scholarly journals Gönpa Gang—The First Application of Dendrochronological Dating to Study the Traditional Architecture of Upper Mustang (Nepal)

Forests ◽  
2022 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 95
Author(s):  
Barbara Gmińska-Nowak ◽  
Achyut Tiwari ◽  
Tomasz Ważny

Gönpa Gang is an example of the traditional Buddhist architecture of Upper Mustang. It is also the first monument in Upper Mustang to be studied using the dendrochronological dating method. The gönpa is a two-story building of imposing size, made from simple elements of Tibetan architecture, namely masonry walls, timber posts, and beams. A total of 14 samples were collected from elements on both the ground and the first floor. The limited number of samples results from the cultural and religious character of the object under study. Only the elements consistent with the structure and the space arrangement, interpreted as original features, were examined. Microscopic observation and the analysis of the anatomical features of all 14 samples resulted in the identification of Himalayan pine (blue pine), Pinus wallichiana A.B. Jacks. Intra-annual density fluctuation, false rings, and missing rings were detected. From 14 samples collected in Gönpa Gang, 18 series were worked out. Thus, 15 series from 12 samples were synchronized and used for the development of the mean chronology, UMGG_m, with a total length of 160 rings. The chronology covers the period from 1524 to 1683. Examination of the Gang Gönpa wood resulted in the age determination of 13 elements. The results were compared with architectural stratification by Harrison and historical data from written sources. The timber used in the gönpa comes from the Southern Mustang area. The examined wood demonstrates a correlation with the timber used in the Upper Mustang historical buildings further north.

1994 ◽  
Vol 21 (5) ◽  
pp. 553 ◽  
Author(s):  
PM Johnson ◽  
K Vernes

The reproduction of Thylogale stigmatica in captivity was studied and a predictive growth equation for age determination of the pouch young was developed. The general pattern of reproduction involved an oestrous cycle of 29-32 days, a gestation period of 28-30 days and a mean pouch life of 184 days. A post-partum oestrus and mating generally followed birth. Births were observed in all months in captivity, and from October to June in the wild. Mean age of weaning of young was 66 days following permanent pouch emergence, and the mean ages at maturity for females and males was 341 and 466 days, respectively.


1959 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 125 ◽  
Author(s):  
RG Chittleborough

The use of baleen, ear plugs, and ovaries in the determination of age in humpback whales is described. From the evidence of baleen, the majority of humpback whales reach puberty at 4 or 5 years of age. The rate of accumulation of laminations in ear plugs is two laminations per year. The mean rate of ovulation in sexually mature females is 1.1 per year. Age determination upon the same sample of mature females by these two methods gives very similar distribution of ages. The age distribution within separate sexes from samples of mature humpback whales examined on the west and east coasts of Australia in 1957 are compared. The results indicate that the population migrating along the west coast is at present composed of younger individuals than that on the east coast of Australia.


ACTA IMEKO ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 32
Author(s):  
Laura Guidorzi ◽  
Fulvio Fantino ◽  
Elisabetta Durisi ◽  
Marco Ferrero ◽  
Alessandro Re ◽  
...  

Classified as an absolute dating method, thermoluminescence (TL) is a well-established radiation-based technique for the age determination and authentication of ceramic materials. Specifically, this method allows the determination of the time elapsed since kiln firing (or later fire events) by evaluating the luminescent emission of ceramics under heating at high temperatures. This paper provides a comprehensive presentation of the TL laboratory developed over the last decade at the Physics Department of the University of Torino. The laboratory was set up in collaboration with TecnArt S.r.l. and is also currently operating within the cultural heritage network of the National Institute of Nuclear Physics (INFN-CHNet). More than 10 years of experience in the field has resulted in improvements in procedures, with the development of customised alpha- and beta-irradiation systems and the optimisation of sampling approaches and chemical pre-treatment. Thanks to TecnArt S.r.l., the laboratory has been employed for dating and authenticating hundreds of archaeological sites and artworks, some of which are discussed in this work and compared, when possible, with radiocarbon dating.


