Linen Research Articles

New Insights on the Turin Shroud’s Body Image: Face Image at Different Wavelengths and its Double Superficiality

Various images of the face of the Turin Shroud Man, acquired at different wavelengths, from the near infrared region to the ultraviolet, have been studied and compared. A correlation as a function of the wavelength, between the penetration depth in the fabric of the incident light and the anatomic details visible on the images, is discussed based on the physical properties of linen threads and light. In addition, the backside of the Turin Shroud, in correspondence of the region of the face, has been examined, evidencing the possible presence of a second superficial image impressed on the backside. Notwithstanding the high level of scientific knowledge today reached, there is no known physical/chemical process which allows to explain all the properties of the Turin Shroud’s body image. According to our scientific knowledge, the corpse of a dead man cannot produce an energy capable to imprint on a linen cloth an image with all the microscopical and macroscopical properties discovered by analyzing the body image of the Turin Shroud, which has not yet been reproduced in any laboratory in the world. According to faith the corpse of a living Man can do it, during the resurrection, assuming a different state of matter. With this respect, the Turin Shroud can be considered as a two-thousand-old relic witnessing to the humanity, just in the age of science, the reasonableness of the faith in the resurrection.

Cypriot Fabrics? White Slip Pottery and Élite Linen Clothes of the Late Bronze Age

Abstract In this article we will point to the similarity between the decoration on Cypriot White Slip (WS) I and II pottery and contemporary 15th–14th-century BCE “Syrian” elite garments shown in 18th Dynasty Egyptian tombs. Depiction of men and women in the tombs of Rekhmire (TT100), Sobekhotep (TT63), Menkheperraseneb (TT86), and Anen (TT120) show white clothes decorated with both vertical and horizontal elements, with dotted and wavy additions. Such elements find direct parallels in the WS I decorative “vocabulary.” We will examine the possibility that the Cypriot WS pottery imitates elite linen clothing produced during the international Late Bronze Age, some even on Cyprus, as indicated by the mention of “linen of Alashiya” (gad uru Alašiya) in Hittite inventory texts.

Political Demonstrations, Nepali Youths and the Politics of Mourning: A Semiotic Analysis

This paper analyses mainly three representative photographs of the spectacles of mourning as displayed in Fig. 1, 2 and 3 that come to surface during political and social demonstrations in Kathmandu and other towns occasionally. Such spectacles used by political parties and social activists include clean-shaved-head, white linen clothes, burial shroud, bamboo bier, and fire. Together, they give a picture that a mock funeral of Hindu order is being staged. My major concern is to answer these questions: Why do Nepali youths stage such semiotics of sad worldview at times when their transitional politics and society is often praised for being dynamic? Why do they bring such religiously subjective and familial spectacles into the public ripened with politics? I argue in the line of argument developed by political philosophers Friedrich Hegel and Slavoj Zizek and psychoanalysts like Sigmund Freud and Carl G. Jung to reach a conclusion that such spectacles evoke the complex state of Nepali youths’ political subjectivity. While staging such mock funerals, they stage their helplessness of being youths of a donor-depended and Hindu patriarchal nation that has been going through transitional politics.

Biological activity of soy agrocenose soil depends on fertilizer systems and its processing

The purpose of the research was to identify the influence of mineral and organo-mineral fertilization systems during the main cultivation on changes in the biological activity of the arable layer of chernozem typical in the soybean agrocenosis of the five-field grain-row rotation of the Forest Steppe of Ukraine. The research was conducted during 2016–2020 on a typical deep low-humus chernozem of the Belotserkiv National Scientific Research Field. Three tillage systems were studied: differentiated, shelf-less and shallow, and three fertilization systems: without the use of fertilizers, organo-mineral and mineral. It was established that the highest biological activity of typical chernozem in soybean crops in May was recorded during shelf-less tillage. The most pronounced differentiation of the arable layer was observed during shallow tillage. The difference in the weight loss of the linen cloth in the upper and lower parts of one layer of typical chernozem was 2,7% for differentiated, 7,7% - shelf-less, and 8,5% - shallow tillage. The release of carbon dioxide from the soil in soybean agrocenosis in May is significantly higher than shelf-less tillage by 5,8%, shallow tillage without tillage by 2,7% compared to differentiated tillage. Under the mineral fertilization system, the release of CO2 by the soil increased by 16,7–18,8% compared to the option without the use of fertilizers.

