Towards Methodological Principles for Experience Textile Archaeology. Experimental Approach to the Aegean Bronze Age Textile Techniques in the Institute of Archaeology, University of Warsaw

Eksperimentalna arheologija često se koristi u istraživanju tekstila i tekstilne proizvodnje u pretpovijesti s ciljem da se objasne operativni aspekti proizvodnje tekstila i funkcionalnosti alatki za obradu tekstila, za proučavanje procesa oštećenja i propadanja tkanine, kao i za rekonstrukciju drevnih tekstila i odjeće. „Iskustvena tekstilna arheologija” jest termin kojim se opisuju ispitivanja i pokušaji eksperimentalnog karaktera koje provode osobe koje nisu vješti obrtnici kako bi se kroz vlastitu praksu upoznali s tehnikama proizvodnje tekstila. Iako je važnost iskustvene arheologije kao pedagoškog alata već prije prepoznata, iskustveni pristup rijetko stvara analogije koje bi se mogle dalje koristiti u akademskoj raspravi. Međutim, prema mišljenju autorice, iskustveni testovi i pokusi, ako su dobro pripremljeni, zabilježeni i provedeni kroz dulje razdoblje, također mogu doprinijeti povećanju znanja o tekstilnom obrtu prošlih društava. Autorica je predstavila metodološke principe koji se preporučuju za iskustvene aktivnosti, a odnose se na ispitivanja provedena uz pomoć studenata arheologije Sveučilišta u Varšavi.Experimental archaeology is commonly employed in the research on textiles and textile production in prehistory, in order to explain the operational aspects of textile manufacturing and the functionality of textile tools, to investigate fabric wear and decomposition processes, and to reconstruct ancient textiles and costumes. ‘Experience textile archaeology’ is a term which describes tests and trials of experiential character performed by actors who are not skilled craftspeople in order to get them acquainted with textile production techniques through practice. Although the importance of experience archaeology as a pedagogical tool has already been acknowledged, the experience approach rarely generates analogies that could be further exploited in the academic discourse. However, in the author’s opinion, experiential tests and trials, if well scheduled, documented and conducted over a longer period of time, may also contribute to improving the knowledge of textile craft of societies of the past. The methodological principles henceforth suggested for experience activities have been introduced by the author and concern tests conducted with students of archaeology at the University of Warsaw

Egejskie techniki tkackie w epoce brązu. Zastosowanie archeologii eksperymentalnej w badaniach nad włókiennictwem egejskim

