Analysis of experimental bone tools from Swartkrans Cave, South Africa

Early Pleistocene deposits from Swartkrans Cave, South Africa, yield the remains of Paranthropus robustus and ungulate bone fragments that were manipulated through short-term use. An experimental tool set (n=30) modeled after those from Swartkrans Cave was created using fresh ungulate long bones to demonstrate wear caused by extracting termites, tubers, or both resources, and molded after 30, 60, 90 and 120 minutes of use. Scratch length, breadth, and angle were recorded for all scratches \u3c 80 µm in breadth. The highest standard deviation of scratch angle is seen in the tools used to dig both termites and tubers, whereas the lowest standard deviation is seen in the tools used for digging only termites. Statistical comparison of these results with original bone tool data from Swartkrans suggests that P. robustus, utilized the bone tools for termite harvesting. These results have implications for reconstructing the diet of early hominins in southern Africa

Elegies for Cello and Piano by Bridge, Britten and Delius: A Study of Traditions and Influences

In the western classical tradition, the violoncello has developed a reputation for its soulful, vocal qualities. Because of this distinction, many composers have written elegiac works for the cello. This document comprises studies of three twentieth-century British elegies for cello and piano, each explored against a backdrop of poetic, societal and musical influences. The results reveal several common tropes of mourning, both musical and extra-musical, which can be applied to further studies of musical works

Beef and Dairy Substitution Effects Associated with Carbon Labeling and an Information Intervention

Understanding consumer perceptions of carbon emissions in agriculture is a critical step to help increase the sustainability of food consumption. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, 14.5 percent of all global anthropogenic GHG emissions are estimated to be represented by livestock (FAO), and cattle, raised for beef and milk, are the largest animal species responsible for emissions, comprising over 60 percent of the livestock sector’s emissions. This motivates this study’s analysis of beef and dairy milk products and alternatives. To better understand how consumers may substitute meat and milk products when provided with information about carbon emissions, two online surveys, one meat and one milk, were distributed to 1,240 U.S. meat consumers and 1,217 milk consumers. The objective of this study is to answer the questions: 1) does a food label that provides estimates of carbon emissions cause substitution effects across products within the categories of meat and milk, and 2) does an information intervention about carbon emissions associated with agricultural production nudge consumers to make carbon-reducing food choices. The study also aims to discover which GHG-reducing mechanisms consumers perceive as most effective and least effective in agriculture. The results of this study are important for producers, consumers, policymakers, and other agriculturalists paving the way towards a more sustainable future so that agriculture can evolve to feed a growing global population. Findings reveal that a carbon label does cause substitution effects across provided meat and milk products and that the information intervention has less effect. Furthermore, respondents favored “carrot” GHG-reducing mechanisms - corporate incentive and government subsidy - more than “stick” mechanisms of corporate regulation and government tax. Ultimately, this study contributes to a deepened understanding of consumer preferences for beef and dairy and substitutes in the meat and milk categories (including plant-based options)

Beef and Dairy Substitution Effects Associated with Carbon Labeling and an Information Intervention

Understanding consumer perceptions of carbon emissions in agriculture is a critical step to help increase the sustainability of food consumption. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, 14.5 percent of all global anthropogenic GHG emissions are estimated to be represented by livestock (FAO), and cattle, raised for beef and milk, are the largest animal species responsible for emissions, comprising over 60 percent of the livestock sector’s emissions. This motivates this study’s analysis of beef and dairy milk products and alternatives. To better understand how consumers may substitute meat and milk products when provided with information about carbon emissions, two online surveys, one meat and one milk, were distributed to 1,240 U.S. meat consumers and 1,217 milk consumers. The objective of this study is to answer the questions: 1) does a food label that provides estimates of carbon emissions cause substitution effects across products within the categories of meat and milk, and 2) does an information intervention about carbon emissions associated with agricultural production nudge consumers to make carbon-reducing food choices. The study also aims to discover which GHG-reducing mechanisms consumers perceive as most effective and least effective in agriculture. The results of this study are important for producers, consumers, policymakers, and other agriculturalists paving the way towards a more sustainable future so that agriculture can evolve to feed a growing global population. Findings reveal that a carbon label does cause substitution effects across provided meat and milk products and that the information intervention has less effect. Furthermore, respondents favored “carrot” GHG-reducing mechanisms - corporate incentive and government subsidy - more than “stick” mechanisms of corporate regulation and government tax. Ultimately, this study contributes to a deepened understanding of consumer preferences for beef and dairy and substitutes in the meat and milk categories (including plant-based options)

Determinants of Female Bargaining Power in Northern Mozambican Households

Melinda Gates stated, “If you search for poverty, you will find women who don’t have power. If you explore prosperity, you will find women who do have power and use it.” Throughout Sub-Saharan Africa, women are expected to perform disproportional amounts of labor but are often ignored in household decision-making regarding social and economic matters. The United Nations Development Program (UNDP) states that women in Mozambique are highly disadvantaged, relative to men, due to low levels of education, maternal health risks, restricted economic prospects, and cultural norms. This study aims to better understand the causes of female empowerment in Northern Mozambique via a survey which was administered to 58 households in Nampula, Mozambique in 2019. The survey enumerator requested to interview the husband and wife separately regarding a series of social and economic household decision-making questions. Answers where only the husband had a say in a decision were given a zero, and those where the wife/both were given a one. Each participant was given a “decision-making score”, where zero represented no equality for women and seven represented full household decision-making equality. These total scores were regressed on variables the literature had identified as contributing to female empowerment in Africa. The study found that waiting to get married at an older age resulted in more economic bargaining power for women vis-à-vis their husbands, and women with secondary education possessed significantly greater bargaining power. Equality within households is heterogenous, and understanding its determinants may allow for future development to enhance equality and promote economic and societal growth

An Examination Of Trust In Contemporary American Society

It is hard to imagine a society functioning in the absence of trust. From the smallest incident—crossing the street when the light is green—to the most consequential events—a government fulfilling its pledge to pay Social Security—individuals must be able to rely on individuals and institutions to behave in a reliable and trustworthy manner. When trust is absent, chaos ensues. Of course, trust should not be given blindly; authentic trust needs to be earned and renewed (Fukuyama, 1995; Putnam, 2000)

Galaxy Morphology from NICMOS Parallel Imaging

We present high resolution NICMOS images of random fields obtained in parallel to other HST observations. We present galaxy number counts reaching H=24. The H-band galaxy counts show good agreement with the deepest I- and K-band counts obtained from ground-based data. We present the distribution of galaxies with morphological type to H<23. We find relatively fewer irregular galaxies compared to an I-band sample from the Hubble Deep Field, which we attribute to their blue color, rather than to morphological K-corrections. We conclude that the irregulars are intrinsically faint blue galaxies at z<1.Comment: 13 pages, including 4 figures. Accepted for publication in ApJ Letter