Radon activity concentrations and effective doses in ancient Egyptian tombs of the Valley of the Kings.

PubMed

Hafez, A F; Hussein, A S

2001-09-01

Radon concentrations and equilibrium factors were measured in three pharaonic tombs during the year 1998. The tombs, which are open to the public are located in a limestone wadi on the West Bank of the River Nile at Luxor, 650 km south of Cairo. The radon activity concentration and equilibrium factor were measured monthly by two-integral nuclear track detectors (bare and diffusion detectors). Seasonal variation of radon concentrations, with summer maximum and winter minimum were observed in all tombs investigated. The yearly mean radon activity concentrations insidc the tombs ranged from 540 to 3115 Bq m(-3). The mean equilibrium factor over a year was found to be 0.25 and 0.32 inside and at the entrance, respectively. Estimated annual effective doses to tour guides ranged from 0.33 to 1.90 mSv, visitors receive doses from 0.65 to 3.80 microSv per visit. The effective dose to tomb workers did not exceed the 20 mSv yr(-1) limit.

Effects of environmental factors on monuments: the Harkhuf Tomb in Aswan, Egypt

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Baldi, Marina

2015-04-01

The tombs of the nobles excavated in the rocks on the Nile west bank at Qubbet el-Hawa in Aswan (Egypt) testify the role of the city as the southern gate of Egypt. In old times Aswan was the starting point of caravans travelling far south in uncovered territories and bringing back precious and exotic goods. Inscriptions on the tombs reflect the explorations and trades of that time and the cultural exchanges with southern territories. Nowadays the tombs, exposed to the environmental factors - wind, sun, rainfall - and to air polluttants originated from the town of Aswan are under a fast deterioration process. It is therefore necessary a full documentation of the tombs and of their façade and a study of the deterioration process due to the impact of the environmental factors. As a case study the tomb of Harkhuf at Qubbet el-Hawa has been chosen, because of its importance, its status of decay, and for the old documentation by the Italian Egyptologist E. Schiaparelli. The climate factors affecting the tomb of Harkhuf are air temperature, its diurnal excursion, and wind, and, at some extent, relative humidity. In fact, in Aswan, night time Humidity can be more than 30% during the winter months, while precipitation is a very rare event occurring once every 1 or 2 years, but has important impact due to its high intensity and short duration with devastating impact on manufact and structures in the area. The experiment, designed using portable meteorological instruments, permitted to define if the microclimate near the Harkhuf Tomb has the same characteristics of the larger Aswan area which can be derived by the meteorological station located at the Aswan airport. However differences in the microclimate are evident and preliminary analysis of data collected between 8:00 am and 4:00 pm during some consecutive days will be presented. The study permitted to identify and measure the differential heating of the façade, with the right part reaching temperatures much warmer than

Morphologic-anthropological investigations in tomb K93.12 at Dra' Abu el-Naga (Western Thebes, Egypt).

PubMed

Lösch, Sandra; Moghaddam, Negahnaz; Paladin, Alice; Rummel, Ute; Hower-Tilmann, Estelle; Zink, Albert

2014-01-01

In this study we present the analysis of the human remains from tomb K93.12 in the Ancient Egyptian necropolis of Dra' Abu el-Naga, located opposite the modern city of Luxor in Upper Egypt on the western bank of the Nile. Archaeological findings indicate that the rock tomb was originally built in the early 18th dynasty. Remains of two tomb-temples of the 20th dynasty and the looted burial of the High Priest of Amun Amenhotep have been identified. After the New Kingdom the tomb was reused as a burial place until the 26th dynasty. The skeletal and mummified material of the different tomb areas underwent a detailed anthropological and paleopathological analysis. The human remains were mostly damaged and scattered due to extensive grave robberies. In total, 79 individuals could be partly reconstructed and investigated. The age and sex distribution revealed a male predominance and a high percentage of young children (< 6 years) and adults in the range of 20 to 40 years. The paleopathological analysis showed a high prevalence of stress markers such as cribra orbitalia in the younger individuals, and other pathological conditions such as dental diseases, degenerative diseases and a possible case of ankylosing spondylitis. Additionally, 13 mummies of an intrusive waste pit could be attributed to three different groups belonging to earlier time periods based on their style of mummification and materials used. The study revealed important information on the age and sex distribution and diseases of the individuals buried in tomb K93.12.

Identification of Fungal Communities Associated with the Biodeterioration of Waterlogged Archeological Wood in a Han Dynasty Tomb in China

PubMed Central

Liu, Zijun; Wang, Yu; Pan, Xiaoxuan; Ge, Qinya; Ma, Qinglin; Li, Qiang; Fu, Tongtong; Hu, Cuiting; Zhu, Xudong; Pan, Jiao

2017-01-01

The Mausoleum of the Dingtao King (termed ‘M2’) is a large-scale huangchang ticou tomb that dates to the Western Han Dynasty (206 B.C.–25 A.D.). It is the highest-ranking Han Dynasty tomb discovered to date. However, biodeterioration on the surface of the tomb M2 is causing severe damage to its wooden materials. The aim of the present study was to give insight into the fungal communities colonized the wooden tomb. For this purpose, seven samples were collected from different sections of the tomb M2 which exhibited obvious biodeterioration in the form of white spots. Microbial structures associated with the white spots were observed with scanning electron microscopy. Fungal community structures were assessed for seven samples via a combination of high-throughput sequencing and culture-dependent techniques. Sequencing analyses identified 114 total genera that belonged to five fungal phyla. Hypochnicium was the most abundant genus across all samples and accounted for 98.61–99.45% of the total community composition. Further, Hypochnicium sp. and Mortierella sp. cultures were successfully isolated from the tomb samples, and were distinguished as Hypochnicium sp. WY-DT1 and Mortierella sp. NK-DT1, respectively. Cultivation-dependent experiments indicated that the dominant member, Hypochnicium sp. WY- DT1, could grow at low temperatures and significantly degraded cellulose and lignin. Thus, our results taken together suggest that this fungal strain must be regarded as a serious threat to the preservation of the wooden tomb M2. The results reported here are useful for informing future contamination mitigation efforts for the tomb M2 as well as other similar cultural artifacts. PMID:28890715

77 FR 57637 - Culturally Significant Objects Imported for Exhibition Determinations: “City of Gold: Tomb and...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-09-18

... DEPARTMENT OF STATE [Public Notice 8028] Culturally Significant Objects Imported for Exhibition Determinations: ``City of Gold: Tomb and Temple in Ancient Cyprus'' SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given of the... that the objects to be included in the exhibition ``City of Gold: Tomb and Temple in Ancient Cyprus...

The Junction of Hellenic and Cyprus Arcs: the Bey Daglari Lineament, Offshore Termination of the Antalya Basin

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gogacz, A.; Hall, J.; Cifci, G.; Yasar, D.; Kucuk, M.; Yaltirak, C.; Aksu, A.

2009-05-01

The Antalya Basin is one of a series of basins that sweep along the Cyprus Arc in the forearc region between the (formerly) volcanic Tauride Mountains on Turkey in the north and the subduction zone and associated suture between the African plate and the Aegean-Anatolian microplate in the eastern Mediterranean, south of Cyprus. Miocene contraction occurs widely on southwest verging thrusts. Pliocene-Quaternary structures vary from extension/transtension in the northeast, adjacent to the Turkish coastline, to transpression in the southwest, farther offshore. All these structures are truncated at the northwest end of the Antalya Basin by a broad zone of NNE-SSW-trending transverse structure that appears to represent a prolongation of the extreme easterly transform end of the Hellenic arc. Our mapping suggests that this broad zone links the Hellenic Arc with the Isparta Angle in southern Turkey, which we suggest is an earlier location of the junction of Hellenic and Cyprus Arcs: the junction migrated to the southwest over time, as the Hellenic Arc rolled back. The Turkish coastline turns from parallel to the Antalya Basin structures in the east to a N-S orientation, cutting across the trend of the Antalya Basin. The Antalya Complex and the Bey Dağları Mountains provide a spectacular backdrop to this edge of the offshore basin. Somewhere offshore lies the structural termination of the Antalya Basin. In 2001, we acquired around 400 km of high-resolution multi-channel seismic reflection data across the western end of the Antalya Basin to explore the nature of the termination, which we call the Bey Dağları lineament. We present a selection of the seismic profiles with interpretation of the nature and Neogene history of the lineament. Landward of the N-S-trending coastline, ophiolites of the Antalya Complex are exposed in a series of westerly-verging thrust slivers that extend to the carbonate sequences of the Bey Dağları Mountains. Our seismic data indicate that N

Non-destructive assessment of the Ancient 'Tholos Acharnon' Tomb building geometry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Santos-Assunçao, Sonia; Dimitriadis, Klisthenis; Konstantakis, Yiannis; Pérez-Gracia, Vega; Anagnostopoulou, Eirini; Solla, Mercedes; Lorenzo, Henrique

2014-05-01

Ancient Greek Monuments are considered glorious buildings that still remain on the modern times. Tombs were specifically built according to the architecture of respective epoch. Hence, the main function was to royal families in Greece and other countries. The lack of systematic preservation could promote the damage of the structure. Therefore, a correct maintenance can diminish the impact of the main causes of pathologies. Schist, limestone and sandstone have been the main geological building materials of the Greek Ancient tombs. In order to preserve several of these monumental tombs, in depth non-destructive evaluation by means of Ground-penetrating radar (GPR) is proposed in a scientific mission with partners from Greece and Spain surveying with the 1 GHz and 2.3 GHz antennas. High frequency antennas are able to identify small size cracks or voids. Grandjean et al. [1] used the 300 MHz and 900 MHz antennas, obtaining 2 cm and 5 cm of resolution. Later on, Faize et al. [2] employed a 2.3 GHz antenna to detect anomalies and create a pathological model. The structure of this Mycenaean Tomb (14th - 13th c. BC) is composed by a corridor which is supported by irregular stones and the inner is 8.74 m high and 8.35 m diameter. The surface of the wall is composed by diverse geological materials of irregular shapes that enhance the GPR acquisition difficulty: 1) Passing the GPR antenna in a waved surface may randomly change the directivity of the emission. 2) The roof of the tomb is described by a pseudo-conical form with a decreasing radio for higher levels, with a particular beehive. If the roof of the Tomb is defined by a decreasing radius, innovative processes must be carried out with GPR to non constant radius structures. With GPR, the objective is to define the wall thickness, voids and/or cracks detection as well as other structural heterogeneities. Therefore, the aim is to create a three dimensional model based in the interpolation of the circular profiles. Three

Real-time measurement of individual occupational radon exposures in tombs of the Valley of the Kings, Egypt.

PubMed

Gruber, E; Salama, E; Rühm, W

2011-03-01

The active radon exposure meter developed recently at the German Research Center for Environmental Health (Helmholtz Zentrum München) was used to measure radon concentrations in 12 tombs located in the Valley of the Kings, Egypt. Radon concentrations in air between 50 ± 7 and 12 100 ± 600 Bq m(-3) were obtained. The device was also used to measure individual radon exposures of those persons working as safeguards inside the tombs. For a measurement time of 2-3 d, typical individual radon exposures ranged from 1800 ± 400 to 240 000 ± 13 000 Bq h m(-3), depending on the duration of measurement and radon concentration in the different tombs. Based on current ICRP dose conversion conventions for workers and on equilibrium factors published in the literature for these tombs, individual effective dose rates that range from 1.5 ± 0.3 to 860 ± 50 µSv d(-1) were estimated. If it is assumed that the climatic conditions present at the measurement campaign persist for about half a year, in this area, then effective doses up to ∼ 66 mSv could be estimated for half a year, for some of the safeguards of tombs where F-values were known. To reduce the exposure of the safeguards, some recommendations are proposed.

Combining 3D seismic tomography and ground-penetrating radar to reveal the structure of a megalithic burial tomb

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mendes, Manuela; Caldeira, Bento; Borges, José

2017-04-01

This work describes a case study concerning a prehistoric buried tomb (around 3000 years B.C.) located near Évora (Portugal). This monument is a tomb completely buried with only five visible irregular small stones distributed in a circle of 3 meter in diameter. A multi-approach combining 3D seismic tomography and ground-penetrating radar (GPR) have been applied to identify hidden elements and arrangement of the stones, required prior to any excavation work. The methodology for the 3D seismic data acquisition involves a total of 24 shots recorded by four lines, with twelve fixed receivers each one. For the GPR survey was used a 400 MHz antenna which moves along parallel lines with 50 cm separation, over a 30x30 m2 area that contains the buried tomb; the GPR unit was configured to a horizontal rate of 50 scans per meter (1024 samples/scan) and a time window of 60 ns. This multi-approach procedure allowed defining: (i) the housing of the tomb in the basement structure; (ii) the presence of a hidden corridor; (iii) the description of the internal structure of the walls of the tomb; (iv) the state of preservation of the monument. Acknowledgements: This work is co-financed by the European Union through the European Regional Development Fund under COMPETE 2020 (Operational Program for Competitiveness and Internationalization) through the ICT project (UID / GEO / 04683/2013) under the reference POCI-01-0145 -FEDER-007690.

The Astronomical Instruments from the Tomb of Xiahou Zao (? - 165BCE) Revisited

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shi, Yunli

2012-09-01

In 1977, archaeologists unearthed a piece of lacquerware from the tomb of Xiahou Zao (?--165BCE), the 2nd Marquis of Ruyin of the Western Han dynasty (206BCE--24ACE). It has been named ``A Lacquerware Article of Unkown Name" for no one understands its function. Our analysis shows that the article is actually a gnomon for the determination of 4 major seasons in ancient Chinese calendar, viz. Spring Equinox, Summer Solstice, Autumn Equinox and Winter Solstice, and the size and function of the article coincide quite well with those of the ``Earth Gnomon-Scale" as described in the Rites of Zhou, a Confucian Classic appeared in the middle of the 2nd century BCE. This is the earliest example of its kind that we have hitherto seen in a complete form. Moreover, the "Disks with 28 Lunar Lodges" from the same tomb have caused a lasting dispute over their possible function. While some scholars believe it to be a pure astrological instrument, others guess that it was an instrument for the measurement of celestial coordinates. Our analysis shows that, with the so-called ``Supporting Frame for the Cosmic Boards" unearthed from the same tomb, the disks can actually be mounted onto the plane of the celestial equator and thus form the earliest and definitely dated example of an equatorial device for astronomical observation that still can be seen in the world.

D Reconstruction of Ancient Egyptian Rock-Cut Tombs: the Case of M.I.D.A.N.05.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nabil, M.; Betrò, M.; Metwally, M. N.

2013-07-01

In this paper we present an on-going work to reconstruct a 3D model of M.I.D.A.N.05., an ancient Egyptian tomb located in Luxor. The reconstruction aims at producing a high quality 3D model of the tomb to help in archaeological investigation and other scientific uses. We present details about the different stages of the used reconstruction pipeline, the results so far, and the evaluation of the results in view of the project objectives.

Characterization of Streptomyces isolates causing colour changes of mural paintings in ancient Egyptian tombs.

PubMed

Abdel-Haliem, M E F; Sakr, A A; Ali, M F; Ghaly, M F; Sohlenkamp, C

2013-08-25

Paintings in ancient Egyptian tombs often suffer colour changes due to microbial growth and colonization. Streptomyces strains were isolated from mural paintings of Tell Basta and Tanis tombs (East of Nile Delta, Egypt) and were identified using biochemical and molecular methods. The16S rDNA sequences data indicated that isolated strains were closely related to S. coelicolor, S. albidofuscus, S. ambofaciens, S. canarius, S. parvullus, S. corchorusii, S. albidofuscus and S. nigrifaciens. It could be shown that Streptomyces strains are involved on a large scale in the colour changes of paintings and stone support by producing a wide range of metabolites such as acids (oxalic, citric and sulphuric acids), biopigments of melanin, carotenoids, and hydrogen sulphide. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.

78 FR 12134 - Culturally Significant Objects Imported for Exhibition Determinations: “Temple and Tomb...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-02-21

... ``Temple and Tomb: Prehistoric Malta,'' imported from abroad for temporary exhibition within the United... Institute for the Study of the Ancient World, New York University, New York, NY, from on or about March 20...

Comparison of external costs between dry tomb and bioreactor landfills: taking intergenerational effects seriously.

PubMed

Méry, Jacques; Bayer, Stefan

2005-12-01

Dry tomb and bioreactor landfills were analyzed with respect to their external costs in an intergenerational cost-benefit analysis in a partial framework which enabled a sounder comparison to be carried out between these two technologies from a socio-economic viewpoint. Obviously, this approach was only a first step for building a comprehensive basis of any environmental as well as fiscal policy in the field of waste management. All external costs are identified and evaluated in three different scenarios, corresponding to a worst case, a best guess and a best case. Obviously, discounting is crucial with respect to an intergenerational perspective. Generation-adjusted discounting (GAD) was applied to take into account equity as well as efficiency criteria, in order to deal with three different types of uncertainties that are decisive in waste policy decisions: a physical uncertainty is captured by introducing our three different scenarios; a macroeconomic uncertainty is taken into consideration by calculating present values using different real growth rates; and a microeconomic uncertainty is taken into account by considering individual peculiarities reflected in their subjective time preference rate. The findings show, that whenever there is a low real GDP growth of less than 1%, the bioreactor is generally superior to the dry tomb (lower present values of external costs). This statement becomes more valid as the growth rate decreases. However, whenever there are high positive growth rates, it is the dry tomb technology which is superior to the bioreactor system.

Nature and origin of the violet stains on the walls of a Roman tomb.

PubMed

Dominguez-Moñino, Irene; Diaz-Herraiz, Marta; Jurado, Valme; Laiz, Leonila; Miller, Ana Z; Santos, Juan Luis; Alonso, Esteban; Saiz-Jimenez, Cesareo

2017-11-15

The Circular Mausoleum tomb (Roman Necropolis of Carmona, Spain) dates back from the first century AD and is characterized by a dense microbial (phototrophic) colonization on the walls and ceiling. However, some walls exhibited an important number of violet stains of unknown origin. The microbial communities of these violet stains are mainly composed of cyanobacteria, streptomycetes and fungi. A strain of Streptomyces parvus, isolated from the walls, produces a violet pigment in culture media. High performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry of the culture extracts obtained from this Streptomyces revealed the presence of a few granaticins, pigments with a benzoisochromanequinone structure. When metabolically active in the tomb, S. parvus synthesizes the pigments that diffuse into the mortar. During rain and/or wetting periods, the pigments are solubilized by alkaline waters and elute from the starting position to the surrounding mortar, enlarging the pigmented area and thus contributing to this exceptional biodeterioration phenomenon. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

76 FR 56491 - Culturally Significant Objects Imported for Exhibition Determinations: “Tombs, Temples and...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-09-13

... exhibition ``Tombs, Temples and Warriors: China's Imperial Legacy,'' imported from abroad for temporary... the exhibit objects at the Bowers Museum, Santa Ana, California, from on or about October 1, 2011, until on or about March 4, 2012, at the Houston Museum of Natural Sciences, Houston, Texas, from on or...

Petrographic, biological, and chemical techniques used to characterize two tombs in the Protestant Cemetery of Rome (Italy)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

La Russa, M. F.; Ruffolo, S. A.; Malagodi, M.; Barca, D.; Cirrincione, R.; Pezzino, A.; Crisci, G. M.; Miriello, D.

2010-09-01

In this multidisciplinary contribution, several diagnostic tests were carried out in order to characterize the stone materials, forms of alteration, and protective products applied in the past to two monumental tombs located in the Protestant Cemetery of Rome (Italy). The Protestant Cemetery is a very important historic site, and has been included in the List of 100 Most Endangered Sites in the World since 2005. In this work, two of its tombs were studied: those of Karl (or Charles) Brjullov, a Russian painter who lived in the first half of the nineteenth century, and of Lady Elisa Temple, wife of the artist Sir Grenville Temple. The tombs are both made of white marble and travertine, and the same forms of alteration and degradation, such as blackish biological patinas, black crusts, and chromatic alterations, were found on both monuments. Petrographic analysis of the different lithotypes made it possible to determine textural characteristics, evaluate the state of preservation, and formulate some hypotheses about their provenance by means of oxygen and carbon isotopic ratios, and evaluation of maximum grain size (MGS) and shape preferred orientation (SPO) of calcite grains. Laboratory culture analysis identified autotrophic species and, in some cases, black patinas caused by fungal species were found. Lastly, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) revealed that some synthetic protective products had been used in previous, undocumented restoration processes on some portions of both graves.

Investigation of the Sultan Alp Arslan tomb with geophysical methods, in the historical Merv city (Turkestan)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kadioglu, Selma; Kagan Kadioglu, Yusuf

2016-04-01

Sultan Alp Arslan (1029-1072) was the second Sultan of the Seljuq Empire and great-grandson of Seljuq the eponymous founder of the dynasty. Sultan Alp Arslan's victories changed the balance in near Asia completely in favour of the Seljuq Turks and Sunni Muslims. His victory at Manzikert (26 August 1071) is often cited as the beginning of the end of Byzantine power in Anatolia, and the beginning of Turkish identity in Anatolia. Sultan Alp Arslan eliminated theobstacles to the conquest of Anatolia and played a major role in making this territory a homeland for the Seljuqs. By taking the Emperor captive, Sultan Alp Arslan gained great fame but in 1072, on an expedition to Western Turkestan, he met with death in an unexpected way and at a relatively early age, in his 42nd year. There have been found different stories of the death of this great Turkish Sultan in certain sources. Unfortunately, there has not been found The Sultan's resting place until now. This paper is concerned with the investigation of the Sultan Alp Arslan Tomb in the historical Merv (Marv) city in Turkestan, by using Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) and gradiometer methods. The GPR and gradiometer surveys have been realized in Gavur Fortress, Sultan Fortress, Er Fortress districts and between two big Fortresses in old Merv city in selected nine study areas. We also gathered data in and around Sultan Sancar Tomb. GPR surveys were performed during January 2014 employing Ramac CU-II system equipped with a 250 MHz shielded antenna, on one meter spaced profiles. Similarly a Geoscan system was used to take magnetic data. The results of all these investigation revealed that there were possible traces for the buried tomb of the Sultan Alparslan in Gavur Kale around Cuma Mosque and around Sultan Sancar Tomb in the study region. However, the project team was changed after our study, and the new team did not excavated our determined areas. Acknowledgement This project has been supported by Republic of Turkey

Queen Nefertari, the Royal Spouse of Pharaoh Ramses II: A Multidisciplinary Investigation of the Mummified Remains Found in Her Tomb (QV66)

PubMed Central

Habicht, Michael E.; Bianucci, Raffaella; Buckley, Stephen A.; Fletcher, Joann; Bouwman, Abigail S.; Öhrström, Lena M.; Seiler, Roger; Galassi, Francesco M.; Hajdas, Irka; Vassilika, Eleni; Böni, Thomas; Henneberg, Maciej; Rühli, Frank J.

2016-01-01

Queen Nefertari, the favourite Royal Consort of Pharaoh Ramses II (Ancient Egypt, New Kingdom, 19th Dynasty c. 1250 BC) is famous for her beautifully decorated tomb in the Valley of the Queens. Her burial was plundered in ancient times yet still many objects were found broken in the debris when the tomb was excavated. Amongst the found objects was a pair of mummified legs. They came to the Egyptian Museum in Turin and are henceforth regarded as the remains of this famous Queen, although they were never scientifically investigated. The following multidisciplinary investigation is the first ever performed on those remains. The results (radiocarbon dating, anthropology, paleopathology, genetics, chemistry and Egyptology) all strongly speak in favour of an identification of the remains as Nefertari’s, although different explanations—albeit less likely—are considered and discussed. The legs probably belong to a lady, a fully adult individual, of about 40 years of age. The materials used for embalming are consistent with Ramesside mummification traditions and indeed all objects within the tomb robustly support the burial as of Queen Nefertari. PMID:27902731

"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.

Comments on the Yule Marble Haines block: potential replacement, Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, Arlington National Cemetery

USGS Publications Warehouse

Mossotti, Victor G.

2014-01-01

Marble for the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery was cut from the Colorado Yule Marble Quarry in 1931. Although anecdotal reports suggest that cracks were noticed in the main section of the monument shortly after its installation at the Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia, detailed documentation of the extent of cracking did not appear until 1963. Although debate continues as to whether the main section of the Tomb of the Unknowns monument should be repaired or replaced, Mr. John S. Haines of Glenwood Springs, Colorado, in anticipation of the permanent closing of the Yule Quarry, donated a 58-ton block of Yule Marble, the so-called Haines block, as a potential backup. The brief study reported here was conducted during mid-summer 2009 at the behest of the superintendent of Arlington National Cemetery. The field team entered the subterranean Yule Marble Quarry with the Chief Extraction Engineer in order to contrast the method used for extraction of the Haines block with the method that was probably used to extract the marble block that is now cracked. Based on surficial inspection and shallow coring of the Haines block, and on the nature of crack propagation in Yule Marble as judged by close inspection of a large collection of surrogate Yule Marble blocks, the team found the block to be structurally sound and cosmetically equivalent to the marble used for the current monument. If the Haines block were needed, it would be an appropriate replacement for the existing cracked section of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier Monument.

The Tomb of SETI i (KV17) in the Florence Egyptian Museum. Integrated Non-Invasive Methods for Documentation, Material History and Diagnostics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Coppola, M.; Bracci, S.; Cantisani, E.; Magrini, D.

2017-05-01

The tomb of Seti I (KV17) is a magnificent example of New Kingdom funerary architecture, among the longest tombs in the Valley of the Kings. As part of a collaboration between the Egyptian Museum in Florence, the University of Florence and CNR, a survey project was launched, with non-invasive methods, on the fragments from the Seti I tomb, in Florence, coming from a gate jamb connecting the chamber F to the corridor G, taken by the franco-tuscan expedition in 1829. The primary goal is to achieve the best level of documentation, knowledge of the material history and conservation assessment. Preliminary results allowed to focus some steps of the history of this fragment, from its realization to the present. The digital documentation created an excellent support for the mapping and management of the collected information. Even if still on a preliminary phase, this study shows how the combination of imaging and spectroscopic techniques allowed the characterization of many materials and the mapping of their distribution on the surface. Several original pigments have been identified as well as many anomalies due to subsequent interventions.

A Community in Life and Death: The Late Neolithic Megalithic Tomb at Alto de Reinoso (Burgos, Spain)

PubMed Central

Garrido-Pena, Rafael; Knipper, Corina; Szécsényi-Nagy, Anna; Roth, Christina; Tejedor-Rodríguez, Cristina; Held, Petra; García-Martínez-de-Lagrán, Íñigo; Navitainuck, Denise; Arcusa Magallón, Héctor; Rojo-Guerra, Manuel A.

2016-01-01

The analysis of the human remains from the megalithic tomb at Alto de Reinoso represents the widest integrative study of a Neolithic collective burial in Spain. Combining archaeology, osteology, molecular genetics and stable isotope analysis (87Sr/86Sr, δ15N, δ13C) it provides a wealth of information on the minimum number of individuals, age, sex, body height, pathologies, mitochondrial DNA profiles, kinship relations, mobility, and diet. The grave was in use for approximately one hundred years around 3700 cal BC, thus dating from the Late Neolithic of the Iberian chronology. At the bottom of the collective tomb, six complete and six partial skeletons lay in anatomically correct positions. Above them, further bodies represented a subsequent and different use of the tomb, with almost all of the skeletons exhibiting signs of manipulation such as missing skeletal parts, especially skulls. The megalithic monument comprised at least 47 individuals, including males, females, and subadults, although children aged 0–6 years were underrepresented. The skeletal remains exhibited a moderate number of pathologies, such as degenerative joint diseases, healed fractures, cranial trauma, and a low intensity of caries. The mitochondrial DNA profiles revealed a pattern pointing to a closely related local community with matrilineal kinship patterns. In some cases adjacent individuals in the bottom layer showed familial relationships. According to their strontium isotope ratios, only a few individuals were likely to have spent their early childhood in a different geological environment, whilst the majority of individuals grew up locally. Carbon and nitrogen isotope analysis, which was undertaken to reconstruct the dietary habits, indicated that this was a homogeneous group with egalitarian access to food. Cereals and small ruminants were the principal sources of nutrition. These data fit in well with a lifestyle typical of sedentary farming populations in the Spanish Meseta during

Ancient Mitochondrial DNA Analyses of Ascaris Eggs Discovered in Coprolites from Joseon Tomb

PubMed Central

Oh, Chang Seok; Seo, Min; Hong, Jong Ha; Chai, Jong-Yil; Oh, Seung Whan; Park, Jun Bum; Shin, Dong Hoon

2015-01-01

Analysis of ancient DNA (aDNA) extracted from Ascaris is very important for understanding the phylogenetic lineage of the parasite species. When aDNAs obtained from a Joseon tomb (SN2-19-1) coprolite in which Ascaris eggs were identified were amplified with primers for cytochrome b (cyt b) and 18S small subunit ribosomal RNA (18S rRNA) gene, the outcome exhibited Ascaris specific amplicon bands. By cloning, sequencing, and analysis of the amplified DNA, we obtained information valuable for comprehending genetic lineage of Ascaris prevalent among pre-modern Joseon peoples. PMID:25925186

[A new look at the tomb of the physician, Morlongo Venice].

PubMed

Pardon-Labonnelie, Muriel

2014-01-01

The development of the inventory and synthetic study of collyrium stamps, commonly known as "oculist's stamps", includes the physico-chemical analysis of rare stamped collyrium's remains. The fragments of collyrium which were discovered in a tomb of Morlungo (Veneto) are all the more remarkable as the remedy's name stamped on two of them remains enigmatic at the moment and because of the association in a funerary context with an-other thirty-five finds. More specifically, they were discovered near surgical bronze instruments, a large amount of amber, a portable sundial and a seal box. Recent archaeological, textual and technological data thus make the study of the remains of collyriums of Morlungo particularly interesting for the history of medicine.

IR and py/GC/MS examination of amber relics excavated from 6th century royal tomb in Korean Peninsula.

PubMed

Park, Jongseo; Yun, Eunyoung; Kang, Hyungtae; Ahn, Jooyoung; Kim, Gyuho

2016-08-05

Relics of amber were excavated from King Muryeong's tomb constructed in the 6th century on the Korean peninsula. To estimate the provenance, FTIR (Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy) and py/GC/MS (pyrolysis/gas chromatography/mass spectrometry) analysis were utilized. The reference Baltic amber sample was also analyzed with the same method for comparison. The relics were confirmed to be amber from the FTIR analysis where an absorption band near 1150cm(-1), characteristic one in Baltic amber, was also observed. In py/GC/MS analysis, pyrolyzed products like butanedioic acid and dehydroabietic acid, known constituents of amber, were observed. In addition, d-fenchyl alcohol, camphor, borneol and butanedioic acid, typical constituents of Baltic amber, were observed in some samples. From this, it appears that some of relics were made from Baltic amber and that Baltic amber was transported to the Korean peninsula in the time of tomb construction. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Discovery of Taeniid Eggs from A 17th Century Tomb in Korea

PubMed Central

Lee, Hye-Jung; Shin, Dong-Hoon

2011-01-01

Even though Taenia spp. eggs are occasionally discovered from archeological remains around the world, these eggs have never been discovered in ancient samples from Korea. When we attempted to re-examine the archeological samples maintained in our collection, the eggs of Taenia spp., 5 in total number, were recovered from a tomb of Gongju-si. The eggs had radially striated embryophore, and 37.5-40.0 µm×37.5 µm in size. This is the first report on taeniid eggs from ancient samples of Korea, and it is suggested that intensive examination of voluminous archeological samples should be needed for identification of Taenia spp. PMID:22072839

Discovery of taeniid eggs from a 17th century tomb in Korea.

PubMed

Lee, Hye-Jung; Shin, Dong-Hoon; Seo, Min

2011-09-01

Even though Taenia spp. eggs are occasionally discovered from archeological remains around the world, these eggs have never been discovered in ancient samples from Korea. When we attempted to re-examine the archeological samples maintained in our collection, the eggs of Taenia spp., 5 in total number, were recovered from a tomb of Gongju-si. The eggs had radially striated embryophore, and 37.5-40.0 µm×37.5 µm in size. This is the first report on taeniid eggs from ancient samples of Korea, and it is suggested that intensive examination of voluminous archeological samples should be needed for identification of Taenia spp.

Micro-Raman analysis of the pigments on painted pottery figurines from two tombs of the Northern Wei Dynasty in Luoyang

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Zhaojun; Han, Yunxia; Han, Ligang; Cheng, Yongjian; Ma, Yiqiang; Fang, Li

2013-05-01

The pigments on the painted pottery figurines from two tombs of Northern Wei Dynasty (AD 386-534) in Luoyang were analyzed by Raman microscopy. All the pigments were identified compared with the Raman spectra of standard pigments. The red pigments were identified as haematite, the blue pigment as lapis lazuli, the green pigment as malachite, the black pigment as carbon black and the white pigment as calcite. Similar pigments were used in the two tombs despite the pottery figurines were very different in artistic style. The use of lapis lazuli as blue pigment on Chinese painted pottery figurines was found for the first time. This pigment and the painted pottery figurine of Sogdians are of great archaeological significance because it demonstrated that the trade and cultural exchanges via the Silk Road had extended to Luoyang city in the Northern Wei Dynasty. The result also confirms that micro-Raman spectroscopy is a powerful analytical method for the identification of pigments on ancient artworks.

The implementation of multi-task geophysical survey to locate Cleopatra Tomb at Tap-Osiris Magna, Borg El-Arab, Alexandria, Egypt “Phase II”

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Abbas, Abbas M.; Khalil, Mohamed A.; Massoud, Usama; Santos, Fernando M.; Mesbah, Hany A.; Lethy, Ahmed; Soliman, Mamdouh; Ragab, El Said A.

2012-06-01

According to some new discoveries at Tap-Osiris Magna temple (West of Alexandria), there is potentiality to uncover a remarkable archeological finding at this site. Three years ago many significant archeological evidences have been discovered sustaining the idea that the tomb of Cleopatra and Anthony may be found in the Osiris temple inside Tap-Osiris Magna temple at a depth from 20 to 30 m. To confirm this idea, PHASE I was conducted in by joint application of Ground Penetrating Radar “GPR”, Electrical Resistivity Tomography “ERT” and Magnetometry. The results obtained from PHASE I could not confirm the existence of major tombs at this site. However, small possible cavities were strongly indicated which encouraged us to proceed in investigation of this site by using another geophysical approach including Very Low Frequency Electro Magnetic (VLF-EM) technique. VLF-EM data were collected along parallel lines covering the investigated site with a line-to-line spacing of 1 m. The point-to-point distance of 1 m along the same line was employed. The data were qualitatively interpreted by Fraser filtering process and quantitatively by 2-D VLF inversion of tipper data and forward modeling. Results obtained from VLF-EM interpretation are correlated with 2-D resistivity imaging and drilling information. Findings showed a highly resistive zone at a depth extended from about 25-45 m buried beneath Osiris temple, which could be indicated as the tomb of Cleopatra and Anthony. This result is supported by Fraser filtering and forward modeling results. The depth of archeological findings as indicated from the geophysical survey is correlated well with the depth expected by archeologists, as well as, the depth of discovered tombs outside Tap-Osiris Magna temple. This depth level has not been reached by drilling in this site. We hope that the site can be excavated in the future based on these geophysical results.

Tomb Treasures from China: The Buried Art of Ancient Xi'an. A Teacher Workshop Presented by the Education/Outreach Department.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Asian Art Museum of San Francisco, CA.

Tomb art provides an invaluable window into China's history and culture. The understanding that spirits of dead ancestors can exert power and influence over the lives of their descendants has been a central tenet of the Chinese belief system, propelling the culture into practices ensuring the provision of comfort and status to the deceased in…

Archaeology: a lion found in the Egyptian tomb of Maïa.

PubMed

Callou, Cécile; Samzun, Anaïck; Zivie, Alain

2004-01-15

Lions are mentioned by classical scholars and in pharaonic inscriptions as being among the sacred animals that were bred and buried in the Nile valley. And yet no specimens have been found in Egypt - until the excavation of the Bubasteion necropolis at Saqqara. Here we describe a complete skeleton, once a mummy, of a male lion (Panthera leo) that was discovered there, buried among the cats' catacombs created during the last centuries bc and occupying the much older tomb of Maïa, wet-nurse to the king Tutankhamun (from the New Kingdom, fourteenth century bc). This important find at a site that was dedicated to the feline goddess Bastet (also known as Bubastis) confirms the status of the lion as a sacred animal during the Late and Greek periods.

Determination of heavy metal levels in water, sediment and tissues of tench (Tinca tinca L., 1758) from Beyşehir Lake (Turkey).

PubMed

Tekin-Ozan, Selda

2008-10-01

In the present study, some heavy metals (Cu, Fe, Zn and Mn) were seasonally determined in water, sediment and some tissues of fish Tinca tinca from Beyşehir Lake, which is an important bird nesting and visiting area, a water source for irrigation and drinking. In the water, Fe has the highest concentrations among the studied metals. Generally, the metal concentrations increased in the hottest period decreased in warm seasons. Results for levels in water were compared with national and international water quality guidelines, as well as literature data reported for the lakes. Fe was the highest in sediment samples, also Cu and Zn were the highest in spring, while Fe and Mn were in autumn. Among the heavy metals studied, Cu and Mn were below the detection limits in some tissues. Generally, higher concentrations of the tested metals were found in the summer and winter, compared with those during the autumn and spring seasons. High levels of heavy metals were found in liver of T. tinca, while low levels in muscle samples. Metal concentrations in the muscle of examined fish were within the safety permissible levels for human consumption. The present study shows that precautions need to be taken in order to prevent further heavy metal pollution.

Shouldering the past: Photography, archaeology, and collective effort at the tomb of Tutankhamun.

PubMed

Riggs, Christina

2017-09-01

Photographing archaeological labor was routine on Egyptian and other Middle Eastern sites during the colonial period and interwar years. Yet why and how such photographs were taken is rarely discussed in literature concerned with the history of archaeology, which tends to take photography as given if it considers it at all. This paper uses photographs from the first two seasons of work at the tomb of Tutankhamun (1922-4) to show that photography contributed to discursive strategies that positioned archaeology as a scientific practice - both in the public presentation of well-known sites and in the self-presentation of archaeologists to themselves and each other. Since the subjects of such photographs are often indigenous laborers working together or with foreign excavators, I argue that the representation of fieldwork through photography allows us to theorize colonial archaeology as a collective activity, albeit one inherently based on asymmetrical power relationships. Through photographs, we can access the affective and embodied experiences that collective effort in a colonial context involved, bringing into question standard narratives of the history and epistemology of archaeology.

Technological Characterization of Wall Paintings from the A Mithraic Tomb Dated to 4th-5th Century AD, Gargaresc, Libya

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Abd El Salam, S.; Maniatis, Y.

2009-04-01

The excavations of Gargaresc started in 1965 and were one of the most important archaeological sites in Tripoli because it includes a period of about 500 years starting from the 1stc. AD was and continuing until the 5th century AD. The Mithraic tomb is one of the most important outlying monuments of Oea, 200 yards south of the western end of Gargaresc oasis, on the left of the Tripoli-Zuara road between kilometers 5 & 6. The tomb is cut in an outcrop of soft sandstone. The wall paintings found were symbolic to the religion of that period; which contained a mixture of older religions and Christian, and presented the interaction between the artistic and religious elements of that time. Several optical, chemical and mineralogical methods were applied to identify the materials, composition and technology of the plasters and mortars, as well as, the pigments used in the tomb. These are: -OP: Optical microscopy was used as the initial examination of polished cross-sections to identify the structure and microstratigraphy of the plasters and mortars as well as the painted layers. -MCT: Micro-chemical tests were used to identify the type of the plasters and mortars- calcium aluminium silicate and water-soluble salt to identify sulphates, chlorides, carbonates, nitrites and nitrates. -SM: Standard methods for chemical analysis to identify the quantitative and qualitative nature of the plasters and mortars and their mixture. -SEM & EDS: Analytical Scanning electron microscope with energy dispersive x-ray analysis system to examine the micrmorphology and determine the chemical composition of the plasters, pigments and the inclusions. -XRD: X-ray powder diffraction to identify the mineralogical composition of the plasters, mortars and pigments. On the bases of all the data obtained, it was possible to establish the nature of the plasters, mortars and their binder. The examination and analysis gave a full picture about the materials and the approximate ratio of amount of

Anthropological and palaeopathological analysis of the human remains from three "Tombs of the Nobles" of the necropolis of Thebes-west, upper Egypt.

PubMed

Nerlich, A; Zink, A; Hagedorn, H G; Szeimies, U; Weyss, C

2000-12-01

During several recent excavation campaigns at the necropolis of Sheikh-Abd-el-Gurna, Thebes-West, Upper Egypt, we investigated the human remains of three "Tombs of the Nobles" totalling at least 273 individuals. The investigation covered the human material (skeletons and mummy residues) from the tombs TT-84, TT-85 and TT-95. These tombs had been built in the New Kingdom (approx. 1500-1000 B.C.) and used until the Late period (up to 330 BC). All samples were analyzed macroscopically, isolated findings were further investigated by endoscopic and radiological techniques. The at least 273 individuals covered an age range from newborns to senile individuals with a main age of death between 20 and 40 years of age. The rate of infants and subadults was at 20.2% of all individuals and there was a slight male predominance comprising 54.5% of the adults. In this population a fairly high rate of pathological lesions was seen. Thus, dental conditions generally were poor with a high degree of dental abrasion, an also high rate of carious dental lesions (affecting between 13.8% and 27.7% of the yaws) and consequently a significant number of dental abscesses (mean 15.9%). Residues of trauma were observed in a considerable number of individuals ranging between 12.3% and 22.6% depending on the burial place (mean 15.8%). Inflammatory bone reactions (except the dental abscesses) were present to variable extent, in some locations ranging up to 6.8% of the cases (mean 5.1%). In addition, we noted several cases showing cribra orbitalia (mean 29.2%) and porotic hyperostosis (15.4% of cases), mild to severe osteopenia (7.5%) and in several cases subperiosteal new bone formation suggestive of chronic vitamin D-deficiency ("scurvy") (9.5%). The data support the notion of a significant impairment of living conditions in a high number of individuals. The rates of osteoarthrotic joint alterations were considerably variable depending on the burial places (between 1.9% and 18.5%) providing

Archaeological evidence for Pott's disease on historical populations: Tomb 05 at the Roman Circus maqbara as an example of social solidarity (Toledo, Spain).

PubMed

Ruiz-Taboada, Arturo; Rodrigo, Isabel Molero

2018-02-01

World societies can often be characterized by their attitude towards elderly and illness. It is well known that most cultures were concerned about those who were not able to produce and take care of themselves. This brings to the development of social processes that involve such individuals within the community, resulting in groups who stick together, and at last, ensuring the survival of the group. The contextualization of many of those social processes might be studied through Physical Anthropology and Paleopathology. This paper presents tomb 05 (T-05) as a new case of probable tuberculosis in Toledo from the medieval maqbara of the Roman Circus that provides new paleoanthropological data to understand the treatment given to sick people in a sparsely studied context.

Contributions of Antoine Barthélémy Clot (1793-1868): A historiographical reflection of public health in Ottoman Egypt.

PubMed

Aboul-Enein, Basil H; Puddy, William

2016-08-01

This paper reviews the selected historiographic and contemporary literature that discussed the medical and public health contribution of Antoine Barthélémy Clot (Clot Bey) and how these contributions shaped modern public health in Ottoman Egypt, and the major features that led to the development of the public health infrastructure of early modern Egypt based on the contributions of Clot Bey. The literature discussed the establishment of Egypt's first modern public health and medical schools under the direct administration and guidance of Clot Bey, and his major contribution in the fields of vaccination, quarantine, the development of a culturally congruent curriculum for medical students, and the public health policies and practices enacted during the reign of Muhammad Ali Pasha that addressed major communicable diseases affecting Egypt. With considerable support from the viceroy of Egypt despite popular resistance, Clot Bey significantly modernized Egyptian medicine, medical education and reformed the public health infrastructure. He became one of the preeminent medical figures of nineteenth century Ottoman Egypt. © The Author(s) 2016.

Tombs, tunnels, and terraces a cultural resources survey of a former ammunition supply point in Okinawa, Japan

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

Verhaaren, B. T.; Levenson, J. B.; Komine, G.

2000-02-09

U.S. forces serving at military bases on foreign soil are obligated to act as good stewards of the cultural and natural resources under their control. However, cultural resources management presents special challenges at U.S. bases in other countries where cultural properties laws differ in emphasis and detail from those in the United States and issues of land ownership and occupancy are not always clear. Where status of forces agreements (SOFAs) exist, environmental governing standards bridge the gap between U.S. and host nation cultural priorities. In Japan, the Department of Defense Japan Environmental Governing Standards (JEGS) fill this function. Under Criteriamore » 12-4.2 and 12-4.3 of the JEGS, U.S. Forces Japan commit themselves to inventory and protect cultural properties found on the lands they control or use. Cultural properties include archaeological sites, tombs, historic buildings, and shrines. Natural monuments, such as landscape features or plant and animal species, may also be designated as cultural properties. As part of this commitment, in February 1999 a cultural resources inventory was conducted in Area 1, part of Kadena Air Base (AB), Okinawa, Japan. Area 1, the former U.S. army Ammunition Supply Point 1, is currently used primarily for training exercises and recreational paint ball.« less

Gold coated copper artifacts from the Royal Tombs of Sipán (Huaca Rajada, Perù): manufacturing techniques and corrosion phenomena

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ingo, Gabriel M.; Bustamante, Angel D.; Alva, Walter; Angelini, Emma; Cesareo, Roberto; Gigante, Giovanni E.; Zambrano, Sandra Del Pilar A.; Riccucci, Cristina; Di Carlo, Gabriella; Parisi, Erica I.; Faraldi, Federica; Chero, Luis; Fabian, Julio S.

2013-12-01

Twenty five years ago, close to the northern Peruvian town of Lambayeque (Huaca Rajada) beneath two large and eroded pyramids, built of adobe mud bricks, Professor Alva discovered the world-famous unlooted pre-Columbian burial chambers of the Royal Tombs of Sipan. The tombs contained a large amount of objects of exceptional artistic and historical value including the greatest intact number of gold and silver artefacts in the Americas to be considered one of the most important archaeological discoveries of the last century. Some copper based objects coated with thin layers of gold have been studied by means of the combined use of analytical techniques such as optical microscopy (OM), scanning electron microscopy coupled with energy dispersive X-ray micro-analysis (SEM-EDS), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and X-ray diffraction (XRD) in order to identify the chemical composition and the manufacturing processes of the gold layer as well as the corrosion products formed during the long-term burial. The micro-chemical and structural results give useful information about the manufacturing techniques used by the Moche metalsmiths to modify the surface chemical composition of the coated artefacts likely based on the depletion gilding process carried out by oxidising the surface copper containing the noble metal and etching away the copper oxides. Furthermore, the results reveal that the main degradation agent is the ubiquitous chlorine and that copper has been almost completely transformed during the burial into mineral species giving rise to the formation of stratified structures constituted by different mineral phases such as cuprous oxide (Cu2O) and copper carbonates [azurite (Cu3(CO3)2(OH)2 and malachite (CuCO3Cu(OH)2)] as well as dangerous chlorine-based compounds such as nantokite (CuCl) and atacamite (Cu2(OH)3Cl) polymorphs. These information evidence the strict interaction of the alloying elements with the soil components as well as the occurrence of the

[A preliminary discussion on the contents and value of All Diseases(1), the medical bamboo slips unearthed from Han tomb in Laoguanshan of Chengdu].

PubMed

Ye, Y; Zhang, Q; Ren, Y L; Li, J M

2017-05-28

Among the medical bamboo slips unearthed from Han tomb in Laoguanshan of Chengdu, the Zhu bing ( All Diseases ) is a monograph to discuss the characteristics of signs and symptoms. Based on the differences of writing styles, diseases involved, expounding methods and writing rules, the book is divided, by the research team, into 2 parts: All Diseases (1) and All Diseases (2). All Diseases (1) includes over 130 slips, 2 000 characters with totally more than 100 disease names, containing multiple clinical disciplines. The elaborated classification, varied naming methods, grasping the symptom characteristics guided by the four diagnostic approaches, paying attention to the comparison of similar diseases, and dealing with the prognosis and healthcare in this part reflect the holism of correspondence between human body and natural environment, and syndrome differentiation thought of combining disease with symptoms and signs, revealing its academic significance.

Structural analysis of jewelry from the Moche tomb of the `lady of Cao' by X-ray digital radiography

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Azeredo, S. R.; Cesareo, R.; Franco, R.; Fernandez, A.; Bustamante, A.; Lopes, R. T.

2018-04-01

Nose ornaments from the tomb of the `Lady of Cao', a mummified woman representative of the Moche culture and dated to the third-or-fourth century AD, were analyzed by X-ray digital radiography. These spectacular gold and silver jewels are some of the most sophisticated metalworking ever produced in ancient America. The Mochecivilization flourished along the north coast of present-day Peru, between the Andes and the Pacific Ocean, approximately between 100 and 600 AD. The Moche were very sophisticated artisans and metal smiths, being considered the finest producers of jewels and artifacts of the region. A portable X-ray digital radiography (XDR) system consisting of a flat panel detector with high resolution image and a mini X-ray tube was used for the structural analysis of the Moche jewels aiming at inferring different joining methods of the silver-gold sheets. The radiographic analysis showed some differences in the joint of the silver-and-gold sheets. Presence of filler material and adhesive for joining the silver-and-gold sheets was visible as well as silver-gold junctions without filler material (or with a material invisible in radiography). Furthermore, the technique demonstrated the advantage of using a portable XDR micro system when the sample cannot be brought to the laboratory.

Discovering and Sharing of Secret Architectures: the Hidden Tomb of the Pharaoh of El-Khasneh Jordan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Malinverni, E. S.; Pierdicca, R.

2017-02-01

The documentation of the archaeological heritage through 3D models to know ancient findings, has become a common practice within the international panorama. Using minimal hardware, as well as its ease of use in almost every environmental condition, make 3D sampling solutions based on Multiple View Stereo (MVS) matching and Structure from Motion techniques ideal for on-site documentation of excavations or emergencies. Moreover, the availability of inexpensive platforms for web-based visualization represents great benefit in the field of archaeology, where generally the low budged and the limitation of more complex instruments are a must. The case study presented in these pages, experienced in Petra, Jordan, moves towards this direction. In the close proximity of the El- Khasneh façade, is situated an excavation where two entrance, well preserved, give access to the Tomb of Pharaoh. The documentation described in these pages has the twofold objective of providing the research community with a priceless dataset, acquired for one of the most important heritage of the world that is partially still unknown and to share on line these computations. This work confirms how cultural heritage documentation and dissemination of architectural rests, that are important for tourism and their interactive visualization, can strongly benefit from the creation of 3D models and their sharing on the web. This particular archaeological setting is an interesting base for investigation, given the complexity of the structure and its precarious condition.

[Textual criticism and discrimination on the naming of"Five-abstention Soup of Medical Professional"from the Han-tomb of the Marquis of Haihun].

PubMed

Wang, Y R; Yuan, Y; Xu, C Q; Cao, L J; Wang, Y L; Huang, L Q

2017-05-28

A lacquer vessel with the inscription of Yi gong wu jin tang (Five-abstention Soup of Medical Profession) has been unearthed from the Han-tomb of Marquis of Haihun, in which"Five abstentions"is related to the incantations and abstention therapies prevalent in the Qin and Han Dynasties. The"Five-abstention Law"is the five rituals and methods during the process of practicing incantations and abstentions therapies including"keeping one's thinking ( cun si )","holding the breath( bi qi )","twirling eyes ( nian mu )","stepping after Yu's sample ( yu bu )"and"incanting and blessing ( zhou zhu )". The"Five-abstention Law"uses the medium"soup"to achieve the purpose of treatment."Soup"refers either to"decoction"or to"magic water". The lacquer vessel with the inscription"Five-abstention Soup of Medical professional"could be an instrument for implementing the process of practising the"Five-abstention Law", reflecting the historical facts that Liu He, the Marquis Haihun did accept the incantations and abstention therapies.

Modeling the effects of climatic and land use changes on phytoplankton and water quality of the largest Turkish freshwater lake: Lake Beyşehir.

