Log traceability and supply-chain verification by DNA markers in Fagus sylvatica L. in Italy

Verifying the match of a timber log with its population of origin represents a meaningful improvement for the preservation and valorisation of the wood chain.In this study, we tested the applicability of the molecular approach for tracing the supply chain of timber of European beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) to check if the declared source of timber truly complied with the declared origin.Samples were collected in four sawmills and in the declared forest standing populations. Different assignment tests for the “unknown” timber were used. Ordination pattern and STRUCTURE analyses identified three clusters and one case of mismatch between the analysed wood and the declared source. The Bayesian method (GeneClass2) and the machine learning approach (AssignPop) assigned 42-72% of the cases to the proper source, with higher uncertainty in one site.This study permitted to detect the lack of congruence of the declared wood source with the actual logging site by DNA markers, screening sampling reference populations (standing trees) and timber from sawmills. Thus, the application of DNA markers confirmed to be able to find failure in the wood supply chain. This application could act as a benchmark to further develop an independent supply-chain verification system that should be implemented as part of the inventory process

Results of different methodologies in the teaching of occupational risk prevention for adults in vocational training

[EN] Training in the prevention of occupational risks plays a very important role in prevention, especially if it is aimed at disadvantaged groups, who may compromise their access to the labor market in conditions of safety and psycho-physical comfort. In the last years the implementation of Basic Occupational Risk Prevention Courses within the vocational training programs for work-linked employment (in Spain ETCOTE), which are aimed at these groups, has been made compulsory. In this study, which gathers the conclusions of the first part of the research, some training experiences in ORP carried out in employment workshops are analyzed, evaluating their results in the medium term, and the new trends in training for adults are reviewed. From the research carried out it becomes evident that a traditional or academic methodological approach (Direct Instruction) does not achieve an effective learning, obtaining better results in the long term in the cases of more practical methodologies, active and based on students' previous knowledge. In the same way, positive results or at least a better learning environment, motivation and student participation are related to the use of gamification techniques in teaching. The analytical methodology proposed is a first step towards a study, on a larger sample, of the results of training in occupational risk prevention that allows establishing, in a second phase, methodological guidelines for teachers of this training that take into account the profile of the students, the specialties of the professional certificates that are offered, the organization and management of the works and services that are offered in these types of programs.De Dato, P.; Hernández Navarro, Y. (2020). Results of different methodologies in the teaching of occupational risk prevention for adults in vocational training. IATED Academy. 5096-5103. https://doi.org/10.21125/edulearn.2020.1326S5096510

Smoke, alcohol and drug addiction and male fertility

In recent decades, the decline in human fertility has become increasingly more worrying: while therapeutic interventions might help, they are vexing for the couple and often burdened with high failure rates and costs. Prevention is the most successful approach to fertility disorders in males and females alike. We performed a literature review on three of the most common unhealthy habits - tobacco, alcohol and drug addiction - and their reported effects on male fertility. Tobacco smoking is remarkably common in most first-world countries; despite a progressive decline in the US, recent reports suggest a prevalence of more than 30% in subjects of reproductive age - a disturbing perspective, given the well-known ill-effects on reproductive and sexual function as well as general health. Alcohol consumption is often considered socially acceptable, but its negative effects on gonadal function have been consistently reported in the last 30 years. Several studies have reported a variety of negative effects on male fertility following drug abuse - a worrying phenomenon, as illicit drug consumption is on the rise, most notably in younger subjects. While evidence in these regards is still far from solid, mostly as a result of several confounding factors, it is safe to assume that cessation of tobacco smoking, alcohol consumption and recreational drug addiction might represent the best course of action for any couple trying to achieve pregnancy

Sobre la reciente tendencia de renovar las superficies exteriores de los edificios de Venecia

[EN] The text starts with a detailed description of the richness and subtlety of the traditional fi­nishing techniques used on Venetian façades and their evolution over the years and their cohabitation. It goes on to explain the protective urbanistic norms in force in Venice and how they have unwittingly brought about a general trend to renew the outer surfaces of buildings in Venice, eliminating historic traces and committing constructive mistakes, doing away with a great deal of the rich cultural historic fi­nishes that date back to Gothic or even Byzantine times. Finally, it examines the state of conservation of the surfaces renewed in recent years to underscore their scant durability and their fast, violent deterioration, as opposed to the slow, gradual degradation of the historic ­finishes.[ES] El texto parte de una descripción en detalle de la riqueza y sutileza de las técnicas de acabado tradicionales de las fachadas de Venecia y su evolución a lo largo del tiempo y convivencia entre las mismas. Acto seguido, expone la normativa urbanística de protección vigente en Venecia y cómo esta ha llegado a desencadenar a su pesar una tendencia generalizada a renovar las superficies exteriores de los edificios de Venecia, eliminando las trazas históricas y cometiendo incorrecciones gramaticales constructivas, dando al traste con gran parte de esta rica cultura material en acabados históricos que se remonta a época gótica o incluso bizantina. Por último, repasa el estado de conservación de las superficies renovadas en los últimos años, para incidir en su pobre durabilidad y en su forma violenta y abrupta de deteriorarse, frente a la degradación lenta y difuminada de los acabados históricos.Trovò, F.; Dato, PD. (2012). Sobre la reciente tendencia de renovar las superficies exteriores de los edificios de Venecia. Loggia, Arquitectura & Restauración. (24-25):44-57. doi:10.4995/loggia.2012.2997SWORD445724-2

