Abstract This paper describes the different types of artifacts seen in CT scans and their origins and causes. The paper then examines and discusses preventative measures to reduce these artifacts. This paper also contains corresponding illustrations.
Table of Contents:
Introduction
Type of Artifacts 1. Physics Based Artifacts a. Beam Hardening
b. Partial Volume
c. Photon Starvation
d. Undersampling
2. Patient Based Artifacts 3. Scanner Based Artifacts 4. Helical and Multisection CT Artifacts 5. Artifacts Due to Other Causes
Methods to Resolve Artifacts References
From the Paper "Metal artifacts can be avoided by asking the patient to remove any metals like jewelry before the start of scanning. For metals like prosthetic devices, surgical clips and dental fillings, which cannot be removed for the scanning, gantry angulation can be used. If the metal object cannot be excluded by any of the above technique, increasing the kilovoltage and the use of thin sections can reduce the partial volume artifact. The use of special software corrections can reduce streaking due to overranging (Barrett and Keat 2004.)
"Patient-based artifacts due to movement can be prevented by appropriate means. For most patients, the use of positioning aids can prevent any voluntary movement. However, in some patients, especially in the pediatric age-group, sedation may be required to immobilize them. In order to minimize artifacts in areas where natural movement is present, a short scan time can be used."
This paper examines two works of art, the "Venus of Willendorf," a prehistoric artifact, and Manet's "Paris" in order to discuss how humans define art and the meaning of art.
Abstract This paper looks at how people view art. It states that when viewing any work of art, one immediately begins to make sense of the image in terms of how it relates to the world one knows, as well as what one has been taught about history. Not only does society seem to influence the ways in which art is produced - society is often reflected in the works of art itself. Along these lines, this paper aims to answer the question of whether or not people use ancient artifacts that pre-date written culture as a means of "reading" the society that existed during that era. In the case of ancient artifacts such as the "Venus of Willendorf," ultimately modern analysis can only guess by relating the piece's history to modern ideas of what gender might have signified to ancient prehistoric civilizations. However - in the case of Manet - people are able to get a better view of the ways that society and art impacted one another through the use of primary and secondary sources. In contrast between the Venus and Manet's pieces, it can be said that the relationship between art and society is in fact conditioned by a third factor, which is the main subject of this paper - that of history. Without all the written records of the 19th century that have been kept, people might have no way of knowing what they are looking at when they study a Manet painting. Furthermore, "works" - or, perhaps more aptly, artifacts - such as the Venus thus cause people to reconsider what the true definition of art is.
Outline:
The Venus of Willendorf: Women in the Stone Age
Manet's Paris
Women in Manet's Art
Conclusion
From the Paper "Manet's painting was firmly rooted in Paris of the mid-19th century. It is thus not difficult for us to get a glimpse of what society was like in that time and place by looking at Manet's paintings. Looking at the Venus of Willendorf, however, does not tell us anything about the society that it is a relic of. It thus requires us to use our intellects and our imaginations in order to piece together an explanation that might satisfy us personally, but can never be held up as a firm example, as we can with Manet's paintings. Thus, it can be said that the relationship between art and society is in fact conditioned by a third factor, which has been the main subject of our inquiry - that of history. Without all the written records of the 19th century that have been kept, we might have no way of knowing what we are looking at when we study a Manet painting. This truth comes to the surface when we look at the Venus, which comes from a period that pre-dated all known forms of writing."
Abstract In this article, the writer notes that until about 1870, historians and scholars who specialized in the history and archeology of ancient Greece were, for the most part, quite ignorant about Greek culture and society and considered this area of study as being filled with myth. The writer points out that from excavations conducted in the early years of the 20th century, the history of ancient Greece is now well-known and understood, especially through the magnificent artifacts that have been uncovered. Thus, the writer maintains that these artifacts illustrate that the cultural and social heritage of ancient Greece was one of the most important Western civilizations of all time. The writer concludes that they also prove that the ancient Greeks were superb artisans who always attempted to reveal the intricacies of Greek culture through their work.
