Diet and herding strategies in a changing environment: stable isotope analysis of Bronze Age and Late Antique skeletal remains from Ya'amūn, Jordan

Carbon and nitrogen stable isotope ratios of 45 human and 23 faunal bone collagen samples were measured to study human diet and the management of domestic herbivores in past Jordan, contrasting skeletal remains from the Middle and Late Bronze Age and the Late Roman and Byzantine periods from the site of Ya'amūn near Irbid. The isotope data demonstrate that the management of the sheep and goats changed over time, with the earlier animals consuming more plants from semi-arid habitats, possibly because of transhumant herding strategies. The isotope data for fish presented here are the first from archaeological contexts from the Southern Levant. Although fish of diverse provenance was available at the site, human diet was predominately based on terrestrial resources and there was little dietary variability within each time-period. Isotopic variation between humans from different time-periods can mostly be explained by ‘baseline shifts’ in the available food sources; however, it is suggested that legumes may have played a more significant role in Middle and Late Bronze Age diet than later on

Sequential analyses of bovid tooth enamel and dentine collagen (δ18O, δ13C, δ15N): new insights into animal husbandry between the Late Neolithic and the Early Bronze Age at Tana del Barletta (Ligurian Prealps)

Tana del Barletta is an upland cave used from the Late Neolithic to the Middle Bronze Age, located in the vicinity of the coast in Liguria (NW Italy). The excavation revealed the presence of a faunal assemblage dominated by caprine and cattle remains. In order to gain new data on late prehistoric farming strategies (e.g. seasonal mobility, coastal grazing, animal diet), intra-tooth series of stable oxygen and carbon isotopes have been obtained from cattle and sheep/goat tooth enamel, along with intra-tooth series of nitrogen and carbon isotopes from cattle dentine collagen. Due to the prevalence of maxillary teeth, a modern calf has also been analysed to assess intra-individual isotopic differences between the maxillary and mandibular dentition. Modern data on oxygen isotope values of meteoric water from different altitudes around the area of the site were used as a reference for interpretation. The results indicate that the water ingested by the herd was mostly characterised by particularly low δ18O values, highlighting the importance of the uplands for the late prehistoric farmers of the region. However, the input of water sourced from lower elevations, especially during the winter months, cannot be dismissed. In addition, the nitrogen isotopic composition of cattle collagen rules out the ingestion of salt-tolerant vegetation or seaweed, suggesting that grazing did not occur directly on the coastal plain

Biological histories of an elite: Skeletons from the Royal Chapel of Lugo Cathedral (NW Spain)

Direccion Xeral de Patrimonio Historico de Galicia; Xunta de Galicia, Grant/Award Numbers: ED431B 2018/20, ED 431D2017/08, ED481D 2017/014; Spanish Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovacion and Beca Leonardo a Investigadores y Creadores Culturales 2020 de la Fundacion BBVA, Grant/Award Number: PID2019-111683RJ-I00This study aims to reconstruct the biological histories of the people buried at the Royal Chapel of Lugo Cathedral, an important religious center of NW Spain, by using anthropological, geochemical, and historical perspectives. We conducted a macroscopic and radiographic study on 955 skeletal elements, a multi-isotope (δ13Ccol, δ15N, δ34Scol, δ13Cap, δ18Oap) analysis of human (n = 12) and animal (n = 4) samples, and the study of 1407 documents from the cathedral archives. There was a minimum of 15 individuals, including six subadults (<7 years), seven mature males, and one possible female. Several traumatic healed injuries, a pelvis osteochondroma, and a case of DISH have been detected. Males were enriched in 15N (up to 15.7‰, Δhumananimal avg = 5.1‰) suggesting consumption of animal protein including freshwater fish. Cathedral documents reflect fora payments in the form of rye, eggs, poultry, sheep, pigs, and eels as well as the hiring of two physicians. All individuals, except one, lived between the 14th and the early 15th centuries and show characteristics of high standard of living. Males were likely members of the cathedral—chaplains, administrators, sacristans, but not bishops—or noblemen relatives of the former according to preserved documents. Isotopic and paleopathological study suggest that they had an active and traveling life and at least one of them had connections with Central Spain. Children were local and possibly connected to the nobility. Lugo Cathedral is a prime example about the possibilities of transdisciplinary research in the identification of lifestyle in past populations.Direccion Xeral de Patrimonio Historico de GaliciaXunta de Galicia European Commission ED431B 2018/20 ED 431D2017/08 ED481D 2017/014Spanish Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovacion and Beca Leonardo a Investigadores y Creadores Culturales 2020 de la Fundacion BBVA PID2019-111683RJ-I0

The Bodies in the ‘Bog’ : A Multi-Isotope Investigation of Individual Life-Histories at an Unusual 6th/7th AD Century Group Burial from a Roman Latrine at Cramond, Scotland

