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This paper presents the authentication analysis of a bronze bust of Napoleon I, attributed to the Italian artist Renzo Colombo (1856–1885) based on his signature and other casting and molding inscriptions. The bust was made using the lost wax technique and artificially patinated in the Pinédo variant workshop. This study combined historiographical research (using the specialized literature) with data from auction catalogs. These were compared with photographs of the entire bust and close-up images of key areas, including anthropomorphic features, clothing, inscriptions, and structural and ornamental details. The condition of the bust and its historical and chemical characteristics were assessed through direct analysis with magnifying tools and indirect analysis using scanning electron microscopy with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM-EDX). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents the archaeometric and chemometric authentication of a Renaissance-style oil painting on linen canvas, with plaster and barium sulphate-based primer preparation and bone glue as binder. By optical microscopy (OM), stereomicroscopy (SOM), scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM-EDX) and attenuated total reflectance–Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR), a series of archaeometric characteristics were identified: the grain size of the chemical components of the paint layers, the 3D porosity distribution of the pigments, the degree of penetration between the paint layers and the varnish and between the varnish and the oxidatively anchored dirt, and the typology of the craquelure (craquelure network arrangement and morphology). By correlating the results obtained, it was possible to estimate the period of the painting as 1660 ± 3 years. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Damascus steel was used in the manufacture of swords and hunting knives before medieval times. The original method of the manufacturing of this type of steel has been lost to time. The research set out to create Damascus steel knives reconstituted according to the recipe from documents written many years ago. The study of Damascus steel provided an opportunity to observe in detail the laborious process of manufacturing this material, which involves free forging and pressure welding of different layers of steel to obtain a particularly strong and durable finished product. To carry out this research, two types of steel were selected to create Damascus steel: AISI 1095 and 15N20 steel. During this study, a functional furnace was built, able to contribute by heating the samples to the hot forging process of these two different materials. By applying a complex process of heating and forging and then repeating this process, the layers of steel were welded together, resulting in an extremely resistant material with a unique aesthetic appearance. Sample processing and the laboratory tests were performed on the obtained Damascus steel to evaluate its mechanical properties, including processing the results using Autodesk Inventor Professional 2023 and simulation in Ansys 2023. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article concerns the possibilities of adapting selected historic educational complexes (XX General Secondary School and Mechanical Technical Secondary School No. 15), located in the historical urban layout of the city of Krakow, for the purposes of implementing a scientific project entitled "School of the future: modular and mobile Green Classroom system." The work presents the research objectives, research methods, and general assumptions of the "Green Classrooms" system as new educational spaces, which are to be a modular structure that meets both the educational and social-behavioural needs of children and adolescents. Selected school buildings were also analysed, taking into account their history, architectural and urban composition, conservation conditions, and those resulting from planning documents. The summary determines whether the selected facilities and the plots on which they are located can be adapted for the needs of the scientific project and the "Green Classes" system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on the fascinating legends and excellent properties of Damascene blades, the study of Damascus steel provided the opportunity to observe in detail the laborious process of manufacturing this material, which involves forging and welding different layers of steel to obtain a particularly strong and durable final product. To carry out this research, high-quality materials were selected from a catalog of steels, with a particular focus on achieving the best results. In this case, two types of steel were chosen to create genuine Damascus steel: AISI 1095 and 15N20 steel. Both materials have been selected for their individual properties, such as strength and durability, which contribute to the ultimate quality of Damascus steel. This rigorous selection of materials ensured a high-quality and authentic product. Additional studies, such as finite element analysis and strength of materials, were conducted to understand and evaluate the behaviour of Damascus steel under various scenarios and loadings. Processing and laboratory tests were carried out on the obtained Damascus steel to evaluate its mechanical properties, including the processing of the results using Autodesk Inventor Professional 2023 and simulation in Ansys 2023. