Ministry Of Education , University And Research Research Articles

A lab experiment on metals separation and recovery from waste ink-jet cartridges as a non-formal appealing learning activity for students of secondary schools

Abstract Since 2004, the Italian Ministry of Education, University and Research (MIUR), the Conference of Science and Technology Headmasters, and Confindustria, have been promoting the National Plan for Scientific Degrees (PLS) aimed at supporting students in acquiring scientific skills better responding to contemporary society challenges and increasing vocations in basic sciences. This paper describes a successful experience of the University of Cagliari together with selected local secondary schools, in which the hot topic of technological waste valorization was selected to create an orientation laboratory for students towards chemistry disciplines. Specifically, students and teachers were guided into the challenging world of e-waste production and treatment through the practical activity of noble metals recovery from real waste ink-jet cartridges. A specific emphasis was placed on fundamental chemical aspects – separation and recovery of metals driven by redox processes favored by a complexing agent – as well as on the chance to play on coordination chemistry to promote a green chemistry approach. The close collaboration between school and university teachers in planning and implementing laboratory activities is the element that characterizes PLS actions and promotes the development and strengthening of relations between secondary school and university courses in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM).

National Project "Gymnastics game", a Playful-physical-emotional Pathway in Kindergarten and Primary School

International bodies recommend the daily practice of physical activity from developmental age, emphasizing the priority of enhancing levels of motor-sport activity (Who, 2015; 2020). In this sense, physical and sports education in the school setting represents an educational opportunity to increase awareness of the importance of Health Enhancing Physical Activity. The aim of this contribution is to present the national project "Gymnastics Game" promoted by the Ministry of Education, University and Research (MIUR) and The Italian Gymnastics Federation with the purposes of: facilitating a lifestyle-oriented healthy, cognitive and relational approach from kindergarten onward; preventing deviant behaviour; and developing both useful problem-solving skills facing with a creative approach and adaptable and transferable skills to everyday life. The pilot project, implemented in all regions of Italy's national territory, involved No. 40 schools, a total of 222 classes, 4500 pupils attending sections 3-4-5 years of kindergarten and the first and second classes of primary school (6-7 years old), with an additional 285 classes that only received the educational kit without being able to participate in the pilot project. The initiative involved the active participation of curricular and support teachers of the affected classes, 40 FGI specialists and families. The pathways guidelines have started a nationwide comparison aimed at developing research and educational-methodological innovation in physical and sport science, improving over the years, participation in motor and sports activities and opposing the early abandonment.

Electrochemical Competitive Magneto-Immunoassay for Determination of Neurotoxin Domoic Acid

Domoic acid is heterocyclic amino acid neurotoxin and the principal toxin associated with amnesic shellfish poisoning (ASP) produced by certain species of marine diatom. It can bio accumulated at high concentrations in the shellfish tissues when the toxic phytoplankton is high in concentration in the surrounding waters. Ingestion of domoic acid contaminated shellfish leads to ASP, which is characterized by both gastrointestinal and neurological symptoms, including severe headache, seizures, tremors, and either temporary or permanent memory loss.Herein, the detection of domoic acid is carried out through an enzymatic immunoassay that uses magnetic beads as support of the immunoreaction and screen-printed electrodes as suitable detector of the enzymatic product. Thereby, the immunological reaction is performed in solution, where the domoic acid, antigen, domoic acid labeled with horseradish peroxidase are incubated with the rabbit IgG antibody against domoic acid. Subsequently, the antibody-antigen complex is captured by the anti-rabbit IgG modified magnetic beads. Then, the magnetic beads are deposited onto the electrode surface with the help of the magnet placed under the screen printed electrode. Finally, the analytical signal is obtained by amperometric detection of the product enzymatically generated from the mixture of H2O2and 3,3,5,5-tetramethylbenzidine (TMB).The use of magnetic beads provides the capability to preconcentrate the sample and avoid the poisoning of the electrode surface through non specific absorptions.The experimental conditions of the magneto-immunological assay has been optimized and a calibration curve has been obtained between 0-2 ng/mL domoic acid, being able to detect down to 100 pg/mL domoic acid. Acknowledgements This work has been carried out in the framework of FLAshMoB project. This project is funded by the MarTERA partners; Italian Ministry of Education, Universities and Research (MIUR), French National Research Agency (ANR) and Spanish Centre for the Development of Industrial Technology (CDTI) and co-funded by the European Union.

