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Baldi Franco - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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Apple seeds in an excavated Roman amphora remained intact for 2000 years despite exposure to a broadly-degrading microbial community
'Elsevier BV', 2019Co-Authors: Milanesi Claudio, Faleri Claudia, Cresti Mauro, Andreolli Marco, Lampis Silvia, Vallini Giovanni, Sfriso Andrea, Gallo Michele, Baldi FrancoAbstract:During the first century BCE, a devastating fire destroyed a Roman villa on Elba Island (Tuscany, Italy) but 500 non-carbonized apple seeds were recovered from within four amphorae buried 1.5\u202fm underground level. Most of the seeds had deteriorated, but 63 showed intact integument and embryo tissues suggesting they were unable to germinate. The seeds were coated in a clay-like organic layer baked into place during the fire covering a caramelized amorphous matrix generated by the transformation of sugars. The seeds inside this shield were protected from physicochemical and Biological Deterioration, even though fungal hyphae and bacteria were identified inside the embryos by DAPI staining. Some microbial strains were retrieved from the seed tissue, including the ascomycete Aspergillus awamori and bacteria of the genera Bacillus and Variovorax. In contrast, the protective layer around the seed yielded Enterobacteriaceae such as the genera Citrobacter and Salmonella, along with Pseudomonas and Streptomyces, and the fungi Thermothelomyces thermophila and Humicola fuscoatra, which are renowned for their resistance to heat. PCR-DGGE analysis showed no correspondence between 16S rRNA gene sequences isolated from the protective layer covering the seed and from within the seed tissues. Despite the presence of a diverse microbial population, the protective coat on the ancient seeds prevented the Deterioration of about 20% of seeds, allowing a comparison to the present-day seeds of Malus sylvestris, the botanical species which the archaeological finds represents
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Apple seeds in an excavated Roman amphora remained intact for 2000 years despite exposure to a broadly-degrading microbial community
2019Co-Authors: Milanesi Claudio, Faleri Claudia, Cresti Mauro, Andreolli Marco, Lampis Silvia, Vallini Giovanni, Sfriso Andrea, Gallo Michele, Baldi FrancoAbstract:During the first century BCE, a devastating fire destroyed a Roman villa on Elba Island (Tuscany, Italy) but 500 non-carbonized apple seeds were recovered from within four amphorae buried 1.5m underground level. Most of the seeds had deteriorated, but 63 showed intact integument and embryo tissues suggesting they were unable to germinate. The seeds were coated in a clay-like organic layer baked into place during the fire covering a caramelized amorphous matrix generated by the transformation of sugars. The seeds inside this shield were protected from physicochemical and Biological Deterioration, even though fungal hyphae and bacteria were identified inside the embryos by DAPI staining. Some microbial strains were retrieved from the seed tissue, including the ascomycete Aspergillus awamori and bacteria of the genera Bacillus and Variovorax. In contrast, the protective layer around the seed yielded Enterobacteriaceae such as the genera Citrobacter and Salmonella, along with Pseudomonas and Streptomyces, and the fungi Thermothelomyces thermophila and Humicola fuscoatra, which are renowned for their resistance to heat. PCR-DGGE analysis showed no correspondence between 16S rRNA gene sequences isolated from the protective layer covering the seed and from within the seed tissues. Despite the presence of a diverse microbial population, the protective coat on the ancient seeds prevented the Deterioration of about 20% of seeds, allowing a comparison to the present-day seeds of Malus sylvestris, the botanical species which the archaeological finds represents
Claudia Sorlini - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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The bioDeterioration of synthetic resins used in conservation.
Macromolecular Bioscience, 2004Co-Authors: Francesca Cappitelli, Elisabetta Zanardini, Claudia SorliniAbstract:Synthetic resins have been extensively employed by artists in their works of art, e.g. as paint binders, or by conservators for conservation treatments, e.g. as stone consolidants and protectives. It is generally thought that synthetic resins are less prone to chemical, physical and Biological Deterioration than other organic products but there are many articles in the scientific literature and some reports in the conservation of cultural heritage literature claiming that microorganisms are capable of degrading synthetic resins. This paper reviews the researches on the bioDeterioration of synthetic resins used in the conservation of cultural heritage, including stone, painting and textile materials, carried out in the last fifty years.
