Metaphor and Materiality in Early Prehistory

In this paper we argue for a relational perspective based on metaphorical rather than semiotic understandings of human and hominin1 material culture. The corporeality of material culture and thus its role as solid metaphors for a shared experience of embodiment precedes language in the archaeological record. While arguments continue as to both the cognitive abilities that underpin symbolism and the necessary and sufficient evidence for the identification of symbolic material culture in the archaeological record, a symbolic approach will inevitably restrict the available data to sapiens or even to literate societies. However, a focus on material culture as material metaphor allows the consideration of the ways in which even the very earliest archaeological record reflects hominins’ embodied, distributed relationships with heterogeneous forms of agent, as will be demonstrated by two case studies

The continuous plankton recorder survey: A long-term, basin-scale oceanic time series

In the 1920s, before the advent of echo sounders, fishery biologists were greatly concerned with assisting the fisherman to locate schools of pelagic fish. One of the approaches they developed was to relate the distribution of the planktonic food organisms to the presence of the schools of predators such as herring (Clupea harengus). The British planktologist, Alister Hardy, who had already carried out extensive studies on the feeding preferences of herring (Hardy, 1926a), initiated a program to examine the fishermen's contention that herring schools avoided 'green', i.e., phytoplankton-rich, water but could be correlated with high concentrations of zooplankton. This practical program was centered on the use of a specially developed instrument, the 'Plankton Indicator', designed to be used by the fisherman to assist in the search for suitable waters. It had limited success in its main aim but, as a collecting device, it embodied several profoundly important features. It was a simple instrument which was robust enough to be deployed and recovered by the crew of commercial vessels (in this case fishing vessels) while they were underway. The Indicator however, was no more than a high speed net which integrated the plankton over the area of sampling, but Hardy had also become interested in describing the patchiness of planktonic populations. He thus developed the Continuous Plankton Recorder (CPR) where he substituted the fixed filter screen of the Indicator by a continually moving length of silk mesh. The screen traversed at constant speed across the path of the incoming water and the trapped organisms were retained in place by sandwiching beneath an additional second mesh screen. Thus, knowing the speed of the towing vessel and the shooting and hauling positions, the spatial patterns of the plankton could be determined. Hardy took the first CPR to the Antarctic where he used it in the Southern Atlantic (Hardy, 1926b) and later deployed it in the North Sea to make some of the earliest contiguous records of plankton patchiness

A Review of the Nurse Consultant Role

Background This paper reports the results of a review of the Nurse Consultant role at Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust the aim of which was to provide a clear picture of the current role remit and impact of each Nurse Consultant to inform recommendations for [any] required revision and ensure that Nurse Consultant’s roles and responsibilities are aligned to the evidence on best practice, reflect the Trusts business priorities, and that there is a well understood model in operation. Methods Using multiple methods of data collection, we investigated perceptions of the impact of Nurse Consultants among general managers and clinical directors, service users and carers, and selected other colleagues using semi-structured interviews and a focus group, as well as exploring with Nurse Consultants their view of the impact of their role via semi-structured interviews. In addition, we evaluated the leadership skills of Nurse Consultants using a 360 degree evaluation. Finally, we examined the activities of Nurse Consultants by analysing their diaries during a three month period. Results Nurse Consultants spend 38% of their activity on expert practice, 26% on professional leadership and practice, 19% on education, training and supervision and 15% on practice development, research and evaluation; 2% is spent on other activities. On the 360 degree evaluations, Nurse Consultants scored highest on enabling others (median 52/60), followed by modelling, encouraging and inspiring others (51/60). They scored lowest on challenging others (47/60). General Managers and Clinical Directors reported the positive impact Nurse Consultants have on clinical leadership and their contribution to improving clinical strategies and service developments. Service users and carers reported that they value the role, but were critical of the absence of Nurse Consultants in acute mental health wards. Conclusions The practices of Nurse Consultants at Nottinghamshire Healthcare Trust reflect the suggested domains of the role, but they fall short of national expectations of the percentage time NC should spend on expert clinical practice. There is widespread recognition of the positive impact of the role on service development and evidence of the positive impact of Nurse Consultants on practice. In general, colleagues recognise that Nurse Consultants are positive role models, who inspire, challenge, encourage and enable others. There is a widespread belief in the untapped potential for Nurse Consultants to play a more strategic leadership role in the Trust. Recommendations are made for the future development of the Nurse Consultant role

The Role of Integrin-associated Protein “PINCH” in Kidney Development

PINCH (a particularly interesting new cysteine-histidine-rich protein) is a protein that binds with Integrin-linked kinase and Parvin, to form an IPP complex. This complex is formed only when integrin molecules are activated upon interaction with the basement membrane. The IPP complex then acts as a platform for other proteins to come together and regulate cell signaling to and from the extracellular matrix (ECM). This allows for various cellular activities to progress like cell adhesion, migration, proliferation, etc. There are two types of PINCH proteins, PINCH-1 and PINCH-2. Studies from our group have shown that the lack of PINCH-1 in the kidney results in a branching phenotype and smaller kidneys in mice. The cells showed diminished potential to adhere, migrate and proliferate. There is no significant difference in phenotype when PINCH-2 is deleted. In the present study, we use conditional double knockout mice and cells in culture to look at the additive effects of the two PINCH proteins. Stained kidney cross sections will be analyzed and the PINCH null cells will be used in cell adhesion and migration studies. We have preliminary data to show that the deletion of both PINCH-1 and PINCH-2 genes results in a severe developmental phenotype in mouse kidney and corroborates in vitro studies

Decline of the Dreadnought : Britain and the Washington Naval Conference, 1921-1922.

