Cultural Heritage, Sustainable Development and Human Rights: The Need for an Integrated Approach

In this chapter the author focuses on the principle of integration and its relevance when dealing with cultural heritage, sustainable development and human right

Bortoletti - Di Martino - Refini, Memory and Performance: Classical reception in Early Modern Festivals, atti del Convegno internazionale tra Parma e Londra 2022-2023, doppio numero monografico della rivista “Skenè. Journal of Theatre and Drama Studies”, 10.1 e 10.2.

The present double special issue reworks upon, and includes a selection of, essays by leading scholars and presented at a two-stage conference on Memory and Performance: Classical Reception in Early Modern Festivals (Parma: 10-14/10/22; London: 20-24/02/23), organised by Bortoletti and Di Martino and with Refini as respondent. The aim is to investigate festivals as a most important form of early modern performance culture and as a privileged mode of transmission and re-elaboration of Greco-Roman textual and non-textual material into early modern written and performance cultural practices. Renaissance festivals are one of the major focuses of early modern studies and have recently been at the centre of renewed scholarly interest and interdisciplinary discussions. These festive occasions and civic rituals played a fundamental role in Renaissance society, presenting intangible, yet crucial, aspects of early modern life and memory. Festivals should be seen as the product of a highly performative context that extended beyond the vernacular dramatic traditions that were being formed between the 15th and the 18th centuries in some parts of the European and American continents. By means of music, poetry and drama, and the visual arts, these festivals appropriated and enmeshed Graeco-Roman mythologies as well as theatrical and textual material into local, national and experimental performing practises, through which they gave voice to political tensions as well as documented transcultural exchanges across the Mediterranean and the Atlantic. The proposed double issue investigates festivals as a privileged place of memorability and channel of transmission of Greco-Roman textual and non-textual culture into early modern performance culture through the examination of the material that documents their existence, their spatial and textual outlines, as well as the individual and collective memories contained therein. The first part focuses on how Graeco-Roman architecture and performance culture grounded the spatial and political dimensions of performance in early modern festivals. The second part focuses on the textual traces of Graeco-Roman myths and scripts in early modern theatrical and dramaturgical practices. The period considered ranges from the 15th to the 18th centuries and includes the European and American continents

Accumulation and Release of Cadmium Ions in the Lichen Evernia prunastri L. (Ach.) and Wood-Derived Biochar: Implication for the Use of Biochar for Environmental Biomonitoring

Biochar (BC) boasts diverse environmental applications. However, its potential for environmental biomonitoring has, surprisingly, remained largely unexplored. This study presents a preliminary analysis of BC’s potential as a biomonitor for the environmental availability of ionic Cd, utilizing the lichen Evernia prunastri L. (Ach.) as a reference organism. For this purpose, the lichen E. prunastri and two types of wood-derived biochar, biochar 1 (BC1) and biochar 2 (BC2), obtained from two anonymous producers, were investigated for their ability to accumulate, or sequester and subsequently release, Cd when exposed to Cd-depleted conditions. Samples of lichen and biochar (fractions between 2 and 4 mm) were soaked for 1 h in a solution containing deionized water (control), 10 μM, and 100 μM Cd2+ (accumulation phase). Then, 50% of the treated samples were soaked for 24 h in deionized water (depuration phase). The lichen showed a very good ability to adsorb ionic Cd, higher than the two biochar samples (more than 46.5%), and a weak ability to release the metal (ca. 6%). As compared to the lichen, BC2 showed a lower capacity for Cd accumulation (−48%) and release (ca. 3%). BC1, on the other hand, showed a slightly higher Cd accumulation capacity than BC2 (+3.6%), but a release capacity similar to that of the lichen (ca. 5%). The surface area and the cation exchange capacity of the organism and the tested materials seem to play a key role in their ability to accumulate and sequester Cd, respectively. This study suggests the potential use of BC as a (bio)monitor for the presence of PTEs in atmospheric depositions and, perhaps, water bodies

An ex vivo headspace gas chromatography-mass spectrometry method for the determination of short-chain siloxanes in silicon oil tamponades used in ophthalmic surgery

