50 research outputs found
La ridefinizione dell’autorialità nell’AI Novel
No full textThe article provides theoretical reflections on authorship and creativity of texts generated by Artificial Intelligence systems. The term ‘AI Novel’ is suggested to refer to texts generated by AI with literary purposes. Since the story of The day a computer writes a novel (2015), the spectral nature assumed by the authorial instance in texts generated by Ai becomes evident. Italo Calvino’s essay Cybernetics and Ghosts (1967) is used as a starting point to define the authorship in the text automatically generated: it’s no longer the creation of a single author, but it’s a collaborative process between human and non-human entities. The article also underlines the importance of human intervention through the different stages of the automated production. Finally, the theoretical reflections of Ross Goodwin, the creator of the AI novel 1 The road (2018), the work of the visual artist Anna Ridler, and the Rocco Tanica’s Non siamo mai stati sulla Terra (2022) book are examined. These three cases are analysed both for their re-definition of authorship, and for their insight between ‘hallucination’ of AI systems and creativity concepts and distance from the tradition
La sfida di Partecipazione e Conflitto
No full textLa riflessione sui limiti e sulle potenzialità della partecipazione accompagna da sempre la ricerca politica. Lo spazio semantico del termine â??partecipazioneâ?? à ̈ molto esteso, tanto che al suo interno ricadono fenomeni così eterogenei da poterla definire solo in termini minimali, come una forma di agire in cui si condivide con altri una stessa esperienza. Nellâ??insieme, nel corso degli anni, la ricerca empirica ha evidenziato che il fenomeno partecipativo ha un rapporto ambivalente con il potere e con il cambiamento, e non à ̈ di per sé,
sempre e comunque, un processo positivo ed emancipatorio
From nucleotides to satellite imagery: Approaches to identify and manage the invasive pathogen Xylella fastidiosa and its insect vectors in Europe
No full textBiological invasions represent some of the most severe threats to local communities and ecosystems. Among invasive species, the vector-borne pathogen Xylella fastidiosa is responsible for a wide variety of plant diseases and has profound environmental, social and economic impacts. Once restricted to the Americas, it has recently invaded Europe, where multiple dramatic outbreaks have highlighted critical challenges for its management. Here, we review the most recent advances on the identification, distribution and management of X. fastidiosa and its insect vectors in Europe through genetic and spatial ecology methodologies. We underline the most important theoretical and technological gaps that remain to be bridged. Challenges and future research directions are discussed in the light of improving our understanding of this invasive species, its vectors and host-pathogen interactions. We highlight the need of including different, complimentary outlooks in integrated frameworks to substantially improve our knowledge on invasive processes and optimize resources allocation. We provide an overview of genetic, spatial ecology and integrated approaches that will aid successful and sustainable management of one of the most dangerous threats to European agriculture and ecosystems
La nuova politica. Mobilitazioni, movimenti e conflitti in Italia
No full textIl volume esplora le forme e i luoghi in cui si manifesta la "nuova politica", cioè quelle espressioni di partecipazione che in passato venivano definite "non convenzionali" ma che, con il tempo, hanno acquistato una piena legittimità sociale e politica
Integrating citizen science and spatial ecology to inform management and conservation of the Italian seahorses
No full textCitizen science and spatial ecology analyses can inform species distributions, habitat preferences, and threats in elusive and endangered species such as seahorses. Through a dedicated citizen science survey submitted to the Italian diving centers, we collected 115 presence records of the two seahorses occurring along the Italian coasts: Hippocampus hippocampus and H. guttulatus. From this dataset, we used 85 seahorse valitaded records to identify the ecological features of these two poorly known species and quantify the effects of human activities on their habitat suitability through geographic information systems and species distribution modelling. Our results indicated a continuous suitable area for both seahorses along the Italian coasts, with a single major gap in the central Adriatic Sea (Emilia-Romagna and Marche regions). They co-occurred in most of their Italian range, particularly in the central and southern Tyrrhenian coasts, and their ecological niches resulted to be significantly similar, although not equivalent. The least-cost paths of both species were concentrated in southern Italy (Apulia, Calabria, and Sicily), suggesting that more data is needed to improve the spatial resolution of the available information, especially in the northern and central Italy. Human activities influenced 38% and 42% of the habitat suitability of H. hippocampus and H. guttulatus, respectively, while only 25% and 30% of their potential distributions, respectively, are protected by Italy's existing conservation area system, in accordance with the global average for seahorses. In particular, the central Adriatic Sea represents a critical area where the occurrence of these seahorses is lower and the anthropic impact is higher. Considering all the Italian regions, fishing effort is the main human activity impacting both species. These findings will support the implementation of more efficient conservation actions. We encourage the application and interaction of citizen science and spatial ecology analyses to facilitate the assessment and sustainable management of elusive organisms
Towards understanding the genetic basis of mouth asymmetry in the scale-eating cichlid Perissodus microlepis
No full textHow polymorphisms consisting in left–right asymmetries are produced and maintained in natural populations is a tantalizing question, which remains largely unanswered. The scale-eating cichlid fish <i>Perissodus microlepis</i> is a remarkable example of extreme ecological specialization achieved by morphological and behavioural laterality. Its asymmetric mouth is accompanied by a pronounced lateralized foraging behaviour, where a left-bending morph preferentially feeds on the scales of the right side of its prey, while the opposite is true for the right morph. This striking asymmetry made this fish a textbook example of the astounding degree of ecological specialization and negative frequency-dependent selection. Yet, the genetic basis underlying this spectacular laterality remains unknown. We addressed this question through analyses of wild-caught fish using high-throughput DNA sequencing data. A novel array of SNP markers was developed by ddRAD sequencing (ddRADseq) and the use of pooled DNA samples (PoolSeq). We obtained more than 155 000 SNPs using ddRADseq and 3 900 000 SNPs with PoolSeq. Among these, we identified one (ddRAD) SNP, and 38 or 378 (PoolSeq) windows that are differentiated between the left and right morphs accounting for spurious associations due to geographic structuring. This allowed us to uncover candidate genomic regions that potentially contain genes for this trait. Then, this interesting trait has a genetic basis that is likely to be influenced by multiple loci. This result contributes to a greater understanding of the genetic bases of left–right asymmetry and, ultimately, the evolutionary processes governing the maintenance of this striking case of laterality
PI-PLCβ1b affects Akt activation, cyclin E expression, and caspase cleavage, promoting cell survival in pro-B-lymphoblastic cells exposed to oxidative stress
No full textThe phosphoinositide-dependent signal transduction pathway has been implicated in the control of a variety of biologic processes, such as the regulation of cellular metabolism and homeostasis, cell proliferation and differentiation, and apoptosis. One of the key players in the regulation of inositol lipid signaling is the phospholipase Cβ1 (PI-PLCβ1), that hydrolyzes phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate [PtIns(4,5)P2], giving rise to the second messengers inositol triphosphate and diacylglicerol. PI-PLCβ1 has been associated with the regulation of several cellular functions, some of which have not yet been fully understood. In particular, it has been reported that PI-PLCβ1 protects murine fibroblasts from oxidative stress-induced cell death. The mediators of oxidative stress, reactive oxygen species (ROS), have been shown to regulate major epigenetic processes, causing the silencing of tumor suppressors and enhancing the proliferation of leukemic cells under oxidative stress. Investigation of the interplay between ROS, PI-PLCβ1, and their signaling mediators in leukemia might therefore reveal innovative targets of pharmacological therapy in the treatment for leukemia. In this work, we demonstrate that in pro-B-lymphoblastic cells (Ba/F3), treated with H2O2, PI-PLCβ1b conferred resistance to cell death, promoting cell cycle progression and cell proliferation and influencing the expression of cyclin A and E. Interestingly, we found that, expression of PI-PLCβ1b affects the activity of caspase-3, caspase-7, and of several protein kinases induced by oxidative stress. In particular, PI-PLCβ1b expression completely abolished the phosphorylation of Erk1/2 MAP kinases, down-regulated phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN), and up-regulated the phosphorylation of Akt, thereby sustaining cellular proliferation
The rise and fall of an alien: why the successful colonizer Littorina saxatilis failed to invade the Mediterranean Sea