From the Paper "In essence, many of these artifacts will enable us to reconstruct the development of the Greek style in art and to appreciate their uses and place in ancient Greek society. Imagine for a moment living in ancient Greece, perhaps somewhere amid the long and winding coastline of the Aegean Sea, or perhaps high up in the great mountain chains of the Peloponnesos or Thessaly, the home of Mount Olympus and the pantheon of Greek gods and goddesses, such as all-powerful Zeus and his wife Hera, Aphrodite, the goddess of love, Apollo and Hermes, the messenger of the gods."
"In this environment, common men and women worked in the cities as laborers, merchants and slaves and toiled in the fields in order to feed the hungry masses in places like Argos, Sparta, Thebes and especially mighty Athens, the home of Pericles and Greek democracy. Thus, in these and many other environments, the ancient Greeks fashioned a very wide spectrum of items, ranging from ordinary clay pots to outstanding examples of Greek art in the form of amphora, drinking vessels, armor, weapons, jewelry, bowls and statues."
Abstract This paper discusses how, by visiting the Detroit Institute of Arts, the author was able to closely examine Ancient Egyptian artifacts first hand and how it is clear that art was a very important aspect of Ancient Egyptian culture. The paper focuses on and describes the elaborate funeral items, colorful paintings, inscriptions, and hieroglyphs that adorned the sarcophagi of various Egyptian mummies on display in the Egyptian showroom.
From the Paper "When viewing an Ancient Egyptian sarcophagus, it is apparent that art served a spiritual purpose. Kings and members of the royal family were entitled to extravagant tombs and coffins with intricate artwork and detail in order to bring beauty to the afterlife. One of the sarcophagi that I examined obviously belonged to a king or a man of royalty. His sarcophagus is believed to be from between 850-750 B.C.E. It was made in Egypt with linen and stucco and was the largest sarcophagus in the museum. One of the first signs of his elevated social status was the head cloth that surrounded his face, which was striped with blue and yellow paint. At the museum, I learned that this type of head cloth is known as Nemes and was worn only by royalty, primarily during the third dynasty (SOURCE 1). "
Abstract The paper introduces archaeology, and explains that the concept of dating is central to the science of archaeology. Two broad categories of dating, relative and absolute, are introduced, and four major specific types of dating are presented to the reader; stratigraphy, dendrochronology, obsidian hydration dating, and radiocarbon dating. Each of the four methods are discussed in great detail, each with a closing paragraph devoted to the underlying problems with that particular method. For example, the section on stratigraphy begins with a brief history of the method itself, and introduces such concepts as the law of superposition, temporal sequences of data within stratified deposits, context evaluation, and determining age through the relative position of superimposed artifacts. The negatives of stratigraphy are then discussed, and include deformation, overlapping and reverse stratigraphy, and the method is evaluated on the whole. This format is then applied to the other three types of dating discussed. Finally, a concluding paragraph states that although the four types of dating discussed are infinitely valuable to archaeologists all over the world, there are still problems associated with each that need to be accounted for when using them to address the age of fossilized remains and other artifacts.
From the Paper "Archaeology is the study of past human cultures, and archaeologists must uncover and interpret material remains in order to reconstruct past ways of life. To understand the purposes of these remains, Archaeologists have the task of constructing a chronology of prehistory, using various dating methods. ?Without knowing the age of materials, little can be said about the activity that made them part of the site (David L. Webster, Susan Toby Evans & William T. Sanders, 1993: 128).? Dating is defined as the placement in time of events relative to one another or to any established scale of temporal measurement (Jeffrey S. Dean, 1981: 375). Dating methods used by Archaeologist incorporate the scientific method and have the advantages of objectification, application to isolated cultural sequences, and an expanded span of human prehistory for which an absolute chronology can be built (Keith Brannigan, 1974: 100-101). Scientific methods of dating are invaluable for the prehistoric periods and have revolutionized the archaeologists? ideas about the absolute chronology of the prehistoric culture sequence (Brannigan, 1974: 101), yet each of these scientific methods has many difficulties. Dating techniques fall into two categories"relative and absolute"and include the following: seriation, ceramic dating, potassium argon dating, thermoluminescence dating, archaeomagnetic dating, fission track dating, stratigraphy, dendrochronology, obsidian hydration dating, and radiocarbon dating. This paper will discuss the latter four methods, with an emphasis on the shortcomings of each."