The results of the use of mineral fertilizers and sideral crops in crop production. Biological activity of chernozem soils

This article presents the results of field research conducted on the territory of the Central Chernozem region of Russia. The factors of the experiment are mineral fertilizers containing macronutrients (NPK) and the cultivation of a sideral crop (white mustard). The indicators of the biological activity of the soil (typical chernozem) by the method of “decomposition of linen cloth” are considered. It has been established that the highest values of the studied indicator are achieved when sowing a sideral crop without the use of mineral fertilizers. In a soil layer of 0-20 cm, the best result was observed on a corn crop, where the biological activity in this variant is 41.3%. In a soil layer of 20-40 cm, with a similar combination of factors, the highest result was observed on a winter wheat crop (35.4%). The regularity of a decrease in the biological activity of the soil with an increase in the depth of sampling of the analyzed samples is noted.

Evaluation of chia and flax mucilages as consolidants of paint films and as hydrogels used in the cleaning of canvases reverses: first results

In the field of conservation of cultural heritage, animal glues, synthetic resins, and some polysaccharides are used to consolidate pictorial layers. Meanwhile, in order to clean the obverse and the reverse of paintings, organic solvents and aqueous systems are sometimes employed in the form of gels. In this work, vegetable mucilages have been tested for both applications. This research has been carried out in several phases. Firstly, mucilages were extracted from flax and chia seeds. The efficacy of the obtained products was tested on two kinds of mock-ups. As consolidantes, the mucilages were applied on a board with a film of powdery tempera painting. In the case of their use as cleaning gels, two linen cloths were prepared: one with animal glue and the other with gacha, an adhesive used in the Mediterranean Basin. In the last step, the efficacy and safety of the treatments were determined through microscopic observations and FTIR-ATR measurements. Colour and gloss characterisation were also performed in the consolidated pictorial layers. According to the first results shown in this work, flax mucilage can consolidate disintegrated layers of rabbit-skin glue tempera producing minimum colour and gloss changes, whereas chia mucilage has less efficacy to consolidate the tempera. Regarding the efficacy of mucilages as hydrogels, both have shown promising results. With these first results, future work will focus on the study of the long-term behaviour of vegetable mucilages through accelerated artificial ageing and on laying the foundations for their use in other conservation treatments, such as the cleaning of pictorial layers.

Beli rubac Presvete Bogorodice u oltarskim apsidama srpskih manastirskih hramova XIII–XIV stoleća: teološki i liturgiološki aspekti

taking into account that the Mother of God and Ever-Virgin Mary is the holiest and greatest saint in the Christian Church, mosaic and fresco painting and veneration of the Most Holy Theotokos in the altar’s apses of the Orthodox Christian Churches, should be recognized as the very important element of mystagogical and liturgical Tradition. Among the many representations of the Blessed Virgin Mary, there is one which stresses her role as a Holy Table, Bearer of the Bread from heaven and Mother of Our Lord Jesus Christ. Furthermore, two relevant details are helping to be understood such a sacred reality — the venerable Belt and white handkerchief of Holy Virgin. This paper analyzes fresco representing of the Mary’s white handkerchief in the altar’s apses of the Serbian Monasteries churches (Studenica, Gračanica, Dečani) according to the theological and liturgiological context. Also, the author is constructing the hypothesis that white handkerchief could be connected, from one side, with the oldest white silk cloth — eileton spread on the Holy Table during the Divine Eucharist and, from another side, with swaddling cloths of Incarnated Jesus and Christ’s burial linen cloths.

Inadequacies in Serological ABO Typing of Ancient Artifacts: The Shroud of Turin as a Case Example

Serological determination of ABO blood type is extremely valuable in evaluation of fresh blood but has major drawbacks in the analysis of aged objects. The Shroud of Turin is a full-size linen cloth bearing the ventral and dorsal images of man containing wounds consistent with scourging and crucifixion. Controversy exists regarding the authenticity and age of the artifact; it has been proposed to be the two-thousand-year-old burial cloth of Jesus, or alternatively, a clever, medieval hoax. During the last public exhibition in 2015, approximately 2 million visitors came to view the cloth for just a few minutes at short distance. It is widely reported that the Shroud bloodstains are blood type AB, based on previous findings that were never published in a peer-reviewed format. Here, the shortfalls of using serological testing for ABO determination of ancient objects are discussed using the Shroud of Turin as a case example. It is determined that the AB designation for the Shroud bloodstains is inconclusive and should be considered as type unknown pending further testing.

