Conservation Challenges and Emerging Trends of Digital Preservation for UNESCO Architectural Heritage, Pakistan

Recent worldwide initiatives at world heritage forums, especially UNESCO, have increased the importance of architectural heritage. Architectural heritage includes built structures that are of outstanding value of natural and cultural identity and require conservation, preservation, presentation and transmission to the future generations. In this regard, UNESCO has enlisted six World Heritage Sites in Pakistan that need to be preserved. Moreover, the heritage sites are undergoing theft, vandalism, natural decay and other socio-cultural harms. One of the state-of-the-art methodologies is the digital preservation of the historic sites. Amongst the various available computer technologies, photogrammetry is the quickest and most cost-effective method that can be used for digital preservation. The research will focus on the digital preservation of UNESCO World Heritage Sites, which is an emerging trend in an architectural context. Developing countries have limited funds and resources and most historic sites are being neglected by the lack of financial resources. The paper suggests digital preservation as an emerging solution, identifies its challenges and suggests photogrammetry as a cost-effective solution to six UNESCO enlisted historic sites of Pakistan. It also suggests that once digitally recorded, information of historic sites can also be used in diverse applications to generate further finances.

Structure-driven effects on genomic DNA damage propensity at G-quadruplex sites

Our genome contains about half a million sites capable of forming G-quadruplex (G4) structures. Such structural formations, often localised at important regulatory loci, have high capability of altering the predisposition of corresponding genomic spans to endogenous and exogenous DNA damage. In this work, we devised an approach to systematically enrich and zoom onto structure-driven effects on the propensity to undergo 9 types of DNA damage: ultraviolet radiation-induced pyrimidine-pyrimidone (6-4) photoproduct PP and cyclobutane pyrimidine dimer CPD couplings (two dyad-based subtypes in each), cisplatin-mediated G-G crosslinks, reactive oxygen species induced 8-oxoguanine damage, DNA fragmentation upon natural decay and fossilisation, breakages from artificial enzymatic cleavage and ultrasound sonication. Our results indicate that the structural effects on DNA damageability at G4 sites are not a simple combination of shielding (G4 strand) and de-shielding (opposite strand) against damaging factors, and the outcomes have different patterns and variation from one damage type to another, highly dependent on the G4 strength and relative strand localisation. The results are accompanied by electronic structure calculations, detailed structural parallels and considerations.

Documentary heritage in the Arab region: a regional survey

In 2018, the UNESCO Office to the Gulf States and Yemen and its partner, Qatar National Library, launched a project aiming at supporting the preservation of documentary heritage in the Arab region. The Arab region is home to a unique and rich documentary heritage subject to risk due to natural decay, conflicts and instability. To support its preservation, this project had for objective to better understand the needs and challenges faced by documentary heritage institutions in the region though a mapping exercise and the dissemination of a survey.This article outlines the key outcomes of the survey including the situation of documentary heritage at the regional and national level, a brief review of legal frameworks protecting documentary heritage, the main obstacles and threats to documentary heritage preservation and the needs expressed by conservation practitioners in terms of capacity-building, professional development, infrastructure and support in additional areas such as policy and advocacy.

