The contribution of urban-scale environmental monitoring to materials diagnostics: A study on the Cathedral of Modena (Italy)

The problem of environmental monitoring aimed at identifying and evaluating the weathering mechanisms affecting historical stoneworks is here discussed and a methodology based on the use of already available, long record, urban-scale environmental data is proposed. An example of its application to the Cathedral of Modena (Italy, XII-XIV century, included in the UNESCO's World Heritage List) is then presented. In this case, the methodology allowed the identification of the main degradation causes, which found significant confirmation by material diagnostics on the available samples and finite element structural modelling. Thanks to the decay causes identification allowed by the proposed methodology, more effective restoration procedures can be outlined.     

Modeling the thickness of vaults in the church of santa maria de magdalena (Valencia,Spain) with laser scanning techniques

Restoring cultural heritage is an extremely important job due to its immeasurable value. However, it also requires even greater attention in the case of a building. The actions taken on these constructions not only guarantee their preservation from the point of view of their historical value, but they also guarantee their stability as structures. The need to control historic buildings, analyzing their defects and their possible consequences, is decisive in preventing significant damage. This work demonstrates calculating the thickness of vaults in a church. It is easy to determine the interior and exterior 3D geometry of the church using scanner laser techniques. By combining both geometries, it is easy to determine the difference between the interior vaults and the roof of the church. However, the interior of both geometries is completely unknown, and it is not possible to act on their condition for structural consolidation purposes. This work shows the methods used to determine the interior sections of the vault thicknesses by referencing the internal geometry of both models with the interior of the church, using plumb line system scanning. The results obtained show accuracy better than 6 millimeters.     

GPR technique as a tool for cultural heritage restoration: San Miguel de los Reyes Hieronymite Monastery, 16th century (Valencia,Spain)

This paper describes GPR (ground penetrating radar) surveys performed inside the crypt of the San Miguel de los Reyes Monastery (1546–1835) in order to detect the exact location of its founders' remains, the Dukes of Calabria (16th century). This Monastery was erected to house their family mausoleum and the bodies of the founders were buried near the high altar of the church (1645). However, in the 18th century, the tombs were exhumed to provide them with a worthier burial site: the crypt below the high altar. There is no documentation specifying the exact location of the tombs inside the crypt. Therefore, in order to reveal the exact location of the tombs the GPR survey was conducted inside the crypt.In our specific study, the available historical documentation led us to suppose that the Dukes of Calabria's remains were inside their mausoleums. However, after having performed the GPR analysis, we discovered that the mausoleums were solid and not hollow. The project required data collection on four areas in the crypt: the altar crypt, the Fernando de Aragón mausoleum, the Germana de Foix mausoleum and the floor between the two mausoleums and the altar.In this study, we have processed the GPR records in three different ways: the radargrams were processed in a standard manner, a detailed spectral analysis of all anomalous areas was carried out, and finally a 3D representation was generated. After this complete analysis we concluded that the bodies were not located inside their mausoleums, because they were shown to be solid. Besides, a burial site was located in the crypt subsurface near the Germana de Foix mausoleum, in which four different elements could be identified. Two of them may well be the tombs of the Dukes of Calabria and the other two the tombs of the Germana de Foix sisters.The results obtained in this survey are a good example of GPR application as an efficient and respectful tool for use in Cultural Heritage restoration studies, providing it with a very useful technique for similar projects such as those carried out in the restoration of historical buildings and those in which the elements to be examined are beneath a shallow coating of material.     

Study of Neolithic pottery from Polyplatanos (Imathia) using micro X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy,stereoscopic microscopy and multivariate statistical analysis

Various types of Late Neolithic decorated pottery excavated in Polyplatanos (Imathia, Greece) such as Crusted (C), Classical Dimini (CD), Black-on-Red (BoR), Cream-on-Red (CoR) and Graphite (G) were archaeometrically studied in order to investigate their provenance and to clarify specific technological features. The clay bodies, the paints and the slips were stereoscopically analyzed, while their elemental composition was determined, using non-destructive multi-elemental micro X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy. Furthermore, the analytical data were statistically treated using multivariate exploratory techniques (Principal Component Analysis, PCA). As a result, novel technological information was derived especially concerning the Crusted type ceramics, which have not been widely examined by archaeometric means up to now, while useful provenance associations were also derived from the statistical combination of the studied groups.     

