UAV-based photogrammetry: Assessing the application potential and effectiveness for archaeological monitoring and surveying in the research on the ‘valley of the kings’ (Tuva, Russia)

The article offers an evaluation of the adequacy and effectiveness of using UAV-based photogrammetry for updating the planigraphy of well-studied archaeological sites and discovering new ones. The study is based on the data collected in the ‘Valley of the Kings’ in the Republic of Tyva (otherwise called Tuva, Russia). Data analysis using GIS software found 1000 archaeological objects and other, possibly archaeological objects. UAV-based digital photogrammetry has proved informative and effective in our study. In addition to the previously known archaeological objects, it enabled us to detect numerous new archaeological objects, which had been missed in the earlier investigations carried out on the ground. However, this survey technology has been found to have a significant number of limitations as to its applicability in the search for archaeological objects, and it is concluded that UAVs cannot replace archaeological investigations on the ground, particularly as regards identification of objects

Iron metallurgy of the Xianbei period in Tuva (Southern Siberia)

We present results of the complex investigation of large-scale iron production at the site of Katylyg 5 (Tuva, Southern Siberia) dating to 3rd-4th c. AD. The excavations have uncovered nine trapezoid underground smelting furnaces, a tonne of smelting slag, smithing remains and a charcoal production zone. The investigation of slag by Optical microscopy, SEM-EDS and ICP-MS confirms the performance of smelting and smithing operations at the site, and also suggests that the smelted ore was magnetite, associated with quartz. The presence of copper (bronze) prills in most of the smithing slag indicates that copper was worked alongside iron in the smithing hearths. The spatial division of the site into three different production zones (smelting, smithing and charcoalproduction) suggests a well-organized and self-sufficient industry, that was probably tightly controlled throughout all stages of the chaîne op´eratoire. The trapezoid furnaces identified at Katylyg, are also known from Cis-Baikal region where they date from the end of the 1st millennium BCE and throughout most of the 1st millennium AD. This suggests that the technology of trapezoid furnaces, along with the Kokel culture to which they are attributed, likely emerged in Tuva with the migrations from the Baikal region due to the westward Xianbei expansion during 1st-3rd c. AD

The earliest box-shaped iron smelting furnaces in Asia: New data from Southern Siberia

The article presents the results of research on a uniquely preserved linear box-shaped furnace found on the Kuyahtanar iron smelting site in the Altai Mountains (Russian Altai). Furnaces of this type were the largest in North Eurasia, yet reliable data on the structure and emergence thereof have not been available for a long time. The article provides a detailed analysis of the structure of the furnace as well as 3D models of its different parts

Photogrammetry: from field recording to museum presentation (Timiryazevo burial site, Western Siberia)

A 3D-recording project was introduced into practice in 2014 by Tomsk State University during investigation of Timiryazevo burial site (5th–10th centuries AD). During the excavation, three-dimensional models of the whole archaeological site were made at each stage, as well as individual records of all artifacts. 3D recording was conducted by SFM technology. The data obtained was used for research and in work on the exhibition project ‖Secrets of Timiryazevo Burial Site: The Circle of Life and Death in Siberian Shamanism‖. The exposition centers on unveiling the meaning of the rite of burying lookalike dolls of the deceased, which was practiced by many indigenous peoples of Siberia. The exposition is designed to enable the visitor to pass through the whole cycle of knowledge extraction together with archaeologists, the ―detectives of the past‖: from a bunch of strange miniscule objects found in the sand to reconstruction of the whole sophisticated rite of the ―ultimate funeral‖ including the burial of the deceased’s lookalike doll. The tools used to develop the topic included a stereoscopic video created with Autodesk 3D Studio MAX 2014 and displayed in the exhibition. Stereoscopic videos displayed by specialized museum equipment create a total participation effect, enabling any visitor to watch excavations step by step, in all their detail and from all perspectives

The Role of Acidosis in the Pathogenesis of Severe Forms of COVID-19

COVID-19 has specific characteristics that distinguish this disease from many other infections. We suggest that the pathogenesis of severe forms of COVID-19 can be associated with acidosis. This review article discusses several mechanisms potentially linking the damaging effects of COVID-19 with acidosis and shows the existence of a vicious cycle between the development of hypoxia and acidosis in COVID-19 patients. At the early stages of the disease, inflammation, difficulty in gas exchange in the lungs and thrombosis collectively contribute to the onset of acidosis. In accordance with the Verigo-Bohr effect, a decrease in blood pH leads to a decrease in oxygen saturation, which contributes to the exacerbation of acidosis and results in a deterioration of the patient’s condition. A decrease in pH can also cause conformational changes in the S-protein of the virus and thus lead to a decrease in the affinity and avidity of protective antibodies. Hypoxia and acidosis lead to dysregulation of the immune system and multidirectional pro- and anti-inflammatory reactions, resulting in the development of a “cytokine storm”. In this review, we highlight the potential importance of supporting normal blood pH as an approach to COVID-19 therapy