PubMed

Bucak, Tuba; Trolle, Dennis; Tavşanoğlu, Ü Nihan; Çakıroğlu, A İdil; Özen, Arda; Jeppesen, Erik; Beklioğlu, Meryem

2018-04-15

Climate change and intense land use practices are the main threats to ecosystem structure and services of Mediterranean lakes. Therefore, it is essential to predict the future changes and develop mitigation measures to combat such pressures. In this study, Lake Beyşehir, the largest freshwater lake in the Mediterranean basin, was selected to study the impacts of climate change and various land use scenarios on the ecosystem dynamics of Mediterranean freshwater ecosystems and the services that they provide. For this purpose, we linked catchment model outputs to the two different processed-based lake models: PCLake and GLM-AED, and tested the scenarios of five General Circulation Models, two Representation Concentration Pathways and three different land use scenarios, which enable us to consider the various sources of uncertainty. Climate change and land use scenarios generally predicted strong future decreases in hydraulic and nutrient loads from the catchment to the lake. These changes in loads translated into alterations in water level as well as minor changes in chlorophyll a (Chl-a) concentrations. We also observed an increased abundance of cyanobacteria in both lake models. Total phosphorus, temperature and hydraulic loading were found to be the most important variables determining cyanobacteria biomass. As the future scenarios revealed only minor changes in Chl-a due to the significant decrease in nutrient loads, our results highlight that reduced nutrient loading in a warming world may play a crucial role in offsetting the effects of temperature on phytoplankton growth. However, our results also showed increased abundance of cyanobacteria in the future may threaten ecosystem integrity and may limit drinking water ecosystem services. In addition, extended periods of decreased hydraulic loads from the catchment and increased evaporation may lead to water level reductions and may diminish the ecosystem services of the lake as a water supply for irrigation and

A taxonomic study of the genus Panesthia (Blattodea, Blaberidae, Panesthiinae) from China with descriptions of one new species, one new subspecies and the male of Panesthia antennata

PubMed Central

Wang, Xiudan; Wang, Zongqing; Che, Yanli

2014-01-01

Abstract One new species Panesthia guizhouensis sp. n. and one new subspecies Panesthia stellata concava ssp. n. are described and illustrated. The male of Panesthia antennata Brunner von Wattenwyl, 1893 and its brachypterous form are described and illustrated for the first time. Panesthia strelkovi Bey-Bienko, 1969 is redescribed and illustrated. Three known species, Panesthia birmanica Brunner von Wattenwyl, 1893, Panesthia sinuata Saussure, 1839 and Panesthia angustipennis cognata Bey-Bienko, 1969 are illustrated. In addition, a key to all species of the genus Panesthia from China is presented. PMID:25610336

Wahhabism: Is it a Factor in the Spread of Global Terrorism

DTIC Science & Technology

2009-09-01

ideology, by forbidding Muslims from making requests at the tombs of holy people, which even included the Prophet’s tomb , yet another trend seen in...cities of Basrah and Al-Uyaynah where he witnessed the venation of saints and construction of tombs and shrines of the Prophet Muhammad and his...practices as unwarranted innovations”49 He ordered the destruction of all tombs , mosques built over tombs that venerated anyone other than God

An Oxygen-Sensitive Toxin-Antitoxin System

DTIC Science & Technology

of TomB, and its single cysteine variant [C117S]YmoB can replace TomB as antitoxins in E . coli . In contrast to other TA systems, [C117S]YmoB...The Hha and TomB proteins from Escherichia coli form an oxygen-dependent toxinantitoxin (TA) system. Here we show that YmoB, the Yersinia orthologue

1. PERSPECTIVE VIEW OF MAIN AND SIDE ELEVATION, SHOWING EGYPTIAN ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

1. PERSPECTIVE VIEW OF MAIN AND SIDE ELEVATION, SHOWING EGYPTIAN REVIVAL TOMB SITUATED WITHIN SURROUNDING GRAVES - Mount Pleasant Cemetery, George Opdyke Tomb, 375 Broadway Street, Newark, Essex County, NJ

3-D QSARS FOR RANKING AND PRIORITIZATION OF LARGE CHEMICAL DATASETS: AN EDC CASE STUDY

EPA Science Inventory

The COmmon REactivity Pattern (COREPA) approach is a three-dimensional structure activity (3-D QSAR) technique that permits identification and quantification of specific global and local steroelectronic characteristics associated with a chemical's biological activity. It goes bey...

The deterioration of Circular Mausoleum, Roman Necropolis of Carmona, Spain.

PubMed

Cañaveras, Juan C; Fernandez-Cortes, Angel; Elez, Javier; Cuezva, Soledad; Jurado, Valme; Miller, Ana Zelia; Rogerio-Candelera, Miguel A; Benavente, David; Hernandez-Marine, Mariona; Saiz-Jimenez, Cesareo; Sanchez-Moral, Sergio

2015-06-15

The Circular Mausoleum tomb in the Roman Necropolis of Carmona was carved on a calcarenite sequence in an ancient quarry located in the town of Carmona, Southern Spain. This rock-cut tomb, representative of Roman burial practices, currently suffers from serious deterioration. A detailed survey over several years permitted the identification of the main tomb's pathologies and damaging processes, which include loss of material (scaling, flaking, granular disintegration), surface modifications (efflorescences, crusts and deposits) and extensive biological colonization. The results obtained in this study indicated that anthropogenic changes were largely responsible and enhanced the main alteration mechanisms observed in the Circular Mausoleum. Based on the deterioration diagnosis, effective corrective actions were proposed. This study shows that any conservative intervention in the interior of the tomb should be preceded by accurate in situ measurements and laboratory analyses to ascribe the source of the deterioration damages and thus designing effective treatments. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Can the United States Defeat Radical Islam

DTIC Science & Technology

2008-05-22

It strongly disapproves of idolatry, the popular cult of saints and tomb visitation. 11...twentieth century, Sayyid Qutb (1906-1966), an Egyptian Islamic radical, referencing al-Wahhab, developed a modified concept of jahiliyya. In Qutb’s...It strongly disapproves of idolatry, the popular cult of saints and tomb visitation. When ibn Taymiyya was asked if the murderous. Mongols, who

Practical strategies of black walnut genetic improvement—an update

Treesearch

George Rink; J.W. Van Sambeek; Phil O' Connor; Mark Coggeshall

2017-01-01

The ultimate goal of any tree improvement program is the large-scale production and distribution of genetically improved seedlings. In black walnut, projections based on earlier research indicate that genetically improved seedlings could provide growth improvement of between 15 to 25 percent by using seed or seedlings of the proper geographic origin (Bey 1980; Clausen...

Increasing amounts of chemical weed control increase growth of white ash, white oak, and black walnut saplings in a tall fescue sod

Treesearch

Jonathan D. Carlisle; Wayne A. Geyer; J. W. Van Sambeek

2003-01-01

Effective weed control in young deciduous plantations is often prescribed to enhance survivability and growth (Bey and others 1975). Chemical weed control often employs broadcast, strip, and spot applications that markedly affect the ground surface area treated. Our study investigates the effect of four levels of treated surface area of a tank mix of glyphosate and...

Radical Islam in East Africa

DTIC Science & Technology

2009-01-01

Initiative EIJ Egyptian Islamic Jihad EIJM Eritrean Islamic Jihad Movement EPLF Eritrean People’s Liberation Front FPENS Formal Private Education Network in...ceremonies, the siyaaro or pilgrimages to the tombs of saints (practiced in particular by Sufis), and the celebration of Mawliid (the Prophet... tombs become pil- grimage centers.17 An important Sufi-linked organization is Ahlu Sunna wal-Jama’a (ASWJ), which seeks to unify the Sufi community

A Managerial Approach to NASA’s Cultural Changes: Open System Model

DTIC Science & Technology

2007-12-01

in both societies was different, even though both resemble a similar pyramid shape. For the Egyptians , pyramids were tombs , and for the Mayans...to understand, Schein (2004) points out they may be difficult to decipher. An example is Egyptian and Mayan pyramids. The meaning of the structures...pyramids were both tombs and temples. Therefore, care must be taken deriving meaning from artifacts, especially in different societies (Schein, 2004

Tomb Group of Nesmutaatneru

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sponpinato, Nancy; King, Judith

2005-01-01

Egyptian artifacts and treasures mesmerize nearly all museum visitors. A careful look at ancient Egyptian art can tell us a great about Egyptian culture and artistry. The ancient Egyptians believed that in the afterlife, the spirit (or ka) of the deceased returned to the body. It was important for the body to be preserved to ensure that the ka had…

Islam’s Challenge: Jihad and Terrorism

DTIC Science & Technology

2008-12-12

themselves as the ‘Ikhwan’ or brotherhood. They, like Mohammad who had cleansed the Kaba of its idols, destroyed Sufi shrines and sacred tombs in Mecca and...Medina, including those of the Prophet and his companions. They also destroyed the tomb of Hussain at Karbala, a major Shii holy place, an act...In the Muslim Brotherhood, he quickly emerged as the most important ideologue amid the growing confrontation with the Egyptian regime (Richardson

The New Middle East Security Threat: The Case of Yemen and the GCC

DTIC Science & Technology

2007-06-01

time blasphemous: such practices as praying to the dead, making pilgrimages to mosques and tombs , using votives and making sacrifices to any one other...Sauds attacked Karbala and destroyed the Shi’ite shrine of the tomb of Caliph al-Husayn. In 1803, the Al Sauds captured Mecca and Medina. The...Oufi’s statement, an Egyptian expatriate, Omar Ahmad Abdullah Ali, set off a suicide bomb in the Doha Players Theatre. One Briton was killed and

Male description and intraspecific variations of Cyrtopsis t-sigillata (Orthoptera: Tettigoniidae: Meconematinae).

PubMed

Song, Qiong; Du, Bao-Jie; Shi, Fu-Ming

2015-07-16

The paper describes the male of Cyrtopsis t-sigillata Liu, Zhou & Bi, 2010 for the first time, and discusses individual variations in the species. It provides the photos of important morphological features, and offers a distribution map about the genus Cyrtopsis Bey-Bienko, 1962. The examined material is deposited in the Museum of Hebei University. Morphological images were acquired using Leica M205 A digital imaging system.

Review of the subgenus Xizicus (Xizicus) Gorochov, 1993 (Orthoptera: Tettigoniidae: Meconematinae) from China.

PubMed

Feng, Jiyuan; Shi, Fuming; Mao, Shaoli

2017-03-23

Gorochov (1993) erected the subgenus Xizicus (Xizicus), with the type species Xizicus (Xizicus) fascipes (Bey-Bienko, 1955). This subgenus is distinguished from the other subgenera of Xizicus by the following characters: male tenth abdominal tergite with a pair of contiguous posterior processes in the middle; subgenital plate simple, styli slender, located on the apices or subapices of lateral margins; posterior margin of female subgenital plate rounded.

Three new species of cockroach genus Hemithyrsocera Saussure, 1893 (Blattodea: Ectobiidae: Blattellinae) with redescriptions of two known species from China.

PubMed

Wang, Zongqing; Che, Yanli

2017-05-10

This paper deals with five species of the genus Hemithyrsocera Saussure, 1893, of which three new species, H. forcipata, H. spinibarbis and H. longiseta spp. nov., are described and illustrated, H. banvaneuensis (Roth, 1985) is reported for the first time from China, plus one little known species H. simulans (Bey-Bienko, 1969) are redescribed and illustrated. A key to all Chinese species of Hemithyrsocera is provided.

Exploratory palynological studies at the Tell el-Daba'a-Avaris archaeological site

PubMed Central

2018-01-01

A palynological study of samples collected from the Tell el-Daba'a (Avaris) archaeological site, the capital of the Hyksos located in the Northeastern Nile Delta, Egypt, was conducted. A range of samples were analyzed for pollen content: mudbricks from tomb walls dating from the Middle (cal. 2124–1778 BC) and New Kingdom ages (cal. 1550–1750 BC), kitchen remains dating from the Middle Kingdom, kitchen middens from the 19th Dynasty (cal. 1750–1058 BC), and tomb offering jars from the Late Period (cal.1000-600 BC). Floristic composition of modern vegetation analysis at different habitats revealed four community types and nine associated types, providing an indicator of high soil salinity and moisture content. Cereal and Achillea-type pollen were common in the mudbrick samples, indicating the probable use of these plants as temper during mudbrick manufacturing in the Middle and New Kingdoms. The kitchen samples were dominated by cereals, broad bean, celery, and other weed pollen types, indicating the importance of cereals, legumes, and celery as strategic crops for food or medicines during the Middle Kingdom period. Weed pollen types were probably associated with crops, with “Cheno-am” pollen type recorded at highest abundance in the tomb filling jar, which may indicate the use of these aromatic herbs to repel insects and animals from tombs. PMID:29415021

Combating Deviants: The Saudi Arabian Approach to Countering Extremism and Terrorism

DTIC Science & Technology

2009-04-09

that this is accomplished.18 In 1801, the Al Saud-Al Wahhab armies advance into Iraq and destroy Karbala, the Shia holy site in Iraq, and the tomb ...Mecca in 630.19 By 1803, they conquer the holy cities of Mecca and Medina, where they destroy shrines and even plunder the tomb of the Prophet...Saud dies and his son Abd Allah becomes Imam. Abd Allah faces the largest threat to the Al Saud in the form of an invading Egyptian Army determined to

Protein determination: a comparison of several methods.

PubMed

Hocman, G; Palkovic, M

1977-01-01

A comparison of four methods for the determination of total proteins is presented from the following points of view: - sensitivity; - specificity; - amount of work, chemicals, time and equipment needed for the performance of the determination. The following tests have been examined; Tombs' (absorbancy at 210 nm); Waddell's (difference in absorbancy between 215 and 225 nm); Warburg's (absorbancy at 280 nm); Lowry's (absorbancy at 500 nm after the reaction with phenol reagent). The authors recommend Tombs' method for its outstanding sensitivity, specificity and simplicity as the best of the four.

New School of Mustafa Sati Bey in Istanbul (1915)

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Meseci Giorgetti, Filiz

2014-01-01

This study has two purposes: the first is to present the general condition of public education in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries by showing the reformation process in educational institutes and teacher training, and the relationship between this process and the New Education movement in the Ottoman Empire; the second is to…

[The implantation of bipolar coagulation to remove endometriosis foci].

PubMed

Sobkiewicz, S; Palatyński, A; Salata, I

2001-05-01

The paper compares the results of bipolar coagulation bey means of ERBE ICC 300 diatermy coagulator and WISAP endocoagulator. The results of both types of coagulation were assessed with reference to the changes occurring on peritoneum ligamenti sacro-uterini, Douglas pouch and ovary. The best results of endometriosis foci coagulation were obtained with bipolar ball at 20-30 W; no side effects or feelings of malaise were observed in patients just after the operation or over a longer period of convalescence.

New Ancient Egyptian Human Mummies from the Valley of the Kings, Luxor: Anthropological, Radiological, and Egyptological Investigations.

PubMed

Rühli, Frank; Ikram, Salima; Bickel, Susanne

2015-01-01

The Valley of the Kings (arab. Wadi al Muluk; KV) situated on the West Bank near Luxor (Egypt) was the site for royal and elite burials during the New Kingdom (ca. 1500-1100 BC), with many tombs being reused in subsequent periods. In 2009, the scientific project "The University of Basel Kings' Valley Project" was launched. The main purpose of this transdisciplinary project is the clearance and documentation of nonroyal tombs in the surrounding of the tomb of Pharaoh Thutmosis III (ca. 1479-1424 BC; KV 34). This paper reports on newly discovered ancient Egyptian human mummified remains originating from the field seasons 2010-2012. Besides macroscopic assessments, the remains were conventionally X-rayed by a portable X-ray unit in situ inside KV 31. These image data serve as basis for individual sex and age determination and for the study of probable pathologies and embalming techniques. A total of five human individuals have been examined so far and set into an Egyptological context. This project highlights the importance of ongoing excavation and science efforts even in well-studied areas of Egypt such as the Kings' Valley.

New Ancient Egyptian Human Mummies from the Valley of the Kings, Luxor: Anthropological, Radiological, and Egyptological Investigations

PubMed Central

Rühli, Frank; Ikram, Salima

2015-01-01

The Valley of the Kings (arab. Wadi al Muluk; KV) situated on the West Bank near Luxor (Egypt) was the site for royal and elite burials during the New Kingdom (ca. 1500–1100 BC), with many tombs being reused in subsequent periods. In 2009, the scientific project “The University of Basel Kings' Valley Project” was launched. The main purpose of this transdisciplinary project is the clearance and documentation of nonroyal tombs in the surrounding of the tomb of Pharaoh Thutmosis III (ca. 1479–1424 BC; KV 34). This paper reports on newly discovered ancient Egyptian human mummified remains originating from the field seasons 2010–2012. Besides macroscopic assessments, the remains were conventionally X-rayed by a portable X-ray unit in situ inside KV 31. These image data serve as basis for individual sex and age determination and for the study of probable pathologies and embalming techniques. A total of five human individuals have been examined so far and set into an Egyptological context. This project highlights the importance of ongoing excavation and science efforts even in well-studied areas of Egypt such as the Kings' Valley. PMID:26347313

Rock-fall hazard in the Etruscan archaeological site of Norchia (Central Italy)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Margottini, Claudio; Spizzichino, Daniele; Argento, Alessia; Russo, Alfonsina

2016-04-01

The ancient Etruscan town of Norchia (Central Italy, 80 km North of Rome) is situated on a long volcanic plateau surrounded by steep slopes, at the confluence of rivers Pile and Acqua Alta into the river Biedano. It has been constructed along the ancient Via Clodia, a short-range route intended for commercial traffic between Rome and the colonies in Etruscan lands. The flourishing of the town, evidenced by the beautiful necropolis, is placed between the end of the fourth and half of the second century BC. With its necropolis Norchia is the most significant example of funerary architecture rock Hellenistic period (IV-II century BC.). Its rock-cut tombs, are among the most important archaeological sites of Etruscan civilisation. They are an important and rare example of rock architecture and one of the few preserved in Italy. Also, the necropolis, with an extension of more than 100 hectares, is composed of rock-cut tombs of various types (façade, half-cube, false-cube and temple type) and dimensions (4-10 m in height), exhibiting a remarkable similarity with Asian tombs. From geological point of view, the area is exhibiting the overly of rigid volcanic products from both Vico and Volsini volcanic apparatus; as a bedrock, a plastic clay formation is positioned. The rock-cut tombs were excavated on two main volcanic levels, following the natural profile of tuff outcrops. The tombs located in the upper part of the necropolis have been excavated in a Red Tuff from Vico volcanic district, while those in lower level are dug in a grey tuff (Nenfro) from Vulsini volcanic apparatus. Recent investigations revealed the presence of many threats affecting the conservation of the site, that are including: surface rock weathering, water percolation and infiltration, surface vegetation and biological colonisation, instability and collapse of the cliff. The purpose of this study is mainly focused to verify whether the geological, geomorphological and geomechanical processes that

Ground-penetrating radar exploration for ancient monuments at the Valley of Mummies -Kilo 6, Bahariya Oasis, Egypt

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shaaban, Fathy A.; Abbas, Abbas M.; Atya, Magdy A.; Hafez, Mahfouz A.

2009-06-01

A Valley of Mummies was discovered recently by an Egyptian team at Bahariya Oasis, located about 380 km west of the pyramids. Four tombs were excavated, and inside them were found one hundred and five mummies (105), many of them beautifully gilded. These mummies, many sumptuously decorated with religious scenes, are the very best Roman-Period mummies ever found in Egypt. These remains are around 2000 years old, but they are in remarkable condition. A Ground-Penetrating Radar (GPR) had proved successful in detecting the cavities in resistive soil in which the mummies were found. The GPR survey conducted near the earlier-discovered tombs at Kilo-6 El-Bahariya to Farafra Oasis road is the focus of this paper. The GPR survey was conducted using the SIR-2000 attached to a 200 MHz monostatic antenna. The two areas to be surveyed were selected by the archaeologists in situ. Area one was 40 m × 40 m and Area two was 30 m × 15 m. A grid pattern survey in one direction; with one-meter profile spacing was done to both areas. In addition, a focusing survey was undertaken over the entire Area one. In addition, twenty long GPR profiles were conducted in an attempt to determine the outer, expected limits of the burial area. After the data acquisition, Reflex software was used for data processing and presentation. The final results of the radar survey: in the form of 2D radar records, time slices and 3D block diagrams; were used to guide the archaeologists during the excavation process. The excavation processes have been completed by the archaeologists, and many tombs and mummies were discovered. It is worthy to mention that, the excavations and location of tombs and cavities matched strongly with the GPR results.

An ancient scourge: the end of dracunculiasis in Egypt.

PubMed

Watts, S

1998-04-01

This paper addresses the question of when guinea worm disease was last found in Egypt, and how written sources from the nineteenth and twentieth centuries which mention the disease should be evaluated. This enquiry is relevant to the global eradication campaign now in progress, and the need for countries in which dracunculiasis was once present to prepare a certification of eradication. Sudan, the country which has the largest number of cases today, is Egypt's southern neighbour. Because of the nature of the disease (in endemic areas it is most common among poor, rural people), it may not have come to the attention of urban-based health personnel. In the period before the details of the transmission cycle were known, the attitudes and mindsets of physicians and travellers also have to be taken into account in interpreting written reports of the disease. An examination of documentary sources from the nineteenth and twentieth centuries in European languages does not show any clear evidence for dracunculiasis transmission in Egypt during that period. Cases noted in Egypt, especially by the much quoted Dr Clot Bey in the 1820s, most likely originated beyond the borders of the country, in Sudan and, to a lesser extent, from endemic areas in the Middle East. However, many later commentators merely repeated what Clot Bey had written. A further difficulty is that some published reports which apparently concern dracunculiasis in Egypt, actually refer to cases in animals rather than humans.

Synthesis science of SrRuO3 and CaRuO3 epitaxial films with high residual resistivity ratios

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nair, Hari P.; Liu, Yang; Ruf, Jacob P.; Schreiber, Nathaniel J.; Shang, Shun-Li; Baek, David J.; Goodge, Berit H.; Kourkoutis, Lena F.; Liu, Zi-Kui; Shen, Kyle M.; Schlom, Darrell G.

2018-04-01

Epitaxial SrRuO3 and CaRuO3 films were grown under an excess flux of elemental ruthenium in an adsorption-controlled regime by molecular-beam epitaxy (MBE), where the excess volatile RuOx (x = 2 or 3) desorbs from the growth front leaving behind a single-phase film. By growing in this regime, we were able to achieve SrRuO3 and CaRuO3 films with residual resistivity ratios (ρ300 K/ρ4 K) of 76 and 75, respectively. A combined phase stability diagram based on the thermodynamics of MBE (TOMBE) growth, termed a TOMBE diagram, is employed to provide improved guidance for the growth of complex materials by MBE.

Touch-free in situ investigation of ancient Egyptian pigments.

PubMed

Uda, M; Sassa, S; Taniguchi, K; Nomura, S; Yoshimura, S; Kondo, J; Iskander, N; Zaghloul, B

2000-06-01

Some of the pigments painted on the Funerary Stele of Amenemhat (ca. 2000 B.C.) exhibited at the Egyptian Museum, Cairo and on the walls of the Tomb of Userhat (ca. 1420 B.C.), a rock-cut tomb in Thebes, Egypt, were investigated in situ using both a convenient home-made hand-held type of X-ray diffractometer and a commercial X-ray fluorescence spectrometer in a complementary way under touch-free conditions. CaCO3.3MgCO3 (huntite) was found in the white-painted parts of these two ancient monuments. An arsenic (As)-bearing phase was detected in the yellow-painted parts of the latter monument. The occurrence of huntite in Egypt has not been reported previously.

73. Historic American Buildings Survey, Donald W. Dickensheets, Photographer. March ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

73. Historic American Buildings Survey, Donald W. Dickensheets, Photographer. March 29, 1940. NICHE, ECCE-HOMO. TOMB, ST. XAVIER. (EAST ELEVATION). WEST TRANSEPT - San Xavier del Bac Mission, Mission Road, Tucson, Pima County, AZ

Aerial and Geophysical Archaeological Reconnaissance At Yangling, The Mausoleum of Emperor Jingdi In The Han Dynasty, China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Luo, Xizhe; Ye, Xinshi; Fassbinder, J. W. E.; Becker, H.

In 1998-2000, Shaanxi Province Conservation Bureau for Historical Monuments con- ducted an archaeology prospection research project at Yangling, Shaanxi province, China. Yangling, the mausoleum of Emperor Jingdi, is located about 20 kilometres northwest of the city of Xi'an. His mausoleum was constructed in the shape of a four- sided dipper or pyramid 31m high and 170m long each side, surrounded by a square wall of 401m along each side. Today the vestiges of the eastern, western and south- ern remains of the watchtowers previously on either side of gate can be clearly seen. Yangling took a long time to build and had the richest funeral objects. The Empress Wang died in 126 B.C. and also buried at Yangling to the northeastern side of Jingdi's tomb. The city of Yangling County was purposely built to the east of mausoleum. The officials, the rich and noble lived in the town, numbering over 100,000. Two groups of satellite tombs of imperial concubines, high officials and noble relations were dis- tributed over north and east part of the mausoleum, as well as tombs of convicts in the west. Inside the cemetery there were many palaces and houses inhabited by the tomb keepers and palace maids. Air photography, geophysical methods, remote sensing have been proved to be the most successful application in archaeological prospecting and surveying in recent years. In May 1998, we got several vertical images at a scale of 1:8000. Each im- age contains 30 photographs covering an area of 180km2 with an overlap of 65 In the autumn of 2000 about 2 hectares were surveyed with a Caesium magnetometer with a sensitivity of 0.01 Nanotesla (10 pT). This instrument was applied with duo- sensor configuration at 0.5 m traverse interval and 0.1 sec cycle, which corresponds to about 25 cm sample distance.

The Digital Von Fahrenheid Pyramid

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bura, M.; Janowski, J.; Wężyk, P.; Zięba, K.

2017-08-01

3D Scanners Lab from Digital Humanities Laboratory at the University of Warsaw initiated the scientific project, the purpose of which was to call attention to systematically penetrated and devastated pyramid-shaped tomb from the XVIII/XIX century, of family von Fahrenheid in Rapa in Banie Mazurskie commune (NE Poland). By conducting a series of non-invasive studies, such as 3D inventory using terrestrial laser scanning (TLS), thermal imaging, georadar measurements (around and inside the tomb) and anthropological research of mummified remains as well - the complete dataset was collected. Through the integration of terrestrial (TLS) and airborne laser scanning (ALS) authors managed to analyse the surroundings of Fahrenheid pyriamid and influence of some objects (like trees) on the condition and visibility of the Pyramids in the landscape.

15. Historic American Buildings Survey W. N. Manning, Photographer, July ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

15. Historic American Buildings Survey W. N. Manning, Photographer, July 18, 1935 TOMB MONUMENT OF COL. JOHN CROWELL, SR. AT FORT MITCHELL, ALABAMA - Crowell-Cantey-Alexander House, State Road 165, Fort Mitchell, Russell County, AL

Geomorphology of Dra Abu el-Naga (Egypt): The basis of the funerary sacred landscape

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bardají, T.; Martínez-Graña, A.; Sánchez-Moral, S.; Pethen, H.; García-González, D.; Cuezva, S.; Cañaveras, J. C.; Jiménez-Higueras, A.

2017-07-01

A geological and geomorphological analysis has been performed in the necropolis of Dra Abu el-Naga in order to understand the role played by these two factors in the development of the sacred landscape. The investigation focuses upon two aspects of the development of the necropolis, the selection criteria for tomb location and the reconstruction of the ancient funerary landscape. Around 50 tombs were surveyed, analysing the characteristics of their host rock and classifying them according to a modified Rock Mass Rating Index, in order to understand how rock quality affected tomb construction. This analysis resulted in the definition of five rock-quality classes (I to V) from very good to very poor rock. The geological study also resulted in a proposed geological-geomorphological model for the evolution of this zone of the Theban necropolis that complements previous works by other authors. Due to the lack of precise dating evidence this chronology is a relative one and is based on the chronology given by other authors for similar deposits and events. Two catastrophic events, represented by mega-landslides, have been identified, the first one predates the deposition of early Pleistocene fluvial deposits, and the second one possibly occurred during the middle-late Pleistocene. Two weathering surfaces developed under wetter than present climatic conditions and have been tentatively correlated to the mid-late Pleistocene humid period and the African-Humid Period (early-mid Holocene).

Evidences for the view of the importance of Hepu seaport in ancient China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guan, Yongjing; Xiong, Zhaoming; Ruan, Xiangdong; Wang, Huijuan; Terrasi, Filippo

2013-01-01

Two ancient tombs considered belonging to the Han Dynasty (206 BC to AD 220), were excavated in Hepu, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, China. According to the style of cultural relics, some excavated artifacts did not come from the region. If the age of the tombs can be confirmed as belonging to the Han Dynasty, the exotic artifacts present significant evidence to suggest that that Hepu is one of the oldest seaports on China’s ancient maritime trading route. Two wood samples were sent for 14C dating at CIRCE, Italy. The results of these measurements are presented and the related chronology is discussed. Considering the previous results from a pottery workshop and an excavated sea wharf, the interpretation of Hepu as one of the oldest seaports in ancient China and the important role it played is presented.

Freud, Adler, Jung: From Womb to Tomb.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pedrini, D. T.; Pedrini, Bonnie C.

This paper briefly introduces outlines of psychoanalysis (Freud), individual psychology (Adler), and analytical psychology (Jung). Freud focused on problems of adults as they related to childhood; Adler on problems of adults as they related to adulthood; and Jung on problems of adults as they related to middle and later years. Jungian analytical…

Oligo-Miocene foraminiferal record (Miogypsinidae, Lepidocyclinidae and Nummulitidae) from the Western Taurides (SW Turkey): Biometry and implications for the regional geology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Özcan, Ercan; Less, György; Báldi-Beke, Mária; Kollányi, Katalin; Acar, Ferhat

2009-05-01

The marine Oligo-Miocene units of western Taurides, deposited under different tectonic regimes (in Bey Dağları platform in foreland and coeval sequences in hinterland), were studied to establish a high-resolution biostratigraphic framework. Biometric study of the full spectrum of larger foraminifera in a regional scale allowed us correlating them with the shallow benthic zonation (SBZ) system introduced by [Cahuzac, B., Poignant, A., 1997. Essai de biozonation de l'Oligo-Miocène dans les bassins européens à l'aide des grands foraminifères néritiques. Bulletin de la Société géologique de France 168, 155-169], and to determine the ages of these sites on zonal precision for the first time. In correlating these assemblages to standard shallow benthic zones, planktonic data were also used whenever possible. Taxa, classified under the genera Nummulites, Miogypsina, Miolepidocyclina, Nephrolepidina, Eulepidina, Heterostegina, Operculina and Cycloclypeus (?) and their assemblages, closely resemble to the fauna described from European basins. These groups characterize the SBZ 22B to 25 zones referring to a time interval from early Chattian to Burdigalian. However, a main gap in late Chattian (SBZ 23) and in early part of the Aquitanian (SBZ 24) is also recorded in the platform succession. In the meantime, rare Eulepidina in the Burdigalian levels suggest a clear Indo-Pacific influence. Based on the discovery of early Chattian (SBZ 22B) deposits (previously mapped under Eocene/Miocene units), the Oligo-Miocene stratigraphy of the Bey Dağları platform is also revised. A more precise chronology for regional Miocene transgression is presented based on the miogypsinid evolutionary scale.

YTTRIUM BERYLLIDE AND COMPOUNDS OF THE TYPE ABe$sub 1$$sub 3$

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

Matyushenko, N.N.; Tikhinskii, G.F.

1963-11-01

Studies were made on the Be-Y system in order to establish the existence of intermetallides in it and to systematize the compounds of type ABe/sub 13/ according to their formula volumes. The existence of a cubic phase YBe/sub 13/, isomorphous with NaZn/sub 13/ and with a lattice period a = 10.238 plus or minus 0.002 A, was established. It was concluded that the known ABe/sub 13/ beryllides can be divided into three groups according to their volume relationships to the volume of the A component: Sc, Hf, Zr; Mg, Er, Y, Ca, Am; Np, U, Pu, Th, Ce, La. (P.C.H.)

Nonlinear Transient Problems Using Structure Compatible Heat Transfer Code

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hou, Gene

2000-01-01

The report documents the recent effort to enhance a transient linear heat transfer code so as to solve nonlinear problems. The linear heat transfer code was originally developed by Dr. Kim Bey of NASA Largely and called the Structure-Compatible Heat Transfer (SCHT) code. The report includes four parts. The first part outlines the formulation of the heat transfer problem of concern. The second and the third parts give detailed procedures to construct the nonlinear finite element equations and the required Jacobian matrices for the nonlinear iterative method, Newton-Raphson method. The final part summarizes the results of the numerical experiments on the newly enhanced SCHT code.

High Frequency GPR enhanced by microwave tomography for Westminster Abbey survey

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Soldovieri, Francesco; Gennarelli, Gianluca; Catapano, Ilaria; Carrick Utsi, Erica

2015-04-01

Westminster Abbey is famous throughout the world as the site of the British Coronations. The Abbey also houses the shrine dedicated to its founder, Saint Edward the Confessor, several royal burials and many burials and memorial stones related to important historical personages. As part of a restoration programme, the Dean and Chapter commissioned a series of Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) surveys of the 13th Century mosaic, known as the Cosmati Pavement, which forms the floor of the Sanctuary in front of the High Altar. These surveys were intended to investigate the structure and composition of the mosaic, to determine areas of delamination and also to investigate earlier structures beneath the mosaic [1]. A 4GHz antenna was used for the first of these surveys. These revealed not only the intricate structure of the mosaic but also the location of two tombs, one to the North and the other to the South of the Sanctuary. The details obtained indicated a range of grave goods still present and also suggested that partial human remains may be present. Modelling using a Finite Difference Time Domain approach (GPRMAX 2D and 3D) provided indications about the possible existence of a chalice and paten [1] in the northern tomb. At the conference, we will show the results of the microwave tomographic approach [2] with the aim to re-investigate the tomb to the North side of the Sanctuary, that of Richard de Ware, the Abbot who brought both the masons and the stones from Rome. The analysis, comparing the results of a migration approach with that of a microwave tomographic one, is ongoing with the end to draw any further conclusions about the tomb contents. [1] Utsi, E., "Improving definition: GPR investigations at westminster abbey," GPR 2006, the Proceedings of the 11th International Conference on Ground Penetrating Radar, J. J. Daniels and C. Chen, Eds., Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, Jun. 19-22, 2006. [2] Pettinelli, E.; Di Matteo, A.; Mattei, E.; Crocco, L

Successful Teaching Today.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lewis, Barbara; And Others

1996-01-01

This article presents creative teaching experiences from five teachers nationwide. The projects involve student projects to prevent crime, talking to astronauts via amateur radio, transforming the classroom into an ancient Egyptian tomb, doing a good deed each day, and increasing father involvement. (SM)

Sorption kinetics and isotherm modelling of imidacloprid on bentonite and organobentonites.

PubMed

Jain, Shailesh K; Shakil, Najam A; Dutta, Anirban; Kumar, Jitendra; Saini, Mukesh K

2017-05-04

Bentonite was modified by quaternary ammonium cations viz. cetytrimethylammonium (CTA), cetylpyridinium (CP), rioctylmethylammonium (TOM) and pcholine (PTC) at 100% cation exchange capacity of bentonite and was characterized by X-ray diffraction, CHNS elemental analyser and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The sorption of imidacloprid on organobentonites/bentonite was studied by batch method. Normal bentonite could adsorb imidacloprid only upto 19.31-22.18% while all organobentonites except PTC bentonite (PTCB), enhanced its adsorption by three to four times. Highest adsorption was observed in case of TOM bentonite (TOMB) (76.94-83.16%). Adsorption kinetic data were fitted to pseudo-first-order, pseudo-second-order and intraparticle diffusion models. For normal bentonite data were best fitted to pseudo-first-order kinetic, while for organobentonites fitted to pseudo-second-order kinetics. Sorption data were analysed using Freundlich, Langmuir, Temkin and Dubinin-Radushkevich isotherm models. Data were well fitted to Freundlich adsorption isotherm. Product of Freundlich adsorption constant and heterogeneity parameter (K f .1/n) was in following order: TOMB (301.87) > CTA bentonite (CTAB) (152.12) > CP bentonite (CPB) (92.58) > bentonite (27.25). Desorption study confirmed hysteresis and concentration dependence. The present study showed that the organobentonite could be a good sorbent for removal of imidacloprid from natural water sample also. Percentage adsorption and Distribution coefficient (mL g -1 ) value of different adsorbent was in following order: TOMB (74.85% and 297.54) > CTAB (55.78% and 126.15) > CPB (45.81% and 84.55) > bentonite (10.65% and 11.92).

Geoenvironmental studies on conservation of archaeological sites at Siwa oasis, Egypt

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ibrahim, Hani A. M.; Kamh, Gamal E.

2006-02-01

Siwa oasis is located in the extreme western part of the Egyptian western desert. There are several archaeological sites in the oasis; the most distinct ones are Alexander the Great temple at Aghormi hill and the Gebel El Mota tomb excavations. They have suffered due to deterioration and cracks of different kinds and some parts are getting worse as rock falls occur. From field inspection and lab analysis, it is clear that lithology plays an important role on the extent of damage. Alexander the Great temple was built over the northern edge of Aghormi hill, which consists of two distinct beds—an upper limestone bed and a lower shale one. From field survey and laboratory analysis, the shale is considered as a high expanded bed and weak in its bearing capacity, as its clay content (mainly smectite) experienced swelling due to wetting from the ground water spring underneath. Consequently, the upper limestone bed suffered from map cracking associated with rock falls due to the differential settlement of the swelled lower shale one. The temple was threatened by slope instability and had experienced many cracks. At Gabal El Mota tomb excavations, it was noticed that a comparison of tombs of the same opening size revealed that those that excavated on shale beds had cracked much more than those that excavated on limestone. This may be attributed to the low bearing capacity of excavated shale walls. The remedial measures suggested to overcome the stability problems on these archaeological sites are grouting or construction of retaining walls.

76 FR 65559 - Culturally Significant Objects Imported for Exhibition Determinations: “Mummy: Secrets of the Tomb”

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-10-21

... DEPARTMENT OF STATE [PUBLIC NOTICE: 7664] Culturally Significant Objects Imported for Exhibition Determinations: ``Mummy: Secrets of the Tomb'' SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given of the following determinations... April 15, 2003), I hereby determine that the objects to be included in the exhibition ``Mummy: Secrets...

Suicide Terrorism: Deadly Tactic or Operational Art at Work?

DTIC Science & Technology

2009-05-04

clerical leader, opined in a 1996 interview printed in an Egyptian newspaper that “suicide puts an end to his life out of selfish considerations...attacks in support of their strategic objectives. Following the February 1994 massacre in the Tomb of the Patriarchs-Khalili Mosque perpetrated by

Implementation of ground penetrating radar and electrical resistivity tomography for inspecting the Greco-Roman Necropolis at Kilo 6 of the Golden Mummies Valley, Bahariya Oasis, Egypt

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Abbas, Abbas M.; Ghazala, Hosni H.; Mesbah, Hany S.; Atya, Magdy A.; Radwan, Ali; Hamed, Diaa E.

2016-06-01

Bahariya Oasis is one of the lately inspected spots in Egypt and has a long historical record extending from the old kingdom till the emergence of Islam. Since June 1999, the Valley of the Golden Mummies near Bawiti (at kilometer 6 on the road leads to Farafra Oasis) became significant due to the discoveries of amazing mummies of gelded faces. The archeologists believe that the Valley has more valuable tombs that still unrevealed. Also, the possibility that the Greco-Roman Necropolis extends to areas other than Kilo-6 is sustainable. The ground penetrating radar and electrical resistivity tomography are two geophysical tools that have successful applications in archeological assessment. The two techniques were used in integration plan to assert the archeological potentiality of the studied site and to map the feasible tombs. Sum of 798 GPR profiles and 19 ERT cross sections was carried out over the study area. The results of them were analyzed to envisage these results in archeological terms.

The Development of the Sacred Landscape of Saqqara in the Old Kingdom

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Magli, Giulio

2015-05-01

Saqqara is one of the most important Necropolis in Egypt. In the course of the third millennium BC many Pharaohs choose Saqqara for their tombs. As a consequence the landscape constantly grew with the addition of new monuments, from the mastaba tombs of the first dynasty to the last pyramid of the Old Kingdom, that of Pepi II. The monuments were constructed respecting a series of topographical constraints which are not due to the morphology of the area but rather reflect symbolic - dynastic or astronomical - motivations. The analysis of these connections gives a better understanding of the choices made by the kings' architects in order to keep Maat - order - in the development of the site. Further, the way in which the sacred landscape came to be structured at the end of the Old Kingdom allows us to formulate a proposal for the possible location of the unique pyramid of the sixth dynasty which is still to be found: that of Userkare.

Improving daylight in mosques using domes

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

Alturki, I.; Schiler, M.; Boyajian, Y.

1996-10-01

This paper studies the possibilities for improving daylight in mosques by measuring the illumination level under various domes in an old mosque ``Mosque of Guzelce Hasan Bey in Hayrabolu`` using an architectural physical model. The illumination level under the domes were tested under three different cases: a dome without openings (the original building), a dome with a central opening, and a dome with openings around the base. It was found that a dome with openings around the base brings an evenly distributed light all over the prayer hall during the critical hours of 12:00 p.m. and 3:00 p.m. In addition,more » it improves the quality and quantity of light.« less

An Overview of the Repair, Evaluation Maintenance and Rehabilitation (REMR) Research Program 1984-1989

DTIC Science & Technology

1990-03-01

conducted in the Great Pyramid of Cheops, Giza , Egypt. The Tomb is an existing structure of great national and patriotic significance, while the Great... Pyramid is one of the oldest existing structures built by man. Also, a comprehensive assessment of the foundation of Mill Creek Dam near Walla Walla

New Approaches to the Use and Integration of Multi-Sensor Remote Sensing for Historic Resource Identification and Evaluation

DTIC Science & Technology

2006-11-10

features based on shape are easy to come by. The Great Pyramids at Giza are instantly identified from space, even at the very coarse spatial... Pyramids at Giza , Egypt, are recognized by their triangular faces in this 1 m resolution Ikonos image, as are nearby rectangular tombs (credit: Space

77 FR 64590 - Safety Advisory: Unauthorized Marking of Compressed Gas Cylinders

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-10-22

... of high pressure compressed gas cylinders by George Welding & Supply Co., Inc. located at 205 Tombs... compliance inspection of George Welding & Supply Co., Inc. As a result of that inspection, PHMSA has determined that George Welding & Supply Co., Inc. marked an unknown number of high pressure compressed gas...

Linking Literature and Art to the Social Studies Curriculum.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Frezza, Yiota

1982-01-01

Describes a unit in which elementary students experience life in ancient Egypt by role playing different positions in society. Students research their role, prepare a paper doll dressed in the clothing of their role, analyze an opera, and paint a window in the stylized method used on Egyptian tomb paintings. (RM)

The North Korean Ballistic Missile Program

DTIC Science & Technology

2008-02-01

dispatched air force pilots to assist Cairo during the 1973 Arab-Israeli War. However, there is still confusion about the timing of the Egyptian Scud...Norton, 1997, pp. 22-25. North Korea claims to have discovered Tangun’s remains in Pyongyang in 1993, and has since built a tomb for him on the

Defense.gov Special Report: African American History Month

Science.gov Websites

Department of Defense Submit Search During National African-American History Month, we celebrate the rich In honor of African-American History Month, Fred Moore, the first African-American Tomb Guard history a year later. Story Longest Serving Airman Also Longest in DOD The Air Force's longest serving

A new species and key to all known species of the genus Filchnerella Karny, 1908 from China (Orthoptera: Acridoidea, Pamphagidae).

PubMed

Cao, Cheng-Quan; Li, Xin-Jiang; Yin, Zhan

2018-04-23

The new species i.e. Filchnerella wuhaiensis sp. nov is described from Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, China. The new species is similar to Filchnerella helanshanensis Zheng, 1992, but differs from the latter by 21-segmented antennae, prozona of pronotum higher than metazona, length of tegmina 2.0 times maximum width, width of interspace of mesosternum 1.2 times length and lower margin of hind femur not red in male. A key to all species of the genus Filchnerella Karny, 1908 is given in this paper. Two genera Pseudotmethis Bey-Bienko, 1948 and Paratmethis Zheng He, 1996 are valid genus and not a synonym of Filchnerella Karny, 1908. Type specimens are deposited in the College of Life Sciences, Hebei University, Baoding, Hebei, China.

The Sphinx and the Pyramids at Giza. Educational Packet.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gagliano, Sara; Rapport, Wendy

This packet of materials was created to accompany the exhibit "The Sphinx and the Pyramids: 100 Years of American Archaeology at Giza" at the Semitic Museum of Harvard University. The lessons and teacher's guide focus on the following: (1) "The Mystery of the Secret Tomb" where students take on the role of an archaeologist by…

Three Capitals for Two States -- Analysis of Jerusalem’s Sovereignty and Perspectives

DTIC Science & Technology

2011-05-19

central plot in each of them when he described Jerusalem as “a Dome, A Tomb and a 7 Wall; a Crescent, a Cross and a Star; three faiths, three...day Israel, Lebanon, Jordan and parts of Syria, was at the crossroads of the Persian, Egyptian , and Assyrian empires, and Jerusalem was on the central

Peseshet--the first female physician?

PubMed

Harer, W B; el-Dawakhly, Z

1989-12-01

Excavation of the tomb of Akhet-Hetep at Giza revealed a monument dedicated to his mother Peseshet, who is identified by many important titles including "Overseer of Women Physicians." She is probably the world's earliest known woman physician. She practiced at the time of the building of the great pyramids in Egypt, about 2500 BC.

Intelligence Strategy: New Challenges and Opportunities. NDIC-ODNI Conference Proceedings 26-27 September 2007

DTIC Science & Technology

2008-10-01

leadership positions in Al Qaeda are egyptian , not Saudi. The magic was Osama bin Laden was willing to die for his cause, and he was forceful, loves...way through half a dozen Kleenexes.” He then describes a visit he made to Hussein’s tomb at Karbala. “Sud- denly the peace was shattered by moans and

Egyptian "Star Clocks"

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Symons, Sarah

Diagonal, transit, and Ramesside star clocks are tables of astronomical information occasionally found in ancient Egyptian temples, tombs, and papyri. The tables represent the motions of selected stars (decans and hour stars) throughout the Egyptian civil year. Analysis of star clocks leads to greater understanding of ancient Egyptian constellations, ritual astronomical activities, observational practices, and pharaonic chronology.

Resources and testing of endophyte-infected germplasm in national grass repository collections

Treesearch

A. D. Wilson

1996-01-01

Clavicipitaceous endophytes have been known to exist in grasses since the discovery of an endophyte in seeds of damel (Lolium temulentum L.) by Vogl in 1898 (26). The oldest known specimens of damel with endophytic mycelium were seeds retrieved from a pharoah's tomb in an Egyptian pyramid dating back to 3400 B.C. (16). Subsequent work by...

El Dia de los Muertos -- Libreto. (The Day of the Dead -- Notebook.)

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Espinoza, Delia; Lopez, Santiago, III

On November 2, all Mexican Americans remember their dead as Mexico does on that same day. Called "El Dia de los Muertos" (Day of the Dead), the dead are remembered posthumously with flowers, candles, music, prayers, chants, and wreaths. The people go to cemeteries to clean tombs, lay fresh or artificial flowers on them, and pray for…

Egyptian Symbols and Figures. Hieroglyphs [and] Scroll Paintings. [Lesson Plan].

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

2002

This lesson introduces students to the writing, art, and religious beliefs of ancient Egypt through hieroglyphs, one of the oldest writing systems in the world, and through tomb paintings. Hieroglyphs consist of pictures of familiar objects that represent sounds and were used in ancient Egypt from about 3100 BC to 400 CE. In the first part of the…

Do changes in climate and land use pose a risk to the future water availability of Mediterranean Lakes?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bucak, T.; Trolle, D.; Andersen, H. E.; Thodsen, H.; Erdoğan, Ş.; Levi, E. E.; Filiz, N.; Jeppesen, E.; Beklioğlu, M.

2016-12-01

Inter- and intra-annual water level fluctuations and change in water flow regime are intrinsic characteristics of Mediterranean lakes. However, considering the climate change projections for the water-limited Mediterranean region where potential evapotranspiration exceeds precipitation and with increased air temperatures and decreased precipitation, more dramatic water level declines in lakes and severe water scarcity problems are expected to occur in the future. Our study lake, Lake Beyşehir, the largest freshwater lake in the Mediterranean basin, is - like other Mediterranean lakes - under pressure due to water abstraction for irrigated crop farming and climatic changes, and integrated water level management is therefore required. We used an integrated modeling approach to predict the future lake water level of Lake Beyşehir in response to the future changes in both climate and, potentially, land use by linking the catchment model Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) with a Support Vector Machine Regression model (ɛ-SVR). We found that climate change projections caused enhanced potential evapotranspiration and reduced total runoff, whereas the effects of various land use scenarios within the catchment were comparatively minor. In all climate scenarios applied in the ɛ-SVR model, changes in hydrological processes caused a water level reduction, predicting that the lake may dry out already in the 2040s with the current outflow regulation considering the most pessimistic scenario. Based on model runs with optimum outflow management, a 9-60% reduction in outflow withdrawal is needed to prevent the lake from drying out by the end of this century. Our results indicate that shallow Mediterranean lakes may face a severe risk of drying out and loss of ecosystem value in near future if the current intense water abstraction is maintained. Therefore, we conclude that outflow management in water-limited regions in a warmer and drier future and sustainable use of water

A Year's Turning: Young People Writing.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hansen, I. V., Ed.

This book is an anthology of unedited verse and prose written by 14- and 15-year-old students. The book is intended for teachers in training, for their tutors, and for all teachers of English. The verses are classified as undirected and directed poems about nature, places, war, the Egyptian Tomb, up and back again, and people. The prose is…

Postage stamps: A convergence of metallurgy, art, and history

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Habashi, Fathi

2002-04-01

Postage stamps have been used around the world to commemorate, in miniature, significant events and people, including those of importance in the history of metals and mineral production. From the presence of gold artifacts in an ancient Egyptian tomb to the role of uranium in nuclear power, stamps have captured the evolution of metallurgical processes. This article highlights some of those stamps.

Banpo Village: Gone but Not Forgotten. Sixth Grade Activity. Revised. Schools of California Online Resources for Education (SCORE): Connecting California's Classrooms to the World.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nguyen, Tim

Banpo is a village that existed 6,000 years ago near Xi'an in the Shaanxi Province of China. Artifacts unearthed from the Banpo site are all that remains of this prehistoric clan-based community. Five excavations conducted from 1953 to 1957 revealed the remains of 45 houses, 200-odd storage pits, six kilns, 250 tombs, and more than 10,000 stone…

Alvarez, Luis Walter (1911-88)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Murdin, P.

2000-11-01

Physicist and astronomer, born in San Francisco, CA, professor at the University of California, Nobel prizewinner (1968) for his discoveries in particle physics. Used cosmic rays to `x-ray' the pyramids of Egypt, finding in particular that the tombs in the Great Pyramid at Giza had no hidden rooms. Alvarez (and his son) discovered globally distributed iridium at the Cretaceous/Tertiary boundary i...

Organic chemistry of balms used in the preparation of pharaonic meat mummies

PubMed Central

Clark, Katherine A.; Ikram, Salima; Evershed, Richard P.

2013-01-01

The funeral preparations for ancient Egyptian dead were extensive. Tomb walls were often elaborately painted and inscribed with scenes and objects deemed desirable for the afterlife. Votive objects, furniture, clothing, jewelry, and importantly, food including bread, cereals, fruit, jars of wine, beer, oil, meat, and poultry were included in the burial goods. An intriguing feature of the meat and poultry produced for the deceased from the highest levels of Egyptian society was that they were mummified to ensure their preservation. However, little is known about the way they were prepared, such as whether balms were used, and if they were used, how they compared with those applied to human and animal mummies? We present herein the results of lipid biomarker and stable carbon isotope investigations of tissues, bandaging, and organic balms associated with a variety of meat mummies that reveal that treatments ranged from simple desiccation and wrapping in bandages to, in the case of the tomb of Yuya and Tjuia (18th Dynasty, 1386–1349 BC), a balm associated with a beef rib mummy containing a high abundance of Pistacia resin and, thus, more sophisticated than the balms found on many contemporaneous human mummies. PMID:24248384

Biomolecular Evidence of Silk from 8,500 Years Ago

PubMed Central

Gong, Yuxuan; Li, Li; Gong, Decai; Yin, Hao; Zhang, Juzhong

2016-01-01

Pottery, bone implements, and stone tools are routinely found at Neolithic sites. However, the integrity of textiles or silk is susceptible to degradation, and it is therefore very difficult for such materials to be preserved for 8,000 years. Although previous studies have provided important evidence of the emergence of weaving skills and tools, such as figuline spinning wheels and osseous lamellas with traces of filament winding, there is a lack of direct evidence proving the existence of silk. In this paper, we explored evidence of prehistoric silk fibroin through the analysis of soil samples collected from three tombs at the Neolithic site of Jiahu. Mass spectrometry was employed and integrated with proteomics to characterize the key peptides of silk fibroin. The direct biomolecular evidence reported here showed the existence of prehistoric silk fibroin, which was found in 8,500-year-old tombs. Rough weaving tools and bone needles were also excavated, indicating the possibility that the Jiahu residents may possess the basic weaving and sewing skills in making textile. This finding may advance the study of the history of silk, and the civilization of the Neolithic Age. PMID:27941996

Organic chemistry of balms used in the preparation of pharaonic meat mummies.