Abstract This paper examines the ways in which museum exhibition styles influence the way a object is viewed and interpreted by patrons. It looks at the most common tools used in creating an exhibition - the labeling, lighting and assemblage context, and how they may be manipulated either intentionally, or unintentionally, to convey a certain message about an object. It also examines the way display context may hinder effective communication with the viewer. Three example exhibitions are used to illustrate how various display modes can be used to communicate; the 1876 Paris Exposition of Louis Napoleon, the Herbert Ward exhibition of Africana and the 1988 exhibition 'Art/Artifact' at the center for African Art in New York. This paper also examines how the display context in each of these examples is used to convey a political message, represent a culture, and to challenge people's notions about aesthetic objects and cultural artifacts.
From the Paper "Exhibitions are most commonly seen in the everyday appearance of shop windows. Retailers use the exhibition of their goods to communicate to the customer something about the object. Through their use of the display case, lighting and the orientation of their goods they are telling the consumer the object is valuable and desirable. Exhibitors in museums also have this power to communicate through exhibition design. Unlike the shop displays though, the messages conveyed through museum exhibition are varied and complicated and far more reaching. An exhibitor has the power to affect how we will view an object. "The mode of installation, the subtle messages communicated through design, arrangement and assemblage can either aid or impede our appreciation and understanding of the visual, cultural, social and political interest of the objects and stories exhibited in museums." (Ivan Karp, 1991 pp. 13-14) Museum exhibitors not only have the power to communicate through their displays, but they also have the ability to direct the patron's perception of that object. Just as many believe a photograph is an accurate representation of reality, many patrons take what they are given in an exhibit as fact, even though both the photograph and the exhibit are subjects of the creators' interpretation."
Abstract The paper relates that history and social studies are often considered boring by students because they cannot see the relevance to their lives today. The paper discusses how new and creative ways of teaching can help history and social studies teachers maintain the interest and attention of their students. The paper explores using artifacts in the social studies classroom and presents data that shows their significance. The paper concludes with recommendations of how to take advantage of the benefits artifacts offer teachers and students.
Outline:
Introduction to the Problem
Review of Literature
Data Collection and Results
Conclusions and Recommendations
From the Paper "Teaching a social studies class should not be that difficult, if the material is presented in the proper way. There are specific ways that age groups of students respond to when it comes to being taught, and while all students in that age group may not respond to a certain way of being taught something, there is significance to using a method that most of the students in that age group relate to. School is a difficult time in the lives of many students as it is, because they are nervous and uncertain about themselves, their relationships with others, and what they are going to do when school is over for them."
Abstract The paper examines the Coke bottle, with specific reference to its status as a global meta-commodity or meta-symbol. The paper explores how material artifacts provide valuable insights into what is important to a culture. The paper analyzes the film "The Gods Must be Crazy", which illustrates how even the most powerful meta-symbol is powerful only because of its connotations and associations. The paper concludes by emphasizing how material artifacts affect our lives.
From the Paper "The Coke bottle is one of the most recognizable material artefacts in the world. Its shape and distinctive label is recognized globally. For some it evokes warm, fuzzy feelings, and for others it invokes a paroxysm of anti-capitalist or anti-American feelings. It may evoke arguments about art vs. commodities, or about West vs. Islam. In the USA, your attitude to the bottle may depend on which side of the colour divide you fall on. Love it or hate it, it is unquestionably an important aspect of contemporary material culture."
Abstract The paper states that the valuation of priceless historical and cultural artifacts is not a process guided by specific rules or regulations and in fact is an unstructured and unpredictable process based on various methods and techniques. The paper comments that this results in a comparable analysis technique, with each valuation process being somewhat different from those previously conducted. The paper discusses the valuation of historical cultural artifacts that are from cultures for which there have been no previous market sales. The paper progresses through the three traditional valuation techniques including comparable market value, asset value, and the income method.
Outline:
Objective
Introduction
Traditional Means Of Valuation
Means Of Valuation Of Ancient Cultural Items
Summary And Conclusion
From the Paper "It has been clearly demonstrated in the research that valuation of antiquities has no sure and constant form due to the nature of collecting antiquities and all the questions and concerns that may arise as to the origination of the art objects. Due to the demand for such works of art, looting of archaeological sites and museums has occurred and while rules and regulations have been instituted into import and export laws, there still exists a black market for these ancient art objects. In today's world of art collection, the collector must necessarily ensure that they are not in possession of stolen art objects and should that be the case pressures from the art world and the country of origination, as well as the penalties of law regarding such objects will likely result in a return of the art object to the originating country or culture to which the art object was derived."
