Muralismo galego contemporáneo: deterioro e conservación de materiais de soporte e pictóricos

The appearance of contemporary muralism works decorating our cities requires a specific investigation focused on the study of the alteration processes of these works and on the evaluation of the effectiveness of products that can slow their deterioration, reducing their ephemeral nature. The proposed research aims to identify the main agents and forms of deterioration that affect the contemporary murals made in Galicia in the last decade, as well as to evaluate the durability of the most used pictorial materials by the collective of urban artists (acrylic paints and sprays) applied on the most common supports. The results obtained will constitute the necessary starting point for the correct diagnosis of the works and the knowledge base necessary to define the most appropriate direct conservation interventions for the contemporary muralism in Galicia. This research belongs to an interdisciplinary and international research project CONSERVATION OF ART IN URBAN SPACES (CAPuS), supported via the Key Action 2 (knowledge Alliances) of the Erasmus+ Programme, in which the CI5 group - Mining of the University of Vigo is integrated as a work team.La aparición de obras de muralismo contemporáneo decorando nuestras ciudades requiere abordar una investigación especifica centrada en el estudio de los procesos de alteración que sufren estas obras y en la evaluación de la eficacia de productos que puedan ralentizar su deterioro, reduciendo en consecuencia su carácter efímero. La investigación que se propone pretende identificar los principales agentes y formas de deterioro que afectan a los murales contemporáneos realizados en Galicia en la última década, así como evaluar la durabilidad de los materiales pictóricos más usados por el colectivo de artistas urbanos (pinturas acrílicas y sprays) aplicadas en los soportes más habituales. Los resultados obtenidos constituirán el punto de partida necesario para el correcto diagnóstico de las obras y la base de conocimiento necesaria para definir las intervenciones de conservación directa más adecuadas a las necesidades de conservación del muralismo contemporáneo en Galicia. Esta investigación se enmarca dentro de un proyecto de investigación interdisciplinar e internacional en el marco de las ayudas a las alianzas de conocimiento (KA) del programa Erasmus +, el proyecto CONSERVATION OF ART IN URBAN SPACES (CAPuS), en el cual el grupo CI5- Explotación de Minas de la Universidad de Vigo se integra como equipo de trabajo.A aparición de obras de muralismo contemporáneo que decoran as nosas cidades require unha investigación específica centrada no estudo dos procesos de alteración que sofren estas obras e na avaliación da eficacia de produtos que poden retardar o seu deterioro, reducindo así o seu carácter efémero. A investigación proposta pretende identificar os principais axentes e formas de deterioración que afectan aos murais contemporáneos realizados en Galicia na última década, así como avaliar a durabilidade dos materiais pictóricos máis empregados polo colectivo de artistas urbanos (pinturas acrílicas e spray) aplicadas nos soportes máis habituais. Os resultados obtidos constituirán o punto de partida necesario para o correcto diagnóstico das obras e a base de coñecemento necesaria para definir as intervencións de conservación directa máis adecuadas para as necesidades de conservación do muralismo contemporáneo en Galicia. Esta investigación forma parte dun proxecto de investigación interdisciplinar e internacional no marco da axuda ás alianzas do coñecemento (KA) do programa Erasmus +, o proxecto CONSERVATION OF ART IN URBAN SPACES (CAPuS) no que o grupo CI5 – Explotación de Minas da Universidade de Vigo está integrada como equipo de traballo.Agencia Estatal de Investigación | Ref. RYC2020-028902-

Novel actinobacterial diversity in arid Atacama Desert soils as a source of new drug leads