The hero of American and Polish nations: a molecular look at Thaddeus Kosciuszko’s cause of death suggests a contribution of endocarditis caused by Cutibacterium acnes infection

The remains of the heart tissue of Thaddeus Kosciuszko have been investigated as the possible cause of disease and death of the hero of Polish and American nations. Three specimens, DNA isolated from scrappings of wax surface, from the surface of a wooden plate, and from the linen cloth that have had contact with the object were subjected to nanosequencing. From the first two, among all reads identified, only one classified as Propionibacterium acnes (synonymous current name Cutibacterium acnes), had a purported clinical significance. The observed identity between the P. acnes sequences and reference was 89–90% consistent with the hypothesis that the identified reads represent the ancient P. acnes DNA (aDNA), which underwent fragmentation and sequence changes caused by its long-time presence in the environmental conditions conducive to degradation. We present a reasonable and entirely new hypothesis that the analyzed samples could reflect the presence of the bacteria in the original Kosciuszko’s heart tissue and that the process of C. acnes infection was progressing inside the organ (endocarditis), not on its surface (pericarditis) leading to rapid deterioration of health and eventually death. We again point out that normal skin and mucosal membranes commensal, a causative agent of common skin acne, may be associated with various severe organ infections posing a threat to health and life.

CELLULOSOLYTIC ACTIVITY OF SOILS OF THE ODESA CITY

Problem Statement and Purpose. Cellulose cleavage is of great importance in the carbon cycle, as it contains more than 50% of all organic carbon in the biosphere. This is a fairly stable organic compound that is destroyed only by very strong oxidants. Under natural conditions, the destruction of cellulose is carried out by various microorganisms that produce cellulase enzymes. The activation of cellulose decomposition is influenced by temperature, pH level, soil aeration, biological properties of vegetation, etc. Being very resistant to physicochemical factors, cellulose is easily decomposed by microorganisms with the release of carbon, which in the form of various compounds is involved in creating soil fertility. Cellulose is broken down by aerobic microorganisms (bacteria and fungi) and anaerobic mesophilic and thermophilic bacteria. The peculiarity of cellulose-destroying microorganisms is their high demand for nitrogen sources. Soil-destroying soil microorganisms are the most important suppliers of organic matter to various groups of microorganisms (including nitrogen-fixing) in the common food chain. Since the activity of cellulose-destroying microorganisms also depends on the presence of available phosphorus and other elements in the soil, the degree of decomposition of fiber can be considered to reflect the direction of microbiological processes in general. Cellulolytic activity indicates the intensity of biological processes in the soil. The more intensively the cellulose decomposes, the faster the biological cycle of elements takes place and the fuller the plants are provided with nutrients. Therefore, cellulose activity is used as one of the indicators of biological activity of the soil environment. Data &Methods. The author, in the study of cellulosolytic activity of soils in the city of Odessa, used the method of applications (laying in the soil strips of filter paper or linen cloth fixed on the glass). Applications were laid vertically in the upper 15-cm layer of soil of 5 pieces on the site. A month later, they were dug up, carefully washed from the soil and decay products, dried and weighed again. Cellulolytic activity was determined by weight loss of exposed tissue. Results. As a result of research on the study of cellulolytic activity of soils in the city of Odessa, it was found that cellulolytic activity is an important indicator of the intensity of destructive processes in the soil. The intensity of cellulose decomposition in the soil is determined by the combined action of several factors: weather conditions, the nature of vegetation, the amount of organic matter entering the soil, soil type, its physical properties, chemical composition. In an urban environment, the intensity of cellulosolytic processes is also regulated by the nature and degree of anthropogenic impact on soil, atmosphere and vegetation. The intensity of cellulose destruction in the city soils is estimated to be very weak, weak and medium. The cellulolytic processes in the soils of the city of Odessa in 2021 were stimulated by abundant precipitation (r = 1,000). The decrease in CA in some parts of the city may be due to minimal anthropogenic impact on the soil cover.

