Multiple phases of human occupation in Southeast Arabia between 210,000 and 120,000 years ago

Changing climatic conditions are thought to be a major control of human presence in Arabia during the Paleolithic. Whilst the Pleistocene archaeological record shows that periods of increased monsoon rainfall attracted human occupation and led to increased population densities, the impact of arid conditions on human populations in Arabia remains largely speculative. Here, we present data from Jebel Faya in Southeast (SE) Arabia, which document four periods of human occupation between c. 210,000 and 120,000 years ago. The Jebel Faya record indicates that human occupation of SE Arabia was more regular and not exclusively linked to major humid periods. Our data show that brief phases of increased rainfall additionally enabled human settlement in the Faya region. These results imply that the mosaic environments in SE Arabia have likely formed a population refugia at the end of the Middle and the beginning of the Late PleistoceneOpen Access funding enabled and organized by Projekt DEAL.https://www.nature.com/srepBiochemistryGeneticsMicrobiology and Plant Patholog

Temperamental correlates of trauma symptoms in firemen, policemen and soldiers

Objectives: The main goal of the research was to assess temperamental determinants of trauma symptoms in firemen, policemen and soldiers. The temperament traits which were considered were those postulated by the Regulative Theory of Temperament (briskness, perseveration, sensory sensitivity, emotional reactivity, endurance and activity). Material and Methods: A cross-sectional study was run on non-clinical samples. The participants were 417 men, White-Caucasian only: 284 firemen (aged 21–55), 58 policemen (aged 22–45), and 75 soldiers (aged 21–42). Temperament was assessed using the Formal Characteristics of Behavior – Temperament Inventory. Intensity of trauma symptoms was assessed with the PTSD-Factorial Version Inventory, a quantitative measure of trauma-related symptoms. The respondents were examined in their place of work. The study included only men reporting at least 1 traumatic event during the year before the trauma diagnosis. Results: Emotional reactivity had a significant positive effect on the intensity of trauma symptoms only in the group of firemen. Emotional reactivity accounted for 16% of the variance of trauma intensity symptoms in this occupational group. Negative significant effect on trauma symptoms was found for briskness only in the soldiers group (briskness explained 20% trauma intensity variance in this group). Conclusions: Emotional reactivity was conducive to the increased trauma symptoms intensity in firemen, whereas briskness tended to reduce symptoms intensity only in the group of soldiers

Evidence for Neolithic settlement in the foothills of the Western al-Hajar Mountains

Systematic prospection and excavations in the Rustaq region of northern Oman, approximately 45 km from the coast in the foothills of the Western Hajar Mountains, have revealed an unexpectedly dense record of Neolithic sites. Besides surface scatters of lithic artefacts, excavation at the site of Hayy al‐Sarh recovered two stratified archaeological horizons (AHs). The upper horizon, AH I, contained pierced marine shells that provided an age of the archaeological material of about 6800 to 7500 years cal BP. Typologically the AH I lithic assemblage compares to the Suwayh facies defined at the coast 300 km to the east. Whether the marine shells and cultural affinities point towards exchange with coastal communities or possibly seasonal movement remains an open question at this state of research, but this new evidence for inland Neolithic settlement near Rustaq provides important new data that will help improve our understanding of spatial patterns of Neolithic demographic variability

Emotionale Ambivalenz und posttraumatische Belastungsstörung (PTBS) bei Soldaten in Kriseneinsätzen

Objective: This pilot study examined the extent to which a specific mechanism of emotion regulation - namely, ambivalence concerning the expressiveness of German soldiers' emotions - affects the severity of PTSD symptoms after a military operation. Methodology: A survey was conducted at three points in time among 66 soldiers deployed on military crisis operations. The Harvard Trauma Questionaire (HTQ), the Ambivalence over Emotional Expressiveness Questionnaire (AEQ-G18), and a questionnaire on the particular stress of German soldiers during military operations were used. Results: The study showed a significant correlation between emotional ambivalence and traumatization. Furthermore, it was shown that the subjective stress of soldiers leading up to deployment is more pronounced when emotional ambivalence is stronger in the context of military operations. This particular stress is greater before and during the military operation than after. Compared to a male control sample, the average AEQ-G18 scores of the soldier sample examined here are considerably lower. Conclusion: This pilot study clearly indicates that the AEQ-G18 could be a suitable predictor of the psychological burden on soldiers. The correlations between emotional ambivalence on the one hand and the particular and post-traumatic stressors on the other hand are not only statistically significant in the present pilot study, but may also be relevant as risk factors. It is, therefore, necessary to conduct more extensive studies on soldiers participating in military operations to verify the results of this pilot study.Zielsetzung: In dieser Pilotstudie wurde untersucht, inwiefern sich ein spezifischer Mechanismus der Emotionsregulation, nämlich die Ambivalenz gegenüber der Expressivität eigener Emotionen bei deutschen Soldaten auf die Ausprägung der Symptome einer PTBS nach dem Einsatz auswirkt.Methodik: Es wurde eine Befragung mit 66 Soldaten im Kriseneinsatz an drei Zeitpunkten durchgeführt. Dabei kamen neben dem Harvard Trauma Questionaire (HTQ), der Ambivalence over Emotional Expressiveness Questionnaire (AEQ-G18) sowie ein Fragebogen zur speziellen Belastung von Bundeswehrangehörigen in Kriseneinsätzen zum Einsatz.Ergebnisse: In der Studie zeigte sich ein signifikanter Zusammenhang zwischen emotionaler Ambivalenz und Traumatisierung. Des Weiteren konnte gezeigt werden, dass bei stärkerem Auftreten emotionaler Ambivalenz im Kontext von militärischen Einsätzen die subjektiven Belastungen von Soldaten zum militärischen Einsatz hin ausgeprägter sind. Diese speziellen Belastungen sind vor und während des Kriseneinsatzes höher als nach dem Kriseneinsatz, Im Vergleich zu einer männlichen Vergleichsstichprobe liegen die Mittelwerte bei dem AEQ-G18 der vorliegenden Soldatenstichprobe erheblich niedriger.Fazit: Die Pilotstudie weist deutlich darauf hin, dass die Diagnostik mit dem AEQ-G18 geeignet sein könnte, die psychischen Belastungen bei Soldaten vorherzusagen. Die Zusammenhänge zwischen emotionaler Ambivalenz einerseits und den speziellen sowie posttraumatischen Belastungen andererseits sind in der vorgelegten Pilotstudie nicht nur statistisch signifikant, sondern können als Risikofaktoren relevant sein. Daher ist es erforderlich weitere umfangreiche Studien bei Soldaten in Kriseneinsätzen durchzuführen, um die Ergebnisse der Pilotstudie zu überprüfen

