23 research outputs found
The application of histomorphometry and Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy to the analysis of early Anglo-Saxon burned bone
Get PDFMacroscopic examination, histomorphometry and Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) are applied to the analysis of burned bones from the early Anglo-Saxon cemetery at Elsham in Lincolnshire, UK. These methods were undertaken to gain a greater understanding of pyre conditions from an archaeological context and the effects of burning on bone microstructure. Sixteen samples were employed for thin-section analysis while eight samples were used with FTIR. The results suggest that these methods correspond well with macroscopic examination, though anomalies did occur. The techniques employed in this paper have demonstrated that the temperatures reached on the funerary pyres at Elsham ranged from 600 degrees C to over 900 degrees C under oxidizing conditions. Crown Copyright (C) 2011 Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved
Scanning Electron Microscopy–Energy-Dispersive X-Ray (SEM/EDX):A Rapid Diagnostic Tool to Aid the Identification of Burnt Bone and Contested Cremains
No full textThis study investigates the use of Scanning electron microscopy–energy-dispersive X-ray (SEM-EDX) as a diagnostic tool for the determination of the osseous origin of samples subjected to different temperatures. Sheep (Ovis aries) ribs of two experimental groups (fleshed and defleshed) were burned at temperatures of between 100°C and 1100°C in 100°C increments and subsequently analyzed with the SEM-EDX to determine the atomic percentage of present elements. Three-factor ANOVA analysis showed that neither the exposure temperature, nor whether the burning occurred with or without soft tissue present had any significant influence on the bone's overall elemental makeup (p > 0.05). The Ca/P ratio remained in the osseous typical range of between 1.6 and 2.58 in all analyzed samples. This demonstrates that even faced with high temperatures, the overall gross elemental content and atomic percentage of elements in bone remain stable, creating a unique “fingerprint” for osseous material, even after exposure to extreme conditions.</p
Investigation into the merits of infrared imaging in the investigation of tattoos postmortem
No full textAssessing pathological conditions in archaeological bone using portable X-ray fluorescence (pXRF)
Get PDFThis study aims to investigate the potential of portable X-ray fluorescence spectrometry (pXRF) for identifying pathological conditions in archaeological human skeletal remains. Bone element distribution in relation to known disease categories is analyzed using pXRF from the femora of 73 individuals (34 adult; 39 non-adult) from the post-Medieval Coach Lane skeletal collection (Durham University). There were no significant differences in the elemental ratios of individuals with scurvy, rickets, and cribra orbitalia. Potential alterations in elemental content were observed in relation to syphilis (Mn/S, Mn/Cl, and Ba/Cl) and neoplastic disease (Ba/Sr, S/Sr, Mn/Fe, and Zn/Cl). It is likely that post-depositional diagenetic changes, potentially exacerbated by the industrial location of the burial site, altered the elemental content of the individuals sampled and thereby effectively obscured any pathological changes detectable by pXRF
TarO : a target optimisation system for structural biology
No full textThis work was funded by the UK Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) Structural Proteomics of Rational Targets (SPoRT) initiative, (Grant BBS/B/14434). Funding to pay the Open Access publication charges for this article was provided by BBSRC.TarO (http://www.compbio.dundee.ac.uk/taro) offers a single point of reference for key bioinformatics analyses relevant to selecting proteins or domains for study by structural biology techniques. The protein sequence is analysed by 17 algorithms and compared to 8 databases. TarO gathers putative homologues, including orthologues, and then obtains predictions of properties for these sequences including crystallisation propensity, protein disorder and post-translational modifications. Analyses are run on a high-performance computing cluster, the results integrated, stored in a database and accessed through a web-based user interface. Output is in tabulated format and in the form of an annotated multiple sequence alignment (MSA) that may be edited interactively in the program Jalview. TarO also simplifies the gathering of additional annotations via the Distributed Annotation System, both from the MSA in Jalview and through links to Dasty2. Routes to other information gateways are included, for example to relevant pages from UniProt, COG and the Conserved Domains Database. Open access to TarO is available from a guest account with private accounts for academic use available on request. Future development of TarO will include further analysis steps and integration with the Protein Information Management System (PIMS), a sister project in the BBSRC Structural Proteomics of Rational Targets initiative.Peer reviewe
Written in ‘her’ bones: Cremation and identity in Roman Beirut
Get PDFYesAt the time of its annexation in the 1st c. BC, cremation was not a customary practice in the Roman province of Syria. This contrasts with the western provinces of the Empire, where burning the body for burial remained the method of choice until the turn of the 2nd c. AD. As such, the discovery of cremation burials in the Roman Near East raises questions about the identities and origins of the buried individuals. This article focuses on one such example from Berytus, the first Roman colony in the Near East (modern Beirut, Lebanon). It implements a multidisciplinary approach through osteological, chemical, and material analyses to explore various aspects of mortuary practice and identity. Osteological and isotopic results indicate that the buried individual was likely a female of non-local origin. On the other hand, FTIR-ATR analysis, along with the macroscopic examination of the bones, suggest the burning of a fresh body at elevated temperatures. Furthermore, exceptional environmental conditions led to the formation of calcite crystals within the urn and on the human remains, which were identified using Raman spectroscopy. Similarly, unique burial conditions resulted in the preservation of textile pseudomorphs, which offer rare insights into body treatment practices that are typically absent from the archaeological record of the Levantine coast. By contextualizing the different bioarchaeological and material findings, this study reconstructs the life-history of the interred individual and examines the social and cultural significance of this burial within the context of the Roman colonization of Beirut.This work was supported by the Wenner-Gren Foundation for Anthropological Research (grant number 9338), and the Wilkinson-McKenzie International Research Grant in Ancient History and Archaeology
Genome-wide association and large-scale follow up identifies 16 new loci influencing lung function
Get PDFPulmonary function measures reflect respiratory health and are used in the diagnosis of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. We tested genome-wide association with forced expiratory volume in 1 second and the ratio of forced expiratory volume in 1 second to forced vital capacity in 48,201 individuals of European ancestry with follow up of the top associations in up to an additional 46,411 individuals. We identified new regions showing association (combined P < 5 × 10?8) with pulmonary function in or near MFAP2, TGFB2, HDAC4, RARB, MECOM (also known as EVI1), SPATA9, ARMC2, NCR3, ZKSCAN3, CDC123, C10orf11, LRP1, CCDC38, MMP15, CFDP1 and KCNE2. Identification of these 16 new loci may provide insight into the molecular mechanisms regulating pulmonary function and into molecular targets for future therapy to alleviate reduced lung function
