Solid-state NMR studies of collagen-based parchments and gelatin

Historical collagen-based parchments have been studied by solid-state NMR. In addition, new parchment (produced according to traditional methods) and gelatin from bovine skin were also studied. Wideline 1H and MAS 13C measurements were carried out directly on intact parchments. A simple approach is proposed for evaluation of the extent of parchment degradation based on the linewidth changes in the 13C CPMAS spectra relative to new parchment and gelatin. Structural (bound) water content was estimated from wideline 1H NMR lineshape and relaxation time measurements. It was found that the relative water content in parchments correlates linearly with 13C MAS linewidths. Its decrease on parchment degradation indicates that structural water molecules are of primary importance in stabilizing higher order collagen structures. Backbone and side chain dynamics of collagen in parchments were compared to those of gelatin based on the 13C dipolar-dephased experiments. Carbonyl 13C chemical shift anisotropies were measured to deduce the geometry of the collagen backbone motion. Unlike previous studies, we found that the collagen backbone motion is similar to that found in other proteins and occurs primarily via small-angle librations about internal bond directions.     

Evaluation of bacterial contamination on objects d'art by membrane filtration and epifluorescence microscopy

Bacterial contimination on proteinaceous objets d'art such as parchment and mummies exposed to low relative humidity and low oxygen levels has been assessed using a polycarbonate NUCLEPORE filter and incedent light (epifluorescence) microscopy. The technique described is a rapid and sensitive means for observing and evaluating bacterial populations including anaerobic organisms involved in the depolymerization of collagen. Using contaminated 17th century parchment treated to microenvironmental control and modified atmospheres a positive relationship has been found between fluorescence counts and plate colony counts.     

Aerobiological research and problems in libraries

Summary Studies carried out in a number of countries have identified about 200 microbic species (fungi and bacteria) which can cause degradation of library materials (paper, parchment, leather, adhesives, etc.). A considerable number of these species make up the aeromicroflora of libraries and archives. This aeromicroflora settles on books and shelves but does not develop and so does not cause damage unless the relative humidity in the room exceeds 65% and the water content of the library materials exceeds 10%.Knowledge of the microclimates in library stacks and the viability of the airspores are thus two essential elements in evaluating the risk of infections to which books are exposed.     

吉林汪清新兴遗址第1地点调查与试掘简报

新兴遗址第1地点位于吉林省汪清县嘎呀河支流前河北岸的二级阶地,2018年调查发现,2019年对该地点进行了复查和试掘,试掘面积14 m²。采集和试掘发现标本131件,以石制品为主,包括石核、石片、石叶、细石叶、刮削器、砍砸器、尖状器、手斧和磨制石器,此外还发现有少量夹砂陶片。总体来看该遗址包含旧石器和新石器两期文化遗存,其中旧石器时代遗存以石叶和细石叶为主要技术特征,石制品原料以硅质页岩和黑曜岩为主,根据石制品技术特征和地层堆积情况判断,年代与临近的黑龙江穆棱市康乐遗址年代相近,为距今10000年前后;新石器时代文化遗存属图们江流域金谷文化范畴。     

夏季故宫养心殿空气中真菌的调查与分析

【目的】在无法实现洁净环境的古建筑内,文物易遭受霉菌的破坏,尤其是在闷热的夏季。探明空气中真菌的种类对文物、游客的安全具有重要意义。【方法】采用自然沉降法与撞击法对夏季养心殿正殿内代表性的6个取样位置的气生真菌进行培养并进行ITS1 rDNA序列分析。【结果】利用自然沉降法测得气生真菌22种,以枝孢属(Cladosporium)、曲霉属(Aspergillus)和青霉属(Penicillium)为优势类群,在2个位置(佛堂二层与西暖阁)空气真菌污染超标;而撞击法测得100余种,腐生营养型真菌比例较高,优势类群为链格孢属(Alternaria)、Cladosporium、木霉属 (Trichoderma)、根霉属(Rhizopus)、Aspergillus和Penicillium,所有6个位置均超标。通过对环境因子与真菌多样性的相关性分析发现,养心殿内真菌丰度与温度、湿度及悬浮颗粒物有着密切关系。在相对湿度较低的6月,温度对丰度影响较大;高湿度时,悬浮颗粒物与湿度对真菌丰度影响更大。丝状真菌的丰度与小粒径悬浮颗粒物、相对湿度存在显著正相关,而空气中的酵母菌与温度相关性更高。【结论】本研究对养心殿正殿空气中真菌的种属进行了鉴定,并分析了与环境因子的相关性,为预防、开放展览以及修缮提供了科学依据。     

