Ancient DNA: genomic amplification of Roman and medieval bovine bones.

Cattle remains (bones and teeth) of both roman and medieval age were collected in the archaeological site of Ferento (Viterbo, Italy) with the aim of extracting and characterising nucleic acids. Procedures to minimize contamination with modern DNA and to help ancient DNA (aDNA) preservation of the archaeological remains were adopted. Different techniques to extract aDNA (like Phenol/chloroform extraction) from bovine bones were tested to identify the method that applies to the peculiar characteristics of the study site. Currently, aDNA investigation is mainly based on mtDNA, due to the ease of amplification of the small and high-copied genome and to its usefulness in evolutionary studies. Preliminary amplification of both mitochondrial and nuclear aDNA fragments from samples of Roman and medieval animals were performed and partial specific sequences of mitochondrial D-loop as well as of nuclear genes were obtained. The innovative amplification of nuclear aDNA could enable the analysis of genes involved in specific animal traits, giving insights of ancient economic and cultural uses, as well as providing information on the origin of modern livestock population

First evidence of heteroplasmy in Grey Partridge (Perdix perdix)

Abstract We report for the first time the occurrence of heteroplasmy in Grey Partridge (Perdix perdix) revealed by means of two mitochondrial fragments. The possible serious biological and management implications of this exception to unilateral inheritance of mtDNA were underlined

Elite food between the Late Middle Ages and Renaissance. Some case studies from Latium

The study of plant and animal remains from archaeological sites provides important evidence about past human diets and habits: this includes species selection, food preparation, consumption and disposal practices. Furthermore, such information may also provide inferences about social status. Data from refuse disposal features identified in some elite contexts in central Italy – a high-status residence in Celleno Vecchio (Viterbo) and the Baglioni-Santacroce castle in Graffignano (Viterbo), both in northern Latium, as well as the Santi Quattro Coronati ecclesiastical complex in Rome – allow to explore, using archaeobotanical, archaeozoological and genetic data, some of the different ways in which people expressed wealth by means of food during a period between the late Middle Ages and Renaissance

CAUSES OF CORPORATE CRISIS: AN INVESTIGATION ON SMES TO SUPPORT THE LEARNING PROCESS

The study is an invitation to reflect on the leading (internal and external) causes of the crisis for SMEs while taking their corporate age into account, and act as a useful tool when identifying the critical areas that require intervention to prevent or mitigate the crisis. A questionnaire was administered to the legally appointed bankruptcy trustees that managed 228 bankruptcy procedures. Descriptive statistical analysis and exploratory factor analysis have been employed. Data shows that planning activities, governance, and ownership issues (as internal factors), in addition to economic and industrial crisis (as external determinants) are recognized as a prerogative for a firm bankruptcy procedure activation. The main limit concerns the reduced sample size due to challenges in the data gathering process while also considering the “bankruptcy status” and the reference context; these are characterized by small-sized enterprises, hilly and mountainous landscapes, and fairly secluded locations with poorly developed infrastructures

CAUSES OF CORPORATE CRISIS: AN INVESTIGATION ON SMES TO SUPPORT THE LEARNING PROCESS

The study is an invitation to reflect on the leading (internal and external) causes of the crisis for SMEs while taking their corporate age into account, and act as a useful tool when identifying the critical areas that require intervention to prevent or mitigate the crisis. A questionnaire was administered to the legally appointed bankruptcy trustees that managed 228 bankruptcy procedures. Descriptive statistical analysis and exploratory factor analysis have been employed. Data shows that planning activities, governance, and ownership issues (as internal factors), in addition to economic and industrial crisis (as external determinants) are recognized as a prerogative for a firm bankruptcy procedure activation. The main limit concerns the reduced sample size due to challenges in the data gathering process while also considering the “bankruptcy status” and the reference context; these are characterized by small-sized enterprises, hilly and mountainous landscapes, and fairly secluded locations with poorly developed infrastructures

mtDNA analysis for the characterisation of Sumerian equids

Two equines teeth of Sumerian age were collected in the archae-ological site of Abu Tbeirah with the aim of extracting and char-acterising nucleic acids. The site is located near Nasiriyah, 16Km south-east from Ur, in Southern Iraq. In this locality, since2012, an Iraqi-Italian Archaeological Mission excavated the Tellbringing to light a Sumerian city of about 42 ha, dated to 4500B.P. The morphological characteristics of recovered teeth, as wellas the postcranial skeleton, are deemed to belong to an asininetype rather than a wild ass or horse, whereby they should puta-tively be attributed to the domestic donkey. We would like to con-firm these data and also test if there are evidences of hybrid formdonkey-onager as hypothesized by cuneiform texts and archaeo-zoological metric data. In order to achieve the purpose, we per-formed a DNA extraction. We quantitated the extracted DNA ofthe two teeth of different samples and found respectively 2.5 and4 ng/uL of DNA. A preliminary amplification of mitochondrialaDNA fragments using primers designed to obtain a polymorphicsite able to discriminate between E. asinus, E. caballusand E.hemionus onager, was successful giving about 20 ng/uL amountof amplified DNA. Partial specific sequences of mitochondrial D-loop were obtained and we discuss the results achieved

Sequential bilingualism and specific language impairment: The Italian version of ALDeQ parental questionnaire

The assessment of linguistic competence in sequential bilingualism is a research issue that remains unresolved. The goal of the present study was to assess the discriminating power of the Italian version of the ALDeQ (Alberta Language and Development Questionnaire; Paradis, Emmerzael & Sorenson Duncan, 2010). The adapted questionnaire was administered to the parents of 18 sequential bilingual children with Specific Language Impairment (SLI) and to 105 parents of children with Typical Language Development. The results obtained revealed considerable sensitivity and specificity indexes, particularly for the full scale score. Data from the present study suggest that the Italian version of ALDeQ is a reliable instrument to be used for assessing sequential bilingual children for whom clinicians and educators are in doubt of possible language impairments