Bones for the Loom. Weaving Experiment with Astragali Weights

Kratki eksperiment tkanja održao se u Arheološkom muzeju u Zagrebu ne bi li se istražila funkcionalnost objavljenih astragala s Gomolave te raspravila njihova moguća upotreba kao utega za tkalački stan. Autorice su uspjele posuditi set od 15 astragala iz komparativne zbirke Zavoda za paleontologiju i geologiju kvartara HAZU u Zagrebu. Za napinjanje niti osnova tkanja iskorišteno je 14 astragala koji su postavljeni umjesto utega na vertikalni tkalački stan, konstruiran od strane Centra za eksperimentalnu arheologiju – CEKSA, u svrhu predstavljanja tehnika tkanja sudionicima i posjetiteljima radionice. Osnovna svrha pokusa bilo je testiranje moguće uporabe astragala, dok je dokumentiranje tkanja bilo stjecanje iskustva, s ciljem postavljanja određenih pitanja koja se odnose na proučavanje astragala. S obzirom na ograničenost vremenom, tijekom pokusa tkan je samo jedan komad tekstila. Petnaesti astragal poslužio je za jednostavan eksperiment namotavanja pređe.A short weaving experiment took place at the Archaeological Museum in Zagreb in order to test the functional nature of the published astragali from Gomolava site as well as to determine and discuss their potential for use as loom-weights. Authors managed to borrow a set of 15 astragali from the Institute for Quaternary Paleontology and Geology in Zagreb. They warped 14 of them on a vertical loom, built by the Centre for Experimental Archaeology – CEKSA, in order to demonstrate weaving techniques to the participants and visitors of the workshop. The main purpose of the experiment was to test their potential functionality, while recording the weaving experience, in order to raise some particular questions that should be addressed in the prospective research on the astragali bones. Being limited by time, during the experiment only a single piece of textile was woven. The fifteenth astragalus bone was used for a simple spooling experiment

Research into the Origin and Spread of Wool Production between the Near East and Central Europe

The objective of the research group Textile Revolution is to contribute to research on the still largely unclear introduction of wool production in later Neolithic and Chalcolithic societies from Western Asia to Central Europe. Since direct evidence of wool depends on rare conditions of preservation, a multi-proxy approach based on different kinds of indirect evidence was chosen. The previous history of research on early wool production as well as the domestication history of sheep are reviewed briefly. Anthropogenic impacts on the landscape, possibly related to intensified grazing, are one kind of indirect evidence that we take into account. For the later part of the presumably long-lasting development of wool production, written sources are available, the earliest of which date to the Late Uruk and Jemdet Nasr periods (end of the 4th to beginning of the 3rd millennium BCE) in Mesopotamia. Indirect archaeological evidence consists of the tools used in textile production, among which spindle whorls and loom weights occur most frequently. Since they are not a priori specific to the type of fibre, be it linen or wool, statistical evaluations of metric data are necessary. Zooarchaeological analysis of large samples of animal bones from a wide spectrum of sites and time slices is a further crucial element of our multi-proxy approach. Both the demographic composition of herds and metric data indicating changes in animal size can yield indirect evidence for incipient or increasing importance of wool production. This article offers an overview of these different sources and methods, specific to the disciplines involved, and presents some preliminary results

Die Aneignung und Nutzung von Wolle im 7. bis 3. Jt. v.u.Z. in Westasien.

