The Mummy Trappings in the National Museum in Belgrade: A Reconstruction and Typological Assessment

In July 2009 the National Museum in Belgrade received – as a donation – two elements of a funerary assemblage: a fragmented mask and a conjoined collar-breast covering. Although heavily damaged, those ancient Egyptian mummy trappings furnish modern analysts with valuable information about their fabrication and ritual employment. The mask is of helmet-type, made of gessoed linen which had been decorated with paint and gilded upon the face. The front of the mask is in relatively fair condition, but the top and rear have suffered considerably, being reduced to small fragments whose original position is difficult to determine. The mask is heavily affected by staining caused by deliberately over-poured resin, i.e. the traces of a ritual unguent pouring. The collar-breast covering is a conjoined type forming a single rectangular or rather slightly trapezoidal plaque. The collar design consists of a system of schematized floral decoration arranged in seven semicircular bands around a single semi-lunate zone. A decorative grid containing funerary motifs extends below the collar field. It consists of four horizontal registers separated by polychrome bands of colored rectangles. The whole forms a complex tapestry of protective imagery: deities, amuletic symbols and magical vignettes. The mask and the breast cover are datable to the late Ptolemaic Period (ca. 100 – 50 B.C.). The most likely place of origin is site of Hawara at the entrance to the Fayum region.

Quantifying the effect of the facemask on helmet performance

Evaluating and improving helmet design play a crucial role in reducing sports-related concussions. Despite widespread use of facemasks by football and hockey players, no helmet standards currently exist to test helmets equipped with facemasks. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect that attached facial protection has on the head kinematics resulting from impacts to the helmet shell. Helmets were fit to a modified NOCSAE (National Operating Committee on Standards for Athletic Equipment) headform and subjected to blows from a pneumatic impactor. A total of 240 impact tests were performed to evaluate the effect of the facemask on four helmet models (two for football, two for hockey). For each helmet model, one sample was tested with a facemask and another without a facemask. Tests were conducted at two impact velocities (6, 9 m/s) and three impact locations (front, side, and rear boss) for a total of six impact conditions. Five trials were performed for each helmet sample at each condition. Two-factor analyses of variance were used to quantify effects on linear and rotational head acceleration and Severity Index due to impact location and facemask presence. Significant effects varied by helmet model and impact location and were more commonly associated with football helmets. Differences in facemask effects between sports are likely attributed to differences in facemask-shell attachment mechanisms, and differences in the structure of the facemask itself. The effects of the facemask on linear and rotational acceleration were small, approximately 5% for both football and hockey helmets. On average, peak accelerations were decreased with the addition of a facemask, but individual differences were mixed and varied by helmet type and impact location. These small differences would not greatly affect impact performance tests in the lab. The results of this study have direct applications toward helmet standard development.

Varying degradation of subfossil Daphnia longispina during the past 250 years and the discovery of fossil helmet-type head shields: preliminary results

<p>Zooplankton are regarded as a good indicator of environmental change, but comprehensive monitoring programs including zooplankton are uncommon and only rarely extend over longer periods of time. A part of the zooplankton community can be reconstructed using palaeolimnological methods, yet challenges remain. For example, cladoceran subfossil remains preserve selectively in sediments. In particular, the remains of <em>Daphnia</em> spp. are known to usually exhibit poor level of preservation; the reasons for this are still unclear. In the rural Lake Kivijärvi, located in central Finland, <em>Daphnia</em> subfossil remains preserve extraordinary well and multiple fossil components are found. However, the preservation level is not uniform and exhibits directional change throughout the sediment record. To investigate the changes in <em>Daphnia</em> preservation in lake sediments, we graded caudal spines from 20 fossil sediment samples into three taphonomic groups. A dataset of sediment geochemistry, diatom-inferred lake water pH, predation indices, and the catchment land use history was used to assess the environmental history of our study lake. In Lake Kivijärvi, the most significant change in <em>Daphnia</em> preservation seems to correspond best with the historical fishing activities. Additional explanatory variables include forestry in the catchment area, and pH, which, however, had contradicting effects on the preservation of <em>Daphnia</em> remains in this study. Finally, a fossil <em>Daphnia longispina</em> helmet type head shield derived from the lake sediment is presented for the first time.</p>

The influence of repeated chin bar impacts on the protective properties of full-face mountain biking helmets

Full-face helmets are designed to protect against head and face injuries during downhill and free-ride mountain biking. This study assessed whether multiple impacts and helmet type are related to the protective properties of full-face helmets. A drop tower fitted with a helmeted headform simulated impacts to the chin following a forwards fall. Four models of full-face mountain biking helmets were tested. Three repeated trials were completed for each helmet at four impact velocities. Outcome variables included head injury criterion score, peak force, and peak acceleration. Peak accelerations for all trials were below the 300 g pass/fail criterion used in some testing standards. Multiple impacts reduced helmet protective properties, most noticeably at the higher impact velocities (increases in impact severity measures ranging from 11% to 22% for low and 17% to 49% for higher impact velocities). However, the effects of multiple impacts were smaller than the differences observed across individual helmet types. Helmet protective properties were associated with local chin bar characteristics, most notably chin bar length at higher impact velocities. Towards the goal of reducing overall head/brain injury risk in cyclists, there may be value in complimentary messaging about the importance of repeated impacts and helmet type on the protective properties of downhill mountain biking helmets.