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Nel dibattito pubblico contemporaneo il tema del gioco d'azzardo risulta essere uno degli argomenti più dibattuti. Gli sviluppi informatici con le nuove modalità di giochi online hanno permesso infatti di ampliare il fenomeno rendendolo sempre più diffuso all'interno dei tessuti sociali delle nostre città. La riflessione teorica sembra però non stare al passo con le implicazioni sociali aperte da questo fenomeno. È del 1949, grazie agli studi di Edward Devereux, la prima analisi esplicitamente sociologica del gioco d'azzardo. Nell'ambito della sociologia non era ancora emerso un filone di studi sulle implicazioni sociali del gioco d'azzardo. Nel presente contributo si ripercorrerà la storia del contributo che le teorie sociologiche hanno dato allo studio di questo fenomeno, dividendo le prospettive ed i temi di analisi in due grandi scuole di pensiero: gli approcci funzionalisti, da Devereux in poi, e gli approcci disfunzionalisti, che hanno avuto in Herbert Bloch (1951) il loro capostipite.

International audience; In the 1990s, Michael Houseman introduced in his courses an initiation ritual called The Red and the Black. Designed to be an experimental, pedagogical tool to study the interactional dynamics of ritual, it entailed having male candidates undergo a series of ordeals in the presence of a female audience. While intervening in the ritual, the females remained at a sufficient distance such that, as in « classic » initiation rites, certain aspects of these events remained beyond their grasp. A generation later, in 2018, a new version of the ritual emerged, incorporating a full-fledged female initiation. This did not however make gender relations any more symmetrical, for most of the men did not even realize that a female initiation had taken place, and the women were mindful not to tell them. Observant participation was employed here to better understand the sensory, affective, and cognitive workings of such asymmetries that are part of a set of spatial and interactional devices commonly used in initiation rites to polarize genders. The resulting multivocal article, written partially collectively and partially separately by the initiates and by the ritual’s initiators, sheds light on the ritual, pedagogical and ethnographic dimensions of this experiment, on the basis of the participants’ notes. Producing this document by gradually transforming scattered, personal notes, memories and thoughts into a collective, public text, also raised questions about the disclosure of secrets. In dealing with these various issues, this article seeks to elucidate the gender- and generation-based relations involved in this experience, by considering both what they make manifest and what they leave in the dark.; Dans les années 1990, Michael Houseman avait introduit dans ses cours un rite d’initiation appelé The Red and the Black. Conçu comme un dispositif expérimental et pédagogique pour étudier les dynamiques interactionnelles du rituel, il consistait à faire passer à des candidats masculins une série d’épreuves en présence d’un public féminin qui, tout en intervenant dans le rituel, restait suffisamment mis à l’écart pour que, comme dans un rite initiatique « classique », une partie des événements lui échappe. Une génération plus tard, en 2018, une nouvelle version du rite vit le jour, qui intégrait un volet complet d’initiation féminine. Les rapports de genre ne devinrent pas pour autant plus symétriques : la plupart des hommes ne se rendirent même pas compte qu’une initiation féminine avait eu lieu et les femmes se gardèrent de les mettre au courant. Cette asymétrie s’inscrivait dans une série de dispositifs spatiaux et interactionnels que les rites initiatiques mobilisent habituellement pour polariser les genres, et dont il s’agissait de comprendre les ressorts (sensoriels, affectifs, cognitifs) par une expérience de participation observante. Rédigé tantôt collectivement, tantôt séparément par les initié.e.s et les initiateurs/initiatrice du rituel, cet article multi-perspectif essaie d’éclaircir la dynamique – rituelle, pédagogique et ethnographique – de cette expérience, en se fondant sur les comptes rendus des participant.e.s. En transformant graduellement ces notes, souvenirs et réflexions personnels, intimes et dispersés en un texte collectif et public, la production de cet article soulève ainsi également la question du dévoilement de secrets. Il tente, ce faisant, d’élucider les rapports entre les genres et entre les générations mobilisés dans cette expérience, aussi bien par ce qu’ils donnent à voir que par ce qu’ils laissent dans l’ombre.

La royaute antemoro du Sud-Est de Madagascar est consideree par les historiens et par les traditions orales locales comme la source ideologique de toutes les royautes malgaches qui se sont formees depuis le xvie siecle. Les reconstructions historiques, en effet, presentent les « devins-guerisseurs » (ombiasy) des souverains antemoro comme les principaux acteurs de la diffusion, dans le reste de l’ile, du savoir islamise a la base de l’ideologie politico-religieuse des royaumes antemoro. Cepen...