Techniques et activités des hommes du Paléolithique supérieur sur le site de Wangfujing - Oriental Plaza, Pékin, Chine

More than 2000 pieces of cultural relics were unearthed from the Oriental Plaza site, including stone artifacts, bone artifacts, fossils, hematite powder, fire use remains and plant root and foliage. By analyzing these remains in refitting stone and bone artifacts, in experimentally producing some artifacts, and comparing with ethnologic data, it is concluded that the Oriental Plaza site is a seasonal human activity site, that humans had been making a life of hunting and collecting food, can make stone artifacts, bone artifacts to kill their quarries, use fire to cook their food, and at the same time they also conducted some religion activities.     

Short Term Preservation of Hide Using Vacuum: Influence on Properties of Hide and of Processed Leather

The objective of this work was to investigate vacuum influence on hide preservation time and how it affects hide structure. It was established that vacuum prolongs the storage time without hide tissue putrefaction up to 21 days when the storage temperature is 4°C. The microorganisms act for all storage times, but the action is weak and has no observable influence on the quality of hide during the time period mentioned. The hide shrinkage temperature decrease is negligible, which shows that breaking of intermolecular bonds does not occur. Optical microscopy, infrared spectroscopy and differential scanning calorimetry also did not show any structural changes which can influence the quality of leather produced from such hide. The qualitative indexes of wet blue processed under laboratory conditions and of leather produced during industrial trials are presented. Indexes such as chromium compounds exhaustion, content of chromium in leather, content of soluble matter in dichloromethane, strength properties, and shrinkage temperature were determined. Properties of the leather produced from vacuumed hide under industrial conditions conformed to the requirements of shoe upper leather.     

泥河湾盆地黑土沟遗址

黑土沟遗址是泥河湾盆地目前发现的时代较古老的一处早更新世旧石器时代考古遗址。根据磁性地层学资料判断,遗址位于Matsuyama反极性时的Olduvai正极性亚时阶段,其年龄为1.77-1.95Ma。2006年,在黑土沟遗址的考古地质勘探中,查明探坑文化层厚1.33m,由4个自然层组成;在大约7.6m~3的堆积中,出土遗物20585件,包括石制品20489件,哺乳动物骨牙碎片96件。石制品中,石核、石片、断块和器物分别占0.36%、97.90%、1.00%和0.74%,在石片中竟有87.74%的数量是碎屑。器物中出现旧石器晚期常见的圆盘状刮削器。石制品保存新鲜,发现拼合标本3组。石制品绝大部分属于微型和小型标本。砸击制品在地层中的密度较大,而且含有似棱柱状石核和似石叶薄长石片。     

石质文物的生物风化及其防治研究进展

石质文物的生物风化问题普遍存在,随着全球气候与环境变化加剧,其面临的生物风化挑战日趋严峻,防风化任务愈趋紧迫.本文综述了地衣类微生物介导的石材风化机理及其与气候环境因子间的关系,讨论了地衣的生物保护作用和地衣防治中生物杀灭剂的效力评价,并展望了该领域未来的研究方向.对地衣-岩石界面的大量研究表明,生物风化可主要归因于以菌丝穿透和草酸钙形成为代表的生物物理风化和生物化学风化;露天石质文物的生物风化与包括石材基质、周边环境及气候因素等在内的整个生态系统多种非生物条件息息相关;地衣对石材兼具生物风化作用和生物保护效应.在石质文物风化修复方面,应逐步改善文物赋存的环境条件,建立用于生物风化和杀灭效率评估的行业规范和国家标准等“通用语言”,推进石质文物的科学保护.     

王府井东方广场遗址石制品研究

王府井东方广场遗址出土石制品共计1098件,主要来自下文化层。除石锤、石砧和人工石块外,其他石制品的原料几乎全部为黑色燧石。石制品普遍较小,主要为小型和微型。石核数量很少,但石片占石制品总数的一半还多。碎屑在探方中的几个区域密集分布。石器加工精致,刃缘大部分都比较平齐且其上的修疤排列均匀、整齐,尤其表现在端刮器上。原料、类型与技术特点表明,东方广场遗址石制品组合属于中国旧石器时代晚期的以石片为主要特征的文化系列。这一文化系列与周口店北京猿人遗址、周口店第15地点、许家窑遗址等有较多的相似性,推测东方广场石制品组合是由中国旧石器时代早期和中期石器工业演变而来。     

Evidence of a distinct lipid fraction in historical parchments: a potential role in degradation?