PhD ThesisThe search for new specialised metabolites, notably antibiotics, that can be developed for healthcare has steadily shifted towards the isolation and screening of rare and novel actinobacteria from extreme habitats on the premise that such habitats give rise to unique biodiversity that is the basis of novel chemistry. To this end, a taxonomic approach to bioprospecting for bioactive compounds was used to selectively isolate, dereplicate and classify actinobacteria from hyper-arid and extreme hyper-arid areas of the Atacama Desert in northwest Chile, namely from the Salar de Atacama and Yungay regions, respectively. Sample pretreatment and selective isolation strategies enabled the recovery of actinobacteria from each of these habitats and while population sizes were small, taxonomic diversity was high. Relatively large numbers of Amycolatopsis and Streptomyces strains were isolated from the hyper-arid Salar de Atacama soil, as were smaller numbers of Actinomadura, Kribbella, Lechevalieria, Nonomuraea and Saccharothrix strains. In contrast, Modestobacter and Streptomyces isolates predominated in the extreme hyper-arid Yungay soil, the latter also contained smaller numbers of Blastococcus, Couchioplanes, Geodermatophilus and Pseudonocardia strains. With few exceptions representatives of these genera formed distinct phyletic lines in 16S rRNA gene trees. Polyphasic studies carried out on strains of ecological and biotechnological interest showed that isolates assigned to the genera Modestobacter and Streptomyces belonged to putative new species, as exemplified by the proposal for Streptomyces leeuwenhoekii sp. nov. for strains that formed a distinct branch in the Streptomyces 16S rRNA gene tree. In contrast, representatives of the genus Amycolatopsis were assigned to known species, albeit ones classified in a rare taxon, the Amycolatopsis 16S rRNA gene clade. Most of the representative isolates examined in standard plug assays inhibited the growth of one or more of a panel of five wild type microorganisms. In addition, some of the representative streptomycetes from the hyper-arid Salar de Atacama soil were found to inhibit cell envelope, cell wall, fatty acid and RNA synthesis in assays based on the use of Bacillus subtilis reporter genes. The results of this project demonstrate for the first time that hyper-arid and extreme hyper-arid Atacama Desert soils are rich reservoirs of cultivable rare and novel actinobacteria with the capacity to produce a broad range of bioactive compounds that can be developed as drug leads for medicine. Indeed, microorganisms, unlike plants and animals, have overcome the prevailing harsh conditions of the Desert. Life abounds in the Atacama Desert, but most of it is microbial!Royal Thai Government, and from the Thailand Institute of Scientific and Technological Research (TISTR

Kyoto University International ONLINE Symposium 2021 on Education and Research in Global Environmental Studies in Asia : Restarting International Cooperation After Covid-19 Pandemic

Kyoto University International ONLINE Symposium 2021 on Education and Research in Global Environmental Studies in Asia : Restarting International Cooperation After Covid-19 PandemicDate: NOV.29 (Mon.) to NOV.30 (Tue.), 2021Organized by: Kyoto University Graduate School of Global Environmental Studies (GSGES)Supported by: MEXT supporting project “Kyoto University Environmental Innovator Program–Cultivating Environmental Leaders across ASEAN Region”Study Field 1; Engineering・Technology・Science; E01-E40, except E02, E08, E17, E39Study Field 2; Agriculture・Forestry・Biology; A01-A20Study Field 3; Rural & Urban Development; R01-R16, E02, E08, E17, E39Study Field 4; Policy・Economics・Culture; P01-P1