Simulation of the Thermal Behavior of Cast Iron Brake Block during Braking Maneuvers

In recent years, the interest in monitoring the operating conditions of freight wagons has grown significantly to improve the safety of railway vehicles. The railway research group of the Politecnico di Torino has been working for years on the development of solutions to effectively monitor the operating conditions of passenger and freight rail vehicles. As part of the national Cluster ITS Italy 2020 project funded by Italian ministry of education, university and research (MIUR), the Politecnico di Torino has collected a considerable amount of data thanks to the wired and wireless prototypes developed. The data obtained are used in this paper for the validation and calibration of a finite element (FE) model that simulates the temperature variation of a cast iron brake block due to braking operations of an intermodal freight wagon. The developed model can be a useful tool to predict the temperature at the wheel–shoe interface as a function of the current operating conditions since a direct measurement is not easy to perform.

Fshr: a fish sex-determining locus shows variable incomplete penetrance across flathead grey mullet populations.

SummaryWhole-genome sequencing data were produced from a single flathead grey mullet female and assembled into a draft genome sequence, whereas publicly available sequence data were used to obtain a male draft sequence. Two pools, each consisting of 60 unrelated individuals, respectively, of male and female fish were analyzed using Pool-Sequencing. Mapping and analysis of Pool-Seq data against the draft genome(s) revealed >30 loci potentially associated with sex, the most promising locus of which, encoding the follicle-stimulating hormone receptor (fshr) and harboring two missense variants, was genotyped on 245 fish from four Mediterranean populations. Genotype data showed that fshr represents a previously unknown sex-determining locus, although the incomplete association pattern between fshr genotype and sex-phenotype, the variability of such pattern across different populations, and the presence of other candidate loci reveal that a greater complexity underlies sex determination in the flathead grey mullet.

Entrepreneurship Education Centres in universities: evidence and insights from Italian “Contamination Lab” cases

PurposeEntrepreneurship Education (EE) is increasing throughout the world. In 2012, the Italian Ministry of Education, University and Research (MIUR) financed Contamination Labs (CLabs), which are laboratories that are aimed at developing entrepreneurial mindsets in all university students. This study analyses the entrepreneurial learning process mechanisms adopted in these CLabs.Design/methodology/approachAn ethnographic case study was performed in two Italian CLabs from October 2017 to December 2019.FindingsFindings demonstrate that the CLabs in Italy are promising Entrepreneurship Education Centres which create programmes to develop an entrepreneurial mindset in students with different educational backgrounds and levels. Interdisciplinarity in the composition of the student teams, virtuous contamination of knowledge and experience between the students and the stakeholders from the entrepreneurial ecosystem are the key pillars to foster an entrepreneurial mindset in all the students.Research limitations/implicationsThe limitations of this work regard the need to expand the analysis to all the other CLabs created in Italian universities.Practical implicationsThe findings provide indications that may be used to guide a university faculty in the design and management of Entrepreneurship Education Centres in collaboration with entrepreneurs, corporations, student clubs, incubators and representatives of the local entrepreneurial ecosystem. Moreover, the results point out a need to develop interdisciplinary entrepreneurial programmes.Originality/valueThe originality resides in the analysis of a novel type of Entrepreneurship Education Centre in Italian Universities created as the result of an ad-hoc Italian policy.

Sismo-Lab: an ASL Project for the realization of an educational kit on earthquakes

The Alternanza Scuola-Lavoro (ASL) is considered by the Italian Ministry of Education, University and Research (MIUR), an innovative teaching method which helps in consolidating the knowledge acquired at school and testing students’ attitudes though practical experience. As part of the ASL projects proposed at the University of Roma Tre, SISMO-LAB project is aimed to the creation of an educational kit on earthquakes.The main objectives of the project are: promotion of knowledge on earthquakes, improvement of analysis and design skills, and acquisition of methodological skills in the field of dissemination of scientific culture. Thirty-five students from 6 different schools were involved in the pilot project. The experience was assessed positively both by the students, who showed interest and involvement in the realization of the whole kit, and by their teachers who noticed an active and critical participation of their students in the various phases of project implementation. In particular, the workshop experience has attracted students for practical activities and for the fact that, that, once completed, the educational kit became property of the school. This positive feedback has encouraged university staff to continue the project in the future.