2019 ◽  
Vol 57 (3) ◽  
pp. 691-696 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shiwen Wang ◽  
Changquan Zhang ◽  
Wei Chen ◽  
Lipin Ren ◽  
Jiang Ling ◽  
...  

Abstract Age determination of necrophagous flies serves as an important tool for postmortem interval (PMI) estimation in forensic investigations. Drugs or toxins in cadavers may alter the developmental time of larvae, and lead to deviation in PMI estimation. Methamphetamine (MA), as one of the most abused psychostimulant drugs in Asia and North America, is often involved in forensic entomotoxicological cases. This study investigated the effects of MA (0, 45, 90, and 180 ng/mg) on the developmental rate, morphology, and survival of Aldrichina grahami (Aldrich, 1930). The results showed that 1) the developmental time to reach the pupal instar was statistically slower for the larvae reared on rabbit mince containing MA than for the control; 2) the mean length of the larvae exposed to MA concentrations was longer than those of the control; 3) the mean weight of the pupae exposed to the highest concentration of MA was significantly lighter than those of the control; 4) the GC–MS method can detect the content of MA in A. grahami immatures and empty puparia (EP).


1999 ◽  
Vol 26 (5) ◽  
pp. 631 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter M. Johnson ◽  
J. Steven C. Delean

Reproduction in the Proserpine rock-wallaby, Petrogale persephone, was studied in captivity. Sexual maturity, defined as age at first fertility, was attained at 20.5 months in females whereas males were not mature until 24.8 months. P. persephone is capable of breeding throughout the year. The length of the oestrous cycle was 33–38 days, while the period of gestation was 30–34 days. Birth was usually followed by an oestrus and mating, and a subsequent lactation-controlled embryonic diapause. The mean interval between loss of a pouch young and birth was 31.5 days. Pouch life was 203–215 days and young at foot were weaned 105–139 days after permanent emergence from the pouch. Linear mixed-effects models were used to describe polynomial growth equations for age determination of pouch young using both head and pes length. The relationship between error in age prediction and each body measurement was defined. Head measurements provided the most accurate estimates of the age of pouch young.


2002 ◽  
Vol 23 (3) ◽  
pp. 259-268 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yasuchika Misawa ◽  
Wichase Khonsue ◽  
Masafumi Matsui

AbstractThe age of a vulnerable frog, Rana porosa brevipoda from Japan was estimated using the now classical technique of skeletochronology. The mean age did not differ between the sexes but males were smaller in body size than females. Sexual maturity was attained in the fall of the year of metamorphosis in males and in the breeding season of the next year in females, and both sexes began to breed in the next year of metamorphosis. Both sexes similarly had minimum longevity of four years. The population age composition showed a rapid decrease in number of frogs with the increase of age. Growth parameters differed between sexes and males grew more rapidly and sexually matured at a smaller size than females. We comment on the peculiar pattern of postmetamorphic survival curves in R. porosa brevipoda as a threatened species. We also discuss the reason of decline in this species and suggest a measure of conservation.


1996 ◽  
Vol 75 (05) ◽  
pp. 772-777 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sybille Albrecht ◽  
Matthias Kotzsch ◽  
Gabriele Siegert ◽  
Thomas Luther ◽  
Heinz Großmann ◽  
...  

SummaryThe plasma tissue factor (TF) concentration was correlated to factor VII concentration (FVIIag) and factor VII activity (FVIIc) in 498 healthy volunteers ranging in age from 17 to 64 years. Immunoassays using monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) were developed for the determination of TF and FVIIag in plasma. The mAbs and the test systems were characterized. The mean value of the TF concentration was 172 ± 135 pg/ml. TF showed no age- and gender-related differences. For the total population, FVIIc, determined by a clotting test, was 110 ± 15% and the factor VIlag was 0.77 ± 0.19 μg/ml. FVII activity was significantly increased with age, whereas the concentration demonstrated no correlation to age in this population. FVII concentration is highly correlated with the activity as measured by clotting assay using rabbit thromboplastin. The ratio between FVIIc and FVIIag was not age-dependent, but demonstrated a significant difference between men and women. Between TF and FVII we could not detect a correlation.


