Planetary health: an interdisciplinary perspective

This paper addresses the issue of planetary health under a multidisciplinary profile. It starts with defining the scope of planetary health, retracing its most salient historical points. It then reflects on the socio-political changes needed to achieve transformational change in society. The concepts of health literacy and environmental health literacy are explored as a useful means of disseminating and raising awareness about planetary health. Finally, a case study related to heart disease is explored to demonstrate why this approach is more necessary today than ever

Contributo al femminile all’educazione tecnica e scientifica per le materie STEM. Fare rete tra scienziate/i, enti, università, associazioni, media e portatori d’interesse

Questo “contributo al femminile” è stato realizzato da un gruppo di perso- ne che ambisce a contribuire al miglioramento dell’educazione scolastica; è destinato a donne, uomini, ragazze, ragazzi, bambine e bambini per mettere in luce potenzialità, diseguaglianze, specificità di vita e professionali e favorire la parità di genere soprattutto negli ambiti tecnico-scientifici, in particolar modo nelle discipline STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics)

Aerobiology applied to the preventive conservation of cultural heritage

This work aims to provide an historical overview on aerobiology applied to the preventive conservation of cultural heritage. Bioaerosol represents a potential risk to cultural artifacts since in favorable nutritional and microclimatic conditions the settled biological particulate matter can develop and grow, thus triggering the biodeterioration. Aerobiology has become an important discipline for developing prevention and control strategies for the biological deterioration of cultural heritage. The most used equipment and methods for sampling in both indoor and outdoor environments (passive-sedimentation plates and active impactor for air, contact plates and membranes for surfaces) will be described. The aerobiological monitoring, always combined with microclimatic monitoring, along with information on the artifact and its conservation status, allows to defining situations of potential biologic risk. All the information and data gathered create the baseline for setting up management protocols, defining tailored corrective strategies aimed at preventing damage to cultural heritage and reducing risks to the health of operators and users. New perspectives for this discipline could arise thanks to (a) the development of user-friendly technologies and instrumentations for aerobiological monitoring and sampling of surfaces; (b) the definition of threshold levels of biological risk to the different types of cultural heritage; (c) the creation of a card of “biodeterioration risk” (international database)

In situ performance evaluation of chemical injections against rising damp: A case study in Italy

Rising damp is one of the most relevant cause of deterioration in historic buildings and its presence may trigger and intensify damage processes such as biodeterioration and decohesion linked to freeze-thaw and salt crystallization cycles. Treatment against rising damp is generally advised and several products are currently available in the market, whose efficiency, durability and compatibility with building materials are unfortunately still not exhaustively verified. For a proper evaluation of these features aiming at a sustainable protection and conservation of cultural heritage, test directly on site in addition to laboratory investigations is increasingly recommended. Within this work we illustrate and discuss results obtained during a test on site for the efficiency evaluation over time of treatments against rising damp based on chemical injections performed in one of the case studies in the JPICH Project EMERISDA

Existing databases and dataset repositories on marine abiotic and biotic resources in the Emilia-Romagna Region

This dataset, specifically developed for the aims of the project “Ecosystem fpr Sustainable Transition in Emilia Romagna” (Codice: ECS_00000033 – CUP: B33D2101979006; Missione 04 Istruzione e ricerca – Componente 2 Dalla ricerca all’impresa Investimento 1.5 – NextGenerationEU), aims to review, and analyse the organisation, availability, and accessibility of a large amount of data and information on marine abiotic and biotic resources readily usable for scientific and management purposes that are produced in and/or concern the Emilia-Romagna Region (Italy). In this view, the dataset provides a census and review of existing public repositories and databases available at different levels (e.g., regional, national, European, and international) and serves as a valuable foundation for enhancing the integration and utilisation of data from various web data portals. Each repository and database are analyzed, highlighting their characteristics and the application of the FAIR guiding principles

Comparison of extraction methods for Poaceae pollen allergens

While pollen sampling has been standardised in the last decades, allergen extraction from aerobiological samples still needs standardisation. With the aim to identify the most practical, efficient and reproducible method, in this study, protein extraction protocols from Poaceae pollen, i.e. Lolium perenne, Phleum pratense and Dactylis glomerata, were evaluated. Three extraction protocols were selected and compared in terms of protein yield and allergen extraction. The methods were based on the use of: (1) lysis buffer; (2) pollen hydration in PBS buffer followed by sonication; and (3) pollen hydration in PBS buffer. After extraction, protein concentration was measured. Results indicated that the different extraction protocols could extract significantly different protein amounts, being the lysis buffer-based protocol the most efficient in terms of total protein extraction. However, when allergen extraction was compared, no significant differences were detectable among the different protocols. Results afforded the selection of a suitable extraction protocol for Poaceae pollen allergens. In particular, results suggested a PBS extraction followed by sonication; as it allowed the highest allergen extraction, it might be the most reproducible protocol minimising any possible interference with proteomics and immunological studies when compared to lysis buffer method

ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ON UNESCO ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITES IN PANAMA

In Panama two archaeological sites have been included in the World Heritage List of UNESCO in the last decade [1]. Both located near the sea, one is situated on the North Coast, exactly on the Caribbean Sea and it consists in military Spanish fortifications (XVII-XVII cent.), built in Portobelo and San Lorenzo areas, aimed at protecting the coasts and the transoceanic commerce from the pirate attacks (Fig. 1). The second one arises on the opposite littoral, just in front of the Pacific Ocean, in the downtown of Panama City (Fig. 2). Nowadays it is known as Panama Viejo and it is the first Spaniards settlement on the Pacific coast, founded in the 1519 A.D.. Archaeological excavations showed also the presence of a previous indigenous community, called Cueva, dating from 500 A.D. and representing a symbol of national identity [2-4]. At the beginning of the next year the Institute of Atmospheric Sciences and Climate, (ISACCNR, Bologna), in collaboration with the "Panama Viejo Patronage" and the Department of Physics and Earth Sciences of the University of Ferrara, will start a research project in Panama focused on the evaluation of the state of conservation and damage due to climate and pollution impact on the two sites described above. Specifically the selection of these two locations was done to compare a rural archaeological site with an urban one, both exposed to the same climatic conditions and located in adjacent areas of the Panama Canal

Air pollution impact on carbonate building stones in Italian urban sites

In spite of the widely recognized negative effect of air pollution on stone used in historic building heritage located in urban areas and the numerous studies internationally developed on this topic, gaps still remain in measuring deposition fluxes on architectural surfaces and developing proper tools for short- and long-term management of cultural heritage in polluted areas in a changing environment. Two-years long field exposure tests with model samples are currently under execution in Italian cities characterized by different environmental conditions, as a non-invasive methodological approach for investigating the impact of urban pollution on carbonate stones (marble and limestone). Several analytical techniques (both physical and chemical) are used for characterising the state of degradation of the exposed stone specimens while aerosol monitoring campaigns allow to compare the atmospheric components with those actually accumulate on samples surface. After a description of the methodological approach of this study and a general environmental characterisation of each selected site, results of aerosol monitoring campaigns (including bioaerosol) and colorimetric analyses performed during the whole period of exposure in Bologna are here presented and discussed