Sample records for iconography

  1. The Iconography and Symbolism of Sun God in Urartian Art

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Poghosyan, Gayane

    2016-12-01

    The predominating symbol of the winged sun disc in Urartian religious iconography testifies the significant role and importance of the sun in worship. The stylistic variation and peculiar iconographic features of the winged discs, sacred animals and divine images associated with solar deity shows the relationship between the cult of the sun god, sequence of the different phases of the year and constellations in Urartian culture. Such kind of iconography is possibly formed and stylized in result of interaction of ancient human imaginations, influence of rock paintings and religious beliefs.

  2. Where the Wild Things Are: The Evolving Iconography of Rural Fauna

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Buller, Henry

    2004-01-01

    This paper explores the changing relationship between "nature" and rurality through an examination of the shifting iconography of animals, and particularly "wild" animals, in a rural setting. Drawing upon a set of examples, the paper argues that the faunistic icons of rural areas are evolving as alternative conceptions of the countryside, of…

  3. "Perhaps Irrelevant". The Iconography of Tycho Brahe's Small Gilt Brass Quadrant.

    PubMed

    Perkins, Emma L; Taub, Liba

    2015-01-01

    When Tycho Brahe published a description of his astronomical instruments in 1598 as part of a strategy to procure royal patronage, it was not with one of his grander, precision measurement tools that he opened his account, but rather a small brass quadrant with limited observational utility. The defining feature of this instrument was seemingly a small emblematic image inscribed within the arc of the quadrant. Through this symbolic motif Tycho conveyed a moralising message about the relative worth of astronomy. Considering a range of visual productions that may have influenced his iconography, the present paper situates the quadrant within the broader context of Renaissance visual culture and examines the significance of the quadrant in Tycho's wider instrument collection.

  4. The iconography of mourning and its neural correlates: a functional neuroimaging study

    PubMed Central

    Labek, Karin; Berger, Samantha; Buchheim, Anna; Bosch, Julia; Spohrs, Jennifer; Dommes, Lisa; Beschoner, Petra; Stingl, Julia C.

    2017-01-01

    Abstract The present functional neuroimaging study focuses on the iconography of mourning. A culture-specific pattern of body postures of mourning individuals, mostly suggesting withdrawal, emerged from a survey of visual material. When used in different combinations in stylized drawings in our neuroimaging study, this material activated cortical areas commonly seen in studies of social cognition (temporo-parietal junction, superior temporal gyrus, and inferior temporal lobe), empathy for pain (somatosensory cortex), and loss (precuneus, middle/posterior cingular gyrus). This pattern of activation developed over time. While in the early phases of exposure lower association areas, such as the extrastriate body area, were active, in the late phases activation in parietal and temporal association areas and the prefrontal cortex was more prominent. These findings are consistent with the conventional and contextual character of iconographic material, and further differentiate it from emotionally negatively valenced and high-arousing stimuli. In future studies, this neuroimaging assay may be useful in characterizing interpretive appraisal of material of negative emotional valence. PMID:28449116

  5. The iconography of mourning and its neural correlates: a functional neuroimaging study.

    PubMed

    Labek, Karin; Berger, Samantha; Buchheim, Anna; Bosch, Julia; Spohrs, Jennifer; Dommes, Lisa; Beschoner, Petra; Stingl, Julia C; Viviani, Roberto

    2017-08-01

    The present functional neuroimaging study focuses on the iconography of mourning. A culture-specific pattern of body postures of mourning individuals, mostly suggesting withdrawal, emerged from a survey of visual material. When used in different combinations in stylized drawings in our neuroimaging study, this material activated cortical areas commonly seen in studies of social cognition (temporo-parietal junction, superior temporal gyrus, and inferior temporal lobe), empathy for pain (somatosensory cortex), and loss (precuneus, middle/posterior cingular gyrus). This pattern of activation developed over time. While in the early phases of exposure lower association areas, such as the extrastriate body area, were active, in the late phases activation in parietal and temporal association areas and the prefrontal cortex was more prominent. These findings are consistent with the conventional and contextual character of iconographic material, and further differentiate it from emotionally negatively valenced and high-arousing stimuli. In future studies, this neuroimaging assay may be useful in characterizing interpretive appraisal of material of negative emotional valence. © The Author (2017). Published by Oxford University Press.

  6. How did Leonardo perceive himself? Metric iconography of da Vinci's self-portraits

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Tyler, Christopher W.

    2010-02-01

    Some eighteen portraits are now recognized of Leonardo in old age, consolidating the impression from his bestestablished self-portrait of an old man with long white hair and beard. However, his appearance when younger is generally regarded as unknown, although he was described as very beautiful as a youth. Application of the principles of metric iconography, the study of the quantitative analysis of the painted images, provides an avenue for the identification of other portraits that may be proposed as valid portraits of Leonardo during various stages of his life, by himself and by his contemporaries. Overall, this approach identifies portraits of Leonardo by Verrocchio, Raphael, Botticelli, and others. Beyond this physiognomic analysis, Leonardo's first known drawing provides further insight into his core motivations. Topographic considerations make clear that the drawing is of the hills behind Vinci with a view overlooking the rocky promontory of the town and the plain stretching out before it. The outcroppings in the foreground bear a striking resemblance to those of his unique composition, 'The Virgin of the Rocks', suggesting a deep childhood appreciation of this wild terrain. and an identification with that religious man of the mountains, John the Baptist, who was also the topic of Leonardo's last known painting. Following this trail leads to a line of possible selfportraits continuing the age-regression concept back to a self view at about two years of age.

  7. Heavenly Networks. Celestial Maps and Globes in Circulation between Artisans, Mathematicians, and Noblemen in Renaissance Europe.

    PubMed

    Gessner, Samuel

    2015-01-01

    The aim of this paper is to examine the iconography on a set of star charts by Albrecht Dürer (1515), and celestial globes by Caspar Vopel (1536) and Christoph Schissler (1575). The iconography on these instruments is conditioned by strong traditions which include not only the imagery on globes and planispheres (star charts), but also ancient literature about the constellations. Where this iconography departs from those traditions, the change had to do with humanism in the sixteenth century. This "humanistic" dimension is interwoven with other concerns that involve both "social" and "technical" motivations. The interplay of these three dimensions illustrates how the iconography on celestial charts and globes expresses some features of the shared knowledge and shared culture between artisans, mathematicians, and nobles in Renaissance Europe.

  8. Fiscal Iconography

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Swartzentruber, Don

    2011-01-01

    The economy is often the feature story in our daily news. Synthesizing life is an essential skill for teenagers. The visual arts are a wonderful tool for students to process their situations and explore future aspirations. In this article, the author describes a lesson plan he developed to help students better understand their own situations, as…

  9. [Mediaeval anatomic iconography (Part II)].

    PubMed

    Barg, L

    1996-01-01

    In the second part of his paper the author has presented a mediaeval anatomical draft based on empirical studies. From the first drawings from XVth century showing the places of blood-letting and connected with astrological prognostics, to systematical drawings by Guido de Vigevano. He has stressed the parallel existence of two lines of teaching anatomy; one based on philosophical concepts (discussed in the first part of paper), the second one based on empirical concepts. The latter trend has formed the grounds for final transformation, which has taken place in anatomical science in age of Renaissance.

  10. Perspectives on science and art.

    PubMed

    Conway, Bevil R; Livingstone, Margaret S

    2007-08-01

    Artists try to understand how we see, sometimes explicitly exploring rules of perspective or color, visual illusions, or iconography, and conversely, scientists who study vision sometimes address the perceptual questions and discoveries raised by the works of art, as we do here.

  11. Medieval iconography of watermelons in Mediterranean Europe.

    PubMed

    Paris, Harry S; Daunay, Marie-Christine; Janick, Jules

    2013-09-01

    The watermelon, Citrullus lanatus (Cucurbitaceae), is an important fruit vegetable in the warmer regions of the world. Watermelons were illustrated in Mediterranean Antiquity, but not as frequently as some other cucurbits. Little is known concerning the watermelons of Mediterranean Europe during medieval times. With the objective of obtaining an improved understanding of watermelon history and diversity in this region, medieval drawings purportedly of watermelons were collected, examined and compared for originality, detail and accuracy. The oldest manuscript found that contains an accurate, informative image of watermelon is the Tractatus de herbis, British Library ms. Egerton 747, which was produced in southern Italy, around the year 1300. A dozen more original illustrations were found, most of them from Italy, produced during the ensuing two centuries that can be positively identified as watermelon. In most herbal-type manuscripts, the foliage is depicted realistically, the plants shown as having long internodes, alternate leaves with pinnatifid leaf laminae, and the fruits are small, round and striped. The manuscript that contains the most detailed and accurate image of watermelon is the Carrara Herbal, British Library ms. Egerton 2020. In the agriculture-based manuscripts, the foliage, if depicted, is not accurate, but variation in the size, shape and coloration of the fruits is evident. Both red-flesh and white-flesh watermelons are illustrated, corresponding to the typical sweet dessert watermelons so common today and the insipid citron watermelons, respectively. The variation in watermelon fruit size, shape and coloration depicted in the illustrations indicates that at least six cultivars of watermelon are represented, three of which probably had red, sweet flesh and three of which appear to have been citrons. Evidently, citron watermelons were more common in Mediterranean Europe in the past than they are today.

  12. The Iconography of Universities as Institutional Narratives

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Drori, Gili S.; Delmestri, Giuseppe; Oberg, Achim

    2016-01-01

    The coming of "brand society" and the onset of mediatization spur universities to strategize their visual identity and pay particular attention to their icon. Resulting from branding initiatives, university icons are visual self-representations and material-cum-symbolic forms of organizational identity. In this work we ask: What identity…

  13. Medieval iconography of watermelons in Mediterranean Europe

    PubMed Central

    Paris, Harry S.; Daunay, Marie-Christine; Janick, Jules

    2013-01-01

    Background and Aims The watermelon, Citrullus lanatus (Cucurbitaceae), is an important fruit vegetable in the warmer regions of the world. Watermelons were illustrated in Mediterranean Antiquity, but not as frequently as some other cucurbits. Little is known concerning the watermelons of Mediterranean Europe during medieval times. With the objective of obtaining an improved understanding of watermelon history and diversity in this region, medieval drawings purportedly of watermelons were collected, examined and compared for originality, detail and accuracy. Findings The oldest manuscript found that contains an accurate, informative image of watermelon is the Tractatus de herbis, British Library ms. Egerton 747, which was produced in southern Italy, around the year 1300. A dozen more original illustrations were found, most of them from Italy, produced during the ensuing two centuries that can be positively identified as watermelon. In most herbal-type manuscripts, the foliage is depicted realistically, the plants shown as having long internodes, alternate leaves with pinnatifid leaf laminae, and the fruits are small, round and striped. The manuscript that contains the most detailed and accurate image of watermelon is the Carrara Herbal, British Library ms. Egerton 2020. In the agriculture-based manuscripts, the foliage, if depicted, is not accurate, but variation in the size, shape and coloration of the fruits is evident. Both red-flesh and white-flesh watermelons are illustrated, corresponding to the typical sweet dessert watermelons so common today and the insipid citron watermelons, respectively. The variation in watermelon fruit size, shape and coloration depicted in the illustrations indicates that at least six cultivars of watermelon are represented, three of which probably had red, sweet flesh and three of which appear to have been citrons. Evidently, citron watermelons were more common in Mediterranean Europe in the past than they are today. PMID:23904443

  14. Perspectives on science and art

    PubMed Central

    Conway, Bevil R; Livingstone, Margaret S

    2009-01-01

    Artists try to understand how we see, sometimes explicitly exploring rules of perspective or color, visual illusions, or iconography, and conversely, scientists who study vision sometimes address the perceptual questions and discoveries raised by the works of art, as we do here. PMID:17851068

  15. Sisterhood Surveyed. Proceedings of the Mid-Atlantic Women's Studies Association Conference (West Chester, Pennsylvania, October 1-2, 1982).

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Sessa, Anne Dzamba, Ed.

    Proceedings of the 1982 conference of the Mid-Atlantic Women's Studies Association are presented. Synopses of sessions include the following topics: iconography of sisterhood, matriarchy, ethnic and cultural critiques, political perspectives, and nontraditional women students. Conference papers and authors are as follows: "Friends for Half a…

  16. Eyes on the Future: Converging Images, Ideas, and Instruction. Selected Readings from the Annual Conference of the International Visual Literacy Association (27th, Chicago, Illinois October 18-22, 1995).

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Griffin, Robert E., Ed.; And Others

    This document contains 47 selected papers from the 1995 International Visual Literacy Association (IVLA) conference. Topics include: the cultural significance of tombstone iconography; the predicted impact of multimedia on education and entertainment; the effects of digital imaging on the art of photography; visual representation of the structure…

  17. Marine Creatures and the Sea in Bronze Age Greece: Ambiguities of Meaning

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Berg, Ina

    2013-06-01

    Like most cultures, prehistoric Greek communities had an ambiguous relationship with the sea and the creatures that inhabit it. Positive and negative associations always co-existed, though the particular manifestations changed over time. By drawing together evidence of consumption of marine animals, seafaring, fishing, and iconography, this article unites disparate strands of evidence in an attempt to illuminate the relationship prehistoric Greeks had with marine creatures and the sea. Based on the marked reduction in seafood consumption after the Mesolithic and the use of marine creatures in funerary iconography in the post-palatial period, it becomes apparent that the sea—then as now—is an inherently ambiguous medium that captures both positive and negative emotions. On the one hand, the sea and the animals residing in it are strongly associated with death. On the other hand, the sea's positive dimensions, such as fertility and rebirth, are expressed in conspicuous marine consumption events.

  18. Proceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (75th, Montreal, Quebec, Canada, August 5-8, 1992). Part XVI: Miscellaneous Studies.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication.

    The Miscellaneous Studies section of the proceedings contains the following 16 papers: "Mickey Mouse and Bugs Bunny: Iconography of Two Corporate Stars" (William A. Mikulak); "We Know Who You Are: A Niche Communications Explication and Model" (Jana Frederick-Collins); "The Ways They Get Their Stories: Is Utilitarianism the…

  19. "Solid All the Way Through": Margaret Mahy's Ordinary Witches

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Waller, Alison

    2004-01-01

    In "The Haunting," "The Changeover," and "The Tricksters," Margaret Mahy fuses supernatural iconography of witchcraft and magic with images of ordinary and domestic adolescence. This article argues that Mahy's "fantastic realism" illuminates aspects of female teenage experience through a blend of myth, fairy tale, folklore and history, as well as…

  20. Scopic Regime Change: The War of Terror, Visual Culture, and Art Education

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Darts, David; Tavin, Kevin; Sweeny, Robert W.; Derby, John

    2008-01-01

    This study examines visual dimensions and pedagogical repercussions of the war of terror. Iconographies of threat and prophylaxis are explored through a discussion of the actuarial gaze and the terr(or)itorialization of the visual field. Specific visual culture fallout from the war of terror is examined, including artistic responses and…

  1. Nostalgia and Educational History: An American Image

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Rousmaniere, Kate

    2017-01-01

    This essay examines the way in which nostalgia informs the 1953 painting of a school setting by the popular American artist Norman Rockwell. "The Girl with Black Eye", the cover image of the American popular magazine "The Saturday Evening Post" on 23 May 1953, draws on traditional American iconography of the disciplining of…

  2. A Dialogic Approach to the Composing Process: Table Talk and the Romantic Essay.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Haefner, Joel

    Many compositionists correctly charge Romanticism with conveying the iconography of the solitary writer and with embedding that image in modern ideology. There can be little doubt that numerous Romantic texts continue to exalt and signify the concept of the lonely genius and the self-contained text. Romantic masterpieces have contributed to the…

  3. Iconography in Bradshaw rock art: breaking the circularity.

    PubMed

    Pettigrew, Jack

    2011-09-01

    Interpreting the symbols found in the rock art of an extinct culture is hampered by the fact that such symbols are culturally determined. How does one break the circularity inherent in the fact that the knowledge of both the symbols and the culture comes from the same source? In this study, the circularity is broken for the Bradshaw rock art of the Kimberley by seeking anchors from outside the culture. Bradshaw rock art in the Kimberley region of Australia and Sandawe rock art in the Kolo region of Eastern Tanzania were surveyed in six visits on foot, by vehicle, by helicopter and from published or shared images, as well as from the published and online images of Khoisan rock art. Uniquely shared images between Bradshaw and Sandawe art, such as the 'mushroom head' symbol of psilocybin use, link the two cultures and indicate that they were shamanistic. Therefore, many mysterious features in the art can be understood in terms of trance visualisations. A number of other features uniquely link Bradshaw and Sandawe cultures, such as a special affinity for small mammals. There are also many references to baobabs in early Bradshaw art but not later. This can be explained in the context of the Toba super-volcano, the likely human transport of baobabs to the Kimberley and the extraordinary utility of the baobab. Many more mysterious symbols in Bradshaw rock art might await interpretation using the approaches adopted here. © 2011 The Author. Clinical and Experimental Optometry © 2011 Optometrists Association Australia.

