Contributo per una conoscenza analitica delle Mura Bolognesi: Il rilievo critico

Per la prima volta viene affrontato in modo critico e definito il rilievo diretto delle mura e delle porte della terza cerchia di Bologna. La restituzione grafica del testo architettonico è fondamentale non solo per gli studi sui materiali e sulle tecniche che compongono i vari manufatti afferenti al sistema fortificato, ma anche per una lettura cronologica delle stratificazioni che si sono sedimentate nel corso dei secoli. In particolare vengono analizzate direttamente sul testo architettonico le fasi costruttive di Porta Mascarella e Porta San Donato e vengono comparate fra loro cartografie inedite relative alla struttura geometrica delle mura con i relativi elementi accessori, quali cancella, fossato, terrapieni, ecc.

Evoluzione sedimentaria del centro storico di Modena nel tardo Quaternario

sondaggi eseguiti nella zona del centro storico di Modena, l’evoluzione sedimentaria del primo sottosuolo che interessa direttamente la Torre Ghirlandina e l’adiacente Duomo. Il tema centrale si sviluppa attorno al carotaggio eseguito nella primavera 2012 in prossimità dell’angolo sud-ovest della torre civica. Esso ha raggiunto la profondità di 21,30 m toccando il tetto ghiaioso appartenente all’acquifero più superficiale. È stata condotta una completa analisi dal punto di vista stratigrafico e sedimentologico, ponendo attenzione allo studio delle facies deposizionali; sono stati inoltre individuati e caratterizzati i livelli archeologici relativi al periodo romano e a quello medievale, fornendo un contributo di tipo cronologico. Elaborando una sezione stratigrafica sulla base di alcuni sondaggi che attraversano in direzione NE-SO la zona del centro storico, è stata proposta una ricostruzione paleoambientale per gli ultimi 30 m di terreno che corrispondono all’ultimo periodo deposizionale tardo quaternario. A 21 m di profondità è stato rinvenuto il tetto dell’Unità di Vignola costituita dai sedimenti grossolani che si sono deposti durante l’ultimo periodo glaciale würmiano, quando lungo tutta la fascia pedeappenninica si estendeva una piana a canali braided. Su di essa poggiano sedimenti fini di piana inondabile relativi al periodo postglaciale che caratterizza la porzione inferiore del Subsintema di Ravenna. Gli orizzonti torbosi che si rinvengono all’interno di questi depositi testimoniano uno scarso drenaggio dell’area e frequenti episodi d’impaludamento. I livelli organici cedono il posto, nell’intervallo tra -7 e -10 m, a corpi limo-sabbiosi di ventaglio di rotta. L’analisi di facies ha inoltre portato al riconoscimento di alcuni depositi riferibili ad argini naturali che indicano la presenza di canali nelle immediate vicinanze. L’insediamento romano nell’area di Modena occupa l’intervallo stratigrafico compreso tra -4 e -7 m, nel quale si registra la concentrazione di frammenti di laterizi e un livello di blocchi lapidei incontrato a 6 m di profondità in alcuni dei sondaggi studiati. La città fu sconvolta nel IV-VI secolo da ripetute alluvioni che ne causarono l’abbandono; a testimonianza di ciò rimane una spessa coltre di depositi di rotta fluviale che ricopre lo strato romano lungo tutta la sezione

Constraining the fluid source of Miocene seep carbonates using radiogenic Sr isotopes (Corella outcrop, northern Apennines, Italy)

Analisi isotopiche e biostratigrafiche su corpi carbonatici metanoderivati dell'Appennino settentrional

Impact of Incomplete Revascularization Following OPCAB Surgery

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Human mobility in a Bronze Age Vatya ‘urnfield’ and the life history of a high-status woman

In this study, we present osteological and strontium isotope data of 29 individuals (26 cremations and 3 inhumations) from Szigetszentmiklós-Ürgehegy, one of the largest Middle Bronze Age cemeteries in Hungary. The site is located in the northern part of the Csepel Island (a few kilometres south of Budapest) and was in use between c. 2150 and 1500 BC, a period that saw the rise, the apogee, and, ultimately, the collapse of the Vatya culture in the plains of Central Hungary. The main aim of our study was to identify variation in mobility patterns among individuals of different sex/age/social status and among individuals treated with different burial rites using strontium isotope analysis. Changes in funerary rituals in Hungary have traditionally been associated with the crises of the tell cultures and the introgression of newcomers from the area of the Tumulus Culture in Central Europe around 1500 BC. Our results show only slight discrepancies between inhumations and cremations, as well as differences between adult males and females. The case of the richly furnished grave n. 241 is of particular interest. The urn contains the cremated bones of an adult woman and two 7 to 8-month-old foetuses, as well as remarkably prestigious goods. Using 87Sr/86Sr analysis of different dental and skeletal remains, which form in different life stages, we were able to reconstruct the potential movements of this high-status woman over almost her entire lifetime, from birth to her final days. Our study confirms the informative potential of strontium isotopes analyses performed on different cremated tissues. From a more general, historical perspective, our results reinforce the idea that exogamic practices were common in Bronze Age Central Europe and that kinship ties among high-rank individuals were probably functional in establishing or strengthening interconnections, alliances, and economic partnerships

InteractomeSeq: a web server for the identification and profiling of domains and epitopes from phage display and next generation sequencing data

