Taxonomic Tapestries: The Threads of Evolutionary, Behavioural and Conservation Research

This volume explores the complexity, diversity and interwoven nature of taxonomic pursuits within the context of explorations of humans and related species. It also pays tribute to Professor Colin Groves, whose work has had an enormous impact on this field. Recent research into that somewhat unique species we call humankind, through the theoretical and conceptual approaches afforded by the discipline of biological anthropology, is showcased. The focus is on the evolution of the human species, the behaviour of primates and other species, and how humans affect the distribution and abundance of other species through anthropogenic impact. Weaving together these three key themes, through the considerable influence of Colin Groves, provides glimpses of how changes in taxonomic theory and methodology, including our fluctuating understanding of speciation, have recrafted the way in which we view animal behaviour, human evolution and conservation studies

Taxonomic Tapestries: The Threads of Evolutionary, Behavioural and Conservation Research

This volume explores the complexity, diversity and interwoven nature of taxonomic pursuits within the context of explorations of humans and related species. It also pays tribute to Professor Colin Groves, whose work has had an enormous impact on this field. Recent research into that somewhat unique species we call humankind, through the theoretical and conceptual approaches afforded by the discipline of biological anthropology, is showcased. The focus is on the evolution of the human species, the behaviour of primates and other species, and how humans affect the distribution and abundance of other species through anthropogenic impact. Weaving together these three key themes, through the considerable influence of Colin Groves, provides glimpses of how changes in taxonomic theory and methodology, including our fluctuating understanding of speciation, have recrafted the way in which we view animal behaviour, human evolution and conservation studies

Electrostatic charge generation and buildup during contact and frictional electrification of woven textile fabrics

411-419Woven textile fabrics of cotton, polyester, nylon and polypropylene have been tested for contact and frictional electrification under similar experimental conditions. These fabrics are contacted and rubbed with steel and polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) for investigating electrostatic charge generation and dissipation properties between polymer-metal and polymer-polymer materials. Measurements have been made for the charge buildup after first initial contact/rubbing; the charge buildup during 50 contact/rubbing cycles; and the half-life discharge time. It is observed that the charge generation during rubbing and contact with steel is less than that with PTFE. It is also observed that the samples charged by rubbing decay quickly as compared to the contact charged samples. The findings indicate that with a few exceptions, the charge magnitude and polarity follow the triboelectric series

Electrostatic charge generation and buildup during contact and frictional electrification of woven textile fabrics

Woven textile fabrics of cotton, polyester, nylon and polypropylene have been tested for contact and frictional electrification under similar experimental conditions. These fabrics are contacted and rubbed with steel and polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) for investigating electrostatic charge generation and dissipation properties between polymer-metal and polymer-polymer materials. Measurements have been made for the charge buildup after first initial contact/rubbing; the charge buildup during 50 contact/rubbing cycles; and the half-life discharge time. It is observed that the charge generation during rubbing and contact with steel is less than that with PTFE. It is also observed that the samples charged by rubbing decay quickly as compared to the contact charged samples. The findings indicate that with a few exceptions, the charge magnitude and polarity follow the triboelectric series

A paleoepidemiological approach to the osteological paradox : Investigating stress, frailty and resilience through cribra orbitalia

Open Access via the Jisc Wiley Agreement Funder: British Academy (GrantNumber(s): GP2\190224)Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Hunter-gatherer specialization in the late Neolithic of southern Vietnam - The case of Rach Nui

Rach Nui is a late Neolithic settlement of hunter-gatherers in southern Vietnam. However, the site also has a series of mortared floors corresponding to a sedentary lifestyle, where the inhabitants continued to live in the same area and repaired or replaced their floors over a period of 150 years. The inhabitants relied on a mixed economy that included domesticated and gathered plants, as well as hunted and managed animals. Although, there is evidence for the consumption of domesticated rice and foxtail millet, the inhabitants were mainly hunter-gatherers who relied on their surrounding mangrove and swamp forest habitats for most of their food requirements. From the archaeobotanical work done, it appears that the domesticated cereals, rice and foxtail millet, found at the site were imported. On the other hand, sedge nutlets and parenchyma were identified in high frequencies and were probably locally sourced, suggesting that foraging and/or vegeculture played a major role in the economy of Rach Nui

Domestication and large animal interactions : Skeletal trauma in northern Vietnam during the hunter-gatherer Da but period

Funding: Grant sponsors were: Australian Research Council DP110101097; FT 120100299 awarded to MO; Institute of Advanced Study (IAS), Durham University and the COFUND 'Durham International Fellowships for Research and Enterprise' scheme. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

An application of evidential networks to threat assessment

Abstract Decision makers operating in modern defence theatres need to comprehend and reason with huge quantities of potentially uncertain and imprecise data in a timely fashion. In this paper, an automatic information fusion system is developed which aims at supporting a commander's decision making by providing a threat assessment, that is an estimate of the extent to which an enemy platform poses a threat based on evidence about its intent and capability. Threat is modelled by a network of entities and relationships between them, while the uncertainties in the relationships are represented by belief functions as defined in the theory of evidence. To support the implementation of the threat assessment functionality, an efficient valuation-based reasoning scheme, referred to as an evidential network, is developed. To reduce computational overheads, the scheme performs local computations in the network by applying an inward propagation algorithm to the underlying binary join tree. This allows the dynamic nature of the external evidence, which drives the evidential network, to be taken into account by recomputing only the affected paths in the binary join tree