Submarine geomorphology of the Southwestern Sardinian continental shelf (Mediterranean Sea): Insights into the Last Glacial Maximum sea-level changes and related environments

During the lowstand sea-level phase of the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM), a large part of the current Mediterranean continental shelf emerged. Erosional and depositional processes shaped the coastal strips, while inland areas were affected by aeolian and fluvial processes. Evidence of both the lowstand phase and the subsequent phases of eustatic sea level rise can be observed on the continental shelf of Sardinia (Italy), including submerged palaeo-shorelines and landforms, and indicators of relict coastal palaeo-environments. This paper shows the results of a high-resolution survey on the continental shelf off San Pietro Island (southwestern Sardinia). Multisensor and multiscale data—obtained by means of seismic sparker, sub-bottom profiler chirp, multibeam, side scan sonar, diving, and uncrewed aerial vehicles—made it possible to reconstruct the morphological features shaped during the LGM at depths between 125 and 135 m. In particular, tectonic controlled palaeo-cliffs affected by landslides, the mouth of a deep palaeo-valley fossilized by marine sediments and a palaeo-lagoon containing a peri-littoral thanatocenosis (18,983 ± 268 cal BP) were detected. The Younger Dryas palaeo-shorelines were reconstructed, highlighted by a very well preserved beachrock. The coastal paleo-landscape with lagoon-barrier systems and retro-littoral dunes frequented by the Mesolithic populations was reconstructed

L'Università dell'innovazione. L'ufficio di trasferimento tecnonolgico dell'Ateneo di Cagliari "Unica Laison Office"

Obiettivi ed organizzazzione dell'ufficio per il trasferimento tecnologico

Alternative lengthening of telomeres (ALT) influences survival in soft tissue sarcomas: a systematic review with meta-analysis

Background. Alternative lengthening of telomeres (ALT) is a telomerase-independent mechanism used by a broad range of neoplasms to maintain telomere length, permitting uncontrolled replication during their progression. ALT has been described in different types of sarcoma, but a comprehensive analysis of its clinical significance is still lacking. Therefore, we provide here the first meta-analysis on this topic. Methods. We searched SCOPUS and PubMed through July 2018 to identify all studies that investigated the prognostic role of ALT in sarcomas. We considered the risk of death (risk ratio, RR) calculated as the number of death vs. total participants during follow-up in ALT+ versus ALTpatients as the primary outcome. The secondary outcome was the hazard ratio (HR), adjusted for the maximum number of covariates available, using ALT- patients as reference. Results. Eight articles comprising a total of 551 patients with sarcomas (226 ALT+ and 325 ALT-) were selected. The ALT+ group showed a higher mitotic count and a higher tumor grade compared with the ALT- group (p<0.01). Furthermore, we demonstrate a strong impact of ALT on survival. In fact, ALT+ patients showed a statistically significant higher risk of death than ALTpatients, when also considering data from multivariate analyses (RR = 1.50; 95% CI: 1.15–1.96; p =0.003; HR = 2.02; 95% CI: 1.22–3.38; p = 0.007). Conclusions. Our results indicate that ALT is associated with an increased risk of death in patients with sarcoma. In these neoplasms, ALT should be taken into account for a precise prognostic stratification and design of potential therapeutic strategies

Prognostic Role of High-Grade Tumor Budding in Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis with a Focus on Epithelial to Mesenchymal Transition

This study aims at clarifying the prognostic role of high-grade tumor budding (TB) in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) with the first systematic review and meta-analysis on this topic. Furthermore, we analyzed with a systematic review the relationship between TB and a recently suggested TB-associated mechanism: the epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT). Analyzing a total of 613 patients, 251 of them (40.9%) with high grade-TB, we found an increased risk of all-cause mortality (RR, 1.46; 95% CI, 1.13–1.88, p = 0.004; HR, 2.65; 95% CI, 1.79–3.91; p < 0.0001) and of recurrence (RR, 1.61; 95% CI, 1.05–2.47, p = 0.03) for PDAC patients with high-grade TB. Moreover, we found that EMT is a central process in determining the presence of TB in PDAC. Thanks to this meta-analysis, we demonstrate the potential clinical significance of high-grade TB for prognostic stratification of PDAC. TB also shows a clear association with the process of EMT. Based on the results of the present study, TB should be conveyed in pathology reports and taken into account by future oncologic staging systems

