Technological requirements for solutions in the conservation and protection of historic monuments and archaeological remains

Executive summary: This Study has discovered many achievements associated with European support for scientific and technological research for the protection and conservation of cultural heritage. The achievements to date are: 1. Creation of an active research community 2. A body of research of unparalleled and enviable international quality and character 3. Ongoing effectiveness of research beyond initial funding 4. Substantial rate of publication 5. Imaginative tools of dissemination and publication 6. Clear spin-offs and contribution to European competitiveness often going outside the European cultural heritage area 7. Contribution to emerging European legislation, for example, air quality management. The Study has also uncovered important research gaps associated with this field that have yet to begin to be investigated. It has also discovered the need for continuing fine scale advancement in areas where researchers have been active for a number of years. The overall picture is that European research in the field of cultural heritage protection must be put on a secure footing if it is to maintain its commanding lead over other regions of the world. This Study concludes that: 1. It would be invidious to attempt to separate basic and applied research in this area of research. Like any other scientific endeavour, this field needs to integrate basic and applied research if it is to continue to thrive. 2. Small, flexible, focused interdisciplinary teams responsive to European needs, must be sustained, promoted and celebrated as models of sustainability and that what is proposed under the European Research Area (ERA) for large and complex research projects, could inflict serious damage on this area of research. 3. Resources cannot be delegated to Member States because of the interdisciplinary nature of cultural heritage and the need for a co-ordinated pan-European perspective across this research that helps to define the essential character of European cultural heritage. National programmes only serve local needs, leading to loss of strategic output, lessening of competitiveness and risk of duplication. 4. A mechanism needs to be created to help researchers working in this field to communicate and exchange information with related sectors such as construction, urban regeneration, land reclamation and agriculture. 5. There is overwhelming agreement over the need for sustainable research funding for cultural heritage and for an iterative process of exchange among researchers, decision-makers and end-users in order to maximize benefits from project inception through to dissemination, audit and review. For all the reasons mentioned above, the most significant recommendation in this Report is the identification of the need for a European Panel on the Application of Science for Cultural Heritage (EPASCH)

Effect of Duroc genes proportion on growth performance and on carcass and meat quality characteristics in heavy pigs

By means of the application of covariance models, the linear effects of the proportion of Duroc genes were evaluated with respect to growth (from 6 to 170 kg live weight) and feed/gain ratios, as well as carcass (lean cuts, adipose cuts, linear measures, backfat thickness, loin area and lean percentage) and meat quality (L* a* b* colour, reflectance, electrical conductivity, pH) in 167 heavy pigs (87 castrated males, 80 females) from different crosses of Duroc (D), Large White (LW) and Landrace (L) breeds, from 25 to approximately 300 d of age. The pigs were weighed at 25, 105, 170, 235 d and at the end of the trial (298 ± 6 d of age), and were raised under the same conditions. The proportion of Duroc genes was 0% (LWxL; no. 33), 25% [(LWx(DxL); n. 31 and Lx(DxLW); n. 35)] and 50% [Dx(LWx(LWxL)); n. 68]. The increase in the proportion of Duroc genes negatively affected the live weight at the different ages (P0.10). In fact, during the final phase (from 120 to 170 kg l.w.) the effect of the Duroc breed on daily gain became positive (P=0.08), and the feed/gain ratios were significantly lower (P=0.02). The carcass composition was not significantly influenced by the increase in the proportion of Duroc genes, with the exception of a rise in the weight of neck (P<0.01) and flare fat (P=0.02) and a reduction of ham (P=0.09). Carcass length resulted lower as the proportion of Duroc genes increased (P<0.01); at 24 h from slaughtering, meat colour showed lower values for lightness (P=0.08), redness (P=0.02) and yellowness (P=0.03)