PubMed

Clark, Katherine A; Ikram, Salima; Evershed, Richard P

2013-12-17

The funeral preparations for ancient Egyptian dead were extensive. Tomb walls were often elaborately painted and inscribed with scenes and objects deemed desirable for the afterlife. Votive objects, furniture, clothing, jewelry, and importantly, food including bread, cereals, fruit, jars of wine, beer, oil, meat, and poultry were included in the burial goods. An intriguing feature of the meat and poultry produced for the deceased from the highest levels of Egyptian society was that they were mummified to ensure their preservation. However, little is known about the way they were prepared, such as whether balms were used, and if they were used, how they compared with those applied to human and animal mummies? We present herein the results of lipid biomarker and stable carbon isotope investigations of tissues, bandaging, and organic balms associated with a variety of meat mummies that reveal that treatments ranged from simple desiccation and wrapping in bandages to, in the case of the tomb of Yuya and Tjuia (18th Dynasty, 1386-1349 BC), a balm associated with a beef rib mummy containing a high abundance of Pistacia resin and, thus, more sophisticated than the balms found on many contemporaneous human mummies.

My Kingdom for a Horse

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

King, Judith

2004-01-01

The "Heavenly Horse" is a work of art revered for its spirit, strength, and beauty. It is a symbol of military might and political power. The size of the object suggests that it was made for an important person. Impressive as he is, this horse was not created as an art object. He was found in the tomb of an influential person. Scholars do not know…

An electric and electromagnetic geophysical approach for subsurface investigation of anthropogenic mounds in an urban environment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pazzi, Veronica; Tapete, Deodato; Cappuccini, Luca; Fanti, Riccardo

2016-11-01

Scientific interest in mounds as geomorphological features that currently represent topographic anomalies in flat urban landscapes mainly lies on the understanding of their origin, either purely natural or anthropogenic. In this second circumstance, another question is whether traces of lost buildings are preserved within the mound subsurface and can be mapped as remnants testifying past settlement. When these landforms have been modified in centuries for civilian use, structural stability is a further element of concern. To address these issues we applied a geophysical approach based on a very low frequency electromagnetic (VLF-EM) technique and two-dimensional electrical resistivity tomography (2D-ERT) and integrated it with well-established surface survey methods within a diagnostic workflow of structural assessment. We demonstrate the practical benefits of this method in the English Cemetery of Florence, Italy, whose mixed nature and history of morphological changes are suggested by archival records. The combination of the two selected geophysical techniques allowed us to overcome the physical obstacles caused by tomb density and to prevent interference from the urban vehicular traffic on the geophysical signals. Eighty-two VLF-EM profiles and five 2D-ERTs were collected to maximise the spatial coverage of the subsurface prospection, while surface indicators of instability (e.g., tomb tilt, location, and direction of ground fractures and wall cracks) were mapped by standard metric survey. High resistive anomalies (> 300 and 400 Ωm) observed in VLF-EM tomographies are attributed to remnants of the ancient perimeter wall that are still buried along the southern side of the mound. While no apparent correlation is found between the causes of tomb and ground movements, the crack pattern map supplements the overall structural assessment. The main outcome is that the northern portion of the retaining wall is classed with the highest hazard rate. The impact of this

Childbirth in ancient Egypt.

PubMed

Chamberlain, Geoffrey

2004-11-01

Medicine in ancient Egypt was much more advanced than the rest of the Biblical world, especially in trauma surgery. Care at the time of childbirth was however virtually non-existent. There were no trained obstetricians or midwives but a galaxy of gods were at hand. This article traces what we can piece together about pregnancy of childbirth from the evidence we have in tombs and papyri of Egypt.

Taking Jihad Out of the Hands of Infidels

DTIC Science & Technology

2007-06-01

both Mecca and Medina from the Turks. In taking Mecca, the Wahhabis demonstrated their religious ferocity by destroying the tomb of Muhammad...did not sit well with the Turkish sultan. He tasked Mehmed Ali, the Egyptian Sultan, “to recover the holy cities.”73 On their third attempt, the...notable contributor to this transformation was an Egyptian named Sayyed Qutb, whose book, Milestones, was published in 1964. Qutb developed and

Egypt: Background and U.S. Relations

DTIC Science & Technology

2008-02-08

Hatshepsut tomb near Luxor in southern Egypt in November 1997, killing 58 foreign tourists and four Egyptians before committing suicide. Previously, Jamaah...U.S. Relations Summary This report provides an overview of Egyptian politics and current issues in U.S.- Egyptian relations. It briefly provides a... Egyptian relations are complex and multi-faceted, and this report addresses the following current topics: the Arab-Israeli peace process, Iraq, terrorism

CTC Sentinel. Volume 2, Issue 5, May 2009

DTIC Science & Technology

2009-05-01

in Gaza and criticism of Arab leaders, including Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, Hizb Allah leader Hassan Nasrallah, and Saudi Interior Minister...alleged al-Qa`ida media coordinator formerly affiliated with Egyptian Jama`a al-Islamiyya. Saudi documents charge him with holding a senior...community in February and March 2009, after a handful of Shi`a were manhandled by religious police during a pilgrimage to the tombs of their imams at the

Teleoperator and robotics system analysis

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Teoh, William

1987-01-01

The Orbital Maneuvering Vehicle (OMV) was designed to operate as a remotely controlled space teleoperator. The design and implementation of OMM (a mathematical model of the OMV) are discussed. The State Vector Transformation Module (SVX), an interface between the OMV simulation model and the mobile base (TOM-B) of the flat floor simulation system is described. A summary of testing procedures and conclusions are presented together with the test data obtained.

Early medieval stone-lined graves in Southern Germany: analysis of an emerging noble class.

PubMed

Rott, Andreas; Turner, Nils; Scholz, Ulrike; von Heyking, Kristin; Immler, Franziska; Peters, Joris; Haberstroh, Jochen; Harbeck, Michaela

2017-04-01

Stone-lined graves, which first appear in Bavarian territory during the 7 th century AD, are assumed to be tombs of emerging nobility. While previous research on stone-lined grave goods supports their status as elite burials, an important factor defining nobility-kinship-has not been examined so far. Morphological analysis of the commingled skeletal remains of 21 individuals from three archaeological sites was carried out. Radiocarbon dating was conducted on these individuals to gain information on usage intervals of these graves. To test whether stone-lined graves can be considered family graves, analyses of mitochondrial HVR I, Y-chromosomal and autosomal STRs were carried out. Morphological examination revealed a surplus of males buried in stone-lined graves and radiocarbon dating points to usage of the tombs for several generations. According to aDNA analysis, kinship can be assumed both between and within stone-lined graves. Taken together, these results hint at burials of family members with high social status being inhumed at the same site, in some cases even the same grave, for several generations. They also suggest, for the first time, that an early medieval linear cemetery was structured according to biological kinship. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Impact of DHA on Metabolic Diseases from Womb to Tomb

PubMed Central

Arnoldussen, Ilse A. C.; Kiliaan, Amanda J.

2014-01-01

Long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LC-PUFAs) are important mediators in improving and maintaining human health over the total lifespan. One topic we especially focus on in this review is omega-3 LC-PUFA docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). Adequate DHA levels are essential during neurodevelopment and, in addition, beneficial in cognitive processes throughout life. We review the impact of DHA on societal relevant metabolic diseases such as cardiovascular diseases, obesity, and diabetes mellitus type 2 (T2DM). All of these are risk factors for cognitive decline and dementia in later life. DHA supplementation is associated with a reduced incidence of both stroke and atherosclerosis, lower bodyweight and decreased T2DM prevalence. These findings are discussed in the light of different stages in the human life cycle: childhood, adolescence, adulthood and in later life. From this review, it can be concluded that DHA supplementation is able to inhibit pathologies like obesity and cardiovascular disease. DHA could be a dietary protector against these metabolic diseases during a person’s entire lifespan. However, supplementation of DHA in combination with other dietary factors is also effective. The efficacy of DHA depends on its dose as well as on the duration of supplementation, sex, and age. PMID:25528960

Heavy precipitation events in northern Switzerland

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Giannakaki, Paraskevi; Martius, Olivia

2013-04-01

Heavy precipitation events in the Alpine region often cause floods, rock-falls and mud slides with severe consequences for population and economy. Breaking synoptic Rossby waves located over western Europe, play a central role in triggering such heavy rain events in southern Switzerland (e.g. Massacand et al. 1998). In contrast, synoptic scale structures triggering heavy precipitation on the north side of the Swiss Alps and orographic effects have so far not been studied comprehensively. An observation based high resolution precipitation data set for Switzerland and the Alps (MeteoSwiss) is used to identify heavy precipitation events affecting the north side of the Swiss Alps for the time period 1961-2010. For these events a detailed statistical and dynamical analysis of the upper level flow is conducted using ECMWFs ERA-40 and ERA-Interim reanalysis data sets. For the analysis north side of the Swiss Alps is divided in two investigation areas north-eastern and western Switzerland following the Swiss climate change scenarios (Bey et al. 2011). A subjective classification of upper level structures triggering heavy precipitation events in the areas of interest is presented. Four classes are defined based on the orientation and formation of the dynamical tropopause during extreme events in the northern part of Switzerland and its sub-regions. The analysis is extended by a climatology of breaking waves and cut-offs following the method of Wernli and Sprenger (2007) to examine their presence and location during extreme events. References Bey I., Croci-Maspoli M., Fuhrer J., Kull C, Appenzeller C., Knutti R. and Schär C. Swiss Climate Change Scenarios CH2011, C2SM, MeteoSwiss, ETH, NCCR Climate, OcCC (2011), http://dx.doi.org/10.3929/ethz-a-006720559 Massacand A., H. Wernli, and H.C. Davies, 1998. Heavy precipitation on the Alpine South side: An upper-level precursor. Geophys. Res. Lett., 25, 1435-1438. MeteoSwiss 2011. Documentation of Meteoswiss grid-data products

Starting Point: A Proposed Framework for Unconventional Warfare Planning

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-06-01

beginning in 2010 saw regime changes in numerous Middle Eastern countries such as; Egypt , Tunisia and Libya. In 2013, Thailand saw uprisings...Poland, 22. 114 Peggy Noonan, “We Want God ,” Wall Street Journal, April 7, 2005, http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB122479408458463941. 115 Ibid... ancient and contemporary history of Poland this tomb has a special basis, a special reason for its existence. In how many places in our native land has

Holy Jerusalem: The Key to Lasting Peace in the Middle East

DTIC Science & Technology

2009-05-01

to war in an attempt to control it. Its list of conquerors throughout time is unparalleled: Hebrews, Assyria, Babylonia, Persia, Egyptians , Greeks...of Christ‘s tomb . 2 These are just a few of the holy places that have acted as a loadstone for conquerors, intent on possessing the holy land for...progress with regard to the Holy City. It would take another conflict to break the status-quo. Feeling threatened by a pending Egyptian invasion

Agency and Structure as Determinants of Female Suicide Terrorism: A Comparative Study of Three Conflict Regions

DTIC Science & Technology

2009-12-01

stronger states.63 As the Egyptian scholar Sheik Yusuf al Qaradawi admits in response to condoning suicide terrorism, “I cannot confront the enemy’s point...Qaeda, democracy represents a system of rule by man. Ayman al-Zawahiri, referring to the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood, wrote in 1991 that: “the...When the Taliban captured Mazar-e-Sharif, they protected her tomb from desecration. See: Rostami-Povey, Afghan Women, 16. 110 but the main intent of

Lessons of the Iraqi De-Ba’athification Program for Iraq’s Future and the Arab Revolutions

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-05-01

with some of the Arab Spring militaries and has a particu- larly strong relationship with the Egyptian military. These bonds of trust, cooperation...suitable tomb for the co-founder of Ba’athism. Saddam was not a military man, and as a youth was rejected for entry into the Iraqi military academy due...Egypt. While parallels between Saddam Hussein’s Iraq and 64 these countries exist, differences vastly outnumber similarities. The Tunisian and Egyptian

Conflict and Conscience: Ideological War and the Albigensian Crusade

DTIC Science & Technology

2007-06-15

had fallen to the Egyptians twelve years earlier, and the Crusader Kingdom was still unable to regain the Holy City. The newly elected Pope Innocent...for a favorable settlement with the Egyptians . However, instead of proceeding to Egypt, the Venetian fleet coerced the crusaders into attacking the...assassin of Count Raymond murdered the papal legate Peter de Castelnau. With the vivid memory of his visit to Thomas Becket’s tomb firmly in his mind

Prevalence of Helicobacter Pylori in Gastric Fluid in the Surgical Patient

DTIC Science & Technology

1998-05-01

potential in low pH (Tomb et al. 1997). Helicobacter pylori produces significant amounts of urease which cleaves urea into ammonia and carbon dioxide...The presence of urease is one of the biochemical markers used to help identify the presence of H. pylori. (Blaser, 1996). Helicobacter is a genus...gastric lumen it is immersed in acidic gastric juice where small amounts of urea are present. Helicobacter pylori produces urease which breaks down the

Day of Remembrance

NASA Image and Video Library

2014-01-31

NASA personnel, family members of those lost in Challenger, Columbia, Apollo 1 and members of the public watch as a wreath is laid at the Tomb of the Unknowns by NASA Administrator Charles Bolden as part of NASA's Day of Remembrance, Friday, Jan. 31, 2014, at Arlington National Cemetery. The wreaths were laid in memory of those men and women who lost their lives in the quest for space exploration. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

EDITORIAL: Integrated non-invasive sensing techniques and geophysical methods for the study and conservation of architectural, archaeological and artistic heritage Integrated non-invasive sensing techniques and geophysical methods for the study and conservation of architectural, archaeological and artistic heritage

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Masini, N.; Soldovieri, F.

2011-09-01

cultural heritage monitoring and diagnostics. The paper by Conyers et al gives a very good review of the limitations and advantages of ground penetrating radar (GPR) in archaeological prospecting, where the focus is on aspects of data processing and image visualization. Kadioglu et al describe a case that exploits GPR to define buried archaeological remains at the Zeynel Bey Tomb in the ancient city of Hasankeyf, Turkey. In particular, attention is given to a new three-dimensional visualization of the scene which provides a clearer representation compared to the usual constant depth slices. The paper by Bavusi et al is concerned with the use of GPR as a tool to monitor an important recent architectural masterpiece and critical piece of infrastructure, the Musmeci bridge in Potenza; in particular, the complexity of this civil engineering structure is tackled by adopting advanced data processing tools such as microwave tomography. A microwave tomographic approach is also exploited for GPR data processing in cultural heritage diagnostics by Brancaccio et al, where their survey is concerned with the masonry diagnostics at St Carmine's Church, one of the more ancient and important monuments of Naples. This special issue also gives a good overview of state-of-the-art methodologies and appealing cases of data integration and correlation. Nordebo et al present a new and advanced approach to information fusion, used here to combine ERT data from different orientations. The approach is general, suitable for sensor integration, and opens up a new route to data fusion for diagnostics and monitoring. Some very interesting cases of data integration in archaeological prospecting and cultural heritage monitoring are also presented. Loperte et al present an interesting case of an integrated geophysical approach based on magnetic, GPR and geoelectric techniques used to investigate the Greek and Roman settlement of Paestum in southern Italy; their aim is to undertake preventive

Thucydides on Policy, Strategy, and War Termination

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-01-01

achieve their objectives in the first Pelopon- nesian War in large part because they were overextended and fighting in too many theaters. the egyptians ...sicily, the egyptians also destroyed another athenian fleet sent to reinforce the first (1.109–10). the boeotians were able to defeat athens on...a tomb , not so much that in which their bodies have been deposited, but that noblest of shrines wherein their glory is laid up to be eternally

Characterizing Mechanisms of Resistance to Androgen Deprivation in Prostate Cancer

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-11-01

of my training in cancer biology has included the attendance of regular seminars and conferences. Indeed, each Tuesday I have attended the meeting of...the Cancer Program of the Broad Institute, and on Tuesday afternoon the institute-wide series of Seminars in Oncology at DFCI, where invited speakers...24(6): p. 719-36. 23. Morris , T.A., R.J. DeLorenzo, and R.M. Tombes, CaMK-II inhibition reduces cyclin D1 levels and enhances the association of

Sustainability Gaps in Municipal Solid Waste Management: The Case of Landfills

DTIC Science & Technology

2006-02-01

Regional Mobility, Nr. 4/2002. "* Schafer, Wolf, EU-Erweiterung: Anmerkungen zum Balassa - Samuelson -Effekt, Nr. 3/2002, erschienen in: Stefan Reitz (Hg...generations with high long-term external costs as it is the case in the dry tomb technology. Besides the efficiency aspect an argument of justice is... argument of time- consistency according to Strotz does not play any role because the assumed "rational" way of planning cannot be realized due to the non

Byron on Death

DTIC Science & Technology

1991-01-01

Chapel Hill in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in the Department of English .- Chapel Hill 1991 Approved by: ’ - d...DT Detached Thoughts ERTGB English Romanticism: The Grounds of Belief. (John Clubbe and Ernest J. Lovell-, Jr.) FD Fiery Dust: Byron’s Poetic...is that settled, ceaseless gloom The fabled Hebrew wanderer bore; That will not look beyond the tomb, But cannot hope for rest before. What Exile

Molecular study on human tuberculosis in three geographically distinct and time delineated populations from ancient Egypt.

PubMed Central

Zink, A. R.; Grabner, W.; Reischl, U.; Wolf, H.; Nerlich, A. G.

2003-01-01

We describe the molecular identification of human tuberculosis (TB) from vertebral bone tissue samples from three different populations of ancient Egypt. The specimens were obtained from the predynastic to early dynastic necropolis of Abydos (7 individuals, c. 3500-2650 B.C.), from a Middle Kingdom to Second Intermediate Period tomb of the necropolis of Thebes-West (37. c. 2100-1550 B.C.) and from five further Theban tombs used in the New Kingdom and the Late Period (39, c. 1450-500 B.C.). A total of 18 cases tested positive for the presence of ancient DNA (aDNA) of the M. tuberculosis complex. Out of the 9 cases with typical macromorphological signs of tuberculous spondylitis, 6 were positive for mycobacterial aDNA (66.7%). Of 24 cases with non-specific pathological alterations, 5 provided a positive result (20.8%). In 50 cases of normally appearing vertebral bones 7 tested positive (14.0%). There were only minor differences in the frequencies between the three populations. These data strongly support the notion that tuberculosis was present and prevalent in ancient Egypt since very early periods of this civilization. The unexpectedly high rate of mycobacterial aDNA in normal bone samples is presumably due to a pre- to perimortal systemic spread of the bacteria and indicates a generalized infection by M. tuberculosis. PMID:12729192

Paleopathology of the commoners at Tell Amarna, Egypt, Akhenaten's capital city.

PubMed

Rose, Jerome C

2006-12-05

The Egyptian Pharaoh Akhenaten initiated worship of a single god and established a new capital city (Tell Amarna) that was built and occupied only once from 1350-1330 BCE. This single short occupation offers a unique opportunity to study a short time period. The royal tombs have long been known and studied, but the location of graves for the common inhabitants has been an archaeological puzzle for more than 50 years. Recently four cemeteries have been located and the analysis of commingled bones from the South Tombs cemetery is presented here. The remains yield the following demographic profile: 53 adults with 19 females and 18 males; 14 juveniles between the ages of 5 and 17; and 3 infants. Arthritis and degenerative joint disease of the spine and joints indicates that DJD was not excessive. Only 2 to 8% of the adult population exhibits arthritis. There are 3 healed fractures of the arm (2 to 8% of the adult sample). There is 1 healed compressed fracture of the skull suggesting violence. The adult infection rate is between 2 and 8% with 3 healed and 1 active case of periostitis and no severe infections. Anemia is implicated by 23% of adult frontals exhibiting cribra orbitalia. Life for the common residents of Amarna appears to not have been as good as initially postulated.

The 'royal disease'--haemophilia A or B? A haematological mystery is finally solved.

PubMed

Lannoy, N; Hermans, C

2010-11-01

  'History can change blood. And blood can change the course of history'. Haemophilia is an illustration of this, as this congenital hereditary coagulation disorder, passed through the majority of royal European families at the beginning of the 20th century by Queen Victoria of England and Empress of the Indies, had indisputable political consequences, which led to one of the most defining moments of contemporary history: the Bolshevik Revolution. Today, none of Queen Victoria's living descendents carry haemophilia. Because of this, the characterization of haemophilia (deficit of either factor VIII or XI) and the identification of the causal mutation are rendered impossible. In 1991, a tomb containing the remains of Czar Nicolas II's entire family was discovered. A second tomb was discovered in 2007, allowing Russian and American scientists to fill in this gap in medical history. Following a scientific approach combining current genetic experimentation tools and the development of biological information technology, researchers were able to identify each body, allowing them to obtain precious genetic material from the young Czar Alexis, who was stricken by the disease, which revealed a causal substitution in the splice acceptor site of exon 4 in the F9 gene. This mutation that is responsible for haemophilia B had traumatized European royal families throughout the 20th century! © 2010 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Stars on the Ceiling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Krupp, E. C.

2016-01-01

Astronomy and celestial imagery have been incorporated into architectural ceilings from antiquity to the present to reference the sky on behalf of a variety of agendas. Burial chambers in Egyptian pyramids and tombs, the Osiris chapel on the roof of Ptolemaic Egypt's Temple of Dendera, ancient Chinese tombs, painted rock shelters in California and the American Southwest, the cupola above a hot bath from medieval Jordan, elaborately illustrated ceilings in Italian cathedrals and palaces, the main concourse in New York's Grand Central Terminal, and a variety of other public buildings in America all brought the sky inside to convey relationships between the architecture, people, and the cosmos. In these interior environments, the symbolic function of the astronomical ceiling is driven by the thematic function of the building. At Griffith Observatory in Los Angeles three signature spaces are equipped with astronomically illustrated ceilings. In content and location, these prominent murals operate symbolically to convey meaning through public display and unexpectedly prompt people to think more expansively about the universe. This artwork is familiar in Los Angeles, but its use in a public observatory puts it outside the range of most commentaries on public art. Although experienced by more than seventy-six million persons over the last eighty years, Griffith Observatory's celestial murals are not well known. Their history, content, character, meaning, and purpose are detailed here.

New taxa of Meconematini (Orthoptera: Tettigoniidae: Meconematinae) from Guangxi, China.

PubMed

Wang, Hanqiang; Liu, Xianwei; Li, Kai

2015-04-02

The following new taxa of Meconematini from Guangxi province were described: Sinothaumaspis damingshanicus Wang, Liu, Li gen. & sp. nov., Aphlugiolopsis punctipennis Wang, Liu, Li gen. & sp. nov., Eoxizicus (Eoxizicus) curvicercus Wang, Liu, Li sp. nov., Meconemopsis paraquadrinotata Wang, Liu, Li sp. nov., Neocrytopsis? unicolor Wang, Liu, Li sp. nov., Xiphidiopsis (Dinoxiphidiopsis) expressa Wang, Liu, Li sp. nov. Xiphidiopsis (Xiphidiopsis) fischerwaldheimi Gorochov, 1993, a synonym of Xiphidiopsis (Xiphidiopsis) jinxiuensis Xia & Liu, 1990 was described. The opposite gender of Sinocyrtaspis truncate Liu, 2000 and Abaxinicephora excellens Gorochov & Kang, 2005 were firstly described.  Xiphidiopsis (Dinoxiphidiopsis) jacobsoni Gorochov, 1993 was also firstly recorded from China. Two new combinations,  Meconemopsis quadrinotata (Bey-Bienko, 1971) Wang, Liu, Li comb. nov. and Xiphidiopsis (Dinoxiphidiopsis) fanjingshanensis (Shi & Du, 2006) Wang, Liu, Li comb. nov., as well as a synonym of the former Xizicus (Axizicus) xizangensis Jiao & Shi 2013 syn. nov. which respectively relate to M. paraquadrinotata sp. nov. and X. (D.) expressa sp. nov., were also noted.

United States Air Force Academy: A Bibliography 2011-2015

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-11-23

Tactical Arms Training with the Cadet Combat Shooting Team." Checkpoints 39.4 (March 2011): 18-23. Print. 703. Do, James J., et al. "Gender Bias and...34 Checkpoints 41.3 (December 2012): 30-35. Print. 753. ---. "The Line of Fire: Tactical Arms Training with the Cadet Combat Shooting Team." Checkpoints...June 2013): 18-22. Print. 831. Thomas, Bill. " Hearts and Bones: There Was a Problem with the Last Burial in the Tomb of the Unknowns: The Soldier

Cleavage/Repair and Signal Transduction Pathways in Irradiated Breast Tumor Cells

DTIC Science & Technology

2000-09-01

Pharmacology 51: 931-940, 1996. Freemerman,AJ, Vrana J, Tombes RM, Jiang H, Chellepan SP, Fisher PB and Grant S. Effects of antisense p21 (Wafl/CIP1...gene. Mutat. Res. 403, 171-175. Vrana JA, Decker RH, Johnson CR, Wang Z, Jarvis WD, Richon VM, Ehinger M, Fisher PB and Grant S. Induction of apoptosis...centri- blue dye and trypan blue negative cells were counted fuged, washed with PBS and lysed using 100-2001il under phase contrast microscopy. of lysis

Tales from the tomb: the microbial ecology of exposed rock surfaces.

PubMed

Brewer, Tess E; Fierer, Noah

2018-03-01

Although a broad diversity of eukaryotic and bacterial taxa reside on rock surfaces where they can influence the weathering of rocks and minerals, these communities and their contributions to mineral weathering remain poorly resolved. To build a more comprehensive understanding of the diversity, ecology and potential functional attributes of microbial communities living on rock, we sampled 149 tombstones across three continents and analysed their bacterial and eukaryotic communities via marker gene and shotgun metagenomic sequencing. We found that geographic location and climate were important factors structuring the composition of these communities. Moreover, the tombstone-associated microbial communities varied as a function of rock type, with granite and limestone tombstones from the same cemeteries harbouring taxonomically distinct microbial communities. The granite and limestone-associated communities also had distinct functional attributes, with granite-associated bacteria having more genes linked to acid tolerance and chemotaxis, while bacteria on limestone were more likely to be lichen associated and have genes involved in photosynthesis and radiation resistance. Together these results indicate that rock-dwelling microbes exhibit adaptations to survive the stresses of the rock surface, differ based on location, climate and rock type, and seem pre-disposed to different ecological strategies (symbiotic versus free-living lifestyles) depending on the rock type. © 2017 Society for Applied Microbiology and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Inhaled mycotoxins lead to acute renal failure.

PubMed

Di Paolo, N; Guarnieri, A; Garosi, G; Sacchi, G; Mangiarotti, A M; Di Paolo, M

1994-01-01

Mysterious deaths of archeologists after opening Egyptian tombs have been suspected, but never proved, to be secondary to inhalation of mycotoxin. We observed a case of acute renal failure (ARF) due to inhalation of ochratoxin A produced by a mould of the species Aspergillus ochraceus. After working 8 h in a granary closed for several months, a farmer and his wife suffered respiratory distress; the woman developed non-oliguric ARF and biopsy revealed tubulonecrosis. A strain of Aspergillus ochraceus producing ochratoxin was isolated from the wheat.

[Vampires in the village Žrnovo on the island of Korčula: following an archival document from the 18th century].

PubMed

Coralic, Lovorka; Dugac, Zeljko; Sardelic, Sani

2011-01-01

The main interest of this essay is the analysis of the document from the State Archive in Venice (file: Capi del Consiglio de' Dieci: Lettere di Rettori e di altre cariche) which is connected with the episode from 1748 when the inhabitants of the village žrnove on the island of Korčula in Croatia opened tombs on the local cemetery in the fear of the vampires treating. This essay try to show some social circumstances connected with this event as well as a local vernacular tradition concerning superstitions.

Close or not so close? Provenance studies of megalithic monuments from Alentejo (Portugal)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Boaventura, R.; Moita, P.

2012-04-01

There has been a significant amount of studies about megalithic tombs conducted in the Alentejo region. However the geological provenance of monoliths used in the construction of those tombs usually was not a priority among researchers with rare exceptions (Dehn, Kalb and Vortisch, 1991; Boaventura, 2000). Recent studies of dolmens (Oliveira, 1997 and 2006; Gonçalves, 2003) refer only to a brief characterization of rocks, such as "granite or schist slabs", highlighting certain types if the geological stratum is identical or not to the stone blocks. On the other hand, when the type of raw material appears to be similar with the bedrock, it is common and empirically assumed its local provenance. With the aim of testing and expand the knowledge about the provenance of the slabs used in the construction of megalithic tombs, several lithic samples from dolmen slabs and outcrops in their surroundings were collected for analysis and comparison. The samples were characterized by petrographic studies in thin section as well with a geochemical analyses performed by XRF that gives major elements as well some trace elements. The dolmens tested for this project are located roughly between the northeast to west of the town of Monforte (Upper region of Alentejo, Portugal) and are named, from south to north, as Serrinha, Rabuje group (1 to 5), Geodésico de Besteiros 3 and Velho. The field work and petrographic studies revealed that the slabs are constituted mainly by several types of granitoids (gnaissic, red, white, tonalitic), amphibolites and mottled schist shale. The comparison of chemical analyses between slabs and selected outcrops revealed that the provenances are in most of the cases from the nearby geological stratum. In fact, major elements (e.g. MgO, SiO2, CaO) as well trace elements (e.g. Sr, Y, Zr, Nb) compositions are similar on slab samples and in rocks from the outcrops. If in terms of major elements a similarity was already expectable, or easier to obtain, the

The Importance of Digital Methods in Preservation of Cultural Heritage the Example of Zirnikli Mansion

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kan, T.; Buyuksalih, G.; Kaya, Y.; Baskaraca, A. P.

2017-05-01

Documentation in maintaining cultural properties is a highly important stage of work for determination of the unique properties. The researches having been carried out over years to increase the accuracy of documentation enabled it to reach such a point that the properties can be scanned by 3D laser scanners today. In order for the lost parts of the civil architecture examples required to be preserved in the context of cultural texture to be found and reconstructed, precise measurement have gained importance in documentation of the current status. Over years, major losses have arisen in the cultural texture situated around Erzurum Castle where the unique architectural examples are placed together. In this study, the importance of the 3D documentation in preserving the cultural properties is discussed in the context of Zırnıklı Vehbi Bey Mansion situated near to the Castle. The CAD drawings of this structure which has significantly lost its spatial integrity has been generated from the 3D laser point clouds, then the restitution and the restoration projects of the monument have been prepared accordingly.

Characterization of Mycobacterium tuberculosis Complex DNAs from Egyptian Mummies by Spoligotyping

PubMed Central

Zink, Albert R.; Sola, Christophe; Reischl, Udo; Grabner, Waltraud; Rastogi, Nalin; Wolf, Hans; Nerlich, Andreas G.

2003-01-01

Bone and soft tissue samples from 85 ancient Egyptian mummies were analyzed for the presence of ancient Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex DNA (aDNA) and further characterized by spoligotyping. The specimens were obtained from individuals from different tomb complexes in Thebes West, Upper Egypt, which were used for upper social class burials between the Middle Kingdom (since ca. 2050 BC) and the Late Period (until ca. 500 BC). A total of 25 samples provided a specific positive signal for the amplification of a 123-bp fragment of the repetitive element IS6110, indicating the presence of M. tuberculosis DNA. Further PCR-based tests for the identification of subspecies failed due to lack of specific amplification products in the historic tissue samples. Of these 25 positive specimens, 12 could be successfully characterized by spoligotyping. The spoligotyping signatures were compared to those in an international database. They all show either an M. tuberculosis or an M. africanum pattern, but none revealed an M. bovis-specific pattern. The results from a Middle Kingdom tomb (used exclusively between ca. 2050 and 1650 BC) suggest that these samples bear an M. africanum-type specific spoligotyping signature. The samples from later periods provided patterns typical for M. tuberculosis. This study clearly demonstrates that spoligotyping can be applied to historic tissue samples. In addition, our results do not support the theory that M. tuberculosis originated from the M. bovis type but, rather, suggest that human M. tuberculosis may have originated from a precursor complex probably related to M. africanum. PMID:12517873

Acute renal failure from inhalation of mycotoxins.

PubMed

Di Paolo, N; Guarnieri, A; Loi, F; Sacchi, G; Mangiarotti, A M; Di Paolo, M

1993-01-01

Mysterious deaths of archeologists after opening Egyptian tombs have been suspected to be secondary to inhalation of mycotoxin, however, the hypothesis has never been verified. Recently, we observed a case of acute renal failure (ARF) undeniably due to inhalation of ochratoxin of Aspergillus ochraceus. After spending 8 h in a granary which had been closed for several months, a farmer and his wife suffered temporary respiratory distress; 24 h later, the woman developed nonoliguric ARF and biopsy revealed tubulonecrosis which healed in 24 days. Toxic substances were not found, but a strain of A. ochraceus producing ochratoxin was isolated from the wheat.

A brief journey into medical care and disease in ancient Egypt.

PubMed Central

Sullivan, R

1995-01-01

Ancient Egypt was one of the greatest civilizations to have arisen, becoming the cradle of scientific enquiry and social development over 3 millennia; undoubtedly its knowledge of medicine has been vastly underestimated. Few artefacts survive which describe the medical organization, but from the extent of the diseases afflicting that ancient populus there would have been much to study. Evidence from papyri, tomb bas reliefs and the writings of historians of antiquity tell of an intense interest in the sciences, humanities and medicine born of an educated society which had overcome the superstitions of its nomadic ancestors. Images Figure 1 Figure 2 Figure 3 PMID:7752157

Martyrs Never Die.

PubMed

Dilmaç, Julie Alev

2017-01-01

The new technologies have changed the rituals related to death: Creation of memorial webpages and of virtual tombs, celebration of death anniversaries are now common currency on the Internet. In spite of their disappearance among the living, the deceased continue to exist on the Web. They still receive messages from their relatives but also from strangers and are at the heart of discussions, prolonging their presence. New technologies have led to a new concept of time and of "where life ends." Through the analysis of Facebook's accounts devoted to Turkish martyrs, this article aimed to describe the new funeral rituals seen on the Internet.

Plasma cleaning and analysis of archeological artefacts from Sipán

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Saettone, E. A. O.; da Matta, J. A. S.; Alva, W.; Chubaci, J. F. O.; Fantini, M. C. A.; Galvão, R. M. O.; Kiyohara, P.; Tabacniks, M. H.

2003-04-01

A novel procedure using plasma sputtering in an electron-cyclotron-resonance device has been applied to clean archeological MOCHE artefacts, unearthed at the Royal Tombs of Sipán. After successful cleaning, the pieces were analysed by a variety of complementary techniques, namely proton-induced x-ray emission, Rutherford backscattering spectroscopy, x-ray diffraction, electron microscopy, and inductively coupled plasma mass spectroscopy. With these techniques, it has been possible to not only determine the profiles of the gold and silver surface layers, but also to detect elements that may be relevant to explain the gilding techniques skillfully developed by the metal smiths of the MOCHE culture.

Ground-penetrating radar investigation of St. Leonard's Crypt under the Wawel Cathedral (Cracow, Poland) - COST Action TU1208

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Benedetto, Andrea; Pajewski, Lara; Dimitriadis, Klisthenis; Avlonitou, Pepi; Konstantakis, Yannis; Musiela, Małgorzata; Mitka, Bartosz; Lambot, Sébastien; Żakowska, Lidia

2016-04-01

The Wawel ensemble, including the Royal Castle, the Wawel Cathedral and other monuments, is perched on top of the Wawel hill immediately south of the Cracow Old Town, and is by far the most important collection of buildings in Poland. St. Leonard's Crypt is located under the Wawel Cathedral of St Stanislaus BM and St Wenceslaus M. It was built in the years 1090-1117 and was the western crypt of the pre-existing Romanesque Wawel Cathedral, so-called Hermanowska. Pope John Paul II said his first Mass on the altar of St. Leonard's Crypt on November 2, 1946, one day after his priestly ordination. The interior of the crypt is divided by eight columns into three naves with vaulted ceiling and ended with one apse. The tomb of Bishop Maurus, who died in 1118, is in the middle of the crypt under the floor; an inscription "+ MAVRVS EPC MCXVIII +" indicates the burial place and was made in 1938 after the completion of archaeological works which resulted in the discovery of this tomb. Moreover, the crypt hosts the tombs of six Polish kings and heroes: Michał Korybut Wiśniowiecki (King of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth), Jan III Sobieski (King of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and Commander at the Battle of Vienna), Maria Kazimiera (Queen of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and consort to Jan III Sobieski), Józef Poniatowski (Prince of Poland and Marshal of France), Tadeusz Kościuszko (Polish general, revolutionary and a Brigadier General in the American Revolutionary War) and Władysław Sikorski (Prime Minister of the Polish Government in Exile and Commander-in-Chief of the Polish Armed Forces). The adjacent six crypts and corridors host the tombs of the other Polish kings, from Sigismund the Old to Augustus II the Strong, their families and several Polish heroes. In May 2015, the COST (European COoperation in Science and Technology) Action TU1208 "Civil engineering applications of Ground Penetrating Radar" organised and offered a Training School (TS) on the

Dwarfs in ancient Egypt.

PubMed

Kozma, Chahira

2006-02-15

Ancient Egypt was one of the most advanced and productive civilizations in antiquity, spanning 3000 years before the "Christian" era. Ancient Egyptians built colossal temples and magnificent tombs to honor their gods and religious leaders. Their hieroglyphic language, system of organization, and recording of events give contemporary researchers insights into their daily activities. Based on the record left by their art, the ancient Egyptians documented the presence of dwarfs in almost every facet of life. Due to the hot dry climate and natural and artificial mummification, Egypt is a major source of information on achondroplasia in the old world. The remains of dwarfs are abundant and include complete and partial skeletons. Dwarfs were employed as personal attendants, animal tenders, jewelers, and entertainers. Several high-ranking dwarfs especially from the Old Kingdom (2700-2190 BCE) achieved important status and had lavish burial places close to the pyramids. Their costly tombs in the royal cemeteries and the inscriptions on their statutes indicate their high-ranking position in Egyptian society and their close relation to the king. Some of them were Seneb, Pereniankh, Khnumhotpe, and Djeder. There were at least two dwarf gods, Ptah and Bes. The god Ptah was associated with regeneration and rejuvenation. The god Bes was a protector of sexuality, childbirth, women, and children. He was a favored deity particularly during the Greco-Roman period. His temple was recently excavated in the Baharia oasis in the middle of Egypt. The burial sites and artistic sources provide glimpses of the positions of dwarfs in daily life in ancient Egypt. Dwarfs were accepted in ancient Egypt; their recorded daily activities suggest assimilation into daily life, and their disorder was not shown as a physical handicap. Wisdom writings and moral teachings in ancient Egypt commanded respect for dwarfs and other individuals with disabilities. Copyright (c) 2005 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Near Surface Magnetic Survey for Investigating the Cultural Relics in Suchon, Gongju, Korea

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Islam, M. R.; Tiampo, K.; Suh, M.; Abdallatif, T. F.

2009-05-01

A magnetic study by the FM256 Fluxgate Gradiometer was conducted in Suchon, Gongju to measure the vertical magnetic gradient of the Earth's magnetic field and to give further details of the shallow section. The region was divided into two separate areas. The first study area measured 40m by 20m while the second study area was 20m x 20m. Each was subsequently divided into four grids of dimension 20m by 10m and 10m by 10m respectively. Measurements of the vertical magnetic gradient were conducted through successive zigzag traverses. The sample-interval and the traverse-interval were set to specifically record small anomalies at a high resolution. A total of 3200 readings were measured at the first study area and 1600 at the second study area. The data have been downloaded, presented and processed through the Geoplot software to remove the spikes, grid discontinuities, and traverses stripes, and also to enhance the display and smooth the data using the Gaussian low-pass filtering techniques. The vertical gradient of the processed data over the second study area ranges from -34nT to + 21nT, while it ranges from -36nT to + 62nT at the first study area. The gradiometer results defined several positive and negative magnetic anomalies, which revealed the existence of several subsurface features of different shapes and sizes. A comparison between the processed magnetic images suggest that the subsurface features may include a room structure (e.g. hut), a cave-shaped stone chamber tomb, an accumulation of potteries and porcelains common in the Baekje period in the ancient Korean history. The biggest anomaly (3 m in diameter) may illuminate a quartzite tomb chamber. As a result, the study area has great archaeological interest.

Correction to "Asian chemical Outflow to the Pacific in Spring: Origins, Pathways, and Budgets" by Isabelle Bey et al.

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bey, Isabelle; Jacob, Daniel J.; Logan, Jennifer A.; Yantosca, Robert M.

2003-01-01

We analyze the Asian outflow of CO, ozone, and nitrogen oxides (NOx) to the Pacific in spring by using the GEOS-CHEM global three-dimensional model of tropospheric chemistry and simulating the Pacific Exploratory Mission-West (PEM-West B) aircraft mission in February-March 1994. The GEOS-CHEM model uses assimilated meteorological fields from the NASA Goddard Earth Observing System (GEOS). It reproduces relatively well the main features of tropospheric ozone, CO, and reactive nitrogen species observed in PEM-West B, including latitudinal and vertical gradients of the Asian pollution outflow over the western Pacific although simulated concentrations of CO tend to be too low (possibly because biogenic sources are underestimated). We use CO as a long-lived tracer to diagnose the processes contributing to the outflow. The highest concentrations in the outflow are in the boundary layer (0-2 km), but the strongest outflow fluxes are in the lower free troposphere (2-5 km) and reflect episodic lifting of pollution over central and eastern China ahead of eastward moving cold fronts. This frontal lifting, followed by westerly transport in the lower free troposphere, is the principal process responsible for export of both anthropogenic and biomass burning pollution from Asia. Anthropogenic emissions from Europe and biomass burning emissions from Africa make also major contributions to the Asian outflow over the western Pacific; European sources dominate in the lower troposphere north of 40 degrees N, while African sources are important in the upper troposphere at low latitudes. For the period of PEM-West B (February-March) we estimate that fossil fuel combustion and biomass burning make comparable contributions to the budgets of CO, ozone, and NO, in the Asian outflow. We find that 13% of NO, emitted in Asia is exported as NO, or PAN, a smaller fraction than for the United States because of higher aerosol concentrations that promote heterogeneous conversion of NOx to HNO3. Production and export of ozone from Asia in spring is much greater than from the United States because of the higher photochemical activity.

Annual dose measurements and TL-dating of ancient Egyptian pottery

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Abdel-Wahab, M. S.; El-Fiki, S. A.; El-Fiki, M. A.; Gomaa, M.; Abdel-Kariem, S.; El-Faramawy, N.

1996-05-01

In the course of the dating of ancient Egyptian pottery, pottery sherds were collected from three archaeological tombs in Nazlet El Samman region, Giza zone (Egypt). The annual dose from natural background was measured by gamma spectroscopic technique as well as thermoluminescence (TL) measurements. The results of both methods are in good agreement with a consistency of 99.69%. The extracted quartz exhibited TL dating peaks at about(305 ± 5|4)°C. The TL dating shows an age of 4301 ± 100 years for the examined pottery which belongs to the "Fourth Dynasty" in the "Old Kingdom". The uncertainties in TL dating using the additive method are much lower than that of archeologists.

75 FR 3781 - Culturally Significant Objects Imported for Exhibition Determinations: “The Mourners: Tomb...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-01-22

... abroad for temporary exhibition within the United States, are of cultural significance. The objects are... exhibition or display of the exhibit objects at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY, from on or about March 1, 2010, until on or about May 23, 2010; the St. Louis Art Museum, St. Louis, MO, from on or...

Near IR Photolysis of HO2NO2: Supplemental Material

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2002-01-01

MkIV measurements of the volume mixing ratio (VMR) of HO2NO2 at 35 deg N, sunset on Sept. 25, 1993 are given. Measurements of HO2NO2 made between approx. 65 and 70 deg N, sunrise on May 8, 1997 are listed. The uncertainties given are 1 sigma estimates of the measurement precision. Uncertainty in the HO2NO2 line strengths is estimated to be 20%; this is the dominant contribution to the systematic error of the HO2NO2 measurement. Model inputs for the simulations are given. The albedos were obtained from Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer reflectively data (raw data at ftp://jwocky.gsfc.nasa.gov) for the time and place of observation. Profiles of sulfate aerosol surface area ("Surf. Area") were obtained from monthly, zonal mean profiles measured by SAGE II [Thomason et al., 1997 updated via private communication]. The profile of Be(y) is based on the Wamsley et al. relation with N2O, using MkIV measurements of N20O. All other model inputs given are based on direct MkIV measurements. Finally, we note the latitude of the MkIV tangent point varied considerably during sunrise on May 8, 1997. The simulations shown here were obtained using different latitudes for each altitude.

Dating of ancient Egyptian pottery using the thermoluminescence technique

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

El-Fiki, S. A.; Abdel-Wahab, M. S.; El-Faramawy, N.; El-Fiki, M. A.

1994-10-01

In the course of the dating of Egyptian ancient pottery, pottery sherds were collected from three archaeological tombs in the Nazlet El Samman region in the Giza zone (Egypt). The annual dose was measured by the gamma spectroscopic technique as well as thermoluminescence (TL) measurements. The annual dose results obtained using both methods are in quite good agreement with a consistency of 99.69%. The extracted quartz exhibited TL dating peaks at about (305 ± 5)°C and (375 ± 5)°C. The TL dating result is 4301 ± 100 which belongs to the "fourth dynasty" in the Old Kingdom. The obtained ages show that the uncertainties in TL dating using the additive method are much lower than that of archaeologists.

Investigation of trace elements in ancient pottery from Jenini, Brong Ahafo region, Ghana by INAA and Compton suppression spectrometry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nyarko, B. J. B.; Bredwa-Mensah, Y.; Serfor-Armah, Y.; Dampare, S. B.; Akaho, E. H. K.; Osae, S.; Perbi, A.; Chatt, A.

2007-10-01

Concentrations of trace elements in ancient pottery excavated from Jenini in the Brong Ahafo region of Ghana were determined using instrumental neutron activation analysis (INAA) in conjunction with both conventional and Compton suppression counting. Jenini was a slave Camp of Samory Toure during the indigenous slavery and the Trans-Atlantic slave trade. Pottery fragments found during the excavation of the grave tombs of the slaves who died in the slave camps were analysed. In all, 26 trace elements were determined in 40 pottery fragments. These elemental concentrations were processed using multivariate statistical methods, cluster, factor and discriminant analyses in order to determine similarities and correlation between the various samples. The suitability of the two counting systems for determination of trace elements in pottery objects has been evaluated.

First conclusions about results of GPR investigations in the Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Kłodzko, Poland

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chernov, Anatolii; Dziubacki, Dariusz; Cogoni, Martina; Bądescu, Alexandru

2018-03-01

The article presents results of a ground penetrating radar (GPR) investigation carried out in the Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Kłodzko, Poland, dating from the 14th to 16th centuries. Due to the 20th century wars, the current state of knowledge about the history of the church is still poor. Under the floor of the Catholic temple, unknown structures might exist. To verify the presence of underground structures such as crypts and tombs, a GPR survey was carried out in chapels and aisles with 500 and 800 MHz GPR shielded antennas. Numerous anomalies were detected. It was concluded that those under the chapels were caused by the presence of crypts beneath the floor.

What did Avicenna (Ibn Sina, 980-1037A.D.) look like?

PubMed

Erolin, Caroline; Shoja, Mohammadali M; Loukas, Marious; Shokouhi, Ghaffar; Rashidi, Mohammada Reza; Khalili, Majid; Tubbs, R Shane

2013-09-01

We present a reconstruction of Avicenna's face from the only photograph of his skull available today. The photograph is more than 50 years old, and was obtained during the exhumation of Avicenna's tomb in Hamadan for relocation. The reconstruction procedure was performed by the Centre for Anatomy and Human Identification at the University of Dundee, UK. This is probably the first scholarly attempt to reconstruct Avicenna's face. Historians and clinicians who are interested in the history of medicine may find the current craniofacial analysis of Avicenna and the final output interesting and worth recording. The life, achievements and contributions of Avicenna to medical sciences and the influence of his "Canon" on Renaissance medicine are discussed. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Petra and the Nabataeans

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Belmonte, Juan Antonio; González-García, A. César

The Nabataeans built several monuments in Petra and elsewhere displaying decoration with a certain preference for astronomical motifs. A statistical analysis of the orientation of their sacred monuments demonstrates that astronomical orientations were often part of an elaborate plan and possibly reflect traces of the astral nature of Nabataean religion. Petra and other monuments in the ancient Nabataean kingdom demonstrate the interaction between landscape features and astronomical events. Among other things, the famous Ad Deir has revealed a fascinating ensemble of light and shadow effects, perhaps connected with the bulk of Nabataean mythology, while a series of suggestive solstitial and equinoctial alignments emanate from the impressive Urn Tomb, which might have helped bring about its selection as the cathedral of the city.

"Tomb It May Concern": Visit Your Local Cemetery for a Multidisciplinary (and Economical) Field Trip

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Groce, Eric; Wilson, Rachel E.; Poling, Lisa

2013-01-01

Cemeteries have traditionally been cast as scary and creepy places in children's literature, as well as in popular television shows and movies. Spooky media images, coupled with exaggerated stories from their friends, might leave young learners wary of cemeteries and with feelings of fear and anxiety. Cemeteries are, however, unique community…

Natural analogues for processes affecting disposal of high-level radioactive waste in the vadose zone

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stuckless, J. S.

2003-04-01

Natural analogues can contribute to understanding and predicting the performance of subsystems and processes affecting a mined geologic repository for high-level radioactive waste in several ways. Most importantly, analogues provide tests for various aspects of systems of a repository at dimensional scales and time spans that cannot be attained by experimental study. In addition, they provide a means for the general public to judge the predicted performance of a potential high-level nuclear waste repository in familiar terms such that the average person can assess the anticipated long-term performance and other scientific conclusions. Hydrologists working on the Yucca Mountain Project (currently the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Repository Development) have modeled the flow of water through the vadose zone at Yucca Mountain, Nevada and particularly the interaction of vadose-zone water with mined openings. Analogues from both natural and anthropogenic examples confirm the prediction that most of the water moving through the vadose zone will move through the host rock and around tunnels. This can be seen both quantitatively where direct comparison between seepage and net infiltration has been made and qualitatively by the excellent degree of preservation of archaeologic artifacts in underground openings. The latter include Paleolithic cave paintings in southwestern Europe, murals and artifacts in Egyptian tombs, painted subterranean Buddhist temples in India and China, and painted underground churches in Cappadocia, Turkey. Natural analogues also suggest that this diversion mechanism is more effective in porous media than in fractured media. Observations from natural analogues are also consistent with the modeled decrease in the percentage of infiltration that becomes seepage with a decrease in amount of infiltration. Finally, analogues, such as tombs that have ben partially filled by mud flows, suggest that the same capillary forces that keep water in the

The ancient art of laying rope

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bohr, J.; Olsen, K.

2011-03-01

We describe a geometrical property of helical structures and show how it accounts for the early art of rope-making. Helices have a maximum number of rotations that can be added to them — and it is shown that this is a geometrical feature, not a material property. This geometrical insight explains why nearly identically appearing ropes can be made from very different materials and it is also the reason behind the unyielding nature of ropes. Maximally rotated strands behave as zero-twist structures. Hence, under strain they neither rotate in one direction nor in the other. The necessity for the rope to be stretched while being laid, known from Egyptian tomb scenes, follows straightforwardly, as does the function of the top, an old tool for laying ropes.

The Archaeological Research In The Region Of The Modern Municipality Of Styra: Old And New Finds

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chidiroglou, M.

