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Heavy metals (HMs) can induce both chronic and acute harmful effects on marine and freshwater biota. The environmental impact of HMs in freshwater, seawater, soil, and wastewater can be limited using microbes, including microalgae, that are able to remove metals from environmental matrices. Indeed, they can passively adsorb and actively accumulate these persistent pollutants within their organelles, limiting their detrimental effects on cellular metabolism. The Sarno River is a 30 km long freshwater stream located in Southern Italy, polluted by partially untreated municipal, agricultural, and industrial wastewaters. In spite of this, microalgal cultures from Sarno River or Sarno River Mouth have never been established. In the present study, we isolated a green algal strain from the Sarno River Mouth and determined its ability to grow in polluted seawater containing different concentrations of cadmium, lead, or zinc. This strain was found to be able to accumulate these elements within its biomass in a dose-dependent manner. Growth inhibition experiments confirm the relatively low toxicity of Cd and Pb below 50 µM, while algal growth was seriously affected in Zn-amended media. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study focused on the ability of microalgae from Sarno River Mouth to tolerate and uptake HMs.

Microalgae are increasingly recognised as suitable microorganisms for heavy metal (HM) removal, since they are able to adsorb them onto their cell wall and, in some cases, compartmentalise them inside organelles. However, at relatively high HM concentrations, they could also show signs of stress, such as organelle impairments and increased activities of antioxidant enzymes. The main aim of this review is to report on the mechanisms adopted by microalgae to counteract detrimental effects of high copper (Cu) concentrations, and on the microalgal potential for Cu bioremediation of aquatic environments. Studying the delicate balance between beneficial and detrimental effects of Cu on microalgae is of particular relevance as this metal is widely present in aquatic environments facing industrial discharges. This metal often induces chloroplast functioning impairment, generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and growth rate reduction in a dose-dependent manner. However, microalgae also possess proteins and small molecules with protective role against Cu and, in general, metal stress, which increase their resistance towards these pollutants. Our critical literature analysis reveals that microalgae can be suitable indicators of Cu pollution in aquatic environments, and could also be considered as components of eco-sustainable devices for HM bioremediation in association with other organisms

Diatoms are unicellular eukaryotic microalgae widely distributed in aquatic environments, possessing a porous silica cell wall known as frustule. Diatom frustules are considered as a sustainable source for several industrial applications because of their high biocompatibility and the easiness of surface functionalisation, which make frustules suitable for regenerative medicine and as drug carriers. Frustules are made of hydrated silica, and can be extracted and purified both from living and fossil diatoms using acid treatments or high temperatures. Biosilica frustules have proved to be suitable for biomedical applications, but, unfortunately, they are not officially recognised as safe by governmental food and medical agencies yet. In the present review, we highlight the frustule formation process, the most common purification techniques, as well as advantages and bottlenecks related to the employment of diatom-derived silica for medical purposes, suggesting possible solutions for a large-scale biosilica production.

Diatoms are unicellular eukaryotic microalgae widely distributed in aquatic environments, possessing a porous silica cell wall known as frustule. Diatom frustules are considered as a sustainable source for several industrial applications because of their high biocompatibility and the easiness of surface functionalisation, which make frustules suitable for regenerative medicine and as drug carriers. Frustules are made of hydrated silica, and can be extracted and purified both from living and fossil diatoms using acid treatments or high temperatures. Biosilica frustules have proved to be suitable for biomedical applications, but, unfortunately, they are not officially recognised as safe by governmental food and medical agencies yet. In the present review, we highlight the frustule formation process, the most common purification techniques, as well as advantages and bottlenecks related to the employment of diatom-derived silica for medical purposes, suggesting possible solutions for a large-scale biosilica production.

In recent years, the production of TV series has grown in many European countries; in particular, pay channels and OTT players increased their offer in this genre, with several quality and premium products which became able to circulate all over the world. In this article, which is part of a wider research on production and distribution styles of TV series in Europe since 2008, we aim to retrace flows and connections among five European countries (France, Germany, Italy, Spain and United Kingdom) in order to catch the weight of exporting and exchanging context within the continent. Through a desk analysis combining quantitative and qualitative methods, the essay tries to provide a complete and detailed overview about circulation, distribution and reception of TV series in single countries, focusing on key aspects such as programming (channels and scheduling practices), aired seasons, rating audiences and previews in international audiovisual festivals.

