Characterization in the archaeological excavation site of heterotrophic bacteria and fungi of deteriorated wall painting of Herculaneum in Italy

Microbiological characterization of frescos in four different locations (Collegio degli Augustali, Casa del Colonnato Tuscanico, Casa dello Scheletro and Casa del Gran Portale) of excavation sites of Herculaneum was carried out. The use of infrared thermography allowed detecting sample points on frescos with greatest moisture not visible to the naked eye, resulting in structural damage. The microclimatic conditions provided perfect habitat for bacteria and fungi, particularly of spore forming and mould. In fact, heterotrophic bacteria were prevalent in all wall paintings monitored (ranging from 18 +/- 2 CFU 100 cm(-2) to 68 +/- 4 CFU 100 cm(-2)), whereas fungi were also detected but at lower levels (ranging from 9 +/- 2 CFU 100 cm(-2) to 45 +/- 3 CFU 100 cm(-2)). Cultural-based method allow us to identify by 16S and 26S rRNA partial sequence analysis heterotrophic microorganisms belonging to different genera of Bacillus and Aspergillus, Penicillium and Fusarium together with the unusual genera as Microascus and Coprinus. By using this approach, Bacillus-related species (B. cereus/B. thuringiensis group, B. simplex/B. muralis group, B. megaterium and B. subtilis) were isolated in all sample points analysed with the exception of the Casa dello Scheletro in which Micrococcus luteus/Arthrobactersp. group and Streptomyces fragilis were found. DGGE analysis of PCR amplified V3 region of rDNA from DNA directly recovered from frescos samples, enabled identification of bacterial species not identified using culturable technology asthose closest related to Microbacterium group, often associated with Brevibacterium, Streptomyces and Stenotrophomonas. Combination of culture-dependent and independent methods provided better microbiology characterization of heterotrophic microbiota present on the surface of ancient frescos of this important archaeological site.     

Environmental Effects of Storage Preservation Practices: Controlled Flushing of Fine Sediment from a Small Hydropower Reservoir

Sediment flushing may be effective in mitigating loss of reservoir storage due to siltation, but flushing must be controlled to limit the impact on the downstream environment. A reliable prediction of the environmental effects of sediment flushing is hindered by the limited scientific information currently available. Consequently, there may be some controversy as regards to management decisions, planning the work, and monitoring strategies. This paper summarizes the main results of a monitoring campaign on the stream below a small alpine hydropower reservoir subjected to annual flushing between 2006 and 2009. The removed sediment was essentially silt, and the suspended solid concentration (SSC) of the discharged water was controlled to alleviate downstream impact. Control was achieved through hydraulic regulation and mechanical digging, alternating daytime sediment evacuation, and nocturnal clear water release. The four operations lasted about two weeks each and had an average SSC of about 4 g L^?1. Maximum values of SSC were generally kept below 10 g L^?1. Downstream impact was quantified through sampling of fish fauna (brown trout) and macroinvertebrate in the final reach of the effluent stream. The benthic community was severely impaired by the flushing operations, but recovered to pre-flushing values in a few months. As expected, the impact on brown trout was heavier on juveniles. While data biasing due to fish removal and re-stocking cannot be ruled out, the fish community seems to have reached a state of equilibrium characterized by a lower density than was measured before the flushing operations.     

Prenatal diagnosis of septal agenesis with normal pituitary function

Septal agenesis is a rare brain malformation that is characterized by partial or complete absence of the septum pellucidum, either isolated or associated with other brain anomalies. We report a case presenting with septal agenesis and normal optic chiasm and pituitary function in a fetus at 19 weeks of gestation. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Classification and distribution of freshwater microplastics along the Italian Po river by hyperspectral imaging

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - In this work, freshwater microplastic samples collected from four different stations along the Italian Po river were characterized in terms of...     

