Early Iron Age Greek copper-based technology: votive offerings from Thessaly

The thesis aims to explore metallurgical technology in Greece during the Early Iron Age (EIA). Emphasis is put on copper-based metallurgy as there is a large body of evidence in the archaeological record to support the large-scale production of copper-tin-lead alloy objects in the post-Mycenaean period and the first half of the 1st millennium BC. Such artefacts played a significant role having both utilitarian and symbolic features as they have been deposited by the thousands as votive dedications to the EIA sanctuaries such as Delphi and Olympia. Questions in regard to these objects’ mode of production, circulation, use and the circumstances of their ritual deposition, as well as of the sanctuaries’ economics and their ability to attract a significant proportion of available wealth thus arise. The assemblage of copper-based artefacts recovered at the sanctuary of Enodia in Thessaly has been selected in order to investigate EIA copper metallurgy during this period of transformation for Greek society. A sample of almost three hundred objects has been selected and investigated with the application of archaeometric quantitative and qualitative analytical methods. Meanwhile, research focused on the objects’ chemical compositions, metalworking techniques, use, and typological classification which have been brought together for an integrated interpretation of copper-based production. Specific focus has been put on the organisation and mode of production, the technological choices related to practices of alloying and metalworking of copper, as well asthe dialectic relationship between the objects’ form and intended use with their chemical and mechanical properties. Finally, results from Thessaly are brought together with published data from additional cultic and secular sites in mainland Greece in order to discuss inter-regional technological variation and affinity. Overall, the study addresses issues of the copper-based metallurgy’s integration into EIA Greek society

Forging a New World Order? Interdisciplinary Perspectives on the Management of Metalworking and Ideological Change in the Late Bronze Age Carpathian Basin

The Carpathian Basin was a highly influential centre of metalworking in the 2nd mil. BC. Nevertheless, despite the abundance of metal objects from the Late Bronze Age, the scarcity of contextually associated metalworking remains representing distinct phases of the metalworking cycle from this region is striking. Here, we explore Late Bronze Age metalworking through the lens of a uniquely complete metalworking assemblage from the site of Șagu from contexts spanning the sixteenth to early thirteenth century BC. This material provides insights into changes in craft organisation following socio-political change after the collapse of Middle Bronze Age tell-centred communities. Our approach combines analytical and experimental data together with contextual analysis of technical ceramics (crucible, mould, and furnace fragments) to reconstruct the metalworking chaîne opératoire and place Șagu in its broader cultural context. Analyses demonstrate clear technological choices in ceramic paste recipes and strong interlinkages between metallurgy and other crafts practised on site, from domestic pottery production to building structures. Experimental replications reveal important intrinsic and experiential aspects of metallurgical activities at Șagu. Evidence on the spatial organisation of metallurgical workflows (routine sequence of actions and decisions) suggests they incorporated a high degree of visibility, which marks a distinct change in the use of craft space compared to the context of densely occupied Middle Bronze Age tells nearby. Combined, our archaeometric, experimental, and contextual results illustrate how changes in metalworking activities in the Late Bronze Age Carpathian Basin were deeply embedded in an ideological shift in the aftermath of the breakdown of Middle Bronze Age tells and the emergence of new social structures

Impact of safety-related dose reductions or discontinuations on sustained virologic response in HCV-infected patients: Results from the GUARD-C Cohort

Background: Despite the introduction of direct-acting antiviral agents for chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection, peginterferon alfa/ribavirin remains relevant in many resource-constrained settings. The non-randomized GUARD-C cohort investigated baseline predictors of safety-related dose reductions or discontinuations (sr-RD) and their impact on sustained virologic response (SVR) in patients receiving peginterferon alfa/ribavirin in routine practice. Methods: A total of 3181 HCV-mono-infected treatment-naive patients were assigned to 24 or 48 weeks of peginterferon alfa/ribavirin by their physician. Patients were categorized by time-to-first sr-RD (Week 4/12). Detailed analyses of the impact of sr-RD on SVR24 (HCV RNA <50 IU/mL) were conducted in 951 Caucasian, noncirrhotic genotype (G)1 patients assigned to peginterferon alfa-2a/ribavirin for 48 weeks. The probability of SVR24 was identified by a baseline scoring system (range: 0-9 points) on which scores of 5 to 9 and <5 represent high and low probability of SVR24, respectively. Results: SVR24 rates were 46.1 % (754/1634), 77.1% (279/362), 68.0% (514/756), and 51.3% (203/396), respectively, in G1,2, 3, and 4 patients. Overall, 16.9% and 21.8% patients experienced 651 sr-RD for peginterferon alfa and ribavirin, respectively. Among Caucasian noncirrhotic G1 patients: female sex, lower body mass index, pre-existing cardiovascular/pulmonary disease, and low hematological indices were prognostic factors of sr-RD; SVR24 was lower in patients with 651 vs. no sr-RD by Week 4 (37.9% vs. 54.4%; P = 0.0046) and Week 12 (41.7% vs. 55.3%; P = 0.0016); sr-RD by Week 4/12 significantly reduced SVR24 in patients with scores <5 but not 655. Conclusions: In conclusion, sr-RD to peginterferon alfa-2a/ribavirin significantly impacts on SVR24 rates in treatment-naive G1 noncirrhotic Caucasian patients. Baseline characteristics can help select patients with a high probability of SVR24 and a low probability of sr-RD with peginter-feron alfa-2a/ribavirin

Impact of Safety-Related Dose Reductions or Discontinuations on Sustained Virologic Response in HCV-Infected Patients: Results from the GUARD-C Cohort.

