Editorial: Multi-omics revolution in microbial cultural heritage conservation.

In recent decades the conservation of cultural heritage has been attracting increasing research interest from many different scientific disciplines. Lately, the co-integration of chemistry and physics with biological techniques has shaped our understanding of the living microbial communities on sites of cultural heritag

Assessment of color adsorption by yeast using Grape Skin Agar and impact on red wine color

Aim: Evaluating Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains for their color adsorption aptitude by using Grape Skin Agar in order to protect the phenolic compounds responsible for the color of red wines; proposing a suitable and innovative medium to be included among the tests currently used for wine strain selection.Methods and results: The strains were identified by fluorescence-Internal transcribed spacer (f-ITS) PCR and PCR-Restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP), confirmed by sequencing of ITS fragment, and tested for the parameter "aptitude to adsorb polyphenolic compounds" on the innovative chromogenic medium Grape Skin Agar. Laboratory-scale fermentations were carried out in must with and without SO2. The SO2 determined a decrease in tint, color intensity, and total polyphenol content. The strains M2V CHU7 and M2F CHU9 produced wines with the lowest color intensity, with and without SO2, respectively. By contrast, the strains M2F VUP4 and M2V CHU1, with and without SO2, respectively, produced wines with the highest color intensity, and therefore, they could improve the production of red wines.Conclusion: The study highlights great variability and significant differences among strains in regard to their aptitude to modulate wine color. Grape Skin Agar should be a useful medium to be included in the selection tests currently performed for S. cerevisiae strains.Significance and impact of the study: Our study confirms that yeast strains can modulate the chromatic properties of red wines according to their aptitude to adsorb polyphenols, as tested on Grape Skin Agar. Combining colored polyphenolic compound adsorption assay on Petri plate and laboratory-scale fermentation trials provides an effective way to test yeasts for their capability to improve the chromatic quality of the wines

deep learning based segmentation of breast masses in dedicated breast ct imaging radiomic feature stability between radiologists and artificial intelligence

Abstract A deep learning (DL) network for 2D-based breast mass segmentation in unenhanced dedicated breast CT images was developed and validated, and its robustness in radiomic feature stability and diagnostic performance compared to manual annotations of multiple radiologists was investigated. 93 mass-like lesions were extensively augmented and used to train the network (n = 58 masses), which was then tested (n = 35 masses) against manual ground truth of a qualified breast radiologist with experience in breast CT imaging using the Conformity coefficient (with a value equal to 1 indicating a perfect performance). Stability and diagnostic power of 672 radiomic descriptors were investigated between the computerized segmentation, and 4 radiologists' annotations for the 35 test set cases. Feature stability and diagnostic performance in the discrimination between benign and malignant cases were quantified using intraclass correlation (ICC) and multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA), performed for each segmentation case (4 radiologists and DL algorithm). DL-based segmentation resulted in a Conformity of 0.85 ± 0.06 against the annotated ground truth. For the stability analysis, although modest agreement was found among the four annotations performed by radiologists (Conformity 0.78 ± 0.03), over 90% of all radiomic features were found to be stable (ICC>0.75) across multiple segmentations. All MANOVA analyses were statistically significant (p ≤ 0.05), with all dimensions equal to 1, and Wilks' lambda ≤0.35. In conclusion, DL-based mass segmentation in dedicated breast CT images can achieve high segmentation performance, and demonstrated to provide stable radiomic descriptors with comparable discriminative power in the classification of benign and malignant tumors to expert radiologist annotation

Unraveling disparate roles of organisms, from plants to bacteria, and viruses on built cultural heritage

The different organisms, ranging from plants to bacteria, and viruses that dwell on built cultural heritage can be passive or active participants in conservation processes. For the active participants, particular attention is generally given to organisms that play a positive role in bioprotection, bioprecipitation, bioconsolidation, bioremediation, biocleaning, and biological control and to those involved in providing ecosystem services, such as reducing temperature, pollution, and noise in urban areas. The organisms can also evolve or mutate in response to changes, becoming tolerant and resistant to biocidal treatments or acquiring certain capacities, such as water repellency or resistance to ultraviolet radiation. Our understanding of the capacities and roles of these active organisms is constantly evolving as bioprotection/biodeterioration, and biotreatment studies are conducted and new techniques for characterizing species are developed. This brief review article aims to shed light on interesting research that has been abandoned as well as on recent (some ongoing) studies opening up new scopes of research involving a wide variety of organisms and viruses, which are likely to receive more attention in the coming yearOpen Access funding provided thanks to the CRUE-CSIC agreement with Springer Nature. The authors would like to express their gratitude to the Spanish State Research Agency (AEI) of the Ministry of Science and Innovation (MCIN) for concession of the BIOXEN project (PID2021-123329NA-I00). This study has been also supported by the European Regional Development Fund project: 313011V578. P. Sanmartín acknowledges receipt of a Ramón y Cajal contract (RYC2020-029987-I) financed by the AEI of the MCIN. P. Sanmartín and M. Serrano are grateful for the financial support from the Xunta de Galicia (grants ED431C 2022/09 and ED431B 2021/11)S

