Scribbling Through History Ragazzoli, Chloé; Harmansah, Ömür; Salvador, Chiara ...
2018, 2018-05-31
eBook
For most people the mention of graffiti conjures up notions of subversion, defacement, and underground culture. Yet, the term was coined by classical archaeologists excavating Pompeii in the 19th ...century and has been embraced by modern street culture: graffiti have been left on natural sites and public monuments for tens of thousands of years. They mark a position in time, a relation to space, and a territorial claim. They are also material displays of individual identity and social interaction. As an effective, socially accepted medium of self-definition, ancient graffiti may be compared to the modern use of social networks. This book shows that graffiti, a very ancient practice long hidden behind modern disapproval and street culture, have been integral to literacy and self-expression throughout history.
Three scenes on the east wall of the court of the seventh pylon at Karnak are discussed in this paper. The larger scene at the top of the wall depicts a royal figure between the paws of a ram-headed ...sphinx with hacked cartouches. I propose that the royal figure represents Merneptah and that it might have been carved when he was still a crown prince, although this remains a hypothesis due to the absence of a princely title. Below, two previously unpublished small scenes represent Merneptah as king offering to Hathor and Shepsi respectively, the latter depiction a rarity at Karnak. This ensemble might have functioned as a votive locus where people would address prayers, as suggested by graffiti and grooves left nearby, as well as the presence of an object between the lower scenes, possibly to be identified with a sun disc (Cairo JE 38679) that was discovered in the area, which presumably crowned a ram protome.
The present work aims to demonstrate the relevance of the study of graffiti in a carefully defined temple context as a means to gain insights into the use and transformation of sacred space by the ...people who could access it. Access to temples was arguably highly controlled, and probably only restricted groups of people were allowed in certain areas of the temple. This raises important questions concerning temple accessibility, daily movements of temple staff, reactions to religious events, and the functioning of rules of decorum, which established what could conveniently be exhibited on the temple walls and what not, along with their possible breach. Chapter 1 discusses potentials of the study of graffiti in temples and issues of definitions. Here, material agency is proposed as a productive theoretical framework. Comprised in Part I of the thesis are Chapters 2 and 3. Chapter 2 presents an overview of the architectural history of the southern processional way in its main phases of transformation (construction, decoration, and partial demolition), while Chapter 3 presents a survey of secondary epigraphy along the southern processional way, with detailed descriptions of graffiti in the court of the seventh pylon. Part II, comprising Chapters 4, 5 and 6, introduces the three categories of graffiti that will be analysed through specific case studies: 1) graffiti as individual's self-display (Chapter 4); 2) graffiti as individual expressions of devotions (Chapter 5); 3) community graffiti as possible votive loci (Chapter 6). The results of this analysis, discussed in the concluding remarks in Chapter 7, are intended to serve as a point of reference for the study of similar corpora from other Egyptian temples, while providing an approach that may speak to figurative graffiti, still too often neglected, of other ancient civilizations (Nubia, ancient Greece, the Roman empire, etc.).
An evaluation of the APPswe/PS1dE9 transgenic AD mouse, presenting with the toxic Aβ1-42 deposition found in human AD, allowed us to characterize time-dependent changes in inflammatory and ...cholinergic markers present in AD. Astrogliosis was observed in cortex and hippocampus, with cellular loss occurring in the same areas in which Aβ plaques were present. In this setting, we found early significantly elevated levels of IL-1β and TNFα gene expression; with the hippocampus showing the highest IL-1β expression. To investigate the cholinergic anti-inflammatory pathway, the expression of nicotinic receptors (nAChRs) and cholinesterase enzymes also was evaluated. The anti-inflammatory nAChRα7, α4, and β2 were particularly increased at 6 months of age in the hippocampus, potentially as a strategy to counteract Aβ deposition and the ensuing inflammatory state. A time-dependent subunit switch to the α3β4 type occurred. Whether α3, β4 subunits have a pro-inflammatory or an inhibitory effect on ACh stimulation remains speculative. Aβ1-42 deposition, neuronal loss and increased astrocytes were detected, and a time-dependent change in components of the cholinergic anti-inflammatory pathway were observed. A greater understanding of time-dependent Aβ/nAChRs interactions may aid in defining new therapeutic strategies and novel molecular targets.