  4. Child Soldiers and Iconography: Portrayals and (Mis)Representations

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Denov, Myriam

    2012-01-01

    Over the past decade, child soldiers have inundated the popular media. Images of boys armed with AK47s appear ubiquitous, providing a cautionary tale of innocent childhood gone awry. While these representations turn commonly held assumptions of a protected and innocuous childhood on its head, what they conceal is as provocative as what they…

  5. The French Astronomical Archives Alidade Project

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Debarbat, S.; Bobis, L.

    2004-12-01

    The present state of Alidade, an archival project of Paris Observatory, including not only archival papers, but also instruments, documents, iconography, paintings etc., of various institutions, is described. Documents and collections, e.g. from donations or purchases, are still integrated into the archives, and selected material is displayed in temporary exhibits at the Observatory. Modern uses of old material are briefly mentioned

  6. Saved by the Bell: Derrick Bell's Racial Realism as Pedagogy

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Curry, Tommy

    2008-01-01

    The recent pop culture iconography of the Critical Race Theory (CRT) label has attracted more devoted (white) fans than a 90s boy band. In philosophy, this trend is evidenced by the growing number of white feminists extending their work in gender analogically to questions of race and identity, as well as the unchecked use of the CRT label to…

  7. The Gate of Heaven: Revisiting Roman Mithraic Cosmology

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Assasi, R.

    2016-01-01

    The definition and origins of Roman Mithraism remain highly problematic and controversial among modern scholars. The majority of research on Roman Mithraism focuses on interpreting the physical evidence because no considerable written narratives or theology from the religion survive. The most important Mithraic artifact is a repeated bull-slaying scene, which leaves no doubt that this figure conveys the core divine message of the cult. There is also another important Mithraic character that seems to be as important as the bull-slayer. This figure is a lion-headed man entwined by a snake. The author suggests that these figures represent the north ecliptic pole and argues for the importance of this astronomical reference in the Mithraic iconography and mythology. The author also demonstrates the possible relation of his proposed astrological model to the geocentric understanding of the axial precession around the ecliptic pole, where the Roman bull-slaying Mithras could be visualized in the form of a Mithraic constellation. This astrological model also is proposed to be the architectural design concept of Roman Mithraeum. The author also points to the core Christian symbols as possible contemporaneous parallels or derivatives of the Mithraic iconography and theology.

  8. [Oceanography and King Dom Carlos I's collection of iconography].

    PubMed

    Jardim, Maria Estela; Peres, Isabel Marília; Ré, Pedro Barcia; Costa, Fernanda Madalena

    2014-01-01

    After the Challenger expedition (1872-1878), other nations started to show interest in oceanographic research and organizing their own expeditions. As of 1885, Prince Albert I of Monaco conducted oceanographic campaigns with the collaboration of some of the best marine biologists and physical oceanographers of the day, inventing new techniques and instruments for the oceanographic work. Prince Albert's scientific activity certainly helped kindle the interest of his friend, Dom Carlos I, king of Portugal, in the study of the oceans and marine life. Both shared the need to use photography to document their studies. This article analyzes the role of scientific photography in oceanography, especially in the expeditions organized by the Portuguese monarch.

  9. [Iconography of N.I.Pirogov in "Military-medical magazine"].

    PubMed

    Poddubnyĭ, M V

    2010-11-01

    The portraits of Pirogov on the covers of the "Military medical magazine" for the period 1944-2010 were analyzed. During this period, we can count at least 11 different covers of "Military medical magazine" and 10 variants of Pirogov's portrait on it. We have no documents about the causes of changing scenes. Obviously, the initiative emanated from the publisher.

  10. Spontaneous involution of keratoacanthoma, iconographic documentation and similarity with volcanoes of nature.

    PubMed

    Enei Gahona, Maria Leonor; Machado Filho, Carlos d' Aparecida Santos

    2012-01-01

    Through iconography, we show a case of keratoacanthoma (KA) on the nasal dorsum at two different stages of evolution (maturation and regression) and its similarity with images of the Mount St. Helens volcano and the Orcus Patera crater. Using these illustrations, we highlight why the crateriform aspect of this tumor is included in its classic clinical description. Moreover, we photographically documented the self-involuting tendency of KA, an aspect that is seldom documented in the literature.

  11. No evidence for an early seventeenth-century Indian sighting of Kepler's supernova (SN1604)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    van Gent, R. H.

    2013-03-01

    In a recent paper in this journal, Sule et al. (2011) argued that an early 17th-century Indian mural of the constellation Sagittarius with a dragon-headed tail indicated that the bright supernova of 1604 was also sighted by Indian astronomers. In this paper it will be shown that this identification is based on a misunderstanding of traditional Islamic astrological iconography and that the claim that the mural represents an early 17th-century Indian sighting of the supernova of 1604 has to be rejected.

  12. Advances in Human-Computer Interaction: Graphics and Animation Components for Interface Design

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Cipolla Ficarra, Francisco V.; Nicol, Emma; Cipolla-Ficarra, Miguel; Richardson, Lucy

    We present an analysis of communicability methodology in graphics and animation components for interface design, called CAN (Communicability, Acceptability and Novelty). This methodology has been under development between 2005 and 2010, obtaining excellent results in cultural heritage, education and microcomputing contexts. In studies where there is a bi-directional interrelation between ergonomics, usability, user-centered design, software quality and the human-computer interaction. We also present the heuristic results about iconography and layout design in blogs and websites of the following countries: Spain, Italy, Portugal and France.

  13. Spanish Darwinian iconography: Darwin and evolutionism portrayed in Spanish press cartoons.

    PubMed

    Domínguez, Martí; Mateu, Anna

    2013-11-01

    The theory of evolution has played a major role in the press since it was put forward by Charles Darwin in 1859. Its key role in biology and human philosophy is reflected by its presence in press cartoons, sections where the image of social reality is depicted in a more direct and satirical light. Through cartoons, artists have used their ingenuity or wit to portray one of the most controversial scientific figures of the past two centuries. This study examines the views portrayed by Spanish cartoonists about Charles Darwin and evolutionary theory in 2009, the bicentenary of the naturalist's birth and the celebration of 150 years since the publication of On the Origin of Species. These cartoons show how the controversy between Darwinism and religion remain latent in the heart of Spanish society, and how the figure of Darwin has become one of the main icons of science.

  14. Francis Bacon's Valerius Terminus and the Voyage to the "Great Instauration".

    PubMed

    Serjeantson, Richard

    2017-01-01

    Francis Bacon's earliest surviving natural philosophical treatise (composed circa 1603) bears the title Valerius Terminus of the Interpretation of Nature. This study, resting on fresh attention to the surviving authorial manuscript, has three goals. It begins by identifying a lost precursor work apparently entitled "Of Active Knowledge." It then examines the significance of the pseudonyms Bacon chose to introduce his ideas, considering especially his invocation of Erasmus's emblem, the Roman deity Terminus. Finally, it shows how the Valerius Terminus's global vision of contemporary knowledge ultimately helped shape the iconography of Bacon's published Instauratio magna.

  15. The emergence of artistic ability following traumatic brain injury

    PubMed Central

    Midorikawa, Akira; Kawamura, Mitsuru

    2015-01-01

    In this study, the case of a patient who developed artistic ability following a traumatic brain injury is reported. The subject was a 49-year-old male who suffered brain injury at the age of 44 due to an accidental fall. At age 48, he began drawing with great enthusiasm and quickly developed a personal style with his own biomorphic iconography. At first, his drawing was restricted to realistic reproductions of photographs of buildings, but his style of drawing changed and became more personal and expressionistic over the following 6 months. PMID:24417345

  16. The emergence of artistic ability following traumatic brain injury.

    PubMed

    Midorikawa, Akira; Kawamura, Mitsuru

    2015-02-01

    In this study, the case of a patient who developed artistic ability following a traumatic brain injury is reported. The subject was a 49-year-old male who suffered brain injury at the age of 44 due to an accidental fall. At age 48, he began drawing with great enthusiasm and quickly developed a personal style with his own biomorphic iconography. At first, his drawing was restricted to realistic reproductions of photographs of buildings, but his style of drawing changed and became more personal and expressionistic over the following 6 months.

  17. "Need to Know" vs. "Need to Believe" in UFOlogy

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Teodorani, Massimo

    2009-09-01

    How authentic is UFO documentation? A lot of factors demonstrate -- doing a simple analysis -- that most of UFO photographic material, in particular the one that circulates on the web, is totally unreliable. It is not only a matter of lack of scientific method; it is mostly a simple matter of lack of common sense. The common sense of people is constantly made a fun of and the reasons of this are many, the most important of which is the emotional effect caused by the imaginary collective. UFO iconography is a drug at all effects, and can be used to switch minds in many ways, also to collect proselytes to make up new fanatic religions, but more generally to give people a sort of psychological medicine with which people can escape from the hard reality of everyday, where the continuous competitions of present society often obscure the human and spiritual dimension: people need to retrieve the very nucleus of their soul. This intimate need is clearly legitimate, but it is also risky: in fact persons who are not well rationally grounded are very easily subject to manipulation: it seems that most persons in the world are just in this condition, especially at our epoch. When critical thinking starts to lack, who leads this society has at his disposal a huge mass of sheep, ready to follow alleged miracles, saviour aliens and related gurus. The less people think in a grounded way the least this people are conscious of what is happening at their shoulders. This is the effect of UFO iconography.

  18. Metrics of Justice. A Sundial's Nomological Figuration.

    PubMed

    Behrmann, Carolin

    2015-01-01

    This paper examines a polyhedral dial from the British Museum made by the instrument maker Ulrich Schniep, and discusses the status of multifunctional scientific instruments. It discerns a multifaceted iconic meaning considering different dimensions such as scientific functionality (astronomy), the complex allegorical figure of Justice (iconography), and the representation of the sovereign (politics), the court and the Kunstkammer of Albrecht v of Bavaria. As a numen mixtum the figure of "Justicia" touches different fields that go far beyond pure astronomical measurement and represents the power of the ruler as well as the rules of economic justice.

  19. George Eliot's interrogation of physiological future knowledge.

    PubMed

    Claggett, Shalyn

    2011-01-01

    This essay tracks George Eliot's sustained interest in the epistemological problems surrounding the Victorian tendency to envision the future through the body's materiality. It argues that her nuanced criticism of phrenology in "The Lifted Veil" (1859) and "A Minor Prophet" (1865) addresses the delimiting psychological and social effects that attend an applied theory of physiological determinism. Returning to this problem in Daniel Deronda (1876), Eliot offers Mordecai's plan to posit Deronda's body as a living emblem as a radical alternative to racial iconography and typological meaning—a move that allowed her to reconcile the body's legibility with a future beyond socially inscribed possibilities.

  20. [Images of nursing mothers in France, 18th and 19th centuries].

    PubMed

    Morel, Marie-France

    2010-01-01

    As they became more widely adopted in eighteenth- and nineteenth-century France, wet-nursing and wet-nurses appeared prominently in the iconography of the time. Such images turned negative as criticism against “mercenary breast-feeding” mounted. Over the nineteenth century in particular, wet-nurses were heavily featured in press caricatures: they were being mocked while described as simple-minded, dumb, greedy creatures, with proclivities ranging from a taste for garish attire, to sexual appetites fuelling trysts in public gardens with soldiers on leave. A representative sample of such images will be selected to highlight the codes and values underpinning this mockery.

  1. Seeing queerly: looking for lesbian presence and absence in United States visual art, 1890 to 1950.

    PubMed

    Langa, Helen

    2010-01-01

    The biographies of some U.S. women artists who developed professional careers between 1890 and 1950 reveal clues that suggest lesbian same-sex affections, but their works usually focus on the outside world rather than recognizably "lesbian" iconographies. Failure to acknowledge this distinction has led to a silencing that transforms what was present in life to an absence from history. Closer analysis from a queerly curious positioning can reinterpret coded hints, subtle choices, and what might seem absent or invisible to the heteronormative eye. This article suggests new possibilities for discerning lesbian presence and resisting absence given extant historical and visual evidence.

  2. Combining Footwear with Public Health Iconography to Prevent Soil-Transmitted Helminth Infections.

    PubMed

    Paige, Sarah B; Friant, Sagan; Clech, Lucie; Malavé, Carly; Kemigabo, Catherine; Obeti, Richard; Goldberg, Tony L

    2017-01-11

    Shoes are effective for blocking soil-transmitted helminths (STHs) that penetrate the skin. Unfortunately, shoe-wearing is uncommon in many areas where STHs are prevalent, in part because local populations are unaware of the health benefits of wearing shoes. This is especially true in low-literacy populations, where information dissemination through written messages is not possible. We launched a public health intervention that combines a public health image with sandals. The image is a "lenticular image" that combines two alternating pictures to depict the efficacy of shoes for preventing STH infection. This image is adhered to the shoe, such that the message is linked directly to the primary means of prevention. To create a culturally appropriate image, we conducted five focus group discussions, each with a different gender and age combination. Results of focus group discussions reinforced the importance of refining public health messages well in advance of distribution so that cultural acceptability is strong. After the image was finalized, we deployed shoes with the image in communities in western Uganda where hookworm is prevalent. We found that the frequency of shoe-wearing was 25% higher in communities receiving the shoes than in control communities. Microscopic analyses of fecal samples for parasites showed a sustained reduction in infection intensity for parasites transmitted directly through the feet when people received shoes with a public health image. Our results show that combining culturally appropriate images with public health interventions can be effective in low-literacy populations. © The American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene.

  3. [Poisons in literature and iconography during the age of Pietro d'Abano].

    PubMed

    Morpurgo, Piero

    2008-01-01

    The fear of poisons belongs to the scientific knowledge from Antiquity till the Modern Era. Here the reader will find sources and resources on the idea of poisons; from Nicander of Colofon to Paolo Uccello. This paper rely on literary sources that have been part of the scientific milieu of Pietro d'Abano and his commentators: Cecco d'Ascoli, Guido da Pisa, Gregorio d'Arezzo, Jean de Mandeville. The essay describes illuminated manuscripts and masterpieces of art witnessing the concern for poisons.

  4. Foot deformities in Renaissance paintings. A mystery of symbolism, artistic licence, illusion and true representation in five renowned Renaissance painters.

    PubMed

    Lazzeri, D; Castello, M F; Grassetti, L; Dashti, T; Zhang, Y X; Persichetti, P

    2015-01-01

    Although Renaissance artists were skilled in representing normal anatomy, a close look at some paintings reveals anatomical variations in the depiction of the feet of human figures. A systematic review has identified 25 paintings by five artists in which the presumptive medico-artistic diagnosis of congenital or acquired foot deformity seems to be varyingly present. The connection between these five painters and what factors have influenced artists' style in the depiction of such deformities is discussed. The possible iconography and medical-historical meaning of such variations, as well as the possibility of artistic licence and real representation that drove the painters to depict these deformities, is explored and debated.

  5. The Art of Vesalius: The continuing influence of “De Humani Corporis Fabrica” on Art.

    PubMed

    Pollier, Pascale

    2016-06-01

    A search for the intimate relationship between art and science in the study of the human body inevitably leads to the beautiful pictures of Vesalius’ Fabrica. Medical artists and scientific researchers alike discover the enhanced power of text and iconography in transmitting knowledge as well as beauty of expression. Pursuing this goal, a facial reconstruction was made of Vesalius’ portrait in the Fabrica. Final proof of the correctness of this reconstruction will be given when Vesalius’ s grave and remains may be found on the island of Zakynthos where Vesalius died and was buried. Meanwhile medical artists continue to give their vision on anatomy, the human body and its intangible soul.

  6. Astronomy and Rock Art Studies

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Murray, William Breen

    Rock art is often used as evidence for the earliest phases of prehistoric celestial knowledge and sky observation. Like the sky, rock art is a global phenomenon and it is also one of the earliest manifestations of human cognitive awareness. Similarities in iconography and visual context may provide evidence of sky-watching activity, and in some cases, ethnographic analogies, ethnohistoric documentation, and surviving archaeological evidence may confirm that these activities were related to rock art production. Nevertheless, the problem of random matches makes proofs of intentional relation more complicated. Probabilities are measured differently in archaeology and astronomy and can sometimes lead to ambiguous or contradictory conclusions.

  7. Corporate Schooling and Decorative Metrics: The Iconography of Academy School Chains in England

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Holligan, Chris

    2017-01-01

    The continuation of neo-liberalism requires concerted effort. Political consent is constructed through practices of enforced cultural socialisation, the mobilisations of which obfuscate other realities. David Harvey describes this process as the construction of consent. The common sense encouraged by English academy schools is the result of the…

  8. Earthdata User Interface Patterns: Building Usable Web Interfaces Through a Shared UI Pattern Library

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Siarto, J.

    2014-12-01

    As more Earth science software tools and services move to the web--the design and usability of those tools become ever more important. A good user interface is becoming expected and users are becoming increasingly intolerant of websites and web applications that work against them. The Earthdata UI Pattern Library attempts to give these scientists and developers the design tools they need to make usable, compelling user interfaces without the associated overhead of using a full design team. Patterns are tested and functional user interface elements targeted specifically at the Earth science community and will include web layouts, buttons, tables, typography, iconography, mapping and visualization/graphing widgets. These UI elements have emerged as the result of extensive user testing, research and software development within the NASA Earthdata team over the past year.

