The How of the Three Sisters: The Origins of Agriculture in Mesoamerica and the Human Niche

The origins of agriculture· in Mesoamerica have long interested archaeologists and antiquarians alike. The approaches used to understand the origins of the three sisters, maize, beans and squash, have changed over time as our understanding of the ecological context and ethnographic influences have changed. In this paper, I examine the history of the study of the origins of agriculture and assess the current evolutionary and ecological approaches to the topic. In Mesoamerica, the three sisters and humans shared a co evolutionary relationship in which humans invited the plants into the human niche and the plants thrived. Over time, the plants changed both genetically and morphologically, providing more of what humans selected for, while humans changed their behavior in order to care for the plants. Both humans and the three sisters now share a symbiotic relationship, where both the plants and the humans depend on one another

Domestication and Significance of \u3ci\u3ePersea americana\u3c/i\u3e, the Avocado, in Mesoamerica

The avocado (persea americana) is grown all over the modern world in tropical and subtropical climates for food and cosmetics (Humani 1987). In antiquity, the avocado was important to the Ancient Maya not only for food but also as a part of their mythology. Avocados were grown in sacred gardens, and important ancestors were thought to become reborn through fruit trees, including the avocado. Here, I examine the cultural context of the avocado and the issues related to understanding the domestication of the avocado and other tropical fruit trees. I discuss archaeological and molecular evidence, and offer direction for future research

Hopewell Newsletter- June 2010

1. Small Scale Geoarchaeological Investigations of Earthen Wall Construction at the Hopeton Earthworks (33RO 26) Several geoarchaeological and geophysical investigations have been conducted at the Hopeton Earthworks (33RO26) and met with good success (Figure 1). As such, soil cores excavated in the summer of 2007 were studied using a two-pronged methodology of soil profile characterization and magnetic susceptibility testing. These techniques were employed to closely examine three sections of earthen wall at different locations at Hopeton as a means of understanding the soil composition of the walls and assessing possible uniformity in wall construction across the site. The following focuses solely on the geoarchaeological study of the selected locations. 2. The Role of Geophysics at Hopewell Culture National Historical Park Hopewell Culture National Historical Park is best known for its earthwork complexes built by the Hopewell during the Middle Woodland period. The park was originally established in 1923 to preserve the Mound City site after its use as a World War I training camp. In the past two decades, the park has added four additional earthworks—Hopeton Earthworks, Hopewell Mound Group, Seip Earthworks, and High Bank Works—and recently had its boundaries increased to include Spruce Hill. The recent growth in land located within the park has provided opportunities for archaeological research, most of which used some sort of geophysical technique. 3. Recent Investigations at the Mound City Group Ohio Hopewell earthworks have been studied extensively, both in historic and in modern times. Mound excavations during historic and modern times have revealed much about the construction and use of mound space. More recent research at Hopewell sites in Ohio has focused on non-mound areas both within and adjacent to the earthworks. This article focuses on current research conducted outside of the enclosure at the Mound City Group. 4. Clues to the Relationship of the Riverbank Site (33RO1059) to other Ohio Hopewell Sites Through Instrumental Neutron Activation Analysis on Pottery Excavations were conducted at the Riverbank Site (33RO1059), located by the Hopewell Site (33RO27), in 2004 and 2006 to gather data from the site before it is eroded away by the Paint Creek and to improve understanding of the role of small sites located near large Hopewell earthworks. Instrumental Neutron Activation Analysis (INAA) was conducted on pottery from the Riverbank Site to help clarify its relationship with other nearby sites. Fifteen sherds from the site were sent to the University of Missouri Research Reactor (MURR) for INAA, and the results were compared to the larger database of Hopewell ceramics. Based on the results, which show that the fifteen sherds formed a unique trace element compositional group, the site likely represents a shortterm occupation, possibly for a pilgrimage to the Hopewell Site, and the ceramics were likely either locally constructed for use at the site or constructed elsewhere to carry items on the way to Hopewell. 5. Feature Finds from the Riverbank Site, 33RO1059 Located just south and east of the Hopewell site’s Square Enclosure by about 225 meters is the Riverbank site, 33RO1059, which represents multiple occupations spanning the Archaic through historic periods, and includes a significant Middle Woodland component. Particularly noteworthy are two impressive pit features that were encountered in 2006 during a data recovery project undertaken by the Midwest Archeological Center. These pits, Features 7 and 8, would have been contemporaneous with Hopewell activities at the nearby earthwork complex, and the material culture recovered from them provides an intriguing glimpse of activities outside of the earthwork walls. 6. The Initial Phase of the Magnetic Investigations of the Mound City Group (32RO 32) at the Hopewell Culture National Historical Park, Ross County, Ohio The Mound City Group (Site 32RO32) covers approximately 13 acres. It contained at least 23 mounds when Squier and Davis made the first study of the mound complex in 1846. In the summer of 2009, the Midwest Archeological Center conducted the initial phase of a magnetic survey of the entire site. The magnetic survey in the southern portion of the site covered 11,200 m2 or 2.77 acres. The magnetic data indicated the presence of numerous magnetic anomalies associated with the Hopewell occupation and with the World War I training facility of Camp Sherman