Głównym celem rozprawy jest wszechstronna analiza technik tkackich w Egei przeprowadzona z wykorzystaniem wszelkich dostępnych źródeł (archeologicznych, ikonograficznych, pisanych) oraz archeologii eksperymentalnej, postrzeganej jako pełnoprawna metoda badawcza. Eksperymenty archeologiczne, choć nigdy nie mogą mieć waloru dowodowego, pozwalają na lepsze zrozumienie całego chaîne opératoire produkcji włókienniczej (łącznie z jej aspektami społecznymi) i udzielają odpowiedzi na wcześniej sformułowane pytania badawcze. W rozprawie wykorzystano wnioski płynące z testów przeprowadzanych przez autorkę i studentów w ramach zajęć „Tkactwo w basenie Morza Śródziemnego – odtwarzanie dawnych technik”, jakie odbywały się w Instytucie Archeologii UW w latach 2011-13 Wyodrębnione zostały dwa główne obszary o różniących się tradycjach włókienniczych: Egea północna obejmująca ląd grecki i północne wyspy Morza Egejskiego oraz Egea południowa z Kretą. Podkreślone zostały różnice w organizacji produkcji włókienniczej pomiędzy Kretą w okresie starszych i młodszych pałaców, a pałacami mykeńskimi. Analizie poddany został proces tkania na krośnie ciężarkowym, omówiono możliwość znajomości innych typów krosien oraz podjęto próbę ich identyfikacji w oparciu o materiał źródłowy. Autorka omawia społeczny wymiar produkcji włókienniczej podkreślając znaczącą rolę kobiet zarówno w organizacji jak i w ponoszonych nakładach pracy, wysoką czasochłonność całego procesu technologicznego i związane z tym duże koszty ekonomiczne. Oszacowano czas pracy tkaczek oraz ich możliwy status społeczny. Przedstawiono szerokie spectrum użytkowania tkanin z zaznaczeniem symboliki związanej z samymi tkaninami i z tkactwem. Krytycznej analizie poddano inne testy archeologii doświadczalnej, które odnoszą się do włókiennictwa egejskiego. Podważona została, zasugerowana w testach przeprowadzonych w CTR ramach programu Tools and Textiles – Test and Contexts, zasada ścisłego zawieszania ciężarków i wynikające z niej szacunki dla liczby ciężarków zawieszanych na krosnach w przeszłości. Własne testy zostały szczegółowo opisane począwszy od wyboru odtwarzanych narzędzi, poprzez testowane techniki. Szczególnie uważnej obserwacji podlegały: czas nauki (nieporównywalny z przeszłością) oraz subiektywna ocena trudności i czasochłonności prac przygotowawczych w relacji do samego tkania i zakańczania tkanin. Dokumentacji podlegały także odczucia tkających dotyczące wymaganego skupienia przy poszczególnych pracach i poziomu satysfakcji. Autorka wprowadziła system specjalnych kart dokumentacyjnych przygotowanych do opisu tkanin wykonywanych różnymi technikami. Poza cechami tkanin rejestrują one szczegółowo cechy narzędzi oraz subiektywne obserwacje eksperymentatorów. Wydaje się , że podjęta przez autorkę próba oszacowania, które elementy tkania wymagają relatywnie najmniejszego skupienia uwagi i wykonywane są mechanicznie przełożyć się może na ogląd pracy w przeszłości i odpowiedź na pytanie, czy tkactwo mogło być godzone z innymi obowiązkami, jak np. opieka nad dziećmi czy przygotowywanie posiłków. Umiejętności zdobyte w wyniku testów, określane jako wiedza ciała (body knowledge) lub wiedza kinestetyczna (kinaesthetic knowledge), stanowią swego rodzaju opozycję w stosunku do wiedzy zdobywanej w oparciu o studia akademickie. Są one jednak nie mniej cenne. Dzięki nim dawne procesy produkcyjne stają się bardziej zrozumiałe, łatwiej o zdefiniowanie i odtworzenie właściwej kolejności poszczególnych sekwencji technicznych, a w końcowym efekcie możliwe jest spojrzenia na produkcję włókienniczą i techniki tkackie z perspektywy dawnego wytwórcy.It is generally acknowledged that textile production was one of the most important, if not the most important, sections of the Aegean Bronze Age economy. The Aegean textile production may be investigated thanks to many archaeological remains, like textile tools (mostly spindle whorls and loom weights), scanty pieces of textiles themselves and their pseudomorphs, reach iconography of clothes and – finally – surpassingly coherent archives of Linear B tablets. Ethnographical analogies and historical comparisons generate another important source of information. Experimental archaeology (designed to answer defined research questions) is used to clarify successive stages of the chaîne opératoire of textile production. However, experimental archaeology in the contemporary textile research, could be also applied as a method of analyzing social aspects of the textile production in the past. The main aim of my dissertation was to examine the Bronze Age Aegean weaving techniques using all available sources, with the special references to archaeological experiments. Some of the experiments were designed and performed in the Institute of Archaeology, University of Warsaw. The textile production in the Bronze Age Aegean has been analysed in many socio-economic aspects such as its organization and scale, work specialization and the degree of involvement of the society. The comparison between Northern and Southern Aegean shows deeper differences between the two regions than it was supposed before. Experimental archaeology is proved to be a valuable, explanatory tool in the research of the ancient textile production. Even experiments performed by non-experienced amateurs could give some more insights into questions concerning weaving as the work. A new, innovatory system of the documentation of experiments was established. The card system allows an individual’s progress in the speed and quality of weaving to be recorded, which is an important factor in the case of inexperienced weavers. The personal experience gained by the performers allows to achieve so called “kinaesthetic” or body knowledge of weaving, which helps him/her to adopt the perspective of a producer from the past

