genes ATP5F1A and ATP5MC3. Here, we report the identification of two different ATP5F1B missense variants (c.1000A>C;p.Thr334Pro and c.1445T>C;p.Val482Ala) segregating with early-onset isolated dystonia in two families, both with autosomal dominant mode of inheritance and incomplete penetrance. Functional studies in mutant fibroblasts revealed no decrease of ATP5F1B protein amount but severe reduction of complex V activity and impaired mitochondrial membrane potential, suggesting a dominant-negative effect. In conclusion, our study describes a new candidate gene associated with isolated dystonia and confirms that heterozygous variants in genes encoding subunits of the mitochondrial ATP synthase may cause autosomal dominant isolated dystonia with incomplete penetrance, likely through a dominant-negative mechanism