Baciu D.c. - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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Cultural life: Theory and empirical testing
'Elsevier BV', 2020Co-Authors: Baciu D.c.Abstract:“What is life?” and Erwin Schrödinger's answer, “negative entropy”, inspired researchers in the 20th century to unite physics, chemistry, and physiology into a new synthesis that many believe to be an important foundation for life science today. Decades after Schrödinger, life scientists are still fascinated by the riddle that entropy can only accumulate in physical systems, which often leads to Biological Deterioration and death, but life finds ways to persist and prevail. So to say, life “negates” entropy. Can this fascination and research concept be broadened even further to human culture? Short after Schrödinger's publication, Claude Shannon coined the term “information entropy.” Information entropy accumulates when noise interferes during communication. Eventually, all useful information is lost. Yet, from this observation, something surprising can be inferred. Not only Biological life but also cultural life has the ability to persist and prevail in spite of the accumulation of entropy. Does this insight mean that cultural life also negates entropy, in Schrödinger's sense? These questions guided me over several years of research during which I developed and tested a new theory of culture based on variation-selection processes and homeostatic regulation. My contribution is to discover that these two processes not only make statements about Biological life. They also explain some of the most important phenomena of culture: returning fashions, polarization, diversification, cycles of growth and reform, and the formation of common ethos across entire bodies of knowledge. With access to big data and supercomputing, I tested my theory against hundreds of thousands of news, magazine articles, books, and TV transcripts as well as textual content collected from the social media. Historical, institutional, and geographical information was extracted from these data using a new method; and new interactive tools were created to interpret the results. What should not be missed when reading this article is that the theory proposed here reveals a striking equivalence between nature and culture. The article states this equivalence in mathematical terms, and contextualizes it in the history of science. The mathematical breakthrough is relevant because it aligns the humanities to science while also allowing for live evaluation of what I call “cultural diversification cycles.”
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Cultural life: Theory and empirical testing
'Elsevier BV', 2020Co-Authors: Baciu D.c.Abstract:“What is life?” and Erwin Schrödinger's answer, “negative entropy”, inspired researchers in the 20th century to unite physics, chemistry, and physiology into a new synthesis that many believe to be an important foundation for life science today. Decades after Schrödinger, life scientists are still fascinated by the riddle that entropy can only accumulate in physical systems, which often leads to Biological Deterioration and death, but life finds ways to persist and prevail. So to say, life “negates” entropy. Can this fascination and research concept be broadened even further to human culture? Short after Schrödinger's publication, Claude Shannon coined the term “information entropy.” Information entropy accumulates when noise interferes during communication. Eventually, all useful information is lost. Yet, from this observation, something surprising can be inferred. Not only Biological life but also cultural life has the ability to persist and prevail in spite of the accumulation of entropy. Does this insight mean that cultural life also negates entropy, in Schrödinger's sense? These questions guided me over several years of research during which I developed and tested a new theory of culture based on variation-selection processes and homeostatic regulation. My contribution is to discover that these two processes not only make statements about Biological life. They also explain some of the most important phenomena of culture: returning fashions, polarization, diversification, cycles of growth and reform, and the formation of common ethos across entire bodies of knowledge. With access to big data and supercomputing, I tested my theory against hundreds of thousands of news, magazine articles, books, and TV transcripts as well as textual content collected from the social media. Historical, institutional, and geographical information was extracted from these data using a new method; and new interactive tools were created to interpret the results. What should not be missed when reading this article is that the theory proposed here reveals a striking equivalence between nature and culture. The article states this equivalence in mathematical terms, and contextualizes it in the history of science. The mathematical breakthrough is relevant because it aligns the humanities to science while also allowing for live evaluation of what I call “cultural diversification cycles.”History & Complexit
Milanesi Claudio - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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Apple seeds in an excavated Roman amphora remained intact for 2000 years despite exposure to a broadly-degrading microbial community