This book maps the landscape of contemporary European premium television fiction, offering a detailed overview of both the changes in the digital production and distribution and the emergence of specific national and transnational case histories. Combining a media-production approach with a textual and audience analysis, the volume offers a complex, stratified, systemic view of ongoing aesthetic, sociocultural and industrial developments in contemporary European TV. With contributions from leading experts in the field, the book first offers an overview of the industrial, policy and cultural context for the renaissance of European television drama over the past decade, based on original comparative research. This research is then supported by case study chapters from the key contexts within which quality European television is being produced, offering a complex and complete picture of the industry’s strengths and limitations, its traditions and trends, its constraints and future perspectives.

This chapter deals with changes that have taken place in the European fiction scenario and charts the production and distribution of premium scripted television series in several European countries over the last ten years. It analyses the national histories and transnational connections among the main players behind the current growth of European premium television fiction. A discussion of some background data demonstrates the sector’s importance in the European and global television and media landscape. Building on quantitative research (e.g. industry reports, datasets, players’ shared knowledge) and qualitative findings (interviews with executives, managers and stakeholders), a series of steps is identified in the emergence of a distinct new kind of original fictional production in each country and in the European marketplace as a whole. Professional routines, industry assumptions and best practices are discussed from the different yet highly interconnected viewpoints of screenwriters, production companies and commissioners. Several shared strategies, approaches and trends provide common ground, playing a fundamental role in developing transnational titles and in circulating national productions and co-productions on a global scale.

From 2008 to 2020 television scripted-series production in Europe underwent a succession of major changes, prompting a "European television fiction renaissance". In this period an original production/distribution model for premium television fiction has developed, through trial and error, and then become established. Chapter one outlines some important developments and trends in the contemporary television and media field, tracing more than a decade of changes in fictional content production in Europe, courtesy of pay TV and the on-demand players. The research methodology is explained, spotlighting the selected countries, industry case histories and corpus of representative series. A guide to the edited collection’s various sections and chapters is also included.

Il saggio si focalizza sulla serie Gomorra, giunta nel 2020 allo shooting della sua quinta stagione, uno dei migliori casi di prodotto scripted nell’ultimo decennio; strutturata su standard internazionali, ha avuto una buona distribuzione all’estero, ottenendo ampia visibilità e presenza nel dibattito critico. Vengono passati in rassegna i fattori che hanno determinato il successo e la forza innovativa di Gomorra, che incarna perfettamente il modello della “serialità premium" e che rappresenta il punto finora più alto del “modello pay” che ha caratterizzato la “renaissance” della fiction italiana contemporanea.

The chapter focuses on original content production, distribution and promotion on pay TV in Italy and especially Sky Italia’s key role in it since 2008. Italian fiction, traditionally produced for the local internal market by the public-service broadcaster, Rai, or by the main commercial group, Silvio Berlusconi’s Mediaset, has long failed to earn worldwide acclaim. Romanzo criminale, Gomorra and other Sky Italia shows, however, are designed for global distribution and conceived as internationally co-produced, or rather co-financed, products. This overview of the pay-TV production model for scripted content addresses various aspects: the production context and culture, adopting a media production studies approach to analyse both the broadcaster’s and the production companies’ perspective; promotion, communication and scheduling; the consumption practices and textual changes marked by both continuity and discontinuity in narration and representation. The ultimate aim is to show whether (and if so, how) an Italian premium TV series model has emerged – as a distinct alternative to those traditionally developed by free-to-air broadcasters – and to explain why these series, with their local appeal and international style, are so successful in global markets.

