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In the present experiment, a study was conducted to investigate the effect of conservation treatment of an Arabic manuscript on its chromatic characteristics. For this purpose, extremely valuable, unrestored manuscripts (18 - 19th century) were selected from the archives of the National Library "St. St. Cyril and Methodius", on which spectrophotometric chromatic characteristics were measured. The research was conducted at the restoration center of the National Library. The following processes were applied to the manuscript: mechanical cleaning and deacidification. Measurements of color characteristics were taken indifferent parts of the manuscript after each stage of the treatment: before treatment, after mechanical cleaning, after deacidification. The following parameters - CIE Lab, CIE Lch, ΔEab, ΔE2000, ΔL, Δc, Δh was calculated. Based on the results obtained, the changes and effects of each of the chromatic parameters were determined. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The 3D digital reproduction of panel paintings is an efficient practice through which to document their state of conservation thanks to the ability to study artwork both at the microscopic level, visualising the craquelure and the detachments of pictorial layers, and at the macroscopic level, analysing support structures and their deformations. In recent years, research has focused on new methodologies to handle multiple 3D scans acquired over time and to achieve data fusion to obtain multi-resolution products. In this paper, we present the results of the acquisition of the central panel of an earthquake-damaged triptych using two different 3D techniques (close-range photogrammetry and structured light) before and after its restoration to carry out a multi-temporal analysis of the conservation status and document the effects of the restoration. Furthermore, we performed laser scanning micro-profilometry on a small area of the painting to study the artist's technique and identify previous restorations. Finally, we merged the two 3D datasets (obtained by structured-light projection and micro-profilometry) to produce a multi-resolution 3D model with the aim of increasing the accuracy and readability of the final product. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The digital restoration of historical manuscripts centers on deciphering hidden writings, made imperceptible to the naked eye due to factors such as erasure, fading, carbonization, and aging effects. Recent advancements in modern technologies have significantly improved our ability to unveil and interpret such written cultural heritage that, for centuries, had remained inaccessible to contemporary understanding. This paper aims to present a critical overview of state-of-the-art technologies, engaging in discussions about perspectives and limitations, and anticipating future applications. Serving as a practical guide, this work seeks to assist in the selection of techniques for digitally restoring ancient writings. Additionally, potential and challenges associated with integrating these techniques with advanced machine-learning approaches are also outlined. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ayer Hitam Utara State Park Forest (AHUSPF) is an invaluable sanctuary in Johor, the last remaining intact peat swamp forest reserve that hosts many species unique to this distinctive habitat. Some rapid surveys conducted from 2019 to 2022 recorded 40 species of freshwater fish within AHUSPF. Notably, 11 are stenotopic to acid blackwater, and 12 are stenotopic to acid water, most belonging to the family Osphronemidae and Danionidae. The International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List has designated two species, Encheloclarias curtisoma and Betta persephone, as Endangered, while Betta omega is classified as Critically Endangered. The checklist presented herein was first produced from an inventory study in AHUSPF. The preservation of peat swamp forests in the area is under imminent threat due to the alarming rate of land conversion, forest fires, and the recent potential threat from the red-claw crayfish invasion in the aquatic environment. Hence, continuous monitoring is vital for documenting and updating the conservation status of the fish species. These endeavours will facilitate the development of practical conservation approaches to ensure the long-term sustainability of AHUSPF and its associated species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This essay argues that the seventeenth-century British writer, Lucy Hutchinson, experiments with the form and content of her early prose and late poetry in ways that reveal the everyday dimensions of warfare, as it was experienced on the ground and in the periodical news of the period. During the mid-1640s, in the midst of the civil wars, Hutchinson produced an untitled manuscript, an episodic narrative of local war that overlaps with print journalism. After the Restoration, she produced a series of manuscript poems that combine Parliamentary elegies for soldiers with the genres of aubade and nocturne to criticize a public violence now concentrated in the monarchal state. As Hutchinson shifts from composing a kind of war correspondence that supports the war effort to a species of war elegy critical of state hostilities, she frames armed conflict not as an exceptional event but as a form of business as usual: it depends on and reshapes the infrastructures, spaces, emotions, and habits of quotidian life and becomes, in its turn, a normalized version of that life. Across different contexts and genres, then, she helps reveal the key role of the ordinary in war alongside the ways war itself becomes ordinary, part of the real and journalistic everyday. [C.G.] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Industrial Revolution, one of the most important developments of the nineteenth century, affected the Ottoman Empire as well as the whole world. Energy, transportation and production facilities have been built to meet the needs at various points in Anatolia. Bursa, the first capital of the Ottoman Empire, was also affected by this process. In Bursa, factories related to sericulture, electrical power plants, water and windmills, railway lines were built. These structures, which have lost their function over time due to reasons such as the change in technology and the diversification of needs, are on the verge of disappearing with the lack of function. With this study, it is aimed to document the transformer structures that constitute the industrial heritage in Bursa. A scope has been determined that includes proposals for the conservation and re-functioning. The methodology is based on the observation and documentation of the buildings with their surroundings. An extensive archive search was carried out to find out the old drawings and photos of the buildings in archives such as Presidency of the Republic of Türkiye Directorate of State Archives. Within the scope of this process, the electrical transformers were documented and conservation proposals were developed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over recent decades, heritage conservation has developed in concept and scope. This paper uses a systematic literature review approach to collect charters and documents on heritage conservation issued by UNESCO and ICOMOS, divided into two periods, before 2000 and from 2000 to the present, for analysis from a qualitative perspective. The study results show that the scope of architectural heritage is expanding, and the definition of conservation is changing from individual to holistic conservation and from