  9. Scorpio and Long-Distance Trade in Mesoamerica

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Fahmel Beyer, Bernd

    2016-11-01

    This paper establishes a relationship between Scorpio and the astronomical group of the Ciudadela at Teotihuacan, linking them to the city's merchant elite. Its argument is based on a brief discussion of the alacrán and the context in which it appears in Prehispanic documents and art. Human figures with a scorpion-tail are emphasized because of their association with the merchant class and Venus. The iconography used to represent this star takes on many shapes, some of which were related to war. The origin of this symbol can be found on the southern coast of Guatemala, from where cacao was distributed to Oaxaca and the highlands. During the Postclassic the Soconusco was one of the most cherished domains of the Aztec, whose pochteca not only carried out long-distance trade but also had the power to solve or promote diplomatic conflicts.

  10. Cardiovascular risk in Turner syndrome.

    PubMed

    Donato, Beatriz; Ferreira, Maria João

    2018-06-01

    Turner syndrome is a relatively common genetic disorder of female development, characterized by partial or complete absence of an X chromosome, with a variable clinical presentation. Congenital or acquired cardiovascular disease is highly prevalent and a major cause of early death in this syndrome. The most feared complication is aortic dissection, which can occur at a very young age and requires careful assessment of its risk factors. A systematic literature search identified sixty relevant publications. These were reviewed with regard to the increased risk of cardiovascular disease in women with Turner syndrome, especially in pregnancy. The most common congenital cardiovascular defects are presented and illustrated with appropriate iconography. The current recommendations regarding the screening and monitoring of cardiovascular disease in these patients are discussed. Copyright © 2018 Sociedade Portuguesa de Cardiologia. Publicado por Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

  11. Medieval herbal iconography and lexicography of Cucumis (cucumber and melon, Cucurbitaceae) in the Occident, 1300-1458.

    PubMed

    Paris, Harry S; Janick, Jules; Daunay, Marie-Christine

    2011-09-01

    The genus Cucumis contains two species of important vegetable crops, C. sativus, cucumber, and C. melo, melon. Melon has iconographical and textual records from lands of the Mediterranean Basin dating back to antiquity, but cucumber does not. The goal of this study was to obtain an improved understanding of the history of these crops in the Occident. Medieval images purportedly of Cucumis were examined, their specific identity was determined and they were compared for originality, accuracy and the lexicography of their captions. The manuscripts having accurate, informative images are derived from Italy and France and were produced between 1300 and 1458. All have an illustration of cucumber but not all contain an image of melon. The cucumber fruits are green, unevenly cylindrical with an approx. 2:1 length-to-width ratio. Most of the images show the cucumbers marked by sparsely distributed, large dark dots, but images from northern France show them as having densely distributed, small black dots. The different size, colour and distribution reflect the different surface wartiness and spininess of modern American and French pickling cucumbers. The melon fruits are green, oval to serpentine, closely resembling the chate and snake vegetable melons, but not sweet melons. In nearly all manuscripts of Italian provenance, the cucumber image is labelled with the Latin caption citruli, or similar, plural diminuitive of citrus (citron, Citrus medica). However, in manuscripts of French provenance, the cucumber image is labelled cucumeres, which is derived from the classical Latin epithet cucumis for snake melon. The absence of melon in some manuscripts and the expropriation of the Latin cucumis/cucumer indicate replacement of vegetable melons by cucumbers during the medieval period in Europe. One image, from British Library ms. Sloane 4016, has a caption that allows tracing of the word 'gherkin' back to languages of the geographical nativity of C. sativus, the Indian subcontinent.

  12. [Tuberculosis in ancient Egypt].

    PubMed

    Ziskind, B; Halioua, B

    2007-12-01

    Did Tuberculosis plague Ancient Egypt five millennia ago? Some medical papyri appear to evoke tuberculosis. Egyptian physicians did not individualize it, but they seem to have noticed some of its clinical expressions, such as cough, cervical adenitis, and cold abscesses. In Egyptian iconography, some cases of hump-backs were probably due to Pott's disease of the spine Descriptive paleopathology, born with the 20th century, has identified pulmonary and especially spinal lesions compatible with tuberculosis. Progress of molecular biology has made a decisive contribution with the diagnosis of tuberculosis on ancient samples. Tuberculosis has been identified using PCR in nearly a third of the Egyptian mummies recently examined. Spoligotyping has made it possible to re-evaluate the phylogenic tree of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex in Ancient Egypt. Tuberculosis certainly plagued the Nile Valley and appears to have been an important cause of mortality in Ancient Egypt.

  13. [The spread of the plague: A sciento-historiographic review].

    PubMed

    Cuadrada, Coral

    2015-01-01

    There is still uncertainty about the diagnosis and nature of the plague; some scholars have been forced to abandon certainties and be filled with doubts: from believing that the mediaeval Black Plague was, in reality, the bubonic plague (although with unusual characteristics) to stating that there is very little evidence to support a retro-diagnosis. This article looks at this in depth, not only reviewing the historiography but also giving new interpretations which question previous hypotheses through research on images of the time, comparing them to the most recent investigative data. Two primary sources are analysed: Renaissance treaties written by four Italian doctors: Michele Savonarola, Marsilio Ficino, Leonardo Fioravanti and Gioseffo Daciano; and iconography: an illustrated manuscript of the Decameron by Giovanni Boccaccio and a Hebrew Haggadah from the XIVth century. The results are compared to the most recent research on DNA and in micropaleontology.

  14. Thinking with Crocodiles: An Iconic Animal at the Intersection of Early-Modern Religion and Natural Philosophy.

    PubMed

    Weinreich, Spencer J

    2015-01-01

    This paper seeks to explore how culturally and religiously significant animals could shape discourses in which they were deployed, taking the crocodile as its case study. Beginning with the textual and visual traditions linking the crocodile with Africa and the Middle East, I read sixteenth- and seventeenth-century travel narratives categorizing American reptiles as "crocodiles" rather than "alligators," as attempts to mitigate the disruptive strangeness of the Americas. The second section draws on Ann Blair's study of "Mosaic Philosophy" to examine scholarly debates over the taxonomic identity of the biblical Leviathan. I argue that the language and analytical tools of natural philosophy progressively permeated religious discourse. Finally, a survey of more than 25 extant examples of the premodern practice of displaying crocodiles in churches, as well as other crocodilian elements in Christian iconography, provides an explanation for the ubiquity of crocodiles in Wunderkammern, as natural philosophy appropriated ecclesial visual vocabularies.

  15. Tycho Brahe in China: the Jesuit mission to Peking and the iconography of European instrument-making processes

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Chapman, Allan

    In the late 1660s, Ferdinand Verbiest, a Flemish Jesuit missionary in Peking, was instructed to re-equip the Imperial Observatory. The new instruments which he caused to be built were modelled neither upon contemporary European prototypes, nor those of traditional Chinese astronomy, but on the pieces in Tycho Brahe's Mechanica, of eighty years before. The Chinese instruments were lavishly illustrated, moreover, in 105 woodcuts that contained detailed representations of their processes of construction. It is argued that these illustrations not only give us valuable insights into what the technical Jesuits did in Peking, but show how sixteenth- and seventeenth-century European craftsmen constructed their instruments, for while the location was Oriental, the technology was Western. They can also give important insights into how Tycho's prototypes had been built, and provide us with useful information regarding European instrument-making technology.

  16. Medieval herbal iconography and lexicography of Cucumis (cucumber and melon, Cucurbitaceae) in the Occident, 1300–1458

    PubMed Central

    Paris, Harry S.; Janick, Jules; Daunay, Marie-Christine

    2011-01-01

    Background The genus Cucumis contains two species of important vegetable crops, C. sativus, cucumber, and C. melo, melon. Melon has iconographical and textual records from lands of the Mediterranean Basin dating back to antiquity, but cucumber does not. The goal of this study was to obtain an improved understanding of the history of these crops in the Occident. Medieval images purportedly of Cucumis were examined, their specific identity was determined and they were compared for originality, accuracy and the lexicography of their captions. Findings The manuscripts having accurate, informative images are derived from Italy and France and were produced between 1300 and 1458. All have an illustration of cucumber but not all contain an image of melon. The cucumber fruits are green, unevenly cylindrical with an approx. 2:1 length-to-width ratio. Most of the images show the cucumbers marked by sparsely distributed, large dark dots, but images from northern France show them as having densely distributed, small black dots. The different size, colour and distribution reflect the different surface wartiness and spininess of modern American and French pickling cucumbers. The melon fruits are green, oval to serpentine, closely resembling the chate and snake vegetable melons, but not sweet melons. In nearly all manuscripts of Italian provenance, the cucumber image is labelled with the Latin caption citruli, or similar, plural diminuitive of citrus (citron, Citrus medica). However, in manuscripts of French provenance, the cucumber image is labelled cucumeres, which is derived from the classical Latin epithet cucumis for snake melon. The absence of melon in some manuscripts and the expropriation of the Latin cucumis/cucumer indicate replacement of vegetable melons by cucumbers during the medieval period in Europe. One image, from British Library ms. Sloane 4016, has a caption that allows tracing of the word ‘gherkin’ back to languages of the geographical nativity of C. sativus, the Indian subcontinent. PMID:21798859

  17. Astronomy and catastrophes through myth and old texts.

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Bon, E.; Ćirković, M.; Stojić, Igor; Gavrilović, Nataša

    In the old myths and iconographies there are some motives that indicate at least one cataclysmic event that influenced many old religions and myths, that could be linked to the impact of the celestial object. We investigate the hypothesis of coherent catastrophism put forward in recent years by Clube, Bailey, Napier and others from both astrobiological and culturogical points of view. The conventional idea that the quasi-periodic break-up of celestial bodies influence terrestrial conditions can today be placed in both wider (astro-biological) and deeper (historico-culturological) context. In particular, we point out that the link between the Neolithic history of astronomy, and origin of Mithraism. We speculate that the main icon of Mithraic religion could pinpoint an event that happened around 4000 BC, when the spring equinox entered the constellation of Taurus. We also, link some motives in other old religions and myths to the same event, or to some similar events that inspired those myths.

  18. Minoan "Horns Of Concecration" Revisited: A Symbol Of Sun Worship In Palatial And Post-Palatial Crete?

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Banou, Emilia

    In this article a previously proposed interpretation of Minoan 'horns of consecration' as a symbol of sun is reexamined. A clay model of 'horns of consecration' from the peak sanctuary of Petsophas, the results of astronomical research on Minoan peak sanctuaries, the idols of the so-called 'Goddess with Upraised Arms" and a clay model of 'horns of consecration' from the Mycenaean cemetery of Tanagra are put forward as evidence for a possible adoption - or a parallel development under the influence of adjacent cultures - by the Minoans (and by the Mycenaeans, at least after 1400 B.C.) of religious notions related to the Egyptian symbols of the 'mountain' and the 'horizon', both connected with the Sun in Egyptian cosmology and religion. It is concluded that the 'horns of consecration' may represent a practical device as well as an abstract symbol of the Sun, a symbol of catholic importance, which embraced many aspects of Minoan religious activities as represented on Minoan iconography.

  19. On the origins of the modern star map

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Blomberg, P.

    During the last few years there have been some papers dealing with the astronomical knowledge of the Minoans on Crete around 2000 BC and also of later cultures on Crete and the surrounding Greekspeaking areas. These works not only deal with possible observation lines but also show that the Minoans had built structures that could be used for determining the time of the equinoxes and solstices, for developing stellar navigation as well as finding the seasons suitable for sailing and agriculture. There have also been some papers presenting an astronomical iconography seen in Minoan figurines and seals. This paper discusses these suggested symbols of celestial bodies and some uses of them. It is also shown that there are links between the Minoan-Mycenaean period and Hellenistic times, i.e. from the 3rd/2nd millennium BC down to around 200 BC. This leads to the hypothesis that the western map of constellations has its roots on Crete during the Minoan period around 2000BC.

  20. Astronomy and "Azulejo" Panels in Portuguese Jesuit Colleges

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    de Carvalho, Rosário Salema; Gessner, Samuel; Tirapicos, Luís

    2015-05-01

    In Portugal the Jesuits used tiles (azulejos) for parietal decoration of various areas of their colleges, especially in the second quarter of the 18th century. Various tile panels are still conserved in the important colleges of Lisbon and Évora. The iconographies address a variety of philosophical, historical and mathematical topics and scenes evoking the gentry's life; but they are to some extent illustrative of the subject matters taught by the different chairs. Astronomy is a major subject in the Aula da Esfera of the Santo Antão College in Lisbon, which was not destroyed during the great earthquake of 1755. In the Espirito Santo College in Évora there is also a hall preserved with astronomy and geometry topics. In this paper we will analyze the iconographical program for these parietal decorations in the context of the Jesuits' activities of teaching and practical astronomy. In particular, we will identify various printed sources from which the compositions on these panels derive.

  1. Symbolism and discovery: eclipses in art.

    PubMed

    Blatchford, Ian

    2016-09-28

    There is a fascinating tradition of depicting solar eclipses in Western art, although these representations have changed over time. Eclipses have often been an important feature of Christian iconography, but valued as much for their biblical significance as for the splendour of the physical event. However, as Western culture passed through the Renaissance and Enlightenment the depictions of eclipses came to reflect new astronomical knowledge and a thirst for rational learning well beyond the confines of the church and other elites. Artists also played a surprisingly important role in helping scientists in the nineteenth century understand and record the full phenomena of an eclipse, even as the advent of photography also came to solve a number of scientific puzzles. In the most recent century, artists have responded to eclipses with symbolism, abstraction and playfulness.This article is part of the themed issue 'Atmospheric effects of solar eclipses stimulated by the 2015 UK eclipse'. © 2016 The Author(s).

  2. The significance of the Sun, Moon and celestial bodies to societies in the Carpathian basin during the Bronze Age

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Pásztor, Emília

    2011-06-01

    Celestial events often exerted a great or even decisive influence on the life of ancient communities. They may provide some of the foundations on which an understanding of the deeper meaning of mythologies, religious systems and even folk tales can be based. These influences are reflected and may be detected in the archaeological material as well. There is good evidence that celestial (especially solar and perhaps lunar) phenomena played a particularly important rôle in the worldview of prehistoric Europe. To reveal the social and ideational significance of concepts relating to the celestial bodies in the prehistory of the Carpathian Basin, complex investigations on orientations of houses and graves, prestige archaeological finds and iconography have been accomplished. The results indicate ideological and/or social changes, which developed into a likely organized ideological system in large part of Central Europe including the Carpathian Basin by the Late Bronze Age. It might also be the first period in prehistory when people became really interested in celestial phenomena.

  3. An issue of blood: the healing of the woman with the haemorrhage (Mark 5.24B-34; Luke 8.42B-48; Matthew 9.19-22) in early medieval visual culture.

    PubMed

    Baert, Barbara; Kusters, Liesbet; Sidgwick, Emma

    2012-09-01

    The textual and visual tradition of the story of the woman with the haemorrhage (Mark 5.24b-34parr), the so-called Haemorrhoissa, is related in a specific way to Christ's healing miracles but also to conceptions of female menstrual blood. We notice that with regard to the specific 'issue of blood' of the Haemorrhoissa, there is a visual lacuna in the specific iconography that developed around the story from early Christian times: in the transposition from text to image, there is no immediate depiction of her bleeding. However, the early medieval reception of the story also became an important catalyst for uterine taboos, menstruation and tits relation to magical healing, understood as a system of health practices. In this context, the dissemination of the motif in everyday material culture clearly points to a deep-rooted connection to uterine and menstrual issues. The paper considers both expressions and their-anthropologically framed-relation to this female 'issue of blood', which the Haemorrhoissa came to embody and epitomise literally, as well as figuratively.

  4. Visible induced luminescence reveals invisible rays shining from Christ in the early Christian wall painting of the Transfiguration in Shivta

    PubMed Central

    Tepper, Yotam; Bar-Oz, Guy

    2017-01-01

    The Transfiguration scene depicted in a Byzantine church at Shivta, Israel, is one of two figurative examples of the scene from the early Christian period. The use of Egyptian blue pigment in the wall painting was investigated with various analytical methods. Visible Induced Luminescence (VIL) imaging was used in-situ in order to map the distribution of the Egyptian blue pigment in the painting. The VIL imaging revealed surprising insights into the understanding of the iconography and the technology of this rare painting. Previously undetected elements of the painting include rays of light that were discovered emerging from the body of Christ and illuminating the other figures in the painting. Although this motif is an important part of the Transfiguration narrative and appears in most of its scenes depicted elsewhere, it had not been previously identified in this painting as it was undetectable by any other inspection technique. Another important result is the identification of Egyptian blue as a common blue pigment used at Shivta during the Byzantine period, when it is considered to be very rare. PMID:28949982

  5. Visible induced luminescence reveals invisible rays shining from Christ in the early Christian wall painting of the Transfiguration in Shivta.

