Conservation Science

Very few real easel paintings have been scanned by means of terahertz time-domain imaging (THz-TDI) up to now. In this study, four different areas of an eighteenth century easel painting have been scanned by THz-TDI with the aim of proving useful information to the conservators for its imminent restoration treatment, owing to the complexity of its structure. Despite the unevenness of the layers composing the painting (lining canvas, original canvas, patching materials, and paint layers), the recorded THz dataset has been processed so that the THz images of the single layers composing the multilayered object have been clearly obtained. Relevant information about the painting structure, the presence of structural defects, overpainting, and the existence and extension of the original remains could have been determined. Infrared photography and X-ray radiography have been used for integrating the collected THz data and comparing the different outputs.

Remote tropical oceanic islands are of high conservation priority, and they are exemplified by range-restricted species with small global populations. Spatial and temporal patterns in rainfall and plant productivity may be important in driving dynamics of these species. Yet, little is known about environmental influences on population dynamics for most islands and species. Here we leveraged avian capture-recapture, rainfall, and remote-sensed habitat data (enhanced vegetation index [EVI]) to assess relationships between rainfall, vegetation greenness, and demographic rates (productivity, adult apparent survival) of three native bird species on Saipan, Northern Mariana Islands: rufous fantail (Rhipidura rufifrons), bridled white-eye (Zosterops conspicillatus), and golden white-eye (Cleptornis marchei). Rainfall was positively related to vegetation greenness at all but the highest rainfall levels. Temporal variation in greenness affected the productivity of each bird species in unique...

In vegetation science and forest management, tree density is often used as a variable. To determine the value of this variable, reliable field methods are necessary. When vegetation is sparse or not easily accessible, the use of sample plots is not feasible in the field. Therefore, plotless methods, like the Point Centred Quarter Method, are often used as an alternative. In this study we investigate the accuracy of different plotless sampling methods. To this end, tree densities of a mangrove forest were determined and compared with estimates provided by several plotless methods. None of these methods proved accurate across all field sites with mean underestimations up to 97% and mean overestimations up to 53% in the field. Applying the methods to different vegetation patterns shows that when random spatial distributions were used the true density was included within the 95% confidence limits of all the plotless methods tested. It was also found that, besides aggregation and regular...

Diurnal activity budgeting of Lesser Adjutant stork (Leptoptilos javanicus) was quantified in the Nagaon district of Assam from August 2023 to April 2024. A total of 192 hours were spent recording their activity budget and the behaviour of adults and juveniles. The behavioural activity pattern was observed and recorded through the Focal Sampling and Scan Sampling methods. Different activities were recorded: preening, resting, feeding, movement, wing-leg stretching, head up-down, aggression, and alert. The results showed that preening (42%) and movement (17%) were the most observed behaviour in the study period. The behavioural activities showed significant differences in different time blocks in a day. It was observed that preening and body movement helped the chicks and parents survive predators and parasites. It has been found that the study area has many nesting colonies near human settlements, agricultural fields and highways. By observing their activity budgets, we came to know that the activities of Lesser Adjutant stork depend upon the season, the surrounding environment and the habitats where it lives. So, in order to conserve the species, their habitat should be conserved.

Workers in the agricultural industry have been exposed to many work-related musculoskeletal disorders. So, our objectives in this study were to measure and analyze worker's physiological bio-information to reduce musculoskeletal disorders in relation to agricultural works. We investigated worker's bio-information of physiological signals during the repeated lifting work such as body temperature, heart rate, blood pressure, physical activity, and heart rate variability. Moreover, we analyzed the workloads of lumbar spine during the repeated lifting work using the 3-axis acceleration and angular velocity sensors. The changes of body temperature was not significant, but the mean heart rate increased from 90/min to 116/min significantly during 30 min of repeated lifting work (p<0.05). The average worker's physical activity(energy consumption rate) was 206 kcal/70kg/h during the repeated lifting work. The workers' acute stress index was more than 80, which indicated a stressful work. Also, the maximum shear force on the disk (L5/S1) of a worker's lumbar spine in static state was 500N, and the maximum inertia moment was 139 N․m in dynamic state.

Due to its resistance and durability, stone is the material most used in construction by humanity. The aim of this study was to investigate the action of urine on granites. Accelerated alteration tests were performed on Grey Itaquera, Pink Itupeva, and Black Piracaia granites stones from the São Paulo State, Brazil, which were widely used in the historical built heritage of the São Paulo state. The test was performed with 30 cycles of partial immersion of nine samples in artificial urine solution and the sanitising of the specimens, totalling 60 consecutive days of testing. In the first 24 hours, the samples were partially immersed in urine; in the following 24 hours, the samples were sanitised in three different groups: A) without washing; B) washing with natural water; C) washing with a 5:1 solution of natural water with bleach. The alterations induced in the specimens were evaluated by spectrophotometry, P-wave velocity, and scanning electron microscopy. The main results obtained were chromatic alterations and crystallisation of salts on the three types of granite. The study concluded that urine is a substance that can cause moderate alterations in the aesthetics and structure of granitic stones.