holistic to sustainable conservation. The focus of conservation has evolved from tangible to intangible attributes. The changing scale of conservation, from object to landscape, incorporates a more comprehensive range of heritage values, and the status of conservation has changed from static to living conservation. This study systematically structures the development of the concept of architectural heritage conservation, providing insight in the international field of architectural heritage conservation and encouraging reflection on the conservation of architectural heritage in historic cities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Numerous studies have been carried out regarding different early and medieval writing bases like papyrus, birch bark, parchment, and Tālpātra. The quality of plant-derived manuscript writing bases has been aided by the presence of cellulose and lignin in plant cell walls. Sāncipāt, a popular writing base in early and medieval Assam, India, has not yet been thoroughly studied in this regard. In this paper, a scientific attempt has been made to reveal the physicochemical and mechanical properties of cellulose and lignin fibre in Sāncipāt. Various analytical techniques, including FTIR, PXRD, TEM, UTM, were employed to characterize the cellulose fibres and lignin extracted from both old and new Sāncipāt, as well as their modified forms. A comparative analysis was made between the old and new bark samples of both cellulose fibres and lignin, and the general conclusions drawn from this work can be attributed to structural, thermal, and morphological changes of both cellulose fibres and lignin with degradation and decomposition, accompanied by ageing. The structural and chemical compositions of the extracted samples from the old and new barks were found to be almost identical, indicating only some minor degradation. While FTIR and UV spectroscopic analyses of the samples confirmed the successful extraction of cellulose fibres and lignin, electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction techniques allowed observing the structural and morphological changes that had occurred in the old bark samples as a result of ageing. Thermal stability studies and tensile strength measurements were also carried out to investigate the mechanical properties of the old and new bark samples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

How does one ethically care for a global collection shaped and maintained within a colonial context? How do we address institutional responsibilities in a way that is transparent, rigorous and reparative? This article discusses on-going conservation research at the University of Cambridge Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology as part of a 5-year storage relocation project. Moving beyond key vocabularies and abstract critique, this work examines the potential role of conservation in documenting and interpreting evidence for damage, displacement and erasure related to methods of colonial knowledge production and historic museum practice. The work includes a consideration of the language used to distinguish modifications resulting from museum practice such as the application of pesticides; monitoring change over time; the expectation of object longevity; and the potential consequences of disrupted traditions of maintenance and knowledge exchange. The article concludes by reflecting on the ways in which technical vocabularies, documentation and decision-making processes can shape and even improve the ways in which these collections are studied, valued and utilised by a diversity of stakeholders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In China, Hainan Island is a priority area for turtle conservation because of its biodiversity. Over the years, errors in turtle taxonomy and distribution have been made in the scientific literature, perpetuating into relevant laws and government documents and affecting conservation and management. In the present article, we describe the species of nonmarine turtles on Hainan Island, China, based on literature, museum specimens, and field surveys during the past 27 yrs. Historically, 23 nonmarine turtle species were recorded on Hainan Island. Among them, 9 species should be removed due to errors: 5 species are not naturally distributed on Hainan Island (Manouria impressa, Sacalia bealei, Cuora flavomarginata, Mauremys nigricans, and Mauremys reevesii), 3 are invalid hybrids (Ocadia philippeni, Sacalia pseudocellata, and Cuora serrata), and 1 is a synonym of another species (Mauremys megalocephala is a synonym of M. reevesii). In addition, of the 3 new species recorded from Hainan Island (Sacalia insulensis, Pelodiscus variegatus, and Pelodiscus parviformis), S. insulensis replaces Sacalia quadriocellata, P. variegatus is valid, and P. parviformis is likely an error. Therefore, there should be 12 nonmarine turtle species naturally found on Hainan Island: Platysternon megacephalum, Cuora galbinifrons, Cuora mouhotii, Cuora trifasciata, Geoemyda spengleri, Mauremys mutica, Mauremys sinensis, S. insulensis, Palea steindachneri, Pelochelys cantorii, Pelodiscus sinensis, and P. variegatus. Clarifying the presence and distribution of nonmarine turtle species will provide a reference for future research and practical guidance for conservation management on this turtle-rich island. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Blind cave spiders of the genus Troglodiplura are large, enigmatic spiders, which show a number of adaptations to an underground existence, including elongated limbs and a complete lack of eyes. They are known only from the Nullarbor Plain, Australia and prior to this study the species were only known from juveniles or fragments of dead spiders. We investigated the distribution of Troglodiplura in South Australia, providing detailed observations of the behaviour of living adult and juvenile spiders in their natural habitat and in captivity. Given the adaptations of the spiders to an underground existence, plus the barriers to above-ground dispersal posed by the arid climate of the Nullarbor Plain, we expected species to be confined to single caves. However, our molecular evidence showed that the species T. beirutpakbarai was distributed across multiple caves in South Australia, each separated by between 10–27 km, and that there had been connection between the caves in recent history. These findings provide intriguing evidence for subterranean between-cave dispersal mechanisms for these spiders. A number of threats to cave fauna and the fragile cave ecosystem are posed, and we recommend further research to better define the distribution of vulnerable cave taxa and their conservation profiles. Previously described from only fragments of exoskeleton and juvenile specimens, the cave spider genus Troglodiplura (Araneae: Anamidae), endemic to the Nullarbor Plain, is the only troglomorphic member of the infraorder Mygalomorphae recorded from Australia. We investigated the distribution of Troglodiplura in South Australia, collecting and observing the first (intact) mature specimens, widening the number of caves it has been recorded in, and documenting threats to conservation. Phylogenetic analyses support the placement of Troglodiplura as an independent lineage within the subfamily Anaminae (the 'Troglodiplura group') and provide unequivocal evidence that populations from apparently isolated cave systems are conspecifics of T. beirutpakbarai Harvey & Rix, 2020, with extremely low or negligible inter-population mitochondrial divergences. This is intriguing evidence for recent or contemporary subterranean dispersal of these large, troglomorphic spiders. Observations of adults and juvenile spiders taken in the natural cave environment, and supported by observations in captivity, revealed the use of crevices within caves as shelters, but no evidence of silk use for burrow construction, contrasting with the typical burrowing behaviours seen in other Anamidae. We identify a range of threats posed to the species and to the fragile cave ecosystem, and provide recommendations for further research to better define the distribution of vulnerable taxa within caves and identify actions needed to protect them. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The closure of the British Library during the 2020–2021 COVID-19 pandemic allowed the conservation department to undertake a treatment review of the conservation of palm leaf manuscripts in order to make better-informed decisions about the treatment of these complex objects. As part of the review a questionnaire was posted in 2020 to the Global Conservation Forum asking about the treatment of palm leaf manuscripts by others in the field. This two-part Literature Review uses the available literature and the survey results to address the wide range of issues inherent in the practical conservation of palm leaf materials. Part 1 began with an historic overview of palm leaf manuscripts and their production, leaf preparation methods, manuscript materials and media, palm leaf manuscripts at the British Library and the common types of damage found in such manuscripts. Part 2 details historic treatments and current conservation techniques as informed by our review and survey, as well as storage, religious and ethical issues. It concludes with two decision-making flowcharts, and our practical recommendations for conservators. The authors wish to share the collated information as widely as possible and help create greater continuity and consistency in palm leaf manuscript conservation by presenting recommendations for best practice for conservators who treat these amazing objects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Overfishing is the most significant threat facing sharks and rays. Given the growth in consumption of seafood, combined with the compounding effects of habitat loss, climate change, and pollution, there is a need to identify recovery paths, particularly in poorly managed and poorly monitored fisheries. Here, we document conservation through fisheries management success for 11 coastal sharks in US waters by comparing population trends through a Bayesian state-space model before and after the implementation of the 1993 Fisheries Management Plan for Sharks. We took advantage of the spatial and temporal gradients in fishing exposure and fisheries management in the Western Atlantic to analyze the effect on the Red List status of all 26 wide-ranging coastal sharks and rays. We show that extinction risk was greater where fishing pressure was higher, but this was offset by the strength of management engagement (indicated by strength of National and Regional Plan of Action for sharks and rays). The regional Red List Index (which tracks changes in extinction risk through time) declined in all regions until the 1980s but then improved in the North and Central Atlantic such that the average extinction risk is currently half that in the Southwest. Many sharks and rays are wide ranging, and successful fisheries management in one country can be undone by poorly regulated or unregulated fishing elsewhere. Our study underscores that well-enforced, science-based management of carefully monitored fisheries can achieve conservation success, even for slow-growing species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Oriental Research Institute & Manuscripts Library, University of Kerala, houses the treasures of ancient knowledge in India. It has come in to existence out of royal interest. The kings of Travancore, as a rule, were valorous as well as lovers of art and literature. Srimulam Thirunal was mainly responsible for the spread of Oriental literature throughout the world. It was he who instituted the department for the publication of manuscripts which in due course grew into the present institution. It is located at Kariavattom, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala. Its origin goes back to the illustrious Maharaja of Travancore, Swati Tirunal (1829-1846). The institute carries out researches on Indian language manuscripts, major part of which are in Sanskrit. Oriental Research Institute & Manuscripts Library has over 65,000 works mostly of palm leaf manuscripts. Currently the Oriental Institute and Manuscript Library is headed by Dr. R. B. Sreekala, Professor and Head of the Department, Oriental Research Institute and Manuscripts Library, University of Kerala. The paper highlights the techniques used for the conservation and preservation of the rare manuscript collection in Oriental Research & Manuscript Library, Thiruvananthapuram. It further investigates the hardware and software available for digitizing the invaluable collection of manuscripts for the future generation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Presently information technology age, most of user's are dependent on digital information, but we have to go to library for very rear and ancient information. Manuscripts are the major source of information to know about the historical facts, cultural heritage and bygone traditions of the previously. Libraries are the only safe place were preserved manuscripts, old records like hand written, poems, documents, letters etc. The manuscripts collection and preservation are influence to the human community, researcher can measure the usefulness of worth collection, who they are able to access them. The present study represents to conserve and preserve the available of manuscripts and rear documents of Kazi Nazrul Islam adopted at Nazrul Academy Town Library, West Bengal, India. The paper also highlights the present status and management of collection, services, staff strength, budget and policy of Nazrul Academy Town Library and find out the gap of awareness about the collection, which are facing many problems at the present time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Michalowska does not aim to provide a reconstruction of Kilvington's original text, but follows for the most part the text of one manuscript: Bologna, Biblioteca comunale dell'Archiginnasio, A. 985 (A). Richard Kilvington on the Capacity of Created Beings, Infinity, and Being Simultaneously in Rome and Paris. Nor do I agree with Michalowska that I argumentum principale i in I per hoc patet responsio ad argumentum principale i (p. 148 SP 25 sp ) refers to the I Item glossa i -argument on p. 127, as Michalowska states on pp. 9-10 of the introduction. In 2021 Monika Michalowska, who had previously edited Kilvington's commentary on the I Ethics i ,[1] published an edition of question 3 from Kilvington's commentary on the I Sentences i . [Extracted from the article]

