A Survey in the Park: methodological and practical problems associated with geophysical investigation in a late Victorian municipal park

The survey of Pudsey Park in West Yorkshire is the first of its kind; the park is a late Victorian municipal park that has continued to evolve over the last 120 years. The park fills a 2.8 hectare site in the middle of the town centre and represents one part of the massive expansion of many Northern England towns during the Industrial Revolution. The newfound wealth from the textile industry helped fund the acquisition of a site and its development to improve the health and morals of the work..

Multi-sensor platforms for the geophysical evaluation of sensitive archaeological landscapes. Evaluation of and improvement of the MSP40 mobile sensor device for rapid multi-technique and low impact measurements on archaeological sites with vulnerable soil.

Mobile platforms for archaeological purposes have increased in use over the last 20 years with many of the developments coming from Continental Europe. Mobile platform developments have mainly focused on one type of instrumentation, offering multiple sensors, depths of detection or frequencies. This development of mobile platforms has focused on data acquisition rates but has not considered the physical impact on the soil. The Geoscan Research Mobile Sensor Platform (MSP40) was intended to improve survey efficiency and remain a lightweight system. The platform can collect two earth resistance configurations that show directional variation of the current flow through soil. Additional sensors were integrated on to the square frame of the hand-pulled cart to record simultaneous fluxgate gradiometer data and a microtopographic surveys. Ground based geophysical investigation will always have a physical impact on a site. The MSP40 is no exception but careful selection of wheel types and the lightweight frame limit the damage compared to many mobile arrays. The MSP40 has been tested on a number of different soils at various times of the year with encouraging results; however issues with overcoming the contact resistance of electrodes remain. The continuous collection rate and combination of techniques means a slight drop in data quality is inevitable. However the increased data density, multiple-sensors and improved rate of collection offset reductions in data quality. The research has shown that the MSP40 can perform low impact rapid site assessments on ¿vulnerable¿ sites, whilst maximising the information gained from a single traverse.AHRC, Geoscan Researc

Cultural Resources Survey for the Oncor Cogdell - Clairemont 138 kV Transmission Line Project, Kent and Scurry Counties, Texas

Oncor Electric Delivery Company, LLC (Oncor) and Brazos Electric Power Cooperative propose to construct a new, singlecircuit 138 kilovolt (kV) transmission line (Project) between the existing Oncor Cogdell substation located in Scurry County, approximately 15 miles northeast of Snyder, Texas, east of Farm-to-Market (FM) 1231, and the existing Brazos Electric Clairemont substation located in Kent County, approximately seven miles northwest of Clairemont, Texas. The proposed transmission line would be constructed with one circuit of 138 kV transmission line supported by double circuit 138 kV steel or concrete monopole structures within a 70-foot (ft) right-of-way (ROW). AECOM Technical Services, Inc. (AECOM) conducted a 100 percent pedestrian archaeological survey of the Project ROW for the portion of the Project from the Cogdell substation to the Project midpoint, which covers approximately 14.4 miles (including various potential reroutes). The survey was conducted from October 8 to 13, 2019, requiring 156 person hours in the field. The investigations reported herein were conducted in accordance with Oncor’s Generic Research Design for Archaeological Surveys of Oncor Electric Delivery Electric Transmission Line Projects in Texas (PBS&J 2008). The survey resulted in the identification and recording of a historic windmill and cistern site (41SC76), two prehistoric lithic scatters (41KT176 and 41KT177), and nine isolated finds (IFs 1 through 9). In addition, two flakes from one previously recorded site (41KT107) were found within the Project ROW. Based upon poor integrity contexts of these sites, the lack of any known associations with significant historic events and/or persons, and because the sites are not likely to yield information important to prehistory or history, each of these sites and the IFs are recommended as not eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP). Furthermore, these sites do not merit designation as State Antiquities Landmarks (SALs). A single historic-age ranch complex was identified 240 feet north of the Project ROW. The ranch complex with associated agricultural outbuildings was built ca. 1930. The complex contains one single-family domestic dwelling and five outbuildings of various sizes. The resource retains some aspects of integrity, but they are unremarkable examples of a common dwelling and outbuildings. The resources do not convey association with significant historical events or a significant pattern of development. The buildings do not appear to be associated with significant persons in history and lack architectural design merit. Furthermore, the resources are not likely to yield information important to history or prehistory of the area. Therefore, the ranch complex and associated outbuildings are recommended as not eligible for listing in the NRHP. A geomorphological evaluation of the project area revealed that the Project ROW does not exhibit the pedologic and geomorphic conditions necessary for the deep burial and preservation of cultural deposits. Therefore, no geoarchaeological monitoring of transmission pole emplacement is recommended. Based on the results of the survey, the development, construction, and operation of the proposed Project should have No Effect on historic properties or SALs. It is recommended that construction can proceed without further cultural resources investigations. However, should the dimensions of the Project change, additional investigations may be required. If any unmarked prehistoric or historic human remains or burials are encountered at any point, the area of the remains is considered a cemetery under current Texas law and is protected. Section 28.03(f) of the Texas Penal Code provides that intentional damage or destruction inflicted on a human burial site is a state jail felony. If a cemetery is identified in the Project ROW, all work in the area of the discovery must cease and the THC must be notified by contacting the History Programs Division at (512) 463-5853 and the Archeology Division at (512) 463-6096. Following consultation with the THC, a treatment or avoidance plan would be developed and implemented. No artifacts were collected during the survey. All correspondence, field records, and photographs generated during field investigations will be prepared for permanent curation at Texas Archeological Research Laboratory (TARL), Austin, Texas