No full textUnderstanding what determines range expansion or extinction is crucial to predict the success of biological invaders. We tackled this longstanding question from an unparalleled perspective using the failed expansions in Littorina saxatilis and investigated its present and past habitat suitability in Europe through Ecological Niche Modelling. This intertidal snail is a typically successful Atlantic colonizer and the earliest confirmed alien species in the Mediterranean Sea, where, however, it failed to thrive despite its high dispersal ability and adaptability. We explored the environmental constraints affecting its biogeography, identified potential glacial refugia in Europe that fuelled its post-glacial colonisations and tested whether the current gaps in its distribution are linked to local ecological features. Our results suggested that L. saxatilis is unlikely to be a glacial relict in the Mediterranean basin. Multiple Atlantic glacial refugia occurred in the Last Glacial Maximum, and abiotic environmental features such as salinity and water temperature have influenced the past and current distributions of this snail and limited its invasion of the Mediterranean Sea. The snail showed a significant overlap in geographic space and ecological niche with Carcinus maenas, the Atlantic predator, but distinct from Pachygrapsus marmoratus, the Mediterranean predator, further pointing to Atlantic-like habitat requirements for this species. Abiotic constrains during introduction rather than dispersal abilities have shaped the past and current range of L. saxatilis and help explaining why some invasions have not been successful. Our findings contribute to clarifying the processes constraining or facilitating shifts in species' distributions and biological invasions
Exploring the origin and maintenance of biodiversity : insights from the bilaterally asymmetrical cichlid fish Perissodus microlepis
No full textHow the striking diversity of life forms and their adaptations to the environment they inhabit emerge and are maintained in natural populations are largely unaddressed questions. An outstanding natural system to uncover the processes underlying biodiversity and adaptation are cichlid fishes, famously known for their spectacular rapid adaptive radiation. In a relatively short timeframe, they have evolved an extraordinary phenotypic diversity reflecting adaptations to often very narrow niches. Cichlids also comprise notable cases of stable polymorphisms, such as mouth asymmetry in the scale-eating cichlid fish Perissodus microlepis from Lake Tanganyika (Chapter I). Here, individuals with left- and right-bending mouth are found in sympatry in approximately equal frequencies. This morphological asymmetry is accompanied by lateralized foraging behavior: left individuals preferentially feed on the scales of the right side of its prey fish, and the opposite is true for the right morph. P. microlepis became a textbook model of extreme adaptation by ecological specialization and negative frequency-dependent selection via prey-predator interactions, that is thought to maintain this polymorphism over time. However, several contradicting findings and unaddressed questions emerged in the last years, challenging our understanding of this model. Knowledge on the morphological and developmental basis of this stable polymorphism, as well as the mechanisms that determine and drive intra-specific variation in this fish remain largely incomplete.In Chapter II, I present an overview of the current knowledge on P. microlepis’ polymorphism, which has repeatedly attracted and puzzled biologists. I introduce the most recent findings towards understanding the basis of such a remarkable adaptation. This review shows existing evidence and gaps in uncovering the genetic and non-genetic factors influencing mouth asymmetry, and the association between morphological, behavioral and cerebral asymmetry. I highlight the most important unanswered questions, which represent the core of this Ph.D. research.The first unsolved issue that is addressed in this thesis is the genetic basis underlying laterality in P. microlepis. A previously suggested simple genetic model of maintenance of a stable polymorphism has been criticized on multiple grounds recently. Chapter III elucidates whether mouth asymmetry has a significant genetic basis, and if its genomic architecture consists of a single/few or multiple loci. Using wild-caught fish and high-throughput DNA sequencing data, a novel array of single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers is developed by ddRAD sequencing (ddRADseq) and the use of pooled DNA samples (PoolSeq), obtaining more than 155,000 (ddRADseq) and 3,900,000 (PoolSeq) SNPs. Among these, one (ddRAD) SNP, and 38 or 378 (PoolSeq) windows show differentiated allele frequencies between the left and right mouth morph, after accounting