Yellow Glass Research Articles

Using handheld pXRF to study medieval stained glass: A methodology using trace elements

ABSTRACTThe surfaces of 30 pieces of glass from panel 3b of the Great East Window of York Minster (1405-1408 CE) were analyzed by handheld portable X-ray fluorescence (pXRF) and small samples from the same pieces were analyzed by electron microprobe (EPMA). Comparison of the two methods reveals significant divergences which are not systematic, particularly for elements lighter than Ti. Rather than a problem with pXRF calibration or correction software, the non-systematic error is attributable to the presence of a thin surface layer of weathered glass. Analysis of the depths of X-ray generation indicate that virtually all X-rays characteristic of Ca and K are generated within the top 50 µm of the glass. However, for heavier elements such as Rb, Sr and Zr, most emitted X-rays are generated below 100 µm. Using pXRF data for the heavier elements, it is possible to replicate the compositional groupings identified by quantitative EPMA. White glass in the window is likely to have originated in England, while colored glasses were probably obtained from the Continent. The alkali contents of the green and yellow glasses appear to have been manipulated to generate their colors. Glass which is medieval in technology but not original to the panel was identified. In particular, zirconium proved a useful indicator of glassmaking regions, and rubidium and strontium were more sensitive to differences between batches, which has interesting implications for future work.

Solubility of water in lunar basalt at low pH2O

We report the solubility of water in Apollo 15 basaltic “Yellow Glass” and an iron-free basaltic analog composition at 1atm and 1350°C. We equilibrated melts in a 1-atm furnace with flowing H2/CO2 gas mixtures that spanned ∼8 orders of magnitude in fO2 (from three orders of magnitude more reducing than the iron-wüstite buffer, IW−3.0, to IW+4.8) and ∼4 orders of magnitude in pH2/pH2O (from 0.003 to 24). Based on Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), our quenched experimental glasses contain 69–425ppm total water (by weight). Our results demonstrate that under the conditions of our experiments: (1) hydroxyl is the only H-bearing species detected by FTIR; (2) the solubility of water is proportional to the square root of pH2O in the furnace atmosphere and is independent of fO2 and pH2/pH2O; (3) the solubility of water is very similar in both melt compositions; (4) the concentration of H2 in our iron-free experiments is <∼4ppm, even at oxygen fugacities as low as IW−2.3 and pH2/pH2O as high as 11; (5) Secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) analyses of water in iron-rich glasses equilibrated under variable fO2 conditions may be strongly influenced by matrix effects, even when the concentration of water in the glasses is low; and (6) Our results can be used to constrain the entrapment pressure of lunar melt inclusions and the partial pressures of water and molecular hydrogen in the carrier gas of the lunar pyroclastic glass beads. We find that the most water-rich melt inclusion of Hauri et al. (2011) would be in equilibrium with a vapor with pH2O∼3bar and pH2 ∼8bar. We constrain the partial pressures of water and molecular hydrogen in the carrier gas of the lunar pyroclastic glass beads to be 0.0005bar and 0.0011bar respectively. We calculate that batch degassing of lunar magmas containing initial volatile contents of 1200ppm H2O (dissolved primarily as hydroxyl) and 4–64ppm C would produce enough vapor to reach the critical vapor volume fraction thought to be required for magma fragmentation (∼65–75vol.%) at a total pressure of ∼5bar (corresponding to a depth beneath the lunar surface of ∼120m). At a fragmentation pressure of ∼5bar, the calculated vapor composition is dominated by H2, supporting the hypothesis that H2, rather than CO, was the primary propellant of the lunar fire fountain eruptions. The results of our batch degassing model suggest that initial melt compositions with >∼200ppm C would be required for the vapor composition to be dominated by CO rather than H2 at 65–75% vesicularity.

