Hunter-gatherers in transition:Cultural diversity and change as seen through the mortuary practices of Hokkaido hunter-gatherers during the transition to agriculture in the Japanese archipelago

During the adoption of large-scale wet rice agriculture in the Japanese archipelago, it was supposed that people living in the most northern island, Hokkaido, continued living in a way broadly similar to how they had been for centuries. Essentially, these people were supposed to have been “left behind”, a narrative common to studies of hunter-gatherer groups the world over. Analysis of the evidence from both the Final Jomon and Epi-Jomon periods shows this to be untrue.Attempting to actively challenge prevailing notions of monolithic cultures and unchanging hunter-gatherer societies, this research was based on the analysis of mortuary practices at 4 Jomon sites across the island of Hokkaido, Northern Japan. By taking a diachronic approach to the analysis, changing traditions and varying developments were illustrated, and by taking a synchronic approach to the evidence, a diversity in practices was also illuminated, already in the Final Jomon period. The rich and well published data from excavations in Japan allowed an in-depth view of regional variation in cultural practices, and an exploration of this cultural diversity in a way that highlighted the dynamic processes at play in hunter-gatherer cultural developments

The effects of advanced treatment on the biological activity of recycled water

This thesis was submitted for the award of Doctor of Philosophy and was awarded by Brunel University London.The world’s growing population is causing an ever increasing demand for clean safe drinking water. In some countries suitable sources of drinking water are becoming scarce and will not be able to satisfy future demand. Consequently, there is a need to find alternative sources of water that can be used for potable supply or to augment current sources. Advanced water treatment methods are now being examined to investigate whether treated domestic sewage effluent can be treated to drinking water standards and discharged upstream of a drinking water abstraction point; a process known as Indirect Potable Reuse (IPR). The aim of this project was to investigate biological activity associated with developmental exposure to IPR water at the various stages of treatment using zebrafish embryos. Embryos reared in water at different stages of the treatment process were observed for developmental abnormalities, and differences in gene expression (compared to an aquarium water control) were used to establish both the nature and persistence of these effects along the treatment process. In addition to the embryo assays, passive sampling devices, Pharmaceutical Polar Organic Integrative Sampler (Pharm-POCIS) were deployed over eight, four week periods to collect composite concentrated samples of some of the contaminants present in the effluent. These concentrated extracts were then used in an in vitro assay; an Enzyme Immunoassay (EIA) to measure the inhibition of prostaglandins (an indirect measure of inhibitors of cyclooxygenase activity). We compared our results of the bioassays with the large body of chemical analysis data recorded over a number of years from each of the treatments. The developmental exposures highlighted a low frequency of consistent abnormalities to the heart and spine, and also a lack of pigmentation. Gene expression analysis demonstrates the developmental stage of the embryo to have the greatest influence on global gene expression as opposed to the treatment. Single genes of interest included the two cytochrome P450s (cyp1a and cyp1b1) and somatolactin beta. Some of the pathways disrupted included steroid synthesis, retinol metabolism, tryptophan metabolism and melanogenesis. The latter was consistent with observations of some embryos devoid of pigment. Along the treatment process reverse osmosis seemed to cause the largest change to the gene expression. The extracts from less treated effluent inhibited prostaglandin production, however following reverse osmosis prostaglandin inhibition was greatly reduced. The chemical contaminantion is greatly reduced as the effluent progresses along the IPR treatment process, this is evident from both the chemical data and the biological assays. Reverse osmosis seems to have the greatest influence on the gene expression. The results have highlighted the importance of an appropriate control, to remove background noise

Digging and filling pits in the Mesolithic of England and Ireland: comparative perspectives on a widespread practice

In recent years development-led excavations have transformed regional Mesolithic datasets across Britain and Ireland. Studies of the results of these projects have highlighted the frequency with which supposedly mundane features such as pits are encountered on Mesolithic sites. Whilst pits have long been recognised on individual sites, it is only from analyses of large datasets that it has become possible to identify the ways in which pits and features in general can contribute valuable spatial, artefactual and geoarchaeological/palaeoenvironmental information to develop our understanding of life in the Mesolithic. This also facilitates comparison with the Neolithic of both regions, where a rich tradition of pit digging has been well documented archaeologically. Recent reviews of the evidence for pit digging, and the material recovered from pits, in England and Ireland have highlighted the prevalence of these features across a wide range of Mesolithic sites, as well as a diversity of interpretations of their uses. At the same time obstacles preventing complete analysis are presented by a lack of sampling and poor recording.In this paper the authors compare the results of two systematic reviews of Mesolithic pits from England and Ireland, comparing and contrasting these to evidence from Scotland and Wales as appropriate. Both reviews uncovered extensive evidence for the presence of pits at sites of diverse purpose, and in varied landscape settings. The evidence from pit-fills points to various uses including site clearance and refuse disposal, deposition and possible caching, and burial. The spatial evidence indicates some interesting trends such as reuse and recutting as well as the presence of pit alignments. While there were similarities between the uses of pits in Ireland and England, some differences in character were also noted. The comparative perspective offered by this paper emphasises both the diversity of practices involving pits, and the importance of developing suitable future approaches to Mesolithic features.<br/

Up-beat UK: a programme of research into the relationship between coronary heart disease and depression in primary care patients.

Coronary heart disease and depression are both common health problems and by 2020 will be the two leading causes of disability worldwide. Depression has been found to be more common in patients with coronary heart disease but the nature of this relationship is uncertain. In the United Kingdom general practitioners are now being remunerated for case-finding for depression in patients with coronary heart disease, however it is unclear how general practitioners should manage these patients. We aim to explore the relationship between coronary heart disease and depression in a primary care population and to develop an intervention for patients with coronary heart disease and depression

A Case Study Analysis of a Regional Food System: The Sustainable Agriculture Consortium for Historically Disadvantaged Farmers Program

The Sustainable Agriculture Consortium for Historically Disadvantaged Farmers Program (SACH) was designed to carry out an experiment by five 1890 Land-Grant Universities in partnership with five farmer based cooperatives in five states to assess marketing fruits and vegetables to Walmart from a regional perspective. Using the Consortium as a case study, this study assessed the Consortium within the framework of implementation evaluation; data were collected using semi-structured interviews and document analysis. The study answered questions such as, what did the Consortium do, and what were some of the accomplishments of the Consortium? The farmers were able to: negotiate price points; develop a cold chain management system; properly package and store produce; and cultivate a mutually beneficial relationship with the buyer. Benefits derived from the Consortium included: providing supplemental income for the participating farmers; expansion of the existing regional food system; and promotion of good farm management practices. Key Words: Historically Disadvantaged Farmers, Regional Food Systems, Collaborative Marketing, 1890 Land-Grant Universities, Small Farmers and Commercial Market

Vulnerability and access to care for South Asian Sikh and Muslim patients with life limiting illness in Scotland: prospective longitudinal qualitative study

Objectives To examine the care experiences of South Asian Sikh and Muslim patients in Scotland with life limiting illness and their families and to understand the reasons for any difficulties with access to services and how these might be overcome

Potent selective inhibitors of protein kinase C

AbstractA series of potent, selective inhibitors of protein kinase C has been derived from the structural lead provided by the microbial broth products, staurosporine and K252a. Our inhibitors block PCK in intact cells (platelets and T cells), and prevent the proliferation of mononuclear cells in response to interleukin 2 (IL2)