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper presents the evolution of the concentration level for four particle size groups of microaerosols (1.0, 2.5, 4.0 and 10.0 µm) in correlation with the microclimatic characteristics (temperature, humidity, lighting, pressure and concentration in CO2 and O2) in three active areas of the Targu Ocna Saltworks, currently used in treatments with solions (hydrated aerosols): in the vicinity of the walls of the old mining salt room, where there is a semi-wet static regime (SSR); in the transition area between the old rooms of exploitation with the semi-wet dynamic regime (DSR); and in the area of the waterfall and the marshy lake with the dynamic wet regime (DWR). The first and last halochamber are the ones recommended for cardio–respiratory, immuno–thyroid and osteo–muscular conditions, as well as in psycho–motor disorders. Based on questionnaires carried out over the course of a year, between 1 September 2021–31 August 2022, in two periods of stationing/treatment: a cold one (15 September 2021–15 December 2021) and a warm one (1 May 2022–30 July 2022), correlated with the data from the Salina medical office, achieved the profile of the improvement rate of the patients' ailments depending on the type of treatment (working regime in halochambers). These studies have allowed the optimization of the treatment conditions in the artificial surface halochambers in order to reduce the stationary period and optimize the treatment cycles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The original method of manufacturing Damascus steel has been forgotten over time. Due to differences in the raw material used and the manufacturing techniques, some of the current attempts at replicating Damascus steel have failed. The study of Damascus steel provided the opportunity to observe in detail the laborious process of manufacturing this material, which involves the free forging and welding of different layers of steel to obtain a particularly strong and durable final product. To carry out this research, high-quality materials were selected from a catalogue of steels, with a particular focus on achieving the best results. In this case, two types of steel were chosen to create Damascus steel: AISI 1095 and 15N20 steel. Both materials have been selected for their individual properties, such as mechanical resistance and durability, which contribute to the ultimate quality of Damascus steel. This rigorous selection of materials ensured a high-quality and authentic product. Throughout this study, a functional furnace was built capable of contributing to the welding and forging processes of these two different materials. This furnace played a crucial role in obtaining true Damascus steel. By applying a complex process of heating and forging and then repeating this process, the layers of steel were welded together, resulting in a final material that is extremely strong and has a unique aesthetic appearance. Processing and laboratory tests were carried out on the obtained Damascus steel to evaluate its mechanical properties, including the processing of the results using Autodesk Inventor Professional 2023 and simulation in Ansys 2023. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Globally, there is an increasing need for ceramic materials that have a variety of applications in the environment, for precision tools, and for the biomedical, electronics, and environmental industries. However, in order to obtain remarkable mechanical qualities, ceramics have to be manufactured at a high temperature of up to 1600 °C over a long heating period. Furthermore, the conventional approach presents issues with agglomeration, irregular grain growth, and furnace pollution. Many researchers have developed an interest in using geopolymer to produce ceramic materials, focusing on improving the performances of geopolymer ceramics. In addition to helping to lower the sintering temperature, it also improves the strength and other properties of the ceramics. Geopolymer is a product of polymerization involving aluminosilicate sources such as fly ash, metakaolin, kaolin, and slag through activation using an alkaline solution. The sources of the raw materials, the ratio of the alkaline solution, the sintering time, the calcining temperature, the mixing time, and the curing time may have significant impacts on the qualities. Therefore, this review aims to study the effects of sintering mechanisms on the crystallization of geopolymer ceramics, concerning the strength achieved. A future research opportunity is also presented in this review. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The area of the Carpathian Foothills is a culturally interesting region with many small settlement structures. The specificity of spatial values was influenced by the natural and cultural environment as well as the historically accumulating multicultural heritage, an important element of which is the architecture with roots anchored in Galicia. After the first partition of Poland in 1772, the territory of south-eastern Poland became part of the Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria. Another political decision strengthened the architectural influence in this area of the Carpathians. The next two partitions and political changes resulting from the decisions of the Congress of Vienna outlined the final shape of Galicia's borders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The concept of the post-war reconstruction of many Eastern European cities, shaped as a result of the actions of German town planners at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, in many cases consisted of negation, non-continuation or abandonment of previously set development directions. The subject of studies in this text will be the city of Poznań, which continued to develop in the post-war period on the basis of spatial arrangement created as a result of actions of Joseph Stübben in the years 1902-1918. The post-war reconstruction of the city after 1945 preserved its main urban layout created during the modernization period with the participation of a German town planner. The structure of the city preserved in this way consisted mainly of multi-family residential buildings. Urban planning and architectural activities as part of the reconstruction of the city after 1945 were aimed at continuing this concept. A critical analysis of these activities is planned in the following text. Housing construction was an important matter in the period of socialism in Eastern Europe, which on the one hand, supported propaganda activities, but on the other hand, increased the prestige of the authorities, which contributed funds to building new houses for the so-called "working class". "The investor on behalf of the state were housing cooperatives, which were responsible for the preparation of project documentation, which was ordered from state design offices. The post-war reconstruction of the city of Poznań, with the use of complementary buildings, became an interesting experimental field for architects and town planners. The research presented in the text will aim to refer to the creative attitudes of the time, as well as to confront the activities on these issues carried out during the communist period and in the post-1989 period. The aforementioned urban and architectural activities can be treated as an important element of the concept of heritage protection, seen through the prism of over 100 years of history of the concept of a modern city created by Joseph Stübben at the beginning of the 20th century. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the role of humanistic values in the contemporary configuration of cities. Today's times put us in a privileged position as we can observe deep and clear changes happening very quickly. Visible changes are reflected not only in society and culture, but also in the space of developing cities, towns, and metropolises. While characterizing contemporary urban trends and ideas, the philosophical trends that contribute to them and the values on which they are based were discussed. Corrections are also shown, which usually start with slight dissonances and initially slight differences in the content of theses, and as a result lead to completely different views on the world. Contemporary determinants of postmodernism, deconstructivism, ecological ideas, sustainable development, social integration and participation, high-tech, digital, and smart city are discussed in detail. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article deals with the issue of restitution of destroyed architectural monuments that remains disputable. Based on compliance with the world practice of restitution that is recognized at the legislative level, an example of restitution of a unique object of Ukraine is described – St. Michael's Golden-Domed Cathedral in Kyiv, destroyed in the period of the militant atheism of the 1930s. Specialists of the Ukrrestavratsiia Corporation completely reconstructed the volume of the destroyed St. Michael's Golden-Domed Cathedral and St. Michael's bell tower. The work focuses on one of the aspects of the accomplished rehabilitation activities – state-of-the-art technologies for performing mural paintings that imitate ancient Rus frescoes and baroque mural paintings. Reproducing the image-bearing concept of mural painting was one of the most challenging tasks, taking into consideration that photographic materials and evidence of interior decoration were not sufficient on the one hand, and the fact that the cathedral and monastery are functional – on the other, that imparted its peculiarity and called for painting the murals using up-to-date durable painting technologies. For these reasons, instead of the sophisticated and less durable technique of the ancient Rus frescoes, mural painting was used in the image-bearing system of frescoes, but in the state-of-the-art techniques of Keim’s process or mineral painting. The possibilities of strengthening and monitoring cracked masonry structures that are the base of reconstructed frescoes are also presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Conservation and restoration of heritage structures represents a highlighted issue, the main challenge being to bring the cultural objective to its original state, or as close as possible to it by using eco-friendly materials with lover impact on the environment and human health. Within this study, the calcium zincate nanoparticles have been synthesized starting from the eggshels wastes through the precipitation method. For this purpose, the raw eggshells were washed for organic traces removal and disolved in concentrated HCl solution to form CaCl2. The Ca(Zn(OH)3)2•2H2O was obtained by adding into the chemical reaction media a solution of zinc acetate dihydrate previously dissolved in 100mL of methanol under vigorous stirring at room temperature and precipitating with NaOH 12M solution. The white precipitate was characterized by field emmision scanning electron microscope (SEM), X-Ray diffraction (XRD) and thermal analyses (DTA-TG). The Scherrer equation result showed the nanometric size of calcium zincate crystallite, about 23nm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article analyzes the centuries-old process of ancient Chinese wall paintings genesis from the Han period to the Tang, Song and Yuan periods. The iconographic concept and execution technologies of the Han period funeral wall paintings, the Tang and Song period religious Mogao paintings and the Tang and Yuan period funeral paintings are analyzed. The genesis of ancient Chinese wall paintings was to change the philosophical and religious direction, the gradual inclusion and dissemination of iconography along with mythological and religious plots of realistic stories from the life of the emperor, the nobility, soldiers in battle, ordinary people in scenes of work, the appearance of portrait images of historical figures. The canonical foundations and thematic genres of Chinese painting, common to paintings on wall, paper and silk, gradually formed. There was a departure from the Han prefabricated funerary "stone fresco", where the painting was modeled in relief, towards the planar frescoes of the Tang and Song eras, the colour palette, plot, compositional construction gradually became more complicated, the level of detail increased. Ancient Chinese wall paintings are an integral part of traditional Chinese art, as evidenced by the inclusion of the most famous sites in the UNESCO World Heritage List. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The work relates to a composition of an additive mortar with a volumetric weight below 250kg/mc, the thermal conductivity coefficient below 0,08kcal/m×h×°C, mechanical strengths more than 7daN/cm² with self-cleaning effect after commissioning. In order to obtain a selfcleaning effect over time by eliminating chromatic deviations, the composition of ZnO, TiO2 and the three colored ceramics mixture is reformulated by optimizing the content based on color adjustment, by using a specialized software and CIE L*a*b* colorimetry for pressed bulk powders, at the medium one given by the patina. The composition optimization is performed by modifying, as appropriate, the addition rate of eggshell powder by a reformulated percentage related to the three fine colored ceramic powders. The freshly prepared mortar is applied to the restoration of the historical monument's facades through physical-structural and chromatic reintegration interventions. Depending on the conservation state of the apparent structures, two stages with differentiated specific operations are used: for surfaces without gaps, but chromatically degraded and with deposits of embedded dirt, it is spread with a trowel in the form of thin plasters on fiberglass mesh and in case of damage with deep lacunars areas the consolidation of the mobile structures will be first executed and grouting with a simple mortar based on river sand, expanded perlite, Portland cement and water in gravimetric ratio sand:perlite:cement:water = 2:1:2:5. After strengthen the same thin plasters will be applied on the fiberglass mesh. The new mortar allows the accomplishing of a series of advantages both in the processes of paste obtaining, as well as during commissioning and after, respectively within the period of integration in the tourist circuit. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The relevance of research and preservation of Chinese historical gardens with small forms is due to several factors. The unique heritage of Chinese landscape design, represented by the gardens of Suzhou, is today listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is an international tourist attraction. It is a source of research on traditional Chinese landscape design techniques based on the principles of Feng Shui, Taoism, Buddhism and Confucian doctrines. All Chinese gardens had been developed with the use of established rules and techniques, among which the authors have described eight main ones that are present in the gardens of Suzhou. The scientific novelty of the research consists in analyzing and concretizing a list of the main techniques of traditional Chinese landscape design and argumentation of the revealed techniques with specific examples of gazebos in the gardens of Suzhou. The methods of figurative expressiveness of pavilions in different regions of China are systematized. Comparison of historical and modern Chinese pavilions demonstrated the narrowing of figurative means, the use of a narrow range of historical prototypes (mainly in the east and southeast), in which the national features of the small-scale architecture are vividly pronounced. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Teak wood (Tectona grandis Linn F.) is known for its high natural resistance to attack by microorganisms. For this reason, teak wood is used for restoration works. This paper provides an assessment of the extraction capacity of various organic solvents and the chemical and physical-structural characteristics of extracts of teak wood with an age of 40 years. On the basis of literature data, we selected the solvents with potential synergetic activity in preservation treatments. For this purpose we used the SEM-EDX and GC+MS methods, assisted by computerized processing software, and corroborated the data obtained from these two instrumental techniques. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper presents a series of methods and techniques of investigation used in the valorisation of the special avifaunistic protection areas (SPA), which also integrate historical monuments, included in the list of sites of community importance (SCI) belonging to the Natura 2000 ecological network in Iasi county. One of the analysed aspects consists in monitoring the evolution of their conservation status, which calls for new technological discoveries regarding the instrumental analysis techniques and current methodological systems of processing / operation. The analyses used are those based on the Geographic Information System (GIS), which allow the geographical and cartographic representation of the characteristics contained in the relational databases, making possible the visual representation of the distribution of the natural assets and of the historical monuments in the study areas. The results of these analyses have a special impact on tourism and the development of disadvantaged areas, managing to identify the weaknesses induced by pollution and the anthropic factor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article analyses the specifics of the stylistics of the external and internal decoration of the outstanding theaters of Romania, Ukraine and Poland; defines the role of the Viennese school in this process; describes the problems of preserving these unique objects and describes the process of complex restoration of Odesa National Academic Theater of Opera and Ballet by specialists from the Ukrrestavratsiia Corporation. The scientific novelty of the research lies in the analysis of the construction processes of Odesa Theater of Opera and Ballet and the Municipal Theater (Teatr Miejski) in Cracow to prove the generality of trends in theatre construction in the second half of the 19th century; the replacement of wooden structures with various metal ones, and analysis of the principles of operation of the different types of metal structures. The reasons for the emergency state of theatres have been ascertained. The procedure for the conduct of the restoration measures and the effectiveness of their results was analyzed. The paper aims to emphasize the importance of the National Theater of Iasi as an element of cultural heritage and educational factor, in the context of other theaters built based on the projects of Viennese architects Fellner and Helmer. The National Theater of Iași is a real architectural jewel and a charming local party for its leisure visitors. This architectural monument houses a curtain of great beauty. The ceiling that is painted by Al. Goltz with pastel colors that represent paradisiacal allegories, being represented nymphs and angels, framed in the rococo structure. The Great Hall of the theater which has 740 seats and has a stable, lodges and balconies. This building was considered one of the most successful constructions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]