Summary Methyl-CpG binding protein 2 (MeCP2) has historically been linked to heterochromatin organization, and in mouse cells it accumulates at pericentric heterochromatin (PCH), closely following major satellite (MajSat) DNA distribution. However, little is known about the specific function of MeCP2 in these regions. We describe the first evidence of a role in neurons for MeCP2 and MajSat forward (MajSat-fw) RNA in reciprocal targeting to PCH through their physical interaction. Moreover, MeCP2 contributes to maintenance of PCH by promoting deposition of H3K9me3 and H4K20me3. We highlight that the MeCP2B isoform is required for correct higher-order PCH organization, and underline involvement of the methyl-binding and transcriptional repression domains. The T158 residue, which is commonly mutated in Rett patients, is directly involved in this process. Our findings support the hypothesis that MeCP2 and the MajSat-fw transcript are mutually dependent for PCH organization, and contribute to clarify MeCP2 function in the regulation of chromatin architecture., Graphical Abstract, Highlights • MeCP2 and MajSat-fw transcript targeting to chromocenters is mutually dependent • MeCP2B and its MBD domain are required for correct higher-order PCH organization • The TRD domain of the MeCP2 protein binds the MajSat-fw transcript • The Rett syndrome T158M mutation of MeCP2 impairs higher-order PCH organization, Della Ragione and colleagues describe a novel function of MeCP2 and MajSat forward transcript in terms of their reciprocal targeting to chromocenters in neurons through their physical interaction. Moreover, MeCP2B has a prominent role in higher-order PCH organization, with both its MBD and TRD involved in this process. These findings further clarify MeCP2 function in the regulation of chromatin architecture.

At the beginning of the twentieth century Haeckel's biogenetic law was widely questioned. On the one hand, there were those who wanted to dismiss it altogether: ontogeny and phylogeny did not have any systematic or interesting relation. On the other hand, there were those who sought to revise it. They argued that while Haeckel's recapitulationism might have been erroneous, this should not deter the research over the relation between evolution and development. The British embryologist Walter Garstang was one of the main figures on the "revisionists" side. In this paper, I first situate Garstang's contribution to embryology and evolution within the extraordinarily creative period of the first three decades of the twentieth century. Then, I review some of Garstang's specific ideas in detail, especially his most well-known 1922 paper "The Theory of Recapitulation." Finally, I look at how the demise of the biogenetic law in light of Garstang's views-as well as from the perspective of contemporary developmental evolution-should be understood. My main concern is not about the dismissal of Haeckel's law or the sidelining of embryology in the twentieth-century evolutionary biology. I am rather interested in exploring why Garstang's revised version of biogenetic law-which was entirely consistent with the neo-Darwinian perspective underpinning the Modern synthesis-did not spur a major new agenda in evolutionary biology after the 1930s.

In this study we investigated the transcriptome and epigenome dynamics of the tomato fruit during post-harvest in a landrace belonging to a group of tomatoes (Solanum lycopersicum L.) collectively known as “Piennolo del Vesuvio”, all characterized by a long shelf-life. Expression of protein-coding genes and microRNAs as well as DNA methylation patterns and histone modifications were analysed in distinct post-harvest phases. Multi-omics data integration contributed to the elucidation of the molecular mechanisms underlying processes leading to long shelf-life. We unveiled global changes in transcriptome and epigenome. DNA methylation increased and the repressive histone mark H3K27me3 was lost as the fruit progressed from red ripe to 150 days post-harvest. Thousands of genes were differentially expressed, about half of which were potentially epi-regulated as they were engaged in at least one epi-mark change in addition to being microRNA targets in ~5% of cases. Down-regulation of the ripening regulator MADS-RIN and of genes involved in ethylene response and cell wall degradation was consistent with the delayed fruit softening. Large-scale epigenome reprogramming that occurred in the fruit during post-harvest likely contributed to delayed fruit senescence.

The goal of this article is to introduce a reflection on leadership in the educational context. Our reasoning will start from the concept of group in its sociological meaning, from Donati (2021) to Goffman (1959) passing through Tuckman’s five stages of group development (1977). In this way, we will argue about the idea of leadership, more in detail on an important element in which the educational leader acts: the culture at all its different levels:, that of the school and then that of the community, which represents a crucial junction for its influence on the way of conceiving educational systems (paragraph 2), the term used to designate the holder of leadership is educational leader, meaning the one who coordinates and manages tasks within an educational context (paragraph 3). The choice that inspires our approach to leadership concept is, from one hand to frame the theme in its transcultural perspective, we believe that any educational context today can only be conceived as an international and global theater, regardless of the origin of the actors and the audience that are there. In addition to people and the objects, the way of formulating concepts of use that have multiform tonalities, origins, and heritages, often far from the context in which they appear and act, they are hybrids. On the other hand, schools often experience internationality and globalization very concretely: they host foreign students and participate in international projects of cooperation with other countries (paragraph 4). In our final remarks, we will affirm and demonstrate that the reflections proposed in this pathway on the topic of leadership are intended to signal the importance of laying the foundation for an international content orientation on which the knowledge of the educational leader is based. Therefore, using the concepts that describe intercultural communication, we assume that sociology can undertake a more incisive analysis of the meaning of multicultural societies.