This dissertation examines Britain\u27s decision to cede naval parity to the United States at the Washington Naval Conference of 1921-1922. The study recognizes that scholarly opinion emphasizes the role of economic weakness in Britain\u27s decision to accept capital ship limitation. The most useful sources in this study are the Cabinet and Admiralty records at the Public Record Office, London. The accounts of the various subcommittees of the Committee of Imperial Defence and the Cabinet Finance Committee are essential. Three sets of records are particularly helpful for the Conference itself: the papers of the British Empire Delegation, the State Department\u27s Conference on the Limitation of Armament, and Butler and Bury\u27s Documents on British Foreign Policy. The papers of the members of the British government provide limited assistance. At the turn of the century, the Royal Navy, imbued with the Alfred Thayer Mahan\u27s doctrines of sea power, enjoyed the nation\u27s confidence. The Great War damaged the reputations of both the battleship and its most ardent supporters. At the Paris Peace Conference, the United States challenged the supremacy of British sea power. In the face of the continuing American naval construction, the British policy of supremacy with economy became untenable. The Jutland and submarine controversies of 1920 exacerbated the government\u27s loss of faith in the battleship and led to an investigation into the future weapons of the Navy. The Imperial Conference of 1921 precluded the possibility of Dominion support for a naval building program or a decision to renew the Anglo-Japanese Alliance in the face of American opposition. The British Empire Delegation at the Washington Conference sought the maximum relief from naval expenditure consonant with traditional measures of national security. In the face of American proposals for Anglo-American equality and a ten-year holiday in naval construction, Britain salvaged superiority in cruisers and two new battleships. These results lead to the conclusion that the Cabinet no longer believed that the battleship remained the ultimate arbiter of naval disputes. The Cabinet therefore choose to disregard the advice of the Admiralty and accept the naval limitation agreement

Gamble mode: Resonance contact mode in atomic force microscopy

Active noise reduction has been accomplished in atomic force microscopy by applying a high frequency, low amplitude vibration to the cantilever while it is in contact with a surface. The applied excitation (>~ 200 kHz; ~ 1 nm) is acoustically coupled to the tip and dampens the resonance Q factors of the system. The applied frequency is well above the bandwidth of the acquisition system (50 kHz). We call this mode "gamble mode" or "resonance contact.

Noise reduction in atomic force microscopy: Resonance contact mode

Noise reduction has been accomplished in atomic force microscopy by applying a high frequency, low amplitude vibration to the cantilever while it is in contact with a surface. The applied excitation (>~200 kHz; ~1 nm) is acoustically coupled to the tip and dampens the resonance Q factors of the system. The applied frequency is well above the bandwidth of the acquisition system (50 kHz). We call this mode "resonance contact" mode. The nonlinear behavior of the tip–sample interaction allows the high frequency excitation to effectively broaden the frequency response of the system resonances

Remotely controlled mirror of variable geometry for small angle x-ray diffraction with synchrotron radiation

A total-reflecting mirror of 120-cm length was designed and built to focus synchrotron radiation emanating from the electron-positron storage ring at the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center (SPEAR). The reflecting surface is of unpolished float glass. The bending and tilt mechanism allows very fine control of the curvature and selectability of the critical angle for wavelengths ranging from 0.5 to 3.0 Å. Elliptical curvature is used to minimize aberrations. The mirror is placed asymmetrically onto the ellipse so as to achieve a tenfold demagnification of the source. The bending mechanism reduces nonelastic deformation (flow) and minimizes strains and stresses in the glass despite its length. Special design features assure stability of the focused image. The mirror reduces the intensity of shorter wavelength harmonics by a factor of approximately 100

Leader behavior and follower work behavior: the influence of follower characteristics

Research on leadership and subsequent follower outcomes has remained a prominent topic of study in the organizational sciences. Unfortunately, the leadership literature has neglected the role of follower characteristics as potential influences on the relationship between leader behavior and follower work behavior. In this session, we will review the literature on follower individual differences as they relate to leader effectiveness. We will also report the results of 2 studies that we conducted to further examine this issue. In the first study, we found that follower promotion focus mediated the relationship between transformational leadership and follower organizational citizenship behavior. In the second study, we found support for a moderated mediation model in which transformational leadership moderated the relationship between work ethic and work engagement, which subsequently predicted follower proactive behavior at work. We will conclude the session by discussing the implications of this area of research on the study and practice of leadership