Scientists who study the 92 species of whales and dolphins (aka cetaceans) know that many populations are endangered. There may be only 12 vaquita porpoises left, and the ~450 North Atlantic Right whales are being decimated by ship collisions and fishing gear. Conservation efforts rely on implanted radio tags and satellite transponders to track cetaceans in 1.3 billion cubic kilometers of ocean. These efforts, however, are handicapped by technology and the limits of available satellite support. Leading cetologists surveyed in Booz Allen Hamilton’s Project WHALES (Whale/Habitat and Location/Environment Smallsats) agreed there are simply not enough tracking assets in space. The existing U.S.-led ARGOS radio tracking system needs to be supplemented with more satellites, especially in the tropical regions where ARGOS transceivers on polar-orbiting satellites leave gaps of up to two hours. A constellation of small satellites appears to be the most cost-effective way to achieve this objec...

In this paper the Simultaneous Thermal Analysis (STA), i.e. thermogravimetric and differential thermal analysis, was used as a diagnostic tool to better understand the matter composition of some very valuable artworks the Serpottas’ stuccoes in Palermo. Particularly the STA was used in order to exclude the presence of an unusual calcium-bearing magnesium carbonate, and the thermal data were also used to quantify the magnesite to calcite ratio. The latter was investigated in order to evaluate the amount of magnesium in the lime used as binder as during 17th and 18th century in Sicily magnesium rich lime was indicated as the most valuable binder probably because this kind of lime has a higher plasticity. The data obtained in this work are not conclusive but indicate a way to contribute to the comprehension of this unique work of art composition.

print edition www.Morana-rtd.com © by M O R A N A RTD d.o.o. M O R A N A RTD d.o.o. Results on analysis of prehistoric pigments from excavations and pigments on coloured child bones from North Patagonia, Argentina, are reported. To analyze their composition we used two micro-analytical techniques: micro-Raman spectrometr y (MRS) and scanning electron microscopy coupled with X-ray micro-analysis (SEM/EDX). Most investigated excavated pigments show red or yellow ochres consistent with reddish or yellow minerals, such as α-and γ-goethite, haematite, erdite, haapalaite and jarosite. Raman spectra show also evidence of calcium oxalate monohydrate and calcite indicating lichen activity. Pigments covering human bones were identified as hematite and magnetite. This study allows us to infer that pigments found in excavation were employed for burial ceremonies, even though distances between excavated pigment archaeological site and buried remains are quite far, more than 50 km in a straight line.

This paper aims to document the conservation processes of a polychrome wooden coffin in the Dahshur archaeological area dating back to the late period. The exterior part of the coffin is decorated with a painted layer. Visual observation, 2D Program, and Optical Microscopy (OM) were used. wood identification. The coffin was in a bad condition. It was covered with a thick layer of dust, losing parts of the painted and gesso layers, as well as other parts of these layers, were lost. Some parts were missing from the head area of the lid coffin. The conservation processes of the wooden coffin included mechanical and chemical cleaning, reattachment of the separated parts of the ground layer and painted layers, filling the edge of the painted layer, and consolidating the painted layer. The conservation process included mechanical cleaning using soft brushes, chemical cleaning using ethyl alcohol and distilled water for painting, stabilization of the separated gesso layer using Paraloid B72, filling cracks of the gesso layers using glass microballoon with Paraloid B72 and consolidating the painted layer with calcium oxide nanoparticles with Klucel G (hydroxypropyl cellulose) 0. 5%

This paper describes the results of a multi-technological analytical protocol performed on the painted surface of an Egyptian wooden coffin and documents the conservation processes of a wooden coffin covered with a black resin layer and coloured materials in Dahshur Archaeological Area dating back to the late period. It uses visual observation, optical microscopy (OM), technical imaging, 2D and 3D programmes, and a scan made using an electron microscope coupled with an Energy Dispersive X-ray (SEM-EDX), X-ray diffraction (XRD). Wood identification was also carried out. The results showed the use of yellow ochre for the yellow painted layer; the ground layer was calcium carbonate with gypsum, and the fabric layer was linen. The conservation processes of the wooden coffin included mechanical and chemical cleaning; reassembling the separated wooden parts, ground layer, and black resin layers; filling the edge of the ground layer; and consolidating the wood, black resin, and painted layer. The conservation processes included mechanical cleaning using soft brushes, chemical cleaning using xylene and distilled water for the black resin layer and ethyl alcohol and distilled water for the painted layer, stabilisation of the separated ground layer using Paraloid B72, filling the cracks of the ground layers using glass microballoons with Paraloid B72, and consolidating the painted layer with nano-silica with Klucel G (hydroxypropyl cellulose) (0.5% concentration).

