A scientific and archaeological investigation of prehistoric glasses from Italy

Ancient glasses are invariably complex materials, in which the specific chemical composition and microstructure capture aspects of their technologies. The chemical characterisation of glasses in specific archaeological contexts has given useful insight into the peculiarities of diverse glass-making technologies. In addition such studies generate more general information upon an important range of phenomenon, including the pyrotechnological milieu, empirical knowledge of sophisticated chemistry, organisation of production, access to significant raw materials and long-distance trade. This study examines a wide selection of glass artefacts recovered from archaeological contexts in Northern and Central Italy from approximately 1200 BC to 200 BC. The earliest material is from the Final Bronze Age, and extends the characterisation of an established glass type, which is unique to Europe and distinct from the contemporary technologies of the Eastern Mediterranean. Using a combination of X-ray fluorescence analysis, electron microprobe and scanning electron microscopy glass artefacts from a thousand-year period from the same region are investigated. The shifting technologies permit the discussion of localised production and importation of glass from elsewhere. The chemical analysis reveals a complex picture of glass production, which defies the expected pattern, and there is evidence for new compositional types, which may yet prove to be diagnostic of highly localised production. The changing compositions are discussed in relation to the broader archaeological context

A scientific and archaeological investigation of prehistoric glasses from Italy

Ancient glasses are invariably complex materials, in which the specific chemical composition and microstructure capture aspects of their technologies. The chemical characterisation of glasses in specific archaeological contexts has given useful insight into the peculiarities of diverse glass-making technologies. In addition such studies generate more general information upon an important range of phenomenon, including the pyrotechnological milieu, empirical knowledge of sophisticated chemistry, organisation of production, access to significant raw materials and long-distance trade. This study examines a wide selection of glass artefacts recovered from archaeological contexts in Northern and Central Italy from approximately 1200 BC to 200 BC. The earliest material is from the Final Bronze Age, and extends the characterisation of an established glass type, which is unique to Europe and distinct from the contemporary technologies of the Eastern Mediterranean. Using a combination of X-ray fluorescence analysis, electron microprobe and scanning electron microscopy glass artefacts from a thousand-year period from the same region are investigated. The shifting technologies permit the discussion of localised production and importation of glass from elsewhere. The chemical analysis reveals a complex picture of glass production, which defies the expected pattern, and there is evidence for new compositional types, which may yet prove to be diagnostic of highly localised production. The changing compositions are discussed in relation to the broader archaeological context

Early postnatal administration of 5,7-dihydroxytryptamine: Effects on substance P and thyrotropin-releasing hormone neurons and terminals in rat brain

Substance P, thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH) and serotonin are putative neurotransmitters which have been proposed to coexist in some brain neurons Our previous immunocytochemical and biochemical studies have demonstrated that 85–100% of all serotonin neurons are destroyed following neonatal 5,7-dihydroxtryptamine (5,7-DHT) treatment In this study, we have determined the effect of neonatal 5,7-DHT and desipramine (DMI) treatment on the biochemical content and immunocytochemical localization of substance P and TRH throughout the brain Interestingly, we have observed that virtually all substance P- and TRH-immunoreactive cells in the ventral pons-medulla are destroyed by the neurotoxin. However, peptide-containing neurons in other regions were not affected Additionally, we measured the peptide content and found that TRH is significantly decreased in the spinal cord (−50%) and pons-medulla (−20%), but not in other brain regions Substance P content was not significantly altered in any region, even after a greater than 90% reduction of serotonin These data indicate that the co-localized substance P and TRH forms a small proportion of the total peptide in brai

Identification and cardiotropic actions of sulfakinin peptides in the American lobster Homarus americanus

In arthropods, a group of peptides possessing a -Y(SO3H)GHM/ LRFamide carboxy-terminal motif have been collectively termed the sulfakinins. Sulfakinin isoforms have been identified from numerous insect species. In contrast, members of this peptide family have thus far been isolated from just two crustaceans, the penaeid shrimp Penaeus monodon and Litopenaeus vannamei. Here, we report the identification of a cDNA encoding prepro-sulfakinin from the American lobster Homarus americanus. Two sulfakinin-like sequences were identified within the open-reading frame of the cDNA. Based on modifications predicted by peptide modeling programs, and on homology to the known isoforms of sulfakinin, particularly those from shrimp, the mature H. americanus sulfakinins were hypothesized to be pEFDEY(SO3H)GHMRFamide (Hoa-SK I) and GGGEY(SO3H)DDY(SO3H)GHLRFamide (Hoa-SK II). Hoa-SK I is identical to one of the previously identified shrimp sulfakinins, while Hoa-SK II is a novel isoform. Exogenous application of either synthetic Hoa-SK I or Hoa-SK II to the isolated lobster heart increased both the frequency and amplitude of spontaneous heart contractions. In preparations in which spontaneous contractions were irregular, both peptides increased the regularity of the heartbeat. Our study provides the first molecular characterization of a sulfakinin-encoding cDNA from a crustacean, as well as the first demonstration of bioactivity for native sulfakinins in this group of arthropods