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

The Caulobacter crescentus GTPase CgtA C is required for progression through the cell cycle and for maintaining 50S ribosomal subunit levels

The Obg subfamily of bacterial GTP-binding proteins are biochemically distinct from Ras-like proteins raising the possibility that they are not controlled by conventional guanine nucleotide exchange factors (GEFs) and/or guanine nucleotide activating proteins (GAPs). To test this hypothesis, we generated mutations in the Caulobacter crescentus obg gene ( cgtA C ) which, in Ras-like proteins, would result in either activating or dominant negative phenotypes. In C. crescentus , a P168V mutant is not activating in vivo , although in vitro , the P168V protein showed a modest reduction in the affinity for GDP. Neither the S173N nor N280Y mutations resulted in a dominant negative phenotype. Furthermore, the S173N was significantly impaired for GTP binding, consistent with a critical role of this residue in GTP binding. In general, conserved amino acids in the GTP-binding pocket were, however, important for function. To examine the in vivo consequences of depleting CgtA C , we generated a temperature-sensitive mutant, G80E. At the permissive temperature, G80E cells grow slowly and have reduced levels of 50S ribosomal subunits, indicating that CgtA C is important for 50S assembly and/or stability. Surprisingly, at the non-permissive temperature, G80E  cells  rapidly  lose  viability  and  yet  do not display an additional ribosome defect. Thus, the essential nature of the cgtA C gene does not appear to result from its ribosome function. G80E cells arrest as predivisional cells and stalkless cells. Flow cytometry on synchronized cells reveals a G1-S arrest. Therefore, CgtA C is necessary for DNA replication and progression through the cell cycle.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/75652/1/j.1365-2958.2004.04354.x.pd

Volatile organic compounds in breath can serve as a non-invasive diagnostic biomarker for the detection of advanced adenomas and colorectal cancer

Contains fulltext : 220031.pdf (Publisher’s version ) (Open Access)BACKGROUND: Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most common cancer diagnosis in the Western world. AIM: To evaluate exhaled volatile organic compounds (VOCs) as a non-invasive biomarker for the detection of CRC and precursor lesions using an electronic nose. METHODS: In this multicentre study adult colonoscopy patients, without inflammatory bowel disease or (previous) malignancy, were invited for breath analysis. Two-thirds of the breath tests were randomly assigned to develop training models which were used to predict the diagnosis of the remaining patients (external validation). In the end, all data were used to develop final-disease models to further improve the discriminatory power of the algorithms. RESULTS: Five hundred and eleven breath samples were collected. Sixty-four patients were excluded due to an inadequate breath test (n = 51), incomplete colonoscopy (n = 8) or colitis (n = 5). Classification was based on the most advanced lesion found; CRC (n = 70), advanced adenomas (AAs) (n = 117), non-advanced adenoma (n = 117), hyperplastic polyp (n = 15), normal colonoscopy (n = 125). Training models for CRC and AAs had an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.76 and 0.71 and blind validation resulted in an AUC of 0.74 and 0.61 respectively. Final models for CRC and AAs yielded an AUC of 0.84 (sensitivity 95% and specificity 64%) and 0.73 (sensitivity and specificity 79% and 59%) respectively. CONCLUSIONS: This study suggests that exhaled VOCs could potentially serve as a non-invasive biomarker for the detection of CRC and AAs. Future studies including more patients could further improve the discriminatory potential of VOC analysis for the detection of (pre-)malignant colorectal lesions. (https://clinicaltrials.gov Identifier NCT03488537)