Behavioural and electrophysiological responses of the olive fruit fly, Bactrocera oleae (Rossi) (Diptera: Tephritidae), to male- and female-borne sex attractants

In the olive fruit fly, Bactrocera oleae, females attract males by producing 1,7-dioxaspiro[5.5]undecane (olean), the main component of the sex pheromone secreted by rectal glands. It has been recently demonstrated that males are able to produce (Z)-9-tricosene (muscalure) in rectal glands, a compound that selectively attracts females. In this study, a male grooming reaction that may transfer the male-borne compounds from rectal to urotergal glands was observed, suggesting that urotergal glands could be involved in B. oleae sexual communication. GC/MS, EAG, GC/EAD analyses and behavioural assays were carried out to compare the role of male rectal and urotergal glands during courtship. In both male glands, olean and muscalure amounts were age dependent. Extracts of rectal glands contained higher amounts of olean and/or muscalure than urotergal ones. Extracts of rectal and urotergal glands of males and females elicited EAG responses in both sexes. GC/EAD showed that female EAG response to male rectal extracts was mainly due to olean and muscalure. Synthetic compounds evoked EAG dose-dependent responses in both sexes, and the EAG response to muscalure was higher as compared to olean. Rectal and urotergal glands from old males were able to attract females, while urotergal glands from young males attracted only males. Overall, our results add knowledge to the mating system of B. oleae, giving first evidences on the electrophysiological activity of muscalure towards both sexes, as well as on the involvement of male urotergal glands in the chemical sexual communication of this pest.     

Increasing heterogeneity of sensitive assemblages as a consequence of human impact in submarine caves

Submarine caves are considered as a top priority for conservation, but the effects of common pressures are poorly known for these habitats. Here, we examined the effect of recreational human visitation on a selection of submarine caves in a Mediterranean Marine Protected Area (40°35′40″N; 8°11′39″E) where diving activities are regulated. Sampling was conducted in visited and not visited caves to assess whether diving activities have a significant effect on cave habitats, what are the components of biodiversity most affected by this disturbance, and its potential effects on spatial heterogeneity of benthic assemblages. Results clearly showed that human visitation could significantly affect spatial patterns of benthic assemblages. Organisms with erect growth forms were significantly more abundant and homogeneously distributed where diving activities are forbidden. An increase in the small-scale heterogeneity of assemblages and a decrease in their three-dimensional structure could be the ultimate consequences of human visitation. The interaction between specific stressors and the patterns of distribution of species and assemblages can drive their spatial heterogeneity also in unique habitats like marine caves, representing an early warning for the development of appropriate management measures.     

A performance-based tabular approach for joint systematic improvement of risk control and resilience applied to telecommunication grid,gas network,and ultrasound localization system

Environment Systems and Decisions - Organizational and technical approaches have proven successful in increasing the performance and preventing risks at socio-technical systems at all scales....     

Comparison between absorption and biological activity on the efficiency of the biotrickling filtration of gaseous streams containing ammonia

Polluted air streams can be purified using biological treatments such as biotrickling filtration, which is one of the most widely accepted techniques successfully tuned to treat a wide variety of exhausted gaseous streams coming from a series of industrial sectors such as food processing, flavor manufacturers, rendering, and composting. Since the degradation of a pollutant occurs at standard pressure and temperature, biotrickling filtration, whether compared with other more energy-demanding chemical-physical processes of abatement (such as scrubbing, catalytic oxidation, regenerative adsorption, incineration, advanced oxidation processes, etc.), represents a very high energy-efficient technology. Moreover, as an additional advantage, biodegradation offers the possibility of a complete mineralization of the polluting agents. In this work, biotrickling filtration has been considered in order to explore its efficiency with respect to the abatement of ammonia (which is a highly water-soluble compound). Moreover, a complete mathematical model has been developed in order to describe the dynamics of both absorption and biological activities which are the two dominant phenomena occurring into these systems. The results obtained in this work have shown that the absorption phenomenon is very important in order to define the global removal efficiency of ammonia from the gaseous stream (particularly, 44% of the ammonia is abated by water absorption). Moreover, it has been demonstrated (through the comparison between experimental results and theoretical simulations) that the action of bacteria, which enhance the rate of ammonia transfer to the liquid phase, can be modeled through a simple Michaelis-Menten relationship.