'Elsevier BV', 2019Co-Authors: Milanesi Claudio, Faleri Claudia, Cresti Mauro, Andreolli Marco, Lampis Silvia, Vallini Giovanni, Sfriso Andrea, Gallo Michele, Baldi FrancoAbstract:During the first century BCE, a devastating fire destroyed a Roman villa on Elba Island (Tuscany, Italy) but 500 non-carbonized apple seeds were recovered from within four amphorae buried 1.5\u202fm underground level. Most of the seeds had deteriorated, but 63 showed intact integument and embryo tissues suggesting they were unable to germinate. The seeds were coated in a clay-like organic layer baked into place during the fire covering a caramelized amorphous matrix generated by the transformation of sugars. The seeds inside this shield were protected from physicochemical and Biological Deterioration, even though fungal hyphae and bacteria were identified inside the embryos by DAPI staining. Some microbial strains were retrieved from the seed tissue, including the ascomycete Aspergillus awamori and bacteria of the genera Bacillus and Variovorax. In contrast, the protective layer around the seed yielded Enterobacteriaceae such as the genera Citrobacter and Salmonella, along with Pseudomonas and Streptomyces, and the fungi Thermothelomyces thermophila and Humicola fuscoatra, which are renowned for their resistance to heat. PCR-DGGE analysis showed no correspondence between 16S rRNA gene sequences isolated from the protective layer covering the seed and from within the seed tissues. Despite the presence of a diverse microbial population, the protective coat on the ancient seeds prevented the Deterioration of about 20% of seeds, allowing a comparison to the present-day seeds of Malus sylvestris, the botanical species which the archaeological finds represents
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Apple seeds in an excavated Roman amphora remained intact for 2000 years despite exposure to a broadly-degrading microbial community
2019Co-Authors: Milanesi Claudio, Faleri Claudia, Cresti Mauro, Andreolli Marco, Lampis Silvia, Vallini Giovanni, Sfriso Andrea, Gallo Michele, Baldi FrancoAbstract:During the first century BCE, a devastating fire destroyed a Roman villa on Elba Island (Tuscany, Italy) but 500 non-carbonized apple seeds were recovered from within four amphorae buried 1.5m underground level. Most of the seeds had deteriorated, but 63 showed intact integument and embryo tissues suggesting they were unable to germinate. The seeds were coated in a clay-like organic layer baked into place during the fire covering a caramelized amorphous matrix generated by the transformation of sugars. The seeds inside this shield were protected from physicochemical and Biological Deterioration, even though fungal hyphae and bacteria were identified inside the embryos by DAPI staining. Some microbial strains were retrieved from the seed tissue, including the ascomycete Aspergillus awamori and bacteria of the genera Bacillus and Variovorax. In contrast, the protective layer around the seed yielded Enterobacteriaceae such as the genera Citrobacter and Salmonella, along with Pseudomonas and Streptomyces, and the fungi Thermothelomyces thermophila and Humicola fuscoatra, which are renowned for their resistance to heat. PCR-DGGE analysis showed no correspondence between 16S rRNA gene sequences isolated from the protective layer covering the seed and from within the seed tissues. Despite the presence of a diverse microbial population, the protective coat on the ancient seeds prevented the Deterioration of about 20% of seeds, allowing a comparison to the present-day seeds of Malus sylvestris, the botanical species which the archaeological finds represents
M Cresti - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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bioDeterioration of a fresco by biofilm forming bacteria
International Biodeterioration & Biodegradation, 2006Co-Authors: Claudio Milanesi, Franco Baldi, Sara Borin, R Vignani, Fabrizio Ciampolini, Claudia Faleri, M CrestiAbstract:Abstract Three areas of the 18th century fresco by Sebastiano Conca in the apse of the church (Santissima Annunziata, Siena, Italy) showed signs of Deterioration. Twelve small fragments with a total weight of about 15 mg were detached from each of three damaged areas of the fresco and analysed. Element composition of specimens was determined by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) with energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDX). Some fragments were incubated in mineral medium without organic carbon. Samples from the lower part of the fresco (area A) produced colonies of heterotrophic aerobic bacteria on the carbon available in this medium. Fragments from two other two areas (areas B and C) did not produce any microorganisms. Two strains were isolated from area A and identified as Kocuria erythromyxa strain CV1 and Sphingomonas echinoides strain CV2 by sequencing gene 16S rDNA. When fresco fragments were soaked in mineral medium without carbon source, Sphigomonas echinoides grew rapidly. This strain produced a visible biofilm on the fresco fragments. The mucilage consisted mainly of extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) detected in situ by confocal scanning laser microscopy (CSLM) with Con-A fluorescent lectin and confirmed by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) observations. Ultrastructural analysis of sections of the microorganisms by TEM showed that only strain CV2 adhered to the substrate and caused Biological Deterioration of the fresco.