Lower genetic diversity in the limpet Patella caerulea on urban coastal structures compared to natural rocky habitats

Human-made structures are increasingly found in marine coastal habitats. The aim of the present study was to explore whether urban coastal structures can affect the genetic variation of hard-bottom species. We conducted a population genetic analysis on the limpet Patella caerulea sampled in both natural and artificial habitats along the Adriatic coast. Five microsatellite loci were used to test for differences in genetic diversity and structure among samples. Three microsatellite loci showed strong Hardy-Weinberg disequilibrium likely linked with the presence of null alleles. Genetic diversity was significantly higher in natural habitat than in artificial habitat. A weak but significant differentiation over all limpet samples was observed, but not related to the type of habitat. While the exact causes of the differences in genetic diversity deserve further investigation, these results clearly point that the expansion of urban structures can lead to genetic diversity loss at regional scales

“Like with like” or “do like?” Modeling peer effects in the classroom

Objective: The authors discuss the role of peer networks in shaping the decision to enroll at university. Using panel data from Italy, they apply innovative statistical methods to study a sample of students as they complete high school and decide whether or not to attend university. Methods: The authors use simultaneous autoregressive (SAR) models to analyze a four-wave panel database of Italian students. They explore the role of endogenous, exogenous, and correlated peer effects in relation to the decision about whether or not to enroll at university. Results: The findings suggest that endogenous peer effects exert a significant influence on the probability of enrolling after controlling for homophilous preferences and a range of variables. Exogenous peer effects do not appear to influence this outcome. Sensitivity tests suggest that the results of the estimation are robust to selection. Conclusions: This article contributes to an emerging body of literature on the use of SAR models to study peer effects, illustrating its considerable potential in the study of educational outcomes

Silver Triflate/p-TSA Co-Catalysed Synthesis of 3-Substituted Isocoumarins from 2-Alkynylbenzoates

In this paper, we describe the silver triflate/p-toluensulfonic acid co-catalysed synthesis of seventeen isocoumarins and two thieno[2,3-c]pyran-7-ones starting from 2-alkynylbenzoates and 3-alkynylthiophene-2-carboxylates, respectively. The reactions proceed with absolute regioselectivity under mild reaction conditions and low catalyst loading, to give the desired products in good to excellent yields. A conceivable reaction mechanism is proposed and supported by isotope-exchange tests, and 1H NMR studies and ad-hoc experiments

Recent Advances on Pseudodynamic Hybrid Simulation of Masonry Structures

Hybrid Simulation has been introduced to simulate the seismic response of civil structures. The hybrid model of the emulated system combines numerical and physical subdomains and its dynamic response to a realistic excitation is simulated using a numerical time-stepping response history analysis. In the current practice, lumped parameters structural topologies such as shear type frames or inverted pendulum characterize the physical subdomain and the design of the testing setup is straightforward. Although hybrid simulation has been extensively exploited for testing concrete and steel structures, in the authors' knowledge, there is still a paucity of scientific publications devoted to masonry applications. This is in contrast to the inherent uncertainty carried by masonry failure mechanisms, which hinders any attempt of implementing predictive numerical models. From this perspective, this paper summarizes our recent research achievements aimed at extending hybrid simulation to distributed parameter specimens, such as masonry walls, using the minimum number of actuators. The great potential of reduction bases in driving the substructuring process has been shown in a previous work and here is enhanced to floating physical subdomains

Domino Addition/Cycloisomerization Reactions of 2-Alkynyl-Arylaldehydes: Silver Catalyzed Synthesis of 1,3-Dicarbo-Substituted Isochromenes

