Kom W and X Basin: Erosion, Deposition, and the Potential for Village Occupation

The twentieth-century excavations of stratified deposits at Kom W, adjacent to Lake Qarun in Fayum north shore, Egypt, led to a variety of interpretations, including the argument for the presence of a Neolithic village. This has influenced the evaluation of early to mid-Holocene occupation in Egypt. Here, we report our recent study of the erosion and deposition processes at the site and its environs in order to reassess these interpretations. Changes in the level of Lake Qarun, evidence for wind erosion, deflation, and deposition, and analyses of artifact density provide a geomorphic context for Kom W and its immediate environs. Radiocarbon determinations from surface hearths that surround the Kom are reported. From the time of its initial formation, Kom W was subject to post-depositional processes, particularly wind erosion, which have affected the site’s current form, and the preservation of features and artifact within the deposits. These changes need to be considered when deriving behavioral interpretations from the archaeological record at Kom W and in the surrounding area. The composition of deflated deposits that surround Kom W suggests that the site is not as unique as once imagined. Remains that might have allowed interpretations of a village occupation have not survived. Instead, deposits are consistent with other early to mid-Holocene occupations interpreted as locations with the use of domesticates but without villages

Lake Dynamics and Human Occupation during the Early and Mid-Holocene, Fayum Basin, Egypt

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The Effects of Holocene Landscape Changes on the Formation of the Archaeological Record in the Fayum Basin, Egypt

Geoarchaeological research was performed across an archaeological landscape along the hyperarid northern paleoshores of the modern Lake Qarun, Fayum Basin, Egypt. Objectives were to record sedimentary variability and to consider the correlation between the paleoenvironmental interpretations of these sedimentary data and the observed archaeological record dated to the early and mid-Holocene. Our approach combines hand-drilling and stratigraphic descriptions with detailed studies of sediments (grain size analysis, analyses of CaCO3, and organic matter contents), densities of stone artifacts and bones, and chronometric data from associated contexts (AMS 14C dates on charcoal from hearths). Analysis of deposits indicates initiation of lake deposition, reworking of lake deposits, and subsequent accumulation of wind-blown deposits occurred prior to the deposition of archaeological materials. Correlations between sediment and the archaeological deposits indicate a different use of areas covered by relatively coarse-grained sediment (sand) compared to areas where relatively fine-grained deposits are exposed (clay and silt). Reassessment of the associations between archaeological materials and sediments in the Fayum Basin is required to improve knowledge of the interrelationships between the Nile flood history, regional climatic changes, oscillations in levels of paleo-Lake Qarun, compared to the chronology of human occupation in the Fayum Basin

Kom W and X Basin:Erosion, Deposition, and the Potential for Village Occupation

The twentieth-century excavations of stratified deposits at Kom W, adjacent to Lake Qarun in Fayum north shore, Egypt, led to a variety of interpretations, including the argument for the presence of a Neolithic village. This has influenced the evaluation of early to mid-Holocene occupation in Egypt. Here, we report our recent study of the erosion and deposition processes at the site and its environs in order to reassess these interpretations. Changes in the level of Lake Qarun, evidence for wind erosion, deflation, and deposition, and analyses of artifact density provide a geomorphic context for Kom W and its immediate environs. Radiocarbon determinations from surface hearths that surround the Kom are reported. From the time of its initial formation, Kom W was subject to post-depositional processes, particularly wind erosion, which have affected the site’s current form, and the preservation of features and artifact within the deposits. These changes need to be considered when deriving behavioral interpretations from the archaeological record at Kom W and in the surrounding area. The composition of deflated deposits that surround Kom W suggests that the site is not as unique as once imagined. Remains that might have allowed interpretations of a village occupation have not survived. Instead, deposits are consistent with other early to mid-Holocene occupations interpreted as locations with the use of domesticates but without villages

Endotoxin tolerance does not limit mild ischemia-reperfusion injury in humans in vivo.

Contains fulltext : 80768.pdf (publisher's version ) (Closed access)Animal studies have shown that previous exposure to lipopolysaccharide (LPS) can limit ischemia-reperfusion injury. We tested whether pretreatment with LPS also protects against ischemia-reperfusion injury in humans in vivo. Fourteen volunteers received bolus injections of incremental dosages of LPS on 5 consecutive days (LPS group). Before the first and 1 day after the last LPS administration, the forearm circulation of the non-dominant arm was occluded for 10 min, with concomitant intermittent handgripping to induce transient ischemia. After reperfusion, 0.1 mg of ( 99m)Tc-labeled annexin A5 (400 MBq) was injected intravenously to detect phosphatidylserine expression as an early marker of ischemia-reperfusion injury. Similarly, the control group (n = 10) underwent the ischemic exercise twice, but without pretreatment with LPS. Annexin A5 targeting was expressed as the percentage difference in radioactivity in the thenar muscle between both hands. Endotoxin tolerance developed during 5 consecutive days of LPS administration. Annexin A5 targeting was 12.1 +/- 2.2% and 10.4 +/- 2.1% before LPS treatment at 1 h and 4 h after reperfusion, compared to 12.2 +/- 2.4% and 8.9 +/- 2.1% at 1 h and 4 h after reperfusion on day 5 (P = 1.0 and 0.6, respectively). Also, no significant changes in annexin A5 targeting were found in the control group. So, in this model, LPS-tolerance does not protect against ischemia-reperfusion injury in humans in vivo