This paper offers a brief outline of the results of the salvage excavations undertaken in recent years by the 11th Ephorate of Prehistoric and Classical Antiquities (IA EPKA) in the area of Lefka, Nea Styra, together with a brief description of surface finds in the region of Styra. A more extensive archaeological description and topographical assessment of all known sites, including farm houses, towers, possible sanctuaries, tombs and quarrying areas will be provided in a forthcoming larger study by the author. The brief assessment of old and new data presented here is given as a preliminary summary of the topography of the ancient demos of Styra, which, according to inscriptional data, was incorporated in the Eretrian territory, during the last years of the 5th century B.C.

The building stones of ancient Egypt a gift of its geology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Klemm, Dietrich D.; Klemm, Rosemarie

2001-08-01

Building stones and clay-rich Nile mud were ancient Egypt's main raw construction materials. While the mud was easily accessible along the Nile river valley, the immense quantities of the different stone materials used for construction of the famous pyramids, precious temples and tombs needed a systematic quarrying organization, well arranged transport logistics over extreme distances and a high standard of stone masonry. The petrography, occurrence, and main applications of the 11 most popular stone types used in ancient Egypt are described in this contribution. Rough estimates of the scale of this mining activity, based on the volume of many different ancient quarry sites, all over Egypt, reveal that the monuments known today represent only a small fraction of the amount of building stones mined during the long, ancient Egyptian history.

A checklist of Chinese crickets (Orthoptera: Gryllidea).

PubMed

He, Zhu-Qing

2018-01-07

A checklist of Chinese crickets, including Taiwan, is offered. Presently 331 species or subspecies have been reported including true crickets, scale crickets, ant crickets and mole crickets belonging to 6 families, 16 subfamilies and 83 genera. Modicogryllus (Modicogryllus) maculatus (Shiraki, 1930) is moved to Comidoblemmus as C. maculatus (Shiraki, 1930) comb. nov. Velarifictorus (Velarifictorus) koshunensis (Shiraki, 1911) is moved to Turanogryllus as T. koshunensis (Shiraki, 1911) comb. nov. Qingryllus Chen Zheng, 1995 syn. is the junior synonym of Goniogryllus Chopard, 1936. Loxoblemmus angulatus Bey-Bienko, 1956 syn. is the junior synonym of Loxoblemmus appendicularis Shiraki, 1930. Cophogryllus kuhlgatzi Karny, 1908 syn. is the junior synonym of Teleogryllus (Brachyteleogryllus) occipitalis occipitalis (Serville, 1838). Velarifictorus (Velarifictorus) aspersus borealis Gorochov, 1985 syn. is the junior synonym of Velarifictorus (Velarifictorus) aspersus aspersus (Walker, 1869). Modicogryllus (Modicogryllus) latefasciatus (Chopard, 1933) syn. is the junior synonym of Velarifictorus (Velarifictorus) micado (Saussure, 1877). Velarifictorus (Velarifictorus) ornatus caudatus (Shiraki, 1930) syn. is the junior synonym of Velarifictorus (Velarifictorus) ornatus ornatus (Shiraki, 1911). Dianemobius nigrofasciatus (Matsumura, 1904) syn. is the junior synonym of Dianemobius fascipes (Walker, 1869). Polionemobius mikado (Shiraki, 1911) syn. is the junior synonym of Polionemobius taprobanensis (Walker, 1869). Vietacheta picea Gorochov, 1992, Oecanthus euryelytra Ichikawa, 2001, Oecanthus similator Ichikawa, 2001, Xabea levissima Gorochov, 1992, Pteronemobius (Pteronemobius) yezoensis (Shiraki, 1911), Metioche (Metioche) japonica (Ichikawa, 2001), Natula matsuurai Sugimoto, 2001 are the first records from China.

Correlations in metal release profiles following sorption by Lemna minor.

PubMed

Üçüncü Tunca, Esra; Ölmez, Tolga T; Özkan, Alper D; Altındağ, Ahmet; Tunca, Evren; Tekinay, Turgay

2016-08-02

Following the rapid uptake of contaminants in the first few hours of exposure, plants typically attempt to cope with the toxic burden by releasing part of the sorbed material back into the environment. The present study investigates the general trends in the release profiles of different metal(loid)s in the aquatic macrophyte Lemna minor and details the correlations that exist between the release of metal(loid) species. Water samples with distinct contamination profiles were taken from Nilüfer River (Bursa, Turkey), Yeniçağa Lake (Bolu, Turkey), and Beyşehir Lake (Konya, Turkey) and used for release studies; 36 samples were tested in total. Accumulation and release profiles were monitored over five days for 11 metals and a metalloid ((208)Pb, (111)Cd, (52)Cr,(53)Cr,(60)Ni,(63)Cu,(65)Cu,(75)As,(55)Mn, (137)Ba, (27)Al, (57)Fe, (66)Zn,(68)Zn) and correlation, cluster and principal component analyses were employed to determine the factors that affect the release of these elements. Release profiles of the tested metal(loid)s were largely observed to be distinct; however, strong correlations have been observed between certain metal pairs (Cr/Ni, Cr/Cu, Zn/Ni) and principal component analysis was able to separate the metal(loid)s into three well-resolved groups based on their release.

Enterobius vermicularis Eggs Discovered in Coprolites from a Medieval Korean Mummy

PubMed Central

Shin, Dong Hoon; Oh, Chang Seok; Chai, Jong-Yil; Lee, Hye-Jung

2011-01-01

While the presence of pinworm eggs in archaeological samples has been reported by many researchers in the New World, those have been detected very scarcely in the Old World, especially in East Asian countries. In fact, many parasite species were recovered from the archeological remains in Korea, eggs of Enterobius vermicularis had not been found. Recently, a female mummy buried in the 17th century was discovered in the Joseon tomb from Dangjin-gun, Chungcheongnam-do, Korea. After rehydration process for 12 days, investigations were carried on the luminal surface of the colon. From them, 3 eggs of E. vermicularis were recovered. They were elliptical, transparent with a thin egg shell, 50.3±5.2 µm (length) and 28.2±3.9 µm (width) in size. This is the first discovery of E. vermicularis eggs in East Asia. PMID:22072838

Enterobius vermicularis eggs discovered in coprolites from a medieval Korean mummy.

PubMed

Shin, Dong Hoon; Oh, Chang Seok; Chai, Jong-Yil; Lee, Hye-Jung; Seo, Min

2011-09-01

While the presence of pinworm eggs in archaeological samples has been reported by many researchers in the New World, those have been detected very scarcely in the Old World, especially in East Asian countries. In fact, many parasite species were recovered from the archeological remains in Korea, eggs of Enterobius vermicularis had not been found. Recently, a female mummy buried in the 17th century was discovered in the Joseon tomb from Dangjin-gun, Chungcheongnam-do, Korea. After rehydration process for 12 days, investigations were carried on the luminal surface of the colon. From them, 3 eggs of E. vermicularis were recovered. They were elliptical, transparent with a thin egg shell, 50.3±5.2 µm (length) and 28.2±3.9 µm (width) in size. This is the first discovery of E. vermicularis eggs in East Asia.

Black Holes, Quasars, Blazars, and all that. . . How to explain them to a lay audience?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hamidani, Hamid; Mimouni, Jamal

2011-06-01

The popularisation of science is central to the culture of the citizen, and if astronomy make poets dream (and many others), astrophysics attracts young and old talents to science. To reveal in simple terms the stellar bestiary from the black holes to the quasars proceeds along this line. Black hole is still the object which is subject to most questions in any public talk on astronomy. How indeed does contemporary physics link the black hole, this stellar gravitational tomb, with the quasar, a galaxy gone mad? The tale is worth telling and makes indeed a beautiful story for contemporary young audience. Can it be told to our high school students with their modest scientific background? This is what we intend to do in this paper, spicing the sauce at the end with some new insights on the unified model of AGN.

Isolation of five Rubrobacter strains from biodeteriorated monuments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Laiz, L.; Miller, A. Z.; Jurado, V.; Akatova, E.; Sanchez-Moral, S.; Gonzalez, J. M.; Dionísio, A.; Macedo, M. F.; Saiz-Jimenez, C.

2009-01-01

In the last few years, the microbial colonisation of mural paintings in ancient monuments has been attracting the attention of microbiologists and conservators. The genus Rubrobacter is commonly found in biodeteriorated monuments, where it has been reported to cause rosy discolouration. However, to date, only three species of this genus have been isolated, all from thermophilic environments. In this paper, we studied three monuments: the Servilia and Postumio tombs in the Roman Necropolis of Carmona (Spain), and Vilar de Frades church (Portugal), in search of Rubrobacter strains. In all cases, biodeterioration and the formation of efflorescences were observed, and five Rubrobacter strains were isolated. These isolates showed different physiology and migration in denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis, suggesting they might represent new species within this genus. The isolates reproduced some biodeterioration processes in the laboratory and revealed their biomediation in crystal formation.

Reliability and Factorial Structure of the Farsi Version of the Arabic Scale of Death Anxiety in an Iranian Middle-Aged Sample.

PubMed

Dadfar, Mahboubeh; Bahrami, Fazel

2016-01-01

The present study aimed to explore the psychometric properties of the Arabic Scale of Death Anxiety (ASDA) in an Iranian middle-aged sample. A sample of 55 volunteer Iranian persons took part in the study. Cronbach's alpha of the ASDA was found to be high (0.91) and Spearman-Brown and Guttman Split-Half coefficients were 0.86. The factor analysis of the ASDA items yielded five factors accounting for 72.49% of the total variance and labeled (F1) fear of death and fear of dead people; (F2) fear of postmortem events and fear of tombs; (F3) fear of lethal disease; (F4) preoccupation with after death, and death fear in sleep; and (F5) fear of deprivation of own ones. The ASDA has a good validity and reliability, and it can be used in clinical, educational, and research settings.

[The final resting-places of some physicians at Rijeka cemeteries Kozala and Trsat of the 19th & 20th century].

PubMed

Glavočić, Daina

2017-12-01

Nowadays, cemeteries are becoming interesting tourist destinations and places of interest for domestic citizens or chance travellers who, by visiting cemeteries, wish to gain more insight into the city they are visiting. It is through the tombstones that cemeteries offer a plethora of diverse information about their city and the inhabitants who had built them. The gravestones keep memories about religion, lettering, language or wealth and power, as well as the many artistic styles throughout the graveyards history. Between many layers of reading the tomb thematic, one specific layer regards the deceased, their lives, positions and professions, as well as their society, origin, religion, nationality... The Rijeka cemeteries of Kozala and Trsat offer a vast range of such elements. This text shows one of the possible choices: the graves of the significant doctors (dentists, pharmacists, medical scientists).

Climate, people, fire and vegetation: new insights into vegetation dynamics in the Eastern Mediterranean since the 1st century AD

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bakker, J.; Paulissen, E.; Kaniewski, D.; Poblome, J.; De Laet, V.; Verstraeten, G.; Waelkens, M.

2013-01-01

times. The pollen data reveal that a fast rise in Pinus pollen after the end of the Beyşehir Occupation Phase need not always occur. The notion of high Pinus pollen percentages indicating an open landscape incapable of countering the influx of pine pollen is also deemed unrealistic. While multiple fires occurred in the region through time, extended fire periods, as had occurred during the Bronze Age and Beyşehir Occupation Phase, did not occur, and no signs of local fire activity were observed. Fires were never a major influence on vegetation dynamics. While no complete overview of post-BO Phase fire events can be presented, the available data indicates that fires in the vicinity of Gravgaz may have been linked to anthropogenic activity in the wider surroundings of the marsh. Fires in the vicinity of Bereket appeared to be linked to increased abundance of pine forests. There was no link with specifically wet or dry environmental conditions at either site. While this study reveals much new information concerning the impact of climate change and human occupation on the environment, more studies from SW Turkey are required in order to properly quantify the range of the observed phenomena and the magnitude of their impacts.

Colonial bones: the 2006 burial of Savorgnan de Brazza in the Congo.

PubMed

Bernault, Florence

2010-01-01

The Franco-Congolese agreement to enshrine the corpse of Pierre Savorgnan de Brazza in a grand memorial tomb in Brazzaville (2006) has been decried by many observers as neo-colonial farce. This article interprets France's agenda to propose a "suave reconquest" of its former colonies, and Sassou Nguesso's forceful mobilization of national and regional support. Beyond the immediate political significance of the episode, however, the article proposes new ideas on the ways in which modern states, North and South, depend on "tournaments of value" that assign polarized worth to persons, and often back up international deals with transactions in sanctified human remains. The tactic, forged in part during the colonial era, illuminates important aspects of today's global imaginaries of domination. Brazza's bones work, in France and Africa, as a carnal fetish that, borrowing form various philosophies of power, merges Western and African beliefs in the body politic.

Discovering the African freshwater "torpedo": legendary Ethiopia, religious controversies, and a catfish capable of reanimating dead fish.

PubMed

Piccolino, Marco; Finger, Stanley; Barbara, Jean-Gaël

2011-07-01

The electric catfishes of African rivers and lakes, once depicted on Egyptian tomb art, have been largely overlooked in histories and reviews of electric fish biology and animal electricity. This article examines how Westerners, especially Dominican and Jesuit missionaries, discovered them in Ethiopia and other parts of Africa at the beginning of the seventeenth century. What transpired took place against the backdrop of tales involving the Bible, Prester John's mythical empire, and imaginary animals with fabulous powers. In effect, how they were found is related to attempts to convert Ethiopian Christians to true Catholicism, hopes of discovering great riches, and opportunities to trade, and not with the efforts of skilled natural philosophers to document and conduct experiments on the wildlife of this continent. Nevertheless, the early descriptions by Europeans circulated, and during the next century these catfishes began to be used in experiments that helped to make animal electricity a reality.

New genus of extinct Holocene gibbon associated with humans in Imperial China.

PubMed

Turvey, Samuel T; Bruun, Kristoffer; Ortiz, Alejandra; Hansford, James; Hu, Songmei; Ding, Yan; Zhang, Tianen; Chatterjee, Helen J

2018-06-22

Although all extant apes are threatened with extinction, there is no evidence for human-caused extinctions of apes or other primates in postglacial continental ecosystems, despite intensive anthropogenic pressures associated with biodiversity loss for millennia in many regions. Here, we report a new, globally extinct genus and species of gibbon, Junzi imperialis , described from a partial cranium and mandible from a ~2200- to 2300-year-old tomb from Shaanxi, China. Junzi can be differentiated from extant hylobatid genera and the extinct Quaternary gibbon Bunopithecus by using univariate and multivariate analyses of craniodental morphometric data. Primates are poorly represented in the Chinese Quaternary fossil record, but historical accounts suggest that China may have contained an endemic ape radiation that has only recently disappeared. Copyright © 2018 The Authors, some rights reserved; exclusive licensee American Association for the Advancement of Science. No claim to original U.S. Government Works.

In search of the saddiq: visitational dreams among Moroccan Jews in Israel.

PubMed

Bilu, Y; Abramovitch, H

1985-02-01

Folk veneration of saints (hagiolatry) plays a major role in the lives of many Moroccan Jews living in Israel and constitutes a basic ingredient of their distinctive ethnic identity. In this context, pilgrimages to the saint's tomb and visitational dreams, in which he appears in person or in some symbolic guise, are related phenomena through which the linkage to the saint is maintained and his blessing is granted to his adherents. This paper is concerned with visitational dreams collected among Moroccan Jews in a major pilgrimage center in northern Israel. An attempt is made to show how personal concerns of the dreamers are mediated through the culturally shared idiom of the saint. We discuss the basic structure of visitational dreams, the major life problems conveyed by them (drawing on illustrations from the dream collection), their therapeutic qualities and their significance in the framework of the pilgrimage to the saint's sanctuary.

Phytochemical and genetic analyses of ancient cannabis from Central Asia

PubMed Central

Russo, Ethan B.; Jiang, Hong-En; Li, Xiao; Sutton, Alan; Carboni, Andrea; del Bianco, Francesca; Mandolino, Giuseppe; Potter, David J.; Zhao, You-Xing; Bera, Subir; Zhang, Yong-Bing; Lü, En-Guo; Ferguson, David K.; Hueber, Francis; Zhao, Liang-Cheng; Liu, Chang-Jiang; Wang, Yu-Fei; Li, Cheng-Sen

2008-01-01

The Yanghai Tombs near Turpan, Xinjiang-Uighur Autonomous Region, China have recently been excavated to reveal the 2700-year-old grave of a Caucasoid shaman whose accoutrements included a large cache of cannabis, superbly preserved by climatic and burial conditions. A multidisciplinary international team demonstrated through botanical examination, phytochemical investigation, and genetic deoxyribonucleic acid analysis by polymerase chain reaction that this material contained tetrahydrocannabinol, the psychoactive component of cannabis, its oxidative degradation product, cannabinol, other metabolites, and its synthetic enzyme, tetrahydrocannabinolic acid synthase, as well as a novel genetic variant with two single nucleotide polymorphisms. The cannabis was presumably employed by this culture as a medicinal or psychoactive agent, or an aid to divination. To our knowledge, these investigations provide the oldest documentation of cannabis as a pharmacologically active agent, and contribute to the medical and archaeological record of this pre-Silk Road culture. PMID:19036842

Petamenophis (Padiamenemipet), an Egyptian Child Mummy Protected for Eternity: Revelation by Multidetector Computed Tomography.

PubMed

Martina, Maria Cristina; Cesarani, Federico; Boano, Rosa; Fiore Marochetti, Elisa; Gandini, Giovanni

The objective of our work was to report the most recent findings obtained with multidetector computed tomography of a child mummy from the Roman period (119-123 CE) housed at the Egyptian Museum in Turin, Italy. Multidetector computed tomography and postprocessing were applied to understand the embalming techniques, the nature of a foreign object, and anthropometrical values. The information was compared with that from other mummies that were buried in the same tomb, but today housed in different museums. New information regarding the embalming technique was revealed. Multidetector computed tomography allowed the identification of a knife-like metallic object, probably an amulet for the child's protection in the afterlife. Multidetector computed tomography and image postprocessing confirm their valuable role in noninvasive studies in ancient mummies and provided evidence of a unique cultural practice in the late history of Ancient Egypt such as placing a knife possibly as an amulet.

Reliability and Factorial Structure of the Farsi Version of the Arabic Scale of Death Anxiety in an Iranian Middle-Aged Sample

PubMed Central

2016-01-01

The present study aimed to explore the psychometric properties of the Arabic Scale of Death Anxiety (ASDA) in an Iranian middle-aged sample. A sample of 55 volunteer Iranian persons took part in the study. Cronbach's alpha of the ASDA was found to be high (0.91) and Spearman-Brown and Guttman Split-Half coefficients were 0.86. The factor analysis of the ASDA items yielded five factors accounting for 72.49% of the total variance and labeled (F1) fear of death and fear of dead people; (F2) fear of postmortem events and fear of tombs; (F3) fear of lethal disease; (F4) preoccupation with after death, and death fear in sleep; and (F5) fear of deprivation of own ones. The ASDA has a good validity and reliability, and it can be used in clinical, educational, and research settings. PMID:28004035

Paleodiet characterisation of an Etrurian population of Pontecagnano (Italy) by Isotope Ratio Mass Spectrometry (IRMS) and Atomic Absorption Spectrometry (AAS)(#).

PubMed

Scarabino, Carla; Lubritto, Carmine; Proto, Antonio; Rubino, Mauro; Fiengo, Gilda; Marzaioli, Fabio; Passariello, Isabella; Busiello, Gaetano; Fortunato, Antonietta; Alfano, Davide; Sabbarese, Carlo; Rogalla, Detlef; De Cesare, Nicola; d'Onofrio, Antonio; Terrasi, Filippo

2006-06-01

Human bones recovered from the archaeological site of Pontecagnano (Salerno, Italy) have been studied to reconstruct the diet of an Etrurian population. Two different areas were investigated, named Library and Sant' Antonio, with a total of 44 tombs containing human skeletal remains, ranging in age from the 8th to the 3rd century B.C. This time span was confirmed by 14C dating obtained using Accelerator Mass Spectrometry (AMS) on one bone sample from each site. Atomic Absorption Spectrometry (AAS) was used to extract information about the concentration of Sr, Zn, Ca elements in the bone inorganic fraction, whilst stable isotope ratio measurements (IRMS) were carried out on bone collagen to obtain the delta13C and delta15N. A reliable technique has been used to extract and separate the inorganic and organic fractions of the bone remains. Both IRMS and AAS results suggest a mixed diet including C3 plant food and herbivore animals, consistent with archaeological indications.

Astronomy of Nabta Playa

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McK Mahille, J.; Schild, R.; Wendorf, F.; Brenmer, R.

2007-07-01

The repetitive orientation of megaliths, human burials, and cattle burials toward the northern regions of the sky reveals a very early symbolic connection to the heavens at Nabta Playa, Egypt. The groups of shaped stones facing north may have represented spirits of individuals who died on the trail or locally. A second piece of evidence for astronomy at Nabta Playa is the stone circle with its two sightlines toward the north and toward the rising sun at the June solstice. Finally, the five alignments of megaliths, which were oriented to bright stars in the fifth millennium, suggest an even more careful attention to the heavens. The "empty tombs" and deeply buried table rocks of the Complex Structures provide some of the greatest enigmas of Nabta Playa. The recurrent symbolism of the ceremonial centre involves issues that would have been of both practical and symbolic importance to the nomads: death, water, cattle, sun, and stars.

From Abydos to the Valley of the Kings and Amarna: the conception of royal funerary landscapes in the New Kingdom

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Magli, G.

Royal funerary landscapes in Egypt show a remarkable continuity in the use of symbols and in the interplay between natural and man-built features. In such a context directionality, both in the sense of succession of elements and of orientation of single buildings and tombs, plays a relevant role in governing the landscape in accordance with the idea of "cosmic" order, the basis of the temporal power of the Pharaoh. This paper investigates cognitive aspects of the funerary royal landscapes of the New Kingdom, with special emphasis on the connections with astronomy and orientation. A close similarity between the sacred landscape at western Thebes and the early dynastic funerary landscape at Abydos comes out and such a similarity may have been one of the reasons for the choice of Valley of the Kings as royal Necropolis. The original, actually unique way in which old symbols and features were re-elaborated by Akhenaten in planning his funerary landscape at Amarna is also highlighted.

Synchrotron X-ray micro-beam studies of ancient Egyptian make-up

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Martinetto, P.; Anne, M.; Dooryhée, E.; Drakopoulos, M.; Dubus, M.; Salomon, J.; Simionovici, A.; Walter, Ph.

2001-07-01

Vases full of make-up are most often present in the burial furniture of Egyptian tombs dated from the pharaonic period. The powdered cosmetics made of isolated grains are analysed to identify their trace element signature. From this signature we identify the provenance of the mineral ingredients in the make-up and we observe different impurities in products, which have been demonstrated as synthetic substances by previous works. Focused X-ray micro-beam ( 2×5 μm2) is successively tuned at 11 keV, below the L III absorption edge of Pb, and 31.8 keV for global characterisation of the metal impurities. The fluorescence signal integrated over each single grain is detected against the X-ray micro-diffraction pattern collected in transmission with a bi-dimensional detector. Furthermore, for galena grains rich in Zn, the XANES signal at the K-absorption edge of Zn shows its immediate nearest-neighbour environment.

2-D inversion of VES data in Saqqara archaeological area, Egypt

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

El-Qady, Gad; Sakamoto, Chika; Ushijima, Keisuke

1999-10-01

The interpretation of actual geophysical field data still has a problem for obtaining a unique solution. In order to investigate the groundwater potentials in Saqqara archaeological area, vertical electrical soundings with Schlumberger array have been carried out. In the interpretation of VES data, 1D resistivity inversion has been performed based on a horizontally layered earth model by El-Qady (1995). However, some results of 1D inversion are not fully satisfied for actual 3D structures such as archaeological tombs. Therefore, we have carried out 2D inversion based on ABIC least squares method for Schlumberger VES data obtained in Saqqara area. Although the results of 2D cross sections were correlated with the previous interpretation, the 2D inversion still shows a rough spatial resistivity distribution, which is the abrupt change in resistivity between two neighboring blocks of the computed region. It is concluded that 3D interpretation is recommended for visualizing ground water distribution with depth in the Saqqara area.

At the dawn of geodesy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fischer, Irene K.

1981-06-01

The first land surveyors were rope stretchers and rope knotters, remembered in ancient documents and tomb paintings and also in some terminology. The L-shaped carpenter’s square, one of the earliest and most versatile basic tools, represents the observed direction of the plumb line versus the water level and appears as the shadow-casting gnomon and also as the geometrical gnomon in magically-restricted enlargements of altars. The related “Pythagorean” theorem was known in antiquity centuries before Pythagoras, with algebraic proofs in Babylonia and China. The spherical shape of the earth, deduced from the observation of circumpolar stars, was part of a complete equatorial astronomical system in ancient China. But although shadow measurements were generally used to establish north-south distances, only the Greeks derived from them the size of the earth. The striking difference between the abstract, geometric approach of Greece and the concrete, algebraic approach of Babylonia and China represents not a difference in talents but a difference in culture-bound interests.

Inferring Ancient Technology and Practices of the Elite Maya Kingship Through the Application of Materials Engineering Characterization Modalities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cheung, Kristina Alyssa

This project focuses on the characterization of materials from burial offerings and painted decoration in a royal Maya tomb at El Zotz, Guatemala, and their association with mortuary rituals. Archaeological findings included vessels, jade masks, organic materials (wood, cord, and textiles), specular hematite cubes, shells with powdered cinnabar, green (malachite) painted stucco assumed to have decorated the wooden bier where the king was resting, and caches of lip-to-lip Aguila Orange bowls containing human phalanges. This paper describes findings from non-invasive and non-destructive analytical techniques including XRF, VPSEM-EDS, and XRD, emphasizing the potential of these combined technologies in the identification of organic and inorganic markers to infer burial customs. The nature and location of the findings, the evidence of pigment coloration on the bones employing hematite and cinnabar, and the indication of exposure of the bones to high temperatures suggest highly complex, even protracted mortuary practices of Maya elite.

Multi-frequency Electromagnetic Induction Survey for Archaeological Prospection: Approach and Results in Han Hangu Pass and Xishan Yang in China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tang, Panpan; Chen, Fulong; Jiang, Aihui; Zhou, Wei; Wang, Hongchao; Leucci, Giovanni; de Giorgi, Lara; Sileo, Maria; Luo, Rupeng; Lasaponara, Rosa; Masini, Nicola

2018-04-01

This study presents the potential of multi-frequency electromagnetic induction (EMI) in archaeology. EMI is currently less employed for archaeological prospection with respect to other geophysical techniques. It is capable of identifying shallow subsurface relics by simultaneously measuring the apparent electrical conductivity (ECa) and apparent magnetic susceptibility (MSa). Moreover, frequency sounding is able to quantify the depths and vertical shapes of buried structures. In this study, EMI surveys with five frequencies were performed at two heritage sites with different geological conditions: Han Hangu Pass characterized by cinnamon soil and Xishan Yang by sandy loams. In the first site, high ECa values were observed with variations in depth correlated to archaeological remains. Moreover, electromagnetic anomalies related to an ancient road and five kiln caves were identified. In the second site, an ancient tomb, indicating extremely low ECa and high MSa, was discovered. Its electromagnetic properties are attributed to the cavity and ferroferric oxides.

The beginnings of human palaeontology: prehistory, craniometry and the 'fossil human races'.

PubMed

Goodrum, Matthew R

2016-09-01

Since the nineteenth century, hominid palaeontology has offered critical information about prehistoric humans and evidence for human evolution. Human fossils discovered at a time when there was growing agreement that humans existed during the Ice Age became especially significant but also controversial. This paper argues that the techniques used to study human fossils from the 1850s to the 1870s and the way that these specimens were interpreted owed much to the anthropological examination of Stone, Bronze, and Iron Age skeletons retrieved by archaeologists from prehistoric tombs throughout Europe. What emerged was the idea that a succession of distinct human races, which were identified using techniques such as craniometry, had occupied and migrated into Europe beginning in the Ice Age and continuing into the historic period. This marks a phase in the history of human palaeontology that gradually gave way to a science of palaeoanthropology that viewed hominid fossils more from the perspective of evolutionary theory and hominid phylogeny.

Storms in Ancient Egypt: the Examples of Historical Natural Disasters Impacts on the Society

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Petrova, Anastasia

2013-04-01

Though rain storms are infrequent in Egypt, which is normally a rainless country, some Ancient Egyptian texts give accounts of violent storms and rains. Actually, even small amounts of rain in that area could cause huge impact, as none of the water was absorbed by soil, and, running off, it could create dangerous torrents. The Tempest stele, circa 1550 BC, recounts a highly destructive storm happened during the reign of Ahmose I, the king of Egypt's 18 dynasty. The catastrophy is described in details, including the specific noise, overall darkness, torrent so that no torch could be lit. Many houses were washed into the river, temples, tombs and pyramids damaged and collapsed. The stele commemorates the restoration works made by the king who was able to cope with this great disaster and "re-establish the Two Lands". Some egyptologists believe that this event is related to the Minoan eruption of Thera, but this is unlikely given the description in the stele.

Exchanging knowledge and working together in COST Action TU1208: Short-Term Scientific Missions on Ground Penetrating Radar

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Santos Assuncao, Sonia; De Smedt, Philippe; Giannakis, Iraklis; Matera, Loredana; Pinel, Nicolas; Dimitriadis, Klisthenis; Giannopoulos, Antonios; Sala, Jacopo; Lambot, Sébastien; Trinks, Immo; Marciniak, Marian; Pajewski, Lara

2015-04-01

modelled pavement scenario; moreover, the horn was compared with a previously-implemented ground-coupled bowtie antenna. The numerical results indicate that air-coupled antennas receive clear reflections from distinct layers within the pavement but they are incapable in the considered setting to detect cracks filled with air. On the other hand, by using ground-coupled antennas it is easier to interpret hyperbolic responses from the buried cracks. The developed modelling framework is a powerful tool in evaluating the performance of high-frequency GPR transducers in realistic situations and this approach can lead to better design of GPR antennas. The third STSM was carried out by Sonia Santos Assunçao visiting Klisthenis Dimitriadis at Geoservice (Greece). They worked at the non-destructive inspection of the Tholos Tomb of Acharnon. The unknown thickness of the Tomb walls was determined by using a GPR. Data were plotted in impressive circular radargrams. Discontinuities in the measured data were identified and associated to fissures or voids, indicating internal and superficial damages of the Tomb. A combination of GPR with electrical resistivity tomography allowed a more accurate data interpretation. Vibrations in the Tomb were quantified by using seismic measurements and endoscopy was used to confirm the thickness of the walls. During the fourth STSM, Philippe De Smedt visited Immo Trinks at the Ludwig Boltzmann Institute for Archaeological Prospection and Virtual Archaeology. The research activities regarded the reconstruction of prehistoric environments at Stonehenge, by means of multiple electromagnetic survey methods. Different datasets were processed, analysed and compared: data from a multi-receiver electromagnetic induction survey (collected by the ORBit research group from Ghent University, Belgium), and data from a 3D GPR survey (collected by the Ludwig Boltzmann Institute for Virtual Archaeology and Archaeological Prospection, Austria). The aim was that of

New Perspectives on the Origin of Korean Acupuncture: Based on Materials from Xiaoyingzi Tomb, Yanji and Neighbouring Region.

PubMed

Kang, In Uk; Cha, Wung Seok

2017-12-01

This article discusses the development of early acupuncture needles as demonstrated by the artifacts excavated from the Northern part of the Yanji district, Jilin, China, during the Japanese colonial era (reported in 1941). Numerous bone needles, stone needles, and other medical devices were found in the Xiaoyingzi excavation. The stone needles from Xiaoyingzi can be categorized into three grades, based on length, of 8cm, 12-15cm, and 18cm. A set of round stones for massage were also discovered, along with obsidian blades. These relics were carefully stored in the middle of the body in the stone coffin. In addition to Xiaoyingzi, stone needles were also excavated along the lower valley region of the Tuman (Tumen, ) River. These facts indicate that the owner was involved in medical practice, and that medical procedures using stone needles were quite popular at the time. This article carefully investigates that the relics have nothing to do with weaving textile or military use. Current research on the origin of acupuncture has been confined either to stone needles from the prehistoric age or to bronze needles, as well as to literature from the Warring States period to the Han China, during which acupuncture technology was considerably expanded. However, substantial knowledge on the "gap" between stone needles and metal needles has been procured through the analysis of Xiaoyingzi, Yanji. The findings of Xiaoyingzi are also significant in providing a more detailed reconstruction of the development of acupuncture in East Asia and emergence of acupuncture throughout history. A large amount of medical items (stone and bone needles, cases for needles, massage stone type bianshi, and etc.), have been excavated from Xiaoyingzi and other neighbouring sites, Along with geographic and ecological factors, this archeological data strongly suggests the medical tradition of using acupuncture needles was practiced around Tumen River basin in the Bronze Age (10th century B.C.).

A rare case of os odontoideum from an Early Intermediate period tomb at the Huacas de Moche, Peru.

PubMed

Titelbaum, A R; Castillo, S Uceda

2015-12-01

Os odontoideum is an uncommon vertebral anomaly where there is a smoothly corticated ossicle independent from a shortened odontoid peg. An example of os odontoideum was observed in an Early Intermediate period skeleton excavated from the Huacas de Moche (Moche IV, AD 400-700), Peru. The affected individual is a middle adult male who presents additional minor developmental anomalies of the axial skeleton. This individual was interred with a middle adult female who also has developmental anomalies of the axial skeleton, including block cervical vertebra (Klippel-Feil). Os odontoideum is infrequently reported in the medical literature and there continues to be debate about whether it is acquired or congenital. Unlike clinical cases, archaeological cases present an opportunity to examine the entirety of the skeleton. In the present case, there does not appear to be macroscopic or radiographic evidence for a healed fracture, and since the individual has multiple minor axial developmental anomalies, a congenital etiology is plausible. This case is the first to be described from the archaeological context of South America and one of few paleopathological examples worldwide. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Molecular evidence of cryptic diversity in Paracaryophyllaeus (Cestoda: Caryophyllidea), parasites of loaches (Cobitidae) in Eurasia, including description of P. vladkae n. sp.

PubMed

Scholz, Tomáš; Oros, Mikuláš; Bazsalovicsová, Eva; Brabec, Jan; Waeschenbach, Andrea; Xi, Bing-Wen; Aydoğdu, Ali; Besprozvannykh, Vladimir; Shimazu, Takeshi; Králová-Hromadová, Ivica; Littlewood, D Timothy J

2014-12-01

Molecular phylogenetic analysis of an extensive collection of monozoic tapeworms of the genus Paracaryophyllaeus Kulakovskaya, 1961 (Cestoda: Caryophyllidea), parasites of loaches (Cypriniformes: Cobitidae) in Eurasia, has revealed cryptic species diversity within this long-time monotypic genus, especially in the Paracaryophyllaeus gotoi (Motomura, 1927) species complex [syn. Paracaryophyllaeus dubininorum (Kulakovskaya, 1961); type species]. Three independent, well-supported clades were discovered on the basis of molecular data: (i) specimens from Misgurnus anguillicaudatus and Cobitis lutheri from China, Russian Far East and Japan - called herein P. cf. gotoi 1, which may be conspecific with P. gotoi (Motomura, 1927), although in the absence of sequence data for P. gotoi from its type locality (basin of the River Kumkan in Korea), no certain inferences about their identity can currently be made; (ii) specimens from M. anguillicaudatus from China and Japan - P. cf. gotoi 2, which are morphologically indistinguishable from those of P. cf. gotoi 1; and (iii) morphologically distinct tapeworms from the endemic loach Cobitis bilseli from southwestern Turkey (Beyşehir Lake), which are described herein as a new species. Paracaryophyllaeus vladkae Scholz, Oros and Aydoğdu n. sp. differs from the remaining species of the genus in the following characteristics: the testes begin anterior to the first vitelline follicles (versus posterior), the body is short and robust (versus more elongate and slender), and the scolex is wide, rounded or apically tapered (versus claviform to truncate). Species composition of the genus, host specificity of species and geographical distribution are briefly discussed. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Development of an enzyme-linked-immunosorbent-assay technique for accurate identification of poorly preserved silks unearthed in ancient tombs.

PubMed

Zheng, Qin; Wu, Xiaofeng; Zheng, Hailing; Zhou, Yang

2015-05-01

We report the preparation of a specific fibroin antibody and its use for the identification of unearthed ancient silk relics. Based on the 12-amino-acid repeat sequence "GAGAGSGAGAGS", which is found in fibroin of the silkworm Bombyx mori, a specific antibody against fibroin was prepared in rabbits through peptide synthesis and carrier-protein coupling. This antibody was highly specific for fibroin found in silk. Using this antibody we have successfully identified four silk samples from different time periods. Our results reveal, for the first time, a method capable of detecting silk from a few milligrams of archaeological fabric that has been buried for thousands of years, confirming that the ancient practice of wearing silk products while praying for rebirth dated back to at least 400 BCE. This method also complements current approaches in silk detection, especially for the characterization of poorly preserved silks, promoting the investigation of silk origins and of ancient clothing cultures.

An artistic and mythological study of a Nabatean female Sphinx from Petra, Jordan.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Almasri, Eyad R.; Al-Ajlouny, Fardous K.; Alghazawi, Raed Y.

In 1967 the Group of Sculptures was discovered in Petra during clearance works organized by the Department of Antiquities in Jordan in the Temenos of Qasr el Bint around the Temenos Gate. One of these sculptures was a high relief statue of a female sphinx. Due to the paucity of information about this statue, this paper has been written to answer a number of questions: What was its original site or monument? When was it made? Who was the deity or deities it represented? Could there be another interpretation of its existence? The answers to the above provide enlightenment of Nabataean styles of carvings and an insight into their religious thoughts. Rgarding the interpretation of the Female Sphinx. Three ideas have been suggested. First, it can be the main Nabataean goddess Allat, "the mother of the gods". Second, it is an image of Petra as a goddess. Third, it is carved on the Temenos Gate as a guardian of Petra city in general and its holy monuments like temples and tombs in particular.

Identification of kinship and occupant status in Mongolian noble burials of the Yuan Dynasty through a multidisciplinary approach

PubMed Central

Cui, Yinqiu; Song, Li; Wei, Dong; Pang, Yuhong; Wang, Ning; Ning, Chao; Li, Chunmei; Feng, Binxiao; Tang, Wentao; Li, Hongjie; Ren, Yashan; Zhang, Chunchang; Huang, Yanyi; Hu, Yaowu; Zhou, Hui

2015-01-01

The Yuan Dynasty (AD 1271–1368) was the first dynasty in Chinese history where a minority ethnic group (Mongols) ruled. Few cemeteries containing Mongolian nobles have been found owing to their tradition of keeping burial grounds secret and their lack of historical records. Archaeological excavations at the Shuzhuanglou site in the Hebei province of China led to the discovery of 13 skeletons in six separate tombs. The style of the artefacts and burials indicate the cemetery occupants were Mongol nobles. However, the origin, relationships and status of the chief occupant (M1m) are unclear. To shed light on the identity of the principal occupant and resolve the kin relationships between individuals, a multidisciplinary approach was adopted, combining archaeological information, stable isotope data and molecular genetic data. Analysis of autosomal, mitochondrial and Y-chromosomal DNA show that some of the occupants were related. The available evidence strongly suggests that the principal occupant may have been the Mongol noble Korguz. Our study demonstrates the power of a multidisciplinary approach in elucidating information about the inhabitants of ancient historical sites. PMID:25487330

Bactériophages et phagothérapie: utilisation de virus naturels pour traiter les infections bactériennes

PubMed Central

Ravat, F.; Jault, P.; Gabard, J.

2015-01-01

Summary L’utilisation des bactériophages, prédateurs naturels des bactéries, est une technique pionnière efficace de lutte contre les infections bactériennes. Tombée dans l’oubli depuis un demi-siècle du coté occidental de l’ex-rideau de fer, elle fait toujours partie de l’arsenal thérapeutique des pays de l’ex-Europe de l’Est, au point de constituer une arme de choix dans la politique de santé publique de ces pays. l’émergence de bactéries multirésistantes et le risque de revenir à l’ère pré-antibiotique ont fait ressortir la phagothérapie de l’oubli injuste auquel elle avait été confinée. la biologie et la place du bactériophage dans la nature sont décrites ici. les tenants et les aboutissants de la phagothérapie et les conditions de son retour sur le devant de la scène sont explicitées. PMID:26668557

[Ritual use of Anadenanthera seeds among South America natives].

PubMed

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

2007-01-01

Several South-American native societies snuff psychoactive seeds in magic-religious rituals since ancient times. To describe archeological, historical and ethnographical evidences regarding the ritual use of vilca or yopo (Anadenanthera sp). Anadenanthera seeds were used in South America 3,000 years ago. Archeological studies found vilca seeds in funerary tombs from 1,000 BC in the north of Chile and Argentina; ceramics and snuff tubes were found in San Pedro de Atacama archeological sites from the same data, and in Tiwanaku ceremonial center in Bolivian Altiplano. Today, Anadenanthera sp is used by several native groups in Orinoco basin, where is known as yopo, and in the Brazilian and Colombian Amazon. Hallucinogenic effect is due to the presence of methyl-tryptamine derivatives. Most snuff is prepared from the roasted and powdered seeds, vegetable ash and/or lime obtained from shells. Archeological and ethnographical data suggest that vilca was used and is still used by native shamans as a sacred seed in South America, due to its hallucinogenic effects.

[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.

An Experience in Cultural Heritage Documentation in Iran Using a Low-Cost Technique

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hassani, F.; Rafiee, M.

2013-07-01

Today, the need for preservation of cultural heritage as an important, irreplaceable resource for human is well recognized. In this regard, prior to any conservational measure, detailed documentation and recording of these precious resources should be performed; since this way, not only preservation requirements of the object will be identified, but also the existing condition will be recorded for future generations. Accordingly, since Iran is known as an ancient land possesses valuable historic resources, and due the numerousness of Iran's monuments and the high possibility of occurring natural disasters which are counted as significant threats for the monuments, the necessity of fast and appropriate documentation in this country will be clarified. This paper is in fact a part of the project entitled "Study of the application of digital technologies in recording and rehabilitation of historic buildings" in Iran. Here, the surveying process of aforesaid project's case study which is one of the two Kharraqan Tomb Towers placed in Qazvin province of Iran, using close range photogrammetry and low cost equipment will be demonstrated.

On the Development and Evolution of Astronomy in ancient Egypt

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Maravelias, S. E.

In the present paper the development and evolution of astronomy in = Ancient Egypt are briefly examined. Emphasis is given to the = applications of astronomy on: (i) the orientation of temples and = pyramids, and the subsequent determination of the year; (ii) the = reorientation of temples --after the lapse of several centuries-- (due = to the fact that the priesthood was empirically aware of the precession = of equinoxes, and the subsequent use of this very fact in order to = estimate the archaeological age of temples, tombs and pyramids; (iii) = the heliacal rising of Sirius, which was used by ancient = priests-astronomers in order to fix the New Year's Day and determine the = seasons of the civil year, although the discre pancy of the Sothic cycle = in their calendrical system was not seriously taken into account. = Finally the conclusion put forward is that astronomy in Ancient Egypt = never reached the grounds of pure science (as in Ancient Greece), at = least before the Ptolemaic era, but always remained under the influence = of traditionalism and mythology pertaining more to the sphere of = religion and dogma.

[The Pharaohs: slave merchants or organizers of an efficient welfare system? Re-writing history through new documentation and research].

PubMed

Melino, C; Del Vecchio, R; Druda, L

2003-01-01

The Authors have studied documents dating from the era of the Pharaohs, that is to say: the papyruses of Ebers and Smith, and have come to the conclusion that the recent claims by some archaeologists that the Egyptian workmen who built the Pyramids, were protected by health regulations and not treated as slaves, is true. This is a new interpretation of Egyptian history, because up to now, it has always been thought that the workmen were slaves. The construction of the Pharaoh's tomb was a team work including members of the upper classes (architects, physicians) and the lower classes (masons, workmen) and was the demonstration of a contribution and a symbol of recognition from all members of the team to the head of the society (the Pharaoh), who was their employer and took their interests into consideration e.g. health regulations. The Authors have also deduced from other sources of information that a public health system and welfare organization, comparable to our present day Legislative Decree 626/94, did in fact exist in the ancient world.

A possible case of Garre's sclerosing osteomyelitis from Medieval Tuscany (11th-12th centuries).

PubMed

Giuffra, Valentina; Vitiello, Angelica; Giusiani, Sara; Caramella, Davide; Fornaciari, Gino

2015-12-01

Archaeological excavations carried out at the castle of Monte di Croce near Florence brought to light a small cemetery complex belonging to the castle church, dated back to the 11th-12th centuries. An elite stone tomb contained the skeletal remains of a male aged 35-45 years with obvious pathology of the right tibia. The proximal metaphysis and the upper half of the diaphysis appear massively enlarged as a result of severe chronic periostitis. A transverse section illustrates complete obliteration of the medullary cavity by new spongy bone, with some large cavitations. The primary, but completely remodeled tibial shaft is still recognizable. This finding and the strong sclerotic reaction with some central cavitations rule out any form of bone tumor and indicate a chronic inflammatory disease. The morphological and radiological picture and the tibial localization suggest a diagnosis of chronic sclerosing osteomyelitis of Garré, a rare form of chronic osteomyelitis characterized by an intense periosteal reaction with little or no suppuration. Copyright © 2015. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Gold and electrum jewellery in the strategic area of Gadir in Phoenician period

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ortega-Feliu, I.; Gómez-Tubío, B.; Ontalba Salamanca, M. Á.; Respaldiza, M. Á.; de la Bandera, M. L.; Ovejero Zappino, G.

2007-07-01

A set of ancient gold jewellery was found in Cádiz (formerly Gadir, south Spain) in tombs dated in Phoenician-Archaic period (VII-VI century BC), and nowadays is exhibited in the local Museum. The production of this strategic area is of great interest for the knowledge of the commercial routes along the Mediterranean Sea at that time. Part of this production has already been analyzed by the authors, finding compositional differences and identifying soldering procedures, thanks to the use of the external microbeam. Absolutely non destructive analysis was performed. For this work we have again employed PIXE spectrometry with 2.2 MeV protons from the 3 MV Pelletron accelerator at the CNA to characterize the metallic alloys and the manufacturing techniques. We have found an unusual composition characterized by around 50 wt.% gold, 50 wt.% silver and some copper, which can be identified as ELECTRUM. Few analytical data of this particular kind of alloy are reported in the bibliography. The study of these objects can help to follow the trade of metals in the Phoenician-colonial period.

Further studies of crania from ancient northern Africa: an analysis of crania from first dynasty Egyptian tombs, using discriminant functions.

PubMed

Keita, S O

1992-03-01

An analysis of First Dynasty crania from Abydos was undertaken using multiple discriminant functions. The results demonstrate greater affinity with Upper Nile Valley patterns, but also suggest change from earlier craniometric trends. Gene flow and movement of northern officials to the important southern city may explain the findings.

Organic chemistry of embalming agents in Pharaonic and Graeco-Roman mummies.

PubMed

Buckley, S A; Evershed, R P

2001-10-25

Chemical treatments were an essential element of ancient Egyptian mummification. Although the inorganic salt natron is recognized as having a central role as a desiccant, without the application of organic preservatives the bodies would have decomposed in the humid environment of the tombs. The nature of the organic treatments remains obscure, because the ancient Egyptians left no written record of the process. Secondary textual evidence for mummification is provided by Herodotus, Diodorus Siculus, Strabo and Pliny. The most important account is that of Herodotus (about 450 yr bc), although archaeological evidence shows that by this time the process had declined significantly and the best results had been achieved centuries before. His account mentions myrrh, cassia, palm wine, 'cedar oil' (still widely disputed) and 'gum'; however, it is vague with respect to the specific natural products used. Here we report the results of chemical investigations of a substantial collection of samples of tissues, wrappings and 'resinous/bituminous' materials from provenanced and dated Egyptian mummies. We focused on examples of the 'classic' mummy-making culture of the Pharaonic or dynastic period, from which we can begin to track the development of mummification chronologically.

[Estimation of infant mortality and life expectancy in the time of the Roman Empire: a methodological examination].

PubMed

Langner, G

1998-01-01

"The first available written source in human history relating to the description of the life expectancy of a living population is a legal text which originates from the Roman jurist Ulpianus (murdered in AD 228). In contrast to the prevailing opinion in demography, I not only do consider the text to be of ¿historical interest'...but to be a document of inestimable worth for evaluating the population survival probability in the Roman empire. The criteria specified by Ulpianus are in line with the ¿pan-human' survival function as described by modern model life tables, when based on adulthood. Values calculated from tomb inscriptions follow the lowest level of the model life tables as well and support Ulpianus' statements. The specifications by Ulpianus for the population of the Roman world empire as a whole in the ¿best fit' with modern life tables lead to an average level of 20 years of life expectancy. As a consequence a high infant mortality rate of almost 400 [per thousand] can be concluded resulting in no more than three children at the age of five in an average family in spite of a high fertility rate." (EXCERPT)

Earliest direct evidence of monument building at the archaeological site of Nan Madol (Pohnpei, Micronesia) identified using 230Th/U coral dating and geochemical sourcing of megalithic architectural stone

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McCoy, Mark D.; Alderson, Helen A.; Hemi, Richard; Cheng, Hai; Edwards, R. Lawrence

2016-11-01

Archaeologists commonly use the onset of the construction of large burial monuments as a material indicator of a fundamental shift in authority in prehistoric human societies during the Holocene. High- quality direct evidence of this transition is rare. We report new interdisciplinary research at the archaeological site of Nan Madol that allows us to specify where and when people began to construct monumental architecture in the remote islands of the Pacific. Nan Madol is an ancient administrative and mortuary center and the former capital of the island of Pohnpei. It was constructed over 83 ha of lagoon with artificial islets and other architecture built using columnar basalt and coral. We employed geochemical sourcing of basalt used as architectural stone and high-precision uranium-thorium series dates (230Th/U) on coral from the tomb of the first chief of the entire island to identify the beginning of monument building at Nan Madol in AD 1180-1200. Over the next several centuries (AD 1300-1600) monument building began on other islands across Oceania. Future research should be aimed at resolving the causes of these social transformations through higher quality data on monument building.

a Geographic Analysis of Optimal Signage Location Selection in Scenic Area

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ruan, Ling; Long, Ying; Zhang, Ling; Wu, Xiao Ling

2016-06-01

As an important part of the scenic area infrastructure services, signage guiding system plays an indispensable role in guiding the way and improving the quality of tourism experience. This paper proposes an optimal method in signage location selection and direction content design in a scenic area based on geographic analysis. The object of the research is to provide a best solution to arrange limited guiding boards in a tourism area to show ways arriving at any scenic spot from any entrance. There are four steps to achieve the research object. First, the spatial distribution of the junction of the scenic road, the passageway and the scenic spots is analyzed. Then, the count of scenic roads intersection on the shortest path between all entrances and all scenic spots is calculated. Next, combing with the grade of the scenic road and scenic spots, the importance of each road intersection is estimated quantitatively. Finally, according to the importance of all road intersections, the most suitable layout locations of signage guiding boards can be provided. In addition, the method is applied in the Ming Tomb scenic area in China and the result is compared with the existing signage guiding space layout.

Merging Geometric Documentation with Materials Characterization and Analysis of the History of the Holy Aedicule in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Georgopoulos, A.; Lambrou, E.; Pantazis, G.; Agrafiotis, P.; Papadaki, A.; Kotoula, L.; Lampropoulos, K.; Delegou, E.; Apostolopoulou, M.; Alexakis, M.; Moropoulou, A.

2017-05-01

The National Technical University of Athens undertook the compilation of an "Integrated Diagnostic Research Project and Strategic Planning for Materials, Interventions Conservation and Rehabilitation of the Holy Aedicule of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem". This paper focuses on the work merging the geometric documentation with the characterization of materials, the identification of building phases and the diagnosis of decay and pathology through the use of analytical and non-destructive techniques. Through this integrated approach, i.e. through the documentation and characterization of the building materials, through the diagnosis of decay and pathology, through the accurate geometric documentation of the building and through the non-destructive prospection of its internal structure, it was feasible to identify the construction phases of the Holy Aedicule, identifying the remnants of the preserved earlier constructions and the original monolithic Tomb. This work, thus, demonstrates that the adoption of an interdisciplinary approach for integrated documentation is a powerful tool for a better understanding of monuments, both in terms of its structural integrity, as well as in terms of its state of preservation, both prerequisites for effective rehabilitation.

Three saints with deformed extremities in an Italian Renaissance altarpiece.

