From respect to reburial: negotiating pagan interest in prehistoric human remains in Britain, through the Avebury consultation

The recent Avebury Consultation on reburial has drawn considerable public and professional attention to the issue of pagan calls for respect towards the care of human remains. Our work has pointed to the importance of archaeologists and others engaging seriously and respectfully with pagans as significant stakeholders in our heritage. The Avebury Reburial Consultation suggests this dialogue is increasing in strength, but we identify problems in the process. We focus here on approaches to the prehistoric dead and worldviews enabling communication from which calls or ‘claims’ for the reburial of prehistoric pagan human remains, versus their retention for scientific study, are articulated; frameworks for assessing and adjudicating such ‘claims’; and implications for the interest groups concerned. We argue that room must be made for philosophical debate and the emotional and spiritual views of pagans, in order to improve dialogue, develop common ground, and enable participatory decision-making and situational pragmatism

Structural and Magnetic Properties of Trigonal Iron

First principles calculations of the electronic structure of trigonal iron were performed using density function theory. The results are used to predict lattice spacings, magnetic moments and elastic properties; these are in good agreement with experiment for both the bcc and fcc structures. We find however, that in extracting these quantities great care must be taken in interpreting numerical fits to the calculated total energies. In addition, the results for bulk iron give insight into the properties of thin iron films. Thin films grown on substrates with mismatched lattice constants often have non-cubic symmetry. If they are thicker than a few monolayers their electronic structure is similar to a bulk material with an appropriately distorted geometry, as in our trigonal calculations. We recast our bulk results in terms of an iron film grown on the (111) surface of an fcc substrate, and find the predicted strain energies and moments accurately reflect the trends for iron growth on a variety of substrates.Comment: 11 pages, RevTeX,4 tar'd,compressed, uuencoded Postscript figure

A comparison of the eating disorder service experiences of autistic and non-autistic women in the UK

Objective Qualitative studies report that autistic women have poor experiences when being treated for an eating disorder (ED) and express that ED services are not appropriately tailored to meet their needs. It is unclear whether their experience differs to other women accessing ED services. The aim of the current study was to compare autistic and non-autistic women's ED illness history and experiences in ED services. Method An online survey about ED illness history and their experience with ED treatment was completed by 46 autistic women with a restrictive ED and 110 non-autistic women with a restrictive ED. Results Despite some similarities, there were three key differences in the experiences reported by autistic and non-autistic women. First, autistic women reported a longer duration of ED and being diagnosed with an ED at a younger age than non-autistic women. Second, autistic women reported accessing a broader range of healthcare settings and ED treatments than non-autistic women when being treated for an ED. Finally, autistic women rated their experiences of inpatient care, dietetic input, and cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) as significantly less beneficial than non-autistic women when being treated for an ED. Conclusion These findings increase understanding of autistic women's ED experience and can help to shape ED services and treatments to better accommodate the needs of their autistic clients

Using statistical and artificial neural networks to predict the permeability of loosely packed granular materials

Well-known analytical equations for predicting permeability are generally reported to overestimate this important property of porous media. In this work, more robust models developed from statistical (multivariable regression) and Artificial Neural Network (ANN) methods utilised additional particle characteristics [‘fines ratio’ (x50/x10) and particle shape] that are not found in traditional analytical equations. Using data from experiments and literature, model performance analyses with average absolute error (AAE) showed error of ~40% for the analytical models (Kozeny–Carman and Happel–Brenner). This error reduces to 9% with ANN model. This work establishes superiority of the new models, using experiments and mathematical techniques

“It’s not that they don’t want to access the support… it’s the impact of the autism”: the experience of eating disorder services from the perspective of autistic women, parents and healthcare professionals

This study explores autistic women’s experiences of eating disorder services. Estimates suggest that 20%–30% of women in treatment for anorexia nervosa display diagnostic features characteristic of autism. Research suggests that autistic individuals’ needs are not being met by standard anorexia nervosa treatments. In the current study, in-depth interviews were conducted with 15 autistic women with experience of anorexia nervosa, 12 parents of autistic women with anorexia nervosa, and 11 eating disorder healthcare professionals. Using thematic analysis, three overarching themes were identified: misunderstanding autism and autistic traits, one treatment does not fit all, and improving accessibility and engagement within services. We found that there were diverse barriers facing autistic women when in treatment for anorexia nervosa, and these were accentuated by a lack of autism understanding within eating disorder services. Future research should focus on developing interventions that are tailored to the specific needs of autistic individuals with anorexia nervosa

Monopole characteristics in various Abelian gauges

Renormalization group (RG) smoothing is employed on the lattice to investigate and to compare the monopole structure of the SU(2) vacuum as seen in different gauges (maximally Abelian (MAG), Polyakov loop (PG) and Laplacian gauge (LG)). Physically relevant types of monopoles (LG and MAG) are distinguished by their behavior near the deconfining phase transition. For the LG, Abelian projection reproduces well the gauge independent monopole structure encoded in an auxiliary Higgs field. Density and localization properties of monopoles, their non-Abelian action and topological charge are studied. Results are presented confirming the Abelian dominance with respect to the non-perturbative static potential for all gauges considered.Comment: 36 pages, 12 figure

Neandertal and Denisovan DNA from Pleistocene sediments.

Although a rich record of Pleistocene human-associated archaeological assemblages exists, the scarcity of hominin fossils often impedes the understanding of which hominins occupied a site. Using targeted enrichment of mitochondrial DNA we show that cave sediments represent a rich source of ancient mammalian DNA that often includes traces of hominin DNA, even at sites and in layers where no hominin remains have been discovered. By automation-assisted screening of numerous sediment samples we detect Neandertal DNA in eight archaeological layers from four caves in Eurasia. In Denisova Cave we retrieved Denisovan DNA in a Middle Pleistocene layer near the bottom of the stratigraphy. Our work opens the possibility to detect the presence of hominin groups at sites and in areas where no skeletal remains are found