Morpho-physiological plasticity contributes to tolerance of Calluna vulgaris in an active geothermal field

Geothermal alteration fields are very prohibitive environments, limiting vegetation establishment and growth. In the present study, the ecological specialisation of the pioneer plant Calluna vulgaris (L.) Hull was investigated, assuming that its ability to survive in geothermal habitats derives from a fine regulation of morpho-physiological traits. Mature leaves of C. vulgaris were sampled from plants close to a fumarole (near), and from plants living at a distance of some metres (intermediate) or ~1 km (distant) from a fumarole. Along the sampling sites, a gradient of soil-pH and temperature values occurred, with near plants facing the highest soil temperature and the lowest soil pH. A regulation of constitutive morpho-anatomical and physiological traits in response to different stress levels occurred. A progressive reduction of leaf exposed surface and hair density and mucilages, combined with a gradual increase of oxidative stress levels, of phenols and ascorbate, was observed from distant to near plants. Near plants showed an increase in stomatal density and in lignin and cuticle thickness, and the highest activity of ascorbate peroxidase. Except for high glutathione concentrations, in distant plants antioxidant machinery was consistently less active. The apparent morphological and physiological plasticity demonstrated in the present research contributed to the capability of these plants to tolerate the prohibitive, highly changing environmental conditions of the geothermal field

A potential prognostic marker in primitive lung neuroendocrine tumor: A case report.

Background: The diagnosis and monitoring of primitive lung neuroendocrine tumors (lung pNETs) are usually performed by the measurement of serum chromogranin A (CgA) and urinary 5-hydroxyindolacetic acid (5-HIAA) levels. However, imaging techniques are necessary due to the poor diagnostic efficiency of the laboratory tests. Methods: A total-body computed tomography and bone scintigraphy scans showed multiple hepatic and bone metastases of a 55-year-old man affected by well-differentiated lung pNETs without severe initial symptoms. After diagnosis, he started therapy and was monitored with serum, urinary markers, and imaging techniques. Results: During follow-up, the urinary 5-HIAA levels did not significantly increase, while serum CgA and urinary para-hydroxyphenylacetic acid (pHPAA) levels (urinary organic acid physiologically present in the urines of healthy subjects) showed significant increases related to worsening clinical condition. Conclusions: The early increase in urinary pHPAA levels—usually not dosed in pNET patient monitoring—could be a promising prognostic marker

Constructed Technosols as a Soil Rebuilding Technique to Reclaim Abandoned Limestone Quarries in the Mediterranean Region: A Field Study

Soil rebuilding represents a major challenge in the recovery of abandoned quarries. In this study, we explored the possibility of using reconstructed Technosols, to achieve soil rebuilding goals at an abandoned quarry site. We first investigated the use of a mixture containing commercial manure and limestone debris (LD) as pedotechnomaterials for an “ad hoc” (re)constructed Technosol (CT), for the recovery of an opencast limestone quarry in one of most concentrated quarry areas in the world. In a field experiment, we tested and monitored different pedotechnosystems (PTSs) made up of constructed Technosol + pasture species + different Mediterranean plant species. Specifically, a control (CT, without any additional treatments) was compared to treatments with organic amendment (CTOA) and conventional fertilizers (CTCF). Data were collected over a 12-month period and included crop performance, plant nutritional state, soil physical-chemical parameters, and metabolites. Analysis of variance compared differences among treatments, while factor analysis (FA) interpreted multiple relationships while explaining observed variability. Results showed that CTOA had better soil physical-chemical properties, greater plant growth, and overall superior agronomic performances compared to all other treatments due to the improved substrate conditions. According to FA, these results appear related to the creation of fertile soil conditions, with most of the investigated metabolites (i) playing a pivotal role in observed outcomes, together with (ii) a clear potential in being considered as a reliable fingerprint for investigating plant responses in constructed PTSs. The proposed pedotechniques in CTOA development show a great potential for the full recovery of abandoned limestone quarries in degraded Mediterranean areas by providing an excellent medium for plant growth, facilitating environmental reclamation

Assessment of spatio-temporal variability of faecal pollution along coastal waters during and after rainfall events

© The Author(s), 2022. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License. The definitive version was published in Manini, E., Baldrighi, E., Ricci, F., Grilli, F., Giovannelli, D., Intoccia, M., Casabianca, S., Capellacci, S., Marinchel, N., Penna, P., Moro, F., Campanelli, A., Cordone, A., Correggia, M., Bastoni, D., Bolognini, L., Marini, M., & Penna, A. Assessment of spatio-temporal variability of faecal pollution along coastal waters during and after rainfall events. Water, 14(3), (2022): 502, https://doi.org/10.3390/w14030502.More than 80% of wastewaters are discharged into rivers or seas, with a negative impact on water quality along the coast due to the presence of potential pathogens of faecal origin. Escherichia coli and enterococci are important indicators to assess, monitor, and predict microbial water quality in natural ecosystems. During rainfall events, the amount of wastewater delivered to rivers and coastal systems is increased dramatically. This study implements measures capable of monitoring the pathways of wastewater discharge to rivers and the transport of faecal bacteria to the coastal area during and following extreme rainfall events. Spatio-temporal variability of faecal microorganisms and their relationship with environmental variables and sewage outflow in an area located in the western Adriatic coast (Fano, Italy) was monitored. The daily monitoring during the rainy events was carried out for two summer seasons, for a total of five sampling periods. These results highlight that faecal microbial contaminations were related to rainy events with a high flow of wastewater, with recovery times for the microbiological indicators varying between 24 and 72 h and influenced by a dynamic dispersion. The positive correlation between ammonium and faecal bacteria at the Arzilla River and the consequences in seawater can provide a theoretical basis for controlling ammonium levels in rivers as a proxy to monitor the potential risk of bathing waters pathogen pollution.This research was funded by WATERCARE project (Water management solutions for reducing microbial environment impact in coastal areas, project ID 10044130, https://www.italy-croatia.eu/web/watercare, accessed on 17 October 2021) funded by the European Union under the Interreg Italy–Croatia CBC Programme

