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Perennial biomass crops (PBCs) can potentially contribute to all ten Common Agricultural Policy (2023-27) objectives and up to eleven of the seventeen UN Sustainable Development Goals. This paper discusses interlinked issues that must be considered in the expansion of PBC production: i) available land; ii) yield potential; iii) integration into farming systems; iv) research and development requirements; v) utilisation options; and vi) market systems and the socio-economic environment. The challenge to create development pathways that are acceptable for all actors, relies on measurement, reporting and verification of greenhouse gas emissions reduction in combination with other environmental, economic and social aspects. This paper makes the following policy recommendations to enable greater PBC deployment: 1) incentivise farmers and land managers through specific policy measures, including carbon pricing, to allocate their less productive and less profitable land for uses which deliver demonstrable greenhouse gas reductions; 2) enable greenhouse gas mitigation markets to develop and offer secure contracts for commercial developers of verifiable low carbon bioenergy and bio-products; 3) support innovation in biomass utilisation value chains; and 4) continue long-term, strategic research and development and education for positive environmental, economic and social sustainability impacts.

Demand for sustainably produced biomass is expected to increase with the need to provide renewable commodities, improve resource security and reduce greenhouse gas emissions in line with COP26 commitments. Studies have demonstrated additional environmental benefits of using perennial biomass crops (PBCs), when produced appropriately, as a feedstock for the growing bioeconomy, including utilisation for bioenergy (with or without carbon capture and storage). PBCs can potentially contribute to Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) (2023–27) objectives provided they are carefully integrated into farming systems and landscapes. Despite significant research and development (R&D) investment over decades in herbaceous and coppiced woody PBCs, deployment has largely stagnated due to social, economic and policy uncertainties. This paper identifies the challenges in creating policies that are acceptable to all actors. Development will need to be informed by measurement, reporting and verification (MRV) of greenhouse gas emissions reductions and other environmental, economic and social metrics. It discusses interlinked issues that must be considered in the expansion of PBC production: (i) available land; (ii) yield potential; (iii) integration into farming systems; (iv) R&D requirements; (v) utilisation options; and (vi) market systems and the socio-economic environment. It makes policy recommendations that would enable greater PBC deployment: (1) incentivise farmers and land managers through specific policy measures, including carbon pricing, to allocate their less productive and less profitable land for uses which deliver demonstrable greenhouse gas reductions; (2) enable greenhouse gas mitigation markets to develop and offer secure contracts for commercial developers of verifiable low-carbon bioenergy and bioproducts; (3) support innovation in biomass utilisation value chains; and (4) continue long-term, strategic R&D and education for positive environmental, economic and social

Demand for sustainably produced biomass is expected to increase with the need to provide renewable commodities, improve resource security and reduce greenhouse gas emissions in line with COP26 commitments. Studies have demonstrated additional environmental benefits of using perennial biomass crops (PBCs), when produced appropriately, as a feedstock for the growing bioeconomy, including utilisation for bioenergy (with or without carbon capture and storage). PBCs can potentially contribute to Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) (2023–27) objectives provided they are carefully integrated into farming systems and landscapes. Despite significant research and development (R&D) investment over decades in herbaceous and coppiced woody PBCs, deployment has largely stagnated due to social, economic and policy uncertainties. This paper identifies the challenges in creating policies that are acceptable to all actors. Development will need to be informed by measurement, reporting and verification (MRV) of greenhouse gas emissions reductions and other environmental, economic and social metrics. It discusses interlinked issues that must be considered in the expansion of PBC production: (i) available land; (ii) yield potential; (iii) integration into farming systems; (iv) R&D requirements; (v) utilisation options; and (vi) market systems and the socio-economic environment. It makes policy recommendations that would enable greater PBC deployment: (1) incentivise farmers and land managers through specific policy measures, including carbon pricing, to allocate their less productive and less profitable land for uses which deliver demonstrable greenhouse gas reductions; (2) enable greenhouse gas mitigation markets to develop and offer secure contracts for commercial developers of verifiable low-carbon bioenergy and bioproducts; (3) support innovation in biomass utilisation value chains; and (4) continue long-term, strategic R&D and education for positive environmental, economic and social

Il presente lavoro si propone di concentrare la propria attenzione sulle terme pubbliche di età tardoantica – considerando l’insieme della letteratura scientifica disponibile e la necessità di un aggiornamento metodologico – comprese nelle provinciae dell’Hellas e di Creta, secondo i confini che possono essere tracciati sulla base del Synekdemos di Hierocles (§ 1). Il territorio di queste provinciae tardoantiche corrisponde all’incirca alle moderne regioni amministrative della Grecia Occidentale, della Grecia Centrale, dell’Attica e del Peloponneso per l’Ellade e dell’isola di Creta. In aggiunta all’indagine sulle caratteristiche architettoniche degli impianti, si è tentato di porre in rilievo le trasformazioni funzionali verificatesi in esse durante e dopo il loro utilizzo primario (§ 2). Oltre che sui singoli edifici (§ 2.1), l’indagine si è rivolta al contesto topografico di appartenenza. Le osservazioni raccolte sull’insieme del territorio descritto sono state inoltre messe a confronto con alcuni casi di studio rappresentati dalle città di Salonicco, Atene, Patrasso, Corinto e Gortina (§ 3). Si è cercato infine di sintetizzare i risultati emersi dalla ricerca, per contestualizzare il fenomeno termale tardoantico nell’ambito del suo sviluppo architettonico, dei mutamenti politici e urbanistici, dell’influenza del processo di cristianizzazione sulla società del periodo (§ 4)., The present work aims to focus on the public baths of Late Antiquity - considering the body of scientific literature available and the need for methodological updating - included in the provinciae of Hellas and Creta, according to the geographical borders that can be traced on the basis of the Synekdemos of Hierocles (§ 1). The territory of these late antique provinciae roughly corresponds to the modern administrative regions of Western Greece, Central Greece, Attica and the Peloponnese for Hellas and the island of Creta. In addition to the investigation of the architectural characteristics of the facilities, an attempt was made to highlight the functional transformations that occurred in them during and after their primary use (§ 2). In addition to the individual buildings (§ 2.1), the investigation turned to their topographical context. The observations gathered on the entire territory described were also compared with some case studies represented by the cities of Thessaloniki, Athens, Patras, Corinth and Gortyn (§ 3). Finally, an attempt was made to synthesise the results of the research in order to contextualise the late antique thermal phenomenon within the context of its architectural development, political and urban changes, and the influence of the Christianisation process on the society of the period (§ 4).