The effect of rosemary essential oil on physico-chemical properties of extra-virgin olive oil stored in colourful bottles

The aim of the study was to investigate the effect of both storage material colour (red, green, yellow and transparent glass bottle) and rosemary essential oil on the physico-chemical properties of extra-virgin olive oil. For this reason, free fatty acid, peroxide value, viscosity, colour and fatty acid composition of oils were measured at regular intervals. Free fatty acid and peroxide values of olive oils stored in different coloured bottles increased partly during storage. After 90 days of storage, free fatty acid values of samples changed between 0.78 and 0.89 mg KOH/g oil. By the 90th day of storage peroxide values of samples had changed from 32.75 to 79.46 meq O2/kg oil, whereas the peroxide value of the control group on the 90th day was 94.55 meq O2/kg. On the first day (0 day), ‘L*’, ‘a*’ and ‘b*’ values of control groups were determined to be 70.81, -3.69 and 38.26, respectively. During storage, these values partly increased. Linoleic acid (40.95-43.92%), oleic acid (33.04-34.99%) and palmitic ac...

Origin of the Apollo 14, 15, and 17 yellow ultramafic glasses by mixing of deep cumulate remelts

We examine the fO2-dependent melting conditions of the Apollo 14 yellow intermediate-Ti ultramafic glasses and the melting processes that formed the full suite of lunar yellow ultramafic glasses. Multiple saturation experiments indicate that the Apollo 14 yellow glass would have been in equilibrium with residual olivine and low-Ca pyroxene near 1530°C and 2.4GPa at ΔIW=+2. At ΔIW=−2, the multiple saturation point moves to greater depth and higher temperature to 1580°C and 3.0GPa. Combining the results of this study with that of Krawczynski and Grove (2012) on more Ti-rich Apollo orange and red glass indicates that the fO2-induced change in multiple saturation pressure correlates with the Fe–Ti# (molar (FeO+TiO2*)/(MgO+FeO+TiO2*), where TiO2*=all Ti calculated as Ti4+) of the liquid. Further, a decrease in the olivine Fe–Mg exchange coefficient at lower fO2 suggests that Fe2+ is complexing more efficiently with Ti3+ at the expense of Mg in the melt than it did with Ti4+ at higher fO2.Processes involving assimilation and/or fractionation and/or melt-wall rock reaction all fail to produce the within-suite compositional variability observed in the Apollo 14, 15, and 17 yellow glasses. Mixing of remelted source cumulates, combined with small amounts of olivine fractionation, are the only mechanisms that can reproduce all three trends. We present a quantitative model of the mixing process with simultaneous olivine fractionation. Remarkably, the trends can be explained by mixing melts of an ultramafic source (olivine+pigeonite or orthopyroxene), a clinopyroxene+ilmenite bearing cumulate, and KREEP. Lunar mantle overturn is the most likely process that can reconcile the observed major and trace element compositional characteristics and the experimental results. These two constraints are consistent with different models of lunar magma ocean crystallization (Snyder et al., 1992; Eklins-Tanton et al., 2011). A complex, hot thermal history is necessary to generate the magmas that mixed to form the yellow ultramafic glasses.

Archaeometric analysis of vitreous material ornaments from the Villa di Villa site (Treviso, Italy)

The research focused on chemical and mineralogical analyses of eight vitreous material ornaments with a not well-defined chronology, coming from the protohistoric and Roman site of Villa di Villa in Cordignano–Colle Castelir (Treviso, north-eastern Italy). Eleven microsamples from the bodies and decorations of the ornaments underwent wavelength-dispersive electron probe microanalysis, scanning electron microscopy combined with energy dispersive spectrometry (EDS) and micro-Raman Spectroscopy. Non-invasive X-ray powder diffraction was performed on the surface of the ornaments. All vitreous materials were obtained using natron as flux except for one annular blue bead produced with mixed alkali plant ashes. The analyzed dark blue glasses are Co colored, only the pale blue melon bead faience is Cu colored. Opaque white and yellow glasses of two objects are opacified by Ca and Pb antimonates, respectively. The heterogeneous texture of some glasses is due to unreacted raw materials and/or newly formed crystals. The relationship between the Villa di Villa ornaments and coeval European/Mediterranean vitreous materials is also discussed. Composition, texture and morphological characteristics of the ornaments shed light on the different types of raw materials used and allow us to verify the main types of glass that occur during the great time span of life of the site and above all to answer to specific archaeological questions about possible chemical correlations between similar objects from the same or different SU. In two cases, the analytical data provide more detailed information about the ages of the ornaments.