Expiratory flow rate, breath hold and anatomic dead space influence electronic nose ability to detect lung cancer

BACKGROUND: Electronic noses are composites of nanosensor arrays. Numerous studies showed their potential to detect lung cancer from breath samples by analysing exhaled volatile compound pattern ("breathprint"). Expiratory flow rate, breath hold and inclusion of anatomic dead space may influence the exhaled levels of some volatile compounds; however it has not been fully addressed how these factors affect electronic nose data. Therefore, the aim of the study was to investigate these effects. METHODS: 37 healthy subjects (44 +/- 14 years) and 27 patients with lung cancer (60 +/- 10 years) participated in the study. After deep inhalation through a volatile organic compound filter, subjects exhaled at two different flow rates (50 ml/sec and 75 ml/sec) into Teflon-coated bags. The effect of breath hold was analysed after 10 seconds of deep inhalation. We also studied the effect of anatomic dead space by excluding this fraction and comparing alveolar air to mixed (alveolar + anatomic dead space) air samples. Exhaled air samples were processed with Cyranose 320 electronic nose. RESULTS: Expiratory flow rate, breath hold and the inclusion of anatomic dead space significantly altered "breathprints" in healthy individuals (p 0.05). These factors also influenced the discrimination ability of the electronic nose to detect lung cancer significantly. CONCLUSIONS: We have shown that expiratory flow, breath hold and dead space influence exhaled volatile compound pattern assessed with electronic nose. These findings suggest critical methodological recommendations to standardise sample collections for electronic nose measurements

Breath biomarkers in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis:A systematic review 11 Medical and Health Sciences

Background: Exhaled biomarkers may be related to disease processes in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) however their clinical role remains unclear. We performed a systematic review to investigate whether breath biomarkers discriminate between patients with IPF and healthy controls. We also assessed correlation with lung function, ability to distinguish diagnostic subgroups and change in response to treatment. Methods: MEDLINE, EMBASE and Web of Science databases were searched. Study selection was limited to adults with a diagnosis of IPF as per international guidelines. Results: Of 1014 studies screened, fourteen fulfilled selection criteria and included 257 IPF patients. Twenty individual biomarkers discriminated between IPF and controls and four showed correlation with lung function. Meta-analysis of three studies indicated mean (± SD) alveolar nitric oxide (CalvNO) levels were significantly higher in IPF (8.5 ± 5.5 ppb) than controls (4.4 ± 2.2 ppb). Markers of oxidative stress in exhaled breath condensate, such as hydrogen peroxide and 8-isoprostane, were also discriminatory. Two breathomic studies have isolated discriminative compounds using mass spectrometry. There was a lack of studies assessing relevant treatment and none assessed differences in diagnostic subgroups. Conclusions: Evidence suggests CalvNO is higher in IPF, although studies were limited by small sample size. Further breathomic work may identify biomarkers with diagnostic and prognostic potential

DNA replication defect in the Escherichia coli cgtA (ts) mutant arising from reduced DnaA levels

In Escherichia coli and other bacteria, the ribosome-associated CgtA GTP-binding protein plays a critical role in many basic cellular processes, including the control of DNA replication and/or segregation. However, the mechanism of this control is largely unknown. Here we report that ectopic expression of the dnaA gene partially restored both early growth in liquid medium and DNA synthesis defects of the cgtA (ts) mutant. Amounts of DnaA protein in the cgtA (ts) mutant incubated at elevated (42°C) temperature were significantly lower relative to wild-type bacteria. Both level of dnaA mRNA and transcriptional activity of the dnaA promoter- lacZ fusion were decreased in the CgtA-deficient cells. The effects of ectopic expression of dnaA were specific as analogous expression of another gene coding for a replication regulator, seqA , had no significant changes in growth and DNA synthesis in the cgtA mutant. Thus, it appears that the DNA replication defect in this mutant is a consequence of reduced DnaA levels.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/45857/1/203_2006_Article_99.pd