for spurious associations due to geographic structuring. These SNPs identify candidate genomic regions that potentially contain genes affecting or regulating this trait. Interestingly, these loci include genes related to immunity, ion transporters and cell adhesion proteins. Immunity genes are renowned to be potent drivers of divergence in fish even in sympatry. The other genes are known to be part of the mechanism regulating the early establishment of the left-right pattern during embryogenesis. Particularly, protocadherins are involved in neuronal network formation; they may play a central role in P. microlepis’ asymmetry, especially in behavioral lateralization. These findings clarify that this interesting trait has a genetic basis that is likely to be influenced by multiple loci, contributing to a greater understanding of the genetic determinants of left-right asymmetries.Mouth asymmetry in P. microlepis has been recently observed to have a unimodal rather than a bimodal distribution, potentially indicating an effect of non-genetic factors on this trait, in line with previous evidence of phenotypic plasticity. Chapter IV explores the influence of environmental cues on asymmetry, another unclear issue. Particularly, it proposes that this unimodal distribution could result from the concerted effects of a sgenetic basis and a phenotypically plastic response due to feeding experience. This hypothesis is approached by validating the candidate SNP associated to mouth asymmetry identified by ddRADseq (Chapter III), analyzing inter-individual variation in feeding behavior using stable isotope analyses, and testing their association with mouth asymmetry. These results suggest that this polymorphism is shaped by both genes, including the candidate ddRAD locus, and non-genetic triggers, possibly due to inter-individual random and non-random variation in feeding behavior. This chapter introduces a first hypothesis linking genetic and environmental determination, and potentially explaining the simultaneous maintenance of left, right, asymmetric and symmetric mouth phenotypes in this outstanding cichlid fish.Chapter V provides a more comprehensive analysis of aspects of the biology of this fish, focusing on cues that can be critical to understand its polymorphism but have been largely overlooked. Here, patterns of body shape and neutral genome-wide genetic diversity across geographic space, and the presence of asymmetry in eye size in relation to mouth are investigated using advanced genomic and geometric morphometrics approaches. This part of my thesis shows the presence of restrictions to gene flow across the distribution range of this species, which might have important implications on the determination and maintenance of asymmetry, such as the possibility that its genetic basis could vary among locations. Additionally, asymmetry in mouth and eye are significantly associated, potentially suggesting a mechanism linking morphological, behavioral and cerebral laterality. Results from this chapter highlight the importance of interactions among traits - including at the genetic level - and variation in geographic space to understand the evolution and maintenance of this and other stable polymorphisms.An overview of tools that can be beneficial for studies that aim to bridge the gap between genotype or environmental cues and phenotype of potentially adaptive traits, such as mouth asymmetry, is presented in Chapter VI. A special focus is placed on the identification of signatures of balancing selection, a mode of selection that has been scarcely studied but can play a central role in evolutionary processes, particularly adaptation. I outline some pitfalls that limit their application to the study of P. microlepis and other non-model systems. I emphasize the importance of using integrative approaches that analyze polygenic, environmental and epigenetic variation in real populations to aid a comprehensive understanding of evolutionarily important phenotypes.In conclusion, my Ph.D. research combines genetic, genomic, morphological and ecological analyses to enlighten how stable polymorphisms are produced and maintained in natural populations, i.e., what are the processes underlying biological diversity and adaptation. It clarifies the relative importance of genetic and environmental factors affecting mouth asymmetry in P. microlepis, and identifies structures and interactions possibly contributing to this polymorphism. These findings add to the growing support for a quantitative nature of this trait, propose candidate genes responsible for laterality, and emphasize the importance of jointly considering genetic, internal and external non-genetic triggers and interactions. This study contributes towards illuminating long-standing questions on asymmetry determination, and ultimately to our understanding of the processes leading to the incomparable biological diversity.publishe
