De-constructing terracotta female figurines: A chalcolithic case-study

We report the results of detailed imaging studies of the inner structure of a terracotta female figurine dated to the 6th millennium BC, most probably from the Lakes region of Turkey, now kept at the Nati- onal Museum of Oriental Art \u201cGiuseppe Tucci\u201d, Rome. The figurine was investigated with advanced CT scanning, recording 966 transversal sections. Each section was stratigraphically interpreted and digitized, reconstructing in three dimensions the form and mode of application of each lump or slab under the potter\u2019s fingers. A review of the available information on the techniques of construction of prehistoric terracotta figurines in Eurasia reveals at least two diverging technical templates, here named core and dual forming processes. The structure of the investigated figurine and its operational sequence reveals a version of the dual technical template, confirming the presence and influence, at a cognitive level, of organic analogies and a possible map of the female body in the modelling process

Data Descriptor: high resolution multibeam and hydrodynamic datasets of tidal channels and inlets of the Venice Lagoon

Tidal channels are crucial for the functioning of wetlands, though their morphological properties, which are relevant for seafloor habitats and flow, have been understudied so far. Here, we release a dataset composed of Digital Terrain Models (DTMs) extracted from a total of 2,500 linear kilometres of high-resolution multibeam echosounder (MBES) data collected in 2013 covering the entire network of tidal channels and inlets of the Venice Lagoon, Italy. The dataset comprises also the backscatter (BS) data, which reflect the acoustic properties of the seafloor, and the tidal current fields simulated by means of a high-resolution three-dimensional unstructured hydrodynamic model. The DTMs and the current fields help define how morphological and benthic properties of tidal channels are affected by the action of currents. These data are of potential broad interest not only to geomorphologists, oceanographers and ecologists studying the morphology, hydrodynamics, sediment transport and benthic habitats of tidal environments, but also to coastal engineers and stakeholders for cost-effective monitoring and sustainable management of this peculiar shallow coastal system

Rhizosphere: a communication between plant and soil

\u2022 Plant survival and crop productivity are strictly dependent on the capability of plants to adapt to different environments. This adaptation is the result of the interaction among roots and biotic components of soil. The research on plant soil interaction is focused on the processes that take place in the rhizosphere, the soil environment surrounding the root. Many of these processes can control plant growth, microbial infections and nutrient uptake. \u2022 Our understanding of the biology, biochemistry and genetic development of roots has considerably improved during the last decade. In contrast, the processes mediated by roots in the rhizosphere such as secretion of root border cells and root exudates are not yet well understood. Nevertheless, the ability to secrete a vast array of compounds into the rhizosphere is one of the most remarkable metabolic features of plant roots, with nearly 5% to 21% of all photosynthetically fixed carbon being transferred to the rhizosphere through root exudates. \u2022 On the other hand, it is known that the rhizosphere is a densely populated area in which the roots must compete with different plant species, for space, water, mineral nutrients and with soil-borne microrganisms including bacteria, fungi and insects. Root-root, root-microbe and root-insect communications are likely continuous occurrences in this biological active soil zone. Thus, if plant roots are in communication with different organisms, how do roots effectively carried out this communication process within the rhizosphere? \u2022 Many papers suggest that root exudates may act as messengers that communicate and initiated biological physical interactions between roots and soil organisms. As already described, plant survival depends primarily on the ability of the plant to perceive change in the local environment. In other studies it has been found the presence of strong feed backs between plant community structures and soil attributes. In this way plants modify soils, making and maintaining the habitat more favourable for growth and survival in stress conditions. Therefore, exudation of organic substances by roots is not a wasteful C and energy losses for the plants, but an evolutionary developed mechanism by which plants \u201cspeak\u201d to micro-organisms or to soil. In the light of this, the mobilisation of bioactive organic/humic substances from the bulk soil or the bulk humus is a result of prominent importance

I suoli forestali

I suoli forestali, come pure la vegetazione sovrastante, hanno un ruolo di primaria importanza nel tamponare gli effetti delle attivit\ue0 antropiche sull\u2019emissione di anidride carbonica nell\u2019atmosfera, da qui la necessit\ue0 di sviluppare le nostre conoscenze sulle interazioni tra suolo, piante ed ambiente.La crescita degli alberi e la produttivit\ue0 delle foreste sono direttamente influenzate dalla quantit\ue0, qualit\ue0 e giacitura del suolo. Nei suoli forestali l\u2019accumulo superficiale di sostanza organica svolge un ruolo importante nella dinamica della fertilit\ue0. La lettiera, che presenta caratteristiche differenti a seconda delle condizioni climatiche e della vegetazione sotto cui si forma, \ue8 contemporaneamente sia fonte di carbonio e azoto per le piante e i microrganismi che luogo di stoccaggio o di accumulo attraverso il quale gli elementi nutritivi entrano nel terreno (source e sink rispettivamente nella letteratura anglosassone). L\u2019evoluzione della sostanza organica nel terreno regola processi come la nitrificazione e denitrificazione e influenza la dotazione di macro e micro elementi lungo tutto il profilo. Le trasformazioni chimiche e biologiche dei composti organici mediano i diversi processi pedogenetici dando luogo alla formazione di orizzonti diversi il cui riconoscimento \ue8 essenziale per distinguere le diverse forme di humus. Il tipo di humus che si forma \ue8 una conseguenza delle condizioni ecologiche locali: infatti le alterazioni degli equilibri idrici e i processi erosivi si ripercuotono sul ciclo, detto anche turnover, della sostanza organica e sulla quantit\ue0 e qualit\ue0 dell\u2019humus, deprimendo cos\uec la produttivit\ue0 dei suoli a lungo termine. Il selvicoltore nella gestione di un bosco deve quindi operare per la conservazione della sostanza organica in modo non solo da incrementare la produttivit\ue0 dei suoli a medio e lungo termine, ma anche per favorire lo stoccaggio dell\u2019anidride carbonica atmosferica nel suolo. 10.1. Dinamica degli elementi nutritivi nei suoli forestal