Web-based platform to collect, share and manage technical data of historical systemic architectures: the Telegraphic Towers along the Madrid-Valencia path

Considering the variety of architectural Cultural Heritage typologies, systemic architectures require specific attention in the recovery process. The dimensions of "extension" and "recurrence" at geographic and technological levels affect the complexity of their knowledge process; they require systematic ways for their categorisation and comprehension to guarantee correct diagnosis and suitable rehabilitation. Recent applications involving Internet of Things (IoT) for the built Cultural Heritage have demonstrated the potentialities of three-dimensional (3D) geographic information system (GIS) models and structured databases in supporting complex degrees of knowledge for technicians, as well as management for administrators. Starting from such experiences, the work presents the setting up of a web-based platform to support the knowledge and management of systemic architectures, considering the geographical distribution of fabrics, natural and anthropic boundary conditions, and technical and administrative details. The platform takes advantage of digital models, machine and deep learning procedures and relational databases, in a GIS-based environment, for the recognition and categorisation of prevalent physical and qualitative features of systemic architectures, the recognition and qualification of dominant and recurrent decays and the management of recovery activities in a semi-automatic way. Specifically, the main digital objects used for testing the applied techniques and setting up the platform are based on Red-Green-Blue (RGB) and mapped point clouds of the historical Telegraphic Towers located along the Madrid-Valencia path, resulting from the on-site investigations. Their choice is motivated by the high level of knowledge about the cases reached in the last years by the authors, allowing them to test rules within the decision support systems and innovative techniques for their decay mapping. As the experience has demonstrated, the systematisation of technical details and operative pipeline of methods and tools allow the normalisation and standardisation of the intervention selection process; this offers policymakers an innovative tool based on traditional procedures for conservation plans, coherent with a priority-based practice

Comparative genomics reveals a functional thyroid-specific element in the far upstream region of the PAX8 gene

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The molecular mechanisms leading to a fully differentiated thyrocite are still object of intense study even if it is well known that thyroglobulin, thyroperoxidase, NIS and TSHr are the marker genes of thyroid differentiation. It is also well known that Pax8, TTF-1, Foxe1 and Hhex are the thyroid-enriched transcription factors responsible for the expression of the above genes, thus are responsible for the differentiated thyroid phenotype. In particular, the role of Pax8 in the fully developed thyroid gland was studied in depth and it was established that it plays a key role in thyroid development and differentiation. However, to date the bases for the thyroid-enriched expression of this transcription factor have not been unraveled yet. Here, we report the identification and characterization of a functional thyroid-specific enhancer element located far upstream of the <it>Pax8 </it>gene.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>We hypothesized that regulatory cis-acting elements are conserved among mammalian genes. Comparison of a genomic region extending for about 100 kb at the 5'-flanking region of the mouse and human <it>Pax8 </it>gene revealed several conserved regions that were tested for enhancer activity in thyroid and non-thyroid cells. Using this approach we identified one putative thyroid-specific regulatory element located 84.6 kb upstream of the <it>Pax8 </it>transcription start site. The <it>in silico </it>data were verified by promoter-reporter assays in thyroid and non-thyroid cells. Interestingly, the identified far upstream element manifested a very high transcriptional activity in the thyroid cell line PC Cl3, but showed no activity in HeLa cells. In addition, the data here reported indicate that the thyroid-enriched transcription factor TTF-1 is able to bind <it>in vitro </it>and <it>in vivo </it>the Pax8 far upstream element, and is capable to activate transcription from it.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Results of this study reveal the presence of a thyroid-specific regulatory element in the 5' upstream region of the <it>Pax8 </it>gene. The identification of this regulatory element represents the first step in the investigation of upstream regulatory mechanisms that control <it>Pax8 </it>transcription during thyroid differentiation and are relevant to further studies on <it>Pax8 </it>as a candidate gene for thyroid dysgenesis.</p

