Nuclear magnetic resonance imaging of waterlogged wood

Cole-Hamilton, D.I.; Kaye, B.; Chudek, I.A.; Hunter, Geoffrey

doi:10.1179/sic.1995.40.1.41

Cited by 9 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 12 publications

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“…In Figure 9a,b, at the center of the wood cylinder, it is possible to see the pith or medulla characterized by quite dark voxels as compared with the surrounding image voxels, highlighting a weak NMR signal due to low water content and/or high paramagnetic substances that generate high field inhomogeneity (i.e., low T 2 * values). However, by comparing MR and CT images, as the medulla is not well visible in the CT image, we can advance the hypothesis that the medulla is better highlighted in MR images (where it is characterized by darker voxels) due to field inhomogeneities caused by salts or heavy metals trapped in the wood structure [13,20,31,35,43]. Overall, the wood sample appears well preserved with some major fractures (pink arrow) and perforations (yellow arrow) visible in Figure 9a.…”

Section: D and 3d Mri Of A Waterlogged Archeological Woodmentioning

confidence: 73%

“…Therefore, thanks to the inhomogeneous distribution of water [50], for each species of wood, it is easy to distinguish macroscopic anatomical characteristics such as growth rings, veins, parenchyma rays, texture, the difference between sapwood and heartwood, possible knots, and plant defects, without having to dissect the samples. In particular, some darker areas and black spots appearing in the T 2 *-w image of some species (Mitragyna ciliata, Aningeria altissima, Entandrophragma cylindricum, Toona ciliata, Pinus ponderosa) may be due to magnetic field inhomogeneities generated by air pockets confined in the pores, or by paramagnetic substances present in the wood [13,35,43]. The T 2 map (Figure 4d) allows us to immediately identify areas where the water is more mobile (longer T 2 ), and therefore, where wood is less dense and more homogeneous in structure.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…One of the first works that highlighted the potential of MRI for studying wood was performed by Wang et al [29] on a sample of cherry wood using a clinical scanner of 0.15 T. Other authors [30,34] have obtained images with an in-plane resolution of about 1 × 1 mm 2 . Interesting results have been obtained in the field of dendrochronology [27,35], forest sciences [32,33,36], materials sciences, and archaeological woods [13,31,37]. Despite the potential usefulness in the physiological and microstructural study of wood, the presence of papers in the literature concerning the application of MRI for the recognition of wood characteristics, wood properties, and their conservation status is still limited [27,31,33,[38][39][40][41][42][43]; therefore, MRI remains to be a non-consolidated technique for the above-mentioned purposes.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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A Multi-Parametric Investigation on Waterlogged Wood Using a Magnetic Resonance Imaging Clinical Scanner

Longo¹,

Egizi

Stagno

et al. 2023

Forests

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In cultural heritage conservation science, moisture content (MC) is an essential factor to determine. At the same time, it is essential to choose non-destructive and non-invasive approaches for more sustainable investigations and make them safe for the environment and the sample. The question addressed in this work concerns the possibility and the opportunity to investigate waterlogged wood by using nuclear magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) clinical scanners to carry out non-destructive volumetric diagnostics. In this study, MRI, the most important non-invasive medical imaging technique for human tissue analysis, was applied to study archaeological waterlogged wood samples. This type of archaeological material has a very high moisture content (400%–800%), thus, it is an ideal investigative subject for MRI which detects water molecules inside matter. By following this methodology, it was possible to obtain information about water content and conservation status through a T1, T2, and T2* weighted image analysis, without any sampling or handling, and the samples were directly scanned in the water where they were stored. Furthermore, it permited processing 3D reconstruction, which could be an innovative tool for the digitalization of marine archaeological collections. In this work, 16 modern species of wood and a waterlogged archaeological wood sample were studied and investigated using a clinical NMR scanner operating at 3T. The results were compared with X-ray computed tomography (CT) images, as they had already been used for dendrochronology. The comparison highlights the similar, different, and complementary information about moisture content and conservation status in an all-in-one methodology obtainable from both MRI and CT techniques.

