A phylogenetic comparative analysis on the evolution of sequential hermaphroditism in seabreams (Teleostei : Sparidae)

The Sparids are an ideal group of fish in which to study the evolution of sexual systems since they exhibit a great sexual diversity, from gonochorism (separate sexes) to protandrous (male-first) and protogynous (female-first) sequential hermaphroditism (sex-change). According to the size-advantage model (SAM), selection should favour sex change when the second sex achieves greater reproductive success at a larger body size than the first sex. Using phylogenetic comparative methods and a sample of 68 sparid species, we show that protogyny and protandry evolve from gonochorism but evolutionary transitions between these two forms of sequential hermaphroditism are unlikely to happen. Using male gonadosomatic index (GSI) as a measure of investment in gametes and proxy for sperm competition, we find that, while gonochoristic and protogynous species support the predictions of SAM, protandrous species do not, as they exhibit higher GSI values than expected even after considering mating systems and spawning modes. We suggest that small males of protandrous species have to invest disproportionally more in sperm production than predicted not only when spawning in aggregations with high levels of sperm competition, but also when spawning in pairs due to the need to fertilize highly fecund females, much larger than themselves. We propose that this compensatory mechanism, together with Bateman’s principles in sequential hermaphrodites, should be formally incorporated in the SAM

Ultra-dense phosphorus in germanium delta-doped layers

Phosphorus (P) in germanium (Ge) delta-doped layers are fabricated in ultra-high vacuum by adsorption of phosphine molecules onto an atomically flat clean Ge(001) surface followed by thermal incorporation of P into the lattice and epitaxial Ge overgrowth by molecular beam epitaxy. Structural and electrical characterizations show that P atoms are confined, with minimal diffusion, into an ultra-narrow 2-nm-wide layer with an electrically-active sheet carrier concentration of 4x10^13 cm-2 at 4.2 K. These results open up the possibility of ultra-narrow source/drain regions with unprecedented carrier densities for Ge n-channel field effect transistors

The Inclusive University: Practices and reflections for student community well-being

Following the 2030 Agenda (UN, 2015), the growth of an inclusive culture in higher education contexts contemplates the strategic value of promoting the university community well-being, starting from each person’s contribution (Priestley et al., 2022). According to Article 30 of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (2006), providing opportunities to support study and university life means moving from a logic of needs to a logic of rights. In that sense, the University of Macerata promotes the psycho-physical and social well-being of its students, developing empowerment processes (Barbuto, 2018; Taddei, 2020) that guarantee a more equal participation in university life. In this paper, we will present the format Inclusion 3.0 which, starting from the “Voice” (Grion, 2017; D’Angelo et al., 2020) of university students with disabilities and SLDs (Giaconi, Del Bianco, 2018; Giaconi et al., 2018), embodies an innovative perspective for University as a place of well-being

Inclusive University didactics and technological devices: a case study

This paper provides a review of projects related to new technologies used to favour the teaching-learning processes and the inclusive practices in the University context for students with disabilities and with Specific Learning Disorders. Authors present a review of strategies, trajectories and perspectives activated in the national and international scene, aiming to guarantee a significant pedagogical framework of reference. Furthermore, the paper focuses on a meaningful path activated at the University of Macerata, the project Inclusion 3.0, a relevant example of new technologies in support of teaching- learning processes and inclusion practices among all students

Unravelling the macro-evolutionary ecology of fish–jellyfish associations: life in the ‘gingerbread house’

Fish–jellyfish interactions are important factors contributing to fish stock success. Jellyfish can compete with fish for food resources, or feed on fish eggs and larvae, which works to reduce survivorship and recruitment of fish species. However, jellyfish also provide habitat and space for developing larval and juvenile fish which use their hosts as means of protection from predators and feeding opportunities, helping to reduce fish mortality and increase recruitment. Yet, relatively little is known about the evolutionary dynamics and drivers of such associations which would allow for their more effective incorporation into ecosystem models. Here, we found that jellyfish association is a probable adaptive anti-predator strategy for juvenile fish, more likely to evolve in benthic (fish living on the sea floor), benthopelagic (fish living just above the bottom of the seafloor), and reef-associating species than those adapted to other marine habitats. We also found that jellyfish association likely preceded the evolution of a benthic, benthopelagic, and reef-associating lifestyle rather than its evolutionary consequence, as we originally hypothesized. Considering over two-thirds of the associating fish identified here are of economic importance, and the wide-scale occurrence and diversity of species involved, it is clear the formation of fish–jellyfish associations is an important but complex process in relation to the success of fish stocks globally

Monitoring oral reading fluency in elementary school I

Assessment measures of oral reading fluency can be applied by teachers or education professionals and help to provide an overview of the academic development in reading of each student; and when these simple measures are systematically applied over time, they can be used to track a student's possible difficulties. Aim: This study aimed to monitor the development of oral reading fluency in students from the 2nd to the 5th grade of Elementary School I during the school year. Method: This study was approved by the research ethics committee (09575419.0.0000.5406) of the home institution. The study included 400 students from the 2nd to the 5th grade of Elementary School I from a municipal public school in the interior of the State of São Paulo, aged from 7 years to 10 years and 11 months. The Performance Assessment in Reading Fluency was applied. Reading fluency measures were performed by collecting oral reading of three texts of the same textual complexity in the months of March, July and November. For the analysis of each text, the analysis parameters of the types of errors made during reading were used, referring to words read correctly and incorrectly per minute. Results: The results were statistically analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences, version 22.0, with a significance level of 5% (0.050). With the application of the Wilcoxon Signed Rank Test, it was possible to verify that there was a statistically significant difference in the groups of this study both for the total number of words read correctly in one minute and the total number of words read incorrectly between the third moment of the fluency measure in comparison with the first moment. With the application of the Mann-Whitney Test, it was possible to verify that there was a statistically significant difference, indicating that the groups had a lower number of words read correctly per minute in the first reading measure compared to the second and third measures. This same finding was found in the reading of misspelled words per minute. Conclusion: The results of this study allowed monitoring and accompanying in a simple, reliable and valid way, the progressive development of oral reading fluency, evidenced by the increase in the number of words read correctly and the decrease in the number of errors from the 2nd to the 5th grade of Elementary School I

Effects of Uncertainty of Outlet Boundary Conditions in a Patient-Specific Case of Aortic Coarctation

Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulations of blood flow are widely used to compute a variety of hemodynamic indicators such as velocity, time-varying wall shear stress, pressure drop, and energy losses. One of the major advances of this approach is that it is non-invasive. The accuracy of the cardiovascular simulations depends directly on the level of certainty on input parameters due to the modelling assumptions or computational settings. Physiologically suitable boundary conditions at the inlet and outlet of the computational domain are needed to perform a patient-specific CFD analysis. These conditions are often affected by uncertainties, whose impact can be quantified through a stochastic approach. A methodology based on a full propagation of the uncertainty from clinical data to model results is proposed here. It was possible to estimate the confidence associated with model predictions, differently than by deterministic simulations. We evaluated the effect of using three-element Windkessel models as the outflow boundary conditions of a patient-specific aortic coarctation model. A parameter was introduced to calibrate the resistances of the Windkessel model at the outlets. The generalized Polynomial Chaos method was adopted to perform the stochastic analysis, starting from a few deterministic simulations. Our results show that the uncertainty of the input parameter gave a remarkable variability on the volume flow rate waveform at the systolic peak simulating the conditions before the treatment. The same uncertain parameter had a slighter effect on other quantities of interest, such as the pressure gradient. Furthermore, the results highlight that the fine-tuning of Windkessel resistances is not necessary to simulate the post-stenting scenario