EVALUATION OF CUMULUS CELLS TRANSCRIPTOME IN PATIENTS UNDERGOING IN VITRO FERTILIZATION PROCEDURES TREATED WITH DIFFERENT CONTROLLED OVARIAN STIMULATION PROTOCOLS

Cumulus cells (CC) closely interact with the oocyte and share the same microenvironment. Therefore they may retain a footprint of the follicular conditions experienced by the oocyte. This observation has led various groups to focus their research on the analysis of CC gene expression, aimed at finding novel markers of oocyte competence and pregnancy outcome in natural and stimulated cycles. To evaluate CC expression profile modulation after different stimulation protocols, we analyzed CC transcriptome variations by microarray in patients undergoing different treatments for ovarian stimulation (hp-hMG and r-hLH plus r-hFSH), compared with a control group (r-hFSH). In this study, we collected samples derived from cumulus-oocyte complexes containing mature oocytes. We compared transcriptome genes differentially expressed in both treatment groups by using a hierarchic clustering analysis. Data analysis showed four genes clusters involved in oocyte development and maturation differentially expressed in both treatment groups compared with control. In conclusion, different stimulation regimens produce modifications in signaling and metabolic pathways of CCs that could potentially affect oocyte development

Spatial genetic structure in the clonal marine angiosperm <i>Cymodocea nodosa</i>: the influence of dispersal potential, mating system and species interactions

In the present thesis, the factors influencing population’s genetic structure in the clonal marine angiosperm Cymodocea nodosa have been investigated. C. nodosa is a dioecious seagrass, exhibiting both vegetative propagation and sexual reproduction. Seed dispersal is expected to be extremely restricted. I selected seven microsatellite loci through genomic library screening to investigate the relative effects of sexual and clonal reproduction on the genetic diversity and structure in a Cymodocea nodosa population from the Gulf of Naples (Italy). High clonal diversity and genet density were found. Autocorrelation analyses confirmed the expectations of very restricted seed dispersal (observed dispersal range 1-21m) in this species. The effect of mating system on genetic structure were investigated comparing the clonal architectures of the dioecious Cymodocea nodosa and monoecious Zostera noltii. An intermingled configuration of genets has been found in the dioecious Cymodocea nodosa while a clumped distribution of clones in the hermaphroditic Zostera noltii has been observed. I hypothesise that the possibility of reduction in the seed-set would drive genet distribution. On a phylogeographic spatial scale, the existence of population differentiation and of genetic disjunction within the Mediterranean Sea was investigated in Cymodocea nodosa. Populations displayed a wide variability in clonal diversity. A Bayesian analysis revealed that “supra-population” panmictic units are present in the Mediterranean basin. Genetic substructure from a phylogeographic tree coincided with major geographical boundaries within the Mediterranean basin. In general, in Cymodocea nodosa, seed dispersal is poor at the within-population level, but long-range dispersal events can occur, allowing high levels of gene flow at a phylogeographic scale. The observed “guerrilla” clonal architecture allows to reduce the effect of genetic identity on the genetic structure of the population, but it is also advantageous by allowing pollen availability and therefore a sufficient seed-set in this dioecious species

Chapter Brand Identity e nuovi media. Il caso studio del Platinum Jubilee

The 43rd UID conference, held in Genova, takes up the theme of ‘Dialogues’ as practice and debate on many fundamental topics in our social life, especially in these complex and not yet resolved times. The city of Genova offers the opportunity to ponder on the value of comparison and on the possibilities for the community, naturally focused on the aspects that concern us, as professors, researchers, disseminators of knowledge, or on all the possibile meanings of the discipline of representation and its dialogue with ‘others’, which we have broadly catalogued in three macro areas: History, Semiotics, Science / Technology. Therefore, “dialogue” as a profitable exchange based on a common language, without which it is impossible to comprehend and understand one another; and the graphic sign that connotes the conference is the precise transcription of this concept: the title ‘translated’ into signs, derived from the visual alphabet designed for the visual identity of the UID since 2017. There are many topics which refer to three macro sessions: - Witnessing (signs and history) - Communicating (signs and semiotics) - Experimenting (signs and sciences) Thanks to the different points of view, an exceptional resource of our disciplinary area, we want to try to outline the prevailing theoretical-operational synergies, the collaborative lines of an instrumental nature, the recent updates of the repertoires of images that attest and nourish the relations among representation, history, semiotics, sciences

The Castle of Paraggi and its “double life”: evolutions and metamorphosis of a “suspended” architecture

