Genetic diversity of eukaryotic ultraphytoplankton in the Gulf of Naples during an annual cycle

Eukaryotic ultraphytoplankton (<5 μm) are an important component of phytoplankton populations, Dot blot hybridisation analysis using class level 16S rRNA gene probes as well as clone libraries were used to investigate the diversity of these ultraphytoplankton during a 15 mo period (2003 to 2004) in the Gulf of Naples. Hybridisation data showed the presence of 3 main classes, Cryptophyceae, Chrysophyceae and Prymnesiophyceae, along with lower signals from the Pelagophyceae. Clone libraries also contained these 4 classes as well as sequences from the Dictyochophyceae, Bacillariophyceae and Prasinophyceae. However, the Prymnesiophyceae gave the dominant hybridisation signal and constituted the majority of each clone library. Their diversity, with a total of 190 sequences belonging to 114 operational taxonomic units (OTUs), probably allows them to dominate the ultraphytoplankton throughout the whole year under differing environmental conditions. Over 100 of these OTUs were unique to different libraries, suggesting a succession of different taxa during the year. The Cryptophyceae were present most of the year with 1 OTU, corresponding to a Plagioselmis prolonga strain from the Gulf of Naples, being the dominant taxon (28 % of sequences). A striking result was the high hybridisation signal from the Chrysophyceae, which showed a preference for the summer months. The Pelagophyceae were present between December and March. Most (80 %) of the sequences found in the clone libraries were not identical to available 16S rRNA gene sequences, indicating a high amount of hidden diversity for these algal classes. However, sequences from Prasinophyceae Clade II (Mamiellales) were not detected in the clone libraries

EXPLORING ACTIVE EUROPEAN CITIZENSHIP: AN EXPERIMENTAL PROJECT OF PROMOTION AND COMMUNICATION

The European Union celebrates its thirty years anniversary in a peculiar historical moment characterized by crises and emergencies. Being able to count on an informed and active citizenship becomes increasingly necessary. Universities, schools and institutions are teaming up in order to propose projects for sharing information about and promoting the European Union involving all its citizens. Young people, in particular, are identified among the first interlocutors, to whom we entrust communication between peers, exploiting the potential of digital media. In a context often dominated by fake-news, complete and source-aware information about the European Union becomes an essential tool for citizens' empowerment. This article proposes a reflection starting from a multi-sited research conducted in the Italian cities of Bologna, Forlì and Ravenna through a project of the University of Bologna and the Emilia-Romagna Region entitled "Promoting active European citizenship in times of crisis". Through participant observation, the article reflects on the results emerged from word-cafés, workshops and meetings with citizens developed in three different territorial areas and with the involvement of three different targets: first and second grade high school students, university students and adult citizens. Article visualizations

Celiac disease: Alternatives to a gluten free diet.

Celiac disease is a chronic inflammatory disorder of the small intestine caused by the ingestion of gluten or related rye and barley proteins. At present, the only available treatment is a strict gluten-exclusion diet. However, recent understanding of the molecular basis for this disorder has improved and enabled the identification of targets for new therapies. This article aims to critically summarize these recent studie

Genius Loci in the era of globalization

In a globalized society a single identity is no longer verifiable, as happened in the Middle Ages, but as many identities as the cultural and social forms that can be found in communities. From the considerations above reported, it would seem not only to have produced a profound rupture between past and present, but also that the meaning of the Genius Loci can be relegated to a historical and not an actual concept. In the writer’s opinion, the Genius Loci simply experiments with yet another change not very dissimilar to the many that we have been witnessing from the Roman era to the more recent one. This research claims to establish if: i) it is possible to enhance localization, meant as the spirit of the place, through internationalization; ii) there is a relationship between the spirit of the Genius Loci and the corporate strategies of internationalization in the era of [email protected]à degli Studi e Campus (Novedrate, Włochy)Decandia L., Dell ’identità. Saggio sui luoghi: per una critica della razionalità urbanistica, Rubbettino, Soveria Mannelli 2000.Ferrandina A., Il marketing strategico per le PMI. Gli strumenti per elaborare piani e strategie vincenti. Franco Angeli edizione 2012.Gasperi D., Strategie di spazializzazione dei contenuti nel GeniusLoci Digitale, “Storicamente”, 9 (2013), no. 24.Poli D., Il cartografo-biografo come attore della rappresentazione dello spazio in comune, in P. Castelnovi, Il senso del paesaggio, IRES, Torino.Porter M.E., Il Vantaggio Competitivo, Einaudi, 2011.Toffler A., The Third Wave, WorldofBooks (Goring-By-Sea, WS, Regno Unito), 1980.Valdani E., Bertoli G., Mercati internazionali e marketing. Egea, Milano 2010.Zingone L., Ruiz Moreno F., Estrategias y modalidades de ingreso para competir en mercato internacionales. Publicaciones Universidad de Alicante, 2014.182374