A human health risk assessment of lead (Pb) ingestion among adult wine consumers

Abstract Background Recent concerns have been raised regarding heavy metal content in wine and its potential health implications. The goal of this study was to determine if lead (Pb) intake poses a health risk among adult consumers of wine. This was achieved by performing a literature review of studies reporting Pb concentration in United States and international wines, determining adult wine consumption rates in the United States using NHANES dietary survey data, utilizing the U.S. EPA’s Adult Lead Methodology (ALM) model to estimate adult blood lead levels (BLLs) from wine consumption under various exposure scenarios, and comparing modeled BLLs to guidance values. Models were stratified by average exposure (mean wine Pb concentration) and high exposure (95th percentile wine Pb concentration) scenarios. Results Lead concentration data was abstracted from a total of 31 studies, including wine from 18 countries for a total of 472 wine samples. The mean Pb content of international red and white wines were 33.9 μg/L (n = 282) and 35.7 μg/L (n = 118), respectively, while the mean Pb content of domestic red wine was 4.4 μg/L (n = 61). All modelled BLLs were below the Center for Disease Control (CDC) BLL guidance value of 5 μg/dL. Assuming a mean baseline BLL, an individual was required to drink 10.4 glasses of wine per day (all wine types) under the average exposure scenario and 3.7 glasses of wine per day (all wine types) under the high exposure scenario in order to elevate their BLL to the guidance value of 5 μg/dL. When stratified by region, a minimum of approximately 24 glasses of wine from the United States per day was required to raise adult BLLs to the 5 μg/dL guidance value. Conclusions Overall, findings suggest that Pb content in wine does not pose a health risk to adult wine consumers

Source location and food availability determine the growth response of Orbicella faveolata to climate change stressors

The local environment shapes coral physiology through acclimatization and also selects for genotypes best suited to a particular site. Both acclimatization and selection likely affect the response of corals to future climate change. The local environment is therefore an important factor to consider for restoration ecology. In this study, we exposed Orbicella faveolata from two different locations in Florida (Emerald Reef, near Key Biscayne in the upper Florida Keys, and Truman Harbor near Key West in the lower Florida Keys) that were common-gardened for one month prior to experimentation to four temperature, CO2, and food availability treatments (26°C/390 ppm, 26°C/1000 ppm, 31°C/390 ppm, and 31°C/1000 ppm where each of these treatments had fed and unfed components). The goal was to determine how the same species of coral from different locations would respond to projected climate change scenarios. We found that growth (measured as changes in buoyant weight) was highly correlated to source location (i.e., whether the corals came from Emerald Reef or Truman Harbor) and not to parent colony, and growth, symbiont density, chlorophyll a content, and lipid content were highly correlated to feeding regime. These findings show that within a single reef tract, (i.e. the Florida Reef Tract), source location and food availability matter for the physiological outcome of a coral’s stress response, and suggest that an explicit consideration of these effects may be important for management activities such as coral restoration, transplantation, and MPA placement. •Local environment shapes coral physiology.•Growth rate was highly correlated to source location, not parent colony.•Within a single management regime, source location may determine stress response.•Considering location effects is important for coral restoration and transplantation.•Potential for assisted migration should be studied further

Bombesin-like immunoreactivity in the central nervous system of capsaicin-treated rats: a radioimmunoassay and immunohistochemical study

The neuroanatomical distribution of bombesin-like immunoreactivity (BLI) in the rat central nervous system was investigated using radioimmunoassay and immunohistochemistry. Whereas cross-reactivity of the bombesin antiserum with substance P was problematic in the immunohistochemical experiments, no significant cross-reactivity with substance P was apparent in the radioimmunoassay. Results from the radioimmunoassay studies reveal particularly high concentrations of BLI in the hypothalamus, thalamus, medulla and spinal cord. Adult rats treated neonatally with capsaicin displayed significant depeltions of somatostatin-like and substance P-like immunoreactivity and a small, statistically significant, reduction of BLI in the cervical spinal cord. Capsaicin treatment significantly reduced substance P-like immunoreactivity, but not somatostatin-like immunoreactivity, in the medulla and resulted in a small BLI depletion of borderline statistical significance in this brain region. Neonatally administered capsaicin treatment had no effect on the thalamic concentration of any of theses three neuropeptides and neurotensin-like immunoreactivity was unchanged in all brain regions studied. These results suggest that the source of some of the BLI found in the spinal cord may be capsaicin-sensitive dorsal root ganglion cells