The Orthology Benchmark Service (https://orthology.benchmarkservice.org) is the gold standard for orthology inference evaluation, supported and maintained by the Quest for Orthologs consortium. It is an essential resource to compare existing and new methods of orthology inference (the bedrock for many comparative genomics and phylogenetic analysis) over a standard dataset and through common procedures. The Quest for Orthologs Consortium is dedicated to maintaining the resource up to date, through regular updates of the Reference Proteomes and increasingly accessible data through the OpenEBench platform. For this update, we have added a new benchmark based on curated orthology assertion from the Vertebrate Gene Nomenclature Committee, and provided an example meta-analysis of the public predictions present on the platform.

La ricerca aveva come obiettivo principale quello di esaminare i sinodi svoltisi nell’Impero Romano d'Oriente, in Italia e in Africa nel periodo compreso tra il 325 e 787. L’obiettivo era quello di porre particolare attenzione a tutti quei temi legati all’organizzazione, alla logistica, ai luoghi di svolgimento e agli aspetti cerimoniali collegati ai momenti di manifestazione dell’autorità ecclesiastica e civile, poco noti nella storiografia moderna. Poco, infatti, si conosce delle forme di convocazione dei presuli, degli itinerari e delle modalità di viaggio che essi affrontavano per raggiungere la sede conciliare; è inoltre particolarmente difficile ricostruire i regolamenti che caratterizzavano le discussioni del consesso riunito, le modalità di voto e la formulazione delle deliberazioni; poco si conosce ad oggi anche delle varie categorie di persone che prendevano parte attiva ai dibattiti con funzioni e ruoli differenti e le varie tipologie di luoghi e aule impiegate per le riunioni e per l’ospitalità dei partecipanti, delle modalità di sfruttamento degli spazi da loro occupati e del cerimoniale che doveva essere rigorosamente seguito dai presenti. Sulla base di una prima campionatura introduttiva basata sui primi tre volumi dell'opera di Hefele-Leclercq coniugati con la raccolta di atti conciliari del Mansi, sono stati censiti più di 300 sinodi di varia natura. Partendo da questo dato preliminare sono stati selezionati 80 casi per i quali è stato possibile risalire all’edificio in cui i dibattiti sinodali si svolsero e intorno ai quali è stata svolta l’intera ricerca., The main objective of the research was to examine the synods held in the Eastern Roman Empire, in Italy and in Africa in the period between 325 and 787. The target was to investigate all items related to organization, logistics, places of performance and ceremonial aspects related to the moments of manifestation of ecclesiastical and civil authority, little known in modern historiography. Infact, we know a few things of the forms of convocation of the bishops, of the itineraries and modalities of travel in order to reach the conciliar see; it is also particularly difficult to reconstruct the different moments of the debates of the meeting and the voting methods; little is also known about the various categories of people who took an active part in the debates with different functions and roles and the various types of places and classrooms used for the meetings and for the hospitality of the participants, the methods of exploiting the spaces they occupied and of the ceremonial that had to be strictly followed by those present. On the basis of an initial introductory sampling based on the first three volumes of Hefele-Leclercq's work, combined with the collection of conciliar acts of the Mansi, more than 300 synods of various kinds have been registered. Starting from this preliminary data, 80 cases were selected for which it was possible to trace the building in which the synodal debates took place and around which the research was carried out.

La ricerca aveva come obiettivo principale quello di esaminare i sinodi svoltisi nell’Impero Romano d'Oriente, in Italia e in Africa nel periodo compreso tra il 325 e 787. L’obiettivo era quello di porre particolare attenzione a tutti quei temi legati all’organizzazione, alla logistica, ai luoghi di svolgimento e agli aspetti cerimoniali collegati ai momenti di manifestazione dell’autorità ecclesiastica e civile, poco noti nella storiografia moderna. Poco, infatti, si conosce delle forme di convocazione dei presuli, degli itinerari e delle modalità di viaggio che essi affrontavano per raggiungere la sede conciliare; è inoltre particolarmente difficile ricostruire i regolamenti che caratterizzavano le discussioni del consesso riunito, le modalità di voto e la formulazione delle deliberazioni; poco si conosce ad oggi anche delle varie categorie di persone che prendevano parte attiva ai dibattiti con funzioni e ruoli differenti e le varie tipologie di luoghi e aule impiegate per le riunioni e per l’ospitalità dei partecipanti, delle modalità di sfruttamento degli spazi da loro occupati e del cerimoniale che doveva essere rigorosamente seguito dai presenti. Sulla base di una prima campionatura introduttiva basata sui primi tre volumi dell'opera di Hefele-Leclercq coniugati con la raccolta di atti conciliari del Mansi, sono stati censiti più di 300 sinodi di varia natura. Partendo da questo dato preliminare sono stati selezionati 80 casi per i quali è stato possibile risalire all’edificio in cui i dibattiti sinodali si svolsero e intorno ai quali è stata svolta l’intera ricerca., The main objective of the research was to examine the synods held in the Eastern Roman Empire, in Italy and in Africa in the period between 325 and 787. The target was to investigate all items related to organization, logistics, places of performance and ceremonial aspects related to the moments of manifestation of ecclesiastical and civil authority, little known in modern historiography. Infact, we know a few things of the forms of convocation of the bishops, of the itineraries and modalities of travel in order to reach the conciliar see; it is also particularly difficult to reconstruct the different moments of the debates of the meeting and the voting methods; little is also known about the various categories of people who took an active part in the debates with different functions and roles and the various types of places and classrooms used for the meetings and for the hospitality of the participants, the methods of exploiting the spaces they occupied and of the ceremonial that had to be strictly followed by those present. On the basis of an initial introductory sampling based on the first three volumes of Hefele-Leclercq's work, combined with the collection of conciliar acts of the Mansi, more than 300 synods of various kinds have been registered. Starting from this preliminary data, 80 cases were selected for which it was possible to trace the building in which the synodal debates took place and around which the research was carried out.