Long-term stable, low-temperature remote silicate phosphor thick films printed on a glass substrate.

A critical step in providing better phosphor solution for white light emitting diode (LED) is to utilize inexpensive silicate phosphors with strong thermal stability. Here, we demonstrate yellow silicate phosphor-embedded glass thick films with a high luminous efficacy of ∼32 lm/W at 200 mA as a nonconventional remote-phosphor approach. The simple screen-printing process of a paste consisting of (Ba,Sr,Ca)₂SiO₄:Eu²⁺ phosphor and a low softening point glass creates a planar remote structure on a regular soda lime silicate glass with controllable film thickness and location (top vs bottom) of the phosphor layer. The glass matrix provides promising densification and adhesion with the substrate at the optimal low temperature of 410 °C, with the long-term stability in luminous efficacy over 500 h of operation. The proposed phosphor structure has important implications to overcome current limitations as phosphors.

High spatial resolution geochemistry and textural characteristics of ‘microtektite’ glass spherules in proximal Cretaceous–Paleogene sections: Insights into glass alteration patterns and precursor melt lithologies

Using laser ablation-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS), we have conducted spatially resolved trace element analysis on fresh, unaltered microtektite glasses linked to the Cretaceous–Paleogene (K–Pg) boundary Chicxulub crater and on their surrounding alteration phases. This unique approach offers the opportunity to study in situ and at high spatial resolution both the mixing of different target lithologies and the variation of the major and trace element budget during the alteration process. In addition, two-dimensional element distribution maps reveal important geochemical information beyond the capabilities of single spot laser drilling. Glasses from two localities in opposite quadrants from the source crater were studied. At the Beloc locality (Haiti), the glass population is dominated by the presence of yellow high-Ca glass and black andesitic glass formed by admixture of carbonate/dolomite/anhydrite platform lithologies with crystalline basement. These glasses alter according to the well-established hydration–palagonitization model postulated for mafic volcanic glasses. REEs become progressively leached from the glass to below the detection limit for the applied spot size, while immobile Zr, Hf, Nb, and Ta passively accumulate in the process exhibiting both inter-element ratios and absolute concentrations similar to those for the original glass. In contrast, The Arroyo El Mimbral locality (NE Mexico) is characterized by abundant green glass fragments high in Si, Al and alkalis, and low in Mg, Ca, Fe. Low Si black glass is less abundant though similar in composition to the black glass variety at Beloc. The alteration pattern of high-Si, Al green glass at the Mimbral locality is more complex, including numerous competing reaction processes (ion-exchange, hydration, dissolution, and secondary mineral precipitation) generally controlled by the pH and composition of the surrounding fluid. All green, high-Si, Al glasses are hydrated and variably enriched in Sr, Ba, and Cs, indicating preferred adsorption from seawater during hydration. Despite the onset of ion-exchange reactions, which only seem to have affected the alkalis, the trace element composition of the green high-Si, Al glass is still largely representative of the original melt composition. Refining the geochemical signature of (altered) melt lithologies may advance our current understanding of glass stability in the natural environment and provide insight into the origin and emplacement of ejecta material during crater formation.

Density and compressibility of the molten lunar picritic glasses: Implications for the roles of Ti and Fe in the structures of silicate melts