PubMed

Albury, W R; Weisz, G M

2017-03-01

A fifteenth-century Florentine altarpiece painted by the Pollaiuolo brothers, Antonio (1433-1498) and Piero (1443-1496), shows three saints with evident deformities of the hands and feet. The pathologies concerned are tentatively identified, and various rationales for their presence in the painting are discussed. Of particular importance is the location of the altarpiece in a chapel which houses the tomb of the Cardinal of Portugal, Prince James of Lusitania (1433-1459). It is argued that both the artistic style of the day and the religious symbolism of the Cardinal's funeral chapel contributed to the artists' decision to portray the saints with deformities. An unnatural curvature of the fifth finger was apparently considered elegant in fifteenth-century paintings, and the depiction of bare feet with hallux valgus gave them a shape which approximated and could have been caused by fashionable pointed shoes. But in addition, deformities in religious art could be symbolic of suffering and martyrdom, a theme which the Cardinal's chapel emphasised in a number of ways. It is suggested therefore that the Pollaiuolo altarpiece reconciles these two disparate factors, portraying genuine deformities in a way that was artistically stylish and symbolically meaningful.

Variability in response of lakes to climate change explained by surrounding watersheds

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Råman Vinnå, Love; Wüest, Alfred; Bouffard, Damien

2017-04-01

The consequences of climate change for inland waters have been shown to vary extensively not only globally, but also on a sub-regional scale [O'Reilly et al., 2015, GRL]. Local factors affecting heating include morphology [Toffolon et al., 2014, LO], irradiance absorption [Williamson et al., 2015, SR], local weather conditions and onset of stratification [Zhong et al., 2016, LO] as well as ice conditions [Austin and Colman, 2007, GRL]. However, inland waters are often a complex web of rivers, streams, lakes and reservoirs. Thereby, to correctly assess and predict future changes in lakes/reservoirs due to climate change, it is important to consider the changes occurring in the surrounding watersheds and how they affect downstream waters. Here we evaluate the impact of climate change on rivers originating in the Swiss Alps (Aare and Rhône) and downstream located perialpine lakes (Lake Biel and Lake Geneva). We use regional predictions for air temperature increase and the subsequently expected shift in river discharge regime under the A1B emission scenario [Bey et al., 2011, CH2011; Federal Office for the Environment FOEN, 2012, CCHydro]. Focus is on predicting the changes in water temperature, particle content, stratification and deep water renewal rate using the 1D SIMSTRAT [Goudsmit et al., 2002, JGR] and Air2Stream [Toffolon and Piccolroaz, 2015, ERL] models. We show that the effect of tributaries on the reaction for downstream lakes to climate change are inversely proportional to the hydraulic residence time of the systems. We furthermore include known changes in anthropogenic thermal emissions, which in Lake Biel correspond to 2 decades of climate induced warming. Our results are put into context with future water utility plans in Lake Biel.

Pre-Columbian alloys from the royal tombs of Sipán; energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence analysis with a portable equipment.

PubMed

Cesareo, R; Calza, C; Dos Anjos, M; Lopes, R T; Bustamante, A; Fabian S, J; Alva, W; Chero Z, L

2010-01-01

On the north coast of present-day Peru flourished approximately between 50 and 700 AD, the Moche civilization. It was an advanced culture and the Moche were sophisticated metalsmiths, so that they are considered as the finest producers of jewels and artefacts of the region. The Moche metalworking ability was impressively demonstrated by the objects discovered by Walter Alva and coworkers in 1987, in the excavations of the "Tumbas Reales de Sipán". About 50 metal objects from these excavations, now at the namesake Museum, in Lambayeque, north of Peru, were analyzed with a portable equipment using energy-dispersive X-ray fluorescence. This portable equipment is mainly composed of a small size X-ray tube and a thermoelectrically cooled X-ray detector. Standard samples of gold and silver alloys were employed for quantitative analysis. It was determined that the analyzed artefacts from the "Tumbas Reales de Sipán" are mainly composed of gold, silver and copper alloys, of gilded copper and of tumbaga, the last being a poor gold alloy enriched at the surface by depletion gilding, i.e. removing copper from the surface. Copyright 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Finding out egyptian gods' secret using analytical chemistry: biomedical properties of egyptian black makeup revealed by amperometry at single cells.

PubMed

Tapsoba, Issa; Arbault, Stéphane; Walter, Philippe; Amatore, Christian

2010-01-15

Lead-based compounds were used during antiquity as both pigments and medicines in the formulation of makeup materials. Chemical analysis of cosmetics samples found in Egyptians tombs and the reconstitution of ancient recipes as reported by Greco-Roman authors have shown that two non-natural lead chlorides (laurionite Pb(OH)Cl and phosgenite Pb(2)Cl(2)CO(3)) were purposely synthesized and were used as fine powders in makeup and eye lotions. According to ancient Egyptian manuscripts, these were essential remedies for treating eye illness and skin ailments. This conclusion seems amazing because today we focus only on the well-recognized toxicity of lead salts. Here, using ultramicroelectrodes, we obtain new insights into the biochemical interactions between lead(II) ions and cells, which support the ancient medical use of sparingly soluble lead compounds. Submicromolar concentrations of Pb(2+) ions are shown to be sufficient for eliciting specific oxidative stress responses of keratinocytes. These consist essentially of an overproduction of nitrogen monoxide (NO degrees ). Owing to the biological role of NO degrees in stimulating nonspecific immunological defenses, one may argue that these lead compounds were deliberately manufactured and used in ancient Egyptian formulations to prevent and treat eye illnesses by promoting the action of immune cells.

Slot-type fractures of the scapula at New Kingdom Tell El-Amarna, Egypt.

PubMed

Dabbs, Gretchen R; Zabecki, Melissa

2015-12-01

Amarna is the archaeological representation of Akhetaten, the short-lived Egyptian capital city of Akhenaten (reign 1352-1336BCE).Five adult males excavated from the South Tombs Cemetery (STC) (total n>400) at Amarna exhibit slot-type fracture lesions of the scapula, and two of these lesions exhibit evidence of active bone remodeling at the time of death.The lesions in question are described and a full differential diagnosis is considered.The differential diagnosis rules out atrophic perforations, scapular foramina, tumors, and occupational and accidental trauma.Given the location, morphology, and surrounding bony changes, these lesions are consistent with sharp force trauma, specifically stabbing.These lesions most likely represent the consequence of corporal punishment in the form of "strokes" accompanied by "open wounds" known from Egyptian literature for punishment of a wide range of civil and criminal activities.Alternatively, several pigs at Amarna show similar wound morphologies of the cranium and scapulae, which have been interpreted by other authors to represent ritualized punishment of the god Seth, who is often represented as a pig.The lesions described here are consistent in morphology and positioning with the swine examples, and may represent further, cross-species, evidence of ritualized punishment at the ancient capital city. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Virgibacillus carmonensis sp. nov., Virgibacillus necropolis sp. nov. and Virgibacillus picturae sp. nov., three novel species isolated from deteriorated mural paintings, transfer of the species of the genus salibacillus to Virgibacillus, as Virgibacillus marismortui comb. nov. and Virgibacillus salexigens comb. nov., and emended description of the genus Virgibacillus.

PubMed

Heyrman, Jeroen; Logan, Niall A; Busse, Hans-Jürgen; Balcaen, An; Lebbe, Liesbeth; Rodriguez-Diaz, Marina; Swings, Jean; De Vos, Paul

2003-03-01

A group of 13 strains was isolated from samples of biofilm formation on the mural paintings of the Servilia tomb (necropolis of Carmona, Spain) and the Saint-Catherine chapel (castle at Herberstein, Austria). The strains were subjected to a polyphasic taxonomic study, including (GTG)5-PCR, 16S rDNA sequence analysis, DNA-DNA hybridizations, DNA base ratio determination, analysis of fatty acids, polar lipids and menaquinones and morphological and biochemical characterization. In a phylogenetic tree based on neighbour-joining of 16S rDNA sequences, the strains are divided in two major groups, representing three novel species according to DNA-DNA relatedness, that are positioned at approximately equal distances from Virgibacillus and Salibacillus. After comparison of the novel results with existing data, the transfer of the species of Salibacillus to Virgibacillus is proposed, with the resulting new combinations Virgibacillus marismortui comb. nov. and Virgibacillus salexigens comb. nov. Additionally, three novel species are described, for which the names Virgibacillus carmonensis sp. nov., Virgibacillus necropolis sp. nov. and Virgibacillus picturae sp. nov. are proposed. The respective type strains are LMG 20964T (=DSM 14868T), LMG 19488T (=DSM 14866T) and LMG 19492T (= DSM 14867T). Finally, an emended description of the genus Virgibacillus is given.

Optimization of landfill leachate management in the aftercare period.

PubMed

Wang, Yu; Pelkonen, Markku; Kaila, Juha

2012-08-01

The management of sanitary landfills after closure is an important engineering, economic and sustainability issue and is referred to as the greatest unresolved landfill challenge. Most sanitary landfills are operated according to the dry tomb principle, resulting in aftercare periods of hundreds of years. To study landfill body behaviour, long-term leachate emissions were studied with anaerobic landfill simulators, and a forecast model was developed targeting the behaviour of NH(4)-N, COD and chlorides as a function of temperature and the L/S-ratio (liquid-to-solid). It was found that NH(4)-N is the decisive factor in leachate management, requiring the highest L/S-ratio (around 6) to meet the direct discharge limit values. Various scenarios were constructed to find optimal leachate management strategies both in large (waste height H = 25 m) and medium-sized landfills (H = 10 m) with corresponding temperature ranges. The results show that by minimizing the aftercare period length with leachate pre-treatment and recirculation, both sustainability and economic benefits can be achieved. The results provide new views on how to manage the long-term leachate aftercare problem. In the case of large landfills, further efforts are needed to reach stabilization within a reasonable time frame.

Gas chromatographic-mass spectrometric characterisation of plant gums in samples from painted works of art.

PubMed

Bonaduce, Ilaria; Brecoulaki, Hariclia; Colombini, Maria Perla; Lluveras, Anna; Restivo, Vincenzo; Ribechini, Erika

2007-12-21

This paper presents an analytical GC-MS procedure to study the chemical composition of plant gums, determining aldoses and uronic acids in one step. The procedure is based on the silylation of aldoses and uronic acids, released from plant gums by microwave assisted hydrolysis, and previously converted into the corresponding diethyl-dithioacetals and diethyl-dithioacetal lactones. Using this method only one peak for each compound is obtained, thus providing simple and highly reproducible chromatograms. The analytical procedure was optimised using reference samples of raw plant gums (arabic, karaya, ghatti, guar, locust bean and tragacanth, cherry, plum and peach gums), commercial watercolours and paint layers prepared according to ancient recipes at the Opificio delle Pietre Dure of Florence (Italy). To identify gum media in samples of unknown composition, a decisional schema for the gum identification and the principal component analysis of the relative sugar percentage contents were employed. The procedure was used to study samples collected from wall paintings from Macedonian tombs (4th-3rd centuries bc) and from the Mycenaean "Palace of Nestor" (13th century bc) in Pylos, Greece. The presence of carbohydrates was ascertained and plant gum binders (fruit and a mixture of tragacanth and fruit tree gums) were identified in some of the samples.

Earth observations taken during STS-83 mission

NASA Image and Video Library

2016-08-12

STS083-747-052 (4-8 April 1997) --- Sunglint on the Indus River, Sukkar, and Rohri, Pakistan. Sukkar city (27.42 north 68.52 east), Sindh province, southeastern Pakistan lies on the west bank of the Indus River, connected with Rohri on the opposite bank by a cantilever bridge. Midstream between the two cities is the strategic island fortress of Bukkur. The old town contains many historic tombs and mosques, including the Mir Ma'sum Shah Minaret (c. AD 1607). An industrial and trade center, it has biscuit, cigarette, oil, lime, and cement factories, and cotton, silk, thread, and flour mills; boat building is also significant. The surrounding region is a vast alluvial plain broken only occasionally by low limestone hills. A portion of the Thar Desert is reaching from the south to Rohri. The Sukkur Barrage, highlighted by the sunglint, was completed in 1932. Nearly 1 mile (1.6 kilometers) long it crosses the Indus River 3 miles (4.8 kilometers) below Sukkur Gorge and feeds irrigation canals. The canals originating from it serve a cultivable area of about five million acres of land producing both food and cash crops, such as wheat, cotton, rice, oilseed, and fruit cultivation.

Star-Paths, Stones and Horizon Astronomy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brady, Bernadette

2015-05-01

Archaeoastronomers tend to approach ancient monuments focusing on the landscape and the horizon calendar events of sun and moon and, due to problems with precession, generally ignore the movement of the stars. However, locating the position of solar calendar points on the horizon can have other uses apart from calendar and/or cosmological purposes. This paper firstly suggests that the stars do not need to be ignored. By considering the evidence of the Phaenomena, a sky poem by Aratus of Soli, a third century BC Greek poet, and his use of second millennium BC star lore fragments, this paper argues that the stars were a part of the knowledge of horizon astronomy. Aratus' poem implied that the horizon astronomy of the late Neolithic and Bronze Age periods included knowledge of star-paths or 'linear constellations' that were defined by particular horizon calendar events and other azimuths. Knowledge of such star-paths would have enabled navigation and orientation, and by using permanent markers, constructed or natural, to define these paths, they were immune to precession as the stones could redefine a star-path for a future generation. Finally the paper presents other possible intentions behind the diverse orientation of passage tombs and some megalithic sites.

Feasibility study of archaeological structures scanning by muon tomography

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gómez, H.; Carloganu, C.; Gibert, D.; Marteau, J.; Niess, V.; Katsanevas, S.; Tonazzo, A.

2015-08-01

One of the main concerns in archaeology is to find of a method to study precisely archaeological structures in the least invasive way possible to avoid damage. The requirement of preserving the structures integrity prevents, in the case of pyramids or tumuli, the study of any internal structure (halls or tombs) which are not reachable by existing corridors. One non-invasive method is the muon tomography. By placing a detector which allows to register the muon direction after the structure, it is possible to have an idea of its composition based on the attenuation of the muon flux, which depends on the material length and density that muons have crossed. This technique, alone or together with other exploration techniques as seismic tomography or electrical resistivity tomography, can provide useful information about the internal structure of the archaeological form that can not be obtained by conventional archaeological methods. In this work, the time measurement necessary to obtain a significant result about the composition of an archaeological structure is estimated. To do that, a Monte Carlo simulation framework based on the MUSIC software, properly tuned for this study, has been developed. The particular case of the Kastas Amfipoli Macedonian tumulus has been considered to perform the simulations.

Integration of aerial and satellite remote sensing for archaeological investigations: a case study of the Etruscan site of San Giovenale

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lasaponara, R.; Masini, N.; Holmgren, R.; Backe Forsberg, Y.

2012-08-01

The objective of this research is to detect and extract traces of past human activities on the Etruscan site of San Giovenale (Blera) in Northern Lazio, Italy. Investigations have been conducted by integrating high-resolution satellite data with digital models derived from LiDAR survey and multisensory aerial prospection (traditional, thermal and near infrared pictures). The use of different sensor technologies is requested to cope with (i) different types of surface covers, i.e. vegetated and non-vegetated areas (trees, bushes, agricultural uses, etc), (ii) variety of archaeological marks (micro-relief, crop marks, etc) and (iii) different types of expected spatial/spectral feature patterns linked to past human activities (urban necropoleis, palaeorivers, etc). Field surveys enabled us to confirm remotely sensed features which were detected in both densely and sparsely vegetated areas, thus revealing a large variety of cultural transformations, ritual and infrastructural remains such as roads, tombs and water installations. Our findings clearly point out a connection between the Vignale plateau and the main acropolis (San Giovenale) as well as with the surrounding burial grounds. Our results suggest that the synergic use of multisensory/multisource data sets, including ancillary information, provides a comprehensive overview of new findings. This facilitates the interpretation of various results obtained from different sensors when studied in a larger prospective.

Prostatic hyperplasia in the mummy of an italian renaissance prince.

PubMed

Ciranni, R; Giusti, L; Fornaciari, G

2000-12-01

Pandolfo III Malatesta (1370-1427) was a leading figure of the Italian Renaissance. He was a valiant soldier and horseman with a very active life style. Historical sources report that he died of a fever in 1427. The tomb, containing his mummified body, has recently been discovered in Fano (Marche, Central Italy). After careful X-ray and videographic examination, autopsy was performed to diagnose possible pathologies. Samples of different tissues were collected and rehydrated by Sandison's method and submitted to routine histology processes. Sections of treated tissue were fixed on clean slides, stained with hematoxylin-eosin or Gardner's Trichromic and observed at light microscope. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS The autopsy showed good preservation of the skeletal muscles, cartilage, internal and external organs included prostate gland and penis. Macroscopic examination revealed stag-horn calculi (calcium urate) of the left kidney and a severe enlargement of the prostate, with calcifications detectable by X-ray and a large nodule protruding in the lumen of an ectatic urethra. Histology shows fibrous bands of connective and muscular tissue surrounding some circular and oblong lacunae, with no preservation of epithelial structures. The macroscopic and histological picture, showing clear prostatic nodular hyperplasia, makes this the first case described in paleopathology. Copyright 2000 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

How did Humans Adapt in the Eastern Farming-pastoral zone during the Medieval Warm Period?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jia, X.

2017-12-01

With its extremely warm climate, the "medieval warm period" is considered analogous to the climate change humans are likely to face due to future global warming. Thus, the ability of humans to adapt to an extremely warm climate during the medieval period in Eurasia's farming-pastoral zone has attracted some attention. The warmth of the climate during this period (900-1300 BC) is demonstrated by evidence of bamboo in charcoal remains and phytoliths found in the settlement sites and tomb murals of the Western Liao river basin in Northeast China. This warmth probably promoted agricultural diversification, as the presence of foxtail millet, broomcorn millet, wheat, barley, soybean, hemp, and buckwheat in this region can be seen in plant seeds and phytoliths found in archaeological sites. The bones of deer and birds also provide evidence of hunting, and the practice of animal husbandry is indicated in pig, dog, cattle, ovicaprid, horse and camel bones. Diversity in food structures is also shown in stable isotopes from human and animal bones. Competence in animal husbandry and hunting, and the availability of stable food resources may have contributed to the rise of the Liao people in military prowess and power, and promoted the expansion of Khitan-Liao culture.

D Modelling the Invisible Using Ground Penetrating Radar

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Agrafiotis, P.; Lampropoulos, K.; Georgopoulos, A.; Moropoulou, A.

2017-02-01

An interdisciplinary team from the National Technical University of Athens is performing the restoration of the Holy Aedicule, which covers the Tomb of Christ within the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem. The first important task was to geometrically document the monument for the production of the necessary base material on which the structural and material prospection studies would be based. One task of this action was to assess the structural behavior of this edifice in order to support subsequent works. It was imperative that the internal composition of the construction be documented as reliably as possible. To this end several data acquisition techniques were employed, among them ground penetrating radar. Interpretation of these measurements revealed the position of the rock, remnants of the initial cave of the burial of Christ. This paper reports on the methodology employed to construct the 3D model of the rock and introduce it into the 3D model of the whole building, thus enhancing the information about the structure. The conversion of the radargrams to horizontal sections of the rock is explained and the construction of the 3D model and its insertion into the 3D model of the Holy Aedicule is described.

Death anxiety in Kuwaiti middle-aged personnel.

PubMed

Abdel-Khalek, Ahmed M; Al-Kandari, Yagoub

2007-01-01

The present study aimed to examine the level of death anxiety, the sex-related differences among a middle-aged Kuwaiti personnel sample, and to explore the replicability of the Arabic Scale of Death Anxiety (ASDA) factors. A sample of 236 volunteer Kuwaiti personnel took part in the study. The mean ages of men and women were 41.5 (SD = 7.5) and 40.9 (SD = 7.1), respectively. The alpha reliability of the ASDA was found to be high (.93). Women had a significantly higher mean total score on the ASDA as well as on 17 out of its 20 items. Middle-aged personnel had a significantly lower mean ASDA total score than younger college students (M age = 22). The factor analysis of the ASDA items yielded three factors: fear of dead people and tombs; fear of postmortem events; and fear of lethal disease. These factors were highly replicable with previous factors extracted from a Kuwaiti college student sample. On the basis of the present findings, there are three general conclusions as follows: death anxiety is negatively associated with age; the sex-related differences on death anxiety are salient in the Arab samples; and the ASDA has a highly replicable factor structure.

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

Gómez, H.; Katsanevas, S.; Tonazzo, A.

One of the main concerns in archaeology is to find of a method to study precisely archaeological structures in the least invasive way possible to avoid damage. The requirement of preserving the structures integrity prevents, in the case of pyramids or tumuli, the study of any internal structure (halls or tombs) which are not reachable by existing corridors. One non-invasive method is the muon tomography. By placing a detector which allows to register the muon direction after the structure, it is possible to have an idea of its composition based on the attenuation of the muon flux, which depends onmore » the material length and density that muons have crossed. This technique, alone or together with other exploration techniques as seismic tomography or electrical resistivity tomography, can provide useful information about the internal structure of the archaeological form that can not be obtained by conventional archaeological methods. In this work, the time measurement necessary to obtain a significant result about the composition of an archaeological structure is estimated. To do that, a Monte Carlo simulation framework based on the MUSIC software, properly tuned for this study, has been developed. The particular case of the Kastas Amfipoli Macedonian tumulus has been considered to perform the simulations.« less

Space Archeology Overview at Gordion: 2010 to 2012

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tucker, Compton J.; Slayback, Daniel; Nigro, Joseph D.; Yager, Karina A.

2014-01-01

In fiscal years 2010, 2011, and 2012, Compton Tucker was the principal investigator of a NASA Space Archaeology project that worked at Gordion, in Central Turkey. Tucker was assisted by an excellent team of co-workers including Joseph Nigro and Daniel Slayback of Science Systems Applications Incorporated, Jenny Strum of the University of New Mexico, and Karina Yager, a post doctoral fellow at NASA/GSFC. This report summaries their research activities at Gordion for the field seasons of 2010, 2011, and 2012. Because of the possible use of our findings at Gordion for tomb robbing there and/or the encouragement of potential tomb robbers using our geophysical survey methods to locate areas to loot, we have not published any of our survey results in the open literature nor placed any of these results on any web sites. These 2010- 2012 survey results remain in the confidential archives of the University of Pennsylvania's University Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, the group that leads the Gordion Excavation and Research Project. Excavations are planned for 2013 at Gordion, including several that will be based upon the research results in this report. The site of Gordion in central Turkey, famous as the home of King Midas, whose father's intricately tied knot gave the site its name, also served as the center of the Phrygian kingdom that ruled much of Central Anatolia in Asia Minor during the early first millennium B.C. Gordion has been a University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology excavation project since 1950, yet the site is incompletely published despite six decades of research. The primary obstacles related to the site and its preservation were two problems that NASA technology could address: (1) critical survey errors in the hundreds of maps and plans produced by the earlier excavators, most of which used mutually incompatible geospatial referencing systems, that prevented any systematic understanding of the site; and (2) agricultural

Overview of the family structure in Egypt and its relation to psychiatry.

PubMed

Okasha, Tarek; Elkholy, Hussien; El-Ghamry, Reem

2012-04-01

The family is the basic unit of any society and culture. The concept, structure, and function of the family unit vary considerably across different cultures; however, its role continues to be imperative to the development of individuals and their psychological make-up. All societies have a concept of 'family', its relative importance, structure, and functions; however, this varies according to the particular culture. In the Arabic culture, as well as other collectivistic cultures, the extended family is often regarded as the basic unit. The family is the foundational and basic social unit that fosters the stability, well-being and sustainability of society. The quality of family relationships shapes and influences the social, psychological, and biological development and functioning of its members. This may be especially relevant to individuals with mental health problems. The people of ancient Egypt valued family life highly, and this is the case even now. They treasured children and regarded them as a great blessing. If a couple had no children, they would pray to the gods and goddesses for help. They would also place letters at the tombs of dead relatives asking them to use their influence with the gods. The importance of family has not changed dramatically even though the structures are beginning to. In this paper we highlight changes in family set-up and the state of family therapy in Egypt.

Recognition of Earthquake-Induced Damage in the Abakainon Necropolis (NE Sicily): Results From Geomorphological, Geophysical and Numerical Analyses

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bottari, C.; Albano, M.; Capizzi, P.; D'Alessandro, A.; Doumaz, F.; Martorana, R.; Moro, M.; Saroli, M.

2018-01-01

Seismotectonic activity and slope instability are a permanent threat in the archaeological site of Abakainon and in the nearby village of Tripi in NE Sicily. In recent times, signs of an ancient earthquake have been identified in the necropolis of Abakainon which dating was ascertained to the first century AD earthquake. The site is located on a slope of Peloritani Mts. along the Tindari Fault Line and contains evidence for earthquake-induced landslide, including fallen columns and blocks, horizontal shift and counter slope tilting of the tomb basements. In this paper, we used an integrated geomorphological and geophysical analysis to constrain the landslide. The research was directed to the acquisition of deep geological data for the reconstruction of slope process and the thickness of mobilized materials. The applied geophysical techniques included seismic refraction tomography and electrical resistivity tomography. The surveys were performed to delineate the sliding surface and to assess approximately the thickness of mobilized materials. The geophysical and geomorphologic data confirmed the presence of different overlapped landslides in the studied area. Moreover, a numerical simulation of the slope under seismic loads supports the hypothesis of a mobilization of the landslide mass in case of strong earthquakes (PGA > 0.3 g). However, numerical results highlight that the main cause of destruction for the Abakainon necropolis is the amplification of the seismic waves, occasionally accompanied by surficial sliding.

Paleopathology of Human Tuberculosis and the Potential Role of Climate

PubMed Central

Nerlich, Andreas G.; Lösch, Sandra

2009-01-01

Both origin and evolution of tuberculosis and its pathogens (Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex) are not fully understood. The paleopathological investigation of human remains offers a unique insight into the molecular evolution and spread including correlative data of the environment. The molecular analysis of material from Egypt (3000–500 BC), Sudan (200–600 AD), Hungary (600–1700 AD), Latvia (1200–1600 AD), and South Germany (1400–1800 AD) urprisingly revealed constantly high frequencies of tuberculosis in all different time periods excluding significant environmental influence on tuberculosis spread. The typing of various mycobacteria strains provides evidence for ancestral M. tuberculosis strains in Pre- to early Egyptian dynastic material (3500–2650 BC), while typical M. africanum signatures were detected in a Middle Kingdom tomb (2050–1650 BC). Samples from the New Kingdom to Late Period (1500–500 BC) indicated modern M. tuberculosis strains. No evidence was seen for M. bovis in Egyptian material while M. bovis signatures were first identified in Siberian biomaterial dating 2000 years before present. These results contraindicates the theory that M. tuberculosis evolved from M. bovis during early domestication in the region of the “Fertile Crescent,” but supports the scenario that M. tuberculosis probably derived from an ancestral progenitor strain. The environmental influence of this evolutionary scenario deserves continuing intense evaluation. PMID:19360109

Using Vertical Panoramic Images to Record a Historic Cemetery

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tommaselli, A. M. G.; Polidori, L.; Hasegawa, J. K.; Camargo, P. O.; Hirao, H.; Moraes, M. V. A.; Rissate, E. A., Jr.; Henrique, G. R.; Abreu, P. A. G.; Berveglieri, A.; Marcato, J., Jr.

2013-07-01

In 1919, during colonization of the West Region of São Paulo State, Brazil, the Ogassawara family built a cemetery and a school with donations received from the newspaper Osaka Mainichi Shimbum, in Osaka, Japan. The cemetery was closed by President Getúlio Vargas in 1942, during the Second World War. The architecture of the Japanese cemetery is a unique feature in Latin America. Even considering its historical and cultural relevance, there is a lack of geometric documentation about the location and features of the tombs and other buildings within the cemetery. As an alternative to provide detailed and fast georeferenced information about the area, it is proposed to use near vertical panoramic images taken with a digital camera with fisheye lens as the primary data followed by bundle adjustment and photogrammetric restitution. The aim of this paper is to present a feasibility study on the proposed technique with the assessment of the results with a strip of five panoramic images, taken over some graves in the Japanese cemetery. The results showed that a plant in a scale of 1 : 200 can be produced with photogrammetric restitution at a very low cost, when compared to topographic surveying or laser scanning. The paper will address the main advantages of this technique as well as its drawbacks, with quantitative analysis of the results achieved in this experiment.

Preconquest Peruvian neurosurgeons: a study of Inca and pre-Columbian trephination and the art of medicine in ancient Peru.

PubMed

Marino, R; Gonzales-Portillo, M

2000-10-01

Trephination and craniotomy performed by abrasion, scraping, crosscut sawing, and drilling are the oldest known surgical techniques used by primitive peoples. As a result of archaeological findings, the human skull is the most frequently studied part of the excavated body, leading to the creation of a new aspect of anthropology known as "cultural osteology." Found in ancient tombs, the human remains, mummies, skeletons, and their belongings, including war instruments, pottery, clothing, jewels, and surgical instruments, constitute the richest source of insight into the lives and pragmatic activities of ancient cultures. This study summarizes thousands of years of pre-Columbian history and medical evolution, specifically in the early and primitive practice of trephination, as precursors of neurosurgery. Comparative osteology studies have demonstrated that using primitive stone or metal instruments, the sirkaks (Inca surgeons) achieved an average survival rate of 50 to 70% of their craniectomy patients, with little incidence of infection or other complications. Despite their rudimentary knowledge of disease and pathology, a considerable knowledge of anatomy and natural medicine provided them with hemostatic agents, antiseptics, and other medical drugs, such as quinine for fever and malaria, as well as gold, silver, and other products to perform cranioplasties. Living in a world of continuous hand-to-hand combat, they also developed aggressive and defensive weapons that necessitated refinement of surgical techniques to save soldiers from battle wounds to their poorly protected crania.

a Study of Sasin-Animal Sky Map on Chonmunryucho

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, Hong-Jin; Park, Myeong-Gu

2003-03-01

Chon-Mun-Ryu-Cho, written (edited) by Lee Sun-Ji during the period of King Se-Jong, is a representative astronomy book of Cho-Sun (A.D. 1392 -1910) Dynasty. We find and study in the first page of the book; the description of 28 oriental constellations as a Sasin (four mythical oriental animals)-animal sky map which is not widely known yet. The map consists of four groups of constellations, each of which represents the Sasin: Chang-Ryong (dragon), Baek-Ho (tigers with Ki-Rin [Oriental giraffe]), Ju-Jak (Chinese phoenix), Hyun-Mu (a tortoise interwined with a snake). Each group (animals) spans 2˜7 of 28 oriental constellations As we know from the illustration of the Chon-Sang-Yol-Cha-Bun-Ya-Ji-Do a representative sky map of Cho-Sun Dynasty, astronomy in Cho-Sun Dynasty is closely related to that in Go-Gu-Ryer (B.C. 37 -A.D. 668) Dynasty. Since these Sasin-animals appear in most mural paintings of Go-Gu-Ryer tombs, visualization of sky with these animal constellations could have been established as early as in Go-Gu-Ryer Dynasty. We also reconstruct this ''A Sasin-animal Korean sky map'' based on the shapes of the Sasin and Ki-Rin from Go-Gu-Ryer paintings and 28 oriental constellations in Chon-Sang-Yol-Cha-Bun-Ya-Ji-Do.

Sacred Space in Community settlement of Kudus Kulon, Central Java, Indonesia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Budi Sardjono, Agung; Rochma Harani, Arnis

2017-12-01

The sacred space becomes an important part of the spatial layout of Javanese society, as well as in most houses of the archipelago. This space is related to religious activities, highly respected and usually located in the main place. Kudus Kulon community is a part of Javanese culture in the northern coastal area of Java. Known as a devout Muslim society, sacred space in Kudus Kulon community house becomes an important thing to understand the culture of living in society. The research was conducted by looking at the religious activities of the community and how the space of activity is realized. The research was conducted by qualitative research method. In the Kudus Kulon community, sacred spaces are available in the house itself, in the community grup of houses, and around Kudus Kulon area. In every house, the sacred space can be found in Gedongan and extends to Dalem. In the community group of houses, the sacred space can be found in the neighbourhood praying area, while In Kudus Kulon area, it can be found in Mosque complex and Tower tomb. Physically sacred space is realized by raising the floor height of the space around it. In architectural view, the sacred space is seen on the elevation of the roof or roof angle. Spatially the sacred space occupies a central position and visually represented by a vertical orientation.

Genetic examination of the putative skull of Jan Kochanowski reveals its female sex

PubMed Central

Kupiec, Tomasz; Branicki, Wojciech

2011-01-01

We report the results of genetic examination of the putative skull of Jan Kochanowski (1530-1584), a great Polish renaissance poet. The skull was retrieved in 1791 by historian Tadeusz Czacki from the Kochanowski family tomb and became the property of the Czartoryskis Museum in Krakow. An anthropological study in 1926 questioned its male origin, which raised doubts about its authenticity. Our report presents genetic evidence that resolves this dispute. From the sole tooth we obtained a sufficient amount of DNA to perform the analysis of nuclear markers. The analysis of the sex-informative part of intron 1 in amelogenin, genotyped using AmpFiSTR® NGM PCR Amplification Kit and Powerplex® ESI17 Kit human identification systems, revealed the female origin of the tooth. The female origin was further confirmed by the analysis of a portion of amelogenin intron 2, a microsatellite marker located on the X chromosome, as well as by a lack of signal from Y chromosomal microsatellite markers and the sex-determining region Y marker. Data obtained for two hypervariable regions, HVI and HVII, in mitochondrial DNA showed that mtDNA haplotype was relatively frequent among contemporary Europeans. The analysis of a set of single nucleotide polymorphisms relevant for prediction of the iris color indicated an 87% probability that the woman had hazel or brown eye color. PMID:21674838

Space Exploration

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gallagher, Dennis

2017-01-01

New range Passage Tomb may be the first structure with known astronomical significance. It was built around 3,200 B.C. in Ireland. It's central passage allows light end-to-end for about 2 weeks around winter solstice. The Sun, Moon, Planets, and Stars held significance in early times due to the seasons, significance for food crops, and mythology. Citation: Corel Photography and Windows to the Universe The Greek may be among the first to pursue analytical interpretations of what they saw in the sky. In about 280 B.C. Aristarchus suggested Earth revolves around the Sun and estimated the distance between. Around 130 B.C. Hipparchus developed the first accurate star map. Today still seek to understand how the universe formed and how we came to be and are we alone. Understanding the causes and consequences of climate change using advanced space missions with major Earth science and applications research. center dotFire the public imagination and inspire students to pursue STEM fields. Train college and graduate students to create a U.S. technical workforce with employees that embody the values of competence, innovation, and service. center dotDrive the technical innovations that enable exploration and become the engine of National economic growth. center dotPartner domestically and internationally to leverage resources to extend the reach of research.

Genetic examination of the putative skull of Jan Kochanowski reveals its female sex.

PubMed

Kupiec, Tomasz; Branicki, Wojciech

2011-06-01

We report the results of genetic examination of the putative skull of Jan Kochanowski (1530-1584), a great Polish renaissance poet. The skull was retrieved in 1791 by historian Tadeusz Czacki from the Kochanowski family tomb and became the property of the Czartoryskis Museum in Krakow. An anthropological study in 1926 questioned its male origin, which raised doubts about its authenticity. Our report presents genetic evidence that resolves this dispute. From the sole tooth we obtained a sufficient amount of DNA to perform the analysis of nuclear markers. The analysis of the sex-informative part of intron 1 in amelogenin, genotyped using AmpFiSTR® NGM PCR Amplification Kit and Powerplex® ESI17 Kit human identification systems, revealed the female origin of the tooth. The female origin was further confirmed by the analysis of a portion of amelogenin intron 2, a microsatellite marker located on the X chromosome, as well as by a lack of signal from Y chromosomal microsatellite markers and the sex-determining region Y marker. Data obtained for two hypervariable regions, HVI and HVII, in mitochondrial DNA showed that mtDNA haplotype was relatively frequent among contemporary Europeans. The analysis of a set of single nucleotide polymorphisms relevant for prediction of the iris color indicated an 87% probability that the woman had hazel or brown eye color.

The Restoration and Conservation of Egyptian Alabaster Vessels from the Early ERA in Atfiyah Museum Store - Helwan - Egypt

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Radi Abdel Kader, R.; Sayed Mohamed, S.

2013-07-01

Egypt is considered one of the most countries which contain a lot of cultural heritage; the Ancient Egyptian used a lot of stones for his life like: limestone, sandstone, granite and Egyptian Alabaster. The Egyptian Alabaster is used for his daily and eternal life, he made a lot of funerary furniture from this stone like: vessels, statues, Architectural elements in the temples, tombs and canopic jars to preserve his viscera from decomposition like: stomach, liver … etc in the mummification process. Egyptian Alabaster is a sedimentary rock especially chemical- origin sedimentary rocks, it deposits inside caves and around springs which consists of calcium carbonates (CaCO3), they are very fragile "hardness = 3 in Mohs hardness scale". The Egyptian Alabaster vessels expose to a lot of deterioration factors in the burial and exposure environment after excavation. The study case vessels are made of Egyptian alabaster stone and belong to the early era (First and second Egyptian dynasties) in Atfiyah museum store, these vessels exposed to a lot of deterioration factors in the burial and exposure environment like: soil pressure, air temperature variety, relative humidity and salts. The vessels are conserved at the restoration laboratory in Atfiyah museum store by a lot of restoration and conservation processes like: cleaning - consolidation - assembling process for the separated parts and completion for the lost parts.

The significance of petroleum bitumen in ancient Egyptian mummies

PubMed Central

Clark, K. A.; Ikram, S.

2016-01-01

Mummification was practised in ancient Egypt for more than 3000 years, emerging from initial observations of buried bodies preserved by natural desiccation. The use of organic balms (and other funerary practices) was a later introduction necessitated by more humid burial environments, especially tombs. The dark colour of many mummies led to the assumption that petroleum bitumen (or natural asphalt) was ubiquitous in mummification; however, this has been questioned for more than 100 years. We test this by investigating 91 materials comprising balms, tissues and textiles from 39 mummies dating from ca 3200 BC to AD 395. Targeted petroleum bitumen biomarker (steranes and hopanes) analyses by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry selected ion monitoring (GC-MS SIM, m/z 217 and 191) showed no detectable bitumen use before the New Kingdom (ca 1550–1070 BC). However, bitumen was used in 50% of New Kingdom to Late Period mummies, rising to 87% of Ptolemaic/Roman Period mummies. Quantitative determinations using 14C analyses reveal that even at peak use balms were never more than 45% w/w bitumen. Critically, the dark colour of balms can be simulated by heating/ageing mixtures of fats, resins and beeswax known to be used in balms. The application of black/dark brown balms to bodies was deliberate after the New Kingdom reflecting changing funerary beliefs and shifts in religious ideology. This article is part of the themed issue ‘Quantitative mass spectrometry’. PMID:27644983

Wood Usage and Fire Veneration in the Pamir, Xinjiang, 2500 yr BP.

PubMed

Shen, Hui; Wu, Xinhua; Tang, Zihua; Zhou, Xinying; Sun, Nan; Li, Xiaoqiang

2015-01-01

Located on the Pamir Plateau in Xinjiang Province, China, the Ji'erzankale Necropolis dates back to 2500 yr BP. Many materials that have been unearthed in this cemetery, including shoo konghou (musical instrument), bronze mirrors and glass beads, suggest cultural transference between East and West. Furthermore, small-sized and rounded fire altars made from sweet-scented Sabina were found for the first time and regarded as implements for fire veneration. We identified 70 wooden objects from 25 tombs within the Necropolis, and found that each object had been made from one of seven tree species. Analysis revealed that the inhabitants of the region mainly used the most widely available types of wood, namely Betula and Populus. People also specifically chose inflammable Populus wood to make hearth boards and hand drills (both are used for making fire by drilling), rigid Betula wood to craft wooden plates. Salix was used for fashioning wooden sticks, while sweet-scented Sabina was the preferred choice for making fire altars. Lonicera was selected for arrow shaft manufacture and Fraxinus syriaca, which has a beautiful grain, was chosen for making musical instruments. Conscious selection of different types of wood indicates that people of the Pamir Plateau were aware of the properties of various types of timbers, and were able to exploit these properties to the full. In turn, this demonstrates their wisdom and their ability to survive in, and adapt to, their local environment.

The privileged burial of the Pava Pieve (Siena, 8th Century AD).

PubMed

Ricci, Paola; Mongelli, Valeria; Vitiello, Angelica; Campana, Stefano; Sirignano, Carmina; Rubino, Mauro; Fornaciari, Gino; Lubritto, Carmine

2012-10-30

The 6(th) archaeological excavation campaign performed at the 'Pieve di Pava' (San Giovanni d'Asso, Siena, Italy) unearthed a privileged stone burial of a single individual (US 2378), covered by a monolithic slab and placed in front of an altar. The skeletal remains of a young male (18-20 years old), not in anatomical connection, were found at the bottom floor of a tomb (160 cm long, 40 cm large and over 70 cm deep). A multidisciplinary study has been carried out concerning that privileged bone burial. The study combines paleopathology studies, stable isotope palaeodietary reconstruction, radiocarbon dating and archaeological analyses. (14)  C dating of the skeleton revealed a date between 650 and 688 AD. Stable isotope analysis (δ(18) O, δ(13) C, δ(15) N) attested that he was probably a member of the local population, whose diet was rather rich in animal proteins. The paleopathological study diagnosed a case of acromesomelic dysplasia, a congenital anomaly with disproportion of the limbs. Archaeological evidence regarding the circular delimitation of the bones suggested that the skeleton was a secondary deposition, transported to the church in a sack. We argue that the relic was used for the re-consecration of the church, following the restoration work in the 8(th) century. We conclude that the skeleton belonged to an eminent personage (e.g., either the member of a local elite family or a saint). Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Recent extreme rainfall-induced landslides and government countermeasures in Korea

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, Su-Gon; Hencher, Stephen

2013-04-01

During 2011 a large number of landslides occurred in South Korea as a result of heavy rainfall (160~300mm/day) which fell between 19 June and 27 July. Fifty eight people were killed and 200 injured at 11 locations. Almost 80% of the fatal landslides can be attributed at least in part to human activities such as an army camp, pedestrian road, forest road, cemetery, tomb, irrigation for vegetable garden and fruit farm. This paper addresses the anthropogenic influences on recent landslides in Korea. In addition, this paper discusses the Korean government countermeasures related to landslides. Restoration works tends to start immediately without design reports and without investigating the causes of landslides. Restoration works tend to comprise simple erosion control such as hard-covering to failure surfaces and the provision of check dams. These measures are implemented without any input from specialist geotechnical engineers. Persons injured or subject to economic loss as a result of landslides have often taken legal action against the Korean government. The most usual result is that experts appointed by the courts side with Government and simply conclude that the disasters are the natural consequence of heavy rainfall. As a result claimants have generally lost their cases and received no compensation. Furthermore, because of the lack of proper investigations there are no lessons learned from past landslides and no department has been established within the Korean government, tasked with reducing landslide risk.

The significance of petroleum bitumen in ancient Egyptian mummies.

PubMed

Clark, K A; Ikram, S; Evershed, R P

2016-10-28

Mummification was practised in ancient Egypt for more than 3000 years, emerging from initial observations of buried bodies preserved by natural desiccation. The use of organic balms (and other funerary practices) was a later introduction necessitated by more humid burial environments, especially tombs. The dark colour of many mummies led to the assumption that petroleum bitumen (or natural asphalt) was ubiquitous in mummification; however, this has been questioned for more than 100 years. We test this by investigating 91 materials comprising balms, tissues and textiles from 39 mummies dating from ca 3200 BC to AD 395. Targeted petroleum bitumen biomarker (steranes and hopanes) analyses by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry selected ion monitoring (GC-MS SIM, m/z 217 and 191) showed no detectable bitumen use before the New Kingdom (ca 1550-1070 BC). However, bitumen was used in 50% of New Kingdom to Late Period mummies, rising to 87% of Ptolemaic/Roman Period mummies. Quantitative determinations using (14)C analyses reveal that even at peak use balms were never more than 45% w/w bitumen. Critically, the dark colour of balms can be simulated by heating/ageing mixtures of fats, resins and beeswax known to be used in balms. The application of black/dark brown balms to bodies was deliberate after the New Kingdom reflecting changing funerary beliefs and shifts in religious ideology.This article is part of the themed issue 'Quantitative mass spectrometry'. © 2016 The Authors.

The Arabic Scale of Death Anxiety (ASDA): its development, validation, and results in three Arab countries.

PubMed

Abdel-Khalek, Ahmed M

2004-06-01

The Arabic Scale of Death Anxiety (ASDA) was constructed and validated in a sample of undergraduates (17-33 yrs) in 3 Arab countries, Egypt (n = 418), Kuwait (n = 509), and Syria (n = 709). In its final form, the ASDA consists of 20 statements. Each item is answered on a 5-point intensity scale anchored by 1: No, and 5: Very much. Alpha reliabilities ranged from .88 to .93, and item-remainder correlations ranged between .27 and .74; the 1-week test-retest reliability was .90 (Egyptians only), denoting high internal consistency and stability. The correlations between the ASDA and Templer's DAS ranged from .60 to .74 denoting high convergent validity of the ASDA against the DAS in the 3 Arab countries. Four factors were extracted in the Egyptian sample and labeled "Fear of dead people and tombs", "Fear of postmortem events", "Fear of lethal disease", and "death preoccupation". The first two factors were almost completely identical in the three countries. The item, "I fear the torture of the grave", had a very high mean score. There were significant correlations between the ASDA and death depression, death obsession, reasons for death fear, and general anxiety, depression, obsession-compulsion, neuroticism, and being a female. All female groups attained significantly higher mean ASDA scores than their male counterparts. Kuwaitis had higher mean ASDA total scores, in comparison with their Egyptian and Syrian counterparts, whereas female Syrians attained the lowest mean ASDA total score in proportion to their female peers.

Shallow subsurface structures and geotechnical characteristics of Tal El-Amarna area, middle Egypt

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Toni, Mostafa; Hosny, Ahmed; Attia, Mohsen M.; Hassoup, Awad; El-Sharkawy, Amr

2013-12-01

The shallow seismic refraction profiling was carried out at 18 sites in Tal El-Amarna, which is a flat area on the eastern bank of the Nile River, 50 km south of El Minia Governorate, middle Egypt. The collected data are used to estimate the P-wave velocity and to delineate the near-surface ground model beneath the study area. This study is supported by the National Research Institute of Astronomy and Geophysics due to the historical interest of the Tal El-Amarna area as a famous tourist place where there exist many Pharaoh temples and tombs. This area is low seismically active, but it is probably of high vulnerability due to the influence of the local geological conditions on earthquake ground motion, as well as the presence of poor constructions in the absence of various issues such as building designs, quality of building materials, etc. Another dataset at the study area is obtained by multi-channel passive source (microtremor) measurements, which have been recorded at four arrays. The frequency-wavenumber (f-k) method was used to derive the dispersion curves from the raw signals at each array. The resulted dispersion curves were inverted using the neighborhood algorithm to obtain the shear and P-wave velocity models. The concluded Vs and Vp values provide a preliminary estimation of the geotechnical parameters and site classification for the shallow soil as they are of great interest in civil engineering applications.

Bronze rainbow hologram mirrors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dawson, P.

2006-02-01

This project draws on holographic embossing techniques, ancient artistic conventions of bronze mirror design and modelling and casting processes to accomplish portraiture of reflection. Laser scanning, 3D computer graphics and holographic imaging are employed to enable a permanent 3D static holographic image to appear integrated with the real-time moving reflection of a viewer's face in a polished bronze disc. The disc and the figure which holds it (caryatid) are cast in bronze from a lost wax model, a technique which has been used for millennia to make personal mirrors. The Caryatid form of bronze mirror which went through many permutations in ancient Egyptian, Greece and Rome shows a plethora of expressive figure poses ranging from sleek nudes to highly embellished multifigure arrangements. The prototype of this series was made for Australian choreographer Graeme Murphy, Artistic Director of the Sydney Dance Company. Each subsequent mirror will be unique in figure and holographic imagery as arranged between artist and subject. Conceptually this project references both the modern experience of viewing mirrors retrieved from ancient tombs, which due to deterioration of the surface no longer reflect, and the functioning of Chinese Magic mirrors, which have the ability to project a predetermined image. Inspired by the metaphorical potential of these mirrors, which do not reflect the immediate reality of the viewer, this bronze hologram mirror series enables each viewer to reflect upon himself or herself observing simultaneously the holographic image and their own partially obliterated reflection.

Bacillus Endospores Isolated from Granite: Close Molecular Relationships to Globally Distributed Bacillus spp. from Endolithic and Extreme Environments

PubMed Central

Fajardo-Cavazos, Patricia; Nicholson, Wayne

2006-01-01

As part of an ongoing effort to catalog spore-forming bacterial populations in environments conducive to interplanetary transfer by natural impacts or by human spaceflight activities, spores of Bacillus spp. were isolated and characterized from the interior of near-subsurface granite rock collected from the Santa Catalina Mountains, AZ. Granite was found to contain ∼500 cultivable Bacillus spores and ∼104 total cultivable bacteria per gram. Many of the Bacillus isolates produced a previously unreported diffusible blue fluorescent compound. Two strains of eight tested exhibited increased spore UV resistance relative to a standard Bacillus subtilis UV biodosimetry strain. Fifty-six isolates were identified by repetitive extragenic palindromic PCR (rep-PCR) and 16S rRNA gene analysis as most closely related to B. megaterium (15 isolates), B. simplex (23 isolates), B. drentensis (6 isolates), B. niacini (7 isolates), and, likely, a new species related to B. barbaricus (5 isolates). Granite isolates were very closely related to a limited number of Bacillus spp. previously found to inhabit (i) globally distributed endolithic sites such as biodeteriorated murals, stone tombs, underground caverns, and rock concretions and (ii) extreme environments such as Antarctic soils, deep sea floor sediments, and spacecraft assembly facilities. Thus, it appears that the occurrence of Bacillus spp. in endolithic or extreme environments is not accidental but that these environments create unique niches excluding most Bacillus spp. but to which a limited number of Bacillus spp. are specifically adapted. PMID:16597992

Wood Usage and Fire Veneration in the Pamir, Xinjiang, 2500 yr BP

PubMed Central

Shen, Hui; Wu, Xinhua; Tang, Zihua; Zhou, Xinying; Sun, Nan; Li, Xiaoqiang

2015-01-01

Located on the Pamir Plateau in Xinjiang Province, China, the Ji’erzankale Necropolis dates back to 2500 yr BP. Many materials that have been unearthed in this cemetery, including shoo konghou (musical instrument), bronze mirrors and glass beads, suggest cultural transference between East and West. Furthermore, small-sized and rounded fire altars made from sweet-scented Sabina were found for the first time and regarded as implements for fire veneration. We identified 70 wooden objects from 25 tombs within the Necropolis, and found that each object had been made from one of seven tree species. Analysis revealed that the inhabitants of the region mainly used the most widely available types of wood, namely Betula and Populus. People also specifically chose inflammable Populus wood to make hearth boards and hand drills (both are used for making fire by drilling), rigid Betula wood to craft wooden plates. Salix was used for fashioning wooden sticks, while sweet-scented Sabina was the preferred choice for making fire altars. Lonicera was selected for arrow shaft manufacture and Fraxinus syriaca, which has a beautiful grain, was chosen for making musical instruments. Conscious selection of different types of wood indicates that people of the Pamir Plateau were aware of the properties of various types of timbers, and were able to exploit these properties to the full. In turn, this demonstrates their wisdom and their ability to survive in, and adapt to, their local environment. PMID:26308646

A genetic investigation of Korean mummies from the Joseon Dynasty.

PubMed

Kim, Na Young; Lee, Hwan Young; Park, Myung Jin; Yang, Woo Ick; Shin, Kyoung-Jin

2011-01-01

Two Korean mummies (Danwoong-mirra and Yoon-mirra) found in medieval tombs in the central region of the Korean peninsula were genetically investigated by analysis of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA), Y-chromosomal short tandem repeat (Y-STR) and the ABO gene. Danwoong-mirra is a male child mummy and Yoon-mirra is a pregnant female mummy, dating back about 550 and 450 years, respectively. DNA was extracted from soft tissues or bones. mtDNA, Y-STR and the ABO gene were amplified using a small size amplicon strategy and were analyzed according to the criteria of ancient DNA analysis to ensure that authentic DNA typing results were obtained from these ancient samples. Analysis of mtDNA hypervariable region sequence and coding region single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) information revealed that Danwoong-mirra and Yoon-mirra belong to the East Asian mtDNA haplogroups D4 and M7c, respectively. The Y-STRs were analyzed in the male child mummy (Danwoong-mirra) using the AmpFlSTR® Yfiler PCR Amplification Kit and an in-house Y-miniplex plus system, and could be characterized in 4 loci with small amplicon size. The analysis of ABO gene SNPs using multiplex single base extension methods revealed that the ABO blood types of Danwoong-mirra and Yoon-mirra are AO01 and AB, respectively. The small size amplicon strategy and the authentication process in the present study will be effectively applicable to future genetic analyses of various forensic and ancient samples.