Con il design e la moda, il cinema concorre in modo significativo alla creazione del “made in Italy", portando nel mondo non solo storie e ambienti, ma anche un'idea di italianità. La circolazione internazionale dei film ha contribuito a mettere a fuoco l’identità del cinema nazionale, a evidenziarne punti di forza e debolezze. Il cinema italiano ha vissuto fasi alterne per quanto riguarda la sua capacità di essere esportato: quello contemporaneo, grazie anche a una serie di trasformazioni che hanno riguardato il sistema dei media negli anni Duemila, presenta elementi positivi, tratti ancora poco studiati, perduranti criticità industriali e aperture al futuro. Questo volume è stato realizzato come esito conclusivo dell’attività del Progetto di ricerca di interesse nazionale (Bando PRIN 2015) CInCIt. Circolazione internazionale del cinema italiano, sviluppatosi tra il 2017 e il 2020, che ha visto la partecipazione di un team composto da diverse università italiane.

Questo volume nasce come un omaggio al lavoro di Aldo Grasso che, dagli anni Settanta, attraverso l’attività di ricerca e di didattica presso l’Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore di Milano, ma anche – dagli anni Novanta – con il quotidiano ‘corpo a corpo’ coi programmi – «i testi» – della televisione italiana, e i suoi protagonisti, ha insegnato ai suoi allievi, e al più vasto pubblico raggiunto dalle pagine del «Corriere della Sera», un approccio critico e contemporaneamente appassionato al medium saldamente centrale nella cultura italiana della seconda metà del Novecento e, ancora, del nuovo secolo. Il volume si focalizza su alcune questioni rilevanti: in che modo è possibile riflettere criticamente e fare ricerca sul ruolo di un mezzo tanto immediato e popolare quanto complesso nelle sue articolazioni e rilevante dal punto di vista culturale e sociale? Quali prospettive può adottare lo studio storiografico della televisione, e a quali fonti deve ricorrere?

Con il titolo "Gente di mare" la RAI ha prodotto una fiction che ha come protagonisti gli uomini e le donne appartenenti al Corpo della Guardia Costiera. Dalla narrazione emerge una visione della costa del Tirreno Meridionale come di una fascia di transizione tra la terra ferma, dove i ruoli, sia positivi che negativi, sono chiari e il mare aperto, uno spazio dove si svolge la lotta tra apparati dello Stato e organizzazioni criminali per il suo controllo. La Capitaneria di porto di Tropea viene così descritta come un baluardo di legalità volto a fronteggiare una frontiera al tempo stesso insediativa e militare

Gli esplosivi anni Duemila, con la tecnologia digitale e la forza della “convergenza mediale”, sono caratterizzati da spinte contrastanti che hanno portato verso una tv sempre più “multipla”, non soltanto in termini di abbondanza di offerta, di reti, di contenuti, ma anche in relazione al sovrapporsi di modelli di business, di percorsi di fruizione, di tipologie di prodotti e generi. Per comprendere, dunque, che cos’è la televisione oggi occorre affinare gli strumenti di analisi, accettare la sfida della complessità del mezzo, muoversi lungo i confini delle competenze e delle discipline. Questo libro rappresenta il risultato, in piena modalità Telvision Studies, di un dialogo aperto tra due mondi: quello dello sguardo degli studiosi di televisione, portatori di un approccio teorico e metodologico di studio e ricerca sul mezzo e quello della competenza dei professionisti impegnati nel settore dell’industria televisiva. Il volume si propone, infatti, un obiettivo preciso: offrire a coloro che hanno intrapreso un percorso di studi nel settore dei media e della tv, o che aspirano a sviluppare il loro profilo professionale in questo campo, una visione sui principali approcci di analisi a questo mezzo e sulle routine che ne regolano il funzionamento. Il volume è suddiviso in due sezioni. La Parte prima, "Studiare la televisione: approcci e metodi", offre una disamina delle diverse prospettive di studio con cui la televisione è stata analizzata nel corso della sua storia, fornendo gli strumenti (e il vocabolario) di fondo per inquadrare analiticamente il mezzo. La Parte seconda, "Analizzare la televisione: case studies", trasferisce sulla carta il lavoro quotidiano che si compie nelle imprese televisive, nella sua concretezza di strategie operative, pratiche professionali e terminologie specifiche che sostanziano l’approccio industry alla tv. Alla fine di tale percorso, il lettore avrà a disposizione tutti gli strumenti utili per comprendere che cos’è, come si è t

Breve mappatura degli spazi formali e informali dei luoghi distintivi della RAI romana e dei caratteri di produzione a essi strettamente legati.