Linear and field-independent relation between vortex core state energy and gap in Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8+d

We present a scanning tunneling spectroscopy study on quasiparticle states in vortex cores in Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8+δ. The energy of the observed vortex core states shows an approximately linear scaling with the superconducting gap in the region just outside the core. This clearly distinguishes them from conventional localized core states and is a signature of the mechanism responsible for their discrete appearance in high-temperature superconductors. The energy scaling of the vortex core states also suggests a common nature of vortex cores in Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8+δ and YBa2Cu3O7-δ. Finally, these states do not show any dependence on the applied magnetic field between 1 and 6 T

Belovode: past, present and future

The 2012 and 2013 excavations and subsequent post- excavation analyses by The Rise of Metallurgy in Eurasia project team at the site of Belovode built upon two decades of earlier work led by the National Museum of Belgrade and the Museum in Požarevac (Jacanović and Šljivar 2003; Šljivar 2006; Šljivar and Jacanović 1996b, 1996c, 1997c; Šljivar et al. 2006). This earlier work across 17 trenches had identified four building horizons (Belovode A–D), the presence of the entire Vinča culture ceramic sequence from Vinča Tordoš (A–B1) to the Gradac Phase (I–III) as well as stone tools, figurines, obsidian blades, animal bone and, most importantly for the current research, evidence for the smelting of copper ores. As detailed in Chapter 5, it was the archaeometallurgical analysis of five small copper slags from Trench 3 together with the radiocarbon dating of the excavated horizon in which they were found that provided evidence for copper smelting at c. 5000 BC (Radivojević et al. 2010a) and the foundation for The Rise of Metallurgy in Eurasia project. However, in the absence of any detailed publication on these earlier excavations at Belovode, further questions relating to broader context of the earliest evidence for copper smelting could not be explored

Balkan metallurgy in a Eurasian context

As outlined in Chapter 2, three key lines of enquiry shaped The Rise of Metallurgy in Eurasia project and underpinned the research questions. Firstly, there are competing views about whether metallurgy in Eurasia had a single origin or arose in multiple places. There are also different perspectives regarding the ways in which pre-existing technical knowledge influenced and inspired the emergence of this new technology. Further discourse relates to the manner in which this early metallurgy was organised across the chaîne opératoire of metal production and use and developed across a range of metals and alloys. Each of these three themes are fundamental to early metallurgy across the world (see papers in Roberts and Thornton 2014). These are areas of investigation with a deep history of scholarship and a wide range of competing explanatory models

Balkan metallurgy and society, 6200–3700 BC

This chapter reviews the pre-existing evidence and interpretations for early mineral use and metallurgy in the Balkans from the earliest use of copper minerals at c. 6200 BC (Late Mesolithic-Early Neolithic) to c. 3700 BC (end of the Chalcolithic). It presents the empirical and intellectual foundations upon which the data, analyses and interpretations of The Rise of Metallurgy in Eurasia project builds. The early metallurgy in this region encompasses the production, distribution and consumption of copper, gold, bronze, lead and silver, all being either pure metals or a natural alloy (tin bronze)1. The chapter initially defines the geographical and temporal scope under consideration before evaluating the archaeological and metallurgical evidence in relation to: mineral exploitation; mining; smelting, metals and metal artefacts; and metal circulation. Following each of these sub-sections is a summary of how The Rise of Metallurgy in Eurasia project oughtto contribute to this aspect of metallurgical activity, setting this in relation to the project’s six research questions as presented in Chapter 2. The chapter concludes by highlighting the dominant interpretative narratives relating to early metallurgy, metallurgists and societies in the Balkans that The Rise of Metallurgy in Eurasia project will evaluate, against all the available and relevant archaeological and metallurgical data

Belovode excavation results

The Neolithic–Chalcolithic site of Belovode covers approximately 40 ha (Figure 1). In the two fieldwork campaigns of 2012 and 2013, only 31.5 m2 was excavated due to the archaeometallurgical focus of the project. The trench was positioned on the eastern platform of the settlement, where previous excavations had uncovered significant metallurgical evidence in Trenches 3 (Šljivar and Jacanović 1997c, Radivojević et al. 2010a) and 17, which are located to the north and the south of Trench 18 respectively. A 5 x 5 m area was opened in the 2012 season and then, based on the preliminary spatial analysis of metallurgical finds, in 2013 the trench was slightly expanded with a 2 x 3 m extension on the eastern side