Open access via springer compact agreement.Funding for the isotopic research was provided to KB and OC by the City of Edinburgh Council the Development Trust Student Fund, University of Aberdeen. The Leverhume Trust (PLP-2019-284 to KB) and the AHRC (award ref: 1775362 to OC) provided financial support during the preparation of this manuscript.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Polskie ultrasonograficzne normy objętości tarczycy dla dzieci szkolnych

Introduction: A frequency in excess of 5% of goitre in children is an approved WHO marker of iodine deficiency. As thyroid ultrasound remains the main method of thyroid volume (TV) assessment, the choice of adequate normative values is important for the proper interpretation of epidemiologic data. There is disagreement as to whether local or international normative values should be used. The aim of this study was to establish Polish local TV normative values in children aged 6&#8211;12 years. Material and methods: The study was carried out in a group of 642 children aged 6&#8211;12 years (312 girls and 330 boys) living in the Polish seaside area with a proven history of best iodine supply. Inclusion criteria were: iodine concentration in casual morning urine samples above 100 &mu;g/L, no goitre on palpation, no pathological findings on thyroid US, no history of thyroid disorders, no treatment affecting thyroid function, and written informed consent from the child&#8217;s parents. TV was measured ultrasonographically with a 7.5 MHz linear transducer. Urinary iodine concentration (UIC) was measured in urine spot samples using the Sandell-Kolthoff method. Results: Median UIC ranged according to age from 126.6 to 155.1 &mu;g/L in girls, and from 132.23 to 157.62 &mu;g/L in boys. TVs at P97 were: 3.96, 4.23, 4.33, 5.44, 6.07, 9.5, and 10.9 for girls and 3.99, 4.2, 4.79, 6.61, 7.38, 7.89, and 9.35 for boys. They were lower than the 1997 WHO normative values but higher than the 2004 reference currently adopted by the WHO. Conclusions: The obtained results may be adopted as normative TV values for Polish children. (Pol J Endocrinol 2012; 63 (2): 104&#8211;109)Wstęp: Częstość wola u dzieci szkolnych powyżej 5% jest zaakceptowanym przez WHO wskaźnikiem niedoboru jodu. Ponieważ ultrasonograficzne badanie stanowi podstawę oceny objętości tarczycy, wybór odpowiednich norm, międzynarodowych lub lokalnych, jest podstawą właściwej interpretacji danych epidemiologicznych. Celem badania było ustalenie prawidłowej wielkości tarczycy u 6&#8211;12-latków mieszkających w Polsce. Materiał i metody: Badanie przeprowadzono w grupie 642 dzieci szkolnych w wieku 6&#8211;12 lat (312 dziewcząt i 330 chłopców) zamieszkujących tereny nadmorskie o najlepszym zaopatrzeniu w jod. Kryteria włączenia obejmowały: stężenie jodu w moczu > 100 &mu;g/l, brak wola w badaniu palpacyjnym, prawidłowy wynik USG tarczycy, ujemny wywiad w kierunku chorób tarczycy, niestosowanie leczenia wpływającego na czynność tarczycy, pisemną zgodę rodziców dziecka na badania. Objętość tarczycy oceniano ultrasonograficznie, wykorzystując głowicę liniową 7,5 MHz. Stężenie jodu w moczu (UIC) mierzono metodą Sandell-Kolthoffa. Wyniki: Mediana UIC wahała się w zależności od wieku od 126,6 do 155,1 &mu;g/l u dziewczynek oraz od 132,23 do 157,62 &mu;g/l u chłopców. Dziewięćdziesiąty siódmy percentyl objętości tarczycy wynosił: 3,96, 4,23, 4,33, 5,44, 6,07, 9,5, 10,9 oraz 3,99, 4,2, 4,79, 6,61, 7,38, 7,89, 9,35 dla 6&#8211;12 letnich dziewcząt i chłopców, odpowiednio. Uzyskane wartości były niższe niż normy WHO z 1997 roku i wyższe niż zaproponowane w 2004 roku i obecnie zaakceptowane przez WHO. Wnioski: Uzyskane wyniki mogą zostać wykorzystane jako normy objętości tarczycy dla polskich dzieci szkolnych. (Endokrynol Pol 2012; 63 (2): 104&#8211;109

Generic Approach to Internationalization of Websites

Abstract There is a growing interest in international collaboration, and therefore a need for internationalized software that can be localized to various languages. Traditionally, systems to develop internationalized software use a specific database to store translations, and either manual or automatic translations of data. This paper describes GIW, a generic system that can be used to create internationalized websites. GIW is able to use any kind of database management system and is also able to handle both manual and automatic translations. These changes can be made without any modification to the architecture of the GIW system