Symbiotic association between Solanderia secunda (Cnidaria, Hydrozoa, Solanderiidae) and Medioantenna variopinta sp. nov. (Annelida, Polychaeta, Polynoidade) from North Sulawesi (Indonesia)

17 páginas, 10 figuras, 2 tablas.A mimic scale-worm was found associated with the athecate hydroid Solanderia secunda, commonly found on reefs of the NW coast of North Sulawesi, Indonesia. The species resembled Medioantenna clavata Imajima 1997, which was originally described without any reference to a symbiotic mode of life and later reported to be living on a solanderiid hydroid both in Japanese waters. A detailed morphological analysis led us to consider the Indonesian specimens as a new species, namely Medioantenna variopinta sp. nov., which is congeneric with the Japanese species. The new species differs from the type material of M. clavata as it has elytra with one prominent finger-like papilla and all neurochaetae with unidentate tip, instead of an elytral lump and both unidentate and bidentate neurochaetae on segment two. In turn, the Japanese worms associated with Solanderia are here referred to our new species. Two morphological features in M. variopinta sp. nov. are rather unusual among scale-worms. One of them is its extremely high level of bilateral asymmetry and antero-posterior variability in elytral distribution and the other one is its elongated, upwardly directed nephridial papillae. The morphology and geographical distribution of the host together with the known characteristics of the symbiotic association have also been highlighted.The study has been supported by the Russian Foundation for Basic Research (08-04-92244-GFEN-a and 09-05- 00736a) and the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MAE) and is a contribution to the Consolidated Research Group of the ‘‘Generalitat de Catalunya’’ (ref. numb. 2009SRG665).Peer reviewe

A Boolean Approach to Linear Prediction for Signaling Network Modeling

The task of the DREAM4 (Dialogue for Reverse Engineering Assessments and Methods) “Predictive signaling network modeling” challenge was to develop a method that, from single-stimulus/inhibitor data, reconstructs a cause-effect network to be used to predict the protein activity level in multi-stimulus/inhibitor experimental conditions. The method presented in this paper, one of the best performing in this challenge, consists of 3 steps: 1. Boolean tables are inferred from single-stimulus/inhibitor data to classify whether a particular combination of stimulus and inhibitor is affecting the protein. 2. A cause-effect network is reconstructed starting from these tables. 3. Training data are linearly combined according to rules inferred from the reconstructed network. This method, although simple, permits one to achieve a good performance providing reasonable predictions based on a reconstructed network compatible with knowledge from the literature. It can be potentially used to predict how signaling pathways are affected by different ligands and how this response is altered by diseases

SFM-MVS photogrammetry for rockfall analysis and hazard assessment along the ancient roman via Flaminia road at the Furlo gorge (Italy)

Rockfall events represent significant hazards for areas characterized by high and steep slopes and therefore effective mitigation controls are essential to control their effect. There are a lot of examples all over the world of anthropic areas at risk because of their proximity to a rock slope. A rockfall runout analysis is a typical 3D problem, but for many years, because of the lack of specific software, powerful computers, and economic reasons, a 2D approach was normally adopted. However, in recent years the use of 3D software has become quite widespread and different runout working approaches have been developed. The contribution and potential use of photogrammetry in this context is undoubtedly great. This paper describes the application of a 3D hybrid working approach, which considers the integrated use of traditional geological methods, Terrestrial Laser Scanning, and drone based Digital Photogrammetry. Such approach was undertaken in order to perform the study of rockfall runout and geological hazard in a natural slope in Italy in correspondence of an archaeological area. Results show the rockfall hazard in the study area and highlights the importance of using photogrammetry for the correct and complete geometrical reconstruction of slope, joints, and block geometries, which is essential for the analysis and design of proper remediation measures

Pertussis in early life: underdiagnosed, severe, and risky disease. A seven-year experience in a pediatric tertiary-care hospital