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Section: D and 3d Mri Of A Waterlogged Archeological Woodmentioning

confidence: 73%

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

A Multi-Parametric Investigation on Waterlogged Wood Using a Magnetic Resonance Imaging Clinical Scanner

Longo¹,

Egizi

Stagno

et al. 2023

Forests

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“…Cole et al [128] investigated for the first time the potential of NMR imaging for the study of archaeological waterlogged wood by determining the distribution of water in waterlogged samples. High-quality images of internal wood structures were obtained, with a resolution of 25μm.…”

Section: Nuclear Magnetic Resonancementioning

confidence: 99%

Analytical Instrumental Techniques to Study Archaeological Wood Degradation

Łucejko

Modugno

Ribechini

et al. 2015

Applied Spectroscopy Reviews

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Historically, a very large variety of everyday artifacts were made of wood, which makes them representative of their historical period or social context and valuable for archaeologists and historians. In order to preserve degraded wood and to develop and apply suitable conservation treatments, chemical and physical characterization of archaeological wood is needed. This review provides the reader with a survey on state-of-the-art of instrumental analytical tools available to understand the morphology and the chemical composition of archaeological wood. The focus is on microscopic and spectroscopic techniques such as scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), Raman, nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and analytical techniques based on pyrolysis, such as direct exposure-mass spectrometry (DE-MS), pyrolysis-mass spectrometry (Py-MS), pyrolysis-gas chromtography-mass spectrometry (Py-GC/MS), with emphasis on their respective potentialities and limitations. The advantages of techniques based on synchrotron radiation are also discussed. In addition, the applicability of each examined technique is illustrated and discussed through specific examples from the literature

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“…The µ-MRI technique allows the acquisition of an infinite number of images by virtually slicing the sample with an extremely variable orientation and currently reaches an in-plane resolution of 8 × 8 µm 2 [25]. This method has already been used to investigate archaeological wood [25,[27][28][29], demonstrating the advantage of not needing to mechanically section the sample, in contrast to the transmitted light microscopy technique. It was also tested against the latter technique, proving to be a promising and complementary wood diagnostic method [25].…”

Section: Reed Anatomy and Its Studymentioning

confidence: 99%

The High Potential of Micro-Magnetic Resonance Imaging for the Identification of Archaeological Reeds: The Case Study of Tutankhamun

Moricca,

Stagno,

Hamza

et al. 2023

Heritage

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This study explores the potential of micro-magnetic resonance imaging (μ-MRI) for identifying archaeological reeds found in the tomb of Tutankhamun. Reed plants had various historical uses in the past, with ancient Egyptians extensively employing them for crafting a wide range of items. The distinct cross-sectional characteristics of Arundo donax (giant reed) and Phragmites australis (common reed) are observed and described via optical microscopy and μ-MRI in this study. While optical microscopy offers higher resolution, μ-MRI provides advantages for studying archaeobotanical specimens, as it eliminates the need for mechanical sectioning and potentially damaging fragile samples. The application of μ-MRI on a selected archaeological reed allowed us to identify it as Phragmites australis, showing that μ-MRI can yield clear images, maintaining the integrity of the sample. In contrast, diagnostic features appeared greatly deformed on the thin section observed via optical microscopy. Despite the limitations related to the sample size and the need for sample soaking, μ-MRI presents a valuable tool for analyzing archaeological remains in the field of cultural heritage, with the potential for broader applications. Overall, this study contributes to expanding the toolkit available to researchers studying plant remains, providing insights into reed identification and preservation in archaeological contexts.

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Nuclear magnetic resonance imaging of waterlogged wood

Cited by 9 publications

References 12 publications

A Multi-Parametric Investigation on Waterlogged Wood Using a Magnetic Resonance Imaging Clinical Scanner

A Multi-Parametric Investigation on Waterlogged Wood Using a Magnetic Resonance Imaging Clinical Scanner

Analytical Instrumental Techniques to Study Archaeological Wood Degradation

The High Potential of Micro-Magnetic Resonance Imaging for the Identification of Archaeological Reeds: The Case Study of Tutankhamun

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