Die vorliegende Arbeit umfasst eine Studie von Spinnwirteln, mit dem Ziel Kontinuitäten und Diskontinuitäten in der Entwicklung der Spinnwirtel zu dokumentieren. Die untersuchten Wirtel stammen aus 20 Fundstätten in Westasien und datieren vom 7. bis zum 3. Jt. v.u.Z. Die Wahl des Zeitraumes und der Fundstätten ergab sich aus der Fragestellung, ob sich die Hypothese einer „Textilen Revolution“ (nach Sherratt 1980/ McCorriston 1997) in den gesammelten Daten zu den Spinnwirteln niederschlagen würden. Zudem wurde in dieser Arbeit der Fokus auf die Aufnahme des Wirtelgewichtes in die Dokumentation dieser Fundgruppe gelegt, sowie eine statistische Analyse der funktionalen Parameter der Wirtel durchgeführt.The present work is a study of spindle whorls, aiming to document the continuities and discontinuities in whorl development. The whorls are collected from 20 sites in Western Asia dating to the 7th to 3rd Millennia BCE. Former studies on these kinds of objects usually refer to material from one or two sites. A supraregional and diachronic overview on the material is however missing so far. The present study aims to fill this gap by providing important data on spindle whorl variability based on their measurements and in particular weight values. It presents an analysis of the mentioned functional data and puts forward interpretations on raw material identification. Taking into account the very light weight of pottery neolithic spindle whorls, I assume they might have been used for the production of yarn from short stapled wool of primitive sheep and goat breeds. The high standardization of weights of these early whorls could reflect a production of high quantities of uniform yarn for the manufacture of woven textiles. The first evidence for tabby weave, which could hint towards a mechanical or semi mechanical loom construction, occur contemporary to these high amounts of spindle whorls. The level of standardization of spindle whorl weight continues into the 5th Millennium BCE. From the 4th Millennium onward an increase of weight variability is noted, with higher numbers of heavy whorls. A direct correlation of this increase with the processing of longer stapled wool seems an obvious conclusion. The changes however do not seem to be of lasting nature. In opposite, the overall compared data point towards a return to the before observed standards. The survey of spindle whorls provides a substantial data reference within the investigated regions. This dataset enables assumptions about certain sites being specialized in certain parts of the textile production known in the area (Tall-i Bakun). In addition, it provides concrete reference for textile tool studies beyond the investigated area and time span. However, the investigation of single sites offers independent results, like the indications on the seasonality of textile production derived from the Sharafabad material or the indications of changes in production intensities from one phase to another like in Tell Sabi Abyad. The results of my research suggest that it is probable that the short stapled wool of primitive sheep and goat breeds was used in parts of Western Asia at least from the end of the 7th Millennium BCE onward. The development from the initial phase to the intense use of wool in the 3rd Millennium BCE is however neither linear nor revolutionary. It seems to be a regionally distinct and gradual process with strong evidences for local continuities and discontinuities

Preclinical effects of cannabidiol in an experimental model of migraine

By modeling acute and chronic migraine-like states in mice, we report that cannabidiol can be effective both as a preventive tool and as an abortive treatment for migraine attacks with reduced risk of causing medication overuse headache on repeated administrations.Migraine is a disabling disorder characterized by recurrent headaches, accompanied by abnormal sensory sensitivity and anxiety. Despite extensive historical use of cannabis in headache disorders, there is limited research on the nonpsychoactive cannabidiol (CBD) for migraine and there is no scientific evidence to prove that CBD is an effective treatment. The effects of CBD are examined here using a calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP)-induced migraine model that provides measures of cephalic allodynia, spontaneous pain, altered light sensitivity (photophobia), and anxiety-like behavior in C57BL/6J mice. A single administration of CGRP induced facial hypersensitivity in both female and male mice. Repeated CGRP treatment produced progressively decreased levels in basal thresholds of allodynia in females, but not in males. A single CBD administration protected both females and males from periorbital allodynia induced by a single CGRP injection. Repeated CBD administration prevented increased levels of basal allodynia induced by repeated CGRP treatment in female mice and did not lead to responses consistent with migraine headache as occurs with triptans. Cannabidiol, injected after CGRP, reversed CGRP-evoked allodynia. Cannabidiol also reduced spontaneous pain traits induced by CGRP administration in female mice. Finally, CBD blocked CGRP-induced anxiety in male mice, but failed in providing protection from CGRP-induced photophobia in females. These results demonstrate the efficacy of CBD in preventing episodic and chronic migraine-like states with reduced risk of causing medication overuse headache. Cannabidiol also shows potential as an abortive agent for treating migraine attacks and headache-related conditions such as spontaneous pain and anxiety

Iminium substituent directs cyanide and hydride additions to triiron vinyliminium complexes

