Technological Change and Economy in the Epipalaeolithic: Assessing the Shift from Early to Middle Epipalaeolithic at Kharaneh IV

Epipalaeolithic hunter-gatherer communities in the Southern Levant exhibit numerous complex trends that suggest that the transition to the Neolithic was patchy and protracted. This paper explores the changing nature of occupation at the Epipalaeolithic site Kharaneh IV, Jordan, through an in-depth analysis of the lithic and faunal assemblages. Focusing on the analysis of a single deep sounding (unit AS42), we address how Kharaneh IV occupations link to the local landscape and environmental changes. As an aggregation site, Kharaneh IV represents an interesting locale to explore the changing nature of aggregation and social cohesion prior to the origins of agriculture, as well as changes in technology and subsistence between the Early and Middle Epipalaeolithic. We explore the tempo and nature of transition from one archaeological culture to the next through changes in technology and how this reflects the people making and using tools, to understand how foragers adapted to a changing landscape

Meat outside the freezer: Drying, smoking, salting and sealing meat in fat at an Epipalaeolithic megasite in eastern Jordan

Even though pivotal for understanding many aspects of human behaviour, preservation and storage of animal resources has not received great attention from archaeologists. One could argue that the main problem lies in the difficulties of demonstrating meat storage archaeologically due to the lack of direct evidence. This paper represents an attempt to refine zooarchaeological methods for the recognition of meat preservation and storage at prehistoric sites. Drawing on the faunal assemblage from Kharaneh IV, an Early/Middle Epipalaeolithic aggregation site in eastern Jordan, this study demonstrates that a combination of taphonomic and contextual analyses alongside ethnographic information may indeed lead archaeologists to insights not directly available from the archaeological record. The empirical evidence presented here contributes to the archaeological visibility of meat preservation and storage, providing a clearer concept of the nature of these practices in pre-agricultural societies

Pattern of extinction of the woolly mammoth in Beringia.

Extinction of the woolly mammoth in Beringia has long been subject to research and speculation. Here we use a new geo-referenced database of radiocarbon-dated evidence to show that mammoths were abundant in the open-habitat of Marine Isotope Stage 3 (∼45-30 ka). During the Last Glacial Maximum (∼25-20 ka), northern populations declined while those in interior Siberia increased. Northern mammoths increased after the glacial maximum, but declined at and after the Younger Dryas (∼12.9-11.5 ka). Remaining continental mammoths, now concentrated in the north, disappeared in the early Holocene with development of extensive peatlands, wet tundra, birch shrubland and coniferous forest. Long sympatry in Siberia suggests that humans may be best seen as a synergistic cofactor in that extirpation. The extinction of island populations occurred at ∼4 ka. Mammoth extinction was not due to a single cause, but followed a long trajectory in concert with changes in climate, habitat and human presence

Medication adherence in bipolar disorder: Understanding patients’ perspectives to inform intervention development

Bipolar Disorder is primarily treated with medication which can be effective in reducing relapse risk, however, treatment is complex and adherence is sub-optimal. People can face significant challenges in self-managing the condition. The aim of this thesis was to better understand patients’ perspectives of BD and its treatment. Then, to use both this knowledge and self-regulation and behaviour change theory to develop and test a novel intervention entitled Improving information for people with Bipolar Disorder (IBiD). Intervention mapping, a stepwise process was followed to develop intervention content, delivery and evaluation. A systematic review with meta-analysis (k=18) was conducted and revealed that interventions are effective in improving adherence, effects are durable and brief interventions may be more effective than longer programmes (Chapter 3). A qualitative study (Chapter 4) (n=12) revealed patients insights into the burden of illness, unmet information needs and also how to live well with BD. These findings informed the IBiD intervention, which was tested in a feasibility RCT in a sample of patients in an acute mental health setting (Chapters 5-7). The intervention can feasibly be delivered in this setting and was acceptable to patients. Aspects of the intervention and the study itself had self-reported positive outcomes, however a more targeted, longer intervention may be required to actually modify specific medication beliefs and adherence. In order to explore additional factors raised during these studies a cross-sectional study (n=57) into the associations between perceptions, adherence and involvement in treatment decisions was conducted. Experiences of involvement and preferences for this were high. Involvement was significantly associated with satisfaction with information and illness perceptions. Associations between involvement and adherence were inconsistent. The results of this research programme have important implications for both mental health services and the application of health and illness theory to mental health

Influence of carbon on intraband scattering in Mg(B1-xCx)2

We report data on the Hall coefficient (RH) of the carbon substituted Mg(B1-xCx)2 single crystals with x in the range from 0 to 0.1. The temperature dependences of RH obtained for the substituted crystals differ systematically at low temperatures, but all of them converge to the value of 1.8 x 10^-10 m^3/C at room temperature. The RH(T) data together with results of the thermoelectric power and electrical resistivity measurements are interpreted within a quasi-classical transport approach, where the presence of four different conducting sheets is considered. The main influence of the carbon substitution on the transport properties in the normal state is associated with enhanced scattering rates, rather than modified concentration of charge carriers. Presumably the carbon substitution increases the electron-impurity scattering mainly in the pi band.Comment: 16 pages, 3 figure

Sintering Effects on Microstructure and Electrical Properties of CaCu3Ti4O12 Ceramics