One of the most efficient methods for the construction of 1-substituted isochromenes (and related heteroaryl compounds) is the metal catalyzed regioselective domino cycloisomerization/nucleophilic addition reaction of a 2-alkynyl(hetero)arylaldehyde in the presence of a suitable nucleophile.(1) The reaction with oxygen nucleophiles is the probably the most studied one. Several metal catalyst have been used, and our group recently gave a contribution in the field of silver catalyzed(2) synthesis of 1-alkoxyisochromenes.(3) Conversely, the reaction with carbon nucleophiles, and in particular with enolizable carbonyl compounds, is relatively less investigated.(4) We report here our recent results regarding the silver catalyzed synthesis of 1,3-dicarbo-substituted isochromene derivatives starting from 2-alkynyl(hetero)arylaldehydes and enolizable carbonyl compounds.(5) The reaction proceeded in a cascade fashion under mild reaction conditions with absolute regioselectivity and moderate-to-good yields. In some cases, the reaction produced unexpected diastereoisomeric couple of homodimeric products. The divergent formation of the 1-carbosubstituted isochromenes and the alternative homodimeric products has been tentatively explained by some experiments and two conceivable competitive paths have been proposed

A inter-relação entre direito à educação e planejamento educacional: uma análise da produção científica (1988-2018)

Apresenta-se como objetivo deste artigo inventariar o conhecimento produzido no Brasil acerca do direito à educação e sua articulação com a temática “planejamento educacional”, no período de 1988 a 2018, por meio dos resumos das teses e dissertações disponíveis para consulta pública no Banco de Dados da Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal do Nível Superior (CAPES), no âmbito da Educação. A metodologia desta pesquisa pautou-se pelo Estado da Arte, mediante o levantamento e a análise da produção acadêmica sobre o tema, à luz de categorias e enfoques desprendidos do escopo dos trabalhos investigados. No contexto da educação básica obrigatória, o estudo revelou a reverberação do direito à educação e sua relação com o planejamento educacional ao explicitar a consolidação da escola como espaço concreto de vivências de direitos e do Estado como mediador no âmbito da gestão e do planejamento educacional, simultaneamente, ao desafio de superar o descompasso entre intenções e ações no campo do processo de efetivação do direito garantido no ordenamento jurídico brasileiro

Mediterranean gorgonians fighting

No abstract availabl

Chasing genetic structure in coralligenous reef invertebrates: patterns, criticalities and conservation issues

Conservation of coastal habitats is a global issue, yet biogenic reefs in temperate regions have received very little attention. They have a broad geographic distribution and are a key habitat in marine ecosystems impacted by human activities. In the Mediterranean Sea coralligenous reefs are biodiversity hot spots and are classified as sensitive habitats deserving conservation. Genetic diversity and structure influence demographic, ecological and evolutionary processes in populations and play a crucial role in conservation strategies. Nevertheless, a comprehensive view of population genetic structure of coralligenous species is lacking. Here, we reviewed the literature on the genetic structure of sessile and sedentary invertebrates of the Mediterranean coralligenous reefs. Linear regression models and meta-analytic approaches are used to assess the contributions of genetic markers, phylum, pelagic larval duration (PLD) and geographical distance to the population genetic structure. Our quantitative approach highlight that 1) most species show a significant genetic structure, 2) structuring differs between phyla, and 3) PLD does not appear to be a major driver of the structuring. We discuss the implication of these finding for the management and conservation, suggesting research areas that deserve attention, and providing recommendations for broad assessment and monitoring of genetic diversity in biogenic reefs specie

Nudging gender desegregation: a field experiment on the causal effect of information barriers on gender inequalities in higher education

In this article, we propose and test a novel explanation for gender segregation in Higher Education that focuses on the misperceptions of economic returns to fields of study. We frame this explanation within the literature emphasizing the role of gender-stereotypical preferences and occupational plans, and we argue that counselling activities in school can play a crucial role in either reinforcing or countering the weight of these expressive mechanisms relative to more instrumental considerations involving occupational prospects of different fields. In particular, we suggest that the availability of reliable, ready-to-use information on these prospects enhances the probability that students, particularly females, opt for more rewarding fields. To test this argument, we present the results of a field experiment conducted in Italy that confronted high school seniors with detailed information concerning returns to tertiary education and field of study differentials, and we assess how girls and boys reacted to this counselling intervention