Der Effekt eines geschlossenen Antwortformats auf die mimische Emotionserkennung: ein Vergleich mit der freien verbale Zuordnung von Emotionswörtern

Objective: This article includes the examination of potential methodological problems of the application of a forced choice response format in facial emotion recognition. Methodology: 33 subjects were presented with validated facial stimuli. The task was to make a decision about which emotion was shown. In addition, the subjective certainty concerning the decision was recorded. Results: The detection rates are 68% for fear, 81% for sadness, 85% for anger, 87% for surprise, 88% for disgust, and 94% for happiness, and are thus well above the random probability. Conclusion: This study refutes the concern that the use of forced choice formats may not adequately reflect actual recognition performance. The use of standardized tests to examine emotion recognition ability leads to valid results and can be used in different contexts. For example, the images presented here appear suitable for diagnosing deficits in emotion recognition in the context of psychological disorders and for mapping treatment progress.Zielsetzung: Der Artikel beinhaltet die Überprüfung von potentiellen methodischen Problemen eines geschlossenen Antwortformats ("Forced Choice"-Formaten) bei der mimischen Emotionserkennung. Methodik: Validierte emotionale Gesichtsstimuli wurden 33 Probanden präsentiert. Aufgabe war es, eine freie Entscheidung darüber zu fällen, welche Emotion gezeigt wurde. Zusätzlich wurde die subjektive Sicherheit der Entscheidung erhoben.Ergebnisse: Die Erkennungsraten liegen bei 68% für Angst, 81% für Trauer, 85% für Ärger, 87% für Überraschung, 88% für Ekel und 94% für Freude und somit deutlich über der Zufallswahrscheinlichkeit.Fazit: Die durchgeführte Studie kann die Befürchtung entkräften, dass die Verwendung von "Forced Choice"-Formaten die tatsächliche Erkennungsleistung nicht ausreichend abbildet. Der Einsatz standardisierter Testverfahren zur Überprüfung der Emotionserkennungsfähigkeit erbringt valide Ergebnisse und kann in unterschiedlichen Kontexten eingesetzt werden. Beispielsweise erscheint das hier vorgestellte Bildmaterial geeignet, Defizite in der Emotionserkennung im Rahmen psychischer Störungen zu diagnostizieren und Therapieverläufe abzubilden

Multiple phases of human occupation in Southeast Arabia between 210,000 and 120,000 years ago

Changing climatic conditions are thought to be a major control of human presence in Arabia during the Paleolithic. Whilst the Pleistocene archaeological record shows that periods of increased monsoon rainfall attracted human occupation and led to increased population densities, the impact of arid conditions on human populations in Arabia remains largely speculative. Here, we present data from Jebel Faya in Southeast (SE) Arabia, which document four periods of human occupation between c. 210,000 and 120,000 years ago. The Jebel Faya record indicates that human occupation of SE Arabia was more regular and not exclusively linked to major humid periods. Our data show that brief phases of increased rainfall additionally enabled human settlement in the Faya region. These results imply that the mosaic environments in SE Arabia have likely formed a population refugia at the end of the Middle and the beginning of the Late Pleistocene

Increasing Behavioral Flexibility? An Integrative Macro-Scale Approach to Understanding the Middle Stone Age of Southern Africa

The Middle Stone Age (MSA) of southern Africa represents a period during which anatomically modern humans adopted a series of diverse cultural innovations. Researchers generally attribute these behavioral changes to environmental, neurological, or demographic causes, but none of these alone offers a satisfactory explanation. Even as patterns at site level come into focus, large-scale trends in cultural expansions remain poorly understood. This paper presents different ways to view diachronic datasets from localities in southern Africa and specifically tests hypotheses of environmental and cultural causality. We employ an array of analyses in an attempt to understand large-scale variability observed during the MSA. We evaluated the diversity of stone tool assemblages to model site use, examined transport distances of lithic raw materials to understand patterns of movement, assessed the cultural capacities required to manufacture and use different sets of tools, applied stochastic models to examine the geographic distribution of sites, and reconstructed biome classes and climatic constraints. Our large-scale analysis allowed the research team to integrate different types of information and examine diachronic trends during the MSA. Based on our results, the range of cultural capacity expanded during the MSA. We define cultural capacity as the behavioral potential of a group expressed through the problem-solution distance required to manufacture and use tools. Our dataset also indicates that the actual behavior exhibited by MSA people, their cultural performance as expressed in the archaeological record, is not equivalent to their cultural capacity. Instead we observe that the main signature of the southern African MSA is its overall variability, as demonstrated by changing sets of cultural performances. Finally, at the scale of resolution considered here, our results suggest that climate is not the most significant factor driving human activities during the MSA. Instead, we postulate that behavioral flexibility itself became the key adaptation. © 2015, Springer Science+Business Media New York