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\"The Explicit Material gathers varied perspectives from the discourses of conservation, curation and humanities disciplines to focus on aspects of heritage transmission and material transitions. The authors observe and explicate the myriad transformations that works of different kinds -- manuscripts, archaeological artefacts, video art, installations, performances, film, and built heritage -- may undergo: changing contexts, changing matter, changing interpretations and display. Focusing on the vibrant materiality of artworks and artefacts, The Explicit Material puts an emphasis on objects as complex constructs of material relations. By so doing, it announces a shift in sensibilities and understandings of the significance of objects and the materials they are made of, and on the increasingly blurred boundaries between the practices of conservation and curation\"-- Provided by publisher.

We developed a simple new selective LB-based medium, named CYP broth, suitable for recovering long-term stored Y. pestis subcultures and for isolation of Y. pestis strains from field-caught samples for the Plague surveillance. It aimed to inhibit the growth contaminating microorganisms and enrich Y. pestis growth through iron supplementation. The performance of CYP broth on microbial growth from different gram-negative and gram-positive strains from American Type Culture Collection (ATCC®) and other clinical isolates, field-caught rodent samples, and more importantly, on several vials of ancient Y. pestis subcultures was evaluated. Additionally, other pathogenic Yersinia species such as Y. pseudotuberculosis and Y. enterocolitica were also successfully isolated with CYP broth. Selectivity tests and bacterial growth performance on CYP broth (LB broth supplemented with Cefsulodine, Irgasan, Novobiocin, nystatin and ferrioxamine E) were evaluated in comparison with LB broth without additive; LB broth/CIN, LB broth/nystatin and with traditional agar media including LB agar without additive, and LB agar and Cefsulodin-Irgasan-Novobiocin Agar (CIN agar) supplemented with 50 µg/mL of nystatin. Of note, the CYP broth had a recovery twofold higher than those of the CIN supplemented media or other regular media. Additionally, selectivity tests and bacterial growth performance were also evaluated on CYP broth in the absence of ferrioxamine E. The cultures were incubated at 28 °C and visually inspected for microbiological growth analysis and O.D.625 nm measurement between 0 and 120 h. The presence and purity of Y. pestis growth were confirmed by bacteriophage and multiplex PCR tests. Altogether, CYP broth provides an enhanced growth of Y. pestis at 28 °C, while inhibiting contaminant microorganisms. The media is a simple, but powerful tool to improve the reactivation and decontamination of ancient Y. pestis culture collections and for the isolation of Y. pestis strains for the Plague surveillance from various backgrounds. Key points• The newly described CYP broth improves the recuperation of ancient/contaminated Yersinia pestis culture collections• CYP broth was also efficient in reducing environmental contamination in field-capture samples, improving Y. pestis isolation• CYP broth can also be used for the isolation of Y. enterocolitica and Y. pseudotuberculosis

\"Biocultural collections document the remarkable richness and diversity of human engagements with nature. This handbook, written and edited by experts from around the world, is the first practical resource for those involved in the use and curation of such collections.\"--Page 4 of cover.

ABSTRACT The European Culture Collections’ Organisation presents two new model documents for Material Deposit Agreement (MDA) and Material Transfer Agreement (MTA) designed to enable microbial culture collection leaders to draft appropriate agreement documents for, respectively, deposit and supply of materials from a public collection. These tools provide guidance to collections seeking to draft an MDA and MTA, and are available in open access to be used, modified, and shared. The MDA model consists of a set of core fields typically included in a ‘deposit form’ to collect relevant information to facilitate assessment of the status of the material under access and benefit sharing (ABS) legislation. It also includes a set of exemplary clauses to be included in ‘terms and conditions of use’ for culture collection management and third parties. The MTA model addresses key issues including intellectual property rights, quality, safety, security and traceability. Reference is made to other important tools such as best practices and code of conduct related to ABS issues. Besides public collections, the MDA and MTA model documents can also be useful for individual researchers and microbial laboratories that collect or receive microbial cultures, keep a working collection, and wish to share their material with others. To facilitate access to biological materials in compliance with legal requirements, including the Convention on Biological Diversity and the Nagoya Protocol, the European Culture Collections’ Organisation (ECCO) developed two new model documents for Material Deposit Agreement (MDA) and Material Transfer Agreement (MTA).