    PubMed

    Linn, Ravit; Tepper, Yotam; Bar-Oz, Guy

    2017-01-01

    The Transfiguration scene depicted in a Byzantine church at Shivta, Israel, is one of two figurative examples of the scene from the early Christian period. The use of Egyptian blue pigment in the wall painting was investigated with various analytical methods. Visible Induced Luminescence (VIL) imaging was used in-situ in order to map the distribution of the Egyptian blue pigment in the painting. The VIL imaging revealed surprising insights into the understanding of the iconography and the technology of this rare painting. Previously undetected elements of the painting include rays of light that were discovered emerging from the body of Christ and illuminating the other figures in the painting. Although this motif is an important part of the Transfiguration narrative and appears in most of its scenes depicted elsewhere, it had not been previously identified in this painting as it was undetectable by any other inspection technique. Another important result is the identification of Egyptian blue as a common blue pigment used at Shivta during the Byzantine period, when it is considered to be very rare.

  6. [A false historic representation of the martyrdom of St. Apollonia: decapitation].

    PubMed

    de Paiva Boléo, J

    1976-02-01

    The author quotes the only known historical witness on the life and death of Santa Apollonia: the description given by the historian Eusebius. According to his description of the martyrdom of the Saint, her teeth were extracted and her jawbones broken. An extensive iconography exists in museums, churches and private collections. According to statues and images of the Saint, the martyrdom took place by stoning or else by the use of instruments of torture such as pincers, gouge and gammer, and dentists' forceps. Although it is most probable that recourse was taken to lapidation, it is also likely that the above instruments were used, because it agrees with the technic then in use in dental surgery and does not disagree in any way with the historical facts. Such is not the case regarding the beheading. However, the author quotes three groups of iconographic documents displaying that kind of torture. One of them, shown for the first time, appears in a Book of hours of French origin, dating from the 15th century, which exists in the Calouste Gulbenkian Museum, in Lisbon, Portugal.

  7. [Evidence of facial palsy and facial malformations in pottery from Peruvian Moche and Lambayeque pre-Columbian cultures].

    PubMed

    Carod-Artal, F J; Vázquez Cabrera, C B

    2006-01-01

    Moche (100-700 AD) and Lambayeque-Sicán (750-1100 AD) are pre-Columbian cultures from Regional States Period, developed in Northern Peru. Information about daily life, religion and medicine has been obtained through the study of Moche ceramics found in lords and priests tombs, pyramids and temples. To analyze archeological evidences of Moche Medicine and neurological diseases through ceramics. Representations of diseases in Moche and Lambayeque iconography and Moche pottery collections exposed in Casinelli museum from Trujillo, and Brüning National Archeological museum from Lambayeque, Peru, were studied. The most representative cases were analyzed and photographed, previous authorization from authorities and curators of the museums. The following pathologies were observed in ceramic collections: peripheral facial palsy, facial malformations such as cleft lip, hemifacial spasm, legs and arm amputations, scoliosis and Siamese patients. Male and females Moche doctors were also observed in the ceramics in ritual ceremonies treating patients. The main pathologies observed in Moche and Lambayeque pottery are facial palsy and cleft lip. These are one of the earliest registries of these pathologies in pre-Columbian cultures in South-America.

  8. Is Continuing Contumely Relative to Mc Leod's Vision and ``Secret Sacred Science, (SSS),'': Contagiously Counterproductive in Science, or an Unhealthy Artifact of ``Turf Wars''?

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Leod, Roger

    2007-04-01

    Mc Leod confirmed, with physics, his models for vision, and for electromagnetic artifacts, by traditional methods, associated with phenomena like tornados, hurricanes, and earthquakes. The latter confirmations are evidently apparent across current ethnology, cultures, linguistics, religion, rituals, exotic astronomy, somewhat concealed evidence of native record-keeping/writing, and iconography. Use of cultural anthropology while observing a modern Peruvian sacred-site-sweeping at Cuzco, coupled with their assertion that Ñari Huallac means ``serpent God,'' plus electromagnet information, reveals that their religious world-view include(s)(d) applied science that is still otherwise unacknowledged. Alexander Thom's precise megalithic site-measurements also imply that ``The Ancients' Serpent'' made/makes precise tracks that convey valuable information. The linguistics of words like Seminole, and unusual visual effects, reveal some traditionalists have done better than most scientists, for vision, and observational physics, and earth science. Tornado and hurricane tracks are predictable, as are some earthquakes. Tornado ``detuning'' or shutdown is electromagnetically possible. To cite this abstract, use the following reference: http://meetings.aps.org/link/BAPS.2007.NES07.C2.7

  9. Coronary artery anomalies overview: The normal and the abnormal

    PubMed Central

    Villa, Adriana DM; Sammut, Eva; Nair, Arjun; Rajani, Ronak; Bonamini, Rodolfo; Chiribiri, Amedeo

    2016-01-01

    The aim of this review is to give a comprehensive and concise overview of coronary embryology and normal coronary anatomy, describe common variants of normal and summarize typical patterns of anomalous coronary artery anatomy. Extensive iconography supports the text, with particular attention to images obtained in vivo using non-invasive imaging. We have divided this article into three groups, according to their frequency in the general population: Normal, normal variant and anomaly. Although congenital coronary artery anomalies are relatively uncommon, they are the second most common cause of sudden cardiac death among young athletes and therefore warrant detailed review. Based on the functional relevance of each abnormality, coronary artery anomalies can be classified as anomalies with obligatory ischemia, without ischemia or with exceptional ischemia. The clinical symptoms may include chest pain, dyspnea, palpitations, syncope, cardiomyopathy, arrhythmia, myocardial infarction and sudden cardiac death. Moreover, it is important to also identify variants and anomalies without clinical relevance in their own right as complications during surgery or angioplasty can occur. PMID:27358682

  10. Incised channel fills containing conifers indicate that seasonally dry vegetation dominated Pennsylvanian tropical lowlands

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Falcon-Lang, H. J.; Nelson, W.J.; Elrick, S.; Looy, C.V.; Ames, P.R.; DiMichele, W.A.

    2009-01-01

    The idea that the Pennsylvanian tropical lowlands were temporally dominated by rainforest (i.e., the Coal Forest) is deeply ingrained in the literature. Here we challenge two centuries of research by suggesting that this concept is based on a taphonomic artifact, and that seasonally dry vegetation dominated instead. This controversial finding arises from the discovery of a new middle Pennsylvanian (Moscovian) fossil plant assemblage in southeast Illinois, United States. The assemblage, which contains xerophytic walchian conifers, occurs in channels incised into a calcic Vertisol below the Baker Coal. These plants grew on seasonally dry tropical lowlands inferred to have developed during a glacial phase. This xerophytic flora differs markedly from that of the typical clubmoss-dominated Coal Forest developed during deglaciation events. Although preserved only very rarely, we argue that such xerophytic floras were temporally as dominant, and perhaps more dominant, than the iconic Coal Forests, which are overrepresented in the fossil record due to taphonomic megabias. These findings require the iconography of Pennsylvanian tropical lowlands to be redrawn. ?? 2009 Geological Society of America.

  11. [Iconography of embryos and fetuses in the treaties of delivery and anatomy from 16th century till 18th century].

    PubMed

    Morel, Marie-France

    2009-01-01

    Leonardo', Eurakius' and Jacob Rueff's carved woods focus attention as they are sketches of foetuses in breech presentation. From the very beginning foetus is a little man made in the image of God in the works of Guillemeau, Mauriceau and Viardel. Later the liking for Baroque made the Putti, embryos with kindly faces created in Padua and Venice. Hunter's treatise finishes this picturesque review.

  12. [Oral multiple carcinomatosis in a patient from an area with endemic regional chronic hydroarsenicism (ERCH)].

    PubMed

    Carrica, Victoriano

    2006-01-01

    Arsenic (As) and its compounds may cause multiple harmful effects on the human organism, interfering with biological processes of vital importance. It is known that the inhabitants of vast areas of the Argentine Republic drink well water contaminated with AS, which results in a disease known as Endemic Regional Chronic Hydroarsenicism (ERCH). It has been observed that these patients present a clinical picture characterized by multiple carcinomatous skin lesions which occur concurrently or successively along long periods of time. To present the clinical case of a female patient from the arsenical area of Cordoba Province, who had multiple carcinomatous oral lesions. The patient's history was written and iconographies, surgical excision of the lip lesions, pathological studies of the samples, and evolution observations were done. Based on both the patient's history and follow-up studies, it was possible to prove the presence of multiple successive carcinomatous lesions in the oral mucosa. It is concluded that drinking water containing more AS than the quantity accepted by the WHO (0.0 5 ppm) can cause multiple carcinomatous lesions on the oral mucosa as well as on the skin.

  13. Eos and the Youth: A Case of Inverted Roles in Rape

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Dipla, Anthi

    This article examines scenes of Eos pursuing/abducting youths on 5th-century Athenian vases. Eos, the personification of Dawn, is the only woman assuming the role of a pursuer in rape. The theme strangely becomes very popular with vase painters to a degree comparable to ephebes pursuing a woman. The iconography of the scenes is systematically analysed and evaluated. All theories explaining the popularity of the theme from its presumable use as a parable for death are considered. Eos is moreover compared to other winged figures in pursuit that are popular in the same period, especially Sphinx and Eros. Conversely, it is illustrated how Eos' pursuits of youths are thoroughly coined on the same model as ephebe rape scenes. These may have been so popular because they expressed prevalent social notions about how women, like animals,would need subduing/taming by the ephebe, future citizen hunters, before they could assume their appropriate place in society. With Eos the hunter becomes the prey of a wild woman, who has transgressed the control limits set by the social system. Eos is promoted as the ultimate model of what a woman should not be.

  14. [Quality standards for ultrasound assessment of the superficial venous system of the lower limbs. Report of the French Society for Vascular Medicine].

    PubMed

    Auvert, J-F; Chleir, F; Coppé, G; Hamel-Desnos, C; Moraglia, L; Pichot, O

    2014-02-01

    The quality standards of the French Society for Vascular Medicine for the ultrasound assessment of the superficial venous system of the lower limbs are based on the two following requirements: technical know-how (mastering the use of ultrasound devices and the method of examination); medical know-how (ability to adapt the methods and scope of the examination to its clinical indications and purpose and to rationally analyze and interpret its results). To describe an optimal method of examination in relation to the clinical question and hypothesis; to achieve consistent practice, methods, glossary terminologies and reporting; to provide good practice reference points and to promote a high quality process. The three levels of examination. Their clinical indications and goals. The reference standard examination (level 2) and its variants according to clinical needs. The minimal content of the examination report, the letter to the referring physician (synthesis, conclusion and management suggestions) and iconography. Commented glossary (anatomy, hemodynamics, semiology). Technical basis. Ultrasound devices settings. We discuss of use of Duplex ultrasound for the assessment of the superficial veins of the lower limbs in vascular medicine practice. Copyright © 2014. Published by Elsevier Masson SAS.

  15. Divergence in the evolution of Paleolithic symbolic and technological systems: The shining bull and engraved tablets of Rocher de l'Impératrice

    PubMed Central

    Naudinot, Nicolas; Bourdier, Camille; Laforge, Marine; Paris, Céline; Bellot-Gurlet, Ludovic; Beyries, Sylvie; Thery-Parisot, Isabelle; Le Goffic, Michel

    2017-01-01

    The development of the Azilian in Western Europe 14,000 years ago is considered a “revolution” in Upper Paleolithic Archaeology. One of the main elements of this rapid social restructuring is the abandonment of naturalistic figurative art on portable pieces or on cave walls in the Magdalenian in favor of abstract expression on small pebbles. Recent work shows that the transformation of human societies between the Magdalenian and the Azilian was more gradual. The discovery of a new Early Azilian site with decorated stones in France supports this hypothesis. While major changes in stone tool technology between the Magdalenian and Azilian clearly mark important adaptive changes, the discovery of 45 engraved schist tablets from archaeological layers at Le Rocher de l’Impératrice attests to iconographic continuity together with special valorization of aurochs as shown by a “shining” bull depiction. This evidence suggests that some cultural features such as iconography may lag far behind technological changes. We also argue that eventual change in symbolic expression, which includes the later disappearance of figurative art, provides new insight into the probable restructuring of the societies. PMID:28257445

  16. Early evidence of the ballgame in Oaxaca, Mexico.

    PubMed

    Blomster, Jeffrey P

    2012-05-22

    As a defining characteristic of Mesoamerican civilization, the ballgame has a long and poorly understood history. Because the ballgame is associated with the rise of complex societies, understanding its origins also illuminates the evolution of socio-politically complex societies. Although initial evidence, in the form of ceramic figurines, dates to 1700 BCE, and the oldest known ballcourt dates to 1600 BCE, the ritual paraphernalia and ideology associated with the game appear around 1400 BCE, the start of the so-called Early Horizon, defined by the spread of Olmec-style symbols across Mesoamerica. Early Horizon evidence of ballgame paraphernalia both identical to and different from that of the Gulf Coast Olmec can be seen on figurines from coastal Chiapas and the central highlands of Mexico, respectively. The Mexican state of Oaxaca, however, has yielded little data on early involvement in the ballgame. The discovery of a ballplayer figurine in the Mixteca Alta region of Oaxaca demonstrates the early participation of this region in the iconography and ideology of the ballgame. In lieu of an actual ballcourt, the focus may have been on the symbolic component of ballplayers and their association with supernatural forces, as part of emerging leaders' legitimization strategies.

  17. Divergence in the evolution of Paleolithic symbolic and technological systems: The shining bull and engraved tablets of Rocher de l'Impératrice.

    PubMed

    Naudinot, Nicolas; Bourdier, Camille; Laforge, Marine; Paris, Céline; Bellot-Gurlet, Ludovic; Beyries, Sylvie; Thery-Parisot, Isabelle; Le Goffic, Michel

    2017-01-01

    The development of the Azilian in Western Europe 14,000 years ago is considered a "revolution" in Upper Paleolithic Archaeology. One of the main elements of this rapid social restructuring is the abandonment of naturalistic figurative art on portable pieces or on cave walls in the Magdalenian in favor of abstract expression on small pebbles. Recent work shows that the transformation of human societies between the Magdalenian and the Azilian was more gradual. The discovery of a new Early Azilian site with decorated stones in France supports this hypothesis. While major changes in stone tool technology between the Magdalenian and Azilian clearly mark important adaptive changes, the discovery of 45 engraved schist tablets from archaeological layers at Le Rocher de l'Impératrice attests to iconographic continuity together with special valorization of aurochs as shown by a "shining" bull depiction. This evidence suggests that some cultural features such as iconography may lag far behind technological changes. We also argue that eventual change in symbolic expression, which includes the later disappearance of figurative art, provides new insight into the probable restructuring of the societies.

  18. [The Piscine Probatica, a painted canvas of the Hotel-Dieu of Rheims, documentation of an epidemic at the end of the 15th century].

    PubMed

    Ségal, Alain

    2011-01-01

    The Piscina Probatica theme is the highly distinctive iconography in an impressive painted canvas from the ancient Rheims hôtel-Dieu, dating back to the late 15th or early 16th century. In the first place, it is interesting to note that the actual site of the pool has been located, so that archaeological findings bring confirmation to testament scriptures. Through the choice of the painted-canvas medium, and thanks to his great pictorial skill, the anonymous Rheims artist has given us a document of exceptional value, concerning the signs and symptoms of an illness which wrought havoc in the Rheims area in his own lifetime, namely ignis plaga or "mal des ardents". Other great artists of the same period, such as J. Bosch, have testified to the horror of the illness. As a matter-of-fact, the illness has been fully documented, from the 17th century onwards, and the medical expert H.A. Tessier, also acting as an agricultural expert, has demonstrated that ergotized rye is responsible for the fatal condition known as ergotism, and for the heavy toll it has levied on human lives in the course of centuries.

  19. Michelangelo, Copernicus and the Sistine chapel

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Shrimplin, Valerie

    2011-06-01

    It is argued that Copernican astronomy is a key theme in Michelangelo's fresco of the Last Judgment in the Sistine Chapel, and was incorporated with the knowledge, consent and approval of the Popes concerned. In Christian art, the iconography of the Last Judgment (depicting the three parts of the universe: heaven, Earth and hell) was traditionally based on a layered structure relating to perceptions of the flat Earth covered by the dome of heaven according to biblical cosmology. In Michelangelo's revolutionary work, Christ is significantly depicted as a beardless Apollonian Sun-god, positioned in the centre of a dramatic circular design rather than at the top of a layered format. This appears to relate to the traditional Christian analogy between the deity and the astronomical feature of the sun, the neoplatonic cult of Sun-symbolism and sources in Dante. More importantly, the influence of the Copernican theory of heliocentricity is argued, since interest in such ideas in papal circles is demonstrated at exactly the time of the commission of the painting (1533). This provides important evidence of papal support for Copernican heliocentricity as early as the 1530s.

  20. Chapter 20: neurological illustration from photography to cinematography.

    PubMed

    Aubert, Geneviève

    2010-01-01

    This chapter explores iconography in neurology from the birth of photography up to the early medical applications of cinematography before 1914. The important visual part of neurological diagnosis explains why these techniques were adopted very early by neurologists. Duchenne published the first medical book illustrated with photographs of patients. The first and most famous photographic laboratory was created in Charcot's department, at the Salpêtrière in Paris, under the direction of Albert Londe. Londe published the first book dedicated to medical photography. The physiologist Marey and the photographer Muybridge, in association with neurologists, played key roles in the development of chronophotography and cinematography. Germany was the first country to welcome cinematography in a neurology department. Independently, neurologists began to film patients in other countries in Europe and in America. In 1905, Arthur Van Gehuchten (1861-1914), Belgian anatomist and neurologist, began systematically to film neurologic patients, with the intention of building up a complete neurological iconographic collection. This collection has survived and has been restored in the laboratory of the Royal Belgian Film Archive where the films are now safely stored in their vaults.