Subsurface radon gradient in parts of tremor-prone, north-central Nigeria

Radon is a natural gas that originates from geogenic and cosmic material as a part of the natural decay process of uranium and thorium. Radon is reported to have been the second leading cause of lung cancer in the United States. The US-EPA estimates that about 21,000 people die each year from radon-related (inhaled/ingested) lung cancer. Radon can escape from basement and soils where they are formed and build up indoors where they are eventually inhaled. In this study, radon activity concentration was measured from subsurface at a depth of 0.33m, 0.66m and 0.99m below ground level from 130 locations that covered the entire Federal Capital territory, Abuja-Nigeria and reported. The results obtained showed that the minimum, maximum and mean radon activity concentration (Bq/m3) from soil at 0.33, 0.66 and 0.99m below ground level are 15.20, 48,500.00 and 4,257.47 at 0.33m, 15.20, 59,600.00 and 5,061.19 at 0.66m and 10.02, 81,200.00 and 9,993.15 at 0.99m, respectively. Minimum, maximum and mean radon diffusion length (m) recorded at 0.003m are 0.05, 159.63 and 14.01m. At 0.66 and 0.99m, the values calculated are 0.005,19.62 and 1.67, and 0.003, 26.73 and 0.32, respectively. These results indicate that radon concentration increases with depth and characterized by “high” radon concentration in areas covered by biotite granite, undifferentiated schist, undifferentiated gneiss and porphyroblastic gneiss, “medium” in areas covered by coarse porphyritic biotite and medium to coarse grained biotite and “low” in areas covered by migmatite and marble. Most of the values obtained suggest health burden especially in the study areas where massive excavations for construction of housing units is going on and the likelihood of radon entering homes through opening and cracks created as building/structure settles with time.

Temporal stability of primate scent samples

A common recommendation in the field of animal chemosignaling is to store and transport scent samples frozen, since they are likely to change with time and degrade due to bacterial activity inside the sample containers and the loss of the most volatile compounds. However, we still ignore the exact pattern of change or degradation for these types of samples. Here we experimentally tested the stability of primate scent samples during analytical procedures. For this purpose, we used swabs of naturally deposited glandular secretions from captive tamarins (Neotropical primates) analyzed by headspace gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. We successively extracted the samples by solid-phase microextraction, while controlling for the delay between extractions, and compared the number of compounds detected in the samples under each condition. We found that compounds were lost and transformed over time inside the sample vials. Such natural decay of scent signals is likely to contribute to the long term information transmitted. We found no evidence that long delays at room temperature affected sample chemical composition more than short delays. Nonetheless, we showed that repeated extraction of a sample increased the loss of compounds. The changes in sample chemical composition observed over time in this experiment support standard recommendation to avoid storing samples for long periods at room temperature and to extract each sample only once, in order to ensure optimum results.

Antifungal Hydroxypropyl Methylcellulose (HPMC)-Lipid Composite Edible Coatings and Modified Atmosphere Packaging (MAP) to Reduce Postharvest Decay and Improve Storability of ‘Mollar De Elche’ Pomegranates

Pomegranate exhibits important postharvest quality losses that limit its storage potential, caused mainly by weight loss, chilling injury and fungal diseases. In this work, we evaluated the effect of novel hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC) edible coatings (ECs) formulated with three different lipids (beeswax (BW), carnauba wax, and glycerol monostearate), as hydrophobic components, and two different GRAS salts (potassium bicarbonate (PBC) and sodium benzoate (SB)), as antifungal ingredients, to control weight loss and natural fungal decay of ‘Mollar de Elche’ pomegranates during storage at 20 °C. Afterwards, selected antifungal ECs and commercial modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) films were assayed alone or in combination to control natural decay and preserve fruit quality of pomegranates stored at 5 °C for 4 months plus 1 week at 20 °C. Results showed that ECs amended with SB reduced pomegranate latent infections caused by Botrytis cinerea and wound diseases caused by Penicillium spp. Moreover, MAP technologies were confirmed as an efficient mean to preserve freshness, prevent fruit shriveling and rind browning, and reduce fungal decay, thus extending storage life of pomegranates. The combination HPMC-BW-SB + MAP was the most promising treatment as it reduced weight loss and decay, without negatively affecting the fruit physicochemical and sensory quality.