Iron gall inks have been among the most used writing materials after carbon black, thus representing an important element of the historical and artistic heritage of our society. Crucially, the preservation of manuscripts and drawings is influenced by the presence of these inks, leading to conservation issues related to paper degradation and text fading. Besides all the advances obtained in paper conservation, the study of iron gall ink's behaviour and ageing is still an important topic, which requires investigation through an accurate molecular characterisation to produce reliable models. In the present work a micro-destructive method based on liquid chromatography techniques (HPLC-DAD and HPLC-ESI-Q-ToF) has been optimised starting from a model gallic acid-based ink. An in-depth study of the behaviour of the ink in time was performed by natural and artificial ageing tests, monitored by colorimetry, showing the autoxidation of gallic acid to ellagic acid in the prepared mock-ups. The effect of relative humidity on ageing processes was also evaluated, allowing us to determine different intermediates depending on the environmental conditions. Finally, the analytical method developed was then successfully applied for investigating 19th–20th century historical ink samples, where one of the identified ageing markers was detected, besides the expected gallic and ellagic acids. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The closure of the British Library during the 2020–2021 Covid-19 pandemic allowed the conservation department to undertake a treatment review of the conservation of palm leaf manuscripts in order to make better-informed decisions about the treatment of these complex objects. As part of the review a questionnaire was posted in 2020 to the Global Conservation Forum asking about the treatment of palm leaf manuscripts by others in the field. This two-part Literature Review uses the available literature and the survey results to address the wide range of issues inherent in the practical conservation of palm leaf materials. Part 1 includes an historic overview of palm leaf manuscripts and their production, leaf preparation methods, manuscript materials and media, palm leaf manuscripts at the British Library and the common types of damage found in such manuscripts. Part 2 details historic treatments and current conservation techniques as informed by our review and survey, as well as storage, religious and ethical issues, before concluding with our practical recommendations. The authors wish to share the collated information as widely as possible and help create greater continuity and consistency in palm leaf manuscript conservation by presenting our recommendations for best practice for conservators who treat these amazing objects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In international conservation documents, adaptation is considered an important conservation process for culturally important places. It is especially important when the cultural context changes, as is the case with medieval castles, many of which were altered or built for military and domestic use in the Middle Ages. Medieval castles which are no longer used for their initial functions, are mostly non-functional today, and non-functional buildings often disintegrate into nature and disappear in time. Therefore, maintaining their relevance and cultural significance depends on appropriate adaptation strategies. When adapting a historic building, it is essential to design for the current use and needs, referring to conservation principles. It is also important to blend cultural heritage consciousness with creativity, and this can be achieved by balancing conservation and design practices. Therefore, in addition to design parameters, characteristics of the existing building should be meticulously analysed, and design concepts should be predicated on sustaining the existing values and meanings while adding contemporary ones. It is the purpose of this research to discuss and contribute to the theory of adaptation regarding medieval castle conversions by analysing three related case studies from Northern Italy. The findings lead to the proposal of a diagram, the focus of which is on the conceptual parameters of the multi-dimensional theory of adaptive (re)use, to be used for the design process of historic buildings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

William Lawrence (c. 1636–1697) was a lawyer, man of letters, translator, and estate owner. This article considers a manuscript play by Lawrence from 1662 called Newes from Geneva, Or The lewd Levite. A Comedy which is largely unknown to scholars of Restoration drama. I begin by outlining the bibliographical and performance history of the author and the play. I then go on to consider the main and, particularly, the sub-plot in relation to the broader post-Restoration historical and literary context. By examining the depiction of the non-conformist minister Levi, and by recovering a set of contemporary sources for the sub-plot, I argue that Lawrence advances an accommodationist position towards non-conformity in the play. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Sálim Ali Centre for Ornithology and Natural History (SACON) has released a policy document for bird conservation in the urban landscape of the National Capital Region (NCR) in India. The NCR is home to almost one-third of India's bird species and is experiencing rapid urban growth. The document, developed in consultation with various stakeholders, outlines management priorities, strategic approaches, and financing for conserving avian diversity, habitats, and landscapes. It addresses 14 thematic areas, including the conservation of rare and threatened species, wetland birds, migratory birds, urban birds, and the impacts of development projects. The policy document aligns with the principles and policies discussed at the September 2023 G20 summit in New Delhi. [Extracted from the article]

Most of papyrus documents have reached us in a very fragmentary state due to their excavation conditions and, because of the early history of papyrology, without an archaeological contextualisation. Traditionally, papyrologists have only relied on the bibliological characterisation of the documents they work on to provide such a chronological, geographical and socio-cultural context within which to fully understand the texts they edit and study. This study, following previous research on ink characterisation of papyrus documents, uses infrared spectroscopy and SEM/EDX for the analysis of ink and the papyrus surface. To this purpose, 67 samples of coherent groups of papyri from the Palau-Ribes collection in Barcelona, organised according to chronological, geographical and bibliological criteria, have been analysed to identify trends in their composition that may contribute to their characterisation and further enlarge our knowledge of written culture in Antiquity. The samples have been categorised into seven groups: Papyri that are (1) dated to II CE; (2) dated to VI CE; (3) from Oxyrhynchus; (4) from the Monastery of Bawit; (5) written in chancery hands; (6) written in bookhands, and (7) brown ink. All samples have been analysed using infrared spectroscopy, and SEM/EDX has also been used for analysis of a small subset of sample in order to confirm the presence of iron, sulphur and other elements. The results confirm previous findings in iron-gall ink distribution for texts written in bookhands from the Byzantine period, and adds to the characterisation of other groups, such as the Bawit one, with high levels of lignin in the composition of the writing surface, or the degradation of the cellulose shown for the Oxyrhynchus group, suggesting peculiar traits in the manufacturing and conservation of written documents from ancient times. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An eighteenth-century transcription of the Qur'anic text, originating from Istanbul but now housed at the Mesudija Library in Bosnia and Herzegovina, underwent a series of analyses prior to conservation. The artefact characterization included preliminary analyses accompanied by microscopy such as determination of the fiber composition, paper typology, and microchemical tests. The acidity status of the paper was established by measuring the pH, and proteins of the sizing material were confirmed by employing thin layer chromatography. Foxing stains were examined by UV fluorescence and optical microscopy. Selected pigments of the illumination, the black ink, and the gilded book cover were examined using X-ray fluorescence. The identity of pigments was confirmed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The obtained results indicate that this lavishly illuminated manuscript was created by choosing the finest and least deteriorating materials of its time including carbon-based ink, gold for illumination, lignin-free paper, and protective layers consisting of egg white, alum, and starch. Collectively, these findings provided valuable guidelines for the conservation processes of this manuscript. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study was designed to understand how the Management Effectiveness Tracking Tool (METT) scores in a Protected Area (PA) were influenced by conservation activities. Data was collected from documents on major conservation activities of the PA. Conservation outputs indicators of annual numbers of patrols organized, mammal and Roan Antelope observed, illegal activities recorded, offenders arrested, and livelihood beneficiaries were related to the METT scores in Spearman correlation tests. There were no statistically significant relationships between each of the METT elements and number of patrols, mammals and Roan Antelope observations. However, illegal activities, offenders arrested, and livelihood beneficiaries strongly correlated positively with all the elements. Again, Pearson correlation tests among patrols, illegal activities and mammals observed were not statistically significant. The findings indicate the PA socio-economic benefits to communities was positive. However, management must eliminate illegal logging that suggestively caused decline in mammal observations (𝑋=2895.6, Std.=867.7, Range=2507). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, a chapter of an Old Salentino medieval text is edited and analyzed, for the first time, as a source of linguistic information. The so-colled Grigoriu is an anonymous vernacular translation of the Tetrastichae Sententiae, a 4th century Greek poetic work by Gregory of Nazianzus. The Old Salentino translation, written in the Greek alphabet, survives in a unique manuscript, the codex Vaticano Greco 2252, copied in Terra d'Otranto around the 1330s. The Sententiae are here translated along with the commentary on the text by Nicola / Nilo Dossapatre, written in the 12th century. A linguistic analysis shows the importance of the data provided by the Vatican manuscript for the reconstruction of the historical grammar of the Salentino dialects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on the links between the Joseph cycle and its Egyptian background. Topics discussed include the interpretive implications of possible allusions within the Joseph narrative to Egyptian texts; the provenance and contents of the Westcar Papyrus; and the relevance of the narratives found in Westcar for the study of the Pentateuch.

Many types of guidance documents inform conservation by providing practical recommendations for the management of species and habitats. To ensure effective decisions are made, such guidance should be based upon relevant and up‐to‐date evidence. We reviewed conservation guidance for mitigation and management of species and habitats in the United Kingdom and Ireland, identifying 301 examples produced by over 50 organizations. Of these, only 29% provided a reference list, of which only 32% provided reference(s) relevant to justify the recommended actions (9% of the total). Furthermore, even this guidance was often outdated, lacked a methodology for production, or did not highlight uncertainty in the key evidence that supported the recommendations. These deficiencies can lead to misguided and ineffective conservation practices, policies, and decisions, and a waste of resources. Based on this review and co‐design by experts from 14 organizations, we present a set of principles for ensuring sufficient and relevant evidence is transparently incorporated into future conservation guidance. Producing evidence‐based guidance in line with these principles would enable more effective conservation outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Keywords: Late Antique manuscripts; Late Antique parchment; parchment-making; parchment conservation; epidermis; belly button repair; Vienna Dioscorides; visual analyses; Spätantike Handschriften; spätantikes Pergament; Pergamentherstellung; Pergamentkonservierung; Epidermis; Bauchnabel-Reparatur; Wiener Dioskurides; visuelle Analysen EN Late Antique manuscripts Late Antique parchment parchment-making parchment conservation epidermis belly button repair Vienna Dioscorides visual analyses DE Spätantike Handschriften spätantikes Pergament Pergamentherstellung Pergamentkonservierung Epidermis Bauchnabel-Reparatur Wiener Dioskurides visuelle Analysen 93 110 18 07/18/22 20220301 NES 220301 1 Introduction Most of us are familiar with fine parchment used for written and often opulently decorated medieval manuscripts, for example the famous Bible of king Wenceslaus IV from 1390 (Austrian National Library, Cod. 2759-2764) written in Prague on skilfully prepared calf parchment. Late Antique parchment, Late Antique manuscripts, parchment-making, epidermis, belly button repair, Vienna Dioscorides, visual analyses, parchment conservation (c) Epidermis patch completely covered by the illumination on the hair side of the parchment, folio 2v (d) Identical epidermis patch seen from the flesh side of the parchment, folio 2r. 3.3 Epidermis Patches in Late Byzantine and Greek Manuscripts Parchment of later Byzantine and especially Greek manuscripts from the 10th - 13th centuries differs from the quality of the parchment used in early Byzantine manuscripts, but also shows certain similar characteristics. [Extracted from the article]

• Historic library indoor microclimate campaign, methodology and results. • Heritage microclimate risk and prediction risk damage application to a heritage building. • Monitoring and alert protocol. This paper aims to illustrate and give an interpretation of the results emerged from a pilot activity developed within the ROCK project, by the Department of Architecture of the University of Bologna, Alma Mater Studiorum. Through this activity, we studied the indoor microclimate of the University Library of Bologna (BUB), in the Archive and in the Lecture Hall, with the aim to detect how these spaces are affected by the influence of factors such as the outdoor climate and the cooling and heating systems. Moreover, the paper presents the customisation of the probes' alert system and of the probes itself, used for a one-year monitoring campaign started on the 20th of December 2018. In addition, we calculated the Heritage Microclimate Risk index, to verify the level of risk to which the heritage in the Library is exposed due to the indoor microclimate, and the Predicted Risk of Damage index, that evaluate the more specific risks of damage to which precise objects hosted in there are exposed. Therefore, this paper enriches the research field of Historic Indoor Microclimate, started in 2013, which concerns issues as preventive conservation and restoration in historic buildings. The new insights about the Bologna University Library facilitate the possibility to draw up a specific 'Indoor Microclimate Management Protocol (IMMP)' aimed at the preventive conservation of manuscripts and books in historical libraries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The preservation and conservation of traditional manuscripts is an age old practice. But for the past two decades or so, preserving the endangered manuscripts through digitization has become the prime concern of governments so that such manuscripts can be kept safely for future generations as manuscripts are considered to be an important asset to know our culture and tradition better. The present study primarily highlights the conservation and archival policies adopted by the British Library to digitize the ancient manuscripts of the North-Eastern states of India. The analysis highlights that the state such as Mizoram, Sikkim, Assam and Arunachal Pradesh had adopted projects and have digitized the manuscripts as per their convenience and timeframe concern. The basic purpose of the study is to highlight about the serious concern of the preservation of these heritages as it can be noticed that they are at extinct stage as the future generation would heard only in form of stories. In addition, the study also analyses the quantitative and qualitative aspects of the manuscripts preservation policy of these North-Eastern states by the British Library. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper emphasizes the preservation of palm leaf manuscripts with regard to digitization and collaboration of related institutions. While many institutions focus on digitization, some issues have been raised to spread awareness of strategies and patrons. Therefore, the concept of collaboration among institutions at all levels--local, national, and international--is proposed. The idea of digitization suggested in this paper is considered as a part of preservation. Moreover, the concept of collaboration is highlighted as a key to unlocking the limitation of manuscript preservation in Southeast Asia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The 'New Apuleius' is a set of Latin summaries of Plato's works first published in 2016 by Justin Stover, who attributed it to Apuleius. The present article attempts to assess two key aspects of Stover's argument, viz. his reconstruction of the manuscript transmission of the new text and his use of computer-assisted stylometric techniques. The authors suggest that both strands of his argument are inconclusive. First, it is argued that the transposition of gatherings in the archetype of the Apuleian philosophica as envisaged by Stover is highly unrealistic. Second, replications of Stover's stylometric experiments show that their results are highly dependent on the particular algorithm settings and on the composition of the corpus. It is further shown that Stover's choice of highly specialized stylometric techniques is suboptimal, because popular generalist methods for statistical data analysis are demonstrably more successful in correctly identifying authors of Latin text fragments and do not support the case for Apuleius' authorship of the new text. The authors conclude that there are no solid grounds to conclude that the 'New Apuleius' was indeed written by Apuleius. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Through a case study of the looting, sale, conservation and subsequent publication of 'The Gospel of Judas', this article examines if there is any ethical merit in conserving looted manuscripts. While fully acknowledging the extensive harm caused by looting, it explores the prevailing argument in archaeological circles that all looted artefacts must be ignored by conservators, given the logic that the blanket refusal to authenticate, conserve or research looted objects would decrease demand and their grey market value, and so prevent archaeological sites being robbed. However, this view, it is argued, is complicated by antiquities with written content and that conservation ethics leave room for conservators to use informed judgement on a case-by-case basis, especially as looted manuscripts have two types of context: archaeological and textual. By examining the experiences of a wide range of conservators and applying professional conservation ethics, the argument is made that there is still merit in conserving and publishing the textual content of otherwise unique, historic and badly deteriorated manuscript artefacts such as 'The Gospel of Judas'. Conservators need to retain agency and uphold a duty of care to an object in order to help unlock and preserve landmark texts, so long as it is undertaken responsibly in the service of mitigating the harm done by looting as much as possible. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As genomic-scale data sets become economically feasible for most organisms, a key question for conservation biology is whether the increased resolution offered by new genomic approaches justifies repeating earlier studies based on traditional markers, rather than investing those same time and monetary resources in less-known species. Genomic studies offer clear advantages when the objective is to identify adaptive loci that may be critical to conservation policy-makers. However, the answer is far less certain for the population and landscape studies based on neutral loci that dominate the conservation genetics research agenda. We used Restriction-site Associated DNA sequencing (RADseq) to revisit earlier molecular studies of the IUCN Critically Endangered Magdalena River turtle (Podocnemis lewyana), documenting the conservation insights gained by increasing the number of neutral markers by several orders of magnitude. Earlier research indicated that P. lewyana has the lowest genetic diversity known for any chelonian, and little or no population differentiation among independent rivers. In contrast, the RADseq data revealed discrete population structure with isolation-by-distance within river segments and identified precise population breaks clearly delineating management units. It also confirmed that the species does not have extremely low heterozygosity and that effective population sizes are probably sufficient to maintain long-term evolutionary potential. Contrary to earlier inferences from more limited population genetic markers, our genomic data suggest that management strategies should shift from active genetic rescue to more passive protection without extreme interventions. We conclude with a list of examples of conservation studies in other vertebrates indicating that for many systems a genomic update is worth the investment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Embryos, juveniles, and even adults of many bird species lack pronounced external sexually dimorphic characteristics. Accurate identification of sex is crucial for research (e.g., developmental, population, and evolutionary studies), management of wildlife species, and captive breeding programmes for both conservation and poultry. An accurate molecular sexing method applicable across the entire bird radiation is theoretically possible thanks to the long‐term stability of their ZZ/ZW sex chromosomes, but current methods are not applicable in a wide range of bird lineages. Here, we developed a novel molecular sexing method based on the comparison of gene copy number variation by quantitative real‐time PCR (qPCR) in conserved Z‐specific genes (CHRNA6, DDX4, LPAR1, TMEM161B, VPS13A), i.e. genes linked to Z but absent from W chromosomes. We tested the method across three paleognath and 70 neognath species covering the avian phylogeny. In addition, we designed primers for four Z‐specific genes (DOCK8, FUT10, PIGG and PSD3) for qPCR‐based molecular sexing in three paleognath species. We have demonstrated that the genes DOCK8, FUT10, PIGG and PSD3 can identify sex in paleognath birds and the genes CHRNA6, DDX4, TMEM161B, and VPS13A can reveal sex in neognath birds. The gene LPAR1 can be used to accurately identify sex in both paleognath and neognath species. Along with outlining a novel method of practical importance for molecular sexing in birds, our study also documents in detail the conservation of sex chromosomes across the avian phylogeny. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper critically compares the performance of four non‐invasive techniques that match the accuracy, flexibility, time‐efficiency, and transportability required for in situ characterization of leaded glass windows: macroscopic X‐ray fluorescence imaging (MA‐XRF), UV–Vis–NIR, Raman spectroscopy, and infrared thermography (IRT). In order to compare the techniques on equal grounds, all techniques were tested independently of each other by separate research groups on the same historical leaded window tentatively dated to the 17th century, without prior knowledge. The aim was to assess the ability of these techniques to document the conservation history of the window by classifying and grouping the colorless glass panes, based on differences in composition. IRT, MA‐XRF and UV–Vis–NIR spectroscopy positively distinguished at least two glass groups, with MA‐XRF providing the most detailed chemical information. In particular, based on the ratio between the network modifier (K) and network stabilizer (Ca) and on the level of colorants and decolorizers (Fe, Mn, As), the number of plausible glass families could be strongly reduced. In addition, UV–Vis–NIR detected cobalt at ppm level and gave more specific information on the chromophore Fe2+/Fe3+ ratio. Raman spectroscopy was hampered by fluorescence caused by the metal ions of the decolorizer in most of the panes, but nevertheless identified one group as HLLA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In situating this picture Sims gives an extensive account of what is known of the dispersed parent manuscript and the literary significance of the moment depicted. The third essay, an account of the conservation of the manuscript by Katherine Beaty and Penley Knipe, reveals a considerable history of interventions of various sorts over time. The attribution of its pictorial verso of kneeling sages to the fifteenth-century painter Bihzad was already discounted by Ettinghausen; Parodi argues cogently for an origin in Shibanid Bukhara. [Extracted from the article]

A manuscript is a handwritten document. It contains thousands of years of information. There are so many unrecognized histories of the year is hidden in these manuscripts. For that reason, we need to preserve and conserve this treasure of knowledge. There are numerous study has been done which deal with preservation and conservation of manuscripts of many regions. As we all know that Bengal has a rich heritage of literature, so it is our liability to protect that precious information from decay or damage, which is in the form of manuscripts. Hence, a study named "Safeguarding the Indigenous Knowledge from Past: a Case Study in Kolkata Region" has been carried out. This study covers seven out of ten centers that deal with manuscripts. In this article, we want to portray the existing preservation and conservation approach followed by the Manuscript libraries in the Kolkata region, and suggest possible solutions for the betterment of the situation. In this study we find that Asiatic Society Kolkata has the majority of the manuscript collection among all the centers in Kolkata region. For preservation purpose most of the centers use brushing method, naphthalene bricks, some indigenous methods, spraying insecticide in monthly basis etc. Lastly, this study finds that for conservation of manuscripts, deacidification, fumigation with paradichlorobenzene, and some commonly used preventive conservation methods are used. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Paleographers differ in considering variation in scribal hands preserved in the Dead Sea Scrolls. Mostly formal manuscripts have been used as pegs both in establishing the date of a particular manuscript and in assessing whether different fragments could have been written by the same scribe. However, informal manuscripts are likely to display more variation in arrangement and formation of letter forms. This article proposes to differentiate between formal and informal manuscripts and to assess the degree of variation in both. Such a distinction leads to a reassessment of the manuscript evidence of the Aramaic Levi Document, which this article argues has been preserved in a maximum of three, instead of six, manuscripts in Cave 4. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Beginning in 1964, the PRC party-state orchestrated the resettlement of thousands of young people from cities to erosion-prone areas in China's Loess Plateau to form "water and soil conservation teams" (shuitu baochi zhuanyedui). Although their ostensible mission was to limit erosion by building terraces and planting trees, documents related to conservation teams emphasized their capacity to thoroughly reform urban youth while mobilizing them to do the work of remaking the environment. Provincial and county archives, along with fieldwork conducted at the site of one water and soil conservation team in Shaanxi province's Baishui county, indicate that conservation teams did not realize either of these objectives. Due to urban youth's inexperience with agriculture and conservation, they did little to promote environmental management. At the same time, unruly teenagers who migrated to the countryside to join conservation teams, as well as the cadres who oversaw them, continued to engage in transgressive behavior. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper critically compares the performance of four non‐invasive techniques that match the accuracy, flexibility, time‐efficiency, and transportability required for in situ characterization of leaded glass windows: macroscopic X‐ray fluorescence imaging (MA‐XRF), UV–Vis–NIR, Raman spectroscopy, and infrared thermography (IRT). In order to compare the techniques on equal grounds, all techniques were tested independently of each other by separate research groups on the same historical leaded window tentatively dated to the 17th century, without prior knowledge. The aim was to assess the ability of these techniques to document the conservation history of the window by classifying and grouping the colorless glass panes, based on differences in composition. IRT, MA‐XRF and UV–Vis–NIR spectroscopy positively distinguished at least two glass groups, with MA‐XRF providing the most detailed chemical information. In particular, based on the ratio between the network modifier (K) and network stabilizer (Ca) and on the level of colorants and decolorizers (Fe, Mn, As), the number of plausible glass families could be strongly reduced. In addition, UV–Vis–NIR detected cobalt at ppm level and gave more specific information on the chromophore Fe2+/Fe3+ ratio. Raman spectroscopy was hampered by fluorescence caused by the metal ions of the decolorizer in most of the panes, but nevertheless identified one group as HLLA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A literary criticism of the sermon "Inimici mei," which is included in the manuscript "Repertorium of Middle English Prose Sermons," is presented. It examines the context and features of the script, the preservation of the manuscript, the mutilation of the manuscript, a summary of one of the sermon, the traditional three enemies of man that divides the concept of inimici, and the similes used in the sermon.

The article focuses on the preservation of prints, manuscripts and autographs from the 16th-20th centuries of the German National Library Deutsche Bucherei by the German Book and Text museum and highlights the impact of digitization on the preservation of materials, as of July 2021.