Consolidation of stone blocks prior to placement: A case study of the Roman wall in Tarragona (Spain): Report and methodology

The possible pre-consolidation of the stones used to repair the Roman wall of Tarragona was studied, on the premise that this had been carried out prior to placement in the wall. A detailed study of the stones was conducted in order to determine whether they had been treated, and if so, how this had been done. A semi-quantitative X-ray mineralogical analysis using the Rietveld method was performed, together with porosity and textural analyses. This paper concludes with a discussion of how the stones studied here were pre-consolidated using lime slurry.     

Diagnostic investigations and statistical validation of EDXRF mapping of the burial monument of Pope Sixtus IV by Antonio Pollaiolo (1493) in the Vatican

It has become a common practice to include diagnostics and archaeometric studies during a masterpiece restoration. The advantages and limits of this approach are now topic of discussion in the community of researchers that is growing up quickly. The bronze burial monument of Pope Sixtus IV (1471–84) by Antonio del Pollaiolo, now in the Treasure Museum in the Vatican was intended to be located at the center of a chapel, this explains its apparent asymmetry: lack of height and large base. The restoration of the burial monument started in May 2007, it was carried out by first fulfilling a series of non-invasive analyses using a transportable EDXRF to map the composition of the alloy and evaluate the diagnostic capabilities for deterioration processes of the bronze surface. As a consequence of the first non-invasive diagnostic campaign, a second campaign of micro invasive tests was planned and carried out. The samples were analysed with SEM-EDS and XRF techniques. In this article some of the results of the EDXRF tests will be shown together with the procedures set up to maximize the diagnostic information obtained and minimize the need of microsampling from the artefact. The results and the statistical analysis of data show that a straightforward planning of the measurements can give several, sometimes unexpected, results in the definition of the state of conservation of the monument and also from an archaeometric point of view. With a high amount of data, the use of statistical analysis is necessary, for example in our case, the analysis of the variance confirmed the hypothesis of the use of different alloys for the elements of the panels.     

Swelling damage in clay-rich sandstones used in the church of San Mateo in Tarifa (Spain)

This study shows that the sandstone used in the construction of the Church of San Mateo in Tarifa (Cádiz, Spain) is highly sensitive to processes of decay because of a combination of factors that are intrinsic and extrinsic to the material. The mineralogy, texture and porous system of the sandstone and the proximity of the church to the sea all play a part in these processes. X-ray diffraction reveals that there are interstratified chlorite/smectite clays among the minerals that make up the rock. These mixed layer clays have been shown to undergo hydric expansion. This phenomenon may be accompanied and augmented by the presence of NaCl which acts as an electrolyte in osmotic swelling processes. Two varieties of sandstone were used in the construction of the church, namely grey sandstone and brown sandstone. The latter is more porous and undergoes greater hydric expansion, showing a higher degree of deterioration. Ultrasound analysis has demonstrated that both varieties are anisotropic because they contain bedding planes and are affected by the preferred orientation of the phyllosilicates in the rock. The anisotropic nature of these stones was confirmed by capillary suction tests. The capillary front reaches a relatively low height which means that when water is absorbed, the anisotropic textural properties combined with the presence of chlorite–smectite mixed layers in the sandstone result in mechanical (shear) stress between the first few centimetres of the wet stone and the dry area behind. The latter effect favours the development of flakes, so causing the decay of the ornamental stone and the church façade.     

New concepts in reassessing mining heritage: A study and its implications from the Ancient Iron Mine of Llumeres (North Spain)