Incorporating Sociocultural Phenomena into Ecosystem-Service Valuation: The Importance of Critical Pluralism

Ecosystem-services scholarship has largely focused on monetary valuation and the material contributions of ecosystems to human well-being. Increasingly, research is calling for a deeper understanding of how less tangible, nonmaterial values shape management and stakeholder decisions. We propose a framework that characterizes a suite of sociocultural phenomena rooted in key social science disciplines that are currently underrepresented in the ecosystem-services literature. The results from three example studies are presented to demonstrate how the tenets of this conceptual model can be applied in practice. We consider the findings from these studies in light of three priorities for future research: (1) complexities in individual and social functioning, (2) the salience and specificity of the perceived benefits of nature, and (3) distinctions among value concepts. We also pose a series of questions to stimulate reflection on how ecosystem-services research can adopt more pluralistic viewpoints that accommodate different forms of knowledge and its acquisition

Rotation Curve Fitting Model

One key piece of evidence for dark matter is the flat rotation curve problem: the disagreement between measured galactic rotation curves and their luminous mass. A novel solution to this problem is presented here. A model of relativistic frame effects on Doppler shifts due to the slightly curved frames of an emitting galaxy and the Milky Way is derived. This model predicts observed Doppler shifted spectra (in excess of the luminous mass) based only on the observed luminous matter profile and one free model parameter. Fits to the 175 galaxies reported in the SPARC database of galactic rotation profiles and accurate photometry measurements are compared between this novel model and dark matter and MOND (RAR) models. We find on the SPARC sample of 175 galaxies; that MOND-RAR has an average reduced chisquare of $\chi^2_r = 4.22$ for 175 galaxies fitted, the isothermal dark matter model has $\chi^2_r = 1.90$ for 165 galaxies fitted, and the new model we present has $\chi^2_r = 2.39$ for 172 galaxies fitted. Implications of this model are discussed.Comment: 27 pages, 9 figure

Identification of a Blood-Based Protein Biomarker Panel for Lung Cancer Detection

Lung cancer is the deadliest cancer worldwide, mainly due to its advanced stage at the time of diagnosis. A non-invasive method for its early detection remains mandatory to improve patients’ survival. Plasma levels of 351 proteins were quantified by Liquid Chromatography-Parallel Reaction Monitoring (LC-PRM)-based mass spectrometry in 128 lung cancer patients and 93 healthy donors. Bootstrap sampling and least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) penalization were used to find the best protein combination for outcome prediction. The PanelomiX platform was used to select the optimal biomarker thresholds. The panel was validated in 48 patients and 49 healthy volunteers. A 6-protein panel clearly distinguished lung cancer from healthy individuals. The panel displayed excellent performance: area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) = 0.999, positive predictive value (PPV) = 0.992, negative predictive value (NPV) = 0.989, specificity = 0.989 and sensitivity = 0.992. The panel detected lung cancer independently of the disease stage. The 6-protein panel and other sub-combinations displayed excellent results in the validation dataset. In conclusion, we identified a blood-based 6-protein panel as a diagnostic tool in lung cancer. Used as a routine test for high- and average-risk individuals, it may complement currently adopted techniques in lung cancer screening.publishedVersio