Conservation is an inherently social process—people collectively endeavor to enact conservation. Yet, in conservation social science, research methodologies, training, and competency are less common than in natural sciences. Globally, formal education and training in the social sciences are often unavailable or inaccessible to conservation practitioners, and nonformal education may help fill this gap. To identify potential opportunities, we implemented a global survey of practitioners to identify their knowledge gaps and social science training needs and conducted a gap analysis of available social science training resources. We compiled 449 resources, including 266 English-language and 183 non-English-languages resources into an open-access online database hosted by the Conservation Social Science Partnership. Resources were categorized as communication,
data collection, ethics and human rights, intervention, impact evaluation, or analysis. Most resources were open access (90%) and half were specific to conservation practice. Survey responses (n = 90) revealed demand for help with data analyses, research ethics, and human rights considerations. We found a need for organization leaders to prioritize social sciences
in conservation, greater diversity of accessible training resources in alternate mediums and languages, resources tailored to conservation contexts, and additional ethics and human rights and data analysis resources.

is published by Morana RTD d.o.o. www.Morana-rtd.com e-PRESERVATIONScience This paper is based on a presentation at the sixth international meeting of the Users&#39;Group for Mass Spectrometry and Chromatography (MASC) in Pisa, Italy, 5th – 6th June 2013. Abstract Romano-Egyptian panels in the collections of the J. Paul Getty Museum dating to 180-200 A.D. were found to contain proteinaceous paint media. Animal glue was detected in the ground layers of all three panels using Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and mass spectrom-etry. Results were verified with gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) by the identification of 4-hydroxyproline, the major amino acid that occurs in animal glue collagen but not egg albumin. The animal species used to make the glue was identified as cow (Bos taurus) by using nano-liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization-tandem MS (nanoLC-ESI-MS/MS). A paint fragment from the Bearded Man contained tryptic peptides, type III collagen α1 chain,...

The importance of today's zoological gardens as the so-called ''Noah's Ark'' grows as the natural habitat of many species quickly diminishes. Their potential to shelter a large amount of individuals from many species gives us the opportunity to reintroduce a species that disappeared in nature. However, the selection of animals to be kept in zoos worldwide is highly selective and depends on human decisions driven by both ecological criteria such as population size or vulnerability and audience-driven criteria such as aesthetic preferences. Thus we focused our study on the most commonly kept and bred animal class, the mammals, and we asked which factors affect various aspects of the mammalian collection of zoos. We analyzed the presence/absence, population size, and frequency per species of each of the 123 mammalian families kept in the worldwide zoo collection. Our aim was to explain these data using the human-perceived attractiveness of mammalian families, their body weight, relative brain size and species richness of the family. In agreement with various previous studies, we found that the body size and the attractiveness of mammals significantly affect all studied components of the mammalian collection of zoos. There is a higher probability of the large and attractive families to be kept. Once kept, these animals are presented in larger numbers in more zoos. On the contrary, the relative mean brain size only affects the primary selection whether to keep the family or not. It does not affect the zoo population size or the number of zoos that keep the family.

This paper presents the modern strategies of research in the field of cultural heritage, taking into account aspects related to integrated conservation, new materials and technologies of intervention onto art objects and also co-assisting inter-and transdisciplinary methods of new, noninvasive techniques of scientific investigation.

The paper present new aspects of the revaluation of prehistoric ceramic artifacts from Romanian archaeological sites, under current rules and concepts of integrated conservation science. We have outlined a number of research directions, which allowed the establishment of the position and role of the three ways or forms of enhancement (purposes), namely: ceramological and historiographical studies, museum displaying, trading and assemblance/enrichment of the collections by analyzing the involvement of various scientific activities of the integrated conservation for the main types or groups of interest.

The concept of the post-war reconstruction of many Eastern European cities, shaped as a result of the actions of German town planners at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, in many cases consisted of negation, non-continuation or abandonment of previously set development directions. The subject of studies in this text will be the city of Poznań, which continued to develop in the post-war period on the basis of spatial arrangement created as a result of actions of Joseph Stübben in the years [1902][1903][1904][1905][1906][1907][1908][1909][1910][1911][1912][1913][1914][1915][1916][1917][1918].The post-war reconstruction of the city after 1945 preserved its main urban layout created during the modernization period with the participation of a German town planner. The structure of the city preserved in this way consisted mainly of multi-family residential buildings. Urban planning and architectural activities as part of the reconstruction of the city after 1945 were aimed at continuing this concept. A critical analysis of these activities is planned in the following text. Housing construction was an important matter in the period of socialism in Eastern Europe, which on the one hand, supported propaganda activities, but on the other hand, increased the prestige of the authorities, which contributed funds to building new houses for the so-called "working class". "The investor on behalf of the state were housing cooperatives, which were responsible for the preparation of project documentation, which was ordered from state design offices. The post-war reconstruction of the city of Poznań, with the use of complementary buildings, became an interesting experimental field for architects and town planners. The research presented in the text will aim to refer to the creative attitudes of the time, as well as to confront the activities on these issues carried out during the communist period and in the post-1989 period. The aforementioned urban and architectural activities can be treated as an important element of the concept of heritage protection, seen through the prism of over 100 years of history of the concept of a modern city created by Joseph Stübben at the beginning of the 20th century.