Long-amplicon MinION-based sequencing study in a salt-contaminated twelfth century granite-built chapel

The irregular damp dark staining on the stonework of a salt-contaminated twelfth century granite-built chapel is thought to be related to a non-homogeneous distribution of salts and microbial communities. To enhance understanding of the role of microorganisms in the presence of salt and damp stains, we determined the salt content and identified the microbial ecosystem in several paving slabs and inner wall slabs (untreated and previously bio-desalinated) and in the exterior surrounding soil. Soluble salt analysis and culture-dependent approaches combined with archaeal and bacterial 16S rRNA and fungal ITS fragment as well as with the functional genes nirK, dsr, and soxB long-amplicon MinION-based sequencing were performed. State-of-the-art technology was used for microbial identification, providing information about the microbial diversity and phylogenetic groups present and enabling us to gain some insight into the biological cycles occurring in the community key genes involved in the different geomicrobiological cycles. A well-defined relationship between microbial data and soluble salts was identified, suggesting that poorly soluble salts (CaSO4) could fill the pores in the stone and lead to condensation and dissolution of highly soluble salts (Ca(NO3)2 and Mg(NO3)2) in the thin layer of water formed on the stonework. By contrast, no direct relationship between the damp staining and the salt content or related microbiota was established. Further analysis regarding organic matter and recalcitrant elements in the stonework should be carried outOpen Access funding provided thanks to the CRUE-CSIC agreement with Springer Nature. P. Sanmartín acknowledges receipt of a Ramón y Cajal contract (RYC2020-029987-I) financed by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation (MICINN). The authors acknowledge the projects APVV-19–0059 and VEGA 2/099/2021 which also financed this study. The authors acknowledge CONSORCIO DE LA CIUDAD DE SANTIAGO funding for this researchS

Biodegradable active packaging enriched with essential oils for enhancing the shelf life of strawberries

The strawberry (Fragaria ananassa) is a nutrient-rich fruit with high content of healthbeneficial compounds. However, strawberries are susceptible to mechanical damage and microbiological contamination which can cause changes in fruit sensory properties. These changes consequently effect on ripening and shelf life of the strawberry. In recent years, essential oils (EOs) have been famous for their antimicrobial and antioxidant properties and are promising ecological alternatives to chemical antimicrobial substances. Nowadays, active packaging is one of several techniques developed for slowing down the metabolic processes of fresh fruits. Poly(lactic acid) (PLA) is one of the several polymers suitable for encapsulation EOs, whereas at the same time represent non-toxic, biodegradable, and compostable polymer derived from renewable resources. Suitable packaging prolongs the shelf life of fruit, keeps the products at the highest possible nutrition level, improves quality, and attracts customer attention. In the current study, we encapsulated EOs (lemongrass and oregano) into a PLA and poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) (PHB) packaging film and explored their antimicrobial and antioxidant properties. Moreover, biochemical and quality parameters for strawberry preservation and shelf-life extension were also assessed. Our tested active packaging film with EOs was proven to be useful for postharvest quality maintenance and shelf-life extension of strawberries, with PLA/PHB/ATBC + 5% lemongrass EO being slightly better than PLA/PHB/ATBC + 5% oregano EO.Project APVV-18-0420; Projects 2/0082/22 and 2/0137/23; European Regional Development Fund project: 313011V578info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

La conservazione preventiva del patrimonio librario come possibile alternativa al restauro tradizionale

The present paper focuses on the close relation between library collections and their preservation environment, aiming, in particular, at highlighting the importance of promoting and sustaining the monitoring. The paper proposes some simple and ready-to-use technologies – smart monitoring – to prevent future damages