Multi-Analytical Techniques for the Study of Burial Clothes of Polish King Sigismund III Vasa (1566-1633) and His Wife Constance Habsburg (1588-1631).

The subjects of this research are the burial clothes of Polish King Sigismund III Vasa and his wife Constance, which were woven and embroidered with silk and metal threads. Fragments of the textiles underwent spectroscopic, spectrometric, and thermogravimetric analyses. The hydrofluoric acid extraction method was improved to isolate various classes of dyes from the textile samples that had direct contact with human remains. High-performance liquid chromatography, coupled with diode array and tandem mass spectrometry detectors with electrospray ionization (HPLC-DAD-ESI-MS/MS) facilitated the detection and identification of colorants present in the textiles. Cochineal, indigo-, madder-, orchil-, and tannin-producing plants were identified as the sources of dyes used. Scanning electron microscopy with an energy-dispersive X-ray detector (SEM-EDS) was employed to identify and characterize the silk fibers and mordants and the metal threads. The presence of iron, aluminum, sodium, and calcium in the silk threads suggests their potential use as mordants. The analysis of the metal threads revealed that most of them were made from flattened gilded silver wire, with only a few being cut from a sheet of metal. Typical degradation mechanisms of metal threads were shown, resulting from both burial environment and earlier manufacturing process, and the use of the textiles in clothing, i.e., a significant loss of the gold layer was observed in most of silver gilt threads, caused by abrasion and delamination. The results of the thermal analysis confirmed the presence of silk and silver threads in the examined textiles.

[Determinants of personality and risky road behaviors at work in drivers of medical transport vehicles in the Wielkopolska (Greater Poland) voivodeship]. / Determinanty osobowosciowe a drogowe zachowania ryzykowne w pracy kierowców pojazdów uprzywilejowanych transportu medycznego w województwie wielkopolskim.

BACKGROUND: Personality determinants are an important predicator of road behaviors in drivers. The main objective of the study was to determine the relationship between personality determinants (neuroticism, extraversion, level of anxiety - features) and distinguishable risky behaviors of drivers of medical transport vehicles. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The study covered 106 male drivers from the Wielkopolskie Voivodeship, working in health care, having a license to drive emergency vehicles. To achieve the research objectives a questionnaire was developed and applied. It concerned risky road behaviors among drivers of medical transport. The personality suitability was determined using the questionnaire methods on self-assessment: Polish versions of Eysenck Personality Questionnaire - Revised (EPQ-R) and the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) questionnaire. RESULTS: It was shown that drivers with introverted characteristics declare driving vehicles of reduced technical efficiency more often than extroverts. The level of the anxiety as a trait A-characteristic affects the display of distracting behaviors, making decisions about driving a vehicle that is inefficient, driving in a bad psychophysical condition, as well as maintaining too small distance from the preceding vehicle. The higher the intensity of anxiety characteristics, the higher the intensity of given behaviors. CONCLUSIONS: Based on the study results, it can be assumed that there is a relationship between determinants of personality and the display of risky behaviors of drivers of medical transport vehicles. Thus it can be concluded that the level of extraversion and anxiety as a trait are the differentiating characteristics of respondents.