This paper aims to present a brief overview on Emanuele Casamassima and his research on palaeography and the history of the book. The following topics are discussed: - cataloguing manuscripts according to different models (analytical, short, shared descriptions) - restoration of manuscript and printed books - palaeographic doctrines from the late Middle Ages to the Renaissance - importance of sixteenth-century Italian writing masters for the study of the history of handwriting - aspects of the history of the handwriting in the late Middle Ages (the writing of Petrarch and Boccaccio; the humanistic graphic reform) - palaeography as a study of graphic structures, with a focus on the cursive tradition, especially during the Roman age (1st-4th centuries) and in the Middle Ages (10th-13th centuries). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: This article explores the unknown role of Conservation Trust Funds (CTF) through a review of the literature (scientific and technical) and a database of 89 CTF worldwide. It is based on the observation that there is little interest in the scientific literature for this instrument, although it is very well documented and used by conservation actors (NGOs, donors, governments). In the context of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, protected areas are the main instrument to achieve the SDGs 14 (Life below water) and 15 (Life on land). Then, sustaining protected areas through the use of CTF is particularly relevant to 'the mobilization of financial resources from all sources' (Targets 15.A and 15.B). The objective of the article is to provide an analysis of the literature and a typology of the different CTFs. We propose a mapping of the different CTFs around the world. Finally, we discuss the main risks associated with the use of this tool, particularly with regard to its dependence on stock market fluctuations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cultural heritage reflects as an indispensable part of any country's identity and manuscripts uplift the entire picture. But it can be noticed that most of these manuscripts are in a state of damage and extinction due to various aspects related to it such as the prevailing climatic conditions, lack of preservation policies, lack of interest and initiatives, etc. The concept of preservation, conservation, restoration has not been able to be implemented soundly in many places so far due to a lack of technical knowledge and manpower. For this reason, there must be a proper action plan defined before taking up any preservation work in hand. However, North East India itself has thousands of both Vaishnava and Buddhist manuscripts containing ideas regarding the cultural interaction of North East India with Tibet and parts of South East Asia. Therefore, the present study is concerned with the Buddhist Libraries of Bomdila and Tawang monasteries located in Arunachal Pradesh. It reflects their position as centers of Buddhist learning and diffusion of Buddhist teachings and ideas. The paper tries to evaluate the number of manuscripts available in these two monastery libraries along with the different preservation policies adopted, how the monasteries are being managed, source of funds, etc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tumors contain multiple subpopulations of genetically distinct cancer cells. Reconstructing their evolutionary history can improve our understanding of how cancers develop and respond to treatment. Subclonal reconstruction methods cluster mutations into groups that co-occur within the same subpopulations, estimate the frequency of cells belonging to each subpopulation, and infer the ancestral relationships among the subpopulations by constructing a clone tree. However, often multiple clone trees are consistent with the data and current methods do not efficiently capture this uncertainty; nor can these methods scale to clone trees with a large number of subclonal populations. Here, we formalize the notion of a partially-defined clone tree (partial clone tree for short) that defines a subset of the pairwise ancestral relationships in a clone tree, thereby implicitly representing the set of all clone trees that have these defined pairwise relationships. Also, we introduce a special partial clone tree, the Maximally-Constrained Ancestral Reconstruction (MAR), which summarizes all clone trees fitting the input data equally well. Finally, we extend commonly used clone tree validity conditions to apply to partial clone trees and describe SubMARine, a polynomial-time algorithm producing the subMAR, which approximates the MAR and guarantees that its defined relationships are a subset of those present in the MAR. We also extend SubMARine to work with subclonal copy number aberrations and define equivalence constraints for this purpose. Further, we extend SubMARine to permit noise in the estimates of the subclonal frequencies while retaining its validity conditions and guarantees. In contrast to other clone tree reconstruction methods, SubMARine runs in time and space that scale polynomially in the number of subclones. We show through extensive noise-free simulation, a large lung cancer dataset and a prostate cancer dataset that the subMAR equals the MAR in all cases where only a single clone tree exists and that it is a perfect match to the MAR in most of the other cases. Notably, SubMARine runs in less than 70 seconds on a single thread with less than one Gb of memory on all datasets presented in this paper, including ones with 50 nodes in a clone tree. On the real-world data, SubMARine almost perfectly recovers the previously reported trees and identifies minor errors made in the expert-driven reconstructions of those trees. The freely-available open-source code implementing SubMARine can be downloaded at https://github.com/morrislab/submarine. Author summary: Cancer cells accumulate mutations over time and consist of genetically distinct subpopulations. Their evolutionary history (as represented by tumor phylogenies) can be inferred from bulk cancer genome sequencing data. Current tumor phylogeny reconstruction methods have two main issues: they are slow, and they do not efficiently represent uncertainty in the reconstruction. To address these issues, we developed SubMARine, a fast algorithm that summarizes all valid phylogenies in an intuitive format. SubMARine solved all reconstruction problems in this manuscript in less than 70 seconds, orders of magnitude faster than other methods. These reconstruction problems included those with up to 50 subclones; problems that are too large for other algorithms to even attempt. SubMARine achieves these result because, unlike other algorithms, it performs its reconstruction by identifying an upper-bound on the solution set of trees and the amount of noise in the estimates of the subclonal frequencies. In the vast majority of cases we checked, i. e. an extensive noise-free simulation, a lung cancer and a prostate cancer dataset, this upper bound is tight: when only a single solution exists, SubMARine converges to it every time. When multiple solutions exist, our algorithm correctly recovers the uncertain relationships in 71% of cases. In addition to solving these two major challenges, we introduce some useful new concepts for and open research problems in the field of tumor phylogeny reconstruction. Specifically, we formalize the concept of a partial clone tree which provides a set of constraints on the solution set of clone trees; and provide a complete set of conditions under which a partial clone tree is valid. These conditions guarantee that all trees in the solution set satisfy the constraints implied by the partial clone tree. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]