Determining the rheology of active lava flows from photogrammetric image sequence processing

We describe a photogrammetric approach used to determine the rheological properties of active lava flows based on stereo image sequences. Bulk rheological properties can be estimated from measurements of flow slope, velocity and dimensions and so, at flow-fronts, they can be calculated from sequential digital elevation models (DEMs) acquired as the flow advances over new ground. For useful flow parameters to be extracted, DEMs may need to be obtained at approximately minute intervals, over durations of up to multiple hours. To deliver such data, we use oblique stereo pair sequences captured by digital SLR cameras and a semi-automated DEM-generation pipeline. Although similar data could be acquired with a terrestrial laser scanner, with deployments in remote and hazardous regions the photogrammetric approach offers significant logistical advantages in terms of reduced equipment cost, bulk, weight and power requirements. We describe the application of the technique to an active lava flow on Mount Etna, Sicily, in 2006. Image sequences were acquired from two tripod-mounted cameras over a period of ~3 hours, as the flow-front advanced ~15 m. Photogrammetric control was provided by 11 targets placed in the scene, with their coordinates determined by dGPS. The cameras were synchronised by a shutter release cable and triggered by an external timer (intervalometer). Image pairs were obtained every minute with DEMs extraction carried out on every fourth epoch; 57 DEMs, with a 0.25-m resolution, were generated. We describe the challenges associated with data collection in this remote environment and the techniques required to automate the photogrammetric analysis and sequence-DEM generation

The Ertebølle zooarchaeological dataset from southern Scandinavia

Interdisciplinary archaeological research in southern Scandinavia has a very long history of practice, starting in the mid-19th Century and continuing to the present. In particular, research concerning the late Mesolithic hunter-gatherer-fisher Ertebølle culture (5400-3950 cal BC) has resulted in a large zooarchaeological dataset potentially useable in large-scale comparative, or meta-analyses. In this paper, we review this dataset, and the quantity and character of the data is described. We then address particularities of the published data that may affect comparative analyses. By focusing on fragmentation and bone condition as major influencing factors on published quantitative statistics, we demonstrate that caution is warranted in comparisons between these types of data deriving from Ertebølle assemblages. Nevertheless, we focus on the dataset as a valuable resource for understanding variability in hunter-gatherer-fisher food economies and how to best mitigate potential issues in selection and use of the data in comparative studies. We do so by discussing types of comparative analyses that are most likely to provide valuable information about the human past. Lastly, we propose a series of recommendations that should inform and ensure the comparability of future Ertebølle research, and present our review as a case study in zooarchaeological meta-analyse

Evaluating the change of consumption and culinary practices at the transition to agriculture: a multi-disciplinary approach from a Danish kitchen midden.

Due to the excellent conditions for preservation of anthropogenic materials, the introduction of domesticated fauna and flora into southern Scandinavia, ca. 3950 cal BC, has been debated for over 165 years. In order to test questions relating to the nature and timing of this cultural change, the Mesolithic-Neolithic transition, a number of archaeological and biomolecular techniques have been applied in recent decades. The carbon and nitrogen stable isotope analyses of human bone collagen is one such method that has been regularly performed. Interestingly, every study has argued for a dramatic or sudden dietary change (Tauber 1981) despite evidence to the contrary (Milner et al. 2004). However, there has not been a single study that has employed a range of techniques to materials derived from one site in order to evaluate the change of consumption and culinary practices across the Mesolithic-Neolithic transition. This thesis uses a combination of stable isotope analyses (carbon, nitrogen and sulphur) and radiocarbon dating of human bone collagen to reconstruct long-term dietary practices, and place these individuals into context. In order to provide an indication as to when the site was occupied, incremental growth line analysis of the European oyster (Ostrea edulis) was undertaken. In addition, organic residue analysis of ceramic vessels was performed to explore food consumption as well as culinary practices. Furthermore, an archaeoichthyological analysis was carried out to reconstruct the subsistence economy. This marks the first large-scale application of these methods to materials derived from one kitchen midden. Furthermore, it includes materials derived from 32 additional contemporaneous sites. The combined results demonstrate a degree of complexity: some things changed, others remained the same and there was variation both between sites and regions

Conference report : The 26th Annual Meeting of the German Mesolithic Workgroup

The 26th Annual Meeting of the German Mesolithic Workgroup took place in Wuppertal from 10-12 March 2017 and was organised and hosted by Annabell Zander (University of York) and Birgit Gehlen (CRC 806, University of Cologne). In sum, more than 70 academics, students and amateur archaeologists from 8 different countries attended this conference. The international programme consisted of 24 talks and 10 poster presentations which were held in English and German. The presentations ranged from international to regional themes concerning the Final Palaeolithic, Mesolithic and Early Neolithic

Fish and Fishing Communities: Understanding Ancient and Modern Fisheries through Archaeological Fish Remains

The papers in this special issue of the International Journal of Osteoarchaeology (IJO) were presented at the 19th biennial meeting of the Fish Remains Working Group (FRWG) of the International Council of Archaeozoology (ICAZ), which was held in Alghero and Stintino, Sardinia, Italy, from October 1–7, 2017. Entitled Fish and Fishing Communities: Understanding Ancient and Modern Fisheries through Archaeological Fish Remains, this conference brought together a diverse group of 120 scholars from 29 countries with specializations in archaeology, zoology, history, and anthropology. These fish specialists ranged from undergraduate students to emeritus professors

Association of psychological distress with smoking cessation, duration of abstinence from smoking, and use of non-combustible nicotine-containing products: A cross-sectional population survey in Great Britain

BACKGROUND: Tobacco smoking cessation is associated with improvements in mental health. This study assessed psychological distress, using the K6 non-specific screening tool ((items cover feelings of nervousness, hopelessness, restlessness, depression, ‘everything an effort’ and worthlessness), by smoking status, time since quit, and use of a non-combustible nicotine product. METHODS: Monthly repeat cross-sectional household survey of adults (18 + ) from October 2020–February 2022 in Great Britain (N = 32,727). Using unadjusted and adjusted logistic regression (adjusted models included socio-demographic characteristics and ever diagnosis with a mental health condition), we assessed: associations between any/serious past-month psychological distress and smoking status and time since quit, whether these relationships were moderated by ever diagnosis with a mental health condition, and associations between distress and use of a nicotine product by people who formerly smoked. RESULTS: In the unadjusted model, those who had not smoked for > 1y and who had never smoked had lower odds of any distress (OR = 0·42, 95 % CI 0·39-0·45; OR = 0·44, 0·41-0·47) compared with those who currently smoked. Moreover, the association of lower distress in those who had not smoked for > 1y and never smoked compared with those who currently smoked was more pronounced among those who had ever been diagnosed with a mental health condition (AOR = 0·58, 0·51-0·66; AOR = 0·60, 0·53-0·67) than among those who had not (AOR = 0·86, 0·76-0·98; AOR = 0·72, 0·65-0·81). In adjusted models of people who formerly smoked, current use of any nicotine product was associated with higher odds of distress compared with not using any nicotine product (AOR 1·23, 1·06-1·42)

Performance and milk quality of cows fed triticale silage or intercropped with oats or legumes

The use of intercropped grass legumes provides a source of sustainable animal production as these vegetables contribute to an increase in forage yield by area, and substitute inorganic nitrogen and other components. The objective of this study was to evaluate the nutritional characteristics of silages and the yield and milk quality of Holstein cows fed triticale silages in monoculture or intercropped with either oats or legumes. The crops for silage production were triticale (TS), triticale in consortium with forage pea (TSP), and triticale in consortium with oats, forage peas and vetches (TSOPV). The silages showed no differences in dry matter content. The highest crude protein (13.06 %) and ethereal extract content was observed in TSOPV, but in the case of the latter, there was little difference when compared with TS (2.35 and 2.16 %, respectively) although the ash contents of the TSOPV and TSP silages did present a difference compared to TS silage. The neutral and acid detergent fibers (NDF and ADF) and cellulose fractions of TS silage were higher (68.60, 41.46 and 38.19 %, respectively) than those in TSOPV and TSP silages, which also had higher levels of soluble nitrogen, ethanol and acetic acid. Dry matter intake was higher in both TSOPV and TSP, which also provided a higher milk yield (21.19 and 20.45 L cow d–1) compared to that of TS silage (18.74 L cow d–1). Cows fed TS also produced milk with a lower N-ureic content (15.15 mg dL–1). The inclusion of legumes with triticale provided good fermentative quality for silage and increased milk production of cows without altering their concentrations of fat and protein

The impact of farming on prehistoric culinary practices throughout Northern Europe

To investigate changes in culinary practices associated with the arrival of farming, we analysed the organic residues of over 1,000 pottery vessels from hunter-gatherer-fisher and early agricultural sites across Northern Europe from the Lower Rhine Basin to the Northeastern Baltic. Here, pottery was widely used by hunter-gatherer-fishers prior to the introduction of domesticated animals and plants. Overall, there was surprising continuity in the way that hunter-gatherer-fishers and farmers used pottery. Both aquatic products and wild plants remained prevalent, a pattern repeated consistently across the study area. We argue that the rapid adaptation of farming communities to exploit coastal and lagoonal resources facilitated their northerly expansion, and in some cases, hunting, gathering, and fishing became the most dominant subsistence strategy. Nevertheless, dairy products frequently appear in pottery associated with the earliest farming groups often mixed with wild plants and fish. Interestingly, we also find compelling evidence of dairy products in hunter-gatherer-fisher Ertebølle pottery, which predates the arrival of domesticated animals. We propose that Ertebølle hunter-gatherer-fishers frequently acquired dairy products through exchange with adjacent farming communities prior to the transition. The continuity observed in pottery use across the transition to farming contrasts with the analysis of human remains which shows substantial demographic change through ancient DNA and, in some cases, a reduction in marine consumption through stable isotope analysis. We postulate that farmers acquired the knowledge and skills they needed to succeed from local hunter-gatherer-fishers but without substantial admixture