ἅπαξ δρώμενα. Un criterio per la relazione tra testi teatrali e iconografia vascolare (V-IV sec. a.C.). Quattro casi: l’‘atto delfico’ di Eumenidi; il volo sul carro del Sole di Medea; la scena del matricidio in Coefore; l’assassinio di Neottolemo a Delfi in Andromaca

This article aims to reconsider the so-called ‘ἅπαξ δρώμενον criterion’, first introduced in Seminario Pots&Plays 2015; this principle refers to instances of mythological vase-painting whose content reflects innovative variations from extant V century BCE tragic texts. From a genealogical viewpoint, this coincidence parallels the philological principle of the ‘concordance in error’. We argue that this is the only relatively safe principle to ascertain any whatsoever connection between a drama whose text is known to us and a visual representation of its plot. The limits of this principle are first explored: sources pointing out to a unique dramatic version of a myth (as in Aeschylus’ Eumenides) may refer only to the works of the three great tragic playwrights, not to the Attic tragic corpus in its entirety; in other cases, that a mythical variation depends on an authorial choice is only possible, or supported by problematic evidence. Through close examination of four examples (Orestes’ Delphic act in Aeschylus’ Eumenides; Medea’s flight on the chariot of the Sun; Clytemnestra’s unveiling of her breast as an extreme plea for life; Orestes’ role in Neoptolemus’ Delphic assassination) we try to evaluate the soundness of this criterion as a means to better understand the relation between V-IV century BCE vase-painting and Attic tragedy. A comparative analysis of these examples shows that in spite of the relatively sure connection, there are no means to root the images in the visual dimension of the theatrical experience. Although some details suggest a possibly faithful correspondence between image and text, we contend that no theatrical experience was necessary to shape visual forms from dramatic myth: loose textual knowledge, or, more probably, informal discourse may well have conveyed what was essential to the painter’s own interpretation of a narrative content

ἅπαξ δρώμενα. Un criterio per la relazione tra testi teatrali e iconografia vascolare (V-IV sec. a.C.) : Quattro casi: l’‘atto delfico’ di Eumenidi; il volo sul carro del Sole di Medea; la scena del matricidio in Coefore; l’assassinio di Neottolemo a Delfi in Andromaca

This article aims to reconsider the so-called ‘ἅπαξ δρώμενον criterion’, first introduced in Seminario Pots&Plays 2015; this principle refers to instances of mythological vase-painting whose content reflects innovative variations from extant V century BCE tragic texts. From a genealogical viewpoint, this coincidence parallels the philological principle of the ‘concordance in error’. We argue that this is the only relatively safe principle to ascertain any whatsoever connection between a drama whose text is known to us and a visual representation of its plot. The limits of this principle are first explored: sources pointing out to a unique dramatic version of a myth (as in Aeschylus’ Eumenides) may refer only to the works of the three great tragic playwrights, not to the Attic tragic corpus in its entirety; in other cases, that a mythical variation depends on an authorial choice is only possible, or supported by problematic evidence. Through close examination of four examples (Orestes’ Delphic act in Aeschylus’ Eumenides; Medea’s flight on the chariot of the Sun; Clytemnestra’s unveiling of her breast as an extreme plea for life; Orestes’ role in Neoptolemus’ Delphic assassination) we try to evaluate the soundness of this criterion as a means to better understand the relation between V-IV century BCE vase-painting and Attic tragedy. A comparative analysis of these examples shows that in spite of the relatively sure connection, there are no means to root the images in the visual dimension of the theatrical experience. Although some details suggest a possibly faithful correspondence between image and text, we contend that no theatrical experience was necessary to shape visual forms from dramatic myth: loose textual knowledge, or, more probably, informal discourse may well have conveyed what was essential to the painter’s own interpretation of a narrative content

Natural ageing of wheat seeds

Seed natural ageing is accompanied by the loss of the ability to germinate and by a reduction in viability. Viability loss is associated with damage to the DNA, changes in the synthesis of RNA and in enzymatic patterns. The loss of viability, in Triticum durum, is accompanied in imbibed seeds, among other components, by a reduced synthesis and poly(A) polymerase activity. Both young and aged germinating endosperms showed a different pattern of proteolytic activities. Among the factors which influence the longevity of seeds, the most important ones are temperature and moisture content, thus seed ageing is closely linked to storage conditions. In Triticum durum the protective action of low temperature against the degradation process during storage has been shown. A close correlation between the germination rate and capability to synthesise poly(A)+RNA and the integrity of the rRNA molecules may be considered to exist in embryos. Recent data show that the seed viability loss is associated with a progressive membrane deterioration in parallel with changes in RNases and nucleases activities. The damage observed in embryos and endosperms of aged seeds is not found in the cold stored seeds of the same age