This study investigates the relationship between life satisfaction and behavioral risky acts in youth and analyzes how this relationship may differ or be similar across two groups from two different regions at NUTS 3 level: Frosinonearea, in Italy, and Timisarea, in Romania. Even though both regions are quite similar in terms of population structure, they have a different historical background and are completely different in terms of labor market; however, their GDP per capita levels are similar. The analysis of the responses indicates that there is evidence to suggest that exposure to alcohol results in decreased life satisfaction in both communities. On the other hand, there is no connection between life satisfaction and tobacco or marijuana use. The implications of these findings for educational prevention policies and decision-making were discussed.

Promoting health and well-being, or planning the action and innovation of the responses that must be given to the population living in a specific area, cannot be done regardless of the capacity for action and governance that the administrations have. The framework of this article aims to repre- sent the effort that the Lazio Region has made and continues to make to ensure equity and appro- priateness in regional social policies. The regional law n. 11/2016, respecting the principle of sub- sidiarity, recognizes and facilitates the role of Third sector entities by promoting their active par- ticipation in the programming, planning and concerted implementation phases of social interven- tions, as well as in the evaluation of the quality of the services offered. The “Regional Social Plan” is the key instrument with which the Region implements these policies and in it we can find aware- ness and concreteness of action.

An important goal of higher education is to shape the behavior of future citizens by influencing conscious students.The work is aimed at presenting the methodology for assessing “competencies in the field of sustainable development” acquired during university studies in non-formal and informal learning contexts. Given the absence of a framework, but following the criteria established by the “Council Recommendation of 20thDecember 2012 on the validation of non-formal and informal learning” (2012/C 398/01), a model called “Higher Education for Sustainability Competencies” (HE4SC) has been developed. Starting from the 17 Sustainable Development Goals by United Nations, the model allows evaluating the theoretical and practical knowledge achieved by students through their university educational path and environment. The main idea of the proposed model is to translate the Sustainable Development Goals into “sustainability competences” of individuals, developed in non-formal and informal learning contexts. In defining the model, it is important to single out a “sponsor” of sustainability, that will guarantee the activities that can support the acquisition of competencies by students; identify the Sustainable Development Goals more appropriate for the specific analysis; make classification of “competencies in the field of sustainable development” for the chosen goals; determine the level that is considered acceptable for each “competence in sustainable development” in accordance with the scheme of the European Qualifications Framework. While underestimating the contribution of the university environment and ways to improve the transfer of knowledge, skills and competencies, a balance between “sustainability competencies” can be achieved through the HE4SC model.

Before the end of the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM, ∼16.5 ka ago) set in motion major shifts in human culture and population structure, a consistent change in lithic technology, material culture, settlement pattern, and adaptive strategies is recorded in Southern Europe at ∼18–17 ka ago. In this time frame, the landscape of Northeastern Italy changed considerably, and the retreat of glaciers allowed hunter-gatherers to gradually recolonize the Alps. Change within this renewed cultural frame (i.e., during the Late Epigravettian phase) is currently associated with migrations favored by warmer climate linked to the Bølling-Allerød onset (14.7 ka ago), which replaced earlier genetic lineages with ancestry found in an individual who lived ∼14 ka ago at Riparo Villabruna, Italy, and shared among different contexts (Villabruna Cluster). Nevertheless, these dynamics and their chronology are still far from being disentangled due to fragmentary evidence for long-distance interactions across Europe. Here, we generate new genomic data from a human mandible uncovered at Riparo Tagliente (Veneto, Italy), which we directly dated to 16,980–16,510 cal BP (2σ). This individual, affected by focal osseous dysplasia, is genetically affine to the Villabruna Cluster. Our results therefore backdate by at least 3 ka the diffusion in Southern Europe of a genetic component linked to Balkan/Anatolian refugia, previously believed to have spread during the later Bølling/Allerød event. In light of the new genetic evidence, this population replacement chronologically coincides with the very emergence of major cultural transitions in Southern and Western Europe., The research was supported by the European Union through the European Research Council under the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Programme (grant agreement no. 724046 – Success awarded to S.B., http://www.erc-success.eu; grant agreement no. 803147 Resolution awarded to S.T., https://site.unibo.it/resolution-erc/en) as well as through the European Regional Development Fund (project no. 2014–2020.4.01.16–0030 to C.L.S. and T.S.) and projects no. 2014-2020.4.01.16-0024 and MOBTT53 (L.P.), by the Estonian Research Council personal research grant (PRG243; C.L.S.), and by UniPd PRID 2019 (L.P.).