Abstract This creative writing essay presents an accounting of a scenario in which a meteor hits the planet Earth, destroying all living things. Hundreds of years after the collision, someone stumbles across what used to be a home, and tries to figure out what the artifacts left in the house were used for before the meteor crash.
From the Paper "We arrived on planet Earth this morning and began our expedition with little hope of finding anything useful for our research. Earth has been a dead planet for hundreds of years and we know that there is no life form existing on it. As we begin to disembark however our scout conveyed that he found what appears to be a dwelling form the structure people. The structure people are those who lived here on Earth hundreds of years ago. We so named them the structure people because of the structures that they used to live in. The structures are long gone because the elements on Earth have destroyed them but the scout found a location of a former structure in which some things have been preserved."
Abstract This paper discusses the use of Nuclear Magnetic Resonance spectroscopy (NMR), Petrographic analysis, microscopy and radiography, Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM), and infrared spectroscopy (IR) in examining archeological remains. The author includes an application of these methods. Pictures and graphs are included.
From the Paper "There are many ways one can study archaeological materials. This paper will focus on Nuclear Magnetic Resonance spectroscopy (NMR), Petrographic analysis, microscopy and radiography, Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM), and infrared spectroscopy (IR). All are part of a process that helps to identify many materials, which in turn provide answers to parts of the past. They are all very useful tools for the examination of archaeological artifacts and many other things."
Abstract This paper presents a detailed discussion about cultural artifacts and whether or not they should be left for their beauty or analyzed. The Venus De Milo statue is the example that author directs us to study and then a discussion is led on how the statue affects or represents the feminism perspective using some psychoanalyst ideas.
Abstract This paper discusses the cultural experience specifically identifying artifacts in order to determine the cultural ideologies operating at the time of late 1960s and early 1970s.
Abstract This paper examines the relationship between Nok art and the long lost culture. It explains that the tragedy of looting and the loss of cultural/archaeological context for surviving artifacts has made a true exploration of the Nok history extremely difficult and speculative. It concludes that what can be known for certain is that, prior to 500 B.C.E, at a time when Africa was once thought to be completely plagued by intellectual darkness, there existed a civilization with the ability to create advanced and symbolic relics of a civilization where hierarchy, art, and science prevailed.
From the Paper "The second vein of interpretation is based on surrounding tribes. For example, Gillan takes this tactic when he writes: "A number of heads and bodies, depicting deformities or ailments (similar to diseases portrayed in Ibibio masks), may well have been used for magico-medical purposes" (66) Taking this approach, there seem to be indications that the statues were used for a variety of religious purposes. Surrounding tribes in Benin have frequently used lifelike statues, not unlike the terra cottas found in Nok, as part of ancestral altars through which they either invoked the spirits of their ancestors or prayed for them. Statues may also have been used as representations of the divine. There are other options as well. They could have been used ?with funeral ceremonies, ancestor cults or other religious rituals. They might have been conceived as representations of chiefs--though not as their portraits--or as mythical beings and spirits... Others may have served as grave figures ...charms and fertility amulets, possibly worn as pendents. (Gillan, 66) Most surrounding cultures have been polytheistic/animistic and either worship or placate a wide range of deities. "Janus figures" found in Nok may have been used like those in surrounding cultures, to ?express the male/female duality of human nature.? (Gillan, 66) Additionally, even today ceramic figures are used as finials on many roofs and shrines, and Gillan speculates that terra cotta figures might have taken this place centuries before."
Abstract This paper explains that the Ankh is one of the most familiar and one of the most mysterious Egyptian artifacts and hieroglyphs. It discusses how the meaning of the Ankh is associated in various ways with "life" and regeneration.
From the Paper "The above interpretation is also related to the view of the Ankh as a sexual symbol. It must be remembered that sexuality was a very important part of the cosmological and mythical foundations of ancient religion. There are numerous interpretations which refer to sexual aspects of the Ankh symbol. For example, the Ankh has been identified by some as a penis sheath. (The ANKH)"