Smoke, alcohol and drug addiction and male fertility

In recent decades, the decline in human fertility has become increasingly more worrying: while therapeutic interventions might help, they are vexing for the couple and often burdened with high failure rates and costs. Prevention is the most successful approach to fertility disorders in males and females alike. We performed a literature review on three of the most common unhealthy habits - tobacco, alcohol and drug addiction - and their reported effects on male fertility. Tobacco smoking is remarkably common in most first-world countries; despite a progressive decline in the US, recent reports suggest a prevalence of more than 30% in subjects of reproductive age - a disturbing perspective, given the well-known ill-effects on reproductive and sexual function as well as general health. Alcohol consumption is often considered socially acceptable, but its negative effects on gonadal function have been consistently reported in the last 30 years. Several studies have reported a variety of negative effects on male fertility following drug abuse - a worrying phenomenon, as illicit drug consumption is on the rise, most notably in younger subjects. While evidence in these regards is still far from solid, mostly as a result of several confounding factors, it is safe to assume that cessation of tobacco smoking, alcohol consumption and recreational drug addiction might represent the best course of action for any couple trying to achieve pregnancy

El hórreo asturiano. Cultura constructiva y arte popular

[ES] En el norte de la península Ibérica y más densamente en el área conocida como orla cantábrica (Galicia, Asturias, León, Cantabria, País Vasco y Navarra), se localizan pequeñas construcciones aisladas sobre columnas, de madera o piedra, que surgieron por la necesidad de guardar granos y otros productos agrícolas en un lugar seco, ventilado y fuera del alcance de las alimañas. Son los llamados hórreos, también conocidos como horrios, horrus, hurrus, orros, garaixes, garais, espigueiros, canastros, palleiros, cabaceiros, etc. Además, de su finalidad funcional, atendiendo a su tamaño y decoración, tenían una función social, representar el poder económico y el estatus social de la familia propietaria. Su morfología responde a la cultura constructiva local, es decir, a un intangible saber-hacer que toma como premisa el uso de materiales del lugar, resultando así una arquitectura vernácula sostenible tanto en su construcción y mantenimiento como en su uso tradicional. Pese a que el hórreo como granero ya fue reconocido en época clásica por Marco Terencio Varrón y Marco Vitruvio Polión, los casos más antiguos, en Asturias, datan de los siglos XIII y XIV y su obsolescencia y desaparición comenzó en el siglo XVII debido a cambios en el sistema económico productivo.  Se calcula una pérdida de ejemplares en torno al 90% entre los siglos XVIII y XX, según datos del catastro del Marqués de la Ensenada y Catastro Inmobiliario del s. XX. El presente artículo muestra el resultado del estudio realizado sobre el hórreo en Asturias, basado en un análisis constructivo. Se concluye subrayando el valor de los hórreos en general y los asturianos en particular, como testigos que documentan una cultura constructiva local y esconden en su ser valores intangibles de los oficios desarrollados por los artesanos que los obraron.Hernández Navarro, Y.; Gallardo García, M.; De Dato, P. (2023). El hórreo asturiano. Cultura constructiva y arte popular. Editorial Universitat Politècnica de València. 871-879. https://doi.org/10.4995/Icomos2022.2022.1401087187

Effects of warmer and drier climate conditions on plant composition and biomass production in a Mediterranean shrubland community

The last IPCC report predicts warmer and drier conditions for the future European climate and the Mediterranean basin could be highly sensible to future climatic change. In order to investigate how the forecast more stressing factors could affect Mediterranean shrubland ecosystems, an appropriate manipulation of the microclimate was carried out in an area covered by Mediterranean maquis aimed at extending the drought period and increasing the night-time temperature. Soil cover, plant growth, litterfall, leaf water status, and leaf nutritional status were monitored over three growing seasons. The manipulation altered the microclimate according to common scenarios, increasing mean annual night-time air temperature by about 1 °C and mean annual temperature by about 0.5 °C, and decreasing precipitation between 6-46% of the total rainfall during the growing seasons. A general increase of vegetation cover was observed in the whole community during the three years of experimentation. This positive temporal pattern was mainly observed in control and warming treatment, whereas in the drought treatment it was less evident. At species-specific level, a clear negative effect of drought treatment was observed for C. monspeliensis percentage cover. Shoot elongation was not significantly affected by the warming treatment. A significant negative effect of drought treatment was noticed in the 2001-2002 and 2002-2003 growing seasons. An increase of N and P concentrations in the drought treatment in Cistus was observed and it can be explained by the reduced shoot growth induced by the water shortage that we had observed in the same treatment. The absence of a concentration effect on the other two species could be the signal of the different behaviour with regard to a drier climate, and therefore could be a symptom of future change in species composition. We underline the need of longterm observation, because of the different responses of plants in the short and long- term conditions