Marine radiocarbon reservoir effects (MRE) in archaeology: temporal and spatial changes through the Holocene within the UK coastal environment.

The purpose of this research was to investigate temporal and spatial trends in the Marine Radiocarbon Reservoir Effect (MRE) on the North Sea coast of Scotland throughout the Holocene. The MRE is a 14C age offset between contemporaneous marine derived carbon and its terrestrial counterpart, owing to the extended residence time of 14C in oceanic environments. This results in marine samples being depleted in 14C relative to contemporaneous terrestrial samples and consequently, the production of 14C ages that are erroneously old. The offset between contemporaneous marine and terrestrial entities varies through space and time on a global scale and so a single correction factor cannot be universally applied. In order to gain a coherent understanding of the MRE, its variability and its full impact on the radiocarbon dating of samples containing marine derived carbon, a brief background to the fundamental principles of radiocarbon dating is presented. This is followed by a global overview of variability in the MRE before focussing on the UK coastal environment, and in particular the North Sea coast of Scotland. Using contemporaneous multiple terrestrial and marine entities from secure archaeological contexts, this thesis investigates the MRE as represented by 13 contexts from 9 archaeological sites spanning a geographical range from Aberdeen in the north to Dunbar in the south. The sites are predominantly Medieval in age, owing to sample availability, and cover a calendar age range of c. 600 – 1500 AD. This thesis recommends the use of the multiple paired sample approach for ΔR calculations and the publication of ΔR using histograms alongside weighted mean values and the standard error for predicted values in order to provide a more accurate estimate of where ΔR values measured in the future for a similar site and location may lie. In so doing, a weighted mean for the sites studied in this thesis has produced a ΔR for the period described above of -19 ± 52 14C yrs. This thesis also compared ΔR values calculated using mollusc shell with those calculated from fish bone and found that although fish bone produces a slightly increased ΔR, this offset is not significant using the standard error for predicted values. When the fish bone results are included in the weighted mean for the study region; ΔR = -29 ± 51 14C years. This thesis highlights the variability inherent within the calculation of ΔR values and places caution on drawing definitive conclusions using ΔR as a proxy for large scale changes in oceanographic/climatic regimes. It also provides new methods of interpreting and presenting ΔR values and their associated errors for publication, alongside recommending best practice statistical treatment of the data used in ΔR calculations. Previous MRE research in this geographic area is limited and therefore this thesis contributes significantly to the understanding of the temporal and spatial trends in the MRE on the North Sea coast of Scotland within the Medieval period

Earhart County: The Making Of A World War Two Wondertale

Full version unavailable due to 3rd party copyright restrictions.The aim of Earhart County was to create a book which would bring the world of World War Two aviation to a mainstream audience, utilising the magic and durability of folklore to mythologize the incredible feats of Churchill’s finest generation. Whilst entertaining its audience, it aims at giving them a glimpse at the many lives and aircraft that flew during the war. Research was conducted mainly through the study of autobiographical and biographical accounts of both famous and unknown aircrew, as well as post-war and contemporary fiction, aircraft manuals and books detailing the various aeroplanes flown throughout the war. Research was also made into the Russian wondertale and Vladimir Propp’s morphology. The result was the novel Earhart County, a novel which was planned using the structures and devices of the wondertale whilst constantly referencing the world of aviation.

A period of calm in Scottish seas: a comprehensive study of ΔR values for the northern British Isles coast and the consequent implications for archaeology and oceanography