  1. Testing and evaluation of a wearable augmented reality system for natural outdoor environments

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Roberts, David; Menozzi, Alberico; Cook, James; Sherrill, Todd; Snarski, Stephen; Russler, Pat; Clipp, Brian; Karl, Robert; Wenger, Eric; Bennett, Matthew; Mauger, Jennifer; Church, William; Towles, Herman; MacCabe, Stephen; Webb, Jeffrey; Lupo, Jasper; Frahm, Jan-Michael; Dunn, Enrique; Leslie, Christopher; Welch, Greg

    2013-05-01

    This paper describes performance evaluation of a wearable augmented reality system for natural outdoor environments. Applied Research Associates (ARA), as prime integrator on the DARPA ULTRA-Vis (Urban Leader Tactical, Response, Awareness, and Visualization) program, is developing a soldier-worn system to provide intuitive `heads-up' visualization of tactically-relevant geo-registered icons. Our system combines a novel pose estimation capability, a helmet-mounted see-through display, and a wearable processing unit to accurately overlay geo-registered iconography (e.g., navigation waypoints, sensor points of interest, blue forces, aircraft) on the soldier's view of reality. We achieve accurate pose estimation through fusion of inertial, magnetic, GPS, terrain data, and computer-vision inputs. We leverage a helmet-mounted camera and custom computer vision algorithms to provide terrain-based measurements of absolute orientation (i.e., orientation of the helmet with respect to the earth). These orientation measurements, which leverage mountainous terrain horizon geometry and mission planning landmarks, enable our system to operate robustly in the presence of external and body-worn magnetic disturbances. Current field testing activities across a variety of mountainous environments indicate that we can achieve high icon geo-registration accuracy (<10mrad) using these vision-based methods.

  2. Soldier-worn augmented reality system for tactical icon visualization

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Roberts, David; Menozzi, Alberico; Clipp, Brian; Russler, Patrick; Cook, James; Karl, Robert; Wenger, Eric; Church, William; Mauger, Jennifer; Volpe, Chris; Argenta, Chris; Wille, Mark; Snarski, Stephen; Sherrill, Todd; Lupo, Jasper; Hobson, Ross; Frahm, Jan-Michael; Heinly, Jared

    2012-06-01

    This paper describes the development and demonstration of a soldier-worn augmented reality system testbed that provides intuitive 'heads-up' visualization of tactically-relevant geo-registered icons. Our system combines a robust soldier pose estimation capability with a helmet mounted see-through display to accurately overlay geo-registered iconography (i.e., navigation waypoints, blue forces, aircraft) on the soldier's view of reality. Applied Research Associates (ARA), in partnership with BAE Systems and the University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill (UNC-CH), has developed this testbed system in Phase 2 of the DARPA ULTRA-Vis (Urban Leader Tactical, Response, Awareness, and Visualization) program. The ULTRA-Vis testbed system functions in unprepared outdoor environments and is robust to numerous magnetic disturbances. We achieve accurate and robust pose estimation through fusion of inertial, magnetic, GPS, and computer vision data acquired from helmet kit sensors. Icons are rendered on a high-brightness, 40°×30° field of view see-through display. The system incorporates an information management engine to convert CoT (Cursor-on-Target) external data feeds into mil-standard icons for visualization. The user interface provides intuitive information display to support soldier navigation and situational awareness of mission-critical tactical information.

  3. Sphaerodoridae (Annelida) of the deep Northwestern Atlantic, including remarkable new species of Euritmia and Sphaerephesia

    PubMed Central

    Capa, María; Osborn, Karen J.; Bakken, Torkild

    2016-01-01

    Abstract Sphaerodoridae (Annelida) is a seeming uncommon and minimally diverse group of polychaetes in the northwestern Atlantic, with only seven species reported from the United States, and none from the eastern coast of Canada, before the present study. Review of the large Smithsonian collection (National Museum of Natural History, Washington) revealed the presence of two morphologically extraordinary undescribed species and added a new record to the north-western Atlantic region. Euritmia carolensis sp. n. is characterised by bearing approximately 20 sessile spherical papillae arranged in three transverse rows per segment, ventrum with 4–6 larger papillae near the parapodial bases and parapodia without papillae; bearing 4–5 simple chaetae that are enlarged subdistally. Sphaerephesia amphorata sp. n. is distinguished from other congeners in the presence of four longitudinal rows of sessile, bottle-shaped macrotubercles with exceptionally long digitiform terminal papilla, and parapodia with four rounded and small papillae, bearing 4–7 compound chaetae, with blades 7–11 times as long as wide. Other encountered species are also herein re-described, including intraspecific variation and updated iconography. Comparison of material also allowed some systematic changes in the group, including the synonymisation of the genus Amacrodorum with Euritmia, and the transfer of Ephesiopsis shivae to Ephesiella. A key to the species reported from the Northwestern Atlantic is provided. PMID:27667938

  4. Concealed neuroanatomy in Michelangelo's Separation of Light From Darkness in the Sistine Chapel.

    PubMed

    Suk, Ian; Tamargo, Rafael J

    2010-05-01

    Michelangelo Buonarroti (1475-1564) was a master anatomist as well as an artistic genius. He dissected cadavers numerous times and developed a profound understanding of human anatomy. From 1508 to 1512, Michelangelo painted the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel in Rome. His Sistine Chapel frescoes are considered one of the monumental achievements of Renaissance art. In the winter of 1511, Michelangelo entered the final stages of the Sistine Chapel project and painted 4 frescoes along the longitudinal apex of the vault, which completed a series of 9 central panels depicting scenes from the Book of Genesis. It is reported that Michelangelo concealed an image of the brain in the first of these last 4 panels, namely, the Creation of Adam. Here we present evidence that he concealed another neuronanatomic structure in the final panel of this series, the Separation of Light From Darkness, specifically a ventral view of the brainstem. The Separation of Light From Darkness is an important panel in the Sistine Chapel iconography because it depicts the beginning of Creation and is located directly above the altar. We propose that Michelangelo, a deeply religious man and an accomplished anatomist, intended to enhance the meaning of this iconographically critical panel and possibly document his anatomic accomplishments by concealing this sophisticated neuroanatomic rendering within the image of God.

  5. [Nature as magician: on the Paracelsus heritage of modern medicine].

    PubMed

    Heinz, Schott

    2010-01-01

    The concept of "natural magic" (magia naturalis) was very important for medicine and natural science of the early modem period. It stressed a new scientific world view (Weltanschauung) moving away from "supernatural" (superstitious) perceptions and trying to explain all spectacular marvels as results of natural processes. So, Nature (natura), often personified as a female figure, was considered as a (female) magician. Physicians and naturalists should learn from her art to become able to imitate and accomplish her work. In particular this concept was relevant for the al-chemical and magical medicine as the writings of PARACELSUS show. He perceived like many of his contemporaries Nature as a servant of God producing all things according to his will supplying them with "signatures" indicating the scholar (philosophus) their hidden ("natural") powers. The iconography and emblematics of the early modem period--partly directly influenced by the paracelsian thinking--illustrate in different ways the concept of natural magic. Especially the hierarchy God--Nature--Human and the phenomena of light representing divine wisdom and power were imagined. It is remarkable, that also during the enlightenment in regard to artificial electricity and animal magnetism analogous ideas appeared in connection with the light imagery (ether, fluidum). Finally, the romantic natural philosophy dealt with them intensively, and they stimulated not only natural scientific respectively (neuro) physiological, but also psychological (experimental) research.

  6. Medical students and professional anatomists do not perceive gender bias within imagery featuring anatomy.

    PubMed

    Morgan, Susan; Plaisant, Odile; Lignier, Baptiste; Moxham, Bernard J

    2017-09-01

    Previous studies suggest that, while both medical students and professional anatomists recognize the importance of gender issues and do not wish to associate with sexism, most are unaware of the possible negative aspects of sexism within anatomy (Morgan et al. , J. Anat. 224:352-365; , Clin. Anat. 29:892-910). To further investigate this issue, we provided second year medical students at Cardiff University (n = 293) and at the University of Paris Descartes, Sorbonne Paris Cité (n = 142) and professional anatomists (n = 208) with a questionnaire inviting them to address the possibility that gender factors within anatomical imagery (both historical and contemporary) hinder the dispassionate representation of anatomy. Ethical approval for the survey was obtained from the universities at both Cardiff and Paris. In the light of previous findings, the hypothesis tested was that medical students and professional anatomists do not perceive a gender bias when reflected in imagery that is based on anatomical iconography. Our survey results support this hypothesis and suggest that most students and anatomists are unaware of the possible negative aspects of sexism within the culture of anatomy. We consequently recommend that teachers of anatomy and authors of anatomical textbooks should be aware of the possibility of adverse effects on professional matters relating to equality and diversity issues when using imagery. Clin. Anat. 30:711-732, 2017. © 2017Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  7. The interpretation of the figure of the prophet Jonah by Michelangelo on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel: anatomical urological vision.

    PubMed

    Reis, Leonardo Oliveira; Zani, Emerson Luis; Alonso, Joao Carlos; Simoes, Fabiano Andre; Rejowski, Ronald Finamore; Barreto, Gilson

    2012-01-01

    A detailed analysis in the iconography and pictorial appearance of the scene of the "Prophet Jonah" painted by the artist Michelangelo Buonarroti (1475-1564) on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel between the years 1508 and 1512. Literature review on the Italian Renaissance period and the life of Michelangelo Buonarroti and analysis of historical aspects of the evolution of studies of human anatomy in this period and the works of the artist. A comparative analysis of the representation of the figure of the fish on the left thigh of "Jonah " with a cross section of penis shows a curious similarity. The pictorial and iconographic analysis reveals an intensity of light on the pubic area and the position of the prophet with the legs spread apart and left hand placed on this region. A tube-shaped cloth covers the region and the angel at the side seems to be looking at this anatomical region of "Jonah". In fact, sets of iconographic and pictorial relate to the deciphered code. This description helps to confirm the relationship of the Renaissance art with the human anatomy; science has been much studied in this period. The design of a cross section of the penis is revealed with the two cavernous bodies with the septum between them and the spongy body. Considering the circumstances in which Michelangelo had painted, subjectivity was fundamental due to religious motivations added to the vigorous implications of a limited scientific knowledge typical of that era.

  8. The 4DILAN Project (4TH Dimension in Landscape and Artifacts Analyses)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Chiabrando, F.; Naretto, M.; Sammartano, G.; Sambuelli, L.; Spanò, A.; Teppati Losè, L.

    2017-05-01

    The project is part of the wider application and subsequent spread of innovative digital technologies involving robotic systems. Modern society needs knowledge and investigation of the environment and of the related built landscape; therefore it increasingly requires new types of information. The goal can be achieved through the innovative integration of methods to set new analysis strategies for the knowledge of the built heritage and cultural landscape. The experimental cooperation between different disciplines and the related tools and techniques, which this work suggests for the analysis of the architectural heritage and the historical territory, are the following: - 3D metric survey techniques with active and passive sensors - the latter operating in both terrestrial mode and by aerial pointof view. In some circumstances, beyond the use of terrestrial LiDAR, even the newest mobile mapping system using SLAMtechnology (simultaneous localization and mapping) has been tested. - Techniques of non-destructive investigation, such as geophysical analysis of the subsoil and built structures, in particularGPR (Ground Penetrating Radar) techniques. - Historic and stratigraphic surveys carried out primarily through the study and interpretation of documentary sources,cartography and historical iconography, closely related to the existing data or latent material. The experience through the application of these techniques of investigation connected to the built spaces and to the manmade environments has been achieved with the aim of improving the ability to analyse the occurred transformations/layers over time and no longer directly readable or interpretable on manufactured evidence.

  9. Dating of rock art and the effect of human activity on vegetation: The complementary use of archaeological and scientific methods

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hjelle, Kari Loe; Lødøen, Trond Klungseth

    2017-07-01

    One of the main aims of Scandinavian rock art research in recent years has been to identify the culture or society responsible for the imagery. This is of mutual importance, as studies of material culture can shed light on the rock art, while the iconography can be used to understand the contemporary material remains. A major challenge however, has been to determine the exact age of the images, as there are no direct dating materials. In order to overcome this challenge archaeological excavations and palynological analyses have been carried out at Vingen in Western Norway, one of Scandinavia's largest rock art areas. The archaeological and palynological data achieved, as well as loss-on-ignition are independent means for the dating of human activity. Since these methods provided similar results, an indirect connection to the rock art production activity may be inferred. Dates from archaeological contexts indicate a peak of activity between 6900 and 6300 cal. BP, with a potential start 7350 cal. BP and a culmination 6100 cal. BP. Palynological data from three different types of basins have documented forest disturbance in the same time period. Local vegetation reconstructions using the Landscape Reconstruction Algorithm has proved useful to identify anthropogenic-induced land cover changes in the Mesolithic period and a marked reforestation at the transition to the Neolithic period. The applied methods have helped to considerably improve our understanding of past activity and the environment, and demonstrates the potential of archaeological excavations and palynological studies for dating of rock art.

  10. Urban Archaeology: how to Communicate a Story of a Site, 3d Virtual Reconstruction but not Only

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Capone, M.

    2011-09-01

    Over the past few years experimental systems have been developed to introduce new ways of enjoying cultural heritage using digital media. Technology had a lead role in this testing ground increasing the need to develop new way of communication according to contemporary iconography culture. Most applications are aimed at creating online databases that allow free access to information, that helps to spread the culture and simplify the study about cultural heritage. To this type of application are added others, which are aimed at defining new and different ways of cultural heritage enjoyment. Very interesting applications are those regarding to reconstruction of archaeological landscape. The target of these applications is to develop a new level of knowledge that increases the value of the archaeological find and the level of understanding. In fact, digital media can bridge the gap of communication associated to archaeological find: the virtual simulation offers the possibility to put it in the context and it defines a new way to enjoy the cultural heritage. In most of these cases the spectacular and recreational factor generally prevails. We believe that experimentation is needed in this area, particularly for the development of Urban Archaeology. In this case, another trouble to enjoy is added to the lack of communication, typical of archaeological finds, because it is "hidden" in an irreversible way: it is under water or under city. So, our research is mainly oriented to define a methodological path to elaborate a communication strategy to increase interest about Urban Archaeology.

  11. "IREP EN KEMET" Wine of Ancient Egypt: Documenting the Viticulture and Winemaking Scenes in the Egyptian Tombs

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Guasch-Jané, M. R.; Fonseca, S.; Ibrahim, M.

    2013-07-01

    Presented are the research objectives of the project "Irep en Kemet", Wine of Ancient Egypt, and the content of the project's website. This research aims at documenting the complete corpus of wine in ancient Egypt and analysing the data (iconography, textual sources and artefacts) to unveil the importance of the ancient Egyptian wine culture legacy in the Mediterranean region. At this stage, a bibliographical researchable database relevant to wine, viticulture and winemaking in the ancient Egypt has been completed, with 197 entries including articles, books, chapters in book, academic thesis (PhD and MA), essay, abstracts, on-line articles and websites. Moreover, a scene-detail database for the viticulture and winemaking scenes in the Egyptian private tombs has been recorded with 97 entries, some of them unpublished, and the collected data is under study. The titles of the tombs' owners and the texts related to the scenes will be also recorded. A photographic survey of the graves containing images related with viticulture and winemaking will be carried out in order to have the most accurate information on the location and stage of conservation of those images. Our main goal is to provide scholars with a complete, comprehensive archaeological and bibliographical database for the scenes of viticulture and winemaking depicted in the Egyptian private tombs throughout the ancient Egyptian history. The project's website (http://www.wineofancientegypt.com) will include all the collected data, the study and analysis, the project's history and team members, publications as well as the results of our research.

  12. The Celestial Basis of Civilization

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Masse, W. B.

    Scholars have long puzzled over the reasons for the ubiquity of celestial images in the residue of the world's earliest civilizations: in art, myth, religious cosmology, iconography, cosmogony, eschatological beliefs, and as portents for the conduct of royal and chiefly power. The general consensus is that these images represented a need by early societies to use the fixed celestial heavens in order to regulate ritual and agricultural cycles, and to satisfy a psychological need by people to relate themselves to their surrounding Universe. Such explanations are facile and miss an important aspect of the celestial heavens. The fixed celestial heavens served as the back-drop for a large number of often spectacular temporary naked-eye visible celestial events which animated the night and sometimes the daytime sky, and which created an 'otherworld' for virtually all cultural groups. In this paper I present a model derived from the detailed analysis of Hawaiian oral traditions and culture history in relation to historic astronomical records of temporary celestial events, and then apply this model to cultural traditions from Mesoamerica and other geographic regions in order to demonstrate that novae, supernovae, variable stars, comets, great meteor showers, aurorae, solar and lunar eclipses, and impacting Solar System debris, together played a critical role in the artistic, intellectual, and political development of early civilizations. These data not only provide important insights into the development of civilization, but also provide important details and longitudinal records of astronomical events and phenomena which are otherwise not readily available for scientific scrutiny.

