“Material Analysis in Cultural Heritage” describes the application of modern analytical techniques in the studies of selected historical materials, their properties, and processes they undergo. The ...topics include glass and ceramics, metal preservation, functionality and testing of historic and modern building materials, origins of specific stones, decomposition of painting pigments, and the construction of historic violins.
This study reports the effects of a computationally informed and avocado-seed mediated Phyto engineered CuS nanoparticles as fertilizing agent on the ionome and amino acid metabolome of Pinto bean ...seeds using both bench top and ion beam analytical techniques. Physico-chemical analysis of the Phyto engineered nanoparticles with scanning-electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, and Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy confirmed the presence of CuS nanoparticles. Molecular dynamics simulations to investigate the interaction of some active phytocompounds in avocado seeds that act as reducing agents with the nano-digenite further showed that 4-hydroxybenzoic acid had a higher affinity for interacting with the nanoparticle’s surface than other active compounds. Seeds treated with the digenite nanoparticles exhibited a unique ionome distribution pattern as determined with external beam proton-induced X-ray emission, with hotspots of Cu and S appearing in the hilum and micropyle area that indicated a possible uptake mechanism via the seed coat. The nano-digenite also triggered a plant stress response by slightly altering seed amino acid metabolism. Ultimately, the nano-digenite may have important implications as a seed protective or nutritive agent as advised by its unique distribution pattern and effect on amino acid metabolism.
Graphical abstract
Analizirali smo vzorce steklenih posod in okenskega stekla s poznoantične utrdbe Korinjski hrib pri Velikem Korinju. Steklene najdbe s tega najdišča, datiranega v 6. st., kažejo značilen, vendar ...omejen spekter posod, predvsem kozarce brez noge, kozarce na nogi in okensko steklo. Rezultati arheometričnih analiz so pokazali nepričakovane sredozemske sestave steklenih mas, ki nakazujejo, da je bilo najdišče lahko vpeto v bizantinsko trgovsko mrežo ali sistem vojaške oskrbe.
There is a considerable interest in developing new analytical tools to fight the illicit trafficking of heritage goods and particularly of easel paintings, whose high market values attract an ...ever-increasing volume of criminal activities. The objective is to combat the illicit traffic of smuggled or forged paintworks and to prevent the acquisition of fakes or looted artefacts in public collections. Authentication can be addressed using various investigation techniques, such as absolute dating, materials characterization, alteration phenomena, etc.; for paintings this remains a challenging task due to the complexity of the materials (paint layers, ground, varnish, canvas, etc.) and preferable use of non-destructive methods. This paper outlines results from concerted action on detecting forged works of art within the framework of a Coordinated Research Project of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) called Enhancing Nuclear Analytical Techniques to Meet the Needs of Forensic Sciences
. One of the main objectives is to foster the use of emerging Nuclear Analytical Techniques (NAT) using particle accelerators for authentication of paintings, with potential application to other forensics domains, by highlighting their ability to determine painting authenticity and to track restorations or anachronistic clues. The various materials comprising a test painting were investigated using an array of NAT. Binder, canvas and support were directly dated by
C using Accelerator Mass Spectrometry (14C-AMS); binder and pigments' molecular composition was determined using Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry with MeV ions (MeV-SIMS); paint layer composition and stratigraphy were accurately determined using Ion Beam Analysis (IBA) and differential Particle-Induced X-ray Emission (PIXE); and pigment spatial distributions were mapped using full-field PIXE. High resolution Optical Photothermal Infrared Spectroscopy (O-PTIR) molecular imaging was also exploited. Obtained results are presented and discussed. It is shown that the combination of the above-mentioned techniques allowed reconstructing the history of the test painting.