The density and compressibility of four synthetic molten lunar picritic glasses was investigated from 0 to 10GPa and 1748 to 2473K. The picritic glasses were collected from the lunar surface during the Apollo missions, and they are hypothesized to have rapidly quenched as glass beads during pyroclastic fire fountain eruptions. The specific melt compositions investigated in the present study are the Apollo 15 green glass Type C (A15C, TiO2=0.26wt%), the Apollo 14 yellow glass (A14Y, TiO2=4.58wt%), the Apollo 17 orange glass 74220-type (A17O TiO2=9.12wt%), and the Apollo 14 black glass (A14B, TiO2=16.40wt%). These glasses are reported to represent primary unfractionated melts, making them a prime candidate for experimental studies into lunar basalt density and compressibility during partial melting of the lunar mantle. Sink–float experiments were conducted on the synthetic molten lunar glass compositions using a piston-cylinder apparatus (P<2GPa) and a Walker-style multi-anvil device (P>2.5GPa) in order to bracket the density of the melts. New sink–float data are reported for A15C, A14Y, and A17O, which are combined with previously published density and compressibility data on A15C, A17O, and A14B. Although the Ti-rich liquids are highly compressible at lower pressures, they become nearly incompressible at much higher pressures when compared to the molten low-Ti glasses. Consequently, the melts with the most TiO2 (A14B) are the least dense at higher pressures, a reversal of what is seen at lower pressures. This change in density and compressibility is attributed to changes in coordination of Ti and Fe in the silicate melt structure. As Ti4+ abundances in the silicate melt increase, predominantly [IV]Ti4+ and [IV]Fe2+ change to [VI]Ti4+ and [VI]Fe2+ in the melt structure. All of the data from the present study were used to calculate a Birch–Murnaghan equation-of-state (BM-EOS) for each melt composition. The BM-EOS model for each composition was then combined with previously published estimates for the residual mantle source mineralogy and depth of origin for each of the glasses to assess the density of the partial melt with respect to its point of origin. This information was used to determine whether or not the melt would rise or sink with respect to its source region. We determined that all melt compositions, with the exception of the A17O melt, should have been able to rise to the crust-mantle boundary as a result of buoyancy forces alone, although different mechanisms are likely required for magma ascent through the lunar crust. For the rise of A17O, other modes of ascent through the lunar mantle are required to extract this melt composition from the mantle, and volatiles are not a plausible solution on the grounds of melt density alone.

Glassy faience from the Hallstatt C period in Poland: a chemico-physical study

Beads and pin heads made of glassy faience, often decorated with true glass, discovered at seven different cemetery sites in Poland and dated chiefly to the Hallstatt C period (c. 750/700–600 BC), were examined by the LA-ICPMS and EPMA methods. The analysis involved 48 samples from 39 objects. The main objectives were: (i) to characterize the glassy faience in terms of the physical structure and chemical composition of the glass; (ii) to evaluate differences in the chemical composition of the glass forming the glassy faience; (iii) to examine the chemical composition of the true glass in the decoration on objects made of glassy faience. Glassy faience was found to be made of glass and numerous quartz grains, inclusions and gas bubbles. Manifest in the true glass of the decoration were numerous minor inclusions of the colorant, represented mostly by a compound of lead and antimony. Two groups of glass forming glassy faience were distinguished based on the differences in chemical composition: LMMK and LMGGF. The first is characterized by a moderate concentration of K2O (average 2.7%), high Al2O3, Fe2O3 and some trace elements (e.g. B and Ti). The second has a generally lower content, compared to LMMK, of K2O, Na2O, Al2O3, Fe2O3, B2O3 and TiO2, but higher PbO and Sb2O5. True glass LMG contained little K2O, Al2O3, B2O3 and TiO2, but a large amount of PbO and Sb2O5. All of the glasses had a low content of CaO and MgO. LMMK glass was melted using sand and a flux that could not be easily identified (plant ash?), whereas LMGGF and LMG glass used sand and natron. The glassy faience is usually blue and was colored with cobalt compounds. The yellow glass of the decoration was colored with lead antimonate.

Do insulation products of man-made vitreous fibres still cause skin discomfort?

