Dating the humans by radiocarbon

Radiocarbon has become a very powerful tool used for dating. This paper deals with a specific application of 14C, i.e. dating of humans. Attention is focused on those aspects that, if neglected, might lead to a misinterpretation of the results or to an unsatisfying accuracy of the measurement. After a brief description of the main principles on which the radiocarbon method is based and of Accelerator Mass Spectrometry, examples taken from the research activity of INFN-LABEC (Laboratorio di Tecniche Nucleari per i Beni Culturali) in Florence are presented. The case of the relics of St. Francis represents an example of dating not directly human remains but other objects that can be associated to them. The case of two burials from the archaeological area of Baratti-Populonia, in Tuscany, gives the possibility to show the importance of estimating the human palaeodiet when dating bone samples

Growth of Rhodococcus sp. strain BCP1 on gaseous n-alkanes: New metabolic insights and transcriptional analysis of two soluble di-iron monooxygenase genes

Rhodococcus sp. strain BCP1 was initially isolated for its ability to grow on gaseous n-alkanes, which act as inducers for the co-metabolic degradation of low-chlorinated compounds. Here, both molecular and metabolic features of BCP1 cells grown on gaseous and short-chain n-alkanes (up to n-heptane) were examined in detail. We show that propane metabolism generated terminal and sub-terminal oxidation products such as 1- and 2-propanol, whereas 1-butanol was the only terminal oxidation product detected from n-butane metabolism. Two gene clusters, prmABCD and smoABCD-coding for Soluble Di-Iron Monooxgenases (SDIMOs) involved in gaseous n-alkanes oxidation-were detected in the BCP1 genome. By means of Reverse Transcriptase-quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR) analysis, a set of substrates inducing the expression of the sdimo genes in BCP1 were assessed as well as their transcriptional repression in the presence of sugars, organic acids, or during the cell growth on rich medium (Luria-Bertani broth). The transcriptional start sites of both the sdimo gene clusters were identified by means of primer extension experiments. Finally, proteomic studies revealed changes in the protein pattern induced by growth on gaseous- (n-butane) and/or liquid (n-hexane) short-chain n-alkanes as compared to growth on succinate. Among the differently expressed protein spots, two chaperonins and an isocytrate lyase were identified along with oxidoreductases involved in oxidation reactions downstream of the initial monooxygenase reaction step

MATLAB-based Graphical User Interface (GUI) for Data Mining as a Tool for Environment Management

Abstract—The application of data mining to environmental monitoring has become crucial for a number of tasks related to emergency management. Over recent years, many tools have been developed for decision support system (DSS) for emergency management. In this article a graphical user interface (GUI) for environmental monitoring system is presented. This interface allows accomplishing (i) data collection and observation and (ii) extraction for data mining. This tool may be the basis for future development along the line of the open source software paradigm

ANALISIS KEBUTUHAN INFORMASI BAGI PENYUSUNAN RENCANA RESOLUSI KONFLIK DI TAMAN WISATA PERAIRAN (TWP) PULAU PIEH: Analysis of Information Needs for The Preparation of Conflict Resolution Plans in Pieh Island Aquatic Tourism Park (TWP)

The difference in fishing gear between traditional and modern fishermen triggers conflicts; for the sustainability of the Pieh Island Marine Tourism Park (TWP) area, efforts are needed to prepare an efficient conflict resolution plan by considering relevant data and information. The study aims to identify conflicts in the Pieh Island TWP area, identify data and information needs to develop conflict resolution, analyze the availability of management data in the Pieh Island TWP, and provide recommendations for data and information collection. The research was conducted in the form of field observations and structured interviews through several questions that have been systematically prepared, as well as focus group discussions (FGDs) with the managers of the Work Unit (Satker) who are directly responsible to the Pekanbaru National Marine Protected Area Workshop (LKKPN Pekanbaru) as the Technical Implementation Unit of the TWP National Marine Protected Area Pieh Island. The results of the study are qualitative and quantitative data through descriptive and comparative methods in the form of identification of the type/nature of conflict in TWP, data and information needed in the preparation of conflict resolution, data and information that is already available and that must be collected, the ability of managers to support technically but financially need additional funds, and appropriate conflict resolution as well as some descriptions of recommendations for collecting data and information in TWP. Keywords:       information needs, management plan, conflict resolution