The identification of orthologs-genes in different species which descended from the same gene in their last common ancestor-is a prerequisite for many analyses in comparative genomics and molecular evolution. Numerous algorithms and resources have been conceived to address this problem, but benchmarking and interpreting them is fraught with difficulties (need to compare them on a common input dataset, absence of ground truth, computational cost of calling orthologs). To address this, the Quest for Orthologs consortium maintains a reference set of proteomes and provides a web server for continuous orthology benchmarking (http://orthology.benchmarkservice.org). Furthermore, consensus ortholog calls derived from public benchmark submissions are provided on the Alliance of Genome Resources website, the joint portal of NIH-funded model organism databases.

The identification of orthologs-genes in different species which descended from the same gene in their last common ancestor-is a prerequisite for many analyses in comparative genomics and molecular evolution. Numerous algorithms and resources have been conceived to address this problem, but benchmarking and interpreting them is fraught with difficulties (need to compare them on a common input dataset, absence of ground truth, computational cost of calling orthologs). To address this, the Quest for Orthologs consortium maintains a reference set of proteomes and provides a web server for continuous orthology benchmarking (http://orthology.benchmarkservice.org). Furthermore, consensus ortholog calls derived from public benchmark submissions are provided on the Alliance of Genome Resources website, the joint portal of NIH-funded model organism databases.

Genetic improvement through breeding is one of the key approaches to increasing biomass supply. This paper documents the breeding progress to date for four perennial biomass crops (PBCs) that have high output-input energy ratios: namely Panicum virgatum (switchgrass), species of the genera Miscanthus (miscanthus), Salix (willow) and Populus (poplar). For each crop, we report on the size of germplasm collections, the efforts to date to phenotype and genotype, the diversity available for breeding and on the scale of breeding work as indicated by number of attempted crosses. We also report on the development of faster and more precise breeding using molecular breeding techniques. Poplar is the model tree for genetic studies and is furthest ahead in terms of biological knowledge and genetic resources. Linkage maps, transgenesis and genome editing methods are now being used in commercially focused poplar breeding. These are in development in switchgrass, miscanthus and willow generating large genetic and phenotypic data sets requiring concomitant efforts in informatics to create summaries that can be accessed and used by practical breeders. Cultivars of switchgrass and miscanthus can be seed-based synthetic populations, semihybrids or clones. Willow and poplar cultivars are commercially deployed as clones. At local and regional level, the most advanced cultivars in each crop are at technology readiness levels which could be scaled to planting rates of thousands of hectares per year in about 5 years with existing commercial developers. Investment in further development of better cultivars is subject to current market failure and the long breeding cycles. We conclude that sustained public investment in breeding plays a key role in delivering future mass-scale deployment of PBCs.

Genetic improvement through breeding is one of the key approaches to increasing biomass supply. This paper documents the breeding progress to date for four perennial biomass crops (PBCs) that have high output-input energy ratios: namely Panicum virgatum (switchgrass), species of the genera Miscanthus (miscanthus), Salix (willow) and Populus (poplar). For each crop, we report on the size of germplasm collections, the efforts to date to phenotype and genotype, the diversity available for breeding and on the scale of breeding work as indicated by number of attempted crosses. We also report on the development of faster and more precise breeding using molecular breeding techniques. Poplar is the model tree for genetic studies and is furthest ahead in terms of biological knowledge and genetic resources. Linkage maps, transgenesis and genome editing methods are now being used in commercially focused poplar breeding. These are in development in switchgrass, miscanthus and willow generating large genetic and phenotypic data sets requiring concomitant efforts in informatics to create summaries that can be accessed and used by practical breeders. Cultivars of switchgrass and miscanthus can be seed-based synthetic populations, semihybrids or clones. Willow and poplar cultivars are commercially deployed as clones. At local and regional level, the most advanced cultivars in each crop are at technology readiness levels which could be scaled to planting rates of thousands of hectares per year in about 5 years with existing commercial developers. Investment in further development of better cultivars is subject to current market failure and the long breeding cycles. We conclude that sustained public investment in breeding plays a key role in delivering future mass-scale deployment of PBCs.

Genetic improvement through breeding is one of the key approaches to increasing biomass supply. This paper documents the breeding progress to date for four perennial biomass crops (PBCs) that have high output–input energy ratios: namely Panicum virgatum (switchgrass), species of the genera Miscanthus (miscanthus), Salix (willow) and Populus (poplar). For each crop, we report on the size of germplasm collections, the efforts to date to phenotype and genotype, the diversity available for breeding and on the scale of breeding work as indicated by number of attempted crosses. We also report on the development of faster and more precise breeding using molecular breeding techniques. Poplar is the model tree for genetic studies and is furthest ahead in terms of biological knowledge and genetic resources. Linkage maps, transgenesis and genome editing methods are now being used in commercially focused poplar breeding. These are in development in switchgrass, miscanthus and willow generating large genetic and phenotypic data sets requiring concomitant efforts in informatics to create summaries that can be accessed and used by practical breeders. Cultivars of switchgrass and miscanthus can be seed-based synthetic populations, semihybrids or clones. Willow and poplar cultivars are commercially deployed as clones. At local and regional level, the most advanced cultivars in each crop are at technology readiness levels which could be scaled to planting rates of thousands of hectares per year in about 5 years with existing commercial developers. Investment in further development of better cultivars is subject to current market failure and the long breeding cycles. We conclude that sustained public investment in breeding plays a key role in delivering future mass-scale deployment of PBCs.

This study deals with approaches for a social-ecological friendly European bioeconomy based on biomass from industrial crops cultivated on marginal agricultural land. The selected crops to be investigated are: Biomass sorghum, camelina, cardoon, castor, crambe, Ethiopian mustard, giant reed, hemp, lupin, miscanthus, pennycress, poplar, reed canary grass, safflower, Siberian elm, switchgrass, tall wheatgrass, wild sugarcane, and willow. The research question focused on the overall crop growth suitability under low-input management. The study assessed: (i) How the growth suitability of industrial crops can be defined under the given natural constraints of European marginal agricultural lands; and (ii) which agricultural practices are required for marginal agricultural land low-input systems (MALLIS). For the growth-suitability analysis, available thresholds and growth requirements of the selected industrial crops were defined. The marginal agricultural land was categorized according to the agro-ecological zone (AEZ) concept in combination with the marginality constraints, so-called 'marginal agro-ecological zones' (M-AEZ). It was found that both large marginal agricultural areas and numerous agricultural practices are available for industrial crop cultivation on European marginal agricultural lands. These results help to further describe the suitability of industrial crops for the development of social-ecologically friendly MALLIS in Europe.