The possibility of giving a continuing value to an abandoned historic mine is not only of academic interest but can be a crucial economic and heritage issue for regions with long mining traditions but which are now severely affected by mine closures. This article suggests a different perspective on the rationale for studying, preserving and developing our mining heritage as an educational facility. To illustrate the case, the ancient iron mine of Llumeres, in the Asturias region, in North Spain, is presented as an example. A key point of our thesis is that a closed mine is not a ‘dead entity’ but simply in transition to another useful state and that after the closure, another organism arises, with very different appearance and vital signs. We suggest that this new organism be recognised for its high patrimonial value and that this heritage value be preserved. Accepting this point of view would mean an increase in efforts to identify and appropriately manage these vital signs. We propose that the particular mining-related aspects (which are usually viewed as negative, such as subsidence or groundwater modification), be considered as part of the heritage of the mining activity, considered in the widest sense. To facilitate understanding, these are discussed in comparison to those for a prehistoric cave, for which there is a broader experience and solid knowledge and recognition of heritage value. We have also analyzed the importance of recognising the geometric and functional relationships between the underground workings and the superficial signatures, in defining an extended patrimonial entity, which has been recently presented to the cultural and political authorities. For the case of the iron mine of Llumeres, we explain the methodology required to analyze and classify the documents in order to investigate and reconstruct the 3D geometric structure of the mine and how this can be integrated into a Geographical Information System (GIS) to improve management and editing of the information. Additionally, the historic mining technological methods employed in the underground workings of Llumeres have been studied and all the information integrated into a 3D visualization package and made available as a free 3D video sample of the subsurface information. In summary, this work represents a major step forward in improving our knowledge of the ancient iron mine of Llumeres and, as a consequence, it has been possible, for the first time, to consider the underground mining heritage in the framework of the better known (but as yet unrecognised) overground heritage. This new patrimonial entity offers enhanced possibilities for acceptance and recognition in a societal context and to aid that acceptance, we propose a radical conceptual change of perspective, pointing out new elements requiring research.     

Earthquakes and ancient leaning towers: Geodetic monitoring of the bell tower of San Benedetto Church in Ferrara (Italy)

In May–June 2012, several seismic events took place in the Po River Plane in northern Italy, with a maximum magnitude of M_W 5.86 (M_L 5.9)] and the epicentre located about 32 km from the centre of Ferrara. Many historical buildings were seriously damaged and others showed marked deformations or differential settlements. Therefore, it was necessary to place many of them under monitoring, using fast and safe measurement techniques to quickly obtain accurate information on ongoing structural deformation. This paper presents the case study of the bell tower of San Benedetto Church in Ferrara (17th century), which was already under monitoring at the time of the earthquake because of its remarkable leaning angle. Immediately after the seismic events, monitoring of the bell tower was repeated. Digital levelling indicated a marked differential settlement of the foundations with regard to the trend of secular movement, while terrestrial laser scanning (TLS) revealed a significant increase of the inclination of the tower's axis, confirming the results from levelling and showing good integration of both monitoring techniques.     

The Economic Dimension of the Culture and Leisure Industry in Spain: National, Sectoral and Regional Analysis

This article analyses the economic dimension of a set of activities groupedunder the heading, Culture and Leisure Industry, from three complementaryperspectives: national (Spain), sectoral and regional. Particular emphasis isplaced on determining the value added generated by this industry and itscontribution to the Gross Domestic Product – 4.5% – as wellas showing its level of employment both in absolute terms and as a percentageof the number of employees in the economy – 7.8%. This is apioneer project; studies in this field on either a national or internationalscale are scarce. The study demonstrates that the cultural sector is aproductive activity generating wealth in Spain. However, a high degree ofheterogeneity is found at both the sectoral and regional levels. Economicactivity is led by Performing, Musical and Audiovisual Arts (mainlyTelevision) and Publishing and Printing, which jointly account for about70% of sales and gross value added, and it is concentrated in similarproportions in developed regions specialized in service industries, Madrid andCatalonia, where most culture and leisure activities are available.     

Non-destructive assessment of a buried rainwater cistern at the Carthusian Monastery ‘Vall de Crist’ (Spain, 14th century) derived by microgravimetric 2D modelling