MicroRNAs in human cancer: from research to therapy

Numerous miRNAs are deregulated in human cancers, and experimental evidence indicates that they can play roles as oncogenes or tumor suppressor genes. Similarly to cancer genes that encode proteins, deregulation of miRNA-encoding genes is associated with genetic or epigenetic alterations, such as deletions, amplifications, point mutations and aberrant DNA methylation. The discovery that miRNAs interact with known oncogenes has established further links with molecular pathways implicated in malignant transformation. Finally, miRNAs can be used as diagnostic markers, and their potential as therapeutic molecules has moved miRNAs from the area of basic research to the field of cancer biotechnology

Genetic similarities among Modenese, Romagnola and three Veneto chicken breeds

A recent Italian poultry study (Zanon et al., 2001) showed, in the last decades, the presence of 90 poultry breeds (53 of them are chicken's), they represent a historical and cultural patrimony, and a genetic source of biodiversity

Characterization of hydraulic mortars from archaeological complexes in Petra

In the sixth century B.C. Petra was conquered by the Nabataeans, who built an elaborated water system and turned a desert city into an artificial oasis and a prosperous centre controlling the main commercial routes of the region (100 B.C. - 100 A.D.). In 2007, it was added to UNESCO's prestigious list of World Heritage Sites, as one of the seven wonders of the world. The aim of this research is to characterize samples of mortars lining cisterns, reservoirs and pipelines collected from the archeological site of Petra, focusing in general on the identification of the possible raw materials employed and in particular on those components conferring hydraulicity. Specifically the specimens were sampled from different structures of the Great Temple (cistern and pipelines) and of the Garden and Pool Complex (cisterns and reservoir floor). A mineralogical and petrographic characterization was carried out by polarized light microscopy (PLM) observations to identify the texture and to highlight the hydraulic reaction areas, which underwent subsequently to a more detailed morphological and elemental analysis by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM-EDX). X-Ray Powder Diffraction analyses (XRPD) were also performed to complete the petrographic characterization, while Thermal Analyses (DTA-TGA) were carried out to classify the level of hydraulicity of each sample. The data obtained allowed us to achieve for the first time a mineralogical and petrographic characterization of the lining hydraulic mortars present in the two archaeological complexes under study and to provide preliminary hypotheses on the provenance of the raw materials employed for their production

Reproductive parameters of "Nero di Parma" sows reared outdoor and indoor

AbstractThe swine genetic type "Nero di Parma" has been obtained after a preservation programme of a local breed suitable for outdoor rearing systems in Parma province. Actually, 480 females and 35 males are registered by Italian Swine Breeders Association and are reared in 28 herds of Parma province. The study involved the analysis of the reproductive performance of 120 sows from 19 boars, born between 1999 and 2005, during 211 parities from 2002 to 2006. For each parity, the boar, the age of the sow, the length of the farrowing interval, and the litter size (number of born alive, stillborn and weaned piglets) were recorded. Two rearing systems of the farrowing sows (from the final phase of gestation to the end of lactation) were considered: indoor (sows closed off in individual stalls or farrowing cages) and outdoor (sows in individual huts inside the paddocks, with straw bedding); dry sows in both systems had access on pasture with forage and concentrate integration. Data concerning sows performance we..

Genetic Diversity and Signatures of Selection in a Native Italian Horse Breed Based on SNP Data

Horses are nowadays mainly used for sport and leisure activities, and several local breeds, traditionally used in agriculture, have been exposed to a dramatic loss in population size and genetic diversity. The loss of genetic diversity negatively impacts individual fitness and reduces the potential long-term survivability of a breed. Recent advances in molecular biology and bioinformatics have allowed researchers to explore biodiversity one step further. This study aimed to evaluate the loss of genetic variability and identify genomic regions under selection pressure in the Bardigiano breed based on GGP Equine70k SNP data. The effective population size based on Linkage Disequilibrium (Ne) was equal to 39 horses, and it showed a decline over time. The average inbreeding based on runs of homozygosity (ROH) was equal to 0.17 (SD = 0.03). The majority of the ROH were relatively short (91% were ≤ 2Mbp long), highlighting the occurrence of older inbreeding, rather than a more recent occurrence. A total of eight ROH islands, shared among more than 70% of the Bardigiano horses, were found. Four of them mapped to known quantitative trait loci related to morphological traits (e.g., body size and coat color) and disease susceptibility. This study provided the first genome-wide scan of genetic diversity and selection signatures in an Italian native horse breed