  13. Trauma and violence in the Wari empire of the Peruvian Andes: warfare, raids, and ritual fights.

    PubMed

    Tung, Tiffiny A

    2007-07-01

    This study examines bioarchaeological evidence for violence during the period of Wari imperialism in the Peruvian Andes through analysis of skeletal trauma from three populations dating to AD 650-800. The samples are from contemporaneous archaeological sites: Conchopata, a Wari heartland site in central highland Peru; Beringa, a community of commoners in the Majes valley of the southern Wari hinterland; and La Real, a high status mortuary site, also in the Majes valley. Given the expansionist nature of Wari and its military-related iconography and weaponry, it is hypothesized that Wari imperialism was concomitant with greater levels of violence relative to other prehispanic groups in the Andes. It is also hypothesized that differential articulation with the Wari empire (e.g., heartland vs. hinterland groups) affected the frequency and patterning of trauma. Results show that cranial trauma frequency of the three Wari era samples is significantly greater than several other Andean skeletal populations. This suggests that Wari rule was associated with high levels of violence, though it may not have always been related to militarism. The three adult samples show similar frequencies of cranial trauma (Conchopata = 26%; Beringa = 33%; La Real = 31%). This may suggest that differential positioning in the Wari empire had little effect on exposure to violence. Sex-based differences in cranial trauma frequencies are present only at La Real, but wound patterning differs between the sexes: females display more wounds on the posterior of the cranium, while males show more on the anterior. These data suggest that Wari rule may have contributed to violence. (c) 2007 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

  14. Dismembering bodies for display: a bioarchaeological study of trophy heads from the Wari site of Conchopata, Peru.

    PubMed

    Tung, Tiffiny A

    2008-07-01

    Human trophy heads from the Wari site of Conchopata (AD 600-1000) are examined to evaluate if recently deceased persons or old corpses were used to make trophy heads and determine if the modifications are standardized. Similarly styled trophy heads may suggest state oversight that ensured uniform modifications, while different styles may suggest that various factions or kin groups prepared them to their own specifications. Other studies often interpret trophy heads as either enemies or ancestors; so, this study addresses that debate by documenting aspects of their identity as revealed through demographic, paleopathological, and trauma data. Results show that "fresh" bodies, not old corpses, were used to make trophies, as evidenced by cutmarks indicating intentional removal of soft tissues. Trophy heads are remarkably standardized; 89% display a hole on the superior of the cranium, apparently a design feature that displays the trophy head upright and facing forward when suspended by a cord. Of the 31 trophy heads, 24 are adolescents/adults and 7 are children, and of the 17 sexed adults, 15 are male and 2 are female. This suggests that adult men and children were favored as trophies. Among 19 observable adult trophy heads, 42% exhibit cranial trauma, suggesting that violence was common among this group. Complementary data on Wari iconography shows warriors wearing trophy heads and Wari deities holding captives and trophy heads. Thus, it is likely that captives (or just their heads) were taken in battles and raids-either secular or ritual-and eventually transformed into trophy heads. (c) 2008 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

  15. Who discovered the sylvian fissure?

    PubMed

    Collice, Massimo; Collice, Rosa; Riva, Alessandro

    2008-10-01

    Cerebral convolutions were unknown until the 17th century. A constant sulcus was not recognized until the mid-1600s; it was named "the fissure of Sylvius," after the person who had always been considered as the one who discovered it. It is commonly asserted that the first description of the lateral scissure was made by Caspar Bartholin, who attributed its discovery to Sylvius. However, this was not actually the case, as Caspar Bartholin died in 1629, whereas Sylvius started studying medicine in 1632. The description could have been made either by Caspar Bartholin's son Thomas or by Sylvius himself. Irrespective of the description's author, the key to the history of the lateral fissure is that it was first identified by Fabrici d'Acquapendente in 1600, 40 years before Sylvius' description. In one of the 300 colored plates (Tabulae Pictae) by Fabrici, the lateral fissure is perfectly depicted, as are the temporal convolutions. Therefore, even if it was an accidental discovery, Fabrici should be the one noted as having discovered the fissure. This article ends with a short history of the plates. They were painted in oil on paper and were thought to further a great work, the Theatrum Totius Animalis Fabricae, which was begun in 1591 and never completed or published. Only the colored illustrations of this project remain. These plates were forgotten for more than 200 years, until they were rediscovered by Giuseppe Sterzi in 1909. They are among the best examples of anatomic iconography in terms of innovation, accuracy, and artistic accomplishment.

  16. Scholars and scientists in the history of the lymphatic system.

    PubMed

    Natale, Gianfranco; Bocci, Guido; Ribatti, Domenico

    2017-09-01

    The discovery of the lymphatic system has a long and fascinating history. The interest in anatomy and physiology of this system paralleled that of the blood cardiocirculatory system and has been maybe obscured by the latter. Paradoxically, if the closed blood system appeared open in Galen's anatomy and physiology, and took a very long time to be correctly described in terms of pulmonary and general circulation by ibn Al-Nafis/Michael Servetus/Realdo Colombo and William Harvey, respectively, the open lymphatic system was incorrectly described as a closed circuit connected with arteries and veins. In ancient times only macroscopic components of the lymphatic system have been described, although misinterpreted, including lymph nodes and lacteals, the latter being easily identified because of their milk-like content. For about 15 centuries the dogmatic acceptance of Galen's notions did not allow a significant progress in medicine. After Vesalius' revolution in anatomical studies, new knowledge was accumulated, and the 17th century was the golden age for the investigation of the lymphatic system with several discoveries: gut lacteals (Gaspare Aselli), cloacal bursa (Hieronimus Fabricius of Acquapendente), reservoir of the chyle (Jean Pecquet), extra-intestinal lymphatic vessels (Thomas Bartholin and Olaus Rudbeck dispute), hepatic lymph circulation (Francis Glisson). In the Enlightenment century Frederik Ruysch described the function of lymphatic valves, and Paolo Mascagni provided a magnificent iconography of the lymphatic network in humans. In recent times, Leonetto Comparini realized three-dimensional reconstructions of the liver lymphatic vessels, and Kari Alitalo discovered the lymphatic growth factor/receptor system. Far from a complete understanding of its anatomy and function, the lymphatic system still needs to be profoundly examined. © 2017 Anatomical Society.

  17. Tips and tricks in the dermoscopy of pigmented lesions

    PubMed Central

    2012-01-01

    Dermoscopy is a useful, widely used tool for examining pigmented lesions, especially helpful in cases of an uncertain nature. Nevertheless, doctors may experience diagnostic difficulties while using this method. An example of this may be found in the examination of subcorneal hematoma, dark nevi with black lamella or lesions of acral volar skin. In such cases, a few diagnostic tricks have proven to be helpful in achieving diagnostic accuracy. This paper reviews various methods of performing dermoscopy, suggesting a number of simple, yet helpful tests. These include the adhesive tape test, the skin scraping test and the ink furrow test. The adhesive tape test is helpful in differentiating between dark melanocytic nevi and melanoma. Hematoma may be more easily differentiated with the use of the so-called skin scraping test. The confirmation of benign and melanocytic lesions of acral volar skin, on the other hand, is more accurate when using the ink furrow test. These methods have been discussed here based upon a series of literature reviews, the authors’ own experience and, also, iconography. The present article describes novel methods used in dermoscopy, helping to bring about a faster, more accurate diagnostics of those lesions which have proven to be more difficult to recognize. Helpful tricks, such as have been known to professional literature, as well as the authors’ own experience (for instance, applying urea cream to hyperkeratotic lesions or using photographs of skin lesions taken with the aid of a mobile phone camera – all prior to surgery) will surely be considered beneficial to the practitioner, be it dermatologist or any other physician. PMID:22916721

  18. LETTERA DEL DIRETTORE.

    PubMed

    Picardi, Nicola

    2016-01-01

    In nearly three decades to the direction of the journal Annali Italiani di Chirurgia I could add to my personal experiences as surgeon and University Professor of Surgery, those very special in the rather different field of scientific literature from the specific point of view of Chief Editor - English term that identifies the "Director" of a scientific journal. The original wish to enhance and promote the qualities of researches and professional activity of Italian surgery within the journal, after an initial phase of normal management has expanded ambitiously, and over the last decade has been taken new editorial strategic decisions to promote more and more the cultural value and the diffusion of the magazine, for the benefit of its subscribers and its readers. Therefore, since 2007 the preferential adoption of English was introduced, then it became the exclusive language from 2010. Later in 2008 there was the authoritative introduction of the magazine in the "informatics network" with the activation of a "web site" to constitute the parallel Digital Edition of Annali Italiani di Chirurgia, ISSN credited with the CNR, to constitute a large interactive library where there are nowadays collected in free reading all articles published in press from 2000 up to those published in the first half of 2015 - with subsequent to follow. In parallel it was inaugurated the section reserved to the individual "Clinical cases", published exclusively online in the same Digital Edition, with preservation of iconography colors. The own search motor of the "site" (www.annitalchir.com) enables the identification of all articles published in the Digital Edition, whether published in print or exclusively online, proceeding by title, by author, by keyword, and of course by date of publication. The functionality of the purchase mechanism of each article with the procedure of "e-commerce" right from the site and the possibility for all readers to interactively express the own evaluation

  19. Napoleon's autopsy: new perspectives.

    PubMed

    Lugli, A; Lugli, A Kopp; Horcic, M

    2005-04-01

    In 1821 Napoleon died in exile on the Island of St. Helena. Although the autopsy had suggested stomach cancer as the cause of death, in 1961 an elevated arsenic concentration was found in Napoleon's hair. This finding elicited numerous theories of conspiracy, treachery, and poisoning. Most recent reports even suggested inappropriate medical treatment may have contributed to the exiled Emperor's death. Napoleon's apparent obesity at the time of his demise was interpreted as a strong argument against stomach cancer as the cause of death; however, his weight changes over the course of his life, noticeable from the contemporary iconography, have not been systematically analyzed. To test the hypothesis that Napoleon's weight at death could be compatible with a diagnosis of terminal gastric cancer, we performed several studies to determine: a) Napoleon's weight at death; and b) the changes of his weight during the last 20 years of his life. Our weight modeling was based on the collection of 12 different pairs of trousers worn by Napoleon between 1800 and 1821, the year of his death. Modeling trouser sizes with control data suggested a weight increase from 67 kg to 90 kg by 1820. The trousers worn at the time of death suggested a subsequent weight loss of 11 kg (to 79 kg) during the last year of his life. This weight was confirmed by a second modeling approach based on the subcutaneous fat measurement performed at autopsy (1.5 inches) and a control group of 270 men dying from various causes. This provides a reasonable validation for both weight measurement methods. Napoleon's terminal weight loss of more than 10 kg is suggestive of a severe progressive chronic illness and is highly consistent with a diagnosis of gastric cancer.

  20. Buyid Silk and the Tale of Bibi Shahrbanu: Identification of Biomarkers of Artificial Aging (Forgery) of Silk.

    PubMed

    Moini, Mehdi; Rollman, Christopher M

    2017-10-03

    Buyid silk forgery is one of the most famous silk forgeries in the world. In 1924-1925, excavation of the Bibi Shahrbanu site in Iran unearthed several silk textiles. The silks were thought to be of the Buyid period (934-1062 BCE) of the Persian Empire and have since been known as the "Buyid silks". In the 1930s, more silk appeared and was reported as being from the Buyid period as well. Controversy over the authenticity of these silks escalated after the purchase of the silks by museums throughout the world. Extensive investigations of several of these silks have been conducted over the years with respect to iconography, weaving patterns, dyes/mordant, style, and even radiocarbon dating. It was found that most of the silks are not from Buyid period. To test the authenticity of these silk fabrics, the recently developed silk dating technique using amino acid racemization (AAR) in conjunction with capillary electrophoresis mass spectrometry was applied to 13 Buyid silk specimens from the Textile Museum collections. Among these silk specimens, the AAR ratios of only one specimen were consistent with authentic silk fabrics collected from various museums. In addition, the aspartic acid racemization ratio of this specimen was also consistent with its 14 C dating. The other "Buyid silks" showed excessive levels of amino acid racemization not only for aspartic acid, but also for phenylalanine and tyrosine, inconsistent with racemization rates of these amino acids in authentic historical silk fabrics. Treatment of modern silk with a base at different pH and temperature reproduced the AAR pattern of the Buyid silks, implying that chemical treatment with a base at relatively high temperatures was perhaps the method used to artificially age these fabrics. The results imply that the racemization ratios of aspartic acid, phenylalanine, and tyrosine can be used as biomarkers for identification of naturally versus artificially aged silk.

  1. Widespread exploitation of the honeybee by early Neolithic farmers.

    PubMed

    Roffet-Salque, Mélanie; Regert, Martine; Evershed, Richard P; Outram, Alan K; Cramp, Lucy J E; Decavallas, Orestes; Dunne, Julie; Gerbault, Pascale; Mileto, Simona; Mirabaud, Sigrid; Pääkkönen, Mirva; Smyth, Jessica; Šoberl, Lucija; Whelton, Helen L; Alday-Ruiz, Alfonso; Asplund, Henrik; Bartkowiak, Marta; Bayer-Niemeier, Eva; Belhouchet, Lotfi; Bernardini, Federico; Budja, Mihael; Cooney, Gabriel; Cubas, Miriam; Danaher, Ed M; Diniz, Mariana; Domboróczki, László; Fabbri, Cristina; González-Urquijo, Jesus E; Guilaine, Jean; Hachi, Slimane; Hartwell, Barrie N; Hofmann, Daniela; Hohle, Isabel; Ibáñez, Juan J; Karul, Necmi; Kherbouche, Farid; Kiely, Jacinta; Kotsakis, Kostas; Lueth, Friedrich; Mallory, James P; Manen, Claire; Marciniak, Arkadiusz; Maurice-Chabard, Brigitte; Mc Gonigle, Martin A; Mulazzani, Simone; Özdoğan, Mehmet; Perić, Olga S; Perić, Slaviša R; Petrasch, Jörg; Pétrequin, Anne-Marie; Pétrequin, Pierre; Poensgen, Ulrike; Pollard, C Joshua; Poplin, François; Radi, Giovanna; Stadler, Peter; Stäuble, Harald; Tasić, Nenad; Urem-Kotsou, Dushka; Vuković, Jasna B; Walsh, Fintan; Whittle, Alasdair; Wolfram, Sabine; Zapata-Peña, Lydia; Zoughlami, Jamel

    2015-11-12

    The pressures on honeybee (Apis mellifera) populations, resulting from threats by modern pesticides, parasites, predators and diseases, have raised awareness of the economic importance and critical role this insect plays in agricultural societies across the globe. However, the association of humans with A. mellifera predates post-industrial-revolution agriculture, as evidenced by the widespread presence of ancient Egyptian bee iconography dating to the Old Kingdom (approximately 2400 BC). There are also indications of Stone Age people harvesting bee products; for example, honey hunting is interpreted from rock art in a prehistoric Holocene context and a beeswax find in a pre-agriculturalist site. However, when and where the regular association of A. mellifera with agriculturalists emerged is unknown. One of the major products of A. mellifera is beeswax, which is composed of a complex suite of lipids including n-alkanes, n-alkanoic acids and fatty acyl wax esters. The composition is highly constant as it is determined genetically through the insect's biochemistry. Thus, the chemical 'fingerprint' of beeswax provides a reliable basis for detecting this commodity in organic residues preserved at archaeological sites, which we now use to trace the exploitation by humans of A. mellifera temporally and spatially. Here we present secure identifications of beeswax in lipid residues preserved in pottery vessels of Neolithic Old World farmers. The geographical range of bee product exploitation is traced in Neolithic Europe, the Near East and North Africa, providing the palaeoecological range of honeybees during prehistory. Temporally, we demonstrate that bee products were exploited continuously, and probably extensively in some regions, at least from the seventh millennium cal BC, likely fulfilling a variety of technological and cultural functions. The close association of A. mellifera with Neolithic farming communities dates to the early onset of agriculture and may provide

  2. Perceptions of beauty in Renaissance art.

    PubMed

    Haughton, Neil

    2004-12-01

    The Renaissance was a cultural revolution that spread from Florence, in 1400, throughout Italy and into the rest of Europe. Its impetus was the philosophy of Humanism, which strove to resurrect and emulate the literature and art of the ancient Greeks and Romans. Artists had previously been limited to formulaic religious iconography. They now began to reproduce descriptions of classical paintings and copy the antique statues that were being newly rediscovered. The Renaissance artist's perception of beauty was therefore determined by his philosophical environment, his visual experience (the 'period eye'), the demands of his patrons and by attempts to enhance his professional status in society to equal that of poets and architects. The image of Venus portrayed by Botticelli as the idealization of beauty in Renaissance Florence is significantly different from the Venus portrayed by the German artist, Lucas Cranach. The northern European Venus is much less voluptuous than her Italian counterpart but is still inspired by humanist principals and retains considerable sexuality. Raphael's paintings epitomise the idealization of female beauty of this period but, by his own admission they were rarely based on real models. Often the same facial type was repeated in many different paintings. Indeed Renaissance portrait artists tended to avoid realistic interpretation, emphasizing instead the positive attributes of their subjects, both physical and political. Thus, Bronzino's Portrait of a Young Man not only depicts his subject's idealized appearance but also his scholarship, background and potential. The depiction of beauty in Renaissance art is shown to be more complex than a mere photograph-like representation of sexuality or of a person's physical appearance. Instead, Renaissance art created physically perfect images resulting from scholarly expectation, the artist's ambitions and his developing skills.