BACKGROUND: Despite the introduction of direct-acting antiviral agents for chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection, peginterferon alfa/ribavirin remains relevant in many resource-constrained settings. The non-randomized GUARD-C cohort investigated baseline predictors of safety-related dose reductions or discontinuations (sr-RD) and their impact on sustained virologic response (SVR) in patients receiving peginterferon alfa/ribavirin in routine practice. METHODS: A total of 3181 HCV-mono-infected treatment-naive patients were assigned to 24 or 48 weeks of peginterferon alfa/ribavirin by their physician. Patients were categorized by time-to-first sr-RD (Week 4/12). Detailed analyses of the impact of sr-RD on SVR24 (HCV RNA <50 IU/mL) were conducted in 951 Caucasian, noncirrhotic genotype (G)1 patients assigned to peginterferon alfa-2a/ribavirin for 48 weeks. The probability of SVR24 was identified by a baseline scoring system (range: 0-9 points) on which scores of 5 to 9 and <5 represent high and low probability of SVR24, respectively. RESULTS: SVR24 rates were 46.1% (754/1634), 77.1% (279/362), 68.0% (514/756), and 51.3% (203/396), respectively, in G1, 2, 3, and 4 patients. Overall, 16.9% and 21.8% patients experienced ≥1 sr-RD for peginterferon alfa and ribavirin, respectively. Among Caucasian noncirrhotic G1 patients: female sex, lower body mass index, pre-existing cardiovascular/pulmonary disease, and low hematological indices were prognostic factors of sr-RD; SVR24 was lower in patients with ≥1 vs. no sr-RD by Week 4 (37.9% vs. 54.4%; P = 0.0046) and Week 12 (41.7% vs. 55.3%; P = 0.0016); sr-RD by Week 4/12 significantly reduced SVR24 in patients with scores <5 but not ≥5. CONCLUSIONS: In conclusion, sr-RD to peginterferon alfa-2a/ribavirin significantly impacts on SVR24 rates in treatment-naive G1 noncirrhotic Caucasian patients. Baseline characteristics can help select patients with a high probability of SVR24 and a low probability of sr-RD with peginterferon alfa-2a/ribavirin.This study was sponsored by F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd, Basel, Switzerland. Support for third-party writing assistance for this manuscript, furnished by Blair Jarvis MSc, ELS, of Health Interactions, was provided by F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd, Basel, Switzerland

Negotiating boundaries: Gender and social identities in the ottoman Christian communities; the case of divorces (1647-1923)

The aim of this study is to identify the negotiation of boundaries between the social identities of gender. This process focuses on the prevailing perceptions of the social role of the man and the woman. It attempts to identify the different reasons for seeking divorce between men and women and the integration of these differences in a social context and determine the qualitative characteristics of the gender ratio of women and men that is articulated by the invocation of divorce. This research has a historical character and focuses on the period from 1647 to 1923 and is realized within the Ottoman Orthodox Christian communities and the divorces issued by these. This study uses content analysis to examine divorces. The most significant source of data collection, for the content analysis, constituted published and unpublished Codes of Metropolises from the Ottoman Christian communities, such as the Metropolitan Codes of: Larissa:1647-1868, Mytilini:1705-1773, Veria:1825-1862, Triikalon:1828-1865, Moglenon &amp; Florinas:1901-1909. The process of divorce was a different function of the Spiritual Courts within a predetermined law. Issues, like alimony after the dissolution of marriage, dowry cases, disputes arising as a consequence of dissolution of marriage or betrothal, are listed in the Codes of the Spiritual Courts. In this study, the gender is used as a social and cultural construction. Also, it is argued that the social gender identity is formed through a process of ‘performativity’, namely, through adaptation on the dominant social ideals. © 2014 MCSER-Mediterranean Center of Social and Educational Research

Thermosensitive noncovalently bonded block copolymerlike micelles from interpolymer complexes

Interpolymer complexes between polystyrene-b-poly(2-vinylpyridine), (PS-P2VP), and poly(methacrylic acid) (PMAA), have been studied in dioxane. Dioxane is a good solvent for PS-P2VP copolymers but it is a nonsolvent for PMAA at room temperature. In this way noncovalent bonded micelles are formed after mixing the solutions of the polymers at 60°C and then allowing them to cool at room temperature. Static and dynamic light scattering as well as viscosity measurements have been used to study the dependence of aggregate mass and size as a function of the molar ratio of functional groups in PS-P2VP/PMAA mixtures, as well as temperature. Plots of apparent average molecular weight and hydrodynamic radius of the aggregates versus amine to carboxyl group ratio show a maximum at a ratio close to one. The size of the aggregates decreases at higher ratios because of the formation of more stable micelles with smaller cores. In all cases rather compact structures were formed, as evidenced by viscometry. The mass of the aggregates was found to decrease by an increase in temperature while hydrodynamic radii were increased. This was attributed to the increase of the thermodynamic quality of the solvent toward PMAA as temperature increases. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc