Intensive systematic surveys of palaeospits in the Narva-Luga klint bay area: Analysis of methodology and results

Non peer reviewe

Specifics of Asbestos Utilization in the Second Half of the 4th Millenium Bc in the Eastern Fennoscandia (on the materials of lithic workshop Fofanovo XIII)

The authors analys the cultural phenomenon of asbestos ware in the forest zone of North-eastern Europe in the second half of the 4th millennium BC. The dynamic of this phenomenon is studied on the materials of the site Fofanovo XIII, which combines characteristics of metatuff adze and axe workshop, asbestos ware workshop, and interregional center for social communication. Typological and spatial analysis of the ware collections allows us to distinguish two periods of asbestos ware distribution in the late Neolithic-Eneolithic. During the first period (3500–3300 BC), asbestos ware (type Voinavolok) had high social status and was distributed far from the zone of natural deposits of this mineral. Distribution of asbestos ware at this stage fits the model of prestige economy. During the second period (3300–3100 BC), asbestos ware (type Orovnavolok) lost its interregional status. The distribution zone of the asbestos ware had decreased and took its place in linear economic connections. Statistical comparison of the metric parameters of pieces of asbestos collected on the site, as well as phase and chemical analysis show that changes in the social role of asbestos correlated with the downgrade of the mineral raw material quality, and increase of its variability. The authors suggest that this dynamic could be explained in the context of the change in the role of the social centers on the western shore of lake Onega, presented by site Fofanovo XIII

Development and Optimization of a Silica Column-Based Extraction Protocol for Ancient DNA

Rapid and cost-effective retrieval of endogenous DNA from ancient specimens remains a limiting factor in palaeogenomic research. Many methods have been developed to increase ancient DNA yield, but modifications to existing protocols are often based on personal experience rather than systematic testing. Here, we present a new silica column-based extraction protocol, where optimizations were tested in controlled experiments. Using relatively well-preserved permafrost samples, we tested the efficiency of pretreatment of bone and tooth powder with a bleach wash and a predigestion step. We also tested the recovery efficiency of MinElute and QIAquick columns, as well as Vivaspin columns with two molecular weight cut-off values. Finally, we tested the effect of uracil-treatment with two different USER enzyme concentrations. We find that neither bleach wash combined with a predigestion step, nor predigestion by itself, significantly increased sequencing efficiency. Initial results, however, suggest that MinElute columns are more efficient for ancient DNA extractions than QIAquick columns, whereas different molecular weight cut-off values in centrifugal concentrator columns did not have an effect. Uracil treatments are effective at removing DNA damage even at concentrations of 0.15 U/µL (as compared to 0.3 U/µL) of ancient DNA extracts

Competitive Equilibria in Economies With Multiple Divisible and Indivisible Commodities and No Money

A general equilibrium model is considered with multiple divisible and multiple indivisible commodities.In models with indivisibles it is always assumed that an indivisible commodity, called money, is present that is used to transfer the value of certain amounts of indivisible goods.For these economies with a finite number of divisible and indivisible goods and money and without producers it is well understood that a general equilibrium exists if the individual demands and supplies for the indivisibele goods belong to a same class of discrete convexity.In this paper we a model with multiple divisible and multiple undivisible commodities, in which none of the divisible goods may serve as money.Moreover, there are a finite number of producers owning a non-increasing returns to scale technology.One of the producesrs is assumed to have a linear production technology in order to produce divisible goods. Individual endowments being sufficienly large for production and discrete convexity guarantees the existence of a competitive equilibrium.