P2245Sex differences in the in-vivo markers of platelet activation among patients with ischemic heart disease: insights from the EVA study

Abstract Background/Introduction Ischemic heart diseases (IHD) are not synonymous with obstructive flow-limiting coronary artery disease (CAD), especially in women. Platelet dysfunction is suggested as a potential mechanism favouring ischemia in non-obstructive CAD. However, it is unknown whether sex differences in platelet function of patients with non-obstructive CAD exist. Purpose We assessed for sex differences in in-vivo markers of platelet activation among patients with the acute coronary syndrome and chronic stable angina, with or without obstructive CAD Methods From the “Endocrine Vascular disease Approach” (EVA) study, we selected IHD patients undergoing urgent or elective coronary angiography with complete baseline clinical characteristics and angiographic data. Non-obstructive CAD was defined as the presence of coronary stenosis <50%. Thromboxane B2 (TxB2) and soluble P-selectin (sP-s) were measured at baseline. A sex-stratified analysis of platelet biomarkers was performed. Results Among two-hundred-seventy-seven patients (mean age 67±11, 37% women), non-obstructive CAD was documented in 25% of patients. Acute coronary syndrome (ACS) was the reason for angiography in 61% of cases. Women had more frequently ACS, as compared with men (54.8% vs 41.3%, p=0.001), with predominantly non-obstructive CAD. Median serum TxB2 (121.5 [92.7–174.0] vs 103.5 [83.0–140.2] pg/ml, p=0.005) and plasma sP-s (27.0 [18.7–35.0] vs 22.0 [16.0–30.0] ng/ml, p=0.006) levels were higher in patients with ACS as compared with the ones with stable chronic angina. The median concentration of TxB2 was significantly increased in women as compared with men, regardless of the clinical presentation and the coronary stenosis degree (all comparison, p<0.001). However, women with non-obstructive CAD were the group with the highest serum levels of TxB2 (140.0 [111.0–152.0] pg/ml). Sex differences in the plasma sP-s level were also observed among patients with stable chronic angina (women, 26 [20.0–34.0] vs men, 21 [16.6–27.7] ng/ml, p=0.002) and with non-obstructive CAD (women, 26 [20.5–34.5] vs men, 18.5 [16.6–26.0] ng/ml, p=0.003). Conclusion(s) Women with IHD and non-obstructive CAD had increased level of TxB2 and sP-s as compared with men, independently by the clinical presentation. Further investigations are warranted to verify the role of platelet hyperactivation in the pathogenesis of myocardial ischemia with non-obstructive coronary artery disease among women. Acknowledgement/Funding Scientific Independence of Young Researchers Program (RBSI14HNVT) - Ministry of Education, University and Research (MIUR)

Meaningful student involvement. Students as “researchers”: a physics laboratory experience from space to microworld

Teaching physics and technology is a challenging, rewarding and exciting arena where teachers share the fascinating concepts of physics and technology evolution in a room full of young and inquisitive minds. Every day teaching experience confirms that Science learning motivation is correlated to real world applications. According to the last PISA-OECD survey, the performance of Italian students in STEM is below the OECD average. In the last years the Italian Ministry of Education, University and Research (MIUR) has been active in promoting a wide plan to improve STEM learning. These actions strongly supported the connections and collaborations between high schools, universities and research centers. In this framework, the Frascati National Laboratories (LNF) play a very important role in science dissemination through a rich program of physics education activities addressed to Italian teachers and students from all the world. The main idea is that meaningful involvement of students can take the form of engaging students as researchers. In this article the LNF activities for schools are presented with a focus on a case study of a work-related learning program attended by seventeen students of the high school “Liceo Siciliani” from Catanzaro (Italy) in February/March 2017. The students had the possibility to participate in two different experiences related to particle physics and nanotechnology. The project concerning particle physics will have a follow up, since the school “Liceo Siciliani” proposed an experiment on cosmic rays that will take place in the Calabria region, based on the experimental setup the students studied and used at LNF.

Reasons for Attending a MOOC: A Survey on EduOpen Learners

In the Italian university context, starting from 2016, EduOpen portal (https://learn.eduopen.org) was launched. It was realized within a project funded by the Italian Ministry of Education, University and Research (MIUR) for an extraordinary intervention based on art. 11 of the Ministerial Decree of November 4 n. 815 (distribution of the Ordinary Financing Fund). The MOOC platform is made up of 17 Italian universities and a set of selected partners; the network is open to the access of other universities and institutions, associations of scientific and cultural relevance.