The Arctic tundra is currently experiencing an unprecedented combination of climate change, change in grazing pressure by large herbivores and growing human activity. Thickets of tall shrubs represent a conspicuous vegetation state in northern and temperate ecosystems, where it serves important ecological functions, including habitat for wildlife. Thickets are however labile, as tall shrubs respond rapidly to both abiotic and biotic environmental drivers. Our aim was to assess how large-scale spatial variation in willow thicket areal extent, configuration and habitat structure affected bird abundance, occupancy rates and species richness so as to provide an empirical basis for predicting the outcome of environmental change for riparian tundra bird communities. Based on a 4-year count data series, obtained through a large-scale study design in low arctic tundra in northern Norway, statistical hierarchical community models were deployed to assess relations between habitat configuration and bird species occupancy and community richness. We found that species abundance, occupancy and richness were greatly affected by willow areal extent and configuration, habitat features likely to be affected by intense ungulate browsing as well as climate warming. In sum, total species richness was maximized in large and tall willow patches of small to intermediate degree of fragmentation. These community effects were mainly driven by responses in the occupancy rates of species depending on tall willows for foraging and breeding, while species favouring other vegetation states were not affected. In light of the predicted climate driven willow shrub encroachment in riparian tundra habitats, our study predicts that many bird species would increase in abundance, and that the bird community as a whole could become enriched. Conversely, in tundra regions where overabundance of large herbivores leads to decreased areal extent, reduced height and increased fragmentation of willow thickets, bird community richness and species-specific abundance are likely to be significantly reduced.

Museum curators and archaeologists use analytical science to provide important information on artworks and objects. For example, scientific techniques provide information on artwork elemental composition, origin and authenticity, and corrosion products, while also finding use in the day-today conservation of many historical objects in museums and archaeological sites around the world. In this work two special cases are being discussed. In the first part of our work, physicochemical studies of an icon on a metal substrate were carried out using nondestructive, qualitative analysis of pigments and organicbased binding media, employing various microscopic and analytical techniques, such as Optical Fluorescence Microscopy, XRF, and Gas Chromatography. In the second part of our work, laser cleaning of late Roman coins has been performed using a Q-switched Nd:YAG laser (1064 nm, E. Drakaki • M. Kandyla • I. Zergioti () • A.A.

Il Giudizio Universale è come un “discorso” intriso di profondi significati cristiani.
Le pareti della Cappella Sistina raccontano la storia della cristianità, dalla Genesi all’Apocalisse, e l’intimo rapporto dell’uomo con l’infinito Dio.
E’ davvero possibile che in questo sacro sacello non sia presente la figura dell’Apostola degli Apostoli, tanto salda nella fede in Cristo da diventare l’esempio per la conquista della salvezza eterna? L’unica donna che assume tale rilevanza che «... per riassumere in un’unica parola l’intero Vangelo, Gesù chiama per nome: Maria!»?
A distanza di Cinquecento anni dalla realizzazione dell’affresco, Sara Penco - restauratrice e appassionata d’arte - riconosce e motiva l’identificazione di Maria Maddalena tra il groviglio di figure che affollano la parete che accoglie i fedeli, dietro all’altare.

All’estremo margine destro della parete che ospita il Giudizio Universale un uomo sorregge una delle croci più imponenti della composizione e, voltandosi nella direzione opposta agli eventi, sembra assecondare la donna bionda, vestita di giallo, a figura intera, intenta a baciare il legno della traversa: Maria Maddalena.
L’intima condivisione della croce - oggetto del desiderio dei santi - fornisce lo spunto per ipotizzare che il possente uomo possa essere riconosciuto come la “reiterazione” di Cristo Giudice nel Redentore. La sovrapponibilità della possanza fisica e dei tratti somatici coincidono, ma è la postura del braccio a non poter essere considerata la casuale “proiezione” di un gesto così significativo; poiché è proprio nella forza che confluisce dal braccio alzato del Giudice che si scatena il turbinio di eventi che anima ogni particolare dei 180,21 metri quadri di parete.
L’accostamento della Maddalena al Redentore, più che mai nella Parusia, ribadirebbe il concetto di Resurrezione e la clemenza di Cristo annunciata nella testimonianza biblica secondo la quale “il Giudizio di Dio sul male sarà un Giudizio di grazia”: un messaggio d’amore che va ben oltre la cruenza della condanna per le anime dannate.
Questa inedita chiave di lettura dell’affresco testimonia un messaggio teologico di speranza potentissimo ed accende i riflettori su un inedito aspetto dell’ermeneutica del Giudizio, conferendo - ad una delle opere più note e apprezzate al mondo - una straordinaria attualità, che si rivela fortemente coerente con la “Nuova stagione della Chiesa” inaugurata da Papa Francesco. La presenza della santa, infatti, impone riflessioni che implicano temi quali il ruolo della donna nella società e nella Chiesa.