Being able to facilitate retinal reattachment by preventing water migration into the subretinal space, silicone oils are widely used as long-term intraocular tamponade to treat cases of retinal detachment. Various commercial tamponades constituted by linear polydimethylsiloxane polymers with different molecular weights and cyclic impurities are available. In this study, for the first time, an untargeted headspace-gas-chromatography-mass spectrometry (HS-GC-MS) method was developed to identify low-molecular weight contaminants in three different types of silicone oil tamponades, namely Siluron 2000, RS-OIL ECS5000 and Densiron Xtra. Both commercial and post-operative tamponades were analysed to screen for the different classes of compounds present in the samples. The most abundant classes were short-chain siloxanes, fluorinated compounds, and hydrocarbons. To quantify the siloxanes present in the samples, a targeted HS-GS-MS was optimized using a central composite design and validated according to guidelines for bioanalytical methods. Lower limits of quantification in the low μg/L range, good precision with RSD% < 12% and accuracy with recovery rates in the 81 ( ± 7) – 96 ( ± 4) % range were achieved. Short-chain siloxanes were quantified in both commercial and post operative tamponades, being the RS-OIL ECS5000 characterized by the highest concentration levels of the investigated analytes. By contrast, Densiron Xtra tamponades showed the lowest amount of short-chain siloxanes, observing a general decrease in their concentration levels according to the residence time in the eyes

A novel PGPR strain homologous to Beijerinckia fluminensis induces biochemical and molecular changes involved in Arabidopsis thaliana salt tolerance

The use of PGPR is widely accepted as a promising tool for a more sustainable agricultural production and improved plant abiotic stress resistance. This study tested the ability of PVr_9, a novel bacterial strain, homologous to Beijerinckia fluminensis, to increase salt stress tolerance in A. thaliana. In vitro plantlets inoculated with PVr_9 and treated with 150 mM NaCl showed a reduction in primary root growth inhibition compared to uninoculated ones, and a leaf area significantly less affected by salt. Furthermore, salt-stressed PVr_9-inoculated plants had low ROS and 8-oxo-dG, osmolytes, and ABA content along with a modulation in antioxidant enzymatic activities. A significant decrease in Na+ in the leaves and a corresponding increase in the roots were also observed in salt-stressed inoculated plants. SOS1, NHX1 genes involved in plant salt tolerance, were up-regulated in PVr_9-inoculated plants, while different MYB genes involved in salt stress signal response were downregulated in both roots and shoots. Thus, PVr_9 was able to increase salt tolerance in A. thaliana, thereby suggesting a role in ion homeostasis by reducing salt stress rather than inhibiting total Na+ uptake. These results showed a possible molecular mechanism of crosstalk between PVr_9 and plant roots to enhance salt tolerance, and highlighted this bacterium as a promising PGPR for field applications on agronomical crops

Wood Distillate Enhances Seed Germination of Chickpea, Lettuce, and Basil

Seed priming with synthetic chemicals may be harmful to the environment and human health. Their replacement with bio-based compounds may overcome these concerns. In this study, we assessed the effectiveness of wood distillate (WD) in enhancing in vitro germination of crop plants using basil, chickpea, and lettuce as case studies. Seeds of the three species were soaked for 24 h in 0.25% and 0.17% WD solutions and then left to germinate for 7 days at 20 °C in a dark germination chamber. Seed pre-treatment with 0.25% WD enhanced germination in all tested species, while 0.17% WD stimulated germination in lettuce and chickpea, but not in basil. For lettuce, 0.17% WD worked better than 0.25% WD. Radicle length of basil and chickpea increased following pre-treatment with 0.25% WD, while in lettuce, it increased after pre-treatment with 0.17% WD. Treating seeds with appropriate WD solutions is a potential strategy to improve germination of crop plants

Can Personal Identity Protect against Problematic Gaming? A Study on the Relationships between Identity Motives, User–Avatar Bond, and Problematic Gaming in a Sample of MMORPG Players

A positive relationship between user–avatar bond (UAB; i.e., avatar identification and avatar idealization) and problematic gaming (PG) has been well established among Massive Multiplayer Role-Playing Games (MMORPG) players. However, no study has examined how players’ personal identity relates both to UAB and PG. Based on the Motivated Identity Construction Theory, the current study examined the relationships between actual levels of identity motives (self-efficacy, continuity, uniqueness, self-esteem, and belonging), UAB, and PG in a sample of 675 MMORPG players. Results showed that perceiving oneself as the same person over time (continuity) and feeling included and accepted (belonging) directly protect MMORPG players from PG, while perceiving oneself as highly unique (uniqueness) and having low confidence in one’s own capacity to reach specific goals (self-efficacy) are indirect risk factors for PG as they strengthen UAB. The reasons explaining these links will be discussed