Out-migration of university enrolment: the mobility behaviour of Italian students

Purpose Student mobility from the south to the north/centre of Italy is an increasingly crucial topic because the most important consequence is the continual depletion of universities situated in the southern regions. Using micro-data from the Italian Ministry of Education, University and Research (MIUR), the purpose of this paper is to investigate how contextual factors affect this mobility. Design/methodology/approach Empirical evidence is provided by developing a multilevel logit model of student decisions to move at university enrolment that allows us to identify the unique effects that student and province characteristics have on out-migration. Multilevel analysis is appropriate because the research questions focus on the role of province characteristics, variables that are measured at the macro level, on student-level outcome (out-migration) while controlling for student-level characteristics, variables that are measured at the micro level. Findings The present paper intends to contribute to the literature by quantifying the way in which contextual factors affect student mobility from the south to the north/centre of Italy. Findings show that province differences remain significant even after controlling for individual characteristics stressing the importance of the geographical dimension for student mobility. These findings have important policy implications for the future of university system in Italy. Originality/value This paper is relevant to the literature concerning this issue because most of the empirical applications are based on spatial models that do not take into account individual characteristics of the students. In addition, the multilevel methodology proposed can be easily generalise to other countries.

Percutaneous Closure Versus Medical Treatment in Stroke Patients With Patent Foramen Ovale

New evidence emerged recently regarding the percutaneous closure of patent foramen ovale (PFO) to prevent recurrent stroke in patients with cryptogenic stroke. To compare risks for recurrent cerebrovascular events in adults with PFO and cryptogenic stroke who underwent PFO closure versus those who received medical therapy alone. PubMed, Scopus, and Google Scholar from 1 December 2004 through 14 September 2017; references of eligible studies; relevant scientific session abstracts; and cardiology Web sites. Randomized controlled trials, published in English, that compared PFO closure using a currently available device with medical treatment alone and that reported, at minimum, the rates of stroke or transient ischemic attack (TIA) or of new-onset atrial fibrillation (AF) or atrial flutter (AFL). 2 investigators independently extracted study data and assessed study quality. 4 of 5 trials comparing PFO closure with medical therapy used commercially available devices. These 4 trials, involving 2531 patients, found that PFO closure reduced the risk for the main outcome of stroke or TIA (risk difference [RD], -0.029 [95% CI, -0.050 to -0.007]) and increased the risk for new-onset AF or AFL (RD, 0.033 [CI, 0.012 to 0.054]). The beneficial effect of PFO closure was associated with larger interatrial shunts (P= 0.034). Trials were not double-blind, and inclusion criteria were heterogeneous. Compared with medical treatment, PFO closure prevents recurrent stroke and TIA but increases the incidence of AF or AFL in PFO carriers with cryptogenic stroke. Italian Ministry of Education, University and Research (MIUR). (PROSPERO: CRD42017074686).

Are they publishing? A descriptive cross-sectional profile and bibliometric analysis of the journal publication productivity of Italian physiotherapists

BackgroundIn a clinical science-based profession such as physiotherapy, research is mandatory to update knowledge and to provide cost-effective, high quality treatments. This study aimed to provide point prevalence of Italian physiotherapists who are academics, holding a PhD degree, or being authors of scientific papers. The scientific journal productivity of physiotherapists was also thoroughly analyzed.MethodsA descriptive cross-sectional study was carried out on all Italian physiotherapists. Academics, postdoctoral research fellows, and PhD graduates were identified by searching the Italian Ministry of Education, University and Research (MIUR), Italian Society of Physiotherapy, and university websites. Then, authors of articles indexed in Scopus were searched. The following data were extracted: type of affiliation, authorship order, H-index, number of publications and citations, name of journals, year of publication, and journal’s Impact Factor.ResultsThe prevalence of academics, physiotherapists holding a PhD, or being author was 0.01%, 0.05%, and 0.56%, respectively. We identified 1083 papers co-authored by Italian physiotherapists, and their number has progressively increased over the years (p < 0.001). There was a significant difference between researchers and clinicians in both publication productivity (p < 0.01), citations (p < 0.01), and H-Index (p = 0.05). Articles were published in 359 different journals, receiving a total of 13,373 citations.ConclusionsDespite the low prevalence of faculty members and the reduced availability of PhD programs in Italy (forcing some students to study abroad), the quantity and quality of journal productivity is growing fast, and an increasing number of physiotherapists are involved in research activities.