Rett Syndrome (RTT), which affects approximately 1:10.000 live births, is a X-linked pervasive neuro-developmental disorder which is caused, in the vast majority of cases, by a sporadic mutation in the Methyl-CpG-binding protein-2 (MeCP2) gene. This is a transcriptional activator/repressor with presumed pleiotropic activities. The broad tissue expression of MeCP2 suggests that it may be involved in several metabolic pathways, but the molecular mechanisms which provoke the onset and progression of the syndrome are largely unknown. In this paper, we report that primary fibroblasts that have been isolated from RTT patients display a defective formation of autophagosomes under conditions of nutrient starvation and that the mature Red Blood Cells of some RTT patients retain mitochondria. Moreover, we provide evidence regarding the accumulation of the p62/SQSTM1 protein and ubiquitin-aggregated structures in the cerebellum of Mecp2 knockout mouse model (Mecp2

Il capitolo descrive sinteticamente gli aspetti della medicalizzazione e alcuni elementi della biomedicalizzazione e della farmacologizzazione, nonché della cultura terapeutica. Si presenteranno dapprima le connotazioni teoriche del concetto di «medicalizzazione della vita» con riferimenti a fenomeni empirici (par.1). Verranno poi considerati alcuni autori che hanno affrontato il tema della medicalizzazione: Freidson, Zola, Illich, Foucault (par.2), per proseguire analizzando lo sviluppo teorico della medicalizzazione e della biomedicalizzazione (par.3). Si continuerà con l'illustrare lo sviluppo teorico e concreto della farmacologizzazione e alcune sue implicanze pratiche (par.4). Infine, si mostrerà il legame tra certi tratti della medicalizzazione e certe caratteristiche delle società della perfomance, in particolare l’«accelerazione» (par.5).

Italy was reached by the pandemic 21 February 2020. Right away, Social Services launched initiatives to support and respond to the needs of vulnerable people, strengthening their professional experiences and changing, in a flexible manner, their ways of intervening. Social workers have woven the network, which now allows ensuring people the continuity of emergency interventions. By reorganizing their services, they have started innovative ways of being closer to people, to families and local communities, re-creating and strengthening relationships and social networks. In networking, social workers have a connecting role in creating links and synergies between various formal and informal resources in order to promote the well-being of the individual. The modus operandi of social workers is constantly evolving, as they are becoming promoters of the process of change and creators of new best practices that shape, with new professional awareness, the new social and historical context marked by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Article 27 of the Italian Constitution reads as follows: “Criminal responsibility is personal. The accused is not considered guilty until the final sentence. The penalties cannot consist of treatments contrary to the sense of humanity and must aim at the re-education of the offender. The death penalty is not allowed” (our translation). Fundamentally important is the international legislation on the rights of detained persons, which is based on the “Universal Declaration of Human Rights” (1948), stating in Article 5: “No one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment”. This proposition is the cornerstone that affected all future directives concerning the protection of detained people. In Italy, the office for external penal execution, as a peripheral branch of the Ministry of Justice, is called to contribute, in addition to social security, to the reintegration and rehabilitation of sentenced persons. Obviously, this can only be possible through collaboration and sharing with the apparatuses and bodies of society, with particular reference to the role of the Third sector. Therefore, one of the main roles of the social workers of Italian Ministry of Justice is to guatantee the involvement of civil society, the promotion of a culture of solidarity and reintegration within the community to which the detainee belongs, reconstructing a sense of communityship and the broken citizen bond.

The article deals with problems of transition from Judicial Psychiatric Hospitals to Residences for the Implementation of Security Measures, which for a few years is happening in Italy. It proposes a qualitative research carried out on social workers about the strengths and weaknesses that have Rems for psychiatric offenders, both at a macro structural level to a micro context one. The results attest inter alia the need to work to implement integrated projects, targeted to the patient's social reintegration. They represent a framework largely in the making, that - in spite of the changing and substantial difficulties - expresses a need for the social operators to work in an integrated way aimed at developing a real patient empowerment.

The article deals with the problem of suicidal risk in Italian prisons. Beginning with a general analysis of the concept and the sociological approaches to suicide, we analyze the main studies on suicide in Italian penal institutions. We present updated Italian prisoners suicide statistics (2002-2015), which we then analyze and discuss both in absolute numbers and in percentage terms. The results indicate that the situation is critical: suicide is the leading cause of death in Italian prisons. The problem mainly affects Italian elder prisoners, the weakest group for mental and physical health. The trend data for female detainees reveal that the ability to adapt to prison life appears more difficult than for male detainees. In addition, suicide among foreign detainees has risen in recent years; a probable contributing factor is the inability to use alternative measures such as house arrest. The conclusion attests a need to provide health policies with treatment options for the cure and care of prisoners in difficulty, with a total approach responding not only to the specific symptoms or to risk behaviors but also to the whole person in a holistic sense.