32 research outputs found

    The acheulean handaxe : More like a bird's song than a beatles' tune?

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    © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. KV is supported by the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research. MC is supported by the Canada Research Chairs Program, the Social Sciences and Humanities Research of Canada, the Canada Foundation for Innovation, the British Columbia Knowledge Development Fund, and Simon Fraser UniversityPeer reviewedPublisher PD

    Shape Variation in Aterian Tanged Tools and the Origins of Projectile Technology: A Morphometric Perspective on Stone Tool Function

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    BACKGROUND: Recent findings suggest that the North African Middle Stone Age technocomplex known as the Aterian is both much older than previously assumed, and certainly associated with fossils exhibiting anatomically modern human morphology and behavior. The Aterian is defined by the presence of 'tanged' or 'stemmed' tools, which have been widely assumed to be among the earliest projectile weapon tips. The present study systematically investigates morphological variation in a large sample of Aterian tools to test the hypothesis that these tools were hafted and/or used as projectile weapons. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Both classical morphometrics and Elliptical Fourier Analysis of tool outlines are used to show that the shape variation in the sample exhibits size-dependent patterns consistent with a reduction of the tools from the tip down, with the tang remaining intact. Additionally, the process of reduction led to increasing side-to-side asymmetries as the tools got smaller. Finally, a comparison of shape-change trajectories between Aterian tools and Late Paleolithic arrowheads from the North German site of Stellmoor reveal significant differences in terms of the amount and location of the variation. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: The patterns of size-dependent shape variation strongly support the functional hypothesis of Aterian tools as hafted knives or scrapers with alternating active edges, rather than as weapon tips. Nevertheless, the same morphological patterns are interpreted as one of the earliest evidences for a hafting modification, and for the successful combination of different raw materials (haft and stone tip) into one implement, in itself an important achievement in the evolution of hominin technologies

    Demande de congés de MM. d'Angosse, Montjoye-Vaufrey et Delaplace, lors de la séance du 18 juin 1790

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    Angosse Jean-Paul, marquis d', Montjoye-Vaufrey François Ferdinand Armand Fidèle, comte de, La Place Calixte de. Demande de congés de MM. d'Angosse, Montjoye-Vaufrey et Delaplace, lors de la séance du 18 juin 1790. In: Archives Parlementaires de 1787 à 1860 - Première série (1787-1799) Tome XVI - Du 31 mai au 8 juillet 1790. Paris : Librairie Administrative P. Dupont, 1883. p. 273

    Electrochemical Behavior of Ce(IV)/Ce(III) Couple in N,N‐Di(2‐ethylhexyl)‐n‐butanamide (DEHBA), N,N‐Di(2‐ethylhexyl)‐iso‐butanamide (DEHiBA), and N,N‐Di(2‐ethylhexyl)‐3,3‐dimethyl Butanamide (DEHDMBA)

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    International audienceIn this work we report on the electrochemical behavior of Ce(IV)/Ce(III) redox couple in pure N,N-dialkyl amides (N,N-DA), namely N,N-di(2-ethylhexyl)-n-butanamide (DEHBA), N,N-di(2-ethylhexyl)-iso-butanamide (DEHiBA), and N,Ndi(2-ethylhexyl)-3,3-dimethyl butanamide (DEHDMBA) equilibrated with nitric aqueous solutions as an entry to the direct electrochemical characterization of plutonium in these extractants. Ce(IV)/Ce(III) redox process was used as a model. Its potential (E 1/2 1.02 V/SCE) is not affected by the temperature and the nature of the N,N-DA and this clearly indicates that the functionalities of the these extractants produce the same relative effect on both +IV and +III oxidation states of the cerium cation. Linear variations of the current intensity of the reduction peak of Ce(IV) with the concentration of Ce(IV)/N,N-DAs/HNO 3 (5M) solutions were obtained from cyclic voltammograms recorded at 25°C and 40°C. Due to the poor definition of the voltammograms in DEHiBA and DEHDMBA, such characterization allows only the evaluation of the performances of the chemical extraction of Ce(IV) from aqueous nitric acid solution by the undiluted DEHBA. To our knowledge, the electrochemical behavior of Ce(IV)/Ce(III) in N,N-DAs was not previously studied and our findings will for sure open the door for further investigations in this field
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