The EEE project – Science in schools: state and results

The Extreme Energy Events (EEE) project is an extended array for cosmic rays survey. It was conceived by Antonino Zichichi and supported by the Museo Storico della Fisica e Centro Studi e Ricerche “Enrico Fermi” with the collaboration of the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN), of the Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare (INFN) and of the Italian Ministry of Education, University and Research (MIUR). This experiment is aimed to study cosmic rays of extreme high energy, and related phenomena. To achieve this goal, a network of nearly 50 muon telescopes has been installed in high schools, distributed throughout the Italian territory, either as single stations or clusters. During the second coordinated run of data taking, which ended in May 2016, 25 billion muon tracks were detected and reconstructed. This huge amount of data, allows us to undertake various studies: the dependence of the local muon flux on solar activity; the sky anisotropy on sub-TeV scale; event correlations, due to EAS, between clustered telescopes at distances from a few hundred meters to over a kilometre. The status of the project and some results will be presented.

Exploring the relationship between university and innovation: evidence from the Italian food industry

ABSTRACTThis study provides empirical evidence on the role of universities’ technological transfer (TT) activities in the Italian manufacturing sector, with particular attention to the food industry. Using the UniCredit-Capitalia database (2008) for firms and data from the Ministry of Education, University and Research (MIUR) to obtain the university TT indicator, we estimate a probit model to assess the effect of universities’ TT activities on a firm’s likelihood to innovate. The role of proximity in knowledge spillovers from TT activities is also investigated. Results show that university TT activities seem to stimulate food industry firms innovation and the impact appears significantly higher than for the manufacturing sector. Moreover, the effect of TT activities on innovation appears to be geographically bounded. As regards policy implications, this study provides two insights which may help promote innovation in the food sector. First, the factors that influence innovative capability in the food sector are different from those in other sectors, suggesting the need for sector specific instruments for promoting innovation. Second, science is important in the food industry and this raises questions about the policy of mainly considering high-tech industries when promoting a closer relationship between firms and universities.

Improving Italian general practice training: the role of academia.

The modern Italian national health service is a Beveridgean system centred around GPs and funded by central taxation.1,2 In order to become eligible to work as a GP, Italian doctors need to undertake a 3-year postgraduate training in general practice.3–6 The latter training — governed nationally by the Italian Ministry of Health and locally by the various Italian regions — is organised by the primary care establishment.3–6 By contrast, all other postgraduate medical specialties in Italy are organised by universities and are governed by the Ministry of Education, University and Research (MIUR). On successful conclusion of the above GP training, Italian doctors are awarded a certificate of completion of training which is then mutually recognised in all member states of the European Union (EU).3–5 Italian doctors in postgraduate university specialty training (that is, non-GP trainees) had not benefited from any financial support from the government during their training until 1991. From 1992 until 2000 a tax-free monthly studentship of about 960 000 Italian Lira was introduced to support non-GP trainees; the latter bursary then became approximately €960 from 2000 to 2006 (after the introduction the Euro currency to Italy). Proper working contracts with an annual gross salary of €22 700 (a variable monthly amount of €1600–1700 after taxes) for this category of specialist trainees started in 2007. As a result, the Italian Supreme Court recently ordered the Italian government to pay compensation to Italian doctors training for medical specialities governed by the university authority from 1 January 1983 onward, in compliance with the Directives of the Council of the EU regarding stipends of doctors during postgraduate specialist training. The latter directives were accompanied by related decisions of regional tribunals. Unfortunately, these decisions concerned only doctors in training in secondary care specialties (that is, non-GP trainees), while Italian GP trainees currently still lack working contracts for their postgraduate clinical training in …

Gender inequalities in Italian academia. What future for female academics?

In the last 20 years, the Italian Ministry of Education, University and Research (MIUR) has enacted two major reforms and passed a number of parliamentary acts that have radically changed the Italian academic system, e.g., the role of the permanent researcher was abolished and different types of fixed-term researchers were introduced. So far, very little is known on the effects of these reforms on men and women’s career progressions. Using a unique dataset that includes information on the whole Italian academic staff, this paper aims to provide an overview of the changes that the reforms introduced in the academic system and compare male and female scholars’ conditions within the university. The focus of the paper is on the young cohorts of academics who work as researchers. The main finding is that, in a context in which the selection and recruitment processes are not exclusively based on merit, the «gender neutral» MIUR reforms are contributing to the reproduction of the female disadvantage.