BackgroundMan-made vitreous fibres (MMVFs) are used in products for insulation and as reinforcement in materials. Contamination of the skin may arise through direct or indirect contact, and from the deposition of airborne fibres. The scientific basis regarding the effects on skin of MMVFs dates from 1970–1980.ObjectivesTo investigate whether currently used insulation MMVF products still cause skin discomfort.MethodsFocus group interviews and structured interviews were performed among workers engaged in insulation tasks and among do-it-yourself consumers with a recent experience of MMVF products.ResultsA majority of interviewees experienced skin discomfort when handling MMVF products. Complaints caused by traditional (yellow) glass fibre products were more severe than those caused by products of rock or slag wool fibres. The wrists, forearms, neck and face were the locations where the skin was most affected. The situations causing problems varied between occupational tasks, but working with the hands over the head or in narrow spaces were described as the worst situations. Building construction apprentices performed insulation tasks more often than senior workers.ConclusionsMMVF insulation products do still cause skin discomfort. Updated knowledge about people’s experiences of work with such products should influence legislation.

Characterization of colorants and opacifiers in roman glass mosaic tesserae through spectroscopic and spectrometric techniques

Several glass mosaic tesserae were recovered during the archeological excavation of the thermal baths at the ‘Villa dei Quintili’ in Rome and dated to the second century ad. This work reports the results of an archeometrical investigation performed, through a multi‐technique approach, on 19 colored opaque tesserae. The aims of the study were (1) the characterization of coloring and opacifying agents used for the production of the glass tesserae and (2) the definition of the technological processes involved. Colorimetric measurements allowed us to classify the tesserae in color groups, while the glassy matrix and the dispersed crystallites were characterized in detail through micro‐Raman spectroscopy, field emission scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive X‐ray spectroscopy, laser ablation‐inductively coupled plasma‐mass spectrometry, and X‐ray powder diffraction analyses. Most of the glass shows the typical soda‐lime‐silicate composition (except for the orange and red tesserae). Raman results and elemental analysis prove the use of Sn–Pb antimonates to create yellow glass and of Ca‐antimonates for the white tesserae. A mixture of Sn–Pb antimonates and copper ions was used to obtain the emerald green color, while Ca‐antimonates were employed in both copper‐colored and cobalt‐colored blue glass to obtain different shades (blue‐green, dark, and light blue). X‐ray powder diffraction analyses reveal the presence of metallic copper (Cu0) and Cu2O particles (cuprite) in red and orange tesserae, respectively. These results confirm the high technological level reached by the glassmakers of the Imperial Age. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley &amp; Sons, Ltd.

Production technology and replication of lead antimonate yellow glass from New Kingdom Egypt and the Roman Empire

Lead antimonate was used to produce opaque yellow glasses from the beginnings of glass production in the Near East and Egypt around 1500 BC through into the Roman period. The composition and crystallographic structure of lead antimonate particles present in a small group of New Kingdom Egyptian and Roman glasses were investigated using analytical scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction. The results showed that the particles were of the type Pb2Sb2O7 with a cubic structure and with the antimony partially replaced by iron and zinc in the case of the Egyptian glass, and by iron and tin in the case of the Roman glass. Synthesis in the laboratory of lead antimonate pigments, animes (i.e., lead–antimony–silica mixtures) and yellow glasses established that New Kingdom Egyptian and Roman yellow glasses could have been produced by stirring, respectively, lead antimonate pigment or anime, containing excess lead oxide, into a molten colourless glass. It is further shown that yellow lead antimonate particles are stable in glass up to operating temperatures in the range 900–1000 °C before converting to white calcium antimonate, and that their stability is enhanced by incorporating small amount of impurities such as iron, zinc and tin. The effect of different synthesis parameters and compositions on the colour of the glasses is investigated using UV–vis reflectance spectrometry.

Colored optical glass

The Lytkarino Optical Glass Factory manufactures various types of colored optical glasses: yellow, orange, and red glasses and glasses that are transparent in the IR region, as well as neutral-density and light-scattering milk glasses. The factory has introduced new equipment to improve the melting, founding, and annealing regimes for the high quality of these glasses.