The growing bioeconomy will require a greater supply of biomass in the future for both bioenergy and bio‐based products. Today, many bioenergy cropping systems (BCS) are suboptimal due to either social‐ecological threats or technical limitations. In addition, the competition for land between bioenergy‐crop cultivation, food‐crop cultivation, and biodiversity conservation is expected to increase as a result of both continuous world population growth and expected severe climate change effects. This study investigates how BCS can become more social‐ecologically sustainable in future. It brings together expert opinions from the fields of agronomy, economics, meteorology, and geography. Potential solutions to the following five main requirements for a more holistically sustainable supply of biomass are summarized: (i) bioenergy‐crop cultivation should provide a beneficial social‐ecological contribution, such as an increase in both biodiversity and landscape aesthetics, (ii) bioenergy crops should be cultivated on marginal agricultural land so as not to compete with food‐crop production, (iii) BCS need to be resilient in the face of projected severe climate change effects, (iv) BCS should foster rural development and support the vast number of small‐scale family farmers, managing about 80% of agricultural land and natural resources globally, and (v) bioenergy‐crop cultivation must be planned and implemented systematically, using holistic approaches. Further research activities and policy incentives should not only consider the economic potential of bioenergy‐crop cultivation, but also aspects of biodiversity, soil fertility, and climate change adaptation specific to site conditions and the given social context. This will help to adapt existing agricultural systems in a changing world and foster the development of a more social‐ecologically sustainable bioeconomy.

La tesi analizza la teologia e l’ecclesiologia del primato romano nella corrispondenza ufficiale del papato verso l’Oriente greco da dopo lo scontro del 1054 fino al pontificato di Innocenzo III (1198-1216). Partendo dallo studio delle categorie primaziali e dei lessemi ecclesiologici presenti nelle lettere pontificie al mondo bizantino, e analizzando i contesti storici in cui si situarono i dialoghi diplomatici e i tentativi unionisti tra le chiese, questo lavoro si è proposto di leggere le fonti in modo sia analitico che critico. Nel primo livello d’analisi si è presa in esame la teologia del primato, il suo sviluppo, come essa venne costantemente ribadita e quali strumenti retorici furono messi in campo per tentare di imporla all’Oriente greco. Nel secondo livello si è indagato il rapporto tra le teorizzazioni primaziali e la loro effettiva applicazione, notando di conseguenza come l’Ostpolitik papale fosse il più delle volte dettata dalle necessità politiche del momento piuttosto che dall’intransigente applicazione della norma. Infine, si è affrontato il tema del valore che questi dialoghi ecclesiali e confronti ecclesiologici potevano assumere per Roma, arrivando all’ipotesi che i papi dell’XI-XIII secolo non ammettessero in realtà un confronto speculativo sul primato romano, poiché tali contatti erano dettati solamente da politica ecclesiastica, in cui non esisteva discussione o reale volontà di arrivare all’unione delle chiese, ma solo la ricerca di nuove strategie per imporre il primato universale della sede di san Pietro., The thesis analyses the theology and ecclesiology of the Roman primacy in the papal correspondence with the Greek East from the clash of 1054 to the pontificate of Innocent III (1198-1216). Starting from the study of primatial categories and the ecclesiological lexicon in the papal letters to the Byzantine world, and analysing the historical contexts in which diplomatic dialogues and attempts of unification between churches occurred, this work proposes to read the sources both analytically and critically. The first level of analysis considers the theology of the primacy, its development, how it was constantly reiterated, and which rhetorical instruments were used to try to impose it to the Greek East. The second stage investigates the relationship between primatial theories and their pratical and eventual application, arguing that the papal Ostpolitik was mainly dictated by the political needs of the moment rather than the strict application of the norm. Finally, this work considers the value that these ecclesiastical dialogues and ecclesiological confrontations had for Rome, showing how the popes of the eleventh-thirteenth centuries did not accept a speculative discussion on the Roman primacy, but it was only ecclesiastical policy, where there was no discussion or real will to unify the churches, only the search for new strategies to impose the universal primacy of St Peter's See.

Il tema del battesimo e dei battisteri nei primi sette secoli dell’era cristiana è fra quelli maggiormente trattati nella letteratura, benché da due prospettive fra loro indipendenti e separate: da un lato l’aspetto storico-liturgico e teologico, dall’altro quello storico-artistico e archeologico. L’obiettivo che la nostra ricerca si è proposta è quello di un’integrazione delle due prospettive, aggiungendone una terza, per così dire “sociale”. Quest’ultima definizione comprende l’insieme di quei comportamenti pratici e attitudini mentali ingenerati nella società dalla stessa esistenza del rito battesimale. Il periodo entro cui si muove l’indagine comprende i secoli dal IV al VII, un arco cronologico in cui il quadro normativo ed istituzionale della Chiesa è ancora in evoluzione. La campionatura delle aree in esame comprende contesti prevalentemente orientali ma anche occidentali, in modo da comporre un panorama di confronto il più possibile ampio e rappresentativo. Le aree indagate sono le seguenti: i cinque seggi patriarcali (Roma, Costantinopoli, Alessandria, Antiochia, Gerusalemme) e alcune province mediterranee: Siria occidentale, Cipro, Caria, Panfilia, Lycia, Creta, Dodecaneso (isole maggiori), Palestina, Egitto settentrionale, Macedonia, Tracia, Liguria, Flaminia e Sicilia in Italia, Africa Proconsularis. Il dato archeologico-topografico, dato dalla schedatura di 436 battisteri, è stato quindi messo in relazione con l’evoluzione della liturgia e del contesto storico-sociale nelle diverse aree. Il battesimo, con l’immaginario e le pratiche ad esso collegati e da esso derivati, si è rivelato un elemento fondamentale nella trasformazione strutturale della società che avviene in epoca tardoantica, partecipando, insieme ad altri fattori, al processo di lento cambiamento dei presupposti del vivere sociale: il Cristianesimo diventò progressivamente un elemento di uniformazione dell’identità collettiva, che coinvolgeva sulla base dei medesimi ideali ceti sociali diff, Baptism and baptisteries during the first centuries of Christian era have been largely treated in scientific literature, mainly from two different and autonomous perspectives: on the one hand, history of liturgy and theology, on the other hand, history of art and archaeology. Our aim is to combine these two approaches, by adding a third one, that of social history. This perspective deals with practical behaviours and mental attitudes that are generated within the society by the very existence of the baptismal ritual. The chronological frame which is considered goes from the 4th to the 7th c., a period in which the normative and institutional structure of the Church(es) is still developing. The sampling of the geographical areas under analysis considers mainly the Eastern Mediterranean, but also some of the Western regions, in order to be as much wider and representative as possible. The analysis includes the five patriarchal sieges (Rome, Constantinople, Alexandria, Antioch, Jerusalem) and several provinces: western Syria, Cyprus, Caria, Pamphylia, Lycia, Crete, Dodecanese (main islands), Palestine, northern Egypt, Macedonia, Thrace, Liguria, Flaminia and Sicily in Italy, Africa Proconsularis. The archaeological and topographical data, derived from the record of 436 baptisteries, have been related to the evolution of liturgy as well as to historical and social contexts in the various areas. Baptism, together with the thoughts and practices that are connected to it, and derived from it, has turn out to be fundamental in the transformation of social structures that takes place in Late Antiquity. It contributed, amongst other factors, to the process of slow change of the social schemes: Christianity gradually became a source of uniformity for collective identity, by bringing together different social strata on the base of the same ideals. This process of social “democratisation”, not without contradictions, began with the general spread of baptism.