[EN] Eastern Liguria, a sometimes harsh and inhospitable place, encompasses some of the most beautiful landscape realities of the region, thanks to the presence of the sea and of an unexpected scenery. In some cases, land and water are connected, clearly showing the challenges that Man had to face in order to dominate Nature. In these cases, these forms of anthropization can turn their constraints into potentials. In this context, in a gulf such as the one between Rapallo and Portofino, outposts arose as observers to protect the neighboring territory, characterized by docks and, consequently, a suitable area for trade and for pirate incursions. For these reasons, military-style architectural structures arose, both defensive and of sighting, depending on the building site, then, in the sixteenth century coordinated and transformed into a real defensive system, by the will of the Republic of Genoa. Here, then, we can find the castle of Rapallo, the tower of Saint Michael of Pagana, the Castle of Santa Margherita, the Castle of Paraggi and finally that of Portofino, each one with its own identity and events, but connectable to the others, if only for the territorial belonging to an extremely particular site as for organicity and homogeneity. This is what the study of the Castle of Paraggi underlines, as it was built on the cliff overlooking the sea that has enjoyed a “double life” based on highlighting the latent diametrically opposed potential: born for the defense of the land from sea incursions, later on it was converted into a residence, conceptually transforming its position from a dominating into a reserved one, from an outpost on the sea clearly visible, to a place hidden on the land, from public to private. Over the centuries, the change in the function and life of the castle, has therefore been introducing changes to the facies and the composition of its appearance through the different stages of its evolution.Falcidieno, ML.; Ruggiero, ME. (2020). The Castle of Paraggi and its “double life”: evolutions and metamorphosis of a “suspended” architecture. Editorial Universitat Politècnica de València. 1167-1176. https://doi.org/10.4995/FORTMED2020.2020.11480OCS1167117

Recent and Ancient Signature of Balancing Selection around the S-Locus in Arabidopsis halleri and A. lyrata

Balancing selection can maintain different alleles over long evolutionary times. Beyond this direct effect on the molecular targets of selection, balancing selection is also expected to increase neutral polymorphism in linked genome regions, in inverse proportion to their genetic map distances from the selected sites. The genes controlling plant self-incompatibility are subject to one of the strongest forms of balancing selection, and they show clear signatures of balancing selection. The genome region containing those genes (the S-locus) is generally described as nonrecombining, and the physical size of the region with low recombination has recently been established in a few species. However, the size of the region showing the indirect footprints of selection due to linkage to the S-locus is only roughly known. Here, we improved estimates of this region by surveying synonymous polymorphism and estimating recombination rates at 12 flanking region loci at known physical distances from the S-locus region boundary, in two closely related self-incompatible plants Arabidopsis halleri and A. lyrata. In addition to studying more loci than previous studies and using known physical distances, we simulated an explicit demographic scenario for the divergence between the two species, to evaluate the extent of the genomic region whose diversity departs significantly from neutral expectations. At the closest flanking loci, we detected signatures of both recent and ancient indirect effects of selection on the S-locus flanking genes, finding ancestral polymorphisms shared by both species, as well as an excess of derived mutations private to either species. However, these effects are detected only in a physically small region, suggesting that recombination in the flanking regions is sufficient to quickly break up linkage disequilibrium with the S-locus. Our approach may be useful for distinguishing cases of ancient versus recently evolved balancing selection in other systems

Targeting TLR/IL-1R Signalling in Human Diseases

The members of Toll-like receptor/Interleukin (IL)-1 receptor (TLR/IL-1R) superfamily play a fundamental role in the immune response. These receptors detect microbial components and trigger complex signalling pathways that result in increased expression of multiple inflammatory genes. On the other hand, an aberrant activation of TLR/IL-1R signalling can promote the onset of inflammatory and autoimmune diseases, raising the interest in the development of therapeutic strategies for the control of their function. In this review, we illustrate the structural and functional features of TLR/IL-1R proteins and discuss some recent advances in the approaches undertaken to develop anti-inflammatory therapeutic drugs. In particular, we will focus on inhibitors, such as decoy peptides and synthetic mimetics, that interfere with protein-protein interactions between signalling molecules of the TLR/IL-1R superfamily. Given their central role in innate and adaptive immune responses, it is foreseen that pharmaceutical modulation of TLR/IL-1R signalling pathways by these drugs might yield clinical benefits in the treatment of inflammatory and autoimmune diseases

Making the Communication of CCS more "human"

CCS communication has proven a tough challenge, particularly for the difficulty in raising interest for the technology, which is still unknown to the majority of the population, and for the complexity of conveying information about its potential for reducing emissions. In this paper we present a research based effort for bringing CCS nearer to people, through visual material developed taking into account emotional needs related to the technology. The production of a short introductory film on CCS is illustrated and its testing with a sample of 700 high school students

On-going and future research at the Sulcis site in Sardinia, Italy. Characterization and experimentation at a possible future CCS pilot

National Italian funding has recently been allocated for the construction of a 350 MWe coal-fired power plant / CCS demonstration plant in the Sulcis area of SW Sardinia, Italy. In addition, the recently approved EC-funded ENOS project (ENabling Onshore CO2 Storage in Europe) will use the Sulcis site as one of its main field research laboratories. Site characterization is already ongoing, and work has begun to design gas injection experiments at 100-200 m depth in a fault. This article gives an overview of results to date and plans for the future from the Sapienza University of Rome research group