Constructing chronologies in Viking Age Iceland: Increasing dating resolution using Bayesian approaches

yesPrecise chronologies underpin all aspects of archaeological interpretation and, in addition to improvements in scientific dating methods themselves, one of the most exciting recent developments has been the use of Bayesian statistical analysis to reinterpret existing information. Such approaches allow the integration of scientific dates, stratigraphy and typological data to provide chronologies with improved precision. Settlement period sites in Iceland offer excellent opportunities to explore this approach, as many benefit from dated tephra layers and AMS radiocarbon dates. Whilst tephrochronology is widely used and can provide excellent chronological control, this method has limitations; the time span between tephra layers can be large and they are not always present. In order to investigate the improved precision available by integrating the scientific dates with the associated archaeological stratigraphy within a Bayesian framework, this research reanalyses the dating evidence from three recent large scale excavations of key Viking Age and medieval sites in Iceland; Aðalstræti, Hofstaðir and Sveigakot. The approach provides improved chronological precision for the dating of significant events within these sites, allowing a more nuanced understanding of occupation and abandonment. It also demonstrates the potential of incorporating dated typologies into chronological models and the use of models to propose sequences of activities where stratigraphic relationships are missing. Such outcomes have considerable potential in interpreting the archaeology of Iceland and can be applied more widely to sites with similar chronological constraints.British Academy (MD120020) awarded to C. Batt. Rannís PhD funding for M.Schmid.The full text was made available at the end of the publisher's embargo

Childhood trauma may explain gains in relationship satisfaction after integrative couple therapy

Childhood trauma may affect adult romantic relationships by evoking formerly adaptive, now possibly harmful compensatory strategies in interpersonal conflicts. The present waiting-list controlled predictor-of-efficacy study explores the influence of childhood trauma on change in relationship satisfaction after intensive couple therapy (www.who.int registry identifier: NCT04830553). Fifteen couples—overall 30 individuals with comparatively diverse backgrounds—went through an initial waiting period and subsequent outpatient treatment. Each stage lasted 5 weeks. The intervention involved weekly 2-hour sessions of integrative couple therapy. Testing included the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ) as a predictor and the Couples Satisfaction Index (CSI) as a primary outcome before (T0) and immediately after the waiting period (T1) and treatment phase (T2). A repeated-measures analysis of covariance (n = 30) accounting for CSI baseline (T0) revealed a significant interaction (p = .012) between CTQ scores and change in CSI performance (T2–T1). The effect size of this interaction was large (η2 = 0.387). Higher CTQ scores (i.e., more early-life exposure to abuse or neglect) reflected greater CSI gains (i.e., more treatment benefit). As expected, no significant change in CSI performance occurred during the waiting period (T1–T0). The current work identifies severity of childhood trauma as a potential key predictor of progress in couple therapy. Clients, practitioners, and researchers alike are encouraged not to prematurely judge history of childhood trauma as an unfavorable sign for the outcome of couple therapy, but to cautiously assume a strong capacity for growth in romantic relationships for adults with early-life exposure to abuse or neglect

The archaeology of a landslide: Unravelling the Azores earthquake disaster of 1522 and its consequences

The multidisciplinary research described here shows how archaeologists can help reconstruct past seismic episodes and understand the subsequent relief operation, rehabilitation, and reconstruction processes. In October 1522, a major earthquake and landslide struck the then capital of the Azores, Vila Franca do Campo, 1500 km from the European mainland. Damage was extensive, destroying key monuments, affecting most of the inhabited area, and leaving few survivors among the early colonists. The results from twenty-six archaeological trenches, geological and geoarchaeological investigations, and documentary analysis are reviewed here. Distinctive archaeological deposits are identified and explained, using the high density of artefacts and the erosional contact between the landslide and the pre-1522 palaeosol to reconstruct the episode in detail

A new tool based on faecal stanols can distinguish specific mammalian species in modern and past environments

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The human ZC3H3 and RBM26/27 proteins are critical for PAXT-mediated nuclear RNA decay

Recruitment of the human ribonucleolytic RNA exosome to nuclear polyadenylated (pA(+)) RNA is facilitated by the Poly(A) Tail eXosome Targeting (PAXT) connection. Besides its core dimer, formed by the exosome co-factor MTR4 and the ZFC3H1 protein, the PAXT connection remains poorly defined. By characterizing nuclear pA(+)-RNA bound proteomes as well as MTR4-ZFC3H1 containing complexes in conditions favoring PAXT assembly, we here uncover three additional proteins required for PAXT function: ZC3H3, RBM26 and RBM27 along with the known PAXT-associated protein, PABPN1. The zinc-finger protein ZC3H3 interacts directly with MTR4-ZFC3H1 and loss of any of the newly identified PAXT components results in the accumulation of PAXT substrates. Collectively, our results establish new factors involved in the turnover of nuclear pA(+) RNA and suggest that these are limiting for PAXT activity