Die gestempelten Bronze-Gewichte aus Himera

Bei Ausgrabungen in der antiken griechischen Stadt Himera an der Nordküste Siziliens wurden zwei Bronzegewichte gefunden. Beide zeigen eine Beprägung , die dasselbe Prägebild wie die Rückseite zeitgleicher Litraprägungen aus Himera wiedergeben. Im Jahr 2010 erschien im Münzhandel zudem ein zuvor unveröffentlichtes Bronzegewicht, beprägt mit einem Hemilitron-Rückseitenstempel aus Himera. Anhand dieser gestempelten Bronzegewichte können – unter Einbezug weiterer Quellen – die im letzten Viertel des 5. Jhs. v. Chr. in Himera üblichen Gewichtssysteme für Bronze nachgezeichnet werden: Neben einer überregionalen, kanonischen Bronze-Litra, die bereits früher im 5. Jh. v. Chr. von ca. 108 g auf ca. 216 g im Gewicht verdoppelt worden war, scheint ein regionaler Litrafuß zu ca. 50 g etabliert gewesen zu sein. Dieser den frühesten Bronzemünzen von Himera, Selinunt und Akragas zugrundeliegende Litrafuß existierte auch dann noch, als die Münzen bereits in stark reduziertem Gewicht geprägt wurden.

The Advantages of Parametric Modeling for the Reconstruction of Historic Buildings

Consecrated in 1297 as the monastery church of the four years earlier founded St. Catherine’s monastery, the Gothic Church of St. Catherine was largely destroyed in a devastating bombing raid on January 2nd 1945. To counteract the process of disintegration, the departments of geo-information and lower monument protection authority of the City of Nuremburg decided to getting done a three dimensional building model of the Church of St. Catherine’s. A heterogeneous set of data was used for preparation of a parametric architectural model. In effect the modeling of historic buildings can profit from the so called BIM method (Building Information Modeling), as the necessary structuring of the basic data renders it into very sustainable information. The resulting model is perfectly suited to deliver a vivid impression of the interior and exterior of this former mendicant orders’ church to present observers.

Abnormal small airways function in children with mild asthma

BACKGROUND Small airways disease is a hallmark in adults with persistent asthma, but little is known about small airways function in children with mild asthma and normal spirometry. We assessed ventilation heterogeneity, a marker of small airways function, with an easy tidal breath single-breath washout (SBW) technique in school-aged children with mild asthma and normal FEV1 and healthy age-matched control subjects. METHODS The primary outcome was the double-tracer gas phase III slope (SDTG), an index of ventilation heterogeneity in acinar airways derived from the tidal double-tracer gas SBW test. The second outcome was the nitrogen phase III slope (SN2), an index of global ventilation heterogeneity derived from the tidal nitrogen SBW test using pure oxygen. Triplicate SBW and spirometry tests were performed in healthy children (n = 35) and children with asthma (n = 31) at baseline and in children with asthma after bronchodilation. RESULTS Acinar (SDTG) but not global (SN2) ventilation heterogeneity was significantly increased in asthma despite normal FEV1. Of the 31 children with asthma, abnormal results were found for SDTG (≤ -2 z scores) in 11; forced expiratory flow, midexpiratory phase (FEF25%-75%) in three; and FEV1 in zero. After bronchodilation, SDTG, SN2, FEF25%-75%, and FEV1 significantly changed (mean [95% CI] change from baseline, 36% [15%-56%], 38% [18%-58%], 17% [9-25%], and 6% [3%-9%], respectively). CONCLUSIONS Abnormal acinar ventilation heterogeneity in one-third of the children suggests that small airways disease may be present despite rare and mild asthma symptoms and normal spirometry. The easy tidal SBW technique has considerable potential as a clinical and research outcome in children with asthma.