A whiter shade of vase. Discovering the white colors of an ancient Apulian krater through XRPD and Raman spectroscopy

Raman spectroscopy and X-Ray Powder Diffraction were applied in order to characterize the materials used for the manufacturing of an ancient, decorated vase of Apulian manufacturing in 4th century B.C. In this case study, three small fragments from one vase were sampled from pictorial areas in black and white. X-Ray Diffraction on a powdered sample was applied to characterize the composition of ceramic: the analysis allowed the identification of quartz, plagioclase and diopside and consequent hypotheses about the production process. The pictorial decorations in black and white were analysed through Raman spectroscopy. While the pigment constituting the dark areas was identified as maghemite γ-Fe2O3, an iron oxide with spinel structure, which suggests a maghemization oxidative process, in the white decoration it was possible to individuate the presence of both anatase -an allotropic phase of titanium oxide- and α-alumina. The application of alumina as pigment results peculiar and it represents a new knowledge advancement, which is worth of further studies. The combination of anatase and alumina suggested hypotheses about the origin of the starting materials for the white decorations, with reference to the manufacturing period and area. This set of data resulted in new information about the Apulian vase production, enriching the knowledge about a less popular pottery typology and opening new perspectives about commercial and cultural exchanges

Imaging diagnostics coupled with non-invasive and micro-invasive analyses for the restoration of ethnographic artifacts from French Polynesia

In this paper, two different objects from the ethnographic collection of the museum of the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary (Rome), a Polynesian barkcloth (tapa) and a Polynesian headdress in feathers (pa’e ku’a), were investigated to characterize the materials, to evaluate their state of conservation and address the restoration activities. Imaging methods such as multispectral imaging, 3D ultraviolet induced fluorescence and scanning electron microscopy have been integrated with analytical techniques such as X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared and surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy. Imaging investigations allowed us to differentiate constitutive materials and study their distribution, such as the yellow dye in the tapa used to trace the geometrical pattern and the psittacofulvins responsible for the feathers’ colors in the headdress. The combination of molecular spectroscopy, supported by observation under a scanning electron microscope, allowed us to propose a characterization of the organic painting materials (Morinda citrifolia, Curcuma longa) used for the tapa, and of the type of feathers (from Vini kuhlii bird) and vegetal fibers (Cocos nucifera L.) used to realize the headdress, as well as enabling the identification of degradation products and microorganisms affecting the artifacts before restoration. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy detected the organic materials used as adhesives for the tapa and headdress: a polysaccharide, probably starch, for the tapa and a natural rubber from Cerbera manghas L. for the headdress. The results of the multi-analytic diagnostic campaign enabled the choice of proper restoration materials, compatible with the original ones, and helped us develop effective protocols for the artifacts’ conservation, such as laser cleaning of the feathers

Dyes from the Ashes: Discovering and Characterizing Natural Dyes from Mineralized Textiles

Vesuvius eruption that destroyed Pompeii in AD 79 represents one of the most important events in history. The cataclysm left behind an abundance of archeological evidence representing a fundamental source of the knowledge we have about ancient Roman material culture and technology. A great number of textiles have been preserved, rarely maintaining traces of their original color, since they are mainly in the mineralized and carbonized state. However, one outstanding textile sample displays a brilliant purple color and traces of gold strips. Since the purple was one of the most exclusive dyes in antiquity, its presence in an important commercial site like Pompeii induces us to deepen the knowledge of such artifacts and provide further information on their history. For this reason, the characterization of the purple color was the main scope of this research, and to deepen the knowledge of such artifacts, the SERS (Surface Enhanced Raman Scattering) in solution approach was applied. Then, these data were enriched by HPLC-HRMS analyses, which confirmed SERS-based hypotheses and also allowed to hypothesize the species of the origin mollusk. In this context, step-by-step integrated approach resulted fundamental to maximize the information content and to provide new data on textile manufacturing and trade in antiquity

The economic impact of moderate stage Alzheimer's disease in Italy: Evidence from the UP-TECH randomized trial

Background: There is consensus that dementia is the most burdensome disease for modern societies. Few cost-of-illness studies examined the complexity of Alzheimer's disease (AD) burden, considering at the same time health and social care, cash allowances, informal care, and out-of-pocket expenditure by families. Methods: This is a comprehensive cost-of-illness study based on the baseline data from a randomized controlled trial (UP-TECH) enrolling 438 patients with moderate AD and their primary caregiver living in the community. Results: The societal burden of AD, composed of public, patient, and informal care costs, was about �20,000/yr. Out of this, the cost borne by the public sector was �4,534/yr. The main driver of public cost was the national cash-for-care allowance (�2,324/yr), followed by drug prescriptions (�1,402/yr). Out-of-pocket expenditure predominantly concerned the cost of private care workers. The value of informal care peaked at �13,590/yr. Socioeconomic factors do not influence AD public cost, but do affect the level of out-of-pocket expenditure. Conclusion: The burden of AD reflects the structure of Italian welfare. The families predominantly manage AD patients. The public expenditure is mostly for drugs and cash-for-care benefits. From a State perspective in the short term, the advantage of these care arrangements is clear, compared to the cost of residential care. However, if caregivers are not adequately supported, savings may be soon offset by higher risk of caregiver morbidity and mortality produced by high burden and stress. The study has been registered on the website www.clinicaltrials.org (Trial Registration number: NCT01700556). Copyright � International Psychogeriatric Association 2015