High-Throughput Sequencing technologies are transforming many research fields, including the analysis of phage display libraries. The phage display technology coupled with deep sequencing was introduced more than a decade ago and holds the potential to circumvent the traditional laborious picking and testing of individual phage rescued clones. However, from a bioinformatics point of view, the analysis of this kind of data was always performed by adapting tools designed for other purposes, thus not considering the noise background typical of the 'interactome sequencing' approach and the heterogeneity of the data. InteractomeSeq is a web server allowing data analysis of protein domains ('domainome') or epitopes ('epitome') from either Eukaryotic or Prokaryotic genomic phage libraries generated and selected by following an Interactome sequencing approach. InteractomeSeq allows users to upload raw sequencing data and to obtain an accurate characterization of domainome/epitome profiles after setting the parameters required to tune the analysis. The release of this tool is relevant for the scientific and clinical community, because InteractomeSeq will fill an existing gap in the field of large-scale biomarkers profiling, reverse vaccinology, and structural/functional studies, thus contributing essential information for gene annotation or antigen identification. InteractomeSeq is freely available at https://InteractomeSeq.ba.itb.cnr.it/

Twelve Novel Mutations in the SLC26A3 Gene in 17 Sporadic Cases of Congenital Chloride Diarrhea

Objectives: We aimed to improve the knowledge of pathogenic mutations in sporadic cases of congenital chloride diarrhea (CCD) and emphasize the importance of functional studies to define the effect of novel mutations. Methods: All member 3 of solute carrier family 26 (SLC26A3) coding regions were sequenced in 17 sporadic patients with CCD. Moreover, the minigene system was used to analyze the effect of 2 novel splicing mutations. Results: We defined the SLC26A3 genotype of all 17 patients with CDD and identified 12 novel mutations. Using the minigene system, we confirmed the in silico prediction of a complete disruption of splicing pattern caused by 2 of these novel mutations: the c.971þ3_971þ4delAA and c.735þ4_c.735þ7delAGTA. Moreover, several prediction tools and a structure-function prediction defined the pathogenic role of 6 novel missense mutations. Conclusions: We confirm the molecular heterogeneity of sporadic CDD adding 12 novel mutations to the list of known pathogenic mutations. Moreover, we underline the importance, for laboratories that offer molecular diagnosis and genetic counseling, to perform fast functional analysis of novel mutation

New insights on Celtic migration in Hungary and Italy through the analysis of non-metric dental traits

The Iron Age is characterized by an extended interweaving of movements by Celts in Europe. Several waves of Celts from Western and Central Europe migrated southeast and west from the core area of the La Téne culture (between Bourgogne and Bohemia). Through the analysis of non-metric dental traits, this work aims to understand the biological relationship among Celtic groups arrived in Italy and the Carpathian Basin, as well as between local populations and Celtic newcomers. A total of 10 non-metric dental traits were analyzed to evaluate biological affinities among Celts (Sopron-Krautacker and Pilismarót-Basaharc) and Scythians-related populations from Hungary (Tápiószele), Celts from continental Europe (Switzerland and Austria), two Iron Age Etruscan-Celtic sites from northern Italy (Monterenzio Vecchio and Monte Bibele), 13 Iron Age central-southern Italic necropolises, and the northern Italian Bronze Age necropolis of Scalvinetto. Strontium isotopes were measured on individuals from the necropolis of Monte Bibele to infer their local or non-local origin. Results highlight the existence of statistically significant differences between Celts and autochthonous Italian groups. Celtic groups from Hungary and Italy (i.e., non-local individuals of Monterenzio Vecchio and Monte Bibele) share a similar biological background, supporting the historical records mentioning a common origin for Celts migrated to the eastern and southern borders of today’s Europe. The presence of a supposed Steppean ancestry both in Celts from Hungary and Celts from northern Italy corroborates the hypothesis of the existence of a westward migration of individuals and genes from the Steppe towards northern Italy during the Bronze and Iron Age, which contributed to the biological variability of pre-Celtic and later Celtic populations, respectively. Conversely, individuals from central-southern Italy show an autochthonous pre-Iron Age background. Lastly, this work supports the existence of Celtic migratory routes in northern Italy, as shown by biological and cultural admixture between Celts and Italics living together.E.P. was funded from the Erasmus+ Traineeship Program/KA103, Agreement n. 2020-1-IT02-KA103-078332. T.H. and K.G. were supported by the Hungarian Scientific Research Fund (FK128013), the Bolyai Scholarship granted by the Hungarian Academy of Sciences and the ÚNKP-22-5 New National Excellence Program of the Ministry for Culture and Innovation from the source of the National Research, Development and Innovation Fund. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript

Human talar ontogeny: Insights from morphological and trabecular changes during postnatal growth

The study of the development of human bipedalism can provide a unique perspective on the evolution of morphology and behavior across species. To generate new knowledge of these mechanisms, we analyze changes in both internal and external morphology of the growing human talus in a sample of modern human juveniles using an innovative approach. The sample consists of high‐resolution microCT scans of 70 modern juvenile tali, aged between 8 postnatal weeks and 10 years old, from a broad chronological range from Middle/Late Neolithic, that is, between 4800 and 4500 BCE, to the 20th century. We applied geometric morphometric and whole‐bone trabecular analysis (bone volume fraction, degree of anisotropy, trabecular number, thickness, and spacing) to all specimens to identify changes in the external and internal morphology during growth. Morphometric maps were also generated. During the first year of life, the talus has an immature and globular shape, with a dense, compact, and rather isotropic trabecular architecture, with numerous trabeculae packed closely together. This pattern changes while children acquire a more mature gait, and the talus tends to have a lower bone volume fraction, a higher anisotropy, and a more mature shape. The changes in talar internal and external morphologies reflect the different loading patterns experienced during growth, gradually shifting from an “unspecialized” morphology to a more complex one, following the development of bipedal gait. Our research shows that talar plasticity, even though genetically driven, may show mechanical influences and contribute to tracking the main locomotor milestones