Sienese archaic maiolica: a technological study of the ceramic bodies and coatings

The aim of the present study is to reconstruct the production technology of Sienese 'archaic' majolica in the early decades of the 14th century AD. The integration of archaeological data with archived data revealed the presence of numerous workshops, suggesting that the Sienese tradition of majolica production was well developed up until the end of the 16th century. Sixty-seven uncoated and coated waste products were analysed. The ceramic bodies were examined by OM, XRDp, SEM-EDS, XRF, ICP-OES, ICP-MS and INAA. The coatings (enamels and glazes) were analysed by SEM-EDS and Raman microspectroscopy. The results showed that ceramics were rejected due to poor control of the firing temperature (technological wastes), faulty production technology (wastes of uncertain classification) and accidents (post-firing wastes). Finally, the analyses revealed extreme homogeneity of the ceramic bodies, indicating the continued use of the same raw material over the whole period studied. © University of Oxford, 2005

Older versus newer antidepressants: substance P- or calcium antagonism?.

Substance P (SP) is possibly involved in the pathophysiology of depression and anxiety. We investigated interactions between antidepressants on SP-induced effects and their potential calcium-blocking activity in the isolated guinea pig ileum. All the antidepressants tested, except pargyline, moclobemide, mianserin, and reboxetine, were able to inhibit in a concentration-dependent manner the contraction induced by 100 nmol/L SP. Clomipramine, fluoxetine, maprotiline, and amitriptyline (all at 3 mumol/L) flattened the concentration-response curves to SP, resulting in a reduction of up to 59%, 63%, 32%, and 23%, respectively, of the maximum contractile effect. All the antidepressants tested (3 mumol/L), except pargyline, moclobemide, and mianserin, produced a rightward parallel shift of the concentration-response curve to CaCl2. The L-type selective calcium blocker nifedipine and the T-type selective mibefradil showed similar behaviour against both agonists used, SP and CaCl2. The relative order of potency was nifedipine (pA2, 7.6 +/- 0.1) > clomipramine (pA2, 7.0 +/- 0.1) > fluoxetine (pKB, 6.5 +/- 0.1) = mibefradil (pKB, 6.6 +/- 0.1) > amitriptyline (pKB, 6.3 +/- 0.1) = maprotiline (pKB, 6.2 +/- 0.1) > fluvoxamine (pKB, 5.9 +/- 0.1). The data reported in the present study suggest that the antidepressants tested did not behave as competitive antagonists versus NK1-receptor subtypes, but their inhibitory action seems to be related to their calcium-blocking properties

Late Antique Glass Vessels and Production Indicators from the Town of Herdonia (Foggia, Italy): New Data on Cao-Rich/Weak HIMT Glass

In the framework of the archaeometric research on Apulian Late Antique glass, a collection of 24 glass vessels (third to seventh centuries ad) and production indicators found at Herdonia (Foggia, Italy) was examined, by means of SEM–EDS, EMPA, ICP–MS and LA–ICP–MS. A fragment of crucible was further investigated by SEM–EDS and EMPA. The results obtained were discussed together with another glass collection from Herdonia previously investigated. The full set of 48 samples was made of siliceous sands mixed with plant ashes (two samples: a dark green slab and a colourless beaker/lamp) or natron (all the other 46 samples). The latter were assigned to the following compositional groups: HIMT, Levantine 1, RNCBGY1, RNCBGY2, RC/LAC-Sb, intermediate HIMT/RNCBGY1, intermediate RNCBGY1/HIMT, intermediate Levantine/RNCBGY2 and two other groups, the CaO-rich HIMT and the CaO-rich/Na2O poor HIMT, which showed a prevailing Adriatic distribution and a close similarity to the weak HIMT glass group. Most Herdonia samples were similar to the HIMT productions, and thus of likely Egyptian origin, while a smaller number of samples referred to the Levantine productions

Late Antique Glass Vessels and Production Indicators from the town of Herdonia (Foggia, Italy): New Data on CaO-rich/Weak HIMT Glass

In the framework of the archaeometric research on Apulian Late Antique glass, a collection of 24 glass vessels (third to seventh centuries ad) and production indicators found at Herdonia (Foggia, Italy) was examined, by means of SEM–EDS, EMPA, ICP–MS and LA–ICP–MS. A fragment of crucible was further investigated by SEM–EDS and EMPA. The results obtained were discussed together with another glass collection from Herdonia previously investigated. The full set of 48 samples was made of siliceous sands mixed with plant ashes (two samples: a dark green slab and a colourless beaker/lamp) or natron (all the other 46 samples). The latter were assigned to the following compositional groups: HIMT, Levantine 1, RNCBGY1, RNCBGY2, RC/LAC-Sb, intermediate HIMT/RNCBGY1, intermediate RNCBGY1/HIMT, intermediate Levantine/RNCBGY2 and two other groups, the CaO-rich HIMT and the CaO-rich/Na2O poor HIMT, which showed a prevailing Adriatic distribution and a close similarity to the weak HIMT glass group. Most Herdonia samples were similar to the HIMT productions, and thus of likely Egyptian origin, while a smaller number of samples referred to the Levantine productions