Settlement and History in Hellenistic, Roman, and Byzantine Galilee

Uzi Leibner aims to provide the most accurate picture possible of the nature and history of the rural settlement in the Lower Galilee during Hellenistic, Roman and Byzantine periods when this region played an important role in the development of both Judaism and Christianity. In an attempt to draw a historical reconstruction based on systematic data, a test case area in the »heart« of ancient Galilee was chosen for this research. Uzi Leibner used two distinct disciplines: the study of the relevant historical sources and the advanced archaeological field survey. Greek, Latin, Hebrew and Aramaic sources concerning settlements in the region were translated and discussed. Some fifty archaeological sites from the periods under discussion were identified and surveyed. The analysis of the finds enabled the author to draw a detailed portrait of settlement – including periods of construction, abandonment, prosperity and decline in each site and in the region as a whole. This book sheds new light on major historical issues such as the origins of the Galilean Jewry in the Second Temple Period, the First Jewish Revolt and its outcomes, the Jews of Galilee under Christian regime, demography, economy, continuity and decline

Effects of Transparency and Haze on Trust and Performance During a Full Motion Video Analysis Task

Automation is pervasive across all task domains, but its adoption poses unique challenges within the intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) domain. When users are unable to establish optimal levels of trust in the automation, task accuracy, speed, and automation usage suffer (Chung & Wark, 2016). Degraded visual environments (DVEs) are a particular problem in ISR; however, their specific effects on trust and task performance are still open to investigation (Narayanaswami, Gandhe, & Mehra, 2010). Research suggests that transparency of automation is necessary for users to accurately calibrate trust levels (Lyons et al., 2017). Chen et al. (2014) proposed three levels of transparency, with varying amounts of information provided to the user at each level. Transparency may reduce the negative effects of DVEs on trust and performance, but the optimal level of transparency has not been established (Nicolau & McKnight, 2006). The current study investigated the effects of varying levels of transparency and image haze on task performance and user trust in automation. A new model predicting trust from attention was also proposed. A secondary aim was to investigate the usefulness of task shedding and accuracy as measures of trust. A group of 48 undergraduates attempted to identify explosive emplacement activity within a series of full motion video (FMV) clips, aided by an automated analyst. The experimental setup was intended to replicate Level 5 automation (Sheridan & Verplank, 1978). Reliability of the automated analyst was primed to participants as 78% historical accuracy. For each clip, participants could shed their decision to an automated analyst. Higher transparency of automation predicted significantly higher accuracy, whereas hazy visual stimuli predicted significantly lower accuracy and 2.24 times greater likelihood of task shedding. Trust significantly predicted accuracy, but not task shedding. Participants were fastest in the medium transparency condition. The proposed model of attention was not supported; however, participants’ scanning behavior differed significantly between hazy and zero haze conditions. The study was limited by task complexity due to efforts to replicate real-world conditions, leading to confusion on the part of some participants. Results suggested that transparency of automation is critical, and should include purpose, process, performance, reason, algorithm, and environment information. Additional research is needed to explain task shedding behavior and to investigate the relationship between degrade visual environments, transparency of automation, and trust in automation

Correction to: Biometric technology in "no-gate border crossing solutions" under consideration of privacy, ethical, regulatory and social acceptance

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Blog and podcast watch: Pediatric emergency medicine

Introduction: By critically appraising open access, educational blogs and podcasts in emergency medicine (EM) using an objective scoring instrument, this installment of the ALiEM (Academic Life in Emergency Medicine) Blog and Podcast Watch series curated and scored relevant posts in the specific areas of pediatric EM. Methods: The Approved Instructional Resources - Professional (AIR-Pro) series is a continuously building curriculum covering a new subject area every two months. For each area, six EM chief residents identify 3-5 advanced clinical questions. Using FOAMsearch.net to search blogs and podcasts, relevant posts are scored by eight reviewers from the AIR-Pro Board, which is comprised of EM faculty and chief residents at various institutions. The scoring instrument contains five measurement outcomes based on 7-point Likert scales: recency, accuracy, educational utility, evidence based, and references. The AIR-Pro label is awarded to posts with a score of ?26 (out of 35) points. An Honorable Mention label is awarded if Board members collectively felt that the posts were valuable and the scores were \u3e 20. Results: We included a total of 41 blog posts and podcasts. Key educational pearls from the 10 high quality AIR-Pro posts and four Honorable Mentions are summarized. Conclusion: The WestJEM ALiEM Blog and Podcast Watch series is based on the AIR and AIR-Pro series, which attempts to identify high quality educational content on open-access blogs and podcasts. Until more objective quality indicators are developed for learners and educators, this series provides an expert-based, crowdsourced approach towards critically appraising educational social media content for EM clinicians. © 2016 Zaver et al

Identification and quantification of macro- and microplastics on an agricultural farmland

Abstract Microplastic contamination of aquatic ecosystems is a high priority research topic, whereas the issue on terrestrial ecosystems has been widely neglected. At the same time, terrestrial ecosystems under human influence, such as agroecosystems, are likely to be contaminated by plastic debris. However, the extent of this contamination has not been determined at present. Via Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) analysis, we quantified for the first time the macro- and microplastic contamination on an agricultural farmland in southeast Germany. We found 206 macroplastic pieces per hectare and 0.34 ± 0.36 microplastic particles per kilogram dry weight of soil. In general, polyethylene was the most common polymer type, followed by polystyrene and polypropylene. Films and fragments were the dominating categories found for microplastics, whereas predominantly films were found for macroplastics. Since we intentionally chose a study site where microplastic-containing fertilizers and agricultural plastic applications were never used, our findings report on plastic contamination on a site which only receives conventional agricultural treatment. However, the contamination is probably higher in areas where agricultural plastic applications, like greenhouses, mulch, or silage films, or plastic-containing fertilizers (sewage sludge, biowaste composts) are applied. Hence, further research on the extent of this contamination is needed with special regard to different cultivation practices