  3. French Influence on Portuguese Architects in the Age of Enlightenment

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Sampayo, Mafalda

    2017-10-01

    This investigation shows the European influence on the work of Portuguese architects of the Enlightenment period. Based on previous studies we focus our attention on the design of “Praça do Comércio” square and on a hypothesis, that it was based on the French Royal Square. We demonstrate that the design of Lisbon from the second half of the eighteenth-century was influenced by the theories and best practices of the time. We also confirm that the architect Eugénio dos Santos e Carvalho, a member of the reconstruction team for the Baixa, had in his personal library several reference books of French architectural practice that certainly influenced his architecture. The plans for the main square of Lisbon’s lower city, “Praça do Comércio”, can be compared to the “Place de Nos Conquêtes”, predecessor of the “Place Vêndome”, in its design, architecture and dimensions. This research analysed the cartography and iconography of Lisbon’s reconstruction. In particular, the drawings of “Praça do Comércio” and “Place de nos Conquêtes” were exhaustively studied. The comparative study of the elements for both squares lead to the conclusion that the Portuguese square presents many aspects of the French Age of Enlightenment, and in particular those featured in the “Place de nos Conquêtes”. This paper concludes that the Portuguese urban design and architectural projects of the 18th century are the result of previous knowledge where it was always possible to articulate the vernacular with academic design, and where many different influences left their mark on the culture of the period. The plans for the lower part of Lisbon display a mixture of references that relate to architectural and urban planning traditions of the Portuguese military engineering and contemporary French urban planning.

  4. Perfect in Every Sense. Scientific Iconography on an Equation Clock by Jost Bürgi and the Self-Understanding of the Astronomers at the Kassel Court in the Late 1580s.

    PubMed

    Gaulke, Karsten

    2015-01-01

    At the center of this article is an iconographic analysis of the eight silver reliefs on the sides of a table clock made in 1591 by Jost Burgi, the court clockmaker of Landgrave Wilhelm iv of Hessen-Kassel. The reliefs present an astronomical ancestral picture gallery, running from the Patriarchs of the Old Testament to Copernicus. The author argues that the "storyboard" for this sequence of images must have been conceived down to its smallest details by the Kassel court astronomer Christoph Rothmann; indeed, many of the scenes shown, along with many particular details depicted within them, are literally described in Rothmann's never-published manuscript Observationes stellarum fixarum of 1589. The final section of the essay compares these reliefs to the images created for Tycho Brahe at his Uraniborg and Stjerneborg observatories. The author concludes that the sequence of the reliefs in Kassel, culminating in the representation of Copernicus and his world view, is a reflection of the acrimonious debate extending over many years between the heliocentrist Rothmann and the geo-heliocentrist Brahe regarding the veracity of the heliocentric world view.

  5. Linking buildings, archives and museums of the 19th century Turin's Cultural Heritage

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Tamborrino, R.; Rinaudo, F.

    2015-08-01

    The documentation of Cultural Heritage asset is the basis for all the interventions and policies on Cultural heritage conservation and management. The documentation is mainly based on historic knowledge and metric survey. As far as historic knowledge is concerned many information are still recorded and preserved inside written documents that are usually not easy to reach and correctly understandable by all the experts that have specific responsibilities on Cultural Heritage. The digitalization of documents (hardly faced in the last years) is not sufficient to guarantee the effective access to the historical information useful inside a documentation process. The documentation always needs an historical interpretation based on a critical reading produced by linking heterogeneous materials. Iconography also is an important source when it is correctly interpreted and linked to other sources. IT development and digital technology diffusion allowed offering new way to record, organize and share historical information: GIS and 3D modeling can be used as standard approaches to transfer the historical knowledge in a proper way to specialists involved in Cultural Heritage conservation and management. They have been generally used as tool to represent information for different targets, the ones mostly for specialized users, the others for edutainment. GIS are largely diffused yet in the Cultural Heritage management, and 3D modeling is wide spread used in museums communication. Nevertheless, both of them have more potential. They could be integrated in order to manage different data set related with the same matter. They could be used to make new research by surveying and improving interpretation in a way ready to transmit the outcomes. To produce a new generation of affordable digital historical products is necessary that the GIS and 3D modeling design and realization would be developed in a multidisciplinary approach that must be explained and demonstrated to the people that

  6. Development of a Mobile Clinical Prediction Tool to Estimate Future Depression Severity and Guide Treatment in Primary Care: User-Centered Design.

    PubMed

    Wachtler, Caroline; Coe, Amy; Davidson, Sandra; Fletcher, Susan; Mendoza, Antonette; Sterling, Leon; Gunn, Jane

    2018-04-23

    Around the world, depression is both under- and overtreated. The diamond clinical prediction tool was developed to assist with appropriate treatment allocation by estimating the 3-month prognosis among people with current depressive symptoms. Delivering clinical prediction tools in a way that will enhance their uptake in routine clinical practice remains challenging; however, mobile apps show promise in this respect. To increase the likelihood that an app-delivered clinical prediction tool can be successfully incorporated into clinical practice, it is important to involve end users in the app design process. The aim of the study was to maximize patient engagement in an app designed to improve treatment allocation for depression. An iterative, user-centered design process was employed. Qualitative data were collected via 2 focus groups with a community sample (n=17) and 7 semistructured interviews with people with depressive symptoms. The results of the focus groups and interviews were used by the computer engineering team to modify subsequent protoypes of the app. Iterative development resulted in 3 prototypes and a final app. The areas requiring the most substantial changes following end-user input were related to the iconography used and the way that feedback was provided. In particular, communicating risk of future depressive symptoms proved difficult; these messages were consistently misinterpreted and negatively viewed and were ultimately removed. All participants felt positively about seeing their results summarized after completion of the clinical prediction tool, but there was a need for a personalized treatment recommendation made in conjunction with a consultation with a health professional. User-centered design led to valuable improvements in the content and design of an app designed to improve allocation of and engagement in depression treatment. Iterative design allowed us to develop a tool that allows users to feel hope, engage in self-reflection, and

  7. Agathos Daimon and the Asklepian serpent.

    PubMed

    Pearn, John

    2011-06-01

    Much conjecture abounds about the origin of the Asklepian serpent of healing, this latter the universal metonym for curative medicine. Iconographic evidence of Asklepios with his staff-entwined serpent exists from Hippocratic times. Many theories exist about the origin of this reptilian symbol of curative medicine. Speculation has ranged from the skin-shed serpent emergent in new and robust health to putative associations with earlier Egyptian and Babylonian anguine (snake) symbols of life-determining power. Other scholars have drawn attention to the Palaeolithic, Neolithic and later Bronze-Age associations with serpent veneration in the context of rain and fertility religious invocations in India; and in many other cultures. In the South Pacific, in Australia and in Central and South America, serpents were regarded as spirits of the earth, often chthonian spirits who possessed life-giving powers. In Chaldean and Arabic etymology, the words for "serpent" and "life" have a synergy. In Classical Greece, the Agathos Daimon was literally the "noble spirit", a personal companion spirit ensuing health and good fortune. The Agathos Daimon was portrayed in iconography as a serpent, or as a fit and comely youth. This paper conjectures that the serpentine Agathos Daimon was one origin of the Asklepian symbol of medicine, portrayed as the serpent associated of the Homeric Asklepios. In later Roman times, the Agathos Daimon was transliterated to the agathodaemon, a protective companion spirit both of individuals and of the homes in which they lived. This benign resident spirit featured prominently in Roman art and was a common feature as a protective household spirit in first century homes at both Pompeii and Herculaneum. The agathodaemon motif also featured on Roman coins, such as bronze diobols of Antoninus Plus (138 - 161 A.D.) from Alexandrian mints in Egypt. In the twenty-first century, the serpentine Agathos Daimon is honoured not only as the symbol of medicine; but is

  8. Development of a Mobile Clinical Prediction Tool to Estimate Future Depression Severity and Guide Treatment in Primary Care: User-Centered Design

    PubMed Central

    2018-01-01

    Background Around the world, depression is both under- and overtreated. The diamond clinical prediction tool was developed to assist with appropriate treatment allocation by estimating the 3-month prognosis among people with current depressive symptoms. Delivering clinical prediction tools in a way that will enhance their uptake in routine clinical practice remains challenging; however, mobile apps show promise in this respect. To increase the likelihood that an app-delivered clinical prediction tool can be successfully incorporated into clinical practice, it is important to involve end users in the app design process. Objective The aim of the study was to maximize patient engagement in an app designed to improve treatment allocation for depression. Methods An iterative, user-centered design process was employed. Qualitative data were collected via 2 focus groups with a community sample (n=17) and 7 semistructured interviews with people with depressive symptoms. The results of the focus groups and interviews were used by the computer engineering team to modify subsequent protoypes of the app. Results Iterative development resulted in 3 prototypes and a final app. The areas requiring the most substantial changes following end-user input were related to the iconography used and the way that feedback was provided. In particular, communicating risk of future depressive symptoms proved difficult; these messages were consistently misinterpreted and negatively viewed and were ultimately removed. All participants felt positively about seeing their results summarized after completion of the clinical prediction tool, but there was a need for a personalized treatment recommendation made in conjunction with a consultation with a health professional. Conclusions User-centered design led to valuable improvements in the content and design of an app designed to improve allocation of and engagement in depression treatment. Iterative design allowed us to develop a tool that allows

  9. Pacesetters of the American image or (a case for a pleasant diversion).

    PubMed Central

    Hook, E. W.

    1992-01-01

    Regardless of how you resolve the morality of our history, the fact is that Currier and Ives documented in their own special and often biased way the iconography of the growth and development of the United States of America (Fig. 88) in some of the most eventful years of its history from about 1840 through 1895. Now, as we near our 500th anniversary commemoration of Columbus' voyage to the Americas, it seems especially appropriate to review--to think about all of this. I think you have sensed, as we have gone along, that learning about Currier and his colleagues--these pacesetters of the American Image--has meant, as Osler predicted, a pleasant diversion for me. These activities have carried me into new areas of interest, expanding my perspective of the American Image--of people, of medicine, of life in general, and aiding in the identification of values, my own, as well as those of others. All along, my knowledge has been enhanced, especially of the history of this wonderful complex country of ours. Furthermore, and of considerable importance, this endeavor has sharpened my power of observation. I have, like a good doctor should do, learned to look better! Images Fig. 1 Fig. 2 Fig. 3 Fig. 4 Fig. 5 Fig. 6 Fig. 7 Fig. 8 Fig. 9 Fig. 10 Fig. 11 Fig. 12 Fig. 13 Fig. 14 Fig. 15 Fig. 16 Fig. 17 Fig. 19 Fig. 18 Fig. 20 Fig. 21 Fig. 23 Fig. 25 Fig. 27 Fig. 26 Fig. 28 Fig. 29 Fig. 30 Fig. 31 Fig. 32 Fig. 33 Fig. 34 Fig. 35 Fig. 36 Fig. 37 Fig. 39 Fig. 40 Fig. 41 Fig. 42 Fig. 43 Fig. 44 Fig. 45 Fig. 46 Fig. 47 Fig. 48 Fig. 49 Fig. 50 Fig. 51 Fig. 52 Fig. 53 Fig. 54 Fig. 55 Fig. 56 Fig. 57 Fig. 58 Fig. 59 Fig. 60 Fig. 61 Fig. 62 Fig. 63 Fig. 64 Fig. 65 Fig. 66 Fig. 68 Fig. 67 Fig. 69 Fig. 70 Fig. 71 Fig. 72 Fig. 73 Fig. 74 Fig. 75 Fig. 76 Fig. 77 Fig. 78 Fig. 79 Fig. 80 Fig. 82 Fig. 81 Fig. 83 Fig. 84 Fig. 85 Fig. 86 Fig. 87 Fig. 88 PMID:1413369

  10. [Miraculous recoveries in the frescoes of the Decani Monastery].

    PubMed

    Jović, N; Jancić-Stefanović, J

    1999-01-01

    Serbian medieval medicine can be said to have the same characteristics as western medicine of those times in terms of practical medical science, whereas the ancillary medical branches were under Byzantine influence. Besides the compositions of Christ's miracles and paraboles are underlying part of the fresco/painting, the scenes of Christ's miraculous recoveries have an important place in the christian iconography of the New Testament events. One of the most impressive cycles of Christ's miracles in the Serbian and Byzantine medieval art was painted in c. 1340 year in the church dedicated to the Ascension of Lord Christ at Dechani Monastery and constructed between 1327 and 1335. A considerable number of 22 frescoes of different artistic value and technique displays the miraculous recovery of patients afflicted by various chronic ailments: paralytics (razlabljeni), lepers, and handicapped (blind, lame and deaf). One scene presents the bleeding (krvotociva) women. Scenes of recovery from nervous and mental diseases are especially impressive. Patients with atrophic arm, these with hemiplegy, epilepsy, an somnambulist boy, lunatics and possessed are there painted. The magnificent compositions of the miraculous recovery of a patient with ascites (debela, vodena bolest) and these affected by disorders of mainly neuromuscular and locomotor systems are performed by talented masters. The King Stefan Urosh Dechanski Third (1322-1331) founded the hospital in the Dechani Monastery, as a purely medical institution for providing treatment. This hospital was organized and modelled on the hospital in the Pantocrator Monastery in Constantinople. His biographer Gregory Camblak described that this hospital took in patients suffering from epilepsy (svestenoga neduga radi stradalcem) and serious nervous disorders, lepers, cripples, paralytics and those with lung diseases. Regardless of differences in the artistic level, most of these frescoes are impressively natural and realistic

  11. The production process of "Étude sur le Rein des Urinaires", doctoral thesis of Joaquin María Albarrán at the Faculty of Medicine in Paris.

    PubMed

    Fernández-Arias, M; Otero, I; Pérez-Albacete, M; Fariña, L A; Angulo, J C

    2014-01-01

    The manuscript of the Doctoral Thesis of Joaquín Albarrán in the Faculty of Medicine in Paris "Étudesur le Rein des Urinaires" has been donated to Asociación Española de Urología. Direct comparison of the original and printed material gives information of the production process of this master work. Direct comparison between the original hand-written work, a single hard bound volume covered with loin cloth and water paper composed of 145 numbered pages plus 206 newly numbered pages of clinico-pathological (37 subjects) and experimental (19 assays in 20 rabbits) data, and the printed work edited by Georges Steinheil in 1889. Prints included 4 plates with 14 figures, 9 temperature charts and 5 tables describing urine examinations. Figures were trichromic and charts and tables black & white. Chromolithographs were produced by Mr. Leuba in the printing owned by Lemercier et Cie, Paris. The original work was completed in 1887 without any correction or deletion. Differences are noticeable between the text in the master and printed works: rearrangement of data and inclusion of a new clinical observation, 5 new experiments, summary and dedications. Changes in iconography are noticeable. The masterwork included 24 plates (numbered from 1 to 22, 13bis, 16bis) with 46 figures (44 colored) integrated within the text and 26 double-page temperature registries that accompany clinical observations. Anatomical, histological and microbiological illustrations, including culture media, microbiological stains and histobacteriological preparations were depicted as watercolors (44%), watercolors mixed with pencil or ink (52%) or pencil drawings (4%). Four (9%) were signed by the author, 5 (11%) had numerical annotations and only 14 (30%) were definitely printed with loss of the black component and redrawn of 4/14 (29%) images. The largest images were not printed. Joaquín Albarrán described and beautifully illustrated himself the role "pyogenic bacillus" (E. coli) played in renal

  12. The Byzantine Church of ``40 Holy Martyrs'' in Veliko Turnovo, Bulgaria: Pigments and Technique

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Sakellariou, E.; Zorba, T.; Pavlidou, E.; Angelova, S.; Paraskevopoulos, K. M.

    2010-01-01

    The "St. 40 Martyrs" church is the most famous medieval building in Veliko Turnovo, Bulgaria. It is located in Assenova mahala, just next to Tsarevets. It was built and its walls were painted during the reign of Bulgarian king Ivan Assen II after the victory against Epyrus despot Theodoros Comninos (1230 AD). It consists of two buildings - a six-column basilica and another, smaller building on its western wall, which was built later. During the presence of the Ottoman Turks, maybe until the first half of the 18th century, the church remained christian. When it was converted to a mosque, all the christian symbols in it were destroyed. The archeological researches on site were initiated in 1969. As it is clear, the 40 Martyrs church is a historical monument of culture with great significance. The church had murals, from the earlier period, but in the following years and especially during the Ottoman period, the church has suffered many and different destructions. Nevertheless, the very few pieces of murals that are rescued till nowadays provide important information for the technique and the pigments that were used on its wall paintings. In the present work, twelve series of samples from the wall paintings were studied in order to characterize the materials and the technique used for church iconography. The study was based on the micro-analytical techniques of the Fourier Transform Infrared micro-spectroscopy (μs-FTIR), the Optical Microscopy and the Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) coupled to an Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectrometer (EDS). In the FTIR spectra of all pigments the characteristic peaks of calcite were detected, confirming the use of fresco technique for the creation of murals. The combination of FTIR spectroscopy and SEM-EDS analysis, reveal the existence of lapis-lazuli for the blue color, green earth for the green color, cinnabar for the red color, calcite for the white color and carbon black for the black color. Moreover, in other chromatic layers

  13. DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Sakellariou, E.; Zorba, T.; Pavlidou, E.

    The 'St. 40 Martyrs' church is the most famous medieval building in Veliko Turnovo, Bulgaria. It is located in Assenova mahala, just next to Tsarevets. It was built and its walls were painted during the reign of Bulgarian king Ivan Assen II after the victory against Epyrus despot Theodoros Comninos (1230 AD). It consists of two buildings - a six-column basilica and another, smaller building on its western wall, which was built later. During the presence of the Ottoman Turks, maybe until the first half of the 18th century, the church remained christian. When it was converted to a mosque,more » all the christian symbols in it were destroyed. The archeological researches on site were initiated in 1969. As it is clear, the 40 Martyrs church is a historical monument of culture with great significance. The church had murals, from the earlier period, but in the following years and especially during the Ottoman period, the church has suffered many and different destructions. Nevertheless, the very few pieces of murals that are rescued till nowadays provide important information for the technique and the pigments that were used on its wall paintings. In the present work, twelve series of samples from the wall paintings were studied in order to characterize the materials and the technique used for church iconography. The study was based on the micro-analytical techniques of the Fourier Transform Infrared micro-spectroscopy (mus-FTIR), the Optical Microscopy and the Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) coupled to an Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectrometer (EDS). In the FTIR spectra of all pigments the characteristic peaks of calcite were detected, confirming the use of fresco technique for the creation of murals. The combination of FTIR spectroscopy and SEM-EDS analysis, reveal the existence of lapis-lazuli for the blue color, green earth for the green color, cinnabar for the red color, calcite for the white color and carbon black for the black color. Moreover, in other

  14. Onoufrios, the famous XVI's century iconographer, creator of the ``Berati School'': studying the technique and materials used in wall paintings of inscribed churches

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Pavlidou, E.; Arapi, M.; Zorba, T.; Anastasiou, M.; Civici, N.; Stamati, F.; Paraskevopoulos, K. M.

    2006-06-01

    The study of the materials and techniques employed for wall painting, complementing the information from historical and aesthetic data, contributes to the integrated knowledge of the iconographer and his period. In the 16th century, regarding the iconography in the former Byzantine area, besides the School of Crete and Francos Catelanos and his school, a third artistic personality who also created his own school, Onoufrios, appeared in central Albania and expanded his activity as a painter to northern Greece as well as nearby areas, such as Ohrid. Inscriptions documenting the works of Onoufrios are found in some of the churches that he decorated with wall paintings: “St. Apostles” (1547) Kastoria Greece, “St. Nicolas” Shelcan Albania, “St. Paraskevi” (1554), Valsh Albania, while are attributed to him the church of “St. Theodores” in Berati, Albania (before 1547) and others. He is one of the best icon painters of the whole Balkan region, and the best painter that has ever worked in Albanian territory. Onoufrios managed to combine the local painting tradition with the best tradition of the eastern (Paleologian) and western (Italian) schools, resulting in a realistic and natural depiction. He is the creator of the “Berati School” that expanded to other parts of the peninsula. His individual character can be distinguished in the work of his students: his son Nikolaos (who inherited his style in painting), Onoufrios from Cyprus, etc. Based on careful observations, we extracted number of paint samples from wall paintings of three of the above mentioned churches. Ground and paint layers were examined using micro-FTIR, Optical Microscopy, TXRF and SEM-EDS, to characterize materials and methods used by the artist to create these works. Our findings in each church are discussed and compared with the others in order to understand how and with what material and resources the painter worked and how he developed his technique. The presence of calcium

  15. Natural pigments and sacred art

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kelekian, Lena, ,, Lady

    2010-05-01

    Since the dawn of mankind, cavemen has expressed himself through art. The earliest known cave paintings date to some 32,000 years ago and used 4 colours derived from the earth. These pigments were iron oxides and known as ochres, blacks and whites. All pigments known by the Egyptians, the Greeks, the Romans and Renaissance man were natural and it was not until the 18th century that synthetic pigments were made and widely used. Until that time all art, be it sacred or secular used only natural pigments, of which the preparation of many have been lost or rarely used because of their tedious preparation. As a geologist, a mineralogist and an artist specializing in iconography, I have been able to rediscover 89 natural pigments extracted from minerals. I use these pigments to paint my icons in the traditional Byzantine manner and also to restore old icons, bringing back their glamour and conserving them for years to come. The use of the natural pigments in its proper way also helps to preserve the traditional skills of the iconographer. In the ancient past, pigments were extremely precious. Many took an exceedingly long journey to reach the artists, and came from remote countries. Research into these pigments is the work of history, geography and anthropology. It is an interesting journey in itself to discover that the blue aquamarines came from Afghanistan, the reds from Spain, the greens Africa, and so on. In this contribution I will be describing the origins, preparation and use of some natural pigments, together with their history and provenance. Additionally, I will show how the natural pigments are used in the creation of an icon. Being a geologist iconographer, for me, is a sacrement that transforms that which is earthly, material and natural into a thing of beauty that is sacred. As bread and wine in the Eucharist, water during baptism and oil in Holy Union transmit sanctification to the beholder, natural pigments do the same when one considers an icon. The

  16. All Property is Riverfront Property: The Raindrop App and FLOW Project

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Carter, T.; Miss, M.; Kirn, M.; Niyogi, D.; Bachta, E.; Steckel, J.

    2011-12-01

    a form that is familiar and relevant. By pulling the mobile device users into physical spaces along the river, the experience is enhanced further. Finally, the ability to concisely display essential watershed, weather, and climate information using iconography, predefined data analysis, and dynamic programming allows for the application to run quickly and usability to be optimized. Future work will focus on end user evaluation and replicability in other urban watersheds around the country.

  17. Linking objects in the process of mourning for sons disappeared in war: Croatia 2001.

    PubMed

    Jurcević, Slavica; Urlić, Ivan

    2002-04-01

    Mothers use linking object to externalize the complex aspects of their relationship to the loss of their child. We analyzed the linking objects that mothers kept in memory of their sons who disappeared in the 1991-1995 war in Croatia or whose remains were uncovered and identified long time after they had gone missing. The case study of disturbed mourning included 26 mothers of Croatian soldiers from Croatian Osijek-Baranja County who went missing in war or whose remains were recovered and identified long after they had gone missing. The mothers were selected independently by the president of the Association of Families of Missing and Detained Croatian Soldiers and agreed to participate in the study in 2001. They were interviewed in their homes, their testimonies were recorded, and photographs of the linking objects taken. Linking objects were classified according to the Volkan's four-group classification. Out of four Volkan's groups of linking objects, we identified the objects belonging to the first three. Those were 1) objects that had been worn by the deceased (clothes, wrist-watch, ring, or glasses), (6/26); 2) objects that could be viewed in the psychoanalytic sense as an extension of the body of the disappeared or dead person, such as a camera (4/26); and 3) objects with realistic or symbolic resemblance to the deceased, usually a photograph (8/26). None of the examined objects belonged to the fourth Volkan's group (objects at hand when the news of the death came or objects present at the funeral, things that could be considered last-minute objects, ie, related to the moment when the deceased was last seen alive). However, 8/26 objects formed a new hitherto undescribed group. Mothers used such objects to create a memorial shrine to their sons. A photograph of the missing person or person whose remains were identified long after he had gone missing occupied a central place at the shrine, and was surrounded by other symbols of the Catholic iconography (Virgin

  18. Ancient cults of the sun (German Title: Antike Sonnenkulte)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hansen, Rahlf

    . The introduction of the sun-god Elagabal from the Syrian town Emesa as the highest god of the empire, tried about 220 A.D. by the young emperor bearing the same name, failed. The introduction of sol invictus, however, the invincible god of the sun, by the emperor Aurelian in 274 A.D. succeeded. It was the begin of a development that led to the submission of the Roman pantheon to the sun-god. In the imperial propaganda, the emperor likened his own government to the ruling of the cosmos by Apoll. The cosmocrator, a symbol of the emperor as the sovereign of the world, turned into Christus in iconography. The cult of the sun, shaped by Helios - Apollo - Mithras sol invictus was very popular. For this reason, in the fourth century the christians took over the most important religious festival, the winter solstice, which was the birthday of Mithras, as Christmas and Christ became the “Sun of Justice”.

  19. Finding the lost arches of the Medieval Avignon's Bridge (Avignon, Provence, South France): a geoarchaeological approach

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ghilardi, M.; Vella, M. A.; Hermitte, D.; Parisot, J. C.; Dussouillez, P.; Fleury, T. J.; Provansal, M.; Delanghe-Sabatier, D.; Demory, F.; Mathé, P. E.; Quesnel, Y.; Danos, S.; Balossino, S.; Delpey, Y.; Hartmann-Virnich, A.; Berthelot, M.

    2012-04-01

    Acoustic camera techniques) together with geophysical prospections (Electric Resistivity Tomography and Magnetic Cartography methods) in order to reveal potential locations of arches within the modern Rhone River channels (Villeneuve Lez Avignon and Avignon's arms) and on the Barthelasse fluvial island. In addition historical sources, such as maps, were integrated together with the acquired geophysical data in a Geographic Information System in order to identify possible remnant arches. Finally, boreholes have been drilled and later linked with the geophysical data, to reveal the alluvial litho-stratigraphy and describe the geomorphic the changes in the fluvial system. Results clearly reveal the presence of large carved stone accumulation at a regular interval in the Villeneuve-Lez-Avignon and Avignon's branches. An interpretation concerning the shape of the Saint Bénézet Bridge, in a changing morpho-dynamic context, can be assumed and fits well with various sketches and maps established from the 16th to the 17th Centuries. Keywords: Rhone River, Saint Bénézet Medieval Bridge, city of Avignon, Geoarchaeology, Fluvial palaeoenvironments, bathymetric surveys, geophysics, coring, building techniques, building archaeology, iconography

  20. Determination of ground structures of the Suleymaniye complex and the Selimiye madrasa with GPR in Damaskus-Syria

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kadioglu, Selma; Kadioglu, Yusuf K.

    2010-05-01

    Suleymaniye complex located on the banks of the Barada River was built by Sultan Suleyman I of the Ottoman Empire or Suleiman the Magnificent (1520-1566) between 1554 and 1560, locally known as the Takiyya. This complex represents a direct implantation of architectural style of the Ottoman capital, Istanbul, in the plan of its buildings with their exterior configurations and decorative features. Its main part composes of a mosque, caravanserai, public kitchen and hospice, was designed by Sinan (the 'Great Architect Sinan'), In 1566 a madrasa including a mosque called Selimiye Madrasa was added to the East of the group of buildings by Selim II (1566-1574) of the Ottoman Empire and was linked to the Suleymaniye complex by a souk (arasta). Basic elements of architectural iconography of the complex and the madrasa are hemispherical lead-covered dome, cylindrical minaret, domed portico, courtyard, a large regtangular pool in the courtyard. First restoration was done in the mosque during French occupation in Syria. But then the dome was inclined about 56 cm in 1920. The second restoration was done and the colons were fastened by hawsers to avoid collapsing of the dome in 1928. The network of the drainage around the complex has been changed 25 years ago. After 5 years passed, according to the Syrian engineers saying, the first subsidence deformations have started on the courtyards and the porticos surface and some fractures have been occupied on the wall of the buildings of the madrasa and the Suleymaniye complex. Now these subsidences threaten the madrasa. The aim of the study was to determine the reason of the subsidences in the courtyards especially in the madrasa. Therefore ground penetrating radar (GPR) method was used to reveal ground structure of the whole complex, to determine buried drainage locations, and In addition to research basement of the Suleymaniye mosque. Two dimensional (2D) GPR data were acquired on the parallel GPR profiles on the courtyards around

  1. A martyr for modernity: Qiu Jin -- feminist warrior, and revolutionary.

    PubMed

    Fan, H; Mangan, J A

    2001-01-01

    uncompromising attitudes she embraced. She eschewed motherhood, abandoned marriage, dismissed femininity, and yet won acclaim in the most traditional of cultures. Qui Jin was hardly a cynosure of universal acclaim but she was admired, respected and emulated by radical Chinese women and men seeking a new society accommodating women. Her modern feminism struggled to overcome an ancient patriarchy. Here was her appeal. She exuded no moral ambiguity. Consequently, if she was demonized by the conventional; she was deified by the radical - and inspired them as the contemplated and attempted to construct the future. There is a point, of course, that should not be overlooked. Qui Jin, in fact, is not divorced from occidental culture and political iconography. Qui Jin is closely associated with the attitudes, aspirations and fantasies of modern Western feminism. As Margarita Stocker observes, a 'romantic heroine, angry feminist, radical, activist is one example of a pervasive figure', in modern Western cultural mythology 'a figure we may sum up as the Woman with a Gun'. Force, that potent means to power, is available to the gun user irrespective of age of sex, with a resulting 'crucial alteration in the sexual politics of violence'. The Woman with a Gun can now be emphatically heroic - without duplicity, without deceitfulness, without subterfuge. Moral ambiguity in action has been abandoned. She becomes an unambiguous potent force - an armed woman faces an armed man on equal terms - physically, psychologically, morally. Equality offers the legal right and responsibility to kill in the name of patriotism. Modern culture has just caught up with Qui Jin.

  2. [Treatment of patients with different degree of acute respiratory distress syndrome caused by inhalation of white smoke].

    PubMed

    Yang, F W; Xin, H M; Zhu, J H; Feng, X Y; Jiang, X C; Gong, Z Y; Tong, Y L

    2017-12-20

    ARDS had diffuse patchy and ground-glass like increased density shadow (pulmonary exudation for short) at post injury hour 96. Chest iconography of all patients with mild and moderate ARDS showed no abnormalities 10 months post injury. Both lungs of each of the two patients with severe ARDS showed obvious pulmonary exudation at post injury hours 45 and 75, respectively. One patient with severe ARDS showed no abnormality in chest image 10 months post injury, but there was still a small mesh-like increased density shadow in double lobes with slight adhesion of pleura in the other patient with severe ARDS 15 months post injury. (3) All patients showed severe restrictive hypoventilation when admitted to hospital. Pulmonary ventilation function of patients with mild and moderate ARDS recovered to normal one month post injury, and they could do exercises like running, etc. Pulmonary ventilation function of one patient with severe ARDS recovered to normal 6 months post injury, and the patient could do exercises like running, etc. The other patient with severe ARDS showed mild restrictive hypoventilation 15 months post injury and could do exercises like rapid walking, etc. (4) The condition of all mild and one moderate ARDS patients was better on post injury day 3, and they were transferred to the local hospital for subsequent treatment and left hospital on post injury day 21. One patient with moderate ARDS healed and left hospital on post injury day 29. Patients with severe ARDS healed and left hospital on post injury day 81. During the follow-up time of 10-15 months post injury, the other important organs/systems of all patients showed no abnormality, and there was no adverse reaction of glucocorticoid like osteoporosis, femoral head necrosis, or metabolic disorder. Two patients with severe ARDS did not have any adverse reaction of pirfenidone like liver function damage, photosensitivity, anorexia, or lethargy. Conclusions: Early enough and uninterrupted application of

  3. Einstein and a century of time

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Raine, D. J.

    2005-09-01

    In a world overabundant in information, a subject is defined by its iconography. Physics is the falling apple, the planetary atom, the laser, the mushroom cloud and the image of the later Einstein - images that represent, respectively, gravity, atomic theory, quantum theory, mass-energy and the scientist who had a hand in all four. It is therefore appropriate that World Year of Physics is called Einstein Year in the UK. Of course one can argue that progress in science depends on the contributions of many people; that there are other geniuses in physics, even some colourful personalities. Nevertheless there are fundamental reasons why Einstein's early achievements stand out even in their company. When at last the thought came to him that 'time itself was suspect', Einstein had found a new insight into the nature of the physical universe. It is this: that the universal properties of material objects tell us about the nature of space and time, and it is through these properties, not philosophical logic or common sense, that we discover the structure of spacetime. The later Einstein turned this successful formula on its head and sought to use the properties of spacetime to define those of material objects, thereby seeking to abolish matter entirely in favour of geometry. Before I introduce this special feature of European Journal of Physics I will say a few words about what is not here. Like all great geniuses Einstein can be seen as the climax of what went before him and the initiation of what was to follow. Looking back we can see the influence of Mach's positivism, according to which the role of science is to relate observations to other observations; hence only observations can tell us what is 'real'. But Einstein also grew up with the family electromechanical businesses, which testifies to the reality of the Maxwellian electromagnetic fields: thus only theory can tell us what is real! As is well known, Einstein himself refused to accept the full consequences of