Neglected and underutilized crop species (NUS) are not widely grown or marketed. Certain crop types (amaranth, buckwheat, and quinoa) have advantages over commercial crops (rice, maize, and wheat). They can grow in harsh environments because of their greater resistance to abiotic and biotic stresses. Harnessing the NUS can solve global problems such as climate change, loss of agrobiodiversity, food insecurity, poverty, and unemployment in rural regions. Hence, this review investigates the various social, environmental, and economic functions associated with NUS cultivation to encourage and support future research on these crops.

Neglected and underutilized crop species (NUS) are not widely grown or marketed. Certain crop types (amaranth, buckwheat, and quinoa) have advantages over commercial crops (rice, maize, and wheat). They can grow in harsh environments because of their greater resistance to abiotic and biotic stresses. Harnessing the NUS can solve global problems such as climate change, loss of agrobiodiversity, food insecurity, poverty, and unemployment in rural regions. Hence, this review investigates the various social, environmental, and economic functions associated with NUS cultivation to encourage and support future research on these crops.

Citizen science has advanced science for hundreds of years, contributed to many peer-reviewed articles, and informed land management decisions and policies across the United States. Over the last 10 years, citizen science has grown immensely in the United States and many other countries. Here, we show how citizen science is a powerful tool for tackling many of the challenges faced in the field of conservation biology. We describe the two interwoven paths by which citizen science can improve conservation efforts, natural resource management, and environmental protection. The first path includes building scientific knowledge, while the other path involves informing policy and encouraging public action. We explore how citizen science is currently used and describe the investments needed to create a citizen science program. We find that: 1. Citizen science already contributes substantially to many domains of science, including conservation, natural resource, and environmental science. Citizen science informs natural resource management, environmental protection, and policymaking and fosters public input and engagement. 2. Many types of projects can benefit from citizen science, but one must be careful to match the needs for science and public involvement with the right type of citizen science project and the right method of public participation. 3. Citizen science is a rigorous process of scientific discovery, indistinguishable from conventional science apart from the participation of volunteers. When properly designed, carried out, and evaluated, citizen science can provide sound science, efficiently generate high-quality data, and help solve problems.

Hog deer (Axis porcinus) are an endangered species in Pakistan, and there is little information about their feed preference in captivity. Seven animals were offered weighed amount of feed in two seasonal binary combinations of fresh fodder and one combination of grains. The fresh seasonal fodder included Oat (Avena sativa), Lucerne (Medicago sativa), Sorghum (Sorghum bicolor), and Maize (Zea mays); whereas grains included Wheat (Triticum aestivum) whole-grains and Chickpea (Cicer arietinum) seeds. Thirteen plant samples were collected from the wild habitat of Hog deer in Tunsa Barrage Wildlife Sanctuary. Plant samples from wild and captivity were analysed through proximate analysis for Crude protein, Fiber, Fat and Ash contents. The outcomes concluded that in combination C1, the hog deer preferred Oat over Lucerne (p &lt; 0.05) with a mean percentage±standard error (Mean±SE) of 90.757±0.401 percent for Oat and 9.243±0.401 percent for Lucerne. The animals preferred Maize (p &lt; 0.05...

Tourism plays a significant role in the economies of developing countries, including Indonesia. It has the potential to generate employment and income for the local communities, and promises to protect and preserve the natural and cultural heritage. Society plays a very important role in tourism. Community empowerment is one of the pillars in tourism development strategy. With the hope of the community to host tourists visiting the region. Efforts to improve community empowerment include activities to increase tourism awareness and business potential of the community in the field of tourism. Community empowerment based on local wisdom is done by involving the community so as to give empowerment for local people in tourism activities. This study was conducted to find out more about the empowerment of local Wisdom-based Communities in Village of Bajo, Wakatobi to improve the empowerment of Bajo community in the field of tourism. The theories which used to analyze how the local wisdom ...

he modern violin is generally believed to have emerged in Italy in the first half of the 16th century . During its golden age (about 1550-1750), the city of Cremona flourished as the violin-making center of Europe. Many believe that the art of violin making reached its peak in the hands of Antonio Stradivari (Cremona, 1644(Cremona, -1737) [3]) [3]. The only serious contender to Stradivari's throne happens to be his neighbor, Giuseppe Guarneri del Gesù (1698-1744) . After their deaths, the level of violin making rapidly declined in Cremona, and subsequently no violinmaker has been considered their equal in terms of sonic appeal and consistency. Why their success has not been reproduced remains a profound cultural mystery and a subject of fascination. During the last two centuries, it seems that not a year has gone by without someone claiming to have rediscovered Stradivari's secrets. The reader can be assured that this author makes no claim of this sort. In my opinion, there is little evidence to suggest that Stradivari's materials and methods deviated too far from those of his master or peers. Building upon time-honored Cremonese traditions, his personal success probably could be attributed to a combination of good eyes, good hands, good ears, attention to details, creativity through constant tweaking, and, most of all, artistic inclination. However, the Cremonese tradition of violin making, which enabled Stradivari and Guarneri del Gesù to attain such heights, had been largely lost by 1800 . After two centuries of experimentation and research, we have regained some, but not all, aspects of their knowledge.