STONECOLOR: color of commercial marbles and limestone - causes and changes

Historically centred in the European and Asiatic countries, the ornamental stone production is currently one of the most important sectors for the Portuguese economy. In fact, Portugal is today one of the leaders in the production of natural stone worldwide, namely in the limestone and marble exploitation. The production increment over the last several years is related with the high quality of the carbonated stones existing in the Portuguese territory together with the Portuguese experience in stone manufacture, acquired since ancient times. In this context, colour is one of the most important visible aspects of natural stone, for the construction/restoration of new buildings and/or for Cultural Heritage preservation. Therefore, colour and discolouration of stone is currently an important research topic for the scientific community, where the association stone-colour-microorganism is still unexploited. This PhD aimed to determine the causes that affect the colour of Portuguese marbles and limestones. Therefore, several lithotypes of natural stone with high relevance for the Portuguese natural stone industry and for Cultural Heritage assets were selected and studied. In order to characterise discolouration phenomena, the processes of natural stones’ weathering were assessed, and the microbiota thriving on the stones was determined. The microorganisms’ contribution for the stone discolouration phenomena was evaluated through the execution of artificial ageing assays, under controlled environment. The results obtained allowed to identify the main chromophore components of the Portuguese carbonated stones studied. It was also finding and determined that the colour change occurred on the blue limestone is achieved through the natural weathering of pyrite, and this mechanism is accelerated when microorganisms are present. Regarding the cultural heritage assets study, it was finding that colour alterations of the stone are caused mainly by chemical and biogenic actions; Resumo: Tradicionalmente centrada nos países Europeus e Asiáticos, a produção de Pedra Ornamental tem-se tornado num dos mais importantes setores da economia Portuguesa. Portugal é hoje, de facto, um dos líderes ao nível mundial na produção de Pedra Natural, nomeadamente de calcários e mármores. O aumento na produção ao longo destes últimos anos está relacionada não só com a elevada qualidade das rochas carbonatadas que aqui se encontram, mas também com a experiência portuguesa no manuseamento da Pedra. A cor, neste contexto, é um dos aspetos visíveis mais importantes na Pedra Natural, tanto na construção/restauro de novos edifícios como na preservação de Património Cultural. Deste modo, a cor e a descoloração da Pedra tem-se tornado num dos importantes tópicos de investigação para a comunidade científica, onde uma das lacunas é a falta de associação pedra-cor-microorganismo. Com este projeto pretendeu-se contribuir para a compreensão das causas de cor em rochas carbonatadas portuguesas, como o calcário e o mármore, onde foram selecionados e estudados diversos litótipos de Pedra Natural com elevada relevância para a indústria da Pedra portuguesa e para o património cultural construído. Para caracterizar fenómenos de descoloração, foram estudados os processos de meteorização de rochas e foi determinado o estado de biocolonisação do material. O contributo dos microorganismos para o fenómeno de descoloração de Pedra foi avaliado através da execução de ensaios de envelhecimento artificial, sob ambiente controlado. Os resultados obtidos permitiram identificar os principais elementos cromóforos das rochas carbonatadas portuguesas estudadas. Foi ainda determinado que a alteração da cor no calcário azul é causada pela pela meteorização natural da pirite, e que este mecanismo é acelerado na presença de agentes microbianos. Relativamente ao estudo dos bens patrimoniais, foi determinado que as alterações cromáticas aqui presentes são sobretudo de origem química e biogénica

Proceedings of the 2021 DigitalFUTURES

This open access book is a compilation of selected papers from 2021 DigitalFUTURES—The 3rd International Conference on Computational Design and Robotic Fabrication (CDRF 2021). The work focuses on novel techniques for computational design and robotic fabrication. The contents make valuable contributions to academic researchers, designers, and engineers in the industry. As well, readers encounter new ideas about understanding material intelligence in architecture

DETERIORATION OF CARBONATE ROCKS AND VULNERABILITY OF CULTURAL HERITAGE IN A CHANGING CLIMATE

The main aim of this study is to understand the effect of microclimatic factors on the decay of carbonate rocks with different petrography and textural features. A set of different kind of limestones commonly used in Built Heritage of Veneto and Northern Italy was selected. Innovative and non-invasive methods for surface recession measurements in different environmental conditions have been used and results are useful for refine currently available equations. Besides some routine laboratory analysis (OM, SEM-EDS, XRD, XRF, MIP, m-CT, densitometry), two different experimental approaches were designed: i) determination of the recession rate in headstones from a series of Commonwealth War Graves Commission cemeteries ii) accelerated ageing tests at controlled environmental conditions on different carbonate rock types previously petrographically and texturally characterized

Impact of geogenic degassing on C-isotopic composition of dissolved carbon in karst systems of Greece

The Earth C-cycle is complex, where endogenic and exogenic sources are interconnected, operating in a multiple spatial and temporal scale (Lee et al., 2019). Non-volcanic CO2 degassing from active tectonic structures is one of the less defined components of this cycle (Frondini et al., 2019). Carbon mass-balance (Chiodini et al., 2000) is a useful tool to quantify the geogenic carbon output from regional karst hydrosystems. This approach has been demonstrated for central Italy and may be valid also for Greece, due to the similar geodynamic settings. Deep degassing in Greece has been ascertained mainly at hydrothermal and volcanic areas, but the impact of geogenic CO2 released by active tectonic areas has not yet been quantified. The main aim of this research is to investigate the possible deep degassing through the big karst aquifers of Greece. Since 2016, 156 karst springs were sampled along most of the Greek territory. To discriminate the sources of carbon, the analysis of the isotopic composition of carbon was carried out. δ13CTDIC values vary from -16.61 to -0.91‰ and can be subdivided into two groups characterized by (a) low δ13CTDIC, and (b) intermediate to high δ13CTDIC with a threshold value of -6.55‰. The composition of the first group can be related to the mixing of organic-derived CO2 and the dissolution of marine carbonates. Springs of the second group, mostly located close to Quaternary volcanic areas, are linked to possible carbon input from deep sources