Contribution to the vascular flora of Papasidero (north-western Calabria, Italy)

A floristic survey of the Papasidero municipality (54.65 km2) was carried out from 2008 to 2011, allowing us to list 580 specific and infraspecific taxa (567 verified by us), belonging to 353 genera and 89 families. Several species are rather interesting from a phytogeographic and/or conservation point of view. 14 exotic species were also recorded, 10 of which are considered invasive in the regional flora. The most represented families are Asteraceae (66 taxa), Fabaceae (56), Lamiaceae (40), Poaceae (31), while most represented genera are Trifolium (11), Euphorbia and Ophrys (9), Lathyrus and Geranium (8). Biological and chorological spectra show a clear dominance of Hemicriptophytes and Mediterranean elements respectively, as one can expect based on the climatic conditions of the area at issues

cis-Regulatory sequences driving the expression of the Hbox12 homeobox-containing gene in the presumptive aboral ectoderm territory of the Paracentrotus lividus sea urchin embryo.

Embryonic development is coordinated by networks of evolutionary conserved regulatory genes encoding transcription factors and components of cell signalling pathways. In the sea urchin embryo, a number of genes encoding transcription factors display territorial restricted expression. Among these, the zygotic Hbox12 homeobox gene is transiently transcribed in a limited number of cells of the animal-lateral half of the early Paracentrotus lividus embryo, whose descendants will constitute part of the ectoderm territory. To obtain insights on the regulation of Hbox12 expression, we have explored the cis-regulatory apparatus of the gene. In this paper, we show that the intergenic region of the tandem Hbox12 repeats drives GFP expression in the presumptive aboral ectoderm and that a 234 bp fragment, defined aboral ectoderm (AE) module, accounts for the restricted expression of the transgene. Within this module, a consensus sequence for a Sox factor and the binding of the Otx activator are both required for correct Hbox12 gene expression. Spatial restriction to the aboral ectoderm is achieved by a combination of different repressive sequence elements. Negative sequence elements necessary for repression in the endomesoderm map within the most upstream 60 bp region and nearby the Sox binding site. Strikingly, a Myb-like consensus is necessary for repression in the oral ectoderm, while down-regulation at the gastrula stage depends on a GA-rich region. These results suggest a role for Hbox12 in aboral ectoderm specification and represent our first attempt in the identification of the gene regulatory circuits involved in this process

GANIL axial injection design with an ECR ion source

International audienc

A yeast synthetic network for in-vivo assessment of reverse engineering and modelling.

Systems biology approaches are extensively used to model and reverse engineer gene regulatory networks from experimental data. Conversely, synthetic biology allows ‘‘de novo’’ construction of a regulatory network to seed new functions in the cell. At present, the usefulness and predictive ability of modeling and reverse engineering cannot be assessed and compared rigorously. We built in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae a synthetic network, IRMA, for in vivo ‘‘benchmarking’’ of reverse-engineering and modeling approaches. The network is composed of five genes regulating each other through a variety of regulatory interactions; it is negligibly affected by endogenous genes, and it is responsive to small molecules. We measured time series and steady-state expression data after multiple perturbations. These data were used to assess state-of-the-art modeling and reverse-engi- neering techniques. A semiquantitative model was able to capture and predict the behavior of the network. Reverse engineering based on differential equations and Bayesian networks correctly inferred regulatory interactions from the experimental data

Body Shame in 7–12-Year-Old Girls and Boys: The Role of Parental Attention to Children’s Appearance

Guided by the Tripartite Influence Model and Objectification Theory, we examined whether parents’ attention to their children’s appearance was related to higher body shame in girls and boys. In Study 1 (N = 195) and 2 (N = 163), we investigated 7-12-year-old children’s metaperceptions about parents’ attention to their appearance and its association with children’s body shame. In Study 3, we examined the link between parents’ self-reported attention to their children’s appearance and children’s body shame among parent-child triads (N = 70). Results demonstrated that both children’s metaperceptions and fathers’ self-reported attention to children’s appearance were associated with body shame in children. Furthermore, when mothers’ and fathers’ attitudes toward their children were analyzed simultaneously, only fathers’ attention to their children’s appearance was associated with greater body shame in girls and boys. Notably, no gender differences emerged, suggesting that parents’ attention to their children’s appearance was not differentially related to body shame in girls and boys. These results remained significant when controlling for other sources of influence, namely peer and media influence, both of which were found to have a strong association with body shame in children. Theoretical and practical implications of our findings are discussed

Comparative analysis of bed density, total phenol content and protein expression pattern in Posidonia oceanica (L.) Delile

Posidonia oceanica meadows are experiencing a progressive decline, and monitoring their status is crucial for the maintenance of these ecosystems. We performed a comparativeanalysis of bed density, total phenol content and protein expression pattern to assess the conservation status of Posidonia plants from the S. Marinella (Rome, Italy) meadow. The total phenol content was inversely related to maximum bed density, confirming the relationship between high phenol content and stressful conditions. In addition, protein expression pattern profilesshowed that the number of differentially expressed proteins was dramatically reduced in the latest years compared to previous analyses. Our results support the usefulness of integrating solid descriptors, such as phenol content, with novel biochemical/molecular approaches in the monitoring of meadows

Identification and characterization of PlAlix, the Alix homologue from the Mediterranean sea urchin Paracentrotus lividus.