The microgravity method is one of the geophysical tools used in engineering and environmental and archaeological researches, where the detection of subsurface cavities or buried structures is essential. In this study, this technique has been revealed to be an efficient and respectful tool for use in Cultural Heritage restoration studies, such as those carried out in the restoration of historical sites in which the elements to be examined are beneath a shallow coating of material. Therefore, the aim of this microgravimetric survey is to define the exact position and dimensions of a subsurface structure (rainwater cistern) through microgravity response of the medium.For this purpose, the subsurface structure of San Gerónimo Cloister of the Vall de Crist Carthursian Monastery (14th century) has been researched. This monastery was known to be the largest Carthusian Monastery in the region of Valencia (Spain) and one of the most remarkable of the ancient Corona de Aragón. A rectangular grid of microgravity measurement station points was designed to cover the entire surface of the cloister. In addition, a microgravimetric profile was acquired along a hillside close to the Carthusian buildings in order to obtain the density value of the medium.The study was performed using a LaCoste&Romberg D203 gravimeter to detect and to map the shallow subsurface rainwater cistern that probably exits beneath it. This gravimeter has a sensitivity of approximately 1 μgal (μgal = 1.10⁻⁸ ms⁻²) and an accuracy of 3–5 μgal for relative gravity measurements.Two contour maps were calculated (observed gravity and Bouguer gravity values) in order to improve the interpretation results. On these maps we can observe the shape of the body that is causing the perturbation in gravity values. And what is more, it led us to deduce that the central area of the cavity is deeper than the border area. In addition, we can asses that the cavity is 8 m wide and 12 m long, and is symmetrical along its longitudinal axis, but not along its transversal axis.Also, a microgravimetric inversion was performed and the subsurface is split into 7 prisms and the depth and height of each is to be estimated separately. As a result of this inversion we can estimate that the ceiling of the cistern is located about 1 m under the cloister pavement and the cistern floor at a depth of 4 m. The cistern is slightly inclined towards one of its edges by about 20 cm.Finally, the 2D modelling derived by microgravimetric data has allowed us to determinate the shape, dimensions and location of the cistern accurately. In addition we have calculated the cistern capacity (288 m³, that is, 2880 Hl). This capacity was quite enough for the water necessities of 13 monks who lived there permanently, even for making it through the drought periods frequent in this kind of Mediterranean areas.     

The nature of markets: on the affinity between masculinity and (neo)liberalism

ABSTRACT

The relationship between masculinity, neoliberalism, and capitalist economy is difficult to analyse. This is apparent when we consider recent studies of neoliberal capitalism, which are almost entirely books about men, and yet this feature consistently escapes critical attention. In contrast, this article brings this relation into focus, and suggests that the critique of hegemonic masculinities is an important feature of the critique of neoliberalism. The article first reviews existing literature on the intersection of masculinity and capitalism, which is increasingly being drawn towards the analysis of neoliberalism. It then briefly takes up Michel Foucault’s study of neoliberalism, especially his contention that classical liberalism’s concern with the nature of markets maintains an ambiguous persistence within the neoliberal project, in order to consider what it may have to offer to an analysis of masculinity and neoliberalism. Finally, I turn to one of the key thinkers in the intellectual development of neoliberalism – Ludwig von Mises – and provide a critical rereading of his 1944 book Bureaucracy. I argue that, beneath its veneer of economic rationality, the text mobilizes masculinity as a technology that is crucial to managing both the affective and economic insecurities generated by neoliberal conceptions of freedom in market-based societies.     

Trachytes employed for funerary artefacts in the Roman Colonies Regium Lepidi (Reggio Emilia) and Mutina (Modena) (Italy): provenance inferred by petrographic and chemical parameters and by magnetic susceptibility

Roman funerary artefacts belonging to the archaeological collections in Modena and Reggio Emilia, two important Roman colonies (Mutina and Regium Lepidi, respectively) in the Cispadane region (Northern Italy), are made of trachytes from the Euganean Hills, close to Padua. In particular, the petrographic and chemical parameters, besides magnetic susceptibility of archaeological trachytes, suggest Monte Oliveto as their main source; very few of them, however, come from Monte Rosso and Monte Merlo. Surprisingly the trachytes from Monselice, which were used extensively to get flagstones for paving the Roman roads of the Po plain, were not implied in funerary art. Possibly the porosity of stones was determinant in addressing the use of the Euganean trachytes: the stones from Monte Oliveto (and also from Monte Rosso and Monte Merlo), which contain frequent cavities and voids, are porous and might favour body decomposition, like important stones used in antiquity for sarcophagi (e.g. lapis sarcophagus). By contrast, the trachytes from Monselice are dense, not porous, hence harder and more resistant to abrasion, therefore suitable for flagstones.     