The Marine Radiocarbon Reservoir Effect (MRE) is a 14C age offset between contemporaneous marine- and terrestrially-derived carbon. In Northern Hemisphere surface waters it is of the order of 400 years but temporal and spatial deviations, known as ΔR, occur. This study provides a comprehensive dataset of 21 ΔR and MRE values for the east coast of Scotland and 21 recalculated values for the west coast of Scotland and Ireland, for the period c. 3500 BC to 1450 AD. They are presented as mean, site-specific ΔR and MRE values, together with their associated uncertainties, calculated as standard errors for predicted values. The ΔR values range from -320 ± 35 to +150 ± 28 14C years and show no spatial or temporal trends. The MRE values range from 59 ± 40 to 531 ± 26, show an almost identical distribution pattern to the ΔR values and again show no spatial or temporal trends. Results show that ΔR values calculated for a single site using statistically indistinguishable groups of terrestrial and marine radiocarbon age measurements can produce variability of up to 225 14C years. ΔR is an important factor in the accurate calibration of samples containing marine-derived carbon for archaeological interpretation but is often also used as an indicator of changes in 14C specific activity of the oceans, and therefore a proxy for changes in ocean circulation and/or climate. Using the methods outlined in this paper, it is apparent that ΔR values for the northern part of the British Isles have been relatively stable, within our ability to quantify non-random variation in the data. The fact that significant climatic shifts have been recorded during this time, yet these are not visible in the ΔR data, presents a cautionary tale regarding the use of ΔR to infer large-scale oceanographic or climatic changes. Upon the exclusion of 5 outliers from the 42 values, the remaining ΔR values are statistically indistinguishable from one another and range from -142 ± 61 to +40 ± 47 14C years. 34 of these values are from Scottish archaeological sites and can be combined to produce a mean value for Scotland of -47 ± 52 14C years for the period 3500 BC to 1450 AD, to be used only in the absence of site- and period-specific data

Italophilia meets Albanophobia: paradoxes of asymmetric assimilation and identity processes amongst Albanian immigrants in Italy

This paper discusses what we call the 'Albanian assimilation paradox'. Since arrival in 1991, Albanians have become one of the most 'integrated' of all non-EU immigrant groups in Italy, based on their knowledge of Italian, geographical dispersion, balanced demography, employment progress, and desire to remain in Italy. Yet they are the nationality most rejected and stigmatised by Italians – stereotyped as criminals, prostitutes and uncivilised people. Based on 97 interviews with Albanians in three cities in Italy, we explore the multifaceted dimensions of their patchy assimilation. Although the hegemonic negative framing of Albanians by Italian media and public discourse plays a major role, other elements of the picture relate to Albanians' complexly shifting identities, framed both against and within this discourse (and hence both resisting and internalising it), and against changing concepts of Albanian national and diasporic identities derived from ambiguous perceptions of the national homeland

Amino acid racemization dating of marine shells: a mound of possibilities

Shell middens are one of the most important and widespread indicators for human exploitation of marine resources and occupation of coastal environments. Establishing an accurate and reliable chronology for these deposits has fundamental implications for understanding the patterns of human evolution and dispersal. This paper explores the potential application of a new methodology of amino acid racemization(AAR) dating of shell middens and describes a simple protocol to test the suitability of different molluscanspecies. This protocol provides a preliminary test for the presence of an intracrystalline fraction of proteins(by bleaching experiments and subsequent heating at high temperature), checking the closed system behaviour of this fraction during diagenesis. Only species which pass both tests can be considered suitable for further studies to obtain reliable age information. This amino acid geochronological technique is also applied to midden deposits at two latitudinal extremes: Northern Scotland and the Southern Red Sea.Results obtained in this study indicate that the application of this new method of AAR dating of shells has the potential to aid the geochronological investigation of shell mounds in different areas of the world

Amino acid racemization dating of marine shells: a mound of possibilities

Shell middens are one of the most important and widespread indicators for human exploitation of marine resources and occupation of coastal environments. Establishing an accurate and reliable chronology for these deposits has fundamental implications for understanding the patterns of human evolution and dispersal. This paper explores the potential application of a new methodology of amino acid racemization(AAR) dating of shell middens and describes a simple protocol to test the suitability of different molluscanspecies. This protocol provides a preliminary test for the presence of an intracrystalline fraction of proteins(by bleaching experiments and subsequent heating at high temperature), checking the closed system behaviour of this fraction during diagenesis. Only species which pass both tests can be considered suitable for further studies to obtain reliable age information. This amino acid geochronological technique is also applied to midden deposits at two latitudinal extremes: Northern Scotland and the Southern Red Sea.Results obtained in this study indicate that the application of this new method of AAR dating of shells has the potential to aid the geochronological investigation of shell mounds in different areas of the world

Microfluidic integration of photonic crystal fibers for online photochemical reaction analysis

Liquid-filled hollow-core photonic crystal fibers (HC-PCFs) are perfect optofluidic channels, uniquely providing low-loss optical guidance in a liquid medium. As a result, the overlap of the dissolved specimen and the intense light field in the micronsized core is increased manyfold compared to conventional bioanalytical techniques, facilitating highly-efficient photoactivation processes. Here we introduce a novel integrated analytical technology for photochemistry by microfluidic coupling of a HC-PCF nanoflow reactor to supplementary detection devices. Applying a continuous flow through the fiber, we deliver photochemical reaction products to a mass spectrometer in an online and hence rapid fashion, which is highly advantageous over conventional cuvette-based approaches

