The problem of ‘Extinguished letters’ and the use of chemical reagents on manuscripts (1551–1553)

The examination of unknown sources reveals that by the end of the fifteenth and the beginning of the sixteenth century, there was a widespread awareness in Italy of the damage produced by the passing of time on books and manuscripts. The expression used to describe such cases was lettere svanite or caduche , which indicated that the writing had faded and was almost unreadable, and, as such, hard to transcribe, indicating that the manuscript needed to be preserved from further damage. Already between 1550 and 1552, in Rome and Venice, some ecclesiastics of the Roman Curia attempted to brighten ancient writing, using vegetable distillate high in tannin. In two cases, it is possible to identify manuscripts processed with this method and to determine the preservation formula as well as an accurate description of each step of the method. The process, now brought back to light, anticipates the chemical experimentations by the Benedictines of St Maur and other techniques, widespread in the eighteenth century, and their basic chemical principle, namely the application of tannin. However, the earlier technique is paradoxically much more complicated than the one applied two centuries later.

Otolith Analyses Highlight Morpho-Functional Differences of Three Species of Mullet (Mugilidae) from Transitional Water

Otoliths are used in taxonomy and ichthyology as they can provide a wide range of information about specimens. They are an essential tool to monitor the most sensitive species for a sustainable exploitation level. Despite the increasing use of sagittae in research, their inter- and intra-specific variability and eco-functionality are still poorly explored. This paper aims to investigate the inter- and intra-specific variability of Mugilidae sagittae using morphological and morphometrical analysis, as well as scanning electron microscopy and shape analysis. The sagittae of 74 specimens belonging to three different Mugilidae species, collected from a coastal lagoon, were analyzed to give an accurate description of their morphology, morphometry, shape and crystalline habits. The results highlighted the intra- and inter-specific variability of sagittae, showing morphometrical differences among species and slight differences between left and right sagittae in C. labrosus individuals. Moreover, SEM images showed a peculiar crystal organization, with several different crystal habits and polymorphs. This study provides an accurate description of sagittae in the studied species, deepening the knowledge on inter- and intra-specific variations and crystal habits and providing data which will be useful for future studies on otoliths. With this data, it will be possible to improve conservation and exploitation sustainability in sensitive habitats.

Gridlines approach for dynamic analysis in speech ultrasound data: A multimodal app

Having access to efficient technologies is essential for the accurate description and analysis of articulatory speech patterns. In the area of tongue ultrasound studies, the visualization/analysis processes generally require a solid knowledge of programming languages as well as a deep understanding of articulatory phenomena. This demands the use of a variety of programs for an efficient use of the data collected. In this paper we introduce a multimodal app for visualizing and analyzing tongue contours: UVA—Ultrasound Visualization and Analysis. This app combines the computational power of R and the interactivity of Shiny web apps to allow users to manipulate and explore tongue ultrasound data using cutting-edge methods. One of the greatest strengths of the app is that it has the capability of being modified to adapt to users’ needs. This has potential as an innovative tool for diverse academic and industry audiences.

Modeling processes that provide an avalanche of innovation growth

This paper proposes an addition to Kondratyev’s theory of the emergence of innovations in long cycles. Regularities of the emergence of crisis phenomena and the concept of “avalanche-like growth of innovations” are considered. The study investigated the innovation peaks occurring in the middle of the depression phase, followed by the growth stages of economic activity after a certain period of time. Research has shown that the active emergence of innovations, which we have called the “snowballing growth of innovations,” falls in the middle of the depression phase. The authors investigated and supplemented the theory of the triggering effect of depression, which is similar to the action of the trigger, which results in an “avalanche-like growth of innovations”. To describe the processes associated with resonance and trigger effects, the authors propose to use the parametric resonance model and the Mathieu equation. With the help of mathematical modeling of innovation processes, a more accurate description of the periodic change in the number of innovations over time is possible, namely, the “avalanche-like growth of innovations”.

Revisiting adiabatic fraction estimations in cumulus clouds: high-resolution simulations with a passive tracer

The process of mixing in warm convective clouds and its effects on microphysics are crucial for an accurate description of cloud fields, weather, and climate. Still, they remain open questions in the field of cloud physics. Adiabatic regions in the cloud could be considered non-mixed areas and therefore serve as an important reference to mixing. For this reason, the adiabatic fraction (AF) is an important parameter that estimates the mixing level in the cloud in a simple way. Here, we test different methods of AF calculations using high-resolution (10 m) simulations of isolated warm cumulus clouds. The calculated AFs are compared with a normalized concentration of a passive tracer, which is a measure of dilution by mixing. This comparison enables the examination of how well the AF parameter can determine mixing effects and the estimation of the accuracy of different approaches used to calculate it. Comparison of three different methods to derive AF, with the passive tracer, shows that one method is much more robust than the others. Moreover, this method's equation structure also allows for the isolation of different assumptions that are often practiced when calculating AF such as vertical profiles, cloud-base height, and the linearity of AF with height. The use of a detailed spectral bin microphysics scheme allows an accurate description of the supersaturation field and demonstrates that the accuracy of the saturation adjustment assumption depends on aerosol concentration, leading to an underestimation of AF in pristine environments.

Two cases of so-called congenital myotonia (Thomsen's disease)

We owe the first and accurate description of this muscular suffering to the Schleswig physician Thomsen, who in 1876 observed this disease in himself and in many members of his family.

Replicating corpus-based research in English for academic purposes: Proposed replication of Cortes () and Biber and Gray ()

Accurate description of language use is central to English for academic purposes (EAP) practice. Thanks to the development of corpus tools, it has been possible to undertake systematic studies of language in academic contexts. This line of research aims to provide detailed and accurate characterization of academic communication and to ultimately inform EAP practice. Very few studies, however, have attempted to ascertain whether, and to what the extent, corpus-based findings have achieved such goals. The diverse nature of EAP, and the unique methodological challenges involved in compiling and using corpora, provide sufficient incentive for replication research in this area. The present article makes a case for replication of corpus-based studies in the field of EAP. It argues that replication research not only enhances the credibility of corpus linguistics for EAP pedagogy and research but also provides practical advice for EAP teachers and materials designers. It then looks at how two key corpus-based studies on the topic, Cortes (2013) and Biber and Gray (2010), can be replicated with respect to replication approaches described in Porte (2012).

Heterotaxy – Res ipsos loquitur

The essence of so-called heterotaxy is the potential disharmony between the arrangement of the bronchuses, abdominal organs, and the atrial appendages. Accurate description of the heart, however, can only be provided by specific description of these features, all of which are readily discernible in the clinical setting. We argue that, when accurate description of the atrial and visceral arrangement is provided, along with appropriate description of the intracardiac findings, no further accuracy is gained by suggesting that an individual heart is “heterotaxic”.