La tesi analizza la teologia e l’ecclesiologia del primato romano nella corrispondenza ufficiale del papato verso l’Oriente greco da dopo lo scontro del 1054 fino al pontificato di Innocenzo III (1198-1216). Partendo dallo studio delle categorie primaziali e dei lessemi ecclesiologici presenti nelle lettere pontificie al mondo bizantino, e analizzando i contesti storici in cui si situarono i dialoghi diplomatici e i tentativi unionisti tra le chiese, questo lavoro si è proposto di leggere le fonti in modo sia analitico che critico. Nel primo livello d’analisi si è presa in esame la teologia del primato, il suo sviluppo, come essa venne costantemente ribadita e quali strumenti retorici furono messi in campo per tentare di imporla all’Oriente greco. Nel secondo livello si è indagato il rapporto tra le teorizzazioni primaziali e la loro effettiva applicazione, notando di conseguenza come l’Ostpolitik papale fosse il più delle volte dettata dalle necessità politiche del momento piuttosto che dall’intransigente applicazione della norma. Infine, si è affrontato il tema del valore che questi dialoghi ecclesiali e confronti ecclesiologici potevano assumere per Roma, arrivando all’ipotesi che i papi dell’XI-XIII secolo non ammettessero in realtà un confronto speculativo sul primato romano, poiché tali contatti erano dettati solamente da politica ecclesiastica, in cui non esisteva discussione o reale volontà di arrivare all’unione delle chiese, ma solo la ricerca di nuove strategie per imporre il primato universale della sede di san Pietro., The thesis analyses the theology and ecclesiology of the Roman primacy in the papal correspondence with the Greek East from the clash of 1054 to the pontificate of Innocent III (1198-1216). Starting from the study of primatial categories and the ecclesiological lexicon in the papal letters to the Byzantine world, and analysing the historical contexts in which diplomatic dialogues and attempts of unification between churches occurred, this work proposes to read the sources both analytically and critically. The first level of analysis considers the theology of the primacy, its development, how it was constantly reiterated, and which rhetorical instruments were used to try to impose it to the Greek East. The second stage investigates the relationship between primatial theories and their pratical and eventual application, arguing that the papal Ostpolitik was mainly dictated by the political needs of the moment rather than the strict application of the norm. Finally, this work considers the value that these ecclesiastical dialogues and ecclesiological confrontations had for Rome, showing how the popes of the eleventh-thirteenth centuries did not accept a speculative discussion on the Roman primacy, but it was only ecclesiastical policy, where there was no discussion or real will to unify the churches, only the search for new strategies to impose the universal primacy of St Peter's See.

Il tema del battesimo e dei battisteri nei primi sette secoli dell’era cristiana è fra quelli maggiormente trattati nella letteratura, benché da due prospettive fra loro indipendenti e separate: da un lato l’aspetto storico-liturgico e teologico, dall’altro quello storico-artistico e archeologico. L’obiettivo che la nostra ricerca si è proposta è quello di un’integrazione delle due prospettive, aggiungendone una terza, per così dire “sociale”. Quest’ultima definizione comprende l’insieme di quei comportamenti pratici e attitudini mentali ingenerati nella società dalla stessa esistenza del rito battesimale. Il periodo entro cui si muove l’indagine comprende i secoli dal IV al VII, un arco cronologico in cui il quadro normativo ed istituzionale della Chiesa è ancora in evoluzione. La campionatura delle aree in esame comprende contesti prevalentemente orientali ma anche occidentali, in modo da comporre un panorama di confronto il più possibile ampio e rappresentativo. Le aree indagate sono le seguenti: i cinque seggi patriarcali (Roma, Costantinopoli, Alessandria, Antiochia, Gerusalemme) e alcune province mediterranee: Siria occidentale, Cipro, Caria, Panfilia, Lycia, Creta, Dodecaneso (isole maggiori), Palestina, Egitto settentrionale, Macedonia, Tracia, Liguria, Flaminia e Sicilia in Italia, Africa Proconsularis. Il dato archeologico-topografico, dato dalla schedatura di 436 battisteri, è stato quindi messo in relazione con l’evoluzione della liturgia e del contesto storico-sociale nelle diverse aree. Il battesimo, con l’immaginario e le pratiche ad esso collegati e da esso derivati, si è rivelato un elemento fondamentale nella trasformazione strutturale della società che avviene in epoca tardoantica, partecipando, insieme ad altri fattori, al processo di lento cambiamento dei presupposti del vivere sociale: il Cristianesimo diventò progressivamente un elemento di uniformazione dell’identità collettiva, che coinvolgeva sulla base dei medesimi ideali ceti sociali diff, Baptism and baptisteries during the first centuries of Christian era have been largely treated in scientific literature, mainly from two different and autonomous perspectives: on the one hand, history of liturgy and theology, on the other hand, history of art and archaeology. Our aim is to combine these two approaches, by adding a third one, that of social history. This perspective deals with practical behaviours and mental attitudes that are generated within the society by the very existence of the baptismal ritual. The chronological frame which is considered goes from the 4th to the 7th c., a period in which the normative and institutional structure of the Church(es) is still developing. The sampling of the geographical areas under analysis considers mainly the Eastern Mediterranean, but also some of the Western regions, in order to be as much wider and representative as possible. The analysis includes the five patriarchal sieges (Rome, Constantinople, Alexandria, Antioch, Jerusalem) and several provinces: western Syria, Cyprus, Caria, Pamphylia, Lycia, Crete, Dodecanese (main islands), Palestine, northern Egypt, Macedonia, Thrace, Liguria, Flaminia and Sicily in Italy, Africa Proconsularis. The archaeological and topographical data, derived from the record of 436 baptisteries, have been related to the evolution of liturgy as well as to historical and social contexts in the various areas. Baptism, together with the thoughts and practices that are connected to it, and derived from it, has turn out to be fundamental in the transformation of social structures that takes place in Late Antiquity. It contributed, amongst other factors, to the process of slow change of the social schemes: Christianity gradually became a source of uniformity for collective identity, by bringing together different social strata on the base of the same ideals. This process of social “democratisation”, not without contradictions, began with the general spread of baptism.