EU-LIFEHAB: Expanding the discussion on the life cycles of harmful algae

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Coeliac disease: no difference in milk and dairy products consumption in comparison with controls

BackgroundNutritional deficiencies are common in patients with coeliac disease and they can cause osteopenia among other associated diseases. Reduced consumption of milk and dairy products may play a major role in determining low bone mass in patients with coeliac disease.AimWe aimed to investigate milk and dairy products consumption in patients with coeliac disease compared with the general population.MethodsWe examined the average consumption of milk and dairy products and the reasons for not consuming them. An online survey was sent by email to patients with coeliac disease on a gluten-free diet and aged 18–75. Matched controls were selected among volunteers who responded to the survey posted on the public access sites. Differences in frequencies and means between the two groups were calculated using the χ2 test and t-test, respectively. All tests were two-tailed with a significance level set at p<0.05.Results176 patients with coeliac disease and 528 controls participated in the study. We found that 22.2% of the patients with coeliac disease and 19.9% of controls did not drink fluid milk on a regular basis; lactose-free milk was preferred by 20.4% of the patients with coeliac disease and by 19% of controls (p=0.69). Only a minority of patients with coeliac disease contacted a doctor before having lactose-free milk, despite this being led by the presence of gastrointestinal symptoms. More patients with coeliac disease than the general population reported a breath test before avoiding milk and dairy products.ConclusionsThere is no significant difference between patients with coeliac disease and controls in regular milk consumption. Follow-up visits for patients with coeliac disease could avoid unnecessary dietary restrictions

UNGARETTI, MEMÓRIA ÀRABE, MIRAGEM DE ALEXANDRIA DO EGITO

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Diatom flagellar genes and their expression during sexual reproduction in Leptocylindrus danicus

Background: Flagella have been lost in the vegetative phase of the diatom life cycle, but they are still present in male gametes of centric species, thereby representing a hallmark of sexual reproduction. This process, besides maintaining and creating new genetic diversity, in diatoms is also fundamental to restore the maximum cell size following its reduction during vegetative division. Nevertheless, sexual reproduction has been demonstrated in a limited number of diatom species, while our understanding of its different phases and of their genetic control is scarce. Results: In the transcriptome of Leptocylindrus danicus, a centric diatom widespread in the world's seas, we identified 22 transcripts related to the flagella development and confirmed synchronous overexpression of 6 flagellum-related genes during the male gamete formation process. These transcripts were mostly absent in the closely related species L. aporus, which does not have sexual reproduction. Among the 22 transcripts, L. danicus showed proteins that belong to the Intra Flagellar Transport (IFT) subcomplex B as well as IFT-A proteins, the latter previously thought to be absent in diatoms. The presence of flagellum-related proteins was also traced in the transcriptomes of several other centric species. Finally, phylogenetic reconstruction of the IFT172 and IFT88 proteins showed that their sequences are conserved across protist species and have evolved similarly to other phylogenetic marker genes. Conclusion: Our analysis describes for the first time the diatom flagellar gene set, which appears to be more complete and functional than previously reported based on the genome sequence of the model centric diatom, Thalassiosira pseudonana. This first recognition of the whole set of diatom flagellar genes and of their activation pattern paves the way to a wider recognition of the relevance of sexual reproduction in individual species and in the natural environment