Recovery of a lost wall painting at the Etruscan Tomb of the Blue Demons in Tarquinia (Viterbo,Italy) by multispectral reflectometry and UV fluorescence imaging

This paper presents the results of a multispectral reflectometry and ultraviolet (UV) fluorescence study on the entrance wall of the Tomb of the Blue Demons in the Necropolis of Monterozzi (450–430 bc ) in Tarquinia (Viterbo, Italy), which is a UNESCO site. The technique is based on the acquisition of a multispectral set ranging from 10 to 25 images, acquired at wavelengths between 370 and 1120 nm, with a spectral width of 50 nm per image, using both halogen lamps for visible and infrared images and high‐purity UV diodes for fluorescence. Blind‐source separation algorithms were then applied to the whole image set to extract from the resulting images the details not otherwise visible in the single spectral images. The multispectral technique presented was tested and improved upon over the last decade on ancient Etruscan and Roman wall paintings and, because of its quickness and cost‐effectiveness, it can now be proposed as a powerful tool for the study of poorly conserved archaeological wall paintings and a preliminary diagnostic survey before any future conservation intervention on them.     

Analytical Study of Large-Area Suspended Ceilings

Due to the complex and heterogeneous construction of suspended ceiling systems, current standards provide only limited guidance for their seismic design. Simplified uniaxial numerical models of suspended ceiling systems are developed based on the experimental observation. Main runners with tributary ceiling area and grid connections in the longitudinal direction are modeled using lumped-masses and nonlinear connection springs. The proposed numerical models can be used as simple computational tools to explore the dynamic behavior and to estimate the design forces. Possible changes to the current standard design that suggest a more rational distribution of ceiling inertia forces are also discussed.     

Effect of Irregular Seabed on Seismic Motions

Several studies indicate that marine seismic activity is vast. Actually, about 90% of all natural earthquakes have epicenters in o_shore areas and may cause damage to subsea and floating structures. In this numerical study the indirect boundary element method is used to analyze the influence that some parameters, involved in this kind of problems, have on the dynamic response of marine waters under the incidence of theoretical seismic events. According with the results, the seismic amplifications depend on the seabed configuration and produce displacements which can be a serious concern.     

Regional Design in the Context of Fragmented Territorial Governance: South Wing Studio

In the Netherlands, the formation of governance arrangements around planning issues that cross administrative boundaries has been assisted frequently by a design approach that is often referred to as “regional design”. This is a distinctive method of policy argumentation that makes use of spatial representations of the plausible future of regions. Such representations are intended not only to indicate physical changes, but also to stimulate debate on sharing responsibilities and resources for planning tasks among planning actors. This paper contributes to a better understanding of the performance of regional design in the context of fragmented regional governance through a case study in the southern part of the Randstad in the Netherlands. We argue that regional design has contributed to institutional capacity in a complex polycentric and, looking at the governance structure, pluricentric region like the Randstad South Wing, largely by allowing for multiple interpretations.     

STATE MERIT‐BASED FINANCIAL AID PROGRAMS AND COLLEGE ATTAINMENT

This paper examines the effects of state merit‐based student aid programs on college attendance and degree completion. Our primary analysis uses microdata from the 2000 United States Census and 2001–2010 American Community Survey to estimate the effects of exposure to merit programs on educational outcomes for 25 states that adopted such programs by 2004. We also utilize administrative data for the University System of Georgia to look more in depth at the effects of exposure to the HOPE Scholarship on degree completion. We find strong consistent evidence that exposure to state merit aid programs have no meaningfully positive effect on college completion.     

Mineralogical and Chemical Characterization of Roman Slag from the Archaeological Site of Castra (Ajdovščina,Slovenia)

This study deals with the mineralogical and chemical characterization of archaeometallurgical material from the Roman archaeological site of Castra (Ajdov??ina, western Slovenia). Samples were initially analysed via optical microscopy and X‐ray powder diffraction, with the composition of individual phases then determined using scanning electron microscopy coupled with electron‐dispersive spectroscopy, and Raman microspectroscopy. Chemical investigation was carried out by using inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy to measure the major element content. The results showed that the slag originated from iron smithing operations, with calcium‐rich olivines, as well as wuestite and leucite, the most abundant phases. The investigated slags were also found to be characterized by significantly high lime levels, which probably promoted the formation of the calcium‐rich olivines.     

Investigation of Organic Materials From the ‘Royal’ Burials of Xiongnu (Noin‐Ula,Mongolia) by Srxrf and XAFS Methods

The burials of famous Xiongnu people are a unique source of information about Xiongnu culture, due to the variety of organic findings. SRXRF analysis of hair, clay, bones, teeth and woollen cloth was carried out. An anomalously high copper content was observed in all hair samples, whereas the levels of copper in bone and clay were low. To define the hair morphology and the elemental distribution in the hair cross‐section, high‐resolution X‐ray computed tomography (HRXCT) and energy‐dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) with scanning electron microscopy (SEM) were used. The X‐ray absorption fine‐structure method (XAFS) was applied to determine the local copper environment. The majority of the copper species in the hair and enamel samples are present as Cu²⁺ cations in a distorted octahedral (4 + 2) coordination, surrounded by light ligands (oxygen/nitrogen). A similar distorted octahedral coordination is typical for both inorganic mixed oxide/hydroxide Cu nanosystems and metal–organic Cu complexes (with oxygen/nitrogen).     

The technology of Copper Age funerary pottery from Central Italy: An integrated study of compositional analyses and manufacturing traces

The paper focuses on ceramic vessels unearthed from Copper Age necropolises located in the area of the modern city of Rome and commonly attributed to the Rinaldone culture. The peculiar vessels' shapes, mainly associated with the consumption of beverages, their accuracy of manufacture and the very low impact of these ceramic morphologies in the coeval household assemblages lead to the study of such an apparently selected production through a multidisciplinary research. Petrographic analysis, X-ray fluorescence (XRF) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) integrated with the analysis of manufacturing traces and X-ray investigation suggest the transmission of technological choices, which remained unchanged over almost two millennia.     

Stable isotope analysis of the Inca mummy from Nevado de Chuscha (Salta,Argentina)*

This paper presents the carbon (¹³C/¹²C), nitrogen (¹⁵N/¹⁴N), oxygen (¹⁸O/¹⁶O), hydrogen (²H/¹H) and sulfur (³⁴S/³²S) stable isotope values measured in the hair of a female individual from north-western Argentina. The analysis of segments of this tissue allows for the recording of the diet and migratory changes with a short time resolution. The sample is from a mummified young female individual discovered in Chuscha mount, Salta province. It was found at more than 5000 masl, in a mountain sanctuary of the Inca expansion (capacochas). The paper discusses the paleodiet and mobility patterns of this individual in the period before her death, focusing on the isotopic variations in a limited time scale. The results indicate that the individual moved from a different region to the place where she was sacrificed. Furthermore, in the last year the individual was alive, a shift in the isotopic composition of the food consumed is detected: a variation in the importance of C₄ over C₃ resources is evident. The results are compared with the isotopic estimations for other children and young people recovered in archaeological contexts associated with capacochas to infer variability in the geographical trajectories covered during their last months of life.