Marine radiocarbon reservoir effects (MRE) in archaeology : temporal and spatial changes through the Holocene within the UK coastal environment

The purpose of this research was to investigate temporal and spatial trends in the Marine Radiocarbon Reservoir Effect (MRE) on the North Sea coast of Scotland throughout the Holocene. The MRE is a 14C age offset between contemporaneous marine derived carbon and its terrestrial counterpart, owing to the extended residence time of 14C in oceanic environments. This results in marine samples being depleted in 14C relative to contemporaneous terrestrial samples and consequently, the production of 14C ages that are erroneously old. The offset between contemporaneous marine and terrestrial entities varies through space and time on a global scale and so a single correction factor cannot be universally applied. In order to gain a coherent understanding of the MRE, its variability and its full impact on the radiocarbon dating of samples containing marine derived carbon, a brief background to the fundamental principles of radiocarbon dating is presented. This is followed by a global overview of variability in the MRE before focussing on the UK coastal environment, and in particular the North Sea coast of Scotland. Using contemporaneous multiple terrestrial and marine entities from secure archaeological contexts, this thesis investigates the MRE as represented by 13 contexts from 9 archaeological sites spanning a geographical range from Aberdeen in the north to Dunbar in the south. The sites are predominantly Medieval in age, owing to sample availability, and cover a calendar age range of c. 600 – 1500 AD. This thesis recommends the use of the multiple paired sample approach for ΔR calculations and the publication of ΔR using histograms alongside weighted mean values and the standard error for predicted values in order to provide a more accurate estimate of where ΔR values measured in the future for a similar site and location may lie. In so doing, a weighted mean for the sites studied in this thesis has produced a ΔR for the period described above of -19 ± 52 14C yrs. This thesis also compared ΔR values calculated using mollusc shell with those calculated from fish bone and found that although fish bone produces a slightly increased ΔR, this offset is not significant using the standard error for predicted values. When the fish bone results are included in the weighted mean for the study region; ΔR = -29 ± 51 14C years. This thesis highlights the variability inherent within the calculation of ΔR values and places caution on drawing definitive conclusions using ΔR as a proxy for large scale changes in oceanographic/climatic regimes. It also provides new methods of interpreting and presenting ΔR values and their associated errors for publication, alongside recommending best practice statistical treatment of the data used in ΔR calculations. Previous MRE research in this geographic area is limited and therefore this thesis contributes significantly to the understanding of the temporal and spatial trends in the MRE on the North Sea coast of Scotland within the Medieval period.EThOS - Electronic Theses Online ServiceGBUnited Kingdo

Towards robust computerised marking of free-text responses

This paper describes and exemplifies an application of AutoMark, a software system developed in pursuit of robust computerised marking of free-text answers to open-ended questions. AutoMark employs the techniques of Information Extraction to provide computerised marking of short free-text responses. The system incorporates a number of processing modules specifically aimed at providing robust marking in the face of errors in spelling, typing, syntax, and semantics. AutoMark looks for specific content within free-text answers, the content being specified in the form of a number of mark scheme templates. Each template represents one form of a valid (or a specifically invalid) answer. Student answers are first parsed, and then intelligently matched against each mark scheme template, and a mark for each answer is computed. The representation of the templates is such that they can be robustly mapped to multiple variations in the input text. The current paper describes AutoMark for the first time, and presents the results of a brief quantitative and qualitative study of the performance of the system in marking a range of free-text responses in one of the most demanding domains: statutory national curriculum assessment of science for pupils at age 11. This particular domain has been chosen to help identify the strengths and weaknesses of the current system in marking responses where errors in spelling, syntax, and semantics are at their most frequent. Four items of varying degrees of open-endedness were selected from the 1999 tests. These items are drawn from the real-world of so-called ‘high stakes’ testing experienced by cohorts of over half a million pupils in England each year since 1995 at ages 11 and 14. A quantitative and qualitative study of the performance of the system is provided, together with a discussion of the potential for further development in reducing these errors. The aim of this exploration is to reveal some of the issues which need to be addressed if computerised marking is to play any kind of reliable role in the future development of such test regimes