High-resolution isotopic data link settlement complexification to infant diets within the Roman Empire.

Our study explores the potential relationship between infant feeding practices and settlement complexity in the Roman Empire through high-resolution Bayesian-modeled stable isotope measurements from incremental dentine. We compiled isotopic data from permanent first molars of individuals from various Roman sites: five from Bainesse (UK), 30 from Thessaloniki (Greece), along with new carbon and nitrogen isotope analyses from four individuals from Pompeii and six from Ostia Via del Mare (AVM). Our results reveal significant inter-site variability in breastfeeding durations, ranging from 1.

Introducing Isotòpia: A stable isotope database for Classical Antiquity.

We present Isotòpia, an open-access database compiling over 36,000 stable isotope measurements (δ13C, δ15N, δ18O, δ34S, 87Sr/86Sr, 206Pb/204Pb, 207Pb/204Pb, 208Pb/204Pb, 207Pb/206Pb, and 208Pb/206Pb) on human, animal, and plant bioarchaeological remains dating to Classical Antiquity (approximately 800 BCE - 500 CE). These were recovered from different European regions, particularly from the Mediterranean. Isotòpia provides a comprehensive characterisation of the isotopic data, encompassing various historical, archaeological, biological, and environmental variables.

Microplastics and Nanoplastics in Atheromas and Cardiovascular Events.

Background: Microplastics and nanoplastics (MNPs) are emerging as a potential risk factor for cardiovascular disease in preclinical studies. Direct evidence that this risk extends to humans is lacking.

Methods: We conducted a prospective, multicenter, observational study involving patients who were undergoing carotid endarterectomy for asymptomatic carotid artery disease.

Morpho-chemical characterization of individual ancient starches retrieved on ground stone tools from Palaeolithic sites in the Pontic steppe.

Despite the extensive literature on the retrieval of digestible starches from archaeological contexts, there are still significant concerns regarding their genuine origin and durability. Here, we propose a multi-analytical strategy to identify the authenticity of ancient starches retrieved from macrolithic tools excavated at Upper Paleolithic sites in the Pontic steppe. This strategy integrates the morphological discrimination of starches through optical microscopy and scanning electron microscopy with single starch chemo-profiling using Fourier transform infrared imaging and microscopy.

Biosorption of rare earth elements from luminophores by G. sulphuraria (Cyanidiophytina, Rhodophyta).

Lanthanides are indispensable constituents of modern technologies and are often challenging to acquire from natural resources. The demand for REEs is so high that there is a clear need to develop efficient and eco-friendly recycling methods. In the present study, freeze-dried biomass of the polyextremophile Galdieria sulphuraria was employed to recover REEs from spent fluorescent lamps (FL) luminophores by pretreating the freeze-dried biomass with an acid solution to favour ion exchange and enhance the binding sites on the cell surface available for the metal ions.

La Sassa cave: Isotopic evidence for Copper Age and Bronze Age population dynamics in Central Italy.

This study focuses on the changes in diet and mobility of people buried in the La Sassa cave (Latium, Central Italy) during the Copper and Bronze Ages to contribute to the understanding of the complex contemporary population dynamics in Central Italy. To that purpose, carbon and nitrogen stable isotope analyses, strontium isotope analyses, and FT-IR evaluations were performed on human and faunal remains from this cave. The stable isotope analyses evidence a slight shift in diet between Copper and Bronze Age individuals, which becomes prominent in an individual, dating from a late phase, when the cave was mainly used as a cultic shelter.

A Bayesian multi-proxy contribution to the socioeconomic, political, and cultural history of late medieval Capitanata (southern Italy).

Medieval southern Italy is typically viewed as a region where political, religious, and cultural systems coexisted and clashed. Written sources often focus on elites and give an image of a hierarchical feudal society supported by a farming economy. We undertook an interdisciplinary study combining historical and archaeological evidence with Bayesian modelling of multi-isotope data from human (n = 134) and faunal (n = 21) skeletal remains to inform on the socioeconomic organisation, cultural practices, and demographics of medieval communities in Capitanata (southern Italy).

Selective biosorption of lanthanides onto Galdieria sulphuraria.