Il proposito di questo studio, intitolato La difersa della basileuousa polis. gli assedi di Costantinopoli dal V al XII secolo. è quello di offrire un quadro completo degli assedi subiti da Costantinopoli dal V al XII secolo. La tesi è stata divisa in quattro capitoli, ognuno dei quali analizza un aspetto peculiare legato alla difesa. Il primo capitolo è un catalogo degli assedi, redatto sulla base delle informazioni contenute nelle fonti cronachistiche non solo greche e latine ma anche armene, siriache, arabe e russe (consultate in traduzione). Il secondo capitolo analizza le fortificazioni (le strutture ed il loro sviluppo storico), basandosi anche sul dato archeologico, oltre che su un esaustiva bibliografia. Il terzo capitolo è un catalogo delle iscrizioni composto raccogliendo le epigrafi connesse alle varie fasi di costruzione e restauro delle fortificazioni. Il quarto ed ultimo capitolo tratta invece due aspetti fondamentali della difesa: a- la tecnologia militare b-La guarnigione di costantinopoli, The purpose of this study, entitled “The Defense of Basileuousa Polis. The Sieges of Constantinople from 5th to 12th Century”, is to offer a detailed historical overview of the sieges that affected Constantinople from 5th to 12th century. This thesis has been divided in four chapters, each of which is concentrated on key aspects of the Byzantine Military Defense. The first chapter has been developed as a siege catalog, essentially based on the information contained in literary sources: firstly Greek and Latin sources, then Armenian, Syrian, Arabic and Russian (these last four types of extracts were read through English, French and Italian translations). It has been concluded that the capital of Eastern Roman Empire was attacked 27 times. The second chapter analyzes the fortifications (their structures and their historical development) relying on archaeological data, still present, and on an exhaustive bibliography. The third chapter is a catalog of inscriptions, and includes all the epigraphic evidences connected to the different build and repair phases of the fortified area of Constantinople. Unfortunately many of the inscriptions, reproduced and collected on this record, were lost. The only proof of their existence can be found in some scientific publications of the end of 19th century - beginning of 20th century, therefore they represent the only and the most precious sources for this subject. The fourth and last chapter deals with two fundamental aspects of the defense: 1- Military Technology, deduced from an accurate analysis of the sources: Chronicles and Military Treatises. 2- Constantinople’s Garrison analysis realized by combining the information contained in literary sources and byzantine seals.

Il proposito di questo studio, intitolato La difersa della basileuousa polis. gli assedi di Costantinopoli dal V al XII secolo. è quello di offrire un quadro completo degli assedi subiti da Costantinopoli dal V al XII secolo. La tesi è stata divisa in quattro capitoli, ognuno dei quali analizza un aspetto peculiare legato alla difesa. Il primo capitolo è un catalogo degli assedi, redatto sulla base delle informazioni contenute nelle fonti cronachistiche non solo greche e latine ma anche armene, siriache, arabe e russe (consultate in traduzione). Il secondo capitolo analizza le fortificazioni (le strutture ed il loro sviluppo storico), basandosi anche sul dato archeologico, oltre che su un esaustiva bibliografia. Il terzo capitolo è un catalogo delle iscrizioni composto raccogliendo le epigrafi connesse alle varie fasi di costruzione e restauro delle fortificazioni. Il quarto ed ultimo capitolo tratta invece due aspetti fondamentali della difesa: a- la tecnologia militare b-La guarnigione di costantinopoli, The purpose of this study, entitled “The Defense of Basileuousa Polis. The Sieges of Constantinople from 5th to 12th Century”, is to offer a detailed historical overview of the sieges that affected Constantinople from 5th to 12th century. This thesis has been divided in four chapters, each of which is concentrated on key aspects of the Byzantine Military Defense. The first chapter has been developed as a siege catalog, essentially based on the information contained in literary sources: firstly Greek and Latin sources, then Armenian, Syrian, Arabic and Russian (these last four types of extracts were read through English, French and Italian translations). It has been concluded that the capital of Eastern Roman Empire was attacked 27 times. The second chapter analyzes the fortifications (their structures and their historical development) relying on archaeological data, still present, and on an exhaustive bibliography. The third chapter is a catalog of inscriptions, and includes all the epigraphic evidences connected to the different build and repair phases of the fortified area of Constantinople. Unfortunately many of the inscriptions, reproduced and collected on this record, were lost. The only proof of their existence can be found in some scientific publications of the end of 19th century - beginning of 20th century, therefore they represent the only and the most precious sources for this subject. The fourth and last chapter deals with two fundamental aspects of the defense: 1- Military Technology, deduced from an accurate analysis of the sources: Chronicles and Military Treatises. 2- Constantinople’s Garrison analysis realized by combining the information contained in literary sources and byzantine seals.