The sea urchin provides a relatively simple and tractable system for analyzing the early stages of embryo development. Here, we use the sea urchin species, Paracentrotus lividus, to investigate the role of Alix in key stages of embryogenesis, namely the egg fertilization and the first cleavage division. Alix is a multifunctional protein involved in different cellular processes including endocytic membrane trafficking, filamentous (F)-actin remodeling, and cytokinesis. Alix homologues have been identified in different metazoans; in these organisms, Alix is involved in oogenesis and in determination/differentiation events during embryo development. Herein, we describe the identification of the sea urchin homologue of Alix, PlAlix. The deduced amino acid sequence shows that Alix is highly conserved in sea urchins. Accordingly, we detect the PlAlix protein cross-reacting with monoclonal Alix antibodies in extracts from P. lividus, at different developmental stages. Focusing on the role of PlAlix during early embryogenesis we found that PlAlix is a maternal protein that is expressed at increasingly higher levels from fertilization to the 2-cell stage embryo. In sea urchin eggs, PlAlix localizes throughout the cytoplasm with a punctuated pattern and, soon after fertilization, accumulates in larger puncta in the cytosol, and in microvilli-like protrusions. Together our data show that PlAlix is structurally conserved from sea urchin to mammals and may open new lines of inquiry into the role of Alix during the early stages of embryo development

Activity of bacterial seed endophytes of landrace durum wheat for control of Fusarium foot rot

Five bacterial endophytic isolates obtained from durum wheat seeds (Iandrace "Timilia reste nere") and identified as belonging to Pantoea (isolates A1, F7, F15 and GI) and Paenibacillus (isolate B) genera on the basis of 16S rDNA gene sequences, were assayed in vitro and in vivo for their ability to inhibit Fusarium culmorum growth and the disease (Fusarium foot rot) it causes in durum wheat. All isolates significantly reduced in vitro growth of F. culmorum in comparison with the control. After 120 hours of incubation, isolates B and GI showed the greatest mycelial growth inhibition, i.e., respectively, 76 and 74%. When durum wheat "Simeto" seeds were treated with bacterial isolates singly or in combinations and then inoculated with F. culmorum, all treatments with endophytes showed increased, but not statistically significant, seed germination. Except for isolate Al, all bacterial isolates stimulated vegetative parameters of durum wheat seedlings. Mixture of isolates F7 + F15 was the most effective in improving shoot height (+94%), root length (+47%) and vigour index (+81%). Mixture of isolates A1 + B reduced Fusarium foot rot incidence (-21%) and severity (-30%), and isolate A1 reduced incidence (-15%) and severity (-16%) of the disease. These results indicate potential of bacterial seed endophytes, identified in this study, for control of Fusarium foot rot and suggest that bacterial seed endophytes may provide a new biocontrol agent for an environmentally sustainable durum wheat disease management programme

Role of fetal MRI in the evaluation of isolated and non-isolated corpus callosum dysgenesis: results of a cross-sectional study

PURPOSE: The aims of this study were to characterize isolated and non-isolated forms of corpus callosum dysgenesis (CCD) at fetal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and to identify early predictors of associated anomalies. METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed 104 fetuses with CCD undergoing MRI between 2006 and 2016. Corpus callosum, cavum septi pellucidi, biometry, presence of ventriculomegaly, gyration anomalies, cranio-encephalic abnormalities and body malformations were evaluated. Results of genetic tests were also recorded. RESULTS: At MRI, isolated CCD was 26.9%, the rest being associated to other abnormalities. In the isolated group, median gestational age at MRI was lower in complete agenesis than in hypoplasia (22 vs 28 weeks). In the group with additional findings, cortical dysplasia was the most frequently associated feature (P = 0.008), with a more frequent occurrence in complete agenesis (70%) versus other forms; mesial frontal lobes were more often involved than other cortical regions (P = 0.006), with polymicrogyria as the most frequent cortical malformation (40%). Multivariate analysis confirmed the association between complete agenesis and cortical dysplasia (odds ratio = 7.29, 95% confidence interval 1.51-35.21). CONCLUSIONS: CCD is often complicated by other intra-cranial and extra-cranial findings (cortical dysplasias as the most prevalent) that significantly affect the postnatal prognosis. The present study showed CCD with associated anomalies as more frequent than isolated (73.1%). In isolated forms, severe ventriculomegaly was a reliable herald of future appearance of associated features