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PubblicazionePhospho-DIGE Identified Phosphoproteins Involved in Pathways Related to Tumour Growth in Endometrial Cancer( 2023)Endometrial cancer (EC) is the most common gynecologic malignancy of the endometrium. This study focuses on EC and normal endometrium phosphoproteome to identify differentially phosphorylated proteins involved in tumorigenic signalling pathways which induce cancer growth. We obtained tissue samples from 8 types I EC at tumour stage 1 and 8 normal endometria. We analyzed the phosphoproteome by two-dimensional differential gel electrophoresis (2D-DIGE), combined with immobilized metal affinity chromatography (IMAC) and mass spectrometry for protein and phosphopeptide identification. Quantities of 34 phosphoproteins enriched by the IMAC approach were significantly different in the EC compared to the endometrium. Validation using Western blotting analysis on 13 patients with type I EC at tumour stage 1 and 13 endometria samples confirmed the altered abundance of HBB, CKB, LDHB, and HSPB1. Three EC samples were used for in-depth identification of phosphoproteins by LC-MS/MS analysis. Bioinformatic analysis revealed several tumorigenic signalling pathways. Our study highlights the involvement of the phosphoproteome in EC tumour growth. Further studies are needed to understand the role of phosphorylation in EC. Our data shed light on mechanisms that still need to be ascertained but could open the path to a new class of drugs that could hinder EC growth.
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PubblicazioneScaffoldin In-Service Science Teachers for Developing Epistemic Empathy(inScience Press, 2025)Epistemic empathy refers to understanding and appreciating someone's cognitive and emotional experiences during an epistemic activity that involves constructing, communicating, and critiquing knowledge (Jaber et al. 2018). To foster a greater understanding of epistemic empathy among primary and lower secondary education teachers, a training program was implemented during the past schooling year 2023/2024. The program was designed to develop new habits in teaching practices by encouraging educators to adopt the Investigative Science Learning Environment (ISLE) approach, in their science classrooms. This initiative, supported by research from Etkina et al. (2017; 2023) and Brookes et al. (2020), aims to create effective and engaging inquiry-based learning experiences for students in the field of science. In this research, we aimed to achieve two key objectives. First, we sought to highlight the connection between the development of new habits and the concept of epistemic empathy, aligning the two frameworks. Second, we explored the degree to which the teachers participating in our training program became aware of these developments. We examined their reflections and insights regarding the relationship between habit development and empathetic understanding in their teaching practices. To accomplish our objectives, we conducted a comprehensive survey at the conclusion of the program. We meticulously analyzed the responses provided by the teachers, carefully examining how the various activities they engaged in aligned with and contributed to the attainment of the training program's goals. This in-depth analysis allowed us to draw meaningful connections between their experiences and the overall effectiveness of the training initiatives. Here we present the key findings of our analysis and how they reflect the alignment of the two frameworks for the professional training of in-service science teachers. We eventually turned our attention to how a program centered on epistemic activities can positively contribute to teachers' development of new and effective habits.
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PubblicazioneSpatium ad Omnes( 2024)The project idea develops from the intention of offering a solution that serves as protection for the area of the ancient Baths of Acconia, facilitating, at the same time, its fruition by favouring accessibility for all categories of visitors. An open and shared space, designed to include and involve spectators who, through the Spatium ad Omnes project, become the protagonists of a cognitive experience of an important archaeological heritage. From the road we reach an initial clearing that invites visitors to access the archaeological site; a square that welcomes and allows access to the thermal area through paths made up of ramps, changes in view heights, and stops. The visitors are involved in a cognitive process that allows them to approach the ruins from a series of extraordinary viewpoints, meticulously selected and accessible only thanks to the project developement. The itinerary traverses the clearing in two directions, orthogonal to each other: a cardo and a decumanus that, after a series of contemplative pauses, lead to the outdoor space, designed and conceived as an open-air theatre, where it is possible to stop and observe, listen, contemplate and share the emotions of an extraordinary experience. The orizontal covering element, whose surface is drawn by the projection of the ruins of the ancient complex, defines the rooms and museumizes the space. A surface that originates from a geometric element of a square, which is negated in its rigidity by modifying itself in correspondence with the accesses to the area, making immediately visible the directions to follow in moving within the designed space. The roof mainly performs the function of enveloping and preserving the archaeological site and is supported by a series of thin vertical elements – or pilotis – that in their unravelling, in an apparently random way, recompose and evoke in a preordained way the volumes that in the past defined the space of the ancient thermæ (frigidarium, tepidarium, calidarium). Beams, pillars and metal-mesh curtains that go beyond their material value, elevating themselves to conceptual projections of a past that is now remote but which, thanks to the project, regains its own space. The final outcome is a project that protects and encourages the visit of the complex, offering a concrete response to a traveller who comes to these lands and becomes the protagonist of a unique experience made of history, memory and continuous new discoveries.
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PubblicazioneZoospore diversity and sexual reproduction in the lichen‐forming genus Trebouxia: From neglected evidence to new facts( 2025)Trebouxia is one of the most frequent genera of green microalgae that occur as photobionts in lichens. However, its life cycle is still poorly understood. The contradictory information about the flagellate cells impairs our knowledge of possible sexual reproduction. The aim of this study was to investigate the behaviour and fate of flagellate cells in four Trebouxia species, to better understand their role in the life cycle. Axenic cultures of Trebouxia were grown under controlled conditions. The cell cycle of flagellate cells was observed using a novel technique for real-time monitoring with light microscopy, validated in more detail by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Additionally, a molecular approach was used to investigate genomic evidence of sexual reproduction. The zoospores had two significantly different morphotypes, elongated and subspherical, suggesting that this dimorphism should be recognised in future species descriptions. Fusions of elongated gametes were observed in three species, with formation and development of a zygote documented in one case. SEM images provided further evidence of plasmogamic events in unprecedented detail. Molecular analyses confirmed the presence of key meiotic genes in eight genomes and one transcriptome of Trebouxia, providing further strong evidence of sexual reproduction in this genus. This study provides a new method to monitor the fate of flagellate cells over time which allowed demonstration of the presence of two types of flagellate cell: zoospores with two well-defined morphologies which are involved in asexual reproduction, and gametes involved in sexual reproduction.
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PubblicazioneDriving enhanced exciton transfer by automatic differentiation( 2025)We model and study the processes of excitation, absorption, and transfer in various networks. The model consists of a harmonic oscillator representing a single-mode radiation field, a two-level system acting as an antenna, a network through which the excitation propagates, and another two-level system at the end serving as a sink. We investigate how off-resonant excitations can be optimally absorbed and transmitted through the network. Three strategies are considered: optimising network energies, adjusting the couplings between the radiation field, the antenna, and the network, or introducing and optimising driving fields at the start and end of the network. These strategies are tested on three different types of network with increasing complexity: nearest-neighbour and star configurations, and one associated with the Fenna-Matthews-Olson complex. The results show that, among the various strategies, the introduction of driving fields is the most effective, leading to a significant increase in the probability of reaching the sink in a given time. This result remains stable across networks of varying dimensionalities and types, and the driving process requires only a few parameters to be effective.