Looking at the Global Transformations: Why an Integrated Perspective is Still Required

In this article, the authors offer an introduction to the Sophia Global Studies center, its methodology and framework, and offer some reflections on the ways in which this center can respond to the complex issues facing humanity in an increasingly globalized world. They argue that the recent appearance of isolationist trends in various parts of the world only confirms the relevance of this center of global studies

Effect of Starvation on the Feeding Activity Toward Sugary Food in the Ant Tapinoma nigerrimum (Nylander, 1856)

In this study, we investigated the effect of starvation on the feeding behavior of the ant Tapinoma nigerrimum. In particular, we tested the response of ants that had experienced different levels of starvation, toward sucrose solutions of increasing concentration. As expected, starved ants promptly reacted to the sugary food sources with a higher rate of acceptance as compared to satiated ones. Acceptance increased both with sugar concentration and the length of the starvation period. However, a consistent fraction of the starved ants did not feed on the solutions, suggesting that starvation had different effects on different individuals, even though they all had food ad libitum before the beginning of the tests, had comparable body sizes, and were collected from the same trail. The different acceptance of sugary solutions may be, therefore, merely because ants fed on the experimental food at different times. Interestingly, in all the experimental groups, ants appeared to satiate quickly, irrespective of the solution tested and fasting duration. This would suggest that the rate of ingestion was independent of these factors, a result partially at odds with previous studies. This study is one of the few ones dealing with the behavioral response of an ant species to a famine event

The Effect of the Introduced Red Wood Ant Formica paralugubris on the Frequency of Ant Nests and First Plesiobiotic Association between Myrmica ruginodis (Nylander, 1846) and Lasius flavus (Fabricius, 1782)

Red wood ants are ecologically dominant species that affect the composition of the invertebrate community. In the past century, one of these species, Formica paralugubris (Seifert 1996), was introduced outside its native area (the Alps), in the Apennines (Italy). Here we investigated the effect of the presence of an introduced population of F. paralugubris on the frequency of nests of other ant species in Abetone, Central Apennines. Ant nests were found only in the area unoccupied by F. paralugubris. In this area, we also found one pleometrotic association between queens of Lasius flavus (Fabricius, 1782) and two plesiobiotic associations, one between Formica fusca (Linnaeus, 1758) and L. flavus and the other one between Myrmica ruginodis (Nylander, 1846) and L. flavus. This latter is the first plesiobiotic relationship reported between these two species, the second reported for M. ruginodis and the 10th for L. flavus. Additionally, this is the first plesiobiotic association reported for the Mediterranean region and Southern Europe

Dialogare: compendio di biologia

The compendium collects the basic themes of biology in a very simplified form, ideally following the programmatic criteria of secondary school. The didactic program is articulated starting from the molecules that make up living organisms to end at the theoretical basis of ecology and environmental protection. All the main topics of life sciences such as genetics, anatomy and the evolution of organisms are addressed, always trying to convey the heart of the theoretical concept through a simple but adequate terminology. The goal is to offer a first look at the basis of biology to those who intend to carry out an in-depth study of this subject, which is extremely fascinating but also decidedly complex, vast and multifaceted

CHIESA CATTOLICA E LIBERTÀ RELIGIOSA: L’EREDITÀ DI DIGNITATIS HUMANAE E LE PROSPETTIVE ATTUALI

L’autore affronta il tema della libertà religiosa nella Chiesa Cattolica a partire da quanto stabilito dal Concilio Vaticano II nella dichiarazione Dignitatis humanae; nel delineare gli elementi essenziale e innovativi della dichiarazione del Vaticano II l’autore si sofferma sull’attualità di questo testo in un contesto nel quale viene messa in discussione, in tanti paesi, proprio il diritto alla libertà religiosa; di fronte a questa situazione l’autore ribadisce come il magistero della Chiesa Cattolica si sia mosso nella direzione della condanna di ogni forma di intolleranza nel superamento dell’idea della tolleranza religiosa