Bioarchaeological analysis of Castelsardo’s Mummies

In the early months of 2011, during the restoration of Sant’Antonio Abate’s Cathedral in Castelsardo came to light environments remained hidden so far, which aroused considerable interest both for the archaeological and anthropological point of view for the discovery of a cemetery crypt with numerous human remains dating from the eighteenth to nineteenth century. Archaeological investigations took place at different times and in different ways during the months of January to April of 2011, which allowed to detect a burial site, with a great number of individuals organized in several layers piled up at the bottom of the crypt, and to define some stages in the building of the church, mainly in its monumental transition from Romanesque structure to new cathedral seat of the diocese. Eighteen individuals of both sexes, were finally identified at different levels, including 16 partially mummified and 2 almost entirelly mummified deposited on a sort of open plank, that, from the archeological point of view, represented the crypt closing point. The found remains were studied in order to obtain interesting bioarchaeological information determining some peculiar characteristics regarding the medical and the scientific aspects, more precisely age of death, sex, stature in life, pathological conditions, and to evaluate the state of conservation of mummified tissues, describing the morphological characteristics by histological, immunohistochemical and ultrastructural techniques

Transportomics for the characterization of plant apocarotenoid transmembrane transporters

Apocarotenoids are carotenoid derivatives produced by the nonenzymatic or enzymatic cleavage of carotenoids, followed by different enzymatic modifications. In plants, apocarotenoids play different roles, such as attraction of pollinators and seeds dispersal, defense against pathogens and herbivores, protection against photo-oxidative stresses, stimulation and inhibition of plant growth and regulation of biological processes in the case of phytohormones abscisic acid and strigolactones. While carotenoids are in general plastid-localized metabolites, apocarotenoids can reach different final destinations inside or outside the cell. The mechanisms of apocarotenoid transport through biological membranes have been poorly studied. This chapter describes a method to characterize transmembrane transporters involved in the transport of polar and amphipathic apocarotenoids. This protocol was successfully used to in vitro characterize the transport activity of ATP-binding cassette (ABC) and multidrug and toxic extrusion (MATE) in microsomes isolated from Saccharomyces cerevisiae expressing these plant transporters

On the genetic structure of Ruditapes decussatus (Mollusca Bivalvia) inferred by nuclear and mitochondrial genetic markers

Analyses of 478 polymorphic AFLP loci and about 540 base pairs COI provided an account of genetic variation among Ruditapes decussatus populations from both the French Atlantic coast and the Mediterranean Sea. AFLP analyses of 357 specimens from 17 locations revealed evidence of significant genetic differentiation among populations (Fst = 0.16; P<0.001). Data on COI sequences from Mediterranean and Atlantic populations showed a lower genetic diversity among populations. Mismatch analysis found signatures of past genetic bottlenecks in R. decussatus populations. These findings confirmed the utility of AFLP for population genetic study while indicated that COI sequences, characterized by a lower intraspecific variability, could be more suitable markers for evolutionary studies

The gender gap at home and in the labour market: the case of Italy

The paper focuses on gender inequalities both in housework and in labour market in Italy. We will first give a brief review on the previous literature with reference to Italy (Section 1) and illustrate trends in housework in Italy over the years (Section 2). Then, we will recall the main sociological and economic theoretical approaches explaining gender inequality in family work (Section 3). In the empirical section, we propose an original statistical analysis of the most recent Italian Time Use Survey (Istat, 2008-09) with the aim of estimating which factors affect the amount of time men and women allocate on management of the house and if they change with age (Section 4).in the second part of the chapter we will analyse the data from the Italian Labour Force Surveys (Istat, 2015) concerning employment, unemployment and inactivity according to gender and age from 2004 to 2013. we discuss the sociological aspects of the gender gap into the labour market. In the following four Sections, we present the main results obtained by studying in-entrance, horizontal and vertical segregation, and gender gap in working conditions. A general discussion ends the paper

The gender gap at home and in the labour market: the case of Italy

The paper focuses on gender inequalities both in housework and in labour market in Italy. We will first give a brief review on the previous literature with reference to Italy (Section 1) and illustrate trends in housework in Italy over the years (Section 2). Then, we will recall the main sociological and economic theoretical approaches explaining gender inequality in family work (Section 3). In the empirical section, we propose an original statistical analysis of the most recent Italian Time Use Survey (Istat, 2008-09) with the aim of estimating which factors affect the amount of time men and women allocate on management of the house and if they change with age (Section 4).in the second part of the chapter we will analyse the data from the Italian Labour Force Surveys (Istat, 2015) concerning employment, unemployment and inactivity according to gender and age from 2004 to 2013. we discuss the sociological aspects of the gender gap into the labour market. In the following four Sections, we present the main results obtained by studying in-entrance, horizontal and vertical segregation, and gender gap in working conditions. A general discussion ends the paper