Histological analysis on the medieval mummy in Korea.

PubMed

Shin, Dong Hoon; Youn, Minyoung; Chang, Byung Soo

2003-11-26

Recently, there have been some reports on the mummies from the medieval tombs in Korea, which were not made on purpose. Although these mummies could be an invaluable source for the studies on the physical state of medieval Koreans, there were not any reports on this subject until now. In this study, we first tried to investigate the various tissues using light- and electron-microscopic techniques. In the organs we have examined, even though the collagen fibers were profusely found within all of them, some types of cells, such as red blood cells, chondrocytes, hepatocyte and muscle cells, were also visible in various tissues. The histological characteristics of the current case seemed to be well matched with the previous study in general even though there were also somewhat different findings from the previous reports on the mummies. Although the cause of the mummification in Korea was not completely explained, we think that the cause in this case could be correlated with cultural aspects--not with natural conditions--because the mummies were only found in cases where the lime-soil barrier was maintained until their discovery, and which separated the inner space of the coffins from the outer space. As similar cases are frequently reported nowadays, invaluable data on the physical status of the medieval Koreans could be attainable if systemic investigation could be performed on similar cases which are found in the future.

Post-closure care of engineered municipal solid waste landfills.

PubMed

Bagchi, Amalendu; Bhattacharya, Abhik

2015-03-01

Post-closure care is divided into perpetual care (PPC) and long-term care (LTC). Guidelines for post-closure care and associated costs are important for engineered municipal solid waste (MSW) landfills. In many states in the USA, landfill owners are required to set aside funds for 30-40 years of LTC. Currently there are no guidelines for PPC, which is also required. We undertook a pilot study, using two landfills (note: average landfill capacity 2.5 million MT MSW waste) in Wisconsin, to establish an approach for estimating the LTC period using field data and PPC funding need. Statistical analysis of time versus concentration data of selected leachate parameters showed that the concentration of most parameters is expected to be at or below the preventive action limit of groundwater and leachate volume will be very low, within 40 years of the LTC period. The gas extraction system may need to be continued for more than 100 years. Due to lack of data no conclusion could be made regarding adequacy of the LTC period for the groundwater monitoring system. The final cover must be maintained for perpetuity. The pilot study shows that although technology is available, the financial liability of maintaining a 'Dry Tomb' design for landfills is significantly higher than commonly perceived. The paper will help landfill professionals to estimate realistic post-closure funding and to develop field-based policies for LTC and PPC of engineered MSW landfills. © The Author(s) 2015.

A western Eurasian male is found in 2000-year-old elite Xiongnu cemetery in Northeast Mongolia.

PubMed

Kim, Kijeong; Brenner, Charles H; Mair, Victor H; Lee, Kwang-Ho; Kim, Jae-Hyun; Gelegdorj, Eregzen; Batbold, Natsag; Song, Yi-Chung; Yun, Hyeung-Won; Chang, Eun-Jeong; Lkhagvasuren, Gavaachimed; Bazarragchaa, Munkhtsetseg; Park, Ae-Ja; Lim, Inja; Hong, Yun-Pyo; Kim, Wonyong; Chung, Sang-In; Kim, Dae-Jin; Chung, Yoon-Hee; Kim, Sung-Su; Lee, Won-Bok; Kim, Kyung-Yong

2010-07-01

We analyzed mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA), Y-chromosome single nucleotide polymorphisms (Y-SNP), and autosomal short tandem repeats (STR) of three skeletons found in a 2,000-year-old Xiongnu elite cemetery in Duurlig Nars of Northeast Mongolia. This study is one of the first reports of the detailed genetic analysis of ancient human remains using the three types of genetic markers. The DNA analyses revealed that one subject was an ancient male skeleton with maternal U2e1 and paternal R1a1 haplogroups. This is the first genetic evidence that a male of distinctive Indo-European lineages (R1a1) was present in the Xiongnu of Mongolia. This might indicate an Indo-European migration into Northeast Asia 2,000 years ago. Other specimens are a female with mtDNA haplogroup D4 and a male with Y-SNP haplogroup C3 and mtDNA haplogroup D4. Those haplogroups are common in Northeast Asia. There was no close kinship among them. The genetic evidence of U2e1 and R1a1 may help to clarify the migration patterns of Indo-Europeans and ancient East-West contacts of the Xiongnu Empire. Artifacts in the tombs suggested that the Xiongnu had a system of the social stratification. The West Eurasian male might show the racial tolerance of the Xiongnu Empire and some insight into the Xiongnu society. (c) 2010 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Earth observations taken during STS-83 mission

NASA Image and Video Library

2016-08-12

STS083-748-066 (4-8 April 1997) --- Luxor, Qus, and Qina, Egypt on the Nile. The Nile, which is about 4,132 miles long, is the longest river in the world. This photo demonstrates the dependency of the local agriculture on the River. This area is the historic area of ancient Thebes. Luxor, also called EL-AKSUR, or AL-UQSUR, a market town along the southern part of the Nile's curve, is located on the southern half of the ruins of Thebes. Ancient Thebes was about six miles square; the main part of the city was situated along the Nile's east bank; along the west bank was "the city of the dead" -- an area containing the Egyptian kings' mortuary temples and the houses of those priests, soldiers, craftsmen, and laborers who were devoted to their service. Qina, extending 3 - 4 miles (5 - 6 kilometers) on each side of the Nile River between the Arabian and Libyan deserts, is seen on the northeast part of the rivers curve. Occupying the great bend in the Nile Valley, it has an area of 715 square miles (1,851 square kilometers) and contains the celebrated ruins of Thebes and the Valley of the Tombs of the Kings. Qina has a dense agricultural population (more than 3,000 persons per square mile), and most of its land is under basin irrigation, yielding only one crop annually. Main crops are sugar (about three-fifths of the nation's production), lentils, and grains.

Death Anxiety, Reliability, Validity, and Factorial Structure of the Farsi Form of the Arabic Scale of Death Anxiety in Iranian Old-Aged Persons

PubMed Central

Dadfar, Mahboubeh; Lester, David

2016-01-01

The present study is aimed at examining the level of death anxiety and the sex-related differences among old-aged Iranian individuals sample to compare the old-aged persons with young college students and to explore the psychometric properties of the Arabic Scale of Death Anxiety (ASDA) factors in old-aged sample. A sample of 146 volunteer Iranian individuals took part in the study. The mean ages were 68.58 (SD = 7.10), men 68.81 (SD = 7.44) and women 68.28 (SD = 6.76), respectively. The mean score of the ASDA was 51.09 (SD = 20.19). Cronbach's alpha of the ASDA was found to be high (0.94); and Spearman-Brown coefficient was 0.92. Women had a significantly higher mean total score on the ASDA. Old-aged individuals had a significantly higher mean ASDA total score than younger college students (M age = 25.77). The factor analysis of the ASDA items yielded three factors accounting for 67.88% of the total variance labeled (F1) fear of dead people and tombs; (F2) fear of lethal disease and postmortem events; and (F3) death fear. These factors were highly replicable with previous factors extracted from a middle-aged Kuwaiti sample. On the basis of the present results, there are the following three general conclusions: death anxiety is not significantly correlated with age; the sex-related differences on death anxiety are striking in the Iranian samples; and the ASDA has a highly replicable factor structure among two Iranian and Arab countries. PMID:27867662

Acute traumatic death of a 17th century general based on examination of mummified remains found in Korea.

PubMed

Lee, In Sun; Lee, Eun-Joo; Park, Jun Bum; Baek, Seung Hee; Oh, Chang Seok; Lee, Soong Deok; Kim, Yi-Suk; Bok, Gi Dae; Hong, Jung Won; Lim, Do-Sun; Shin, Myung Ho; Seo, Min; Shin, Dong Hoon

2009-06-01

Recently, we examined one of the most perfectly preserved mummies of the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910) ever found in Korea. The individual was an elderly man and a high-ranking general who had lived sometime during the 16th or 17th century in Korea. When computerized tomography (CT) radiographs were taken, a fracture line was observed on the left side of the mandible. A post-factum dissection also provided crucial clues to the cause of death. First of all, blood clots were still evident at the fracture site, indicating that the mandibular fracture had occurred just before death. Second, we also found feces exclusively in the sigmoid colon or rectum, but not in the stomach, small intestine or colon. This told us that our subject had not eaten anything during his final 2 days (even though there was no indication that he would have had any difficulty eating during that time). Therefore, we presume that this case might not be one of chronic or wasting disease, but rather a case of sudden death. By virtue of the varied specialties of the researchers involved in this study, we were able to piece together a partly very clear and partly very plausible story for our 17th century mummy subject. Considering the high level of preservation of remains and artifacts found in lime soil mixture barrier (LSMB) tombs, not to mention the rich supplementary information available from historical documents, similarly successful studies are promised in forthcoming days and years.

Comparison of measuring strategies for the 3-D electrical resistivity imaging of tumuli

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tsourlos, Panagiotis; Papadopoulos, Nikos; Yi, Myeong-Jong; Kim, Jung-Ho; Tsokas, Gregory

2014-02-01

Artificial erected hills like tumuli, mounds, barrows and kurgans comprise monuments of the past human activity and offer opportunities to reconstruct habitation models regarding the life and customs during their building period. These structures also host features of archeological significance like architectural relics, graves or chamber tombs. Tumulus exploration is a challenging geophysical problem due to the complex distribution of the subsurface physical properties, the size and burial depth of potential relics and the uneven topographical terrain. Geoelectrical methods by means of three-dimensional (3-D) inversion are increasingly popular for tumulus investigation. Typically data are obtained by establishing a regular rectangular grid and assembling the data collected by parallel two-dimensional (2-D) tomographies. In this work the application of radial 3-D mode is studied, which is considered as the assembly of data collected by radially positioned Electrical Resistivity Tomography (ERT) lines. The relative advantages and disadvantages of this measuring mode over the regular grid measurements were investigated and optimum ways to perform 3-D ERT surveys for tumuli investigations were proposed. Comparative test was performed by means of synthetic examples as well as by tests with field data. Overall all tested models verified the superiority of the radial mode in delineating bodies positioned at the central part of the tumulus while regular measuring mode proved superior in recovering bodies positioned away from the center of the tumulus. The combined use of radial and regular modes seems to produce superior results in the expense of time required for data acquisition and processing.

Earth Observation

NASA Image and Video Library

2012-07-25

ISS032-E-009123 (26 July 2012) --- Pyramids at Giza, Egypt are featured in this image photographed by an Expedition 32 crew member on the International Space Station. The Great Pyramids at Giza (center) are the last of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, and are perhaps the most famous of the ancient monuments in the Nile River Delta region of Egypt. They are also a favorite subject of photography from orbit ? particularly when high resolution imagery can be obtained. The southeast-facing sides of the pyramids of the pharaohs Khufu, Khafre, and Menkaure are all brightly illuminated by the sun, while the northwest facing sides are in shadow. This shadowing also highlights smaller unfinished pyramids to the south of Menkaure?s pyramid, as well as fields of rectangular flat roofed mastabas (tombs) to the east and west of Khufu?s pyramid. While not as grand as the pyramids, mastabas were the burial places of prominent persons during the periods of the ancient pharaohs. To the southeast of Khufu?s pyramid, the head and rear haunches of the Sphinx are also visible (albeit not clearly). It is a short distance between the glories of ancient Egypt and the modern Cairo metropolitan area to the north and east. The green vegetation of a hotel golf course (center left), and the numerous building and streets of El Giza, provide stark contrast to the bare rock and soil of the adjacent desert. Roadways visible in the desert (right) connect the urban regions to the east with further development to the north.

On the history of gout: paleopathological evidence from the Medici family of Florence.

PubMed

Giuffra, Valentina; Minozzi, Simona; Vitiello, Angelica; Fornaciari, Antonio

2017-01-01

Throughout history, gout has been referred to as the "disease of the kings", and has been clearly associated with the lifestyle of the aristocratic social classes. According to the written sources, several members of the famous Medici family of Florence suffered from an arthritic disease that contemporary physicians called "gout". A paleopathological study carried out on the skeletal remains of some members of the family, exhumed from their tombs in the Church of San Lorenzo in Florence, offered a unique opportunity to directly investigate the evidence of the arthritic diseases affecting this elite group. The skeletal remains of several members of the family were examined macroscopically and submitted to x-ray investigation. The results of the study allowed us to ascertain that the so-called "gout of the Medici" should be considered the clinical manifestation of three different joint conditions: diffuse idiopathic skeletal hyperostosis, rheumatoid arthritis and uratic gout. In particular, uric acid gout was diagnosed in the Grand Duke Ferdinand I (1549-1609). Recently, a new case of this disease was diagnosed in Anton Francesco Maria (1618-1659), a probable illegitimate member of the family. With this new case, uratic gout was observed in 2 out of 9 adult males, leading to suppose that the disease should have been a common health problem within the family. The aetiology of the disease has to be searched in environmental factors, since both historical and paleonutritional studies demonstrated that the diet of this aristocratic court was rich in meat and wine.

Durability of metals from archaeological objects, metal meteorites, and native metals

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

Johnson, A.B. Jr.; Francis, B.

1980-01-01

Metal durability is an important consideration in the multi-barrier nuclear waste storage concept. This study summarizes the ancient metals, the environments, and factors which appear to have contributed to metal longevity. Archaeological and radiochemical dating suggest that human use of metals began in the period 6000 to 7000 BC. Gold is clearly the most durable, but many objects fashioned from silver, copper, bronze, iron, lead, and tin have survived for several thousand years. Dry environments, such as tombs, appear to be optimum for metal preservation, but some metals have survived in shipwrecks for over a thousand years. The metal meteoritesmore » are Fe-base alloys with 5 to 60 wt% Ni and minor amounts of Co, I, and S. Some meteoritic masses with ages estimated to be 5,000 to 20,000 years have weathered very little, while other masses from the same meteorites are in advanced stages of weathering. Native metals are natural metallic ores. Approximately five million tonnes were mined from native copper deposits in Michigan. Copper masses from the Michigan deposits were transported by the Pleistocene glaciers. Areas on the copper surfaces which appear to represent glacial abrasion show minimal corrosion. Dry cooling tower technology has demonstrated that in pollution-free moist environments, metals fare better at temperatures above than below the dewpoint. Thus, in moderate temperature regimes, elevated temperatures may be useful rather than detrimental for exposures of metal to air. In liquid environments, relatively complex radiolysis reactions can occur, particularly where multiple species are present. A dry environment largely obviates radiolysis effects.« less

History of attitudes toward death: a comparative study between Persian and western cultures.

PubMed

Aramesh, Kiarash

2016-01-01

In his seminal book on the historical periods of Western attitudes toward death, Philippe Aries describes four consecutive periods through which these attitudes evolved and transformed. According to him, the historical attitudes of Western cultures have passed through four major parts described above: "Tamed Death," One's Own Death," "Thy Death," and "Forbidden Death." This paper, after exploring this concept through the lens of Persian Poetic Wisdom, concludes that he historical attitudes of Persian-speaking people toward death have generally passed through two major periods. The first period is an amalgamation of Aries' "Tamed Death" and "One's Own Death" periods, and the second period is an amalgamation of Aries' "Thy Death" and "Forbidden Death" periods. This paper explores the main differences and similarities of these two historical trends through a comparative review of the consecutive historical periods of attitudes toward death between the Western and Persian civilizations/cultures. Although both civilizations moved through broadly similar stages, some influential contextual factors have been very influential in shaping noteworthy differences between them. The concepts of after-death judgment and redemption/downfall dichotomy and practices like deathbed rituals and their evolution after enlightenment and modernity are almost common between the above two broad traditions. The chronology of events and some aspects of conceptual evolutions (such as the lack of the account of permanent death of nonbelievers in the Persian tradition) and ritualistic practices (such as the status of the tombs of Shiite Imams and the absolute lack of embalming and wake in the Persian/Shiite culture) are among the differences.

Stone tools from the ancient Tongan state reveal prehistoric interaction centers in the Central Pacific

PubMed Central

Clark, Geoffrey R.; Reepmeyer, Christian; Melekiola, Nivaleti; Woodhead, Jon; Dickinson, William R.; Martinsson-Wallin, Helene

2014-01-01

Tonga was unique in the prehistoric Pacific for developing a maritime state that integrated the archipelago under a centralized authority and for undertaking long-distance economic and political exchanges in the second millennium A.D. To establish the extent of Tonga’s maritime polity, we geochemically analyzed stone tools excavated from the central places of the ruling paramounts, particularly lithic artifacts associated with stone-faced chiefly tombs. The lithic networks of the Tongan state focused on Samoa and Fiji, with one adze sourced to the Society Islands 2,500 km from Tongatapu. To test the hypothesis that nonlocal lithics were especially valued by Tongan elites and were an important source of political capital, we analyzed prestate lithics from Tongatapu and stone artifacts from Samoa. In the Tongan state, 66% of worked stone tools were long-distance imports, indicating that interarchipelago connections intensified with the development of the Tongan polity after A.D. 1200. In contrast, stone tools found in Samoa were from local sources, including tools associated with a monumental structure contemporary with the Tongan state. Network analysis of lithics entering the Tongan state and of the distribution of Samoan adzes in the Pacific identified a centralized polity and the products of specialized lithic workshops, respectively. These results indicate that a significant consequence of social complexity was the establishment of new types of specialized sites in distant geographic areas. Specialized sites were loci of long-distance interaction and formed important centers for the transmission of information, people, and materials in prehistoric Oceania. PMID:25002481

Genetic data suggests that the Jinggouzi people are associated with the Donghu, an ancient nomadic group of North China.

PubMed

Wang, Haijing; Chen, Lu; Ge, Binwen; Zhang, Ye; Zhu, Hong; Zhou, Hui

2012-08-01

Nomadic populations have played a significant role in the history of not only China but also in many nations worldwide. Because they had no written language, an important aspect in the study of these people is the discovery of their tombs. It has been generally accepted that Xiongnu was the first empire created by a nomadic tribe in the 3rd century BC. However, little population genetic information is available concerning the Donghu, another flourishing nomadic tribe at the same period because of the restriction of materials until the Jinggouzi site was excavated. In order to test the genetic characteristics of ancient people in this site and to explore the relationship between Jinggouzis and Donghus, two uniparentally inherited markers were analyzed from 42 human remains in this site, which was located in northern China, dated approximately 2500 years ago. With ancient DNA technology, four mtDNA haplogroups (D, G, C, and M10) and one Y chromosome haplogroup (C) were identified using mitochondrial DNA and Y-chromosome single nucleotide polymorphisms. Those haplogroups are common in North Asia and East Asia. The Jinggouzi people were genetically closest to the Xianbeis in ancient populations and to the Oroqens among extant populations, who were all pastoralists. This might indicate that ancient Jinggouzi people were nomads. Meanwhile, according to the genetic data and the evidences in archaeology, we inferred that Jinggouzi people were associated with Donghu. It is of much value to trace the history of the Donghu tribe and this might show some insight into the ancient nomadic society.

Stone tools from the ancient Tongan state reveal prehistoric interaction centers in the Central Pacific

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Clark, Geoffrey R.; Reepmeyer, Christian; Melekiola, Nivaleti; Woodhead, Jon; Dickinson, William R.; Martinsson-Wallin, Helene

2014-07-01

Tonga was unique in the prehistoric Pacific for developing a maritime state that integrated the archipelago under a centralized authority and for undertaking long-distance economic and political exchanges in the second millennium A.D. To establish the extent of Tonga's maritime polity, we geochemically analyzed stone tools excavated from the central places of the ruling paramounts, particularly lithic artifacts associated with stone-faced chiefly tombs. The lithic networks of the Tongan state focused on Samoa and Fiji, with one adze sourced to the Society Islands 2,500 km from Tongatapu. To test the hypothesis that nonlocal lithics were especially valued by Tongan elites and were an important source of political capital, we analyzed prestate lithics from Tongatapu and stone artifacts from Samoa. In the Tongan state, 66% of worked stone tools were long-distance imports, indicating that interarchipelago connections intensified with the development of the Tongan polity after A.D. 1200. In contrast, stone tools found in Samoa were from local sources, including tools associated with a monumental structure contemporary with the Tongan state. Network analysis of lithics entering the Tongan state and of the distribution of Samoan adzes in the Pacific identified a centralized polity and the products of specialized lithic workshops, respectively. These results indicate that a significant consequence of social complexity was the establishment of new types of specialized sites in distant geographic areas. Specialized sites were loci of long-distance interaction and formed important centers for the transmission of information, people, and materials in prehistoric Oceania.

Ion chromatography characterization of polysaccharides in ancient wall paintings.

PubMed

Colombin, Maria Perla; Ceccarini, Alessio; Carmignani, Alessia

2002-08-30

An analytical procedure for the characterisation of polysaccharides and the identification of plant gums in old polychrome samples is described. The procedure is based on hydrolysis with 2 M trifluoroacetic acid assisted by microwaves (20 min, 120 degrees C, 500 W), clean-up of the hydrolysate by an ion-exchange resin, and analysis by high-performance anion-exchange chromatography with pulsed amperometric detection. Using this method the hydrolysis time was reduced to 20 min and the chromatographic separation of seven monosaccharides (fucose, rhamnose, arabinose, galactose, glucose, mannose, xylose) and two uronic acids (galacturonic and glucuronic) was achieved in 40 min. The whole analytical procedure allows sugar determination in plant gums at picomole levels, with an average recovery of 72% with an RSD of 8% as tested on arabic gum. The analytical procedure was tested with several raw gums, watercolour samples and reference painting specimens prepared according to old recipes at the Opificio delle Pietre Dure of Florence (Italian Ministry of Cultural Heritage, Italy). All the data collected expressed in relative sugar percentage contents were submitted to principal components analysis for gum identification: five groups were spatially separated and this enabled the identification of arabic, tragacanth, karaya, cherry+ghatty, and guar+locust bean gum. Wall painting samples from Macedonian tombs (Greece) of the 4th-3rd Centuries B.C., processed by the suggested method, showed the presence of a complex paint media mainly consisting of tragacanth and fruit tree gums. Moreover, starch had probably been added to plaster as highlighted by the presence of a huge amount of glucose.

Candida theae sp. nov., a new anamorphic beverage-associated member of the Lodderomyces clade.

PubMed

Chang, Chin-Feng; Lin, Yu-Ching; Chen, Shan-Fu; Carvajal Barriga, Enrique Javier; Carvaja Barriga, Enrique Javier; Barahona, Patricia Portero; James, Stephen A; Bond, Christopher J; Roberts, Ian N; Lee, Ching-Fu

2012-02-01

Four strains representing a novel yeast species belonging to the genus Candida were independently isolated in Taiwan and Ecuador. Two strains (G17(T) and G31) were isolated in Taiwan, by pellet precipitation from plastic-bottled tea drinks produced in Indonesia, while two additional strains (CLQCA 10-049 and CLQCA 10-062) were recovered from ancient chicha fermentation vessels found in tombs in Quito, Ecuador. These four strains were morphologically, and phylogenetically identical to each other. No sexual reproduction was observed on common sporulation media. Large-subunit (LSU) rRNA gene sequence analysis revealed the four strains to belong to the Lodderomyces clade, closely related to members of the Candida parapsilosis species complex. The four strains, which have identical LSU D1/D2 sequences, differ from their closest phylogenetic neighbors, Candida orthopsilosis and Candida parapsilosis, by 6-9 nt substitutions, respectively. Physiologically, the four strains are similar to Candida parapsilosis, although they can be distinguished from their closest relative by the assimilation of arbutin, nitrite, and creatine. The Indonesian and Ecuadorian strain sets can also be distinguished from one another based on ITS sequencing, differing by 4 substitutions in ITS1 and 1 single nucleotide indel in ITS2. Collectively, the results indicate that the four strains represent a previously unrecognized species of Candida. The name Candida theae sp. nov. is proposed to accommodate these strains, with G-17(T) (BCRC 23242(T)=CBS 12239(T)=ATCC MYA-4746(T)) designated as the type strain. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Hyperostosis frontalis interna - a marker of social status? Evidence from the Bronze-Age "high society" of Qatna, Syria.

PubMed

Flohr, S; Witzel, C

2011-02-01

In 1719 Morgagni described a condition, today known as hyperostosis frontalis interna (HFI), as one sign within a triad consisting of HFI, virilism, and obesity. Today, HFI is predominantly found in older women. Although the etiology of HFI has not yet been determined precisely, the condition has been linked to metabolic disorders. HFI is reported to be rare in the archaeological record and the frequency of the condition is thought to have increased during the 19th and 20th centuries. We present preliminary results on the occurrence of HFI in the commingled human bone assemblage from "tomb VII" discovered underneath the Bronze Age royal palace of the ancient city of Qatna, Syria. A preliminary minimal number of individuals of 70 has been estimated for the as yet not fully analyzed skeletal remains. Skull fragments of nine individuals exhibit endocranial bone formations consistent with HFI. Rarity of stress indicators in the skeletons, the rich grave goods, and the burial place within the area of the Royal palace are suggestive of a high social status and an economically favorable situation of the buried individuals. Assuming that their life style included a high calorie diet in combination with little physical activity, acquired metabolic disorders may have been present in many individuals. The comparatively high number of individuals presenting HFI in the studied sample might therefore be viewed as being related to their high social status. Multiple occurrences of HFI in archaeological skeletal assemblages might serve as a proxy for social status. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.

Death Anxiety, Reliability, Validity, and Factorial Structure of the Farsi Form of the Arabic Scale of Death Anxiety in Iranian Old-Aged Persons.

PubMed

Dadfar, Mahboubeh; Lester, David; Bahrami, Fazel

2016-01-01

The present study is aimed at examining the level of death anxiety and the sex-related differences among old-aged Iranian individuals sample to compare the old-aged persons with young college students and to explore the psychometric properties of the Arabic Scale of Death Anxiety (ASDA) factors in old-aged sample. A sample of 146 volunteer Iranian individuals took part in the study. The mean ages were 68.58 (SD = 7.10), men 68.81 (SD = 7.44) and women 68.28 (SD = 6.76), respectively. The mean score of the ASDA was 51.09 (SD = 20.19). Cronbach's alpha of the ASDA was found to be high (0.94); and Spearman-Brown coefficient was 0.92. Women had a significantly higher mean total score on the ASDA. Old-aged individuals had a significantly higher mean ASDA total score than younger college students (M age = 25.77). The factor analysis of the ASDA items yielded three factors accounting for 67.88% of the total variance labeled (F1) fear of dead people and tombs; (F2) fear of lethal disease and postmortem events; and (F3) death fear. These factors were highly replicable with previous factors extracted from a middle-aged Kuwaiti sample. On the basis of the present results, there are the following three general conclusions: death anxiety is not significantly correlated with age; the sex-related differences on death anxiety are striking in the Iranian samples; and the ASDA has a highly replicable factor structure among two Iranian and Arab countries.

Psychometric Properties of the Chinese Version of the Arabic Scale of Death Anxiety.

PubMed

Qiu, Qi; Zhang, Shengyu; Lin, Xiang; Ban, Chunxia; Yang, Haibo; Liu, Zhengwen; Wang, Jingrong; Wang, Tao; Xiao, Shifu; Abdel-Khalek, Ahmed M; Li, Xia

2016-06-25

Death anxiety is regarded as a risk and maintaining factor of psychopathology. While the Arabic Scale of Death Anxiety (ASDA) is a brief, commonly used assessment, such a tool is lacking in Chinese clinical practice. The current study was conducted to develop a Chinese version of the ASDA, i.e., the ASDA(C), using a multistage back-translation technique, and examine the psychometric properties of the scale. A total of 1372 participants from hospitals and universities located in three geographic areas of China were recruited for this study. To calculate the criterion-related validity of the ASDA(C) compared to the Chinese version of the longer-form Multidimensional Orientation toward Dying and Death Inventory (MODDI-F/chin), 49 undergraduates were randomly assigned to complete both questionnaires. Of the total participants, 56 were randomly assigned to retake the ASDA(C) in order to estimate the one-week, test-retest reliability of the ASDA(C). The overall Cronbach's alpha was 0.91 for the whole scale. The one-week, test-retest reliability was 0.96. Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) revealed three factors, "fear of dead people and tombs," "fear of lethal disease," and "fear of postmortem events," accounted for 57.09% of the total variance. Factor structure for the three-factor model was sound. The correlation between the total scores on the ASDA(C) and the MODDI-F/chin was 0.54, indicating acceptable concurrent validity. ASDA(C) has adequate psychometrics and properties that make it a reliable and valid scale to assess death anxiety in Mandarin-speaking Chinese.

[Snake as a symbol in medicine and pharmacy - a historical study].

PubMed

Okuda, J; Kiyokawa, R

2000-01-01

The snake and snake venoms have stimulated the mind and imagination of humankind since the beginning of records about society. No animal has been more worshipped yet more cast out, more loved yet more despised than the snake. The essence of the fascination with fear of the snake lies within the creature's venom. Snakes have been used for worship, magic potions and, medicine, and they have been the symbol of love, health, disease, medicine, pharmacy, immortality, death and even wisdom. In the Sumer civilization (B.C. 2350-2150), designs with 2 snakes appeared. In Greek mythology (B.C. 2000-400), statues of Asclepius (God of Medicine), with "Caduceus" (made of two snakes and a staff), and his daughter Hygeia (God of Health), holding a snake and bowl, were created as symbols for medicine and health, respectively. A kind of Caduceus (1 snake and 1 staff) has been used as a symbol by the World Health Organization (WHO) and a snake and bowl as a symbol of pharmacies in Europe. Snakes have also been worshipped by old Indian peoples involved in Hinduism since 6-4th century B.C. In ancient Egypt, snake designs were used in hieroglyphs. In China, dried bodies of about 30 species of snakes are still using as Chinese medicines. In Japan, a painting of the symbol of "Genbu" (snake with tortoise) was found recently on the north wall of the Takamatsuzuka ancient tomb (7-8th century A.D.), however it is a symbol of a compass direction, and has probably less relation to medicine and pharmacy.

Dental affinities of the C-group inhabitants of Hierakonpolis, Egypt: Nubian, Egyptian, or both?

PubMed

Irish, J D; Friedman, R

2010-04-01

By c. 2050 BC a small community of C-Group Nubians was present deep within Egyptian territory at the city of Hierakonpolis. Their descendants stayed for the next 400 years. Today, the site of Hierakonpolis, 113 km north of Aswan, is known for its Egyptian deposits; however, it also contains a C-Group cemetery, which documents the northernmost occurrence of this culture. Sixty skeletons were excavated. Tombs feature Nubian architecture and goods, including leather garments, although the use of Egyptian mortuary practices and artifacts increased through time. Dates range from the early 11th Dynasty into the Second Intermediate period. During this time the Egyptian empire occupied Lower Nubia, and their state ideology vilified Nubians. Yet, at least in death, the C-Group inhabitants of Hierakonpolis proudly displayed their cultural heritage. Beyond discerning the reason(s) for their presence at the site (e.g., mercenaries, leather-workers, entertainers?), the focus of this report is to estimate their biological affinity. Were they akin to other Nubians, Egyptians, or both? And, was increasing 'Egyptianization' evident in the mortuary ritual accompanied by concomitant genetic influence? To address these queries, up to 36 dental morphological traits in the recovered individuals were compared to those in 26 regional comparative samples. The most influential traits were identified and phenetic affinities were calculated using the mean measure of divergence and other multivariate analyses. Assuming phenetic similarity provides an estimate of genetic relatedness, these affinities suggest the individuals comprising the C-Group sample were, and remained Nubian during their tenure at Hierakonpolis. Copyright 2010 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.

Evidence for prehistoric origins of Egyptian mummification in late Neolithic burials.

PubMed

Jones, Jana; Higham, Thomas F G; Oldfield, Ron; O'Connor, Terry P; Buckley, Stephen A

2014-01-01

Traditional theories on ancient Egyptian mummification postulate that in the prehistoric period (i.e. the Neolithic and Chalcolithic periods, 5th and 4th millennia B.C.) bodies were naturally desiccated through the action of the hot, dry desert sand. Although molding of the body with resin-impregnated linen is believed to be an early Pharaonic forerunner to more complex processes, scientific evidence for the early use of resins in artificial mummification has until now been limited to isolated occurrences during the late Old Kingdom (c. 2200 B.C.), their use becoming more apparent during the Middle Kingdom (c. 2000-1600 BC). We examined linen wrappings from bodies in securely provenanced tombs (pit graves) in the earliest recorded ancient Egyptian cemeteries at Mostagedda in the Badari region (Upper Egypt). Our investigations of these prehistoric funerary wrappings using a combination of gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and thermal desorption/pyrolysis (TD/Py)-GC-MS have identified a pine resin, an aromatic plant extract, a plant gum/sugar, a natural petroleum source, and a plant oil/animal fat in directly AMS-dated funerary wrappings. Predating the earliest scientific evidence by more than a millennium, these embalming agents constitute complex, processed recipes of the same natural products, in similar proportions, as those utilized at the zenith of Pharaonic mummification some 3,000 years later. The antibacterial properties of some of these ingredients and the localized soft-tissue preservation that they would have afforded lead us to conclude that these represent the very beginnings of experimentation that would evolve into the famous mummification practice of the Pharaonic period.

Evidence for Prehistoric Origins of Egyptian Mummification in Late Neolithic Burials

PubMed Central

Jones, Jana; Higham, Thomas F. G.; Oldfield, Ron; O'Connor, Terry P.; Buckley, Stephen A.

2014-01-01

Traditional theories on ancient Egyptian mummification postulate that in the prehistoric period (i.e. the Neolithic and Chalcolithic periods, 5th and 4th millennia B.C.) bodies were naturally desiccated through the action of the hot, dry desert sand. Although molding of the body with resin-impregnated linen is believed to be an early Pharaonic forerunner to more complex processes, scientific evidence for the early use of resins in artificial mummification has until now been limited to isolated occurrences during the late Old Kingdom (c. 2200 B.C.), their use becoming more apparent during the Middle Kingdom (c. 2000-1600 BC). We examined linen wrappings from bodies in securely provenanced tombs (pit graves) in the earliest recorded ancient Egyptian cemeteries at Mostagedda in the Badari region (Upper Egypt). Our investigations of these prehistoric funerary wrappings using a combination of gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and thermal desorption/pyrolysis (TD/Py)-GC-MS have identified a pine resin, an aromatic plant extract, a plant gum/sugar, a natural petroleum source, and a plant oil/animal fat in directly AMS-dated funerary wrappings. Predating the earliest scientific evidence by more than a millennium, these embalming agents constitute complex, processed recipes of the same natural products, in similar proportions, as those utilized at the zenith of Pharaonic mummification some 3,000 years later. The antibacterial properties of some of these ingredients and the localized soft-tissue preservation that they would have afforded lead us to conclude that these represent the very beginnings of experimentation that would evolve into the famous mummification practice of the Pharaonic period. PMID:25118605

Psychometric Properties of the Chinese Version of the Arabic Scale of Death Anxiety

PubMed Central

QIU, Qi; ZHANG, Shengyu; LIN, Xiang; BAN, Chunxia; YANG, Haibo; LIU, Zhengwen; WANG, Jingrong; WANG, Tao; XIAO, Shifu; ABDEL-KHALEK, Ahmed M; LI, Xia

2016-01-01

Background Death anxiety is regarded as a risk and maintaining factor of psychopathology. While the Arabic Scale of Death Anxiety (ASDA) is a brief, commonly used assessment, such a tool is lacking in Chinese clinical practice. Aim The current study was conducted to develop a Chinese version of the ASDA, i.e., the ASDA(C), using a multistage back-translation technique, and examine the psychometric properties of the scale. Methods A total of 1372 participants from hospitals and universities located in three geographic areas of China were recruited for this study. To calculate the criterion-related validity of the ASDA(C) compared to the Chinese version of the longer-form Multidimensional Orientation toward Dying and Death Inventory (MODDI-F/chin), 49 undergraduates were randomly assigned to complete both questionnaires. Of the total participants, 56 were randomly assigned to retake the ASDA(C) in order to estimate the one-week, test-retest reliability of the ASDA(C). Results The overall Cronbach’s alpha was 0.91 for the whole scale. The one-week, test-retest reliability was 0.96. Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) revealed three factors, “fear of dead people and tombs,” “fear of lethal disease,” and “fear of postmortem events,” accounted for 57.09% of the total variance. Factor structure for the three-factor model was sound. The correlation between the total scores on the ASDA(C) and the MODDI-F/chin was 0.54, indicating acceptable concurrent validity. Conclusions ASDA(C) has adequate psychometrics and properties that make it a reliable and valid scale to assess death anxiety in Mandarin-speaking Chinese. PMID:28638183

History of attitudes toward death: a comparative study between Persian and western cultures

PubMed Central

Aramesh, Kiarash

2016-01-01

In his seminal book on the historical periods of Western attitudes toward death, Philippe Aries describes four consecutive periods through which these attitudes evolved and transformed. According to him, the historical attitudes of Western cultures have passed through four major parts described above: “Tamed Death,” One’s Own Death,” “Thy Death,” and “Forbidden Death.” This paper, after exploring this concept through the lens of Persian Poetic Wisdom, concludes that he historical attitudes of Persian-speaking people toward death have generally passed through two major periods. The first period is an amalgamation of Aries’ “Tamed Death” and “One’s Own Death” periods, and the second period is an amalgamation of Aries’ “Thy Death” and “Forbidden Death” periods. This paper explores the main differences and similarities of these two historical trends through a comparative review of the consecutive historical periods of attitudes toward death between the Western and Persian civilizations/cultures. Although both civilizations moved through broadly similar stages, some influential contextual factors have been very influential in shaping noteworthy differences between them. The concepts of after-death judgment and redemption/downfall dichotomy and practices like deathbed rituals and their evolution after enlightenment and modernity are almost common between the above two broad traditions. The chronology of events and some aspects of conceptual evolutions (such as the lack of the account of permanent death of nonbelievers in the Persian tradition) and ritualistic practices (such as the status of the tombs of Shiite Imams and the absolute lack of embalming and wake in the Persian/Shiite culture) are among the differences. PMID:28523121

Skeletal dysplasia in ancient Egypt.

PubMed

Kozma, Chahira

2008-12-01

The ancient Egyptian civilization lasted for over 3000 years and ended in 30 BCE. Many aspects of ancient Egyptian culture, including the existence of skeletal dysplasias, and in particular achondroplasia, are well known through the monuments and records that survived until modern times. The hot and dry climate in Egypt allowed for the preservation of bodies and skeletal anomalies. The oldest dwarf skeleton, the Badarian skeleton (4500 BCE), possibly represents an epiphyseal disorder. Among the remains of dwarfs with achondroplasia from ancient Egypt (2686-2190 BCE), exists a skeleton of a pregnant female, believed to have died during delivery with a baby's remains in situ. British museums have partial skeletons of dwarfs with achondroplasia, humeri probably affected with mucopolysaccharidoses, and a skeleton of a child with osteogenesis imperfecta. Skeletal dysplasia is also found among royal remains. The mummy of the pharaoh Siptah (1342-1197 BCE) shows a deformity of the left leg and foot. A mummified fetus, believed to be the daughter of king Tutankhamun, has scoliosis, spina bifida, and Sprengel deformity. In 2006 I reviewed the previously existing knowledge of dwarfism in ancient Egypt. The purpose of this second historical review is to add to that knowledge with an expanded contribution. The artistic documentation of people with skeletal dysplasia from ancient Egypt is plentiful including hundreds of amulets, statues, and drawing on tomb and temple walls. Examination of artistic reliefs provides a glance of the role of people with skeletal dysplasia and the societal attitudes toward them. Both artistic evidence and moral teachings in ancient Egypt reveal wide integration of individuals with disabilities into the society. Copyright (c) 2008 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

(210)Po poisoning as possible cause of death: forensic investigations and toxicological analysis of the remains of Yasser Arafat.

PubMed

Froidevaux, Pascal; Bochud, François; Baechler, Sébastien; Castella, Vincent; Augsburger, Marc; Bailat, Claude; Michaud, Katarzyna; Straub, Marietta; Pecchia, Marco; Jenk, Theo M; Uldin, Tanya; Mangin, Patrice

2016-02-01

The late president of the Palestinian Authority, Yasser Arafat, died in November 2004 in Percy Hospital, one month after having experienced a sudden onset of symptoms that included severe nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea and abdominal pain and which were followed by multiple organ failure. In spite of numerous investigations performed in France, the pathophysiological mechanisms at the origin of the symptoms could not be identified. In 2011, we found abnormal levels of polonium-210 ((210)Po) in some of Arafat's belongings that were worn during his final hospital stay and which were stained with biological fluids. This finding led to the exhumation of Arafat's remains in 2012. Significantly higher (up to 20 times) activities of (210)Po and lead-210 ((210)Pb) were found in the ribs, iliac crest and sternum specimens compared to reference samples from the literature (p-value <1%). In all specimens from the tomb, (210)Po activity was supported by a similar activity of (210)Pb. Biokinetic calculations demonstrated that a (210)Pb impurity, as identified in a commercial source of 3MBq of (210)Po, may be responsible for the activities measured in Arafat's belongings and remains 8 years after his death. The absence of myelosuppression and hair loss in Mr Arafat's case compared to Mr Litvinenko's, the only known case of malicious poisoning with (210)Po, could be explained by differences in the time delivery-scheme of intake. In conclusion, statistical Bayesian analysis combining all the evidence gathered in our forensic expert report moderately supports the proposition that Mr Arafat was poisoned by (210)Po. Copyright © 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd.. All rights reserved.

Calendar motifs on Getashen hydria

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vrtanesyan, Garegin

2015-07-01

Getashen hydria was found in the tombs of the middle bronze age (the first third of the second Millennium B.C.) in Armenia (Lake Sevan). It shows a scene consisting of three friezes. On the lower frieze depicts six zoomorphic figures, on an average six frieze waterfowl, and on top, is the graphic signs. Calendar motives of this composition have a numeric expression, six zoomorphic figures on the lower and middle friezes. Division of the annual cycle into two parts is known in the calendars of the ancient Indo-Iranian ("great summer" and "the great winter"). Animals on the lower frieze of the second mark, "winter" road of the Sun, because in this period are the most important events, ensuring the reproduction of the economy of the society. This rut ungulates - wild (deer) and domestic (goats). Moreover, the gon goats end in December, almost coinciding with the onset of the winter solstice. A couple of dogs on the lower frieze marks the version of the myth, imprisoned in the rock hero - the Sun (Mihr - Artavazd), to which his dogs have to chew the chains, anticipating his exit at the winter solstice. This is indicated by the direction of their movement, the Sun moves from left to right for an observer, only when located on the South side of the sky (i.e., beginning with the autumnal equinox). The most important event of the period of "summer road" of the Sun is the vernal equinox, which coincide with the arrival of waterfowl (ducks, geese). Their direction on the second frieze (left to right) corresponds to the position of the observer, facing North.

A great enigma of the Italian Renaissance: paleopathological study on the death of Giovanni dalle Bande Nere (1498-1526) and historical relevance of a leg amputation.

PubMed

Fornaciari, Gino; Bartolozzi, Pietro; Bartolozzi, Carlo; Rossi, Barbara; Menchi, Ilario; Piccioli, Andrea

2014-09-10

The Medici project consisted in archeological and paleopathological researches on some members of the great dynasty of the Italian Renaissance. The remains of Giovanni de' Medici, so-called "dalle Bande Nere" (Forlì 1498- Mantua 1526) have not been investigated yet. The enigma of the fatal injury and leg amputation of the famous Captain excited curiosity of paleopathologists, medical scientists and Italian Society of Orthopedic and Traumatology which contributed to realize the project of exhumation and study of his skeletal remains. The aim of the study is to report the first anthropological and paleopathological results. The tomb of Giovanni and his wife Maria Salviati was explored and the skeletal remains were investigated. Anthropological and paleopathological examination defined: age at death, physical constitution and activity, skeletal diseases. The bones of the leg were studied macroscopically, under stereoscopic microscope, at X-ray and CT scans to detect type of injury and level of amputation. The skeleton and muscular insertions of Giovanni revealed a young-adult and vigorous man, subjected to stresses of military activity since adolescence. Right tibia was amputated below the proximal half of diaphysis leaving long tibio-fibular stumps with a horizontal cut only at the lateral portion. Thus, the surgeon limited to complete the traumatic hemi-amputation. Amputation in the Sixteenth Century technically consisted in guillotine incisions below the knee using crescent shaped knife and bony saw, usually leaving a quite long tibial stump. Amputations in the Sixteenth Century were contaminated and grossly performed not providing vascular binding nor wound closure. The surgeon performed the procedure in conformity with surgical knowledge of that period.

William R. Maples, forensic historian: four men, four centuries, four countries.

PubMed

Goza, W M

1999-07-01

Prior to 1984, William R. Maples, Ph.D. worked primarily with Medical Examiners in the State of Florida in investigation of and testimony in criminal cases. In 1984 the Republic of Peru requested him to identify skeletal remains thought to be those of Francisco Pizarro, conqueror of Peru and the Incas in the early 16th Century. Dr. Maples made a positive identification of those remains as Pizarro, resulting in their substitution in a glass-sided coffin in the Cathedral of Lima, where other remains had been displayed as those of Pizarro for a hundred years. In addition, it was proved that the remains removed could not have been those of Pizarro. In 1988, Dr. Maples examined the skeletal remains of Joseph Merrick ("The Elephant Man") at Royal London Hospital, Whitechapel, and made photographic studies of them for comparison with death casts of limbs and skull to ascertain depth of tissue by video-superimposition. In 1991, Dr. Maples, headed a team which removed President Zachary Taylor (1779-1842) from his tomb in Louisville, Kentucky. The purpose was to determine if he had been poisoned, as had been proposed by some at the time. Test results showed that he had not been. In 1992, Dr. Maples and a team of forensic specialists went by invitation to Ekaterinburg, Russia to study skeletal remains which the Russians had tentatively identified as the Russian Royal Family, and entourage, murdered in 1918. The American team identified them as Tsar Nicholas II, his wife, three of his children, his physician, and three of his servants. William Ross Maples died in Gainesville, Florida, 27 February 1997.

Role of Satellite Sensors in Groundwater Exploration

PubMed Central

Mukherjee, Saumitra

2008-01-01

Spatial as well as spectral resolution has a very important role to play in water resource management. It was a challenge to explore the groundwater and rainwater harvesting sites in the Aravalli Quartzite-Granite-Pegmatite Precambrian terrain of Delhi, India. Use of only panchromatic sensor data of IRS-1D satellite with 5.8-meter spatial resolution has the potential to infer lineaments and faults in this hard rock area. It is essential to identify the location of interconnected lineaments below buried pediment plains in the hard rock area for targeting sub-surface water resources. Linear Image Self Scanning sensor data of the same satellite with 23.5-meter resolution when merged with the panchromatic data has produced very good results in delineation of interconnected lineaments over buried pediment plains as vegetation anomaly. These specific locations of vegetation anomaly were detected as dark red patches in various hard rock areas of Delhi. Field investigation was carried out on these patches by resistivity and magnetic survey in parts of Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), Indira Gandhi national Open University, Research and Referral Hospital and Humayuns Tomb areas. Drilling was carried out in four locations of JNU that proved to be the most potential site with ground water discharge ranging from 20,000 to 30,000 liters per hour with 2 to 4 meters draw down. Further the impact of urbanization on groundwater recharging in the terrain was studied by generating Normalized difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) map which was possible to generate by using the LISS-III sensor of IRS-1D satellite. Selection of suitable sensors has definitely a cutting edge on natural resource exploration and management including groundwater. PMID:27879808

Partitioning the LIS/OTD Lightning Climatological Dataset into Separate Ground and Cloud Flash Distributions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Koshak, W. J.; Solarkiewicz, R. J.

2009-01-01

Presently, it is not well understood how to best model nitrogen oxides (NOx) emissions from lightning because lightning is highly variable. Peak current, channel length, channel altitude, stroke multiplicity, and the number of flashes that occur in a particular region (i.e., flash density) all influence the amount of lightning NOx produced. Moreover, these 5 variables are not the same for ground and cloud flashes; e.g., cloud flashes normally have lower peak currents, higher altitudes, and higher flash densities than ground flashes [see (Koshak, 2009) for additional details]. Because the existing satellite observations of lightning (Fig. 1) from the Lightning Imaging Sensor/Optical Transient Detector (LIS/OTD) do not distinguish between ground and cloud fashes, which produce different amounts of NOx, it is very difficult to accurately account for the regional/global production of lightning NOx. Hence, the ability to partition the LIS/OTD lightning climatology into separate ground and cloud flash distributions would substantially benefit the atmospheric chemistry modeling community. NOx indirectly influences climate because it controls the concentration of ozone and hydroxyl radicals in the atmosphere. The importance of lightning-produced NOx is empasized throughout the scientific literature (see for example, Huntrieser et al. 1998). In fact, lightning is the most important NOx source in the upper troposphere with a global production rate estimated to vary between 2 and 20 Tg (N)yr(sup -1) (Lee et al., 1997), with more recent estimates of about 6 Tg(N)yr(sup -1) (Martin et al., 2007). In order to make accurate predictions, global chemistry/climate models (as well as regional air quality modells) must more accurately account for the effects of lightning NOx. In particular, the NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS) Model E (Schmidt et al., 2005) and the GEOS-CHEM global chemical transport model (Bey et al., 2001) would each benefit from a partitioning of the

Spaceborne Remote Sensing of Aerosol Type: Global Distribution, Model Evaluation and Translation into Chemical Speciation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kacenelenbogen, M. S.; Tan, Q.; Johnson, M. S.; Burton, S. P.; Redemann, J.; Hasekamp, O. P.; Dawson, K. W.; Hair, J. W.; Ferrare, R. A.; Butler, C. F.; Holben, B. N.; Beyersdorf, A. J.; Ziemba, L. D.; Froyd, K. D.; Dibb, J. E.; Shingler, T.; Sorooshian, A.; Jimenez, J. L.; Campuzano Jost, P.; Jacob, D.; Kim, P. S.; Travis, K.; Lacagnina, C.

2016-12-01

) [4] Deuzé J. L., et al., JGR, 106.D5 (2001) [5] Hasekamp O. P., et al., JGR, 116.D14 (2011) [6] Bey I., et al., JGR, 106.D19 (2001) [7] Ziemba L. D., et al., GRL, 40.2 (2013) [8] Sorooshian A., et al., AST, 42.6 (2008) [9] Murphy D. M., et al., JGR, 111.D23 (2006) [10] Dibb J. E., et al., JGR, 108.D21 (2003) [11] DeCarlo P. F., et al., AC, 78.24 (2006)

[RECONSTRUCTING THE LIFE OF AN UNKNOWN MAN--INTERDISCIPLINARY APPROACH].