Characterization of yellow and colorless decorative glasses from the Temple of the Emerald Buddha, Bangkok, Thailand

Yellow and colorless ancient glasses, which were once used to decorate the Temple of the Emerald Buddha, Bangkok, Thailand, around 150 years ago, are studied to unravel the long-lost glass-making recipes and manufacturing techniques. Analyses of chemical compositions, using synchrotron x-ray fluorescence (SRXRF), indicate that the Thai ancient glasses are soda lime silica glasses (60 % SiO2; 10 % Na2O; 10 % CaO) bearing lead oxide between 2–16 %. Iron (1.5–9.4 % Fe2O3) and manganese (1.7 % MnO) are present in larger abundance than the other 3d transition metals detected (0.04–0.2 %). K-edge x-ray absorption near edge spectroscopy (XANES) and extended x-ray absorption fine structure spectroscopy (EXAFS) provide conclusive evidence on the oxidation states of Fe being 3+ and Mn being 2+ and on short-length tetrahedral structures around the cations. This suggests that iron is used as a yellow colorant with manganese as a decolorant. L3-edge XANES results reveal the oxidation states of lead as 2+. The results from this work provide information crucial for replicating these decorative glasses for the future restoration of the Temple of the Emerald Buddha.

Influence of composition and preparation conditions on some physical properties of TeO2–Sb2O3–PbCl2 Glasses

We report the influence of composition on electrical, dielectric and optical properties of xTeO2–ySb2O3–zPbCl2 glass system prepared in silica crucibles in air, where x∈〈40, 80〉, y∈〈0, 20〉, z∈〈10, 50〉. The properties of 70TeO2–10Sb2O3–20PbCl2 composition, prepared in various crucibles, under various atmospheres, melted and annealed under different temperature regimes, are also reported and discussed. The DC conductivity increases with increasing content of PbCl2 while the conduction activation energy decreases at the same time. On the other hand the DC conductivity slightly decreases with increasing concentration of Sb2O3. Temperature dependences of the DC conductivity follow Arrhenius law characterized by single activation energy. The static permittivity shows surprisingly large dependence on used crucibles. Yellow glasses prepared in alumina crucibles have the highest both DC conductivity and static permittivity. Dark glasses prepared in glassy carbon crucibles have the lowest values of both these quantities. The color of studied glasses depends on composition, used crucibles and the duration of annealing near Tg. IR transmission spectra as a function of used crucibles have also been investigated.

Effect of Glass Composition on the Optical Properties of Color Conversion Glasses for White LED

Yellow phosphor dispersed color conversion glasses are promising phosphor materials for white LED applications because of their good thermal durability, chemical stability, and anti-ultraviolet property. Six color conversion glasses were prepared with high Tg and low Tg specimens of glass. Luminous efficacy, luminance, CIE (Commission Internationale de l'Eclairage) chromaticity, CCT (Correlated Color Temperature), and CRI (Color Rendering Index) of the color conversion glasses were analyzed according to the PL spectrum. Color conversion glasses with high Tg glass frit, sintered at higher temperature, showed better luminous properties than did color conversion glasses with low Tg glass frit. The characteristics of the color conversion glass depended on the glass composition rather than on the sintering temperature. The XRD peaks of the YAG phosphor disappeared in the color conversion glass with major components of B2O3-ZnO-SiO2-CaO and, in the XRD results, new crystalline peaks of BaSi2O5 appeared in the color conversion glass with major components of Bi2O3-ZnO-B2O3- MgO. The characteristics of CIE chromaticity, CCT, and the CRI of low Tg color conversion glasses showed worse color properties than those of high Tg color conversion glasses. However, these color characteristics of low Tg glasses were improved by thickness variation. So color conversion glasses with good characteristics of both luminous and color properties were attained.

Structural characteristics and dielectric response of some zinc tellurite glasses and glass ceramics

The structural characteristics of a system of optically transparent xZnO(1−x)TeO2 glasses, with x=0.1, 0.2, 0.3 and 0.4 (mole fraction) obtained by conventional melt-quenching technique and heat treated glass ceramics were studied with X-ray diffraction (XRD), micro-Raman and infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) techniques. The dielectric spectroscopy measurements were performed over the temperature range of 100K to 360K and frequency range from 40Hz to 2MHz.The as-prepared transparent yellow glasses were found to turn into opaque (white) glass ceramics when heat treated at three temperatures (350°C, 440°C and 505°C); the temperatures were chosen on the basis of DTA data of the base glasses. The XRD patterns of the glasses treated above 350°C show the formation of crystalline phases of Zn2Te3O8, Zn(TeO3) and TeO2. The FTIR and the Raman spectra, obtained using an excitation line of 532nm, are in agreement with the structural changes inferred from the X-ray data. Dielectric relaxation phenomena were observed in these samples and correlated with the heat treatment parameters.

