20 research outputs found
Expanding the scope of Actualistic Taphonomy in Archaeological Research
This chapter presents the application of actualistic taphonomy to the study of one of the inorganic remains produced by hominins since 3 million year BP up to historical times: lithic artifacts. As rocks are among the most durable raw materials employed by modern humans and their ancestors, differential preservation has conferred a leading role in archaeological research upon lithic artifacts. Indeed, lithics -flaked artifacts in particular- are the proxy for culture or anthropic presence most commonly used by scholars all over the world. This artifact-human relationship promoted actualistic research on flintknapping in archaeology but no similar effort was devoted to assessing alternative non-cultural (i.e. taphonomic) sources for flaked stone objects. Even though actualistic studies have already shown that taphonomic processes may produce lithic pseudomorphs, this fact is only rarely considered in archaeological practice and research design. Furthermore, it is commonly assumed that human products are different enough from any natural specimen to be detected by lithic analysts. However, the current lack of knowledge on non-cultural flaking processes and their byproducts prevents their identification in the archaeological record, thus undermining the accuracy and reliability of archaeological interpretations. This paper illustrates the contribution of actualistic taphonomy to study the inorganic remains of the archaeological record and its critical role in assessing the cultural vs natural origin of lithic specimens in Fuego-Patagonia (South America). Naturalistic and experimental research on rockfall and trampling presented here suggests that the effects of these taphonomic processes result in pseudoartifacts that progressively incorporate to the regional archaeological record.Fil: Borrazzo, Karen Beatriz. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Saavedra 15. Instituto Multidisciplinario de Historia y Ciencias Humanas; Argentin
Depressive Symptoms, Lifestyle Structure, and ART Adherence Among HIV-Infected Individuals: A Longitudinal Mediation Analysis
Despite the well-documented relationship between depression and antiretroviral therapy (ART) non-adherence, few studies have identified explanatory pathways through which depression affects adherence. The current study tested lifestyle structure—the degree of organization and routinization of daily activities—as a mediator of this relationship, given previous evidence of lifestyle structure being associated with both depression and ART nonadherence. HIV-infected individuals starting or re-starting ART in the California Collaborative Treatment Group 578 study (n = 199) were assessed over 48 weeks. Adherence was measured using electronic monitoring caps to determine dose timing and doses taken, and viral load was assessed. The mediating role of lifestyle structure was tested using generalized linear mixed-effects modeling and bootstrapping. Lifestyle significantly mediated the relationship between depression and both measures of ART adherence behavior. Interventions that minimize disruptions to lifestyle structure and link adherence to daily activities may be useful for individuals with depression and ART nonadherence
The Arrival of Homo sapiens into the Southern Cone at 14,000 Years Ago.
The Arroyo Seco 2 site contains a rich archaeological record, exceptional for South America, to explain the expansion of Homo sapiens into the Americas and their interaction with extinct Pleistocene mammals. The following paper provides a detailed overview of material remains found in the earliest cultural episodes at this multi-component site, dated between ca. 12,170 14C yrs B.P. (ca. 14,064 cal yrs B.P.) and 11,180 14C yrs B.P. (ca. 13,068 cal yrs B.P.). Evidence of early occupations includes the presence of lithic tools, a concentration of Pleistocene species remains, human-induced fractured animal bones, and a selection of skeletal parts of extinct fauna. The occurrence of hunter-gatherers in the Southern Cone at ca. 14,000 cal yrs B.P. is added to the growing list of American sites that indicate a human occupation earlier than the Clovis dispersal episode, but posterior to the onset of the deglaciation of the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) in the North America
It's Getting Better All the Time: Comparative Perspectives from Oceania and West Africa on Genetic Analysis and Archaeology
Technological advances are making genetic data collection and analysis
feasible on a scale unimaginable only a few years ago. Early genetic research using
mitochondrial DNA and the Y chromosome provided important insights for macroscale
modeling of regional and continent-wide population movements, but the capacity to
study the entire genome now opens an era of finer-grained,mesoscale studies of regional
and local population histories that are more compatible with the scale of archaeological
analysis. The utility of integrating both types of data is illustrated by a case study from
Oceania, where genetic studies were used to evaluate two models for the geographic
origins of the populations that colonized Polynesia beginning ca. 3000 BP, bringing with
them the distinctive Lapita cultural assemblage. A second case study considers the
application of genetic studies to an understanding of Fulbe history, especially that of
the pastoral Fulbe. Both archaeological and genetic data are underdeveloped for the
key Fulbe homeland regions of Mauritania and Senegal, but recent research in the
Middle Senegal Valley permits some conjectures on the history of Fulbe nomadic
pastoralism. The article concludes with suggestions for a multidisciplinary research
agenda to expand and upgrade the quality of relevant archaeological data, incorporate
biodistance studies of human skeletal material, and improve and expand genetic
sampling using more historically sensitive collection protocols