The square array revisited: a lightweight multisensor platform for vulnerable soil environments

The square array was initially tested in the UK during the 1960s by Anthony Clark. However, since the development of the twin probe system, the square array has been seldom used in the UK, although greater use has been reported elsewhere, especially in France (Panissod et al., 1998). In the last few years, re-investigation of the square array’s potential in an archaeological context has reignited interest and led to the development of a hand-pulled cart system by Dr. Roger Walker (Geoscan Res..

Cultural Resources Investigations for the Oncor Permian Basin – Culberson 138 kV Transmission Line Project, Culberson, Reeves, and Ward Counties, Texas

URS Corporation (URS) was retained by Oncor Electric Delivery Company, LLC (Oncor) to conduct an intensive cultural resources survey of the new Permian Basin - Culberson 138 kilovolt (kV) Double-Circuit Transmission Line Project (Project) right-of-way (ROW) located in Culberson, Reeves, and Ward Counties, Texas. The proposed 70-foot (ft) (21-meter [m]) wide Project ROW encompasses approximately 825 acres and traverses a total of approximately 97 miles of rural lands between the existing Oncor Permian Basin Switching Station, located approximately four miles west of Monahans, Texas in Ward County, to the existing Oncor Culberson Switching Station, located approximately 17 miles south of the Texas/New Mexico state line in Culberson County. This includes 88.7 miles of the original route, along with 8.3 miles of additional segments that were evaluated. Currently, the Project is not subject to federal funding or permitting; therefore, no review under Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, as amended, is required. Should the Project subsequently become subject to federal funding or permitting, the cultural resources investigations and site evaluations reported herein will be updated and coordinated with the Texas Historical Commission (THC) as part of fulfilling any Section 106 requirements that may arise at a later date. While the majority of the Project is located on private land, an approximately 6-mile long segment of the Project ROW traverses lands owned by University Lands (UL), which is a political subdivision of the State of Texas. Consequently, this portion of the project falls within the purview of the Antiquities Code of Texas, which requires the THC to review actions that have the potential to disturb prehistoric or historic sites in the public domain. In order to comply with the Antiquities Code, Antiquities Permit No. 7848 was obtained from the THC for the UL-owned lands, and the survey methods for this portion of the Project followed the THC’s archaeological survey standards for Texas. For the remaining areas of the Project, all cultural resources investigations were carried out in conformance with the methodologies outlined in the THC-approved Generic Research Design for Archaeological Surveys of Oncor Electric Delivery Electric Transmission Line Projects in Texas (PBS&J 2008). The cultural resources survey was conducted between December 7, 2015 and May 5, 2016, and consisted of an intensive 100 percent pedestrian survey and shovel testing within the Project ROW. The survey resulted in the identification of 16 newly-recorded sites and one previously recorded site (41WR85). Site forms were completed for each of the 16 newly identified archaeological sites, and trinomials were obtained from the Texas Archeological Research Laboratory. In addition, 16 isolated finds (IFs) were identified; however no site forms were prepared for IFs. All sites within the Project ROW were located in areas of eroded and/or mixed soils, lacked diagnostic artifacts, and were found to exhibit poor integrity context due to prior disturbances. Based on these observations, the portions of these sites within the Project ROW do not meet National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) and State Antiquities Landmark (SAL) eligibility requirements. However, because each of these sites appears to extend beyond the current Project ROW boundary, they have not been evaluated in their entirety and their overall NRHP and SAL eligibility is recommended to be Undetermined. Due to a lack of research potential and integrity, all IFs are recommended as not eligible for NRHP or SAL designation. During the survey, a small bedrock cavity was observed at site 41CU835. Due to safety concerns about the surrounding ground stability, this feature could not be fully investigated. The ground immediate adjacent to the cavity, as well as the upper two feet of the cavity, did not present any indications that it was culturally related, or that the cavity extended much deeper. The entirety of the observed cavity appeared to be too narrow to have served as an effective place of interment. However, based on survey level data, the cultural utilization of this feature could not be entirely ruled out. It was recommended that construction activities avoid this cavity and that site monitoring during construction be conducted, until such time as any cultural association is definitively ruled out, or until it can be confirmed that no construction impacts to the cavity would take place. A geomorphological assessment revealed