S kombinirano metodo protonsko vzbujenih rentgenskih žarkov in žarkov gama (PIXE, PIGE) smo analizirali steklene jagode in nekaj drugih kosov stekla z zgodnjesrednjeveških najdišč v Sloveniji. Z ...analizo, ki je zajela 179 vzorcev s 25 najdišč, smo dokazali dve vrsti stekla, natronsko in halofitsko. Razlikujeta se po uporabljenem talilu, ki je bilo ali natron, zmes natrijevega karbonata in bikarbonata, ali pepel halofitov, obmorskih slanoljubnih rastlin. Natronsko steklo je bilo narejeno skladno z rimskim izročilom, halofitsko steklo je vzhodnega izvora in se je pojavilo na zgodnjesrednjeveških najdiščih v Evropi v drugi polovici 8. st. V Sloveniji je bilo halofitsko steklo ugotovljeno na 18 najdiščih, iz njega so narejene mozaične, členaste in enojne jagode. Njihov pojav je pomembno dejstvo za datacijo arheoloških najdb, predvsem nakita iz starejšega zgodnjesrednjeveškega obdobja. Predlagana zgodnja datacija za nekatere grobove s takšnim nakitom se tako premika v drugo polovico 8. in v 9. st. Jagode iz halofitskega stekla so pogoste tudi v grobovih s pridanimi keramičnimi lonci, posamezne pa so znane tudi z višinskih najdišč in iz nižinskih naselbin. Najmlajše jagode iz halofitskega stekla so našli skupaj z nakitom t. i. belobrdske kulture (druga polovica 10. in prva polovica 11. st.).
This study aimed to assess the potential of a multidimensional approach to differentiate body hairs based on their physico-chemical properties and whether body hairs can replace the use of scalp hair ...in studies linked to forensic and systemic intoxication. This is the first case report controlling for confounding variables to explore the utility of multidimensional profiling of body hair using synchrotron synchrotron microbeam X-ray fluorescence (SR-XRF) for longitudinal and hair morphological region mapping) and benchtop methods, including attenuated total reflectance Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR) (complemented with chemometrics analysis), energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDX) (complemented with heatmap analysis), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analysis (complemented by descriptive statistics) to profile different body hairs in terms of their elemental, biochemical, thermal, and cuticle properties. This multidimensional approach provided supportive information to emphasize the intricate and rather complex interplay between the organization and levels of elements and biomolecules within the crystalline and amorphous matrix of different body hairs responsible for the differences in physico-chemical properties between body hairs that are predominantly affected by the growth rate, follicle or apocrine gland activity, and external factors such as cosmetic use and exposure to environmental xenobiotics. The data from this study may have important implications for forensic science, toxicology and systemic intoxication, or other studies involving hair as a research matrix.
Resolving issues posed by our paper describing the late antiquity glass from Jelica (Serbia), we performed a thorough analysis of similar glass, systematically collected from the literature. The ...analysis showed that Foy 3.2 type evolved gradually from a composition similar to the Roman antimony-decolorized glass to a composition approaching Foy 2.1, lasting longer (second-seventh century AD) and spreading wider than originally described, including large parts of the Balkans, France interior, Germany, and Britain. The center of its distribution seems to be the Balkans and Italy. During the sixth century, Foy 3.2 glasses in the Balkans showed a significant increase of average MgO concentration compared to the earlier period and Foy 3.2 glasses outside the Balkans, implying different sand quarries and perhaps different trade routes for its imports. Recycling criteria for Foy 3.2 glass has been established. Similarly, 125 high-iron Foy 2.1 glasses are selected from the literature. They cluster within two groups regarding iron concentrations, which we term high iron (HI) and very high iron (VHI) Foy 2.1. In addition, there is a low lime subgroup of the VHI group, termed VHILL. The paper offers two possible explanations for the elevated iron, color branding, and different silica sources. High-iron glasses seem relatively evenly spread across the entire Mediterranean and its interior, representing, on average, around a quarter of the local Foy 2.1 assemblages. The percentages of high-iron samples are almost double in manufactured glass compared to raw glass, suggesting that the addition of iron was happening in the secondary workshops, i.e., for color branding. Among the manufactured glass, the proportions were higher in glassware than in windowpane glass. To capture the changing sand exploitation conditions, we propose the term "generic composition/type" or "(geochemical) class".
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