PubMed

Hincak, Z; Filipec, K; Iacumin, P; Cavalli, F; Mihelić, D; Jeleč, V; Korušić, A

2016-09-01

The remains of a tomb were discovered below the foundations of the Roman church of “Majka Bozja Gorska” in Lobor in 2002. It was a vaulted tomb carved from a single stone. The narthex of ancient Christian and pre-roman churches often served as the resting place of religious, secular and noble dignitaries, who were credited for founding the church at the time. By anthropological methods, the age, gender, height, pathological changes, tendon and ligament hinges and degree of development were able to be analysed. The stable isotopes of Carbon-13, Nitrogen-15 and Oxygen-18 were analysed and expressed as ��-values according to the PDB standard. Dental analysis showed a build-up of tartar on the buccal side, with 5 teeth missing from the dentition post-mortem and a partial lowering and accretion of the alveolar walls of the 2nd molar space secondary to tooth loss. The remains of the person from grave 107 show that the person was approximately 30-35 years of age, confirmed by microscopical analysis of the bone samples. Almost all of the cranial sutures were exposed with the exception of the saggital suture which was closed at the S3 position, while the transverse palatal suture was in the initial stages of closure on the lateral sides. Analysis of the iliac bone showed visible changes on the bone. The surface had retained its youthful appearance however with a microporous and pronounced granular structure and only a slight apical and marginal activity. The transverse striations are still apparent, but no longer along the entirety of the bone surface. Anthropometric analysis according to cranial cavity indexes, showed a cranium or relatively large volume (aristencephalic in type), long, narrow and medium in height. The index values were used in facial reconstruction. Analysis of the development of tendon and ligament hinges of the preserved anatomical elements, gave further information about the morphology and physical activity of the person. The hinge sites of the

The Use and Effectiveness of Triple Multiplex System for Coding Region Single Nucleotide Polymorphism in Mitochondrial DNA Typing of Archaeologically Obtained Human Skeletons from Premodern Joseon Tombs of Korea

PubMed Central

Oh, Chang Seok; Lee, Soong Deok; Kim, Yi-Suk; Shin, Dong Hoon

2015-01-01

Previous study showed that East Asian mtDNA haplogroups, especially those of Koreans, could be successfully assigned by the coupled use of analyses on coding region SNP markers and control region mutation motifs. In this study, we tried to see if the same triple multiplex analysis for coding regions SNPs could be also applicable to ancient samples from East Asia as the complementation for sequence analysis of mtDNA control region. By the study on Joseon skeleton samples, we know that mtDNA haplogroup determined by coding region SNP markers successfully falls within the same haplogroup that sequence analysis on control region can assign. Considering that ancient samples in previous studies make no small number of errors in control region mtDNA sequencing, coding region SNP analysis can be used as good complimentary to the conventional haplogroup determination, especially of archaeological human bone samples buried underground over long periods. PMID:26345190

Inside and around the roman town of Grumentum: the contribution of LiDAR and historical air photography

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cianciarulo, Dario; Guariglia, Annibale; Lasaponara, Rosa; Masini, Nicola

2013-04-01

The papers deals with the integration of aerial laser scanning, multitemporal satellite and aerial dataset to provide information on the 'forma urbis' of the Grumentum roman town, to detect new archaeological features in its close surrounding and to analyze changes of the landscape over the time. Grumentum is an ancient town, 50 km south of Potenza (Southern Italy), located near the 'Via Herculea' connecting Venusia, in the north est of Basilicata, with Heraclea in the Ionian coast. The first settlement date back to the 6th century BC. Then, it was resettled by the Romans in the 3rd century BC. The town, which evidences a long history from the Republican age to late Antiquity (III BC-V AD), is characterized by the typical urban pattern of 'cardi' and 'decumani'. Its excavated ruins include a large amphitheatre, a theatre, the thermae, the Forum and some temples. LiDAR data, adequately filtered, classified and post processed by using geostatistics methods(Lasaponara et al. 2012), enabled to detect features linked to tombs under a dense vegetation located close to the urban perimeter. The analysis of historical air photos, draped over the ground surface obtained from the LiDAR survey, put in evidence some unknown crop-marks linked to roman urban fabric. Finally, the same photos along with the satellite multitemporal dataset allowed us to reconstruct the recent history of the landscape from the Agrarian Reform, in the 50s, up today. Reference Lasaponara R., Masini N., Holmgren R., Backe Forsberg Y., Integration of aerial and satellite remote sensing for archaeological investigations: a case study of the Etruscan site San Giovenale, Journal of Geophysics and Engineering, vol. 9, S26-S39, doi:10.1088/1742-2132/9/4/S26

Scent and synaesthesia: The medical use of spice bags in early China.

PubMed

Lu, Di; Lo, Vivienne

2015-06-05

The history of Chinese spices has received increasing attention in recent years, but little research been carried out on where they fit on the food-medicine continuum for early China, during the formation of the classical medical system. This paper describes how the synaesthetic qualities of spices attracted a particular analysis in that emerging system which serves to mark them as different to other medical materials and foodstuffs. We aim to clarify the special role created for spices to accommodate their boundary-crossing synaesthetic action on the body. This paper analyses the contents of several spice bags excavated in 1972 from a tomb that was closed in the second century BCE. It uses archaeological reports of material culture together with the early Chinese textual record, extant in both manuscripts and received texts, to bring out the role of spices in ritual, food and medicine. Noting that the flavours and aromas of early China were assigned physiological potency in the first centuries BCE, we argue that by medieval times the unique synaesthetic role that spices played in mediating the senses was systematically medicalised. While being deployed for the purpose of curing disease in medicine, they also remained within the realm of everyday healthcare, and religious practice, deployed both as aromatics to perfume the environment, attracting benign spirits, but also to ward off the agents of disease, as well as for enhancing health through their use in cookery. While foodstuffs entered the digestive system spices were all considered 'pungent' in the emerging clasical medical system. They acted on the body through the nose and lungs, making them neither food nor drug. This implicit categorisation medicalised spices which, like music, could affect the passions and lighten the spirit, codifying observations about the impact on the body of the ritual environment. Copyright © 2015. Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd.

Parallel and convergent evolution of the dim-light vision gene RH1 in bats (Order: Chiroptera).

PubMed

Shen, Yong-Yi; Liu, Jie; Irwin, David M; Zhang, Ya-Ping

2010-01-21

Rhodopsin, encoded by the gene Rhodopsin (RH1), is extremely sensitive to light, and is responsible for dim-light vision. Bats are nocturnal mammals that inhabit poor light environments. Megabats (Old-World fruit bats) generally have well-developed eyes, while microbats (insectivorous bats) have developed echolocation and in general their eyes were degraded, however, dramatic differences in the eyes, and their reliance on vision, exist in this group. In this study, we examined the rod opsin gene (RH1), and compared its evolution to that of two cone opsin genes (SWS1 and M/LWS). While phylogenetic reconstruction with the cone opsin genes SWS1 and M/LWS generated a species tree in accord with expectations, the RH1 gene tree united Pteropodidae (Old-World fruit bats) and Yangochiroptera, with very high bootstrap values, suggesting the possibility of convergent evolution. The hypothesis of convergent evolution was further supported when nonsynonymous sites or amino acid sequences were used to construct phylogenies. Reconstructed RH1 sequences at internal nodes of the bat species phylogeny showed that: (1) Old-World fruit bats share an amino acid change (S270G) with the tomb bat; (2) Miniopterus share two amino acid changes (V104I, M183L) with Rhinolophoidea; (3) the amino acid replacement I123V occurred independently on four branches, and the replacements L99M, L266V and I286V occurred each on two branches. The multiple parallel amino acid replacements that occurred in the evolution of bat RH1 suggest the possibility of multiple convergences of their ecological specialization (i.e., various photic environments) during adaptation for the nocturnal lifestyle, and suggest that further attention is needed on the study of the ecology and behavior of bats.

Effects of sunlight on behavior and 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels in two species of Old World fruit bats

PubMed Central

Southworth, Lizabeth O.; Holick, Michael F.; Chen, Tai C.; Kunz, Thomas H.

2013-01-01

It has long been accepted that most vertebrate animals meet their vitamin D requirements from exposure of skin to UV-B (UV-B) radiation. Many factors affect this endogenous synthesis of vitamin D, including season, latitude, time of day, age, presence of hair, and degree of skin pigmentation. Most bats roost in dark places by day and forage at night, and thus have little or no potential for sunlight exposure. Notwithstanding, some tropical species are diurnal and are known to roost in the canopy of trees where they may be exposed to sunlight for up to 12 h each day. In this study, two species of captive tropical bats (both species are active at night but one, Rousettus aegyptiacus, roosts in caves, tombs, and buildings, whereas the other, Pteropus hypomelanus, roosts in trees) were evaluated for their ability to endogenously synthesize vitamin D. Following timed periods of sunlight exposure, blood plasma was analyzed using a competitive protein binding assay (CPBA) to determine concentrations of 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D], the major circulating vitamin D metabolite. The ability to photoconvert provitamin D (7-dehydrocholesterol, 7-DHC) in the sub-tropical winter was determined using sunlight exposed borosilicate samples of 7-DHC in hourly increments. Finally, both species were evaluated in their preference for a roost site by the release of individuals into sunlight or shade in timed trials. Our results support the hypotheses: (1) when exposed to natural sunlight, both species exhibited an ability to endogenously synthesize vitamin D, although significant differences were found between the two, (2) photoconversion of 7-DHC to previtamin D3 is possible during the mid-day hours of a sub-tropical winter day and (3) captive, cave roosting R. aegyptiacus will choose shaded roost sites while captive P. hypomelanus will show no preference for either shade or sun. PMID:24494054

Earth Observations taken by the Expedition 18 Crew

NASA Image and Video Library

2008-10-31

ISS018-E-006540 (31 Oct. 2008) --- Cities of the Dead and the Nile River Delta in Egypt are featured in this image photographed by an Expedition 18 crewmember on the International Space Station. The ancient pharaohs (kings) and queens of Egypt established several royal cemeteries, or necropoli (cities of the dead) along the Nile River valley. On the western bank, these cities of the dead were built on a gravelly desert plateau formed of limestone and clay overlooking the river -- several scarps are visible at upper right. The most widely recognized features of royal Egyptian necropoli are pyramids, which frequently served as both tombs and monuments for their occupants. This detailed photograph illustrates a portion of the Nile Delta that includes two royal cemetery complexes, Abusir and Saqqara-North. The present day village of Abusir is clearly visible as a grey-white irregular patch of urban materials that contrasts with adjacent green agricultural fields of the Delta and tan desert sands and gravels to the west. The historical necropolis of Abusir is located to the northwest of the village at bottom center. Three pyramids are readily visible in the image, all built by kings of the 5th Dynasty (2465--2323 BC): Sahure, Niuserre and Neferirkare. The site of Abusir was likely chosen due to the existence of a lake -- now dry -- that facilitated transport of building materials for the pyramids and other structures. The northern portion of the large necropolis of Saqqara is also visible to the south-southwest of the village of Abusir. The largest pyramid in this complex is that of Djoser, a king of the 3rd Dynasty (2650--2575 BC). Other readily visible pyramids include that of Userkaf (5th Dynasty) and Teti (6th Dynasty: 2323--2150 BC), attesting to the long history of use of the Saqqara necropolis.

The Lindsay Centennial Symposium. Eric Melvyn Lindsay and Astronomy in Ireland. Report and Selected Contributions from a Conference held in Armagh on 26 January 2007 to Celebrate the 100th Anniversary of the Birth of E.M. Lindsay, Seventh Director of Armagh Observatory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bailey, Mark E.

2007-11-01

The Lindsay Centennial Symposium celebrates the wider importance of astronomy in Ireland and its unique role in advancing our understanding of the world in which we all live. Astronomy is an international endeavour that transcends political boundaries and helps to draw people together. Virtually every country in the world - and Ireland is no exception - looks to astronomy as part of its national heritage and as an activity, in common with other nations, that goes back almost to the dawn of civilization. In Ireland, astronomy can be traced back more than five thousand years to the time of the construction of megalithic monuments, such as the famous passage-tomb at Newgrange. More recently, Ireland was home to the largest optical telescope in the world, the so-called ‘Leviathan of Parsonstown’. Lindsay played a major role in advancing Irish astronomy. He recognized, very early on, that astronomy is not merely a national activity, but an international one as well, and one that on the island of Ireland must include close collaboration between the two jurisdictions: Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. Astronomy attracts people, young and old, into science and to a more scientific way of thinking; it addresses issues of major significance for culture and for our understanding of mankind's place in the Universe; and provides young people with challenges in science and mathematics that are of the utmost technical difficulty and which bring important practical benefits to society. The occasion of the 100th anniversary of Lindsay's birth is a time of great optimism for political and economic developments on the island of Ireland, and especially for the growth of astronomy on both sides of the Border and as part of Ireland's involvement in wider European science.

The negative effect of environmental geological conditions of some geo-archaeological sites of North Coast and Alexandria

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ibrahim, Hani; Kamh, Gamal

2005-12-01

Three geo-archaeological sites at the North Coast and Alexandria, namely, the Alexandria wall (El Shalalat Park site), Abu Soir temple, and Marina excavations, were investigated to determine the negative impact of a salty environmental condition. The monuments suffer from rock decay of different rates. The geo-archaeological sites were built mainly from oolitic limestone blocks (i.e., the Alexandria wall at the El Shalalat Park site and Abu Soir temple) or excavated on them (i.e., Marina excavations). Field inspection and a lab analysis were carried out to understand the weathering mechanism. Salt weathering criteria such as disintegration, pitting, scaling, exfoliation, and honeycomb are observed on the Alexandria wall and upper parts of the Abu Soir temple, while dangerous cracks are detected on the Marina excavation tombs. The petrographic study of the oolitic limestone samples shows that they consist mainly of oolities and drusy sparite as a cement (oolitic grainstone). Some oolities have quartz grains as nuclei. Hydrochemical analysis shows that the total dissolved salts of extracted solutions of the North Coast quarry samples range from 539 to 686 ppm and dramatically increase (i.e., ten times) for extracted solutions from monument samples, ranging from 5395 to 6880 ppm. The dominant cation is sodium while the dominant anion is chlorine. Acid insoluble residue analysis shows that the carbonate content ranges from 89.2% to 96.4% for fresh samples from quarries and from 9.2% to 94.8% for weathered monument samples. The weight loss of the quarry oolitic limestone samples range from 30.7% to 32.7% and its physical and mechanical properties become worse after being subjected to 15 cycles of a durability simulation soundness test (using a sodium sulphate solution). Our main recommendations are to use suitable grouting for binding the cracks, high durability reconstruction rocks, and suitable cleaning methods to remove salts from the monuments.

The genome of an ancient Rouran individual reveals an important paternal lineage in the Donghu population.

PubMed

Li, Jiawei; Zhang, Ye; Zhao, Yongbin; Chen, Yongzhi; Ochir, A; Sarenbilige; Zhu, Hong; Zhou, Hui

2018-04-21

Following the Xiongnu and Xianbei, the Rouran Khaganate (Rouran) was the third great nomadic tribe on the Mongolian Steppe. However, few human remains from this tribe are available for archaeologists and geneticists to study, as traces of the tombs of these nomadic people have rarely been found. In 2014, the IA-M1 remains (TL1) at the Khermen Tal site from the Rouran period were found by a Sino-Mongolian joint archaeological team in Mongolia, providing precious material for research into the genetic imprint of the Rouran. The mtDNA hypervariable sequence I (HVS-I) and Y-chromosome SNPs were analyzed, and capture of the paternal non-recombining region of the Y chromosome (NRY) and whole-genome shotgun sequencing of TL1 were performed. The materials from three sites representing the three ancient nationalities (Donghu, Xianbei, and Shiwei) were selected for comparison with the TL1 individual. The mitochondrial haplotype of the TL1 individual was D4b1a2a1. The Y-chromosome haplotype was C2b1a1b/F3830 (ISOGG 2015), which was the same as that of the other two ancient male nomadic samples (ZHS5 and GG3) related to the Xianbei and Shiwei, which were also detected as F3889; this haplotype was reported to be downstream of F3830 by Wei et al. (). We conclude that F3889 downstream of F3830 is an important paternal lineage of the ancient Donghu nomads. The Donghu-Xianbei branch is expected to have made an important paternal genetic contribution to Rouran. This component of gene flow ultimately entered the gene pool of modern Mongolic- and Manchu-speaking populations. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Michelangelo's Apollo and pathos: an anatomical and anthropometric interpretation.

PubMed

Hilloowala, Rumy

2010-06-01

Michelangelo was a complex personality with strong conflicting emotions. Most prevalent, in both his life and subsequently his work, were the contrasting feelings of grandeur (Apollo) and pathos. He used his extensive knowledge of anatomy to convey expressions of justice, power and awe in works like David, Moses, and Christ in the Last Judgment. In his more mature years he gravitates to works depicting suffering (pathos) and the physical decline of the human body as seen in the captives for the tomb of Pope Julius II and the female subjects in the Medici Chapel. The Renaissance belief in humanism, influenced by the study of antiquity, put man at the centre of the universe. Michelangelo, more than any other artist of the time, was an ardent exponent of this trend. His interest in the human body, though paramount, ranged far beyond the mere depiction of anatomical details or naturalism in art. The human body, which no artist since the ancient Greeks held in such high esteem, was the vehicle through which he sought to portray the inner life of the spirit. He was more interested in the universal spirit shining through the individual. It is this quality that enables him to speak to us across the boundaries of time and space. He never says, "I want you to recognize this man." Instead, he says, "I want you to recognize yourself and through yourself all mankind". Some of the outward manifestations of the life of the spirit were, to Michelangelo and to men of his time, beauty, justice, noble courage and awe-inspiring righteousness. It is not surprising, therefore, that two of the most important themes expressed in his art are Apollo (beauty and justice) and pathos (the spiritual struggle of man on earth) and that the sole form he deemed appropriate for embodiment of these lofty ideas was the human nude.

Origin and emergence of the sweet dessert watermelon, Citrullus lanatus

PubMed Central

Paris, Harry S.

2015-01-01

Background and Aims Watermelons, Citrullus species (Cucurbitaceae), are native to Africa and have been cultivated since ancient times. The fruit flesh of wild watermelons is watery, but typically hard-textured, pale-coloured and bland or bitter. The familiar sweet dessert watermelons, C. lanatus, featuring non-bitter, tender, well-coloured flesh, have a narrow genetic base, suggesting that they originated from a series of selection events in a single ancestral population. The objective of the present investigation was to determine where dessert watermelons originated and the time frame during which sweet dessert watermelons emerged. Key Findings Archaeological remains of watermelons, mostly seeds, that date from 5000 years ago have been found in northeastern Africa. An image of a large, striped, oblong fruit on a tray has been found in an Egyptian tomb that dates to at least 4000 years ago. The Greek word pepon, Latin pepo and Hebrew avattiah of the first centuries ce were used for the same large, thick-rinded, wet fruit which, evidently, was the watermelon. Hebrew literature from the end of the second century ce and Latin literature from the beginning of the sixth century ce present watermelons together with three sweet fruits: figs, table grapes and pomegranates. Wild and primitive watermelons have been observed repeatedly in Sudan and neighbouring countries of northeastern Africa. Conclusions The diverse evidence, combined, indicates that northeastern Africa is the centre of origin of the dessert watermelon, that watermelons were domesticated for water and food there over 4000 years ago, and that sweet dessert watermelons emerged in Mediterranean lands by approximately 2000 years ago. Next-generation ancient-DNA sequencing and state-of-the-art genomic analysis offer opportunities to rigorously assess the relationships among ancient and living wild and primitive watermelons from northeastern Africa, modern sweet dessert watermelons and other Citrullus taxa. PMID

Astronomy, Illumination and Heritage: the Arles-Fontvieille megalithic monuments and their implications for archaeoastronomy and world heritage

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sterling Saletta, Morgan

2015-08-01

Recent archaeoastronomical research at the Arles-Fontvieille monuments has important implications for establishing potential Outstanding Universal Value of megalithic monuments and establishing the credibility of archaeoastronomical sites. My discovery of seasonal light and shadow hierophanies within the Arles-Fontvieille monuments has interpretive and heritage value implications not only for these sites but for late prehistoric European monuments more generally.While horizon astronomy was very likely used for time-reckoning in the Neolithic, I argue the ‘seasonal illumination hypothesis’ is more appropriate than the ‘celestial targeting paradigm’ not only for the interpretation of the role of astronomy and cosmological symbolism in the construction of the Arles-Fontvieille monuments but also for late prehistoric European tombs with chambers and passages more generally.Multiple lines of evidence suggest a cosmologically symbolic link between houses of the living and houses of the dead in late prehistoric Europe. I will suggest that this practice originated not only in symbolic aspects of domestic dwellings, but also in functional solar orientation.If seasonal illumination was a major impetus for the orientation signatures of late prehistoric European monuments, how best to establish this? Time-lapse photography or video, while not unproblematic, is a powerful method of establishing the credibility of archaeoastronomical sites- one which has been used to great effect at monuments such as Newgrange and Stonehenge. In the past, this method was limited by the cost of equipment and the time needed to visit sites and at specific periods of time. Both of these limitations have been significantly lessened in recent years. Digital cameras have become ubiquitous. More importantly, examples of “crowd-sourcing” research problems in science provide a strategy for field documentation of sites whose level of preservation is sufficient to reveal seasonal illumination

Archaeological Feedback as a Research Methodology in Near-Surface Geophysics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Maillol, J.; Ortega-Ramírez, J.; Berard, B.

2005-05-01

A unique characteristic of archaeological geophysics is to present the researchers in applied geophysics with the opportunity to verify their interpretation of geophysical data through the direct observation of often extremely detailed excavations. This is usually known as archaeological feedback. Archaeological materials have been slowly buried over periods ranging from several hundreds to several thousands of years, undergoing natural sedimentary and soil-forming processes. Once excavated, archaeological features therefore constitute more realistic test subjects than the targets artifically buried in common geophysical test sites. We are presenting the outcome of several such verification tests aimed at clarifying issues in geometry and spatial resolution of ground penetrating radar (GPR) images. On the site of a Roman villa in SE Portugal 500 Mhz GPR images are shown to depict very accurately the position and geometry of partially excavated remains. In the Maya city of Palenque, Mexico, 900 Mhz data allows the depth of tombs and natural cavities to be determined with cm accuracy. The predicted lateral extent of the cavities is more difficult to match with the reality due to the cluttering caused by high frequency. In the rainforest of Western Africa, 500 MHz GPR was used to prospect for stone tool sites. When very careful positioning and high density data sampling is achieved, stones can be accurately located and retrieved at depths exceeding 1 m with maximum positioning errors of 12cm horizontally and 2 cm vertically. In more difficult data collection conditions however, errors in positioning are shown to actually largely exceed the predictions based on quantitative theoretical resolution considerations. Geophysics has long been recognized as a powerful tool for prospecting and characterizing archaeological sites. Reciprocally, these results show that archaeology is an unparalleled test environment for the assesment and development of high resolution

Integrated Geophysical Studies to Image the Remains of Amenemeht II Pyramid's Complex in Dahshour Necropolis, Giza, Egypt.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Abbas, Abbas Mohamed; Atya, Magdy; El-Emam, Ahmed; Ghazala, Hosny, ,, Prof.; Shaaban, Fathy, ,, Dr; Odah, Hatem, ,, Prof; Ibrahim, El-Khedr, ,, Prof; Lethy, Ahmed, ,, Dr

2009-04-01

Dahshour archaeological site is located adjacent to Giza necropolis at about 25 km south of Cairo. The site itself is an imperative necropolis that attracts the attention of the archaeologists. This location is a spectator of several historical episodes that start with the pyramidal complexes from the early dynasties (the mud brick tombs, the mastabas, and the Bent Pyramid) passing through the phase of the Step Pyramid of Zoser at Saqqara to the first complete pyramid in the history (the Red pyramid of Senefro "Khofo's father"). In 2002, the local archaeological supervisors suggested an area around the debris of the White pyramid (of Amenemeht II) for reconnaissance magnetic survey. The survey had been completed using the gradiometer FM36. More than 98 survey grids (20 x 20 m) of a surface area of 39200 m2 have been measured. The results reported the recognition of some parts of the mortuary temple, the causeway, and some other anomalies that could not be attributed to specific archaeological aspect. Therefore, an integrated geophysical survey was proposed, in the present work, to get more details help to identify these objects. The ground penetrating radar (GPR, SIR2000), the electrical resistance meter (Geoscan RM15), and the electromagnetic profiler (GEM300) have been utilized to acquire the data. They have been applied to selected zones to investigate specific objects and oriented to solve the problems questioned by the local archaeological inspectors. The study conveyed an superior image of the whole measured site and helped to identify most of the detected artifacts. Furthermore, the margins of the causeway and its infrastructure have been perfectly delineated. However, the possible place of the eastern entrance and the Valley temple have been tentatively located. Keywords: Archaeo-geophysics, Dahshour, White Pyramid

Network science in Egyptology.

PubMed

Coulombe, Patrick; Qualls, Clifford; Kruszynski, Robert; Nerlich, Andreas; Bianucci, Raffaella; Harris, Richard; Mermier, Christine; Appenzeller, Otto

2012-01-01

Egyptology relies on traditional descriptive methods. Here we show that modern, Internet-based science and statistical methods can be applied to Egyptology. Two four-thousand-year-old sarcophagi in one tomb, one within the other, with skeletal remains of a woman, gave us the opportunity to diagnose a congenital nervous system disorder in the absence of a living nervous system. The sarcophagi were discovered near Thebes, Egypt. They were well preserved and meticulously restored. The skeletal remains suggested that the woman, aged between 50 and 60 years, was Black, possibly of Nubian descent and suffered from syringobulbia, a congenital cyst in the brain stem and upper spinal cord. We employed crowd sourcing, the anonymous responses of 204 Facebook users who performed a matching task of living persons' iris color with iris color of the Udjat eyes, a decoration found on Egyptian sarcophagi, to confirm the ethnicities of the sarcophagus occupants. We used modern fMRI techniques to illustrate the putative extent of her lesion in the brain stem and upper spinal cord deduced from her skeletal remains. We compared, statistically, the right/left ratios, a non-dimensional number, of the orbit height, orbit width, malar height and the infraorbital foramena with the same measures obtained from 32 ancient skulls excavated from the Fayum, North of Thebes. We found that these ratios were significantly different in this skull indicating atrophy of cranial bones on the left. In this instance, Internet science and the use of modern neurologic research tools showed that ancient sarcophagus makers shaped and decorated their wares to fit the ethnicity of the prospective occupants of the sarcophagi. We also showed that, occasionally, human nervous system disease may be recognizable in the absence of a living nervous system.

Parallel and Convergent Evolution of the Dim-Light Vision Gene RH1 in Bats (Order: Chiroptera)

PubMed Central

Shen, Yong-Yi; Liu, Jie; Irwin, David M.; Zhang, Ya-Ping

2010-01-01

Rhodopsin, encoded by the gene Rhodopsin (RH1), is extremely sensitive to light, and is responsible for dim-light vision. Bats are nocturnal mammals that inhabit poor light environments. Megabats (Old-World fruit bats) generally have well-developed eyes, while microbats (insectivorous bats) have developed echolocation and in general their eyes were degraded, however, dramatic differences in the eyes, and their reliance on vision, exist in this group. In this study, we examined the rod opsin gene (RH1), and compared its evolution to that of two cone opsin genes (SWS1 and M/LWS). While phylogenetic reconstruction with the cone opsin genes SWS1 and M/LWS generated a species tree in accord with expectations, the RH1 gene tree united Pteropodidae (Old-World fruit bats) and Yangochiroptera, with very high bootstrap values, suggesting the possibility of convergent evolution. The hypothesis of convergent evolution was further supported when nonsynonymous sites or amino acid sequences were used to construct phylogenies. Reconstructed RH1 sequences at internal nodes of the bat species phylogeny showed that: (1) Old-World fruit bats share an amino acid change (S270G) with the tomb bat; (2) Miniopterus share two amino acid changes (V104I, M183L) with Rhinolophoidea; (3) the amino acid replacement I123V occurred independently on four branches, and the replacements L99M, L266V and I286V occurred each on two branches. The multiple parallel amino acid replacements that occurred in the evolution of bat RH1 suggest the possibility of multiple convergences of their ecological specialization (i.e., various photic environments) during adaptation for the nocturnal lifestyle, and suggest that further attention is needed on the study of the ecology and behavior of bats. PMID:20098620

A Dental Prosthesis from the Early Modern Age in Tuscany (Italy).

PubMed

Minozzi, Simona; Panetta, Daniele; De Sanctis, Massimo; Giuffra, Valentina

2017-04-01

During archaeological excavation, carried out in the S. Francesco Monastery at Lucca (Tuscany, Italy), a golden dental appliance was discovered. The prosthesis was found, together with commingled human remains, in the collective tomb of the aristocratic family of the Guinigi, a powerful family who governed Lucca from 1392 until 1429. The exact archaeological dating of the prosthesis was not possible, but some elements suggest a dating to the beginning of the 17th century. Aim of the paper is to study and describe the dental appliance trough a multidisciplinary approach. Macroscopical and micro-CT examinations were performed to investigate the technics used for the realization of the dental prosthesis. SEM analysis was performed to study alloy composition of the metallic fixing lamina and microstructure of the deposits on the dental surface. The dental prosthesis consists in five mandibular teeth: three central incisors and two lateral canines linked together by a golden band inserted into the dental roots to replace the anterior arch of the jaw. Micro-CT scan revealed the presence of two small golden pins inserted into each tooth crossing the root and fixing the teeth to the internal gold band. SEM examination of the lamina indicated a homogeneous composition, with average contents of 73 wt% gold, 15.6 wt% Ag, and 11.4 wt% Cu. Apposition of dental calculus on the teeth indicated that the prosthesis had been worn for a long period. This dental prosthesis provides a unique finding of technologically advanced dentistry in this period. In fact, during the Early Modern Age, some authors described gold band technology for the replacement of missing teeth; nevertheless, no direct evidences of these devices have been brought to light up so far. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Sinop Province, Şahintepesi Region, Bayraktepe Tumulus' Display With Electrical Resistivity Tomography

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yıldırım, Şahin; Ahmet Yüksel, Fethi; Avcı, Kerim; Ziya Görücü, Mahmut

2017-04-01

Paphlagonia is located on the Boztepe Foreland (Sinop Foreland) and its peninsula, which extends northwards along the coastal lane of the Black Sea. Sinop is at the northernmost tip of Turkey, in the middle of the Black Sea region. Archaeological excavations of the entire Sinop province have uncovered artifacts from the Bronze Age dating back to 3000 BC. Most ancient sources indicate that Mithridates is buried in Sinop. It is alleged that the Tumuli on the crest of the historical peninsula, called Boztepe in Sinop, could be the resting spot of Mithridates. There are three tumuli in this area known as Şahin Tepesi Mevkii (Şahin Hill Site). In order to determine the location of the burial chamber of the tomb, Electrical Resistivity Tomography (ERT) measurement methods were used, which is a geophysical method capable of three dimensional (3D) measurement and evaluation. In the area of the tumulus, measurements were made in a 57 electrode array using a 42 x 36 m (total 1512 m2) spread electrode pattern with 6m spacing. In the study, an AGI brand SuperString R1 Resistivity device and equipment were used. Resistivity data were interpreted using AGI Earthimag 3D software. From the geoelectric resistivity data, 2D and 3D images were obtained as a result of data processing. In the tumulus area smooth geometrical forms and individual high-amplitude anomalies were visualized, that could be attributed to structural remains and the presence of archaeological materials. These anomalies were plotted on the gridded location plan of the excavation area. Within the artificial hill forming the tumulus, with regards to the natural geological units, anomalies such as very high resistivity, linear elongations, angular rotations, curves, etc. (stone wall, hollow room) that are caused by architectural elements were observed. These geometrically shaped, very highly resistive, anomalies should be checked. Keywords: Sinope, Tumulus, Electrical Resistivity Tomography, Archaeo-geophysics

Purbeck Stone - A possible Global Heritage Stone from England

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Marker, Brian

2014-05-01

By definition, a Global Heritage Stone Resource (GHSR) should have international significance. The Purbeck Group of uppermost Jurassic to lowermost Cretaceous age (Tithonian- Berriasian) outcrops mainly in the Purbeck area of Dorset, England. It was deposited in shallow freshwater to brackish lagoons with occasional marine incursions. Limestones, mainly biosparites, occur at 6 main levels. Differences in bed thickness, jointing and hardness make it suitable for a variety of purposes including dimension stone, monumental and ornamental stone, roofing tiles, paving, flooring and rockery stone. Near the top of the sequence is a dark gastropod biosparite, traditionally called Purbeck Marble, easily carved, which has been extensively used for decorative interior work in churches and cathedrals particularly for fonts, tombs, flooring and facings on columns for example in the medieval cathedrals of Salisbury, Exeter, Durham, York and Wells and Worcester and Westminster Abbey. The stone was extracted at least from Roman times (1st century AD) through the medieval period. Quarrying expanded from about 1700 reaching a peak in the late 18th and 19th centuries. Stone was transported first by sea but later by rail for wider use. Used in many local buildings, it gives an important element of local character. Many of the villages are designated conservation areas with a requirement for repair, maintenance and new building using local stone. Initially the stone was taken from quarries but was later mined. The number of operating companies declined from 15 to 5 over the past 40 years, with 10 active small quarries. Outputs are from few hundred tonnes to a few thousand tonnes per annum or about 9 to 12 years of permitted reserves but the Planning Authority intends to make sufficient provision for production at recent levels for their development plan period. The extraction sites are in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and close to Jurassic Coast World Heritage Site. This might

Origin and emergence of the sweet dessert watermelon, Citrullus lanatus.

PubMed

Paris, Harry S

2015-08-01

Watermelons, Citrullus species (Cucurbitaceae), are native to Africa and have been cultivated since ancient times. The fruit flesh of wild watermelons is watery, but typically hard-textured, pale-coloured and bland or bitter. The familiar sweet dessert watermelons, C. lanatus, featuring non-bitter, tender, well-coloured flesh, have a narrow genetic base, suggesting that they originated from a series of selection events in a single ancestral population. The objective of the present investigation was to determine where dessert watermelons originated and the time frame during which sweet dessert watermelons emerged. Archaeological remains of watermelons, mostly seeds, that date from 5000 years ago have been found in northeastern Africa. An image of a large, striped, oblong fruit on a tray has been found in an Egyptian tomb that dates to at least 4000 years ago. The Greek word pepon, Latin pepo and Hebrew avattiah of the first centuries CE were used for the same large, thick-rinded, wet fruit which, evidently, was the watermelon. Hebrew literature from the end of the second century CE and Latin literature from the beginning of the sixth century CE present watermelons together with three sweet fruits: figs, table grapes and pomegranates. Wild and primitive watermelons have been observed repeatedly in Sudan and neighbouring countries of northeastern Africa. The diverse evidence, combined, indicates that northeastern Africa is the centre of origin of the dessert watermelon, that watermelons were domesticated for water and food there over 4000 years ago, and that sweet dessert watermelons emerged in Mediterranean lands by approximately 2000 years ago. Next-generation ancient-DNA sequencing and state-of-the-art genomic analysis offer opportunities to rigorously assess the relationships among ancient and living wild and primitive watermelons from northeastern Africa, modern sweet dessert watermelons and other Citrullus taxa. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University

On the detection of adobe buried archaeological structures using multiscale remote sensing techniques : Piramide Naranja in Cahuachi (Peru)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Masini, N.; Rizzo, E.; Lasaponara, R.; Orefici, G.

2009-04-01

The detection of buried adobe structures is a crucial issue for the remote sensing (ground, aerial and satellite) applied to archaeology for the widespread of sun-dried earth as building material in several ancient civilizations in Central and Southern America, Middle East and North Africa. Moreover it is complex, due to the subtle contrast existing between the archaeological features and the surrounding, especially in arid setting, as in the case of the well know Nazca Ceremonial Centre of Cahuachi, located in the desert of Nazca (Southern Peru) . During the last two decades of excavations adobe monuments dating back from the 6th century B.C. to the 4th century A.D have been highlighted by the Centro de Estudios Arqueológicos Precolombinos (CEAP), an italian-peruvian mission directed by Giuseppe Orefici. Actually, the archaeologists are excavating and restoring the core of the Ceremonial centre where is located a great pyramid (kown as Gran Piramide). Beginning from 2007 the two institutes of CNR, IMAA and IBAM, have been involved by CEAP, in order to provide a scientific and technological support for the archaeological research. Therefore, a multi-scale approach based on the integration of aerial and satellite remote sensing with geophysical techniques was employed in order to provide data useful for archaeological excavations. The abstract refers to the last investigations performed on a mound, known as "Piramide Naranja", during the 2008. The processing of an aerial imagery time series and two QuickBird satellite images acquired in 2002 and 2005, allowed for identifying some features related to shallow and buried structures. Such features were verified by means of geophysical prospections, performed by using the magnetometric method which observed changes in the magnetic field within the first few metres beneath the subsurface detecting buried walls and anomalies linked to ceramic deposits referable to possible tombs. Finally, the integration of all data

Climate, people, fire and vegetation: new insights into vegetation dynamics in the Eastern Mediterranean since the 1st century AD

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bakker, J.; Paulissen, E.; Kaniewski, D.; Poblome, J.; De Laet, V.; Verstraeten, G.; Waelkens, M.

2012-08-01

Ottoman times. The pollen data reveals that the old model of a fast rise in Pinus pollen after the end of the Beyşehir Occupation Phase is not necessarily accurate. The notion of high Pinus pollen percentages indicating an open landscape incapable of countering the influx of pine pollen is also deemed unrealistic. While multiple fires occurred in the region through time, they were never a major influence on vegetation dynamics and were mostly linked to increased abundance of pine forests, rather than the presence of human impact or of specifically wet or dry environmental conditions. While this study reveals much new information concerning the impact of climate change and human occupation on the environment, more studies from SW turkey are required in order to properly quantify the range of the observed phenomena and the magnitude of their impacts.

Overview of o3 and CO Interannual Variabilities and Trends Based on the Mozaic Data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Thouret, V.; Cammas, J.; Elguindi, N.; Zbinden, R.; Athier, G.; Nedelec, P.; Cousin, J.; Karcher, F.

2010-12-01

Asia (less than 1%/year). On the other hand, CO distributions actually show a strong interannual variability partly linked to the intensity of boreal fires (Elguindi et al., 2010). We will present a detailed seasonal and regional analysis to better assess the leading processes. Elguindi et al., Current status of the ability of the GEMS/MACC models to reproduce the tropospheric CO vertical distribution as measured by MOZAIC… GMDD, 2010 Koumoutsaris S., Bey I., Generoso S., Thouret V., Influence of El Nino-Southern Oscillation on the interannual variability of tropospheric ozone in the northern midlatitudes, J. Geophys. Res., 113, D19301, 2008. Thouret V., J.-P. Cammas, B. Sauvage, G. Athier, R. Zbinden, P. Nédélec, P. Simon, and F. Karcher, Tropopause referenced ozone climatology and inter-annual variability (1994-2003) from the MOZAIC programme, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 2006.

Decay of sandstone monuments in Petra (Jordan): Gravity-induced stress as a stabilizing factor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Řihošek, Jaroslav; Bruthans, Jiří; Mašín, David; Filippi, Michal; Schweigstillova, Jana

2016-04-01

As demonstrated by physical experiments and numerical modeling the gravity-induced stress (stress in further text) in sandstone massive reduces weathering and erosion rate (Bruthans et al. 2014). This finding is in contrast to common view that stress threatens stability of man-made monuments carved to sandstone. Certain low- levels of gravity-induced stress can in fact stabilize and protect these forms against weathering and disintegration. The purpose of this investigation is to evaluate the effect of the stress on weathering of sandstone monuments at the Petra World Heritage Site in Jordan via field observations, salt weathering experiments, and physical and numerical modeling. Previous studies on weathering of Petra monuments have neglected the impact of stress, but the ubiquitous presence of stress-controlled landforms in Petra suggests that it has a substantial effect on weathering and erosion processes on man-made monuments and natural surfaces. Laboratory salt weathering experiments with cubes of Umm Ishrin sandstone from Petra demonstrated the inverse relationship between stress magnitude and decay rate. Physical modeling with Strelec locked sand from the Czech Republic was used to simulate weathering and decay of Petra monuments. Sharp forms subjected to water erosion decayed to rounded shapes strikingly similar to tombs in Petra subjected to more than 2000 years of weathering and erosion. The physical modeling results enabled visualization of the recession of monument surfaces in high spatial and temporal resolution and indicate that the recession rate of Petra monuments is far from constant both in space and time. Numerical modeling of stress fields confirms the physical modeling results. This novel approach to investigate weathering clearly demonstrates that increased stress decreases the decay rate of Petra monuments. To properly delineate the endangered zones of monuments, the potential damage caused by weathering agents should be combined with stress

Study on the Ancient Star Map Carved on the Stone in DPR Korea: Present Status and Prospect

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Miley, George; Kim, Kyong Chol; Jong, Sok; Ji, Kwang Nam

2015-08-01

Korean Dolmens are the most distinctive and impressive megalithic monuments in Korean history. It has been known that Korean dolmens are typical funerary monuments of the New Stone Age and Bronze Age.We have searched and analyzed some Korean dolmens in astronomical aspects. Korean dolmen consists of two foundation stones, two dammed stones and one cover stone. Two foundation stones were put up on both sides and two small stones were dammed right and left so as to make a room for grave. Then tens of ton stone was covered on them. For example, one of the cover stones of Korean dolmens is 6.3m in length, 4m in width and 70cm in thickness. And the height of this dolmen is about 1.75m.More than twenty thousand dolmens are scattered around the Korean peninsula. Especially the Taedong River basin including Pyongyang that was a capital of Ancient Korea is the birthplace and centre of dolmens in our country, where about fourteen thousand dolmens are distributed. This region is of the highest density in terms of the distribution of dolmen and has every different kind of dolmens. Korean dolmen was very popular from BC.3000 to BC.2000 and began to disappear in the late BC.2000.It is interesting that we have found dolmens with star map on the cover stone. We found two hundred dolmens with various star atlas-like patterns of cup-marks. We analyzed the star maps on the cover stones of some dolmens and identified the constellations such as Big Dipper, Aquila, Cygnus, Draco and so on.It is thought that ancestor carved stars in the sky at that time on the cover stone of Korean dolmens, archaeological stone tombs. We also consider that Korean Dolmen is one of the oldest stone monuments relative to astronomy.We assume that there are many unidentified dolmens with star map on the cover stone and also many unexcavated dolmens in northern part of Korean peninsula yet, which are expected to arouse the great interest of astronomers and archaeologists.

Archaeogeophysical Investigation of Water Tower Region on Enez (Ainos) Ancient City

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Deniz, Hazel; Ahmet Yüksel, Fethi; Başaran, Sait

2017-04-01

-walled, rock and roof-tile covered buried graves have been found. Many, solid Lekythos and skeletons were found from the graves opened. 15 sarcophagi and 59 tombs emerged from the graves opened in the Water Tower Necropolis. Keywords: Enez, Ainos ,Necropolis, Proton Magnetometer, Turkey.

Orientation damage in the Christchurch cemeteries generated during the Christchurch earthquakes of 2010

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Martín-González, Fidel; Perez-Lopez, Raul; Rodrigez-Pascua, Miguel Angel; Martin-Velazquez, Silvia

2014-05-01

The intensity scales determined the damage caused by an earthquake. However, a new methodology takes into account not only the damage but the type of damage "Earthquake Archaeological Effects" EAE's, and its orientation (e.g. displaced masonry blocks, impact marks, conjugated fractures, fallen and oriented columns, dipping broken corners, etc.). It focuses not only on the amount of damage but also in its orientation, giving information about the ground motion during the earthquake. In 2010 an earthquake of magnitude 6.2 took place in Christchurch (New Zealand) (22-2-2010), 185 casualties, making it the second-deadliest natural disaster in New Zealand. Due to the magnitude of the catastrophe, the city centre (CBD) was closed and the most damaged buildings were closed and later demolished. For this reason it could not be possible to access to sampling or make observations in the most damaged areas. However, the cemeteries were not closed and a year later still remained intact since the financial means to recover were used to reconstruct infrastructures and housing the city. This peculiarity of the cemeteries made measures of the earthquake effects possible. Orientation damage was measured on the tombs, crosses and headstones of the cemeteries (mainly on falling objects such as fallen crosses, obelisks, displaced tombstones, etc.). 140 data were taken in the most important cemeteries (Barbadoes, Addington, Pebleton, Woodston, Broomley and Linwood cemeteries) covering much of the city area. The procedure involved two main phases: a) inventory and identification of damages, and b) analysis of the damage orientations. The orientation was calculated for each element and plotted in a map and statistically in rose diagrams. The orientation dispersion is high in some cemeteries but damage orientation S-N and E-W is observed. However, due to the multiple seismogenic faults responsible for earthquakes and damages in Christchurch during the year after the 2010 earthquake, a

3D reconstruction and spatial auralization of the "Painted Dolmen" of Antelas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dias, Paulo; Campos, Guilherme; Santos, Vítor; Casaleiro, Ricardo; Seco, Ricardo; Sousa Santos, Beatriz

2008-02-01

This paper presents preliminary results on the development of a 3D audiovisual model of the Anta Pintada (painted dolmen) of Antelas, a Neolithic chamber tomb located in Oliveira de Frades and listed as Portuguese national monument. The final aim of the project is to create a highly accurate Virtual Reality (VR) model of this unique archaeological site, capable of providing not only visual but also acoustic immersion based on its actual geometry and physical properties. The project started in May 2006 with in situ data acquisition. The 3D geometry of the chamber was captured using a Laser Range Finder. In order to combine the different scans into a complete 3D visual model, reconstruction software based on the Iterative Closest Point (ICP) algorithm was developed using the Visualization Toolkit (VTK). This software computes the boundaries of the room on a 3D uniform grid and populates its interior with "free-space nodes", through an iterative algorithm operating like a torchlight illuminating a dark room. The envelope of the resulting set of "free-space nodes" is used to generate a 3D iso-surface approximating the interior shape of the chamber. Each polygon of this surface is then assigned the acoustic absorption coefficient of the corresponding boundary material. A 3D audiovisual model operating in real-time was developed for a VR Environment comprising head-mounted display (HMD) I-glasses SVGAPro, an orientation sensor (tracker) InterTrax 2 with 3 Degrees Of Freedom (3DOF) and stereo headphones. The auralisation software is based on a geometric model. This constitutes a first approach, since geometric acoustics have well-known limitations in rooms with irregular surfaces. The immediate advantage lies in their inherent computational efficiency, which allows real-time operation. The program computes the early reflections forming the initial part of the chamber's impulse response (IR), which carry the most significant cues for source localisation. These early

Satellite and aerial data as a tool for digs localisation and their verification using geophysical methods

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pavelka, Karel; Faltynova, Martina; Bila, Zdenka

2013-04-01

mosaic and QuickBird satellite data. Normally is not visible from the surface. Secondary was fortification localized on shaded relief by spatial indices. Last verification has been made by walking magnetometer. Second example is joining of both magnetometers and GPR data. These technology and 3D modelling was used for localisation and verification of unknown tomb in the neighbourhood of church ruins in Panensky Tynec.

Building monument materials during the 3rd-4rd millennium (Portugal)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Moita, Patricia; Pedro, Jorge; Boaventura, Rui; Mataloto, Rui; Maximo, Jaime; Almeida, Luís; Nogueira, Pedro

2014-05-01

Dolmens are the most conspicuous remains of the populations of the 4th and first half of 3rd millennia BCE. These tombs are impressive not only for their monumentality, but also because of the socioeconomic investment they represent for those Neolithic communities, namely from the Central-South of Portugal, who built them. Although dolmens have been studied for their funerary content and typologies, an interdisciplinary approach toward the geological characterization and sourcing of stones used in these constructions has not received enough attention from researchers. With MEGAGEO project a multidisciplinary group of geologist and archaeologists intends to assess the relationship between the distribution of dolmens in Central-South Portugal, their source materials, and the geological landscape. GIS will map the information gathered and will be used to analyse these relationships. The selection of the areas, with distinctive geologies (limestone vs granite), will allow to verify if human patterns of behaviour regarding the selection of megaliths are similar or different regionally. Geologically the first target area (Freixo, Alentejo) is dominated by a small intrusion of gabbro mingled/mixed within a granodioritic intrusion both related with variscan orogeny. Granodiorite exhibit several enclaves of igneous and metamorphic nature attesting the interaction between both igneous rocks as well with enclosing gneisses. Despite Alentejo region have a reduced number of outcrops the granodiorite provides rounded to tabular metric blocks. The gabbro is very coarse grained, sometimes with a cumulate texture, and their fracturing and weathering provide very fresh tabular blocks. The five studied dolmens (Quinta do Freixo #1 to #5) are implanted in a large granodioritic intrusion, around the gabbroic rocks, within an area of approximately 9km2. The medium grained granodiorite is ubiquity in all the dolmens slabs and occasionally it can be observed features of mixing and

Paleoandrology and prostatic hyperplasia in Italian mummies (XV-XIX century).

PubMed

Fornaciari, G; Ciranni, R; Ventura, L

2001-01-01

Prostatic hyperplasia, a very common condition today, was well known in the past as cause for bladder distension. The difficulty to identify, at autopsy of natural or artificial mummies, even a normal-sized prostate is probably the result of putrefaction processes and its usually dramatic size reduction as well. We report two ancient cases of prostatic hyperplasia recently observed in natural mummies from Italy. The first case regards Pandolfo III Malatesta (1370-1427), a leading figure of the Italian Renaissance. He was a valiant soldier and horseman with a very active life style. The tomb, containing his naturally mummified body, has recently been discovered in Fano (Marche, Central Italy). After careful X-ray and videographic examination, the autopsy showed good preservation of the skeletal muscles, cartilage, internal and external organs, included prostate gland and penis. Macroscopic examination revealed a staghorn calculus (calcium urate) of the left kidney and a severe enlargement of the prostate, with calcifications detectable by X-ray and large nodules protruding in the lumen of an ectatic urethra. Histology shows fibrous brands of connective and muscular tissue surrounding circular and oblong lacunae, with no preservation of epithelial structures. The macroscopic and histological picture allowed us to diagnose prostatic nodular hyperplasia. The second case (XIX century) concerns the natural mummy of an anonymous 50-60 years old man, found in ancient friary near L'Aquila (central Italy), which underwent computed tomography and a complete autopsy. Pelvic CT scans showed distended urinary bladder and a ring of dense tissue at the site of the prostate. At autopsy the bladder measured 7 x 6 x 5 cm and the prostate was 4 x 5 x 3 cm; prostatic urethra had a diameter of x 2 cm. Histology revealed dense fibrous tissue containing muscular fibers and roundish cavities of variable size, filled with eosinophil, PAS-positive material. Concretions were also present in

Analysis of ground penetrating radar data from the tunnel beneath the Temple of the Feathered Serpent in Teotihuacan, Mexico, using new multi-cross algorithms

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

López-Rodríguez, Flor; Velasco-Herrera, Víctor M.; Álvarez-Béjar, Román; Gómez-Chávez, Sergio; Gazzola, Julie

2016-11-01

The ground penetrating radar (GPR) -a non-invasive method based on the emission of electromagnetic waves and the reception of their reflections at the dielectric constant and electrical conductivity discontinuities of the materials surveyed- may be applied instead of the destructive and invasive methods used to find water in celestial bodies. As multichannel equipment is increasingly used, we developed two algorithms for multivariable wavelet analysis of GPR signals -multi-cross wavelet (MCW) and Fourier multi-cross function (FMC)- and applied them to analyze raw GPR traces of archeological subsurface strata. The traces were from the tunnel located beneath the Temple of the Feathered Serpent (The Citadel, Teotihuacan, Mexico), believed to represent the underworld, an outstanding region of the Mesoamerican mythology, home of telluric forces emanating from deities, where life was constantly created and recreated. GPR profiles obtained with 100 MHz antennas suggested the tunnel is 12-14 m deep and 100-120 m long with three chambers at its end, interpretations that were confirmed by excavations in 2014. Archeologists believe that due to the tunnel's sacredness and importance, one of the chambers may be the tomb of a ruler of the ancient city. The MCW and FMC algorithms determined the periods of subsurface strata of the tunnel. GPR traces inside-and-outside the tunnel/chamber, outside the tunnel/chamber and inside the tunnel/chamber analyzed with the MCW and filtered FMC algorithms determined the periods of the tunnel and chamber fillings, clay and matrix (limestone-clay compound). The tunnel filling period obtained by MCW analysis (14.37 ns) reflects the mixed limestone-clay compound of this stratum since its value is close to that of the period of the matrix (15.22 ns); periods of the chamber filling (11.40 ± 0.40 ns) and the matrix (11.40 ± 1.00 ns) were almost identical. FMC analysis of the tunnel obtained a period (5.08 ± 1.08 ns) close to that of the chamber (4

Triassic arc-derived detritus in the Triassic Karakaya accretionary complex was not derived from either the S Eurasian margin (Istanbul terrane) or the N Gondwana margin (Taurides)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ustaömer, Timur; Ayda Ustaömer, Petek; Robertson, Alastair H. F.; Gerdes, Axel; Zulauf, Gernold

2014-05-01

We present new U-Pb zircon source age data for Upper Triassic sandstones of the Istanbul Terrane (S Eurasian margin) and also for Triassic sandstones of the Taurides (N Gondwana margin). The main aim is to detect and quantify the contribution of Triassic magmatism as detritus to either of these crustal blocks. This follows the recent discovery of a Triassic magmatic arc source for the Triassic sandstones of the Palaeotethyan Karakaya subduction-accretion complex (Ustaömer et al. 2013; this meeting). Carboniferous (Variscan) zircon grains also form a significant detrital population, plus several more minor populations. Six sandstone samples were studied, two from the İstanbul Terrane (Bakırlıkıran Formation of the Kocaeli Triassic Basin) and four from the Tauride Autochthon (latest Triassic Üzümdere Formation and Mid-Triassic Kasımlar Formations; Beyşehir region). Detrital zircon grains were dated by the laser ablation-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometer (LA-ICP-MS) U-Pb method at Goethe University, Frankfurt. Our results do not reveal Triassic detritus in the Üzümdere Formation. The U-Pb age of the analysed zircon grains ranges from 267 Ma to 3.2 Ga. A small fraction of Palaeozoic zircons are Permian (267 to 296 Ma), whereas the remainder are Early Palaeozoic. Ordovician grains (4%) form two age clusters, one at ca. 450 Ma and the other at ca. 474 Ma. Cambrian-aged grains dominate the zircon population, while the second largest population is Ediacaran (576 to 642 Ma). Smaller populations occur at 909-997 Ma, 827-839 Ma, 1.8-2.0 Ga and 2.4-2.6 Ga. The sandstones of the Kasımlar Formation have similar zircon age cluster to those of the somewhat younger Üzümdere Formation, ranging from 239 Ma to 2.9 Ga. A few grains gave Anisian ages. Cambrian zircon grains are less pronounced than in the Kasımlar Formation compared to the Üzümdere Formation. The detrital zircon record of Tauride sandstones, therefore, not indicates significant contribution

The Ançã limestones, Coimbra, Portugal

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Quinta-Ferreira, Mário; Gil Catarino, Lídia; Delgado Rodrigues, José

2016-04-01

Ançã is located in the Lusitanian Basin (western Meso-Cenozoic sedimentary basin), in the municipality of Cantanhede, close to Coimbra, Portugal. This constitutes the northernmost Dogger (Bajocian) limestone sequence in Portugal. The use of the Ançã limestones is documented since the Roman occupation of the Iberian Peninsula. It was used for the construction of houses, palaces, churches, fine sculptures, carving, paving and for the production of lime. These limestones vary from white and very soft varieties, with very high porosity used for sculpture and carving to white and hard varieties used for masonry and as aggregates and to white to bluish with low porosity and high strength varieties, mainly used for paving. The softer and whiter variety is worldwide known as Ançã Stone (Pedra de Ançã) exhibiting a porosity of 26-29 %. It became famous after being largely used by Coimbra most famous Renaissance sculptors like João de Ruão and Nicolau de Chanterenne. The Pedra de Ançã was used mainly in the region of Coimbra, but also in several other places in Portugal, in Santiago de Compostela, Spain, and Brazil. Some examples of heritage in Coimbra using the Pedra de Ançã are the renaissance portal of the Saint Cross Church, the tombs of the first two Portuguese kings located in this church, the altar of the Saint Cross Church or of the Old Cathedral, or in sculptures at the University of Coimbra. It is quite prone to deteriorate when exposed to atmospheric agents and to soluble salts, mainly due to its high porosity. Deteriorated surfaces needing treatment constitute difficult conservation problems, especially when consolidation and protection treatments are required. The less porous varieties of the Ançã limestones (< 20 % porosity) were mainly used for masonry, paving and production of lime. The royal Palace of Buçaco is a remarkable masonry building constructed at the end of the XIX century with the less porous varieties of the Ançã limestones

Travel-associated infections caused by unusual serogroups of Legionella pneumophila identified using Legionella BIOCHIP slides in Turkey and Iraq.