Understanding 21Ne inventories in Precambrian basement below the Great Unconformity in Estonia

<p>Stable cosmogenic Ne isotopes are widely used to determine the erosion rate of slowly-eroding land surfaces through the Cenozoic. Constraining erosion and surface exposure back in Earth history remains a challenge largely due to the presence of Ne isotopes generated by natural decay processes over the lifetime of rocks.  Prospects are best when cosmogenic nuclide production has been significant and nucleogenic Ne production is low and can be quantified.  We have explored the limits of palaeo-cosmogenic Ne in one of the Earth’s most extensive erosion surfaces, the late Precambrian Great Unconformity in Estonia. Here deep kaolinitic saprolites formed on Baltica prior to the deposition of Late Ediacaran quartz sandstones. On the basis of geochemical mass balance the duration of saprolite development is estimated to be of the order of a few Myr.</p><p>Borehole F163 samples a section through still-buried weathered unconformity that includes a saprolite surface consistent with negligible erosion during the marine transgression. Samples from the unconformity have <sup>21</sup>Ne concentrations (>10<sup>8</sup> atoms/g) that are significantly higher than shielded samples from >20 m below the unconformity. This difference is borne out by Ne isotope composition, and leads to the tanatalising prospect that Precambrian cosmogenic Ne is present in the saprolite. Using modern <sup>21</sup>Ne production rates the palaeosols appear to record a few million years irradiation. This is broadly consistent with geochemical estimates of saprolite development.  Samples from the uppermost preserved part of the weathering profile in borehole F231 have low <sup>21</sup>Ne concentrations that are indistinguishable from deeper in the rock profile. This would require profile truncation or the redeposition of weathered material.  The borehole is located on the western flank of an uplifted basement block rising ca 130 m above the typical Precambrian basement level in the area and likely that the thick regolith contains material eroded from the uplifted basement units. Clearly these are early days and quantifying surface exposure in deep time will require effort in field as well as the lab.</p>

Assessment of radon-222 radiation activity in the design of residential buildings

In this paper, we have developed a method that allows us to evaluate the radiation activity of radon-222 based on mathematical modeling in the design of residential buildings in accordance with the rules for designing anti-radon protection. The method is based on the numerical solution of the diffusion, heat transfer, and Navier - Stokes equations, supplemented by appropriate turbulence models, initial and boundary conditions, in particular, the process of natural decay and sedimentation of radon-222 in the room is taken into account. Verification of the method for residential premises of an apartment building located on the territory of Saint Petersburg was performed. Using the proposed calculation method allows you to identify the most radiation dangerous places in the room, rationally organize the air exchange and configuration of the room, prevent the development of sick building syndrome, etc.

The Social Uncanniness of Robotic Companions

Social robots offer a promise of relatedness without the limitations of human ability and availability. However, the idea of robotic companionship can also cause unease, a phenomenon I coin the Social Uncanniness of robotic companions. This sense of unease could be attributed to the fact that social robots touch on deeply rooted psychological concerns, including our need to be unique individuals that cannot easily be replaced or replicated; our ambivalent relationship with natural decay, including our own; and a fear that by relating to robots we may lose our ability to relate appropriately to other humans.

Effects of UV, humidity, and high temperature exposure on linen fibers

Generally, the most common damaging factors for linen textile materials are the environmental conditions, their handling, and natural decay. Such environmental factors are ultraviolet (UV) radiation, humidity, and high temperature. Therefore, to investigate the effects these factors may cause, an accelerated weathering test was conducted on linen fabrics, using alternating cycles of UV exposure and humidity, along with relatively high temperatures. The effects of this test were investigated using non-destructive and micro-destructive analysis techniques. Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) was used to observe any modifications appearing at the surface of the fibers. Energy Dispersive X-Ray Analysis (EDS) was employed in conjunction with SEM for obtaining the spectrum of the chemical elements that were present at the surface of the linen samples. The modifications of functional groups occurring due to the weathering of linen were assessed by Fourier-Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FT-IR). The color change of the samples was measured with a spectrophotometer. All the acquired information can be used as a starting point for the development of customized environmental parameters for keeping patrimony linen fabrics in museums in optimum conditions, thus preventing further damage. Additionally, the artificially weathered fabrics will be further employed in conservation experiments as substitute for old linen fabrics.