From Late Antiquity to the early Middle Ages, two basic factor shaped Ravenna’s ability to influence a much more extensive space than its natural hinterland. The first was its establishment as an imperial residence the second was its location within the northern Adriatic basin, which had since Antiquity been a crossroads for peoples, trade and cultures. Just on the basis of the support it received from the imperial power, its episcopate was elevated to one of the most important sees of Italy. By means of the large international harbour of Classe, from the 5th to the 7th centuries the city imported products from around the entire Mediterranean. With the arrival of the Byzantine government, the ties between the port of Classe and the other Mediterranean export centres shifted by moving from West to East. Moreover, the relationship with Constantinople reaffirmed the political and ecclesiastical importance of Ravenna. As long as these ties remained strong, Ravenna retained a vital contact to the other maritime Mediterranean trade centres. The twilight of Byzantine rule did not cause the decline of the city, but rather a progressive turn of its ruling class toward the political scenario of the medieval West. By virtue of being the management centre of the patrimonium beati Apollinaris, the city remained wealthy and influential well beyond the 9th century. This was due both to the economic power of its archbishops and to their alliance with the Ottonians and then later with the Salian and Swabian emperors. The trajectories of the political centrality of Ravenna from Late Antiquity to the Middle Ages were, therefore, deeply influenced by the dynamic of successive empires, which, in one form or another, were all connected or attempted to reconnect to the memory of its Roman past.

La ricerca riguarda lo studio del cantiere edilizio protobizantino, con particolare riferimento al ciclo della lavorazione del marmo. Quest’ultimo viene analizzato sotto il profilo amministrativo, tecnico, sociale ed artigianale. L’elemento guida della ricerca sono i marchi dei marmorari, sigle apposte da funzionari e maestranze durante il processo produttivo. Dapprima, fonti letterarie ed epigrafiche, tra cui le sigle di cava e officina su marmo, vengono esaminate per ricostruire il sistema alto-imperiale di amministrazione delle cave e di gestione dei flussi marmorei, nonché l’iter tecnico-artigianale adottato per la produzione dei manufatti. Il confronto con i dati disponibili per la tarda antichità, con particolare riferimento alle cave di Proconneso, evidenzia una sostanziale continuità della prassi burocratico-amministrativa, mentre alcuni cambiamenti si riscontrano nell’ambito produttivo-artigianale. Il funzionamento degli atelier marmorari viene approfondito attraverso lo studio dei marchi dei marmorari. Si tratta di caratteri greci singoli, multipli o monogrammi. Una ricognizione sistematica delle sigle dalla pars Orientalis dell’impero, reperite in bibliografia o da ricognizioni autoptiche, ha portato alla raccolta di circa 2360 attestazioni. Per esse si propone una classificazione tipologica tra sigle di cava, stoccaggio, officina. Tra le sigle di cava si annoverano sigle di controllo, destinazione/committenza, assemblaggio/posizionamento. Una particolare attenzione è riservata alle sigle di officina, riferibili ad un nome proprio di persona, ovvero al πρωτομαΐστωρ, il capo-bottega che supervisionava il lavoro dei propri artigiani e fungeva da garante del prodotto consegnato alla committenza. Attraverso lo studio comparato delle sigle reperite a Costantinopoli e in altri contesti si mette in luce la prassi operativa adottata dagli atelier nei processi di manifattura, affrontando anche il problema delle maestranze itineranti. Infine, sono analizzate fonti, The research deals with the study of the architectural yard in early byzantine period, with a particular focus on the marble manufacturing cycle. This one is analyzed under an administrative, social and artisanal point of view. Masons’ marks on marble items are the guiding element of the research. First, epigraphic and literary sources are analysed in order to reconstruct the system of quarry-administration and marble supply during the Principate, as well as the handcrafted procedure adopted in the production. The comparison with the available data for late antiquity, particularly referring to the quarries of Marmara Island, shows an effective continuity in the administrative and bureaucratic practice, but a remarkable transformation in the production system. The functioning of marble workshops is deepened through the study of masons’ marks. This term point out inscriptions composed of single or multiple Greek characters, carved by officials and workers during the productive process. About 2360 epigraphic evidences are collected in a database, which includes both published and unpublished witnesses from personal surveys. A typological classification of early byzantine marks is proposed, including quarry, stock, workshop marks. Among quarry marks, control, destination/committed, assembly/placement marks are counted. A particular attention is reserved to the class of workshop marks: they can be referred to proper names, that identify the πρωτομαΐστωρ, the head chief who supervised his own craftsmen’s work and check the products intended to the patrons. The operational process adopted in the manufacture is investigated through comparative analyses of marks, with a particular focus on the topic of itinerant workshops. In conclusion, several types of written sources are examined, in order to place the phenomenon of stone-working in a wider socio-economic context. The main attention is devoted to the subject of bureaucratic and artisanal figures involved in the architectu