The reactivity of diiron bis-cyclopentadienyl cationic complexes containing a vinyliminium ligand coordinated to a diiron scaffold and decorated with a ferrocenyl group, [1a–g]CF3SO3, was investigated towards NBu4CN (in CH2Cl2) and NaBH4 (in THF). Thus, (amino)cyano-allylidene derivatives, 2a–2d, were synthesized in good yields by cyanide attack to the iminium carbon C1 in the respective precursors. However, this outcome is influenced by the nature of one iminium substituent (R), when the other one is methyl: when R[double bond, length as m-dash]CH2CHCH2, a μ-alkylidene-alkenyl by-product (3), is obtained, while R[double bond, length as m-dash]4-C6H4OMe determined the concurrent cyanide addition to the vinyl carbon C2 leading to a bis-alkylidene complex (4d). The analogous bis-alkylidene 4e was selectively prepared in the case of R[double bond, length as m-dash]2,6-C6H3(Me)(Cl) (XylCl), and this substituent exerted steric protection on C1. Similarly, hydride addition took place at either C1 (complex 5a, R[double bond, length as m-dash]4-C6H4OMe) or C2 (6, R[double bond, length as m-dash]XylCl). The reactions of [1g]CF3SO3, containing two benzyl groups as iminium substituents, with NBu4CN and NaBH4 led to the selective formation of the C1 addition derivatives, 2e and 5b. All products were purified by alumina chromatography and fully characterized using analytical and spectroscopic methods, while DFT calculations were extensively carried out to shed light on structural and thermodynamic aspects. The representative complexes 2e, 4e, 5b and 6 were further characterized by cyclic voltammetry and IR-spectroelectrochemistry studies

Synaptophysin I selectively specifies the exocytic pathway of synaptobrevin 2/VAMP2

Biogenesis and recycling of synaptic vesicles are accompanied by sorting processes that preserve the molecular composition of the compartments involved. In the present study, we have addressed the targeting of synaptobrevin 2/VAMP2 (vesicle-associated membrane protein 2), a critical component of the synaptic vesicle­-fusion machinery, in a heterotypic context where its sorting is not confounded by the presence of other neuron-specific molecules. Ectopically expressed synaptophysin I interacts with VAMP2 and alters its default surface targeting to a prominent vesicular distribution, with no effect on the targeting of other membrane proteins. Protein–protein interaction is not sufficient for the control of VAMP2 sorting, which is mediated by the C-terminal domain of synaptophysin I. Synaptophysin I directs the sorting of VAMP2 to vesicles before surface delivery, without influencing VAMP2 endocytosis. Consistent with this, dynamin and α-SNAP (soluble N-ethylmaleimide-sensitive fusion protein-attachment protein) mutants which block trafficking at the plasma membrane do not abrogate the effect of synaptophysin I on VAMP2 sorting. These results indicate that the sorting determinants of synaptic vesicle proteins can operate independently of a neuronal context and implicate the association of VAMP2 with synaptophysin I in the specification of the pathway of synaptic vesicle biogenesis

The microRNA processor DROSHA is a candidate gene for a severe progressive neurological disorder

DROSHA encodes a ribonuclease that is a subunit of the Microprocessor complex and is involved in the first step of microRNA (miRNA) biogenesis. To date, DROSHA has not yet been associated with a Mendelian disease. Here, we describe two individuals with profound intellectual disability, epilepsy, white matter atrophy, microcephaly and dysmorphic features, who carry damaging de novo heterozygous variants in DROSHA. DROSHA is constrained for missense variants and moderately intolerant to loss-of-function (o/e = 0.24). The loss of the fruit fly ortholog drosha causes developmental arrest and death in third instar larvae, a severe reduction in brain size and loss of imaginal discs in the larva. Loss of drosha in eye clones causes small and rough eyes in adult flies. One of the identified DROSHA variants (p.Asp1219Gly) behaves as a strong loss-of-function allele in flies, while another variant (p.Arg1342Trp) is less damaging in our assays. In worms, a knock-in that mimics the p.Asp1219Gly variant at a worm equivalent residue causes loss of miRNA expression and heterochronicity, a phenotype characteristic of the loss of miRNA. Together, our data show that the DROSHA variants found in the individuals presented here are damaging based on functional studies in model organisms and likely underlie the severe phenotype involving the nervous system