The Vinča culture: an overview

This chapter reviews the archaeological evidence for the Vinča culture, the broader archaeological context for the majority of the metal production and metal artefacts extensively explored in Chapter 3, as well as for the sites of Belovode and Pločnik, whose investigation forms the core of The Rise of Metallurgy in Eurasia project. The chapter will provide a lengthy introduction to the current data and interpretations of the Vinča culture that are subsequently developed in far greater detail in the thematic overviews by many of the leading specialists in later chapters (Chapters 39–52). This monograph seeks to address, at least in part, the absence of a dedicated synthesis of the Vinča culture since Chapman’s (1981) monograph (see Chapman 2020b for a critical reflection). The concept of archaeological cultures remains problematic in European prehistory in terms of definition and interpretation, yet extremely resilient in the absence of comparable empirically orientated alternatives (Roberts and Vander Linden 2011). Due to competing national traditions of scholarship, the culture history groupings and terminologies are strikingly complex in the later prehistoric Balkans (Gori and Ivanova 2017; Tsirtsoni 2016a). As such, the chapter explores the historiography and complex debates that surround the archaeological and temporal definitions of the Vinča culture. The importance of the Vinča culture lies not only in the evidence of early metallurgy but also in the evidence for the expansion of material culture production and circulation, the intensification of agriculture and increase in sedentism and settlement growth, which are all subsequently reviewed. The chapter concludes by examining past and present interpretations of the communities who lived and died within what we now term the Vinča culture

Liver Transplantation in Adults

Human liver transplantation has been possible since 1967. We report our experience in 32 adult patients who received liver transplants at the University of Pittsburgh over a 16‐month period. Survival data, method utilized for patient selection, costs, and morbidity of the procedure are discussed. Copyright © 1982 American Association for the Study of Liver Disease

Allozyme and mitochondrial DNA variability within the New Zealand damselfly genera Xanthocnemis, Austrolestes, and Ischnura (Odonata)

We collected larval damselflies from 17 sites in the North, South and Chatham Islands, and tested the hypotheses that: (1) genetic markers (e.g., allozymes, mtDNA) would successfully ¬discriminate taxa; and (2) the dispersal capabilities of adult damselflies would limit differentiation among locations. Four species from three genera were identified based on available taxonomic keys. Using 11 allozyme loci and the mitochondrial cytochrome c-oxidase subunit I (COI) gene, we confirmed that all taxa were clearly discernible. We found evidence for low to moderate differentiation among locations based on allozyme (mean FST = 0.09) and sequence (COI) divergence (<0.034). No obvious patterns with respect to geographic location were detected, although slight differences were found between New Zealand’s main islands (North Island, South Island) and the Chatham Islands for A. colensonis (sequence divergence 0.030–0.034). We also found limited intraspecific genetic variability based on allozyme data (Hexp < 0.06 in all cases). We conclude that levels of gene flow/dispersal on the main islands may have been sufficient to maintain the observed homogeneous population structure, and that genetic techniques, particularly the COI gene locus, will be a useful aid in future identifications

Effort estimation of FLOSS projects: A study of the Linux kernel

This is the post-print version of the Article. The official published version can be accessed from the link below - Copyright @ 2011 SpringerEmpirical research on Free/Libre/Open Source Software (FLOSS) has shown that developers tend to cluster around two main roles: “core” contributors differ from “peripheral” developers in terms of a larger number of responsibilities and a higher productivity pattern. A further, cross-cutting characterization of developers could be achieved by associating developers with “time slots”, and different patterns of activity and effort could be associated to such slots. Such analysis, if replicated, could be used not only to compare different FLOSS communities, and to evaluate their stability and maturity, but also to determine within projects, how the effort is distributed in a given period, and to estimate future needs with respect to key points in the software life-cycle (e.g., major releases). This study analyses the activity patterns within the Linux kernel project, at first focusing on the overall distribution of effort and activity within weeks and days; then, dividing each day into three 8-hour time slots, and focusing on effort and activity around major releases. Such analyses have the objective of evaluating effort, productivity and types of activity globally and around major releases. They enable a comparison of these releases and patterns of effort and activities with traditional software products and processes, and in turn, the identification of company-driven projects (i.e., working mainly during office hours) among FLOSS endeavors. The results of this research show that, overall, the effort within the Linux kernel community is constant (albeit at different levels) throughout the week, signalling the need of updated estimation models, different from those used in traditional 9am–5pm, Monday to Friday commercial companies. It also becomes evident that the activity before a release is vastly different from after a release, and that the changes show an increase in code complexity in specific time slots (notably in the late night hours), which will later require additional maintenance efforts