The FarmBuiLD model (farm building landscape design): First definition of parametric tools

The paper presents a set of synthetic architectural parameters dealing with the morphological aspects of rural buildings. The definition of these parameters represents a fundamental step of the FarmBuiLD research model (farm building landscape design), proposed by the authors as a tool for the analysis of the architectural characteristics of both historical and contemporary rural buildings, as well as the meta-design of new construction and transformation of contemporary rural buildings. The FarmBuiLD's module of physiognomical characterization of rural buildings allows to define the analytical-design parameters through the following phases: a critical analysis of the international scientific literature, a preliminary identification of the essential physiognomical characteristics of rural buildings, and an in-depth study of validation and calibration focusing on specific study cases. This work presents the preliminary definition of the parameters and a discussion about their experimental application through illustrative examples. Given their numeric value and strictly instrumental, thematic and complementary nature, the proposed parameters do not have any geometric, formal or stylistic characterization, and thus can be considered as capable of leaving an appropriate level of freedom within the design of solutions aimed at meeting both contemporary and future functional and aesthetic needs.     

Mind the (tax) gap: an ethnography of a number

This article looks carefully at the making of the tax gap as a calculative practice at the Swedish Tax Agency. It points to the challenges with assessing tax gap numbers and reveals examples of its careless usage by various stakeholders in Swedish society in order to impact the discourse on tax compliance. Based on an ethnographic study of documents, it is an example of a number that performs a dual function: on the one hand mobilizing people’s morals and subsequent commitments and on the other hand measuring such commitments. On a more general level, the tax gap is an example of how a number that describes a complicated reality is calculated with many caveats attached to it, yet used with certainty in society. I thus challenge the metaphor of the ubiquitous ‘black box’. The Swedish tax gap number is a calculated device and can be unpacked as a specific number. But if we think about what a tax gap ought to contain, we have to think outside the box and beyond: what was not included in the published tax gap number and why there was no room for it.     

Detection of diagenetic alterations by Spectroscopic Analysis on Archaeological Bones from the Necropolis of Poseidonia (Paestum): A case study

Understanding the chemical and physical alteration in archaeological bones, occurred after burial, is very interesting for researchers. In this paper, we present a study on the diagenetic alteration of human archaeological bony tissues from Paestum (South Italy), by combining complementary spectroscopic techniques, such as solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), infrared spectroscopy (IR), and X-ray diffraction. In particular, ¹³C nuclear magnetic resonance–cross polarization-magic angle spinning (¹³C NMR CP-MAS) spectroscopy allows to identify and discriminate the adsorbed calcite, that is a diagenetic contaminant, from the structural one of apatite and ¹H NMR-MAS spectroscopy shows how the degradation of organic phase of collagen is related to the time. The NMR data are combined with crystalline index, measured by X-ray diffraction, and with the splitting factor obtained by infrared spectroscopy. Moreover, the evaluation of the relative content of biogenic structural carbonate and of diagenetic fluorine is reported.     

The Cost of Critique: In(ter)vention and Ethical Violence in Kristeva and Benjamin

In this essay we argue that there is an important but frequently overlooked link between Walter Benjamin’s and Julia Kristeva’s attempts to explore new modes of critical practice. What connects Benjamin and Kristeva, in our account, is a vital concern with the cost of critique, that is, with the question whether critical agency in its most productive modes is inherently related to certain forms of ethical violence. We aim to show that, once we read them together, these authors’ pivotal contribution consists of offering an alternative model of critique animated by an ethos of in(ter)-vention, which is keyed to techniques of criticism that are both disruptive and innovative. Ethical violence here refers to a strategic displacement of moral self-perception, which undercuts people’s aspirations toward maintaining a morally robust character in the face of political adversity and social injustice. To illustrate the stakes of such displacement, we turn to the figure of the ‘anti-journalist’ Karl Kraus whose in(ter)ventions display integrity in action rather than integrity of character. Specifically, under the rubric of ethical violence, we propose a dynamic interpretation of Kraus’ performance in terms of polemical witnessing, which combines the corrosive aspects of Benjamin’s ‘destructive character’ with the constructive aspects contained in Kristeva’s notions of ‘sharing singularity’ and ‘intimate revolt’.