Found in the Folds: A Rediscovery of Ancient Egyptian Pleated Textiles and the Analysis of Carbohydrate Coatings

Charles T. Currelly, first director of the Royal Ontario Museum, participated in excavations of the tomb of King Nebhepetre, now known as Mentuhotep II, (Dynasty XI) in Deir el-Bahri, Egypt in 1906. He brought to Canada many objects from the excavations, and objects that he purchased while in Egypt; these formed the initial collection of the museum. Among the objects were seven fragments of fine linen cloth with intricate pleat patterns. Recently, the cloths became the subject of a study to learn how they had retained their pleats for 4000 years. Samples were examined and analysed using polarised light microscopy, scanning electron microscopy-electron dispersive X-ray spectrometry, gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, and pyrolysis-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Three of the cloths were likely fragments of clothing re-purposed as bandages and were found to be saturated in mummification balms composed of Pinaceae resin, Pistacia resin, and an essential oil characterised by a high abundance of cedrol, possibly originating from a juniper species. All seven of the cloths were found to have traces of polysaccharides from two probable sources: an arabinogalactan gum such as gum arabic or a fruit gum, and a polyglucoside, possibly starch.

The Interaction Effect between Mycorrhiza (Glomus Mosseae), Organic and Mineral Fertilizers on Growth, Yield of Cauliflower (Brassica Oleracea) and Some Desert Soil Characteristics

The current study aimed to evaluate the effect of adding Mycorrhiza, local organic fertilizer, and biochar (seek) singly or in combination on some properties of desert soils from the Karbala governorate. Coupled with the growth and yield of cauliflower (Brassica Oleracea) under different levels of mineral fertilization. A Biological experiment was carried out to achieve the objectives of the study by placing 20 kg of desert soil that was transported from the Holy Karbala Governorate from the site of Imam Hussein Agricultural City. This soil was placed in environmentally friendly bags made of linen cloth 50 cm in diameter and 35 cm in height. The biological experiment included three factors: organic fertilizer (local organic fertilizer, biochar (Seek) and without adding organic fertilizer) and biofertilizer (inoculation with mycorrhiza and without mycorrhiza). On the other hand, the third factor represents mineral fertilizer addition at three levels (100%, 50%, and 0 %) of the fertilizer recommendation for cauliflower. Generally, 16 g of biochar (Seek) for every 20 kg of soil was added by mixing to 15 cm of depth from the soil surface, while 500 g of local organic fertilizer was added in the same way. The results showed the superiority of adding Mycorrhiza in the availability of nitrogen and phosphorous in the soil after planting. It gives values of 92.00 mg N kg-1 soil and 9.18 mg p kg-1 soil in the inoculated soil compared to their concentration in the uninoculated soil, which amounted to 87.69 mg N kg-1 and 8.65 mg p kg-1 soil nitrogen and phosphorous, respectively. The results analysis showed also the superiority of adding a mixture of local organic fertilizer with biochar (Seek) in increasing the nitrogen availability in the soil. It gave 91.72 mg N kg-1 of soil compared to the treatment of adding seek alone and the control treatment, which gave values of 88.94 and 87.28 mg N kg -1soil, respectively.The study showed the positive and significant resultsof the triple interaction between the addition of mycorrhiza and the combination of organic fertilizer with the addition of 100% of the mineral fertilizer recommendation for cauliflower in increasing the concentration of available nitrogen in the soil, as it gave 101.00 mg N kg-1 soil compared to the control treatment, which gave 67.67 mg N kg-1soil. The addition of mycorrhiza contributed to an increase in the weights and curd diameters, the leaves dry weight and gave values of 711.1 g, 15.44 cm, 36.33 g compared to the control treatment for the same traits, which amounted to 562.4 g, 14.69 cm, and 27.08 g, respectively. Besides, the 100% addition of the recommendation resulted in higher values for leaves, curd diameters, and leaf dry weight to reach 697.9 g and 15.71 g respectively compared to not adding mineral fertilizer which gave values of 581.2 g, 14.08 cm, and 28.96 g respectively. Finally, the study findings showed the significant effect of adding combined bio-organic fertilizer in increasing the concentration of organic matter in the soil after planting, which amounted to 7.14 and 7.63 g.kg-1, compared to the control treatment, which gave 6.91 and 6.31 g. kg-1, respectively.