The recovering of trivalent Lanthanides from aqueous solutions, by biosorption process onto Galdieria sulphuraria lifeless cells, was investigated. Potentiometry, UV-Vis, FTIR-ATR spectroscopy and SEM-EDS analysis were used. All the experiments were performed at 25 °C, in 0.

ACUF427 Freeze-Dried Biomass as Novel Biosorbent for Rare Earth Elements.

Rare earth elements (REEs) are essential components of modern technologies and are often challenging to acquire from natural resources. The demand for REEs is so high that there is a clear need to develop efficient and environmentally-friendly recycling methods. In the present study, freeze-dried cells of the extremophile were employed to recover yttrium, cerium, europium, and terbium from quaternary-metal aqueous solutions.

Characterizing passenger-ship emissions: towards improved sustainability for MedMar fleet (gulf of Naples).

Unlabelled: Promoting energetic and environmental sustainability in the naval sector requires a necessary understanding of the energy demand of vessels and of the factors affecting it. This article shows the results of a study conducted by the shipping company MedMar aimed at acquiring a detailed analysis of the energetic performances of its fleet. The study involved the analysis of fuel consumption and emissions of the fleet using a specific software and under different scenarios, assuming the navigation speed and the cargo level of the vessels as reference parameters.

Bioremoval of Yttrium (III), Cerium (III), Europium (III), and Terbium (III) from Single and Quaternary Aqueous Solutions Using the Extremophile (Galdieriaceae, Rhodophyta).

The lanthanides are among the rare earth elements (REEs), which are indispensable constituents of modern technologies and are often challenging to acquire from natural resources. The demand for REEs is so high that there is a clear need to develop efficient and environmentally-friendly recycling methods. In the present study, living cells of the extremophile were used to remove four REEs, Yttrium, Cerium, Europium, and Terbium, from single- and quaternary-metal aqueous solutions.

Extremophilic Microalgae Gen. for Urban Wastewater Treatment: Current State, the Case of "POWER" System, and Future Prospects.

Over the past decades, wastewater research has increasingly focused on the use of microalgae as a tool to remove contaminants, entrapping nutrients, and whose biomass could provide both material and energy resources. This review covers the advances in the emerging research on the use in wastewater sector of thermoacidophilic, low-lipid microalgae of the genus , which exhibit high content of protein, reserve carbohydrates, and other potentially extractable high-value compounds. The natural tolerance of for high toxic environments and hot climates recently made it a key player in a single-step process for municipal wastewater treatment, biomass cultivation and production of energetic compounds using hydrothermal liquefaction.

Evaluation of Microalgae Antiviral Activity and Their Bioactive Compounds.

During the last year, science has been focusing on the research of antivirally active compounds overall after the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, which caused a great amount of deaths and the downfall of the economy in 2020. Photosynthetic organisms such as microalgae are known to be a reservoir of bioactive secondary metabolites; this feature, coupled with the possibility of achieving very high biomass levels without excessive energetic expenses, make microalgae worthy of attention in the search for new molecules with antiviral effects. In this work, the antiviral effects of microalgae against some common human or animal viruses were considered, focusing our attention on some possible effects against SARS-CoV-2.

Cultivation of the Acidophilic Microalgae with Wastewater: Process Yields.

Algal based wastewater treatment offers the opportunity to recover, in the form of biomass, the nutrients and internal chemical energy of wastewater. Recently, there has been a growing interest in the use of extremophilic microalgae, as they can easily adapt to difficult and often pollutant-rich environments. The thermo-acidophilic microalga is a species of recent discovery and great metabolic versatility, but it has still been poorly studied.

Olive oil from the 79 A.D. Vesuvius eruption stored at the Naples National Archaeological Museum (Italy).

Using a range of chromatographic, spectroscopic, and mass spectrometric analytical techniques, we characterized one of the "edible items" found at the Vesuvius archeological sites and guarded at the National Archaeological Museum of Naples (MANN) in Naples, Italy. We authenticated the specimen contained in a glass bottle (Mann-S1 sample) as originally olive oil and mapped the deep evolution throughout its 2000 years of storage. Triacylglycerols were completely hydrolyzed, while the resulting (hydroxy) fatty acids had partly condensed into rarely found estolides.

Persistent warm Mediterranean surface waters during the Roman period.