CCTO powders were prepared by solid state reaction and mechanochemically, respectively. Synthesized powders were characterized by XRD, FE-SEM and PSA techniques. The sinterability of CCTO powders was investigated by heating microscopy. Powders were uniaxially pressed into pellets and sintered up to 1100 °C, with heating rates of 2, 5, 10 and 20 °/min. The recorded shrinkage curves were used for choosing conventional and two step sintering (TSS) conditions. By TSS the samples were heated up to 1070 °C and after retention for 10 min cooled down to 1020 °C and kept for 20 h. The microstructure of CCTO ceramics sintered by conventional and TSS techniques was examined by FE-SEM method; the electrical properties were investigated in medium frequency (MF) range (42 Hz-5 MHz) and in the microwave (MW) range of frequencies. Electrical properties of the sintered CCTO ceramics were correlated to the samples microstructure. Finally, we have shown that appropriate choice of sintering conditions is important for preparation of high-quality CCTO ceramics with high dielectric permittivity in the kilohertz range as well as at the resonant frequency

25-Hydroxyvitamin D Threshold for the Effects of Vitamin D Supplements on Bone Density:Secondary Analysis of a Randomized Controlled Trial

Most trials of vitamin D supplementation have shown no benefits on bone density (BMD), though severe vitamin D deficiency causes osteomalacia which is associated with profound BMD deficits. Recently, the ViDA-BMD study from New Zealand demonstrated a threshold of baseline 25-hydroxyvitamin D (30 nmol/L) below which vitamin D supplementation did benefit BMD. We have now re-examined data from a similar trial in Aberdeen to determine whether a baseline 25-hydroxyvitamin D threshold of 30 nmol/L is also observed in that database. The Aberdeen study recruited 305 postmenopausal women in late winter and randomized them to receive placebo, vitamin D 400 IU/day or vitamin D 1000 IU/day over one year. As previously reported, BMD loss at the hip was reduced by vitamin D 1000 IU/day only, and there was no significant treatment effect of either dose at the lumbar spine. In the present analysis, when the trial participants were grouped according to whether their baseline 25-hydroxyvitamin D was ≤30 nmol/L or above this threshold, significant treatment effects were apparent at both the spine and hip in those with baseline 25-hydroxyvitamin D ≤30 nmol/L, but no significant effects were apparent in those with baseline 25-hydroxyvitamin D above this level. There was evidence of a similar threshold for effects on parathyroid hormone, but no groups showed changes in bone turnover markers during the study. It is concluded that vitamin D supplements only increase bone density in adults with nadir 25-hydroxyvitamin D ≤30 nmol/L. This moves us further towards a trial-based definition of vitamin D deficiency in adults with adequate calcium intakes, and suggests that supplement use should be targeted accordingly. Future trials of vitamin D supplementation should focus on individuals with 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentrations in this range

Synthesis and reductive chemistry of bimetallic and trimetallic rare-earth metallocene hydrides with (C5H4SiMe3)1− ligands

The reductive chemistry of [Cp\u272Ln(μ–H)(THF)x]y [Ln = Y, Dy, Tb; Cp\u27 = (C5H4SiMe3)1−; x = 2, 0 and y = 2, 3] was examined to determine if these hydrides would be viable precursors for 4fn5d1 Ln2+ ions that could form 5d1-5d1 metal–metal bonded complexes. The hydrides were prepared by reaction of the chlorides, [Cp\u272Ln(μ–Cl)]2, 1-Ln, with allylmagnesium chloride to form the allyl complexes, [Cp\u272Y(η3–C3H5)(THF)], 2-Ln, which were hydrogenolyzed. The solvent-free reaction of solid 2-Ln with 60 psi of H2 gas in a Fischer-Porter apparatus produced, in the Y case, the trimetallic species, [Cp\u272Y(μ–H)]3, 3-Y, and in the Dy and Tb cases, the bimetallic complexes [Cp\u272Ln(μ–H)(THF)]2, 4-Ln (Ln = Dy, Tb). The latter complexes could be converted to 3-Dy and 3-Tb by heating under vacuum. Isopiestic data indicate that 3-Y solvates to 4-Y in THF. Reductions of 4-Y, 4-Dy, and 4-Tb with KC8 in the presence of a chelate such as 2.2.2-cryptand or 18-crown-6 all gave reaction products with intense dark colors characteristic of Ln2+ ions. In the yttrium case, with either chelating agent, the dark green product gives a rhombic EPR spectrum (g1 = 2.01, g2 = 1.99, g3 = 1.98, A = 24.1 G) at 77 K. However, the only crystallographically-characterizable products obtainable from these solutions were Ln3+polyhydride anion complexes of composition, [K(chelate)]{[Cp\u272Ln(μ–H)]3(μ–H)}

The Community Ecology of Herbivore Regulation in an Agroecosystem: Lessons from Complex Systems

AbstractWhether an ecological community is controlled from above or below remains a popular framework that continues generating interesting research questions and takes on especially important meaning in agroecosystems. We describe the regulation from above of three coffee herbivores, a leaf herbivore (the green coffee scale, Coccus viridis), a seed predator (the coffee berry borer, Hypothenemus hampei), and a plant pathogen (the coffee rust disease, caused by Hemelia vastatrix) by various natural enemies, emphasizing the remarkable complexity involved. We emphasize the intersection of this classical question of ecology with the burgeoning field of complex systems, including references to chaos, critical transitions, hysteresis, basin or boundary collision, and spatial self-organization, all aimed at the applied question of pest control in the coffee agroecosystem

On the curvature of vortex moduli spaces

We use algebraic topology to investigate local curvature properties of the moduli spaces of gauged vortices on a closed Riemann surface. After computing the homotopy type of the universal cover of the moduli spaces (which are symmetric powers of the surface), we prove that, for genus g>1, the holomorphic bisectional curvature of the vortex metrics cannot always be nonnegative in the multivortex case, and this property extends to all Kaehler metrics on certain symmetric powers. Our result rules out an established and natural conjecture on the geometry of the moduli spaces.Comment: 25 pages; final version, to appear in Math.