The Effect of Kerosene Pollution on the Cellulolytic Activity of Albic Retisols and Arenosols (Aridic): A Laboratory Experiment.

The results of a laboratory experiment modeling the effect of kerosene contamination on the cellulolytic activity of microbiocenosis of the Albic Retisol (Kaluga oblast, Russia) and Arenosol (Kyzylorda oblast, Republic of Kazakhstan) humus horizons are described. Cellulolytic activity is assessed according to the rate of weight loss in linen cloth fragments during the incubation for 0–3, 3–7, and 7–13 months. The intensity of cellulolytic activity in the unpolluted Albic Retisol is higher as compared with the Arenosol, which is determined by low acidity and an elevated content of organic matter and nutrients. The soil pollution with kerosene to 10 g/kg causes a reversible change in cellulolytic activity of both Albic Retisol and Arenosol (Aridic). A high load of kerosene (≥25 g/kg) inhibits cellulolytic activity in both soils over 13 months of observation.Supplementary InformationThe online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1134/S1064229322020119.Fig. S1. Cellulolytic activity of soils in a laboratory experiment: (a) initial state of linen tissue (test object) and (b) linen tissue after three months of incubation. Table S1. Properties of soil humus horizons.Table S2. Initial water content in the studied soil samples with due account for the added kerosene.Table S3. Cellulolytic activity in soils grouped according to kerosene load (rate of mass loss, mg/g soil per day.Table S4. Significance of differences between cellulolytic activities of contaminated soil samples relative control samples according to the Mann–Whitney U-test. Table S5. Kerosene content in the studied soil samples at the end of the experiment, % of the initial content.

Improving soil ecology when applying bacterial fertilizers

Increasing the yield of spring barley on light chestnut soils of the Volgograd region is possible through the use of microbiological fertilizers that activate the processes of plant growth and development. The influence of the methods of basic tillage and the application of mineral and bacterial fertilizers “Azotovit” and “Phosphatovit” on the content of nitrogen in the soil was studied. The degree of decomposition of the linen cloths was the maximum for deep flat-cutting processing. According to the binary interaction, the best results were obtained on the variant with deep flat-cutting processing with double application of bacterial fertilizers. The introduction of bacterial fertilizers sharply increases the content of azotobacter, and especially when they are applied twice. The lowest toxicity of the soil in barley crops compared to the control was noted on the variant with deep flat-cutting treatment, and the maximum on the variant of dump treatment. The analysis of data on the structure of the crop also indicates the advantage of the variant of deep flat-cutting tillage with double application of microbiological fertilizers. The most cost-effective variants were with double application of bacterial fertilizers on the background of deep flat-cutting tillage.

Enzymative Activity of Soils in the Activity Territory of the Dzhida Tungsten-Molybdenum Combine (Western Zabaikalie)

The enzymatic activity (catalase, cellulase) of soils and technogenic sand on the territory of the former Dzhida tungsten-molybdenum combine (Western Transbaikalia) was studied. The objects of the study were the surface 0-10 cm layers of alluvial dark humus soil (Fluvisols) as a background, man-made sand (waste after mining and processing of tungsten and molybdenum ores) and soils of recultivated contours № 1, 3, 4. At the same depth, linen cloths were laid to assess the activity of cellulase. Differences in the activity of soil enzymes of the background soil and soils on the studied contours were established, depending on the level of heavy metals content in them and the technologies used for reclamation.

The History of the Idea of Glued Linen Armour

Many people have heard that ancient warriors wore armour of many layers of linen cloth glued together. Critics emphasize the lack of archaeological or written evidence for this construction; supporters emphasize that their reconstructions resemble armour in ancient art and pass practical tests. Both present the theory as one that first appeared in the 1970s. This article make two contributions to the debate. It shows how sixteenth-century scholars used a peculiar medieval chronicle to understand the linen armour in ancient texts, and how paraphrases and mistranslations of their theory ultimately lie behind the glued linen of today’s experiments, and it places this debate in the world history of fabric armour and the history of armour scholarship. It proposes that theories about the armour in vase paintings and sculptures should be based on archaeological evidence, types of armour documented in other cultures, or a close study of ancient textile technology, not on simply examining artwork and reading ancient texts.