Microalgae culture collections may contain unexplored strains with great biotechnological potential. Through sampling, identification, characterization, and maintenance of local strains, part of the work described here led to the establishment of the first public Swiss microalgae culture collection, AlgoScope. The potential biotechnological applications of 7 strains from among over 120 native strains were suggested based on growth parameters and biochemical composition. Under standardized growth conditions, Tetradesmus obliquus FAM 27852 and FAM 27855, Chloroidium saccharophilum FAM 27962, Chlorella vulgaris FAM 27965, Stichococcus sp. FAM 27986, Desmodesmus sp. FAM 28090, and Tetranephris brasiliensis FAM 28097 had growth rates of 0.24 d −1 –0.80 d −1 and biomass productivities of 0.24 g L −1 d −1 –0.73 g L −1 d −1 . Proteins, lipids, carbohydrates, and ashes ranged from 32.88 to 53.54%, 9.69–18.08%, 9.32–23.94%, and 3.17–5.51%, respectively. All strains had a similar amino acid composition, containing all essential amino acids. In contrast, the fatty acid composition varied among strains, but, in general, the fatty acids were rich in PUFAs (23.83–53.49% of total fatty acids). Overall, C. saccharophilum FAM 27962 and T. brasiliensis FAM 28097 showed great potential for use in the animal feed sector.

Plant and fungal specimens provide the auditable evidence that a particular organism occurred at a particular place, and at a particular point in time, verifying past occurrence and distribution. They also document the aspects of human exploration and culture. Collectively specimens form a global asset with significant potential for new uses to help address societal and environmental challenges. Collections also serve as a platform to engage and educate a broad range of stakeholders from the academic to the public, strengthening engagement and understanding of plant and fungal diversity—the basis of life on Earth. Societal Impact Statement Plant and fungal specimens provide the auditable evidence that a particular organism occurred at a particular place, and at a particular point in time, verifying past occurrence and distribution. They also document the aspects of human exploration and culture. Collectively specimens form a global asset with significant potential for new uses to help address societal and environmental challenges. Collections also serve as a platform to engage and educate a broad range of stakeholders from the academic to the public, strengthening engagement and understanding of plant and fungal diversity—the basis of life on Earth. Summary We provide a global review of the current state of plant and fungal collections including herbaria and fungaria, botanic gardens, fungal culture collections, and biobanks. The review focuses on the numbers of collections, major taxonomic group and species level coverage, geographical representation and the extent to which the data from collections are digitally accessible. We identify the major gaps in these collections and in digital data. We also consider what collection types need to be further developed to support research, such as environmental DNA and cryopreservation of desiccation‐sensitive seeds. Around 31% of vascular plant species are represented in botanic gardens, and 17% of known fungal species are held in culture collections, both these living collections showing a bias toward northern temperate taxa. Only 21% of preserved collections are available via the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) with Asia, central and north Africa and Amazonia being relatively under‐represented. Supporting long‐term collection facilities in biodiverse areas should be considered by governmental and international aid agencies, in addition to short‐term project funding. Institutions should consider how best to speed up digitization of collections and to disseminate all data via aggregators such as GBIF, which will greatly facilitate use, research, and community curation to improve quality. There needs to be greater alignment between biodiversity informatics initiatives and standards to allow more comprehensive analysis of collections data and to facilitate linkage of extended information, facilitating broader use. Much can be achieved with greater coordination through existing initiatives and strengthening relationships with users.

Microbial isolation methods are crucial for producing comprehensive microbial culture collections that reflect the richness and diversity of natural microbiotas. Few studies have focused on isolation of plant-associated microbiota, with even less focus on forest trees. Here, we tested two isolation methods, (i) agar plating and (ii) dilution-to-extinction, for isolation of microbiota from leaf, stem, and root/rhizosphere tissues of oak trees. Microbial isolates obtained (culture-dependent) and the endogenous oak microbiota of the source tissue samples (culture-independent) were characterized by 16S rRNA gene and ITS community profiling. We found that the type of growth medium, incubation conditions, and sample type inoculated onto agar influenced the number of isolates and taxonomic richness of the isolates obtained. Most bacterial and fungal ASVs obtained from isolation-based approaches were only obtained using one of the two isolation methods, with only 12% of the ASVs detected in both. Moreover, the isolation methods captured microorganisms not detected by culture-independent analysis of the microbiota, suggesting these approaches can complement culture-independent analysis by enriching low-abundant taxa. Our results suggest that dilution-to-extinction and agar-plating approaches captured distinct fractions of the oak microbiota, and that a combination of both isolation methods was required to produce taxonomically richer microbial culture collections.