Fossichnus solus and Oichnus simplex, two peculiar ichnospecies in modern benthic foraminifera from a polluted area in SW coast of Sardinia, Italy

The modern benthic foraminiferal tests collected from a coastal area of south-western Sardinia (Portoscuso-Portovesme) that is heavily polluted by industrial activity reveal intense and widespread bioerosional structures induced by diversifi ed microborers. A large number of the foraminifera reveals microscopic round holes (1-60 μm in diameter) and roundish concavities (25x40 μm in external diameter) on their surface that belong, respectively, to the ichnospecies Oichnus simplex Bromley, 1981, and Fossichnus solus Nielsen et al., 2003. These traces just occur in the tests of the foraminifera which are heavily infested by microendolithic cyanobacteria, algae and fungi suggests comparable ethological behaviour between the ichnospecies Fossichnus and Oichnus and the microbial euendoliths that are ascribed to individual biological taxa. The greater occurrence of F. solus and O. simplex in the high-Mg foraminiferal porcelanaceous tests than in the low-Mg foraminiferal hyaline tests reveals that the bioerosional processes seem to be related to the Mg/Ca ratio, as well as to morphological structures of the taxa

Legal issues in governing genetic biobanks : the Italian framework as a case study for the implications for citizen’s health through public-private initiatives

Deborah Mascalzoni is funded by RD-Connect under grant agreement number 30544.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Fossichnus solus and Oichnus simplex, two peculiar ichnospecies in modern benthic foraminifera from a polluted area in SW coast of Sardina, Italy

The modern benthic foraminiferal tests collected from a coastal area of south-western Sardinia (Portoscuso-Portovesme) that is heavily polluted by industrial activity reveal intense and widespread bioerosional structures induced by diversified microborers. A large number of the foraminifera reveals microscopic round holes (1-60 μm in diameter) and roundish concavities (25x40 μm in external diameter) on their surface that belong, respectively, to the ichnospecies Oichnus simplex Bromley, 1981, and Fossichnus solus Nielsen et al., 2003. These traces just occur in the tests of the foraminifera which are heavily infested by microendolithic cyanobacteria, algae and fungi suggests comparable ethological behaviour between the ichnospecies Fossichnus and Oichnus and the microbial euendoliths that are ascribed to individual biological taxa. The greater occurrence of F. solus and O. simplex in the high-Mg foraminiferal porcelanaceous tests than in the low-Mg foraminiferal hyaline tests reveals that the bioerosional processes seem to be related to the Mg/Ca ratio, as well as to morphological structures of the tax

The Impact of Methylphenidate on Pubertal Maturation and Bone Age in ADHD Children and Adolescents:Results from the ADHD Drugs Use Chronic Effects (ADDUCE) Project

Objective: The short-term safety of methylphenidate (MPH) has been widely demonstrated; however the long-term safety is less clear. The aim of this study was to investigate the safety of MPH in relation to pubertal maturation and to explore the monitoring of bone age.Method: Participants from ADDUCE, a two-year observational longitudinal study with three parallel cohorts (MPH group, no-MPH group, and a non-ADHD control group), were compared with respect to Tanner staging. An Italian subsample of medicated-ADHD was further assessed by the monitoring of bone age.Results: The medicated and unmedicated ADHD groups did not differ in Tanner stages indicating no higher risk of sexual maturational delay in the MPH-treated patients. The medicated subsample monitored for bone age showed a slight acceleration of the bone maturation after 24 months, however their predicted adult height remained stable.Conclusion: Our results do not suggest safety concerns on long-term treatment with MPH in relation to pubertal maturation and growth.</p

The Impact of Methylphenidate on Pubertal Maturation and Bone Age in ADHD Children and Adolescents:Results from the ADHD Drugs Use Chronic Effects (ADDUCE) Project

Objective: The short-term safety of methylphenidate (MPH) has been widely demonstrated; however the long-term safety is less clear. The aim of this study was to investigate the safety of MPH in relation to pubertal maturation and to explore the monitoring of bone age.Method: Participants from ADDUCE, a two-year observational longitudinal study with three parallel cohorts (MPH group, no-MPH group, and a non-ADHD control group), were compared with respect to Tanner staging. An Italian subsample of medicated-ADHD was further assessed by the monitoring of bone age.Results: The medicated and unmedicated ADHD groups did not differ in Tanner stages indicating no higher risk of sexual maturational delay in the MPH-treated patients. The medicated subsample monitored for bone age showed a slight acceleration of the bone maturation after 24 months, however their predicted adult height remained stable.Conclusion: Our results do not suggest safety concerns on long-term treatment with MPH in relation to pubertal maturation and growth.</p

Bisogni educativi speciali e nuove frontiere per il diritto d'autore

Il tema dell’accessibilità delle opere letterarie a favore di soggetti affetti da disabilità e con bisogni educativi speciali (BES) ha un rilievo crescente nella prospettiva dei diritti di proprietà intellettuale. Ciò impone una revisione delle normative statali e sovranazionali in materia. Un’economia basata sulla conoscenza può fornire ai soggetti con BES una possibilità concreta di integrazione ed inclusione, garantendo loro, per il tramite delle limitazioni al diritto esclusivo d’autore, la facoltà di accedere all’istruzione in un formato adatto alle proprie specifiche esigenze (opere in braille, audiobooks, libri elettronici accessibili, software free o open source per la lettura accessibile, audio e-books). Risulta preliminare un esame comparato delle legislazioni statali e degli altri strumenti nazionali e internazionali volti a favorire l’accessibilità delle opere letterarie a favore di soggetti con BES al fine di verificare quali, tra gli strumenti in uso, risultino più efficaci allo scopo. In questa prospettiva si valuterà quale ruolo possa avere, accanto all’intervento delle istituzioni pubbliche, l’iniziativa privata e, in particolare, se la stipulazione di accordi di natura privatistica tra organismi rappresentativi dei vari interessi coinvolti possa agevolare il raggiungimento dell’obiettivo di una maggiore accessibilità delle opere