Conservation, preventive conservation, documentation techniques and scientific analysis have been combined to give new insights in the understanding of ecclesiastical works of art over the past 40 years. The recognition that the majority of the organic and inorganic ecclesiastical artworks needs to be preserved as a unique part of our cultural heritage, has led to a renewed interest of the academic community in this field and the creation of the International Meetings of Conservation & Documentation of Ecclesiastical Artefacts (IMCDEA).
The present volume is a collaborative work and grew out of the 2nd International Meeting IMCDEA which was organized in December 2016 on Zante island. The main objective of this meeting was to address issues regarding the preservation, documentation and analysis of ecclesiastical artworks.
The volume aims to contribute to our understanding of the organic and inorganic ecclesiastical artworks (i.e., icons, textiles, paper, wood, metalworks, glass etc.), methods of interventive and preventive conservation treatments, documentation methods, case studies, and scientific analysis of artworks. Chapters encompass various items, collections, churches and monasteries, from a plethora of regions such as Greece, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Qatar, Spain, Italy, and Albania.
We would like to acknowledge the Ionian University and the Theological School of Halki for providing their premises for the successful organisation of the 1st and the 2nd IMCDEA meetings and the Organizing and the Scientific Committee for their contribution in the smooth organization of the two meetings. This volume wouldn’t have been published without the efforts and the help of the Balkan Heritage Foundation.
Finally, we would like to thank all the students of Ionian University who helped in the organization of the meeting.

Christos Karydis, Artemios Oikonomou, Eleni Kouloumpi, Ivan Vasilev & Stanislav Stanev
Editors

The world is degrading daily due to the overuse of natural resources, urbanization, and industrialization. When humans abuse natural resources, causing ecology to become unbalanced, the relationship between nature and man switches from symbiotic to predatory. Because belief systems substantially impact environmental behavior, ethnic adaptive folk traditions have played an important role in appraising many socio-ecological challenges. The ethnic communities throughout their territory have accumulated information over time, which in normal conditions sets them up to get by in counterbalance to their current situation, and so encourages them to counteract with the characteristic traits for their job. The main aim of the present study is the interaction between ethnic societies’ adaptive traditional beliefs and the environment, which can sustain ecosystems. The present empirical study in the Purulia district of West Bengal, India has investigated and documented ethnic communities’ traditional belief systems that can aid to conserve and preserve biodiversity.

Due to overexploitation of natural resources, urbanization, industrialization, the environment has been degraded day by day. When human inclined towards the overuse of natural resources, the bond between nature and man moved from symbiotic to predatory and caused ecological unbalance. It is high time to ponder how to conserve or protect our environment from all the unsustainable human exercises which are deteriorating the environment. Folk belief can play a crucial role in this regard. Folk practices have, over the decades, impersonated a remarkable role in determining diverse significant socio-ecological predicaments. Belief systems have an essential impact on environmental attitudes and can, therefore, speak to a compelling part of ecological conservation practices. The ethnic populace everywhere throughout the world has gathered knowledge with times, which in conventional set up prepares them to get by in offset with their environment, and this urges them to balance with the natural resources for their livelihood. This is about the Man-Environment relationship. Man and environment are foreseen to be the heading of sustenance. The present study has been carried out among the ethnic communities of Ranibandh Block of Bankura district, West Bengal. This empirical study focuses on indigenous management and safeguards the ecology through the protection and preservation of plant and animal species as well as sacred places. The paper probes how the ecological balance can be maintained through the traditional belief system of the communities.

The giant panda is a conservation icon, but science has been slow to take up its cause in earnest. In the past decade, researchers have been making up for lost time, as reflected in the flurry of activity reported at the symposium Conservation Science for Giant Pandas and Their Habitat at the 2009 International Congress for Conservation Biology (ICCB) in Beijing. In reports addressing topics ranging from spatial ecology to molecular censusing, from habitat recovery in newly established reserves to earthquake-induced habitat loss, from new insights into factors limiting carrying capacity to the uncertain effects of climate change, this symposium displayed the vibrant and blossoming application of science to giant panda conservation. Collectively, we find that we have come a long way, but we also reach an all-too-familiar conclusion: the more we know, the more challenges are revealed. While many earlier findings are supported, many of our assumptions are debatable. Here we discuss rec...