1966 ◽  
Vol 16 (01/02) ◽  
pp. 038-050 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ulla Hedner ◽  
Inga Marie Nilsson ◽  
B Robertson

SummaryThe plasminogen content was determined by a casein method in plasma and serum from 20 normal volunteers. The mean plasminogen content was found to be 10.1 ACU (the arbitrary caseinolytic unit defined in such a way that using a 3% casein solution and a digestion time of 20 min. at 37°C, 10 ACU gave an extinction of 0.300). No difference between serum and plasma regarding the plasminogen content was found.Plasminogen was determined in drained and drained plus washed clots prepared from 2 ml plasma. The highest values found in the drained clots were 0.9 ACU/clot and 0.2 ACU/clot in the drained plus washed clots.Plasminogen was also determined in drained and drained plus washed clots prepared from plasma with added purified plasminogen. The plasminogen was recovered in the washing fluid. According to these tests, then, purified added plasminogen is washed out of the clots.The plasminogen content of 20 thrombi obtained post mortem was also determined. The mean value was found to be 0.7 ACU/cm thrombus. Judging from our results, the “intrinsic clot lysis theory” is not the main mechanism of clot dissolution.


1973 ◽  
Vol 72 (4) ◽  
pp. 714-726 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Burger ◽  
B. Miller ◽  
C. Sakoloff ◽  
M. B. Vallotton

ABSTRACT An improved method for the determination of serum triiodothyronine (T3) has been developed. After addition of a tracer amount of the hormone, T3 was extracted from 1 ml serum under conditions of pH and ionic strength which favoured T3 extraction (89%) over thyroxine (T4) extraction (58%). Chromatography of the extracted material on Sephadex LH-20 separated T3 completely from residual T4. The T3 eluate was dried, then re-dissolved in 0.5 ml NaOH 0.04 n. To 0.2 ml duplicate aliquots, a standard amount of TBG was added for the competitive protein analysis. After one hour incubation at 4°C, separation of bound from free T3 was achieved on small Sephadex G-25 columns. Overall recovery was 67 ± 10.8% and correction for the loss was made. The solvent blank was 37 ± 27 (sd) ng/100 ml. Accuracy of measurement of known quantities of T3 added to serum was 98.4%. The coefficient of variation within the assay was 6.2% and between the assays it was 11.4%. The limit of detection (0.1 ng) corresponded to a concentration of 25 ng/100 ml. T4 added to serum did not interfere with T3 determination until high non-physiological values were reached. The mean ± sd serum T3 in 54 euthyroid subjects was 153 ± 58 ng/100 ml and in 24 hyperthyroid patients it was 428 ±186 ng/100 ml; 4 out of the 24 hyperthyroid values were within 2 sd of the mean euthyroid group. All the values found in the euthyroid group were well above the limit of detection of the method.


2010 ◽  
Vol 35 (4) ◽  
pp. 543-550 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wojciech Batko ◽  
Bartosz Przysucha

AbstractAssessment of several noise indicators are determined by the logarithmic mean <img src="/fulltext-image.asp?format=htmlnonpaginated&src=P42524002G141TV8_html\05_paper.gif" alt=""/>, from the sum of independent random resultsL1;L2; : : : ;Lnof the sound level, being under testing. The estimation of uncertainty of such averaging requires knowledge of probability distribution of the function form of their calculations. The developed solution, leading to the recurrent determination of the probability distribution function for the estimation of the mean value of noise levels and its variance, is shown in this paper.


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