The CoMAS Project: New Materials and Tools for Improving the In situ Documentation, Restoration, and Conservation of Underwater Archaeological Remains

AbstractOn November 2, 2001, the UNESCO Convention on the Protection of the Underwater Cultural Heritage provided a detailed state cooperation system and set out the basic principles for the protection of underwater cultural heritage. To date, the Convention has been ratified by 51 countries. One of the four main principles states that the In situ preservation of underwater cultural heritage should be considered as the first option before allowing or engaging in any further activities. In accordance with these principles and recommendations, in the last years many projects intended for developing and testing new techniques and tools to support In situ conservation of underwater archaeological remains have been funded and are now underway.This paper describes the contribution of the CoMAS project (In situ conservation planning of Underwater Archaeological Artifacts—&lt;ext-link ext-link-type="uri" href="http://www.comasproject.eu"&gt;http://www.comasproject.eu&lt;/ext-link&gt;), funded by the Italian Ministry of Education, Universities and Research (MIUR) and run by a partnership of private companies and public research centers. The CoMAS project aims at the development of new materials, techniques, and tools for the documentation, conservation, and restoration of underwater archaeological sites in their natural environment. The paper describes in detail the results achieved during the project in the development of innovative materials, mechatronic tools, and armed remotely operated vehicle systems that can efficiently support the restorers' work in all their activities for preserving underwater cultural heritage in its original location on the seafloor.

Laboratory tests addressed to realize customized restoration procedures of underwater archaeological ceramic finds

The present contribution is part of a biennial research project funded by the Italian Ministry of Education, Universities and Research (MIUR). This study, currently in progress, deals with innovative experimental approaches applied to the chemical, mineralogical and physical transformations occurring during the prolonged permanence of archaeological ceramic finds in seawater environments as well as to restoration and conservation issues of the same underwater artifacts. The experimental approach used in this research consisted in the manufacture of ceramic test-pieces (briquettes) and their successive placing in underwater environment. This work aims at assessing how textural and compositional parameters along with firing temperatures of a ceramic paste could affect total porosity, pore size distribution and kinetics of capillary water absorption. A further purpose is concerned with the study of the potential modification of porosity and pore size distribution in the same ceramic bodies after immersion in seawater (3 and 6 months). The study was carried out using a multi-technique approach including investigations through polarized light microscopy (PLM), capillary water absorption test, mercury intrusion porosimetry (MIP) analyses and theoretical calculation of salt crystallization pressures. The obtained results show a different behavior of the six experimental pastes as a function of their compositional and textural features as well as pore size distribution and firing temperatures. These parameters, in various extents, have been found significantly influencing the kinetics of water absorption and the susceptibility of ceramic artifacts to salt crystallization processes, with important implications on conservation procedures needed before the musealization.

Diagnostic analysis of stone materials from underwater excavations: the case study of the Roman archaeological site of Baia (Naples, Italy)

This work belongs to the framework of the national research project “COMAS” (Planned COnservation, “in situ”, of underwater archaeological artifacts), funded by the Italian Ministry of Education, Universities and Research (MIUR), concerning the submarine archaeological area of Baia (Naples, Italy). The site includes remains of the ancient cities of Baiae and Portus Iulius, which, since the 4th century AD, started to be submerged because of the bradyseism phenomenon. The work aims to the characterization of four different types of stone materials collected from the site, specifically marbles, limestones, ignimbrites, and bricks, in order to investigate their state of conservation. In particular, specimens were sampled from some masonry structures and pavement slabs (opus sectile) in a specific area of the submerged site, called “Villa a Protiro”. In order to characterize archaeological samples from a mineralogical-petrographic point of view, polarized optical microscopy and X-ray diffraction analyses were carried out, while to assess their conservation state, the surface colonization by biodeteriogen agents and their interaction with the substrate were studied through observations under a stereomicroscope, scanning electron microscopy and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. Marble and limestone samples revealed an intense bioerosion phenomena, attributable to epilithic and endolithic forms, particularly boring sponges. On the contrary, ignimbrites suffer a lower degree of biological colonization related to the activity of other species, such as serpulids and bryozoans. In bricks, biocolonisation is correlated to the type of temper used in the artifact, the quartz pastes having a greater susceptibility to biological attack than the volcanic ones.