Der er gået 60 år siden DNAs dobbelthelix struktur blev identificeret i en tid, hvor det var umuligt at forestille sig, at vi i dag kan få adgang til vores egen DNA, inklusiv information om vores forfædre og hvilke sygdomme vi er prædisponeret for, baseret på analyser af DNA sekvensen. High-throughput DNA sekventering startede en fortløbende revolution indenfor biologien og den medicinske verden. Denne revolution har medført nye måder at studere sygdomme på, som ikke ville have været mulige tidligere. Millioner af mennesker dør hvert år som følge af bakterielle infektioner, og givet den nuværende trend mod øget globalisering med rejser og samhandel, medregnet den øgede urbanisering og en aldrende befolkning, er det sandsynligt at infektiøse sygdomme vil genopstå som en global trussel. Der er i dag tusindvis af fuldt sekventerede bakterier offentligt tilgængeligt, og hundreder af yderligere genomer færdiggøres hvert år – også p.g.a. Den konstant faldende pris for sekventeringen af et bakterieisolat. Ved at anvende dette uvurderlige data, muliggør forskere en revolution i forhold til den måde klinisk mikobiologi udføres og den måde hvorpå infektiøse sygdomme diagnostikeres og behandles. Mit PhD projekt har hovedsageligt været fokuseret på anvendelsen af Hel Genom Sekvens (HGS) data til forudsigelse af patogene træk og identifikation af bakterieart og -stamme, såvel som fænotypiske træk som antibiotika resistens. Afhandlingen indledes med en introduktion til de problemer, der er relateret til infektiøse sygdomme, såvel som historien bag DNA, DNA sekventering og dens brug indenfor klinisk mikrobiologi. Afhandlingen fortsætter med tre kapitler og slutter af med en diskussion om de mulige fremtidige anvendelser af DNA sekvensdata i forbindelse med klinisk medicin og indenfor folkesundhed. Kapitel et introducerer de udfordringer, der er forbundet med brug af HGS data til forudsigelse af bakterielle patogene træk. Manuskriptet inkluderet i dette kapitel beskriver en, Sixty years have passed from the discovery of the DNA's double helix structure, and at the time it would have been impossible to imagine that today we could receive our own DNA with information about our ancestors, or potential diseases we could get, based on the analysis of the DNA sequences. High-throughput DNA sequencing started a revolution, which is still ongoing, in biology and medicine, bringing new ways of studying diseases that could not have been possible before. Millions of people die every year from bacterial infections, and given the trends toward globalization of travel and commerce, with urbanization and an aging population, infectious diseases are coming back as a possible global threat. At present thousands of completely sequenced bacteria are publicly available, with many hundreds of genomes completed every year, also due to the constantly decreasing costs for sequencing a bacterial isolate. Using this invaluable data, scientists are bringing a revolution in the way clinical microbiology is done and in the way infectious diseases are diagnosed and treated. My PhD project focused on the use of Bacterial Whole Genome Sequence (WGS) data for the prediction of pathogenic features, and the identification of bacterial species and subtypes, as well as phenotypic traits like antibiotic resistance. The thesis starts with an introduction to the problems related to infectious diseases, as well as the history of DNA, DNA sequencing and its application in clinical microbiology are overviewed. The thesis continues with three chapters and concludes with a discussion on possible future applications of DNA sequence data in clinical and public health microbiology. Chapter one introduces the challenges related to the use of WGS for the prediction of bacterial pathogenicity features. The manuscript included in this chapter describes a prediction method for bacterial pathogenicity, which was also the main topic of my PhD studies. Chapter two introduces the

Although the majority of bacteria are harmless or even beneficial to their host, others are highly virulent and can cause serious diseases, and even death. Due to the constantly decreasing cost of high-throughput sequencing there are now many completely sequenced genomes available from both human pathogenic and innocuous strains. The data can be used to identify gene families that correlate with pathogenicity and to develop tools to predict the pathogenicity of newly sequenced strains, investigations that previously were mainly done by means of more expensive and time consuming experimental approaches. We describe PathogenFinder (http://cge.cbs.dtu.dk/services/PathogenFinder/), a web-server for the prediction of bacterial pathogenicity by analysing the input proteome, genome, or raw reads provided by the user. The method relies on groups of proteins, created without regard to their annotated function or known involvement in pathogenicity. The method has been built to work with all taxonomic groups of bacteria and using the entire training-set, achieved an accuracy of 88.6% on an independent test-set, by correctly classifying 398 out of 449 completely sequenced bacteria. The approach here proposed is not biased on sets of genes known to be associated with pathogenicity, thus the approach could aid the discovery of novel pathogenicity factors. Furthermore the pathogenicity prediction web-server could be used to isolate the potential pathogenic features of both known and unknown strains.

Accurate strain identification is essential for anyone working with bacteria. For many species, multilocus sequence typing (MLST) is considered the "gold standard" of typing, but it is traditionally performed in an expensive and time-consuming manner. As the costs of whole-genome sequencing (WGS) continue to decline, it becomes increasingly available to scientists and routine diagnostic laboratories. Currently, the cost is below that of traditional MLST. The new challenges will be how to extract the relevant information from the large amount of data so as to allow for comparison over time and between laboratories. Ideally, this information should also allow for comparison to historical data. We developed a Web-based method for MLST of 66 bacterial species based on WGS data. As input, the method uses short sequence reads from four sequencing platforms or preassembled genomes. Updates from the MLST databases are downloaded monthly, and the best-matching MLST alleles of the specified MLST scheme are found using a BLAST-based ranking method. The sequence type is then determined by the combination of alleles identified. The method was tested on preassembled genomes from 336 isolates covering 56 MLST schemes, on short sequence reads from 387 isolates covering 10 schemes, and on a small test set of short sequence reads from 29 isolates for which the sequence type had been determined by traditional methods. The method presented here enables investigators to determine the sequence types of their isolates on the basis of WGS data. This method is publicly available at www.cbs.dtu.dk/services/MLST.

Accurate strain identification is essential for anyone working with bacteria. For many species, multilocus sequence typing (MLST) is considered the "gold standard" of typing, but it is traditionally performed in an expensive and time-consuming manner. As the costs of whole-genome sequencing (WGS) continue to decline, it becomes increasingly available to scientists and routine diagnostic laboratories. Currently, the cost is below that of traditional MLST. The new challenges will be how to extract the relevant information from the large amount of data so as to allow for comparison over time and between laboratories. Ideally, this information should also allow for comparison to historical data. We developed a Web-based method for MLST of 66 bacterial species based on WGS data. As input, the method uses short sequence reads from four sequencing platforms or preassembled genomes. Updates from the MLST databases are downloaded monthly, and the best-matching MLST alleles of the specified MLST scheme are found using a BLAST-based ranking method. The sequence type is then determined by the combination of alleles identified. The method was tested on preassembled genomes from 336 isolates covering 56 MLST schemes, on short sequence reads from 387 isolates covering 10 schemes, and on a small test set of short sequence reads from 29 isolates for which the sequence type had been determined by traditional methods. The method presented here enables investigators to determine the sequence types of their isolates on the basis of WGS data. This method is publicly available at www.cbs.dtu.dk/services/MLST.

The optimal combination of yield and quality of hemp fibres from field grown crops is around flowering. Therefore prediction of flowering time would support in planning production and optimization of the cultivar choice for different agro-ecological zones. In the current paper the validation of a recently published model (Amaducci et al., 2008a) is carried out for four varieties across a wide range of sites and thus of air temperature–photoperiod combinations. The model was evaluated by comparing its output to field observations of the duration between emergence and 50% flowering. The model output and observed times from emergence to 50% of flowering generally corresponded well, but some discrepancies were apparent. The biggest discrepancies between estimates and actual data were observed at extreme latitudes. The level of accuracy of the model predictions is satisfactory for strategic decision regarding sowing and harvesting time and cultivar choice, but tactical decisions (e.g. time of harvest based on flowering time) cannot be accurately supported.