Parchment, a biologically based material obtained from the processed hides of animals such as cattle and sheep, has been used for millennia as a writing medium. Although numerous studies have concentrated on the structure and degradation of collagen within parchment, little attention has been paid to noncollagenous components, such as lipids. In this study, we present the results of biochemical and structural analyses of historical and newly manufactured parchment to examine the potential role that lipid plays in parchment stability. The lipid fraction extracted from the parchments displayed different fatty acid compositions between historical and reference materials. Gas chromatography, small-angle X-ray scattering, and solid-state NMR were used to identify and investigate the lipid fraction from parchment samples and to study its contribution to collagen structure and degradation. We hypothesize that the origin of this lipid fraction is either intrinsic, attributable to incomplete fat removal in the manufacturing process, or extrinsic, attributable to microbiological attack on the proteinaceous component of parchments. Furthermore, we consider that the possible formation of protein-lipid complexes in parchment over the course of oxidative degradation may be mediated by reactive oxygen species formed by lipid peroxidation.     

黄河中游晋陕峡谷延安段新发现的石制品

2018年6月,我们在黄河中游晋陕峡谷陕西一侧延安段新发现5处旷野石器地点,采集石制品556件,部分石制品暴露于黄土地层的剖面上。古人类加工石制品的原料来自于黄河河床和阶地的砾石层,岩性以石英岩为主,其次为石英。除上述两种原料之外,燧石、硅质岩、硅质灰岩、石英砂岩、细砂岩、蛋白石、玛瑙、火成岩等也有少量使用。石制品类型包括石锤、石核、石片、工具、断块和碎片屑,尺寸以小型为主。石核和石片以自然砾石台面者居多。剥片主要采用锤击法直接剥片,少量使用砸击法,可能偶而使用碰砧法和锐棱砸击法。工具多为以石片为毛坯加工而成的中小型刮削器,有少量以砾石为毛坯加工而成的砍砸器。伏羲村、苏亚河、高家畔、延水关4个地点发现的石制品原生埋藏地层为黄河第二级阶地上覆的马兰黄土堆积,该套地层形成于晚更新世晚期,石制品属简单的石核-石片工业,可能属于旧石器时代晚期。衣锦滩地点的石制品分别埋藏于黄河第二级阶地上覆的马兰黄土堆积和黄河第一级阶地上覆的土状堆积中,时代分属于旧石器时代晚期和新石器时代。本次新发现的旧石器地点进一步扩大了黄河晋陕峡谷地区旧石器遗存的分布范围,丰富了该地区旧石器文化的内涵,为未来的研究工作提供了新线索。     

Effects of meteorological factors on defensive behaviour of honey bees

The defensive behaviour of honey bee colonies (Apis mellifera L.) was quantitated in the field throughout a three month season by the use of a standardized test in which numbers of stings in a leather target were counted after single colonies were opened and exposed to alarm pheromone. The main results show how the defensive behaviour of honey bees is highly dependent on weather factors. Eliminating genetic variance, the following meteorological variables account for 92.4% of the variation in defensive behaviour: air temperature, solar radiation intensity, wind velocity, relative humidity, and barometric pressure.     

在中国寻找第一把石刀

寻找最早的文化遗物是人类起源研究课题的重要组成部分,一直被各国考古学家所重视。在中国这方面的研究开展较早,已取得了一些成果,但也存在一些问题。如能扩大调查,多学科深入研究,有希望对此项研究做出重大的贡献。     

The Cultural Relics Distribution Characteristics Along the Canal Line and Appraisal of its Influence by the Middle Route Project for Water Transferring from South to North China

Assessments of the impacts of environmental hazards on ecological systems and human health have become a subject of ever-increasing importance. In this work, we extend current ecological hazard evaluation to the problem of protecting cultural relics from hazards attributable to the presence of a large-scale canal system being planned in China. The development and utilization of water resources must be closely combined with the preservation of cultural relics. The Middle Route Project for Water Transfer from South to North China (MRWT) is a current example. In this paper, the engineering background of this project is briefly introduced. The distribution of cultural relics related to it is also summarized in terms of different geographical divisions. An influence index E = f(L, δh, k, I, v, s) is introduced to measure the comprehensive effect of the canal on cultural relics. Because this function is really established at the preconstruction stage, it is treated by use of fuzzy mathematics. Each cultural relic has its own E value. Cultural relics with E values greater than 0.75 should be paid high attention, while those with E less than 0.5 may generally be ignored. What must be preserved through use of engineering measures are cultural relics with E values greater than 0.9. As to those cultural relics with E ranging between 0.5 and 0.75, whether they should be preserved with engineering controls depends upon practical circumstances specific to each relic.     

