Study of a surface coating present on a Renaissance Piety from the Museum of Ancient Art (Castello Sforzesco,Milan)

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - The surface coating present on a marble Piety dating to the Renaissance period and stored at the Castello Sforzesco-Museum of Ancient Art (Milan,...     

Evaluating surrogates of genetic diversity for conservation planning

Protected-area systems should conserve intraspecific genetic diversity. Because genetic data require resources to obtain, several approaches have been proposed for generating plans for protected-area systems (prioritizations) when genetic data are not available. Yet such surrogate-based approaches remain poorly tested. We evaluated the effectiveness of potential surrogate-based approaches based on microsatellite genetic data collected across the Iberian Peninsula for 7 amphibian and 3 reptilian species. Long-term environmental suitability did not effectively represent sites containing high genetic diversity (allelic richness). Prioritizations based on long-term environmental suitability had similar performance to random prioritizations. Geographic distances and resistance distances based on contemporary environmental suitability were not always effective surrogates for identification of combinations of sites that contain individuals with different genetic compositions. Our results demonstrate that population genetic data based on commonly used neutral markers can inform prioritizations, and we could not find an adequate substitute. Conservation planners need to weigh the potential benefits of genetic data against their acquisition costs.     

Software for prioritizing conservation actions based on probabilistic information

Marxan is the most common decision-support tool used to inform the design of protected-area systems. The original version of Marxan does not consider risk and uncertainty associated with threatening processes affecting protected areas, including uncertainty about the location and condition of species’ populations and habitats now and in the future. We described and examined the functionality of a modified version of Marxan, Marxan with Probability. This software explicitly considers 4 types of uncertainty: probability that a feature exists in a particular place (estimated based on species distribution models or spatially explicit population models); probability that features in a site will be lost in the future due to a threatening process, such as climate change, natural catastrophes, and uncontrolled human interventions; probability that a feature will exist in the future due to natural successional processes, such as a fire or flood; and probability the feature exists but has been degraded by threatening processes, such as overfishing or pollution, and thus cannot contribute to conservation goals. We summarized the results of 5 studies that illustrate how each type of uncertainty can be used to inform protected area design. If there were uncertainty in species or habitat distribution, users could maximize the chance that these features were represented by including uncertainty using Marxan with Probability. Similarly, if threatening processes were considered, users minimized the chance that species or habitats were lost or degraded by using Marxan with Probability. Marxan with Probability opens up substantial new avenues for systematic conservation planning research and application by agencies.     

Prenatal testing for imprinting disorders: A laboratory perspective

Imprinting Disorders (ImpDis) are a group of congenital syndromes associated with up to four different types of molecular disturbances affecting the monoallelic and parent-of-origin specific expression of genomically imprinted genes. Though each ImpDis is characterized by aberrations at a distinct genetic site and a specific set of postnatal clinical signs, there is a broad overlap between several of them. In particular, the prenatal features of ImpDis are non-specific. Therefore, the decision on the appropriate molecular testing strategy is difficult. A further molecular characteristic of ImpDis is (epi)genetic mosaicism, which makes prenatal testing for ImpDis challenging. Accordingly, sampling and diagnostic workup has to consider the methodological limitations. Furthermore, the prediction of the clinical outcome of a pregnancy can be difficult. False-negative results can occur, and therefore fetal imaging should be the diagnostic tool on which decisions on the management of the pregnancy should be based. In summary, the decision for molecular prenatal testing for ImpDis should be based on close exchanges between clinicians, geneticists, and the families before the initiation of the test. These discussions should weigh the chances and challenges of the prenatal test, with focus on the need of the family.     

Effects of olive mill wastewater and olive mill pomace on soil physicochemical properties and soil polyphenols

Journal of Material Cycles and Waste Management - Every year, worldwide olive oil extraction processes produce huge amounts of by-products such as (olive mill wastewater and olive mill pomace) in a...