This article considers the vitality of the left hand of Christ in a monumental Pietà panel painting by the Italian Renaissance artist Sebastiano del Piombo (born Sebastiano Luciani, ca. 1485-1547) and a vital link between this hand and the left hand of Adam in the Creation scene on the Sistine Chapel ceiling by Michelangelo (1475-1564). Sebastiano's work was made in the central Italian city of Viterbo around 1512 to 1516, and shows a seated Virgin Mary grieving the death of Christ, her son, whose body lies on the ground in front of her. The article focuses on the representation of Christ's body, identifies a gap between the fingers of Christ's hand and his thigh underneath, and explores this gap's significance as a sign of life. It first reveals a close and as yet not remarked upon connection between the hands in the Pietà and the Sistine Chapel. Through consideration of a series of sketches and drawings that highlight the close working relationship between Sebastiano and Michelangelo during and around the years of the Pietà's production, the likelihood that the left hand of Christ in Viterbo was designed by Michelangelo is confirmed. The hand was probably sent to Sebastiano as a drawing from which he worked a cartoon. By examining the iconography of the painting and its associations to Adam's spirited hand in Michelangelo's Creation alongside biblical passages and a popular religious text, the Meditations, the article argues that the restless left hand of Christ in Sebastiano's Viterbo Pietà is a symbol of Christ's Resurrection.

Field observation of the deteriorating materials on heritage buildings and a comprehensive analysis of their respective weathering products using various laboratory techniques are conducted for an archaeological ruin in Bangladesh. The fifteenth-nineteenth century buildings were investigated through empirical observation of their in-situ weathering characteristics to attempt to determine the possible relation between their deterioration and the surrounding environment. Results from physical and chemical analysis of water, mineralogical and elemental analysis of the weathered materials suggested that deterioration occurred primarily due to the environmental effects with the specific identification of the salts thenardite, gypsum and nahcolite as weathering products.

Human activities have been occupying and replacing natural landscapes with agricultural and urban areas and, if developed in a disorderly way, they interfere with the natural dynamics of landscapes. Such a relationship between external properties and internal characteristics of a landscape is notedly the physiography basic principle. Therefore, the researchers performed a mapping applied to the physiographic characterization of Guaraciaba do Norte and Carnaubal, Ibiapaba, Ceará. Furthermore, listing physiographic parameters helped to understand the local processesbiological, physical, and chemical. Geosystem applied at the scale of 1:300,000 was the guiding methodology, whose results demonstrated the need for effective measures for the recovery and preservation of the area, mainly about the riparian forest and some existing erosive processes.

Moapa dace (Moapa coriacea) is a critically endangered thermophilic minnow native to the Muddy River ecosystem in southeastern Nevada, USA. Restricted to temperatures between 26.0 and 32.0uC, these fish are constrained to the upper two km of the Muddy River and several small tributaries fed by warm springs. Habitat alterations, nonnative species invasion, and water withdrawals during the 20th century resulted in a drastic decline in the dace population and in 1979 the Moapa Valley National Wildlife Refuge (Refuge) was created to protect them. The goal of our study was to determine the potential effects of reduced surface flows that might result from groundwater pumping or water diversions on Moapa dace habitat inside the Refuge. We accomplished our goal in several steps. First, we conducted snorkel surveys to determine the locations of Moapa dace on three warm-spring tributaries of the Muddy River. Second, we conducted hydraulic simulations over a range of flows with a two-dimensional hydrodynamic model. Third, we developed a set of Moapa dace habitat models with logistic regression and a geographic information system. Fourth, we estimated Moapa dace habitat over a range of flows (plus or minus 30% of base flow). Our spatially explicit habitat models achieved classification accuracies between 85% and 91%, depending on the snorkel survey and creek. Water depth was the most significant covariate in our models, followed by substrate, Froude number, velocity, and water temperature. Hydraulic simulations showed 2-11% gains in dace habitat when flows were increased by 30%, and 8-32% losses when flows were reduced by 30%. To ensure the health and survival of Moapa dace and the Muddy River ecosystem, groundwater and surface-water withdrawals and diversions need to be carefully monitored, while fully implementing a proactive conservation strategy.

The Church of Santa Maria is one of the finest examples of seventeenth century heritage monuments in the Maltese archipelago. The provenance of limestone used in the restoration works is different from the original heritage fabric. It is obtained from a quarry located 5.2 km south of the church whilst the original source of the limestone, according to tradition, is from an area 2.2 km north of the monument. This petrological study concludes that although both extracted from the same geological formation, there are physical, textural, geochemical and mineralogical differences even over a distance of 7.4 km. The limestone used in replacement is more resistance in terms of compressive strength and is less porous. Although having same principal non-carbonate oxides, the quantitative variations in the geochemistry and the mineralogy are indicative of qualitative differences between the two lithotypes; they are diagnostic indicators of the provenance of the limestone.