Оценка влияния сидератов на биологические свойства чернозема оподзоленного в звене полевого севооборота

Abstract. The purpose is to study the effect of various siderates on the biological properties and yield of spring barley. Methods. Тhe experiment was carried out on podzolized chernozem in 2017–2018 in the forest-steppe zone of the Middle Urals. The green mass of the siderates was taken into account manually, and barley grain by combine was carried out. Soil moisture was determined by the thermostatic-weight method. The number and mass of earthworms were determined from the registered area. The microbiological activity of the soil was determined by the method of linen cloths. Scientific novelty. For the first time, the effect of various siderates on the yield of spring barley and the microbiological activity of the soil, the number and mass of earthworms was compared on podzolized chernozem. Results. The effect of various siderates: peas + oats, winter rye, spring rapeseed, white mustard, fodder beans on the microbiological activity of the soil, the number of earthworms and the yield of spring barley in the link of the field crop rotation – sideral steam – spring barley was studied. The largest green mass of green manure was plowed into the soil in the following variants: fodder beans (41.2 t/ha) and peas + oats (36.4 t/ha). In the variant with the planting of fodder beans, the highest microbiological activity of the soil was observed (71 %). Studies of the number of earthworms showed that their number was 24 % higher in the mustard variant compared to the control. However, the mass of the soil they processed in the peas + oats variant (138 g/m2) was maximum and exceeded the mass in other versions by 11–27 g/m2. The highest yield of barley was also obtained in the variant with the incorporation of feed beans – 2.87 t/ha, which is 0.26–0.69 t/ha higher than the rest. Increasing the microbiological activity of the soil in the variant with the incorporation of feed beans increased the yield of barley. The increase in the plowed green mass in the variants did not affect the increase in the number and weight of earthworms.

The new animism

The new animism

On Cleaning Methods and the Raw Radiocarbon Data from the Shroud of Turin

The Shroud of Turin is a long, narrow strip of linen cloth believed by many to be the burial cloth of Jesus. The Shroud is unique because faint images of a crucified man are clearly visible on one surface. These body images along with accompanying blood stains have been the subject of scientific inquiry for over a hundred years, yet the process of the image formation has been and remains unknown. Among the more recent of coordinated studies of the Shroud was a radiocarbon dating of excised samples. The results, published in 1989, place the origin of the cloth to sometime in or around the 14th century. The objective of the present study is to survey the cleaning methods (or pretreatments) that were applied to the samples removed for the radiocarbon study. Specifically, we explore the extent to which these methods may have given rise to a peculiar structure in the raw radiocarbon data published in 2019. The data from two of the participating laboratories, Zurich and Arizona, appear to bifurcate into groups separated by roughly 100 radiocarbon years. By comparing the pretreatment for each subsample and its group membership, we conclude that these pretreatments do not account for the bifurcation effect. As all subsamples represent portions excised from an originally intact and continuous sample of Shroud material, we assume they are all the same calendar age. Granted this assumption and given the results of the present study, two hypotheses remain to account for the curious anomaly: either 1) the carbon isotope ratios 14C/12C of the fabric itself were altered by some currently unknown process, or 2) a non-isotropic distribution of contamination remained after the samples underwent the documented pretreatments. A resolution of the question is important for deciding whether future radiocarbon studies are called for and, if so, how the testing protocols should be structured.

Restaurarea unui antimis datat 1822

"Restoration of an antimension dated 1822 The antimension is a consecrated liturgical textile object, it is kept on an altar, and without it the Divine Liturgy cannot be celebrated. The antimension is made of a rectangular linen or silk cloth, decorated with the representation of the Entombment of Christ and of the four Evangelists, in various printing techniques. The restoration operations carried out include mechanical dry cleaning, removal of wax deposits, rehydration and regaining the original shape of the piece. Keywords: Antimension, restoration, cult objects, Romanian in the Cyrillic alphabet, Slavonic "