Socioeconomic Predictors of the Employment of Migrant Care Workers by Italian Families Assisting Older Alzheimer's Disease Patients: Evidence from the Up-Tech Study

Background: The availability of family caregivers of older people is decreasing in Italy as the number of migrant care workers (MCWs) hired by families increases. There is little evidence on the influence of socioeconomic factors in the employment of MCWs. Method: We analyzed baseline data from 438 older people with moderate Alzheimer's disease (AD), and their family caregivers enrolled in the Up-Tech trial. We used bivariate analysis and multilevel regressions to investigate the association between independent variables - education, social class, and the availability of a care allowance - and three outcomes - employment of a MCW, hours of care provided by the primary family caregiver, and by the family network (primary and other family caregivers). Results: The availability of a care allowance and the educational level were independently associated with employing MCWs. A significant interaction between education and care allowance was found, suggesting that more educated families are more likely to spend the care allowance to hire a MCW. Discussion: Socioeconomic inequalities negatively influenced access both to private care and to care allowance, leading disadvantaged families to directly provide more assistance to AD patients. Care allowance entitlement needs to be reformed in Italy and in countries with similar long-term care and migration systems. � 2015 The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of The Gerontological Society of America. All rights reserved

Aging and prospective memory: the role of working memory and monitoring processes

Background and aims: Remembering to execute an earlier planned action is essential in everyday life, and is a prerequisite for independent living in old age. The purpose of the present study was to determine the influence of age in performing a prospective memory (PM) task and to analyze the differential contribution of working memory and attentional monitoring demands. Methods: In Experiment 1, a group of young and two groups of old adults were assigned to one of two low-demanding conditions: a picture-naming task (only-Naming) and a picture-naming plus a PM task (Naming+PM). In Experiment 2, a group of young and two groups of old adults performed one of two high-demanding conditions, in which working memory and attentional monitoring processes were examined, using a listening span-like task and a 1-back task within the PM paradigm of Experiment 1. Results: Prospective memory performance declined with age even in the low-demanding condition (Experiment 1). Young participants showed PM failures only when the 1-back task was added to the low-demanding condition. Older participants exhibited a marked decline, particularly in the working memory load condition. Conclusions: These results suggest that even low-demanding prospective memory tasks are resource-consuming in old age, and that working memory efficiency, affected by the aging process, plays a crucial role in the successful accomplishment of PM actions

Deepening inside the pictorial layers of Etruscan sarcophagus of Hasti Afunei: An innovative micro-sampling technique for Raman/SERS analyses

The Hasti Afunei sarcophagus is a large Etruscan urn, made up of two chalky alabaster monoliths. Dated from the last quarter of the third century BC, it was found in 1826 in the small town of Chiusi (Tuscany- Il Colle place) by a landowner, Pietro Bonci Casuccini, who made it part of his private collection. The noble owner’s collection was sold in 1865 to the Royal Museum of Palermo (today under the name of Antonino Salinas Regional Archaeological Museum), where it is still displayed. The sarcophagus is characterized by a complex iconography that is meticulously illustrated through an excellent sculptural technique, despite having subjected to anthropic degradation and numerous restorative actions during the last century. During the restoration campaign carried out between 2016 and 2017, a targeted diagnostic campaign was carried out to identify the constituent materials of the artefact, the pigments employed and the executive technique, in order to get an overall picture of conservation status and conservative criticalities. In particular, this last intervention has allowed the use of the innovative micro-sampling technique, patented by the Cultural Heritage research group of Sapienza, in order to identify the employee of lake pigments through SERS analyses. Together with this analysis, Raman and NMR technique have completed the information requested by restorers, for what concerns the wax employed as protective layers, and allowed to rebuild the conservation history of the sarcophagus. In fact, together with the identification of red ocher and yellow ocher, carbon black, Egyptian blue and madder lake, pigments compatible with the historical period of the work, modern pigments (probably green Paris, chrome orange, barium yellow, blue phtalocyanine) have been recognized, attributable with not documented intervention during the eighteenth and twentieth centuries

THE ROLE OF DUAL TASK AND TASK SWITCH IN PROSPECTIVE MEMORY:BEHAVIOURAL DATA AND NEURAL CORRELATES

Event-basedprospectivememory (PM) requires remembering the delayedexecution of an intendedaction in response to a pre-specified PMcue while being actively engaged in an ongoing task in which the cue is embedded. To date, experimental paradigms vary as to whether or not they require participants immediately to stop working on the ongoing task whenever they encounter a PM event (cue) and directly switch to the prospective action (task-switch approach). Alternatively, several other paradigms used in the literature encourage participants to continue working on the ongoing task item after the cue, and only then, perform the prospective action (dual-task approach). The present study explores the possible behavioural and electrophysiological effects that both approaches may have on PM performance. Seventeen young adults performed both versions of a standard PMtask in a counterbalanced order during which behavioural data and electroencephalogram (EEG) were recorded. Behavioural data showed a decrement inPMperformance in the task-switch compared to the dual-task condition. In addition, EEG data revealed differences between the dual-task and task-switch approach in event-related potential (ERP) components associated with response inhibition and with post-retrieval monitoring (i.e. late positive complex). No differences between the two taskswere found with regard to thePMevent detection processes (i.e. N300) and the retrieval of the intended action fromlong-term memory. In sum, findings demonstrate that it does make a difference which task approach is applied and suggest that dual-task and task-switch paradigms may result in different processing and neurophysiological dynamics particularly concerning attentional resources and cognitive control