Aim Pertussis continues to be a common worldwide infection in pediatric and adult populations. We aimed to study epidemiological and clinical characteristics of infants and children admitted for pertussis to a tertiary-care hospital and to investigate the risk factors for pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) admission. Materials and Methods With a retrospective study, we analyzed all medical reports of patients admitted to Bambino Gesu Children's Hospital in Rome from January 2011 to December 2018 with a diagnosis of pertussis. Results We examined 195 patients. The majority of hospitalized children (66.15%) were <3 months of age. No mother had received pertussis containing vaccine during pregnancy. Ten cases required admission in PICU. The age at admission was lower in PICU patients with respect to ward patients (42.8 vs 240 days;p< .0007), length of hospital stay was longer in PICU group (24.7 vs 7.52 days;p< .003). Patients who needed PICU admission had greater white blood cell count at hospital admission compared with those hospitalized in the pediatric ward. One infant died and one had encephalitis. Conclusions Pertussis is a remerging disease. In infants, it is associated with significant morbidity and mortality. In recent years, many countries have implemented different vaccination strategies and public health measures to prevent the increase in pertussis cases. Maternal vaccination has been shown to be highly protective for infants <3 months of age before they can develop their own immunity via vaccination

A educação dramática na formação inicial de professores e educadores

As atividades de Educação Dramática convocam uma diversidade de possibilidades expressivas. Integradas no currículo de formação inicial de professores e educadores, os projetos de criação dramática, orientados para a performance, implicam, no seu processo criativo, um envolvimento grupal que deverá constituir matéria suficiente de análise e de avaliação por parte dos seus intervenientes em relação à sua própria participação e às relações interpares. O paradigma metodológico orientador do processo dramático-teatral a que nos remetemos assenta num modelo construtivista do processo educacional. Pelo seu caráter explorativo e experimental, a aprendizagem dramático-teatral deverá ser sustentada em estratégias colaborativas entre professor e aluno, implicando, para tal, a possibilidade de tomada de decisões partilhadas, num ambiente de respeito e igualdade.The activities of Drama Education are open to a diversity of expressive possibilities. Integrated in the pre-service training curriculum for teachers and educators, the dramatic creation projects, oriented to performance, imply, in its creative process, a group involvement that should be sufficient matter of analysis and evaluation by those involved in relation to its own participation and relations between peers. The methodological guidance paradigm of the dramatic and theatrical process that guide us is based on a constructivist model of the educational process. Due its exploratory and experimental character, dramatic and theatrical learning should be based on collaborative strategies between teacher and student, implying, to this end, that decision-making possibilities could be shared in an environment of respect and equality.CIEC - Centro de Investigação em Estudos da Criança, IE, UMinho (UI 317 da FCT), Portugal. Fundos Nacionais através da FCT (Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia) e cofinanciado pelo Fundo Europeu de Desenvolvimento Regional (FEDER) através do COMPETE 2020 – Programa Operacional Competitividade e Internacionalização (POCI) com a referência POCI-01-0145-FEDER-007562info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Biodiversity of Prokaryotic Communities Associated with the Ectoderm of Ectopleura crocea (Cnidaria, Hydrozoa)

The surface of many marine organisms is colonized by complex communities of microbes, yet our understanding of the diversity and role of host-associated microbes is still limited. We investigated the association between Ectopleura crocea (a colonial hydroid distributed worldwide in temperate waters) and prokaryotic assemblages colonizing the hydranth surface. We used, for the first time on a marine hydroid, a combination of electron and epifluorescence microscopy and 16S rDNA tag pyrosequencing to investigate the associated prokaryotic diversity. Dense assemblages of prokaryotes were associated with the hydrant surface. Two microbial morphotypes were observed: one horseshoe-shaped and one fusiform, worm-like. These prokaryotes were observed on the hydrozoan epidermis, but not in the portions covered by the perisarcal exoskeleton, and their abundance was higher in March while decreased in late spring. Molecular analyses showed that assemblages were dominated by Bacteria rather than Archaea. Bacterial assemblages were highly diversified, with up to 113 genera and 570 Operational Taxonomic Units (OTUs), many of which were rare and contributed to <0.4%. The two most abundant OTUs, likely corresponding to the two morphotypes present on the epidermis, were distantly related to Comamonadaceae (genus Delftia) and to Flavobacteriaceae (genus Polaribacter). Epibiontic bacteria were found on E. crocea from different geographic areas but not in other hydroid species in the same areas, suggesting that the host-microbe association is species-specific. This is the first detailed report of bacteria living on the hydrozoan epidermis, and indeed the first study reporting bacteria associated with the epithelium of E. crocea. Our results provide a starting point for future studies aiming at clarifying the role of this peculiar hydrozoan-bacterial association