石质文物地衣生物腐蚀及防治的研究进展

本文主要从生物因素方面考虑,分析了导致石质文物病害的主要原因和机理,并综述了国内外石质文物保护的现状、防治和修复方法。地衣是引起石质文物腐蚀的关键生物类群,与国外相比,目前国内专门针对地衣进行石质文物防治的研究鲜见报道。作者建议,石质文物的地衣生物腐蚀及防治研究应从以下方面入手：（1）石质文物地衣必须首先进行系统的种类调查;（2）对地衣腐蚀石质文物的机理进行深入研究;（3）探寻地衣病害安全有效的去除方法;（4）逐步探索地衣病害修复后的监测和预防方法。     

套袋对越冬番茄果实微环境及产量和品质的影响

以‘L402’番茄为试材,研究了不同材质果袋内微环境变化规律及其对果实膨大与品质的影响.结果表明：套袋可改变番茄果实发育的微环境,促进果实发育,使果实提早成熟,增加单果质量.硫酸纸袋内光照、湿度介于塑料袋与无纺布袋之间,除上午温度低于塑料袋外,下午及夜间的温度均较高,其收获时单果质量较对照增加了15.34%.但套袋果实的可溶性固形物、可溶性糖、维生素C含量和糖酸比值均低于对照,说明套袋影响了果实营养品质,降低了果实风味.由于套袋阻隔了果实与农药的直接接触,除无纺布袋内果实毒死蜱含量高于对照外,硫酸纸袋及塑料袋处理的番茄果实毒死蜱残留量及高效氯氰菊酯残留量均显著低于对照.     

Collagen and keratin polypeptide models for assessing the natural and artificial protein decay of organic materials

Among the materials constituting the natural and cultural heritage, organic materials of proteinaceous origin as bone (collagen), parchment and woolen textiles (keratin) are the most susceptible to damage and decay because of their exposure to air pollution, inappropriate values of ambient temperature, humidity and light. Aiming at contributing to the development of a reliable and reproducible immunoassay for the evaluation of collagen and keratin decay, three polypeptide models of these proteins were designed, synthesized and studied. Polypeptide [Pro‐Ser(OBzl)‐Gly]_n incorporates the typical motif Pro‐X‐Gly of collagen; polypeptide [Pro‐Cys(Acm)‐Gly]_n is a model of the C‐terminal domain of type I keratin, corresponding to the repeating unit Pro‐Cys‐X of keratin, while polypeptide Ac‐YRSGGGFGYRSGGGFGYRS‐βAla‐NH₂ encloses the characteristic repeating sequence GGGFGYRS of the N‐terminal part of Type II keratin. These polypeptides may be considered as simplified models that mimic fragments of collagen and keratin resulting from artificial and natural ageing or decay. It is concluded that high recognition of anti‐polypeptide antibodies, produced after immunizations, by the bone, parchment and textile samples is indicative of high deterioration, while high anti‐collagen or anti‐keratin recognition is indicative of low deterioration. Copyright © 2016 European Peptide Society and John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

藏北尼阿木底遗址发现的似阿舍利石器——兼论晚更新世人类向青藏高原的扩张

2013年夏,在藏北那曲地区申扎县羌塘高原旧石器调查中,从规模恢弘的尼阿木底遗址地表暴露的、数以万计的石制品中,分别采集到似阿舍利类型"手斧"9件和"薄刃斧"2件。本文对尼阿木底遗址所见的这类器物进行了细致的观察与分析,认为它们只是旧石器时代晚期勒瓦娄哇技术产品的石核,或偶尔为之的、与手斧和薄刃斧形似的石制品,并非真正意义上的手斧与薄刃斧。尼阿木底遗址不存在从选料、剥片、加工出成品,到使用、损坏和废弃等各个阶段的、明确的阿舍利类型石器工业产品生产体系的工艺链条,换言之,在尼阿木底生活的古人脑海中,并不存在一个加工阿舍利类型手斧和薄刃斧等工具的"概念模板"(Mental template)。联系到青藏高原其他地区以前所报道的同类材料,我们认为在青藏高原腹地目前所见的旧石器遗址中,还没有真正意义上的阿舍利石器工业类型的遗存。晚更新世末期时,来自于印巴次大陆方向的早期占领者,沿着喜马拉雅山脉、冈底斯山脉和昆仑山脉三条东西走向的巨大山系之间的通道,自高原西南方向开始向高原腹地扩张,其间阿舍利石器工业技术在非洲和欧亚大陆早已消弭,当时的青藏高原腹地并不具备重新产生该类石器工业技术的土壤。