Reconstruction of last millennia Sea Surface Temperature (SST) evolution is challenging due to the difficulty retrieving good resolution marine records and to the several uncertainties in the available proxy tools. In this regard, the Roman Period (1 CE to 500 CE) was particularly relevant in the socio-cultural development of the Mediterranean region while its climatic characteristics remain uncertain. Here we present a new SST reconstruction from the Sicily Channel based in Mg/Ca ratios measured on the planktonic foraminifer Globigerinoides ruber.

The Tomb of the Diver and the frescoed tombs in Paestum (southern Italy): New insights from a comparative archaeometric study.

The Tomb of the Diver has been subject for many decades of fierce debate among archaeologists and classicists. Since its discovery in 1968, some scholars have considered it a unique example of the lost tradition of Greek painting, others have emphasized Etruscan or Italic parallels. More recently, a possible local production has been suggested.

Identification of Italian Renaissance noble women through a bioarchaeological study of skeletal remains.

Three female skeletons, dated back to the beginning of the 15 century were recovered during an archaeological excavation in the Guinigi Chapel in Lucca (Italy). Archaeological and historical sources indicated that the remains might be those of Paolo Guinigi's wives. At the beginning of the 15 century Paolo Guinigi ruled Lucca for nearly 30 years (1400-1429), providing a long period of wealth and peace to the city.

Assessing energy performance and critical issues of a large wastewater treatment plant through full-scale data benchmarking.

The wastewater sector accounts for 25% of the global energy demand in the water sector. Since this consumption is expected to increase in the forthcoming years, energy optimization strategies are needed. A truly effective planning of energy improvement measures requires a detailed knowledge of a system, which can only be achieved through energy audit and real-time monitoring.

Traceability of 'Mozzarella di Bufala Campana' production chain by means of carbon, nitrogen and oxygen stable isotope ratios.

Background: New techniques are required to guarantee the authenticity of food, especially for PDO (Protected Designation of Origin) trademarks. The genuineness of a product is directly related to the raw material and to the production process used. In this article, the traceability of the Mozzarella di Bufala Campana PDO was investigated, using carbon, nitrogen and oxygen stable isotopes ratios, measured on buffalo feeding, milk and mozzarella, from Caserta and Salerno farms.

DGGE analysis of buffalo manure eubacteria for hydrogen production: effect of pH, temperature and pretreatments.

Buffalo dung is a low-cost substrate with plenty of carbohydrates, an optimal carbon/nitrogen ratio, and a rich microbial flora, and could become a valuable source of biogas. Therefore, in the present study we compared the type and amount of specific eubacteria to the different configurations of pH, temperature and thermal pretreatment after fermentation in batch reactors in order to understand the suitability of buffalo manure for hydrogen production. The phylogenetic structure of the microbial community in fermentation samples was studied using denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis to generate fingerprints of 16S rRNA genes.

The privileged burial of the Pava Pieve (Siena, 8th Century AD).

Rationale: The 6(th) archaeological excavation campaign performed at the 'Pieve di Pava' (San Giovanni d'Asso, Siena, Italy) unearthed a privileged stone burial of a single individual (US 2378), covered by a monolithic slab and placed in front of an altar. The skeletal remains of a young male (18-20 years old), not in anatomical connection, were found at the bottom floor of a tomb (160 cm long, 40 cm large and over 70 cm deep).

Methods: A multidisciplinary study has been carried out concerning that privileged bone burial.

Mortar radiocarbon dating: preliminary accuracy evaluation of a novel methodology.

Mortars represent a class of building and art materials that are widespread at archeological sites from the Neolithic period on. After about 50 years of experimentation, the possibility to evaluate their absolute chronology by means of radiocarbon ((14)C) remains still uncertain. With the use of a simplified mortar production process in the laboratory environment, this study shows the overall feasibility of a novel physical pretreatment for the isolation of the atmospheric (14)CO(2) (i.

Isotopic evidences for microbiologically mediated and direct C input to soil compounds from three different leaf litters during their decomposition.

We show the potentiality of coupling together different compound-specific isotopic analyses in a laboratory experiment, where (13)C-depleted leaf litter was incubated on a (13)C-enriched soil. The aim of our study was to identify the soil compounds where the C derived from three different litter species is retained. Three (13)C-depleted leaf litter (Liquidambar styraciflua L.