Genetic Variability in the Italian Heavy Draught Horse from Pedigree Data and Genomic Information

This study aimed to investigate the genetic diversity in the Italian Heavy Horse Breed from pedigree and genomic data. Pedigree information for 64,917 individuals were used to assess inbreeding level, effective population size (Ne), and effective numbers of founders and ancestors (fa /fe). Genotypic information from SNP markers were available for 267 individuals of both sexes, and it allowed estimating genomic inbreeding in two methods (observed versus expected homozygosity and from ROH) to study the breed genomic structure and possible selection signatures. Pedigree and genomic inbreeding were greatly correlated (0.65 on average). The inbreeding trend increased over time, apart from periods in which the base population enlarged, when Ne increased also. Recent bottlenecks did not occur in the genome, as fa /fe have shown. The observed homozygosity results were on average lower than expected, which was probably due to the use of French Breton stallions to support the breed genetic variability. High homozygous regions suggested that inbreeding increased in different periods. Two subpopulations were distinguished, which was probably due to the different inclusion of French animals by breeders. Few selection signatures were found at the population level, with possible associations to disease resistance. The almost low inbreeding rate suggested that despite the small breed size, conservation actions are not yet required

Animal models of hepatocellular carcinoma prevention

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a deadly disease and therapeutic efficacy in advanced HCC is limited. Since progression of chronic liver disease to HCC involves a long latency period of a few decades, a significant window of therapeutic opportunities exists for prevention of HCC and improve patient prognosis. Nonetheless, there has been no clinical advancement in instituting HCC chemopreventive strategies. Some of the major challenges are heterogenous genetic aberrations of HCC, significant modulation of tumor microenvironment and incomplete understanding of HCC tumorigenesis. To this end, animal models of HCC are valuable tools to evaluate biology of tumor initiation and progression with specific insight into molecular and genetic mechanisms involved. In this review, we describe various animal models of HCC that facilitate effective ways to study therapeutic prevention strategies that have translational potential to be evaluated in a clinical context © 2019 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland

Risk mapping for the sustainable protection of cultural heritage in extreme changing environments

Cultural heritage is widely recognized to be at risk due to the impact of climate change and associated hazards, such as events of heavy rain, flooding, and drought. User-driven solutions are urgently required for sustainable management and protection of monumental complexes and related collections exposed to changes of extreme climate. With this purpose, maps of risk-prone areas in Europe and in the Mediterranean Basin have been produced by an accurate selection and analysis of climate variables (daily minimum and maximum temperature-Tn and Tx, daily cumulated precipitation-RR) and climate-extreme indices (R20mm, R95pTOT, Rx5 day, CCD, Tx90p) defined by Expert Team on Climate Change Detection Indices (ETCCDI). Maps are available to users via an interactive Web GIS (Geographic Information System) tool, which provides evaluations based on historical observations (high-resolution gridded data set of daily climate over Europe-E-OBS, 25 km) and climate projections (regional climate models-RCM, ~12 km) for the near and far future, under Representative Concentration Pathways (RCP) 4.5 and 8.5 scenarios. The tool aims to support public authorities and private organizations in the decision making process to safeguard at-risk cultural heritage. In this paper, maps of risk-prone areas of heavy rain in Central Europe (by using R20mm index) are presented and discussed as example of the outputs achievable by using the Web GIS tool. The results show that major future variations are always foreseen for the 30-year period 2071-2100 under the pessimistic scenario (RCP 8.5). In general, the coastal area of the Adriatic Sea, the Northern Italy, and the Alps are foreseen to experience the highest variations in Central Europe