The Parrot Wallpaper in ‘Prelude’

Leanne Davies’s Wallpaper (2009) almost conveys the sensation of Lewis Carroll’s Alice falling down the rabbit-hole, the picture’s deep focus leading the viewer down the passage to a door into the future. Alice is asleep when she falls into the tunnel; Kezia at this point in the story is nearly asleep. The sensation of entering a strange world –when she is on the boundary of waking and sleeping – is the end of a perplexing day. The story opens in the afternoon with Kezia gazing at her mother who is about to set off in a buggy with her ‘absolute necessities’,1 which include Linda’s mother and piles of domestic items but not her two smaller daughters. From this point in the story until the episode of the parrot wallpaper the perspective is Kezia’s, though as she is probably only about five years old her sense of abandonment is conveyed obliquely, through her senses. Unlike her adults, she has nothing by which to measure what is happening to the family, whereas her aunt says the new house is ‘a million times better than that awful cubby-hole in town’ (117). Kezia’s senses are heightened by fear of the unknown, each of them threatening to reduce her to panic. After her humiliation by Stanley Josephs she wanders into her own empty house where the ‘Zoom! Zoom!’ (82) of a blue-bottle knocking against the ceiling increases her sense of entrapment. The familiar is made terrifyingly strange. Her perception of what was the known world is distorted as she looks through the yellow glass in the dining-room window and sees ‘a little Chinese Lottie . . . . Was that really Lottie?’ (82). The cold feel of the window against her fingers calms her briefly but then the sound of the wind ‘snuffling and howling’ (82) and the banging of a piece of loose iron on the roof terrify her. She is only reassured by the storeman who ‘smelled of nuts and new wooden boxes’ (83) and whose sleeve ‘felt hairy’ (84). She tells him that she hates ‘rushing animals

Coffee cup color and evaluation of a beverage's “warmth quality”

Glass color may influence the evaluation of food and beverages as has been reported in a previous study where participants rated a cold beverage presented in a blue glass to be more thirst‐quenching than the same beverage poured into a green, yellow, or red glass. Our experiment sought to test whether container color also can affect the perceived temperature of a warm beverage. One hundred and twenty undergraduates were given warm coffee served in cups of different colors (blue, green, yellow, and red) and were asked to indicate which beverage was the warmest. Statistically significant differences among colors were found. The red cup was evaluated as containing the warmest beverage (38.3%), followed by the yellow (28.3%), the green (20.0%), and the blue (13.3%) cups. Conventional associations between warm versus cool colors are used to explain these results. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Col Res Appl, 39, 79–81, 2014

Soda-based glass fabricated from Thailand quartz sands doped with silver compound

Yellow colored glass which used for luxury art glass in ancient time was fabricated by the addition of silver compound into the molten glass. It was proved that it was actually silver nanoparticle technology. In this work, the SiO2–(Na2O,K2O)–CaO–B2O3–Al2O3–MgO glass system was prepared in the laboratory scale based on local quartz sands from Trat Province, eastern area of Thailand as the silica raw material. Various concentrations of silver nitrate were added. After the complete conventional melting process, the bubble-free yellow glasses were yielded. Physical and optical properties such as density, refractive index and optical absorption spectra were measured. Scanning electron microscope coupled with energy dispersive spectroscopy was carried out to study their morphology. The refractive indices and densities were increased as the increase of the silver contents. Electron micrographs showed the presence of silver nanoparticle in the glass matrix. UV–VIS spectra were in good agreement with that found from SEM measurements and corresponded with the universally accepted. It was also showed that the more brilliance on the surface of the glass products was obtained after firing with a gas torch.