2D Continuous Wavelet Transform of potential fields due to extended source distributions

AbstractWe analyse the real Continuous Wavelet Transform 2D (CWT2D) of potential fields for the investigation of potential field singularities. We focus our attention to extended geological sources, in order to verify the reliability of this method with realistic fields. 3D space-scale representation (3D Scalogram) related to synthetic models were generated, showing the Wavelet Transform Modulus Maxima (WTMM) at each scale. The WTMM are related to the shape of the source, so defining some sort of source boundary analysis through the CWT. Wavelets of different order may help to gain resolution and define source features. Selecting a range of scales where the sources behave as if they are approximately isolated, the depth to the source may be estimated basing on the property that the lines joining the modulus maxima of the wavelet coefficients at different scales (WTMML) intersect each other at the edges of the causative body. Therefore, it is possible to manage the information contained in the wavelet transform of fields related to extended sources. In the real case of the anomaly gravity map of the Vesuvius area (Italy), we estimated the depth of the Mesozoic carbonate basement in the Pompei Basin. We showed also how the WTMML information can be integrated to that of another multiscale method, the Depth from Extreme Points (DEXP) transformation, which is also related to the source density distribution of a given region

Aerobic growth of Rhodococcus aetherivorans BCP1 using selected naphthenic acids as the sole carbon and energy sources

Naphthenic acids (NAs) are an important group of toxic organic compounds naturally occurring in hydrocarbon deposits. This work shows that Rhodococcus aetherivorans BCP1 cells not only utilize a mixture of eight different NAs (8XNAs) for growth but they are also capable of marked degradation of two model NAs, cyclohexanecarboxylic acid (CHCA) and cyclopentanecarboxylic acid (CPCA) when supplied at concentrations from 50 to 500 mgL-1. The growth curves of BCP1 on 8XNAs, CHCA, and CPCA showed an initial lag phase not present in growth on glucose, which presumably was related to the toxic effects of NAs on the cell membrane permeability. BCP1 cell adaptation responses that allowed survival on NAs included changes in cell morphology, production of intracellular bodies and changes in fatty acid composition. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) analysis of BCP1 cells grown on CHCA or CPCA showed a slight reduction in the cell size, the production of EPS-like material and intracellular electron-transparent and electron-dense inclusion bodies. The electron-transparent inclusions increased in the amount and size in NA-grown BCP1 cells under nitrogen limiting conditions and contained storage lipids as suggested by cell staining with the lipophilic Nile Blue A dye. Lipidomic analyses revealed significant changes with increases of methyl-branched (MBFA) and polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) examining the fatty acid composition of NAs-growing BCP1 cells. PUFA biosynthesis is not usual in bacteria and, together with MBFA, can influence structural and functional processes with resulting effects on cell vitality. Finally, through the use of RT (Reverse Transcription)-qPCR, a gene cluster (chcpca) was found to be transcriptionally induced during the growth on CHCA and CPCA. Based on the expression and bioinformatics results, the predicted products of the chcpca gene cluster are proposed to be involved in aerobic NA degradation in R. aetherivorans BCP1. This study provides first insights into the genetic and metabolic mechanisms allowing a Rhodococcus strain to aerobically degrade NAs

Bouguer gravity field of the Tuscan Archipelago (central Italy)

In this paper, we present a new Bouguer gravity map of the Northern Tuscan offshore (central Italy), based on original gravity data acquired on the islands of the Tuscan Archipelago. Our dataset integrates 274 unpublished gravity field measurements with 126 available marine gravity data of the northern Tyrrhenian Sea. The Bouguer anomaly map shows a westward and southward increase of the regional gravity field associated with the uplift of the Moho boundary from central Apennines towards the Tyrrhenian Sea. At a local scale, several Bouguer anomalies are well associated with the igneous plutons of the Elba, Montecristo and Capraia islands, as a result of a deep density contrast between the granitoid intrusive rocks and the embedding metamorphic basement. The presented Bouguer anomaly map represents a useful tool for future studies of the complex geological and geodynamical setting of the Tuscan Archipelago and of the buried and deep igneous structures