Designing new catalysts that can efficiently utilize multiple energy sources can contribute to solving the current challenges of environmental remediation and increasing energy demands. In this work, ...we fabricated single-crystalline BiFeO3 (BFO) nanosheets and nanowires that can successfully harness visible light and mechanical vibrations and utilize them for degradation of organic pollutants. Under visible light both BFO nanostructures displayed a relatively slow reaction rate. However, under piezocatalysis both nanosheets and nanowires exhibited higher reaction rates in comparison with photocatalytic degradation. When both solar light and mechanical vibrations were used simultaneously, the reaction rates were elevated even further, with the BFO nanowires degrading 97% of RhB dye within 1 hr (k-value 0.058 min−1). The enhanced degradation under mechanical vibrations can be attributed to the promotion of charge separation caused by the internal piezoelectric field of BFO. BFO nanowires also exhibited good reusability and versatility toward degrading four different organic pollutants.
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•Use of photocatalytic and ferroelectric BiFeO3 nanosheets and nanowires•Harnessing solar energy and mechanical vibrations for organic pollutant removal•Elevated performance under mechanical stress was attributed to the piezotronic effect•Hydroxyl radicals and holes were dominant species for degradation of organics
Chemistry; Catalysis; Environmental Nanotechnology
Occupational e-mental health (OeMH) interventions significantly reduce the burden of mental health conditions. The successful implementation of OeMH interventions is influenced by many implementation ...strategies, barriers, and facilitators across contexts, which, however, are not systematically tracked. One of the reasons is that international consensus on documenting and reporting the implementation of OeMH interventions is lacking. There is a need for practical guidance on the key factors influencing the implementation of interventions that organizations should consider. Stakeholder consultations secure a valuable source of information about these key strategies, barriers, and facilitators that are relevant to successful implementation of OeMH interventions.
The objective of this study was to develop a brief checklist to guide the implementation of OeMH interventions.
Based on the results of a recently published systematic review, we drafted a comprehensive checklist with a wide set of strategies, barriers, and facilitators that were identified as relevant for the implementation of OeMH interventions. We then used a 2-stage stakeholder consultation process to refine the draft checklist to a brief and practical checklist comprising key implementation factors. In the first stage, stakeholders evaluated the relevance and feasibility of items on the draft checklist using a web-based survey. The list of items comprised 12 facilitators presented as statements addressing "elements that positively affect implementation" and 17 barriers presented as statements addressing "concerns toward implementation." If a strategy was deemed relevant, respondents were asked to rate it using a 4-point Likert scale ranging from "very difficult to implement" to "very easy to implement." In the second stage, stakeholders were interviewed to elaborate on the most relevant barriers and facilitators shortlisted from the first stage. The interview mostly focused on the relevance and priority of strategies and factors affecting OeMH intervention implementation. In the interview, the stakeholders' responses to the open survey's questions were further explored. The final checklist included strategies ranked as relevant and feasible and the most relevant facilitators and barriers, which were endorsed during either the survey or the interviews.
In total, 26 stakeholders completed the web-based survey (response rate=24.8%) and 4 stakeholders participated in individual interviews. The OeMH intervention implementation checklist comprised 28 items, including 9 (32.1%) strategies, 8 (28.6%) barriers, and 11 (39.3%) facilitators. There was widespread agreement between findings from the survey and interviews, the most outstanding exception being the idea of proposing OeMH interventions as benefits for employees.
Through our 2-stage stakeholder consultation, we developed a brief checklist that provides organizations with a guide for the implementation of OeMH interventions. Future research should empirically validate the effectiveness and usefulness of the checklist.
Complete photoemission experiments, enabling measurement of the full quantum set of the photoelectron final state, are in high demand for studying materials and nanostructures whose properties are ...determined by strong electron and spin correlations. Here the implementation of the new spin polarimeter VESPA (Very Efficient Spin Polarization Analysis) at the APE‐NFFA beamline at Elettra is reported, which is based on the exchange coupling between the photoelectron spin and a ferromagnetic surface in a reflectometry setup. The system was designed to be integrated with a dedicated Scienta‐Omicron DA30 electron energy analyzer allowing for two simultaneous reflectometry measurements, along perpendicular axes, that, after magnetization switching of the two targets, allow the three‐dimensional vectorial reconstruction of the spin polarization to be performed while operating the DA30 in high‐resolution mode. VESPA represents the very first installation for spin‐resolved ARPES (SPARPES) at the Elettra synchrotron in Trieste, and is being heavily exploited by SPARPES users since autumn 2015.
The VESPA new setup for spin‐resolved angular‐resolved photoemission spectroscopy is fully operational at the APE‐NFFA beamline at the Elettra synchrotron, being a high‐demand tool for the advanced investigation of the magnetic properties of materials, as well as the spin texture of complex non‐magnetic low‐dimensional systems (surfaces and nanostructures). Detailed descriptions of the detector and its characterization are reported.