Governments have committed to conserving ≥17% of terrestrial and ≥10% of marine environments globally, especially “areas of particular importance for biodiversity” through “ecologically representative” Protected Area (PA) systems or other “area‐based conservation measures”, while individual countries have committed to conserve 3–50% of their land area. We estimate that PAs currently cover 14.6% of terrestrial and 2.8% of marine extent, but 59–68% of ecoregions, 77–78% of important sites for biodiversity, and 57% of 25,380 species have inadequate coverage. The existing 19.7 million km2 terrestrial PA network needs only 3.3 million km2 to be added to achieve 17% terrestrial coverage. However, it would require nearly doubling to achieve, cost‐efficiently, coverage targets for all countries, ecoregions, important sites, and species. Poorer countries have the largest relative shortfalls. Such extensive and rapid expansion of formal PAs is unlikely to be achievable. Greater focus is there...

This research discusses an important topic related to the restoration of archaeological glass in museums and excavation sites, as well as in antiquities stores. Egypt abounds in many glass monuments dating back to different eras, starting from the ancient Egyptian era and the beginnings of the modern era (the era of Muhammad Ali's family).Due to the nature of the glass, that is easy to break, we often find the glass traces extracted from the excavations being in a state of fragmentation, in addition to the possibility of being exposed to breakage inside museums and archaeological stores, whether this resulted from the wrong handling of them, a mistake during the restoration, or a false display style of the glass antiques in the museum. We find that the basic restoration process in this case is represented in the assembly and completion phases, and here the primary material used in the restoration process is the adhesive material. The epoxy is the most used material in the collection and completion of the glass antiques. This research aims to identify the efficiency of the Kemapoxy150 3D epoxy material for use in restoring glass antiques, which is easily available for use in museums and archaeological sites in Egypt as it is made in Egypt.The research deals with the study of Kemapoxy150 3D in terms of identifying its physical and mechanical properties, and in terms of the result of different aging (thermal, UV, moisture). Results are evaluated by identifying the extent of color change of samples after aging by a colorimeter, as well as identifying changes in functional groups of samples after aging by analyzing the ATR infrared spectroscopy.

Diurnal activity budgeting of Lesser Adjutant stork (Leptoptilos javanicus) was quantified in the Nagaon district of Assam from August 2023 to April 2024. A total of 192 hours were spent recording their activity budget and the behaviour of adults and juveniles. The behavioural activity pattern was observed and recorded through the Focal Sampling and Scan Sampling methods. Different activities were recorded: preening, resting, feeding, movement, wing-leg stretching, head up-down, aggression, and alert. The results showed that preening (42%) and movement (17%) were the most observed behaviour in the study period. The behavioural activities showed significant differences in different time blocks in a day. It was observed that preening and body movement helped the chicks and parents survive predators and parasites. It has been found that the study area has many nesting colonies near human settlements, agricultural fields and highways. By observing their activity budgets, we came to know that the activities of Lesser Adjutant stork depend upon the season, the surrounding environment and the habitats where it lives. So, in order to conserve the species, their habitat should be conserved.

Diurnal activity budgeting of Lesser Adjutant stork (Leptoptilos javanicus) was quantified in the Nagaon district of Assam from August 2023 to April 2024. A total of 192 hours were spent recording their activity budget and the behaviour of adults and juveniles. The behavioural activity pattern was observed and recorded through the Focal Sampling and Scan Sampling methods. Different activities were recorded: preening, resting, feeding, movement, wing-leg stretching, head up-down, aggression, and alert. The results showed that preening (42%) and movement (17%) were the most observed behaviour in the study period. The behavioural activities showed significant differences in different time blocks in a day. It was observed that preening and body movement helped the chicks and parents survive predators and parasites. It has been found that the study area has many nesting colonies near human settlements, agricultural fields and highways. By observing their activity budgets, we came to know that the activities of Lesser Adjutant stork depend upon the season, the surrounding environment and the habitats where it lives. So, in order to conserve the species, their habitat should be conserved.

Uno dei miei QUADERNI al www.giuliobertagna.it, dedicato soprattutto ai progettisti, quale stimolo per progettare più consapevolmente "intorno all'essere umano" o meglio "per l'essere umano". Un'analisi critica sulla così detta Psicologia del Colore con l'occasione di dissertare sul Color Test di Max Lüscher, per comprendere la ragione della sua potente efficacia. Ovviamente dal mio umile punto di vista di designer studioso delle neuroscienze.

Aim Human-wildlife conflict is one of the major challenges in Kanchenjunga Conservation Area. It may erode public support in wildlife conservation. Here, we review the extent to which wildlife damages livestock and crops. Location Lelep and Yamphudin region, Kanchenjunga Conservation Area, Taplejung, Nepal Materials and methodsThe study employed a combination of surveying methods such as focus group discussion, key informant interview and field observation from 21 July to 06 August 2013. Focus group discussion was done primarily with the representatives of snow leopard conservation committee in Lelep and Yamphudin. Key Findings Livestock depredation in Ghunsa valley, Lelep village development committee was increasing with an annual average loss rate of 11% in ten years (2005- 2014). Despite community-based insurance schemes, loss has increased to 28% from 17.2% in 2014. No retaliatory killings of snow leopards were reported since 2005, which may be attributable to the insurance sche...