that selected areas within the Project ROW potentially exhibit the necessary pedologic and geomorphic conditions for the deep burial and preservation of cultural deposits. These areas represent a combined total of 15.5 linear miles (25 kilometers) of Project ROW. In accordance with the Generic Research Design, monitoring was recommended for any transmission pole excavations in the areas that were assessed as exhibiting high geoarchaeological potential. An interim draft report of the foregoing recommendations was submitted to the THC on April 27, 2017. On May 26, 2017, the THC concurred with all interim report recommendations. During preparations for the monitoring effort, URS was notified by Oncor that a majority of the Project had already been constructed, including those areas recommended for monitoring. The only location that had not yet been constructed was the bedrock cavity at site 41CU835. On May 24, 2017, a meeting between Oncor, URS, and the THC resulted in an agreement that monitoring should be undertaken during construction activities near the bedrock cavity at site 41CU835. In addition, it was agreed that spot-checks would be performed within a subset of the previously constructed structures within high geoarchaeological probability areas, including portions of the Project owned by UL. Following completion of these tasks, it was agreed that a comprehensive revised draft report of investigations and findings (current report) would be submitted to the THC for review and project closure. Subsequent investigations at the bedrock cavity at 41CU835 were carried out from July 10-11, 2017. During the site visit, it was established that the cavity is located approximately 30 m to the southeast of the proposed location of monopole structure No. 56/3. Following additional inspections, it was possible to rule out any prehistoric use of this natural feature. The immediate area around the cavity was taped off for safety reasons so that other related construction activities would not adversely impact the cavity or surrounding area. On July 11, 2017, monitoring was carried out for the excavation of monopole structure no. 56/3. Soil stratigraphy was recorded for the total depth of the excavation, which was 20 ft. No cultural materials were identified From August 12-13, 2017, URS archaeologists performed spot-checks for 99 monopoles, including 53 structures within the Project ROW extending approximately 10 kilometers (km) west of the Pecos River in Reeves County; 22 structures within the Project ROW extending approximately 4 km east of the Pecos River in Ward County; and 24 structures within the Project ROW extending approximately 4.5 km across Monument Draw within UL in Ward County. Spot-checking included visual inspection and photo documentation of disturbances, as well as ground surface inspection to identify cultural resources. The Project ROW around each monopole exhibited construction related disturbances from equipment access roads and from drilling operations. No evidence was found that indicated any deeply buried cultural resource sites were impacted from auguring. Within the intervening areas between monopoles, however, a total of two previously unrecorded, low-density historic surface scatters (41RV128 and 41RV129) and three new IFs (H-07, H08, and P-28) were identified and recorded. Both sites were found to exhibit poor integrity due to prior disturbances, and low research potential due to minimal information potential. The portions of these sites within the Project ROW were not found to meet NRHP and SAL eligibility requirements. However, because each of these sites appears to extend beyond of the current Project ROW boundary, they have not been evaluated in their entirety and their overall NRHP and SAL eligibility is recommended to be Undetermined. The three new IFs are recommended as not eligible for NRHP or SAL designation. Based on the final results of the survey, monitoring, and spot-checking investigations, no cultural resources sites eligible for listing in the NRHP or that merit SAL designation within the Project ROW will be affected by the Project, and it is recommended that the project be allowed to proceed. Should the dimensions of the Project ROW change, additional archaeological investigations may be warranted. Should any unmarked prehistoric or historic human remains or burials be encountered at any point during the project, the area of the remains is considered a cemetery under current Texas law. All cemeteries are protected under State law and cannot be disturbed. Section 28.03(f) of the Texas Penal Code provides that intentional damage or destruction inflicted on a human burial site is a state jail felony. If a cemetery is identified in the Project ROW, all work in the immediate area of the discovery must cease and the THC must be notified by contacting the History Programs Division at (512) 463-5853 and the Archeology Division at (512) 463-6096. Following consultation with the THC, a treatment or avoidance plan would be developed and implemented. No artifacts were collected during the survey. Pursuant to 13 TAC 26.17, correspondence, field records, and photographs generated during field investigations have been prepared for permanent curation at the Texas Archeological Research Laboratory, Austin, Texas