Electronic gaming machine characteristics: it's the little things that count

A range of gamblers, from low-frequency social gamblers through to problem gamblers in treatment, participated in focus groups discussing the characteristics of Electronic Gaming Machines (EGMs) that they found attractive. Analyses of the resulting transcripts resulted in two groups of EGM characteristics being identified as important, one group associated with winning and one with betting. Overall, free spin features were identified in all groups as the most attractive characteristic of EGMS. Beyond that it was smaller win-related characteristics, and low-denomination machines with multiple playable lines that were associated with increased duration and intensity of gambling behaviour. The important characteristics were consistent across different levels of gamblers, with the key behavioural difference being a self-reported ‘expertise’, and ‘strategic’ approach to gambling amongst higher-frequency gamblers and problem gamblers in treatment. The key characteristics all occur frequently and result in more wins and extended gambling sessions. The patterns identified resonated with established behavioural principles, and with models describing the development of problem gambling and addictions more generally

An exploratory study of the impacts of gambling on affected others accessing a social service

Problem gambling affects many people beyond the problem gambler themselves. Help-seeking is relatively rare among affected others, especially those in lower socioeconomic communities. However, these affected others are sometimes in contact with other support agencies. The present research interviewed 10 people seeking support through a social agency who reported being affected by someone else’s gambling. Data from semi-structured interviews were analysed using an inductive descriptive approach to identify three themes: 1) This is ugly; 2) It affects everything; and 3) I just do it by myself. The results highlight the normality of harmful gambling across generations, the lack of any positive aspects to gambling for affected others, and the impacts on families and children. Specific gambling-related help seeking remains rare, however the opportunity to provide support, information and advice on approaches to coping to affected others as they contact social services is highlighted

SDOCT Imaging to Identify Macular Pathology in Patients Diagnosed with Diabetic Maculopathy by a Digital Photographic Retinal Screening Programme

INTRODUCTION: Diabetic macular edema (DME) is an important cause of vision loss. England has a national systematic photographic retinal screening programme to identify patients with diabetic eye disease. Grading retinal photographs according to this national protocol identifies surrogate markers for DME. We audited a care pathway using a spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SDOCT) clinic to identify macular pathology in this subset of patients. METHODS: A prospective audit was performed of patients referred from screening with mild to moderate non-proliferative diabetic retinopathy (R1) and surrogate markers for diabetic macular edema (M1) attending an SDOCT clinic. The SDOCT images were graded by an ophthalmologist as SDOCT positive, borderline or negative. SDOCT positive patients were referred to the medical retina clinic. SDOCT negative and borderline patients were further reviewed in the SDOCT clinic in 6 months. RESULTS: From a registered screening population of 17 551 patients with diabetes mellitus, 311 patients met the inclusion criteria between (March 2008 and September 2009). We analyzed images from 311 patients' SDOCT clinic episodes. There were 131 SDOCT negative and 12 borderline patients booked for revisit in the OCT clinic. Twenty-four were referred back to photographic screening for a variety of reasons. A total of 144 were referred to ophthalmology with OCT evidence of definite macular pathology requiring review by an ophthalmologist. DISCUSSION: This analysis shows that patients with diabetes, mild to moderate non-proliferative diabetic retinopathy (R1) and evidence of diabetic maculopathy on non-stereoscopic retinal photographs (M1) have a 42.1% chance of having no macular edema on SDOCT imaging as defined by standard OCT definitions of DME when graded by a retinal specialist. SDOCT imaging is a useful adjunct to colour fundus photography in screening for referable diabetic maculopathy in our screening population

Anonymous Women? A Scoping Review of the Experiences of Women in Gamblers Anonymous (GA)

Women are participating in gambling at levels approaching those of men, and although levels of disordered gambling remain lower in women than in men, significant numbers are affected. Gamblers Anonymous (GA) is a mainstay of help to problem gamblers in many countries. A scoping review was conducted which specifically addressed the experiences of women who attend GA. Within the 25 identified relevant studies, only two reported empirical data on the specific numbers of women attending. A range of barriers still remain to the participation of women in these communities. These include ‘external’ barriers such as lack of referral and signposting, lack of accessible meetings, and costs of travel; ‘internal’ barriers such as shame, stigma, and fear of disclosure; and features of the GA meetings and discourse, such as a climate which is dismissive of women’s experiences