PubMed

Kocazeybek, Bekir S; Yuksel, Pelin; Keskin, Dilek; Sheikh, Suhail; Habip, Zafer; Yavuzer, Serap Sahin; Caliskan, Reyhan; Altun, Yagız Meric; Kuskucu, Mert; Cengiz, Mahir; Dinc, Harika Oyku; Karakullukcu, Asiye; Ergin, Sevgi; Saribas, Suat; Yilmaz, Nail; Tokman, Hrisi Bahar

2016-01-01

Although Legionella pneumophila serogroup 1 is the common disease causing serogroup, rare serogroups can also may cause legionellosis. A 54-year-old male patient (index case) reported that he had been on a religious trip (for visiting, tomb of Ali, which is important for Shias) to Iraq with a large group (50 shia pilgrims from Kars city of Turkey) two weeks prior to admission. Due to civil war, the hotel where the patient stayed in Iraq lacked proper hygiene. A large number of people in the travel group were experiencing the same symptoms. Other five cases were 2 males (ages; 50, 45) and 3 females including the wife of the index case (ages; 50, 28, 27). The detection of L. pneumophila IgG and IgM was performed by anti-L. pneumophila Indirect Immunofluorescent IgM, IgG kit. Legionella 1 biochip/verification BIOCHIP slides were used for serogrouping in Euroimmun AG, Leubeck, Germany. In index case, L. pneumophila IgM was positive with a titer of 1/32 titer. IgG was negative with a 1/100 titer. Another case (28 year old female), had clinical symptoms identical to the index case. L. pneumophila IgM and IgG were positive with titers of 1/64 and 1/100, respectively. These two cases were diagnosed with Legionnaires' disease caused by L. pneumophila serogroup 12 (index case) and female (28-year-old) by serogroup 11. The other 4 cases were diagnosed with possible Pontiac fever caused by L. pneumophila serogroups 14 (wife of the index case), 4, and 6 whereas the serogroup of L. pneumophila detected in 27 years old female case could not be identified. A major limitation of this work is the absence of genotyping and the serogroup difference between index case and his wife who shared the same hotel. We suggest that this serogroup difference may be caused by (for men and women) sitting separately in Islamic rules. On the other hand, the movement of people in the context of mutual visits between countries or neighboring countries for tourism-related (i.e., for religious events

"Belgian black and red marbles" as potential candidates for Global Heritage Stone Resource

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tourneur, Francis; Pereira, Dolores

2016-04-01

The Paleozoic substrate of South Belgium is rich in compact limestones, able to take a good polished finishing and to be used as "marbles". Among them, the black and red varieties were and still are of special importance, intensively exploited and largely exported, almost worldwide. The pure black marbles were extracted mostly from Frasnian (Upper Devonian) and Viséan (Lower Carboniferous) strata, in many localities like Namur, Dinant, Theux and Basècles. Today only the Frasnian variety is still exploited in a spectacular underground quarry in Golzinne, close to the town of Gembloux. These black marbles, already known in Antiquity, were exported since the Middle Age, first in Western Europe, then, from the 19th c., at a larger scale, almost worldwide. Among their most frequent uses figured of course funeral objects, like the epitaph of the Pope Adrian the 1st, offered by Charlemagne and preserved in the St-Pieter basilica in Rom. Another famous reference is the tombs of the Dukes of Burgundy in Dijon, with white crystalline marble and alabaster. The red marbles are limestones from reefal origin, forming mudmounds more or less rich in fossils of Late Frasnian (Late Devonian) age. They show a strong variability in colors, from dark red to light pinkish grey, and in texture, with many sedimentary structures and/or tectonic veins. The outcrops are non-stratified, which allows extraction of large blocks, for example for high columns. Known in the Roman time, they were intensively exploited since at least the 16th c. During the 19th and beginning of 20th c., more than hundred quarries were active in South Belgium, from Rance at West to Chaudfontaine at East, around Philippeville and Rochefort. They were largely used both in civil and religious buildings, mostly for inside decoration, for examples as altars or fireplaces. Among the most symbolic places, the Belgian red marbles were massively employed in Versailles, like in the famous "Galerie des Glaces". But many

Blood pressure self-surveillance for health also reflects 1.3-year Richardson solar wind variation: spin-off from chronomics.

PubMed

Halberg, Franz; Cornélissen, Germaine; Schack, Barbara; Wendt, Hans W; Minne, Hélène; Sothern, Robert B; Watanabe, Yoshihiko; Katinas, George; Otsuka, Kuniaki; Bakken, Earl E

2003-10-01

Self-experimentation concerns not only scientists, but also each individual for the sake of his/her chronobiologic health and science literacy, eventually to be acquired in primary and secondary education. Public education ensures that everybody who knows how to read or write can dispense with the service of a costly scribe. At all ages, public education can teach equally well how to find out whether one's blood pressure (BP) and heart rate (HR) responds to an increase in sodium intake with a rise, with no change or with a decrease in BP. This task and many others could become a matter of informed self-surveillance. Whenever there are inter-individual, sometimes opposite differences in response, government-sponsored trials on groups that do not consider such differences cannot solve what only the individual can do, at first by help from schools. Eventually special institutions may be designed for chronomics, the monitoring, interpretation and archivization of chronomes (time structures; from chronos = time and nomos = rule) of biological variables, also charged with a demographic analyzing and reporting system. Each individual's properly coded record, to guard confidentiality, becomes part of a promptly accessible database for one's own needs and for society's requirements. What individuals and small groups started as chronobiology, what is immediately available on back burners, as a service by an international project on the biosphere and the cosmos (BIOCOS) (corne001@umn.edu) could become a public system of planned surveillance archivization of one's rhythms from womb to tomb. Alterations of a rhythm's amplitude or acrophase or of a deterministic or other chaotic endpoint, such as a correlation dimension and approximate entropy, or of a standard deviation, among a multitude of other endpoints, can signal (in the otherwise neglected normal range) reversible risk elevations. If these elevated risks are detected and prompt the institution of countermeasures, such

Paleoclimate Reconstruction at Lamanai, Belize Using Oxygen-Isotope Tropical Dendrochronology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Prentice, A.; Webb, E. A.; White, C. D.; Graham, E.

2009-05-01

, which can differ by up to 2 permil around the circumference of the same ring. This indicates that even when visible rings are present in tropical trees, the rings may not be annual or continuous. However, the amplitude of variation in the oxygen-isotope values of cellulose from both early and latewood can be related to seasonal signals across the modern tree rings. These signals will be compared to the oxygen-isotope composition of tree ring cellulose extracted from a wood sample excavated from an ancient tomb at the site of Lamanai to assess the preservation of the cellulose- isotope signal in this artefact. If similar oxygen-isotope patterns are preserved in ancient cellulose they can be used as a proxy to determine past climate conditions, such as those experienced by the ancient Maya populations in Belize.

Safety issues in cultural heritage management and critical infrastructures management

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Soldovieri, Francesco; Masini, Nicola; Alvarez de Buergo, Monica; Dumoulin, Jean

2013-12-01

ížková (2013) present two methods as peeling tests, also known as the 'Scotch tape' method, and surface water uptake measurements, using a digitized micro-tube for assessing material characteristics and consolidation effects on historic stone and mortar. Both methods are reviewed by pointing out both the advantages and the drawbacks. Solimene et al (2013) present a novel data processing technique based on the inverse electromagnetic scattering for small and weak target detection and localization. They start from the idea of applying a two-stage MUSIC algorithm. In the first stage strong scatterers are detected. Then, information concerning their number and location is employed to detect and localize the weak scatterers. The role of an adequate scattering model is emphasized to drastically improve detection performance in realistic scenarios. Kadioglu et al (2013) deal with the exploitation of ground penetrating radar, enhanced by advanced data processing based on microwave tomography, for the detection and the assessment of structural damage affecting foundation healthiness, of significant relevance for safety management in cultural heritage. An interesting case of the effectiveness of the joint procedure is shown by processing measurements collected during a survey at the Great Mosque of Ilyas Bey, one of the most important cultural heritage features from ancient Miletos-Iona in Soke Aydin, Turkey. Finally, Nordebo et al (2013) provide an interesting analysis of the optimal accuracy and resolution in electrical impedance tomography (EIT), based on the Cramer-Rao lower bound. This study is very important in the set up and analysis of the regularization strategies for the linearized problem at hand. References Battaglini R, Raco B and Scozzari A 2013 Effective monitoring of landfills: flux measurements and thermography enhance efficiency and reduce environmental impact J. Geophys. Eng. 10 064002 Cascini L, Peduto D, Reale D, Arena L, Ferlisi S, Verde S and Fornaro G 2013

New geophysical electromagnetic method of archeological object research in Egypt

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hachay, O. A.; Khachay, O. Yu.; Attia, Magdi.

2009-04-01

its center. Thus we change over layered model to a block-layered model. Then, gathering the values of thicknesses and resistances for all points of observation, located on one and the same profile we obtain the file of an average cross-section along the profile.The next step is combining the neighboring blocks with close-range values of resistance to one block. That operation is made according to the fixed scale of resistance. The second stage of interpretation is used to define the geometrical characteristics of conductive inclusions and their equivalent moments, which are proportional to the ratio of the conductivity difference in the host rock and in the inclusion to the conductivity in the host rock. Here the approximation principle is used for alternating electromagnetic fields. The initial model of the inclusion is a current line of fixed length. That approximation construction is used for fitting of the average parameter of geoelectrical heterogeneity, which is calculated and located to each point of the profile (Hachay O.A. et all. 2002).The first problem: to found the tomb of Ptolemey in Alexandria. That work is provided by NRIAG together with the Aphine University. The historical and archeological work was provided during a long time. In that moment when we had been asked to do our research on that object it must be needed to show more precisely the place of that tomb on the territory of the ancient royal garden in Alexandria. NRIAG had developed electro prospecting works using radar and vertical electric soundings. With use of our results on the archeological object it had been choose a more precise place for the borehole and for next excavation. The results of drilling showed, as it was forecasted, that from the depth 7m on the showed picket of the observed profile it had been revealed stone objects which differ from the limestones sandstones. The drilling was achieved on 20-th of april 2008.

Lichenometry dating of rock collapse related to the great Lisbon Earthquake (1755) at the SE part of Spain

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Perez-Lopez, Raul; Rodriguez-Pascua, Miguel Angel; Silva, Pablo G.; Bischoff, James L.; Owen, Lewis A.; Giner-Robles, Jorge L.; Díez-Herrero, Andres

2010-05-01

"De una montaña, se desprendió una parte" (A large part of a mountain has fallen down). This sentence was extracted from an ancient text written at the end of the 18th Century, in relation with the great Earthquake of Lisbon in 1755 (Martínez-Solares, 2001), and describing the rock collapse recorded near the small town of Agramón, 50 km southeastward of Albacete city (SE of Spain). Up to now, archaeologists have suggested this rock collapse to the archaeological site of "El Tolmo de Minateda", a small butte (420 m long) of calcarenitic sandstone bedrock with a flat top and scarped cliffs (20m high) bordering the butte. This ancient city was habited by several civilizations from Bronze Ages to modern times (i.e. Iberians, Roman, Visigoths, Muslims, Medieval ages, etc.). The landscape of this area is characterized by a flat terrain with isolated relict structural buttes consisting of Late Neogene marine sandstones created by differential erosion. The site exhibits three different stages of massive rock collapse. The oldest is located at the north of the site while the younger is located at the south part of the site and affecting Visigothic stone carved tombs. Archaeologists have postulated that the youngest of these was triggered by the Lisbon earthquake of 1755. We have carried out a lichenometric analysis over the free-faces of the rock blocks, with the aim of testing the postulate. For our purpose, we have calculated the calibrated growth curve for Aspicilia Radiosa (Hoff.), which yields a linear growth of 0.2425 mm per yr (R2 = 0.97, N=20). This growth rate was determined for the time interval from 800 BP yrs to the present by two different approaches: (1) rates obtained from cemetery measurements (200 yrs BP) and (2) rates determined from well-dated archaeological monuments (200-800 yrs BP). Our analysis revealed that the age of the rock-falling was in the year 1754 AD ±4. Thus, our results confirm that this collapse of ca. 5000 m3 of volume was triggered

Study of sticky rice-lime mortar technology for the restoration of historical masonry construction.

PubMed

Yang, Fuwei; Zhang, Bingjian; Ma, Qinglin

2010-06-15

Replacing or repairing masonry mortar is usually necessary in the restoration of historical constructions, but the selection of a proper mortar is often problematic. An inappropriate choice can lead to failure of the restoration work, and perhaps even further damage. Thus, a thorough understanding of the original mortar technology and the fabrication of appropriate replacement materials are important research goals. Many kinds of materials have been used over the years in masonry mortars, and the technology has gradually evolved from the single-component mortar of ancient times to hybrid versions containing several ingredients. Beginning in 2450 BCE, lime was used as masonry mortar in Europe. In the Roman era, ground volcanic ash, brick powder, and ceramic chip were added to lime mortar, greatly improving performance. Because of its superior properties, the use of this hydraulic (that is, capable of setting underwater) mortar spread, and it was adopted throughout Europe and western Asia. Perhaps because of the absence of natural materials such as volcanic ash, hydraulic mortar technology was not developed in ancient China. However, a special inorganic-organic composite building material, sticky rice-lime mortar, was developed. This technology was extensively used in important buildings, such as tombs, in urban constructions, and even in water conservancy facilities. It may be the first widespread inorganic-organic composite mortar technology in China, or even in the world. In this Account, we discuss the origins, analysis, performance, and utility in historic preservation of sticky rice-lime mortar. Mortar samples from ancient constructions were analyzed by both chemical methods (including the iodine starch test and the acid attack experiment) and instrumental methods (including thermogravimetric differential scanning calorimetry, X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared, and scanning electron microscopy). These analytical results show that the ancient masonry

Chronobiologically Interpreted Ambulatory Blood Pressure Monitoring in Health and Disease.

PubMed

Halberg, Franz; Mult, Hc; Cornélissen, Germaine; Hillman, Dewayne; Beaty, Larry A; Hong, Shiyu; Schwartzkopff, Othild; Watanabe, Yoshihiko; Otsuka, Kuniaki; Siegelova, Jarmila

2012-05-01

as that of an elevated BP. These VVAs include MESOR (midline-estimating statistic of rhythm)-hypertension, an elevation of the MESOR, which is diagnosed, like all other VVAs, only after I or preferably several replications of 7-day around-the-clock BP monitoring with available, affordable, and unobtrusive instrumentation. The recommendation for continuous C-ABPM recognizes several principles that constitute inseparably intertwined contributors to severe cardio-, cerebro- and renovascular diease. C-ABPM gauges wear and tear of genetics, physical loads, and in particular mental stress placed upon individuals from "womb to tomb" by daily life, including weather in extraterrestrial space as well as that on earth, as a continuous surveillance paradigm preventing us from flying blind to a change from less than 5% to near 100% in the risk of a stroke within 6 years.

In-situ diagnosis of stone monuments; the Ruin Garden in Székesfehérvár

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Theodoridou, Magdalini; Török, Ákos

2014-05-01

Székesfehérvár is a city in central Hungary, located around 65 km southwest of Budapest. In the Middle Ages (11th and 12th centuries), the city was a Royal residence and until the Turkish occupation in 1543, one of the most important cities of Hungary. The Ruin Garden of Székesfehérvár is a unique assemblage of monuments belonging to the cultural heritage of Hungary due to its important role in the Middle Ages as the coronation church for the kings of the Hungarian Christian Kingdom and the burial place for fifteen kings and other members of the royal families and the high nobility. It was also the home of the royal treasury and relics. It is comprised of a provostal church dedicated to Virgin Mary, so called today "Royal Basilica", royal tombs and related ecclesial and lay buildings. Since it has been nominated for "National Memorial Place", its present and future protection is required. Its several reconstructions and expansions throughout Hungarian history introduce another aspect of the importance of the historical site. By a quick overview of the current state of the monument, the presence of several lithotypes could be found among the remained building and decorative stones. Therefore, the research related to the materials in order to understand their composition, structure, origin and behavior was crucial not only for the conservation of that specific monument but also for a series of other historic structures in the Hungarian territory. In order to help the study of the Ruin Garden in Székesfehérvár, a series of maps was created based on in-situ investigations. Five wall sections were selected for the sake of the different lithotypes distribution and the different construction periods were the ruins belong to. The total mapped area covers about 30 m2 of the existing walls surfaces. Three different kinds of maps were designed for each wall section. The first series of maps depicts the different construction periods of the selected section of the

Evapotranspiration (ET) covers.

PubMed

Rock, Steve; Myers, Bill; Fiedler, Linda

2012-01-01

Evapotranspiration (ET) cover systems are increasingly being used at municipal solid waste (MSW) landfills, hazardous waste landfills, at industrial monofills, and at mine sites. Conventional cover systems use materials with low hydraulic permeability (barrier layers) to minimize the downward migration of water from the surface to the waste (percolation), ET cover systems use water balance components to minimize percolation. These cover systems rely on soil to capture and store precipitation until it is either transpired through vegetation or evaporated from the soil surface. Compared to conventional membrane or compacted clay cover systems, ET cover systems are expected to cost less to construct. They are often aesthetic because they employ naturalized vegetation, require less maintenance once the vegetative system is established, including eliminating mowing, and may require fewer repairs than a barrier system. All cover systems should consider the goals of the cover in terms of protectiveness, including the pathways of risk from contained material, the lifecycle of the containment system. The containment system needs to be protective of direct contact of people and animals with the waste, prevent surface and groundwater water pollution, and minimize release of airborne contaminants. While most containment strategies have been based on the dry tomb strategy of keeping waste dry, there are some sites where adding or allowing moisture to help decompose organic waste is the current plan. ET covers may work well in places where complete exclusion of precipitation is not needed. The U.S. EPA Alternative Cover Assessment Program (ACAP), USDOE, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, and others have researched ET cover design and efficacy, including the history of their use, general considerations in their design, performance, monitoring, cost, current status, limitations on their use, and project specific examples. An on-line database has been developed with information

COST Action TU1208 - Working Group 4 - Combined use of GPR and other NDT methods & GPR applications in geosciences

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pajewski, Lara; Solla, Mercedes; Fontul, Simona

2017-04-01

This work aims at presenting the main results achieved by Working Group (WG) 4 "Different applications of GPR and other NDT technologies in civil engineering" of the COST (European COoperation in Science and Technology) Action TU1208 "Civil Engineering Applications of Ground Penetrating Radar" (www.GPRadar.eu, www.cost.eu). The main objective of the Action TU1208, started in April 2013 and ending in October 2017, is to exchange and increase scientific-technical knowledge and experience of Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) techniques in civil engineering, whilst promoting in Europe the effective use of this safe non-destructive technique. The Action involves more than 150 Institutions from 28 COST Countries, a Cooperating State, 6 Near Neighbour Countries and 6 International Partner Countries. WG4 deals with the use of GPR outside from the civil engineering area, namely in archaeological prospecting and cultural heritage diagnostics, agriculture and management of water resources, investigation of polluted industrial sites, non-destructive testing of living tree trunks, planetary exploration, demining, localization of people buried under avalanches and debris, and more. Furthermore, this WG studies the integration of GPR with other Non-Destructive Testing (NDT) methods. The most relevant achievements stemming from WG4 will be presented during the 2017 EGU GA. These are: (i) The collection of thorough information on the state-of-the-art, ongoing studies, problems and future research needs on the topics of interest for this WG; (ii) The performance of a plethora of interesting case studies in important sites all over Europe, including well-known historical places such as Stonehenge (United Kingdom), Carnuntum (Austria), the Wawel Cathedral (Cracow, Poland), the Tholos Tomb of Acharnon (Athens, Greece), the Łazienki Royal Palace (Warsaw, Poland), and more; (iii) WG4 contributed to the TU1208 Education Pack, an open educational package conceived to teach GPR in University

Meteorites

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Kun; Korotev, Randy

2017-05-01

For thousands of years, people living in Egypt, China, Greece, Rome, and other parts of the world have been fascinated by shooting stars, which are the light and sound phenomena associated with meteorite impacts. The earliest written record of meteorite fall is logged by Chinese chroniclers back to 687 bce. However, centuries before that, Egyptians have been using "heavenly iron" to make their first iron tools, including a dagger recently found in King Tutankhamun's tomb that dates back to the 14th century bce. Even though human beings have a long history of observing meteors and utilizing meteorites, we did not start to recognize their true celestial origin until the Age of Enlightenment. In 1794 German physicist and musician Ernst Chladni was the first to summarize the scientific evidences and to demonstrate that these unique objects are indeed from outside of the Earth. After more than two centuries of joint efforts by countless keen amateur, academic, institutional, and commercial collectors, more than 55,000 meteorites have been catalogued and classified in the Meteoritical Bulletin Database. This number is continually growing, and meteorites are found all over the world, especially in dry and sparsely populated regions such as Antarctica and Sahara Desert. Although there are thousands of individual meteorites, they can be handily classified into three broad groups by simple examinations of the specimens. The most common type is stony meteorite, which is made of mostly silicate rocks. Iron meteorites are the easiest to be preserved for thousands (or even millions) of years on the Earth's surface environments, and they are composed of more than 90% iron and nickel metals. The stony-irons contain roughly the same amount of metals and silicates, and these spectacular meteorites are the favorites of many collectors and museums. After 200 years, meteoritics (the science of meteorites) has grown out of its infancy and become a vibrant area of research today. The

BOOK REVIEW: Development of Solar Research - Entwicklung der Sonnenforschung

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sterken, C.; Wittmann, A. D.; Wolfschmidt, G.; Duerbeck, H. W.

2006-12-01

This publication contains the Proceedings of a Colloquium on the development of solar research, supplemented with a number of papers which were written especially for this book. The volume contains 14 papers dealing with archeo-astronomy related to the Sun, solar cults, and (mainly) solar research. Ten papers are written in English, the remaining four are in German, but all papers have a quite extensive Abstract in both languages. The volume closes with a comprehensive Name Index. I found this book most pleasant to read with many useful illustrations (more than 120 photographs and reproductions of which about 100 cover truly historic material, quite often from authors' private archives). The first three papers (by A. Haenel, W. Schlosser and R. Hansen) deal with very ancient information: megalithic tombs as solar observatories, the Nebra sky-disk (showing Sun, Moon, Pleiades and other stars), and solar cults. These papers (adding up to about 90 pages) are not only descriptive, but also contain an analysis based on quantitative facts. One paper deals with letters exchanged by astronomers serving as data sources for the counting of sunspots during the Maunder minimum. More specifically, several hundreds of letters by Gottfried Kirch (1639-1710) are being edited and analysed by Klaus-Dieter Herbst. Medieval solar-eclipse maps with totality paths are reproduced in an interesting paper by Robert van Gent, who presents eclipse cartography of as early as 1699 - at least 15 years prior to the generally accepted first such map by Edmond Halley. R. Schielicke's paper on the 1851 Koenigsberg daguerrotype photograph of the solar corona gives interesting details on the history of daguerrotype photography, and has a number of very useful basic references, including OCR-based transcripts of a 1851-dated document describing an early corona daguerrotype (in German). Three consecutive papers (one by H.W. Duerbeck, followed by papers by G. Wolfschmidt and M.P. Seiler) not only reveal

The Nile floodplain, hydroclimatic variability, and its relation with cultural dynamics in ancient Thebes (Luxor, Egypt)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Toonen, Willem H. J.; Graham, Angus; Pennington, Ben; Hunter, Morag; Strutt, Kris; Barker, Dominic; Masson, Aurelia; Emery, Virginia

2016-04-01

The western bank of the river Nile in the Luxor region (Egypt) separates New Kingdom divine temple complexes in the central axis of the river valley from contemporaneous sites on the desert edge and limestone plateau. The intermediate Nile floodplain features relatively few known archaeological sites, but played an important role in the ancient ritual landscape by connecting the focal region of the living (floodplain) with that of the dead (desert). All Royal Funerary Temple Complexes of the New Kingdom period (1539-1077 BCE), which played a central role in the cosmogonical landscape, are positioned within a confined 3.5 km long strip of land on the western edge of the present floodplain. This preferential location, together with contemporary textual sources and tomb scenes suggesting the nearby presence of canals, have led to the hypothesis that natural and human-made waterways may have once connected the main channel of the Nile with the desert edge. Until the present research took place, no detailed study of pre-existing channel networks existed in the region, leaving a gap in current knowledge on the configuration and use of the ancient floodplain. This study presents the results of a multi-disciplinary study aimed at mapping and dating ancient waterways in the Theban region and aims to find evidence for the natural or human origin of such channels. Boreholes and Electric Resistivity Tomography (ERT) were carried out along a transect that connects the edge of the Holocene floodplain with the current position of the river Nile. Satellite imagery and textual sources were also used to augment the fieldwork. The data indicate the presence of an infilled abandoned channel of the Nile in the western distal part of the current floodplain, adjoining the Funerary Temple complexes. Over 2100 ceramic fragments were analysed from the sedimentary infilling of the silted-up river course, dating it to the end of the New Kingdom, and indicating that the channel and temples

Processing and interpretation of GPR data collected in the Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Klodzko, Poland

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chernov, Anatolii; Cogoni, Martina; Dziubacki, Dariusz; Bădescu, Alexandru

2017-04-01

Chapel, there are anomalies located in the southwestern part of it, with a radius from 2 to 3 m, at the depth 0.16 m. Along aisles there are reflectors with a radius equal from 7 to 18 m on depth from 1.5 to 3m. Thereby it was preliminary concluded, that in the chapels tombs were the objects, from which wave was reflected and in aisles anomalies provoked by presence of underground structures, such as hypogeum or underground passages with arches on the top of them or remains of old foundation. Acknowledgements Gratitude to Society of Exploration Geophysicists, TSG, organizers of SEG Field Camp 2016 (SEG Bucharest Student Chapter & SEG Cracow Student Chapter). The Authors are grateful to COST (European COoperation in Science and Technology) Action TU1208 "Civil engineering applications of Ground Penetrating Radar" (www.cost.eu, www.GPRadar.eu) for fostering and supporting cooperation among different Countries in the field of Ground Penetrating Radar. The Authors thank the Action for giving them the opportunity to present the results of their investigation during the European Geosciences Union (EGU) General Assembly 2017.

Impact of soil and groundwater corrosion on the Hierakonpolis Temple Town archaeological site, Wadi Abu Sufian, Idfu, Egypt.

PubMed

El-Shishtawy, A M; Atwia, M G; El-Gohary, A; Parizek, R R

2013-06-01

Hierakonpolis, Greek for City of the Hawk, nearly 25 km NW of Idfu (Egypt), is an important and extensive archaeological discovery covering a large area. Its richness in archaeological artifacts makes it a valuable site. It has a valid claim to be the first nation state, as indicated by the Palette of Narmer discovered in its main mound. Geological and hydrogeological investigations at the Hierakonpolis Temple Town site documented nearly a 4.0-m water table rise from as early as 1892 to the present. In addition to the rising water levels, the increase of both subsoil water salinity and humidity threatens and damages fragile carvings and paintings within tombs in Kingdom Hill, the foundation stability of the site, and the known and still to be discovered artifact that recent pottery finds dates at least 4,000 BCE. Representative rock and soil samples obtained from drilled cores in the study area were chosen for conducting detailed grain size and X-ray analysis, light and heavy mineral occurrences, distribution of moisture and total organic matter, and scanning electron microscopy investigations. Mineralogical analysis of clays indicated that the soil samples are composed of smectite/illite mixed layers with varying proportions of smectite to illite. Kaolinite is the second dominant clay constituent, besides occasional chlorite. Swelling of the clay portion of the soil, due to the presence of capillary groundwater, in contact with buried mudbrick walls expands and causes severe damage to important exposed and buried mudbrick structures, including the massive ancient "fort" believed to date from the Second Dynasty (from 2,890 to 2,686 BC). The "fort" is 1.0 km south of the Temple Town mounds near to confluence of Wadi Abu Sufian. Groundwater samples from the shallow aquifer close by the intersection of Wadi Abu Sufian and the Nile flood plain were analyzed for chemical composition and stable isotope ratios. The groundwater in the upper zone (subsoil water) within fine

[Imhotep--builder, physician, god].

PubMed

Mikić, Zelimir

2008-01-01

The medicine had been practiced in ancient Egypt since the earliest, prehistoric days, many millenia before Christ, and was quite developed in later periods. This is evident from the sceletal findings, surgical instruments found in tombs, wall printings, the reliefs and inscriptions, and most of all, from the sparse written material known as medical papyri. However, there were not many physicians from that time whose names had been recorded. The earliest physician in ancient Egypt known by name was Imhotep. WHO WAS IMHOTEP?: Imhotep lived and worked during the time of the 3rd Dynasty of Old Kingdom and served under the pharaoh Djoser (reigned 2667-2648 BC) as his vizier or chief minister, high priest, chief builder and carpenter. He obviously was an Egyptian polymath, a learned man and scribe and was credited with many inventions. As one of the highest officials of the pharaoh Djoser Imhotep is credited with designing and building of the famous Step Pyramid of Djoser at Saqqarah, near the old Egyptian capital of Memphis. Imhotep is also credited with inventing the method of stone-dressed building and using of columns in architecture and is considered to be the first architect in history known by name. It is believed that, as the high priest, Imhotel also served as the nation's chief physician in his time. As the builder of the Step Pyramid, and as a physician, he also had to take medical care of thousands of workers engaged in that great project. He is also credited with being the founder of Egyptian medicine and with being the author of the so-called Smith papirus containing a collection of 48 specimen clinical records with detailed accurate record of the features and treatment of various injuries. As such he emerges as the first physician of ancient Egypt known by name and, at the same time, as the first physician known by name in written history of the world. GOD: As Imhotep was considered by Egyptian people as the "inventor of healing", soon after the death, he

Curation of Federally Owned Archeological Collections at NASA Langley Research Center

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Eastman, John Arnold (Compiler)

1995-01-01

before a report was written, and since 1982 the artifacts have moldered in a flimsy trailer with no climate controls, which had once served as a field laboratory but which threatened to become a tomb for the collection. A recent analysis of Langley's cultural resources by Gray & Pape, Inc. recommended that the collection be organized, cataloged, and placed in a proper curation facility in accordance with Federal regulations. The project for the LARSS program was to research curation standards, organize the collection, catalog it, and prepare it for transfer to a facility which could provide adequate long-term curation conditions for the artifacts and documents. The first phase was to organize the artifacts, which were lying about the lab in various stages of cleaning, analysis, and conservation. Once all of the artifacts from the various excavation units and levels had been regrouped, they were cleaned and/or repackaged in archivally-stable materials. A basic catalog was prepared which will provide interested parties with a rough idea of what we have and where it can be found. Another aspect of the project was to organize the records left by the LRCHAS. Bundles of papers, photographs, and field data found in every corner and drawer of the laboratory trailer were put into order and, where appropriate, copies were made on acid-free Permabond paper for long term storage. Finally, the entire collection and most of the lab equipment was transferred into a secure, climate controlled room which will serve as an archive and study space for qualified scholars interested in exploring LaRC's rich historical heritage.

Determining buried grid street system and native of the remains with GPR and petrography, in ancient Nysa city, Aydin - Turkey

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kadioglu, Selma; Kadioglu, Musa; Kadioglu, Yusuf K.

2010-05-01

the 3D sub-volumes, which was bigger than one and smaller than two and had a decimal number. As a result, all remains could be imaged in the transparent 3D depth-volumes where the street could be revealed clearly. Finally three streets were revealed in the depth volumes. The first street was on the West part and the second street, which was parallel of the first street, was on the Southwest part of the Bouleuterion / Gerontikon and the third street was on the South of the library. Diggings on the West and Southwest parts of the research area encouraged the 3D image results. The second aim of the study was to find out native rocks of the Nysa remains and sources. The small rock samples were collected from the theatre, stadium, basement of agora and the tomb and analyzed under polarized microscope and confocal Raman spectroscopy. The results of the studies revealed that the main rocks of these remains composed of white color marble. These marbles have granoblastic texture composed of mainly pressure twinned calcite as coarse grain size under the polarized microscope. The confocal Raman spectroscopical studies revealed that the marble remains of Nysa ancient city were mainly built from Jurassic- Cretaceous carbonate rocks of Western Anatolia marble quarry in the vicinity region. This study was supported by the Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey (TUBITAK) under grant no. 107K523 and Earth Sciences Application and Research Center of Ankara University (YEBIM).

Patinas developed in environmental burial conditions: the Neolithic steles of Reguers de Seró (Lleida, Spain).

PubMed

Garcia-Valles, Maite; Aulinas, Meritxell; López-Melción, Joan B; Moya-Garra, Andreu

2010-08-01

detected in all the sampled patinas, being the main mineral compositions (approximately 60-90%). In contrast, a discontinuous external layer (25-50 microm thick) of botryoidally gypsum occurs on only a few patinas. SEM-EDAX analyses evidenced that Ca is related to several processes, including inorganic processes, as well as to minor bioactivity. The textural and mineralogical characteristics of the Reguers patinas differ from typical Mediterranean patina sequences, suggesting different environmental conditions for their formation. Several arguments supporting the formation of the Reguers patinas in a burial environment include: (1) patinas cover the entire surface of the steles, iconograhic motifs and fractures. The uniform colour, texture and composition of the patinas throughout the steles suggests their development after the construction of the megalithic tomb during a period in which the archaeological site was buried and sealed by the products of the Senill ravine; (2) the absence of heavy metals mainly contained in flying ashes and other depositions from atmospheric dust and pollutants in the micritic patina; (3) non-appearance of minerals directly formed by biological activity (i.e. oxalates and phosphates); (4) the absence of a well-defined textural sequence (typically of the Mediterranean area) already defined for patinas developed in an atmospheric environment; and (5) the discontinuous occurrence of an external gypsum layer (only present in a few samples) without the presence of the typical spherules related to atmospheric particulate matter. The petrographic characteristics of the Neolithic steles of Reguers de Seró show that the raw material came from a nearby outcrop. The formation of beige-orange patinas is related to a burial environment attending their textural and mineralogical features. The protective role played by these patinas indicates that no previous treatment of such steles would be necessary on an eventual exhibition in atmospheric conditions

GPR Prospecting and Endoscopic Investigation in a Renaissance Church

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Persico, Raffaele; Matera, Loredana; Bianco, Nadia; Masini, Nicola; Leopizzi, Giuseppe

2015-04-01

GPR prospecting in areas of cultural interest can reveal interesting secrets of the past history of the probed monument. In particular, tombs and crypts under the floor of the churches can be revealed [1-2], but also tracks of past restorations and architectural changes occurred in the centuries, or features internal to the walls and the columns as cracks, metallic hinges, walled ciboria and hidden gaps [1, 3-5]. In this contribution, the case history of the church of the Humility in Parabita (Lecce, Italy) is proposed. The church of the Humility is a small and indeed not much well preserved church, deconsecrated many years ago and reused in other ways that have changed its original structure. Nowadays, it is undergoing a further transformation. However, before starting the works, a GPR prospecting has been committed to the Institute for Archaeological and Monumental Heritage IBAM-CNR. The prospecting has been performed with a pulsed Ris Hi-mode system equipped with a double antenna with central frequencies at 200 and 600 MHz, respectively. A first set of measures has been taken along two sets of B-scan, directed after the axis of the (unique) nave and along the orthogonal direction to this. The distance between the lines has been of the order of 40 cm, but some unmovable obstacles have not allowed a constant transect between any two adjacent lines. A second set of measures has been gathered in the area of the altar (not any longer present), here, due to the shape of the area to be prospected, the data have been gathered along a unique direction, but the interline spacing has been chosen equal to 30 cm. Please note that there is a step between the area of the altar and that of the nave, as usual in ancient churches, and this prevented from executing a unique C-scan including the entire floor of the church. The data have been processed according to a standard procedure based on zero timing, background removal, gain variable vs. the depth, one dimensional filtering

Evaluation de differentes strategies de demantelement de la carcasse d'un avion

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sainte-Beuve, Damien

At the time when sustainable development of our environment and our society become more and more considered, the issue of the end of life of aircraft arises. With the tightening of regulations and policies to reduce operating costs, aircraft are increasingly removed from service before the end of their operational life. However, the regulations do not only affect the operational life of the aircraft. In the future, there are great chances that the aircraft end of life will be also regulated as the car end of life. Nowadays some deserts serve as a tomb for airplanes skeletons, but what will happen in a few years? Recycling the skeleton is not an operation with very high added value, such as reselling used parts, however intelligent sorting and facing the market can increase the gain. At the level of the aircraft life cycle, recycling its materials reduces its overall impact, and also helps to reduce pollution and land use, even if the main impacts generated by planes are created during the use phase. Similarly, if the recyclability of the aircraft is studied at the source, that is to say in its design, this will help to reduce the use of non-recyclable materials and dangerous compound. The greatest difficulty for recycling aircraft skeletons is that different materials are mixed and attached to each other. Through a thermodynamic study we showed what concentrations of alloying elements in a molten bath could be reduced. By using the Gibbs free energy, we evaluated some of the reactions taking place in a molten bath of aluminum during the injection of oxygen, boron, and chlorine. We focused on the reactions forming dual elements compounds, such as lithium oxide or magnesium chloride. We have shown that the six elements able to react when these reactions occurs are the lithium, the magnesium, the nickel, the titanium, the vanadium and the zirconium. It is necessary to remember that the impurities for alloys used in the aerospace industry are lower and especially those

Use and trade of bitumen in antiquity and prehistory: molecular archaeology reveals secrets of past civilizations

PubMed Central

Connan, J.

1999-01-01

, shells, mother of pearl, on palm trees, cups, ostrich eggs, musical instruments (e.g. the Queen's lyre) and other items, such as rings, jewellery and games, have been excavated from the Royal tombs in Ur. They are on view in the British Museum. With a special enigmatic material, commonly referred to as 'bitumen mastic', the inhabitants of Susa sculpted masterpieces of art which are today exhibited in the Louvre Museum in Paris. This unique collection is presented in a book by Connan and Deschesne (1996). Last, bitumen was also considered as a powerful remedy in medical practice, especially as a disinfectant and insecticide, and was used by the ancient Egyptians to prepare mixtures to embalm the corpses of their dead. Modern analytical techniques, currently applied in the field of petroleum geochemistry, have been adapted to the study of numerous archaeological bituminous mixtures found in excavations. More than 700 bituminous samples have been analysed during the last decade, using gas chromatography alone and gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry and isotopic chemistry (carbon and hydrogen mainly). These powerful tools, focused on the detailed analysis of biomarkers in hydrocarbon fractions, were calibrated on various well-known natural sources of bitumen in Iraq, Syria, Iran, Bahrain and Kuwait. These reference studies have made it possible to establish the origins of bitumen from numerous archaeological sites and to document the bitumen trade routes in the Middle East and the Arabo-Persian Gulf. Using a well-documented case history, Tell el 'Oueili (5800 to 3500 BC) in South Mesopotamia, we will illustrate in this paper how these new molecular and isotopic tools can help us to recognize different sources of bitumen and to trace the ancient trade routes through time. These import routes were found to vary with major cultural and political changes in the area under study. A second example, referring to the prehistoric period, describes bitumen traces on

Test site experiments with a reconfigurable stepped frequency GPR

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Persico, Raffaele; Matera, Loredana; Piro, Salvatore; Rizzo, Enzo; Capozzoli, Luigi

2016-04-01

the fact that the integration time of the harmonic components of the signal can be prolonged in a programmable way, so that (in particular) there is the possibility to reject undesired narrow band interferences without filtering the signal, namely without loosing part of the information contained in the signal. The third property is that the power can be modulated frequency by frequency. Indeed, we don't know if this third property is a real advantage, but the first two have been already exploited showing some encouraging results. At the conference, we will show the results achieved from two measurement campaign performed in two controlled site, namely the the test site of Hydrogeosite Laboratory, in Marsico Nuovo (Southern Italy), belonging to the Institute of Methodologies for Environmental Analysis of the Italian National Research Council [3] and the test site of Montelibretti, in central Italy, belonging to the Institute of Technologies Applied to Cultural Heritage of the National Research Council [4]. In both test sites, among other things, anomalies resembling features of archaeological or near surface interest have been predisposed, as a tomb, a paved road, an amphora, a statue, a buried chamber, a cylinder, a structure in opus coementicium. The test site of Montelibretti is outdoor, in an area of archaeological interest were the ancient population of the Sabini has left relevant testimonies. The test site of Hydrogeosite Laboratory is indoor, in a hat were a large pool (240m3) has been filled up with sand after burying the test targets. This test site is equipped also for hydrogeophysical experiments by means of a controlled hydraulic system for the progressive immission of water in the sand. Depth slices will be shown for both sites, as well as some tests for the mitigation of intereferences by means of the modulation of the integration time of the harmonic components of the signal. Some of the interferences have been artificially introduced by means of a

Distribution of stable isotopes in arid storms . I. Relation between the distribution of isotopic composition in rainfall and in the consequent runoff

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Adar, E. M.; Dody, A.; Geyh, M. A.; Yair, A.; Yakirevich, A.; Issar, A. S.

des précipitations et du ruissellement associé ont étéétudiées dans un petit bassin rocheux aride en Israël. Des préleveurs spécialement adaptés pour la pluie et le ruissellement ont fourni des échantillons séquentiels dans des sacs en PVC haute densité hermétiquement fermés. Au cours de plusieurs épisodes pluvieux où le ruissellement était isotopiquement appauvri par rapport à la pluie, la différence ne pouvait pas être expliquée par des effets de fractionnement intervenant au cours de l'écoulement en surface. Un bilan hydrologique rapportant l'écoulement de surface à la pluie sur un bassin versant rocheux montre que l'écoulement dans sa totalité est alimenté par une très petite partie (1-2mm) de l'averse. C'est pourquoi l'objectif essentiel a été de rechercher des relations quantitatives entre des parties de la pluie (averses et épisodes pluvieux) et le ruissellement. La répartition temporelle de la composition en isotopes stables (oxygène et hydrogène) a été utilisée pour quantifier la corrélation entre la hauteur tombée pendant l'épisode pluvieux et le ruissellement produit. Le but de ce travail était (a) d'utiliser les variations dynamiques de la composition isotopique dans la pluie et dans le ruissellement pour modéliser l'ordre de grandeur de la capacité de stockage de surface associée aux processus de ruissellement de l'écoulement de surface, et (a) de caractériser la composition isotopique de l'eau d'infiltration par rapport à la variation isotopique observée dans les pluies et dans les écoulements correspondants. Resumen La distribución temporal de la composición isotópica de las tormentas en zonas áridas y la correspondiente escorrentía se analizó en una pequeña cuenca rocosa en Israel. Los medidores de lluvia y escorrentía proporcionaron muestras de agua secuenciales, selladas herméticamente en bolsas de PVC de alta densidad. En muchas tormentas en las que la escorrentía tenía una composici

Archaeology, historical site risk assessment and monitoring by UAV: approaches and case studies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pecci, Antonio; Masini, Nicola

2016-04-01

multiple overlapping images. The usefulness of UAV-based investigations has been given by its integrability with other methods of remote sensing including geophysics, optical and SAR satellite remote sensing. The presentation deals with the methodological approaches and the results in three historical sites for different applications such as: 1) archaeological site discovery, 2) the study and observation of archaeological looting and 3) the 3d reconstruction of building and sites. In the case 1) UAV has been used for the creation of orthophotos and digital elevantion models (DEMs) as well as the identification of archaeological marks and microrelief, as proxy indicators of the presence of archaeological buried remains. The obtained information have been compared and integrated with those provided by georadar and geomagnetic prospections. The investigated site is a medieval settlement, including a benedectine monastery, dated to 12-15th century. It is San Pietro a Cellaria, located in the territory of Calvello, in Basilicata (Southern Italy). The multisensor integrated approach allowed to identify several features referable to buried structures of the monastery (Leucci et al. 2015; Roubis et al. 2015). In the case 2) UAVs have been used for the identification and analysis of traces of grave robbers, in the territory of Anzi (Basilicata). Since the end of the 18th century to the first half of the 20th century, hundreds of tombs of the Archaic, Lucan and Roman age have been destroyed and stolen. The case 3) is related to the ceremonial centre of Pachacamac in Peru, which was investigated for several years by the international mission ITACA (Italian scientific mission for heritage Conservation and Archaeogeophysics) of IBAM/IMAA CNR of Potenza (Italy) (Lasaponara et al. 2016b). For more than 2,000 years, Pachacamac was one of the main centers of religious cult keeping this role unchanged in different historical periods and for different cultures such as Chavin, Lima, Huari

Tectono-metamorphic evolution and magmatic processes in the thermo-metamorphic aureole of the Monte Capanne pluton (Elba Island, Northern Tyrrhenian Sea, Italy).

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Morelli, M.; Pandeli, E.; Principi, G.

2003-04-01

Introduction In this work we present new structural and petrographic data collected in the thermo-metamorphic aureole of Monte Capanne (western Elba Island) and its metamorphic evolution. In the western Elba Island the Monte Capanne monzogranitic body (ca. 7 Ma) and its thermo-metamorphic aureole crop out. At least two different tectonic units can be distinguished: the Punta Le Tombe Unit, weak re-crystallized, and the Punta Nera Unit. In the latter one the re-crystallization is strong and a pre-intrusion tectono-metamorphic framework is evident (Morelli et al., 2002). The latter is mainly constituted by thermo-metamorphosed meta-ophiolites and meta-sedimentary successions previously correlated by Barberi et al. (1969) with the un-metamorphic ones (Complex IV and V of Trevisan, 1950) cropping out in the central-eastern Elba. According to Perrin (1975) and Reutter &Spohn (1982) a pre-intrusion tectono-metamorphic framework was recognized into such rocks. As suggested by Daniel &Jolivet (1995) complex relationships between metamorphic evolution and magmatic events are also recognizable. Geological Data The Punta Nera Unit crops out all around the Monte Capanne magmatic body and the primary contact with the underlying granitoid is somewhere preserved. This unit, strongly re-crystallized and locally crosscut by aplitic and porphyritic dikes, is represented by (Coli &Pandeli, 1997; Morelli, 2000) tectonized meta-serpentinites, meta-gabbros with rodingitic dikes, rare meta-basalts and meta-ophicalcites, meta-cherts, marbles, cherty meta-limestones, phyllites and meta-limestones with rare meta-arenites intercalations. A "pre-magmatic" tectono-metamorphic framework of this unit is well evident only in its meta-sedimentary portion. The meta-sediments are deformed by syn-metamorphic isoclinal folds caractherized by N-S trending axes, west dipping axial planes and easternward vergence. A later folding and flattening event clearly post-dated the above said folds and associated

Commentary on: "Enzalutamide monotherapy in hormone-naive prostate cancer: primary analysis of an open-label, single-arm, phase 2 study." Tombal B, Borre M, Rathenborg P, Werbrouck P, Van Poppel H, Heidenreich A, Iversen P, Braeckman J, Heracek J, Baskin-Bey E, Ouatas T, Perabo F, Phung D, Hirmand M, Smith MR. Institut de Recherche Clinique, Université Catholique de Louvain, Brussels, Belgium. Electronic address: bertrand.tombal@uclouvain.be. Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark. Herlev Hospital, Herlev, Denmark. AZ Groeninge Kortrijk, Kortrijk, Belgium. UZ Leuven, Leuven, Belgium. Klinik und Poliklinik für Urologie, RWTH University Aachen, Aachen, Germany. Rigshospitalet, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark. UZ Brussel, Brussels, Belgium. Univerzita Karlova v Praze, Prague, Czech Republic. Astellas Pharma Global Development, Leiden, Netherlands. Astellas Pharma Global Development, Northbrook, IL, USA. Medivation Inc, San Francisco, CA, USA. Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Boston, MA, USA: Lancet Oncol. 2014 May;15(6):592-600; doi: 10.1016/S1470-2045(14)70129-9. [Epub 2014 Apr 14].

PubMed

Trump, Donald

2016-05-01

The androgen receptor inhibitor enzalutamide is approved for the treatment of metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer that has progressed on docetaxel. Our aim was to assess the activity and safety of enzalutamide monotherapy in men with hormone-naive prostate cancer. This trial is an ongoing open-label, single-arm, phase 2 study, done across 12 European sites. Men aged over 18 years with hormone-naive prostate cancer for whom hormone therapy was indicated, and who had noncastration levels of testosterone and prostate-specific antigen (PSA) of 2ng/mL or greater at screening, and an Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group score of 0, received oral enzalutamide 160mg/day. The primary outcome was the proportion of patients with an 80% or greater decline in PSA at week 25. All analyses included all patients who had received at least one dose of the study drug. This study is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT01302041. 67 men were enrolled into the study. 62 patients (92.5%, 95% CI: 86.2-98.8) had a decline in PSA of 80% or greater at week 25. The most commonly reported treatment-emergent adverse events up to week 25 were gynaecomastia (n = 24), fatigue (n = 23), nipple pain (n = 13), and hot flush (n = 12), all of which were of mild to moderate severity. Overall, 9 patients had a treatment-emergent adverse event of grade 3 or higher, most of which were reported in one patient each, except for pneumonia (grade 3, two patients) and hypertension (grade 3, four patients). Five patients reported serious adverse events, none of which were deemed to be treatment related. Our findings suggest that enzalutamide monotherapy in men with hormone-naive prostate cancer of varying severity provides a level of disease suppression and was generally well tolerated. These findings provide a rationale for further investigation of clinical response and outcomes with enzalutamide in noncastrated men with prostate cancer. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.