Quality of life and psychosocial wellbeing in youth with neuromuscular disorders who are wheelchair Users: A systematic review

Objective: To investigate quality of life (QoL) and psychosocial wellbeing in youth with Neuromuscular Disorders (NMD) who are wheelchair users. Data Sources: Medline, Embase, CINAHL and PsycINFO (January 2004 to April 2016) and reference lists of retrieved full-text papers. Study Selection: Peer-reviewed studies were included when data describing self-reported QoL and psychosocial wellbeing could be separately understood for those using wheelchairs and aged 12-22 years old. 2058 records were independently screened and potentially eligible papers were obtained and examined by all reviewers. Twelve observational and three qualitative studies met the inclusion criteria. Data Extraction: Population representativeness, measurement tools and outcomes, where possible with comparison groups. Two reviewers independently appraised studies for risk of bias to internal validity and generalisability. Data Synthesis: Heterogeneity of measurement and reporting precluded meta-analysis. Data were cross-sectional only. Compared to same age typically developing peers, physical QoL was scored consistently and significantly lower in youth with NMD, whilst psychosocial QoL was not. Psychosocial QoL was highest in youth non-ambulant since early childhood and in those recruited via single tertiary specialist clinics. Mental health and social participation could not be compared to same age populations. Conclusions: Despite low physical QoL, psychosocial QoL in youth with NMD appeared comparable to same age peers. The psychosocial wellbeing of younger adolescents on degenerative disease trajectories appeared most compromised, though the longitudinal impacts of growing up with NMD on mental health and social participation are unknown. Interpretation was hampered by poor description of participant age, gender and physical ability, lack of population based recruitment strategies and inconsistent use of age appropriate measures. Understanding of self-reported QoL and psychosocial wellbeing in youth with NMD transitioning to adulthood is limited

When the time is right: the impact of weather variations on the contrast in earth resistance data

The successful detection of archaeological features through electrical methods of survey requires a contrast in electrical conductivity between these features and their surrounding soil matrix. Several studies have attempted to identify the 'right time' to do earth resistance surveys, but with limited success. Practitioners need a simple method of using widely available precipitation data for the forecasting of good electrical contrast in archaeological and electrical surveys. By applying a simplified soil and moisture model to seasonal survey series in different years and at different sites, we show how an index formed from the last 15 days of precipitation and its monthly average can be used as a predictor for contrast in many archaeological situations

The square array revisited : a lightweight multisensor platform form vulnerable soil environments.

noThe square array was initially tested in the UK during the 1960s by Anthony Clark. However, since the development of the twin probe system, the square array has been seldom used in the UK, although greater use has been reported elsewhere, especially in France (Panissod et al., 1998). In the last few years, re-investigation of the square array¿s potential in an archaeological context has reignited interest and led to the development of a hand-pulled cart system by Dr. Roger Walker (Geoscan Research). This cart system incorporates earth resistance and gradiometer instruments to allow simultaneous surveys with a lightweight device. The main objective of the project is to test the application of the MSP40 on a variety of sites and to encourage the use of appropriate geophysical survey equipment to minimize the impact and therefore protect even the most vulnerable of archaeological sites

High Royds: an integrated, analytical approach for mapping the unmarked burials of a pauper cemetery

Applying geophysical techniques to detect and map the physical extent of individual unmarked graves proves difficult in many cases. The success of individual geophysical techniques for detecting unmarked graves may be due to a poor understanding of the nature of the graves themselves, the context in which they lie in, and temporal changes to the burial state. Given the unpredictability of these variables, it is surprising that grave prospection is often undertaken using only a single method. This paper presents a multi-methodological survey strategy for detecting unmarked burials and utilises an analytical approach for visualising and evaluating survey results